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 AN EXPOSITION 
 
 PROPHET EZEKIEL.
 
 AN EXPOSITION 
 
 THE PROPHET EZEKIEL, 
 
 USEFUL OBSERVATIONS THEREUPON. 
 
 DELIVERED IN SEVERAL LECTURES IN LONDON, 
 
 BY WILLIAM GREENHILL, M.A. 
 
 RECTOR OF STEPNEY, AND CHAPLAIN TO THE DUKES OF YORK. AND GLOUCESTER, 
 AND THE LADY HENRIETTA MARIA. 
 
 A. P. IG50. 
 
 REVISED AND CORBECTED 
 
 BY JAMES SHERMAN, 
 
 MINISTER OF SURREY CHAPEL. 
 
 To you it is f^iven to kuuw the mysteries of the kingitom. — Matt. xjii. 11. 
 
 OtuXoyiai/ inTufipr)TOi' kui KtKpVfifiivi]V duanpiKToi^ Srioinv/xaat •yfi/efr^'ai tvXtiiTTOi^. — NySSKN. 
 
 Ama Scripturas saiictas, et amabit te sapieiitia. — Jkhom. 
 
 EDINBURGH: JAMES NICHOL. 
 
 LONDON : JAMES NISBET & CO. 
 M.DCCC.LXIV.
 
 JOHN CHllDS AND SON, PRINTERa.
 
 StacK 
 Annex 
 
 5 
 
 5(^o 
 
 A D V E K r 1 S E M E N T. 
 
 The Rev. William UreeiiliiU, the learned and pious author of tlie following Exposition, was born in the 
 year 1581, of humble parents residing in Oxfordshire. As early as the age of thirteen he entered a student 
 of Magdalen College, Oxford, in the condition of Servitor, and when he had completed his twenty-first 
 year, took his degree of Master of Arts. In 1643 he acted as one of the Assembly of Divines at West- 
 minster, and about the same time was made afternoon lecturer at Stepney church. Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs 
 preached there in the morning at seven o'clock, and Mr. Greenhill in the afternoon at tln-ee, and were 
 hence styled "the Morning Star" and " the Evening Star" of Stepney. He was chosen to be chaplain 
 to the dukes of York and Gloucester, and the I.ady Henrietta Maria, and in the year 1656 had the living 
 of Stepney presented to him. Calamy says, " He was a worthy man, and much valued for his great 
 learning and unwearied labours." Howe styles him "that eminent servant of God, Mr. Greenhill, whose 
 praise is still in the churches." 
 
 His Exposition of the Prophecy of Ezekiel was delivered in Lectures in the city of London, which 
 were attended by many of the chief personages of his day, and have been long and deservedly valued. 
 They were originally printed a volume at a time, as the lectures on a few chapters were concluded, till five 
 small quarto volumes completed the Exposition. Happy that biblical student thought himself who could 
 obtain a perfect copy, although it has been sold at the enormous price of from seven to ten pounds. The 
 last volume is rarely to be obtained ; and is supposed to have been destroyed in the calamitous fire of 
 London. 
 
 No pains or expense have been spared to render this edition complete. It could hardly be expected that 
 in a work of this magnitude no errors should inadvertently have been overlooked, but, from the most care- 
 ful examination, it is confidently expected they will scarcely be found. Believing that the reader of Green- 
 hill would not thank any editor who might attempt to beautify his style, the reviser has been anxious that 
 he might appear again in his own garb of 1650, and not in the more polite dress of 1837. His style is 
 abrupt, not always chaste, often imperfect, and full of singularities ; yet searching, bold, striking, and effective. 
 An attempt to improve it would most likely enfeeble it, and shear it of its point and power. 
 
 Like most writers of his day, he introduces Latin quotations very frequently in the margin, the substance 
 of which generally appears in the exposition. As they encumber the page, and seldom illustrate the text, 
 many of them have been omitted ; but w henever they throw any fresh light on the scripture, not to be 
 found in the Exposition, they have been either introduced into the body of the work, or retained as notes. 
 He also frequently inserts a Hebrew, Greek, or Latin word not answering any critical purpose, nor even 
 by way of illustration, but, apparently, because the original of a casual English word occurred to him while 
 writing : in these cases it has been left out ; but when such a word was essential to the elucidation of a 
 passage, it has been invariably preserved. 
 
 The only alterations in this edition are, the occasional substitution of a more common for an obsolete 
 word — the rectifying of numerous errors of the pen or press — and the omission of some coarse and indeli- 
 cate expressions, not at all connected with the explication of t' <■ prophecy. The reviser has not felt him- 
 self at liberty to alter a single sentiment of Greenhill, or to soften any of his statements, for which no editor 
 is accountable. Various remarks occur on the discipline and government of churches, and other matters, 
 peculiar to the times, which n>iiy not agree with the sentiments of some readers; but the omission of them 
 
 A 
 
 20G8171
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 1m have been un.a.antable, and any aUe,.pt to alter ^'^ -:^:2^:: ^^:^:^-:^ Ztt^^yZ 
 
 deed no omissions or alterations have extended to a single word, but such a. 
 
 understand the author, and to render his general des.gn -'^^'^ ^PP^"-^'; .. ^^^^ ^„ 1,, understood," 
 
 As a practical expositor of Ezek.el, «hose prophecy contams "-"V "^'"-' ^ ^,^^,^ ,i,3 
 
 GreenhilWiU ever rank deservedly h.gh. He fully explains t e ^^^^ ^J^^^^^ Zr.^^^J^ It 
 the truth to the consciences of his auditory by many most P™ /j J^^^l^^ ^l^^d in the know- 
 is impossible that a prayerful mind can read th.s exposition, without growmg . 
 ledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.'' ^^^^ ^_^^.^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ 
 
 The reviser trusts that the future readers of «^'=.'^"'" '."'^ ^^ '' Jj^,, „f ,l,e author should be faith- 
 prepare for them an edition of this val-able work, m which test— ^^^ .^^ ^^ ^^^ 
 Lly retained, and the peculiar spirit o his style be uni onnly ""/, dels ion of five volumes into 
 GrJek and Latm words and phrases-the ^eauuM typ grapl y- te conde- ^^^ ^^^ 
 
 one of moderate size-one complete index and '^'^l; "^ '^^ ^;;i;,t 1;, ^ered real improvements to the 
 correctness, portability, and cheapness of this edition, ^^^^^.^^^^^^^^^^ ,n. 
 
 sr=;;a,r^^^:-^n^^^^ -' "^^ '-'- "' ''' 
 
 christian character be promoted. j_ SHERMAN. 
 
 Surreij Chapel, 
 January mh, 1R37.
 
 THE EPISTLES DEDICATOIIY. 
 
 PUEFIXED IN THE ORIGINAL EDITION TO IHE PART CONTAIVINQ CHAP. I— V ] 
 
 TO 
 
 THE EXCELLENT PRINCESS, 
 
 AND MOST HOPEFUL LADY, 
 
 THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH, 
 
 her highness. 
 
 May it please your Highness, 
 
 Solomon, the wisest of princes, counsels us to remeiiiber our Creator in the days of our youth. It is 
 a great virtue to be mindful of God timely. Timothy from a child knew the holy Scriptures. Josiah, 
 that good prince, while he was yet young, or tender, (as the Hebrew bears it,} began to seek after the 
 Lord ; he did that which \vas right in his sight, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 3 ; he walked in the ways of David, he 
 turned not aside to the right hand or left, 2 Kings xxii. 2. The Lord takes special notice when young 
 ones are mindful of him. The children's crying " Hosanna " is recorded in the gospel, Matt. xxi. 15 ; 
 children walking in the truth, is observed by John, 2 Epist. 4 ; and the Lord minded the good that was 
 found in the child of Jeroboam, 1 Kings xiv. 13. Doubtless God's eye is upon your Highness, for that 
 good which is found in you in these your tender years, and is well pleased that your sweetness of nature 
 and choiceness of wit are joined with desire to know him, with love to his worship, affection to the godly, 
 and delight in such sentence's as these are, viz. 
 
 XalpiTE iy M.vpliD iravroTt, ~a\u' tow, Xai'pfrt. 
 Dfus meus et omnia. 
 
 La mia Grandezza dal Eccelso. 
 
 All which, with these precious speeches of yours, " I had rather be a beggar here than not go to heaven," 
 and, " How shall I be sure to go to heaven?" are acceptable to the Highest, and make strong impressions 
 upon us inferiors. Your desire to know the original tongues, that you may understand the Scripture the 
 better ; your resolution to write them out with your own princely hand, and to come to the perfect knowledge 
 of them, breed in us hopes that you will exceed all of voursex, and be without eipial in Europe ; as Drusius 
 said of his son, who at five years learned Hebrew, and at twelve wrote it extempore, both in prose and 
 verse. Encouraging instances your own sex will afford. Eustochium profited so mucli in the Latin, He- 
 brew, and Greek, that in her time she was called the wonder of the world. Istrina, queen of the Scythians, 
 so excelled in (Jreek, that she taught her sons the Greek tongue. Zenobia, queen of the Palmyrenians, 
 was skilled in the Latin, Egyptian, and Greek tongues ; she read the Roman story in Greek, abridged the 
 Alexandrian and all the oriental histories. Politian hath an epistle to Cassandra, a Venetian maid, whom 
 he calls the glory of Italy. Her delight was not in wool, but books ; not in the spindle or needle, but in 
 tlie pen ; not in paint, but in ink : she wrote epistles and orations to admiration ; she excelled in logic and 
 philosophy, and had such perfections, as caused the learned to admire, if not adore her. Queen Elizabeth 
 was so learned, that she read every auth.or in the original, and answered ambassadors of most nations in 
 
 A 2
 
 IV 
 
 EPISTLES DEDICATORY. 
 
 their own lan<r„aae : she went twice to Oxford, and once to Cambridge, purposely to bear the learned 
 acade.nical disputations, where herself made Latin orations : she translated Sallust, and wrote a centnry o. 
 sentences : she set apart some hours daily to read, or hear others read to her : she so excelled m learnmg 
 and wisdom, that her teachers rather learned of her than brought learning to her. Your Highness seems 
 to aim at all the excellences in the prementioned ; for your writing out the Lord's Prayer ni Greek, some 
 texts of Scripture in Hebrew, your endeavour after the exact knowledge of those holy tongues, with other 
 lancTuaaes and learned accomplishments, your diligent hearing of the word, careful noting of sermons, un- 
 derstairdina answers at the catechising, and frequent questioning about holy things, do promise great matters 
 from you.° If the harvest be answerable to the spring, your Highness will be the wonder of the learned, 
 and crlory of the godly. It is my unhappiness tiiat I cannot be sufficiently adjuvant to such princely be- 
 ginnings • yet because this following treatise is an exposition of Scripture, I take the boldness to present 
 It to your Highness, and shall continue to pray to him who is All, and able to give all, that he would 
 preserve your royal person, bless your hopeful endeavours, fill you with all divine perfections, make you a 
 chief praise in Israel, and fit you for an eternal weight of glory. 
 
 Your Highness's most humble servant, 
 
 WILLIAM GREENHILL. 
 
 no 
 xvii 
 
 TO ALL WELL-WILLERS OF TRUTH ; 
 
 ESPECIALLY TO THE AUTHORS AND FAUTOIiS OF THE EXPOSITORY LECTURES IN 
 
 THIS CITY. 
 
 In most arts and sciences are difficulties; in divinity are depths. Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, have their 
 
 dos, and the Scriptures have their 2t-<r.or,ra. In them are dark sayings, Psal. Ixxviii. 2 ; riddles, Ezek. 
 „.ii. 2; parables, Matt. xiii. 35; wonders, Psal. cxix. 18; great things, Hos. viii. 12; things hard to be 
 uttered, Heb. v. 1 1 ; hard to be understood, 2 Pet. iii. 16; mysteries. Matt. iii. 11 ; hidden and manifold 
 wisdom, 1 Cor. ii. 7 ; Eph. iii. 10 ; the deep things of God, 1 Cor. ii. 10. Much is in it that God hath 
 intermixed the Holy Scriptures with some difficulties. Hereby we are led up to conceive there are infinite 
 depths in God, whi'ch eternity must take us up to study, they convince us of our incapacity of high 
 things, John xvl. 12 ; they prevent our undervaluing of divine truth. Flesh and blood Is very apt, upon 
 readhig, and apprehension of easiness, to lay aside choice works ; God hath therefore hid some truths under 
 the rocks, laid them deep, that so there might be digging and searching, as for treasures, Prov. II. 4. Dif- 
 ficulties quicken and whet endeavours. Sloth is a great gulf which hinders men from coming at the truth ; 
 and It made the Father fear* lest thereby the Lord's book should not only be shut, but also sealed up. 
 Ingenuous spirits, when they hear of hard things, stir livelily ; and what they get by sorest labour, is most 
 precious. The rocky and knotty things in the prophets and apostles suffice to exercise the greatest abilities 
 and graces which are seated In human nature ; f they keep men's thoughts from swelling into a conceit of 
 omnisclency ; they make us long to be where we shall know as we are known, 1 Cor. xiii. 12; and, in the 
 mean time, to pray with David, " Open thou our eyes, that we may see tlie wonders of thy law." Hard 
 tliliK's drove David to the Lord; he knew that without God he could not understand the things of God, J 
 whose glory It is both to conceal and reveal a thing, Prov. xxv. 2 ; Matt. xvi. 17. Many have sued to 
 God for further discovery of his mind, and have attempted to help us In Scripture difficulties ; but all dark 
 things are not yet cleared, nor all deptlis yet sounded. To this day a veil is upon the heart of the Jews in 
 readtng the Old Testament, 2 Cor. Hi. 14, 15; and surely, the veil Is not fully removed from the liearts of 
 lis christians. We have seen very dimly Into sundry things, not only of Paul, Peter, and John, but of 
 .Moses and tlie prophets, especially of this prophet Ezekiel ; who hath, therefore, been passed over, both 
 by writers and readers, as dark, difficult, and less useful. Robert Stephen ^ mentions one, and that a Sar- 
 
 • Ego vcrcor ne per nimiain ncgligontiAin ul stolulitatciii cordis nmi solum velata sint nobis divina volumina, sed eliam 
 signata. Orir/en. 
 
 f In vcrbo Dei abundat quod perfcclus couiedat, ot quod paivulus UigM. t'ldy. 
 
 X Siuf Deo, impossibileest disccrc Deum. /mi. § Kespons. ad censu. Theol. Paris, in piKf.
 
 EPISTLES DEDICATORY. v 
 
 bonist, who had Uved above fifty years, and knew not what the New Testament meant : and have not sun- 
 dry persons among us hved tlieir fifty vears, and not known what Ezekiel meant ? hath he not been a book 
 clasped and sealed unto them ? If this hieroglyphical prophet have been a wonder to all for his visions, 
 vet he hath been known to few, bv reason of the abstruseness of his visions, which have kept off great rab- 
 bles from employing their talents to open them. If weakness and error be found in these poor labours of 
 mine, I entreat yon to remember, I have been among prophetical deeps and difficulties, which may plead for 
 him who, knowinc his own insufficiencies, came invita 3Iinerva to this task. If any light appear for the 
 better understanding of these enigmatical things, I must say with Daniel, there is a God in heaven which 
 revealeth mysteries, to him be all the glory, Dan. ii. 28. 
 
 ;My pravers shall be to him who enlighteneth every man which cometh into the world, that he would 
 anoint your eyes with eve-salve, whereby you may daily see more into the great and glorious trnths of God, 
 and those things which may strongly make for your eternal peace and comfort. So praveth 
 
 Your friend and servant in the Lord, 
 
 W. G. 
 
 [PREFIXED IN THE OlilGINAL EDITION TO THE PART fOXTAIMNC; CHAP. VI— XIII ] 
 
 TO ALL LOVERS OF DIVINE TRUTHS; 
 
 ESPECIALLY THE UNDERTAKERS FOR THE EXPOSITORY LECTURES IN THE CITY 
 
 OF LONDON, 
 
 I HE infinite and only wise God hath annexed to the ministry conversion, Acts xxvi. 18; regeneration, 
 1 Cor. iv. 15 ; the addition of sinners to the church and to himself. Acts ii. 41, 47 ; xi. 24 ; faith, Rom. 
 X. 14 ; 1 Cor. iii. 5 ; the perfecting of the saints, and edification of the body of Christ, Eph. iv. 12 ; colla- 
 tion of the Spirit, Gal. iii. 2; Acts x. 44; yea, salvation. Acts xi. 14; I Cor. i. 21 ; 1 Tim. iv. 16. 
 Now, notwithstanding the ministry be the great medium and appointment of God to effect and accomplish 
 snch needful and glorious things, yet some there be that thrust hard at it, and endeavour to throw it down. 
 But were it removed, and the pernicious desires of men fulfilled herein, a sadder judgment could not befall 
 the nation. Solomon, the firstborn of Wisdom, saith, " Where there is no vision the people perish," 
 Prov. xxix. 18. Where the word of God is not expounded, preached, and applied to the several conditions 
 of the people, there they perish. Feriabitur populus, saith Montanus, they will be idle, keep holiday, 
 cease from doing the work of the Lord, and do the works of the flesh and darkness. Piscator reads it, 
 Nudatur populus. The people is made naked : they are like men without clothing, without armour, ex- 
 posed to wind and weather, to spiritual storms and temptations, having notliing to defend themselves. The 
 Vulgate is, dissipabitur populus ; lay aside preaching and expounding the Scriptures, the people will be 
 scattered, run into errors, wander up and down as sheep without a shepherd. Pagnine hath it, Rebellis 
 erit, The people will be rebellious, they will not be kept in order, obedience, and subjection to authority ; 
 for where means of knowledge are wanting, there must be ignorance, and ignorance is the mother of rebellion. 
 
 When queen Elizabeth, whose memory is precious, was instigated, by some ill-affected to the ministry, 
 to abridge the number of preachers, Edmund Grindal, archbishop of Canterbury, was much troubled at it, 
 and wrote her a learned and serious letter about it; out of which, having the manuscri])t by me, I have 
 thought fit to transcrilie and commend unto you what follows: 
 
 " I cannot marvel enough how this strange opinion should once enter into your mind, that it should be 
 good for the church to have few preachers? Alas I Madam, is the Scripture more plain in any one thing, 
 than that the gospel of Christ should be plentifully produced ? and that |)!entv of labourers should be sent 
 into the Lord's harvest, which beinsf oreat and laree, standeth in need of not a few but many workmen ? 
 There were appointed to the building of Solomon's material temple a hundred and fifteen thousand arti- 
 ficers and labourers, besides three liundred and thirty overseers, and shall we think that a few preachers may
 
 vi EnSTLES DEDICATORY. 
 
 suffice to build anil edify the spiritual temple of Clirist, vvhicli is the chuich. Christ, when he seiideili 
 forth his apostles, saith unto them, ' Go ye, preach the gospel to every creature.' But all God's creatures 
 cannot be instructed in the gospel, unless all possible means be used to liave a multitude of preachers and 
 teachers to preach unto them. ' Let the word of Christ dwell in vou richly,' saith Paul, Col. iii. 1(5. And 
 to Timothy, 2 Epist. iv. 2, ' Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season ; reprove, rebuke, ex- 
 hort,' which thing cannot be done without often and much preaching. To this agreeth the practice of 
 Christ's apostles, Actsxiv. 23, ' And when they had ordained them elders in every church.' Paul likewise 
 to Titns, chap. i. 5, writeth, ' For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things 
 that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city ;' and afterward describeth how the presbytery should be 
 qualified ; not such as we are compelled to admit, bv mere necessity, unless we should leave a great number 
 of churches utterly desolate, but such indeed as were able to exhort, ' by sound doctrine convincing the 
 gainsayers.' And in this place I beseech your Majesty to note one thing necessary to be noted, which is 
 this ; if the Holy Ghost prescribe expressly that preachers should be placed in every city, how can it well 
 be thought that two or three preachers may suffice for a shire ? Public and continual preaching of God's 
 word is the ordinary means and instrument of the salvation of mankind. St. Paul calls it. The ministry of 
 reconciliation of man unto God. By the preaching of God's word, the glory of God is enlarged, faith 
 nourished, and charity increased ; by it ignorance is instructed, the negligent exhorted and incited, the stub- 
 born rebuked, the weak comforted, and to all those that sin of malicious wickedness, the wrath of God is 
 threatened. By preaching also, due obedience to christian princes and magistrates is planted in the hearts 
 of subjects ; for obedience proceedeth of conscience, conscience is grounded upon the word of God, and the 
 word of God worketh this effect by preaching, so as generally where preaching is neglected, obedience fail- 
 eth. No prince ever had more lively experience hereof than your Majesty hath had in your time, and may 
 have daily. If your Majesty come to the city of London never so often, what great gratulation, what joy, 
 what concourse of people is there to be seen, yea, what acclamations and prayers to God for your long life, 
 and other manifest significations of inward and unfeigned love, joined with most humble and iiearty obedi- 
 ence, are there to be heard ! Whereof cometh this, Madam, but of the continual preaching of God's word 
 in the city, whereby that people hath been plenteouslv instructed in their duty towards God, and towards 
 rour Majesty? On the contrary, what bred the rebellion in the north? Was it not papistry, and the 
 ignorance of God's holv word throunh want of preaching? And in the time of that rebellion, were not all 
 men of all estates that made profession of the gospel, most ready to offer their lives for your defence? inso- 
 much that one poor parish in Yorkshire, which by continual preaching had been better instructed than the 
 rest, Halifax I mean, was ready to brins; three or four thousand able men into the field, to serve you against 
 the said rebels. How can your Majesty have a more lively trial and experience of the contrary effects of 
 much preaching, and little or no preaihiu':; ? the one working most unnatural disobedience and rebellion, the 
 other most faithful obedience." 
 
 By tliis part of the letter you see how firm the archbishop was for preaching, and that he hath fully con- 
 firmed that sense of the words. Where there is no vision or preaching, the people will rebel ; and if he would 
 not yield to the abridging of preachers, why should any desire the abolishing of them, and so make way 
 for the people to be idle, naked, scattered, rebellious, yea, for their perishing ? It was one of the saddest 
 times that ever Israel had, when Israel was without a teaching priest, 2 Chron. xv. 3 ; then they had no 
 peace within nor witliout, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries, even all the 
 ten tribes. This lieiiig without a teaching priest was such an affliction, as that the Lord promised his 
 people afterward-, tliat what allliction soever befell them, this should not; Isa. xxx. 20, " Though the 
 Lord give you the bread of adversity, and water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a 
 corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers." This is a gracious promise for the continuance of 
 the ministry. They had the law, and should have teachers to instruct them therein ; we have the gospel, 
 and teachers to instruct us therein. The church and ministry may be hid, Rev. xii. 6, but not extinct. 
 Christ is a King, the government is upon his shoulder, he has a kingdom, and it knows no end, Isa. ix. 6, 
 7 ; Luke i. 32, 3S ; his throne is for ever, Heb. i. 8. He, therefore, hath promised to be with his church, 
 and the ministry thereof, unto the end of the world, twc rije avvTtXtias tov alwroc, Matt, xxviii. 20 ; not, 
 to the end of that age, but of the world ; for so the word alutu signifies : Matt. xiii. 39, 40, " The harvest 
 is the end of the world ; — and so shall it be in the end of the world;" o li ^epiofiv^ avvriXna tov aiwi lic torti'. 
 — oi/rwc itTTni iv rij irviTfXf/n tov oiwi oc tuvtov. Christ's kingdom, and officers of it, were not only for the 
 jipostolical and primitive times, but for all times and ages, Eph. iii. 21 ; iv. 11, 12; Rev. vii. 14, 15; xi. 
 10 ; otherwise what hojic were there for .Jews or gciitilus ? If one should leave the .lewi^h synagogue, and
 
 EPISTLES DEDICATORY. vn 
 
 the other lieatlieuism, whither should tliey come, if Christ have no true churcii, no visible kingdom? 
 Herein himself hath satisfied us : John x. 16, " Other sheep 1 have, which are not of (his fold ; them also 
 I must bring, and they shall hear my voice ; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." The fold 
 was the church, the sheep to be brought in, the gentiles, who were not brought in in Christ's days, nor 
 all in the apostles' days, or primitive times. Some are yet to be brought in ; and therefore there is yet a 
 fold, and ministers to cause them to hear the voice of Christ, that they may come into this fold : for whom 
 he predestinates he calls, Rom. viii. 30 ; and his calling is not immediate, but by the ministry of the word. 
 And though the ministry now be not infallible, as the apostles were, but fallible, yet their fallibility doth 
 not make void their calling, nor cause the churches to be reputed false, as not having the word of God 
 taught in tlieni infalliblv ; for those holy men who were prophets and apostles you may find sometimes fail- 
 ing. Nathan failed, when he bid David go and build the house of the Lord, 2 Sam. vii. 3. David was 
 out, when he said he was cut off from before the Lord's eyes, Psal. xxxi. 22 ; and when he said, all men 
 were liars, Psal. cxvi. IL Jeremiah spake like a man, when he said, " I will not make mention of him, 
 nor speak anv more in iiis name ;" and especially when he cursed the day of his nativity, and the man who 
 brought tidings thereof, chap. xx. 9, 14 — 16. Jonah spake from himself, not from God, when he said, 
 " Take my life from nie ; for it is better for me to die than to live ;" and, " I do well to be angry even unto 
 death," Jonah iv. 3, 9. And Paul professes he had no commandment of the Lord concerning virgins, but 
 gave his judgment as one that had " obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful," 1 Cor. vii. 25. Now, 
 though these men had such failings, spake from their own spirits, yet were neither the churches falsified 
 hereby, nor their callings frustrated. That which was needful to be the rule and standard, was given out 
 by an infallible Spirit. The Spirit of truth took of Christ's, showed it to them, and led them into all trutli. 
 And while the ministers now do bring that truth unto you, they are infallible. If in their constructions, 
 interpretations, and expositions of the same, they vary, or be out, you ought to " try the spirits," 1 John 
 iv. 1 ; and to " hold fast what is good," I Thess. v. 21 ; not despising prophcsvings, lest you quench the 
 Spirit. It is ill when any destroy commands of God to maintain their opinions. Some would have the 
 word only read, and that there should be no preaching or expounding of it. It was not the eunuch's read- 
 ing, but Philip's preaching, that wrought faith in him. Acts viii. The spices of the Scripture send forth 
 the strongest and sweetest smells when they are bruised and broken ; the fire of the sanctuary yields mo^t 
 heat and light when stirred up and blown. It is neither fleshly, devilish, nor treason to the Father, to make 
 constructions upon the prophets and apostles, and expound their meaning. If so, then Ezra and others, 
 who read the law and gave the sense of it, Neh. viii. 8, sinned, were fleshly, devilish, and traitors to the 
 Father : then Paul gave ill counsel to Timothy, to divide the word of truth aright, 2 Tim. ii. 15. How 
 children should have their milk, young men their bread, old men their wine, and that only by reading, I see 
 not. If that could be, surely Christ needed not have appointed a wise and faithful servant " over his 
 household, to give them meat in due season," Matt. xxiv. 45. If we may not expound the word because 
 we are fallible, then why should any translate the word out of the original tongue into others, seeing they 
 are fallible, and may, yea have, mistaken therein, as well as others in expounding and preaching : and be- 
 cause it is so, some little regard the Scriptures, expecting evangelium Spirifus Sancti et tevtium Testa- 
 menturn, the gospel of the Holy Spirit and a third Testament.* The Jews look for Messias, the papists 
 look for Enoch and Elias, but without warrant ; and so do these men for another gospel, Gal. i. 8, 9, and 
 extraordinary men, who may raise up churches, and declare what is truth. I beseech you, be content with, 
 and thankful for, those precious, glorious truths the Lord hath given you in the law and gospel, studying 
 to know ihcm more fully; and endeavour to yield unto the Author of them the obedience of faith ; acknow- 
 ledging it an unspeakable gift, that you have ihem, with preachers and expositors amongst you, to further 
 you in the knowledge and practice of them. If this ensuing work shall contribute aught that way, I shall 
 be abundantly satisfied therein. In hopes whereof, I commend both it and vou to the blessnig of tlie Lord, 
 subscribing myself. 
 
 Yours in this work of the Lor<l 
 
 to love and serve, 
 
 Septemb. 28, 1649 W. G. 
 
 * Vide Hoinbeeck ui Apoli'g. pro Eiilcs. Chiisliaiia,
 
 EPISTLES DEDICATORY. 
 
 [PREFIXED IN THE ORIGINAL EDITION TO THE PART CONTAINING CHAP. XIV.— XIX] 
 
 TO THE UNDERTAKERS FOR AND HEARERS OF THE EXPOSITORY 
 LECTURES IN THE CITY OF LONDON, 
 
 AND ALL WHO DESIRE UNDERSTANDING IN THE WORD OF GOD. 
 
 When I was expounding the 17th and I9th chapters of this Propliecy of Ezekiel, and saw an end put 
 to kingly government in Judah, (for after Zedekiah there was " no strong rod to he a sceptre to rule,") my 
 thoughts ran much upon that ancient prophecy, Gen. xlix. 10, " The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, 
 nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloli come." Concerning which, though somewhat were then 
 said, yet I shall now endeavour to satisfy both you and myself more fully. The words seem to imply a 
 presence of the sceptre in the hand of Judah when they were given forth ; because a thing cannot be said 
 to depart from any who hath it not ; but it was long after ere the tribe of Judah had any sceptre. Jacob's 
 meaning was, that the sceptre should come in time to that tribe, and when it came, it should not depart ; 
 for Jacob prophesies of things to come. They were at that time in Egv])t, few, poor, and low ; and when they 
 were increased, they had no sceptre amongst them, they were under the Egyptian sceptre, and had Egyptian 
 task-masters over them. After the Lord had brought them out of Egypt by a strong hand, there was a 
 sceptre and lawgiver amongst them ; but it was ISIoses, who was of the tribe of Levi, Exod. ii. 1, 2, 10, and 
 after him Joshua, who was of the tribe of Ephraim, Numb. xiii. 8, 16. All that Judah had was a little 
 priority in pitching his standard and camp first. Numb. ii. 3 ; in sending the first prince to offer at the 
 dedication of the tabernacle, Numb. vii. 12; in marching first from Sinai to Paran, Numb. x. 14; in 
 having the first lot when the land of Canaan was divided. Josh. xv. ; and in going up first to fight against 
 tlie Canaanites, Judg. i. 2. And when account was taken of the genealogies, Jndah carried the pre-emi- 
 nence, being first numbered, 1 Chron. ii. 3. Afterwards in the days of the judges, who bare the sceptre 
 three hundred and thirtj-nine, or three hundred and sixty-two, or three hundred and seventy years, as the 
 accounts of chronologers are, or about four hundred and fifty, as the apostles' account is. Acts xiii. 20, 
 there were l)ut two of the tribe of Jndah ; Othnicl, Judg. iii. 9, who was of that tribe, as ap))ears. Josh. 
 XV. 17, 20 ; 1 Chron. iv. 1, 13 ; and Ibzan, who was of Bethlehem, Judg. xii. 8. The following judges 
 were of other tribes. And when it came to kinglv power, the first set up was Saul, who was a Benjamite, 
 1 Sam. ix. 1, 2. The next was David, of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, 1 Sam. xvi. 1. It was now between 
 six and seven hundred years from the time of Jacob's giving out this prophecy, all which 
 time it lay as dead and destitute of regal power ; which now being settled in this tribe, 
 continued but to the captivity of Zedekiah, four hundred and sixty-eight, as some do chronologize, four 
 hundred and seventy-three years, as otiiers. The first king the Jews had God gave them in his wrath, 
 1 Sam. viii. ; and the last he took away in his fury. Judah, that had been his pleasant plant, " was 
 plucked up in furv," Ezek. xix. 12, and all the branches of that vine jducked ofT, and not one left to hold 
 the sceptre, Jer. xxii. 30. Therefore some Jews and others, deriving the word Shiloh 
 oi?eii by'Amamn, ' from Shalach, render the words, until he who is to be sent shall come ; and so interpret 
 Lyra in incum. ^j -^ prophecv of XfbuchadnezzaT, who was sent of God to destroy Judea, and so the sceptre 
 departed from Judah. But the next words in the propliecy confute this interpretation, " and unto him 
 shall the gathering of the people be." Shiloh was he that the nations .should desire, and unto whom the 
 VaiaM. in loc. people should be gathered, which never was verified in Nebuchadnezzar. The Chaldee 
 
 JJ.JhoSM-!''"''''""'" paraphrase hath it, donee venial Christus, till Christ come: and the Targum hath it, 
 Maiiiisscli Bfn ,,,,(11 the time wherein Messiah the King shall come. Rabbi Moses Gerundensis saith, 
 
 lsra*'l, q. 65. in » . i • i n t • i 
 
 Gene.iiii. doTiec Venial Jilius ejus (pti csl Messias, till his son come who is the Messiah. 
 
 If we take the word " sceptre" for kingly power, which it certainly notes, as Psal. xlv. 6 ; Zech. x. II, 
 it may be granted that now the sceptre departed from Jndah ; for it is said, Ezek. xxi. 27, " It shall be no 
 more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him ;" and that was Christ : from the putting 
 down of Zedekiah and the death of his sons, none had right to kingly power till Christ came. Now the 
 crown was laid aside, and laid np for his head alone, and no others. But if we take shchet, or shevel, for 
 a trdie, as it is Josh. iii. 12; vii. 14; Psal. cxxii. 4; Jacob's sense in the prophecy is, that the tribe of
 
 EPISTLES DEDICATORY. ix 
 
 Judati should not cease, however it fared with other tribes, till Shiloli or Cliiist came. Ten of the other 
 tribes were carried away captive by Sennacherib, and never returned more ; but as for that of Judab, though 
 it were carried into Babylon, yet it was preserved there, and returned again to its own land, with few of any 
 other tribe. It was that tribe chiefly, which made up the estate and ciiurch, and continued till Christ's 
 coming. 
 
 This sense is true, but reaches not fully the scope of Jacob in this prophecy, wjiich is not simply to 
 show the duration of the tribes, but the peculiar benedictions they should have ; and Judah's was, the 
 sceptre, which doth not only note royal power, but any rule, dominion, or authority, as Isa. xiv. 5 ; Ezek. 
 xix. 11. And so that tribe should have power, more or less, till Shiloh came; if not kings, yet lawgivers; 
 if not supreme, yet subordinate power. Upon the captivity of the ten tribes, kingly power was only and 
 eminently in it for one hundred and thirty years and upwards ; and after Zedekiaii's downfall, altiiough it 
 lost royal dignity, which was for a lamentation to the prophet, Ezek. xix. 14, vet it had other sceptrical 
 power in it. Manasseh Ben Israel saith, that in Babylon it iiad its heads and rulers always of the seed of 
 David. 
 
 When they returned from Babylon, Zerubbabel was governor of Judah, Hag. \. \ ; e( ab illn usf/ue ad 
 Machabcpos nunquam clefuerunt rhices de tribu Judir, f/uanquam regio diademate propter persas 
 nunquam itterentur : from him to the days of the Maccabees, or Asmoneans, they had Simrez, torn. i. 
 rulers and governors of that tribe, which was two hundred and seventy years, as Parseus judEos, Pa're'i^s in 
 observes ; but Rivet makes the time shorter, affirming that the government was pcenes sa- *''^" Ri>ti, lUii. 
 cerdotes levitici generis. When Alexander the Great came into Judea, which he reckons to be but fifty- 
 three years from the time of Zerubbabel, (chronologers make it much more,) at that time Josephus informs 
 us, Jaddus was high priest, who being then the principal ruler, came out to meet Alex- 
 ander, conductmg him nito the city and temple. Now the high priests were not of the •■■ "It. 
 tribe of Judah, Heb. vii. 13, 14, but of Levi ; and so were the Asmoneans, or Maccabees, J"" ]>li. Aniiq. i 12. 
 1 Mace. ii. 1, 4 ; 1 Chron. xxiv. 7, among whom continued the chief government till 
 Herod's days, divers of them assuming kingly power to themselves, as Aristobulus, Alexander, Hyrcanus, 
 and Antigonus. Montague observes, that after the captivity they were under the Persians, 
 Alexander, the Macedonian princes of the Lagidan and seleucidan lines, till the Maccabees meoisof the 
 freed them for a time ; and last of all they were under the Romans : yet during these trou- 
 blesome times, they were governed by their own laws and countrv customs. They had their ethnarchs, 
 toparchs, high priests, rulers, princes, and sometimes kings of their own ; Jews and Israelites, though not 
 of David, nor of Judah. To help in this strait, it is affirmed that the Asmoneans were by the mother's 
 side of Judah, and so therein the dignity of the tribe was preserved ; but it doth not appear by Scriptures, 
 that the females were of that tribe, neither were they to marry out of their tribes, especially women inheri- 
 tresses to their parents, they were tied to marry in their own tribe, 7ie confunderentur hcereditates. And 
 ordinary women might not bear rule among the Jews, though Deborah a prophetess once did ; besides, the 
 mother's line amongst them was not reckoned ; and the Talmud saith, he is the end of the 
 family, who hath no masculine issue. We cannot then make it out this way, that the 
 sceptre departed not from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, till Shiloh came. 
 
 Some therefore, which is the bettei way, refer it to the sanhedrim, which was quasi suptemus senalus, 
 as the highest indicatorv and rovai council. This sanhedrim remained in the captivitv, and 
 
 r .1 ' Snared lorn. 1. 
 
 continued to the days of Christ ; and was either taken from them by Herod, or at least the <ii3|>. i. c.mtra Ju- 
 
 r ■ 1 • 1 ■ 11 1 /> ■ 1 1 ■ rr<i ,• - > I dseos, Sett. 1. |>. 6. 
 
 power 01 judging and sentencing to death was taken out or it by him. 1 bcrefore said the 
 Jews, John xviii. 31, " It is not lawful for us to put any man to death." In former times they might, but 
 now they were deprived of that power. The difficulty here is to make it out, th.it those who made up the 
 sanhedrim were of the tribe of Judah. It is not necessary that all should be of it ; if the major part were, 
 that sufficeth to pre-eminence the tribe. 
 
 At first the men of the siiiihcdrim were chosen out of all the tribes ; but when ten tribes fell ofl^, it could 
 not be, tliey being under Jeroboam and other kings who were against Judah ; and much less could it be, 
 when those ten tribes were carried away, and returned no more. The Babylonish captivity therefore being 
 ended when the commonwealth of the Jews was restored, and consisted most of the tribe of Judah, it is 
 more than probable, that tlie sanhedrim was most of that tribe, which in Scripture account was but one be- 
 fore ; for the Lord told Solomon he would give one tribe to his son, 1 Kings xi. 13; and chap. xii. 20, 
 " There was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only ;" and 2 Kings xvii. 18, 
 " The Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight ; there was none left but the 
 tribe of Judah only." Benjamin did follow Rchoboam ; but there is little or no mention made of it, qtiia
 
 X EPISTLES DEDICATORY. 
 
 ran fuit inlesrit sicut tribus Judce, it was not entire as the tribe of JuJaii, whose (l)giiitv 
 
 Siiaii-zulii aiile. , ,, , , i ■ •■ ii r,,, t ■ i i a 
 
 and excellency was such as made that inconsiderable. 1 he L,evites also, say the Annota- 
 tions upon 1 Kings xi. were no distinct tribe; when they were cast out by Jeroboam, they left their sub- 
 urbs and possessions, and came to Judah and Jerusalem, 2 Chron. xi. 13, 14. When therefore the return 
 cam« from captivity, it was Judah the Lord looked chiefly upon ; the rest were either reduced to that tribe, 
 or as inconsiderable then as before the captivity. Judah made up the bulk and body of their common- 
 wealth, and the governing power, if not altogether, yet must needs be mostly in it. Manasseh Ben Israel 
 saith, that in the times of the Asnioneans, Princeps Jehuda erat caput se7iatus Israelitici nuncupati 
 sanheJn'n, A prince of Judah was chief in the great council called the sanhedrim, which continued till 
 Herod's days ; and such was the power of it, that Herod himself was called before it, for which, when he 
 obtained the kingdom, he put them all to death, except one Sameas, as Josephus reports in his 14th book 
 of the Antiquities of the Jews, chap. 17. In this sense not only were their rulers and governors of the 
 Jewish nation till Christ came, as some do carry it, but even of the tribe of Judah ; for now in Herod's 
 days did Shiloh come, Christ was born, Matt. ii. 1. The sceptre was departing when Pompey brought 
 Judea under the Romans, and the power of it more weakened when it was made a province afterward ; but 
 it fully departed not, till Titus overthrew the city, and ruined the whole conmionwealth of the Jews ; before 
 which time Christ was to come and enter into his kingdom, taking the crown to himself, being his right, 
 (which he did, and changed it into a spiritual kingdom, so raising up the tabernacle of David which was 
 fallen,) and then shortly after was the tribe of Judah and Jewish state utterly ruined. 
 
 In this prophecy you see the faithfulness of the Lord, making good his truths notwithstanding all dark 
 and contradictory appearances ; his power also, in raising up kingdoms and pulling them down again, in 
 changing forms of government at his pleasure, and bringing thein to nothing. You may also see how blind 
 the Jews are, who have many shifts to put off this prophecy from Christ ; or being convinced that it is a 
 clear prophecy of the Messiah, affirm it is not yet fulfilled, saying, there are rulers of the tribe of Judah to 
 this day about Babylon, and that a prince was seen at Bagdad, riding in a chariot, where were a multitude 
 Manasseh Ben Is- "^ J^ws crying, Facite locum fiHo Davidis, Make way for the son of David. It is true, 
 riiel. torn. 1. D]s|). 1 there are Jews in the world, but they have no sceptre, no kingdom ; there is no mention or 
 vestigium of any such thing in the world, saith Suarez. Suppose it were so, that in Asia the greater, or 
 beyond the mountains of CordilUere in America, they had a kingdom and sceptre, yet this was nothing to 
 Jacob's prophecy, which speaks of Canaan, where Judah should have rule and power till Shiloh came. 
 Let those therefore who have seen this prophecy fulfilled, felt the power and enjoyed the blessings of the 
 Messiah, pray that the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil spread over all nations, may be 
 destroyed ; that so Jews and gentiles may behold him who is " the desire of nations," that unto him may 
 be the gathering of the people, and that all saints, especially themselyes, may be enabled, through his grace, 
 to improve all mercies, and the ensuing truths, to his glorv, which is the earnest desire of him uho is 
 
 Yours in the work of the Lord, 
 The Wlh nionti't, the -.i- p 
 
 27M dai/, 1650. 
 
 [i>REFixi;n i\ THE ouiginai. eduion to ihe part containing chap. \x— xxix ] 
 
 TO THOSE IN THE FAMOUS CITY OF LONDON, 
 
 WtlO ARE THE UNDERTAKERS, PROMOTERS, AND MAINTAINERS OF THE EXroslTOUY 
 LECTURES THEREIN, AND TO ALL OTHERS WHO LOVE TRUTH. 
 
 We read in holy writ of many cities, which for their structures, situations, fortifications, trading, accom- 
 modations, and epithets, were famous ; as, populous No, Naluim iii. 8 ; Nineveh the great, Jonah i. 2 ; 
 Tarsus in Cilicia, Acts xxi. 39 ; golden Babylon, Isa. xiv. 4 ; renowned Tyrns, Rzek. xxvi. 17 ; righteous 
 and faithful Jerusalem, Isa. i. 26, which exceeded them all ; for as Canaan was the glory of all lands, flow-
 
 EPISTLES DEDICATORY. xi 
 
 ing with milk and honey, so Jerusalem had its milk and liouey, and was tlie glory of all cities. There 
 was the Lord's presence, his worship, his oracles, his ordinances, and his prophets, which made it the olory 
 of the world, and " perfection of beauty." Had other cities strong towers ? Jerusalem had them, and the 
 temple also. Had they gods of gold, silver, stones, and sticks in them ? Jerusalem liad Jehovah the true 
 and living God in her. Had they wise counsellors in them ? Jerusalem had the sanhedrim. Had thev 
 human laws which were good ? Jerusalem had divine la%vs, such as no city or people ever had, Deut. iv. 
 8. Had they temporal excellencies and privileges ? Jerusalem had spiritual. Had they the glory of the 
 world, art, and nature? Jerusalem had the glory of heaven; there God shined, P.sal. i. 2. But what 
 now is become of these cities, and Jerusalem itself? are they not all laid waste, made heaps, dead and 
 buried in the womb of the earth ? Cities have their periods as well as men. Babylon had a time to be 
 born. Gen. xi. 4, and a time to die, Isa. xiv. 4. Nineveh had her day to get up, Gen. x. 11, and her day to 
 fall, Nahum iii. 7. Tyrns had her dav of rising, and her day of ruining, and she is descended into the pit 
 with others, Ezek. xxvi, 18, 20. Jerusalem had her day for building, and her day for burning, Jer. Hi. 12, 
 13. This is matter of lamentation, that such cities, especially Jerusalem, should have such an end. The 
 cause of such dismal ends, upon search, we shall find to be sin, which is of so malignant a nature, that it 
 destroys nations, and pulls down the strongest cities. Cruelty, falsehood, and robbery, with many other, 
 were the sins which laid Nineveh waste, Nahum iii. Pride, fulness of bread, abundance of idleness, with 
 neglect of the poor, were the sins which made the Lord take Sodom away, Ezek. vl. 49, 50. Pride, 
 violence, unmercifulness, vain confidence, and treachery, were the sins which rent Babylon in pieces, Isa. 
 xlvii. ; Jer. 1. What sins destroyed Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia, with their cities, and what sunk 
 Tyrus into the sea, Ezekiel tells you, chap. xxv. and xxvi. A large catalogue of those sins which kindled 
 the fire in Jerusalem, and turned her into ashes, you have in the 22nd of Ezekiel, and other chapters ; most 
 of which I fear are to be found in this city. Are there not in her those who set light by father and 
 mother ? are there not those who vex the fatherless and widow ? are there not those who despise the holy 
 tilings of God, and profane his sabbaths? are there not those who take usury and increase, are greedy of 
 gain, and live by dishonest gain ? Ezek. xxii. 12, 13 ; are there not those who devise mischief and give 
 wicked counsel ? are there not those who carry tales to shed blood ? are there not those who exercise 
 robbery, vex the poor, the needy, and oppress the stranger ? are not her professors as dross, even the dross 
 of silver ? May not the Lord say of this city as he did of Jerusalem, Thou hast " been to me a provoca- 
 tion of mine anger and of mv fury from the day that they built thee even unto this dav, that I should re- 
 move thee from before my face," Jer. xxxii. 31 : thou art the citv I have been purging, but art not purged; 
 " thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee," Ezek. xxiv. 
 13. Surily London deserves not better at the hands of the Lord than other cities did, especially Jerusa- 
 lem ; and having her sins, may fear her end. Be instructed therefore, O London, lest the Lord's soul de- 
 part from thee, and thou be made desolate ; for the Lord hath a day to reckon with sinful lands and cities. 
 Isa. xvii. 4, " In that day the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean." 
 The princes, counsellors, soldiers, prophets, priests, with their cities, the rarities and riches of them, were the 
 glory and fatness of Jacob ; these God had a day to take awaj-, and so made Jacob thin and lean. God 
 had a day for Tyre, and interrupted her great merchandizing for seventy years, by laying her in the deep, 
 Isa. xxiii. 15. If it be demanded. How came Tyrus, so strong and stately, so fat and full, to so deplorable 
 an end ? the Spirit of God tells you, when it sailh, " Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters," 
 Ezek. xxvii. 26, that is, the princes and rulers, by their jiriue, polic)', and profaneness, caused such storms 
 as sunk the ship. Tyrus had as much to secure her as any city in the world ; she was built upon a rock, 
 her borders were in the midst of the seas, she had walls, and an army to watch them ; she had towers, and 
 Gammadims to keep them ; she wanted not for ships, pilots, mariners, for soldiers, shields, and helmets ; she 
 had counsellors, merchants, and plenty of all things, so that she seemed invincible ; but all these did not 
 preserve her station, or make her impregnable; for though she endured a siege of thirteen years by Nebu- 
 chadrezzar and his forces, yet at last she fell into the midst of the sea in the day of her ruin, Ezek. xxvil. 
 27. Jerusalem was so well fortified by nature and art, being compassed about with mountains, Psal. cxxv. 
 2, having walls, bulwarks, and towers, Psal. xlviii. 12, 13, that it was thought incredible, and impossible, for 
 an enemy to have entered her gates. Lam. iv. 12 ; but sin being found in her, and God against her, nothnig 
 secured her. She was oft warned by the prophets, and judiciary providences of God, to repent and reform, 
 Isa. xxxvil. ; Amos iv. She was as a ])ot over the fire, when besieged by Sennacherib, when famine and 
 plague devoured her inhabitants, but her scum went not out, and that was her ruin. Let none think the 
 poor to be the scum of the city ; the Lord made the poor as well as the rich, Prov. xxii. 2, and despises 
 not the work of his own hands. It is the sin of rich and poor, it is tliclr wickedness, which is the scum.
 
 xi] EPISTLES DEDICATORY. 
 
 Great cities liavt much sin in them, and so much scuiii ; unsound opinions, counsels, fashions, and practices. 
 Thus was it with Jerusalem, and her scum boiled in, she was the worse for corrections and judgments, Isa. 
 i. 5, her scum caused the cracking and bursting of the pot. These things the book of God holds forth 
 for our instruction, " upon whom the ends of the world are come." Let our great city and citizens look to 
 it, there is scum in the city, and not a little : is it gone out, or boiled in ? Was not the sword lately at 
 your gates ? was there not yesterday great sickliness within your walls ? is not trading diminished ? have 
 there not been strange murders amongst you ? have not many sad fires been kindled, broke out, and con- 
 sumed your habitations ? was there not a plot (which hath cost some their lives) to fire your city ? God 
 hath been warning you by these judiciary dispensations, and are you bettered by them? have all you have 
 seen, feared, or felt, caused your scum to depart from you ? If so, it is well ; well will it be with you, well 
 with your city, and well with your undertakings, and well with your posterity ; but if it be boiled in, and 
 you are the worse for all the boiling judgments and providences you have been in, and under, know that 
 some dreadful calamity, if not destruction itself, hastens, and will certainly take hold of you and your city, 
 without speedy repentance. Hitherto you have had sparing mercy and gentle corrections ; if these lead not 
 to repentance, severity abides for you, and God will say. From the first to the last I have been provoked 
 by this city, " I will break this people and tliis city," Jer. xix. II. How sad would it be, should the 
 Lord lay your city waste ! It is not the strong structures, great treasures, militarv or naval forces, wise coun- 
 sels, which can protect you, if scum be found amongst von. If yon are careful that the filth of the 
 .streets be carried out, will you not much more see that the filth of your hearts and houses be purged out ? 
 Will not London be made clean ? when shall it once be ? let this be the time ; lest the plague, which 
 hath been much feared, enter your borders, and cause sad cries in your streets and families. Now " wash 
 you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings, and learn to do well ; seek judgment, relieve the 
 oppressed, judge the fatherless, and plead for the widow ;" now let holiness of life, execution of justice, 
 speaking truth, doing righteousness, showhig mercy, and promoting the good of one another in love, take 
 place ; and they will not only secure you and the city, but make yon and it gloriou.s, and perfect in beauty, 
 so that the Lord will take pleasure therein, and say of it and you. This is " the citv of righteousness, the 
 faitliful city," and her citizens are like herself, righteous and faithful. Now her brass is become gold, her 
 iron silver, her officers peace, and iu-r exactors righteousness ; therefore now her walls shall be salvation, 
 and her gates praise ; now shall she be my habitation, and her people my glory, and I will be to them a 
 defence for evermore. That this may be the portion of this city, and yourselves, and that a blessing may 
 go with this work, is the hearty prayer of him who is 
 
 Your servant in this expository 
 
 work of the Lord, 
 
 TheQOth„ftl,ehih WILLIAM GKEENHILL. 
 
 tnonth, 1658.
 
 EPISTLES DEDICATORY. 
 
 [PREFIXET) IN THE ORIGINAL EDITION TO THE PART CONTAINING THE NINETEEN LAST CHAPTrRS] 
 
 TO THE CHRISTIAN READER, 
 
 AXD ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO COUNTENANCED THE EXPOSITORY WORK. 
 
 This is the fifth and last ])art upon Ezekiel ; which was finished in the latter end of the year 1654, and 
 hath been latent full seven years, like Josiah in the temple ; but now, through the instigation of learned 
 and godly ministers, some others, and considerations of mine own, cometh to public view. Ezekiel prophe- 
 sied unto the Jews, who were then the only people God had in the world, and honoured with singular 
 titles: " sons of the living God," Hos. i. 10, his " firstborn," Exod. iv. 22, his " inheritance," Isa. xix. 
 25, his " peculiar treasure," Psal. cxxxv. 4, his " pleasant portion," Jer. xii. 10, " a noble vine," chap. ii. 
 21, " the holy flock," Ezek. xxxvi. 38, " a chosen generation," Isa. xli. 8, 9 ; 1 Pet. ii. 9, the Lord's 
 " S^°^y" Psal. Ixxviii. 61, " the dearly beloved of his soul," Jer xii. 7 ; and endued with great privileges, 
 Rom. ix. 4, 5 : yet were they not exempted from afflictive and severe sufTerings ; they were " a reproach 
 unto the heathen, a mocking to all countries, and much vexed," Ezek. xxii. 4, 5 ; the pestilence, sword, and 
 famine consumed them, so that the " pitiful women" did eat their " own children," Lam. iv. 10, and 
 plucked off" their own breasts, Ezek. xxiii. 34 ; the " priests and elders gave up the ghost, while they 
 sought for meat to relieve their souls," Lam. i. 19 ; those brought up in scarlet embraced dunghdls, chap, 
 iv. 5 ; the women were ravished in Zion, the maids in the cities of Judah, and princes were hanged up by 
 their hands, chap. v. 11, 12; they could not walk safely in the streets, chap. iv. 18; their necks were un- 
 der persecution, chap. v. 5 ; lions, Tiglath-pileser and Shalmaneser, took away the ten tribes, and Nebuchad- 
 nezzar broke the bones of Judah and Benjamin, Jer. 1. 17 ; he burned the temple and citv, he ruined church 
 and state, and carried the Jews into captivity, where they suflTjred unspeakable misery. The prophet tells 
 us, that their punishment was greater than the Sodomites', Lam. iv. 6. That which chiefly provoked God to 
 deal thus severely with them, as Ezekiel and others testifv, was their leaving his pure worship, ordinances, 
 and institutions, falling to false ways of worship, and compliance with the nat'ons. Thev had " the image 
 of jealousy," Ezek. viii. 3, the altar of Damascus, 2 Kings xvi. " the statutes of Omri," Mic. vi. 16, " high 
 places," 2 Chron. x. 33, traditions and statutes of their fathers, Ezek. xx. 18 ; Jer. ix. 14, customs of the 
 nations ; they set their posts with God's posts ; worshipped with their faces toward the east, Ezek. viii. 
 16; they would be as the heathens, Ezek. xx. 32, and walk after their own imaginations, Jer. xviii. 12, 
 whereas they should have walked in God's laws and statutes, Ezek. xx. 19. When therefore the house of 
 Israel degenerated into dross, God gathered them into the furnace, and poured out his fury upon them, 
 Ezek. xxii. 19 — 22. Apostatizing from the pure worship of God, to the superstitious rites and ceremonies of 
 men, provokes bitterly. It is a reproach to God, his worship, truth, and ordinances ; it is a violation of 
 former promises; it is high ingratitude and rebellion against God; it is a great scandal to all the godly, 
 especially the weak ; it encourages, justifies, and hardens the wicked ; it ruins souls, gratifies Satan ; it ex- 
 poseth men to visible and unavoidable judgments. When the Jews purposed to leave the Lord's tents, 
 and fall to Babylonish temples, then did he swear, that he would rule over them with fury, Ezek. xx. 32, 
 33. This should caution us to keep distance from inward approbation of, and outward compliance with, 
 either Jewish ceremonies or Romish rites : the first are abrogated by the Lord, and it may be Jericho work 
 to raise them up again ; the other are the mark of the beast, and it is not safe to bear that mark, Rev. xiv. 9, 
 10 ; xvi. 2, God is a jealous God, and would not have his people to symbolize with idolatrous or superstitious 
 practices ; he forbad his people to take, or desire in their hearts, the silver and gold which was upon idols. 
 Dent. vii. 25, they might not touch with their hearts or hands any thing which belonged to them ; they 
 might not do as other nations. Lev. xviii. 3, nor inquire after their gods, and mode of worship, Deut. xii. 
 30. They might not be like the nations in apparel and hair, saith Mavmonie, much more , ^ , , , , 
 
 , . '^ ' J » In Treatise of Idol- 
 
 not in the service and worship of God : we should not be as other nations, but keep God's airy, chap. ii. 
 ordinances, and walk therein, Lev. xvii. 4. Symbolizing with idolatrous worship, persons.
 
 yiv EPISTLES DEDICATORY. 
 
 or tilings, God allows not. In Babylon tliev might not touch any unclean thing, Isa. lii. 1 1 ; anil shall 
 we in Zion, where all is to be pure according to the mind of the Holy One of Zion ? This made that 
 great apostle Paul say, " Touch not the unclean thing," 2 Cor. vi. 17 ; (whatsoever is from man in the 
 worship of God hath imperfection, like the man whence it comes, and is an unclean thing ;) and if not 
 touching do cause suffering, casting out or off, God will receive, be a Father, and recompense sufferings. 
 God would not have his people touch or countenance any corruption in worship. When the Damascene 
 altar was in the temple, and God's altar removed out of its place, 2 Kings xvi. 14, our Saviour, and those 
 with him, did not appear at that altar, lest they should seem to countenance it, but at the brazen altar, 
 Ezek. ix. 2, though deserted and despised. As Christ will own nothing but what is appointed of the Lord ; 
 so those who are with him will not own the superstitious appointments of men, but cleave to the institu- 
 tions of God, though out of place, and despised. The papists say of the protestants, that in matters of 
 religion, in pravingf, reading their books, hearing their sermons, presence at their service, 
 
 Uhemist, 01.2 ° ,.„',-. ° " , „ , ■ • •, , • .. , ,. 
 
 Epist.of John, ver. partakuig of their sacraments, and all other communicatmg with them in spiritual things, is 
 a great, damnable sin. If they hold it so sinful to communicate with us in the institutions 
 
 of Christ, shall we symbolize with them in the superstitions of antichrist. Judicious Calvin saith it is un- 
 lawful for believers to manifest by any rite that they symbolize with superstitious ones. 
 
 In his Arrnw t»t t^ ii i i i ■ ■ i i i ■ i » • -n ■ i i 
 
 asaiiist Sepal at. INlr. raget tells us, that temples wherein idols and idolatrous service are still retained, and 
 pa" .'J 1 9 
 " daily practised, cannot lawfully be frequented, nor walked in, because of the woe, incurred 
 
 by reason of scandal. Matt, xviii. 7. Marcus bishop of Arethnsa, having pulled down an idolatrous temple, 
 Thfodor. I. .1. rap ^' 'h*^ Command of Constantine, and being ])nt upon it by Julian either to build it up 
 t. juxia fiii.m again, or pay for building of it, be denied both : a small sum was demanded; his answer 
 
 was. It is as great wickedness to give a halfpenny towards such a work, as to give the whole : he suffered 
 great tortures, rather than he would contribute one halfpenny to promote idolatry. And the forenamed 
 Arrcvvaiainsi Sr. Paget holds it to be the dnty of a christian man rather to die than give any thing for the 
 parai. pag. 2o.i. furtherance of idolatry, though it were but a halfpenny. Tertullian defends and commends 
 <■ .oronaMiiiis ^j^^ christian soldiers that would not wear a crown of laurel, like the heathens: and Rhena- 
 mis, in his argument, before that book of Tertullian, saith, it concerned the christians to take heed of coin- 
 ])lying with their rites. Another of the fathers saith, it were better to l)c starved to death than to eat things 
 offered to idols. Those who take part in the ceremonies of idolaters offer to devils, and join themselves to 
 the service of idols, 1 Cor. x. 20. 
 
 Reader, it is dangerous to symbolize with the superstitious rites and iinentions of men. Do not judaize, 
 do not gentilize, do not romanize, but see vou christianize. Nothing in worship pleaseth God but what is 
 his own ; what man brings is spurious, pollutes his ordinances, and frustrates his commands. Matt. xv. 6. 
 That which comes from God, is set up by him, carries to him, is pure, and approyed of by him. False worship, 
 and mixtures with the pure ordinances of God, are as smoke to his eyes, vinegar to his teeth, an abomina- 
 tion to his Spirit ; and when they come into his sanctuary, he goeth out of it and far from it, Ezek. viii. 6. 
 God had chosen Ziou to dwell in, Psal. cxxxii. 13, 14, there was the glory ; but when the people 
 grew profane, the princes and priests corrupted his worship, then the glorious Lord, and glory of the 
 Lord, left them, Ezek. ix. 3 ; xi. 23. God's worship is his name ; and that is so dear unto him, that lie 
 will not endure any human mixtures therewith, but sliow yehement indignation against them ; and had 
 rather men's souls and bodies should perish, than his name be polluted. " Go ye, serve every man his 
 idols ; but pollute ye my holy name no more," &c. Ezek. xx. 39. 
 
 Keep off therefore from false worship, and mixtures of men ; you are not to come there, you are not to 
 hear those who teach such things, but to decline them as serpents in the way, and as poison in your meats; 
 you are to feed on nothing but " the sincere milk of the word," and to worship God only with word 
 service, Rom. xii. I, such as is appointed and ordered by the word, not contrary to or beside it. The 
 jealousy of the Lord about matters of his worship appeared eminently in Ezekiel's temple, (which repre- 
 sented the church under the gospel,) where nothing was to be of the priests' devising : but the rule was, 
 " They shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies ; and they shall hallow my sabbaths," 
 Ezek. xliv. 24. The assemblies are the Lord's ; in them must be, not men's, but his laws and statutes ; 
 otherwise his assemblies are robbed and wronged, his sabbaths polluted and profaned. Some say the 
 church follows the government : the false church may, but the true church follows Christ; his sheep hear 
 his voice, and not strangers. They say, Christ we know, and Paul we know, but who are you? They 
 will not comply with false ways and mixtures, but stand for pure worship and pure ordinances, saying,* 
 
 * Ut coeliim lerrae miscori contingat, inoritn liitt'm pliiris e^so nobis deliet sinccrus Dei rullus et s-arro sancta r]ii» 
 TcriJas, in quo nobis repipsita est eterna salus, qiiam cputrmu iiumili Calv. Epist. Com. in Tur. ('oL 998.
 
 EPISTLES DEDICATORY. xv 
 
 Let heaven and earth be confounded, 5et the sincere worsliip of God, and Ills holj' trutli, in wlilili eternal 
 life is laid up for us, deservedly ought to be and shall be more dear unto us than a hundred worlds. 
 Happv are the souls who are so resolved I they will buy the truth, whatever it cost them, and it will be no 
 simony : thev shall find in God's pure ways, where nothing of man is, God's gracious presence, large dis- 
 coveries of himself, transformation into his image, intimate communion with him, sensation of his goodness, 
 strong consolations, and increasements with the increases of God, which will make up all losses and suflfer- 
 ings, and fit men for the new heavens, new earth, wherein shall dwell righteousness ; which the Lord 
 hasten, and for which let us believinglv and patiently wait, giving diligence that we may be found of him 
 in peace, without spot, and blameless. 
 
 Reader, if thou hast found any benefit by the four former parts upon Ezekiel, or shall gain any by this, 
 give God all the glorv, who hath led me through the difficulties and depths of this prophet ; and vouchsafe 
 him an interest in thy prayers, who hath spent his strength for thee ; and be at some pains to read what 
 he hath taken much and long pains to write. The faithful God, who makes good his promises, put his 
 Spirit into thee, and cause thee to walk in his statutes, to keep his judgments, and do them. So 
 prayeth. 
 
 He that affectionately desiretli 
 
 the spiritual and eternal 
 
 good of souls, 
 
 The \st of the M month, 1662. \V. G.
 
 THE INTRODUCTION TO THE WORK. 
 
 All Scripture being the breath of God's Spirit, 2 Pet. i. 21 ; 2 Tim. iii. 16; none can be judge or 
 expounder of it but the same Spirit. Men are only indices veritatis, they cannot bring a sense, but show 
 you what is the sense of Scripture. Those who are called to be expositors, must not fetch senses ab extra, 
 but take what is in the bowels of the text, and hold forth unto others ; a work which requires ability, 
 wisdom, diligence, and faithfulness; ability to inquire into the originals; wisdom to compare Scriptures, 
 consider circumstances, and to discern tiie verity, spirituality, and propriety of texts and phrases; diligence 
 to dig and search after trutl., which lieth deep, and hid ; faithfulness to give out truths, being found, with 
 their own lustre, not human tincture. Whosoever doth thus, shall purchase favour In heaven and esteem 
 on earth. Expository work Is ancient and honourable : ancient as Nehemiah's time ; chap. vlii. 8, tlie 
 Levites gave the sense of the lav\ , they expounded it. In tliose days the Jews had their 
 
 Helviclls. 
 
 perushim, interpreters, wlilcli was above five lunulicn years before Christ. What ways 
 they interpreted Scripture, you may read in Shindi. Pentagl. p. 1491 ; and in Weems's Ciu'isliaii Syna- 
 gogue, book ii. chap. 1. p. 221. It is also honourable; for the Lord Christ was an expositor: Mark Iv. 
 34, " He expounded all things ;" Luke xxiv. 27, he Interpreted ; ami ver. 32, " he opened the Scriptures." 
 Paul also was an expositor: Acts xxvlii. 23, " He expounded." * Tills work being so ancient and hon- 
 ourable, let it find the more acceptance with you. 
 
 Some would have expositors only give the literal sense, without observation or application of any thing. 
 If all people could prophesy, were skilful in Scriptures, as Ezra, mighty, as Apollos, I could like it; but 
 because many truths lie so deep, and so closely couched, as all cannot easily discern or extract them, it Is 
 necessary to give the sense, and draw forth points observable, yet with a brevious perspicuity and a per- 
 spicuous brevity. The literal sense may be strong meat for some, when observations may be milk for 
 others. That course shall I take, and so I come to the title.
 
 AN EXPOSITION 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 THE ANTIQUITY, SCOPE AND OCCASION OF WRITING, NATURE, BENEFIT AND PARTS OF 
 THIS PROPHECY HANDLED IN THE TITLE. 
 
 Few of the other sacred books have this title in 
 the original prefixed. The word ^BD sepliar, a book, 
 signifieth any writing, be it great or small, short or 
 long. It hath this name in the Hebrew language. 
 In Jer. iii. 8, a bill of divorce is mentioned ; the word 
 in the original is sqjhar, a book of divorce. It was 
 the use of the jews to call any writing, though it 
 had but a few lines in it, nephar, a book. And so a 
 catalogue that had not many names in it, is called a 
 book, Matt. i. 1, "The book," or the catalogue, "of 
 the generation of Jesus Christ." 
 
 This book of Ezekiel is large, having eight and 
 forty chapters in it, and may rather be called a 
 volume, than sepluir, a book, a bill, a catalogue. 
 Some books in the Scripture that are far less than 
 this of Ezekiel have that title. Esther, which is not 
 long, hath this title, Megillath Esther, the volume 
 of Esther, or the book of Esther, so it is in your 
 Bible. The word cometh from SSi galal, which sig- 
 nifieth to roll or fold up ; for the use of the Jews was 
 to fold up their writings, as being the best way to 
 preserve them from dust and other dangers. These 
 two words are sometimes found both together, as in 
 this prophet, chap. ii. 9. There was sent unto the 
 prophet a hand, and in it there was megiUalh sephar, 
 a roll of a book. 
 
 The Jews had many megillaths, many such 
 volumes or rolls, especially five, which they did use 
 at several times. 
 
 There was the megillath of the Canticles, which 
 they read at the feast of the passover, because it con- 
 tained much of the love of God to the church, and in 
 the passover they apprehended much of God's love 
 towards them. 
 
 2. Then they had the megillath of Ruth, which 
 was read at the feast of Pentecost, because it contain- 
 ed the genealogy and original of David their king, 
 who was so beloved and dear unto them. 
 
 3. They had the megillath of Ecclesiastes, and 
 that they read at the feast of taijernacles, in memory 
 of God's protection of them forty years in the wil- 
 derness, because that volume contained many acts of 
 God's providence, which watcheth over his people 
 continually. 
 
 4. The fourth was the megillath of Esther, which 
 was read in the month of Adar, because that dis- 
 covered the plot of Haman, and the goodness of God 
 that did deliver them from that imminent danger. 
 
 5. The last megillath was the book of the Lament- 
 ations, and this contained, as the sum, so the bewail- 
 ing of the Babylonish captivity, which was grievous 
 unto them. This book they read in the fifth month, 
 which was answerable to the latter end of July. 
 
 These were all little books, little volumes. Eze- 
 kiel is rather a megillath, and Ezekiel must be our 
 volume, a book written in the Babylonish captivity, 
 some five hundred and fourscore years before Christ; 
 so that it is above two thousand two hundred years 
 since this book was written. From hence you may 
 observe : 
 
 First, The wisdom of God in causing this and other 
 books to be written. A book is a writing, the ori- 
 ginal word signifieth to write. Here is the wisdom 
 and goodness of God, that the prophecies of Ezekiel 
 and other prophets should be written. God will 
 have his church furnished with and regulated by 
 written truths, not unwritten traditions. The Jews 
 had their Cabala, which they say were full of secret 
 mysteries. The papists have their traditions ; they 
 call them unwritten verities, and we call them un- 
 written vanities. We have a sure word of prophecy 
 to stick unto, and they uncertain fancies, wnich cor- 
 rupt the worship of God, and endanger immortal 
 souls. Bellarmine hath a whole book De Verba Dei 
 non scripto, of the word of God unwritten ; such 
 words of (iod we acknowledge not. It was the wis- 
 dom of God that the prophets should write, and that 
 their writings should be extant. When the lawyer 
 asked Christ what he should do to inherit eternal 
 life, Christ doth not send him to unwritten traditions, 
 or to Jewish Cabalas, but he sends him to a known 
 and written law ; " "What is written in the law ? how 
 readest thou?" Luke x. '26. So we must look to 
 what is written, and how we may read, not what they 
 tell us was revealed to such a saint, and hath con- 
 tinued to so many generations, and is the truth of 
 God, these are delusions. The writings of the pro- 
 phets and apostles are sufficient for us, and wc ao-
 
 2 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 kno'.vlcdcre the infinite goodness of God, in that 
 these bliuuld be •.vritten for us to have resort unto. 
 If this and other prophets' and apostles' works had 
 not been written, there would have been great in- 
 conveniences, some things wouldhave been forgotten ; 
 some neglected, many things corrupted, and all things 
 in time questioned, and so the whole truth would 
 have been without authority in tlie hearts of people. 
 Secondly, See here the providence of God like- 
 wise, in preserving this book of Ezekiel, which was 
 written in Babylon, for there was the prophet, and 
 there he had his visions. For a book to be pre- 
 served in Babylon, is a wonder. The law was lost 
 in Sion, in Manasscs' days, and found again in 
 Josiah's time : if the law may be lost in Sion, mucli 
 more may a prophecy be lost in Babylon ; and if not 
 lost in Babylon, yet it might have been left in Baby- 
 lon ; if not left there, it might have miscarried in 
 their return ; if not then, yet when Titus and Ves- 
 
 Easian took and sacked Jerusalem, it might there 
 ave perished, and been utterly extinguished, and 
 we never have heard of this prophecy of Ezekiel. 
 But here is the hand of God manifested in it, that 
 though this prophecy was revealed to Ezekiel in 
 Babylon, and run through so many hazards, yet it 
 should be preserved to tliis very day. 
 
 Again, See where is the true antiquity. This book 
 was written five hundred and fourscore years before 
 Christ, two thousand two hundred years ago ; and is 
 not this book now very ancient.'' Other prophets, 
 and the whole Scripture, are the true antiquity. 
 Papists, and many amongst us, stand upon antiquity ; 
 and what is their antiquity ? The fathers, or some 
 licathen writers, are their antiquity. But what is 
 the true antiquity but the word of God ? That is 
 prima reritan, and pura Veritas, the first truth, and 
 the pure truth ; that is the fountain, all other are but 
 muddy channels. When any points are in contro- 
 versy they ily to fathers and to antiquity, and what 
 is found there they take for truth : but this is to 
 desert God, and run to man. " My people have for- 
 saken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed 
 them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no 
 water," Jer. ii. 13. I am the fountain, saith God, 
 my Scriptures are the fountain of living waters, yet 
 they run to their own pits and cisterns that hold no 
 water. Some moth-eaten and old writings, some 
 ancient copies that have lain hid some hundreds of 
 years from the world, are brought forth, and obtruded 
 upon people for truths, and they must be truths. 
 But for your cUrection know, that if they be not in 
 the King's records, whatever writings they be, never 
 regard them : and if you will search, never search 
 into inferior courts, search not books that are on 
 this side the King's court, that arc made of late ; but 
 go to Ihe King of heaven's records, have recourse to 
 his court, look into the law of God; " To the law and 
 to the testimony, if they speak not according to this 
 word, it is because there is no light in them," Isa. 
 viii. 20. Throw them by ; that truth which is found in 
 any writings, and not to be drawn out of God's book, 
 is not from antiquity. These are the true records, 
 here is the true antiquity. And so much for this 
 word book, " The Book of the prophet Ezekiel." 
 •jN pin Ezekiel, that is the name of our pro- 
 
 Kftiim «,.p<'». phct. Among the Jews there were no 
 surnames, but every man had only one name, as 
 Samuel, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, &c. This 
 name Ezekiel doth signify, the strength of God, or, 
 one strengthened by God. He had a groat work to 
 do, lie needed great strength for that work. He 
 was to deal with wicked princes, and wretched 
 people, such as were exceeding opposite, desperately 
 wicked, impudent, hardhearted, rebellious. There- 
 
 fore, chap. iii. 8, 9, " Behold," saith God, " I have made 
 thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead 
 strong against their foreheads," i-'c. The Hebrew 
 words here for strong, are cpin cltazakiin, and [3Tn 
 cliazttk, I have made thy faces chazukim, strong, I 
 have given thee many faces, and I have given thee 
 many strengths ; strong both in the singular and 
 plural number, all the strengths that is fit for a pro- 
 j)het that had such a great task to undertake and go 
 about. He was to reprove them for their sins, to 
 threaten God's judgments, to vindicate God's justice 
 in bringing them into captivity, himself was to 
 endure much hardshiij, and many confiicts, for which 
 ordinary strength would not sulfice : therefore he is 
 fitly called Ezekiel, the strength of God, or a man 
 strengthened of God. 
 
 Or thus : Ezekiel doth signify one „. . . 
 
 girt 01 God ; tor chazuk is to giru or 
 bind, and Ezekiel is one whom God hath girt and 
 bound up for some employment : answerable to that 
 expression of Paul, " Behold," saith he, ieieueiot tw 
 " I go bound in the Spirit to Jerusa- nvHuaTi- 
 lem," Acts xx. 22, so you read it j hut it may be, 
 bound to the Spirit; the Spirit of God goes before 
 me ; and I being bound to the guidance of the Spirit, 
 do follow the same whithersoever it leads me. So 
 here, our prophet was girt up of God from the 
 world, bound in or to the Spirit, and so followed 
 that, which way soever it led him. 
 
 Touching this name of Ezekiel, you may observe 
 a note or two. 
 
 First, See the wisdom of God in giving names 
 suitable to the events that do follow and fall out 
 afterward. Ezekiel was to deal w'ith a stubborn 
 people, a rebellious house, that did oppose Heaven, 
 that did stand it out against God to the uttermost. 
 There was need therefore of a strong prophet to 
 subdue their rebellious spirits. If an ordinary man 
 had come, he would soon have been discouraged, his 
 spirit would have sunk and fallen within him ; there- 
 fore here the Lord ordercth it so, that a name shall 
 be given unto him which shall be suitable to the 
 event ; he shall be a man of God, he shall be strong, 
 strengthened, girt up of God, to deal with a proud, 
 rebellious, obstinate people. 
 
 You may find in Scripture divers names that have 
 been imposed through the wisdom and guidance of 
 God upon parties before their birth, and the event 
 hath answered afterward very fully : as Gen. xvii. 
 " Thou shalt call his name Isaac." Isaac signifieth 
 laughter, and Isaac proved matter of laughter to his 
 father and mother, all their days. He was a dutiful 
 son, you never read that Isaac fell into such sins as 
 some other of the patriarchs and prophets fell into. 
 He was a child of laughter to them. So 1 Chron. 
 xxii. 9, " His name shall be Solomon, for 1 will give 
 peace and quietness unto Israel in his days :" and 
 the event was answerable to his name. So Josiah, 
 1 Kings xiii. 2, it signifies the fire of the I-ord : and 
 Josiah was the fire of God indeed to make a reform- 
 ation, to pull down Jeroboam's altar, and to offer 
 upon it the priests of the high places that had burnt 
 incense upon it, to burn men's bones Ihcrcoii, to 
 throw out idolatry, and to destroy the high places. 
 So the name of our blessed Saviour wliicli was 
 imposed before his birth, " Thou shalt call his name 
 Jesus, They shall call his name Emanuel," he shall 
 save his peojde, he shall be (jod with us, and it was 
 so. Luke i. 13, " Call his name John." John nnteth 
 gracious, and he was gracious in the eyes of his 
 very enemies, he had favour in the eyes of Herod, 
 favour in the eyes of the people. God's wisdom is 
 seen in ordering of names beforeliand, suitably to 
 events that follow afterward.
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 2. This should direct parents to impose encourag- 
 ing names upon their children. ^Vhat encourage- 
 ment was it to Ezckiel to tliink of his name, llie 
 strengtli of Ciod, a man girt up of God for some great 
 design and employment! Names at first were im- 
 posed for distinction sake, and not only so, but to 
 ...... show the hopes and desires of parents 
 
 cium impuucciiur toucliing thcir Children tor the time to 
 vocabuia. jtro,,. p^^j^.^ ^Jgo^\ namcs were prognostical ; 
 
 parents expected, and children were encouraged 
 much by them. Leah nameth her son Judah, which 
 is praise, that she might praise God for him, and he 
 might do things worthy of praise all his days, and 
 the tribe of Judah did wortliily in Israel. 
 Thus much from the name of Ezekiel. 
 
 TTie Hook of the prophet Ezekiel. 
 
 This word prophet is not in the Hebrew : The 
 book Ezekiel, or the book of Ezekiel : but it is in 
 the body of the prophecy, chap. ii. 5, " They 
 shall know that there hath been a prophet among 
 them." Prophet is from the greek 
 npo^pimv. -Yyord, and it signifies one that foretells 
 things to come. 'J'lie Hebrew word N'3J S33 Nabi oi 
 A'aba, wliich signifies to foreknow, foretell, or dis- 
 cover things. Some derive it from a root, which 
 signifieth to bud, to bring forth : for as a tree draws 
 sap from the earth, sends forth that sap into leaves 
 and fruit, and becomes profitable and serviceable 
 unto man ; so doth the prophet, he draws sap from 
 the root, which is God, from him he hath many hid- 
 den, deep, and divine truths, which he reveals and 
 sends forth for the delight and benefit of others. 
 
 Prophets were of two sorts, distinguished by the 
 temples ; some were vrophelce priore),; and others 
 prophette postcriores. The former prophets were 
 those of the first temple, the latter prophets were 
 those of the latter temple, and they were Haggai, 
 Zechariah, Neheniiah, Ezra, and Malachi. These 
 projdiets continued but forty years after the second 
 temple was built, and then did prophecy depart from 
 Transit i.ropi.eiia Israel, wliicli was one of the saddest 
 hl. iM«le. .■ii,,nd. blows that ever Israel had. All the 
 rest were prophets of the first temple, and among 
 them was our prophet Ezekiel and Daniel, though 
 they were in the captivity ; for the first temple was 
 not yet destroyed, and they had lived at Jerusalem 
 among the prophets ; and the prophets of the former 
 temple, it is observed, had the largest visions, and the 
 fullest discoveries of the mind of God ; more was dis- 
 covered in the first temple than in the second, till 
 Christ's coming ; for the second temple had pro- 
 {jhets but forty years after it was built, and the 
 first temple had prophets for four hundred and thirty 
 years. 
 
 The prophets (to speak for the honour of this our 
 prophet) were all honourable men, men of great 
 esteem and worth ; they were men of God, as it is 
 said, 1 Kings xvii. 24, " I know thou art a man of 
 God," lull Elohini, a man of Gods, a man of God 
 the Father, a man of God the Son, a man of God the 
 Holy Ghost. He had to do with all, a man of God's 
 counsel, a man of God's protection, a man of God's 
 countenancing, a man of God that stood for God, a 
 man of God that would plead the cause of God in 
 the corruptest times, against the desperatest enemies. 
 A prophet was a man of God. 
 
 That they were very honourable, you shall find by 
 that passage, 1 Sam. x. 11, "Is Said aUo among 
 the jprophets?" It is a proverbial speech, and 
 noteth a thing that is very rare and unusual. What ! 
 is Saul, that was a man of mean condition, Saul, that 
 was crewhile seeking his father's asses, is Saul now 
 come to so high and honourable a condition, as to be 
 B 2 
 
 among the prophets ? This was matter of wonder. 
 The prophets were so honourable, and in so high an 
 esteem, that it was counted a strange thing for any 
 to come 10 that dignity and preferment, that were 
 not of the prophetical race, the tribe of Levi, or such 
 as were in order to those holy functions. 
 
 They were likewise men privileged. Psa. cv. 15, 
 " Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no 
 harm." Anointed is the same with prophet, as ex- 
 positors observe, though it is carried otherwise, in 
 the general apprehension of men, for kings, but 
 anointed, here, is the same with prophet. They were 
 anointed, when the Holy Ghost was given unto them, 
 and they were called unto thcir office ; this was their 
 anointing of God, and they must not be touched nor 
 harmed. Gen. xx. 7, saith God to Abimelech, "Give 
 the man his wife, for he is a prophet," Ijp is an ho- 
 nourable man, he is a man of high account in mine 
 eyes. Princes must not wrong a prophet. God spake 
 to a prince, "Give him his wife, for he is a prophet." 
 The greatest person in the world should not dare to 
 touch a prophet, that is, a man so honourable, a r.iau 
 of God, and so gifted, and sent of him to such g:Mit 
 employments. 
 
 Further, a prophet was called in „ 
 
 Scripture a seer. 1 Sam. ix. \), " Let 
 us go to the seer ; for he is now called a Prophet 
 that was bcforetime called a Seer," that is, from the 
 Hebrew word to see, and not barely to see, but to see 
 exactly, curiously, throughly into thing.s. The pro- 
 phets saw through the clouds, they saw into the hea- 
 vens, they saw into the very counsel of God. Isa. XXX. 
 10, "Which say to the seers, See not," you see too 
 much ; the meaning is, you see too accurately ; why 
 do you see so, and tell us such things ? So Abra- 
 ham, he was a prophet, you heard before, he was 
 likewise a seer. John viii. 56, " Abraham rejoiced to 
 see my day : " he saw it distinctly, he saw it so as it 
 affected him, " he saw it and was glad." 
 
 There is, besides this word, another name in the 
 Hebrew, which the prophets had, and that was r,in 
 c/iozeli. Isa. xxx. 10, "That say to the prophets, 
 Prophesy not ; " the Hebrew is la cliozun, to those 
 that foresee, and foretell things. You have a conjunc- 
 ture of these three in one verse, I Chron. xxix. 29, 
 " They are written in the book of Samuel, harceh, the 
 seer, and in the book of Nathan, hannabi, the pro- 
 j)het, and in the book of Gad, hachozeh, the seer." 
 The word eometh of cliazalt, to ccmtemplate, to see ; 
 from which root comes our English word to gaze ; 
 and so it is interpreted, Isa. xlvii. 13, " star-gazers:" 
 this only by the way. 
 
 Our proplict had the honour to be a seer as vxt 11 as 
 a prophet, therefore, ver. 1, it is said ri.S'~a ntiisi 
 " I saw visions," I had the honour to see visions, and 
 visions of a God. 
 
 These titles of seer and prophet, as they set out 
 the dignity, so likewise they point out the duty of 
 the person. As they were seers, they were oculi 
 eccle,-ii(p, the eyes of the church, to see good coming, 
 or evil, that they might encourage them upon the 
 one, and draw them to repentance upon the other. 
 As they were prophets, they were o-s- Dnmini, the 
 mouth of the Lord, to speak to the people whatso- 
 ever the Lord himself did make known to them. 
 
 All this then doth but serve to breed in you an 
 honourable esteem of this our prophet ; he is a man 
 of God, he is a man honourable among the rest of 
 the prophets ; he is a seer ; he is the eye of the 
 church ; he is the mouth of God. 
 
 Having thus opened unto you the title, I shall 
 now show to you ; 
 
 I. The scope and occasion of this jirophccy. 
 
 II. The nature and condition of it.
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 III. Tlio seasonablcness of this prophecy for this 
 time. 
 
 IV. What benefit you are like to have by this pro- 
 phet ; and then divide the prophecy in general, and 
 fall into the chapter. 
 
 I. For the scope and occasion of this prophecy. 
 In general, it is to show the certainty of Jerusalem's 
 destruction, and the seventy years' captivity, which 
 were now in question ; and so to confirm the pro- 
 phecy of Jeremiah, being of the same argument. 
 
 Jeremiah having prophesied of the captivity of 
 Jerusalem for seventy years, the utter ruin of the 
 city and temple ; many, both in Jerusalem and 
 Babylon, (the captivity being begun, for now Ezckiel 
 and divers were in Babylon,) murmured and com- 
 plained of Jeremiah, that he was a false prophet ; 
 that he hi^l not the Spirit of God ; that he had mis- 
 led the people ; that he had brought them into 
 bondage by his fair words, put them upon yielding 
 imto the king of Babylon, and betrayed them. You 
 shall find false prophets bestirred themselves, and 
 opposed his prophecy both in Sion and in Baljylon, 
 as Jer. xxviii. I — 1. Ilananiah being at Jerusalem, 
 when Jeremiah was in the house of the Lord, in the 
 presence of the priests and of all the people, sailh 
 he, " Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of 
 Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of 
 Babylon. Within two full years w"ill I bring again 
 into this place all the vessels of the Lord's house, 
 that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away 
 from this place, and carried them to Babylon : and 
 I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of 
 Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of 
 Judah that went into Babylon." Here is a false 
 prophet contradicts all that Jeremiah had spoken, 
 touching the seventy years' captivity. 
 
 The false prophets likewise in Babylon were at 
 work, and strengthened the hands of the false pro- 
 phets at Jerusalem by their doctrine. Jer. xxix. 8, 9, 
 " Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel ; 
 Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in 
 the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to 
 your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For 
 they prophesy falsely unto you in my name : I have 
 not sent them, .saith the Lord." And in ver. 24 — 28 
 of Ihe same chapter, you shall find, that Shemaiah 
 the Nchelamite sent letters from Babylon to all the 
 priests, and to all the people that were at Jerusalem, 
 accusing Jeremiah for a madman, for making him- 
 self a prophet, for sending letters to them in Baby- 
 lon, for lengthening out the captivity to seventy 
 years, for encouraging them to build houses, to plant 
 gardens, to eat the fruit of them ; he would have 
 Jeremiah imprisoned and set in the stocks. 
 
 Thus Jeremiah was accused, cried down at home 
 and abroad, his projihesy was slighted, scorned by 
 many, and most were troubled, at what Jeremiah 
 had prophesied. This made such work, bolh at 
 Jerusalem and at Babylon, that the people of God 
 were nmeh despondent, and their enemies mightily 
 insullive. Now hereupon the Lord stirreth up 
 Ezckiel, poureth out his Spirit upon him, calleth 
 liim forth to proj)hesy, setteth him a work to justify 
 Jeremiah, and to ratify what he had foretold con- 
 cerning Ihe Babylonish captivity, threatening ruin 
 to the city and temple, to kingd(mi and king, to their 
 nobles, priests, and all the people. 
 
 Hereupon (saith Josephus) the prophecy of Eze- 
 kicl, as soon as ever it was written, (I conceive he 
 meaneth not the whole ]iropheey, but some jiart of 
 it,) was sent to Jerusalem, but little fruit came of it ; 
 for Zedckiah being then king, and having seen it, lie 
 would neither believe Jeremiah nor Ezckiel, but 
 presently concludes, that both were liars and false 
 
 prophets : and that upon this ground, Jeremiah had 
 said, chap. xxi. 7, that Zedekiah should be carried 
 captive into Babylon ; and Ezekiel denied that he 
 should see Babylon, chap. xii. 13. Hereupon, saith 
 Zedekiah, they were both false, here is a contradic- 
 tion, the one saith, I shall be carried into Babylon, 
 the other saith, I shall not see Babylon. But God 
 quickly made this good, for shortly after, Nebuchad- 
 nezzar came, besieged Jerusalem, took Zedekiah 
 captive, put out botli his eyes, bound him with fet- 
 ters of brass, carried him to Babylon, which he 
 never saw, 2 Kings xxv. 7. 
 
 From hence, by the way, you may observe ; 1. Upon 
 what slight and weak grounds princes and people 
 will cast oft' prophecies and truths of God, even upion 
 mistakes and misapprehensions. Zedekiah could 
 not apprehend what truths there were in these two 
 prophecies : had he compared one thing with another, 
 he might easily have seen truth ; but small matters 
 will make pirinces and people turn oft' the truths of 
 God, especially when they are not suitable (o their 
 ow'n sjiirits ; and in these days people can without 
 much ado turn oft' any truths ministers bring, if they 
 be not suitable to their apprehensions and fancies. 
 
 2. That God will make good the word of his 
 ministers and prophets, though they seem contra- 
 dictory to men's fancies and sense. Jeremiah saith, 
 that Zedekiah shall go into Babylon, and Ezekiel 
 saith, he shall not see Babylon. God makes it good 
 notwithstanding the prophecy is thrown away. The 
 word of God shall take hold upon princes, nobles, 
 people, and .slay them, if they have despised and 
 stood out against it. 
 
 But from this general scope of EzekieTs prophecy, 
 that he is sent to strengthen and justify Jeremiah, 
 take this observation, (1.) That it is good for minis- 
 ters to strengthen the doctrine, works, hands, and 
 hearts one of another. A prophet is questioned, trod 
 under foot, his prophecy thrown out as false ; an Eze- 
 kiel is stirred up to justify a Jeremiah. When minis- 
 ters justify one another, the work goes on with more 
 strength ; when there is a double witness to a truth, 
 it will seal it more strongly to the heart. God gave 
 four evangelists : one had been a great mercy ; but 
 that things might be ratified in your hearts, sealed 
 up in your consciences, you have four evangelists, 
 each one strengtheneth the doctrine and things of 
 another : so the consent of minister and prophets is 
 a great matter to ratify truths in the hearts and con- 
 sciences of people, and to establish the church. It 
 is good therefore for an Ezekiel to strengthen a 
 Jeremiah. 
 
 (2.) More specially the scope of the pro]ihet is, 
 to comfort the captives that were then in Babylon ; 
 for they began now to be troubled that they had 
 hearkened to Jeremiah, yielded to the king of Baby- 
 lon, because Jeremiah had prophesied that Jerusa- 
 lem should be destroyed, the temple burnt, and that 
 all should be laid waste ; whereas Jerusalem stood 
 still, and now five years were gone, and nothing done 
 unto the city or temple (for it \vas in the fifth year 
 of Jehoiachin's captivity that Ezekiel began his 
 jirophecy). They now began to be discouraged 
 that they had left their habitations, that they had 
 hearkened to Jeremiah so far, as to come to Babylon. 
 They were likewise disheartened in Babylon, they 
 met with much hardship there, being put upon 
 building, planting, sowing, and other difticulties ; 
 yea, the Babylonians themselves scoft'ed at them, 
 and said, Sing us one of your songs of Zion. This 
 made them to droop, and to wish, O that we were at 
 Jerusalem again, that we had never hearkened to 
 Jeremiah. The Jews also at Jerusalem rein'oaehed 
 them, and they said llicy were men of cowardly and
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 base spirits, discournged with the words of a timor- 
 ous and lying proplict, one Jeremiah, and there- 
 upon yielding temselves into the hands of Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, they wretchedly betrayed the city, 
 religion, and their country. These things went to the 
 very bowels and reins of the godly, and did greatly 
 disturb them. Hereupon the Lord, to support their 
 spirits, to comfort them in tliese their distresses, and 
 to be an Ezekiel, even the strength of God, unto 
 them, stirreth up Ezekiel, sets him on work. 
 
 Lastly, The scope of the prophet is the same with 
 the rest of the prophets, viz. to lead unto Christ, as 
 you may see by reading Luke xxiv. 4-1; Acts iii. 18,21, 
 24. They spake of Clirist, and led to him ; but it is 
 more especially aimed at by this our prophet, who 
 begins with the law executed, a captivity, but ends 
 with a temple, and restoration by Christ, thereby 
 leading the people that were captives in Babylon 
 to Christ the King of Jerusalem. In Eph. i. 10, 
 
 „■.„...* x„. you have this expression, "That he 
 wcacHa,. might gather together in one, all things 
 in Christ." The word notes, to sum up, or to make 
 a brief collection of the heads of all that was spoken 
 before ; implying, that much hath been said of Christ 
 by others, and that the chief heads of all should be 
 summed up, brought together, and be found in Christ. 
 Much was spoken by David of Christ, much by 
 Isaiah, much by Jeremiah, Zechariah, Ezekiel: now 
 the sum of all that is in them, and in the rest, shall 
 be gathered together as in one head, you shall meet 
 it all in Jesus Christ. He is the INlagazine and 
 Treasury of all their strength and wealth, the chief 
 things that ever have been spoken by the i)ro]ihets 
 formerly, are all concentred iu him. He is the Alpha 
 and Omega, the Alpha of Genesis, " The seed of the 
 woman shall break the serpent's head;" and the 
 Omega of the Revelation, " The grace of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ be with you all." So tliat all between 
 Genesis and the Revelation, leads either directly or 
 collaterally unto Jesus Christ. I Pet. i. 10, "The 
 prophets prophesied of grace that should come unto 
 you, searching when, or what manner of time the 
 Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when 
 it testified beforehand the suflerings of Christ and 
 the glory that should follow." See here, tliey show- 
 ed you the grace that should come, the Spirit testi- 
 fied in them of the sufferings of Christ, and of the 
 glory that shoidd follow. They were seers, and they 
 saw Christ, and the glory of Christ, and they lead 
 the people up to Christ. 
 
 Thus have you the scope and occasion of our pro- 
 phet's prophesying and writing ; it was to convince 
 them of the heavy captivity of seventy years, to 
 strengthen Jeremiah's prophecy, to encourage the 
 church of God in Babylon, and to lead them unto 
 Christ. 
 
 II. In the next place we are to show you the na- 
 ture and condition of this prophecy, which is full of 
 majesty, obscurity, and ditliculty. Nazianzen saith, 
 That Ezekiel is the chiefest of all the 
 rest ; for matter of admiration and 
 acuteness he is the greatest of all the prophets, and 
 the deepest : which made Jerome say, there was in 
 this prophecy of Ezekiel a sea of scrijjtures, he is so 
 deep ; a labyrinth of the mysteries of God, he is so 
 dark, so diflleult; if he do but equalize other pro- 
 phets in dignity and worth, yet he exceeds them in 
 difficulty and darkness. It must be said of this pro- 
 phet, as of Paul's ejjistles, 2 Pet. iii. " There are some 
 things in them hard to be understood; " and so there 
 arc many things in this prophet which are hard to 
 be understood. There are some strange words in 
 him, such as are no where else in Scripture to be 
 found. He hath dark visions in him, such as will 
 
 exercise the greatest abilifies in tlie world to find 
 out the aim of God, and those truths that are wrap- 
 ped up in them; he hath imeertain chronologies 
 and chorographies, mystical parables, foreign histo- 
 ries, and many transcendent matters, which may 
 awaken your attention, and do call for the uttermost 
 of man's industry in the ojicning. 
 
 Hence it was counted rashness for any one to read 
 this prophet till he was thirty years of 
 age. And Jerome tells us, that it was "=''""'"'■ 
 prohibited among the Jews, that any should read the 
 beginning of Genesis, the book of Canticles, the be- 
 ginning or ending of this prophet, till he were thirty 
 years of age. The rabbins think it not Ante iFiaiem sa- 
 lawful to interpret this prophet, but cerduuUm. 
 only by touching some general things in it ; particu- 
 lar things might not be descended into. 
 One saith, Ezekiel is Jeremiah veiled, ' "*" 
 a hand shut up, and you know not what is in it ; like 
 a book sealed up, and none can ojien it, or knows 
 what is written within. These expressions have 
 been used to set forth the darkness and difficulty of 
 our prophet. 
 
 And I will appeal unto you all, this day, that if 
 that question were put to you, when you shall read 
 this prophet, which Philip once put to the eunuch, 
 Acts viii. 30, 31, " Understand you what you read ?" 
 might you not all answer without blushing, How 
 shall we imderstand without a guide .'' And who is 
 sufficient to guide your understandings through this 
 difficult and dark prophecy ? For my own part I 
 durst not have ventured to launch into this deep, 
 unless I had been requested unto it : and being call- 
 ed unto it, I desire to go out in the strength of the 
 Lord, and to be as a star in his hand, guided by his 
 Spirit, to lead you through the difficulties of this 
 hieroglyphical prophet. 
 
 III. But you will say, If this prophet be so diffi- 
 cult and dark, surely he is not seasonable, nor suit- 
 able to these times ; some other scripture might 
 have had the pre-eminence. 
 
 For this, take two or three answers : First, I find 
 that many interpreters have fallen upon this pro- 
 phet, in troublesome and tumultuous times. Gre- 
 gory the Great wrote and preached upon this pro- 
 phet, when the barbarians were almost at the gates 
 of Rome, and when the sword was devouring multi- 
 tudes. Jerome likewise studied and wrote upon this 
 prophet, what time Alaricus king of the Goihs took 
 Rome and wasted all, and filled the christian world 
 with tears and blood. Calvin, that great light of 
 Europe, spent his last breath upon this prophet, and 
 in times that were not very peaceable, but stirring 
 and troublesome. Lavater's lectures upon this pro- 
 phet were together with the commo- Gailicis lumul- 
 tions in France; and he professeth, that "''"s- 
 he did the more willingly give up himself to the 
 study of this prophet, that so he might free his spirit 
 from the sad thoughts of the public and private 
 mischiefs which were in his days, and acknowlcdg- 
 eth this was a remedy to him against many evils. 
 
 Secondly, I answer, that compare our times a 
 liltle with the times and state of the jews, and we 
 shall see some seasonableness in handling this pro- 
 phet at this time. 
 
 1. The sins the prophet cries out of amongst them, 
 are rife amongst us. The sins then were idolatry, 
 superstition, oppression, corrujition in the worship 
 of God, luxury, uncleanness, profanencss, scorning 
 at goodness, hiding their eyes from the Lord's sab- 
 baths, and the like. Now I ask, are not all these 
 sins alive and too lusty in our kingdom at this time, 
 and in this city wherein we live ? 
 
 2. There was then a malignant party which
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 was active and at work, and did oppose and hinder 
 the reformation (what lay in them) whicli was on 
 foot by Jeremiah, by Ezekicl, by the three chil- 
 dren, by Barucli, by the Recliabites. All these and 
 many others opposed the corrujitions of the times, 
 and laboured to have a reformation in the worship 
 of God, to bring the people back again from their 
 corrupt ways to the Lord ; but there was a great 
 opposition by the malignant party, and the chief 
 opposers then, were the priests, and the false pro- 
 phets, who poisoned the judgments of the people, 
 wlio suggested false things unto them, who fed them 
 with vain hopes, with corrupt opinions, and de- 
 ceivable doctrines. The chief of the priests were 
 chiefest in malignancy and opposition : this you 
 shall see, 2Chron.xxxvi. 14 — IG, "All the chief of the 
 priests and the people transgressed very much, they 
 polluted the house of the Lord, they mocked the 
 messengers of God, despised his words, and misused 
 his prophets ;" this was the practice of those times. 
 Was there ever any great disorder, corruption in 
 the church, or any sedition, or treason almost in the 
 state, but some of the cliief of the priests have had 
 their hands in it ? When the calf was set up in 
 Moses's days, Aaron the priest had his head and 
 hand in it. When David was dying, Adonijah makes 
 the sedition and stir in the kingdom, but Abiathar 
 the priest had a great hand in it. Both in the 
 state and in the church you may well observe, that 
 the chief of the priests have had their hands in the 
 evil, in the trouble. And have not we now a ma- 
 lignant party that oppose the reformation intended 
 and begun ? Do they not set themselves with all 
 their might against the Jeremiahs, Daniels, Eze- 
 kiels, and Rechabites of the land, that will not defile 
 themselves ? There is such a party, you all know, 
 that do oppose godliness, that despise the prophets, 
 scorn the saints, make sad the hearts of the right- 
 eous, and strengthen the hands of wickedness ; there- 
 fore this prophecy may be seasonable enough in 
 regard of that malignant party that doth oppose too 
 openly. 
 
 3. They had lost their country, their choicest 
 comforts ; they were in captivity and constant 
 jeopardy of their lives ; if they provoked the Baby- 
 lonians, they were ready to fall upon them, and root 
 them out presently. And those at Jerusalem were 
 in danger every day to have their liberties, estates, 
 consciences, religion, and lives, taken from them. 
 And are not we like unto them ? and are not we, 
 even in a land of liberty, in a state of capti\-ity ? Do 
 not our estates, our liberties, our consciences, our 
 religion, our lives, and all lie at the stake ? We are 
 even in Babylon in the midst of Sion ; we are in a 
 sad and heavy condition ; therefore this prophecy 
 may be seasonable now, considering our estate is so 
 like to theirs. 
 
 4. The times then were such, that they loathed 
 manna, ordinary and plain truths would not go 
 down. Unless truths were new and transcendent, 
 they were weary of them, and slighted them. Jere- 
 miah was too plain a prophet for them, too low ; and 
 God gives them Ezekiel, a dark and hard prophet. 
 And is it not so in these days ? We have l)een fed 
 with manna so long, that we loathe manna, as a 
 wormy thing. If we have not something new, im- 
 hcard of, transcendent, we are weary, we think it 
 not worth our going out of doors. If so, then here 
 is a prophet that may be suitable to these times, 
 and your desires, (iod gave them this projihet in a 
 time of afllictiou; and lliere was something in it; 
 for atllictions open men's understandings, and en- 
 Vixaik iiaf uiiel- large their capacities. When people 
 
 ledum. ai-g under pressures, then their im- 
 
 derstandings are quickest, then they are most ap- 
 prehensive : therefore God gave them such a pro- 
 phet as might suit with their condition, in exercising 
 their parts and graces to the full, when at the best. 
 Nowisatime of affliction: if your spirits be awakened, 
 and the bent of them be after high and hard things, 
 lo, here are difficulties and transcendencies for you ; 
 here are high things to draw up your thoughts, to 
 exercise your spirits, be they never so choice and 
 ajiprehensive. 
 
 One thing more for the seasonableness of this 
 prophet. It is said heaven was open, and Ezekiel 
 saw visions of God. If ever God hath opened heaven 
 since Christ, now he hath done it in these sad times. 
 God hath now caused, and is causing you every day, 
 to see visions out of the prophets, and out of the 
 gospel. These expository lectures are openings of 
 heaven, and let out clear and choice light unto you 
 from heaven ; therefore seeing heaven is opened, 
 let visions of God be counted seasonable, and become 
 acceptable unto you. 
 
 IV. But if this prophet be so dark and difficult, 
 what is the benefit and fruit we shall have by him ? 
 
 This is the next head we are to come unto, and 
 the benefits of this prophet are these. 
 
 1. The darker the prophet is, the more of God 
 you may look for from him. God dwelleth in dark- 
 ness, as well as in light. Psal. xviii. 11, " He made 
 darkness his secret place." And Exod. xenrbra- sunt 
 xix. 9, " God came to Moses in a thick '""buium Dei. 
 cloud," and there Moses had the most of God. 
 Here God is coming to you in a dark prophet, and 
 questionless you shall find much of God in hira. 
 Here you shall see much of God's mercy in uphold- 
 ing and comforting the spirits of his people, and 
 providing for them in a strange land ; here you 
 shall see much of God's justice in punishing sinners 
 for their sins and iniquities ; here you shall see 
 much of God's truth in fulfilling of prophecies; 
 here you shall find much of God's power in subvert- 
 ing of kings and kingdoms ; here you shall find 
 much of his manifold wisdom in these dark visions ; 
 here you shall find more of God than you expect. 
 
 2. This prophecy is an exact history of the time 
 of the Jews being in captivity. In it you have 
 many passages of Nebuchadnezzar's reign and go- 
 vernment, of his acts abroad and at home, and of 
 God's dealing with his people in the time of this 
 their seventy years' captivity. Were not Daniel and 
 Ezekiel extant, we should have such a great loss 
 as the world could not tell how to repair it ; the 
 acts of God's dealing with his church and people in 
 that seventy years, would be swallowed up in a 
 chaos of darkness. 
 
 3. You shall see for what .sins God subvcrteth 
 and overthroweth kingdoms and states. In this 
 prophet you shall find that the Lord doth ruin glo- 
 rious churches, great cities, mighty kingdoms, men 
 of great renown, families and posterities, and the 
 particular sins for which he doth it; namely, for 
 false worship, idolatry, injustice, unclcanness, pro- 
 faning of his sabbaths, contemi)t of his word, abuse 
 of his prophets, and sins of that nature. So that as 
 it is, Prov. xxi. .'30, " There is no wisdom, no counsel, 
 nor understanding against the Lord." God will 
 overthrow even kings, with their councils and king- 
 doms, with their nobility and gentry, with their 
 magistrates and people. God will overthrow them 
 when he once sets uiion such a work, such a design: 
 there is no standing out against him. 
 
 4. You shall see liere also the different carriage 
 between tlie gndly and the wicked, in times of judg- 
 ment. AVlien judgments are abroad in the world, 
 the inhaV)ilants of the earth should learn righteous-
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 ness ; but wicked men, they grow more active against 
 God, more impudent, more desperate and hard- 
 lieartcd. Tlicy comliine and plot together to root 
 out tlie rigliteous : this you sliall see in this pro- 
 pliecy. And for tlie godly, you shall find that when 
 judgments are near and upon them, they are mourn- 
 ing in secret, they get together, they that fear God 
 speak often one lo another ; they fast, they pray, 
 they redeem the time, they work out their salvation 
 with fear and trembling, they give God no rest, thty 
 will be at it at midnight : in a word, you shall find 
 the carriage of the godly to be exceeding contrary 
 to the carriage of the wicked. 
 
 5. Here you shall find God's new covenant, where- 
 in you shall see the riches of free grace, God doing 
 all, both making the covenant and performing it, 
 both commanchng and giving what he doth command 
 unto your souls. 
 
 6. You shall find that this prophet is an evangeli- 
 cal prophet, for he points at Christ; he will show 
 you where he is, he will lead you to the temple, 
 where you shall see Christ with his line in his hand, 
 and measuring out a temple for the times of the gos- 
 pel, measuring of his worship, his worshippers, and 
 all that doth concern the new Jerusalem. Much of 
 Christ will be found at least in the conclusion of this 
 prophet. 
 
 7. You .shall have a lively representation of the 
 uncertainty of all things, and of all conditions in this 
 world. In Lam. iv. 12, it is said, that the kings 
 of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, 
 would not have believed that the adversary and the 
 enemy should have entered into the gates of Jeru- 
 salem. None thought, none of the kings of the 
 earth, none of the kings of Israel, believed that ever 
 Jerusalem, which was so fortified by mountains round 
 about, should be taken by the enemy. But you shall 
 sec in this prophet, that even Jerusalem, the city of 
 God, the temple, that was the glory of the world, and 
 Sion, the perfection of beauty, are all laid waste. 
 Neither prince, priest, prophet, nobles, nor any are 
 spared, but all are destroyed, all are carried into cap- 
 tivity, all are brought under ; the sons, the precious 
 sons of Sion are carried away into Babylon. So that 
 there is no place, no condition, no prerogative that 
 can privilege any from the hand of God w here once 
 sin is come to a perfection. " Kighteousness exalt- 
 eth a nation : but sin is a reproach to any people," 
 Prov. xiv. 34. Let them be Jews or gentiles, let tncm 
 
 be kings, priests, or prophets, when sin is grown to 
 a height, then the wrath of God comes to a perfec- 
 tion; and God will lay a Sion waste, God will raze a 
 temple, God will carry a Jehoiakim, a Zedekiah, 
 prince and prophet, priest and people into captivity. 
 Is Sion gone ? is the temple razed ? is Jerusalem 
 laid in the dust ? What confidence then can any 
 kinj^dom, can any city have ? Let not England, let 
 not London be secure. Fear and tremble. Repent 
 of sin. Take heed of provoking God. Look beyond 
 the kingdoms of the earth. Look up to heaven, and 
 make sure of that kingdom wdiich cannot be shaken, 
 which cannot be taken from you. Thus you have 
 some of the benefits that are to come by this prophet. 
 We are now to fall upon the general division of 
 the prophecy. 
 
 //) this prophet you have, 
 
 I. The preface ; wherein is contained God's ap- 
 pearing to Ezekiel, his calling of him and strength- 
 ening of him in his office ; and these are laid 
 down in the three first chapters. 
 
 II. You have the prophecy itself; wherein you have 
 these four things. 
 
 1. The destruction of the Jews by the Babylonish 
 captivity, with the causes thereof, viz. their sins. 
 This is laid down in the next 21 chapters. 
 
 2. Threatening of judgment and destruction to seve- 
 ral nations that had insulted over the people of 
 
 ■ God, being carried away captive, and the hand of 
 God being upon them ; these were the Ammon- 
 ites, the Moabites, the Edomites, the Philistines, 
 the Assyrians, and Babylonians : and this he doth 
 from the 25th to the 33rd chapter. 
 
 3. Sharp reproving of the Jews for their iniquity, 
 for their hard-heartedness, for their not improWng 
 the hand of God upon them. And exhorting them 
 to repentance, he tells them of freedom, some 
 mercy and deliverance ; and after that again of 
 affliction and trouble that shall befall them : and 
 this he doth from the 33rd to the 3'Jth chapter. 
 
 4. A typical prophecy concerning Christ, and spi- 
 ritual freedom through him ; laid down in the 
 vision of the new temple, and of the new Jerusa- 
 lem, from the 39th chapter to the end ; wherein 
 there will be many glorious things made known in 
 due time. 
 
 Thus have you the general division of the prophecy.
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 In this Chapter you have . 
 
 I. Ezekiel's first visioB. fiom the fourth verse to the end of the chapter. 
 
 II. In the three first verses )(m have : 
 
 1. The time, what year, what mnnth, what Hay this vision was, ver. 1, 2. 
 
 2. The place, 1. General, the laud of the Chalrleans ; '2. Particular, by the river of Chebar, vcr. 3. 
 
 3. Tngether with this, ynu have the occasion ; his being there among the captives. 
 
 III. The subject of this vision, Ezekiel ; described, 
 
 1. Fmni his office; a priest. 
 
 2. From his parentage; the son of Buzi. 
 
 IV. The Author of this vision, God. " 1 saw visions of God ; " such visions as came from God. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 3. No?i' it came to pass in the thirtieth 
 j/ear, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the 
 month, OS I was among the captives hi/ the river 
 of Chehar, that the heavens were opened, and I 
 saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the month, 
 ivhich was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's cap- 
 tivity, the word of the Lord came crpressly unto 
 F!zekiel the priest, the son of Bvzi, in the land 
 of the Chaldeans by the river Chehar; and the 
 hand of the Lord was there upon him. 
 
 "Now;" the word in the original is, And; "And 
 it came to pa.s.s." It seems a strange beginning of a 
 book ; especially when it refers to nothing said or 
 wrote before. There are many of the books of 
 sacred writ begin in this manner ; as Exodus, Le- 
 viticus, Numbers, Joshua, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, and 
 divers others. In historical books, it may note the 
 series, and connect things antecedent with things 
 consequent ; but in prophetical books, it cannot note 
 or make a connexion with things foregoing. Jonah 
 begins his prophecy so ; and what was the antecedent 
 to make up the connexion ? Here is the query, and 
 difficulty, why the prophet should begin his book in 
 this manner, " And it came to pass." 
 
 Some satisfy the doubt thus, they make it an 
 idiom or propriety of the Hebrew tongue, to begin 
 books with this particle, and, or now; and so tl'.cy 
 make nothing of it. But surely this is not all; there 
 is something wrapped up in this now, or and, which 
 may be of instruction and use to us. 
 
 " Now," or, " and it came to pass." The prophet 
 doubtless was meditating upon the condition he was in ; 
 meditating upon the condition he had been in. Time 
 was that we were at Jerusalem, that we went with 
 joy to the temple, to the solemn assemblies ; that we 
 heard the voice of God, that we saw his glory, his 
 beauty, his power, and his strength there. Time 
 ■was that we had communion with the saints ; that 
 ■we sung songs of Sion together with cheerfulness and 
 with joy. We had precious ordinances, honourable 
 sabbaths, sacrifices that did cheer our hearts, and 
 seal up pardon of our sins to us, and intimate the 
 good will of God in Christ to our sotds ; we sat 
 under our vines and tmdcr our fig-trees, and were in 
 safety. But now, now we eat the bread of mourn- 
 ers, we drink our own tears. Now we are dejirived 
 of all ordinances, stript of all our comforts ; we are 
 sold into the hands of enemies, we are become cap- 
 tives to a heathen prince ; our bondage is grievous, 
 and must continue seventy years. It is the fruit of 
 our sin. God is righteous in all his judgments, 
 and if we willingly accept the punishment of our 
 iniquity, he will in wrath remember mercy, regard 
 
 us in our low estate ; he will sweeten and sanctify 
 our captivity to us. 
 
 Such thoughts as these were in the breast of the 
 prophet. And I incline the rather to think so, be- 
 cause it was upon the sabbath day (as I shall show 
 you afterwards when I come to open some things 
 that follow) when he was meditating in this man- 
 ner. Also you shall find in Scripture relatives used 
 without antecedents; as Psal. Ixxxvii. 1, "His 
 foundation is in the holy mountains." Here is a 
 relative without any antecedent, yet the antecedent 
 is supposed, and easily found out. Hi.s foundation. 
 Whose foundation ? The foundation of the temple, 
 the foundation of the city, is in the holy mountains. 
 The Scripture doth sometimes lay down things rela- 
 tively and conjunctively, when the antecedent may 
 be supposed and found out with a little inquiry. So 
 here. And it was thus and thus with the prophet, he 
 was meditating ; there was the word in his bosom, 
 and the particle and connects that with this word of 
 God revealed to him, and expressed by him. 
 
 Hence then take this note : That the hearts of the 
 servants of God are exercised with thoughts of 
 God's dealings with the church and themselves. 
 Their thoughts are better exercised than the world 
 thinks. Ezekiel here had his thoughts busied about 
 his former and present condition, his heart was exer- 
 cised that way. " I have other meat to eat," saith 
 Christ, " than ye know of;" so the saints, they have 
 other meat, other thoughts to feed upon, than the 
 world takes notice of. It is oft unknown how their 
 thoughts are exercised. Eli thought Hannah mad 
 when he saw her lips go ; but her heart was better 
 employed then he fancied. ]\lany think God's people 
 melancholy, and not worthy of their company, they 
 are but heavy pieces, when their hearts are in 
 heaven, and they are at solid and serious converse 
 with God. You have an expression to this purpose 
 in Cant. i. 1, " Let him kiss me with the kisses of 
 his mouth." The spouse had not spoke of her Be- 
 loved before. It is a strange speech to begin thus ; 
 " Let him kiss me with," &c. Who should kiss 
 her ; here is no mention of Christ, no mention of 
 God, no mention of any before, but on a sudden, 
 " Let him kiss me with," &c. Though Christ had 
 not been mentioned by her lips, yet Christ was deep in 
 her thoughts, and in her desires, she had meditated 
 on Christ before, and so breaks out into this speech, 
 " Let him kiss me with," &c. And K/.ckiel htiving 
 his heart meditating, and taken up with the thoughts 
 of his former and present condition, of the chiu'ch 
 in general, of God's wrath to them, and God's 
 mercy in the midst of his wrath, breaks out, "And," 
 or " now," in the thirtieth year it was so and so. 
 
 This then instructs us what is the practice of the
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 THE BOOR OF EZEKIEI,. 
 
 9 
 
 choice worthies of God ; their hearts are meditating 
 and taken up with divers things that the world is not 
 aware of. It is good for us to be in meditation this 
 way. Isaac went out to meditate in the evening, 
 and while he was meditating cometh Rebekah, 
 the desire of his soul : and the prophet being in 
 that posture, hath visions of God to cheer his soul, 
 and the souls of his people. If you would be medi- 
 tating, you may see neaven opened, and God coming 
 down into your bosoms. 
 
 " In the thirtieth year." This time doth trouble 
 interpreters very much ; it is not said in the thirti- 
 eth year of what, or of whom, but barely in the 
 thirtieth year. Here is an uncertain chronology, 
 which makes a difliculty in the prophet. 
 
 1. " In the thirtieth year." Not the thirtieth 
 year from the jubilee, as some make it, for the fifth 
 year of Jehoiachin's captivity corresponds not with 
 the thirtieth from the jubilee; for as Junius and 
 some others (that take pains in searching out the 
 truth herein) observe, that falls in but with the 
 ninth year from the jubilee ; therefore we let that 
 pass. 
 
 2. " In the thirtieth year." Some make this to 
 be the thirtieth year of his age ; the prophet was 
 thirty years old, and then he began to prophesy. 
 But this is not the practice of the penmen of Scrip- 
 ture, to compute the prophecies from their own age 
 and birth. And there is good reason for it, because 
 prophecies, and things that concern the good of the 
 church so nearly and so much, receive witness and 
 strength from the time wherein they are extant ; and 
 those times must not be particular times, times of 
 particular men that are not known, but the times 
 must be such as are known to the world, that all 
 may be convinced the thing was done at such a 
 time. Now the birth of one that afterward was to 
 be a prophet, is not like to be a time so noted in the 
 world, that the world then should take notice that 
 Ezekiel was born, and did begin the computation of 
 his prophecy from thence. It is not like therefore 
 that this should be the meaning of the thirtieth 
 year. If so, he would have said. In the thirtieth 
 year of my life. 
 
 3. " In the thirtieth year." That is, in the thirti- 
 eth year since the law was found in Josiah's days, 
 and since that great passover which was kept by 
 him. In 2 Kings xxii. there is mention of finding 
 the book of the law ; and in chap, xxiii. of the 
 great passover, and this was in the eighteenth year 
 of Josiah's reign, ver. 3.3. 
 
 Now if we compute the time from the eighteenth 
 year of Josiah, it doth amount even to the thirtieth 
 year, in which our prophet had his vision, and began 
 his prophecy. For Josiah reigned thirteen years 
 after this, (as you may observe in the story,) " he 
 reigned thirty and one years" in all, 2 Kings xxii. 1 ; 
 and then Jehoahaz his son reigned three months, 
 chap, xxiii. 31 ; then Jehoiakim reigned eleven 
 years, ver. 3(5 ; and Jehoiachin his son reigned 
 three months before he was carried captive into 
 Babylon, chap. xxiv. and five years of his captivity 
 was past when Ezekiel began his prophecy. So 
 then take the thirteen years of Josiah, and the 
 eleven years of Jehoiakim, there are twenty-four ; 
 then add the five years of Jehoiachin's captivity, 
 which make twenty-nine, and then take three months 
 that Jehoahaz reigned, and the three months that 
 Jehoiachin reigned before he was carried captive, 
 they make up twenty-nine years and six months : 
 therefore saitli he in the thirtieth year ; it was the 
 thirtieth year current, and so expositors do for the 
 generality put it. 
 
 And whereas some would have it to be the thirti- 
 
 eth year of the Chaldean account ; it being, accord- 
 ing to them, thirty years from the beginning of that 
 monarchy from Nebuchadouosor, (as some call him,) 
 who was the father of this Nebuchadnezzar the 
 Great, that carried away Jehoiachin into captivity. 
 If it were the thirtieth year of that monarchy, it 
 falls in with the thirty years since the eighteenth of 
 Josiah, wherein the law was found, and the passover 
 kept, so that these two may stand together, and 
 there need be no jarring between interpreters for 
 this time. 
 
 " In the fourth month." It was not the month 
 Tebet or Thebeth, (as some will have it,) which 
 answers to that we call January ; but the month 
 Tamuz, or Tammuz, that which answereth to part of 
 June and part of July ; (about the time we are now 
 in) ; for the Jews were to reckon their months from 
 April, as Exod. xii. 2, " This shall be the beginning 
 of months, it shall be the first month of the year 
 to you ;" that month was Abib, Nisan, or Nissan, 
 and answereth to part of March, and part of April ; 
 now from thence this is the fourth month, and fall- 
 eth in with the latter end of June and beginning 
 of July. 
 
 " In the fifth day of the month." This I find 
 some do make to be the sabbath day, and it is very 
 probable that it should be so ; for, chap. iii. 16, he 
 saith, that at the " end of seven days the word of the 
 Lord came unto him again." Hence they collect, 
 that it is not likely that God would step over the 
 sabbath day, and give Ezekiel visions upon another 
 day, and not upon that ; for if Ezekiel had had his 
 visions upon another day, the people should have 
 been destitute of all the benefit. They were so 
 employed in their works of building and planting, 
 and other accommodations for a captivity, that they 
 had no leisure to resort unto Ezekiel upon a week 
 day ; therefore they strongly conclude, that it was 
 upon a sabbath day, in the latter end of the week. 
 From hence 
 
 Ob.H. I. That that time is not considerable wherein 
 the law of God is out of date ; the time was reckoned 
 here from the eighteenth year of Josiah, wherein the 
 law was found. It was lost in Manasseh's and Anion's 
 days, till the eighteenth year of Josiah, when being 
 found, it was brought forth for the comfort and in- 
 struction of the people, for the worship and honour of 
 God; andfrom i\\a\piinctum the Spirit of God reckons 
 the time, and begins the account. AVhen God's 
 law is out of the way, and his worship down, that 
 is no considerable time at all in the eye of God. 
 Parties that are in the dark, or dead, we do not 
 reckon of their time. One converted in his old 
 age said, I have been long in the world, I have 
 lived but a little time, meaning, since he was con- 
 verted, the time before was incomputable. The 
 widow that liveth in pleasure, the apostle saith, " is 
 dead while she lives," 1 Tim. v. 6. And the world 
 is dead that hath not the law, the place is dead that 
 hath not the ordinances of God. So long they have 
 been, but they have not lived, they have not mea- 
 sured time ; and therefore the Spirit of God fixeth 
 the account at the finding of the law. 
 
 Obs. 2. The things here not being specified, but 
 left undetermined, that God would have us observe 
 the remarkable passages in churches and states when 
 they fall out, not one or two, but many, or all the 
 chief. As the eighteenth year of Josiah, when the 
 law was found, when that great passover was kept, 
 when he and the people of (iod entered into a solemn 
 covenant with God, when the great reformation was 
 made among them, such great acts were taken notice 
 of; as also the changes in Babylon, when the Chal- 
 dean monarchy began, when Nebuchadnezzar was
 
 ]0 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. r. 
 
 put into the throne, and his head lifted up above 
 others. God would have us take notice of the cliicf 
 acts of his mercy and providence at chief times ; 
 Hos. xiv. 8, " Ephraim shall say, What have I to 
 do any more with idols ?" There will be a great 
 alteration ; then it will be a remarkable time ; said 
 God, " I have heard him, and observed him ;" and 
 then followeth, " Whoso is wise, and lie .^hall un- 
 derstand these things ? prudent, and he shall know 
 them ?" 
 
 Now is a time of memorable emergencies, and they 
 should be considered ; the famous things of 1640 and 
 1641 ought to be had in everlasting remembrance : 
 a triennial parHament, resurrection of religion, law 
 and gospel were found again ; reformation begun, 
 protestation and covenants taken, the kingdoms 
 united here, and foreign ones shaken in pieces. 
 
 Obs. 3. This makes for the truth and strength of 
 our j)rophet's %asions and prophecy ; for when exact 
 particidar times and places are set down, that things 
 were done in such a year of such a king, such a 
 month, such a day of the month, it adds weight to 
 an ordinary history ; and when the Spirit of God 
 shall so punctually determine the time to a year, a 
 month, a day, it is a strong seal to the truth of the 
 visions and prophecy. 
 
 Obs. 4. Sec here, (from " the fifth day,") that God 
 hath a special care of his sabbaths, and of the 
 spiritual good of his servants. Of his sabbaths, 
 that they shall not lie in the dark, when they are 
 in Babylon ; God will open heaven and appear to a 
 prophet, and give him visions, upon a sabbath day. 
 God will do it too upon a sabbath day, that so the 
 people, which were in a sad condition, that laboured 
 now in brick and clay again, that were building, 
 planting, taken up with secular affairs, might have 
 a seasonable opportunity for the good of their souls. 
 The sabbath was made for man, for the good of 
 man, and they found it so. Though they be in 
 Babylon, they shall have a prophet, they shall have 
 visions, and visions upon a sabbath day, when they 
 have libert}- and opportunity to come to the prophet 
 to be instructed in these visions, without prejudice 
 to their callings. 
 
 " As I was among the captives by the river Che- 
 bar." Here is the place mentioned wdiere the pro- 
 phet was, and the occasion of his being in it. 
 
 " Among the captives." The original is, In the 
 midst of the captivity ; the abstract being put for 
 the concrete, captivity for captives : and this is ordi- 
 nary in the Scripture ; as circumcision for circum- 
 cised, Phil. iii. 3; election for elected, Rom. xi. 7, 
 " the election hath obtained," that is, the elected ; 
 and here, in the midst of the captivity, is, in the 
 midst of the captives. 
 
 "In the midst," is not to be taken geometrically and 
 strictly, as if he were exactly in the midst of them 
 proportionably every way considered ; but, in the 
 midst is to be understood, "among the ca; lives;" 
 they were captives, and so was he : as .losh. vii. 1,3, 
 " There is an accursed thing in the midst of you," 
 that is, amongst you. 
 
 "By the river C'hebar." This is the particular 
 place. The notes upon your cpiarto Bil)Ies, say tliat 
 Ibis river Chebar was part of Euphrates. Rabbins 
 and others say it is Eujihratcs itself. But if it were 
 Eu])hrates, why should the Spirit of God change that 
 name which was known, and take a name which was 
 unknown. Surely the Spirit of God would have said 
 Pluphratcs, and not t'hel)ar. If it be a part or chan- 
 nel of Euphrates, why kept it not one of tliose names 
 that is mentioned, (ien. ii. (Jihon, Pison, Iliddckel? 
 Gilion it cannot be, for tliat river runneth toward 
 Etliiopia. lliddekel it is most likely to be, which 
 
 lieth in those parts ; but that river kept its name, 
 and was not changed, as appeareth, Dan. x. 4, w liere 
 it is said, " He was by the river lliddekel." If Pison, 
 some reason must be given of deserting that name, 
 and imposing one new and unheard of. Interpret- 
 ers therefore conceive this Chebar to be a river of 
 itself, rising from the mountain Masius, (running 
 through Mesopotamia,) and emptying itself into 
 Euphrates, at a place where is a town called Che- 
 bar, whence the denomination probably may come ; 
 but rather, it is called Chebar, becar.se of the plenty 
 of waters that are in it, and for the plenty of grass 
 that is upon the banks thereof. 
 
 Near this river had the Jews their habitation, and 
 they were jdaced together. Chap. iii. 15, "I came 
 to them of the captivity, that dwelt by the river 
 Chebar." Here they were placed, because the Jews 
 were odious to the Babylonians, as of old they were 
 to the Egyptians, and dwelt distinct from them. In 
 Salmanassars' time, when the ten tribes were carried 
 into Assyria, they were put in Halah, and Habor, 
 by the river of Gozan, 2 Kings x\"iii. The rabbins 
 call this river Sabbation, the sabbatical river, be- 
 cause it flowed not, but desisted from its ordinary- 
 course, upon the sabbath day ; and Josephus saith, 
 that it was certain this river did constantly forsake its 
 course upon the sabbath day ; God thereby miracu- 
 lously intimated to them, that he would have them 
 keep a sabbath, though in a strange land. These 
 captives were fixed by Gozan, or by Chebar, which 
 is the particular place ; the next is the general place, 
 the land of the Chaldeans. 
 
 Chaldea was the country of Abraham, he went 
 from Ur of the Chaldeans, Gen. xi. 31 ; and Stephen 
 calls it Mesopotamia, Acts vii. 2 ; " Abraham was in 
 Mesopotamia before he dwelt in Charran." It lay 
 on the north of Chaldea, betW'Cen Euphrates and 
 Tygris. In ver. 4, it is said, " Abraham came out 
 of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Char- 
 I'an." Chaldea and Mesopotamia were promiscu- 
 ously taken, sometimes being near together, and 
 sometimes distinctly. The chief city in Chaldea 
 was Babylon, now called Bagdat, from Baga, which 
 in Arabic signifieth a garden, because if stood in a 
 pleasant place, and had many gardens in it. It was 
 liuilt b)' Nimrod, that mighty hunter, the first king 
 that ever the world had. When the tower in it was 
 built up nine thousand one hundred threescore and 
 four paces from the ground, which is above nine of 
 our miles, then it pleased God from heaven to con- 
 found their language, and of one made threescore 
 and twelve ; hence was it called Babel, q„{^ h.j i,Vj 
 Gen. xi. 9, because God there con- 0"== excussit. 
 founded the language of all the earth, and their work 
 together. 
 
 This country was called the land of Nimrod, Mic. 
 v. 6; and the land of Shinar, Gen. x. 10, which 
 signify shaking, because it shook their language, 
 and scattered the people that inhabited it out of tlie 
 land. It is branded by Zechariah for the dwelling- 
 place of wickedness, Zech. v. 11. Out of this land 
 of Chaldea, it is conceived by some, came the three 
 wise men, who oifered the gifts to Christ; for the 
 Chaldeans were the chiefest astrologers and cxact- 
 cst astrononuTs that were in the world, as you ob- 
 serve, Dan. ii. 
 
 These Chaldeans were a martial people, very 
 cruel. Jer.vi. 22,2.3, "A people Cometh , 
 from the north countrv, and a great 
 nation. They shall lay hold on bow and spear ; they 
 are cruel, and have no mercy ; their voice roarcth 
 like the sea," &c. They were polluted with abomi- 
 nalde idolatries, sujierstitions, sorceries, enchant- 
 ments, and all manner of profaneness. Into this
 
 Chat. I. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 II 
 
 Innd, and among this people, did God bring the 
 Jews, w ho had been so dear to him. 
 
 Babylon was the seat of the chiefcst and greatest 
 monarch of the earth. Thither came a continual 
 contlux of people from all parts of the world, to 
 whose scorns and wrongs the Jews were daily ex- 
 posed. They said. These are the holy people, 
 these are they come out of the holy land, come and 
 sing us one of the songs of Zion ; and so profane 
 was Bclshaznar, as that he took the holy vessels to 
 quaff and carouse in. Into this land were they 
 brought, and the godly were constrained to hear and 
 see tlie blasphemies and abominations that were 
 amongst them, and to bear the scorns and frowns of 
 all comers. 
 
 Thus have I opened to you the particular place, 
 " by the river Chebar," and the general place, " the 
 land of Chaldea." 
 
 Let us see now what observations will arise from 
 hence. 
 
 Ob.t. 1. That God is not tied to places. Let the 
 place be never so holy, let it be the holy land, tho 
 holy city, the holy temple, God is not tied unto 
 either of them, but hath his liberty to work and 
 manifest himself where he pleaseth, even in Baby- 
 lon. The rabbins have a rule goeth for truth 
 Kunq.iam spi- amongst them, and is firmly believed, 
 ril.iMi bi.nrtuMi that the Holy Ghost never spake unto 
 sam'a'nrpro- the prophcts out of the holy land ; and 
 Piitiis loqui. therefore they say, Jonas tied to Tar- 
 shish from the face of the Lord, to avoid the inspir- 
 ation of the Almighty. But here we see in Chaldea, 
 by the river Chebar, is Ezekiel inspired; here hea- 
 ven is opened unto him ; here he seeth \isions of 
 God ; here the word of the Lord comcth expressly 
 unto him ; and here the Spirit of God doth work 
 mightily in him. One shift they have for this; they 
 say Ezekiel was a prophet before he was carried out 
 of the land of Canaan, before he came into Chaldea. 
 But we have no proof in Jeremiah nor Ezekiel, nor 
 in any other part of Scripture, that Ezekiel was a 
 prophet, and moved to prophesy before he came into 
 Chaldea : and therefore it is said, ver. 3, " That 
 the hand of the Lord was upon me 
 ^'^ there," there first, in that polluted 
 
 land ; I never had the Spirit of the Lord before I 
 came into Chaldea. When the inhabitants of Jeru- 
 salem had polluted the holy city, profaned the holy 
 temple, and defiled the holy land with their idol- 
 atries, and other wickednesses, then God departs, 
 fiitcheth his tabernacle elsewhere, and poureth out 
 lis Spirit in Babylon. God is not tied to places, he 
 can in a dungeon, in a prison, in a Babylon, let down 
 his Spirit into the heart of anv servant of his, and 
 raise him to a prophetical heigtt. 
 
 Obs. 2. That no place is so wicked, but God 
 can raise up instruments to do him and the church 
 service there. Babylon was a scat or land of 
 wickedness, a sink of all sin, " the mother of har- 
 lots and abominations of the earth," 
 Rev. xvii. 5. Yet here, even out of 
 hell itself, doth God raise up a prophet for his 
 people. It was said by Nathanael, John i. 4ij, 
 "Can any good come out of Nazareth?" Much 
 more may it be said. Can any good come out of 
 Babylon? Can any good come out of Rome? 
 AVhat was answered there ? " Come and see." So 
 here. Come and see a prophet in Babylon, come 
 and see the Spirit of God poured out upon Ezekiel, 
 cvei) there. And to this may the first word of the 
 ])rophecy have some respect; as if the prophet had 
 said. They have had prophets in Jerusalem a long 
 time, but no prophets elsewhere : behold, now 
 also is a prophet in Babylon. God can raise up to 
 
 Quasi nh i()sis 
 iiiferis ( 
 
 himself saints in Nero's court; he can raise ip in- 
 struments ordinary and extraordinary to do him ser- 
 vice, in Babylon, in Rome, in Egypt, in most proi^ane 
 and vile places, that are overspread with all idolatries 
 and abominations whatsoever. 
 
 06s. 3. See here a door open for the enlargement 
 of the church, a type of God's goodness toward the 
 gentiles. The church had been shut up for 850 years 
 in Judea, (for so long it was from Joshua's entering 
 into Canaan to the captivity,) but now he openelh 
 a door for the gentiles ; here is a prophet, a church 
 in Babylon ; here is a way made for the bringing 
 in of the gentiles, and enlarging the borders of 
 Sion. God will not only have mercy upon Jews, 
 but upon the Babylonians. 
 
 Obs. 4. That the godly are wrapped up in the 
 same calamity with the wicked. Ezekiel is among 
 the captives, and many others with him. They 
 lost their country, friends, estates, liberties, ordi- 
 nances. They were in great misery, brought very 
 low, under a heathen king, amongst enemies, ex- 
 posed to the scorns and wrongs of all ; and Eze- 
 kiel, Daniel, the three children, Mordecai, and 
 many others, were all in the same condition. 
 The children of God are subject to the same out- 
 ward public or private calamities that the wicked 
 are. All things come alike unto all ; if you look 
 upon the outward face of things, there is no excep- 
 tion. Good Josiah was slain in the battle as well 
 as wicked Ahab. Naboth was stoned as well as 
 Achan. If David, a man after God's own heart, 
 prosper in the wars, so doth Nebuchadnezzar, a 
 heathen, a tyrant. Sicknesses, diseases, deaths, of 
 what kind soever, are common to good as well as to 
 bad. The sword, plague, famine, hath seized upon 
 the carcasses of the godly as well as the wicked. If 
 wicked women die in childbirth, so doth good Ra- 
 chel. There is no condition but may befall the chil- 
 di-en of God; 1 Pet. v. 10, "The same afflictions 
 are accomplished in your brethren, that are in the 
 world;" and no temptation hath taken hold of you, 
 but such as is common to the nature of man. AVhat- 
 soever affliction then you have, whether public or 
 private, this may be some solace, it is no other than 
 what befell Ezekiel, Daniel, and hath befallen the 
 godly in all generations. 
 
 Obs. 5. That the godly are mingled in this world 
 with the wicked and profane. Men of great worth, 
 great grace, rare excellences, are not so privi- 
 leged as to be exempted from the society of the 
 wicked and ungotlly. Here is Ezekiel amongst 
 the Chaldeans: Joseph was amongst the Egyptians : 
 and Job saith of himself, chap. xxx. 29, that 
 he was a brother to dragons, and a companion to 
 owls ; and David cries out, Psa. cxx. 5. " ^Voe 
 is me that I sojourn in Mesech, and that I dwell 
 in the tents of Kedar," that is, with a barbarous 
 and profane people, that were like to the pos- 
 terity of Mesech and Kedar. The church of Smyr- 
 na, Rev. ii. 9, was pestered with the synagogue of 
 Satan ; and Pergamus, ver. 13, had her dwelling 
 where Satan's seat was. In that city, if you observe 
 the 1 4lh and 1 5th verses, you shall find there was much 
 idolatry and persecution ; for there were those that 
 held the doctrine of Balaam, " who taught Balak to 
 cast a stumbling-block before the chikh'en of Israel, 
 to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit forni- 
 cation ; and there Antipas my faithful martyr was 
 slain." ^Vhere there is idolatry, there will be per- 
 secution and uncleanness; and where these be, is the 
 scat of Satan. And the church of Pergamus was 
 seated even where Satan had his seat and throne ; 
 therefore it is no strange thing Cor the jicople of God 
 to dwell amongst the wicked. In Canticles the
 
 12 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 church of Christ is said to be a lily among thorns ; 
 a lily, and none growing near but thorns, that 
 scratch, prick, and tear the church. Micah vii. -t, 
 " The best of them is a brier, the most upriglit is 
 sharper than a thorn-hedge ;" the best of the wicked 
 are briers and tliorns one time or other. It is tlie 
 lot of the godly to be among the Chaldeans while 
 they live here in the world. 
 
 Obs. 6. See here, that God hath a special care of his 
 chureli and people, when they are in the lowest and 
 worst condition. ^Vhat now is Jerusalem become ? 
 where is the glory of all the world ? Now they are 
 carried into captivity ; now they are in a strange land, 
 mider a strange king and government ; now they are 
 deprived of all their sacrifices, and services of that 
 nature; now they are imprisoned; now they are in 
 danger of their liberties and lives every day. _ Yet, 
 as the psalmist saith, " Thou rcmcmberest us in our 
 low estate ;" in this low estate, when they are at tlie 
 river Chebar, in the land of the Chaldeans, doth 
 God remember them, and sends an Ezekiel to them ; 
 and unto him, even in Chaldea, in Babylon, were 
 the heavens opened, and he saw visions of God. 
 Where there are the greatest enemies, God will 
 show himself a friend; where the church is exceed- 
 ingly straitened, God will give enlargement. Now 
 his people are in Babylon, in captivity, he sends a 
 prophet to them, Ezekiel, the strength of God ; such 
 a prophet as shall be strong to keep them oft' from 
 idolatry, though they were amongst idolaters ; strong 
 to comfort their hearts against all the strong dis- 
 couragements they had ; strong to lead them toward 
 God and heaven, ihough they had false prophets to 
 lead them down to hell ; strong to oppose the false 
 prophets, to reprove them stoutly, to encourage the 
 people faithfully, and to make known the mind of 
 God unto them without flattery. They shall have a 
 prophet, though they be in Babylon. This should 
 stay up the spirits of the godly, if they should be 
 driven into wildernesses, God will provide Ezekiels 
 for them. 
 
 Obs. 7. That we are to take heed of judging 
 the condition of men by their outward afflictions. 
 When great calamities come, people ordinarily grow 
 great censurers, and condemn those parties that are 
 under them to be the greatest sinners of all others. 
 Take heed of this. If you will draw such conclu- 
 sions as tlicse, The hand of God is upon snch ; in 
 such a place there is the plague, there is the sword 
 catting them olf, tliere they are carried out of their 
 country into captivity, there they are imprisoned, 
 there they are held in great bondage ; surely these 
 are none of God's people, these are naught, vile per- 
 sons, reprobates : if you will judge thus, you will 
 condemn the generationof the righteous; for Ezekiel, 
 Daniel, Mordecai, the three children, and many 
 others very godly, were in the captivity, as well as 
 tliose that were vtry wicked. Such conclusions 
 must not be drawn from the sufferings of the saints. 
 You know the prophets and apostles met with very 
 hard measure ; wliile they were in the world they 
 were whipped, stocked, imprisoned, stoned, sawn 
 asunder, tempted, tormented, slain with the sword, 
 and evil entreated every where ; and if you sliould 
 measure their condition by their aftlietions, con- 
 ricnmation must be their portion, and they must be 
 in the catalogue of delinrpients. Have not some in 
 our days been flayed, roasted alive, cut in pieces, 
 thrown into the river? have not their houses, and 
 many in them, been burnt together in Irebmd? 
 Have there not been cruel arid desperate tilings 
 done ? Ireland now is full of blood, skiills, and 
 graves; shall we say they are the greatest sinners 
 that have suffered such great filings ? Wlicn I'ilate 
 
 had mingled the blood of some of the Galileans 
 with their sacrifices, there were those that presently 
 thouglit them greater sinners than the rest: but 
 Christ that taught them and us, what use , ^imij, 
 to make of judgments upon others, not to 
 censure them, but to repent ourselves ; " Except ye 
 repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Think not that 
 tliey are greater sinners than others ; think not now 
 that the Jews in Babylon are greater sinners than all 
 others ; think not those in Ireland are greater sinners 
 than yourselves. If he be a wicked man that meets 
 with great afflictions, then Christ must be the wick- 
 edest man that ever was ; for he was vir doloris, a 
 man of sorrows, and had the greatest affliction that 
 ever befell any. As it was no argument for Zede- 
 kiah's goodness, who at this time was in Jerusalem, 
 that he drank wine in bowls, and had a great deal of 
 felicity ; so it was no argument for Ezekiel's guilti- 
 ness and sinfulness, that he was in a strange land, in 
 Chaldea, among the captives, by the river Chebar. 
 Paul, when he was at the bar with iron fetters about 
 his heels, was a better man than Agrippa with his 
 crown on his head, and his sceptre in his hand, and 
 sitting in judgment to condemn him. Daniel in 
 his captivity is said to be " a man of desires," 
 Dan. ix. a man that God took great delight in ; 
 when Jeconiah a king, and dwelling at Jerusa- 
 lem, " is a despised, broken idol, a vessel in which 
 there is no pleasure," Jer. xxii. 28. Those that 
 are in great affliction may be greatly beloved, when 
 those who are in great prosperity may be greatly 
 hated. 
 
 Obs. 8. That the wicked fare the better for the godly. 
 There were many godly now in caijfivity, as well 
 as there were many wicked ones ; and because of 
 the godly that were there, God poureth out the 
 Spirit of prophecy upon Ezekiel, and by that means 
 the very wicked come to have the benefit of this 
 prophecy, and partake of his visions. Many wicked 
 ones have a sliare in the public duties of God's 
 worship, when the godly meet together in those 
 exercises. Ezekiel, in chap, xxxiii. 32, is said to be 
 unto them " as a sweet song of one that hath a 
 jdcasant voice, and can play well on an instru- 
 ment ;" he was a sweet song to sweeten tlieir liitter 
 captivity. Joseph being in Potiphar's house bring- 
 cth a blessing ; and Jacob in Laban's family in- 
 ereascth the stock of his Master ; and Joseph in 
 Egypt saveth the Egyptians, and almost the whole 
 world. Godly men and women are great advantages 
 to the wicked, however they hunch and punch at 
 them. Were the godly once out of the world, God 
 would soon put fire to the four quarters thereof, and 
 the wicked slionld presently feel it. 
 
 " Which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin's 
 captivity." Touching Jchoiachin, there are many 
 things remarkable : as, 
 
 1. In 2 Chron. xxxvi. 9, it is said, that "he was 
 eight years old when he began to reign ;" and in 
 2 Kings xxiv. 8, it is said, " he was eighteen years 
 old when he began to reign." Here seems to be a 
 great difference in the Scripture, hardly to be recon- 
 ciled, and it hath puzzled many. 
 
 This difference is thus reconciled : the kings of 
 Judah, when they were in imminent danger, did use 
 to declare their sons to be their successors ; and so 
 Jehoiakim, the father of this Jehoiacliin, being beset 
 by Nebuchadnezzar about the second or third year 
 of his reign, did declare his son Jehoiacliin to be 
 his successor. Now in the book of Clironiclcs he 
 sjieaks of the time from the first declaration, which 
 was about the eighth year of Jehoiachin's age ; and 
 the book of the Kings mentions the time when he 
 came to reign alone, and reckons from thence : for
 
 1—3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 13 
 
 Jthoiakim reigncil divers years after his sen was 
 declared to be king, and reigned with his father. 
 So that the one bouk speaks of the time lie reigned 
 with his father, the other of the time that he reigned 
 alone in the throne. 
 
 2. It is remarkable touching Jehoiachin, that he 
 had other names ; as 1 C'hron. iii. 16, he is called 
 Jeconiuh, and Jer. xxii. 24, in disgrace, Coniah. 
 He was a wicked king, and God cut oH'the first part 
 of his name, a sad presage that ere long he would 
 cut him olf. Evil kings who have had God's name 
 joined with theirs, when they have rent themselves 
 from God's commands and worship, he hath cut off 
 his name from theirs, and taken merey and peace 
 from them. This you shall see in Eliakim ; he was 
 a wicked king, and in 1 Chron. iii. 15, he is called 
 Joakim : El, that signifieth God, and was joined to 
 his name, is taken away. God would not suffer his 
 name to be joined with the name of so wicked a 
 king any longer. So here in Jeconiah, Jah, which 
 is one of the names of God, is taken away, and in 
 hatred and contempt he is called Coniah : God was 
 taken from his name, and departed from him too. 
 When God will honour a man, he adds letters of his 
 
 own name to theirs. As Abram after- 
 ^ ward was called Abraham, a letter out 
 
 of God's name was put into his. And so Jacob, 
 his name was changed to Israel, a prince of God, 
 or one that prevails like a prince with God, Gen. 
 xxxii. 28. 
 
 When God changeth names in mercy, and makes 
 MaeD.* benevo- ^u addition of letters of his own name 
 luiiiK poudus, unto men's, it is an argument of God's 
 great love, of great esteem and great honour to the 
 party; but it is an argument of disgrace, when God 
 either brands them, or detracts from their names. 
 Thus God branded Jeroboam, "Jeroboam the son of 
 Nebat, that made Israel to sin," and "Judas the trai- 
 tor." And sometimes he detracts from theirnames, as 
 here Jeconiah is called Coniah ; the beginning and 
 glory of his name is taken awa\' ; and he was (as Co- 
 niah signifieth) prepared of God, prepared of God for 
 vengeance, prepared of God for a captivity, for base 
 services ; prepared of God to be a broken idol, to be 
 cast out and despised, as it is in that 22nd of Jeremiah. 
 
 3. This Jehoiachin was written childless: Jer. xxii. 
 30, "Write this man childless." A heavy doom, 
 to write a man childless, especially a noble, a royal 
 family, when children are much desired by all, most 
 by princes, that so the crown may not be alienated. 
 Jeconiah is not written childless in regard he had 
 not any child ; for, ver. 28, it is said, " Wherefore 
 have they cast out him and his seed?" He had 
 seed, and yet was written childless. How is that ? 
 He was as one that had no seed ; he was deprived of 
 the benefit and comfort of his seed ; in effect, he was 
 a chiUlless man, because his children were carried 
 into captivity, and none of them did inherit the king- 
 dom and succeed him in the throne ; for it is said, 
 ver. 30, " No man of his seed shall prosper, sitting 
 upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in 
 Judah;" they died in captivity, and none of them 
 did sway the sceptre of that kingdom. 
 
 But there is some objection lying against this ; 
 for in I Chron. iii. 17, Salathiel is said to be his 
 son, and his son begotten in captiWty, Matt. i. 12. If 
 Salathiel be his son, and his son begotten in captivity, 
 how then is this true that he was written childless ? 
 
 You must know (for answer) that this in 1 
 Chron. and Matt. i. is spoken after the legal ac- 
 count ; for Jeconiah, or Jehoiachin, having been 
 thirty-seven years in captivity, (as you shall read 
 afterward,) he had seen the death of his sons and 
 daughters, his uncles and kindred, so that he had 
 
 none left of his own loins, or any that were very 
 near unto him, to declare to be his'successor, and to 
 inherit the crown ; therefore having neither son, 
 brother, uncle, nor kindred that were near unto him, 
 he was as a man childless every way. Now Sala- 
 thiel beinCT his nearest kinsman alive, he declareth 
 him to be heir to the crown, and to succeed him in 
 the royal dignity, according to the ■order set down 
 by God in case of the want of issue. Numb, xxvii. 
 8, 9, &c. And now this kinsman, in the legal sense, 
 is said to be the son of Jehoiachin, that is, the suc- 
 cessor of Jehoiachin ; not that he was his natural 
 son, come out of his loins; for, Luke iii. 27, Salathiel 
 was the son of Neri, according to the natural line. 
 Be it then according to the legal account, that Je- 
 hoiachin was his father, yet still it holds good, Je- 
 hoiacliin was a man childless. 
 
 4. In this king was ended the glory and royal 
 dignity of the house of David. It is true that Zede- 
 kiah reigned some years after him, but Zcdekiah 
 died before Jehoiachin ; and in the genealogy of 
 Christ, Jehoiachin is mentioned, not Zcdekiah, nei- 
 ther is there mention of any more kings of Judah 
 after him : he was the period of the book of the 
 Kings, and he finished the line of the house of Da- 
 vid. None out of his loins, nor out of any other 
 loins, did sit upon the throne till Christ came. As 
 for Zerubbabel, who was thought to be king, and to 
 sit upon the throne after the captivity, it will appear 
 he was no king ; for the learned observe that he was 
 rather a captain, duke or leader of the people, and 
 was stirred up of God to further and finish the work 
 of the temple, after which (the rabbins say) Ze- 
 rubbabel returned into Babylon, and there died. 
 
 But if that be not sufficient to clear that he was no 
 king, you may observe in Zech. vi. 1 1, that when two 
 crowns were made, neither of them was set upon the 
 head of Zerubbabel, but both were set upon the head 
 of Joshua, the son of Josedechfhe high priest; show- 
 ing that all the power was invested in the high 
 priest, and translated from regal to pontifical. So 
 that Jehoiachin was an unprosperous man, to lay 
 the glory of the house of David, and of his own, in 
 the dust. And hence that name is conceived like- 
 wise to be given him, Jer. xxii. 11. The name of 
 Shallum, which cometh of a word that 
 signifies to perfect, finish, or put an end 
 to a thing, because he finished the kingly govern- 
 ment of the house of David. And although some 
 put this name upon Jehoahaz the son of Josiuh, 
 making him that Shallum, yet others understand it 
 of Jehoiachin, and it is most probable to be him, be- 
 cause (saith the text) he went forth out of his place, 
 and was not to return thither any more ; and so did 
 none but Jehoiachin, who voluntarily yielded him- 
 self to Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Kings xxiv. 12. He was 
 that Shallum that put an end to all the kings of Ju- 
 dah, and laid the royal glory in the dust, and turned 
 the government to the priesthood, where it continued 
 till Christ came and sat upon the throne himself. 
 
 5. His captivity was long and sore, thirty-seven 
 years was he a prisoner in Babylon, as appears 
 2 Kings XXV. 27. Others had there more liberty, 
 they were not imprisoned, they had the benefit of 
 the prophets, and the advantage of all the ordi- 
 nances which were amongst them. Those they 
 had to sweeten their captivity, with many outward 
 comforts ; whereas Jehoiachin lay in prison, and was 
 deprived of them ; his crown, throne, sceptre, king- 
 dom, country, all were gone, and he is a captive im- 
 
 {jrisoned. A king, and a king of Judah, one that 
 lad lived so high, and been in such glory and great 
 pomi , for him to lie in a prison, and in a prison in 
 Babylon, not a few, but twenty, almost forty years;
 
 12 
 
 AN EXrOSITION UPON 
 
 Ciivr. I. 
 
 cliiircli of Christ is said to be a lily among thorns ; 
 a lily, and none growing near but thorns, that 
 scratch, prick, and tear the church. INIicah vii. 4, 
 " The best of them is a brier, the most upright is 
 sharper than a thorn-hedge ;" the best of the wicked 
 are briers and thorns one time or other. It is the 
 lot of the godly to be among the Chaldeans while 
 they live here in the world. 
 
 Oba. 6. See here, that God hath a special care of his 
 church and people, when they are in the lowest and 
 worst condition. What now is Jerusalem become ? 
 where is the glory of all the world? Now they are 
 carried into captivity ; now they are in a strange land, 
 under a strange king and government ; now they are 
 deprived of all their sacrifices, and services of that 
 nature; now they are imprisoned; now they are in 
 danger of their liberties and lives every day. Yet, 
 as the psalmist saith, " Thou rememberest us in our 
 low estate ;" in this low estate, when they are at the 
 river Chebar, in the land of the Chaldeans, doth 
 God remember them, and sends an Ezekiel to them ; 
 and unto him, even in Chaldea, in Babylon, were 
 the heavens opened, and he saw ^asions of God. 
 Where there are the greatest enemies, God will 
 show himself a friend ; where the church is exceed- 
 ingly straitened, God will give enlargement. Now 
 his people are in Babylon, in captivity, he sends a 
 prophet to them, Ezekiel, the strength of God ; such 
 a prophet as shall be strong to keep them otf from 
 idolatry, though they were amongst idolaters ; strong 
 to comfort their hearts against all the strong dis- 
 couragements they had ; strong to lead them toward 
 God and heaven, though they had false prophets to 
 lead them down to hell ; strong to oppose the false 
 prophets, to reprove them stoutly, to encourage the 
 people faithfully, and to make known the mind of 
 God unto them without flattery. They shall have a 
 prophet, though they be in Babylon. This should 
 stay up the spirits of the godly, if they should be 
 driven into wildernesses, God will provide Ezekiels 
 for them. 
 
 Obs. 7- That we are to take heed of judging 
 the condition of men by their outward afflictions. 
 When great calamities come, people ordinarily grow 
 great censurers, and condemn those parties that are 
 under them to be the greatest sinners of all others. 
 Take heed of this. If you will draw such conclu- 
 sions as these. The hand of God is upon .such ; in 
 such a place there is the plague, there is the sword 
 cutting them otf, there they are carried out of their 
 country into captivity, there they are imprisoned, 
 there they are held in great bondage ; surely the.?e 
 are none of God's people, these are naught, vile per- 
 sons, reprobates : if you will judge thus, you will 
 condemn the generation of the righteous; for Ezekiel, 
 Daniel, Mordecai, the three children, and many 
 others very godly, were in the captivity, as well as 
 those that were vtry wicked. Such conclusions 
 must not be drawn from the sutferings of the saints. 
 You know the prophets and apostles met with very 
 hard measure ; while they were in the world they 
 were whipped, stocked, imprisoned, stoned, sawn 
 asunder, tempted, tormented, slain with the sword, 
 and evil entreated every where ; and if you should 
 measure their condition by their afflictions, con- 
 deumation must be their portion, and they must be 
 in the catalogue of delinquents. Have not some in 
 our days been flayed, roasted alive, cut in pieces, 
 thrown into the river ? have not their houses, and 
 many in them, been Ijumt together in Ireland ? 
 Have there not been cruel and desperate things 
 done ? Ireland now is full of blood, skulls, and 
 graves ; shall we say they arc the greatest sinners 
 that have sutfered such great things ? When Pilate 
 
 had mingled the blood of some of the Galileans 
 with their sacritices, there were those that presently 
 thought them greater sinners than the rest ; but 
 Christ that taught them and us, what use ... 
 
 to make of judgments upon others, not to 
 censure them, but to repent ourselves ; " Except ye 
 repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Think not that 
 they are greater sinners than others ; think not now 
 that the Jews in Babylon are greater sinners than all 
 others ; think not those in Ireland are greater sinners 
 than yourselves. If he be a wicked man that meets 
 with great afflictions, then Christ must be the wick- 
 edest man that ever was ; for he was vir dolorix, a 
 man of sorrows, and had the greatest affliction that 
 ever befell any. As it was no argument for Zede- 
 kiah's goodness, who at this time was in Jerusalem, 
 that he th'ank wine in bowls, and had a great deal of 
 felicity ; so it was no argument for Ezekiel's guilti- 
 ness and sinfulness, that he was in a strange land, in 
 Chaldea, among the captives, by the river Chebar. 
 Paul, wheti he was at the bar with iron fetters about 
 his heels, was a better man than Agrippa with his 
 crown on his head, and his sceptre in his hand, and 
 .sitting in judgment to condemn him. Daniel in 
 his captivity is said to be " a man of desires," 
 Dan. ix. a man that God took great dehght in ; 
 when Jeconiah a king, and dwelling at Jerusa- 
 lem, " is a despised, broken idol, a vessel in which 
 there is no pleasure," Jer. xxii. 28. Those that 
 are in great affliction may be greatly beloved, when 
 those who are in great prosperity may be greatly 
 hated. 
 
 Obs. 8. That the wicked fare the better for the godly. 
 There were many godly now in captivity, as well 
 as there were many wicked ones ; and because of 
 the godly that were there, God poureth out the 
 Spirit of prophecy upon Ezekiel, and by that means 
 the very wicked come to have the benefit of this 
 prophecy, and partake of his ^-isions. Many w ieked 
 ones have a sliarc in the public duties of God'.s 
 worship, when the godly meet together in those 
 exercises. Ezekiel, in chap, xxxiii. 32, is said to be 
 unto them " as a sweet song of one that hath a 
 pleasant voice, and can play well on an instru- 
 ment ;" he was a sweet song to sweeten their bitter 
 captivity. Joseph being in Potiphar's house bring- 
 eth a blessing ; and Jacob in Laban's family in- 
 creaseth the stock of his Master ; and Joseph in 
 Egypt saveth the Egyptians, and almost the whole 
 world. Godly men and women are great advantages 
 to the wicked, however they hunch and punch at 
 them. Were the godly once out of the world, God 
 would soon put fire to the four quarters thereof, and 
 the wicked should presently feel it. 
 
 " Which was the fifth year of king Jchoiachin's 
 captivity." Touching Jehoiachin, there are many 
 things remarkable : as, 
 
 1. In 2 Chron. xxxvi. 9, it is said, that "he was 
 eight years old when he began to reign ;" and in 
 2 Kings xxiv. 8, it is said, " he was eighteen years 
 old when he began to reign." Here seems to be a 
 great difference in the Scripture, hardly to be recon- 
 ciled, and it hath puzzled many. 
 
 This difference is thus reconcili d : the kings of 
 Judah, when they were in imminent danger, did use 
 to declare their sons to be their successors; and so 
 Jchoiakim, the father of this Jehoiachin, being beset 
 by Nebuchadnezzar abovit the second or third year 
 of his reign, did declare his son Jehoiachin to be 
 his successor. Now in the book of Chronicles he 
 speaks of the time from the first declaration, which 
 was about the eighth year of Jchoiachin's age ; and 
 the book of the Kings mentions the time when he 
 came to reign alone, and reckons from thence : for
 
 Veh. 1—3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 13 
 
 Jfhoiakiin reigned divers years after his sen was 
 declared to be king, and reigned with his father. 
 So that the one book speaks of the time he reigned 
 with his father, the other of the time that he reigned 
 alone in the throne. 
 
 2. It is remarkable touehing Jehoiachin, that he 
 had other names; as 1 Chron. iii. 16, he is called 
 Jcconiah, and Jer. xxii. '24, in disgrace, Coniah. 
 He was a wicked king, and God cut otl'the first part 
 of his name, a sad presage that ere long he wonld 
 cut him off. Evil kings who have had God's name 
 joined with theirs, when they have rent themselves 
 from God's commands and worship, he hath cut off 
 his name from theirs, and taken mercy and peace 
 from them. This you shall see in Eliakim ; he was 
 a wicked king, and in I Chron. iii. 15, he is called 
 Joakim : El, that signifieth God, and was joined to 
 his name, is taken away. God would not suffer his 
 name to be joined with the name of so wicked a 
 king any longer. So here in Jcconiah, Jah, which 
 is one of the names of God, is taken away, and in 
 hatred and contempt he is called Coniah : God was 
 taken from his name, and departed from him too. 
 When God will honour a man, he adds letters of his 
 
 own name to theirs. As Abram after- 
 ' ward was called Abraham, a letter out 
 
 of God's name was put into his. And so Jacob, 
 his name was changed to Israel, a prince of God, 
 or one that prevails like a prince with God, Gen. 
 xxxii. 28. 
 
 When God changeth names in mercy, and makes 
 Maanie benevo- <'" addition of letters of his o-ira name 
 ituiia poudus. unto men's, it is an argument of God's 
 great love, of great esteem and great honour to the 
 party ; but it is an argument of disgrace, when God 
 either brands them, or detracts from their names. 
 Thus God branded Jeroboam, "Jeroboam the son of 
 Nebat, that made Israel to sin," and " Judas the trai- 
 tor." And sometimes he detracts from theirnamcs, as 
 here Jeconiah is called Coniah ; the beginning and 
 glory of his name is taken away ; and he was (as Co- 
 niah signifieth) prepared of God, prepared of God for 
 vengeance, prepared of God for a captivity, for base 
 services ; prepared of God to be a broken idol, to be 
 cast out and despised, as it is in that 22nd of Jeremiah. 
 
 3. This Jehoiachin was written childless: Jer. xxii. 
 30, " Write this man childless." A heavy doom, 
 to write a man childless, especially a noble, a royal 
 family, when children are much desired by all, most 
 by princes, that so the crown may not be alienated. 
 Jeconiah is not written childless in regard he had 
 not any child ; for, ver. 28, it is said, " Wherefore 
 have they east out him and his seed?" He had 
 seed, and yet was written childless. How is that ? 
 He was as one that had no seed; he was deprived of 
 the benefit and comfort of his seed ; in effect, he was 
 a childless man, because his children were carried 
 into captivity, and none of them did inherit the king- 
 dom and succeed him in the throne ; for it is said, 
 ver. 30, "No man of his seed shall prosper, sitting 
 upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in 
 Judah;" they died in captivity, and none of them 
 did sway the sceptre of that kingdom. 
 
 But there is some objection lying against this; 
 for in 1 Chron. iii. 17, Salathiel is said to be his 
 son, and his son begotten in captivity, Matt. i. 12. If 
 Salathiel be his son, and his son begotten in ea])tivity, 
 how then is this true that he was written childless ? 
 
 You must know (for answer) that this in 1 
 Chron. and Matt. i. is spoken after the legal ac- 
 count ; for Jeconiah, or Jehoiachin, having been 
 thirty-seven years in captivity, (as you shall read 
 afterward,) he had seen the death of his sons and 
 daughters, his uncles and kindred, so that he had 
 
 none left of his own loins, or ariy that were very 
 near unto him, to declare to be his successor, and to 
 inherit the crown ; therefore having neither son, 
 brother, uncle, nor kindred that were near unto him, 
 he was as a man childless every way. Now Sala- 
 thiel beiuCT his nearest kinsman alive, he declareth 
 him to be heir to the crown, and to succeed him in 
 the royal dignity, according to the flrder set down 
 by God in case of the want of ifsue. Numb, xxvii. 
 8, 9, &c. And now this kinsman, in the legal sense, 
 is said to be the son of Jehoiachin, that is, the suc- 
 cessor of Jehoiachin ; not that he was his natural 
 son, come out of his loins; for, Luke iii. 27, Salathiel 
 was the son of Neri, according to the natural line. 
 Be it then according to the legal account, that Je- 
 hoiachin was his father, yet still it holds good, Je- 
 hoiachin was a man childless. 
 
 4. In this king was ended the glory and royal 
 dignity of the house of David. It is true that Zede- 
 kiah reigned some years after him, but Zcdekiah 
 died before Jehoiachin : and in the genealogy of 
 Christ, Jehoiachin is mentioned, not Zedekiah, nei- 
 ther is there mention of any more kings of Judah 
 after him : he was the period of the book of the 
 Kings, and he finished the line of the house of Da- 
 vid. None out of his loins, nor out of any other 
 loins, did sit upon the throne till Christ came. As 
 for Zerubbabel, who was thought to be king, and to 
 sit upon the throne after the captivity, it will appear 
 he was no king ; for the learned observe that he was 
 rather a captain, duke or leader of the people, and 
 was stirred up of God to further and finish the work 
 of the temple, after which (the rabbins say) Ze- 
 rubbabel returned into Babylon, and there died. 
 
 But if that be not sufficient to clear that he was no 
 king, you may observe in Zech. vi. 1 1, that when two 
 crowns were made, neither of them was set upon the 
 head of Zerubbabel, but both were set upon the head 
 of Joshua, the son of Josedech the high priest ; show- 
 ing that all the power was invested in the high 
 priest, and translated from regal to pontifical. 8o 
 that Jehoiachin was an unprosperous man, to lay 
 the glory of the house of David, and of his own, in 
 the dust. And hence that name is conceived like- 
 wise to be given him, Jer. xxii. II. The name of 
 Shallum, which cometh of a word that ^ 
 
 signifies to perfect, finish, or put an end 
 to a thing, because he finished the kingly govern- 
 ment of the house of David. And although some 
 put this name upon Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, 
 making him that Shallum, yet others understand it 
 of Jehoiachin, and it is most probable to be him, be- 
 cause (saith the text) he went forth out of his place, 
 and was not to return thither any more ; and so did 
 none but Jehoiachin, who voluntarily yielded him- 
 self to Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Kings xxiv. 12. He was 
 that Shallum that put an end to all the kings of Ju- 
 dah, and laid the royal glory in the dust, and turned 
 the government to the priesthood, where it continued 
 till Christ came and sat upon the throne himself. 
 
 5. His captivity was long and sore, thirty-seven 
 years was he a prisoner in Babylon, as appears 
 2 Kings XXV. 27. Others had there more liberty, 
 they were not imprisoned, they had the benefit of 
 the prophets, and the advantage of all the ordi- 
 nances which were amongst them. Those they 
 had to sweeten their captivity, with many outward 
 comforts ; whereas Jehoiachin lay in prison, and was 
 deprived of them ; his crown, throne, sceptre, king- 
 dom, country, all were gone, and he is a captive im- 
 prisoned. A king, and a king of Judah, one that 
 had lived so high, and been in such glory and great 
 poni] , for him to lie in a prison, and in a prison in 
 Babylon, not a few, but twenty, almost forty years ;
 
 14 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chai'. I. 
 
 this is a thing ohsevvnble in this king, and sets fiirfh 
 the constancy of his misery. He was one of Jo- 
 siah's posterity, and it is observed that the posterity 
 of Josiah, who were kings of Jndah, in twenty-three 
 years were carried four times into captivity, where- 
 as Josiah himself enjoyed thirty-one years in peace. 
 And it appears thus: Jchoahaz, his son, reigned 
 three months, and then was carried away by I'ha- 
 raoh-ncchoh king of Egypt, 2 Kings xxiii. 34 ; 
 after him Eliakim or Jehoiakini, another son of 
 Josiah, being made king, was taken by Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, 2 Kings xxiv. 1, twice, (as some observe,) 
 and carried to Babylon ; and then, if it were so, they 
 were five times in captivity ; but, howsoever, sure we 
 are that in the eleventh year of his reign, Nebu- 
 chadnezzar came up against Jerusalem, and took 
 Jehoiakim, " and bound him in fetters to carry him 
 to Babylon," 2 Chron. xxxvi. 5, 6. After him 
 Jehoiachin, of whom we are speaking, is set up, and 
 reigneth three months and ten days, wdio being 
 young and fearful, yieldeth himself to Nebuchad- 
 nezzar that besieged Jerusalem, and was carried 
 away, together with many thousand others, into 
 Babylon, 2 Kings xxiv. 10 — 12. After him Zede- 
 kiah his nncle, who reigned eleven years, and having 
 broken his promise, violated his oath, and denying 
 tribute to Nebuchadnezzar, is taken, his sons slain 
 before his eyes, himself carried away to Babylon, 
 and there he dieth, 2 Kings xxv. 7, &c. ; and all this 
 was within twenty-three years ; for this Zedekiah 
 reigned eleven years, and Eliakim or Jehoiakim 
 eleven more, and the other two, three months apiece. 
 From all this 
 
 Ois. 1. The different proceeding of God with 
 kings that are good, and kings that are evil. Good 
 kings, as David, Hezekiah, Jehoshaphat, Josiah, 
 how precious are their names ! how sweet are 
 they ! like an ointment poured out. How do they 
 keep up the glory of their houses ! They are not 
 written childless, they are not written men that 
 shall not prosper. God doth not brand them with 
 any note of infamy, nor detract from their names. 
 They are not carried into captivity. But for kings 
 that are wicked, how dolh the Lord proceed in his 
 anger against them, and make their names to rot ! 
 See it in Ahaz, 2 Chron. xxviii. 22. God sets an 
 emphasis, a star upon him, brands him with a note 
 of disgrace for all men to observe that read his 
 story; " This is that king Ahaz." What king was 
 he ? Even that king that in the " time of his dis- 
 tress did trespass yet more against the Lord ;" that 
 king that ruined himself and all Israel with him ; 
 that king that shook the foundation of church and 
 state ; " This is that king Ahaz." So Jeroboam is 
 branded; he is seldom or never mentioned but this 
 is added to his name, " he made Israel to sin." 
 So Eliakim, a wicked king, had part of his name 
 taken away ; and here this Jehoiachin is called 
 Jeeoniah and Coniah, a broken idol, a vessel in 
 which there is no pleasure, a man that must be 
 written childless, a man that must be carried into 
 captivity, and be imprisoned thirty-seven years. 
 G'ood kings are the glory of the world, the glory of 
 that state where they live : but these evil kings in 
 Judah and Israel, their memory stinks, their names 
 rot, their posterity is cut off", their houses fall to the 
 dust, and they have a foundation of wrath for their 
 issue, if they have any. Four times within the com- 
 yiass of twenty-three years, 'were they carried into 
 captivity. God proeeedeth against wicked kings to 
 the third and fourth generation, for their idolatry 
 and oppression, for the evils they countenance and 
 maintain in their kingdoms, and in his worship. 
 
 (Jhs. 2. That atr.iciions are invalid to subdue cor- 
 
 ruptions. Five years they had been now in captivity, 
 and yet their corruptions were not mortified ; all the 
 hard things they had met wdthal, had not made them 
 yield and stoop to God. Jeremiah had been God's 
 hammer to batter them in Jerusalem, in Sion, and 
 God had exercised them five years with his wrath 
 in Babylon, and yet their iron, adamantine hearts 
 were not broken ; but Ezekiel must be stirred up now 
 in the fifth year of Jehoiachin's captivity, a prophet 
 that must be the strength of God to break them, 
 that must lay on load and not spare. You see then 
 tliat afflictions of themselves do not kill corruptions, 
 they do not break the principle of stubbornness 
 and strength of rebellion that is in the liearts of 
 men and women. Nay, sometimes it proveth so, 
 that afflictions make us the worse, 2 Chron. xxviii. 
 22 ; like w-aters, being restrained they swell higher, 
 and threaten heaven itself; so corruptions, being re- 
 strained, they swell and threaten the ruin of states, 
 families, of souls and bodies to all eternity. Isa. i, 
 5, " AVliy should ye be stricken any more ? ye will 
 revolt more and more." Let God come with a plague 
 to a city, with a sword to a sinful nation; let God 
 come with any judgment ; the judgments themselves 
 will never do us good, unless there be something 
 added to the judgments, unless they be sanctified to 
 us ; our proud, stubborn hearts, our vile natures, 
 will stand it out against God, even when the sword 
 is in his hand. 
 
 " Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi." We are 
 now to come to the subject of the vision, set down in 
 the first verse indefinitely, " I," in the third specially, 
 " Ezekiel," described from his office, " a priest," and 
 from his parentage, " the son of Buzi." Josephus 
 and some others, conceive the time of Ezekiel's 
 transmigration to be in Jehoiakim's days, but others 
 make it to be in the days of Jehoiachin the son of 
 Jehoiakim, when he and so many thousands were 
 carried away by Nebuchadnezzar into Babylon, 
 2 Kings xxiv. 10 — 12. Then was Daniel, Mordecai, 
 the three children likewise, and Ezekiel, carried 
 into captivity, as .sundry atiirm. And that he was 
 then carried into captivity, is evident from the text 
 itself; for in the 40th chapter of this projihecy, ver. 
 1, it is said, " In the twenly-fifih year of our cap- 
 tivity :" he joineth himself, and doth not say, their, 
 but, our captivity, and therefore was then brought 
 into Babylon, when Jeconiali was, and from that 
 time began the captivity, and the reckoning of the 
 seventy years. Now he began to prophesy in the 
 fifth year of the captivity, thirty-four years after 
 Jeremiah, who b>?gan in the thirteenth year of Jo- 
 siah, Jer. i. 2, and had prophesied long, but done 
 little good amongst them, thoy were so obstinate in 
 his days. God stirreth up Ezekiel, and sets him to 
 work, and he prophesieth twenty-two years, as we 
 may gather out of his own prophecy, chap. xxix. 
 17, "In the twenty-seventh year the word of the 
 Lord came unto me." It was five years before he 
 began to prophesy, and twenty-two years after we 
 hear of his prophesying. He might prophesy longer, 
 but we find it not recorded in holy writ. 
 
 If it be demanded, What became of this pirophet 
 Ezekiel ? Antiquity tells us that his end was very 
 lamentable, and yet like a prophet's ; for usually the 
 prophets came to untimely deaths. Adrichomius 
 saith, he was torn in pieces with horses. Athanasius 
 tells us, he was killed for the people's Liti .icinram. 
 sake. E))iphanius relates that he was ^'^''i"- 
 
 slain by the ruler of the people for reproving his 
 idolatry. Chrysostome, in his 4Gth Homily upon 
 Matt, xxiii. and those words, " O Jerusalem, thou 
 that slayest the prophets," &c. saith thus, " () Je- 
 rusalem, I have sent to thee Isaiah the prophet, and
 
 Ver. 1—3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 15 
 
 thou hast sawn him asunder ; I have sent thee Jere- 
 miah, and thou hast stoned him to death ; I have 
 sent to thee Ezekiel, and by di'agging him amongst 
 the stones, thou hast dashed out his brains." All 
 agree in this, that Ezekiel came to an untimely and 
 bloody end, and so did most of the prophets and 
 apostles. Whatever men's ends were in killing the 
 prophets, God had other ends ; that by their blood 
 and death, the doctrine they delivered, being sealed, 
 might pass the better ; that none shoidd look for 
 great matters here in this world when sueh great 
 worthies were so ill entreated ; that men might be 
 stirred up by their example, to stand for the truth 
 imto the death ; that it might be a demonstration of 
 the judgment to come, seeing they were used so 
 hardly here. Surely it follows then that there is a 
 time wherein God will call over things again, and 
 recompense the sufferings of his prophets, and be 
 avenged on those that had done tnem such wrong. 
 God had sueh ends as these. Hence, 
 
 Obs. I. The wisdom of God, that touching tlie 
 lives and deaths of the prophets and apostles, speaks 
 little. There is not much said in the Scripture 
 touching them ; and why ? Lest we should attribute 
 too much to them, and too little to God. We are 
 apt to look at the pen, rather than at him that made 
 the pen, puts in the ink, and writes with it. We 
 look at the instrument, and neglect the principal 
 agent. Since the lives and deaths of martyrs and 
 holy men came into request, God hath lost too much 
 of the honour that hath been due unto him ; crea- 
 tures have had it. 
 
 Obs. 2. See here the ingratitude of the people, 
 that do not only kick, but kill their ^jrophets, not 
 only mock, but murder their prophets. Isaiah is 
 sawn asunder, Jeremiah stoned, Ezekiel's brains are 
 dashed out. Oh the ingratitude of the sons of men, 
 that do thus requite God for the prophets he sends 
 to them, that break the earthen vessels for bringing 
 them heavenly treasures in them ! 
 
 " Ezekiel the priest." He was both of the pro- 
 phetical and priestly dignity, which was not com- 
 mon, very few of the prophets had this honour. 
 
 inj It £!.!■ "^^^ Hebrew word is, a Sacrificer ; the 
 
 '' "'"'"' Greek signifieth as much : one that 
 raeddleth with holy things, that offereth sacrifice 
 for sin. Priests were of high account, both among 
 the Jews and gentiles. Among the Jews, great was 
 the honour the high priest had; and the inferior 
 priests had their honour likewise ; none might take 
 this honour to himself, but he that was called of 
 God, as was Aaron, Heb. v. 4. They had the charge 
 and command of the sanctuary, and of all things 
 that did appertain to the house of God. The Jews 
 and their rabbins tell us, that there were twenty-four 
 several sorts of gifts appointed of God for the priests, 
 all which are set down in their law expressly, and 
 are mentioned by Mr. Ainsworth, upon Numb, xviii. 
 xix. Among the heathens also they were very hon- 
 ourable ; Potipherah was a priest of On ; the Chaldee 
 sailh, prince of On, because though a priest, yet he 
 had princely dignity. 
 
 The priesthood, you know, was entailed upon the 
 tribe of Levi, and it is very observable what was the 
 occasion of it, Exod. xxxii. When the people had 
 sinned in idolatry, and grew seditious and tumul- 
 tuous, Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, 
 "Who is on the Lord's side ? Let him come unto me." 
 Whereupon all the sons of Levi gathered themselves 
 together unto him, with their swords by their sides, 
 and presently executed the commands and counsel 
 of Moses, and slew every man his brother, com- 
 
 I)nnion, neighbour, ver. 27. They were one of the 
 east, if not the very least tribe of' all the twelve; vet 
 
 were they not fearful, or backward unto this work, 
 but ventured themselves among the people, showing 
 great faith and zeal to vindicate religion and tlie 
 glory of God. This fact and forwardness of theirs 
 was so well taken of God, that it brought a choice 
 blessing upon them and theirs, God fully rewarded 
 them for it : for whereas a curse was threatened 
 against Levi, Gen. xhx. 7, " I will divide them in 
 Jacob, and scatter them in Israel ;" yet this curse was 
 turned into a blessing, and they are txalted to be 
 near the Lord in the holy things of the temple that 
 did appertain to his worship and service. For after 
 they had tinishcd that execution upon the people, 
 the text saith, ver. 2'J, that Moses said to them, 
 " Consecrate yourselves to-day to the Lord, because 
 every man hath been against his son, and against 
 his brother, that the Lord may bestow upon you a 
 blessing this day ;" and thereupon they were taken 
 into the place of the first-born, (that did all before,) 
 and had the priesthood settled upon their tribe, to- 
 gether with a choice blessing, which is recorded, 
 Deut. xxxiii. 8 — 11. " And of Levi he said, Let thy 
 Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one. — 
 Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his 
 hands : smite through the loins of them that rise 
 against him, and of them that hate him, that they 
 rise not again." Here was the occasion of Levi's 
 being taken into the priesthood, and to serve with 
 God, and to serve for ever. 
 
 From hence take this note, which is very consider- 
 able : That it is good to appear in the cause of God, 
 and to be forward to vindicate his honour and glory, 
 to stand for him and his people. It is good to vin- 
 dicate God when he suffereth in his worship, in his 
 servants, in his cause any way. The tribe of Levi 
 was forward to vindicate God, and God rewarded 
 them, they had a blessing that day. So Phiuehas was 
 zealou.s for God; Numb. xxv. 11 — 1.3, " Phiuehas," 
 saith God, "hath turned away my wrath from the 
 children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake 
 among them. — Wherefore say. Behold, 1 give unto 
 him my covenant of peace : and he shall have it, and 
 his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlast- 
 ing priesthood; because he was zealous for his God." 
 If we shall appear in God's cause, and venture our- 
 selves in his quarrel, we shall never lose by it. 
 Peter was a man forward, he put forth himself for 
 Christ, he would be first speaking : when Christ had 
 said, " Whom do you say that I am ?" saith he, " Thou 
 art Christ, the Son of the living God." And presently 
 Christ fastened a blessing upon him, " Blessed art 
 thou, Simon Bar-Jonas, flesh and blood hath not re- 
 vealed this unto thee. Thou art Peter, and upon this 
 rock will I build my church." Men that go upon 
 good grounds, and will lift up God's sabbaths, wor- 
 ship, honour, out of the dust, though they do hazard 
 lives, estates, or limbs, God will remember it, and 
 they shall be recompensed. You shall find in Judges 
 V. 18, that " Zebulun and Naphtali were a people 
 that jeoparded their lives unto death in the high 
 places of the field." They went forth, and stood for 
 God and his people against Jabin and Sisera that 
 came against Israel, and threatened ruin : and, in 
 Matt. iv. 13 — 15, when Christ eomelh, he preacheth 
 the gospel first to them ; God rcmembereth their 
 kindness, and rewardeth it, though it were long be- 
 fore. So you may lay the foundation of a mercy for 
 your posterities a hundred years hence. This should 
 put us on to appear in the cause of (iod, whensoever 
 we see idolaters, and the enemies of God, lift up 
 their heads, and strike at truths, and God in his 
 ordiniinees and servants. Put fiu'th yourselves, God 
 will i eraember you, though you jeopard your very 
 lives.
 
 IG 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 " The son of Biizi."' Ezeliicl was ncillier the ser- 
 vant nor the son of Jeremiah, as some have fancied, 
 but "the son of Buzi." This Buzi was a prophet, 
 if tlie rule of Jerom and the rabbins be true. Jerom 
 rii'iuin propheia saith, when a prophet nameth liis pa- 
 ss assereie. rentage in the beginning of his pro- 
 phecy, it is to affirm that he was the son of a pro- 
 phet ; and so say the rabbins likewise. That man 
 w-as a prophet, whom the Scriptures set down to be 
 the father of a prophet. Then Buzi here, who was 
 the father of Ezekiel a prophet, by these rules was 
 a prophet himself. But this is the voice of men, 
 not of Heaven. 
 
 His name significth contempt, disgrace, a man 
 contemned, scorned, despised in the times and places 
 where he liveth. You may hence 
 
 04*-. 1. That the projihcts and ministers of God 
 have always been subject to derision and scorn. 
 Isa. viii. 18, " I and my children are for signs and 
 wonders in Israel." If the vine do bear such ill 
 fruit, wliat then doth the thorn bear ! If there be 
 mocking and scorning of the prophets in Israel, 
 what reproaches, what taunts and bitter sarcasms 
 will there be then in Babylon ! 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16, 
 " They mocked the messengers of God, and despised 
 his words, and misused his prophets ;" they counted 
 them teachers of lies, false prophets, seditious, fac- 
 tious, such as delivered strange doctrines, plotted 
 treasons, S:c.; nothing was too vile, too bad to lay 
 upon the prophets and the sons of the prophets. 
 Zedekirah smote good Micaiah on the cheek, and 
 saith he, " Which way went the Spirit of the Lord 
 from me to speak unto thee ? " I Kings xxii. 24. 
 Thou fool, thou silly man, thou madman, thou false 
 fellow, thou deceiver of the king and people, "which 
 way went the Spirit of God from me to thee ?" and 
 so smites him on the cheek. Now to smite on the 
 Signiim maMiiia: clicck was a proverbial speech among 
 laiio.iui, a. tiig Hebrews, and it was a sign of the 
 greatest disgrace that could be done to any. This 
 was the condition of the prophets, while they were 
 here in the world ; and also of the apostles, " We 
 are made as the filth of the world, and ofT-scouring 
 of all things to this day," I Cor. iv. 13. Paul, a 
 great scholar, fidl of the Holy Ghost, called by an 
 extraordinary way, yet he saith of himself, and the 
 rest of the apostles, tliat they were counted as the 
 ofl-scouring of all things ; men get up all every 
 .Jt irc^.Kaftlp- where, on every side, so the word car- 
 MOTd. vies it. The men of the world were like 
 
 unto a man that raked every where to get a basket 
 of filth, dirt, and dung to tln'ow in some one's face ; 
 so they scrape in the doctrines, lives, and passages 
 of the servants of God, catch at all advantages, seek 
 every where to pick up something, that they may 
 have wherewithal to upbraid, reproaelr and revile 
 them ; and we are made as the very filth and dung 
 upon the face of the earth. Was not Huss, that 
 worthy of God, so counted ? When the prelate (who 
 had the power of ordering things) had put a paper 
 crown on his head with three ugly-shaped devils 
 upon it, and this title over their heads, Iltprenarclia, 
 here is the diabolical heretic, that great heretic that 
 hath three devils in him ; and when they sent him 
 away to the stake with this farewell, Go thy ways, 
 we commit thy soul to the devil ; was not here a 
 man made the filth of the world ? Even such mock- 
 ings, such dealings, such doings must the servants 
 of God look for while they are here. They are the 
 sons of Buzi, they are Buzie.s indeed, men of con- 
 tempt and scorn among wicked and vile men. 
 
 OA.v. 2. That whom the world contenmeth, God 
 will honour. Here is a Buzi, a man of contempt 
 in the world, but God giveth him a son, and a son 
 
 who is a prophet, and a son wnose name is recorded 
 in Seriptin-e, together with his own, all honourable 
 things. Hannah was scorned, reproached by Penin- 
 nah, but God giveth her a Samuel, and honoureth 
 her with the motherhood of such a son. Joseph was 
 thrown out by his brethren, cast into the pit, sold 
 to Potiphar, put into prison, but God did lift him up 
 in Egypt, and set him almost in the throne, mads 
 him the next man to the king himself. Christ was 
 the stone disallowed and rejected by the builders, 
 even the master-builders, the great ones, the rabbies, 
 the pharisees; but God makes him the chief corner 
 stone, God sets him up on high. This is for the 
 comfort of those that are godly and thrown out by 
 the world ; God will take them up and put honour 
 upon them in a way they know not of. 
 
 From the subject we come to the things which 
 fell out, with the author of them, and they are these : 
 
 1. Heaven is opened. 
 
 2. Visions are presented. 
 
 3. They are seen of Ezekiel. 
 
 4. The author of them is specified, " Visions of 
 God." 
 
 " The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of 
 God." The word opening, among the Jews, denotes 
 sometimes not the reality, but the effect of a thing. 
 Gen. iii. ", "Their eyes were opened;" they were 
 not shut before, but now they saw that which they 
 saw not before, and so their eyes are said to be 
 opened. In the gospel, Christ is said to open the 
 eyes of the blind, the ears and mouth of the deaf 
 and dumb ; not that tlieir mouths were absolutely 
 shut, or their ears absolutely slopped, or their eyes 
 so closed that they could not stir their eye-lids ; 
 but Christ opened them so, as he made them to see, 
 hear, and speak, to do that which they could not do 
 before ; so that in regard of the effect they are said 
 to be opened. Sometimes again it denoteth the 
 truth of a thing ; and so Stephen saw heaven 
 opened, and Christ standing at the right hand of 
 God ; and Peter saw heaven opened, and a sheet 
 coming down to him. 
 
 The question is, whether of these ways it is to be 
 taken here ? Origen saith. That the heavens were 
 open to the eyes of his body, there was a division 
 of the heavens, and so in a literal sense he saw the 
 visions, and the things presented to ^^^ ,,iv,si„ne 
 him ; but Jerom saith, The heavens tirmamenti, sed 
 were opened, not by the rending of <"" ^«''«""^- 
 the firmament, but by the faith of the believer. 
 You may take it in the literal .sense, and according 
 to tlie truth of the thing. The inconvenience ob- 
 jected against it is not considerable : for it is said, 
 if the heavens were literally opened, how could 
 Ezekiel see so far, as to see things in heaven ? the 
 strength of his eyes could not reach it; for if the 
 sun, and fixed stars which are far above the sun, are 
 greater bodies than the earth, and seem so little unto 
 us, how little would any thing in heaven seem to the 
 eye, when it is exceechngly beyond both these ? 
 
 Jrtaw. The heavens being opened, it doth not 
 follow that Ezekiel must see the visions in heaven ; 
 the things he saw might be nearer than the stars or 
 sun. The dove came down and lighted upon Christ, 
 and the sheet was let down from heaven unto Peter; 
 and so the visions might be nearer unto Ezekiel 
 than the highest heavens. " The heavens were 
 opened, and he saw visions of God;" it is not said 
 that he saw visions in heaven. And grant it to be 
 heaven, Stephen saw Christ there, and so might 
 Ezekiel see the object of his vision there : yet nei- 
 ther did Stephen by his natural strength see Christ, 
 nor Ezekiel these visions, but he that opened 
 heaven did open their eyes, strengthened them to
 
 Veb. 1—3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 17 
 
 see at such a distance. Or, secondly, you may take 
 it effectively, that it was done to the eye of faith ; as 
 if heaven had been opened. A thing is said to be 
 opened when that is removed which hinders coming 
 at the thing shut up. " The seven seals were loosed," 
 Rev. V. then was the book opened. When the shut- 
 ters of the window ai'e turned aside, that the eye 
 can come at the light, then the window is open, the 
 impediments are taken awav. And 
 m!!L''ui':3c!fcf.|',T' heaven is open, when all lets being 
 iv..suiiiuifi.ie- set aside, God causeth the eves of his 
 
 hijin otiili usque ^ i- • • • ' i t 
 
 ».i si,>ri..mi|jslii» to see divine visions, or reveals di- 
 ii™m!""" '"'"'' ■*''"^ mysteries unto them, as if hea- 
 ven were open ; and this is the way 
 most peculiar to the servants of God. " Hereafter,"' 
 saith Christ, "you shall see heaven opened, and the 
 angels ascending and descending upon the Son of 
 man." The angels are not corporeal, they cleave 
 not the heavens asunder in their descent or ascent, 
 that is not the meaning: but the spirit of the text is 
 this, the impediments should be taken away from 
 their minds, they should be so enlightened with the 
 glory of the gospel, they should see, as it were, even 
 angels come down and minister unto Christ ; they 
 Nova arie. aper- sliould, as tile expression is, 2 Cor. iii. 
 
 lis ..lulls. i,^_ " \vith open face behold as in a 
 glass the glory of God," see heaven opened in Christ, 
 and the angels descending upon tlie Son of man. 
 And so did Ezekiel see he.aven opened. 
 
 Obs. 1. The key of heaven is in the hand of God ; 
 he openeth heaven at his pleasure, and letteth out 
 and in what parties and things he pleaseth. Angels, 
 visions, and other things Iw lets out ; he openeth 
 heaven, and letteth in your prayers, your tears, your 
 souls at his season. The key of the grave, the key 
 of the womb, the key of the clouds, the key of hell 
 is in the liand of God, and he turns them at his 
 jdeasure ; but above all, the key of heaven is in the 
 hand of God. He is Lord Chamberlain, there is 
 none goeth out, nor comes in, till God himself turns 
 the key. If you would have mercies, you must look 
 up to God for them, and desire him to turn the key. 
 Rev. iii. 7, lie is said to " have the key of DaWd, he 
 opens and none can shut, he shuts and none can 
 open." A key denotes power, and the key of David, 
 chief power in the liouse, in the kingdom : where 
 that key is, there is the greatest power. God hath 
 that key in his hand, the key of l),avid, all power to 
 open and shut heaven when he will ; he can ojien 
 your heai'ts at his pleasure, he can open texts at his 
 pleasure, he can open dark things unto you ; there- 
 lore seeing all power is in the hand of God, look up 
 to him for mercies, and desire him to turn the key 
 for your good and his glory. 
 
 Obs. 2. That God doth great things for those that 
 are truly godly, that are true believers. Heaven is 
 opened for them, and only for them. 
 
 We do not read in the book of God, that heaven 
 was ever opened for any wicked man : wickedness 
 shutteth up heaven ; godliness hath the privilege ; to 
 the godly heaven is opened. To Christ it was open- 
 ed, Matt. iii. 16. To Stephen, Acts vii. 56. To 
 Peter it was opened. Acts x. 11. To John it was 
 opened. Rev. iv. 1; xix. 11. And it is opened to 
 Ezekiel here in the text; " I saw heaven opened." It 
 is shut against others ; wicked men shall never see it 
 open in mercy ; the judgment at last shall not be in 
 heaven, but in the air, or on the earth. It is the 
 privilege of believers to have choice mercies. 
 
 Great things God will do for them, that the world 
 shall have no share in. It was the godly that saw 
 Christ after the resurrection, and not any wicked 
 man. It was for believers that Christ prayed, and 
 not for the world, John xvii. It is for the heirs of 
 c 
 
 salvation that the angels are sent forth to be minis- 
 tering spirits unto, Heb. i. And it is for the faith- 
 ful the heavens are opened, that they mav see what 
 the glory of their Father's house is, irito what a 
 family they shall ere lon^ be received. This sets 
 out the excellency of faith unto us ; for as it is a 
 hand to receive Christ and his benefits, a mouth to 
 eat his flesh, and drink his blood ; so it is an eye to 
 see into heaven, and the eye for which heaven is 
 opened. 
 
 " 1 saw visions of God." God hath manifested 
 himself unto liis prophets several ways. 
 
 1. By speaking immediately unto them without 
 interposition of any medium, even mouth to mouth, 
 and face to face. So he spake to Adam in para- 
 dise ; to Moses, Exod. xxxiii. II, "The Lord spake 
 to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." 
 This manner of God's manifesting himself was pe- 
 culiar to Moses above any, or all the prophets be- 
 sides, as you may read, Dent, xxxiv. 10. 
 
 2. God manifested himself to his people by dreams, 
 which was in the night season ; there was some re- 
 presentation of something unto them when they 
 were asleep. Thus God manifested himself to Ja- 
 cob, Gen. xxviii. 12. And Jacob saith, Gen. xxxi. 
 II, that "the Angel of God spake unto him in a 
 dream." 
 
 3. God hath manifested himself to his people by 
 visions J Psa. Ixxxix. 19, "Thou spakest in vision 
 to thy holy one." And Gen. xv. I, "The word of 
 the Lord came unto Abraham in a vision." These 
 three you have together in two verses. Numb. xii. 
 and part of the 8th, " If there be a prophet among 
 you, I the Lord will make myself known to him in 
 a vision, and speak to him in a dream ; and to Mo- 
 ses will I speak mouth to mouth." Here in the text 
 it is by way of vision that God speaks or appears 
 unto Ezekiel ; " I saw visions of God." 
 
 In a vision there are these things : 
 
 1. There is some species or similitude represented 
 to the sight, whether it be to the eye of the body 
 externally, or to the eye of the mind internally, al- 
 ways something is represented to the eye. 
 
 2. A \-ision of something that is future, whether 
 at some little distance, or very remote. Hence it is 
 that vision is put for prophecy, Isa. i. 1. 
 
 3. In a vi-^ion there is always such an irradiation 
 of the mind, such divine, satisfying, overpowering, 
 strong light, that the party wdio hath the vision is 
 put out of all doubt and dispute concerning the truth 
 of the thing he hath seen, or is represented. 
 
 4. There is in a vision a strong im- MuHer, Psa. 
 pulse upon the spirit of the party to do ''■"^ix. -»■ 
 that which is the mind of God concerning that vision. 
 
 5. It is when they are awake. God speaks to men 
 by dreams in the dark when they are asleep, but 
 usually visions are when men are awake. 
 
 All these are found here in the prophet Ezekicl's 
 vision : 
 
 1. There are representations of divers things to 
 him : he was an hieroglyphical prophet, he had more 
 things presented unto him of that nature than any 
 prophet besides : all that followeth here in this chap- 
 ter are representations of things to Ezekiel in this 
 vision. 
 
 2. It is of things to come ; for this prophecy being 
 either of the ruin of Jerusalem, or of the state of the 
 church, still it was of that which was not present 
 but future. 
 
 3. The prophet he had strong enlightenings, he 
 had such irradiations of his mind that he was satis- 
 fied touching the thing, therefore he saith, " The 
 word of the Lord came expressly unto him," the hand 
 of the Lord came upon him in a great deal of .strength.
 
 18 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 4. He had a mighty impulse ; though he was back- 
 waiu, Miwiliii; to go on in the work of God, yet the 
 Spirit chiue upon him with power, and put him on. 
 
 And lastly, it was when he was awake, walking 
 up and down by the river Chebar, there he had these 
 visions. 
 
 Thus much for the nature of a vision. Now these 
 visions were visions of God ; " I saw \nsions of God." 
 Not that he saw God oft, and so every sight of God 
 made a new vision, (for no man can see God and 
 live,) but wsions revealed to him by God, which did 
 in some measure set out the glory and majesty of 
 God ; and so they are called visions of God. 
 
 Or \'isions of God by way of opposition and ex- 
 clusion, thus ; " I saw visions of God," I had divine 
 visions, not Satanical delusions, (for Satan hath his 
 prophets, and they have their visions whereby they 
 delude the world,) not dreams and conceits of mine 
 own ; no angel, no devil, no dream, no fancy of mine 
 presented them unto me, but they were prophetical 
 visions, such as God himself hath presented. 
 
 Or visions of God, lastly, in regard of the eminency 
 of them. " I saw visions of God," that is, choice, 
 rare, difficult, transcendent visions. Things that ex- 
 cel, in Scripture phrase, usually are said to be things 
 of God ; as, the mountains of God, the cedars of God, 
 the city of God; as you may read, Psa. xxxvi. 6; 
 Ixxx. 10; Jonah iii. 3. 
 
 1. Observe here the certainty of the things con- 
 tained in this prophet. He doth not say, I heard, 
 but, " I saw visions of God." The sense of sight is 
 the most certain, most active, most discerning, most 
 evidential of all the senses. Therefore, 1 John i. 1, 
 3, " That which we have seen with oiir eyes, which 
 We have looked upon, — we declare unto you." There 
 was certainty in that which they saw. One eye- 
 witness is more than ten hearsays, than ten ear-wit- 
 nesses. Thales being asked the question. How 
 Quantum oculiab nuich truth should dilfer from a lie? 
 auribus. answered. As much as the eyes differ 
 fi'om the ears ; intimating, that what you hear may 
 be false, but what you see, that is certain. The pro- 
 phet here saw "visions of God," to show the cer- 
 tainty of these visions, and so of the whole Scrip- 
 tures, which are " \-isions of God." 
 
 Ob.<s. 2. See here the dignity of these vnsions; they 
 are " visions of God," such as are great, glorious, 
 transcendent things. Men's words, works, things 
 are mean, poor, and worthless ; but the things, the 
 "visions of God," are so high, so excellent, that few 
 can reach them, they are beyond the apprehensions 
 of ordinary men ; yea, the prophets themselves did 
 not see all that was in those visions God did vouch- 
 safe unto them. This shows, the things of God have 
 transcendency in them, are of great authority, and 
 challenge answerable esteem. These are " visions 
 of God," and must, with all Scripture, be valued ac- 
 cordingly. Hence the ancients have called the Scrip- 
 tures, an epistle of God sent from heaven to the sons 
 of men. Therefore in them is nothing impertinent, 
 or emj)ty, but all in them is glorious, full of sense, 
 mysteries, and s|)irit. This strengthens the authority 
 N ft b I fid "'' ^<^"pt"re. that our faith may not 
 stagger at all, but be confident, and 
 build upon them, as visions and truths of God. 
 
 Obs. 3. See here, that when God beginneth once 
 to let out mercy to his servants, he stints not pre- 
 sently, but proceeds ; I saw not one vision, but " I 
 saw visions of God," he had many choice ones. It 
 was kindness that Ezekiel had such a name. The 
 strength of God; it was kindness that the Lord would 
 open heaven to him ; it had been great kindness if 
 he had seen but one vision ; but for Ezekiel to have 
 heaven opened, and to see visions of God, many 
 
 visions, one after another, this showeth the great 
 kindness of God. AVhen Kachel had her first son, 
 she called his name Joseph, which signifiefh add- 
 ing, or increase ; for she said, " The Lord shall add 
 to me another son," Gen. xxx. 24 ; now God hath 
 begun to show kindness, he shall not only give me 
 this, but he shall give me another son also. When 
 the Lord hath bestowed one mercy on you, you may 
 name it Joseph, increase, adchtion, for God will be- 
 stow another upon you. Abraham had many mer- 
 cies from God, one after another ; and Moses, a mid- 
 titude of mercies ; he convcrseth with God face to 
 face, he heareth God speak, he hath God's presence 
 to go along with him ; }-ea, he sceth all God's good- 
 ness and glory to pass before him. When mercies 
 come forth, God will not presently shut the door of 
 mercy again. Heaven is opened, visions are pre- 
 sented one after another. Psa. xxxvi. 10, "Con- 
 tinue thy loving-kindness;" the Hebrew is, draw 
 forth, or draw out thy loving-kindness : a metaphor 
 either taken from vessels of wine, which being set 
 abroach once, yield not only one cupi, but many cups; 
 so when God setteth abroach the wine of his mercy, 
 he will not fill your cup once, but twice and seven 
 times : or, taken from a mother, who hath her 
 breasts full of milk, draws them out for her child, 
 not once, but often ; the child shall have the breast 
 many times in the day, and many limes in the night; 
 so when God beginneth to show mercy to you, he will 
 draw out his breasts of consolation, and will bestow 
 mercy after mercy upon you : or, from a line which 
 is extended ; for so God being in a way of mercy, 
 will extend the line of mercy, and measure out mercy 
 after mercy for you. Is not heaven opened ? Do 
 you not see visions of God this day ? How often is 
 heaven opened in this city in a week ! How many 
 visions have you from the prophets ! W'hat mani- 
 festations of truths are there ! what discoveries of 
 the minil and will of God to your souls are thei-e in 
 these days ! " I saw visions of God," saith Ezekiel, 
 and so may you. 
 
 "The word of the Lord came ex- _,___ ^ , 
 prcssly. the Jrlebrew IS cmphatical, fNii.omuino fuu 
 the word of the Lord by being, hath """"' '""""' "'• 
 been, or, hath altogether been, had much being in 
 me. Besides the visions I saw, there was a real 
 communication of truths to my imderstanding ; 
 evident and express commands from God came 
 unto me, and it came so, as it had entrance and 
 abiding in me : Accurate factum est, there was an 
 accurate and real work of it upon me, and in me. 
 Prov. iii. 21, "Keep sound wisdom;" the word for 
 sound wisdom in the original is, that 
 which is essence or being; intinuiting, ' ^'"^ 
 that all other things are nothing; and " the Word 
 of God," that only hath substance and being in it, 
 making substantial where it comes. And so here, it 
 gave being, and was an ingrafted word in the soul 
 and heart of the prophet ; so that the meaning is, 
 the word came with that evidence and clearness 
 unto me, that I could not withstand it, it had such 
 entity and substance in it, that it made me of a com- 
 mon man a prophet. 
 
 "And the hand of the Lord was there upon me." 
 The hand of the Lord is taken in two senses, 
 especially in Scripture : 
 
 1. For judgment, or punishment; so you have it, 
 Acts xiii. 1 1. Speaking of Elymas the sorcerer, saith 
 Paul, " The hand of the Lord shall be ui)on thee, 
 and thou shalt be blind;" God's hand was upon 
 Elymas, and he was stricken blind for j)ervertiug 
 the deputy. In this sense it is not taken here. 
 
 2. Ihe hand of the Lord is taken for prophecy. 
 When the Lord doth come upon the sons of men, and
 
 Veh. 1—3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 19 
 
 stirs up their spirits to prophesy, that is the hand of 
 the Lord. 
 
 But yet this is not all : it deuoteth the virtue and 
 power of the Spirit of God which came upon the pro- 
 phet, not shaking, disturbing, and throwing of him 
 down, as some rabbies conceive, but changing, com- 
 forting, elevating, and exciting the spirit of the pro- 
 phet to see divine mysteries ; and denotes also, that 
 efficacy and power which set on the word upon the 
 heart and conscience of the prophet ; that power 
 which subdued all opposition and carnal reasonings, 
 and removed all impediments, whatsoever stuck upon 
 the heart of the prophet, and hindered him in that 
 work which God would have him to undertake. It 
 is this hand of the Lord that makes the word 
 mighty, spiritual, lively, according to that in Heb. 
 iv. 12. The prophet felt the intrinsical virtue of 
 this hand, the Spirit of God in his own heart ; it was 
 a quick and lively w'ord unto him. This intrinsi- 
 cal virtue of the Spirit, if it reached not the pro- 
 phet's hearers, yet it abode in the prophecy, and it 
 remains an efficacious prophecy to this day. It is 
 worth inquisition, what the virtue of the Spirit is, 
 expressed here by the hand of God. 
 
 There are three things in it : the hand is, 
 
 1. Si/mbolum roboris. 
 
 2. Index veritatis. 
 
 3. Instrumentum aperationis. 
 
 1. The hand is symMum roboris, the type or em- 
 blem of strength ; therefore of a strong man we say, 
 he is a man of his hands, that is the symbol of his 
 strength. So the Spirit of God is a Spirit of strength : 
 the hand of God notes the strength of God, and the 
 Holy Ghost is the power and strengih of God ; Luke 
 i. 35, " The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and 
 the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee :" 
 and, " Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in 
 the world." The Spirit of God that is in the hearts 
 of his children, he is of more strength then Beelze- 
 bub, the prince of dcN-ils, and god of this world. 
 
 2. The hand is itiilex veritalis, the discoverer of 
 truth. The hand or tinger doth show a thing. If 
 you would have a man go this way or that way, you 
 show him or point him wdth the finger, you direct 
 him with your hand. Solomon, Prov. vi. 13, speak- 
 ing of the wicked man, saith, " He teacheth with 
 his fingers ;" that is, he shows others by his hand 
 to do wickedly. The Spirit of God is inder veritatis, 
 this hand of God doth show you the truth : John 
 xvi. 13, 14, " He shall show you," saith Christ, 
 " things to come, he shall take of mine, and show it 
 unto you." It is the Spirit of Christ, this hand of 
 God, that showeth you all things. You w ill never 
 know truths till this hand point to them, and teach 
 you. You may have notions in your head, and 
 guessings in your spirits and bosoms, but the reality 
 and certainty of things will never be attained to, 
 till the Spirit of God acquaint you with them. 
 
 3. The hand is mstnimen/iim operationis, the in- 
 strument of action. Men do all by the hand, there- 
 fore it is called the organ of organs by the philoso- 
 pher. So it is the Spirit of God that doth all ; Zech. 
 iv. 6, " Not by might, nor bj power, but by my 
 Spirit :" I will do all by that, saith God. It is the 
 Spirit of God that doth convince ; it is the Spirit that 
 converts ; it is the Spirit that dictates to and inspires 
 godly men ; it is the Spirit that sanctifies ; it is the 
 Spirit that leads into frutli, that comforts ; the Spirit 
 is the great agent, the hand of God by which God 
 doth ail his works. It was the Spirit that moved 
 upon the face of the waters at first; the Spirit of 
 God was the agent in the work of creation, and the 
 great agent in the work of redemption and salvation. 
 
 These phrases being thus opened, observe hence : 
 c 2 
 
 1. That the prophet received what he delivered 
 to them from God ; " The hand of the Lord was 
 there upon me ; and the word (jf the Lord came ex- 
 pressly." The prophets must deliver to the people 
 what they receive from God, and not what they 
 bring of themselves. They must not bring their 
 owTi visions, their own conceits, what seemeth good 
 in their own eyes ; but they must bring the word of 
 the Lord to the people. They must not speak ac- 
 cording to the humours of the people, as they move 
 them, as they would have them, but they must speak 
 as the Spirit of God moves them, as God will have 
 them. 2 Pet. i. 21, " The holy men spake as they 
 were moved by the Holy Ghost." And Paul saith, 
 1 Cor. xi. 23, "What I have received of the Lord, that 
 I deliver unto you ;" he would not deliver any thing 
 he had from the w'orld, or from himself, but, " what 
 I received from the Lord, that I deliver unto you." 
 Ministers they are God's seedsmen, and they must 
 have their seed from God, else they will sow tares. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is of much concernment for ministers 
 to see they have a good and clear call to their 
 ministry. Ezekicl here stands much upon it ; "I 
 saw heaven opened, I saw visions of God, and the 
 word of the Lord came expressly to me, and the 
 hand of the Lord was there upon me." Here were 
 strong evidences of his call to the work he was to go 
 about. Ministers are to be the mouth of God to 
 the people, and the mouth of the people to God : 
 both are weighty businesses ; they deal about the 
 eternal truths of the eternal God, your immortal 
 souls, and the everlasting condition of them. The 
 glory of God is concreditcd in a great measure unto 
 them ; the great things of the kingdom of Christ are 
 put into their hands, to dispense as God shall move, 
 and give them opportunity. Had they not need 
 therefore to see to it, that their call be right, and to 
 make it out strongly and clearly, that God hath sent 
 them ? If they can clear it up that God hath sent 
 them, they may expect his assistance, his blessing, 
 his protection, and success in their labours. How- 
 ever things prove, this will be their comfort in the 
 midst of opposition, reproach, persecution, hazard 
 of liberty and lives ; I was called of God, I am in his 
 work, in his w-ay, he brought me into his vineyard, 
 he will stand by me, I will go on, let him do ndth 
 me what he pleaseth. The clearness of a man's 
 call will add much comfort to a man's spirit in a 
 black day : it makes him conscientious, pitiful, and 
 painful. A minister's call being endent, the people's 
 consciences will be satisfied, will receive his doc- 
 ti-ine ; then will they look upon him as their pastor 
 and teacher, reverence him for his work's sake, and 
 are likely to receive much good by him. Whereas 
 otherw-ise, if the calling of ministers reach no higher 
 than a patron or prelate, there is seldom any good 
 comes either to ministers or people. Therefore it 
 concerns them to look narrowly to it, that their call- 
 ing be of God, clear and strong to themselves, else 
 they cannot make it out to others ; neither shall 
 find that comfort, nor do that good which otherwise 
 they might. 
 
 Obs. 3. That in corrupt times, when religion, the 
 church, and God's glory are greatly endangered, 
 God then takes care to raise up some extraordinary 
 servants to vindicate his truth, his people, his glory. 
 All was brought now to a desolate condition ; false 
 prophets prevailed, religion .suffered, God's honour 
 was low' ; and now God takes Ezekiel, that was one 
 of the ordinary priests before, and bestows a larger 
 measure of his Spirit upon him, and raiseth him up to 
 be a prophet, and sets him awork, to do great things 
 in Babylon. Though now men be not called imme- 
 diately by the voice of God and Christ, as of old, yet
 
 20 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 ClIAl'. I. 
 
 Ly extraordinary instincts and motions of God'.s Spi- 
 rit, lluy were heretofore, and are still put upon great 
 ser%dces. Philip was a deacon by his ordinary call- 
 ing, but by extraordinary instinct and hints of God's 
 Spirit, he was raised up to be an evangelist, and to 
 do greater service unto the church of God. So Lu- 
 ther, that was a friar at first, by extraordinary in- 
 stinct of God's Spirit, was raised up to purge errors 
 out of the church, and to glorify God, especially in 
 clearing the doctrine of justification by free grace. 
 So Zuinglius, Wicklitfe, and others in our days. God 
 hath not left himself without witness at this day, he 
 hath stirred up the spirits of some to do him great 
 and extraordinary services. 
 
 Obs. 4. That those ministers are fittest to speak to 
 the people, that find the word of God to have being 
 in them. " The word of the Lord came expressly to 
 me ;" the word of the Lord had being in him, was 
 ingrafted in him. When the word is a word of being 
 in our hearts, then it will be a word of power in 
 your consciences. That which comes from our 
 hearts, will reach to yours, and will be effectual in 
 you ; otherwise the word is but an empty sound, it 
 conieth from the teeth outward, and reacheth but to 
 your ears, and seldom goeth down into your souls. 
 
 Obs. 5. Take this note, That there are principles 
 of opposition in the dearest servants of God to the 
 work of his Spirit. It is said, " The hand of the Lord 
 came upon me ;" invaded me, so some render it. I 
 stood out against God, I had my carnal reasonings, 
 I had stubbornness and opposition in my will ; I said 
 there was a lion in the way, and I pleaded hard 
 against this work and service. But the Spirit of 
 God came upon me, came mightily upon me, came 
 with a strong hand upon me, as he saith ; came so 
 upon me, that it subdued all my carnal reasonings, 
 subdued the stubbornness of my will, removed all 
 my shifts and pretences, and brought me off to go 
 about the work of God. Is it not thus with most 
 christians ? when you would pray, when you would 
 do good, is not evil present with you .■' But when 
 the Spirit of God cometh upon you, it will overcome 
 that indisposition, that sluggishness, that opposition; 
 it will work down distempers, and frame you sweetly 
 to go about the work of God, as it did Ezekiel. 
 
 Obs. 6. That the word and ordinances of it, that 
 visions and revelations, do the heart of man real 
 good, when divine \'irtue goes along with them, 
 otherwise not. What if Ezekiel had seen never so 
 many visions ? what if God had spoken never so ex- 
 pressly unto him ? unless the hand of God had been 
 upon him too ; unless the Spirit of God had improved 
 those visions, and ingrafted those words in him, all 
 had been as an empty sound, all had been as mere 
 shadows and sights to him. But when the Spirit of 
 God goes along, then there is efficacy and benefit in 
 any ordinance. Take away the Spirit from the word 
 and ordinances of God, and they will be but dry 
 bones, without meat or marrow : take the gospel, 
 which is called the ministration of the Spirit ; if the 
 Spirit be not in it, the choicest promises, the sweetest 
 truths there, what are they ? they are literer dumna- 
 toritp, and leges mortis, they are letters and laws of 
 death to the soul. When the hand of the Lord is 
 upon an ordinance, and upon a man in that ordi- 
 nance, then is there good gotten, and then doth the 
 soul gain ; 2 Cor. x. 4, " Our weapons are mighty 
 through God." 
 
 Obs. 7. That all spiritual good received and done 
 by the saints, is from the operation of God's Spirit, 
 which therefore is called God's hand. Luke xi. "20, 
 " If I by the finger or hand of God cast out devils ;" 
 this finger, Matt. xii. 28, is called the Spirit of God; 
 " If I by the Spirit of God cast out devils." That 
 
 which is called finger in one, is called the Sjiirit in 
 the other. Now do men receive any good P have 
 you faith ? have you love, patience, meekness, un- 
 derstanding, zeal', godliness, any, all graces ? It is 
 this hand of God that hath wrought them. Do you 
 any divine good unto others ? It is this Spirit of 
 God that works by you, and enableth you to do that 
 good. Acts vi. 10, " They were not able to resist the 
 wisdom and spirit by which he spake." Stephen 
 spake by the Spirit of God. If you hear, if any 
 good be done, or received, it is from the Spirit, 
 which is the hand of God. Therefore you should 
 know to whom to give the glory and honour of all 
 your receipts, and of all your actions. 
 
 Obs. 8. Note here, Tliat the messengers of God 
 should come not only with the word of God, but also 
 with the hand of God ; they should bring his truths 
 and his Spirit. The word of the Lord came ex- 
 pressly to Ezekiel, and the hand of the Lord was 
 upon him. It is needful that ministers come not 
 only with law and gospel, with the word of God, 
 but that they come with the very hand, even the 
 Spirit and power of God ; for all the efficacy and 
 good done, is by the Spirit. If a minister come and 
 bring the letter only without the Spirit, what evi- 
 dence will there be to his own soul, of the certainty 
 of those things whereof he speaks ? How will he 
 be able to see into the spiritualness of them, to know 
 that they are of God, and that they are to be com- 
 mended to the people in the name of God, when he 
 wants the Spirit of God to discern them himself.'' 
 AMiat prevalency can there be in the hearts of hear- 
 ers, when the minister comes not with demonstration 
 of the Spirit ? What bottom is there for the faith 
 of men, where there is the wisdom of words, with- 
 out the power of the Spirit ? The hearers get most 
 good when God's letters come to them with his seal, 
 evidencing they are his letters. Hence saith Paul, 
 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5, " ]\Iy preaching was not with en- 
 ticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration 
 of the spirit and of power, tliat your faith should 
 not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power 
 of God." Then dolh the faith of hearers stand in the 
 power of God, when the ministers come with evi- 
 dence and demonstration of the Spirit of God. 
 
 Last of all. From these three verses generally 
 considered, observe, That when God's servants are 
 in deep afflictions, then are usually brought in the 
 sweetest consolations. Here is Ezekiel taken out 
 of his own country, deprived of his estate and friends, 
 of the temple, of God's ordinances and solemn as- 
 semblies, and of all the sweet and good that Jerusa- 
 lem afforded : he is brought into Babylon, he is a 
 captive there; he is solitary now by the river side; 
 he was in a distressed and forlorn condition. What 
 man here would be in Babylon now, and not think 
 himself very miserable ? When Ezekiel was in this 
 condition, heaven is opened, visions are seen, God 
 speaks expressly unto him, the hand of the Lord is 
 there upon him. So that you may see, when we are 
 in deep afflictions, many times God cometh in with 
 his sweetest consolations. Gen. xv. 1, Abraham in 
 the chapter before had gotten a victory, and rescued 
 Lot his brother's son out of the hands of sundry 
 kings ; and being come home, he falleth into a 
 shaking fit, and is filled with fear lest those kings 
 should reinforce their strength, come upon him and 
 his, and destroy all. While he is in this agony, God 
 cometh to him ; " Fear not, Abraham, I am thy 
 shield and exceeding great reward." God came in 
 his deep distress, and brought in a sweet refreshing 
 to his soul. Elijah, that great jirophet and worthy 
 servant of God, after he made a sacrifice of Baal's 
 priests, and Jezebel sought after him to slay him,
 
 Ver. 4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 21 
 
 and had vowed that he should die the death, if there 
 were no mor<- men in the world, he was forced to fly for 
 his life, and he tiieth into the wilderness, i Kings xix. 
 And there was a great famine, neither bed nor bread 
 he had there, and whither to go he knew not. He 
 had many enemies, he hardly knew a godly man 
 left, he was even weary of his life. Now he sittelh 
 down under a juniper tree, and desireth that God 
 would take away his life : " It is enough now, O 
 Lord," saith he, " take away my life, for I am not 
 better than my fathers ;" I am even willing to die, 
 the world is so wretched, and there is so much 
 hatred of thoe and thine. Ahab and Jezebel are 
 against me, all the country and land cry out of me 
 as the troubler of Israel, and to what purpose should 
 I live any longer ? While he is in this condition, 
 God sendeth an angel unto him, and an angel with 
 bread to feed him, and with glad tidings to comfort 
 him. When John was banished by Domitian to 
 Patmos, a place where the condemned parties be- 
 longing to the state of Rome, the most desperate 
 and vile wretches, were sent, he had those revela- 
 tions that were full of glory and excellency. The 
 three children, when they were in the fiery furnace, 
 the fire did them no hurt, but loose their bands and 
 set them at liberty ; and then one like the Son of 
 God Cometh and walketh amongst them, and com- 
 forteth them in those fiery flames. In deep dis- 
 tresses God doth often let out himself: he dwelleth 
 in the darkness, and letteth out himself, and be- 
 cometh light to those that are in darkness. You 
 know that passage in the Book of Martyrs, of Glover 
 and Austen. Mr. Glover was sad, and full of fears, 
 some days before he was to suffer ; his spirit was 
 down, he quaked and trembled to think of the stake, 
 and of that bitter cup he was to drink ; he was afraid 
 that he should deny his Saviour, and undo his soul. 
 But the night Iiefore he was to suffer, he cried out 
 unto Austen, " Oh Austen, he is come, he is come." 
 I knew a woman in travail, and in that 
 '* *^ ■ • travail whereof she died, who had 
 been sometime in darkness, and having much sought 
 God and waited for the revelation of his counte- 
 nance, when she was almost spent in her travail 
 and come near her end, upon a sudden she sprang 
 up, and fixing her eyes toward heaven, said, " He 
 is come, he is come ; he hath kissed me with the 
 kisses of his mouth ; his love is better than wine. I 
 will not exchange my condition with the greatest 
 prince in the world. The Lord is infinitely good, he 
 hath not deceived me ; neither will he ever deceive 
 any." She had these impressions upon her spirit, 
 till the breath w'ent out of her body. Thus God in 
 great distresses, in deep afflictions, bringeth in sea- 
 sonable and sweet consolations. 
 
 Ver. 4. And I looked, and, hehold, a n-hirhcind 
 came oiit of the north, a great cloud, and a fire 
 infolding itself, and a brii-litness icas about if, and 
 out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, 
 out of the midst of the fire. 
 
 We are now come to the vision. Some make five 
 visions in this chapter. 
 
 The first is a vision of a tempest, in this fourth 
 verse. 
 
 The second is of the four living creatures, with 
 their description, from this verse to the 15th. 
 
 The third is of the wheels, from the 15th verse to 
 the 22nd. 
 
 The fourth is of the firmament, from the 22nd 
 verse to the 2()th. 
 
 The fifth is of a throne with one on it, from the 
 2Gtli to the end. 
 
 Some others put them all together, and make them 
 one vision ; these being all parts of it. 
 
 Before I come to open this vision, or any parts 
 thereof, it will be needful to show you the scope of 
 this vision, which will help us in the understanding 
 of the same. 
 
 The scope of this vision is to set forth the glory 
 of God ; and this appeareth from the last verse of 
 the chapter, where it is said, " This was the appear- 
 ance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord." The 
 Spirit interprets all to be a manifestation of the 
 glory of God. 
 
 This glory of God is evidenced two ways : 
 
 1. By his powerful providence in the administra- 
 tion and ruling of all the creatures in the world. 
 For all creatures are under the command of God, 
 and he doth dispose of them for what services he 
 pleaseth. And not only in the world, but specially 
 in the church, is his active providence manifest, 
 preserving and destroying, as seemeth best in his 
 own eyes ; so that nothing is done there rashly, or 
 without his will ; notliing otherwise, sooner or later, 
 than he hath decreed. All creatures, actions, events, 
 come under his will, rule, and power. 
 
 2. By a rejircscntation of Jesus Christ, the Judge 
 and Governor of this world, who is the brightness of 
 the glory of God, and the express image of his per- 
 son ; and this from the 22nd verse to the end of the 
 chapter ; as the other is from the 4th verse to 
 the 22nd. 
 
 This glory of God is presented to Ezekiel in this 
 vision, for these ends : 
 
 1. To breed in him a high reverence of divine 
 majesty. The sight of great and glorious things do 
 awaken our dull, heavy, sensual S]iirits : naturally 
 we are indifferent to the things of God, and unless 
 something transcendent and glorious be presented 
 to us, like Gallio, we care little for other things. 
 Therefore in Exod. xix. 16, when the people saw 
 the lightning, and heard the thunder, when God 
 came down upon the mount in that glorious manner, 
 this awakened them, and bred an awful reverence 
 in them of divine majesty ; " All the people that 
 were in the camp trembled." 
 
 2. To prepare and fit him for entertainment of 
 what God should speak unto him. We are not 
 always in a frame to hear God speak ; there are great 
 distempers in our spirits : you have all experience 
 enough of the truth of this : therefore it is said, Psal. 
 xlvi. 10, " Be still, and know that I am God." Be 
 still, let not your spirit be in a rage, taken up with 
 the world, the cares, fears, pleasures, and businesses 
 of it ; be not parleying with a lust, but be still, and 
 know that I am God. 
 
 3. It is to encourage him to his work, and to 
 frame his spirit to a ready execution thereof. Eze- 
 kiel was to enter upon a heavy task, he was to deal 
 with the stubborn Jews, a rebellious people. He 
 knew that Jeremiah had preached thirty-five years, 
 and other prophets in times better than he was in, 
 and little or no good had been done upon this hard- 
 hearted people. Therefore lest Ezekiel should be 
 discouraged, that his heart might not faint, but be 
 quickened to the work, the Lord doth show him his 
 glory in these hieroglyiihics, his glory in these 
 creatures, his glory in his Son ; that so seeing the 
 glory of God, he might be warmed, oiled, and en- 
 couraged to run about this work. For the sight of 
 glory is potent with a gracious heart, to make it 
 active for God. "We cannot," say Peter and John, 
 in Acts iv. 20, " but speak the things which we have 
 seen and heard." Now they had seen his " glory 
 as the glory of the only begotten Son of God," John 
 i. 14. Thcv had bceii in the mount, seen Christ
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 transfigured, and his face shine as the sun, Matt, 
 xvii. 1, 2. And having seen his glory and heard his 
 voice, this encouraged them, notwithstanding all 
 diliiculties, to be active for him. This was God's 
 way to appear to his servants, to encourage them to 
 the work he would set them about. God appeared 
 to Moses in a burning bush, Exod. iii. To Joshua 
 in a vision like a man with a sword in his hand, 
 Josh. V. 13. To Elisha by horses and chariots of 
 fire, 2 Kings vi. 17. Peter, being confirmed by a 
 vision of a sheet let down from heaven, goes and 
 preacheth to the Gentiles, Acts x. And Ezekiel 
 here hath vision upon ^^sion, that so being strongly 
 confirmed, he might not fear the faces of Jews or 
 Uabylonians, but proceed with life and spirit about 
 the work he was sent. 
 
 Note, The sight of God's glory is very efficacious 
 upon the spirits of men. If God let out his glory, 
 it will work strangely upon good and bad. \Vhcn 
 Christ said to those who came to apprehend him, "I 
 am he," John xviii. 6, it is conceived that Christ 
 let out some glimpse of his glory, which so astonished 
 them, that presently they recoiled, and fell to the 
 ground. Isaiah, when he saw the glory of the Lord, 
 cried out, " Woe is me, I am undone, I am a man of 
 unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean 
 lips," Isa. vi. 5, 6. And then God manifesting his 
 glory so far for his good, that his lips were touched by 
 an angel ; " Now, Lord," saith he, "here am I, send 
 me ; " I am ready to go, though it be on a message of 
 death, though it be to root up nations and kingdoms. 
 So it was with Job; " I have heard of thee," saith he, 
 "by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth 
 thee," that is, thy glory. " Wherefore I abhor my- 
 self in dust and ashes," Job xlii. 5, 6 ; I will speak 
 no more against God, I will do whatsoever tnou 
 shalt command or expect at my hands. So Isa. xl. 
 5, (i, " The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and 
 all flesh shall see it together." And what then ? 
 " All flesh is as grass, and all the goodliness thereof 
 is as the flower of the field." There 
 is no greater or more efficacious 
 way, to take ofi" your hearts from the 
 creature, than to behoM the glory of God. There 
 was no man that ever saw the glory of God, but he 
 looked upon the creature as nothing afterward. 
 
 " I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came," c&c. 
 In this verse we have the first part of the vision, 
 and it is of a tempest. A whirlwind is a sudden 
 wind, which takes up what is obvious, and carrieth 
 it in a circular motion, wheeling it about, and hurl- 
 ing it here and there. Theodoret calls 
 it the blast of a storm; the Septuagint, 
 a wind which takes away trees, houses, lesser things, 
 and disperseth them. Some have been eye-witnesses 
 of whirlwinds in Italy, which have taken away 
 slabula cnm eimi-i, staVjles with horses, carried them 
 up into the air, and dashed them against the moun- 
 tains ; so mighty are these whirlwinds in some 
 countries. 
 
 " Out of the north." The northern winds are 
 very piercing; and if we respect the prophet in this 
 whirlwind, it was to purge the air, that the visions 
 might be clearer and more conspicuous to his eyes, 
 and himself better disposed to the reception of them : 
 Bacon's Naeurai for southern winds make the humours 
 iiisiory. fluid, and the body heavy, they relax 
 the sinews, and prejudice the motions of the man ; 
 but northern winds shut up the humours, consolidate 
 the parts of the body, intend the spirits, make man 
 more lively, fit to receive and do. 
 
 But there is something else in this north wind. 
 Great difterence there is among expo.sitors concern- 
 ing this vision, and no man almost knowcth where 
 
 Videnti Deum 
 oiniiis creatura 
 est aDgusta. 
 
 A Lapid. 
 
 to fasten. What I conceive to be the truth you shall 
 have. 
 
 By this whirlwind from the north, is meant Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, with his army that should come and 
 besiege Jerusalem. Jer. i. 13, 14, this is set out under 
 tfie representation of a seething pot; "I saw," saith 
 he there, "a seething pot from the face of the north" 
 (so the Hebrew is) ; and what is that ? " Out of the 
 north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabit- 
 ants of the land." The evil is, " The families of 
 the kingdoms of the north shall come against Jeru- 
 salem," ver. 15. There is the evil; the Babylonians 
 shall come to Jerusalem, and be a wind, a whirlwind, 
 a tempest to it. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar and his army are compared to a 
 whirlwind, in the sudden rising, swift going, and 
 terrible execution. 
 
 1 . In the sudden rising. Winds (you know) rise 
 suddenly. Acts ii. 2, " Suddenly there came a sound 
 from heaven, as of a rxishing mighty wind;" which 
 showeth that winds do come unexpectedly. Jonah i. 
 4, No sooner was Jonah in the ship, but God sent 
 out a great wind upon the sea. Such a wind should 
 Nebuchadnezzar be, he should come suddenly upon 
 them. Jer. vi. 26, " The spoiler shall come suddenly 
 upon thee. " Hab. ii. 7, " Shall they not rise up 
 suddenly that shall bite thee ? and awake that shall 
 vex thee ?" a metaphor taken from a dog, serpent, 
 or wild beast : when a man passeth by the way, 
 before ever he thinks of it, the dog, serpent, or 
 wild beast starteth up, bites, or stings him. So should 
 Nebuchadnezzar be, (for he speaks of him in that 
 second of Habakkuk,) he should come suddenly and 
 set upon Jerusalem, and overthrow it as a mighty 
 storm and tempest doth a tree or house. 
 
 How could this be sudden, when the prophets had 
 foretold them of it long before ? 
 
 To this I answer. First, That because they did 
 not believe what the prophets did foretell, touching 
 Nebuchadnezzar and his destruction of Jerusalem, 
 therefore it was sudden to them, though foretold. 
 Lam. iv. 12, " The kings of the earth, and all the 
 inhabitants of the world, would not have believed 
 that the adversary and the enemy should have en- 
 tered in at the gates of Jerusalem." Neither king 
 nor people would believe the prophets, they would 
 not be persuaded that ever an enemy should enter 
 wdthin the gates of Jerusalem, and lay it waste. 
 
 Secondly, Though they were foretold, though they 
 did believe it, yet because they were not prepared 
 for it when it did come, therefore it was sudden 
 unto them. Luke xxi. 34, " Take heed, lest by any 
 means your hearts be overcome with surfeiting and 
 drunkenness, and that day come upon you unawares." 
 Though men believe that evil shall come, if they be 
 taken unawares, unprepared, it is sudden to them. 
 So these either not l)elieving, or not being prepared 
 though they did believe, the coming of Nebuchad- 
 nezzar was to them as a whirlwind, very sudden. 
 
 2. In its swift going. The wind is said to have 
 wings, 2 Sam. xxii. 11, because of its swiftness and 
 speedy motion ; and ships that are driven by it, are 
 said to be swift, Job ix. 26. And so it is said of the 
 Chaldean horses, that they are swifter than leopards, 
 Hab. i. 8. Leopards are very swift creatures, so 
 swift, that Claudian fastens this epithet upon them, 
 Panli fuhnhici. Leopards are as swift as lightning 
 and thunder ; and therefore, Dan. vii. 6, Alexander 
 is compared to a leo})ard, because of his speedy con- 
 quering the world. Celerity in matters of war is of 
 great moment: and it w'ould do well, that those that 
 are now interested in it, would make more speed; 
 for speed doth great things. Alexander being asked 
 the question how he overcame the world in so little
 
 Ver. 4 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 23 
 
 time, answered, By not delaying : every opportunity 
 was taken. These Chaldeans and their horses were 
 very swift, and they came with great speed upon 
 Jerusalem, and therein resembled the wind. 
 
 3. In its terrible execution. A whirlwind, or any 
 wind which bringeth a tempest, what dreadful work 
 doth it make ! Houses, mountains, trees, steeples, 
 are shaken and torn in pieces. What can stand be- 
 fore a tempestuous wind ? You may see the power 
 thereof in 1 Kings xix. 11, "A great strong wind 
 rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks." 
 The strength of rocks and mountains was weakness 
 to the strength of the winds. Those great vessels 
 at sea, viz. ships, when a storm cometh, how are 
 they battered and shaken, sunk and split against the 
 rocks ! There is terrible execution done by the 
 winds at sea and land, when they are in their 
 strength. So Nebuchadnezzar and his forces were 
 very terrible : Hab. i. 6, and so on, we may see 
 the terribleness of them ; " I will raise up the Chal- 
 deans, a bitter and hasty nation;" and ver. 7, "They 
 are terrible and dreadful :" and ver. 9, " They shall 
 come all for violence, their faces shall sup up as the 
 east wind :" that wind was most vehement and 
 scorching in Judoa, and devoured all that was green. 
 So did the Chaldeans devour and destroy all their 
 pleasant things. " They shall gather the captives 
 as sand : " the wind drives great heaps of sand to- 
 gether, raiseth a mountain presently ; so should 
 they gather the captives as heaps of -sands. Then 
 afterward, ver. 10, "They shall scolF at the kings, 
 and the princes shall be a scorn unto them ; they 
 shall deride every strong hold, for they shall heap 
 dust and take it." No person, no hold can stand 
 before them. In these respects Nebuchadnezzar and 
 his army are compared to a whirlwind, and a whirl- 
 wind out of the north. 
 
 " A great cloud." Clouds are moist vapours ex- 
 haled from the earth and sea by the sun, and con- 
 densatcd by the cold in the middle region, and car- 
 ried by the winds up and down, this way and that 
 way : they are the bottles of heaven, which God doth 
 fill with wine or vinegar, with mercy or wrath. This 
 cloud here likewise doth represent the same thing 
 again unto us, Jer. iv. 13, Nebuchadnezzar and his 
 army, chiefly, his army. In the prophets Ezekiel 
 and Jeremiah oftentimes his army and himself are 
 compared to a cloud, and that in three respects. 
 
 1. Clouds cover the face of heaven; many vapours 
 gathered together rise up and darken the sun, and 
 keep from us the comfortable aspect tliereof. Ezek. 
 xxxii. 7, " I will cover the sun with a cloud." The 
 same word that is used for a cloud, doth signify 
 Pciitimi equi- likewise a multitude, a great com- 
 tiimque nubes. pany. Livy spcaks of a cloud of liorse- 
 men and foot-men ; and Epiphanius speaks of a 
 cloud of flies ; another of a cloud of locusts ; and 
 the apostle speaks of a cloud of witnesses, Heb. 
 xii. I : and here you have ?iubes mililum, a cloud of 
 soldiers, and this cloud doth cover the face of the 
 earth ; this army of Nebuchadnezzar doth cover the 
 land. 2 Kings xxv. 1, it is said, that he and all his 
 host came against Jerusalem; all the militia of 127 
 provinces : and Hab. i. 8, " Their horsemen shall 
 spread themselves," they spread themselves through 
 the country. Ezek. xxxviii. 9, " Thou shalt ascend 
 and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to 
 cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many 
 people with thee." It is expressly meant of Nebu- 
 chadnezzar's army, which should be so great, as that 
 it should cover the earth. The Talmud expounds 
 those words, they shall be like a cloud to cover the 
 earth, of Nebuchadnezzar's covering the land with 
 his armv. 
 
 2. A cloud is so swift, as that it is irresistible ; it 
 pours out the rain and none can let ; it will keep its 
 way, go on, or break itself into pieces. Isa. Ix. 8, 
 "Who are these that tly as a cloud?" clouds fly so 
 swiftly, that there is no resisting of them. So this 
 army of Nebuchadnezzar's went with that swiftness 
 and irresistibleness, that it was not in the power of 
 any to withstand them, neither Joakim, nor Jehoia- 
 chin, neither Zedekiah, nor Pharaoh king of Egj-pt; 
 four kings could not withstand this Nebuchadnez- 
 zar, and many other heathen kings that he had to 
 deal with, none of them could resist him and his 
 forces. He went on invincibly, strong holds were 
 nothing to him, he made heaps of dust, and took 
 them at his pleasure, Hab. i. 10. 
 
 3. Lastly, clouds are emblems of misery and af- 
 flictions. The Hebrew word for a cloud „y 
 signifieth also calamity ; for clouds are 
 
 fidl of waters, hail, fire, lightning, and thunderbolts. 
 They send down such things upon the sons of men, 
 as fill all with darkness, fears, and troubles. It is 
 natural for a cloud to be an emblem of misery, for 
 clouds bring storms and tempests. The day of the 
 Lord's wrath, in Scripture, is set out by clouds, fre- 
 quently. Zeph. i. 15, " That day is a day of trouble 
 and distress, a day of darkness and gloominess, a 
 day of clouds and thick darkness : so Joel. ii. 1, 2; 
 Ezek XXX. 3; and xxxiv. 12. So this army of Ne- 
 buchadnezzar is fitly compared to a cloud, because of 
 the misery and calamit)' which came along with it. 
 Great miseries have gone along with all armies, but 
 specially with this. Hab. i. 6, They were a hasty 
 and a bitter nation, they rained down their wrath 
 upon Jerusalem; they had instruments of death, they 
 sent out their thunder and lightning, and burnt the 
 house of God, the king's house, and every great 
 man's house in Jerusalem, 2 Kings xxv. 9. A terri- 
 ble storm was now upon Jerusalem, when they shot 
 their arrows into the city, slew multitudes, burnt 
 down all, and carried the people into captivity ; 
 what a storm was it! Lo here God stormed Jeru- 
 salem with Nebuchadnezzar's army ; and what are 
 armies but clouds of blood and fire, the great ord- 
 nance of God, out of which he shoots thunderbolts 
 of death, Isa. xxviii. 2, and by which he storms the 
 strongest towns ? 
 
 I. Observe here, That winds, clouds, and all va- 
 pours, are subject to the power of God. He calls 
 them forth at his pleasure, and carries them which 
 way he plcaseth, to execute his will. He sent the 
 whirlwind, and the great cloud ; these lawless crea- 
 tin'es, over which no king, no nation ever had com- 
 mand ; (for who can command tlie winds or the 
 clouds ?) yet God hath absolute power over winds. 
 Prov. XXX. 4, " He gathereth the wind in his fist," 
 he can open it, and let out a wind where and when 
 he will, to shake the foundations of the earth. He 
 hath the waters in a garment, covered up in a cloud ; 
 he only can pour them out, and make great floods. 
 He is the father of the great rain. Amos v. 8, " He 
 calleth for the waters of the sea," that is, the va- 
 pours whereof the clouds and rain are made, " and 
 poureth them out upon the face of the earth." It is 
 God that flieth upon the wings of the wind, Psal. 
 xviii. II. It is God that ridcth upon the clouds, 
 and makes them his chariot, and walketh upon the 
 wings of the wind, Psal. civ. 3. It is God that rideth 
 upon the swift clouds, Isa. xix. 1. God hath the 
 use of the winds as a fowl of his wings, and can 
 flutter and make a great or small wind as he pleas- 
 eth. God hath the command of the clouds as a 
 prince of his chariot, to drive it which way he 
 plcaseth. 
 
 If vou have a wind at sea or land to do you good,
 
 24 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Cii.ip. I. 
 
 remember that if came out of God's hand; remember 
 God ridi's upon tliat \nnd, and carried it that way you 
 would liave it. If the clouds, the bottles of heaven, 
 be carried over your gardens, orchards, lands, habit- 
 ations, cities, or countries, do water them and make 
 them fruitful, remember that God ridetli in those 
 chariots, that he openeth those bottles of heaven, 
 and lets down that wliich is sweet and comfortable 
 to the sons of men. If they prove terrible unttj you, 
 if there be a storm and tempest, remember it is God 
 that sends the storm and tempest. All is in his hand. 
 
 Ob.s. 2. That it is God's prerogative to impose 
 higher significations upon things, than they have 
 by nature. This whirlwind out of the north, this 
 great cloud, naturally had no other signification than 
 other clouds and winds. God lifts them up to a 
 higher honour, and makes them to represent Nebu- 
 chadnezzar and his army, his own wrath and venge- 
 ance in that Nebuchadnezzar and in that army of his. 
 It is God's privilege to put things into a liighcr con- 
 dition than they have by nature. No man, no prince 
 on earth could have put this signification upon that 
 whirlwind. The rainbow was liefore the flood, but 
 had not that honour to be a witness between God 
 and man, that God would never drown the world 
 any more, till God himself inijiosed it. The brazen 
 serpent was no more than other brass, but by divine 
 institution it was made a type of Christ. \Vhere 
 such institution is not, no creature can be translated 
 to another or higher condition than that it was set 
 in by the first creation, without sin. To make gar- 
 ments signify purity, crosses, Christ crucified, (be- 
 sides the superstition and injury in thrusting them 
 out of their rank,) it is a presumptuous stepi)ing 
 into the throne of God, and a bold usurpation of his 
 prerogative ; it belongeth unto him to impose sig- 
 nifications of a higher nature upon the creature than 
 ordinarily it hath. 
 
 Obx. 3. That the anger of God, which way soever 
 venting itself, makes a storm and a terrible tempest. 
 God was about to pour out his wrath by Nebuchad- 
 nezzar and his army; and this proved such a tempest 
 as ruined Jerusalem : this verified Psal. xi. 6. " Upon 
 the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, 
 and an horrible tempest : the portion of their cup." 
 When (jod's wrath once breaks out, it will be terrible 
 to all it falleth upon. 
 
 What therefore will wicked men do when God 
 shall come out like a whirlwind, when God shall 
 come out as a great cloud, thunder, lightning in the 
 world, rain fire ami brimstone and an horrilile 
 tempest ? When God shall do this, what will be- 
 come of them ? Wicked men, in Ezek. xiii. 10, 11, 
 are compared to a wall that is daubed up with un- 
 tempered mortar. When God shall come with a 
 tempest and shake that wall, can it stand ? No ; 
 it is said it shall fall, a stormy wind shall rend it. 
 The Jews daubed with untempered mortar, and 
 when the storm came, they fell. Many christians 
 daub up themselves with the untempered mortar of 
 their own righteousness, of vain hopes, of doing this 
 and tliat. But when this whirlwind blows, they 
 will down. They are houses built upon the sand, 
 and when the winds blow, the Hoods beat, and the 
 rain falls, they will fall also. Matt. vii. 27, and fall 
 from the hopes of heaven to the bottom of hell. 
 Therefore locjk to your foundation, look that you be 
 not built upon the sand, but upon a rock, and that 
 you daub not with ■ntempered mortar, for there is 
 a tempest already begun. 
 
 Obs. 4. That God can bring adverse power from 
 any quarter. He can raise wind and clouds from 
 the north, from remote places, those we little think 
 of. He can make use of a hasty, bitter, and merci- 
 
 less nation, and that suddenly, to aw'akcn a secure 
 [leople, to correct his own servants, and to plague 
 his enemies. It is likely they had such thoughts at 
 Jerusalem as these ; Surely Babylon is a great way 
 otf, Nebuchadnezzar hath his hands full, none of 
 the kings of the earth will or dare come near Jeru- 
 salem, Lam. iv. 12. We are in no such danger as 
 these timorous prophets speak of. Why should we 
 trouble ourselves with needless fears ? we will on 
 in our wonted ways. And are not such as these our 
 thoughts ? Do not we think that foreign enemies 
 are so employed and taken up at home, that they 
 have no leisure to come and trouble us ? But God 
 can from the north bring a tempest ; God can from 
 foreign nations bring in those that can pour out their 
 wratli upon us, and make as grievous a .^torm as ever 
 fell upon Jerusalem. We do not believe, and they 
 did not believe. But what if God do not bring it 
 from abroad, cannot he raise up a storm from wilhm ? 
 Is there not already a wind out of the north, a whirl- 
 wind and a cloiul raised ? and how soon do any of 
 us know but there may be blackness, darkness, and 
 the day of the Lord round about us ? we may be 
 suddenly environed with winds and dreadful storms, 
 such as our hearts never thought of, and our eyes 
 never saw. Let us not be secure, a bloody tempest 
 is amongst us already. The drunkard may be secure 
 when he is at sea asleep upon the top of the mast, 
 (though it may cost him his life for doing so,) but 
 a sober man w ill look about him when he seeth the 
 ship shaken, and heareth the winds blow, and per- 
 ceives the waves rise ; and if it be possible, save 
 his own life, and the ship too. If you be sober men, 
 look about you. Is not the storm begun ? Do not 
 the winds blow ? Are not the clouds dark ? Is not 
 the day of the Lord upon us ? If it be possible, save 
 your own lives, and the ship that you are in, that 
 now begins to shake, to sink. The heathen mariners 
 had so much religion, that when there was a storm 
 every one cried to his god ; and so much charity, 
 as not to sufl'er Jonah to lie asleep, but go to him 
 and say. Awake, thou sleeper, what meanest thou.'' 
 "arise, call upon thy God," that if it may be, he may 
 save both thee and us. Be not yon behind the 
 heathen mariners, show so much religion and cha- 
 rity in you, as every one to go and call now upon 
 his God. Cry to your God now, that he would still 
 the winds ; that he would rebuke the waves ; that 
 he would still this storm. Cry to God now with 
 all your strength, and wrestle with him night 
 and day, that he may show some mercy to liis 
 beloved, and not give lier up to be a spoil to the 
 hands of enemies. Awaken your Jonahs that are 
 asleep in your houses. Call upon husband, wife, 
 friends, minister, all and every one, to put to their 
 hearts and hands, to secure this ship that is almost 
 now split and falling in pieces. Now take your 
 censers, for wrath is gone out from the Lord ; ]iut 
 fire and incense in them, that, if it be possible, you 
 may stop the wrath. When the disciples were at 
 sea, and a storm arose. Matt. viii. 24, Christ being 
 with them asleep in the ship, they awoke him, say- 
 ing, " Lord, save us, we perish." So do you. Christ 
 seems to be asleep ; awake him with your prayers, 
 and say. Lord, save us ; we are called'by thy name, 
 we are christians, save us, else we perish. Christ 
 you see presently arose, rebuked the winds, and the 
 sea, and there was a great calm. Be not secure now 
 of all times, but think with yoiu-selves what you 
 would do if all the nations of the world were come 
 against England, if all the counties in England were 
 in an uproar, if this city were besieged and fire 
 thrown into it to burn the houses. Think what you 
 would do then, do it now, fit and prepare yourselves
 
 Ver. 4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 25 
 
 for the strolie of God in the storm and tempest, that 
 however it go with your bodies, estates, liberties, or 
 lives, yet it may go well with your immortal souls. 
 
 Ob.s. 5. That God disposes of winds and clouds for 
 what services he pleases. A whirlwind is made 
 Elijah's chariot to heaven, 2 Kings ii. II. The 
 Lord hath his way in the winds, Nahum i. 3. He 
 answered Job out of the whirlwind, chap. 40. 6. By 
 a wind he conveys the Holy Ghost to the apostles, 
 Acts ii. 2. So for the clouds, God sets his bow in 
 them to witness the security of the world from 
 drowning. Gen. ix. He created a cloud upon the 
 assembly, Isa. iv. 5. He went before the Israelites 
 in a pillar of a cloud, Exod. xiii. And the glory of 
 the Lord appeared in the cloud, Exod. xvi. 10. The 
 temple was tilled with a cloud, 2 Chron. v. 13. A 
 cloud received Christ and carried him to heaven. 
 Acts i. 9. When we behold the clouds, and hear the 
 winds, we should be carried higher in our thoughts, 
 than to look at them philosophically in a natural 
 way ; we shoidd mind them theologically, as instru- 
 ments of choice services of God, as instruments of 
 his power, wisdom, and glory. 
 
 pj,,!,;.,,^ ,yj^ " And a tire infolding itself:" or, as 
 lEi'isse mvoi- the Hebrew word is, a fire that doth 
 >eiis. lint. ^^^j forth itself, and receive itself into 
 itself; like unto a wave of the sea, that riseth high, 
 and fallelh into itself again ; or as in a house on 
 fire, the fire breaks forth strongly, and the flame re- 
 turns into itself presently. The Sephiagint render 
 it, bright shining fire, which comes out 
 i.uis fuiEurans. ^f ^ - j^^^^j^ ^^^ lightning ; and, how- 
 ever some think it not to be meant of the lightning, 
 because lightning goeth straight forth, and never re- 
 turneth, according to Matt. xxiv. 27, " The lightning 
 Cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the 
 west," and so doth not infold itself; yet we have 
 Scripture to confute this conceit. Exod. ix. 24, there 
 
 _. was fire mingled with the hail : the 
 
 ' same word is in the original, lire that 
 
 doth infold itself. And they that curiously observe 
 the lightning, may find that it doth oftentimes return 
 into itself, and pass (as it were) as a ball in the air, 
 or as wound up into a globe. But this reachcth not 
 the meaning yet in the text, " a fire infolding itself." 
 Sanctius thinks it rather a fiery globe which re- 
 mained in the cloud, and like cabbage leaves grow 
 up into themselves, and infolding, make a globe ; so 
 the flames of this fire turned into themselves and be- 
 came a globe. And it is probable to be this, because 
 it is said, there was a brightness round about it, the 
 fiery globe within begat that circular brightness, 
 which lightning, being transparent, could not do. 
 And the rather it is thought to be this than light- 
 ning, because the colour is said to be as the colour 
 of amber, whereas if it had been lightning, that is 
 transient, and the colour hardly observable ; there- 
 fore it should seem to be some fixed thing. I con- 
 ceive it to be vapours in the clouds, kindling and 
 burning into themselves, the flame turning inward, 
 and making a globe ; and thus I find it expounded, 
 isnisse arcen- ^^ ^''^ kindling itself: and so it is most 
 deiis. siinj. natural to the cloud to have vapours 
 in it, which fire and kindle themselves, and burn 
 into the form of a globe. Now what is meant by 
 this fire infolding itself, or this fiery globe, is very 
 doubtful; they that come nearest to the truth, take 
 it to be the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar, or rather the 
 wrath of God in using Nebuchadnezzar to burn the 
 city and temple. But with submission to the judg- 
 ment of the learned and godly, I take the fire to be 
 meant of sin : the sins of prince and people, priests 
 and prophets, did kindle and involve them in the 
 •ire, tneirown sins took hold of and consumed them. 
 
 Prov. V. 28, " His own iniquities shall take the 
 wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the 
 cords of his own sin." A man's sins will turn upon 
 him, take hold of him and bind him ; and so here 
 Jerusalem's sins kindle upon lierself, take hold of 
 her and burn her. Sin, we find in Scripture, cometh 
 up to the nature of fire ; Prov. xvi. 27, " In the lips 
 of the ungodly there is a burning fire." And it is 
 likened to fire, because of the destructive nature. 
 Whatsoever fire takes hold of, it consumeth ; and so 
 doth sin : Job v. 2, " Wrath killeth the foolish man, 
 and envy slayeth the silly one ;" and Prov. i. 32, 
 " The turning away of the simple shall slay them." 
 So then Jerusalem's sins, the sins of kings and 
 nobles, the sins of prophet, priest, and people, are 
 here to be understood by this fire infolding itself, 
 which drew the wrath of God into Jerusalem, and 
 so kindled, fired, and consumed them all. 
 
 From hence note. That the cause of the ruin of 
 kingdoms, cities, princes, and people is in themselves, 
 their own sins are the fire infolding. Hos. xiii. 9, 
 " O Jerusalem, thou hast destroyed thyself," thou 
 art the cause of thine own spoil and captivity ; thou 
 hast set up the calves, worshipped them, and they 
 bleat so against thee, that they have undone thee. 
 Israel's sin was Israel's destruction ; and so Jerusa- 
 lem. It was not the whirlwind, nor the cloud, not 
 Nebuchadnezzar or his army, that could have made 
 one breach upon Jerusalem, or led one soul into 
 captivity, if there had not been sin amongst them. 
 It was their own sin which kindled divine wrath, 
 and brought in their destruction; otherwise they had 
 been safe enough. Jerusalem might have stood to 
 this day, and have been as great and glorious as 
 ever. The principles of our ruin are in ourselves. 
 Iron breeds the rust, garments the moths which de- 
 vour them. The ill humours in a man's body fire 
 and consume the house by a burning fever ; children 
 breed the worms which bring them to their graves ; 
 and states, the sins which bring them to their ends. 
 Where sin is bred and countenanced, it proves cmi- 
 sumplio tolius. Families, cities, kingdoms go down 
 where sin goes up. Let not kingdoms therefore 
 blame God or others, but let them and all say. The 
 root of the evil is in ourselves ; we should never be 
 laid waste, if we were true to God, faithful and close 
 to the rule. If we did not sin, there would be no 
 fire to consume us and ours. 
 
 " And a brightness was about it." There being a 
 globe of fire within, it sent forth beams which pro- 
 duced an answerable brightness ; which brightness 
 (the cloud being thick and dark of itself) was a 
 window to let in the prophet's eye to see what was 
 in the cloud. 
 
 By this brightness is shadowed out unto us, the 
 terrible majesty and glory of the divine presence, 
 putting itself forth in the pimishment of sinners. 
 As fire begets a splendour round about where it is ; 
 so do the judgments of God set out to the world his 
 glory, justice, holiness, Psal. ix. l(i. The glory of 
 his judgment in punishing ill-doers, is a solid, con- 
 stant, spreading glory ; as that brightness was not 
 flashy in the cloud, occasioned by the lightning, but 
 fixed, certain, and on every side. 
 
 The note hence is. That execution of justice upon 
 delinquents makes God and magistrates glorious. 
 There was a bright splendour in the cloud, Exod. xv. 
 f), upon the destruction of Pharaoh and his army in 
 the Red sea. It is said, " Thy right hand, O God, is 
 become glorious in power; thy right hand, O God, 
 hath daslicd in pieces the enemy, and in the great- 
 ness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them 
 that rose up against thee." This act of justice was 
 a glorious and powerful work ; so when God dc-
 
 26 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 KtToycd the Bethshemites, 1 Sam. vi. 20, " Who is 
 able to stand before this holy God P" say they. The 
 holiness of God's justice and power shine so cdearly 
 in the world, that they dazzle men's eyes and hearts, 
 and make them tremble before God. When Phinehas 
 executed justice, how honourable was he in the 
 hearts of the godly ! what a great and glorious re- 
 ward did he get by it ! Never was Solomon more 
 honourable than when he executed justice between 
 the two harlots, and called for the sword to decide 
 the controversy. Our magistrates are clothed with 
 scarlet, and they may think that makes them honour- 
 able, but their robes never bring true honour to 
 them if justice be not done ; one act of justice exe- 
 cuted upon delinquents makes them more honour- 
 able than all the scarlet robes m the world. How 
 glorious and dreadful was the parlia- 
 "' ' ment, when that great man fell in 
 Israel ! And if justice were executed ujion delin- 
 quents, and they had their due, we should be glorious 
 in power, dreadful to nations, terrible to our enemies ; 
 they would say. Who is able to stand before the God 
 of this parliament ? before the God of this kingdom ? 
 
 " And out of the midst thereof as the colour of 
 amber." That is, out of the midst of the fire, not 
 out of the midst of the wind, or out of the midst of 
 
 ■jj-^m^^ the cloud. The Hebrew word for am- 
 ber, is a word that is found no where 
 else in all the Scriphu'e but in this prophet, and but 
 twice more, viz. at the 27th verse of this chapter, 
 and at the 2nd verse of the 8th chapter. Rabbi 
 larchi confesseth he knoweth not what the mean- 
 ing of this word is ; another rabbi saith it was the 
 name of an angel, who instructed Ezekicl. The 
 Septuagint, Jerom, and divers others, translate it, 
 electium, amber ; and becaiise here is mention of the 
 colour of amber, we must inquire what amber this 
 Succinun qua- '^s.s. There be divers kinds of amber; 
 riindam arborum one Sort of amber is called sitccinum, 
 "'■"'^' which is the juice of certain frees, the 
 
 gum of pine trees, which being hardened by the air, 
 is yellow and bright ; that which is white and 
 duskish is bastard amber. 
 
 A second sort of amber is a liquid substance 
 which ilows from the sea rock, and about the sea 
 shores, and being hardened by the air, winds, and 
 water, floats up and down upon the sea, especially 
 about Florida, and other Indian shores ; and it is of 
 a honeyish and waxy colour. 
 
 The third kind of amber is metallical, made of 
 metals, and those more precious than gold, as Jerom ; 
 inferior to it, as Zanchius saith. This amber is com- 
 pounded of gold and shining silver, is very precious, 
 and of great use. But besides this, there is yet 
 another metallical amber, called aiirnlialcum, the 
 choicest and purest brass, and this is thought to be 
 the chatsmal or amber here mentioned, according to 
 that, Hev. i. 15, " His feet were like to fine brass, 
 as if it had burned in a fiery furnace." Brass doth 
 most nearly resemble fire. The colour of amber 
 here is a fiery colour ; and surely this is near the 
 truth. But yet it cometh not up fully to the nature 
 of the word here ; for I do not find amongst those 
 that search into the nature of words, that this word 
 cliasmal is interpreted amber ; as the learned observe, 
 Pr„nam ar.len- *' signifies a coal that is fircd most in- 
 ti>siin»iii, ur tcnsivcly ; a coal that hath the utmost 
 summe .gmtam. ^^^^^ jj j^ capable of, SO liot, that pre- 
 sently it burnetii any thing it touchcth : such coals 
 are more red and lively than others, and it comes 
 y^n quasi nearest to the nature of the word to 
 ft iffn (esiinnn- render it, as the colour of a burning 
 iMnK^s'.''""'''!';?"" coal. Hence Juniu.s and Trcmclius 
 ii.sisnia. Caiv. render the word, color vividinninms, the 
 
 most lively colour ; for nothing hath a more lively 
 colour than hot coals, or fine brass burning in the 
 fire ; either of which you may take, but I rather 
 cleave to that of burning coals, which being in the 
 midst of the fire, might so sparkle and shine, as to 
 dazzle the eyes : and whether chanmal, in this jdace, 
 were not more fitly rendered, as the colour of burn- 
 ing brass, or of a burning coal, than as the colour of 
 amber, I leave to consideration. 
 
 Now what is meant by this amber or coal, there 
 is great dispute. Some understand by it Christ, 
 because he is more precious than amber, more lively 
 than any burning coal whatsoever. But we must 
 lay this sense aside, because there is a vision of 
 Christ in the latter end of the chapter. The sound- 
 est expositors by cliasmal lead us to some inferior 
 to Christ, viz. the angels, who are called seraphim, 
 animalea ignea, as Kimchi hath it, of f|">W to burn, 
 and seraphims are fiery burning creatures. Isa. 
 vi. 2, " About it stood the seraphims," that is, the 
 fiery burning angels ; answerable to the chasmal 
 or burning coals here. So in Judg. xiii. 20, an 
 angel went up to heaven in a flame of fire ; that 
 element was most suitable to a seraphical and angeli- 
 cal nature. 2 Kings v\. 17, there were horses and 
 chariots of fire round about Elisha, and angels were 
 in those chariots. They are likened to fire, because 
 of their ardent and burning zeal to do the will of 
 God, Psal. ciii. 20. 
 
 For the word colour, " the colour of amber," in the 
 Hebrew it is, the eye of amber, the organ is put for 
 the object : so you have it used. Numb. xi. 7, " The 
 colour of it was as the colour of bdellium ;" the 
 Hebrew is, the eye of it was as the eye of bdellium. 
 
 Now having given you the meaning of chasmal, 
 viz. that he saw angels of fiery colour, like to hot 
 burning coals, so intense and zealous thai they were 
 ready to do and execute whatsoever God would 
 have done ; note hence : 
 
 1. That heavenly things are so transcendent, and 
 we so weak, that we can comprehend or receive 
 very little of them. They must be presented in 
 things beneath their excellency, to make us capable 
 of a little of them. God must manifest his mind here 
 by winds, clouds, by brightness of a p^r corpoiaies 
 cloud, by a fire infolding, by burning ostensiones incor- 
 
 , ' , -^ ^ . -i Tiii c porediuiii per- 
 
 coals, that so we may take up a little ot cipimusnotiiiam. 
 the mind of God. John iii. 12, saith ''""'■ 
 Christ to Nicodcmus, " If I have spoken to thee of 
 earthly things, and thou dost not understand them, 
 how wilt thou understand if I speak unto thee of 
 heavenly things ?" Nicodcmus, a doctor in Israel, 
 did not apprehend the doctrine of regeneration, 
 when expressed in his own dialect ; had Christ 
 spoken of the great things of the kingdom of heaven 
 in their own nature, how could he or any of us 
 have understood ? Here we see darkly and as in a 
 glass. God is pleased to go in the way of man with 
 us, to condescend to our capacities, and to present 
 heavenly things in hieroglyphics, winds, clouds, fire 
 and coals, that so we may have a little apprehen- 
 sion of the nature of those things. 
 
 04s. 2. That heavenly spirits are most pure and 
 lively. So much the word chasmal leads us unto ; 
 it notcth coals that have no darkness, no smoke in 
 them, that are altogether fiery, and so lively as that 
 they cannot he more lively. Such is God; he is 
 light, and no darkness ; he is more lively than all 
 the world beside. He is actus purts.swius, nil his 
 actions exceed our apprehensions. Such arc angels, 
 they are pure and lively creatm-es. Heb. i. 7, angels 
 are spirits for their purity, and flames of fire for 
 their activity and zeal. Rev. xv. (>, the seven angels 
 are clothed in pure and white linen, and their breast
 
 Ver. 5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 27 
 
 Sunt luminaria girtlcd wuth golden Rirdles : pure linen 
 ciarissinia. spe- jhev have and Rolden eirdles, no spot 
 lam possiL.ile est in the Jincn, no dross m the gold, to 
 mm'.'ml'"ii.«;i,- set out their purity; and girt they are, 
 "■"• to show their readiness and zeal to do 
 
 the wiU of God. They are as burning lively coals, 
 that if God do but speak the word, they run, they 
 fly. But of this more hereafter. 
 
 Ver. 5. Also out of the midst thereof cnme the 
 likeness of four living creatures. And this was 
 their appearance ; they had the likeness of a man. 
 
 Now we come to that part of the vision which 
 concerns the living creatures, from this 5th verse to 
 the 15th; where God's glory and government of 
 the world are set out from superior causes, viz. ce- 
 lestial things. 
 
 These four creatures are commended to us : 
 
 I. From their general nature, they are living 
 creatures. 
 
 II. From their number, they are four. 
 
 HI. From their fonn, they had the likeness of a 
 man. 
 
 IV. From their several parts : as, 
 
 1. Their faces, and the number of them, ver. 6, 
 8, 10. 
 
 2. Their wings, the number, situation, and use 
 of them, ver. 6, 8, 9, 11. 
 
 3. Their feet, set out by the figure and colour 
 of them, ver. 7. 
 
 4. Their hands, set out by the figure and situ- 
 ation of them, ver. 8. 
 
 5. From their motion, which was forthright, 
 ver. 9, 12. And this is illustrated from the 
 quality of it ; it was swift, ver. 14, they 
 ran ; it was as speedy as lightning : and from 
 the cause of it, which was the Spirit, ver. 12, 
 "whither the Spirit w'as to go." 
 
 6. From their colour, which was like burning 
 coals and lamps, ver. 13. 
 
 MTiat these living creatures are, is the great dis- 
 pute among expositors. Some make them to be the 
 four covenants of God: 1. That with Adam. 2. 
 That with Noah. 3. That with Moses. 4. That 
 with the apostles. Some make them to be all the 
 creatures. Some, the four cardinal virtues, justice, 
 wisdom, fortitude, temperance. Some, the four 
 faculties in the soul ; the rational, irascible, coneu- 
 piscible, and conscience. Some, the four chief pas- 
 sions ; joy, grief, hope, and fear. Some, the four 
 monarchies; Assyrian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman. 
 Some, the twelve tribes of Israel, in their stations, 
 east, west, north, south, when in the wilderness. 
 Some, the four elements, of which man's body doth 
 consist. Some, the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, 
 Luke, John; and this being the opinion of Jerom 
 and Gregory the great, prevailed much, but now is 
 deserted. Others imderstand by these four crea- 
 tures, those who are complete and more perfect in 
 the church. Others expound them to be Christ ; 
 but Christ is brought in, in the latter end of the 
 chapter, sitting upon the throne : these creatures 
 are some distinct ones from him, and inferior to him. 
 By them then we are to understand the angels, 
 ■which have a great part under God in the govern- 
 ment of the world. The word rvn living crea- 
 tures, doth not only signify a creature that is cor- 
 poreal, living, and sensible; but it denotes any living 
 being or substance, whether corporeal or spiritual : 
 and so Tully calls inleltigentias animates, living intel- 
 ligences, in Quest. Acad. 1. 4. 
 
 The best interpreters go this way, and understand 
 by the living creatures, exercilus inoisibiles, princi- 
 
 palities and powers, and we need not fetch light 
 from men, where the Scripture gives interpretation 
 itself. Ezek. x. there you have frequent mention 
 of cherubims, which were these living creatures; for 
 ver. 8, it is said, " There appeared the form of a 
 man's hand under their wings." They had the same 
 faces, one excepted, and as many, ver. 14, and 
 Ezekiel saith, ver. 15, " This is the living creature 
 that I saw by the river of Chcbar." And more plain 
 yet in ver. 20, " This is the living creature that I 
 saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar, 
 and I knew that they were the cherubims." Al- 
 though he called it before the living creature, in the 
 singular number, yet here he chaugeth the numl)er, 
 and saith, they were the cherubims. "We may trust 
 Ezekiel's judgment, he was guided by the Spirit, 
 and his cherubims do hold forth the same parties to 
 us, that Isaiah's seraphims did to him. 
 
 The word cherub notes generally any figure of 
 man or beast, say the Hebrews, but especially the 
 figure of a young man or a child, with wings 
 stretched out, Exod. xxv. Such were the two 
 cherubims before the ark. The Chaldeans call a 
 little child, rabi or rabia ; whence some derive the 
 word cherubim, quasi citerabia, as a little child; others 
 fetch it from caph, which notes likeness, and rob or 
 rab, which words signify, as, in general, qiiality and 
 quantity, so nuiltitude and magnitude ; so that eheru- 
 bims etymologized are tanqaam iimlti et magni, as it 
 were many and great. 
 
 The word cherub notes not only angels, but 
 angels as they appeared and were figured with any 
 external form of man or beast, and such figures 
 were hieroglyphical, as here in this ....^ .„ .... 
 Vision. ine prophet saw not tliese nu.npi.reai. 
 cherubims, or angels, or living crea- *,',',es"i,utc ""'' 
 tures, but the likeness of them". For '""^■- w- ri.ey 
 
 - ' , , art pure as God 
 
 the nature ot spirits is invisible ; no is. actus puriui- 
 soul, no angel, neither God himself, can """' 
 be seen. How then is their likeness presented to 
 the prophet? It is no bodily likeness, but a likeness 
 in life, quality, and motion. But the text saith, 
 " They had the likeness of a man," that is, not in 
 his nature and essence, but in some qualifies ; they 
 had the face, hands, thighs, and legs of a man, all 
 which set out some choice qualities in the angels. 
 They had also something of the beast and bird. 
 And if they were in nature like the living creatures, 
 angels were strange monsters, and not spirits in 
 compound. 
 
 By their likeness unto man is laid before us the 
 rationality, knowledge, and understanding of angels. 
 They are not ignorant creatures, but ipsce intelli- 
 gentixp, the most understanding creatures in heaven 
 or earth. 2 Sam. xiv. 20, the widow of Tekoah 
 told David, he was wise according to the wisdom of 
 an angel of God, to know all things that are in the 
 earth ; that is, he was very wise, as the angels are, 
 to search out, understand, and discover things. 
 Therefore Jerom thinks they are call- 
 ed cherubims from their much know- scien^ii''" c lie- 
 ledge. Cherubims, as it were, rab- '"'',"" i""^' '^''«- 
 bies, doctors, teachers of others ; and 
 this office some angels have had. Dan. viii. 1(5, 
 "Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision ;" 
 and chap. x. 14, " I am come to make thee under- 
 stand what shall befall thy people in the latter 
 days." They have jirophetical knowledge in them, 
 and a treasury of things that are past and done long 
 .since. Rev. iv. 6, 8, there is mention of four beasts 
 or living creatures, (the same with these in Ezekiel,) 
 full of eyes before and behind, because they see and 
 know what is past, and what is before them ; their 
 natural knowledge is great, being such excellent
 
 28 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 spirits. But besides that, they have much revealed 
 to them concorning God, Christ, the church, and 
 things contingent. Hence it is said, I Pet. i. 12, 
 " Which things," namely of Christ and 
 "°?a«ij,°V the gospel, " the angels desire to look 
 
 /*''*'"'■ into." The word denotes bowing down, 
 
 to pry heedfiiUy into a thing, John xx. 5. The che- 
 rubims were made looking down towards the mercy- 
 seat, Exod. XXV. and here the angels look into the 
 things of Christ, in whom are hid the treasures of 
 wisdom ; and so they grow in this knowledge daily, 
 as also in experimental knowledge, arising from 
 things done daily in the world and in the church. 
 Angels love to be at the congregation, to meet the 
 saints, and learn of and amongst them. They un- 
 derstand partly by their essences, and partly by spe- 
 cies communicated to their understandings as to 
 ours. Angels are good philosophers, they know the 
 principles, causes, cifects, life, motions, death of 
 natural things, Rev. vii. 1, 2, and xvi. 5. They 
 are great statists, and know the affairs of kingdoms: 
 Dan. X. 13, saith Gabriel, " I remained with the 
 kings of Persia;" he became a courtier, and acquaint- 
 ed himself with the affairs of Persia. 
 
 " Four living creatures." These were four angels 
 in particular; some conceive, Michael, Gabriel, Ra- 
 jihael, and Uriel, which were chief over the rest of 
 the whole host of angels. But that is not the sense, 
 neither that God only uses four angels in his ser- 
 vice ; for many thousands are employed. Luke ii. 
 13, " There was a multitude of the heavenly host ;" 
 and 2 Kings vi. 17, there was an army with the pro- 
 phet. But it relates to the object, viz. the world, 
 which is distinguished into four parts, east, west, 
 north, and south. The work of these angels laid in 
 all those parts, and none of them were exempt from 
 the presence, observation, and operation of the 
 angels. 
 
 Obfi. 1 . That God employs not ignorant, silly ones 
 in his service, but those that are intelligent, angels 
 
 ^j, p,j.., iii^ that are wise and very knowing. Such 
 mji should the angels of the churches be ; 
 
 " The priest's lips should keep knowledge," Mai. ii. 
 7. And as God is termed, 1 Sam. ii. 3, " a God of 
 knowledge ;" so should he be a man of knowledges. 
 The Pharisees were blind guides : and what a multi- 
 tude of blind priests were there till within these few 
 years in the christian world ! and too many there 
 are to this day that have their right eye darkened, 
 Zeeh. xi. 1/. But the man of God should have new 
 and old in his treasury, and be throughly furnished 
 unto every good word and work. 
 
 Oi.v. 2. That the angels are in all quarters of the 
 world, taking notice of men's words, works, and ways 
 they go ; I had almost said, of their very thoughts ; 
 Si sisiio extfrno and that they do, if discovered by some 
 pio.iauiur. Le,s. sign. Angels can be present at all 
 times, know what devils or other men can know of 
 ns ; any voice, any act they are pri\'y to ; yea, by 
 outward expressions they may gather what is with- 
 in ; they, being .spirits, can insinuate far into our 
 hearts and natures, though not immediately know 
 our thoughts. Therefore we should carry ourselves 
 soberly, rigliteously, and holily, in this world, in re- 
 gard of them. 1 Cor. xi. 10, the woman is " to liave 
 power on her head because of the angels," she is to 
 be covered, and to carry herself modestly, reverent- 
 ly, because of the angels. Psa. cxxxviii. 1, " Before 
 the gods will I sing to thee :" the Vulgate hath, ht 
 cmispectu nvgelormn, before the angels; their presence 
 should awe nu>n and women, and keep them from 
 all dishonesty ; evil words, acts, gestures, secret 
 grudging, all discontents and distempers. For as 
 tlu'y are rejoiced to discern a good frame of spirit 
 
 in you, to see you keep that order God ^nu est snge- 
 hath set in the church and state, to lis ma sign.ii- 
 walk as christians to the honour of ' "' ""' 
 God; so they are grieved to see the Majna rura vi. 
 contrary, and you must answer tor siii.t nobis i.m- 
 your sins against these great officers ro!-'i"\Ii'c 'ui a^ntre 
 in the great family of heaven and "■' pi^iiienies 
 earth. A thing that is little thought tatiims nnsiHs, 
 about; but if it be a sin to despise and f (""uslm "a"rere-' 
 grieve a believer, a brother that is in- ""'p -"t Dfum. 
 
 9 . , 1 . -i i 1 Anil.ul.iiit iiohis- 
 
 ferior to an angel, is it not mucli more cum. inmmiii.us 
 sin to dishonour their presence, and siVilScTquam 
 grieve their persons? Smoke drives pitquaui imuesio 
 away bees, and an ill savour doves ; so nationis conver- 
 do ill passages drive away the Spirit ubma'u?re,"p,"o.' 
 and angels of God. Eccl. v. 6, the lesuui qui- 
 angel that is ot God s counsel, a wit- tanuir pugnanies, 
 ness of our ways, will not take it well ; cei','t?s''!'gr"miis 
 the angel may smite thee for neglect ei» curi He nobis, 
 of duties, ill performances of them. ""' "'"'■'=■"■ 
 
 Ob-1. 3. That men should be ashamed to be igno- 
 rant, seeing angels are likened unto them for know- 
 ledge and understanding. Many men, yea, such as 
 are called christians, are brutish in their knowledge, 
 their souls serve only for salt to keep their bodies 
 from putrefaction ; Eph. ii. 12, " without God in the 
 world;" that is, without the fear, authority, and so- 
 vereignty of God falling upon their hearts, and with- 
 out the knowledge of God in their heads. And God 
 may .say of many christians, "My people is foolish, 
 they have not known me ; they are sottish children, 
 they have none imderstanding : they are wise to do 
 evil, but to do good they have no knowledge," Jcr. 
 iv. 22. The apostle bids us in understanding to be 
 men ; shall we be babes only ? Let us now be angels 
 in understanding. David was wise as an angel ; and 
 the saints .shall judge the angels, 1 Cor. vi. The 
 evil angels, they are very subtle, they have their 
 depths, methods, wiles ; and how shall we do it, if 
 we be ignorant ? They come to the assemblies to 
 get advantage to accuse us ; let us get knowledge to 
 condemn them. 
 
 Obx. 4. That God doth interest .angels, and use 
 their service in the government of the world ; not 
 only men, magistrates and ministers, but angels 
 also. The Jews made Jerusalem the career Dei et 
 prison of God and angels ; they thought auctiorum. 
 that neither God nor his angels did appear or rule 
 any wliere else. To take oif this conceit, God ap- 
 pears to Ezekiel in Baliylon after this manner, to 
 convince him, that he and his angels do govern 
 there, and in all quarters of the world, as well as at 
 Sion. That God rules in the world is granted, but 
 that angels should help to sway tlie sceptre is not 
 so credible. A little therefore to clear it. 2 Cor. iv. 
 4, " In whom the god of this world hath blinded 
 their minds." Some understand it of the true God 
 that created the world, but the best interpreters give 
 us in Satan here, and make him the god of the world, 
 and that by example, command, and Exempio, iuiperio, 
 suggestion ; and Christ doth thrice call '^i suegesnoue. ' 
 Satan the prince of the world. Job xii. 31 ; xiv. 30; 
 xvi. 11 : and Eph. ii. 2, " According to the prince of 
 the power of the air, the spirit that unaqu^que res 
 now worketh." The devil hath great ^i>^'''''s >'■''"< 
 power in the air to raise winds, to taicm s'lb" '.'rl" 
 cause storms, thunder, lightning, which |'."i''j'i"','|'u '-{""q '" 
 is the iiower of the air ; and the .same in iKic-muniio' 
 
 1 .1 1 . .1 ... i, .1 visiluli uilul nisi 
 
 power hath he in the spirits ot the per neaiuraui 
 
 children of disobedience : and by that l",','|^','Ji','5j ''"" 
 
 spirit, whereof he is lord, he can move n,mi\. part 
 
 spir; 
 then 
 
 them any way, as the winds and clouds, '*"' ""' 
 
 and carry them against Christ and his truths. Now 
 
 hence I infer, that if Satan and ill angels be as gods
 
 Ver. 5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL, 
 
 2i. 
 
 princes in this world, have power in the air and 
 hearts of wieked men ; then must it needs follow, 
 that good angels are as gods, and princes, and have 
 as much power in the world and hearts of good men 
 as they ; otherwise devils should gain by their fall 
 more than ever they had by their standing; and it 
 is not credible that wicked, damned spirits should 
 have more honourable titles and larger power than 
 the holy and glorious angels. 
 
 What are those services then good angels are em- 
 ployed in ? 
 
 Ansiv. I. To inform us of God's will, and God of 
 our ways. 
 
 They acquaint us with God's mind. Angels told 
 Abraham and Lot what God would do to Sodom, 
 Gen. xviii. xix. An angel tells Elijah what to say 
 to the messengers of the king of Samaria, 2 Kings 
 i. 3. An angel tells the apostles, that Christ shall 
 return in that manner they had seen him go up to 
 heaven. Acts i. 11. Christ tells John, Rev. xxii. 
 1(5, that he had sent his angels to testify those 
 things in the churches. The angel tells Daniel that 
 he came forth to give him skill and understanding, 
 chap. ix. 22. Matt. i. 20 ; ii. 13, an angel informs 
 Joseph of the mind of God, touching Mary and 
 Christ. So to inform God what is done here among 
 men, the angels went up the ladder as well as came 
 down. Zech. i. 11, the angel sent out by the Lord, 
 certified the Angel Christ, that stood among the 
 myrtle trees, that they had travelled up and down 
 the world ; " and behold," say they, " all the earth 
 sittelh still, and is at rest." This God 
 more^polcniis- Ao\h for lionour and not necessity, he 
 siriii resis o.nnia knowcth all things, but he will have 
 them witnesses of his will. 
 
 2. In opposing the great enemies of Christ and 
 his church, whereupon they intermeddle with kings 
 and kingdoms, and the great affairs thereof. Dan. 
 X. 20, " Knowest thou WMicrefore I come unto thee ? 
 now will I return to fight with the king of Persia: 
 and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia 
 shall come." This angel Gabriel opposed the cruel 
 edicts of Cambyses king of Persia, who laboured to 
 keep the Jews in captivity longer, and to oppress 
 them sorer than others had done ; but Gabriel kept 
 them from execution, and brought his kingdom to 
 ruin by degrees. And therefore he saith. The prince 
 of Grecia shall come : 1 will leave Persia, and go into 
 Greece, and stir up Alexander to come into Persia, 
 and spoil the king of his kingdom. When princes 
 are stirred up by flatterers and profane wretches to 
 opf.ress the godly, to hinder the work of the temple, 
 tlien angels do fight against them. Elesbaan king 
 of the Ethiopians being in arms against Dunaan a 
 tyrant, his army was much oppressed with famine 
 and the power of the tyrant ; whereupon he cried to 
 God for help, and presently heard, Gabriel, Gabriel, 
 Gabriel. Thrice he heard that voice from heaven, 
 intimating, that Gabriel would lielp him ; whereupon 
 he joined battle with tlie tyrant, overcame, killed 
 
 BaroD.anno.5C3. ™0'*'' '^^^ '""l' ''i'^ tyrant king of the 
 Amm..niu5ii,i Homcrites, and bound him in chains, 
 furafi. i^Z«i, At a great battle between Clotharius 
 ronirari'i'ias'vo"' ^'"■'^ Theodorlcus was Seen an angel 
 luniaiis, nun est with E drawn sword, and many were 
 '"'^°''' slain on both sides. Some understand 
 
 these princes to be spirits; if good, there is no dis- 
 cord between them. Good angels are without sin, 
 and so no opposition in their wills to God's, or one 
 another. If of evil s.ngels, it is that we aim at, the 
 good angels oppose and contend against the evil with 
 all their strength. Rev. xii. 7, " Michael and his 
 angels fought against the dragon and his." There 
 was a great battle in heaven, the devil and his 
 
 angels were cast out, which is for the great comfort 
 of Sion. Certainly devils and devilish men would 
 overrun all, if there were not angels emplovcd in 
 the four quarters of the world, to keep the church 
 and people of God. When Balaam and Balak would 
 have cursed God's people, an angel cometh forth 
 and fights against them, Numb. xxii. 22. This is 
 one great office of the angels, to fight against princes, 
 potentates, and men of the earth, that seek to op- 
 press the people of God, and labour to hinder temple 
 work, and the welfare of Sion. 
 
 3. To execute the judgments of God upon wicked 
 men. The death of their first-born in Egypt (which 
 was the chiefest of the plagues, and touched them 
 nearest) was done by a destroying angel ; who 
 therefore is called Hammaschchit, Exod. xii. 2.'i. 
 The destroyer shall not come into their houses, but 
 into the Egyptians' he did come ; the singular num- 
 ber is put for the plural, a thing usual in Scripture ; 
 and so the sense is, that angels were the destroyers 
 of the Egyptians. The psalmist, in Psg. lxx\'iii. 49, 
 saith, God did this work by sending evil angels 
 among them ; not that these angels were wicked 
 spirits, as some have thought, but angels or messen- 
 gers of evil, of death unto them. The Egyptian 
 sorcerers used the help of wicked angels to oppose 
 Moses and harden the Egyptians, and God used the 
 help of good angels to punish evil-doers ; they have 
 been, and are employed in such service. The an- 
 gels that came to Lot's house, smote the Sodomites 
 with blindness, great and small, which were at Lot's 
 door, Gen. xix. 11. They fetched fire from heaven, 
 and destroyed the place, ver. 13. When seventy 
 thousand died of the plague, 2 Sam. xxiv. 17, in 
 David's days, it is made the work of an angel, ver. 
 17; he saw the angel that smote the people. It 
 was an angel that slew 185,000 Assyrians, Isa. 
 xxxvii. 36. It is their work to chase and persecute 
 wicked men, Psa. xxxv. 5, 6. Often angels of God 
 do suddenly destroy them : " And immediately the 
 angel of the Lord smote him," Acts xii. 23. Lorinus 
 thinks it was the devil did it ; but it was some good 
 angel, that being zealous for God, he did vindicate 
 his glory, which was given to a mortal, sinful man. 
 Angels cannot endure this dishonour. Josephus, in 
 his 19th book, and 8th chapter, sets out this story 
 fully, how he came in, in cloth of silver, was saluted 
 as a God, saw an owl over his head, felt a pain in 
 his bowels, and said, I whom ye all 
 call a god, am commanded to leave 
 my godship, and by death to confute 
 your lie of my immortality, 
 belongeth it to angels only to punish 
 the wicked, but to exercise chastise- 
 ment upon the godly. An angel meet.s lu'astis ad mor- 
 
 ,. t,, .^ "i iTi !■ tern rapior. 
 
 Moses m the mn, and would have slam 
 him, Exod. iv. 24 ; so the Greek and the Chaldee 
 read it ; and that because he neglected the circum- 
 cision of Moses. An angel smote Zacharias with 
 dumbness, because of his unbelief, Luke i. So an 
 angel corrected David for his sin of numbering his 
 people. 
 
 4. To defend the godly, to save and deliver them 
 from harms. This is a constant office ; they keep 
 the saints from evil men, spirits, and things. Rev. 
 vii. I — 3, four angels stood on the four corners of 
 the earth, and held the four winds of the earth, that 
 they -hould not blow on the sea, or any tree : and 
 another angel cries to the four, " Hurt not the earth, 
 sea, trees, till we have sealed the servants of our 
 God in their foreheads." Psal. xxxiv. 7, " The 
 angel of the Lord cncampeth round about them that 
 fear him, and delivereth them." Angels are like 
 armies round about the general, and keep from 
 
 F.go ille vestra 
 appelhilione 
 Deus vilani re- 
 iinquere jubeor 
 Neither f-*'"!' netessHate 
 oiai giiente ves- 
 truin ineiida- 
 cium ; et qiicm 
 iminnrtaleni
 
 30 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 fiiip. 1. 
 
 danger. WTien Jacob was to meet with his brother 
 Esau, (who came witli a band of four hundred men 
 against him,) the angels of God met him, (tliey are 
 forward to tliis service). And wlien lie saw them, 
 AVhat, said he, " this is God's host;" what need I fear 
 my brother's host ? and he called the place Maha- 
 naim, or Machanaim, Gen. xxxii. 1, 2. It is in the 
 dual number, and notes two hosts, two camjis : if 
 my brother have one band, I have two ; if he have 
 men, I have angels ; if four hundred men, I have 
 twice four hundred angels. ^Vhen Elisha was in 
 Dothan, the king of Syria sent a great host with 
 horses and chariots, and they came by night, com- 
 passed the city about, and now Elisha is a lost man ; 
 and Gehazi cries out, " Alas, master ! what shall 
 we do ? Fear not," saith he, " they that be with us 
 are more than they that be with them." And 
 when the young man's eyes were opened, he saw 
 the mountain full of horses and chariots of tire, 
 and that round about Elisha, 2 Kings vi. 1-1 — 17. 
 Was there an army against Elisha ? here is an army 
 for him : were they many ? here are more : were 
 there chariots and horses ? here are chariots and 
 horses of fire. When Daniel was in the den of 
 lions, he had no fire to scare them, no weapon or 
 strength to kill them, but an angel is sent to shut 
 their mouth : so that here is a wonder, a lamb 
 amongst lions, and not rent in pieces. Where angels 
 are the lambs' keepers, there the lions are tooth- 
 less and mouthless. The angels have a special 
 charge of the godly; Psal. xci. 11, " He shall give 
 his angels charge over thee." The angels stand 
 charged with the custody of the godly; and when 
 a guard is set about a person of qualily, who dares 
 come near to hurt such a one ? It is said in ver. 7, 
 " A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand 
 at thy right hand : but it shall not come nigh thee." 
 It is nigh, when at a man's side, at his riglit hand ; 
 but it shall not come nigh to hurt thee : and what 
 is the reason ? " For he shall give his angels charge," 
 &c. They look well to their charge, they never slum- 
 ber nor .sleep. God's care of his church now, is greater 
 than it was under the law, for the watch is double to 
 what it was then, there are twelve angels at the 
 gates of Jerusalem, Rev. xxi. 12; whereas in Ezekiel 
 ix. 2, there were but six. The church being now 
 enlarged, the enemies are enraged, and the guard- 
 ing angels increased. No sooner were the apostles 
 imprisoned, but an angel brings them forth. Acts v. 
 18, 19. And what great things the angel did for 
 Peter, Acts xii. is known to all ; his deliverance was 
 so great, that they could not believe he was come 
 forth and knocked at the door, but that it was his 
 angel, ver. 15; whence the opinion of tutelar angels 
 hath received great strength. Some affirm from 
 hence, that every man hath his particular angel to 
 keep him, Dan. vi. 22, which seems rather a I'laton- 
 ical conceit, than a Scripture truth, for Isidorus 
 Clarius turns this place, his messenger, 
 
 Nuiicius ejus. 1 ., I .* 1 • o ■ i 
 
 and so the word is used in Scripture. 
 Judg. ii. I, " The angel of the Lord came up," or 
 messenger, as it is in the margin ; and Mai. iii. 1, 
 " I will send my messenger," the Hebrew is, my 
 angel. And surely this party that knocked at the 
 door they supposed was Peter's messenger, not his 
 angel : and if this be well rendered angel, why is 
 ixiri^eivTicviwv not that so rendered, Luke vii. 24, The 
 "••Tf*"" ''""'"'■ angels of John being departed: it is, 
 the messenger, and so it were better here, his mes- 
 senger, than, his angel ; for .shall we suppose the 
 faithful so ignorant, as to think an angel could not 
 come in without knocking, and having doors ojicncd.' 
 Besides, the apparition of an angel would have 
 affrighted them greatly. Not to stick at this, 
 
 although we find no warrant in the word for assign- 
 ment of a particular angel to every man, yet we 
 acknowledge many angels appointed to that work. 
 Matt, xviii. 10, " Their angels " (not their angel) 
 " behold the face of my Father." 
 
 5. To guide and lead the godly in good and safe 
 ways. Gen. xxiv. 7, " He shall send his angels be- 
 fore thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son 
 from thence." So ver. 40, " He will send his angel 
 with thee, and prosper thy way." The business of 
 marriage is so weighty and honourable, that angels' 
 presence and assistance is in it : angels are present 
 and preside over that work. Psa. xci. 11, 12, they 
 are charged to keep thee in all thy ways, to bear 
 thee up in their arms ; that is, their strength shall 
 be employed to uphold and lead thee in a good way. 
 God begets children to himself by the word and 
 Spirit, and puts them forth to angels to nurse, to 
 guide, and lead ; it is a metaphor taken from nurses, 
 that bear their children upon their arms, and lift 
 them over thresholds. Exod. xxxii. 24, " Behold," 
 saith God to Moses, " my angel shall go before 
 thee :" he was to go to Canaan, and an , ,. 
 angel was to lead him that way. An- Hoium.i enrum 
 gels are well acquainted with the ways ^""t ^''-^ «='""!. 
 to heaven ; if you will go that way, you are sure to 
 meet with angels. 
 
 6. To comfort. Next to Christ and the Spirit, 
 angels are the best comforters, because they stand 
 nearest God always, before his face, and they are 
 sent to comfort God's servants, when in straits, under 
 pressures. Mary was a poor maid, of mean con- 
 dition, and to her comes an angel. Luke i. 30, 
 " Fear not, Mary; thou hast found favour with God." 
 So Cornelius, " Thy prayers and alms are come up 
 a memorial before God," Acts x. 4. When the ship 
 was tossed, waves, winds, and darkness conspired 
 their ruin, then saith Paul, An angel stood by me, 
 and said. Fear not, Paul, God hath given thee thy 
 life, and the lives of all with thee, wherefore be of 
 good cheer, Acts xxvii. 23 — 25. He had drank a cup of 
 angelical consolation, and knew well to comfort them 
 with the same consolation. When Daniel fasted 
 and prayed, and was much afflicted for his people, 
 " O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the 
 words that I speak unto thee ; for unto thee am 
 I now sent. — Fear not, Daniel," Dan. x. II, 12. 
 Mary rises early, and meets with angels that com- 
 forted her, John xx. An angel appeared to Christ 
 and strengthened him, Luke xxii. 43 ; the servant 
 comforted the Master. 
 
 7. To look unto the souls of men, that they fall 
 not into the hands of devils at their death ; for if 
 the devil durst contend with Michael for the body 
 of Moses, much more for the souls of men. Luke 
 xvi. 22, Lazarus's soul was carried by the angels 
 into Abraham's bosom : men carry the body to the 
 ground, but angels carry the soul to glory, they 
 guard it through the clouds into the presence of the 
 blessed God : before he had none but dogs to pity 
 him, now he hath angels to attend him. 'The devil 
 is mighty busy while we live, he goes about like a 
 roaring lion, but at death then he is most busy, and 
 presumes there is a tree cut down for his fire. 
 
 8. They are God's reapers at the end of the 
 world. Matt. xxiv. 31, " He shall send his angels, 
 and they shall gather together his elect from the 
 four winds, from one end of the world to another ; " 
 they must blow that terrible trumpet, awaken the 
 dead, and cite them to judgment ; they must gather 
 the ashes of saints together. Matt. xiii. 41, 42, 
 " The Son of man shall send his angels, and they 
 .shall," &c. Basil, in his Homily of Forty Martyrs, 
 tells of one that seeing them thrust in a winter's
 
 Veb. r>. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 31 
 
 night into a cold lake, lie saw angels descend, and 
 putting crowns upon all their heads, but one. 
 
 9. To declare kingdoms, cities, people cursed. 
 Judg. V. 23, Curse ye Meroz bitterly, said the angel 
 A LapiH. in lo- of the Lord, because they came not out 
 
 cum. to help, ifcc. Some think this angel 
 
 was Michael, who was general in this war, but 
 that is the opinion of men, not the warrant of 
 Scripture. 
 
 10. The angels have work and power in the 
 church of God. Rev. xv. 6, " Seven angels came 
 out of the temple;" and chap. xiv. 15, l/i "An- 
 other angel came out of the temple." Angels being 
 in the temple is often spoken of, and notes some 
 power that they have in the assemblies under the 
 
 S^^P*^'- Zech. iii. The stone with 
 seven eyes, some make to be Christ 
 with his angels that are employed for the government 
 of the church throughout the world ; and surely 
 Michael and his angels do contend daily in the as- 
 semblies against the dragon and his. In the assem- 
 blies devils are present and active ; Satan stood at 
 Joshua's right hand to resist him, to hinder all the 
 temple work. When we are near God, devils are 
 near us, intending mischief; but angels are at hand, 
 and hinder their designs ; they observe us, and our 
 carriages in the congregation. Eccl. v. 6, make not 
 vows, and tlien slight them, there is an angel pre- 
 sent ; and it will not be enough to say it was an 
 error, God will be angry, and an angel may smite 
 thee for it : this is spolven of us, when we are in the 
 house of God, there the angels keep special watch, 
 i.iti. 6. lie p-lio Josephus saith, that the voice of an 
 qll'amus'has'se'" augel was heard out of the temple, 
 ""• saying. Let us leave these seats ; tliey 
 
 had a place in the church as well as the others. And 
 L. 7. c, 1'-'. Mi- again, he saith, the angels were the 
 grcmus ii'inc. keepers of the Jewish people, and that 
 a little before the Romans' coming was heard a 
 voice out of the temple. Let us go hence : and 
 AuiiitH major a heathen writer saith, that a voice 
 cf.'ieredeos" '" gi'Ctitfr than man's was heard. That 
 Tacii. ' the gods were departing. 
 
 Ver. 6. And everij one had four faces, and 
 every one hadfjtir wings. 
 
 Now we come to their several parts ; and first of 
 their faces, which are mentioned here in the 8th 
 and 10th verses. Every one had four faces, and the 
 likeness of their faces were : 
 
 1. The face of a man. 
 
 2. Of a lion. 
 
 3. Of an ox. 
 
 4. Of an eagle. 
 
 In some pictures you may see several faces, so 
 drawn they are, that which way soever you look, a 
 several face is presented ; so here, before was the 
 face of a man, behind of an eagle, on the right side 
 of a lion, and on the left side of an ox : here is not 
 a face but is compared to the face of some principal 
 creature; man is the chief of all the rest ; a lion is 
 the king of wild beasts ; the ox is the chief of tame 
 ones; and the eagle, of birds. 
 
 The face of a man represents to ns the under- 
 standings of angels, and that their administrations 
 are with knowledge and equity ; of tills we have 
 already spoken. 
 
 This face is put, first, to show the excellency of 
 reason, which must have the introduction into and 
 managing of all actions, else they are neither human 
 nor angelical. 
 
 By this face also is noted their love to mankind. 
 
 Angels are of a loving nature, and most careful of 
 men ; therefore it is said, Ileb. i. 14, They are 
 ministering spirits sent out, &c. 
 
 The face of a lion signifies the strength of angels. 
 A lion is a creature of great strength ; Prov. xxx. 
 30, " The strongest among beasts, and turneth not 
 away for any ;" he never flies or fears: Arisi. nunquam 
 Isa. xxxi. 4, If a multitude of shep- tugit aut meiuit. 
 herds be called forth, he will not be afraid of them, 
 nor abase himself at their noise ; and Judg. xiv. 
 18, " What is stronger than a lion ?" said the inter- 
 preter of Samson's riddle ; and we may say, Among 
 all creatures, what is stronger than an angel ? The 
 Scripture calls the devil, the strong one, , , 
 Matt. xii. 29, and so it calls the angel, "' '""'^°"- 
 Rev. X. I, "I saw a mighty angel;" and they are 
 very mighty : an angel can hinder the blowing of the 
 wind, Rev. vii. 1 j stop the mouths of lions, Dan. 
 vi. 22 ; break iron chains, open prison doors, and 
 iron gates. Acts xii.; an angel can smite with blind- 
 ness, Gen. xix. 11 ; 2 Kings vi. 18 ; both Sodomites 
 and Syrians were so smitten. Angels work upon the 
 fancy, Matt. ii. 13, 19, 20, suggest many things of 
 great and good use to the mind; for if devils can 
 take the word out of our minds, sow tares in the 
 field, Luke viii. 12 ; Matt. xiii. 24, 25, put devilish 
 thoughts into the heart, John xiii. 2, work power- 
 fully in the heart of the disobedient, Eph. ii. 1, and 
 trouble their spirits, 1 Sam. xvi. 15 ; I see not but 
 good angels may do as much, being more potent 
 than they. Rev. xii. Michael and his angels over- 
 came the dragon and his ; and Psal. ciii. 20, they 
 excel in strength ; they are called ej-'ercilus calestis, 
 the heavenly host, Luke ii. 13; one can do more than 
 a great army ; one slew 185,000 in a night, 2 Kings 
 xix. 35. They are beltatores fortissimi, and have ap- 
 peared most valiant warriors. David saw an angel 
 with a sword in his hand stretched over Jerusalem, 
 2 Chron. xxi. IG. Elisha saw them with horses and 
 chariots of fire, 2 Kings vi. 17. As such, angels 
 are God's militia ; " The chariots of God are twenty 
 thousand, even thousands of angels," Psal. Ixviii. 
 17; they stand always before God, and can do what- 
 ever God wills and commands. 
 
 This consideration of the strength of angels 
 should add to our comforts and God's praises. If a 
 man be in danger, and have a strong convoy ap- 
 pointed by the king, he is secure, much comforted, 
 and thankful too, that majesty hath appointed it. 
 God hath given us the mighty angels, that are 
 stronger than lions, to be our guard to convoy us 
 through the wilderness of this world ; let it multiply 
 our comforts, and God's praises. 
 
 The next face is that of an ox ; and it shows the 
 willing obedience, faithfulness, patience, and useful- 
 ness of angels in their ministrations ; for an ox ac- 
 customed to the yoke is very tractable, not stubborn, 
 as untamed heifers are. Hos. x. 11, " Ephraim is 
 as a heifer that is taught, and loves to tread out the 
 corn ; " a heifer taught, and delighting in her work, 
 is willing to it; such are angels, Psal. eiii. 20. They 
 hearken to the voice of his word, they look upon 
 God as the great General, and if he give out the 
 word, they give out their strength, and go about the 
 work willingly. They are very attentive to his com- 
 mands ; if he says. Go smite Herod for his pride, 
 Balaam for his covetousness, David for his vain- 
 glory, Sennacherib for his blasphemy, and Sodom 
 for its uncleanness, presently they go. 
 
 2. Faithfulness. An ox doth faithful prastai fidmn 
 service ; horses do oft deceive in their miuisien.im. 
 ser\-ice, but an ox seldom, in ploughing or carrying 
 of b rdens. So angels are faithful in their miiiis- 
 tralioiis, they fail not in the least particular : the
 
 32 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 angel would not let John worship him ; and the 
 angels would not suiTer Lot to linger in Sodom. 
 
 3. Patience. An ox is a patient creature ; what 
 burden soever is laid upon him, or what work so- 
 ever he is employed in, the ox is not impatient : so 
 the angels, they are patient in their ministration, 
 tliough they meet with much opposition. The prince 
 of Persia withstood Gabriel twenty-one days, Dan. 
 X. 13. In the midst of oppositions and great services, 
 they are witliout all impatience ; though their work 
 never end. Rev. iv. 8, yet they never complain. 
 
 4. Usefulness. Prov. xiv. 4, " Much increase is by 
 the strength of the ox." No creature more useful to the 
 support of a family than the ox ; for of old, all the 
 ploughing was by oxen. Elijah finds Elislia plough- 
 ing with twelveyokeofoxen, 1 Kingsxix. 19. AndJob 
 had five hundred yoke of oxen ; and it is said, they 
 W'ere ploughing. Job i. 3, 14; no mention of horses : 
 and in some places of this kingdom the)' make 
 greatest use of oxen. By their streugtli, kingdoms 
 and families are maintained. Therefore, Moses, 
 Deut. iii. 17, compares Joseph to the bullock or 
 ox, because he sustained his father's family and 
 Egypt with corn. Exod xxii. 1, if an ox or sheep 
 were stolen, and so killed, or sold, the thief was to 
 restore five for the ox, four for the sheep ; and the 
 reason was, because of the usefulness of those crea- 
 tures ; they served for sacrifice to God, to plough 
 the earth, to feed and clothe the family ; in other 
 things they were to restore only double. David 
 makes it one part of the happiness of a common- 
 wealth, that the oxen be strong to labour, Psal. 
 cxliv. 14. Oxen are needful and useful creatures ; 
 and angels herein resemble oxen, they are minis- 
 tering spirits, sent out for the service of God's 
 family, they live not to themselves, but to the pub- 
 lic. In the Revelation you may read what great 
 services the angels are employed in ; they sound 
 the trumpets, and pour out the vials of God's wrath ; 
 they preserve the saints from the violence of devils 
 and devilish men. 
 
 This instructs man to he like angels in these 
 qualities ; if God command, call for any duty, to be 
 obedient, yielding, and to say, with Samuel, Here 
 T am, speak. Lord, thy servant is willing to hear, 
 ready to obey. And when we are in the service, 
 let us be faithful, do it conscionably ; let us be pa- 
 tient, although we meet with delays, oppositions, 
 reproaches, and loss ; let us be serviceable and j)ro- 
 filable to others. Angels have no benefit by their 
 ministrations, God hath the glory, and man the 
 good. 
 
 The last face is of an eagle, and in it, as in a glass, 
 we may see the pcrspicaciousness, swiftness, and 
 vivacity of the angels ; for these three are in eagles 
 observable. 
 
 1. They are quick-sighted; Job xxxix. 29, " Her 
 eyes bcliold alar oil'," speaking of the eagle ; from 
 the to]) of the rocks, out of the clouds, they are said 
 to behold fishes swimming in the seas; so strong is 
 their siglit, that they soar aloft, andean along time 
 behoUl tlie sun with open and stedfast eyes. Scaliger 
 hath seen it in a tamed eagle. A man of acute 
 
 inaquiiaciiu- V'"'^^' ^^^^ '^'^" ^''^ quick and far into 
 r«ta. Mer/iii in matters, we say he is eagle-eyed ; the 
 ""' '^' ^^' angels are not wanting in this particu- 
 lar, they are quick-sighted, 2 Sam. xiv. 20. And 
 Rev. iv. (), the four beasts there mentioned, being 
 the same here in Ezekiel, are said to be " full of eyes 
 before and behind ;" and in the 8th verse, " full of 
 eyes within ;" they have much natural knowledge, 
 miieli revealed knowledge, set out by their eyes 
 within, and nuich experimental knowledge coming 
 in by their observation and deep in.>ight into things. 
 
 noted by their eyes before and behind ; they .soai 
 aloft, stand before God, behold tlie face of God 
 always. Matt, xviii. 10. 
 
 2. Eagles are swift in their flight ; 
 
 2 Sam. i. 23, " Swifter than eagles ;" ^""'^ "■'■ "' 
 and Jobix. 26, "The eagle maketh haste to the prey." 
 Pindar calls the eagle the queen of birds, for her 
 swiftness, no fowl files more swiftly tlian the eagle ; 
 hence, when things were to be done suddenly, the 
 Scripture mentioneth the eagle ; Hos. viii. 1, " He 
 shall come as an eagle against the house of the 
 Lord;" that is, Nebuchadnezzar shall come sud- 
 denly. Angels are no dull creatures ; in a night the 
 destroying angel slew all the first-born in Egypt ; in 
 anight, 185,000 in the camp of Sennacherib; and 
 Dan. ix. 21, Gabriel came fiying swiftly to Daniel ; 
 " and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude 
 of the heavenly host," Luke ii. 13. 
 
 3. Eagles are fresh and lively always, age and 
 sickness works not upon them as upon other birds ; 
 the eagle in her age is vouthful ; how then doth she 
 die.!' L-linv tells us, tlmit is neither ^,,, ,„„,, j.biii. 
 age nor sickness that kills the eagle, uim. nn morbis 
 but hunger; the upper bill groweth so "'">'»'"'«'• 
 over the under, that she cannot open her mouth to 
 take in sustenance, and so dies. Psal. ciii. 5, " Thy 
 youth is renewed like the eagle's ;" the (.,.^^^^^ mnfaii- 
 eagle is renewed by the oft change of one penuaium. 
 her feathers. The cherubims before "'"'"'■ 
 
 the mercy-seat (which represented the imberbes m ju- 
 angels) were without beards, to show *'"^''"- 
 
 their vigour, vivacity, and eternity. Angels never 
 grow old, they are always lusty and lively, their 
 service doth not wear them out ; it is man's sin that 
 withers and consumes him more than his work. 
 Adam should never have looked old, never have de- 
 cayed, but retained an immortal vivacity, if he had not 
 sinned. Angels are lively in their service, not dull. 
 
 06.V. 1. That angels are fit for public and great 
 service ; they have four faces, a man's, a lion's, an 
 ox's, an eagle's, which tells us they have all that is 
 requisite to great undertakings. They have wisdom 
 to consult, to contrive and manage the affairs of the 
 world prudentially ; they have the strength of a 
 lion to execute, they have the willingness and faith- 
 fulness of the ox to rejoice the heart of the com- 
 mander, patience to undergo the difficulties of the 
 work, and usefulness for the public. They are 
 quick-sighted to discern and prevent the designs of 
 enemies, and speedily to despatch much in a little 
 time, and that with cheerfulness ; this is meant by 
 their four faces, which notes their perfection and 
 fitness for service in all parts of the world ; in re- 
 gard of which, and the prophet to whom this vision 
 was made, they are said to have one face before, 
 another behind, and on each side one ; and that God 
 doth use tlieir service in all creatures rational and 
 irrational ; they have the shapes of men, birds, and 
 beasts. 
 
 Obs. 2. That suitable persons ought to be em- 
 ployed in pidjlic and great services. God employs 
 angels in the government of the world, who are 
 wise, trusty, strong, and speedy : and you know what 
 men God calls for in the state and church. Exod. 
 xviii. 21, " Provide thou out of the people able men, 
 such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness, 
 and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, 
 hundreds, fifties, tens ;" he must search amongst all 
 the people for such, far and near, and if in one 
 tribe he cannot find them, he must in another. The 
 time hath been, that seniority, money, favoiu', friend- 
 ship, have carried the great j)laces in this city ; but 
 you have smarted for it ; instead of good angels you 
 have had ill spirits. Now I hope you will not luc^k
 
 Ver. 6. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 33 
 
 who hath most money, or best friends to support 
 him, but most wisdom in his head, and zeal in his 
 heart, and God on his side. Now I trust you will 
 learn of God, and employ such as have the faces of 
 men, lions, oxen, and eagles, men full of wisdom, 
 courage, trust, serviceableness to the public, and of 
 great despatch ; such should be in the city, and in 
 the army. So for the church, you know what men 
 God points you to, 1 Tim. iii. and i Pet. v. God's 
 bishops must not lord it over God's heritage, and 
 exeixise dominion over it ; God's officers must not be 
 prelatical ; it is the Heece, and not the tlock, that 
 such men look after, unless it be to scatter, to wound 
 their conscience, and suck their blood : some of that 
 sect, instead of preaching to save souls, have only 
 plotted to ruin kingdoms. 
 
 06s. 3. That angels being noble and glorious 
 creatures, disdain not to do service to them that are 
 far beneath themselves. Man at first, when in his 
 glory, was under the angels ; but now, since he sin- 
 ned, he is fallen lower, as low as hell. Man is now 
 a miserable, mortal creature, he hath a vile body, a 
 defiled conscience, and a polluted sou] ; yet angels, 
 that are styled gods, Psal. viii. 5, so is the original, 
 that are cherubims of glory, Heb. ix. 5, that are 
 holy. Matt. xxv. 31, elect, ITim. v. 21, that are of 
 the privy council of heaven, and the life-guard of 
 God himself, Matt, xviii. 10; even these blessed 
 creatures are not ashamed to serve us; though we 
 have the scent of the earth and hell about us, though 
 we do oft grieve and offend them with our sinful 
 carriages, and the great God their Lord and Master, 
 yet they despise us not, but cheerfully minister unto 
 us. Would any great prince attend a mean man full 
 of sores and vermin ? if so, it argues wonderful hu- 
 mility. It is more that angels do, in waiting upon 
 us. It is monstrous pride then in men that have 
 parts, place, honour, greatness, grace, whatever it 
 be, not to stoop to those that are inferior : thou hast 
 not more worth in thee any way than an angel hath ; 
 and angels condescend to serve us : therefore let us 
 not mind high things, but condescend to men of low 
 estate, and not be wise in our own conceit, Rom. 
 xii. Hi. 
 
 Obs. 4. That God desires speed in his service. An- 
 gels are swift as eagles, and despatch great things in 
 a little time ; they know a dull, lazy motion is not the 
 motion Heaven approves ; Zech. ii. 4, saith one angel 
 to another, " Run, speak to this young man ;" going 
 is not sufficient, where running can be had : Festina 
 lente. Hasten by slow degrees,is not a motto for heaven's 
 gates. In the worst work that ever was in the world, 
 Christ calls for speed, " That thou doest, do quickly," 
 John xiii. 27, when Judas was about his treason. 
 Speed and life in businesses is commendable and ac- 
 ceptable ; Matt. V. 25, " Agree with thine adversary 
 quickly." Darius would have his decree done speed- 
 ily, Ezra vi. 12 ; and God would have his decrees and 
 will fulfilled, done with speed. Zech. viii. 21, it is 
 God's will now, that you should help him against the 
 mighty. When the temple was to be built, the people 
 came so fast, brought in so much, that they were bid 
 to stay, and that work of theirs was pleasing to God 
 and man. We have a Babel to pull down, as well 
 as a temple to build ; can you be employed better ? 
 Luke xvi. you are stewards, and may quickly be 
 called to account, be speedy in what you do 
 
 In the 11th verse you have one thing more touch- 
 ing their faces, and that is, their faces were stretched 
 upwards ; " Thus were their faces." It is in your 
 books, as if it had reference only to the former verse, 
 and not to what follows in the eleventh; but Montanus 
 and others, that render the Hebrew exactly, read it 
 tiius, But their faces and their wings were stretched 
 
 upwards : it is true, they have the faces of men and 
 beasts, but they are stretched upward, they looked 
 up to him that sat upon the throne, which was 
 Christ. The cherubims' faces, Exod. xxv. 20, 21, 
 were towards the mercy-scat, and that was above 
 upon the ark ; so that there and here, the cheru- 
 bims, these angels, look upward. 
 
 Obs. 1 . That all creatures depend upon Christ ; 
 these angels have the faces of men, lions, oxen, 
 eagles, and look up to him. If there were nothing 
 in it but this, that angels in their own nature look 
 up, it might convince us, that all inferior creatures 
 do depend upon him, as well as those noble ones ; 
 but when they come in with the faces of other crea- 
 tures looking up, it is clear evidence, that all depend 
 upon Christ. Col. i. 16, 17, " By him were all 
 things created, that are in heaven, and that are in 
 earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or do- 
 minions, or principalities, or powers: all things were 
 created by him, and for him, — and by him all things 
 do consist." He holds all in his hand, heaven and 
 earth, men and angels, they all consist and subsist 
 in him. Heb. i. 3, " He upholds all things by the 
 word of his power." 
 
 Obs. 2. That in all our ministrations, we are to 
 have our instructions and (hrections from Christ. 
 Angels look up to him ; if he speak, they hear, they 
 move and act ; if not, they stir not. Moses and 
 Aaron did nothing in the state or church, without 
 direction from God. Princes must look into the law 
 of God continually. Dent. xvii. that they may do 
 things warrantably : the centurion's soldiers and 
 servants did come, go, and do at his appointment, 
 not their own ; and angels run not of their own 
 heads, they will hear a word of command, have a 
 commission from Christ, before they go. It is not 
 enough that we be knowing, full of courage, quick 
 to despatch much ; a commission, a warrant from God 
 we must have, else all our doing is nothing: if we 
 do the will of God without knowing we are war- 
 ranted by God to do it, it is rather sin than service. 
 Prov. iii. 5, 6, " Lean not to thine own understand- 
 ing i" let it be never so great, acute, clear, it is not 
 beyond angels' ; they look up to God, and so must 
 thou ; " In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he 
 shall direct thy paths." Christ is the great Coun- 
 sellor, and we must not in one or two, or some great 
 exigence of business consult with him ; but in all our 
 ways, whatever we attempt for ourselves, families, 
 state, or church, we must consult with him that sits 
 upon the throne, and he will direct our paths. Most 
 miscarry in their ways, or make little progress, be- 
 cause they consult not at all, or very little, with 
 Christ ; whereas if men did consult with Christ, and 
 do all upon his warrant, upon a divine ground, they 
 should never miscarry in their ways, but proceed 
 further in the paths of godliness in a few weeks, 
 than they did before in many years. When David 
 had consulted with God, he could say, God was at 
 his right hand, so that he should not be moved, 
 Psa. xvi. 
 
 Obs. 3. That the pleasure of Christ is worthy our 
 waiting for. Angels look up and attend what he will 
 say, and make known unto them ; these holy, glo- 
 rious, and mighty creatures think not much to wait 
 upon Christ, and exercise their patience till he 
 please to reveal his mind. Christ is a great King, 
 the only Counsellor, and his counsel of infinite worth, 
 and it is not state, but equity, that all creatures wait 
 upon him. Angels do it, and shall we grudge at it ? 
 Psal. cxxiii. 1, 2, " Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O 
 thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the 
 eyes of servants look to the hand of Ibcir master, 
 and as the eyes of a maiden to the hands of her
 
 34 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 miolrcsi?, so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God." 
 He interprets the meaning of loolving up, which is 
 waiting upon God, fur manifestation of himself. 
 Psal. V. 3, David would (hrect his prayer to God, 
 and look up; not down to the world, down to corrup- 
 tion, but up to God, what he would speak. Psal. 
 Ixxxv. 8, " 1 will hear what God the Lord will speak." 
 Let the resolution of the prophet be thine, " I will 
 look unto the Lord ; I will wait for the God of my 
 salvation : my God will hear me," Mic. vii. /. 
 
 Obs. 4. That Christ is an object of admiration and 
 adoration. The looking upwards is signum admira- 
 tionis et ti/pus reverentia, a token of admiration and 
 an example of reverence. The cherubims looked 
 towards the mercy-seat, admiring and adoring him 
 who was figured by it; and we lift up our faces to- 
 wards heaven, when we admire and adore God : you 
 have the phrase in Job xxii. 26, " Thou shalt have 
 thy delight in the Almighty, and lift up thy face 
 unto God;" that is, admire and adore that God thou 
 delightest in. Wliere is most delight, there is most 
 admiration and adoration. Christ is the delight of 
 angels ; when he was incarnate, they bowed down to 
 pry into that mystery ; and now he is glorified, they 
 look up to admire him. There is still matter of ad- 
 miration in Christ, all in him is not yet discovered ; 
 2 Thess. i. 10, Christ shall come to be admired in 
 all them that believe. As it is in a country when it 
 is discovered, still new and new things are met with, 
 so in Christ. The vision of Christ is compared to 
 river water, and that is always new and fresh ; and 
 to a tree of life, with twelve manner of fruits every 
 month, Rev. xxii. 1, 2. The vision and fruition of 
 God is new, savoury, and pleasant unto them every 
 month, day, and hour ; and this is to angels as well 
 as to any other. Christ also shall be adored ; Heb. 
 i. 6, " Let all the angels of God adore him :" they 
 do look up, acknowledge him God, and tender to 
 him that glory the Father hath, even adoration. 
 He that was despised, rejected of men, the stone dis- 
 allowed of the master bidlders, that we hid our faces 
 from, and esteemed not, is the object of angels' 
 adoration. 
 
 Obs. 5. That the service of Jesus Christ is honour- 
 able service. Angels do stretch up their faces and 
 wait for it ; and it is the glory of the angels, that 
 they are ministering spirits sent out by Christ. Heb. 
 i. 14, is a comparison between the glory of Christ 
 and angels ; and their glory is, that they are his ser- 
 vants. We think the service of great persons is an 
 honour to us. Who is greater than Christ ? All 
 power in heaven and earth is given unto him, Matt, 
 xxviii. And he is more honourable than all princes ; 
 he is King of kings, and must be honoured as the 
 Father, John v. The apostles counted it their great 
 Ser- ire Deo. est honour to be servants of Christ ; Paul, 
 regiiare. fhiio. Jamcs, Judc, Pctcr, begin their epistles 
 with it ; (hey set it in the front, as the most honour- 
 able title. This service is liberty, not bondage ; his 
 Spirit is a Spirit of liberty, his law is a law of 
 Ser.aus chrisii- liberty ; and, Rom. viii. 2, " The law of 
 hberte "X,"'. 'lie siiirit of life in Christ, hath made 
 in rial. 99. me free from the law of sin and death ;" 
 
 he that is not the servant of Christ, is the slave of 
 Satan. This service is spiritual, profitable, honour- 
 able. David had rather be a door-keeper in Christ's 
 house, than dwell in the tents of wickedness, Psal. 
 Ixxxiv. Luther said, he had rather fall with Christ 
 than stand with Caesar. John xii. 26, " If any man 
 will serve me, him will my Father honour." If we serve 
 Christ, angels are our fellow-servants. Rev. xxii. 9. 
 
 06.S. 6. That holy creatures have heavenly minds. 
 Angels look up, and that in their employments, 
 their eyes are fixed above upon the Lord Christ; 
 
 and it is certain where there is holiness, it carries 
 uijward ; water will rise as high as the .. « 
 sprmg, and so dotli tlie water ot the t.. jVu. uH^eri., 
 .Spirit. Pauls conversation was in «ar.is,oi a.u. 
 heaven, Phil. iii. 20. Rev. x. 2, an ff""'' ""i\L' 1' 
 
 ' 11- "'^ same. Os l»o- 
 
 angel hath sea and earth under his mpoi suWime 
 feet; and Rev. xii. 1, the church ''"'"• 
 hath the moon under her feet, all ceremonial wor- 
 ship, all mutables in the world ; and saith, Cant, 
 vii. 10, " I am my beloved's, and his desire is to- 
 wards me." The church finding Christ's affection 
 towards her, cannot but look out, and look up. 
 Most men look downwards, and are neither like 
 angels nor men, more like swine, worms, moles. 
 Many are loth to come near God, lest he should 
 say, " Put off" thy shoes from thy feet," put off thy 
 earthliness : if we would have God look down from 
 heaven, we must look up to heaven. David said, 
 " When I awake I am still with thee," Psal. cxxxix. 
 18. He was with God when he lay down, and with 
 him when he awoke and rose. 
 
 The next thing is their wings, mentioned in the 
 6th verse, " every one had four wings ;" and ver. 
 8, " under their wings on their four sides ;" and in 
 ver. 8, " they four had their faces and their wings ;" 
 and in ver. 9, " their wings were joined one to 
 another;" ver. 11, "their wings were stretched up- 
 ward, two of every one were joined one to another, 
 and two covered their boches." 
 
 Angels are set forth to us in Scripture with 
 wings ; here with four ; in Isa. vi. and Rev. iv. 
 with six wings each of them : and they are said to 
 be winged, for the agility of their natures, and swift 
 motion in executing their office. Tertullian saith, 
 Every spirit is winged, they fly in a omnis spiritus 
 moment into any part of the world, to "'" •*"■ 
 execute the commands of God. Gabriel came fly- 
 ing to Daniel, chap. ix. 21, and that swiftly. 
 
 ■Their wings are four, but the seraphims, in Isa. 
 vi. and the four beasts, in Rev. iv. are set out by six 
 wings each of them. A question hereupon arises. 
 Why, the visions being correspondent, the angels 
 liere are described only with four wings. Ansiv. I'hat 
 pair of wings which is wanting here did cover the face 
 oflsaiah'sseraphims, and John's four beasts; for they, 
 standing before the throne and face of God, were 
 not able to behold such majesty, brightness, and 
 glory with open face, although they were most pure 
 creatures. We cannot look upon the sun in its 
 strength and glory, but we cover our eyes with our 
 hand ; so they their faces with their wings. Now 
 here was something instead of these wings, and did 
 the office of those wings, and that was the firma- 
 ment : ver. 22, " The likeness of the firmament upon 
 the heads of the living creatures ;" and ver. 26, 
 " Above the firmament was the throne." This fir- 
 mament interposed between the lustre of divine 
 glory and their eyes, as the wings did in the prophet's 
 and apostle's vision, and therefore here was no need 
 of that pair of wings ; they were not before the 
 throne, but sub erpanso, under the firmament, and to 
 do works beneath the world. 
 
 Obs. That the glory and majesty of God is such 
 as no eye can fully behold ; there wings, here the 
 firmament, is interposed between God and angels. 
 When God came down upon mount Sinai, and mani- 
 fested his majesty and glory, what said the people ? 
 " Speak thou to us, and not the Lord, lest we die." 
 They could not endure the shining of Moses's face, 
 much less the lustre and majesty of the Lord's: 
 something must intervene, else man dies for it. 
 
 Touching the wings of these angels, three things 
 are laid down : 1. The conjunction of their wings; 
 2. The execution of them ; 3. The use.
 
 Ver. 6. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 35 
 
 The conjunction is in the 9th verse, " Their wings 
 were joined one to another;" and ver. 11, "Two 
 wings of every one were joined one to another." The 
 extremity of their wings, when stretched out and 
 ready to fly, did touch one another; so as they 
 seemed to have but one wing. 
 
 Obs. 1. That there is mutual love and much agree- 
 ment between the angels. The connexion of their 
 -..,,-.„ i,o -.», , wings, notes the connexion of their 
 Keen, ma a.1 so- hearts ; and the Hebrew is. As sisters 
 rorem sua..,. jj^^^j j^^.p ^^^ another entirely, and work 
 
 together most sweetly, so are the angels, they love 
 and labour together most sweetly ; there be no 
 divisions or distractions among them, what business 
 soever is a]ipointed, they all agree in. We men can 
 hardly agree in any one business ; so many men, so 
 Aiiudsiam.aiiud many minds. Sallust told Tully, that 
 hca "sln'!s.^'''i')e- '"=* mind was very changeable concem- 
 clam. m vumn. jng the Commonwealth ; and it is true 
 of most of us, what we allow now in matters of the 
 state or church, we condemn anon, and so are at 
 iigreement neither with others, nor with ourselves ; 
 but angelical concord parallels, yea exceeds our dis- 
 cord ; angels are all love, peace, and unity. 
 . . Obs. 2. That there is a blessed har- 
 
 e«itiii(E.iievats, mony in the works of God done by 
 conjantta;. angels ; their wings go evenly, jointly, 
 
 not one before another, above another, divided any 
 way, but there is unity and uniformity in all tlieir 
 actions and operations. Could we behold the actions 
 and works of angels, we should see such glory and 
 beauty, as never was seen in the works of men. If 
 we look upon a building that is uniform, and every 
 part proportionable, we are much taken with it : a 
 garden that is drawn out exactly, and every thing 
 in it set in order ; an army that keepeth rank and 
 posture, and proceeds in all things according to 
 rule, how beautiful and comely are they ! All the 
 actions of angels are such ; one runneth not before 
 another, one is not divided from another, one dis- 
 allows not what another doth ; but their harmony 
 and correspondency is such, that if a man could see 
 the same, lie would be ravished with the works of 
 angels. Jam. iii. IG, " Where envying and strife is, 
 there is confusion ;" but among angels there is no 
 envy, no strife, so no confusion. 
 Mutiias sii.i ia- Obs. 3. That we should join our 
 vicein iraduui helps for furtherance of the works of 
 qumda Dei de- God. Augcls joiu their wmgs, and 
 '^'"''' afford help to each other to do the will 
 
 of God ; devils and wicked men join together against 
 God and his ways ; Psal. ii. 2, " The kings of the 
 earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel 
 together against the Lord, and against his Anoint- 
 ed," &c. And good men should join together, iheir 
 heads, their purses, and abilities whatsoever, to 
 further God's work. If angels appear and put forth 
 their wings to do the will of their God, let us ap- 
 pear and put forth our hands to do the work of 
 our God. 
 
 The second thing about their wings is, they were 
 stretched upwards; not let down, drawn up, resting 
 upon their bodies, but extended as ready for service 
 as might be, ver. II. 
 
 This notes unto us the readiness of angels to do 
 the will of Christ ; their faces look up, attend their 
 commands, and their wings are stretched out to fly 
 about them as soon as they are made known ; as a 
 hawk that is upon the wing, watches till the fowl 
 rise, and Ihen falls upon her, and flies after her im- 
 mediately. Angels are upon the wing before the 
 command goes out, and when it is out, God shall not 
 need to use motives or arguments to put them on. 
 The manifestation of his will, is the strongest motive 
 D 2 
 
 unto them ; and it should be so with us. We pray 
 that God's will may be done on earth as it is done in 
 heaven ; the mere manifestation of God's will there- 
 fore should prevail with us, as with angels : but let 
 God manifest his will, bring forth his strong argu- 
 ments to move us, yet we have no wings, or if 
 wings, not stretched forth, or if stretched forth, we 
 rather flag than fly with them. 
 
 The third thing is the covering of 
 the wings, ver. 11, two covered their emora. 
 
 bodies, their thighs, and feet, Isa. vi. 2 ; that i.s, 
 their uncomely parts, which are in Scripture phrase 
 called " the feet." One wing did cover the forepart 
 of their body, another their hinder parts. 
 
 Obs. 1. In this covering of their bodies, God pro- 
 pounds them as a pattern of chastity and modesty 
 unto us : those parts are hid, which might, un- 
 covered, argue disreverence of God, or concu- 
 piscence in them, or be offensive unto men. God 
 loves chaste spirits, and chaste behaviours : the 
 angels are very chaste, and would not have any in- 
 decent thing objected to divine view, whose authority 
 and majesty they adore. No impure ,, , . • 
 thing must come into the sight ot Ijod, in <onspecium 
 therefore God ordered, Exod. xx. 26, "" ''""^'• 
 that there must be no steps to his altar, lest the 
 nakedness of the priests were discovered in their 
 going up, and so offence given to God and man ; and 
 fiirther, he appointed linen breeches to cover the 
 priest's nakedness, Exod. xxviii. 42. 
 
 Obs. 2. It notes out to us that angelical nature is a 
 thing hidden, and too high for us, while we are in 
 our houses of clay, their natures are beyond the 
 reach of man's brain ; and that we are so far from the 
 knowledge of God's face, nature, and ability to be- 
 hold them, that we cannot know and behold the 
 lowest parts, the very feet of angels, they are veiled 
 up from us, as too transcendent for our capacities. 
 We know not the natures of any creatures here be- 
 low, not of a flower, a fly ; we describe things, but 
 do not, cannot define them. I would see the proud- 
 est of you all define the nature of a straw, as one 
 preached in Cambridge to all the scholars : if we 
 know not the nature of these visibles, vnrju^ ^as lam- 
 of bodies, then much less of angels; bimus. p.iiifm 
 and if not of angels, least of all of God. """ " '"s"""*- 
 
 Obs. 3. That men are apt to idolize choice instru- 
 ments employed in God's service, and therefore the 
 angels are covered with wings to prevent it. Such 
 is the beauty, wisdom, strength, use, and celerity of 
 angels in God's service, that man is apt to deify 
 them. John falls down to worship before the feet 
 of an angel. Rev. xxii. 8. And when Paul and 
 Barnabas had healed a cripple, the Lycaonians said, 
 " The gods are come down to us in the likeness of 
 men," and they would have sacrificed to them. Acts 
 xiv. And should the angels appear to us in their 
 natures, without being covered up, we should take 
 them to be gods ; but they will not have that 
 honour, they will hide their beauty and excellency, 
 and desire the glory only be given to God. 
 
 The next thing we are to come unto, is their feet, 
 in the seventh verse. 
 
 Ver. 7. And their fiet vere straight feet ; the 
 sole of their feet was like the sole of a cn/fs 
 foot : and they .sparkled like the colour of bur- 
 nished brass. 
 
 " Straight feet." They were feet of men, and by 
 a synecdoche, feet are put for legs and thighs. The 
 Septuagint read it, Their thighs were right or 
 straight ; and therefore could not be the thighs or 
 feet oi beasts, which in the hams are with compass
 
 33 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 an;l not straight ; they were neither bending in- 
 Cnjuiimarum 'Knvd uov outward, but Straight as pil- 
 instai-. iai-,>j. This shows to us, 
 
 1 . That the ways of angels are all straight and 
 right. Feet in Scripture are put for ways i inward of 
 the soul, outward of the whole man. Prov. iv. 2(j, 
 " Ponder the path of thy feet ;" Psal. csis. 105, 
 " Thy word is a lamp unto my feet;" that is, all my 
 actions ; and Eccles. v. 1, " Keep thy foot when 
 thou goest to the house of God ;" that is, thy 
 thoughts, affections, will, reason, and all with- 
 in. Take the feet of angels for their thoughts, 
 desires, wills, reason, actions, they are all right ; 
 there is no act of theirs void of reason, as the acts of 
 brutes are; none done by rash motion or sudden 
 passion, as too many of men's are : they go not 
 without warrant, and when they go, they go in the 
 way appointed of God, never turn out, but are exact, 
 keeping to his will. 
 
 2. They are firm, constant in their resolutions, 
 and service for God : that is noted by feet in Scrip- 
 ture ; for feet are the basis and foundation of things. 
 Exod. XXX. is, " The laver and his foot;" that is, 
 his basis whereon he rested : men's feet or legs are 
 the foundation whereon the body rests. In Eccl. xii. 3, 
 they are called "the strong men;" and Cant. v. 15, 
 _. ,, ... Christ's legs are said to be as pillars of 
 dtbebatiirinpe.ie marble; and bcaliger saitn, that men s 
 bLKZr,oZ, firmness is in their feet, on which 
 coipoiisquo.i per the burden of the whole body directly 
 
 Jineani rectam in- , , ,-. , 1, ^1, i; 
 
 cuiubcret. lie dcpcuds. Here tlicn wc have ttic fimi- 
 *"*"'■ ness and constancy of angels to go on 
 
 in God's work ; no burden can make them bow, no 
 act, no force can put them out of the way, no weari- 
 ness can make them sit still : angels will meet and 
 stop Balaam, and give him commands : the angels 
 will have Lot out of Sodom. 
 
 " The sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's 
 foot." As it were the sole of a round foot, so the 
 to Quasi plan- Hebrew signifieth, both round, and a 
 lape.iisrotumii: calf that is fat, and hath round feet, 
 ike a globe. Smooth, round, and movaule to carry any 
 61 ^6St! „Tepa- way. The Septuagint hath it, winged 
 "'• feet. Mercury, the poet's god, was 
 
 ^""wur'af''""' P^irited with shoes which had wings. 
 This sets out to us, both the swiftness 
 of angels, of which before, and also their usefulness 
 to move any way to do service in any part of the 
 world; like a bowl, or globe, which is equally disposed 
 for motion into any of the four quarters of the world ; 
 , . so are the angels ready to move any 
 
 eioneni et nutuin Way upon every occasion and hmt from 
 •""■ Heaven. Man cannot do so ; one man is 
 
 fit for one service, not for all ; one is fit for counsel, 
 another for war, a third for sea, a fourth for land, &e. 
 
 " They sparkled like the colour of burnished 
 brass." Steel or brass being polished or burnished, 
 shines very beautiful, and sends out eye-dazzling 
 beams, such as have much glory in them : and by 
 this colour of their feet, we are led into these ob- 
 servations. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the angels are unpolluted in all their 
 ministrations ; they contract no filth, no soil to their 
 feet. When they are in motion they are pure 
 spirits, act purely, and abide most pure ; their feet 
 are like polished, not polluted, burnished, not ble- 
 mished, brass; and so hold forth to us an example of 
 purity in our ministrations, that we should be con- 
 versant in them so as to be unblemished. 1 Tim. ii. 
 8, " Lifting up holy hands," &c. 2 Pet. iii. II , " What 
 manner of persons ought ye to be in all manner of 
 holy conversation?" here it is answered, Like angels. 
 
 Obs. 2. That the works of God by angels or men 
 done rightly, with a straight foot, that is, done ac- 
 
 cording to God's will, have much glory and efficacy 
 in them; they shine like the polished brass, there is 
 their glory ; and sparkle, there is their eilicacy. 
 When the angel destroyed Sennacherib's host, what 
 glory and ethcacy was in that work ! When the 
 angel came to Manoah, and went up from him in a 
 tlame of fire, how glorious was this sight, how effica- 
 cious was the work in the heart of Manoah .' John 
 preached the truth with a right foot, and without 
 delay, when called to it ; " and he was a burning and 
 a shining light," John v. 35. Herod found him so : 
 Mark vi. 20, He " feared Jolm, knowing he was a 
 just and holy man;" the glory of his justice and ho- 
 liness shined into his head, and the power of them 
 affected his heart; he knew, he feared. Actions 
 done according to God's will, hold forth much of 
 God in them. I Cor. xiv. 24, if any unbeliever come 
 in and hear them prophesy, that is, according to the 
 mind of God, carry the action as becomes the church 
 and the presence of God, he is convinced, and almost 
 converted, and saith, God is in you of a truth : he 
 sees so much glory, feels so much power, that he 
 can contain no longer, &c. Isa. Iii. 7, their feet 
 are beautiful to your eyes, and their actions are ef- 
 ficacious in your hearts. God's will is the standard 
 and measure of all actions, and when they are 
 done according to it, they are very glorious and 
 beautiful. 
 
 Obs. 3. That they are cheerful in the ways and 
 works of God : they go not dully about their service, 
 their feet do shine; they have more delight in doing 
 one act of God's will, than we have in doing all 
 the natural acts of our lives. You shall find them in 
 a sweet posture and frame always ; Rev. iv. 9, they 
 give glory, honour, and thanks to God ; and Rev. v. 
 they are brought in singing, and singing a new song, 
 which notes their cheerfultiess, and earnestness in 
 it : so in Luke ii. 13, 14, angels are the choristers of 
 heaven, they make heaven heavenly. 
 
 The last part they are described by, is, their hands. 
 
 Ver. 8. Thei/ had the hands of a man under 
 their wings. 
 
 Some would make sixteen hands to each living 
 creature or face, but that is not likely ; we find no 
 number set down, and therefore will be content to 
 leave that undisputed, whether two, four, eight, or 
 sixteen : hands they had, and hands of a man ; and 
 that under their wings, on their four sides. 
 
 The hand notes action ; Eccl. ix. 10, " Whatsoever 
 thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;" so 
 Prov. iii. 27. The philosopher calls it, „ 
 The instrument of instruments; and 'jin°t°3."ue"Am- 
 sailh, God hath given to man two spe- "'"• 
 cial organs, to the body the hand, to the soul reason : 
 and look, what use reason is to the soul, the hand is 
 of the like use to the body ; yea, soul, reason, body, 
 are all beholden to the hand for the service that it 
 doth ; the great things in families, cities, kingdoms 
 are done by the hand. Scaliger saith, ^^^^ ^^^^^.^.^ ^^^ 
 Nature hath armed man with three 
 things, reason, speech, hands. Reason is the hand 
 of the understanding ; speech the hand of reason j 
 and hand the executrix of speech, that doth the 
 commands ; all things would be as dead, if the hand 
 did not quicken them by the spirit and motion of art. 
 
 Obs. 1. That angels are fit for service ; they have 
 hands ; and hands are not made in vain, they are 
 for work : where there are no hands, no power, 
 strength, or way to put forth that power, there is no 
 fitness for service ; but angels have power, and ways 
 to execute that power ; they have hands, not for or- 
 nament, but for action.
 
 Ver. 8. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 37 
 
 Obs. 2. That angels do their works rationally, they 
 have the hands of a man. As men do manage the 
 works of their hands judiciously and wisely, so do 
 angels ; there is nothing defective, superfluous, per- 
 verse, rash, indiscreet, or culpable in their minis- 
 trations, they know all circumstances, and miss not 
 m any. How wisely did the angel manage the 
 business with Mary! Luke i. 28; he salutes her, 
 she fears ; in the 30th verse he comforts her, and 
 tells her, she should conceive, and have such a son 
 as never woman had ; and when she doubted of it, 
 ver. 34, " How shall this be, seeing I know not 
 man?" ver. 35, the angel tells her, "The Holy 
 Ghost," &c. And further, see the wisdom of the 
 angel ; he tells her, ver. 36, that her cousin Elisalieth 
 had conceived a son in her old age, and that was the 
 sixth month with her, and however thou thinkcst it 
 impossible for thee that art young without man to 
 conceive, and for her that is old with man to con- 
 ceive, ver. 37, yet nothing is impossible with God. 
 
 Ohs. 3. That knowledge must issue into actions. 
 Angels are full of eyes, and full of hands too, their 
 actions are answerable to their knowledge ; Rev. iv. 
 8, " They are full of eyes within, and they rest not 
 day and night ;" if they have no service in the 
 world beneath, they will be praising God above; 
 they know much, and therefore act much. Know- 
 .Scire Ilium nihil ledge without practice is little worth; 
 hoc"u'at''atier' ^^ '^''^ ^1"°™ othcrs, it is as nothing, as 
 I'ers. ' not being, saith the poet. Unless know- 
 
 ledge be improved, it is of no account ; the Egyp- 
 tians painted a tongue, and a hand under it, to show 
 that knowledge and speech is efficacious and good, 
 when that which is known and said is done. \Vhat 
 Quid proHi-si good doth the unijractical speech of 
 jp^c?" Aa^ii-Tuv golden-tongued men. Let menbeChry- 
 ^orot. .\'a!ian. sostoms, goldcn-hcaded and golden- 
 mouthed, if they be not golden-handed too, it is 
 nothing. God would not have us all eye, and rest 
 in knowledge: John xiii. 17, "If ye know these 
 things, happy are ye if ye do them ;" and Rev. xxii. 
 14, " Blessed are they that do his commands, that 
 they may have right to the tree of life." Happiness 
 is entailed to doing, not knowing ; and the angels 
 seem to find greater happiness in doing God's com- 
 mands abroad in the world, than standing always in 
 his presence. Psal. ciii. 20, they hearken unto the 
 voice of his word, if he bid them go they are gone, 
 and account it their greatest honour to be doing; 
 they have hands, and would not be idle. Know- 
 ledge without action, is a man without arms ; it is 
 wine shut up in the vessel, that doth good to none, 
 and will corrupt at last, and mar the vessel ; such 
 knowledge will be like the poison that lies long in 
 the body, and at last kills without remed)'. 
 
 Obs. 4. That angels are great agents, and do 
 much service. They have hands on their four sides, 
 at least they had four hands, and they were able to 
 do much and great service ; some make more, and 
 no hand of theirs is idle. One angel can do more 
 than thousands of men, witness that great slaughter 
 in a night, and other things formerly spoken of. Bri- 
 areus, a great doer, is said to have a hundred hands. 
 
 Obi. 5. That God doth carry on his works here 
 in the world by invisible virtue, by hands under 
 wings, by ways and means not seen. There is m 
 plaslica, forming power, in the womb, which shapes 
 and perfects the birth, yet is not seen ; and in the 
 womb of the world, God hath the same, which forms 
 and perfects his works, yet not seen : much is done 
 by the power of angels, yet their power is not seen. 
 Mighty things are done by God's Spirit in the ordi- 
 nances, in the assembly, in our hearts, and yet God's 
 Spirit is an invisible agent ; the minister, the word. 
 
 would not do it, unless some invisible virtue went 
 along therewith. Zech. iv. 2, 3, though none were 
 found to pour oil into the lamps, yet God had olive 
 trees which were not thought of, nor seen. Zechariah 
 saw not the candlestick, bo wl, lamps, or two olive trees, 
 till the angel awakened him, and made him see, that 
 God had ways to communicate virtue unto the 
 church he knew not of; and that though the church 
 were poor, low, not able to make a considerable 
 army to carry them to Jerusalem, and plant them 
 there, yet he had his Spirit to work it out for them ; 
 and therefore saith, "Not by might,norby power, but 
 by my spirit." 2 Thess. ii. 8, the Lord shall consume 
 antichrist by the spirit of his mouth : and so the 
 two witnesses, fire goes out of their mouths and de- 
 vours their adversaries, Rev. xi. 5, in an invisible 
 way, by a secret work. It was a hand under the 
 wing that made peace betwixt Scotland and us, that 
 gathered this parliament, that hath, and doth keep 
 it ; it is invisible virtue that hath made them unani- 
 mous and magnanimous ; in\-isible virtue that up- 
 holds this kingdom, that restrains the remainder of 
 wrath, that daunts the adversary ; that hath shaken 
 the prelacy, and brought forth the great things in 
 our days ; it is the hand under the wing that hath 
 opened the hearts and purses of many to further 
 the great service in hand. 
 
 Obs. 6. That we are to do God's works without noise 
 ornotice of ourselves. Angels, that are agents for God, 
 have their hands under their wings ; their actions 
 are seen, but not their hands. In Judg. xiii. when 
 Manoah catechised the angel, and asked him, " What 
 is thy name ?" ver. 17; the angel would not tell him, 
 but said, " Why askest thou thus after my name, see- 
 ing it is secret ?" ver. 18. And you shall not find the 
 names of above two angels in Scripture, Gabriel 
 and Michael. Angels are jealous of God's glory, and 
 had rather conceal their hands and names, than God 
 should lose the least degree of his glory ; for Ma- 
 noah would therefore have known his name, that 
 he might have honoured the angel afterward : and 
 we are very apt to look at the instrument, and neg- 
 lect the principal. It is wisdom to muffle up ourselves, 
 and to hold forth God as much as may be : Matt. v. 
 16, " Let your light so shine before men, that they 
 may see your good works," &c. ; he doth not say, 
 that they may see you, but see your good works, and 
 glorify your Father, not you. As fishers, they would 
 have the bait seen, not themselves ; they would 
 catch the fish with their bait, not scare them with 
 their sight. Matt. vi. 1, " Take heed you do not your 
 alms before men, to be seen of them :" alms must 
 be given, but we and our hands must be hid. Paul 
 exhorts the Philippians to hold forth the word of 
 life, Phil. ii. 16; not themselves, but the word of 
 God, which is the word of life. 
 
 Obs. 7. That their operations and presence are 
 together. They are not in heaven, and so work on 
 earth, or in one part of the world and work in 
 another ; but their hands are under their wings j 
 whither their wings do carry them, there they act, 
 and not elsewhere. The angel came down to stir 
 the water in the pool, John v. 4, and cure the party 
 that stepped in first ; they have not that power to 
 work at any distance. 
 
 Obs. 8. That angelical virtue and nature is hid 
 from us, it is too high for our capacity ; their hands, 
 their operative virtue, we cannot discover, or see 
 into. A little of the angels is presented to us by their 
 faces, wings, feet, hands, &c. ; but the distinct know- 
 ledge of angels as angels is reserved till we are like 
 the angels in heaven. Therefore we must not intrude 
 into those things which we have not seen, vainly 
 puffed up with our fleshly minds, but be content to be
 
 38 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 ignorant of their natures, and many of their actions 
 and excellences, till wc come to glory. 
 
 Now from their parts we come to their motions ; 
 and it is said, 
 
 Ver. 9. They tti7'ned not when they went ; they 
 went every one straight fonvai'd. 
 
 Ver. 12. And they went ecery one straight for- 
 ward: whither the spirit was to go, they went ; a?id 
 they turned not when they went. 
 
 Ver. 14. And the living creatures ran and re- 
 turned as the appearance ofajiash of lightning. 
 
 " They turned not when they went." Which way 
 soever they moved, they turned neither face, wings, 
 nor bodies, but went straight forward ; there was no 
 digression, regression, wandering, nor circulation, 
 but their motion was straight, they moved in tinea 
 recta, in a straight line ; they move, and move not 
 impertinently, but directly. By this motion of 
 angels, is set out God's government in the world; 
 they are his agents. Our prophet seems to cross him- 
 self. In ver. 14, it is said, " they ran and returned," 
 and ver. 17, "they returned not when they went;" 
 here in this ver. 9, " they turned not when they 
 went." This knot must be loosed, or else our prophet 
 will suffer. 
 
 The solution of this doubt is, that the angels being 
 in their work appointed of God, went on without 
 turning or looking back till they came to the issue 
 and end of it, till they came to the place appointed, 
 and then they returned unto God to give account of 
 their service, and to receive new instructions. They 
 went not back after the work was begun, but after 
 it was ended : whatever difficulties interposed in the 
 way, none of them could drive back, or divert the 
 angels, till their work was done, and then they pre- 
 sently returned. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the works of God in ordering the 
 things of the world are straight. Angels are as 
 God's hands, and in them is the agency of his work, 
 and they go straight on, and there are no windings, 
 no turnings in their operations : the works of God 
 seem crooked to us, but there is nothing crooked in 
 them. A carpenter that builds a house hath some 
 pieces of timber long, some short, some bowing, 
 some straight, of all which he builds a goodly house ; 
 but some rude, ignorant fellow understands not the 
 reason of that diversity ; and when the work is done 
 there is nothing seen defective, but all is straight 
 and perfect : so in the works of Providence and di- 
 vine dispensations in the world, they seem crooked, 
 (and therefore some have called providence crooked 
 and winding,) but no such thing is in them. Psal. 
 xviii. 30, " His ways are perfect." Deut. xxxii. 4, 
 " His work is perfect." Examine the works of cre- 
 ation, providence, redemption, they are without ob- 
 liquity, deformity, or defect; but men are not so: and 
 the reason is given, "for all his ways are judgment," 
 that is, all his administrations, all his doings, are ju- 
 dicious, right, and equal. 
 
 consianiia «i ig Obs. 2. That angels persist in and 
 ferriS'D op"e. Carry on their work ; they are constant 
 < iiaries v. his and pcrsevcre, they turn not back, thev 
 
 mntto was, Phts . * , '. , -^ , . ,i ^ 
 
 u/ira. give not over, but proceed to the end ; 
 
 de«'!,u"imutd'"s. t'lf^y are not slothful, weary, unfaithful, 
 &/.«. but active, lively, holding on to the 
 
 end. This may be useful to our thoughts. Angels 
 go on, and are lively in their work ; shall we be lazy ? 
 they persevere ; shall we draw back, or turn aside P 
 Lot's wife looked back, and she was turned into a 
 
 Eillar of salt. Gen. xix. 26 ; she looked to the things 
 chind, which was unwarrantable, and God did se- 
 
 verely punish her ; she had part of Sodom's judg- 
 ments, which were brimstone, salt, and burning, 
 Deut. xxix. 23. And she was made a pillar of salt 
 to season after-ages, with the fear not only of back- 
 sliding, but also of back-looking. Jo- . , 
 
 1 -.1, 1, ,1, n • V Aniiq. I. 1. c. 12. 
 
 sephus saitri, he saw the pnllar in his 
 
 days, which was near two thousand years after ; but 
 Borchardus, that lived some three hundred years 
 since, saith, it was in his days. Adrichomius saith 
 it is yet extant ; and the Targum hath it, that it will 
 endure to the day of judgment. AVhether this ma- 
 terial pillar be extant or not, is doubtful : Christ 
 hath set up a spiritual pillar, that will endure to the 
 end, to make us faithful to the end : " Remember Lot's 
 wife," Luke xvii. 32. Look back, and die ; go on in 
 the ways and commands of God, and live. It was the 
 reproach of the Israelites, that they would have gone 
 back to Egypt ; and they died for it in the wilder- 
 ness. Matt. x. " He that endures to the end shall 
 be saved;" and Luke ix. 62, "No man having put 
 his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for 
 the kingdom of heaven." A man ploughing, if he 
 look back, endangers the oxen which plough, and 
 must needs make crooked furrows, and mar all : so 
 one that hath begun to plough in God's field, if he 
 look back, he is unfit for heaven. Exod. xvii. 12, 
 " Moses' hands were steady till the going down of 
 the sun ;" and so must ours, till the sun set, till our 
 lives end. Gal. iv. 9, " How turn ye again to weak 
 and beggarly elements?" Gal. v. 7, "Ye did run 
 well." It is dangerous when either of these come 
 in against a people ; but the godly have a promise, 
 Jer. xxxii. 40, " I will put my fear in their hearts, 
 that they shall not depart from me." 
 
 Obs. 3. That they keep close to the ^^p^i, ihey 
 work in hand, to what is enjoined, they (ekhed uocom- 
 divert neither one way nor other ; as '"'^' 
 they give not over, so they turn not aside upon any 
 pretence whatsoever, but hasten to the execution of 
 what is commanded. How un-angelical are we, that 
 have such roving .spirits in all our employments ! 
 Though we look not back, yet we look aside. God 
 complains, " This people draw nigh with their lips, 
 but their heart is far from me ; " they are in my 
 house, and in my work, but their hearts are in nei- 
 ther; they look towards me, as if they were my peo- 
 ple, but their hearts look another way, as if tney 
 were worldlings, hypocrites ; like watermen, they 
 row one way, and look another. Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 
 " With their mouth they show much love, but their 
 heart goeth after their covetousness :" we are too 
 guilty of this evil, our hearts are seldom at home. 
 What is said of the harlot's feet, Prov. vii. 11, "They 
 abide not in her house ;" the same may be said of 
 our hearts, they abide not in the house. When you 
 walk abroad and keep the path, the spaniel that is 
 with you ranges over much ground, and seldom is in 
 the path ; so it is with our hearts, we may be in the 
 path of duties, but our hearts ranging over the world, 
 heaven, and hell. Jam. v. 15, " Elias prayed earn- 
 estly ;" in the original it is, he prayed in prayer, in- 
 timating, a man may be at prayer, in prayer, and yet 
 be a prayerless man, not pray, and that because the 
 heart is not in it : so in hearing, you may hear and 
 not hear. See. What is the reason Christ knocks at 
 the door so oft, and is not let in ? the heart is dead 
 asleep, or abroad. 
 
 Obs. 4. That angels have the mark in their eye 
 which they aim at. They went every ^j ,r^„,i,^^_ 
 one straight forward ; the Hebrew is, to faciei sua- aut 
 the way or passage of his face, that path suKobjerium'. 
 which was before his face ; that is, they ^ Pi'ci. 
 went thither whore their eyes or faces were fixed ; 
 as they look not back nor aside, so they always look
 
 Ver. 9, 12, 14. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 39 
 
 upon the mark, each goeth forward to that which is 
 before him ; this keeps them on to the work, and in 
 the work, they have the mark in their eye : Prov. 
 iv. 25, " Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine 
 eye-lids look straight before thee ; " look to the charge 
 appointed, to that which is right, to that which is set 
 before thee of God, and this will quicken thy industry. 
 Phil. iii. 13, 14, " Forgetting those things which are 
 behind, and reaching forth unto those things which 
 are before, I press towards the mark." Paul had not 
 his eye upon what was done bygone, or on what was 
 upon either side of him, but upon that which was 
 before him, the mark : heaven, eternal life was the 
 mark in his eye, and he pressed after them ; he was 
 KoT-i (r«o»6i- ^5 intent upon them, and as pursuant 
 rtiiuBu. of them, as he was in tlie work of per- 
 secuting the saints ; he reached after them as the one 
 ,, thing necessary. We set not the mark 
 
 Assequitur nulla if -ij^i.^ r'l ■ . 
 
 quisvquiti.r bcfore us; instead of heaven, Christ, 
 
 "i'c"u's''qui ne"°° eternal life, we have the world, our 
 
 muiius Dec va- pleasures, and a multitude of things in 
 
 rius est. ^^j. gygg^ jjjjjj gQ ^,g ^j.g (iivided, and do 
 
 nothing. 
 
 06v. 5. That angels mind and pursue every one 
 his own work, not the work of others. They went 
 forward to the work, object, mark, set before their 
 faces ; he that had his work designed him in the 
 east, minded not his work which lay in the west ; 
 each acted his own part, and fell not upon any thing 
 that concerned another, although their employments 
 lay the same way ; what was before their faces, that 
 they did, and nothing else. Devils compass the earth, 
 and meddle with all men, and with all matters : it 
 is not so wath the good angels; they kept their sta- 
 tion, and do keep order, they intermeddle not with 
 ought that concerns them not. The apostle would 
 have christians tobe angelical: 1 Thess. 
 ""''"'"■ " '*"'• iv. 1 1, " Study to do your own business," 
 those things which concern our general and particu- 
 lar calling : if men will with their wit and curiosity 
 run out of their bounds, they are extravagant and 
 busy-bodies. Some think because they are neigh- 
 bours, they may meddle in all contentions ; because 
 subjects, they may interpose in all state affairs ; be- 
 cause christians, deal with others' sins : but this is 
 to break the hedge, to break out of our own callings 
 into others ; and such, though they seem great doers, 
 do nothing. 2 Thess. iii. 11," There are some among 
 you that walk disorderly, working not at all, they 
 are busy-bodies." \Vhat ! busy and do 
 ixx,ri(p"V-i"' nothing? Yes, because they do things 
 i"^""- impertinent unto them, unfruitful, un- 
 
 profitable, out of place. When Peter meddled too 
 far in John's matters ; and said, " WTiat shall this 
 man do ?" Christ takes him up sharply, " What is 
 that to thee ?" John xxi. 22. And some think this 
 made Peter so sharp against that sin afterwards, and 
 to look upon it as bad as theft and murder ; I Pet. 
 iv. 15, " Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as 
 a thief, or as an evil-doer, or as a busy-body in other 
 men's matters." 
 
 " They ran, and returned." Here is the quality 
 of their motion ; it was swift, they had wings to fly, 
 and feet to run. Much hath been spoken of the an- 
 gels' swiftness ; I shall here therefore touch upon 
 their retiirn. When their work is done, they make no 
 stay, they linger not at all, but return with all speed. 
 When God sends them out, or calls them in, their 
 motion is very speedy : it is set out here by a flash 
 of lightning; that is the soonest into the world and 
 out again of any sensible creature ; in a moment it is 
 in your houses ; and out again, in a moment it shines 
 from east to west, and is gone ; it is very glorious and 
 marvellously active. Angels are cherubims of glory. 
 
 Heb. ix. 5, and the most active of all God's works ; 
 and when their work is finished they retire imme- 
 diately : as lightning, when it is come to its period, 
 doth reciprocate and fall back into itself without 
 delay ; so do the angels return to him who sent them 
 out, to know his further pleasure, and to do him 
 more service. 
 
 Obs. 1. That angels in their services are glorious 
 and terrible ; they are like the lightning, which 
 shines, dazzles, and doth dreadful things. Judg. xiii. 
 20, when Manoah and his wife saw the angel go 
 up to heaven in a flame of fire, they fell down on 
 their faces to the ground, and thought they should 
 die, ver. 22. It was a received opinion among the 
 Jews, that if they saw God or an angel, they should 
 die upon it. Judg. vi. 22, 23, Gideon, a mighty man 
 of valour, cries out, " Alas, O Lord God ! because I 
 have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And 
 the Lord said. Fear not: thou shalt not die." If they 
 had a vision being awake, they apprehended death ; 
 but they never had experience of any that died upon 
 any such occasion j this rose rather from the appre- 
 hension of glory and majesty in God and angels, 
 and consciousness of their own weakness and guilt, 
 as not able to abide the presence of those glorious 
 creatures, that came immediately from the presence 
 of the glorious God ; and we find that some have 
 been much afl'righted, and almost struck dead, at 
 the presence of the holy angels. Matt, xxviii. 2—4. 
 an angel comes from heaven, whose countenance 
 was like lightning, and his raiment as the sun, and 
 for fear of him the keepers of the sepulchre did 
 shake, and became like dead men; there was no spi- 
 rit left in them, the glory of the angel did exanimate 
 them. They are glorious and terrible in their minis- 
 trations ; and so should the ministers of the gospel, 
 the angels of the church, be. Nazi- p^^^^^ ^^-^ ^^. 
 anzen saith of Basil, His speech was yot aarcponh a 
 thunder, and his life lightning. Such '""' 
 were James and John, Boanerges, Sons of thunder, 
 Mark iii. 17: they were terrible to sinners in their 
 preaching, like thunder and lightning. 
 
 Obs. 2. That account is to be rendered to God of 
 all our services. Whom God sets to work, he will 
 reckon with. Angels return and become responsible 
 to God their Lord and Master ; those mighty and 
 glorious creatures, when their work is finished, do 
 willingly and cheerfully return, and give in their 
 answer ; God looks for it, and they delight to do it. 
 And, account we must all give of our work in the 
 world : Rom. xiv. 12, " Every one of us shall give 
 account of himself unto God." God will say to us. 
 Come, give account of your stewardships, Luke xvi. 
 2. Every one hath a talent, is a steward, hath some 
 trust committed to him, and he must not think to 
 run, and never return. Let men act how they will, 
 return they shall, be they never so great, be they 
 princes, magistrates, commanders, &c. Eccles. xii. 
 " God shall bring every work into judgment, with 
 every secret thing, whether it be good or evil ;" both 
 the work and the workman must be questioned. 
 Matt. xii. 36, " Of every idle word that men shall 
 speak, they shall give an account in the day of 
 judgment." 
 
 Obs. 3. That angels are lively and unweariable in 
 their negociations, they run and return as a flash of 
 lightning ; when they had done great service in the 
 world, they were as lively at the end of it as at the 
 beginning, they return back with as much life and 
 speed as they went forth, and were ready for new 
 employments ; they returned, as to give account of 
 what was done, so to receive new commands and 
 work. This is a pattern for us all, that in the works 
 of God, those employments he calls us to, we grow
 
 40 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 not weary. One sin fits for another, and men are 
 unweariable in that trade ; so one duty should fit 
 All lEiiiiam et f'"' another, and we should never be 
 aiiimi pacein tired in our spirits, thouch we be in 
 hai.ent reels ac- our Dodies. bal. VI. V, " Let US not be 
 tiones. weary in well-doing." The wicked are 
 
 weary of and in well-doing ; What profit is it, say 
 they, that we keep his commandments, and that we 
 walk humbly before the Lord of hosts ? Mai. iii. 14. 
 " When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell 
 corn ? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat ?" 
 Amos viii. 5. " He hath left off to be wise, and to do 
 good," Psal. xxxvi. 3. They said, "What a weari- 
 ness is it ! and snuffed at it, and brought that which 
 was torn, larne, sick, Mai. i. 13. But the godly arc 
 Desidia, est mors J^^ver Weary of God's work, th'ough 
 siipersies, vacua sometimes they are weary in it, through 
 '"''' the strength of the flesh, weakness of 
 
 grace, and other discouragements ; biit they, having 
 tasted how gracious the Lord is, are not, will not, 
 cannot be weary of his service ; his commandments 
 are not grievous to them. 
 
 Obs. 4. That they seek not themselves, but the 
 honour and glory of their Master. They stay not 
 when their work is done, upon pleasure, curiosity 
 to see or know any thing, but immediately return, 
 and are taken up wholly with the glorifying of God; 
 they are attcnt, watching his commands, for they 
 look up ; they are intent upon his work, they turn 
 not to either side, look not back, but go straight 
 forward ; they contend for his glory, they run, re- 
 turn, and give account, and would have new com- 
 missions, be at work again, and have God to be glo- 
 rified to their utmost abilities. Isa. vi. 3, " Holy, 
 holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts ; the whole earth is full 
 of his glory :" they see God so glorious, excellent, 
 and holy in himself, so glorious in all his works, that 
 they mind not themselves, but God, and make it their 
 only and great design, to glorify God, Rev. iv. 8, 9. 
 And this is our duty, and comfort if done. 1 Cor. x. 
 31, " Whether you eat or drink," Sec. The glory of 
 the infinite, holy, wise, and great God, should be pre- 
 cious to us ; we should attend his commands, intend 
 his work, contend against all lets, within or without, 
 and promote his work and glory to our utmost. 
 That work which is not referred to God's glory, but 
 our gain, credit, or profit, is a dead work. The 
 Omnibus operi- schoolmcn Call for a right intention in 
 bus noiiris cm- every work, as that which animates 
 aiijuugi debet, and enlivcns the same ; and though 
 jiiuinas. ^^.p cannot actually intend God's glory 
 
 always in every thing, yet there should be a virtual 
 intention of it. A bowl runs, an arrow flies, by virtue 
 of that arm which first sent them forth ; and' all our 
 actions should proceed in the strength of a primary 
 intention of God's glory. 
 
 One thing yet remains touching the motion of 
 angels, namely, the efficient cause of their motion ; 
 and it is the Spirit, set down in these words : 
 
 Ver. 12. Whither the spirit teas to go, they went. 
 
 Some doubt there is, what is meant by the spirit 
 here. Not the counsel or will of the angels ; and so 
 the sense to he, that tliey went which way they had 
 a mind, whither their own wills and spirit carried 
 them ; and my reason is, because they are brought 
 in here as servants and officers : and therefore not 
 to be left to their own wills, but to be under com- 
 mand, and at the will of another ; soldiers go not 
 where they please, but where their general pleaseth. 
 By spirit, we are to understand, neither the will of 
 angels, nor winds, nor the soul of man, (for spirit in 
 Scripture doth signify all these,) hut the essential 
 
 and eternal Spirit of God : and this is evident by 
 the 2Uth verse, " Whithersoever the spirit was to 
 go, they went :" it is not said, whithersoever their 
 spirit was to go, they went, but whithersoever the 
 Spirit, th;it is, the Holy Ghost, co-essential and co- 
 ecjual with the Father and the Son, whither that 
 Sjiirit of wisdom and power led them, thither they 
 went : when that Spirit bad them return, they re- 
 turned i as that Spirit moved them, so they moved. 
 
 Object. The Spirit of God neither goes nor moves 
 from place to place, being infinite ; how then can 
 this be meant of the Spirit.' 
 
 Jnsiv. This is spoken after the manner of men, in 
 regard of the vision Ezekiel had, it seemed so to 
 him : but the Spirit, being infinite, neither goes nor 
 moves by real change of place or es- k„„ „„,„i„„e 
 sence, but by declaration of its power i"ci. aut essen- 
 and grace. When the Spirit, or God, !!!?ne%otlui'i'^''' 
 doth that which is unusual, then they " eraiia:. 
 are said to come and be present. Again, the Spirit 
 went in the angels, not simply in itself; there was 
 in the angels imperinm et impetus Sjnritus, the im- 
 position and impression of the Spirit, which carried 
 them on. 
 
 Obs. I. That angels, although exceeding wise, full 
 of knowledge, active, and able to do great service, yet 
 are not at their own disposal, they move not at their 
 own ideasure, they went not where they listed. Let 
 the abilities of the creature be never so excellent, they 
 must be under the power of a superior, they must be 
 ordered and directed by a higher cause. Angels them- 
 selves are not lords of themselves, they are not sui 
 jtirin, at their own disposal ; much less men, that are 
 lower than angels. 1 Cor. vi. 19, men are bought, and 
 they must be his servants, at his disposal, that hath 
 bought them, and that is God; and therefore they 
 must not abuse their bodies and souls to fornica- 
 tion, or any other sin, but glorify God with both. 
 
 OAs. 2. That it is the Spirit of God who is the 
 great agent that sets angels to work ; they perform 
 nothing by their own virtue and strength, but at the 
 command and impulse of the Spirit they act, they 
 set out, proceed, finish, and return. As it is in a 
 ship at sea, there are the winds without to drive it, 
 and the pilot within to guide it to what place he 
 pleaseth ; so here is the command of the Spirit ab 
 extra, externally, and the impetus intra, the inward 
 influence, to carry out and order these. The great 
 things angels have done, have been done by the 
 Spirit of God : if they suggest good thoughts ; if an 
 angel strengthen Christ in his agony ; if they reveal 
 mysteries and things to come to Daniel and others ; 
 if they contend against princes, and agitate the great 
 affairs of the kingdom ; it is by virtue of the Spirit 
 of God, that works efficaciously in them, and in 
 good men, that are employed for the glory of God, 
 and the public good of church or state. When 
 choice garments were to be made for Aaron, Exod. 
 xxviii. 3 ; xxxi. 3, cunning and carved work in gold, 
 silver, and hras.s, was to be made for the tabernacle, 
 it was the Spirit of God that enabled men for that 
 service. When great things were to be done by the 
 judges in Israel, it is said. The Spirit came upon 
 them, and the Spirit moved them : Judg. iii. !0, 
 the Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel, and he 
 judged Israel, and went out to war, and tlie Lord 
 delivered the enemies into his hand, and his hand 
 prevailed. So Jephthah, Judg. xi. 29, and Samson, 
 chap. xiii. 25. The Spirit came upon them, and 
 moved them, and they did great things ; and tliis is 
 set down to let us see, that it is the Spirit doth all in 
 the magistracy, and in martial affairs, in city and 
 camp ; yea, and church too ; Zech. iv. 6, " Not by 
 might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the
 
 Vlr. 13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 41 
 
 Lord of hosts." Oft mention is made of the Lord 
 of hosts, and truths that concern the temple are 
 scaled up with it in this prophet more than others ; 
 because there needed to such a work as building the 
 temple, the power of a mighty God, so many, so 
 mighty were the enemies ; yet God would not do it 
 by the might and power Zerubbabel had, but by his 
 Spirit. 
 
 Obs. 3. Tliat angels are led, and easily led by the 
 Spirit. "They went;" it notes their tractableness; 
 they went without dispute, without delay, immediate- 
 ly, cheerfully ; and they went whither the Spirit was to 
 fo, that is, whither the Spirit would have them go. 
 'he Spirit is so infinitely wise, holy, and good, that 
 even angels do freely and fidly submit to the con- 
 duct of it; and therefore it is that they go straight 
 forward, that there is no crookedness in their works ; 
 that they do such speedy and honourable service ; 
 and if such glorious, able, and perfect creatures be 
 willingly led by the Spirit, shall we, that are base 
 and beggarly, refuse the manuduction of the Spirit ? 
 If so, we forsake the choicest mercy : for, Rom. viii. 
 14, " As many as are led by the Spirit of God, are 
 the sons of God," be they angels or men. It seems 
 there are but few that are led by the Spirit of God, 
 because he saith, " As many as are led," intimating 
 all are not, few are. There are other spirits that lead 
 men ; there is a spirit of envy, Jam. iv. 5 ; of the 
 world, I Cor. ii. 12; of whoredoms, Hos. iv. 12; of 
 security, Isa. xxix. 10; a spirit of error, 1 John iv. 
 6 ; of antichrist, ver. 3 : and by these most men are 
 not only led, but driven, quenching, grieving, vex- 
 ing, and resisting the good Spirit of God ; more like 
 devils than angels : but let us, when we have impe- 
 rium, the government, or impetum monitum, the sug- 
 gested influence, or motum Spiritui; motion of the 
 Spirit, let us say, whither the Spirit will have us go, 
 we will go, what that will have us do, we will do. 
 Offer up yourselves, freely and fully, to the conduct of 
 the Spirit, and that will lead you into all truth, and 
 into the land of uprightness. It is an argument you 
 are of the world, if you receive not the Spirit of 
 truth, and submit not to the guidance thereof, John 
 xiv. 17. 
 
 Ver. 13. As for the likeness of the living crea- 
 tures, their appearance was like burning coals of 
 fire, and like the appearance of lamps : it went 
 I'p and down among the living creatures ; and 
 the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth 
 lightning. 
 
 TD^ 
 
 Tlte Hebrew word notes a torch or 
 burning wood, where the fire and fiame 
 are more tenacious and strong ; fire-brands, that are 
 lively and flaming, heating and lightening. 
 
 In this verse is set out, not the figure and shape 
 of the living creatures, that was done in the 10th 
 verse, but the colour of their faces ; w hich is de- 
 scribed, 
 
 First, by similitudes. 
 
 1. They are likened to burning coals of fire. 
 
 2. To lamps. 
 
 Secondly, by the motion of it, " It went up and 
 doi\Ti among the living creatures." 
 
 Thirdly, by the operation and efficacy of it, "Light- 
 ning went forth of it." 
 
 For the better understanding of this dark verse, 
 we must consider, that the Lord Jesus Christ, being 
 exceedingly oifendcd with the wickedness of the 
 Jews, is presented in the vision to the prophet sit- 
 ting as an angry Judge upon the throne, ready to 
 take vengeance on them for their sins. They were 
 
 idolatrous, oppressive, profane, ungrateful, slight- 
 ing and persecuting the prophets ; therefore Chri.st 
 comes armed against them with zeal and fury, and 
 sufier they must : hereupon the angels being in- 
 flamed with the zeal and indignation of their Lord 
 and Master, are said to be like burning coals and 
 lamps. When men have a holy anger against sin 
 and sinners, and are zealous for God, how do their 
 faces burn and glow, and their eyes sparkle ! So 
 was it here ; the angels were aflectcd much to see 
 the Lord Christ so wronged by a company of sinful, 
 wretched men ; whereupon their colour became 
 fiery, their faces burned with zeal, and their eyes 
 sparkled, and they were ready to execute the sen- 
 tence of the Judge upon this delinquent people. 
 
 " It went up and down among the living creatures." 
 The fire and flame that stood not still, but was in 
 perpetual motion, mithhallecheth, it 
 made itself to walk of its own accord 
 and pleasure ; it went up and down ; it, that was 
 fire, went up and down among those four formed 
 creatures. Some make it the likeness and ajjpear- 
 ance itself that went up and down ; but it is better to 
 understand it of the fire, which is distinct from the 
 likeness of the creatures, and it is the vigour of 
 Christ's Spirit. Virtue came out from Christ, the 
 King and Judge upon the throne, which was like 
 fire and flame, to prepare, quicken, and actuate these 
 spirits to a fuller execution of divine pleasure. 
 
 " It was light, and out of the fire went forth light- 
 ning." Here you have the operation of this fire. 
 " It was light ;" that is, it did eidighten the angels ; 
 they saw by this light what was to be done in this 
 great design of Christ in saving the innocent and 
 punishing the guilty. " Out of it went forth light- 
 ning ;" that is, the cflfect of it was dreadful unlo 
 men, as lightning is : the judgments of Christ exe- 
 cuted by angels in the world, work effectually for 
 the benefit of the godly, and for the undoing of the 
 wicked. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the Lord Christ doth use angels in 
 the execution of his judgments upon sinners. An 
 angel smote Herod, Sennacherib's host, Pharaoh's 
 first-born, the Sodomites. Psal. xxxv. 5, 6, it is the 
 angel of the Lord that chaseth and persecutes the 
 wicked. 
 
 Obs. 2. That angels are zealous, forward, and ef- 
 fectual in executing judgments upon delinquents. 
 They are burning coals ; Heb. i. 7, they are called 
 a " flame of fire." Fire is hot, and notes their zeal 
 and forwardness ; it is active and consuming, which 
 notes their etfectualness. Angels are like the fire 
 that fell upon Elijah's sacrifice, which consumed 
 the sacrifice, the wood, stones, dust, and licked up 
 the water, I Kings xviii. 38. So effectual was that 
 fire, that nothing could stand before it ; and when 
 the Lord Christ sends out angels, none can stand 
 before them, they are so zealous of and eil'ectual in 
 the execution of his judgments. The wicked are 
 but as the wood, stones, dust, and water ; tliese 
 flames of fire will consume them. This should 
 quicken magistrates, and those that are armed with 
 authority, to be zealous and forward in punishing 
 malefactors, and executing judgment upon delin- 
 quents. Rom. xiii. 4, the sword is not given them 
 in vain, they are revengers of God's quarrel, and it 
 is angelical to execute wrath upon them that do evil. 
 It was Saul's sin that he spared Agag, but Samuel's 
 glory that he hewed him in pieces ; he was zealous, 
 forward, and effectual in it. So Asa, in removing 
 his mother Maachah from being queen, because she 
 had made an idol in a grove, which he cut down, 
 2 Chron. xv. 16, and brake her idol in pieces, and 
 burnt it. Those that are appointed of God to see
 
 42 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 justice done, if they do it not, become guilty them- 
 selves. Old Eli, a judge in Israel, because he was 
 too partial towards his sons, God was angry, and his 
 end was sad. Lewis XI. king of France, having 
 pardoned a murderer twice, and suing again for his 
 , . .. life, said, " What ! dost thou ask pardon 
 
 Jam (erf mm • n .V • ■ ^i ^i ■ i i *l 
 
 homm.iiura agam v this IS the third murder thou 
 perpe.rast.. ^^^ g^j^y ^f,, jjj^ fp^] standing by, said, 
 
 " The other two are thine, who didst pardon them, 
 
 this is his first ; had justice been executed then upon 
 
 him, he would never have fallen into this." So 
 
 another Lewis having pardoned a murderer, and 
 
 afterward reading that in Psal. cvi. 3, " Blessed 
 
 are they that keep judgment, and he that doth 
 
 righteousness at all times ;" presently recalled the 
 
 Nonminusco- pardon, and said, " That prince which 
 
 est"q"am sT'ipse doth not punish delinquents when he 
 
 perpecrasset. may, is uo Icss guilty before the Lord, 
 
 than if he himself had done the fact." Let those 
 
 therefore that it concerns, be zealous of, ready to, 
 
 and effectual in the execution of justice upon 
 
 delinquents. 
 
 Obs. 3. That angels have new influence from 
 Christ, suitable to the ministration they are to be 
 employed in. Though angels be creatures of much 
 knowledge, wisdom, strength, speed, and usefulness, 
 yet when Christ is to employ them, they must have 
 new virtue and influence. " It went up and down 
 among the li\-ing creatures." Let them be as burn- 
 ing coals, they have need of more heat ; let them be 
 as lamps, they have need of more light; their services 
 are great, and Christ contributes unto them con- 
 tinually : as they have new instructions, so new ac- 
 QuK art sincu- ccssions and additions of virtue, which 
 lares vo.aiiones are uccdful to tlicir callings and oper- 
 torimifluufne- ations. If they have need of divine 
 cessans. virtue to further them in their oper- 
 
 ations, much more have we need of fresh supplies. 
 John XV. 5, " Without me ye can do nothing :" he 
 saith not. You may do something, or. You can do 
 little, but plainly, "Without me ye can do nothing." 
 It is the virtue and influence of Christ which enables 
 angels and men to do the duties of their places and 
 callings. Phil. iv. 13. "I can do all things through 
 Christ that strengthens me :" when he that sits 
 upon the throne sends out fire and flame, light and 
 heat, to strengthen us, then can we do all things. 
 I Cor. xii. 5, " There are differences of administra- 
 tions, but the same Lord." It is the Lord Christ that 
 points the administration of men and angels, that 
 gives direction about them, with supplies of grace 
 and strength, to exercise them. When we go about 
 any employments of our general and particular 
 callings, we should consider our own impotency, and 
 look up to Christ, who hath all fuiness, and is ready 
 to send out virtue to supply all our wants ; therefore 
 Paul tells the Philippians, chap. iv. 19, "My God 
 shall supply all your need according to his riches in 
 glory by Christ Jesus." 
 
 Obs. 4. That the divine virtue which comes from 
 Christ, is an active thing, it went up and down, it 
 rested not. Men have sought after the perjietual 
 motion, and lo, here it is. This virtue acted cunlinu- 
 ally in the angels ; it went not by a transitive motion, 
 from one angel to another, but the motion was im- 
 manent, continually acting in them ; and therefore it 
 is called fire, which is a living, active thing. The 
 word of God was as fire. Jcr. xx. 9, " His word was 
 within mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my 
 bones, and 1 was weary with forbearing, and 1 could 
 not stay ;" it overcame him, ana quickened him up 
 to his work when he thought to preach no more. 
 Many a christian thinks to hear, pray, read, meditate, 
 receive no more ; but there is virtue gone out from 
 
 Christ, that will walk up and dowm in them, and 
 cause them to fall to it again. That virtue which 
 comes forth from Christ, is no dull thing. 1 Cor. xv. 
 10, Paul had fire from Christ, and it set him a work ; 
 " I laboured more abundantly than they all." See how 
 active he was, he exceeded all the rest of the apos- 
 tles. And how came that about ? what metal was he 
 made ofl" ? He had fire from Chi'ist ; " It was not I, 
 but the grace of God that was with me," that went 
 up and down in him, and fired his affections and 
 spirit. David, Psal. xxxix. thought to be silent, and 
 not to speak any more before the wicked, even from 
 good conference he refrained ; but what was the 
 issue ? " My heart was hot within me ;" the virtue 
 and fire he had from Christ began to work ; " while I 
 was musing, the fire burned " and flamed out : " then I 
 spake ;" he could hold no longer. So Acts iv. 20, 
 " We cannot but speak the things which we have seen 
 and heard." 
 
 Obs. 5. That actions done by divine virtue, aflTord 
 light and lightning. The fire went up and down 
 among the angels, put them upon execution of judg- 
 ment ; and from hence (these actions being so done) 
 prove light and lightning to the world ,• they are 
 seen, and seen far. They are light to the godly. 
 When angels execute God's judgments upon sinners, 
 the saints see much in it ; they see matter of fear 
 and praise : of fear, in that God's power, wrath, and 
 hatred are manifested in them against sin and sin- 
 ners ; of praise, in that themselves are delivered, 
 and justice is performed. Psal. Iviii. 10, 11, "The 
 righteous shall rejoice when he sceth the vengeance; 
 he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked." 
 When the wicked are taken away by a divine stroke, 
 by the hand of justice, and God hath the glory of his 
 justice, the righteous rejoice at it : but is that all ? 
 no, " he washeth his feet in the blood of the wicked ;" 
 that is, by this judgment he fears and reforms. It is 
 a metaphor taken from the practice of those parts, 
 where they went barefoot, or with sandals, and so 
 contracted much filth, and used to wash and cleanse 
 their feet when they came in : so here, the godly, 
 seeing the hand of God upon the wicked, fears, and 
 judges himself for his sins, purges his conscience and 
 affections, and stands now in awe of that God wdio 
 hath stricken the wicked for those sins which he 
 himself in part is guilty of. Waldus, a man of note 
 in Lyons, seeing one struck dead in his presence, he 
 washed his hands in his blood ; for presently he gave 
 alms to the poor, instructed his family in the true 
 knowledge of God, and exhorted all that came unto 
 him to repentance and holiness of life. 
 
 They are lightning to the wicked, that is, dread- 
 ful and confounding. In this work of executing 
 judgment, as they are lamps to light the godly, so 
 they are burning coals and lightning to destroy the 
 wicked. How terrible was the destroying angel 
 when the plague was in David's days ! Rev. xvi. 
 when the angels poured out their vials of wrath, how 
 dreadful were they ! Men blasphemed, and repented 
 not, to give glory to God. 
 
 Ver. 15. Now as I beheld the living creatures, 
 bfhdld one nheel upon the earth hy the living 
 creatures, irith his four faces. 
 
 We have done, through divine aid, two parts of 
 the vision, and now are coming to the third, that of 
 the wlieels, which hath its darkness and difficulties; 
 and here the glory of God in his providence is con- 
 siderable from earthly things and second causes. 
 
 In the vision of the wheels, two things I shall 
 present unto you. 
 
 First, the signification.
 
 Ver. 15. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 43 
 
 Win 
 
 Secondly, the description of these wheels. 
 What these wheels may signify, there is great 
 variety of opinions ; with all which I will not trouble 
 you. Wheels, by a synecdoche, some think, is put 
 for a chariot, in which God is presented to the pro- 
 phet, guarded with angels on every side, who stand 
 with great reverence and readiness to do his will : 
 and by this chariot they understand the majesty, 
 glory, providence, and kingdom of God, in which he 
 
 rules all things at his pleasure, as a 
 uasi aunga. •^^,gggQner or pilot ; and by the wheels, 
 the immensity, eternity, celerity, perspicacity, and 
 efficacy of God in his operations. Some think by 
 chariots is meant the church, and by the wheels, the 
 apostles. These are thoughts of men ; we will there- 
 fore labour to give you the thoughts and intention 
 of God's Spirit, so near as we can. By the wheels 
 we are to understand this visible world, with all 
 things in it, the kingdoms of the earth, and the 
 church of God, and condition of all human things, 
 which are all in motion and uncertain : and that this 
 is the sense of the wheels may be gathered from the 
 prophet in chap. x. 13, where it is said, " As for the 
 wheels, it was cried unto them in my hearing, O 
 ipsis nomen vo- wheel," O World. Tlieir name is. The 
 €..111111 esi hjc or this world : the word in the Hebrew 
 vocL'r'a!°s'unt''or- is lutgga/gal, and not the same with the 
 bis. jun. usual word for wheel ; and it is both 
 
 substantively and distinctively used, and notes out 
 this world in which we live, in which Ezekiel was ; 
 
 it is not galgat, but haggalgal, which is 
 
 demonstrative and distinguishing. Psal. 
 Ixxvii. 18, there is the same word, and it is not 
 rendered, in the wheel, but in the heaven, or in the 
 
 round, that is, the air: and the Vulgate 
 caii..n«orbiifrr!e, translates it, " Itie hgntmngs nave 
 <p.^,h rSt /3po.Tiit shined in the world ;" and so the Sep- 
 that i». 61. ,y tuagmt. beemg it is evident, that by 
 Oreiks'do abso- the whecls is meant the world and 
 vitlor'iile'J.'Jr'rii. 'l>ings therein ; it is needful to examine 
 Tieins. in Jacob, the fitness of this comparison, and so to 
 
 see the wisdom of God's Spirit in it. 
 Orb, n,.un,iato ^bs. 1. The wheel or wheels are 
 si.iera qiiajque rouud ; such is the form of the world, 
 
 it is called orbis, globus, an orb, a globe, 
 from the roundness. 
 
 06.V. 2. A wheel is movable, and mutable, that part 
 which is on high is presently at the bottom, and that 
 which is at the bottom is quickly again at the top : 
 and this informs us in the mobility and mutability 
 of all human and mundane things, and is princi- 
 pally intended by this vision of the wheels : king- 
 doms, churches, families, volvunlur, reiolvuntur, are 
 daily wheeled about, moved, changed, and never 
 long permanent in any condition. The four great 
 monarchies, the Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, Ro- 
 man, how were they kicked like foot-balls, and toss- 
 ed like tennis-balls from one to another, and at last 
 devoured by each other ! After that great rent made 
 in the house of David by Jeroboam, what changes, 
 what wars and famines, were in the kingdoms of 
 Judah and Israel, you find in the books of the Kings 
 and Chronicles, You may see the relation of these 
 wheels in one chapter. 1 Kings xvi. you will find, 
 that in twelve or thirteen years of Asa's reign, king 
 of Judah, there was the death of Baa.sha, Elah, 
 Zimri, Tibni, Omri, that were wretched kings, and 
 made fearful stirs and murders in Israel : and beside, 
 wicked Ahab in that time began his reign, and trou- 
 bled all Israel. The church, what a low ebb was it 
 at in Elijah's days, when he complains, God's cove- 
 nant is forsaken, his altars thrown down, his pro- 
 phets slain, himself left alone, and his life also 
 sought for ! 1 Kings xix. 14. The church now, 
 
 when Ezekiel had this vision, was in captivity, 
 without a temple, altar, sacrifice ; and the church is 
 never long in any settled condition. Rev. viii. 1, 
 " There was silence in heaven about the space of 
 half an hour." Under the ten fiery persecutions, the 
 church had no rest, but in Constantine's times it had 
 a little ; but presently the Arian heresy brake out, 
 and did more mischief the church than all the per- 
 secutions before. The church is wheeled about 
 from condition to condition ; sometimes it is in Egypt, 
 sometimes in the wilderness, sometimes in Canaan, 
 and sometimes in Babylon ; it is Noah's ark, that 
 rides upon rough waters, and is not like to take 
 harbour before Christ comes. So for j^,^^ partnium 
 families and persons, they are in a p^jor a>is mux 
 movable condition : Eccles. i. 4, " One rre'i'vMKll'i'rem. 
 generation passeth away, and another i'"""- WaTpuv. 
 Cometh ;" that goes, and a third hastens after them 
 to the grave. 1 Cor. iv. 9, " We are made a spec- 
 tacle to the world," a theatre ; that is, we come into 
 the world, and act here a little while upon the stage 
 of it, and presently we are gone ; kings, princes, 
 and all conditions of men do so ; Noah and his 
 generations are gone, David and his. If we come 
 nearer ourselves, the Merovignian family was driven 
 out by Pepin, son of Martel, and that family by 
 Hugh Capet ; so that there have been three races 
 of the royal line in France. The Plantagenets' race 
 here is wholly gone, or lies in obscurity. Great is 
 the uncertainty, motion, and mutation of the things 
 in this world ; the wheels are up and down, and rot 
 consistent : Job is very rich and poor in one day ; 
 Haman in great favour and under great displeasure 
 in a wheel of time. There is a story very suitable 
 to this vision of the wheels, and brought in by ex- 
 positors to give light unto it, which I may not omit; 
 and it is of Sesostris a king of Egypt, who had a 
 golden chariot, bedecked with many precious stones; 
 and when he rode in it, no meaner persons must 
 draw it than four kings that he had conquered. One 
 of the four cast his eye altogether upon the wheel, 
 and being demanded the reason of it by Sesostris, 
 said, I see in this wheel the mutability of all con- 
 ditions ; that jiart of the wheel which is nearest hea- 
 ven, is by and by upon the earth ; and the contrary, 
 that which is upon the earth is presently again 
 nearest heaven. This wrought so upon Sesostris, 
 that he thought his condition might change, and 
 therefore freed those kings from that servitude, and 
 would not have his chariot drawn any more by them. 
 Belisarius, general of Justinian's forces, overcame 
 the Persians in the east, the Vandals in Africa, the 
 Goths in Italy, and did extraordinary service, at last 
 had his eyes put out, his whole estate taken away, 
 and forced to beg of passengers without the gates of 
 Rome : Da obo/um Belisario, quern extutit 
 
 . , . /•. • £• tJaron. 
 
 virtus, ccpcant mvima, O give one tar- 
 thing to Belisarius, whom his own virtue advanced, 
 and others' envy hath blinded. Adonibezek, who sat 
 upon the top of this wheel, was soon brought under : 
 he had seventy kings with their thumbs and toes 
 cut off, and put like dogs under his table to eat 
 scraps ; and himself was made acquainted with that 
 condition, Judg. i. 7. In the present affairs of Ire- 
 land, we may see the mystery of Ezekiel's wheel ; 
 all things are running, moving, and working to a 
 change. Jam. iii. 6, he calls it the ,i„ Tpoxi» im 
 wheel of nature, or rather of this gene- if""'"'- 
 ration, showing, that the present generation is 
 hastening out of the world. 
 
 Obs. 3. Wheels make in their motion a great noise 
 and rattling. Joel ii. 5, " Like the noise of chariots 
 on the tops of mountains;" so the things in the 
 world move not silently, but make a great stir and
 
 44 
 
 AN EXrOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 mighty noise. Rev. vi. 1, when the first seal was 
 opened, and Christ rode abroad upon his white horse 
 of the gospel, conquering the nations, there was as 
 the noise of thunder, and stirs and tumults were 
 raised in kingdoms, and mighty oppositions were 
 made in the world. When t'hrist shall judge the 
 great whore, and avenge the blood of the saints, it 
 will not be without noise : chap. xix. 6, " I heard 
 as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the 
 voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty 
 thunderings, saying, Alleluia : for the Lord God om- 
 nipotent reigncth." There is the voice of the people 
 like waters, a low and less noise ; and there is the 
 voice of parliament and armies, a greater, a thunder- 
 ing voice. The things now in motion in this king- 
 dom and others, make a great thundering in the 
 world; as in former days, between the houses of 
 York and Lancaster were fought seventeen pitched 
 fields, in which eight kings and princes perished, 
 forty dukes, marquises, and earls, 200,000 of the 
 people, besides barons and gentlemen ; which things 
 were not done without a great noise. 
 
 Obs. 4. Wheels are moved by some hand, and set 
 on running, else they stir not : so this world is 
 moved, acted, and governed by divine virtue. Things 
 are carried in this world like wheels, up and down, 
 backwards and forwards, as if all were left at six 
 and seven, and hurried up and down by some blind 
 chance or fortime ; which we exclude, and only ac- 
 knowledge all to be moved, ordered, and ctfeeted by 
 T)i\Hne Providence. It is God that, by his provi- 
 dence and the ministry of his angels, sets all the 
 wheels in the world in motion : a sparrow falls not 
 to the ground, nor a hair off our heads, without his 
 will. 
 
 06.?. 5. By the motion of the wheel many works 
 are done. The potters of old made their vessels by 
 the motion of the wheel, Jer. sviii. 3. By it the corn 
 was ground, and justice was done : Prov. xxii. '26, 
 " He bringcth the wheel over them ;" that notes the 
 punishment of evil doers : it is a metaphor from 
 husbandmen, that, in hot countries, did by the help 
 of a wheel break the ears of corn, Isa. xx\-iii. 28, 
 and so get it out; and justice is the wheel that 
 breaks men, and gets out the truth, and separates 
 the chaff from the wheat. In some places a wheel 
 hath been used to break the bones of sinners. Hence 
 Tully saith, That an innocent life had 
 f;m vtam"r' nothing to do with the wheel. So that 
 rofam^nonas- |jj, thcmotion of tile wlicel mucli hath 
 been done ; and God, by the rotations 
 and .strange motions in the world, brings about great 
 works. Dan. ix. 25, the walls of Jerusalem should 
 be built in a troulilous time. In the 8th, 9th, and 
 Ifith chapters of the Revelation, mention is made 
 of trumpets and ^^als, which note great stirs and 
 changes in the world, and notable elTects follow 
 thereupon. We hope that the stirs of our time are 
 the preparation to the most glorious work (jf anti- 
 christ's ruining, our reforming, Christ reigning, and 
 the Jews' raising ; old things are passing away, and 
 all things are becoming new ; old religion, viz. 
 popery, old prelacy, old service and ceremonies, are 
 going downwards, and they that led into captivity, 
 are themselves a leading into captiWty, Rev. xiii. 10. 
 
 Pemark. The world and the things in it are not 
 fit for us to fix our hearts upon. The world itself, 
 and all in it, are of a wheeling nature, uncertain, 
 movable, and running away : and the word SjSj 
 a wheel, and the world, signifies also a mote, chaff, 
 straw, any thing driven before the wind ; and so it 
 is used, Isa. xvii. 1.3, SjSja as a wheeling thing 
 before the whirlwind; the margin renders it, as a 
 thistle, or thorn ; the one shows the vanity of the 
 
 world, the other the vexation of it. Shall we let 
 out our hearts to that which runs from us like a 
 rolling thing, and if we overtake it, runs into us 
 like a thorn ? They that will be rich, catch the 
 world, pierce themselves through with many sorrows, 
 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10, and break upon this wheel. Be- 
 cause it runs smoothly sometimes, men are taken 
 with the motions of the world ; but at length you 
 shall find its motion rough, swift, ready to overthrow 
 and break you all in pieces. They are broken in 
 Ireland, and we are breaking here. Now let the 
 apostle's counsel be acceptable : 1 Cor. vii. 29 — 
 31, " Brethren, the time is short : let them that have 
 wives, be as if they had none ; let them that weep, 
 be as if they wept not ; and them that rejoice, as if 
 they rejoiced not; and them that buy, as if they 
 possessed not; and them that use this ^„p,;yE,pra;ient. 
 world, as not abusing it." And why <ln-ipit. 
 all this ? " For the fashion," or show, " of this 
 world passeth away." It acts otherwise than you 
 expect ; if you affect the world, w ives, children, or 
 any part of it, it will deceive you : you think to 
 hold it, and it is but a shadow, no substance ; and a 
 shadow, a show, going away. Let us therefore not 
 look at this wheel, but at him that moves the wheel ; 
 who is unchangeable, unmovable, of infinite being j 
 in comparison of whom the world is a drop, a little 
 dust Let us with David say, " Whom have we in 
 heaven but thee ? and there is none in earth we 
 desire in comparison of thee ;" let us let go our hold 
 of the world, draw in our affections from it, hopes 
 after it, and look only after that city, Heb. xi. 10. 
 
 Having given you the signification of the wheels, 
 the next thing premised, is the description of them. 
 And now I come to the particular handling of the 
 wheels, where we shall meet with difficulties and 
 excellences. 
 
 Ver. 15, 16. Now as I beheld the living crea- 
 tures, behold one tvlieel upon the earth by the 
 living creatures, with his Jour faces. The ap- 
 pearance of the wheels and their work was like 
 unto the colour of a beryl: and they four had 
 one likeness : and their appearance and their 
 work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a 
 wheel. 
 
 In these verses they are described : 
 
 1. From their number, implied in the 15th, ex- 
 pressed in the 16th verse, " four." 
 
 2 The place where they were, and that is " the 
 eai in." 
 
 3. Their colour; they were "like a beryl." 
 
 4. Their likeness between themselves ; " they 
 four had one likeness." 
 
 5. Their form was, " as it were, a wheel in a 
 wheel." 
 
 Touching the first, viz. the number of the wheels, 
 they were four. Mention is made of one in the 15th 
 verse, but it is one with four faces ; not the faces of 
 the four cherubims, but of four wheels ; which 
 wheels were so like, that they are said to be one 
 wheel ; he that saw one saw all. As in some picture 
 of a prince, when we have seen the same in divers 
 places, or oft in the same, we say. This is one and 
 the same picture ; so here, our prophet saith he saw 
 all the wheels, but they were so like, that they 
 might well be called one and the same ; for the 
 prophet mentions in the 16th verse, wheels, and 
 four wheels, and one likeness of them. Here, by a 
 figure called hypallage, we may make the sense 
 more easy thus ; there appeared one face in the four 
 wheels, for, one wheel having four faces. In chap.
 
 Ver. 15, 16. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 45 
 
 X. it is out of all dispute that there were four wheels. 
 Ver. 9, " W'lien I looked, behold the four wheels by 
 the cherubinis, one wheel by one cherub, and another 
 wheel by another cherub." 
 
 These wheels being four, represent to us the four 
 parts of the world, eastern, western, northern, 
 southern ; that in them are great stirs and changes. 
 
 The next thing in this verse, is the place ; " I saw 
 one wheel upon the earth." How could that be, 
 when Ezekiel saw the vision in heaven .' 
 
 Aiuw. This is a vision, and it appeared to him to 
 be on the earth ; not the true earth, but the earth in 
 a vision : as in pictures, if a wheel, a chariot, a 
 city, be drawn, and presented to the eye, they are 
 presented as being upon the earth. 
 
 Obs. 1. That all inferior causes, wheels, instru- 
 ments, agents whatsoever, are but as one wheel 
 before the Lord. All things in the four quarters of 
 the world were presented by God to the prophet as 
 one wheel ; to us they are many, mighty, divers, 
 contrary, infinite, but unto God they are otherwise ; 
 all the armies, parliaments, kingdoms, crowns, agents 
 in this world, are but one cause, one wheel, before 
 the great God, they are a small thing to him. Isa. 
 xl. 15 — 17, " Behold, the nations are as a drop of 
 a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the 
 balance : behold, he taketh up the isles as a very 
 little thing. Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor 
 the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-ottering. 
 All nations before him are as nothing ; and they are 
 counted to him less than nothing, and vanity." 
 
 06*. 2. Thatchanges, stirs,andtumults,arehere on 
 the earth, not in heaven. The prophet saw the wheels 
 on earth, not in heaven ; there be no wheelings, no 
 turnings, no troubles, no wars, no deaths, no diseases, 
 no sins, no fears, no tears, no wicked men, no wicked 
 thing, and so no changes. It is only the prerogative 
 of Heaven, to say, " 1 am the Lord, I change not," 
 Mai. iii. 6; the world cannot say it. Jam. i. 17, 
 " With him is no variableness, or shadow of turn- 
 ing:" in God and heaven, there is nothing of the 
 wheel, all is constant, immutable ; but on earih it is 
 contrary, the things under the sun are vanity, in- 
 constancy, and change itself. 
 
 Obs. 3. That all the inferior agents and causes 
 are at the disposal of the superior, of angels. They 
 have a great interest in the government of the world ; 
 the wheel is by the living creatures, at their feet, to 
 move and turn it which way they please ; if they 
 will bespeak wars in the north, or south, if they 
 will have the world in an uproar, it is done. Angels 
 are God's hands and deputies in tlie administration 
 of all things here below : in the world God supports 
 and subverts kingdoms bytliem. Dan. x. Gabriel tells 
 Daniel, that he withstood the prince of Persia twenty- 
 one days, and his counsellors that sought to oppress 
 thepeopleof God,andthathe wouldgo again and fight 
 with him. Kingdoms, and the aflfairs of them, yea, 
 the quarters of the world, under God, are ordered by 
 angels ; and while angelical and divine protection 
 are over kingdoms, they prosper ; but when God is 
 provoked by the sins of a people, he leaves the 
 wheels of that kingdom to men and devils, it runs to 
 ruin. Then the princes and potentates are deluded 
 with strong delusions, grow tyrannical, idolatrous, 
 false, hostile, &c. ; then the kingdom grows weak, 
 without spirit, counsel, strengtli, success, and is 
 infinitely entangled with difficulties, internal, and ex- 
 ternal ; good counsels are slighted or opposed, op- 
 portunities of doing that kingdom good not discerned, 
 dangers not foreseen, or put off without due con- 
 sideration ; blasphemers, traitors, oppressors, and 
 enemiei to publicgood, areset up; divisions, seditions, 
 domestic wars, (if not foreign,) are made and main- 
 
 tained, and all things work strongly to ruin. It is ob- 
 served by some, that there are more wars and desola- 
 tions among christians than otliers ; and the reason 
 is given ; their sins are greater than others, and pro- 
 voke God to take away his own and angelical pro- 
 tection ; they leave the wheels of kingdoms to men of 
 corrupt minds, that move them wholly for private 
 interests. This informs us of the honour and great- 
 ness of angels, that have the wheels of the world in 
 their hands. We look upon them as great men, which 
 have the command of some province or country ; 
 what then are angels, that have the rule of the 
 whole world under God ? Know, though their place 
 be great, yet they are under command, and move not 
 but as they are moved by the Spirit of God. Let us 
 also take heed how we offend persons employed in 
 such great services as they are. 
 
 Ois. 4. That there are turnings and wheelings in 
 all estates and parts of the world. The four living 
 creatures noted the four parts of the world, and 
 their agencies in them and by them : now are pre- 
 sented the wheels ; every living creature had a wheel 
 by it : and this strongly implies that there are wheel- 
 ings, turnings, and changes in aU parts ; yea, the 
 very same that are in one part are at one time or 
 other in another part. The wheels are alike. Are 
 wars, plagues, famine in one country ? they are, or 
 will be, in another. Do men die here ? so in all 
 parts. Are men unfaithful now ? so they were of old ; 
 in David's days he said, " Men of high degree are a 
 lie, and men of low degree vanity," Psal. Ixii. 9. 
 Are there unseasonable times here ? such are abroad. 
 Are things carried by violence, oppression, injus- 
 tice here ? so they are elsewhere. Are there de- 
 signs, plots upon our kingdom and church ? so there 
 are upon others. Whatever befalls one state, befalls 
 another, internally and externally. The wheels are 
 the same, and move alike, though sometimes back- 
 ward in one part of the world, and forward in 
 another ; there is no stability any where, but all 
 things arc changing. In vain then do men travel the 
 world to find certainty and content in it; in vain do 
 we go up and down, here and there, thinking to find 
 settledness, and something satisfactory. The world 
 is like itself every where ; go east or west, and there 
 is nothing but a wheel, and a wheel running. Solo- 
 mon had tried all comhtions ; he had wealth, wis- 
 dom, and opportunities, for he saith, "Who shall come 
 after the king?" intimating, that none can travel 
 further than he did, to search and know the world 
 and creatures, and all conditions : and what doth he 
 conclude, but "Vanity of vanities ?" that is, all is ex- 
 treme and superlative vanity ; and because men will 
 not believe it, he doubles and trebles it, " Vanity of 
 vanities, all is vanity," Ecclcs. i. Take any place, 
 or any thing in that place, it is vanity, empty, fruit- 
 less, inconstant ; so far from satisfying, that it vex- 
 eth. Hence some have pictured Solomon upon a 
 high hill, and all the world coming towards it, and 
 climbing up, thinking to find happiness there ; but 
 he beats them down with a rod, saying. It is not 
 here, it is not here. We must not look for stability, 
 content, certainty, among the wheels, but above 
 them : now it is not time to look about and abroad, 
 but to look above the world and the wheels of it. 
 Christ hath told us what is to be had in this world ; 
 and it is certain : " In the world," saith he, " you 
 shall have tribulation." And do you not find it ? 
 surely now it is eminent and pungent. And he hath 
 told us what is to be had in himself: " In me you 
 shall have peace." If we have tribulation in the 
 world, we may have peace in Christ.
 
 46 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 Ver. 16. The appearance of the n-heeh and 
 their work was like tnito the colour of a beryl : and 
 they four had one likeness: and their appearance 
 and their work ivas as it were a wheel in the 
 middle of a wheel. 
 
 Here we have the colour, likeness, and form of the 
 wheels to examine. First, their colour, (as for the 
 work, that is, the matter whereof they were made, or 
 the artificial form of them ;) " Their colour and work 
 was like the heryl :" the Hebrew is, as the eye, or 
 colour, of W'lfin. The word Tarshish in Scripture 
 sometimes notes a city, Jonah i. 3, sometimes a 
 precious stone, Exod. xxviii. 20, it is the same 
 word; and interpreters observe there is a sea also 
 called Tarshish, Isa. ii. 16, and it is like to be that 
 where the city Tarshish was ; for Tarshish that Jonah 
 fled to, was a sea town. When our prophet saith, 
 " The colour was like the colour of Tarshi.sh," he 
 means not the city. The dispute is between the sea 
 or a stone : some render it, as the colour or visions 
 of the sea ; others, as the colour of a precious stone : 
 and then the query grows, what stone, whether of a 
 chrysolite, a hyacinth, a crystal, or a beryl. That 
 here is meant a stone, is determined by infallible 
 testimony, even Scripture itself. Ezek. x. 9, " The 
 appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a 
 Tarshish stone ;" and it is well rendered by our in- 
 terpreters, a beryl stone ; for neither the chrysolite 
 nor hyacinth do discover a sea colour, the one being 
 yellow, the other sky colour ; and the scope of the 
 wheels and description of them, is to possess us with 
 the uncertainty and fluctuation of all things, which 
 is livelily set out by the sea : we are therefore to 
 hold to the crystal or beryl. It is true, the crystal 
 hath a watery colour, and its original from the water ; 
 yet it doth not so fully set out the sea colour as the 
 beryl, which is a green stone, and they are counted 
 Lest that have the sea-greens. The best rendering 
 of this word Tarshish, is the sea beryl, 
 iii"™''L-')n!i? because it hath altogether a sea colour, 
 ■iiiaiassius. jjj^ reminds us of the sea, by whose 
 floating condition the uncertainty of all things is 
 laid before us. 
 
 Obs. I. That the things here in this visible world 
 are like unto the sea, imcertain and unstable as the 
 waters of the sea ; they are never quiet, but always 
 rolling up and dowai from shore to shore, even in 
 the greatest calm. These waters are in motion, and 
 suddenly in a rage by virtue of the winds, which lift 
 up the waves to heaven, and make all stormy and 
 outrageous : there is no stability at all in these 
 waters j and the world is as unstable as any sea, as 
 Euripus itself, that ebbs and flows seven times a 
 day. All creatures are in motion, and tending to 
 corruption ; all conditions are full of changes and 
 inconstancy. Who can tell how many inhabitants 
 have been in some one street, in some one house, 
 what wares have been brought in and sold out of 
 some one shop ? Men bless and curse, love and 
 hale, in one day, in one hour : Amnon is sick for 
 Tamar till his lust be satisfied, and then imme- 
 diately hates her : Ahasuerus turns off Vashti, and 
 entertains Esther : Reuben, Gen. xlix. 4, unstable 
 as water : Pharaoh on the throne, anon in the bot- 
 tom of the sea : Hezekiah healthy now, and hears 
 hy and by, " Set thy house in order, for thou shalt 
 die :" Jerusalem besieged and freed in one night. 
 In youth we are altogether for pleasure, in manhood 
 for credit, in age for riches, as if thick clay must be 
 our viaticum for heaven. We are fixed in nothing, 
 and nothing is firm to us. What certainty is there in 
 honours, riches, pleasures ? What constancy in 
 
 health, wealth, worship ? What Seneca said of a 
 great citv burnt, There is a day's dif- 
 ference between a great city and none ; ^■^eVm^«m"n" 
 the like may be said of most things ci>iiaiem et nui- 
 and conditions. 
 
 Obs. 2. Deceitful. The sea hath a pleasant colour 
 to allure, it is greenish, which is most suitable unto 
 the senses ; and yet it deceives many, if not most : 
 it fills with fears, it impoverisheth many, ship- 
 wrecks them, promiseth safety, and drowns thou- 
 sands ; oft it looks calm, and invites to come on, and 
 being on, it becomes rough and ruinous. Hence 
 the poet calls \i,fallaa: profundum, the deceitful deep. 
 A merchant carrying figs at sea, suffered shipwreck ; 
 and sitting by the sea-shore, beholding it pleasant 
 and calm, said, Novi quid relis,Jicus vis, You would 
 have me again to venture through the deeps, but I 
 will trust you no more ; he spake wittily, and did 
 wisely. We should prove as wise for this world. 
 Trust it not, it is a deceitful thing ; it promiseth con- 
 tent, but that cluster never grew on the world's 
 thorns. The devil ever disquiets whom he possesses, 
 and so doth the world : it promises pleasure, but 
 pays with smart ; Breve est quod deleclat, ceternum quod 
 crucial. An hour's pleasure and eternal torture. 
 Dives' dainties now bite like a serpent, and sting 
 like a cockatrice. The world promiseth much good, 
 even to make them, its friends, happy ; but it is 
 otherwise. Achan's wedge of gold purchased the 
 stones that beat out his brains ; Judas s thirty pieces 
 bought the halter that strangled him ; Shechem's lust 
 brought the sword upon himself and the city. It 
 promises help in time of trouble ; it rather sinks 
 than helps ; like a man in the sea with his pockets 
 full of gold ; it hastens his drowning, it helps him 
 not to the shore. Prov. xi. 4, " Riches profit not." It 
 tells us of continuance and abode with us ; but here 
 it gtdls us greatly : the best thing the world hath, 
 deals with us like false friends, they leave us in the 
 lurch, and say, as the ten tribes to Rehoboam, " Look 
 to thine house, David," 1 Kings xii. 16. Health 
 saith, I must leave you, now look to yourselves. 
 Riches take wings and fly away, eagles' wings, and fly 
 with strength, Prov. xxiii. 5. Are not men's estates, 
 liberties, honours, privileges now upon the wing ? 
 If Nebuchadnezzar be in the palace among his 
 nobles, anon he is in the park among the beasts all 
 night. As Jacob said of Laban, Gen. xxxi. 7, " Your 
 father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten 
 times ;" so may we say of the world, it hath, it will 
 deceive us ; we look for honour, it will change our 
 wages, and give us disgrace ; we look for riches, and 
 it gives us poverty. Adonijah you may find in one 
 day upon the throne and at the horns of the altar, 
 
 1 Kings i. 5, 50; he will be king, and have the 
 lives of all in his hand, and before night he runs to 
 secure his own life. It tells us of liappiness, suc- 
 cess, victory, life ; but Zedekiah sees Jerusalem 
 taken, his sons slain before his own face ; then his 
 eyes being put out, he is bound in fetters, and car- 
 ried to Babylon. Good Josiah goes forth to battle, 
 and he is slain : Ahab goes forth against the Assyri- 
 ans, victory is promised him, but he is wounded, and 
 dies of his wounds : Richard the third, after his 
 cruelties, is slain in Bosworth field ; and at the battle 
 of Edge-hill, were not some taken, many wounded, 
 and more slain ? Joab pretended kindness to Amasa, 
 but it proved cruelty j he kissed him, and killed him, 
 
 2 Sam. XX. Agag is hewn in pieces like an ox ; 
 Jezebel eaten by dogs, like a piece of carrion ; 
 Bajazet carried in an iron cage up and down the 
 world by great Tamerlane. Trust it not, it is like 
 Jael ; she began with milk and butter, but ended with 
 a nail and hammer. An emperor of Turkey married
 
 Ver. 16. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 47 
 
 his daughter to a bashaw, and after one night's 
 pleasure, sent for his head the next morning. 
 
 " They four liad one likeness." All the wheels 
 were equal, none higher than otlier, greater, lesser, 
 but an even and suitable proportion between them 
 all ; no difference was to be seen at all. 
 
 1. This informs us that there is no stability in 
 any part of the world, but changes every where, and 
 such in other parts as they find with us. But of 
 this before. 
 
 2. That God's administration of the world, and all 
 the wheels of it, is equal and harmonious. This is 
 set out to us by the likeness of the wheels : althougli 
 in the world and things of it there be disparities, 
 inconstancies, strange motions, and mutations ; yet 
 the wisdom and providence of God moves and turns 
 the wheels, so that there is an admirable equability 
 and harmony in all things ; and if our eyes were 
 opened, we should see and say, that no wheel could 
 be moved better. To us the wheels seem all out of 
 course, and to run with crooked motions, and to be 
 N.,iiai,neapns. lurried contrary ways by men and 
 sii invhus duisfi ; devils J but all things are in their right 
 inier se cuuseuii- course, and movc triat way God would 
 "■"• have them ; and whatever the ajipear- 
 ance be, all things agree well among themselves. 
 W'e oft condemn the sentence the judge hath given, 
 and blame a man for going about when he may go a 
 nearer way ; but when the reasons are made known, 
 then we are satisfied. 
 
 " Their appearance and their work was as it were 
 a wheel in the midst of a wheel." Here you have 
 the form of the wheels, a wheel in a wheel. This 
 is hard to explain unto you. The words may be 
 taken either transverse, or comprehensive. 
 „. . , J 1. Transverse. The wheels were 
 
 \jt nuo circuit ad . i , ■ i 
 
 rectos aneuios se crosswise, entangled in one another ; 
 iDtersecauits. ^^ ^j^^ y^^^^ ^^ circles in a globe cut 
 
 and cross one another, they were so entangled, 
 they were in one another crosswise. And hereby 
 is laid before us the several cross, entangled, and 
 difficult motions of things in the world : all things 
 do not go one way, nor evenly, in our sight and ap- 
 prehension, but there are cross motions, great in- 
 tricateness and knottiness in the affairs of the world. 
 
 2. Comprehensive. A wheel in a wheel ; not the 
 nave stock in the midst of the wheel, to which the 
 spokes are fastened, for tliat hath not the form of a 
 wheel : but there was one wheel in another ; as the 
 orbs of the heavens comprehend one another ; as in 
 some water-works, and watches, there be wheels one 
 in another : and then the meaning is, that there is a 
 secret hidden motion or wheel, that moves the wheels 
 which way soever they run. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the motions of the world, and the 
 kingdoms, are perplexed and cross motions, like 
 a wheel in a wheel. Saul moved with all his strength 
 to settle the kingdom up<m his own son ; but he met 
 with a contrary motion. David is anointed to be 
 king, and the men of war " came to David to Hebron, 
 to turn the kingdom of Saul to him," 1 C'hron. xii. 23. 
 And so Adonijah said to Bathsheba, The kingdom 
 that was mine is turned about and become my bro- 
 thers, 1 Kings ii. 15 ; he met with a cross wheel, that 
 carried the kingdom from him. How perplexed, 
 and entangled, were the motions of the Jewish af- 
 fairs, both in Babylon and at Jerusalem, when the 
 The papisu do projihet saw this \'ision ! Nebuchad- 
 rS.'a^n'ec'i'esi- Hczzar's wheel was in theirs, and en- 
 astica'i nmnarchy tangled them much in both places. 
 
 m the tenipotal, ii'i i. .• • 17 
 
 exempt iriim " hat cross motions were in h ranee, 
 
 di?fio"["c'iMU-"" when the king of Navarre, prince of 
 
 subjeci'ri ynrem, Conde, the admiral, and all that were 
 
 at £m!m com-' of the protestant religion, looked for 
 
 peace, and met with a massacre ! Are """"■ "" account 
 
 . . 1 ,1 ■ 1, L' -1,1 , , or ilie couiTiion 
 
 not there Komish, opanish, t rench, and boo'I. it subject 
 popish wheels moving in our kingdom, ji,'e'l'Vr"Jmon- 
 armies, and councils ? Look at this "!''" » hrokeo 
 instant upon the motions of this king- illLss^bu'i'dlte.. 
 dom, in parliament, or out of it, and th,',',^5."b""lheir 
 they are exceeding intricate. Never spmiuai mon- 
 was skein of silk or thread so knotty '"''-'^• 
 or involved, as the affairs of the kingdom and world 
 are ; never bird so entangled in the lime-twigs or 
 nets, as things are at this time. 
 
 Obs. 2. The motions to mutations and ruins are 
 very swift. Things move faster then we con- 
 ceive to their ends. The Jews hasted out of Egypt, 
 and destruction hasted on the Egyptians. A 
 wheel in a wheel, notes intention of motion. As 
 Elias prayed in prayer, Jam. v. 17; that is, he was 
 intense ; so a wheel in a wheel, intimates intense- 
 ness of the motion. All things make speed to their 
 own ruin. 
 
 Obi: 3. There is a secre* motion which carries on 
 the wheels, and moves them that way they go. There 
 is a wheel in a wheel, and that sets the other moving ; 
 as a spring in a watch sets all the . • , , 
 
 , , ^ . o . .An internal 
 
 wheels going, some latent engine stirs mjstery inanex- 
 the wheels of the world. In some places In'c^OTdS'peDsa- 
 you shall see the waters suddenly fly 1;°° iHj,'', *'i'p" "' 
 all about you: the cause of that mo- the wheel's m*^ 
 tion is hidden. So in all the motions, "'"'""'• 
 turns, and stirs of the world, there is a secret wheel, 
 Divine Providence, that sets on work and carries on. 
 That was a great wheel and turn, when ten tribes at 
 once fell from Rehoboam, and ran to Jeroboam. 
 Politicians and statesmen could see sechtion, rebel- 
 lion, and treason in that motion ; the outward wheel 
 was obvious, but the wheel in the wheel was not 
 seen by every eye : " Behold, I will rend the king- 
 dom out of Solomon's hands, and give ten tribes to 
 thee," 1 Kings xi. 31. If there be divisions, ruins, 
 plunderings in a kingdom, there is a wheel in those 
 wheels, a Providence that acts and orders. Job vi. 
 5, " Afflictions come not forth of the dust, nor 
 trouble out of the ground;" they come out of the 
 wheel : God turns that upon kingdoms and fami- 
 lies ; as Micah i. 12, " Evil came down from the 
 Lord to the gates of Jerusalem;" God 
 hath a wheel in all the wheeling busi- 
 nesses of the world. Anastasius the emperor being 
 informed of a conspiracy against him and the state, 
 commanded Justinian and Justinus, with many others, 
 to be executed. By a voice in the night he was bid to 
 spare Justinian and Justinus, for they were to do 
 good service ; and they both afterward were empe- 
 rors : the motion of the wheel in the wheel saved 
 their lives, and advanced them to honour. At the 
 battle of Keinton was a wheel in a wheel : the wheel 
 at first ran for the adverse party, but the wheel in 
 the wheel turned it on our side. At Brainford there 
 was a wheel in a wheel. When the enemies' plots 
 have been their plagues, and their doings their un- 
 doings, the wheel in the wheel both moved and turn- 
 ed their own works upon them, Psal. ix. 16. 
 
 Obi: 4. The motions of Divine Providence in the 
 things of the world, are beyond the reach of the 
 wisest. Providence walks and works so darkly, 
 deeply, changeably, wheels about, so that mortals 
 cannot tell what conclusions to make. When tlie 
 issues of things are extant, we can see what the an- 
 tecedent motions carried in their womb, otherwise 
 not, unless we have it by vision ; as here Ezekiel 
 had ; or some extraordinary way. Providence hath 
 such intricacies, as puzzle the thoughts and hearts 
 of tin ablest and best. When the children of Israel 
 were at the borders of Canaan, they were carried
 
 48 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 back again to Ezion-gaber, Numb, xxxiii. Exod. 
 xiii. 18, it is said, " God led them about through the 
 way of the wilderness, by the Red sea :" and so Pro- 
 vidence leads affairs about, they go backwards and 
 forwards, so that we cannot make sense of God's mo- 
 tions in the world ; as in characters, till a man learn, 
 and be instructed in them, he can make no sense of 
 them ; and men now of rare abilities, cannot tell 
 what sense to make of the motions of the wheels. 
 Monsieur Chastileon, admiral of France, at the match 
 of Charles IX. his sister with the king of Navarre, 
 was invited with chief of the {irotcstants by the king 
 to celebrate the marriage at Paris, and to confirm 
 peace : the protestants at Rochelle advised him not 
 to go, but importunity of others prevailed with him, 
 he went, and was massacred for it. Although he was 
 of great wisdom, he could not discern what way the 
 wheels would move. The wisest man is too weak to 
 spell out the meaning of the wheels and mysteries 
 of Providence. Once before he had refused to come 
 to court at the king's sending, who sent Monsieur 
 Du Tore his cousin to advertise him of important af- 
 fairs he had to communicate : he suspecting, answer- 
 ed, The king means me no good ; and tell him, there 
 be no Count Egmonds in France : I will not sufTcr 
 my head so easily to be cut off, as he did in Flanders. 
 Roderick king of Spain, to insure himself against the 
 children and friends of king Viti/.a, whom he had 
 deposed, dismounted all the strong-holds, and dis- 
 armed the people : this strengthened him against do- 
 mestic enemies, not foreign attempts ; for the Moors 
 invading him, shortly after overthrew him, and find- 
 ing little resistance, in seven or eight months con- 
 quered almost all Spain. The Britons, molested by 
 the Picts and Scots, called in the Saxons, who for 
 some time served them to purpose, but in the end 
 conquered them and their country. These could not 
 foresee what would be the issues of things. The mo- 
 tions of Providence are so secret and various, that it 
 lies not within the compass of man's power to make 
 certain conclusions therefrom. 
 
 Obs. 5. There is a connexion of causes and things 
 together in the world. Hosea ii. 21, 22, " I will hear 
 the heavens, and they shall hear the earth ; that 
 shall hear the corn, wine, and oil ; and they shall 
 hear Jezreel :" as in architecture, there is a depend- 
 ence and connexion. 
 
 Ver. 17. When tliexf went, fhey irent upon their 
 fdvr sides : and they turned not when they went; 
 and so on to the end of the 2Ist verse. 
 
 In these verses we have two things : 
 
 I. We have the effect of the wdiecls, which is 
 motion, laid down in vcr. 17, 19, 20, 21. And, 
 
 II. The adjuncts of them, which are two, 1. Height, 
 2. Eyes, in the 18th verse. 
 
 The commodiousness of their motion for all parts, 
 and the form of it, arc both in this 17lh verse. The 
 Hebrew is. In going, they went to their four sides, 
 to the four parts which were next to their sides, or 
 through the four parts ; and so the sense is, they 
 went to, into, or through the four jiurts of the world. 
 If you read it according to our translation, upon 
 them ; the sense is, when the four living creatures 
 moved, the wheels moved upon their sides. It is our 
 phrase, when we ask one, which side went he of 
 such a man ? we answer, Upon, or on his right or 
 left side : but Ihe better sense to me is, they went 
 according to their four sides. Look what side, what 
 part of the world was apjjoinfed them, that tlie 
 wheels went to, and moved in. 
 
 " And turned not." They came not back, but 
 
 went forward: there might be variety of motions, 
 but no back motions, no retrogradations; being once 
 gone forth, they returned not. 
 
 The observation first is this : That in all parts, 
 human things move to their appointed period, and 
 there is no return of them being once there. Pha- 
 raoh and his host came to their period in the bottom 
 of the sea, and never saw Egypt more. The patri- 
 archs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, have taken up 
 their lodgings in the dust, and return no more. What 
 David said of the child, " I shall go to it, it shall 
 not return to me," is a fit motto to all creatures ; 
 they must go to those who are gone before, not they 
 return to these : cities, people, families, silver, gold, 
 fine linen, they must see that corruption those saw 
 in former days. 
 
 Obs. 2. That inferior causes move constantly in 
 their motions, to do the will of God. The wheels 
 turned not when they went, nothing could turn them 
 back ; nor the angels in their administrations, but 
 they go on. We think it is the creature makes stops, 
 lets, in the affairs of the world ; but it is God's hand, 
 his providence doth it : the wheels, all inferior causes, 
 proceed in their motions, till God check them, and 
 cause a stand: Isa. xliii. 13, " I will work, and who 
 shall let it?" 
 
 Ver. 18 — 21. As for their rings, they were so 
 high that they ivere dreadful ; and their rings 
 were full of eyes round about them four. And 
 when the living creatures went, the wheels went by 
 them: and when the living creatures were lifted 
 up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. 
 Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, 
 thither was their spirit to go ; and the wheels 
 were lifted up over against them : for the spirit 
 if the living creature was in the wheels. When 
 those went, these went ; and when those stood, 
 these stood ; and when those were lifted up from 
 the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against 
 them : for the spirit of the living creature was in 
 the wheels. 
 
 In the 18fh verse, we have the rings of the wheels 
 described, from their height, and from their eyes. 
 They w'ere so high, they caused terror ; so full of 
 eyes, they caused wonder. The Hebrew reading is 
 somewhat different, it runs thus. And the rings of 
 them, both height to them, and fear to them, or by 
 reason of them ; that is, the wheels 
 were so high, that they bred terror, '"^ " "'^' 
 struck fear into the prophet. The word rings in the 
 Hebrew is, backs, their backs were high, dreadful ; 
 that is, their circumferences or rings were so, of 
 such breadth and altitude, (for there is no difference 
 between those in rings and circles,) that they caused 
 fear to those who looked upon them. 
 
 Now what is meant by this height and greatness 
 of the wheels, must be opened unto you ; and it is 
 this ; the motions of second causes and changes of 
 things here in this world, are so great, so incompre- 
 hensible by man, that they produce fears and terrors 
 to the sons of men. Men are troubled that they 
 cannot fathom the depths, and measure the height 
 and breadtli of the wheels. When men see times 
 and seasons changed, kingdoms dashed in pieces, 
 the godly brought into bondage, the wicked advanced, 
 truth persecuted, errors in credit, justice trodden 
 down, and all things moving by contrary motions, 
 they stand amazed; and not able to reach the causes 
 of things, to measure the wheels, and sec into the 
 exact motions of them, they become sensible of their
 
 Ver. 18—21. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 49 
 
 own weakness, and say, the height of the wheels ! 
 O the shallowness of our spirits ! 
 
 0/<6. I. That the causes, and motions, and changes 
 in the world, arc unknown to the sons of men. The 
 wheels are too high for them to measure : man is so 
 purblind, that the dim sight of his soul 
 ■ "' '"' ' pierceth not into the secrets and know- 
 ledge of causes ; it only comes at the outside and 
 extremities of things, the superficies of the wheel, 
 but not the height and depth of it, not the true 
 nature and causes of things ; so that admiration, 
 and opinion, not science, is begotten in man. This 
 Agrippa knew, that wrote a book of the vanity of 
 sciences ; and Zanchez, that wrote a tractate. Quod 
 nihil icitur, That nothing is certainly known : and 
 Socrates was judged the most learned man, for that he 
 said, This I know, that I know nothing : and above 
 all these, the apostle saith, 1 Cor. viii. 2, " If any 
 man think he knoweth any thing, he knoweth no- 
 thing yet as he ought to know ; " and 1 Cor. xiii. 12, 
 " We see through a glass darkly," things are a riddle 
 to us, we know not what to make of them. Look 
 into the world, and what can we make of it ? The 
 wheels in every quarter have such a height as none 
 can reach ; second causes move so suddenly, as none 
 can spy them out. Cast your eye upon physical 
 wheels, and they are too high for physicians to 
 measure. What reason can they give of antipathies ; 
 or that some trees should have a venomous root on 
 the one side, and a remedy on the other? They meet 
 with diseases and dithculties that are ludibria medi- 
 corum, defiances of the skill of physicians, and must 
 refer you to occult qualities. Cast your eye upon 
 political wheels, and there you will find such heights 
 and depths, as neither Ahithophcl can measure, nor 
 Machiavel can sound. Look at theological wheels 
 and motions, and there are such heights that none of 
 „ . the prophets nor apostles have been 
 
 Deoriim crimen. i t ^. t -n 
 
 s>iia tarn feiiic. able to measure. 1 will give you an 
 *'"• instance in two or three. Jer. xii. I, 2, 
 
 " Righteous art thou, O Lord : yet let me talk with 
 thee of thy judgments : Wherefore doth the way of 
 the wicked prosper ? wherefore are all they happy 
 that deal very treacherously ?" Jeremiah, a great 
 prophet, is puzzled at this height of the wheel : 
 " Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken 
 root : they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit : thou 
 art near in their mouth, and far from their reins." 
 Job is at a stand in this case, chap. xxi. 7, " Where- 
 fore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are 
 mighty in power ?" God puts Job to it in chap, 
 xxxviii. — sli. So Asaph, Psal. Ixxiii. and Habak- 
 kuk, chap. i. 3, were troubled at the prosperity of 
 the wicked, and could not take the altitude of the 
 wheels in their days ; nature nor grace could do it. 
 If Solomon knew not the way of an eagle in the air, 
 of a serpent upon the rock, of a ship in the midst of 
 the sea, of a man with a maid, Prov. xxx. 19 ; how 
 shall we know the motions of the wheels in the 
 world ? 
 
 Obs. 2. That the consideration of the unsearch- 
 ableness of God's ways should beget fear and trem- 
 bling in us : the wheels had a height, and drcadful- 
 ness upon that height. When a man comes to the 
 sea-shore, beholds the rastness and strange motion 
 of it, and finds he is puzzled, fear creeps upon him 
 from the apprehension of the greatness and majesty 
 of God, who sits upon the floods, and commands the 
 deeps : so here, when we think of the wheels, how 
 liigh they are, that we cannot search out the cause 
 of their motions, this way or that way, our souls 
 should tremble at the majesty of that God which 
 sets such mighty wheels at work. Psal. xxxvi. 6, 
 " Thy judgments are a great deep." Men's sins are 
 
 a great deep, and Satan's ways are called a depth ; 
 but God's judgments, his ways in the wheels, are the 
 greatest deep of all, they are unsearchable. 
 
 That christian kingdoms are shaken in pieces with 
 wars, when heathen kingdoms are spared ; that 
 there is such unequal dispensation of the means of 
 grace in tlie world ; that the greatest part are with- 
 out the knowledge of God and Christ to this day ; 
 that many able men are laid by, or cast into corners, 
 where are but haiidfuls of people, and great towns, 
 where are multitudes, have no ministers, or such as 
 preach holiness, and the power of godliness, out of 
 their parishes ; that people are most hardened 
 under the most powerful means of grace ; that there 
 be such unequal distributions of riches, talents of 
 nature and grace; that precious young ministers and 
 others are taken away in a time of great need, when 
 others that are vile and base arc spared ; that wicked 
 pirates prosper at sea, when honest men are ship- 
 wrecked; that those who have little or no means 
 thrive, that those have the best who are barren ; 
 God's working in sinful actions, his fitting vessels 
 for destruction, his leaving his ancient jieople the 
 Jews sixteen hundred years under a curse ; O 
 the depth ! how unsearchable are his ways ? Rom. 
 xi. 33. 
 
 The next thing in the verse to be touched, is, the 
 eyes in these rings. 
 
 " And the rings were full of eyes round about 
 them four ;" or, on every side to them four. Every 
 wheel had eyes ; they were atellaltp ocu/is, bedecked 
 with eyes, as the heaven with stars : there were 
 eyes within, and eyes without, and not a few, but 
 many ; every ring, every wheel, was full of eyes. 
 
 By eyes, we are to understand the active and in- 
 finite providence of God, which runs through all 
 things. 2 Chron. xvi. 9, " The eyes of the Lord 
 run to and fro throughout the whole earth ;" that 
 is, Divine Providence is active every where. 
 
 The Scripture, by eyes, referring to God, intends, 
 first, his knowledge and notice of things ; Prov. xv. 
 3, " The eyes of the Lord are in every place, be- 
 holding the evil and the good." Secondly, his care; 
 Psal. xxxiv. 15, " The eyes of the Lord are upon the 
 righteous ;" that is, he careth for them. Thirdly, his 
 direction; Psal. xxxii. 8, " I will guide thee with 
 mine eye." And these eyes show God's inspection, 
 care, and ordering the wheels in all their motions, 
 and that in all quarters. The rings were full of 
 eyes, and whatever the thoughts of men were, they 
 moved according to direction of Divine Providence. 
 
 Obs. I. That however the wheels and motions of 
 them be too high for men, and dreadful unto them, 
 yet they are not so to God ; he sees into all the 
 wheels, they have eyes on every side ; God knows 
 them throughly, their essences, qualities, operations. 
 We cannot pry into the state of Kingdoms, councils, 
 armies, cities : there are as secrets of Arcana imperii 
 states, so secrets of wheels in those " »ii^ua roia- 
 states, which none know but God, and 
 God knows them perfectly. Let wheels be never so 
 great, terrible, move never such strange and cross 
 ways ; as kings, armies, parliaments, are great 
 wheels, and have unknown motions ; yet they are 
 subject to the Lord's eyes, he sees into all their 
 secrets, and sees more in their motions than they 
 themselves. 
 
 Obs. 2. The motions of the wheels are consider- 
 able and judicious. They are not car- j^„„ ^^^„ j,„. 
 ried on blindly ; however they seem to pe'" voiuntur 
 be carried, yet they are carried by 
 reason and counsel : there are eyes in the wheels. 
 When men do things rashly, injudiciously, we say, 
 Have you no eyes in your heads .' Here are eyes in
 
 50 
 
 AN EXPOSITIOK UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 the rings, and they move not casually. Those mo- 
 tions in the world that seem most confused, are 
 composed and ordered motions. Are rich men made 
 poor ; lionourable men base ? are conquerors made 
 captives ? do servants ride, and princes go on foot.'' 
 are the wicked oppressors in the seats of justice .'' 
 are the godly beneath, and the vile above ? are the 
 counsels of Jesuits, foreigners, and desperate ma- 
 lignants, entertained, and others rejected P are there 
 civil wars in a land, great plundering, spoiling of 
 ministers, christians, parliament, men themselves ? 
 These things are not done without considerate and 
 judicious motions of the wheels. Acts iv. 27, 28, 
 when Herod, Pilate, gentiles, Jews, were gathered 
 together against Christ, were not the motions then 
 (though inhuman, bloody, and murderous) consider- 
 ate and providential motions ? The text saith, 
 they did " whatsoever the hand and counsel of the 
 Lord determined before to be done :" it was no blind 
 business ; the wheels of it were full of eyes, and 
 moved by the motions of Heaven. God's own eye, 
 heart, and head were in it. And now, when the 
 Herods, Pilates, and malignants of the world do stir 
 against Christ and his members, the wheels move 
 considerately. 
 
 Obi: 3. The motions of the rings, wheels, and all 
 second causes, are certain, arriving at the end ap- 
 pointed. They are full of eyes, which direct them 
 to their journey's end, so that they miss not the 
 mark they aim at. AVhat if many second causes be 
 ignorant,'blind, know not their own motions ; yet if 
 they have guides infallible to lead them, it is suf- 
 ficient to conduct them to the intended end. If a 
 seeing dog can lead a blind beggar from place to 
 place, direct his motion to the desired end ; shall not 
 the eye of Providence lead any, all second causes to 
 their end ? Providcr.cc is an unerring thing, and dis- 
 appoints not God of his expectation. 'J. he pilot 
 carries a great ship from harbour to harbour, over the 
 seas, through the storms, and fulfils the mind of 
 the master ; and so Providence carries the great 
 wheels up and down, to the very place appointed. 
 
 Obs. 4. The least motions of the wheels are not 
 without Providence. Some think that the great 
 things in kingdo;ns and the world are transacted by 
 Providence ; but for the less, they pass in a casual 
 manner. Providence reaches them not : but the eyes 
 were every where, the wheels were full of eyes ; not 
 a few eyes, here and there one, but in every part, 
 that so man's mind might be freed from such sinister 
 thoughts, as that there should be any motion of any 
 wheel without the direction and induence of Provi- 
 dence. God hath made the least and greatest crea- 
 tures, and he causeth the least and greatest mo- 
 tions. Let us pitch our thoughts upon 
 curat''l™!ifi)''ut some Icsser motion, the dispensation 
 uiimnHiiqiu.i.iia of a lot, tlic fall of a hair from the 
 lu^rcur'ale. '',„'■'.■ head, the preparations of the heart, 
 rum Augmt IK |i^g answcr of the tongue, these are all 
 
 Cnw/e-'T. Ami the rt 1 T 1 1 T < 1 1 T^ 
 
 .viioniinm say. of the Lord, and directed by Provi- 
 Is miMu.-i'm".",. dence ; the earth loseth not a pile of 
 nihvis Mifmita io (jrass, the trees not a leaf, the water 
 not a fish, tlie air not a Inrd, without 
 an ordinance of Providence. 
 
 Obs. 5. Providence orders the motion of the rings 
 and wheels :n all parts, all the world over : not one, 
 two, or three wheels had eyes, but all four had eyes 
 round al)out them. God, by his divine providence, 
 ordered things as well in Babylon as in Sion. Pro- 
 vidence wrought in Egypt, and the Red sea. As 
 there are wheels in all parts of the world, in all 
 kingdoms of the earth; so there are eyes in all 
 those wheels. 
 
 Obs. 6. The works of God in disposing and govern- 
 
 ing second causes, are admirable, glorious, and 
 beautiful works. The wheels were full of eyes, fitly 
 disposed, wisely carried on, certainly attaining their 
 ends. Could we see the eyes in the wheels, we 
 should never fault the works of God in the world, but 
 stand and admire their glory and beauty. ^Vhen 
 the heavens are veiled with clouds, we have sour and 
 discontented thoughts of the heavens themselves : 
 but when the clouds are gone, that we can see the 
 stars, those eyes of heaven, then we admire their 
 beauty and glory : and certainly it is a most glorior.s 
 sight to see the heavens full of stars in a clear night ; 
 and it is no less glorious to see the eyes in the 
 wheels, and the choice acts of Providence in all their 
 turnings and windings. Caussin saith, the world in 
 all its parts is ruled like a paper with music lines, and 
 if we could see those lines, they would be as glo- 
 rious as lines of gold. 
 
 Obs. 7. The motions of the wheels are such as 
 that they hold out a providence to all. There is 
 something in the wheels that none can reach, and 
 something that any may see ; they are full of eyes, 
 and the weakest may see one providence or other ; 
 if not all the eyes, yet some of them : there are 
 mysteries in the wheels to exercise the greatest, and 
 eyes to satisfy the weakest. As no man but sees 
 the stars in the heaven at one time or other, so no 
 man but may see the eyes in the wheels. That 
 evil doth not overrun all, and the wicked devour the 
 good, argues a Providence. In one of the Canary 
 islands, Johannes Metellus saith, there is a tree 
 which drops water at every leaf, and sufficeth the in- 
 habitants and their flocks, being a dry island with- 
 out -n'ater. Mithridates, when in his cradle, had his 
 clothes consumed with lightning, and his body not 
 touched. A father and a son shipwrecked at sea, 
 the son sailed to shore upon the back of his dead 
 father. In these particulars and such like Provi- 
 dence doth eminently appear. 
 
 Ver. 19. And when the living creatures icent, 
 the wheels went by them: and ivhen the living 
 creatures were lifted vpfrom the earth, the wheels 
 were lifted vp. 
 
 Ver. 21. Jllien those went, these went ; and when 
 those stood, thesestood ; and when those n-ere lifted 
 lip from the earth, the trlteels were lifted vp over 
 against them. 
 
 Here we have, 
 
 1. The motion of the wheels further commended 
 unto us. 
 
 2. Their station. 
 
 3. The time of both. 
 
 The motion was forwards, upwards, and do«'n- 
 wards ; and for the time of their motion and station, 
 it was when the creatures moved or stood : as the 
 cherubims moved, so moved the wheels, forward, 
 upward, downward; and when they stood still, the 
 wheels stood. The kind and manner of their motions, 
 with their rest, depending on the living creatures, 
 they moved equally at their motion. What is meant 
 by the lifting up of the wheels must be inquired. For 
 angels to be lifted up is not strange, they are hea- 
 venly creatures, and heaven is their habitation ; but 
 for the wheels to be lifted up, that is very strange : 
 we must search out the sense ; for into heaven they 
 were not lifted. Expositors leave us in the dark ; all 
 except one that I have met with pass over this diffi- 
 culty ; and what I find in that one is this : The lift- 
 ing up of the angels and the wheels, refers to the 
 Supreme Cause, and seems to tell us, that inferior and 
 superior causes, wheels and angels, are under the
 
 Veh. 19, 21. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 51 
 
 regiment of the First Catise. And if we take the 
 words actively, as Montanus doth render them, viz. 
 the living creatures in lifting up themselves from 
 the eanh, the wheels lift up themselves also ; and 
 that is, they looked up to heaven for direction and 
 assistance, which may well be called a lifting up 
 themselves. Psal.xxv. 1, " Unto thee, O Lord, do 1 lift 
 up iny soul ;" that is, to thee do I look for counsel, 
 comfort, and strength. 
 
 If wc take the words passively, " when the living 
 creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels 
 were lifted up," then I will give you my thoughts what 
 the sense may be : and it is this ; the lifting up is not 
 meant of lifting up to heaven, but to service. When 
 God should more than in an ordinary way let out 
 himself to the angels, give them new light, new 
 strength, and so lift them up to great service, then the 
 wheels also were lifted up proportionably to do their 
 parts : and the words in the text invite me to con- 
 ceive it to be the sense ; because it is said, " the 
 spirit of the living creature was in the wheels :" 
 when God by his Spirit lifted up the angels to 
 great employments, then the Spirit lifted up the 
 wheels, the second causes, to more than ordinary ser- 
 vice. And the word lifting up notes service, a higher 
 degree of it than before. 2 Kings xix. 4, " Lift up 
 thy prayer for the remnant that are left." Hezekiah 
 sends to Isaiah when Rabshakeh blasphemed, and 
 Jerusalem was besieged, and saith, Isaiah, thou art 
 a prophet, and hast more than an ordinary measure 
 of the Spirit ; lift up thy prayer, let it be extraordinary, 
 such as may lift up the spirits of all to join with thee, 
 higher than ever ; such as may lift up Jerusalem out 
 of misery. So Jehoiachin, when he was set up 
 upon the throne to govern and to do great service, 
 it is said, his head was lifted up, Jer. lii. ; and so in 
 Psal. X. 12, the lifting up of God's hand notes doing 
 of some great matter. 
 
 The next object of inquiry, is, the standing of the 
 Ii\'ing creatures and the wheels ; when the one stood, 
 the other stood. Do the angels stand still at any 
 time ? they are active spirits, and always in motion. 
 Two things this standing implies : 
 
 1. A cessation from any service in hand, at the 
 will and pleasure of God, if he woidd call off the 
 angels from their employments before they were 
 finished. In this sense the angels are said to stand, 
 and so the second causes they used, although they 
 were both employed in some other scrnce : or, 
 
 2. 'When they had perfected any work in hand, 
 then they were said to stand, not idle, but in ex- 
 pectation of a new commission. Like as faithful ser- 
 vants, when their work is done, present themselves 
 before their master, and demand his pleasure ; so 
 the angels, and second causes, hearken what God 
 will say more, and what is the next word and work 
 to be done ; they wait upon God for new instructions. 
 
 Obs. 1. The motions of this inferior world, and 
 the second causes in it, do depend upon higher 
 causes, even heavenly motions, the ministry of 
 angels. The observation is plain from the words, 
 " When the living creatures went, the wheels went 
 by them." If the angels move, the wheels move 
 also. They are great things the angels have in their 
 hands ; the wheels of nature, of states and king- 
 doms, yea, of the church itself. 
 
 Obs. 2. Nothing in the world is casual. Many 
 things seem so to us, but in reality are not so. All 
 things here below move at the motions of others ; 
 and that which is ordered by the motion of angels, 
 or God himself, cannot be casual. The wheels are 
 moved by angels, and angels by God himself. God 
 directs all ; nothing hajipens wherein the hand of 
 God or angels is not. Things are not accidental : if 
 e2 
 
 a thing could drop from the heavens, or be done on 
 earth, without God and his angels, that were casual 
 and accidental indeed. And because men see not 
 the immediate or remote causes of things, who they 
 be that move the wheels on earth, therefore they 
 attribute efTccts, events, and accidental things to 
 chance, to good or bad days and hours, which pro- 
 claims men's ignorance and forgetfulness of God. 
 
 Isa. Ixv. 11, "Those that forget God, 
 _ ,T.ii,.i.. ,,1" Q"i paraiis men- 
 
 prepare a table tor that troop ; lor s^m loriuii.T:. 
 
 fortune, some read it: but those who •"djui p,,,,;,!, 
 
 know God, acknowledge his eye and mi-nsam tonuna;, 
 
 hand, seeing and ordering all. "' 
 
 Austin misses his way, and so escapes the danger 
 of death that was intended. Another being in a de- 
 spairing humour, seeks a knife, a halter, to undo 
 himself, and finds a great treasure. A third hath his 
 ring d:op off his finger into the sea, and after- 
 wards finds it in the bowels of a fish. God .so directs 
 all these accidental things, that there At.scon>iiiuin 
 is nothing done but by a secret instinct >!""' ' 
 
 and hint from himself; and in all such passages we 
 should mind something of God. 
 
 Obs. 3. That nothing can hinder the motion of 
 the wheels when angels and Providence would have 
 them stir. When the living creatures moved, the 
 wheels went presently. It is not in the power of 
 second causes, of men or devils, to hinder the work 
 of God in the hand of angels. The king of Persia 
 may withstand Gabriel twenty-one days together, 
 Dan. X. 13, but the wheels moved all the time ; 
 Gabriel prevailed, and God's work prospered in his 
 hand. Wicked men make head against God, j)rovi- 
 dence, and angels, and think to stop the wheels when 
 they move not on their side ; but all is in vain. If a 
 man should catch hold of a chariot, running to stop 
 or turn the course of it, were it not folly or madness 
 in him ? and because he would be the chariot's hin- 
 deranee, that may prove his ruin : so here, men and 
 devils do ruin themselves in opposing the wheels, 
 which, notwithstanding all oppositions, proceed and 
 keep their course. And let me tell you a riddle : 
 God's words go on through the hearts, heads, and 
 hands of his greatest enemies ; Providence fetches 
 them in, and makes them subservient to the work ; 
 they oil the wheels, although they know it not, and 
 forward the work, though against their wills. God 
 in this kind makes use of kine and cart, men and 
 devils, yea, any creature, to carry his ark to its place. 
 
 Obs. 4. That God doth sometimes raise the spirit 
 of the creature to more than an ordinary height, 
 and enables it to unwonted service ; " the living 
 creatures and wheels were lifted up." So Moses, 
 when called up to the mount, his spirit was raised 
 much, else the service had been too hot and hard for 
 him. Joshua was advanced when it was told him, 
 that there should not any man stand before him all 
 the days of his life, Josh. i. 5. Jeremiah tells the 
 Jews, that the Chaldeans, whom they thought would 
 depart, and not meddle with their city, he tells them, 
 that though they had smitten the whole array of 
 the Chaldeans, and that there remained but wounded 
 men, yet they should rise up every man in his tent, 
 and burn the city with fire, Jer. xxxvii. 10. When 
 men are wounded, thrust through, as n-i— ra 
 the Hebrew is, they can have but little '' 
 
 strength; how should they be able to do it? God 
 would lift them up to that service ; as David, when 
 he grappled with the bear and lion, encountered 
 with Goliath, had his spirit lifted up to a great height. 
 Hence that in Zech. xii. 8, " He that is feeble among 
 them at that day, shall be as David," that is, such a 
 warrior as David, who, though a young stripling, 
 slew a bear, a lion, and Goliath ; " and the house of
 
 62 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 David sliall Le as God, and as the angel of the Lord." 
 The godly, though weak, yet shall be lifted up to 
 divine and angelical strength. This was made good 
 in the time of the Maccabees ; when the people of 
 God were weak, Antiochus fierce and vile, then God 
 raised up the spirit of Judas, Jonathan, and Simeon, 
 to do extraordinary things. This was also made good 
 in the time of the apostles. What great things did 
 they do ! and Paul saith, " I can do all things through 
 Christ that strengtheneth me." What bitter things 
 did they and others sutler ! and it was not common 
 strength, hut special influence : Phil. i. 29, " To you 
 it is given, not only to believe, but also to sutler." 
 Blandina's spirit was heightened above the malice 
 and torments of men; for having animated her chil- 
 dren to suffer, and sent them as conquerors to Christ 
 their King, she comes forth to sutler before the tor- 
 mentors cheerfully, as called to supper with Christ 
 her Husband, as one comes to a marriage supper ; 
 lit f,r i'i.u<>(- and after stripes, tearing with wild 
 «6» JerTT^o.. beasts, burnina's, putting into a net, and 
 Euiei. lib. 5. tossings by a bull, bemg witliout sense 
 of torment by reason of her faith and conference 
 she had with Christ, at last they killed her with the 
 sword ; and the enemies confessed, they never saw 
 such a woman, suffering such things so courageous- 
 ly and constantly. As sometimes God suspends the 
 ordinary operation of the creature ; the lions' mouths 
 are shut, they touch not Daniel ; the fire burns not 
 the three children ; so, sometimes he lifts up and 
 extends the operation and strength of the creature 
 to an extraordinary height. The winds, what virtue 
 doth God put into them ! how doth he raise them ! 
 what terrible work do they make at sea and land ; 
 tear navies in pieces, sink them in the deeps, and 
 toss ships out of the water upon the dry land ! 
 Havens fed Elijah morning and evening, he goes in 
 the strength of a cake and a cruse of water forty 
 days, 1 Kings xix. God hath lifted up many in these 
 days to do more then ordinary service. Ezra i. 5, 
 God had raised their spirits to go up to build the 
 house of the Lord ; so Hag. i. 14. 
 
 Obs. 5. That God at his pleasure puts stands to the 
 motions of the second causes ; the angels stood, and 
 the wheels stood, and this was the overruling hand 
 of God, that can stop the course of nature, any wheels 
 or agents whatsoever. Josh. x. 12, 13, God stayed 
 the course of the sun and moon, and made them stand 
 still the space of a whole day j and hereupon some 
 gather, that the ebbings and flowings of all seas 
 ceased. In Hezekiah's days the sun went backward 
 ten degrees. God stopped the course of the waters, 
 and made them as steady as walls and mountains, when 
 the Israelites were to go through the Red sea; did 
 not he take off the wheels of Pharaoh's chariot? 
 God can put a stand to the greatest wheels. I Kings 
 xii. 21, when an army of 180,000 chosen men was 
 brought into the field, to fight and fetch back the 
 kingdom that was wheeled over to Jeroboam, see 
 what a stand God put to that army ; vcr. 24, " Ye 
 shall not fight against your brethren : return every 
 man to his habitation :" they did so, and jiresently 
 that mighty army was disarmed. The buying in of 
 impropriations, a work of great and good concern- 
 ment, God put a stand to it. The undertaking for 
 Ireland hath the wheel stopped, if not taken off. The 
 motion of the wheels to the isle of Providence are 
 stayed by the eye of Providence. Are there not stands 
 in our consultations, and doth not God oft take wis- 
 dom from the wise, and understanding from the 
 prudent? Are there not stands in our military affairs? 
 the mighty men do not always find their arms. Hath 
 not God oft put a stand to the enterprise of our ad- 
 versaries ? It is the Lord that hath hedged up their 
 
 way with thorns, that they have not found their 
 paths ; and God hath hedged up our ways, that we 
 have not found our paths to a full and thorough re- 
 formation. This great wheel hath great stops ; the 
 children are come to the birth, but there is no strength 
 to bring forth : neither doth God's work cease, when 
 he makes stops. A man who is printing a book, de- 
 fers the edition, because he will make an addition; 
 if it be delayed it is enlarged, and that is no loss. 
 Stops of Providence in the wheels of the world are 
 God's parentheses, and while they are writing, the 
 work goes on. 
 
 Ver. 20. Whithersoever the spirit was to go, 
 they iveiit, thither was their spirit to go ; and the 
 wheels were lifted uj) over against them : for the 
 spirit of the living creature was in the tcheels. 
 
 In this verse is laid before us the immediate cause 
 of the wheels' motion ; and that is the Spirit, which 
 is the first and highest agent, and moves both supe- 
 rior and inferior causes. This Spirit is set out em- 
 phatically ; "the spirit," or, that spirit; 
 not the spirit of the angels, but the eter- 
 nal Spirit of God which was in the angels, or the living 
 creatures : that Spirit was in the wheels ; and with 
 what motion it moved the living creatures, with the 
 same it moved the wheels. This is the scope, to show 
 that the four living creatures and four wheels were 
 moved by the same Spirit of God. 
 
 Touching this Spirit, I spake in the 12th verse, 
 where I also showed you how the Spirit is said to go, 
 and move from place to place. 
 
 This answers a secret objection ; How could the 
 wheels move at the motion of the living creatures ? 
 they are dead and senseless things, without any mo- 
 tive virtue in them. And this objection is fully an- 
 swered in these words, the spirit of life was in the 
 wheels. 
 
 That which is rendered, " the spirit of the living 
 creature," is in the Hebrew, spiritus 
 vilcp, the spirit of life, the enlivening, gpfn'J'J^ l^aiis, 
 quickening siiirit, the livelv, active spi- or. spimus am- 
 
 •i .1 ■ -i r.i 1- ■ .. mails. 
 
 rit ; or the spirit of tlie living creatures, 
 and by a change of the singular number into the 
 plural, the spirit of the living creatures ; and so the 
 sense runs, that spirit that was in them, the same 
 was in the wheels. 
 
 Object. If the same Spirit be in the wheels, are not 
 they also living creatures, having the same spirit and 
 motion ? 
 
 Answ. If I should say they were moved, as if they 
 had the Spirit in them, this might help the difficulty, 
 but doth not satisfy the text; which saith, the spirit 
 was in the wheels. Therefore know, that as the 
 living God is in every thing, moving and acting them 
 according to their several natures, and yet doth not 
 make all to be living creatures ; so the Spirit of God 
 was in these wheels, not animating, enlivening, but 
 moving them to those services that were commanded 
 and appointed. 
 
 06.S-. 1. That second causes move not of themselves, 
 neither superior, nor inferior. Not the wheels which 
 are weaker here beneath, nor the angels which are 
 stronger and above, they move not, but at the mo- 
 tion of the Spirit ; whither that was to go, they went. 
 Earth, water, winds, beasts, fowls, men, their coun- 
 sels, wars, peace, trades, they all move ad motum Spi- 
 rilu.t, according to the influence of the Spirit ; it is 
 the Spirit of God that moves all the wheels. All 
 motions, all wheels, are subject to the Spirit, and 
 regulated by it. When the devil accused, tempted, 
 smote Job, he and all his motions were ordered by a
 
 Ver. 20. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 53 
 
 higher power. So when the devils entered into the 
 swine, they did what, and moved wliither, the Spirit 
 would have them to do, to go. 
 
 Obs. 2. No creatures, wheels, nor angels, no causes 
 inferior or superior, can go otherwhere, or act other- 
 wise, than the Spirit would have them. Whither 
 the Spirit went, thither they went ; they moved not 
 before the Spirit moved them ; and when they 
 moved, they moved that way the Spirit moved. 
 Devils and wicked men cannot be any where but 
 where the Spirit would have them to be, nor do any- 
 thing but what the Spirit would have done. Pilate, 
 with the gentiles and people of Israel, were gather- 
 ed together to do whatsoever the hand and counsel 
 of God had determined before to be done, Acts iv. 
 27, 28. For the Spirit is the supreme, most potent, 
 and efficacious agent, overruling all motions, so that 
 no creature can move any other way than it doth. 
 Prov. xxi. 1, " The heart of the king is in the hand 
 of the Lord ; he turneth it whithersoever he will." 
 Kings cannot turn them whithersoever they will ; ill 
 counsellors cannot draw them which way they will ; 
 but they move which way tlie Spirit and providence 
 of God will have them move. This turn- 
 mi fr ""mo'uei hig or inclination, saith Luther, is that 
 quain viiare et strong Operation of God which the king 
 
 Inutare nnii jios- ^, T i t f i ■ , i ° 
 
 sit. Sue sinat, canHot sliun or Change. 11 kmgs hearts 
 Deus'.'Tu'sum si- go after outlandish women, as Solo- 
 ""' "lincii- , mon's ; if carried to ill counsellors, as 
 
 liiire, noil sit nisi -ni-i i -e ^ -ii^ t 
 
 voicnte ftoiie- Kefioboams; it to idolatry, as Jero- 
 Jo'i'mius're'e?!"''' boam's ; if to root out the godly and 
 lion (jiiiest effu- godliucss itsclf, as Ahab's ; if to ruin 
 Der(m.n°po-'" thcir kingdom, as Ahaz's did ; if to shed 
 pi'iu'i'™!n'i"m'vo- innocent blood, as Manasses' did ; the 
 luijias, ut veiit hcarts of kings are in the hands of the 
 
 et trie lat, sive sit t i 1- * .1 1 -il i 
 
 bonit, sive sit Lord, tie turns tliem wnitnersoever he 
 "'"'''• will : in all those motions he acts in 
 
 just judgment, not changing their wills, but making 
 use of them to bring about his own designs. 
 
 Obs. 3. The motions of the wheels are not un- 
 seasonable. When the living creatures went, then 
 the wheels went : and what is the cause of thcir mo- 
 tion ? the Spirit was in the wheels, and the Spirit 
 was in the living creatures. If we condemn their 
 motions and changes as untimely, we shall question 
 and condemn the work and wisdom of the Spirit, 
 which is infinitely wise and uncontrollable in all its 
 operations. Men, even the best of them, are apt to 
 fault the motions of the wheels, and to censure the 
 acts of Providence as unseasonable. " The counsel is 
 not good at this time that Ahithophel hath given," 
 2 Sam. xvii. 7- Did the Spirit then move that 
 wheel seasonably ? Yes; because the counsel, though 
 not good for David, whose destruction it tended 
 unto, yet it was good for the ruin of Ahithophel and 
 Absalom, and that was the intent of the Spirit in 
 moving that wheel : ver. 14, " The Lord had ap- 
 pointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to 
 the intent to bring evil upon Absalom," and Ahi- 
 thophel too. What ! civil wars in England, when 
 Ireland lies a bleeding to death ? when such a time 
 to vindicate the Palatinate, and wrongs sustained at 
 the hands of the emperor ? when such a time to 
 help the protestants in France ? what ! now to have 
 king and parliament divided ? now to be embroiled 
 in a bloody civil war? is not this most unseasonable ? 
 Slay thy thoughts and censures, O vain man ; the 
 Spirit of God is a Spirit of wisdom, and knows when 
 it is best to move the wheels. No musician tunes 
 it better than the Spirit of God. Had these changes 
 and motions been, and our enemies abroad at peace, 
 they would have taken the advantage of our di- 
 visions and wars, and made a prey of us. Seeing 
 therefore we must be let blood, or die, this great 
 
 and wise Physician, the Spirit in the wheels, hath 
 done it seasonably. Are great towns plundered, 
 counties disturbed, families impoverished, or 
 churches dissolved, the righteous smitten, the 
 wicked spared, and kingdoms shaken into pieces .' 
 these motions, changes, are not unseasonable ; they 
 are all in their appointed time : this war is in its 
 appointed time. Ezra iv. 17, there is mention of 
 "Peace, and at such a time," tlie time is observed ; so 
 now, the war, and at such a time, such a time as 
 is appointed, as the Spirit of God judges fittest. 
 Eccles. iii. 8, there is " a time of war and a time of 
 peace ; " ver. 3, " a time to kill, and a time to heal ; 
 a time to break down, and a time to build up." 
 The Spirit knows and observes those times punctu- 
 ally, and moves not a wheel but in its due time, and 
 so the motions of all are beautiful in God's eye, and 
 should be free from man's blame. " Man knows 
 not his time," Eccles. ix. 12. But it is not so with 
 the Spirit ; it knows times and seasons, and never 
 misses to move the wheels in their due season. If 
 the tree, Psal. i. bring forth her fruit in due season, 
 and the Spirit moves the wheels in due season, none 
 are too early, none too late. 
 
 Obs. 4. The consent which is between heaven 
 and earth. The angels and wheels are from the 
 Spirit of God which moves in them. When the 
 living creatures went, the wheels went ; when they 
 stood, these stood ; when they were lifted up, these 
 were lifted up. And what is the ground of this har- 
 mony ? The Spirit was in them, that acted them, 
 and ordered their motions ; having the same Spirit, 
 they went the same way, and did the same work, 
 without difference, without contentions. The Spirit 
 of God is a Spirit of union ; where that moves it 
 moves not to discord, but to mind the same things, 
 and to move the same ways. Numb. xi. IG, 17, 
 when the same Spirit which was upon Moses, was 
 put upon the seventy elders, then they judged as he 
 judged, then they moved the same way, and did bear 
 the burden of the people together with Moses j and, 
 ver. 25, then they prophesied, and it being told 
 Moses, that Eldad and Medad prophesied, he will 
 make no breach upon it, but finding the same Spirit 
 in them that was in himself, said, " Would God all 
 the people were prophets, and that the Lord would 
 put his spirit upon them," ver. 29 : he knew the 
 same Spirit would move them the same way that he 
 went. So Elisha, when he had received the Spirit 
 of God which Elijah had, he moved his way, carried 
 on that work he did, 2 Kings ii. Wicked Balaam, 
 when acted by God's Spirit, consents with the true 
 prophets, and prophesielh the happiness of Israel ; 
 and cannot curse the people of God, though tempted 
 and hired to it, Numb. xxiv. 
 
 Obs. 5. That the wheels readily do the will of 
 God, and follow the Spirit; wherever it goes, thither 
 their spirit was to go, the Spirit was in the motion. 
 And therefore they are said to have eyes, and the 
 Spirit in them, and to move at the motion of the 
 Spirit. Wheels have roundness, and so readiness to 
 move, but not God's way : full of eyes they are, and 
 look at God's ends ; but" if they had not the Spirit in 
 them, they would not move that way ; or if they did, 
 it would not be without dispute, sloth, murmuring : 
 it is the Spirit makes them move the right way, and 
 readily in that way. W'here the Spirit is in any, 
 there "the motion is right and ready. Air, sea, land, 
 have no vigour in them, but what the Spirit puts in, 
 and they move as the Spirit will have them: Psal. 
 cxlviii. 8, " Fire and hail, snow and vapour, stormy 
 wind fulfilling his word," they all do the will of 
 God, fidfil his word readily ; they have the vigour of 
 God's Spirit in them : Gen. i. 2, " The Spirit moved
 
 54 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. 1. 
 
 upon the face of the waters ;" not an ang-el, not the 
 vind, but the eternal Spirit of God ; and so they 
 move by virtue of the Spirit into their place. The 
 Spirit creatcth. cherishelh, and sustains all things ; 
 and they are all obedient to the call of the Spiiit, 
 and tread in the paths of it, all creatures move after 
 the Spirit : Psal. civ. 30, " Thou sendest forth thy 
 S[iirit : they are created, and thou rcnewest the face 
 of the earth." Herbs, plants, trees, beasts, fowls, 
 all li\ing creatures, are created and formed by the 
 Spirit, and move according to those principles and 
 instincts the Spirit puts into them ; their motions 
 and services are no other than what the Spirit leads 
 them unto, and those motions they readily perform. 
 
 Obs. 6. The wheels and second causes do go on 
 and move incessantly, and without weariness, in the 
 way the Spirit puts them. They went whither the 
 S]iirit went : neither the Spirit nor the wheels do 
 faint or fail in their motions. 
 
 Obs. 7- The Spirit of God is a living and lively 
 Spirit. It is " the Spirit of the living God," 2 Cor. 
 iii. 3 ; and the li\-ing God cannot have a dead and 
 lifeless Spirit. It is a Spirit of life ; Rom. viii. 2, 
 " The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus." The 
 Spirit hath life in itself, it gives life to all ; Job 
 sxxiii. 4, " The Spirit of God hath made me, and the 
 breath of the Almighty hath given me life :" all life 
 comes from this Fountain and Author of life. Eve 
 was called the mother of all living, that is, of all 
 men and women ; but the Spirit is the Father of all 
 living, men, women, and other creatures. It is the 
 Spirit that maintains life, Actsxvii. 28. Job xxvii. 3, 
 " All the while my breath is in me, and the Spirit is in 
 my nostrils ;" the Spirit of God is in that breath, and 
 maintains life by it. The Spirit quickens and im- 
 proves life, 2 Cor. iii. 6. The Spirit 
 quickens, not only makes life, but 
 makes lively : it is the Spirit that quickeneth, not 
 only from death, but from deadness and dulness. 
 Cant. iv. 16, " Awake, O north wind ; and come, thou 
 south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof 
 might flow out :" the meaning is. Let the Spirit 
 breathe in the ordinances, and quicken up the saints, 
 and then they will be lively, active, and fragrant as 
 spicery. The Spirit rested upon Clirist, Isa. xi. 
 and he was quick in understanding, and quick in 
 operation ; Acts x. 3S, he was anointed with the 
 Holy Ghost, and with power, and went about doing 
 good. The Spirit made him lively : and so it is the 
 work of the Spirit that makes the saints lively and 
 active ; it is the Spirit that leads unto life. 
 
 Obx. S. It is the Spirit of God that worketh all in 
 all things ; the Spirit is in the wheels, and works in 
 them and by them. We speak not now of the choice 
 operations of the Spirit in the elect, but the common 
 operations of the Spirit in all creatures. There are ad- 
 mirable qualities, instincts, and excellent operations 
 in plants, birds, and beasts : wdiatever they are, it is 
 the Spirit that wrought them there ; the Spirit is in 
 the wheels. The instincts in the bees and birds to 
 build so curiously ; in the locusts, to go out by bands ; 
 in the ants, to gather their meat in summer ; in the 
 conies, to make their houses in the rocks ; in the 
 spider, to weave so fine a web, is put in by the Spirit 
 of God. 1 Sam. x. 6, " The Spirit of the Lord will 
 come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy, and be 
 turned into another man :" that is, thou shalt have 
 gifts fit for government ; the Spirit will instruct and 
 enalde thee to rule this people. 
 
 The consideration of this ])oint should be a stay 
 to our spirits ; which way soever the wheels move, 
 the S| irit of God is in them. When we look abroad, 
 behold the cross and confused motions of the world, 
 our hearts repine, murmur, sink in us, shift, and we 
 
 are ready to start aside out of our places to unwar- 
 rantable practices ; but let us remember the Sjiirit of 
 God is in the wheels, and stirs them at its own plea- 
 sure. If Shimei curse, David sees God in that mo- 
 tion, and saith. Let him alone, God hath bid him. So 
 Job, u hen all was taken away by the Chaldeans and 
 Sabeans, he was so far from impatience, that he falls 
 to praising and blessing God. There is no just ground 
 of impatience in the world; it is the Spirit in the 
 wheels which moves them. 
 
 It should also help oiu' faith, because in all the 
 designs of men, the motions of the wheels, God hath 
 his design going on : the Sjnrit is in the wheels, 
 which is an invisible, but a strong agent, and doth 
 invisible work, carry on the Lord's design, however 
 the motions of the wheels seem to us ; let the wheel 
 be entangled, run, stand still, or move contrary 
 ways, yet God"s work goes on, and our faith should 
 get up. 
 
 Ver. 22 — 25. And the likeness ofthejirmament 
 vpon the heads of the living creature was as the 
 culotir of the terrible cri/atal, stretched forth over 
 their heads above. And unaer the firmament ivere 
 their icings straight, the one toward the other: 
 every one had two, which covered on this side, 
 and every one hud two, tvhirh covered on that 
 side, their bodies. And when they went, I heard the 
 noise ofthi-ir wings, like the noise of great waters, 
 as the voice oftlie Almighty, the voice of speech, as 
 the noise of an host : wlien they stood, they let down 
 their wings. And there nas a voice from the fir- 
 mament, that was over their heads when they stood, 
 and had let down their wings. 
 
 In these verses we have the fourth ^asion, or 
 fourth part of the general vision, which is concern- 
 ing the firmament. This vision, as formerly hath 
 been shown, holds forth unto us the glory of God : 
 and of that glory which lies in his providence and 
 government of the world, we have spoken in the 
 precedent parts of this vision. There is yet more 
 and higher glory to be spoken of, and that is, the 
 glory of God in the person of Christ. This vision 
 of the firmament is preparatory to the vi.sion of 
 Christ upon the throne. It is described, 
 
 1 . From the i)lace of it : it was " upon the heads of 
 the living creature." 
 
 2. From the colour : it was like crystal, and " ter- 
 rible crystal." 
 
 3. From the noise which came thence, ver. 25. 
 In the 23rd and 2-lth verses, we have a renewed 
 
 and intermixed description of the living creatures, 
 from their wings, the situation, the number, the 
 ofiice, and noise of them. 
 
 To begin with the firmament. The I'v-uistendM-e, 
 hebrew word is rachiah, from a word "iJiDdrre. 
 which signifies to draw out and make thin, as metals 
 are, and wool, to stretch out, as curtains and tents 
 are, Isa. xl. 22: whence heaven is called expansum, 
 because it is stretched out over the whole earth. 
 The Greeks call it (rrfpau^un, because of the firmness 
 and permanency : hereupon we call it the firmament, 
 not from the hardness or solidity, as if it were like 
 iron, or stone, but from the firmness of it, that it 
 hath endured many thousand years, and is not melted 
 by its motion, nor at all changed. It is taken 
 sometimes for the air, sometimes for the clouds, and 
 sometimes for heaven itself; and so we may take it 
 here, even the starry firmament. 
 
 This firmament was over the heads of the living 
 creatures, the wheels and angels were under it; and
 
 Ver. 22—25. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 55 
 
 it was between the Lord Christ and these crea- 
 tures, and did the office of that pair of wings 
 which did cover tlie faces of the seraphims in Isa. vi. 
 2. Great was the glory of Christ, and through this 
 veil of the firmament presented to them. 
 
 " The colour and likeness of it was as the terrible 
 
 crystal." We must a little explain these words. It 
 
 was the likeness of the firmament, not the firmament 
 
 itself. The Hebrew words run thus, the ice, the 
 
 terrible, or the terrible ice, n-ip is ice, 
 
 !<Ti:n nii.n ^,,^(p,. hanlenecl by cold, whence crystal 
 hath its birth ; for, though ice be not crystal, yet 
 crystal is from ice. When ice is hardened into the 
 aK liar Kai oTt'v "aturc of a stone, it becomes crystal : 
 Xouoi^quHsi more degrees of coldness, hardness, 
 o^°\\6uTZl and clearness, give ice the denoraina- 
 ■"'"■p- tion of crystal ; and the name crystal 
 
 imports so much, that is, water by cold contracted 
 Nat. Hist 1. 3T. into ice; and Pliny saith, the birth of 
 '^- •■ it is from ice vehemently frozen : and 
 
 so you see the original of crystal. 
 
 The epithet here added, " terrible," hath some 
 difficulty in it. That heaven, a visional firmament, 
 should be terrible, seems strange. Tcrribleness aris- 
 eth from newness, greatness, or the glory of a thing. 
 Things new and strange do cause fear : as when 
 the earth opened, and swallowed up Corah, Dathan, 
 and Abiram, there was great fear, it was a terrible 
 thing ; and this is called a new thing, Numb. xvi. 
 30, " If the Lord make a new thing :" so when new 
 sights are seen in the heavens, they cause astonish- 
 ment to the beholders ; as comets, the standing of 
 the sun, and the like. 
 
 2. Things great are dreadful ; great waters, great 
 mountains, great armies. Deut. i. 19, he calls the 
 wilderness a " great and terrible wilderness." Joel ii. 
 II, " The day of the Lord is great and terrible :" and 
 so, " the Lord great and terrible," Nehem. iv. 14. 
 From the greatness of it, therefore, might this crystal 
 he terrible. 
 
 3. The glory of it, that might make it terrible ; 
 for glorious things are so. Lightning is glorious and 
 dreadful. Wien God's glory aj)peared in the mount, 
 it was terrible unto Moses, and made him to quake, 
 Heb. xii. 21. At Paul's conversion there was a glo- 
 rious light, which struck fear into all that were with 
 him. Acts ix. And this crystalline firmament was 
 full of glory. Crystal is a clear thing, receives the 
 light, so as to afTect the eyes much : in like manner 
 this firmament had a great clearness and trans- 
 parency, being the footstool of Christ sitting upon 
 
 the throne. The Septuagint sometimes 
 ci'SrstHai'tS translate the Hebrew word for terrible, 
 inihrono. .. gl„rious ;" Dcut. x. 21, " Who hath 
 
 done for thee these great and terrible 
 things ;" great and glorious things, say they : so Isa. 
 Tam vehemfnter Ixiv. 3, " Thou didst terrible things;" 
 [l.'i,'ii'nem"a^p''id- ^^^7 render it, glorious things ; for 
 emiafffrrft. I'oi. they are terrible. And here, from the 
 gii'ami'am'prK se gloriousness of this crystal or crystal- 
 ferebat. MaU. ijng visional firmament, it may be call- 
 ed terrible ; and this I conceive to be the true cause 
 of its terribleness; it was so glorious, that none could 
 behold it without being dazzled, astonished, and put 
 into a ti-embling. 
 
 Ohs. 1. That all creatures are under Christ, even 
 angels themselves. They and the wheels are under 
 the firmament where Christ is ; he walks above ; his 
 feet are where creatures' heads are : all are subject to 
 the power of Christ, and he sits above, and he rules 
 them, and overrules their actions. Angels and all 
 wheels stoop to him. The prophet saw' the wheel on 
 the earth, the angels under the firmament, but Christ 
 was above. 1 Cor. xv. 27, " All things are put under 
 
 him," all angels, all men, and all devils. " God hath 
 highly exalted him, and given him a name which is 
 above every name," Phil.ii. 9. 
 
 06*. 2. That heavenly things are pure and glori- 
 ous, and hold forth the glory of God; they have the 
 clearness, splendour, and lively colour 
 of the crystal. The higher we' ascend, ^"'- "''■ '■ 
 the more purity, beauty, and glory. There is more 
 in the air than in the earth and waters; more in the 
 sun, more in the stars and firmament, than in the in- 
 ferior things. God's glory is every where, the earth 
 is full of it ; if we look downwards we mav see it, 
 but if we look upwards we shall see more excellency 
 and glory. How- much glory is in the sun ! who 
 can tell how tnany wonderful things it hath in it? 
 And so the firmament; Psal. xix. 1, " The heavens 
 declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth 
 his handywork." The outspread firmament, that 
 is so vast, so transparent, so beset with stars, that 
 darts down stich sweet influences, it holds forth 
 God's glory exceedingly ; the glory of his wisdom, 
 power, goodness ; there is much of God's glory seen 
 in it. The sky, or firmament, is compared to a look- 
 ing-glass. Job xxxvii. 18; riot because you may see 
 several species of things, as we see several faces in 
 the water, and birds in the air ; but chiefly, because 
 in it we see so much of the glory of God, even most 
 of his attributes. We should be oft looking in this 
 glass, and observe the glory of God. 
 
 Obs. 3. That the things above are dreadfully gloi-ious, 
 so glorious, that our weak eyes cannot behold them. 
 The glory of the firmament was as the i„c„iia„5 sacrum 
 terrible crystal, such as caused dread queiiJam houo- 
 in a prophet. What eye can look upon 
 the sun in its glory and strength ? Could we see an 
 angel in his glory, it would terribly affright us. 
 When angels veiled up their glory iti human shapes, ' 
 it made great worthies of God to quake ; as Gideon, 
 Judg. vi. Manoah, chap. xiii. and seniii.iiee«p|- 
 others. Glorious objects work strongly hm iirsnuu sen- 
 upon our spn'iis, and quickly scatter 
 them. And if the glory of creatures be such, what 
 is the glory of God himself.' 1 Tim. vi. 16, God 
 " dwells in the light, which no man can approach 
 unto :" it is such exceeding glorious light, that no 
 created eye can endure it : that light or glory is 
 God's habitation, and so glorious a one it is, that we 
 cannot look upon it. Paul could not behold that 
 glorious light vhich .shined about him. Acts xxii. 
 11. The earth, heavens, and world, which are God's 
 out-house, we may behold ; but his glory, which is 
 himself, his inmost room, we may not, we cannot 
 eye. This light is darkness unto us ; there is so 
 much brightness in it, that it will put out our eyes : 
 and whether this glory be accessible by the saints 
 or angels, may be disputable ; because God is invisi- 
 ble, and his glory inaccessible ; and besides, the an- 
 gels, they had wings to cover their faces, Isa. vi. 
 And here they are presented to Ezekiel under the 
 firmament, with that ujion their heads ; which 
 shows, that they, and all creatures, are distar.ced from 
 God, and capable of seeing his glory only in that 
 way he thinks good to propoimd it. That in Matt, 
 xviii. 10. seems to speak the contrary, where it is 
 said, " That in heaven their angels do always behold 
 the face of my Father."' It is true, they are in the 
 special presence of God, have sweet and satisfactory 
 communion with God, stand ready to do his will ; 
 but God hath no face in heaven, and whether they 
 see his essential glory, I leave to fiu'ther iiujuiry. 
 
 Obs. 4. That all things here below are exposed to 
 the eye and view of Christ. The firmament is so clear 
 that Christ sees through it. It is the window of 
 heaven, and through it he looks into the world. It
 
 5G 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 is a molten looking-glass, Job xxxvii. 18 ; and as we 
 may see God's attributes and glory in it, so Clirist 
 sees our shapes, thoughts, distempers, and motions. 
 He saw Saul when he got the letters to Damascus, 
 to persecute the saints ; the Lord Christ saw him, 
 and knew the bloodiness of his mind, and said unto 
 him, " Saul, Saul," Acts ix. Many are atheistical, 
 and say in their hearts, as he in Job xxii. 13, " How 
 doth God know ? can he judge through the dark 
 cloud ?" They do evil in the dark, and say, " Who 
 seeth us? and who knoweth us?" Isa. xxix. 15. 
 There is one in the heavens that seeth through the 
 clouds, and darkness itself, they are as the sun and 
 firmament to him ; darkness is no darkness, the fir- 
 mament is as light itself: all things done in armies, 
 councils, markets, shops, families, closets, beds, 
 hearts, " are naked and open to the eyes of Him with 
 whom we have to do," Heb. iv. 13. 
 
 I come now to ver. 23, where the glory of Christ 
 is set out from his ministers, or officers ; and they 
 are the living creatures. 
 
 Ver. 2.3. And under the firmament were their 
 wings straight, the one toward the other : every 
 one had two, which covered on this side, and every 
 one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies. 
 
 I have spoken before of the wings, yet somewhat 
 I shall add. Four wings they had, and more we may 
 not give them, though it may seem in this verse 
 they had more : for it is said, " their wings were 
 straight," that is, stretched out ; and then, that they 
 had two on this side, and two on that side ; but the 
 meaning is, when they did fly, those wings that did 
 cover upward were stretched out, and the other did 
 still cover their bodies or feet. 
 
 The scope of the verse is, to show that the minis- 
 try of the angels doth refer to and set out the glory 
 of Christ ; and that may be seen in the observations 
 to be given. 
 
 Obs. 1. That where Christ is, there the angels 
 are near unto him. He was above the firmament, and 
 they just under it; the firmament was upon their 
 heads ; there was only a glorious transparent firma- 
 ment between Christ and them : distanced from 
 Christ they are, but not far. 
 
 Obs. 2. The angels, wise, strong, serviceable, swift, 
 and glorious creatures, attend Christ's throne, and 
 are subject unto him ; they were under the firma- 
 ment about his throne. Is it not for the honour and 
 great glory of a king, to have nobles, potentates, and 
 jirinces under him, attending in his court ? It was 
 nuich for Ahasuerus's glory and honour, when 
 he had the nobles and pnnces of the provinces be- 
 fore him, and under him, Esth. i. 3. And so it is 
 much for the honour of Christ, that he hath angels, 
 which are greater than the kings of the earth, at- 
 tending him. 
 
 Obs. 3. They are ready to exercise the will and 
 pleasure of Christ. This further advances the 
 honour of Christ : their wings were stretched out, 
 and they willing to move in any service, if their 
 Lord gave out the word. When the centurion's ser- 
 vants were so willing to go and come at his bidding, 
 it made much for his honour, Matt. viii. 9. Ready, 
 checrly, active servants are an ease and honour to 
 their masters : unreadiness and unwillingness in 
 inferiors, do disparage authority, and stain tiie glory 
 of it. Angels that serve at Christ's throne are never 
 unready or unwilling for any service. 
 
 Obs. 4. They are unanimous in their ministrations. 
 They fall not out by the way, their wings are straight 
 the one towards the other ; they carry on the work 
 put into their hands with love, sweet agreement, 
 
 peace, and content. At the birth of Christ they sung 
 all one song, and sung without division, " Glory to 
 God on high, on earth peace, good will towards 
 men:" as they sung, so they act, there is no dis- 
 agreement amongst them. " Can two walk toge- 
 ther, except they be agreed?" Angels do fly toge- 
 ther, and act together ; they are so agreed, that no 
 devil, no creature can divide them ; they have all but 
 one mind, and serve the Lord Christ with one con- 
 sent : and what honour is this to Christ, that hath 
 so great, so many servants, and all minding the same 
 thing ! 
 
 Obs. 5. They reverence the greatness and majesty 
 of Christ. Though they be high and glorious, yet 
 they see so vast a distance between Christ and them- 
 selves, that they cover their faces, Isa. vi. and their 
 bodies, here; they come not into his presence rudely, 
 but with great respect and reverence. As God is to 
 be had in reverence of all that are about him, Psal. 
 Ixxxix. 7, so Christ is reverenced by all the angels 
 that are about him. Women are to be veiled in the 
 assemblies, because of the angels, 1 Cor. xi. 10, to 
 show their reverence and subjection to them being 
 present ; and angels are covered, to show their 
 reverence and subjection unto Christ. It is an honour 
 to the angels, that in reverence to them the women 
 are to be veiled ; and it is a great honour to Christ, 
 that angels reverence and adore him. 
 
 Obs. G. They are careful to prevent all offence in 
 their ministrations, either of God or man, of Christ or 
 any creature. They cover up their bodies, their 
 feet, that nothing improper may be seen and give 
 distaste ; nothing excellent be seen, and draw to an 
 overvaluing and idolizing of them ; so wise and 
 cautious they are. And this adds much to the glory 
 of Christ, that his servants the angels never give 
 advantage to men or devils to reproach their Lord 
 and Master. Alas, how much doth Christ suffer by 
 us, even by ministers and others, in their ministra- 
 tions ! Men see our weakness, our pride, our vain- 
 glory, miscarriages many ways, and rejoice in our 
 flesh, even when Christ is reproached. But angels 
 pass through all their employments, so that they are 
 blameless, and Christ made beautiful, whom they 
 serve. 
 
 Obs. 7- That angels are furnished for their minis- 
 trations ; they have wings to fly, and wings to cover 
 their bodies ; whatever nuiy make them and their ser- 
 vices acceptable, speedy, successful, they have it. 
 And this is for the honour of Christ : those he em- 
 ploys in his work he enables and accommodates, they 
 go not forth empty, unqualified : he sent apostles, 
 and filled them with his Spirit ; he gives gifts to men, 
 and wings to angels. 
 
 Ver. 24. And when they went, I heard the noise 
 of their icings, like the noise of great waters, as 
 the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as 
 the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down 
 their wings. 
 
 Here is a further description of the angels, by their 
 going, their noise, their standing, and letting down 
 their wings. The principal is the noise of their 
 wings ; and that I shall make most inquiry into. A 
 difficulty encounters us in the beginning of tiie verse, 
 " when they went, I heard the noise of their wings ;" 
 rather when they did fly was the noise of their wings, 
 than when they went. The original will help us 
 scmiething in this strait ; it is otherwise there : thus 
 the words are read. And I heard the noise of their 
 wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of 
 the Almighty when they went ; so that there the 
 original brings it in, and so we may take it, thus;
 
 Ver. 24. 
 
 THE BOOK OF KZEKIEL. 
 
 57 
 
 The noise of their flying was as the noise of great 
 waters, and the noise of their going as the voice of 
 the Almighty ; or, rather thus : by going we may 
 understand their motion, the execution of their office ; 
 and that made a great noise, which is amplified and 
 set out by divers similitudes. 
 
 The first similitude is of "great waters." Waters 
 that run among the stony and rocky mountains, 
 make a terrible noise, gulling into the earth, and 
 threatening tlie foundations of the mountains : hence, 
 Job xiv. 19, the waters are said to wear the stones; 
 they cat into them, making concaves and chambers 
 therein : and for their noise, in Psal. xlvi. 3, there 
 it is no gentle murmuring, but a roaring : the sea 
 roars, so that it is heard in some places many miles. 
 The second similitude is, " as the voice of the 
 Almighty," or, the voice of God. Some under- 
 stand hereby, a great voice, because it is the usual 
 dialect of the Hebrew tongue, to express great 
 things, by saying, they are things of God : as, cedars 
 of God, for tall and great ones, Psal. Ixxx. 10, 11 ; 
 rivers of God, for great rivers, and full of waters, 
 Psal. Ixv. 9 ; mountains of God, for high ones, 
 Psal. xxxvi. 6 ; so a trembling of God, 1 Sam. xiv. 
 15, for a very great trembling : and in like propriety 
 of speech, "the voice of the Almighty," for a great 
 voice. Some truth in this may be granted, but 
 somewhat more than a great voice in general is to 
 be looked at, it being a vision, and hieroglyphical 
 things presented to the prophet therein : we must 
 ... therefore refer it to that in Psal. xxix. 
 even the thunder, which is called the 
 voice of the Lord : ver. 4, 5, " The voice of the Lord 
 is powerful ; the voice of the Lord is full of ma- 
 jesty : it breaks the cedars, yea, the cedars of Leba- 
 non;" and so to that, Psal. xviii. 13. 
 
 The third similitude is, " the voice of speech." 
 Some mystery lies in this, that their noise should be 
 like an articulate voice, the speech of man. And 
 two things may be intended in it ; either the speech 
 of man that is upon some terrible design, and so 
 speaks grievous words, even words of death ; and so 
 it holds analogy with the other similitude of waters, 
 and of thunder. Or else, by " voice of speech," the 
 noise of their wings, the judgments they executed 
 did speak and proclaim God's commands, his wrath, 
 and the people's sins. If the judgments seemed 
 terrible, as they were indeed; the cutting down of a 
 kingdom, the ruin of the chiefest city and people in 
 the world ; the voice of speech was, God commands, 
 God is angry ; you are guilty, and we must proceed. 
 The fourth and last similitude is, "as the noise of 
 an host." This is a dreadful noise ; there is beating 
 of drums, sound of trumpets, clattering of armour, 
 jumping of chariots, rattling of wheels, neighing, 
 stamping, prancing, and rushing of horses, the roar- 
 ing of cannons, the clamours of men womided, 
 groans of men dying. " Carry me out of the host, for 
 I am wounded," saith Ahab. O the doleful complaints 
 that are there ! such as would astonish a man of spirit 
 to hear. The noise of the angels was such a noise. 
 06.V. 1. That the judgments of God executed upon 
 kingdoms, cities, persons, are very dreadful : they 
 are like roarings of the sea, when great storms are, 
 and mighty navies are dashed in pieces, and sunk 
 into the deeps ; they are formidable as the noise of 
 an army, marching or fighting. How dreadful were 
 the plagues of Egypt ! That in Exod. ix. '23, 24, 
 when hail, thunder, and fire were mingled together, 
 was very grievous, such as never was. The burning 
 of Sodom was dreadful ; yet Jerusalem's judgment 
 was sorer. Lam. iv. 6. All their pleasant things were 
 spoiled ; women and maids ravished in the streets ; 
 their mighty men trodden under feet; young men 
 
 and virgins crushed, trodden down as grapes in the 
 wine-press ; priests and elders died for famine ; 
 children swooned in the streets, poured out their 
 souls in their mothers' bosoms for want of bread 
 and water; pitiful women sod their children of a span 
 long, and made meals of them ; they were slain in 
 the sanctuary, terrors were round about, and no way 
 to escape left ; if they looked for comfort, there was 
 none to give it; princes were hanged up by the 
 hands, those did wear scarlet, embraced duno-hills ; 
 sabbaths, sanctuary, law, vision, all failed; prevailing 
 fire was in their bones ; death they longed for, and 
 foimditnot; God was against them; their enemies 
 prospered, and mocked at them and their sabbaths, 
 Where is your God .' what is become of all your 
 worship, sacrifice, prayers, fastings ? they clapped 
 their hands, hissed, wagged their heads, and said of 
 Jerusalem, Is this the perfection of beauty, the joy 
 of the whole earth ? this is the day that we looked 
 for. These expressions you have in the book of 
 Lamentations. David, a king, a prophet, a man of 
 a warlike spirit, that feared not the bear, the lion, 
 Goliath, saith, " My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; 
 1 am afraid of thy judgments," Psal. cxix. 120. 
 When other things did not daunt him at all, God's 
 judgments did ; there was daunting terror in them; 
 and no marvel, there is wrath in them ; such rage, 
 wrath, fury, as is in wild beasts : Hos. v. 14, " I 
 will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion 
 to the house of Judah : 1, even 1, will tear and go 
 away ; I will take away, and none shall rescue." 
 Such terror as is in an earthquake, that shakes the 
 foundations of all, Isa. xxix. 6 ; such as in a strong 
 wind, and an overflowing shower, Ezek. xiii. 13; 
 such as in a flail that beats out the corn, and breaks 
 the straw in pieces, Hab. iii. 12 ; such as in the sea 
 or earth swallowing up, Psal. xxi. 9. What a dread- 
 ful cry, when Korah and his company sunk alive 
 into the earth, when Pharaoh and his host were 
 overwhelmed in the sea ! Such terror is in God's 
 judgments ; yea, more dreadful yet, such as in 
 thunder, lightning, and devouring fire, Isa. xxix. 6 ; 
 yea, such as is in fire and brimstome, Psal. xi. 6. 
 God is JJaat-cliemali, Nahum i. 2, A . 
 
 Lord of wrath, so the original is, a ' 
 possessor of wrath ; and in his judgments doth dis- 
 tribute terrors and sorrows : him therefore should 
 the sons of men reverence. 
 
 04*-. 2. God's judgments have the voice of speech 
 in them, they speak unto sinners. Mic. vi. 9, " The 
 Lord's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wis- 
 dom shall see thy name : hear ye the rod, and who 
 hath appointed it." If the first voice be the cry of the 
 prophets and ministers, the second is the cry of the 
 judgments of God. The rod speaks aloud; it proctiims 
 God's anger, wrath, fury, jealousy, revenge, his om- 
 niscience, holiness, ju^tice, the terror of the Al- 
 mighty; it proclaims our folly, shame and ingratitude, 
 treachery and great guiltiness before God. It cries 
 to us for repentance : when destruction lay at the 
 gates of Nineveh, they understood the language 
 thereof, and repented in dust and ashes, Jonah iii. It 
 cries to us for righteousness : " When God's judg- 
 ments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world 
 will learn righteousness," Isa. xxvi. 9. They cannot 
 learn unless they be taught. And do they not teach, 
 and teach many lessons to fear God, whom men have 
 forgotten in their prosperity ; to make restitution to 
 men whom they have wronged in the day of their 
 wills ; to be charitable in censuring others, and rigid 
 in censuring themselves ? 
 
 Obs. 3. Angels are not only swift, but efficacious 
 in their motions and administrations. The great 
 waters, mighty thunders, and numerous armies make
 
 58 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 way before them, and nothing can withstand their 
 force : and so it is with angels when they are upon 
 service, none can stand before them ; they destroy 
 armies, shake kingdoms, move all the wheels in the 
 quarters of the world, and their motions are not 
 faint, but forcible. 
 
 Ohs. 4. It is not every ear that hears the noise of 
 angels' wings ; though their noise be great, efficacious, 
 like waters, thunder, the voice of speech, as an host, 
 yet all hear them not. It is the prophet hears them, 
 cind such as have divine spirits. The operations of 
 angels are unperceivable to most of the world. All 
 eyes see not visions, neither do all ears hear the 
 things that visions do speak : few are capable of di- 
 vine mysteries ; " To you it is given to know the 
 mysteries of the kingdom," Matt. xiii. 1 1 . There be 
 mysteries in the government of the world, as well as 
 in the kingdom of heaven, and it is a special gift to 
 be acquainted with them. God's secrets are made 
 known to them that fear him, Psa. xxv. 14. Some 
 choice, precious, excellent spirits, they hear, they see 
 what others do not. Such as turn from iniquity, 
 Dan. ix. 13; such as are wise, Hos. xiv. 9, they 
 understand : sucli as are deeply interested in the 
 truth and church's cause, as have suffered much, 
 and have their dross purged out by the fire of af- 
 flictions ; they hear, they see more and greater 
 things than the men of the world. Nehemiah, Isaiah, 
 Daniel, Ezekiel, John, that were men of great sufler- 
 ings, they heard voices which others heard not. In the 
 Revelation it is said oft, " He that hath an ear to 
 hear, let him hear." Every man hath an outward 
 ear, but not the inward, the ear of the heart, where- 
 by to perceive the meaning of the Spirit. ]\Ien hear 
 not the voice of the Spirit in the churches; they hear 
 men, but not the Spirit, what that speaks in the or- 
 dinances ; and as they hear it not in them, so they 
 hear not the Spirit in the wheels, nor the voice of 
 it in the great judgments of God. 
 
 Ver. 25. And there was a voice from the firma- 
 ment that ivan over their heads, ichen tliey stood, 
 and had let dutvn their icings. 
 
 Here we have a description of the firmament, from 
 the noise that came from it ; and that is the cause of 
 the angels making their appearance before the Lord; 
 and the manner of their appearance is, they stood 
 with their wings let down. 
 
 Whose voice this was comes now into question. 
 It was not a voice of the firmament, but fi'om above, 
 rpi'; 'm''3 Tie- which is in the original, besides from 
 b.ii.erfirmainenia. (iip firmament: SO that it was not the 
 noise or voice of the firmament, neither of any an- 
 gel ; for they are here present under the firmament ; 
 but it was the voice of Christ, of him that was above 
 upon the throne ; and it hath much in it. 
 
 1. It sets out the majesty and state of Christ, who, 
 like a mighty emperor, sits upon his throne, and 
 speaks unto his nobles and people at a distance. 
 
 2. His authority, calling in the angels, his great 
 agents in the world, from their services, to appear 
 before him. They upon this voice come from the 
 quarters of the world, and stand about his throne, to 
 give account of their administrations, to receive 
 new instructions, and are sent out by him to great 
 services. 
 
 3. To awaken, quicken, and prepare the prophet, 
 who had hard things to meet with, harsh people to 
 deal with; but when he saw angels come and go at 
 the voice of Christ, it hushed all objections, and set 
 his spirit to attend to the voice of Christ, to receive 
 instructions from him, and to do his will. Thought 
 
 he, shall those glorious angels, those great agents 
 in the world, hearken to Christ, be informed by him, 
 execute his will ; and shall I, a poor captive, dispute 
 the case with him ? No, I will be like to these an- 
 gels, hear, receive, and obey. 
 
 Of the standing of the angels I have spoken for- 
 merly in the 21 st verse, to which I refer you. 
 
 The letting down their wings, notes their cessa- 
 tion from employment ; as birds or fowls, when they 
 fall upon their feet on trees or ground, let down 
 their wings, and rest from flying. 
 
 Obs. 1. The voice of Christ is might)- and effica- 
 cious, a voice that shook the firmament, that com- 
 manded the angels ; there is majesty, authority, effi- 
 cacy in it. Rev. i. 15, it is said to be " as the sound 
 of many waters," which notes the terriblencss and 
 efficaciousness of it, being strong, piercing, power- 
 ful as water, that breaks into the great ships, and 
 eats into the hard rocks, and makes a dreadful noise. 
 What an efficacy and majesty was in that voice of 
 Christ, Acts ix. 4, " Saul, Saul, why persecutest 
 thou me P" it struck Saul (who was a stout and stiff 
 Pharisee) to the ground : so that in Matt. xxii. 12, 
 " Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a 
 wedding garment ? And he was speechless." When 
 Christ spake these few words, " I am he, they went 
 backward, and fell to the ground," John xviii. 6: 
 three words overthrew a great multitude ; and it is 
 observable they went backward and fell. The ma- 
 jesty and power of Christ's speech was such, as if 
 stricken with thunder and lightning in their faces, 
 they fell backward. When he rebuked the w'inds and 
 seas, those fierce and senseless creatures heard his 
 voice and obeyed it. When he preached, his hear- 
 ers said, he spake with authority, and not a.s the 
 Scribes and Pharisees. There is a mighty operation 
 in the voice of Christ ; it enters into the heart of 
 the wicked, into the graves, and makes the dead to 
 hear. "Now is the hour," saith Christ, " that the 
 dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God," John 
 v. 25 : he means the dead in shis. Ver. 28, " The 
 hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves 
 shall hear his voice." His voice was so powerful, it 
 fetched Lazarus out of the earth, John xi. " There 
 is power in the word of a king," Eccles. \-iii. 4. 
 Christ is the greatest King, and in his word is the 
 greatest power, power over the living and dead. 
 Hence the word of Christ is compared to piercing 
 and efficacious things; to "goads and nails fastened," 
 Eccl. xii. 11; to "a hammer and fire," Jer. xxiii. 
 29 ; to "a burning fire," Jer. xx. 9 ; to " mighty 
 weapons," 2 Cor. x. 4 ; to "arrows in the heart of 
 kings," Psal. xlv. 5; to "a sword," Ephcs. vi. 17; 
 "a two-edged sword," Rev. i. 16; "sharper than a 
 two-edged sword," Heb. iv. 12 : it is also like to the 
 voice of " a trumpet," Rev. i. 10, that awakened 
 men at midniglit, and summoned them to the battle. 
 
 Obs. 2. When we are out of business, in a quiet 
 posture, then are we fittest to hear the voice of 
 Christ. When they stood and had let down their 
 wings, then was the voice from the firmament, then 
 were they fit to hear magnalia Chrisli, the wonder- 
 ful things of Christ, the oracles and commands of 
 Christ. When our liauds and hearts are filled, en- 
 tangled with earthly employments, how unapt are 
 we to spirihial things ! and if our hearts be turbu- 
 lent, stirred in passion, they are fitter to hear Satan's 
 voice than Christ's. A sedate, quiet mind, free from 
 passion, and all entanglements, is most capable of 
 divine things. Eccl. ix. 17, the words of wise men 
 are heard in quiet spirits, well-composed minds. 
 When there are great winds and tempests, we hear 
 not others speaking : when the wind blows in the 
 soul, and there is a tempest, we cannot hear God
 
 Yer. 2G— 28. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 59 
 
 speaking : Job iv. 10, " There was silence, and I 
 heard a voice ;" then God spake when the silence 
 was ; he delights in a calm and meek spirit, that is 
 of great price with him, 1 Pet. iii. 4. When spirits 
 are in such a frame, sequestered from the world, free 
 from distempers, God loves to communicate himself 
 to them. In the night oft God appeared tuito our 
 forefathers, because then they were in a manner out 
 of the world, and had tranquillity in their bosoms. 
 When John was in Patmos, he heard Christ's voice ; 
 when Ezekiel was by the river side, he saw heaven 
 opened, and heard a voice from above : that in 
 Cant. ii. 12, " The voice of the turtle is heard in our 
 land :" it is observable, the turtle sings not in win- 
 ter, when the winds and storms are, but when it is 
 spring and summer, all quiet and serene, then her 
 voice is heard; so Christ's voice is heard, when 
 winter is over, when the tumults and stirs are laid. 
 
 Obx. 3. As his voice refers to Ezekiel, it affords this 
 instruction ; that there must be a voice from above, 
 before we are fit to hear or do any service for God. 
 There are no preparations or qualifications in men 
 by virtue of man ; Ezekiel himself is not fitted to 
 
 E reach the word unto this captive people, till he 
 ear Christ's voice. Christ doth not only give the 
 word to be preached, but prepares the organ to re- 
 ceive and communicate it. Preparatory works in 
 man by man, are popish conceits : the chemists, by 
 all their art and labour, cannot bring any material 
 nearer gold than at the first ; it differs specifically 
 from gold, and so it doth when they leave it. Coun- 
 terfeit gold is no gold. It is not man that can pre- 
 pare himself for God and his service. " The pre- 
 parations of the heart and answer of the tongue are 
 of the Lord," Prov. xvi. 1. And Paul saith, we 
 are not sufficient of ourselves to think a good 
 thought, 2 Cor. iii. 5. You may hear Paul telling 
 of his preparatory works, 1 Tim. i. 13, " I was a 
 blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious !" what pre- 
 parations were these to grace an apostleship ! 
 Dead men have no preparation to life, or motion, 
 and living men ofttimes are lifeless, unfit for divine 
 mysteries and employments, till a voice from above 
 prepare, quicken, and encourage them. 
 
 Ver. 26 — 28. And alore the Jirmameiit that 
 was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, 
 as the appearanee of a saj,pjhire stone : and upon 
 the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the 
 appearance rif a man above upon it. And I saw 
 as the colour of aniber, as the apipearance of fire 
 round about within it, from the appearance of his 
 loins even upward, and from the appearance of his 
 loins even downward, I saw as it were the appear- 
 ance of Jire, and it had hi-ightness round about. 
 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud 
 in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the 
 brightness round about. This was the aptpienr- 
 ance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And 
 when I saw it, I fell upon mi/ face, and I heard a 
 voice of one that spake. 
 
 In these words we have the last and best part of 
 the vision, being of Christ in his throne. In the 
 2()th verse we have the throne described : 
 
 1. From the situation of it; it was "above tlie 
 firmament." 
 
 2. From the colour or likeness of it ; it was " a 
 sajjphire stone." 
 
 3. From the party in it ; and that was one who 
 had " the appearance of a man." 
 
 The word "throne" sometimes signifies king- 
 
 doms and dominions : Dan. vii. 9, " I beheld till 
 the thrones were cast down ;" that is, the kingdoms 
 of the earth were ruined. Sometimes it notes a 
 choice seat, fit for kings and judges to sit in : 1 Kings 
 X. 18—20, " The king made a great throne of ivory, 
 and overlaid it with the best gold;" there were six 
 steps and twelve lions ; and there was not the like 
 in any kingdom. In this last sense we are here to 
 take it, a seat for Christ to sit in : and so the temple 
 or sanctuary is called the throne of God, Jcr. xvii. 
 12, "A glorious high throne from the beginning is 
 the place of our sanctuary." A throne here holds 
 out unto us sundry things : 
 
 1. Divine majesty and highness of Christ. 
 
 2. Kingly dignity. 
 
 3. Triumphant glory. 
 
 4. Judiciary power : Psal. ix. 4, " Thou safest in 
 the throne judging right." Kingly and judiciary 
 power are chiefly meant : 2 Chron. xviii. IS, " I saw 
 the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of 
 heaven standing on his right hand and on liis left :" 
 and Rev. xx. 11, 12, " I saw a great white throne, 
 and him that sat on it : — and the dead, small and 
 great, stood before God ; and the books were open- 
 ed." Here Christ sat in judgment over the Jews, 
 and exercised his power, pronouncing sentence 
 against them. 
 
 The next thing is the likeness ; " as the appear- 
 ance of a sapphire stone." The glory of this throne 
 was great : Solomon's was of ivory and gold, but 
 Christ's is of sapphire. The Scrij)ture mentions 
 palaces, Psal. xlv. 8, towers. Cant. vii. 4, beds, 
 Amos vi. 4, houses, chap. iii. 15, vessels, Rev. xviii. 
 12, and thrones of ivory, 2 Chron. ix. 17; but none 
 of sapphires. The sapphire is a stone of admirable 
 worth and splendour, the chiefest of oemma jemma- 
 pearls ; and Pererius saith, it was nim. .Uuieni. 
 among tlie ancients always of great 
 esteem ; the empire and high priesthood were sig- 
 nified by it. Among the Egyptians, 
 the chief priests, being judges, also 
 wore a saj>phire about their necks ; 
 and at that time when cardinals are 
 newly created, the pope sends to each 
 of them a sapphire, which sets out 
 dignity and greatness. 
 
 For the colour of the stone. Pliny 
 saith, in his lib. 3/. c. 9. that it is of 
 an airy colour : he should have said, of 
 a sky or blue colour ; for when the heavens are 
 most clear, and have a transparent, pleasant blue, 
 then the sapphire doth most resemble them ; very 
 fair and beautiful. Jerom will have sapphire 
 to be from saphar, pidclier, because these stones 
 are very fair and delightful. Pliny, in the place 
 before cited, saith, they do fiame and sparkle with 
 purple veins, much like the colour of brimstone 
 when it is first fired; there is a pleasant blue, 
 with a little purple in it : and so oft it is in the 
 heavens when they are clear. The ta?i-«ti cdore 
 sapphire, and heaven's clearness, are "nibninn suut. 
 brought in together by Moses : Exod. ""'-,,rn 
 xxiv. 10, " They saw the God of Israel ; Ann-is i.unctis 
 and there was under his feet as it were '""<'■ 
 a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were 
 the body of heaven in its clearness ;" the pavement 
 was sapphire, and the colour of it, as the clearness 
 of heaven. We must inquire what the sapjihire 
 represents unto us ; for surely there is something, 
 yea, much in it. Should we tell you what virtue 
 is given to this stone by men of great note, it would 
 take up much time. Avicen, Albertus, and Ma- 
 thiolus, affirm this stone fo" be good against melan- 
 choly, and the quartan ague. Galen and Dioscuridcs, 
 
 Denrnnt nmn* 
 
 Itrliii. til \tl Iliac 
 EcclesiiishLis 
 I'larsulibus om- 
 liiinii maxime 
 di^naiii I lule val- 
 gus i'li'liteatiir. 
 linen, de Oem-
 
 60 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 that it helps against poisoning, ruptures, and ex- 
 ulcerations. But I will pass by such things, and 
 come to that which is nearer our purpose. The 
 sapphire is an emblem, 
 Symti.iium '■ ^f liberty. So you shall find it 
 
 iiberiaris. to spcak in Exod. xxiv. 10. The Is- 
 raelites were come from their pavement of bricks to 
 one of sapphire ; now the God of Israel was exalt- 
 ing them to precious liberty from their vile bondage. 
 Purifaiis el 2. Of purify and solidity. It hath 
 
 soiidnaiis. the colour and clearness of heaven ; it 
 hath no impurity in it. Things impure are the ruin 
 of themselves, and so are unsolid ; but that which is 
 pure is fii-m ; as the firmament, it is pure and solid. 
 Hence the sapphire is a foundation stone of the new 
 and heavenly Jerusalem, Rev. xxi. 19. . . 
 Siihiimiiatis ^- *-"■' ^^^ inconiprehensibleness of 
 
 tcuiesiium divine mysteries. It hath a sky colour, 
 
 s'apph'i'r"u'in"ci!- the colour of the firmament itself: and 
 i"rlemi2i"e"' ^^"^^ blucncss wc See in the heavens is 
 sisniiicatipsius intense light, and sets out the incom- 
 caior. i«»r,. prghensibility of God's ways. 
 Castitaiis. ve- 4. Ofchastity. It is an enemy to wan- 
 
 MT"ff«tur' *"" l"**'^ '■ hence. Cant. v. 14, Christ's 
 JiiM. ' belly is said to be overlaid with sap- 
 phires : and his throne being sapphirine, it tells us, 
 that Christ expects chastity in the spiritual marriage 
 between him and his church. 
 
 vicoiis et 5. Of vigour and cheerfulness. Lam. 
 
 iurumsappw. 1^-7, "Their polishiug was of sap- 
 rus. phire ;" Their faces were sapphirine, 
 
 so the Chaldee reads it. Their countenances before 
 were full of vigour, cheerful, like those which are 
 well polished ; but now, through famine, black they 
 were, withered, and like a stick, without all cheer- 
 fulness. 
 
 Gloriie. 
 
 6. Of glory. And here in this vi- 
 sion, Christ's glory is likened to sap- 
 phire ; the glory of his throne was sapphirine. 
 
 From the likeness of the throne, we come to the 
 party, whose the throne is, and that is, one who had 
 " the appearance of a man." Who this is, must be 
 cleared. It was not God the Father, or God the Holy 
 Ghost J for the learned observe, that neither the 
 Father nor the Holy Ghost have ever appeared in 
 man's shape : but that will not hold ; for the Ancient 
 of days, God the Father, appeared to Daniel, chap. vii. 
 9, in the form of a man. Expositors do mostly agree 
 it was the Lord Christ: andof that judgment shall we 
 be, not because they say so, this was a blind ground for 
 a rational man to be led by, but because we find in 
 Scripture, that Christ hath oft appeared in visions 
 like unto man ; Dan. vii. 13, " I saw in the night 
 visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man." 
 The Jews acknowledge this to be meant of Messiah. 
 So in Rev. i. 13, one like the Son of man appear- 
 ed in the midst of the seven candlesticks ; and Rev. 
 xiv. 14, " I looked, and behold a white cloud, and 
 upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man." 
 By these places we have good warrant to conceive, 
 that it was Christ that did appear unto Ezekiel in 
 this vision. 
 
 Quest. But seeing Christ was not yet incarnate, 
 why is he here presented in the likeness of man ? 
 
 Answ. I. Because in his divine nature he is in- 
 visible, and being to manifest himself, he appeared 
 in the form of man, as being most suitable to the 
 nature of man. 
 
 2. It was a prefiguration of his incarnation, that 
 in the fulness of time his divine nature should as- 
 ■sume our flesh into the unity of his person. 
 
 3. That according to his human nature, he should 
 sit upon the throne of God, and judge the sons of 
 men : he was the great Agent of his Father. 
 
 'WTiether Christ in this vision sat or stood, is 
 doubted, because it is said, " above upon it," neither 
 standing nor sitting being expressed ; but my in- 
 clinations are to conceive, that the Lord Christ sat, 
 and stood not. 
 
 1. Because thrones are not for standing, but sit- 
 ting ; and we never find in Scripture, that any stood 
 in thrones, but sat they have. Sitting in thrones is 
 the usual phrase in Scripture : 1 Kings ii. 12, " So- 
 lomon sat upon the throne of David his father ;" and 
 in chap, x.xii. 10, " The king of Israel and the king 
 of Judah sat each on his throne;" and Isa. vi. 1, 
 Isaiah " saw the Lord sitting upon a throne ;" Rev. 
 iv. 10, " The twenty-four elders fall down before him 
 that sat on the throne." 
 
 2. Kings and judges here on earth do not use to 
 stand, but sit, which doth more fully set out their 
 state and majesty ; and if kings on earth do so, how 
 much more this King in heaven ! Besides, standing 
 is a servant's posture, Dent. xvii. 12, and chap. x. 8 ; 
 but sitting is not, Luke xvii. 7, S ; that is the mas- 
 ter's, the lord's posture. 
 
 Obs. I. The wisdom of God's Spirit in laying down 
 things to prevent the corruptions and mistakes of 
 man. We are apt to think grossly of the divine na- 
 ture, that God is visible, corporeal, contained in place, 
 sitting as man ; but see how the Spirit of God here 
 speaks, and takes off from all such conceits. Here 
 is mention of likeness, appearance of things, not that 
 they were materially so ; it is the likeness of a throne, 
 the appearance of a sapphire, and upon the likeness 
 of the throne was the appearance of a man, no true 
 body. The anthropomorphites thought God to be 
 like unto us, to have his throne in heaven, and sit 
 in it ; and so far did these men proceed in this 
 opinion, of God's corporeity and circumscription, 
 that they assembled into troops, and threatened to 
 stone all who opposed it : so tenacious of and violent 
 for errors are men, even the deluded sons of men. 
 
 Obs. 2. That man is not capable of immediate ac- 
 cess to and converse with God. Here are many steps 
 and degrees before the prophet comes to see Christ, 
 and then it is not in his divine nature, but in the ap- 
 pearance of a man. Here are the living creatures in the 
 way, a firmament over their heads, and then a throne, 
 and that of sapphirine colour ; and afterward a sight 
 of Christ in the form of a man, and then converse. 
 If the Lord should not condescend to our weakness, 
 and mantle up his majesty, there could be no com- 
 munion between him and us. 
 
 Obs. 3. That the Lord Christ, who appeared like 
 man, hath kingly majesty. Here is a throne, and a 
 throne set before him. Thrones represent royal ma- 
 jesty unto us, and this throne representeth Christ's : 
 when on earth he was in the form of a servant, but 
 in heaven he appeared to the prophet in the form 
 of a king. Neither hath he a throne only, but what- 
 ever appertains to kings. Unction he had, and such 
 as other kings had not ; he was anointed with the 
 Holy Ghost, and with power. Acts x. 38. Promul- 
 gation ; Zcch. ix. 9, " O daughter of Jerusalem, be- 
 hold thy King cometh unto thee." A crown ; Heb. 
 ii. 9, " W^e see Jesus, crowned with glory and hon- 
 our :" the Jews crowned him with thorns, the Lord 
 with glory. A sceptre he hath also, and better than 
 of gold ; Heb. i. 8, " A sceptre of righteousness is 
 the sceptre of thy kingdom." A royal guard of 
 angels ; they are under the firmament, stand ready 
 at his footstool. He hath his agents and ambassa- 
 dors in the kingdom of the world, to declare his 
 pleasure, to ti'ansact his appointments; Eph. iv. II, 
 " Apostles, pro])hets, evangelists, pastors, teachers ;" 
 these negociate the great aflairs of this King, they 
 dispense the mysteries of this kingdom. He is not
 
 Ver. -2— 2S. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 61 
 
 iinepapavioi^' 
 
 a titular king, but hath large dominions : Dan. vii. 
 14, " There was given him dominion, and glory, and 
 a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, 
 should serve him ; "and Psal. ii. 8, the heathen are his 
 inheritance, and the ends of the earth his possession. 
 He hath a legislative power, he makes and abro- 
 gates laws at his pleasure. He came of the princely 
 tribe that made laws. Judah bare the 
 Gen. xiix. 10. gpgptjg^ grid gave the laws, and there- 
 fore by David is called the lawgiver, Psal. Ix. 7 ; 
 and Christ descending thence, and being typified by 
 the king of Judah, he is the true Lawgiver ; Jam. 
 iv. 12, " There is one lawgiver," and therefore, Matt. 
 xxviii. 20, " Teach them to observe all things 
 whatsoever I have commanded you." He hath a par- 
 doning and punishing power; he pardoned Mary 
 Magdalene, and punished him that had not on his 
 wedding garment. 
 
 06s. 4. That Christ is not only King, but the chief- 
 est of kings. His throne is not on earth, but in heaven ; 
 it is above the firmament ; that was over angels' heads, 
 and Christ's throne is above thcni both ; so that all 
 power in heaven and earth are under Christ ; his 
 throne is exalted above them all : Heb. i. 6, " Let all 
 the angels of God worship him ; " the greatest arch- 
 angel must do it. Those thrones, for so they are 
 termed, Col. i. 16, must stoop to this throne. Eph. i. 
 20 — 22, God hath " set Christ in hea- 
 venly places," among the heavenly 
 thrones, yea, in supercelestial places ; 
 for it follows, he hath set him " far above all princi- 
 pality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every 
 name that is named, not only in this world, but also 
 in that which is to come : and hath put all things 
 under his feet." Even angels are wider the firmament, 
 where his feet stand ; and all the princes of the earth 
 arc under him, Rev. i. 5, he is " the Prince of the 
 kings of the earth." The inscription on his vesture 
 and thigh is " King of kings, and Lord of lords." 
 This title isnotXerxes's,Nebuchadnezzar's, nor Alex- 
 ander's, but Christ's alone. The kings of the world, 
 when they sit upon their thrones, have their firma- 
 ment over their heads, some cloth of state, made of 
 the richest stuff that the skill of men can reach 
 unto, bedecked with diamonds and pearls that are 
 most costly ; but this over their throne intimates 
 their subjection to some higher power. Butit is not 
 so with Christ ; he is above the firmament ; nothing 
 is over his head ; angels, kings, devils, are under his 
 feet, and unto him must every knee bow. 
 
 Obrs. 5. That the Lord Christ, who hath such a 
 glorious throne, is exceedingly glorious himself. His 
 throne is like sapphires, of a sapphirine colour, which 
 is very beautiful ; it is like the glory of the heavens. 
 If an earthly throne be a tlirone of glory, as Hannah 
 styles it, 1 Sam. ii. 8, what is this throne ! a re- 
 semblance of the throne of his glory, which he 
 speaks of in Matt. six. 28, and chap. xxv. 31. The 
 clothing of the king's daughter, Psal. xlv. 13, was 
 wrought gold, a glorious outside ; but tliere was 
 more glory within, she was " all glorious within :" so 
 if Christ's throne, the outside of it, be so glorious, 
 what is he in the throne ! all glorious, all glory. 
 John i. 14, " We beheld his glory, the glory as of the 
 only begotten." If apostles saw glory in him, being 
 on earth, in his low condition, what did our prophet 
 see in him, being above the firmament, in his throne 
 and glorious condition ! The Scriptures set him out, 
 not only to be glorious, but glory : Psal. xxiv. 8, 
 " King of glory :" Jam. ii. 1, " Have not the faith of 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect 
 of persons." The word Lord in the second place is 
 not in the original, but thus it stands there, have 
 not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glory ; 
 
 so that Christ is glory, and the glory ; 
 the glory of heaven, the glory of the "" *°^'"' 
 world, the glory of Sion, the glory of the soul. And 
 not only is Christ glorious and glory, but he is 
 " the brightness of glory," Heb. i. 3 ; . .. 
 that is, spotless, perfect, intense, exceed- "'"'ilfmt'^ 
 ing glory. He is the brightness of the glory of the 
 Father, or the Father's glory shines out most brightly 
 and intensely in the Son. The Father's glory in the 
 whole creation is but darkness to his glory in Christ ; 
 and therefore he is brightness of glory, and every 
 thing that comes from Christ hath some beams of 
 glory in it. His works are called glorious ; Luke xiii. 
 17, they " rejoiced for all the glorious things done 
 by him :" the liberty he purchased is glorious liberty, 
 Rom. viii. 21; his church is glorious, Eph. v. 27; 
 his gospel is glorious, 1 Tim. i. 11. 
 
 06*'. 6. That Christ's throne must not be of com- 
 mon stone, but precious ones, of sapphires. The 
 pavement of God was of stones or bricks of sapphire, 
 Exod. xxiv. 10; and Christ's throne must be of sap- 
 phires. The church is Christ's throne, visible and 
 conspicuous as the heavens, Jer. iii. 17- Jerusalem 
 is called " the throne of the Lord ;" and the churches 
 under the gospel are the throne of Christ ; he sits in 
 the congregations, and bears rule in them : Rev. ii. 
 13, "I know where thou dwellest, where Satan's seat" 
 or throne "is." There was a congregation of persecu- 
 tors, idolaters, and unclean parties ; for such sinners 
 are mentioned in ver. 13, 14; and this company was 
 the seat and throne of Satan. Many congregations 
 are thrones of iniquity ; and " shall the throne of ini- 
 quity have fellowship with thee ?" Psal. xciv. 20 ; 
 but godly congregations are the seat and throne of 
 Christ. Now as the conscience, which is the invisi- 
 ble seat of Christ, must be pure, 1 Tim. iii. 9, 
 " Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure con- 
 science ;" so must the visible seat of Christ be 
 pure, the congregation where he will sit and reign. 
 Therefore the promise is, Isa. liv. 11, 12, that the 
 state of the church under the gospel shall be better 
 than it was under the law. 'i'liere all stones were 
 laid in the building ; but here should be a difference 
 made ; God will lay stones with fair colours, sap- 
 phires, agates, carbuncles, and precious stones. 
 And that it is meant of gospel times and churches, 
 the words following in tne 13th verse show, " All 
 thy children shall be taught of the Lord," which 
 Christ applies to these times, John vi. 45. So then 
 the churches now are to be of sapphires, such as 
 have a heavenly virtue and purity in them ; not of 
 sand-stones, toad-stones, or any highway-stones ; 
 they are fitter to make Satan a seat than Christ a 
 throne. They are called " lively stones," 1 Pet. ii. 5 ; 
 not dead stones, that have no true grace in them, 
 but lively ones they must be, that make a house, a 
 throne for Christ : stones, that it may be a solid 
 building; lively, that it may be a useful, profitable 
 building ; and sapphire, that it may be a pure and 
 glorious building. 
 
 Ob.s. 7. Judiciary power is put into the hand of 
 Christ, not only as Gud, but as man. There was the 
 appearance of a man above upon the throne ; there sat 
 the Son of man, and sitting upon the throne imports 
 power, and power judicial. Therefore ^^(jjjjjj j 
 when Christ tells his disciples of sit- 
 ting upon the twelve thrones, he tells them also of 
 judging the twelve tribes of Israel, Matt. xix. 2>*. 
 And that Christ had such power, and tliat as Son of 
 man, appears, John v. 27, The Father hath given 
 the Son " authority to execute judgment, because he 
 is the Son of man;" ver. 22, "he hath committed all 
 judgment to the Son," both judgment of actions, 
 things, and persons. God "will judge the wor'.d in
 
 62 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chat. I. 
 
 righteousness by that man he hath ordained," Acts 
 xvii. 31 : the last judgment shall be by Christ, even 
 that great judgment. So particular judgments here ; 
 as now Christ sat in judgment upon Jerusalem, and 
 sentenced them to death and captivity. And because 
 judgment is opus pclex/alis, an act of power, there- 
 fore Christ himself tells us, that all power in heaven 
 and earth 's given unto him. Matt, xxviii. 18. 
 
 Ob.s. 8. The Lord Christ actually ruleth the world, 
 and all things in it ; he sits upon the throne, and ex- 
 erciseth his power and authority. " Solomon sat upon 
 the throne of David his father," 1 Kings ii. 12; that 
 is, he ruled the kingdom, and all the affairs of it : 
 so Christ sitting upon the throne, presents to us his 
 active ruling. The prophet might see he held the 
 globe of the world in his hand ; that he raised tem- 
 pests out of the north, sent abroad the four living 
 creatures in the several parts of the world ; that he 
 orders the wheels, and causes them to stand or go at 
 his pleasure. The Lord Christ is not out of office, or 
 idle now in heaven, though he sits upon a throne of 
 glory at his Father's right hand. He isnotncglcctive 
 of the world, he upholds it by his power, Heb. 1. 3, 
 he sends out his angels to minister unto his, ver. 14; 
 he still gives gifts to men, and provides for his 
 church, Eph. iv., and makes the word the savour of 
 life or death to men. He restrains the wrath of 
 enemies, and hedges up their ways, he makes use of 
 them as rods to drive his straggling sheep into the 
 fold ; he subdues hearts and spirits to himself, and 
 protects them being subdued ; he discovers and con- 
 founds the enemies' jdots and persons. 
 
 Obs. y. The Lord Christ doth govern all with 
 great ti-anquillity and with great facility. He sits upon 
 the throne, and doth all in a sedate temper ; there is 
 no passion or perturbation in him : he is a Lion for 
 his power, and a Lamb for his meekness ; he rules by 
 counsel and wisdom in much quietness, he judgeth 
 in righteousness. Acts xvii. 31, and what he doth is 
 done without dilhcully. Let him speak the word, and 
 presently it is done. If he bids Nebuchadnezzar go 
 and sack Jerusalem, and carry them away to Baby- 
 lon, he goes, he accomplisheth his will fully. 
 
 Obs. 10. That Christ is ready ever to hear the 
 causes and complaints of his church ; he sits upon the 
 throne. Other judges are of the bench and throne, and 
 parties aggrieved may come unseasonably to them ; 
 but it is not so here : Christ sits upon the throne, and 
 that constantly, to assure us, that he is always will- 
 ing and ready to hear the motions his servants shall 
 make, and to execute judgments upon their enemies; 
 which is matter of great comfort to poor afflicted 
 souls, that they may at any time find this Judge sit- 
 ting, and open their grievances unto him. and ha\e 
 audience. Other judges are absent from their seats, 
 or not at leisure ; or stately, and will not give way to 
 poor oppressed ones to ease themselves, and acquaint 
 them with their suits : none of these things are to be 
 feared here. 
 
 Obs. 11. Christ sitting on the throne shows to us, 
 that Christ should accomplish the whole work of 
 man's redemption, which the Father hath appointed 
 him, and so sit down in glory upon the throne. He 
 appeared as man in that nature, he did and suffered 
 the will of God on earth, and in that nature he sat 
 down at the right hand of God. Had not Christ been 
 to fulfil all righteousness, he had not aj); eared as 
 man sitting on the throne ; and had he not done it, 
 he .should never have returned to heaven and 
 sat down in glory. He halh satisfied the law, is 
 freed from the guilt of our sins, and hath ]iresently 
 finished the work undertaken ; and therefire told his 
 Father, he had glorified him on earth, lie had finished 
 the work he had given him to do; and thereupon 
 
 desired him to glorify him, and set him upon the 
 throne, John xvii. 4, 5, which is done : and this may 
 be of singular comfort against all our imperfections, 
 corruptions, temptations, and death itself. 
 
 Ver. 27. And I saw as the colour of amber, as the 
 appearance of fire roitnd abnuf within it, from the 
 appearance oj'his loins ereti vpuard, and from the 
 appearance iifhis loins even downward, 1 saw as it 
 ■were the appearance of fire, and it had hiightness 
 round about. 
 
 Here the man that sat upon the throne is de- 
 scribed unto us : I. In general. 2. More particularly. 
 
 1. In general ; " I saw as the colour of amber." 
 
 2. Particularly, upwards and downwards. Up- 
 wards, "as the appearance of fire round about within 
 it: from the appearance of his loins upward;" so 
 that this fire was more latent. And then downwards 
 the fire was more visible, and had brightness about 
 it. Touching the word luislnnal, or chasma/, I have 
 spoken largely in the 4lh verse ; and it signifies a 
 
 coal intensely hot, and, as it were, pre- „ . .,„ 
 
 ,, •" ■ , . -ill Quasi ';Diffn 
 
 sently consuming whatever it touches : teMiuauier 
 such coals are most fiery and lively ; consumeus. 
 and tliey that render the word color vividissimus, a 
 most lively colour, or as the colour of a burning coal, 
 give the truest sense of the word. Befiire it referred 
 to the angels, here to Christ. The word chaxmal read 
 backward, is lammasliach, or lammashiach, which is 
 intcrjircted, the Messiah ; it is the Cabalist's observ- 
 ation, and the sum in general is this ; " I saw as the 
 colour of amber ;" I saw Christ that sat upon the 
 throne, all of an intense fiery colour, like the most 
 hot burning coals. And so the Lord Christ is set 
 forth. Rev. i. 14, 15, " His eyes were as a flame of fire, 
 his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a 
 furnace ;" so here, from head to feet, Christ is pre- 
 sented in a fiery colour. It is frequent in Scripture, 
 when acts of power and judgment are to be executed 
 against kingdoms or churches, to have Christ pre- 
 sented in a fiery way. So Rev. x. 1, the mighty 
 Angel, Christ, is brought in there with his face shin- 
 ing as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire ; and 
 presently there were great thunders, and dreadful 
 things. So Rev. ii. 18, he is brought in with eyes 
 like fire and feet like brass ; and then tells Thyatira 
 he hath a few things against her. So Rev. xix. 11 — 
 13, " In righteousness he doth judge and make war," 
 and then his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his 
 vesture dipt in blood. Thus is he described, when 
 some great designs are afoot, as sentencing a church, 
 warring against his enemies, &c. 
 
 The particular description is next, which falls into 
 further incpiiry. From his loins upward, was as the 
 ajqiearance of fire within it. There is a difference 
 between the fire in the upward parts of Christ, and 
 that in his lower; the one is external, the other in- 
 ternal. Within it. Within what? Within the colour of 
 the amber ; or, according to the word as we have in- 
 terpreted it, within that fire of burning hot coals, 
 there was as the appearance of fire in the concave of 
 it round about; so that there was a 
 fire in a fire, a secret hidden fire burn- Knlm^ \\^u^e- 
 ii.g inwarcUy : this fire doth not put ""■ ■'"""■ 
 for.h its virtue so apparently as the other did, but 
 burnt inwardly, and refiected upon itself. What this 
 fire was, is our work to o];cn unto you. By fire 
 within, Gregory, in his seventh Homily, understands 
 Christ before his incarnation, he was ignis in Judea 
 tanluni, a fire in Judea only ; there only he sinned, 
 the gentiles knew him not; but after his incarnation 
 he sinned from his loins downward, and was made
 
 Vkr. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEI . 
 
 63 
 
 known n;ito all. But by it we understand tlie divine 
 nature of Christ, whicli being frill of perfection, too 
 bright for human eyes, was more inward and remote 
 from sense ; and it is likened unto tire in regard of 
 the lustre and efficacy of it, which none can endure. 
 By the burning hot coals, wc may understand the 
 burning zeal of Christ to the glory of God in execut- 
 ing judgment upon the wicked ; and at this time he 
 Bat in judgment upon Jerusalem. 
 
 " From his loins downward, there was as the ap- 
 pearance of fire, and it had brightness round about 
 it." This fire and brightness was more apparent, 
 visible, and enlightening than the other, and it repre- 
 sents to us the great glory and majesty of the Lord 
 Christ, as it is exhibitive to and comprehensive by 
 creatures. It is the glory of human nature, which 
 was the lower part of Christ, less glorious ; the 
 strength of the divine nature's glory shining through 
 it, and giving out itself in that way and degree as 
 man is capable of. The sun in a cloud may be be- 
 held by the weakest eye; in itself, not by the strongest. 
 The glory of both Christ's natures are shadowed out 
 unto us in this verse. 
 
 " And it Iiad brightness round about." That fire 
 produced a brightness, and a brightness on every 
 side. It sets out the glory of Christ in execution of 
 justice upon those that are delinquents ; or the glory 
 of hi.s presence and actions : he dwells in light, and 
 all his actions are lightsome. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the Lord Christ, as man, is very 
 glorious ; he was here in the appearance of man, 
 _ and the prophet saw him, having the 
 
 colour of c/iasmal, that is, like unto the 
 most burning and hottest coal or coals ; not those in 
 common fires, but those that are in a furnace, which 
 glow and shine most. In his transfiguration, which 
 was a prelude to his glorious condition in heaven, 
 . .^ Christ's face shined as the sun. Matt. 
 XVII. 2. \\ hat a glorious creahire is 
 the sun ! and Christ's face as glorious as that is. In 
 Dan. xii. 3, it is said. " The wise shall shine as the 
 brightness of the firmament, and they that turn 
 many to righteousness as the stars for ever ;" but 
 Chi-ist as the sun, which is the great glory of the 
 heavens : the godly may have firmament and star- 
 brightness, but Christ sun-brightness ; neither doth 
 that reach the glory of Christ's human nature, it 
 goes beyond it. Acts xxvi. 13, when Ciirist appeared 
 to Paul at his conversion, what saith he ? " I saw a 
 light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, 
 shining round about me ;" this was the light of the 
 glory of Christ glorified, and it was beyond the 
 brightness of the sun. The star that led the wise 
 
 r >' t ii E h ^'^^ '" Christ, Ignatius thinks did ex- 
 •pis . ai p . ^^^^j _^jj jj^^ ^^^^ .^ light and bright- 
 ness, that none ever was like it. Be it so, yet the 
 glory of Christ's human nature is far above it ; no 
 creature is so glorious, as fully to represent the 
 glory of it. Therefore saith the apostle, Phil. iii. 
 21, " He shall change our vile bodies, and make 
 them like," not the stars or sun, that were too low, 
 but like "his glorious body ;" the original is, his body 
 of glory i that is, his Irody which is exceeihng glo- 
 rious, above the glory of all creatures. 
 
 Obs 
 
 That the Lord Christ sitting upon the 
 
 throne in judgment, is very dreadful ; he is igtiis 
 rividiasimus, the brightest fire, as hot burning coals. 
 Tlie prophet Malachi tells you of his coming, and 
 when he comes " who may abide the day of his 
 c(jming? and who shall stand when he appeareth ? 
 for he is like a refiner's fire; and he shall sit as a 
 refiner and purifier of silver, chap. iii. 2, 3. A re- 
 finer's fire is the hottest, it melts, purges, consumes, 
 and is terrible: such a fire is Christ in his judg- 
 
 ments ; Jerusalem could not stand before him, but 
 he destroys them by the strength of Babylon, and 
 afterward is terrible to Babylon itself: j'er. li. 125, 
 ;' I am against thee, O destroying mountain," speak- 
 ing of Babylon, " which destroyest all the earth ; I 
 will sh-etch out my hand upon thee, and roll thee 
 down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt 
 mountain." This burning coal, Christ, will fire and 
 burn down that great mountain; and what then? 
 they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor 
 a stone for foundations, but thou shall be desolate 
 for ever. ^ Severe was the spirit of Christ against 
 Babylon in the letter, and as severe is he now 
 against Babylon in the mystery : he shall " destroy 
 them that destroy the earth," Rev. xi. 18. He 
 makes " Jerusalem a burdensome stone" to all that 
 meddle with it, Zech. xii. 3. There is mention 
 made in our prophet, chap, xxviii. 14, of stones of 
 fire : Christ is the stone of fire that breaks and 
 burns the kingdoms of the earth. Many kingdoms 
 in Europe are on fire at this day, and almost broken 
 in pieces, and burnt to ashes. We may see that 
 Christ is terrible in his judgments ; he is riding now 
 upon his red horse, taking peace from the earth, 
 dipping his garments in blood, and causing his great 
 sword to eat flesh and drink blood : he is ujion his 
 black horse, bringing in famine and pestilence : the 
 pale horse is saddled, and death is on the back of 
 him, and intends to ride through our cities, coun- 
 tries, towns, families, and make a great slaughter, 
 Rev. vi. and will yet be more terrible ; ver. 17, " The 
 great day of his wrath is at hand, and ■« ho shall 
 be able to stand?" Neither kings, great men, captains, 
 mighty ones, nor any other sort can do it. They 
 will call on rocks and mountains to fall upon them, 
 and hide them from the face of him that sits on the 
 throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. His eyes 
 sparkled with fire, his feet are like burning brass, 
 and out of his mouth issue flames of fire. And to 
 set out the drcadfidness of this Judge, Paul tells us, 
 he shall come in flames of fire, 2 Thess. i. 8. 
 And as his appearance, so his name will be dread- 
 ful, for he hath an unknown name belongs to him in 
 his way of ruling and judgment. Rev. xix. 12; and 
 this will be known when lie sets up his kingdom 
 among the Jews, saith Brightman. 
 
 Vhi: 3. That he is zealous in sentencing and 
 punishing malefactors. He is prima stimme ignita, 
 a coal brightly burning ; and not only so, but here 
 is a fire within, zeal in his breast, a spirit of burn- 
 ing within. You may see the zeal of Christ in 
 John ii. 14 — 17. The temple being a type of 
 Christ, and by divine appointment set aj.art for 
 worship, should not have been made a place for 
 merchandise ; but Christ coming and finding in the 
 temple those that sold oxen, sheep, doves, and 
 changers of money, sitting, made a scourge of 
 small cords, and whipped them out of the temple 
 like a company of rogues ; drove out the sheep and 
 oxen, poured out the changers' money, overthrew the 
 tables, bid them take away their doves, and not 
 make his Father's house a house of merchandise. 
 They might have said. All these are brought for 
 sacrificing, for public service and the worship of 
 God; and what! dost thou pretend God's glory, and 
 take away his sacrifice? we will whip thee out of 
 the temple, and use thee as an enemy to God and 
 his worship. And it was a wonder they did not, 
 Christ being a ].our man, having no countenance 
 from the rulers, and meddling with rude felhnvs, and 
 dealing with them so sharply and shamefully as to 
 whip them out; it was wonder they tore him not in 
 pieces, or stoned him to death for it. Christ's zeal 
 was hot, and carried him on to punish and disgrace
 
 64 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 those delinquents, not fearing their rage or malice, 
 so God's glory might be repaired. This zeal in 
 Christ was so intense that it warmed the hearts of 
 his disciples, who upon it remembered what was 
 written of him, "The zeal of thine house hath eaten 
 me up." How zealous was Christ in his carriage 
 towards the Asian churches ! He tells Ephesus, that 
 except she repent, recover her first love, and do her 
 first works, he will come quickly, remove her can- 
 dlestick out of its place, and unchurch her, Rev. ii. 
 5. To Pergamus also he saith, " Repent ; for I come 
 quickly, and will fight against thee with the sword of 
 my mouth," ver. 16. So for Thyatira, wherein Jeze- 
 bel lived and did much hurt, " Behold," saith Christ, 
 " I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit 
 adultery with her into great tribulation, except they 
 repent of their deeds : and I will kill her children 
 with death," &c. ver. 22, 23. So for Laodicea, how 
 zealous is Christ against that zealless church ! " I 
 know thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou 
 wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, 
 I will spue thee out of my mouth," chap. iii. 15, 16. 
 His proceeding with the churches answers his appear- 
 ance to John in the vision, which was with eyes as a 
 flame of fire, and feet like burning brass, chap. i. 14, 15. 
 Obs. 4. That the divine nature of Christ is too 
 glorious for man's eyes to behold ; and therefore is 
 presented here more remote and hidden from the 
 prophet's sight. There was the appearance of fire in 
 the colour of amber, or within the outward fire ; 
 this was glorious, that exceeding glorious, the fire in 
 the fire : here is infinite glory shut up, obscured by 
 that which is less glorious. You heard before of 
 Christ's human nature, that it is very glorious ; 
 much more the divine that communicates the lustre 
 and glory to the human : 2 Pet. i. 17, "A voice came 
 from the excellent glory, glory that excelled all 
 the glory of the creature, that excelled all the ap- 
 prehensions of creatures ; from the glory greatly 
 i>7o TwuoaXo- becoming, or great becoming glory : it 
 "?«"»' ifim- is glory that greatly becomes the great 
 God. And such is the glory of the divine nature of 
 Christ, it is excellent glory ; and if it were let out a 
 little, in the strength and fulness of it, we should be 
 ^„, sunk by it: for glory is a weighty thing; 
 the Hebrew word for glory signifies 
 gravilas, pondiis, oyms, heaviness, weight, burden ; in- 
 timating that glory, as it is a bright, so a heavy 
 thing; brightness and weightiness are 
 ^apot aofnr. jj^ jj . 2 Cor. iv. 17, it is called a weight 
 of glory, and the glory of Christ's divine nature 
 would oppress us, if fully opened to our view. Moses 
 made a request to God, which if he had granted, 
 would have been his death : Exod. xxxiii. 18, " I be- 
 seech thee," saith he, " show me thy glory." God tells 
 him in the 20th verse, " No man can see me and live," 
 my glory will be a consuming fire unto thee ; yet 
 God is pleased to commimicate the glory of his 
 divine nature here to Moses in that way which might 
 do him good, and not destroy him : he puts him into 
 the cleft of a rock, and shows him his back parts, 
 ver. 23, which was some glorious body, as Tostatus 
 Oleaiier. thinks ; Some human shape, as others 
 osianiier. conccive : and not unlikely to be Christ, 
 as he appeared in his transfiguration, full of glory 
 and majesty. Thus God condescended to Moses, and 
 so here to the prophet ; he sees the glory of the 
 Non caHit sub diviue nature in the human, which in it- 
 scnsum corporis, self is not Subject to man's sense, but 
 .liixta pnssiiiihia- throu<jh diviuc dispensation is made 
 
 tern huinaiiaiii. . ■, , t 4 , • t^ 1 c 
 
 Visible according to man s capacity, it 
 we cannot behold the sun for its brightness, nor 
 one creature liehold another; without prejudice to it- 
 self; how can we behold the exceeding glory of the 
 
 Creator, of the divine nature, without 
 
 great danger, without death? The glory ^."Xi'.s^'olt 
 
 of such majesty would turn us into niiuium reciine- 
 
 nothing. 
 
 06.S-. 5. That Christ's actions, even judiciary ones, 
 are glorious. There was brightness round about his 
 presence, sitting in judgment ; and his actual punish- 
 ing of the Jews with war, famine, captivity, are all 
 full of glory. This supreme Majesty executing 
 judgment, fills all with brightness and glory. 'WTieii 
 the angel came with power to judge Babylon, Rev. 
 xviii. 1, 2, it is said, "the earth was lightened with 
 his glory." Acts of judgment and justice are glori- 
 ous and shining. Ribera saith, this is meant of 
 judgment upon Rome, which shall be evident to all, 
 and fill the world with the glory of it, when it shall 
 be fulfilled. God was glorious as well in destroying 
 the Egyptians as in delivering the Israelites. There 
 is so much beauty and brightness in works of justice 
 and judgment, that they are called " the glory of the 
 Lord," Numb. xiv. 21. The people, upon the ill report 
 brought upon the land of Canaan, murmured, thought 
 to make a captain, and go back to Egypt ; where- 
 upon God threatened to smite them with the pesti- 
 lence, and to disinherit them. Moses interposes, in- 
 tercedes for them. God answers him, and saith. At 
 thy request I have pardoned them ; " but as truly as 
 I live, all the earth shall be filled with r,,.. ,,j ,, ,1,^ 
 the glory of the Lord." What is that ? fireami brimstone 
 he glorv of his just judgments upon ed "iii,, is. vm- 
 them in the wilderness. And shortly 'l^^;l^-^ P^',;," j;"' 
 after. Corah and his confederates were dm Dei laus ei 
 swallowed alive by the earth; Zimri ^ "'''''• '"""■ 
 and Cosbi were run through for their wickedness ; 
 and in these and other particulars was the glory of the 
 Lord seen evidently. Would magistrates, and those 
 who have power in their hands, shine and be glori- 
 ous ? let them execute judgment, and see justice done. 
 Solomon by that act of judgment between the two 
 harlots, touching the dead and the living child, be- 
 came renowned. What a glorious act was in it, when 
 Darius setDaniel at liberty, and caused his accusers to 
 be cast into the den of lions ! If men in place would 
 punish delinquents, executing justice in the fear of 
 God, without respect of persons, distemper of affec- 
 tions, or any sinister respects, they would be like 
 angels, and enlighten the city and kingdom with 
 glory: such a one is sol juatitice, the sun of justice, 
 and fills the world with the beams of righteousness ; 
 he is deaira Dei, the right hand of God, and relieves 
 kingdoms, cities, families, with equity. 
 
 Ver. 28. As the appearance of the how that is 
 in the cloud in the dai/ of rain, so was the ap- 
 pearance of the brightness roxtnd about. 
 
 Here is a description of that brightness or glory 
 which compassed him that sat upon the throne. 
 Himself was glorious, the brightness of glory, and he 
 had circumferential brightness ; and this is resembled 
 unto the bow in the cloud, that which we call the 
 rainbow. First mention of it is in the 9th of Genesis, 
 ver. 13, where God puts double honour upon it. 
 
 1. He owns it for his; "I do set my bow in the 
 cloud : " and, 
 
 2. Makes it federal, a token of the covenant be- 
 tween him and the earth ; and so by divine institution 
 is exalted to a supernatural work, a sacramental sign. 
 
 I shall speak something of this bow philosophi- 
 cally, and something theologically. 
 
 I. Philosophically. The generation of it is in the 
 womb of a cloud, and the cause natural, viz. the 
 reverberation of the sun-beams in a moist cloud ; 
 for when there is a moist cloud opposite to the sun,
 
 Ver. 28. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 65 
 
 fitly disposed to receive the sunbeams, and to redect 
 tliein, then is the rainbow's birth and appearance. 
 The figure of it is a semicircle, sometimes less, but 
 never greater. Sometimes there had been a rain-bow 
 in the night from the beams of tlie moon, which is 
 weak, and like a white cloud. 
 In lb 2 PI Mylichius observes, that from the 
 
 '"■ sun hath sometimes been a white rain- 
 bow ; but constantly the rainbow is of divers colours, 
 especially blue, green, and red ; all very glorious, 
 and wonderful, drawing the eyes of 
 iInM"!;;ptolci,',','i. the world to behold it; whereupon 
 ri.iioiie.li. Plato thinks it is called the daughter 
 
 In IheiEUto. - i •. ■ j - i 
 
 01 wonder, it is so aamireu. 
 J. ■, , nn The natural signification of it is, rain, 
 and moist weather. Scaliger saith, if 
 it be in the morning, it betokens rain, if in the 
 evening, fair weather; but we may find by observ- 
 ation, that evening rainbows in our horizons have 
 been messengers of rain, as oft as morning ones. 
 The Grecians call it Iris, which Eustathius saith is 
 from fipw, nuntio, because it doth foretell rain. Some 
 derive it from fpcc, contention, because it presageth 
 stoiTny and wet weather. Homer constantly calieth 
 it oyytXcs:, and dtiiiv ayytXoQ, a divine messenger, to 
 tell the world there should be rain and storm. This 
 is the observation of some learned, that if the 
 colours of the bow appear thick, and end in black- 
 ness of a cloud, rain follows certainly ; but if they 
 grow clearer, and so vanish, a serene time follows. 
 I b 1" '■" Besides this signification, Pliny at- 
 tributes a special operation to it ; where 
 the horns of the bjw do light, plants and herbs are 
 Iridisincubaiii made more fragrant and plcasaut : and 
 pianLTB fiuni oiio- Scaliger is of the same opinion, who 
 BO. saith, the incubation ot the ram- 
 
 Ail gencraiirmem bow upon plants, makes them more 
 nwnnx et meiiis odoriferous : and Aristotle tells us. Hist. 
 Animal, lib. 5. cap. 22, that it doth 
 much conduce to the generation of honey-dew. 
 
 2. For the theological consideration of this bow, 
 it is to put us in mind of the great flood that drowned 
 the world, and to assure us that God will never 
 more do so. Gen. ix. 14, 15, "When I bring a cloud 
 over the earth, and the bow shall be seen in the 
 cloud, I will remember my covenant between me and 
 you and every living creature ; and the water shall 
 no more become a flood to destroy all flesh." When 
 we see the bow therefore in the heavens, we should, 
 
 1. Be led to consideration of divine justice against 
 the iniquities of the world, which he punished most 
 severely, so as to destroy all flesh : and, 
 
 2. To mind the rich mercy of God to our fore- 
 fathers and ourselves, to whom he hath bound him- 
 self by covenant, and the bow being the sign of it, 
 that he will never destroy the world again in that 
 kind : and whereas some make the red colour in the 
 bow a sign of the world's destruction by fire at last, 
 it hath foundation in man'4 brain, not in any insti- 
 tution of God. 
 
 _ . . ^ , , But I come to the words of our pro- 
 
 Qui infra Iiimbos -i . tt 'hi • i i • 
 
 iiMEinis appare- phct. Here IS "a bow in a cloud in 
 
 a'l^p'.H!''""' *p '^^y of ''=1™'" ^'^- Some make the 
 brightness here to be that which is 
 downward from his loins, and to be like unto the 
 bow in the cloud ; and so they exclude all the parts 
 from his loins upward, from having reference to this 
 bow ; understanding by his upper parts, the divine 
 nature, by his lower, the human. And something 
 there is in it, because the text saith, ver. 27, " I saw 
 from the appearance of his loins downward, as the 
 appearance of fire, and it had brightness round 
 about it." That fire had not the other ; but it seems 
 to me more suitable to the text and truth, that this 
 
 brightness, being in circuit round about it, did com- 
 pass, not the lower parts only, but the whole throne 
 and person of Christ; and so we find in Rev. iv. 3, 
 where Christ is upon the throne, that there is a rain- 
 bow round about it, and therefore conceive, that here 
 also the rainbow w^as round about the throne. 
 
 We will not stand upon that longer, but come to 
 see what the bow points at. And, 
 
 1. It is an emblem of glory. God's glory is much 
 seen in the heavens always ; but when the bow is 
 set in the cloud, Habet accessiotiem ah'ijuam non xper- 
 iiendam, ac si Deun adderet cdiqidd ad nudiaii cadi 
 a.^jyeclum, Cal. It has an addition w hich is not to be 
 neglected, as if God would add somewhat to the 
 bare appearance of the heavens. It is a glorious 
 creature, and hath glorious colours in it; various, 
 and yet beautiful ; affecting the eye for the present, 
 more than all the glory of tlie heavens besides : and I 
 find among interpreters, that it signifies, 
 
 First, the glory and beauty of Divine Providence 
 in its various proceedings with the wicked and the 
 godly ; itpunisheth the one, it rewards the other ; and 
 when these are done, there is so much glory in it, 
 that angels and men are affected with it. 
 
 Secondly, the glory which is conveyed and com- 
 municated to the creatures ; for in the heavens the 
 glory of God doth shine. You know the rainbow's 
 original and being is from the beams of the sun, 
 communicated, received, and reflected ; and though it 
 be glorious, yet it is a borrowed glory, and so in- 
 forms us that the glory in all creatures is from 
 another, from Christ; "By him kings reign. He 
 gives gifts to the sons of men. He enlightens every 
 man that comes into the world." 
 
 2. It is a token of mercy and favour, sj-mhoiun, de- 
 It is a bow without arrows. The back memiai.graiiK, 
 (saith Ramlian) of it being towards the ° '" ""^"•'" '«• 
 heavens, and ends downward, it is a sign of mercy ; 
 for when one shooteth arrows, he holds the back 
 from him. And that it is a sign of grace and mercy, 
 we will make out by Scripture unto you. That cove- 
 nant made by Noah about the waters in Isa. liv. 8 
 — 10. is applied to the covenant of grace, stricken 
 with man in C'hrist ; " In a little wrath," saith God, " I 
 hid my face from thee for a moment ; but with ever- 
 lasting kindness will I have mercy on thee. For this 
 is as the waters of Noah unto me : for as I have 
 sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go 
 over fhe earth, so have I sworn I would not be wroth 
 with thee. For fhe mountains shall depart, and the 
 hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart 
 from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be 
 removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." 
 Here you see the covenant of waters applied to the 
 covenant of grace ; and in fhe Revelation you shall 
 see the same sign, even the rainbow applied for a 
 sign of grace. Rev. iv. 3. There is Christ sitting 
 upon the throne, and a rainbow round about it, 
 which shows, that the throne of Christ is compassed 
 about with mercy : and Rev. x. I, "A rainbow was 
 upon his head;" Christ is presented in visions, crown- 
 ed with the rainbow, as a messenger of grace and 
 peace ; for he is fhe Prince of peace, Isa. ix. 6, and his 
 crown is fherainbow, a certain emblem of jieacc. Gen. 
 ix. 13, 14. The rainbow hath variet)- of colours, and 
 all glorious, and so doth the more fitly resemble the 
 mercies of Christ, which are various and glorious. 
 
 This brightness, then, in the figure of a rainbow, 
 signifies grace and mercy, held out to those that 
 were godly, or should rejient of their wickedness. 
 The brightness before noted the glory of his judiciary 
 proceeding, and here being formed into a bow, it 
 betokens mercy. 
 
 Obs. 1. That mercy and giace come to us
 
 GG 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 through the human nature of Christ, from thence 
 goeth out the brightness and the beams that make 
 the bow. When the Word was made flesh, then went 
 out glory, John i. 14, and grace, ver. 10; then was 
 the most glorious rainbow that ever was or shall be 
 in the world. He was not a sign of peace, but our 
 peace; Eph. ii. 14, by his blood we are brought 
 nigh, " for he is our peace." 
 
 Obs. 2. God hath his days of rain. When the 
 flood was, then there was rain to purpose forty days 
 together. If God hath rained bread, Exod. xvi. he 
 hath rained wrath. Job xx. 23; snares, storms, fire, 
 brimstone, Psal. xi. God rains blood upon king- 
 doms ; Ezek. xxxviii. 22, " 1 will plead against him 
 with pestilence and with blood ; and I will rain upon 
 him, and his bands, and the many people with him, 
 overflowing rain, great hailstones, fire and brim- 
 stone." 
 
 06*. 3. That the Lord Christ in wrath remembers 
 mercy, he mingles mercy with judgment. He sits as 
 Judge upon the throne, he pronounces sentence 
 against a sinful kingdom, executing the vengeance 
 written against sinners ; and yet here he is compassed 
 with the rainbow ; showing that he will not utterly 
 destroy the Jews, a remnant should be spared. When 
 the great deluge of water was drowning the world, 
 yet Noah and his family were saved; there was mercy 
 in the midst of judgment: and here is a Judge with 
 a rainbow over his head, to assure the godly they 
 should not perish in this flood of wrath, now pouring 
 out upon the Jews. Jerom saith of the bow, it is a 
 sign of mercy, and the covenant which God made 
 with man, that w hen it appeared in the cloud, we 
 might know we should not perish by a flood : and 
 much more, when Christ sits in judgment with the 
 rainbow about him, may the godly know, that they 
 shall not perish by the wrath of God. If the glory 
 of his majesty, stateliness of his throne, terror of his 
 justice, and the greatness of his power, do at any 
 time discourage us, we must look at the rainbow 
 round about him, and remember his throne is com- 
 passed with mercy. It is said of the Jews, when 
 they see the rainbow, they go forth, confess their 
 sins, but will not look upon it. Confession of sins, 
 or any duty whatsoever, will do us no good, unless 
 we look upon the bow, the mercy of Christ. Now 
 was a storm, and in it a rainbow, for the prophet 
 and godly to look at. It is said in the text, " the bow in 
 the cloud in the day of rain." Then it is a rainy day, 
 when God rains snares, fire and brimstone, and hor- 
 rible tempest, upon the wicked; even then the bow is 
 in the cloud, and the righteous should look for it, 
 and look to it ; they should remember the covenant 
 and mercy of it. Is it not a rainy and stormy time 
 now .'' is not this great Prince angry with the kings 
 and kingdoms of the earth ? doth he not frown, chide, 
 and smite, and that with deadly strokes in many 
 places ? Let us look at the rainbow now, and know, 
 if there should come an overflowing scourge, a deluge 
 of wrath upon the world, yet the Noahs shall be 
 arked and safe, the righteous shall be hid, Christ 
 will manifest mercy to them. Saith John, Rev. iv. 
 2, " I was in the spirit ; and, behold, a throne was 
 set in heaven ; and there was a rainbow round about 
 the throne." No sooner was John in the Spirit, but 
 he saw the throne and the rainbow. Let us now be 
 in the Spirit, look with eyes of faith, and we shall 
 see the throne, him that sits on it, and the bow round 
 about him ; and then, though kingdoms lie under the 
 floods of errors, superstition, and ungodliness, though 
 drowned in troubles and blood, yet we shall see God 
 and Christ in a way of love and mercy towards us. 
 
 Obs. 4. That justice and mercy do compass the 
 throne of Christ; there was brightness round about, 
 
 and the bow was round aljout. Go to Christ's thrcme 
 any way, there is nothing but justice for the suiner, 
 unless penitent and believing, and if such, nothing 
 but mercy. 
 
 Ver. 28. This was the appearance of the likeness 
 of the glurij of the Lord. And when I saw it, I 
 fell iipon my face, and I hea)d a voice of one 
 that spake. 
 
 Here is the conclusion of the vision, and in it we 
 have the scope of all that was presented to the pro- 
 phet's view, and it is to manifest the infinite glory of 
 God ; and then follows a double effect : 
 
 First, upon the sight of it, he fell upon his face ; and. 
 
 Secondly, he hears a voice ; and so a fit passage 
 is made to that which follows. 
 
 The first thing is the manifestation of God's glory : 
 and the glory of God is considerable, 
 
 1. In God himself, in the divine nature ; and there 
 it is infinitely glorious, exceeding glory. 
 
 2. In the creation, as it is expressed and opened in 
 the volume of the creatures, there God's glory is 
 greatly seen : Isa. vi. 3, " The earth is full of his 
 glory;" the Hebrew is, the fulness of the earth is 
 his glory: the world is glorious and q,,;,, ,„ ^„„j„3 
 filled with God's glory ; it is notlnng "isi Dens expii- 
 else but God's glory interpreted and '"""' 
 opened unto us in the creatures, and Divine Provi- 
 dence about them. 
 
 3. In divine dispensations towards his church and 
 people. God's glory is in the firmament, in all the 
 creatures, but more specially and fully in the church : 
 Psal. xxix. 9, " In his temple doth every one speak 
 of his glory ; " there it is most visible, affecting, and 
 provoking of every one to speak. In the world few 
 take notice of it, but in the temple every one sees 
 it, and speaks of it. The world is God opened, and 
 so glorious ; the church is Christ opened, and so 
 very glorious. This made David long to be in the 
 sanctuary, when he was in the wilderness ; and why 
 so ? " To see thy power and thy glory," Psal. Ixiii. 2. 
 Could not David see them in the heavens, in the 
 mountains, in the goodly cedars, and other works of 
 God ? Yes, but not as in the sanctuary ; and there- 
 fore he saith, " To see thy power and glory, as I have 
 seen thee in the sanctuary ; " there I have seen thee 
 otherwise than ever elsewhere ; there he saw the 
 King upon his throne and in his glory. 
 
 The glory of God in each of these, is held forth 
 in this vision, in some measure. There was the Spi- 
 rit in the wheels, a fire within, by which the glory 
 of the divine nature appeared. There was a whirl- 
 wind, a cloud, fire, brightness, li\dng creatures, and 
 wheels moving several ways, which represent the 
 glory of God in the world and government of it. 
 There was a firmament and a throne, and one sitting 
 upon it, surrounded with a rainbow ; which sets out 
 the glory of God in his several dispensations to- 
 wards his church, both in his judgments, mercies, 
 and government thereof. 
 
 A question is moved, whether our prophet sa 
 the glory of God ? 
 
 The answer is. It "was the appearance of the like- 
 ness of the glory of the Lord." He doth not say, he 
 saw God in his essence : it is acknowledged by most, 
 that we cannot see God's essence while we are pil- 
 grims on earth, and absent in the flesh. i„ ^.y , j,, ^^ 
 Augustine and Aquinas are of opinion, vi.ien. Deum. 
 
 T ° 1. ^ 1 1-. 1 /-, 1 ■ 1 ■ Horn. 2. 
 
 that Moses and Paul saw God u\ his i i,o. e. q. 174. 
 essence : but they were men, and not "^• 
 without their errors ; for had they seen God's es- 
 sence, their faith had ceased, being swallowed up in
 
 Ver. 28. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 67 
 
 The schoolmen would help it thus; the light of 
 EMe permanens g^^Ty in them had not a permanent 
 ptr ino.iuni being, hut was given them transitively. 
 
 But this answer will not bear up the 
 opinion ; for faith and vision of glory cannot consist 
 in a larger tract, or in the least instant of time : as 
 in one man there cannot be a perfect and obscure 
 light together; the fidl light of the sim, and least de- 
 gree of darkness, cannot at once be in the eye. And 
 further, if they saw the essence of God, they had not 
 the act of faith, but evidence ; for if a man had seen 
 Rome, and after remembers it, he saith not he be- 
 ., . . . , lieves there is such a city, but he hath 
 iieiii. Bed eviden- Seen it : and so oi (jod s essence. It 
 vijTt.''' '" "'""'' mist not be granted, that ever any saw 
 God's essence ; you have uncontrollable 
 authority for it, John i. 18, " No man hath seen God 
 at any time." Durand. saith, these words are to be 
 understood exclusively, 
 
 1. Of corporeal vision ; for with a bodily eye none 
 ever did or shall see God. 
 
 2. Of intellectual, natural vision; because a natural 
 understanding caimot attain unto the clear vision of 
 God. 
 
 3. Of the vision of comprehension, from all cre- 
 ated understandings. Though angels and saints in 
 heaven see God, yet not comprehensively : and 
 1 Tim. vi. 16, " Whom no man hath seen, nor can 
 see ;" there is a denial both of the fact and the pos- 
 
 c 16 17 18 sibility. Austin himself confesscth, in 
 
 ' ' ■ 1. 2. de Trin., that the substance of 
 
 God is not it//o modo corporaliter visibilem, not to be 
 
 seen at all with the eyes of flesh. And the rule of 
 
 the schoolmen touching visions and apparitions is 
 
 infallible, that the nature of God is not seen with the 
 
 eyes of the body, but only some corporeal thing is 
 
 exhibited, which being visibly seen, or sensibly per- 
 
 ., ,, , ceived, God is invisibly represented to 
 
 the understanding. 
 
 But Moses saw God face to face, Exod. xxxiii. II. 
 So Jacob saw God face to face. Gen. sxxii. 
 
 Ansu: Those patriarchs and pirophets that are 
 said to see God, saw him in divers resemblances ; 
 and this is an unanswerable argument, that they 
 never saw God's essence ; for that is pure, unmixed, 
 Deum non fui«se always alike, neither standing nor sit- 
 ab antiquis pain- ting, having no parts, no shaije, or like- 
 bus visum: nm O' ^ ., f mi '/■ ■ . 
 
 ill assutnptione ncss to any thing. Iherefore saith 
 dum Sailm "■ Athanasius, those fathers saw God in 
 vero tsse invisi- some creature, not in his own nature, 
 for it is invisible. 
 
 Again, this phrase of seeing God face to face, in 
 the Hebrew dialect, imports two tilings : 
 
 First, Familiarity. 
 
 Secondly, Perspicuity. 
 
 1. Familiarity. They had familiar converse with 
 God : Deut. v. 4, " The Lord talked with you face to 
 face ;" you asked him questions, and he gave you 
 answers : and it is evident that this is intended in 
 the phrase, Exod. xxxiii. 11, " The Lord spake to 
 Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend :" 
 Moses questioned it with God, and God most friendly 
 answered him. So in Numb. xii. 8, " Mouth to 
 mouth will 1 speak with him ;" it notes the famili- 
 arity of God with Moses. 
 
 2. Perspicuity. They saw God face to face ; that 
 is, comparatively. Others saw God in dreams and 
 visions, which were most obscure, but these saw 
 God more clearly, had more illustrious visions of 
 God ; they saw God's back parts, these saw God's 
 face. And the phrase is used in the New Testa- 
 ment: 1 Cor. xiii. 12, " Then shall we see face to 
 face ;" that is, more fully and perfectly than here ; 
 but whether we shall see the divine essence in hea- 
 
 F 2 
 
 ven, is questionable. Chrysostom, Honi. 14. on John, 
 saith, that before the incarnation, the Son of God 
 was angelis inviaibilis, invisible to the angels ; and if 
 they in their glory saw not the divine nature of 
 Christ, it is like we shall not. Whether Christ saw 
 the Father or Holy Ghost with the eyes of his body, 
 is questionable ; if some doubt it, others deny it. 
 Halensius grants, that the soul of Christ saw God 
 perfectly from his conception ; but he saith not, the 
 eye of his body saw him. Aquinas saith, that glo- 
 rified eyes shall see God in that manner, as now our 
 eyes do see the life of man ; life not seen with a 
 bodily eye, as a thing visible by itself, but by the 
 intervention of something else, and so accidentally 
 become sensible; it is our understanding, not the 
 eye, reacheth life : and so in God. 
 
 But, in 1 John iii. " We shall see him as he is." 
 
 Annw. He speaks of a new and unutterable way 
 of seeing God. We shall see him as he is to be 
 seen, mediante lumine gloricp, the light of glory in- 
 tervening. The beams of the sun so fill the eye, but 
 we cannot behold the nature of it ; and whether it 
 be so in heaven, we shall not know till we come 
 there. Let us get holiness, and then we shall see 
 Him who will resolve this doubt. 
 
 Obs. 1. Thatalltheglory which is seen of God in this 
 life any ways, is but the appearance and likeness of 
 the glory of God. There was much and great glory 
 in this vision : there is more in the world, in the crea- 
 tures, more in the church ; and yet all this is only a 
 shadow, and a small appearance of the glory of God. 
 If we should see ten thousand torches lighted up in 
 a dark night, they make a glorious light ; yet they 
 are nothing to the light of the sun : when that comes, 
 torch-light, star-light, seem appearances of light, 
 rather than light itself So when the glory of God 
 shall be revealed, it will darken all other glory : and 
 there was not so great a diiference between the light 
 in Goshen, and darkness in Egypt, as there will be 
 between the glory of God, and that glory which now 
 appears in the world. The glory of God is neither 
 expressible, nor comprehensible, by any, or all the 
 creatures. The glory that Isaiah saw on earth, and 
 that Ezekiel saw in the heavens, did not express the 
 thousandth part of this glory ; and neither heaven 
 nor earth are able to comprehend the same. 
 
 Obs. 2. See the infinite goodness of the Lord, that 
 will expose that to the eyes of his servants which 
 is so dear unto him, his own glory. Precious things 
 of princes and great ones, are not common for the 
 view of all, but choice friends, favourites, shall see 
 them. God hath nothing more precious than his 
 glory ; yet this shall his choice friends and favour- 
 ites see ; and, because they cannot see il in the per- 
 fection of it, God will draw a picture of it with his 
 own hand, and hold forth to the eyes of his people 
 here. Ezekiel had an appearance of the glory of 
 the Lord ; but it is the greater mercy, that God will 
 put forth creating power in a vision, and present the 
 likeness of his glory in variety of things, according 
 to the capacity and for the advantage of his servants. 
 So Moses saw the glory of the Lord in the mount ; 
 so Christ showed unto Peter, James, and John, his 
 glory in his transfiguration. Matt. xvii. Isaiah, he 
 had a glorious vision, chap. vi. and so glorious it 
 was, that it is called the glory of the Lord ; and this 
 did the prophet Isaiah see in the likeness and ap- 
 pearance of it, not in its own nature, for no man yet 
 ever could see the glory of God and live. 
 
 Jehovah : this name by the learned Jews is called, 
 
 1. Hashem, that name emphatically, as the chicfcst 
 of all the rest. 
 
 2. The name of four letters. TtipaipaouoTov. 
 
 3. The great name.
 
 68 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 ClIAP. I. 
 
 erarnmdtum, non 
 hiibf-t pal tein in 
 tiituro seculo. 
 Oerard. tn ioc. 
 
 Ab mn full, est. 
 
 4. The blessed name ; for the high priest did pro- 
 nounce it only oncq a year, and that in the temple, at 
 the feast of propitiation, at the solemn blessing, 
 Numb. vi. 24, 25. 
 
 5. The glorious name. 
 
 6. The name separate, shem Hammephorash ; be- 
 cause separate from ambiguity, saith Maimonides, 
 from our knowledge, saith the son of Maimonides. 
 
 7. The name appropriated to God, because it is 
 most pi-oper to him. 
 
 8. The name of remembering, because it brings 
 to mind the being of God. 
 
 9. The name of essence or being, Shemhaetzem, a 
 name of substance. 
 
 piebi s„b p<Bnii The Jews are exceedingly supersti- 
 moriis ejus pro- tious about this name, and sav it must 
 fuit. B-uiior/. not be pronounced ; they term it the 
 SjmeK'TeTra!'' inexpressible name ; themselves never 
 utter it, but Admuii, or Elohim, instead 
 of it. They tell us, that the woman's son 
 in Lev. xxiv. was accused of blasphemy, 
 and stoned to death, because he pronounced this 
 name Jehovah. And there is a relation of the 
 priests of the sanctuary, that not knowing how to 
 s asmo rorre ti ''^'"^ '^'^ name, being written by Moses, 
 inieritr'int"'^"'' ' they laughed, and were smitten to death 
 Ah.ndi. ^f Qpjj ^gj. jj^ jj jg strange to think 
 
 what miracles the Jews attribute to this name. Moses 
 had it written in a rod or statT; Christ got it, and 
 put it in his thigh ; and so by virtue of it they both 
 did all their miracles. They tell of one David a 
 magician, that by virtue of this name went in one 
 day a journey of ten days. But to leave" rabbinical 
 conceits ; this name Jehovah imports 
 essence, being, existence ; and by it, 
 the eternity, independency, efficacy, and truth of God 
 _ are laid before us, together with his 
 '■^i\a", i"t7, being : and here it is attributed to 
 ;.7ri.poi.. Christ, and tells us, that he hath his 
 
 being of himself; he is complete in himself, and an 
 infinite sea of being: eternal. Rev. i. 8; independ- 
 ent, Rev. i. 5 ; efficacious, giving being, life, and 
 perfection to all creatures, Heb. i. 2, 3 ; Col. i. 16, 
 17: he is true, yea, truth; fulfilling the promises, 
 2 Cor. i. 20. 
 
 Obs. 1. Jesus Christ, who sat upon the throne 
 here, is Jehovah, of the same essence with the 
 Father and the Holy Ghost. He is not 
 consimilar, but substantial with them; 
 F.tel'almi'sp',' not like the Father, or like the Spirit, 
 riius; but not }jnt the samc : the onedifl'ers from the 
 
 aliud Pater, aliuH , n i i. a x- ii 
 
 Fiiius.aiimi Spi- Other personally, but not essentially. 
 "'"'• 1 John V. 7, " There are three that bear 
 
 record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the 
 Holy Ghost : and these three are one," one in es- 
 sence, one in propriety, one Jehovah. The prophet 
 speaking of Christ, tells us what his name shall be 
 cMeA, Jehovah-tsidkenu, "The Lord our righteous- 
 ness," Jer. xxiii. 6; and in Mai. iii. 1, "Jehovah, 
 whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple:" 
 by the name Jehovah, is meant Christ, who is God. 
 And this is of great concernment ; it is the foundation 
 of our faith in Christ, of our worshipping of Christ, 
 of our salvation by Christ, and of all good from 
 Christ. If he were not Jehovah, the gospel would 
 be a lie, our faith a fancy, our worship false, the 
 church a fable, all men lost, and that for ever. 
 
 Obs. 2. Again, that the glory here represented in 
 this vision, was not the glory of a creature, but of 
 Jehovah; there was a man presented to his eye, but 
 Jehovah to his faith. It was the appearance of the 
 glory of the Lord ; not only of Christ as man, but 
 as God-man, and so the glory was glorious glory. 
 
 " And when I saw it, I fell upon my face." Here 
 
 ' but 
 
 is the first efi'cct of it; when he had this vision, be- 
 held this glory, he was amazed, so smitten with the 
 lustre of it, that he could stand no longer, but he 
 falls down, and that upon his face. There is fre- 
 quent mention in Scripture, that upon visions, and 
 appearances of divine majesty, the servants of God 
 have fallen down. Daniel, chap. viii. 17. he fell 
 upon his face ; and Saul, Acts ix. 4, he fell to the 
 earth. Abraham, Gen. xvii. 3, he fell on his face 
 when God appeared to him. The three disciples 
 Christ took up into the mount, when they saw the 
 glory, and heard the voice, they fell on their faces. 
 There was a great difference between falling on the 
 face, and falling on the back. To fall forward notes 
 respect and humility ; but to fall backward is a note 
 of sin and guilt. Abraham fell twice upon his face; 
 the prophets oft : the godly, when they are to deal 
 with God, fall forward, the wicked backward. Except 
 old Eli, we read not of any good man that fell 
 backward : but all those that came to cadere in fariem, 
 take Christ, John xviii. 6, "went back- °,''«'""",';*, "'• 
 ward, and feu to the ground : so Isa. semper oiei ; sed 
 xxviii. 13, " Precept upon precept,— that ca't"m"s''u,'.po';f,i; 
 they might go, and fall backward." ^"t indnai. jer. 
 There be divers reasons or grounds of men's fall- 
 ing upon their faces, in visions and apparitions of 
 God. 
 
 1. The majesty of God that is present in these 
 visions, and some way or other represented to those 
 that have the visions : so Dan. x. 9. 
 
 2. The lustre of divine glory that accompanies 
 the same : this made Paul and his company fall to 
 the ground. Acts xxvi. 13, 14. 
 
 3. Some new and dreadfid thing that appears in 
 the vision, as here ; creatures with four faces and 
 four wings, wheels, rings full of ej'es, and so high 
 that they are dreadful. 
 
 4. Sense of their own frailty and weakness. Visions 
 having divine majesty, glory, and some terribleness 
 in them, have wrought strange effects upon infirm 
 men ; they have locked up their senses, and put 
 them in a deep sleep, Dan. viii. 18; x. 9 ; made 
 them sick and faint many days, chap. viii. 27 ; much 
 grieved and troubled their spirits, chap. vii. 15 ; 
 taken away their strength and comeliness, chap. x. 
 8 ; smitten dumb, ver. 15, breathless, vcr. 17. 
 
 5. To testify two things : First, thankfulness for 
 some mercy received or promised. Upon this ground 
 Abraham fell on his face. Gen. xvii. 17; when God 
 appeared to him, and told him that he would make 
 a covenant with him, and multiply him exceedingly, 
 he fell on his face, to manifest, as his humility, so 
 especially the grateful frame of his spirit toward 
 God for such a mercy. Second, reverence, worship, 
 and respect unto divine Majesty. Falling upon 
 the face notes so much in the language of Canaan : 
 2 Chron. xx. 18, "Jehoshaphat bowed his head 
 with his face to the ground : and all Judah and 
 the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, 
 and worshipped him." So bowing, in Psal. Ixxii. 
 9, is to note reverence and worship, " The)' that 
 dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and 
 his enemies shall lick the dust;" they shall come 
 in to Christ, and by bowing their faces to the 
 ground, and licking the dust of his feet, shall testify 
 their reverence and subjection unto him. So Isa. 
 xlis. 23. 
 
 That which made our prophet fall down on his 
 face here, was, fear and amazement at the appre- 
 hension of the majesty of Christ, the great glory 
 that appeared, newness and dreadfidness of things 
 in the vision. 
 
 Obs. 1. See what mischief sin hath done unto us ; 
 it hath disabled us from partaking of our greatest
 
 Yeh. 23. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 69 
 
 good. The sight of glory is the happiness of the 
 creature. When Peter saw Christ's transfiguration 
 but dimly, he said, O Master, it is good being here ! 
 but sin hath made us incapable of the sight of glory : 
 Peter and the rest fell upon their faces, and could 
 not behold it as otherwise they might. 
 
 Gregory in his 8th Homily saith, it 
 ?",Tt!t'Mir°ei.'' is matter of great mourning, to con- 
 f'lsWeraie cum sider We are fallen into such an estate, 
 nmsVn' qu'aniam as that We Cannot behold what would 
 ml?aKm"«ci'df-'^' make us happy ; we cannot endure that 
 mus.quietip- good, that glory, which God created 
 
 sum bonum ferre " .. i i ij i, i i .i 
 
 noil possumus ad US to Uchold ; yea, such weakness hatli 
 Sre'^i'sumus"'" ^'1 brought US to, that we cannot bear 
 the sight of the appearance of the 
 likeness of glory. They are weak eyes that cannot 
 endure the sunbeams, they more weak that cannot 
 endure the light which is more remote from the 
 brightness and glory of the sun ; and so here, man 
 cannot endure the glory of the Lord, nor the like- 
 ness of it, nor the appearance of the likeness. 
 
 Obs. 2. That the sight of glory is an humbling 
 thing. When the prophet saw the appearance of 
 the glory of the Lord, he falls upon his face ; 
 then he is conscious of his own weakness and 
 worthlessness ; then he trembles, and sees the 
 great disproportion between majest)' and nothing- 
 ness. Isa. xl. 5, " The glory of the Lord shall be 
 revealed, and all flesh shall see it;" and then 
 follows, " All flesh is grass." Glory will convince 
 us that we are but grass. It is not hearing will 
 do it, at least, not so efiectually : seeing, and seeing 
 of glory, doth humble mightily. Seeing of misery 
 causeth grief, " Mine eye alFecteth mine heart ;" but 
 seeing of glory causeth godly sorrow. Job slii. 5, 6, 
 " Now mine eye seeth thee, I abhor myself, and re- 
 .. pent in dust and ashes." When he saw 
 
 aierolcalein ' the Lord and his glory, then he ab- 
 irunq!i"m''m Scfj horrcd himself, his own righteousness, 
 nostra puniien.io all his Confidences, duties, and what- 
 ca eremus. ,re. ^^^^ ^-^^ heart and wit of man catcheth 
 hold of, and repented, and said, What am I unto 
 God, the great, the glorious God ! He is so in- 
 finitely glorious and distanced from me, that I am 
 no better than dust and ashes, and worthy to be 
 buried under them out of his sight. And so Isaiah, 
 when he saw the glory of the Lord, then was he 
 sensible of his own vileness, and cries out, " Woe is 
 me ! I am undone, because I am a man of unclean 
 lips ;" though a prophet, yet a man of unclean lips ; 
 " for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of 
 hosts." He had heard the seraphims cry, " Holy, 
 holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts ; the whole earth is 
 fuU of his glory ;" but this wrought not so power- 
 fully as the sight of his glory : now he saw his sin, 
 what a great and foul sinner he was, and therefore 
 saith he, " Woe is me," &c. 
 
 Obs. 3. That those that are thoroughly humbled 
 with the sense of their own vileness and weakness, 
 are fittest to hear divine truths, and to receive divine 
 mysteries. Ezekiel falls on his face, and then hears 
 a voice ; so was it with Daniel. Flesh and blood is 
 apt to be lifted up, to trust in something of its own ; 
 men look at, and like their own parts, their graces ; 
 some confidence or other we are apt to catch hold of; 
 but we must let all go, be low in our own eyes, if we 
 will be fit auditors of Christ ; we must fall down at 
 the feet of his throne, if we will hear him speak 
 from his throne. He giveth grace to the hum- 
 ble, they find the choicest favours at his hands, 
 James iv. 6. Moses, a meek man, yea, the meekest 
 of all living, and God showed himself the most to 
 him, and so to him as not to others. Numb. xii. 8, 
 he spake to him " mouth to mouth." Deut. xxxiv. 
 
 10, " There arose not a prophet since in Israel like to 
 Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face." See 
 Isa. Ixvi. 2. 
 
 " And I heard a voice of one that spake." This is 
 the second effect following his sight of the glory of 
 God ; he first falls upon his face, and then hears a 
 voice. This was the voice of him that sat upon the 
 throne, and was so glorious, that the prophet could 
 not behold him. It was not the voice of the heavens, 
 Psal. xix. 3, nor of the thunder, Psal. xxix. 3, but 
 of Christ : and the voice of Christ is taken in the 
 Scripture, 
 
 First, for an extraordinary voice, ha%ang extra- 
 ordinary power with it : John v. 28, " AU that are 
 in the graves shall hear his voice ;" that is, the power 
 of his voice shall fetch them out of their graves. 
 
 Secondly, for the doctrine of Christ : John x. 27, 
 " My sheep hear my voice," that is, my doctrine ; 
 they do not hear Christ immediately speaking, but 
 they hear his gospel, his ministers opening it unto 
 them. 
 
 Thirdly, for the speech of Christ, speaking unto 
 others : Acts ix. 4, " He heard a voice, saying, Saul, 
 Saul," &c. ; such is the voice here, Christ speaking 
 himself imto Ezekiel. 
 
 This vision and voice was, 
 
 First, to aflect the prophet, that he might be hum- 
 bled, awakened, quickened up, and prepared to the 
 work the Lord Christ intended him. 
 
 Secondly, to confirm him, 
 
 1. In his call to his ministry. He was to be a pro- 
 phet to this people in a strange land, and therefore 
 hath an extraordinary call to it ; Christ from heaven 
 appears, 
 
 2. In the truth of his prophecy. He should utter 
 nothing but what he had from Christ, the author of 
 all truth ; he would put words into his mouth. 
 
 3. In the whole race and work of his ministry, 
 that he might not be discouraged ; seeing that he 
 had seen such a vision, heard such a voice. 
 
 Thirdly, to confirm the jews, and gentiles, all to 
 whom this prophecy should come, of the majesty, 
 reality, and truth of it. 
 
 Note, 1. God sets one sense to work after another : 
 his eye was taken up before with the sight of great 
 and glorious things ; now his ears come to be exer- 
 cised and filled with as choice truths as the eye had 
 objects ; and afterwards there is a roll for his taste 
 and touching. God lets in mercy and goodness to 
 us through every window and door. 
 
 2. That great fear doth astonish, and hinder judg- 
 ment : he heard a voice, but knew not whose it 
 was J fear doth disturb and surprise. 
 
 CHAPTER IL 
 
 Ver. I. And he said unto me, Son of man, 
 stand upon thy Jeet, and I will speak unto thee. 
 
 In the former chapter we met with great deeps 
 and difficulties, mysteries of a high nature ; and if 
 any light have appeared in the opening of them, let 
 him that sits upon the throne have the glory of it. 
 By his assistance we have gone over 
 sundry rocks, and through some depths; '" quibus lii^m 
 and we desire by the same assistance onis nostra: mtre- 
 to proceed : and now we are come from Ji'iHHlu'tl'G^?. 
 the mountains to the plains, where we •"'""■ '■ "' '^^^■ 
 may walk with more safety. 
 
 The glory of the Lord being set out in his govern-
 
 70 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. II. 
 
 ment of the world, in his dispensations towards his 
 church, in the antecedent chapter ; the scope of 
 this chapter is, to corroborate Ezekiel smitten down 
 with the sight of glory, and to show his call unto 
 his prophetical office. The parts are, the confirm- 
 ing, sending, and instructing of the prophet. 
 
 1. His confirmation and comforting is laid down 
 in the two first verses. 
 
 2. His sending in the three next to the sixth 
 verse. 
 
 3. His instructing from the sixth to the ninth. 
 After that, mention is made of a roll in the two last 
 verses, and in the beginning of the next chapter, 
 which is of much concernment, as in its place may 
 appear. 
 
 The confirming of the prophet is, 
 
 1. By the word of God, in the first verse. 
 
 2. By his Spirit, in the second verse. 
 
 In the first verse are two things considerable : 
 
 1. The party speaking. 
 
 2. The matter spoken ; where you have, 
 
 1. The appellation ; "Son of man." 
 
 2. The command ; " Stand upon thy feet." 
 
 3. The ground of it, whicli is a gracious promise ; 
 " And I will speak unto thee." 
 
 It is Christ who speaks, and unto Ezekiel, whom 
 he calls " the son of man ;" the original is, the 
 son of Adam, that is, of earthly man : for, as the 
 ajjostle saith, 1 Cor. xv. 47, " The first Adam was 
 of the earth, earthy i" and Adam signifies earth, or 
 red earth, whereof his body was made : and when 
 we read in Scripture this phrase, it notes out to us, 
 
 1. Our base beginning, that we are of the earth. 
 There is no man, be he never so excellent, high, 
 wise, honourable, but he is the son of Adam, terrce 
 
 Jilius, a son of the earth : Psal. xlix. 2, " Both low 
 and high," both the sons of Adam and the sons of 
 Jacob, are so ; they have all one father, and all one 
 mother, and that is the earth. 
 
 2. Our frailty, that we are earthen vessels and 
 soon broken in pieces. Psal. ix. 20, " Put them in 
 fear, O Lord, that the nations may know themselves 
 to be but men ;" they think themselves gods, but 
 show them thy power, thine iron rod and sceptre, 
 bring a war, a plague, a famine amongst them, and 
 then they will know that they are frail, weak men. 
 
 3. Our worthlessness and fitness to be rejected. 
 Wlio amongst us regards a clod of earth, an earthen 
 vessel ? Silver or golden ones some prize, and prize 
 too much, but earthly ones are contemptible. Na- 
 tions are as the drops of the bucket, and small 
 dust of the balance, Isa. xl. ; and are not they con- 
 temptible things ? This made David to wonder, and 
 say, " Lord, what is man, that thou takest know- 
 ledge of him ! or the son of man," the son of earth, 
 " that thou makest account of him !" Psal. cxliv. 3 ; 
 " that thou visitest him !" Psal. viii. 4 : and Job vii. 
 17. "What is man, that thou shoiddest magnify 
 him ? and that thou .shouldest set thine heart upon 
 him ?" Tliese are high and great expressions to be 
 bestowed upon so poor a thing as man is ; to take 
 knowledge of him ; and such knowledge, as to 
 make account of him, as to mind him, visit him, 
 magnify him, to set the heart upon him ; this is ex- 
 ■eeding nuich from an infinite, great, and glorious 
 God towards worthless men, and not credible, if the 
 Spirit of God had not revealed it. 
 
 4. Our end, that we are earth ; thence we came, 
 and thither we must go; Gen. iii. 19, "Dust thou 
 art, and unto dust thou must return." 
 
 This title of " Son of man " 1 do not find given to 
 any but tliree, in the book of God ; once to Daniel, 
 chap. viii. 17, " I'nderstand, O son of man;" forty 
 times and upwards to Christ ; and above eighty 
 
 times to this our prophet ; but with this difference, 
 Ezekiel is called the "son of man" by another, 
 Christ always calls himself so. Ezekiel is four 
 times in this chapter so called, and it is given him, 
 
 1. To prevent jiride, say some expositors. He 
 had a glorious vision, was among angels, saw the 
 Lord Christ, and was to enter upon the prophetical 
 function ; the least of which might stir corruption, 
 and make pride blossom. When Paul had his rap- 
 ture into the third heavens, and heard things unut- 
 terable, what saith he ? 2 Cor. xii. 7, " Lest 1 should 
 be exalted above measure through the abundance of 
 revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the 
 flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me," &c. 
 Paul was in danger of being lifted up, but God pre- 
 venteth it; and so here, Ezekiel is reminded of his 
 mean original, his frailty, worthlessness, and end, 
 that he might not be exalted with his vision or 
 office. We are exceeding apt, upon the receipt of 
 great mercies, to grow proud and confident, which 
 are evil in any, but worst in a prophet ; and there- 
 fore, to prevent these, he calls him " son of man." 
 
 2. To frame his spirit to a right 
 
 estimate of himself, throughout the turi hrnnKnE"' 
 whole course of his office ; that what- )„'^^,"'" ''^''" 
 ever good was done he should still 
 remember he was the son of man, and it was God, 
 not he, that did it. It is a hard thing to keep the 
 heart in an humble frame and fitness, to give unto 
 God the glory of what lie doth by us. God helps 
 our prophet by this title, which runs through the 
 whole prophecy, and took such interest in his heart, 
 that whatsoever was seen, heard, .said, or done by 
 him, the son of man, the glory of all was given 
 to Christ, the Son of God. He could say, I am an 
 earthen vessel ; if there be heavenly treasure in it, he 
 that sat upon the throne put it in : for mine own 
 part, I am the son of man, like all the children of 
 Adam ; and if there be any difference, he made it, 
 and if there be any glory, he shall have it. So Paul, 
 1 Cor. XV. 10, "I laboured more abundantly than 
 they all ;" that seems a derogating speech, but he 
 corrects himself for it ; " yet not I, but the grace of 
 God that was with me." 
 
 3. To let Ezekiel and others .see the rich bounty 
 and goodness of God, in that he would take a son of 
 man, who is earth, frail, and worthless, and exalt 
 him to so high and honourable a condition ; and 
 specially at such a time as this was, when God was 
 wroth with his inheritance, laid them waste, had 
 brought them into Babylon, and was stripjiing them ■ 
 naked of all comforts, yet now to give them a pro- 
 phet, to call out Ezekiel, this could not but put his 
 spirit, and all their spirits, into admiration of God's 
 goodness. 
 
 " Stand upon thy feet." Here is the command of 
 Christ. Ezekiel, I see thou art a frail man, stricken 
 with great fear, and canst not endure my glory and 
 presence ; stand up, this is not for thy hurt, but 
 good ; I appear not to confound thee, but to comfort 
 thee, not to cast thee down, but to exalt thee. 
 
 Why doth the Lord command standing ? 
 
 1. It is a fitter posture for hearing 
 than lying on the ground was. Stand, l'^,"^;^ '^LiS^l]' 
 that thou mayst recover thy spirits, and """ r'suinni. 
 hear the better what I .shall say unto '" 
 thee. So the angel bid Daniel stand upright, Dan. 
 X. U. Oracles are for slanders, not prostrate ones; 
 therefore, when Balaam came with the oracles of 
 God to Balak, he said, " Kise up, Balak, and hear," 
 Numb, xxiii. 18; show thou reverence and respect 
 to the word of God ; for kings were wont to stand 
 when messengers from God were brought unto them. 
 So Eglon rose out of his seat when Ehud told him
 
 Ver. I. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 71 
 
 he had a message from God unto him, Judg. iii. 20. 
 Nefasesseins.i.u- Eu.sebius tclls US of Coiistantine the 
 tis de iieo .lispu- Great, that he did hear the word stand- 
 Ern'teaures'prK- ing ; ^iid being requested to rest him- 
 r'^'c'il?** ''" self in his royal throne, which was set 
 there for that purpose, he refused ; and 
 being pressed, after long time of hearing, to sit down, 
 with a stern countenance he answered, " It were a 
 great sin in me not to hear attentively when God is 
 spoken of" 
 
 2. To show that all mundane things should be be- 
 neath us ; when we deal with God, we must not lie 
 down and embrace them, but stand up, and have them 
 under our feet. Jerom saith, the saints stand and 
 tread all down, but sinners they fall and embrace the 
 earth and furniture of it. Rev. xii. 1, the church hath 
 
 Sanctorum est '^c moou Under her feet : all sublunary 
 stare. things are under the saints' feet, not in 
 
 their hearts, or over their heads. 
 
 3. That he might be in a posture for service ; 
 Ephes. vi. 14, " Stand, having your loins girt." 
 Prostration on the earth is no posture for employ- 
 ment, but standing is ; and the Lord Christ would 
 not have his so atTected with his greatness and glory, 
 so reverential, as to be hindered or disabled from 
 his service. Holy reverence doth not make idle or 
 inept to service. Stand on thy feet, therefore, saith 
 Christ, and be in a readiness to execute what I 
 command. 
 
 The words being opened, now take the ob- 
 servations. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the Lord Christ is full of bowels and 
 compassions. Ezekiel was fallen down upon his face ; 
 the glory of the vision, and greatness of him that sat 
 upon the throne, had conquered, and felled this our 
 prophet to the earth, and there he lay as a man 
 wounded, and without strength j but Christ leaves 
 him not in this condition, but speaks, and that 
 kindly to him, " Son of man, stand upon thy feet ;" 
 he is affected with his infirmity, sensible of his fears 
 and troubles. The man that fell among thieves 
 going from Jerusalem to Jericho, being plundered 
 and wounded, found no pity from the priest and 
 Levite, but much from the good Samaritan : when he 
 saw him, he had compassion on him, he went to 
 him, bound up his wounds, put in oil and wine, set 
 him upon his own beast, was content to go on foot 
 by him, brought him to an inn, and took care of 
 him, and paid for his cure, Luke x. 3.3 — 35. This 
 Samaritan was Christ, who pitied Adam, and in him 
 mankind, that went from Jerusalem, the state of per- 
 fection, to Jericho, a state of change. For, as Chem- 
 nitius observes, Jericho signifies the moon, and so 
 a changeable condition ; the priest and Levite notes 
 the law, with all its additaments, they passed by, and 
 never reached or healed the wounded sou] of man ; 
 but Christ the Samaritan, with the grace of the gos- 
 pel and blood of the covenant, with that oil and 
 wine, cured man, brought him upon his own shoulders 
 to the church, to Jerusalem again, and there took 
 care for him. We have not a legal high priest which 
 is without bowels, and can do little for us ; but we 
 have an evangelical High Priest, full of bowels and 
 mercy, .such a one as is touched with our infirmities, 
 Heb. iv. 15; which should encourage us with bold- 
 ness to come unto his throne, which is a throne of 
 grace and compassion. 
 
 Obs. 2. That those who are humble, and smitten 
 down with sense of their own vileness, weakness, or 
 worthlessness, through the sight of glory and great- 
 ness, Christ quickly raises to comfort again. Our 
 prophet was down in the end of the former chapter, 
 and in the beginning of this he is up again. The 
 humbling from the sight of God, his glory and great- 
 
 ness, is the most effectual humbling ; and the most 
 speedy, effecUial, and sweetest comfort doth follow 
 it. Job, after he had seen God, and humbled him- 
 self, thereupon his captivity is turned, his comforts 
 multiplied. Job xlii. 5, 6, 10, 12. So Isaiah, being 
 humbled upon the sight of glory, presently a sera- 
 phim comforts him, touches his lips with a coal 
 from the altar, and saith, " Thine inicjuity is taken 
 away, and thy sin is purged." Daniel was humbled 
 for his own sins, the sins of his forefathers, and the 
 afflictions of the church, Dan. ix. ; and the Lord sent 
 Gabriel to comfort him, who told him he was a man 
 greatly beloved, and that he came to give him skill 
 and understanding, ver. 22, 23. God doth not hum- 
 ble and throw down his to leave them, but reaches 
 out a hand to raise them. 
 
 Obs. 3. That man carries about him principles of 
 humiliation ; he is the son of man, the son of the 
 earth. Isa. xxxi. 3, " The Egyptians are men, and 
 not God," they are weak and worthless things ; and so 
 are not only Egyptians, but Israelites, all men ; and 
 so have no cause to be puffed up at all, but great 
 cause to be humbled. Job called corruption his 
 father, and the worm his mother. Job xvii. 14. You 
 see what stock and kindred Job came of, and we are 
 all of the same house. Therefore afterward, in chap, 
 sxv. 6, it is said, man, and the son of man, is a 
 worm ; and so David, " I am a worm, and no man," 
 Psal. xxii. 6 : he was a sorry, sinful, miserable man ; 
 he was Adam, an earthly man, but not Ish, a man of 
 worth, strength ; a worm, son of the earth, weak, 
 contemptible. Coniah, Jer. xxii. 28, in the Vulgate 
 is called, vas fietUe, an earthen vessel, a broken idol, 
 or a vessel in which is no pleasure ; and then fol- 
 lows, " earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the 
 Lord." Princes, priests, and people, he calls them 
 all earth, to mind them of their mean original, to 
 bring down their spirits, to make them sensible of 
 their weakness, and condition they were hastening 
 unto. Isa. xl. 6, 7, " AH flesh is grass, and all the 
 goodliness thereof is as Uie flower of the field : the 
 grass withereth, the flower fadeth : because the 
 spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it : surely the people 
 is grass." 
 
 Obs. 4. That the command of Christ is powerful. 
 " Stand upon thy feet," saith he, and it proved effi- 
 cacious ; let Christ speak and the thing is done. "By 
 him were all things made," John i. 3. He said, "Let 
 there be light, and there was light;" he said, " Let 
 there be an earth, and let it bring forth, and it was 
 so ;" he called forth things that were not, and gave 
 them a being. Under the gosjiel, how powerful 
 were his commands : he bade devils depart the pos- 
 sessed, and they did so ; he bade the winds and 
 waves be still, and they were so ; he called Lazarus 
 out of the grave, and he came forth presently. There 
 is infinite power in Christ, and great, yea, oft ex- 
 ceeding great virtue goes forth with his commands : 
 he said to the fisheiTnen that were strangers to him, 
 " Follow me, and they left all, and followed him." 
 
 Obs. 5. That the Lord loves to encourage man to 
 his duty. He saith not here, " Stand upon thy feet" 
 only, which might have sufficed ; but he makes him a 
 jiromise, "and I will speak with thee ;" I that am upon 
 the throne, compassed with glory, that have the rule 
 of all the world in my hand, I will speak with thee. 
 Here was singular encouragement to this duty, and 
 so to other duties. It is man's duty to walk uprightly, 
 and to encourage unto it, the word saith, " No good 
 thing wOl he withhold from them that walk up- 
 rightly," Psal. Ixxxiv. 11. It is our duty to believe. 
 And did not Christ tell Martha, in a particular case, 
 that if she would believe, she should see the glory of 
 God ? John xi. 40. And told he not anotlier, that all
 
 72 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. II. 
 
 things are possible to him that belicveth ? Mark ix. 
 23. So Christ is hfted up, " that whosoever believeth 
 in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life," 
 John iii. 14, 15. So for prayer, it is our duty ; but 
 see what encouragement, " Open thy month wide 
 and I will fill it," Psal. Ixxxi. 10, and, "Whatsoever 
 you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give 
 it you," John xvi. 23. To persevere and overcome 
 is our duty ; and see Rev. xxi. 7. " He that over- 
 cometh shall inherit all things ; and I will be his God, 
 and he shall be my son." To give alms is man's 
 duty ; as Luke vi. 3S, " Give, and it shall be given 
 unto you ; good measure, pressed down, and shaken 
 together, and running over, shall men give into your 
 bosom." 
 
 Obs. 6. That tlie word of Christ is a sweet comfort 
 to a soul troubled. " Stand upon thy feet, and I will 
 speak to thee ;" thou art amazed, cast down, but my 
 word will revive thee, put life and spjirits into thee. 
 What a comforting word is that of Christ's, Matt. xi. 
 " Come imto me, ye that are weary and heavy laden, 
 and I will refresh you : " and John vi. 37, " Him 
 that Cometh unto me I will in no wise east out." 
 Christ had " the words of eternal life," ver. 68, and 
 those must needs be sweet and acceptable to aiflicted 
 spirits ; and these words he hath given us in the 
 gospel, which is glad tidings, the savour of life, the 
 powei of God to salvation. 
 
 Ver. 2. And ihe npirit entered into me when he 
 spake unto me, and set me vpon mi/ feet, that I 
 heard him that spake unto me. 
 
 The prophet being confirmed by the word of Christ 
 in the foregoing verse, here he is comforted and con- 
 firmed by the Spirit also. What is meant by the 
 Spirit, must be opened. Some have conceived, that 
 when our jirophet fell upon his face at the sight of 
 him and his glory that sat upon the throne, his spirit 
 left him, and he lay for dead ; and so here, by spirit, 
 to be understood his soul, or spirit, returned, entered, 
 revived him, and set him upon his feet ; but this in- 
 terpretation we cannot admit for three reasons. 
 
 1. Wc never read that any were stricken dead 
 w hen God appeared unto them in visions j the ut- 
 most we fiv-d is that of Daniel, chap. x. ver. 17, 
 " Neither was there breath left in me : " through fear, 
 he was as a man out of breath, but not without a 
 soul ; he had a deadly fear, but was not dead. 
 
 2. The text itself confutes that opinion ; for, in 
 the last words of the former chapter, it is said, " I 
 heard a voice of one that sjake." If Ezekiel had been 
 spiritless, soulless, when he fell upon his face, it 
 had been impossible for him to have heard a voice. 
 
 3. Had it been the return of his own spirit, the 
 words would not have been, he " set me upon my 
 feet," but, I arose ; we must therefore leave that in- 
 terpretation. 
 
 2. By spirit, some understand an angel ; and their 
 reason for it is, because it is said, he "set me upon 
 my feet ; " the prophet being among angels, and they 
 seeing him down, one lifted him uji, and set him 
 upon his feet; but this interpretation, although it be 
 Piscator's, I cannot commend unto you : for, 
 
 First, how could any of these angels that had 
 faces, bodies, wings, and feet, enter into the projJiet? 
 for here it is said, " The spirit entered into me." 
 
 Secondly, if it had been an angel, the words must 
 have run thus, rather than as they do ; one of the 
 spirits, one of the angels, entered into me, and not, 
 the spirit. 
 
 By spirit then understand, that spirit which was in 
 the living creahires, and in the wheels, chap. i. 20, 
 even the eternal Spirit of God ; and of this judgment 
 
 is Jerom, Gregory, Calvin, Junius, Maldonate, &c. 
 If their testimonies suffice not, take the testimony 
 of Scripture, chap. iii. 24, "Then the spirit entered 
 into me, and set me upon my feet, and spake with 
 me, and said. Go, shut thyself within thy house," &c. 
 Here the prcjphet, repeating the same words, slioweth 
 that it was the Spirit of God he spake of, and neither 
 angel, nor his own spirit. The meaning is this : 
 w lien Christ sjjake unto me, and I heard his voice, 
 presently I felt divine virtue, the Spirit seized upon, 
 entered into me, comforted and confirmed me, set me 
 ujjon my. feet, and fitted me to hear the voice of that 
 glorious person that sat upon the throne. 
 
 Two things fall into consideration here, touching 
 the Spirit : 
 
 The first is, the Spirit's entrance into him. 
 
 The second, the Spirit's setting him upon his feet. 
 
 1 . It entered into him. There are phrases in Scrip- 
 ture concerning the Spirit, which import motion of 
 it from place to place, but must not be so understood. 
 
 1. The sending of the Spirit, Gal. iv. 6. 2. The 
 coming of the Spirit, John xv. 26. 3. The descend- 
 ing of the Spirit, John i. 32. 4. Receiving of it, 
 John XX. 22. 5. The entering of the Spirit. These 
 all seem to imply the moving of the Spirit from one 
 place to another; but the Spirit of God is infinite in 
 essence, filling heaven and earth, and changes not 
 place. The thing aimed at in them is, 1. Operation. 
 
 2. Manifestation. 3. Impletion. When the Spii-it 
 works efl'ectually in any, manifests itself by any, fills 
 the heart of any with divine graces and influences ; 
 when it doth either of these, or all these, then it is 
 sent, descended, come, received, entered. But for 
 the phrase here, " The sjiirit entered into me," a like 
 one is in Hab. iii. 16, " Rottenness entered into my 
 bones ; " that is, it came not ah extra, from without, 
 but there was a disposition and principle in him be- 
 fore to rottenness ; but now it wrought, it manifested 
 itself, and filled him with it. So here, the Spirit 
 was in the prophet before, but now there was a more 
 lively operation and manifestation of it. Yea, further, 
 this entrance of the Spirit notes out his filling with 
 the Spirit ; itpossessedhim fully, there was abundance 
 of the Spirit in him, to fit him for and confirm him 
 in his proj)hetical functioti. The Spirit entered into 
 him, took him up, and singled him out for divine 
 service. 
 
 2. It set him upon his feet. Here the efficacious 
 operation of the Spirit appears ; that which nature 
 could not do, the Spirit did; it chased away all dis- 
 tempering fears, enabled him to stand up, to behold 
 glory, to hear the King speak from his throne of 
 glory, and to be ready to do his will, whatever he 
 should say : this was a great work of the Spirit in 
 our propihet. 
 
 Obs. 1. From the prophet's being down, and set 
 up by the Sp)irit, that the iSpiritis the chief comforter. 
 The words of Christ, " Stand up, and I will speak 
 unto thee," w-ere good and comfortable words ; but the 
 Spirit wrought the solid and lively comfort, which 
 scattered the clouds of fear, confirmed him, and set 
 him up. To speak good words to one sick in prison, 
 is a comfortable thing; but to heal the sick party, 
 to bring out the prisoner, is real comfort. Thus did 
 the Spirit; it healed the sick heart of the prophet, 
 and freed him, being imprisoned with fears : the real 
 and choice comfort is fnm the Spirit. Hence the 
 Spirit is called the Comforter in John four times, 
 John xiv. 16, 26; xv. 26; and xvi. 7; and not only 
 the Comforter, but the Comforter that testifies of 
 Christ, that tcacheth all things, that abides with you 
 for ever, as appears in the places before mentioned. 
 Men comfort, the word comforts, and angels com- 
 fort ; it was an angel comforted Christ in his agony
 
 Vkr. 2. 
 
 THE BOOK OF E'ZEKIEL. 
 
 73 
 
 Luke xxii. 43 ; but none cumfurt like the Spirit. 
 Ezekiel had the Spirit of God, tlie great and iulid 
 Comforter, to raise, conlirm, aud comfort him. 
 
 06*. 2. That those tlie Lord Christ intends to set 
 up for officers in his church, he gives his Spirit unto. 
 The Spirit enters into Exekiel before he is called ; he 
 is filled with the Spirit, the gifts and graces of it. 
 When officers of an inferior nature were to be made 
 in the apostles' days, even officers to serve tables, 
 what men must be looked out ? Men of honest report, 
 full of the Holy Uhost and wisdom; they must be 
 such as the Holy Ghost hath entered into and filled, 
 else they were mifit fur that service, Acts vi. 3. Wuch 
 more then should they be tilled with the Spirit, that 
 are for the highest place in the chmxh of God. 
 Acts ix. 17, Saul was filled with the Holy Ghost: 
 Acts xi. '24, it is said of Barnabas, he was full of the 
 Holy Ghost : the Spirit entered into them and they 
 preached ; Acts xiii. 2, they must be separated for 
 the work whereunto the Lord had called them, even 
 for the chief places in the church of God. The 
 offices in the church are for men that have the Spi- 
 rit of Christ in them, in some fidness of it. Those 
 places are not for others, such as are filled with wine, 
 with the world, with a spirit of envy, error, conten- 
 tion, and antichristianism, but have not the Spirit of 
 Christ in them : the false and lying prophets had no 
 entrance of the Spirit into them, and therefore the 
 Lord saith, he sent them not, Jer. xiv. 14. They 
 flattered themselves they were called and sent of God, 
 and had the Spirit, as Zedekiah said to Micaiah, 
 " Which way went the Spirit from me to thee ?" 
 1 Kings xxii. 24 ; but they neither had it, nor were 
 sent of God, but ran, and were not sent, Jer. xxiii. 
 2L And unless men have the Spirit enter into them, 
 they are neither fit for that function, nor satisfyingly 
 know they are called to it. Many among us are 
 called of men, that were never called of God. 
 
 Obs. 3. That man by his natural abilities cannot 
 reach or receive the things of God. Ezekiel must 
 have the Spirit enter into him, before he can hear or 
 understand any thing to purpose. Reason and dis- 
 course is not more above the capacity of a beast, tlian 
 the things of Christ and his Spirit are above the ca- 
 pacity of man : 1 Cor. ii. 14, " The natural man 
 receives not the things of the Sjjirit of God, for they 
 are foolishness unto him." The preacliing of the 
 gospel and Christ crucified was a stumbling-block to 
 the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks. The Jews 
 were skilled in the law, and the Greeks in philosophy ; 
 and neither of them entertain Christ or his gospel : 
 their knowledge and abilities served them to take 
 offi^nee at Christ, and to condemn the gospel for fool- 
 ishness. And it is all that natural abilities do, 
 not only not reach the things of the Spirit, but 
 they cannot do it : " neither can he know them," 
 saith the text, " for they are spiritually discerned." 
 Tell a natural man, that God hath begotten a Son, 
 that God is man, that a virgin hath brought forth, 
 that God hath purcliased a church by his blood, that 
 men are reconciled unto God, and justified by the 
 Ve b- dt death of Christ, they are riddles unto 
 spirihiaicm sen- him ; sucli trutlis are like a sealed 
 ?m"u'.'r" '^'" ^ook, the spirit and life of them he is 
 incapable of: tell him that a man must 
 deny himself, mourn for his sins, w alk in the Spirit, 
 believe in another for salvation, and these things are 
 foolishness unto him. 
 
 Obs. 4. That the word without the Sj irit is ineffi- 
 cacious. When he spake the Spirit entered : had not 
 there been entrance of the Spirit, the w ord had not 
 prevailed, the prophet had not been raised. The 
 word is of little moment and pow'er, unless the effi- 
 cacy of the Spirit be in it ; if it be not quickened by 
 
 the Spirit, it is a dead letter. Many Ihousands hear 
 the word, who are fallen by Adam's and their own 
 sui, but they are not set upon their feet, as our pro- 
 phet was; aud the principal reason is, the Spirit 
 enters not into them ; it may stand and knock at the 
 door, but hath not entrance ; and therefore they are 
 not lifted up out of their unbelief, and other corrup- 
 tions ; they are not removed from the wilderness to 
 Canaan, from the state of nature to the state of 
 grace. When therefore you find such expressions in 
 Scripture, as that the word is incorruptible seed, 
 1 Pet. i. 23, a burning fire, Jer. xx. 9, the power of 
 God to salvation, Rom. i. 16, the word of life, Phil, 
 ii. IG; that it is quick, powerful, sharper than any 
 two-edged sword, piercing to the dividing asunder 
 of the soul and spirit, &c., Heb. iv.; that it is convert- 
 ing the soul, Psal. xix. 7, the grace of God that brings 
 salvation. Tit. ii. IL These, and such like phrases 
 you must miderstand, not exclusively, as if the word 
 were and did so without the Spirit ; but conjunctively, 
 when the Spirit enters together with the word, then 
 it is so : the efficacy is not in nonitu ipso, in the word 
 itself, but proceeds ab arcano SpiriUts inatinctu, from 
 the secret power of the Spirit, all the virtue and 
 operation is in the power of the Spirit ; neither is the 
 word useless, it is the medium by which the Spirit 
 works. God is the Father of lights, yet is not the 
 sun useless, by it he enlightens us. 
 
 Oii-. 5. That the word is the chariot of the Spirit. 
 Wien he spake the Spirit entered into juhn vii. 37—39 
 me, together with the word of Christ ^"^ '■ ■"— i^. " 
 went the Spirit ; that is vehiculum .Sjmitus, the cha- 
 riot of the Spirit. John xx. 22, Christ breathed upon 
 them, and that breath conveyed the Holy Ghost unto 
 the disciples. So it is the word that carries the Spirit 
 to men ; by the dispensation of the word, tlie Spirit 
 is conveyed to our souls : hence the gospel is called 
 the ministration of the Spirit, 2 Cor. iii. 8, and the 
 ministers of the gospel, the ministers of the Spirit, 
 ver. 0. The law, which was from mount Sinai, the 
 apostle calls a dead, a killing letter ; but the gospel, 
 which came out of momit Sion, he calls the Spirit, or 
 ministration of it : and therefore more fuUy in Gal. 
 iii. 2, he saith, " Received ye the Spirit by the works 
 of the law, or by the hearing of faith ?" not by the 
 works of the law, that was the ministration of death, 
 but by the gospel, that was the ministration of the 
 Spirit. So that the word of Christ transports the 
 Spirit over to the hearts of those that believe ; and 
 if search should be made, whether the Spirit do 
 always accompany the word of Christ, preached unto 
 the sons of men, some inferior degrees and works of 
 it may be allowed to go along with the word. Acts 
 vii. 51, " Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart 
 and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost ;" and 
 Heb. vi. 4, they " were made partakers of the Holy 
 Ghost." There was something of the Spirit in the 
 word, when it was preached unto these two sorts of 
 hearers ; the one resisted the Spirit in the ordinance, 
 the other received the common gifts of it. Some weak 
 operations of the Spirit may be yielded always, to 
 attend the word, but effectual and powerful do not. 
 Tlie beams of the sun are oblique and direct; where 
 oblique, they produce weak effects, where direct, 
 strong ones : and so the operations of the Spirit are 
 oblique towards all reprobates, and tlie work is ineffcc- 
 tual on them, but direct upon the elect, and so strong 
 and efficacious : I Thess. i. 5, " Our gospel came not to 
 you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy 
 Ghost ;" chap. ii. 13, it wrought effectually in them. 
 
 Oba. 6. WHiat God commands his people, he gives 
 them strength to do it. " Stand upon thy feet," 
 saith Christ, ver. 1, there is the command;-aiid the 
 Spirit entered, and set him upon his feet, there is the
 
 74 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. II. 
 
 strength given to fulfil the command. Commands 
 import power and free-will in us, say the adversaries 
 of free grace ; we say no, let them stand upon free- 
 will and their owti strength, we will stand to free 
 grace. Ezekiel cannot stand upon his feet till the 
 Spirit .set him up, much less can he tread in the ways 
 of holiness, and walk in them, being commanded : 
 the word of Christ thd it not, his own will did it not, 
 natural reason and strength did it not, but the Spirit 
 given did it. " Without me you can do nothing," 
 Divina vox ja- J"'"'' ^^- ' ""^ much, uot Something, not 
 tent] propiiette a little, dotli he say, but nothing. When 
 '"cu'i"ds"snT Christ commands, therefore, he gives 
 omiiiiin non pos- power to do. He bids Lazarus come 
 
 sit, nisi in liunc ^ , - ., i t i •.!, 
 
 iminipote.iiis Dei forth of the grave; lie had neither 
 qn'ia'ex omntpo!' will uor powcr to do it, but Christ gave 
 tei.tis Del sratia spirit and power to do it. When he 
 
 at I bulla opera .K , . it l ii* 
 
 con.Hiiquidem buls sinncvs belicve, repent, walk in 
 E impiei'e'non the Spirit, &c. he gives power to do 
 possiimus. SI ipse go; lie doth it for them: Deut. x. 16, 
 jl?bet" H'rel.'uom. they are commanded to circumcise the 
 9. in Ezek. forc-skin of their hearts, and, Deut. vi. 
 
 5, to love the Lord with all their hearts ; these they 
 could not do, but God promises to do them for them : 
 r>eut. XXX. 6, " The Lord thy God will circumcise 
 thiue heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love him with 
 all thine heart, and all thy .soul." We are com- 
 manded to fear the Lord ; Psal. xxii. 23, " Fear him, 
 all the seed of Israel ;" and Jer. xxxii. 40, " I will 
 put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not de- 
 part from me." We are bid to make us new hearts, 
 and new spirits, Ezek. xviii. 31 ; and, Isa. i. 16, to 
 wash us, and make us clean : and see what sweet 
 promises are made, Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 26, " I will 
 sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be 
 clean : from all your filthiness, and from all your 
 idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I 
 give you, and a new spirit will I put within you :" 
 yea, " I will put my Spirit within you, and cause 
 you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my 
 judgments and do them," ver. 27. We are bid to 
 believe and trust in God oft in Scripture : and, 
 Eph. ii. 8, we find faith is the gift of God ; and. 
 Matt. xii. 21, " In his name shall the gentile.s ti'ust ;" 
 and, Phil. i. 29, " To you it is given to believe." 
 Christ bid the apostles to go and preach the gospel 
 to all nations, Matt, xxviii. 19. How could they, 
 not knowing languages, do it ? They might have .said, 
 it is an impossible thing ; but. Acts ii. 4, they were 
 filled W'ith the Spirit, and every man heard them 
 speak in his own language. When God commands, 
 therefore, we must not look at abilities, as Arminians 
 and papists do, nor disabilities, as sundry christians 
 do, but look out some promises made of such things 
 as are commanded ; see ft'ee grace, and draw strength 
 from thence, through the promise, to enable us to 
 stand upon our feet, being down, to walk, being up, 
 and to persevere in the walking. 
 
 Obs. 7. It is the Spirit of God that enables to dis- 
 cern the things of God, and assures our sjiirits of 
 the truth and reality of them. The Spirit entered 
 into the prophet, set him upon his feet, that he heard 
 him that spake unto him ; now, having the Spirit, he 
 was fitted to hear Christ, enabled to judge of what 
 he spake, to satisfy his soul concerning the truth, 
 reality, and excellency of his doctrine. John x. 27, 
 "My sheep hear my voice," and "a stranger will they 
 not follow," ver. 5 ; they can distingui-sh between 
 the voice of Christ, and all others ; and how come 
 they to do it ? They are sheep ; not goats, not wolves, 
 not foxes. And how come they to be sheep ? Christ 
 jiours out his S|)irit upon them ; that enters into 
 them, and brings them into the fold, and enables them 
 to hear and know the Shepherd's voice, and the 
 
 Shepherd himself. " We have received, not the 
 spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, 
 that we might know the things that are freely given 
 to us of God," 1 Cor. ii. 12. If the apcstle had not 
 had the Spirit, and the Spirit of God, he could not 
 have apprehended the things of Christ and the gos- 
 pel ; they are such deep and spiritual things, that 
 none but the Spirit of God can search out, or (Uscover, 
 being searched out. Into whom the Spirit enters, 
 spiritualizing his heart and head, he is a man fit to 
 trade with Christ, and to hear him speak ; for, ver. 
 15, the spiritual man judgeth all things, he hath 
 a principle within, to taste and discern j„„„u,t i,a- 
 the nature of them ; he only hath a fit- i.piTi«;i. 
 ness, though not a fulness to judge ; he hath a dis- 
 cerning faculty, and according to the measure of 
 that he judgeth. 
 
 Ver. 3 — 5. And he said ttntome. Son nj" man, 
 I send thee to the chihh-en of Israel, to a rebellious 
 nation that hath rebelled against me : they and 
 their fathers have transgressed against me, even 
 unto this very day. For they are impudent chil- 
 dren and stiff hearted. I do send thee vnto them ; 
 and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord 
 God. And they, whether they will hear, or 
 whether they will forbear, (for they are a re- 
 bellious house,] yet shall know that there hath been 
 a prophet among them. 
 
 Ezekiel being raised, comfortetl, and filled with 
 the Spirit, fitted to hear the Lord Christ, and to do 
 him service ; 
 
 In these verses we have his call to his office, 
 and the parties specified he is sent unto, and the 
 reason of his sending to them. 
 
 His call, in these words, " I send thee." 
 
 The parties he is sent unto, are " the children of 
 Israel ;" who are described to be, 
 
 First, " a rebellious nation ;" and this their sin is 
 amplified three ways : 
 
 1. It is " against me." 
 
 2. It is the same evil their fathers have done ; they 
 " transgressed against me," and so have their chil- 
 dren. 
 
 3. It is continued ; " to this day." 
 Secondly, " impudent children." 
 Thirdly, " stifl'-hearted." 
 Fourthly, " a rebellious house." 
 
 The reason of his sending is ; that they might 
 " know there hath been a prophet among them." 
 
 I shall first open the words of this third verse ; 
 and after give you the observations. 
 
 " I send thee." In the Hebrew it is, I ^. ^.^^.j^^ 
 am sending thee, or, about to send thee. 
 Ihe present tense in the Scripture noteth the 
 purpose and firm resolution of the mind : Luke xix. 8, 
 saith Zaccheus, "The half of my goods I give to the 
 poor ;" that is, I purpose and decree to give them, it 
 is the firm resolution of my mind. But it notes more 
 here :. " I send thee," I intend and am resolved to 
 make thee a prophet; that is not all, I ordain, consti- 
 tute thee to be a prophet, for such is the meaning of 
 send in this verse ; and that will appear from Jer. xiv. 
 14, " The prophets projihesy lies in my name ;" they 
 pretend, saith God, that they have commission and 
 countenance fi-om me, but I sent them not, I never 
 intended or constituted them to be prophets. They 
 never had authority from me, I commanded them 
 not, neither spake unto them, they went of their 
 own heads, for their own ends ; and if they be pro- 
 phets, they are lying ones ; my authority did never 
 establish them, but it shall punish them.
 
 Ver. 3. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 75 
 
 " Children of Israel." That is, the Jews, that 
 
 were brought into Babylon, who were called the 
 
 children of Israel, from' Jacob, who wrestling with 
 
 God, and prevailing, had his name changed from 
 
 "!« ™n wt< Jacob to Israel ; Gen. xxxii. 28, " Thy 
 
 ■JN -^^ name shall be no more Jacob, but Is- 
 
 rael ; for as a prince hast thou power with God and 
 with men, and hast prevailed." Not Israel because 
 he hath seen God, as some interpret it ; 
 i^t?r''i?rTn" ms uor IsracI because he was a man right 
 ileus""' " ^''*^ *^°'^ ' ^^'^ Israel is of a word which 
 -cs n'W -3 signifies to rule, with the addition o( el 
 ° ** to it; and so it follows in the verse, be- 
 cause thou hast prevailed with God. Here was a 
 good root, but the branches were degenerate, the 
 sons of Israel were not like their father Israel, a 
 praying and prevailing people : sons of Israel, ac- 
 cording to the flesh, external shows, and in opinion, 
 Bo the most of them were ; but they did not follow 
 the faith and purity of their father Israel : Rom. ix. 
 6, " They are not all Israel that are of Israel." 
 
 " A rebellious nation." The word for nation is 
 in the plural number, D*15 which word is mostly 
 in Scripture applied to the unbelieving gentiles, 
 those that were without God, and strangers to the 
 commonwealth of Israel : as Hab. i. 5, " the hea- 
 then," and Psal. cvi. 41, " He gave them into the 
 hand of the heathen," it is goiim : the Septuagint 
 fitx<rpac renders it, " Into the hands of their 
 
 ixUp^v. enemies :" so the Jews accounted the 
 
 gentiles, and in disgrace called them goiim, an 
 abominable nation ; and at this day they call the 
 christians so, and make that name which was com- 
 mon before to all gentiles, now, since Christ, to be 
 special to christians. The Turks they call Ishmael- 
 ites; and Ethiopians, Cushites ; but the christians, 
 goiim, an abominable nation ; and here the Spirit of 
 God calls them goiim, a rebellious nation, by way of 
 contempt. The prophet prophesied against the Sy- 
 rians, Egyptians, Babylonians, and others, which, in 
 conmion sense of the word, were the nations ; but 
 here it is put upon the Jews, who were as vile in the 
 eyes of God, as the gentiles were in theirs ; for they 
 had forsaken the truth, entertained their idolatries 
 Ad ncfaria and Corruptions, and turned aside to 
 
 sceiera. notorious wickednesses. Something of 
 
 most nations about them they had taken in, and so 
 are called goiim, nations, as if they had had the 
 wickedness of all the nations. Or, because they 
 were divided in their false and idolatrous worship ; 
 some were for the Ammonitish way, some the Mo- 
 abitish, some for other ways, most for wrong ways ; 
 and this made them like the nations, who had their 
 several ways, and to deserve the brand oi goiim. 
 
 " Rebellious." aniiran the rebellious ones of 
 Marod, which signifies to fall off, to apostatize, to 
 rebel and resist. It is like the practice of men 
 against states and princes ; when they have made 
 laws for their subjects to live by, and they have ac- 
 cepted of those laws, and then fall off, withdraw 
 from their subjection, obedience, and shake off their 
 yoke, it is called rebellion : Gen. xiv. 4, the kings 
 served Chedorlaomer twelve years, and in the thir- 
 teenth rebelled; that is, shook off those laws and 
 yokes they were under. 
 
 In the law sense, rebellion is a traitorous taking 
 up arms against the state, be it by the natural sub- 
 jects, or by others formerly subdued, or by whom- 
 soever. When arms are taken up to overthrow the 
 settled laws of a kingdom, and religion settled by 
 those laws, this is rebellion against that state ; and 
 that state may preserve itself, the law of nature, 
 reason, and religion warranting the same. I am 
 not to speak of rebellion in this sense, but theologi- 
 
 cally. When men will not be imder the laws and go- 
 vernment of Christ, but go a whoring after their own 
 hists and inventions, or others', then they rebel : so 
 the other tribes told Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, 
 Josh. xxii. 16, " What trespass is this ye have com- 
 mitted against the God of Israel, to turn away this 
 day from following the Lord, in that ye have 
 builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day 
 against the Lord .'" Turning from God, and taking 
 up our own or other inventions, is rebelling against 
 God. 
 
 The Vulgate hath it, to the aposta- A<t genies apos- 
 tizing nations ; and the Septuagint ren- latntes. 
 ders the word rebel, in Nehem. \i. 6, to apostatize, 
 Thou and the Jews think to apostatize. \o-ii(eec i»o<7- 
 And apostasy is a wicked departing -raTS^oi. 
 from God and his truth, acknowledged and con- 
 fessed, to false ways of worship. And such were the 
 Israelites at this time; they had left the God of Is- 
 rael, and chosen other gods, and served idols, which 
 made the Lord to say, Jer. ii. 11, " Hath a nation 
 changed their gods, which yet are no gods ? but my 
 people have changed their glory." Such is the apos- 
 tasy of antichrist and his followers, they have de- 
 parted from the true God and his worship, and set 
 up false gods and false worship ; so that he and all 
 his children are goiim hammordim, a rebellious, an 
 apostatizing nation. 
 
 " Against me." It is not against i„ pactum me- 
 their king, their high priest, but against ""'■ Jer«m. 
 me, against my covenant, saith Jerom. God had 
 made a covenant with them, not only a spousal co- 
 venant, " I will betroth thee to me for ever," Hos. 
 ii. 19, but a matrimonial covenant, " I am the Lord 
 thy God ; thou shalt have no other gods before 
 me," Exod. xx. 2, 3. God said, he would have 
 them, and no other people, to be his. God kept the 
 covenant on his part, he took not in any other na- 
 tion ; but they brake with him, and took in other 
 gods, and brought them not into the city only, but 
 into the temple, and provoked their God to jealousy. 
 
 " Even to this day." The Hebrew ds5-"» 
 is, to the body, strength, essence of this '^'^ DVn 
 day, even this self-same day : these very words you 
 have in Lev. xxiii. 14, " until the self-same day." 
 Had not this people been brutish, they might have 
 seen what an improfitable thing it was to bestow 
 honour upon altars, idols, to set up corrupt, invented 
 worship ; they might have seen what truth and force 
 was in prophetical threats, how powerfid God was 
 to save and to destroy : for now they were carried 
 out of their own country, they were in Babylon, a 
 most idolatrous place, subject to the nations they so 
 disdained, and had been some years in bondage ; yet 
 even here, to that present time, they were addicted 
 to their old ways, and served false gods night and 
 day, Jer. xvi. 13. 
 
 " Transgress." The Hebrew word 
 signifies, to sin, not ignorantly, or of in- 
 firmity, but wilfully, ex sttperbia, from pride. Isa. i. 
 2, " I have brought up children, and they have re- 
 belled ; " it is the same word is in the text, They have 
 proudly, voluntarily sinned against me. The Septua- 
 gint therefore render it. They have jire- ^;^^-^ ^^ ^,^ 
 varicated with me, rejected me, they i,lli^mav. 
 have taken me out of the way, who was established 
 to be their God, and have willingly brought in other 
 gods. And this word pashaytg is of larger extent 
 than marad, say rabbies ; but in Scripture they are 
 promiscuously used : Hos. xiv. 9, " The transgressors 
 shall fall therein ;" those who go from under the 
 command of God, and oppose him. 
 
 Oi.s. 1. That it is Christ's prerogative to set up 
 and send officers unto the church. I send thee, I
 
 76 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. U. 
 
 that sit upuu the tlironc, that am Jeliovah, that know 
 things to come, tliat have all power iu my hand, 
 that can save and destroy, that am the great Prophet 
 of my people, I send thee. So Matt, xxviii. 18, 19, 
 Christ is invested with all power, and therefore 
 sends officers to all nations: Eph. iv. 11, " He gave 
 some, apostles ; and some, prophets ; and some, evan- 
 gelists ; and some, pastors and teachers :" it was 
 Christ gave them, and set them up in the church. 
 Hence saith the apostle, 1 Cor.iv. 1, "Leta man soac- 
 count of us, as the ministers of Christ;" we are set up 
 and sent by him, who is the Head of the church, 
 the Author of all offices, and Lord of all officers. 
 Hence follows : 
 
 (1.) That those offices and officers are holy and 
 warrantable, which depend upon the will and au- 
 thority of Christ; not those which are of the wills 
 and authority of men, as are all in the Romish sy- 
 nagogue, and too many are amongst us. Apostles, 
 prophets, evangelists, they were of Christ ; but being 
 extraordinary, are ceased. Pastors, teachers, elders, 
 deacons, Christ hath given to be standing officers in 
 the church, and their callings we acknowledge holy 
 and lawful ; but all others are of human institution, 
 and so unholy, and unwholesome for the church. The 
 papists deny the calling of pastors and teachers in 
 the reformed churches to be lawful, because they are 
 not sent by the pope, and ordained by his bishops, 
 and so in succession from Christ j but it is clear that 
 pastors and teachers were given of Christ, before 
 ever popes or prelates were thought on, Eph. iv. 
 11. And as fur them, the pope and his clergy, we 
 may safely say, tliat neither himself, nor any of his 
 hierarchy, ever had any lawful calling ; because 
 none of them are sent of Christ, he will never own 
 it that he sent any of them, neither were they 
 ordained according to the will of Christ and his 
 apostles. 
 
 (2.) That men unable and dishonest, in the offices 
 of the church, if set up by him, were never sent by 
 him. He gives gifts and graces to men, and then 
 sends them ; the Spirit entered into Ezekiel, and 
 then, " I send thee." He hath the power of sending, 
 it depends on his will, and that is sacred ; he would 
 not put in an insufficient or corrupt man upon any 
 terms, and tlierefore he hath set rules and laws to 
 show what men he would have in those holy func- 
 tions. He hath given precedents of his own choosing : 
 Rom. i. 5, " By whom we received grace and apostle- 
 ship," first grace, and then apostleship. 2 Cor. iii. 6, 
 " Who hath made us able ministers of the new testa- 
 ment." The Lord Christ's ministers are able, not 
 only in parts, but chiefly in the Spirit, that is light 
 and life in them ; such he sends, such he approves. 
 And as for ignorant and evil ones, see what the 
 Lord saith, Hos. iv. G, "Because thou hast rejected 
 knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thoushaltbe 
 no priest to me :" Christ would not have a profane, 
 ignorant man to be in that calling. 
 
 (3.) That those that are sent of Christ may not 
 delegate their power, and execute the office by 
 others, but must do it themselves. The prophet 
 might not appoint another, being sent of Christ to 
 the children of Israel ; "I send thee," and thoushalt 
 say unto them. Thus saith the Lord. Ambassadors 
 are themselves to deliver their messages, and not 
 others for them, or in their stead. Ministers are 
 ambassadors, and, 2 Cor. v. 20, for Christ, and do 
 preach and pray in Christ's stead, who is their Ikad 
 and Lord ; whereupon saith Paul, " Woe unto me, if 
 I preach not the gospel," 1 Cor. ix. IG. And what 
 is the ground of it? Ver. 17, "The dispensation of 
 the gospel is committed unto me ;" I am commanded 
 to do it, I may not, I dare not commit or delegate 
 
 this trust, this power, to others. Delegation is actus 
 imperil, an act of power, and all the officers of the 
 church must be obsequious, not imperious ; therefore 
 hierarchists, and those that substitute others to preach 
 in their stead, usurp the power of Christ, to whom 
 it belongs to delegate men to preach in his stead, 
 and over thousands of churches, if he please. 
 
 (4.) That those Christ sends, and sets over people, 
 are by divine institution. " I send thee to the children 
 of Israel;" he was not a prophet to others, but unto 
 them, and that by divine authority. Acts xx. 28, 
 " Take heed unto all the flock, over which the Holy 
 Ghost hath made you overseers;" this was the 
 church of Ephesus, and the elders of it were set 
 there by no less authority than that of the Holy 
 Ghost : the office, power, jurisdiction over such a 
 people is not human, arbitrary, but of diWne in- 
 stitution. 
 
 Ob.i. 2. That many are called, and seem to be 
 Israelites, which in truth are not. The Jews were 
 called the children of Israel here, and were so ac- 
 cording to the flesh, but they were not so in the 
 Spirit ; they had not the principles of Jacob in them ; 
 they walked not in his steps ; they had his name, 
 but not his faith. They were called Israelites, but 
 were not true Israelites : Rom. ix. 6, " They are not 
 all Israel that are of Israel ;" in the true sense of the 
 Scripture, they are not all Israel ; that is, spiritual, 
 such as Jacob was, men of prayer, wrestling with 
 God, prevailing like princes ; but they are of Israel 
 according to the flesh, and fleshly Israelites, to 
 whom the promises pertained not. In Matt. viii. 12, 
 they are called childi-en of the kingdom, but yet such 
 as should be cast out into utter darkness : they 
 thought themselves safe in being called so, and con- 
 ceited themselves such, but they were deluded. 
 And so now many thousands think themselves chris- 
 tians, saints, when in truth they are nothing less, 
 the very contrary, enemies to true christians and 
 saints. The papists boast that they are catho- 
 lics, christians, the church of God; but it is in no 
 better sense than these rebellious Jews are termed 
 the children of Israel. What are titles, when truth 
 is wanting ? No other than a kind of blaspheming: 
 Rev. ii. y, " I know the blasphemy of them that say 
 theyare Jews, and are not :" they were jews by name, 
 and did reproach the christians, and the Lord Christ, 
 but were not Jews in truth : Rom. ii. 28, 29, " He is 
 not a Jew which is one outwardly," in circumcision 
 of the flesh; "but he isa Jew which is one inwardly," 
 whose heart is circumcised, and is one in the Spirit. 
 Now these men, saying they are Jews, and were not, 
 did blaspheme, much prejudice and wound the ho- 
 nourable name of being a Jew ; and what were they ? 
 a synagogue of Satan. And now these that think, 
 call themselves christians, and are not, they blas- 
 pheme and wound that honourable name of chris- 
 tians ; and so they that call themselves churches, 
 and are not, they blaspheme and wrong that ho- 
 hourable name of church. Papists say they are the 
 church. Be it so ; it is the church of Satan, not of 
 Christ; they worship idols, not Christ; they are Ba- 
 bel, not Bethel ; they have title, not the substance. 
 
 Obs. 3. That when God's people degenerate, and 
 fall to sinful practices, then they lose their glory, 
 and contract reproach. Before the Israelites fell to 
 idolatrous courses, and violation of divine law, they 
 were God's inheritance, Deut. iv. 20, his portion, 
 Deut. xxxii. 9, his peculiar treasure, Exod. xix. 5, 
 his strength and his glory, Psal. Ixxviii. 61, his 
 anointed ones, Psal. cv. 1.5; they were so honourable 
 in his account, and precious in his eye, that lie suf- 
 fered none to do them harm ; he rebuked kings for 
 their sakes, and he gave Egypt a ransom for them.
 
 Ver. 3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 n 
 
 men and people for their life, Isa. xliii. 3, 4. God 
 thought nothing too dear for them, no titles too 
 good, " a kingdom of priests, a holy nation," Exod. 
 xix. 6; but when they fell from him to sinful and 
 base courses, then their honourable titles are turned 
 into reprdachful and bitter ones. They are called 
 here g-ofYm, profane, rejected, pollution; so the Jews 
 accounted of the gentiles, and so God accounts of 
 them here ; they judged so of the Babylonians, and 
 God metes out the same measure unto them. In 
 Prov. xiv. 34, it is said, " Righteousness exalteth a 
 nation : but sin is a reproach to any people," even 
 
 f - V t" God's own people ; it makes them 
 yr. ^.j^^ hateful, abominable to God and 
 man, and brings such terms as proclaims their shame. 
 God calls them rulers of Sodom, and people of Go- 
 morrah, Isa. i. iO; sons of the sorceress, the seed 
 of the adulterer and whore, Isa. Ivii. 3; an hypocriti- 
 cal nation, Isa. x. 6; a nation not desired, Zeph. ii. 1 ; 
 a thievish nation, Mai. iii. 9 ; the generation of his 
 wrath, Jer. vii. 29 ; Lo-ammi, none of my people, 
 Hos. i. 
 
 Obs. 4. See here the great evil which is in sin. 
 It is rebellion against God, 1 Sam. xii. 15 ; not only 
 great sins, idolatry, murder, &c. but even all sin. It 
 is a casting off God, a withdrawing from his laws, 
 commands, authority : as Hos. iv. 12, " They have 
 gone a whoring from under their God ; " as a wife 
 that is false to her husband will not be kept in, be 
 under the guidance, counsel, and power of her hus- 
 band, but will out, follow her lovers, and satisfy her 
 lusts. And so is it with the soul's sinning with God, 
 it will go from under the guidance, counsel, com- 
 mand, and authority of God. It saith of God, in 
 elTect, as they in the gospel said of God, "We will 
 not have this man to reign over us," we will not be 
 under him ; and sinners will not be under God. 
 God commanded Saul to smite Amaiek, to destroy 
 all, and neither spare man nor beast ; but Saul 
 spared Agag, the goodly things, and fat of the beast, 
 and this by entreaty of the people. This might seem 
 no great matter, especially the cattle being spared 
 to sacrifice to the Lord, as they pretended. But see 
 what God saith of it, 1 Sam. xv. 11, "It repenteth me 
 that I have set up Saul to be king, for he is turned 
 back from following me ;" he is apostatized from 
 me. God calls this sin apostasy, and Samuel, ver. 23, 
 calls it rebellion : Saul, thou hast rebelled against 
 God ; and will you know what a sin rebellion is ? it 
 "is as the sin of witchcraft," and you all know it is 
 abominable, and worthy of death : thy sin is of that 
 malignity, as that by it thou hast rejected God, and 
 for it God hath rejected thee, and thou art a man of 
 death for it. Rebel is an ill name, and here is a 
 king a rebel against God ; and so is every sinner, 
 for lie not only withdraws from under God, but takes 
 up arms against God. Bitter lying, swearing, re- 
 proaching words, are called arrows and swords, in 
 Psal. Ivii. 4 ; and Psal. Ixxiii. 9, it is said of wicked 
 men, "They set their mouth against the heavens," 
 that is, against God in the heavens : and of a proud 
 man it is said. Jam. iv. 6, God resists 
 """*'"'"'"■ him : he is in rebellion against God, 
 hath taken up arms against him, and God takes up 
 arms to meet him ; it is a military word, God sets 
 himself in a military posture against him ; Acts v. 
 39, those who opposed the apostle, 
 
 touaxoi. ^ere fighters against God. But there 
 is no hope for sinners to do good this way ; God will 
 prevail, and wound the hairy scalps of his enemies, 
 whatever they be, that go on still in their wicked- 
 ness. Let us therefore cast down our weapons, and 
 submit to God. Rebellion is an odious thing against 
 a state, much more against God. Let us all say, we 
 
 will not be rebels but subjects of the Most High ; 
 we will be governed by his laws, we will be under 
 his authority : and as they said to Joshua, chap. i. 
 18, let us say to God, "Whosoever he be that doth 
 rebel against thy commandment, and will not 
 hearken to thy words in all that thou commandest 
 him, he shall be put to death." 
 
 Obs. 5. That sins about worship are rebellious 
 against Christ, and he takes it heinously ; they have 
 " rebelled against me." It was Christ who sat upon 
 the sapphirine throne, that spake to the prophet, that 
 said. They rebel against me ; and wherein was the re- 
 bellion ? in casting off his worship, and in corrupting 
 it. When people fall to idolatrous and false worship, 
 or corrupt the true and pure worship of Christ by de- 
 traction of any part of it, or by additionals and mix- 
 tures of their own, then they sin. So about worship, 
 as it is rebellion against Christ ; sometimes they fell 
 to flat idolatry, forsaking the true worship of God, and 
 joined to Baal-Peor, Psal. cvi. 28; sometimes they set 
 up their posts with God's posts, and brought in their 
 own inventions, and mingled their water with God's 
 wine, and the wisdom of their flesh with the wis- 
 dom of Christ. And this he complains of as re- 
 bellion against him ; and the ground of it is, because 
 Christ was the Head of the church then as well as 
 now, and the Lawgiver unto them as well as unto 
 us. There was never but one Head and one Lawgiver 
 to the church ; and when he, out of his infinite wis- 
 dom, hath set a way of worship that will delight the 
 Father, himself, and his Spirit, for mortal worms of 
 the earth to leave it, to pervert it, to mix their own 
 de\nces with it, provokes bitterly, and mounts up 
 to the nature of rebellion, and that against Christ. 
 "Blessed are the undefiledin the way," in.iehiium cuHum. 
 Psal. cxix. 1. What way ? In the way mJebuo ,„odt,. 
 of worship especially ; that admit not unwarranted 
 worship, nor worship in a wrong manner, but walk 
 in the law of the Lord. 
 
 Oi6.y. 6. That children usually tread in the paths 
 of their fathers: "They and their fathers have trans- 
 gressed against me." Do the fathers sin knowingly, 
 wilfully ? the children will do so ; do they fall off 
 from the true worship of God, embrace lies, .•super- 
 stition, o]i]iression, whoredom ? it is a miracle if 
 their children do not. Adam ate the forbidden fruit, 
 and all mankind have followed his steps to that 
 free. The name of a father, and his example, are 
 strong traces, to draw the children into their way. 
 We read of some kings in Judah, that left the way 
 of their fathers ; but not one of Israel, they all fol- 
 lowed the steps of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that 
 made Israel to sin. Let the parents be never so vile, 
 if grace prevent not, the children will walk in their 
 ways. Ahab was bad enough, that sold himself to 
 commit wickedness; and yet Ahaziahhis son is said 
 to walk in his way, in his mother's way, who was 
 Jezebel, and in Jeroboam's, 1 Kings xxii. 52. And if 
 it be possible, they will go beyond their fathers in 
 wickedness: Judg. ii. 19, "They corrupted them- 
 selves more than their fathers." Jer. vii. 26, "They 
 did worse than their fathers." Inicjuity improves in 
 the going ; like a river, the farther it runs, the 
 broader and deeper it grows. In John viii. 44, Christ 
 tells the Jews they were of their father the devil, 
 and his lusts they will do ; they were such wilful 
 sinners, sinning against such clear and strong 
 light, that their sin was devilish. Let parents take 
 heed what they do, how they sin before their chil- 
 dren : when they do so, they pave a way to hell for 
 them, and dig the pit for their destruction. Ra- 
 boklus, a duke of Friezeland, about the year of 
 Christ 900, being persuaded to turn christian, and 
 going to be baptized, asked the bishop if all his
 
 78 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 C'llAl'. If. 
 
 forefathers were damned ; who indiscreetly affirm- 
 ing it, saith the duke, Tlien will I be damned with 
 them, rather than be baptized by thee. 
 
 064'. 7- Antiquity is not the rule for worship. You 
 and your fathers have transgressed against me. The 
 traditions and examples of forefathers will not war- 
 rant the children in point of worship. Here they 
 could plead, We did what our forefathers did many 
 hundred years together, and have faithfully walked 
 in their steps, and hope we are unblamable. No, 
 saith Christ, you and your fathers have trans- 
 gressed ; you should not have made their examples, 
 but my word, the rule of worship. The Samaritans 
 could plead antiquity for their worship in mount 
 Gerizim, above two hundred years, where they had a 
 temple, and many things according to Moses. And 
 hence was it, that the woman of Samaria said to 
 Christ, " Our fathers worshipped in this mountain," 
 John iv. 20. But Christ told her, ver. 22, " You 
 worship you know not what." You have the wills, 
 inventions, and examples of men for the warrant of 
 your worship, and good intentions in the execution 
 of your worship ; but because you have not my word, 
 that is not a light, a law, and rule unto you in point 
 of your worship, " you worship you know not 
 what ;" and your good intentions neither make it 
 acceptable unto God, nor profitable to you. In Hos. 
 xi. 12, it is said, " Ephraim compasseth me about 
 with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit :" they 
 had their fathers and antiquity to plead, even from 
 Jeroboam's days ; but because they had corrupted 
 the worship of God with their own inventions, the 
 Lord calls all lies and deceit. In point of worship, 
 you must look at divine laws, not hu- 
 empUs judfcan" v\im examples ; the rust of antiquity 
 dum, vivendura i//i\\ not go for pay with God. Men's 
 ti'aditions make ineffectual his com- 
 mands. Matt. XV. 6 ; and can they be effectual ordi- 
 nances unto us? If so, we had not been redeemed 
 from them by the blood of Christ. 1 Pet. i. 18, I'J, he 
 tells them they were redeemed from their vain con- 
 versation by tradition from their fathers, by the 
 precious blood of Christ. And what was that vain 
 
 A Lapid. in Conversation ? A Jesuit tells us, it was 
 locum. in lege Mosis; et geiitilismo, in the law 
 and in gentilism. And are they freed from Moses's 
 law given by God, and gentilism, the ti-aditions of 
 men ? Are not we freed from that vain conversation 
 which is in the laws of popery and prelates, and tra- 
 ditions of fathers ? Yea, we are freed, and that by 
 the blood of Christ; he must be our antiquity, our 
 rule, our law ; and what is not after Christ, but after 
 the traditions of men, must be thrown out and trod- 
 den do\vn as beggarly elements and worldly rudi- 
 ments. Therefore hear Christ, (who speaks in this 
 prophecy,) in Ezek. xs. 18, 19, saying, " Walk yenot 
 in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their 
 judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols : 
 I am the Lord your God, walk in my statutes, and 
 keep my judgments, and do them." 
 
 OA.y. 8. A sinful nation is not changed by afflictions. 
 They were now in captivity amongst Babylonians, 
 that were bitter, scoffing enemies, that said, " Sing us 
 one of the songs of Sion ;" they were under the 
 wrath of God, put hard to it for all their necessaries; 
 and yet they ceased not their rebellious transgres- 
 sions against God, " even to this very day :" they had 
 been five years also in this hard condition, and yet 
 continued. Afflictions are invalid to subdue corrup- 
 tions, or change dispositions. Put a stone into the 
 fire, it neither softens it, nor changes it : neither cold 
 nor hot water will make a blackamoor white : empty 
 vinegar fi-om vessel to vessel, it will never become 
 wine; and empty a wicked heart from condition to 
 
 condition, it will never become gracious. Afflictions 
 may cause restraint of corruption, hinder execution of 
 it, stir up natural principles and common gifts to 
 act, but never alter a man ; but usually wicked men 
 are worse for afflictions. Here they sinned against 
 God rebelliously in the land of their captivity. Wicked 
 men grow worse and worse every day : Isa. i. 5, 
 " Why should you be smitten any more ? you will 
 revolt more and more : the whole head is sick, and 
 the heart is faint," &c. When sinners are in an ill way 
 through their own corrupt natures, strengthened in it 
 by example of their fathers and their own practice, 
 the more blows they have, the harder they grow, and 
 sin more desperately. 
 
 theT/ are impudent children and 
 
 Ver. 4. For 
 stiff-hearted. 
 
 The words, " impudent children," are in the Hebrew, 
 hard of face ; their faces were so hard, that reproof 
 and reproach would not make them blush ; and there- 
 fore it is rendered impudent, without shame, with- 
 out blushing. The face is the seat of shame ; and 
 when men sin, and are told of it, or conceive others 
 know it, their faces are oft filled with shame : and 
 it is hard for one guilty to keep shame out of his face ; 
 it is hard not to be a traitor to himself. But these 
 were past shame, they had the forehead of a harlot; 
 they sinned, and were not ashamed. Jer. vi. 15, 
 " Were they ashamed when they had committed abom- 
 ination ? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither 
 could they blush." 
 
 "Stiff-hearted." Stronginheart, or of heart; strong 
 with a sinful strength, with stubbornness against God. 
 There is a natural stiffness in men, which they in- 
 herit from their forefathers, and bring into the world ; 
 and there is a contracted stiffness, gotten by continu- 
 ance in sin. Both these were in this people, and the 
 principle of stubbornness was not broken, but 
 strengthened ; so that no threatenings did make them 
 fear, no blows did make them yield ; but being stub- 
 born they rebelled all ; no promises or kindnesses 
 did melt them. This sin had been in them even 
 from Moses's time ; Matt. xix. 8, " Moses, because of 
 the hardness of your hearts, .suffered you to put away 
 your wives :" the tender love of a wife could not 
 prevail with them. 
 
 Obs.\. That progress in sin makes impudent. The 
 original is, and are impudent ; they sin to this day, 
 and are impudent, or hard of face. The beginnings 
 of sin are modest, but progress in sin is shameless. 
 In a harlot are first wanton thoughts, then wanton 
 looks, after waiting for opportunities, and here yet 
 may be blushing ; but when it comes to that in 
 Prov. vii. 13, " She caught him, and kissed him," 
 then it is come to shamelessncss ; and therefore it 
 follows, " with an impudent face she 
 said, I have peace-ofl-erings, I have f^.'i'fS'.lll^ru- 
 paid my vows ;" God hath had his due, ','*■ . 
 
 ^.•^ A -i ^ 1 ■,, Impudence IS 
 
 and now my nesti must nave its due; ihe conirar> : sId 
 " I have decked my bed, come, let us ii'e'e?„'S,c°ei 
 take our fill of love." The Hebrew maxmiecrubt-sci- 
 for impudent is, she strengthened her the nakedness 'o? 
 face; it was strengthened against mo- sm.'i'hi'c'ii'made' 
 desty and shame ; for progress in sin '[>« nakedness of 
 had made her .shameless of sin : and so j,;^ '"''^ *''»™'- 
 the proj)het speaks of the Jews, Jer. ^^'i'Yi'eo'^nmmn." 
 iii. 3, " Thou hast a whore's forehead, dnia peccati, m 
 thou refusest to be ashamed ;" Judah i'!"o"irubc'8centm 
 was so impudent, that she scorned J,'"'"''°""' '^''' 
 to blush : Jer. viii. 12, " Were they 
 ashamed when they committed abomination ?" I 
 looked for it, but " they were not ashamed at all, 
 neither could they blush." O what a condition doth
 
 Ver. 4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZElvIEL. 
 
 79 
 
 sin bring to ! Monica, the mother of Austin, at first 
 sipped a little wine, after drarik off a little more, in 
 time whole cups, and at last it came to drunken- 
 ness, and so to impudency. When the calves were 
 first mentioned in Israel, the people trembled at it ; 
 but afterwards they could kiss calves, and sacrifice 
 to Baal, Hos. xiii. 1, and outstand the threats of the 
 prophet. Sin banishcth shame from its habitation ; 
 so that the sinner and shame are not acquainted. 
 Psal. lii. 1, " Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, 
 O mighty man ?" Doeg boasted of his bloodiness, 
 that he had killed the priests at the command of 
 Saul. Zeph. iii. 5, " The unjust know'eth no shame." 
 Though men foam out their shame, Jude 13, and 
 glory in their shame, Phil. iii. 19, yet they will 
 know no shame. It is an exceeding evil to be past 
 shame, to be impudent in sinning ; if ever God show 
 mercy to such sinners, they must be ashamed. 
 " What fruit had you in those things, whereof now 
 ye are ashamed ?" Rom. vi. 21 : ye were impudent 
 in committing, but now ye are ashamed in confess- 
 ing and remembering of them. 
 
 Obs. 2. That where there is an impudent face, 
 there is a hard, stiff heart. If the heart were not 
 stony before God, the face would not be impudent 
 before man: Acts vii. 51, " Ye stiff-necked, and un- 
 ciroumcised in heart ;" there w as brawnishness with- 
 in, and impudency without. And a hard heart is 
 one of the greatest evils. Mercies prevail not: what 
 mercies had they in the wilderness, and in Canaan, 
 and yet they did not move them ! Miracles will not 
 do it : when they took Christ, he said, " I am he," 
 and they all fell backward to the ground : after 
 this, Peter cuts off Malchus's ear ; Christ heals it : 
 here were two miracles, yet they did no good upon 
 their hard hearts ; they went on, laid hands on 
 Christ, who wrought the miracles, bound him as a 
 malefactor, and thought to make him sure for doing 
 any more miracles. Pharaoh saw ten miracles ; the 
 Israelites wore a miracle about them ; forty years 
 their clothes and shoes wore not out ; they were new 
 at forty years' end ; yet these wrought not upon their 
 hard hearts. It is not fasting and prayer will do it ; 
 Pliny tells of » Diauy are hardened in them. There 
 rivrr in Lucania. are Waters, that whatever is cast in, 
 
 that turns leaves ^i ._ • , , -, , 
 
 and sticks into tliey turn nito stone ; and some men s 
 stones. hearts grow stony in whatever ordi- 
 
 nances they are. A hard heart is a grievous dis- 
 ease, worse than the stone in the reins or bladder. 
 It was Nabal's disease and death ; and most men are 
 sick and die of that disease. 
 
 Obs. 3. That God sends his prophets and minis- 
 ters about hard services, such as are full of dis- 
 couragements, when they are looked upon with a 
 carnal eye. Ezekiel had presently to object, Lord, 
 wilt thou send me to a people that is impudent ? I 
 shall never make them blush ; to a people hard- 
 hearted ? I shall never make impression on their 
 spirits, by any truths I shall preach unto them ; my 
 labour will be in vain. Are they a rebellious nation ? 
 do they rebel against thee ? and will they not much 
 more rebel against me ? This is a bard task ; if thou 
 regardest not me, yet regard thy truths. What ! shall 
 they be cast away about such a people as this ? O 
 spare me, and spare thy truths ! No, saith God, I 
 send thee unto them, and thou shalt speak unto 
 them. They are hard tasks that God puts his ser- 
 vants upon. Isaiah was called to a hard service, 
 chap. vi. 9, 10, to preach ruin and destruction to a 
 people ; and so unwelcome he was, that he saith, 
 chap. viii. 18, " I am for a sign and wonder in 
 Israel." Jeremiah is set over nations and kingdoms, 
 " to root out, to pull down, and to destroy," chap. i. 
 10: the kings of Judah, the princes, priests, and 
 
 people, he was to deal with; and ver. 19, it ia 
 said, " They shall fight against thee." 
 Preaching provokes all sorts of men: S.";'! ".'ilu?^'" 
 and so hard did Jeremiah find his Sv^"'"','' V' 'f 
 work, although God promised to be 
 with him ; he was so derided, saw so little good 
 come of his labours ; that he resolved to lay down 
 his calling, and to speak no more in the name of the 
 Lord, Jer. xx. 9. Knox, when called to preach, he 
 burst forth into an abundance of tears ; and so with- 
 drew himself to his chamber, and was full of grief, 
 and troubled, till he was compelled to preach. 
 Preaching is a warring, 2 Tim. ii. 4, and preachers 
 are soldiers. Hence Paul calls Timothy " a good 
 soldier of Christ." And when we come to spoil and 
 plunder people of their goods, their lusts, wills, 
 humours, opinions, and to take away their strong 
 holds, their carnal reasoning against Christ in the 
 gospel, and ways of God ; they are in a rage, take 
 up arms against us. Paul fought with beasts at 
 Ephesus, 1 Cor. xv. 32, and they gored him, and 
 sought his death. The Galatians, that would have at 
 first pulled out their eyes for Paul, thrust out their 
 tongues against Paul ; he was their enemy, because 
 he told them the truth. Those who cried Hosannah 
 a little before, were ready to cry, Crucify, crucify. 
 Hardly a prophet or an apostle, but suffered by the 
 hands of their hearers. 
 
 Obs. 4. Ministers should not so much look at the 
 persons they are sent to, or the event of their minis- 
 try, as at their call. " I send thee," saith God, look 
 thou to that; trouble not thyself at the persons that 
 are so wicked, nor at the success of thy ministry, but 
 consider I have called and sent thee. God's will 
 and command must content us, support us. What if 
 we be scoffed at, reviled, made the offscouring and 
 filth of the world ; yet here is the comfort of a true 
 prophet, of a true minister, Christ sent him ; and he 
 that set him to work will pay him his M-ages, whether 
 they hear or hear not to w'htim he is sent. The nurse 
 hath her wages, whether the child live or die ; and 
 " we are a sweet savour of Christ unto God in them 
 that are saved, and in them that perish," 2 Cor. ii. 
 15. The soldierhath his respect and reward, whether 
 he kill men or take them alive ; and we are accej)t- 
 able unto God as well in the deaths as the lives of 
 men. This consideration comforted Isaiah : chap, 
 xlix. 4, 5, " I have laboured in vain, I have spent 
 my strength for nought : yet surely my judgment is 
 with the Lord, and my work with my God. And 
 though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious 
 in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my 
 strength." He would look at God, and not at the 
 difficulty of the work, or discouragements from men, 
 and want of success. Sometimes God gives large 
 encouragement, promises, hope, success, providing for 
 our infirmities ; at other times a bare commission and 
 command must suffice, to do that which would make 
 one's heart ache : it is his prerogative to send whom 
 he will, and upon what service he will. Let us lay 
 aside all discouraging thoughts, look to our call, rest 
 in God's will, anti know it is honour to be in his 
 service, though nothing come of it; we are accept- 
 able to him, if not to men, and shall find a reward 
 in heaven, if none on earth. 
 
 Obs. 5. 'That those who are sent of God mustdeliver, 
 not their ow-n, but God's message : " And thou shalt 
 say r.iito them. Thus saith the Lord God." A prophet 
 is OS Dei, the mouth of God; and it is great honour 
 to him, that the great God will speak by his tongue ; 
 " Thou shalt be as my mouth," Jer. xv. 19. So Jere- 
 miah had God's words put in his mouth, chap. i. 9; 
 and iliose he must speak, not his own words ; what 
 God commanded, that he must speak, and not what
 
 80 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. II. 
 
 himself fancied. When a man comes furnished 
 with the word of God, theti lie comes as a man of 
 God, with authority and power. This made the 
 apostle say, " Our weapons are not carnal," not the 
 words of man's wisdom, but the oracles of God, 
 " which are mighty through Gnd:" Acts xx. 27, he 
 delivered the whole counsel of God, and not his own. 
 
 Ver. 5. Afid they, whether they will hear, or 
 whether they wiU forbear, (for they are a rebel- 
 lious house,) yet shall knoiv that there hath been 
 a prophet among them. 
 
 Here the end or reason of the prophet's sending 
 is given. I send thee to this people : to take away 
 all pleas and pretences of theirs, thou shalt prophesy 
 unto them, and tell them of their sins, what I re- 
 quire at thy hands ; and if they will not hear, I have 
 not left myself without witnesses ; " they shall 
 know," i&c. They would otherwise have had to ob- 
 ject against thee, and said, If we had had a prophet 
 in our captivity to have reproved us for our sins, to 
 have showed us God's displeasure, our danger, and 
 the way to escape, we would have ceased from our 
 evil ways, have learned righteousness, and laid hold 
 of offers of mercy and grace ; but we had not any 
 to reprove or instruct us, we perished for want of 
 visions. It is true, we had prophets in our country, 
 but there they were common, and we did not much 
 regard them ; but had one been given us now in 
 this desolate, afflicted condition, we would have 
 hearkened, obeyed, etc. This objection God takes 
 away, and tells them, whether they will hear or no, 
 a prophet they shall have ; he will not be wanting 
 to them, they shall have no cause to object against 
 or complain of him. 
 
 " A rebellious house." The original 
 
 is, a house of rebellion. It is in the 
 
 abstract, and notes the strength and provocation of 
 
 their sin. The Vulgate hath it, the 
 
 exasperating house, the house that 
 
 Domus exasperiins. 
 
 provokes and vexes the Loril, or, the embittering 
 Irritans. Sept. housc, that embitters God ; and so the 
 fn'amarit'ud'ine'm'' Scptuagint renders that in the third 
 nie converiuut. vcrsc, wliich have rebelled against 
 me, which have turned me into bitterness, and made 
 me deal bitterly with them. A house, not because 
 God dwelt amongst them, and was now driven out 
 by their rebellions ; but a house, because they were 
 the family and seed of Israel. And this parenthesis 
 is inserted to ai-m the prophet against their obsti- 
 nacy, that he, understanding beforehand what they 
 were, might not be despondent, but proceed cheer- 
 fully in his work, whatever he met with. 
 
 Obs. 1. That there be few that hear and receive 
 the word savingly. I send thee to this jieople, and 
 there be not many among them that will entertain 
 thy message, or believe the word that I put into thy 
 mouth. " Whether they will hear, or forbear, for 
 they are a rebellious house." This strongly im- 
 ports they would not hear, not savingly, but rather 
 oppose the truth. There was a great number of 
 Ihem in Babylon, yet very few hearkened to the 
 
 firophet ; and so was it before they went into Baby- 
 on : Isa. liii. "Who hath believed our report?" 
 We have preached, and made report of God and 
 Christ, in the temple, in the synagogues, in the 
 gates and streets ; but, who hath believed us? Isaiah 
 was a princely prophet, had a princely language, 
 and yet neither among the great ones at court, nor 
 inferior sort, was there any considerable number; 
 for, Isa. viii. IS, he saith, " I and the children the 
 Lord hath given me, are for signs and wonders in 
 
 Israel." If tliey had been many, they would not 
 have been for wonders : that is a wonder which is 
 rare, and it is a rare thing for men and women to 
 believe the word of God. Multitudes flock to the 
 gates and posts of Wisdom, but few lay up sound 
 wisdom in their hearts : many hearers, few believers. 
 " We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a 
 stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness," 
 1 Cor. i. 24 ; the generality of both reject Christ 
 and his doctrine. Of those that hear the gospel, 
 scarce the hundredth man is a believing man, saith 
 Calvin. And Chrysostome exceeds him \„ ceniesimum 
 in his 40lh Hom'ily Ad Pop. Antioch. 'S.lZTcil?. m 
 He thinks that scarce the thousandth 7™. li'- 
 man that hears the word will be saved. °"q'ii1?ciSe 
 It is conceived by some expositors, that f;;fes,"„n°'^',"5"J^' 
 in Antioch were above a hundred thou- estquoii .iKiums 
 sand people ; and yet this father feared m";;nSi'po'lsu'ui 
 that hardly a hundred of them were >" .'<>' uMiiibus 
 
 .', ,, iii ij centum Hivfiiiri 
 
 right. Noah preached unto the old qu. saivemur, 
 
 world, and few or none hearkened. 3'^'li,o! ''olllfnin 
 
 When the Jews were in the wilderness, foi'T! «'. '» J"- 
 
 how few hearkened unto the voice or quanius in seni- 
 
 the Lord ! Of six hundred thousand ^ro^SrVahet.' 
 
 onlv Caleb and Joshua hearkened, muiiiiuHosumui 
 
 obeyed, and entered into Lanaan. set tmn mare. c«ryi. 
 
 asid'e all profane hearers, all negli- ^e','i'u,',^|"sed'S' 
 
 gent ones, all forgetful, all unbelieving ci»iestia'regna 
 
 ~ T ,■ 1 1 1 in paui-i perducun- 
 
 and unpractical hearers, and you shall iur. Greg. Uom. 
 find the number very few of sa\-ing i9. i>iAn™». 
 hearers. Many come to hear, but few get into 
 heaven. And you know what Christ hath said. That 
 narrow is the way to life, and few there be that find 
 it; but broad is the way to destruction, and many 
 there be that go in thereat. Let Christ speak, he is 
 not heard, not received ; let Satan or antichrist do it, 
 they are heard and followed. John v. 43, " I come in 
 my Father's name, and ye receive me not ; if another 
 .shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." 
 When antichrist came he was received ; Rev. xiii. 3, 
 " And all the world wondered after the beast and 
 worshipped the beast, saying. Who is like unto the 
 beast?" The doctrine and worship of the beast 
 was easy, suitable to carnal spirits ; but the doctrine 
 of Christ is spiritual, deep, contrary to our fleshly 
 and sinful principles. And herein the greatness of 
 the mystery of the gospel is set out, that few do hear 
 and believe. 
 
 Obs. 2. See the infinite goodness of God, that will 
 give a prophet to such a people as this. They were 
 rebellious, had slighted, rejected, abused all the pro- 
 phets in Canaan : 2 Chron. xxxvi. l.'i, 16, " The 
 Lord God sent to them by his messengers, because 
 he had compassion on them ; but they mocked the 
 messengers of God, despised his word, and misused 
 his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose, and 
 there was no remedy" or healing. God saw no- 
 thing would do them good, but that they must be 
 ruined by war, be thrown into captivity, and buried 
 in Babylon : yet such was the compassion and good- 
 ness of God, that he gives them a prophet here to 
 try them what they will do, whether they would 
 hear and Icaru righteousness : God will not be over- 
 come witli man's evil, but will overcome evil with 
 good. AVhfn the Jews had taken Christ the heir, 
 and i)ut him to death, yet he being risen, pours out 
 his Spirit upon the apostles, and gives them both to 
 Jews and gentiles ; and Peter, at a sermon, converted 
 some of those that had washed their hands in his 
 blood. When God will, nothing shall hinder his 
 kindness ; he will give the choicest ministers to the 
 most corru])t people. 
 
 Ohs. 3. That sinners in time come to a height and 
 perfection of sinning. They were not only a rebel-
 
 Ver. 5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 61 
 
 lious house, but a house of rebellion : when it comes 
 to the abslract once, it is at the height. As there is 
 a going on in God's ways to perfection, Heb. vi. 1, 
 so there is in sin's ways. James tells us of sin 
 iuapT,„ iiote- finished, perfected, chap. i. 15. Hence, 
 
 AeffStftru. Eccles. viii. 11, mention is made of 
 hearts fully set to do evil ; and, Jer. iii. 5, Judah is 
 said to speak and do evil, as she could: and Israel's 
 sins are called mighty sins, Amos v. 12; the ori- 
 Voriia peccata. giual is, bouy sins : as men when 
 DDTiN-.!:nc;-Bss tlieir bones are come to their full 
 growth, are strong, and men of might ; so is it in 
 sinning, when sins are come to their full growth, 
 then are they mighty sins. The like is that in Jer. 
 xliv. 16, 17, "As for the word thou hast spoken 
 unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken 
 unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever 
 thing goeth out of our own mouth ; to burn incense 
 to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offer- 
 ings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, 
 our kings, and our princes," &c. This was the sin 
 of Judah, her whole heart and will was in it; and 
 Israel was not behind : Hos. ii. 5, " I will go after 
 my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my 
 wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink." They 
 sinned with greediness, as they in Ephes. iv. 11), 
 wliich sets out the greatness of their sin. The 
 Scripture calls such sinners, sons of Belial ; Judg. 
 xix. '2'2, " Sons of Belial beset the house round 
 about," where the Levite and his concubine were, 
 in the old man's house at Gibcah ; they got her and 
 forced her to death. These were sons of Belial in- 
 deed, without profit, as some interj)ret the word, 
 without yoke, as others ; that is, lawless, rebellious 
 men, men of wickedness, given to wickedness ; as 
 Hophni and Phinehas, 1 Sam. ii. 12; such as Christ 
 will have nothing to do with, 2 Cor. vi. 15, unless it 
 be to destroy them. 
 
 Obs. 4. That sin is an embittering thing. The 
 house of rebellion may be termed the house of bit- 
 terness, that deals bitterly with me, and embitters 
 my Spirit against them : Hos. xii. 14, " Ephraim 
 provoked him to anger most bitterly," with bitter- 
 
 _,„,f._ nesses. Ephraim's sins were sins full 
 Ptrrafa sum of bittcmess ; tlicy turn God's sweet- 
 Pe""'"'""" ness into bitterness, his patience into 
 o iniqiiitas pec- wrath, his bowels into wormwood. If 
 tern Uei in «ina- any tlinig Can sadden divme nature, 
 vma!""' ™"' ^"<J embitter the same, it is sin. 'What 
 a bitter thing is it, that God should be 
 thrust out of his throne and temple, and an idol set 
 up ! "What a bitter thing, that the heart and con- 
 science, which is the seat of God, should be the 
 habitation of lusts and devils ! When God sees this, 
 it doth much embitter his spirit. ^Vhen Christ hung 
 upon the cross, they gave him gall and vinegar to 
 drink, which was a bitter provocation ; and when 
 we sin, we give God and Christ jmre gall to drink. 
 Lam. i. 18, the words there are, " The Lord is right- 
 eous, for I have rebelled against his commandment ;" 
 ,_.,^_ .,_,„ , the Hebrew is otherwise, because I 
 have made bitter his mouth, I have 
 given him gall and wormwood to drink, a cup of re- 
 bellion and disobedience ; he is righteous in these 
 bitter afflictions, because I have embittered his mouth 
 Felle el i.in«riiu- '^^^ Spirit with my bitter sins. God 
 rijne propmare is all love, sweetness, mercy, and would 
 not afflict and deal bitterly with us, if 
 we did not drink to him in gall, provoke him by our 
 sins to it, Hos. xiii. 16, " Samaria shall become 
 desolate, for she hath rebelled against God;" the 
 Quoniam ad ama- Vulgate is, because she hath stirred 
 lilaD'"" '"'"'' "P *° bitterness : and he will deal 
 
 eumsuum. ^s bitterly by her ; " They shall fall by 
 
 G 
 
 the sword," saith God, " their infants shall be dash- 
 ed in pieces, and their women with child shall be 
 ripped up." Here was great bitterness, we think, 
 but it is nothing to the bitterness of our sins : our 
 sins cross God's will, darken his glory, murdered his 
 Son, grieve and vex his Spirit, deface his work, and 
 burden him daily. There is a double bitterness 
 considerable about sin, the bitterness in sin, and 
 that for sin : this last God never tastes, but all man- 
 kind hath, and shall taste ; fears, sorrows, troubles, 
 sickness, death, Hcc. ; but the other bitterness in sin, 
 God always tastes it. Deut. xxxii. 32, " Their 
 grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter;" 
 both their works and worship are bitter, there is 
 hypocrisy and superstition in them. There cannot be 
 the least dram of gall in any thing his people do, 
 especially in worshiji, but the Lord tastes it, and 
 distastes it. Our mouths are so out of relish, that we 
 find sweet in sin, which is gall, wormwood, yea, bit- 
 terness itself. Job XX. 12 — 14, "Though wicked- 
 ness be sweet in his mouth, he hide it under his 
 tongue ; keep it, and will not forsake it : yet his 
 meat in his bow'cls is turned, it is the gall of asps 
 within him." It is a metaiihor fi-om a man given to 
 his appetite, who meeting with some sweet, pleasing 
 morsel, keeps it long in his mouth, sucks out the 
 sweet, delights his sense with it, and f)„„,j paij,„,n 
 lets it not go down too quickly ; but oUectavn vis- 
 
 1 -, . T -, * •■ 1 Cera uisrumpit. 
 
 w hen it IS down it proves a poisoned 
 bit; and though it pleased his palate, yet it tor- 
 ments his bowels. So sin in most men's mouths, in 
 their fancies and to their senses, is sweet, and they 
 roll it up and down in their thoughts, and delight 
 themselves in a conceited jileasure of it; but there is 
 the gall of asps in it, the bitterness of death. And 
 Solomon, who had found sweetness in the ways of 
 the flesh, at last felt and acknowledged the bitterness 
 in sin, and in that sin, Eccles. vii. 26, " I find more 
 bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares 
 and nets." Prov. v. 4, " Her end is bitter as worm- 
 wood." The bitterness in sin will be tasted at one 
 time or other: Jer. ii. 19, " It is an evil thing and 
 bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God." 
 
 Obs. 5. A rebellious people grow worse by the 
 means of grace. Let them hear the word, or have 
 it tendered to them, they are more obstinate, oppo- 
 site than before. The point rises thus: "whether they 
 will hear or no ; for they are a rebellious house." 
 They will not hear, they will not receive thee nor 
 thy message ; but out of their old malice and rebel- 
 lious dispositions, they will be the worse for a pro- 
 phet sent unto them ; more hardened they will be 
 against thee, thy person, thy doctrine, thy conver- 
 sation, and thy calling; they will quarrel and ques- 
 tion all. Jer. xliv. 16, 17, "As for the word that 
 thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, 
 we will not hearken unto thee: but we will certainly 
 do whatever thing goeth out of our own mouth." 
 They were the worse for the prophet, more obstinate 
 and set against him, and the truths he Facicmio faiic- 
 delivered : In doing we will do ; since mus, isihe iici.r. 
 thou hast spoken to the contrary, we are more re- 
 solved and set upon it. When Christ the great Pro- 
 phet was sent unto the Jews, did they not grow 
 more hard, vile, and opposite to him and his doc- 
 trine? did they not question his calling, and (|uar- 
 rel at his conversation ? When Christ had told them 
 that the Spirit was upon him, and that he was sent 
 to preach the gospel, deliverance, liberty, the accept- 
 able year, Luke iv. 18, 19 ; and spake so, as that they 
 wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out 
 of his mouth; yet, in ver.28, 29, it is said, "All tlicy 
 that were in the synagogue, when they heard these 
 things, were filled with wrath, and rose up, and
 
 82 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chu'. II. 
 
 thrust him out of the city, and led him iinto the 
 brow of the hill, that they might cast him down 
 heatUong." Christ was a Nazarene ; and yet thus 
 would the Nazarenes have served their Prophet, 
 their Messiah, their own citizen ; they would have 
 thrown him down, and broke his neck and bones 
 Est pejor magis- together : which made Ambrose say, 
 tp. cTiscjpuiDn.m that these men were worse than the 
 devil ; because when he had Christ 
 upon the top of the pinnacle, he offered not to throw 
 him down, but said, " Throw thyself down ;" but these 
 would have thrown him down with their own hands. 
 Wicked men storm and rage against Christ, his doc- 
 trine and doings : Luke vi. 11, when he had con- 
 futed their corrupt opinions about the sabbath, and 
 healed the man with the withered hand, it is said, 
 " They were filled with madness, and communed 
 one with another what they might do to Jesus." 
 You may see how the words of Christ ripened their 
 corruptions. The gospel is like the sun, which ripens 
 weeds as well as corn, crabs as well as good fruit ; 
 the vine of Sodom, Deut. xxxii. 32, as well as the 
 vine of Sibmah, Isa. xvi. 8; and the vineyards of 
 Timnath among the Philistines, Judg. xiv. 5, as 
 the vineyards of Engcdi among the Israelites, Cant. 
 i. 14. And so the word of God and gospel of Christ 
 ripen the corruptions of the rebellious, as well as 
 the graces of the regenerate : Judas's treason, the 
 Pharisees' hypocrisy, are ripened by the word, as 
 well as John's love, and Nathanael's sincerity. In 
 the hottest countries are the rankest poisons, the 
 most venomous serpents ; and in England, which is 
 zona torrida for the means of grace, is the bitterest 
 enmity to godliness, here are the rankest serpents 
 that ever lived. 
 
 Obs. 6. That God will leave wicked men without 
 excuse. It is God's intention ; they shall never be 
 able to challenge me, nor to justify Ihcmselves. 
 God's primary intentions, where he sends prophets 
 and means of grace, are the good of his elect, their 
 comfort, sanctilication, and salvation; but his second- 
 ary intentions, are the inexcusablencss of the wicked, 
 and their just damnation. Hence is it that the 
 apostle saith, " We are the savour of life unto life, 
 and the savour of death unto death," 2 Cor. ii. 16. 
 There is a sort of men that the gospel is a sweet 
 savour unto, they smell life in it, and it revives them, 
 it works unto life; and these are the elect ones. But 
 there is another sort, that the gospel is a savour of 
 death unto ; they smell death in it, and find deadly 
 effects from it ; tliey are hardened, made worse, embit- 
 tered, and so it works unto death ; it is like a strong 
 scent, that kills immediately : and those it proves 
 so unto, are the reprobate, the lost, whose minds the 
 god of this world hath lilinded, 2 Cor. iv. 4. Christ 
 also tells us, John ix. 3'J, " For judgment I am come 
 into this world, that they which sec not might sec; 
 and that they which see might be made blind." His 
 iirst aim was at those under election, to do them 
 good, to make them see ; the secondary end and aim 
 was, to make others blind, that is, such as were in 
 a reprobate condition. When God sends his word 
 to any place, it shall and must prosper in the thing 
 whereunto he sends it, Isa. Iv. II; be it to win and 
 draw, or to harden and make inexcusable. Sec Isa. 
 vi. 9, 10, " Go and tell this people. Hear ye indeed, 
 but understand not; see ye, but perceive not. Make 
 the heart of this people fat, make their ears heavy, 
 and .shut their eyes," Sec. And this scripture is six 
 times in the New Testament repeated ; intimating, 
 that as people are hardened under the means, so 
 they are inexcusable having had the means ; and it 
 is a dreadful condition, to have law or gospel, pro- 
 phets or apostles, and not to thrive by them. Christ 
 
 pronounces a woe to the cities, Matt. xi. that had 
 the means of grace, and mighty works done in them, 
 and reiiented not ; he tells them, it shall be more 
 tolerable for Sodom than for them, at the day of 
 judgment. Cursed Sodomites, that were destroyed 
 with so dreadful a judgment from Heaven, shall find 
 more favour at the day of judgment, and more ease 
 in hell after that day, than any that have had the 
 gospel and means of grace, and not profited by them. 
 Let us learn to tremble at the word of God, hear it 
 as the word of God, as that word that shall judge us, 
 and receive the truthsof God with love ; lestotherwise 
 God send us strong delusions, and we be damned for 
 not believing the truth. 
 
 Obs. 7. Wicked men shall one day be awakened, 
 and see what mercy, what means, offers of grace, 
 they have refused and slighted. " They shall know 
 that there hath been a prophet amongst them." The 
 time shall come, that they shall see and feel that I 
 was near, that my word was among them, that sal- 
 vation was at their doors. They shall find me a 
 severe Judge, that would not accept of me a tender 
 Father. Men go on a long time in a careless, sleepy, 
 or scorning way ; but when sickness comes, death 
 is before them, and they ready to take possession of 
 an eternal condition, then their conscience stings 
 them, and they feel what an evil it is, that they have 
 opposed, neglected, undervalued the prophets, and 
 sons of the prophets. The adulterer wUl be roused 
 out of his plcasin^ dream and soft bed at last, " And 
 say. How have I hated instruction, and my heart 
 despised reproof: and have not obeyed the voice of 
 my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that in- 
 structed me !" Prov. v. 12, 13. There will bo strong 
 convictions in the bosom of such a sinner, and con- 
 science will sound in his ears, and set upon his spi- 
 rit those truths of his teachers that formerly have 
 been despised. When Pharaoh and the Egyptians 
 were in the Red sea, and the old world had the flood 
 about its ears, what language did their consciences 
 speak ? Did they not tell them, they had had Moses 
 and Noah, prophets and preachers of righteousness, 
 and gave no ear to them ? did they not sting them 
 to death, and make them cry out, and say, O that 
 we had hearkened to those servants of the living 
 God ? Whilst wicked men are hearing, sometimes 
 their consciences arc nettled and galled. " The high 
 priest, and all with him," when they heard and saw 
 what was done by the apostles, they " were filled 
 with indignation:" Acts v. 17; and John viii. 59, 
 the Jews were so vexed at Christ, that they took up 
 stones to east at him : and those that 
 heard Stephen, Acts vii. 54, •' They tZS.T,",;,"- 
 were cut to the heart, and gnashed on 'relnfsifpi'ian'um. 
 him with their teeth ;" with the saw •'eni'isus cniubri- 
 
 c T 1 .1 Ills stiulebant 
 
 of anger, malice, and envy, they were qi.em quasi ssr- 
 even sawn in sunder, and gnashed on P^JIebTn't" "'^''' 
 him with their teeth. And if the word ■i''i>- Serm. 6. </e 
 were so terrible, while they had shifts """ ' 
 to evade the stroke of it, and comforts to allay the 
 power of it, what would it be to them at last, when 
 all shifts and comforts should fail them ! Some 
 have confessed their consciences have been so af- 
 fected at the hearing of some men, as they never 
 were in all their days before ; others, that truths 
 have been so darted into them, they could not get 
 them out in a week or month after ; they have stuck 
 like arrows in their livers, and have p.iories iiimi- 
 been half-deaths unto them. What ''"'"^■ 
 
 will the word be at last unto rebellious sinners ? It 
 will arrest them, and be most terrible unto them : 
 'Zech. i. 6, " Did not my words take hold of your 
 fathers ?" It did, and will do in these days ; John xii. 
 48, the word of Christ will judge and condemn sin-
 
 Vkr. 6. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 83 
 
 ners, be an Anathema Maranatlia unto tlieni, and 
 they shall know it. 
 
 Obs. 8. That the prophets shall be witnesses at 
 last, for or against their hearers. " They shall know- 
 there hath been a prophet amongst thcni ;" his per- 
 son, his pains, his truths, his life, his sulTerings, his 
 death, will all come in for witnesses one day. Every 
 prophet, every preacher that Christ sends, is a wit- 
 ness, as well as an officer or a minister; Acts xxvi. 
 16. 1 have made '• thee a minister and a witness." 
 All faithful ministers are Christ's witnesses, Acts i. 
 8. They bear witness of Christ and his doctrine ; 
 and if we receive not him and his doctrine, they 
 will be Christ's witnesses against us. When the 
 Lord Christ shall say to a people, I have knocked 
 at your doors many years together, but ye would 
 not open unto me ; I tendered life and salvation, 
 grace and glory, in my gospel and ordinances, 
 but you would none of them ; you had your farms, 
 oxen, and W"ivcs to take up your thoughts, mam- 
 mon to serve, honour and praise to seek of one 
 another, examjiles of men to follow, &c. As for me 
 and my prophets, my ministers, you despised, or only 
 gave the hearing, and that was all : and my charge 
 is not false; here are my witnesses. AVhat say you to 
 it ? Speak, you ministers of such a city, and such a 
 place. AVhat, did you not preach many a sermon, 
 shed many a tear, sweat many a drop, make many a 
 prayer for them ? did ye not early and late watch for 
 the good of their souls? &c. Yea, Lord, but they 
 would not receive us, they would not believe our re- 
 port we made of thee, they would not take thy yoke 
 upon them. Sec. ; we shook off the dust of our feet 
 against them. This will be dreadful, when such 
 witness of the prophets comes in against hearers. 
 
 Ver. 6. And fhoii, son of man, be not afraid 
 of them, neither be afraid of their words, t/ioiigh 
 briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell 
 among scorpions : be nut afraid of their words, 
 nor be dismai/ed at their looks, though the)/ be a 
 rebellious house. 
 
 The prophet being sti-uck down with the sight of 
 his glory which sat upon the throne, in the former 
 chapter, is lifted up and comforted by the Spirit, in 
 the two first verses, and called to public service, in 
 the three next, and that among a wretched, rebellious 
 people. In this and the two next verses, the Lord 
 Christ gives him instruction concerning his office. 
 
 First, ne^iatively, in the Gth verse, "Be not afraid 
 of them ;" I have made thee a prophet, and it is not 
 for a prophet to fear the face of man. 
 
 Secondly, positively, in the 7lh verse, where he 
 informs him, whose words he must speak unto them ; 
 "Thou shalt speak my words unto them :" it is not 
 for a prophet to speak his own words, but the words 
 of him that sends him. 
 
 Thirdly, both negatively and positively, in the 8th 
 verse ; " Be not thou rebellious, like that rebellious 
 house:" they will not hear me, submit to my laws, 
 walk in my ways, they go after their own counsels, 
 wills, lusts ; but be not thou like them. And then 
 positively, " Open thy mouth, and eat that I give 
 thee." 
 
 In the 6th verse you have, 
 
 1. The appellation, "Son of man." 
 
 2. The instruction, pi'ohibition, or duty, " Be not 
 afraid," which is often repeated in the verse. 
 
 3. The causes and grounds of fear are specified, 
 which arc divers : 
 
 First, the fpialitv of their persons. Thou mavst 
 G 2 
 
 pretend they are great, princes and no- 
 bles, b 
 them. 
 
 bles, but "be not afr 
 
 reat, pri 
 rifraid," 
 
 meheiii, from 
 
 The second cause is their words. They will re- 
 proach thee, and seek by evil speeches to d'iscourage 
 thee, but, " Be not thou afraid of their words." 
 
 The third is their looks. They will look strangely, 
 frown bitterly, swell against thee, and brow-beat 
 thee ; " Be not dismayed at their looks." 
 
 The fourth is their disposition : 
 
 1. Metaphorically, by briers, thorns, and scorpions ; 
 they will scratch and tear, sting and kill. 
 
 2. Literally, " They are a rebellious house." 
 
 " Fear not, be not afraid, be not dismayed," &c. 
 These words are four times mentioned in the verse, 
 to show our aptness unto fear, and to show the for- 
 wardness of the Lord Christ to cure our fear. The 
 word dismayed (there is no difficulty in the other) 
 comes from a word that signifies to bruise or beat 
 in pieces. Be not thou so aftected wdth fear, as to 
 have thy spirit faint, broken, sink, and discouraged 
 within thee: "be not dismayed," let not thy spirit 
 yield at all, stand it out; show thyself a man of 
 courage, a man of God, carrying thyself in thy place 
 befitting the Son of God that put thee in that place. 
 
 The greater difficulty lies in the other words ; 
 briers, thorns, and scorpions. 
 
 " Briers," d»3-id This Hebrew word 
 is no where found in holy writ, except """^ x^i™"""- 
 in this place. The rabbles speak of twenty kinds 
 of thorns in Scripture, whereof tliis is one, and notes 
 briers with sharp pricks, which do fret and burn in 
 the pricking, much like unto a nettle ; and therefore 
 Kircker thinks the w'ord here to signify nettles : the 
 Jews would be as nettles unto the prophet; and net- 
 tles are stinging, burning things. The u,,icii. ab 
 Septuagintexpressesitbyaword which uremi"- 
 notes a'kind of madness : as cattle that l"Z°MMS%[k- 
 are bit with flies which suck blood, and si ii.ives xsuo 
 make them run as if they were mad; uHciiei resisteuies 
 so they should, like wild beasts, grow •*'"'• 
 cruel and outrageous against the prophet. Shindler 
 interprets it, rebellious, contumacious ; others, re- 
 fractory, drawing back, and stubbornly RerractMntes. 
 resisting. '^•""■ 
 
 " Thorns," sallonim. Spinee aculealee, 
 sharp-pointed thorns. Ezek. xxviii. 24, '^'^'^ l'' 
 Spina dolorijica, " a pricking brier, a grieving thorn." 
 The Septuagint, an otTenee of bitter- 
 ness, or, a bitter offence. The word "'"""'^ """■""■ 
 hereinourtextisinthe Vulgate, subvert- ^ ^ 
 ers, because thorns ni a man s way do 
 hinder and subvert him ; therefore Kircker thinks 
 sil/o7i is from salal, which is, properly, to lay heaps 
 of earth and stones in the way ; and so here heaps of 
 thorns, which may prick and offend passengers. 
 
 There is one word more to open, and that is scor- 
 pion. 
 
 " Scorpion," D'3">pV It signifies sometimes spi- 
 nosiun lierbam, a plant that grows in the form of a 
 scorpion, whereof instruments were made to scourge 
 malefaclors. 1 Kings xii. 14, Rehoboam would chas- 
 tise them with scorpions, that is, with whips that had 
 hooks in them, resembling the claws and stings of 
 scorpions. It is also a living creature, venomous, 
 hurtful, and stinging with its tail; Deut. viii. 15, 
 " God led them through the great and terrible wil 
 dcrness, where were fiery serpents and scorpions." 
 Mercer thinks the word to be from <;e„ri,i™ \ 
 2py the heel or hoof, because this iKOfji.Ce.i' 
 serpent doth bite those parts, and the ^°'' ""' 
 name scorpion is from its scattering and throwing 
 its poison up and down. 
 
 Now the great business we have to do, is to open
 
 84 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CllAI". II. 
 
 unto you who are meant by these thorns, briers, and 
 scorpions. And by these are meant wicked and un- 
 godly men. I shall make that out unlo you from 
 two places of Scripture : Josh, xxiii. 13, " They shall 
 be scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes ; " 
 he speaks of the nations that were wicked and among 
 them. And Luke x. 19, Christ tells the Seventy, they 
 should " tread upon serpents and scorpions," that is, 
 wicked men, which are like unto those venomous 
 creatures ; and thrice in Matthew are wicked men 
 called " a generation of vipers," Matt. iii. ^ ; xii. 34 ; 
 xxiii. 33. 
 
 I will show you, 
 
 I. Wherein they resemble thorns ; and, 
 
 II. Scorpions : and then draw some conclusions. 
 I. Ungodly men are like unto thorns in these 
 
 respects : 
 
 First, they are worthless things, of little use ; they 
 serve to make a hedge, to stop a gap, and that is all ; 
 they are not for great use and service. And wicked 
 men are worthless things : Prov. x. 20, " The heart of 
 the wicked is little worth;" the best part of a wicked 
 man, his heart, is of little or no value. His lands may 
 be worth somewhat ; his shop, his clothes, his jewels 
 may be of great value ; but himself is a worthless 
 thing. Jer. xxii. 28, Coniah, king of Judah, because 
 wicked, is called "a despised broken idol, a vessel 
 wherein is no pleasure." " An idol," saith the apostle, 
 1 Cor. viii. 4, "is nothing in the world;" that is, a 
 thing of no moment, of no use. What then is a 
 broken idol? That is altogether inconsiderable. But 
 may there not be some beauty, some engraving, some 
 gildiuguponitjthatmay delight? No; heis"avessel 
 wherein is no pleasure ; " he is so far from delighting 
 at all. that he is a vessel loathsome, to be cast on the 
 dunghill, and trod nnder-foot. Hence in Daniel, Anti- 
 ochusEpij'hanesiscallcd"avileperson," Dan.xi. 21 ; 
 one so little worth, as to be sc< rr.ed and rejected as 
 a vile thing. And Job, speaking of such men, tells us 
 they are " viler than the earth," men to be trod and 
 spit upon as the vilest earth, Job xxx. 8. 
 
 Secondly, they are vexing and grieving things. 
 Ezek. xxviii. 24, there is mention made of the j.rick- 
 ing brier and grieving thorn ; and wicked men are 
 ftill of prickles and grievances. " If you will not 
 drive out the inhabitants of the land fi'om before you, 
 then those you let remain of them shall be pricks in 
 your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you 
 in the land wherein you dwell," Numb, xxxiii. 55. 
 
 Wherein lies this grieving and thorny disposition 
 of the wicked ? 
 
 I. In tlieir words : and that appears, 
 
 (1.) In their misconstruing the words and ways 
 of the gfdly. Matt. xxvi. 61, .said the witnesses 
 against Christ, " This fellow said, I am able to de- 
 stroy the temple of God, and build it in three days." 
 They mistook Christ, v, ho "^lake cf the temple of 
 his body," John ii. 21. Jer. xxvi. 4, G, " Tliou shalt 
 say unto them. Thus saith the Lord ; If ye will not 
 hearken to me, to walk in my law, then \\'ill I make 
 this house like Shiloh, and this city a curse." Now 
 in the i)th verse see how they mistook liis words, 
 and perverted his meaning; "Why hast thou pro- 
 phesied in the name of the Lord, saying. This house 
 shall be like Shiloh, and this city desolate ?" He had 
 told them it should be so, if they did not hearken, 
 repent, and amend ; but they left out that, and 
 pretend he had absolutely said, " This house shall be 
 like Sliiloh." So many people mistake the ministers, 
 and say they preach damnation, when it is condition- 
 ally ; if they repent not and believe, they must then 
 certainly look for damnation. 
 
 (2.) In their calunniiations. They forge lies and 
 falsehoods. Job's friends charged him with lies, hy- 
 
 pocrisy, pride, S:c.; but he tells them they are "forgers 
 of lies," Job xiii. 4; you come to comfort me, 
 but you wound me with your lies and co.uiimarunt 
 slanders. And David found this, Psal. nwinUcja. Va 
 cxix. 6y, "The proud have forged a ° '"" 
 lie." They trim up lies with shadows of truth and 
 neat language ; they have mints to frame their lies 
 curiously in, and presses to print their lies withal. 
 Sanballat calumniates Nehemiah, that zealous and 
 faithful servant of God, and tells him. It is reported 
 among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou 
 and the Jews think to rebel ; that thou wilt be king, 
 and hast appointed preachers at Jerusalem to say, 
 There is a king in Judah, Neh. vi. G. Here was a 
 malicious forgery, a trim lie, and no less reproach 
 than rebel, traitor, must be laid upon this great 
 worthy and reformer in Israel. Nehemiah returns 
 an answer, ver. 8, " There are no such things done as 
 thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own 
 heart." The devil is the father of lies, John viii. 
 44, and all his children are like him, forgers of lies. 
 Jer. XX. 10, " Report," said Jeremiah's back friends, 
 " and we will report it ; " invent some slanders, some 
 lie against the prophet, and we will report it, spread 
 it, carry it to the king's court and ear, and cause 
 him to smart for his boldness. Jeremiah heard the 
 defaming of many ; it was their daily work. They 
 said, " Let us smite him with the tongue," Jer. xviii. 
 18. No man can have a beautiful and well-favoured 
 name for these briers ; they will scratch it, and make 
 it very bloody : it was their daily work. The 
 christians in the primitive time were accused of all 
 the evils that fell out: if there were great floods, 
 famines, wars, earthquakes, plagues, in the Roman 
 commonwealth, they cried, Away with chriscmui ad 
 the christians to (he lions ; and Austin ieo"M. 
 observeth, that they made it a proverb. 
 The rain failed, because the christian dmsi'ri.nrSu- 
 name was suffered. "is sratia. 
 
 (3.) Daring, provoking w'ords. Neh. vi. 2, San- 
 ballat and Geshem dared Nehemiah to meet them ; 
 " Come, let us meet together in one of the villages." 
 Four times they sent unto liim in that manner, think- 
 ing by this way to have drawn out Nehemiah, and done 
 him mischief. Daring provocation comes from the 
 wicked, and herein they are thorns and briers. 
 
 (4.) Scorning, scoffing speeches. Neh. iv. 2, when 
 the walls of Jerusalem were building, Sanballat 
 scoffs, and says, " What do these feeble Jews ? will 
 they fortify themselves ? will they sacrifice ? will 
 they make an end in a day ? will they revive the 
 stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are 
 burned ? " And so Tobiah, " If a fox go up, he shall 
 even break down their stone wall." These scoH's and 
 jeers went to the heart of Nehemiah, and made him 
 pierce the heavens for help ; " Hear, O our God ; for 
 we are despised : " the Hebrew is, desiiight ; we 
 are not only despised, but we and our work are de- 
 spight, in the abstract. Mockings are r,uii,ervv,,raii.,i 
 biting things, therefore they are called Grnnauaiiia Ues- 
 eruel mockings, Heb. xi. 3G. Ishmael's 
 mocking of Isaac, Gen. xxi. 'J, is called a perse- 
 cution, Gal. iv. 29. The servants of God have been 
 mocked and reproached in all ages. 
 
 (5.) Threatenings. Acts iv. 17, " Let us straitly 
 threaten them, that they speak no more in Christ's 
 name ; " and ver. 21, "When they had further threat- 
 ened them." Their tongues were tipt with threats; 
 they were thorny tongues, miiue aunt xpitup, threats 
 are thorns, and pricked them on to the throne of grace, 
 and made them ])ray as men pierced to the quick : for, 
 ver. 29, " Now, Lord, behold their threatenings," let 
 not them w'ound and weaken us, but " grant unto thy i 
 servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy I
 
 Veb. 6. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 85 
 
 woi'd." vSaul, Acts ix. 1, breathed out threatenings 
 against the saints. He was Bcnoni, a son of affliction 
 to the church : so are all wicked men, and their 
 tongues are thorns. Hence they are said in Scrip- 
 ture to he "whet," Psal. Ixiv. 3; to be "a sharp 
 sword," Psal. Ivii. 4, "a sharp razor," Psal. lii.2; and 
 the words of it are called " arrows, bitter words, 
 devouring words," Psal. Hi. 4, "deadly words," Prov. 
 xviii. 21. Death and life are in the power of the 
 tongue ; it comforts, it destroys. Take the tongue of 
 an evil man that slanders and backbites, it is a great 
 murderer. We read of some double-tongued, 1 Tim. 
 iii. 8; but such a one is treble-tongued, and kills, 
 as Bernard saith, three at once ; him- 
 i;i'."fius h Icl-ps! s^lf 'hat speaks, the person he speaks 
 Btniarj. to, and him he speaks of: and the 
 
 l-eloilese: Mor- , • , it.- , 
 
 lis lere iiiiicum worst IS, he murdcrs riis own soul, 
 tvlli" '"'°'''' '^"* Therefore Chrysostom observes well, 
 and saith. The tongue is almost the 
 very gate of death, it is the death and ruin of most 
 men in the world. 
 
 (6.) "Their tongues are briers and thorns," in re- 
 gard of their slighting and undervaluing of God's 
 servants ; as Paul is called a babbler, Christ, a fel- 
 low, the carpenter's son. And many of God's servants 
 are slighted in these days ; such words they meet 
 with as are thorns and pricks in their sides and 
 eyes. Because I will not multiply, take their 
 blasphemies, what thorns are those ! thorns to 
 God, and thorns to man. When the French had got 
 some victory in Scotland against the reforming party 
 there, the queen regent brake out into these speeches, 
 " Where is now Knox's God ? Now my God is better 
 than Knox's God." Here was a blasphemous passage. 
 And have we not such blasphemies in our days ? 
 Where is now j'our God of prayer and fasting ? 
 W' hat is become of all your hearing, preaching, and 
 seeking of your God i' I might add another parti- 
 cular, which is the thorny counsels that wicked 
 men do give. 1 Kings xxi. 9, what counsel Jezebel 
 gave against Naboth ! " Proclaim a fast, set him up 
 on high among the people, and set two sons of Be- 
 lial before him, to bear witness against him, that he 
 blasphemed God and the king ;" here were words of 
 death, here was counsel from hell. It is not un- 
 known what ill counsel hath been given his Majesty 
 of late, and likewise to many others. 
 
 2. In their looks; that is in the text also. There is 
 much in the faces of men to daunt and trouble ; men's 
 spirits are much discerned by their faces : Gen. xxxi. 
 5, I see your father's countenance is not towards 
 me as before, by his face I find a diftercnce in his 
 spirit, saith Jacob to his wives ; he found no favour 
 in it. The face is the seat of favour or frowns. 
 There is some majesty in the face and looks of man; 
 and when he is angry, frowns, there is majestical 
 terror in it. In Prov. xxv. 23, there is mention of an 
 angry countenance, and it is likened to a north wind, 
 which is cold and scattering ; it drives away the 
 clouds that have the rain in them : and ofttimes 
 wicked men have such northern countenances, that 
 they discourage, if not drive away, the prophets, who 
 come with the dews of heaven. When men frown, 
 knit their brows, look angrily, they have put on viz- 
 ards, and they be scaring things : Jobxxiv. 15, "He 
 disguiseth his face ;" he is like a man that hath on 
 someterrible vizard, which affrights those that behold 
 it. One of theNevils, earl of Warwick, had so terrible 
 a look when moved a little, that it was said of him, 
 every wrinkle in his forehead was a sepulchre to 
 bury a prince in : he was of kin to that nation, Deut. 
 xx\-iii. 50, that had fierce countenances. And Anti- 
 ochus, a wicked king, is described in Dan. viii. 23, to 
 be of a fierce countenance ; his very aspect was ter- 
 
 rible. And some have been blasted by the frowns of 
 mortals. When some men frown, look sour, and 
 sparkle with their eyes, they prove basilisks, and 
 kill those they look upon. 
 
 3. Like thorns in their catching nature ; they 
 catch hold of a man when he thinks he is rid of 
 them, and entangle him more : so wicked men, 
 when you think you have satisfied them, and done 
 with them, they catch hold again, they seek new 
 advantages. Jer. xx. 10, " All my familiars watched 
 for my halting, saying, Peradventure he w ill be en- 
 ticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall 
 take our revenge on him." The words, " all my 
 familiars," in the Hebrew are, every man of my 
 peace. I thought I had satisfied all their cavils, 
 slanders, and objections, that they had aimed at my 
 peace and good ; but they w'atchcd for my halting, 
 they sought to entice me, and get advantage. This 
 is the nature of wicked men. Christ, when he had 
 to do with any sort of them, he convinced them, 
 stopped their mouths, they went away and left 
 him, and yet they were not satisfied, but sent, 
 and set men to catch him in his words, Mark xii. 
 13. W'hen the godly fall into the courts and prisons 
 where wicked men have some power, what advan- 
 tages do they seek against them. And when nothing 
 can be proved, no reason but they shoidd be dis- 
 missed, fees are multiplied, oaths and protestations 
 tendered ; and unless these thorns may scratch them, 
 and draw blood from their purses and consciences, 
 they will hold them fast, and liberty must not be 
 had. 
 
 4. A thorn will never alter its nature ; set it 
 in the garden or orchard, water it with milk or 
 wine, do what you will to the thorn, when you have 
 done all, a thorn is a thorn : so is the nature of 
 wicked and ungodly men. Transplant them whither 
 you will, bring them from the country to the city, 
 from the city to the court, put them in high or low- 
 places, bring them to the water's side, to the rivers 
 of God, plant them in the orchards of God, in para- 
 dise itself, under the means of grace, let them have 
 the dew of heaven, the shining of the sun ; — a wicked 
 man, he abides wicked still, he will not alter his 
 nature, he will be no more a changeling ; he is a black- 
 amoor, he W'ill be a blackamoor ; he will live and 
 die in his way, though he perish in that way. 
 
 5. Thorns are for the fire, Psal. Iviii. 9, "Be- 
 fore your pots can feel the thorns," the heat of the 
 fire made with thorns : they are for burning : and 
 that is the end of wicked ones, Isa. x. 17, " The 
 light of Israel shall be for a fire ; and it shall burn 
 and devour his thorns and his briers in one day." 
 In fire is light and heat; God would be light to 
 Israel, comfort and joy, but heat and burning to the 
 Assyrian ; he sent down fire to burn the sacrifice, 
 and' he would send a fire to burn the Assyrians, 
 w'hich were briers and thorns to the Jews, and that 
 in one day. And when was this ? When he sent an 
 angel, and slew 185,000. Here was fire from heaven, 
 a seraphim, a coal of juniper, that burnt up such a 
 thicket of briers and thorns ; and after this fire they 
 fell into a worse, even the fire of hell, which is the 
 place prepared for all the wicked: Psal. ix. 17. 
 " The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the 
 nations that forget God;" there is their end. Hell 
 is large enough to hold all ; Isa. xxx. 33, it is " deep 
 and large, the pile thereof is fire and much wood ;" 
 it is silra execrabilis, an accursed wood ; such wood 
 the earth brought forth upon the curse, briers and 
 thorns. Gen. iii. 18, and the wicked are the fruit of 
 the curse. This phrase " much wood," 
 
 some expositors think, hath reference 
 
 to the fact of the Jews, when the 185,000 Assyrians
 
 86 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. If. 
 
 When they will 
 srin;;, I eit;a 
 Vfituiit. lit a 
 nobis decl inure 
 viile.iiitiji'. Cii: 
 rad. til Apocal. 
 
 D-eni> 
 
 were slain in the valley of Tophet, they made great 
 piles of wood, and burnt those bodies. So God hath 
 piles of wood, thousands and millions of wicked ones, 
 briers and brambles heaped together ; and his breath 
 like a stream of brimstone, kindles those heaps. 
 
 II. In what hath been said you see wherein wicked 
 men are thorns and briers ; now I must jiresent to 
 you wlierein they arc scorpions. You may by briers 
 and thorns understand wicked men of a lower con- 
 dition, and by scorpions those of a higher, that have 
 more power, means, and opportunity to do mischief; 
 and the analogy between the scorpion and them, 
 lies in these par'ticidars. 
 
 1. The scorpion it: utiimni inxidionum, an insidious 
 creature, it lies lurking under thorns and briers, liides 
 
 Itself in holes. Serpents also are subtle. 
 "The serpent was more subtle than any 
 beast of the field," Gen. iii. I ; and stops 
 his ear against the voice of the charmer, 
 Psa. Iviii.; and bites the horse by the 
 heel, so that the rider may fall. Gen. xlix. 17. And 
 there is one word that signifies simplicity and .sub- 
 tilty, that signifies plainness and double-dealing : 
 when Adam and Eve were both naked, 
 they were plain and simple ; but the 
 serpent was gnariim in a contrary sense, crafty, full 
 of folds and windings. And wicked men are subtle : 
 "Come let us deal wisely with them," Exod. i. 10. 
 KaT<i<7of,<Tu,- The Septuagint is. Let us deal cunning- 
 uefa uiTsr. ]y against them. And in Psal. cv. 1^5, it 
 is said, they dealt subtilly with his servants. How 
 cunningly did the adversaries carry their plot in the 
 days of Nehemiah! chap. iv. 11, "They shall not 
 know nor see, till we come in the midst of them and 
 slay them." The gun))Owder treason was, and some 
 since have been, carried on with dark lanthorns, with 
 secrecy and craft. Had not the enemies a close and 
 crafty design to make a conjunction between papist? 
 and protestants in doctrine, discipline, and ceremony ? 
 And had not the only wise God interposed, turned 
 wise men backward, and made their knowledge fool- 
 ish, England and Rome had met, and we had been in 
 conjunction with antichristian planets. And we may 
 fear conjunctions still, more than open violence. 
 Are not things carried with that suhlilty at this pre- 
 sent, as makes the world to wonder ? Men against us 
 pretend religion, king, parliament, the liberty of the 
 subject, to be their quarrel. Here is much of the 
 serpent, and little of the dove. 
 
 2. The scorpion is vigilant, watching oppjortunity 
 Tota testate in- "f mischicf. Pliny saith, some serpents 
 
 sleep not all the summer, but are 
 always thrusting out their stings, and 
 waking, lest they should miss their op- 
 j'jortunity. And wicked men are very 
 wakeful, and watching their ojijiortu- 
 nity to do mischief : Prov.iv. 16, "They 
 sleep not, unless they have done mis- 
 chief, or caused some to fall." Ahab 
 is sick, and cannot sleep, unless he have Naboth's 
 vineyard. Amnon must have Tamar to satisfy his 
 lust, else he must lay awake all night. Wicked men 
 cannot be in quiet unless they sleep in wickedness. 
 When Christ came to his disciples, they were asleep ; 
 but the wicked rout were awake, and coming to take 
 him. They are restless like the sea : Isa. Ivii. 20, 
 " The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot 
 rest ;" not when it is calm,but in its working, boiling, 
 restless condition ; when it threatens storms, to 
 swallow up ships, to break over the banks, &:c. Such 
 are wicked ones, they storm, they swell, and watch 
 where to break out to empty themselves of their 
 estates, to drown a country in the blood of a civil war. 
 Mic. vii.2, 3, "They all lie in wait for blood; they hunt 
 
 Snnines Stmt 
 quaiiidiii veiie- 
 niiiii viuet. 
 PIm. I. 8. c. 
 59. 
 
 Semper in irtu 
 est, niilliiqiie 
 nioiiient') iiiedi- 
 tari cessal. lie 
 qiliiudn desit 
 OCCHSiOlli. 
 
 It/em. 
 
 every man his brother with a net; that they may do 
 evil with both hands "earnestly," &:c. They have 
 their net set, they hunt, they watch, and will not 
 lose an opportunity ; if one hand will not serve, both 
 shall, and in the intention of their spirits also they are 
 earnest in the work. And as they are wise to watch 
 their season, so their feet are swift in running to the 
 accomplishment of them, Prov. vi. 18. Were not 
 our enemies watchful and active to break parlia- 
 ments, to make canons, to search pockets, to fetch 
 men into their courts ? 
 
 3. They are exceeding troublesome to the coun- 
 tries where they are. They will get up their w-alls, 
 into their chambers and beds, as some expositors 
 observe ; and therefore to prevent such Egiinus in 
 evils, they set their beds remote from Ai«tai. 
 the w all, and the feet of their beds in pots full of 
 water; and for fear of them, they lie in the liighest 
 rooms : they molest them nuich, and multiply their 
 fears. In this they are not unlike them. Ahab was 
 a troubler of Israel. "Wicked men are the incendiaries 
 in church and state. I must not name any ; you know 
 more than enough that are not nick-named when they 
 are so termed; they have troubled this state and this 
 city. 
 
 4. They join to do mischief. One will stick fast to 
 the roof or wall, a second unto him, a third unto the 
 second, and so make a chain, till they reach the 
 part)' asleep ; and the last stings him, and return.s, 
 and so every one back in order. This I find of the 
 scorpion in Eglinus upon tlie Revelation. Here is 
 both their craft and malice unto man, that they are 
 subservient one to another, and so linked together 
 for such a purpose. Herein are wicked men truly 
 scorpions: Prov. i. 14, "Come, let us all have one 
 purse." Nahum i. 10, the wicked are as thorns fold- 
 ed together, stick together as the scales of leviathan. 
 Acts iv. 5, 6, rulers, elders, scribes, high priest, 
 Caiaphas, .lohn, Alexander, and as many as were of 
 the kindred of the high priest, were gathered toge- 
 ther against Christ and his apostles. 
 
 5. The scorpion feeds upon the dust of the earth. 
 It feeds upon base and low things, upon vile and 
 venomous things ; so do w ickcd and ungodly men. 
 As the serpent licks the dust of the earth, so do they 
 lick the dust of the earth; they feed upon malice, 
 they feed upon blood, they feed upon that which is 
 not their own : Amos ii. 7, " They pant after the 
 very dust of the earth ;" they pant after the estates 
 and" means that poor men have in any jilace where 
 they come, and they feed upon it, and satisfy their 
 malice and revenge to the full, in sucking the estates, 
 and crushing the bones of the saints of God. 
 
 C. They kill levta morte, by a slow death, but 
 gravi iiipp/icio, with severe torment, l,,,,!,,,,,,, p„„. 
 When they set upon a man, thev lick ei'in. >iiieiium 
 
 1 . ^, ■ 1 1 ■ .1 ■ ' 1 - liiluiidiiiit. 
 
 Iiim, they prick nun, they poison him, 
 which quickly torments, and within a few days kills : 
 Rev. ix. 5, " Their torment was as the torment of a 
 scorpion, when he striketh a man." Some scorpions 
 have double stings, and that they may be sure to 
 kill, they strike with both. Wicked men deceive us 
 with their treaties, and kill us « ith their treacheries : 
 Psal. Iv. 21, their words are softer than oil, hut 
 the)' are drawn swords. In the treaties and flat- 
 teries of wicked men, if we were not blind, we might 
 see drawn swords, death at the throat of our estate, 
 of our religion, laws and liberties. Hainan flattered 
 Esther, that sought the destruction of the Jews ; 
 the decree is sealed for the death of young and old, 
 Esth. iii.: here was a scorpion. And Jer. xxxviii. 4, 
 the princes beseech the king to put Jeremiah to 
 death. Such a scorpion was Jezebel and Ahab, which 
 slung Naboth to death, and got his vineyard. Hence
 
 Vi;r. G. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 87 
 
 that law in Ezek. xlvi. 18, "The prince shall not 
 take of the ijcople's inheritance by oppression, to 
 thrust them out of their possession." 
 
 Si aiiqui eorura 7- Scorpions are driven away, if any 
 
 in merii,, iiomus of them be burnt in the house where 
 
 PaiMiTs'Ini they haunt. When Joab and Shimei 
 
 I "HI- were put to death by the sword of 
 
 Solomon, then the other scorpions in Israel were 
 afraid, and hid themselves ; " and the kingdom was 
 established in the hand of Solomon," 1 Kings ii. 46. 
 If Ave shake not our vipers into the tire, they will 
 do us harm. Thus you see wherein the resemblance 
 lies between the A\'icked, in regard that they are 
 called briers, thorns, and scorpions in the text. 
 
 The observations that do arise from the text are : 
 
 Obs. 1. That he is the fittest man for public em- 
 ployment, who is sensible of his own weakness, and 
 insufficiency for place or service. " Son of man, be not 
 afraid." I see, Ezekiel, that thou art sensible of thy 
 own insufficiency ; be not thou afraid, thou art the 
 fitter man for my service. Moses pretended that 
 he was a man slow of speech, and unfit for the great 
 work of delivering God's people, and leading them 
 out of Egypt into Canaan ; but he was the fitter man 
 for God. So those ministers or magistrates that are 
 sensible of their own weaknesses, they are fittest for 
 Christ and church service, and the Lord Christ will 
 show his power most in their weakness. 
 
 Obi: 2. Those that are in God's work, and do in- 
 tend heaven, they must look for afflictions, they must 
 look for trouble. Ezekiel, saith Christ, I will put 
 thee into my service ; but know, thou must not go a 
 smooth way, thou must meet with thorns and briers ; 
 thou shall meet with scorpions and serpents. There 
 is a scorpion in heaven, and scorpions on earth too : 
 let a man be in a heavenly calling, a prophet ; let a 
 man be in a worldly calling, a magistrate ; he shall 
 meet with scorpions and serpents Through many 
 afflictions we must enter into heaven, and it is well 
 we enter through many afflictions. 
 
 Obn. 3. The way and method of the Lord Christ 
 is, to propound unto us the hardest things at first. 
 He deals so with Ezekiel here. He hears of thorns, 
 scorpions, a rebellious house, and hears of that 
 which might have discouraged him ; but Christ's 
 way is to let you know what you must look for : 
 Matt. X. "You shall be hated of all men for my 
 name's sake ;" you shall be carried to the court ; you 
 shall be scourged ; you shall be brought before go- 
 vernors ; you shall be put to death. He tells them of 
 all these things. 
 
 First, because it was the way to arm them against 
 those evils. We say,pr<Emomli,prcemunili, men fore- 
 warned are forearmed. 
 
 Secondly, that they may have no cause to com- 
 plain they met with worse things than ever they 
 heard of. 
 
 Thirdly, to strengthen their faith. When they 
 should see such things fall out ; they might say, 
 These are the things which were foretold, and are 
 tokens that we are in Christ's way. God began the 
 world with this method : Gen. i. " The evening and 
 the morning were the first day." It is not the morn- 
 ing and the evening, but you must have night before 
 day, a winter before a spring, and thunder and 
 lightning before a calm : and this is Christ's way. 
 Therefore, if you intend heaven, think not to meet 
 only with ease. 
 
 These things are all general; we come now to more 
 particular observations. 
 
 Obs. 1. Then we must walk warily. Though wicked 
 men be not to be feared, yet they are to be heeded. 
 When Christ sent out his apostles, he tells them 
 what thorns and scorpions they must be amongst ; 
 
 men as cruel as wolves, that would persecute unto 
 death; and what saith he? Be wise as serpents, 
 innocent as doves. Matt, s.; keep yourselves from 
 their teeth, do not you inconsiderately run into their 
 harms; give them no just cause or occasion of in- 
 juring you. "Be innocent as doves ;" 
 without horns, without pushing, goring, "'■tpo'"'- 
 wronging any ; only be wary, and defend yourselves, 
 as the next verse is. "Beware of men ;" look to them, 
 they are dangerous creatures; wolves, thorns, ser- 
 pents are not so dangerous as they. Be exact, there- 
 fore, circumspect ; yet not so cautclous as to prejudice 
 duty, or multiply fears ; for, ver. 26, it is said, " Fear 
 them not." He had told them they should be hated, 
 ver. 22, scourged, ver. 17, persecuted from place to 
 place, ver. 23, put to death, ver. 21 ; yet they must 
 not fear, but they must beware of men. He saith 
 not, beware of devils, they were subject unto the 
 disciples through Christ's name; but men would not 
 be subject, therefore beware of them. iElian tells 
 us, in Libya men slept with their boots ocreaios dormiro 
 on, because of the scorpions, that they soieie. 
 
 might not sting them. Let us not sleep, but walk, 
 booted ; 1 mean, let us be " shod with the preparation 
 of the gospel of peace," Eph. vi. 15, be shod with a 
 disposition unto peace : let us be peaceable, harm- 
 less, innocent, and careful of our conversation, that 
 they do neither scratch nor sting ns. 
 
 Obs. 2. Public and great designs cannot be carried 
 on with ease and speed ; there be thorns and briers 
 in the way, yea, scorpions, some difficulty or other. 
 Sluggards pretend lions in the way; but public, active 
 spirits, when they are upon weighty afl'airs, find 
 lions in the way. Joshua, when about a great work, 
 to take Ai, there was an Achan in the way to make 
 a great demur, and had almost overthrown the de- 
 sign, Josh. vii. Nehcmiah had a great work in hand; 
 and were there no obstacles to hinder ? Tobiah and 
 Sanballat were in the way, they scoifed, they com- 
 plied, they armed, threatened ; yea, the nobles of 
 Judah give intelligence to Tobiah, Neh. vi. 17. The 
 work of reformation now is a great and good work ; 
 and are there no obstacles in the way ? Yea, there 
 are thorns, and heaps of them, which have pricked 
 and lamed some ; scorpions, which have bit and stung 
 others, that they move not, or very slowly, in this 
 great work : some are imwilling, some unfaithful, 
 some insufficient, some deeply guilty of foul sins, 
 which puts the work more back in one day, than 
 they can forward with their hearts, heads, hands, 
 purses, and lives in many days. There are men 
 employed that are Achans, Sanballats, Judases. We 
 have much policy and carnal wisdom, and think by 
 that to speed great works to their period ; but this 
 is, I will not say, the only, but a principal hinder- 
 ance. While we will convey the ark, and carry on 
 things, upon the shoulders of policy, we are in danger 
 to lose the ark ; yea, in danger to lose all. We will 
 not j'et see, lay the finger upon the right sore, and 
 go to the root of evils. Things of weight in state or 
 church have their obstacles, and come not to birth 
 in the day of expectation. This should keep our 
 hearts from sinking, and our tongues from censuring, 
 when great designs stick, and come not to perfection. 
 Let ns remember there be thorns, scor- uniestum et im. 
 pions in the way. I'ity and pray for V''i"^m cui-sum. 
 the parliament, armies, magistrates, and ministers, 
 who have difficult and dangerous work. 
 
 Obs. 3. Wonder not that men in place are injured 
 in their credits, and wounded in their estates ; they 
 dwell among thorns and scorpions ; the fleece and 
 flesh suffer by them many times. Nehemiah is a 
 rebel, Elijah a troubler of Israel, Christ an enemy 
 to Casar, and Paul a seditious and pestilent fellow.
 
 8i 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. II. 
 
 The T.sratlilcs could not go through the wilderness, 
 ■vvithout being stung with the fiery serpents. Daniel 
 escaped the teeth of the lions in the den, but not 
 the sting of the scorpions in the court. Men that 
 go into the war, must not think to escajie all bullets 
 and blows. Magistrates and ministers are God's 
 soldiers, they both bear the sword; Jer. i. 19, "They 
 shall tight against thee," and it must not seem strange 
 if they get wounds. When Adam and Manasses are 
 among the bushes, can less be expected than wounds ? 
 It is the nature of wicked men to blast the name of 
 others; they have learned and do practise the devil's 
 or the Jesuits' doctrine, Reiiroaeh to 
 
 r^tliimniare for- . .1 • • tt c l 
 
 tiler, et aiiquid purposc, and sometnnig will fasten. 
 haitibit. ijiit let the wicked black, God will 
 
 white, wash the names of his servants. Daniel's inno- 
 cency was cleared up to the king himself, Dan. vi. 22. 
 Christ saith, "Woe to you, when all speak well of 
 you ! " Luke vi. He never saith, Woe to you w hen 
 men speak ill of you ! he is so far from that, that he 
 fastens a blessing upon it; Matt. v. 11, "Blessed are 
 vou, when men speak all manner of evil of you falsely, 
 ibr my sake." Basil saith. When men defame us 
 we are sorry for them ; else I should almost have 
 said, we acknowdedge thanks to them for their blas- 
 phemies, as procurers of our bliss. It is honour to 
 , . . be reviled of the wicked, their calum- 
 
 F.orum ilelrarta- . ,. . ,, . ., 
 
 11.. tst vita^ lute matron is our commendation : then a 
 Hppiobaiio. jjjjjj^ shows himself a man of God and 
 
 for God, when he displeases those who jilease not 
 God. Seneca could see on which side right was, 
 when he said, Argumentum est recti nialis dii-plicere, 
 The displeasure of the wicked is a testimony to the 
 truth. 
 
 Ubs. 4. Seek not the acquaintance of wicked men. 
 The prophet Micah will give you reason for it, chap, 
 vii. 4, " The best of them is a brier ; the most upright 
 is .sharper than a thorn hedge." You think some of 
 them are fair men, have good natures, good parts, 
 great places ; and you may be intimate with them, 
 lean upon them, and get good by them, if not do 
 good to them : but you are deceived ; saith he, " the 
 best of them," for wit, parts, birth, breeding, place, 
 "is a brier;" yea, "the most upright," those that 
 are civil, that have a form of godli- 
 wiIa".'can"o„°"' ness, and walk according to their light, 
 iiave iiom a sror- evcu thcy " cLve .sliarpcr than a thorn 
 urn. vuinus. ve. hcdgc. And because it is incident to 
 ea'ia''minsn'i'i'abun- the uaturc of man to mind great ones, 
 i.ir. Semper, and scck their acquaintance ; lie spcaks, 
 
 lanam. swpe VI- ■ .i i r c ■ • i 
 
 lam ptrduiit. in the vcrsc beiore, ot princes, judges, 
 mn',ie,'f"j'.,'i?an' ^nd great men, and beats men otT from 
 the cardinal (o looking after and leaning upon them. 
 empe'r<."',"iie an- The shccp run to the hedge for shade 
 KomaUeS."" '" ^^'^ ^^'^^^' =^"'^ shelter in the storm; 
 Ami so uiien'any but what is the issue ? If they escape 
 
 wicked mall is • .1 ., • t . .1 /r -.i 
 
 coii.mende.i to With their livcs, yet they go oft with 
 Ss'SmMt.'^" ^f^"' garments. And if the best of them 
 be briers, what are the worst of them ? 
 When David was become a courtier, he met with a 
 spear, and found Saul sharper than a thorn hedge. 
 His spirit was vexed with him, and no marvel ; 
 wicked men vex the Spirit of God, who hath more 
 patience and wisdom than men, who is without all 
 corruption, and altogether holy, yet his Spirit is 
 vexed with them, Isa. Ixiii. 10. Therefore the 
 Spirit of God counsels us what acquaintance to 
 seek: Job xxii. 21, "Acquaint thyself with God, 
 and be at peace ; and thereby good shall come unto 
 thee :" he will not be a brier or thorn to run into 
 thy hand ; he will not vex thy spirit ; trust him, he 
 will not deceive or disappoint thee. 
 
 Obs. 5. See what fruit to look for from them ; 
 fruits suitable to their nature. 1 Sam. xxiv. 13, 
 
 " Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked ;" it is a 
 ])roverb, and (hey have much truth and strength in 
 them ; and it was ancient then, and in all ages hath 
 been made good, observed, that wickedness comes 
 from the w icked. By it David clears himself, taxes 
 his malicious enemies, and confutes Saul himself. 
 As for me, I am accused to be a seditious and 
 traitorous fellow, a man that seeks thy life, Saul ; 
 thou hast followers and tiatterers about thee to ex- 
 asperate thee against me, that put thee on to hunt 
 me as a partridge on the mountain, and to spill my 
 blood ; but I am no such man as they pretend, and 
 thou conccivest. 1 had thee at advantage, w as coun- 
 selled to take away thy life, and could have done it; 
 but wickedness was not in me ; I cut oti' the lap of 
 thy coat w hen I could have cut olT thy head. I will 
 make thee judge who is the wicked man, those that 
 accuse me, thou that pursuest the soul of an inno- 
 cent man, or myself, that have spared thee, having 
 such advantage. Wickedness proceeds from the 
 wicked: if 1 had been a wicked subject, as thou 
 and others thought, thy life had gone : but thy 
 courtiers, thy counsellors, are wicked ; yea, and 
 thou art wicked, and nothing but wickedness comes 
 from you ; and that proceeds as light from the sun, 
 water from the fountain, breath from the nostrils. 
 Christ tells us; we must not look for good from them. 
 Matt. vii. lb, " Do men gather grapes of thorns, or 
 figs of thistles-'" If you look for such fruit, you 
 will be deceived ; they may grow green as the vine 
 and fig tree, but their fruit is ditl'erent. What fruit 
 have papists and prelatical ones brought forth in 
 church or state these many years ? Corrupt trees 
 cannot bear good fruit : briers, thorns, brambles, 
 may bring fruit for Gadarenes and swine, not for 
 Christ and his disciples. Judg. ix. the olive tree 
 had its fatness, the tig tree its sweetness and good 
 fruit, the vine its pleasant wine ; (thcy would not 
 leave their places for promotion ; for usually when 
 men arc promoted, they lose of their excellency ; the 
 olive trees, tig trees, vines, they lose of their fatness, 
 if not all their fatness, of their sweetnes.5, if not all 
 their sweetness ;) but what had the bramble ? Fire, 
 and fire to consume the cedars of Lebanon. Brambles 
 are of an aspiring nature, and when they are got 
 up, they fire states and kingdoms. 
 
 Obs. 6. Then it is no great loss when wicked men 
 are taken away. When briers and thorns are cut 
 down, and scorpions killed, who is a sufferer by it ? 
 Wicked men are the very iilagues of „ . . . 
 
 , .1 .1 1 '.1 . Spiii.i; sunt prstes 
 
 the earth, they suck awav the sweet lenKci iiutum 
 from the vine, the fat from "the olive. It """'"■ '''"•■ 
 was said of Nero, that he was leneiitim terrcp, the poi- 
 son of the earth ; and w hen that pitcher was broken, 
 it was gain, not loss, matter for praise, not mourn- 
 ing. The husbandman is not grieved when the griev- 
 ing thorn and jiricking thistle are cut out of his corn. 
 Prov. xi. 10, "When the wicked perish, there is 
 shouting;" shouting on earth, that justice is done, 
 his wickedness at an end, the church and state cased 
 of such a burden, rid of such a thorn ; and shouting 
 in hell, Isa. xiv. 9. When Jehoiakim died, there 
 was no lamentation made for him ; he was a wicked 
 and worthless king, his carcass was no better than 
 the body of an ass, and he had the burial of an ass, 
 drawn and cast out in the highway or ditches, Jer. 
 xxii. l.S, 19; he had an infamous burial. And such, 
 saith Olympiodorus, is the end of every magistrate 
 or minister that teaches and governs well, but lives 
 ill, his end is infamous, he is buried in infamy. But 
 godly men are of great worth : Heb. xi. 3H, " The 
 world was not worthy of them ;" those precious ones 
 mentioned there, and those who are living now, God 
 valued, and values above the world. Godly men are
 
 Ver. 6. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 89 
 
 the pillars of the enrlh ; they are the marrow, blood, 
 and soul of the world ; the world languishes and lies 
 dying when they are pulled away. Moses held 
 God's hands, Ex'od. xxxii. 10. Moses is a man that 
 hath power in earth and in heaven; he is a man 
 that, when there is a danger, can go up to the hea- 
 vens, and so put the Lord to it, that lie saifh, Let 
 me alone, that I may destroy this wicked people, 
 and I will make thee a great nation ; he would have 
 hired him to come to an accommodation. Men are 
 now upon accommodating, but a Moses will not ac- 
 commodate ; no, not with God himself, when his 
 people are in danger; but he will have a blessing 
 upon good terms, he will have God's wrath removed, 
 and a reconciliation between heaven and earth, or 
 else Moses will never be quiet with God. What a 
 loss is such a man ! After his death, if God had not 
 raised up a Joshua, what had become of Israel ? 
 When Elijah was taken away, the horsemen and 
 chariots of Israel went. 
 
 Obs. 7- See here a ground why we are so wary 
 in having peace with our adversaries. There is much 
 ado about peace ; we all say, Peace, but give us leave 
 to be wary when we make a peace, when we dwell 
 among thorns and scorpions. Thorns have their 
 prickles and grievances, scorpions have their stings, 
 and we are unwilling to be stung ; we would not 
 have our consciences, our liberties stung; we would 
 not have our privileges plucked from us, and all be 
 in danger ; we are unwilling to come to this. AVhen 
 Scotland had made peace with England, Flanders, 
 and the Easterlings, it was said, they had peace with 
 the world: but their prelates made war with God; 
 so we may have peace with men, but there are those 
 amongst us, who, if we look not to it, will make war 
 with God, with the Lamb, and those that follow him. 
 It is reported of the Spaniards, that they had peace 
 with all the world, but were out with God. If we 
 make such a peace, as to have peace with men, and 
 to be out with God, this would be a cursed peace. 
 If wicked men will lay aside their stings and subtil- 
 ties ; be Nathanaels, and not Ahithophels ; doves, and 
 not serpents, we would willingly embrace a peace. 
 We have on the shoes of the gospel of the prepara- 
 tion of peace. 
 
 Obs. 8. Seeing wicked men are thorns and scor- 
 pions, let those in authority look to it, and do their 
 duty, that the briers and thorns grov>' not too high, 
 nor too great; that scorjiions do not abound. It is 
 said there were nine kinds of scorpions about Jem- 
 salem and Syria, and very great ones ; and twenty 
 kinds of thorns also. I fear we have all those kinds 
 i.iro 7,avt: >.:o<f of thorns and scorpions amongst us. 
 cKopTt.ot tiiti. The Greeks have a proverb. There is 
 a scorpion under every stone. And where almost 
 can a man go among us, but there are scorpions, 
 thorns and briers, scratching, catching, and doing a 
 mischief.' Let magistrates tread upon those scor- 
 pions, and ministers hew those thorns, Psal. xci. 13; 
 Hos. vi. 5. Let ministers do as Chrysostom did, 
 who would have his hand cut olT, before he would 
 suffer scorpions and thorns to come to the table of 
 the Lord, to poison that wine and bread, and to 
 prick the sheep that came to feed there. Magis- 
 trates likewise should do what lies in them, that 
 neither the scorpions nor briers do mischief the 
 sheep. You may find scorpions in more places than 
 one ; in your courts, markets, shops, fields, ale-house?. 
 If you drive them not out of their holes, they will 
 be " pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, 
 and vex you in the land wherein you dwell," Numb, 
 xxxiii. 55. You may make oil of these scorpions, 
 and meat of these leviathans. Pliny and others ob- 
 serve, that if you burn one scorpion in the midst of 
 
 the house, all the rest will fly away. If authority 
 would execute justice upon some of our scorpions, 
 cut down some of our thorns, the rest would flv 
 away. We are so fearful and backward herein, tha't 
 we let scorpions multiply, thorns and brambles in- 
 crease, not only till our lleeces be scratched from us, 
 but our llesh stung about us, our hberties and lives 
 endangered. We will not see where our sore is, nor 
 search to the bottom of it ; and because we will not 
 do it, God may justly send fiery serpents to sting us, 
 and afford no brazen serpent to cure us. For vour 
 encouragement to deal with these, consider Psal. 
 cxviii.l2; 2 Sam.xxiii.6; and Ezck.xxviii. 24, where 
 it is said, " There shall be no more a pricking brier, 
 or grieving thorn imto the house of Israel ; and they 
 shall know that I am the Lord God." 
 
 Another principal observation is. That we must 
 not be afraid of men, whatever they be ; especially 
 those who are called to public place.'as ministers and 
 magistrates. Christ calls Ezckiel to public service, 
 and four times he is forbidden to fear in this verse. 
 " Be not afraid of them," that is, their frowns, be 
 they great ones, kings, princes, nobles, or whomso- 
 ever ; be not " afraid of their words," though stormy, 
 grievous, stout, contradictory, &c. ; because words do 
 stick and strike deep ofttimes, it is repeated again, 
 " Be not afraid of their words," let them not affect 
 thee, " nor be dismayed at their looks." The Hebrew 
 word rnn signifies to be amazed, dejected, dis- 
 couraged, and hindered in one's way ; but the pro- 
 phet must not be amazed, or discouraged, with 
 whatever he hears, sees, or meets with. 
 
 To give some few reasons concerning this, and 
 some helps whereby to fortify our spirits, that we may 
 not be fearful, having to do with scorpions and thorns : 
 
 1. Fears are prejudicial ; they take 
 
 away our liberty ; they put halters l^SV.^X^'" 
 about our necks, and strangle our com- ',"V;"'.'°.,"''' "' 
 
 rts ; they multiply and prolong our 
 miseries ; they w^ound and disable us. The work 
 is to be done bene, libere, iiitiepic/e, well, freely, 
 boldly ; if we fear, that will fetter, enfeeble, and 
 make us bungle. Isa. xxii. 2, they were slain, 
 not with the sword, but with fears. Fear slays a man 
 while he is alive ; fear buries a man before he is 
 dead ; fears are prejudicial to those that are in pub- 
 lic place. 
 
 2. They are to be men of courage who are in 
 public place. Exod. xviii. 21, Moses was to provide 
 able men to be magistrates and rulers ; the original 
 is, men of strength and courage. The word signifies 
 virtue, strength, a bulwark, riches, an army, all 
 which do increase courage : so that a magistrate 
 should have the courage of all these ; of the vir- 
 tuous, of the strong, of one in a bulwark, of the rich, 
 of an army. He is to be a man of might : Dan. iii. 
 20, " He commanded the most mighty men ;" it is 
 the same word ; the men of most courage, that were 
 of mighty courage, " to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and 
 Abednego." Those God puts into public places are 
 to be such. Josh. i. 9, " Be strong and of a good 
 courage ; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed." 
 Where courage is required, fear is prohibited ; and 
 where fear is prohibited, as in our text, there courage 
 is employed. " Should such a man as I flee ?" fear ? 
 said Nehemiah, chap. vi. 11. No, I will not fear nor 
 flee, but be courageous, and stand it out against Sanbal- 
 lat and the rest, their power, their scoffs, their threats, 
 their plots. Magistrates, ministers, and all God's 
 people, should be men of courage, when reformation 
 and temple work are in hand. Ha^. ii. 4, " Be 
 strong, O Zerubbabel; and be strong, O Joshua; and 
 be strong, all ye people of the land, saitli the 
 Lord, and work." The work of reformation, and of
 
 90 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. II. 
 
 .In-, i. 19. 
 
 ihe temple, .will not go on if you faint and flag. 
 Samuel wa.s a man of courage, when he told Saul, 
 entreating him to return with him, that he might 
 worshiji, but he would not return with him, I'or, 
 thou hast rejected God, and God hath rejected Ihee 
 from being king ; and Ihinkest thou that I will 
 countenance thee ? 1 Sam. xv. 25, 26. So Elijah 
 was no timid prophet, but a man of courage : 1 Kings 
 xviii. 15 — ly, " As the Lord of hosts liveth, before 
 whom I stand," speaking to Obadiah, " I will surely 
 show myself to Ahab this day." But Jezebel hath 
 vowed thy death, and Ahab makes search for thee 
 all the laud over, and if thou be found, thou art a 
 dead man. "Well, saith Elijah, 1 will show myself. 
 And when he came into his presence, what a salute 
 had he ! " Art thou he that troubleth Israel ?" I 
 will have thee despatched one way or other. Is the 
 prophet daunted now ? No, but replies, I am not 
 lie, but it is thou and thy father's house. Send and 
 gather to me all Israel : (what a commanding, w hat 
 a suspicious word was this ! he might ha\ e thought 
 that this man would get power about him, and offer 
 violence to him and his house :) thou thinkest to 
 have my blood, but I will have the blood of all the 
 false prophets. Sec. AVho might not think that Eli- 
 jah rather was king than Ahab? 2 Uhron. xxvi. 17, 
 18, when king Uzziah would have burnt incense to 
 the Lord, the priest resisted Uzziah, and thrust him 
 out of the temple. They that are in public place, 
 are to be men of courage, and therefore they must 
 not fear. 
 
 .'?. God is with his, those he calls and employs in 
 public service. Josh. i. 9, why should he be strong, 
 and of good courage ? " for the Lord 
 thy God is with thee." Jer. i. 8, " Be 
 not afraid of their faces ; for lam with thee to deliver 
 thee." God's presence should put life into us. 
 A\'lien inferior natures are backed with a superior, 
 they are full of courage : when the master is by, the 
 dog will venture upon creatures greater than him- 
 self, and fear not ; at another time he will not do 
 it, when his master is absent. When God is with 
 us, who is the supreme, it should make us fearless. 
 It did David; I'sal. cxviii. 6, " The Lord is on my 
 side," my help; " 1 will not fear : what can man do 
 unto me." Let him do his worst, frown, threat, plot, 
 arm, strike ; the Lord is on my side, he hath a special 
 care of me, he is a shield unto me, I will not fear, but 
 hope : as it is in the next verse, " I shall see my desire 
 on them that hate me," I shall see them changed or 
 ruined. Our help is in the name of the Lord, but our 
 fears are in the name of man. God takes s])ecial care 
 of men in public jilace. The angels of the church 
 are as the stars in his right hand, Rev. i. IC, he holds 
 them fast ; and it is said of Christ, Isa. xlix. 2, that 
 he was hid " in the shadow of his hand ;" in the pro- 
 tection of his hand, is the Septuagint. Umbra est 
 S)/mholum proleclionia, The shadow is the symbol of 
 protection, it defends from the heat of the sun, that 
 was in Judea exceeding hot : God hides Christ, yea, 
 all that are eminent, and under, w ho belong to him, 
 in a special manner, and delivers them from danger. 
 Zech. ii. 5, I will be unto Jerusalem " a wall of fire 
 round about ;" who shall dare to come near it (hen, 
 to hurt the magistrates, ministers, or people there ? 
 Some think it alludes to the cherubim, Ihat with a 
 fiery flaming sword kept paradise ; others, to the 
 fiery chariots round about Dotlian, 2 Kings vi. 17, 
 where Elisha was : either of these is good, and notes 
 protection. But there is another, and it may be a 
 more suitable interpretation ; and it is this : \Vhen 
 they travelled in the wilderness, oft wild beasts 
 would be assaulting them, especially in the night, 
 \\ hen they laid down to rest ; then they made a cir- 
 
 cular fire about them, and so no beast, lion, wolf, or 
 leopard dare meddle with them, the fire was a wall 
 to them : and hence the expression seems to be 
 taken, that God, when wild beasts, wicked men, 
 should offer violence to Jerusalem, he would be a 
 wall of fire round about it. 
 
 4. Those who are in public place, are in God's 
 place ; " I have said, Ye are gods," Psal. Ixxxii. 6. 
 Moses was to Aaron instead of God, Exod. iv. 16. 
 And so ministers, they are in Christ's stead, 2 Cor. 
 v. 20 : and they must he like unto God, fearless of 
 men, but dreadful unto men. It is an ill thing to see 
 adrunken god, tohear a swearing god; anditisasill to 
 see a trembling, fearful god, a magistrate, a minister, 
 afraid of man, wheiias they, having the image and 
 authority of God stamped upon them, are to make 
 others, especially sinners, to quake. Rom. xiii. 4, 
 the apostle bids evil-doers, not the powers, be afraid. 
 AVhy ? they are the ministers of God, and hear not 
 the sword in vain ; they must not fear, but make 
 others do it. So did the apostles and prophets ; 
 John made Herod quake, and Paul made Felix 
 tremble : here were lambs scaring lions. 
 
 5. They that are godly, true christians, their god- 
 liness, their cause sutlers by their fearfulness. They 
 have received another spirit than that of the world, 
 
 1 Cor. ii. 12, even the Spirit of God, which is no 
 timorous, cowardly Spirit : the apostle denies that, 
 
 2 Tim. i. 7, " God hath not given us the spirit of 
 fear ; but of power, of love, and a sound mind." 
 Where there is a base fear, there is sickness of mind, 
 no soundness ; and there is little love, and less 
 power. Those that have the Spirit of Christ, and 
 the Spirit of God, it is not for them to fear. Have 
 you the Spirit of the Lord of hosts in you ? have 
 you the Spirit of Jesus Christ in you ? and will you 
 fear and tremble before men, that have the spirit of 
 devils in them ? The Spirit of the Lord of hosts is 
 like himself, and the Spirit of Jesus Christ is like 
 Christ himself : he was not afraid of any. If there- 
 fore men in place have this Spirit, they must not 
 fear, for they do dishonour Christianity, and the 
 Spirit they have received from their Lord and 
 Master Jesus Christ. 
 
 G. There is not that in wicked men, that should 
 make us to fear them, if we consider they are briers, 
 thorns, scorpions, contemptible things, rather to be 
 despised than feared. If they had truth, grace, and 
 God with them, then they might be feared: they 
 have not God with them, they are a rebellious house, 
 and he is against them. They cannot pray to fetch 
 in might to make them dreadful : if they say a 
 prayer, " the prayer of the wicked is abomination 
 to the Lord." They are full of fears themselves, and 
 have no true valour in them ; that arises from other 
 and better principles than they have. If they had 
 truth of grace, God with them, then we might fear 
 them ; but their guilt, their wickedness doth weaken 
 them, and multiply their fears. Can wicked men be 
 without fears ? Isa. viii. 12, " Fear ye not their fear:" 
 (hey have a slavish, distracting, heart-smiting, tor- 
 menting, hellish fear. Saul feared the people, 1 Sam. 
 XV. 24. Is there not a spirit of fear upon many in 
 Ireland and England too ? Have not judges feared 
 the courts they have sat in ? 
 
 7. God will di,smay and confound us, if we fear 
 men. Jer. i. 17, " Be not dismayed at their faces, lest 
 I confound thee before them," or break thee in pieces. 
 Jeremiah, saith God, if thou dost fear them, and be- 
 tray the truth I have committed to thee, I will for- 
 sake thee, leave thee to their hands, malice, cruelty, 
 and break thee to pieces before their faces. Fear- 
 fulness doth much provoke God. He that sees not 
 sufficiency in God to support him, shall find enough
 
 Veb. G. 
 
 THE COOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 91 
 
 to daunt and confound him ; but if we go on with 
 courage, discharge the phice and trust committed to 
 US, if we should fall into the hands of wicked men, 
 and sulTer, God will own us, let out himself unto us, 
 support us, sympathize witli us, deliver us, or make 
 sidi.-e in nncte "^ ^"^i "^^ suiTerings glorious. Stars 
 iiReiii, 111 iiie shine in the night ; they are obscured 
 i.t.u.. jiT;«. .„ jj^ jj^^ jg^._ ^y^^^^ Vincentius was tor- 
 
 Vidti.is me plus meutcd by the tyrant, he said, Thou 
 
 posse duin titr- -^ -' ' . .j, 
 
 u.ieor qiuin ipse slialt See me more courageous in sulter- 
 dum torq.es. j^^^^ ^^^^^ thyself in tormenting. 
 Some helps against fear. 
 
 1. Let your fear be exercised about God; he is an 
 object fit to be feared. All Uesh is grass, all nations 
 are a drop of the bucket, and the small dust of the 
 balance ; inhabitants of the earth are as a swarm of 
 flies, a troop of grasshoppers ; and shall we fear these 
 little things ? The world is nothing unto God ; there 
 Kiiiii nia"nu is no greatness beside God liimsclf. He 
 nisi mag'nus ' hath made the world, he hath dried up 
 ^''"*' the seas, he sends out the miglity winds, 
 Psai. cMx. 150. Yie changes times and seasons ; he brings 
 princes to nothing, makes judges vanity ; he tumbles 
 nations into hell, and can destroy the soul and body 
 eternally. Him fear, saitli Christ, Luke xii. 4, 5, 
 not men, that can but kill the body ; but fear him, 
 who, after the body is dead, can kill the soul, and 
 cast into hell ; I say unto you, fear him. And Isa. 
 viii. 13, "Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and 
 let him be your fear, let him be your dread:" let 
 there be such a frame of spirit in you as becomes the 
 Lord of hosts, suitable to his greatness, his sove- 
 reignty and authority over you and all creatures ; 
 then you will not fear. When the fear of God is 
 strong in your heart, then the fear of man ceaseth. 
 When the dictator ruled at Rome, then all other offi- 
 cers ceased; and when this fear of God rules, all 
 other fears will be hushed : and that is not all, if 
 God be sanctified by us, he will be a sanctuary 
 unto us. 
 
 2. Set faith to work. Men in public places should 
 have their hands at work on earth, and their faith 
 in heaven. Tlie just live by faith, and will not die by 
 fear. Hezekiah, 2 Chron. xxxii. 7, S, when Sen- 
 nacherib was coming against Jerusalem, and trou- 
 bled the whole land, he set his hands to work to for- 
 tify the city, and his faith to fortify himself: "Be 
 strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed 
 for the king of Assyria and his multitude ; for there 
 be more with us than be \xith him : with him is an 
 arm of flesh ; but with us is the Lord our God to 
 help us, and to fight our battles." Here was an army 
 of 185,OU0 to affright him ; but here was faith in the 
 Lord of hosts to establish him. Moses feared not 
 " the wrath of the king : (or he endured, as seeing 
 him wlio is invisible," Heb. xi. 27 : by faith he saw 
 the invisible God, and that made him hold out against 
 the king, though his wrath was hot, his looks fierce, 
 his words terrible, his face cruel. Moses knew, that 
 whatever he lost for God, he should find in God. 
 I'rov. xxix. 25, " The fear of man bringcth a snare : 
 but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be 
 safe." Man's fear brings a snare, and so death. 
 Had Moses feared Pharaoh, he had compounded with 
 him, and so ruined himself and others : but he that 
 puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe ; the He- 
 brew is, set on high, like a bird upon the wing, that 
 is, out of the reach of every snare and fowler, though 
 never so cunning. Cardinal Borromanis being told 
 of great danger from some who lay in w ait for him, 
 said, yi?i Deus est in mundo pro nihiloy Is God idle 
 Si Dent m-\ '"^ ''^^ world ? and Johannes Silentiarius, 
 cui;in. non habct, being in the like case, said. If God 
 ''"" ^'^° take not care of me, why do I live ? 
 
 3. Labour for purity and holiness. The most 
 holy men are the least fearing men. Paul was of 
 great courage, he had much holiness, 1 Thcss. ii. 10, 
 and when the viper leaped upon his hand, he feared 
 not; it could not kill liim, but he could kill it; he 
 shook it into the fire. Adinn, at first no creature 
 could harm him, because holy. In the lives of the 
 fathers, mention is made of one Abbas Paulus, who 
 handled serpents and scorpions, and cut them in 
 pieces, without any hurt ; and being asked how he 
 came to this condition, said. If a man be holy, all 
 things are subject to him, as to Adam before his sin 
 in paradise. If our hearts and consciences be pol- 
 luted, we shall fi'ar, if not flee. 1 Sam. xviii. 12, Saul 
 was afraid of David : he had great riches, many 
 forces, yet fears David, a poor man, a banished, re- 
 proached man. And Herod feared John : he was a 
 holy man : piety has great weight. Job xvii. 9, 
 " The righteous shall hold on his way, and he that 
 hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger." 
 " The righteous are bold as a lion," Prov. xxviii. 1. 
 A man that is truly and thoroughly godly, that knows 
 nothing by himself, that hath purged out every spot, 
 and gotten off all guilt, and needs not blush at any 
 thing, past or present, he is a lion, he is a brazen 
 wall, nothing shall daunt him ; but the wicked flee 
 when none pursue. Nehemiah was a holy man, 
 and he would not flee ; but Manasseh, a wicked 
 king, hides himself among the thorns, and Adam 
 runs to the thickets ; they had prickings without, and 
 worse prickles within. 
 
 4. Value not life too much. Let us be willing to 
 lay out our lives in God's service, to spend and be 
 spent for God. Paul said, " I am ready not to 
 be bound only, but to die at Jerusalem for the name 
 of theLord Jesus," Acts xxi. 13 : he prized the name 
 of Christ above his life ; and if we would prize 
 something above our lives, we should not so over- 
 rate them, as, through fear of man, to lose better 
 things to keep them. The devil tells us, " Skin for 
 skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his 
 life," Job ii. 4 : true, all to save life. But there are 
 some things of more worth than man's life ; as, the 
 glory of God, the favour of God, the peace of God, 
 the truth of God, the name of Christ, iScc. ; and we 
 should so account of them, and be ready to sacrifice 
 our lives for them. Nehemiah would not go into 
 the temple to save his life ; he knew the glory of 
 God, the cause, work, and people of God, should 
 suffer by it, and therefore he would venture his life. 
 So Basil, when threatened with cruel usage and 
 death, said to him who had the power in his hand, 
 This body thou art lord of only, not of our faith, or 
 the cause we stand for ; and whereas swords, wild 
 beasts, cutting of our flesh, &c. are p,,,,,,, „„,,, ,,,. 
 threatened, these things are rather lina; qnam tor- 
 pleasures than terrors to us; we look """'■'*""'■ 
 
 at better things than the world hath, for which we 
 are not unwilling to lay out our lives. The worthies 
 of those times " loved not their lives unto the death," 
 they stood, bled, died for Christ and his cause, who 
 had stood, bled, died for them, Rev. xii. 11. Another 
 observation is, that it is the lot of the righteous to 
 dwell amongst the wicked. The prophetlicre dwelt 
 amongst scorpions, and was amidst briers and thorns, 
 a sad habitation, yet such as is common to the 
 saints. Lot dwelt in Sodom, and his righteous soul 
 was vexed, 2 Pet. ii. S ; it was pained, tormented, as 
 a man upon the rack. And David dwelt among those 
 who were enemies to peace, and it made him cry 
 out, " Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mcsech, that I 
 dwell in the tents of Kedar !" Psal. cxx. 5 ; that is, 
 with ungodly and barbarous people. And it is not 
 the condition of some few, but the church itself.
 
 92 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. II. 
 
 which is " as a lily among thorns," Cant. ii. 2. So was 
 the church in Egypt, in Babylon, in the primitive 
 times, amongst the persecuting emperors and their 
 officers ; so in the time of antichrist, and at this day, 
 it is among thorns and scorpions : but here is the 
 comfort of it, God takes notice thereof. The church 
 of Pergamus dwelt where Satan's throne was ; where 
 he bare most sway, had most honour, a multitude of 
 servants; where was great uncleanness, hot i)erse- 
 cution. Rev. ii. 13 : there did the church of Per- 
 gamus dwell : and what saith the text, " I know ihy 
 works, and where thou dwellest ;" I know, that is, I 
 take special notice of all thy works, wrongs, how 
 the thorns do scratch, the scorpions sling thee, and 
 I will reward thee for all. After mention being 
 made of Lot's being vexed with the Sodomites, it is 
 said, " The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly 
 out of temptations ;" he observes who they are among, 
 how they are tempted, and knows ways of deliver- 
 ance for them, and appears amongst them, 2 Pet. ii. iJ. 
 
 Vcr. 7. And thou shall speak mi/ u-orch- unto 
 them, u-hcthcr they will hear, or whether they will 
 forbear : for they are most rehellions. 
 
 There is nothing difficult in this verse ; the words, 
 " they are most rebellious," in the original arc, 
 they arc rehellion, in the abstract ; noting the 
 strength and growth of their sin, of which hath been 
 spoken in the 5th verse ; only observe from hence : 
 
 1. That the messengers of God must speak the 
 word of God. " Thou shalt speak my words unto 
 them ; " not thine own, not other men's, but my words. 
 God's words are divine, verba vita- el iiioiiis, words of 
 life and of death, and they must be spoken unto the 
 people; notourchaily,powerlesswords. Matt.xxviii. 
 20, " Teaching them to observe whatsoever I have 
 commanded you ; " they must speak only that, and 
 all that, nothing must tliey dissemble or hide away. 
 
 2. That God cares not whether wicked, vile sin- 
 ners hear or not. It is sufficient to him that they 
 refuse offers of grace ; that is enough to justify him, 
 and condemn them ; " whether they will hear or for- 
 bear," it matters not, I shall have my glory, and 
 thou thy reward, whatever becomes of tliem. And 
 God deals roundly with them. So Christ, in Mark 
 xvi. IG, "He that believeth shall be saved, and he 
 that believeth not shall be damned;" yea, John iii. 
 18, " He that believeth not is condemned already." 
 And when Christ sent out his disciples, see how quick 
 and round he is with those who should not receive 
 them and their word : " Whosoever shall not receive 
 you and your words, when ye depart out of that 
 house or city, shake off the dust of your feet," as a 
 testimony against them. Matt. x. 14. " It shall be 
 more easy for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that 
 house or city," Mark vi. 11. 
 
 Ver. 8 — 10. Bnt thou, son of man, hear u-hat 
 I say unto thee ; Be not thou rebellious like that 
 rebelliotis house : open thy mouth, aiid eat that I 
 gire thee. And u-hen I looked, behold, an hand 
 urns sent unto me ; and, lo, a roll of a book was 
 therein ; and he spread it before vie: and it reas 
 ivritten within and without: and there was writ- 
 ten therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. 
 
 In these verses, besides Christ instructing of the 
 proj)hct, yon have his further confirmation in his 
 prophetical office, and that by a visible sign, by 
 which he conveys the gift of prophesying unto 
 Ezekiel ; and it is by "a roll of a book,'"' concern- 
 ing which we have these things considerable : 
 
 1. The efficient cause, or whence it came, "an 
 hand was sent unto me." 
 
 2. The material cause, "a roll of a book." 
 
 3. The opening of it, it was " spread before me." 
 
 4. The contents of it, "lamentations, mourning, 
 and woe." 
 
 But before we come to this roll, and the particu- 
 lars of it, we must speak of Christ's instructions to 
 the prophet, in the 8th verse, where we have. 
 
 First, an exhortation, " Son of man, hear what I 
 say unto thee." 
 
 Secondly, a prohibition, " Be not thou rebellious 
 like that rebellious house." 
 
 Thirdly, a command, " Open thy mouth, and eat 
 that I give thee." 
 
 The sum of the verse is this : Ezekiel, saith Christ, 
 see thou hearken vmto my voice ; whatsoever I say 
 to thee, let that be acceptable : regard not what men, 
 what thy heart and carnal reason, say to thee ; but 
 remember I am God and King, I sit upon the throne, 
 my counsels and words must stand. Be not thou 
 rebellious as the Jews are ; let not their example, 
 power, relation to thee, make thee refuse to hear 
 what I say, or to eat this visible and sacramental 
 sign which I give thee. 
 
 There is nothing difficult in the verse to clear up 
 unto you; only these words, "open thy mouth," 
 you may think superfluous, and that the word "eat" 
 had been enough : but there is nothing idle in the 
 Scripture, all is of weight, and such weight, that 
 heaven and earth shall pass away before one iota of 
 God's word. It is a rule among the learned, rox 
 qu(e ridetur otiosa phirimum f'acit ad effectum. The 
 word which seems least important gives the greatest 
 force. It notes the ardent desire of Christ, that the 
 prophet should have the benefit of this sacramental 
 sign, and that he shoidd be forward and ready unto 
 it, do any thing that conduced that way. 
 
 Obs. 1. That those who are to teach others, must 
 first hear and be taught themselves; they must hear 
 Christ, and learn of him. Ezekiel must heai' what 
 Christ saith unto him, and then he woidd be fit to 
 speak unto others. When the Lord Christ sent out 
 his disciples, he instructed them first. Matt. x. So 
 the apostles were taught forty days together in the 
 things pertaining to the kingdom of God, Acts i. 3 ; 
 the institution of churches, the laws, government, 
 ordinances, offices, and officers of them, they were 
 instructed in. And John, in his first ejiistle, chap. 
 i. 3, saith, " That which we have seen and heard de- 
 clare we unto you." And so it was of the prophets, 
 what they heard, that they spake : Heb. i. 1, " God 
 spake unto the fathers by the prophets;" he first spake 
 to the prophets, and in them to the fathers. The 
 ministers and messengers of God must hear Christ 
 first, and then declare his mind ; be obedient uulo 
 his commands, and then mention and ])ublish his will. 
 
 Obs. 2. God looks for more from them he calls to 
 any service than from others. And " thou, son of 
 man, be not thou rebellious ;" I expect other things 
 at thy hand ; I look thou shouldst be as tractable as 
 they have been untractable, as dutiful as they have 
 been rebellious : you see who have been most active 
 among them against me, I look thou shouldst be as 
 active in thy place for me. Those God doth put 
 honour upon, and set in juiblic places, it is equal he 
 should have much from, yea, more than from others. 
 Paul says, The Lord Christ enabled me, counted me 
 faithful, put me into the ministry, 1 Tim. i. 12; and, 
 1 Cor. XV. 10, " His grace which was bestowed upon 
 me was not in vain ; but I laboured more abundantly 
 than they all." God, who had done much for him. 
 expected it at his hands ; and he deceived not 
 expectation.
 
 Yer. 8, 9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 Obs. 3. See here what God accounts rebellion. 
 "We think it must be some great, notorious thing 
 that makes a rebel or rebellious ; but there is great 
 difference between the judgment of men and judg- 
 ment of God. If Ezekiel should be difficult and 
 backward to his work he called him unto, he would 
 count it rebellion ; if he would not hear and do what 
 God bid him, he should be numbered among the re- 
 bellious. If he did not hear every thing that Christ 
 spake, Quceciinqtie ad te loquar audi, Whatsoever 
 things I shall speak to thee, hear thou; so the 
 words are read by Calvin, and the original bears it ; 
 if there should be a crossing of God's will in any 
 thing, in the least thing, in refusing to hear or do, 
 it should be before him rebellion. Isa. i. 20, " If 
 ye refuse and rebel :" refusing to hear God's will, 
 and to do it, being heard, is rebellion against God. 
 So in I Sam. xii. 15, " If ye will not obey the voice 
 of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment :" 
 not obeying God, whatever pretence we have, is 
 rebellion. 
 
 Obi: 4. That we must not follow the examples 
 and ways of sinful men. " Be not thou rebellious 
 like that rebellious house ;" they have set an ill ex- 
 ample before thee, do not thou imitate them ; they 
 have written a foul copy, v.rite not after them ; they 
 have walked in wrong paths, do not trace their 
 steps. Men usually are such as those they live 
 with. It is easy to grow naught, if we live among 
 those that are naught. Joseph learned to swear in 
 Pharaoh's court, and Peter to judaize among the 
 Jews. Consent and example of others, 
 cuif"eiiempia is like a mighty torrent that carries 
 traimnt. down all before it. Example is a 
 
 potent thing ; Gal. ii. 14, " \Yl\y compellest thou 
 the gentiles to judaize ?" Paul tells Peter, that 
 there was a compulsory virtue and force in his 
 example, to draw the gentiles into evil. And it 
 is certain, the customs, ti-aditions, persuasions, and 
 examples of friends, are of much prevalency. 
 That Christ foresaw, and arms the prophet against 
 them : " Hear what I say," not what they say ; let 
 them say what they will, regard it not ; only let my 
 words have place in thee, and power with thee. But 
 thou wilt object and say, They are my friends that 
 persuade me ; my kindred, my own flesh and blood, 
 that counsel me ; they are great ones, yea, all, prince 
 and people, that go that way ; they are my parents 
 that command me to do so, and I may sin in refusing 
 to hearken unto them. The Lord Christ takes off 
 all these and other objections : Be not rebellious, 
 as they have been, and are ; but consider, are they 
 friends, kindred, great, parents ? and have they and 
 theirs long been in that way ? know, that I that 
 speak to thee am thy Friend, and best Friend thou 
 hast. I am thy Kinsman ; I am here in the form of 
 the Son of man, and to suffer in thy nature hereafter, 
 that thou mayst be the son of God. I am thy 
 Brother, who hath redeemed thee from sin, death, 
 and hell. If others be great, I am greater than they, 
 and my throne is above all thrones ; if they be tHy 
 parents, I am thy " everlasting Father," Isa. ix. 6 ; 
 and as I have had everlasting care of thee, so do 
 give thee everlasting laws and rules of worship and 
 godliness, in comparison of whose light and wisdom 
 all men are darkness and folly. And what! will 
 you prefer friends, kindred, great ones, parents, 
 any before me ? Be not rebellious like them, but 
 hearken unto me, and let them go. Make no league 
 with them that are wicked and rebellious, Exod. 
 xxxiv. 12; do not imitate their worship, match not 
 into their families, feast not at their tables, choose 
 none of their ways, Prov. iii. 31 ; and, Rom. xii. 2, 
 " Be not conformed to this world, but be ye trans- 
 
 formed by the renewing of youi- mind ;" that is, do 
 not make the manners of the world the rule of your 
 life, nor the worship of the world the rule of your 
 worship, but look higher. Let not your corrupt 
 minds, that will carry you after a corrupt world, a 
 corrupt worship, and corrupt manners, prevail with 
 you ; but receive new light from Christ and the gos- 
 pel into your minds, and then you will be transform- 
 ed, you will reject all old ways, old traditions and 
 examples of men, and will be led by Christ, and 
 live by his rules and laws. And thus we may be 
 wiser than our forefathers and teachers. Psal. cxix. 
 99, 100, " I have more understanding than all my 
 teachers," saith David, and " I understand more than 
 the ancients." And what was the ground of it ? He 
 made God's law and word his meditation and his 
 rule. And those in these latter days, that have 
 done so, have got more understanding „ 
 than their teachers, and are wiser than mams, 
 the ancients that are for human in- ^„i'°un'',"J,„t'i°'^' 
 ventions. It is laws, not examples, R"iii.t 6at, quam 
 we must look to ; and the lawyers have """' ""' """'• 
 a rule very useful. Men must consider, not what is 
 done, but what ought to be done. 
 
 Oi.y. 5. That it is the Lord's prerogative to ap- 
 point significant typical and sacramental signs. 
 " Eat that I give thee :" that was the roll, which was 
 sacramental, and signified the gift of prophecy. 
 No man may lift up a creature to a higher spiritual 
 excellency than what God has set it in by nature. 
 What mortal had power to have put upon the brazen 
 serpent a typicalness to represent Christ? who had 
 power to make the rainbow a sign of the covenant 
 between God and man ? who could make the temple 
 a type of Christ, but he that filled the temple with 
 glory ? and who can institute sacraments, ordinary 
 or exti'aordinary, but God and Christ? In them 
 always is a command and a promise of grace, which 
 falls not within the compass of man's power. 
 
 Obs. 6. That the Lord Christ provides meat for his 
 servants : " Eat that I give thee." Christ had pro- 
 phetical meat for him, a roll to give him. It is from 
 Christ that truths come. As a nurse prepares meat 
 for the child, and puts it into the mouth of the child, 
 so doth Christ here ; he ever gives seed to his 
 sowers ; he furnisheth his servants with abilities ; if 
 they want books he will provide them. 
 
 Ver. 9. And when I looked, behold, an hand 
 vas sent nnto me; and, lo, a roll of a hook was 
 therein. 
 
 Here we have the efficient instrumental and ma- 
 terial cause to treat of. " A hand was sent unto me," 
 sent from Christ. There could not be a hand with- 
 out some author. He that sat upon the throne, and 
 made all, he made, he sent this hand. No mention 
 is made of any arm or body : a hand might write it, 
 and reach it forth. In Belshazzar's sad vision, the 
 fingers of a hand came forth, and wrote upon the 
 plaster of the wall, Dan. v. 5 ; nothing but a hand 
 appeared. Had there been no hand, the prophet 
 might have doubted whence it came, taken it for 
 some casual thing ; but being reached out by a hand, 
 it was evident to him it came from Heaven, even 
 him that he saw so glorious, fell down before, and 
 was comforted by. 
 
 The material cause is, " a roll of a book," -n^jn 
 -ISO The ancients at first wrote in barks of trees, 
 afterwards in skins of beasts, which they call Per- 
 i;amena, vellum, or parchment, supposing them to be 
 invented at Pergamus, hy king Attalus, where was 
 a famous library of parchments and manuscripts ; 
 but rolls of vellum or parchment were before that
 
 94 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. II. 
 
 time. Ezekiel's vision was long before the Roman 
 monarchy ; Attains lived when that flourished, and 
 having no issue, made the Roman state heir to his 
 crown ; but rolls were in Isaiah's days, chap. viii. I, 
 "Take thee a great roll;" yea, in David's days, 
 I'sal. xl. 7, " In the volume of thy book," -n^jcs 
 -I3D in tlie roll of thy book. They are very an- 
 cient, and called rolls from the rolling them up 
 about cedar, or some precious wood, that they might 
 be the better preserved. The law and prophets 
 were written in such rolls, and when they unrolled 
 them, the Jewish doctors used to ex- 
 tiiinin priiKipuni pouud them, as is gathered from that 
 n™'sitsn'i'pi'um place, LidvC iv. 1 7. These rolls are in 
 in voiuiiiiiiibus. practice to this day in the Jewish syna- 
 gogue ; and tliey have their rnir or 
 law written in one volume, aud rolled up, as i'ara?us 
 observes on the 5th of the Revelation. Kings have 
 their courts of rolls. And there is nothing ancient 
 in the courts and libraries of princes, in their trea- 
 sury of monuments, but is written in rolls or volumes. 
 
 For the signification of this roll, some make it to 
 signify the secret counsels of God. It is true, they 
 were written in it, but not signified by it. The roll 
 here is si/mbohim prnphelifr, a typical sign of the 
 gift of prophecy U> be given to the prophet, and in 
 that sense we are to take it. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the Lord Christ doth at his pleasure 
 put forth creative and infinite virtue to elTect what 
 he speaks. " Eat that I give thee ; " and presently 
 a hand is created, a roll is presented unto the pro- 
 phet, which none could have done being destitute of 
 divine power. Christ hath a hand in readiness al- 
 ways to do what he will have done. He hath some- 
 times a visible hand to do it, as here ; sometimes an 
 invisible. ^Vhen he called Lazarus forth from the 
 grave, he had a hand invisible to effect it; when ho 
 bid the dead to hear, the dumb to speak, the lame to 
 walk, devils to depart their habitation, he had an 
 invisible hand that effected those things. So in Acts 
 xi. 20, 21, when some of the brethren had preached 
 the Lord Christ, and faith in him, it is said presently, 
 '■ The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great 
 number believed ; " there was a secret hand of divine 
 power efl'ecting that in their hearts, which the dis- 
 ciples preached in their ears. And Acts iv. 31), Christ 
 hath a hand to stretch forth, and to heal ; to heal 
 soul diseases, and bodily too: to heal state and church 
 diseases. The leper said to Christ, "Lord, if thou wilt, 
 thou canst make me clean. And Jesus pint forth his 
 hand, and touched him, saying, I will ; be thou clean. 
 And immediately his leprosy was cleansed," Matt, 
 viii. 2, 3. If we would look to Christ as this leper 
 did, we miffht find and feel the hand of Christ. 
 
 064'. 2. That the Lord doth oftentimes extraordi- 
 nary things for the encouragement and confirmation 
 of his servants in their function. Here is a hand 
 and a roll reached out to Ezekiel. Jeremiah is fear- 
 ful aud backward to the work of God, and God, to 
 encourage and establish him, puts forth his hand, 
 and toneheth his mouth, Jer. i. 9. Moses is doubt- 
 ing, and pleading with God to dismiss him ; but liy 
 the miracles of the rod, and of the leprous hand, he 
 is confirmed in his call to that great and hard ser- 
 vice, Exod. iv. Isaiah's lips are touched with a 
 coal from the altar in the hand of a seraphim, his 
 iniquity is purged, and so he is heartened to his 
 work, Isa. vi. Christ breathed upon his apostles, 
 and said, " Receive the Holy Ghost," John xx. 22 ; 
 by these extraordinary things they were consecrated 
 to and confirmed in their ollices. 
 
 Obs. 3. That there is a near conjunction and sweet 
 analogy between the symbols the Lord Christ useth, 
 and the things intended. Christ intends here the 
 
 gift of prophecy, to confirm that upon Ezekicl. Now 
 what is the external sign or symbol ? It is a book 
 written full of prophetical things, and so did fitly 
 resemble the thing intended. In all the symbols 
 that God had used in the Old and New Testament in 
 a sacramental way, there have been fit analogies 
 between them ami the thing signified by them. Cir- 
 cumcision, the paschal lamb, water in baptism, bread 
 and wine in the supper of the Lord, do set out the 
 manifold wisdom of God and Christ in accommodating 
 symbols so near to the truth, and holding it forth so 
 lively ; and the wisdom of Christ appeared in con- 
 veying the gift of prophecy by " a roll of a book." 
 From this example of Christ, giving a roll to Ezekiel, 
 some conceive, springs that custom in the universities, 
 at the creation of doctors, — it is done by reaching them 
 out a book ; but how warrantable, 1 leave to judg- 
 ment. They that do it, may give them volumen, but 
 not rem volumiiiit,; the volume, but not its power. If 
 they had given them the gift of prophecy, we should 
 never have had so many unpreaching doctors and 
 prelates. 
 
 Obs. 4. That the gift of prophecy is from Christ. 
 He reached out a hand, and gave the roll of a book. 
 He is the great Prophet, and hath all pi-ophecy and 
 prophetical power in himself; and whom he pleaseth 
 he can make a prophet, and inspire with prophetical 
 virtue, and where he pleases, even in 13abylon as 
 well as in Canaan. 
 
 Ver. 10. And he spread it before me : and it 
 teas written within and without: and there was 
 written therein lamentations, and mourning, and 
 iroe. 
 
 In this verse you have the opening of the roll, the 
 fulness and contents of it. " He spread it before 
 me," that is, imrolled it, and laid it open before me. 
 The word in the original signifies to expound and 
 interpret ; and we may conceive that Fxpamiimr 
 Christ did not oidy spread the roll be- quniicio i.oc 
 
 P ... liii'i J quod obscure 
 
 tore his eyes, l)ut caused fimi to under- proUiun, tue- 
 stand if : by this spreading, he saw it "ne''m'^ilrtei'"" 
 was written within and without: but ifcius apeniur. 
 by Christ's interpretation of it, he knew "^' 
 that there were written in it, " lamentations, mourn- 
 ing, and woe." 
 
 " It was written within and without." The He- 
 brew is, in the face and in the back ; that is, on 
 both sides. Lavater thinks, that on one side were 
 written their sins, and on the other God's judgments. 
 This fidness of the roll intimates, either the length 
 of the prophecy, as Vafablus conceives, or a multi- 
 tude of evils hanging over the heads of the Jews, as 
 Maldonate thinks, or the abundance of revelations 
 committed to the prophet, as Junius ; not what Je- 
 rom and Bellarmine conceit, that the writing with- 
 in and without should note the literal and mystical 
 sense of the Scripture. 
 
 " Lamentations, mourning, and woe." Here are 
 the contents of the roll, bitter aud sad 
 things ; the burning of the temple, the 
 overthrow of Jerusalem, the captivity of the Jewish 
 nation, and all the evil which should befall them. 
 The word Idnim, lamentation, noteth a plain com- 
 p'aint, a sad speech, testifying the sorrows of mind ; 
 as David in the case of Absalom, " O Absalom, Ab- 
 salom," &-C. ; this was a natural complaint, and simple 
 lamentation, suddenly breaking forth, without all 
 premeditation. 
 
 Mourning is more, it is deeper, and upon considera- 
 tion. The word in the Hebrew is from ,-ijn to medi- 
 tate, and noteth the deepest sigh. When one hath 
 mused nnich and seriously upon the cause and 
 
 Amara et niffisfa.
 
 Ver. 10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIKL. 
 
 i)5 
 
 matter of grief, and then fetcheth deep sighs, such 
 as are indicative of intense and bitter sorrows, that 
 is the mourning here. Isa. xxx%aii. 14, " I did mourn 
 like a dove ;" the Hebrew is, I will meditate, noting 
 mourning that comes from meditation ; the dove's 
 mourning is inward. Cranes chatter and lament, 
 doves mourn. 
 
 " Woe." This word <ni noteth not only the 
 voice in lamentations and groans in moiiniing, but 
 knocking of the breast, and clapping of the hands 
 togetlier, as is used in great afhictions : thus some 
 interpreters understand it ; but I conceive by " woe" 
 here, is meant the threatenings of judgment, or judg- 
 ments threatened, according to those woes in Matt, 
 xxiii. and the fruit of them, as it is. Lam. v. 16. 
 
 06.?. 1. That diWne mysteries are unknown to 
 men, though very easy and familiar, till they be un- 
 folded. This roll could the prophet never have com- 
 prehended the meaning of, if Christ had not open- 
 ed it. Take all the types and ceremonies of the law, 
 there were mysteries wrapped up in them, which 
 neither Aaron nor Moses had known, if they had 
 been left to their own abilities. Those elements 
 used in baptism and the supper of the Lord, we 
 should never have known the mysteries of them, if 
 Heaven had not helped us. AVould we think the 
 rainbow an emblem of mercy, if Scripture had not 
 held it out to us ? Indians, heathens, do not, cannot 
 so apprehend it. Take any divine mysteries, they 
 are too transcendent for our capacities, there are 
 depths in them that we cannot fathom : 2 Cor. ii. 14, 
 the natural man cannot know the things of God, 
 they are spiritually discerned ; there must be a great 
 mystery wrought in him before he can discern 
 mysteries. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is the Lord Christ that opens and inter- 
 prets mystical things efficaciously unto the faithful. 
 He spread the roll before Ezekiel, and made him to 
 understand the mysteries of it. "What arc the Scrip- 
 tures but a roll folded up, a book sealed till Christ 
 open it ? "We may all say as the eunuch, being de- 
 manded if he understood what he read, said, " How 
 can I, except some man guide me ?" Acts viii. 30, 31. 
 So, unless Christ guide us, and lead us into the mys- 
 teries of the word, we cannot understand them. 
 "When none could open the book pealed up, " the 
 Lion of the tribe of Judah " could do it. Rev. v. 5. 
 He hath strength to untie all knots, and a Spirit to 
 search all deeps. Christ himself is the greatest 
 mystery, and he is the great opener of mysteries : 
 " All things are delivered to me of my Father ; and 
 no man knoweth the Father, save the Son, and he to 
 whom the Son will reveal him," Matt. xi. 27. If ever 
 God be made known savingly to the soul, it must be 
 by the Lord Christ ; and he doth not reveal unto 
 all, but to whomsoever he will, to his elect ones ; 
 from others he conceals him ; they have the letter, 
 the roll, but not the mystery thereof; their light is 
 darkness. But there are some in the world, that 
 Christ doth interpret the riddles and dark things of 
 the Scripture unto ; sec that place in John xv. 15, 
 " Henceforth," saith Christ, " I call you not servants ; 
 for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth : 
 but I have called you friends ; for all things that I 
 have heard of my Father I have made known unto 
 you." These were Christ's friends, Christ revealed 
 all to them, but from others all was kept. It was 
 Christ revealed unto the prophets what they had, and 
 to the apostles what they had. The Scripture may 
 well be called the Revelation of Christ. You have 
 one book called so; Rev. i. I, " The Revelation of 
 Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show 
 unto his servants," that is, his faithful ones. If we 
 would therefore understand the roll of the book, the i 
 
 mysteries in the Scripture, wc must look up to Christ, 
 and entreat him to spread them before our eyes, and 
 to interpret them to our hearts. 
 
 Oi.y. 3. That the servants of God must not refuse 
 to receive and propound large and sad messages to 
 the people. Here is a " roll, written within and 
 without," and filled with " lamentation, and mourn- 
 ing, and woe." Here was liber morth, a book of 
 death, and deadly things ; this the prophet must re- 
 ceive, and declare to the people, however they take 
 it. People would gladly hear from the men of God 
 good tidings ; they would have a law of kindness in 
 our lips, our mouths to drop honey ; they would 
 have us sons of consolation : but we must speak what 
 our great Lord and Master puts into the roll ; if he 
 bid us preach " lamentation, mourning, and woe," 
 we must do it. 
 
 Obs. 4. That the Lord gives to his prophets truths 
 suitable to his providence. Here is a roll, full of 
 " lamentation, mourning, and woe ;" sad things, and 
 such things the Lord was bringing upon them. There 
 is a sweet analogy between God's word and works ; 
 his works are his word fulfilled : Psal. cxlviii. 8, 
 " Fire and hail, snow and vapours, stormy wind ; 
 fulfilling his word." "When there is thunder and 
 lightning, snows, rains, and winds, these are fulfil- 
 lings of God's word : no providences do cross his 
 word, but all perform it. God's works are the best 
 commentaries upon his word; and had we the wis- 
 dom to bring his word and works together, we 
 should see a sweet harmony between them. This 
 roll given to the prophet, and God's proceedings 
 with the Jews after, were proportionable, they felt 
 what here was written. All that is done in the 
 world now, is the fulfilling of what was written. 
 When GodgaveJohn his Revelation, he laidin truths 
 to suit with his providence and works to the end of 
 the world. It is liber Providentialis, the book of 
 Providence, and many things in it are acting in our 
 days, and before our eyes, though we discern it not : 
 there are truths for these times, and it is their ad- 
 vantage that can take them up. 
 
 Obs. 5. That dreadful things hang over the head 
 of a sinful, guilty nation. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Ver. I — 3. Moreover he said iinto me, Son oj 
 man, eat that thoujindest; eat this roll, and go 
 speak unto the house of Israel. So J opened my 
 mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he 
 said unto me. Son of man, cause thj) belly to eat, 
 and fill thy hou-els with this roll that I give thee. 
 Then did I eat it ; and it was in my mouth as 
 honey for sweetness. 
 
 These words, and to the end of the 15th verse, by 
 some expositors, are made part of the second chap- 
 ter ; and when the division of chapters was made, 
 (about four hundred and fifty-seven years since,) it 
 had been more suitable to have ended the second 
 chajiter at the 4th or 15th verse of this chapter, than 
 where'it is ; but we will take it as we find it. In the 
 chapter you have, 
 
 I. A further narration of Ezekiel's call, to the 12th 
 verse. 
 
 II. A declaration of what befell him thereupon, 
 fi-om the 12th to the 1 6th. 
 
 III. A new revelation, with the events following 
 it, unto the end of the chapter.
 
 <)G 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Ch.m'. III. 
 
 In the first part of the chapter you have two 
 things : 
 
 The first is the continuance of Christ's speech, and 
 the prophet's actions about the sacramental sign, 
 viz. the roll. 
 
 Secondly, a renewal of his sending to prophesy, 
 which is from the 4th verse to the llth. 
 
 In these verses there is little that needs explain- 
 ing. That which hath most difficulty in it, is the 
 " eating of the roll." What eating is here meant ? 
 How could the prophet eat a great roll (a thing not 
 credible) without prejudice of his health, life, or 
 both ? 
 
 Jnsir. He that commanded him to eat, could have 
 jirevented all danger and prejudice, if the eating had 
 fjcen corporal and literal. But it is conceived here, 
 that the eating was not literal, but spiritual, or in 
 vision ; and that in the 1 0th verse of the chapter con- 
 firms us in it, where it is said, " All my words that 
 I shall speak unto thee, receive in thine heart, and 
 hear with thine ears :" this was the eating, to hear, 
 meditate, and believe. His journey was spiritual, his 
 work was spiritual ; he was to go and prophesy, and 
 such was his meat, spiritual meat, and spiritually 
 eaten. 
 
 But why is he bid to eat the roll ? had not seeing 
 and reading been more suitable ? Look on it, read it ; 
 wliy is the mouth brought in rather than the eye or 
 ear ? 
 
 .in.su: The Scripture doth attribute excellency to, 
 and place natural and supernatural virtue in, that 
 organ or sense by which it is exercised. Gen. ii. 7, 
 " God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ;" 
 the meaning is, he put a soul into him. The nostrils 
 are not the seat of the soul ; but because the breath 
 in the nostrils doth manifest the presence of the soul 
 in man, and discovers it, therefore it is said, " He 
 breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." And so 
 liere, Ezekiel is said to " eat the roll :" not to see or 
 licar it, because by the mouth the gift of jirophecy 
 wliich was given him by the roll was to be mani- 
 fested and discovered to the people. 
 
 " Cause thy belly to eat." Could his, or can any 
 man's belly cat ? This seems a strange speech : but 
 take it thus ; eating is taken in Scripture, not only for 
 chewing, but for all the actions belonging to meat, 
 as concoction and consumption of it ; and the Hebrew 
 word SsN signifies to eat, to dissolve, to consume ; and 
 .so the sword and fire in Scripture are said to eat, 
 that is, to dissolve, and to destroy. The meaning 
 then is, do thou by this roll, as the stomach and belly 
 do by meat, when they get good thereby : the one 
 doth not presently reject, nor the other transmit, but 
 they retain the meat, draw out all the virtue, concoct 
 it, live and work in the strength of it : so here, "let 
 thy belly cat," that is, concoct, digest the truths thou 
 hearest, by serious meditation, and by faith : do not 
 like those that have weak and sickly stomachs, that 
 quickly return what they receive, and get no benefit 
 thereby ; but do thou take in all the arguments and 
 truths of this roll ; do thou so coticoet and consume 
 them by the stomach and belly of meditation and 
 faith, tliat they may become thy nutriment, and tliou 
 maysi feel the power and efficacy of them in thy 
 heart, and act accordingly. 
 
 " And fill thy bow-els." Satisfy thyself, take 
 enough, be not content with a little. 
 
 Obs. I. That our obedience unto Christ must be 
 absolute and simple. " Eat that thou findest," saith 
 Christ, whatever thou findest. There might some- 
 lliing unsavoury, bitter, have been tendered to the 
 prophet, even that which nature abhors ; however, 
 he must eat it, not dispute the case, but yield obe- 
 dience. When Christ commands, entire obedience 
 
 is the best, to do it upon that ground, and no other; 
 here the commander's will is warrant 
 for tlie fact. Luke v. 5, this prevailed , ipici.i'i's'est'rTtio 
 with Peter, " Master, we have toiled all i"-««i"'- 
 the night, and have taken nothing; nevertheless at thy 
 word I will let down the net." Christ's word was 
 all unto him ; he looked not at his labour lost, at his 
 gain to come, but at the word of Christ, and that was 
 warrant enough to him. So other ajiostles, when 
 Christ called them, and bid them follow him, " they 
 left all, and straightway followed him ;" they con- 
 sulted not with flesh and blood, they made no objec- 
 tions, chose not what they would themselves, but 
 submitted to Christ's will. Abraham left his coun- 
 try at God's call, and knew not whither he should 
 go, and this was true obedience. With men we must 
 not be so tractable, as to do things merely upon their 
 wills and commands : they are no gods, their wills 
 and ])OWer are no rules. They may sin ; we must 
 give account ; and tlierefore may and must ex- 
 amine, " {jrove all things, and hold fast that which 
 is good." Human things it is our duty, it is wisdom 
 and safety, to question, and search into ; but divine 
 things are without dispute to be believed and obeyed. 
 Therefore saith Christ, " Ye arc my friends, if ye 
 do whatsoever I command you," John xv. 14; then 
 we show the greatest love to Christ, ■\\hen we give 
 him absolute obedience. 
 
 Obs. 2. That the symbols and truths which Christ 
 gives, are the meat that the souls of prophets and 
 ministers must feed upon. " Eat wliat thou findest ;" 
 " eat this roll." It is l/ii.s; emphatically ; other rolls 
 and books they may look into, but this they must 
 eat. The book of Christ is the book of their studies. 
 Many scholars study other books more than the 
 Scriptures, than the rolls of Christ ; they are heluotie.i 
 librorum, book-eaters ; fathers, schoolmen, historians, 
 poets, and pamphlets, they devour, and are least ac- 
 quainted with the Scriptures ; but Christ's command 
 is to eat this roll, search the Scriptiu-es, meditate in 
 the law night and day ; he sends us to no other. A 
 young disciple asking an old rabbi whether he 
 might not have time to learn the Greek tongue, he said, 
 if he would do it neither by night nor by day he 
 might, because by night and day he was to study the 
 law : hereby he intimated that scholars' greatest 
 study should be in the word of God. Paul there- 
 fore exhorts Timothy to give attendance to reading, 
 to exhortation, to doctrine ; he bids him " meditate 
 upon these things, give himself wholly to them," 
 1 Tim. iv. 15 ; his whole strength and time should be 
 in them. Man's life is short ; and if it were never so 
 long, it should be spent in the knowledge of the 
 holy Scriptures. When Paul was at the gates of 
 death, 2 Tim. iv. 6, 13, you find he sends for the 
 books and parchments : Paid would study them over 
 again. It is said of Ambrose, that to his death he 
 ceased not to write commentaries, and expound 
 Scrijjtures, and died at that in the psalm, " Great is 
 the Lord, and greatly to be praised." ITiis book 
 they must eat, read, study, with great diligence, and 
 make it their own. Alphonsus, king of Aragon, read 
 over the Scriptures some twelve or fourteen times, 
 notwithstanding his great public employments ; and 
 one of note read over the New 'J'es'tament with 
 Eeza's larger notes, sixteen times in three years. 
 The Scriptures are Heaven's epistles 
 sent to men ; they cannot be read too 
 often, being full of divine mysteries. 
 
 Ois. 3. That when ministers 
 messengers of God have eaten and di- 
 gested the truths of God, then they 
 are fit to go and preach them to the peo- 
 ple of God. " Eat this roll, and go ; " first eat, then 
 
 Epistola Of i ad 
 homilies niissa, 
 Aug. 'Z A'eim, ill 
 J Rial, xc, 
 and Omnirt etiiitn 
 iiniliiH plena 
 nut seiisii, lliys- 
 terio el spii itu. 
 Uas. Horn. 6.
 
 Ver. 1—3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 U7 
 
 go. Elijah must cat, and then take his journey ; and 
 so ministers must first eat themselves, then feed 
 others. If the nurse herself do not eat, she will have 
 no milk for her child ; if she eat and do not digest, 
 turn it into blood and milk, all is in vain ; so the mes- 
 sengers of God must turn what they eat, what they 
 read, in succum et sanguiiiem, into nourishment ; and 
 then, being their own, in their hearts and bowels, 
 they will speak from the heart. 
 
 Obs. 4. That faith is requisite to the receipt of 
 spiritual things : he opened his mouth, and ate the 
 roll, he received the truths and believed. Look, how 
 necessary a mouth is to take in the meat of the 
 body, to chew it, and send it down to the other parts, 
 else there is no benefit comes to a man by it ; so ne- 
 cessary is faith to take in the spiritual food of the 
 soul. Faith is the mouth and stomach of the soul ; 
 if that receive in truths, digest and send them to the 
 organs of actions, benefit accrues to the man; if not, 
 
 grejudice. John vi. .35, 3G, Christ tells them that 
 e is the "bread of life," that he that comes to him 
 shall "never hunger," and that he that believes on 
 him shall "never thirst," but "ye have seen me and 
 believe not," Though Christ were bread and 
 water of life, because they had no faith, no mouth 
 to eat and drink thereof, therefore they had no bene- 
 fit ; and as a man that can receive no food must die : 
 .so here, John viii. 24, " If ye believe not that I am 
 he, ye shall die in your sins :" here is prejudice ir- 
 reparable, death eternal, for want of faith. Our 
 Erophet received the fruits Christ tendered, and got 
 y them. All believers are or may be gainers by the 
 truths of Christ: 1 Thess. ii. 13, " The word wrought 
 effectually in them that believed." Faith makes 
 good concoction of that meat, and answerable oper- 
 ation ; but, Ileb. iv. 2, " The word preached did not 
 profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that 
 heard it," 'VNTiere there is no faith to receive into the 
 soul, there is no profit : the ear may set it into the 
 head, but faith must bring it into the heart, and 
 keep it there, till it be spirit and life to the man. 
 The original is, the word of hearing did not profit 
 them, being not united by faith to them that 
 heard. 
 
 Obs. 5. The godly must act and put forth their 
 graces towards further reception of spiritual things. 
 When Christ will give Ezekiel domim jnophetia?, the 
 gift of prophecy, a roll to eat, he opens his mouth, 
 he employs his faith to receive this gift of prophecy. 
 Faith in the habit is like the mouth shut up, nothing 
 enters ; but in exercise it is like the mouth open and 
 ready to receive. It is infinite mercy that God at any 
 time will oiTer us spiritual favours and excellences ; 
 we should therefore be forward, and stir up our souls 
 and graces to the receipt of such mercies. It is a 
 lazy and ill excuse for godly ones to say they can do 
 nothing. Grace is an active and an enabling thing, 
 and where there is a principle of life, (as all godly 
 men have,) there is a special difference betiveen that 
 man and another that hath it not : a man without it, 
 cannot act and stir up himself to a further reception 
 of spiritual things, because he is dead ; but a man 
 that hath it, can and ought to quicken up his own 
 soul to spiritual things. The prophet had received 
 the Spirit that entered into him, and he ojiened his 
 mouth, exercised his faith, to take what the Lord 
 should give. The apostle Paul bids Timothy stir up 
 the gift of God that was in him, 2 Tim. i. 6; he 
 , . would have men deal with their gifts 
 
 "''"'""'■ and graces, as they do with fire under 
 the ashes, they blow them off, and blow the fire up, 
 and there is a flame fit for service. Sloth, fear, infir- 
 mity, carnsl reason, are ashes that do often cover 
 divine fire, that it seems dead ; but we must stir up 
 
 H 
 
 ourselves, blow off those ashes, and blow up the fire 
 of grace, that it may burn and shine, be useful to 
 ourselves and others. The prophet complains in 
 Isa. Ixiv. 7, " There is none that stirreth up himself 
 to take hold of thee ; " they are Hke men asleep, 
 that sit still and do nothing. The Vulgate is, Non 
 est qui surgat, There is no one who will arise. 
 
 Obs. C. When man hath done all he can, the effi- 
 cacy and fruit is from God. Ezekiel opened his 
 mouth, but the Lord Christ caused him to eat the 
 roll; he makes it effectual. It is not our stirring up 
 our graces, opening our hearts, putting forth our- 
 selves to the utmost, that will make an ordinance 
 effectual, without Christ ; it is he must do the deed : 
 John XV. 5, " Without me ye can do nothing." 
 Ezekiel could not eat the roll ; nor digest it, being 
 eaten ; nor act, being digested : and so the apostles, 
 though branches in the vine, could draw no sap from 
 the root, unless that sent it up ; when sent up, they 
 coidd not send it forth without him ; if sent forth 
 into clusters, they could not ripen it without him. 
 All is from him ; he gives grace, exercises and 
 strengthens grace : Paul may plant, but there is no 
 rooting of those plants but by Christ ; ApoUos may 
 water, but there is no growth, no increase, but by 
 Christ, 1 Cor. iii. 6. 
 
 Vbs. 7. Ministers and all should feed liberallj 
 upon the word. " Fill thy bowels with this roll ;" 
 not taste of it a little, but feed and fill themselves. 
 There is great variety in the rolls of God, and we 
 may feed upon them all, and fill ourselves with 
 divine truth. Matt. siii. 52, Every scribe instruct- 
 ed to the kingdom of heaven hath a treasury of 
 things new and old. As a householder hath all meats, 
 wines, household-stuff, and furniture that are need- 
 ful, both old and new ; so should a servant of God 
 have old and new truths, those of Moses and the 
 prophets, and the mysteries of the gospel also. 
 " Let the word of God dwell in you richly," Col. iii. 
 J 6 ; he means not some part of it, but the whole 
 word of God; it is not limited to any part, but 
 spoken indefinitely, and so includes all ; and it must 
 not be in the assemblies, in the houses only, but it 
 must be in you, and dwell in you ; you must know 
 it, and have it in readiness, as you know those who 
 dwell in the house \\ix\\ you, and are ready to do any 
 service for you. The Corinthians were enriched in 
 all knowledge ; and we should so abound with divine 
 knowledge, that there should be no place for errors 
 in us : the word of God should be in our hearts, in 
 our heads, in our lips, in our lives ; we all should be 
 like Ezekiel's roll, written within and without. 
 
 Obs. 8. The word of God is sweet and delightful 
 to the soul. It was "as honey for sweetness." There 
 is nothing more sweet than honey. The word is as 
 sweet as it; yea, Psal. xix. 10, "sweeter than honey 
 and the honeycomb :" the greatest sweetness is in 
 the word of any thing in the world. The sweetness 
 is in the revelation of the counsels and mysteries of 
 God and Christ, which is sweet to know ; for " know- 
 ledge is pleasant," Prov. ii. 10; and the more excel- 
 lent the knowledge, the more pleasant it is. It is a 
 " word of life," Phil. ii. 16 ; and life is sweet, and the 
 more spiritual the life is, the more sweet still. It 
 converts the soul, Psal. xix. 7. It is pabulum avinxp, 
 the food of the soul, called by Peter, aiToXor yriXn, 
 1 Pet. ii. 2, sincere milk ; and that is sweet, nourish- 
 ing unto eternal life. It is " the grace of God that 
 bringeth salvation," Tit. ii. 11; and " the power of 
 God to salvation," Rom. i. 16; and herein is sweet- 
 ness. It sanctifies. Job xvii. 17. It comforts the 
 soul in all straits and afflictions ; Psal. cxix. 92, 
 " Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then 
 have perished in mine affliction." It satisfies the
 
 98 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 conscience, which nothing else can do. It shows 
 the equity of God's judgments and dealings with 
 wicl<fd men ; and so the sharpest threats, and most 
 dreadful judgments, are sweet to a gracious heart. 
 Here was a roll full of "lamentation, mourning, and 
 woe ;" and yet when the Lord commends it to Eze- 
 kiel, he fmds sweetness in it: not that he was not 
 sensible and affected with the miseries coming upon 
 him, for he was not d^opyag, without natural affec- 
 tion ; but seeing the righteousness of God in his 
 judgments towards them, he coidd not but be affected 
 with a spiritual joy, and find sweetness therein, his 
 will being revealed, and that which a gracious heart 
 rests in. 
 
 Ver. 4 — 11. And he said nnto me. Son of man, 
 go, get thee unto the house of larael, and speali 
 with my words unto them. For thou art not sent 
 to a people of a strange speech and of an hard 
 language, hut to the house of Israel; not to 
 man;! people of a strange speech and of an hard 
 language, whose words thou canst not tmder- 
 stand. Sureli/, had I sent thee to them, thei/ 
 would hare hearlcened unto thee. But the house 
 of Israel will not hearken unto thee ; for fhei/ will 
 not hearken unto me : for all the house of Israel 
 are impudent and hardhearted. Behold, I have 
 made thy face strong against their faces, and thy 
 forehead strong against their foreheads. As 
 an adamant harder than fint have I made 
 thy forehead : fear them not, 7ieither be dismayed 
 at their looks, though they he a rebellious house. 
 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all mi/ 
 words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine 
 heart, and hear with thine ears. And go, get thee 
 to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy 
 people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus 
 saith the Lord God; whether they will hear, or 
 whether they tvill forbear. 
 
 In these verses is a renewal of the prophet's send- 
 ing to his prophetieal function, and they have in 
 them matter of encouragement, and manifestation 
 what he must expect. 
 
 1. Matter of encouragement ; and, 
 
 (I.) In tliat he was not sent to "a people of 
 a strange language," that imderstood him not, ver. 
 5, 6 ; that would be discouragement, to preach to a 
 jieoplc that should not know what a man said. This 
 was not the prophet's case, but he was to go "to the 
 house of Israel," whom he knew, whose language he 
 understood, who also understood his. 
 
 (2.) In that Christ had strengthened and fitted 
 him for that service, ver. 8, 9, and would yet do 
 more for him, give him more truths, reveal more 
 prophetical things unto him, ver. 10. 
 
 (3.) That it should be all one to him, whether 
 they heard the prophet or not, ver. 11. 
 
 2. There is manifestation what he must expect. 
 (1.) More ft-om heathens than from them; ver. 6, 
 
 end, " Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would 
 have hearkened.'' 
 
 (2.) Obstinate refusal of him and his prophecy; 
 ver. 7, " The house of Israel will not hearken unto 
 thee : " and it is proved by a double argument. 
 
 First, " they will not hearken unto me," is an 
 argument from the greater. If they will not hear 
 nie their God, they will not hear thee my servant, 
 their prophet. 
 
 The second is an argument fi'om their disposition, 
 and the universality of it ; " for all the house of 
 
 Israel are impudent and hardhearted." And then 
 a repetition of his mission, in the 11th verse. 
 
 I shall open what is difficult in the verses, and 
 then give you some obsei'vations out of them. 
 
 The words in the b\h verse, " of a strange speech 
 and hard language," and the same in the (ith verse, 
 are expounded in that place in Isa. xxxiii. 19. In 
 the original the words are prS nasi nsr »pi:y deep 
 of lip, and heavy of tongue, or rather, a people of 
 depths of lip, and heaviness of tongue. In the word 
 depths, there is a metalepsis ; depths are dark and 
 ditlieult, hard to be understood. It is not so here ; 
 thou art not sent to such a people, a people of a 
 hard and heavy language, of an unknown tongue. 
 The Septuagint hath it thus, ov Trpog \adv ^aSv^tiKov rai 
 (iapvyXwaaov, not to a people of a deep lip, or heavy 
 tongue ; thou art sent to a people that understand 
 thee, and what thou sayest, and whom thou dost 
 understand also. It is not with thee as it was with 
 Jonah ; he was sent to a people of a strange speech 
 and hard language. I send thee not to Egyptians, 
 to Chaldeans, but to Israelites, not Parthians, Scythi- 
 ans, cVc. ; but though thou art in Babylon, where was 
 the confusion of tongues, yet thou art to go to the 
 house of Israel, and speak to them, that have heard 
 Moses and other prophets before, and me in them. 
 
 In the 7th verse it is said, " the house of Israel 
 are impudent and hardhearted." The Hebrew is, 
 strong of face, and hard of heart, the same with 
 those words in the second chapter, ver. 4 ; only the 
 difference is, that in chap. ii. it is durifaciebus, strong 
 of face, and here it is duri corde, hard of heart ; there 
 it is robusti corde, strong in heart, and here it is ro- 
 busli fronte, bold in countenance. 
 
 In the 9th verse it is, -I'ccs " as an adamant 
 harder than flint have I made thy forehead ; " ke- 
 shamir. The word shamir signifies a brier: Isa. v. 6, 
 " There shall come up briers," tcw a brier ; and it 
 is from ILW ctistodire, serrare, to keep, to preserve, 
 because a brier by its prickles doth preserve itself. 
 It signifies also a hard and flinty stone, such as an 
 adamant is, which is lapis servabilis, because it keeps 
 itself by its hardness from all injuries ; no weather, 
 no violence of hammer or fire will conquer it: so 
 much the name adamant imports, being Ab a et aaudjoj. 
 tapis indomabi lis : Zech. vii. 12, "They Pim. lib. 37. 
 have made their hearts as an adamant." There are 
 four sorts, the Arabic, Macedonian, Cyprian, and In- 
 dian, which is the chiefest. 
 
 " Harder than a flint ;" ivc ptn strong above a rock. 
 By these expressions are set out the invincible 
 courage and constancy that God would Nee puiiore vin- 
 give tile prophet ; such as neither shame [„,"'« 'aufpa'"" 
 nor fear should prevail against. Iraceret. 
 
 In the 10th verse, "All my words receive in 
 thine heart, and hear with thine ears ;" it is tirrfpov 
 ■KQoTtQov, the last first, and first last, hear with thine 
 ears, and receive into thine heart. 
 
 Obs. That those that are sent of God must speak 
 with or in God's words. SaithPaul, 1 Cor. xi. 23, " For 
 I have received of the Lord that which also I de- 
 livered unto you : " not what I have received of men, 
 of learned heathens and Jews ; not what I had of 
 my own ; but what I received of the Lord, his 
 words, his institutions. God's words are weighty, and 
 have divine authority in them, but man's are weak 
 like himself. 
 
 From the 5th and 6th verses, 
 
 Obs. 1. That it is God determines and disposes of his 
 prophets and ministers, for their ])laces and people ; 
 what places they shall be in, what number they 
 shall be over : " Thou art not sent to a people of a 
 strange language, not to many people, but to the 
 house of Israel." God had the power in his hand
 
 Ver. 4— II. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 99 
 
 to have sent him to other nations, great, mighty, 
 of an unknown language, but he sent him among 
 Israelites : Acts xx. 28, it is a divine constitution. 
 
 Obs. 2. That men called of God to do him service 
 in the church, should not be discouraged, whatever 
 difHculties are before them. "Thou art not sent 
 unto a people of a strange speech, not to many : " 
 this implies, tliat if he were sent to these, he should 
 go willingly, cheerfidly ; and much more, being 
 upon easier service, the call of God should be en- 
 couragement enough. And if our eyes be much 
 upon that, it will prevent much sin, many dis- 
 tempers. Oft the servants of God (when they come 
 amongst their own friends, acquaintance, country- 
 men) are slighted, and meet witli hard measure 
 and coarse usage ; but they must remember who 
 called, who sent them. 
 
 Obs. 3. That God's ways and judgments are un- 
 searchable. The means of grace are denied to those 
 that would embrace them, and given to those that 
 refused them. " Surely, had I sent thee to them, 
 they would have hearkened ;" although thou hadst 
 Per iniprpreies, prcachcd in a tougue unknown, by one 
 iier iiuiiis, |,i;i ' mcans or other they would have been 
 Mnturaa"^Qr brought to repentance ; they would not 
 iMitiam. have been so perverse and ungrateful 
 
 as the Jews were. Jonah, and Nahum too, as Pra- 
 dus conceives, preached to Nineveh, and they re- 
 pented ; and it is likely many nations now, if they 
 had the gospel preached unto them, would embrace 
 it, and bring forth better fruits than christians do. 
 Matt. xi. 21, 23, Christ saith, if the works he had 
 done in Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, had 
 been done in Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom, " they would 
 have repented, and remained to this day ;" but God, 
 in his infinite wisdom and justice, denied both the 
 words and works of Christ to those places. We 
 cannot sound this depth; yet let us say, God is right- 
 eous, and take heed it be not verified of us, that 
 Turkey, Persia, and Tartary, would have repented, if 
 they had had the means we have. 
 
 From the 7th verse, 
 
 Obs. I. Men's wills do harden them and ruin them : 
 " They will not hearken unto thee." There is ob- 
 stinacy and malice in the wills of men, that they re- 
 ject the word of God, and what is for their good : 
 " Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life," 
 saith Christ, John v. 40. I will give you life for 
 fetching, and you will none of it. And when he 
 came to them, what said they to him? " We will not 
 have this man to reign over us." Let Christ come, 
 a King of righteousness, seeking the good, the sal- 
 vation of sinners, they will not submit to him ; their 
 own wills shall stand between them and salvation. 
 Voiuniastuaesi Bernard saith, A man's will is his hell ; 
 internus luus. j(^ cBirics a man against heaven, and 
 swiftly to hell. 
 
 Obs. 2. There is such corruption and strength of 
 stubbornness in men, tliat they will not hear God 
 himself: " They will not hearken unto me." Though 
 there be infinite equity in if, that they should give 
 me their ears, hearts, all their strength and inten- 
 tions; for I have created them of nothing ; redeemed 
 them, being worse than nothing ; I have prepared 
 eternal mansions in the heavens for them that do hear 
 me ; I speak the words of wisdom and life ; I aim 
 at their good and comfort in all that I speak ; yet 
 they will not hear me. Here is the strength and 
 perfection of stubbornness. A child not to hear its 
 parents, a people not to hear their minister, subjects 
 not to hear their prince, is thought bad enough ; but 
 children, people, subjects, not to hear their God, is 
 the height of iniquity. And because they will not 
 hear Christ, therefore thev will not hear his messen- 
 ii" 2 
 
 gers, but despise, persecute, and murder them, and 
 tliat because he sends them ; John xv. 21, " All 
 these things will they do unto you for my name's 
 sake." 
 
 Obs. 3. Corruption lies not only hid in the heart 
 of sinners, but breaks out in an impudent manner ; 
 they " are impudent and hardhearted ;" there is stoni- 
 ness within, and impudence without. 
 
 Obs. 4. Sin is of a spreading, infectious nature : the 
 whole " house of Israel are impudent and hard- 
 hearted," the one corrupted another. As it is in a 
 bunch of grapes, if one be corrupt, it will corrupt its 
 neighbour, and that another, till they be all alike ; 
 so was it here, one infected another, till the whole 
 house was so ; it is like the leju-osy in a garment or 
 house, that spreads through all. Gen. vi. 12, " All 
 flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." 
 
 From the 8th and 9th verses, 
 
 Obs. 1. That the ministers of God must look for 
 opposition in their way. Their face and foreheads 
 were against the prophet ; they would be like beasts, 
 that use to push with their horns and heads. 1 Cor. 
 xvi. 9, " There is an effectual door opened unto me, 
 and there are many adversaries." When God opens 
 to his ministers a door of hope to do good, there pre- 
 sently appear many adversaries to shut that door 
 again, and so to take away the hope and opportunity 
 of doing good. It was at Ephesus, and there he met 
 and fought with beasts. In the course of his minis- 
 try he met with Hyraeneus, Alexander, and Deme- 
 trius, that opposed him. John met with a Diotrephes, 
 and we must look for many such. 
 
 Obs. 2. Divine virtue and assistance doth accom- 
 pany a divine call. " I have made thy face strong 
 against their faces :" I called thee, and strengthened 
 thee. Tlie Hebrew is, give thee a face strong; 
 I do and will enable thee with spirit and audacity to 
 outface them. In Matt, xxviii. 20, Go preach, " and 
 lo, I am with you alway to the end of the world." 
 He sends them, and seconds them ; he calls them, 
 and encourages them ; " I am w^ith you," by my 
 grace, strength, comfort, direction. Spirit. Those that 
 are called of Christ, and sent of him, therefore may 
 with comfort expect the help of Christ to go through 
 the work he hath put them in. Paul, when sent to 
 the Corinthians, he came " in demonstration of the 
 Spirit and power," I Cor. ii. 4. And in Col. i. 29, 
 he saith, the working of grace was mighty in him, 
 in power and efficacy. AN'e are oft discouraged at 
 the greatness and difficulty of the work : " ^\ ho is 
 sufficient for these things ?" said Paul ; but when 
 he looked at Christ, he said, " I can do all things 
 through Christ which strcngtheneth me," Phil. iv. 
 13. And if we would look more at him, and lean 
 upon him, we should do more, and do better. If 
 thoughts of our weakness, of the work, of our op- 
 positions and enemies, sink us, Christ 
 gives balm, spirit, and a face to bear f„1f^ nHb",!,.''™,'! 
 all. A minister doth not warfare in his -rmajur ittiwn 
 own strength, but is amied from above. 
 
 Obs. 3. Whatever ministers have, it is given ; if 
 they be endued with the Spirit, wisdom, liberty of 
 speech, courage, or any other excellency, it is that 
 the Lord Christ bestows upon them ; I have made 
 thee so and so. Let not us be lift up ; our Master, 
 Clirist, had in him all the treasures of wisdom, the 
 Spirit above measure ; he was full of grace and 
 truth, did more than all ; his fame was great, and yet 
 he was humble, and bad us learn of him. He did 
 not slight or despise men of mean talents, and infi- 
 nitely beneath himself, but acknowledged the least 
 good which was in any, and encouraged it. His steps 
 should we follow, and not swell with a conceit of 
 worth, nor with reality of parts and excellences. It
 
 100 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CHAI>. III. 
 
 is (lie practice of too many to slight others, and 
 Ijuild up themselves by their ruins ; but this is a 
 worldly and wicked practice, never taught by Christ. 
 His doctrine is, " Let each esteem other better than 
 themselves. Look not every man on his own things, 
 but every man also on the things of others," Phil, 
 ii. 3, 4 : it is injury and indignity to Christ, not to 
 reverence and esteem his graces and gifts in others. 
 Bernard tells of one, who, bewailing his own condi- 
 tion, said, he saw thirty virtues in another, whereof 
 he had not one in himself. And perhajis, saith Ber- 
 nard, of all his thirty, he had not one like this man's 
 humility. This grace is the glory of a christian, and 
 especially of a minister : pride is for prelates, and 
 humility for prophets. God brooks not pride in any, 
 least of all in his messengers. Christ's disciples 
 had a tincture of it ; their thoughts were aspiring, 
 wlio should be greatest ; but he sets a child before 
 them, and tells tliem who is greatest ; not he that 
 hath the strongest head, the best notions, doth the 
 most service, but he that is the most humble, he is 
 the most high. Humility is so valued of God, that 
 he likes it in mulefucti.'i, those that have done ill, 
 rather than pride in recte fuctix, those that have 
 d-one well. A man that is innocent and jiroud, is 
 less in God's eye than he that is guilty and humble. 
 Let us rather mind the good in otliers, to honour 
 them, and maintain love, than that which is in our- 
 selves, to lift us up, and make us slight others. 
 
 Obs. 4. Christ puts insuperable virtue and strength 
 into his servants, such as the powers of darkness 
 and the world cannot jirevail against. " I have 
 made thy face strong against their faces, as an ada- 
 mant," as a rock. Let the winds, waters, floods, blow, 
 wash, beat, they prevail not against the adamant, the 
 rock ; they are things which cannot be conrpiered. 
 So is the power, virtue, and grace of Christ in the 
 heart and head of a faithful minister. Reproacli 
 and derision jiut Jeremiah to it, had almost silenced 
 him : I will preach no more, Jer. xx. 9, " but his 
 word was as a burning fire, shut up in my bones, and 
 I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay ;" 
 there was virtue within Avhich woidd out and act. 
 God had told them, that they should fight against 
 him, but not prevail, Jer. xv. 20. Christ tells his 
 disciples, he will give them " a mouth and wisdom 
 which all their adversaries shall not be able to re- 
 sist," Luke xxi. 15. And coidd that great council, in 
 the 4th of the Acts, prevail against Peter and John ? 
 " We cannot but speak the things which we have 
 seen and heard," ver. 20. So Stephen was too stout 
 for all his adversaries. Acts vi. 10. Such virtue was 
 put into Basil the great. You know how he answer- 
 ed the ruler, and stood impregnable against his 
 threats, who went and told the emperor, saying, 
 I'icti sumus, rex, in ecclestrp hujus itegotio ; vir ille 
 minis est superior, verbis robustior, et persuasimiibus 
 fortior, We nave been vanquished, O ruler, in this 
 afi'air of the church ; that man is superior to our 
 threats, more powerfid than words, and one who will 
 not yield to persuasions. This made Nazianzen 
 say of him, that he was perciilienlibus udumus, et dis- 
 sidentibus magnes, an adamant to those striking him, 
 and a loadstone to tliose difl'ering from him. Could 
 all the policy of the conclave, and power of anti- 
 christ, conquer that divine virttie which was jiut into 
 Luther? The wicked may drive the godly from 
 their standings, not from their stedfastness. 
 
 Obs. 5. That tlie messengers of God, being called 
 and strengthened by Christ, are to go on animo in- 
 trepidn, with an intrepid mind. " Fear them not, 
 neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be 
 rebellious," &c. If they be strong, or against thee, 
 I am stronger that am with thee ; if they frown, I 
 
 smile ; if they watch to do thee hurt, I watch to do 
 thee good ; if thy doctrine provoke them, yet it 
 pleases me. 
 
 From the lOth verse, 
 
 Obs. \. That the heart is the treasury where the 
 truth should be laid up. " Receive my words in thine 
 heart." He must hear with his ear, but that is not 
 enough, he must also admit the word into his heart, 
 and lay it up there. What is in the head may soon 
 be lost, but what is in the heart abides. Books 
 locked up in the closet are safe, and truths laid up 
 in the heart are secure. Jam. i. 21, " Lay apart 
 all filthiness and superfluity of " malice, or "naughti- 
 ness, and receive with meekness the ingrafted word," 
 Tvv ijitpvTov \6yov. They must first put out of their 
 hearts filthiness, malice, wrath, whatever had pos- 
 session of the heart, and kept out the word, and 
 open their hearts to entertain the word; that as it 
 is with a graft put into a stock, so it might be with 
 the word in their hearts, even be an ingrafted word, 
 a word to root and grow there, and bear fruit in the 
 life. The seed on the good ground, are they which 
 in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, 
 keep it, and bring forth fruit, Luke viii. 15. The 
 heart is the ground this seed will grow in. David 
 knew this, and therefore hid the word of God in his 
 heart, Psal. cxix. 11: and why there? "that I 
 might not sin against thee." This corn will not let 
 the weeds grow : when the word is in the heart, it 
 keeps under all corruptions, it makes them languish 
 and come to nothing. Many do by the word as by 
 their jewels, they hang them at their cars, that 
 is the place for them : and so the word is only in 
 their ears ; they hear, and that is all ; it enters not 
 into their hearts, and therefore is subject to casualty, 
 the devil, world, pleasures, one thing or other, steal 
 it away, or make it unfruitful ; but tlie heart is the 
 right and best place for that treasure. A godly 
 man's treasure is in the heart, within ; and theirs in 
 the ear, and without ; many hear the word with the 
 ear, but receive it not into the heart, and that is a 
 worthless hearing : John viii. 47, the Jews heard 
 Christ preach, yet he tells them their hearing was 
 no hearing; "Ye hear not God's words, because ye 
 are not of God." They heard, but not with the 
 heart; the truth entered not, abode not with them. 
 Let us look to our hearing, and lay up the truths of 
 Christ in our heart: Luke ii. 19, "Mary kept all 
 these things, and pondered them in her heart." 
 
 Obs. 2. AH the truths of Christ must have interest 
 in the heart. Psal. xl. 8, " Thy law is within my 
 heart :" he doth not say, a precept or two, a part, or 
 half the law is within my heart, but thy law, the 
 whole law. Some truth is with most persons. None 
 is so bad, but he would give entertainment unto truths 
 of mercy, truths of liberty, truths of ease and com- 
 fort, trutlis in credit : so men might pick and choose 
 what truths they listed, they would embrace them ; 
 but when truths are rcjiroached, will sidiject to dan- 
 ger, loss, difficulties, when they strike at our lusts, 
 call for mortification, self-denial, conformity to Christ, 
 &c. then men will scarcely afibrd truth their ears, 
 much less their hearts. Hence those expressions in 
 Scripture, of men's perverting the ways of God, Acts 
 xiii. 10; of being contentious against the truth, Horn, 
 ii. 8; speaking evil of it, 2 Pet. ii. 2; of resisting it, 
 2 Tim. iii. 8 ; yea, Y)ersecuting it. Acts xxii. 4. There 
 are many truths that flesh and blood cannot endure. 
 Some have torn out parts of Scripture, because cross 
 to their lusts and lives. It is known what hath been 
 done to the word of God in Ireland, and England 
 too of late days. Some are enemies to the whole 
 truth, most to some parts of it, but we must receive 
 all the words of Christ. If the least tittle of the
 
 ViiR. li-15. 
 
 THE BOOK OF KZEKIEL. 
 
 101 
 
 law and gospel be more durable and 
 
 Matt. V. 18. gjjgpiignt than heaven and earth, there 
 is sufficient reason it should have interest in our 
 hearts. Let the truths be wliat they will, so they be 
 the words and truths of Christ, we should receive 
 them i and that which makes us receive one, should 
 make us receive all. Do I receive one, because it is 
 from Christ ? then I should receive all, because they 
 are from Christ. If I do not receive all, I may mis- 
 carry for refusing of one truth : Psal. cxix. 6, " Then 
 shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto 
 all thy commandments." 
 
 From the I'Jth verse, 
 
 Oba. 1. That affliction is a fit time for instruction. 
 " Get thee to them of the captivity." They were in 
 Babylon, stript of all, captives under Nebuchadnezzar, 
 and now the Lord judged it a fit season for a prophet 
 to be sent unto them. When people are in misery, 
 they see the uncertainty of life, the insufficiency of 
 all creatures, the sinfulness of sin, that the wrath of 
 God is a di-eadful thing; thoughts of death and 
 eternity are upon them; and now is a good season to 
 bring the truths of the eternal God unto them. 
 Feaalio dot intellectum, affliction quickens consider- 
 ation ; it makes men thoughtful, look about, inquire 
 how they may be delivered, where to get safety. 
 When a kingdom is in danger, a parliament is sea- 
 sonable ; when there is war in the gates, then coim- 
 sel and instruction are welcome ; and when people are 
 in captivity, a prophet amongst them will do well. 
 
 Obs. 2. Svhen God's people degenerate, he owns 
 them not for his. " Get thee to the captivity, and to 
 thy people." God owned them not ; now his care of 
 them, and affection towards them, is much abated. 
 God doth look upon things and persons, that he 
 formerly took delight in, being corrupt, as not his 
 own. Isa. i. 14, "Your new moons and appointed 
 feasts my soul hateth:" they were the Lord's people, 
 he appointed the new moons and feasts, but because 
 they had corrupted them, he owns them not, but calls 
 them theirs. So in Exod. xxxii. 7. God bids Moses 
 get him down from the mount. What was the matter ? 
 " Thy people, which thou broughtest out of the 
 land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:" their 
 corrupting themselves with idolatry, made God dis- 
 claim them : They are thy people, go look after them, 
 or I will destroy "them. He calls them Moses's peo- 
 ple there, and here he calls them Ezekiel's, to let 
 them see how his heart was estranged from them. 
 While they were faithful to God, he counted highly 
 of them, they were precious in his sight, honourable, 
 beloved ; but when they went a whor- 
 ing from God, he accounts not of them, 
 he calls them not his, owns them not : they liad 
 shamefully dishonoured God by their sins, and he 
 will not honour them with the title of his people. 
 
 Obs. 3. The servants of Christ must execute their 
 functions without respect of persons, or regard to 
 success. " Speak to them," whatever they be, "and 
 tell them, Thus saith the Lord," that one greater 
 than themselves hath sent thee, and will call them 
 to account; and "whether they will hear or forbear," 
 let not that trouble thee, do thy duty, be not troubled 
 at the oppositions of men, or successlessness of thy 
 labours. 
 
 Ver. 12 — 15. Then the spirit took me iip, and 
 I heard behind me a voice of a great riisliins;, 
 saying. Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his 
 place. I heard also the noise of the irings of the 
 living creatures that touched one another, and the 
 noise of the tvheels over against them, and a noise 
 of a great 7-ttshing. So the spirit lifted me vp. 
 
 and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in 
 the heat of my spirit ; but the hand of the Lord 
 was strong upon me. Then I came to them of 
 the captivity at Tel-abib, that dwelt by the river 
 of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and remained 
 there astonished among them seven days. 
 
 These words are the second part of the chapter, 
 and contain in them a declaration of what befell the 
 prophet, being so called ; and the particulars are these : 
 
 I. The work of the Spirit in taking and lifting 
 him up, ver. 12. 
 
 II. The voice he heard, ver. 12, and what it was, 
 "Blessed," &c. 
 
 III. The noise of wings and wheels, ver. 13. 
 
 IV. The ablation of the prophet, ver. 14. In the 
 I2th was a sublation, in this an ablation. 
 
 V. The journey he went, in ver. 14, 15. And, 
 
 VI. His condition ; he was in bitterness of spirit, 
 he sat and mourned seven days, ver. 14, 15. 
 
 " The spirit took me up." By spirit here we 
 understand, not the wind, as if some great wind 
 should take up the prophet ; nor an angel, as if he 
 had been lift up by angelical virtue ; nor his own 
 spirit, as Jerom would have it: but that Spirit which 
 was in the living creatures and wheels, chap. i. 12, 
 20, and led them ; that Spirit which entered into 
 Ezekiel, and set him upon his feet, chap. ii. 2 ; that 
 Spirit which led Christ into the wilderness, Matt, 
 iv. 1 ; even the eternal Spirit of God. 
 
 This taking up of Ezekiel by the Spirit of God 
 was : 
 
 1. To perfect and ratifv his call to the prophetical 
 office. The Lord Christ had spoken much unto him 
 about it, and now the Spirit lifts him up, and seals 
 the same unto his soul, strengthening him in the full 
 assurance thereof. When he had heard Christ's 
 voice, and found his Spirit working so extraordina- 
 rily, as to lift him up ; this could not but mightily 
 prevail with and satisfy the soul of the projihet. 
 
 2. That he might have a more clear and fidl view 
 of the glory of him that sat upon the throne. When 
 we would have one see things distinctly and fully, 
 we set or lift him up on high. The devil carried 
 Christ unto an exceeding high mountain, and showed 
 him the glory of the kingdoms of the world. Matt, 
 iv. 8. 
 
 3. To put honour upon him, in letting him see 
 that he was to be an organ of the Spirit for the 
 future; he was to be employed in great service by the 
 Spirit, and that was a great honour. He was to be 
 the mouth of the Spirit unto that people ; to be 
 wholly at the disposal of the Spirit. 
 
 4. To call away his thoughts from things below, 
 and to settle them upon the contemplation of things 
 divine. A prophet is not to look downward, his heart 
 should be lifted up to heaven and heavenly things. 
 
 "And I heard behind me a voice of a great rush- 
 ing." It was not the voice of thunder, or of an 
 earthquake, but of " the living creatures ;" and the 
 voice some make to be the words, " Blessed be the 
 glory of the Lord from his place ;" which words are 
 in the original, the blessed glory of the Lord from 
 his place ; that is, the glory of God is now going out 
 of his place, and it troubles the angels, that they la- 
 ment, and make a great noise, to behold so dreadful 
 a judgment to befall Jerusalem and the Jews ; and 
 so the voice to be differing from these words. If it 
 be granted, that these words were the voice uttered, 
 yet may they be taken in that sense which is express- 
 ed, to show their sorrow for the ruin of the church. 
 The blessed glory of the Lord is departing from its 
 place, God is leaving his habitation and people, and
 
 102 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 all is hastening to spoil and desolation ; this affected 
 the very angels. When some great man, that hath 
 been a great patron and friend to a place, is going 
 away, what lamentation is made ! what a noise and 
 stir is there at it ! As in these days, when some 
 ministers, magistrates, and other eminent christians, 
 arc forced from their place by the enemy, what 
 corajilaint doth it cause ! what a noise doth it make ! 
 And so when God leaves a people, that were beloved 
 and dear unto him, it fetches sighs and complaints, 
 not only from men, but even from angels also : the 
 soul fmds it a sad thing when God departs from it, 
 and oft mourns bitterly. Some take the words for a 
 doxology, and make the sense this; Blessed be 
 the glory of God, which is seen in punishing the 
 wicked, and delivering the church. God shows him- 
 self just and righteous, that he will no longer stay 
 among a sinful people, but be gone from them, and 
 render to them according to their ways. The query 
 will be, in what sense we may take the words ? Both 
 senses may without prejudice be admitted. AVhile the 
 angels looked upon the great loss the Jews should 
 have by God's departure, the great evils which would 
 follow thereupon ; they sympathized, and were so 
 ali'ecled with it, that they"brake out into these ex- 
 pressions. The blessed glory of God is going out of 
 its place : and so it was icxi' lametitationis, an expres- 
 sion of grief. But when they looked at God's justice 
 and holiness, "Blessed is" or be "the glory of the 
 Lord." Though men be ruined, cities and nations 
 destroyed, and God driven from his habitation, yet 
 let his name be glorious. And so it is voor /auc/is; an 
 expression of praise, and brought in to answer the ob- 
 jections and cavils the people might make. They 
 might say. What! will God leavens? expose us to 
 the spoil of foreign enemies ? shall we and ours be 
 cut off? will he thus deal with his people ? is it come 
 to this ? What equity is in it ? The angels, to prevent 
 such murmurings, and vile speech, said, "Blessed," 
 cVc; even when he is in a way of judgment, he is to 
 be honoured and made glorioiis. 
 
 " Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his place." 
 We rnust make some search into these words, and 
 inquire after the person, the place, and the glory. 
 The person here is taken to be Christ, who appear- 
 ed unto the jirophet in the vision ; the place, the 
 throne where Christ sat; and the glory, that is 
 mentioned in the end of the first chapter. And 
 Christ now being about to go off his throne, and put 
 an end to the vision, the angels cried, " Blessed be 
 the glory of the Lord from his place." This is not 
 all we must expect from the words, they type out 
 unto us the departure of the Lord from the temple ; 
 that God would be gone, and take away that which 
 was the chief glory of it. 
 
 " From his place." God is \vithout place, and 
 the rabbins use that word to signify it. Makom is 
 a space, or place, because all things subsist in it ; 
 Ilaiiimakom, per untiplirasiii, is illocalis, m/hu'lu.-i, one 
 that subsists, or is comprehended in no" place, and 
 so is an attribute of God. How then is God here 
 said to have place, icipcc, from liis place ? God 
 properly hath no place; in a metaphorical sense 
 tliat place is given to him; where he in any special 
 manner doth manifest his glory, power, grace, and 
 goodness, that is said to be'his" place. 
 
 And three places God is said to have in the Scrip- 
 ture : 
 
 1. The heavens: Isa. Ixvi. I, " Heaven is my 
 throne ; " and 1 Kings viii. 30, " Hear in heaven thy 
 dwelling-place." 
 
 2. The humble heart, Isa. Ivii. 15, that is God's 
 dwelling place. And, 
 
 3. The temple in Sion. Psal. cxxxii. 13, 14, 
 
 Sion was his habitation, there was his rest and 
 abode ; that is, in the temple, being in Sion. In the 
 temple and sanctuary were his voice, his way, 
 Psal. xviii. G; Ixxvii. 13. That was the place where 
 his honour dwelt, Psal. xxvi. 8, the habitation 
 of his glory. The words are in the original, 
 the place of the habitation or tabernacle of his 
 glory, alluding to that in Exod. xl. 34, 35, where 
 it is said, " The glory of the Lord tilled the taber- 
 nacle." So the glory of the Lord tilled the tem- 
 ple; there was the presence of God; there were 
 manifestations of his glory ; there he heard prayers, 
 and there he gave out many gracious answers ; there 
 he accepted of their sacrifices, and communicated 
 himself unto them ; there were the ark and sign of 
 God's jiresejice, and the cherubims, from between 
 which God gave out the answers. In these things 
 lay the glory of the temple ; but now God would be 
 gone, and all the glory of the temjde should depart. 
 God moved not from place to place, being infinite, 
 without place, immovable ; but he is said to depart, 
 when he ceases to do as formerly ho did in the soul ; 
 when you find not God acting and manifesting him- 
 self, you fay lie is gone. Here now God would 
 answer them no more, not accept their sacrifice, nor 
 hear their prayers, &c. ; he would not do as formerly 
 he had done ; he would not protect them any longer, 
 but look upon them as being unworthy of his pre- 
 sence, glory, protection, and help, and in his wrath 
 leave them to ruin and the spoil of their adversaries : 
 and this was God departing, according to that in Hos. 
 v. 15, " I will go and return to my place, till they 
 acknowledge their offence. " That phrase, "Blessed 
 be the glory of the Lord, " you may, for your better 
 understanding, conceive thus, Blessed be the glorious 
 Lord, or, the glory, the Lord; or, if you will take it 
 as it is read, the meaning is, that the glory of the 
 Lord is to be celebrated. 
 
 Ob-f. 1. That those that are called to employment 
 in the church of Christ, have need not only of 
 Christ's word, but Christ's Sjiirit also. Christ had 
 spoken largely unto Ezekiel, and here the Spirit lifts 
 him up, and doth in an especial manner animate and 
 arm him to the work. WTien the apostles had been 
 Icjng with Christ, heard his sermons, seen his miracles 
 and life, joined with him in jirayer, all this would 
 not do it, though Christ liad forty days spoken to 
 them in particular of the things of the kingdom, 
 Acts i. 3, till they had the Spirit, and were filled 
 with that ; therefore Christ bid them wait for it, ver. 
 4. He knew they had need of it, and that it would do 
 more in them, than all he had said unto them. The 
 Spirit v,ou\dhe Doctor intus, an inward Teacher, and 
 acquaint them with all truth. The Spirit would jiurge 
 out their fears and distempers ; it would warm, heat, 
 seal, ratify, and make them resolute in the work. 
 
 Ohs: 2. That the angels do sympathize with the 
 church and peo))Ie of God in their miseries. Thi.s 
 voice was, as I showed in the opening, the voice of 
 the living creatures ; and they made a noise, lament- 
 ing the state of Jerusalem, God being upon the leav- 
 ing of it, and exposing it to great misery. Ah, said 
 they, the blessed and glorious Lord is going from 
 his jilace, and all miseries are now stepping in upon 
 his people : this affected them. We know that the 
 angels rejoice at the conversion of sinners, and by 
 the law of contraries we infer they are saddened at the 
 destruction of sinners, of states and churches. They 
 have been employed to comfort in trouble ; and 
 where there is no symjiathy, there is little solace. 
 Do you not think, that the angel seeing Christ his 
 Lord and Master in his agony, that he did sym] a- 
 thize first with him, and then strengthen him ? 
 Angels being without sin, are as full of pity as the
 
 Ver. 12—15. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 103 
 
 devils are of cruelty. God, Christ, and the Spirit, 
 are full of pity ; and it cannot be that angels, which 
 are so near them, should be void of it. No, they have 
 a holy sympathy with us : in God's departure from 
 a ])lace is sad news, even to angels. 
 
 Obs. 3. The happiness of a people is to have the 
 Lord and his glory amongst them, and their greatest 
 misery is to have God depart from them. Most 
 think the happiness of a people to lie in liberty, 
 honour, plenty of all things. David once subscribed 
 to it, Psal. cxliv. 15, " Happy is that people that is 
 in such a ease ;" but he quickly crossed out that sub- 
 scription, and said, " yea, happy is that people whose 
 God is the Lord :" there is the happiness, to have 
 God among them. He is the glory of a people : Zeeh. 
 ii. 5, he was the glory in the midst of Jerusalem ; 
 there God dwelt, as his worship, laws, oracles, 
 miracles, testiiied, and so he made Jerusalem glori- 
 ous among all nations, ^^^lere true religion is, pure 
 worship and ordinances, and God working for the 
 good of a people, defending them, that is the glory 
 and excellency of a kingdom. 2 Chron. xiii. 12, 
 saith Abijah, " God is with us for our captain ;" this 
 was more than all the strength of Judah beside, 
 when Jeroboam came against him with 800,000 
 chosen men. With you are the golden calves, ver. 
 8, " ye be a great multitude ;" but God is not with 
 you to be your glory and defence : you have the 
 calves, w'hich is your shame and nakedness, but 
 God is with us, who is our glory and defence. And 
 when Jerusalem fell to idolatry, God tells them, 
 that they had " changed their glory for that which 
 did not profit," Jer. ii. 11, they had driven away their 
 glory ; and here was the beginning of their woe. 
 That is the misery of a kingdom, to have God depart 
 from it : then public enterprises prosper not. Josh, 
 vii. 12: then coimsel fails, 1 Sam. xxviii. 15, pro- 
 tection is gone, Isa. v. 5; then peace, lovang-kindness, 
 and mercies go, Jer. xvi. 5. This is as taking the 
 sun out of the firmament, the eyes out of the head, 
 or soul out of the body. Now a kingdom and people 
 lie exposed to all evils and mischiefs : Hos. ix. 12, 
 " Woe to them when I depart from them." All mis- 
 chiefs presently crowd in upon a people left of 
 God : famine, wars, captivity, a perverse spirit, and 
 treacherousness one to another, came upon this 
 people, when God left his place. And so after Christ's 
 days, when God left them, and that voice was heard 
 jnsfpii, lie Bel. '" *^^ temple, Migremus hine. Let us 
 Jud. 1.7- 1:.2. depart hence: which Tacitus in his 
 Lib. 21. Annals also mentions. Audita major hu- 
 mana vox, exceJere deos, simul ingens motus e.rccden- 
 tium, A greater than a human voice was heard, that 
 the gods had departed, and at the .same Hme a pro- 
 digious motion as of those departing: after this, 
 dreadful misery befell them, w'ar, famine, dis])ersion 
 was their portion ; they are without God, Christ, and 
 mercy to this day ; an undone and most unhappy 
 peojile. We had almost driven away God by om- 
 sins, specially by our idolatry and superstitions ; but 
 God and his glory are not quite gone : Jer. xiv. 9, 
 " Yet thou, Lord, art in the midst of us, and we 
 are called by thy name ; leave us not." 
 
 Obis. 4. God is glory, or glorious. There is nothing 
 in God inglorious. As in the sun is only light, so 
 God is light, and in him is no darkness. He is all 
 light, all glory ; his attributes are glory, his essence 
 is glory, his life is glory, God is only glory. Blessed 
 be the glory, the Lord. 
 
 Obs. 5. Under the law, God confined himself to a 
 particular place, to the temple ; there he dwelt, 
 appeared, received sacrifices, gave answers, .Src. So 
 that the temple was not only locus, the place, but 
 medium dicini cultiis, the medium of divine worship : 
 
 the Jews were bound to set their faces towards it 
 when they prayed, 1 Kings viii. 4.S; Dan. vi. 10; it 
 being also a type of the body of Christ, John ii. 19, 
 that sanctified their assemblies and sacrifices, Matt, 
 xxiii. 19. But it is otherwise now under the gospel ; 
 neither Jerusalem nor Samaria is the place where 
 God is fixed, John iv. 21, but God's habitation is in 
 all jdaces where he hath saints. Matt, xviii. 20, 
 " Where two or three are gathered together in my 
 name, there am I in the midst of them." 2 Cor. vi. 
 16, "Ye are the temple of the living God:" and 
 what saith God? I will dwell in them, 
 and walk about in them ; that is, in V!""7.ta!'iu- 
 the church of Corinth ; and so in all " ei'"""'i<'">- 
 congregations. Now the congregations are God's 
 habitation ; he walks amongst the golden candle- 
 sticks ; there is the glorious God seen, the glorious 
 God heard. But the place now where the meetings 
 are held, are neither means nor parts of worship, no 
 tj'pes of Christ, nor do they sanctify the people or 
 service done in them : rather do the people and or- 
 dinances, while they are there, sanctify them ; and 
 yet when the ordinances are ended, and people 
 gone, no holiness abides in them, but they are as 
 other places. 
 
 Obs. 6. The Lord is worthy of praise, when he is 
 in a way of judgment. " Blessed be the glory of 
 the Lord from his place." Now he was departing 
 fi-om Jerusalem, all woes and miseries taking hold 
 of them, yet was he a God deserving praises. God's 
 judgments are deep ; we oft know not the reasons of 
 them, see not the equity of God's j/roceedings in 
 them, yet we should be so far from murmuring, that 
 we should count him worthy of honour and praise, 
 when he deserts churches and kingdoms : Exod. xv. 
 II, " God is fearful in praises." 
 
 Obs. 7- It is the work and office of angels to 
 praise God. The livnng creatures here said, " Bless- 
 ed be the glory of the Lord from his pdace." And 
 Rev. V. 11, 12, there were many angels about the 
 throne ; and what did they ? They sang, " Worthy 
 is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and 
 riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and 
 glory, and blessing." So the seraphims in Isa. vi. 
 .3, their song was, " Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord 
 of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." An- 
 gels are musical creatures, and make (he best melody. 
 Arias thinks it was an angel dictated a. T,iipid. mi 
 the song of Deborah unto her. Luke ii. Judg. v. c-i. 
 13, 14, there was a heavenly chorus, and sang a 
 heavenly song, " Glory to God in the highest, on 
 the earth peace, and good-will towards men :" this 
 was a short, but a sweet song. When great things 
 have been done by God, the angels have been 
 brought in praising God, as when God created the 
 world ; Job xxxviii. 4, 7, " Where wast thou," saith 
 God to Job, "when I laid the foundations of the 
 earth ? — when the morning stars sang together, and 
 all the sons of God shouted for joy ?" that is, the 
 angels, as interpreters observe, who, at the sight of 
 that great and glorious work, were much affected, 
 and sang the praises of God. So at the birth of 
 Christ, and here at the departure of God out of the 
 temple, the great God, doing great works, must have 
 great praises, even the praises of angels. Praise is 
 an angelical work, and the office of 
 angels, and the Spirit calls for it at lt-,i^,:;tTcT. 
 their hands ; Psal. cxlviii. 2, " Praise ^^l^^^"^'"- 
 ye him, all his angels ;" and they do it 
 when he is in his judgments. The Jews thought 
 God dealt hardly in punishing them ; but angels 
 saw cause to praise God for his departure from 
 them, and vindicating his glory in the punishment 
 of hypocrites.
 
 104 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 Ohs. 8. God doth his works without motion or 
 mutation. Hero it is said, " from his place ;" tliere 
 is a show of motion and change, but no sucli thing 
 hefalls God; liis works make motions and changes 
 in the creature, not in himself. He is infinite, fills 
 heaven and earth, and never removes from one place 
 to another; he is immutable, and not subject to 
 changes. 
 
 From the 13th verse of the wings, wheels, 
 and noise of them, I have spoken in the first chap- 
 ter largely ; vet a little I shall speak of this verse. 
 It is said, that the living creatures " touched one 
 another :" the Hebrew is from prj to kiss ; and 
 each other, in the Hebrew, is a woman to her sister. 
 
 Obs. 1. God makes use of angels and second 
 causes in the government of the woi'ld, and execution 
 of his judgments. All creatures have being from and 
 dependence on God, and he may employ them to 
 what service he will. 
 
 Obs. 2. God's judgments do often come suddenly 
 and swiftly. Wings make a noise, and wheels do 
 rattle in a moment, and judgments come in an in- 
 stant : Hos. X. 15, " In a morning shall the king of 
 Israel be cut off utterly ;" Belshazzar, in a night, Dan. 
 V. 3t); Nebuchadnezzar in an hour driven from his 
 palace and pride, IJan. iv. 33. 
 
 Obs. 3. I here is much harmony and love between 
 the angels. Their wings touch, kiss, they go lovingly 
 together in the execution of their offices ; they have 
 like affections, as a woman to her sister. They sang 
 sweetly together at the birth of Christ. There is no 
 contention, envy, or dirision among them, but much 
 love ; they are near God, and the nearer any are to 
 God, the more love is in them. If we could agree 
 better, and love more, we should be angelical. 
 
 In the 14th verse is laid down, what the Spirit did 
 with the proidiet, after it had lift him up. It took 
 him away ; after the sublation, there was an abla- 
 tion. The prophet was carried by the power of the 
 Spirit to Tel-abib. This was not a visional thing, but 
 real ; for being lifted up, he was taken away from 
 the place where he saw the %asion ; he was not set 
 down, and so left to go to Tel-abib, but he was car- 
 ried in the arms of the Spirit, as Philip was caught 
 up by the Spirit, and carried to Azotus, Acts viii. 
 39, 40. The Spirit was the fiery chariot that carried 
 Philip and our prophet through the air to their 
 several places. 
 
 " And I went in bitterness, in the heat of my 
 spirit." The Hebrew is, I went bitter in the hot 
 anger of my spirit. Here the infirmity of our pro- 
 phet appears much, in that after he had seen and 
 heard such great and glorious things, had found such 
 favour in the eyes of Christ, as to have his Spirit 
 enter into him, comfort him, confirm him, and to 
 bestow prophetical gifts upon him, yet now he 
 should be unwilling to obey Christ's call, be in bit- 
 terness and opposition to his will ; this is a great in- 
 firmity. If I go and preach of the glory departing 
 from the temple, I shall stir up the people against 
 me, they will stone me ; if not, I shall oifend God. 
 The prophet now thought upon God's anger against 
 his people ; his departure out of the temple, the ruin 
 of the city, the shdibornness and impudence of the 
 house of Israel. Now the weightiness of the work 
 enjoined him by Christ seized upon him ; and now, 
 like Jonah, he thought to decline the service. His 
 spirit was bitter, he in a great heat, that he was so 
 pressed to a work so little affected, and overpowered 
 by the Spirit of God, that, willing or unwilling, on 
 he must ; for the next words are, 
 
 " But the hand of the Lord v.as strong upon me." 
 Which words do declare, that had not God's hand 
 overpowered him, he would not have set upon that 
 
 hard work of the prophetical office ; fears, difficulties, 
 dangers, carnal reason, unbelief, self-love, one or 
 all of these, would have turned him back, if the 
 hand of God had not strongly prevailed with him. 
 
 By " hand of the Lord," some understand the 
 spirit of prophecy, as if that did mightily urge him ; 
 so the Chaldee exposition is. Others understand by 
 it, diiininn au-xUium, divine aid, or, viriwi Spiritus, 
 the influence of the Spirit, which is as a hand to help. 
 We may safely xmderstand the Sjiirit by it, which 
 put forth its mighty power upon and in the prophet. 
 Why the Spirit is resembled to a hand, I showed in 
 chap. i. 3. A hand is syvibolum encrgitp, index rei, 
 et histmmeyitum operationis, the symbol of power, 
 a director, and the instrument of operation. There is 
 strength in the hand ; it shows what is to be done, 
 and effects it : so here, the Spirit took hold of the 
 prophet, which notes his power, showed him his 
 duty, and caused him to do it. 
 
 "Was strong." The Hebrew root 
 signifies, fortiter apprehendere, tenere, '' 
 
 to lay hold of firmly, to retain ; as one that holds 
 loose joints and nerves of the body, to strengthen 
 and confirm them, that so the man may be more 
 compact and able to do any thing : it notes laying 
 hold with strength, as men in danger of drowning ; 
 and the Scptuagint frequently renders it by a word 
 that notes so much; as Ezek. vii. 13; «paTiri., et i,,ep- 
 xxii. 14, which is to hold by strength. "puTtri-. 
 And this sense suits with the hand of the Lord that 
 took hold of the prophet, whose spirit was remiss, 
 infirm, like a member out of joint, and strengthened 
 it, and enabled it to do what was intended and ap- 
 pointed : the Spirit held the prophet by its mighty 
 power, that he could not wrest from it by any means, 
 but like a man conquered, must yield, and do what 
 was required. 
 
 Obx. 1 . The prophets were put on to and carried 
 on in their works of prophecy, and giving the Scrip- 
 tures, by extraordinary acts of the Spirit ; that enters 
 into Ez'ekiel, takes him up, takes him away with 
 mighty power, comes upon him, and constrains him 
 to prophesy. Here was inspiration and impulsion of 
 the Spirit. '2 Pet. i. 20, 21, " Prophecy ,,, , ^ , 
 came not by the will of man, but holy 
 men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy 
 Ghost:" it was not their own spirit moved, that is 
 private ; but it was the Spirit of God, which is divine 
 and public, and carried them on with might: so that 
 the Scriptures are not iyirentum hunmnum, but oracuta 
 Dei, they are not of man, but of God. Therefore 
 Philo saith, Proplieta est interpres Dei dictantis 
 oracuht, A prophet is an interpreter of God declaring 
 his will. The Spirit dictates all, and man only utters 
 or writes what is dictated. And as the Scriptures are 
 not of man, but of the Spirit, so their interpreta- 
 tion is not of man, but of the Spirit likewise. Let 
 councils, fathers, churches, give their sense of Scrip- 
 ture ; it is private, if it be not the sense and inter- 
 pretatiim of the Spirit. Let a private man give the 
 true sense of the Scripture ; it is not private, because 
 it is divine. The sense of the Holy Ghost, and pri- 
 vate, in this place of Peter, is not opposed to public, 
 but to divine ; and the words arc to be read, no 
 Scripture is of a man's own interpretation ; that is, 
 private, contrary to divine. 
 
 Obs. 2. The Holy Ghost is God, and a person 
 distinct from the Son. The Spirit was in the living 
 creatures, in the wheels, and in Ezekiel. How could 
 this be, if the Spirit were not God ? None but God 
 can be at the same time in many places ; it is his 
 peculiar prerogative and nature to be every where. 
 The beams of the sun are in several places, but not the 
 essence or body of the sun, that is in one place only ;
 
 Ver. 12—15. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 105 
 
 but the Holy Ghost was in its essence, in the angels, 
 in the wheels, in Ezckiel ; it was in Jeremiah, who 
 lived then at Jerusalem ; it was in all the saints 
 there, in Daniel, and the rest of the saints in Baby- 
 lon : so that the Spirit is co-essential with the 
 Father and the Son, and it is a person ; otherwise 
 how could it have taken up the prophet, and carried 
 him ? And it is distinct from the Son, who is de- 
 scribed to be upon the throne, and to give commands 
 unto the prophet. And that the Spirit here is brought 
 in distinct from him, is most clear in that place in 
 Matt. iii. 16, 17, where the Spirit is distinguished 
 from the Son, baptized, and from the Father, ac- 
 knowledging Christ his Son, in whom he was 
 well pleased. 
 
 Obs. 3. Great saints have great infirmities. Eze- 
 kiel goes in bitterness, in the heat of his spirit ; he 
 was in a froward humour, in a great distemper ; the 
 Vulgate hath it, in indignatione spiritus, there was 
 indignation in his spirit to the work. Some have 
 thought this atl'ection of the prophet not alto- 
 gether sinful, yet some sinfidness to be in it, which 
 cannot be denied. It is granted by Calvin, that it 
 did ditfer from the grace of the Spirit ; and for him, 
 after so clear and strong a call, to refuse, to be in a 
 chafe, to withstand, was an infirmity, if not a sin. 
 He had rather have been out of service than in it, 
 lien hid among the people, than have been an am- 
 bassador of Christ unto them ; he had rather they 
 should have perished without vision, than that him- 
 self should be a seer amongst them ; here was the 
 weakness of this good man. I could tell you of 
 Abraham's, Jacob's, Moses's, David's, Paul's, and 
 John's failings. There never was since sin entered 
 any perfect saint : in many things we sin all, Jam. 
 iii. 2. And yet the apostles were filled with the 
 Spirit, there was a fulness of grace in them, and in 
 the prophets ; yet neither the one nor the other were 
 altogether free from carnal influence, notwithstand- 
 ing all their graces and excellences, they did 
 still breathe something earthly. And now, wher- 
 ever the Spirit comes, it neither extinguishes nature 
 nor corruption wholly in this life. The best wine 
 hath its dregs and its lees, and the best of saints 
 hath his spots and weaknesses ; there is no perfection 
 in any. 
 
 Obs. 4. Holy men set down their own infirmities, 
 which is an argument of the truth of the word, and 
 the divine nature of it. Men that are mere men, seek 
 their own glory, and will not shame themselves in 
 their writings ; but the penmen of Scripture, having 
 received another spirit, are content to shame them- 
 selves, so God may have glory, his truth credit, his 
 people caution and comfort ; all these are in the set- 
 ting down of their own sins. When holy men con- 
 fess their weaknesses, set them down, as Moses, 
 Exod. iv. 10; as David, Psal. li. 3 — 5; as Jonah, 
 chap. i. 3 ; as Paul, 1 Tiiu. i. 13 ; as John, Rev. xxii. 
 8 ; God is glorified by their shame. It is evidenced 
 what God did for, and by, these men, notwithstand- 
 ing their sins. Men are persuaded of the truth of 
 the word, seeing they spared not themselves, and 
 would not bury their own thoughts in silence. Others, 
 that see the slips of such men of God, are admon- 
 ished thereby to look to their standings, and to be 
 watchful ; and those who are beaten down with the 
 sense of their failings, see it is the common sickness 
 of the saints, and not their case alone, which is some 
 ease unto them. 
 
 Obs. 5. That some truths of God, sweet in the re- 
 ception, oft prove bitter in the operation. The roll 
 that Ezekiel did eat, ver. 3, was sweet as honey at 
 first unto him ; but now he was to go and put it in 
 practice, he found it bitter, and sought to decline | 
 
 that service ; it was like pills sugared over, sweet in 
 the mouth, but being dissolved in his bowels, pro- 
 duced distressing pain. He was upon the rack, and 
 sick of the business, and perplexed that he had eaten 
 such a roll. The stony-ground hearers heard the 
 word with joy, it was sweet to the taste, but after- 
 wards it was bitter: when persecution and temptation 
 came, those hearers were offended and fell away, 
 Matt. xiii. 20, 21. The word of joy proved a word 
 of bitterness unto them, and it is so to most men at 
 one time or other ; they find it a sad and difficult 
 thing to act those truths which are sweet to the un- 
 derstanding. John ate the little book, it was sweet 
 in his mouth, bitter in his belly. Rev. x. 9, 10; that 
 is, in the operation of it ; John saw that those truths 
 written in it would beget hatreds, persecutions, .im- 
 prisonments, banishments, martyrdom, &c. \Vhen 
 we come to find the operations of truths, that they 
 will cost us dear, dear friends, dear liberties, dear 
 lusts, dear limbs, dear lives ; we find a bitterness in 
 truths, though formerly they have been like Ezekiel's 
 roll and John's little book to our mouths. 
 
 Obs. 6. Man's wisdom and spirit is opposite to the 
 wisdom and spirit of the Lord Christ. Christ calls, 
 sends Ezekiel in his infinite wisdom ; he thinks it 
 best for him to go to these captive Jews, this rebel- 
 lious house. The Spirit enters into Ezekiel, assures 
 him of his call, strengthens him, assists him ; and yet 
 he is averse, in bitterness, in the heat of his spirit ; 
 he shows the antipathy between his wisdom and 
 Christ's, his spirit and the Spirit of Christ, they 
 closed not. There are principles of opposition in 
 godly men to the ways of Christ and his Spirit ; so 
 far as they are unregenerate, so far they are opjjo- 
 site. Rom. viii. 7, " The carnal mind is enmity 
 against God ;" it is in the original, the wisdom of 
 the flesh is enmity against God. There is flesh in the 
 best men ; that flesh hath wisdom, it hath a spirit; 
 (the flesh is the old man, a whole man, and must 
 have a spirit in it to act it, such a one as it is;) and 
 both the wisdom and spirit of the flesh are enmity 
 to God, not subject to his law and will ; and enmity 
 to man, they work death, and end in death. Jonah 
 had such wisdom, and such a spirit in him, when he 
 ran from God; but it had cost him his life, if God 
 had not been more gracious than he dutiful. Paid 
 complains, he found a law in his members warring 
 against the law of his mind, Rom. vii. 23. Gal. v. 
 17, "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit;" thewoi-k 
 of the flesh is lusting and warring against the Spirit. 
 It is with a godly man, as it was with Rebekah, 
 Gen. XXV. 22, 23 ; she had great stragglings in her 
 womb, and what was the cause of it ? there were 
 two nations in her womb, one contrary to the other : 
 and there is heaven and earth in a godly man's 
 heart, which are contrary, and make great strag- 
 glings. The same soul that commands obedience, op- 
 poseth obedience ; the same will that delights in the 
 law of God, hath a cross motion to the law of sin ; 
 the heart that trusteth God, doubts of his favour ; 
 while we are believing, imbelief is opposing; Mark 
 ix. 24, " Lord, I believe ; help thou mine unbelief." 
 
 06.5. 7. Saints may do the will of God unwillingly, 
 if not against their will. Ezekiel was in bitterness, 
 in the heat of his spirit, unwilling to be a prophet to 
 this people, yet he went — " I went." Jonah goes to 
 Nineveh, but his heart is not full on the work, there 
 was not a thoroughness in it: he saw there was a 
 necessity for it; God had power to punish dis<jbe- 
 dience, and could quickly crush him ; and therefore 
 now, in a prudential way, he would go and prophesy 
 to Nineveh : there was in him an unwilling willing- 
 ness, his spirit was not totally willing, as you may 
 gather from chap. iv. I — 3. He was against the
 
 lOG 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 C'lIAI'. III. 
 
 si)aring of Nineveh ; It stuck upon his spirit, that 
 lie should lie under the imputation of a false pro- 
 
 Ehet ; he wishes death upon it, which shows that 
 is spirit was not wholly in the service. We do the 
 work and will of God ofttimes with great unwilling- 
 ness, as women part with their jointures, or chil- 
 dren ; as merchants throw their goods overboard in 
 a storm ; as many, now assessed, part with their 
 goods to the public service ; necessity is too strong 
 for them, and prudence puts them on, and there is a 
 willing unwillingness : so it is with the godly, they 
 ])ray and hear unwillingly, they give unwillingly. Sec. 
 This is from the imbecility of grace, the power of 
 corruption, misapprehension of God and his ways, 
 violence of temptations, entanglements with the 
 world, pressures of guilt, and unsuccessfulness of 
 service. Let us be sensible of our unwillingnesses 
 in God's ways, be humbled for them, and strive to 
 do all a?)imo prnmpto, with a ready mind. Deut. 
 xxviii. 47, 48, " Because thou servedst not the Lord 
 thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of 
 heart, for the abundance of all things ; therefore 
 shall thou serve thine enemies." It is good for us 
 to have our wills and whole hearts in the work of 
 God. 
 
 06.?. 8. The infirmities of God's people do not in- 
 terrupt his love and grace. Ezekiel went in bitter- 
 ness, in heat of spirit, "but the hand of the Lord 
 was strong upon me." This great distemper in the 
 prophet did not distemper God, it did not cause him 
 to retract or divert his love ; but he takes hold of 
 him by his hand, and upholds him, as a parent would 
 do to a child, falling, or down : the weakness or 
 sickness of a child doth not estrange the heart of the 
 parent, it rather enlarges and draws out the bowels 
 more fully. And so it is with God: Psal. ciii. 13, 14, 
 " As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth 
 them that fear him;" and why so? "he knoweth 
 our frame; he remembereth we are but dust;" the 
 Lord knows « hat weak and frail things we are. The 
 word for frame, notes a formed vessel of earth, and 
 the Chaldee expounds it, of our evil concupiscence, 
 which carrieth us into error : God knows that we 
 are earthen vessels, full of lusts and infirmities, 
 which lead us from him, which disable us to serve 
 him. Now here is the love, bowels, goodness of a 
 God ; because we are so, therefore he pitieth us : so 
 Psal. Ixxviii. 37, 38, their hearts were not right 
 nor stcdfast with God, but God was right and sfedfast 
 M ith them ; " he, being full of compassion, forgave 
 their inicpiity, and destroyed them not." Infirmities 
 may bring crosses, but cannot cut off from mercies : 
 this should strengthen our faith, comfort our hearts, 
 and encourage us with a holy boldness to go to the 
 throne of grace. Heb. iv. 15, l(j, Christ, saith the 
 apostle, is a merciful " High Priest, touched with 
 the feeling of our infirmities ;" and what infers he 
 upon it? "Let us go boldly to the throne of grace, 
 that we may obtain mercy, and find grace in time of 
 need." 
 
 Obs. 9. The Spirit of Christ is the healer and 
 helper of our inlirmities. Ezekiel was distempered 
 and sick of the business, and the hand, the Spirit of 
 the Lord, was strong ujion him, that helped, that 
 healed him : Psal. cvii. 20, " He sent his word and 
 healed them;" the Spirit in that word did the cure. 
 And here he sent his Sj)irit to seize upon Ezekiel, 
 to work out the ill humour, to settle his thoughts, 
 and sweeten his spirit that was so embittered. The 
 Spirit is compared to oil, Psal. xlv. 7; 1 John ii. 27, 
 and that is of a mollifying, cleansing, healing, and 
 (piickening nature. When Christ was anointed, then 
 he healed the broken-hearted, Luke iv. 18, he dropped 
 that oil into their hearts, and that did soften, purge, 
 
 heal, and quicken them. Gifts of healing are attri- 
 buted to the Spirit, 1 Cor. xii. i) ; and helping our 
 infirmities in prayer is the work of it, Rom. viii. 26. 
 The Spirit brings the strength : we are ,^,a.T,\a„/id- 
 infiiTn, and can do nothing ; but the ""•"■ 
 Spirit, together with us, and for us, takes up the 
 work, that we faint not. It answers to the word here, 
 "was strong, took hold on me," bound up my spirit 
 together, and strengthened me, not suffering my 
 spirit to run out. 
 
 Lastly, the Spirit works invincibly. Ezekiel may 
 struggle, but the Spirit will overcome; that was 
 strong upon him. Men would not come in to Christ, 
 and do his work, unless a Spirit mightier than their 
 own come upon them. God's Spirit is a Spirit of 
 power: Luke i. 35, "The Holy Ghost shall come 
 upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall over- 
 shadow thee ;" the Holy Ghost is the power of the 
 Highest, And when Paul preached, it w'as " in demon- 
 stration of the Spirit and of power," I Cor. ii. 4; and 
 his ministry was able to beat down strong-holds, 
 2 Cor. X. 4, 5, to cast down all high things, and to 
 captivate thoughts and spirits to the obedience of 
 Christ. The Spirit works invisibly, it is a hand 
 under a wing ; and it works invincibly, it is a strong 
 hand, there is none can stand before the strength of 
 it : antichrist shall be consumed by the Spirit of the 
 Lord, 2 Thess. ii. 8. This Spirit is fire to consume 
 enemies ; it is a hand, powerful to fetch in the friends 
 under election. The Jews are now stiff enemies of 
 Christ ; but when the Spirit of grace is poin-ed out 
 upon them, when this hand takes hold of them, then 
 they will mourn, come in, submit to Christ. No 
 violence doth the Spirit ofler to the wills of men, 
 notwithstanding it works invincibly ; it 
 
 m/5. .1 ', 1 _ r Oportel non tan- 
 
 es off the enmity and averseness ot ,„„, n,„veri. scd 
 
 our wills to God, and inclines them to "^''J^'" ^"'■ 
 
 yield, oimiipoteiili sumilate, et tuiavi 
 
 omnipotentia, by an omnipotent sweetness, and a 
 
 sweet omnipotence. 
 
 Ver. 15. Then I came to them of the captivity 
 at Tel-abib, that dnelt by the river of Chebar, 
 and I sat where they sat, and remained there 
 astonished among them seven days. 
 
 In this verse is the terminus, or end, of his journey, 
 and his condition then, mourning and sadness. 
 
 The word Tel-abib signifies a heap of new fruits, 
 or green ears of corn ; of Sn acervus, Adrviim nova- 
 and 3*3N, spica maturescens. Jerom and rm" I'usuin. 
 the Vulgate translate it, a heap of new fruit or corn ; 
 and Jerom thinks the Jews were placed there, to 
 plough, sow, reap, thrash, and that now they were 
 beating out the new corn. But this ^d opera rusii- 
 opinion we cannot admit, for it was in <■""» e^nrtenda. 
 the fourth month, chap. i. 1, that Ezekiel had his 
 vision, and their harvests in those hot countries were 
 not in the fourth month, but rather in the first or 
 second. The Israelites came out of Egypt in the 
 month Abib, Exod. xiii. 4; and that was their first 
 month, Exod. xii. 2, and answered to the latter end 
 of that month which is called January, and to the 
 beginning of the other called February. And in 
 Exod. ix. 31, it is said, "the barley was in the ear ;" 
 the word is abib, an ear of corn, and denominates 
 the month, because in it the barley eared. So then 
 it could not be harvest when Ezekiel came to them 
 at Tel-abib, it was rather over. We take the word 
 for the name of a place, as Tel-melah, Tel-harsa, Ezra 
 ii. 5il ; in their etymology, the one signifies a heap of 
 wood, the other aheap of salt; yet by Ezra they are 
 called places ; " These were they which went up from 
 Tel-melah, Tel-harsa," &c. so "Tel-abib" here. And
 
 Ver. 15. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 107 
 
 it was in the middle part of Mesopotamia, between 
 two rivers, Chebar and Saoeorah ; and here they 
 were placed, as Junius thinks, both to secure them, 
 that they might not think of getting away, being shut 
 up between two rivers, or if they did, not easily ac- 
 complish it ; and secondly, to secure the place, 
 which was subject to inundations, and so uninhaVUcd, 
 and opened to enemies, but now by their labour, art, 
 and strength, might be made useful and defensive. 
 
 " By the river of Chebar :" of that river, was 
 spoken in chap. i. 1. 
 
 " I sat where they sat, and remained there astonish- 
 ed among them seven days." Sitting notes a quiet 
 posture of the body, abiding in a place ; Exod. xvi. 3, 
 " When we sat by the Hesh pots," that is, abode, dwelt 
 where we had them. Also great grief ; Lam. ii. 10, 
 " The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the 
 ground, and keep silence." And so in that place in 
 Isa. xlvii. 8, " I shall not sit as a widow," solitary, 
 mourning in deep sorrow ; to which alludes that in 
 Lam. i. 1, " How doth the city sit solitary ! how is 
 she become as a widow !" Great grief silenceth the 
 whole man ; the tongue speaks not, the body moves 
 not. Job ii. 13, Job's friends " sat down with him 
 upon the ground seven days and nights, and none 
 spake a word to him ; for they saw that his grief was 
 very great ;" so great, it made them all quiet and 
 hushed : and seven days he sat in that doleful pos- 
 ture, because they were used to mourn seven days 
 in cases of great grief; as Joseph mourned seven 
 Sepiemdialisiuc days for his father, Gen. 1. 10; and 
 tus est q|iod.iara ggven davs' mouming is an argmnent 
 dkium et be- ot great grict, and a testmiony ot much 
 "t-'iiVhm'um aTg'u-' love. If we refer our prophet's mourn- 
 ineuium. jng fo the Condition which the Jews 
 
 were coming to, it might be lawful ; he saw their 
 death and funeral was at hand, and so, being sen- 
 sible, laid it deeply to heart, and bewailed it seven 
 days, testifying his good will and aflfection to them ; 
 but if we refer it to his unwillingness to go in the 
 service Christ called him to, it is not excusable, but 
 a further argument of his great weakness. The 
 cause of the |)rophet's sitting there seven days, might 
 be to know the state of the people more exactly, to 
 whom he was to prophesy ; it might be upon divine 
 command ; it might also be for further direction 
 from God when to begin his prophecy. A prophet 
 he was made, but had no time appointed to begin 
 his hard work. It might also be to prepare and 
 awaken the people, that seeing him sit still, sad, 
 amazed, they might inquire what this strange sad- 
 ness meant, and so his word take the deeper impres- 
 sion when he should speak unto them. 
 
 r-i-rmn " Astonished." The Hebrew word 
 
 masmim, from shamain, notes great as- 
 tonishment, even to wonder; Isa. lix. Iti, " He won- 
 dered that there was no intercessor." It notes also 
 desolation, and may here be rendered, I sat deso- 
 late seven days ; the Spirit left me in that place, 
 and men regarded me not, being full of grief, and 
 telling them 1 had sad news ; so the word is used. 
 Lam. v. 18, " The mountain of Zion is desolate ;" 
 and thus we may take it. The vision being ended, 
 the prophet, set down there by the Spirit, and neither 
 seeing, hearing, or having to do now with Christ, 
 the living creatures, wheels, or the Spirit, found 
 himself desolate, and was astonished at that great 
 change. The Septuagint renders it avrcrpE^o/zd'Of, 
 intimating the prophet's meditating, and inward dis- 
 coursing of the miseries and woes that were written in 
 the roll, and coming upon the people; the hard task 
 he had to perform among this people. 
 
 064'. \. That in the place and condition God sets 
 his people, they must abide in the same. The Spirit 
 
 brings Ezekiel to Tel-abib, there he continues, till 
 the Spirit adviscth his departure : let him be among 
 captives, between overflowing rivers, he continues 
 and stirs not. It must not be any slight thing that 
 removes men from the calling God hath set them in. 
 Ministers may not at pleasure go from jilace to place, 
 as if there were no tie upon them. Neither captivity, 
 incorrigibleness of persons, nor discommodity of 
 place, are weighty enough to take olf Ezekiel from 
 that place and people the Spirit had set him over. 
 When the Holy Ghost hath set men over a flock, 
 they must take heed to that Hock, and not seek oc- 
 casion to be gone upon discontents, Ike. The worst 
 are forwardest to remove. The bramble will leave his 
 place to be king, when the olive, fig-tree, and vine 
 will not stir. Christ will not be made a king by 
 entreaty, nor by force. 
 
 Obs. 'I. The men of this world are politic for their 
 own ends. The captivity were placed at Tel-abib, 
 between two rivers, that they might not get away, 
 that they might make that part of the country strong 
 and useful. Worldly men are wiser in their gene- 
 ration than the children of light. How cunningly did 
 Pharaoh deal with the Israelites ! Exod. i. 10, " Let 
 us work wisely with them," saith he ; they multiply, 
 and we are in danger, lest upon any occasion they 
 take part with our enemies, or make a head of them- 
 selves, or attempt an escape : come, let us set task- 
 masters over them, wear them out with much work, 
 and employ them to build cities for us. Here was 
 the cunning to avoid the name of tyranny : he will 
 not destroy them with sword, fire, open violence, 
 but work they must in brick and clay, and fall by 
 hard labour; so he covers up his cruelty under a 
 fair pretence, and provides for his own security and 
 profit in the Israelites' service. Wicked and worldly 
 men are all self, and all their actions draw home- 
 wards, they are their own centres ; the wisdom of 
 the flesh, of the serpent, of the world is theirs, and 
 they must needs be crafty for themselves. 
 
 Ubs. 3. The condition of the saints and servants 
 of God is very changeable here. Ezekiel hath a 
 glorious vision, sight of, and converse with Christ, 
 the company of angels, sees the course and motion 
 of things in the world, had the Spirit enter into him, 
 comforting him, strengthening and assisting him; 
 and now he is a desolate, an astonished man, he sits as 
 one forsaken of all. Here was a great change, and 
 it was not Ezekiel's case alone ; others, even all the 
 worthies of God, have found the like. David waa 
 strong through divine favour, and quickly troubled 
 for the want of God'.s face ; he had his singings and 
 his sorrowings, Psal. xxx. ; he was oft in the val- 
 leys : Psal. XXV. 16, 17, " 1 am desolate and afflict- 
 ed ; the troubles of my heart are enlarged;" and 
 Psal. cxliii. 4, " My spirit is overwhelmed, my heart 
 within me is desolate." Paul is one day rapt up 
 into the third heavens, and another day he hath a 
 thorn in the flesh ; if he have the revelation of the 
 Spirit to exalt him, he hath the bufletings of Satan 
 to humble him. Paul himself knew changes. 
 
 Obs. 4. Distempers of spirit fasten and continue 
 oft with the servants of God. Ezekiel was in his 
 distemper of bitterness and heat of spirit seven 
 days. It is not easy to shake off distempers when 
 they have taken hold of us. Jonah was in an ill 
 humour and frame of spirit many days together ; he 
 must be drenched, buried, and boiled in the whale's 
 belly, ere he will be pliable to the will of God. 
 When Uzzah was smitten for his error, David w as dis- 
 pleased, and in a pet with God himself, and would 
 not bring the ark in three months to Sion, 2 Sam. vi. 
 
 Obs. 5. Distemperedness of spirit unfits for the 
 service of God : he sits seven days, and nothing is
 
 108 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 Per iram sapien- 
 tia perditur ut 
 
 aiiid quove Gr- 
 ille agendum sit 
 OTiiniiio nesria- 
 tur, Greg. 5. 
 Moral, c. 30. 
 
 done. The apostle James knew this, and therefore 
 said, " Be slow to wrath ; for the wrath of man 
 worketh not the righteousness of God," Jam. i. 19, 
 20. Wrath darkens the mind, and puts all out of 
 frame. Wise men in their wrath see 
 not their ways nor work : when the 
 light of reason, truth, and the Spirit is 
 
 gone, what can a man do befitting 
 od ? Wrath makes men err in their 
 own business, much more in the Lord's ; 
 it works not the righteousness of God, but its own 
 righteousness ; that which seems right in its own eyes. 
 Per iram lux ve- 'h^' shall be done. Ezekiel thought 
 ritaiis amioiiur, it right not to proplicsy, not to submit 
 5|5iei'dor «l!ciudi- to the will of Christ and work of the 
 lur. Uid. Spirit; but his passion was prejudice to 
 
 him and to the work of God. It is evil when wrath 
 Aquin..i. p.q.15. prevents reason, and forceth it to action; 
 art. 9. then whatever is done, is the work of 
 
 anger, not of reason, not of righteou.sness. When 
 wrath hath the kingdom, when that is in the head 
 and heart, there is no place for the righteousness of 
 God. This made Clement say. Where 
 rneVMominis, wrath dwells, God dwells not. Wrath 
 sed arnica Sa- j.s a Special friend of Satan's, many of 
 his coimsels and designs are effected 
 by it : the more of this humour, the more service hath 
 hell ; the less of it, the more serviceable for heaven. 
 Moses was the meekest man upon the earth, and he 
 did most work for heaven. Christ was meeker than 
 all other, and he did work the righteousness of God 
 effectually, he did work for heaven and earth. 
 
 Obs. 6. That the prophets could not prophesy at 
 their pleasure. Ezekiel sits seven days, and there 
 is no prophesying. Ariuinas hath a question, whe- 
 ther prophecy be a haljit ; if it were so, it is in the 
 power of man to use it any time, but so could not 
 the prophet. When the Shunammite's son was dead, 
 and she came to Elisha, what said he .' " Her soul is 
 vexed within her ; and the Lord hath hid it from me, 
 and hath not told me," 2 Kings iv. 27. Unless the 
 Lord reveal himself unto them afresh, the prophets 
 could not tell things ; the schoolmen therefore con- 
 clude, that prophecy is not in the prophet as a 
 habit, but as a transient impression. Habits are per- 
 manent things, but prophecy is a transient thing, a 
 light in the air ; for as the air doth always need a 
 new illumination, so the mind of a prophet doth 
 always need a new revelation, else the prophet sits 
 in darkness, and knows not more than other men : 
 Lam. ii. 9, " Her prophets find no vision from the 
 Lord;" and so in Psal. Ixxiv. 9, " There is no more 
 any prophet, neither is there among us any that 
 knoweth how long." It was night oft with the pro- 
 phets. Nathan spake not from heaven, when he bid 
 David go and do all that was in his heart touching 
 the building of God a house ; for it is said, " that 
 night came the word of the Lord unto Nathan," 
 2 Sam. vii. 3, 4 : before he had not a word, and when 
 it came, it was not for Davnd, but Solomon, to build 
 the house. So that it is true which 
 Gregory saith, Sometimes the spirit 
 of prophecy is wanting to the prophets, 
 
 net semper eoruin i .i ■ • i i i o i 
 
 nieniiiius picBsio and their muuls are dark. Samuel mis- 
 took, when he said, " Surely the Lord's 
 anointed is before him," 1 Sam. xvi, 6, 7. 
 
 Aliquando pro- 
 plieliffi spintus 
 detst proplietis, 
 
 est. Iluvi. 1. in 
 EzeH. 
 
 Ver. 16 — 19. A7id it came to pass (it the end of 
 seven days, that the word of the Lord came iinto 
 ine, saying. Son of man, I have made thee a 
 ivatchman vnto the house of Israel : therefore 
 Jiear the ivord at my mouth, and give them warn- 
 ing from me. When I sat/ unto the wicked, Thou 
 
 shalt surely die ; and thou givest him not warn- 
 ing, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his 
 tvicked way, to save his life ; the same wicked 
 man shall die in his iniquity ; but his blood will I 
 require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the 
 wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor 
 from his tvicked way, he shall die in his iniquity ; 
 but thou hast delivered thy soul. 
 
 In these words, and the rest to the end of the 
 chapter, is a new revelation made to the prophet, 
 together with the events following thereupon ; or 
 thus : 
 
 I. You have the call of the prophet to his office 
 renewed, and that is in the words read, and on to the 
 end of the 21st verse. 
 
 II. Special directions and events laid down from 
 the 21st verse to the end of the chapter. 
 
 In the words read, you have. 
 
 First, the circumstance of time, when this repeti- 
 tion of his call or new revelation was made, and that 
 was after "seven days," ver. 16. 
 
 Secondly, his office specified, which is to be " a 
 watchman," ver. 17. 
 
 Thirdly, the parties he is to watch over and ad- 
 monish : 
 
 1. In general laid down, and that is, " the house of 
 Israel," ver. 17. 
 
 2. More particularly : 
 
 (1.) "The wicked," ver. 18, 19. 
 
 (2.) "The righteous," ver. 20, 21. 
 
 Fourthly, the reasons of it, why he must admon- 
 ish both sorts : 
 
 The first is, the danger and mischief of it ; both 
 they and he shall die if it be not done. 
 
 The second, it may be they will turn upon admoni- 
 tion, and so be saved ; if not, yet the prophet delivers 
 his own soul, and there is advantage by it. 
 
 The words in the 16th verse have little difficulty 
 in them. 
 
 " At the end of seven days." It is probable the 
 sitting still and silence of the prophet . 
 
 was from sabbath to sabbath ; on that 
 day he had his glorious vision, and seven days after 
 he had a new revelation, the word of the Lord came 
 to him. All the six days he was solitary, mourning, 
 meditating, and silent, but on the seventh the Lord 
 a])peared again unto him ; and so after, he had upon 
 sabbaths revelations from God. 
 
 Obs. 1. That God bears with the weaknesses and 
 distempers of his servants. Ezekiel declines the call 
 of Christ, shows his great ingratitude ; having had 
 such great favours from Christ, seen so much glory, 
 and being commanded once, twice, to go and preach 
 to the house of Israel, yet he sits down, is silent, and 
 that seven days together. This might have provoked 
 the Lord to great wrath, to have refused him, as a 
 stubborn, self-willed man, and made him to say, 
 he would never admit him to be his prophet, put 
 such honour upon him, intrust him with such great 
 matters ; but the Lord bears with his weakness, yea, 
 his continued weakness. Sometimes God's anger 
 kindles, and breaks out quickly, and that for little 
 things in our eyes and opinions ; as the man that 
 gathered a few sticks on the sabbath, he must be 
 stoned to death ; those who peeped irreverently into 
 the ark, the Lord smote fifty thousand and upward 
 dead for it presently, 1 Sam. vi. 19. Ananias and Sap- 
 phira, a small matter in our conceits, it was to keep 
 back a portion of their goods, and to excuse it with 
 a lie ; for this God was wroth, and they died. Acts 
 v.: but the weaknesses of his children he bears with 
 and those great ones.
 
 Ver. 16, 17- 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 109 
 
 Obs. 2. M;in's will and weakness cannot hinder 
 the efficacy and execution of God's decree. The 
 prophet's spirit was against this work ; he refused, 
 sat still seven days together, and would have frus- 
 trated God's intentions if he could, but it was de- 
 creed in heaven : that decree was efficacious, his will 
 must be brought off, and he must be the man to 
 execute God's pleasure in a prophetical way to the 
 house of Israel. Jonah departs, will prejudice God's 
 design concerning Nineveh ; but the Lord knew how 
 to humble him, to fetch him back, being fled, and 
 to make him instrumental to his ends, notwithstand- 
 ing his wilfulness and weakness. Psal. xxxiii. 9, 
 "He commanded, and it stood fast;" and ver. 11, 
 " The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever." Let 
 there be contrary counsels, wills, commands ; they 
 stand not. God brings them to nought, he makes 
 them of none effect : Prov. xix. 21, " There are many 
 devices in a man's heart;" he thinks not to do this, 
 and not to do that, and it shall be so and so ; 
 " nevertheless the counsel of the Lord shall stand ; " 
 he will perfect the work he hath begun in men, and 
 by men, notwithstanding their infirmities. 
 
 Obs. 3. Spiritual employments must have sedate, 
 quiet, well composed affections and spirits. The 
 Spirit of prophecy came not upon Ezekiel all the 
 time he was distempered and discontented ; but when 
 time had wrought off the distemper, and the ill 
 humour was digested, then was he stirred by the 
 Spirit of prophecy : when the minstrel was tuned, 
 then the hand of the Lord came upon Elisha, 
 2 Kings iii. 15. Men's hearts and spirits are like 
 minstrels, out of order quickly, and long in tuning, 
 and right setting ; but the music is sweetest when 
 the instrument is best set, then God delights to com- 
 municate his Spirit to us, to employ us. In the 
 night oft God appeared to the patriarchs ; then 
 were they most quiet, and fittest to receive instruc- 
 tion. In Augustus's days, when there was peace 
 throughout the world, then was Christ given, then 
 was he born. When there is peace throughout the 
 little world, then are we aptest for reception of 
 Christ's instructions, and readiest for his service ; 
 God will not commit weighty and great things to 
 men, without due fitness for them. The prophet had 
 this time deeply to consider of the business, and to 
 get himself into such a frame, as might best sort 
 with the function he was to be in. 
 
 Obs. 4. The Lord doth not leave his people long, al- 
 though they be in distempers; at the end of seven days 
 the word of the Lord came unto him. We may by our 
 failings and distempers drive away God from us, but 
 he will visit us again ; he may be gone all the week, 
 but come again at the end of it. God's anger is for 
 a moment ; our weeping for a night, and joy in the 
 morning, Psal. xxx. 5. It is not long this good Phy- 
 sician will be absent from his patient, and when he 
 comes, he will comfort and cure. 
 
 Obs. 5. Our prophet brought not his own, but the 
 word of the Lord unto the people. It is his word 
 must be commended unto them ; prophets, apostles, 
 ministers, are his ambassadors, and must speak what 
 is given them in commission. If they go or speak 
 of their own heads, they provoke God and wrong 
 the people. Jer. xxiii. 30, " I am against the pro- 
 phets, saith the Lord, that steal my words, every 
 one from his neighbour:" the false prophets would 
 take some sayings of the true prophets, and mingle 
 them with their own lies and errors, to get the more 
 credit unto them ; and sometimes by false interpre- 
 tations they would wrest the word to establisli their 
 own phantasies. They would prophesy for their 
 own glory and profit, and this was stealing of the 
 word : they did handle the word alieno sensu, spirila, 
 
 el fine, in another sense and spirit, and for another 
 end, than God or the true prophets intended ; so 
 that their word was not conceived to be the word of 
 God, but their own. And yet they would fasten it 
 upon God ; ver. 31, " I am against the prophets that 
 use their tongues, and say, He saith." The word is 
 O'npSn which signifies, lenire, to mitigate. They 
 flattered and smoothed up the people, speaking 
 things pleasing, and said, " He .saith." 'They made 
 God the author of their dreams, which the Lord re- 
 proves, ver. 32, and saith, " Behold, I am against 
 them that prophesy false dreams, and do tell them, 
 and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their 
 lightness ; yet I sent them not, nor commanded 
 them : therefore they shall not profit this people at 
 all, saith the Lord." People had need look to their 
 teachers, what they are, whether sent of God, and 
 such as speak the truths of God ; otherwise they can 
 look for no blessing, no profit ; but when men come 
 in God's name, and with God's word, you may look 
 for great benefit ; you must expect reality : for in 
 the Hebrew are two words, which note 
 reality and being. God's words are 
 things of great weight and worth. 
 
 Ver. 17. I have made thee a u-atchman unto the 
 house of Israel : therefore hear the word at my 
 jnouth, and give them learning from vie. 
 
 In this verse is the office of Ezekiel laid down : 
 First, generally, " a watchman." 
 Secondly, more pecidiarly : 
 
 1. He must learn of Christ. 
 
 2. Warn the people. 
 
 " A watchman." nsis is from nss to watch, 
 to see from a high place, to look about on every 
 side, to observe accurately ; as in Prov. xv. 3, " The 
 eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding 
 the evil and the good." The word for beholding, is 
 tzophoth, the same with that in the verse, and notes 
 God's exact and accurate eyeing of things ; and it 
 is metaphorically taken from those that are set in 
 watch-towers, whose office is to observe with the 
 eye, and intention of mind, what danger is in pre- 
 paration, approach, or execution, and to inform the 
 city, town, or army, to which he is a watchman, 
 that all may timously look to themselves. If any 
 fire, robbery, treachery, invasion, or danger what- 
 soever, appeared, the watchmen were wont to give 
 notice by signs or voice, both in the night and day, 
 and that constantly. Such was the prophet to be 
 here unto the house of Israel, he was to foresee and 
 foretell the dangers that were threatened, prepared, 
 approaching, in execution ; and this he was to do 
 constantly, according to that in Isa. xxi. 8, " I stand 
 continually upon the watch-tower in the day time ; 
 and I am set in my ward whole nights :" so Gen. 
 xxxi. 40. 
 
 There were two sorts of watchmen God set in his 
 church ; extraordinary, prophets, apostles, evan- 
 gelists ; and ordinary, pastors and teachers ; these 
 continue to this day, and these watch for the good 
 of souls, Heb. xiii. 17, and their office is, as the pro- 
 phets', to learn of Christ, and to warn the people : 
 the other are ceased. 
 
 Obs. 1. The goodness and bounty of Christ, that 
 converseth with, and communicates unto the sons of 
 men his precious truths and counsels. " Son of 
 man," saith Christ, " I have made thee," &c. It had 
 been honour to Ezekiel to have had an angel con- 
 fer with him, and impart secrets to him ; it is a 
 great matter to have a prince talk kindly to his sub- 
 ject, tell him his counsels and purposes ; what was 
 it then for our prophet, to have Christ, the Lord of
 
 110 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 angcl.s, and King of kings, to speak lovingly to him, 
 to tell him of heavenly mysteries ! And thus he 
 doth to us in his word, tliat yet never saw his face ; 
 there he opens himself sweetly to us, all things being 
 written for our instruction. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is Christ's prerogative to appoint watch- 
 men in the church. " I have made tliee a watch- 
 man ;" he might not make himself one ; others, 
 without Christ's commission and directions, might 
 not have made him one. Men -should not come into 
 the watch-tower, except called, Heb. v. 4; if tliey do, 
 they will prove neither good watchmen nor good 
 workmen. Christ himself is the great Watchman of 
 the church, he is the Head, and appoints wlio shall 
 be in his stead. 2 Cor. v. 20, the apostles were in 
 his stead ; so the prophet here ; so are all the faith- 
 ful ministers of the gospel, who are called mediately 
 by the church according to his will. 
 
 Obs. 3. The ministers of Christ must be men of 
 knowledge. They are watchmen, and watchmen 
 must have eyes in their heads, they must not be 
 Idind. In 1 Sam. ix. 9, they are called seers ; if 
 they have no eyes, they cannot be seers, and if not 
 seers, not watchmen ; and then mischief may befall 
 the church suddenly, and that without remedy : if 
 the blind lead the blind they may both fall into the 
 ditch. Isa. ix. It!, " The leaders of this people cause 
 them to err ; and they that are led of them are de- 
 stroyed." Ignorance causeth error, and error de- 
 struction ; therefore said the apostle to the elders of 
 Ephesus, " Take heed to the tiock over which the 
 Holy Ghost hath made you overseers," linnKdirHc, 
 Acts XX. 28, unto which, and over \\hich you are 
 overseers, or watchmen. The Septuagint renders it 
 here in our jirojdiet, dicoTrof ; and Origen calls a 
 bisho]! or watchman, ociiliim ecc/em'ip, the eye of the 
 church. And Psal. cix. 8, " Let another take his 
 office ;" the word office is from pacad, which is, to 
 visit; and visiting cannot be without eyes, without 
 Si iu i.uris vide- knowledge. If a watchman want eyes 
 lur iiic.ii-rai.iiis and knowledge, how can he discern 
 n'laViJ'm'lMsqui danger, instruct the ignorant, heal the 
 i.r;iMi,.t, iiec f^. wouudcd, Tcduce the straying lift up 
 
 (us.,liinie est <lig- ,.1, c i i i ■' O' t 
 
 na, necveniaf the fallen, feed the hungry, comfort 
 TO £p. Const. ^j^g feeble, resolve conscience, and com- 
 pare things past with things present and futiu'c : a 
 watchman, a minister, should be like Argus, who, 
 the poets say, had a hundred eyes ; they should be 
 full of eyes. The beasts about Christ's throne were 
 full of eyes, before and behind. Rev. iv. 6 ; they saw 
 things gone, and things to come : they saw every 
 way. ignorance is blamable in any, but chiefly in 
 „. , a watchman. Papists say. Ignorance 
 
 IS the mother oi devotion, but the 
 Toletan council tells them otherwise. Ignorance is 
 the mother of all errors, and chiefly to be avoided 
 in the ministers of God, who have taken upon them 
 the office to instruct the people of God. " The 
 priest's lips .should keep knowledge," not ignorance, 
 Mai. ii. 7. Let antichrist have ignorant priests, 
 blind watchmen; Christ must have knowing, ju- 
 dicious, seeing watchmen : they are men of God, 
 " throughly furnished," 2 Tim. iii. 17. 
 
 Obs. 4. Ministers must not be sleepy, drowsy per- 
 sons. They are watchmen, and it is not enough to 
 have eyes in their heads, but their eyes must be 
 open ; not sufficient to have knowledge, but that 
 must be impn-oved : the wakeful geese did better 
 service than the sleejiy watchmen. Matt. xiii. 2.5, 
 " While men .slept, the enemy came and sowed 
 tares." By men Jerom and Augustine understand 
 the officers of the church; and by their sleeping, their 
 carelessness and negligence in their ])lace ; wicked 
 ones took advantage to sow tares, errors, and heresy, 
 
 while they were remiss. The same word that is for a 
 seer, is for a sleeper, chosim ; because if men see not to 
 purpose, they are no better than sleepers. Such 
 watchmen Isaiah speaks of, chap. Ivi. 10, " His 
 watchmen are blind, sleeping; lying down, loving to 
 slumber." When the shepherds sleep, s„„„„|,,„i, 
 then the wolves watch, walk, and de- ['a.iorunifst 
 vour. Acts XX. 29, " I know, that after ,';","u,n'.'";'f/i- 
 my departing shall grievous wolves ','!" '""''■-, ^'^ 
 
 J ^t n o . JtiHore Vet. 
 
 enter m among you, not spanng tlie 
 flock. Therefore watch," saith he, ver. 31 ; intimat- 
 ing, that if there be not watching of the shepherds, 
 there will be fearful spoiling of the sheep : the 
 sleepiness of the shepherds is the joy of the wolves. 
 Luke xii. 37, " Blessed are those," &:c. 
 
 Obs. 5. If watchmen, then they must endure hard- 
 ships, all winds and weathers, the cold of the night, 
 and heat of the day. They must look for succession 
 of good and bad. Isa. xxi. 11, 12. " Watchman, 
 what of the night ? The watchman said. The morn- 
 ing Cometh, and also the night." It was now night 
 with the watchmen, there were troubles, afflictions, 
 saddening things ; but there was a morning of hope, 
 and after that an evening of sorrows ; changeable 
 conditions, which the watchman must endure. 2 Tim. 
 ii. 3, Paul counsels Timothy to endure hardness as 
 a good soldier of Christ. Soldiers must not only 
 stand sentinel in the night and day, but go upon 
 desperate services. .Such a watchman was Paul ; 
 2 Cor. xi. 23 — 30, he saith, in stripes he was above 
 measure, in prisons frequent, in deaths oft, five times 
 he had forty stripes save one, thrice was he beaten 
 with rods, once stoned, thrice he suffered shipwreck, 
 a night and a day in the deeps, in perils every where, 
 in weariness, painfulness, watchings, fastings, cold, 
 nakedness, &c. The scouts and sentinels are expo.sed 
 to the greatest hazards, they are taken first. You know 
 the ministers are the men stricken at in these days, 
 they are likeliest to meet with the first and greatest 
 dangers. When the people were to go through the 
 waters of Jordan, Josh. iii. 13, the Levites and priests 
 were first to go in, and to stand therein till all the peo- 
 ple passed over. It is tlie watchmen who are to meet 
 with the waters of affliction, and to stand in them. 
 
 Obs. (j. That the church and people of God, the 
 house of Israel, are subject to dangers and enemies; 
 otherwise what should a watchman need P Cities 
 and armies do not send out scouts and watchmen, if 
 there are no enemies : where there is watching and 
 warding, you may be sure of it there is danger. 
 The cluirch is like a shiji, tossed at sea among rocks 
 and sands, with winds and waves, and needs the most 
 skilful pilot to direct and steer it ; it is like a lamb 
 among lions, and needs the most watchful shepherd. 
 They were in much danger in Babylon amidst scoff- 
 ing enemies, and the church is not safe in Zion ; 
 her children are the wheat, and the world thrasheth 
 them ; they are the vine, the clusters, and the wicked 
 rend, press, tear them. What is the colour of the 
 church but black ? Schisms have so divided her, 
 errors so shaken her, heresies so tossed her, and 
 persecutions so battered her, that she is black and 
 bine, and hardly a sound part left in her. The church 
 is besieged wiih devils and wicked men, open ene- 
 mies, secret hypocrites, endangered daily ; out of its 
 own bosom and bowels do those arise that threaten 
 the ruin of it daily. Acts xx. 30. The church hath 
 bred Eutychians, Nestorians, Pelagians, antitrinita- 
 rians, and a generation of vipers in our days, that 
 imder pretence of the church, would eat up the true 
 church ; and certainly it had been done, if we had 
 not had a l)etter watchman than Ezekiel. Isa. xxvii. 
 3, " I the Lord do keep it; lest any hurt it, I will 
 keep it night and day."
 
 Ver. 17. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 Ill 
 
 Obs. 7. That watchmen are not for themselves, but 
 for the liock, for the whole. " 1 have made thee a 
 watchman to the house of Israel," not some parti- 
 cular person, not some part, not to half, but to the 
 house of Israel. "When one is become a watchman, 
 he hath a great trust committed to him, and must 
 look to that, the welfare of the whole depends on 
 him : as a man, as a christian, he may foresee dan- 
 ger, and hide himself; but as a watchman he may 
 not foresee it, run away, and leave the flock to spoil ; 
 he must discover it, discharge the trust reposed in 
 him, and see to the safety of the whole, with the 
 hazard of himself; if he do not so he will show him- 
 self a treacherous watchman, a false, fearful, self- 
 seeking prophet: the good of Zion, and not of self, 
 should be aimed at in every prophet, in every minis- 
 ter. But we may take up the apostle's complaint in 
 Phil. ii. 21, " All seek their own, not the things 
 which are Jesus Christ's," not his gospel, his 
 church, his government. Paul had the care of all 
 the churches upon him, 2 Cor. xi. 28. And for Co- 
 rinth, he sought not theirs, but them, chap. xii. 
 14, their safety, their peace, comfort, growth in know- 
 ledge, in faith, in all spiritual excellences ; and why ? 
 he looked upon them as his children, his bowels, his 
 heirs, and therefore would communicate all he could 
 to them, and do what was in his power for them. 
 Manav„(i;,ao- Hence he saith in ver. 15, "I will very 
 ua. tutp tg.„ gladly spend and be siient for you :" 
 the lormer word, da-n-avrtaui, notes to be 
 at cost with them, to take some pains ; he would 
 pray for them, preach to them, write to them, do 
 much : but the other word notes the spending of all ; 
 so that he would keep back nothing at all, his estate, 
 his strength should go, so that he would empty him- 
 self wholly ; and when that was done, then his spirit, 
 his blood, his life should go. Besides that that false 
 aj)ostles or teachers will do, I will do more: if they 
 will g^ve you of their estates, you shall have all mine ; 
 if they will take pains, I will take more ; if they will 
 venture their liberties to do you good, I will venture 
 my life and all for you ; let them go far, I will go 
 beyond them, gladly will 1 be spent fur you ; it is for 
 your souls, not for your estates. And though he 
 should get nothing by it, he would do it, though they 
 should love him the less. Here is a great apostle, of 
 a greater sjiirit, and of the greatest charity ; he was 
 careful of all those he was a watchman unto, faith- 
 fid in seeking their good, and should be a precedent 
 unto us. 
 
 Now I come to the two particular duties of the 
 watchman, laid down in the verse : 
 
 " Therefore hear the word at my mouth, " there 
 is the first ; 
 
 " And give them warning from me, " there is the 
 second. 
 
 Obs. 1. That none have such a sufficiency of light, 
 knowledge, grace, but they must depend upon 
 Christ for more. Ezekicl had seen and heard much, 
 the Spirit entered into him, he had eaten the roll, 
 yet he must attend upon Christ, and hear the word 
 at his mouth. No prophet, no apostle, no minister 
 hath a perfection of knowledge, or knoweth the 
 whole mind of Christ. Paul studied to know Christ 
 more and more: and so did other apostles : if they 
 had not received daily, they coidd not have given 
 daily. 
 
 06s. 2. That ministers must learn as well as teach, 
 hear before they speak ; and it is Christ they must 
 hear, of him they must learn. Thou shalt "hear the 
 word at my mouth : " they must hear a word, but it 
 must be a word of Christ'; he spake immediately to 
 Ezekiel, he speaks in his word to us : Matt. xvii. 5, 
 " Hear him, " saith the Father ; and why ? " He is 
 
 my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased ;" what 
 he saith is truth, he had it from my bosom, out of 
 my counsels, and it is pleasing unto me ; therefore 
 hear him. And Matt, xxiii. 8, " One is your Master," 
 KaBtiytiri'ic, " even Christ ; " he is the only teacher, ac- 
 cording to the mind of God ; he is the leader in the 
 way, in the right and good way. Then prophets and 
 ministers must learn, and be learned ; but their learn- 
 ing is not to be fetched from Aristotle, Justinian, 
 Machiavel, from traditions, fathers, or councils, but 
 from Christ. Ministers are watchmen, and therefore 
 they must hear the word at Christ's mouth ; they 
 must inform the church and people of God in 
 nothing he speaks not and warrants not. You have 
 an excellent place in Hab. ii. 1, " I will stand upon 
 my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch 
 to see what he will say unto me." The prophet's eye 
 and ear were towards God, he cared not what the 
 people and false prophets said, desired, determined, 
 expected, but he only looked at God; he would see 
 what he did, hear what he said, which way he 
 moved, and take all his light from him, and then he 
 knew he should not err, he should not wrong any. 
 And it follows, " The Lord answered me, and said ;" 
 the prophet durst not give out any thing to the 
 church, till the Lord first gave out to him ; and when 
 ought was revealed to him, he durst not keep it 
 back. If prophets might not bring 
 what they had not fi-om the mouth of c°"', ron"'iio?I,m 
 God, how shall we dare to do it? They dfcreia etvi- 
 sm greatly, wlio obtrude upon the church pro verbn Dei 
 the wills and decrees of men, as au- "^.i"'^ °''''^"' 
 thentical. 
 
 Obx. 3. That it is the office of prophets and minis- 
 ters, to premonish their people, to foresee danger, 
 and foretell them. The word salmz properly sig- 
 nifies to shine, enlighten, to make clear as the sun ; 
 and metaphorically, to admonish, be- „ . , 
 cause he who is admonished is cnlignt- inusnaiur etiie 
 ened. Ministers must deal plainly and ^j'^jiu^"'""* 
 clearly with sinners ; convince them 
 of their sins, and the punishments which are threat- 
 ened against them. Ministers must not daub and 
 sew pillows under men's elbows ; but, as it is in 
 Isa. Iviii. 1, they must "cry aloud," and "not 
 spare," they must " lift up their voice like trumpets, 
 and show the people their transgressions, and the 
 house of Jacob their sins." The word "show them" 
 notes a setting of them before their faces ; so that 
 they must see and take notice of them, and the dan- 
 ger they are subject unto. The ministers must not 
 spare any, not great ones, not the greatest, the house 
 of Jacob must be told of them ; and Ezekicl is a 
 watchman to the house of Israel, to the kings, 
 princes, nobles, great, small, to all ; therefore all 
 must be warned. Chrysostom told Eudoxia the 
 empress of her sins, and spared not for her 
 greatness : she had set up a silver statue, about 
 which the people exercised vain and needless sports, 
 which tended to the disgrace of the church, and for 
 this he dealt roundly with her. It is the prophets' 
 fault, that princes and great ones are so bad ; they 
 seldom hear of their own sins, or God's truths. 
 
 Obs. 4. The prophets and ministers of Christ are 
 to do their office in the name of Christ. Thou shalt 
 " give them warning from me," not from thyself, 
 not in thine own name. Christ, when he was upon 
 the great work of redeeming man, and revealing the 
 gospel, said he came in his Father's name, John v. 
 43, and did his work in his Father's name, John x. 
 25. God sent the Son, and he did all in his name. 
 Clirist sends prophets, apostles, ministers, and they 
 must preach and work in his name; because what 
 they ask in his name, they receive, it is done for
 
 112 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 them ; and what they do in his name abides, is 
 blessed, John xv. 16. Tliis should prevail with peo- 
 ple to receive the messengers of Christ as his mes- 
 sengers, as those who come in his name, whatever 
 their message be, conviction of sin, denouncing of 
 judgment. Saitli Paul, 2 Cor. v. 20, " We pray you 
 in Chri.^t's stead ;" and here Ezekiel must warn them 
 from Christ: be it matter of comfort or terror, all 
 must be done in Christ's name and stead, and they 
 entertained as those that are sent of Christ, and 
 come from him. It is good for us so to do, for 
 in receiving them, we receive Christ : and that is 
 not all, we receive the Father also, that sent Christ, 
 Matt. X. 40. A minister is good company when he 
 brings God and Christ with him ; and there is no- 
 thing lost by receiving any messenger of Christ the 
 right way; ver. 41, " He that receives a prophet in 
 the name of a jirophet, shall receive a prophet's 
 Nn.i quia .lives, reward." You must not receive a man 
 pi.tens, .imici.s, because he is learned, witty, of note, 
 akin unto you, because he is engaged to you, or you 
 to him, because you have some design upon him ; 
 but you must receive him in the name of a prophet, 
 because he belongs to Christ, is sent out by him, 
 and comes in his name ; and then you shall have a 
 prophet's reward, you shall profit by his doctrine, 
 he shall bless you in the name of Christ, his prayer 
 1 Kings xvii. shall be available for you. The widow 
 e Kings IV. of Sarepta lost nothing by entertaining 
 Elijah, nor the Shunammite by receiving Elisha ; 
 their presence and prayers did much advantage 
 them. But you may take the words thus : " A pro- 
 phet's reward," that is, the prophets have a great, 
 hard, and glorious work in hand, and they shall 
 have an eminent reward in heaven ; and seeing you 
 receive them as prophets in my name, notwithstand- 
 ing all the reproach and discouragements they meet 
 with, and danger their doctrine brings ; seeing you 
 encourage them, and help on their work, you shall 
 have such reward as they have, be received into the 
 same mansion I receive them. 
 
 Ver. 18, 19. When I sat/ vnto the inicked, Thou 
 shall sure/i/ die; and thou girest him not warning, 
 nor speakest to warn the ivicked from his wicked 
 way, to save his life ; the same wicked man shall 
 die in his iniquitii ; hut his blood will I require 
 at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the ivicked,and 
 he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his 
 wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity ; but thou 
 hast delivered thy soul. 
 
 In these verses is a more particular object of his 
 ofKce, viz. "the wicked," whom he must tell of his 
 sin, or die for it. Here was the ojicration of the roll, 
 sad and bitter work in the thoughts and apprehen- 
 sions of the prophet. 
 
 " When I say unto the wicked." God speaks not 
 immediately unto the wicked, how then is it here 
 said, "When I say?" ike. God sometimes speaks to 
 them by their conscience, which tells them from 
 God, that they are guilty, and shall die. But this 
 reaches not the sense of the words ; it may be thus 
 taken: "When I say to the wicked," that is, in 
 my word ; God speaks to all wicked men in his 
 word, and there it is evidenced what is the portion 
 of every sinner : but yet there is somewhat more in 
 this phrase, " When I say to the wicked," that is, of 
 the wicked, "Thou shalt die, and thou givest him 
 not warning," ike. That in lleb, i. 7, "Of the angels 
 he saith," in the original is, Trptx; thq ayyfXwf \iyit, 
 to the angels, but the sense is, " of the angels he 
 saith;" and so here, "to the wicked," i.s, of the 
 
 wicked : or, if this be not full enough, you may take 
 it thus ; When 1 suggest to thee by my Spirit, that 
 the wicked shall die, and thou dost not give him 
 notice thereof, &c. 
 
 " Thou shalt surely die." nitir no in dying thou 
 shalt die, that is, thou shalt certainly die. Amongst 
 the Hebrews, where there is repetition of the word 
 by an adverb, gerund, participle, or the verb itself, 
 it ever increaseth the signification of the first word; 
 as in 1 Kings viii. 13, " I have surely built thee an 
 house;" it is in the Hebrew, In building I have 
 built thee an house : so in I Sam. xxvi. 25, " Thou 
 shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail ;" 
 the Hebrew is, in doing thou .shalt do, in prevailing 
 thou shalt prevail : by such duj)lieation of the words, 
 the signification is intended ; and so in these words, 
 " thou shalt surely die." 
 
 " In his iniquity." That is, for his iniquity ; so 
 the preposition 3 belli must be understood. If he 
 would take notice of his sin, repent and leave it, he 
 should not die ; but because he goes on in it, he shall 
 die for it. Hosca xii, 12, there you find " Israel served 
 for a wife ; " the Hebrew is nrsfS in a wife, but the 
 sense enforceth it to be rendered "for a wife," and 
 so here, " for his iniquity." 
 
 " His blood will I require at thine hand." His death 
 shall be imputed unto thee, and thou .shalt answer 
 for it, 1 will charge it upon thy head, and deal with 
 thee as a murderer ; thou hast shed his blood, and I 
 will avenge it on thee ; so the word " require" imports. 
 Gen. ix. 5, " Sui-ely your blood of your lives will I 
 require," i*i'c. "Require" is thrice in that verse; and 
 what is meant by requiring the blood or life of 
 man, is fully expressed in the next verse, " W^loso 
 sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be 
 shed ; " so then when blood is shed, and life is lost, 
 God's requiring of it is to have blood for blood, and 
 life for life ; he that sheds blood, or suffers blood to 
 be shed, when he may prevent it, he shall be respon- 
 sible for it. God is wron>jed by shedding of blood, 
 and will have satisfaction for it; therefore he is said 
 to make inquisition for blood, Psal. ix. 12. God's 
 requiring, mentioned Dent, xviii. 19, is expounded 
 by Peter, of destruction. Acts iii. 23. 
 
 What death is meant in this verse is doubted 
 among interpreters ; whether the death of the body, 
 or of the soul, or of both. The ancients interpret it 
 of the death of the soul ; the soul of the wicked going 
 on in his sin, and of the prophet neglecting his duty, 
 shall die for it. Some later expositors would have it 
 meant of the death of the body, some temporal judg- 
 ment to cut them off by ; but we see many ill pro- 
 phets, that neglect to warn the wicked of their evil 
 ways, and many wicked men, go on in their sinful 
 courses, and neither taken away by temporal judg- 
 ments. The young prophet was slain by a lion, 
 1 Kings xiii. because he was less faithful than he 
 should have been ; and Jonah was cast into the deep, 
 buried in the belly of a whale, because he declined 
 the service of the Lord; but these were extraordinary 
 acts and chastisements, not rindictec, true, real pun- 
 ishments. 1 conceive therefore by death is meant 
 all calamities leading unto death, and the death of 
 soul and body at last, if faith and re- i,^,^. i,,,.^^ ,r(||.i. 
 penta :ce did not intervene. If eternal tm s.nfuis pro 
 death be due to the sniner dying m his ,„,„e, i„ei cmm 
 sins, it is threatened to (he prophet for i','"p™'^lrJe''Su 
 not telling him of his sin; otherwise a inieiligi. Hnn.m 
 temporal punishment for au immortal '"' 
 soul lost eternally by the negligence of the prophet, 
 should be all Ihe recompence made, and that is not 
 cnmiH'iisiilio siij/iciinis, an ample compensation ; nay, 
 frequently there should not be any, for ill and idle 
 prophets do live as long, as healthfully and happily
 
 Vtn. 18, 19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 113 
 
 as others, and die without any hand of God observ- 
 alile upon them. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord Christ knows who are wicked 
 and vile. We guess at men, and presume oft wrong- 
 fully they are such, but the Lord knows who are 
 such in truth, and is not deceived ; he knows the 
 goats and swine as really as the sheep and lambs ; 
 he can distinguish between the vile and precious, be- 
 tween his jewels and the reprobate silver. He never 
 mislitles or miscalls any ; he knew the scribes and 
 Pharisees were hypocrites, and therefore called therii 
 so ; he knew that Judas was a traitor, and there- 
 fore branded him with that name; 
 senmiii»''irihu- he Called Herod a fox, Nathanael a 
 an'.'uil'suiu'i'ro'- ^^'^^ Israelite, and in neither was he 
 num. jer. Lp. mistaken ; 2 Tim. ii. 9, " The Lord 
 '■■''■ knoweth them that are his," yea, and 
 
 those that are not his. Christ could tell Ezekiel 
 what the people of Israel were, better than himself 
 that dwelt amongst them ; he told him they were 
 briers, thorns, scorpions, a rebellious house. If all 
 the world besides had said so, and not Christ, it had 
 been no great matter ; the world is full of error, it 
 mistakes ; but when the Lord himself, who is in- 
 fallible, shall pronounce a man wicked, then is he 
 wicked indeed. There is great weight in it, let us 
 look to it ; what he saith in his word of us, if he 
 call us wicked, jiroud, froward, &c. we are so. 
 
 Obs. 2. The power of life and death is in Christ's 
 hand. " When I say to the wicked. Thou slialt die ; " 
 he hath authority over their lives, and can at his 
 pleasure pronoimce them dead men : Acts iii. 15, he 
 is "the Prince of life;" and Rev. i. 18, he hath 
 "the keys of hell and death," he can let out the 
 soul from the body, and let it into hell, when he will. 
 The life of man, which is most dear to him, is at the 
 w ill of another. He spake with authority, when he 
 said, " Bring those mine enemies that will not have 
 me to reign over them, and slay them before me," 
 Luke xix. 27. ^^^lcn men are armed with power 
 over our lives, they are much feared. Judges, when 
 they go forth to keep assizes, make counties to 
 quake ; and princes, when they go forth to war, 
 make kingdoms tremble. Now, Psal. ii. 10 — 12, 
 kings and judges are commanded to serve him with 
 fear, to kiss him with subjection, lest he be angry, 
 and command them to be slain, or tell them they 
 shall die. If kings and judges, that make others 
 fear, must fear the Lord Christ, and submit unto him, 
 how should all under them do it then ! Christ 
 knows us, what we are, how we have sinned, what 
 we deserve, and can in a moment destroy us, or pro- 
 claim in our consciences that we shall die in our 
 inii|uities, and eternally suffer for them. It was he 
 awakened Judas's conscience, and set it on fire, let 
 out his life, and sent his soul to perdition. Be you 
 great or small, he is the Lord, he is Ruler of the 
 jirinces of the earth, all pow-er is in his hand ; and 
 though he be the Landj of God, yet he is also the 
 Lion of the tribe of Judah, and can shake kingdoms 
 and consciences with his voice : let us fear before him. 
 Obs. 3. When Christ sends prophets and minis- 
 ters, he doth not deprive himself of his power, and 
 authorize them to condemn or absolve at their 
 jileasure; they must depend upon Christ, hear him 
 speak, and say of the wicked, "Thou shalt surely 
 die," before they pronounce a man a dead man, a 
 wicked man. Their power is declaratory, and if 
 Christ do not declare to them, they must not de- 
 clare against others; Jam. iv. 12, "There is one 
 Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy : 
 who art thou that judgest another?" None have 
 power to make or impose laws upon the good or 
 the bad, but Christ ; all others must have warrant 
 
 from him, be they princes or prophets ; and why ? 
 it is he that hath the power to save and to destroy, 
 not they ; and therefore it follows ; " Who art thou 
 that judgest another ? " Ii is arrogancy and boldness 
 in any to step into Christ's place, and impose any 
 laws, decrees, or inventions of men upon the con- 
 sciences of others, or to judge the conditions of men, 
 without warrant from Christ, and his word; prophets 
 may not do it, much less others. Hence, what the 
 prophets and all ministers say, must be examined : 
 Isa. viii. 20, " To the law and to the testimony ; if 
 they speak not according to this word, it is because 
 there is no light in them;" no morning, saith the 
 Hebrew ; because Christ hath not appeared unto 
 them, warranted them, and then their impositions 
 and censures have no weight in them, and we may 
 prudentially refuse them. 
 
 Obs. 4. The fruit of sin is death. If wickedness 
 be found in men, death will be threatened from 
 God ; wickedness calls for its pay, and that is death : 
 " If I say to the wicked. Thou shalt surely die." 
 AVhcn man's w-ickcdness clamours in heaven, Christ 
 will cause the sound of death to be heard on earth : 
 Rom. vi. 23, " The wages of sin is death ;" the word 
 is 6xl/(Jvia, and properly signifies whatever is edible 
 with bread, and synecdochically, the wages or salary 
 of soldiers, and it suits in both senses with our pur- 
 p/ose. Sin is a work, and a work of darkness, Eph. 
 V. II, a work of the flesh. Gal. v. 19, and they who 
 commit it are workers of iniquity, Psal. liii. 4 ; and it 
 is equity that workmen should have meat and wages, 
 and here is both ; death is the delicacy that the sin- 
 ner hath to feed upon, and death the wages that the 
 sinner earns ; such meat and wages he is sure to 
 have. Others may miss of both, work and have no 
 meat, work and go without wages ; but this work- 
 man, the wicked man, he shall never miss of either 
 of these, " he shall surely die," his meat and wages 
 shall not be withheld ; man's own sin will slay him, 
 Prov. V. 22. 
 
 Obs. 5. The prophets and ministers of Christ must 
 not only warn the people, but warn them oft, warn 
 them themselves, and speak to warn, put on others 
 also to do it; they must not be slack, remiss in this 
 business, they must do it earnestly and constantly, 
 use all means to regain the wicked; the repetition 
 of the words imports so much ; if thou givest him 
 not warning, nor speak to warn ; he must be so- 
 licitous and frequent in the work. Paid knew it, and 
 therefore counsels Timothy, not only to preach the 
 word, but to be instant, in season and out of 
 season, 2 Tim. iv. 2. Carnal reason counts preach- 
 ing unseasonable, that is, upon week days and oc- 
 casional ; but the servants of God must take all 
 opportunities to warn sinners of their evil courses, 
 and to win souls. Christ forbore his meat and 
 drink, and Paul his sleep. Acts xx. 7, to preach unto 
 the people. Flesh and blood judges night preaching 
 unseasonable, if not unlawful ; but Paid thought it 
 not unseasotiable to preach even till midnight to do 
 them good : he was a night preacher and a day 
 pireacher ; ver. 31, saith he, " By the space of three 
 years I ceased not to warn every one night and day." 
 Such was his vigilance and diligence ; he was ex- 
 ceeding careful to prevent evil, and to do them 
 good; Phil. iii. 18, he told them often of the same 
 thing, and warned them to take heed of the same 
 men. 
 
 Obs. 6. There is hope of wicked men, that live in 
 dissolute ways. Before, the Lord termed them " a 
 rebellious nation, impudent children, stitf-hearted, 
 briers, thorns, scorpions, most rebellious, that re- 
 bellious house ;" and here he calls them " wicked 
 ones ;" and yet they must be w arned, that they may
 
 114 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 return from their wicked ways and live. Some are 
 hopeful and curable, where wickedness prevails ge- 
 nerally, and all seems desperate. Manasses was as 
 wicked a king as lived, a great idolater, a great 
 dealer with enchanters, wizards, and familiar spirits, 
 a great seducer of the people, to make them do 
 worse than the nations did, a great shedder of 
 innocent blood : so that the text saith, he did 
 "wickedly above all that the Amorites did," 2 Kings 
 xxi. 11 : yet this great sinner found mercy, greater 
 than all his sins ; 2 Chron. xxxiii. 12, 13, " he 
 humbled himself greatly," he prayed, and God was 
 enti-eatcd of him. He who is wicked one day, may 
 turn another day ; he may become penitent and 
 believing the next day, that is cursing, blaspheming 
 this day, as in Saul. Some come in early, at tlie 
 third, sixth, ninth hour ; others late, at the eleventh 
 and twelfth ; the thief came in at the last hour. 
 Let times be never so corrupt, persons desperately 
 wicked, yet there is hope, and God may have a seed 
 amongst them. Let us throw the net oft, we may 
 catch tisli in 7iiari morluo, the dead sea. 
 
 Obs. 7- The end and scope of a prophet's and minis- 
 ter's labours must be to save life. He must warn 
 the wicked, that so he may save his life, preserve 
 his soul. Paul tells Timothy, that by preaching and 
 continuing in the word, he should save himself, and 
 those that heard him, 1 Tim. iv. IG. Men's lives 
 and souls are in great danger daily ; errors, heresies, 
 lusts, temptations, threaten ruin and destruction to 
 men continually ; the work and care of the prophets 
 is, to secure them from these, and to recall them 
 from their sinful practices. Jam. v. 20, " He that 
 converteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall 
 save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of sins." 
 That which Ezckiel calls the sinner's wicked way, 
 James calls " the error of his way," his sinful man- 
 ners, actions, courses, opinions, humours, aflections, 
 and principles ; from these must the servant of God 
 labour to deliver him. It is ministers' work, and the 
 end of the ministry, to save soids ; therefore, 
 
 (1.) Their scope must not be to show learning, 
 wit, elo(juence. The apostle preached, " but not 
 with wisdom of words," 1 Cor. i. 17; " not with ex- 
 cellency of speech." chap. ii. 1 ; " not with enticing 
 words of man's wisdom," ver. 4 : and he gives the 
 reason of it ; " lest the cross of Christ should be 
 made of none effect;" that is, lest men should think 
 they are saved rather by virtue of man's wisdimi 
 than Christ's passion. Or as it is more fully in chap. 
 Besnum Dei ii. 5, that their " faith should not stand 
 u'". 5",r!;;"f,'ie" '" ^^<^ wisdom of men." It will go off 
 coiisiat. from one to anothei', as men are more 
 
 witty, and hold out the truth in finer and more en- 
 ticing expressions, which will prove evil. There- 
 fore he declined the wisdom of men, and preached 
 in demonstration of the Spirit, that their faith might 
 stand in the power of God, in such conviction and 
 operation of the Spirit, as might breed invincible 
 stedfastness in them. 
 
 (2.) Not to ]]lease men. Gal. i. 10, " Do I seek 
 to please men ?" if that were my end, " I should not be 
 the servant of Christ ;" but he must serve Christ in 
 saving of souls, not in pleasing of men. When that 
 is propounded unto men, they will subject truth to 
 men's humour, and become flatterers ; but ministers 
 must not do so, not frame their sermons according 
 to men's humours and minds. Jer. xv. 19, " Let 
 them return unto thee, but return not thou unto 
 
 them ;" do not thou comply, debase the truth, to 
 please them, but speak as the oracles of God, and 
 let them please or provoke, it matters not; the pro- 
 
 voking of them may be the nearest way to their sal- 
 vation, and that is thy end. 
 
 (3.) Not to get a living ; that is not the end of a 
 prophet's ofhce ; it is to make men living men, to save 
 theirlivesandsouls. Paul preached the gospel without 
 charge to any, and told the Corinthians he sought 
 them, not theirs, their souls, not their substance. 
 Yet he denies not but " that they that preach the 
 gospel should live of it," 1 Cor. ix. 14. It is fit 
 preachers should have maintenance, j,^ ^ ^ . 
 and sufficient ; but the end of preach- ei est qu. suV 
 ing is not a living, but life, the life of ^„'in'a rt'.Vtl'o' 
 sinners, to save, to deliver them. See- "i qui rep^ret. 
 ing this is the end of their calling, how 
 should it quicken them to their work ! If a sheep 
 were in a pit, a child in a fire, what haste would we 
 make to pull them forth ! And shall we see souls 
 rushing into the eternal pit, the eternal fire, and not 
 move our feet, our tongues to help them .' 
 
 Obs. 8. The office of a prophet and minister is 
 honourable. It is to save life, to save soids ; their 
 calling is conversant about the lives and souls of 
 men. The soul is the immediate work of God, the 
 image of God, of more worth than all the world. 
 It was for the soul's sake that Christ came down 
 from heaven, prayed, preached, wrought miracles, 
 suffered death, and gave his heart's blood. This 
 made the father say. Precious is the magna les ani- 
 soul, being redeemed with Christ's niaq.pa: thnsii 
 blood. And being a thing of such cie'mi.'t'aesi! 
 worth and consequence, the minister's ■"'"'■ ■'•'■ 
 work is to save it, that very work which is the 
 Lord's and Christ's. Therefore in 1 Cor. iii. 9, the 
 apostle saith of himself, and all ministers, " 'ft'e are 
 labourers together with God, " co- 
 workers, conciu-rent with God in the •""^pyos. 
 salvation of sinners, This is great honour, and 
 made Jerom say. Ipse Salvalor apostolos 
 suos mundi esse roluit salvatores, Clirist 
 hath made apostles saviours of the world. He calls 
 them the light and salt of the world, they enlighten 
 the blind, and season the unsavoury souls of men, and 
 so save them from corruption and perdition. It is 
 a hard, but an honourable work ; therefore saith 
 James, Let him know that hath converted a sinner, 
 that he hath saved a soul from death. Jam. v. 20 ; 
 let him know it, it is a great and glorious work which 
 is done, that he may be encouraged, and God be 
 praised. 
 
 Obs. 9. Ignorance will be no plea for wicked men. 
 If they be not warned, not told of their sins, they 
 shall die. Men are apt to excuse themselves ; they 
 are ignorant, they know not this or that to be sins, 
 their teachers were insufficient or negligent ; and 
 this may be truth ; but neither their fault nor thy 
 ignorance will be a sufficient plea before God : warn- 
 ed or unwarned, the wicked shall die. Isa. xxvii. 
 11, " It is a people of no understanding : therefore 
 he that made them will not have mercy on them, 
 and he that formed them will show them no favour." 
 Nescience may excuse in part, but ignorance hardly 
 at all. That which men produce in favour of them- 
 selves, God produces against them. You are an ig- 
 norant people, saith God, of no understanding ; you 
 know not prima prhicipia, first principles, neither 
 God nor yourselves, and think because you are ig- 
 norant, therefore to find mercy and favour at my 
 hands ; but you are deceived, your ignorance aggra- 
 vates your woe ever ; therefore will I show you no 
 mercy, no favour. Those that are ignorant of God 
 and his ways, God will be ignorant of them in their 
 greatest straits : " Depart from me ; I never knew 
 you," Matt. \ni. 'Zi. Ignorance is a great evil ; it 
 makes men brutish, like Nebuchadnezzar, who had 
 an ox's heart in a man's shape. Ignorance is part 
 of the devil's image, as knowledge is of God's ; we
 
 Ver. is, 19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 115 
 
 should labour therefore to get knowledge, savoury 
 and saving ; for it is not good that the heart be with- 
 out knowledge, Prov. xix. 2. 
 
 Obs. 10. See here who are the most cruel, bloody, 
 and damning ministers ; even those that are silent, 
 that warn not the people of their sins, that preach 
 Mattering things, or to no purpose. Let men be 
 dumb, and not speak at all, or preach so as not to 
 warn them of tlicir sins and dangers ; they are, 
 whoever they be, whether the greater or lesser 
 clergy, as they use to distinguish themselves, they 
 are the bloody, damning, soul-murdering ministers. 
 You cry out of those ministers that tell you most of 
 your sins, that set judgment, hell, and damnation 
 before you, they are bitter, harsh men, cried out of 
 on all sides ; whereas they are the faithfullest friends 
 that sinners have ; they would fain save your souls, 
 pull you out of the pit, keep you out of hell, and 
 help you into heaven ; and are they censurable for 
 this ? Should one see a company of travellers going 
 in a way they should fall into the hands of cavaliers 
 or thieves, and tell them the danger of it with great 
 affection and compassion ; should another see them, 
 and say nothing, or bid them go on, and they do so, 
 are taken, stripped, imprisoned, starved to death ; 
 you can easily tell which of these dealt most faith- 
 fully and friendly, which treacherously and cruelly. 
 Too many of the ministers in England have been 
 faulty this way, and guilty of murdering multitudes, 
 if not millions of souls ; it is one of the crying sins 
 of the land, that we have had such a dumb, insuf- 
 ficient, and consequently such a bloody, soul-damning 
 ministry ; and many amongst them having slain 
 souls, now, by putting on these wars, seek to slay 
 bodies also. 
 
 Obs. 11. There is a great necessitj' lieth ujion the 
 prophets and ministers of Christ, to preach, and to 
 preach home to the conscience. Warn them they 
 must, and so warn them that they may take notice ; 
 else it is in vain, and shall be before the Lord as no 
 warning. This they must do, and do it oft ; and 
 why ? else the blood of the wicked will be required 
 at their hand. Their blood, their lives, lie at the stake 
 for sinners' souls, they have a hard task, a dangerous 
 calling ; and therefore had need preach, and tell them 
 of their sins, that, if it be possible, they may save 
 their souls, if not, their own. People wonder many 
 times at some preachers, they are so fiery, so par- 
 ticular, so terrible, so long. You may cease to won- 
 der ; their lives, their souls, go for it, if they do it 
 not ; the hazard of souls and lives will make dumb 
 men speak. Croesus' son being dumb, and seeing 
 one ready to strike and endanger the life of his 
 father, cried out, " What! will you kill my father?" 
 and if our dumb ministers had any faith, if they did 
 believe that sin was slaying the souls of their people, 
 they would lift up their voice, they would speak. 
 Psal. cxvi. 10, " I believed," said David, " therefore 
 have I spoken ;" and godly ministers believe men's 
 souls are in danger, that their own do lie at the 
 stake, and therefore they have spoken, do speak, 
 and will speak. You that have euram animaruvi, the 
 charge of souls, look about you ; if you discharge 
 not your duty, you undo them, and undo yourselves j 
 let not fear, favour, credits, gifts, hopes, bias 
 you ; let not difficulties, mistakes of people, or any 
 other thing, discourage you ; but remember your own 
 danger, warn sinners, else their blood will be upon 
 you, and that is a dreadful thing. Did men well 
 consider this, they would not be so greedy of livings, 
 and pawn their souls for pelf. If the death of the 
 body were only here meant, as it is not, we have 
 great cause to fear silence ; for if we be liable to 
 death for the death of that which is perishable and 
 
 must die, what guilt then doth a prophet contract 
 for the death of a soul, which might have lived for 
 ever if he had done his duty ! David knew the 
 weight of blood-guiltiness ; Psal. li. 14, when he 
 cried out so, " Deliver me from blood-guiltiness," 
 &c. That was but the blood of the body j what then 
 is the blood of souls ! it is a moimtainous, sinking 
 thing. We have sins sufficient of our own, we had 
 not need to draw the guilt of others ^|i^„„ ,„„„^, 
 upon us. So many we kill, as w'e see a'lii'nms, quia 
 to sm, and silently sufier to go on in q,i„i a,i m..rtpm 
 their sins. Paul knew it, and therefore p,';i?","i'a'cem'ct 
 said, " Woe is unto me, if I preach not vuiemus. i.ng. 
 the gospel," 1 Cor. ix. 16. And there 
 is a woe to all that have charges, that preach not 
 unto them ; it is needful for us all, but •, |„ „.„,|j j^ f^n 
 especially for non-residents, dumb mi- <" I'nests. se,i 
 
 ,^ y , ,• , ■ ii ■ taiiieli In messe 
 
 nistcrs, those who are negligent in their nd rams v.ii<ie 
 preaching, or impertinent, to meditate "Ir''\l'f"i!.k'e'.'i|wii 
 oft on these words, " his blood will 1 us the oiiiie.b.it 
 
 , , 1 J, u- 1 1 o|ius otticii nou 
 
 require at thy hands; which words are impiemus. Greg, 
 f'ldmina, non verba, thunderbolts, not '''"'■ "• 
 words, saith Erasmus. When the bell rings for a 
 wicked man, fear, lest there be blood to be required 
 at thv hand. Euenius, a shepherd, that „ . , „ 
 
 1 1 ,1 1 II ■ . •. Herod. 1. 9. 
 
 had the sheep belonging to a city com- 
 mitted to him, through his negligence, a wolf enter- 
 ed, and devoured sixty of them ; upon this he was 
 condemned, and lost his eyes. Not only ministers, 
 but parents and masters, their souls are engaged for 
 their children and servants, and they must be re- 
 sponsible for them, if they warn them not, if they 
 perish through their default. 
 
 Obs. 12. It is the duty of people to hear their 
 ministers, and willingly to receive instructions, and 
 take warning from them ; especially people of their 
 ministers, because they watch for their souls, they 
 work for them, and they venture for them, even their 
 own lives and souls ; it is mercy God will send any 
 to admonisli us. If we hearken to admonitions we 
 shall live, if we do not, we grieve the servants of 
 God ; if they be silent, our sins are not the less. 
 
 From ver. 19, 
 
 Obg. 1. That men may be warned from their 
 wicked ways, and yet he never the better, they may 
 go on still ; this is too evident amongst us daily. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is not fruitless, if wicked men return 
 not frem their evil ways upon warning. The pro- 
 phet hath warned the wicked, and hath freed his 
 own soul ; and this was a great comfort unto Paul, 
 Acts XX. 26, when he appeals to the people them- 
 selves, " I take you to record this day, that I am 
 pure from the blood of all men ;" and how doth he 
 prove it ? thus, " for I have not shunned to declare 
 unto you all the counsel of God." He left none un- 
 warned of sin and danger, untaught their duty to- 
 wards God and man ; and therefore he had this 
 testimony, yielding sound comfort, " 1 am pure from 
 the blood of all." So when he had preached Christ to 
 the Jews, and they opposed, blasphemed, " he shook 
 his raiment, and said. Your blood be upon your 
 own heads ; I am clean," Acts xviii. 5, 6 ; much like 
 that of David, 2 Sam. iii. 2H, 29, " 1 and my kingdom 
 are guiltless before the Lord for ever from the blood 
 of Abner ; let it rest on the head of .loab." That 
 which Paul calls clean, David calls guiltless ; when 
 a man is guiltless, he is clean, he hath solid 
 comfort. A minister having conscionably warned 
 the wicked, and nothing comes of it in regard of 
 them, yet somewhat comes of it in regard of him- 
 self; he is a free man, a clear man ; the blood of souls 
 shall not be charged upon him. A minister that is 
 faithful shall not need to complain of the want of 
 success ; if he save not others he shall save himself.
 
 116 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CllAF. III. 
 
 VtT. 20, 21. Again, when a righteous man 
 doth turn from hi^ righteousness, and commit 
 inifpiity, and I lay a slnmhlingblock before him, 
 he shall die : because thou hast not given him 
 warning, he shall die in his sin, and his right- 
 eousness which he hath done shall not be remem- 
 bered ; but his blood will I ref/uire at thine hand. 
 N^ererthcless if thou warn the righteous man that 
 the righteous sin not, and he doth sin, he shall 
 surely live, because he is warned ; also thou Itast 
 delivered thy soul. 
 
 In these words is laid down the other part of tlie 
 prophet's charge. It is not only " the wicked," but 
 " tlie righteous " also fall under his care ; and if he 
 sin, and be not warned, that effect will be dangerous 
 and deadly to the prophet. He is not only to deal 
 with the wicked, to get them into the way of God ; 
 but also with the righteous, to see that he go not 
 out of the way ; and if he do, to reduce him. Guilt 
 will lie upon a prophet, if he do not call upon the 
 wicked for repentance ; and likewise, if he keep 
 not the righteous in the right way, them must not 
 he suffer to run out into errors, into loose courses ; 
 but he must inform them of the danger, bring them 
 to a sound mind, info the right way, and confinn 
 them in the trutli, otherwise their blood will be re- 
 quired at his hand. 
 
 There is difliculty in these words, and they must 
 be opened unto you. In Prov. x. 25, " The righteous 
 is an everlasting foundation;" and chap. xii. 3, 
 " The root of the righteous shall not be moved;" 
 ver. 7, " The house of the righteous sliall stand; " 
 Matt. XXV. 4<), "They go into life eternal:" if so, 
 how saith our prophet here, " When a righteous 
 man turns from his righteousness ?" it seems that 
 rightcou.sness is not an incorruptible seed, a man 
 may leave it, fall into sin, and die in it. I must 
 therefore bestow some time in opening these words. 
 
 " When a righteous man doth turn from his right- 
 eousness," iSrc. You shall find in Scripture a double 
 righteousness, and so, suitably, " righteous men." 
 There is, 
 
 1. "A righteousness of faith," Rom. ix. 30; and 
 this is in I'hil. iii. li, " The righteousness of God by 
 faith ;" this is evangelical righteousness. 
 
 2. There is " the righteousness of the law," Rom. 
 ii. 26; X. 5 ; and this is called a man's " own righte- 
 ousness," Rom. X. 3. Phil. iii. !), " Not having mine 
 own righteousness, which is of the law." "When a 
 man's actions are suitable unto the law, that is legal 
 righteousness, and so his own. 
 
 According to these two, are two sorts of righte- 
 ous men : 
 
 (I.) The man that is righteous by faith, wdio hath 
 the j)ardon of his sins, union with Clirist, and com- 
 munion with God. Such a one is he Peter speaks of, 
 1 Pet. iv. 18, " If the righteous scarcely be saved;" 
 such a one John mentions, 1 Epist. ii. 29 ; and Paul 
 pointeth at such, Rom. v. 19 ; and their " righteous- 
 ness rcmaincth for ever," 2 Cor. ix. 9. Of a man 
 righteous in this sense, I conceive the words are not 
 meant : this righteousness makes a man's person 
 righteous, and riglitcous before God. 
 
 (2.) There is a righteous man according to the 
 law. Paul was such a man before his conversion ; 
 Phil. iii. (), "Touching the righteousness which is 
 in the law," .saith he, " I was l)iameless." And men 
 righteous in this sense, are cither seeming, or real : 
 seeming. Matt, xxiii. 28, " Ye outwardly appear 
 righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypo- 
 crisy and iniquity ;" men thoughtthcm to be righte- 
 
 ous, but God knew them to be wicked; and such 
 legaHsts think themselves righteous, Luke xviii. 9, 
 they " trusted in themselves that they were righte- 
 ous ;" in otliers' and their own eyes they seemed so, 
 but in truth were not so. Zacharias and Elisabeth 
 were righteous before God, Luke i. 6. 
 
 But there is, [1.] An outside actional righteous- 
 ness before men, without reality within, and from 
 tliis it is no difficult thing to turn aside ; and of such 
 " a righteous man" we may understand this jilace. 
 The Clialdee expounds it so ; Eos qui jiisli videri 
 voluni, pcnnillam in publicum peccatiim labi, Those that 
 seem to be righteous, I will sufl'cr to fall into open 
 sins. And the scholiast refers a righteous man to 
 the priest, who hath doctoral dignity, and seems to 
 love virtue, but doth not ; and the soundest inter- 
 preters agree in it. Calvin calls it a righteousness 
 which hath eittrnam spcciem tanlum, Jion radicem, 
 an outward show but no reality. Many have been 
 zealous in the service and cause of God, and gone 
 beyond others in promoting his gloiy, but have had 
 no true root within. Such were those who promoted 
 lately with much intention the prelatical ways and 
 innovations, but now are turned from their righte- 
 ousness, and are become parliament converts ; their 
 righteousness lay in opinion, not in reality, and such 
 is this here ; and the Scripture speaks frequently 
 after the opinions and conceits of men; " I came not 
 to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." 
 The Pharisees were conceived by this world and 
 themselves to be righteous, when in truth they had 
 none ; and Matt. viii. 12, " The children of the 
 kingdom shall be cast out info outer darkness ;" they 
 were not so really, but in opinion, and externally. 
 
 [2.] If it be here meant a real righteous man, 
 whose inside and outside is suitable to the law, 
 blameless, as Paul and Zacharias ; yet he that stands 
 upon that foundation, viz. the law, he will slide 
 from his righteousness. Witness Adam, who had a 
 fuller righteousness than any of his sons since, and 
 yet he turned away from it. The law required two 
 things, to depart from evil, and to do good ; and he 
 did the contrary, depart from good, and do evil ; and 
 in this he hath too many followers ; all his children 
 have traced those steps ; and men that not only seem, 
 but are legally righteous, may still do it ; the I8lh 
 chapter of this prophecy is clear for it. 
 
 [3.] If it should be granted that here is meant 
 man justified, righteous witli the righteousness of 
 faith, it follows not that he must necessarily turn 
 from his righteousness, lose his faith, and be in 
 an unjustified condition. Gal. i. 8, "Though we, 
 or an angel from heaven, preach any other gos- 
 pel unto you than that which we have preached, 
 let him be accursed." It cannot be inferred hence 
 that an angel will, or ever shall preach another gos- 
 pel ; it is one thousand five hundred years since this 
 was written, and no angels have attempted any such 
 thing, nor ever will. Hypothetical propositions, 
 according to logicians, produce no effects, but they 
 prove the necessity of a consequent ; as tluis, 1 Cor. 
 XV. 14. " If Christ be not risen, then is our preach- 
 ing vain, and your faith is also vain ;" the supposi- 
 tion doth not enforce that Christ is not risen, but it 
 strongly proves, that if Christ be not risen, preaching 
 and believing in Christ are in vain. And so here, if 
 a righteous man could ftirn from his righteousness 
 he should die ; but he that is once righteous with 
 the righteousness of faith, is ever righteous ; because 
 God's decree is unchangeable, 2 Tim. ii. 19; his love 
 is permanent, Jolm xiii. 1 ; his promises arc faith- 
 ful, 1 Cor. i. 8. 2 Cor. i. 20 ; he forgets not his cove- 
 vant, Psal. Ixxxix. 34; Christ's prayers arc effi- 
 cacious, John xi. 41, 42; xvii. 15; because he is
 
 Veu. 20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 117 
 
 united to Christ, and that union is in- 
 ?Ml.c",'ne"" dissoluble, 1 Cor. xii. 13; because the 
 oM.io maiiei. Spirit abides in them, 1 John 11. 2/; 
 l/;,.m.3. p.q.es. ^^^^^ j^^^j^^ bccause he is " kept by the 
 
 power of God through faith unto salvation," 1 Pet. 
 i. 5. 
 
 " Commit iniquity." The Hebrew is, Slj? ncy to 
 do evil, and answerelh to that phrase in the New 
 Testament, o ttokDv Hjv aiiapriav, 1 Jolin Hi. 4, he 
 that committeth sin. And this phrase of commit- 
 ting sin, hath more in it than n'/'"C™"'"»'' which is, to 
 sin, to miss the mark ; for 1 John li. 1, tuv ni; ttfiapry, 
 " If any man sin, we have an advocate W"ith the 
 Father," Christ pleads and Intercedes for such a 
 sinner ; but " he that commits sin is of the devil," 
 1 John Hi. 8 ; he is his son, he is of his seed, family, 
 kingdom, acted by his counsel and spirit ; it is his 
 trade to sin as it is the devil's, and this trade he de- 
 lights in and follows: a godly man hath given it 
 over ; 1 John Hi. S, " He that halh this hope puri- 
 fies himself;" and then follows, " He that commits 
 sin ;" and it is in opposition to him that purifies him- 
 self from sin, he is a man that minds not holiness. 
 Besides this, John viii. 34, " He that commits sin is 
 the servant of sin ;" where sin reigns, and its coun- 
 sels, laws, commands are obeyed by men, there is 
 the commission of sin : it is a ready, a willing obe- 
 „ ,. dience; toeommitsinis,i«o"7)oHererfe/ec- 
 
 tan jjeccato, to riave a man s will and 
 heart in it ; when a man's thoughts, counsels, medi- 
 tations, purposes, lie that way, and he is given to 
 that work, o ttoiCiv afiapriav, is a sin maker, one that 
 is an artist, a workman. Such the prophet speaks of, 
 Jer. iv. 22, "They are wise to do evil;" Ezek. xxi. 
 31, "skilful to destroy:" some are bunglers in that 
 work, others take pleasure in it, and set it otT better. 
 That in Rom. xiii. 14, " Make not provision for the 
 flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof:" men love to provide 
 for their families, their wives and little ones, and 
 when they do so, they make provision ; and so men 
 love to provide for the tlesh and lusts of it, and then 
 they make sin, or commit sin. There be three ex- 
 pressions in Scripture about sin, which give us light 
 in this point. 
 
 1. No/iof dfiapTiac, the law of sin, Rom. vii. 23. 
 
 2. 'Ocbc, the w-ay of sin. Matt. vii. 13. 
 
 .'?. ' ATroTe\«Tiia, the jierfection of sin, James i. 15. 
 
 When a man subjects himself to the law of sin, 
 chooses and walks in the way of sin, and brings sin 
 to a perfection, then doth he commit sin. 
 
 " And 1 lay a stumblingblock before liini." The 
 Hebrew is, and I give a stumblingblock before his 
 face ; Sw3iD comes of ^©3 to dash against, to 
 offend, to fall ; and a stumblingblock is that a man 
 dasheth his foot against, is offended at, and falls by ; 
 the same with scandalum, the bridge in a trap, which 
 when vermin or wild beasts touch, they are taken : 
 so that to lay a stumblingblock in a man's way, is 
 to trap him, destroy him. This phrase of God's 
 laying " a stumblingblock before him," seems very 
 harsh ; therefore some fathers think the word stum- 
 blingblock is not here put in an ill sense, as tending 
 to his destruction, that " turns from his righteous- 
 ness," but that it proceeds from favour, not hatred. 
 When a just man goeth out from God, God will cross 
 him in his sinful way, not let him thrive in it, but 
 cast in something contrary to his expectation and in- 
 tention, whereby he may come to see his error, and 
 be rcdoecd, according to that in Hos. ii. G, 7- The- 
 odotus thinks God will set hell licfore him, and 
 therefore he renders it barnllirum, I will lay hell be- 
 fore him ; as if God would present the terrors of 
 hell and state of the damned to him, to make him 
 consider and return to his former righteousness. But 
 
 this sense of the fathers coheres not with what fol- 
 lows, " he shall die ;" this stumblingblock is in order 
 unto his death : it was the watchman's part to pro- 
 pound heaven and hell, all arguments jiossible to do 
 him good, else he should die. Some other exposi- 
 tors would h;ive it to be meant of punishment, that 
 God would punish such a sinner by some act of his, 
 make him smart, repent, and so to live ; therefore the 
 Septuagint render it fiaaavov, torment, God would 
 afflict his body or conscience ; and if it be taken in 
 this sense, then you must carry it further, God would 
 punish him, not in a saving, but a destroying way ; 
 and therefore this stumblingblock comes not from 
 love, but revenging justice. 1 conceive God's laying 
 a stumblingblock, is to be taken for the punishment 
 of sin iiast, and an occasion of sin future. The right- 
 eous man having turned from his righteousness, God 
 might lay aside that peculiar care and providence 
 which he exercised formerly towards that man ; he may 
 take away those means and helps which should 
 preserve from stumbling, let him go on in just judg- 
 ment for his deserting him, and not recall him, but 
 turn all things into snares and stumblings unto him, 
 whereby corruptions are ripened, and destruction is 
 hastened: Psal. Ixix. 22, " Let their table become 
 a snare before them ; and that which should have 
 been for their welfare, let it become a trap." When 
 God in his justice once orders it so, that men's 
 tables (that is, all their comforts) do turn to their 
 ruin, then he lays stumblingblocks before them. 
 Neither is God the author of sin, but the avenger of 
 it, by denying assistance, propounding objects, and 
 exciting aifections. God may be said to lay stum- 
 blingblocks, but he never infuses any corruption ; 
 and so that in James, " God tempts no man," chap. 
 i. 13, is to be understood. Gregory saith, this laying 
 a stumblingblock is by no means to lead men to 
 sin ; he is not the cause of any man's sin. A man 
 may lay money to try his servant. God takes away 
 estates from men, gives peace to the wicked : true ; 
 he lays before them outward occasions, 2 Sam. xvi. 
 21, 22; he gives Satan leave to tempt and seduce 
 them, 1 Kings xxii. 22 ; when they are out of his 
 way, he carries them forward in their own evil way, 
 Psal. evi. 15; and this he doth in justice, punishing 
 one sin with the occasion or commission of another. 
 Hence he is said to "add iniquity unto their iniquity," 
 Psal. Ixix. 27 ; to " send them strong delusion," or, 
 as the words are, the efficacy or activity of error, 
 2 Thess. ii. 11 ; to give up to uneleanncss, to vile 
 affections, to a reprobate sense, Rom. i. 24, 2(5, 28. 
 God finds sin in man, and may draw it out without 
 sin. There is siuxritwi in rosa, fwlor in cadaiere, 
 sweetness in the rose, offensivcncss in the dead 
 body ; the sun by his beams draw s forth the one 
 and the other, and without fault. 
 
 " His righteousness shall not be remembered." 
 Men may remember it, but God will not, he will 
 have no regard to what is done to reward it ; his 
 righteousness shall not be set against his iniquities 
 to keep off punishments ; his righteousness shall be 
 as filthy rags, Isa. Ixiv. G, in the eyes of God. When 
 God pardons the sins of his people, he blots them out 
 and remembers them no more, Isa. xliii. 25. So when 
 God deals with a man who degenerates, he blots out 
 his righteousness, and remcmbereth it no more, it is 
 as if it had never been ; it neither jirofits him unto 
 life, nor frees him from death. Ezek. xviii. 22, 
 when a w'icked man turns away from his sins, 
 " they shall not be mentioned unto him," that is, 
 they shall no way hurt him, he shall not hear of 
 them, nor see them any more ; and the righteous 
 man that leaves his righteousness, shall neither hear 
 nor see it any more. Aquinas hath a question,
 
 118 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 Utrum opera rjrlutuvi in chan/ale facta 
 
 Pare. 3. q. 89. . , '^ , ■ ,. ■ „ ,,., ., , ■' , 
 
 poiiinttiiorlt/ican f Whether good works 
 done in love can perish ? And he affirms it from that 
 in Ezeli. xviii. 24, " All his righteousness which he 
 hath done shall not be mentioned." 
 
 Obs. 1. It concerns every man to look narrowly to 
 his righteousness. Some righteousness or other 
 every man looks at, fixes his heart upon ; and there 
 is deceivable righteousnesses. If our righteousness 
 be legal, a duty righteousness, and not evangelical, a 
 righteousness of faith, it will deceive us. Matt. v. 
 20, " Except your righteousness exceed the right- 
 eousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no 
 case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Let that 
 righteousness be what it will, a man is in an ill case 
 that cannot enter into heaven with it ; yet the scribes 
 and Pharisees were exact keepers of the law, but 
 the righteousness of the law and of duties will never 
 send or help a man into heaven. Paul laboured to 
 win Christ, to be found in him, not having his own 
 righteousness, but " the righteousness which is of 
 God by faith," Phil. iii. 8, 'J. Paul durst not stick 
 to a legal and duty righteousness, he knew it was 
 too short to satisfy divine justice, to cover man's 
 nakedness, or comfort his conscience ; it was a 
 higher, a better righteousness he minded, even the 
 righteousness of Christ ; and that is the righteous- 
 ness God will accept, and he that is righteous with 
 that righteousness, shall not fall away, but shall 
 enter into heaven. 2 Pet. i. 10, 11, " Brethren, give 
 diligence to make your calling and election sure ;" 
 that is, their calling to Christ, and election in him. 
 And what follows ? " If ye do these things, ye shall 
 never fall ; for so an entrance shall be ministered 
 unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom." 
 
 Obs. 2. No man should boast of or confide in his 
 own righteousness. There were some who " trusted 
 in themselves that they were righteous, and de- 
 spised others;" but this neither pleased God, nor 
 profited them, as the parable ensuing shows, Luke 
 xviii. 9. If men have excellences, they should be 
 humble and fearing, not boasting and confident, 
 especially when their excellences are in the num- 
 ber of movables and changeables. 1 Cor. i. 30, 
 Christ is made unto us wisdom and righteousness, 
 that no flesh should glory in itself, but in the Lord ; 
 and so that no flesh should have confidence in itself, 
 but in the Lord. Phil. iii. 3, " We rejoice in Christ," 
 saith Paul, " and have no confidence in the flesh." 
 Whatever we have or do, let us not repose upon it : 
 we are apt to do it, but there are apostolical rules to 
 help us: Gal. vi. 3, "If a man think himself any 
 thing, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." 
 We are nothing, and it is nothing we do ; and shall 
 we glory in nothing, or confide in nothing ? Christ 
 is something, and God is something j in them we 
 may, we must glory and confide ; the more we do it 
 the better ; we cannot sin in going too far that w ay. 
 Another rule is, Phil. ii. 3, " Let each esteem others 
 better than themselves," their righteousness may be 
 a lasting righteousness, when thine is a perishing 
 one. Anotlier rule is, Rom. xi. 20, " Be not high- 
 minded, but fear." Let men's righteousness be 
 legal or evangelical, they should not swell, but fear, 
 lest they fall ; and besides, they should watch, pray, 
 and persevere in prayer; remembering what our 
 blessed Saviour hath said, " He that shall endure to 
 the end, the same shall be saved," Matt. xxiv. 13. 
 Let none be secure, but "serve the Lord with fear," 
 Psal. ii. 11. 
 
 Obs. 3. Apostasy from God and his ways is a 
 dreadful condition. When men fall from their right- 
 rousness, great mischief is done ; they stain the 
 society they were of, they blast the church, they 
 
 make their friends mourn, and enemies laugh j 
 they wrong God much, yea, more than infidels and 
 heretics. Plura vincu/a coiijunctionis inotantur, et 
 Deus ipse tacite accusatur quasi iniquus. Many 
 bonds of union are broken, and God himself is 
 tacitly accused as unjust; which causcth God to com- 
 plain, O my people, what have I done imto thee ? 
 wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me; 
 You are withdrawn, fallen to idolatrous passages ; I 
 brought you out of Egypt, and sent before you 
 Moses and Aaron, I delivered you from Balak, &c. ; 
 many ties are upon you to keep close to me, and to 
 cause you to honour me; but you have forgotten all 
 my kindnesses, are gone away, and do slight me, as 
 if idol gods and ways were better than Jehovah and 
 his ways. This made God to say, Heb. x. 38, " If any 
 draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him ;" 
 and what an ill condition is that man in, in whom 
 God hath no pleasure ! 
 
 There be four great evils in the words of our 
 prophet : 
 
 (1.) He will "commit iniquity." When a man 
 turns from righteousness he turns to sin, embraces 
 it, serves it, walks in the ways of it, and fulfils the 
 ends of it, and this is a sad condition ; for such a 
 man is a worker of iniquity, and so hated of God. 
 Psal. V. 5, "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity;" 
 it is more than having no pleasure, and notes God 
 is against them, and will pursue them as enemies. 
 
 (2.) God will " lay a stumblingblock before 
 him ;" one thing or other, at which he shall fall. 
 God denies him assistance, gives Satan leave to 
 tempt and seduce, propounds objects to draw out his 
 corruptions to the full. Demas forsook ^ 
 Paul and the truth, and loved the pre- 
 sent world; there was an object sufficient to draw 
 out his covetous disposition. Sometimes the afflic- 
 tions of the godly are a stumblingblock unto the 
 wicked; sometimes the prosperity of the wicked is a 
 stumbling unto them, &c. It is a dreadful thing 
 when God shall make any thing a stumbling unto 
 a man, but more dreadful when he makes every 
 thing so. 
 
 (3.) He shall die in that condition. Julian apos- 
 tatized, and by the stroke of God he died in his 
 apostasy ; and what heavier judgment than to die 
 in a man's sinful condition ! Therefore Christ told 
 the Pharisees they should die in their sins, John viii. 
 21 ; they would not receive him, believe in him, 
 therefore they should die in their unbelief, and no 
 place is left unto them for repentance. 
 
 (4.) " His righteousness which he hath done shall 
 not be remembered." If a man die, yet if his right- 
 eousness might follow him and help him, it were 
 some comfort ; but that shall not be thought upon, 
 he loseth all he hath done and suflered. Suppose 
 he have done much for the church, for poor minis- 
 ters, prisoners, and other christians, for truth itself, 
 and for the glory of God, no good shall come of it 
 unto him now. All Adam's righteousness would 
 not advantage him ; whatever he had done before, 
 when he comes to eat of the forbidden fruit, he must 
 surely die. Gen. ii. 17, his former righteousness is 
 forgotten. Jam. ii. 10, "Whosoever shall keep the 
 whole law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of 
 all." Antecedent righteousness will not make up 
 the present breach, nor prevent future wrath. When 
 the Galatians began to fall oflT, Paul intimates to 
 them, that all their sufTerings would be lost; " Have 
 ye sufTercd so many things in vain ? " Gal. iii. 4. 
 When men in war forsake their colours, and run to 
 the other side, all the good services they have done 
 are forgotten, and they are accounted traitors to 
 their country and cause ; and so it is when men run
 
 Ver. 20, 21. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 119 
 
 from God and his truth, to the world's and Satan's 
 
 service ; Inanis cat pccnilenlia quaiii se- 
 Lumb. 1. 4. (i. U. , ■ ■ J rrii i 
 
 quens culpa coinquuiat, Ihe repentance 
 is fruitless which is polluted bj' succeeding crime. 
 But this is not all ; that his rigliteousness shall not 
 be remembered for him, but it will be remembered 
 against him. 2 Pet. ii. 21, " It had been better for 
 them not to have known the way of righteousness, 
 than, after they have known it, to turn from it;" and 
 why better ? because they now sin against right- 
 eousness, and that way they have affected and pro- 
 fessed, and their righteousness will be a witness 
 against them. Let us all take heed, lest there be 
 an evil heart in any of us, to depart from the living 
 God, Heb. iii. 12. 
 
 Obn. 4. Man's ruin is from himself. He departs 
 from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and God 
 lays a stumblingblock ; this in justice he doth, be- 
 cause man hath sinned : but who causes him to fall ? 
 not God; that is man's own act, he looks not to his 
 way, it is his own lust draws him aside, enticeth 
 him. Jam. i. 14 ; the cause is from within, only the 
 occasion is from without. Riches, honour, friends, 
 peace, credit, parts, beauty, truths, Christ, are the 
 good and great blessings of God ; and God, in his wise 
 disposition of things, may lay these as occasion 
 of stumbling before us ; but if we do stumble, that 
 is man's, not God's fault. Hos. xiii. i), " O Israel, 
 tliou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thy help ;" 
 destruction is man's, salvation is the Lord's. Man 
 fell by his own free will, but if ever he be raised, it 
 is by God's free grace ; and if God will not have 
 mercy, he will turn their iniquity upon them : Psal. 
 xciv. 23, " He shall bring upon them their own ini- 
 quity, and shall cut them oif in their own wicked- 
 ness ;" yet, Prov. i. 32, it is said, " The turning away 
 of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of 
 fools shall destroy them." 
 
 OA.y. 5. God's proceedings with the wicked and 
 godly are divers. Here he speaks of laying a stum- 
 blingblock before the wicked man ; and in Jer. vi. 
 21, " Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before 
 this people, the fathers and the sons together shall 
 fall upon them ; the neighbour and his friend shall 
 perish ;" yea, Isa. viii. 14, God himself will be " a 
 stone of stumbling, a rock of offence to both the 
 houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the in- 
 habitants of Jerusalem ;" and Jer. xlvi. 6, " They 
 shall stumble and fall." But it is otherwise with the 
 godly ; touching them he saith, " Take up the stum- 
 blingblock out of the way of my people," Isa. Ivii. 
 14, he will remove what olTends and endangers 
 them : and Isa. Ixiii. 13, lest they should stumble 
 he leads them;" and Prov. iv. 12, "When thou run- 
 nest, thou shalt not stumble ;" and Psal. cxix. 165, 
 " Great peace have they which love thy law, and 
 nothing shall offend them." God is careful of the 
 godly, that they be not ofl'ended. If they should be 
 so offended, as to stumble and fall at any time, 
 Psal. xxxvii. 24, " He shall not be utterly cast down, 
 for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand," and 
 keepeth them that they dash not their feet against 
 the stones. If God do lay stumblingblocks at any time 
 before his people, it is in the ways of sin, as Hos. ii. 
 6, " I will hedge up thy way ;" but for the wicked 
 he lays stumbling blocks in the way of mercies ; 
 they stumble at the word, 1 Pet. ii. 8 ; it is the sa- 
 vour of death to them, 2 Cor. ii. 16; they stumble at 
 the Lord's supper, they eat and drink damnation 
 there, 1 Cor. xi. 29 ; they stumble at Christ himself, 
 1 Cor. i. 23. 
 
 06.S-. 6. An unfaithful minister is perfidious to God 
 and man. " Because thou gavest him not warning, 
 he shall die in his sin, and his blood will I require 
 
 at thy hands." God hath put honour upon the 
 minister, set him in a great place, made him a 
 watchman, trusted him with souls, and he now, 
 through sloth, fear, inconsiderateness, entanglements 
 in the world, neglects to warn the sinner ; hereby 
 souls are lost, Satan robs God of them, is diligent 
 to get and keep them ; this will be treachery and sa- 
 crilege too at last, and fall heavy upon him that is 
 guilty. If a band of men be slain through the cap- 
 tain's fault, or taken through falsehood, all cry out 
 of it ; and when souls perish through the fault and 
 falsehood of the prophet, it is di'eadful. ,, . . , 
 
 rr ^ •■• , ., tt 1 ^ 1- l,i Mont, m loc. 
 
 Zeph. 111. 4, " Her prophets are hght 
 and treacherous persons ;" the word treacherous in 
 Hebrew, is, viri pr(Evaricationum, qui debitam Deo et 
 popido Jidem pariter violaverint, such as falsify their 
 faith to God and man ; and it is the highest treachery 
 that can be, to be false to God, and to rob him of 
 the souls of men. 
 
 Obn. 7- That if a minister may perish for not 
 warning of sinners, much more for encouraging 
 them by corrupt doctrine, and by a lewd life. If 
 death be in an omission, much more in positive 
 evils ; corrupt doctrine, and a corrupt life, are strong 
 traces to draw men to perdition, 2 Pet. ii. 1 ; he 
 speaks of false teachers, that bring in damnable 
 heresies, and withal, that bring upon themselves 
 swift destruction ; but their damnable heresies and 
 opinions prevail with the people, they follow their 
 pernicious ways, and meet with their destructive 
 ends : Isa. ix. 16, " The leaders of this people cause 
 them to err ; and they that are led of them are de- 
 stroyed." 
 
 Ver. 21. Nevertheless if thou warn the righte- 
 ous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth 
 not sin, he shall surely live, hecause he is warned ; 
 also thou hast delivered thy soul. 
 
 The words need little opening. " He shall surely 
 live ;" in living he shall live ; he shall have his life 
 for a prey in time of danger, or shall live com- 
 fortably, that persists in this righteousness, he shall 
 be secure from fear of death. 
 
 Obs. 1. A. minister's or prophet's care must ex- 
 tend to all sorts of people. Before he had said, 
 the wicked must be warned ; here he saith, the 
 righteous also must be warned. Good and bad fall 
 under admonition and circumspection of the pro- 
 phets ; both are committed to their charge, and they 
 must warn them, give account of them, and if they 
 ftiil of their duty, die for it : the best and worst they 
 must tell of their sins. 
 
 Obs. 2. The ministry of the word is very needful. 
 Wicked and righteous must be warned that they 
 may not sin, return when they have sinned, escape 
 death and be saved. The warnings of the prophets 
 are, salutaria remedia adversus mortem animarum, 
 salutary remedies against the death of souls ; not 
 only the ministry of the word in general, but ad- 
 monitions and reproofs are means through God to 
 prevent the death of souls. Prov. xv. 31, it is 
 called " the reproof of life ;" there is life in reproof, 
 as death in sin ; increpationes sunt salatares, et rivi- 
 ficatrices, censures are profitable to souls, they teach 
 the way to live, and lead to eternal life. Hence you 
 have such expressions, as that, " he that hateth re- 
 proof is brutish," Prov. xii. 1, he is void of under- 
 standing, a sensual, brutish creature ; ^^^ ^^, ^^ 
 " he that regardeth it shall be honour- 
 ed," Prov. xiii. IS, honoured with comfort, safety, 
 and life. Noah was warned of God, and made an 
 ark to the salvation of himself and his house, Heb. 
 xi. 7 ; and when sinners take warning, it is life, sal-
 
 120 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 vation to them. Ezck. xxxiii. 5, " He that talceth 
 warning shall deliver his sonl." How needtul then 
 is warning ! how profitable, if souls be saved by it ! 
 2 Tim. iii. 1(), " All Scripture is given by inspiration, 
 and is profitable for instruction, for reproof," cK.c. ; it 
 is so profitable that the salvation of souls depends 
 upon it. When David was reproved by Nathan for 
 his sin, it reduced him from the error of his way, 
 and was salvation to him. Let ns bless God for his 
 word, and reproofs tendered to us out of it ; and sub- 
 ject ourselves unto them, as tending to our present 
 and eternal good. Be not oftended with the re- 
 provers, but affected with the reproofs. 
 
 Ver. 22 — 24. Aiid the hand of the Lord was 
 there upon me; and he said unto me. Arise, go 
 forth into the plain, and I will there talk with 
 thee. Tfien I arose, and ivent forth into the 
 plain : and, behold, the glory of the Lord stood 
 there, as the glori/ which I saw by the river of 
 Chebar : and I fell on my face. Then the spirit 
 entered into me, and set me upon my feet, and 
 sj)ake with me, and said unto me. Go, shut thyself 
 within thine house. 
 
 In these and the following verses to the end, you 
 have directions for the prophet, and events that 
 fell out. 
 
 The hand of the Lord coming upon him, he is di- 
 rected to go to the plain, where the Lord Christ 
 promised to speak with him ; and he going thither, 
 
 I. He saw the glory of the Lord standing there, 
 ver. 23. 
 
 II. He is amazed and falls down at it, which is 
 im])lied in ver. 2-1. 
 
 III. He hath the Spirit entering into him, and is 
 . strengthened by it, set upon his feet, which is ex- 
 pressed in ver. 24. 
 
 Then here is a further direction, that he should 
 go and shut up himself, ver. 24. And here his 
 silence is declared, 
 
 1. By this inclusion of himself in his house. 
 
 2. By the bands imposed upon him, ver. 25, 
 " They shall put bands upon thee." 
 
 3. By the impediments Christ himself infers, ver. 
 
 26, " I will make thy tongue to cleave to the roof 
 of thy mouth, and thou shalt be dumb." 
 
 4. The time of his prophesy ings mentioned, ver. 
 
 27, which is, when Christ should speak unto him. 
 I come to open the words : 
 
 " The hand of the Lord was there upon me." 
 In the 1 4th verse of this chapter, and in the 3rd 
 verse of the first chapter, you have had these words 
 opened already. This " hand of the Lord" was the 
 Spirit of the I^ord, which acted the prophet, and 
 showed him and others, that he was not moved in a 
 human way, or by inconsiderate motions, but di- 
 vinelv ; the power and efficacy of the Spirit. 
 
 "There." That is, at Tel-abib, in ver. 15; he 
 came thither, and sat down there seven days. And 
 being in his habitation, sad, and backward unto the 
 work he was called unto, the word of the Lord came 
 to him, ver. 10, and the hand of the Lord was there 
 upon him. He thought, being shut up in his house, 
 that the business would fall, and that he should be 
 excused from prophetical service ; but he was mis- 
 taken. God's hand finds him out, and he is bidden 
 to go forth into the plain, not to stay any longer 
 within his doors, but to go into the plain, or valley; 
 so the word in Hebrew signifies, being 
 ''■ ' ''■ from a word which is to cut, divide, 
 break. This plain, or valley, was divided from the 
 mountains, and a solitary place, free from company 
 
 and disturbances, delightful, fit to refresh and quiet 
 the spirits of men. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Spirit is the great agent in divine 
 things. It is the hand of the Lord that doth all ; it 
 beautifies with gifts and graces, calls to office, directs 
 w hither to go, what to do ; it assists and enables to 
 all divine operations. Christ had the chiefest work 
 to do that concerned the church, and the hand of 
 tlie Lord was upon him : Isa. Ixi. 1, "The Spirit of 
 the Lord God is upon me ; " and Isa. xi. 2, it is a 
 " Spirit of might," and, Luke xxiv. 19, enabled him 
 to do mighty things. And so Stephen, Acts ^-i. 10, 
 " They were not able to resist the Spirit by which 
 he spake." It is the Spirit doth the great things in 
 religion ; sanctification and mortification are the 
 works of this hand of the Spirit of God, I Cor. vi. 
 1 1 : Acts xiii. 2, " Separate me Barnabas and Saul 
 for the work whereunlo I have called them." 
 
 Obs. 2. The servants of Christ have daily need of 
 new influences of the S}iirit to encourage them to 
 and strengthen them in their work. Ezekiel was full 
 of fears, had many discouragements, sat in a doubt- 
 ful condition what to do, and the hand of the Lord 
 was upon him. He had formerly felt divine virtue, 
 seen Christ, and heard him ; yet all this doth not 
 suffice, the hand must work again and help him, else 
 nothing will be done. The apostles had been much 
 with Christ, seen his miracles, heard his doctrine, 
 and yet they must stay at Jerusalem till tlte Spirit 
 fall upon them. Acts i. 4. Paul saith of himself and 
 others, "AVe are not sufficient of ourselves to think 
 any thing as of ourselves ; but our sufficiency is of 
 God," 2 Cor. iii. 5 ; that is, all our strength and help 
 lies in him ; we daily find a want in ourselves, and 
 God, as it pleases him, lets out from his sufficiency 
 unto us, now a little, and then a little, and we are 
 ever receiving from him, and enabled by his grace 
 and Spirit to do what is done. In j„,j.op,„,„5 ,5 
 Phil. i. 19, is mentioned the supply of ""wutos. 
 the Spirit; it is the administration, subministration, 
 under-supplying, underpropping of the Spirit ; all 
 w hich words note the saints' infirmities, and need of 
 the Spirit. Those things which befell Paul, would 
 not turn to his good without the Philippians' prayers, 
 and further supply of the Spirit : as a weak hon.?e 
 must be underpropped, a sickly man have daily help, 
 an army constant supply ; so must the servants of 
 God be underpropped, helped, and supplied by the 
 Spirit. Therefore we should dailv pray, as it is in 
 Psal. Ixviii. 28, "Strengthen, O'Gud,' that which 
 thou hast wrought for us," and that which thou hast 
 wrought in us. 
 
 Obs. 3. No place can keep off the hand of God 
 from coming upon us. There at Tel-abib, shut up 
 in his house, divine virtue seized upon him. He 
 thought now to hear no more of proi>hesying, and 
 doing public service of that nature to the Jews ; but 
 the Spirit of God found him out ; that cannot be 
 excluded from any place, or limited to any time ; it 
 is like the wind, that blows where and when it list- 
 eth. "When the apostles were shut tip in a room. 
 Acts ii. 2, 4, there was a rushing might)' wind, that 
 filled all the house, and the Spirit with it, that filled 
 all them. So when Cornelius and his company 
 heard Peter preach in a private room, "the Holy 
 Ghost fell on them all," Acts x. 44. As no place 
 can include the Spirit of God, so can none exclude 
 it. There were saints in Nero's court, and this hand 
 of God had been working there. It is not a dungeon, 
 any prison, can keep out the Spirit of God from 
 coming to and comforting of his servants. Glover 
 found the truth of it when he said, O Austin, he is 
 come ! 
 
 Obs. 4. The more separate from the world, the
 
 Ver. 23. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 121 
 
 more fit for communion with God. Ezekiel must go 
 into the plain, and there the Lord would talk with 
 him. He could have conversed with him at Tel- 
 abib, among the people in his own habitation ; but 
 the Lord declines that, intimating that while we are 
 conversant with worldly and wicked men, we are 
 incapable of divine mysteries ; but when we are re- 
 mote from them, solitary and sedate, we are fitter to 
 hear God speak. When the church was allured into 
 the wilderness, Hos. ii. 14, then God would speak, 
 and that comfortably, unto her. It was by the river 
 Chebar he had his former visions ; when he was ab- 
 sent from popular noise, domestic troubles, his mind 
 serene and contemplative, then the Lord opened 
 himself unto him. Christ oft left the multitude ; 
 and when he was gotten aside into the mount, then 
 was his transfiguration, and the voice, " This is my 
 l)eloved Son, in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye 
 him," Matt. xvii. 5. 
 
 Ver. 23. Tlieti I arose, and went forth into the 
 plain: and, behold, the glory of the Lord stood 
 there, as the glory which I saw hy the river of 
 Chebar : and I fell on my face. 
 
 If aught have need of opening in this verse, it is 
 " the glory of the Lord ;" and there is no cloud upon 
 this. The verse expounds itself, it is the glory he 
 saw before by the river Chebar ; that glorious vision 
 he had there, is represented again here unto the pro- 
 phet. The vision was not like the temple, fixed to 
 a place ; but it was movable ; it was first presented 
 to him at Chebar, and now again in this plain. 
 
 The reasons of this second apparition of the glory 
 of God, are, 
 
 First, to possess the heart of the prophet with 
 greater reverence of divine Majesty. He was unwill- 
 ing to the service called to by God, sought excuses, 
 thought to decline it, which argued neglect of divine 
 Majesty. To strike out such distempers, and to strike 
 in a deeper impression of fear and respect to God, 
 this glorious vision is set before his eyes, and frames 
 him to a fitness for that employment. He might 
 now see Christ sitting as judge, compassed about 
 with glory, having angels ready to execute his 
 pleasure and power in and over all parts of the 
 world ; and if he should refuse the employment ap- 
 pointed, he ran a manifest hazard of his life. 
 
 Secondly, to confirm the truth of the prophecy, 
 and him in it. 
 
 Tliirdly, to prepare the church in all ages to a 
 high esteem of this prophecy, that was ushered into 
 the world with such glorious visions. 
 
 Obs. 1. Divine virtue makes men obedient unto 
 the command of God. The hand of the Lord was 
 upon him, he bids him go forth ; and presently he 
 arose and went forth into the plain. If things en- 
 joined suit not with our wills, opinions, and humours, 
 .we deny them, excuse and take off ourselves from 
 the doing of them, or defer them ; but let God enjoin 
 what he will, be it harsh to flesh and blood, contrary 
 to our wills, carnal reason, lic. if divine virtue once 
 come upon us, and the Spirit move in us, we will 
 do it. God bid Abraham take his son, his only son 
 Isaac whom he loved, and go and sacrifice him upon a 
 mountain in the land of Moriah, Gen. xxii. Flesh 
 and blood had much to object here; but because he 
 was acted by divine virtue, therefore he obeyed 
 presently ; he rose early, took his son, went to the 
 place, stretched out his hand to slay him, and to 
 make him a sacrifice. We stick oft at small things 
 when nature only works; not at any thing when the 
 Spirit of God works in us. 
 
 06s. 2. They who are obedient to God simply 
 
 upon his command, meet with mercies unexpected. 
 Ezekiel goes forth upon command, not knowing what 
 was to come, what was to be done, and he meets with 
 an extraordinary mercy ; he saw the glory of the 
 Lord, a ravishing, a satisfying mercy. Abraham, 
 obuymg the command of God, hears the voice of an 
 angel twice, and meets with a multitude of blessings : 
 Gen. xxii. 17, " In blessing I will bless thee, and in 
 multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of 
 heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore ; 
 and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies ; 
 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be 
 blessed ; because thou hast obeyed my voice." So 
 Jacob returned from Laban to his father's house 
 upon divine command, and he meets with angels, 
 Gen. xxxii. 1 ; he met with God, and, like a prince, 
 prevailed with him for a blessing, ver. 28. No man 
 ever lost by his obedience unto God. Though we 
 see no reason for things, yet if we have the will of 
 God that is reason enough. Let us be tractable and 
 forward to do the will of God, and we shall not lose 
 our labour ; we may meet with mercies unexpected, 
 as some by coming to the ordinances have done. 
 
 Obs. 3. See the goodness of the Lord in two things : 
 
 First, in that he will manifest his glory to the 
 view of mortal, sinful creatures. His glory is pre- 
 cious, a hidden thing, and not obvious to creatures ; 
 yet here, as before, he is pleased in a vision to pre- 
 sent it to the sight of Ezekiel. It was to the am- 
 bassador of a prince that " Hezekiah showed the 
 house of his precious things," Isa. xxxix. 2, and it 
 was a favour to let them see such rarities : it was 
 a greater favour from God to let Ezekiel see this 
 rarity of rarities, his glory. 
 
 Secondly, that God should act over the same thing 
 again, present the same vision in living creatures, 
 wheels, eyes, firmament, a throne, and one sitting 
 upon it, and give a sight of his glory the second 
 time ; this sets out God's goodness abundantly. Men 
 are unwilling to do the same thing twice, whenas 
 they may do it better the second time than the first, 
 and advantage themselves by it ; but God halh no 
 advantage, doth it perfectly at first; yet, simply for 
 man's good, he condescends to do the same thing 
 again. So, that Ezekiel may be brought to a fitness 
 for divine dispensations, encouraged to, and in his 
 work, he shall have a sight of glory, and a glorious 
 vision presented to him the second time by God's own 
 hand. We think repetitions of things in vain ; a 
 sermon twice over is stale, unwelcome, oft neither 
 minister nor people find any savour in it; and so 
 other things ; but God repeats the vision without 
 prejudice to himself, or damage to the prophet. 
 
 Obs. 4. Sin makes us incapable of happiness. It 
 is man's happiness to see the glorious God, and have 
 communion with him. While Adam stood, he could 
 behold God, converse with him in his glorious ap- 
 pearances unto him ; but after his fall, he fled frcim 
 his presence, was disabled, and incapable of the 
 sight of him and his glory : so here, Ezekiel cannot 
 abide the sight of this glorious vision, but falls down 
 upon his face, and hides himself from his own hap- 
 piness. Till sin be purged out of us, it will be so ; 
 therefore God hath appointed purging ordinances, 
 that we, being purified, might at last see him, and 
 have fruition of him. Two things especially are re- 
 quired to the sight of glory ; holiness and strength, 
 to both which sin is opposite : it defiles, it enfeebles, 
 so that we dare not, we cannot behold glory. See 
 what mischief sin hath done us. 
 
 Obs. 5. Apprehensions and sight of glory do much 
 humble gracious hearts. When Ezekiel saw the 
 glory of the Lord, he fell upon his face : the glory 
 of a creature raises a carnal heart, but the glory of
 
 122 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 the Creator humbles a gracious heart. John i. 14, 
 " We beheld his glory, as the only begotten of the 
 Father;" and this made John, the greatest prophet 
 that ever was born of a woman, to be so low in his 
 own eyes, that he professed himself unworthy to 
 loose the latchet of his shoe, ver. 27. There be 
 some things in the sight of divine glory, that work 
 strongly to humble the soul. 
 
 (1.) It is of that lustre and excellency, as that it 
 darkens all the glory of the world, and makes it 
 seem no more than the lustre of a glowworm to 
 the sun. 
 
 (2.) It sets out the shamefulness and blackness 
 of sin. 
 
 (3.) It discovers the insufficiency of all human 
 motions and duties to attain unto it. 
 
 (4.) It shows the infinite distance between God 
 and the creature. 
 
 All which are humbling things, and concurring 
 do humble more thoroughly. Ezekiel was not only 
 amazed, doth not only fall down, but falls upon his 
 face, and that after a second sight of the same glory ; 
 so that it is in the nature of glory to humljle. 
 Other things may humble a little, but glory most of 
 all : that which comes by the car doth something, 
 but that which is seen by the eye affects most. 
 Isaiah had heard the seraphims crying, " Holy, 
 holy, holy, — the earth is full of his glory;" but 
 fliis struck not so deeply into his heart, as the sight 
 of glory. Wien he saw the King, the Lord of hosts 
 in his glory, then he cried out, " Woe is me ! I am 
 undone:" his holiness was nothing, his prophetical 
 ofhce was nothing, all was nothing to him, he was 
 an undone man, he saw so much sin in himself; " I 
 am a man of unclean lips," &c. 
 
 Ver. 24. Then the spirit entered into me, and 
 set me upon 7ni/ feet, and spake with me, and said 
 vnto me, Go, shut thi/self ivithin thine house. 
 
 Being in a dejected condition, the Spirit entered. 
 It was said before, " the hand of the Lord came 
 upon him," which was the Spirit: and here, " the 
 Spirit entered into me." What difference is there 
 between fliese two phrases ? You may observe this 
 difference : the hand of the Lord upon the prophet, 
 notes the efficacy and work of the Spirit in general, 
 tlie common gift's and graces of it, which may fit a 
 man for public employment. The entering of the 
 Spirit notes, not only those, but the sanctifying of a 
 man, so that he shall employ his gifts and graces to 
 file glory of God, and eternal good of his own soul. 
 Of the Spirit's entering and setting the prophet 
 upon his feet I spake in the 2nd chapter, ver. 2. It 
 was not the air, his own spirit returning, nor an 
 angel, but the Holy Spirit of God. This entrance 
 of the Spirit notes, not motion from place to place, 
 for the Spirit is infinite and fills heaven and earth ; 
 but it notes operation, manifestation, impletion. 
 When the Spirit doth work efficaciously, manifest 
 itself, (for there may be invisible operations,) fill 
 the heart of any with divine virtue ; when it doth 
 any one of these, or all these, it is said to be sent, to 
 come, to enter. It comforted the prophet, being 
 amazed, sunk in apprehension of his own unworthi- 
 ness, and manifested its operation by setting him 
 u])on his feet, giving new strength to go and pro- 
 phesy when time should serve. 
 
 " Go, shut thyself within thine house." These 
 words are not ironically spoken, or by way of sar- 
 casm, because he had formerly shut up himself; but 
 they are a command from God to the prophet. It is 
 true, by reason of the rebellious disposition of the 
 people, the wcightiness of the calling he was to be 
 
 in, and the infirmity of the flesh, he had withdrawn 
 from his duty ; and God bears with him, Ijids him 
 withdraw from the public view. Jcrom thinks this 
 shutting up was a type of the besieging of the city, 
 that as he should be shut up in his house, so the 
 Jews at Jerusalem. Others think more probably, 
 that it was to receive instructions from God, and to 
 hear from him, before he should speak aught to the 
 people ; therefore some observe that our prophet 
 lieard and saw much, and spake not till the end of 
 the 11th chapter, ver. 25, where he saith, " Then I 
 spake unto them of the captivity," &c. This shut- 
 ting up made way for the credit and authority of the 
 pirophet and his prophecy. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Spirit affects and visits an humble 
 soul. When the prophet was humbled with the 
 sense of his own nnworthiness, trembled at the sight 
 of glory and majesty, was destitute of strength, then 
 it pleased the Spirit of God to enter. Humiliations 
 upon sight of glory and greatness are deepest, and 
 the Spirit loves to visit them speedily. God doth 
 not long leave humble souls without operations and 
 manifestations of his Spirit: Jam. iv. 6, " He resist- 
 eth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble ;" 
 he sends the Spirit into their hearts to comfort and 
 strengthen them, because they are low, vile in their 
 own eyes ; but destruction is for the proud, God is 
 in battle-array against them. The Spirit appeared 
 like a dove, and is a dove of the valleys, not of the 
 mountains. While Paul was a mountain in his own 
 eyes, the Spirit never came near him ; but when he 
 was humbled with the sight of glory. Acts ix., even 
 the glory of Christ, and became a valley, then quickly 
 the spiritual Dove took her flight to him ; for, ver. 
 17, saith Ananias, "Brother Saul, the Lord hath 
 sent me that thou mightest receive thy sight, and 
 be filled with the Holy Ghost:" the Lord Jesus 
 would not let him want his Spirit to revive him, 
 that was so eifectually humbled at the sight of his 
 glory. 
 
 Obs. 2. The godly before Christ had the same 
 Spirit, grace, and comforts that we have since Christ. 
 Ezekiel had the Spirit enter into him. What Spirit ? 
 Even the Spirit of God and Christ, the third Person 
 in the sacred Trinity. Neither doth that in John 
 cross this ti'uth, " The Holy Ghost was not yet 
 given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified," 
 chap. vii. 39. Not given at all is not the meaning, 
 but was not given so plentifully, so visibly, till 
 Christ was glorified. You know that kings, when 
 they enter their kingdoms first, or ride in triumph 
 after great victories, then they scatter gold and 
 silver plentifully, and give the greatest honours and 
 gifts unto men ; so Christ reserved the pouring out 
 of his Spirit in such plenty and visible signs, till 
 his glorifying. Therefore Austin saith, The pro- 
 phets had not another Spirit who foretold Christ to 
 come. But this is meant of that manner of giving, 
 which appeared not at all before. They under the 
 law had not the Spirit given in that w'ay and so 
 largely, but they had the same Spirit, 2 Pet. i. 21, 
 and Luke i. 41, G7. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Spirit of Christ which the godly re- 
 ceive, is not a spirit of bondage, but of comfort, of 
 grace and freedom. This Spirit did not straiten the 
 prophet, but enlarge him. He was imprisoned with 
 his own fears, beat down under a sense of his own 
 worthlcssness ; but this Spirit of Christ did set him 
 at liberty, and lifts him up again, and works graci- 
 ously in him. This Spirit is oft called the Comfort- 
 er, and that emphatically, because no man, no angel, 
 no ordinance, do or can comfort like the Spirit ; it 
 helps against fears, sins, guilt, temptations, strait- 
 ness of heart : this made the apostle say, " Where
 
 Ver. 24, 25. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 123 
 
 the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty," 2 Cor. iii. 
 17. It knocks otf bolts, locks, shackles; it makes 
 way for his own graces to act, arjd act with liveli- 
 ness ; and if there be strong-holds within, strong 
 lusts that oppose, it is a Spirit of power, and 
 will carryall before it: 2 Tim. i. "J. "God hath 
 not given us the spirit of fear, but of power ;" 
 such power as w-ill conquer all the rebellions 
 of a man's will, bring all into order, captivate 
 every thought unto Christ, and make a man able to 
 do the whole will of God, an Ezekiel to prophesy to 
 a rebellious people, and to venture his life amongst 
 them. 
 
 06*. 4. Those Christ sends unto the church, he 
 gives his Spirit unto. Ezekiel hath the Spirit enter 
 into him before he enters upon his office. Men void 
 of the Spirit, are not meet to be church officers. All 
 things in the church come under spiritual consider- 
 ation ; the people are to be professors of holiness, 
 ordinances are holy, and what should unholy offi- 
 cers do there ? If they have not the Spirit of Christ, 
 they are none of his ; and what should they do in 
 the church of Christ ? He will ask them one day, 
 Friend's how came you in hither ? I sent you not. 
 
 Obs. 5. The Spirit performs what Christ pro- 
 miseth. In the 22nd verse, Christ bids the pro- 
 phet go forth into the plain, and tells him he will 
 there talk with him ; but being come thither, the 
 Spirit entered into him, and spake with him. Christ 
 and the Spirit are one in essence, one in will, and 
 one in operation ; so that the prophet w as not de- 
 ceived, but it was the same as if Christ had spoken 
 to him. I will be with you to the end of the world, 
 saith Christ. His Spirit was with them, and so in 
 that it was made good that he was with them. The 
 Spirit makes good whatever the Lord Jesus hath 
 promised, when it comes ; and it cannot be other- 
 wise, for these three. Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, 
 are one, and agree in one, I John v. 7. 
 
 Obs. 6. There is a language of the Spirit within a 
 man. " The Spirit entered into me, and spake with 
 me." How it speaks is hard to make out unto 
 you. We have heard that the devil hath spoken in 
 parties bewitched and possessed, and you have text 
 of Scripture for it ; Acts xix. 13^—15, when the sons 
 of Sceva adjured the evil spirit in the name of Jesus, 
 " the evil spirit answered, Jesus I know, and Paul I 
 know, but who are ye ?" Thus did the devil express 
 himself in the possessed. And surely the Spirit of 
 God can speak vocally in those where it dwells ; but 
 that is not the ordinary language of the Spirit. A 
 man speaks to another, quando conceptnm merttis al- 
 ien manifeiitat, when he makes known 
 to another that which he has conceived 
 in his mind; and as the schools say of angels, they 
 speak manifeislavdo numn volitum, in the manifestation 
 of their will, so we may say, the Spirit speaks unto 
 us by manifestation of its mind unto us. John xvi. 
 13, " Whatsoever the Spirit shall hear, that shall he 
 speak ; and he will show you things to come :" and 
 ver. 14, " He shall receive of mine, and shall show it 
 unto you." 
 
 06*. 7. The proceedings of God with his own ser- 
 vants are various and darksome. The prophet was 
 bid to preach oft before. In the 22nd verse, he is 
 called forth into the plain ; and when he is there the 
 Lord bids him go and shut himself up in his house, 
 as it is in this 24th verse. Now he will have him 
 prophesy, and presently he suspends him from his 
 office and libertj' ; neither is there any change in 
 God, but he by these various dispensations fulfils his 
 eternal counsels. 
 
 06*. 8. God considers the weaknesses of his ser- 
 vants, bears with and provides well against them. 
 
 Ezekiel was timorous, the house of Israel rebellious, 
 and like enough to oiTer violence to the prophet, if 
 he should have presently propounded the dreadful 
 judgments of God that were at hand against Jeru- 
 salem ; and therefore he takes care of him, and com- 
 mands him to shut up himself, that so he might be 
 safe, and not at first be discouraged at the wicked- 
 ness of the people, or weightincss of his work. God 
 is full of bowels, and tenders his servants, when put 
 upon difficult employments. 
 
 Ver. 25. Bvt thou, O Son of man, behold, 
 they shall put bands upon thee, and shall bind 
 thee with them, and thou shall not go out among 
 them. 
 
 This verse speaks of the bands imposed upon the 
 prophet, and what these were we must inquire. The 
 word is D'nisy which the Syriac renders catetiie, 
 chains ; the Vulgate, vincula, bands ; Montanus, 
 f lines, ropes ; and not any ropes, but funes contorti 
 adeoque densi, thick twisted ropes, as the original 
 signifies. Now these ropes or bands are taken 
 literally by some, and metaphorically by others. 
 
 Literally thus : They seeing the projihet sad 
 seven days, and now astonished at what he had seen 
 and heard, and observing some strange looks and 
 carriages from him, they thought he was or would 
 be beside himself, and therefore they bound him. 
 It was a conceit among Jews and gentiles, that pro- 
 phets were a kind of madmen. Hos. ix. 7, "The 
 spiritual man," or, as the Hebrew is, the man of the 
 Spirit, " is mad ;" they thought him out of his wdts. 
 Our prophet had received the Spirit of Christ, and 
 that wrought in him, and the people might be apt 
 enough to judge him a madman. When a prophet 
 came to anoint Jehu, his companions said, " Where- 
 fore came this mad fellow ? " 2 Kings ix. 11, Pro- 
 phets were reputed mad fellows, and that not only 
 by the Jews, but by gentiles also. Plato in Pha-dro 
 saith, Quidam ditino benejicio sunt insani, ut pro- 
 phettp et iibyllcE, Some are mad by a divine influence, 
 as prophets and the sibyls; and Tully, in his 2nd 
 book De Divinationibus, Quid habet authoritatis 
 furor iste quern dirinum locatis, ut qucp sujnens nan 
 videt ea videat insarius ; et is qui humaiios sensus 
 amiserit, divinos assecut us sit ; et vaticinari idem 
 sit quod insanire, What authority has MariyrinCKings 
 that madness which you call divine, jh;,,',,', „I^|",'|';^' 
 that what things a wise man does not piopheis weie so 
 perceive, are seen by an insane person ; "Ji'"i',,3"e°uiur";''' 
 and he who has lost the natural senses. 5p<-;ifm pr»rer- 
 has obtained those wlncri are divme ; enaii cum imeii- 
 and to prophesy is the same thing as •'.'"'" "...b.bus. 
 to be mad. This opinion was also in the apostles' 
 time : Acts xxvi. 24, Festus the governor of Syria 
 tells Paul, that he was beside himself; that much 
 learning had made him mad. 
 
 In the metaphorical sense take it thus : The Jews 
 cannot endure thee, nor thy prophecy ; they are so 
 bitter, so rebellious, obstinate, and set against thee, 
 that they will not sutTer thee to look out of doors, 
 and come among them ; they decline thee and thy 
 prophecy, they will not endure either of them ; and 
 so thou art as a prisoner and man in bands. Not 
 that he had any material bands upon him, but was 
 bound up in this sense ; their sins were the pro- 
 phet's bonds. And we may take up this observation 
 from it, that people's sins do imprison and imbond- 
 age the sjurits of the prophets, and so hinder the 
 course of the word. This Paul knew, and therefore 
 requests the Colossians to pray, that God would 
 open to him and others a door of utterance. Col. iv. 
 3, that they might not be straitened in the work of
 
 121 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 their ministry. Men's sins do silence the ministers, 
 and send them to prisons. If you look not well to 
 it, your sins may quickly make this good. 
 
 I incline to the literal sense, and then it is doubt- 
 ful who bound the prophet. " They shall put bands," 
 iS;c. Not the angels; though God use them in the 
 government of the world, yet we find not that God 
 uses them to bind his ])rophets. Some conceive it 
 to be his friends and familiar acquaintance, and that 
 it was done in love. If others had done it, they 
 would have left him in custody other where than in 
 his own house ; but without prejudice to any, I con- 
 ceive it came from the people, who either bound him, 
 or bespoke his binding. And my ground for it is 
 this : he is made a watchman to the house of Israel ; 
 in that capacity and relation the Lord speaks unto 
 him. Here is no mention of any domestic friends, 
 but of the people ; it was they without, not they 
 within ; as is clear from the words, " They .shall put 
 bands upon thee, and thou shalt not go out among 
 them." 
 
 Obs. 1. Christ deals fairly, not fraudulently with 
 his ; he tells them at first what they must expect ; 
 not gold and silver, but bands and chains, " They 
 shall bind thee." He told Jeremiah, they shall 
 fight against him, Jer. i. 19. So Paul no sooner is 
 called to preaching, but he hears of suffering : Acts 
 ix. 16, " I will show him how gTeat things he must 
 suffer." And Matt. xxiv. 9, Christ tells all the apos- 
 tles that they mu.st be afllicted, hated, killed ; and 
 this he doth in faithfulness, love, and wisdom, that 
 they might not be deceived in looking for other 
 kind of entertainment in the w'orld ; that they might 
 nut have hard thoughts of him for hiding away such 
 things from them ; that they might be confirmed 
 against such evils when they fell out, and remember 
 it was nomore than the Lord foretold them of: John 
 xvi. 2, " They shall put you out of the synagogues : 
 yea, they shall kill you, and think they do God good 
 service;" andver.4, "These things have I told you, 
 that you may remember I told you of them when 
 the time comes." 
 
 Obs. 2. No excellency exempts a prophet from 
 the malice of men's tongues and hands. Ezekiel is 
 immediately called and sent by Christ, sees extra- 
 ordinary visions, hath much converse with Christ, 
 is filled with the Spirit ; yet all this keeps him not 
 out of bonds ; they spake evil of him, and bound 
 him. Christ himself was all excellency, beauty, 
 goodness, yet these preserved him not out of the 
 hands of malice. There is nothing will satisfy it, 
 but men's liberties and lives ; malice feeds on such 
 dainties. 
 
 Ubs. 3. The generality of people are enemies to 
 their own good, and active to their own ruin. The 
 house of Israel, they are against the prophet ; they 
 fetter and chain him up, and think they have done 
 well, to make him secure from coming amcrngst 
 them. And alas, what have they done ! thrust away 
 the physician that should cure them ; shut out 
 mercy by shutting up a prophet ; put out the light. 
 And now are there not droves and multitudes of peo- 
 ple that would think it a happiness to get all the 
 prophets silenced, im]U'isoned, banished, if not more ? 
 they would live in darkness, and die in darkness, 
 and so undo themselves for ever. Christ the great 
 Prophet, the people, after all his precious sermons 
 and glorious miracles, cry, " Away with this man, 
 Crucify him, crucify him," Lukexxiii. 18,21. They 
 had cried llosanna formerly, but now the time being 
 turned, they turn against Christ. There be many 
 that show some kindness outwardly to the prophets, 
 but inwardly they are against them. 
 
 Obs. 4. Wicked ones deal severely, cruelly with 
 
 the prophets, when they fall into their hands. They 
 put bands, not one or two, but many bands upon 
 Ezekiel ; and they were wreathed, twisted, heavy, 
 thick bands, such as might not only hold, but hurt 
 and pain the prophet. M'hcn Ahab had got Mi- 
 caiah into his hands, he sends him to prison, and 
 commands him to be fed with bread and water of 
 affliction ; that is, with so little and so misavoury, 
 lit lovgam jyotiiis mortem traliat, (jifam vilam suste?itetf 
 that it would rather bring on a lingering death than 
 support life ; he would kill him, jiott brevi niorte, sed 
 tenia fame, not by a speedy death, but by slow 
 famine. Jeremiah, the princes are wroth with him, 
 smite him, put him in the prison, Jer. xxxvii. 15; 
 yea, into the dungeon, where he sunk into deep 
 mire, and had perished, if Ebed-melech, an Ethi- 
 opian, had not been more propitious to him than 
 his own countrymen the Jews were, Jer. xxxviii. 
 6, 7. Josephus saith, they put him 
 into a muddy pit, id ibi pra'J'ocatus ° ""^ 
 morerelur, that there sufTocatedhe might die, which 
 might easily have been, for he was usque ud cotlum 
 mersus, plmiged even to the neck. Others think 
 they aimed not at his present death, but thought, 
 ptedore et fame, by filth and by famine, lingeringly 
 to consume him. Peter, when he fell into Herod's 
 hands, was bound ^^•ith two chains. Acts xii. 6. 
 You may observe something in that verse ; there is 
 a prison, chains, soldiers, keepers, all these men- 
 tioned in it ; which show the severity of Herod. A 
 bare prison had been too much for such an apostle, 
 but he must be chained, and with two chains ; and 
 for fear he should get out of his chains, he must be 
 between two soldiers, which probably were more 
 afflictive to his spirit with their oaths, iSrc. than the 
 iron was to his body. And lest he should get from 
 these, there was also the keepers at the door, watch- 
 ing. Paul tells you how he was handled by wicked 
 men : 2 Cor. xi. 23, 24, " In stripes above measure, 
 in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the 
 Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 
 Thrice beaten with rods, once was I stoned, tin-ice I 
 sufTered shipwreck." 
 
 Obs. 5. Afflictive conditions seldom better men's 
 spirits. They were in Babylon under captivity, and 
 five years passed in that condition, chap. i. 2; yet were 
 their proud hearts not humbled, their old enmity to 
 the proj)hets not worn out. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 15 — 17, 
 God sent them messengers, prophets, and they 
 mocked them, misused them, till the wrath came, 
 and theie was no remedy ; and therefore he brought 
 upon them the Chaldeans, who led them into cap- 
 tivity, where they were servants and slaves. Their 
 wronging of the prophets was the cause of their 
 sufTcring, and yet all their sufTerings did not subdue 
 their spirits, and work them to entertain the truth, 
 and walk peaceably towards the prophet ; they bind 
 him in the land of bondage. The plough breaks 
 the earth in many places, but doth not better it, but 
 leaves it as it was ; nothing is put in by the plough. 
 If the master dung it, and sow good seed in it, when 
 the plough hath broken it, then there is like to be a 
 harvest ; but if nothing be sown, weeds, nettles, 
 thorns will grow where the plough hath been. And 
 so afflictions may break our estates, our bodies, our 
 sleep ; yet if nothing be added, if God do not sanc- 
 tify them, the harvest will be tares, and not wheat. 
 
 Obs. (). It is no new thing for projihets and minis- 
 ters to be roughly entreated, and laid by as useless 
 things. Ezekiel, four hundred years before Christ, is 
 shut up, bound, kei>t from coming among the people ; 
 and this misery hath befallen the prophets in seve- 
 ral ages. Jezebel cut oti" the prophets, and then 
 they were hid by fifties in caves, 1 Kings xviii. 4.
 
 Ver. 2(1. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 125 
 
 Jeremiah was shut up in the prison in the king's 
 court, Jer. xxxii. 2. Most of the prophets and apos- 
 tles were restrained from their public employments, 
 shut up in prisons, banished or driven into corners ; 
 and that proves oft a great saddening to ingenuous 
 spirits, not so much in that they suffer, but because 
 they are out of employment. But let those that are 
 in such conditions, or may shortly be, consider it is 
 no strange, unwonted thing ; such afflictions have 
 been formerly ; 1 Pet. v. 9, " The same afliictions 
 are accomplished in your brethren that are in the 
 world;" besides, God hath need of no men, nor any 
 of their parts. 
 
 Ver. 26. And I will make flii/ tongue cleave 
 to the ronf of till/ mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, 
 and shalt not be to them a reprover : fur they are 
 a rebellious house. 
 
 Here is a further and full manifestation of his si- 
 lence, but there is doubt concerning the meaning of 
 the words. The Septuagint hath it, I will bind 
 thy tongue ; and this bond, it is conceived, was a 
 divine precept ; God commanding him to be silent, 
 and thereupon it was that he forbore to speak unto 
 them. Others take the words literally, and hold that 
 the use of his tongue was taken away ; so that nei- 
 ther in public nor in private he might speak unto 
 them, but be a wordless and tongucless man amongst 
 them J whereupon they being troubled, and wonder- 
 ing at what had befallen Ezekiel, might search out 
 the cause, and become more willing to hear those 
 sad messages he had to deliver. But I conceive the 
 words are not to be taken in their literal sense : 
 
 1. Because the prophet ir; bid in the next chapter, 
 ver. 9, to prepare him meat, and to eat thereof, 
 which he could not do, if his tongue had cleaved to 
 the roof of his mouth ; the motion of the tongue is 
 needful to that action. 
 
 2. It is plain from the l-!th verse of that 4th 
 chapter, that it cannot be meant literally ; for there 
 the prophet speaks, " Then said I, Ah Lord God ! 
 behold, my soul hath not been polluted," See. We 
 are then to take the words figuratively, thus : Thou 
 shalt be as a man whose tongue cleaves to his mouth, 
 as a man that is dumb ; such a one shalt thou be 
 amongst them. And this sense the words following 
 infer, " Thou shalt not be to them a reprover ;" they 
 would not have thee to tell them of their sins, of my 
 judgments, and the danger thcreu])on ; " and thou 
 shalt not be a reprover unto them :" and it is the 
 Scripture language to call them dumb that are in 
 the place of ministers and prophets, and preach not, 
 Isa. Ivi. 10. 
 
 Obs. I. The Lord hath the power over prophets' 
 lips, to shut and open them at his pleasure : " I will 
 make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth," 
 &c. If God forbid the pro]ihets to speak, the}' must 
 be dumb ; on the contrary, if he command, they cannot 
 be .silent: Amos iii. 8, " The Lord hath spoken, who 
 can but prophesy ?" The Jews objected against the 
 prophets, that they prophesied no good unto them, 
 only sad things, and were messengers of death. 
 The prophet answers. It is true, Init God hath com- 
 manded ; he hath spoken, and who can be silent ? 
 Who shall dare not to deliver and hear his message? 
 he is a roaring lion, will tear in pieces disobedient 
 prophets and people. He was to speak, and to be 
 silent, when God would have it so. Balaam knew 
 this. Numb. xxii. 38, " Lo, I am come unto thee, O 
 Balak : have I now any power at all to say any- 
 thing ?" can I with canning do any thing? so is 
 the Hebrew ; " the word that God puttelh in my 
 mouth, that shall I speak." It was in God to ojien 
 
 or shut his mouth ; he could not with all his canning 
 do ought. Prov. xvi. 1, " The prejiarations of the 
 heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from 
 the Lord ;" and so the silence of the tongue, and 
 cessation of the spirit in man, is from the Lord. 
 Projjhets are to be silenced and suspended, not when 
 prelates or people will, but when the Lord will. 
 
 Obs. 2. People are impatient of reproofs. " Thou 
 shalt not be a reprover unto them ; for thev are re- 
 bellious ; " they would not endure him to deal rough- 
 ly with them, to convince them of their sins. Many 
 affect the prophets being shining lights, but when 
 they are burning lights they hate them; when they 
 scorch men with thorough reproofs and evident con- 
 \dctions of their guiltiness, then they hate them, and 
 seek to mischief them : Isa. xxix. 21, he that re- 
 proved in the gate had a snare laid for him; and 
 Micaiah is a hateful man to Ahab, 1 Kings xxii. 8, 
 because he prophesied not good to him. Reproofs are 
 rerilales mordaces, biting truths ; they have salt and 
 fire in them, which few men can endure, especially 
 being sore ; and therefore they will imprison and 
 murder the prophets: " Put this fellow into prison," 
 saith Ahab, ver. 27. Let John reprove Herod, and 
 he is presently clapped into a prison, Luke iii. 19. 
 proofs evidence to men that their sins are known, 
 awaken guilt, and cross them in the things they love, 
 and therefore they cannot endure them. Like Moses's 
 rod, in hand it was without hurt, but thrown down it 
 became a serpent ; so reproofs thrown forth prove 
 serpents to men, they molest and sting them. 
 
 Obs. 3. The people's sins do cause God to cut them 
 short of spiritual mercies. Here was a prophet fur- 
 nished with the treasure of heaven, and the Lord 
 shuts up his mouth and makes him a dumb prophet 
 unto them. And why so ? " for they are a rebellious 
 house ;" they did not profit under their judgments ; 
 they still undervalued their prophets; they went on 
 stubbornly in their ways against God ; and this made 
 God deny them the benefit of the prophet's la- 
 bours. Unbelief, neglect of reformation, and ingrati- 
 tude are provoking sins, and God punishes people 
 for them, and such like, with the removal of his 
 word and prophets. In Amos viii. the Lord tells 
 them, there shall be bowlings in the temple, dead 
 bodies in all places, ver. 3 ; that their sun should go 
 down at noon, their feasts be turned into mournings, 
 and such mournings as are for an only son, deep 
 and lasting, ver. 8, 9. And why so ? they had sinned 
 greatly in slighting and being weary of God's sab- 
 baths and ordinances ; they were covetous, they op- 
 pressed the poor, &c. ; and now God would send a 
 famine of the word, ver. 11, and there would be 
 bowlings, darkness, and death above measure. It is 
 a dreadful thing when people provoke God to take 
 away his prophets by death, to command them si- 
 lence, or to remove them into corners. The pro- 
 phets and ministers are the light and salt of the 
 earth ; if God take them away, people will be unsa- 
 voury, full of worms, noisome lusts, and corruptions, 
 they will be in darkness, and hasten to eternal dark- 
 ness. It is the word that makes all sweet and com- 
 fortable ; if that go, (jod's face is hid, his presence 
 departed, and all lies open to ruin. It is the sins of 
 the people that introduce such a judgment. God 
 takes away his word, and the preachers of it, be- 
 cause the people's lives are exasperating, not con- 
 formable to what is taught. This judgment we may 
 fear in this land because the distance is exceeding 
 great between God's word and our lives. I will not 
 prophesy, but pray. The Lord prevent and divert 
 such a judgment from England. If it should ct>me, 
 it would be the most dreadful that befell the land 
 these fourscore years. Afflictions you are like to
 
 126 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. IV. 
 
 meet withal, and pressing ones ; but that I may not 
 discourage your hearts, cast your eyes and thoughts 
 ujion that promise in Isa. xxx. 19, 20, " He will be 
 very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry ; 
 when he shall hear it, he will answer thee. And 
 though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, 
 and the water of atfliction, yet shall not thy teach- 
 ers be removed into a corner any more. " The word 
 in Hebrew literally is. Thy teachers shall not be 
 winged, and fly from thee when danger is, but thine 
 eyes shall see thy teachers, and thou shalt hear a 
 voice behind thee, iS;c. This is spoken of the 
 church under the gospel, as well as before. If you 
 can therefore take hold of this promise, and cry 
 earnestly unto God, you shall not lose your teachers, 
 and the truth, though you lose your estates and 
 outward comforts. If God should take away your 
 teachers from you, it would be an argument of much 
 
 wrath, and that this people is unworthy 
 Lam. 11. 9. /■■•.! . i^ '^ ■' 
 
 of spiritual mercies. 
 
 Ver. 27. But uhen I speak tiith thee, I will 
 open till/ month, and thou shalt say unto them. 
 Thus suith the Lord God ; He thatheareth, let 
 him hear; and he that forheareth, let him for- 
 bear : for thei/ are a rebellious house. 
 
 The greatest part of this verse hath been spoken 
 of in the 11th verse of this chapter, and 5th verse 
 of the second chapter, and therefore shall not need 
 now to be opened unto you. 
 
 Obs. 1. All times are not times for the prophets to 
 speak in. Thy mouth is now shut, and it is not 
 seasonable for thee to prophesy ; but hereafter when 
 I shall speak with thee, I will open thy mouth. 
 Prophets must therefore wait upon God, as for -var- 
 rant to speak, so for liberty and opportunity of speak- 
 ing : Amos V. 13, " The prudent shall keep silence 
 in that time." There are times when God, in judg- 
 ment to a people, would not have them speak : Eccl. 
 iii. 7) " There is a time to keep silence, and a time 
 to speak ;" and both these the Lord will show his 
 servants. 
 
 Obs. 2. Neither the prophets' infirmities, nor the 
 people's sins, shall always keep the prophets' mouths 
 shut ; " When I speak with thee, I will open thy 
 mouth, and thou shalt say unto them," &c. 
 
 Obs. 3. God tries many ways with a sinful, wretch- 
 ed people to gain them -, he sends them into captivity, 
 gives them a prophet there, shuts up his month, 
 opens it again, and all to see what this people will 
 do : "I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say. 
 Thus saith the Lord ; He that hearcth, let him 
 hear," Sec. There are but few amongst you who will 
 hear, I am afraid ; but if any will hear, " let him 
 hear," tVc. God will try men whether they are 
 curable or no. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 3. Thou also, son of man, take thee a 
 tile, and lay it before thee, and ponrtray upon it 
 the rity, even Jerusalem : a7id lay siege against it, 
 and hiiild a fort against it, and cast a mount 
 against it ; set the camp also again.it it, and set 
 battering-rams against it round about. More- 
 over take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set it 
 for a waft oj' iron hrtween thee and the city : and 
 set thyfoce against it, and it shall be besieged, and 
 
 thou shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a 
 sign to the hou^e of Israel. 
 
 In the three former chapters you have had the 
 
 preface, now we are to come to the prophecy itself. 
 In this chai)ter and the next is a prophecy against 
 Jerusalem, the chief city of the Jews ; the besieging 
 of it, and miseries which attend that condition are 
 laid down therein. 
 
 This chapter hath in it these parts : 
 
 I. A typical besieging of Jerusalem, in the first 
 eight verses. 
 
 II. A great famine during this siege, and that is 
 in ver. 9 — 1 1, 16, 17 ; and this is aggravated from the 
 eating of polluted bread baked in dung, ver. 12 — 15. 
 
 I shall begin with the typical besieging of the 
 city. The Jews that yet lived at Jerusalem trusted 
 in their strength and privileges, were secure, fear- 
 ing no dangers ; they accounted them fools and 
 weak ones, who had yielded themselves into the 
 hands of the Babylonians ; and because Jeremiah 
 had counselled them to do it, and prophesied hard 
 things against Jerusalem, they dealt roughly with 
 him, and got him imprisoned. Here, therefore, the 
 Lord set our prophet to work to lay siege against 
 Jerusalem, to batter it with warlike instruments, that 
 so the captives with him might not repent them of 
 what they had done, nor those at Jerusalem put off 
 any longer the evil day, cry, Peace, peace, when de- 
 struction was at hai.d. 
 
 In the first verse the prophet is commanded to 
 draw the picture of Jerusalem, and that upon a tile ; 
 in the other two to represent the actions of men be- 
 sieging a city. 
 
 " Take thee a tile." The Hebrew word njsS is, a 
 brick, or a tile. It is questioned whether one green 
 or one dried ; and if dried, whether in the sun or 
 fire ; and whether white or red : which I will pass 
 over as not being of any great moment. It signifies 
 also any figure that is foursquare, and so any table 
 or thing that may be engraven upon ; and because 
 it is from a root in Hebrew that is, to be white, it is 
 conceived to be a table of dudk, or some other 
 whitish stone, in the form of a brick or tile, where- 
 on incision might easily be made. Bricks and tiles 
 are neither white, nor easily admit engravement. 
 
 " Pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem." 
 That is, express the picture of it by incision and en- 
 graving in the same. It is morf *han describing 
 with the pen or pencil. 
 
 The city being pictured upon the tile or table, he 
 is commanded in the next verse to lay siege to it ; 
 and so builds a fort, casts a mount, sets a camp and 
 battering-rams against it, and hereby shows what 
 the Chaldeans should shortly do against Jerusalem. 
 
 " A fort." The Hebrew word is pn, and diversely 
 expounded by the learned. Rabbi Solomon thinks 
 it to be an engine to throw stones within the walls, 
 which might annoy them ; the Chaldee renders it, 
 machinas, engines ; the Vulgate, munitiones, defences 
 for the soldiers, and such as might prevent the flight 
 of adversaries. Some other rabbles think it to be a 
 wooden tower, out of which they threw stones and 
 weapons to batter the walls and kill the citizens. 
 Vitruvius saith, that some of them were i ;b. lo. 
 120 cubits high, some 60, some less, y,''' ■'""?''• 
 and 20 cubits broad at least. The r;ip. li. ei 6. d« 
 Se| luagint hath it, Trpo^axwi-of, strong- '*''' ''"''■ 
 holds, block-houses, fortresses ; and so it agrees with 
 our translation, " forts ;" 2 Kings s?<v, 1, when " Ne- 
 buchadnezzar" came " against Jerusalem with his 
 forces, they built forts against it." 
 
 " Cast a mount against it," nS^B. It is, per 
 enallagen numeri, a singular number for a plural.
 
 Ver. 1—3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 127 
 
 "cast mounts against it." The word is from SSd 
 which is, to raise up the way, when stones, turfs, 
 and other earth are neaped up together, that make 
 a mount : Job xix. 12, " His troops come together, 
 and raise up their way against me ; " it is the same 
 word. When they besieged towns, it was their 
 manner to raise mounts before them, that they might 
 come without hurt to the walls. 
 
 "Set the camp ;" or pitch tents against it, draw 
 out forces, and let them sit down before the city. 
 
 " Set battering-rams against it." The 
 ^'"'■'' word carim signifies rams, living crea- 
 tures ; and here it is put for a warlike instrument, 
 which was made with an iron head and horns like a 
 ram, to batter and break down the walls of cities. 
 It was drawn back by a great number of men, and 
 then driven on with violence against the walls, and 
 so made breaches in them; and hence it had its 
 name, because in form it was like a ram, et adrerm 
 fronte in muros mcnrrebat, and with adverse forehead 
 ran against the walls. Some understand here the 
 chief leaders in the army, that like as rams are the 
 leaders in the flocks, so princes, nobles, generals, 
 colonels, and captains, are leaders in armies. 2 Kings 
 xi. 4, 19, the word captain there is the same in 
 Hebrew with that here for rams, and notes the chief 
 leaders ; but in this place we are to take it for 
 military instruments, which at the command of the 
 chief ones were employed. 
 
 " Take thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of 
 iron between thee and the city." The Hebrew is, 
 Vns nano " a pan of iron." By tliis it describes the 
 hard-heartedness of the Jews ; they were as iron or 
 brass, inflexible before God. Others set out by it 
 the great wrath of God against Jerusalem, which 
 now was come to that height, that no sacrifice, no 
 prayers or tears, could divert or abate it: Lam. iii. 
 44, " Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that 
 our prayer shoidd not pass through." This pan 
 stood as a wall between the city and the prophet ; 
 a great impediment between God and them ; so that 
 neither their prayers or miseries should come up to 
 God, nor his mercies descend upon them ; according 
 to that in Isa. lix. 2, "Your iniquities have separated 
 between you and your God, and your sins have hid 
 his face from you, that he will not hear." Others 
 think it notes out miseries and tortures the Jews 
 should suffer from the king of Babylon, when he 
 besieged and took Jerusalem. This pan was such 
 a one as they used to fry things in ; and Jer. xxix. 
 22, it is said, that Ahab and Zedekiah were "roasted 
 in the fire" by the king of Babylon; they suffered 
 hard things, they were fried in the pan of afflictions. 
 And this sense agrees with that of Jeremiah, chap. 
 i. 13, who saw a seething pot from the north, which 
 set out the terrible afflictions Nebucliadnezzar should 
 boil the Jews in. There may be some truth in these 
 several senses, but we may, 1 conceive, understand 
 by this "iron pan" set between the prophet and the 
 city, the firm resolution of Nebuchadnezzar to besiege 
 this city, and to continue it till he had obtained his 
 design ; he would not be moved from it, but be as in- 
 flexible as iron, and as unmovable in it as a settled 
 wall. Or to go a little higher ; the resolution of 
 God himself by Nebuchadnezzar to besiege and de- 
 stroy this city, and that without remedy ; fcjr the 
 prophet besieging the city acted God's part, and this 
 iron pan sets out his firm purpose to besiege them, 
 and his implacable displeasure against them; which 
 is also noted in these words ; 
 
 " Set thy face against it ; " which, as Pradus saith, 
 is sererilaliti signmn gestiisque jndicis constmilix in 
 decreto, qui nullius auctoritate, prccihm, mil flclibus 
 commoveatur ad reiiiam, a token of the firm adherence 
 
 of the judge to the law, who by no authority, en- 
 treaties, or tears can be induced to pardon. And this 
 noted out God's setting his face against them, of 
 which he told them, Jer. xxi. 10, ""l have set my 
 face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith 
 the Lord : it shall be given into the hand of the king 
 of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire." 
 
 " This shall be a sign to the house of Israel." 
 Here was the end of all, that the Jews at Jerusalem 
 might no longer trust in the lying words of false 
 prophets, which promised safety to them and their 
 city, whereupon they derided those who were gone 
 into Babylon, and insulted over them ; and likewise 
 that those in captivity with the prophets might lay 
 aside all thoughts of returning again into their 
 country, and see it mercy that they were from Jeru- 
 salem, which was to undergo the greatest wrath of 
 the Lord. 
 
 Obn. 1. The Lord deals with his people not only 
 by his word, but also by signs and types. Here is a 
 tile, and Jerusalem portrayed upon it ; here are 
 forts, mounts, tents, rams, iron bands, all which 
 typed out God's dealing with Jerusalem ; and in this 
 language God had oft expressed himself. By the 
 rainbow in the heavens God speaks to the world. 
 Circumcision, the paschal lamb, the high priest's 
 garments, the stones in Aaron's breast, the sprinkling 
 things with blood, did all signify and t)'pe out some- 
 thing to the people. So Jeremiah's seething pot, 
 chap. i. ; his linen girdle, and bottles with wine, 
 chap. xiii. ; the potter's vessel, chap. xix. ; the 
 basket of figs, chap. xxiv. ; and yoke of iron, chap, 
 xxviii. And so all the parables in the Old and New 
 Testament, they utter forth the mind of God. God 
 hath throughout his word abundantly expressed 
 himself this way ; and the Lord doth it, because 
 types and figures make truth more evident and effi- 
 cacious. The word affects the ear; types and figures 
 affect the eye, and carry a greater efficacy with 
 them than simple and plain speech. The parable of 
 the barren fig-tree, lost sheep, prodigal son, ten vir- 
 gins, &c. had much life and efficacy in them. So 
 when Christ took a little child and set before his 
 disciples, Matt, xviii. it wrought more effectually 
 upon them than many words, and left deeper im- 
 pression in them. We may therefore see the good- 
 ness of the Lord in it, that alTords ns such helps in 
 his word as may affect our hearts most. 
 
 Obs. 2. That the Lord knows things to come, and 
 reveals them at his pleasure. He knew that Jeni- 
 salem should be besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, and 
 discovers it unto the prophet, and causes him to 
 make a draught of it ; which shows a difference be- 
 tween the true God and all others. They that can- 
 not foresee and foretell things to come, are not gods ; 
 but the God of Israel can foresee things, though afar 
 off; Psal. cxxxix. 2, "Thou understandest my 
 thoughts afar off, even from all eternity ;" and he 
 only foretells things that fall not within the reach of 
 created abilities. He foretold the Messiah, the 
 Egyptian and Babylonian captivity, and times of 
 both ; there is nothing future hid from God. We 
 know not what shall be to-morrow. Jam. iv. 14, but 
 God knows what shall be to-morrow, next year, yea, 
 hundreds and thousands of years hence, if time be so 
 long ; and this proclaims him to be God, even the 
 only true God. Isa. xli. 21- — 2.3, God calls there to 
 other gods, to bring forth their reasons whereby to 
 prove their divinity ; let them show what is past, and 
 things that are to come, and then he will take them 
 for strong reasons, and acknowledge them gods with 
 himself ; but to tell things past and things to come, 
 can none but the Loi'd himself, and they to whom 
 he reveals them.
 
 128 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Ch.u'. IV. 
 
 Obs. 3. God's appointment and authority makes 
 things and actions mean and ridiculous in the eyes of 
 the world to be weighty and of great use. It seems 
 to carnal reason a childish thing, that the prophet 
 should take a tile, draw the city upon it, make forts, 
 mounts, warlike engines to batter it, yea, to take " a 
 pan of iron" and set between him and the city; 
 these men of the world arc apt to look at as ridicu- 
 lous, much like the practice of boys in a snow, that 
 make forts, mounts, &c. in sport. But be not de- 
 ceived ; what the infinitely wise God commands, is of 
 great concernment, how mean soever the things and 
 actions about those things appear. The legal wor- 
 ship, if you look upon it in itself, seems strange ; that 
 they should kill so many beasts, and burn them to 
 ashes; that the tabernacle, and things belonging to it, 
 shouldbe sprinkled with blood ; that they must refrain 
 from such meats, be unclean if they touch such things ; 
 be circumcised, cat a paschal lamb, &c. ; I say, if we 
 look at them externally, they seem irrational things, 
 but if we eye God commanding them, they had an 
 excellency, and were of great use to them, and in- 
 stnmients of much good. Now bread, wine, water, 
 in baptism and the supper of the Lord, seem mean 
 things, and such they are as are common to the 
 world ; but Christ's appointment to use these makes 
 the ditfcrence ; that gives dignitatem et pomlus, dig- 
 nity and weiglit, so that they are of great virtue to 
 tliera that rightly partake of them. The pope and 
 his prelates have commanded and brought much into 
 the worship of God, quicquid jjoterat desiderari ad 
 eximiam .sjilmdorem, whatever could be desired for 
 imposing splendour ; but it is foolish, unsavoury, 
 unprofitable, and efficacious only to make void the 
 ordinances and commands of God. And why ? be- 
 cause the Lord never commanded such things. That 
 is contemptible in tlie eye of man, wdiich being com- 
 manded of God, is honourable and efficacious ; when 
 that which is pompous, decent, honourable in the 
 eye of the world, being not commanded of God, is 
 despicable, fruitless, and frivolous. 
 
 Obs. 4. God is an enemy to sinful cities. He bids 
 the prophet lay siege to Jerusalem, and to batter it; 
 lie who commands the ruin of a city is an enemy to 
 that city; Ezek. v. 8, " Behold, I, even I, am against 
 thee, saith the Lord." Jei'usalem was once beloved ; 
 it was God's rest and desire, Psal. cxxxii. 13, 14; 
 a faithful city, Isa. i. 21 ; a holy city, Isa. Hi. 
 I; the city of the Lord, Isa. Ix. 14; but now it 
 was become a harlot, full of murders ; the princes 
 of it were rebellious, and companions of thieves, 
 Isa. i. 21, 23. The sins of Jerusalem were very 
 great; you may read largely of them in the 16th of 
 Ezekiel, where you may tind, that Jerusalem's sins 
 and provocations exceeded Sodom's and Samaria's ; 
 she justified them in their abominations, they were 
 little, not the half of Jerusalem's ; and therefore 
 this made the Lord to say, Jcr. xxxii. 31, "This 
 city hath been to me as a pirovocation of mine anger," 
 or, for a provocati(jn of mine anger, " and of my fury 
 from the day that they built it even unto this day ; 
 that I .should remove it from before my face." 
 There was no rank of men but had greatly provoked 
 him, kings, i)rinces, priests, prophets, men of Judah, 
 and inhabitants of Jerusalem, ver. 32 ; and therefore 
 God was resolved to destroy it, and to make it a 
 curse to all nations, Jer. xxvi. 0, and pronounced a 
 woe to it in Zeph. iii. 1 — 4, where you further see 
 what a city Jerusalem was now become, and what 
 her citizens were : " Woe to her that is filthy and 
 polluted, to the oppressing city ! She obeyed not 
 the voice ; she received not correction ; she trusted 
 not in the Lord ; she drew not near to lier God. 
 Her princes witliin her are roaring lions ; her 
 
 judges are evening wolves ; they gnaw not the bones 
 till the morrow. Her prophets are light and treach- 
 erous persons ; her priests have polluted the sanc- 
 tuary, they have done violence to the law. The 
 just Lord is in the midst thereof," &c. And in the 
 (ith verse, " their cities are destroyed, so that there is 
 no man, no inhabitant." Sin makes God to lay waste 
 great cities ; Tyre, Sidon, Sodom, Gomorrah, Babylon, 
 Jerusalem, felt the stroke and strength of God's wrath. 
 
 Obs. 5. Nothing secures a sinful city from ruin. 
 Let it be strongly built, well fortified, abound with 
 soldiers and munition, have great privileges, yet all 
 these protect it not from invasion, from destruction. 
 Jerusalem is besieged, ruined, burnt with fire ; this 
 Jerusalem was the city of David, I Kings ix. 24; 
 and God did great things for David's sake, Isa. xxxvii. 
 35 ; it was the holy city, Neh. xi. IS ; a strong city, 
 Psal. xxxi. 21 ; the joyous city, Isa. xxxii. 13; the 
 city of solemnities, Isa. xxxiii. 20; the perfection 
 of beauty, and joy of the whole earth. Lam. ii. 15. 
 It was the city wdiich had the temple, the oracles, 
 and ordinances of God, and greatest jjrivileges that 
 ever city had ; therefore it is said, kings should 
 bring presents thither, Psal. Ixviii. 29. It was the 
 city that God himself chose above all others, to put 
 his name there, I Kings xiv. 21 ; and hereupon it 
 was called oft the city of God, Psal. xlvi. 4; the 
 city of the great King, Psal. xlviii. 2 ; the city of 
 the Lord of hosts, ver. 8. And for her .situation, it 
 was among mountains, Psal. cxxv. 2; had towers 
 ar.d bulwarks, Psal. xlviii. 12, 13 : and was account- 
 ed impregnable: Lam. iv. 12, "The kings of the 
 earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would 
 not have Ijelieved that the enemy should have en- 
 tered into the gates of Jerusalem." It was con- 
 ceived to be of invincible strength ; therefore the 
 Jebusites, when David came to take it, placed the 
 lame and blind to defend it, thinking them sufficient 
 to keep out David and all his strength, 2 vSam. v. 6, 
 7,8. But nol withstanding all these particulars, this 
 was the city to bo visited, Jer. vi. G : and why ? she 
 was wholly oppression in the midst of her; she 
 cast out wickedness as a fountain waters, ver. 7- 
 This was the city to be besieged and made desolate, 
 Jer. xix. 8; yea a curse, Jer. xxvi. 6. Nineveh 
 was the great city, Jonah i. 2, but its greatness 
 ju'cservcd it not, Neh. iii. Babylon was the golden 
 city, and yet it ceased, Isa. xiv. 4. Jerusalem ex- 
 ceeded all in favours, in privileges, in promises of 
 safety, yet this city is invaded, taken, and laid even 
 with the ground. Let none therefore confide in 
 cities, in any created strength, in any arm of flesh : 
 men are exceeding apt to do it ; some trust in chari- 
 ots, some m horses, some in cities, some m princes 
 and great men ; but you will find horses, and chari- 
 ots, and cities vain things ; and for men, that there 
 is no trusting in them at any time : therefore saith 
 David, Psal. Ixii. 8, "Trust in the Lord at all 
 times ; ye people pour out your heart before him : 
 God is a refuge for us ;" other things are not : and 
 because you will think men are ccmsiderable, he adds, 
 " Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of 
 high degree are a lie," they will deceive if you con- 
 fide in them. 
 
 Obs. (). The .sins of a people and city may be so 
 provoking, at such a height, that neither God nor 
 man will show mercy to them. God bids him set an 
 iron ]r.\n between him and them; showing, that 
 both liimself, and the army that he should bring, 
 would be as iron to them. They had iron hearts 
 and necks, Isa. xlviii. 4, and would not yield to God ; 
 and now he would be so to them, and cause their 
 enemies also to be such; God would set his face 
 against them, and the faces of their adversaries.
 
 Ver. 12—15. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 120 
 
 Great sins make God inexorable, severe ; Ezck. xiv. 
 13, 14, "When the land sins grievously, I will 
 stretch out my hand, and cut oft' man and beast ; 
 and though Noah, Job, and Daniel were in it, they 
 should deliver but their own souls ;" all dicir prayers, 
 tears, righteousness, interest in God, should extend 
 no further than themselves. God now had shut his 
 eyes, and would not look upon them ; he had stopped 
 his ears, and would not hear them praying, nor 
 others for them. He was set against them, resolved 
 to punish them ; therefore no miseries, no com- 
 plaints, no sufferings of the living, or groans of the 
 dying, could prevail with him ; and when the anny 
 came, it used them severely enough. 
 
 Obs. 7. The Lord sends out his declarations before 
 he causes destructions. " This shall be a sign to the 
 house of Israel." God steals not upon men by pub- 
 lic judgments before they hear of them, but tells 
 them of their coming while they are at some dis- 
 tance ; the projihets hear of them, and they ])ro- 
 claim and discover them some way or other. This 
 fact of the prophet's would quickly spread and be at 
 Jerusalem, and so might be a warning unto them. 
 God sends out the lightning before he thunders, he 
 frowns before he smites, and gives tokens of his 
 coming in wrath before he executes it. 
 
 Ver. 4 — 8. Lie tlwu also i/pon tht/ left side, 
 and lay the ini(ii(ity of the house of Israel vpon 
 it : according to the number oj^ the dai/s that thou 
 shah lie upon it thou shalt bear their init^uiti/. 
 For I hare laid upon thee the years of their 
 iniijuity, according to the number of the days, 
 three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou 
 bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And 
 u'hen thou hast accomplished them, lie again on 
 thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of 
 the house of Jiidah forty days : I have appointed 
 thee each day for a year. Therefore thou shalt 
 set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and 
 thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt pro- 
 phesy against it. And, behold, I will lay bands 
 upo7i thee, and thou shall not turn thee from one 
 side to another, till thou hast ended the days of 
 thy siege. 
 
 In these verses the prophet proceeds in the typi- 
 cal besieging of Jerusalem ; and the words declare 
 to us the duration of the siege, which was to be 
 many days ; and the cause of it, their iniquity. 
 
 The word " inicjuily " notes here, not sin, but the 
 punishment of sin, and in that sense it is oft used 
 in sacred language: Isa. liii. 6, "The Lord hath 
 laid on him the iniquity of us all," that is, the 
 punishment of our sin ; and Psal. Ixix. 27, " Add 
 ini(|uity unto their iniquity," that is, punish their 
 ini(|uity ; punishment is an inseparable companion 
 of sin, and therefore it hath the name of sin. And 
 the prophet was to bear their iniijuity ; that is, the 
 punishment of it. This he did representatively, by 
 tliis act of lying upon his side so long; setting out 
 the long-suffering of God, who had borne with the 
 sins of this people, and not punished them as they 
 deserved. Our prophet did not here represent Christ, 
 who bare our iniquities j but at the command of God 
 he sustained the person of the ten tribes and king- 
 dom of Judah ; and therefore it is said, ver. 5, '■ I 
 have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity," I 
 have appointed thee, by lying on thy side so many 
 days, to represent the time they have offended me 
 by their idolatries and sins attending the same, and 
 so to set out my patience, and aggravate the punish- 
 
 ment of their sin. Christ bare the sin of men to 
 take away the punishment of it; the proj/het, to 
 increase the same. 
 
 For our better understanding of these hierogly- 
 phical passages in the verses read, we shall make 
 inquiry into sundry things. 
 
 1. Whether our prophet did in the literal sense 
 lie so many days upon his side, or was it only in 
 vision ? 
 
 Some make it real, and say, Ezekiel did lie upon 
 his side all the days that are mentioned ; althouCTh 
 he slept not all the time, yet he lay in that posture; 
 and that it was by special help of God, if nature 
 could not of itself reach unto it. Yet it is related 
 of a noble man of Louvain, who lay sixteen years in 
 one posture, viz. with his face upwards ; and Pradus 
 saith, he saw a madman which had lain upon one 
 side fifteen years. Theodoret thinks he lay bound 
 all this time, and felt most grievous pain, that so he 
 might represent the great miseries of Jerusalem's 
 siege, which suffered great famine. 
 
 'This opinion hath many and great authors ; yet I 
 must join with those who are for the prophet's 
 visional lying on his side. For besides that nature 
 could not bear it, how shall we clear the justice of 
 God, that should for the idolatries and sins of others, 
 which former prophets had reproved, so greatly 
 afflict and punish one innocent. 
 
 Again, he was to prepare himself bread, ver. 15 
 of this chapter ; he was to set his face against the 
 mountains of Israel, chap. vi. 2 ; and if he lay 
 still all these days on his sides, how could either of 
 these be done ? It is also said in the Sth chapter, 
 ver. I, " In the sixth year, in the sixth month, in 
 the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, 
 and the eldei's of Judah sat before me, that the hand 
 of the Lord God fell there upon me." If Ezekiel did 
 in the letter lie so many days, the time was not ex- 
 pired; for the prophet had his first vision in the 
 fifth year of the captivity, the fourth month, and 
 the fifth day, chap. i. 2 ; and seven days after 
 this vision he had another, chap. iii. 15, which 
 made it the twelfth day of that month ; and on that 
 day he was commanded to lie on his side ; and if 
 you reckon from thence, you will find not above 
 413, as Pradus reckons it, or 418; and then if you 
 join the days the prophet lay on his side, they 
 amount to 430. So it will then appear the prophet 
 had twelve or seventeen days to lie on his side, when 
 the text saith, " he sat before the elders." This lying 
 therefiu'e is to be taken visionally, not really. 
 
 2. What the lying on the left side points out unto 
 us ; and why the iniquity of Israel is laid upon that 
 side. Tliere is some mystery in it, and the opinions 
 of men are different. Some make the reason of it 
 to be the situation of Samaria, which was the head 
 city of the ten tribes, Isa. vii. 9, and this city was 
 on the left hand of Jerusalem, Ezek. xvi. 46 ; and 
 thereupon the prophet lay on his left side, to repre- 
 sent them and their sins, and on his right to repre- 
 sent the house of Judah and their sins. But beyond 
 this, t'nere is something to be taken hold of, and it 
 is this ; the left side, or hand, notes disrespect ; the 
 right side, or hand, dignity or favour; Watt. xxv. 34, 
 41, the good were on the right hand, the bad on tlie 
 left. By this posture of the prophet, is typed out to 
 us the different respect of God to the house of Israel 
 and Judah. The ten tyibcs were less dear to God 
 than the other ; they had grievous sins, and God 
 would show them less mercy, deal with them as 
 those at his left side. But for Judah, whose sins 
 were as great as theirs, yet God would chastise with 
 less severity ; he would" not take away his loving- 
 kindness from Judah, though he did from Israel;
 
 130 
 
 Judah was at his right side, and God would in his 
 distribution of sorrow and wratli remember mercy. 
 
 3. Whom we are to understand here by the house 
 of Israel. The ten tribes, which are usually so 
 called in the Scripture, were carried into captivity 
 130 years before by Shahnaneser, in the sixth year 
 of Hezekiah, 2 Kings xviii. 9, 10. To what end, 
 therefore, should they be brought in here, under a 
 typical siege of Jerusalem, when they sinned not at 
 Jerusalem ; and if they had, were now gone, and 
 under the severity of God ? 
 
 Some take " the house of Israel " to be meant dis- 
 tinctly of the ten tribes ; and this lying of the pro- 
 phet on his left side not to refer to Jerusalem's siege, 
 but to the sins of the ti'ihes, and the patience of God 
 towards them. Others include the house of Israel 
 in the house of Judah, and so make not the prophet's 
 literal lying to look at the ten tribes in captivity, but 
 at those of them who were joined to the house of 
 Judah. • For when the great rent was by Jeroboam, 
 all of the ten tribes did not cleave to him ; and many 
 that at lirst did, afterwards seeing the evil of his 
 idolatrous ways, withdrew from him, and closed with 
 the house of Judah; 2 C'liron. xi. 16, 17, when they 
 saw what Jeroboam intended those that " set their 
 hearts to seek God came to Jerusalem to sacrifice, 
 and strengthened the kingdom of Judah." And in 
 Asa's days, many fell to him out of Ephraim, Ma- 
 nasseh, and Simeon, 2 Chron. xv. 9 ; yea, in abun- 
 dance : Asa being a good king, they came flocking 
 to him, and willingly sat down under his shade. It 
 is more than probable also, that when Shalmaneser 
 came out against Samaria, and carried away the 
 tribes, that many fled to Jerusalem, and the parts 
 there about ; for it is said in 2 Chron. xxx. 6, " That 
 they escapedout of the hand of the kino;s of Assyria;" 
 and in the 11th verse, that divers of " Asher, Ma- 
 nasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves, and came 
 to Jerusalem ;" this was to receive the passover, and 
 then they returned to their possessions in their own 
 cities, chap. xxxi. 1. So that there^were some of the 
 other tribes left, which did partly mingle with them 
 of Judah and Benjamin, and partly dwell by them- 
 selves ; these, I conceive, our prophctmeans by " the 
 house of Israel," and together with these their pre- 
 decessors, which were dead, and in captivity ; and 
 that because the three hundred and ninety days, 
 which import so many years, as it is expressed in 
 the 6th verse of this chapter, must needs fetch the 
 house of Israel into this consideration from before 
 the time of their captivity ; and that is the next thing 
 we are to examine, namely, where these three hun- 
 dred and ninety days, typing out so many years, 
 Degin. 
 
 Various and intricate are the thoughts of men about 
 the beginning and ending of these years ; and it 
 would take up much time to present them unto you, 
 and per]ilex your thoughts much. 
 
 I will give you on this point, not what myself, but 
 the soundest interpreters and chronologers, do judge 
 the truth. 
 
 Kunecius and Bibliander, two famous chronologers, 
 begin this account at the falling oft' of the ten tribes, 
 1 Kings xii. ; and so do interpreters of much worth. 
 
 Lavater, Polanns, Pradus, A Lapide, and Sanctius, 
 begin it at the beginning of the Jewish monarchy, be- 
 tween lichoboam and Jeroboam; then were the 
 calves set up at Dan and Bethel, and the ten tribes 
 became idolatrous, and not only Jeroboam and his 
 subjects, but Rehoboam and his likewise, forsook the 
 Lord, 2 Chron. xii. I. 
 
 From this time to the destruction of Jerusalem, 
 were three hundred and ninety years ; which will 
 thus appear : 
 
 nON UPON 
 
 
 
 Chap. IV. 
 
 Rehoboam reigned w 
 
 ell 3 
 
 years 
 
 2Chr. xi. 17. 
 
 After his rent 
 
 13 
 
 
 2 Chr. xii. 12. 
 
 Abijah his son, 
 
 3 
 
 
 2Chr. xiii. 1. 
 
 Asa 
 
 41 
 
 
 1 Kin. XV. 10. 
 
 Jehoshaphat 
 
 25 
 
 
 1 Kin. xxii. 42. 
 
 Jehoram 
 
 8 
 
 
 2 Chr. xxi. 5. 
 
 Ahaziah 
 
 1 
 
 
 2 Chr. xxii. 2. 
 
 Athaliah 
 
 7 
 
 
 2 Kin. xi. 4. 
 
 Jehoash 
 
 40 
 
 
 2 Kin. xii. 1. 
 
 Amaziah 
 
 29 
 
 
 2 Kin. xiv. 2. 
 
 Azariah 
 
 52 
 
 
 2 Kin. xv. 2. 
 
 Jotham 
 
 16 
 
 
 2 Kin. XV. 33. 
 
 Ahaz 
 
 16 
 
 
 2 Kin. xvi. 2. 
 
 Hezekiah 
 
 29 
 
 
 2 Kin. xviii. 2. 
 
 Manasseh 
 
 55 
 
 
 2 Kin. xxi. 1. 
 
 Anion 
 
 2 
 
 
 2 Kin. xxi. 19. 
 
 Josiah 
 
 31 
 
 
 2 Kin. xxii. 1. 
 
 Jehoahaz 
 
 3 
 
 months 
 
 2 Kin. xxiii. 31. 
 
 Jehoiakira 
 
 11 
 
 
 2 Kin. xxiii. 36. 
 
 Jehoiachin 
 
 3 
 
 months 
 
 2 Kin. xxiv. 8. 
 
 Zedekiah 
 
 11 
 
 
 2 Kin. xxiv. 18. 
 
 These summed, being added together, make up 390 
 years. Junius begins this account at the 27th year 
 of Solomon's reign, when he and the people fell to 
 idolatry, and extends it to the 5th year after Zede- 
 kiah's captivity ; but acconhng to the account for- 
 merly given, this amounts to a greater sum ; besides, 
 Solomon did not by any public ethct set up idolatry, 
 nor abolish the true worship of God. 
 
 The next thing to be opened, is the forty days, 
 referring to the house of Judah, in the 6th verse; 
 and here it is questioned whether these years are to 
 be taken inclusively in the three hundred and ninety, 
 or exclusively and distinct from them. Some com- 
 prehend them in the three hundred and ninety days, 
 because otherwise they would not be finished before 
 the vision in the 8th chapter, ver. 1, as hath formerly 
 been showed ; but the prophet's lying on his sides, 
 being visional, not real, it makes not against a chs- 
 tinct exception of these forty years from the three 
 hundred and ninety ; for he might in a vision see 
 that he must bear the iniquity of the house of Israel 
 three hundred and ninety days, and the iniquity of 
 the house of Judah forty days, and this vision be 
 over long before either number of days were accom- 
 plished. Neither is that in the 9th verse sutfieient 
 to jirove these forty years are to be taken inclusively 
 from the words, " three hundred and ninety days shalt 
 thou eat thereof." Some collect that the prophet was 
 to lie no longer on his sides than he was to eat of 
 the meat prepared ; if it had been said in the verse, 
 Make thee bread according to the number of the 
 days that thou shalt lie upon thy sides, this argument 
 had been strong; but it is, "according to the number 
 of the days that thou shalt lie upon thy side," that 
 was his left side, and so the argument is invalid. I 
 conceive the forty years to be taken distinct from the 
 other number, because in the 5th verse you have the 
 three hundred and ninety laid upon the prophet to 
 bear for the house of Israel ; if forty be excepted 
 out of them, then there remains three hundred and 
 fifty ; and it could not be said, " So shalt thou bear 
 the iniquity of the house of Israel;" neither could 
 it be said, "When thou hast accomplished them, lie 
 again on thy right side ;" he could not reach that 
 number if forty years were cut off: and here is also 
 a distinct command, " Lie again on thy right side," 
 that is, after those three hundred and ninety be 
 finished, then turn thee to the other side, and lie on 
 it forty days. These forty days for so many years, 
 are not additional to the three hundred and ninety, 
 but he is to begin again; and that forty years witliin 
 the three hundred and ninety, yet not as part of
 
 Ver. 4-8. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 131 
 
 them, or included in them, l)ut as a new account, a 
 day for a year, to represent God's patience toward 
 the house of Judah. 
 
 These forty years some make to be the tyrannical, 
 bloody, and idolatrous reigii of Manasseh, 2 Chron. 
 xxxiii.; who having forty years opposed Judah, was 
 carried into captivity, and after ten years' suS'cring 
 returned, purged out idolatry, and for fifteen years 
 served the Lord ; these forty provoking years God 
 bare witli Judah. Others begin the time of these 
 forty years from the thirteenth of Josiah unto the 
 end of Zedekiah, the space between tliese is forty 
 years ; God now looked for a reformation, but they 
 became worse and worse, as by 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16 
 doth evidently appear. Whether we pitch these 
 forty years upon Manasseh's ill reign, or the time 
 after, is not much material ; so many years did the 
 Lord bear with Judah in a special manner ; only 
 take notice, that some reckon these forty years not 
 from the thirteenth of Josiah, but from the eighteenth, 
 wherein was the covenant renewed between God and 
 the people, and then they reckon five years after the 
 captivity of Zedekiah, to make up the forty years, 
 for it is the opinion of learned men, that it was five 
 years after his carrying away, that Nebuzaradan 
 came and burnt both temple and city. 
 
 Some make the three hundred and ninety days 
 not only to set out God's patience, but to demonstrate 
 the time of Jerusalem's siege, and God's just hand 
 in it ; which, upon due observation, will be found to 
 be just so many days, although there be a great dif- 
 ficulty to make it evident. For in Jer. lii. 4, 5, 6, 
 you may read that in the ninth year of Zedekiah's 
 reign, the tenth month, and tenth day, Nebuchad- 
 nezzar besieged Jerusalem, and that his siege lasted 
 to the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the fourth month, 
 and ninth day. Now the time between comes up 
 towards eighteen months, and makes five hundred 
 
 Sanciiiis saitii. thirty and nine days, which sum con- 
 ^^- tains a hundred forty and nine days 
 
 more than our prophet's three hundred and ninety, 
 which make but thirteen months precisely, thirty 
 days the month : so that here are five months more 
 in this siege, according to Jeremiah, than we have 
 in this type of Ezekiel. To clear this difficulty we 
 must take notice, that in time of this siege Pharaoh 
 king of Egypt came to help Zedekiah, and raised 
 the siege ; Jer. xxxvii. 5, " Then Pharaoh's army 
 was come forth out of Egypt : and when the Chal- 
 deans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, 
 they departed from Jerusalem:" and so, ver. 11, it 
 is thought they brake up the siege to go and meet 
 Pharaoh's army, which being discomfited, turned 
 back to Egypt, and the Chaldeans to Jerusalem, 
 ver, 7, 8. Five months were spent this way, which 
 Jeremiah reckons in to the siege of Jerusalem. 
 These our prophet leaves out, and looks precisely at 
 the time they were about Jerusalem, which was 
 three hundred and ninety days, or thirteen months. 
 And so you have this difficulty resolved. 
 
 Ver. 7. " Set thy face toward the siege of Jeru- 
 salem." That is, strengthen, harden thy face against 
 them, be inexorable. And this notes out the ob- 
 stinacy of the Chaldeans that should besiege them ; 
 they were a resolute people, and would not be 
 wearied out with ditficvdties, or easily hearken to en- 
 treaties ; herein the prophet takes on him the pei"- 
 son of the enemy, and shows he should be stern 
 against them. 
 
 " Thine arm shall be uncovered." Soldiers of old 
 were wont to have their arms naked in fight ; the 
 pictures of the ancient warriors and wortliies are so 
 
 Geiiius.i.T.c. painted; and P. Africanus upbraided 
 '-■ Sulpicius Galbus, quod lunicit: ulcielur 
 
 K 2 
 
 miimcatis uU fccmina', because he made use of 
 robes with sleeves after the fashion of women ; 
 and some interpreters say, that the Indians and 
 Africans do it to this day, thcv fight with their 
 arms naked. Here it shows "the readiness and 
 diligence of the Chaldeans, whom our prophet 
 doth personate, to execute their resolution, and 
 shortly to fight against Jerusalem. They would not 
 come with faint hearts, or feeble hands ; but as their 
 faces were set against the city, so their arms were 
 naked and prepared against it'; not in their bosoms, 
 in their pockets ; not folded up, but naked and 
 stretched out, ready to do service : and so the Vul- 
 gate reads the word extentujn, not uncovered, but 
 stretched out, \\hich implies the uncovering, and 
 more. A like phrase to this you have in Isa. lii. 10, 
 "The Lord hath made bare his holy arm :" as ser- 
 vants strip up their sleeves, make their arms bare, 
 and ready for service ; so the Lord made bare his 
 arms, and put forth his power to do some choice ser- 
 vice for his people. In this manner was the pro- 
 phet to prophesy unto the people. 
 
 Ver. 8. " I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt 
 not turn from one side to another," &c. Some make 
 the bands real, and take the words in a literal sense ; 
 but we are to look at all herein as visional. And 
 here is commended the cause of the Chaldeans' ob- 
 stinacy and resoluteness in this siege and ruin of 
 Jerusalem, and that is, the authority and command 
 of God. He commanded the projihet to lay siege to 
 Jerusalem, to lie on his side till he had ended the 
 days of his siege ; and by the band of his power he 
 held him so to it in the vision, that he could not do 
 otherwise ; and this typed out the authority and 
 power of God in the king of Babylon towards his 
 soldiers, who should hold them so to the siege of 
 Jerusalem, that they should not depart till they had 
 accomplished it. Their going away to meet the 
 Egyptian army, and drive that back, was in order to 
 the siege of Jerusalem ; and these military forces 
 were as bands upon Jerusalem, whose condition the 
 prophet here sustained, and when the Chaldeans com- 
 passed the city about, they could not turn aside any way 
 till the firm decree of the Lord was accomplished. 
 
 Obs. 1. That God bears with the sins of his people, 
 though great, a long time, and forbears the punish- 
 ment due to them. Three hundred and ninety years 
 did he sufier them, which 'marvellously commends 
 to us the patience of God. They provoked him 
 daily, most bitterly, and did evil as they could, Hos. 
 xii. 1, 14; Jer. iii. 5 ; yet God held his peace and 
 his hands for hundreds of years ; and therefore saith, 
 in Isa. xlii. 14, "I have long time holden my peace ; 
 I have been still, and refrained myself." If God had 
 not power in him to punish, his suffering with sin- 
 ners so long were not so much ; but God hath power 
 enough to be avenged on all the sinners of the earth ; 
 he could crush them as a moth in his hand, every 
 moment; he hates sin with a perfect hatred, and yet 
 he bears with notorious sinners, with all sinners and 
 sins, deferring the punishment of them sometimes a 
 long season ; so that he is not only patient, but long- 
 suftering : 1 Pet. iii. 20, " The hmg-suffering of God 
 waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a pre- 
 paring." What' did it wait for ? even their repent- 
 ance. Noah preached unto them of the flood, warn- 
 ed them by preparing of an ark, and God expected 
 they should amend and turn to him ; and it was a 
 huridred years at least he waited upon that genera- 
 tion ; and now, " the Lord is long-sufTering to us-ward, 
 not willing that any should perish, but that all should 
 come to repentance," 2 Pet. iii. 9. If we will not repent 
 of our sin, God will repent of his long-sulTering ; his 
 wrath will kindle, and we shall perish, be inexcus-
 
 132 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. IV. 
 
 Jilile, and have the deeper condemnation for abuse of 
 his long-suffering. 
 
 Obs. 2. Though the Lord bear long with sinners, 
 yet he forgets not their sins ; they are in his book, 
 sealed up in his bag, Jobxiv. I/, among his treasures, 
 Dcut. xxxii. 34. It is a speech borrowed from men 
 that count up their money, look over their writings, 
 and put them into bags, and seal them up, that they 
 may be safe, and reserved for a long time : so God 
 keeps men's sins safe by him, and that a long season, 
 and then at length, when they have forgot them, he 
 unseals the bag, and brings them forth, and shows 
 them how their sins have abounded, what a treasury 
 of sin they have, and what a frcasviry of wrath he 
 hath, Rom. ii. 5. God remembered the defection of 
 Israel, which was almost three hundred and ninety 
 years before ; and however men think of their sins 
 past, God will nib their memories, revive their 
 consciences, and indict them for old sins : Job xiii. 
 2(), " Thou makest me to possess the iniquities of 
 my youth." Job xx. 11, " His bones are full (jf the 
 sin of his youth." Psal. xxv. 7, " Remember not 
 the sins of my youth." God presented before them 
 their youthful sins that had been committed many 
 years before. 2 Sam. xxi. 1, Saul was dead, but his 
 sin was alive; there was a triennial famine, and for 
 whose sake was it ? " for Saul's, and his bloody 
 house, because he slew the Gibeonitcs," which was 
 done many years before ; but here God remembers 
 the sin, and visits it upon the heads of his sons; 
 seven of them suffer for that sin. Nah. 1, 2, "The 
 Lord rcserveth wrath ;" he doth not presently punish 
 sinners, but twenty, thirty, forty years after he 
 reckons with them, and pours out the wrath re- 
 served : when he hath had the glory of his patience, 
 then God visits for old sins. Isa. slii. 4, God had 
 been silent a long time ; " Now will I cry like a 
 travailing woman ; I will destroy and devour at 
 once :" patience being ended, God's wrath begins, 
 and revives the guilt and sin that hath lain asleep 
 so long. Joseph's brethren being in affliction, their 
 sins came to mind. Gen. xlii. 21, "We are verily 
 guilty concerning our brother :" they had sold him 
 long before, above twenty years, and thought they 
 should never hear of him, or their sins in the 
 sale of him ; but now in a strait God brings that sin 
 to memory : sin is not over when it is acted, but 
 may be heard of many years after. It is likely now 
 in these afflictive times, that many meet with their 
 old sins, and they lie hard upon them ; let that be 
 the prayer of such, which you find, Psal. Ixxix. 8, 
 " O remember not against us former iniquities : let 
 thy tender mercies speedily prevent us, for we are 
 brought very low." And "take heed of sinning for 
 the future against God ; for be " sure your sin will 
 find you out," Numb, xxxii. 23, and be thorns, not in 
 your flesh, but in your consciences ; old sins will be 
 old serpents, sting unto death : Isa. x. 3, " What 
 will ye do in the day of visitation?" Ezek. xxii. 
 14, " Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands 
 be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee ?" 
 
 06,?. 3. Such is the nature of states and churches, 
 that falling into sinful ways, they seldom return, 
 but proceed, adding sin to sin, filling up the measure 
 of their iniquities. Jeroboam makes a rent, lays a 
 foundation in idolatrous practices, and the house of 
 Israel continue in that way three hundred and ninety 
 years, not one king of Israel right. Solomon goes 
 out by the enticing of his wives to false worship, he 
 corrvipts Judah, leavens it with idolatry, and not all 
 the good kings in Judah could get out that leaven 
 again perfectly ; if there were a stop of idolatrous 
 passages made in one king's reign, there was liberty 
 granted in another's. Idolatry and other sins so 
 
 abounded in Ahaz's, Manasseh's, and Zedekiah's days, 
 that the Lord was weary of them, and not quiet till 
 he had rejected them. And this is not only so in 
 states and churches, but also in particular cases ; if 
 men fall into any way of wickedness, so corrupt is 
 nature, so prone imto sin, that it persists unto its 
 own perdition, rather than returns to its own salva- 
 tion : it must be a merciful and powerful hand of 
 God that reduceth a straying sinner, much more a 
 straying state. 
 
 Obs. 4. That length of time is no good plea for 
 errors, false worship, sinful customs and practices. 
 They could plead hundreds of years for their high 
 places, calves, Samaritan rites, altars, priests, Sec. 
 yet antiquity would not exempt them from guilt and 
 pimishment. He " must bear the iniquity of the 
 house of Israel ;" they had sinned in the erection, 
 use, and retention of these, and God had visited, and 
 would yet visit more for them. What if w'e have 
 had prelacy and popery, ceremonies and supersti- 
 tious rites among us hundreds of years ? they are 
 plants not of God's planting, and through age so 
 rotten, that they need plucking up, and it will be his 
 honour whose shoulder and strength is employed 
 that way. 
 
 Obs. 5. The Lord shows more favour to his people, 
 sinning great sins, than he doth to others that are not 
 his. The house of Israel hath the left side, is Lo-am- 
 vu, none of God's pieople, and therefore utterly re- 
 jected, sent into captivity, and return not ; the house 
 of Judah hath the right side, God would show them 
 favour in their captivity, and return them after 
 seventy years' correction in Babylon. God's car- 
 riage towards his senants is dilferent from that 
 towards others : Psal. Ixxxix. 30 — 33, " If his chil- 
 dren forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments ; 
 if they break my statutes, and keep not my command- 
 ments ; then will I visit their transgression with the 
 rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless 
 my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him." 
 Here God took not away loving-kindness utterly from 
 Judah, sending her into captivity, but it was utterly 
 taken from Israel ; if the one be whipi)ed with 
 rods, the other is whipped with scorpions. Saul 
 sins in offering sacrifice, 1 Sam. xiii. in sparing 
 Agag, I Sam. xv. David sins in the defilement of 
 Bathshelia, in the murdering of Uriah, 2 Sam. xi. 
 in numbering of the people, 2 Sam. xxiv. Solomon 
 sins in hearkening to his wives, in falling to idolatry. 
 Yet God dealt not with David or Solomon, whose 
 sins were greater than Saul's, as he did with Saul : 
 Thy kingdom shall not continue, saith Samuel, and 
 the Lord hath rejected thee from being king : and 
 it repented God that he had set up Saul to be king, 
 I Sam. XV. 1 l.andhedealtseverely vvithhim,hewould 
 not answer him in his straits, but cut him off by the 
 Philistines' and his own sword. So that he and his 
 were broken in pieces, and rooted out by the wrath 
 of God ; but David and Solomon were chastised with 
 the rods of men, 2 Sam. vii. 14 : and see what follow- 
 eth in the next verse, " My mercy shall not depart 
 away from him," (meaning Solomon, when he com- 
 mitted iniquity,) " as I took it from Saul, whom I 
 put away before thee." God proceeds otherwise 
 with wicked men than he doth with his children; 
 there is much love in all their afflictions, and mere 
 wrath in all the wicked's sufl'erings. Peter's sin in 
 denying Christ was greater than Ananias's and 
 Sapphira's in denying a portion of their goods, and 
 almost parallel with Judah's ; yet he hath a gra- 
 cious aspect from Christ, fetching penitent tears from 
 his heart, when the others are smitten with strokes 
 of death. 
 
 Obs. 6. The instruments God uses in the execution
 
 Ver. y— 17. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 133 
 
 of his judgments shall be resolute, ready, and active. 
 " Set thy face toward the siege, and thine arm shall 
 be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy." The Chal- 
 deans were resolute upon the siege, came fitted every 
 way to it, and were active in the work : Hah. i. 8 — 10, 
 " They shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat; — 
 they shall gather the captivity as the sand ; — they 
 shall deride every strong-hold, for they shall heap 
 dust and take it." When God will have any notable 
 work done, he raiseth up instruments for it. 
 
 Obs. 7. God's power and providence overrules 
 secondary agents so, that they shall execute his 
 pleasure, and not disappoint it. God laid bands 
 upon the prophet, and he could turn no way till he 
 had accomplished the days of the siege ; and when 
 the king of Babylon and his forces were come to the 
 work, God held them to it, and executed his judg- 
 ments by them. Pilate would have quit his hands 
 of Christ's death, but he w-as to be an instrument, 
 together with Judas and others, and they did what 
 the hand and counsel of God determined to be done. 
 Acts iv. 28. Moses would have declined the work 
 of bringing out the Israelites from Egypt, and bring- 
 ing in of judgments upon the Egyptians, but God 
 ordered and overruled his spirit. 
 
 Ver. 9 — 17. Take thou also unto thee wheat, 
 and barley, and Leans, and lentiles, and millet, 
 andjifches, and put them in one vessel, a)id make 
 thee bread thereof, according- to the number of the 
 days that thou shalt lie xipon thy side, three hun- 
 dred and ninetii days shalt thou eat thereof. And 
 thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, 
 twenty shekels a day : from time to time shalt thou 
 eat it. Thou shalt drink also water by measui'e, 
 the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt 
 thou drink. And thou shalt eat it as barlei/ cakes, 
 and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of 
 man, in their sight.' And the Lord said. Even 
 thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled 
 bread among the Gentiles, tvhither I tvill drive 
 them. Then said I, Ah Lord God ! behold, my 
 soul hath not been polluted : for from my youth up 
 even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of 
 itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there 
 abominable fesh into my mouth. Then he said 
 unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow's dung for 
 man's dung; and thou shalt prepare thy bread 
 therewith. Moreover he said unto me. Son of 
 man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Je- 
 rusalem : and they shall eat bread by iveight, caid 
 with care; and they shall drink water by measure, 
 arid with astonishment : that they may want 
 bread and water, and be astonied one with another, 
 and consume away for their iniquity. 
 
 The time of Jerusalem's siege being typed out by 
 the prophet's side-lying, he comes here to type out 
 the grievous famine that should be in that siege ; 
 and this he doth, 
 
 1. From the coarse materials they should make 
 their bread of, in ver. 9, " Wheat, barley, beans, len- 
 tiles, millet, and fitches." 
 
 2. From the quantity they should eat, ver. 10, II, 
 they must eat and drink by measure. 
 
 3. From the quality of it, ver. 12, it should be 
 bread baked with dung, defiled bread ; this was to 
 tv'pe out the Israelites' eating polluted bread among 
 the gentiles, where they were to be captives. 
 
 4. Ftom the prophet's deprecation against eating 
 
 polluted bread, ver. 14, " Ah Lord ! my soul hath 
 not been polluted," c&c. 
 
 5. From God's answer, yielding to the prophet's 
 request, in ver. 13, giving him "cow's dung for 
 man's;" and then declaring his intention in ver. I(i, 
 17, that he would "break the staff of bread," bring 
 them to extreme want, and cause them to pine 
 away. 
 
 Something I must open before I come to the in- 
 structions arising out of the words. 
 
 Ver. 10, "Twenty shekels a day." There were 
 shekels of gold, 2 Chron. iii. 9, shekels of silver, 
 2 Kings XV. 20, shekels of brass, I Sam. xvii. 5, of 
 iron also, ver. 7. Some of these sliekels are yet to 
 be found amongst antiquaries ; on one side they 
 have stamped the homer of manna, which God com- 
 manded Moses to lay up in the sauctuary, and in 
 Samaritan letters written Sekcl Inrael; and on the 
 other side is stamped Aaron's rod flourishing, with 
 these words, Jerusalem Kedoshah, be- ^ 
 cause the Scripture mentions the shekel nuniiiillfii"!'!,','' 
 of the sanctuary, as Exod. xxx. 13, K'iv'et'"m'Exod''''" 
 and Numb. iii. 50. The rabbies, and 
 many others, make a difference between shekels, 
 and say, that of the sanctuary was holy, and of 
 twenty gerahs ; others were common, and of ten 
 gerahs, half the weight of the other; and this 
 opinion hath prevailed much amongst authors ; 
 but I find it by later writers opposed, gi^^^^, .^ ^ 
 and especially by Vilalpandus. It is weiahi, fmm 
 called the shekel of the sanctuary, not f;ot„''i,\lZ:V'od, 
 because it differed from others, but for *'"'J ?caie, m 
 that It was kept there to be a standard 
 and measure for all the rest, that there might not 
 be great and small shekels at the pleasure of men, 
 and mischief accrue that way. They hold that the 
 shekels were all of one weight, though not of one 
 substance ; and that, 
 
 First, because no just reason can be given why 
 they should differ, and so doubts be multiplied of 
 what shekel it was meant, when mention is made of 
 shekels and half shekels, as Exod. xxx. 13, and the 
 third part of a shekel, Neh. x. 32. 
 
 Secondly, because the shekels that are now extant 
 in the world, are of the same weight. 
 
 Thirdly, the Scriptures make the shekels that 
 were in common use, the same for weight with those 
 of the sanctuary. Observe two places, and it is evi- 
 dent : Ezek. xlv. 9 — 12, he blames princes there for 
 violence and fraud, and exhorts them to use just 
 weights and measures, and then mentions the shekel, 
 which shall be twenty gerahs; this seeiev.xxvii 15. 
 was the shekel in common use: now f<"i"b. m. 47. 
 see Exod. xxx. 13, where he speaks of the shekel 
 in the sanctuary, and saith there a shekel is twenty 
 gerahs, and so the same with that in jiublic use. 
 A gerah weighed sixteen barleycorns, and twenty 
 gerahs came to three hundred and twenty barley- 
 corns, which made the weight of the shekel of the 
 sanctuary and others. Some render y^^,^ ^.^^^^ 
 the word gerah by o6o/(«, for farthings; upon Exod. xxx. 
 some by stivers, and was the value of '''■ 
 two shillings, or two shillings and four pence. For 
 the weight, which is the thing w"e are here chiefly 
 to look at, a shekel was the same with the stater 
 among the Grecians and Romans ; and Eusebius 
 calls shekels, rar^paf, and a stater was Lib. lo. -a-roici- 
 four drachms, called rf rpa^pax/iov, which *"'■ 
 
 was half an ounce, and so accordingly the twenty 
 shekels' weight was ten ounces ; so that the loaf or 
 weight of bread here allowed to the prophet, day 
 by day, was of ten ounces only. Others, that follow 
 the opinion of the common shekel, which was the 
 fourth part of an ounce, make the weight of his
 
 134 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. IV. 
 
 meat or bread, only five ounces, for so much do 
 twenty shekels amount unto ; and this is so little, 
 that hardly life can be maintained by it. I incline 
 to the former opinion, and leave it to your judgment. 
 
 Ycr. 11. "The sixth part of an hin." From the 
 bread he descends to the drink, which was no bet- 
 ter than fair water, and not overmuch of that. A 
 hin was a measure of liquid things, as of oil, wine, 
 and water, and it contained twelve of those measures 
 Maimon. i„ his which are called logs, of which you 
 V?"?^'"^'''"^'' ^^^'^ '" hev. xiv. 10, " One log of oil," 
 which Ainsworth saith, is half a pint, 
 the rabbies, as much as six eggs ; but Pradus ob- 
 serves that the eggs in Palestine were greater than 
 elsewhere, and that six of them would till the Ro- 
 man sextarius. And he clears a common error 
 about those eggs : they are not to be taken for the 
 eggs of fowls, which are sometimes greater, some- 
 times lesser ; but an egg was a certain standing mea- 
 sure among the Jews, in the form of an egg, and the 
 least measure they had : six of these made a log, 
 and seventy-two an hin. So that the sixth part of an 
 hin was two logs, that is, so much as twelve eggs 
 would contain ; for their measure of an egg was 
 after the proportion of ordinary eggs, and came to 
 no more then one pint, or six ounces, as some con- 
 ceive ; but a pint of water weighed comes to sixteen 
 ounces, which was very little for four and twenty 
 llours ; virei' non Iribuit, ned mortem taiittim proliibuit, 
 it did not strengthen but only prevented death ; 
 bread and water was so little, that their himger and 
 thirst were rather increased then diminished thereby. 
 
 Ver. 12. "Thou shalt bake it with dung that 
 Cometh out of man, in their sight." Poor people in 
 many places use mean things for firing ; some burn 
 straw, some brakes, some turf, some thorns, some 
 dung, but il is the dung of beasts, which being dried 
 by the wind and sun, burns well, and supplies the 
 necessity of the needy ; but the dung of man for 
 firing hath scarce been heard of This he should 
 take, and in the embers and ashes thereof bake his 
 miscellany bread, to set out the great scarcity of 
 fuel, both in their siege, and in their captivity. This 
 was a very irksome business for a prophet, to gather 
 the dung of men, to dry it, make fires with it, and 
 prepare his diet with such unsavoury fire, and that 
 in their sight, not privately ; this did much troidile 
 him ; but especially to eat such bread: and this sets 
 out also the great haste and hunger they should be 
 in ; tliey should not stay till the bread was baked 
 in an oven, but presently hastened their dough to 
 the fire, though never so unwholesome. 
 
 Ver. 13. " Defiled bread." Because, in Lev. xix. 
 19, they were forbid to sow their fields with mingled 
 seed, it halh been conceived thence, that this was 
 called defiled bread, because of the mixture of grain, 
 wheat, barley, beans, &c. ; but mingling of seeds 
 neither made the ground nor the bread polluted ; 
 for he is not afterwards bid to change the seeds, 
 but the dung ; it was that made it polluted bread, 
 the baking of it in so noisome a fire : and this set 
 out the coarse and polluted diet they should eat, 
 not only w hen they were besieged in Jerusalem, but 
 when they .should be in Babylon. 
 
 Ver. 14. " I have not eaten of that which dieth 
 of itself or is torn in pieces ; neither came there 
 abominable flesh in my mouth." Whosoever touch- 
 eth or eatelh of these was unclean. Lev. xi. 3'J, 40 ; 
 xxii. 8 ; Deut. xiv. 21 ; and so for their excrements, 
 the Lord is carefid they should not be defiled with 
 them, Ueut. xxiii. 10 — 14: Lev. v. 3; vii. 21. It 
 doth not appear any where in Scriphu-e, that bread 
 prepared thus is defiled, oidy here in the former 
 verse God calls it so ; and the Jews had tender, deli- 
 
 cate stomachs, which did abhor all unclean things, 
 and therefore they used much washing, and oft 
 washed their hands before meat. The strength of 
 the prophet's argument lieth thus : Lord, I have 
 never eaten any abominable polluting flesh, and how 
 shall I now eat defiled bread ? I have ever kept my- 
 self from what thy law hath forbidden, and how 
 sludl I now defile myself with that which nature it- 
 self abhors. 
 
 Ver. 15. " Cow's dung for man's dung." This was 
 less terrible to nature. This relaxation was of ad- 
 vantage to the prophet, not to the people ; for when 
 the siege came, they did more horrid and unnatural 
 tilings than eat bread baked in cow's or man's dung, 
 as you may read. Lam. iv. 10. 
 
 Ver. 16. " I will break the staff of bread." The 
 staff of bread is a metaphorical expression, borrowed 
 from staves, used by those who are weak, sickly, 
 and aged ; by their staves they help and support 
 themselves : such a staff is bread to the frail nature 
 of man, and man that hath it blessed unto him, 
 finds it as a staff to stay up his fainting spirit. This 
 phrase imports two things : 
 
 First, the virtue and nourishment which comes by 
 bread ; and hence it is said to strengthen man's 
 heart, Psal. civ. 15. 
 
 Secondly, the bread itself There may be much 
 bread, and little virtue in it; and, on the contrary, 
 little bread and nuich virtue in it, as in the widow's 
 meal and oil, 1 Kings xvii. 14. But when God will 
 break the staff of bread, he ever takes away the one, 
 if not the other, the plenty of bread, if not "the virtue 
 of it : Lev. xxvi. 2G, " When I have broken the staff 
 of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in 
 one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread 
 again by weight ; and ye shall eat, and not be satis- 
 fied." The Greek for breaking the stall' of bread, 
 renders it, afflicting with penury of Ijread. As break- 
 ing of bread. Acts ii. 46, notes plenty and communi- 
 cating of food ; so breaking the staff of bread implies 
 want and scarcity : Psal. cv. 16, " He called for a 
 famine upon the land, he brake the whole staff' of 
 bread," so that the land could not sustain them; 
 and Isa. iii. I, " The Lord of hosts doth take away 
 from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the 
 stafl', the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of 
 water." God would take away the plenty and the 
 virtue, he woidd not bless either unto them : hence 
 it is said, " They shall eat, and not have enough," 
 Hos. iv. 10; "not be satisfied," Mic. vi. 14. "Ye 
 drink, but ye are not filled with drink ; ye clothe 
 you, but there is none w^arm," Hag. i. 6. Some 
 would here understand by breaking the staff" of 
 bread, to be meant only a deficiency, not an insufh- 
 ciency ; but I conceive God would take away both 
 their bread and the blessing of that which remain- 
 ed, according to that in Deut. xxviii. 17, "Cursed 
 shall be thy basket and thy store :" God would take 
 away both the bread and the blessing; that, the 
 blessing being removed, they might be weakened, 
 and the bread being removed, they mightbe consumed. 
 
 The word ppo ver. 17, signifies to pine away, as 
 a man in a consumption, and not only so, but to be- 
 come noisome and Icjathsome ; and so it is used, 
 Psal. xxxviii. 5, " My wounds stink and are cor- 
 rupt." So they should not only consume, but grow 
 loathsome and unsavoury, as it is usual with those 
 who are almost famished. 
 
 Obs. 1. That God's judgments upon a sinful peo- 
 ple arc seldom single, but one succeeds in the neck 
 of another. Before the prophet had been put upon 
 a siege, and now he must express a famine, and 
 mind them of eating polluted bread in anotlier land. 
 In Deut. xxviii. and Lev. xxvi. God threatens judg-
 
 Vi:r. 9— 17. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 135 
 
 ment after judgment, till he hath consumed them. 
 It is long before God begins to strike, but when he 
 once strikes, he will go on and despatch his work, 
 and make an end of an impenitent i^eople ; and so 
 recompense his slackness to punishment with se- 
 verity and succession of judgments. Amos iv. God 
 had judgments, which like fish-hooks should snatch 
 them away, cleanness of teeth, droughts, blastings, 
 pestilence, &c. Ezek. xiv. God hath sword, famine, 
 pestilence, and noisome beasts, to send one after 
 another, and ^^■hat one leaves the other shall de- 
 vour. God smote them with the sword in Ireland, 
 and hath not the famine followed it ? We are under 
 the edge of the one, and shall be, I fear, under the 
 teeth of the other. 
 
 Obs. 2. That a famine upon any is a distressing 
 judgment. If God send it upon Jerusalem, they 
 .shall find it very heavy. When David was put to 
 that hard choice, 2 Sam. xxiv. he would not have 
 the sword or famine to come upon him or his. 
 Curtius reports of Alexander, that wnr- 
 ' ■ ■ ring against the Bactrians, he and his 
 were besieged with such a famine, as they were 
 forced to eat up their horses that carried their neces- 
 saries. Wien the Carthaginians besieged Saguntus 
 in Spain, they were brought to such miseries with a 
 famine, that they made a fire in the midst of the 
 market-place, and first burned that they had left, and 
 could not eat, and then cast in themselves and chil- 
 dren, to put an end to their miseries ; whence arose 
 that speech or proverb, Sagimtina fames, a Saguntine 
 famine, noting extreme want. It is also related of 
 Cambyses, son of Cyrus, that seeking to subdue the 
 revolted Ethiopians, his army was in such a strait 
 for victuals, that they were forced to tithe out every 
 tenth man, and to live upon them ; and that this 
 continued so long, that Cambyses feared himself, 
 and thereupon returned. It is known what a griev- 
 ous famine was at Sanserre in France, when Charles 
 IX. besieged it in the year 1573, and shot against 
 it in three days' space 3500 great shot of ordnance, 
 and killed not one by them ; yet almost all the peo- 
 ple were consumed by the famine in the siege 
 thereof, having eaten up all things living, and the 
 leather off trunks and saddles. In the days of 
 Edward II. there was such a famine, as a par- 
 liament was called to moderate the prices of things. 
 Spee.Ps Hisiory, Such was the dearth, that bread could 
 Lib. a. c. 11. scarce be gotten to serve the king's 
 own family. The famine grew so terrible, that 
 horses, dogs, yea, men and children, were stolen for 
 food, and thieves newly brought into the gaols were 
 torn in pieces, and eaten presently half alive, by 
 such who had been longer there. The Scripture 
 tells us of as great famine as we can read of: the 
 Samaritan famine was such, as that, like vultm-es, 
 dogs, and swine, they fed upon carcasses and dung 
 A. Lapici. in loc. itsclf ; 2 Kings vi. 25, the Assyrians 
 When Hamiibai besieged Samaria, until "an ass'.s head 
 num. a mouse was Sold tor fourscore pieces ot silver, 
 croau"'ri'/'ju«. tliat is, shekels, and that came to above 
 '• 7- eight pounds of our money, " and the 
 
 fourth part of a kab of doves' dung for five pieces of 
 silver ;" a kab contained four pounds and five ounces, 
 and the fourth part was thirteen ounces, and for this 
 they gave ten shillings and upward. Some think it 
 was the corn in the crop of the dove, which did fly 
 abroad, and came home full ; but the text is plain, 
 it w'as the dung of doves, which whether they used 
 for salt, having an acrimonious humour in it, or for 
 food, their distress was very great. But this of 
 Jerusalem was the sorest that ever was. They had 
 coarse fare, the food of beasts, beans, lentiles, millet, 
 fitches, and little of this ; bread and water were 
 
 measured out unto them ; their bread was defiled, 
 dressed with dung ; their firing failed, having bunnt 
 up all things combustible ; God's curse ij,„, ,„,.„; 53 
 was upon what they had, he brake the «. ' ' 
 
 staff of bread ; no nourishment came from that they 
 had ; they went up and down distressed, and died 
 for hunger. Read Lam. iv. 4, 5, &c. The tongues 
 of the sucking children did cleave to the roofs of 
 their mouth ; other children asked bread, and none 
 brake it unto them : the scarlet men of the city em- 
 braced dunghills, the beautiful Nazarites were blacker 
 than coals, the slain with the sword were preferred 
 before the slain with famine, the jiitiful women sod 
 their children, they were their daily meat. Thus 
 God brought down Jerusalem, and quickly can do any. 
 Let us acknowledge God's mercy that we are not 
 under such a judgment; let us be humbled for abuse 
 of his good creatures, no more ]iamper the flesh with 
 them ; let us not be proud of what we have, hoard up 
 God's blessings, but communicate and distribute to 
 the necessities of others, and use all to God's honour. 
 06*. 3. That hunger makes coarse and loathsome 
 things pleasant. Bread polluted will be acceptable 
 in a famine ; bread made of that which horses and 
 swine eat, of beans, lentiles, fitches, &c. and be as 
 barley cakes : barley of itself is a sweet grain, but 
 being made into cakes, it was more pleasant ; and 
 such is ill diet in time of famine. Prov. xxvii. 7, " To 
 the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet;" the 
 sweetest thing is bitter to the full, the bitterest is 
 sweet unto the empty. When Esau was faint, then 
 red pottage was worth a birthright. Gen. xxv. 32. 
 Artaxerxes being put to flight, his provisions t;iken 
 away, and he had only a few dry figs, and a little 
 barley bread, said. Hanger is the best cook, and the 
 best sauce. When Darius drank puddle-water, and 
 that defiled with dead carcasses, he _ , ... 
 said, he never drank more ];leasant 
 drink. As it is with women in their longings, any 
 thing longed for is pleasant, not other things, what- 
 ever they be ; so in famine, any thing edible is 
 longed for, and that makes it pleasant, even an 
 ass's head, doves' dung, polluted bread, man's flesh. 
 Obs. 4. The conformity of the punishment to their 
 sin. They had sinned in excess, and God would take 
 away their plenty. Hos. xiii. 6, " According to their 
 pasture, so were they filled ;" they had full i)as- 
 tures, fed largely, exalted their hearts, and thought 
 they should never want ; they forgot God in their 
 fulness, and he made them to remember him in a 
 famine. Fulness of bread was the sin of Sodom, 
 and the sin of Jerusalem also. God brake the staff 
 of bread. They sinned in defiling themselves with 
 idols, and offered meal and oil, honey and flour, for 
 a sweet savour to their idols, Ezek. xvi. and now 
 they must eat polluted bread among the gentiles ; 
 they had worshipped dunghill gods, and should 
 shortly cat dunghill bread ; they had been jjroud of 
 their ornaments, and those in scarlet should embrace 
 the dunghills. Hab. ii. 8, " Because thou hast 
 spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people 
 shall spoil thee :" it is spoken of the Chaldeans. 
 Pharaoh drowned the Israelites' cliildren; he and 
 his were drowned in the Red sea for it. Solomon, 
 to please his idolatrous wives, divided the worshiji 
 of God between God, himself, and idols ; and God 
 divided his kingdom between his son and his ser- 
 vant. Socrates tells of Severianus a bisho]>, that 
 called Chrysostom a kneeless fellow, because he 
 would not bow and crouch to good causes : one ti'od 
 upon his toe, which rankled, and he was forced to 
 cut off that leg, and the other, and so became knee- 
 less himself. Charles IX. who had rnmmcnt of rivu 
 been bloody in his life, died of a bloody Wars ui 1 ranee.
 
 I3li 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 ClIA". IV. 
 
 (lux ; and the blood issued out of the several parts 
 of his body, wlio in the bloody massacre had caused 
 and sufl'cred blood to be shed in the several jiarts of 
 his kingdom : he used to blaspheme in his life, and 
 died blasphemously at his death. A Romish zealot 
 repined at the fuel burnt at the king's return from 
 Spain, and said, There was such waste of wood, as 
 shortly there would not be a faggot left to burn 
 heretics : this party being at Blackfriars when the 
 downfal was, received a mark of remembrance by a 
 piece of wood. See Doctor Goad in his relation of 
 that accident. 
 
 Obs. ,'). The afflictions and judgments which be- 
 fall God's people, are not casual, but providential. 
 If the Jews be besieged, famished, taken, carried 
 away into other lands, and eat polluted bread there ; 
 God's eye hath directed, his hand hath acted, and 
 therefore he saith. Whither shall I drive them ? 
 "What Nebuchadnezzar and his army did, was the 
 work of God. So Joseph said of the dealing of his 
 brethren in selling him into Egypt, Gen. xlv. 5, that 
 it was God sent him thither. It is the power and 
 providence of God that acts in all troubles, and cir- 
 cumstantiates them for time, place, measure. 
 
 On ver. 14, Oii'. 1. That the saints of old were 
 careful to walk according to the prescriptions of the 
 law. The law forbad eating of those things which 
 died of themselves, whatever was torn in pieces, 
 every abominable thing ; and our prophet M'as care- 
 ful to observe such and other prescriptions. It was 
 tlie saints' duty to live after the directions of the 
 law ; what Gqd had written to them therein, they 
 were bound to, ol 'Serve, and did exactly. David had 
 respect unto all the commands of God, Psal. cxix. 
 Moses was faithful in all the house of God. 
 
 Obs. 2. A graciows heart will deprecate that which 
 is contrary to its sanctification. " Ah Lord, my soul 
 hath not been polluted ;" thou art the author of holi- 
 ness, and I have walked holily hitherto, and now 
 must I defile myself ? ah Lord, let it not be. The 
 words are very pathetical ; he saith not Jehovah in 
 the original, but Jeliovi, which the servants of God 
 have used in their most pathetical prayers and 
 speeches : as Abraham, Gen. xv. 2t— 8. Deut. iii. 24; 
 ix. 26, " I prayed unto the Lord," s^ith Moses, " and 
 said, O Lord God, destroy not thy people and thine 
 inheritance." Moses's spirit was exceedingly affect- 
 ed ; and in such cases, he and others called God 
 Jehori : and so doth Ezekiel here, he was intense in 
 deprecating defilements. So Peter, Acts x. when 
 the sheet was let down with all beasts, fowls, and 
 creeping things in it, and the voice said, " Rise, 
 Peter ; kill, and eat," his heart was stirred : What ! 
 shall I eat that which is common, unclean, and pol- 
 lute my soul? "not so, Lord," ver. 14; /ji/^a/iuj, 
 Ki'pif, in nowise. Lord; whatever becomes of me, 
 though I starve, I will not eat any thing that shall 
 defile me. 
 
 Obs. 3. The godly are careful not only to abstain 
 from great sins, but from little ones also. It was no 
 great matter to ent bread baked with a fire made of 
 man's dung, and that in time of necessity, but even 
 this would not Ezekiel yield unto ; there was evil in 
 it. So Daniel would not defile himself with the por- 
 tion of the king's meat, chap. i. 8; Moses would not 
 leave a hoof in Egypt; Job made a covenant with 
 his eyes not to look upon a maid, and therefore gave 
 not sway to his mind to think upon one. Job xxxi. 
 1 ; thinking is less than looking, and this he would 
 not allow himself; Joseph abhorred the act, and Job 
 the thought of uncleanness. Paul would not be 
 subject one hour unto false brethren. Gal. ii. 5 ; and 
 he bids the Thessalonians to " abstain from all ap- 
 pearance of evil," not only evil, but the appearances 
 
 of it. This made Paul to blame Peter for yielding 
 to Jewish ceremonies, when they carried a face cf 
 evil. Gal. ii. 14; and to say, rather than he would 
 offend his weak brother by eating, he would " cat no 
 flesh while the world standeth," 1 Cor. viii. 13. The 
 primitive christians would not throw a little frankin- 
 cense into the fire, nor bow before an idol, though 
 their lives lay at stake upon the refusal. 
 
 Obs. 4. That the saints, through darkness and 
 doubts, do stick at that which is lawful and warrant- 
 able. God bids Ezekiel bake his bread with man's 
 dung, and eat it ; here was warrant sufficient for 
 him ; God's command makes a thing holy. Acts x. 
 13, "Kill, and eat," said the voice to Peter; No, 
 saith Peter ; and w"hy ? the creatures in the sheet are 
 common and unclean; but it was replied, "What 
 God hath cleansed, that call not thou common or 
 unclean." How came all to be clean in the sheet, 
 when by the judgment of the law there were crea- 
 tures unclean in it? It was the command of God 
 made all so, " Kill, and eat." Peter, without doubt- 
 ing or questioning, might have killed and eaten any 
 creature there, without polluting his spirit ; and so 
 Ezekiel might have eaten such bread without defile- 
 ment. God's command legitimates any thing: 
 Abraham's sacrificing of his son. Gen. xxii. 2 ; Ho- 
 sea's marrying a wife of whoredom, Hos. i. 2 ; the 
 brother marrying with the brother's wife, Deut. 
 XXV. 5 ; and carrying of the bed on the sabbath day, 
 John V. II. Where there is a word from Heaven for 
 any thing, we need not fear defiling ourselves. The 
 saints of God stuck at things when they had a word ; 
 no marvel if saints now stick at things when they 
 have no word. 
 
 On ver. 15, Note, that God doth condescend to 
 the weakness of his servants, and mitigates what 
 seems grievous unto them. Man's dung was very 
 irksome to the spirit of the projdiet ; the Lord dis- 
 penseth with his command, and gives him cow's 
 dung for man's. The saints are precious in God's 
 eye, and rather than grieve and displease them, he 
 will oft, upon their petitioning to him, dispense with 
 his own will ; but take it up warily, when the dis- 
 pensation is in things that are not prejudicial to his 
 glory, his wisdom, his truth, or his justice, and here 
 it was not God suffered no way in mitigating the 
 sentence, and giving cow's dung for man's ; it rather 
 magnified God, that he will yield to the desires of 
 his people, when he is in away of judgment. Joshua, 
 when Israel had sinned, and God smote them, he 
 falls down, he weeps, and laments, beseeches God 
 in behalf of the people ; and what saith God to him ? 
 Josh. vii. 10, "Get thee up; wherefore liest thou 
 thus upon thy face ;" I will have thee mourn no 
 longer; 1 will not destroy Israel. So that in Amos 
 vii ; there is a sore judgmetit of grasshoppers, that 
 eat up all the grass of the land; the prophet is 
 grieved, and prays, " O Lord God, forgive, I be- 
 seech thee : by whom shall Jacob arise ? for he is 
 small ;" and ver. 3, it is said, " The Lord repented for 
 this," and said, " it shall not be ; " and so a second 
 time, after he yielded to the request of the prophet. 
 This should encourage us to sue to God in these 
 times of distress, without doubting, for a mitigation 
 of our miseries, if not a removal ; he is a God hear- 
 ing prayer, a God that will mitigate his own judg- 
 ment, rather than exasperate the spirits of his people. 
 Let it also teach us a condescension one to another ; 
 let us not be rigid and stick to our wills, and think 
 it disparagement to abate of our wills and right, and 
 yield to others, when God, wdio is infinitely above 
 us, can yield to us, and doth so daily, bearing our 
 infirmities : remember that place, Rom. xv. 1, — .3, 
 where the strong arc bid to bear the infirmities of the
 
 Ver. 
 
 THK BOOK 0¥ EZEKIEL. 
 
 137 
 
 weak, and not to please themselves, but to please 
 and edify iheir neighbour : and what is the ground 
 of it ? Christ pleased not himself, but for our sakes 
 he bare reproach, 
 
 On ver. 1(5, 17, Obs. I. It is in God's power to 
 blast the comforts of this life. " Behold, I will break 
 the statf of bread." God gives bread, drink, clothes, 
 whatever sweetens the lives of sinfu], sorry men here 
 on earth ; and when he pleases he can take them or 
 the blessing of them from us. What are clothes if 
 they keep not warm ? What is bread if it do not 
 nourish ? it is the same as if you had none. God 
 can break the statf of bread, so that all your comforts 
 shall be broken comforts ; and he can take away 
 the staff of bread, so that your comforts shall be no 
 more. Amosiv.8, "Two or three cities wandered unto 
 one city, to drink water; butthey were not satisfied;" 
 the waters quenched not their thirst, they were 
 broken comforts : and Hos. iv. 10, they did eat, 
 but had not enough, they were not filled and satis- 
 fied ; the staiF of bread was broken, and the comfort 
 of it too short for them. But that is not all ; 
 sometimes there is no water, no bread left ; Lam. 
 i. 1 1 ; iv. 4, 5, there was not a little, but none. 
 God can take away all the comforts of this life, and 
 leave us as naked as we came into the world. Nei- 
 ther is it only in his power to break the staff of na- 
 tural bread, but of the spiritual also : " Behold, I 
 will send a famine, not of bread, nor a thirst for 
 water, but of hearing the words of the Lord : and 
 they shall wander, and shall not find it," Amos 
 viii. 11, 12. This is the sorest famine ; and such a 
 famine is in many places. Let us take heed we 
 provoke not God to plague us with such a famine. 
 
 Obx. 2. The end of God in his judgments, is to 
 perplex and ruin w'icked, impenitent sinners. God 
 sends a famine, that they may eat and drink with 
 care, with astonishment, and consume away in a 
 loathsome manner. What a miserable sight is it to 
 see a man pined, even to death, for want of bread ! 
 Many in time of plenty are filled with care and fear 
 about their backs and bellies, what they shall eat, 
 and what they shall drink, and how live the next 
 day ; how much more men in the depth of a famine ! 
 See what Isaiah saith, chap. ix. 19 — 21 ; there was a 
 civil war to be amongst them, famine accompany- 
 ing that, and the wrath of God to consume them, as 
 fire doth fuel ; and what then ? " No man shall spare 
 his brother. And he shall snatch on the right hand, 
 and be hungry ; and he shall eat on the left hand, 
 and they shall not be satisfied : they shall eat every 
 man the fiesh of his own arm : Manasseh, Ephraim ; 
 and Ephraim, Manasseh." When they could not 
 consume one another fast enough, they would con- 
 sume themselves ; eat their own arms to save life, 
 and that eating was death. 
 
 Vbs. 3. It is men's iniquities which bring such 
 consumptive judgments upon them. " They shall 
 consume away for their iniquity." Sin is poison, and 
 that makes languishing ; it eats up the strength of 
 a man, wears out all his comforts, and brings him 
 to the pit : Lev. xxvi. 39, " They shall pine away in 
 their iniquity ;" their flesh, their spirits, their hopes, 
 their lives may leave them, but their iniquities 
 will not. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 4. And thou, son of man, take thee a 
 sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause 
 it to pass upon thine head and vpon thy beard : 
 
 then take thee balances to weigh, and diritle the 
 hair. Thou shaft burn with fire a titird part in 
 the midst of the citi/, when the days of the siege 
 are fulfilled: and thou shult take a third part, 
 and smite about it with a knife: and a third part 
 thou shall scatter in the wind; and I will draw 
 out a sword after them. Thou shalt also take 
 thereof a few in number, and bind them in tht) 
 skirts. Then take of them again, and cast them 
 into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the 
 fire ; for thereof shall a fire come forth into all 
 the house of Israel. 
 
 This chapter carries on the argument of the 
 former. Jerusalem's misery in that was presented 
 to you under single types, a siege and famine; 
 in this also, under a complex type, is set forth the 
 judgments of God against Jerusalem. I call it a 
 complex type, because it contains many judgments 
 of God, It is generally propounded in the first verse, 
 particularly in the three next. The matter of this 
 type is here, and, tuuching it, he is commanded, 
 
 1. To take a knife or razor, and to cutoff the hair 
 of his head and beard. 
 
 2. To weigh it, being cut off; and, 
 
 3. To divide it. 
 
 Something I must open in the words ; give you 
 the sense of them, and then the observations. 
 
 "Take thee a sharp knife." In the Hebrew it ix, 
 a sword, ann which signifies any instrument that cuts 
 and divides, of iron or stone : in Josh. v. 2, " Make 
 thee sharp knives;" knives of flint is the original. 
 What knife our prophet meant is expressed, " a 
 barber's razor," Hebrew, a razor of barbers, such 
 as they use when they trim men ; and they are very 
 sharp, most commodious, and fit for that service. 
 This razor here sets out the will and judiciary power 
 of God in punishing the Jews by Nebuchadnezzar, 
 who, in Isa. vii. 20, is called a razor ; and that is 
 sharp, strong, and fit for shaving. 
 
 This razor must pass upon the prophet's head and 
 beard, and take away the hair of both, even close to 
 the skin. 
 
 " Head." It types out unto us Jerusalem, which 
 had the regions round about subject unto it, and now 
 the chief city of Judah. God would shave the head 
 and beard of this city off. 
 
 The citizens are resembled to hair of a man's 
 head and beard : 
 
 1. For their multitudes ; they are numberless, and 
 Jerusalem had multitudes in it of her own, and thi- 
 ther was a conflux of all sorts, from most parts. 
 
 2. Hair is an ornament, 1 Pet. iii. 3 ; not only to 
 women, but also to men ; their hair doth become 
 them. Cant. v. 11 ; and people are a great ornament 
 to a city : a city unpeopled is a head without hair ; 
 people are the beauty and glory of a city. Solomon 
 saith, Prov. xx. 29, grey hairs are the beauty of old 
 men ; and grey-headed counsellors are the beauty of 
 cities. Some by the hair of the head think the wise 
 men of the city are figured out, and by the hair of 
 the beard, are the strong men ; the beard is a token 
 of manhood. 
 
 3. Hair is a weak thing, blown this way and that 
 way with every wind ; and so it is with the people ; 
 they are weak, inconstant things : Heb. xiii. 9, 
 they were " carried about with divers and strange 
 doctrines;" 2 Pet. ii. 2, "Many follow their per- 
 nicious w.ays." People are truly in this sense hair; 
 they move forward and backward, every way, there 
 is no stcdfastness in them : hence they are compared 
 to waters, in the holy writ, which are ever ebbing
 
 1.38 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. V. 
 
 and flowing; to clouds carried about of -winds, 
 Jude 12. 
 
 By the Viair of the beard we may understand 
 those in the country towns and villages that were 
 near unto Jerusalem. 
 
 The shaving otT this hair points to us three things : 
 
 (1.) Great mourning. Shaving ofTthe hair was used 
 in that case, Job i. 20 ; when all the sad accidents 
 were reported to Job, he " rent his mantle, and shaved 
 his head," which was a sign of great mourning. 
 So Ezra, chap. ix. 3, when the Jews had defiled 
 themselves with strange women, he plucked ofl' the 
 liair of his head and beard, and sat down astonished. 
 See Isa. xv. 2 ; Jer. xlviii. 37. 
 
 (2.) Great disgrace. So when Hanun suspected 
 the messengers David had sent unto him, he s^iaved 
 off half their beards, which was a great reproach, 
 and vindicated with the sword, 2 Sam. x. When 
 men are without hair on their heads or faces, it is a 
 reproach to them ; hence the boys mocked the pro- 
 phet, and called him "bald head," 2 Kings ii. 23. 
 
 (3.) Destruction. When hair is cut off it falls to 
 the earth, and perisheth ; and when people are cut 
 off from God, they perish. God would separate them 
 from Jerusalem, from his worship, from his presence, 
 and so they should fall to the earth, be as filth, and 
 come to nothing. 
 
 The next thing considerable, is the weighing of 
 the hair. 
 
 Balances are an emblem of justice, and set out 
 here the great equity of God in dispensing of his 
 judgments ; he is exact in them, even to a hair's 
 weight ; his judgments are not too light or too 
 heavy, but have their just weight and measure. 
 
 The division of the hair follows ; and that notes 
 out the diversity of their conditions ; they should not 
 all fare alike, but the judiciary providence of God 
 would proceed, with some in one kind, with some in 
 another. 
 
 Ver. 2. A third part was to be burnt in the midst 
 of the cit)'. It may be questioned what city, he 
 being now in Babylon : it was the city portrayed 
 upon the tile, chap. iv. 1, which was Jerusalem. 
 What is meant by fire is doubted. Fire in Scripture 
 often notes out great calamities, as in Psal. Ixvi. 12, 
 " We went through fire and through water ;" 1 Pet. 
 iv. 12, "Think it not strange concerning the fiery 
 trial :" and here some understand fire in a meta- 
 jihorical sense, for famine and plague, whereby a 
 third part of the citizens died; others take it literally, 
 and conceive hereby is represented the burning of 
 Jerusalem, of which you may read 2 Kings xxv. 9, 
 and in the last of Jeremiah. And this sense Junius 
 favours, because it was to be done at the end of the 
 siege; when his visional siege was expired, then he 
 was to burn the hair ; and when the siege of Jerusa- 
 lem was out, and it taken, then was it burnt with fire. 
 
 Another part was to be smitten with a knife ; 
 that sets out those who were to be cut oft" by the 
 sword, either in the siege, or after it, as 2 Kings 
 xxv. 4 — 7 ; and not only those in the city, but all in 
 the regions about it. 
 
 A fter this, a third part was scattered into the wind ; 
 which notes their dispersion into several parts. As 
 hair before the wind is carried some one way, some 
 another ; so were these Jews scattered, some into 
 Moab, some into Ammon, some into Egypt ; and 
 Johanan carried divers thither, Jer. xliii. ; but God 
 threatened them with a sword, Jer. xlii. Ifi, and 
 xliv. 27, and made it good when Nebuchadnezzar 
 conquered Egypt; which is prophesied of in the 4Gth 
 of Jeremiah : God drew out a sword, and sent it 
 after them. 
 
 Ver. 3. The binding up a few in his skirts, tT,-pi- 
 
 fies the exemption and preservation of some few 
 from the common calamities. It is a metaphorical 
 speech, taken from gardeners, that pick up the good 
 fruit in their laps and skirts, and throw aside the 
 other. This little number were the poor which Nc- 
 buzaradan left for the vine-dressers and husband- 
 men, over whom Gedaliah was made ruler, 2 Kings 
 xxv. 12, 23: and those that escaped out of Egypt 
 when the judgment fell there, Jer. xliv. 28, it is said, 
 a small number should escape, and return to Judah. 
 
 Ver. 4. "Take of them again, and cast into the fire." 
 Of that remnant which was preserved he must take 
 a parcel and burn ; this was to represent to the 
 world the death of Gedaliah, who was left governor 
 of the little number remaining in Judea. 'i ou have 
 the story of his death, by Ishmael, in the 41st of 
 Jeremiah, who conspired against him, and slew him 
 and fourscore more. After this he took those who 
 were left by Nebuzaradan that were under Gedaliah, 
 and attempted to carry them captives into the land 
 of Ammon ; but Johanan and the captains withstood 
 him, recovered the people, and after carried them 
 into Egypt ; and so from that treachery against Ge- 
 daliah, a fire went forth into all the house of Israel. 
 Some refer the fire going out of this remnant pre- 
 served, to the Jews returning out of Babylon, a great 
 part of whom were slain by Antiochus Epiphanes ; 
 some put it upon their destruction by Titus. Galla- 
 tinus extends it to Hadrian's time, who slew at one 
 time 50,000 of them in India in the city Bitter, 
 and so ruined the whole nation. These p ^ [^ , . ,,. 
 ojiinions I leave, as having less truth ' ' ' ' ' '* ' 
 and suitableness to the text, than that which was 
 first mentioned. 
 
 Obs. 1. That wicked men are of little worth ; take 
 a whole city of them, they are of no more account 
 with God than a little hair of the head or beard. 
 Hair in itself is an ornament, but when it groweth 
 burdensome, off it goes, and is rejected as a thing of 
 nought ; so inhabitants are a glory to a city, but 
 when they become wicked, they are a burden to it, 
 and to God, he will cut them off, and value them no 
 more than a little hair. Absalom cut ofli' his hair 
 when it was heavy, but he prized it very high, at 
 two hundred shekels, 2 Sam. xiv. 26. God cut off 
 the hair of the head of Jerusalem, it was very heavy, 
 but he prized it not : wicked men, multitudes, millions 
 of them, are not worth a hair, they are inconsider- 
 able, worthless things ; all the wicked of the world 
 are but excrements in it, which must be cut oft' and 
 thrown unto the dunghills: Psal. ix. 17, "The 
 wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations 
 that forget God." Take the best thing of the wicked, 
 it is of small jirice, some farthing matter : Prov. x. 
 20, " The heart of the wicked is little worth ;" his 
 clothes, his ornaments, and jewels, his estate, and 
 house, and land, may be of great worth ; but himself, 
 his very heart, is of little worth, not accounted of in 
 heaven. But now take the meanest thing of a godly 
 man, it is valued, regarded; " the very hairs of his 
 head are all numbered," Matt. x. 30. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is the privilege of Christ to appoint 
 whom and what insti-uments he pleases to execute 
 his pleasure upon sinners. " Take thee a sharp 
 knife, a razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head 
 and beard." The prophet might not take what in- 
 strument he pleasein, but Avhat Christ appointeth ; 
 it was he set apart Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan, 
 and the Chaldeans, to shave Jerusalem ; and there- 
 fore the whole work is given to God : Isa. vii. 20, 
 " The Lord shall shave with a razor that is hired by 
 them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the 
 head, and the hair of the feet : and it shall also con- 
 sume the beard :" this is spoken of Sennacherib, and
 
 Vl.H. 1- 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZKKIEL 
 
 139 
 
 verified also in Nebuchadnezzar. Both these were 
 razors in the hand of God, by which he shaved "the 
 head," the princes and nobles, counsellors were cut 
 off by him ; " the beard," the priests and strong 
 men ; " the feet," the common people. It is the 
 Lord appoints and sets instruments on work to afllict 
 churches and states : Amos iii. 6, " Shall there be 
 evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it ?" there 
 is no razor shaving in a city, but the Lord hath set 
 it on work there. Micah i. 12, " Evil came down 
 from the Lord, unto the gate of Jerusalem ;" it 
 came from above, and it came to Jerusalem. Here- 
 upon the projihet, in chap. vi. 'J, said to them, " The 
 Lord's voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wis- 
 dom shall see thy name ; hear ye the rod, and who 
 hath appointed it." 
 
 06.V. 3. When God hath been long provoked by a 
 people, he comes with sharp and sweeping judg- 
 ments amongst them ; and that is set out by the 
 razor. He had waited much upon them, they went 
 on in their sins, but now God calls for a razor, and 
 that should go to the quick. God would not reap 
 them or lop them ; in those cases the stubble and 
 trunk are left; he would shave them, not leave a 
 politic body or church state. That place in Isa. vii. 
 20 holds out the truth fully ; he would spare neither 
 head, beard, nor feet; every condition of people, the 
 honourable, the mean, the lowest, should be shaven. 
 He would not only strip them of their clothes, but 
 shave them, and take away their native beauty ; he 
 would fill them with mourning, make them a scorn, 
 cut ofT their limbs, and destroy their lives ; there 
 should be no city, no temple, no king, no priest, no 
 sabbath, no God left them. But hath not God 
 shaven them in Germany, in Ireland ? and is he not 
 shaving us now ? 
 
 Obs. 4. That there is no standing out against God ; 
 whatever our number or strength is, his judgments 
 are irresistible. Men here are compared to hairs, 
 his judgment to a razor ; can the softest or harshest 
 hair withstand the razor ? can any one or all the 
 hairs of the head or beard do it ? no, the razor will 
 easily pass through all, as a scythe through grass 
 or corn : hairs are weak things, razors sharp and 
 strong. Pharaoh was the strength of Egypt, but 
 God by the Red sea did shave him, and many thou- 
 sands more, from off" the face of the earth. The great 
 men of the world are no more to God than hairs be- 
 fore the razor ; lie cuts off the spirit of princes, 
 Psal. Ixxvi. 12, he challengeth the briers and thorns 
 of the earth, " Who would set them against me in 
 battle .' I would go through them, I would burn 
 them together," Isa. xxvii. 4. 
 
 Obs. 5. The judgments and proceedings of God 
 with sinners are not rash, but most carefully weighed. 
 He weighs out the hair, and proportions suitable 
 judgments unto those that were represented by it ; 
 the infinitely wise God is exact in his proceedings. 
 Hence you have it in Scripture, that God doth 
 weigh actions, Psal. i. 2, 3 ; the paths of men, Isa. 
 xxvi. 7 ; their spirits, Prov. xvi. 2, he examines how 
 they are clogged with sin and guilt. God measured 
 the covetousness of Babylon, which was exceeding 
 great, and he brought answerable judgments upion 
 her; Jer. li. 13, 14, God would send caterpillars to 
 eat up all her wealth. Let God deal with Babylon 
 or Zion, he observes a proportion in his judgments ; 
 Jer. xlvi. 28, speaking of Jacob's seed, he tells 
 them he will correct them in measure. The afflic- 
 tions of the church seem great, and oft are great, yet 
 never are they -without measure : Psal. Ixxx. 5, 
 "Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, and 
 give-st them tears to drink in great measure." 
 
 Obs. G. There is no escaping of God's judgments 
 
 for hard-hearted sinners. Here are diversity of 
 judgments ; fire, sword, dispersion : if one did not 
 take, then another would overtake them ; if the fire 
 did not scorch them, the sword should cut them off; 
 if not, that they should be scattered. 1 Kings xix. 
 15 — 17, God bids Elijah anoint Hazael king of 
 Syria, Jehu king of Israel, and Elisha prophet in 
 his room ; and tells him there should be no escaping 
 for sinners : if they escaped Hazael's sword, they 
 should die by Jehu's ; if not by his, they should by 
 Elisha's ; not that he used the sword, but by his 
 prayers, and by his prophecies. In Jer. i. 10, he was 
 set over kingdoms, to root out, pull down, and to 
 destroy : many escape the swords of princes, and are 
 smitten by the swords of propihets. Let not sinners 
 think to delude God; he will meet with them one 
 way, one time or other. Amos ix. 1 — 3, God comes 
 there in judgment, he stands upon the altar, and 
 bids them smite the lintel of the door, that the posts 
 may shake ; this was spoken of Jerusalem, not of 
 Dan and Bethel ; God would not at all appear there. 
 And what follows ? God would destroy them : there 
 would be fleeing presently. And what saith he ? 
 " He that flectli of them shall not fiec away, and he 
 that escapeth of them shall not be delivered :" let 
 them dig to hell, climb up to heaven, hide them- 
 selves in Carmel, in the bottom of the sea, God will 
 follow them, find them out, and make them smart ; 
 if enemies should carry them away, and show favour 
 to them, God will send a sword, and it shall slay 
 them, ver. 4. See Amos ii. 13 — IG. Nothing will 
 privilege ; not speed, strength, courage, bow, horse, 
 these are good, Imt in time of judgment they will 
 not secure ; not a great house, though of stone, Amos 
 iii. 15; not gods of gold and silver, Isa. ii. 20, 21 ; 
 not heaps of such treasure, Ezek. vii. 19, "'They 
 shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold 
 shall be removed : their silver and their gold shall 
 not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath 
 of the Lord :" not horns of the altar, 1 Kings ii. 28, 
 30, 31 ; not prayer, Jer. xi. 14 ; not fasting and sacri- 
 fice, Jer. xiv. 12. 
 
 Obs. 7. That in great judgments and general de- 
 structions, God of his infinite mercy spares some few. 
 Ezekiel must take a few and bind up in his skirts, all 
 must not be destroyed ; the fire and sword devoureth 
 many, but the dispersion preserved some, and some 
 few are left in Judah. God is just, and yet when he 
 is in the way of his judgments, he forgets not mercy : 
 a little of the hair shall be preserved, when the rest 
 goes to the fire, sword, and wind. AVhen all flesh 
 had corrupted their ways, and a general flood was 
 brought in, Noah and his family were saved: when 
 Sodom was burnt with fire and brimstone, Lot was 
 bound up in the skirt of God : when Athaliah slew 
 all the seed royal, Joash was hid, and escaped that 
 treachery, that butchery, 2 Kings xi. 1, 2. No storm 
 sinks all ships ; no plague, famine, war, eat up all 
 particulars ; God will have a number exempt : Isa. i. 
 9, God left them a small remnant, a few clusters 
 after the vintage. When the cities were to be laid 
 waste, the houses unpeopled, a great forsaking to be 
 in the midst of the land, Isa. vi. 11, 12 ; in the 13th 
 verse it is said, "but yet in it shall be a tenth:" 
 God would spare a number, though small ; he is 
 merciful, hath tender bowels, remembers his cove- 
 nant, his name ; and therefore in his hottest wrath 
 shows some mercy. This made Jeremiah say, Lam. 
 iii. 22, " It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not 
 consumed." He and some few more were hid from 
 the common calamities ; they met w^ith mercy in the 
 midst of fire and sw^ord. This made Habakkuk jiray, 
 Hab. iii. 2, " In wrath remember mercy." 
 
 Obs. 8. That the paucity preserved in common
 
 140 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CllAH. V. 
 
 calamities are not all precious, truly godly. Here 
 ■was hair bound up in their skirt, kept from fire, 
 sword, destruction ; yet some of that hair, of that 
 number, must be thrown into another fire. Repro- 
 bates for the present escape as well as elect vessels ; 
 some choice ones may be cut oflT, and some vile ones 
 may be kept. In the flood all were not naught that 
 were destroyed, nor all good that were saved; there 
 ^^■as a wicked Ham in the ark : and Lot's daughters 
 that escaped the tire of Sodom were none of the 
 best; that fire had not purged out their lust: and 
 those who were set at liberty from the brick and 
 clay of Egypt, afterward were destroyed for their 
 unbelief, Jude 5 ; they w ere patient in their bond- 
 age, preserved in the Red sea, tempted God, mur- 
 mured in the wilderness, and there were destroyed 
 of serpents, 1 Cor. x. 9. They were murmurers, 
 fornicators, idolaters, imbelievers, that God deli- 
 vered from the tyranny of Pharaoh, and after perish- 
 ed by the stroke of God. In a storm cedars and oaks 
 are smitten, when bushes and briers are spared ; and 
 yet after they are cut up and cast into the fire. Sin- 
 ners may escape present wrath, but there is wrath 
 to come, Luke iii. 7. 
 
 Obs. 9. God may take occasion, from the sin of 
 some, to bring in judgment upon all. He must take 
 of the remnant preserved, and throw into the fire, 
 and out of that fire went forth fire into all the house 
 of Israel. Shechem ravisheth Dinah ; from thence 
 the Lord took occasion to bring the sword, by 
 Jacob's sons, upon the Shechemites, who slew their 
 males, spoiled the city, and took their sons and 
 daughters captives. Gen. xxxiv. David sins in num- 
 bering the people, and God sent in a plague amongst 
 them for his sin, which slew seventy thousand of 
 them, 2 Sam. xxiv. The people were not inno- 
 cent ; if so, God would not have destroyed them ; 
 they were defiled with the contagion of his sin, or 
 under the guilt of others. God may let in a judg- 
 ment into a family, city, kingdom, upon the sin of 
 some one or few, and when it is in, it may extend to 
 all or most in them ; when one house is on fire, all 
 the rest are in danger that are near, and ofttimes do 
 suffer. Hanun's discourtesy to David's messengers, 
 his sin against the law of nations, provoked God, 
 and cost the Ammonites and Syrians dear ; for God 
 stirred up David's spirit, who warred upon them, 
 and slew many thousands of them, 2 Sam. x. 
 
 Ver. 5, 6. Thus saith the Lord God; This is 
 Jerusalem : I have set if in the midst of the nations 
 and countries that are round about her. And 
 she hath changed mi/ judgments into wiclcedness 
 more than the nations, and tm/ statutes more than 
 the countries that are round about her: for they 
 have refused my judgments and my statutes, they 
 have not ivalked in them. 
 
 In the ensuing part of the chapter is the explana- 
 tion of the tyjjes, and in this explanation you have : 
 
 I. The subject, or head to be shaven, opened unto 
 you, and that is Jerusalem, ver. 5. 
 
 II. Gud's dealing with Jerusalem, in the same 
 verse. 
 
 III. The motives that made him proceed in such 
 a judicial way, ver. C, 7. 
 
 IV. Threatening of judgments, answerable to the 
 types, from ver. 8, to the end. 
 
 " This is Jerusalem." It was not Jerusalem lite- 
 rally, but represented Jerusalem ; it was a sign of 
 the city that was to be shaven. This head to be 
 .shaven is here by the Lord's own mouth pronounced 
 to be Jerusalem, which was not only the head city 
 of Judah, but of the whole world. Things and per- 
 
 sons that are eminent among others, are called the 
 heads or chief of them : I Sam. xv. 21, they took 
 the chief or head of the things which should have 
 been destroyed ; and chap. ix. 22, " He made them 
 sit in the chiefest place :" and for persons, Deut. i. 
 15, " I took the chief of your tribes," that is, the 
 heads of them ; Psal. ex. G, " the heads over many 
 countries." And so here Jerusalem was the head 
 and principal of all other cities, built upon mount 
 Zion, and had the temple, the prophets, the true 
 worship and presence of God : so Jerusalem, as the 
 head, gave light, influence, and motion to the whole 
 body. " The law shall go forth of Zion, and the w ord 
 of the Lord from Jerusalem," Isa. ii. 3 ; from thence 
 all parts of the body hath instruction and direction. 
 " I have set it in the midst of the nations and 
 countries that are round about her." These words 
 have occasioned some to think, that Jerusalem was 
 the heart and centre of the earth, lying in the 
 midst of it ; on the south was Africa, on tlie north 
 Scythia, Armenia, and Pontus, on the east Asia, 
 and on the west Europe ; and with these great 
 parts of the world it was compassed about. Hence 
 the Spirit of God also affirms it to be "in the midst 
 of the earth," Psal. Ixxiv. 12, and Ezek. xxxviii. 
 12. And infinite wisdom appeared in it, that so the 
 sound of law and gospel might disperse the better 
 into all parts of the world. But this opinion must 
 not be taken in a mathematical sense, as if it were 
 so in the midst of the earth, as that all other parts 
 should be equidistant from it in their extremes, as 
 the line from the centre; for so it will hardly admit 
 of truth, some quarters of the world being of larger 
 extent than others. " In the midst of the nations and 
 countries " we need not to extend to the whole world, 
 but only to those that were neighbouring thereun- 
 to ; or if we will have an eye to all nations and 
 countries of the earth, we must expound, in " the 
 midst," among, or in, and the sense then is safe ; I 
 have set thee in, or, among, the nations, as head 
 and chief: thus the j-hrase is used oft in Scripture : 
 Psal. ci. 7, " He that worketh deceit shall not 
 dwell within my house ;" the Hebrew is, in the 
 midst of my house : so Gen. xviii. 24, if there be 
 fifty righteous in the midst of the city, that is, in the 
 city ; and Ezek. i. 1, " As I was among the captives;" 
 the Hebrew word is, in the midst of them : so that 
 it frequently signifies, in, or, among. And so in this 
 verse we may take it ; or thus. Thou hast chief nations 
 and cities about thee, very rich and noble, as Asia 
 Minor, Egypt, Babylon, cS:c. ; and I have set thee 
 chief in the midst of these chief ones, thy preroga- 
 tives exceed theirs, and whatever they can ju-etend 
 unto, thou canst pretend to more ; are they fruitful, 
 rich, honourable, populous, strong? thou goest beyond 
 them even in all these: I have set thee in the midst 
 of them, that they may all behold thy beauty and 
 excellences. Heathens called this city famous, and 
 chief of the eastern cities, well fortified, &c. The 
 psalmist sets it out best, Psal. xlviii. and Ixxxvii. 
 where are many eulogies of it; as, "The city of our 
 God," " The mountain of his holiness," " The joy of 
 the whole earth," " The city of the great King," 
 that kings saw and marvelled at ; " Founded in the 
 mountains," " Loved of God in a sjiecial manner," 
 " Glorious things were spoken thereof;" and that 
 which is above the rest, " God was known in her 
 palaces," not in the palaces of other cities, and 
 " known for a refuge." Jerusalem was exalted and 
 privileged above all cities and nations, and set on 
 a high hill, that so the truth and worship of the 
 true God might have been held forth to all round 
 about her : but Jerusalem was ungrateful ; she 
 honoured not that God who had so honoured her;
 
 Ver. 5, (J. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 141 
 
 and therefore, being "setin the midst of the nations," 
 is brought in here, not for Jerusalem's praise, but 
 for a reproach and aggravation of her ingratitude. 
 
 This ingratitude is illustrated in the 6th verse 
 two ways ; 
 
 1 . God gave them liis judgments, and they changed 
 them into wickedness. 
 
 2. They did it more than the nations and countries 
 about them. 
 
 " Changed." The word is from nc and it is 
 feminine, noting Jerusalem's act, which had caused 
 God's judgments to be changed ; she made a great 
 and thorough change. The word signifies to ex- 
 change one thing for another, and to do it thorough- 
 ly : Jer. ii. 1!, " My people have changed their 
 glory for that which doth not profit." A great change 
 they had made, in exchanging glory for unprofitables. 
 
 " My judgments." The word tssrn notes com- 
 mands, precepts, laws, rules, ways of God and his 
 worship. These had Jerusalem changed, especially 
 the rites and ordinances of his worship. So the word 
 is taken, Psal. Ixxxi. 5 ; the blowing of the trumpet 
 in the new moon was a miskphat, a rite, an ordinance 
 due to the God of Jacob. 
 
 The word statutes is much of the same nature, 
 noting rules, decrees, and ordinances about the wor- 
 ship of God. See Ainsworth on Psal. ii. 7, and 
 Leigh, in his Critica Sacra, of the word pn It is 
 mentioned in the 1 19th Psalm twenty-two times, and 
 notes the constancy of divine decrees and laws ; and 
 therefore is applied to the heavens and waters, which 
 keep their place and course unchangeably, Psal. 
 cxlviii. 6. 
 
 " Into wickedness." This is a high expression, I 
 think not in the whole Scripture again : Ezek. vii. 
 11, "Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness." 
 It is far short of this you have in Rom. i. 23, 25, 
 expressions suitable to this; they changed the glory 
 of the incorruptible God into an image, and the 
 truth of God into a lie. And so in Jude, " The grace 
 of our God into wantonness," ver. 4. And Jerusalem 
 changed God's judgments, which are his glory, his 
 truth, his grace, into wickedness; the inventions, 
 superstitiims, ceremonies, laws, worship, idols of the 
 gentiles, were taken in, set up, countenanced, and 
 God's judgments, statutes, and worship, thrust out, 
 laid aside. 
 
 This they did more than the nations and countries 
 round about them ; they dealt worse with God than 
 heathens ; and wherein was that ? in the refusal of 
 him and his ways : for, " they have refused my 
 judgments and my statutes." The Hebrew word to 
 refuse notes not a bare refusal, but a rejecting, and 
 that with disdain ; Hos. iv. 6, they rejected know- 
 ledge, and loathed the means of grace ; they dealt 
 with God's ordinances and worship contumeliously : 
 Prov. iii. II, the word is expressed by despising; 
 they made no account of God's statutes and judg- 
 ments, and so despised and rejected them; they did 
 neither for their worship nor their lives regard his 
 will. Jerusalem having God's statutes, should have 
 so prized them, stuck to and practised them, that 
 thereby she might have drawn the gentiles round 
 about her to the knowledge and worship of the true 
 God, but she sinned more than the gentiles, and justi- 
 fied them in their wickedness. They sinned not out 
 of ignorance and weakness, but wilfidly, maliciously. 
 
 Obs. I. That the Lord gives to the sign the name 
 of the thing signified. " This is Jerusalem :" it was 
 only a sign, and not Jerusalem itself; yet God was 
 pleased to call it so ; and the Scripture doth fre- 
 quently speak in that manner. Gen. xli. 2(), " The 
 seven good kine are seven years, and the seven good 
 ears are seven years;" they were not the years, 
 
 though so called, but signs of years : 1 Cor. x. 4, 
 " That Rock was Christ," a sign of Christ, not Christ 
 himself; and chap. xi. 24, " This is my body," not 
 his flesh and blood, as papists would have it, but a 
 sign of it. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is an honour for cities to be the head 
 and chief of the regions where they are, especially 
 where the covenant, truth, and church of God is in 
 them. Jerusalem was the head, and God had made 
 good his promise in Deut. xxviii. 13, " The Lord 
 shall make thee the head and not the tail ; and thou 
 shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath, 
 if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the 
 Lord thy God." The way for cities to be honour- 
 able, only above, and always above, is to hearken 
 unto God, to cleave close to his ways, to exalt him 
 in his worship ; but if they will go aside from his 
 word and worship, God will shave them, their ho- 
 nour shall quickly be laid in the dust, they shall be 
 made the tail instead of the head : ver. 43, " The 
 stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee 
 very high ; and thou shalt come down very low;" 
 and ver. 44, " He shall be the head, and thou shalt 
 be the tail : " and this you may see fulfilled, Lam. 
 i. 5, " Her adversaries are the chief." The Baby- 
 lonians had shaved Jerusalem, and brought her low, 
 which made Jeremiah say, " How doth the city sit 
 solitary, that was full of people ! how is she become 
 as a widow ! she that was great among the nations, 
 and princess among the provinces, how is she become 
 tributary !" ver. 1. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord sets his church and people 
 among the wicked, and that for special ends. " I have 
 set thee in the midst of the nations ; " and God had 
 pecidiar ends in it. The nations and country about 
 were full of ignorance, idolatry, and profaneness ; 
 God recorded his name at Jerusalem, set his worship 
 there, and them in the midst of the nations, that 
 they might make known the true God, the true re- 
 ligion, the true way of worship ; that they might by 
 their holy lives win those that were without, bring 
 them in to serve the God of Israel. And had the 
 Jews been conscientious of their ways, faithful and 
 spiritual in their worship, they might have prevailed 
 much with the nations to have turned from their 
 idols, and other sins, to the living God ; at least 
 have convinced them of the evil of their own ways, 
 and the excellency of God's ways. Therefore Moses 
 used this argument to persuade the Jews to keep 
 God's statutes ; Deut. iv. 6, " Keep therefore and do 
 them," saith he, " for this is your wisdom and your 
 understanding in the sight of the nations, which 
 shall hear all these statutes, and say. Surely thisgreat 
 nation is a wise and understanding people." Ex- 
 amples of cities and nations are convincing and per- 
 suasive orators, if they be godly ; beacons on a hill, 
 whose light extends far. Great cities have influence 
 into all the counties and countries round about. 
 They came from all places to Jerusalem, from Sheba, 
 1 Kings x. 1 ; from ^Ethiopia, Acts viii. 27 ; from 
 Parthia, Mesopotamia, Libya, Rome, and many 
 other parts, Acts ii. 9, 10 ; and what they saw and 
 heard at Jerusalem, that fastened upon them. What 
 is done in great cities is much observed, and goes 
 forth to the ends of the earth ; Rev. xvii. 5, " Baby- 
 lon, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the 
 earth." 
 
 Obs. 4. Ingratitiide is a sin that provokes Heaven 
 itself; it caused God the giver to upbraid Jerusalem 
 the receiver. " I set thee in the midst of the na- 
 tions ;" I made thee the head, put honour upon thee, 
 called thee my city, was thy defence, glory, strength ; 
 I gave thee my judgments and statutes ; and wlint 
 hast thou done ? Corrupted thyself, corrupted the
 
 142 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 C'liAP. Y. 
 
 nation ; changed my judgments into wickedness, and 
 rejected them. This troubled the Lord greatly in 
 all ages : Dcut, xxxii. 6, " Do ye thus requite the 
 Lord, O foolish people and unwise ? is not he tiiy 
 father that hath bought thee ? hath he not made 
 thee ?" &c. And notwithstanding .all that God had 
 done for them, and was to them, yet they corrupted, 
 bespotted themselves, dealt perversely and crook- 
 edly with God : so Isa. i. 2, " Hear, O heavens, and 
 give ear, earth : I have brought up children, and 
 they have rebelled against me ;" oxen and asses 
 were more resj)ective of their owners, than they 
 were of their God, and therefore God upbraids 
 them with it. God had done nuich for that people ; 
 his law, prophets, temple, worship, miracles, choicest 
 blessings of heaven and earth, were for them, and 
 yet they were ungrateful; therefore God calls 
 heaven and earth to witness against them how un- 
 reasonalile they were in their carriage towards the 
 Lord. So in Jer. ii. 12, he puts it higher, " Be 
 astonished, O ye heavens, at this, be horribly afraid, 
 very desolate." And why should there be such s, 
 change in the heavens ? because God's people had 
 made a dreadful change on earth. God had been a 
 fountain of living waters unto them, tilled them with 
 comforts of all sorts, made them green and tlciurish- 
 ing, and now they had forsaken him for puddle and 
 broken cisterns of their own. Ingratitude troubles 
 heaven and earth. Bernard saith, man's ingratitude 
 troubled Christ more than his cross, nails, whip- 
 pings, reproaches, yea, his death ; for Christ to be- 
 come man, to sutTer all for man, and he to be un- 
 thankful, this pierced him to the heart most. And 
 when God doth much for kingdoms and cities, and 
 they prove ungrateful, it puts God into an upbraid- 
 ing way : Isa. v. 4, I did so and so for my vineyard, 
 oh, " what could have been done more ? — I will 
 take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten 
 up," trod down, laid waste ; it shall have briers, 
 and no rain shall fall upon it. 
 
 Ohs. 5. Those who have the name and face of 
 God's people may become worse than heathens. 
 Jerusalem changed God's statutes into wickedness, 
 that was ill; but she did it more than the nations, 
 which was exceeding ill. Hence you tind, Ezek. 
 xvi. 46 — 48, that the sins of Jerusalem exceeded the 
 Samaritans' and Sodomites', "Thou hast not walked 
 after their ways, nor done after their abominations : 
 but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast 
 corrupted more than they in all thy ways :" their 
 sins were inconsiderable to Jerusalem's. And be- 
 cause Sodom's sins being so great, notorious, as that 
 they fetched fire from heaven, and fiod could not 
 forbear them any longer, it woidd hardly be received 
 that Jerusalem's sins were worse than Sodom's ; the 
 Lord swears to it : " As 1 live, saith the Lord God, 
 Sodom and her daughters have not done as thou and 
 thy daughters have done." The nations and countries 
 about never sinned so desperately against God, as 
 those who professed his name, and went for his 
 people; and you have the sentence of Heaven for 
 it, Jer. ii. It), 11, " Pass over the isles of Chittim, 
 and see ; and send unto Kedar, and consider dili- 
 gently, and see if there be such a thing. Hath a 
 nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? 
 but my people have changed their glory for that 
 which doth not profit." The turpitude of their fact 
 is fully set out; it was such as could not be paral- 
 leled among heathens. Inquiry was made, the report 
 given in, that the gentiles changed not their gods, 
 they would not alter their laws and worship they 
 had from men ; but the Jews parted with their glory, 
 when they would not part witli their 
 shame ; they let go their religion, which 
 
 was divine ; and, without any just cause, changed 
 God's judgments and stahites into wickedness, into 
 that which neither did nor could profit ; they were 
 changelings, chopped away heaven for earth, God for 
 idols, and his worship for men's inventions. This 
 made the Lord say of them, Jer. iii. 5, " Behold, 
 thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou 
 couldest." What could they do worse, tlian let the 
 infinite, glorious, wise, most holy, and blessed God, 
 go for idols and idolatrous worship; when the 
 heathens would not let their gods go, that were of 
 base and corruptible materials, made by the hands 
 and art of men, that could neither see, hear, or help 
 them ? What could Manasseh do worse than he did ? 
 2 Kings xxi. U. 
 
 Ver. 7, 8. Tlierefore thus suitli the Lord God ; 
 Because ye multiplied more than the nations that 
 are rou7id about you, and have not ivalked in my 
 statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither 
 have done according to the judgments of the na- 
 tions that are round about yon ; therefore thus 
 saith the Lord God ; Behold, L, even L, am 
 against thee, and rvill execute judgments in the 
 midst of thee in the sight of the nations. 
 
 The 7th verse is of the nature of the 6th, and 
 hath in it motives unto God to proceed in judgment 
 with Jerusalem. First, they observed not the laws 
 of God. Secondly, not the laws of the nations, but 
 multiplied more than they. And, Thirdly, before 
 them unto whom they should have been patterns of 
 piety. 
 
 " Because ye multiplied more than the nations." 
 Some expositors refer these words to their mercies, 
 not their sins ; and make the sense thus : Because 
 thou hast multiplied in number, in riches, in honour 
 and strength, in victory, in profits, in ordinances, in 
 all blessings ; for which ye ought to have been 
 thankful, fruitful, and obedient unto that God who 
 blessed you thus above the nations ; but instead of 
 this hast dishonoured God, grown loose, idolatrous, 
 &c. ; therefore will I deal accordingly with thee. 
 Take it thus, and you have this note ; That pros- 
 perity rather renders a people worse than better; 
 they had more mercies than the nations, and more 
 sins than they; as they abounded in God's blessings, 
 so they abounded in ingratitude : Deut. xxxii. 15, 
 " Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked," &c. Hos. xiii. 6. 
 
 But others refer this multiplying to their sins ; 
 and the sense is this ; Because thou hast not satisfied 
 thyself with a little wickedness, but multiplied sins, 
 iniquities, transgressions, and that more than the 
 heathens, that had not thy mercies, nor thy light, 
 therefore will 1 judge thee. And that they multiplied 
 sin is evident ; Ezek. xvi. 25, " Thou hast built thy 
 high place at every head of the way, and hast opened 
 thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied 
 thy whoredoms ;" she sinned with the Egyptians, 
 Assyrians, Chaldeans, ver. 26, 28, 29. 
 
 " The judgments of the nations." Tlie gentiles 
 have thfir judgments, their laws, rules, and ways of 
 living and uor.^hipping. Some understand here the 
 laws v.{ nature, what men have written in their 
 hearts naturally, according to what you find, Rom. 
 ii. 14, 15; and the Jews that had the laws of God 
 superadded to the law of nature, did not abstain from 
 those sins the nations did ; they observed the law 
 the Jews brake. 
 
 Others refer it to their laws, decrees, and practice, 
 touching their gods, and the worship of them ; they 
 were tenacious of both, and would not alter their 
 worship, nor exchange their gods. It was a maxim
 
 Veb. 7, t*. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 143 
 
 among heathens, That no novelty should be indulged 
 in the attairs of religion ; and thus they thought it 
 impious to depart "from what they had received. 
 Mhcn Paul came to Athens, they did and would 
 worship their unknown God ; Paul could not pre- 
 vail with them to exchange a lie for a truth. Not all 
 the miracles Moses did in Egypt prevailed with 
 Pharaoh and the Egj-ptians to forsake their false 
 
 fods. So that these words are a reproach to the 
 cws, who were not so constant as the nations to 
 their gods. 
 
 Obs. 1. That God walks not in the way of judg- 
 ments till men do walk out of the way of his sta- 
 tutes. Because ye have not walked in my statutes, 
 neither have kept my judgments, therefore I will do 
 so and so by you. God's delights are in ways and 
 works of mercy; judgments are his strange works, 
 and strange acts, Isa. xxviii. 21 ; he is provoked 
 unto them as a bee unto stinging; it is the child's 
 wantonness causes the father to use the rod. Da- 
 vid's sin brought the sword to his own house, the 
 plague to the people. When the wickedness of the 
 earth was great, then the windows of heaven were 
 open, and the flood came. Gen. vi. 
 
 Obs. 2. When God intends judgments, lie usually 
 convinces sinners. Judgments and convictions are 
 not far asunder. God sets their sins before them ; 
 they walked not in his statutes, they sinned more 
 than the nations, therefore he would proceed in 
 judgment with them ; he convinces them of their 
 sin, to make way for a further conviction, namely, 
 of the equity of his judgments. When the Lord 
 shall convince a sinful people to be guilty, and that 
 of great sins, it stops their mouths, and proclaims 
 the equity of his judgments, which are ever short of 
 the merit of men's iniquities; Ezra ix. 13, "Our 
 God has punished us less than our iniquities." 
 
 Oi.v. 3. That heathens are oft more true to 
 their principles than the people of God. The nations 
 kept their judgments, their gods, their worship ; they 
 would not sutfer aught to be spoken against their 
 gods. Demetrius and others were in a rage against 
 Paul and his companions for it, Acts xix. They 
 were free from many of those sins which were prac- 
 tised and countenanced among the Jews, who kept 
 neither to the true God, nor to his statutes and judg- 
 ments. Ahaz is better pleased with an altar from 
 Damascus, than that the Lord had appointed, 2 Kings 
 xvi. Solomon, that excelled in wisdom, showed his 
 folly in this, that he built high places for Chemosh 
 and' Molech. And not only a particular man, but 
 the body of the people turned aside from the true 
 God: Jiidg. ii. 12, "They forsook God, that brought 
 them out of Egypt, and followed the gods of the 
 people that were round about them, they bowed to 
 them, and served Baal and Ashtaroth:" and chap. 
 X. 6, it was an ordinary thing with them : " The 
 children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the 
 Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the 
 
 fods of Syria, the gods of Zidon, and the gods of 
 loab, and the gods of the Philistines ; " they were 
 not satisfied with one or two false gods, but fetched 
 in the gods of the nations round about. Hence this 
 people are said to go " a whoring from mider their 
 God," Hos. iv. 12; his laws, statutes, worship, 
 government would not suffice them, but they would 
 wander, and have strange gods, and strange laws. 
 2 Chron. xii. 1, " Rehoboam forsook the law of the 
 Lord, and all Israel with him." God's law was ex- 
 changed for the laws of men. They kept the statutes 
 of Omri, and brake the statutes of Jehovah, Mic. 
 vi. IG. The Jews were as inconstant to their God, 
 and in his worship, as any nation under heaven. 
 God upbraids them for it, Jer. ii. 3G, " Why gnddcst 
 
 thou about so much to change thy way ?" God had 
 given them a good way, a way of life, aiid they would 
 not abide in it, but hasten into ways of sin and 
 death ; they loved to wander, Jer. xiv. Hath not 
 England been weary of God's ways, wandered to 
 Rome, and other parts, to fetch in somewhat of 
 theirs ? Have we not been upon conjunctures of 
 protcstants and papists, in doctrine, discipline, and 
 ceremony ? 
 
 Ver. 8. In the 8th verse is laid down a dreadful 
 threatening; " Behold, I, even I, am against thee ;" 
 and the denunciation of judgment runs on to the end 
 of the chapter, with many aggravations. Here the 
 Lord is brought in a just and severe judge, and the 
 chief author of all the judgments which were to 
 come upon them ; " I, even 1, am," &c. It is doubled, 
 and notes, 
 
 1. Evidence, that so they might be persuaded of 
 it. The Jews thought that God would never be 
 against Jerusalem ; but to convince them, he tells 
 them, " I, even I, am against thee." 
 
 2. Certainty, that whether they believed it or no, 
 they should find it so. 
 
 3. Earnestness, to set out the infensiveness of 
 God in this thing. He was serious and real, his 
 heart was in it, he was not words, but weight ; " I, 
 even I," &c. that so they might be the more aflected. 
 
 The Vulgate reads it, to thee, instead of "against 
 thee ;" the Hebrew bears both, and the sense abides 
 the same : I, even I, to thee ; that is, coming to 
 thee with my judgments ; I am hastening towards 
 thee for thy ruin and destruction ; and so coming to 
 Jerusalem, is being against it. That phrase in Lev. 
 xxvi. 24, of walking contrary to them, and punishing 
 them, is the expository of this here ; God would 
 come to them, come against them, and destroy them ; 
 and this should be not in a private way, but in the 
 sight of the nations. It is a sad thing to have God 
 secretly out with one, much worse to have him an 
 open enemy, as God professes he would be unto them 
 all w'ho should see his dealings with them. 
 
 " Judgments." Here it is not taken as in the Gth 
 and 7th verses, but notes wrath, vengeance, and 
 punishment to be inflicted upon evil-doers. It is 
 the same word in the Hebrew that notes laws and 
 punishments, and both are called judgments, being 
 from the infinite wisdom, counsel, and judgmeut of 
 God. 
 
 Obs. 1. That it is God who is the great agent in 
 all judgments which befall cities and kingdoms. 
 Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan, and many thousand 
 fierce bloody soldiers came against Jerusalem, but 
 God was in them, acted and ordered them ; they 
 were the rod and staiF in his hand, with which he 
 beat Jerusalem ; the axe with which he hewed 
 them ; the razor wherewith he shaved them ; and 
 might have said. It is not we but your God who is 
 against you ; he hath commanded us to come forth, 
 to plunder your country, to besiege, take, and burn 
 your city. Though you yielded not obedience to 
 his commands to prevent the judgment, yet we must 
 and will, to execute the judgment appointed by him. 
 Sufferers are apt to look at the next and second 
 causes ; not at God, but armies, plagues, famines. 
 Whatever judgments are extant, they are in God's 
 hand, he is the principal actor in them. 2 Chron. 
 xii. 7, God calls the wrath his wrath, and Shishak 
 was to pour it out upon Jerusalem : Shishak was the 
 vial, God put in the wrath, and poured it out at his 
 pleasure. Amos iv. 6, 10, God tells them it was he 
 gave them cleanness of teeth, and sent the pesti- 
 lence ; and it is he breaks out like fire in the house 
 of Joseph, chap. v. 6; and Isa. Ixiii. 10, " He fought 
 against them ;" it was God in their enemies did it.
 
 144 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 C'ii.u>. V. 
 
 06s. 2. It is a dreadful thing to have God against 
 a city or kingdom. " Beliold, I, even I, am against 
 you ;" I that have loved you so dearly, that have 
 done so much for you, that have been a friend, a 
 father, a husband, a deliverer, a counsellor, a God 
 of salvation, even I am against you. The word, 
 " Behold," imports so much ; where that is prefix- 
 ed, usually some great, strange, and dreadful thing 
 fellows : and so here, could a greater, stranger, or 
 more dreadful thing befall God's people, than to have 
 God against thcmi' 
 
 (1.) All in God is against them ; all his attributes, 
 his wisdom, holiness, mercy, justice, patience, power, 
 &c. working for their ruin. Jer. xviii. II, " Behold, 
 saith the Lord, I frame evil against you, and devise 
 a device against you ;" God's head and hand was 
 at work against them : and so in Micah ii. 3, " Be- 
 hold, against this family do I devise an evil ;" it 
 was ill with the family of Jacob, when God set his 
 thoughts to work to devise judgments for them. 
 The infinite, wise, and powerful God, when he i^ 
 once against a people, improves his attributes fi.r 
 their ruin : hence you have it in the word, that 
 God's face is against the wicked, Psal. xxxiv. l(i; 
 and set against them. Lev. xxvi. 17; and so bis 
 hand is against them. Lam. iii. 3. 
 
 (2.) All from God ; as, [I.] All the creatures, 
 when the king himself is out with any, all his offi- 
 cers and servants frown ; also angels are against a 
 people, when God is against them. When two states 
 fall out they call away their ambassadors ; and God 
 calls away his angels when he is wroth with a na- 
 tion ; and because their Lord and Master is wronged 
 by that nation, they take part with him against it, 
 and stand ready to execute his judgments ujion it. 
 When Christ was injuriously dealt with, Peter drew 
 in his Master's behalf presently ; when God was 
 against Egypt, the destroying angel was quickly felt 
 there. Not only angels, but all inferior creatures, 
 act answerably unto their Lord ; when he moves 
 against a people, they do it also. The stars fought 
 against Sisera, Judg. v. 20; the waters against Pha- 
 roah, Exod. xiv. 26 ; the earth against Corah, Da- 
 than, and Abiram, Numb. xvi. 32; fiery serpents 
 stun^ the Israelites, Numb. xxi. 6 : see Lev. xxvi. 
 22; Ezek. xxxiv. 2>f ; chap. xiv. 15. Wild beasts 
 God would send amidst them, and he did it ; 2 Kings 
 xvii. 24, 25, there were lions, and 2 Kings ii. 24, there 
 were bears, which did devour. Herod was eaten up 
 by worms, Pherecides with vermin. Pliny tells that 
 in Spain they were constrained to forsake their 
 cities, because undermined with conies ; one in Thes- 
 saly, with moles ; and in France many towns were 
 left, because annoyed with frogs, locusts, mice, and 
 wasps. God is the Lord of hosts, and can quickly 
 muster up an army of the creatures againsthis enemies. 
 
 [2.] All ordinances. The word is the savour of 
 death, 2 Cor. ii. 16 ; the gospel is hid to them, chap. 
 iv. 3; prayer and fasting witness against them, Isa. 
 Iviii. 5 ; Zech. vii. 5 ; passover, circumcision, sacri- 
 fices, temple, sabbaths, new moons, &c. did them no 
 good, but increased their woes, Isa. i. 11 — 15; and 
 chap. vi. 9 — 11, "Hear ye indeed, but understand 
 not ; and see ye indeed, but perceive not : make the 
 heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, 
 and shut their eyes ; lest they should see, hear, un- 
 derstand, be converted, and healed." And why thus ? 
 God was against them, he would waste their cities, 
 and make their land desolate. God was against the 
 Jews, his purpose was lo root them out ; and what 
 did Christ's glorious gospel and treasures of it prnfit 
 them ? As Ahab said of Micaiah, 1 Kings xxii. S, He 
 prophesied no good unto us ; so these proved no 
 ways good unto them. 
 
 [3.] When God sets a people he is against, against 
 itself, he divides them. Ephraim is against ]Slanas- 
 seh, and Manasseh against Ephraim and bcjth against 
 Judah, Isa. ix. 21. When people will divide from 
 God, God will multiply their divisions ; he can and 
 doth mingle a perverse spirit in the midst of a people 
 he is against, Isa. xix. 14; there shall be no agree- 
 ment, but in the ruin one of another, ver. 2, " I will 
 set the Egyptians against the Egyptians ; and they 
 shall fight, brother, neighbour, city, kingdom, each 
 against another." 
 
 [4.] All miseries, plagues, judgments, curses, 
 break in quickly upon that people. Levit. xxvi. 
 when God is in march against a people, he will ap- 
 point over them terrors, consumptions, burning 
 agues, &c. ; and if these do not humble them, he 
 will have seven more judgments for them, ver. 18 ; 
 and after them seven more, ver. 21 ; and if they prevail- 
 ed not, seven more, ver. 24 ; and seven more after those 
 three sevens, ver. 28 : God would multiply their judg- 
 ments by sevens. And they found it truth what God 
 said, Judg. ii. 15, " Whithersoever they went out, the 
 hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the 
 Lord had said : and they were greatly distressed ; " 
 they met w ith variety of evils on every side ; and 
 that which is worse than all these, spiritual judgments 
 seize upon their hearts, so that either they see not 
 evils coming to fear and prevent them, or profit not 
 by them being come and felt ; their great distresses 
 and gracious deliverances did them no good, their 
 hearts were still idolatrous, and " they went a whor- 
 ing after other gods," ver. 17. Hos. vii. 9, strangers 
 devoured Ephraim's strength, and he knew it not ; 
 grey hairs were here and there, and not discerned. 
 
 [5.] No refuge is left when God is against a peo- 
 ple. Riches will not profit, Prov. xi. 4. Zeph. i. 
 18, " Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able 
 to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath : but 
 the whole land shall be devoured." Then may they 
 say with David, Psal. cxlii. 4, " Refuge failed me." 
 Will ye Hee to cities and sanctuaries ? Lev. xxvi. 
 31, " I will make your cities waste, and bring your 
 sanctuaries unto desolation." Will ye flee to your 
 own hearts ? Ezek. xxii. 14, " Can thine heart en- 
 dure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I 
 shall deal with thee ?" Will ye return, weep, and 
 pray unto God .' Deut. i. 45. 
 
 The evidences or discoveries of God's being 
 against a people are these : 
 
 First, when God is against a people, they are un- 
 spirited, their hearts are despondent within them. 
 Hos. iv. I, God had a controversy with the land; 
 and chap. vii. 11, "Ephraim also is like a silly dove 
 without heart ;" they call to Egypt, they go to 
 Assyria, they had no courage, but were fearful and 
 faint-hearted like doves. When enemies and dangers 
 were at hand, when Jehu's letter came to Samaria, 
 the men of the city " were exceedingly afraid, and 
 said. Two kings were not able to stand before him : 
 how then shall we stand?" 2 Kings x. 4. Their 
 hearts failed them, when man was in apprehension 
 against them ; what will men's hearts do when 
 God is against them ? His being with men, puts 
 courage ar.d life into them; Josh. i. 9, "Be strong, 
 and of a good courage ; be not dismayed, for the 
 Lord thy God is with thee :" and his being against 
 them, daunts and damps all ; Isa. xix. 13, when God 
 came against Egypt, the heart of it melted, and the 
 spirits of it failed in the midst thereof. 
 
 Second, they are not successfid in their great and 
 public undertakings. Deut. xxviii. 29, " Thou shalt 
 not prosper in thy ways : and thou shalt be only 
 opjircssed and spoiled evermore;" God blasts their 
 enterprises. Jehoram comes out with a great army
 
 Ver. 7—10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 145 
 
 against Abijah, he liatl 800,000 chosen and mighty 
 men of valour ; Abijah had only 400,000, half so 
 many, 2 Chron. xiii. 3 ; and what argument did he 
 use ? ver. 12, " Behold, God himself is with us for 
 a captain ;" he is not with you, and you shall not pros- 
 per ; and they did not, but fell in the battle, 500,000 
 of them ; a strange victory, that they should slay 
 100,000 more than themselves were in nimibcr. 
 God was with the one, and against the other, there- 
 fore was the success so glorious and great to Judah, 
 and so bloody and shameful to Israel. When God is 
 against a people, he works wonders to ruin them, 
 there is a secret curse upon their counsel, Isa. xix. 
 3, " I will destroy the counsel of Egypt ;" upon their 
 goings out, and whatever they put their hands to, 
 Deut. xxviii. 19, 20. Moses knew that it is God's 
 presence and countenance that makes things suc- 
 cessful ; God would send an angel with him to 
 drive out the Canaanites, and to plant them in 
 Canaan, but that sufficed not him, he must have 
 God go with him, Exod. xxxiii. 2, 15. 
 
 Third, he sets over (hem such as prove their ruin. 
 Lev. xxvi. 17, " I will set my face against you ; and 
 they that hate you shall reign over you ;" dtui^ovrai, 
 shall persecute you, intimating, that when God is 
 against a people, he gives them persecuting rulers. 
 Rchoboam whipped tliem with scorpions, 1 Kingsxii. 
 14; Ahaz made Judah naked and distressed the 
 land, 2 Chron. xxviii. 19, 20; Manasseh filled Jeru- 
 salem with innocent blood, 2 Kings xxi. 16; and 
 made the people do worse than heathens, 2 Chron. 
 xxxiii. 9 : all the kings of Israel were naught, and 
 many of them sore plagues unto the people, and 
 especially Ahab, whom his wife Jezebel stirred up to 
 do wickedly, more than any before him, 1 Kings xxi. 
 25. When God's face was hid from and against a 
 people, he set such rulers over them as proved roar- 
 ing lions and ranging bears, Prov. xxviii. 15. And 
 I fear God is in controversy with the christian world 
 at this time, because most princes in it are haters 
 of their people, bringing them under, and tyranniz- 
 ing over them. But if God will return in mercy, 
 he will give his people favour, " and they shall rule 
 over their oppressors," Isa. xiv. 1, 2. 
 
 FQurth,judgmentsawakennot, prevail not to reform, 
 to return to God : Isa. xxn. 11," When thy hand is 
 lifted up, they will not see." They saw in a gene- 
 ral way that God was angry, but not so as to hum- 
 ble themselves under his mighty hand ; they were 
 rather hardened than humbled under the judgments 
 of God : Jer. ii. 30, " In vain have I smitten your 
 children ; they received no correction ;" Isa. i. 5, 
 " Why should you be stricken any more ? ye will re- 
 volt more and more." God multiplied judgments, and 
 they multiplied revolts ; God tried them with plagues, 
 famine, wars, and bondage, but they were stifl'-necked, 
 hard-hearted, judgment-proof, and daily worse and 
 worse, and walked contrary to God; they were stub- 
 born, and set light by his judgments. When God is 
 against a people, his judgments are not sanctified, 
 they work not out the filth and mud that is in king- 
 doms and cities, a wrong construction is made of them. 
 
 Fifth, there is aspirit of envy and bitterness against 
 those who are dear to God, and stand most for his 
 ways and worship. They envied God's people, Isa. 
 xxvi. 1 1 ; they mocked his messengers, misused his 
 prophets, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16. There was a ma- 
 lignant sjiirit in them in times of tlie gospel, when 
 they went off from the old way of Jewish worship, 
 and were formed into gospel fellowship ; there was 
 bitterness of spirit against them : Acts viii. 1, 
 there was a great persecution of the church which 
 was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad, 
 except the apostles ; and quickly after, Herod laid 
 
 L 
 
 hands upon, and killed James. Chry- j^ jj^„ ^.. 
 sostom and Theophylact tell you the a" Lat>i<i.*in"' 
 reason ; because he was a son of thun- ^"' 
 der, opposed the Jews, the old national way of wor- 
 ship, therefore he was postu/atus ad necem, doomed 
 to execution. The Jew s petitioned Herod to do it ; 
 and the more Christianity spread, and churches 
 multiplied in Judea, the more bitter were the Jews 
 against that way ; and that was antecedent to the 
 destruction of Jerusalem by Titus. 
 
 Sixth, he makes that people base and contemptible 
 in the eyes of others ; they lose their honour and 
 glory ; they were the head whilst God was with 
 them, but they became the tail when he was against 
 them. , 
 
 Obs. 3. That the Lord will be known by executing 
 of judgments. He will not smite in secret, in a corner 
 of the land or city, but in the midst of them; and 
 so, as his judgments .should come abroad, be seen 
 and heard of the nations. The Jews thought God 
 like themselves, Psal. 1. 21 ; because he was silent, 
 they felt him not a revenger, and therefore would make 
 him a partaker in their sins ; God would vindicate 
 himself, and execute judgment in the midst of them. 
 The gentiles were blind, deeming judgments to be 
 casual, but God would so deal with Jerusalem, in- 
 flict such punishment, as that they should see and 
 say, they were not accidental, but from the God of 
 heaven. So that here the equity and greatness of 
 judgments are held out; they sinned, and grievously, 
 in the midst of the nations, and are punished accord- 
 ingly in the sight of the nations. This was an ad- 
 dition to the Jews' misery, that their enemies should 
 be witnesses of what they suffered. 
 TertiJlian tells of Claudius Hermianus, "pu . c. 
 
 who persecuted the christians bitterly, and the 
 rather, because his wife was turned to that sect, as 
 he called it ; he being smitten with ^^^^ ^^i,,^ „, 
 the just hand of God, said. Keep it ci<">ie.iiii cUns- 
 secret, lest the christians rejoice. 
 
 Ver. 9, 10. And I v-ill do in thee that which 1 
 have not done, and wheretinto I will not do any 
 more the like, because of all thine abominations. 
 Tlierefore the fathers shall eat the sotis in the 
 midst nf thee, and the sons shall eat their fathers ; 
 and 1 ivill execute judgments in thee, and the 
 whole remnant of thee will I scatter into all the 
 winds. 
 
 These verses contain further aggravations of Je- 
 rusalem's miseries : the 9th verse tells you they 
 should be such as the world had not seen, nor should 
 see ; the 10th verse specifies some particulars. 
 
 The 9th verse extends to the time past, and to the 
 lime future, and falls into examination, whether true 
 in either part. 
 
 First, " I will do in thee that which I have not 
 done." Had not God dealt severely with the old 
 world, with Sodom and Gomorrah, with the Egypt- 
 ians whom he drowned ? Yes, he had ; but tlieir 
 sins being not so grievous as the Jews', their judg- 
 ments were not so great. The sorest was that of 
 Sodom, and. Lam. iv. 6, " The punishment of the 
 iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than 
 the punishment of the sin of Sodom :" that was over- 
 thrown in a moment, it was a sharp but short pun- 
 ishment ; Jerusalem had severity and length of 
 time, therefore it is added, ver. 9, " They that be 
 slain with the sword are better than they that be 
 slain with hunger," their judgment is ea.sy. 
 
 But was not the siege of Samaria as sad a judg- 
 ment as this executed against Jerusalem? 2 Kings
 
 146 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. V. 
 
 vi. 28, 20, there the women ate their own children, 
 and sufTered great distress through famine. 
 
 A71.S. The women ate tlieir children, but it came 
 not to that exti-cmity, as that the fathers should eat 
 their sons, and the sons the fathers, as here it was. And, 
 
 Secondly, that was not taken as Jerusalem was, and 
 burned, many put to the sword, many carried into 
 captivity. 
 
 This part of the verse you see cleared ; that which 
 respects the time to come is more difficult: "I will 
 not do any more the like." Uid God do his utmost 
 now ? did he not do as much or more against Je- 
 rusalem and its inhabitants, for putting Christ to 
 death ? AVhen Titus besieged Jerusalem, did they 
 not eat their children, one another, die with famine? 
 did not the plague and sword destroy ? ran not their 
 blood down the streets, out at the gates, and affected 
 their very enemies ? came not the wrath of God 
 upon them to the utmost? I Thess. ii. 16; and said 
 not the Lord Christ, Matt. xxiv. 21, that there should 
 be at that time such " tribulation as was not from 
 the beginning of the world, nor ever should be ? " 
 how then is it truth in our prophet, that God saith, 
 " I will not do any more the like ? " 
 
 1. The Hebrew word llj? no more, doth not always 
 signify perpetuity, but some time, a long tract of 
 time, or a considerable space. 2 Kings vi. 23, the 
 heads of Syria came no more into the land of Israel ; 
 that was, for a certain time they did not, but yet 
 afterward they came again, as appears in the next 
 verse. So Isa. ii. 4, " Nation shall not lift up sword 
 against nation, neither shall they learn war any 
 more ;" it is spoken of Christ's time ; and for some 
 years there was quietness in the world, but after the 
 gospel spread wars were learned and practised 
 again. One place more in Gen. xl\i. 29, Joseph fell 
 on his father's neck, and wept on it a good while ; it is 
 the same word. So then God would not do so any more, 
 that is, for a good w hile, a long season, for that age 
 and generation. 
 
 2. We do not find that ever there was such a hand 
 of God upon a people, that the fathers should eat 
 their sons in an open, visible way, and the sons the 
 fathers, as there it was. The Scripture mentions 
 not the like again, scarcely any story in the world ; 
 and in this particular it may exceed all that ever 
 (jod had done, or would do. God never would do 
 like that again. No such precedent should be after 
 it ; and so that they shoidd be scattered into all parts 
 of the world. 
 
 3. Some interpreters conceive the words, " that 
 which I have not done, and w'hercunto I will do no 
 more the like," to be a usual phrase amongst the 
 Hebrews to set out the greatness of the judgment. 
 
 "Because of all thine abominations." The He- 
 brew word rsyin signifies a hateful thing, such as is 
 loathsome and dangerous. The Septnngint do fre- 
 quently render it by BdiXny/m, which is a thing so 
 detestable, as propter fadita(ein nemo noji adversatur, 
 on account of its vileness, every one is opposed to 
 it, a wickedness of which ne fari ticeat, it is not 
 lawfid to speak, it is so offensive ; it is such a thing 
 as a man omyiibus sensibtts, with all his faculties, ab- 
 horreth, that a man endures not patiently to hear, 
 see, or speak of: it points out notorious sins, of all 
 kinds. I shall name some unto you : the counter- 
 feiting of the sexes, men by wearing the women's, 
 and women the men's apparel ; this was an abomi- 
 nation unto the Lord, l)eut. xxii. 5 ; incestuous 
 marriages, adulteries, sodomy. Lev. xviii. 26, 27, 
 he had mentioned the sins, and then calls them 
 abominations ; falsehood in weights and measures, 
 Deut. XXV. 14 — 1<> ; idolatry, as 1 Pet. iv. 3 ; 
 abominable idolatries, and so odious are idols, that 
 
 thev are called abominations, 2 Chron. xv. 8, Asa 
 put away the abominable idols ; the Hebrew is, 
 abozninations. Idols are mere abominations ; Mil- 
 com was the abomination of the Ammonites, Che- 
 mosh of Moab, and Molech of Ammon, 1 Kings xi. 
 5, 7. Idols make nations abominations to God and 
 man ; they are a shame, Hos. ix. 10, an accursed 
 thing, Deut. vii. 26. Such abominations as these 
 mentioned, and others, they were guilty of. 
 
 Ver. 1 0. " Therefore the fathers shall cat the sons in 
 the midst of thee," &c. Here the drcadfulness of 
 God's judgments is in part expressed : fathers should 
 eat their sons, and sons their fathers ; not as Pradus 
 would have it, they ate the food of one another, that 
 should have preserved life, and so became the death 
 ofcachother. It was a real eating: Lam. iv. 10, "The 
 pitiful w'omen have sodden their own children : they 
 were their meat ;" and may it be thought their 
 hungry husbands shared not with them in those 
 viands ? "What was threatened was made good, and 
 certainly the fathers did eat their own children at 
 that time, and the children the parents. If tender 
 mothers did this, much more fathers, qici solent esse 
 teneriores in Jilios, \i\\o are not so tender towards 
 their offspring. So extreme was the famine, that 
 it made them do acts against piety, honesty, hu- 
 manity, light of nature : necessity breaks all bands. 
 In the Samaritan famine they did eat their children, 
 2 Kings vi. 29. You may read a lamentable dis- 
 course of a mother killing and eating her child for 
 hunger in Joseph. 1. 7. Bel. Judaic, c. 8, when Titus 
 besieged Jerusalem ; it was Mary the daughter of 
 Eleazar, a noble woman : she boiled one part, and 
 kept the other; some smelling flesh, asked. What 
 was done ? she tells the fact, and they went away 
 amazed. In Honorius's time there was such a 
 famine at Rome, that there was a public cry. Set the 
 price of man's tiesh. 
 
 Obs. 1. When God is become an enemy to a people, 
 he doth unheard-of things, such severity is in his 
 judgments as is not ordinary. Their abominations 
 had made the Lord against them, and therefore he 
 would do as he had not done, send a sharper sword 
 and famine than ever : Lev. xxvi. 30 — 32, " My soul 
 shall abhor you. And I will make your cities waste, 
 bring your sanctuaries and land into desolation : 
 and your enemies that dwell therein shall be aston- 
 ished at it." They shall wonder at the severity of 
 God towards his people, and not only inmates, but 
 foreigners shall wonder. Jer. xix. 3, " Behold, I 
 will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever 
 heareth, his ears shall tingle:" and Jer. xxii. 8, 9, 
 " Nations shall say, wherefore hath the Lord done 
 thus unto this great city ? Then they shall answer, 
 Because they nave forsaken the covenant of the 
 Lord their God," &c. God's judgments would be 
 so hard and heavy, that the nations should marvel, 
 and be unsatisfied at them, till they should hear how 
 they had dealt with God. Hath not God of late 
 been against Germany, and executed i.,menfof 
 extraorcUnary judgments there, such as Germany, 
 cause astonishment ? Have not men's eyes been 
 twisted out with cords, their skins flayed off alive, 
 their faces planed with chisels, their noses and ears 
 cut off to make hatbands, their mouths gagged, and 
 filthy liquids poured down ? have not men been 
 hung up by the hands in the smoke ? put into hot 
 ovens, roasted with straw fires ? have not divines 
 been cut in pieces, and their limbs thrown to dogs P 
 have not many fed and lived upon the flesh of dead 
 men and women, eaten their own children, killed 
 one another for relief against hunger ? Strange 
 judgments God brought upon Germany, and as 
 strange upon Ireland. Hath it not been the land of
 
 Ver. 11. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 147 
 
 God's ire, and the people the generation of his 
 wrath ; and felt more for so short a time, than Ger- 
 many or other nations ? have not women with child 
 been ravished, then ripped open, the bed of con- 
 ception viewed, the child taken out, and thrown 
 into the fire ? have not the protestant ministers been 
 stripped, bound to trees or posts, their wives and 
 daui,'nters ravished before their faces, then hanged 
 up before them so ravished, cut down half dead, 
 quartered and dismembered? have not many been 
 turned out naked, forced into waters, famished to 
 death under hedges ? some have been mortally 
 wounded, their bellies ripped, bowels let out, and 
 left upon dunghills, that they might not be soon out 
 of their misery. 
 
 Ver. 11. mierpforc, as I live, saith the Lord 
 God ; Surehi, because thou hast dejiled my sanc- 
 tuarij xvith all thy detestable things, and with all 
 thine abominations, therefore will I also diminish 
 thee i neither shall mine eye spare, neither will I 
 have any pity. 
 
 In this verse are two further aggravations of Je- 
 rusalem's judgments, and the cause of them. 
 
 The first aggravation is the inevitablencss of them, 
 " Surely I will diminish thee ;" and that confirmed by 
 an oath, " As I live, saith the Lord, I will do it." 
 
 The second is the disposition of God punishing 
 them, and that is dreadful, "he will neither spare 
 nor pity them ;" and then the cause is, their defile- 
 ment of his sanctuary with their "detestable things 
 and abominations." 
 
 " As I live." It is the form of an oath, and is 
 much used in the Old Testament ; as in Zeph. ii. 9 ; 
 .ler. xlvi. 18; xxii. 24; Isa. xHx. 18 ; Deut. xxxii. 40; 
 Numb. xiv. 21, 28; but it is more in our prophet 
 than in all the Scripture besides, fourteen times I 
 find it. Men arc hardly persuaded to believe God 
 in his way of judgments, and therefore being in that 
 way in this prophecy, he swears oft. You have this 
 oath, chap. xiv. 16, 18; xvi. 48; xvii. 19; xviii. 3; 
 xx.3,31,33; xxxiii. 11,27; xxxiv.8; xxxv.6, 11. Itis 
 a weighty oath, and imports that which follows is 
 not comminatory, but absolute, without evasion, 
 without revocation; As sure as I live, and am God, 
 it shall be done : Psal. ex. 4, " The Lord hath sworn, 
 and will not repent." A thing is ratified and cannot 
 be altered when it is confirmed by an oath, which is 
 an immutable thing, Heb. vi. Let me not live, let 
 me not be God, if I do not diminish you, but be an 
 idol god, without sense, understanding, or life. The 
 sign of an oath, anciently, was the lifting up the 
 hand to heaven ; and this is given to God when he 
 swears : also Deut. xxxii. 40, " I lift up my hand to 
 heaven, and say, I live for ever." This way of 
 swearing hath lately been renewed at our taking the 
 covenant; and it is to be wished that it may be used 
 when there is just occasion of swearing, rather than 
 laying the hand upon a book, and kissing it after- 
 wards. Such a way of taking an oath the Scripture 
 holds not out; and the lawfulness thereof is ques- 
 tioned by many. 
 
 " Thou hast defiled my sanctuary." The word 
 
 tt'TpD notes sometimes a holy place for refuge, and 
 
 refers to God himself ; Isa. viii. 14, " He shall 
 
 be for a sanctuary :" here it notes the temple, the 
 
 „ . . ,, place of God's worship, from kadiish, 
 
 to separate and consecrate to divnic 
 
 use. The sanctuary or temple was consecrated, ad 
 
 doclrmam, ad precatinnem, et ad cullnm divimtm, for 
 
 teaching, for prayer, for the general worship of God ; 
 
 it was only for holy uses. Some divide the temple 
 
 L 2 
 
 into the porch, palace, and place of the 
 oracle ; others into the court of Israel, "™' 
 
 the court of the priests, and the court of God, where 
 the ark and cherubims were, and this 
 they make the sanctuary or place of J""- M"'''"''- 
 holiness ; for mikdashi is, my holiness, as well as, my 
 sanctuary; there the glory of God appeared be- 
 tween the cherubims, and this place they desired. 
 
 I shall speak a little of the holiness of places, be- 
 cause there is an opinion in the world, that some 
 places are holy, and that duties done in them are 
 better than done elsewhere. It was the saying of a 
 great prelate, That God heard prayer, because the 
 prayers were in such a place. 
 
 Two ways places become holy : 
 
 First, by divine presence. 
 
 Secondly, by divine institution. 
 
 For the first, when God did in a visible extraordi- 
 nary way manifest himself and his glory in any 
 place, this made it holy; as Matt. xvii. when Christ 
 was transfigured in the mount, and excellent glory 
 appeared; this made the place holy, and the apostle 
 called it " The holy mount," 2 Pet. i. 18. So God's 
 appearing to Moses in the bush, Exod. iii. 5, made 
 that place holy. Such appearances of God are not 
 now. 
 
 The second way is, by institution and appointment 
 from God. When the Lord doth depute and conse- 
 crate places to holy uses, then are they holy, as the 
 temple was ; God appointed the place, the building 
 of the temple, the dedication and consecration 
 thereof. It is only God can make any thing holy ; 
 none but he that ni.ade the creature, can lift it up to 
 a higher condition than it was set in at first ; no 
 man can make persons, things, times, places holy, 
 besides the Lord. Now the temple was by the in- 
 stitution of God so sanctified, that it was a type of 
 Christ, a part of worship, a powerful means of grace, 
 giving acceptation to the persons, and all the duties 
 of worship there done ; so that it was a sin for them 
 to worship elsewhere, or to divert the temple to any 
 other use. We have no extraordinary appearance 
 of God to make places holy, nor any consecrated by 
 divine institution to type out Christ, or any spiritual 
 thing, to be a part of worship, a means of grace, 
 making the worshippers and worship more accept- 
 able ; and therefore I conceive we have no place 
 holy. It was not the temjile, but the synagogues, 
 that resembled our public places of worship, and 
 they were not holy: Matt. x. 17, they scourged in 
 their synagogues ; and that was no holy act : it is 
 the judgment of learned ones, that Paul a Lapid. Bru- 
 had his five whippings, of which he ^ens. 
 
 speaks in 2 Cor. xi. 24, in the synagogues. They 
 had the word preached in them, John xviii. 20 ; Acts 
 XV. 21, as it is in these public places, yet that did 
 not make them holy, and privilege them from com- 
 mon acts of justice. The holiness of places under 
 the law was ceremonial, and Christ hath put an end 
 to such holiness ; the difterence of places he hath 
 taken away, and no one is more holy than others. 
 John iv. 21, "The hour cometh," saith Christ to the 
 woman, " when ye shall neither in this mountain, 
 nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father :" it is 
 true, now there is holiness in these places, the men 
 and their services are more accepted here than any 
 where else ; but the hour is at hand, that all such 
 respects shall be taken away, and all places made 
 alike, and you and your services shall be as accept- 
 able in every pdace of the world, as at Jerusalem. 
 Hence is it that Paul puts men upon praying every 
 where, I Tim. ii. 8. Many think their prayers bet- 
 ter in such a meeting-place as this, than in their 
 closets, than in the fields ; but they are deceived,
 
 148 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. V. 
 
 places now add no efficacy or acceptation to men's 
 prayers. It is rather prayer, ordinances, and so the 
 spiritual presence of God in them, that make places 
 holy ; and this is the argument that some stick 
 upon ; but upon examination, this will not make the 
 public place of meeting more holy than others ; for, 
 Matt, xviii. 20, it is said, " Wheie two or three arc 
 gathered," &c. be it in a ship, a private house, a 
 held, if gathered together in his name, he " is in the 
 midst of them," he is there not for the place but the 
 people's sake ; yet no judicious man accounts all 
 places holy where spiritual duties are doing, or after 
 they are done ; and why public places of worship 
 should be so accounted of in rime of worship or 
 after, is not discernible to a religious and judicious 
 eye : of old the altar sanctified the gift ; it is not .so 
 now. 
 
 " Hast defiled." In the Vulgate it is, rio/asti, hast 
 violated, wronged ; but the Hebrew word notes more, 
 it is, to render impure ; and it is the same word with 
 that which sets out the defilement of Dinah, Gen. 
 xxxiv. 5 : a woman may be wronged, and not be de- 
 filed ; the sanctuary was defiled, polluted, profaned. 
 Sometimes you read of the land's being defiled, as 
 Numb. XXXV. 34 ; sometimes of the priesthood, Nch. 
 xiii. 29 ; sometimes of the Lord's holy name being 
 defiled, Ezek. xliii. 7 ; and here of Ids sanctuary. 
 We must inquire what it is that defiles the same. 
 
 1. Sacrificing otherwhere than God commanded. 
 Lev. xvii. 3, 4, if an ox, lamb, or goat were killed 
 in the camp, or out of it, and not brought to the door 
 of the tabernacle to off'er, it was accounted cf God 
 bloodshed : they would otFer in the fields, and not 
 where God appointed; and this w-ns a defilement, 
 and as great as shedding of blood. 
 
 2. When they brought things or persons pro- 
 hibited ; as, 
 
 (I.) Unwarrantable sacrifices, any thing corrupt, 
 and not according to rule. Mai. i. 7, >i, " Ye ofl'er 
 polluted bread upon mine altar ;" it was not un- 
 leavened, of fine flour and oil, according to prescrip- 
 tion. Lev. vii. 12 ; it was of rye, barley, or coarse 
 wheat ; and this bread, this mincha, polluted Gr.d's 
 altar: and so when they oft'ered the blind, sick, and 
 lame for sacrifice, they were corrupt things, Iilal. i. 
 14, and defiled the altar and temple of the Lord. 
 
 (2.) Idols. God would not have any idol come in 
 his house; 2 Cor. vi. 16, " What agreement hath the 
 temple of God with idols ?" God and Dagon cannot 
 dwell in one house. This was the quarrel here, Jcr. 
 vii. 30, " They have set their abominations in the 
 house which is called by my name, to pollute if." 
 The same words you have again in Jer. xxxii. 34. 
 And you .shall find there were strange altars set up 
 in God's house ; Ahaz brought in the altar of Da- 
 mascus, 2 Kings xvi. 10, li-c ; and there were the 
 altars of Manasseh in the cuurl of the Lord's house, 
 2 Kings xxiii. 12; and the high places on the right 
 hand of the mount of corruprion, ver. 13: they did 
 defile also, as the carcasses mentioned in Ezek. xliii. 
 t), which were the carcasses of Manasseh and Anion, 
 buried in the king's garden close by 
 the wall of the temple. 
 
 (3.) When persons were brotight in legally un- 
 clean : Ezek. xliv. 7, " Ye have brought into my 
 sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart and in 
 flesh, to pollute it." 
 
 " With all thy detestable things." The original 
 word notes not offensive things simply, but so offen- 
 sive as to offend the senses and the mind, and so 
 to offend them, as it causcth an abhnrring with exe- 
 cration ; and such things are images and idols. 
 '2 Kings xxiii. 24, those that had " familiar spirits, 
 the wizards, the images, the idols, and all the 
 
 abotninations," the w-ord is shikkutzim, all the detes- 
 table and execrable things, " did Josiali put away." 
 The Spirit of God speaks of them with detestation ; 
 Jer. xi. 13, "Ye have set up altars to that .shameful 
 thing, even Baal ;" Acts xv. 20, " Pollutions of idols," 
 dunghill gods, so the word giUulim signifies, Ezek. 
 xxii. 3. They are a terror to them that worship 
 them: 1 Kings xv. 13, Maachah "made an idol," 
 a thing to terrify, the word is ; and Psal. cxxxv. 15, 
 " The idols of the nations," it is the grief and tor- 
 ment of the nations. These names express the de- 
 testation of God against idols, and should quicken 
 us to the detestation of them ; according to that in 
 Deut. vii. 26, " Thou shalt utterly detest and utterly 
 abhor an idol," or any part of it : the original is, in 
 detesting thou shalt detest, and in abhorring thou 
 shalt abhor; noting the great detestation and ab- 
 horrence which .should be m God's people to idola- 
 try ; for it defiles men's consciences, God's wor.ship 
 and sanctuary ; therefore the Septuagint renders the 
 word abominations or detestations, in Jer. xxxii. 34, 
 fiiaBfiaTa, pollutions. 
 
 " Therefore will I also diminish thee." The 
 Hebrew word is ynj which the Vulgate renders, con- 
 friiigere, I will break thee ; and then the sense runs 
 thus : My purpose was to have preserved the temple 
 safe from all violation, if so be you had kept it un- 
 polluted; but now, seeing you have defiled it with 
 your detestable things, I must and will break it down, 
 as being no better than a common, profane house. 
 It signifies also to shave, as in Jer. xlviii. 37, " Every 
 beard shall be clipped," or shaven. The Nazarites 
 were holy to the Lord, and if by the sudden death 
 of any they were defiled, their cleansing was by 
 shaving of their heads. Numb. vi. i). So also was the 
 leper to be cleansed by shaving off his hair, Lev. 
 xiii. 33 ; xiv. 8. And so here they were defiled, and 
 God would cleanse them by shaving; and so it cor- 
 responds with the razor mentioned in the first verse; 
 and both these senses fall in with the word " dimi- 
 nish," which the Hebrew word also denotes, dimi- 
 niiere detruliendo, to diminish by taking from, and so 
 is contrary to jamp/i, which is to add to a thing. 
 God would not add any more mercies, but take away 
 their mercies, and diminish them : they had dimi- 
 nished his honour, he would diminish their comforts; 
 they had stained his glory, and he would take away 
 their glory, the temple and citj-. Some render it 
 succidam, I will cut down; God would deal with Je- 
 rusalem as an husbandman doth with a barren or 
 rotten tree. 
 
 " Neither shall mine eye spare." This kind of 
 expression is much used in this prophecy, more sel- 
 dom in others. The eye is the index of the mind, 
 the disposition whereof is seen, discerned there as 
 in a looking-glass ; auger, joy, love, grief, are in- 
 mates, yet visible iir the eye, that is the casement 
 they look out at; the hidden things of the heart are 
 revealed by the eye. Pity, sparing, compassion, 
 are affections of the heart and mind, and God, speak- 
 ing after the manner of men, saith. Mine eye shall 
 not .spare ; as it is in Isa. xiii. 18, " Their eye shall 
 not spare children," there .should be no sign of pity 
 or remorse in them : sparing is given to the eye as 
 the sign of it. From the eye is intelligence given 
 of mercy or severity within. You shall not have the 
 least hint of mercy from mine eye, but evidence of 
 wrath only ; and whereas others were wont to be af- 
 fected with the miseries they behold, their eye affects 
 their heart, Lam. iii. 51, I will not be at all affected 
 with their miseries : let a great armv sit down be- 
 fore them, let famine, plague, sword devour, let all 
 mischiefs be upon them, mine eye shall not affect 
 mine heart, I will not repent.
 
 Vfr. 12. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 149 
 
 " I will not have any pity." What could have 
 been said moi'e dreadful ? The Hebrew word Sen 
 signifies to be of a prone, pitiful affcctinn towards 
 any, though they deserve ill. Joel ii. 17, IS, God"s 
 people had sinned greatly, were under sore judg- 
 ments, deserved utter destruction ; but let them fast, 
 pray, and turn, then will the Lord pity them ; though 
 they deserve no mercy, yet will he show them mercy. 
 So in 2 Chron. xsxvi. 15, they were exceeding ill, 
 yet God had compassion on them ; it is the same 
 word, and hath a contrary signification to Sep which 
 is, to destroy without mercy ; and so the word in 
 this place, when it hath nS joined unto it, signifieth 
 as much as, I will not have pity, that is, I will de- 
 stroy without mercy. 1 Sam. xv. 3, " Smite Amalek, 
 utterly destroy all that they have, and sj are them 
 not," that is, have no pity on them ; and when God 
 ceaseth to pity a people, it is sad, then no redemp- 
 tion for them, Isa. Ixiii. 9 ; God will deliver them 
 into the hands of their enemies, Zech. xi. 6, he will 
 harden others agamst them. AVhen God pities not, 
 yet if men will, it is some comfort; but men shall 
 not do it: Jer. xxi. 7, when in Nebuchadnezzar's 
 hands, he shall not spare, pity, or ^how mercy ; when 
 they should fall down, beg for their lives at the 
 hands of Babylonians, they should find no mercy, 
 only bitter words and bloody deeds. In Amos i. 1 1, 
 it is said, " Edom cast ofl' all pity, and his anger did 
 tear ; " and so God, he cast off all pit)', and destruc- 
 tion followed : Jer. xiii. 14, " I will dash them one 
 against another, even the fathers and the sons to- 
 gether: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, 
 but destroy them ;" and you may see this fulfilled in 
 the Lamentations, chap. ii. 2, " The Lord hath swal- 
 lowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not 
 pitied ; " as a wild beast doth his prey, as a sea doth 
 ships, God left not one, no pity at all : see ver. 17, 21. 
 
 06.S-. 1. That sin defiles the holy things of God. 
 They defiled not only themselves, but the sanctuary, 
 and worship of God in it. The land of Canaan was 
 holy, and sin defiled that, Jer. xvi. 18; the temple 
 was holy, and sin defiled that, Ezek. xxiii. 38 ; the 
 altar was holy, and sin polluted that, Mai. i. 7 ; the 
 sabbaths were holy, and sin profaned them, Neh. 
 xiii. 17; the priesthood and covenant were holy, and 
 sin defiled them, ver. 29 ; God's name is holy, and 
 sin pollutes that, Ezek. xx. 39. 
 
 06*. 2. That defilement of God's worship brings 
 certain and severe judgments. They had defiled his 
 sanctuary with idols, superstitions, polluted bread, 
 blind, lame, corrupt sacrifice, by suffering unclean 
 and uncircumcised persons to come there ; and the 
 prophet brings in the Lord swearing, " As I live, 
 saith the Lord, surely, because thou hast done so, I 
 will therefore diminish thee ; " here is the certainty 
 of judgment : " neither shall mine eye spare, neither 
 will I have any pity;" here is the severity of it. 
 God's worship and the ordinances of it, are his 
 name, Mai. i. 11, 12. Exod. xx. 24, " In all places 
 where I record my name," that is, where God puts 
 his worship. I Kings xiv. 21, Jerusalem is the city 
 that God chose out of all the tribes to put his name in ; 
 1 Kings viii. 29, " My name shall be there." Hence 
 saith David, Psal. Ixxvi. 1, " In Judah is God known; 
 his name is great in Israel." The gentiles knew not 
 God, they had not his name amongst them, nothing 
 of his worship ; no true prayer, and that is his name, 
 Gen. iv. 2G ; not the seals of the covenant, Matt. 
 xxviii. 19, not the censures of the church, I Cor. v. 
 4, 5, and these are his name. Now God's name is 
 very precious, and the profaning of it is forbidden 
 in a special manner; Lev. xxii. 31, 32, "Ye shall 
 keep my commandments and do them : I am the 
 Lord. Neither shall ye profane my holy name : " 
 
 when they presumptuously break any command of 
 God, say the rabbles, then they profane God's name. 
 It is the greatest presumption and violation of God's 
 commands, to corrupt his worship, to mingle our in- 
 ventions with it ; the spirit and the strength of the 
 second command is against all invented worship and 
 idolatry, which is a hating of God, and provokes to 
 jealousy and wrath more than other sins. Ezek. 
 xxiii. 37, 38, they had sinned in murder, adultery, and 
 idolatry, but what went nearest to the heart of God? 
 even the corrupting of his worship, and that is set 
 out with a special emphasis, " This they have done 
 unto me, they have defiled my sanctuary :" to defile 
 it with blood is bad, but v.ith false worship, with 
 idols, and superstitions, is abominable. AVhat makes 
 God reject a people, and count them " the generation 
 of his 'wrath?" Jer. vii. 29, 30, "They have set 
 their abominations in the house which is called by 
 my name, to pollute it." Read the 8th of Ezekiel, 
 and see the conclusion, " Therefore will I also deal 
 in fury : mine eye shall not spare, neither will I 
 have pity : and tliough they cry in mine ears with a 
 loud voice, yet will I not hear them." 
 
 Ver. 12. A third part nf thee shall die with the 
 pestilence, and with famine shall they he con- 
 sumed in the midst of thee : and a third part 
 shaU full hy the sword rovnd about thee ; and I 
 will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I 
 tvill draw out a sword after them. 
 
 Here is an explication of the type in the first and 
 second verses, with a further aggravation of Jeru- 
 salem's misery, from the variety of punishments : 
 
 1. Pestilence. 
 
 2. Famine. 
 
 3. Sword. 
 
 4. Dispersion. Four sore judgments. 
 
 " Pestilence." It is from a word ^^ 
 
 that signifies to speak, and speak out ; 
 the pestilence is a speaking thing, it proclaims the 
 wrath of God amongst a people. Drusius fetches it 
 from the same root, but in p»V/, which is, to decree ; 
 showing that the pestilence is a thing decreed in 
 heaven, not casual. Kirker thinks it ^^^^^^^ jn r ,,, 
 is called dever, because it keeps order, 
 and spares neither great nor small. The Hebrew 
 root signifies, to destroy, to cut off', and hence may 
 the plague or pestilence have its name. The 
 Septuagint renders it BafnTog, death, for ordinarily 
 it is death; and it is expressed by death. Rev. 
 vi. 8, he sat on the pale horse, killed with sword, 
 hunger, death, and beasts of the earth; it refers 
 to Ezek. xiv. 21, where the pesri- 
 lence is mentioned. Pestilence may 
 be from a word which signifies to spread, spoil, 
 rush upon, for it doth so ; 2 Sam. xxiv. 15, seventy 
 thousand slain in three days; and plague, a ttXtj^jj 
 from ttXjjitjtu) , to smite, to wound, for it smites sud- 
 denly, and wounds mortally ; hence it is in Numb, 
 xiv. 12, " I will smite them with the pestilence." 
 This judgment is very grievous ; Psal. xci. 3, it is 
 called " the noisome pestilence," because it is infec- 
 tious, contagious ; and therefore the French read it, 
 de la pesle dmigerense, from the dangerous pesti- 
 lence, it doth endanger those that come near it : 
 and Muse, hath it, a pesle onmium. pessima, from the 
 worst pestilence of all : and others, the woful pesti- 
 lence ; it brings a multitude of woes with it to any 
 place or person it comes unto, it is a messenger of 
 woful fears, sorrows, distractions, terrors, and death 
 itself. 
 
 " With famine." Of this sore judgment hath been 
 spoken in the fourth chapter, syi is, exardere fame.
 
 150 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. V. 
 
 consume with hunger ; and the famine here is such 
 a one as burns, withers, dries up a man : when the 
 calor natrvus, natural heat, hath nothing able to feed 
 u])on, it consumes the humidum radicule, radical 
 moisture, and man quickly perisheth. The Scrip- 
 ture speaks of a three years' famine, 2 Sam. xxi. I, 
 a seven years' famine. Gen. xlv. 6 ; what numbers 
 perished then ! when famines are mighty, Luke xv. 
 14, terrible, Lam. v. 10, prevailing, 2 Kings xxv. 3, 
 and destroy not only the branches, but the root, 
 Isa. xiv. 30. 
 
 " By the sword round about thee." 
 Cliarab signifies to dry up, to lay waste, 
 to destroy ; whence cliereb, a sword, is derived, for 
 it draws out the blood, dries up the body, lays waste 
 and destroys : Deut. xxxii. 42, it is said to eat 
 flesh ; Isa. xxxiv. 6, to drink and be filled with 
 blood. Here it is put for wars, the wars of the Ba- 
 bylonians against Jerusalem, which are called "The 
 .sword of the king of Babylon," Ezek. xxi. 19 ; xxxii. 
 1 1 . What a j udgment the sword of war is, we begin 
 to know and feel ; it dries up the blood of kingdoms, 
 it makes them wildernesses, and destroys round 
 about : hence the sword is said to be hurtful, P.sal. 
 cxliv. 10, powerful, Job v. 20, oppressive, Jer. xlvi. 
 16, bereaving. Lam. i. 20, to reach to the soul, Jer. 
 iv. 10, to "devour from one end of the land to the 
 other," so that " no flesh shall have peace," 
 Jer. xii. 12. 
 
 " I will scatter a third part into all the winds." 
 It is such a scattering as is of dust or chatT before 
 the winds, a fanning of them ; God would bring a 
 wind out of the north that should fan them, as corn 
 is fanned, and scatter them abroad, Jer. iv. 12, 13. 
 " I will fan them with a fan," Jer. xv. 7; it is the 
 same word which is here, and notes a great fanning, 
 scattering of them ; and complaint is made of such 
 scattering, Psal. xliv. 11, "Thou hast scattered us 
 among the heathen," that was, into the several 
 winds and countries roimd about ; and Zcch. vii. 14, 
 " I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the 
 nations whom they knew not." This was a heavy 
 judgment ; to be removed from their own country, 
 friends to be scattered several ways, to be with them 
 whose language and manners they knew not, that 
 were cruel, barbarous, haters of God, his worship, 
 people, to be servants and slaves to them, this was 
 a judgment sorer than pestilence, famine, sword, 
 and they had better been cut otf in their own land, 
 or in their journey to those places ; neither were 
 they in safety there, for God would draw out a 
 sword after them, they should be captives, undergo 
 great hardship, and be daily in jeopardy of their 
 lives ; the sword should pursue them, as the phrase 
 is, Jer. xlviii. 2. These judgments were contrary 
 to the blessing of plenty, safety, and peace, promised 
 in Lev. xxvi. 4 — 6. 
 
 Ver. 13. Thus shall mine anger be accomplish- 
 ed, and I will cause mi/ J'wy to rest upon them, 
 and I will be cumfurled : and they shall know 
 that I the Lord hare spoken it in my zeal, when 
 I have accomplished my fury in them. 
 
 In this verse two ends of divine judgments are 
 held forth : 
 
 1. The satisfaction of his own justice; when judg- 
 ments are fully executed, he " will be comforted." 
 
 2. The conviction of his adversaries, " They shall 
 know that I the Lord have spoken." 
 
 " Thus shall mine anger be accomplished." Here 
 is mention of anger and fury, which you oft find 
 given to God. But neither these nor other j)assions 
 are in God, he is not carried by aflections as men 
 
 are ; they are neither materially nor formally in 
 God, whose essence is unmixed and immutable. 
 Anger and fury are given to God, when he manifests 
 liy his actions that something displeases him, and 
 especially when he punisheth the crcatm-e ; they 
 are effects from God, not affections in God ; Isa. 
 xxvii. 4, " Fury is not in me." 
 
 " Be accomplished." The Hebrew is, to finish, 
 to perfect ; as in Gen. ii. 2, " God ended his work," 
 he accomplished what he was about; so here, the 
 Septuagint hath it, avvTi\tSii)aiTai, shall be perfected : 
 it notes a progress in God's wrath, which shall not 
 cease in the mid-way, but go on to the highest de- 
 gree ; as men, when they are much incensed, pro- 
 ceed in punishment of delinquents till they be satis- 
 fied, they let out their wrath to the full, and so God 
 would do. Formerly God had kept in his wrath, 
 not let it have the reins, nor break over the banks; 
 and if it did get loose at any time, and break out, he 
 quickly called it back, and turned it away, Psal. 
 Ixxviii. 38; but now he would stir up all his wrath, 
 and let it out to the full, and accomplish it among 
 them ; now plague, famine, sword, dispersion should 
 have their will and power over them, God would 
 inflict what he had conceived and threatened against 
 them. 
 
 " 1 will cause my fury to rest upon them." That 
 is, God would terminate, fasten, settle his wrath 
 upon them, not cease it from them, it should not 
 fleet or move, but abide ; they should be a people 
 under fury, a " generation of his wrath," Jer. vii. 
 2i>, a " people of his wrath," Isa. x. 6. God would 
 shoot his arrows into them, and they should stick 
 in their sides ; whithersoever they went, God's fury 
 should be still upon them. It notes out the con- 
 tinuation of God's auger, which Jeremiah expresseth 
 to the fidl, chap. vii. 20, " Behold, mine anger and 
 my fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon 
 man, and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, 
 and upon the fruit of the ground ; aiul it shall burn 
 and not be quenched :" neither their tears nor their 
 blood shall put out the fire of divine wrath kindled 
 against them ; it should still burn, notwithstanding 
 all means used to quench the same. God wotdd 
 make his wrath abiding wrath ; such is that speech 
 in Isa. XXX. 32, " In every place where the grounded 
 staff shall pass, which the Lord shall lay upon him," 
 which the Lord shall cause to rest upon him, is the 
 Hebrew. What is the grounded staff? the wrath of 
 God intended to be fixed, laid in, and laid down for 
 a foundation of ruin, that wrath would God cause to 
 rest upon him, that is, the Assyrian ; the mark of 
 the staff should be in their flesh and state for ever. 
 
 " I will be comforted." God is " the God of all com- 
 fort," 2 Cor. i. 3, yet he saith, he will be comforted; 
 not that God was enfeebled through discomfort, and 
 needed addition of comfort and strength from any 
 creature, but it is spoken after the manner of men : 
 God had mourned over them a long time, expressed 
 his grief by the prophet's threateuings, by lesser 
 judgments inllicted ; they had done no good, and now 
 he would ease himself of them and be c<miforted. 
 Wicked men are a burden to God, and when a bur- 
 den is taken off, it is ease, it is comfort. Isa. i. 
 you have God brought in much grieved, and com- 
 plaining of this people, ver. 2 — 4, &.c. ; and in ver. 
 24, he saith, "Ah, I will ease me of mine adver- 
 saries, and avenge me of mine enemies." Ah ! the 
 time is now come, and I am glad of it, that I shall 
 be eased of this great burden, bearing with this re- 
 bellious people ; I will cast them off, and revenge 
 myself upon them. Revenge is sweet, ;r,si,ianie,„ 
 it is an ease to reproached, provoked a"i'nain undicia 
 spirits ; tor wriere is anger, there is
 
 VtR. 13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 151 
 
 grief and desire of revenge, wliich obtaining, takes 
 away grief and anger, whereby the mind is comfort- 
 ed ; therefore God would ease himself by avengement 
 on them. So here, God would accomplish his 
 anger, settle his fury upon them, and be comforted 
 in it ; he would execute severe judgments, and ap- 
 prove, yea applaud them being executed. 
 
 " In my zeal." These words are oft in the pro- 
 phet : the Hebrew signities sometimes zeal, some- 
 times jealousy ; the Septuagint renders it iv ZiM' f""' 
 in my zeal, not, in my jealousy. Zeal is the inten- 
 tion of all ati'ections ; it notes, 
 
 1 . The earnest love of God for the good of his 
 church and his own glory, Isa. ix. 7- 
 
 2. Jealovisy, which is with great indignation and 
 grief. Numb. xxv. II, such as amounts to hatred and 
 enmity, Isa. lix. 1 7- God was very zealous of the good 
 of his people, and therefore gave them zealous pro- 
 phets, by whom his zeal was made known. The 
 prophets spake in God's name, delivered their mes- 
 sage with authority, power, life ; they lifted up 
 their voices, told the people of their sins, reproved 
 them sharply, were very zealous in their pro- 
 phecies. Hence they were counted factious and 
 fiery spirits, men venting their own opinions and 
 humour ; hence their labours were slighted ; they 
 were looked upon as contemptible men, not worthy 
 to live, they did so trouble both church and state 
 with the things they delivered : but they shall 
 know, that not men, but God spake ; that it was not 
 their zeal, but my zeal ; that they have opposed and 
 rejected me in my prophets. If you refer it to jea- 
 lousy, it notes God's taking them into covenant to 
 be his people ; their revolt by idolatry and other 
 sins, and God's jealousy upon it ; who growing hot 
 with displeasure, spake sharp and di-eadful things 
 against this people, as a jealous husband would do 
 against an adulterous wife. 
 
 Obs. 1. That God goes on by degrees in his wrath 
 against a people. He did not accomplish his anger 
 and fury at first, he began with lesser judgments, 
 but at last came up to a perfection. Before he had 
 whipped them with scourges, now he would do it 
 with scorpions ; he had formerly done much, vexed 
 them with wars, famine, plague, but never laid waste 
 their city, ruined their temple, scattered them to the 
 four winds, as now he would do : he had in times 
 past corrected them like a father, he would now 
 execute them like a judge ; the drops of his wrath 
 had done no good, now they should have the full 
 vials, all the wrath conceived against them should 
 be inflicted, accomplished. 
 
 Obs. 2. That wrath let out against a sinful people, 
 ofttimes lies long upon tliem. " I will cause my fury 
 to rest upon them." They were seventy years under 
 God's displeasure in Babylon. God's wrath hath 
 been upon the Jews that rejected the gospel these 
 1600 years ; they would not be under the blessing 
 of Christ, and they are under the curse of God, his 
 wrath abides upon them. God's anger hath rested 
 upon Germany above twenty years. These king- 
 doms of Ireland and England are under it : fervent 
 prayer is requisite, that God would remove his 
 wrath, and not let it rest upon us. It is a dreadful 
 tiling to have settled plague or war amongst us. 
 The barons' wars in king John's, Henry the third's, 
 and Edward the second's days, made sad times ; 
 tiod's wrath rested then for a long season upon this 
 kingdom, the choicest blood of it was let out, and it 
 brought a deplorable condition. Let uS repent and 
 reform, tliat wrath may not rest upon the kingdom ; 
 and let us believe, that wrath may not abide upon 
 us ; John iii. 36, " He that believeth not, the wrath 
 of God abidetli on him." Man came into the world 
 
 a child of wrath, an heir of wrath ; Christ is a re- 
 medy propounded for remo\al of that wrath ; if men 
 believe not, the wrath of God abides still on them, 
 goes along with them, and will eternally sink them. 
 
 Obii. 3. God takes pleasure in executing judgment, 
 in accomplishing his wrath, and causing his fury to 
 rest upon impenitent and incurable sinners, he will 
 be comforted in it. Prov. i. 26, " I will laugh at your 
 calamity ;" God would bring calamities upon them, 
 just judgments for the setting at nought his coun- 
 sels, refusing his reproofs, and rejoice in them ; for 
 as judgments are satisfaction to divine justice, they 
 are delightful unto God. Isa. xxx. 32, " In every 
 ])lace where the grounded staff shall pass, which the 
 Lord shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets 
 and harps." When God should destroy the Baby- 
 lonians and Assyrians, it should be with delight, 
 which the tabrets and harps express, which were 
 musical instruments, used in wars and victories, 
 Exod. XV. 20. And when God executed judgment 
 upon spiritual Babylon, it was w'ith joy ; therefore 
 the Spirit of God calls for it. Rev. xviii. 20, " Rejoice 
 over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and 
 prophets ; for God hath avenged you and himself 
 on her also ; " which was a comfort and ease, a de- 
 light to God. Hence judgments in Scrijiture are 
 termed his pleasure ; Isa. xlvi. 10, II, "I will do 
 all my pileasure : calling a ravenous bird from the 
 east;" and chap, xlviii. 14, " He will do his pleasure 
 on Babylon." 
 
 Obs. 4. The word of God may be preached among 
 a people, and they, through ignorance and malice, 
 not know it, nor entertain it. " They shall know 
 that I the Lord have spoken it." They conceived 
 not that it w'as the word of God which the prophets 
 delivered; they thought them to be no more than 
 other men, and their word human, and therefore 
 slighted it. There was much aflccted ignorance in 
 them: Isa. xxvii. II, " It is a people of no under- 
 standing ;" Jer. iv. 22, "My people is fooli.sh, they 
 have not known me." And as many were blind, so 
 many were malicious against the prophets, and their 
 messages they brought from God; Jer. xliv. 16, 17, 
 " As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in 
 the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto 
 thee. But w'e will certainly do whatsoever thing 
 goeth forth out of our own mouth." Christ came 
 and preached to his own, and they received him not, 
 they neither knew him nor his doctrine, or if they 
 did, they maliciously rejected both. 
 
 Obs. 5. That wicked men shall be convinced, and 
 left without excuse. " They shall know that I the 
 Lord have spoken : " they eyed men and not me, 
 they deemed it man's voice, not Heaven's ; but they 
 shall find that it was the voice of God amongst them. 
 And what can men say, when God hath spoken, and 
 hath not been hearkened unto ? every mouth will 
 then be stopped. They would not know, but they 
 shall know ; they would not own my truths, but 
 they shall feel my judgments, and when they are 
 upon them, then will they remember the prophets 
 and their words, which will be as burning coals in 
 their bosoms ; then they will see what desperate 
 revolts they have made from God ; how they arc 
 besieged with his power, and cannot escape the 
 stroke thereof. When men shall see it is the infinite, 
 great, and glorious God that they have slighted, in 
 the prophets, in the ordinances, then they will be 
 struck dumb, and fall under the wrath of that 
 God. 
 
 Obs. 6. God will justify his servants in their zeal- 
 ous labours for him. " They shall know that 1 have 
 spoken it in my zeal." It is God speaks in the pro- 
 phets ; it is his zeal they express. Let men be zeal-
 
 152 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. V. 
 
 ous against sin, the iniquities of the times, they are 
 counted mad, fiery fellows, Iroublers of Israel, 
 seditious, factious, &c. Paul was a zealous man, and 
 not only Festus a heathen counted him mad, Acts 
 xxvi. 24, but even the christian Corinthians, 2 Cor. 
 V. 13, thought him beside himself. And such con- 
 ceits had the people about Christ, who was a man 
 of zeal : they thought him too hot, that his zeal was 
 beyond his judgment; Mark iii. 21, they plainly 
 said he was beside himself. !Miehal scoffed at 
 David as one of the fools for his zeal. Let the 
 world pass what censure it will upon God's minis- 
 ters, God will justify those who are sincerely zeal- 
 ous, and count their zeal his zeal. 
 
 Obx. 7. That the Lord is intense, and will not re- 
 call his indignation, when he deals with unfaithful, 
 covenant-breaking persons. As in God's zeal there 
 is intense love towards his church, (when God pro- 
 mises mercy to his people, it is sealed with this, 
 " The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall do it," 2 Kings 
 xix. 31,) so here is intense hatred, wrath against 
 his enemies. Therefore God beats them off from 
 their own inventions in the second command by 
 this consideration, that he is a jealous God, and his 
 jealousy extensive to the fourth generation. And 
 Deut. xxxii. 22, saith God, " A fire is kindled in 
 mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and 
 shall consume the earth with her increase, and set 
 on fire the foundations of the mountains ;" and what 
 is the reason of this indignation ? it is given in ver. 
 21, " They have moved me to jealousy with that 
 which is not God :" when God is in his jealousy, 
 he speaks dreadful things, and doth answerably. 
 To speak in zeal, is to decree an irrevocable and 
 bloody sentence ; hence, Josh. xxiv. 19, " He is a 
 jealous God ; " and then follows, " he will not for- 
 give your transgressions:" and Deut. xxix. 20, 
 "The Lord will not spare, his jealousy shall smoke 
 against that man, and all the curses in this book 
 shall lie upon him." What man ? the man that 
 breaks covenant with God, going out to false wor- 
 ship, and thereby putting him into jealousy ; which, 
 as it is the rage of a man, and makes him cruel in 
 the day of vengeance, so it is the rage of God, and 
 makes him without pity, or mercy : when he exe- 
 cutes vengeance, he will then accomplish his wrath, 
 and not spare, pour out all his wrath and vengeance. 
 
 Ver. 14, 15. Moreover I iviU malie tltee waste, 
 and a reproach among the nations that are round 
 about thee, in the sight of all that pass hi/. So it 
 shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction 
 and an astonishment unto the nations that are 
 round about thee, when I shall e:reciite judgments 
 in thee in anger and in fun/ and in furious re- 
 bukes. I the Lord have spoken it. 
 
 In ver. 14, are two judgments more laid down, 
 desolation and reproach ; this last is aggravated 
 from the extent of it, " to the nations round about, " 
 and " all that pass by." 
 
 In the 15th you have the repetition of the last 
 judgment, and the endsof both annexed ; which are, 
 
 First, for information. 
 
 Secondly, for astonishment. 
 
 " I will make thee waste." That is, Jerusalem, 
 with the villages and all the land adjacent. Judah 
 was a fnntful land, Isa. v. 1, "the glory of all lands, 
 flowing with milk and honey, " Ezek. xx. 6. Moses 
 calls it a good land, a land of bronks, waters, foun- 
 tains, deeps that spring out of valleys and hills ; a 
 land of wheat and barley, vines, fig-trees, pomegra- 
 nates ; a land of oil, olives, and honey ; a land where 
 
 nothing was lacking, the stones of it were iron, and 
 in the liills were brass, Deut. viii. 7 — 9. It was the 
 Lord's land Hos. ix. 3, Immanuel's, Isa. viii. 8, a 
 land that God cared for, and watched over all the 
 year long, Deut. xi. 12. Egypt was an inconsiderable 
 land to this, ver. 10; that was profane, this was 
 (he holy land, Zech. ii. 12, the pleasant land, chap, 
 vii. 14; it was well built, well tilled, and greatly 
 peopled. Yet this land must be laid waste ; they 
 should be in ariditutvm, a state of drought, like a 
 river dried up, that if you look for water in it, there 
 is none ; so if you look for a temple, worship, or 
 ordinance, &c. in Jerusalem, there is none : their 
 cities and habitations are burnt, their gardens un- 
 fenced, their trees cut down, their vines undressed, 
 their fields untilled, and all made a wilderness, a 
 land of briers and thorns, Isa. vii. 24. And this was 
 fulfilled, as you may see in Neh. ii. 17. Lam. i. 4, 
 " The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come 
 to the solemn feasts;" see chap. ii. 2, 3; v. 18; 
 and the adversary's hand was upon all her pleasant 
 things, chap. i. iO. Hence the chua-ch complains, 
 Isa. Ixiv. lU, 11, " Thy holy cities are a wilderness, 
 Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our 
 holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised 
 thee, is burned up with fire, and all our pleasant 
 things are laid waste." See here the truth of di- 
 vine threats, and the mischief of sin; it so exasper- 
 ates God, that he turns a fruitful land, even his own 
 land, into barrenness, saltness, " for the wickedness 
 of them that dwell therein, " Psal. cvii. 34. 
 
 " A reproach among the nations." God would 
 make them not only for a waste, but also for a 
 reproach. r|-\n is simply to reproach, to disgrace ; 
 and that is not all they sliould have, but they should 
 be for a taunt also, and that is more, ."lainj from 
 giddeph, to blaspheme, revile ; and so it is used, 
 Matt, xxvii. 39, for Matthew wrote his yijetie Dieu. 
 Gospel in Hebrew.whcre it is said, they '" """• >""""■ 
 reviled Christ and wagged their heads : so should 
 this people be reproached and reviled, have bitter 
 taunts and sarcasms thrown at them ; Jer. xxiv. 9, 
 they shall be " removed into all the kingdoms of 
 the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a pro- 
 verb, a taunt and a curse." Hence grew those re- 
 proaches and imprecations. Let it be with thee, as 
 it was with Zedekiah, his family and followers ; and 
 Jer. xxix. 22, the curse in the captivity was, " The 
 Lord make thee like Zedekiah, and like Ahab, whom 
 the king of Babylon roasted in the fire." This judg- 
 ment was very sore ; reproaches and taunts are bit- 
 ter things, piercing deep, scarce any thing afllicts 
 an ingenuous spirit more than they do. Zedekiah 
 feared nothing more than reproach and mocking ; 
 Jer. xxxviii. 19, " I am afraid of the Jews, that are 
 fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their 
 hand, and they mock me : " it was a sad thing to be 
 stripjied of all their cities, the land to be laid waste, 
 but much more to be exposed to scorn, yea, publicly 
 of all ; and that by the appointment of the Judge, even 
 God, whom they took to be their friend ; and that to 
 the nati(ms they had hated, and held tributary many 
 years ; this was exceedingly pungent, especially they 
 being the top and glory of all nations. It was ful- 
 filled. Lam. ii. 15 — 17, "All that pass by clap 
 their hands at thee ; they hiss and wag their head 
 at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying. Is this the 
 city that men call The perfection of beauty. The joy 
 of the whole earth ? All thine enemies have opened 
 their mouth against thee : they hiss and gnash their 
 teeth ; they say, We have swallowed her up : cer- 
 tainly this is the day that we looked for ; we have 
 found, we have seen it. The Ijord hath done that 
 which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word."
 
 Ver. 1-J— 17. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 153 
 
 " An instruction." The Vulgate is, exeniplum, ex- 
 ample ; this act of God upon Jerusalem exposed so 
 to reproach, should be an example to the heathen. 
 The Hebrew is -lOC from -id' to bind, to disci- 
 pline, to instruct. The judgments of God upon his 
 people are bonds, to bind up heathens fi-om their 
 sins i they are reproofs imto them, being guilty of 
 great sins ; they are instructions, to teach them 
 to repent of their sins : because the Jews by their 
 holy lives did not excite the nations to inquire after 
 and' serve the true God, therefore their judgments 
 shall be their instructions, teach them to fear and 
 forsake their idolatry. They could reason thus: If 
 God spared not the holy city, the holy people, the 
 holy land, when they fell to idolatry, uncleanness, 
 and other vile sins, how will he spare us, if we be 
 found in the same ways? His judgments are ex- 
 ceeding dreadful ; we will take warning ; their suffer- 
 ings shall be our safety. If judgments were to be 
 instructions to heathens, and wrought upon them, 
 shall they not much more be so to christians ? The 
 ruins of Germany, the blood of Ireland, the breaches 
 of England, let them be instructions unto us. Let 
 us all say with Isaiah, chap. xxvi. 8,9, " In the way 
 of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; 
 the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the re- 
 membrance of thee : with my soul have I desired 
 thee in the niglit, yea, with my spirit within me 
 will I seek thee early : for when thy judgments are 
 in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn 
 righteousness." Heathen inhabitants will do it, and 
 shall not christians ? It is seasonable wisdom to 
 learn by the blows of others. 
 
 " An astonishment." Not for stiipifying and hard- 
 ening, which sometimes is the end and fruit of judg- 
 ments, but for admiration. God would so deal with 
 Jerusalem and her inhabitants, that the nations round 
 about should be astonished at his dealings : God 
 would " make them an astonishment, and an hissing, 
 and perpetual desolations," Jer. xxv. 9 ; yea, the 
 plagues of the city should he such, that " every one 
 that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and hiss," 
 chap. xix. 9; yea, many nations shovild say," Where- 
 fore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city ? " 
 Jer. xxii. 8. Dent. xxix. 22 — 24, God sailh, the 
 plagues of that land should be such, as that it should 
 be like Sodom and Gomorrah ; so great, so strange, 
 that all nations should say, " Wherefore hath the 
 Lord done tlius unto this land ? what meaneth the 
 heat of this great anger?" God might have done 
 thus with this great 'city, with this pleasant land ; 
 but he hath spared us, and we have cause to be as 
 much astonished at his mercies, as they were at his 
 judgments. Let us fear and reform, lest our sweet 
 mercies be turned into astonishing judgments. 
 
 " When I shall execute judgments in thee in anger 
 and in fury and in furious rebukes." There is mention 
 of executing judgment in ver. 8, 10, and here in this 
 verse with addition of " anger, fury, and furious re- 
 bukes." The prophet may seem too repetitious and 
 verbose, hut it is otherwise ; repetitions of the same 
 thing serve to confirm the truth of the matter, to 
 show the speed of the event, and to excite the minds 
 of those the things concern ; all which fall in here. 
 The prophet prophesying against the Jews at Je- 
 rusalem, their city and state, and threatening de- 
 struction to all, himself keeping in Babylon, con- 
 ceived that they would not believe what he su'd, 
 and fear what he threatened, neither be affected with 
 what he delivered ; to prevent these evils, he repeats 
 the thing oft, and strengthens it with variety of 
 words, that so his doctrine might be the more 
 weighty, the sooner believed, they awakened, and 
 the judgment that was at hand feared. 
 
 " In furious rebukes." The Hebrew is, in rebukes 
 of heat. Pradus observes, that ^'acacA notes rebuking 
 before witness ; and God would do it before the na- 
 tions ; and these rebukes were not to cure, but to 
 destroy. 
 
 " I the Lord have spoken it." Lest they might 
 think the prophet and his prophecy might die to- 
 gether, and come to nothing, the Lord tells them, it 
 was himself spake, and that the prophecy should 
 take place, whatever became of the prophet ; because 
 it was from him who was the living God, and would 
 see it fulfilled at Jerusalem, though uttered in 
 Babylon. 
 
 Ver. 16. When I shall send upon them the evil 
 arrows of famine, uJiicJi shall lie for their destruc- 
 tion, and which I tvill send to destroy/ you : and I 
 will increase the famine tipon you, and will break 
 yvur staff" of bread. 
 
 I have spoken of " famine" and " breaking the 
 staff' of bread" in chaj). iv. 16. Only I shall open 
 unto you that expression, " The an-ows of famine :" 
 they are either the arrows that bring famine, or the 
 arrows that famine brings. The arrows that bring 
 famine, are great droughts, palmer-worms, locusts, 
 canker-worms, caterpillars, thunder, lightning, winds, 
 storms, immoderate rains, great hails, long frosts, 
 murrains, transportations of commodities, monopo- 
 lizing, hoarding up of creatures, wars, &c. Many 
 of these are shot down from heaven by God, and all 
 are sent from God, and cause famine ; and they are 
 called arrows, for that they do to the corn, cattle, 
 fruits, and state where they are, what arrows do to 
 the bodies of man or beast, wound, disquiet, con- 
 sume ; hence, when mention is made of a famine in 
 Habakkuk's days, ch. iii. the Lord is said " to march 
 through the land in indignation," ver. 12, and his 
 bow to be made quite naked, ver. 9 ; then did God 
 shoot amongst them the arrows of famine. 
 
 The arrows famine brings, are leanness, faintness, 
 sickness, loathsomeness, frettings, fears of death, 
 longings for death, gnawings of the stomach, pinch- 
 ing of the wind got into the bowels, eating of their 
 own flesh, thirsting and burning heat. Sec. ; these 
 are arrows that famine brings, and kill like arrows 
 shot into the liver, which wounding deeply, pain 
 greatly, and kill quickly. And in this sense I rather 
 take it here, because the judgment spoken of con- 
 cerning the Jews, who were to be besieged, if it be 
 taken in the other sense, would have been a judg- 
 ment to the besiegers, who lay in the field, and were 
 not so well fortified against those arrows as they 
 within ; it is therefore meant of the arrows famine 
 brought upon them chiefly, not excluding the arrows 
 which brought that famine, namely, war. And these 
 arrows were prepared in Moses's days : Deut. xxxii. 
 23, " I w'ill heap mischiefs upon them ; 1 will spend 
 mine arrows upon them ;" and what arrows ? "They 
 shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burn- 
 ing heat, and with bitter destruction," ver. 24. Fa- 
 mine is like a multitude of hot coals in a man's 
 bowels and bones, that cause grievous pain, even 
 " bitter destruction ;" and thei-efore they are called 
 here, " the evil arrows of famine," because they 
 bring many evils, and at last a miserable death. 
 This Jeremiah acknowledges made good. Lam. iii. 
 12, 13, speaking in the person of the church and 
 state ; " He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark 
 for the arrow. He hath caused the arrows of his 
 quiver to enter into my reins." 
 
 ■Ver. 17. So will I send tipon you famine and 
 evil beasts, and they shall bercare thee ; and pes-
 
 154 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Cii.u'. VI. 
 
 tilence and blood shall pass through thee ; and I 
 ti-ill bring the sicord u/ton thee. I the Lord have 
 spoken it. 
 
 Here is a repetition of the former judgment, only 
 one is new, and that is, " evil beasts." Some would 
 have it meant of the Chaldeans, that were like evil 
 beasts, that with their horns, teeth, heels, and hoofs, 
 should toss, gore, rend, and devour them : others 
 understand it literally, for evil and wild beasts, lions, 
 bears, &c. which were threatened, Deut. xxxii. 24, 
 " I will send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the 
 poison of serpents of tVie dust ;" Lev. xxvi. '2'2, " I 
 will send wild beasts which shall rob you of your 
 children, destroy your cattle, and make you few in 
 number ; and your high ways shall be desolate." 
 See the truth of it, 2 Kings xvii. 25 ; lions were sent 
 that slewthem,they fearednotGod. But this was past, 
 and our prophet speaks of that which was to come. 
 Know then, that as God sent lions to destroy them 
 there, so he could send lions to destroy them in Ba- 
 bylon. Besides, those eastern countries were not 
 without lions ; Daniel was put into the lions' den ; 
 and certainly there were lions, and other evil beasts, 
 to make good what was threatened, whensoever di- 
 vine pleasure would. 
 
 " I the Lord have spoken it." They looked at 
 Ezekiel as a mere man, and whatever he threatened, 
 yet it could do little, and therefore were like to re- 
 gard neither him nor his proi)hecy. To prevent this, 
 and to add the greater weight to the prophecy, the 
 Lord takes all upon himself, and saith. It is not 
 Ezekiel, but I that am Jehovah, who gave being to 
 all creatures, and will give being to my word, it is 
 " I the Lord have spoken it." Here the Lord sub- 
 scribes his own name, acknowledges all his, and 
 that is enough to make all authentic. This Lord, 
 who is dreadful in threatenings, mighty and faithful 
 in execution of threats, let all the world fear and 
 give glory unto, before he cause darkness. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 7. And the word of the Lord came 
 vnto me, saying. Son of man, set thy face toward 
 the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against 
 them, and say. Ye movntains of Israel, hear the 
 ivord of the Lord God ; Thus saith the Lord God 
 to the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, 
 and to the valleys ; Behold, I, even I, will bring 
 a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high 
 places. And your altars shall be desolate, and 
 your images shall be brokeii : and I will cast down 
 yoi(r slain men before your idols. And I will 
 lay the dead carcases of the children of Israel be- 
 fore their idols ; and I will scatter your bones 
 round about your altcns. In all your dwelling- 
 places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high 
 places shall be desolate ; that your altars may be 
 laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may 
 be broken and cease, and your images may be cut 
 down, and your works may be abolished. And 
 the slain shall fall in the midst of you, and ye shall 
 know that I am the Lord. 
 
 Iv this chapter you have, 
 
 I. A command to prophesy, in the two first verses. 
 
 II. The prophecy itself; in which are three 
 things : 
 
 1 . A threatening of desolation to the land of Judea, 
 the idols, altars, and men thereof, in ver. 3 — 7- 
 
 2. A promise of mercy unto them in their scatter- 
 ed condition, ver. 8 — 10. Some should escape the 
 judgments, repent of their evil ways, and know the 
 Lord. 
 
 3. A prefiguration of the grief they should have 
 for the judgments to come upon them ; which are 
 repeated, ver. II — 14. 
 
 Junius observes this prophecy to have been on the 
 sabbath day, the one and twentieth of the fifth 
 month, in the sixth year of their captivity ; and on 
 the twenty-eighth day of the same month, the pro- 
 phecy in the next chapter ; and on the fifth day of 
 the sixth month, the vision in the eighth chapter. 
 
 God honoured his own day, with giving out his 
 word by revelations and visions ; that clay they rested 
 from their labour, and w^ere fittest to hear, see, and 
 receive divine things. It was now above a year 
 since Ezekiel had his first vision ; for that was in 
 the fifth day of the fourth month, and fifth year of 
 the captivity, this in the sixth year and fifth month. 
 
 The prophets had not all communicated to them 
 at once, but by degrees, as infinite wisdom saw best; 
 and the church luiderstands not all at once what 
 they wrote, but now a little, and then a little, as it 
 pleases God to let in light. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Set thy face toward the mountains of 
 Israel." Turn thee unto them, speak boldly and 
 freely, prophesy their destruction. The mountains 
 of Israel were divers : there was mount Ebal, and 
 mount Gerizim, Deut. xxvii. 12, 13; mount Carmel, 
 1 Kings xviii. 19; mount Horeb, 1 Kings xix. 8; 
 mount Zemaraim, 2 Chron. xiii. 4; mount Gilead, 
 Cant. iv. I ; mount Ephraim, Josh. xvii. 15; mount 
 Naphtali, and mount Judah, Josh. xx. 7 ; mount 
 Hermon, I Chron. v. 23 ; mount Lebanon, Judg. iii. 
 3; mount Tabor, Judg. iv. G; mount Bethel, Josh, 
 xvi. I ; mount Moriah, 2 Chron. iii. 1 ; mount Zion, 
 Psal. cxxv. 1 ; mount Olivet, Luke xix. 37, which is 
 called the mount of corruption, 2 Kings xxiii. 13, 
 because Solomon had built there high places for 
 Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Milcom; and not only in 
 that, but divers other of these mountains, were altars 
 and images, which provoked the Lord ; and therefore 
 he bids the prophet to prophesy against them. 
 
 He speaks to the mountains, hills, rivers, and 
 valleys, to hear the word of the Lord. This kind 
 of speaking sets out the weightiness of the prophecy, 
 the vchemency of affection, and seemed to convince 
 the Jews of their insensibleness and incurableness ; 
 they were so hardened in sin, that there was as much 
 hope of doing good to these creatures, as to them by 
 the word. 
 
 Here is a prosopopeia, attribution of sense to dumb 
 creatures, which is frequent in the Scriptures: Deut. 
 xxxii. I, " Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; 
 and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth." So 
 Jer. ii. 12; Isa. i. 2. Hence the earth is said to 
 tremble, the hills to move at the wrath of God, Psal. 
 xviii. 7; Ixxvi. 8 ; cxiv. 7; winds and seas to obey. 
 Matt. viii. 27. All ci-eatures arc more ready to obey 
 the will of their Creator, than man is. Apostrophes 
 are therefore oft made from the sensible and 
 rational creatures, to those that are void of both ; to 
 set out the stupidity of man, and his unworthincss 
 of the word. The Lord passes by the masters, and 
 looks to the servants, neglects men, and speaks to 
 the mountains, that so he might provoke them to 
 consider. 
 
 " To the rivers." The Vulgate is, rupibus, to the 
 rocks. p>3i* in the Hebrew doth signify channels •
 
 Ver. 1 — 7 
 
 THE BOOK OF B^ZEKIEL. 
 
 155 
 
 Isa. viii. 7, " The king of Assyria shall come up 
 
 over all his channels, and go over all his banks :" 
 
 2 Sam. xxii. IG, "The channels of the 
 
 Ps.il. XVIII. 15. J )i Ti. • -j; 1 i\ 
 
 sea appeared. It signmes also the 
 waters that run in the channels : Job vi. 15, " As 
 the stream of brooks they pass away ; " and Psal. 
 cxxvi. 4, " As the streams in the south." Hence it 
 is rendered rivers, Joel iii. 18; Ezek. xsxv. 8, from 
 p3S which signifies to contain and corroborate, 
 and both these the channels do ; they contain the 
 waters, keep them within their banks, and strengthen 
 them being kept together, so that they rim with 
 force, and bear burdens. 
 
 The Septuagint hath it varraig, which notes thickets 
 and woody places which use to be about waters. 
 
 " Valleys." By the water-sides, and in the valleys, 
 they provoked God. Jer. xlix. 4, " Wherefore glori- 
 est thou in the valleys ? " they trusted in their flow- 
 ing and fat valleys. Isa. Ivii. 5, they inflamed 
 themselves " with idols under every green tree, .slay- 
 ing the children in the valleys, under the clifts of 
 the rocks." And Jer. xxxii. 35, " They built the 
 high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the 
 son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daugh- 
 ters to pass through the fire unto Molech;" and 
 this valley was afterward called, " The valley of 
 slaughter," Jer. xix. 6; and the reason is given, 
 Jer. vii. 32, 33 : they had slain their children there, 
 and God punished them with a great slaughter there, 
 and defiled the place with their blood, which they 
 had formerly defiled with their sin. 
 
 " A sword upon you." That is, the Assyrians, 
 armed with instrimients of war ; they should come 
 and lay all waste, break down altars, cut down 
 groves, dig down hills, dry up their chaimels, and 
 let out their waters. 
 
 "The high places." They are first mentioned in 
 Leviticus, chap. xxvi. 30. They were mountains or 
 
 „ . hills where the people worshipped, 
 
 taken from the practice of heathens, 
 who chose out pleasant places, woody hills and re- 
 cesses, where they built chapels, temples, and altars 
 to their gods. Numb. xxii. 41, " Balak brought 
 Balaam into the high places of Baal," where there 
 was a temple or chapel for the worship of Baal ; 
 and therefore, in the next chapter, he bids him make 
 seven altars, that they mifiht worship their god 
 Baal there. Heathens had many such places ; Deut. 
 xii. 2, 3, " Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, 
 wherein the nations served their gods, upon the high 
 mountains, the hills, and under every green tree : ye 
 shall overthrow their altars, break their pillars, burn 
 their groves with fire, hew down the graven images 
 of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of 
 that place." God would not have his people to wor- 
 ship him in any heathenish ways, or with heathenish 
 rites; butthey built themselves "high places, images, 
 and groves, on every high hill, and under every 
 green tree," 1 Kings xiv. 23. Jeroboam " made 
 an house of high places," 1 Kings xii. 13. They 
 were to sacrifice in the tabernacle : when they had 
 special and prophetical warrant, they might sacrifice 
 any where ; and after the ark was taken, which had 
 stood at Shiloh three hundred and forty three years, 
 and was movable from place to place, then it was 
 lawful for the [leople to offer in the high places. 
 Before the temple was built, notwithstanding the 
 destruction of the high places threatened by Moses, 
 Lev. xxvi. 30 ; by Amos, chap. vii. 9 ; by Hosea, 
 chap. X. 8, and other prophets ; many of God's 
 people sacrificed in the high places, under trees, and 
 elsewhere: as Gideon, Judg. vi. 19; Samuel, 1 Sam. 
 ix. 19 ; David, 2 Sam. xxiv. 25 ; Solomon, 1 Kings iii. 
 4; Manoah, Judg. xiii. 19; Elijah, 1 Kings xviii. 31, 
 
 32, i<tc. God accepted their sacrifices, and winked 
 at this error ; but their sacrificing afterward in the 
 high places, did bitterly provoke God, and the com- 
 plaint was, that the high places were not taken 
 away, 1 Kin^s xxii. 43; xv. 14. They continued 
 till Hezekiah's days, who removed them, 2 Kino-s 
 xviii. 4 ; but Josiah utterly destroyed them out of tSe 
 land, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 3. Yet those kings that came 
 after, restored them again. It is said of Jehoahaz, 
 " He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to 
 all that his fathers had done," 2 Kings xxiii. 22. 
 
 Ver. 4. " Your images shall be broken." Hebrew 
 C3':t:n the sun images, nen is a name given to 
 the sun. Job xxx. 28, from ocpi calere, to be hot, 
 because of the great heat thereof, and chiunma- 
 ni?n is sun images. Hence Jupiter Amnion, who 
 had a famous temple in Africa, wherein was the 
 image of the sun, as A. Lapid. in Lev. xxvi. 30, 
 hath it ; and Macrobius show.s, that jiaiiobius, lib i. 
 Jupiter and the sun were the same. s..iuiii. c. ȣ ' 
 The idolatrous Jews were accustomed to worship 
 the sun ; 2 Kings xxni. 5, they " burned incense 
 to the sun :" and because the heathens ovjd. i.". 
 were wont to worship the sun under Meum. 
 the figure of a chariot and four horses, it is said, 
 the kings of Jiidah gave horses and chariots to the 
 sun, ver. 11. The rabbles think these were living 
 horses, which drew a chariot daily toward the east, 
 and some sitting in it did salute the sun in the king's 
 name ; others more probably conceive these horses 
 and chariots were portrayed effigies, set up at the 
 entering in at the house of the Lord, in honour of 
 the sun, and so set above their altars, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 
 4. Buxtorf and Junius call them, xuhdkdes slalucp, 
 statues that stood abroad, and were exposed to the 
 sun. Aben Ezra thinks they were houses or chapels, 
 made for the worship of the sun. 1 conceive they 
 were images set up for that purpose ; you have 
 mention made of them in Isa. xxvii. 9 ; xvii. 8. 
 Some think they were little courts wherein were 
 altars and fire preserved upon them, in honour to the 
 sun. Calvin thinks them so called from their warmth, 
 ab tpstu, because idolaters run after them, as adul- 
 terers do after whores: others from Deo.i. on Lev. 
 chemah, furor, madness, because they «xvi.30. 
 are carried with fury to that service. Vid. Buxtorf 
 in Chamam. Isa. Ivii. 5, " Inflaming yourselves with 
 idols." 
 
 " I will cast dowai the .slain men." This seemeth 
 a strange speech ; slain men are not standing, need 
 not casting down. The Hebrew is n isaisom pro 
 D3'SSn which the Vulgate renders, ni- '""'■ V""'»<:- 
 lerfeclos reitrox, your slain men ; they are slain men 
 that fall down to idols, that serve other gods, men 
 appointed to be slain ; or confossos ve.-itros, your 
 wounded men; {or -s/ialal is perforare, to stab through, 
 and it is probable that many being wounded by the 
 Chaldeans, would flee out of Jerusalem to the hills, 
 altars, groves, and idols, for safety, and there the 
 Lord would destroy them before the idols; their ene- 
 mies shouldfiud them out, and make an end of them: 
 Hos. X. 8, "They shall say to the mountains, Cover 
 us, and to the hills, Fall on us ;" they were in great 
 fear, distress, and hid themselves, yet that prevented 
 not their death. Jer. xii. 12, " The spoilers are 
 come up upon all high places through the wilder- 
 ness : for the sword of the Lord shall devour from 
 the one end of the land even to the other end of the 
 land, and no flesh shall have peace ;" they should 
 find no favour at their altars, in sight of their idols. 
 Idolaters conceit, that the gods, in honour of whom 
 they set up their altars and images, will relieve 
 tlieni in distresses, and turn aside evil from them ; 
 but it should not be, they should find no mercy ;
 
 15G 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VI. 
 
 Sennacherib was slain before Nisrocli liis god, Isa. 
 xxxvii. 38. 
 II is also in tie " Before their idols." Q'Sil?! dung- 
 stii an.i 6iii hill gods, excrementitious deities, from 
 S^J dung; so it is rendered in 1 Kings 
 xiv. 10, even man's dung, wliich is most loathsome. 
 This name is put upon idols, to show how they 
 do stink in the nostrils of God, and make the wor- 
 shippers of them filthy, stinking creatures ; they are 
 like swine, that feed ujion, and Mallow in dung. 
 Idols defile the soul and body both j for usually 
 spiritual uncleanness and bodily do go together. 
 Idolatry and adultery are companions, Jer. v. 7, 8, 
 they worship other gods, and neigh after their 
 neighbours' wives. Idols do defile and cause defile- 
 ment, Ezek. xxii. 3, " The city maketh idols against 
 herself, to defile herself." 
 
 Ver. 5. " I will lay the dead carcasses of the chil- 
 dren of Israel," &:c. They should want burial, be 
 exposed to open shame, their altars be defiled with 
 Aiiare poiiui- blood and boucs. Josiah polluted the 
 raHaveris"."' altar with the bones and carcasses of 
 Co'"- dead men, 2 Kings xxiii. 16, 20 ; and 
 
 Jeremiah tells of the bones of kings, princes, priests, 
 prophets, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, that should 
 be taken out of their graves, be spread before the 
 sun, moon, and host of heaven, whom they worship- 
 ped, and not to be buried; but should be for dung 
 upon the face of the earth. They had served dung- 
 hill idols, and God would make them dung ; yea, in 
 the place where they had so sinned, should they 
 suffer this heavy judgment, even before the idols. 
 The Jews used to bury the bones of their kings with 
 gold, silver, costly garments, crowns, scej)tres, and 
 arras : prophets, and other chief men, had some 
 Lib. 13. A'nti- precious things buried with them. Jo- 
 1""- sephus tells that Hyrcanus took out of 
 
 David's sepulchre six lliousand talents, 
 r.b. 10. Curtius tells of Alexander the Great, 
 that hearing there was much wealth in Cyrus's se- 
 pulchre, he commanded it to be opened, but found 
 none. The Chaldeans, being covetous, would search 
 their sepulchres for wealth, scatter the bones of the 
 dead in disgrace, and leave them as dung upon the 
 face of the earth. This judgment Moses had fore- 
 told them of, Lev. xxvi. 30, " I will cut down your 
 images, and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of 
 your idoLs :" their worship seemed holy to them- 
 selves, but God would pollute it with their own car- 
 casses. That which is of great account among men, 
 is an abomination unto God. 
 
 Ver. 6. " In all your dwelling-places the cities shall 
 be laid waste," &c. Here is the extent of the judg- 
 ment, to all their cities, wherever they dwelt ; all 
 their cities were defiled with idols and idolatrous 
 worship : Jer. xi. 13, " According to the number 
 of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah ; and accord- 
 ing to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have 
 ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars 
 to burn incense unto Baal." 
 
 Superstition and idolatry are spreading things, 
 
 they quickly get into all the cities of a kingdom, and 
 
 Isa. ii.p. streets of cities, and head of every high 
 
 •• Tiieir land is way, Ezck. xvi. 25. Therefore all the 
 
 fuiio. .dois." ^.^.^^ ^j. j^^^^^^ ^^.p threatened, Jer. i. 
 
 15 ; and ix. 11, " I will make Jerusalem heaps, a den 
 of dragons ; and the cities of Judah desolate, without 
 an inhabitant." 
 
 Oh.i. 1. The first observation is, That where idols 
 and false worship are got into a church or state, 
 they are not easily got out again. Their cities must 
 be destroyed, that their altars and idols may be 
 broken and cease. After the calves were up at Dan 
 and Bethel, the prophets could never get them dow n 
 
 till the sword came : the high places stood many 
 hundred years, and were not fully put down till 
 Josiah's days, and quickly after they were up again. 
 Hath not antichrist and his abettors brought in false 
 worship, tyrannical government, into the church, 
 and held it in many hundred years ? What ado hath 
 there been among us, to piluck up popery and pre- 
 lacy, which arc not yet fully done .' 
 
 Obs. 2. See what it is that ruins cities ; altars, 
 idols, false worship, mixtures of man's inventions 
 with the Lord's pure ordinances. These are great 
 cannon, that batter cities ; these are gunpowder, that 
 blow them up ; these bring the Lord of hosts to war 
 against them. It was the calves that wounded 
 Israel, and laid the cities thereof waste. Hos. x. 5, 
 " The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because oif 
 the calves of Bcth-aveu." Hos. xiii. 2, 3, they had 
 images and idols, kissed the calves ; therefore they 
 should be as the morning cloud, the early dew, as 
 chaff and smoke : ver. 1), " O Israel, thou hast de- 
 stroyed thyself," thine own idols have wrought and 
 brought thy destruction. Isa. x. 11, Samaria and 
 her idols were destroyed, and such destruction is 
 threatened to Jerusalem and her idols. And Abijah 
 knew that the calves would ruin Jeroboam and his 
 great army ; and therefore saith, 2 Chron. xiii. 8, 
 " With you are the golden calves." 
 
 Obs. 3. Idolatry and false worship do so provoke 
 God, that he will destroy cities, kingdoms, churches, 
 but he will have them out. Their cities and high 
 places must be laid waste, that their altars and idols, 
 their corrupt worship, might be taken away. Sins 
 of this nature make God jealous, furious, clothe 
 himself with vengeance, and do terrible things : Jer. 
 ii. 11, Israel had taken in other gods, and it follows 
 in the 15lh verse, " The young lions roared upon 
 him, and made his land waste : his cities are burned 
 without inhabitant ; " God looked upon them as 
 already burned. You have the indignation of God 
 against idolaters and idolatrous places fully set out 
 in the 13th of Deuteronomy, from the 12th verse to 
 the end. If the men of a city did fall to idolatry, 
 the men and cattle must be all destroyed with the 
 edge of the sword, the city and all in it burned with 
 fire, and never be built again ; and they must not 
 meddle with any accursed tiling : when this is done, 
 God will turn from the fierceness of his anger. 
 Nothing kindles God's wrath more than forsaking 
 of and corrupting his worship. Hath not popery 
 and popish inventions cost the christian world much 
 blood, and the ruin of many places ? Babylon must 
 be destroyed for her whoredom ; and, Rev. xiv. 9, 
 10, " If any man worship the beast and his image, 
 and receive his mark in his forehead, or hand, tne 
 same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, 
 which is poured out without mixture into the cup of 
 his mdignation ; and he shall be tormented with 
 fire and brimstone," &c. God is severe against false 
 worship and worshippers. God will lay waste all 
 jilaces and persons rather than not have men's works 
 out of his worship. 
 
 Obs. 4. That men love to have somewhat of their 
 own in worship ; they are not content with what the 
 infinitely wise God commends unto them, but will be 
 adding. Here is much of man's men- ai,„,„.„„i,i i,,,.. 
 tioned ; vour high places, your altars, i" aiiare Oamas- 
 
 • t"i *^ .* * , , ceiiuni. and we 
 
 your idols, your images, and works, aitare lioma- 
 
 Thc second commandment, Exod. xx. """'■ 
 
 4, shows that man is prone to he meddling and 
 
 making something in worship, till he 
 
 mar all. The people quickly forgot n"ci',"i loseii"" 
 
 God and made a calf, when Moses was ''y "titiiiious of 
 
 , 11., men. 
 
 m the mount; and their hearts ever 
 
 hankered after heathenish gods, rites, and cere-
 
 Ver. S— 10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 157 
 
 monies. Psal. cvi. 29, " They provoked him to anger 
 with their inventions : " they were given to chang- 
 ing, and adding of tlieir own, and tlieir additions 
 provoked God : and why so ? they were taken more 
 with their own, than with the Lord's; "they went a 
 whoring with their own inventions," ver. 39, they 
 pleased and delighted them, as adulterers are more 
 delighted with their whores than their wives ; hut 
 they are defiling delights, they were defiled with 
 their own works. 
 
 Obs. 5. God is not pleased with any thing in wor- 
 ship which is not his own ; he must prescribe what 
 way and wherewith he will be worshipped. It is 
 not altars, high places, appointed and made by men, 
 not any of their works, tnat are acceptable to him, 
 not the works of their hands, nor of their heads ; 
 no devices of man, nor his vestures, gestures, cere- 
 monies, services ; they all have in them aliquid 
 ftpcis et terr(P, something of dross and earth, they 
 are like their authors. That which pleases God 
 must come from God, be set up by him and carry 
 unto him. That which he appoints, he approves, it 
 is pure ; that which man brings, he abhors, -it is 
 spurious, pollutes his ordinances, frustrates his com- 
 mands. Matt. XV. 6; therefore such plants God wiU 
 pluck up, such works he will break down. 
 
 Obs. G. That judgments cause idolaters to know 
 the true God from the false, ^\^^en God's hand is 
 upon the mountains, hills, valleys, cities, high places, 
 altars, and their slain fallen, then shall they know 
 tliat I am the Lord, Jehovah ; not an idol god, but 
 the true, the living God, that have being of myself, 
 that give being to my promises and threats, that 
 take being from others : you would not believe my 
 prophets, but you shall know there was truth in 
 their threats, and power in me to make them good. 
 
 Ver. 8 — 10. Yet icill I leave a remnant, that 
 ye may have some that shall escape the sworil 
 among the nations, when ye shall be scattered 
 throtigh the countries. And they that escape of 
 you shall remember me among the nations whither 
 they shall be carried captives, because I am 
 broken irith their uhorish heart, which hath de- 
 parted from me, and with their eyes, which go a 
 whoring after their idols : and they shall loathe 
 themselves for the evils which they have committed 
 in all their abominations. And they shall know 
 that I am the Lord, and that I have not said in 
 vain that I would do this evil unto them. 
 
 Here is the second part of the prophecy, viz. A 
 promise of mercy. 
 
 The eighth verse is of the nature of the third 
 verse in the fifth chapter, where the projihet was 
 bid to bind up a few hairs in his skirts ; and here 
 GodWould leave a remnant, the sword and dispersion 
 shoidd not devour all. 
 
 Obs. God's wrath is never so hot against his peo- 
 ple, but he will show mercy to some. God would 
 bring a sweeping judgment, lay mountains, hills, 
 rivers, valleys, cities, high places, altars, idols, 
 images, waste and desolate ; yet he would leave a 
 remnant, preserve some, when in the midst of their 
 enemies, amongst Babylonians and other nations. 
 
 In the fifth chapter, ver. 12, God would "scatter 
 them, and draw out a sword after them." It was 
 great wrath to be driven out of their country, to be 
 in banishment, which lawyers call a civil death, 
 because men in it are divided from their friends, 
 liberties, and comforts, which sweeten their lives ; 
 but to have the sword at their heels, added to the 
 weight of wrath, threatens all their lives ; yet not- 
 
 withstanding this condition, God reserved some from 
 the sword in tlieir banishment. They might upon 
 this severe prophecy think, What will become of the 
 church, shall all perish, and God's faithfulness fail? 
 No, God would have a care of that, a remnant he 
 would save. Storms may be so terrible and lasting, 
 that the church may be brought low, not be visible, 
 yet it shall never lie extinct. When the prophets 
 were cut off by Jezebel, there were a hundred hid in 
 caves by Obadiah, 1 Kings xviii. 4. AVhcn Elijah 
 thought himself alone, and his life at the stake too, 
 the Lord told him there were seven thousand in 
 Israel lay dormant, " which had not bowed their 
 knees to Baal," 1 Kings xix. 18. AVhen Herod 
 " slew all the children in Bethlehem, and all the 
 coasts thereof, from two years old and under," yet 
 Christ escaped, he was preserved : and as in that 
 storm God preserved the Head, so in every storm 
 he will preserve the body. At the massacre in 
 France, all the protcstants were not cut off, and the 
 wars of Ireland have not devoured all. The church 
 shall never cease being, the gates of hell shall never 
 prevail against it. 
 
 Ver. 9. " And they that escape of you shall remem- 
 ber me," Sec. In this verse is the fruit of divine 
 mercy towards them : 
 
 First, " They shall remember me." 
 
 Secondly, " Loathe themselves for the evils they 
 have committed." 
 
 Thirdly, the ground of both these, "Because I am 
 broken with their whorish heart and w'horish eyes." 
 
 Fourthly, the place where they should do it, 
 " Among the nations." 
 
 " Remember me." They shall know then that I 
 am God, infinitely difTering from the gods that they 
 have chosen ; that my worship is spiritual, and ad- 
 mits not mixtures of men : they shall remember my 
 holiness, that I hate all false ways of worship ; my 
 justice, that I have not done any wrong to them in 
 ruining their country and temple, and scattering 
 them in all quarters ; they shall remember my bounty 
 and love to them, and how they forgot me and 
 abused all; they shall remember my mercy in pre- 
 serving them from the pestilence, the famine, the 
 sword, and their taunting adversaries ; and say. We 
 all deserved to have been destroyed and rooted out 
 for ever ; but the Lord is gracious, hath had com- 
 passion on us and spared our lives ; we will therefore 
 repent of our ways, return to him, trust in him, and 
 give glory to his name : all which are implied in 
 the w'ord " remember." So it is used, Psal. cxxxvii. 
 1, there are remembrance and weeping joined to- 
 gether ; Psal. xxii. 27, there are remembrance and 
 turning ; Psal. xx. 7, remembrance is there for 
 h-usting; Psal. Ixiii. 5, 6, praising and remembering 
 go together : and when men fall to idolatry, they 
 are said to forget God, Judg. iii. 7; implying that 
 remembering of God is to worship him his own 
 way, and so to gloi-ify his name. 
 
 " Broken with their whorish heart." The Vulgate 
 reads it actively, I have broken their heart. The 
 word is passive 'mstfj I am broken. Here is 
 great difference, and the Vulgate is corrupt; and the 
 Greek mistakes, which reads it, oiim^oKa ry KnnSin 
 avTwv, I have sworn to their hearts ; the ground of 
 wliich error is, they took it to be "ryacj for 
 'm3!:"j Some would have it, I have bought their 
 v.horish hearts, that were for idols and any thing 
 but me ; because the word is twice or thrice in the 
 Scripture used in that sense: Gen. xli. 57, "All 
 countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy 
 corn," Hishbar, ad frangendum, Monta- ,[,„n,asi,Mr 
 nus reads it : and chap. xlii. 6, Joscjih ''^^l'"'')^'j^p„,^^, 
 " sold to all the people of the land," ^"'- °" ""
 
 158 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chat. VI. 
 
 and so in the 5th verse : hut the common sense of 
 the word is, to break, and it is truly rendered, " I am 
 broken with their whorish heart." 
 
 God had taken this people to he his, as a man 
 takes a woman to be his wife ; but they had whorish 
 hearts, and went out from God to idols ; they had a 
 " spirit of whoredoms" in them, that " caused them 
 to err, and go a whoring from under their God," 
 Hos. iv. 12; ix. 1. They were not content with 
 God's love, his ordinances, his worship ; but they 
 would try what the gods of the heathen were, what 
 their way and worship was, prostitute themselves to 
 them; and this troubled the sight of God, afflicted 
 his soul, brake his heart, as a man's is by the 
 whorish acts of his wife. We say, a man or woman 
 break much, that have much trouble, jealousy, care, 
 sorrow. God was troubled with, jealous of, careful 
 and sorrowful for, his people above all others, and 
 this even-brake the heart of God. Their courses 
 grieved him exceedingly. Great grief vexeth the 
 heart, and lieth like a mighty weight upon it : hence 
 that in Amos ii. 13, " Behold, I am pressed under 
 you, as a cart is pressed that is fidl of sheaves ;" 
 the grief God took at their courses was as a great 
 load upon his spirit. God's eye beheld their courses, 
 and his eye affected, yea, afflicted his heart, Lam. 
 iii. 51 : the Vulgate reads it, Oculus mens deprceda- 
 tus est animam mcam. Hath taken away the virtue, 
 spirit, and life of my heart. 
 
 " AVhorish heart." A heart hankering after idols, 
 pleading for them, delighting in them, and prosti- 
 tuting itself unto them. This people was much 
 addicted unto this sin, which is oft expressed by the 
 name of whoredoms and whoring, Lev. xx. 5; xvii. 
 7; Judg. ii. 17- This sin is so called. 
 
 First, because it is a breach of covenant, as whore- 
 dom is. God marries his people to himself, he is 
 for them, and they should be for him only, Exod. 
 XX. 23. He is a husband to them, Jer. ii. 2; Hos. 
 ii. 19; and now to leave him for idols, is to deal 
 treacherously with him, Jer. iii. 9, 20 ; Deut. xxxi. 1 6. 
 
 Secondly, it is a pleasing sin, as whoredom is. 
 Hence all Israel is said to go a whoring after 
 Gideon's ephod, Judg. viii. 27 ; and Isa. Ixvi. 3, 
 " Their soul delighteth in their abominations ;" they 
 please their senses, give some satisfaction to blind 
 consciences, help on their devotions, as they conceit, 
 which affects much. 
 
 Thirdly, it is a defiling sin. Whoredom is a de- 
 filing sin, and so is idolatry, and all false worship : 
 Ezek. xxii. 3, Jerusalem " maketh idols against her- 
 self to defile herself." Acts xv. 20, they are called 
 a\i(yyi)iiarn, pollutions : and they pollute the persons 
 and places where they are, Jer. iii. 9. As pure 
 worship sanctifies, so false worship pollutes: Rev. 
 xiv. 4. " Tliey were not defiled with women," not 
 with false worship, with the whore of Baliylon, or 
 any of her inventions ; hut were virgins that kept 
 themselves chaste, not going out from God to the 
 corruptions of an\-. 
 
 Fourthly, it hardens, stupifies, makes impudent, 
 
 Prov. vii. 13 ; and so idolatry produces such effects. 
 
 Hence the Jews which were given to it are called 
 
 "impudent children," Ezek. ii. 4, "hard-hearted," 
 
 Ezek. iii. 7 ; "sottish children," Jer. iv. 22. Jezebel 
 
 stirred up Ahab to idolatry, 1 Kings xxi. 25, 26 ; 
 
 they were both idolaters, they were hard-hearted, 
 
 impudently wieked, bloody and cruel ; Nabolh and 
 
 the prophets were slain by them. 
 
 Jer. ,i. en, it is Fifthly, it inflames, and idolatry doth 
 
 rai|p,i iiia'yiiig SO ; Isa. Ivii. 5, " Inflaming yourselves 
 
 with idols, slaying the children in the 
 
 valleys." 
 
 " With their eyes, which go a whoring after their 
 
 idols." It is evil when the heart follows the eye, 
 worse when the eye follows the heart; this notes 
 habitual evil, the other but occasional. Their 
 eyes, as well as their hearts, went a whoring; 
 they looked, and lusted; their eyes were "eyes full 
 of adultery," 2 Pet. ii. 14. Ahaz saw the altar at 
 Damascus, and he must presently have such a one 
 up at Jerusalem, 2 Kings xvi. 10. Men follow " the 
 sight of their eyes," Eccl. xi. 9 ; " the lust of 
 their eyes," as John calls it, 1 John ii. 16; and sen- 
 .sual men are led by the eye in point of worship, as 
 in point of women ; Ahaz was ; but „ j, |,aii when 
 men's eyes and hearts are ill factors for f^M -tc in 
 worship: Numb. XV. 39, "Remember IZrlttuenin 
 all the commandments of the Lord, niigimu: d-um. 
 and do them ; and that ye seek not after your o-rni 
 heart, and your own eyes, after which ye use to go 
 a whoring." The eyes are the spies of the body, 
 they give information to the heart, that lusts, whore- 
 dom is committed, and God is provoked to jealousy. 
 The eyes are called whorish, because they are inter- 
 mmcii adulterii et idololatrice, the assistants of adul- 
 tery and idolatry ; they dislike, forsake the beauty 
 of God's worship, truth, ordinances, and spy beauty 
 in corruption, in false worship, superstition, idol- 
 atry, men's additions ; they see a decorum in them, 
 are pleased with them, and draw the heart to them. 
 "They shall loathe themselves." The Vulgate 
 reads it, disp/icehunt iibimct, they shall displease 
 themselves ; Calvin, pude/ie?)/, they shall be asham- 
 ed ; Junius, fa^tidium eruyit aibi ip.sis, they shall be a 
 loathing to themselves. The Hebrew hath more in 
 it : JVakottu, ingemiscent, saith Monta- 
 nus ; they shall so sigh and groan, that ^^l\^'^i-^„^_ 
 you shall see it in their faces : Shin- 
 dler, qffhiai sunt in faciebus suis ad mala, W'hen they 
 saw what they had done, it was oflFensive to them, 
 and they smote themselves upon the face for grief. 
 The word notes a cutting ; when a man Sepiuag, is 
 is so ashamed that he dares not behold J^"*"""'- 
 God or man, he is like a man cut do^VTl. So it is 
 used. Job X. 1, " My soul is weary of my life ;" it is 
 the same word, and rendered in the margin, cut off: 
 his sorrow was piercing, and cutting. Such should 
 be the condition of those here, their idolatry and 
 other evils should be caniijices qui corda eorum dis- 
 cerpereut, executioners which rend their hearts. 
 The meaning is, they shall have much shame, sor- 
 row, and breaking of heart, for their sins. 
 
 Ver. 10. " And they shall know that I am the 
 Lord," &c. They shall know experimentally, that 
 I speak and threaten not in vain, punish not unjustly, 
 but order all things for my glory and their good. 
 
 Obs. 1. God's people escaping destruction in 
 common calamific";, are mindful of God, though they 
 suflir much hardship. As here, they had lost all, 
 their very liberty, and were captives ; yet being 
 preserved by God among the gentiles, they should 
 remember God ; that is, repent, return, and trust in 
 God, honour him, praise him, and worship him the 
 right way. Psal. Ixxviii. 34, 35, " When he slew 
 them, then they sought him : and they returned and 
 inquired early after God ; and remembered that 
 God was their rock, and the high God their redeem- 
 er :" when death devoured some, and niercy delivered 
 others, then their hearts were afTectcd, and God 
 s' riously thought upon. Never is the heart in a 
 bitter frame towards God, than when it hath been in 
 the jaws of death, and is set at liberty from the king 
 of ten-ors. David made the sweetest psalms when 
 he had the greatest deliverances, Psal. xviii. xlvi. 
 ciii. and many others ; which made him say, " Thou 
 liftest me up from the gates of death, that I may 
 show forth all thy praise in the gates of the daugh-
 
 Ver. 8—10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 159 
 
 ter of Zion," Psal. ix. 13, 14. God brings his people 
 into trouble, that he may deliver them, and that they 
 may remember him. Psal. 1. 15, " I will deliver 
 thee, and thou shalt glorify me ;" that is, cfl'ectually, 
 not in a low, faint, formal degree. Such great de- 
 liverances as give life, should cause those they con- 
 cern to look strongly and live wholly imto God, 
 to glorify him in all things, to remember him at all 
 times, and to show forth all his praises. 
 
 Obs. 12. That God is not tied to any persons, places, 
 or times, to show mercy ; but on whom he will, where 
 he will, and when he will, he showeth mercy. These 
 persons were idolaters in the holy land, met with sore 
 judgments there, were driven forth into Babylon, a 
 polluted, idolatrous, heathenish place ; there the 
 lives of some of them are preserved, they being 
 under heavy pressures from God and man ; yet they 
 are brought to know God, to loathe themselves and 
 their former ways. These were times wherein 
 they had no sacrificing, little or no help for their 
 souls, but lay in darkness, and notwithstanding all 
 this, God showed mercy : neither their sins, nor the 
 sins of the place, both which were great, nor the 
 time of wrath they were under, (for so it is called, 
 Isa. liv. 8,) could obstruct the free grace of God ; but 
 some he spares, some he touches with the lively 
 sense of their sins, and puts into a state of grace in 
 the midst of enemies, of sins, and of judgments. 
 God could show mercy in Babylon as w^ell as Zion. 
 Let the holy land, holy city, holy temple, holy altar, 
 holy sacrifices, and all the holy things be laid waste, 
 and persons be brought to the greatest improbabili- 
 ties of finding mercy, be as great sinners as any 
 living, as these were, and in Babylon ; yet God is 
 free, can, will, doth show mercy even to such, in 
 such a place, and at such a time, when his wrath is 
 pouring out. Manasseh was a great .sinner, a mur- 
 derer, an idolater, a sorcerer, carried into Babylon, 
 and, in the eye of all, in a hopeless condition ; yet 
 there God visits him, his Spirit breathes and blows 
 upon him, he humbles his soul greatly, prays efl'ec- 
 tually, is returned to Jerusalem, and knows the God 
 of his fathers, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 11 — 13. Nothing 
 could keep oft' God from showing mercy. God took 
 Abraham, the fatlier of the faithful, from Ur of 
 Chaldea ; he found favour among idolaters, and God 
 showed mercy to his posterity, even in that land. 
 \Mien " all tiesh had corrupted its ways," yet mercy 
 was shown to Noah, Gen. vi. Yea, those that put 
 Christ to death had their hearts pricked. Acts ii. 37. 
 To the gentiles that had lived in abominable idola- 
 tries, God " granted repentance unto life," Acts xi. 
 18. There is nothing in man, in any place or time, 
 that can impede God from showing mercy ; that is 
 an act of his will, nothing in us moves him to it, 
 nothing in us hinders him from it : " 1 will have 
 mercy on whom 1 will have mercy, and 1 will have 
 compassion on whom I will have compassion," Rom. 
 ix. 15. 
 
 Obs. 3. That often God show's the choicest mercy, 
 when he hath cause to execute the sharpest judg- 
 ment. " They shall remember me, because I am 
 broken with their whorish hearts." Had they broken 
 God's heart, he had cause to have broken their 
 bones, and destroyed them utterly ; but the Lord 
 would deal graciously with them, and instead of de- 
 struction, cause them to remember him, to loathe 
 themselves, and to come in to fear and serve him. 
 They would not fear, remember, and honour God in 
 Zion, where they had the jirophets, the ordinances 
 of God, and mercies of all sorts, but provoked (Jod to 
 plague them ; and when they were ripe for destruc- 
 tion, and nothing to be expected but severity, even 
 then doth God deal graciously with them. Isa. Ivii. 
 
 1 7, 18, saith God, " For the iniquity of his covefousness 
 was I wroth, and smote him : 'l hid me, and was 
 w roth, and he w^ent on frowardly in the way of his 
 heart ;" he adds sin to sin, in a presumptuous man- 
 ner ; and what could be looked for now but destruc- 
 tion ? Doth the great and glorious God smite, and 
 doth man sin more ? Yes, he doth, and God sees it; 
 and what then ? " I have seen his ways, and will heal 
 him ;" not wound him more, not destroy him, but " I 
 will heal him : 1 will lead him also, and restore com- 
 forts unto him and to his mourners." Isa. xliii. 24, 
 25, " Thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou 
 hast wearied me with thine iniquities ;" and what 
 then .' " I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy 
 transgressions for mine own sake, and will not re- 
 member thy sins." God's thoughts are not as man's; 
 that which is argument of deatli in man's apprehen- 
 sion, is argument of mercy and life in God's. David 
 knew it, and therefore presseth God with an argu- 
 ment, which miglit have undone him in the judg- 
 ment of reason ; " O Lord, pardon mine iniquity ; 
 for it is great," Psal. xxv. 11. God might have 
 said. Therefore will I not pardon thee, because thy 
 sin is great. 1 have suffered much by thee, by thy 
 murder and adultery, and thinkest thou that I will 
 pardon such great sins ? Is this an argument to 
 come to me withal ? I have as great wrath as 
 thou hast sins. Thou art a man of death for what 
 thou hast done ; thou shouldst die by the law for 
 thy murder, and die for thy adultery, and thou 
 hast given the sentence thyself, "The man that hath 
 done this shall surely die," and bound it thou hast 
 with an oath, "as the Lord liveth," 2 Sam. xii. 5; 
 and therefore die thou must, thou shalt. Such lan- 
 guage as this might David have looked for ; but he 
 hears of pardon, and that from the mouth of a pro- 
 phet : and when he moved God with the argument 
 of the greatness of his sins, he did it in the judgment 
 of faith, knowing it would be much for the honour 
 of God, to pardon great sins ; that he was as ready 
 to show mercy, as his sins had made him ripe for 
 judgment. Hos. ii. 13, 14, Israel followed Baalim, 
 and forgot God. Had he not now cause to destroy 
 her ? It was God's way to destroy such, Psal. Ixxiii. 27- 
 Yct it follows, " Therefore, behold, I will allure her, 
 and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort- 
 ably unto her." Because she had forgotten God, God 
 would remember her; because she had been drawn 
 away by idols, God would allure her from idols ; 
 because she had vexed God, he would comfort her : 
 here God lets out choice mercy, when he had cause 
 to execute severe wrath. When Peter had denied 
 Christ thrice, and forswore him and the knowledge of 
 him. Matt. xxvi. 72, 74, was there not cause that 
 Christ should have renounced him, smitten him with 
 some great judgment, and made him an example for 
 self-confiders and Christ-deniers to the end of the 
 world ? Surely Christ had cause enough, and the ojv 
 portimity for it was fair before him; but Christ turned 
 and looked upon Peter, and instead of ruining him, 
 raises him. 
 
 Obs. 4. False worship doth most afflict God. " I 
 am broken with their whorish heart." Their idol- 
 atries, superstitions, and corruptions did not simply 
 displease or grieve God ; but ojipressed, afflicted, 
 broke the heart of God. Great injuries enter deep, 
 work strongly, eat up the spirits of any they are 
 done unto ; and what greater wrong can be done to 
 God, than to set at nought his counsels, to forsake 
 his worshi]), to withdraw from his government, and 
 to proclaim to the world, that there are better ways 
 than his, and better gods than himself? Those that 
 are idolatrous, and worship God a false way, they 
 do so by God ; therefore, Jer. iii. 5, it is said of
 
 160 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 ClIAP. VI. 
 
 (hem, Ihat lln-y did speak and do evil as they could. 
 Men cannot do more to break God, than to worship 
 idols, wrong gods, or the true God a wrong w^ay. 
 Such sins break God's covenant; Deut. xxxi. IG, 
 " This people will go a whoring after other gods, 
 forsake me, and break my covenant ;" they break 
 God's silence, Jer. ii. 12, "Be astonished, O ye 
 heavens," &c. ; they break God's patience, Isa. xliii. 
 24, "Thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities;" 
 and here they break even God himself, " I am broken 
 with," &c. The heart should be only for God and 
 his ways, as the wife should be for the husband 
 and his commands ; and when God sees the heart, 
 \v-hich is his by creation, by command, by purchase, 
 and by desert, to be after false ways, base inven- 
 tions, and giving that honour to them which is only 
 due unto himseli^, this pricks him at the heart, and 
 is taken extremely evil ; it makes God's soul to ab- 
 hor a people. Lev. xxvi. 30, to loathe Zion, Jer. xiv. 
 19. Bring any thing to one that hath an antipathy 
 against it, and that thing afflicts him grievously, it 
 makes him fear, sweat, faint, and sometimes swoon 
 away. God hath a true antipathy, and great, 
 against all false ways of worship ; w hen any there- 
 fore is brought near him, it is that puts the Lord 
 more to it than any thing. Lev. xxvi. II, "I will 
 set my tabernacle among you ; and my soiil .shall 
 not abhor you ;" that is, I will delight in you, while 
 my tabernacle and ordinances are w'ith you : Amos 
 v. 26, 27, but when the " tabernacle of Moloch" is 
 amongst them, when they set up ways of their own, 
 then God abhors them, and will send judgments 
 upon them. Let not us retain any thing that tends 
 that way, no names, no ceremonies, no gestures. 
 
 06.5. 5. The work,s of men in God's worship steal 
 away the hearts of the worshippers. They had 
 idols, altars, groves, images, and high places ; and 
 whatever pretences they had to colour over things 
 with, their hearts went a whoring after these, and 
 departed from God. There is much, yea all in false 
 worship, that suits with carnal hearts ; therefore 
 that wdiich is of God, being spiritual, above the reach 
 of flesh, yea contrary to corruption, it is burdensome 
 and neglected ; and that which is of men, being suit- 
 able unto man, is closed with. In popery you see 
 how their hearts are taken with that which is from 
 popes, prelates, councils ; their music, vestments, 
 perfumes, pictures, images, &c. have their hearts : 
 and let them pretend they do help their devotion 
 with these, help up their hearts more to God; it is 
 not so, these steal away their hearts from God ; they 
 are more delighted with these, than with the pure 
 worship of God. Be they idols or images made use 
 of in worship, it is all one ; that distinction will not 
 heal a papist's idolatry, nor fetch back his whorish 
 heart to God ; for the Hebrew word Sds is in Scrip- 
 ture used promiscuously for both, and put for an 
 image, Isa. xliv. S), 10: and imagery superstition 
 draws away the heart from God as well as idolatry. 
 
 Were not men aff'ected lately with innovations, 
 and that so much, that the ordinances of God were 
 laid by ? AVhat the heart affects, that goes up, what 
 it slights, that goes down ; as in Isa. xxix. l.'J, when 
 their hearts were removed far from God, then the 
 precepts of men had interest in God's worship, and 
 what men commended to them their hearts advanced. 
 
 Ob-i. 6. That being in pure worship, is being with 
 God. While they kept to God's ordinances, and were 
 hearty in them, they were with God ; but when they 
 corrupted them, then they departed from God. 
 
 Ohs. 7- That men's eyes are instruments of great 
 evil. They had whori.sh eyes, they were the inlets 
 of idolatrous and sinful motions, which firing, in- 
 flamed the heart after idols. No sense doth more 
 
 mischief to the scul than the eye; it is an imperial 
 ranging sense, and fetches in, far and near, matter 
 of danger into the bosom : Prov. xvii. 24, " The 
 eyes of a fool are at the end of the earth." The 
 Scripture makes mention of " a mocking eye," Prov. 
 XXX. 17 ; "an olTensive eye," Matt. v. 29 ; "a beam- 
 ish eye," Matt. vii. 3 ; "an evil eye," Prov. xxiii. 
 6; "a lofty eye," Psal. cxxxi. 1 ; " a wanton eye," 
 Isa. iii. 16; "a painted eye," Ezek. xxiii. 40; "adul- 
 terous eyes," 2 Pet. ii. 14; and here, "whorish 
 eyes :" they are the windows at w hich sin creeps in. 
 The prince of darkness conveys many works of dark- 
 ness by the eyes. The serpent deceived Eve by the 
 eye. Gen. iii. 6. Achan saw- a goodly Babylonish 
 garment, and a w-edge of gold, and so was snared. 
 Josh. vii. 21. Samson saw a harlot, and was taken 
 with her, Judg. xvi. I. It is the colour of the wine 
 invites the drunkard to excess, Prov. xxiii. 31. Ahab 
 saw Naboth's vineyard laid commodiously for him, 
 and so was set on work to covet it, I Kings xxi. 2. 
 
 The eyes open the doors first and soonest to let 
 idols into the heart; and when they are in, the heart 
 sets the eyes on work to delight in them ; Ezek. 
 xviii. 6, they lift up their eyes to behold idols ; 
 they were delectable things to them, Isa. xliv. 9. 
 Great use doth Satan make of the eye, by corruption 
 that is within us, and the creature that is w'ithout. 
 Job knew it, and therefore makes a covenant with 
 his eyes, and would not only not see, but not think 
 of a maid. Job xxxi. 1 ; and if he did see any object 
 that pleased and stirred corruption, he would not let 
 his heart walk after his eye, ver. 7- David would 
 not " set any wicked thing before his eyes," Psal. 
 ci. 3 ; he prays unto God to " turn away his eyes from 
 beholding vanity," Psal. esix. 37; and, "Mine eyes 
 are ever towards the Lord," Psal. xxv. 15. And 
 not only should we have care of our eyes, but of our 
 hearts also ; for such as our hearts are, such will 
 our eyes and other senses be : if the heart be whor- 
 ish, the eyes will be whorish ; if the heart be covet- 
 ous, the hand will be covetous ; if the heart be 
 froward, the tongue will be froward : therefore So- 
 lomon adviseth to " keep the heart witli all dili- 
 gence," Prov. iv. 23. 
 
 Oba. 8. That true penitents have their hearts af- 
 fected for their sins, and loathe themselves for the 
 evils of their ways. " They shall remember me," 
 whom they have broken with their sins, be afTected 
 with it, "and loathe themselves for the evils they have 
 committed in all their abominations." Repentance 
 is not a sudden or slight sorrow, but that which goes 
 deep and enters into the heart, as the word here im- 
 ports ; such sorrow as should make them loathe 
 themselves, sigh and groan, smite, yea cut their 
 faces. The Seriphire expressions touching repent- 
 ance and godly sorrow are of like nature, and show 
 the heart is deeply wounded therein, Zeeh. xii. 10. 
 
 It is set out by mourning as for an only son, and 
 being in bitterness as for the loss of a first-born. It 
 is drawing of water and pouring it out before the 
 Lord, I Sam. vii. 6; it is the breaking of the heart, 
 contrition of the spirit, Psal. xxxiv. 18; the rending 
 of the heart, Joel ii. 13; ploughing up of the fallow 
 gnnmd, Jer. iv. 3; travailing in child-birth, Isa. 
 xxvi. 17; pricking of the heart. Acts ii. 37. 
 
 All which evidences that repentance is a heart 
 l)usiness; it works strongly upon that, and brings it 
 u|' to loathing. When the heart is truly penitent, 
 what it before loved and delighted in, it loathes and 
 abhors. The voice of Ephraim repenting, is, Hos. 
 xiv. 8, " What have I to do any more with idols ;" 
 I now loathe them, will not lift mine eyes or hands 
 unto them, nor speak a word for them, nor think of 
 them. Jer. xxxi. 19, "After that I was turned, I
 
 Ver. 
 
 -10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZKKIEL. 
 
 IGl 
 
 repented; I smote ujion my thigh: I was ashamed, 
 yea, even confounded, because I did bear the re- 
 proach of my youth :" I had sinned in my former 
 days with idols, false worship, satisfied my lusts, 
 but I am now confounded with the shame and re- 
 proach of them ; now I loathe them, and cannot en- 
 dure them. Isa. xxxi. 7, when they are turned unto 
 God, "in that day every man shall cast away his 
 idols of silver, and his idols of gold :" they cannot 
 stand before repentance, no more than Dagon before 
 the ark. After God had scourged and purged them 
 with the Babylonish captivity, it is observed that 
 they could never abide idols more, nor would suffer 
 any to come uj) unto the temple. "When Caius 
 Caligula sent his statue to Petronius, president of 
 Judea, to honour it with a place in the temple, 
 the Jews professed they would die rather than be- 
 hold that abomination in the temple ; if that came 
 there, they would not cimie there ; if that lived, 
 they would die. This is the nature of true repent- 
 ance, that whatever errors, false worship, ways, lusts, 
 things it delighted in before, now it loathes as dung, 
 as tilth, and abhors as pestilential and deadly. The 
 Jews repenting, cursed their idols, and their own 
 madness in running a whoring after them. 
 
 Here are three evidences of the reality and truth 
 of this repentance. 
 
 First, their loathing themselves. It is a hard thing 
 to bring- a man to self-loathing ; every man loves, 
 exalts nimself, and labours to be somebody in the 
 world. Diotrephes affects pre-eminence, but true 
 repentance will make the greatest loathe himself. 
 Repentance sees what black, defiled creatures they 
 are : Ezek. xx. 43, " Ye shall remember your ways, 
 wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe 
 yourselves in your own sight." A repentant eye 
 sees matter enough of self-abhorrence. When Job, 
 chap. vii. 5, saw his sores, filth, and worms in his 
 flesh, he loathed himself; but not so much as when 
 he saw the sins of his heart, chap. xlii. G ; then he ab- 
 horred himself, and all which had excellency in it be- 
 fore, he thought fit to be buried under dust and ashes. 
 
 Secondly, " For the evils which they have com- 
 mitted." Not for the evils which their sins had de- 
 .served, or God had inflicted, did they loathe them- 
 selves, but for the evil of their own ways ; so that 
 they did mourn for sin as sin ; not for the evil of 
 sin, but for the evil in .sin ; which is the contrariety 
 of it to God's will, the oflence of divine Majesty, its 
 burdening God himself, breach of union between him 
 and their souls, its violation of his law : it pollutes 
 the soul, hardens the heart, turns the gospel of Christ, 
 all mercies, and means of grace, to our hurt, and is 
 a foundation of eternal ruin. It was the evil of sin, 
 and not of punishment, that David prayed against, 
 2 Sam. xxiv. 10—17; Psal. li. 2. 
 
 Thirdly, it is impartial and universal : " They 
 shall loathe themselves for the evils which they have 
 committed in all their abominations." It is not one 
 or two, but all, comes into question when the heart 
 is in a penitent way : Ezek. xx. 43, " Then shall ye 
 remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein 
 ye have been defiled ; and ye shall loathe yourselves 
 in your own sight, for all your evils that ye have 
 committed." Sins, great or small, in any place, 
 with any person, or thing, but especially of worship, 
 come into, fall under, censure, and are abhorred. 
 Manasseh, when he was humbled in Babylon, he 
 loathed his practices in Zion, and took away all the 
 altars that he had built in the mount of the house of 
 the Lord, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of 
 the city, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 15. 
 
 Let us look back, see the evil of oin- ways, 
 especially in worship, and loathe ourselves for the 
 M 
 
 evil of them all ; that we have defiled God's name, 
 ordinances, ourselves, with altars, crucifixes, crin- 
 gings, conformity to the impositions, innovations of 
 men, subscriptions, oaths of canonical obedience, 
 supporting of a false and tyrannical government in 
 the church of Christ, have been contented under a 
 dull, formal way of worship, &c. Ezek. xliii. II, " If 
 they be ashamed of all that they have done, show them 
 the form of the house, and the fashion thereof. " 
 Shame for false, corrupt worship opens a door for 
 sight, and entrance, of true and pure worship. 
 
 On ver. 10, Ohs. I. That before men are afflicted 
 and humbled for their sin, they refuse and slight the 
 word of God. Let his prophets come and preach 
 powerfully and terribly unto them, lay God's judg- 
 ments before them, they mind it not, at least trem- 
 ble not ; but they shall know they have refused my 
 word and messengers ; the time is coming they shall 
 be in Babylon, be sorely afflicted, and then they 
 shall know, as for the precedent time, their hearts 
 were stout against God, his truth, his servants, and 
 they were secure. " Who hath believed our repiort ?" 
 saith Isaiah, chap. liii. 1 ; and chap. xlix. 4, " I 
 have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for 
 nought;" his hearers slighted his prophecies. So in 
 Zech. vii. 11, 12, "They refused to hearken, and 
 pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, 
 that they should not hear. Yea, they made their 
 hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear 
 the law, and the w ords which the Lord of hosts hath 
 sent in his spirit by the former prophets." 
 
 Oba. 2. Thataheart under atlliction, broken for sin, 
 and loathing itself for its own sins, will give due 
 honour to the word of God, submit to it, acknowledge 
 him and his prophets. " Then shall they know," ^cc. 
 That is, when they have smarted in the captivity, 
 been cut to the heart for their sins, loathed them- 
 selves for all the evils of them, even then shall they 
 know. Aftlictions opens men's eyes, blows beget 
 brains, and men come to see their ingratitude to- 
 wards God, their abuse, neglect, contempt of means, 
 what great loss they have made thereby ; and so 
 mourn for each, prize the word, tremble at threat- 
 enings, close with promises, subject to commands, 
 honour the Lord and his prophets. 
 
 The truest penitent doth most abhor himself, his 
 lusts, his errors, his own ways ; and the more abhor- 
 rence of these, the more complacency in truth, 
 and the God of truth. Such a one understands the 
 dealings of God, acknowledges the majesty of God 
 in his ordinances, the equity of God in his judgments, 
 the mercies of God in his deliverances, the faithful- 
 ness of God in his word, and his infinite love in Christ. 
 
 06.V. 3. The Lord will not leave his what God iioih 
 word (whatever it be) unaccomplished. ■" 'he "my ,';« 
 
 , 1, 1 .1 1 T T, * dolll lO tllllll his 
 
 ' Iliey snail know that i have not uoni. ihe piov,. 
 said in vain I would do this evil," that I !'-,',",'.''^r""acioni- 
 would afflict them. A word is in vain pii=.hineiii, ..fihe 
 
 , . . ^ r- ,..1, 1 • £11 • 1 vvoni ntOoil 111 
 
 when It IS not tulnlled, mctncaciously prophecies and 
 fulfilled,or unseasonably fulfilled: none i"""""'"- 
 of all these befall the word of God, threats or pro- 
 mises. Isa. Iv. 11, " The word that is gone forth of 
 my mouth shall not return to me void, but it shall 
 accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper 
 in the thing whereto I sent it :" if God give out 
 a word for wars, for destruction of cities, king- 
 doms, churches, for carrying into captivity, that word 
 shall take jjlace, and be effectual. Zech. i. 6, " My 
 words and my statutes, did they not take hold of your 
 fathers ?" they overtook them, and arrested them. 
 
 Ver. 11 — 14. Thus saith the Lord Gud ; Smite 
 with thine hand, and stamp with fhi/ foot, and saj/, 
 Alas for all the evil ahoMinatinns of the house of
 
 1G2 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. YI. 
 
 Israel! for theij shall fall hi/ the sirord, hi/ the 
 famine, and hy the ppsiilfince. He that h far off 
 shall die of the pestilence ; and he that is near 
 shall fall h}j the sirord ; and he that remaineth 
 and is besieged shall die bi/ the famine: thus irill 
 I accomplish my furr/ upon them. Then shall ye 
 know that I am the Lord, when their slain men 
 shall be among their idols round about their altars, 
 vpon every high hill, in all the tops of the motm- 
 tains, and mider every green tree, and under 
 every thick oak, the pilace ivhere they did offer 
 sweet savour to all their idols. So will I stretch 
 out my hand upon them, and make the land deso- 
 late, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward 
 Diblath, in all their habitations : and they shall 
 know that I am the Lord. 
 
 Here is the tliird part of the prophecy, which 
 sets out the great grief they should have fur the sore 
 judgments of God upon them ; which judgments 
 are again mentioned, " sword, famine, pestilence, 
 desolation." 
 
 In the Ilth verse their grief is set out by sym- 
 bolical expressions, as, smiting with the hand, 
 stamijing with the foot, and crying, Alas. And the 
 cause of these : 
 
 First, their sins. 
 
 Secondly, their punishments. 
 
 " Smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot." 
 Such gestures have been used in contrary cases ; as 
 well in great joy, as in great grief: Ezek. xxv. 6, 
 "Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped 
 with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy 
 despite against the land of Israel." It is spoken of 
 Amnion, who used those gestures in an insulting 
 way against the Jews ; but in this place, these ges- 
 tures declare their unspeakable grief for their sins 
 and judgments, and were usual in case of sorrow. 
 Jcr. xxxi. 19, the propjhet brings in Ephraim re- 
 penting, and that is a declaration of it, " I Muofe 
 upon my thigh, and was ashamed;" and when Gcd 
 would bring terror upon his people he bids the pro- 
 phet smite upon his thigh, Ezek. xxi. 12. Some- 
 times in their grief they did smite upon their thigh, 
 sometimes the brea,^t, sometimes the other hand; 
 so Balak did, Numb. xxiv. 10, "smote his hands to- 
 gether ;" sometimes the head. Homer hath it often, 
 mnXtiytTo i^iipif, He smote on his thigh. And Tully 
 Lb3T mentions, among other kinds of mourn- 
 
 ing, their smiting of the cheeks, their 
 breast, their thigh, their head. 
 
 " Stamp witli tliy foot." In cases of great and 
 sudden grief, men use to stamp upon the earth. 
 Homer, speaking of Irus, about draw- 
 ing or teetli, saitli, \arji^mv -koCi yaiav. 
 He stamped the earth with his foot. And Cicero in 
 Bruto saith. Nulla pedum supphsio. There was no 
 stamping with the feet. 
 
 " AlasV' In Hebrew, ns The Septuagint and 
 Theodotian render it Euge, Well done ! and make it 
 a note of rejoicing and exulting, because idols were 
 destroyed, and God's judgments executed. But it is 
 u|ion mistake of Ach for Ileach, which is Euge, but 
 Ach is always a note of grief; and that exposition of 
 theirs suits not with the subject matter, which is 
 sin and judgment. It is well rendered by Jcrom, 
 //««, and by our translation," Alas," a word constantly 
 used to note grief. Josh. vii. 7, Israel fell before 
 Ai ; Joshua rent his clothes, fell on the earth, and 
 cried, " Alas, O Lord God," &c. Joel i. 15; Amos v. 
 IG; Rev. xviii. 10; in cases of great sorrow, they 
 used this word. 
 
 These outward signs of sorrow are commended, 
 that the people might be awakened out of their 
 security, that they might be more affected with the 
 calamities that were coming, and their sins that 
 hastened such calamities upon them. Words are 
 transient, and leave little impression, but visible signs 
 work more strongly, affect more deeply, and draw 
 the spirits of beholders into a sympathy. 
 
 Obs. God W'Ould have those who are his to mourn 
 for the sins and judgments that are coming upon a 
 land and people for them. The prophet must 
 " smite with the hand, stamp with the foot, and say, 
 Alas for all the evil abominations of the house of 
 Israel," and for their calamities ! Some do mourn 
 for calamities, few for the sins of the people; but 
 here their sins come in first, and afHict the prophet's 
 spirit most, the judgments afterwards : Psal. cxix. 
 136, " Rivers of water run down mine eyes, because 
 they keep not thy law." And ver. 158, " I beheld 
 the transgressors, and was grieved." It is safe to do 
 it : Ezek. ix. 4, " Go through Jerusalem, and set a 
 mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and 
 cry for all the abominations." 1 Cor. v. 2, the 
 apostle blamed them, that they did not mourn for 
 the incestuous Corinthians. 
 
 Ver. 12. Of these sore judgments hath been for- 
 merly spoken in the fifth chapter, that there is no 
 escaping them, and of God's accomplishing his fury ; 
 he would bear no longer, but utterly destroy them. 
 
 On ver. 13, Obs. 1. That God doth often punish men 
 where they sin. Their slain should be among their 
 altars, idols, in the place where they offered their 
 sweet savour. Sennacherib was slain in the house 
 of his god Nisroch, as he was worshipping, Isa. 
 xxxvii. 38. 
 
 Obs. 2. That idolatry and false worship is costly. 
 Tliey ofTer sweet savour every where to all their 
 idols ; they think nothing too much for their false 
 way. The sweet incense was very costly, and only 
 for God's use, not their own houses ; yet their idols 
 shall have it. Men will part with much this way ; 
 Isa. xlvi. 6, " They lavish gold out of the bag," i>:c. 
 
 Ver. 14. " Wilderness toward Diblath." Some 
 make it to be the same with Riblah, in 2 Kings xxv. 
 6, and Jcr. xxxix. 5 ; mentioned also in Numb. 
 xxxiv. II. This may well be, because of the like- 
 ness of n and "i in the Hebrew tongue. And Jerom 
 conceives it is the same with Riblah, which was a 
 city in the land of Hamath, where Pharaoh put Je- 
 hoaliaz in bonds, 2 Kings xxiii. 33; in the borders 
 of the Moabites near the wilderness, spoken of in 
 Deut. viii. 15 ; a great and fearful wilderness, full of 
 fiery serpents and scorpions, where was drought and 
 no water. God would make their land not only de- 
 solate, and desolate like this wilderness, but more 
 desolate. 
 
 " I will stretch out my hand upon them." There 
 is difTerence between God's stretching out his hand 
 to a people, and upon a people. The first notes in- 
 vitation to repentance ; Isa. Ixv. 2, " I have spread 
 out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people." 
 The second notes smiting, punishing, destroying ; 
 Isa. V. 25, "The anger of the Lord is kindled against 
 his peojile, and he hath stretched forth his hand 
 against them, and hath smitten them ;" Jer. li. 2.5, 
 "Behold. I am against thee, O destroying moun- 
 tain ; and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee," 
 &c. "Upon" and "against" notes the same thing; 
 when God's hand is upon a land or people, it is 
 against them, and so the phrase oft runs ; Jer. xv. 
 6, " Thou art gone backward : therefore will I stretch 
 out my hand against thee, and destroy thee :" see 
 Exod.'iii. 20. 
 
 The sins of the people lay waste the land ; they
 
 Ver. 1—4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 163 
 
 fell to idolatry, r.nd so God stretched out liis hand 
 upon the land and laid it waste. 
 
 This people were so degenerate, corrup'ed, besot- 
 ted with their own ways, that they understood little 
 of God's ; they fell to the sins of the nations, and 
 those sins in a special manner stupify. All sin doth 
 it, but idolatry and false worship most ; hence, Jer. 
 X. 14, speaking of such sinners, he sait'i, " Every 
 man is brutish in his knowledge." Idolaters know 
 not God, how he is provoked by their ways, what 
 foolish doing it is to go out from God ; tlierefore in 
 this chapter it is four times, " They shall know that 
 I am the Lord," ver. 7. 10. 13. 14. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 4. 3foreover the irord of the Lord 
 came unto me, sai/hig, Also, thott s jn of man, 
 thus sciith the Lord God unto the land of Israel ; 
 An end, the end is come vpun the four corners of 
 the land. Now is the end come vpon thee, and I 
 will send mine anger upon thee, and will judge 
 thee according to thy ways, and will recompense 
 upon thee all thine abominations. And mine ei/e 
 ihall not spare thee, neither 7vill I harepity: but 
 I will recompense thy ways upon the°, and thine 
 abouiinalion.i shall be in the midst of thee : and ye 
 shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 This chapter, as the former, is prophetical of the 
 destruction of the Jews, and of their la. id. 
 
 I. In it is a denunciation of their total ruin, in 
 ver. 2, 3, 5—7, 10—13. 
 
 II. In the rest of the chapter is a declaration of 
 their calamities, and the causes thereof. 
 
 Of the first verse hath been formerly spoken, and 
 likewise of " the son of man ;" and most things in 
 these verses. In the second verse, the prophet is in 
 general acquainted with the mind of God towards 
 Israel, and in the two next more specially. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Also, thou son of man." The Hebrew is, 
 nrsi And thou, O son of man : here is a nomina- 
 tive case absolute, without reference to any thing. 
 The like you have Psal. xli. 12, " As for me, 
 thou upholdest me in mine integrity." The He- 
 brew is, And I, in the nominative, thou uphold- 
 est me : Ego in integritate supporlasti me. Zcch. 
 vii. 5, " Did ye at all fast unto me, even to me ?" 
 this last mc is ego: Jejunasli mihi ego, saith the 
 original. Ecclcs. ii. 15, " As it happeneth to the 
 fool, so it happeneth even to me," Secundum eientum 
 stulti etiam ego ereniet mihi. Such hebraisms you 
 have, 1 Sam. xxv. 24; Gen. xxvii. 24; and in Isa. 
 xi. 10 ; Psal. xi. 4, you have nominative cases put 
 absolute, as "thou" here in the text; and it 
 serves to quicken up the prophet's spirit, and to put 
 him into a readiness of prophesying ; And thou, 
 Ezekiel, attend, prophesy. 
 
 " Unto the land of Israel," or, concerning the land 
 of Israel. It is not spoken of all the tribes ; ten 
 were gone long before into captivity ; but, by a 
 synecdoche, of the tribe of Judah, which yet re- 
 mained undestroyed. 
 
 " An end, the end is come." The word end is 
 doubled, and mentioned again in the third verse, 
 " Now is the end," repeated in ver. 6, " An end 
 is come, the end is come." These repetitions are not 
 in vain ; they set out, first, the zeal, intention, and 
 (.peed of the speaker: secondlv, the evidence, cer- 
 M 2 
 
 tainty, and weight of the thing spoken of: thirdly, 
 they serve to make the deeper impression. 
 
 End notes destruction, yea, a general destruction : 
 Gen. vi. 13, " The end of all flesh is come ;" God 
 would bring a flood upon the whole earth, take away 
 all flesh ; and this is called the end of all. So here, 
 God had dealt mercifully with them formerly, but 
 now he would be severe, and make an end of them. 
 
 " Upon the four corners of the land." Hebrew is, 
 wings, which metaphorically expresses the parts of 
 the land. Wings are extensive things, and the parts 
 of Judea that extended from Jerusalem, east, west, 
 north, south, are called the wings or corners thereof; 
 and the end should come, not only upon the extreme 
 parts of the land, but the whole land ; upon all their 
 cities, habitations, and quarters, from one end to the 
 other. ^Vhat our prophet calls here the four corners 
 or wings of the land, Christ calls. Matt. xxiv. 31, 
 " the four winds ;" they shall gather his elect from 
 the four winds or quarters of the world. 
 
 Obs. 1. That kingdoms and churches have their 
 periods. They may continue for some hundreds of 
 years, but at length they expire. The kingdom and 
 church of Judah tlourished many years ; from Saul 
 their first king to Zedekiah their last, were 480 
 years; but then you see an end is come, the end is 
 come ; an end of the state, an end of their church, 
 an end of all comforts, of all glory and greatness. 
 The Assyrian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman mon- 
 archies had their ends, their glory was laid in the 
 dust, after it had dazzled the world's eyes a few- 
 years. Wisdom, strength, greatness, riches, were 
 found in them ; but neither any, nor all of these, pre- 
 served them from seeing corruption. The seven 
 famous churches in Asia are gone, and since that time 
 many other churches and kingdoms have been ruined. 
 Is not an end coming, if not come, upon many king- 
 doms at this day ? let Germany, Denmark, Ireland, 
 speak. No state, no church, no condition under the 
 sun, is everlasting ; all have their changes and their 
 ends : Psal. cxix. 96, " I have seen an end of all 
 perfection : but thy commandment is exceeding 
 broad." There is nothing in the world so firm, pei'- 
 fect, lasting, but it is subject to corruption. King- 
 doms are subject to wars, plagues, famines, treach- 
 eries, which ruin them ; churches are subject to 
 errors, heresies, schisms, corruptions, profancness, 
 which ruin them. And all other things have prin- 
 ciples of destruction in themselves, which bring 
 them to an end within the comj-ass of a few years. 
 " But thy commandment is exceeding broad," it 
 goeth beyond the term of these perishing things ; it 
 is not for a hundred or thousand years, and so to 
 expire, but it abides for ever. 
 
 Obs. 2. Godwin premonish before he doth punish 
 a sinful people ; he comes not upon them unwarned ; 
 he tells them beforehand what they must look for. 
 If a general destruction be decreed, ready to be exe- 
 cuted, he will hint it to his prophets, they shall de- 
 clare it to the people ; that those that are the Lord's 
 may be awakened, brought to repentance, be secured 
 from eternal ruin, if not the temporal, and that the 
 rest may be convinced of their own evil ways, and 
 may justify the proceedings of the Lord. 
 
 Ver. 3. "" Now is the end come upon thee." They 
 having the common sickness of mankind in them, to 
 put oti'judgments, and the day of evil, when threatened, 
 as if there were no such thing, or at a great distance ; 
 the Lord brings the judgment home to them, and 
 cuts ofl' all their shifts. Now is the end upon thee, 
 now is the fir.al destruction ; and for thee, not for 
 others that live among the nations ; not for thy pos- 
 terity that comes after thee ; not for the tribes who 
 are "carried aw.iy ; but for thee that art secure ai;d
 
 IG4 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VII 
 
 fearest not. "Now is the end," it is very nigh: 
 some years were to pass before the end came ; it 
 was now the sixth year of tlieir captivity, and Ze- 
 dekiah, tliat sncceedcd Jelioiacliin, was upon the 
 sixth year of his reign at Jerusalem ; and the nintli 
 year, the tentli montli, began this tinal destruction, 
 '2 Kings XXV. 1. Tlien came Nebuchadnezzar with 
 all his forces into the land, and besieged Jerusalem, 
 and in the eleventh year, the fourth and fifth months, 
 it was accomplished, ver. 2 — 4, 8 — 10. So that 
 here were three or four years before this end came, 
 five and upwards before it was fulfilled, yet it is said, 
 " Now is the end come upon thee." 
 
 Things future in Scripture are spoken of as pre- 
 sent or past. Isa. i. 8, " The daughter of Zion is 
 left as a cottage in a vineyard;" chap. xxiv. 10, 11, 
 " The city of confusion is broken down : ever}' house 
 is shut up, that no man may come in. There is a 
 crying for wine in the streets :" this is spoken as 
 present, and it was yet to come. Chap. xlii. 22, 
 " This is a people robbed and spoiled ;" Kev. x\'iii. 
 2, " Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is be- 
 come the habitation of devils ;" John iii. 18, " He 
 that believcth not is condemned already :" these scrip- 
 tures speak of things as past, and were then to come. 
 The Lord useth to speak so in his word, of things 
 future sometimes as present, sometimes as past, be- 
 cause with him is no difierence of times, and for that 
 they are as certainly to take place, as if they were 
 doing, or done. 
 
 God looks not upon time as we do. That which 
 is future we think to be at a great distance ; that 
 which is to come, two, three, .seven, twenty, or a 
 hundred years hence, that we apprehend very re- 
 mote, and it hath little influence upon us ; but God 
 looks upon things at little and great distances as 
 present. " Now is the end come upon thee." 
 Seventy years he calls a present little moment, 
 Isa. liv. 7, 8. And 1 Pet. iv. 7, " The end 
 of all things is at hand ;" 1 John ii. 18, " It is 
 the last time :" it is about one thousand six hun- 
 dred years since the Spirit of God spake thus by 
 Peter and John, and yet the end of all things is not 
 come, the last hour is not out. Times future are 
 present with God, and so propounded to us that they 
 might work the more strongly upon us, cause us to 
 fear God more, to be sober and watch unto prayer. 
 
 " I will send mine anger upon thee." God had 
 fnrmerly dealt sparingly with them, now and then 
 chastised them with rods ; now he would be more 
 severe, and chasten them with scorpions : he had 
 kept in his wrath formerly, but now he would send it 
 forth in strength : they should not have gentle cor- 
 rections, but terrible judgments ; he would send out 
 wrath and not mercy. Anger here is put for the 
 effects of anger, punishments, judgments, by a 
 metonymy of the efficient. 
 
 "Will judge thee according to thy ways." Judg- 
 ing is sometimes put for sentencing of persons or 
 things: Rom. ii. 16, "In the day when God shall 
 judge the secrets of men," that is, pass a sentence 
 upon them : sometimes for punishing ; Heb. xiii. 4, 
 "Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge," 
 that is, punish. And so here, " I will judge thee ; " 
 first, I will punish, and lest it may be thought God 
 in his anger should exceed measure in punishing, it 
 is added, 
 
 " According to thy ways : " not according to my 
 ways, but thine, which in the judgment of any, or 
 all, must be equal ; look, what thou hast done and 
 deserved by it, that thou shalt have. The word 
 "ways" is metaphorical, and notes men's maimers, 
 actions, courses of life : Prov. xxi. 2, "Every way of 
 a man is right in his own eyes ; so PsaL i. I, 6. 
 
 Men's own devices, Judg. ii. 19, custom, Jer. x. 2, 
 and in this place, their actions and conversations, 
 are called ways ; because their affections, the feet of 
 the soul, are in them, and they lead unto some 
 place, as ways do ; all actions have a tendency to 
 heaven or hell. This phrase is expiounded by that 
 in Hns. iv. 9, " I will punish them for their ways ; " 
 they have done evil and shall sufTer for it. 
 
 " And will recompense upon thee all thine abomi- 
 nations." The Hebrew is, I will give, or put 
 upon thee, &c. The Vulgate is, I will put against 
 thee all ; and others have it, I will repose or 
 turn back upon thee all thine abominations : hither- 
 to thou hast put them upon me, and I have borne 
 them; now 1 will return them, and lay them upon 
 thyself. God woukl now reward them for their 
 abominations : Hos. iv. 9, " I will punish them for 
 their ways, and reward them their doings ; " their 
 reward should return upon their own head, Chad. 15. 
 
 Obs. 1. God's judgments prevent sinners' expect- 
 ations, they are nearer men than they conceive. 
 " Now is the end come ; " the prophet in Babylon sees 
 it, but they at Jerusalem apprehended it not, none 
 would believe that destruction should come upon 
 Jerusalem, Lam. iv. 12. " Ye put far away the 
 evil day," Amos vi. 3 ; they put it far from their 
 thoughts, and hearts ; if it came at all, they look- 
 ed upon it as coming in after-generations, and not 
 in theirs. Ezek. xii. 22, it was come to a proverb 
 in Israel, "The days are prolonged, and every vision 
 
 faileth ; ' 
 
 27, " The vision that he seeth is for 
 
 many days to come, and he prophesielh of the times 
 that are far off'." They grew secure, feared not the 
 thrcatenings put upon them at a great distance, and, 
 what lay in them, nulled the prophecies ; and there- 
 fore, in ver. 28, God saith, " There shall none of my 
 words be prolonged any more;" God would hasten 
 the punishment of them, and they should suddenly 
 overtake them. Isa. xxix. 1, "Woe to Ariel, to 
 Ariel, the city where David dwelt!" Ariel is Jeru- 
 salem, so called, because there was the mountain, 
 temple, and altar of God : so it is Ezek. xliii. 15, 
 " The altar shall be four cubits ; " the Hebrew is, 
 Harel, the mountain of God, where the temple and 
 altar was ; but the word is Ariel, not Harel, and 
 signifies the lion of God, not because Jerusalem 
 was in the form of a lion, but for that it was a 
 strong city, thought to be impregnabl,^ and God 
 threatens ruin against it. And Isa. xxix. 5, " It 
 shall be at an instant suddenly," when men have no 
 thoughts thereof; it should he as sudden as thunder, 
 cnrthquakes, and tempests are, ver. 6; Hab. ii. 7, 
 " Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite 
 thee ? " yes, they should, the northern anny was upon 
 them before they looked for them ; they cried, Peace, 
 peace, and when it is .so, then "sudden destruction" 
 is at hand, 1 Thess. v. .3. The old world was secure 
 "until the day that Noe entered into the ark," Luke 
 xvii. 27, and then the flood came presently and de- 
 stroyed them all ; they believed neither Noah's 
 preaching, nor his preparations for himself and chil- 
 dren. So in Sodom, they were not awake ned out of 
 their security till the fire and brimstoni' was felt. 
 Gen. xix. 28, 29. Agag thought the bitterness of 
 death past, when he was going to execution, 1 Sam. 
 XV. 32. While Belshazzar is drinking healths, God 
 sends a hand to write a sentence of death against 
 him and his kingdom, Dan. v. 4, 5, 30. "In a morn- 
 ing shall the king of Israel utterly be cut ofi'; " ere 
 he can get out of his bed God would let out his blood, 
 Hos. X. 15. Whatever men think, the Judge and 
 judgment is at the door, it is near, (iermany, Den- 
 mark, Ireland, England, did not think that such sad, 
 bloody, destroying judgments were so near as now
 
 Veu. 1- 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 1(;5 
 
 they find fliem. Let us not be secure, but fear, pass 
 the rime of our sojourning here in fear, remembering 
 Solomon's happiness, Prov. xxviii. 14, " Happy is 
 the man that feareth alway ; " and Job's practice, 
 " The thing which 1 greatly feared is come upon 
 me," Job iii. 25. Let God's judgments come sooner 
 or later, it is dut}', wisdom in us to fear, to pi'epare for 
 Ihem : it is folly to sleep when thieves are about the 
 house, and may prove death to do it when a fire is 
 kindled in the habitation. 
 
 Obs. 2. No j)eople sinning grievously against God 
 are exempted from desolating judgments. This 
 people was God's people more peculiarly than any 
 people in the world besides, Deut. vii. 6 ; " A people 
 near unto God," Psal. cxlviii. 14 ; "Wise and under- 
 standing," Deut. iv. G. They were " the redeemed " 
 ones, Isa. Ixii. 12 ; " the holy people," Dan. viii. 
 24 ; that knew God's name, Isa. Hi. 6 ; that had 
 God's law in their hearts, Isa. li. 7; that were 
 " blessed above all," Deut. vii. 14. They had the 
 holy land, the temple, worship, ordinance, oracles of 
 God, the prophets, and presence of God, only. All 
 the worW besides lay in darkness, were without 
 God ; but Ihese were " his strength, his glory," Psal. 
 Ixxviii. 61 ; as dear to him as " the apple of his eye," 
 Zech. ii. 8. Yet when these people sinned and re- 
 belled against God, destructive judgments came upon 
 them ; " An end is come upon thee;" upon thee Je- 
 rusalem, upon thee my people. They were hon- 
 oured with many titles, were God's church ; yet 
 when they sinned against God, cast off his yoke, 
 none of them, not all their privileges, would protect 
 them from desolation. 
 
 Obs. 3. God's judgments are God's messengers 
 sent forth at his pleasure. " I will send mine anger 
 upon thee. " God hath the command of judgments, 
 as any man hath of his servants : the centurion had 
 not so much power over his soldiers, as the Lord 
 hath over punishments, calamities, and ruins of 
 kingdoms ; be they public or private judgments, 
 they are at the beck of the Lord. What was the 
 anger and judgment here ? the sending of Nebuchad- 
 nezzar with his hasty and bitter Chaldeans to de- 
 stroy the Jewish nation. God had that king and all 
 his forces at command, to send out of Babylon about 
 his service, to make war upon his people that were 
 idolatrous. God hath his " four sore judgments " to 
 send upon a land when he pleases, Ezek. xiv. 21. 
 He can send hornets among people to sting them to 
 death, Deut. vii. 20. If he do but " hiss for the fly of 
 Egypt, and for the bee of Assyria, they shall come," 
 and do their office, Isa. vii. 18, 19. If God call for 
 any evil upon kingdoms, cities, churches, familie.":, 
 persons, they come presently, and accomplish the 
 message they are sent for. When God spake by 
 Moses, and said. Let there be frogs, flies, lice, mur- 
 rain, hail, locusts, blood, darkness, death, they came 
 immediately. God hath called for a sword upon 
 most part of the christian world; and is it not at work? 
 Doth it not eat flesh and drink blood ? May we not 
 say, " O thou sword of the Lord, how long will it be 
 ere thou be quiet ? ])Ut up thyself into thy scabbard, 
 rest, and be still. How can it be quiet, seeing the 
 Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and 
 against the sea-shore ? there hath he appointed it," 
 Jer. xlvii. C, 7. 
 
 God hath command of wars, gives charge to the 
 sword against Ireland, England, other places, there 
 hath he appointed it; and how can it be quiet? no, 
 till God's will and work be accomplished, there is 
 no quiet. 
 
 06s. 4. God's proceedings with a guilty nation are 
 just and equal, his judgments are without reproof 
 " I will judge thee according to thy ways;" not as I 
 
 will, but as thou hast done ; not after my ways, or 
 the ways of other people, but after thine own ways. 
 How just is it that a man should reap what he sows ! 
 If men have the law pass upon them according to 
 the nature and merit of their facts, what wrong is 
 done to any ? who hath cause to complain of the 
 judge ? God knows the nature and merits of a na- 
 tion's sins, and proceeds in his judgments accordingly. 
 He is a righteous Judge, and no man hath just cause 
 to conij)lain ; he stops the mouth of iniquity : Lam. 
 iii. 39, " Wherefore doth a living man complain, a 
 man for the punishment of his sins ?" he should not 
 do it. It is just and equal, that if a man sin against 
 God, he should sutler from God ; if God bear his 
 sins, he must bear God's punishments. Let king- 
 doms suffer dreadful things from heaven, wars, 
 famine, pestilence, whatever is destructive, God is 
 to be justified by all ; he deals with you according 
 to your ways : let the severest criric, let Satan him- 
 self, God's greatest enemy, examine his judgments 
 upon kingdoms, churches, together with their sins, 
 and he shall justify God, and pronounce him clear, 
 equal, righteous. In his ways, God deals not other- 
 wise with men than their ways require ; Zech. i. G, 
 " According to our ways, and according to our doings, 
 so hath the Lord dealt with us :" therefore justify 
 God and be patient. 
 
 Ofc. 5. It is men's own ways which bring ruin 
 upon them. " I will judge thee according to thy 
 ways," thy ways bring my judgments. Prov. i. 31, 
 " They shall eat of the fruit of their own ways, and 
 be filled with their own devices." What fruit do 
 men's sinful ways bring forth ? even sour and bitter 
 fruit, guilt, fears, sorrows, afflictions, ruin ; upon 
 such fruit they must feed, with such fruit they shall 
 be filled. Hos. xiii. 9, " O Israel, thou hast destroyed 
 thyself:" Israel's sins were her wounds, they were 
 the plague, famine, and sword, that ruined them. 
 The iniquities of a kingdom are the deaths of a 
 kingdom, their sins will lind them out, Numb, xxxii. 
 23; they are like blood-hounds, that hunt out the 
 authors of them, and seize upon them • hence, Isa. 
 lix. 12, it is said, " Our transgressions are with us," 
 to weary us, to wound us, to destroy us : men cannot 
 shake olf the sins they have committed, they will 
 follow them, seize upon them, hold them fast; Prov. 
 v. 22, " His own iniquities shall take the wicked 
 himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his 
 sins;" he shall die without instruction. Wicked 
 men's sins may take others, and sometimes do, but 
 they certainly fake themselves ; they twist cords to 
 bind, but it is themselves ; it is to make themselves 
 burnt sacrifices for hell. 
 
 Obs. 6. When God comes in judgment upon a 
 nation, he will deal thoroughly with it, visit for all 
 sins. " I will recompense upon thee all thine abomi- 
 nations." God took notice of what was done in the 
 dark, in the light, upon mountains, in valleys, under 
 every green tree ; no idols, false worship, inventions 
 of theirs, but the Lord observed them, reserved them 
 in mind, and rendered unto them answerable for 
 them. Before, he had dealt with them for some, 
 now he would deal with them for all their aljomina- 
 tions, and bring them as an insupportable burden 
 upon them. 
 
 Ver. 4. " And mine eye shall not spare," iS:c. 
 Much is said in the sacred Scriptures of the great 
 and tender mercies of the Lord, and many iiattcrns 
 of his mercies are to be found therein ; and the 
 sinners in Zion conceited God to be all mercy, sinned 
 securely, and feared no judgments. Upon this great 
 abuse of divine mercy, saith the Lord, " Mine eye 
 shall not spare, neither will 1 have pity ;" you shall 
 find me all justice, consuming fire, without any sjiar-
 
 1C6 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAr. VII. 
 
 iiig or pitying ; juclgment after judgment shall come 
 upon you, till you are destroyed : you think to go on 
 in your sinful ways, and find me merciful, but I am 
 provoked, and you shall feel me dreadful ; nothing 
 shall prevail to draw me to any remorse or pity, the 
 consideration you are my people, not reproach of 
 heathens round about you, not your prayers, tears, 
 sutl'erings, blood, not that you are Abraham's and 
 David's posterity, not the dishonour my name shall 
 have by you : I am now hardened against you, and 
 will punish you openly according to your abomina- 
 tions ! you shalt have great punishments in the 
 midst of you, which will evidence the greatness of 
 your sins, and cause you to acknowledge me to be a 
 just God. Of the words in this verse have been 
 spoken, chap. v. 11, and ver. 8, and chap. vi. 7, and 
 in the preceding verse of this chapter. 
 
 Ver. 5 — 9. Thus saith the Lord God ; An 
 evil, an only evil, lehold, is come. An end is come, 
 the end is come : it wutchethfor thee ; behold, it is 
 come. The viorning is come unto thee, O thou 
 that dwellest in the land : the time is come, the day 
 of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of 
 the mountains. Now will I shorth/ pour out mt/ 
 fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon 
 thee : and I trill judge thee according to thy ways, 
 and will recompense thee for all thine abomina- 
 tions. And mine eye shall not spare, neither will 
 J have pitij : I ivill recompense thee according to 
 tlty ways and thine abominations that are in the 
 midst of thee ; and ye shall Icnow that I am the 
 Lord that smiteth. 
 
 Something I shall open in these verses, not much. 
 In the 5th, " An only evil." Evil befell them be- 
 f -ire, but none like this, none so great, so destructive 
 to the Jewish church and state. It hath reference 
 to that in chap. v. 1), " I will do in thee that which 
 I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any 
 more the like :" no such extreme and deadly de- 
 struction shall befall thee ; I have one evil now left 
 for thee, which shall be without all comparison ; 
 there shall need none after this to make a full ruin 
 of thee. God hath evils to do his will at once, and 
 so it may be called " an only evil." I Sam. xxvi. 8, 
 saith Abishai to David, " Let me smite Saul with 
 the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not 
 smite him the second time." 
 
 At once ; it is the same word with 
 only in this verse : he would utterly 
 slay Saul at one stroke, and God with one judgment 
 would utterly destroy the Jews. Such a phrase you 
 have in Nahura i. 9, " He will make an utter end; 
 affliction shall not rise up the second time." God 
 would bring such a judgment upon Nineveh, that at 
 once it should be destroyed, a second affliction 
 should not be needful, the evil of that day should be 
 ^-,^ sufficient. The Chaldee reads it other- 
 
 wise, evil after evil ; showing the suc- 
 cession of evils that should follow one after another, 
 till they were destroyed ; as wave follows wave, one 
 cloud another, &c. so affliction should come after 
 affliction. Sins go linked together, and so do afflic- 
 tions ; Lev. xxvi. 18, 21, 24, 28, they go by sevens. 
 God can at one judgment at once destroy sinners, 
 kingdoms, cities ; he can at pleasure bring many, 
 one after another, destroy by degrees, be a moth, 
 rottenness, a lion to Israel and Judah, Hosea v. We 
 should take heed how we olVend such a God. 
 
 Ver. 6. " It watcheth for thee." Thou thought- 
 est judgment slept, but it is awake, and waits for, or 
 against thee. Thou thoughtest it a dead thing, but 
 
 it is alive, and making haste towards thee. The 
 Hebrew word signifies to be weary, as .,„ 
 
 if judgment were weary with staying ' 
 
 so long, or God weary with deferring it : now there 
 should be no more delay. It notes also to excite a 
 man asleep, one dead, as in 2 Kings iv. 31, "The 
 child is not awaked," that is, not raised from the 
 dead. So here, God had threatened them by his 
 prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, others, many years, and 
 they thought the prophets' words wind, because no- 
 thing was done ; at least that such a judgment would 
 not befall them in these days, as they had foretold, 
 Ezek. xii. 22, 27 ; as if the judgment they spake of 
 was asleep, or as a thing dead : therefore it is said, 
 it lives, is awake, and watcheth as a thief to spoil, 
 as a lion for a prey. And hereby is pointed out the 
 suddenness of its coniing, and intention of God to 
 destroy them. 
 
 This verse, the former, and that which follows, 
 are full of divine rhetoric ; asyneton, anadiplosis, 
 epanalepsis, metaphoracs, paronomasia, apostrophe, 
 and others, are evident in them. The Scripture hath 
 as great elegance as any authors whatsoever. 
 
 Ubs. 1. In case of people's security, repetition of 
 the same thing is necessary. They were fearless 
 of judgments, secure of their estates, put far off the 
 evil day, and see how the I^ord doubles and trebles 
 his threats, " An evil, an only evil, an end, the end 
 is come, is come, is come, is come, is come, is come," 
 six times ; and further, " behold, behold it is come ;" 
 the several expressions of the season, the morning, 
 the time, the day of trouble, and then it watcheth, is 
 come, is near. Why doth the Spirit of God repeat 
 all these ? even to awaken them out of their security, 
 to convince them, as of the certainty, so the sudden- 
 ness, of the judgment, and to make the greater and 
 deeper impression upon them. Things once spoken 
 pass away, but being iterated, are like to take some 
 hold of men's ears and affections. This prophet is 
 very repetitious of threats and judgments, and press- 
 elh ihem frequently ; they were near final destruc- 
 tion, and therefore the Spirit of God urgeth such 
 things oft in the mouth of this prophet, that so no 
 means being left unaltempted, he might awaken all 
 and gain some. Christ pronounces the same words 
 eight times in one chapter, " Woe unto you," scribes, 
 Pharisees, hypocrites," Matt, xxiii. 13, 14, 15, Ki, 23, 
 25, 27, 29, to affect them with the innninency of 
 their danger, and others with the evil of their ways. 
 
 Obs. 2. God's judgments may seem to linger, but 
 they do not slumber. Wicked men God bears with, 
 and forbears long, even so long, that they think his 
 judgments are laid to sleep, or dead ; as in 2 Pet. iii. 
 4, " Where is the promise of his coming ? for since 
 the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as thty 
 were from the beginning of the creation ;" there is 
 no Christ to reign or judge ; the flood is dried up, 
 and the fire to consume the world is not yet kindled; 
 but, ver. 10, " The day of the Lord will come as a 
 thief in the night; in the which the heavtns shall pass 
 away with a great noise, and the elements shall mtlt 
 with fervent heat :" chap. ii. 3, " Whose judgment 
 lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth 
 not." God's judgments, whatevtr sinners think, are 
 awake, and hastening to their ruin. That which the 
 wicked call a lingering and slumbering judgment, 
 God's Spirit calls,"in ver. 1, " Swift destruction ;" it 
 will be upon them before they see their doings, or 
 repent of their sin : Rev. vi. 2, 4, 8, you shall find 
 that judgments come riding in, they make haste. 
 
 Obs. 3. That God keeps judgment quiet till he 
 please. It may watch, but cannot walk, or work, 
 till he seal a commission. God hath variet)' of judg- 
 ments, creaturi.s in a readiness to do him service ; he
 
 Yer. 
 
 -H. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 107 
 
 hath angils, stars, winds, waters, sword, famine, pesti- 
 lence, &c. but no one stirs till he say, Go ; they watch 
 to hear his voice, to do his will ; they move not at the 
 call of man, their motion is only at the appointment of 
 their great Creator. If he bid Nebuchadnezzar, Ne- 
 buzaradan, with thousands of Babylonians, to arise, 
 and hasten to tlic ruin of Jerusalem, they arc watch- 
 flil, swift, and active to execute his commands. All 
 creatures arc God's army, and have cause sufficient 
 to watch for the ruin of man, because man's sin hath 
 subjected tliem to ruin, and imbondaged them to cor- 
 ruption. But here is the wisdom, power, and mercy 
 of God, he keeps all in their banks, and without war- 
 rant from the great General, the Lord of hosts, no 
 attempt is made against any. 
 
 " The morning is come unto thee." That they 
 might be aflected, he tells them, the day is broke, 
 the morning is come, and the day of trouble begin- 
 Some ihink he ?eth. He would liave them be no long, r 
 alludes lo iiic in the dark, but to look abroad to see 
 y^vsl^'ho Le- how pro^-idcnces were working to fulfil 
 q'Ss'hi'uie prophecics. The original word is diverse- 
 mnjnina. accord- ly rendered, it comes from isv maturare, 
 
 ins to tfmr in.ler. 1 * • t: * ,- 
 
 «xi. 1?. and Ps. ntane mirgere, and signihes niatutinum 
 ci B.God miid, some moniing, some early thing. 
 
 woulil earl V ' " '' - 
 
 bring Hie suord Exusu ClialdcEO, and A Lajiidc, interpret 
 "ire'reS'en"'' it primum germen, the first bud that is 
 woHirnVvT upon any tree, the early, the morning 
 tiiat moriniia, bud : and SO the sense is. Judgments 
 mol^'observaf.ie ^""e buddiug, breaking forth, appear- 
 and depioraide ing, and as near as spring and summer 
 
 niorniog that i. . i j '^ i i 1 
 
 ever they had. are whcn a tree ouQS and blossoms ; or, 
 w'is''so,Sm"s,"° as the word is, The morning is come ,• 
 when lire and you have thought iudgment slept, that 
 
 ttriinstone rain- r. ,.,, o_ J ^ .i:'. , , 
 
 ed upon it. Gen. it was Still cvemug, not past midnight, 
 a'nior'ninj wa's^'' ^"' 'h*^ morniug is comc ; judgment not 
 the kijiB of Is- onl}' wateheth, but is rising, risen, com- 
 
 rHcI s 1 1 OS X • o ■ ' 
 
 15. ' ' ' ing forth, and it will be early upon thee. 
 The Septuagint implies there was a 
 
 connexion and series of evils coming 
 upon them : Aquila hath it Trpoff/coTrjjmv, pro.spec- 
 tioiiem, as if the evil they had foreseen and feared 
 were now coming upon them : the Chaldee, coronam, 
 diadema, so the word is used in Isa. xxviii. 5 ; and 
 because it notes royal powT-r, it is thought the king 
 of Babylon is here meant : the Vulgate is, cmitrilio, 
 breaking into pieces, grinding to dust, is come upon 
 
 thee : Maldonat, contraction besieginsj is 
 
 T-a sentence itu i ii, ^ i ■ o o 
 
 maii". in the coiiie, and thou must be in a narrow 
 n'eMch "' '''" compass: Shindler, revoliilio ad le, Ne- 
 buchadnezzar shall return, compass 
 thee about as a crown, and carry thee into captivity. 
 " The day of trouble is near." The Hebrew word 
 notes great trouble, vexation, with tumult and de- 
 struction ; nemo cvn or a day of sore trouble. 
 You may hear the prophet Isaiah describing such a 
 day, chap. xxii. 5, " It is a day of trouble, and of 
 treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord God of 
 hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, 
 and of crying to the mountains. " God hath days of 
 trouble for kingdoms, and when they ccine there is 
 great distress and great destruction : 2 Chron. xv. 
 5, 6, " In those times there was no peace to him that 
 went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexa- 
 tions were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. 
 And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city ; 
 for God did vex them with all adversity :" this was 
 a time or day of trouble for Israel. In Scripture is 
 mentioned a day of calamity, Psal. xviii. 18; a day 
 of wrath, Job x.x. 28; a day of battle, Psal. exl. 7; 
 a day of vengeance, Jer. xlvi. 10 ; a day of c\\\, Prov. 
 xvi. 4 ; of rebuke, Hos. v. 9 ; of slaughter, Jer. xii. 
 3 ; of burning, Mai. iv. 1 ; of destruction. Job xxi. 
 30 : and all these may be in a day of trouble. 
 
 TrXoKn- 
 
 You shall find many of them together in Zeph. i. 
 1-J — 17, where he speaks of the day that Ezekicldoth: 
 "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hast- 
 eth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord : 
 the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day- 
 is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day 
 of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and 
 gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a 
 day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced 
 cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring 
 distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind 
 men," &c. 
 
 " Not the sounding again of the 
 mountains." The land of Israel was in°?i.^fw^n7f°"' 
 full of mountains ; Psal. cxxv. 2, " As fZlZ^'T'" 
 
 , ' 1 , T niunuuni. .l/cji- 
 
 tlie mountains are round about Jeru- "™- >iou Ecims 
 salem;" and Judah was a "hill coun- "'°°"'""- •^"»- 
 try," Luke i. 35. About these hUls were their vines 
 planted, and it was a land of vines, Dcut. \m. S ; Isa. 
 vii. 23; and at their vintage, when they gathered 
 their grapes, 'they had many labourers, who to 
 sweeten and facilitate their pains, made great shout- 
 ings, Isa. xvi. 10, which made tlie mountains to echo 
 and resound; but now tliere should be no joyfij 
 sound, but the rattling of arms, noise of chariots, 
 neighing of horses, cry of soldiers, these should be 
 heard in the mountains. Or thus : upon the hUls and 
 mountains they had their idols and altars, chap. vi. 
 13; and where idolaters sacrificed, there they had 
 their music, songs, and dances, which made the 
 mountains to ring, and were as the glory of them ; 
 but now, there should be a day of slaughter, and 
 dreadful clamour of enemies should be in the moun- 
 tains ; the glory of them stained with the blood of 
 men slain ; there should be groaning, mourning, 
 howling, shrieking of men and women wounded and 
 wronged. Or thus: You think all threats empty sounds, 
 as an echo from a mountain, which presently vanish- 
 etli ; but you shall find the day of trouble no echo work, 
 it will be real, and make j'ou in the bitterness of 
 your spirits cry to rocks and mountains, and seek to 
 hide yourselves in the clifts of them. 
 
 Ver. 8. The 8th verse hath formerly been opened, 
 only you have pouring out of fury, for accomplish- 
 ing fury, chap. v. 13; and it is the same for sub- 
 stance. God would not hold in his fury any longer, 
 he would give full scope unto it, freely, fully, strongly 
 would he proceed in his fury against them, all which 
 are included in the Mord " pour out." 
 
 So for the ninth verse, " I am the Lord that 
 smiteth." You think it is the Chaldeans, the se- 
 cond cause, but ye shall know that it is the Lord 
 himself. 
 
 Ver. 10, 11. BeJiold the day, behold, it is come: 
 the morning is gone forth ; the rod hath blossom- 
 ed, pride hath budded. Violence is risen up into a 
 rod of wickedness : none of them shall remain, 
 nor of their multitude, nor of ani/ of theirs: nei- 
 ther shall there be wailing for them. 
 
 In these verses he goes on to show the approach 
 and extent of their ruin ; it was at hand, and none 
 of them .should remain ; and likewise the causes 
 thereof, pride and violence. Of " morning" was 
 spoken in ver. 7, but I must open something here, 
 for the W'Ords are difficult. 
 
 " The rod hath blossomed." By rod, sundry in- 
 terpreters understand Nebuchadnezzar, whom they 
 conceive so called, Jer. i. II ; and that in Isa. x. 5, 
 " O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger," refers not on- 
 ly to Sennacherib, but also to Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 A rod in the Scripture sense denotes,
 
 168 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 C'il.AR VII. 
 
 First, power, strength ; Psal. ii. 9, " A rod of 
 iron." 
 
 Secondly, afflictions, heavy judgments ; Psal. 
 Ixxxix. 32, " 1 will visit their transgression with 
 the rod." 
 
 Thirdly, rigid and harsh government ; Isa. xiv. 
 5, "The Lord hath broken the staff'," or rod, "of the 
 wicked," that is, their rigorous and cruel govern- 
 ment. Nebuchadnezzar had great strength, sorely 
 afflicted the land of Judah, he was an iron rod that 
 brake them in pieces, and ruled them rigidly in Ba- 
 bylon; Jehoiakim was kept thirty-seven years in 
 prison, Jer. lii. 31. "The rod blossometh ;" that 
 is, was in a readiness to come and smite Jerusalem. 
 After blossoming comes fruit, and the fruit that this 
 rod bare was fruit unto death. 
 
 Vir superbiae. " Pride hath budded." This king 
 
 y»iabiiis tuins and prople lifted up themselves above 
 ur Nebuti.aJuez- otlicrs, and pnded themselves ni then- 
 '■""■ greatness, strength, riches, and victo- 
 
 ries. Jer. 1. 31, God saith of Babylon, "1 am 
 against thee, O thou most proud." The Hebrew is, 
 1 am against thee, pride. These Babylonians were 
 pride itself. In Dan. iv. 30, you may hear the king 
 priding himself in this language, " Is not this great 
 Babylon, that I have built for the house of the king- 
 dom by the might of my power, and for the honour 
 of ray majesty ■''' 
 
 Both king and people were proud, and their pride 
 budded forth and appeared to all when they put out 
 Zedekiah's eyes, slew his sons before his face, and 
 said, " Sing us one of the songs of Zion," Psal. 
 cxxxvii. 3. 
 
 Others by rod understand the state of Judah and 
 Jerusalem. So the word rod is used in Scripture ; 
 Jer. xlviii. 17, " How is the strong staff' broken, anil 
 the beautiful rod ! " that is, the state and dignity of 
 Moab ; and thus we may understand it. 
 
 The word for rod signifies a tribe, as 
 ' ^ in Numb. i. 4, 16, "21 ; either because 
 
 they grew out of the stock of Jacob, as branches do 
 out of a tree, or because the names of the twelve 
 tribes were written upon rods. Numb. xvii. 2. And 
 the word being hammalteh, the tribe, " the rod" car- 
 ries me to conceive it is meant of Judah rather than of 
 Nebuchadnezzar. And the sense runs in a continued 
 allegory : Judah is compared to a tree that blossoms, 
 buds, and brings forth its fi'uit; it had blossomed or 
 flourished ; so the word is, Psal. xc. 6 ; and now 
 the fruit was growing ripe, their sins were great, the 
 measure of them almost full, and punishment grew 
 near and weighty. 
 
 The sins mentioned are, 1. " Pride." That pride, 
 
 so the Hebrew is ; there was emineney 
 
 I "* ' in it, Judah was grown very proud : 
 
 Jer. siii. 9, " I will mar the pride of Judah, and the 
 
 „, , great pride of Jerusalem." And where- 
 
 1 116 rulers wtre o i 
 
 sroinfui, Isa. in appeared this great pride? ver. 10. 
 »xviii. u. u They refuse to hear God's words, they 
 
 walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk 
 after other gods, to serve them and to worship 
 them." The proiul men told Jeremiah he spake 
 falsely, Jer. xliii. 2.5. 
 
 This sin reigned among men and women also : 
 Isa. iii. 16, "The daughters of Zion are haughty, 
 and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton 
 eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making 
 a tinkling with their feet." They had great bravery, 
 tinkling ornaments, cauls, round moon tires, chains, 
 bracelets, nmfflers, bonnets, leg-ornaments, head- 
 bands, rings, ear-rings, nose-jewels, changeable suits 
 of apparel, mantles, crisping pins, glasses, fine linen, 
 hoods, and veils. They were clothed with pride ; 
 their children carried themselves proutUy against the 
 
 ancients, and the base against the honourable. So 
 great and general was the pride of Jerusalem, that 
 it made the prophet weep in secret places, Jer. xiii. 
 17- Their pride budded and blossomed, so that the 
 prophet's eye seeing it, affected his heart, fetched 
 rivers of tears from him, seeing their destruction now 
 at hand. 
 
 The Septuagint renders this jdace of ifavea-rmev 
 our prophet thus, Injury hath risen '^fien. 
 
 up. Pride is an injurious thing to God and man, it 
 rises up against him, and thrusts him out of his 
 wor.ship, ordinances, and ways ; it disqinets king- 
 doms, and the meek of the earth ; it is injury itself. 
 
 "Buds;" that is, puts forth, is green 
 and growing. As a tree. Cant. vii. 12, 
 puts out buds in every part of it in the spring, so as 
 a fowl puts out feathers all over; so did Judah's 
 pride bud forth in all ranks and conditions of people. 
 
 2. The other sin is " violence." The conn 
 
 Vulgate translates it, iniijuity ; the 
 Greeks, unrighteousness ; others, ra- ««aiM'a. 
 pine, injury : but the Hebrew is emphatical, that 
 violence, that iniquity, &e. It signifies open wrong ; 
 as Mercer observes upon Gen. vi. II. This sin was 
 iu strength among this people. Isa. lix. 6, " Their 
 works are works of iniquity, and the act of %iolenee 
 is in their hands ;" they oppress the poor, they rob 
 and spoil them, and that openly ; the act, even the 
 things they have taken f'rom them are in their 
 hands. Amos iii. 10, "They know not to do right, 
 who store up violence and robbery in their palaces :" 
 the nders and great men that dwelt in palaces, they 
 oppressed, they robbed, and stored up wliat they got 
 in their palaces, that it was known to all, and cried 
 out of by the prophet. Micah iii. 1 — 3, he tells you 
 of the heads' and princes' doings, who above others 
 .should have seen to the execution of justice ; and 
 they were the men who plucked off the skin from the 
 people, and their flesh fi-om their bones ; they flayed, 
 brake, chopped them in pieces as for the pot. The 
 peoples' estates and livelihoods were as their skin, 
 flesh, bones luito them ; but the great ones wrung 
 them from the people, and did live upon the spoil ; 
 " They ate the bread of wickedness, and drank the 
 wine of violence," Prov. iv. 17- And this sin staid 
 not in the heads, but descended to the body, the 
 people generally ; they that were rich oppressed the 
 poor : Amos viii. 4, they swallowed up the needy ; 
 they made the ephah small, and the shekel great; 
 they falsified the balances ; sold the poor for silver, 
 and the needy for shoes, ver. 5, 6; men endued with 
 immortal souls worth all the world, they sold for old 
 shoes : and filled the land with violence, Ezek. viii. 1 7. 
 
 " Risen up into a rod of wickedness." The phrase 
 imports thus much. That their injustice and oppres- 
 sion had prepared and brought forth judgment. 
 
 A rod of wickedness, that is, a rod, the flint of 
 wickedness ; out of their great sins hath sprung up 
 this rod : or thus, a rod of wickedness ; that is, a rod 
 to correct and punish wickedness withal. In both 
 senses it may be called a rod of wickedness, both 
 because it buds from wickedness, and sitvcs to beat 
 wickedness. If we refer violence to Nebuchadnezzar, 
 then the meaning is, God will raise up him to be the 
 rod of his anger, to beat the Jews for their iniquity ; 
 he shall rise up into a rod of wickedness. If we re- 
 fer it to the Jews, then the meaning is, their own 
 wickedness is risen up into a rod, into judgment, and 
 that rod will be their ruin. Such a phrase there is 
 in Prov. xiv. 3, " In the mouth of the foolish is a rod 
 of pride ;" that is, the proud speeches in the mouths 
 of fools off'end others, provoke God, produce shame, 
 trouble, danger to themselves, and so their own sin 
 is a rod to themselves.
 
 ViR. 10 - 13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIKL. 
 
 109 
 
 Obs. 1. That priiU' is a forerunner of destruction. 
 Jvidgment, utter ruin, was coming upon them ; hut 
 pride had hudded ; they were grown exceeding proud 
 and haughty, their pride testified to their faci s, as 
 the phrase is ; Hos. v. 5, " Therefore shall Israel and 
 Ephraim fall in their iniquity, Judah also shall fall 
 with them." 
 
 Is Israel proud ? so is Judah ; must Israel fall ? so 
 must Judah. Pride struts before, and ruin follows at 
 the heels; Prov. xvi. 18, "Pride goetli before de- 
 struction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." 
 Haman was haughty, he thought scorn to lay hands 
 on Mordecai alone, he will have the blood and bones 
 of all the Jews to satisfy his pride, Esth. iii. fi ; and 
 quickly after he was hanged, chap. vii. 10. Before 
 the worms did eat Herod, his heart was swoln with 
 pride. Acts xii. 23. Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. iv. 30, 31. 
 David in the pride of his heart numbers the people, 
 and the plague sw'eeps away seventy thousand of 
 them presently after. Absalom, Adonijah, aspire, 
 but destruction was their end. Pride all'ects to go 
 before, but it is before a fall, before destruction. 
 If you find pride in the premises, you shall certainly 
 tind destruction in the concln.sion. Pride prectded 
 the grand fall of our first parents ; they would "be as 
 gods, knowing good and evil," Gen. iii. 5. And 
 pride preceded the angels' fall in heaven, some 
 gather from that in 1 Tim. iii. 6. It was so from the 
 beginning, and will be a truth to the end, Luke xiv. 
 II, "Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, 
 and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted :" 
 be they particular persons, cities, or kingdoms, if 
 they exalt themselves through pride, God will throw 
 them do^nl. Jer. 1. 29, 30, "Babylon hath been 
 proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of 
 Israel," and therefore she should be ruined. I be- 
 lieve the kingdoms that are ruining now, have been 
 proud against the Lord and his worship; they have 
 provoked God with that sin, and he will plague them 
 with his judgments. God threatened Jerusalem for 
 this sin; Jer. xiii. 9, "I will mar the pride of Judah, 
 and the great pride of Jerusalem." And how, you 
 may see in Isa. iii. 24, " Instead of sweet smell there 
 shall be stink ; and instead of a girdle a rent ; and 
 instead of well set hair baldness ; and instead of a 
 stomacher a girding of sackcloth ; and burning in- 
 stead of beauty:" thus God would mar it, Isa. xxiii. 
 9, " The Lord of hosts hath purposed to stain the 
 pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the 
 honourable of the earth ;" he hath purposed, and is 
 jiowerful to do it. 
 
 Obs. 2. The ruin of persons and kingdoms is from 
 themselves. " Violence is risen up into a rod of w iek- 
 edness ;" their own injustice, oppression, and iid- 
 quities brought forth that which was their destruc- 
 tion, a rod of wickedness. David's sin was a rod to 
 himself, 2 Sam. xii. 9—11, Thou hast killed Uriah, 
 defiled Bathsheba ; now therefore the sword shall 
 never depart from thine house ; I will raise up evil 
 against thee out of thine own bow'els : the sin and rod 
 grew out of one stock. Men's sins prove their rods. 
 Joseph's brethren sinned in Canaan, and their sin 
 was a rod to them in Egypt, Gen. xlii.21. Judas's trea- 
 son became the halter that hanged him. Matt, xxvii. 
 5. Adam's eating the forbidden fruit prepared birch for 
 his own back, and all ours ; the world is whipped with 
 the rod of his sin. Sin in the Scripture is called a 
 burden, weight. Gal. vi. 5. it is that which sinks into 
 misery, thorns, briers, Heb. vi. 8 ; it pricks and 
 scratches, Nahum i. 10; it is a sting, I Cor. xv. 56, 
 it is that brings temble pangs and pains to all ; a 
 snare, Psal. ix. 16, and that will take him who 
 makes and sets it; and here a rod, that caused fear, 
 smart, wounds, death. The tree bears a helve for 
 
 the axe that cutsitself down ; the garment breeds the 
 m.oth that devours it ; and Judah planted the rod 
 which brake itsdf in pieces : while Judah is sin- 
 ning, God's wrath is growing, Nebuchadnezzar is 
 coming, the rod of his indignation. It was Israel's 
 idolatry that ruined her, Hos. xiii. 1 ; and Judah's in- 
 justice, oppression, that ruinedher, Jer. v. I ; Isa. v. 7. 
 
 " None of them shall remain." God woidd make 
 a general destruction, yi t not so general as not any 
 to escape. We know divers did, and some returned, 
 who had seen the glorj' of the former temple. "Shall 
 remain" is not in the original, it is only, none of 
 them ; a defective speech, and refers to the rod of 
 wickedness, and may thus be supplied : None of tlu m 
 shall go unpunished; they have all sinned, and shall 
 one way or other smart, all of them. And so tliiy 
 did, though all of them were not carried away, or 
 cut off. 
 
 " Nor of thiir multitude." The He- 
 brew is, tumult, sound, or company ' '' 
 making a noise ; where there is a great number, 
 there is tumultuousness. Let their number be nevi r 
 so great, none of them shidl escape the rod; if it 
 destroy them not, it shall wound them ; if not wound 
 them, it shall affright thr m. 
 
 Others interpret it of their wealth. None of their 
 wealth ; that is, none of it shall do them good, or go 
 unpunished. 
 
 "Norof any of theirs." The Hebrew r-nrnn 
 is ccnsidirable two ways; either from 
 liern, and that doubled, viehtruehtm, of them, of 
 them; and then the sense is. None of them, I say, none 
 of them that have thus sinned, dishonoured me be- 
 fore the nations, shall go unpunished. Or thus. 
 None of them, of them, none of their seed, none crme 
 from such a race, shall escape the smart of that rod 
 which is now growing up. All their posterity uere 
 not quite ruined, but thiy all smarted. 
 
 Or the Hebrew may be considerable from nr.n 
 which is, to make a noise. And then the meaning 
 is, None of those men that make a noise shall go 
 unbeaten with this rod: none of the great men that, 
 with their honour, wealth, train, make such stirs in 
 the city and land ; none of them that think them- 
 selves through their greatness exempt from all courts, 
 all accounts, all corrections, shall be free from the 
 strokes of this rod ; be they never so great ; be they 
 priests, prophets, nobles, princes, kings, they shall 
 come undtr the lash. Neither multitude, riches, 
 nor greatness, will privilege sinners when the rod 
 comes. The old world's multitude, Damascus' riches, 
 Jerusalem's sons of pride, men of noise, could not 
 pirotect them from the wrath of God or man. 
 
 " Neither shall there be W'ailing for them." 
 Though men of qualify, ytt shall not their frii nds 
 bewail them in any solemn manner. The destruc- 
 tions, miseries, fears, through power and insolcney 
 of the enemy, shall be such, that they shall not dare 
 to lament the dead openly, nor much mind tluir 
 death. Jeremiah speaks of this evil, chap. xvi. 4 ; 
 XXV. 33. Their slain should be so many, death so 
 common, that they should lie unburied, unben.oaned. 
 
 Ver. 12, 13. Tlie time is crime, the dm/ draw- 
 eth near : let not the Imjer rejoice, nor the seller 
 mourn : for rrrath is npon all the multitude 
 thereof. For the seller shall not rettirn to that 
 which is sold, although they were yet alive : for 
 the vision is touchi7ig the vhole multitude thereof, 
 which shall not return ; neither shall any strength- 
 fM himself in the inicjuity of his life. 
 
 In these two verses our prophet sets down what 
 the condition of their temporal estates should be,
 
 1-0 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VII. 
 
 subject to spoil and loss. If the Ijiiyci- bought a 
 great pennyworth, he should have little cause U) re- 
 joice; it should be suddenly taken from him, house, 
 land, cattle, goods ; the time was even at hand. 
 And so if the seller had sold his estate not for half 
 the worth, and parted with his inheritance which 
 was dear to him, he shoidd not mourn ; had he not 
 taken a little for the present, within a few days, he 
 should have had nothing, all should have been taken 
 from him, and he separated from his inheritance. 
 Judgment is coming, and so dreadful, that there 
 shall be no leisure to look at what is sold or bought. 
 
 " For wratli is upon all the multitude thereof." 
 
 The Hebrew word will bear it, upon 
 
 all the wealth thereof; and some intLr- 
 
 preters so read it : liamoyi signifies plenty of riches, 
 
 and also of other things. 
 
 Jerusal'.'m and Judah were rich, wealthy places : 
 Psalm Ixvi. 12, " Thou broughtest us into a wealthy 
 place ;" and there they became gi'eat, waxed rich, 
 Ji r. V. 27; and gloried in their riches, Jer. ix. 23. 
 But God's WTath was upon their riches ; he would 
 bring the Chaldeans upon them, plunder and spoil 
 them of all, and neither buyer or seller should have 
 any advantage. 
 
 " Upon all the multitude thereof." Upon all ; not 
 any one condition singled out, but upon all ; upon 
 sellers, upon buyers, upon poor, upon rich ; all that 
 are in Jerusalem and Judea, of what condition so- 
 ever, WTath is come upon them, they shall be spoiled 
 and carried captive. 
 
 " For the seller shall not return to that which is 
 sold." To understand these words, we must have 
 recourse to the year of jubilee : 
 
 Wherein first they were to sound trumpets. Lev. 
 XXV. 10, 13. 
 
 Secondly, to proclaim and give liberty to all that 
 were restrained. 
 
 Thirdly, to release all lands and tenements ; and 
 those that had sold or mortgaged them, were to re- 
 tm-n and enjoy them. To this last our prophet 
 speaks, and certifies them, that their condition 
 should be such, that when the joyful year of jubilee 
 shoidd come for redi'asing of lands, anel reinhaliiting 
 of what was sold, the seller should have no benefit 
 by that year ; they should be carried into a sti'ange 
 land, and lose that privilege ; they should che there, 
 or be detained that they could not come ; or if they 
 did get away, they should find their possession in 
 their hands that would not regard the jubilean law. 
 This was great comfort to poor men, and those wdio 
 were necessitated to sell their estates, that at such a 
 time they would come in freely again; but this hope 
 is here taken away. 
 
 " Although they were yet alive." Though their 
 life were yet in the living, so is the Hebrew. If 
 sorrow, exile, miseries did not consume them, but 
 they should live to the year of jubilee, it should be 
 no advantage to them. 
 
 Quest. But wdiy did Jeremiah purchase land after 
 this time ? In Jer. xxxii. you shall find he bought 
 land. In the tenth year of Zedekiah, when Jerusalem 
 was besieged, when himself was in prison, vcr. 2, 
 he bought, Hanameel sold ; subscribed and sealed 
 the evidences, which Baruch put into an earthen 
 vessel, and hid for many days. 
 
 Ansiv. 1. The right of redemption belonged to him ; 
 he being the nearest kinsman, was to do it ; see 
 Lev. XXV. 24; Ruth iv. 4. But there were wars in 
 Inter .irmK silent the gate ; and wdien wars are awake, 
 
 leges. the l;i\VS do sIcCp. 
 
 2. He had special warrant for it, vcr. 8 : he saith, 
 " Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord," 
 that Hanameel came to him, and bade him buy his 
 
 field. He knew that it came from God, and it had 
 been sin in him not to have done it. 
 
 3. He pin-chased tins land by faith, knowing that 
 the captivity should not exceed seventy years, and 
 that there should be a repossession of houses, fields, 
 and vineyards after the captiWty, ver. 15, and be- 
 lieved that the holy seed should return. Ezekiel 
 spake of those present in Jerusalem that should be 
 carried away, perish, and not return. 
 
 " For the vision is touching the multitude thereof, 
 which shall not return." These words must be 
 cautiously observed. The multitude's returning must 
 not here be understood ; but, the vision shall not 
 return. The Hebrew is, The vision to the multitude 
 thereof shall not return, or, the vision shall not re- 
 turn to the multitude thereof. There is no " which" 
 in the Hebrew, which makes the doubt in the 
 English, and alters the sense. The visicra shall not 
 return ; that is, the jirophetieal threatening I have 
 had touching' the besieging and destroying of Jeru- 
 salem, and the w hole land, shall not be in vain ; the 
 prophecy denounced against them shall not reUn-ri 
 void, be without success ; it shall not be recalled, 
 but stand firm ; not be reiterated, once shall suffice. 
 By that time the truth of this prophecy is executed, 
 ami weight of it fallen upon you, there will be no 
 thought of possessions, or place of iuhieriting lands. 
 
 Some read it, The vision to all the wealth, making 
 the sense to be a threatening of their estates to be 
 phmdcred and spoiled, which they trusted so much 
 unto. This is supposed in the other ; for the pro- 
 phecy taking hold upon them, their estates could 
 not be safe. 
 
 " Neither shall any strengthen himself in the 
 iniquity of his life." The Hebrew is, A man in his 
 iniijuity of his life shall not strengthen ; or thus, A 
 man shall not strengthen himself whose life is in 
 his iniquity ; it is so in the margin. Not comfort, 
 saith the Vulgate ; where there is comfort, there is 
 some strengthening. Men have thoughts to strength- 
 en themselves in their wicked ways ; but it shall not 
 be ; not their counsels, not their multitudes, not their 
 riches, not their privileges, not their confederacies 
 with others, not their military preparations, not 
 their serving of false gods, nothing shall strengthen 
 them against the Chaldeans, to withstand them. 
 The iniquity of their lives is stronger to ruin them, 
 than all the strength they have besieles can make to 
 defend them. It is not their art, policy, power, that 
 shall deliver them from the judgment decreed and 
 threatened. Sometimes men's iniquities, their malice, 
 violence, blasphemies, stubbornness, make others 
 forbear them, and lose their right rather than they 
 will meddle with them. But here it shall not be so ; 
 the greater their iniquities, the rather, the sooner 
 would God piuiish them. Or thus : You have heard 
 many threats and heavy judgments against the city 
 and land, but you are secure, you repent not, you go 
 on justifying your ways, thinking all well, that we 
 the prophets are liars, that there is no danger of 
 fear ; but you shall know that your ways are sinful, 
 and will not afibrd comfort or strength to stand it 
 out in the evil day. No man ever got strength by, 
 or in, iniquity. 
 
 06.V. I. That the things of this life are little to be 
 valued. We should not be solicitous about them ; 
 for the time may come that wrath may be upon 
 them, and what are they then ? worthless, comfort- 
 less, vexing things. It vexed many of them that 
 their estates should fall info Chaldeans' hands ; and 
 the price of desirable things was abated; the buyer 
 was not to rejoice, nor the seller to mourn, for 
 neither the one nor the other had got or lost much ; 
 antl whatever they had should come to nothing. If
 
 Viiii. 12—14. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 171 
 
 men magnify temporals, and exalt the price of them, 
 God will vilify them, and make them at a low rate. 
 All the wealth of Judah and Jerusalem was now to 
 be a prey to the adversary ; yea, their gardens, 
 orchards, vineyards, lands, houses, wives, children, 
 and whatever was considerable amongst them, should 
 be taken from them. Now there was no terra Jirma 
 in that kingdom ; all things were movable and upon 
 the wing, and little cause had they to laugh or weep 
 for those things. The like is our condition at this 
 present time, all uncertain, much in the enemy's 
 hand ; therefore, as the apostle, 1 Cor. vii. 29, " Let 
 them that have wives be as though they had none ; 
 they that weep, as though they wept not ; they that 
 rejoice, as though they rejoiced not ; and they that 
 buy, as though they possessed not." Now let men's 
 hearts be otf from all ; so look upon all conditions, 
 all possessions, as uncertain, as nothing; as taken 
 from you, as departing from them. Let your thoughts 
 be upon " the inheritance that is incorruptible, and 
 undefiled, and that fadeth not away, w'hich is re- 
 served in heaven," 1 Pet. i. 4. 
 
 Obs. 2. Covetous men are glad of good bargains. 
 Though wrath be upon them, they look at the gains, 
 not the wrath. Necessity, danger, made men sell 
 all, and covetousness made others buy all ; and be- 
 cause they had much for a little, they rejoiced; but 
 little cause had they, for the wrath of God was upon 
 all tlicy bought. Covetousness is watchful for ad- 
 vantages of gain, but blind in discerning wrath ac- 
 companying that gain. Achan's covetousness caused 
 him to take the garment, the shekels of silver, and 
 wedge of gold, Josh. vii. ; but it blinded him so, 
 that he saw not the cursedness of them, nor the 
 stony death that followed them. In Lot's days there 
 was buying and selling, till the fire consumed what 
 was bought and sold, together with the buyer and 
 seller, Luke xvii. 28, 29. Covetousness is greedy of 
 its prey, even w'hen death is in it : it will buy houses 
 when fire is kindled in them, and land when the 
 curse of God is upon it. Beware, therefore, of this 
 sin, saith he, Luke xii. 15, " for a man's life con- 
 sisteth not in the abundance of the things which he 
 possesseth ;" his death and his destruction may be 
 in them ; they cannot add to his life, or the true 
 comfort of it, but they may take away from it ; Jam. 
 v. 3, the rust of their gold and silver shall witness 
 against them, and eat their flesh as fire. 
 
 Obs. 3. God's wrath sometimes is so hot, that it 
 takes away not only the present comfort, but even 
 the future hope of temporal things : they should have 
 no benefit of the year of jubilee when it came, they 
 shoidd not return again, although they should sufier 
 much, and long ; be alive at a time when men's hopes 
 were wont to be fuUy answered for their lands and 
 houses, yet they should be without hope. They 
 dealt hypocritically with God, they were " an hypo- 
 critical nation," Isa. x. 6 ; " Aird the hypocrite's 
 hope shall perish, be cut off, be a spider's web," 
 Job viii. 13, 14. They grow great and green, but 
 (iod hath judgments to cut them down ; they are 
 fastened to the walls of the house, as the .spider's 
 web, but God hath a besom of destruction to sweep 
 them away. Whatever wicked men's hopes are of 
 greatness here, and happiness hereafter, yet God in 
 his wrath can, and oft doth, blast them altogether; 
 Job xiv. 19, "Thou wa.shcst away the things which 
 grow out of the dust of the earth ; and thou destroy- 
 est the hope of man." 
 
 Obs. 4. The judgments decreed, and given forth 
 by the ministers of God, shall certainly take place. 
 Tile vision shall not return without its accomplish- 
 ment, efficacy, and fruit. God foreknows all emer- 
 gencies, oppositions, events, and nothing can with- 
 
 stand, or finally impede tlie execution of his decrees 
 and threats ; he is wise in appointing them, faithftd to 
 perform them, and might)' in the execution of them : 
 Isa. Ixiii. 13, " I will work, and who shall let it." 
 "When God hath not promised, or threatened, none 
 can let his working ; much less when the word is 
 gone forth of his mouth, and hinisi If is engaged to 
 make it good. See Isa.lv. U," My word shall not 
 return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that 
 which I please." God wiH see to it constantly, that 
 it be so : and seeing it is so, and God now working 
 in his judgments, "let all the earth fear the Lord; 
 let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe 
 of Iiim, for he spake, and it was done," Psal. 
 xxxiii. 8, 9. 
 
 Obs. 5. Men's sins do not strengthen them, but 
 weaken them. "No man shall strengthen himself 
 in the iniquity of his life." There is no strength 
 comes in by sin ; it deprives us of our strength, it 
 blinds the mind, prejuchces the sh'ength of reason, it 
 wounds the spirit, brings guilt on the conscience, 
 which accusing, causeth despondency, and makes 
 ashamed ; it adds weight to all afflictions, fills with 
 fears, and so produceth discouragements ; it keeps 
 out the comfort and benefit of the ordinances, makes 
 God out with us, all creatures against us, brings a 
 curse upon our undertakings, subjects us to the curse 
 of the law, and sentence of condemnation : any of 
 these will weaken the heart of a sinner, much more 
 all. In Ezek. xvi. 8, Jerus lem's sins are reckoned 
 up ; and ver. 30, " How weak is thine heart, seeing 
 thou doest all these tilings !" They do not strength- 
 en, but sink thee : innocency, righteousness, strength- 
 ens, Prov. xxviii. I. 
 
 Obs. (). Sin is the life of a wicked man, as blood 
 is the life of all flesh, Lev. xvii. 14. It maintains 
 and strengthens the life. So iniquity is the life of 
 all sinful flesh ; wicked men live upon wicked ways; 
 it is pastime to a fool to do wickedly, Prov. x. 23. 
 There is a life of sin in the soul, and things of ini- 
 quity maintain that life. Christ lives in and by the 
 Father, John vi. 57 ; a godly man lives in Christ, 
 2 Tim. iii. 12; and a wicked man lives in sin, de- 
 lights in it, feeds upon it : I Tim. v. 6, " She that 
 liveth in pleasure is dead." 
 
 Obs. 7. When God comes in judgment, there is 
 nothing can strengthen or secure a sinfiil people 
 against the punishment of their iniquity ; no power, 
 no policy, no privilege, no wealth. Jerusalem had 
 as much to plead as any place in the world, and 
 those people had the choicest privileges of all others. 
 Amos iii. 2, " You only have I known of all the 
 families of the earth : therefore I will punish you for 
 all your iniquities." They were known above others ; 
 none had so many miracles, special proWdences, 
 blessings, truths, prophets, ordinances; none were 
 seated better, oftener delivered, honoured with such 
 titles, as they were ; and no people sinned as they 
 sinned: their sins exceeded the heathen's, Ezek. v. 
 6. And now neither their privileges nor their sins 
 could exempt them from, or relieve them under, their 
 suiferings. Their iniquities hastened the enemies ; 
 sharpened their swords, and armed them with seve- 
 rity to their utter destruction. There is nothing in 
 creatures in the ways of wickedness to help in the 
 day of wrath, Amos ii. 13 — IG. 
 
 Ver. 14. They have blown the trumpet, even to 
 make all ready ; but none goeth to the battle : for 
 my wr'ath is iipon all the multitude thereof. 
 
 In this verse is set down one of the most gi-ievous 
 calamilirs that could befall them, namely, despond- 
 ency of mind. They were called upon to battl.-, but
 
 17-2 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CllAH. VII. 
 
 none had a heart to go forth to it ; and the cause is 
 given, " My wrath is upon them aU." 
 
 Some conceive these words to be spoken ironi- 
 cally, and read them thus : Blow the trumpet, let all 
 be in a readiness ; O ye Jews, call forth, call together 
 your strong soldiers, let all arm, and hasten to meet 
 the enemy ; he is come into your quarters, ready to 
 assault you in your cities. Wlu re are you .' Why 
 do you not appear in the open tields, or stand upon 
 your guard to defend your country and cities ? you 
 are cowardly, spiritless men. 
 
 " There is none goeth to the battle." Such ironies 
 and sarcasms the Scripture sometimes hath ; Isa. viii. 
 9, " Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall 
 be broken in pieces ; " Isa. xxi. 5, " Arise, ye princes, 
 and anoint the shirld." 
 
 Belshazzar and his nobles were voluptuous ; the 
 Medes were coming to his destruction, undermining the 
 wallsof Babylon, and here the Spirit of God upbraided 
 him and his princes for their elieminaey and coward- 
 liness. 
 
 We may take them literally, "They have blown 
 the trumpet," given public notice to city and country 
 to make ready for war ; but none stirs, none goes 
 forth, they are ^nthout spirit. The first mention of 
 trumpets we find in Scripture, is Exod. xix. 16, and 
 there they were used at the giving and promulgation 
 of the law ; and to this day in numy places la\\ s are 
 proclaimed ^\^th the sound of trumpets. They were 
 also used to proclaim fasts, and convocate solemn 
 assemblies; Joel ii. 15, "Blow the trumpet in Zion, 
 sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly ;" and solemn 
 feasts, Psal. Ixxxi. 3; in worship, 2 Chron. v. 12, 13; 
 in the journeying of their camps. Numb. x. 2, for 
 then the cloud that used to be over them removed. 
 Numb. ix. 22 ; then Moses prayed. Numb. x. 35, and 
 then the trumpet sounded, ver. 5, 6. It was also 
 used to warn the people against the danger of war, 
 Ezek. xxxiii. 3 ; and in their wars. Josh. vi. 9. Here 
 they blow the trumpet to warn them of the danger, 
 to quicken them up to pirepare against it; there was 
 loud sounding, and vehement cr) ing. Arm, arm, arm, 
 and none went out to the battle : they wanted not 
 men, means, nmnition, horses, chariots, spears ; shields 
 they liad, but hearts they had not ; no courage to 
 fight with their adversaries, to stand for religion, 
 their countr)', liberty, or lives. 
 
 Obs. 1. That when God is wroth, all preparations 
 and attempts are in vain. They blow the trumpet, 
 make ready for war, and none stirs to go forth ; and 
 what is the reason ? the wrath of God is upon the 
 whole multitude. God was not with tlicm to counsel, 
 to encourage them, to prosper thiir attempts, and m 
 nothing came of all. 
 
 Obs. 2. Human endeavours sink, when they are 
 not seconded by God. Economical and political af- 
 fairs fall to the earth, when they are not upheld by 
 Heaven; Psal. cxxvii. 1, " Except the Lord build the 
 house, they labour in vain that build it." It is not 
 man and wife can build up a family without God ; 
 this the elders knew that said to Boaz, Ruth iv. II, 
 " The Lord make the woman that is come into thine 
 house like Kaehel and like Leah, which two did 
 build the house of Israel." So, " except the Lord 
 keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." 
 Let cities, states, kingdoms have many watchmen, 
 let them be faithlid and industrious, yet if God watch 
 not^ more than they do, more than they, all is lost. 
 Cities have been suddenly surprised, kingdoms over- 
 run, notwithstanding all the art, vigilance, and in- 
 dustry of men. It is not the conns 1, militia, magis- 
 tracy, ministry of a city or kingdom that can secure 
 them, if God's wrath be upon them. 
 
 2. That it is a dreadful evil when the heart and 
 
 spirit of a people is taken away. Here was danger 
 calling to arm and go forth ; but none went forth, 
 they were heartless, unspirited men. 
 
 It is a great mercy, among other necessaries to 
 war, to have men of valour ; if there be money, 
 arms, skill, men, and not courage, all is nothing. 
 When Goliath defied the arndes of Israel, I Sam. 
 xvii. 10, II, they were dismayed, their hearts failed 
 within them ; and had not God put courage into 
 l)a\ id, all Israel had lain imder the reproach of one 
 Philistine. 
 
 It is observable in Scripture, that in Judah were 
 many valiant men, 2 Sam. xxiv. 9. There were five 
 hundred thousand such in Daviel's days ; in Abijah's 
 days there was an arniy of four hundred thousand 
 valiant chosen nu n, 2 Chron. xiii. 3 ; in Asa's days 
 was an army of five lumdred and eighty thousand 
 out of Judah and Benjamin, and " all these were 
 mighty men of valour," 2 Chron. xiv. 2; in Ahaz' 
 days were a himdred and twenty thousand valiant 
 men of Judah slain in one day, 2 Chron. xxviii. 6. 
 Tlie men of Judah were famous for their valour, yet 
 now there were no valiant men left, there were none 
 had hearts to go forth and give the enemy battle. 
 'I'he pronuse was, that one of them " should chase a 
 thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight," Deut. 
 xxxii. 30. The meaning is, they should mightily 
 prevail in battle ; tliis was in ease they provoked not 
 God against them. And therefore it follows; "except 
 their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut 
 them up;" if it Wire come to that, thtn they should 
 be faint-hearted and feeble. And so was it now, God 
 their Rock was against them ; he had sold them into 
 the hands of the Chaldeans, and shut up their spirits, 
 and the strong were become as tow, Isa. i. 31. They 
 were heartless, headless, armless, none durst oppose 
 the stout and jjroud adversary. God hath variety of 
 ways to frustrate the endeavours of men ; and one 
 among other, and of the saddest nature, is, to un- 
 spirit men. It is a wonderful judgnunt, when the 
 wisdom of the wise doth perish, when the under- 
 standing of the prudent is hid, Isa. xxix. 14. And 
 it is as heavy, strange a judgment, when the mettle 
 and courage of valiant soldiers in time of need is 
 not to be found. 
 
 The Germans were a warlike people, and Lavat 
 observes, that after the council of Constance their 
 spirits failed them ; there they dealt unfaithfidly with 
 Husse, and after, cruelly and shamefully they put 
 him to death ; and attempting to bring the Bohemians 
 to the old way of worship, they were easily over- 
 come, and sometimes fled at the sight of their 
 enemies. 
 
 04.V. 3. Apprehension of divine wrath discerned 
 and approaching, dispirits strong men. There were 
 w ithout doubt many strong men in Judah as at other 
 times, but they were without spirit. Their sins had 
 stirred up God to bring the northern force upon them, 
 Nebuchadnezzar with all his forces. They were 
 now entering their land, ready to sit down before Je- 
 rusalem, and they saw now the sad threats of the 
 prophet's fulfilling, God even fighting against them, 
 and this sunk their guilty hearts : Deut. xxxii. 23, 
 " TeiTor within shall destroy the young man ;" the 
 young nun that are full of blood, spirits, lively, cvtn 
 teiTor within shall destroy them. Their guilt will 
 not only dispirit them, but take away their life : Job 
 XV. 20, " The wicked man travaileth with pain all 
 his days ;" he hath prickings, stingings within : and 
 ^'er. 24, " Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; 
 they shall prevail against him, as a king ready to the 
 battle." 'There is power in these to destroy a sin- 
 ner, as in a king armed, attended with a multitude 
 of soldiers, to ruin his wounded, his flying adver-
 
 Ver. 15-10. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 1/3 
 
 saries. Jcromiah knew the power of divine wrath, 
 and therefore prays, chap. x\-ii. 17, " Be not a terror 
 unto me ; thou art my hope in the day of evil :" he 
 feared lest he that was his liope should be his terror. 
 The day of evil awakens sleepy, ^ilty, dead works, 
 and then God, before trusted in, becomes dreadful. 
 Look well to your hearts and consciences, get off the 
 guilt upon them, and get out the filth in them: Heb. 
 ix. 14, " The blood of Christ doth purge the con- 
 science from dead works ;" that is, all sins, and all 
 guilt which works death, and binds over to death. 
 But that is not all, they lie as dead things in the 
 soul, and upon occasion revive, have their resuiTec- 
 tion, and slay us anew. 
 
 Ver. 15. The sword is without, and the pestilence 
 find the famine ivithin : he that is in thejield shall 
 die with the sword ; and he that is in the city, 
 famine and pestilence shall devour him. 
 
 Of sword, famine, pestilence I have formerly 
 spoken. God hath these judgments in his hand, and 
 can let them out when and where he pleases ; and 
 when God's public judgments are abi'oad, there is no 
 safety for sinners in their cities, or in the fields ; God 
 will pursue them though they flee, and slay them 
 though they be never so stout. He will not only 
 scare them with these, but he will destroy them by 
 these. 
 
 Ver. 16 — 19. Bnt thei/ that escape of them shall 
 escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of 
 the vallci/s, all of them mourning, every one for his 
 iniquity. All hands shall he feeble, and all knees 
 shall be weak as water. They shall also gird them- 
 selves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; 
 and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness 
 upon all their heads. They shall cast their silver 
 in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: 
 their silver and their gold shall not be able to de- 
 liver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord : 
 they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their 
 bowels : because it is the stumblingblock cf their 
 iniquity. 
 
 Sundry calamities are set down before, he persists 
 in the addition of more ; every verse hath its pecu- 
 liar calamity. In ver. 16, is contained their flight ; 
 in ver. 17, their feebleness ; in ver. 18, their son'ow 
 and shame, and in ver. 19, the insufficiency of the 
 creatiu'c to help in the time of trouble. 
 
 I begin witli ver. 16. It is misery to be in danger, 
 especially of life, and to be put to flee for it, as these 
 were, when the enemy came to their walls and gates. 
 Some fled and escaped " to the mountains." The 
 original is, their eseapers shall escape : those I have 
 appointed to famine, sword, pestilence, shall be con- 
 sumed by them ; but those I have appointed to escape, 
 they shall escape, and get to the mountains, where 
 they " shall be like doves of the valleys." 
 
 The Hebrew root, whence doves 
 comes, signifies to prey upon, to op- 
 press, circumvent, make sad ; and the dove is sub- 
 ject to prey, oppression, circumvention, and mourn- 
 ing, as much as any fowl. 
 
 Hence two things in the dove are aimed at, fear- 
 fulness and mourning. 
 
 First, the dove is a trembling, fearful creature, any 
 little noise makes it fly ; Hos. xi. 11, " They shall 
 tremble as a dove." The sight of the hawk, the 
 noise of her bells, or wings, doth multiply fears in 
 a dove : and so should those Jews that escaped be 
 fidl of fears, fly to rocks and mountains as doves, for 
 
 fear of hawks, and dare not stir. They should hide 
 themselves there, and be afraid to speak, to gi-oan 
 out their grief, lest they should be discovered, and 
 die for it. 
 
 Second, it is a mourning creature ; Isa. xxxviii. 
 14, " I did mourn as a dove," saith Ilezekiah. And 
 Isa. lix. 11, " AVe mouiTi sore like doves." 
 
 Doves sit solitary, and mourn when they have lost 
 their young, their mates, or are wounded by any means ; 
 yea, it is tlieir nature as to tremble, so to mourn. 
 And so should these Jews sit and mourn ; they should 
 have no joy of their lives ; their losses, the place 
 they should be in, yea, the thought of life, should 
 be matter of mourning unto them. 
 
 " Of the valleys." There were not doves of moun- 
 tains, and doves of valleys ; but they are so called, 
 either because they did oft feed and appear there ; 
 as fowls of the air are so called, because they are oft 
 in the air, or for that being pursued by fowlers, 
 they fled to the valleys and hid themselves there, 
 not enduring to be in opin places ; or because they 
 did breed in the holes of rocks, which were towards 
 tlie valleys. In Job you have mention of " clifl's of 
 the valleys," Job xxx. 6. Or because they morn-n- 
 ed in the valleys, there they made a mourning or 
 doleful noise. 
 
 " AU of them mourning, every man for his iniquity." 
 Here is the cause of their calamity, viz. " their 
 iniquity ;" this w-as a serpent in the bosom, and gave 
 them no rest. Had there been no enemies at their 
 gates, at their heels, their own sins besieged, pur- 
 sued them. 
 
 Ohs. 1. In common calamities, when danger is 
 abroad, those that have escaped, and got hiding 
 places, think not themselves secure. These were in 
 the mountains, in the holes of the rocks, and yet as 
 fearful as doves, trembling that the Babylonians were 
 so nigh, fearing discovery and death every moment. 
 A spirit of fear seizes upon sinners at such times, 
 that imprisons reason, and holds them in bondage. 
 
 Tliey are fallen into the hands of divine judg- 
 ments, which are dreadful ; those who were like 
 lions before, were as silly doves, Jtr. xlviii. 28. 
 
 Obs. 2. That the fruit of sin issorrow : " all of ihem 
 mourning, every one for his iniquity." Before they 
 sported in their sins, now they should sigh for them ; 
 their consciences were asleep through custom of sin- 
 ning, God's judgments had now awakened them, and 
 they brought their sins so to mind, that they wept 
 and sorrowed sorely for them. They had gone on 
 in their idolatrous,' oppressing, and provoking ways 
 long; they saw no cause to be sorry, all was will 
 with them ; but when trouble came, their sins ap- 
 peared, their souls were sad and fiUed with appre- 
 hensions, that drew bitter tears from them. 
 
 What is the fruit of wantonness, whoredom ? Prov. 
 v. 11, Solomon tells you that such a sinner "shall 
 mourn at the last, when his flesh and his body are 
 consumed." That of Job is suitable for him; "his 
 flesh upon him sliall have pain, and his soul witliin 
 him shall mourn," chap. xiv. 22. Eve's sin had sor- 
 row, and sorrow nndtiplied, greatly multiphed. Gen. 
 iii. 16. God told them, Lev. xxvi. 14, 16, that if they 
 sinned they should have " soitow of heart," and 
 Dent, xxvi'ii. 65, " sorrow of mind." And they had 
 that plentifully; Isa. Ixv. 14, " Ye shall cry for sorrow 
 of heart, and. shall howl for vexation of spirit." Sin 
 causes howling and mourning ; David, when he had 
 sinned, it made him to roar, Psal. xxxii. 3 : only his 
 terrors were penitential, these improfitable ; showed 
 tlieir misery, but made no way to mercy. 
 
 This sorrow was the fruit o"f sin ; godly sorrow is 
 the fruit of the Spirit: that looks at the punishment, 
 which removed, the guilt and filth of sin still abides;
 
 174 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VI!. 
 
 this at the sin, ;ind would have tlwt destroyed, though 
 the judgments never be taken away, Hos. xiv. 2. 
 
 This changes the mind, not that it is godly sorrow ; 
 the prophet's sermons could not draw tears from them 
 while there was hope, God's judgments did it when 
 it was too late. 
 
 Yer. 17. "All hands shall be feeble." Fear made 
 them tlee, and fear made them feeble. Where great 
 fear falls upon any, there the hands grow weak, and 
 are not able to do their office ; the spirits retire to 
 the heart, to relieve that, lest life should fail, and 
 thereupon the hands become weak. The trumpet 
 was blown, all called upon to make ready, but none 
 went out to battle : and why ? their hands were fee- 
 ble, they could not hold and handle their w'eapons 
 to defend themselves ; their knees were feeble, they 
 could not tlee to save themselves. 
 
 There is a treble feebleness of hands: one natural, 
 as when a man hath naturally a weakness, lameness 
 in his hands. There is one accidental, as when a 
 man's hands are by some stroke, faU, wound, made 
 feelile ; but such feebleness is not here meant. And 
 there is a metaphorical weakness, which ariseth from 
 despondency of mind through fear and fearful appre- 
 hensions. 
 
 In this sense we are to take it, and so it is oft 
 used in the Seriptui'c. Jer. vi. 24, the report of the 
 northern forces was come to them, and what then? 
 " Our hands wax feeble : anguish hath taken hold 
 of us." Jer. 1. 43; 2 Sam. iv. 1 ; Job iv. 3; Ezek. 
 xxi. 7; Isa. xiii. 7; Jer. xlvii. 3; in all thise places 
 is mention of weakness, feebleness of hands, which 
 is to be taken in the metaphorical sense : their hands 
 were not able to do what they should, and formerly 
 could have done, and here, when they had most need 
 of their hands, they had least use of them, 
 
 " All knees shall be weak as water." These words 
 are in chap. xxi. 7- The same they are here ; and 
 the original is, shall go into water, or ilow with watt r. 
 
 Some interpret it of sweating ; but in great pains, 
 not in fears, do the lower parts of the body sweat. I 
 take the sense to lie in this. That their knees should 
 be as water, which is a fluid and weak thing ; their 
 legs should not be serviceable unto tliem. It is a pro- 
 verbial kind of speech, " weak as water," and when 
 applying to any thing, or part of man, sets out great 
 feebleness; they would attempt to flee, and fear 
 would loosen the joints of their knees, so that they 
 should have no strength, nor stand them in any 
 stead : and it was not the knees of some few or aged, 
 but all knees, even of youth, and the stoutest ones ; 
 Isa. xl. 30, " Even the youths shall faint and be 
 weary, and the young men shall utterly fall." Their 
 knees and legs should fail them ; as waters are driven 
 this way and that way with the winds, so should they 
 with their fears. 
 
 Ob.s\ 1. That human strength is not to be confided 
 in. Let a state have midtitndes of men, and all those 
 men of arms, men of legs, of great strength ; in a time 
 of most need and use of such, their hands may be- 
 come feeble, and their knees be weak as water, they 
 may prove unserviceable altogether to the state where 
 , , . , they are. Strong men have fainted 
 'in the day of adversity, been without 
 hearts when they have come to battle ; Isa. xxxiii. 
 7, " Their valiant ones shall cry without : the 
 ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly." When 
 Sennacherib was before Jerusalem, their valiant 
 ones were so afraid that they cried : the He- 
 brew word some interpret, their seers, that is, their 
 prophets ; others, their soldiers that were their 
 watchmen ; their hearts melted, and tears flowed from 
 them : and those that were sent to treat with Senna- 
 cherib, now when they should have been fullest 
 
 of courage, they had none ; they made good what 
 Abishai said, 2 Sam. xvii. 10, " He that is valiant, 
 whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly 
 melt ;" their hearts melted away, and their hands be- 
 came feeble, and knees weak. God cares not for the 
 arms or legs of men, Psal. xxxvii. 17; cxlvii. 10. He 
 brake the arms of Pharaoh, and caused " the sword 
 to fall out of his hands," Ezek. xxx. 22. He loosed 
 the joints of Belshazzar's loins, and made his knees 
 war one against the other, Dan. v. 6. So Nineveh's 
 heart melted, and knees knocked together, Nah. ii. 
 10. Let none confide in an arm of flesh ; see Jer. xvii. 
 5 : and Isa. xxxi. 1 — 3, they sent to Egypt for help, 
 and relied too much upon horses, men, chariots, 
 because they were many and strong, and looked not 
 to the Holy One of Israel ; whereupon the Lord 
 tells them, that " the Egyptians are men, and not 
 God, and their horses tiesh, and not spirit ;" and 
 when he should stretch out his hand, both tlie 
 helper and helped should fall and fail together. 
 
 Ub.s. 2. That true valour lies not in a natural bold- 
 ness, or habits gotten by man's industry. We con- 
 ceive that if men have spiirits, and, by their actions 
 and experience in the world, have acquired strength 
 to their spirits, so that they are resolute, fearless, we 
 conceive they arc the valiant men ; but we are mis- 
 taken. Natural abilities, and habits purchased with 
 our endeavours, are quickly separated. Their hands 
 were feeble, their knees weak, because their hearts 
 and all in them failed. Kings, chief captains, great, 
 rich, mighty men, feared and hid themselves in dens 
 and rocks. Rev. vi. 15. True valour is the gift of 
 God ; that greatens men's spirits, and lifts them up 
 above fears. !Moses feared not the wrath of the king, 
 Heb. xi. 27; he had more than his natural courage, 
 or acquired habits, he had a principle of grace 
 given, continued, preserved, and that made him truly 
 valorous. 
 
 The truest valour is ever in a gracious heart that 
 fears God, and so all other fears are swallowed up ; 
 that enjoys God, and hath divine influence to uphold 
 it in all conditions. Josh. i. 5, (5, 9, " I will be with 
 thee ; be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid 
 nor dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee 
 whithersoever thou goi st :" his courage and strength, 
 was upon divine jiromise and presence. 
 
 Ver. 18. "They sh;ill also gird themselves with 
 sackcloth." The first mention we have of sackcloth 
 is in Gen. xxxvii. 34, where Jacob, upon the misap- 
 prehension of Joseph's death, put sackcloth upon his 
 loins. This was a mark of great misery and sorrow. 
 When the famine was in Samaria, and death ready to 
 cat up them that had nothing to eat, " the king had 
 sackcloth within upon his flesh ;" under his royal 
 garments, next his skin, was coarse rough sackcloth, 
 2 Kings vi. 30. When Ahab, king of Israel, had 
 beaten and sore distressed the Assyrians, they put 
 on sackcloth, and sued to him for pardon and the 
 life of Denhadad, 1 Kings xx. 32; testifying hereby 
 their misiry, sorrow, humility. And it is sometimes 
 joined with other signs of soitow: as Esth. iv. 1, 
 when the writings were sealed and sent out by 
 Haman for destruction of the Jews, " Mordecai rent 
 his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes," that 
 is, he sprinkled the sackcloth with ashes, and then 
 put it on. So in Neh. ix. I, you have sackcloth 
 and earth joined together; this was at a fast, and 
 they were tokens of godly sorrow : they professed 
 they were not worthy of any good clothes, sackcloth 
 was too good for them, only somewhat they must 
 have to cover their nakedness ; and they had earth 
 upon them, intimating they deserved to be buried 
 alive. But fi-i quently sackcloth set out their com- 
 mon sorrow for calamities, and so it is here ; they
 
 Ver. 15—19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 1/0 
 
 should b^ miserable, mourning people, not for a few 
 days, but many years. If they escaped death, they 
 should be girt with sackcloth. Job xvi. 15, " I 
 have sewed sackcloth upon my skin : " there was 
 now no removing of it, he continued in his doleful 
 condition ; God's hand was upon him, and his sack- 
 cloth abode with him as a thing sewed to him. 
 
 " Horror shall cover them." The word for "hor- 
 ror " notes great trembling that comes 
 "^'''^" from fear ; Job xxi. 6, " 1 am afraid, 
 and trembling taketh hold of my flesh." It is such 
 trembling as in earthquakes ; Job ix. 6, " Which 
 shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars 
 thereof tremble." Such a hoiTor or trembling should 
 be upon them as should hazard their beings, lives, wits. 
 Isa. xxi. 4, "Fearfulncss affrighted me ; " it is the 
 same word with our prophet's ; and afl'rightmcnts are 
 dangerous, and sometimes deadly, and probably the 
 meaning here for it was such hon'or as should cover 
 them, oppress them, and hide them from the living. 
 
 But there is another sense of the word " cover." 
 " Horror sliall cover them," that is, compass them 
 about; so the word "cover" is used, Job xxi. 20, 
 " The worms shall cover them ; " and Psal. cix. '£>, 
 " Let them cover themselves with their own con- 
 fusion." Psal. xliv. 19 ; Lam. iii. 43, in these places 
 covering notes compassing : and Jonah ii. 5, compass- 
 ing is the same with covering ; " The waters com- 
 passed me about," they did compass and cover him. 
 And here horror did cover them as a garment, and 
 beset, compass every part of them ; neither hands, 
 arms, body, nor legs were free. 
 
 " Shame shall be upon all faces." Shame is the 
 blushing of the face upon the sight, hearing, appre- 
 hension, or doing of something unseemly, dishonest, 
 or filthy, as Rom. vi. 21 ; Luke xiv. 9 ; 2 Cor. iv. 2 ; 
 Phil. iii. 19. Shame notes two things : 
 
 1. Disappointment. Psal. cxix. 16, "Let me not 
 be ashamed of my hope." 
 
 2. Confusion, Psalm xxxv. 4. Job vi. 20, " They 
 were confounded because they had hoped ; they 
 came thither, and were ashamed." And heie disap- 
 pointment and confusion were upon their faces, 
 their expectations were disappointed, and hopes 
 confounded. 
 
 Shame was upon their faces, that they could not 
 look up to God whom they had provoked against 
 them. This shaming of sinners is expressed in the 
 word divers ways: "They shall be clothed with 
 shame," Job viii. 22; that is the garment they shall 
 wear : be put to shame, Psal. xliv. 7 ; brought to 
 shame, Psal. Ixxi. 24; have their faces filled with 
 shame, Psal. Ixxxiii. 16 ; lie down in shame, Jer. 
 iii. 25; be covered with shame, Obad. 10; bear it, 
 Ezek. xvi. 52; be consumed witli it, Jer. xx. 18. 
 All these were made good upon these Jews; they 
 were clothed, put to, and filled with shame ; they 
 bare their shame upon their faces, lay down in it, 
 were covered and consumed with it. 
 
 " Baldness upon all their heads." Their miseries 
 and griefs should be so great, that they should pluck 
 off the hair of their heads and beards, though it 
 were against rule, Deut. xiv. 1. God provided for 
 the conieliness of their heads and faces, yet in their 
 sorrows they would disfigure themselves as the 
 heathens did, and add to their own misery. 
 
 They deformed themselves, Jer. xlvii. 5 ; xlviii. 37 ; 
 Micah i. 16; Amos viii. 10; Isa. xv. 2. Hair was 
 an ornament, and baldness a reproach ; 2 Kings ii. 
 23, " Go up, thou bald head." 
 
 It was said in the 11th verse, there should be no 
 wailing for them, and here is mention of sackcloth 
 and baldness, signs of common and great soitow. 
 There was no public wailing and solemn mourning 
 
 at their burials ; but privately they bewailed their 
 fi'iends, mouiTicd for the evils upon them ; or some 
 few did appear that were not considerable. 
 
 It is questionable whether baldness were upon all 
 their heads ; did aU tear off their hair, and make 
 themselves unsightly ? Doubtless many of them did, 
 and all had cause to do it. The prophet speaks not 
 what every one should do, but what their condition 
 required ; their calamity was such as called for all 
 signs of sorrow, sackcloth, horror, shame, baldness. 
 
 Uba. The equity of God's dealing with sinners. 
 He punisheth ihein in the thing wherein they have 
 sinned : they had ruihed it in their silks, scarlets, 
 and fine linen ; now God brought them to sackcloth 
 made of hair and coarse materials, that was as harsh 
 to their flesh as the other was delightful. The scar- 
 let men were brought to dunghiUs, Lam. iv. 5 ; they 
 that were confident themselves of their strength, 
 now trembled ; they that were proud of their beauty, 
 had haughty eyes, painted faces, &c. now were filled 
 with shame ; and they that gloried in their hair, 
 now were made bald : here was the just hand of 
 God. Isa. iii. 24, " Instead of sweet smell there 
 shall be stink ; and instead of a girdle a rent ; and 
 instead of well-set hah baldness ; and instead of a 
 stomacher a girding of sackcloth ; and bmiiing in- 
 stead of beauty." Wherein they sinned, there God 
 smote them. Psal. Ixviii. 21, "God shall wound the 
 hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his 
 ti'espasses." They gloried in their hair then, as too 
 many do now, and God would wound them in that, 
 their hairy scalps should sutler ; the Hebrew is, the 
 crowns of hau- walliing in its own wickedness. The 
 hair holds forth the pride and vanity of the master 
 thereof, and God would wound it, and the head that 
 bare it. The word for wound, Muscu. and Moller. 
 interi)ret, shall make bloody, or dip in blood ; they 
 have oft powdered their hair, to di-y and sweeten it, 
 and God would dye it in their own blood. 
 
 Ver. 19. " They shall cast their silver in the 
 streets." That which had been much desired, was 
 gotten with great pains, they should throw into the 
 open streets for any to take up. They were flying 
 for their lives, and their bags of silver were burden- 
 some; or they were faint with famine, so that silver 
 would not relieve, or purchase relief for them ; and 
 therefore they must throw it into the streets as dung 
 and fJth : there was an insufficiency in the creature 
 to advantage them in this great distress, and there- 
 upon despairing, they threw away that they had 
 formerly so jirized, so laboured for, and safely kept a 
 long time. When seamen are in storms and hazard 
 of their lives, they will throw overboard things pre- 
 cious ; and this was the case here. By siher and 
 gold miderstand not only coin, but plate, and all 
 things made thereof. 
 
 "Their gold shall be removed." The Hebrew is, 
 for a removal, the Chaldeans shall take ■ 
 
 it away and carry it into Babylon, afar 
 off; so much the original root signifies, to carry it 
 far from the place where it was : they had hoarded 
 it up in Zion, and now it should be carried to Baby- 
 lon. The Vulf/ate reads it, their gold , ,,. , 
 shall be for a dunghill, their great 
 heaps of gold made dunghills ; and the word doth 
 something countenance it, which signifies separation 
 on account of pollution. Their gold was the gold of 
 their covetousncss and oppression, polluted with 
 idolatry, and so matter fit to be separated fi-om them 
 to the dunghill : that which had lain so long by 
 them, and was thought should never be stirred, that 
 shall be for removal ; either themselves shall throw 
 it out upon, or hide it in the earth, or dunghill, or the 
 barbarous enemies shall carry it into far counlrics.
 
 17C, 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CllAl'. VII. 
 
 " Their silver and their gold shall not. be able to 
 deliver them." They had conceits of and confidence 
 in their riches, that they woidd benefit them one 
 way or other : if Chaldeans came, they would hire 
 them to be gone ; if they took the cit_v, they would 
 buy out their lives and liberties ; they ch-eamed that 
 money could do any thing with any sort of men, but 
 it was otherwise. If by gold and silver we under- 
 stand their gold and silver gods, they hoped for help 
 from them ; but they being without life, had neither 
 counsel, power, nor any blessing for them. 
 
 " They shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill 
 their bowels." Such shaU be the famine and want 
 of bread, that all their wealth shall not purchase 
 bread enough to relieve and satisfy them ; though 
 they have houses full of all wealth, yet their bellies 
 shall have want, and souls faint for hunger. Soul 
 here is put for the appetitive virtue, as in IMatt. vi. 25, 
 " Take no care for the life, what ye shall eat or drink ;" 
 the word is, for the soul, that is, for the appetite, 
 God will provide. Here they took care for their 
 bellies and appetites, and had little or nothing. 
 
 " Because it is the stumblingblock of their ini- 
 quity." They had no use or benefit of their estates, 
 when they had most need of them ; and why ? here is 
 the cause, they were the stumblingblocks of their 
 iniquity. By iniquity, some expositors understand 
 punishment ; and then the sense is, that their silver 
 and gold were the occasion of these sad judgments 
 wdiich fell upon them ; their wars, firing of the city 
 and temple, and their leading into captivity. The 
 former translation hath it, " For this ruin is for their 
 iniquity ;" it renders stumblingblock ruin, and shows 
 the cause, " it is for their iniquity," and so iniquity 
 is taken properly for sin, not punishment. They had 
 sinned, and this ruin or judgment of casting away 
 their silver and gold, of finding no help, of being 
 hungry and unsatisfied, was upon them for their sin. 
 
 This sense is truth ; but the Hebrew being thus, 
 because it hath been the stimiblingbloek of your 
 iniquity, it leads to this sense, that their wealth was 
 the matter and occasion of their sin ; their silver, 
 gold, and great estates occasioned them to sin more 
 fully and more foully, and therefore these judgments 
 came upon them ; their estates bred their sins, and 
 brought their judgments. 
 
 That wealth is the occasion and fuel of sin ap- 
 pears thus : Rich men in Scripture arc set out as apt 
 to tnist in their estates, to be high-minded, 1 Tim. 
 vi. 17 ; to glory in what they have, Jer. ix. '23. They 
 are lilieral to their oivn backs and bellies, but hard- 
 hearted to the poor, Luke xvi. 19, 20, \c. They 
 answer roughly, Prov. xviii. 23. They scorn others, 
 Psal. exxiii. 4. They are covetous, deceitful, having 
 treasures of wickedness in their houses, Mieah vi. 
 10. They oppress the poor, comipt justice, and fill 
 all with violence, ver. 12. They keep back the 
 wages of servants and labourers ; they live in plea- 
 sures, wantonly, securely, James v. 4, 5. They little 
 mind Christ and his ways, John vii. 48; Matt. xix. 
 23, 24 ; when Christ calls, they have their yokes of 
 oxen, which draw them so fast from Christ, that all 
 his sweet invitations prevail not. They are prone 
 to, and prodigal in, false, idolatrous worship, Isa. xlvi. 
 6. What wi<'kedness doth not wealth prompt men 
 unto ? Jer. v. 27, 28, " They arc waxen rich," and 
 what then ? " they arc waxen fat, and shine," their 
 faces, their apparel glitters ; but it follows, " they 
 overpass the deeds of the wicked;" the richer tliey 
 arc, the worse they do; their riches are fuel to their 
 Insts, and cause them to act with more heat and 
 strength. Hence Christ calls them unrighteous 
 mammon, I..uke xvi. 9, 13. Riches are men's mam- 
 mons, gods that open (he door wide for, and strongly 
 
 entice to, unrighteous and wicked things ; therefore 
 wealth is called wickedness, Psal. lii. 7 ; speaking of 
 a wicked rich man, " he strengthened himself in his 
 «iekedness." In the margin, it is substance, and 
 notes wealth gotten by a man's labour. Wealth gotten 
 most honestly hath somewhat in it, \\hieh, through 
 our weakness and corruption, may draw us to wick- 
 edness, and therefore here it falls under that notion. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the creatures which promise the most 
 help, and raise expectation highest in times of trou- 
 ble, can do little or nothing for us. " Their silver 
 and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in 
 the day of the wrath of the Lord;" things precious 
 and powerful can do nothing for the owners in the 
 day of distress, Zeph. i. 18; Prov. xi. 4. They can- 
 not deliver, they cannot profit in the day of man's 
 jealousy ; wealth will not profit then, much less in 
 the day of God's wrath. 
 
 But it is said, Eccles. vii. 12, "Money is a de- 
 fence;" and chap. X. 19, "Money answereth all 
 things." Money may defend from poverty, human 
 w rongs, but not from sickness, death, or the wrath of 
 God ; and it may answer for all our debts to men, but 
 not for our debts to Heaven. It is not the fruit of 
 your body can answer for the sin of your soul, Micah 
 vi. 7, much less the fruit of your purse. 
 
 The profit men labour for in their health, will not 
 profit in the days of God's wrath. Judas's thirty 
 pieces could not still one throb of his conscience. 
 Herod's royal robes, sceptre, crown, greatness, could 
 not protect him from the teeth of a few feeble worms ; 
 nor all Jerusalem's gold and silver, the Jews from the 
 fury of the Medes, Isa. xiii. 17, 18. It is not all 
 your wealth can keep the plague out of the city, or 
 secure your lives when it is come. 
 
 In a famine, is not one loaf of bread more satisfy- 
 ing than all the gold of the earth ? Silver and gold 
 are not eatable ; green herbs are more serviceable 
 in such a case than they are. Let the counsel of 
 God's Spirit therefore prevail with you, Prov. xxiii. 
 4, 5, " Labour not to be rich : cease from thine own 
 wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which 
 is not ? for riches certainly make themselves wings, 
 they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." Here 
 are three arguments against it. 
 
 (I.) It is human wisdom, not divine, to do so. 
 
 (2.) They are inconsiderable things, they have no 
 being in them, they are not sufficient to help and de- 
 liver you in your straits. 
 
 (3.) They are uncertain things, they make wings 
 to themselves and fly away ; they are like birds in 
 the nest, that seem to dwell there, but presently 
 their feathers grow, and they are gone ; and their 
 wings are eagle's wings, they fly swiftly, strongly 
 from you — a fire in a night, &c. Therefore set not 
 your licarts to get riches ; or if they be gotten, set 
 not your hearts upon them. 
 
 O'bu. 2. That wealth in the day of God's wrath, 
 wdicn he deals willi sinners, is so far from advantag- 
 ing, that it prejudiceth and wounds. " They shall 
 east their silver in the streets," &c. ; they found it 
 did them hurt. In prosperity they plead prerogative, 
 and nuist have their will ; and in adversity they 
 have their prerogative above others, but it is a prero- 
 gative of woes. If any sufler, go into captivity, they 
 (lo it first, Amos vi. 7- Ncbuzaradan took (he rich 
 and fat ones with him, and left the poor that had no- 
 thing, to dress the vineyards, and possess the land, 
 Jer. xxxix. 10; these had the privilege of safety, 
 when others had a prerogative of misery. The 
 wealth of these men did multiply their woes. 
 
 (1.) One woimd to them was, that they had not 
 believed the prophet's threatening the ruin of their 
 estates.
 
 Ver. 16—19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 177 
 
 (2.) That they had gotten their estates by unlaw- 
 ful means. 
 
 (3.) Tliat they had done little good, but much 
 hurt by them. 
 
 (4.) That they were disappointed now, and could 
 not bribe the Chaldeans with all their estates to 
 spare them; thty regarded not gold, Isa. xiii. 17. 
 Hence the Chaldce renders that in Prov. xi. 4, 
 " Riclies profit not," a lie profits not. Riches are 
 lying and deceitful things, they disappoint, and tliis 
 wounded tlicm. 
 
 (5.) They were so smitten with fear, distraction, 
 and blindness, that they saw not what to do witli 
 their wealth, but threw it away ; they do not carry 
 it away. 
 
 (G.) That what they had laboured hard for, kept 
 with difficulty, prized so higli, must now in a moment 
 be parted with and thrown away. 
 
 (/■) That all opportunities were now lost of doing 
 good to their friends or others with their estates. 
 
 (8.) Tliat they should be exposed to more shame, 
 scorn, misery, and be more sensible of the same, than 
 those that never had any estates ; like one tliat hath 
 warm rlothes, and being stripped of them, is more af- 
 fected with the cold than beggars that feel it every 
 day. 
 
 (9.) That they had not sought the eternal good 
 of their souls with their estates, but sinned witli 
 them, and made way for a dreadful account. 
 
 (10.) And lastly, that their lives were in the 
 greater danger the more wealthy they were. Riches 
 invite enemies to plunder, Jer. xlix. 31. Fat cat- 
 tle are nearest the slaughter : wealthy men are called 
 fat men, they are filled and fatted with their gi-eat 
 estates, and llie wrath of God came first upon them, 
 Psa. Ixxviii. 31 ; Judg. iii. 29. It was their gold 
 that caused the Jews' bellies to be ripped, when the 
 Romans took Jerusalem. 
 
 Obs. 3. Note here the folly of covetousness; men 
 tainted with that sin lay up wealth for they know 
 not whom, for their enemies. The Jews were a 
 covetous people, Micah ii. 2; Isa. Ivii. 17. They 
 were generally given to covetousness, even great and 
 small, Jer. vi. 13; viii. 10. Their eyes and hearts 
 were for nought but covetousness, Jer. xxii. 17; 
 wealth was the only object of their eyes, and idol of 
 their hearts. They had treasures, but God could 
 give them away to spoilers, Jer. xv. 13; yea, "all 
 their treasures," Jer. xvii. 3. Little did these covet- 
 ous Jews think that the Babylonians should be en- 
 riched with their labours, wealth, and treasures : 
 they had vexed their heads, hearts, and hands to get 
 houses and vineyards, banks of silver and gold, and 
 now mere strangers, men their souls hated, must pos- 
 sess their desirable things, and fill their pockets with 
 their treasures. This misery is upon all men, that 
 they cannot foresee who shall enjoy what they get ; 
 and therefore it should prevail with men to labour 
 less for the creature, seeing they work for they know 
 not whom ; it may be a Babylonian, some bloody 
 cavalier, idolatrous papist, or bitter enemy to God 
 and his saints, some one he never saw, exchanged a 
 word with, had any reference unto ; and what thou 
 hast been twenty or thirty years in gathering, he 
 shall possess in one hour. David, Psal. xxxix. (i, 
 brands this jiractiee with vanity and disquietment of 
 spirit : '• Surely every man disquiets himself in vain ;" 
 and why ? " He heapeth up riches, and knoweth not 
 who shall gather them," who shall be owner and 
 take them into his custody. Solomon upon this 
 ground hated his labour in pursuit of the creatin-e, 
 because he knew not whether the man that came after 
 him should be a wise man or a fool, Eeel. ii. 18, 19. 
 You know neither the man nor his qualities who 
 
 N 
 
 shall come after you, and why will you disquiet 
 yourselves for you know not whom, wise men or 
 fools, saints or devils? You will say it is for vonr chil- 
 dren. If so, they are either godly or ungodly; if 
 godly, they have wealth enough, God is their por- 
 tion, he will bless their endeavours, and provide suf- 
 ficiencies ; if ungodly, a little is enough, if not too 
 much for them. But you are not sure to leave your 
 estates to your children, nor to keep them yourselves ; 
 remember thieves and robbers are in the land, and if 
 you labour all day for thieves at night, what folly 
 will this be ! 
 
 Obs. 4. Abuse of our estates defiles them, and 
 brings the wrath of God upon them. Their silver 
 and gold they had hoarded up and confided in, main- 
 tained their pride, lusts, and idolatry with, that must 
 be separated as an unclean thing. Lev. xiv. 55, the 
 leprosy defiled garments, houses ; and sin defiles 
 persons, whole estates. When men divert their 
 estates otherwise and to other ends than God hath ap- 
 pointed them, they wrong the creature, imbondage it 
 to their own lusts ; they defile if, and bring the 
 curse of God upon it. Isa. xxiv. 5, 0, " The earth 
 also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because 
 they have transgressed the laws, clianged the ordi- 
 nances, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore 
 hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that 
 dwell therein are desolate :" their sin defiled the land 
 and fruit of it, and brought the curse of God upon 
 all. When Adam and Eve put the fruit of the tree 
 to another use than God appointed, they then brought 
 the curse upon themselves and the whole earth. 
 Jer. XV. 13, " Thy substance and thy treasures will I 
 give to the spoil, and that for all thy sins." If you 
 would not have your substance defiled and cursed, 
 take heed of abusing it. 
 
 (1.) Acknowledge all you have to be the Lord's. 
 You are stewards, not owners ; Hos. ii. 9, God calls 
 it his corn and wine, &c. Not only receive them as 
 f^om God, but acknowledge them to be the Lord's. 
 
 (2.) Labour to see much of God in your estates. 
 Most look at the outside, the glass, the galley-pot, 
 not at what is within. God is in the creatures, 
 Rom. i. 20. 
 
 (3.) Make use of all truths you hear about the in- 
 sufficiency and emptiness of the creatures : say, Here 
 is unich silver, gold, bread, but I live not by these, 
 but the blessing of God; these are nothing without 
 him. 
 
 (4.) Work up your hearts nearer to God by them. 
 Estates should be as ladders and mountains ; when 
 you are nn them you go up towards heaven, and 
 when at the top you are nearest heaven. 
 
 (5.) Have your eyes ever upon something better 
 than your estates, unto which make your estates 
 serviceable. 
 
 (().) Lay out your estates for God, his worship, 
 cause, the public, the spiritual good of your fmiilii s 
 and friends, and relief of the poor. It is Christ's 
 direction. Lay not up treasures, but lay out ; give and 
 it shall be given you, &c. 
 
 (7.) Meditate oft upon that scripture. Come, "give 
 account of thy stewardship," Luke xvi. 2, as you do 
 of your silver and gold. 
 
 Ver. 20 — 22. As for the heavti/ nfhis ornamenf, 
 he set it in mnjesfy : hut they made the iincii^es of 
 their abominations and of their detestable thinn-s 
 theicin : therefore have I set it far from them. 
 And I uill (jire it into the hands of the stranu^ers 
 for a prej/, and to tJie irirked of the earlli for a 
 spoil; and theii shall jiidlute H. 3lii faee u-ill I 
 turn also from thcm,und thei/ shall pollute mi/ secret
 
 178 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VII. 
 
 place : for the rollers .shall enter into it, and de- 
 file it. 
 
 In these verses comes the temple into considera- 
 tion, and tlie calamity which befell them in regard 
 thereof, with the cause of it. The temple here is 
 described, 
 
 I. By its appellation; it is " his ornament." 
 
 II. By its qualification ; it is beautiful. 
 
 III. From its end, set for majesty ; or from the 
 manner, set in majesty. 
 
 IV. The author; "'He set it." 
 
 V. The calamities which befell it; and these are, 
 
 1. Rejection, or separation of it; "I have set it 
 far from them." 
 
 2. Tradition of it into hands of others : and they 
 are set out to be, 
 
 (1.) "Strangers." 
 
 (2.) " The wicked of the earth," ver.21. 
 
 3. Depredation ; it shall be " for a prey," and 
 "for a spoil," ver. 21. 
 
 4. Profanation ; " they shall pollute it," ver. 21. 
 
 5. Aversion, and that of the face of God; ver. 22, 
 " My face will I turn also from them." 
 
 6. Contamination of the holy of holies ; "They 
 shall pollute my secret place." 
 
 The cause of all these evils is set down in ver. 20, 
 " They made the images of their abominations and 
 of their detestable things therein." 
 
 " As for the beauty of his ornament, he set it in 
 majesty." Some expositors interpret these words, 
 not of the temple, but of their silver, gold, jewels, 
 and such like precious things, with which they were 
 decked as a bride, for which they should have been 
 dutiful and thankful ; but they abused all to idolatry, 
 pride, and service of their lusts, and so provoked 
 God to take all from them. 
 
 joiiaihai.etRab- OtluTS expound them only of the 
 pio'^taeJp'reiaT' tcmplc, to whose judgment I incline, 
 lur. Naidmai. and that upon these considerations : 
 
 First, it is said, " He set it," which takes off the 
 connexion of this verse with the former. Had it 
 been meant of their gold, silver, &c. it should have 
 run phirally, They cast their silver in the streets, 
 they shall not be satisfied ; and so, they set the 
 beauty of their ornament for pride ; whereas it is 
 " he set," not the people, but God. 
 
 And if it be urged. He set their gold, silver, the 
 beauty and ornament of his people, in majesty, or for 
 excellency, it suits not with what follows, " they 
 13 in m Montan. "''"'"Ic images of their abominations and 
 Fiscal. J un. ' detestable things therein;" it should 
 °'^' have been lliereof, if that had been the 
 
 sense ; but it is therein, agi'eeable with the original, 
 and so choice expositors render it. 
 
 Secondly, those words in the 21st verse refer more 
 properly to the temple, than to ihiir silver and gold; 
 holy things arc sidiject to pollution more than com- 
 mon. Some, to help this, interpret the word for 
 pollute, to kill, and make the sense, they shall kill 
 „ their captives; and so refer it to the 
 
 men, not their wealth ; or if to wealth, 
 then they render it vilify, they shall vilify their 
 silver and gold which they have made their beauty 
 and ornament. But I see no cause why the sense of 
 the word sliould be ehangedin this verse, when it is 
 taken for polluting in the next verse, " they shall 
 pollute my secret place." 
 
 Thirdly, in this 22nd verse, he speaks of the secret 
 place, the holy of holies, which was in the temple ; 
 and hence to me is an argument that he spake of the 
 temple. 
 
 " The beauty of his ornament." These words are 
 a metaphorical description of the temple, whereby 
 
 it is likened to a beautiful garment which becomes 
 the party that wears it, or to any precious thing that 
 ad( rns the body. Exod. xxxiii. 4, "No man did put 
 on him his ornaments ;" that is, his chief apparel, 
 and other precious things which might adorn the 
 body. Ornaments were choice things, 2 Sam. i. 24; 
 Judg. viii. 2G; the Hebrew word signifies choice 
 robes, silken veils, costly chains, crowns, &e. AVhat- 
 evcr excellency may be fastened to the body or gar- 
 ments of a man, such an ornament was the tcmplc, 
 to God, and to the Jews. 
 
 First, to God. It was his "dwelling-place," Psal. 
 Ixxiv. 7, and no mean one. Isa. Ix. 7, he calls it 
 the "house of his glory:" so great was the glory 
 of it, that in comparison thereof the second temple 
 was nothing. Hag. ii. 3. There multitudes of his 
 people met, prayed; whence it is named "an house 
 of prayer," Isa. h-i. 7- There they sang praises, 
 Psal. cl. 1 ; and God there "inhabited the praises of 
 Israel," Psal. xxii. 3. There they sacrificed, 2 Chron. 
 xi. 16, and it was an house of sacrifice. Thither did 
 kings bring presents unto the Lord, Psal. Ixviii. 29 ; 
 kings did honour the place, and garnished the temple 
 with great gifts : Seleucus king of Asia, of his own 
 revenues, bare all the costs belonging to the service 
 of the sacrifice, 2 Mace. iii. 2, 3. By his worship 
 there he was distinguished and made known from all 
 false gods. There the saints desired to dwell, to be- 
 hold the Lord's beauty, Psal. xxvii. 4, and see his 
 power, Psal. Ixiii. 2. There " ever}' one speaks of 
 his glory," Psal. xxix. 9. The earth is fiill of the 
 glory of God, but the temple is fuller ; there is the 
 chief and brightest glory, glory that affects every 
 eye, heart, and tongue. All these are ornaments and 
 honour to God. 
 
 Secondly, to the Jews. If we should look at the 
 structure only, it was one of the stateliest and most 
 magnificent buildings that ever the world had ; there 
 were one hundred and fifty thousand workmen em- 
 ployed about it, 1 Kings v. 15, 16, and seven years 
 in building, chap. vi. 37, 38. The apostles wonder- 
 ed at the goodly stones and glory of the second tem- 
 ple, Luke xxi. 5, which were inconsiderable to those 
 of the first. Hag. ii. 3. In this respect it was a great 
 ornament to Jerusalem and the Jewish nation. But 
 it was " the house of the great God," Ezra v. 8 ; the 
 house "called by his name," Jer. vii. 11. There he 
 made his people joyful, and accepted their offerings, 
 Isa. Ivi. 7. There "they had " fatness," Psal. xxxvi. 
 8, "loving-kindness," Psal. xlviii. 9, help in their 
 distresses, Psal. xx. 2. In Ezek. xxiv. 21, 25, you 
 have these expressions : it is called " their strength," 
 "the excellency of their strength," "the desire of 
 their eyes," " that which their souls pitied," (lest it 
 should be destroyed,) " their glory," " the joy of 
 their glory ;" all which show the temple was an or- 
 nament to them. 
 
 " The beauty of his ornament." The temple was 
 beautiful, Isa. Ixiv. 11, "Our holy and beautiful 
 house is burned up with fire." There was a mate- 
 rial beauty in it, as you may read, 1 Kings vi. and 
 2 Chron. iii. 6, 8, " He garnished the house with 
 precious stones for beauty ; and the gold was gold 
 of Parvaim : and he overlaid it with fine gold," 
 which made it glorious. There was a spiritual 
 beauty in it ; Psal. xcvi. 6, " Strength and beauty are 
 in his sanctuary :" there was " the beauty of holi- 
 ness," Psal. xxix. 2 ; there w-as beautiful order, 
 beautiful worship, beautiful ordinances, and a most 
 beauteous God, Psal. xxvii. 4, whose glorious pre- 
 sence and lovely truths drew the eyes and hearts of 
 the godly there : Isa. ii. 3, " Come ye, and let us go 
 up to the mountain of the Lord, and he will teach us of 
 his ways." Hence Zion the mount, where the teni-
 
 Ver. 20—22. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 179 
 
 pie was, is called "the perfection," or universality, 
 "of beautj'," Psal. 1. 2: there was all beauty. 
 
 " He set it in majesty." In magnificent pomp; or 
 for majesty, glory, and excellency. God set the 
 temple among the Jews, that it might be their glory, 
 excellency, and make them glorious and excellent 
 among ail nations. Isa. Ix. 15, is the same word, 
 and it is rendered " an excellency ;" it might well 
 be, for so S is rendered thrice in one verse, Exod. 
 xxviii. 2, "Tliou shalt make holy garments for Aaron, 
 for glory and for beauty." 
 
 Or, he set it into majesty, into excellency. The 
 majesty and excellency of the temple was not only 
 the statelincss of the structure, the strength, and 
 situation of it on a hill ; but in that it was sanctified 
 and bare God's name, 1 Kings ix. 7 ; ^"iii- 29. It 
 was a type of Christ and the cluirch, a part of their 
 worship ; in it their gifts and sacrifices were sancti- 
 fied and accepted. Matt, xxiii. 19 ; " Fire came down 
 from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and 
 the sacrifice," 2 Chron. vii. 1. There was the 
 " ark of the covenant," a sign of God's presence, 
 1 Kings viii. 6. In it were glorious visions of God, 
 Isa. vi. 1. It was filled with glory, 2 Chron. vii. 1. 
 The people prayed towards the same, 1 Kings viii. 
 38. The eye and heart of God was there perpe- 
 tually, 1 Kings ix. 3. It was " exceeding magnifical, 
 of fame and of glory throughout all countries," 
 I Chron. xxii. 5. In these and such things consist- 
 ed the majesty, glory, and excellency of the temple ; 
 and therefore it is called " their excellency," Ezek. 
 xxiv. 21 ; "the excellency of Jacob," Amos \i. 8. 
 Vide Drus. in Some refer it to the holy land, to 
 locum. tjjpjr own habitations, to the city. If 
 these, any, or all of them were " the excellency of 
 Jacob," much more the temple, Psal. xlvii. 4. The 
 temple and worship of it distinguished them from 
 and made them excel all others. 
 
 " But they made the images of their abominations 
 and of their detestable things therein." Here is the 
 cause of all their miseries : God had dealt bountifully 
 with them, set his ornaments amongst them, put 
 glory upon them, and distinguished them from all 
 nations ; but they forgot God, proved ungrateful, and 
 polluted their glory, even the temple, with supersti- 
 tion and idolatry. These words, " abominations and 
 detestable things," have been opened before. 
 
 " Therefore have I set it far from them." Here 
 is one part of their calamity. God had set the 
 temple amongst them, a divine ornament, for his 
 own honour, their good and glory ; but they cor- 
 rupted themselves, dishonoured God, and defiled his 
 worship, his holy place, with their own inventions, 
 hbominations. and detestable things ; and " therefore 
 have I set it far from them ;" or, as the Hebrew is, I 
 have made it to them an unclean thing, or given it 
 to them for separation ; it .shall now be for their re- 
 proach, rejection, and destruction ; it shall be taken 
 from them, and destroyed out of my sight as a pol- 
 luted thing. 
 
 06.'.'. 1. The chief ornaments and glory of a people 
 are, the ordinances of God, and his presence. The 
 temple where God manifested himself, and the divine 
 ordinances that were to be performed, were their 
 beauty, their glory ; Zech. ii. 5, " I will be the glory in 
 the midst of her," meaning Jerusalem. Other things 
 may be some ornament to a people, as riches, peace, 
 liberty ; cities well built, peopled, and fortified ; 
 arts and sciences, wise counsellors, strong soldiers, 
 just judges, good laws, prudent governors, these 
 adorn a people ; but their chief ornament is true re- 
 ligion and the divine presence. The gentiles had 
 those fore-mentioned ornaments ; yet, because they 
 had not the true God, and true worship of his, 
 N 2 
 
 amongst them, they were unlovely, accounted of as 
 dogs, Matt. XV. 2(j; an unhappy, a hopeless people ; 
 Eph. u. 12, " Without Christ, without God." David 
 tells you what people is happy; even "that people 
 whose God is the Lord." Not those that have a 
 false god and false worship among them ; but they 
 who have Jehovah, his temple and ordinances, with 
 them. Moses knew that the presence of God and 
 his ordinances were the honour and chief ornament 
 of a nation, and therefore makes a challeno-e, Deut. 
 iv. 7, " AVhat nation is there so great, w ho hath God 
 so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is." God 
 was nigh them in the pillar of fire, in the cloud, in 
 the tabernacle, in the ark, and other ordinances, and 
 no nation under heaven had God so near them, and 
 gloriously amongst them, as the Jews had. No 
 nation, though ever so wise, wealthy, or honourable, 
 had such statutes and righteous judgments as they 
 had. Moses tells God that his presence would be 
 an argument they had found favour in his sight, and 
 were a people " separated from all people on the 
 earth," Exod. xxxiii. IG. 
 
 Divine ordinances and God in them is the glory 
 of any people, Jer. ii. II ; Psal. cvi. 20. Therefore 
 when the ark was taken, which was a symbol of 
 God's being amongst them, and before which they 
 worshijiped, Phinehas's wife said, " The glory is 
 dejiarted from Israel," 1 Sam. iv. 22. But when 
 God manifests his presence with a people, then are 
 they glorious, Isa. lix. 21 : he speaks of his cove- 
 nant with them, and Spirit upon them ; and chap. Ix. 
 1, 2, he saith, " Arise, shine ; for thy light is come, 
 and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 
 Darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness 
 the people ; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and 
 his glory shall be seen upon thee :" others had 
 darkness, but the people where God and his ways 
 were, had light and glory. When the new Jerusa- 
 lem comes down from heaven, she is said to have 
 the glory of God, Rev. xxi. 10, 11. Pray that the 
 new Jerusalem may come among us, that so " glory 
 may dwell in our land," Psal. Ixxxv. 9. 
 
 Obs. 2. It belongs to God to appoint worship, and 
 the beauty of it. He set the ornament and beauty 
 of it ; not Moses in the tabernacle, nor Solomon in 
 the temple, might prescribe any substantial or cere- 
 monial worship. Exod. xxxv. 10, " Every wise- 
 hearted among you shall come, and make all that 
 the Lord hath commanded : not what I have com- 
 manded, but what the Lord hath commanded : though 
 they were wise, yet they might not do aught after 
 their own hearts or heads, no, not Solomon, the 
 wisest of men : 2 C'hron. iii. 3, " He was instructed 
 for the building of the house of God;" 
 the Hebrew is, founded ; he had a 
 foundation laid in him by the Spirit of God, before 
 he laid the foundation of the temple, or did any of 
 the work thereof. 
 
 What God appoints is an ornament, hath beauty, 
 is for glory ; but let men set uj) aught in the worship 
 of God, it hath no beauty, but blackness, no holines.s, 
 but iniquity ; and God must be worshipped " in the 
 beauty of lioliness," 1 Chron. xvi. 29, not in the 
 blackness of iniquity. Men think that ceremonies do 
 become the worship of God, that jiictures, altars, 
 golden vessels do make it glorious ; but all is de- 
 formity which God hath not set up, and set up for 
 glory. 
 
 Ob.i. 3. The people to whom God vouchsafeth his 
 presence, his ordinances, they are his glory above all 
 others. In 1 Cor. xi. 7, it is said " the woman is 
 the glory of the man," especially when she is adorn- 
 ed witli many jewels, and more virtues. The church 
 is compared to a bride, Isa. Ixi. 10; Ixii. 5; and
 
 180 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VII. 
 
 when she is decked wilh God'.s ordinances, and 
 beautified witli the graces of his Spirit, liow doth he 
 rejoice over her, delight in her, what a glory is she 
 unto him ! The church is God's glory, Isa. iv. 5, 
 as the wife is man's ; and being under covert-baron, 
 he will protect her, and esteem her as his glory. 
 Hence he calls his people his peculiar treasiu'e, 
 Exod. xix. 5; his portion, Dcut. xxxii. 9 ; his jewels, 
 Mai. iii. 17; his anointed, Psal. cv. 15; a holy 
 temple, the habitation of God, Eph. ii. '21, 22; the 
 fulness of God, the body of Christ, chap. i. 23. And 
 Christ calls the church his love, his sister, his spouse, 
 a garden enclosed, a spring shut up, a fountain seal- 
 ed. Cant, iv. 10, 12; the fairest among women, chap. 
 V. 9 ; fair as the moon, clear as the sun, chap. vi. 10; 
 and i)leasant for delights, chap. vii. G. The church 
 is very beautiful and glorious, " a crown of glory in 
 the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the 
 hand of her God," Isa. Ixii. 3. The world hath base 
 and low thoughts of the church and people of God, 
 but they are his glory, and glory in his hand. 
 
 Obs. 4. That images in the places of God's wor- 
 ship are unwarrantable and sinful. Here God com- 
 plains, that they made images, and set them in the 
 .^, temple; the Hebrew signifies an image, 
 
 shape of things corporeal, or incorpo- 
 real, and it is tile same with that in Gen. i. 27, " God 
 created man in his own image ;" and this word in- 
 cludes all images ; 2 Kings xi. IS, they brake Baal's 
 images : be they images of creatures, or Creator, 
 they may not come into the place where God hath 
 set his name, and meets his people. The cherubims 
 were by divine appointment, Exod. xxv. 18, others 
 were forbidden, Exod. xx. 4, " Thou shalt not make 
 unto thee any graven image." The Targuni hath 
 the same word which is here ; and if no images 
 may be made for holy places and uses, they may not 
 Proirept. ad be bniuglit into them, being made. 
 Gent. Clemens Alexandrinus calls it a deceit- 
 ful art to make pictures, and saith we are forbidden 
 -^ . I . to exercise it. The emperor Adrian 
 v'iia Ac'inai'i'i. Commanded temples to be made in all 
 Ale'a'udVseu. f^iti^s without images, bare temples 
 without such ornaments ; whence came 
 the proverb, Adricni tenmlum, The temple of Adrian. 
 When the gentiles built tliem bare temples, and when 
 Adrian made such temples, it was conceived they 
 were for Christ: the gentiles demanding of the 
 christians why they had no known images, it was 
 Minnt. Fieiix, fiuswcred, What image shall be made 
 ill vii^ocia. ' to God, when man himself is God's im- 
 ua. setu 1. ^^^^ Ambrose saith, Our church know- 
 eth no such thing as pictures. Jcrom, upon Ezek. 
 iv. saith. We worship one image only, and that is 
 Christ, the express image of the Father; no other 
 image ought to be in the assemblies but Christ, and 
 Concil. riib. what he appoints. It was a canon of 
 C.36. the Eliberine council about the time of 
 Constantine the Great, It is our mind that pictures 
 ought not to be in the church, lest that which is 
 worshipped should be painted on the walls. There 
 is great danger in them, as you may read at large in 
 the homily of the Peril of Idolatry ; and bitter con- 
 tention they caused among the eastern and western 
 christians heretofore, and still great strife and oireiicc 
 is between ];apists, Lutherans, and others, about 
 them. The Lord convince all of their unlawfulness, 
 throw out all such abominations and detestable 
 things. 
 
 Ohs. 5. Such is the corruption of man, that he is 
 ungrateful for, and abusive of, the choicest of mercies. 
 God had set his tein]de and pure worship amongst 
 them in much beauty, for glory to them, and to him- 
 self; but they, forgetting what a high favour this 
 
 was, instead of honouring God in his temple, and 
 preserving his worship entire and pure, bring in 
 the images of their abominations, their detestable 
 things, and so blemish their beauty, defile their or- 
 nament, and stain their glory. It was wicked to 
 corrupt themselves with strange marriages, Ezra. x. 
 2 ; by dealing treacherously with their lawful wives, 
 Mai. ii. 15, 1(5 ; by making a calf to worship, Exod. 
 xxxii. 7, 8 ; but worse to bring their detestable things 
 into the temple, into God's presence and ordinances. 
 When they made the calf, Moses was in the mount 
 receiving instructions for worship, yet they had no 
 place fixed for worship, nor the way of worship 
 clearly opened unto them ; but when God had set 
 his temple in Zion, they had a fixed place, a settled 
 way of worship, and the most glorious beautiful 
 worship in the world ; yet they corrupt themselves 
 herein. The majesty of God's presence there, his 
 glory, his commands did not awe them, they were 
 not content with what his infinite wisdom had pre- 
 scribed, the abomination and detestableness of their 
 images was not seen ; but they being blinded with 
 their own conceits, and hardened with their sins, 
 proceeded to corrupt God's worship. Zcphaniah 
 saith of them, that they " corrupted all their doings," 
 chap. iii. 7. Even when they had to do with God 
 in matters of religion and their salvation, even there 
 they were corrupters, " a corrupt spring," Prov. 
 xxv. 26. 
 
 Obs. 6. The church's unthankfulness for choice 
 mercies, causeth upbraiding "buts" from God. He 
 set his temple, the greatest ornament and blessing 
 they could have, but they made the images, &c. 
 Nothing exasperates God more than wretched un- 
 kindness after great mercies. Psal. cvi. he reckons 
 up God's great mercies to them, and they being un- 
 grateful, ever and anon comes in a "but," ver. 7, 1-1, 
 2.3, -13. He did deliver tliem, do great things for 
 them ; but they provoked him, lusted, murmured. 
 Ingratitude is a kicking the benefactor ; Deut. xxxii. 
 15, " Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked." The Scrip- 
 ture hath observable expressions touching this sin ; 
 Deut. xxxii. 6, 7, " Do you thus requite the Lord, O 
 foolish people and unwise ? Is not he thy Father that 
 hath bought thee ? hath he not made thee and estab- 
 lished thee ?" How did they requite the Lord ? they 
 corrupted and spotted themselves with the sins of the 
 times and places. They were a perverse people to- 
 wards God, and therefore saith Moses, "Do ye thus 
 requite ?" Sec. It is folly and madness in you. Isa. 
 V. 2, God repeats the kindnesses vouchsafed the 
 house of Israel ; and ver. 3, he calls the " inhabit- 
 ants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah," to judge be- 
 tween him and his vineyard. God refers it to men 
 to judge how kind and bountiful he had been, how 
 base and ungratefiil they ; and therefore he would 
 break down the wall thereof, and lay it waste. In 
 such a case as this he was willing to be judged by 
 men ; they could not but see the great wrong done 
 to God, and justify him in righting himself In- 
 gratitude makes the author worse, and the Benefac- 
 tor angry and wary. 
 
 Angry ; fur God denounces six woes against them 
 in the chapter afterwards. 
 
 Wary ; he would take heed how he bestowed his 
 choice mercies upon such people : others that would 
 be more ft^uitful and thankfid should have them: 
 Matt. xxi. 4.3, " The kingd(/m of (iod shall be taken 
 from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the 
 fruits thereof;" not their own fruits, but such as 
 Christ and the gospel appointed. 
 
 This sin was so prodigious, that Lycnrgus would 
 make no law against it; but God hath made a law ; 
 Psal. ix. 17, " The wicked shall be turned into hell,
 
 Ver. 20—22. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 131 
 
 and all the nations that forget God." Ingratitude is 
 the greatest and worst forgetfulness : Judas forgot 
 the kindness and bounty of Clirist, he betrayed him, 
 and therefore was turned into hell. 
 
 Ver. 21. " And I will give it into the hands of 
 strangers for a prey," &c. They had sinned shame- 
 fully, and God would punish them severely. Strang- 
 ers, that is, Chaldeans, should come and have temple, 
 city, them, and all they had in their hands ; and 
 God, whom they flattered themselves in, thought 
 still to be their friend, their help, even he would give 
 all into their hands. 
 
 These Chaldeans he calls the "wicked of the 
 earth." David calls such, " men of the world," Psal. 
 xvii. 14; "men of the earth," Psal. x. 18; that is, 
 base and vile men, as it is in Job : children of base 
 men, viler than the earth, lit for any cruel and bloody 
 designs. The Septuagint hath it, roig \oi/iol£ Tijg yijg, 
 the plagues of the eaith. 
 
 The king of Babylon and his cursed crew went 
 up and down in the world plundering nations, shak- 
 ing kingdoms, and laying all waste, Isa. xiv. Hi, 17. 
 They were the pests and vipers of the earth, and into 
 their hands must the Jews, God's own people, fall ; 
 they must spoil the temple, have all the ornaments, 
 vessels, and treasures in it, all the pictures of silver 
 and gold. 
 
 " They shall pollute it." The temple was a 
 holy place, the habitation of the holy God, had in 
 much reverence by all sorts of people ; but now they 
 should see it not regarded as a thing consecrated to 
 God ; now heathens, uneircumcised ones, should en- 
 ter it, which was against law, Ezek. xliv. /. Now 
 their blood should be spilt in it, now it should be 
 made a prison, a stews, a stable ; the Jews had pol- 
 luted it with images, and these barbarians should 
 pollute it many other ways. 
 
 Obs. 1. The abuse of spiritual mercies causeth 
 God to take them away. Jer. xi. 15, their lewdness 
 caused the holy Uesh to pass from them : they had 
 the temple, the beauty and worship of it for their 
 glory, to make them glorious within, as well as glo- 
 rious without ; hut they abused their mercies, pol- 
 luted God's ordinances, and therefore he removed 
 the temple far from them. 
 
 He took it away. The Lord had set his name at 
 Shiloh, pitched his tabernacle there. Josh, xviii. I ; 
 and they abused his name and worship, as you may 
 see, Psal. Ixxviii. 58 : then " he was wroth, and 
 greatly abhorred Israel : he forsook the tabernacle 
 of Shiloh, and delivered his strength into captiWty, 
 and his glory into the enemy's hand," ver. 59 — 
 61 ; which some interpret of the ark taken by the 
 Philistines, 1 Sam. iv. 11. And in Jer. vii : when 
 they lived loosely, and blessed themselves with their 
 carnal coniidence in the temple, and worship of 
 it, ver. 4, 9 — 11, God sends them to Shiloh, and 
 bids them search and sec what he did there for the 
 wickedness of his people, and threatens to do so by 
 them, even destroy their temple, worship, them and 
 their seed. They sinne<l in special things, and God 
 punished them in that wherein they sinned : they 
 pollute the temple, and (iod causes the Chaldeans 
 to pollute it ; they confide in the temple, and God 
 lays it waste ; they make an idol of it, and set it 
 near their hearts, and God removes it far off; they 
 look upon it as clean, as their glory, and God re- 
 moves it as vomit, as a polluted, loathsome thing. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is a dreadful thing when God gives up 
 a church, a state, either or both, to the wills of 
 wicked men. 
 
 Yer. 21. " I will give it into the hands," &c. I 
 have set it far from them. If evil come to the gates 
 of Jerusalem, and doors of the temple, it is from the 
 
 Lord, Micah i. 12 ; and it is very grievous when 
 God judges kingdoms and churches. 
 
 1. They fall into the hands of men, strangers they 
 know not, the wicked of the earth, such as neither 
 fear God nor regard men, bulls, lions, dogs, Psal. 
 xxii. 12, 13, 16. 
 
 2. They are for a prey and spoil ; their names, 
 estates, habitations, chastity, children, limbs, con- 
 sciences, lives, are preyed upon. They " eat up God's 
 people as they eat bread," Psal. xiv. 4 ; they make 
 them " meat unto the fowls of heaven, and beasts of 
 the earth ;" they crush their bones, and shed their 
 blood like water, Psal. Ixxix. 2, 3. 
 
 3. Profaning and polluting of holy things. " They 
 shall pollute it." God's holv name is blasphemed; 
 Psal. Ixxix. 10, " Where is "their God ?" why doth 
 he not now help them ? they have prayed, fasted, 
 hoped in him, made their boast of him, why comes 
 he not to help them ? All holy things are defiled, 
 and therefore Asaph, in Psal. Ixxix. 1, made upon 
 the destruction of Jerusalem, cries out, " O God, the 
 heathen are come into thine inheritance ; thy holy 
 temple have they defiled." I'his came first, and 
 sti'uck deepest into the heart of this holy man, that 
 heathenish, idolati'ous, bloody, profane persons should 
 come and pollute the holy ordinances of God. The 
 church laments this as a di'cadful evil ; Lam. i. 10, 
 " The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all 
 her pleasant things ; for she hath seen that the 
 heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst 
 command that they should not enter into thy con- 
 gregation." 
 
 4. Removal of all true worship, divine ordi- 
 nances. " I will set it far from them." Now they 
 should be without God, the means to know him, and 
 way to worship him ; now God would have no obla- 
 tion, incense, new moons, sabbaths, solenm feasts, or 
 any worship at Jerusalem ; there only was he 
 known, worshipped ; and now temple, ordinances, 
 and all must down, be taken away, and God be un- 
 known, unworshipped in the world ; no public place 
 for him left. Isaiah, foreseeing this, saith, chap. xlii. 
 22, " This is a people robbed and spoiled ;" and 
 hereupon having a special query to make, he calls 
 for attention ; " Who among you will give ear to 
 this, and hearken for the time to come," ver. 23, 
 and make use of it ? will anj- of you do it ? Then 
 thus, Jacob is spoiled ; but " who gave Jacob for a 
 spoil, and Israel to the robbers ?" was not Jacob the 
 beloved of God, his excellency, his glory ? Szc. "did 
 not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned ? for 
 they would not walk in his ways, neither were they 
 obcchent unto his law. Therefore he hath poured 
 upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of 
 battle : and it hath set him on fire round about, yet 
 he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not 
 to heart," ver. 24, 25. And is it not so with Eng- 
 land ? We had need to cry with David, Psal. Ixxix. 
 8, y, " O remember not against us former iniquities : 
 let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us : for we 
 are brought very low. Help us, O God of our sal- 
 vation, for the glory of thy name : and deliver us, 
 and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake." 
 
 Ver. 22. " ily face will I turn also from them, 
 and they shall pollute my secret place," &c. This 
 verse is a continuation of their calamities, and hath 
 in it two grievous ones. 
 
 1. The aversion of God's face. 
 
 2. The pollution of the secret place. 
 Concerning the first, it is questionable from whom 
 
 he would turn his face, from the Chaldeans, or from 
 the Jews. Some carry it, from the Chaldeans, and 
 so the sense is this ; though they be a barbarous 
 people, and do unheard-of things, pollute my holy
 
 182 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VII. 
 
 place, sack my holy city, bum all to the ground, 
 slay and carry ca])tive my peojile ; yet I will turn my 
 face from them, I will not restrain them at all, but 
 let them go on freely and fully in such ways, and 
 take no notice of any thing done against me or my 
 worship. 
 
 Others, to whom I incline, expound it of the Jews, 
 that God would turn his face from them : and then 
 the meaning is, that God would alibrd them neither 
 his presence, counsel, comfort, nor deliverance; but 
 he would leave them to shift for themselves, and 
 take no further care of them. God's face in the 
 Scripture signities, 
 
 1. His presence. Psal.li. II, "Cast me not away 
 from thy presence ;" the Hebrew is, from thy face. 
 
 2. Counsel. 2 Sam. xxi. 1, "David inquired of 
 the Lord ;" Hebrew, sought the face of the Lord, 
 that is, sought counsel of him. 
 
 3. Comfort. Psal. Ixix. 17, "Hide not thy face 
 from thy servant, for I am in trouble ;" shine upon 
 me, and comfort me. So Psal. xxxi. IG, " Make thy 
 face to shine upon thy servant ;" that is, favour, 
 comfort, make him glad. 
 
 4. Deliverance. Psal. xiii. 1, " How long wilt 
 thou hide thy face from me ?" that is, deny to de- 
 liver me. 
 
 There is mention of hiding his face, turning away 
 his face, and setting his face against. The first be- 
 fals the godly, Psal. Ixxxviii. 14, and xxx. 7- The 
 other two the wicked, as here in our prophet: they 
 were a wicked generation, and God turned his face 
 away from them, and set his "face against them," 
 Ezek. XV. 7. 
 
 " They shall pollute my secret place." That is, 
 the smictuin xanctnruin, the most holy place, where the 
 ark was, which had the two tables of stone, 1 Kings 
 viii. 9. Into this only came the high priest, and 
 but once in the year, and that upon the day of ex- 
 piation ; in which day he expiated the sins of the 
 whole year by blood, for blood and incense he car- 
 ried in with him, Heb. ix. 7- And some think the 
 smoke of the incense darkened the holy place, be- 
 cause no man can see God and live. 
 
 At first it was filled with a cloud, and God was in 
 
 that cloud, 1 Kings viii. 10, 12. God's nature is 
 
 in\nsible, and inaccessible ; but in the cloud and 
 
 smoke he did manifest his glorious Yjresence to the 
 
 high priest, who consulted with the Lord for the 
 
 ^ ^^^ ^ good of the people. The Septuagint 
 
 caiip.i xpnuuTi- renders it, my visitation, because there 
 
 oT„p,o». Qpf[ jj^,| j])g high priest visited one 
 
 another. It is observed in histories, that Pompey 
 
 went into this secret place, and being asked what he 
 
 saw, said, a cloud, and hereupon it was given out, 
 
 ^^^^^ that the Jews were cloud worshippers. 
 
 i".i>i. .lu.i. One Heliodorus also thrust into this 
 
 tteerns. holiest of placcs, who afterwards was 
 
 struck with madness. 
 
 " Robbers shall enter into it." The Septuagint 
 hath it, they shall enter without restraint, without 
 any keeping them back : Theodotus, plagues shall 
 enter, men that will be a plague, infecting and de- 
 stroying all. The Hebrew notes such robbers as 
 do make a violent entrance into the houses and pos- 
 sessions of others. 
 
 Your margins express it, "burglars ;" and burglary, 
 in the acceptance of law, is a felonious entering 
 into another man's house wherein some person is, or 
 into a church in the night time, with intent to steal, 
 or do some felonious act there, albeit the act be not 
 done. But in the natural signification of the word, 
 burglary is a robbing of a house, whether by night 
 or day ; and these Chaldeans were burglars, men that 
 should break into the sanctuary, and secret place. 
 
 Ezek. xviii. 10, there is the same word, and it is 
 joined with blood ; " If he beget a son that is a robber, 
 a shedder of blood," a house-breaker, a murderer, 
 which shows there is violence joined with it, which 
 regards not laws and rights. 
 
 Obs. That judgments succeed one another upon a 
 guilty people. " Also I will turn away my face." 
 He had spoken of sad judgments, some, eleven or 
 twelve, and yet he comes in with more : there was a 
 succession of sins, and answerably, a succession of 
 judgments. 
 
 Obs. 2. They are a miserable people fi-om whom 
 God turns his face. Where his face is, there is hap- 
 piness. When Aaron and the priest prayed for a 
 blessing upon the people. Numb. vi. 25, 2f), this was 
 the chief petition of it, " The Lord make his face 
 shine upon thee ; The Lord lift up his countenance 
 upon thee ;" intimating that if they had these, no 
 comforts or blessings would be wanting; Psal. xliv. 2, 
 3, the destruction of the Canaanites, the iniplantatioii 
 of the Israelites, and their salvation, is attributed to 
 the "light of God's countenance," as well as to his 
 "right hand and arm;" because if they have God's 
 face and favour, they shall have his hand and arm 
 to do any thing for them. Therefore Asaph, in Psal. 
 Ixxx. three times prays thus ; " Cause thy face to 
 shine, and we shall be saved," vcr. 3, 7, 19. He knew 
 if God's face were towards them, God's power would 
 work for them, and they should have salvation of all 
 sorts ; salvation from enemies, which there he speaks 
 of, and fi-om errors ; Psal. Ixvii. 1, 2, if God's face did 
 but shine upon them, then his way would be known 
 upon earth ; if not, they should mistake and fall into 
 errors and foul ways. Prov. xvi. 15, " In the light 
 of the king's countenance is life ;" much more in the 
 light of God's countenance is life, the life of king- 
 doms, churches, families ; which Daniel kmw, and 
 therefore prayed, chap. ix. 17, that God would make 
 his face to shine upon the sanctuary which was deso- 
 late ; the turning his face to them would quickly re- 
 edify it, as the turning it from them had made it 
 desolate. When the Lord doth turn away his face, 
 nothing but misery attends a people. Gen. iv. 14, 
 saith Cain, " From thy face shall I be hid ;" thy 
 favour will not be towards me, no shine shall I have, 
 but all shade : and what then ? " I shall be a vaga- 
 bond in the earth," and f ar death by every one that 
 meeteth me. When God takes away his face from 
 any, the face of calamity and drstruction is towards 
 them, nay, destructiim is upon them. No sooner doth 
 God turn away from a nation, but di struction steps 
 into that nation : Dent. xxxi. 17, "1 will hide my 
 face from them, and they shall be devoured, and 
 many evils and troubles shall befall them ; so that 
 they will say in that day. Are not these evils come 
 upon us, because om' God is not among us?" where 
 5'ou may see that God's hiding his face is departing 
 from them, and his departing lets in all miseries. When 
 God is gone, nothing is left but sin and judgment, 
 and they make fearful work in all places. 
 
 If God would pity people under destruction, it were 
 something: but he will not pity them then, not hear 
 their groans, receive their prayers, nor mind their 
 tears, wounds, blood, death. Jcr. xviii. 17, "I will 
 show them the back, and not the face." And when ? 
 " in the day of their calamity," when they are in 
 their greatest distresses, necessities, without council, 
 help, comfort, even at the height of misery, I will 
 not vouchsafe them one look, but go away from them 
 in fury, leave them without hope, my back shall be 
 toward them, and not my face. See Jcr. xiv. 12. 
 
 Obs. 3. When the holy God goes away from his 
 holy places, then profane, polluting wretches come 
 into them. I will turn away my face, and robbers
 
 Ver. 23. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 183 
 
 shall pollute my secret place. Thither should they 
 come, whither none but the holy God and high priest 
 were to come. And whereas before it was tilled 
 with a cloud, with incen.se, with glory, and the pre- 
 sence of God ; now it should be tilled w^ith burglars, 
 idolaters, oaths, and all profaneness, which could 
 not but atVect the Jews, that were so zealous of pre- 
 serving the temple unpolluted by strangers. Acts 
 xxi. 27, 28, a great stir was made against Paul by 
 tlie Jews, because he had brought Greeks into the 
 , , . , temple, and polluted it. And when the 
 
 Joseph. 1. 7. <ie t i ^i it 
 
 Bfii. c. 4. an.i Jews werc under the Roman emperors, 
 j,°f Aut?i'!c'"i4. they obtained of them, that none, no 
 lie saiih, " Caiy- not a Roman, should enter into the tem- 
 ing'r e.'il ie'm- ' ' plc Under pain of death ; yet themselves 
 f'"'"- polluted it with false worship, drave 
 
 God out of it, and of the holiest of holies, and made 
 way for the worst of men to come in and delile the 
 same. 
 
 Ver. 23. Make a chain : for the land is full 
 ofbluodij crimes, and the city is full of violence. 
 
 In this verse is another calamity, and the cause 
 of it laid down. The calamity is a chain ; the cause, 
 blood, or violence. 
 
 " Make achain." "Trouble," saith the Septungint : 
 " a conclusion," the Vulgate ; the Hebrew is, pimn 
 and so it is rendered in I Kings vi. 21, chains, and 
 so ihe rabbles take it here. We may extend it to a 
 rope, a withe, a chain, any thing that a man may be 
 bound with. 
 
 A chain is an emblem of bondage ; Nahum iii. 10, 
 " Her great ones shall be bound in chains." See Psal. 
 cvii. 1(J; Actsxii. G. And Jer. xxviii. 13, 14, the yoke 
 of iron that the prophet was to make, noted the im- 
 bandaging of the nations unto Nebuchadnezzar, king 
 of Babylon. 
 
 Whether by the " chain" be prefigured the siege 
 of Jerusalem, as some interpret it, or leading into 
 captivity, as others will have it, bondage is included 
 in both. Some think the Lord here alludes to ma- 
 lefactors, that in chains answered at the bar of jus- 
 tice, as Paul did. Acts xxvi. 29. They had freely and 
 fully run out in vicious courses, but now they were 
 to answer it to God, who was set in judgment, and 
 sentencing them to suffer heavy things. This also 
 notes bondage, which is the sense of the prophet. 
 
 In a chain four things are considerable. 
 
 1. It is burdensome, heavy. I Kings xii. 10, 
 " Thy father made our yoke heavy." And yokes, 
 chains, fetters about necks, anns, legs, are grievous : 
 when Peter was bound with two chains. Acts xii. 6, 
 it was troublesome unto him ; and so was the con- 
 dition of these Jews, the siege, their captivity was 
 very burdensome ; therefore. Lam. iii. 7, the church 
 saith, " He hath made my chain heavy." She calls 
 her bondage a chain, and a heavy one. 
 
 2. It is restrictive ; a man's liberty of going and 
 doing is taken away by a chain. Acts xxi. 33, when 
 Paul was bound with chains, whither could he go, 
 what could he do ; and bondage by a siege, captivity, 
 imprisonment, sickness, or otherwise, is a restraint 
 of a man, which are threatened here. " Jehoahaz 
 was put in bands at Riblah, that he might not reign 
 in Jerusalem," 2 Kings xxiii. 33. 
 
 3. Reproachful. 2 Tim. i. 16, " Onesiphorus was 
 not ashamed of my chain." There is shame and 
 reproach attending chains, and therefore Paul at the 
 bar, when he wished Agrippa and others were such 
 as he was, excepted his bonds, as reproachful things. 
 Acts xxvi. 29. This is threatened here, and was 
 made good; Jer. xxxix. 7, Zedekiah had his eyes put 
 out, and was bound with two brasen chains ; and so 
 
 the thing he feared came upon him, mocking and 
 reproach, Jer. xxxviii. 19. And not only he, but all 
 of them should be for " a curse, and an astonish- 
 ment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the 
 nations," Jer. xxix. 19. 
 
 4. Tendency to further punishment. Paul was 
 bound. Acts xxi. 33, "with two chains;" and Acts 
 xxiv. 27, two years he lay in bonds ; and to what 
 end ? that he might come to judgment, and have 
 further punishment; and he was to that purpose 
 brought before Agrippa and Festus, Acts xxvi. 29 ; 
 and that in bonds : they tend to other and sorer judg- 
 ments. Hence the devils are said to be " in chains 
 of darkness reserved unto judgment," 2 Pet. ii. 4; 
 Jude 6 ; they have not their full damnation, they 
 are icmt'-rfamHa/j, half condemned, and kept in chains 
 for the rest. And here God would chain up these 
 Jews with bondage, and reserve them in bondage to 
 further punishment, even eternal destruction : Job 
 xxi. 30, "The wicked is reserved to the day of de- 
 struction, they shall be brought forth to the day of 
 UTath." 
 
 " The land is full of bloody crimes." The Hebrew 
 is, the judgment of bloods ; they gave out unjust 
 sentences that had power, and condemned the inno- 
 cent; guilty men were spared, and the good sufl'ercd. 
 2 Kings xxi. 16, Manasseh filled Jerusalem with in- 
 nocent blood ; Athaliah slew all the royal seed, 
 2 Kings xi. 1 ; Naboth is falsely condemned and 
 stoned to death, 1 Kings xxi. 13; Zechariah is slain 
 by an unjust sentence, 2 Cliron. xxiv. 21 ; Joash the 
 king was slain by his servants, ver. 25. Hence it is 
 said, Isa. lix. .3, that their "hands are defiled with 
 blood;" that they are "fidl ofblcod," Isa. i. 15; and 
 here, that " the land is full of bloody crimes ;" Ezek. 
 xxii. 6, every prince in Israel to his power did shed 
 blood. 
 
 By "bloody crimes" some understand heinous sins, 
 capital oficnces, such as deserved death, and the 
 shedding of men's blood ; as, idolatry, Deut. xiii. 6, 
 9 ; blasphemy. Lev. xxiv. 16 ; witchery, sorcery, 
 Lev. XX. 27; bestiality, Lev. xx. 15, 16; sodomy, 
 ver. 13; adultery, ver. 10; rapes, Deut. xxii. 25; 
 false witnessing, to take away a man's life, Deut. 
 xix. 16, 18, 19, 21 ; stealing any man, woman, or 
 child, Exod. xxi. 16. These, with murder and trea- 
 son, were bloody sins. So that the meaning may be, 
 the land was so full of these crimes, that it could not 
 escape severe punishment : Hosca iv. 2, " By swear- 
 ing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and com- 
 mitting adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth 
 blood. Therefore shall the land mourn," &c. 
 
 " The city is full of violence." This holy city 
 was now so corrupted, that whereas God and men 
 expected justice and righteousness at Jerusalem 
 above all places in the world, there was violence ; 
 yea, a fulness of violence. 
 
 By violence, understand whatever was contrary to 
 justice and equity ; as fraud in bargaining, thefts, 
 oppression, usury, withholding of rights and wages 
 from the owners thereof, pillaging men of their 
 estates, 8ce.: Ezek. xxii. 7, "In thee," that is, Jeru- 
 salem, " have they set light by father and mother ; 
 oppressed the stranger ; vexed the fatherless and the 
 widow." 
 
 That blood and violence, the sparing of the guilty, 
 and condemning of the innocent, do bring lands and 
 cities into bondage ; such sins put thorn into chains, 
 which are burdensome, reproachfiJ, restrictive, and 
 tending to further miseries: Ezek. xii. 19, "They 
 shall cat their broad with carefulness, and drink their 
 water with astonishment, that her land may be de- 
 solate from all that is therein, because of the violence 
 of all them that dwell therein." It is spoken of
 
 184 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VIJ. 
 
 Jinisalem, Ezck. xxii. 4, " Thou art become guilty 
 in thy blood that thou hast shed ; and hast deliled 
 thyst-dl' in thine idols which thou hast made ; and 
 thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art 
 come even unto thy years : therefore have I made 
 thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to 
 all countries." Jerusalem's sins brought reproaching 
 chains upon her, which grieved and nmch vexed her, 
 ver. 5. Zeph. iii. 1, " ^V'oe to her that is filthy and 
 polluted, to the oppressing city !" And why woe to 
 her? which includes all miseries, all judgments ; 
 " her princes within her are roaring lions ; her judges 
 are evening wolves," ver. 3; they suck the blood, eat 
 the lU sh, and gnaw the bones of the people, and 
 therefore woe to them ! Jer. vi. 6 — 8, " Hew ye 
 down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem : 
 this is the city to be visited ; she is wholly oppres- 
 sion in the midst of her. As a fountain casteth out 
 her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness : 
 ■violence and spoil is heard in her ; before me con- 
 tinually is grief and wounds. Be thou instructed, O 
 Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee ; lest I make 
 thee desolate, a land not inhabited." She refused 
 instruction, and was made desolate. Let us be in- 
 structed, now we look to have our chains broken, i5>.-c. 
 Jer. xxii. 15, Ki, when Jcsiah "judged the cause of the 
 poor and needy, then it was well with him " and the 
 land; but when Jehoiakim's eyes and heart were for 
 covetousness, blood, oppression, \iolence, then God 
 threatened that he should be cast out, and " buried 
 with the burial of an ass," ver. 17, 19. Isa. x. 1 — 3, 
 " Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, 
 and that write gricvousness w hich they have pre- 
 scribed ; to turn aside the needy from judgment, and 
 to take away the right from the poor of my people, 
 that widows may be their prey, and that thej' may 
 rob the fatherless ! And wliat will ye do in the day 
 of visitation ? to whom will ye flee for help ? and 
 where will ye leave your glory ?" Let magistrates, 
 judges, men in place, take heed what decrees they 
 make, what sentences they pronounce in judgment ; 
 they may make our chain heavy, &c. Let people pray 
 earnestly that God would assist them, guide them by 
 his Spirit, that they may judge righteous judgment, 
 execute justice upon delinquents, and keep the land 
 from blood and violence. Of Edom it is said, " For 
 thy violence against thy brother Jacob shame shall 
 cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever," 
 Obad. 10. 
 
 24. Jf'herefore I uill bring the worst of the 
 heathen, and they shall possess their houses: I 
 will also make the pomp of the strong to cease; 
 and their hulij places shall be dejiled. 
 
 In this verse he shows what instruments God 
 woulil use, and they were the Chaldeans, whose title 
 IS, " The worst of the heathen;" and they should, 
 
 1. Possess their houses. 
 
 2. Destroy the pomp of the Jews, &c. 
 
 3. Defile the holy places, and so lay waste both 
 civU and ecclesiastical state. 
 
 r-T ni.ii,im vei " Worst of thc hcathcn." The root 
 n.aiignum esse, wlieuce the word " worst " comes, sig- 
 nifies to be wicked, to be a malignant, to do evil ; 
 Jer. iv. 22, " They are wise to do evil." The Sep- 
 
 tuagint renders it here, The wicked of 
 
 iov„po„r. „^p heathen : and it is the same word 
 
 Vnf.w'Zlt' ■which is given to the devil, I John iii. 
 
 v«is. Ml li.e 12, "Of that wicked one," the great 
 
 malignant of heaven and earth. The 
 Chaldeans are here called the worst of nations, or 
 heathens, as the Hebrew is. Their wickedness ap- 
 
 pears in these things : they were a peevish people, 
 they rolibed Job of his camels, and slew his servants, 
 Job i. 17; they were great sorcerers, Dan. ii. 2, 10; 
 great oppressors, Isa. xiv. 4, 17; very cruel, there- 
 fore compared to lions, Isa. v. 29 ; to a razor, Isa. 
 vii. 20; to cockatrices and serpents, Jer. viii. 17; 
 they were idolatrous, Ezck. xxiii. 14; a bitter and 
 hasty nation, Hab. i. 6; terrible and dreadful, 
 ver. 7 ; all for violence and spoil, ver. 9 ; they were 
 drunkards, Hab. ii. 1.5 ; riroud and unsulierably 
 covetous, ver. 5. And Ezck. xxiii. 25, set Dsuu xxvui. 
 it is said, they shall deal furiously with -ly-ji. 
 thee ; they shall take away thy nose, and thine 
 ears, and deal hatefully with thee, ver. 29; they 
 shall stone them, des])atch ihcni with swords, and 
 burn up their houses with fire, ver. 47. These were 
 the worst of nations, or the worst of that nation 
 should come. 
 
 " They shall possess their houses." These wicked 
 and merciless wretches, sparing neither man, woman, 
 nor child, should take all into their possession. 
 
 The word for "possess" hath a con- 
 trary signification : to inherit, possess, ^^^ 
 Dent. iv. 1, and to disinherit, dispossess, Zcch. ix. 
 4, " The Lord will cast her out," it is the same 
 root ; and you have both significations 
 in one verse. Josh, xxiii. 5, "The Lord ^:i£nv 
 shall drive them from out of your sight; and ye 
 shall ])0ssess the land ; " it is the same root for 
 driving out and for possessing. This is rare, and 
 for the learned to observe, that a word signifies con- 
 ti-ary things. 
 
 Its frequent signification is to possess by here- 
 ditary right, to succeed ; but it is used sometimes 
 more largely, to possess any way, as in 1 Kings 
 xxi. 15; Deut. ii. 24, Ahab took possession of Na- 
 both's vineyard, and Moses of the king of Heshbon's 
 land, which was not by succession. And so it is to 
 be taken in this place ; they should come in by 
 force, and possess their habitations. And there is 
 something more in this phrase ; possessing notes 
 continuance of habitation in their hands, as being 
 their own : 1 Cor. vii. 30, Let them that buy be as if 
 they possessed not. Possessors look upon things 
 as their own, and to continue with them. Here by the 
 Chaldeans' possessing their houses, is closely point- 
 ed out the seventy years' captivity, all which time 
 the land and habitations left should be in the Chal- 
 deans' power. 
 
 " I will also make thc pomp of the strong to cease." 
 Whatever lifts up, and causes the spirits of men to 
 swell, it is pomp ; so the word is used, Jer. xii. 5, 
 " In the swelling of Jordan," when the waters in- 
 creased, and made the river swell over its baidis, 
 which Jordan always did in harvest time, Josh. iii. 15. 
 
 " Strong," or potent, men ; whence great ones are 
 called potentates. Their riches, attendance, honours, 
 places, alliances, and the like, do make them j.roud. 
 stately, self-confident ; but their pomp, power, magni- 
 ficence, excellency, shall all cease and come to no- 
 thing. It is not their arms or armour, their big looks, 
 insolent speeches, rich attire, honourable titles, or any 
 thing wherein they glory, that shall advantage them ; 
 be it their soldiery, their strong and stout men, their 
 pomp shall cease, I will crush their crests, and bring 
 them low. Pintus understands it of Zedekiah and 
 the nobles of Jerusalem. 
 
 " Their holy places shall be defiled." The holy 
 places were the court, the temple, and the holiest 
 of all. Some refer these words to persons, and not 
 to places, and read them thus : They shall see jto- 
 fancd, defiled, that which sanctify them ; noting, the 
 priests who sanctified the people by their ofi'erings 
 and prayers for them, they should not be regarded
 
 Ver. 11. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 185 
 
 as priests of the highest God j but because they had 
 dealt deceitfully with the people, corrupted the 
 covenant of Levi, therefore they should be slain as 
 other persons, or led into captivity with theni. 
 
 Otliers read the words thus : They shall inherit 
 their holy places, the Chaldeans shall come and 
 take possession of them, because it is said here, 
 
 „, , , " their holy places," and not mine. It 
 
 IS conceived by some that these were 
 chapels, or oratories, which they had made in 
 several places in or near to their houses, and conse- 
 crated to God. 
 
 Obs. 1. That God can use the worst of men to ac- 
 complish his holy designs, and execute his righteous 
 judgments. The Chaldeans he brings to afflict, 
 chain, and take captive the Jews. Wicked men have 
 wicked ends, answerable principles, and mediums to 
 attain those ends, Isa. x. 7 ; but they are as staves 
 and rods in the hand of God, with which he corrects 
 hypocritical nations, ver. 5, G. They are God's 
 sword, God's hand, Psal. xvii. 13, 14; and he knows 
 how to use both to effect his own pdeasure, and to 
 execute judgments upon sinners, and that without 
 sin. Hath not God brought in, and set on work the 
 worst men among us ? What miscreants, blas- 
 phemers, plagues, vermin, what Egyptians, Chal- 
 deans, and bloody, merciless wretches, have we doing 
 mischief in this land .'men that justify Chaldeans, 
 that are skilful to shed blood, to cheat a nation of 
 its God and religion, to betray and undo kingdoms. 
 Many wonder such vile wretches should live and 
 have a being upon the earth ; many are troubled 
 that God uses such filth and scum to do him any 
 service ; but we must know that there is use of 
 thistles, scorpions, and serpents, and God would not 
 use such men if there were not good to be done by 
 them : Isa. x. 12, " It shall come to pass, that when 
 the Lord hath performed his whole work upon 
 mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the 
 fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the 
 glory of his high looks." 
 
 Oh.s. 2. That houses, lands, and good things of 
 this world, we should not much seek after, seeing 
 they may fall into the hands of the worst men. " I 
 will bring the worst of the heathen, and they shall 
 possess their houses." All they had gotten fell into 
 the hands of the Chaldeans. 
 
 Obs. 3. That no external excellency or pomp is to 
 be confided in. God will make the pomp of the 
 strong to cease ; policy, power, riches, honours, 
 strength of armies, are not pillars of brass to con- 
 fide in ; they are glass, metal, soon broken, and 
 blowTi away by the breath of the Lord, when he is 
 in a way of wrath. Nebuchadnezzar was a proud 
 tyrant, that with his plundering "made the world 
 as a wilderness," Isa. xiv. 17; that exceeded most 
 princes of the world in greatness, in kingdoms, tri- 
 butary princes, honour, sirength of soldiers, &c. 
 See, in ver. 11, what is said of him, "Thy pomp is 
 brought down to the grave ;" ver. 12, " How art 
 thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morn- 
 ing! how art thou cut down to the ground, which 
 didst weaken the nations!" So for Egypt, that 
 abounded in horses, Isa. xxxi. 1, and ti-usted in 
 their strength ; Ezek. xxx. IS, " The pomp of her 
 strength shall cease in lur;" and chap, xxxii. 12, 
 " By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy mul- 
 titude to fall." They shall spoil the pomp of Egypt, 
 and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed; 
 God would destroy them with a great destruction, 
 and tlien mercy should come in; then "neither the 
 foot of man nor beast should trouble them any 
 more;" then would the Lord "make their w-aters 
 deep, and make their rivers run like oil," ver. 13, 14. 
 
 Neither Babylonish nor Egyptian pomp endure 
 long, God makes " the arrogancy of the proud to 
 cease, and lays low the haughtiness of the terrible," 
 Isa. xiii. 1 1. 
 
 This God hath done lately before viciory .t York, 
 our eyes, he hath made the pomp of suJ July, i6h.' 
 the strong to cease. There were the potentates of 
 the earth ; honours, riches, strength, arms, horses, 
 and whatever might make them pompous, was with 
 them; great hopes and hearts they had ; they looked 
 for the day, and thought not only the north but the 
 south should be theirs ; not York, but London, yea 
 England, to be theirs : but they are disappointed, 
 their honour is laid in the dust, their pomp ceaseth. 
 We may say, according to that in Zech. xi. 2, 3, 
 " Howl, fir tree ; for the cedar is fallen ; because the 
 mighty is spoiled : howl, O ye oaks of Bashan ; for 
 the forest of the vintage is come down ;" their 
 strength and comforts are abated. " There is a 
 voice of the howling of the shepherds," (that is, 
 princes which should feed and seek the good of the 
 people,) " for their glory is sjioiled, a voice of the 
 roaring of young lions : for the pride of Jordan is 
 spoiled." 
 
 The ceasing of their pomp should be the beginning 
 of our praise : Psal. xcviii. 1, " O sing unto the Lord 
 a new song ; for he hath done marvellous things : 
 his light hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him 
 the victory." We may sing with Moses, Exod. xv. 
 0, 7, " Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in 
 power : thy right hand, Lord, hath dashed in pieces 
 the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excel- 
 lency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against 
 thee : thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed 
 them as stubble :" and with David, Psal. cxxxvi. 
 1 — 1, "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he i.9 
 good : for his mercy endurelh for ever," &c. : and 
 Psal. cvii. 8, " Oh tjiat men would praise the Lord 
 for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the 
 children of men !" 
 
 Obi: 4. Unspiritual worship pleases not God, 
 neither profits the worshippers. They had the 
 temple, ordinances of it, appeared oft before God, 
 brought their sacrifices ; but God threatens them, 
 and all their worship ; their civil estate, and ecclesi- 
 astical also, should be ruined. God in worship looks 
 at the hearts and spirits of men ; if they be absent 
 from, but half or in part, in the worship, God re- 
 gards it not. Their oblations are vain oblations, 
 Isa. i. 13. Their fasts and prayers are a trouble, a 
 weariness to God, ver. 14. And he tells them that 
 he had mouth-nearness and heart-farness, lip-labour 
 and heart-dishonour, Isa. xxix. 13; yea, Ezek. xxxiii. 
 31, he had mouth-love, mouth-worship, when their 
 silver and gold had heart-love, heart-worship. It is 
 the heart is the principal thing in God's eye ; " My 
 son, give me thine heart," Prov. xxiii. c„^^^, ^,_.^^^.^._ 
 '2b. If that be not given him m wor- 
 ship, nothing is given, nothing is ac- 
 cepted that we think given. David 
 therefore prays, Psal. cxix. SO, " Let my heart be 
 sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed." If 
 a man have a deceitfid spirit, a rotten heart, he will 
 be ashamed when he shall find that all his prayers, 
 fasts, services, shall be thrown back as dung in his 
 face. Cain gave the fruit of the earth, not the fruit 
 of his heart, and it w as not accepted ; neither do 
 they gain ought at God's hands who worship him 
 carnally ; 1 Tim. iv. 8, " Bodily exercise profiteth 
 little."' 
 
 Obs. 5. Men are apt to rest in outside wor.ship, 
 and bless themselves for it. They cried, " The 
 temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord," &c. 
 Jer. vii. 4. They looked at the temple and worship 
 
 "Ha;, cogua- 
 lii'iiis oninis 
 votiinlatis tt 
 aitloIIJS.
 
 1S6 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VII. 
 
 of it, and hence concluded safety to themselves ; 
 they thought it not probable that ever destruction 
 should come to them, their city, state, and church ; 
 they looked upon their temple as a glorious thing, 
 and that worship therein would secure them from 
 all ; but God oft threatens the defilement, removal, 
 and destruction of it, from this 20th verse to the 25th. 
 The Pharisee went up to the temple, he fasted, 
 prayed, gave tithes of all, and in such outside 
 services did he rest. Men now have their chapels 
 and chaplains, and think that by the prayers of the 
 one, and holiness of the other, they shall be fitted 
 for heaven. 
 
 Ver. 25. Destruction cometh ; and they shall 
 seek peace, and there shall he none. 
 
 He told them before, that the worst of the hea- 
 then should come, and now, that destruction was 
 coming ; and annexeth a new calamity, their vain 
 expectation, and real disappointment of peace. 
 
 " Destruction." The Septuagint is quite out in 
 rendering it mercy, propitiation cometh. Others 
 tii\aTum met read it thus, a strait grief cometh. The 
 ^""^P Hebrew signifies more, a breaking, a 
 
 cutting ofT: so the word is used, Isa. xxxviii. 12. 
 The Chaldee hath it, precision or forecutting. Pis- 
 cator, eucisor, the cutter up, the destroyer, or man of 
 destruction, cometh ; and he proves it must be taken 
 so, because it is joined with a verb masculine : and 
 so the sense is, Nebuchadnezzar the desti'oyer, the 
 man that cuts down nations, that breaks kingdoms 
 in pieces, is coming upon you, even Nebuchadnezzar, 
 who is destruction itself. 
 
 " They shall seek peace." God had threatened 
 by his prophets the utter ruin of Jerusalem, which 
 they would not believe. The false prophets sug- 
 gested the contrary, they cried " Peace, peace," Jer. 
 viii. 11 ; Ezek. xiii. 10; seduced the people, so that 
 they feared not : they considered the strength of 
 their situation, tower, temple, soldiers, and what 
 these projihets had said, and would not believe that 
 enemies should come within their gates. Lam. iv. 
 12 J but when the enemy was come, they sought 
 J, , ^.-. for peace and safety, but found it not. 
 They excused Zedekiah that he brake 
 with Nebuchadnezzar in the point of tribute : they 
 tendered silver and gold to buy a peace, and that 
 would not do it, Isa. xiii. 17; Ezek. vii. 19. They 
 conceived that men come far could not lie long be- 
 fore their walls and gates, but that they would be 
 consumed, or glad to retire with shame, so they 
 should be safe ; or if things came to the worst, that 
 the city must be yielded, yet it should be upon good 
 and honourable terms, at least with security of life 
 and liberty. But neither their money, their policy, 
 their prayers, or aught else, could prevail for peace 
 or safety ; they had found them perfidious, and 
 would hearken to no terms of peace ; the Chaldeans 
 were cockatrices, and would not be charmed, Jer. 
 viii. 17. Therefore it is said, ver. 15, "We looked 
 for peace, but no good came ; and for a time of 
 health, and behold, trouble !" 
 
 Some refer this seeking of peace, to God ; they 
 should in their straits, at the destruction by Ne- 
 buchadnezzar, cry to God, make many fasts and 
 prayers in the time of the siege, and seek for peace 
 with God, whom they had ofi'ended with their griev- 
 ous sins, and he would not hear them, peace they 
 should not find, Jer. xiv. 12; Ezek. xiv. 17, 18. 
 
 Obs. 1. That wicked men in time of divine judg- 
 ments, when they come upon them, are peaceless. 
 Destruction cometh, and they should seek peace. 
 They had neither peace within, nor peace without ; 
 
 wars were in their gates, and wars in their hearts ; 
 their own consciences did accuse, smite, condemn 
 them. Common calamities roused their sleejiy con- 
 sciences ; they saw themselves in ill case from Ne- 
 buchadnezzar, in worse by reason of God; the one 
 threatening their lives, the other their souls ; so that 
 which way soever they looked, peace they saw none, 
 the winds of affliction stirred the waves of their cor- 
 ruption ; Isa. Ivii. 20, " The wicked are like the 
 troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast 
 up mire and dirt." When the great winds are 
 abroad, the sea hath no rest, it cannot rest, it rages, 
 and throws up and out mire and dirt : so when great 
 and death-threatening calamities are abroad, wicked 
 men rest not, they cannot rest, they are " mire," 
 Isa. X. 6; and their expressions are miry; and 
 what is the conclusion ? " There is no peace to the 
 wicked, saith the Lord." They may say they have 
 peace, others may confirm their assertion, but God 
 saith they have none ; nothing of that which is in- 
 cluded within the sweet name of peace is to be found 
 in them. You may find Satan there, a hellish con- 
 science there, sinful lusts there, fears, sorrows, ter- 
 rors there, but no peace there. " The way of peace 
 they know not ; and there is no judgment in their 
 goings : they have made them crooked paths : who- 
 soever goetii therein shall not know peace," Isa. 
 lix. 8. 
 
 Obs. 2. Great necessities and straits cause sin- 
 ners to seek for that they formerly neglected, vio- 
 lated, viz. peace with God, and peace with man. 
 Zedekiah, these Jews, had broken the covenant 
 made with Nebuchadnezzar, they provoked God, 
 2 Chron. xxxvi. 12, 13 ; and now when destruction 
 was upon them, they seek peace from heaven and 
 earth : in their prosperity they regarded neither God 
 nor man, but when both were against them, then 
 they sue, they seek for peace at their hands. When 
 Herod's displeasure was upon the Tyrians and Si- 
 donians, they sought for ]ieace at his hands. Acts 
 xii. 20; and Hos. v. 15, " In their affliction they 
 will seek me early," and earnestly too ; Jer. xi. 14, 
 they cry in their trouble ; and, saith the Lord, " I 
 will not hear them in the time that they cry unto 
 me for their trouble." 
 
 Obs. 3. That states may seek too late for peace 
 with God and man ; they may defer so long, that 
 their seeking may be in vain, their endeavours frus- 
 trated, and hopes disappointed. " They shall seek 
 peace, and there shall be none;" neither God nor 
 man will give in any peace. 
 
 The date of mercy was out, and the door of hope 
 shut, therefore, Jer. xii. 12, God tells them the spoil- 
 ers were come, the sword devouring, and no flesh 
 should have peace, neither young nor old, though 
 they sought it earnestly. Instead of peace, they 
 should be in travail as one with child; their hands 
 should be upon their loins, their faces pale, and cry 
 out, " Alas ! for that day," Jer. xxx. 5, 6. The 
 time was come, that God had taken peace from the 
 land ; Jer. xvi. 5, " I have taken away my peace 
 from this people, even loving-kindness and mercies." 
 God had taken it away, and now it was too late for 
 them to seek after it, too hard for them to bring 
 back, or any friend they had. If they looked that 
 Jeremiah, who was a prophet, acquainted with and 
 interested in God, should do it, he was forbidden to 
 pray for them; Jer. xiv. 11, " Pray not for this 
 jieople for their good." If he prayed against them, 
 God would hear him, but not if for them ; it would 
 be sin in him so to do. If they looked for others, that 
 they had better thoughts of than Jeremiah, God 
 tells them that if they had as good men as Noah, 
 Daniel, and Job, who were acquainted with great
 
 Ver. 26. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 187 
 
 afflictions, coultl pray very powerfully, and being 
 precious men, righteous, perfect, desirable, as God's 
 testimony is of tliem, yet they should not help them 
 with their prayers at all, Ezek. xiv. 14. Nay, if 
 they should set upon fasting and praying themselves, 
 God would not hear, or give in any peace ; Jer. xiv. 
 12, " When they fast, I will not hear their cry ; and 
 when they ofl'er burnt-oll'ering and an oblation, I 
 will not accept them : but I will consume them." 
 They beg peace, I will send the sword ; they ask 
 bread, I will send a famine ; they desire health, I 
 will bring the pestilence : and these shall consume 
 them. 
 
 It is dreadful when any come too late unto God ; 
 then instead of mercy they meet with judgments. 
 Hence Jer. viii. 15, " We looked for peace, but no 
 good came ; and for a time of health, and behold 
 trouble !" When it will be thus with a land, see 
 Ezek. xiv. 13; Prov. i. 24, &c. ; Matt, xxiii. 37, 38. 
 
 Ver. 26. Mischief shall come upon mischief, 
 and ')-umour shall he upon rumour ; then shall 
 they seek a vision of the prophet ; but the laiv shall 
 perish from the priest, and counsel from the 
 ancients. 
 
 Here is more woe yet discovered, not single, but 
 multiplied woes, one mischief at the heels of ano- 
 ther ; no sooner shall one be over, but they shall 
 hear of another ; one mischief in the morning, and 
 presently news of another before noontide or even- 
 ing, and after that, another by midnight, and so they 
 were never free fi'om feeling and fearing miseries. 
 
 News they should have of the Chaldeans coming 
 with fury and for spoil, beset they should be with 
 mischiefs, and when they looked for comfort and 
 counsel from the prophets, priests, and ancients, 
 there should be no vision, no law, no counsel. 
 Those who had holpen them in former times should 
 now fail them. 
 
 " Mischief." Contrition, trouble, woe. This word 
 mischief sometimes notes sin, as Psal. xxxvi. 4 ; 
 cxl. 2; Acts xiii. 10; sometimes an ill accident 
 befalling one, 2 Kings vii. 9, " If we tarry till the 
 morning light, some mischief will come upon us ;" 
 sometimes judgment, Isa. xlvii. 11, " Mischief shall 
 fall upon thee ; and thou shall not be able to put it 
 oil';" the stroke of God shall come unavoidably. 
 They were a people " set on mischief," Exod. xxxii. 
 22, set upon sinning, and God told them he would 
 be set upon pmiishing ; Deut. xxxii. 23, " 1 will 
 heap mischiefs upon them ;" which here, in the 
 text, were coming one after another, and crowding 
 in upon them. 
 
 Mischief upon mischief notes multiplicity and co- 
 herence of judgments, sword, plague, famine, and 
 those evils which attend them, which are not a few. 
 Job xix. 12, you have a like phrase, " His troops came 
 together :" there was a multiplicity of calamities, 
 troops and coherency, they came together. 
 
 " Rumour shall be upon rumour." The news 
 shall be brought them of the Chaldeans' coming from 
 several quarters, and by several messengers, to their 
 city ; their ears shall be filled with tidings and re- 
 ports of their drawing near. It is conceived the 
 Jews had their scouts and spies abroad thatwatched 
 on the tops of the mountains, and places suspected, 
 and when any danger appeared, they gave notice 
 thereof, and so rumour was upon rumour. One 
 brought news that the king of Babylon was in arms 
 such a day with so many thousands ; a second, that 
 he had marched so far ; a third, that he had invaded 
 the borders of their land ; a fourth, that he had 
 taken some towns, put most to the sword, and burnt 
 
 the towns, &c. ; another, that they would presently 
 be at the gates of Jerusalem. 
 
 " Then shall they seek a vision of the prophet." 
 Finding no peace, seeing mischiefs multijjly, and 
 hearing sad rumours from all parts, they had one 
 refuge left, and that they make use of, viz. they 
 seek to the prophet for a vision. Surely, thought 
 they, we shall have some good tidings from heaven 
 w hen we have none from earth ; the prophet will 
 help us, when all others fail us ; in our great 
 straits we shall have some counsel or comfort. 
 
 But either there was no vision, or such as was in no 
 stead to them. The false prophets had nothing to 
 say, the true they hated, and what they said would 
 not be believed, or practised : Jer. xxxviii. 14, &c. 
 Zedekiah speaks to Jeremiah for a vision ; he makes 
 known the mind of the Lord, tells him what he must 
 do to save himself and the city, yield up himself into 
 the hand of the king of Babylon's princes, and then 
 he should live, and the city be uuburnt ; this vision 
 was sad, not entertained, and so as none. Zedekiah 
 and the rest would have had a vision, ver. 27, that 
 is, a word of God by the prophet to have freed them 
 from the misery and straits they were in, and there 
 was no such vision. 
 
 " But the law shall perish from the priest." And 
 the law shall perish, many read it so, noting out a 
 further degree of their misery. Prophecy shall not 
 only fail them, which is extraordinary, but even that 
 which was ordinary, the preaching and expounding 
 of the law, the priests should have no sound or true 
 knowledge of it. 
 
 Read it. But the law, &c. the sense will not much 
 difler. They look for visions from prophets, but 
 they shall not have the law from priests, vision and 
 preaching both shall fail them. 
 
 This phrase. To perish from, is a hebraism, and 
 notetli not abolition, but absence ; the law should not 
 be dissolved, lost, but taken from those priests, they 
 should be without the law. Take some places 
 where you have the like speeches : Psal. cxlii. 4, 
 " Refuge failed me ;" the Hebrew is, perished from 
 me, 1 was without refuge. Amos ii. 14, " Flight 
 shall perish from the swift;" power of flying shall 
 be absent. And Joel i. 5, " Howl, all ye drinkers of 
 wine, because of the new wine : for it is cut off from 
 your mouth ;" that is, there is none for you. And 
 so here, " The law shall perish from the priest ;" 
 that is, the sound knowledge and true interpreta- 
 tion of the law shall be absent from them, their lips 
 shall preserve no knowledge. 
 
 "Counsel fi-om the ancients." Elders : 
 some refer these to church officers ; the Jx^^'n! s! " Ei- 
 prophets were to teach them, the •'"^ot ihe 
 priests, to offer sacrifices, and the 
 elders to order and discipline them, which required 
 wisdom and counsel. 
 
 Others refer them to state elders, in which sense 
 the word is frequently used. Gen. 1. 7; Exod. xvii. 
 5 : Psal. cv. 22, and is there translated " senators." 
 Take it in which sense you will, counsel should 
 perish from them, they should not be able to advise 
 for the welfare of church or state. 
 
 06*'. 1. When a people is under divine displeasure, 
 there is a succession of evils for them, mischief after 
 mischief; they may not expect a few, but many. 
 Saul, after he had sinned in sacrificing, rejected God : 
 Samuel tells him that his kingdom should not conti- 
 nue, 1 Sam. xiii. 14. Then three companies ofspoil- 
 ers came, mischief from the Philistines, ver. 17. 18. 
 Then had they no smith in all Israel, ver. 19. After, 
 chap. XV. 23, he hears God had rejected him from 
 being king, that he had rent the kingdom from him, 
 ver. 28. After this he w as troubled with " an evil
 
 188 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VII. 
 
 spirit from the Lord," chap. xvi. 14. In chap. xvii. 
 10, Goliatli duties the armies of Israel. Chap, xviii. 
 7, 8, David is magnified above Saul, wliich vexed 
 him to the heart, and filled him with fear, vei\ 2;t. 
 He is disappointed of David, whom he attempts to 
 kill, eha|). xix. He distrusts his servants, and com- 
 plains of their unfaithfulness, cliaji. xxii. 1'he Phi- 
 listines invade his land, being in pursuit of David, 
 chap, xxiii. David and Abishai came upon Saul 
 sleeping, and could have killed him, chap. xxvi. 
 lieing sore distressed, he seeketh to the witch of 
 . Endor ; when God was departed, no answer by pro- 
 phets, and the Philistines were upon him ; the witch 
 raises the devil, who tells him of nothing but his 
 own and Israel's ruin, chap, xxviii. 19. 'Inese tid- 
 ings struck him half dead, ver. 20. After this, his 
 sons are slain, his army is routed, and he and his 
 armour-bearer kill themselves, chap. xxxi. Here 
 mischief followed upon mischief. 
 
 Pharaoh had ten plagues one after another : and 
 in the Revelation you I'ead of seven trumpets, seven 
 vials ; they came not single, but by sevens, and 
 brought in mischief after mischief, and judgment 
 after judgment. Jer. li. 31, 32, "One post shall run 
 to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, 
 to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken 
 at one end, and that the passages are stopped, and 
 the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men 
 of war are all'righted." 
 
 Many evils and troubles do befall states and 
 churches when they are under God's wrath. Dent, 
 xxxi. 17, "Then my anger shall be kindled against 
 them in that day, and 1 will forsake them, and I 
 will hide my face from them, and they shall be de- 
 voured, and many evils and troubles shall befall 
 them ; so that they will say in that day. Are not 
 these evils come upon u.s, because our God is not 
 among us." 
 
 When God is in a way of revenge, he is continu- 
 ally at his work, so that one misery is but the mes- 
 senger of another : and here is the misery of the 
 wicked, they shall perish rather a hundred times 
 over, than go unpunished. 
 
 Obs. 2. God proceeds by degrees and steps to se- 
 verity of judgments. Though people be exceeding 
 guilty, deserve as much wrath as is in all the vials 
 of God, yet he pours not out all his wrath at once, 
 mischief comes after mischief, and rumour after 
 rumour. First, some drops of a vial, then some 
 little streams, after that the strength. God hath 
 clemency in him, moderating his punishments ; if 
 little ones will prevail with sinners, he will with- 
 hold the greater ; sometimes, though he see no 
 amendment in the creature, his own goodness, bowels, 
 and compassion do cause him to forbear. Psal. 
 Ixxviii. 38, " He did not stir up all his wrath :" he 
 had cause to have done it; they flattered with him, 
 lied unto him, their heart was not right, they brake 
 covenant, ver. 3G, 37, and yet he stirred not up all 
 his wrath ; he kindled not the fire so hot as utterly 
 to consume them. Nay, that wrath which was up, 
 and coming out, he turned away; and why ? he was 
 full of compassion, and remembered they were but 
 flesh. Yet, because they were a stubborn peojile, 
 profited neither by mercies nor judgments, but fell 
 to idolatry, it is said, ver. 59, " he greatly abhorred 
 Israel ;" and then the consuming fire was kindled, 
 ver. G3. At first God's wrath is little, Psal. ii. 12 ; 
 " I was but a little displeased," Zech. i. 15 : but if 
 sin grow, God's wrath grows ; as Ahab's cloud, at 
 first little as a hand, but quickly it covered the face 
 of heaven, it was black with clouds and winds, and 
 there was a great rain. How little soever God's 
 wrath be in the rise, it can suddenly cover the face 
 
 of heaven, and cause a great rain, a rain of " fire and 
 brimstone, an horrible tempest," Psal. xi. G. God 
 hath great wrath, and fierceness of wrath, 2 Kings 
 xxiii. 2G. He hath a little finger, a hand, an arm, 
 and loins to be heavy upon sinners. He begins vvitli 
 the little finger ; if that do good he will stop, if not, 
 you shall feel his hand, his arm, and weight of lus 
 loins. He hath wrath reserved, Nahum i. 2 ; " wrath 
 to come," 1 Thess. i. 10. 
 
 Obis. 3. Wicked men in great straits will sue to 
 them for help, whom before they hated. They 
 could seek for a vision from the prophet now they 
 were in extremities, and they run from prophet to 
 prophet to get some counsel and comfort. The 
 false prophets, who had been countenanced by them, 
 had deceived them, the true were hateful to them; 
 Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Baruch were left, and now 
 they sue unto them for visions. See Jer. xxxvii. 1/, 
 and xxxviii. 14, 27, and xlii. 1 — 3. There the king, 
 princes, and pjcople, being distressed, seek to Jere- 
 miah ; yet he was cursed by them, chap. xv. 10, 
 beaten and put into prison, chap, xxxvii. 15. Ahab 
 sends for and considts with Micaiah, whom he hated, 
 \vhen he was to go out to war, and in a strait what 
 would be the issue of it, 1 Kings xxii. 8. When 
 the plagues were upon Pharaoh, then he sends for 
 Moses and Aaron, Kxod. viii. 8, 25, and ix. 27, and 
 x. 8, III, 24; he sends for them in haste, and in the 
 night, chap. xii. 31 ; seven times he did it. Pro- 
 phets are precious in times of trouble ; when men's 
 liberties, estates, and lives are in question, then they 
 are glad to have help from prophets ; their counsel, 
 prayers, holiness, they think may do them good. 
 Abimelech took away Abraham's wife ; but what 
 said God to him ? Gen. xx. 7, " Restore the man his 
 wife ; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for 
 thee, and thou shalt live : if not, thou slialt surely 
 die, and all that arc thine." 
 
 Take heed how you abuse and ill-treat the pro- 
 phets ; the time may come you may have need of 
 them, and be glad to hide yourselves under their 
 wings, ask their counsels, importune their prayers. 
 
 06.y. 4. They that will not hear God's servants 
 when they are at ease, shall not have help from 
 them in time of their distress. They refused to 
 hearken to Jeremiah, chap. xliv. 16, " As for the 
 word that thou hast spoken imto us in the name of 
 the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee ;" and now 
 they seek unto him for a vision, and there is none 
 for them, or that which afflicted them more than if 
 they had none. It is just with God to withhold 
 visions from the prophets, when people desire them 
 who slighted them when God gave them. If people 
 stop their cars, and will not hear, God will stoji the 
 priijjhets' mouths, they shall not speak. Lam. ii. 9, 
 " Her prophets find no vision from the Lord:" they 
 sought to the prophets, the prophets to the Lord, but 
 neither found any vision, night and darkness was 
 upon them, and there was " no answer of God," 
 Micah iii. G, 7. 
 
 Obn. 5. That it is a dreadful evil when God takes 
 away the signs of his presence. Visions among the 
 prophets, the law soundly interpreted by the priests, 
 and seasonable coimscl fi'om the elders, were evident 
 tokens of God's presence amongst them ; when these 
 failed, they were demonstrations of his absence. 
 Here they should all perish, i'rom the prophet, the 
 priest, and the ancient ; now they should neither have 
 extraordinary nor ordinary help, as it was with Said, 
 1 Sam. xxviii. 15, God answered him neither by 
 prophets nor by dreams, ^^■hich was an argument he 
 was departed, and hereupon he was in great distress. 
 Micah was troulded greatly when the Danites took 
 awtiy his idols, Judg. xviii. 23, 24; he thought that
 
 Ver. 2(5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 189 
 
 a grciit evil, that the signs of his gnds' presence were 
 gone; but how much greater evil is it, when tlie 
 signs of the true God's presence are taken away 1 
 1 Sam. iv. when the Philistines had routed the 
 Israehtes, and taken the ark, and a Benjamite brought 
 news of it to the city, " and all the city cried out," 
 ver. 13; great and small were afflicted at this, that 
 the ark, the pledge of divine presence, was gone ; 
 and Eli was not so much affected at the death of his 
 two sons, as at the taking of the ark ; when he heard 
 that was gone, he could live no longer, he fell back- 
 ward, ver. IS, lirake his neck, and died. So Phine- 
 has's wife upon this occasion falls into travail, and 
 names her child Ichabod, ver. 21, which is, Where is 
 the glory ? the ark is gone, God is gone, Israel 
 hath now no more glory. So here, the tokens of 
 God's being among them were remonng, vision fail- 
 ing, the law perishing, &c. ; and where these go 
 away, it is night ; ignorance comes in, errors in- 
 crease, and all woes are at hand. While God is 
 present by his word and ministers, what evils soever 
 fall out, there is relief in the word and ordinances 
 against them, thence arguments are fetched patiently 
 to l)cai- them ; but if thc-y be gone, that evil may 
 sink the heart without others ; and when seas of 
 vinegar, and floods of bitter water, compass you 
 about, you have no oil to allay them, nor sugar to 
 sweeten them. 
 
 Obi: 6. That truths are not confined to any sort of 
 men, not to prophets, priests, or ministers, in these 
 or any days ; the prophets .shoi;ld be without vision, 
 the law should perish from the priests, and counsel 
 from the elders. It was a conceit of old that this 
 rank of men should not he without knowledge and 
 truth : Jer. xviii. 18, " Come, and let us devise de- 
 vices against Jeremiah ; for the law shall not perish 
 from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the 
 word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him 
 with the tongue," &c. ; let us accuse him to be a false 
 prophet, get him silenced, imprisoned, put to death. 
 All in authority in the church, the prophets, the 
 priests, the ciders, are against him, and you need 
 not fear if he be taken out of the way ; though a 
 priest, a prophet, full of wisdom and counsid, there 
 will be others as good as he, more mild and sweet ; 
 it will be no considerable loss, for the law shall not 
 perish from the priest. 
 
 They were possessed with this apprehension, that 
 truth, knowledge, counsel, and the Spirit of God, 
 were peculiar to them, and should not be removed 
 from them ; Ijut the Lord confutes them, and con- 
 founds their conceit; there shall be no vision, no law, 
 no counsel. Aaron had neither vision nor law when 
 he said, " These be thy gods, O Israel," Exod. xxxii. 
 4. Ahab had four hundred prophets, but no vision 
 amongst them. Had there been a council of these 
 priests and prophets gathered to counsel and deter- 
 mine for the good of the church, what canons and 
 conclusions would they have made ! The papists and 
 some others stick much to councils, and challenge 
 knowledge, truth, and God's Spirit to be amongst 
 them ; they are the representative church, and where 
 should light and counsel be, if not amongst them ? 
 Let them and all consider that the Lord is not tied 
 to men, that truth is not the inheritance of priests, 
 prophets, popes, councils, more than others : "The 
 law shall peri.sh from the priests." And Mark xiv. 
 53, there was a grand coimcil, " the high priest : and 
 with him were assembled all the chief priests, and 
 the ciders, and the scribes ;" and, ver. 64. you have 
 the result of this council ; they all vote Christ to be 
 a blasphemer, and condemn him to be guilty of 
 death, whereupon he was spit on, buffeted, and 
 greatly abused. If a whole council have condemned 
 
 Christ the Head, it is like they have condemned 
 many of the members since. 
 
 The great council of Nice had erred in point of 
 ministers' marriage, if Paphnutius had not prevent- 
 ed. That of Arminum held rebaptization of those 
 heretics had baptized. That of Constance denied 
 one of the elements in the supper of the Lord to the 
 people. God is not tied to counsels, to prophets, or 
 priests, but is free to be where he please, and to im- 
 part truth to whom he please, and to as few as he 
 please: Ubi Ires, sunt ecclesia est, licet laid fuerint, 
 Where there are three persons Ihcyconstitute achurch, 
 though they be of the laitj', said Tertul- -i,,^,,,, |,j ^^ 
 lian long since: and if they be a hon. ati tMina- 
 church, they may have truth amongst ''""' 
 them, and more given in unto them, as well as 
 others. 
 
 Obs. 7- God gives vision, law, counsel, and takes 
 them away at his jilcasure ; he creates light and 
 darkness. They shall seek vision of the prophets, 
 and there shall be none. Prophets could not pro- 
 phesy at pleasure ; but when God gave in visions, 
 then they gave out light. Nathan had no vision, no 
 word from heaven, to encourage David to build : he 
 had one to take him off, 2 Sam. vii. Neither had 
 the priests the knowledge of the law always, Hos. iv. 
 6; Mai. ii. 8; neither is counsel always with the 
 ancient, Isa. xxix. 14. You that have vision, the 
 law and gospel, the counsel of the ancient, how soon 
 God may remove it is a secret ; the light was ex- 
 tinguishing lately, there were many extinguishers, 
 Jesuitical, prelatical, and others. Be not unthank- 
 ful for the light you have, sin not against light by 
 disgracing that as new light which suits not with 
 your spirits ; it was in the womb of the Scriptures, 
 though not brought forth till of late. If you spurn 
 at any light, any truths of God, you may lose what 
 you have ; if you receive not the truth with love, 
 " God will send you strong delusions." If you hate 
 those that bring you light, you are in darkness, not- 
 withstanding all the light that shines amongst you ; 
 1 John ii. !>, 10, " He that saith he is in the light, and 
 hates his brother, is in darkness even until now. He 
 that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there 
 is none occasion of stumbling in him." Let me say 
 to you as Isaiah, chap. ii. 5, " O house of Jacob, come 
 ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord ;" and 
 as Christ to the jieople, " Yet a little while is the 
 light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest 
 darkness come upon you." John xii. 35. Acts xxvi. 
 19, Paul was not disobedient to the heavenly visions 
 he had ; be not you, but walk in the light and 
 warmth of them, and then see what a blessing you 
 shall have : 1 John i. 7, " If we walk in the light, 
 as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with 
 another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans- 
 eth us from all sin." 
 
 Obs. 8. Those who will not do what they know, shall 
 not know what to do. Zedekiah and the rest would 
 not do what they knew ; Jeremiah bade them go forth, 
 yield themselves, and it should be well with them 
 "and the city ; but they did it not, and quickly after 
 they knew not what to do, no vision, no law, no 
 counsel ; in a strait, and knew not which way to turn 
 them. Adam knew what to do, but did it not, and 
 presently af\er his head is in the thicket, and he 
 knows not what to do. Saul knew that he should not 
 offer sacrifice, that he should have slain Agag, spared 
 neither man nor beast, he did it not ; and how oft he 
 was in straits, and knew not what to do, you may 
 observe in the story, especially in that famous place, 
 I Sam. xxviii. 15, when the witch had raised the 
 devil in Samuel's likeness and mantle, he tells him 
 why he had called him ; I know not what to do, but
 
 190 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VII. 
 
 " I have called thee, that thou mayest make known 
 unto me what I shall do." 
 
 Ver. 27. TJie A'ing- shall mourn, and the prinre 
 shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of 
 the people of the land shall be troubled : I will 
 do unto them after (heir waij, and according to 
 their deserts ivill I judge them; and they shall 
 know that I am the Lord. 
 
 Having spoken of the ecclesiastical estate in the 
 former verse, in this he comes to the civil estate, 
 and shows that the judgments should light upon all 
 sorts, king, prince, and people ; mourning;, desola- 
 tion, and trouble shall be upon them. He names 
 the subjects of misery, and the miseries : then he 
 lays down the causes ; the efficient. God ; the mate- 
 rial and meritorious, their ways, deserts : then the 
 end of all these judgments, That they may know, &c. 
 
 " The king shall mourn." Hebrew is Ssn.t, the 
 Thesepiuagintis word bciug in hithpael, notes con- 
 A/fir.Xtr-r irtj- tinuation of mourning ; some therefore 
 nofesa "rpat "' render it. He shall pine away, or kill 
 rotranii"ex'pres- hiuisclf Avith mourniug ; it is mourning 
 sifms of it out- with sighing, and sighs are wasting: 
 """^ "' and surely Zcdekiah had cause of con- 
 
 stant mourning, even to his death ; he lost the king- 
 dom, his sons, and his eyes at once, which were dear 
 things unto him ; and some observe, when the word 
 is referred to men, it notes mourning for dear 
 things. 
 
 "The prince ;" that is, princes, the singular num- 
 ber for the plural, as prophet for prophets. 
 
 " Shall be clothed with desolation." It is meta- 
 phorical, from garments, which do cover and com- 
 pass aljnut ; so desolation should compass the princes 
 and nobles on every side. The word notes such de- 
 solation as breeds amazement in the beholders ; 
 which was here when they saw the city, the temple, 
 the kingdom laid waste, all things in them deso- 
 lated ; they were clothed with desolation, and 
 amazed at so strange a garment upon them. 
 
 " The hands of the people of the land shall be 
 troubled." When the people should see their king 
 mourning, their nobles desolate, no heart or spirit 
 in them for the church and state, for their liberties 
 or lives, their hearts and hands were troubled. 
 
 But he expresses it by their " hands," because it 
 was more visible by them, and set out the greatness 
 of thrir misery: they had no hands, through fear 
 and faintuess, to follow their callings ; no hands to 
 take up arms to defend themselves ; no hands to lift 
 up in prayer. 
 
 " According to their deserts." The Hebrew is. 
 According to their judgments; they have made ill 
 judgments of persons and things, and deserve my 
 judgments for them, and answerably I will deal with 
 them. They have oppressed, they shall be oppress- 
 ed ; they have not heard the cry of others, they shall 
 not be heard crying; they have rejected me, and 
 they shall be rejected by me ; they have killed, and 
 they shall be killed; they have spoiled, and they 
 shall be spoiled. And so that of Christ, in Matt, 
 vii. '2, is made good, " With what judgment ye judge, 
 ye shall be judged ; and with what measure ye mete, 
 it shall be measured to you again." In the 3rd, 
 4th, 8th, and 9th verses of this chajiter hath been 
 spoken of judging and recompensing them according 
 to their ways. 
 
 OA.v. I . That God hath times for kings and courtiers 
 to mourn in. Greatness exemiits not from God's 
 hand ; if great ones sin, they shall smart for their 
 sins : " the king -shall mourn," &:c. God takes off 
 royal robes and puts sackcloth upon kings' loins 
 
 that sin against him ; heavy judgments he brings 
 upon kings. Zedekiah's sins were great : 
 
 First, he was false, a thing too incident to kings ; 
 
 2 Chron. xxxvi. 13, he violated the oath he had taken. 
 
 Secondly, idolatrous. Heathenish idolatry was 
 practised in his days ; ver. 14, the temple and wor- 
 ship of it were polluted. 
 
 Thirdly, trusted to and sent for Egyptians to 
 help him, Jer. xxxvii. 7 ; he would not hearken to 
 God's counsel, to the true ju'ophets, to those who 
 advised him well, Jer. xx-xvi. 25 ; xxxvii. 2, but to 
 false prophets and wicked counsellors. 
 
 Fourthly, he hated, imprisoned, and persecuted 
 the prophets, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16; Jer. xxxvii. 21. 
 
 Fifthly, unjust and cruel. " Let Jeremiah be put 
 to death," say the princes, Jer. xxxviii. 4. " Then 
 Zedekiah said. Behold, he is in your hand ; the 
 king is not he that can do any thing against you," 
 &c. ver. 5. He was overpowered by the princes, 
 and durst not displease them, but it cost dear at last. 
 
 Look upon other kings, they had their sins and 
 their sorrows. Rehoboam hearkens to ill counsel, 
 oppresses his people, and loses ten tribes at once for 
 it. Jeroboam, upon wicked advice, sets up calves, 
 restrains the people from the true worship at Jeru- 
 salem, and God sends him a dreadful message by 
 Ahijah, 1 Kings xiv. 6, &c. Ahab did not execute 
 justice upon Benhadad, a man appointed to death ; 
 and therefore saith the prophet, " Thy life shall go 
 for his life, and thy peoiile for his people," 1 Kings 
 XX. 42. The court was very wicked then ; Jezebel 
 had the greatest power in it ; she stirred up Ahab to 
 work wickedness, she set the elders and nobles to 
 work, to accuse and stone Naboth to death ; but 
 there was a time of mourning for them, I Kings xxi. 
 23, 24, 27. Ahaz was wicked, and the worse for his 
 afflictions ; but God had a sad day for him, when he 
 lost one hundred and twenty thousand valiant men 
 in one day, and had two hundred thousand women 
 carried away captives, 2 Chron. xxviii. Asa, who 
 was a good king, yet is branded with trusting in an 
 arm of flesh, 2 Chron. xvi. 7. with oppression of 
 some of the peojde, ver. 10 ; and therefore Hanani 
 tells him he should have wars ; and besides he was 
 greatly diseased in his feet, ver. 9, 12. Manasseh 
 was the great oppressing king, he shed and filled 
 Jerusalem with innocent blood, 2 Kings xxi. 16; 
 and as he found times to shed blood, so God found 
 times to have him in the thorns, in fetters, in cap- 
 tivity, in mourning and humbling himself. Op- 
 pression is the common sin of princes ; because they 
 have greatness and power in their hands, they think 
 it is warrantable for them to do what they list, 
 " Ephraim lovefh to oppress," Hos. xii. 7. The 
 kine of Bashan, the great ones that were strong and 
 fat, that had horns and hoofs, they oppressed the 
 poor, and crushed the needy, " a man and his house, 
 a man and his heritage," Micah ii. 2: Naboth and 
 his vineyard went both at once. Hence the princes 
 of Jerusalem are called, " roaring lions," Zeph. iii. 
 
 3 ; they are greedy of their prey, they scare, scatter, 
 and devour the flock : but God will hunt these lions, 
 and judge these men of the earth, Psal. x. 18, whose 
 trade is oppression, and hath promised a lime when 
 his princes shall oppress no more ; Ezek. xlv. 8, 
 " My princes shall no more oppress." Either this 
 [.rophecy is not fulfilled, or the oppressed in these 
 days are not God's people, or the princes who op- 
 press are not God's princes ; and if so, say to the 
 oppressing kings and queens of the earth, " Humble 
 yourselves, sit down : for your principalities shall 
 come down, even the crown of your glory," Jer. xiii. 
 18. See Acts xii. 23; Rev. vi. 15. 
 
 Obs. 2. That God hath apparel for princes and
 
 Ver. 27. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 191 
 
 nobles ; and what is it ? desolation, " The prince 
 shall be clothed with desolation." God had an eye 
 to the clothing of the great ones, and their sin 
 about the same, and tits garments for them, such 
 as they were not formerly used to. Great ones sin 
 in their variety of garments ; they have many lie 
 spoiling by them, when the nakedness of others is 
 seen fur want of clothes : therefore God threatens to 
 take away their changeable suits of apparel, Isa. iii. 
 22. They sin in the strangeness of them, they will 
 have strange fashions ; therefore, Zeph. i. 8, God 
 threatens to " punish the princes, and the king's 
 children, and all such as are clothed with strange 
 apparel." The Jews had peculiar garments appointed 
 them. Numb. xv. 3S ; Ueut. xxii. 12; but they 
 fetched in foreign garments, made after the manner 
 of the heathens and nations about them. The 
 courtiers and great ones then, as now, affected 
 strange and costly apparel, were prodigal of their 
 estates that way,' had their chests and wardrobes 
 filled with rich garments, which at pleasure they 
 put on, to draw respect from men, but wrath from 
 God; who clothed himself with vengeance, Isa. 
 lix. 17, that he might clothe them with desolation; 
 which was a strange garment, never put upon their 
 backs before : an unchangeable gaiment, which lasted 
 to their death. God stripped them by the Chaldeans 
 of their proud attire, rich suits, yea of all they had, 
 and clothed them with desolation : hence. Lam. iv. 
 5, " They tliat did feed delicately are desolate in the 
 streets ; they that were brought up in scarlet em- 
 brace dunghills." 
 
 Ob.f. 3. Wheresoever is a generality of sinning, 
 there shall be a generality of sutTering. " The king 
 shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with 
 desolation, and the hands of the people of the land 
 shall be troubled." The whole nation was rebel- 
 lious, Ezek. ii. 3 ; from the greatest to the least they 
 were guilty, Jer. vi. 13, and therefore they should 
 die from the least to the greatest, Jer. xliv. 12. God 
 is impartial in his judgments ; he will not spare 
 kings, princes, nobles, people ; but if their hearts, 
 heads, hands be joined in wickedness, they shall be 
 joined in punishment. All flesh had corrupted its 
 ways. Gen. vi. 12, and all tlesh was drowned in the 
 floods of God's wrath. Gen. vii. 21. The Sodomites 
 were all guilty, and none escaped the vengeance of 
 eternal fire, Jude 7- And here, having all sinned, 
 the WTath of God seized upon them all. Isa. Ixv. 12, 
 Ye shall all bow down to the slaughter : because 
 when I called, ye did not answer ; when I spake, ye 
 did not hear ; but did evil before mine eyes, and did 
 choose that wherein I delighted not." 
 
 06.?. 4. That God smites sinners in that they have 
 much oifendid with, and should stand them in most 
 stead in times of affliction. "The hands of the 
 people," &c. They had sinned with their hands 
 several ways ; in making idols, Isa. ii. 8 ; Hos. 
 xiv. 3; in shedding blood, Isa. lix. 3; in acts of 
 violence, ver. G ; they did evil " with both hands 
 earnestly," Micah vii. 3 ; even princes and judges 
 had covetous hands. God therefore smites Ihem in 
 their hands ; and whereas they should have been 
 serviceable unto them, now in their distress they 
 were troubled, faint, useless. Before they had hands 
 for the quei-n of heaven, Jer. xliv. 25; but now they 
 had none for the God of heaven. They had hands 
 for the service of Egyptians and Assyrians, Lam. v. 
 6; but now they had none to serve themselves in 
 their personal callings, or military afl'airs. 
 
 Obs: 5. The Lord observes the ways and works 
 of all. No church, no state, no per.son, but what- 
 ever they do comes under divine cognizance ; their 
 ways and deserts are known to the Lord. Some 
 
 are so profane and atheistical, that they think God 
 sees, regards not the things done here below : Psal. 
 xciv. 5 — 7, they break in pieces God's peo|ile, aftlict 
 his heritage, slay, murder widows and fatherless 
 ones ; yet say. The Lord shall neither see nor regard 
 it. And in Psal. x. II, he saith, "God hath for- 
 gotten, he hideth his face, he will never see it." 
 And not only God's actual seeing, but his power of 
 seeing and knowing things here is denied; Job 
 xxii. 1.3, " How doth God know ? can he judge 
 through the dark cloud?" Some have confidence 
 to say God sees no sin in his children, and others 
 blush not to say he sees not the sins of and in the 
 wicked ; and so God shall see no sin at all, they 
 make him an unseeing and unknowing God. David 
 calls this brutishness : Psal. xciv. 8 — II, "He that 
 formed the eye, shall he not see ? He that teachcth 
 man knowledge, shall not he know ? " Yes, saith 
 he, " the Lord knoweth the thoughts of men," and 
 that their thoughts are vanity. What is most re- 
 mote from man's eye and knowledge, that God 
 knows exactly and afar olf, Psal. cxxxix. 2; and 
 denounceth a woe to men of such thoughts and prac- 
 tices, Isa. xxix. 15, "Woe unto them that seek deep 
 to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works 
 are in the dark, and they say. Who seeth us ? and 
 who knoweth us ?" God seeth them, God knoweth 
 them, and pronounceth a dreadful woe against them. 
 Because men's lives do proclaim that they believe 
 not God's omnisciency, therefore God professeth it 
 openly, Isa. Ixvi. 18, "1 know their works and their 
 thoughts." He had observed all within and with- 
 out, and therefore they should be consumed. God's 
 eye is upon all our ways and works: let us every 
 day do as God did, review them, and see that they 
 be good. 
 
 Obs. 6. God in his judgments will proceed with 
 sinners according to their ways and deserts. Job 
 xxxiv. 10 — 12, Elihu proves there that God will 
 not do wickedly, nor pervert judgment ; and why ? 
 " For the work of a man shall he render unto him, 
 and cause every man to find according to his ways." 
 God is most just, and therefore takes notice of all 
 thoughts, counsels, projects, attempts, and actions, 
 that so he may deal answerably with men ; Jer. 
 xxxii. 19, " His eyes are open upon all the ways of 
 the sons of men, to give every one according to his 
 ways." 
 
 That in Rev. xviii. 6, seems to cross this truth ; 
 when God will judge Babylon, she must have double 
 punishment, her cup must be doubled. God doth 
 not command here that Babylon should be twice 
 punished for the same sin ; that were not according 
 to the rules of divine justice. Double here hath re- 
 ference to Babylon's dealings with the church ! she 
 did greatly afflict Zion, and now God would have 
 Babylon to have double affliction to that ; Babylon 
 did unjustly in oppressing Zion ; Zion should do 
 righteously in destroying Babylon. And observe 
 the word double, "double unto her double according 
 to her works." If she had twice as many strokes and 
 judgments, twice as much blood shed, as Zion had, 
 it is according to her works, she deserves it, and 
 nothing can be too much for her : therefore, Jer. Ii. 
 49, "As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to 
 fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth." 
 The Babylonian empire was a little world to Israel, 
 and called itself the universal emjiire ; and Baby- 
 lon said she was the queen and the only city of 
 all others, Isa. xlvii. 7, 8, the golden city, Isa. xiv. 
 4; but now when God would punish Babyliui for 
 her bloodiness against Zion, not only should Baby- 
 lon's children that dwelt in her be destroyed, but all 
 her subjects in her great territories should be
 
 102 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VIII. 
 
 slain for her sake, or together with 
 slaVds'n of ''"■" her; which sets out the greatness of 
 itume heatheu- her puiiishment suitable to her deserts, 
 
 and is well called double, for the death 
 of one Israelite deserves the death of two Baby- 
 lonians. 
 
 Obs. 7. They that will not know God in the way 
 of his mercies, shall know him in the way of his 
 judgments. God had walked in paths of mercy 
 amongst this people many years, and they minded 
 not God, honoured him not in the midst of mercies, 
 but fed according to their pastures, and forgot 
 God; therefore he brought heavy judgments upon 
 them, and saith, " They shall know that I am the 
 Lord." This phrase is used above fifty times in this 
 propliet, and assures us that God will be known, and 
 that amidst his enemies ; and with an experimental 
 knowledge, for that is the meaning of the words, not 
 a literal and brain knowledge. Isa. xxvi. 11, "When 
 thy hand is lifted up, they will not see : but they 
 shall see :" they will not see to fear, to repent ; but 
 they shall see ; that is, have experience of the 
 strength of his hand to their shame and destruction. 
 The phrase of, knowing I am the Lord, sometimes 
 refers to mercies, as Exod. vi. 6, 7 ; God would bring 
 them out from the burdens and bondage of Egypt, 
 take them for his people, and then they should know 
 him to be the Lord. So in Exod. xvi. 12; I Kings 
 XX. 28, God would give them manna, deliver up ene- 
 mies into their hands, and they should know, &c. 
 that is, have exi)erience of his mercy, truth, and 
 loving-kindness. Sometimes, and mostly, it refers 
 to divine judgment, especially in this our prophet. 
 God would bring in the Chaldeans with the sword, 
 and those grievous calamities which attend it, and 
 they should know that he was the Lord ; that is, 
 they should have real experience of his authority, 
 and power over them, they should feel the bitter 
 fruits of his displeasure in them. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Ver. I. And it came to pass in the si.rth i/ear, 
 in the si.rth month, in the JifVi day of the month, 
 as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah 
 sat before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell 
 there upon me. 
 
 In this and the three next chapters you have the 
 grievous sins, and answerable punishments, of the 
 Jews at Jerusalem laid down, with some other things 
 considerable. 
 
 This eighth chapter hath three things in it: 
 
 I. An introduction to a new vision, ver. 1. 
 
 II. The vision itself, from ver. 2 — 17. 
 
 III. A declaration of God's severe dealings with 
 them, ver. 18. 
 
 In the introduction to this vision you have these 
 particulars. 
 
 1. The time exactly set down when it was, in the 
 sixth year, the sixth month, the fifth day. 
 
 2. The place where it was, as he sat in his house. 
 
 3. The persons before whom it was, " The elders 
 of Judah sat before me." 
 
 4. The cause of it, " The hand of the Lord God 
 fell there upon me." 
 
 For the time, it was now the sixth year of Je- 
 hoiachin's captivity, and in the sixth month. 
 
 The Jews' tirst month is Nisan, the second Jiar, 
 the third Sivan, the fourth Thanuiz, the fifth Ab, 
 
 and the sixth Elul, and answercth to that which is 
 called August. The fifth day of this month had he 
 this vision, which Junius saith was the sabbath day, 
 which was a day fitting for visions of God. It was 
 now a year, two months, and upwards, since he had 
 his first vision. 
 
 " As I satin mine house." Having been now six 
 years in captivity, the prophet and others had hired, 
 or builded themselves, houses. This was a house of 
 some capaciousness, the elders of Judah sat be- 
 fore him in it; that is, the chief of those that were 
 brought with Jehoinchin into Babylon, 2 Kings 
 xxiv. 12. And why they shoidd come and sit there 
 is inquirable. It was not to catch advantages against 
 the prophet, as some fancy ; not to consult of their 
 civil iifikirs in Babylon, others were more fit for such 
 things than prophets ; but it was to hear of the pro- 
 phet what the Lord intended to do with Jerusalem 
 and the Jews there, what the meaning of the types 
 and visions he had was, whether he had any word of 
 their returning from that condition they were in. 
 Or they came to see if he had any word to speak 
 tmto them, being the sabbath day ; for on those days 
 it was ordinary for the people to go to the prophets, 
 2 Kings iv. 23 ; and Ezcki' 1 sat composed, and dis- 
 posed to speak the word of God to those who came 
 to him. 
 
 "The hand of the Lord God fell there upon me." 
 The powerful operation of the Spirit of Christ stizcd 
 upon him, and was as a hand carrying him on to 
 that work he was appointed unto ; he had a mighty 
 impulse of the Spirit, and was as a man rapt out 
 of himself, wholly acted by the Spirit. See chap, 
 i. 3, where hath been spoken of the hand of the 
 Lord. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the Lord takes special notice of the 
 times in which he gives out truths and visions to 
 prophets and people, he keeps an exact account of 
 these years, months, and days. " In the sixth year, 
 the sixth month, and fifth day," &c. So in the first 
 chapter, " In the thirtieth year, the fourth month, 
 the fifth day," the word of the Lord came unto him. 
 You have the time mentioned in chap. xx. 1, " The 
 seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of 
 the month." So in chap. xxvi. 1 ; xxix. 1 ; xxxi. 1 ; 
 xxxii. I ; xl. 1 ; in these places, there is special no- 
 tice and account set down of the time whenin God 
 ga\e out his truth and visions to the prophet, and 
 by him to the peojile. In chap xxiv. 1 — 3, the 
 year, month, day, and name of the day, are written 
 down when Jerusalem was besieged, and a parable 
 put into the prophet's mouth. And not only was it 
 thus in Ezekicl's, but also in other prophets' davs, 
 Zech. i. 1 ; vii. 1 ; Hag. i. 1 ; ii. 1, 10. Whatever 
 men's thoughts are of truths, when they are tendered 
 unto them, the Lord looks upon it as a work of great 
 concernment, and registers the time when it is done : 
 In such a year, the city, land, had fasts every month, 
 and the prophets preached such truths and texts 
 unto them ; such a month they had a thanksgiving 
 day, and the text was, &-c. 
 
 Especially in times of affliction, God takes notice 
 what truths are commended by the jirophets unto 
 men, and therefore the time in Ezekiel is more par- 
 ticularized than any where else, because many were 
 now in captivity, the rest were coming; and of all 
 truths, those will cost dearest that are preached unto 
 us in our afflictions and not improved. 
 
 Obs. 2. That great ones in times of affliction will 
 seek unto the prophets, and jirize vision when it is rare. 
 The ciders came to his house, .sat there expecting 
 some word from him. Ezekiel was a priest and a 
 prophet, chap. i. 3; and priests did teach as well as 
 sacrifice : 2 (.'hron. xv. 3, " Israel was without a
 
 VliK. 1. 
 
 THE BOOK OF KZEKIEL. 
 
 193 
 
 teaching priest;" see Lev. x. 8 — 11. And Mai. ii. 
 7, "The prie.st's lips should keep knowledge, and 
 they should seek the law at his mouth." 
 
 These elders, the princes and chief ones, were 
 come to seek it at Ezekiel's mouth. Now they were 
 in captivity, now priests and projdiets were scarce ; 
 and now great ones, that before little regarded the 
 prophets and priests, that mocked them, despised 
 and misused them, 2 Chron. xxxvi. IG, now they get 
 to Ezekiel's house, wait upon him, and long to hear 
 a word from him. 
 
 Afflictions abate the pride of great men's spirits, 
 remove prejudice, awaken conscience, convince of 
 sin, God's greatness and authority over the highest, 
 the shortness of life, of judgment, and that eternal 
 condition which is coming : and when it is so with 
 great ones, they will be glad to go to a poor pro- 
 phet's house, and hear a word from him. Jeroboam, 
 when his son was sick, sends to Ahijah the prophet, 
 to know what should become of him, 1 Kings xiv. 
 2, 3. Naaman in his leprosy gocth to the prophet 
 Eli.sha for help, 2 Kings v. See Isa. xxxvii. 2 ; Jer. 
 xxxvii. 3 ; there you shall find great ones, even 
 the greatest, seeking to the prophets in their troubles. 
 
 Obs. 3. Meeting in private houses to enjoy God's 
 ordinances, is ancient and warrantable. The elders 
 came to (he prophet's house, sat tliere to hear the 
 word of the Lord ; this was above two thousand 
 years ago, therefore ancient ; and the prophet taught 
 them in private : they worshipped God in a house, 
 they kept the sabbath there, and theref(;re not un- 
 lawful. This was frequent in Christ's and the apos- 
 tles' days. Luke x. 3'S, 39, in Martha's house Christ 
 preached. Acts xx. 7, the disciples met every first 
 day, in houses and chambers ; and when they were 
 so met, Paul preached to them. And Acts ii. 46, 
 they brake bread from house to house ; that is, pri- 
 vately, in opposition to the public, saith De Dieu. 
 And Acts V. 42, " In every house they ceased not to 
 teach and preach Jesus Christ ;" in Cornelius's house 
 they did it, Acts x. 33, 34 ; in the jailor's house they 
 did it, Acts xvi. 32. The high priests cried out of 
 such meetings, and thought the temple and syna- 
 gogues, which were allowed by authority, were suf- 
 ficient. But this would not suffice the apostles, they 
 preached in public to convert the Jews, in private 
 joiin iv. CO. 21. t° strengthen the christians ; they 
 iiim.il. 8. would not be lied to places, when 
 Christ by his doctrine and practice had warranted 
 them to preach and worship any where. 
 
 In Tertullian's time such meetings were counted 
 Tertuii. in Apo- factious and sehismatical : but he vin- 
 lotti. dicates tlie same, saying. We are the 
 same congregated, and together, as we are asunder, 
 we hurt, we grieve none. When good and godly 
 men meet together, it is no conventicle, but a court. 
 They are a conventicle, a faction, that, in haired of 
 good men, meet and plot against them, pretending 
 they are the cause of all evils and disturbances. 
 
 In the prelates' days there was much rigour and 
 severity used against godly meetings of this nature, 
 more than ever we read of formerly. It can hardly 
 be shown in Scripture, that ever any met together 
 in private to worship the Lord, were surprised, mo- 
 lested, taken, or imprisoned. For their public prtach- 
 ing they were frequently questioned, and suffered ; 
 it is not so evident that they did for their private 
 meetings. These they had in Babylon without im- 
 putation or molestation ; and shall not Zion be as 
 indulgent to her children as Babylon was to her ene- 
 mies ? If not, Babylon will rise up in judgment 
 against such sons of Zion. 
 
 Obs. 4. God honours holy meetings, though they 
 be private. The hand of the Lord fell there, and 
 
 then, upon the prophet. Where two or three meet 
 together in a sacred manner, God will be in the 
 midst of them, Watt, xviii. 20; he will be president 
 of that meeting, and powerful in it, not only show 
 his presence and power in an ordinary way, but 
 many times extraordinarily, as at this time. ' John 
 XX. 19, when the disciples were assembled in pri- 
 vate, "Jesus stood in the midst of them, and said, 
 Peace be unto you ;" and so in ver. 26, w hen they 
 were met in private Christ came amongst them ; he 
 honoured their meetings in a special nuumer with his 
 presence, blessing, and miracles. The world hath 
 prejudice against such meetings, speaks ill and at- 
 tempts the ruin of them ; but Christ thinks honour- 
 ably of them, puts honour upon, and manifests his 
 acceptance of them. Acts ii. 1 — 1, when the apos- 
 tles were got together in a house, the cloven tongues 
 of fire sat upon each of them, and they were filled 
 with the Holy Spirit. Acts x. 44, while Peter was 
 preaching in Conielius's house, the Holy Ghost fell 
 upon them. And you will scarcely find such visible 
 signs of God's presence in public as were then in 
 private. 
 
 I speak not this to disparage public meetings, God 
 is in the solemn assemblies, there his glory and 
 power is seen ; but to take oft" that odium which is 
 in the hearts of many against all private meetings. 
 
 Obs. 5. Those who wait upon God in th.e ways of 
 his worship are not losers by it. The elders came 
 to the prophet, sat there, expected something from 
 him, and tlicy had more than ordinary ; they beheld 
 the hand of God upon the prophet, and were made 
 witnesses of that vision he had, and partakers of the 
 same. 
 
 The people that flocked after Christ into the 
 field, had the word, and besides that, the loaves and 
 fishes, John vi. When the disciples were met toge- 
 ther to worship the Lord the first day of the week, 
 Christ came to them, breathed upon, and gave them 
 the Holy Ghost, John xx. 19, 22. Paul seeks God 
 in prayer. Acts ix. 11, and continued in it, "Be- 
 hold he prayeth," he was at it night and day ; and 
 Ananias was sent to him to help him to his sight, 
 and to the Holy Ghost, so that he might see men, 
 and how to save men. Old Simeon, and old Anna 
 the prophetess, they came into the tempk to serve 
 the Lord, and at that time Christ is brought in, 
 whom they see, and magnify God for, Luke ii. 
 In Acts xvi. 13, you read how Paul left the city and 
 went to a river-side, where women did usually meet 
 to pray ; thitlier many were come, and to them Paul 
 jireaches; Lydia's heart is opened, and Christ let 
 in, who was before a stranger unto her ; and be- 
 sides tliis, she was baptized, and gained the company 
 of the choicest apostles, ver. 14, 15. Cornelius, 
 Acts X. fasts and prays, and he hath an angel sent 
 to him, to assure h'im that all was accepted in 
 heaven ; and to help him to the speech of an apos- 
 tle, whom hearing, he received the Holy Ghost, ver. 
 44. Men lose not, but gain greatly, by waiting 
 upon God in his ordinances. If they have not what 
 they expect sometimes, they have more than tluy 
 look for at other times. " Blessed is the man that 
 heareth me," saith Christ, Prov. viii. 34, " watching 
 daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors." 
 They are blessed already, and unexpected blessings 
 are waiting for them. 
 
 Oks. 6. That former operations and impressions 
 of the Spirit suffice not the holiest of men, when 
 new services are to be done. Ezekiel was a holy 
 prophet, he had the hand of God, the virtue of the 
 Spirit, falling upon him before, chap. i. 3, entering 
 into him, chaji. ii. 2, strongly upon him, chap. ui. 
 14; anil vet all this was not suflicient ; there was
 
 104 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. YIII. 
 
 new work for him, new visions to be seen and given 
 out, and the hand of the Lord fell anew upon hun. 
 
 New employments must have new inlluences ; new 
 trials must have new strength ; if we trust to ante- 
 cedent receipts, we shall miscarry. Peter failed 
 when he came to encounter with a new trial ; he 
 leaned upon what he had, and looked not up for 
 more. Paul stood, when bufleted by a messenger of 
 Satan ; and why ? being conscious of his own weak- 
 ness, and insufiicicncy of what he had received, he 
 sought to God, who told him, " My grace is suf- 
 ficient for thee ;" not the graces I have given thee, 
 but the grace I have to give thee. If a messenger 
 of Satan molest thee, be too strong for thee, I have 
 a messenger, even my Spirit of gxace, that shall 
 come and comfort thee, that is sti-onger than all, and 
 shall uphold thee. Paul had experience of this, and 
 therefore counsels Timothy, 2 Tim. ii. 1, to "be 
 strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." Though 
 lie had unfeigned faith, knew the Scripture from a 
 child, liad a gift given him by the laying on of Paul's 
 hands ; yet he must not be strong in these, but in 
 the grace of Christ, sec his strength lie tliere. 
 Pormcr impressions of Christ's Spirit wear out, and 
 received virtue is soon spent : we must look for 
 new influences, impressions, and operations of the 
 hand of Christ, else all will be too little. Cant. iv. 
 16, " Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; 
 blow ujion my garden, that the spices thereof may 
 flow out." " And Samson called unto the Lord, and 
 said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and 
 strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once," Judg. 
 xvi. 28. 
 
 Ver. 2. Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the 
 appearance of fire : f)om the appearance of his 
 loins even downward, fire ; and from his loins even 
 npivard, as the appearance of brightness, as the 
 colour of ajnber. 
 
 Our prophet being in an ecstasy, the Lord Jesus 
 Christ appears unto him as a man, and is described, 
 
 I. Generally, and that is by a likeness of fire ; he 
 seemed to him to be a man of fire, or as the appear- 
 ance of fire. 
 
 II. More particularly ; and, 
 
 1. From his loins downward, and the appearance 
 thereof was as fire. 
 
 2. From his loins upward, the appearance where- 
 of was, 
 
 (1.) As brightness ; 
 
 (2.) As the colour of amber. 
 
 Christ being presented here as a man of fire, it is 
 worthy consideration to examine the gi-ounds of it. 
 
 The Jews had sinned exceeihngly, provoked God 
 by their idolatry to great jealousy, and being now 
 resolved upon their destruction, he gives out a fiery 
 vision of Christ unto the prophet, which appearance 
 was suitable to the work now intended. 
 
 Appearances in fire have been fnrmcrly. Christ 
 appeared to Moses in a flame of fire, Fxod. iii. 2 ; 
 the angel there, interpreters make to be Christ : and 
 God led the Jews in the wilderness by a pillar of 
 fire, Exod. xiii. 21 ; and he was in that pillar, Exod. 
 xiv. 24. 
 
 Christ is likened to fire. 
 
 1. It is a shining, glorious thing; so Christ is 
 glorious: John i. 14, "We beheld his glory, the 
 glory as," &c. And, Titus ii. 13, his appearing will 
 be glorious, and so glorious as to lighten the world. 
 AVhen men come to judgment, they come with some 
 glory and majesty. 
 
 2. He is likened to fire, to set out his knowledge 
 and discovery of things. Fire is of a discovering 
 
 nature, and makes manifest; Rev. i. 14, Christ's 
 eyes are like a flame of lire, they sec into every 
 place ; and here Christ discovers to the prophet iha 
 sins of Jerusalem, the hidden abominations there. 
 
 3. To show the active virtue which is in Christ. 
 Fire is a lively and purging thing, separating dross fi'om 
 the precious metals ; and Christ is of infinite virtue, 
 he distinguisheth between the precious and the vile: 
 Mai. iii. 2, " He is like a refiner's fire," exceeding 
 active and discretive, he burns with zeal and jealousy. 
 
 4. The severe punishment he would inflict upon 
 this people. Fire notes revenge, destruction : Psal. 
 xviii. 8, " Fire out of his mouth devoured." Isa. Ixvi. 
 15, 16, fire there notes severe punishment and utter 
 destruction ; and Christ now would make a final end 
 of this sinful people, he would be a fire unquench- 
 able. If they looked to him upwards, they should 
 find him a fire, he would plead with his Father for 
 their destruction. If they looked downwards, they 
 should see him kindling a consuming fire amongst 
 them. The law was given in fire, Ueut. iv. 33; v. 
 4, and therefore called a fiery law ; and Christ ap- 
 pears in fire when he comes to revenge the breaches 
 of the law. 
 
 In chap. i. 27, Christ's appearance from his loins 
 upward and downward is the same ; here, downwards 
 he apjiears as fire, upwards, as brightness ; fire not- 
 ing liis anger, brightness his clemency, as some 
 conceive. 
 
 The word for brightness notes such 
 brightness as is from the morning, ""^ 
 
 the firmament, the sun ; therefore some render it, 
 As the appearance of the bright sun. Take the sun 
 when in it's greatest lustre and glory, such 
 was the appearance of Christ upward, and may note 
 the glory of Christ in execution of judgment, in giv- 
 ing out his threatenings to the prophets against 
 sinners. 
 
 " As the colour of amber." Of this hath been 
 spoken, chap. i. 4, 27. The Hebrew, chasmal, signi- 
 fies a coal intensely hot ; and such as a coal is, at 
 the height of its heat, in a fiery furnace, such was 
 the appearance of Christ : at this time he was in a 
 way of wrath, and giving out threats against this 
 people, and filled with the fire of zeal and jealousy 
 for the Lord. 
 
 Obs. If the appearance of Christ be fiery and glo- 
 rious, the presence of him will be so much more : 
 Ai>jiearances are not perfect expressions of that they 
 resemble. The appearance of fire upon the taber- 
 nacle, Numb. ix. 15, had not that virtue and glory in 
 it which real fire had ; if real, it would have con- 
 sumed the tabernacle. The appearance of lightning, 
 Dan. X. 6, is not so glorious as lightning itself; and 
 \\hat the prophet saw here of Christ was appearance 
 only, little to that which is in Christ. 
 
 "\Vhen Christ shall really be seen, not in visions, 
 but as he is, he will be very glorious. Mark xiii. 
 21), when Christ comes, it will be " with great power 
 and glory," great, refers to glory as well as power : 
 Matt. xxiv. 30, there it is " with power and great 
 glory." And if you demand how great, even so 
 great as cannot be greater ; Matt. xvi. 27, " He shall 
 come in the glory of his Father," and no glory can 
 exceed that. 
 
 Ver. 3. And he 2^(1 forth the form of an hand, 
 and took ine bi/ a lock of mine head ; and /he 
 sjiirit lifted me %ip between the earth and the hea- 
 ven, and brought me in the visions of God to Je- 
 rusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh 
 toward the north ; where teas the seat of the image 
 of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
 
 Ver. 3. 
 
 THE B(X)K OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 195 
 
 In tlic former verse you had Christ's person de- 
 scribed ; in this are his actions commended to us, 
 which arc tliese : 
 
 I. The puttinEf forth of his hand. 
 
 II. The employment thereof, by it he took our 
 pro])het by a locli. 
 
 III. The lifting him up between heaven and earth 
 by his Spirit. 
 
 lY. The bringing him to Jerusalem ; where is 
 considerable, 
 
 1. The manner of his bringing; "in the visions 
 ofGod." 
 
 2. The special place ; he was brought " to the door 
 of the inner gate that looketh toward the north." 
 
 3. The nature of this place ; it was the seat of an 
 image, whiidi is described, 
 
 (1.) From its name ; an "image of jealousy." 
 {"2.) From the etfect ; it " provoketh to jealousy." 
 " He put forth the form of an hand." He that 
 appeai'ed like fire, that had siieh brightness, and 
 was so glorious, he put forth his liand ; sent out his 
 hand, is the original. Not a real hand, but the form 
 or likeness of a hand. It was the likeness and ap- 
 pearance of a man that he saw, and such was the 
 hand here ; not a substantial, fleshy hand. 
 
 " And took me by a lock of mine head." By the 
 
 hair, the word signifies, that which 
 
 grows out of the head and flourisheth 
 
 there, as grass out of the ground, or boughs out of 
 
 a tree. 
 
 " The spirit lifted me up between," Sec. It was 
 said the hand took hold of him ; did not the hand 
 lift him up ? if not, to what end took it hold ? That 
 hand was the Holy Spirit of Christ, which in these 
 visions of Ezekiel is oft called a hand, chap. i. 3, 
 and iii. 14. The Sjiirit that lifted him up is called 
 " the hand of the Lord," because Chi-ist by his Spirit 
 doth whatever the hand of man can do. 
 
 " And brought me in the visions of God to Jerusa- 
 lem." The prophet thought himself like a bird or 
 an angel flying through the air, and carried to Jeru- 
 salem. This was no real elevation or corporeal 
 transportation of the prophet to Jerusalem, as will 
 appear thus : 
 
 1. It is said it was " the form of a hand," the 
 likeness of one, not a hand itself. 
 
 2. Had lie been really taken up by a lock, it would 
 have been exceeding grievous and tormenting to 
 him, if not deadly. 
 
 3. He saith he was brought " in the visions of 
 God to Jerusalem," not in the reality of his person ; 
 all was done as he sat in his house, and the elders of 
 Judah before him. The ancients say, it was in his 
 spirit, not in his body, that he was translated, a 
 mental, not an ocular vision. 
 
 Our prophet being in a rapture, or ecstasy, seemed 
 as a man dead, and had secret things revealed unto 
 him, which he calls " visions of God." Whether 
 these were to his spirit in the body, or called out of 
 it, is uncertain. 2 Cor. xii. 1, 2, when Paul had his 
 revelation and visions, whether it was in the body or 
 out of, it himself could not tell. Visions they both 
 had, and they were visions of God, not delusions of 
 Satan, who can be a lying spirit in the hearts and 
 mouths of false prophets, I Kings xxii. 22. Nor 
 were they fancies of their own ; for when men are in 
 divine raptures, there is a cessation of all sensible 
 and natural actions ; nature contributes nothing 
 thereunto. In some diseases there is a stilling of all 
 nature's organs and operations, as when deliquium 
 animce, a fainting, sci/.eth upon any ; but there is 
 nothing then ofiei'ed to the sold, as here. Such 
 visions had our prophet as were clear, and without 
 all doubt he knew them to be visions of God. 
 (1 -1 
 
 " The door of the inner gate.'' The temple was 
 yet standing, and hud two courts ; one called the 
 outer court, Rev. xi. 2, which was the „ , „ 
 place whither the Israelites assembled """ °° '*"• 
 for divine exercise ; and an inner court, 1 Kings vi. 
 36, which was the priests' court, 2 Chron. iv. 9. 
 The other w-as the great court, and called Solomon's 
 porch, saith IMaldonat. Into this court was Ezekiel 
 brought, and set at the door going into the inner 
 court. 
 
 "That looketh toward the north." In the courts 
 about the temple there were gates and doors towards 
 the four quarters of the world ; which included this 
 mystery, that in due time the partition-wall should 
 be broken down, that stood between Jews and gen- 
 tiles, and all sorts from all parts should come in to 
 the true worship of the true God ; came they from 
 east or west, south or north, there should be a door 
 open to let them in. At this north gate was the 
 image seated that the prophet did first see. 
 
 " Image of jealousy." Two things are to be 
 opened here : 
 
 1. What this image was. 
 
 2. Why called an image of jealousy. 
 
 1. It is doubted amongst the learned what image 
 this should be. The most agree it was the image 
 of Baal. It is true that Josiah had taken away Baal 
 and his altars, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 4; but Jehoiakim, 
 and Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah had restored them 
 ;>gain, as is gathered from 2 Kings xxiii. 3/ ; xxiv. 
 y, 19; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 14. 
 
 2. Why called the image of jealousy. The hea- 
 thens had no idols or gods of that name, nor is it so 
 called in reference imto them ; but, 
 
 (1.) From the wicked zeal of Ahaz, who, as you 
 read, 2 Kings xvi. 10, sent the pattern of an altar at 
 Damascus to Urijah, who srt it up for the honour 
 of Baal at the north gate of the inner court ; and to 
 this altar did Ahaz bring the altar of the Lord, ver. 
 14: here was his zeal for Baal. 
 
 (2.) Because it provoked God to jealousy. When 
 God saw his own altar and word to be so abused, 
 subjected to Baal, that his people went a whoring 
 from him to that shameful thing, he would bear no 
 longer, but was jealous for his honour, discovers to 
 the prophet their great sin, and his jealousy burning 
 now against them. 
 
 This image made the people forsake their God, 
 commit spiritual adultery, Jer. vii. 30, and God would 
 recompense it now unto them. 
 
 It was seated at the gate northwavd ; because 
 that way was the most frequent passage to the tem- 
 ple, the ascent being not so steep and difficult as 
 other sides of the hill, on which the temple stood, 
 and for that sacrifices came mostly from that side. 
 
 Obs. I. The Spirit is the agent of Christ, by 
 which he doth his works. He put forth his hand, 
 and took hold of me. The hand of a man is that 
 which doth immediately take hold of a thing : so the 
 Spirit being the immediate agent which Christ 
 useth, is called a hand, and doth whatever the Lord 
 Christ will have done. If he would have men walk 
 in his statutes, keep his judgments, he puts his Spirit 
 into men, and by it causeth Ihem to do so, Ezek. 
 xxxvi. 27 ; that is the hand which overacts them. 
 If he would have young or old prophesy, it is done 
 hy his Spirit, Joel ii. 28. And the prophets gave out 
 what the Spirit gave in to them, Zech. vii. 12. If 
 the Lord Christ would not have Paul preach in Asia, 
 the Holy Ghost forbids him ; if he would go into 
 Bithynia, the Spirit sutfers him not, Acts xvi. G, 7 ; 
 if he should preach, the Spirit presscth him in his 
 spirit. Acts xviii. 5. It is Christ's Spirit that mor- 
 tifies our corruptions, Rom. viii. 13, that helps us to
 
 ISO 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VIII. 
 
 pray, ver. 26. It is the Spirit works all graces in us, 
 Gal. V. 22, 23. It is not by might nor power, but 
 by the Spirit, Christ doth all, Zech. iv. 6. 
 
 Obs. 2. That holy men must be lifted up out of 
 themselves, and above themselves, if they would 
 participate of divine things. The Spirit lifted up 
 the prophet between earth and heaven. Paul, 
 2 Cor. xii. 4, was caught up into paradise, where he 
 heard the unspeakable words; the Spirit of God had 
 lifted him up above himself and all worldly things, 
 and then God spake such things to him as he never 
 heard. Rev. i. 10, John was in the Spirit when he 
 had those great and glorious revelations ; he was in 
 the Spirit, that is, in the hand of the Spirit, and 
 by the power thereof lifted up, and carried above 
 and out of himself. There was not only a pres- 
 sure of the Spirit, but a comprehension ; the Spirit 
 comprehended him ; he was in a manner all 
 Spirit ; and the more spiritual any is, the more 
 fit for converse with God, and to have visions of 
 God. "The natural man receiveth not the things of 
 God," 1 Cor. ii. 14 ; it is not flesh and blood that 
 reveals, receives, and judges of them : men must be 
 lifted up by the Spirit from the earth, their earthly 
 dispositions and all'ections, before they are fit for 
 divine excellency. Those who have left the earth 
 as Paul did, and have their conversations in heaven 
 as he had, they are fitted to know and partake of 
 the great mysteries of Christ. Self is the great let 
 to divine things; therefore apostles were usually 
 rapt out of themselves when they had their visions. 
 
 Obs. .3. Christ by his Spirit makes known to the 
 prophet the sins of men ; the Spirit showed him the 
 image of jealousy, and the abominations the people 
 committed at Jerusalem. Ezekiel was in Babylon, 
 and yet by the help of the Spirit he comes to see and 
 know the doings of sinners at Jerusalem. A\'hen 
 they should hear Ezekiel had prophesied or preached 
 of their sins particularly, they would wonder who 
 had informed him of them; as now, when ministers 
 preach conscientiously, and meet with the particular 
 .'ins of men and women, they think some or other 
 have informed them, told tah'S of them, when it is 
 only the Spirit of God hath thrected them. A god- 
 ly minister was charged to be a conjurer, because 
 he told men in his preaching of the particular tilings 
 they did. It is the Spirit helps in studying, and in 
 preaching. The Spirit convinces the world of sin, 
 John x\i. 9 ; and the ministers of the sins of the 
 world, that so tliey may abhor those sins, and de- 
 nounce the judgments of God against them. 
 
 Obs. 4. ^Vicked men are wise, and take their ad- 
 vantages to jiromote their superstitions. They set 
 their image of jealousy at the inner gate northward; 
 that way was the greatest concourse of people, and so 
 the advantage great for their worshipping of or be- 
 fore this image. Men are " wise to do evil," Jer. iv. 
 22; (hey setup altars in all the streets of Jerusalem, 
 to burn incense to Baal, that shameful thing, Jer. xi. 
 13; they could not suffer any street to be without an 
 altar ; they were wise and zealous to promote sin. 
 Jeroboam feared lest the people should go from 
 him, and therefore, in his witty wickedness to pre- 
 vent it, sets up the calves at Dan and Bethel, I Kings 
 xii. 29. The papists have had repute for such wis- 
 dom ; they had their crosses in highways, and in 
 public places where peojde most frequented. 
 
 Obs. 5. When images go up, then the worship of 
 God goes down. Ahaz set up Baal, and brought the 
 altar of the Lord to it ; Baal was regarded, and the 
 true God and his worship neglected, 2 Kings xvi. 14. 
 Men are zealous for their own inventions, and jealous 
 lest they should sufTer. 
 
 Obs. 6. Superstition and idolatry are provoking 
 
 sins, they provoke God, who is a God of i alienee, to 
 jealousy: Deut. xxxii. 16, " They provoked him to 
 jealousy with strange gods," sti-ange invcrrinns. 
 Sins of this nature are called " provocations," Nen. 
 ix. 18, great provocations. No sins provoke God 
 more than idolatry and false worship. 
 
 (1.) It is a breaking of covenant with God, who 
 had taken people in to be his, as a husband doih 
 a wife ; and «hen she breaks covenant, for.sakes the 
 guide of her youth, and is for others, this provokes 
 the husband more than any thing besides. 
 
 (2.) Because it is a giving God's hon- kos a.ioramu-i 
 our and glory to idols. Aquinas saith, ?;,'°'^ri',;™,' '^""^ 
 We adore the image of Christ with di- f'lirisii. Parte 
 vine worship. Bellarmine with many twi "i.' CoiVtrov. 
 others acknowledge that the image of '■ '• ^- '=■ -'■*■ 
 Christ may in some kind be honoured ctdlti latritp. 
 When God's glory is given to creatures, this provokes 
 " the eyes of his glory," as it is Isa. iii. 8 ; and he 
 will not endure that his glory and praise be given to 
 another, Isa. xlii. 8. 
 
 (3.) They that are guilty this way hate God, Exod. 
 XX. 5. Being provoked therefore, and the spirit of 
 jealousy kindled in him, he will not put it up, he 
 will not spare ; according to that in Prov. vi. 34, 
 " Jealousy is the rage of a man ; therefore he will 
 not spare in the day of vengeance ;" and Cant. viii. 
 6, " Jealousy is cruel as the grave," no mercy will be 
 shown. God will " stir up jealousy, and prevail 
 against his enemies, " Isa. xlii. 13, devour whole 
 lands by the fire of his jealousy, Zeph. iii. 8. 
 
 Ver. 4. And, behold, the glory of the God of 
 Israel was there, according to the vision that I 
 saw in the plain. 
 
 Our prophet being visionally brought to Jerusa- 
 lem, Christ by his Spirit shows him t-,,,. „|„^j. ^j. 
 glory, which is set forth, fio.i°iii.,( is, 
 
 I. Absolutely; the glory of God. Gmf, wii^tee 
 
 II. Relatively; the God of Israel. i;i5'gio?j.";s 
 
 III. The place; there at the inner iiin'm some 
 
 . -^ nslLle way. 
 
 gate. 
 
 IV. The manner ; according to tlie vision he had 
 seen. 
 
 In chap. iii. 23, the prophet saith, he " arose and 
 went forth into the plain ; and, behold, the glory of 
 the Lord stood there, as the glory which 1 saw by 
 the river of Chebar." He had t^dce before seen the 
 glory of God, and now here again he sees it. 
 
 There is nothing difiicult in the words ; one thing 
 is considerable in them, why the prophet had now a 
 third time the glory of God presented to him. 
 
 1. To keep his heart in an humble and reverential 
 frame, that whatever God revealed to him about the 
 utter ruin of the Jewish nation, he should not stick 
 at it, decline the revealing of it, because he saw that 
 God was a glorious and dreadfid God. 
 
 2. To let him see what unspeakable wrong the 
 Jews had done him, to forsake the glorious God, to 
 serve base, shameful, dunghill idols ; this made God 
 complain, Jer. ii. 11, " They have changed their 
 glory for that which doth not profit," the God of Is- 
 rael for the gods of the nations. 
 
 3. To kindle the zeal of the projihet. When he 
 had seen God so glorious once, twice, or thrice, and 
 also what they had done to this God ; this could not 
 but fire his spirit, and make him Ijurning with zeal, 
 in justifying God, and denouncing threatenings against 
 such idolaters. 
 
 4. To let the prophet see that he was going away 
 from his sanctuary, and from his people ; ;nid there- 
 fore it is said, " the glory of the (iod of Israel w; s 
 there," there at the inner gate looking northward,
 
 Vek. 4— G. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 187 
 
 where the image which provoked so much was ; not 
 that the glorious God would have communion with 
 the image ; but to evidence, that seeing they had 
 brought in a false god, the true God would leave them. 
 
 5. To confirm the prophet in tlie truth of tliis pro- 
 phecy, and make way for tlie higlr esteem of it in after- 
 ages, being brouglit in witli so many glorious visions. 
 
 " God of Israel." Jacob's name being clranged 
 to " Israel," Gen. xxxii. 2S, in time the Jews came 
 to be called " Israelites," Exod. ix. 7, " The children 
 of Israel," Exod. xix. 3. And God taking them for 
 his people, is frequently styled " the God of Israel," 
 Exod. V. 1 ; Josh. vii. 19. And he is so styled here 
 to put them in mind of two things : 
 
 1. The covenant that lie made with their fathers, 
 Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, Deut. xxix. 12, 13. 
 God took them to be his people, and became their God. 
 
 2. The great things he had done for Israel above 
 all other people. None of the nations had such a 
 God as their God was. The nations' gods were im- 
 potent, impure, perishing gods, but the God of Israel 
 was the Lord of hosts ; Jer. vii. 3, " Thus saith the 
 Lord of hosts, the God of Israel." He had all power, 
 command of all creatures, and could do enough for 
 them. He was " the Holy One of Israel," Isa. v. 
 19, and would not endure iniquity in Jacob and Is- 
 rael ; " the Strength of Israel," 1 Sam. xv. 29, and 
 never failed, and did wonderful things for them ; he 
 brought them out of Egypt, &c. Micah vi. 4 ; he had 
 kno\ra them above all families of the earth, Amos iii. 2. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the true God, the God of Israel, is a 
 glorious God ; he is a glorious essence, and essential 
 glory. Psal. xxix. 3, he is " the God of glory," and 
 Psal. xxiv. 7, 9, 10, he is thrice called " the King of 
 glory." Not only hath he glory to dispose of to 
 others, but he is a King all of glory, and glorious ex- 
 cellences ; his attributes are glory, his omnipotence, 
 omniscience, eternity, immutability, wisdom, justice, 
 mercy, holiness, are his glory; Exod. xv. 11, he is 
 " glorious in holiness." It is said of Aaron, he 
 had garments for glory, Exod. xxviii. 2. God's at- 
 tributes are his garments for glory ; and how glori- 
 ous is God, who hath so many glorious garments on 
 him ! There is nothing in God, or about him, but it is 
 glorious ; his eyes are eyes of glory, Isa. iii. 8 ; his 
 right hand is glorious, Exod. xv. 6 ; his arm is 
 glorious, Isa. Ixiii. 12; his majesty is glorious, Psal. 
 cxlv. 5 ; his work is glorious, cxi. 3 ; his works of 
 creation, providence, redemption are so ; his name 
 is glorious. 1 C'hron. xxix. 13 ; his glory is so bright, 
 so great, that it fills the earth, Isa. vi. 3 : his Spirit 
 is glory, 1 Pet. iv. 14 ; his Son is the Lord of glory, 
 1 Cor. ii. 8. God is not only glorious, or glory, but 
 excellent glory, 2 Pet. i. 17; it excels the glory of 
 the sun, the glory of all kings, of all angels and glo- 
 rious ones, of the whole creation, yea, the compre- 
 hensions of all intelligent creatures ; it is so excel- 
 ling, that none but God himself can measure it. 
 
 Let us give glory to the God of Israel who is so 
 glorious, acknowledge what he hath done, magnify 
 his name, multiply his praises : where praises dwell, 
 God dwells ; Psal. xxii. 3, " He inhabits the praises 
 of Israel." He is the Gcd of Israel, dwells there, 
 to counsel, comfort, deliver, sanctify, and save them ; 
 they praise him, and he is there to give in daily new 
 matter of praise. 
 
 Obs. 2. Sight of the glory of God is a great pri- 
 vilege, it is not for every one to see. Ezekiel saw 
 it ; not all in Babylon, not all the elders who were 
 in the house with him. Ungracious, unbelieving 
 spirits see not divine glory ; John i. 14, " We beheld 
 his glory," not others : we that received of his fid- 
 ness, of his graces, we had the favour and the power 
 to behold his glory. Many saw Christ's miracles, 
 
 but not his glory held out by them, John ii. 11. 
 AVhcn the water was turned into wine, Christ mani- 
 fested his glory, which the disciples saw, not others : 
 they believed ; and Christ told Martha, if she be- 
 lieved, she should " see the glory of God," John xi. 
 40. Faith is the eye of the soul, and God shows his 
 glory in Christ to that eye. 
 
 Obs. 3. Tliat whithersoever God calls a man, he 
 can show him his glory. At the river Chebar he had 
 seen it, in the plain also, and now at Jerusalem, 
 which abounded with idolatry. 
 
 Vcr. 5, 6. Then said he unto me. Son ofmrin, lift 
 up thine et/es now the way toward the north. So 
 I lifted np mine eyes the way toicard the north, 
 ayid behold northward at the gate of tlie altar this 
 image of jealousy in the entry. He said further- 
 more unto me. Son of man, seest thou what thcii 
 do ? even the great abominations that the house 
 of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off 
 from my sanctuary ? but turn thee yet again, and 
 thou shall see greater abominations. 
 
 In these and the following verses are gradually 
 set out the great abominations of the Jews at Jeru- 
 salem. Their wickedness was not positive only, but 
 superlative, of the highest nature. Besides the ap- 
 pellation, " son of man," the fifth verse hath in it, 
 
 I. Christ's commandment, "Lift up thine eyes." 
 
 II. The prophet's obedience, " So 1 lifted up min 
 eyes." 
 
 III. The thing seen, "The image of jealousy." 
 
 IV. The place where, " At the gate of the altar in 
 the entry." 
 
 " Lift up thine eyes." This phrase imports a 
 thorough view, an exact notice of things. Gen. xiii. 
 10, " Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain 
 of Jordan, that it was well watered every wliere :" he 
 diligently considered the place and commodities of 
 it. Isa. xlix. 18, "Lift up thine eyes round about, 
 and behold ;" that is, consider well how all that 
 gather against thee shall be for thy good. The lift- 
 ing up of the eyes notes a distinct and fuller observ- 
 ation of things : and so here, Ezekiel, be not remiss 
 and careless in the -s-iewing of things, but lift up 
 thine eyes, open them fully, observe exactly what is 
 before thee. This you must take to be meant of the 
 eyes of his mind, not his body ; for he was in an ec- 
 stasy in the spirit at Jepjsalem, not in the flesh. 
 
 " At the gate of the altar." No gate was so called 
 originally ; but after Ahaz had corrupted the wor- 
 ship of God by his altar from Damascus, fixed an 
 altar by that gate, and brought the Lord's altar thi- 
 ther, 2 Kings xvi. 14, it is conceived hereupon 
 this gate was called the altar-gate ; there was an 
 altar for Baal, and a misplaced altar for God. 
 
 Obs. I. If we will rightly discern the coriniption 
 in worship, distinguish between what is human and 
 what is divine, we must set the eyes of our minds to 
 work, they must be lift up, be open, and intent to 
 the thing. There is great difference between the 
 external view and judgment of the flesh, and be- 
 tween the internal view and judgment of the spirit. 
 This Baalitical altar, doubtless, was glorious out- 
 wardly, as false worship is, (Jeroboam's calves were 
 golden ones, 1 Kings xii. 28,) and affected the eyes, 
 stole away the hearts, of many ; but it was loathsome 
 to the eye of a judicious, considering mind ; God's 
 worship was hindered, defiled by it, his jealousy 
 provoked, and their ruin procured by it. 
 
 Tlie popish religion is pompous, and to carnal 
 eyes hath beauty in it; but to those that lift up the 
 eyes of their mind, and well consider, it is supersti-
 
 1&8 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VIII. 
 
 tioiis, idolatrous, and abominable. Some have called 
 the ceremonies used lately in our worship innocent ; 
 but those who examined them well, found them in- 
 jurious, the seed of contention, snares to conscience, 
 and flies in our precious ointment. John vii. 24, 
 "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge 
 righteous judgment ;" see exactly into things, let 
 the eyes be lift up, and so shall you pass a more ju- 
 dicious sentence. 
 
 How pompous was our worship become lately, but 
 since eyes have been lift up, the vanity, corruption, 
 and superstition thereof have appeared. 
 
 Obn. 2. They may safely observe, examine, the 
 nature and sinfulness of false worship, who have a 
 call unto it. The Lord C'hrist bids Ezekicl " behold 
 the image of jealousy," see what the people did 
 there. The prophet did not willingly lift up his eyes, 
 but at command, and being lawfully called to it, 
 there was no danger of being seduced, of bowing to 
 Baal, of countenancing false worship : God keeps 
 those who are in the way he sets them. Had the pro- 
 phet, out of curiosity and desire to see this altar, 
 this image, gone to Jerusalem, he might have 
 been insnared ; as too many of our nation by going 
 to Rome, having no better ground than an itch- 
 ing desire to see and know what is done there. 
 Romish worship hath inveigled them, Jesuitical 
 cliarras bewitched them, and lost they have botli 
 truth and innocency ; their consciences have been 
 defiled, and their judgments prejudiced against those 
 ways they were fcormerly acquainted with. If the 
 spirits of some have been heightened against those 
 abominations by the sight of them, this is matter for 
 wonder, not for imitation. It is not safe entering 
 into tlie lions' den because one Daniel was kept safe 
 there ; where one hath been preserved, scores have 
 been corrujited, and many of them insensibly. Phi- 
 losophers say, an egg wrapped up in salt loses the 
 good meat which was in it, the shell remaining 
 whole ; and so when young ones travel into those 
 brackish countries, and live amongst those who are 
 salted with popery, they lose the good savour they 
 had of true religion, and only the shell remains 
 whole. 
 
 Obs. 3. See here the tractableness, the obediential 
 frame of the proi>het's spirit. Christ commands him 
 to lift up his eyes, atul so he lift up his eyes, he 
 doubled not, disputed not, he lingered not; but the 
 word being given out, immediately he obeys, his 
 spirit was set towards, and suitable to, the will of 
 Christ. He might have stuck and said. It is an 
 abominable idol, an accursed thing that provokes 
 thee to jealousy, mine eyes .shall never see that 
 which so pollutes thy worship, and is so contrary to 
 thy glory ; but he presently submits, and fultils'the 
 ■will of Christ, which is very acceptable unto him. 
 Moses's delays made God angry, Exod. iv. 14 ; and it 
 is the great shift of Satan to keep men oft' from 
 obeying the will and voice of God by delays. He 
 doth not tell men the commands in Scripture are 
 not the commands of God, but he causcth delays, 
 and so impedes, retards the execution of divine 
 commands ; so that God is hearkened unto months 
 and years after the command is gone forth : such 
 obedience is not so precious and acceptable. David 
 knew it, and therefore suith, Psal. cxix. 60, " I made 
 haste, and delayed not to keep thy cimnuandments." 
 A lazy, lingering s]iirit is a provoking sjiirit. David 
 made haste and ran when (iod connnanded, which 
 greatly pleased God. Abraham is bidden to leave 
 his country, and go to an uncertain place he knew 
 not whither ; he did it presently, and it is twice re- 
 corded in Scripture, Gen. xii. 1,4; Acts vii. 3, 4. 
 
 Ver. 6. He said fm'thermore unto me, Son of 
 man, seest thou ivhat they do ? even the great 
 abominations that the house of Israel commilteth 
 here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary ? 
 but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater 
 abominations. 
 
 This verse needs little opening. It is probable 
 that some of the Jews were worshipping before that 
 idol Baal, whereupon the Lord being moved, ask- 
 eth our prophet whether he did not see what they 
 cUd, even such things as would cause him to depart 
 from them, and to leave them to the spoil of enemies. 
 They intended not to di-ive God out of the sanc- 
 tuary, but that was the sequel and fruit of their 
 abominations. 
 
 '• That I should go far oft' from my sanctuary." The 
 Hebrew runs thus ; To go far from the .sanctuary ; not, 
 I should go : and so some refer it to the people that 
 worshipped Baal ; and so those who pervert, corrupt 
 the worship of God, go from the sanctuary ; they go 
 from God, and have nothing to do with him. But I con- 
 ceive it rel'ers to God, who would leave the sanctuary, 
 because of the pollutions and corruptions in it. 
 
 06s. I. That where God's pure worship is, there 
 is his presence. God had given them pure ordi- 
 nances in the temple, and there he was ; 2 Kings 
 six. 15, he dw'clt " between the eherubims." They 
 were upon the ark of the covenant in the sanctuary, 
 where God manifested himself, and gave out oracles 
 to those who sought him ; hereupon David, Psal. 
 xxvii. 4, desired to " dwell in the house of the Lord, 
 to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in 
 his temple ;" there he .saw the beautiful face of God, 
 and heard his sweet voice. God is in his own ordi- 
 nances, when the temple is measured out, and the 
 holy city built, acconUng to God's mind : and then 
 the name shall be Jehovah-shannnah, " The Lord is 
 there," Ezek. xlviii. 35 ; and the churches, whilst 
 golden candlesticks, C'hrist is in the midst of them. 
 
 Obs. 2. Corruptions, abominations in worship, 
 cause the Lord to leave his people, to depart from 
 his sanctuary. They brought in heathenish altars, 
 set up Baal, and removed God's altar out of its 
 place ; and hereupon God forsakes his dwelling-place, 
 his presence, protection, counsel, countenance, bless- 
 ings, are all withdrawn from them. And woe is to 
 that people when God goeth out of the sanctuary ! if 
 outward calamities do not ruin them, spiritual judg- 
 ments undo them. But see the mischief of false 
 worship, men's additions and mixtures with the pure 
 ordinances of the Lord; they arc as smoke to God's 
 eyes, %inegar and gall to his taste, abominations to 
 his Spirit ; if they nuist go into his house, he will go 
 out of it : when the ark comes in, Dagon goes down ; 
 and when Dagon comes in, the ark goes out. In 
 Christ's time the temple was a den of thieves, and 
 Jehovah was not amongst them. It is needful there- 
 fore to stand, contend for pure ordinances and divine 
 worship. 
 
 Obs. 3. Men may have ordinances, and forms of 
 worship, without God in them. They had the 
 sanctuary, altars, sacrifices, when God was gone 
 from them, yea, far from them ; as they had cor- 
 rupt orilinances, so powerless ordinances, there was 
 nothing of God, Christ, or his Spirit in them. When 
 God is out of the sanctuary, it matters not who is 
 there, or what is done there, all is to little purpose : 
 1 Kings xix. 1 1, 12, there was a wind, an earthquake, 
 a fire, but God was in neither of them ; and let there 
 be priests and Lc\'itcs, sacrifice and incense, preach- 
 ing and praying, God is not in them. 
 
 Obs. 4. There arc degi-ecs of sins ; abominations
 
 Ver. 7—12. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 199 
 
 great, and greater ; sins of ignorance are of a low 
 nature, sins of knowledge higher ; the more of the 
 head and heart is in a sin, the worse, the greater, it 
 is ; knowledge and will do edify sin much. Da^-id's 
 murder, Peter's denial of Christ, were sins more 
 heinous than others which they committed. 
 
 Obs. 5. God discovers sins by degrees, not all at 
 once ; ha had showTi him great abominations, and 
 Christ bids him turn, and he should see greater 
 abominations. Sins are not all committed at once, 
 nor all discovered at once, they grow by degrees, 
 and are discovered by degrees. Abominations in 
 kingdoms and churches lie wrajit up in the mantle 
 of secrecy and darkness, but God hath his times to 
 discover and make them known to the sons of men. 
 Hosea ii. 10, "Now will I discover her lewdness." 
 Ephraim had sinned, added abomination to abomi- 
 nation, lewdness to lewdness, and they had been 
 covered up for a season, but now the discovering time 
 was come, several murders and adulteries were 
 brought to light. Ephraim and Samaria's sins were 
 made known when Israel was to be healed, Hosea 
 vii. I. When God would come and cover the wounds 
 of his own people, then the wickedness of their 
 enemies is laid open. It is evident in our days God 
 hath been upon healing England, and the sins of 
 many have been discovered. 
 
 Estates and churches are like bodies full of gross 
 and noxious humours, stir them a little, and they 
 appear, to the danger of the whole. 
 
 Ver. 7 — 12. A)irl he hroitsrlit me to the door of 
 the court ; and when I looked, behold a hole in 
 the wall. Then said he unto me, Son of man, diff 
 now in the wall : and when I had difrged in the 
 vail, behold a door. And he said unto me. 
 Go in, and behold the tvicked abominations that 
 the}/ do here. So I went in and saw ; and be- 
 hold every form of creeping things, and abomi- 
 nable beasts, and all the idols of the house of 
 Israel, pourfrayed tipon the trail round about. 
 And there stood before them serenli/ men of the 
 ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst 
 of them stood Juazaniah the son of Shaphan, 
 with everi/ man his censer in his hand ; and a 
 thick cloud of incense went vp. Tlien said he 
 unto lae. Son of man, hast thou seen what the 
 ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, 
 everj/ man in the chambers of his imagery ? for 
 they say. The Lord seeth us not ; the Lord hath 
 forsaken the earth. 
 
 These verses contain the second part of the pro- 
 phet's new vision : where, 
 
 I. You have a new discovery of more idolatry in 
 ver. 7, 8, 9, and beginning of ver. 10. 
 
 II. A description of it, in ver. 10, II. 
 
 III. The ground of all their vile practices, ver. 
 12, " They say. The Lord seeth not." 
 
 I shall open what hath any difficulty, and so give 
 )-ou the observations. 
 
 " The door of the court." Another door than that 
 in ver. 3. It was the door of tlie Levitcs' or priests' 
 court, into which none might come that were not of 
 ihe tribe of Levi ; and herein the sin of the priests 
 and people is aggi-avated, that the priests suflcred 
 any to come in there who should not, and that the 
 people durst venture into that holy place, or bring 
 their abominations so near the Lord. 
 
 " Dig in the wall, and, behold, a door." The door 
 of the court being shut, he spies a hole, and upon 
 command, digging in that, finds another door about 
 
 the gates of the wall, " chambers," Ezek. xl. 10, for 
 the door-keepers and Levites, who had their weekly 
 courses of administration, 1 Chron. sxiii. 28 ; Luke 
 i. 8. And it is likely this door in the wall was a 
 back-door, by which the priests, Levites, and others, 
 entered into their chambers and chapels of imagery, 
 secretly ; and our prophet entering in at tliis door, 
 sees their gross and brutish idolatry. 
 
 There they had pictured upon the walls the forms 
 of all things which creep, and of beasts. God had 
 forbidden the Jews to make themselves any images, 
 but now they not only had images, set them in pri- 
 vate, but also in public and holy places, and those of 
 the basest sort ; crococUles, cats, moles, beetles, which 
 creatures the Egyptians worshipped, they had por- 
 h-ayed there. 
 
 " Abominable beasts." The Hebrew is, of animal 
 abomination. No creatures of God are abominable 
 in themselves ; some prohibited by the law were un- 
 clean for such and such uses, but yet good in them- 
 selves ; the picturing of them and others made them 
 abominable. And I conceive abomination refers 
 rather to the form of the creature which they wor- 
 shipped, than to the creahu-e itself, and may be read 
 thus, Every form of creeping thing, and of beast, is 
 abomination ; and secondarily, the creatures abomi- 
 nable, for their fomi's sake, wliich were worshipped. 
 
 " Seventy men of the ancients of the house of 
 Israel." In Numb. xi. 16, God bids Moses gather 
 seventy of the ciders together ; which done, he 
 joined them with Moses, to help him to bear the 
 burden of the people ; these seventy made a standing 
 senate, or their sanhedrim. There were six out of 
 every tribe, which amounted to seventy-two, but 
 were called the seventy; as in Luke x. 1, they are 
 Ctdled the seventy chseiples, but in the Syriac it is 
 seventy -two. These met in a great court near the 
 sanctuar)', called Synedrion, from their sitting there ; 
 and this was the great council, to which were ad- 
 mitted those that were wise, afraid to sin, me-ek and 
 able. Their qualifications are set down, Exod. xviii. 
 21 ; Deut. i. 13. And to these, hard and weighty 
 matters were brought to judge of, as defection of 
 tribes, false prophets, war, and such like. Now this 
 council, these sevent)^ were so degenerate, that they 
 were become idolaters, and oftered incense to idols. 
 
 Some think they were aU priests, because every 
 man was with his censer in his hand; but then it 
 should have been seventy men of the tribe of Levi, 
 not of the ancients of Israel ; and besides, it is 
 known that the sanhedrim consisted not all of priests, 
 but some out of every tribe. 
 
 " In the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of 
 Shaphan." \Vho this Jaazaniah was is uncertain. 
 Deodate, in his notes upon the place, is mistaken ; he 
 saith the name is no where else mentioned, whereas 
 you shall find it twice more, in 2 Kings xxv. 23 : Jer. 
 XXXV. 3. There were divers Jaazaniahs ; this in the 
 prophet is said to be the son of Shaphan, who, it is 
 probable, was that Shaphan the scribe in Josiah's 
 days, 2 Kings xxii. 12, grandfather or uncle to Geda- 
 liah, whom the king of Baliylon left governor in 
 Judea, Jer. xl. 5, 1 1 : so that Gedaliah and Jaazaniah 
 were near of kin, of great place, whether a priest, or 
 some chief ruler. He stood in the midst of the 
 seventy, as being principal ; for the chief in wisdom 
 they set over the rest of the sanhedrim, and called 
 him nasi, the prince, they sitting in the form of a 
 half moon before him, or about him. His name 
 signifies hearkening of, or to, the Lord, whom, had 
 he remembered, he would not have been found in 
 such service. 
 
 " A thick cloud of incense went up.'' 
 Hebrew is, abundance of a cloud of m-
 
 2:)0 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. \III. 
 
 cense ; that is, the smoke of the incense was so thick, 
 that it seemed a cloud. 
 
 Incense or perfume was made of sweet and costly 
 things, and was a token of worship, yea, chief worshiji, 
 saith Calvin. Anciently they burnt sweet wood, and 
 with the smoke thereof wor.shij)pcd their gods. It is 
 like the heathens learned it from Moses, who was ap- 
 pointed of God to burn incense to him, Exod. xxv. 
 (J ; XXX. 7. 8. The entrails of beasts boiled, or roasted, 
 the heathens did burn unto their gods at first, but after- 
 wards used incense. Tully saith, that to the statues 
 set up for Cains Marius they bunied frankincense or 
 incense, and wax candles, which were in honour 
 thereof In the primitive times, when they forced 
 the christians to idolatry, they would have them 
 tlirow a little frankincense into the fire, which was a 
 token of worship. 
 
 Obf. 1. That idolaters off times act closely, and 
 cover up their works from the eyes of the world. 
 They had their imagery in chambers and secret places, 
 it was walled up, and unobvions to most eyes. Some 
 covers and pretences such persons always have for 
 their superstitions and idolatries : they cover them 
 with their good intentions, great devotion, religion 
 of their forefathers, such as have some pomp and 
 state ; there are in them such objects as help their 
 memories and affections. There is, say they, some 
 truth, some good, and the rest may be borne with ; 
 those that worship so, prosper, and are at ease in 
 their way, they meet not with those temptations and 
 troubles others do. 
 
 OO.s: 2. Such ways of wickedness cannot be car- 
 ried so close, but there will be some espial of them. 
 Let them make walls to cover them up, yet Provi- 
 dence will order it so, that there will be a hole in 
 the wall, some crevice to look through at and dis- 
 cern their doings ; the mystery of iniquity could not 
 work so closely, but it was discerned. 
 
 Peter Soave found a hole in the walls of Rome, 
 and discovered the pope's practices to hinder reform- 
 ation of errors in the council of Trent. The secret 
 plottings and conveyances to bring in popery amongst 
 us by Jesuits and others, were espied, detected, and 
 in due time disappointed. 
 
 Obs. 3. To find out exactly the great evils and 
 abominations in states and churches, miich pains 
 must b" taken. The prophet must dig, and dig in the 
 wall. Their idolatry was fortified and walled up, 
 and clear knowledge of it could not be attained with- 
 out great toil. 
 
 The popish idolatry hath been so walled up by 
 K Ornish champions, that it cost our worthies and pro- 
 jihets, Whitaker, Reynolds, Perkins, Amess, and 
 others, much digging to discover the ill-favouredness 
 of their imagery. Their strong arguments are answer- 
 ed, and popery hath a black face. And not only in 
 tliis particular must there be digging to find out the 
 mischief thereof, but also in others. It hath cost 
 this parliament digging to find out the evil in pre- 
 lacy and malignancy in the land. 
 
 06.?. 4. Such is the force of superstition and idola- 
 try, that men engaged therein go furtlier, and grow 
 worse. They were not content with the image of 
 jealousy, but they had forms of creeping things and 
 abominable beasts to worship : they multiplied 
 abominations, Ezek. xvi. 51, and had painted gods 
 upon the wall round about, or, as the Hebrew is, 
 about and about, double ranks of gods ; superstition 
 knows no end. We were of late in this kingdom got 
 into the paths of superstition, and walked daily 
 further and further therein ; they had gotten all gods 
 but the true God. 
 
 Obs. 5. Idolatry is a grievous sin, it is abomination, 
 and the Lord therefore calls the prophet to sec what 
 
 they did, that he might be a witness of so great and 
 grievous a sin as that was : and the grievousness of 
 it lies in this ; 
 
 (1.) That they had forsaken the true God. 
 
 (2.) Had changed the glory of the uncorruptible 
 God into the forms of creeping things, beasts abom- 
 inable. 
 
 (3.) That they had brought them into the holy 
 place, even where God's holy ordinances ought 
 to be. 
 
 (4.) That they had driven God out of his holy 
 place. 
 
 (5.) That the chief men were drawn away, and of- 
 fered incense to those dunghill gods. 
 
 (().) That they said, " The Lord seeth us not." 
 
 (7.) That they looked for help from those help- 
 less gods. 
 
 06*. 6. Note here, that idolatiy infatuates wise 
 men. The ancients of Israel were become idolaters ; 
 those that were the counsellors and judges, that 
 should have maintained the tnie worship of God, 
 encouraged others by their counsel and example not 
 to cleave to false worship, but to the true and living 
 God, that .should have punished idolaters with death 
 according to the law of Moses, even they become 
 brutish, they worship forms of creeping things ; 
 they disclaim the infinite, glorious, great, holy, and 
 wise God, even the God of Israel, and adore bats, 
 moles, &c. : a just hand of God upon men, to whom, 
 because they receive not the truth with the love of 
 it, or the love of the truth, God sends strong delu- 
 sions, that they believe lies. 
 
 Obs. 7. There is consent in wickedness and false 
 worship. Seventy of them are of one mind ; they take 
 censers, and offer incense to base dunghill gods ; all 
 the people break off their ear-rings to make a calf. 
 Psal. Ixxxiii. 5, " They have consulted together with 
 one consent;" the Hebrew is, with one heart ; " and 
 are confederate against thee ;" hearty consultation, 
 and hearty confederation against God and his wor- 
 ship. Rev. xiii. 3, " And all the world wondered 
 after the beast, and worshipped the dragon." 
 
 064". 8. See the cunning of idolaters. The priests, 
 that most usually are first in such ways, they draw 
 in the great ones to countenance their ways, they 
 let them offer incense with their own hands, which 
 was a violence to the priesthood ; and they do all in 
 darkness, that so objections may be prevented, some 
 great mysticalnirss be conceited to be in those ways, 
 which may breed reverence and esteem of them in 
 the hearts of lower persons. 
 
 Obs. 9. Idolatrous and superstitious persons are 
 expensive to maintain their worship. Here was much 
 incense burnt to their idols, " a thick cloud went 
 up." In Exod. xxxii. 3, where their idolatry first 
 began after their coming out of Egypt, how prodigal 
 were they of their jewels and ear-rings to make a 
 false god ! Egyptian jewels given them for adorn- 
 ation, they make an object of adoration. And when 
 they had made them golden and silver gods, of which 
 God complains, Ezek. xvi. 17, their prodigality 
 ceased not there, but they were at daily charges to 
 honour and maintain them : they decked the high 
 places with garments of divers colours, they covered 
 the gods with broidcrcd garments, they bestowed 
 oil, incense, fine fiower, and honey, upon them ; yea, 
 they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto them, 
 Ezek. xvi. 18—20. 
 
 The papists are profuse in their superstitious wor- 
 ship ; the churches of some saints are so stufVed with 
 vowed presents and memories, that they are fain to 
 hang their cloisters and churchyards with them. 
 
 It is the nature of idolatry and adultery to be pro- 
 digal. If adulterers think nothing too much for
 
 Ver. 13, 14. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 201 
 
 Ihcir harlots, idolaters think nothing too much for 
 tlicir false worship. 
 
 Ob.s. 10. God appeals to man in a case of great 
 ingratitude and wrong done unto him. They were 
 unthankful for all the great things God had done, 
 they gave that honour which was due unto the Di- 
 vine Majesty unto images and idols, whereupon saith 
 God to Ezekiel, " Son of man, hast thou seen what 
 the ancients of Israel do.'" Judge thou of it; 
 should not they, hcing aged, lifted up to honour, in- 
 vested with power, prevent and punish such sins in 
 a church and state as here are committed ? should not 
 thi>y counsel and lead others by their example to 
 serve me, the only true and living God ? should it 
 not be so ? I appeal to thee to make judgment of it. 
 But they do otherwise ; are not the ancients become 
 idolaters ? have they not chambers of imagery ? are 
 there not censers in their hands ? secst thou not the 
 smoke of the incense going up ? AVhat thinkest thou, 
 arcnottheseworthy of death themselves for these sins, 
 who should put others to death for the like ? Speak 
 thy mind, I appeal to thee in this case ; the injury is 
 so notorious, thou canst not but condemn them, and 
 justify mc. It is frequent in Scripture for God in such 
 cases to appeal to man and other creatures, Isa. v. 3 ; 
 Jer. ii. 12; Deut. xxxii. I. Appeals are relief to the 
 hearts of those that are wronged and grieved, and God 
 in this case deals after the manner of men. 
 
 Obs. 11. False worship is a work of darkness. 
 Idolaters have corners, chambers, dark places ; these 
 seventy were in the dark, and did the works of 
 darkness. Idolatry is called a " work of the flesh," 
 Gal. V. 19, 20, and all works of the llesh are 
 darkness. 
 
 The heathens had their opertanea et tenebrosa 
 sacra, occult and dark worship. 
 
 Truth loves the light, but error and iniquity, dark- 
 ness; John iii. 20, evil-doers hate the light, they 
 hide up themselves and their ways. These seventy 
 had power in their hand, yet durst not justify their 
 works openly, but carried all closely ; but how close 
 soever sinners are, God sees them. Those words, 
 
 " In the chambers of his imagery," some render it, 
 I avater. in the secret of their own imaginations ; 
 
 CaKin. which shows, that whatever are the 
 
 thoughts, workings, and imaginations of men's 
 hearts, the Lord sees them, and can discover them. 
 Idolaters have strong thoughts in their 
 hearts of the ways they are in, of some 
 mystery and excellency in them, which 
 the vulgar know not ; but let men be 
 ignorant of them, the Lord sees thim. Isa. xxix. 
 15, men think to hide their counsels, thoughts, prac- 
 tices from the Lord, but he sees the deeeitfulness 
 of their hearts, the wickedness in them ; and because 
 they carry things close, he searches, he tries them 
 what they are, Jer. xvii. 9, 10. 
 
 Obs. 12. That atheism, unbelief, and pride, are 
 the causes of men's going out from God, and falling 
 to idolatrous and other sinful, vile practices ; for they 
 say, " The Lord seeth us not, he hath forsaken the 
 earth." Atheism denies his piresence, infidelity his 
 assistance, and pride carries them out for help else- 
 where, and tacitly lays the blame upon God : He 
 hath left the caring of us, we are in the midst cf 
 dangers, ard must seek for protection from some 
 deity or other. And if it be a sin, he may thank 
 himself; if he had not forsaken us we would hi.t 
 have forsaken him, chosen any other ; but we are 
 necessitated to it. Here is the pride of idolaters ; and 
 in Jer. xviii . 15, all these arc included in one word, 
 " Because my people hath forgotten me, they have 
 burned incense to vanity." They forgot God, and 
 hereupon became atheistical, unbelieving, and proud. 
 
 TItey had idols 
 in tlieji cham- 
 bers, am) hIoIs in 
 their hearts. 
 
 Ver. 13, 14. He said also unto me, Turn tliec yet 
 again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that 
 they do. Then he brought me to the door of the gate 
 of the Lord's house which was toward the north ; 
 and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz. 
 
 Here you have a third part of the prophet's new 
 vision, containing yet greater abominations than 
 before ; which is set out, 
 
 I. From the place, " The door of the gate of the 
 Lord's house." It was the priests' court, and at the 
 entrance into the Lord's house, and the nearer they 
 sinned to the Lord's house, the greater was the 
 wickedness. 
 
 II. The nature of the abomination, "Women sat 
 there weeping for Tammuz." It was not according 
 to law for any to be in that court, at that gate, but 
 priests only. Now here were women, and women 
 sitting and weeping, and that for Tammuz ; which 
 were greater abominations than what were before. 
 
 What or who this Tammuz was, must be opened 
 unto you ; the word is not mentioned elsewhere. 
 
 Some rabbles say this Tammuz was k. d.^vsj. 
 a hollow idol, with eyes of lead under "• sniomou. 
 which they used to put fire, and the heat melting 
 the leaden eyes, the idol seemed to weep, and so 
 moving compassion in the women, they became co- 
 weepers with it ; but the text saith not the idol 
 wept, but that the women wept. Shindler saith the 
 idols had their prophets, and this Tammuz was one 
 of the idolatrous prophets, whom the king slew. 
 In honour of him was set up an idol, so called from 
 his name, or because on the first day of the month 
 Thamuz they did celebrate his festivity : the seven- 
 teenth day of this month they fasted for the breach 
 of the tables of the law, and on the first, feasted, 
 and brake the law itself most abominably. 
 
 The Vulgate translation reads it, Adonis, and 
 many interpreters so carry it. Adonis was son of 
 Cinarh, king of Cyprus, a great lover of pleasures, 
 chieily of garden delights ; whence arose the proverb, 
 Adonidis horti, the gardens of Adonis, which were 
 curious and choice, but soon fading away. 
 
 This Adonis was a great lover of Venus, and being 
 unhappily slain by a boar, great lamentation was 
 made for him ; and the rather because he had a sweet 
 voice, and delighted men and women with his sing- 
 ing, from whence his name seems to be Adonis i,To t» 
 given him; and by the lovers of music iie.v.aCanendo. 
 amongst them he was accounted for a god, and 
 yearly solemnities instituted for him, in which were 
 the weepings of women. 
 
 Lucian in his Dialogues saith, that . 
 
 yearly in memory of Adonis's death by * '^ ^"^' 
 a boar, they did beat themselves and weep ; after 
 which, they sacrificed to Adonis as dead ; and a day 
 after, they, thinking him alive, shaved their heads, 
 and those women who would not do it, were to 
 prostitute their bodies to all strangers for a day, and 
 the gain gotten was given in sacrifice to Venus. 
 
 Plutarch saith, women did bring to , . ,,.,.. 
 
 ,, 1 .,. r KT ■ • 1-1 111 vita Alciblail. 
 
 tlie solemnities ol Adonis images like 
 
 dead boches, and, wailing, sang funeral verses. 
 
 Matemus Finuicus tells us that an image was put 
 in a bed, bewailed by many ; and they having satis- 
 fied themselves with weeping, a light was brought 
 in, and the faces of all that wept were anointed, and 
 these words softly pronounced. Trust in the god, he 
 will deliver us from our miseries ; and so they unbed 
 the idol with much joy. 
 
 Others make Tammuz to be Osiris, •|ieo<i. Sc»iig. de 
 husliand, brother, or son of Isis, (for oinndat ic.nip. 
 authors vary about it,) and king of ,uliir."i.'i.'c'."2i.
 
 202 
 
 AN EXPOSITION LTON 
 
 Chap. VIII. 
 
 Pociicum Die- Eevpt, the same with Apis or Serapis, 
 vvrbn Apis. wlio, coiiiiiig iiito -Lgypt, aiKl teacliiiig 
 tVusil'i'i'.''" '^"'' them civility, and how to dress vines, 
 was chosen their king; and having go- 
 verned them well, at his death was honoured as a 
 god under the form of a black ox. Suidas saith, he 
 was an Egyptian god, worshipped for the moon's 
 sake. The' Egyptians called this god Tamniuz, or 
 Ammuz, which signifieth in their language, hidden, 
 because the sacred things of this idol were covered 
 and secret. 
 
 Ludovicus Vives, in his notes upon August, de 
 Civ. Dei, I. 6. c. 10, tells us, that Osiris was torn in 
 pieces by his brother Typhon ; (which some say 
 was for his whoredom with Isis, wife of Typhon, and 
 all his members thrown into Nilus ;) this fact greatly 
 afflicted Isis, who with much search and labour got 
 the dispersed members of Osiris again, which caused 
 great joy in her. Hereupon she appointed a 
 set time for seeking of Osiris, with weeping and 
 howling. 
 
 Some affirm, Isis buried Osiris's members, being 
 found, in a fenny island near Memphis, which she 
 called Stix, whither went certain mitred persons at 
 set times to mourn and weep : and a goodly ox ap- 
 pearing unto them, they thought it Osiris, where- 
 upon the Egyptians adore an ox for their god, and 
 call it Apis Osiris : this idol being brought to the 
 temple, was their Tammuz. Junius fetches it from 
 a root which signifies to burn, inflame, 
 *"" "^ and thinks thereby is meant the god 
 
 of the Pha?nicians, which is the god of harvest and 
 hot weather ; but we may add also, that his A\or- 
 shippers were inllamed with lust and heat, with the 
 tire of concupiscence, they forgot all bounds of mo- 
 desty. He conceives it to be the same with Osiris 
 (which signifies blessed, or enlightening all things) 
 and with Adonis. 
 
 " Women sat there." These women were the 
 Bhe-priesfs of Isis, and did wear linen garments, 
 and fierformed many of their wretched rites in 
 woven houses, of which you read, 2 Kings xxiii. 7; 
 the word " hangings " in the Hebrew is houses ; 
 women that lived in filthy houses, did weave those 
 houses, or tents, to cover the lewdness of other 
 women ^\hen they came to honour Tammuz. There 
 dwelt near to this idol, youths, the servants of Tam- 
 muz, which were for all naughtiness ; and now at 
 the temple was practised sodomy and all unclean- 
 ness ; there were houses of sodomites by the house 
 of th e Lord. 
 
 " Weeping for Tammuz." For his death, many tears 
 were bestowed upon this idol ; and being the same 
 with Adonis, is etymologized thus. The lord or god 
 of sorrow. And Theocritus calls him the god 
 honoured with tears; and also the god worthy of 
 threefold love, which they expressed not only in 
 their tears, but in the vilest adoration. 
 
 Obf,-. I. That when men leave the true God and 
 his worship, they fall upon, and fetch in, any gods ; 
 inventions and abominations are increased. If they 
 have gods of their own making, that sufficeth not, but 
 they will have gods other nations have made ; there- 
 fore it is said, "Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt 
 see greater abominations." 
 
 Juric. V. a. The Jews, after once they fell to idol- 
 
 "ihey chose atry. Were not contented with one or 
 "aiTifad a house two gods, but had a multijilicitv of 
 xlfi°5'ji;ia^-ha,i Rods. Baal-pcor, of the Moabites, 
 as many 8o,is as Nuiiib. XXV. 3. Aslitoretli, the god- 
 ct.es, Jcr. „. M. ^p^g ^j. ,j,p Zidonians, 1 Kings xi. 5. 
 
 Chemosh, the god of the Moabites, I Kings xi. 33. 
 Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites, 2 Kings 
 xxiii. 13. Molech, the abomination of Ammon, 
 
 1 Kings xi. 7. Baal-zebub, the god of ihe liomans had 
 Ekron, 2 Kings i. 2. Baal, 1 Kings a lempie laiie.i 
 
 • o, Tl 1 CO- 1 il Palilheull. »hne- 
 
 xvi. 31. Ihe gods ot !>vria, and the m ihey worsiiiij- 
 
 gods of the Philistines,' Judg. x. 6. {.'.Tiy^t'^Jwi of 
 
 The gods of the children of Seir, Israel ti.ey had 
 
 2Chron.xxv. 14. The gods of Damas- wnuui have, be- 
 
 eus, 2 Chron. xxviii. 23. These, with ^^r,;i,.'pi,e;r" "' 
 
 other (rods, thev had, yet were not con- aio"<-. »"<! they 
 
 f? , , • , ,* 1 . f. would not I elect 
 
 tent with them, but sought alter more, aii then mher 
 the gods of Edom, 2 Chron. xxv. 20. ^"''^ "" ""'■ 
 
 Thus is it with Rome ; they are not satisfied and 
 settled in their old way, but still multiply saints, 
 orders of friars, Jesuits, articles of faith, and an in- 
 finity of intricate dumb ceremonies. 
 
 Obs. 2. That false worship and filthiness do 
 usually go together, spiritual and corporal whore- 
 dom, idolatry and adultery. These she-servants of Isis 
 wept for Tammuz, but were wanton, lewd with the 
 men that looked to this idol. Houses for all unclean- 
 ness were near the temple, and this idol. 
 
 Obs. 3. Idolatry spreads unto both sexes ; not 
 only men are drawn away to that sin, but the women 
 also, they sat before Tammuz. Idolaters fetch in- 
 many gods, he-gods and she-gtids ; Ashtoreth was a 
 goddess, and the Grecians tliiiik Tammuz or Osiris 
 was not a man, but their goddess Ceres ; and these 
 gods or goddesses draw persons of all sorts and sexes 
 unto them: Jer. xliv. 9, their wives are taxed for 
 their idolatry. 
 
 Obs. 4. Women could weep for Tammuz, Osiris, 
 who for his filthiness justly sulTered; they supposed 
 him wronged, and therefore laid out their hearts for 
 him. How much more should we weep for the great 
 and glorious God, who unjustly suffers by all sinners 
 in the world ! They wept for an idol, for remem- 
 brance of a wicked wretch, when their tears did 
 neither themselves nor the idol good : if we weep 
 for .God and his wrong, it will please him, profit us. 
 David did so, Psal. cxix. 13G, " Rivers of waters run 
 down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law." 
 
 Obs. 5. Idolatry, which is a shameful thing, makes 
 persons shameless. These persons discovered their 
 nakedness to the idol, and offered themselves to 
 commit filthiness with Tammuz. Who could have 
 believed that the Jews, instructed in the law of 
 Moses, would have fetched in such an idol, so beasts 
 ly, from the Egyptians; and that Jewish women 
 should so far forget the law of God, and the law of 
 nature, as to prostitute themselves in so obscene a 
 manner to so filthy an idol as this was ? but idolatry 
 besots, and God in justice gives up to a reprobate 
 sense, Rom. i. 2o, '26, 28. 
 
 Idolatry is shameful; Hosea ix. 10, Dominos aper 
 " They went to Baal-Peor, and sepa- tio"is. 
 
 rated themselves unto that shame." It was a 
 shameful idol, and made them shameless ; for it is 
 judged they did also before this idol discover their 
 nakedness. 
 
 Among papists, -ivhere idolatry is in countenance, 
 modesty is in disgrace ; priests and friars strive to 
 exceed each other in impudence, and what elsewhere 
 would not be tolerated, in Italy is in „ , . , . _ 
 
 , . , ■, 1 1 J. • .1 "^ 1 Sands m his F.u- 
 
 high honour ; and what in oilier places iop.tb bpeculum, 
 a loose person would be ashamed to '"' '^' 
 confess, that priests and friars there refrain not 
 openly to practise. 
 
 Ver. 15, 16. Then said he ■unto me, ITa.it thnu 
 seen this, O son of man ? turn thee yet again, 
 and thou shalt see greater abominations than 
 these. And he brought me into the inner court 
 of the Lord's hoiise, and, behold, at the door of 
 the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the
 
 Ver. 15, 16. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 203 
 
 nltar, were ahoiit fire and tweiili/ men, with their 
 hacks townrd the temple of the Lord, and their 
 faces tuivnrd the east; and they worshipped the 
 sun toward the east. 
 
 In ver. 15 is a transition to the last part of the 
 vision, lying in ver. 16. And this abomination, yet 
 greater than the former of the image of jcalonsy, 
 the mixed forms of beasts, and creeping things, than 
 Tammuz, is described, 
 
 I. From the place in general, " The inner court." 
 More particularly, " TTie door of the temple." 
 And vet more specially, " Between the porch and 
 the aitar." 
 
 II. The persons with their number, " Five and 
 twenty men." 
 
 III.' Their posture, " With their backs toward 
 the temjile of the Lord, and their faces toward the 
 cast." 
 
 IV. Their act, "They worshipped the sun." 
 
 This idolatry was in the temple itself, and acted 
 by the chiefest persons. It is conceived these 
 twenty -five were the king and his council ; there 
 were two tribes left, and twelve out of each, with the 
 king, made up that number. It is thought these 
 twenty-five are mentioned again in chap. xi. I, 
 where two princes are named, and therefore proba- 
 ble to be the king and his nobles, the chief and 
 heads of the people. These stood "between the 
 ])iirch and the altar," which was near to the sanc- 
 tum sanctorum, and where the priests used to weep 
 and pray, especially in times of common calamities, 
 Joel ii. 17. 
 
 " With their backs toward the temple of the 
 Lord," &c. The temple was so built that the sanc- 
 tum sanctorum was in the western part of it, the en- 
 trance into it in the eastern part, and when any ser- 
 vice was done by the people or priests, in prayer or 
 sacrifice, they did it with their faces westward to- 
 wards the ark and holiest of holies, and their backs 
 were eastward; which the Lord in wisdom ordered 
 to be so, that he might prevent eastern and sun- 
 worship, which was the practice of the gentiles ; 
 whereupon saith Job, chap. xxxi. 26, " If I beheld 
 the sun when it .shined," if I looked upon it to 
 adore it as others did; it was the practice then. 
 , , , , ■■ Of it speaks Mercurius Trismegistus, 
 
 In fine Asclopn. i ,1 , . -, ^^ , 
 
 when the sun rose they niuided the 
 east, but when it set they would not look westward, 
 lest seeing their God dying, in cullu ejus tepescerenf, 
 they should become remiss in his worship. And 
 Vitruvius saith, their temples were so 
 built, that they might pray looking to 
 the sun rising. The learned observe, that the Si- 
 donians, Grecians, Romans, Assyrians, Egyptians, 
 and Persians, did all worship the sun, each giving 
 a several name to this god of theirs. The Per- 
 sians, especially, honoured and stood for this god, 
 whom they called Mithra, that is, Lord or mighty ; 
 for in the year 612, when Heraclius the emperor 
 sent to Cosroe king of the Persians for peace, 
 his answer was, he would not lay dowii arms till 
 he had brought him to worship the sun ; but Hera- 
 clius prevailed in the wars, and burned his idol 
 temples of the sun. From whomsoever the Jews 
 learned this custom, God had forbad them expressly 
 to worship the sun, moon, and stars. Dent. xvii. 3, 
 and appointed them to worship with their faces west- 
 ward ; yet they turn their backs upon God, as if he 
 were unworthy of any respect from them, and look- 
 ing towards the cast, adore a creature which God 
 had made to serve them. 
 
 Obs. I . It is wisdom not to give way to any sin, but 
 to stop sin in the birth, crush it in the conception. 
 
 You see what abominations after abominations, 
 greater and greater, come in here. Lesser sins make 
 way for greater, superstition for idolatry, yea, the 
 worst of idolatry, and other sins. 
 
 Obs. 2. That the nearer destruction, the worse 
 they grow in church and state. All was out of 
 order, great confusion amongst them ; the land was 
 filled with corruptions, the image of jealousy, cham- 
 bers of imagery, houses for stews, were about the 
 temple ; Tammuz, a most abominable idol, set up, 
 adored in it, women suffered to come there and do 
 shameful things ; the ancients ofler incense to those 
 who were no gods j the king and nobles come into 
 the priests' court, turn their backs upon God ; no 
 priest had any zeal for God to reprove these things, 
 but were deeply in themselves ; the land filled with 
 violence, their abominations greater and greater, and 
 judgment at the door. 
 
 Obs. 3. That in corrupt times great persons are 
 generally very profane. The twenty-five turn 
 their backs upon God, slight him and his worship, 
 disgrace, reproach the same. What greater indig- 
 nity could they do to God, than to come into his 
 temple, to the holy place, and there turn their backs 
 upon him, and worship the sun in his presence : it 
 is as if a woman should cast off her husband, and 
 commit lewdness with another man before him. 
 
 When Jeremiah's roll was read, the king cut and 
 cast it into the fire, which others consented unto, 
 Jer. xxxvi. 23, 24. After, he and his agents cut in 
 pieces the vessels of the house of God, shut up the 
 doors of the temple, and would suffer the Lord to 
 have no sacrifice, no incense, no priest ; and when 
 God distressed him for his wickedness, he sinned 
 more and more, 2 Chron. xxvi. 22, 24. Belshazzar 
 and his princes drank wine in the sacred bowls of 
 the temple, and praised their idol gods, Dan. v. 2 — 3, 
 4. And not only in corrupt times are great (mcs pro- 
 fane, but even in reforming times; Neh. xiii. 1/, 
 the nobles of Judah profaned the sabbath, and in- 
 creased wrath. Such profane acts God takes very 
 ill, and will requite in their kind. "Ihey have 
 turned unto me the back, and not the face," Jer. xxxii. 
 33 ; and therefore " I will show them the back and 
 not the face, in the day of their calamity," Jer. 
 xviii. \7. 
 
 Obs. 4. That kings and princes are not to be pat- 
 terns to us in point of religion and worship. If we 
 will follow them, we may suddenly be led into idolatry. 
 Here be twenty-five, the chief of the city and land, 
 and they turn their backs upon the true God and his 
 worship, and choose heathenish religion, and hea- 
 thenish practices : the people were not bound to fol- 
 low them. Great ones soonest go out of'God's way. 
 2 Chron. xxiv. 19, 20, after Johoiada's death, the 
 princes came and bowed to Joash, gave ill counsel ; 
 and with them he hearkened, and they together leave 
 the house of the Lord, his worship, and fell to false 
 worship. Jeroboam, and all the kings and princes 
 in Israel after him, went the wrong way, and never 
 pleased or truly served God for hundreds of years 
 together. We must not follow great ones in matters of 
 religion, and say we will be of that religion the king 
 or parliament are of. Great ones do greatly mistake 
 in the things of God and religion. The princes of 
 this world neither knew the w isdom of God, nor the 
 Lord Christ, 1 Cor. ii. 7, *i\ and to this day few of 
 them do know the truth, " for not many wise, mighty, 
 or noble are called," 1 Cor. i. 26. Therefore fetch 
 your religion from Christ and the apostles, who gave 
 out truths which came down from heaven, which cm- 
 braced, will sanctify you, and fit you for heaven. 
 
 Ot)S. 5. That adoration towards the east was taken 
 up from the heathens, the jews had it from them,
 
 204 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. VIII. 
 
 and it was displeasing to God ; and lliat practice 
 
 crept in amongst christians. Tertullian 
 
 ^" "*' saith, it was a known thing that the 
 
 christians prayed with their faces toward the east; 
 
 but the heathens stumbled at it, and said the chris- 
 
 jusiiii Mail. tians' god was the sun. Some fathers 
 
 lirts.i. Greg, j^giji jt g^^ apostolical tradition, that 
 
 christians should pray with their faces that way ; but 
 
 traditions of fathers are no warrant for worship, or 
 
 postures in it : we have nothing fi-om Christ or 
 
 apostles leading us to do so, and from others we may 
 
 not take up such a practice, tliough ancient, holy, 
 
 and learned. Christ and the apostles were before 
 
 them, more holy, more able than they, and in their 
 
 writings and practices we find no such thing. 
 
 The papists, and some among us, do yet plead for 
 eastern worship ; and would have christians look that 
 way, because paradise is that way, because Christ 
 was crucified with his face westward, because he who 
 is thelightof the world ascended to heaven there, and 
 shall come again there. These are weak grounds to 
 draw us from that liberty the word gives us, to a 
 superstitious, Jewish, heathenish practice, (for de- 
 liberately and determinately to do it, in reference to 
 paradise or Christ, is no better;) I Tim. ii. 8, we 
 nave liberty to pray any where, and any way, so it 
 be witliout wrath and doubting. 
 
 As this facing the east sprung from them, so it is 
 as likely that the building of temples cast and west, 
 that the peojde may sit with their faces eastward, and 
 burying of the dead with their heads unto the west, 
 that they may rise with their faces eastward, came 
 from them : however, it savours strongly of super- 
 stition, if not of heathenism, to do so. 
 
 Ver. 17. Then he said unto me. Hast thou 
 seen this, O son of man ? Is it a light thing to the 
 house ofJiidah that they commit the abominations 
 ivhich they commit here? for they have Jilled the 
 land with violence, and have returned to provoke 
 me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to 
 their nose. 
 
 This verse hath in it the sum of all the evils be- 
 fore spoken of, and an addition of somew hat else ; 
 an appeal to the prophet for to be judge in it : Hast 
 thou seen the image of jealousy, lVc. ? Is it a light 
 thing? Give thy sentence supra tolam maleriam, 
 upon the whole matter, that all these abominations 
 are done in and about the temple : and besides, they 
 have oppressed every where, wronged all sorts, 
 " filled the whole land with violence :" and as if that 
 were nothing, to provoke, to wrong, men, theyreturn 
 to the temple, and provoke me, " they put theliranch 
 to their nose." 
 
 " The branch to their nose." The He- 
 brew word for a branch is rendered by 
 some a sound, or song, as if they sung, and made a 
 noise with their nose, in disgrace or contempt of 
 God. Some render it a stink or ill savour, noting 
 how unclean and loathsome idolaters are, that de- 
 light in impure sacrifices and corrupt worship, which 
 ^^^ are a stink in the nostrils of God and 
 
 good men. We have it a " branch," 
 pulled or cut from the tree, which is the proper 
 sense of the word ; it comes from that Hebrew root 
 which signifies to cut, lop oft': and so it is express- 
 ed, Numb. xiii. 2-t, the cluster or branch of grapes cut 
 down. 
 
 For the better understanding of this expression, 
 we must know that the heathens honoured their nods 
 by dedicating certain trees unto them; and \vhcn 
 tliey sacrificed, they adorned their altars and them- 
 
 mrai 
 
 selves will) some boughs of those trees which were 
 so dedicated unto them. To Jupiter the beech tree 
 was sacred, to Minerva the olive, to Venus the 
 myrtle tree, to Hercules the poplar, to Bacchus Oie 
 ivy and vine, to Apollo the laurel. 
 
 Among the Thracians it was a law to wear gar- 
 lands of ivy when they sacrificed. The Egyjitians 
 wore garlands of ivy and bays ; and the Israelites 
 here learned from them, had branches in their hands, 
 which they took cither from the altars or heads of 
 the sacrifices or sacrificcrs; and after they had put 
 tluin to the idol, or sprinkled them with the blood 
 of these vile sacrifices, or sweetened them with some 
 idolatrous perfume, they put them to their nostrils, 
 and kissed them, in honour of the sun. It is con- 
 ceived they were branches of the laurel which were 
 dedicated to the sun; and that they carried these 
 branches to their houses, and often they put them to 
 their nese in memory and honour of the sun, by 
 virtue of whose influence the laurel did grow and 
 receive its sweet savour. 
 
 Some take it to be a proverbial speech, noting out 
 they were authors of their own punishment and de- 
 struction ; they sin, and put the branch to their nose, 
 and this will be their destruction. 
 
 Oi.v. I. The greatness or littleness of sin is to be 
 measured, not by man's, but God's account of it. 
 " Is it a light thing to the house of Judah ?" They 
 think it so, but it is otherwise. The interrogation 
 sets out the greatness of it. Is it so ? no, it is not 
 light, but grievous. This expression sets out the 
 weightiness of a thing ; I Sam. xviii. 23, " Seemeth 
 it to you a light thing to be a king's son in law ? " 
 no; it is a great matter for a poor man to be so ad- 
 vanced, whatever your thoughts are. And let men 
 think sin a light matter, it is far otherwise, there is 
 lead in it, and will weigh them down : 1 Kings xvi. 
 31, speaking of Ahab, the scripture saith, "And it 
 came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him 
 to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, 
 that he took to wife Jezebel." The Hebrew is. Was 
 it a light thing for him to commit the sins of Jero- 
 boam ." Yes, he thought so, esteemed them light, 
 and went to serve Baal; but they were notorious, 
 weighty sins, kingdom and church-destroying sins. 
 Men pare and lessen their sins, they make little ac- 
 count of them : Prov. xiv. t), " Fools make a mock 
 at sin," as an inconsiderable matter ; and chap. x. 
 23, " It is as spoi-t to a fool to do mischief;" it is no 
 heavy thing to his conscience, but a light thing like 
 a feather, with wliieh he can sport and play. Job xv. 
 16, "Man drinkefh iniquity like water," he delights 
 himself with sin like a fish, that draws in the water, 
 and spouts it out again in a sporting way ; so doth 
 man, to him sin is sweet, delightsome. Job xx. 12, 
 not burdensome. Matt. xxii. 5, when they refused 
 Christ and his offers of grace, mercy, and salvation, 
 when they sinned with a high hand, yet they made 
 light of it, and went their ways. And in Isaiah, 
 when they committed idolatry, fell to other gods, they 
 looked upon it as a sporting business ; Isa. Ivii. 4, 
 " Against whom do ye sport yourselves ? against 
 whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the 
 tongue ? " What men's thoughts are of their sins, 
 you see ; they weigh them in false balances, and 
 make them light, but when they come to the balance 
 of the sanctuary, they will be "found heavy. Is it a 
 light thing such abominations are in our land ? 
 
 Obs. 2. To sin where God manifests his presence, 
 and vouchsafes the means of grace and choice mer- 
 cies, is a great aggravation of sin, and grievous 
 provocation of divine majesty. Is it light that ye 
 commit the abomination which ye commit " here," 
 in the temple, the place of my presence, where I
 
 Ver. 17. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 205 
 
 have given them mine ordinances, and do meet them 
 fur my worship ; to set tlicir idol of jealousy near 
 that place, have their chambers of imagery, their 
 Tammuz brought into the temple, and women weep- 
 ing about that filthy idol, and men standing with 
 their backs towards God, and worshipping the sun ? 
 This aggravated their sin, and provoked bitterly ; 
 here, here they do such things. Psal. cvi. 19, " They 
 made a calf in Horeb." Was this more than if they 
 had made it in Egypt, or some other place ? Yes ; 
 Horeb was the same with mount Sinai ; if you com- 
 pare Deut. iv. 10, 11, with Exod. xix. 18, it is 
 evident ; and there God appeared, gave out the law, 
 and made a covenant with them, Deut. v. 2; and it 
 was called " the mount of God," 1 Kings xix. 8. Now 
 here they made a calf, here they sinned, and this 
 was a great aggravation of their sin ; insomuch, 
 that, Dent, ix. 8, Moses sailh, " In Horeb ye pro- 
 voked the Lord to wrath," even destroying wrath. 
 So touching Gilgal, the Scripture speaks of Gilgal's 
 wickedness, Hos. ix. 15, of sacrificing bullocks there, 
 chap. xii. 11, and multiplying transgression there, 
 Amos iv. 4. The Lord took their sins at Gilgal very 
 heinously, and cause he had for it ; at Gilgal were 
 the twelve memorial stones of their passing over 
 Jordan pitched. Josh. iv. 20 ; at Gilgal they were 
 circumcised, and God rolled away the reproach of 
 Egyjit from them. Josh. v. 8, 9 ; there they had the 
 passover, ver. 10: Gilgal being a place famous for 
 these things, their sins at Gilgal did increase their 
 reproach, and aggravate their villany. Where God 
 hath manifested himself, and done remarkable things, 
 .sin there is double sin. Psal. cvi. 7, they "provoked 
 him at the sea, even at the Red sea." Where God 
 pitied them being in a great strait, where God 
 showed his mighty power in dividing the seas, in 
 leading the Israelites safely through, and in drown- 
 ing the proud, cruel, bloody adversaries, yet there 
 they provoked him, " at the sea, even the Red sea." 
 So for Canaan, which was the holy land, " the land 
 of uprightness," the land where God had shown and 
 done great things for them, sin there hath an em- 
 phasis set upon it, Isa. xxvi. 10, there they deal 
 unjustly. Ezek. xx. 28, " Wien I had brought 
 them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine 
 hand to give it to them ;" (four times he accents their 
 sins;) "there" they oflcr their sacrifices, "there" 
 they present -the provocation of their offerings, 
 "there" they made their sweet savour, "there" 
 they poured out their drink-offerings. God hath 
 given us in this land, in this city, many choice mer- 
 cies, done wonderful things for us ; shall it be said, 
 Here they commit sin, where the gospel and means 
 of grace are, where they have lately entered into 
 covenant with me, where they have seen my hand 
 stretched out to do many great things ? if it be so, 
 there will be an accent upon our sins. 
 
 Obs. 3. Violence is a spreading sin. " Tliey have 
 filled the land with violence," with wrong, injustice, 
 oppression. The princes had violent hands, they 
 oppressed and exacted of the people, Ezek. xlv. 8, 9. 
 " The rich men, they are full of violence," Micah vi. 
 12, and wronged the poorer sort. Servants were in- 
 fected with this sin, and " filled their niaslers' houses 
 with violence and deceit," Zeph. i. 9. Ttie priests, 
 they violated the law, Zeph. iii. 4; Ezek. xxii. 26; 
 they corrupted it with their glosses, forced interpre- 
 tations, constructions such as God never put into 
 it ; they set by the law, and set up their ownr in- 
 ventions, wills, traditions, by which the law was 
 made void. Thus violence had filled the land, the 
 city, the sanctuary, and ran through all sorts of 
 men. If freedom from this sin had been any where, 
 it is probable in Jerusalem some should have been 
 
 found free ; but, Zeph. iii. 1, " Woe to the ojipressiiig 
 city ;" and, Jer. vi. 6, " She is wholly ojipression 
 in the midst of her." Not only oppressing, but 
 oppression, she was thoroughly g'rown and perfect 
 in that sin; and not only oppression, but wholly 
 oppression, nothing remaining in her but oppression, 
 and this evident, visible ; in the midst of her, princes, 
 priests, rich, servants, poor, oppress, wrong, offer 
 violence one to another: Jer. v. 1, " Run, see, seek, 
 if there be any that executeth judgment ;" all were 
 for violence, none for justice. 
 
 Obs. 4. Injustice is abomination unto God, and 
 the more it spreads, the greater abomination it is. 
 The Lord calls them abominations, for they have 
 filled the land with violence. Violence in the princes 
 was abomination, violence in the priests was abomi- 
 nation, oppression in the rich was abomination, 
 injustice in their judges was abomination, injury 
 and wrong in their servants and officers was abomi- 
 nation, and all these amounted to abominations. 
 
 Injustice and violence are crying sins ; Isa. v. 7> 
 " The Lord looked for judgment, but behold oppres- 
 sion ; for righteousness, but behold a cry ;" there 
 were hundreds and thousands crying, because their 
 orchards and vineyards were taken from them, their 
 wages detjiincd, and themselves and their housrs 
 ready to be swallowed up by the mouths of the 
 violent. The word for oppression, " Behold op- 
 pression," in Hebrew, is a scab, a wound, _ ECiyo^ 
 a leprosy ; when a body is free from ' ''^^'^ ^^'^ 
 these, it' is beautiful, but when overrun with these, 
 it is loathsome. Injustice was a scab, adherent to 
 the Jews, and made them abominable ; oppression 
 was a wound, and made them incurable ; vioknce a 
 leprosy, and caused them to be separated from the 
 sight of God. 
 
 Is our state free from this sin ? may we not fear 
 God looked for "judgment, but behold oppression," 
 a scab, a wound, a leprosy ? Is not truth oppressed ? 
 are not the righteous and innocent oppressed ? and 
 may not many of us take up that of Job, chap. xix. 
 7, " Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard ?" 
 Let oppressors of others, be it in their names, liberties, 
 estates, consciences, know, their sin is abomination 
 to the Lord, and that there is a cry in heaven against 
 them : the oppressed cry, " Break in pieces the op- 
 pressor," Psal. Ixxii. 4, and judge the fatherless and 
 oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more 
 oppress. 
 
 06.y. 5. State oppression and church corruption go 
 together ; in tlie temple were pollutions, and in the 
 land violence. The princes and judges they wronged 
 men, the ]iriests and prophets Ihey wronged God; 
 Zeph. iii. 3, 4, there you find them linked together ; 
 princes and judges oppressed the state, removed the 
 bounds, the prophets and priests polluted the sanc- 
 tuary, and violated the law ; they break both tables. 
 When one is eminently violated, breaches are quickly 
 made upon the other. If there be violence in a land, 
 there will be corru].t;ons, pollutions, abominations 
 in the sanctuary ; if there be superstition, idolatry 
 in the church state, there will be oppression, injus- 
 tice, and spoil in the civil state : when the temple is 
 a den of thieves, the land will be a den of oppressors 
 and murderers, Jer. vii. 9, 11. 
 
 06.5. 6. Men's intentions to please God oft prove 
 provocations of God. They intended not to provofic 
 God, but returned in their apprehensions to worship 
 God in the temple, and to please him ; not their 
 purpose, but the event was the provocation. So in 
 ver. G, their abominations drave God far from the 
 sanctuary. They did not purpose and intend to drive 
 God away, but that was the event and issue of their 
 actions, with which they thought they pleased God.
 
 20G 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chai'. VIII. 
 
 Jer. vii. 9, 10, ''Will ye steal, murder, and commit 
 adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto 
 "Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not ; 
 and come and stand before me in this house, and say. 
 We are delivered?" They returned from their vile 
 and sinful practices to God's house, and thought by 
 their sacrifices and praj'ers to please the Lord, when- 
 as in truth they provoked him greatly, as you may 
 see in ver. 12, 14, 15, where he tells them he will de- 
 stroy the temple as he did Shiloh, cast them out as he 
 did "their brethren, the whole seed of Ephraim, and 
 forbids the prophet to lift up a cry or prayer for them, 
 ver. 16. So in Isa. i. 13, 14, that which they did to 
 please God was vain, abomination, iniquity, trouble, 
 hateful, such as he could not away with. Nadab and 
 Abihu thought not to provoke God with their strange 
 fire, but did to their own ruin, Numb. iii. 4. John 
 xvi. 2, They shall put you out of the synagogues, and 
 think they do God good service when they kill you, 
 saith Christ ; but they provoke God against their own 
 souls. Isa. vii. 12, Ahaz thought it would please 
 God not to ask a sign, but it was otherwise. Matt. 
 xxiii. 29 — 31, they thought they did well in building 
 the tombs'of the prophets, and garnishing them, but 
 thereby they provoked God more against themselves. 
 
 Obs. 7. God sets a special mark upon those that 
 do put the branch to their nose ; "Lo, they put the 
 branch to their nose." Such are, 
 
 (1.) Those who adorn idols and images. Isa. xxx. 
 22, they covered their images, and jiut ornaments 
 upon them, but they were no better than a menstruous 
 cloth ; and Ezck. x^■i. IC — 18, they decked their 
 high places with colours, jewels, and broidered gar- 
 ments. This provoked the Lord, and is branded with 
 fornication, ver. 15, and abomination, ver. 22. Have 
 not many among us gilded and adorned crosses, 
 altars, crucifixes, &c. ? 
 
 (2.) Those who find any content and delight in 
 superstitious ,ind idolatrous practices. Ezek.xvi. 18, 
 19, God tells them they had set his oil and incense 
 before the image for a sweet savour ; the Hebrew is, 
 for a savour of rest ; they were pleased, and rested 
 in what they had done, thinking also that the idol 
 was dcliglited therewith. Exod. xxxii. 6, they took 
 pleasure in their new god, and danced about the 
 golden calf. And such expressions as these you have, 
 "Their heart went after their idols," Ezek. xx. 16; 
 "Their eyes go a whoring after their idols," Ezek. 
 vi. 9 ; " Inflamed with idols," Isa. Ivii. 5 ; " Mad upon 
 idols," Jer. 1. 38 : which do show the pleasure they had 
 in these evils, and how God brands them for the same. 
 
 (3.) TTiose that acknowledge any blessings to be 
 from saints and images. They here adored the sim 
 as author of trees and fmits; and Jer. xliv. 17, 18, 
 they burned " incense to the queen of heaven," and 
 acknowledged their welfare and plenty to be from her. 
 Papists at this day acknowledge the cure of many 
 diseases to be from such and such saints. 
 
 (4.) Such as preserve relics in memorial of their 
 images and gods. They touched the image with it, 
 and put it to their noses in memorial of the sun. 
 Deut. vii. 26, the silver and gold that was on the 
 images they might not desire, or take unto them, 
 lest they should be snared therein ; no relics, though 
 never so precious, were permitted them to take, they 
 were abomination to God, and Avould be snares to 
 them. Whence the rabbins observe, that the idol, 
 and things which serve it, are ofl'ered to it, and made 
 for it, are unlawful for any use. The papists abound 
 with relics, and so with abominations. 
 
 (5.) Those who give divine honour to creatures. 
 Psal. cvi. 19, " They worshipped the molten image." 
 Jeroboam " sacrificed unto the calves that he lia4 
 made," 1 Kings xii. 32, and said to the people. 
 
 " Behold thy gods, Lsrael, which brought thee up 
 out of the land of Egypt," ver. 28. Here was divine 
 honour given to dumb idols ; but he is branded for 
 this frequently, " Jeroboam, that made Israel to 
 sin ;" and 1 Kings xiii. 34, it is said, " this thing be- 
 came sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it 
 oil', and to destroy it from off the face of the earth." 
 Obs. S. Idolatrous worship is stinking, and brings 
 desh-uction to the authors. Ver. 10, " All the idols," 
 (in the Hebrew is, all the dunghill images) and image- 
 worship, are dunghill, stinking, loathsome things to 
 God and man, and they brought destruction upon 
 the whole seed of Ephraim, even the ten tribes. 
 Psal. xvi. 4, " Their sorrows shall be multiplied that 
 hasten after another god." Jeroboam did so, 1 Kings 
 xii. ; and, chap. xiii. a prophet prophesieth against 
 his altar and calvish gods, his hand was dried up ; and, 
 chap. xiv. 10, 1 1, most grievous thintjs are threatened 
 against him and his. Jer. vii. 18, 19, when they had 
 sacrificed to the queen of heaven, " Do they provoke 
 me to anger ? saith the Lord : do they not provoke 
 themselves to the confusion of their own faces ?" 
 
 Ver. 18. Therefore will I also deal in fury : 
 mine et/e nhall not spare, neither will I have pity : 
 and though they cry in mine ears with a loud 
 voice, yet will I not hear them. 
 
 Here is a sad epiphonema or conclusion ; he had 
 oft in the chapter called upon Ezckicl to see the 
 doings, which being shown unto him, the Lord 
 sounds in his ears what dreadful things he will do. 
 
 " Deal in fury," &c. The Scripture mentions God's 
 anger, Psal. xxx. 5 ; his indignation, Psal. Ixix. 24; 
 his wrath, Isa. liv. 8 ; and his fury, Jer. x. 25 : and 
 these exceed each the other. Anger is the displeasure 
 of God against sin; indignation is anger more intense, 
 therefore, Isa. xxx. 30, it is called " indignation of 
 his anger ;" wrath is yet higher and permanent, 
 according to that in Nahum i. 2, " He reserveth 
 wrath for his enemies ;" and fury is highest. Job xx. 
 23, " The fury of his wrath." In Jer. xxi. 5, fury 
 and great wrath go together, and when God is in his 
 fury, he rests not till he is revenged : Jer. vii. 20, 
 " My fury shall be poured out upon this place, iqjon 
 man, and upon beast, and upon the trees, fruit, and 
 ground, and burn unquenchably." Ezek. xvi. 41,42, 
 When Jerusalem should be destroyed, then God 
 would make his fury to be at rest. 
 
 " Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have 
 pity." Of these words hath been spoken before. 
 
 Obs. 1. There is a time when God, who is jiatient, 
 gracious, and slow to wrath, will deal in fury; he that 
 delights in exercising mercy, hath a time for fury, and 
 trading in it ; he that is i)atient and long-suftering, 
 hath times of being furious. 
 
 When is it that God will deal in fury ? 
 
 (I.) Wlien lesser judgments will not serve turn. 
 If 'he threaten in anger, smite in his indignation and 
 wrath, and there be no good use made of those 
 strokes, then w ill the Lord appear in fury. Lev. 
 xx\i. (iod threatens them with sundry inferior judg- 
 ments, and if they do not work, but still walk con- 
 trary to God, ver. 28, then saith God, " I will walk 
 contrary unto you also in fury ;" if they grew w'orse, 
 God would be more violent and furious. 
 
 (2.) When a reformation is offered and refused. 
 Jer. li. 9, " We would have healed Babylon, but she 
 is not healed : forsake her, for her judgment reach- 
 cth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies." 
 So much fury shoidd be poured out upon Babylon, 
 that heaven, air, and earth should w'onder at it : 
 Ezek. xxiv. 13, 14, " Because I have purged thee, 
 and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged
 
 Ver. 18. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 207 
 
 from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my 
 fury to rest upon thee. I the Lord liave sjjokcn it," 
 &c. When God tenders a reformation to a peojile, 
 it is great love, rich mercy ; and mercy refused, is 
 mercy abused, and that turns into fury : and God's 
 fury shall not only be poured out against such a 
 people, but rest upon them, which is much more. 
 
 (3.) When men are furious against God, his ser- 
 vants, and ways, when they cannot endure his pro- 
 phets, saints, and ordinances, then is a time for 
 God's fury to break out. When the husbandmen in 
 the parable would not endure Christ's servants, nor 
 himself, but beat and stoned them, then fury came 
 forth, and miserable destruction was the portion of 
 those men. Matt. xxi. 35, 30, 38, 41. When righteous 
 Lot, being abused, was got out of Sodom, then God 
 sent fire and brimstone upon it, and poured out his 
 fury like tire, as it is in Kahum i. G ; and, 2 L'hron. 
 xxxvi. 16 — 18, they mocked the messengers of God, 
 despised his words, misused his prophets, until the 
 wrath of the Lord arose ; and it rose very high, even 
 to the height of fury, for he brought the king of 
 Babylon in fury upon them, who slew their young 
 men in the sanctuary, who had no compassion upon 
 man or maiden, young or old; all men and things 
 were given into his hand, all their glorious things 
 were burned and laid waste. 
 
 (4.) When there is a general corruption in state 
 and church, then the fury of the Lord will appear, 
 then will he deal in fury. Gen. vi. 5, G, 7, 13. This 
 will appear more fully in the next observation. 
 
 Oi.y. 2. Oppressions in a state, superstition and 
 idolatry in the church, do cause God to deal in fury. 
 There was violence in the land, and the branch at 
 their nose, and therefore God would deal in fury ; 
 Jer. xxi. 12, " O house of David, thus saith the 
 Lord; Execute judgment in the morning, and de- 
 liver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the op- 
 pressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that 
 none can quench it." Where there is want of jus- 
 tice, there will be plenty of oppression ; and where 
 that is, the door is open for God's fury ; it is kindled, 
 and will break out against such a state, whatever it 
 be. And for idolatry, see Ezck. xvi. 30, " Because 
 thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness 
 discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, 
 and with all the idols of thy abominations ;" ver. 
 38, " I will judge thee," saith God, " as women that 
 break wedlock and shed blood are judged." And 
 how is that? Lev. xx. 10; Gen. ix. 0, they were 
 without mercy to be put to death ; and so God would 
 do : "I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy." 
 
 If these sins be amongst us, wc have cause to 
 tremble, for they will cause God to deal in fury, to 
 cast upon us the fury of his wrath, as it is. Job xx. 
 23. I'liey will cause fury to be upon our armies, 
 Lsa. xxxiv. 2; and Jer. xxi. -t — 0, " Behold," saith 
 the Lord, " I will turn back the weapjons of war that 
 are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the 
 king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, wdiich 
 besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble 
 them into the midst of this city. And I myself will 
 fight against you with an outstretched hand and 
 with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and 
 in great wrath. And I will smite the inhabitants of 
 this city, both man and beast ; they shall die of a 
 great pestilence." And those that die not, shall be 
 mad, when they are made to drink of the cup of 
 God's fury, Jer. xxv. 15, 10. God's fury is a tram- 
 pling thing, lsa. Ixiii. 3 ; a bloody thing, Ezek. xvi. 
 38; fiery and jilentiful, he pours it out like fire. 
 Lam. ii. 4. Therefore let us tremble, and jircvent 
 God's fury, which is so terrible; and do as is written, 
 Jer. iv. 3, 4, " Break up your fallow ground, and 
 
 sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to 
 the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, 
 ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest 
 my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can 
 quench it, because of the evil of vour doings." 
 
 Obc. 3. God's dealing in fury is dreadful, he will 
 not spare, not pity, nor be moved to mercy ; and is 
 not this dreadful i" You may think it is never so 
 with God, but the Scripture saith it here, and in 
 other places ; Ezck. xxiv. 13, 14, " Thou shalt not 
 be purged, till I have caused my fury to rest upon 
 thee ;" and whatever you commit, " 1 the Lord have 
 spoken it : it shall come to pass, and I will do it ; I 
 will not go back, neither will 1 spare, neither will I 
 repent ; according to thy ways, and according to 
 thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord 
 God." Men are ajit to think God is all mercy, but 
 they will find it otherwise. 
 
 His eye that spared them in Egypt, that looked 
 upon them and pitied them there, his eye will not 
 spare, himself will not pity them in Zion. Their 
 provocations were great ; he that spared Ninevites 
 will not spare Israelites. 
 
 When God deals in fury, there is no dealing with 
 him then ; he is a consuming fire, and nothing will 
 prevail with him. 
 
 Wlvdt if they cry, will not that prevail ? Is not 
 God a God hearing prayer, doth he not hear the cry 
 of ravens? Jer. xi. 11, "Though they shall cry 
 unto me, I will not hearken unto them." See lsa. 
 i. 15 ; Micah iii. 8 ; Deut. i. 45. 
 
 What if Noah, Job, and Daniel should pray, would 
 not God be entreated, pity, and .spare them ? see 
 Ezck. xiv. 14, 18, 20. God forbade Jeremiah, chap, 
 vii. 10, to pray for them; "Pray not thou for this 
 people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, nei- 
 ther make intercession to me : for I will not hear 
 thee." His ear is deaf, his heart is hardened, when 
 he is in fury, and deals in it : fury lies in severity, 
 where there is no sparing ; in implacability, where 
 is no hearing. 
 
 Obs. 4. That wicked men in their straits will cry 
 to God, and cry aloud. When Nebuchadnezzar 
 came, besieged the city, when plague and famine 
 increased, then they fell upon their knees and cried 
 to God for help ; as malefactors, when the judge is 
 ready to give sentence, cry out, and importune him 
 to spare their lives. Such prayers are the voice of 
 the flesh, not of the spirit, forced, not free, faithless 
 and unseasonable prayers, coming too late, and there- 
 fore unacceptable. Let men therefore not defer 
 seeking of God till necessity puts them upon it. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Ver. I. //e cried also in mine ears mth a loud 
 voice, saying. Cause them that have charge over 
 the citi/ to draw near, even every man ivith his 
 destroi/ing weapon in his hand. 
 
 In the eighth chapter Ezekiel saw in a vision the 
 sins of the city Jerusalem ; here the vision proceed- 
 ing, he sees the judgments of God to be executed 
 upon them for those sins, and by whom. 
 
 The chapter contains, 
 
 I. A narration of judgment to be executed upon 
 Jerusalem in the first seven verses. 
 
 II. The prophet's intercession for Israel, ver. 8. 
 
 III. An answer thereunto, ver. 9, 10. 
 
 IV. A report of what was done, ver. 11. 
 In the n;»>-i"itiou you have.
 
 208 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. IX. 
 
 1. A commission givun to the prophet to cause 
 military men to appear, ver. 1. 
 
 2. Tlu-ir number and manner of appearing, ver. 2. 
 
 3. A mandate given, 
 
 (1.) To nuirli the mourners, ver. 4. 
 (2.) To slay the rest, ver. 5—7- 
 
 4. Mention of the glory of God departing, ver. 3. 
 The first verse hath in it, 
 
 1. The author of this commission, " He." 
 
 2. The manner of giving it out, by way of cry, and 
 that " with a loud voice." 
 
 3. The witness before whom it was done, and that 
 was Ezekiel, " In mine ears." 
 
 4. The commission itself, "Cause them that 
 have," &c. 
 
 Where we have, 
 
 (I.) The persons specified, and they are such as 
 " liave charge over the city." 
 
 (2.) What they are to do, " To draw near." 
 
 (3. The manner, " With a destroying weapon in 
 each hand." 
 
 " He cried." Not an angel, but the Lord, whose 
 glory he had seen at the temple, who liad sliownhim 
 the several abominations of the people, and who had 
 authority to call for executioners of his fury upon 
 these notorious delinquents. 
 
 " He cried." Crying in man is intense or loud 
 speaking, when it is expressed by a loud voice ; but 
 God crieth not as man. His crying is the efficacy 
 of his Spirit, or force of his providence, strongly mov- 
 ing the creature to the execution of his ^^■ill. Zech. 
 vii. 7, the Lord cried by the prophets, his Spirit 
 moved them to cry unto the people : and 2 Sam. 
 xvi. 10, God said unto Shimci, "Curse David;" 
 that is, Divine Providence moved him to do so. God 
 cries to the ministers of justice, when he moves their 
 wills to come and do execution upon a sinful people. 
 Here God spake to the prophet, not providentially, but 
 by the inward language of his Spirit, and visionally. 
 
 The reasons of his calling or crying aloud were, 
 
 1. To declare the weightiness of the thing he was 
 now about ; namely, to bring a final destruction up- 
 on church and state, according to that, chap. vii. 6, 
 " An end is come ; " and this was a business of high 
 concernment, that that people which had been so 
 beloved, so honoured, so delivered, so observed in 
 the world, should now be utterly ruined. So when 
 the seven tlmnders were to be, the angel, Rev. x. 3, 
 " cried with a loud voice." 
 
 2. God's serious intentions to desh'oy them. He 
 was impatient now of bearing any longer with them, 
 he was burdened, wearied with their iniquities, there- 
 fore cried out of them, and called for destroyers ; Isa. 
 i. 24, " Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries." 
 
 3. To quicken and hasten the instruments he 
 should use in that service. When great persons are 
 intense in their voices and commands, it edges their 
 spirits who are employed, and makes them quick, 
 active : loud cries leave deep impressions. 
 
 4. In reference to the wicked's sins, and mourn- 
 ers' prayers. The sins of the one, and prayers of 
 the other, cried aloud in God's cars, and now God 
 cries too, and adds cry to cry ; they cried for venge- 
 ance, and vengeance they shall have. Come, Eze- 
 kiel, send for such and such men, which may de- 
 stroy the wicked, and deliver tlie mourners. 
 
 " In mine ears." That is, I hearing ; the Lord 
 spake aloud, and the prophet heard him. So the 
 like phrase in Gen. iii. 8; xliv. IS, is to be under- 
 stood. God honoured Ezekiel here with the know- 
 ledge of what he was about, and singled him out to 
 be a witness of his proceedings. 
 
 " Cause them that have charge over the city to 
 draw near." Tlie Hebrew is. The visitations of the 
 
 city have drawn near; or, Let the visitations of the 
 city draw near. Here is the abstract put for the 
 concrete, visitation for visitors, which is frequent in 
 Scripture; as Col. i. 16, thrones are put for kings, 
 dominions for lords,'rulers, principalities, and powers 
 for them that are in chief places. Isa. Ix. 17, "I 
 will also make thy officers peace;" the Hebrew is, 
 thy visitation, in the abstract, and rendered in the 
 concrete, officers, or visitors, and so here. Some 
 read it, the men of visitation ; others, the visitors of 
 the city ; our translation, those that have charge 
 over the city, especially the military all'airs. 
 
 Who these were is to be examined. Not the 
 ancients of Israel, mentioned in the former chapter, 
 who were to be destroyed, and not to destroy ; but 
 they were certain angels or archangels, to whom 
 the Lord had committed the custody of Jerusalem ; 
 for angels have the care of kingdoms, provinces, and 
 cities, and these God calls for, and employs, to fetch 
 in the Chaldeans for destruction of the city, and in- 
 habitants of it. Angels are defenders and destroyers 
 of cities. 
 
 " Every man with his destroying weapon in his 
 hand." A man, in the Hebrew, it is not every man; 
 but the meaning is, that not any should appear with- 
 out his weapon, every one that came should bring it 
 in his hand. 
 
 " Destroying weapon." Hebrew, instrument of 
 his destruction ; that is, not with an instrument to 
 destroy himself, but with an instrument to destroy 
 others, a deadly instrument. 
 
 Obs. I. The Lord will not always be silent, and 
 bear with sinners, he will cry out against them ; the 
 longer he hath been silent, the louder he will cry at 
 last. Here God lield his peace long, or spake in 
 secret to the prophet, showing him the sins of this 
 city, how grievous they were, what abominations 
 they had committed ; and that being done, he cries 
 out of them, calls for executioners to be avenged on 
 them. Isa. xlii. 14, " I have long time holdcn my 
 peace ; I have been still, and refrained myself: now 
 will I cry like a travailing woman ; I will destroy 
 and devour at once." A travailing woman feels pain, 
 but keeps as long as she can fi'om discovering the 
 same ; but when lier throes and pangs come strongly 
 upon her, she cries out of her pains, and calls for help. 
 So God had borne with their sins, restrained his fury 
 and vengeance ; but being overcome with the great- 
 ness of their sins, wearied with their iniquities, he 
 cries out, and calls for help of angels and men to 
 avenge him of his adversaries. Micah vi. !), " The 
 Lord's voice crieth unto the city;" he called aloud 
 unto them, his patience was expired. Spirit exas- 
 perated ; his voice was now intended, as being in a 
 strait, and necessitated to proceed to judgment. 
 Amos ii. 13, " Behold, I am pressed under you, as a 
 cart is pressed that is full of sheaves." A cart is 
 long a loading, and when it is greatly loaded, oft it 
 breaks, and all is laid in the dust : so God, being 
 pressed, breaks silence, brings in dreadful and in- 
 evitable judgments ; " Therefore the flight shall 
 perish from the swift," &c. 
 
 Obs. 2. The I^ord usually makes known his judg- 
 ments before he executes them : " He cried also in 
 mine ears." 
 
 Ezekiel shall know the Lord's intendments be- 
 fore he doth any thing against the city and people. 
 B( ("ore notable judgments come upon men, Ciod's 
 method is to reveal them. God told Noah of the 
 flood, Gen. vi. 13, 17; the ca])tivity of the ten 
 tribes was not hid from the jirophets, 2 Kings xvii. 
 14 — It) ; this Babylonish captivity was known to 
 Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others, 2 Chron. 
 xxxvi. 15 — 17. Christ told the apostles of the de-
 
 Yer. 1, 2. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 209 
 
 Etruction of the temple, and raiberics that should be- 
 fall the city, before they fell out, Matt. xxiv. 1, 2; 
 Luke xix. 41 — H. Upon thii ground Amos is bold, 
 and saith, " Surely the Lord God will do nothing, 
 but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the 
 prophets," chap. iii. 7- There is no necessity upon 
 God for revealing his judgments, he doth execute 
 many secretly, and openly, which were never heard 
 of till felt; but God's ordinary way with his people 
 was, to let them hear of his judgments before-hand; 
 he made them known to the prophets and pro- 
 phetical men. Joseph had the seven years' famine re- 
 vealed to him. Gen. xH. ; and God would not hide his 
 purpose of ruining Sodom from Abraham ; Gen. xviii. 
 17, " Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I 
 do ?" no, I will not ; Abraham is my friend, he shall 
 know my thoughts. Jonah is acquainted with God's 
 intentions touching Nineveh, that great city. And 
 the judgments now upon us were not unforeseen, 
 the servants of the Lord had notice of them many 
 years since, and spake of these tempestuous days. 
 This God doth to stop the mouth of iniquity, that 
 wicked men may not object God came upon them 
 without warning. This Lion roars before he devours 
 the prey ; the Lord of hosts sounds the trumpet be- 
 fore he comes to battle : he tells his prophets and 
 ministers of justice, that they may give warning 
 unto others, that they may prepare to meet the 
 Lord, that they may tremble at his judgments, re- 
 pent, reform, return to God, or else perish most 
 justly ; and that the godly, seeing his care herein, 
 for ye might work out your salvation with fear and 
 trembling, draw others out of their dangerous con- 
 ditions, exercise their graces more fully, and inter- 
 cede earnestly with God for averting, mitigating, 
 removing, or sanctifying of his judgments. Abra- 
 liam entreated for Sodom, and Jeremiah for the Jews, 
 when they knew God's mind was to destroy them. 
 
 Obs. 3. No judgments, no afflictions, come upon 
 any states or churches but at the Lord's call and 
 appointment. Let the visitation of the city draw 
 near ; or, cause the visitors to come. God hath 
 sovereign authority over all creatures, he is Lord of 
 hosts, and when he gives out the word, then judg- 
 ments step forth, and the executioners of them ap- 
 pear. 2 Kings viii. 1, there was a seven years' fa- 
 mine in the land, and how came this ? Elisha tells 
 the Shunammite woman, that the Lord had called 
 for it, he commanded it to come forth of his treasury 
 of judgments. When David had sinned in number- 
 ing the people, God sent him a message by Gad his 
 seer, w'hich was this : " Shall seven years of famine 
 come unto thee in thy land ? or wilt thou flee three 
 months before thine enemies, while they pursue 
 thee ? or that there be three days' pestilence in thy 
 land." One of these David was to choose ; and the 
 pestilence he chooseth, which God sent amongst 
 them, 2 Sam. xxiv. 12 — 15. Judgments are in God's 
 hand, and let out at his pleasure ; he calls for the 
 sword, and gives it commission to go up and do^^Tl ; 
 Ezek. xiv. 17, he saith, " Sword, go through the 
 land ;" Hos. xi. 6, " Abide on his cities :" he causeth 
 his "sword to devour flesh," and his "arrows to be 
 drunk with blood," Dent, xxxii. 42. Judgments 
 come not till God call them, they go not but where 
 he directs them, they hurt not any, or more than he 
 appoints, nor cease till he commands. There is no- 
 thing casual, accidental in them, but they are by 
 the determinate counsel and will of God. 
 
 Obs. 4. MTien the Lord is in his fury, he is not 
 only intense upon, but hastening of judgments. " He 
 cried with a loud voice," which sets out his inten- 
 tion ; he would have executioners of his judgments 
 draw near. Polan. renders the word, to make speed 
 p 
 
 and hasten : Zeph. i. 14, " The great day of the 
 Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly." The 
 time w-as near, and all things in heaven and earth 
 making haste to their destruction, yea great haste. 
 God brings on judgments sooner than they are ex- 
 pected. Did not the Chaldeans come with speed 
 and haste upon them ? " his horses were swifter 
 than eagles," Jer. iv. 13; than "leopards," Hab. i. 
 8. And are any creatures swifter for wing or foot 
 than the eagle or leopard ? yet the Chaldeans' judg- 
 ment w-as swifter than they ; Lam. iv. 19, " Our 
 persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the hea- 
 ven ;" they made great haste. Simiers are secure, 
 and think judgments slumber, when they are upon 
 their march, upon the wing: Jer. xlviii. 16, Moab's 
 affliction hasted fast, it came flying ; and Isa. v. 26, 
 God hissed for the Chaldeans, and they came with 
 speed swiftly. God hasteneth judgment, and no 
 marvel, he is provoked to it, as an army is provoked 
 sometimes to light, when there was no intention ; or 
 if intention, being stirred, falls to fight immediately. 
 Isa. v. 19, wicked men say, " Let him make speed, 
 and hasten his work, that we may see it ; and let the 
 counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and 
 come, that we may know it." They mocked the pro- 
 phet that told them of judgment, captivity, and de- 
 struction. You say such things are decreed in hea- 
 ven, and must take place ; let us see them, let them 
 come ; Jerusalem is strong, well fortified, &:c. As 
 these provoke him by their sins, so the godly im- 
 portime him by their prayers ; Luke xviii. 8, " He 
 will avenge them speedily." 
 
 06s. 5. That angels have the care of cities, king- 
 doms, and communities committed to them. " Cause 
 them that have charge over the city." That was 
 the angels, say interpreters ; and in the opening of 
 the first chapter, I showed you, that angels w-ere 
 employed in the government of the world. Dent, 
 xxxii. 8, " He set bounds according to the number 
 of the children of Israel :" the Septuagint hath it, 
 according to the number of the angels of God, as if 
 they had the land dirided first among them, and 
 then the people were settled according to those di- 
 visions. That in Dan. x. 20, is more clear and full, 
 where the angel tells Daniel, that he would fight 
 with the prince of Persia, he woidd prevent his hm- 
 dcring their return to Jerusalem ; and when he 
 should go forth and leave the care of that country, 
 the prince of Greece should come, namely, Alexan- 
 der the Great, and overthrow that monarchy. Cle- 
 mens saith, the charge of angels was divided by 
 nations and cities ; and Epiphanius, Heres. b\,Regna 
 et gentes sub angelis positcB sunt, Kingdoms and na- 
 tions are placed under the angels. 
 
 Obs. 6. When God calls angels, or any creatures, 
 at his command they come, and are willing to con- 
 tribute any power or strength they have, to damnify 
 and destroy God's enemies, Psal. Ixxviii. 49 ; 2 Chron. 
 xxxii. 21 ; 2 Sam. xxiv. IG. It was at God's com- 
 mand that the waters drowned the world, that fire 
 and brimstone consumed Sodom, that the stars fought 
 against Sisera, and that the earth opened her mouth 
 and swallowed up Corah, Dathan, and Abiram. 
 
 Ver. 2. And, behold, sir men came from the 
 way of the higher gate, which lieth totvard the 
 north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his 
 hand ; and one man among them %as clothed with 
 linen, with a wiiter's inkhorn by his side : and 
 they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. 
 
 In this verse you have the effect of the former 
 command, those who had the charge of the city be- 
 ing called, appear : and here is considerable,
 
 210 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CilAP. IX. 
 
 I. How they are called, " men." 
 
 II. Their mimber, " six men." 
 
 III. Whence tliey came, " from the way of the 
 higher gate," &c. 
 
 IV. Tlie manner of their appearance, " every man 
 with a slaiigiiter weapon in his hand." 
 
 V. Anotlier man added, and described, 
 
 1. From his place, " among them." 
 
 2. From a double adjunct: 
 
 (1.) Of his clothing, he "was clothed with linen." 
 (2.) Of an inlvhorn, he had " a writer's inkhorii 
 by his side." 
 
 VI. What they did, " they went in, and stood be- 
 side the brasen altar." 
 
 " Men." They were angels, but are called men, 
 because they appeared in human shape, which was 
 ordinary in ancient times : Gen. xviii. 2, 3, angels 
 like three men appeared to Abraham ; the angels 
 that came to Lot were like men. Gen. xis. 5 ; and 
 Gabriel, that came to Daniel, is called " the man 
 Gabriel," Dan. ix. 21. They have not the true 
 bodies of men, but are real bodies formed into the 
 likeness of men's bodies, which are easily assumed 
 and easily deposed ; for the union between the an- 
 gel assuming the body, and the body assumed, is 
 not substantial, like the union between man's soul 
 and body, nor hypostatical, like the union between 
 Christ's human and divine nature, nor accidental, 
 but it is assistential ; the angel is in the body by an 
 inward real presence, as the mover to that which is 
 moved, \\-itli a particular regard to its direct use. 
 A.s the body holds out something of the soul, so 
 doth the body assumed hold out somewhat of an an- 
 gel ; and therefore when angels appeared, they 
 feared, they knew them to be more than men. 
 
 " Six men." Six devils, saith Jerom ; six angels, 
 saith Theodoret, and most interpreters go tliat 
 way. 
 
 Some think by these six were represented the 
 principal leaders of the Chaldean army, mentioned 
 Jer. xxxix. 3, Ncrgal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sar- 
 scchim, Rab-saris, Nergal-sharezcr, Rabmag ; but 
 here were seven or eight, as the original runs, and 
 other princes beside. 
 
 Others interpret these six of the kingdoms that 
 helped Nebuchadnezzar in this service, as the Edom- 
 ites. Ammonites, Idumcans, Moabites, Midianites, 
 and some of Palestine. Others, to whom the chief 
 care of the war was committed. More probable it 
 is, that six are named in reference to the three parts 
 of Jerusalem, and the chief gates therein. 2 Kings 
 xiv. 13, there you have the gate of Ephraim, and 
 ., ^ . the comer gate, and these were in op- 
 
 pido Benjamiins, m trie part ot iienja- 
 min ; Neh. xii. 39, you have the old gate, and the 
 fish gate, and those were in the city of David ; Neh. 
 iii. 14, the dung gate, and the sheep gate, and they 
 were in oppido Judip, in the part of J udah : these were 
 the chief gates, and led into the chief 
 streets. To these it is likely do the 
 six angels refer, intimating that a destroyer should 
 come in at every chief gate of Jerusalem ; these six 
 angels should bring in the chief leaders of the Clial- 
 ilean forces with their regiments at these gates. Or 
 by these six you may understand the whole army of 
 Nebuchadnezzar, a part being put for the whole. 
 
 " Came from the way of the higher gate which 
 lieth toward the north." This gate was a temple 
 gate, not a city gate ; 2 Chron xxvii. 3, " Jotham 
 built the high gate of the house of the Lord ;" and 
 this was called the new gate also, Jer. xxvi. 10, " The 
 „ princes sat down in the entry of the new 
 gate of the Lord's house." This gate 
 looked northward toward Chaldea ; and that way these 
 
 six men came, pointing out whence their misery should 
 come, and where it should begin ; Jer. vi. 1, "Evil 
 appeareth out of the north, and great destruction." 
 On the north side Nebuchadnezzar „ , ■ , 
 made his entrance, and not only he, " ""° "'^' 
 but Antiochus and Titus, as Josephus observes. 
 
 " Every man a slaughter weapon in his hand." 
 The Hebrew is, an instrument of con- 
 trition or dissipation. Prov. xxv. 18, ' " 
 it is translated a maul, an instrument to beat out a 
 man's brains. The Septuagint renders the word 
 here an axe. It may be interpreted a sword, or any 
 weapon that sufficeth to kill a man with. 
 
 06.S-. 1. That there is power and efficacy in the 
 calls and commands of God. When he said, " Cause 
 them that have charge over the city to draw near," 
 you see it here fulfilled, " Behold, six men came." 
 Ezckiel called, told them the mind of God, but there 
 was not power in him to bring these slaughter an- 
 gels before the Lord ; Divine Providence acted, the 
 secret virtue of the Lord did it. There is power iu 
 the commands of God, and when that goeth along 
 with his word it produceth any elfects ; his word 
 and power brought the Hood upon the world at first, 
 and will bring the fire on it at last. 
 
 Obs. 2. When God is against a city, he sets 
 angels against it also. Here were six angels that 
 appeared at his call for the destruction of the nits ; 
 those who before he had appointed to preserve it, 
 now he calls forth to destroy it. Sin makes God 
 our enemy, and when he is out with us, who can be 
 friends to us ? If the king frown, the nobles and 
 courtiers will do it also. While God is our friend, 
 angels are, and all other creatures: I Cor. iii. 21, 
 Paul saith to the Corinthians, " All things are yours," 
 your servants, your friends for your good ; and why ? 
 " ye are Christ's," his friends, his servants ; if they 
 had been enemies to Christ, all things had been 
 enemies to t'nem. What the wise man saith of any 
 man, Prov. xvi. 7, " When a man's ways please the 
 Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace 
 with him," is true of any city; when they please 
 God, he makes their enemies to be at peace with 
 them. Babylon was ever an enemy to Zion, but 
 never harmed Zion till Zion had offended or lost 
 her God ; and when cities have provoked God against 
 them, he makes their friends their enemies, and their 
 enemies enmity unto them. Have not we kindled 
 divine wrath by our sins, caused him to deal in fury, 
 to set angels and men against us ; are they not 
 abroad with slaughter weapons ? Jerusalem im- 
 proved not the sword of justice, the magistrates were 
 neglective of puni.shing delinquents, of righting the 
 wrongs of the oppressed ; and therefore God put a 
 sword into the hands of angels and Chaldeans to 
 destroy both magistrate and subject. Let us take 
 heed how we make God our enemy ; by all means 
 make him your friend ; Job v. 23, stones and beasts 
 will lie at league, at peace with you : compare it 
 with Dent, xxxii. 13; Isa. xi. 6 — 8. 
 
 Oi.v. 3. At what gate men drive God away, at the 
 same gate they let judgment in ; at what door men 
 let in sin, at the same door they let in m iniqiiiiyand 
 wrath. The destroying angels came jmiginint. 
 from the north to the north gate, there was the idol 
 of jealousy, chap. viii. 3; by the brazen altar; this 
 way came in idolatry, this way God was driven from 
 them, and this way came the angels, came the Chal- 
 deans, to be avenged on them ; they sinned north- 
 ward, and from thence came their judgment. At 
 that gate was the great concourse of people, there 
 they worshipped the image of jealousy, and that way 
 came in the greatest evil they ever had. The pro- 
 p.hcls often mention the norlhern evil: Jer. i. 14,
 
 Vkr. 2. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 211 
 
 '• Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all 
 the land." Chap. iv. 6, " I will bring evil from the 
 north, and a great de.^truction ;" see chap. vi. 1, 22, 
 23. Chap. X. 22, " A great commotion out of the 
 n( Tth, t ) make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den 
 of dragfons." Judgment came to that gate they 
 sinned at : sin lay behind the door, called for, and let 
 in the enemy. Gen. iv. 7, God told Cain if he did 
 not well, sin lay at the door, that i.*, punishment, 
 judgment, lay at the door, and would quickly come 
 in at that door sin had opened. Rom. v. 12, " By sin 
 death entered ;" sin opened a door, it brake open 
 God's command, ami so let in death, and all judg- 
 ments beneath death. 
 
 Ahaziah sends to Baal-zcbub the god of Ekron 
 about his recovery, being sick ; this so oU'endcd God, 
 that an answer was returned him, that therefore he 
 should not come down from his bed, but should 
 surtly die, 2 Kings i. 4. Gideon's epihod was a 
 snare to him and his house, Judg. viii. 27. 
 
 Obs. 4. When God comes against a people, he 
 will surround them with judgments. At all the chief 
 pates there should be angels, Chaldean forces ; so 
 that i( they would flee to the gates of any of the 
 streets, to the gate of Ephraim, to the corner gate, 
 the old gate, or fish gate, the dung gate, or common 
 gate, or other gates whatsoever, they should find 
 angels with destroying weapons in their hands ; and 
 see themstlves so beset with judgments, that there 
 should be no escaping : they nii^ht run from street 
 to street, from gate to gate, and hope to get away ; 
 but, J(r. xi. II, "1 will bring evil upon them, which 
 they shall not be able to escape ;" their hearts, heads, 
 hands, heels, .shall not avail them to an escape ; if 
 they fight or flee, if they entreat God or man, seek 
 secretly to steal away, it is in vain, they shall not be 
 able to escape. 
 
 Obs. 5. "When God is upon acts of justice, and 
 calls for angels or any creatures, at his command, 
 they come, and willingly contribute what power they 
 have to damnify and destroy his enemies : every one 
 came here with a slaughter weapon in his hand. The 
 creatures are ready to execute vengeance upon their 
 fellow-creatures, when the glorious Creator, being 
 offended, calls for it : Isa. xxxvii. 36, an angel, at 
 God's appointment, went forth and slew one hundred 
 and eighty-five thousand ; he had his slaughter 
 weapon ready, and acted like an angel, slaying so 
 many in one night. It is said of angels, Psal. eiii. 
 20, that they excel in strength, that they do the com- 
 mandments of the Lord, hearkening unto the voice 
 of his word ; if he do once speak, they hear, yea, 
 they put forth their great strength, and do that 
 strongly they are sent about. 
 
 "One man among them was clothed with linen." 
 Who this one man should be, is questionable. Some 
 make him to be an angel, and the grounds they go 
 upon are these : 
 
 1. He is "clothed with linen," in which kind of 
 garment angels were wont to appear. Acts i. 10; 
 Luke xxiv. 4; John xx. 12. 
 
 2. In the end of this chapter this man saith, " I 
 have done as thou hast commanded me," which re- 
 spect an angel rather than Christ, who being equal 
 with the Father, receives not commands from him ; 
 angels being his servants, and ministering .spirits, 
 are fittest to receive commands. 
 
 For the first of these arguments, it is true, that 
 angels have appeared oft in white linen and shining 
 garments, but not they alone. Rev. iv. 4, the twenty- 
 four elders were clothed with white linen. And 
 chap. vii. 9, a great multitude stood before the 
 throne, and the Lamb, clothed in white robes. And 
 Christ in his transfiguration had his raiment white as 
 p 2 
 
 the light, Matt. xvii. 2. It is not suflicient therefore 
 to say, this man was clothed with linen, a white gar- 
 ment, and therefore was an angel. 
 
 To the second, that commands are unsuitable to 
 Christ; hear what Christ sailh, John xiv. 31, "As 
 the Father gave me commandment, even so I do." 
 Chap. XV. 10, "I have kept my Father's command- 
 ments." So chap. xii. 4t) ; x. IS, he received com- 
 mands from his Father, and kept them. This was 
 no disparagement to Clirist ; as God, he was equal 
 with his Father ; as man, himself saith, " My Father 
 is greater than I," Jehu xiv. 28. 
 
 Others by this one man understand the Lord 
 Christ, the Angel of the covenant ; and those contend 
 that in the letter here is meant an angel, and makes 
 that angel representative of Christ ; so that the dif- 
 ference is not much : but I join w ilh them that make 
 this one man to be Christ, and that, 
 
 1. Because he is brought in as mediator herewith 
 an adjunct of oneness, as in 1 Tim. ii. 5, " One me- 
 diator," &-C. ; the godly Jews had no other mediator. 
 
 2. Here are implied the three offices of Christ. 
 
 (I.) His kingly offiee, whereby he rules and com- 
 mands all creatures; and that is couched up in those 
 words, " among them," or in the midst of them : as 
 King and Commander, he appears in the midst of 
 those angels which had the deslroying weapons in 
 their hands ; he was their General, and showed him- 
 self in the midst of them. Josh. v. 13 — 15, he ap- 
 peared to Joshua with a drawn sword, and told him 
 he was Captain of the Lord's host ; whereupon 
 Joshua fell down and worshipped, which had bi en 
 sinful if it had been an angel, not the Lord General 
 of men and angels. 
 
 (2.) His priestly ofiiee, implied in his linen cloth- 
 ing ; the Hebrew signifies flax, especially white fl,-ix 
 or silk, which was used in holy vestures. I Snm. ii 
 IS, Samuel ministered to the Lord girded with a 
 linen ephod ; that is, with an epbod of fine flax, or 
 silk, which grew in Egypt, and was called s/teah, 
 Ezek. xxvii. / ; gossipium, by Pliny, u^,. m-t.!. 19. 
 whereof he affirms were made gar- <■. 1. vmh mc'ip 
 ments lor the Egyptian priests, wlio .r-.typrisiiiis- 
 doubtless took it up from the Jewish *'"'^' 
 priests, who were appointed by God to wear such 
 garnients, Exod. sxviii. 42, 43; Lev. vi. 10: xvi. 
 4 ; whereby was set out the innocency and purity 
 which should be in the priests, who were to intercede 
 with God for the people. In such a garment doth 
 Christ appear, a sacerdotal garment, pointing out his 
 holiness, innocency, and priestly ofHce, whereby he 
 intercedes for sinners. 
 
 (.3.) His prophetical office, .shadowed out by the 
 inkhorn he had by his side. Prophets were to de- 
 clare the mind of God by speaking and writing, to 
 discover who were good, who bad, whose names 
 were in the book of life, wdiose not ; and so Christ 
 here would make known the mind of God, and iiKirk 
 out these who were for deliverance, and those who 
 were for destruction. 
 
 " A writer's inkhorn." The Septuagint reads it, 
 a sapphirine girdle about his loins, mistaking iso 
 for -I'BD- Some have it, the tables of a writer, or 
 table-book. Others term it a case for pens ; we, an 
 inkhorn, that which contains the ink, and hath the 
 pen-case joined with it. Some taking it for a book, 
 conceive Christ wrote in it the names of those who 
 should be spared, or made known whose names were 
 written already in this book. The Scripture men- 
 lions a book of life, Exod. xxxii. 32; Psal. Ixix. 2S. 
 But that Christ declared out of this book the names 
 of the inwritten, is groundless. We are to take it 
 for an inkhorn, which notes Christ giving instruc- 
 tions to these agents, his observing, recording of all
 
 21i 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. IX. 
 
 things, and his distinguishing" between the precious 
 and the vile, and his readiness to seal and instruct 
 those that are tlie Lord's. Or it notes a manifesting 
 the decrees of God touching Jerusalem. 
 
 Quest. It was Clirist sat upon tlie throne, who 
 spake to Ezekiel, and how could this one man 
 among the angels be Christ ? This is the only diffi- 
 culty against this interpretation, that the same per- 
 son in the same vision shouldbe represented diversely. 
 
 j-hisw. Christ having divers offices, which cannot 
 be typified or shadowed out by any one thing, it 
 pleasi'th him to represent himself variously to us in 
 the same vision; as in Rev. v. 1, there is one sits 
 upon a ttrrone, and this was Christ, (as appears, 
 chap. i. 18; xxi. G,) he had a book in his hand scal- 
 ed, which none being al)le to open caused great 
 weeping ; and ver. 6, there is Christ represented as 
 a Lamb, who, ver. 7i came and took the book out of 
 the hand of him that sat upon the throne : here 
 Christ is variously represented, he sat in the throne 
 as God, and held the book in his hand, he took it as 
 mediator, and opened it unto men. Christ is the 
 priest, the sacrifice, and altar, but under a diverse 
 consideration. And so in this vision, sometimes 
 Christ is represented as God sitting in his throne ; 
 sometimes as a prophet, instructing Ezekiel ; some- 
 times as mediator, interceding for the elect. It is 
 not incongruous therefore to see the same person, 
 having several offices, and conveying several benefits 
 to his church, represented in a %"ision several ways 
 at the same time. 
 
 " They went in, and stood beside the brazen altar." 
 The Scripture speaks of a golden altar, 1 Kings vii. 
 48, 49, and this was before the oracle. There was 
 also a brazen altar, I Kings viii. 64, which was for 
 holocaust, as the other for incense, and stood in the 
 nridst of the court before the temple ; but at this 
 time it was removed, and the Damascene altar set 
 in the place of it, where the idol of jealousy was 
 honoured. 
 
 Now these men came not to this idolatrous altar, 
 but went to the brazen altar which was near, though 
 outofits jilace. There they stoodloreceiveanswers: 
 they would not go to the other, where false worship 
 was, lest they .should seem to countenance it ; but 
 to the other deserted, despised altar, to which the 
 sacrifices belonged, and where God gave them true 
 answers. 
 
 There they stood ; which phrase implies a readi- 
 ness in whomsoever, to hear, receive, and execute 
 the commands of those they stand before. If Levites 
 stand before the Lord, it imports a promptness in 
 them to minister unto the Lord, Deut. x. 8. If ser- 
 vants, 2 Kings V. 25, if great ones, 2 Kings viii. 9, 
 stand before others, it argues a proneness in them to 
 hearken to what shall be given out and imposed 
 upon them : so here. 
 
 Obs. 1. Elect Jews imder the law were saved by 
 the mediatorial work of Christ incarnate, as we are 
 under the gospel. Christ frequently appeared as 
 man, intimating thereby his future incarnation, and 
 that that nature must concur to the making up of his 
 mediatorship : he did not mediate for them as God, 
 for us as man ; but he mediated then ut homo pro- 
 miaxux. as man promised, now he mediates nl homo 
 exhibitus, as man manifested. Isa. liii. 5, the pro- 
 phet speaking of Christ, sailh, " He was wounded 
 for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniqui- 
 ties; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, 
 and with his stripes we are healed." The prophet's 
 faith, and in his, the faith of the Jewish church, 
 looked upon Christ as already wounded, slain, and 
 fetched healing virtue from his stripes : Christ's 
 death was their life, his cross their crown. 
 
 Ob.i. 2. That the Lord Christ is the chief com- 
 mander of all angelical and human forces. He was 
 in the midst of these six military angels that were to 
 bring in the Chaldean forces at the several gates of the 
 city : he was their General, from him they had their 
 commissions, and without a word from him they 
 could not stir. All power in heaven and earth was 
 given him. Matt, xxviii. 18. His prerogative it was, 
 and is, to call forth angels, and send out armies : 
 Rev. xix. 14, " The armies which were in heaven 
 followed him," that is, Christ, he was their Leader ; 
 and his name is " King of kings, and Lord of lords," 
 ver. IG. And certainly where Christ goes at the head 
 of armies, there will be great slaughter. 
 
 Obs. 3. When judgments are abroad, and the godly 
 are in danger, Christ mediates and intercedes for 
 them. Now the Jewish church and state were at 
 the door of destruction, and public calamities ready 
 to involve all ; Christ appears like a priest with 
 linen clothes, to otler sacrifice on their behalf, and 
 to mediate for them. When imminent dangers were 
 at hand, or judgments upon the people, the priests 
 were to appear, to stand between the Lord and them, 
 making intercession for them. Numb. xvi. 47, 48. 
 And so in Joel ii. 1/, "Let the priests, the ministers 
 of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, 
 and say. Spare thy people, Lord." And here 
 Christ being a merciful High Priest, shows himself, 
 and inf erposeth for the saints, who were to meet with 
 a terrible tempest. The like did Christ when he was 
 in the flesh on earth ; he saw what a storm was 
 coming upon Jerusalem, what persecution upon the 
 saints, and therefore, John xvii. he intercedes with 
 his Father for apostles and believers, ver. 11, 20. 
 When Stephen was questioned, and in jeopardy of 
 his life, heaven was opened, and he saw Christ stand- 
 at tiie right hand of God : Christ pleaded his cause, 
 propitiated for his sins, and encouraged him in his 
 sufferings. 
 
 Obs. 4. Christ hath a special care of his in times 
 of trouble ; he appears with an inkhorn to write 
 douTi what is said and done against them, to make 
 known the mind of God to them, to seal and dis- 
 criminate them from others, to give commissions to 
 those he employs to cut off the enemies of his people. 
 Rev. -vii. 2, 3, there were four angels had power given 
 them to hurt the earth and sea; but there was 
 " another angel ascending from the east, having the 
 seal of the living God," viz. Christ, for so exposi- 
 tors understand it; and this Angel, the Lord Christ, 
 " cried with a loud voice, saying, Hurt not the earth, 
 neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed 
 the servants of our God in their foreheads." Christ 
 had great care of his churches ; for by earth, sea, 
 trees, some of the learned understand the church in 
 several places : by earth, the inland churches ; by sea, 
 the maritime ; and by trees, the mountain and wood- 
 land churches ; Christ would not have these hurt 
 till all the godly in them were sealed. It is prophe- 
 sied in Mai. iv. I, 2, that when it is a fiery day of 
 the Lord, the Sun of righteousness shall arise with 
 healing in his wings to them that fear the Lord. 
 Rev. ix. 4, when the locusts came out of the bottom- 
 less pit, and had power like scorpions given them to 
 sting and do hurt, there was a command, " that they 
 should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green 
 thing, nor any tree," tliat is, no christian that had 
 life in him, weak or strong; but only those who had 
 not the seal of God in their foreheads, that is, 
 those who had no life, no greenness in them, and 
 they were subject to hurt others. Mark iv. 37 — JO, 
 when the disciples were in a grievous storm, the 
 waves beat so into the ship that they filled it, they 
 were afraid, and suspected the care of Christ, and
 
 Ver. -2. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 213 
 
 therefore said, " Master, carest thou not that we 
 perish?" Yes, saith Christ, I have a special care 
 of you, and presently you shall see it ; "he rebuked 
 the wind, and said unto the sea. Peace, be still. And 
 immediately the wind ceased, and there was a calm." 
 And from rebuking the winds and seas, he falls to 
 rebuke them for their fear and faithfulness : they 
 perceived not yet that he cared for them as well 
 sleeping as waking ; though his body slept, yet his 
 spirit was awake ; his care for his servants is con- 
 stant and intense. M'hcn he was to leave the world, 
 how full of trouble were the hearts of his apostles, 
 and how full of care and compassion was Christ to- 
 wards them, laying down several grounds of com- 
 fort for them 'in the 14th, 15th, IGth, and 17th 
 chapters of John. 
 
 Obs. 5. Those who are upon great and public 
 designs, should begin with God and consult with 
 him. These seven here go in and stand by the 
 altar, inquire of God what his pleasure is, whither 
 he will send them, what he had to do for them, 
 and w-hatever it was, that he would counsel and 
 prosper them. So have the worthies of God done. 
 Ezra, chap. viii. 21, when he was to come from 
 Babylon about the great work of the temple, he 
 sought God extraordinarily for direction, assistance, 
 and protection ; which he obtained of God, ver. 23. 
 Jehoshaphat, when the Moabites, Ammonites, and 
 others came out to war against him, he began 
 with the Lord in prayer and fasting, and from 
 him had encouragement and success, 2 Chron. 20. 
 So Asa, he began with God, when Zerah had a 
 thousand thousand in the field against him ; he 
 knew that the Lord was the Lord of hosts, and that 
 these uncircumcised ones came against him ; there- 
 fore looks up to him, and saith, " O Lord, thou art 
 our God ; let not man prevail against thee ;" and 
 hereupon the Lord smote the Ethiopians, 2 Chron. 
 xiv. II, 12. One reason why armies miscarry is, be- 
 cause they confide in their own strength and policy, 
 and lean not wholly upon the Lord, seeking to him 
 in the first place. Joshua miscarried in a great busi- 
 ness in making peace with the Gibeonites, Josh. ix. ; 
 and the reason is given ; " they asked not counsel at 
 the mouth of the Lord," ver. 14. AU businesses, for 
 right managing and success of them, depend upon 
 the Lord, it is he blesses or curses ; therefore it is 
 wisdom, it is necessary, to look up to him at the 
 beginning, lest through neglect of Divine Majesty we 
 L'ly the foundation of our enterprises in wrath. 
 Christ being to choose apostles, which was a great 
 work, he prayed all night before, Luke vi. 12, 13. 
 And the angels that were to pour out the vials of 
 wrath, are said to come out of the temple ; they had 
 been there before the Lord. 
 
 Ohs. 6. Those who are employed by the Lord, 
 must be careful that they countenance no corruptions 
 in worship. Neither Christ nor the angels would 
 come at the false altar, which Ahaz had caused to be 
 set up ; but they go to God's altar, the brazen altar; 
 by this they stood, not the other. Symbolizing with 
 idolatrous worship, persons, and things, God allows 
 not : Deut. xii. 30, they must not inquire after the 
 nations' gods ; Lev. xviii. 3, they must not do after 
 the doings of Egyptians or Canaanites. When God's 
 people were in Babylon, (of Iheir condition there 
 the prophet speaks,) they mu.st not touch any un- 
 clean thing, Isa. lii. 1 1 ; much less may they touch 
 any in Zion : therefore Paul presseth that phrase, 
 2 Cor. vi. 17, upon the Corinthians, who were too 
 forward to symbolize with con'uptions, " Touch not 
 the unclean thing ;" marry not with unbelievers, be 
 not at their feast eating that which is sacrificed to 
 idols, go not to law before the judges, use none of 
 
 their rites, countenance nothing of their worship ; 
 you will be defiled, offend your weak brethren : let 
 all those things go, and, whatever you lose or sutler, 
 I will be your Father, receive you, if you be cast off 
 or out, and make good all your losses. God would not 
 have his people touch or countenance any corrup- 
 tions in worship. The primitive christians would 
 not cast a little incense into the fire to countenance 
 an idol. You know in Tertullian's days it was 
 counted unlawful for christians to wear a garland, 
 because it conformed them unto heathens ; and what 
 warrantableness hath been in our surplicing, cross- 
 ing, kneeling, cringing, altaring, observation of days, 
 consecration of places ? These have conformed us 
 to papists, and brought an imputation upon us, that 
 we have romanized, rather than evan- „ „ . . 
 gelized. The Rhemists condemn the 
 heathenish names of the week days, Sunday, Mon- 
 day, &c. because it is a countenancing of heathen 
 corruptions ; it were well that we let fall all holy 
 days, because the keeping of them is a countenancing 
 of their corrupt observations of them. And Calvin 
 saith, Fidttibun fun non est ullo siimholo , „ , 
 osteiiaere mot cmii sujieraldtosia esse con- 
 sensum, It is not right for faithful persons to give 
 any token of approbation of those who are super- 
 stitious. By our ceremonies and service we harden- 
 ed the papists, begat hopes in them of our return to 
 them, and grieved, if not stumbled and wounded, the 
 godly and weak amongst us. 
 
 Obs. 7. In times of judgment, as God discmm- 
 tenances false worship, so he discovers and coimte- 
 nances his own way of worship. Christ and the six 
 angels here came not at the altar and idol of jealousy 
 which was now in credit, but to the brazen altar 
 which they had set by ; and now the false worship 
 must do\ATi, the h-ue and good way be countenanced. 
 Ahab maintaining Baalitish worship and prophets, 
 God sent a famine, 1 Kings xviii. which brought 
 them all low ; and God now stirred up the spirit of 
 Elijah to ruin the false prophets and worship, and 
 raise up his own ; therefore by sacrificing he dis- 
 covers the false and ti-ue worship, the false and true 
 God: and therefore after sacrificing, the people halt- 
 ed not any longer between two opinions, but their 
 hearts were turned back to the Lord, and they cried, 
 " The Lord, he is the God ; the Lord, he is the 
 God," ver. 39. In Josiah's days God's wrath was 
 abroad, 2 Kings xxii. 13 ; and then was the law 
 found, and idolatry rooted out, chap, xxiii. 4. 
 
 ■When God visits for errors and corruptions in wor- 
 ship, then he opens a door for truth, which was shut 
 up ; and there is great reason for it, that he may clear 
 and vindicate his proceedings. When truth and 
 God's w'ays are discovered and countenanced, then 
 sinners see they have been out, acknowledge the 
 equity of God's judgments, if not repent of their 
 follies. 
 
 The axe was at the root of the tree when the 
 gospel came in ; their corruptions of the law, false 
 interpretations and traditions, were discovered, con- 
 demned, and the glorious truths of the gospel by de- 
 grees were let in. When Christ had the whip in his 
 hand, and was purging the temple, he had the truth 
 in his mouth ; " My house shall be called the house 
 of prayer ; but ye have made it a den of thieves," 
 Matt. xxi. 12, 13; John ii. 15, 16. 
 
 Ver. 3. And the glory of the God of Israel was 
 gone vp from the cherub, whereupon he uas, to 
 the threshold of the house. And he called to the 
 man clothed with linen, which had the tvriter's 
 inkhorn hy his side.
 
 214 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. IX. 
 
 Here our prophet had a sad sight, he sees (he 
 glory removed from its place, and going away, wliich 
 presaged no good to Jerusalem. 
 
 The parts of the verse are these : 
 
 I. The subject of this glory, "the God of Israel." 
 
 II. The motion of this glory, or glorious God, he 
 " was gone :" and in his going you have, 
 
 1. From whence he W'ent, '■ from the cherub," &c. 
 
 2. Whither he went, " to the threshold of the 
 house." 
 
 3. What he did, " he called." 
 
 4. To whom, " to the man clothed with linen," &c. 
 " The glory of the God of Israel." For the 
 
 glorious God of Israel, some take it, per hypallugen. 
 I have spoken of these words before, chap. viii. 4. 
 We may hold to the words, and understand thereby 
 some visible sign of the gracious presence of God. 
 It is thought our prophet alludes to that in Exod. 
 XXV. 22, upon the ark were two cherubims, between 
 those the mercy-seat was, where God appeared, and 
 from whence he gave out his mind to Moses and 
 others ; Numb. vii. 89, Moses heard God speak from 
 the mercy-seat. And that God now had left his 
 place which he had dwelt and sat in so long; for 
 those expressions you have, 2 Kings xix. 15; Psal. 
 xcix. i. Now he was withdrawing his presence, and 
 denying them assistance. 
 
 Others think by the glory of God here, to be 
 meant that glory which the prophet had formerly 
 seen, chap. i. 28; iii. 23; 'viii. 4. This visional 
 glory, the sign of God's presence, went away, ac- 
 cording to that, chap. x. 4, " The glory of the Lord 
 went up from the cherub ;" cherub being put for 
 cherubims, which is usual in Scripture to put one 
 number for another. We may safely take either 
 of these senses ; because this vi.sion Ezekiel had of 
 Christ was a sign of divine presence, as the mercy- 
 seat was, the going away of it, or thi^s glory, do both 
 clearly evidence to us that God was departing; 
 which is the scope of the Spirit here. 
 
 " Gone up from the cherub." Pradus denies that 
 the Lord left the cherubims, and went without them 
 to the threshold, but together with them ; and 
 Deodate seems to be of that opinion, in his notes 
 upon the place : but the text itself leads us to think 
 otherwise; for chap. x. 18, "The glory of the Lord 
 departed from oft' the threshold of the house, and 
 stood ov(_r the cherubims," which shows that the 
 glorious Lord returned to the cherubims he had left. 
 
 " To the threshold of the house." The Septuagint 
 has it, fi'(.' TO niSpiou 7-ou oirH, in aerenum, sub dio, they 
 say the Lord went out of the temple into the open 
 air ; but it is said, the glory of the Lord went to the 
 threshold, not over it, or beyond it; and it is con- 
 ceived to be the threshold of the priests' court. 
 The Lord w ent thither, 
 
 1. To show he w.is now going from the temple, 
 where was such impure worship, ar.d leaving his 
 "glorious high throne," as it is called, Jer. xvii. 12. 
 The Jews thought the Lord was confined to the 
 temple, and the proidiels to the holy land. 
 
 2. Because he was to pronounce sentence against 
 this wicked, idolatrous, oppressing people, which he 
 would not do in saiicio sanctorum, or in the temple, 
 which was the place of his gracious presence, and a 
 type of Christ, and mercy by him. In the gates of 
 the city they sat in judgment, Amos v. 15; and God 
 here at the threshold gives sentence against them. 
 
 3. To treat with the men who stood at the brazen 
 altar, and to give them commissions and instructions 
 touching those who were fo be spared and destroyed. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord's way of manifesting his gracious 
 presence in his church, was by some notable sign 
 or other. " The glory was gone up ;" it was there 
 
 before. When God was pleased with his people, he 
 evidenced his presence l.'y some speoal sign. Exod. 
 xiii. 21, 22, when the church came out of Egyi)t, 
 " the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a 
 cloud, to lead them the v.ay ; and by night in a pillar 
 of fire, to give them light." They had guidance 
 and protection from the Lord Christ, whose presence 
 was evidenced by these visible signs, out of which 
 the Lord also s])ake sometimes, Psal. xcix. 7. 
 Afterward they had the tabernacle, ark, and mercy- 
 seat, where God met tliem, and communed with 
 them, Exod. xxv. 22. They had the Urim and 
 Thummim, to inquire of God, and receive answers 
 by. Numb, xxvii. 21 ; 1 Sam. xxviii. 6. In Solo- 
 mon's days God manifested his gracious presence in 
 the temple by a cloud, 1 Kings viii. 10. God 
 answered Elijah by fire, and manifested with whom 
 his presence was, 1 Kings xviii. 38. And so under 
 the gospel, Christ the Lord manifested his presence 
 with his church by visible signs : Acts ii. 3, cloven 
 tongues like iire sat upon each of the apostles ; and 
 chap. iv. 31, the place was shaken where they were, 
 and they were filled with llie Holy Ghost. And 
 Christ hath left his word and sacraments as signs of 
 his presence in the christian church. 
 
 Obs. 2. The signs of God's presence are the glory 
 of God. So the text calls them, " The glory of the 
 God of Israel was gone up." All those visible signs 
 before mentioned were the glory of the Lord ; so 
 the Spirit is pleased to call the sign of God's gracious 
 presence. 1 Kings viii. 10, 11, the cloud that filled 
 the temple is called " the glory of the Lord." Psal. 
 xxix. y, "In his temple doth every one speak of 
 his glory." The ordinances there have much of 
 God's glory in them, and they are his glory. 
 
 Obs. 3. God's withdrawing the signs oi^his gracious 
 presence from his church and people, is a forerunner 
 of heavy judgments. Here the glory of the God of 
 Israel went up from the cherub, and shortly after 
 the men with their slaughter weapons are set on 
 work to destroy. It is God's method to take away 
 the special tokens of his presence and love from a 
 people, and then to bring in sad judgments : people 
 sin, and hereupon the glory removes, and judgments 
 draw near. Exod. xxxii. the people made a calf; 
 upon which God denies to go with them as he had 
 done, chap, xxxiii. 3 ; now they should not have 
 visible signs of his ]U'esence ; and of them it is said, 
 chap, xxxii. 35, "The Lord plagued the people, 
 because they made the calf," &c. When God would 
 not answer Saul by dreams, by Urim, or prophets, 
 then his destruction was near at hand. 
 
 Among other signs of God's presence, there are 
 these : 
 
 (I.) Efficacy of the word, that it works mightily 
 in the hearts of people. The Lord was with the 
 ajiostles, and how mightily did the word work ! but 
 when the word is inefficacious and powerless, it is 
 evident the glory of the Lord is departing, and judg- 
 ments dreadful enough at hand. The prophet pro- 
 jihesied to the people, but the word wrought not; 
 Isa. vi. 9, 10, hearing they understand not, seeing 
 they perceive not; their hearts were fat, their ears 
 heavy, and their eyes shut : now the word was in- 
 efficacious to them. And how long shall this be ? 
 saith I.saiah ; " Until the cities be wasted without in- 
 habitant, the houses without man, and the land be 
 utterly desolate." Six times is this scripture quoted 
 in the New Testament. 
 
 (2.) I'nity and love of saints. Psal. exxxiii. 1, 
 where brethren dwelt together in unity, there the 
 Lord commanded the blessing, ver. 3, and showed 
 his gracious presence. Where love is, God dwells, 
 1 John iv. 16; but where bitterness and division in-
 
 Ver. 3, 4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 215 
 
 crease, Satan hath much interest; hearts, heads, 
 tongues, hands, are divided every where ; Isa. ix. 21, 
 Manasseh is against Ephraim, Ephraim against 
 Manasseh, and both against Judah ; Matt. xxiv. 12, 
 love is growTi cold. Instead of fervent love, are 
 fervent contentions ; instead of love without dissi- 
 mulation, are crafty underminings ; instead of cover- 
 ing infirmities, are rakings in one another's hearts. 
 
 \Vhtn the breaches were stopped in the walls of 
 Jerusideni, the enemies were very wrotli, Neh. iv. 7. 
 God hath promised to close breaches, Amos ix. 11; 
 let lis improve the promise, and importime him to 
 fulfil it, for rich mercy depends upon it, Isa. xxx. 2G. 
 Unity is a human saviour of kingdoms and churches ; 
 division is Abaddon, Apollyon, a hellisli destroyer : 
 Matt. xii. 25, a kingdom divided cannot stand, God 
 is departed from it. 
 
 Division hath turned religion into disputation, 
 driven God from the heart to the head ; and now 
 m.en are polemical, rather than practical, in divinity. 
 
 (3.) Aetinty of men in place for God. Where 
 God is present, there is courage. Josh. i. 9 ; 2 Chron. 
 xiii. 12; but when he withdraws, men are without 
 spirit, di\-ine influences cease, a numbness seizeth 
 upon them, and they act faintly, be it in church cr 
 state. IIos. vii. 11, God was departing from Epliraim, 
 if not departed, and Ephraim was a silly dove with- 
 out heart, void of counsel and courage, and so fit for 
 prey and si)oil ; Ephraim was quickly spoiled after 
 the Lord left them. 
 
 (4.) Safety, protection, Jer. i. 19 ; Psal. xhi. 5. 
 Isa. xxvii. 3, "Lest any hurt it, I will keep it night 
 and day." Where there is keeping, watching, there 
 is presence. But is not our safety almost, if not 
 altogether, gone ? can we challenge safety of any 
 thing, estates, liberties, lives, religion ? have not our 
 armies smarted, had blows and breaches? is not 
 our land spoiled, and under grievous pressures ? are 
 we not for a prey, and none delivercth, Isa. xlii. 22. 
 
 Obs. 4. The Lord doth not willingly depart from 
 his people when they have provoked him. He goes 
 from the cheruli to tlie threshold of the house, and 
 there stands, as loth to go any further; he had 
 rather stay with them, than depart from them, if 
 there were any hope of amendment. Hos. xi. 8, 
 " How shall I give tlice up, Ephraim ? how shall I 
 deliver thee, Israel ? how shall I make thee as Ad- 
 mah ? how shall I set thee as Zeboim ? mine heart is 
 turned within me, my repentings are kindled toge- 
 ther." Ephraim had deeply corrupted herself ; 
 swearing, lying, killing, stealing, adultery, idolatry, 
 oppression, were found in Ephraim; and yet God 
 saith, " How shall I give," <S.c. And further, that 
 God is unwilling to leave his people, is evident : 
 
 (1.) He desires they should prevent it, Isa. i. 2 — I, 
 16, 18. 
 
 (2.) Doth upon easy terms offer favour; Jer. iii. 
 13, 14, "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, for I am 
 man'ied unto thee." 
 
 (3.) Useth strong arguments to persuade his peo- 
 ple to turn to him ; Ezek. xxxiii. 11, "As I live, 
 saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of 
 the wicked. Turn ye, turn ye," &:c. See chap, 
 xviii. 32. 
 
 (4.) He is troubled when it cometh to departing. 
 
 (5.) When the Lord goes from a people, it is not 
 suddenly, but by degrees. He did not here in a 
 moment leave the temple, but moved first to the 
 threshold ; afterwards it went up over the threshold, 
 chap. X. 4 ; then higher, towards heaven, vcr. 1 9 ; 
 then to the midst of the city, and from thence to the 
 mountain on the east side of the city, chap. xi. 23 ; 
 and so wi-nt wholly from them : thus God step by 
 step left them. 
 
 Ver. 4. And the Lord said unto him, Go 
 through the midst nfthe city, through the midst of 
 Jerusalem, and seta mark upon the foreheads of 
 the men that sigh and that cr;/ for all the abomi- 
 nations that be done in the midst thereof. 
 
 In this verse divine pleasure is made known to 
 him who had the inkhorn by his side, and it consists 
 in a double command: 
 
 1. He is connnanded to " go through the midst of 
 the city," and find out who sighed and cried for the 
 abominations therein. 
 
 2. He must "set a mark upon the foreheads" of 
 them who sighed and cried. 
 
 " Set a mark." What this was is much disputed. 
 Popish expositors say it was the letter tau, which 
 prefigured the cross of Christ. Some Hebrews by that 
 mark tan understand tliose who have perfect know- 
 ledge of the law ; some, those who kept the law, tau 
 standing for thorah, signifying the law. Others un- 
 derstand believers in the Messiah, tau noting a cross. 
 Jerom and some with him think the Hebrew n was 
 originally like the Greek r, representing a cross; 
 and that Ezra ret\iniing from the captivity, found 
 out new characters, wliich are those we use ; and 
 Pradus saith, Arius Montanus had a silver shekel, 
 in which the Hebrew letters were not unlike the 
 Greek, and this shekel himself had seen ; but it is 
 not eWdent, saith Snnetius, that the moneys or shekels 
 which were before the captivity had any letters upon 
 them, they were not known by any stamp, but by 
 their weight ; and it is not probable Ezra shoidd re- 
 ject the original characters of the sacred ^sioniu? Pedi- 
 tongue, and devise new himself. Some ""'js. I'l^'i ^y 
 that w ill have the mark tau meant here, "'" 
 make it a sign of life, as Btra was of death. Judges 
 marked those who were condemned with a Btra, and 
 those who were to be freed with /am. If conjectures 
 might take place, thus tau is the basis of the He- 
 brew alphabet, and marking by Christ is the basis of 
 all true comfort and sound profession. But to leave 
 conjectures, and to feed you with truth, " Set a 
 mark," refers no more to one letter than another, not 
 to the Greek r, or Latin t, because the Lord spoke 
 not in those languages, but in the Hebrew ; and he 
 means not the letter r there, but a sign in general, 
 as the word in not the letter n signifies ; for the 
 original is sign, a sign ; in signum, from nin sig- 
 nare. And so it is used in Job xxxi. 35, " Behold, 
 my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me ;" 
 the Hebrew is «ir Behold, my sign is, that the Al- 
 mighty would answer me. So it is rendered in the 
 margin ; in this sense also the Septuagint renders 
 it, give or put a sign ; and so Symmachus and .\quila. 
 
 This sign was no corporal sign, as if the Lord had 
 made some impression in their foreheads, whereby 
 to distinguish them from others ; for this was a 
 vision, not to be taken really, but in a spiritual sense. 
 The Lord Christ took special notice of these, and 
 did distinguish them by special providence from 
 those who were to perish in the destruction of the 
 city : he did not go up and down from house to 
 house, and set a mark in their foreheads, he applied 
 his blood and merits, and sealed them by his Spirit ; 
 not that they were not washed in the blood of Christ 
 before, but now there was a new and special evidence 
 of it. 
 
 "Upon the foreheads." Not on their backs, breasts, 
 arms, but on their foreheads. Some think the pro- 
 phet alludes to a practice of marking 
 servants in the forehead, who had their si. v'ni.'sen.'i.' 
 masters' names fixed therein, whence Jj'^f ''°''"' "^^ 
 they were called inscripti literati sent ; 
 and it is the use among us to brand some delinquents
 
 216 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. IX. 
 
 with a T in the shouli-lcr, hand, or forehead ; and, as 
 before was said, judges marked tliose who were 
 questioned, and to be freed, with tau. Here was 
 nothing written upon their forelieads, but something 
 is held out by these words unto us ; Christ having 
 intimated thiir election, etTeetual calling, justiliea- 
 tion by his blood, intercession for them, providential 
 care over them in the dreadful judgments coming 
 upon them, doth by this phrase declare his public 
 owning and caring for them. The forelicad is an 
 open place, exposed to liew of all, and whatever is 
 there, is visible : Rev. xiii. 16, the mark of the beast 
 was in the hand and forehead ; one was secret, more 
 private, the other more open. Christ would so deal 
 by these persons, and so deliver them, that it should 
 openly appear he had distinguished them from 
 others. 
 
 Upon their foreheads is specified, to let us see here 
 was a personal, not a family deliverance intended. 
 
 Queal. Were all delivered who were marked ? 
 
 ylitmc. It is believed that some godly ones suffered 
 by the sword and famine, that some also were car- 
 ried away captive. Jeremiah himself was not free 
 from sufl'erings. 
 
 Quest. For what end were they then marked ? 
 
 Answ. 1. To secure them of their eternal condi- 
 tion, that their sins were pardoned, and persons 
 accepted. 
 
 2. To assure them that he was with them, and 
 would work all things for their good, and increase of 
 their glory. 
 
 3. To encourage their hearts against all opposi- 
 tion and hardship whatsoever. 
 
 " The men that sigh." The word notes sighing 
 for grief of mind : grief is a heavy burden, and 
 causes men to sigh as those that are burdened. Exod. 
 ii. 23, " The children of Israel sighed by reason of 
 bondage :" the heavy bondage they were under 
 made them groan and sigh ; and so these here had 
 the burden of Jerusalem's abominations upon them, 
 and that made them sigh. Prov. xxix. 2, " When the 
 wicked beareth rule, the people mourn :" it is the 
 same word; they meet wdth heavy pressures which 
 make them sigh. 
 
 "That cry." This notes such sorrow as exceeds 
 sighing, and must vent itself in a more fuU way, 
 viz. with crying vehemently, as wounded men use 
 to do when they breathe out their souls. Ezek. xxvi. 
 15, " The wounded cry when the slaughter is made ;" 
 and Jer. li. 52, " Through all the land the wounded 
 shall groan," or cry ; it is the same word : so that 
 the meaning is, they did sigh greatly, and cry out 
 bitterly, for the abominations which were in Je- 
 rusalem. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord looks upon the world with a 
 discriminating eye ; some he looks upon to be mark- 
 ed, and some to be left unmarked. All are not equal 
 in God's thoughts or eye ; some from eternity he 
 predestinated, some he passed over ; and now in 
 time some he eyes for salvation, some he sets by for 
 perdition ; his eye distingiiishcth between the precious 
 and the vile. Psal. xxxiv. 15, 16, "The eyes of the 
 Lord are upon the righteous, and the face of the 
 Lord is against them that do evil ;" he beholds both, 
 but with a different aspect ; one sort he beholds to 
 do good to, the other to cut off. Psal. xi. 4, " His 
 eyelids try the children of men ;" he looks fixedly 
 upon them, and as they are, so he deals with them. 
 Job xxxvi. 7, it is said, " He withdraweth not his 
 eyes from the righteous :" they are the delight of 
 his eyes, but the wicked are thorns, provocations to 
 his eyes, Isa. iii. 8. 
 
 Obs. 2. When the I.,ord proceeds to judgment of 
 cities, churches, people, kingdoms, he doth it ju- 
 
 diciously, considerately. lie doth not pour out 
 wrath from heaven at all adventures, let it light 
 where and upon whom it will ; but he makes inquiry 
 who are lit to be punished, and who are to be spared. 
 Psal. ix. 7, "The Lord hath prepared his throne 
 for judgment ;" and then, ver. 8, " He shall judge 
 the world in righteousness ;" and, ver. 12, " He 
 maketh inquisition for blood :" the oppressed he 
 will relieve, the oppressors lie will cut oil'. When 
 judgments are abroad, especially wars, all tilings seem 
 to move confusedly, and wicked men to do what they 
 list ; they will destroy all before them : but they can- 
 not ; the judgments are the Lord's, and he carries 
 them on judiciously ; there are eyes in the wheels, 
 and a divine Spirit in them, and they do not move, 
 they cannot move otherwise than the wise God will 
 have them. 
 
 Obs. 3. In the worst times God hath some who are 
 faithful, and serve him. Violence had filled the land, 
 the idol of jealousy was set at the altar gate, cham- 
 bers of imagery in the walls of the temple, the ancients 
 of Israel worshipped the forms of creeping things and 
 abominable beasts, the women wept for that shame- 
 ful idol Tammuz, corruptions abounded in church 
 and state ; yet some faithful ones the Lord had, that 
 were undefiled. The church of God did never to- 
 tally fail, nor ever shall. When all flesh had corrupt- 
 ed its way, the wickedness of man was grown great ; 
 when the earth was tiUed with violence, Gen. \i. 5, 
 11, 12, yet then, even then was Noah untainted, " he 
 was just and perfect in his generations, and walked 
 with God," ver. 9. In Ahab's days, when Jezebel 
 cut off the prophets of the Lord, and he vexed the 
 righteous with his will-worship and abominable 
 idolatries, and forced them to flee to Jerusalem ; and 
 things were so extremely ill, the righteous so wasted, 
 that Elijah, a prophet, thought there was none left 
 in Israel but himself; even then the Lord tells him 
 there were seven thousand, which had not bowed 
 their knees to Baal, nor kissed him, 1 Kings xix. 18; 
 they have showed that false god no reverence, con- 
 tracted no pollution by doing as the rest did. When 
 Ahaz, who is stigmatized for his wickedness, 2 Chron. 
 xxWii. 22, when he reigned, cut in pieces the vessels 
 of the temple, and shut up the doors of the temple, 
 and made altars in every comer of Jerusalem, ver. 24 ; 
 yet his own son Hezekiah was godly at that time, 
 and hated the ways of his father. When Christ came, 
 there was a Joseph and Mary, a Zacharias and 
 Elisabeth, a Simeon and Anna, with some few others ; 
 and the times were exceeding bad then. In the 
 depths of popery were pmiperes Liigdiinenses, of 
 whom Reinerus a popish inquisitor writes, that they 
 had a great show of godliness, because they lived 
 justly before men, believed all things well concern- 
 ing God and all the articles of faith, only they blas- 
 phemed and hated the church of Rome. God had 
 his Huss, Jerom of Prague, and Luther, in times bad 
 enough. 
 
 Obs. 4. The number of men to be saved in Jeru- 
 salem is few. Commission is given to the man with 
 the inkhorn by his side, to go and search through 
 Jerusalem, and where he found any mourning, sigh- 
 ing, to mark them ; and surely this number was 
 very few : he is not to mark streets, famihes, but 
 jiarticular persons, which notes the paucity of those 
 tliat were truly godly, and to be saved. In Egypt 
 the blood was upon the lintel and side-posts of the 
 door, and so whole families there escaped ; but here 
 in Jerusalem the mark is not upon the door, but the 
 forehead ; many doors, whole families, were passed 
 over, here and there one found and marked. Take 
 a place or two to this purpose : Jer. v. 1, " Run ye to 
 anil fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see
 
 Ver. 4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 217 
 
 now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, 
 if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth 
 judgment, that seeketh the truth ; and I will pardon 
 it. Here Goil bids them search and see if they 
 could find a man and bring forth, so that the city might 
 be spared, but they coiJd not find one. This satisfied 
 not God, they might be careless in that work, overlook 
 some man that did it; God therefore will search 
 himself: Ezek. xxii. 30, " I sought for a man among 
 them, that should make up tlie hedge, and stand in 
 the gap before me for the land, that I should not de- 
 stroy it ; but I found none." Neither man nor God 
 could find any. These expressions show that the 
 number of the godly was very few ; that those who 
 were so durst not appear in public, because the times 
 were so profane and perilous, but hid themselves and 
 mourned in secret. Few is the number of true believ- 
 ers and true mourners ; there were two prophets, Jere- 
 miah and Uriah, the Rechabitcs, Baruch the scribe, 
 Ebcdmelech the Ethiopian, with some few beside. 
 The thought of the scant number of the good ones 
 made sad the heart of the prophet Micah, chap. vii. 
 1, "Woe is me ! for I am as when they have gath- 
 ered the summer fniits, as the grape-gleanings of the 
 vintage : there is no cluster to eat." 
 
 Obs. 5. The Lord hath a special care of his saints 
 when dreadful and destroying judgments are coming 
 upon others. " Go, set a mark upon them that sigh," 
 &c. provide that they be secured, distinguish them 
 from all the rest, and let them have mercy in the 
 common calamity. It appears, 
 
 (1.) From the person employed to do it, and that 
 is tlie Lord Christ, who was the man with the ink- 
 horn by his side. When God shall employ not a 
 prophet, not an angel, but his own dear Son to do 
 this work, to mark the godly, it is argument of ten- 
 der care towards them. 
 
 (2.) He must " go through the midst of the city," 
 and look into every place, make an exact search, and 
 find them out wherever they were hid ; God would 
 not have him neglect any place, lest he should pass 
 by any saint. Slatt. ii. 8, Herod would have the 
 wise men make diligent search for the young child ; 
 and God would have Christ here make diligent 
 search for mourning saints ; they are his treasure, 
 and Christ would search for them as for hid treasure. 
 
 (3.) He must surely mark them. You shall sign 
 them with a sign, that is, certainly sign them ; the 
 doubling of the word in the original notes God's in- 
 tention and care to have it done : it might have suf- 
 ficed to have said. You shall sign them ; but he 
 adds, with a sign, to put it out of doubt. 
 
 (4.) From the persons sealed : 
 
 [I.] Men. It is put indefinitely, not confined to 
 noble, wise, rich, learned, but any condition of men 
 that were godly ; any poor man, any servant, any 
 child, any little one, let their grace be never so mean, 
 if they had any grace at all, they sliould have the 
 seal as well as the best. 
 
 [2.] Mourners. "When filled with sorrow for the 
 sins of the land, with fears for the judgments which 
 were coming upon the land, all in a confusion, every 
 one at a loss, not knowing what to do, which way 
 to turn themselves ; liberties, ordinances, city, sanc- 
 tuary, all comforts, all friends, being upon depart- 
 ure i now to be marked out for life eternal, now to 
 have the conscience sprinkled with the blood of 
 Christ, the Spirit to bear witness and seal up the 
 soul, with assiu'ance of God's love ; this shows God 
 hath a great care of his people in time of dangers. 
 
 Not only at this time, but in all times of judg- 
 ments God hath been careful of his people. Lot's 
 righteous soul was vexed at the unclean conversa- 
 tion of the Sodomites ; and when fire and brimstone 
 
 scorched, consumed Sodom, God sent his angels to 
 find, hasten, and force Lot out of that wicked place, 
 Gen. xix. The Hood that drowned all the world, could 
 not hurt Noah ; God put him into the ark, shut 
 him in, and kept him safe there. Gen. vii. When 
 the destroying angel comes forth to destroy the 
 first-born of Egypt, the Israelites' posts were sprin- 
 kled with blood, Exod. xii. 22, and no blood must 
 be shed there ; they were marked for deliverance. 
 When Jericho was taken and destroyed, the scarlet 
 thread in the window was a sign of deliverance to 
 Rahab and her house. Josh. ii. 18; vi. 23. Rev. vii. 
 2 — 5, Christ the Angel of the east, who had the seal 
 of the living God, viz. the Spirit, forbids the angels 
 to hurt any, till the one hundred and forty-four 
 thousand were sealed in their foreheads. When 
 Paul was brought before Nero, and all left him in 
 the jaws of that roaring lion, the Lord stood by him 
 and strengthened him : the more careless others 
 were of Paul, the more careful was God of him. A 
 little before Jerusalem was taken by the 
 Romans, a voice was heard, lie Pellam ; " ' '"' '"' '^' 
 the faithful no sooner escape thither, but the city was 
 ruined, and all the foretold woes accomplished in it. 
 
 Obs. 6. It is the Lord Christ who is the marker 
 of the saints. All power in heaven and earth is 
 given to hiui ; sealing and sa\dng power, as well as 
 rejecting and destroying power. He is said to have 
 the seal of the living God, Rev. vii. and to take order 
 for the sealing the servants of the Lord. Rev. iii. 
 1'2, " Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in 
 the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out : 
 and I will write upon liim the name of my God, and 
 the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusa- 
 lem, which Cometh down out of heaven from my God : 
 and I will write upon him my new name." Christ 
 makes him a pillar in the temple, that is great honour ; 
 but that is not all, Christ writes three nanus upon that 
 man ; the name of his God, of new Jerusalem, and his 
 own name ; he eauseth him to know he is the son of 
 God, a citizen of the heavenly city, and should have 
 interest in the glory and dignity of phii.ii.g. 
 Christ, which divines call the new "'■■''• "■ '• 
 name given him after his passion and ascension : 
 such marking have the saints and faithful servants 
 of Christ. The Scripture tells us of another marker 
 besides Christ, and it is the beast mentioned Rev. 
 xiii. 16, 17, who eauseth all to receive a mark in 
 their right hand and forehead. Christ had sealed 
 his. Rev. vii. to separate them fi'om the world and 
 danger ; and the beast seals his, to separate them 
 from Christ's sealed ones, and for the world, that 
 they might buy and sell : this sealing was not for 
 deliverance, but for destruction; Rev. xiv. 9, 10, 
 " If any man receive the beast's mark in his hand 
 or foreiiead, the same shall drink of the wine of the 
 wrath of God, and be tormented with fire and brim- 
 stone." Here was a dangerous mark, whether it 
 was the mass, sign of the cross, profession of popish 
 worship, suljjection to the pope as head of the church, 
 obedience to his canons and decrees, observation of his 
 fasts, days, rites; whether auricular confession, popish 
 orders, or any vows or oaths to maintain the pope 
 and his power, such as Otho took in the year 960. 
 
 Obs. 7. God and Christ are not _ . , 
 
 ashamed of theirs in the worst times •• wis name 'shall 
 and greatest dangers; God will have Lds'-^'ihT' 
 them marked, and Christ doth mark f|«»st had 'V"'^'^^ 
 them in the forehead. In Sodom God that wfie h,re. 
 o\\Tied Lot; in Rome he stood by Paul, SirL'^hyilir;'".''' 
 2 Tim. iv. 17. When four destroying "»" viiuiicammt 
 angels were come abroad, the Lord 
 Christ seals twelve thousand of every tribe in their 
 foreheads, Rev. vii. 3, 5—8. Christ owns his people
 
 218 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. IX. 
 
 here and hereafter ; see John s. 3, 14, 27. He calls 
 tiiem his sheep, his friends, chap. xv. 15, his bre- 
 thren : " I ascend unto my Father, and yonr Father'; 
 to my God, and your God," John xx. 17. AVhen 
 Christ was in heaven, he owned Stephen being 
 amidst his enemies. Acts vii. 55, 55 ; and he pro- 
 mises, Matt. X. 32, to confess and own the man be- 
 fore his Father in heaven, who shall confess and 
 own him here on earth. It is a great jirivilege to 
 be owned by the Lord; Heb. xi. 10, " God is not 
 ashamed to be called their God:" notwithstanding 
 all the saints' sins and infirmities, God is not ashamed 
 of them. ^Vhen they were in Egypt, God owned 
 them ; Exod. iii. 6, 7, he tells IMoscs he was the God 
 of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that he had surely 
 seen the affliction of his people. 
 
 Victoria, a holy virgin, under Dioclesian, being 
 asked by the proconsul if she would go with her 
 brother Fortunatianus, a heathen ; answered, No, 
 becauce I am a christian, and they are my brethren 
 which keep the commands of God. 
 
 Let not us be ashamed of God and his cause, but 
 openly and truly proR-ss him and his ways : we 
 shall lose nothing by it ; 1 Sam. ii. 30, " Them that 
 honour me I will honour, and they that despise me 
 shall be lighlly esteemed." If we have shame with 
 men and honour with God, vilified on earth and be 
 accepted in heaven, we have no cause to be discou- 
 raged. It is likely the godly here were reproached, 
 threatened, hardly used ; but because they honoured 
 God, God owned them ; and who ever honom-ed God, 
 and was not honoured by him ? The three children 
 would not obey Nebuchadnezzar's command, nor 
 worship his image, Dan. iii. but honour the God of 
 Israel, trust in him for help ; rather die in his cause 
 than dishonour him at all ; and did not the Lord 
 lionour them with his presence, with safety and de- 
 liverance. AVhcn Peter and John were bold in the 
 cause of Christ, and would preach the truth notwith- 
 standing the command of rulers to the contrary ; 
 presently after God honoured them miraculously, 
 shaking the house, and filling them all with the Holy 
 Ghost, Acts iii. 18 — 20, 31. And if you ask how you 
 shall honour God ; it is answered, by purging your- 
 selves from the corruptions of the times, 2 Tim. ii. 
 21, " If a man purge himself, he shall be a vessel unto 
 honour," and by standing i'or the truths of the times. 
 
 Obs. 8. Another observation is, that the faithful 
 are so far from comjilying with the wickedness of 
 the limes, that they sigh and cry for the abomina- 
 tions thereof. 
 
 (1.) They oomply not. Wickedness is powerful, 
 and hath its arguments of pdeasure, profit, counte- 
 nance, to draw good men to side with her; but they 
 are things intractable. " How can I do this wicked- 
 ness, and sin against God ?" Gen. xxxix. 9. David 
 \\'0uld not sit \\ith the wicked, he hated the congre- 
 gation of evil-doers, Psal. xxvi. 5 ; and see what he 
 resolved upon, Psal. ci. 4—8; he would rather cut 
 them off than countenance them. Grace is as strong 
 in the saints, as coiTuption is in the wicked. The 
 vigour of faith, 1 John v. 4, the power of the Spirit, 
 chap. iv. 4, and the etheacy of Christ's jirayer, John 
 y.v\\. 15, 20, do keep the servants of God from com- 
 plying with the wicked. When all flesh had cor- 
 rupted its ways, yet Noah was uncoiTupt; Gen. vi. 
 !), " Noah was a just man and perfect in his genera- 
 tions." Ahab could not get Micaiah to comply Viith 
 the court, and suit with the humour of the limes. 
 The godly are like fish in salt waters, they grow not 
 brackish, they lose not of their sweetness. Zacha- 
 rias and Elisabeth, in the great corruptions at Christ's 
 coming, in the great scarcity of good men, yet they 
 walked in all the commandments of the Lord blame- 
 
 less, not in the commands of the high priests and 
 pharisecs. God hath spoken to tlie righteous with 
 a strong hand, and instructed them that they should 
 not walk in the ways of the wicked, Isa. viii. 11. 
 Here the goi'Jy did not bow to the image of jealousy, 
 join with the seventy elders in offering incense ; they 
 wept not for Tammuz, they put not the branch to 
 their nose. 
 
 (2.) They sigh and cry for the abominations which 
 are in their times, they bewail the sins of others : 
 Psal. cxix. 53, " Horror hath taken hold upon me 
 because of the wicked that forsake thy law." Ver. 
 158, " I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved; 
 because they kept not thy word." Lot, 2 Pet. ii. 7> 
 was vexed with the filthy conversation of the Sodom- 
 ites ; yea, vexed from day to day ; what he saw and 
 heard was a continual vexation unto him. The Lord 
 Christ, when they honoured him with their garments 
 cast in the way, when they acknowledged liim King, 
 and magnified him, Luke xix. 3G, 38, even then he 
 weeps over Jerusalem for her impeniteucy, others' 
 sins, and the judgments of God coming upon her, 
 ver. 41. The two witnesses. Rev. xi. 3, prophesy in 
 sackcloth, which was the habit of mourners : Mor- 
 decai, Daniel, the Ninevites, and others, when they 
 mourned, wore sackcloth ; so did these witnesses 
 bewailing the abominations and tyranny of anti- 
 christ, the desolations of the church, and delusions 
 of the people. 2 Cor. xii. 21, " When I come again 
 I fear my God will humble me among you, and that 
 I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and 
 have not repented of the unclcanness and fornication 
 and lasciviousness wliich they have committed." 
 
 This mourning is, [1.] hearty, real ; they sigh, they 
 groan ; it is not a light matter, the abominations 
 were weighty, and pressing upon their spirits. 2 Pet. 
 ii. 7) the word there for vexed is, Karanuvovntvov inrb 
 Tijc T^"^ a^i(Tjxi.ov tv cifr£\yti(f avaaTpoiptjr, and it is then to 
 be rendered word for word, oppressed under the con- 
 versation of the ungodly in wantonness. The un- 
 godly's wanton, wicked conversation is an oppress- 
 ing evil unto the godly, and afllicts their hearts, as 
 the Egyptians afflicted the Israelites : Acts vii. 24, 
 !Moses avenged the oppressed. Lot's soul was vexed, 
 ver. 8, he tormented, racked his soul ; a metaphor 
 taken from engines they did torment with, bis soul 
 was troubled as a man upon the rack. Jer. iv. lit, 
 " My bowels, my bowels ! I am pained at my very 
 heart :" what was the matter ? there was " the sound 
 of the trumpet, the alarm of war." 
 
 [2.] As it was cordial, so it was constant and great 
 grief; they sighed and cried, a little sufficed not, it 
 continued. Jer. ix. 1, " Oh that my head were 
 vraters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I 
 might weep day and night." The prophet wished 
 himself turned into waters, into a fountain, that, 
 weeping day and night, he might with a flood of 
 tears carry down the floods of iniquity which he saw. 
 So Ezra, chap. ix. 3, when he saw the holy seed 
 match with strangers, the princes and rulers to be 
 chief in the trespasses, he rent his garments, plucked 
 oil' the hair of his head and beard, and sat down aston- 
 ished ; his grief was such as made him astonished. 
 
 [3.] It is inward and outward ; they sigh, they cry, 
 there are expressions of their grief, it was not hid- 
 den, but evident ; they declared how their souls 
 were oppressed, how they were filled with grief, and 
 could not forbear. Christ wept over Jerusalem. 
 Micah, when he considered the sins of Samaria and 
 Jerusalem, with the heavy judgments which were 
 coming, chnp. i. 8, saith, " I will wail and howl, I 
 will go stripped and naked" (as if sorrow had bereft 
 him of his wits) ; " I will make a waihng like the 
 dragons, and mourning as the owls." Fid. A Lapidc
 
 Vkr. 4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 219 
 
 and Sanctiiis, wlint the y say of tlie dragons' and owls' 
 mourning : gruat mourning with outward expressions 
 are set out thereby ; Job xxx. 29, " I am a brother 
 to dragons, and a companion to owls" or ostriches. 
 
 [4.] Universal ; not for some few or great abomi- 
 nations, but for all the abominations, church, state, 
 city, family abominations ; they laid all to heart, 
 and left none unbewailed. 
 
 Inquire, I. ^Vlly do the godly sigh and cry? 
 
 1. God is dishonoured by the sins of others, as 
 well as by our own, and the godly are grieved when 
 God is dishonoured by any. Psal. cxix. 13(5, " Rivers 
 of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep 
 not thy law." David's afflictions drew not so many 
 tears from him, as the sins of others ; not his banish- 
 ment by his son, as the breach of God's law by the 
 wicked. Nothing went so to his heart as the dis- 
 honour of God, whose glory shining in his word 
 and ordinances, is dearer to the godly than their 
 lives. Elijah desired to die when he saw God so 
 dishonoured by Ahab and Jezebel. The eye is for 
 two things, for sight and tears : if we see God dis- 
 honoured, presently our eyes should be filled with 
 tears. 
 
 2. If we mouiTi not for the sins of others, we draw 
 them upon us, we make them ours. They mourned 
 here for all their abominations, lest they should be 
 found guilty of any : and 1 Cor. v. the Corinthians 
 were defiled with the sin of the incestuous person, 
 because they did not mourn and do their duty to af- 
 fect his heart, or remove him from their body. Brad- 
 ford prayed the Lord to forgive him his other men's 
 sins. 
 
 3. It is argument we mourn for sin as sin when 
 we mourn for it in others. Sin is the breach of the law 
 any where, and if I grieve, sigh, cry for it in myself, 
 and not in others, it is some selfish respect, not the 
 nature of sin, which causeth that mourning. He 
 who hates poison as poison, hates it every where, in 
 whose hand soever it be ; and he who mourns for 
 sin as sin, would neither himself, nor have others, 
 violate the law of God. 
 
 4. The sins of others are of a destroying nature, 
 as well as our own ; they may destroy armies, states, 
 churches, counsels. Eecles. ix. 18, " One sinner de- 
 stroyeth much good." One Achan, one murderer may 
 undo a land ; he defiles it, brings peril upon it. God 
 appointed a special sacrifice to expiate murder, Dcut. 
 xxi. ; and no satisfaction was to be taken for a mur- 
 derer's life, Numb. xxxv. 31. Saul slays the Gibeon- 
 ites unjustly, and the three years' famine is upon 
 David and his people, 2 Sam. xxi. 1 — 3. The death 
 of the Levite's concubine, and Benjamin's refusal to 
 deliver up the delinquents to justice, caused a bloody 
 war, and the death of above sixty-five thousand men. 
 
 5. It argues strength of grace to mourn for others' 
 sins. Censuring and rejiroaching of others for their 
 sins argues strength of con-uption ; and mourning 
 for them argues strength of grace, a sound spiritual 
 constitution : such a one was in Christ, he prayed 
 for the hardness of others' hearts, Mark iii. 5. 
 
 6. They who m.ourn for abominations, do great 
 service for the places where they live ; they stand 
 in the gap, they keep off God's judgments. When 
 the people had sinned in making a calf, and God's 
 judgments were breaking in upon them, did not Moses 
 mourn, weep, pray before the Lord, and keep oil' the 
 sad things that were hastening towards them ? Psnl. 
 cvi. 23, " He said that he would destroy them, had 
 not Moses his chosen stood before him in the bn ach, 
 lo turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them." 
 1'he mourner's tears oft quench the fire of God's 
 wrath, divert judgments ; if not, but destruction 
 comes, as here, yet the mourners have this testimony 
 
 in their breast, that they drew not down the vengeance 
 on the church or state. 
 
 7. They are blessed that mourn, Matt. v. 4. These 
 here were marked, had testimonies of God's good 
 will towards them. Jeremiah was a mourner, chap, 
 ix. I ; and chap. xv. 11, saith God there, "I will 
 cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of 
 evil." Here was a blessing promised, and the faith- 
 ful God could not but perform it. V> hen the earth 
 is watered by the heavens, it is blessed ; but when 
 the earth waters the heavens, when we put tears into 
 the Lord's bottle, when we mourn and weep for the 
 abominations of the earth, there is a greater blessing: 
 Psal. xii. 5, " For the sighing of the needy, I will 
 arise and set," itc. Isa. Ivii. 18, " I will restore 
 comforts unto him and to his mourners." 
 
 8. Others mourn for the sins of men that are not 
 men : " Because of swearing the land mournelh," 
 Jer. xxiii. 10. " The whole creation groaneth and 
 travaileth in pain," Rom. viii. 22. 
 
 Inquire, II. F^or what should we mourn? 
 
 1. For eliusion of so much blood in the kingdom, 
 and spoiling so many towns. AVhen Ziklag was 
 burned, it is said, David and those with him wept 
 till they had no more power to weep, 1 Sam. xxx. 4. 
 What would Da\id do, if he were now alive and 
 amongst us, to see countries and kingdoms consumed 
 with civil wai's? Isa. xxii. 4, 5, " Look away from 
 me ; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, 
 because of tlie spoiling of the daughter of my people. 
 For it is a day of trouble, and of treading do\ra, and 
 of perplexity by the Lord God of hosts in the valley 
 of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying 
 to the mountains." Jer. xxxi. 15, " A voice was 
 heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping; 
 Rachel weeping for her children, refused to be com- 
 forted, because they were not." Rachel was buried 
 in Bethlehem, Gen. xxxv. 19, and Ramah was not far 
 from it ; she is jiut for the Bethlemitical women, who 
 wept bitterly for their children who were slain, and 
 carried that way into captiviiy. And should net 
 England weep because thousands of her children are 
 not; many precious ones are gone, the sword hath 
 drunk their blood? If Martha and Mary wept for 
 one Lazarus, the friend of Christ, why should net 
 all our Marthas and Marys weep, when .>o many 
 Lazaruses, so many friends of Christ, have been cut 
 off? Isa. Ivii. 1, "The righteous perisheth, and no 
 man layeth it to heart." 
 
 2. That justice takes not place, but rather injustice 
 and oppression. Isa. lix. 11, "We roar all like bears, 
 and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, 
 but there is none:" andver. 14, 15, " Justice standcth 
 afar off, equity cannot enter; he that departeth from 
 evil makes himself a prey : and the Lord saw it, and 
 it displeased him that there was no judgment." The 
 oppressed cry. 
 
 3. For the sinful, selfish policy which hath been 
 in the great businesses of the kingdom which are to 
 carry on reformation. They carted the ark, whm 
 their own shoulders should have carried it; their 
 prudence in the things of God made way for Uzzah's 
 sin and suffering, and hindered the progress of the 
 work. There hath been too much of man seen in 
 our undertakings. Oh the policy, falsehood, treachery, 
 that hath been among us ! What was it made Jere- 
 miah weep and mourn so? chap. ix. 1, 2; it wns 
 because they were " adulterers, an assembly of 
 treacherous men." 
 
 4. For the great and bitter divisions which are 
 among us, not only am.ong those who are wicked oi 
 indifi'erent, but even among those who are godly ; 
 they shoot their aiTows one at another, even bitter 
 words and bitter actions. Is it not sad when Christ's
 
 220 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. IX. 
 
 disciples and apostles fall out ? Matt. xx. 24. " The 
 ten were moved with indignation ajiainst the two 
 brethren." It troubled Christ to see such variance 
 between them, and had he not wisely and speedily 
 taken up the matter, the issue might have been very 
 ill. When brethren wrong one another, it will af- 
 fect a Moses, Acts vii. 2G. Is it not to be lamented 
 when our fountains run salt water ? when bretliren 
 speak evil one of another, and so speak evil of the 
 law and gospel also ? Gal. v. 15, it troubled Paul's 
 spirit to see such biting and devouring of one an- 
 other. Certainly if we should see two or three dogs 
 biting of a man, it would much work upon us, and 
 move us to rate and beat them olf ; and can we see 
 men biting men, and not be affected with it ? To see 
 men destroyed with a spirit of bitterness, when they 
 should be I'estored with a spirit of meekness, is 
 mourning to some, however it be music to others. 
 
 5. That God's judgments have been so long upon 
 us, and done us so little good. God hath given us 
 much physic, and it doth not work ; we may be a 
 Amo5vi.6.»c dying people, as those Jews were, Ezra 
 •Mriiik wme in X. 9 ; it is said there that all the people 
 nomi!'' &t.''7»- sat in the street of the house of God 
 imvmo.eiius trembling, bccause some were carried 
 
 away captive, and lor the great ram, 
 the great showers which beat down their ft-uit and 
 com. We have had many taken prisoners, carried 
 away captive, used barbarously ; we have had great 
 rains of blood ; and have we yet trembled ? have we 
 learned righteousness, and beheld the majesty of the 
 Lord ? Isa. xxvi. 9, 10. May it not be said, as it is 
 Jer. V. 3, " Thou hast stricken them, but they have 
 not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they 
 have refused to receive correction : they have made 
 their faces harder than a rock ? " 
 
 6. That so many thousands have perished in their 
 sins, and multitudes are in a perishing way : Rom. 
 ix. 2, " I have great heaviness and continual sorrow 
 in my heart. For I could wish myself separated from 
 Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the 
 flesh :" he feared they would perish eternally, and 
 therefore mourned continually. Granctensis tells of a 
 woman that was so affected with souls' miscarryings, 
 that she besought God to stop up the passage into heU 
 with her soul and body, that none might have en- 
 trance. Do not people perish for want of vision, and 
 few lay it to heart ? 
 
 7. That God's name suffers so much amongst us. 
 God's name shoidd be dear to us ; the Scripture tells 
 us it is f^lorious and fearful, Deut. xxviii. 58 ; great 
 and terrible, Psal. xcix. 3 ; holy and reverend, Psal. 
 cxi. 9 ; honourable, Psal. Ixvi. 2 ; and that this 
 name of God should suffer by sinful, wretched men 
 is matter of sighing and crying. Some despise his 
 name, Mai. i. (!, some profane his name, Lev. xxi. 6, 
 some blaspheme bis name, Isa. lii. 5, and most dark- 
 en the glory of his name ; and as it was to Joshua 
 a great grief, bitter affliction, when his name suffered, 
 Josh. vii. 9, so it should be to us. 
 
 Ver. 5 — 7. And to the others he said in mine 
 hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and 
 smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye 
 pity : slay utterly old and young, both maids, and 
 little children, and women : hut come not near any 
 man upon whom is the mark ; and begin nt my 
 sanctuary. T/ten they began at the ancient men 
 which were before the house. And he said unto 
 them. Defile the house, and fill the courts with the 
 slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and 
 slew in the city. 
 
 The Lord Christ haWng marked some for mercy, 
 in these verses is declared what was to be done with 
 the rest. 
 
 I. Here is a command to execute them. 
 
 II. The execution itself. 
 
 In the command you have these particulars : 
 
 1. The party commanding ; "he said." 
 
 2. The parties commanded ; " the others." 
 
 3. The witness of what was commanded, and that 
 is Ezekiel ,■ " in mine hearing." 
 
 4. The things commanded, which are these : 
 
 (1.) To "go;" they must go after liim who 
 marked the mourners. 
 
 (2.) To "smite," ver. 5, to ".slay," ver. 6, to " de- 
 file," to "fill the courts" of the sanctuary "with 
 the slain," ver. 7. 
 
 III. A double prohibition. 
 
 1 . Of mercy to the wicked ; " Let not your eye 
 spare, neither have ye pity," ver. fi. 
 
 2. Of meddling with the marked ; " Come not 
 near any ui)on whom the mark is," ver. 6. 
 
 IV. Whom they must smite, slay ; " old, young, 
 maids, children, women." 
 
 V. The place where they must begin, and that is 
 the "sanctuary," ver. 6. 
 
 VI. Then the execution itself ; " They went 
 forth," &c. 
 
 I shall open the words wherein any thing seems 
 difhcult, and then give you the observation. 
 
 " The others." They were the six angels who 
 had the slaughter weapons in their hands; they 
 must now go and make use of them ; they were 
 not called for in vain. 
 
 " Let not your eye spare." This phrase is some- 
 times referred to things without lite ; as Gen. xlv. 
 20 ," Regard not your stuff:" the Hebrew is. Let not 
 your eye spare your stuff. It is Joseph's speech to 
 his brethren, when he was inviting them to come to 
 Egypt, and his meaning is this ; When you shall 
 look upon the furniture of my father's house, and 
 see what goodly, rich, and useful stuff it is, you will 
 be loth to leave it behind you, your eyes will be 
 affected with it, you will say you cannot be without 
 it, though you know not how to bring it ; but let not 
 your eyes spare it, look on it as a needless thing, 
 regard it not, Egyj)t is before you, and there is 
 enough to supply and suffice you. 
 
 Sometimes it is referred to things with life, as 
 men and beasts, and notes thus much, that there 
 should be no sign of mercy in their eyes, not a look, 
 not a favourable aspect towards those they were to 
 execute ; their eyes must be terrible, and not spare 
 from vengeance, they must show no pity ; and the 
 word in Scripture is so rendered; Deut. xiii. 8, 
 " Thine eye shall not pity him, neither shalt thou 
 spare;" that which is "pity" here is "spare" in 
 my text, and that which is " spare" in my text, is 
 "pity" here. And Deut. vii. 16, "Thine eye shall 
 have no pity upon them :" the Hebrew is the same 
 word; thou shalt not spare upon them, spare to ex- 
 ecute vengeance upon them : so that they are used 
 promiscuously, and one interprets the other; an eye 
 not sparing, is to show no mercy, no pity. That in 
 1 Sam. xxiv. 10 clears it ; when some bade David 
 kill Saul when he cut off the skirt of his garment, 
 saith he, " But mine eye spared thee," that is, had 
 pity " on thee, and 1 killed thee not ; if mine eye had 
 not spared thee, I had killed thee without pity, 
 without mercy. Jer. xxi. 7, " He shall not spare 
 them, neither have pity, nor have mercy ;" the two 
 first words are in my text, and they are both inter- 
 preted by the last, not to spare. Not to pity is to 
 have no mercy, whatever motives be thereunto. 
 
 " Slay utterly old and young." In the Hebrew it
 
 Yer. 5—7- 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 221 
 
 is, the old man, the young man, the maiden, and lit- 
 tle child, all in the singular number, which is put 
 for the plural. 
 
 Quest. Here a great question is movable. How it 
 stands with the justice of God to give charge for the 
 destruction of little children which were innocent ? 
 
 .4)ixu\ The word r|i: for little children some take 
 to be meant of such as could play in the streets, and 
 were under twenty years. Gen. xlvii. 12, "Joseph 
 nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his 
 father's household, with bread, according to their 
 ,. families," titan 'sS according to the lit- 
 
 Adosparvuh. ^j^ ^^^g. ^j^^y ^^.^j.g j^^j sucking chil- 
 dren, but such as could run up and down, that 
 Joseph nourished : now if the little children be 
 taken for such, they might be guilty of great sins, 
 as the children that mocked the prophet, and so de- 
 serve deatli. 
 
 But take little children for such as have not com- 
 mitted actual sin, even babes newborn, in the womb, 
 of which sort many perished in the flood, and many 
 in Sodom, such God may cut olf without impeach- 
 ment of his justice. 
 
 1. He hath an absolute drminion over his crea- 
 tures ; he is tlie potter, and we are the clay ; if he 
 make the vessel, he may break the vessel ; shall he 
 not do with his own as he please ? He gives life to 
 babes, and he may take it from them when and how 
 he pleases. 
 
 2. They were defiled with original sin, and de- 
 served death. " The wages of sin," be it original 
 or actual, " is deatli," and it matters not whether a 
 natural or a violent death : therefore he forbade 
 Jeremiah to take a wife, to have sons and daughters 
 in Jerusalem; and as for those sons and daughters 
 which should be born there, they and their fathers 
 and mothers should be consumed by the sword, and 
 by famine, Jer. xvi. 2 — i. 
 
 3. They are parts of their parents, part of their 
 family, part of tlieir substance, and God may punish 
 the sinning parent in his child, as well as in his 
 stock. 
 
 4. Had Ihey lived, it is likely they would have 
 trod in their fathers' steps, and sinned those great 
 sins they did, like them in Jer. vii. 18, "Children 
 gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and 
 the women knead their dough." Neither doth God 
 punish upon prevision of future sin, but takes them 
 away from present and future pollution. 
 
 5. God might, notwithstanding this outward tem- 
 poral judgment, have mercy on their souls. Ques- 
 tionless many children die more terrible deaths than 
 by the sword, and yet perish not eternally. 
 
 " Come not near any man upon whom is the mark." 
 Quent. If this mark were not a visible mark, how 
 should they know them, and spare them ? 
 
 Antnr. The Lord knew who were his, though men 
 knew them not ; and it is probable such is the rage 
 of the wicked against the godly, that if they had a 
 little distinguishing character from others, they 
 would the rather have fallen upon them, and cut 
 them off; but the Lord ordered the judgment so, 
 and their spirits so, that they came not near them. 
 The mark was inward in the foreheads of their con- 
 sciences, and Providence watched and wrought for 
 them without. God might dart a fear into them, 
 disable them from doing the marked ones any hurt, 
 divert them to other families and persons : and this 
 manner of speech is more than if he had said. Do 
 not kill them ; they might do mucli hurt to them, 
 yet not kill them ; but when he saith. Come not 
 near them, God doth make a fence about them, and 
 compasseth them with this command and his favour 
 in it, as with a shield against all evil and wrong. 
 
 This deliverance of the marked ones from the 
 slaughter men, is a type of God's preserving his 
 people in all great and general calamities, and espe- 
 cially of freeing his elect ones from hell and the furies 
 thereof. The Chaldeans must not come near the 
 marked ones to destroy them, and devils must not 
 come near those Christ hath sprinkled with his 
 blood, to ruin and destroy them ; tliey are freed from 
 the power of Satan and eternal death. 
 
 " Begin at my sanctuary." This was the holv 
 place, the habitation of God, where his worship was, 
 where he gave out gracious answers unto them, yet 
 here they must begin. 
 
 Why here ? 
 
 1. 'rhey trusted in the holiness of tills place : Jer. 
 vii. 4, 1(3, when they had sinned grievously, they 
 thought that if they came and worshipped tliere, all 
 was well, they were delivered, and cried out, " The 
 temple of tlie Lord." God would begin with their 
 confidence. 
 
 2. They had greatly polluted that holy place : 
 there was the idol of jealousy ; there was the form of 
 every creeping thing and abominable beast portray- 
 ed upon the walls ; there were men oU'ering incense 
 to those idols ; there was the filthy idol Tamniuz, 
 and women weeping for it; there were men with 
 their backs towards God, the ark, and worshipping 
 the sun eastward ; there they put the branch to their 
 nose. Great abominations were gotten into the tem- 
 ple, they must therefore begin there. 
 
 3. The sins of the priests and prophets who be- 
 longed to the temple were exceeding great. They 
 were messengers of God to the people, and mouths 
 of the people to God, and above others should have 
 been clean, holy, gracious, fi-ee from the sins of the 
 times ; they should have been exemplary unto others ; 
 but if you observe the Scripture a little, you shall 
 find they were patterns of all impiety to the people : 
 they were ignorant, bhnd, dumb, drunken, Isa. xxviii. 
 7; Ivi. 10, 12; unclean, filthy, strengthening the 
 hands of the wicked, Jer. xxiii. 14; covetous and 
 cruel, Isa. Ivi. 11; Micah iii. 5 ; conceited of their 
 own abilities, Jer. viii. 8; flatterers, and dealt falsely 
 with the people, Jer. vi. 13, 14; xxvii. 15^ they per- 
 verted the word of the Lord, Jer. xxiii. 36; they re- 
 jected his word, Jer. viii. 9 ; they prophesied their 
 own dreams, Jer. xxiii. 2, 7, and put it upon God, 
 saying, " He saith," ver. 31 ; they ruled with rigour, 
 Ezek. xxxiv. 4; they reproached, slandered, and 
 complained of the true prophets, stirring up enemies 
 against them, and seeking their liberties and hves, 
 Jer. xxvi. 8, 9, 11 ; Amos vii. 10. This made Jere- 
 miah conclude. Lam. iv. 13, that Jerusalem was de- 
 stroyed chiefly " for the sins of her jirophets, and the 
 iniquities of her priests, that shed the blood of the 
 just in the midst of her." 
 
 Obs. 1. When God is upon executing judgment, he 
 first manifests, yea, vouchsafes mercy to his friends, 
 before he lets out wrath upon his enemies. " Go ye 
 after him :" one was sent to mark the mourners, be- 
 fore those with the slaughter weapons had commis- 
 sion to destroy the rest. His mercy acts before his 
 justice, he separates the righteous before he destroys 
 the wicked ; he makes up his jewels before the 
 day comes that burns like an oven, Mai. iii. 17; 
 iv. I ; he prepares an ark for Noah, before he 
 sends; a flood upon the world. God sends an angel 
 to fetch Lot out of Sodom, before he rains fire and 
 brimstone upon them ; and at the last great judg- 
 ment, the sheep shall have mercy before the goats 
 shall have judgment: "Come, ye blessed;" that joy- 
 ful sound shall be heard first, and after, " Depart, ye 
 cursed," Matt. xxv. 34, 41. Mercy is God's first- 
 born, and visits the saints ere judgments break out.
 
 222 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Ci 
 
 IX. 
 
 Obs. 2. When the godly are secured, then judg- 
 ment delays not. When the mourners are near 
 marking, then the six men follow him presently that 
 marks them, and they do their oiRcc. When Lot is 
 out of Sodom, th-e and brimstone come into Sodom ; 
 God could do nothing while he was there, Gen. 
 xix. 22, but when he was gone, he consumed them 
 with the vengeance of eternal fire. Judgments some- 
 times do linger, and what is the cause ? some servants 
 of God are not marked, secured, got into their 
 chambers of safety ; if they were, judgment would 
 quickly be upon the backs of the wicked. Isa. xxvi. 
 20, 21, "Come, my people, enter thou into thy 
 chambers, and shut thy doors about thee : hide thy- 
 self as it were for a little moment, until the indigna- 
 tion be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out 
 of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth 
 for their iniquity :" when once they were got into 
 safe places, then would indignation come upon the 
 wicked. When swallows and other birds tiy from 
 us, it is a sign of winter approaching ; and when 
 good men are removed out of pjlaces, are driven 
 into corners, it is a sign of judgment upon that 
 place. 
 
 Obs. 3. Sinners may so provoke God, that he will 
 neither show them mercy himself, nor let others do 
 it. No pity, no mercy should they have from God 
 or man. Go through tlie city, fi-om one street to 
 another, from gate to gate, and snute, smite every 
 one of them, slay utterly, do not wound or weaken, 
 but slay to perdition ; and though they fall upon 
 their knees, beg hard for their lives, promise you 
 great matters, yet spare them not, neither have pity, 
 be not alVected with ought they say, do, or sutler. 
 God hardened them lure against them ; but might 
 they not find some sparing and pitying from God, if 
 none with man? Ezek. v. II, "Mine eye shall not 
 spare, neither will I have any pity," and he ratifies 
 it with an oath there. 
 
 What were their sins which made the Lord deal 
 thus severely with them ? 
 
 (I.) Their defilement of the temple with such 
 abominations as they had done provoked desperately, 
 they despited God therein to his fiicc : tliere he 
 vouchsafed his presence, heard their prayers, ac- 
 cepted their sacrifices, bestowed choice mercies upon 
 them, and yet to defile that with their abominations, 
 this greatly provoked. 
 
 (2. ) Their abuse of the true and faithful projihets : 
 Jeremiah forbid to prophesy lest he die for it, Jer. 
 xi. 21. They laid hands on him, and said he should 
 die, Jer. xxvi. 8. And 2 Chron. xxxvi. 10, " They 
 mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, 
 and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the 
 Lord arose against his people." These sins mad;' it 
 rise a gi'cat height, even such a height, that all pity 
 and merey were laid aside. 
 
 (3.) Their great unfruitfulness under means and 
 mercies. They repi'oached and derided the word, 
 Jer. XX. 8, 9, and those that believed and obeyed it, 
 Isa. viii. 18. You know what pains God took with 
 his vineyard, he gatliered out the stones, planted it 
 with the choicest vine, built a tower in it, made a 
 wine-press, did all which could be done for it ; and 
 now he looked for grapes, and it brought forth wild 
 grapes : this kindled God's wrath, and banished 
 pity, mercy from his htart: I will take away the 
 hedge, break down the wall, lay it waste, it shall 
 have no digging, pruning, clouds, or rain, but it shall 
 be trodden down, and eaten up; by whom? by 
 Chaldeans ; those briers and thorns should scratch 
 and tear it in pieces. Man's unfruitfulness makes 
 God mcrt il ss : Luke xiii. 7, win n the Lord came 
 to the fig-tree planted in his vineyard, and found no 
 
 fruit on it, what saith he? "Cut it down: why 
 cumbcreth it the ground ?" 
 
 (4.) Pitilcssness to one another. Mieah iii. 2, 3, 
 the princes and rulers did pluck olf the skins and 
 flesh from the bones of the people ; they brake their 
 bones, and chopped them in pieces. In their skirts 
 was found the blood of the souls of poor innocents, 
 Jer. ii. 34 ; and Manasseh had filled Jerusalem with 
 innocent blood, which made the Lord to say, Jer. 
 XV. 5, " Who shall have pity upon thee, O Jeru- 
 salem ?" neither God nor man. 
 
 Obs. 4. Nothing will privilege sinners in the day 
 of God's wrath; when he gives out commission to 
 destroy, there will be a general destruction: old, 
 young, maids, children, and women, they must all 
 suft'er, all die. In their military oath this was one 
 branch, AV qui.i liedat fwmuia.s, pueros, i<enes,a>grotos, 
 That no one should injure women, youths, the aged 
 men, or the sick: even nature pleads strongly for 
 such who are fearful and feeble, and notable to help 
 themselves. Dent, xx. 14, when the Jews took a city, 
 they were to spare the women and the little ones ; 
 and" when they took ISIidian, they spared the maids 
 and the little' ones, Numb. xxxi. 9, 18. But here 
 neither oath nor nature should take place, neither 
 age, sex, or condition should advantage or secure 
 them ; not the hoary head of the aged, not the 
 beauty of the virgins, not the tears of the mothers, 
 nor the tenderness of the babes ; but all must die. 
 So I Sam. XV. 3, Samuel saith to Saul, " Go and 
 smite Amakk, and utterly destroy all th.at they have, 
 and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, 
 infant and suckhng, ox and" sheep, camel and ass." 
 Amalek sought the ruin of Israel, therefore God 
 would have him utterly ruined : when judgments are 
 general, sins are grievous. 
 
 Obs. 5. Open sins involve not only themselves, 
 but those who are dearest to them, into open de- 
 stnictiou. The ancients offered incense to idols, the 
 women wept for Tammuz, others worshipped the 
 sun ; and these brought famine and sword not only 
 upon themselves, but upon the young maids and 
 little children which were free from those sins ; the 
 parents' sins ruined the children, and wrajiped them 
 up in an open and public calamity. Korah, Dathan, 
 and Abiram rebel against Moses, and the earth 
 swallowed up them, their houses, and all that belong- 
 ed to them. Numb. xvi. 31, 32. The Sodomites' sins 
 caused themselves and their httle ones to be roasted 
 in fire and brimstone. So princes, their sins bring 
 down vengeance upon themselves, their posterity, 
 and subjects. All sorts should therefore take heed 
 of sinning against Divine Majesty, who is so dread- 
 ful in his judgments ; if they will not pity them- 
 selves, yet they should pity those who are theirs, 
 and dear to them. 
 
 Obs. 6. The lives and comforts of all God's mark- 
 ed ones are dear unto him. He gives order that tht y 
 should not only not take away their lives, but also 
 that they should not endanger their comforts : " Come 
 not near any man upon whom is the mark ;" do not 
 fright them with your stern looks, bitter words, 
 rough handling, keep your distance, they are very 
 dear to me, and I am very tender of them. The 
 marked ones are a people near to God, Psal. cxlviii. 
 14, and he will not suffer them to be wronged; Psal. 
 cv. 14, 15, " He sufiered no man to do them wrong ; 
 yea, he reproved kings for their sakes ; saying, 
 Touch not mine anointed." God's anointed ones 
 are his marked ones, and they must not be touched, 
 wdiich is as much as. Come not near them. God doth 
 not only keep the wicked from harming them, keep 
 off judgments and Mows from them, which is called 
 sparing them, Mai. iii. 17, but he makes them up as
 
 Yer. 5—7. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 223 
 
 his jewels : tliey lie scattered as common stones 
 hire and there, but God hath his days to make 
 tlicm up, to set them in ranks and orders, that they 
 may shine more gloriouslj-, and live more comfort- 
 ahly. Or thus, when a house is on fire, the owners 
 ■will be sure then to look after their jewels, and to 
 take and make them up, above all the rest : so God, 
 when judgments are upon cities, towns, kingdoms, 
 ■will have special care of his jewels and peculiar 
 treasure ; Luke xvii. 34, 35, " Two men shall be in 
 one bed ; the one shall be taken, and the other shall 
 be left." 
 
 Obs. 7- See the order of di\-ine judgment here. 
 Those who were ringleaders to others, and drew 
 them to sin by their place, authority, counsel, ex- 
 ample, they must first be slain ; " Begin at my sanc- 
 tuary :" there were the seventy ancients of the house 
 of Israel, mentioned chap. viii. 1 1 ; (here were the 
 priests, who had the charge of the holy things, and 
 should not have suflered such corruptions, pollutions, 
 to have come near the temple : hut both the princes 
 and priests were foremost in iniquity ; they should 
 have preserved the worship of God pure, kept the 
 people from idolatrous practices, into ■w'liich they 
 drew them, and made Isaiah say twice, that their 
 leaders caused them to err, Isa. iii. 12 ; ix. 16 : there 
 was enforcing \-irtue in theui, constraining the peo- 
 ple to err, and run upon their destruction ; and 
 therefore now, seeing they were first and deepest in 
 sinning, they should be first and depeest in punish- 
 ment. The slaughter men, representing the Chal- 
 deans, must begin there, while they were fresh, 
 strong; they must bathe their swords in the bowels 
 and blood of princes and priests. Many times it is 
 so, that those who are great are first in wickedness, 
 and are first smitten ; Numb. xxv. 4, " Take all the 
 heads of the people, and hang them up before the 
 Lord against the sun." They had been principal 
 actors in whoredom and idolatry, led others to those 
 sins, and their heads must off first. So Korah, Da- 
 th:;n and Abiram, Numb. xvi. they were prime 
 rebels, made seditions work amongst the people; and 
 went not they down first alive into the earth ? and 
 did not fire from heaven consume the two hundred 
 and fifty princes that oficred incense ? It is too well 
 known that men eminent in jdace are eminent in 
 sin, be they in the state or in the church ; and it is 
 just they should be eminent in punishment. 
 
 Our prelates, who were sanctuary men, and pre- 
 tended divine institution for their standing, declared 
 by their fruits that they were not from above, but 
 from beneath ; an earthly generation, that hath been 
 eminent in treasons, conspiracies, rebellions, sedi- 
 tious innovations, and con'uptions of religion, as ever 
 was ; but God hath found them out, poured con- 
 tempt upon them, plucked them up by the roots. 
 Strafford and Canterbury were heads of wickedness 
 in the church and state, and God hath lopped off 
 their heads. Great ones make great breaches for 
 others to perish in, and God begins with them to 
 stop those breaches, and prevent open ruin. The 
 devil carried Christ to the temple, and the pinnacle 
 of it, and tempted him from thence to cast himself 
 down, knowing that the sins of those who belong to 
 the temple are most conspicuous, and beneficial to 
 him and his kingdom. 
 
 OA.v. 8. It is not the holiness of any place can 
 mitigate or avert the wrath of God, when those who 
 belong to it have defiled the place with their abomi- 
 nations. The temple was the holiest place in the 
 world ; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 14, " All the chief of the 
 priests, and the people, transgressed very much ;" 
 ;ind what was their transgression ? " They polluted 
 the house of the Lord which he had hallowed ;" not 
 
 which men had hallowed, but " which lie had hal- 
 lowed in Jerusalem :" no where else had he hallowed 
 any place, yet that holy place they polluted, and the 
 Lord therefore bids the slanghler men begin (here, 
 and defile it. They had defiled it with sin, and now 
 God would have it defiled with the coming of heathc ns 
 into it, with blood, with dead corpses, &e. ; which 
 made Jeremiah to sigh and say, " The Lord hath 
 cast off his altar, he hath abhorred his sanctuary, he 
 hath given up into the hand of the enemy the ■walls 
 of her palaces ; they have made a noise in the house 
 of the Lord, as in the day of a solemn feast," Lam. 
 ii. 7- It was music to the enemy to slay them in 
 the temple itself, to dash out their brains against the 
 ark and altar; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 17, "They slew their 
 young men with the sword in the house of their 
 sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man 
 or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age." 
 As they regarded not sex or condition of men, so not 
 the place, though holy. Holy places were wont to 
 be refuges unto those that fled to Ihem, even hea- 
 thens would spare those who betook tlumselves to 
 the temples of their gods when they took the city ; 
 but in this destruction of Jerusalem, those who fled 
 to the temple found no favom' from God or man : 
 " Slay them utterly," said God, defile the temple 
 w'ith their blood ; and they did it, and filled the tem- 
 ple with such sacrifices as it never had. 
 
 Obs: 9. Divine justice oft smites sinners in the 
 place where they have sinned. They had defiled 
 the temple •with their abomination^, with idolatry, 
 false worship, hypocrisy, and vain confidence in it, 
 and there God commands them to be put to death. 
 God had manifested great love, bestowed gnat zntr- 
 eies, imparted much light to them, heard their pray- 
 ers, accepted their sacrifices in the temple, and now 
 seeing there they sinned against him, there he would 
 have them punished. When x\hab had murdered 
 Naboth, 1 Kings xxi. this message was sent unto 
 him, " In the place where dogs licked the blood of 
 Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine," ver. 
 19 : and it was made good, chap. xxii. 38 ; 2 Kings 
 ix. 26. 
 
 Obs. 10. G<;d's judgments are as extensive as sin- 
 ners' sins. They must slay not only sanctuary sin- 
 ners, but city sinners. They had sinned every where, 
 the land was full of violence, and now the laud, city, 
 sanctuary, 'tt'ere full of bloody men and bloody judg- 
 ments ; and as they had filled all with sin, so they 
 must fill all with slain ones. When sins are general, 
 judgments are answerable : Isa. viii. 8, speaking of 
 the king of Assyria, it is said, " He shall pass 
 through Judah ; he shall overflow and go over, he 
 shall reach even to the neck ; and the stretcling nut 
 of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land." This 
 is spoken of Sennacherib, who, like a flood over all 
 the land, came up to the neck, viz. Jerusalem ; but 
 Nebuchaflnezzar came not only up to the neck, to 
 Jerusalem, but into it, and overflowed the head, he 
 drowned all in blood : ■nhere there was no mark, 
 there was no mercy to be showed. 
 
 Oba. II. God, after long forbearing, is intent upon, 
 and speeely in his judgments. Observe the phrases 
 in these verses which show it ; " go ye tl rough the 
 city," " spare none," " slay utterly," " begin at my 
 sanctuary," " defile the house," " fill the courts with 
 the slain," " go ye forth." These expressions set 
 out the bent and intensivencss of God's Spirit in this 
 work ; he would have his executioners hasten about 
 it, and despatch all out of hand. 
 
 Obs. 12. God's instruments do readily obey his 
 commands, of ■what nature soever they be. Here 
 they are appointed to harsh and bloody services, to 
 destroy utterly all sorts and conditions of men,
 
 224 
 
 AX EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 ClIAK IX. 
 
 ^vomen, cliildren, without pity ; and tlicy went forth, 
 and slew in the city. God commanded, and they 
 presently obeyed ; not the holiness of the place, the 
 multitude of persons to be destroyed, or danger of 
 mistaking the marked ones, did retard them. 
 
 Ver. 8. And it came to pass, while they were 
 slaying them, and I was left, that I fell tqxm my 
 face, and cried, and said. Ah Lord God ! wilt 
 thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pour- 
 ing outofthyfoy upon Jerusalem:^ 
 
 This verse is the second general head of the chap- 
 ter, and contains tlie prophet's intercession for 
 Israel. When he saw what bloody doings were in 
 the temple and city by the slaughter angels, he is 
 affected therewith, lie cannot hold, but falls down, 
 and cries out, " Ah Lord God !" &c. 
 
 In the verse you may consider, 
 
 I. The occasion of the prophet's interceding, or 
 moving cause thereof, which is double ; 
 
 1. The people's slaughter. 
 
 2. His own solitariness, " I was left." 
 
 II. The circumstances or adjuncts thereof; which 
 are, 
 
 1. Falling upon his face. 
 
 2. Crying. 
 
 III. The intercession itself; where you have, 
 
 1. A pathetical invocation of God, "Ah Lord 
 God!" 
 
 2. An efficacious deprecation of judgment, '-AVilt 
 thou destroy all the residue ?" &:c. 
 
 For opening of the words, 
 
 1. "We must inquire how the prophet here saith, 
 " I was left." There were many sealed and spared, 
 which makes the difficulty. Some think the Scp- 
 tuagint passed by these words, and left them out, 
 lest they should seem contrary to what went before. 
 Theodoret adds /jovoc, I was left alone ; but the He- 
 
 •:n -im:7.-j'i *"''^'^^' ■**' ^ "''''' ■^'^'''' ^°^ understanding 
 of this phrase, you may take notice, 
 that it is usual in Scripture, when great destructions 
 are, to say few or none are left: Judg. iv. 16, "All 
 the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword ; 
 and there was not a man left ;" yet Sisera, if no 
 others, was fled. So, in I Kings xix. 14, Elijah 
 saith, they have " slain thy prophets with the sword ; 
 and I, even I only, am left," when there were seven 
 thousand that bowed not their knees to Baal. If 
 this satisfy not, 
 
 2. " I was left." That is, left with the sealed ones, 
 all were destroyed besides : or, 
 
 3. Of those in the temple, or belonging to it, " I 
 was left." Our prophet saw them all slain, and the 
 slaughter men w^ere gone out into the city, and there 
 they were destroying ; and as they had spared none 
 in the temple, so he might fear there would be few- 
 spared in the city, and so safely say, " I am left." 
 
 That they in the temple were not spared appears 
 thus ; they were not sealed, and all such were to 
 sutler. The destroyers' commission was, not to 
 come near the marked ones, but to slay without 
 pity all others ; and, besides, the man that marked 
 them was bid to go through the city and mark there, 
 not to come at the temple at all, there were none to 
 be marked, there they practised and justified abomi- 
 nations, they did not mourn for them. Those who had 
 to do with the holy things were most unholy, and suf- 
 fered in the temple ; yet it is not safe to think, or say, 
 that all the Levitical race were cut olf at this time, 
 and in this place ; for, Jer. lii. 24, " Seraiah the chief 
 priest, and 'Zcphaniah the second priest, and the three 
 kee] ers of the door," with others, were carried to 
 the king of Babylon, and put to death in Ribluh. 
 
 " I fell upon my face." Falling upon the face in 
 order to prayer, notes great sorrow and humiliation. 
 Numb. xiv. 5, when the people would make a cap- 
 tain, and return to Egypt, " Moses and Aaron feU 
 on their faces before ail the assembly ;" they were 
 deeply afl'ected with that evil. So Moses, when he 
 heard what Korah and those of his faction said, 
 " he fell upon his face," Numb. xvi. 4. And Joshua, 
 when Israel fell through Achan's .sin, he falls to 
 the earth upon his face, and prays, chap. vii. 6. 
 Sometimes they stood and prayed, 1 Kings vhi. 22; 
 sometimes sitting, Neh. i. 4; so Christ sitteth at the 
 right hand of God, and makes intercession for us ; 
 sometimes kneeling, Dan. vi. 10; sometimes pros- 
 trate upon their faces, as here ; and when it comes 
 to this posture, it argues great grief and sorrow, as 
 in Christ ; Matt. xxvi. 38, " My soul is exceeding 
 sorrowful;" and ver. 39, " He fell on his face, and 
 prayed." So Ezekiel, being filled with sorrow that 
 all sorts were now slaying, that no mercy must be 
 showed, he falls upon his face and cries out, 
 
 "Ah Lord God!" The Hebrew, nns is a token 
 of grief, and used in such cases ; as, they cried out 
 for grief, Jer. i. 6; iv. 10; and is sometimes ex- 
 pressed by alas, Josh. vii. 7 ; Judg. vi. 22 ; Joel i. 
 15 ; sometimes by w-oe, as Ezek. xxs. 2, " Woe 
 worth the day !" where it is nn for nns. 
 
 " Lord God," r:^rf 'iis. These be two chief names 
 of the Most High, the one noting his dominion, the 
 other his essence. The prophet had an eye to these, 
 seeing God about to destroy, as if he should have 
 said, Thou hast being of thyself, and hast given being 
 to these ; thou that art Sovereign over all, and canst 
 call back the destroyers, " Ah Lord God '" do it. 
 
 It is Jelwvih, not Jehovah ; and some observe 
 that it is used so when the servants of God were 
 most intense and alTected in prayer, as in Deut. iii. 
 24; ix. 26, and Gen. xv. 2, 8 ; in which places it is 
 Jehorih; and both Abraham and Moses were ex- 
 ceeding earnest with God. 
 
 " Wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel," &c. 
 This deprecation is very argumentative, and hath 
 many considerations to divert God from destroying 
 them. 
 
 The first lieth in the word " thou :" Wilt thou 
 who hast chosen Zion, and said it should be thy 
 " rest for ever," Psal. cxxxii. 13, 14; wilt thou, who 
 hast made a covenant with the people, and swearedst 
 by thy holiness to David, that his seed should en- 
 dure for ever as the sun and moon, Psal. Ixxxix. 
 35—37; wilt thou, who promisedst Abraham that 
 in his " seed all the nations of the earth should be 
 blessed," wilt thou now disannul thy promises, break 
 covenant, and show thyself forgetful of all, yea 
 unfaithful ? 
 
 2. In the word " destroy :" What ! will nothing 
 suffice but destruction ? Thou saidst, "If they break 
 my statutes, and keep not my commandments ; then 
 will I visit their transgression with the rod, and 
 their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my loving- 
 kindness will I not utterly take from them, nor suffer 
 my faithfulness to fail," Psal. Ixxxix. 31 — 33 : but if 
 thou destroy, and that without pity, mercy, where is 
 thy loving-kindness, where is thy faithfulness ? 
 
 '3. In the word " Israel," which was a moving 
 word, and put God in mind how dear they had been 
 unto him. Israel was his son, his " first-born," 
 Exod. iv. 22 ; his chosen one, Isa. xliv. I ; his 
 glory, Isa. xlvi. 13. Israel he had " brought out of 
 Egypt," and done great things for, Exod. xviii. 1, 8, 
 9. It is Israel who is so dear to thee, whom thou 
 hast done so much for ; and wilt thou destroy Israel ? 
 Israel here is put for Judah. by a synecdoche. 
 
 4. In the " residue of Israel." There are ten
 
 Vf.r. 8. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 225 
 
 tribes gone already into captivity, yea, a great 
 part of the other two tribes; are now in Babylon, and 
 wilt not thou have compassion on the little remnant 
 that is remaining ? 
 
 5. " All the residue." What ! shall all of them 
 be destroyed, and utterly ? man, woman, child, they 
 are all slain in the temple, most in the city i' didst 
 riot thou bid me bind up a few hairs in my skirts, 
 chap. V. 3; thereby typifying out that some should 
 be saved? didst not thou tell mc, chap. vi. S, " Yet 
 will I leave a remnant ?" and what now. Lord, mi:st 
 " all the residue" be cut oft", I be a lying prophet, 
 and thou false in thy word P O do it not, do it not. 
 
 6. " In pouring oiit of thy fury." It notes empty- 
 ing of himself, as clouds, vials, buckets, when all 
 that is in them is poured out, and the argument 
 runs thus ; Lord, must all thy ftiry be poured out at 
 once ? where are thy bowels, thy mercies ? thou 
 saycst thou reservest " wrath for thine enemies," 
 Nahum i. 2; wilt thou pour it all out upon thy 
 people, and reserve none for heathens, for thine ad- 
 versaries, for whom properly thy fury is ? Isa. lix. 
 18. O reserve thy wrath for them, and pour it not 
 out upon us ! 
 
 7. " Upon Jerusalem." This is the place thou 
 chosest, and where thou didst set thy name, 2 Kings 
 xxiii. 27. This city was " The perfection of beauty, 
 Thejoyof the whole earth," Lam. ii. 15; "The city of 
 God, the great King, and Lord of hosts," Psal. xlviii. 
 1, 2, 8 ; '• The holy city," Isa. lii. 1. It had the holy 
 temple, the holy ark, the holy sacrifices and ordi- 
 nances, the holy priests and prophets, the holy law ; 
 here only was God known, and his name great. 
 Lord, wilt thou pour out thy wrath upon Jerusalem ? 
 thou wilt then have no place left thee in the world to 
 be worshipped in : what will become of thy name, thy 
 glory, all thy holy things ? thou vrilt have no church, 
 no people, no praise in the earth : nay, the adversary 
 will mock and blaspheme ; and what will the marked 
 ones think and say, when Jerusalem is laid waste, the 
 pledge of their hope ? may they not say, We looked 
 for light, but behold darkness ; we expected a Messiah, 
 but our hopes are cut off; we have our lives for a 
 prey, and that is all. 
 
 Obs. 1. The godly do sympathize with the mise- 
 ries of others. The prophet here is affected greatly 
 vn\h the judgments of God upon this people. When 
 the prophets told them of God's judgments coming 
 upon them, they thought hardly of the prophets, they 
 could not hear them, 2 Chron. xxxvi. Hi; they con- 
 ceived the prophets hated them, and meant them 
 no good, but when the things they foretold came to 
 pass, they pitied them and mourned for them. Eze- 
 kiel, tlirough deep sense of their slaughtir, falls 
 down, and sheds tears as they shed blood : their bodies 
 were wounded, and his heart was wounded ; wounded 
 for their sins, wounded for God's WTath and heavy 
 judgments that were now upon them ; Jcr. ix. 1, " Oh 
 that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of 
 tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain 
 of the daughter of my people ! " Jeremiah so sym- 
 pathized with them, that he had a mind neither to 
 eat, drink, or sleep, but only to weep night and day ; 
 tears should be his meat, drink, and sleep. Such a 
 sympathizing man was Moses ; Deut. ix. 12, 13, when 
 the people had sinned in making them a calvish god, 
 and God's wrath was coming out to their destruc- 
 tion, what did Moses ? ver. 18, he " fell do«Ti before 
 the Lord forty days and forty nights, and did neither 
 eat bread, nor drink water, because the people had 
 sinned, and provoked God to anger." Here was a man 
 affected with their miseries ; (I was afraid, saith he, 
 of the anger and hot displeasure wherewith the Lord 
 was wroth against you to destroy you ;) fort)' days 
 
 did Moses mourn for them, and humble himself: and 
 this kind of mourning forty days in case of judgment, 
 some think, riscth from God's raining upon the world 
 forty days and forty nights. Answerable to which, 
 Moses, Elijah, and Christ, fasted, mourned, and pray- 
 ed; and so to Nineveh forty days were given them to 
 prevent their destruction. 
 
 This duty of sympathizing with others in their 
 misery was David's practice. Though they were 
 wicked, and rewarded him evil, yet if tbey were in 
 misery, Psal. xxxv. 13, he would share in it; when 
 they were sick, his clothing was sackcloth, lie hum- 
 bled his soul with fasting. Wicked men laugh and 
 are glad at the miseries of the godly, but the godly 
 sigh and mourn at, an'd for, the miserii'S of the wick- 
 ed ; they remember the apostolical command, Rom. 
 xii. 15, " Weep with them that weep," that will be 
 some ease to them to see others sensible of their 
 condition. This makes them like to Christ himself; 
 Heb. iv. 15, he is "touched with our infirmities." 
 Judgments are upon the kingdom; many of God's 
 dear servants, as well as others, suffer hard things. 
 
 (1.) Take notice of their grievances, burdens, 
 dangers. 
 
 (2.) Mind them. 
 
 (3.) Be tenderly affectioned towards them. And, 
 (4.) Help them what you can; and this is true 
 sympathy. 
 
 Obx. 2. The servants of God, that draw near him 
 in time of his judgments, are conscious to themselves 
 of their own weakness, sinftilness, and unworthincss. 
 Ezekiel falls down upon his face, as unworthy to look 
 upon the great and glorious God, his own .sins and 
 infirmities made him hide his fiice, and the great 
 wrath of God against his people made him tremble. 
 When Abraham parleyed with the Lord, being about 
 to destroy Sodom, he remembered that he was " dust 
 and ashes," Gen. xviii. 27. God is terrible in judg- 
 ment, and humility is the best posture an angry God 
 can find any in ; when we lie prostrate at his feet he 
 will not destroy us. 
 
 Obs. 3. Those viho are faithful messengers of God 
 will deprecate judgments when they are coming 
 upon the people : " Ah Lord C-iod ! wilt thou," Szc. 
 So did Moses, that was faithful in God's house, 
 Exod. xxxii. 11 — 13, 32, where he uses strong argu- 
 ments to press the Lord to forgive their sins, to 
 divert his wrath, and to spare their lives, or else to 
 blot him out of his book. Joshua and the elders of 
 Israel lie upon their faces, put dust upon their heads, 
 and pray earnestly to God not to deliver them into 
 the hands of the Amorites, and to remember his 
 great name. Josh. vii. 6, 7, 9. Samuel thought it a 
 sin for him not to pray for the people when they 
 were in danger of destruction; 1 Sam. xii. 19, 23, 
 " God forbid that I should sin in ceasing to pray for 
 you." He had done it, and would still do it, and, if 
 possible, turn away the displeasure of the Most 
 High. Jehoshaphat, when a great army was coming 
 upon them, and ready to overnm all, he makes an 
 effectual prayer, produccth strong arguments, which 
 you may read, 2 Chron. xx. G — 12, from God's power 
 in heaven and earth ; from the experience they had 
 of him in driving out enemies, and giving them the 
 land ; from the sanctuary built for honour of his 
 name, and his promise to hiar prayer there; from 
 the spring of the enemies when they came out of 
 Egypt, and their intentions now to cast them out of 
 God's possession ; and then concludes with a con- 
 quering argument of faith: " O our God, wilt thou 
 not judge them ? for we have not might against this 
 great company that cometh against us ; neither know 
 we what to do ; but our eyes are upon thee." He 
 first overcame God by his mighty prayer, and then
 
 '226 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. IX. 
 
 overcame the enemies. Jeremiah seeing a great fa- 
 mine upon the people, he sets upon God, chap. xiv. 
 7 — 9, " O Lord, though our iniquities testify against 
 us, do thou it for thy name's sake. O the liope of 
 Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why 
 sliouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a 
 wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night ? 
 "Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a 
 mighty man that cannot save ? yet thou, O Lord, art 
 in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name ; 
 leave us not:" do not according to our sins, but thy 
 name ; thou art the hope of Israel, and it hath been 
 thy office, work, to save Israel ; why shouldst thou 
 be a stranger, as if thou hadst nothing to do, no right 
 in us P 
 
 Obs. 4. God's judgments puzzle even prophets, 
 they see not into the equity and depths of them. 
 Now that all were slain in the temple, the city, and 
 all in it ruining, tlic prophet is astonished, and knows 
 not what to make of it : that wrath should be so ftiUy 
 poured upon Jerusalem, that God would leave him- 
 self no people, no place to be worshipped in, frustrate 
 the hopes of his people touching the promised Seed, 
 and make void all promises thereabout, and give up 
 the holy land to j>rofane, uncircumcised wretches ; 
 this puzzled him. 
 
 There is something ever in God's judgments which 
 we cannot reach, and then, because they proceed 
 cross to our wills, expectations, and desires, we are 
 ready to think hardly of them, and boil in our spirits 
 against Hfavcn ; but we must remember God's ways 
 are not ours ; he is ever righteous in his judgments, 
 thousrh we see not the reason thereof. Psal. xxxvi. 
 fi, " Thy judgments arc a great deep." Some refer 
 it to providence, thus. Men's sins are a deep sea of 
 wickedness, yet God's providence is a greater deep, 
 which orders them, sinners, and all things. Others 
 take it literally ; God's judgments in punishing sins 
 is such a depth, that no human understanding can 
 soimd. Our prophet could not do it, neither the 
 apostles, and therefore cries out. How unsearchable 
 are his judgments ! 
 
 When states, churches, orpersons suffer hard things, 
 let us not think them wronged ; they sutfer not more 
 than they deserve, no, nor so much ; Ezra ix. 13, 
 "Thou hast punished us less than our iniquities." 
 
 Ver. 9, 10. Tlien snid he unto me, Tlie iaiqulhi 
 of the hovse of Israel and ./iidnh is e.rreeding 
 great, and the land is full of blood, and the citi/ 
 full of perverseness : for they sai/. The Lord hath 
 forsaken the earth, a7id the Lord seeth not. And 
 as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither 
 will I have pity, but I will recompense their way 
 upon their head. 
 
 The prophet having pressed the Lord with many 
 strong arguments to spare Jerusalem, in these verses 
 he hath an answer from God, and the reasons thereof. 
 
 The answer is negative, ver. 10, " Mine eye shall 
 not spare, neither," Sec. 
 
 Tlic reasons of this answer are in the ninth verse, 
 which are strong and weight}-. 
 
 I. A general reason ; " The iniquitv of the house 
 of Israel," &c. 
 
 II. Particular ones, which are three. 
 
 1. " The land is full of blood." 
 
 2. " The city is full of perverseness." 
 
 3. Atheism, a ground of all the former reasons ; 
 " For they say. The Lord hath forsaken the earth." 
 
 " The iniquity of the house of Israel." By "house 
 of Israel," some understand those that had betaken 
 themselves fi-om the ten tribes to those of Judah, 
 
 ■whereof was spoken, chap. iv. 4 ; but I conceive we 
 may interpret it of the ten tribes, whose sins contri- 
 buted much to the final destruction of all. Though 
 they were gone into captivity, yet their sins stayed 
 behind them, and had defiled the whole land. 
 
 " Is exceeding great." The Hebrews, when they 
 would make a thing superlative, express it by gemi- 
 nation of the word, and so it is here, their iniquity 
 is gTcat I and the Vulgate hath it, nimis valde, it is 
 come to the height, and scarcely admits of more de- 
 grees. A like phrase you have in Gen. xxvi. 13, he 
 " grew until he became very great." So Matt. ii. 
 10, and 2 Cor. iv. 17, there is duplication of the word 
 to set out the greatness of the thing. 
 
 " The land is full of blood." Hebrew is, bloods, 
 bloody sins. Isa. i. 15, their " hands are full of 
 blood ;" and Manasseh fiUed Jerusalem with blood, 
 2 Kings xxi. 16. And not only kings did tt, but the 
 prophets and priests shed the blood of the just in the 
 miilst of Jerusalem ; their preaching, prophesying, 
 counsels, and discourses, tended that way, and there- 
 fore they are said to shed their blood : so Athaliah 
 slew all the royal seed, 2 Kings xi. I ; Naboth is 
 stoned to death for his vineyard, 1 Kings xxi. 13 ; 
 and Hos. iv. 2, " Blood toucheth blood." There 
 were continual and daily slaughters, so that blood 
 streamed every where. 
 
 Blood notes also heinous sins, as oppression, cru- 
 elty ; Hab. ii. 12, " Woe to him that buildeth a \owa 
 with blood ;" that is, by oppressing the hireling and 
 labourer, by grinding the faces of the poor. In 
 Zeph. iii. 1, Jerusalem is called " the oppressing 
 cit)'," her princes were "roaring lions," and her 
 judges " evening wolves," ver. 3 : see Micah iii. 2. 
 3 ; ii. 2. They did not " strengthen the hand of 
 the poor and needy," Ezek. xvi. 49. 
 
 Bloody intentions against the prophets, and others 
 who Wire godly ; Ezek. xxii. 6, " Behold, the princrs 
 of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to 
 shed blood." They hated the prophet Jeremiah, 
 smote him, " put him in the stocks," Jer. xx. 2 ; 
 " into the dungeon," chap, xxxvii. 16; they judged 
 him worthy of death, chap. xxvi. 11. 
 
 Soul-murder; Ezek. xxxiii. 8, " If thou do.st not 
 speak to warn the wicked from his way, he sliall die 
 in his iniquity ; but his blood will I require at thine 
 hand." Here the destruction of souls is expressed 
 by blood, as also in Ezek. iii. 18; and Hos. iv. 6, 
 " My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." 
 
 " The city full of perverseness." The Hebrew 
 word for perverseness is nan and may be rendered, 
 perverse, a perverse thing, the city is full of that 
 which is perverse ; it comes from nM3 which signifi- 
 eth, to decline, withdraw, pervert. Tlie Vulgate reads 
 it, aversione, the city is full of turning from God. 
 
 This city, that was once called tVie faithful city, 
 was now become a harlot. Jerusalem had left 
 God, his worship, his laws, his ordinances, and taken 
 in other gods, other laws, and other ways of wor- 
 ship. Not only Israel is branded for ,^^ ..^ 
 backsliding, Jer. iii. 6, 8, 11, but Judah •■ Why Ba'idest 
 was treacherous, ver. 7, 11, and her '„';?,ci,to";Unge 
 backsliilings many, Jer. xiv. 7 ; and "'y ^■'->' '" 
 being once fallen from God, she loved to wander, 
 ver. 10, after the gods and ways of other nations. 
 They grew worse and worse, and were perverse in 
 tlu'ir judgment of things ; Isa. v. 20, they called 
 light darkness, and darkness light ; they were per- 
 verse in their practice, walked "after their own 
 thoughts," Isa. Ixv. 2 ; they chose " their own ways, 
 and their soul delighted in their abominations," Lsa. 
 Ixvi. 3. Here was p /rverseness, to leave what God 
 had chosen for them, which was their glory, and to 
 choose that which was abominable, and delight in
 
 Ver. y, 10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 227 
 
 it. And wlu'n God corrected tlicm for such pcr- 
 vcrsem-ss, they grew more perverse : Lsa. i. 5, " Why 
 sliould ye be stricken any more ? ye will revolt more 
 and more." 
 
 There is another exposition of the word. It is 
 referred by some to law cases, and when saints were 
 brought before them, they perverted judgment ; 
 Micah iii. 9, the heads of Jacob, and princes of Is- 
 rael, abhorred judgment, and perverted all equity. 
 So, in Amos v. 12, " They afflict the just, they take 
 a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate :" 
 their cause could not be heard, or, if heard, it was to 
 their grief and prejudice. Mai. iii. 5, They " turn 
 aside tlie stranger from his ri^ht, and fear not me, 
 saith the Lord of hosts :" no, tiiey were turned from 
 God, and turned away all equity. 
 
 " The Lord hath forsaken the earth." This phrase 
 you find not elsewhere than in our prophet, and only 
 twice, chap. viii. 12, and here. . It sets out the rank 
 atheisticalness of those times, denying God's pre- 
 sence, counsel, blessing, and assistance ; they thought 
 God was gone out of the world, that there was no 
 God in Israel, that God left men to think, speak, and 
 do what they listed. 
 
 " The Lord seeth not." This is a higher degree 
 of impiety, blasting divine oninisciency ; before, his 
 onmijiresence suliered, now, his omni-vision : he is 
 a blind God, say they, or sees not at such a distance ; 
 he is shut up in heaven, and takes no notice of our 
 temple, city, or country afl'airs. Such an expression 
 you have in I'sal. x. 11, " He will never see :" they 
 did wickedly, and boasted that God neither did, nor 
 would, take any notice of it. In Psal. xciv. 7, they 
 proceed higher in their profaneness : " The Lord 
 shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard 
 it;" as if they had power to restrain God, and shut 
 the eye of providence ; lsa. xxix. 15, " Who seeth us ? 
 and who knoweth us ? " Men entertain atheistical 
 thoughts of God, that they may go on more securely 
 and fully in sinful courses. They filled the temple 
 with idolatry, the city with perverseness, the land 
 with blood, and say, " The Lord seeth not." When 
 atheism hath got possession of a people, that people 
 runs riot into wickedness, fear of a Deity ceaseth, 
 and the door is open to all profaneness. Atheism 
 is worse than idolatry ; this robs God of his wor- 
 ship, that of his attributes and being. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord's readiness to give account of 
 his judiciary proceedings unto the prophet. "Then 
 said he unto me." Tlie prophet had questioned God 
 about the destruction of Jerusalem; " Wilt thou de- 
 stroy the residue," 8zc. : he brake in upon God, and 
 interrupted him in his way he was in ; but because 
 it was in prayer, out of respect to his glory, and ten- 
 derness to the people, the Lord doth not reject him, 
 but condescends and gives him an answer. And 
 this he doth, 
 
 (1.) To clear the equity ofliis proceedings, which 
 lie in the dark, and are not apprehended by all, no, 
 not by prophets. God will make it out that he 
 is righteous and just in liis judgments, w'hatever 
 thoughts men have of them. When Abraham moved 
 the question to God, Gen. xviii. 2.3, " W^ilt thou also 
 destroy the righteous with the wicked ? shall not the 
 Judge of all the earth do right? " What if there be 
 fifty, forty, thirty, twenty, ten righteous in it? Saith 
 God, If there be but ten righteous I will not 
 destroy it. It is true their crj' is great, and their sin 
 g ievous, yet I am so just in my judgments, that 
 while righteous Lot is in it I will not destroy it ; but 
 when he is gone, and none but iiltliy Sodomites left 
 in Sodom, I will rain down fire and brimstone upon 
 them. 
 
 (2.) To quiet the minds of his servants, which are 
 Q 2 
 
 troubled, yea perplexed, at the severity of God's 
 judgments. When our prophet saw all slain in tlie 
 temple, and the slaughter men gone forth, utterly to 
 slay, without pity, old and young, maids, Mttlc chil- 
 dren, axA women, he was greatly distressed and per- 
 plexed in his spirit, and knew "not what to think of 
 such dreadful dealings ; therefore the Lord tells him 
 the ground of his proceeding. 
 
 Obs. 2. Sins of people may be such as God will 
 not hear their prayers, or others for them. Many 
 amongst them prayed, and the prophet prayed fu"r 
 them, but God had no ear fb hear them. 
 
 (1.) For their own prayers: Jcr. xi. 11, "I will 
 bring evil upon them wliieh they shall not be able to 
 escape ;" but they will cry to God when they are in 
 affliction, and he is merciful. What follows then ? 
 " Though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken 
 unto them." But what if they cry aloud, will not 
 God hearken then? Ezek. viii. 18, "Though they 
 cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not 
 hear t'nem." But what if they fast and pray, will not 
 the Lord hear them then ? Jer. xiv. 12, " AVhen they 
 fast, I will not hear their cry." But what if they 
 spread their hands to heaven, and make many 
 prayers ? "lsa. i. 15, When ye spread forth your hands, 
 I will hide mine eyes from you : yea, when ye make 
 many prayers, I will not hear." But what if they 
 weep before God ? Deut. i. 45, " Ye returned and 
 wept before the Lord ; but the Lord would not 
 hearken to your voice, nor give ear imto you." 
 
 (2.) For others': Ezek. xiv. 14, "Though these 
 three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they 
 should deliver but their own souls." These were 
 holy and choice men; Gen. vi. 9, "Noah was a just 
 man and perfect in his generations, and walked with 
 God." Daniel was the wisest of men, Ezek. xxviii. 
 3 ; it was a proverb. As wise as Daniel ; and he was 
 innocent, Dan. vi. 22 : "a man greatly beloved," 
 Dan. ix. 23. Job was " a perfect and upright man, 
 and one that feared God, and eschewed evil," Job i. 
 1. There lay no exception against these men, th<-y 
 were acquainted with God and his ways, they were 
 great sullerers, and men of prayer. Noah had prevailed 
 for his family ; Daniel for the wise men of Babylon, 
 when they should have died for not discovering Ne- 
 buchadnezzar's dream; and Job for his three friends. 
 
 Try two more, Moses and Samuel. They were 
 heads of the people, holy men, full of bowels, mighty 
 in prayer, interceded with God for the people, and 
 prevailed: Exod. xxxii. 10, "Let me alone," saith 
 God, " that my wrath may wax hot against them, and 
 that I may ccmsume them, and I will make of thee 
 a great nation." But Moses would not let God 
 alone; ver. 11 — 13, he presseth him with strong 
 arguments, and told God, if he would not forgive 
 their sins, he should blot him out of his book, ver. 
 32. So Samuel, 1 Sa:u. vii. 9, when the Philistines 
 came up against Israel, prays, and fetches thunder 
 from heaven, and ruins a wholt- army of the enemies ; 
 and chap. xii. 17, l^i he prayed, and thunder and 
 rain came in harvest, so that they were in danger of 
 death, and sued to him to pray for them. Now, Jer. 
 XV. 1, notwithstanding these two were such powerful 
 praying men, yet saith God there, " Though Moses 
 and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not 
 be toward this people ;" all their prayers could do 
 no good. 
 
 What if Jeremiah, who lived in those times, and 
 was acquainted witli their condition, should pray for 
 them, he was a p-aying and weeping man, Jer. ix. 1 ; 
 yet see Jer. vii. 16; xi. 14; xiv. 11; and you shall 
 hear God in those three places forbidding him to 
 pray for them. 
 God will not hear,
 
 228 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. IX. 
 
 [1.] Because people are incurable : they reject 
 God; Jer. ii. 13, "They have forsaken me the 
 fountain of living waters;" and ver. 31, "We are 
 lords, we will come no more to thee." They reject 
 his word; Jer. viii. 9, "Ye reject the word of the 
 Lord, and what wisdom is in you :" and you may 
 hear them doing it, Jer. xliv. 16, " As for the word 
 that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the 
 Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will 
 certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our 
 own mouth." And 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16, their sins 
 were such, as that there was no remedy but de- 
 struction. 
 
 [2.] God's heart is gone from such a people : Jer. 
 XV. 1, "Though Mosis and Samuel stood before me, 
 yet my mind could not be toward this people ;" they 
 are turned from me, and I am turned from tlicm, and 
 it is not the prayers of men and angels can reconcile 
 us. I am against them : Ezek. v. 8, " Behold, 1, even 
 I, am against thee ;" I, that have heard so many 
 prayers, been so oft for thee, I, that have done so 
 great things, destroyed such mighty enemies of 
 thine, 1 am against thee. 
 
 [3.] If God should hear prayer for them and spare 
 them, it would encourage them to go on in their sin- 
 ful ways ; they would presume, grow more confident 
 and corrupt, if possible: Jer. vii. 9, 10, "Will ye 
 steal, nun'der, and commit adidterj', and swear falsely, 
 and bum incense unto Baal, and walk after other 
 gods, whom ye know not ; and come and stand be- 
 fore me in this house, which is called by my name, 
 and say, We are delivered to do all these abomina- 
 tions ? " When they were smitten they grew worse ; 
 much more would they if spared. 
 
 [4.] The condition of the church requires it, that 
 is in imminent danger of being ruined. When the 
 weeds overtop the com, briers and thonis are grown 
 great, thick, high above the vine, the Lord must cut 
 them down, else there will be no harvest, no vintage. 
 When all flesh had corrupted its ways, the flood 
 must come in, lest the corruption shoidd infect Noah. 
 
 [5.] To vindicate his name, providence, honour. 
 When God is silent in a wicked time, and spares 
 sinners, they think him like themselves ; Psal. 1. 21, 
 altogether such as they are ; but, Ezek. vi. 14, " I 
 will stretch out my hand upon them, and make the 
 land desolate, yea, more desolate than tlie wilderness 
 toward Diblatli, in all their habitations : and they 
 shall know tliat I am the Lord ;" now, my name is 
 not feared, my providence is denied, and my honour 
 is laid in the dust; but they shall know what a God 
 I am. So in Ezek. xxviii. 22, " Behold, I am against 
 thee, O Zidon ; and 1 will be glorified in the midst 
 of thee : and they shall know that I am tlie Lord, 
 when I shall have executed judgments in her." 
 
 Ob.f. 3. God's judgments, though great, yet do not 
 exceed men's sins. That temple, city, land, and those 
 in them, should be destroyed, was grievous, but their 
 iniquity was exceeding great. If there be national 
 judgments, there are national sins ; " The land is fuU 
 of blood, and the city full of perverseness." If 
 judgment was in every place, sin was in every place ; 
 if there were fulness of wratli, fulness of sin pre- 
 ceded. Job's sufl'erings were great, and just punish- 
 ments for his sins, as Zophar tliouglit, and therefore 
 prays, chap. xi. 5, 6, " Oil that God would speak, and 
 open his lips against thee ; and that he would show 
 thee tlie secrets of wisdom, that they are double to 
 that which is," iS:c. His meaning is this : Job, thou 
 justifiest thyself, thou sayest thy doctrine is pure, 
 and thyself clean in his eyes, and that thy sufl'erings 
 are greater than thy sins ; but thou art deceived. If 
 God would be pleascid to speak, and o])en the secrets 
 of wisdom which are shut up from thee, thou shouldst 
 
 see Grod just in his judgments, and merciful towards 
 thee ; for there is double to that which is, double 
 wrath, double punishment due to thee ; thou hast 
 but a little inflicted upon thee, and there is a double 
 portion yet behind due to thy sin ; therefore do not 
 complain of God, or justify thyself any more ; for 
 " know, tliat God exacteth of thee less than thine 
 iniquity deserveth." Though thou hast great aftlic- 
 tion, yet he may justly afflict thee witli more : thy 
 doctrine is not pure, thy person is not clean ; that 
 thou tliinkest is acceptable witli God, that provokes 
 him ; and where thou expectest favour, there wrath 
 is due. You shall find in sacred writ that God 
 punishes less than men's sins deserve, but never 
 above ; " according to their sins" is the usual phrase. 
 Psal. xxviii. 4, " Give them according to their deeds, 
 and aceordhig to the wickedness of their endeavours ; 
 give them after the work of their hands ; render to 
 them their desert :" all these phrases evidence, that 
 God in the punishment of sinners exceeds not the 
 merit of them ; if he come up to that, it is all. 
 
 The judgments now upon Germany, Ireland, 
 England, do not exceed the sins of the places ; the 
 iniquities of them are exceeding great. 
 
 Obs. 4. God's patience is exceeding great, he 
 bears long, till sins be excessive. Tlie iniquity of 
 the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great ; 
 God might have prevented the greatness of it, cut 
 them ofli' many years before, but he let their sins 
 grow great, to manifest the greatness of his patience. 
 He is oftentimes in the Scripture said to be long- 
 sufl'ering. When he was provoked much by Ins 
 people, and they deserved that his patience should 
 end, and WTatli begin, what saitli the text, 2 Kings 
 xiii. 23? he " would not destroy them, neither cast 
 them from his presence as yet ;" yet there was 
 more patience in God, yet it was long-sufl'ering. So 
 chap. viii. 19, Jehoram, king of Judali, walked in 
 the ways of Ahab, and " did evil in the sight of the 
 Lord; yet the Lord would not destroy Judah:" his 
 compassion would not sufl'er him to grow into passion ; 
 rather than destroy them for their sins, he would 
 yet bear the burden of their sins. So Jer. xxxiv. 
 4, "Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah, 
 king of Judah :" God's patience is not yet worn out, 
 it will lie very shortly ; oh yet hear the word of the 
 Lord, and ye shall not die by the sword .' God bears 
 long witli sinners, but he will not always forliear ; Psal. 
 xxxvii. 10, "Yet a little while, and the wicked shall 
 not be ; yea, tliou shalt diligently consider his place, 
 and it shall not be." 
 
 Obs. 5. That churches and states degenerating 
 from God's ways, go on to a height of sinning. "Their 
 iniquity is exceeding great, the land is full of blood, 
 the city full of perverseness." When they fell to 
 idolatry, they were idolatrous to purpose ; they mul- 
 tiplied God's altars, sinned more than the nations 
 round about them, Ezek. v. 7; they fetched in the 
 gods of all nations to tliem, they had the image of 
 jealousy, every form of creeping things and abomin- 
 able beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, 
 Ezek. viii. 5, 10; they wept for Tamniuz, and wor- 
 .shipped the sun : and when they began to shed 
 blood, they made progress in bloody passages, till 
 the whole land was filled with blood ; andwdien they 
 began to be perverse, the cit^i' was filled with per- 
 verseness of spirit, perverseness in opinions, pervert- 
 ing of judgment. It is not easy to make stay in the 
 ways of sin, it is going downhill ; wicked men, 
 wicked states and churches, grow worse and worse : 
 Ezek. xvi. 25, " Thou hast built thy high places at 
 every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to 
 be abhoiTed, and hast opened tliy feet to every one 
 that passed by, and multiplied tliy whoredoms."
 
 Ver. 10, 11. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 229 
 
 Jerusalem abounded in idolatry, and was insatiable 
 in wickedness, ver. 28, 29. 
 
 "When it is ill in the church, it is not well with the 
 state ; if there be corruptions in the one, there will 
 be confusion in the other. Idolatry, denial of provi- 
 dence and divine presence, was in the one j and 
 shedding of blood, and perverting of justice, was in 
 the other. When the first table is violated, the 
 second table will not be preserved. If men make 
 not conscience of sins against God, they will not 
 make conscience of sins against men ; if there be 
 atheism in the church, there wiU be tyranny in the 
 state ; if idolatry in the sanctuary, there wiU be per- 
 verting of equity in the city. 
 
 Ver. 10. And as for me also, mine eye shall 
 not spare, neither will I have pity, hut I will re- 
 compense their ivay upon their head. 
 
 In this verse is presented to us, 
 
 I. God's severity, He will not spare, he will not 
 pity. 
 
 II. The equity of his dealing, " I wUl recompense 
 their way upon their head." 
 
 These words have been spoken of chap. v. 1 1 ; vii. 
 4. God's not sparing, not pitying, intimates a con- 
 tran,- disposition, severitj', cruelty; Isa. xiii. 18, they 
 should have no pity, they should not spare, but dash 
 the young men to pieces, they should be cruel to all 
 sorts. When God handled Job so sharply, chap, 
 xvi. 13, what said he ? " His archers compass me 
 round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth 
 not spare ; he pourcth out my gall upon the ground :" 
 here was a contrary disposition to pity and sparing ; 
 and Job xxs. 21, he tells God that he is become 
 cruel to him. And God professes, Jer. sxx. 14, that 
 he had " wounded them with the wound of an enemy, 
 with the chastisement of a cruel one." 
 
 " Upon their heads," that is, upon themselves. 
 The head is put for the whole man : 2 Kings ii. 3, 
 " Knowest thou that the Lord wiU take away thy 
 master from thy head to day ?" that is, from thee. 
 Prov. X. 6, The blessing of the Lord is upon the 
 head of the just ; that is, upon the just. Psal. Ixw. 12, 
 " Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads ;" that 
 is, us. Head here may be mentioned, because they 
 devised mischief therewith. 
 
 Obs. 1. The sins of God's own people fetch the great- 
 est severity from him. "The iniquit)'of the house of 
 Israel and Judah is exceeding great ; and as for me, 
 mine eye shall not spare," &c. No people under hea- 
 ven were so dear to God as the Israelites ; hence 
 Israel is put for God's elect ones, both Jews and 
 gentiles, Rom. xi. 2G ; Gal. vi. 16; and a Jew for a 
 true worshipper of God, Rom. ii. 29. Yet when 
 these sinned, God became more severe against them 
 than others ; Ezek. v. 8, 9, " Behold, I, even 1, am 
 against thee, and wiU execute judgments in the midst 
 of thee. 1 will do in thee that which 1 have not done, 
 and whereunto I wiU not do any more the like." No 
 such dreadful judgments ever befell any city as Jeru- 
 salem, no such wrath poured out upon any as upon 
 the Jews. As they had more love and favour from 
 God than others whilst they were faithful to him, so 
 they had more wrath and fury from him when they 
 forsook him : Amos iii. 2, " You only have I known 
 of all the families of the earth : therefore I wiU pun- 
 ish you for all your iniquities ;" they only were the 
 family of his love, and they only were punished 
 above others. They were made as evident a pattern 
 of justice as ever they were of mercy, for God exe- 
 cuted judgment among them in anger, in fury, and 
 furious rebidtes, Ezek. v. 15: yea, he set his jealousy 
 against them, and dealt furiously with them ; he de- 
 
 livered them up to those that dealt hatefully with them, 
 Ezek. sxiii. 25, 29. There is one passage very observ- 
 able in 2 Kings xxiii. when Josiah had done great 
 things, caused the people to enter into a covenant 
 with God, destroyed idolatry and sodomy out of the 
 land, kept a solemn passover, such a one as had 
 not been from the judges' time, not in four hundred 
 years before, when he turned to the Lord with all his 
 soul and might, and none like him rose up afterwards ; 
 would you not look now that God should be propiti- 
 ous to his people, and to Jerusalem ? But hearken 
 what is said in ver. 2li, 27, "Notwithstanding the 
 Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great 
 wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against 
 Judah, because of aUthe provocations that Manasseh 
 had provoked him withal. And the Lord said, I will 
 remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have re- 
 moved Israel, and will cast oil' this city Jerusalem 
 which 1 have chosen." We have done something in 
 way of reformation; kept fasts, taken a solemn 
 covenant, &c ; but may not the Lord, for the blood 
 shed in queen Mary's days, and of later days, say, I 
 will remove England or London out of my sight. 
 
 Obs. 2. God deals equally with sinners ; he re- 
 compenseth their own ways upon their own heads, 
 he sets their sins in order before them, lays the bur- 
 den of them upon them, and causes tliem to eat the 
 fruit of their own works, and what can be more equal ? 
 Obad. 15, " As thou hast done, it shall be done unto 
 thee : thy reward shall return upon thine own head." 
 Edom had aftlicted and spoiled God's people, and 
 the like should befall Edom; Ezek. xxxv. 15, "As 
 thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of 
 Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto 
 thee : thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all 
 Idumea." 
 
 Ver. 11. And, behold, the man clothed with 
 linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported 
 the matter, saying, I haee done as thou hast com- 
 manded me. 
 
 These words are the fourth and last part of the 
 chapter, in which you have, 
 
 I. A reporter. 
 
 II. His report. 
 
 I. The reporter is Christ, who was sent to seal the 
 mourners, and is here described by two adjuncts : 
 
 1. He is clothed vrAh linen. 
 
 2. Hath an inkhorn by his side ; of which hath 
 been spoken in ver. 2. 
 
 11. 'The report is in these words, " I have done as 
 thou hast commanded." 
 
 " Reported the matter." Hebrew, returned the 
 word, or caused the word to return ; that is, gave in 
 an answer. 
 
 Quest. Wliy doth only Christ report what he had 
 done, and not the other six who had commission 
 also to slay those who were unmarked ? 
 
 Ansic. 1. To let us understand that the Lord is 
 more solicitous about the welfare of the godly than 
 the ruin of the wicked. He had a tender care of 
 his mourners and marked ones, he was desirous to 
 hear of their safety, and acceptance of his love, and 
 therefore Christ hastens to make report of what w as 
 done ; they are all sealed, and so secured. 
 
 2. To revive the drooping spirit of Ezekicl, 
 who was perplexed and greatly east down at tlie 
 bloody slaughter of his people. He was yet in the 
 temple, and the report was made in his presence, that 
 so he, hearing it was well with all the godly, mourning 
 party, might be comforted. Had the other six come 
 in and told how many thousands they had slain, this 
 would have added affliction to him that was afflicted.
 
 230 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. X. 
 
 Obs. 1. That Christ is a faithful and forward exe- 
 cutioner of God's will. God bade him go and seal those 
 who mourned in Jerusalem, and presently he did it, 
 comes and informs his Father of it, " I have done as 
 thou hast commanded me ;" Loth what was com- 
 manded, and as it was commanded: John xiv. 31, 
 " As the Father gave me commandment, even so I 
 do." He doth the wiU of his Father, and no other- 
 wise than he would have it done ; he minded what 
 was to be done, and the manner of doing it. Here 
 is a precious pattern of obedience for us. Doth 
 Christ do the will of his Father, not his own ; and 
 shall we do our wills, and not the Lord's ? It is ar- 
 gument then that we are neither of Christ, nor of 
 God, but of ourselves. Most men, when God com- 
 mands, they either neglect, or do it not speedily, or 
 not in that manner they ought to do. 
 
 Obs. 2. Those that faithfully and conscientiously 
 execute the commission given them of God, may 
 boldly give up their accounts to God. The man here 
 clothed with linen had done his duty, executed his 
 commission to the full, and he couhl with cheerful- 
 ness anil confidence come before tlie Lord, and say, 
 " I have done as thou hast commanded me." When 
 Christ was on eartli, and had many commands from 
 his Father, and great work to do, he did perform 
 what was imposed, and so exactly, that he could at 
 the end of the day, wlien his work was done, witli 
 confidence give up his account, give in his report, 
 and say, " I have glorified thee on the eartli : I have 
 finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And 
 now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self." 
 He did not his own will, but his Father's will, not 
 his owTi works, but his Father's works. If we do 
 the vriW and work of God, we shall be able to lift 
 up our heads, and comfortably to make report of what 
 we have done. 
 
 The unjust steward, when called to give account, 
 could not do it with comfort orconfidence. Those who 
 abide in the doctrine and work of Christ, shall have 
 confidence before Christ at his coming. You who 
 are in place, look to your charge ; can you say with 
 him in the gospel, Luke xiv. 22, " Lord, it is done 
 as thou hast commanded ?" 
 
 OA.y. 3. Christ delights in doing good to, and se- 
 curing of, those his Father affects. Mourners here 
 pleased God; he sends Christ to seal them and com- 
 fort them, and he quickly retiu'ns to satisfy the mind 
 of his Father, and to show what delightful work that 
 is unto him. Christ was as careful afterwards as now ; 
 John vi. 39, " This is the Father's will which hath 
 sent me, that of all which he hath given mc I should 
 lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the 
 last day," 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Vcr. 1 — 3. Tlien I looked, and, behold, in the 
 firmament that was above the head of the vheru- 
 biins there appeared over them as it were a sap- 
 pliire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a 
 throne. And he sjiake mito the man clothed nnth 
 linen, and said. Go in hetiveen the ivheels, even 
 under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals 
 of fire from between the chcrubims, and scatter 
 them over the city. And he went in in my sight. 
 Now the cherubims stood on the right side of the 
 house, when the man went in; and the cloud filled 
 the inner co7irt. 
 
 Our prophet had already seen man/ visions ; and 
 being by the Spirit in a vision, yet at Jerusalem, 
 chap. viii. 3, he hath in this tenth chapter a vision 
 much like that mentioned in the first chapter, yet 
 with some diiference, as will appear in the opening. 
 Their sins being great, as you heard, chap. viii. 
 and slaughter men being sent out utterly to destroy, 
 here likewise the Lord manifests his purpose to go 
 on in judgments ; he would leave them and burn 
 their city. 
 
 Three things chiefly are observable Sin this 
 chapter. 
 
 I. The scattering of burning coals over the city 
 Jerusalem, which some call the vision of coals, ver. 
 2, 3, G, 7. 
 
 II. The Lord's change of his place, ver. 4, 18, 19. 
 
 III. A description of the cherubims, in ver. 5, 8, 
 9, 10, &c. 
 
 The scattering of the coals is specified in ver. 2, 
 and prefigured the burning of Jerusalem ; and this is 
 set out to us, 
 
 1 . From the author commanding, who is the Lord 
 in the throne, ver. 1. 
 
 2. From the instrument acting, " the man clothed 
 with linen," ver. 2. 
 
 3. From the command itself: where we have, 
 (1.) The place whither he was to go, "in be- 
 tween," &c. 
 
 (2.) What to do: 
 
 [1.] " Fill his hand with coals of fire." 
 
 [2.] " Scatter them over the city." 
 
 4. The execution of the command, vcr. 2, 6, 7, 
 "he went;" and this is illustrated, 
 
 (1.) From the witness thereof, Ezekiel, "in my 
 sight." 
 
 (2.1 From the place where the cherubims stood, 
 " on the right side of the house," ver. 3. 
 
 (3.) From the event, "the cloud filled tl.e inner 
 court," ver. 3. 
 
 (4.) From the manner of conveying of the fire, 
 ver. 7, " A cherub put forth his hand, took fire, and 
 put into the hands of him clothed with linen." 
 
 In ver. 1, the majesty and greatness of him who 
 commands is set out, 
 
 1. By the firmament above. 
 
 2. By the cherubims underneath. 
 
 3. By a throne which was of sapphire. 
 
 In chap. i. 22, hath been spoken of the firma- 
 ment, yp-\ from yp-i to extend, expand; eupansiim, 
 because stretched out over the whole earth. The 
 Greek is uTipiufia, because of its strength and firm- 
 ness, not melted or changed by its motion. This 
 firmament, the footstool of the Lord, was over the 
 head of the cherubims. 
 
 " Cherubims." This word is not in the first vision, 
 chap. i. There they arc called the living creatures, 
 here cherubims ; which is evidence that they are 
 the same, and may strengthen the interpretation 
 given to be of the angels. 
 
 There is a cUfTerence between the words, chap. i. 
 22, where it is said, " the firmament upon the heads 
 of the living creature," and the words here, which are, 
 " the firmament that was above the head of the 
 cherubims." There it is, living creature and heads ; 
 here it is, cheiiibims and head ; which may mind us 
 of their oneness and consent in judgment and opera- 
 tions. If there be heads, it is but as one living cna- 
 ture acts from those heads ; if there be cherubims, 
 they have all but as one head. 
 
 Why are they called cherubims here, and not liv- 
 ing creatures, as before ? 
 
 I suppose the reason is this : 1. The former vision 
 was at Chebar, in the open field by a river's side; 
 this was in the temple, where the cherubims were,
 
 VlR. 
 
 -3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 •231 
 
 1 Kings viii. C, /> andso that notion suited with them 
 there. 
 
 2. In Bahylon, a profane land, the prophet sees 
 living creatures, he had a general and confused 
 apprehension of them ; but when he is in the temple, 
 he hath a more clear and distinct knowledge of them. 
 Hence you have this note, the Lord did more clearly 
 make known hin-.self and mysteries in the holy land 
 than in other places i Psal. Ixxvi. 1, " In Judali is 
 God known" more fully and familiarly than else- 
 wlure : a vision in Babylon is not so clear as a vision 
 inZion; Psal. xxix. 9, "In his temple doth every 
 one speak of his glory." 
 
 " A sapphire stone." Jerom derives it from iDW 
 pulcher, because these stones are fair and pleasant to 
 the eyes. The sapphire notes, 
 
 1. Liberty. Exod. xxiv. 10, God appeared to them 
 with a paved work of sapphire under his feet, when 
 the Israelites were going from bondage to liberty. 
 
 2. Purity. Therefore it is brought in a foundation 
 stone of the new Jerusalem, Rev. xxi. 19. 
 
 3. Of chastity. Cant. v. 14, Christ's belly is over- 
 laid witii sapphires, and his spouse must be chaste. 
 
 4. Glory, greatness. Among the Egyptians the 
 chief priests, being judges, wore a sapphire about 
 their necks. These, and some other particulars, were 
 spoken of in chap. i. 26. 
 
 "Throne." A throne is a seat of majesty, and 
 belonging to kings and great governors, Jonah iii. 6; 
 
 2 Kings xi. 19; Nch. iii. 7 i and therefore, 
 
 1. Are called kingly, Dan. v. 20; and put for 
 kingdom, Prov. xx. 28 ; for government, Heb. i. 8. 
 
 2. Glorious, Isa. xxii. 23 ; and hence are put for 
 angels, Col. i. 16; for heaven, Acts vii. 49 ; for great 
 dignity. Job xxxvi. 7- Here it notes a seat of judg- 
 ment, according to that in Psal. cxxii. 5, " Tliere are 
 set thrones of judgment." Here was a throne of 
 judgment set, and that of sapphire, holding out the 
 majesty, power, and greatness of him that sat in it, 
 who was in a readiness to give out sentence against 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 The firmament, cherubims, sapphire, throne, are 
 mentioned, but not he that sat in it. That one was 
 in it, is evident from the next verse, " He spake un- 
 to the man clothed," &c. that was he in the throne. 
 In the first vision, one like the appearance of the 
 Son of man was in the throne, and because no 
 such appearance is here, it is conceived to be 
 Jehovah. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord is King, and hath kingly power, 
 he hath a throne : and Isa. Ixvi. 1, " Heaven is my 
 throne;" and, he "sitteth King for ever," Psal. 
 xxix. 10. 
 
 He hath a double throne : 
 
 (1.) A throne of justice ; Psal. ix. 7, "He hath 
 prepared his throne for judgment :" and liis throne 
 is terrible ; Dan. vii. 9, 10, it is like a fiery flame, 
 and sends out a fier}' stream to scorch and consume 
 delinquents. The law is called a fiery law, Dcut. 
 xxxiii. 2, and the breath of him who sits in this 
 throne ; it is fire, and kindles upon those who appear 
 before it unquenchably. 
 
 (2.) A throne of mercy and grace, Heb. iv. 16. 
 No sinners die before this throne, they may come 
 boldly to it, and find, yea, obtain mercy and grace 
 to help in time of need. Jerusalem was at the throne 
 of justice, and coals of fire were giving out to burn 
 her to ashes. 
 
 Obs: 2. His throne is the chiefest of ihrcnes, it is 
 in the firmament ; Psal. xi. 4, " The Lord's throne 
 is in heaven," it is above all thrones ; he hath 
 angels, men, and devils under his command ; the 
 cherubims' heads were under the firmament whereon 
 his throne was, those immortal and glorious spirits. 
 
 He is "King of nations," Jer. x. 7; "of all the 
 earth," Psal. xlvii. 2; "A great King above all 
 gods," Psal. xcv. 3. They have their expanses over 
 their heads, of some rich stufi', which shows their 
 subjection to some other; but it is otherwise with 
 God, he is above the expanse ; " He is the blessed 
 and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of 
 lords," 1 Tim. vi. 15. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord, who hath so glorious a throne, 
 is much more glorious himself; his throne is sap- 
 phirine, very beautiful, like the colour of the heavens. 
 If an earthly throne be a throne of glory, as Hannah 
 styles it, 1 Sam. ii. 8, what is this visional throne ? a 
 more perfect pattern of the throne of his glory. 
 Surely if such thrones be glorious, he who is in 
 them exceeds in glory. The glory of heavenly things 
 is far beyond the glory of terrene things, and the 
 glory of God is infinitely beyond them both: he is 
 not only glorious, and that in holiness, Exod. xv. 
 II; in name, Deut. xxviii. 58; Isa. xxxiii. 21; in 
 majesty, P.sal. cxlv. 12; but he is glory itself: and 
 therefore. Acts vii. 2, is called " The God of glory ;" 
 Psal. xxiv. 7, "The Kin<' of glory;" Eph. i. 17, 
 " The Father of glory." He that creates, begets, dis- 
 poseth of glory, must needs be glory itself, and not 
 only glory, but " excellent glory," 2 Pet. i. 17. 
 
 Obs. 4. Note what stones God takes pleasure in; not 
 any stones, but in precious ones, such as sappliires 
 are; Exod. xxiv. 10, "Under his feet was a paved work 
 of a sapphire stone." He walks among sapphires, sits 
 in a sapphirine throne. Stones which 
 are beautiful, and of a heavenly colour, m^Jie'LTs'onei? 
 he afl'ects, of such he makes his throne. " Biisieii"8 
 
 ' , . , . . n J stones, Hll man- 
 
 Now the church in Scripture is eallea ner of preci.n.s 
 the throne of God, Jer. iii. 17; and Isa. trs7,;„«'',""' 
 liv. 11—13, speaking of the churches f^'^';^»„"«i',; ^ 
 of the gospel, which are the thrones of 
 God and Christ, he saith, " I will lay thy stones 
 with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sap- 
 phires. And I will make thy windows of agates, 
 and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of 
 pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught 
 of the Lord." 
 
 You see what stones God would have in his 
 temples, in his thrones ; not ordinary, common, high- 
 way stones. 1 Pet. ii. 5, " As lively stones, be ye 
 built up a spiritual house." Here is a house, a 
 spiritual one, to be made; and whereof? of lively 
 stones ; there must be not only life in them, but 
 liveliness, dead and dull stones are not so fit for that 
 service : stones they must be, that it may be a solid 
 building ; lively, that it may be a spiritual and use- 
 ful building ; and sapphirine, that it may be a pure 
 and glorious building. 
 
 Obs. 5. Holy and good men are not able to bear 
 divine excellences in their own nature, not capable 
 of immediateness to God. Here is a firmament, a 
 sapphire stone, a throne, and these but in appear- 
 ance ; and then a voice heard, none seen. Had the 
 Lord showed himself as he is, Ezekiel could not 
 have endured it, the glory and majesty of God would 
 have confounded him. If God should not regard 
 man's weakness, and muffle up his excellences some 
 way or other, we could have no communion or con- 
 verse with God. Moses himself is not able to be- 
 hold the glory of God. 
 
 Obs. 6. Angels and all creatures are in a readiness 
 to do the will of God when he is ujion judiciary 
 designs. The cherubims were under the firmament 
 near to the throne, and if the Lord did but speak 
 the word, presently they were ready to execute his 
 pleasure; Psal. ei'ii. 20, "They do his command- 
 ment, hearkening unto the voice of his word :" as 
 soon as the sound comes to them, they do it ; if he
 
 232 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. X. 
 
 bid them go and stir up Nebuchadnezzar and the 
 Babylonian soldiers to cOine, they do it. 
 
 Obs. 7. The Lord is not forward to the execution 
 of judgment. Here is the Lord sitting in judgment, 
 but yet they were not destroyed. The prophet hath 
 vision after vision ; eats a roll full of lamentations, 
 mourning, and woe ; sits seven days at Tel-abib, 
 then is carried into the plain, bound, dumb ; must 
 portray Jerusalem upon a tile, lay siege to it ; lie 
 upon his side three hundred and ninety days ; then 
 take a razor, shave his head, beard, burn, smite, 
 scatter, bind up a third part of the hair ; after, hath 
 a type of a chain ; then is led by the Spirit to see 
 Jerusalem's sins ; after this, sees the six slaughter- 
 like men sent out to destroy ; and here, the Lord is 
 sitting in his throne, and ginng out judgment still 
 against Jerusalem, and all this time nothing is done. 
 
 Ver. 2. And he spake unto the man clothed with 
 linen, and said, Go in between the wheels, even 
 under the cherub, and fill thine hand with coals 
 of fire from between the cheruhims, and scatter 
 them over the city. And he icent in in my sight. 
 
 In this verse you have, 
 
 I. The speaker, " He ;" that is, the Lord, Jeho- 
 vah, who was in the throne ; some make it Christ. 
 
 II. The party spoken to, "the man clothed with 
 linen ;" and who this was, you heard opened in 
 chap. ix. ver. 2, namely, Christ, who in regard of 
 his offices is the Servant of his Father; Isa. xlii. 1, 
 "Behold my servant, whom I uphold." He had 
 done service in marking the mourners, and now was 
 to do it another way. 
 
 III. The thing spoken or commanded. 
 
 " Go in between the wheels, even under the 
 cherub." The wheels have been largely opened in 
 the first chapter : the world and the motions of it 
 are set out thereby. There were four wheels, by 
 each cherub one, as appears by ver. 9. Some take 
 it thus : Conceive the form of a waggon in the midst, 
 on each side two wheels, the cheruhims riding in it, 
 or carrying of it, two in the former part, two in the 
 hinder, the ark in the midst of it, the foot-stool of 
 Divine Majesty, and before this the altar where the 
 fire was ; and you may apprehend how the man was 
 to go between the wheels, under the cherub, that is, 
 imder the cheruhims, and so to n aeh up his hand 
 to the altar, and take coals. This way it is easily 
 comprehended ; but if we come up close to the ex- 
 amination of the wheels, we shall find they were not 
 at such a distance as here is made ; but one in an- 
 other, ver. 10, a wheel seemed to be in the midst of a 
 wheel ; and how the man clothed with linen wmt 
 between them I cannot express ; but that he did 
 the text affirms, and notes Christ's interest in the 
 wheels and angels. 
 
 " Fill thine hand with coals of fire from between 
 the cheruhims." The fire was between the chcru- 
 ■riie altar WHS bims, and the cheruhims above, be- 
 b7o "Th"'"! '* tween the wheels, and the man must 
 bims, 1 Kines v.. come between both to fill his hand 
 ^°' with coals of fire. 
 
 There was fire you know in the temple on the 
 altar, and it never went out; Lev. vi. 13, " The fire 
 shall ever be burning upon the altar ; it shall never 
 go out." The Jews say of this fire, that it was the 
 angels' ladder to go up to heaven by ; Ezek. ix. 2, 
 the six men, six angels stood by tlie brazen altar ; 
 and Judg. xiii. 20, the angel who appeared to Ma- 
 noah and his wife, ascended in the flame of the altar. 
 Whether it was a laddrr for nngc Is may be ques- 
 tioned ; but certainly it was a ladder to carry up 
 their incense and sacrifices unto God, whereby God 
 
 was propitious unto them, and so was a reconciling 
 fire. But this fire here is mentioned in opposition 
 to such an effect, and was a destructive fire, like that 
 which went out from the Lord, and desti-oyed Nadab 
 and Abihu. It sets out God's wrath, which is fre- 
 quently in Scripture expressed by fire. 
 
 " Fill thy hand." He must not take a coal or 
 two, but his hand full : neither one hand, but both ; 
 for the word is in the dual number, and 
 notes the hollow of the hands, the I " 
 
 most capacious parts, those he must fill. 
 
 " And scatter them over the city." He must take 
 his hands ftdl of coals ; and what then ? not keep 
 them in his hands, but scatter them ; not upon a 
 house or two, one street or two, but over the whole 
 city. God's intention was to destroy the city by fire ; 
 and here it is represented to Ezekiel by coals, and 
 those scattered over the city ; the He- 
 brew is emphatical. 
 
 This part of the vision, with that in Ezek. ix. 4, 1 1, 
 where Christ is brought in marking the mourners, 
 and here scattering the coals of fire over Jerusalem, 
 seems to represent the double coming of Christ : 
 
 1. That coming of his in mercy, when he took our 
 nature upon him, and sought out that which was 
 lost, healed the broken-hearted, preached deliverance 
 to the captives, set them at liberty who were bruised, 
 and refreshed those who were weary and heavy laden. 
 
 2. His coming in judgment, which will be in 
 
 flames of fire, to take vengeance on them that know 
 
 not God ; then Christ will come w ith both his hands 
 
 full of fire, and scatter those coals all the world over, 
 
 and set it on fire, and sentence the re- „ „ . ... 
 
 ,.,.,„ 2 Pet. iji. 10, 12. 
 
 probate to eternal nre. 
 
 Obs. 1. God looks upon and after the things of the 
 world, the ways of men, whatever the thoughts of 
 men are concerning him. In chap. ix. 9, they said, 
 " The Lord hath forsaken the earth, the Lord seeth 
 not;" but here you may see he saw the wheels, all 
 the motions of things in the world, and especially at 
 Jerusalem, where they thought themselves secure ; 
 the Lord saw into their hearts, knew their thoughts, 
 and heard their atheistical speeches. 
 
 Obs. 2. Christ receives authority and commission 
 from the Father for what he doth. He in the throne 
 said to the man clothed, "Go." John v. 19, " The 
 Son can do nothing of himself;" and ver. 22, " The 
 Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son." 
 He hath the keys of hell and death in his hand, 
 Rev. i. 18, and they were put into his hand ; Matt, 
 xxviii. 18, " All power is given unto me in heaven 
 and earth." 
 
 Obs. 3. The cheruhims or angels have power over 
 the wheels ; they move not of themselves, they are 
 under the cherubims, under their command, at their 
 (hsposing. Angels have great interest in the aflairs 
 of the world ; there are scarce any natural motions, 
 but they have influence into them, winds, tempests, 
 thunders, earthquakes, plagues, famines : so for 
 other wheels, in kingdoms and churches, which 
 have voluntary motions, as wars, tumults, divisions, 
 changes, &c. these are not accidental, casual, but 
 have superior agents. 
 
 OA.v. 4. The Lord doth use the ministry of angels 
 in the execution of his judgments, especially his fiery 
 judgments. The fire was between the cherubims ; 
 God had given them charge of the fire, and they 
 were to kindle a fire in Jerusalem. You heard in 
 chap. ix. of the six angels that had their slaughter 
 weapons, and were sent out of God to destroy utterly 
 man, woman, maid, and child. They are ready to 
 execute his judgments ; they are flames of fire, Heb. 
 i. 7, and it is suitable to them to be employed in 
 fiery judgments.
 
 Ver. 1—3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 233 
 
 Obs. 5. The Lord Christ hath power over tlie an- 
 gels and all inferior creatures. The cherubims are 
 over the wheels, and Christ is over them and the 
 wheels too ; he goes in between the wheels, and 
 takes fire that is between the cherubims. Let ser- 
 vices of what nature soever be in the hands of the 
 creatures, men or angels, Christ can step in and do 
 what the Father hath appointed, overrule the mo- 
 tions of the highest and lowest wheels, of the noblest 
 or meanest creatures. 
 
 Obs. (j, Christ hath variety of dispensations, he is 
 a dispenser of judgment as well as mercy ; he dis- 
 penseth the favours of the Father, and the wrath of 
 the Father. In chap. ix. he marks the mourners, 
 and here he scatters coals of fire. He represents 
 several persons. Sometimes the same man hath sat 
 in parliament, hath been a warrior in tlie field, a 
 father in tlie family, and acted answerably. A stew- 
 ard provides for those in the family, and punisheth 
 those who are delinquents in it. So Christ is some- 
 times upon the throne, doing acts of mercy, some- 
 times acts of justice ; and sometimes he is off the 
 throne, and acts as a servant. 
 
 06y. 7. When the Lord is wroth with a people, 
 and intends judgments, he turns those creatures who 
 have been very comfortable and useful unto them, 
 into a terror unto them. Fire, what a necessary, 
 what a refreshing creature is it! and now fire must 
 be taken to fire their eitj', to burn down all that 
 through the help of fire was built. They had abused 
 fire to maintain their gluttony, for fulness of bread 
 was one of their sins ; they burned incense to idols, 
 and abused the altar fire, which had been the great- 
 est refreshing to their souls ; their sacrifices were by 
 fire, and were consumed by fire, they had acceptance 
 with God, atonement was made ; and now even this 
 fire kindled upon them. 
 
 Obs: 8. Terrible judgments are in the hand of 
 Christ, and come out from him. " Fill thy hand 
 with coals, and scatter them over the city." This 
 is spoken after the manner of men, not that Christ 
 took coals, but he hath that which is analogous un- 
 to coals, fiery virtue, creative power of any dread- 
 ful judgments. When Christ said to the man who 
 had not on the wedding garment. Friend, how, &c. ; 
 take him, bind him hand and foot, cast him into 
 utter darkness, this was dreadful. In chap. i. 27, 
 and viii. 2, Christ appeared like a man of fire ; and 
 Rev. i. 14, 15, Christ's eyes and feet were like unto 
 fire : in the two first places he was in a way of judg- 
 ment against Jerusalem ; in the last against the 
 churches, and had fiery judgments in his hand. 
 They are in his power to produce, to increase, to 
 order, and moderate ; he can make a judgment ter- 
 rible and fiery, continue it as long as he pleases. 
 He hath fire in his hand, and can scatter it when 
 and where he pleases : he scattered it upon Jeru- 
 salem here, upon it afterward, when Titus besieged 
 it. He scattered fire upon the Jews, which con- 
 sumes and wastes them to this day ; he scattered fu-e 
 upon the seven churches, which dissolved them : 
 and hath he not scattered coals of contention and 
 war among us, which burn and consume us daily, 
 and threaten the foundations of church and state ? 
 We may think it is this man and that man that 
 throws the coals, but it is Christ doth it : Luke xii. 
 49, " I am come to send fire on the earth ;" and Matt. 
 X. 34 — 36, " Think not that 1 am come to s nd peace 
 on earth : I came not to send peace, but a sword. For 
 I am come to set a man at vai-iance against his 
 father, and the daughter against her mother, and the 
 daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a 
 man's foes shall be they of his own household." 
 The coals are scattered, the fire is kindled, and who 
 
 can put it out ? It is Christ who hath power over 
 fire ; you must sue earnestly to him to quench the 
 violence of that fire which bums amongst us. 
 
 Obs. 9. None can destroy or fire a citj-, unless God 
 give command and commission for it. Go, take 
 coals, and scatter them upon the city. The Chal- 
 deans could never have burnt Jerusalem, if the Lord 
 had not bid them. Hence saith the jirophet, " Evil 
 came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jeru- 
 salem," Micah i. 12. It is an evil that Jerusalem 
 shall be burned ; but this evil was determined in 
 heaven, a commission for it came from thence, and 
 it is the Lord sends the fire to the gates thereof. 
 Till God give out the word, it cannot be done, how 
 sinful soever cities be. Jerusalem was full of pride, 
 gluttony, oppression, blood, atheism, idolatry, &c. ; 
 yet none could fire it, till God said. Scatter coals 
 upon the city : and when he saith so, nothing can 
 privilege a city from burning. Jerusalem was the 
 city he had chosen, 2 Kings xxiii. 27 ; there was 
 the temple, and all the chief worship, 1 Kings viii. ; 
 so famous was it for vision, that it was called " the 
 valley of vision," Isa. xxii. 1 ; " the city of solemni- 
 ties," Isa. xxxiii. 20 ; " the city of God," Psal. xh-i. 
 4 : and the inhabitants of this city were Abraham's 
 seed. Matt. iii. 9 ; God's firstborn, Exod. iv. 22. In 
 Rom. ix. 4, 5, you have eight privileges of theirs set 
 down together ; the adoption, the glory, the cove- 
 nant, the law, the service, the promises, the fathers, 
 and descent of Christ, were all theirs. Yet notwith- 
 standing the city was such, and inhabitants so privi- 
 leged, God would have Jerusalem burned; he de- 
 stroys the people, and their chief glory with them. 
 Let no cities stand upon their privileges after Jeru- 
 salem. Rome thinks she hath much to glory in ; 
 but. Rev. xviii. 8, " she shall be utterly burned with 
 fire ;" and kings who have served her, shall see and 
 bewail the smoke of her burning, ver. 9. The coals 
 may be now scattering in Italy, which may burn 
 Rome ; and it is sure, and so comfort to us, she 
 shall be burned. Let us repent, else we may perish, 
 Luke xiii. 3. 
 
 Obs. 10. Christ is obedient to the commands of his 
 Father, even in execution of severe judgments. 
 When the Lord bade him seal the mourners, he did 
 it ; and now he bade him take and scatter coals over 
 the city, he went about it ; he did not dispute, delay, 
 but immediately did what his Father commanded. 
 This should beget in us such a traetableness and 
 conformity to Christ, that whatever our heavenly 
 Father counsels or commands us, we should presently 
 hearken thereunto, and yield obedience. 
 
 Obs. 11. God makes known to his prophets what 
 he will do. All was said and done in Ezekiel's pre- 
 sence, he was privy to and witness of all. It is a 
 great honour to be near, to see and hear the trans- 
 actions of God and Christ. Such honour had our 
 prophet, other prophets ; and such honour have many 
 of the saints. 
 
 Ver. 3. Now the cherubims stood on the right 
 side of the house, when the man went in ; and the 
 cloud filled the inner court. 
 
 Before the accomplishment of what was command- 
 ed, some circumstantial things are promised, Christ 
 being to go in between the wheels, and to take coals. 
 
 I. " The cherubims stood." 
 
 II. A "cloud filled the inner court," 
 
 I. " The cherubims stood." When Christ, " the 
 man clothed with linen," came upon that great ser- 
 vice of his Father, the angels stood either to receive 
 commands from him, being supreme, and over them,
 
 234 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. X. 
 
 or to adore him, being come into the temple ; both 
 which are testimonies of divine majesty. 
 
 " On the right side of the house." "Which side 
 this was is doubtful ; some make it the north side, 
 and so to note the Babylonians coming from the 
 northern parts to burn and destroy all ; others make 
 it the south side ; but when they came in at the east- 
 ern gate or door, the south was on their left hand, 
 and north on their right. We have a place of Scrip- 
 ture which will help us in this strait, 1 Kings vii. 
 39, " He put five bases on the right side of the house, 
 and five on the left side of the house ; and he set 
 the sea on the right side of the house eastward, over 
 against the south." Hence it appears, that the north 
 part was the right side ; therefore they are out, that 
 make the north part the left side, and say the chcru- 
 bims stood not there, because that side was defiled 
 with idols. The whole house was polluted wher- 
 ever they stood, and on the right side they did stand ; 
 which might intimate the Lord of the temple was 
 there, and if any side were more honourable than 
 another, he ought to have it. 
 
 " The cloud filled the inner court." God hath 
 often appeared in a cloud ; he went before the Israel- 
 ites in a cloud, Exod. xiii. 21 ; he gave the law in a 
 cloud, Exod. xix. Ifi; Deut. iv. 12; Christ was trans- 
 figured in a cloud, Matt. xvii. ; and clouds have been 
 symbols of divine presence ; as Exod. xl. 34, " A 
 cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the 
 glory of (he Lord filled the tabernacle." By this 
 cloud God took possession of the tabernacle, mani- 
 fested his good pleasure towards them, in his inten- 
 tion to dwell among them ; so. Numb. ix. 15, and 
 I Kings viii. 10, 12, by a cloud God manifested his 
 gracious presence. That here was the presence of 
 Christ is not doubted, but whether the gracious pre- 
 sence was questioned. Christ came to take fire, and 
 scatter over the city ; and the cloud here is rather a 
 testimony of his displeasure and departure from the 
 temjile, than of his favour and purpose graciously to 
 be with them. The Scripture signifies God's angry 
 presence by a cloud or smoke, for they in Scripture 
 language are one ; Ezek. viii. II, "A thick cloud of 
 incense went up." Isa. vi. 4, when God manifested 
 his presence, " the house was filled with smoke ;" 
 but this presence of God was to send out Isaiah a 
 messenger of death unto them. Rev. xv. 8, " The 
 temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, 
 and from his power ; and no man was able to enter 
 into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven 
 angels were fulfilled :" there was wrath going out 
 from the temple. And now Christ appeared here, the 
 inward court, the priest's court, was filled with a 
 cloud, intimating divine majesty, the Lord's depar- 
 ture, and darkness following thereupon. 
 
 Obs. I. Heavenly creatures attend upon Christ. The 
 cherubims stood, and tendered their service, they 
 acknowledge and adore his majesty, and expect his 
 commands. No creatures 'are too great, too good, 
 or glorious, to wait upon Christ in any ministrations 
 of his ; Heb. i. G, angels, and all of them, wait upon 
 and worship him, and are sent forth at his pleasure 
 to minister to whom he pleases, ver. 4. 
 
 Obs. 2. The angels are desirous to know the things 
 of God and Christ in the church. They stood ; but 
 where ? in the house of God, in the temple. They 
 are knowing creatures, but they know not all things, 
 there be mysteries in the ways of Christ that they 
 " desire to look into," 1 Pet. i. 12 ; and Paul tells us 
 there is wisdom made known by the church to " prin- 
 cipalities and powers in heavenly places," Eph. iii. 10. 
 
 Ubs. 3. The Lord manifests his pleasure by signs 
 and actions, as well as by speech. They " stood on 
 the rifjht side of the house :" that side was north- 
 
 ward, toward Babylon, and this signified that thence 
 should come their destruction : they had seated the 
 image of jealousy there, which provoked God to 
 jealousy, and he stirred up the Babylonians to come 
 out of the north and lay them waste. 
 
 Obs. 4. Christ he is Lord of the temple. He went 
 in, and then the cherubims stood, then the court was 
 filled with a cloud, which notes a glorious majesty 
 and royal presence ; 2 Chron. v. 13, 14, " The house 
 w-as filled with a cloud ; so that the priests could not 
 stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the 
 glory of the Lord had filled the house of God." It 
 is Christ who hath all to do in the temple ; when he 
 in the days of his flesh came into it, he thrust out all 
 corrupters and corruptions ; he walks in the midst 
 of the seven golden candlesticks. 
 
 Obs. 5. When Christ is in the temple, doing the 
 will of his Father, any part of his office, then doth 
 his glory appear. Now he went into the temple about 
 judiciary service, and it was filled with a cloud, which 
 sets out the majesty and glory of Christ. When he 
 preached in the temple or synagogues, his glory ap- 
 peared ; " Never man spake like this man;" all his 
 ministrations were beautiful and glorious : John 1. 
 14, " We beheld his glory;" his glory appeared in all 
 his works. 
 
 06s. 6. Divine glory is usually hidden up in cloudy 
 darkness. When Christ came into the temple, here 
 was a glorious majesty, but a cloud presently filled 
 the court, covered up the glory. When God came 
 into the temple in Solomon's days, a cloud filled and 
 covered all : so Numb. xvi. 42, a cloud covered the 
 tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord appeared in 
 the cloud. 
 
 Ver. 4. Then the glory of the Lord went vp 
 from the cherub, (aid stood over the threshold of 
 the house ; and the house tcas/illed tcith the cloud, 
 and the court uas full of the brightness of the 
 Lord's glory. 
 
 This verse mentions the first removal of glory ; 
 where we have, 
 
 I. Whence the removal was, " from the cherub." 
 
 II. Whither it was, to the threshold, "it stood 
 over," &c. 
 
 III. The events thereupon; and they are, 
 
 1. The filling of the " house with a cloud." 
 
 2. The court " with glory." 
 
 3. " The sound of the cherubims' wings," which is 
 in the nest verse. 
 
 God had his temple at Jerusalem, in the most holy 
 place of it was the ark, and the cherubims covering 
 it ; between these God was said to dwell, or sit, be- 
 cause he gave out answers thence in difficult cases, 
 and there he would be worshipped. The Jews grew 
 proud of God's presence ; and because they did not 
 glorify him as God, but set up idols, and provoked 
 him many ways, therefore the Lord resolved to leaed 
 them, and ruin them ; and that is the scope of the 
 vision here. 
 
 " The glory of the Lord." This was Christ, say 
 expositors, who was in his glorious apparition, and 
 now in the temple, but going out of it. He had once 
 before done thus, gone off from the cherub to the 
 threshold, chap. ix. 3, but was returned again, and 
 here the second time doth it. He was now in a ju- 
 diciary way, and would leave the temple, if they did 
 not presently prevent it by repentance. 
 
 Christ standing thus upon the threshold, and being 
 upon terms of departure, behind him was the cloud 
 that filled the house, there was darkness ; but before 
 the Lord Christ was light and brightness, the court,
 
 Veb. 5—7. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 235 
 
 which he stood looking into, was full of brightness 
 of the Lord's glory : the glory was now gone out of 
 the sanctuary into the court. 
 
 Observations suitable to this verse see upon Ezek. 
 ix. 3, yet take here these following. 
 
 Ohs. 1. When God is about to visit his church 
 with some sharp judgments, he gives out some evi- 
 dent signs and tokens thereof. He was now bring- 
 ing in a sad judgment upon the Jews, and their 
 glory goes up from the cherub to the threshold, 
 which showed God was about some great change. 
 God testified by the ark which Noah made, that he 
 was about some great judgment, and alteration of 
 things in the state. 
 
 Obs. 2. That Christ, with the signs of his presence, 
 is the glory of the temple. Where Christ is, there is 
 glory. Hag. ii. 9, " The glory of this latter house 
 shall be greater than of the former." How was 
 that? When, as ver. 3, the glory of the latter temple 
 in comparison of the former was as nothing, Christ 
 should personally come into it, teach in it ; this was 
 more than all typical or visional glory, and external 
 beauty, the other had. Where Christ is, there is 
 glory, and where his ordinances are, there is glory. 
 
 Obs. 3. When Christ leaves the temple, nothing 
 but darkness remains. When he was upon the 
 threshold, there was a cloud behind him ; when he 
 goes out of the church, glory, light, truth go, but 
 night and darkness come in. Isa. vi. 4, that which 
 he calls here a " cloud," there he calls " smoke ;" 
 and when God leaves the church, then smoke, and 
 little else, is to be found in it; smoke of ignorance, 
 smoke of errors, smoke of divisions, smoky and false 
 worship, and quickly after, smoking judgments. The 
 churches of Asia, when Christ left walking among 
 them, darkness overspread them, and smoky judg- 
 ments consumed them. 
 
 Obs. 4. The way Christ goeth, is glory or glorious. 
 He goeth out of the temple, and now before his 
 face, as he stands upon the threshold in the court, is 
 brightness of glory ; his glory goeth with him, be- 
 fore him ; he leaves darkness beliind him, but hath 
 brightness before him. His departure from his 
 people is glorious, his ways and works of judgment 
 are glorious. 
 
 Ver. 5. And the sound of the cherubims' trings 
 was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of 
 the Almighty God when he speaketh. 
 
 Here is the third event upon the Lord's coming to 
 the threshold, and hastening to give judgment against 
 this citj'. The angels do rejoice at it, and applaud 
 the act of Christ, which the sound of their wings 
 imports. Of this verse was spoken, chap. i. 24. 
 
 This sound of their wings is described two ways : 
 
 I. From the extent; "It was heard even to the 
 outer court," which was a great distance. 
 
 II. From the resemblance of it to the Lord's voice, 
 " as the voice of the Almighty God when he speak- 
 eth ;" that is, like a mighty voice, even the voice of 
 thunder. 
 
 Obs. The angels do applaud the righteous judg- 
 ment of God and Christ against sinful cities, churches, 
 states, or persons. 
 
 Here Christ was leaving the temple, the city, this 
 people, and ready to scatter fii-e among them, and the 
 angels made a joyful sound at it ; the temple, the 
 inward and outward court, rang of it. Ti;eir voice 
 (wliich is meant by the sound of their wings) was a 
 mighty voice like thunder ; it is music to them that 
 God hath the glory of his judgments as well as of 
 his mercies, that obstinate sinners be destroyed as 
 well as mourners be marked. The angel was glad 
 
 when Babylon was fallen, and God's judgments exe- 
 cuted upon her; Rev. xviii. 2, "He cried mightily 
 with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is 
 fallen, is fallen." 
 
 Ver. 6, 7. Aiid it came to pass, that when he 
 had commanded the man clothed tvith linen, say- 
 ing, Take Jire from between the wheels, from 
 between the cherubims ; then he went in, and stood 
 beside the icheels. And one cherub stretched forth 
 his hand from between the cherubims tintu the fire 
 that was between the cherubims, and took thereof, 
 and put it into the hands of him that teas clothed 
 with linen ; who took it, and icent out. 
 
 In ver. 6 is a repetition of what was said in ver. 
 2. There God spake to the man clothed with linen, 
 here he " commanded the man," &c. ; there it is, "Go 
 in between the wheels, and fill thine hand with coals 
 of fire from between the cherubims," and here it is, 
 "Take fire from between the wheels, from between the 
 cherubims." Then the obedience of the man clothed 
 with linen is set down, " he went ;" so here, " he went 
 in ;" only there is this addition, " and stood beside 
 the wheels." 
 
 This repetition of the same matter argues not back- 
 wardness in Christ to do the commands of his Father, 
 but sets out the earnest intention of God to have this 
 fiery judgment accomplished; now he would not have 
 it delayed, but hastened. 
 
 " Stood beside the wheels." I find not any inter- 
 preter to touch at all upon this, Christ's standing be- 
 side the wheels, and yet surely there was sometliing 
 in it. The Lord had bid him go in between the 
 wheels, and take fire from between them, but Christ 
 stood beside them; he did not neglect or cross any 
 thing his Father commanded ; he was between the 
 wheels, when he stood beside them, or near them. 
 This might be, 
 
 1. To acquaint the cherubims with the command 
 the Father had given him. They were at some ihs- 
 tance from him who sat in the throne, and from the 
 man clothed in linen; it is said, " lie went." 
 
 2. To ti-y their spirits, how they affected this 
 judgment. 
 
 3. To consider tlie mutability and uncertainty of 
 all things. 
 
 Obs. 1. Christ, being in the form of man, is under 
 the command of his Father, "he commanded the 
 ma:i clothed with linen." Hence he calls him his 
 servant; Matt. xii. 18, "Behold my servant, whom I 
 have chosen :" he was the most able, diligent, and 
 faithfid servant that ever God or man had, therefore 
 the Lord saith of him, " My Beloved, in whom my 
 soul is well pleased." God was not only contented 
 with Christ, and what he did, but satisfied, well pleas- 
 ed ; he being under his commands, performed them 
 fully. John xii. 49, saith Christ of his Father, " He 
 gave me a commandment, what I should say ;" and 
 chap. xiv. 31, "As the Father gave me command- 
 ment, even so I do ;" and chap. xv. 10, " I have kept 
 my Father's commandments." If Christ, when he 
 appeared in the form of man, and when he was 
 man, was under the commands of God, let not us 
 think much to be under his commands. 
 
 Obs. 2. That judgments are in God's power, and 
 at his disposal ; he saith, "Go, take fire." It is the 
 Lord that creates the fire, keeps, and gives it out, 
 when, by whom, and where he pleaseth ; he had fire 
 in store, he bids the man clothed with linen take of 
 it, and scatter it over the city. No judgments but 
 arc at the Lord's command. Jer. xxv. 29, " I w ill 
 call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the eartli."
 
 236 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. X. 
 
 It is at Gdd's call, niid only his call doth it ; if he say 
 the word, there shall be wars in all kingdoms. He 
 brings diseases and plagues upon people when he 
 will, Deut. xxviii. 22; he sends enemies to tread 
 down his people like mire in the streets, Isa. x. 6 ; 
 he stirs up the scourge when it comes, ver. 26 ; he 
 throws down, Mai. i. 4 ; he pours out wrath like 
 water, Hos. v. 10; he kindles fire to burn the green 
 and dry tree, yea, such fire as none can quench, Ezek. 
 XX. 47. All judgments, lesser or greater, are at his 
 command, and therefore he takes it to himself; Isa. 
 xlv. 7, " I form the light, and create darkness ; I 
 make peace, and create evil. I the Lord do alltliese 
 things." Let us fear, and not provoke, this God, who 
 can command fire to burn cities at his pleasure. 
 
 Obs. 3. Christ proceeds in execution of his Father's 
 will considerately. He stood by the wheels, informs 
 the angels, tries their spirits, and observes the mo- 
 tions ol^ all things, and sees what equity there is to 
 take fire and throw upon the city. 
 
 Ver. 7. And 07ie cheruh stretched forth his hnnd 
 from between the chericbims unto the fire that n'ds 
 between the cherubims, and took thereof, and put 
 it into the hands (if him that was clothed with 
 linen : ivho took it, and icent out. 
 
 This verse presents to us the way how the fire was 
 conveyed to Christ. He being come to the side of 
 the wheels, one of the cherubims stretcheth out his 
 hand, takes fire, and puts it into the hand of Christ, 
 the man clothed with linen. 
 
 Angels have no hands, they are spirits without 
 human parts ; visionally they had hands, they ap- 
 peared so to the prophet. 
 
 The fire they took of we must a little inquire 
 into. If we will refer it to material fire, it was that 
 of the altar, of which I spake before, ver. 2 ; but we 
 may understand by fh'e that active virtue and power 
 which is in the angels ; they are glorious creatures, 
 likened to flames of fire, Heb. i. 7, and the taking 
 fire here, and putting it into the hands of Christ, is 
 their yielding up their strength, power, and activity 
 to further the design, and do the will of Christ, in 
 executing of the judgments intended. Fire hath 
 light, heat, and activity in it ; and the angels have 
 much knowledge, zeal, and active virtue in them, all 
 which they tender to Christ. 
 
 " Who took it, and went out." Here is no mention 
 made what the man clothed with linen did with this 
 fire, viz. their resignation of themselves, and their 
 active virtue, to be at his disposal. 
 
 Some think that Christ presently executed the 
 command of his Father, though it be not specified. 
 In ver. 2, he was bid to scatter the coals over the 
 city, and now it was needless to re-mention it. 
 
 Others are of judgment, to whom I consent, that 
 Christ did not ])resently set fire to Jerusalem, or 
 employ the angels to the destruction of it ; and tlie 
 reason given is this, and hath weight in it ; our 
 prophet was now in a vision at Jerusah'm, and as he 
 had had many things ofi'ered to his sight, so many 
 things were yet offering, and to be offered to his view ; 
 all which luid been disturbed and prevented, if there 
 had been present execution of tiie command ; he 
 could not have seen what follows here in the vision, 
 nor thiit in the next chapter. Further, I conceive 
 some time was allotted between the connnand and 
 execution for repentance. 
 
 Obs. 1. Angels watch, and take opportunities to 
 serve Christ. He comes unto them to take fire, and 
 presently one of them takes the fire and puts it in his 
 hand, being glad of such an opportunity to do him 
 
 service. Angels are vigilant creatures, and wait for 
 opportunities, and when they come they will not 
 lose them. Psal. ciii. 20, they hearken to the voice 
 of his word ; they neither slumber nor sleep, but 
 hearken constantly what the Lord will say, what 
 opportunity there will be for action ; so, in Ezek. i. 
 11, they are described with their wings stretched 
 upward, manifesting their watchfulness and readi- 
 ness for service. When Christ was born, a multi- 
 tude of them appeared and celebrated his nativity, 
 Luke ii. 13. When Christ was taken by Judas and 
 his train, Peter drew his sword in his Master's de- 
 fence ; but what saith Christ? " Put up thy sword," 
 it is not a time now to fight, but to suffer ; "thinkest 
 thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he 
 shall presently give me more than twelve legions of 
 angels ? " It is not a time now to pray for help, I must 
 die, and Scripture must be fulfilled; but if I w'ould, 
 my Father would bid the angels to aid me, and they 
 presently would come, whole legions of them, yea, 
 all the angels in heaven. Let us learn of angels, watch 
 opportunities, and take them. There are nicks of time 
 wherein to do the work of Christ; Eccl. iii. 1, " To 
 every thing there is a season, and a time to every 
 purpose under the heaven." It is wisdom to ob- 
 serve those seasons and times, Rom. xii. II. lip 
 
 Obs. 2. Angels do honour the Lord Christ exceed- 
 ingly, to their utmost ; they resign up themselves 
 and all they have to the will and command of Christ ; 
 their wings, hands, feet, faces, their natures, their 
 knowledge, zeal, active virtue, shall be all for Christ. 
 One took fire and put into his hand. This is great 
 honour to Christ, when any creature gives up what it 
 is, what it hath, and what it can do, unto him fully. 
 More cannot be required or expected by any superior 
 and divine power, more cannot be performed by any 
 creatiu-e ; they are angelical who can resign up all 
 into the hand of Christ : let us learn this duty. The 
 scribe. Matt. viii. 19, said well, " Master, I will fol- 
 low thee whithersoever thou goest ;" I will trace thy 
 steps, learn thy doctrine, do thy will, be at thy dis- 
 posal : and Isaiah, chap. vi. 8, " Here am I," send 
 me. Lord ; I give up myself unto thee ; all the fire 
 in me, all my knowledge, zeal, active virtue are at 
 thy disposal. So Paul, Acts ix. 6, " Lord, what wilt 
 thou have me to do ?" I have been against thee, I 
 will now be for thee, I give up myself to thee wholly. 
 If angels did it, whose natm-e Christ took not, for whom 
 he died not, how nuich more should we do it, whose 
 nature he took, for whom he did and sullered all .' 
 
 Obs. 3. Things done seasonably are acceptable to 
 Christ. The angel observed Christ coming for fire, 
 to demand their service, and he takes fire and puts 
 into Christ's hand, and Christ took it; wliich notes 
 his acceptance : he neither reproved nor rejected 
 the angel or his service, but W'as well pleased, the 
 putting fire into his hand was seasonable, and so ac- 
 ceptable. There be seasons, which, if taken, sweeten 
 actions, and open the door for their better entertain- 
 ment : Prov. XXV. 11, "A word fitly spoken is like 
 apples of gold in pictures of silver ;" the Hebrew is, 
 A word spoken upon its wheels : fit times and seasons 
 are wheels to carry words with great advantage. 
 And so for actions ; when things are done in the due 
 time, they are beautiful, acceptable. When God 
 gives rain to a land in season, how acceptable is it! 
 when a tree bears fruit in its season, it is grateful ; 
 so when angels or men do things seasonably, it is 
 pleasing to the Lord Christ : there are fit times, 
 which, if we miss, actions are imlovely, and miss of 
 their aims. Psal. xxxii. 6, " For this shall every one 
 that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou 
 mayest be found :" there are times, if we have the
 
 Ver. 8—13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 237 
 
 wisdom to discern them, when prayer will be sea- 
 sonable, acceptable, effectual. 
 
 Ver. 8. And there appeared in the cheruhims 
 the form of a mans hand under their wings. 
 
 Our prophet having seen the cherub stretch out a 
 hand, take fire, and put it into the hand of the man 
 clotlied with linen, here he describes what kind of 
 hand it was, and wlaere it was : for the kind, it was a 
 man's hand, "there appeared the form of a man's 
 hand;" for the place, it was " under their wings." I 
 have spoken hereof, chap. i. 8. There, is mention of 
 " hands," here, of a " hand ;" not tliat they had only 
 one hand, but under ever)' wing was a hand ; they 
 had wings, and under them he saw the fonn of a 
 hand. Their wings set out not only their swiftness 
 in motion, but also their divine instinct and secret 
 guidance of God, which carries them as wings this 
 or that way, to this or that action ; and hand imports 
 both \-igour to act, and action ; active virtue, and the 
 activity itself. 
 
 Vbs. 1. Angels are furnished with abilities, and 
 are fitted for employments ; they have hands and 
 wings. Whatever the Lord calls them to do, they 
 want not aught tending to the accomplishment 
 thereof. If speed be required, they have wings to 
 fly ; if work be to be done, they have hands, andean 
 do much in a little time. 
 
 Obs. 2. They do not things rashly, but advisedly, 
 judiciously ; they have the hands of a man. Men's 
 hands are ordered by judgment in their operations, 
 and so are angels' ; they do all things wisely, under- 
 standingl)' ; they observe the best seasons, and all 
 circumstances which may add beaut)' and advantage 
 to their actions ; and therefore, ver. 12, it is said, 
 " their hands were full of eyes," they see into all 
 the intrinsicals or extrinsicals of any business. 
 
 Obs. 3. The works of God are done by hidden and 
 secret means, by ways unthought of, by hands under 
 wings. Here a cherub stretches out a hand from 
 under a wing, takes fire, and puts into the hand of 
 Christ. 
 
 God hath secret hands to do his work ; sometimes 
 angels' hands, sometimes the hand of pro\'idenee, 
 sometimes the hand of his Spirit. Angels are in- 
 visible agents, and we have unknown mercies from 
 their hands. An angel rolled away the great stone 
 from the sepulchre ; and they remove many difficulties 
 out of our way. It was the hand of an angel that 
 brought the apostles out of prison, Acts v. 1!) ; xii. 9. 
 Angels encamp round about them that fear the Lord, 
 Psal. xxxiv. 7- They are invisible guards, and do 
 invisible things for us, their hands work when we 
 feel them not ; so the hand of Providence is doing 
 when we slumber, and discern it not. Joseph is sold 
 into Egypt, and it was not discerned by the sellers 
 or the sold, what work God was about : the hand of 
 Pro\'idence was secret, but wrought strongly for the 
 raising of Joseph, and safety of Jacob, and many 
 thousands besides. Mordecai will not bow to Ha- 
 man ; was the hand discerned here which was work- 
 ing Haman's ruin ? I believe not. Haman goes on, 
 plots the death of all the Jews, had almost accom- 
 plished his desire, but Pro\-idence acts in an unex- 
 pected way, and cuts off this bloody man. A secret 
 hand of Heaven hath done the great things in all 
 ages ; invisible virtue hath done more than all visible 
 instruments. In our counsels, armies, undertakings, 
 had not God's hand of providence wrought, we had 
 been ruined. Was it not a strange hand of jjrovi- 
 denee that began the work in Scotland ? If ought 
 be done in the work of reformation amongst us, is it 
 not the hand of God rather than the hand of man ? 
 
 Isa. i. 25, " I will turn my hand upon thee, and 
 purely purge away thy dross." Matt, \-iii. 3, Jesus 
 put forth his hand, and healed the leper. If our 
 leprosy be healed, or healing, it is bv the hand of 
 Christ put forth : the safety of this na'tion is from a 
 secret hand ; we are held and hid in the hollow and 
 shadow of an invisible hand. So the hand of the 
 Spirit doth secret work in Zion. Christ, by the fino-er 
 of God, Luke xi. 20, by the Spirit of God, Matt. xii. 
 28, east out devils. It is this hand that mortifies 
 and kills the lusts, Rom. viii. 13; it is this hand 
 which quickens and brings life, John vi. 63 ; it is this 
 hand works holiness in you, that comforts and supports 
 you, that guides and seals you ; it is this hand that 
 brings you out of the ways of sin, error, death, into 
 the ways of Christ, truth, and life ; it is this hand 
 which makes all ordinances eft'ectual. 2 Cor. x. 4, 
 " Our weapons are mighty, through God, to the pull- 
 ing down of strong holds : " through God, that is, 
 through the Spirit of (jod. Weapons must be in 
 some hand or other; these were spiritual weapons, 
 and in the hand of the Spirit, as well as in the 
 apostle's hand, else had they not been able to pull 
 down strong holds. 
 
 Obs. 4. When God's work is done, we should hide 
 up our hands that do it. The eherulj stretched out 
 his hand, took fire, put it into Christ's hand ; and 
 what then? the hand is hid under the wing. Angels 
 are not vain-glorio\is, they seek not themselves, but 
 the honour of him they serve ; they say not. This 
 have I done, hath my hand wrought ; they hold not 
 forth their hand for mortals to admire or adore, but 
 rejoice that the work is done, and hide up their hands. 
 This is a good precedent for us, who are apt to be 
 puffed up with what we do, and to expose not only 
 the work, but the hand also too much to view. If 
 actions be done, and others reap the good thereof, 
 without selfish respects of ours, it is angelical. Paul 
 was of this judgment, and practised answerably ; 
 1 Cor. XV. 10, " I laboured more abundantly than 
 they all: yit not I." See here how he hides up 
 himself, and puts all upon God ; " not I, but the grace 
 of God which was with me." It was not Paul, but 
 God's grace that did all the work. So Isa. xxvi. 12, 
 " Thou hast WTOught all our works in us ; " we have 
 done nothing, but thou hast done all. 
 
 Ver. 9 — 13. And when Hooked, behold the four 
 trheels bi/ the cherubims, one wheel bi/ one cherub, 
 and another uheel by another cherub: and the 
 ajipenrance of the wheels teas as the colour of a 
 beryl stone. And as for their appearances, they 
 four had one likeness, as if a wheel had been in 
 the midst of a wheel. llTien they went, they went 
 upon their four sides ; they tiirned not as thexi 
 went, but to the place whither the head looked 
 they followed it ; they turned not as they went. 
 Attd their whole body, and their backs, and their 
 hands, and their wings, and the wheels, iv ere full 
 of eyes round about, even the wheels that they four 
 had. As for the wheels, it was cried unto them in 
 my hearing, O wheel. 
 
 In these verses, and most of the rest to the end, is 
 a description of the wheels and cherubims, which 
 represent things earthly and heavenly, and both 
 under the command and disposal of Divine Majesty. 
 Take things below in states or churches, they pass 
 not without the interposure of Providence, the hand 
 of Heaven acts in them ; take things above, they are 
 not absolute, there is one in the throne overrules 
 them.
 
 23S 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Cii.ir. X. 
 
 For the wheels, which are the principal subject of 
 these verses, and note out inferior things and causes 
 unto us, thoy are, 
 
 I. Described, 
 
 II. Explained. 
 
 I. They are described, 
 
 1. From their number, " four wheels." 
 
 2. liy their reference, dependence, or situation, 
 they were " by the cherubuns." 
 
 3. By a particular and special distribution of one 
 to anotlier ; the four wheels were not all together by 
 the four chcrubims, but " one wheel by one cherub, 
 and another wheel by another cherub." 
 
 4. From their appearance or likeness, which " was 
 as the colour of a beryl stone ;" and those four are 
 in the 9th verse. 
 
 5. From their likeness and coherence among 
 themselves, " they four had one likeness," &c. ver. y. 
 
 6. From their motion, ver. II, "They went:" 
 which is set out, 
 
 (1.) From the way they went to those parts, which 
 was upon their sides ; into those quarters of the world 
 wliich were next them, " whither the head looked." 
 
 (2.) Tlieir progress; they turned not back, but 
 went on. 
 
 7. From their cyeness ; ver. 12, "Their whole 
 body, backs, liands, wings, were full of eyes." 
 
 li. The explication of the wheels, and that is in 
 ver. 13; it was cried, " O wheel !" O world .' 
 
 I have spoken largely of the wheels in the first 
 chapter, and therefore now shall say little of them ; 
 the most will be of those particulars wherein there 
 is difference from what is there set down. 
 
 In chap. i. mention is made, first, of the living 
 creatures, and then, of the wheels ; here, the wheels 
 are first set down, and after them the cherubinis, or 
 li\-ing cr-atures. Why there is a great inversion 
 and change made in the vision, I find no reason 
 given, neither do I conceive any satisfactory reason 
 can be given, but the will of the Lord; it pleased 
 him to represent the \-ision in that way to the pro- 
 phet, and that may suffice us. Yet if we may con- 
 jecture, tlie wheels are set first here, for that changes 
 and motions of second causes in the world are more 
 obvious unto our eyes, we observe them first, and 
 that virtue which acts them is more out of sight. 
 
 In chap. i. 15, there is one wheel upon the earth 
 by the living creatures ; here, in ver. 9, are four 
 wheels by the chcrubims, and the assignment of one 
 wheel to one cherub, which makes this part of the 
 vision more distinct and clear. 
 
 Wheels set out all the motions and changes of 
 things here below* ; and the four wheels, all that are 
 in the four parts of tlie world ; and a wheel is a fit 
 instance to resemble them by, as hath been shown : 
 and whatever appears casual, accidental, confused, 
 and crmtrary, comes under the notion of the wheel. 
 
 Obx. I. That all things in this world have de- 
 pendence upon higher causes. The wheels consist 
 not of themselves, but are by the cherubims, they 
 have reference unto and dependence upon them. 
 The creatures are servants, not masters, or lords ; 
 and he^wever things seem to be carried in the world 
 confusedly, without any resjeet to any superior 
 caus< s, yet the whee-ls arc regulated, they are Ijy the 
 cherubims, tliey have influence into them, anel order 
 them. 
 
 Oh.s. 2. The Lord is methodical in disposing the 
 things of the world. Each one of the angels hath 
 Ins wheel ; they were not all by one angel, or all 
 four promiscuously by the four cherubims, but the 
 wheels were methodically disposed of, to each angel 
 one ; and so they acted methodically, and looked to 
 their wheels in their several quarters. God hath 
 
 set a wheel by every one of us ; something he liath 
 committed to our care and government : let us look 
 to our wheels. 
 
 The lUth verse you have in chap. i. 16, only a little 
 alteraticm of the words. In the first place it is, " They 
 four had one likeness, and their ajipearance was as 
 it were a wheel in a wheel :" in this place it is, " As 
 for their appearances, they four had one like-ness, 
 as if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel." 
 They were like in figure, in colour, and equal in 
 quantity, as if one hacT been made by another. 
 
 Quetc't. But if the wheels prefigure the motions 
 and changes of things in the world, as is atfirmcd, 
 are the motions and events of things alike every 
 where, in all quarters of the world ? 
 
 Answ. We see that, otherwise, there be wars in one 
 kingdom, and peace in another ; riches in one city, 
 and poverty in another ; the gospel leaving one place, 
 and going to another : yet are they alike in that 
 they represent. 
 
 (1.) There are changes every where, good and 
 bad ; one generation goes, another comes. 
 
 (2.) There are great ditlicxdties, perplexities in all 
 mundane affairs ; not only in one place, but in all 
 places. 
 
 (3.) In th.at they all work, and further God's great 
 designs in the world ; they go on in one kingdom as 
 well as another. 
 
 (4.) In that they are all ordered to produce that 
 great end, God's glory ; not any wheel but is pro- 
 ductive of it. 
 
 "As if a wheel had been in the midst of a wheel." 
 Some think there were in every wheel four semi- 
 circles, or half-wheels, which appeared as a wheel 
 in the midst of a wheel ; but we find no warrant for 
 that : the text speaks of a wheel in a wheel ; it may 
 be transverse, one crossing and cutting another ; it 
 mav be comprehensive, as one orb in another. 
 
 Obs. I. That the wheels in all places are alike, they 
 arenot the same, but they are alike. Such is man's 
 nature, that it is not long contented with its con- 
 dition, but thinks that all things move better else- 
 where than at home; and hereupon many have made 
 trial of foreign nations, remote parts of the world, and 
 found the wheels there like the wheels in their ovra 
 country, full of changes and intricacies : so they 
 were in Ezekiel's days, so they will be in our days ; 
 so they were in Babylon, in Zion, so they are in 
 England, and will be. We should learn to make 
 the best of our contbtion ; if the wheels be alike in 
 changes and perplexities, then they are alike in fur- 
 thering God's designs, and producing God's glory, 
 and this they may do as strongly and speedily at 
 home as they do abroad. 
 
 Obs. 2. Man is not able to judge of God's works 
 and ways in his administration of the world. They 
 are so intricate and pierplexed, that Ezekiel knew 
 not what to make of them ; he saw as it were a 
 v. heel in the midst of a wheel, one wheel entangled 
 in another. The acts of Providence at this day in 
 churches and states are so various and dubious, that 
 created abil'ti'^s cannot comprehend God's intentions. 
 It is said, Zeeh. xiv. 6, " In that day the light shall 
 not be cle;,r uur dark;" men shall be puzzled, not 
 know ;ng whnt to judge. This day is come upon us ; 
 can you tell what to judge of the wheels and their 
 motions amorgst us ? they are much entangled ; we 
 have cross KOtions fi-om without, and from within. 
 Is there any great or public business in the kingdom, 
 but is perplexed, and the issue of it uncertain ? our 
 counsels are entangled, our military afl'airs at sea 
 and land, our city and domestic businesses, arc not 
 without wheels in them. 
 
 Obs. 3. There is a coherence of th.e second c.iuses
 
 Ver. 9—13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 239 
 
 and motions which are from them, they are knit and 
 linked together. Our prophet saw a " wheel in the 
 midst of a wheel," one change follows upon anotluT, 
 and there is a concatenation of causes and their 
 operations. The cheruhims were by the wheels, and 
 wheels in the wheels. Satan, Chaldeans, Sabeans, 
 the winds, and humours in Job's body, did all con- 
 spire to humble and afllict him ; after these, his 
 tlu'ce friends tread in the same path, and add to his 
 affliction. Night and day, winter and summer, have 
 not a nearer coherence than the wheels. They so 
 run among us, that we are necessitated to sit in 
 council, and counsel begets actions, actions make 
 alterations, alterations make strange impressions in 
 men's spirits. It is easy to see the puzzling intrica- 
 cies of the wheels, how crossly, perversely things 
 move every where, but the cohcn nee and harmonious 
 part of them is not so quickly discerned ; the lines 
 in a globe, the ropes in a ship, cross one another, 
 which every eye sccth, but their harmony and use 
 is not so discernible. The bees, when they swarm 
 without and work within, make a thousand cross 
 motions, and yet there is sweet harmony in their 
 commonwealth. 
 
 The 1 1th verse, which speaks of their motion, 
 agrees in part with ver. if, of the first chapter, 
 where it is said, " when they went, they went upon 
 their four sides," and so the words are here ; " and 
 they turned not when they went," here it is, " they 
 turned not as they went;" and it is twice so; then 
 here is an addition wdiich is not there, " but to the 
 place whither the head looked they followed it." 
 
 The meaning of the words is, that they went to 
 those parts of the world which were upon their sides, 
 and their motions in those ways were like and uni- 
 form, none went backward when others went forw;;rd. 
 , , .,. " Whither the head looked." What 
 
 JcroTi refers it to . . . , , , ^, i ,< i i „ 
 
 tiie mIkpIs. "hi- IS intended by tlie word "head we 
 'vheeUvp'Sf';' but i"ust iuquirc. Tile Hebrew is rsin 
 ^iie^wheeis were Some render it, the first, and so make 
 """'' ' the sense this, whither the first cherub 
 
 went, thither went all the rest; but the text will not 
 indulge this interpretation, for it is said, " they went 
 upon their four sides ;" that is, into the several ways 
 their sides were towards, and so could not follow 
 one another. Others understand by " head" the 
 cherub designed to each wheel ; as ver. 9, the four 
 Capui cujusque ; whecls wcrc by the cheruhims, " one 
 so Piso remiers wdieel by One cherub, and another 
 wheel by another cherub," so that 
 every wheel had his head, that is, his cherub ; and 
 whither that head looked, thither v/ent that wheel. 
 But we may ascend somewhat higher, and make the 
 head, either he who sat in the throne and spake to 
 the man clothed with linen, or the Spirit who guided 
 the motions both in the living creatures and the 
 wheels : chap. i. 12, 20, " Whither the spirit was to 
 go, they went ;" here the Spirit was rs'nn the head 
 or first mover, and 1 conceive there is no d;mger in 
 putting it higher than the cheruhims. 
 
 Ob.i. I. The motions of all inferior things are di- 
 rected by a superior head which is over them ; they 
 move not when and whither they list, but as their 
 head will have them, be the head the cheruhims, the 
 Spirit, or Jehovah. It is the head regulates and 
 orders them, they cannot move of themselves, they 
 go whilher the head looks, whither the Spirit will 
 have them go, and when the Lord commands. The 
 body of man goes that way, and then, when tlie head 
 will have it ; and so it is with all wheels, all crea- 
 tures, their motions are as the Lord will have them. 
 If angels move the wheels, the Spirit and the Lord 
 move the angels, and they cannot but make such 
 motions and commotions in the world ; if there be 
 
 great winds, tempests, wars, bitter -chvisions, false- 
 hood and treachery, plundering, burning, oppression, 
 &c. the wheels move that way their head looks, and 
 follow their head, a superior guide leads them ; if 
 they break some, raise others, if their motions are 
 swift, dangerous, bloody, tliey are moved by one 
 which is over them. 
 
 Oba. 2. That the wheels are constant in, and intent 
 to, their motions appointed. They turn not as they 
 go, they keep on their way ; and it is twice mention- 
 ed, " they turned not as they went," they followed 
 their head, " they turned not as they went."' Which 
 double mentioning of their not turning sets out their 
 intentness upon their way and work, and that we 
 should take special notice of it, because we think the 
 wheels may move otherwise and other ways ; but they 
 cannot, the Lord sits in the chariot commanding the 
 wheels, what way, and how to move; the Spirit is 
 in them, and carries them on, the cheruhims arc by, 
 and help forward the motions; so that the wheels 
 must oppose the angels, and God himself, if they 
 move otherwise than they do : they cannot stop their 
 motions, much less turn their motions. 
 
 The 12th verse tells you of their eyeness, body, 
 backs, hands, w"ings, wheels. 
 
 " Body." In the Hebrew it is, flesh, vni?. rnrpus 
 Some expound all said here of the earum. 
 wheels, both Jerom and others : by body or flesh 
 they understand the bulk of the wheels ; by backs, 
 the rings about the wheels ; so they are called, chap. 
 i. 18, and the Hebrew word cniJi is, backs ; by hand 
 and wings they mean the spokes of the wheels, 
 which extend themselves like hands and feathers 
 from the navestock to the circumference. By the 
 wheel some intend the globe or navestock in the 
 midst, in which is the axletree ; others, the whole 
 chariot, and the only reason I find given is this, he 
 had spoken immediately before of the wlieels, and 
 after in this verse is mention of them. And why the 
 cheruhims should be brought in here, seemeth not so 
 reasonable ; but it is not so harsh as to expound flesli, 
 hands, and wings of the wdieels ; and we know tl'at 
 he had spoken not long before of the cheruhims. ver. 
 9 ; and if liead rcfi'r to the chc rubinis, as some make 
 it, then they are spoken of in the 11th verse, im- 
 mediately before this : and if because eyes were 
 given to the wheels in chap. i. and not to the cheru- 
 hims, therefore here they must be confined to the 
 wheels; upon the same ground, their hands and 
 wings, because they are given to the cheruhims in 
 chap. i. and not to the wheels, must here be confined 
 to the cheruhims. I do therefore fall in with them 
 who refer body, backs, hands, wings unto the cheru- 
 hims, which in these visions do more properly be- 
 long to the cheruhims than to the v.'heels. 
 
 " Full of eyes round about." Here is a difll-renee 
 from that in chap. i. 18. It is said there the rings 
 were full of eyes ; here, that all, even wheels and 
 cheruhims, w"ere full of eyes, and he that sat in the 
 throne, even the Lord, he is full of ej-es. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the motions of causes and ci-eatures 
 here below, arenot casual or disorderly. The wheels 
 and chend)inis are full of eyes, they see and know 
 their way, the work they have to do, the |)lace they 
 are to go unto : the eye of Providence is in every 
 creature and cveiy motion. Things appear to us 
 veiy casual and disorderly ; but there are eyes in the 
 whei Is, no motion of them is injudicious or out of 
 course. If these eyes were blind, sleepy, vitiated, 
 or shut, then there would be strange motions, just 
 ground of compdaint ; but the eyes of Providence are 
 ever open, they slumber not. they are not corrutited 
 with any vicious humours, they see clearly and dis- 
 I tinctly ; and in whatever they are, as they are in all
 
 240 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. X. 
 
 wheels, public or private, little or great, they make 
 the motions judicious and orderly. When things 
 fall out contrary, or beside our expectations, you say 
 they are mischances ; but you are mistaken : in sea 
 or land ailairs, in martial, magisterial, or ministerial, 
 yea domestic afl'airs, whatever falls out is an act of 
 Providence ; surprising or sinking of ships, disap- 
 pointment of counsels, defeating of armies, escape of 
 ]irisoncrs, interception of letters, firing of towns, 
 drownings, self-murderings, divisions of brethren, 
 clandestine marriages, abortions, divorces, the eyes 
 of Providence arc in them all, and Heaven's inten- 
 tions are accomplished in them. 
 
 Obs. 2. There is much glory and beauty in the 
 works of Divine Providence. All the wheels and 
 cherubims are full of eyes ; the wheels have eyes 
 round about, not in one place, but in every place : 
 the cherubims, their bodies, backs, hands, and wings 
 are full of eyes ; and. Rev. iv. 8, they are full of eyes 
 within, they are inwardly and outwardly glorious, 
 beautiful. Man's eyes add not so much beauty and 
 glory to his face, as those eyes do to the works of 
 God in the world. The peacock's train, which is 
 full of eyes, how beautifid and glorious is it ! yet far 
 short of the beauty and glory which is in God's govern- 
 ment of the world. AVhen the queen of Slieba saw 
 so much w'isdom in a man, so much glory and beauty 
 in the order of his house, she admired, and had no 
 spirit left in her, I Kings x. 4, 5. And could we see 
 the wisdom which is in God, the glory and beauty 
 which is in his ordering the wheels, we would be so 
 far from complaining of any wheel's motion, that we 
 would admire every wheel, the order ar.d motion of 
 it; but oh how blind are we, who hardly have an 
 eye to see any of these eyes ! David's eye was open 
 and observant in the 10-Jth Psalm, where he declares 
 and delights himself in the wonderful providence of 
 God ordering all things ; and hear what he saith, 
 ver. 31, "The glory of the Lord shall endure for 
 ever :" he saw glory in them. There is glory in all 
 the works of Providence, and such glory as abides 
 for ever to all generations : there is glory now 
 in them, as well as in David's days ; tliere were 
 changes, breaches, troubles then, as you may 
 see, ver. 29, yet they hindered not, but rather 
 added to the glory of providential works ; and so 
 do our changes, breaches, differences. When a man 
 is on a high hill, there are many hedges, ditches, 
 and separations of one piece of land from another ; 
 there are low shrubs and higher trees, here a hill and 
 there a river ; yet all contiibute something to make 
 a beautiful and glorious jirospect to the eye : and so 
 it is in the works of Providence. If we were lifted 
 up by the Spirit, to view the wheels and their motions, 
 we should find that all those things that seem griev- 
 ous to us, our wars, divisions, taxes, burdens, and such 
 like, do contribute much towards a glorious prospect. 
 
 Ver. 13. As for the wheels, it was cried unto 
 them in my hearing, O wheel. 
 
 This verse is an expository verse, and gives light 
 to the vision of the wheels, yet it hath need of expo- 
 sition itself In the words you have, 
 
 I. One crying, which is implied; "It was cried." 
 
 II. The cry itself; " O wheel." 
 
 III. Unto whom or what the cry was made ; it 
 ■was unto the wheels. 
 
 IV. In whose presence this cry was ; in Ezekiel's, 
 " in my hearing." 
 
 Who cried is not set down : some think one of the 
 cherubims. That cherub which stretched out his 
 hand, and reached the fire to the man clothed in 
 linen, he cried, " O wheel," and conmianded it to 
 hasten to the destruction of Jerusalem. But that 
 
 any cherubim should cry out so, unless he had com- 
 mand from above, is not probable, and the text 
 aUbrds us no encouragement so to conceive. Others 
 therefore affirm it was the Ijord, who sat in the throne, 
 who commanded the man clothed in linen to take 
 fire, he cried unto the wheel, and his cry was, 
 
 " O wheel." The Hebrew is, SjSjn Uic orbis : this 
 name doth the Lord give to the wheels, to instruct 
 the prophet, and us by him, what he meant by the 
 wheels, viz. the world and motions in it. The Vul- 
 gate renders the word rolubiles, and so makes it an ad- 
 jective, agreeing with the substantive, wheels, rotas 
 istas, vocainl volabiles : this will hold in the Latin, 
 but not in the Hebrew, for it is cnS D'OSInS 
 SjSjn Niip laophannim is plural, and Ilaggatgal 
 is singular, a substantive, not an adjective, and is 
 set down by way of distinction and demonstration ; 
 thus. As for these wheels, would you know what 
 they are, it was cried in mine ears, Ilaggatgal, their 
 name is. This world ; I the Lord call tliem so. And 
 here you may observe how the Spirit of God leaves 
 the word ophamiim, by which only he expressed the 
 wheels in chap. i. and here also till now, and takes 
 another word, Haggalgnl. Ophamiim is a more com- 
 mon and doubtful word, Hagga/gat more distinct and 
 certain : and so the prophet by it came to know what 
 the vision of the wheels held out to him. 
 
 A\liy the Lord should cry out thus, " wheel," is 
 doubted : it was not the greatness, work, or use of it, 
 which could beget admiration in God. It is thought 
 somewhat is concealed which the Lord said : pro- 
 bably he gave out some command to the wheels, 
 touciiing the motions and work of it ; or rather it 
 may be a complaint, O world ! how unstable and 
 changeable art thou .' 
 
 " Unto them." He cried unto the wheels, " 
 wheel ! " There were four wheels, ver. 9, and they 
 went into those parts of the world which were upon 
 their four sides, ver. 1 1 ; and these wheels repre- 
 sented the world, which is one, and therefore it is 
 cried unto them, "O wheel!" world ! 
 
 " In my hearing." There was a voice, and such 
 as came to Ezekit I's ears, and informed him in this 
 difficult vision. He was an eye and ear-witness of 
 it ; his eye bred admiration in him, hut his ear let 
 in the information what it was. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord speaks to all creatures, andtliey 
 are under his command, they hear his voice. We 
 think angels and men only are capable of hear- 
 ing God speak. There is not a creature God hath 
 made, but hearkens to the voice of its Creator : he 
 saith, " O wheel !" world ! and nothing in it acts 
 or moves without him. If he speak, the wheels 
 move wdiat way he pleases : when there is thunder- 
 ing, lightning, eartliquakes, storms, war, peace, 
 famine, plenty, divisions, &c. God's voice hath been 
 there. Psal. cxix. 91, the creatures are called God's 
 servants ; they hear and obey his voice as servants 
 do their masters. Psal. cxlvii. 18, when there is 
 ice and snow, "he sendeth out his word and mclteth 
 them : " they come not without his word, they melt 
 not away without it; the creatures hear and obey. 
 Mark iv. 37 — il, when a great storm was at sea, 
 and rll in danger of their lives, Christ " rebuked the 
 wind, and sriid unto the sea. Peace, be still ; " and 
 those uncontrollable creatures heard his voice, 
 " the wind ceased, and there was a great calm ; " 
 which made them relent, wonder, and say, " W'hat 
 manner of u.an is this, that even the wind and the 
 sea obey him?" 
 
 Obx. 2. It is the Lord who hath his times to make 
 known distinct things. In the 1st chapter the pro- 
 phet had this vision, without any hint or light what 
 was meant by it : here the Lord doth speak, and
 
 Ver. 1-! 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 ■24\ 
 
 instruct tlie prophet something concerning the mean- 
 ing thereof. He crieth in the ears of Ezekiel, " O 
 wheel ! " O world ! and by this he came to under- 
 stand part of God's mind in it. Samson had a time 
 to unfold his riddle, Christ, his parables, and God, 
 his difficult visions. Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar 
 had dark, difficult dreams, and God by Joseph and 
 Daniel interpreted them. Yea, Daniel had visions, 
 and God sent Gabriel to him to make him to under- 
 stand those visions. The Revelation hath many 
 things beyond our reach, but God hath his times to 
 expound the same unto us. 
 
 Ver. 14 — 17. And every one had four faces : 
 the first face was the face of a cheruh, and the 
 second face was the face of a man, and the third 
 the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an 
 eagle. And the cherubims were lifted tip. This 
 is the living creature that I saw by the river of 
 
 Chehur. And when the cherubims rvent, the 
 wheels went by them: and tvhen the cherubims 
 lifted tip their wings to mount upf-om the earth, 
 the same wheels also turned not from beside them. 
 
 lyjien they stood, these stood; and when they 
 were Ifted up, these lifted up themselves also : for 
 the spirit of the living creature was in them. 
 
 In these verses, and those after the 18th, you have 
 a description of the cherubims : 
 
 I. From their faces, ver. 14. 
 
 II. From their actions and motions, ver. 14, 15. 
 
 III. From the harmony between them and the 
 wheels, ver. 16, 1/. 
 
 Of these hath been spoken in the first chapter : 
 what I find diflering from the vision there, I shall 
 most insist upon. 
 
 In ver. 14 it is said, " every one had four faces ;" 
 this is the same with that in chap. i. 6 ; and their 
 faces agree with those, ver. 10, only one face is 
 otherwise presented here than it is there ; instead of 
 the face of an ox, you have here the face of a cherub, 
 which is set first in order, whereas the other was 
 the third. This alteration hath occasioned diversity 
 of opinions among interpreters. Some affirm, that 
 anciently they pictured the cherubims with the face 
 of an ox, and that there is no diftercnce between 
 their faces ; but we find no proof of this, and it is as 
 easily denied as affirmed. Others think the vision 
 was so, that the prophet first saw an ox's face, which 
 he knowing, calls the face of a cherub. Fla- 
 vins Josephus affirms the fiice of a cherub to be the 
 face of a bird, whose likeness God showed to Moses 
 in mount Horeb, but was never seen of men. Some 
 think, that further ofl' this face appeared as the face 
 of an ox, and nearer, as the face of a cherub. Some 
 nabbi Davui make this face of a cherub to be the 
 pagii. in ie«ico. fygg qC J^ (.\\i\d, and the common form 
 of picturing cherubims hath been like a young man 
 or boy ; therefore a rabbi saith, C/ie- 
 rub esse puerum elegantem, that a cherub 
 is a beautiful boy, and many are of that judgment. 
 Even Lavater makes tlie face of a chendj to be the 
 face pueri alali, of a winged boy. Cherub sounds 
 like reclieb, a chariot, and the cherubims are called 
 so, 1 Chron. xxviii. 18. And the angels are the 
 Lord's chariots; Psal. Ixviii. 17, "The chariots of 
 God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels ;" 
 Psal. xviii. 10, " He rode upon a cherub." But if 
 we should grant that the face of a cherub is the face 
 of a child, or young man, it would be the same with 
 the face following, viz. the face of a man, whereas 
 the vision holds out distinct faces. Some expositors 
 render it the face of an ox, and their reason is this. 
 
 3113 by a metathesis of the letters is from 33-1, which 
 signifieth to ride, to be carried in a chariot ; and so 
 they will have the word cherub to note out agens 
 curium ; and it being proper to an ox or bullock to 
 draw, they conceive here, by cherub, is meant an ox, 
 by face of a cherub, the face of an ox. But I find no 
 warrant given us to transpose letters in the words of 
 sacred writ, and thereupon to make expositions. 
 The text saith, it was the face of a cherub; and if 
 the Spirit of God had meant the face of an ox, he 
 could have as easily said here nw-'js as 3^3 ':3 I 
 conceive therefore that here is some difiering thing 
 intended from the face of an ox. The former vision 
 was in Babylon, near unto the river Chebar, this was 
 in the temple ; and that he might more fully under- 
 stand the vision, that by the living creatures were 
 meant the angels, here he sceth the face of a cherub, 
 which had more glory and majesty in it than the 
 other faces ; and is therefore set first in order, as 
 before man's face was set first, which was the prin- 
 cipal : what manner of face it was is not expressed, 
 only in general the face of a cherub ; and doubtless 
 some special thing is in it, not only the making 
 known the living creatures he saw before to be 
 angels, but to note they had a heavenly ministration, 
 an ardent desire to do the will of God, and were rest- 
 less till it were done. 
 
 One thing lieth in our way as an objection, and 
 must be removed; it is this, ver. 15, 20, 22, it is said 
 it was the living creature he saw before at Chebar, 
 and that the likeness of their faces was the same ; if 
 this face of a cherub diH'ers from the face of an ox, 
 how is it the same living creature ? how are the 
 faces said to be like, or the same ? 
 
 The Scripture calls that sometimes the same, 
 which is near or like unto it, and tends to the same 
 end ; as 1 Cor. x. 3, 4, " The fathers did all eat the 
 same spiritual meat, and drink the same spiritual 
 drink." Manna was their meat, and water out of 
 the rock was their drink ; these difl'er from the bread 
 and wine in the supper of the Lord ; yet because 
 they tended to the same end, and had some likeness, he 
 calls them the same. So here, there was much like- 
 ness, and they tended to the same end which the 
 former faces and living creatures did, and therefore 
 he saith it was the living ci-eature he saw before, 
 and the faces the same ; three differed not at all 
 from those he saw before, only one, which made it 
 not another creature, nor the faces other faces. 
 
 There are divers questions movable about this face 
 of a cherub, as, why it is put olT, and the face of the 
 ox left out ? whether the prophet had in this vision 
 only the appearance of the face of a cherub, or of an 
 ox also ? why not some other face left out, rather 
 than that of the ox ? which are curious and needless. 
 1 shall pass them by ; only one question I shall 
 answer : 
 
 Quest. Why are they called cherubims rather then 
 men, lions, eagles, seeing they had one face of a man, 
 one of a lion, and one of an eagle, as well as of a 
 cherub ? 
 
 Answ. 1. Every one had four faces, and the face of 
 a cherub was the chief, something divine and more 
 excellent appeai-ed in it than in the others, and de- 
 nominations are aprtpslanliori. 
 
 2. It was God's Spirit directed our prophet to call 
 them cherubims, whatever their faces were, ver. 20. 
 
 The 15tli verse hath the cherubims' action, and 
 the prophet's declaration of his judgment touching 
 the cherub. , ^ , ,, 
 
 Their action is in these words, " were lifted uji. 
 The English is passive ; but i?:ti is interpreted by 
 Montanus and others actively, eaa/Uwerunt se, they 
 lift up themselves. If the Enghsh words be taken
 
 242 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Ch.ap. X. 
 
 Asitisiniiie i'^ t^i^ scnsc, "they were lifted up," 
 loihve.ae. namely, by their wings, it is in eftect 
 thus much, they lifted up themselves by their wings, 
 and seeing their Lord going away, they would fol- 
 low and attend him. 
 
 " This is the liWng creature." The singular num- 
 ber here is put for the plural, creature for creatures, 
 These arc the living creatures which I saw at, &c. 
 This sets out the certainty of the vision : had not 
 the prophet seen it again, he might have doubted 
 whether such strange things had been real or not ; 
 but now seeing all again, he was assured of the real- 
 ity of them, and therefore, ver. 20, he saith, "This is 
 the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar 
 and 1 knew that they were the cherubims." 
 
 Obs. 1. To see and hear the same things again, is 
 not damage, but advantage to the servants of God. 
 Ezekiel seeth the same vision he saw before, the 
 same wheels and same cherubims, and cometh there- 
 by to more distinct knowledge of them, to fuller cer- 
 tainties of particulars. All things are not seen or 
 understood at first, therefore a second sight and se- 
 cond hearing of the same thing may be needful. 
 Wan is apt to doubt, ready to mistake things, back- 
 ward to practise ; and therefore God gives in truths 
 and visions double ofttimes, that so he may help our 
 weakness, prevent mistakes, provoke us to practise. 
 You have the same truths oft in the Psalms, in the 
 prophets, in the gospels, which serve to strengthen 
 and comfort. Paul tells the Philippians, chap. iii. 
 1, that to write the same things, as it was not gi-iev- 
 ous to him, so it was safe for them. It is likely 
 they atTeetcd variety and novelty, slighting w-holesome 
 and ordinary truths, a common disease of all times ; 
 when they had manna, they loathed it, they would have 
 had change, and something new ; but Paul intimates 
 there was danger in that novellous humour, and 
 therefore saith it was safer for the Philippians to hear 
 the same things again and again, to hear them 
 preached, to have them written. And Peter tells 
 those he wrote to, that he would not be negligent to 
 put them always in remembrance of those things 
 they knew, 2 Pet. i. 12. 
 
 The IGth verse hath been spoken of, chap. i. 19 — 
 21 ; where the going, lifting up, and standnig of the 
 creatures and wheels, was handled. Here is a little 
 difference fi-om whatis there, and that in two things: 
 
 The first is of tlie cherubims. There it is said, 
 " when they were lifted np from the earth ;" here it 
 is, "the cherubims lifted up their wings to mount up 
 from the earth," and so by their wings were lifted up. 
 
 The second difference is concerning the wheels. 
 In chap. i. it is said, " they were lifted up over 
 against them;" here it is, " the same wheels also 
 turned not from beside them." It is the same thing 
 in diverse phrases ; when the cherubims were lifted 
 np, the wheels that were against their sides were 
 also lifted up, and turned not any way, but went along 
 beside them, which way soever they went. The 
 cherubims had their free motions, and did the will 
 of God reacUly, and the wheels followed their ducture, 
 and went no other way than they would have them. 
 
 Inferior causes are acted and led by the superior ; 
 when the cherubims went, the wheels went ; when 
 they were lifted up, these attended them. No crea- 
 ture moves here below without a guide. 
 
 The 17th verse, which you have in a manner word 
 for word, chap. i. 21, shows there is a dependence and 
 convenience of causes, one upon and with another ; 
 the motions and stations of inferior things, of all the 
 wheels, depend upon the higher, viz. the angels ; 
 when they stand or move, so do these. 
 
 " The spirit of the living creature," Hebrew, 
 the spirit of life, " was in them." 
 
 Obs. 1. The Spirit of God is in all creatures, and 
 acts in and by them ; it doth not only support all by 
 divine virtue, b\it is present ui all, sets all wheels a 
 running, stops all at its pleasure, orders and moder- 
 ates all their motions and operations.' The Spirit of 
 life was in the wheels, and in the cherubims. There 
 is no public or private agent, rational or irrational 
 creatures, used in the motions of the world, but the 
 Spirit is in them all. The Spirit was at the creation 
 of all. Gen. i. 2; Job xxvi. )3 ; and the Spirit is in 
 the operations of all, 1 Cor. xii. 11. Whatever gifts 
 men have, it is the Spirit works them, and works in 
 and by them : and so in the other creatures, whatever 
 virtues, qualities, instincts, dispositions, operations 
 they have, the Spirit of life wrought them in them, 
 and" works by them. This may quiet our spirits ; 
 whatever is done in the world by the creatures, how- 
 ever the wheels move, they move not of themselves, 
 but the Spirit which is in them moves them. 
 
 Obs. 2. The stands and motions of cherubims and 
 wheels are neither disorderly nor unseasonable ; they 
 stop, they stir at the dictates of the Spirit of life 
 which is in them, and that Spirit is a Spirit of wis- 
 dom, appointing nothing to be done disorderly or 
 unseasonably. When great stops are made in public 
 or more private businesses, when they seem to us to 
 go backward, cross, to be untimely, it is the Spirit of 
 life that is in and acteth by the second causes ; and 
 who may with saftty blame the Spirit of God for 
 stopping or turning the wheels. The times of the 
 Spirit in all providential things are most seasonable, 
 and act most orderly. 
 
 Obs. 3. We should not terminate our thoughts upon 
 second causes, but look up to the supreme overruling 
 Cause. Here the prophet is led up to the Spirit; 
 he doth not look at the cherubims' and wheels' stand- 
 ing or moWng only, but his eye is higher, it is upon 
 the Spirit of life that was in them. We are apt 
 to look at that instrument or cause which is next us, 
 in present view, and there to terminate. This is a 
 great evil, to eye the creatm-e, and forget God : it is 
 his Spirit that acts in the wheels, and if we take not 
 notice of it, how can we be thankful when the crea- 
 ture is instrumentive of good to us, how patient 
 when it is instrumentive of hurt to us ? If the crea- 
 ture smite and damnify you, it is the Spirit of life in 
 that creature which set it on work ; and if it profit and 
 please you, it was the same Spirit moved it to do so. 
 Many are so blind that they see nothing of the Spi- 
 rit in any wheel or in any motion. 
 
 Ver. 18, 19. Jlien the g!or>/ of the Lord de- 
 parted from off the threshold of the house, and 
 stood over the cherubims. And the cherubims 
 lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the 
 earth in my sight : when they went out, the wheels 
 also were beside them, and every one stood at the 
 door of the east gate of the Lord's house; and 
 the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. 
 
 These verses contain a further removal of the 
 glory. In chap. ix. 3, there was one removal, from 
 the cherub to the threshold. A second is in this chap- 
 ter, ver. 4, where it is said, the glory went up, and 
 stood over the threshold. A third in this verse ; 
 wdicre we have, 
 
 I. From whence it departed, "from the threshold 
 of the house." 
 
 II. Whither it went, it " stood over the cherubims." 
 The Jews thought themselves safe ; while the 
 
 temple stood, (iod dwell there, and would preserve 
 it and the city from all evils, and all enemies : what 
 could other nations do to them, being without God ?
 
 Ver. 18—22. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 243 
 
 and what should thc-y fear, st-eing they had God shut 
 up in their ttraple, ami were persuaded that he would 
 never leave them ? This foolish conceit undid them, 
 for the y obsi-rved not the Lord to worship him purely, 
 and only according to his will and rules given them ; 
 but defiled the temple with all abominations, and 
 constrained the Lord to leave them ; therefore saith 
 the prophet, " Then the glory of the Lord departed 
 from off the tlireshold." When lie saw their vain 
 confidence, notwithstanding all their pollutions, tliat 
 they took no warning by his prophets, observed not 
 his judiciary tlireatenings and proceedings, repented 
 not of their evil ways, continued still the same, having 
 told them of his tleparture from them, he begun it. 
 
 I have spoken before oft concerning the glory of 
 the Lord, chap. viii. 4; ix. 3; in the 4lh verse of 
 this lOth chapter; and therefore now shall not need 
 to enlarge. Sanctius thinks that the glory had not 
 left the chcrubims, but only was hid from the eyes 
 of the prophet by the cloud, and that he makes the 
 departure of the glory from the cherub ; but this is 
 clouding of the text, which saith, " The glory of the 
 Lord went up from the cherub, and stood over the 
 threshold ; " the cherubims were not at the threshold, 
 but at the right .side of the house, ver. 3; and here 
 in this IStli verse, "The glory departed fi'om off the 
 threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubims." 
 
 In Isa. vi. 2, it is said, the seraphims there stood 
 above the throne ; and here, the glory and throne 
 were over the cherubims. Some make these distinct 
 visions, the one being of seraphims, the other of 
 chcrubims ; they having six wings, these four, and 
 then they being above, and the cherubims uudir, 
 here is no opposition. Others think it the same 
 vision ; and then here is a difficulty, the seraphims 
 are above, the cherubims under the throne of glory. 
 ,1, v^-^ The words in Isaiah, " above it," by the 
 Septuagint are turned k-vic\iii aurcii, m 
 circuilu ejus, they compassed the throne about. Rabbi 
 ,. Kimchi hath it, near him, before his 
 
 face : they were not above their Lord 
 and Master, but seemed to stand above to the pro- 
 phet's eye, who represents them as they appeared 
 to him. Some render the Hebrew v;oviJHXta, by or 
 nigh: as Exod. xvi. 3, "When we sat by the flesh- 
 pots," not above, or upon them : so Psal. xxiv. 2, 
 " He hath founded the cartli upon the seas ; " it is a 
 liard speecli, nigh the seas is better : and Psal. 
 cxxxvii. 1 , " By the rivers of Babylon we sat down ; " 
 th.e Hebrew word is the same, jiuta, not supra, they 
 sat, not upon, but by, them ; so here, the seraphims 
 were not above, but by, about the throne. 
 
 The glory departed from the threshold of the 
 house, the threshold of the priests' court, to the door 
 of the east gate, where the cherubims stood. The 
 east gate was the gate of the court where the people 
 met, the outward gate at which they came in, and 
 prayed with their faces westward. 
 
 Obs. 1. How unwilling the Lord is to depart, and 
 leave that people he hath dwelt amongst, and be( n 
 engaged unto ! He had taken in this people to be 
 his, and now, though they had provoked him bitterly 
 by their idolatry in his worship, and by oppression 
 in the state, and he had great cause to have left 
 them utterly at once, yet see how he goes away in a 
 gradual manner, step by step ; tliis was the third or 
 fourth step he had taken. He was before removed 
 to the side of the temple, and then from witliin the 
 temple to the threshold, and now he steps to tlie 
 east gate ; expecting that upon every step they 
 should have been affected, and used means to have 
 kept the Lord from departing ft-om them. He looked 
 that they should have repented of their evil ways, 
 purged their temple from false gods and worship, 
 
 have executed justice, and showed mercy to the 
 afflicted, and walked in his ways ; and then he would 
 not have left them. 
 
 Obs. 2. There is no visible church but mav fall, 
 and cease to be. Here was the only visible c'hurcli 
 in the world, and the glory departed from it, and 
 quickly it became no church. The seven churches 
 of Asia were famous visible churches, and is not 
 their glory long since departed from tliem ? Ko 
 visible church but may cease its being ; all the 
 churches in Judea are dead and buried in obscurity ; 
 meetings of God's people may cease, ordinances, 
 ministers, and athninistrations may all be taken away, 
 and so the visibility of the church. I do not say 
 visible saints shall all fail, but visible churches may ; 
 the glory may depart from them, the signs of liis 
 presence and grace may leave them. God is not 
 tied to any place, to any people ; but if they corrupt 
 his worship, he may withdraw : he diddepart from Je- 
 rusalem, from the temple, and they were unchurched. 
 
 Obs. 3. When the Lord goes from a people, then 
 the protection and benefits they have by the angels 
 go away. When the glory departed, then the cheru- 
 bims mounted up from tlie earth ; they would not 
 stay to comfort, guide, protect that people which 
 had driven away their Lord and Master ; seeing he 
 left them, they would leave them also. One evil 
 followed another. When the sun is in apogwo, gone 
 from us, we have short days and long niglits, little 
 light but much darkness ; and when God departs, 
 you have much night, and little day left, your com- 
 forts fade suddenly, and miseries come upon you 
 swiftly. When God and his angels go from a church, 
 the dragon and his angels get in ; when men's in- 
 ventions prevail, they are subject to all woes and 
 miseries; Hos. ix. 12, "Woe to them when I depart 
 from them." Let us take heed we cause not the 
 glory to depart from us ; then the angels that are 
 present at our solemn and public meetings will 
 leave us, they will not pitch their tents about us any 
 longer : Jer. vi. 7, S, " As a fountain casteth out her 
 waters, so she casteth out her wickedness : violence 
 and spoil is heard in her ; before me continually is 
 grief and wounds. Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, 
 lest my soul depart from thee, lest I make thee 
 desolate, a land not inhabited." Let us be insti'ucted 
 to cease from wickedness, violence, spoil, else God 
 will depart from us, angels leave us, and both be 
 against us. 
 
 Obs. 4. God would have men take notice of his 
 departure. The cherubims stood at the door of the 
 east gate, and there the glory stood over them ; that 
 gate was so seated in mount Zion, that they might 
 see the entrance by it from most parts of the city, 
 and here the glory now stood ; it was come forth 
 from the temple, and now exposed to public view, 
 tliat they might inquire what was the matter, use all 
 means to recover the glory which was going. 
 
 Ver. 20 — 22. This is the living creature that I 
 saw wider the God of Israel by the river of 
 Chebar ; and I knew that they icere the cheru- 
 bims. Every one had four faces apiece, and 
 every one four wings; and the likeness of the 
 hands of a man was under their icings. And the 
 likeness of their faces was the same faces which I 
 saw by the river of Chebar, their appearances and 
 themselves : they went every one straight forward. 
 
 For the 20th verse, you have heard of it in the 
 1.5th. He called them living creatures in the 1st 
 chapter, not knowing them so fully at first view as 
 afterwards. Now beholding them in the temple, he
 
 244 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 had there more distinct and clear knowledge of them, 
 he knew what they were, viz. cherubims, glorious 
 creatures, of great wisdom, strength, and agility, sub- 
 servient unto the Lord, and therefore are said to be 
 " under the God of Israel." He hath cherubims and 
 seraphims at his command; be creatures what they 
 will, they are under God, 
 
 " The God of Israel." Because he appeared to 
 Jacob, changed his name to Israel, whence his pos- 
 terity were called Israelites, and God having made 
 a covenant with him and his seed. Gen. xxviii. and 
 xxxii. hence he was called the God of Israel. 
 
 Some have thought here were not four living 
 creatures, but one, which in divers respects repre- 
 sented those four. By face they understand not the 
 countenance, but any figure, form, aspect, or habit of 
 the body, and thus they make it out : the creature 
 had the face of a man, in regard of his mouth, hands, 
 thighs, and straight body ; he had the face of a lion, 
 in respect of his neck, shoulders, and breast ; of an 
 eagle, in respect of his wings; and of an ox, in re- 
 spect of his cloven hoofs ; but why the word face 
 should be so interpreted, there is no reason : besides, 
 ver. 9, it is said, by each cherub there was a wheel, 
 noting they were several creatures, not one ; and 
 in this 20th verse, the prophet saith, he knew they 
 were the cherubims, not one cherub ; and, ver. 7, he 
 distinguished that cherub from the rest, which 
 took fire and put into the hands of Christ ; and in 
 ver. 21 it is said, every one had four faces and four 
 wings, therefore this could not be one living crea- 
 ture. It is called the living creature, ^jer enallusen nu- 
 meri, the singular number is put for the i)lural. 
 
 " Every one had four faces apiece." 1 he Hebrew 
 is, four, four faces to one, which repetition expresses 
 the force of the cardinal ninnber among the Hebrews ; 
 when that number is repeated, it stands for the or- 
 dinal or distributive, which they want. It notes thus 
 much, there were four faces to each of them. 
 
 Ver. 22. Of this verse was spoken in the 1st chap- 
 ter, and thither I refer the reader. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 3. Moreover the spirit lifted me up, 
 andbrovght me unto the east gate of the Lord's 
 house, which loolceth eastward : and behold at the 
 door of the gate Jive and twenty men ; among 
 whom I saic Jaasaniah the son of Azur, and 
 Pelatiah the son of Senaiah, princes of the peo- 
 ple. Tlien said he unto me, Son of man, these are 
 the men that devise mischief, and give wicked 
 counsel in this city: which scty. It is not near; 
 let us build houses : this city is the caldron, and 
 we be the fiesh. 
 
 EzEKiEL, as you have heard, was in a vision at 
 Jerusalem, chap. viii. 3; the 9th and 10th chapters 
 were parts of that vision, and so also is this chapter. 
 In it you have two parts : 
 
 I. A further addition to the vision our prophet 
 had, to the 24th verse. 
 
 II. The conclusion of the vision, from the begin- 
 ning of the 24th verse to the end. 
 
 In the first part you have these things : 
 
 1. A manifestaticm unto Ezekiel of those who gave 
 ill counsel, and seduced the people, in the three first 
 verses. 
 
 2. Denunciation of judgment against those evil 
 counsellors and seducers, from the 3rd verse to the 
 
 1 3th, wherein the death of one of the chief of them is 
 laid down. 
 
 3. The prophet's complaint, ver. 13. 
 
 4. The Lord's answer to his complaint, ver. 14, 15. 
 
 5. Comfort for the captives, from ver. 15 to 22. 
 
 6. The departure of the glory out of the city, ver. 
 22, 23. 
 
 In the verses read we have the manifestation 
 of the ill counsellors and seducers to our pro- 
 jihet, where these several particulars fall into con- 
 sideration : 
 
 I. The efficient cause showing the prophet these 
 ill counsellors, " the spirit." 
 
 II. The place where he saw them, at "the east 
 gate,'' itc. 
 
 III. The number of these men, "five and twenty." 
 
 IV. The names of two of them, described also 
 from their parents, " Jaazaniah," &c. and " Pela- 
 tiah," Sec. 
 
 V. Their dignitj', " princes of the people:" and all 
 these in the 1st verse. 
 
 VI. The complaint made against them, which is 
 set down, 
 
 1. In general, ver. 2. 
 
 2. Specially, ver. 3. 
 
 " The spirit lifted me up." It pleased the Spirit 
 of God to take Ezekiel and carry him to Jerusalem, 
 and there to remove him from jilace to place ; he did 
 nothing of his own head, but as the Spirit ordered 
 him. The Spirit moved tlie wheels, the living 
 creatures, and our prophet also ; it was not an angel 
 nor his owai spirit moved him, but the Spirit of God. 
 
 " And brought me unto the east gate of the Lord's 
 house, which looketh eastward." The Hebrew is 
 ncnp Polanus renders it nil ortum so/is ; Piscator, 
 orienta/em ventum versus; towards the sun-rising, saith 
 one, towards the east wind, saith the other. Sanctius 
 thinks this gate was in the inner court , and there- 
 fore it is called " the gate of the Lord's house " to 
 which the prophet was brought ; not as being out of 
 the temple, but removed from another place thither. 
 But our prophet was in the inner court before, chap, 
 viii. Ifi, and we find not that he was removed from 
 that place till now. It is not evident therefore that 
 this east gate should be in the inner court; and 
 other gates were called the gates of the Lord's house; 
 chap. viii. 14, the north gate was called "the gate 
 of the Lord's house ; " that is therefore no argument 
 to prove it to be in the inner court. Others therefore 
 more judiciously conceive, that our prophet having 
 seen the slaughter of all in the temple by the six 
 men, chap. ix. and heard the sentence of burning 
 the city, by scattering of coals, chap. x. and that in 
 the inner court ; he was now removed out of the 
 temple to the east gate of the outward court, whither 
 the glory was gone, chap. x. 19. This gate was 
 famous, and very obvious to view eastward, north- 
 east, and south-east ; here stood the glory of the 
 Lord now, here were the cherubims under the glory, 
 here were the wheels unikr the cherubims, and 
 hither was the prophet brought: there he seeing 
 God going away, might shortly declare the mind of 
 God against the Jews at Jerusalem. 
 
 " Behold at the door of the gate five and twenty- 
 men." Here is the number of them. In chap. viii. 
 l(j, wcrf twenty-five men mentioned, and the query 
 is, whether these be the same. Some affirm they 
 were the same, but I incline to think otherwise ; 
 
 1. Because our projihet had seen them formerly; 
 and why should he see them again ? 
 
 2. They were in the temple, worshipping the sun 
 with their faces toward the east, and tliese were out 
 of the temple at the east gate : and if it be said they 
 might return from their idolatrous sun-worship within
 
 Ver. 1—3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 245 
 
 to this eastern gate where the prophet now saw them, 
 we must remember that the prophet saw those in the 
 sanctuary slain ; chap. ix. ti, tihe destroying angels 
 were to begin at the sanctuary, and they began at 
 the ancient men which were before the house ; and 
 though they were but visionally slain, yet that was 
 sufficient to keep them from being presented to the 
 prophet's view the second time. 
 
 The ground for their opinion is this : it is con- 
 ceived by some of the learned, that the prophet had 
 the vision of this 11th chapter before the Uth and 
 lOth ; and therefore they read the first verse thus. 
 The spirit had lifted me up, and had brought me : 
 but this is not sufficient to persuade us to be of 
 that judgment ; for, 
 
 (1.) In the vision is set out to the prophet the 
 order of God's departure fi'om them. Chap. viii. 4, 
 "The glory of the God of Israel was there ; " chap. 
 ix. 3, it went " to the threshold of the house ; " 
 chap. X. 4, it went up "over the threshold;" then, 
 ver. 19, it departed to "the east gate ;" after this it 
 went to the midst of the city, and from thence to the 
 mountain out of the city, chap. xi. 23. So that the 
 gradual departure of the glory doth evince that this 
 chapter was not before the 9th and 10th, but follow- 
 ing, as in order it lies. 
 
 (2.) The conclusion of the vision confutes that 
 opinion ; for, ver. 24, 25, it is said that tlie vision 
 went up from him, that he was carried into Chaldea, 
 and that he spake to the captives what he had seen. 
 If this chapter were to succeed the 8th, and precede 
 the 9th and 10th, he had been excluded from a 
 great part of the vision, and in Chaldea before those 
 parts had been givt n in to him. 
 
 These twenty-five men were principal men; and 
 Pradus informs us from the Jewish writings, that 
 Jerusalem had twenty-four divisions or wards, which 
 were governed by twenty-four choice men, who are 
 in the verse called " princes of the people ; " they, 
 with the governor of the city, who is thought to be a 
 prince of the house of Judah, and for the king, con- 
 sidered of the city and state affairs ; and these twenty- 
 five were at the east gate. The magistrates and 
 governors were wont to sit in the gates, and hear 
 causes, and consult of their weighty affairs ; Jer. 
 xxvi. 10, "When the princes of Judah heard these 
 things, then the}' came up from the king's house 
 unto the house of the Lord, and sat down in the 
 entry of the new gate of the Lord's house ; " and 
 there they heard the accusation of Jeremiah. 
 
 Others think they were principal men chosen out 
 of the two remaining tribes, twelve out of each, and 
 a president amongst them, \\ ho was ruler of the city. 
 
 " Jaazaniah." This Jaazaniah cUfi'ers from him 
 in chap. viii. 11, who was the son of Shaphan, and 
 this was the son of Azur ; whether it was that Azur 
 mentioned Jer. xxviii. 1, is not known; that Azur 
 was a prophet, and if a true one, a helper, as his 
 name signifies. 
 
 " Pelatiah the son of Benaiah." The French 
 hatli it, Pheltia-s fh de Benaias : the Tigurine reads 
 it, Pe/atialin the son of Benaiahn, most near the 
 Hebrew. This Benaiah might be him mentioned in 
 2 Chron. xxxi. 13, who was one of the overseers for 
 the things dedicated to the house of the Lord ; and 
 so, according to his name, was a builder of the 
 Lord's. It is like our prophet knew not any of the 
 rest, and therefore mentions these only ; and this 
 last he names, because presently he was made an 
 example of the Just judgment of God, ver. 13. 
 
 " Princes of the people." That is, chief rulers ; 
 Numb. vii. 2, " The princes of Israel, heads of the 
 house of their fathers, who were the princes of the 
 tribes, and were over them that were numbered." 
 
 And this was a great honour, to be a prince of the 
 people : when God will honour a man in this life, he 
 is said to " set him with princes, even with the 
 princes of his people," Psal. cxiii. 8. 
 
 Ver. 2. " These are the men that devise mischief." 
 Here begins the complaint against these men; in 
 the first part of it they de\-ise mischief; and secondly, 
 they give ill counsel. 
 
 " Devise mischief." The Hebrew word arn is not 
 simply to think, but excogitare, to set the head and 
 heart on work to find out something ; it carries the 
 intention of the mind with it. Jer. xviii. 18, " Come, 
 let us devise devices against Jeremiah." It is the 
 same Hebrew word ; and they would set themselves 
 wholly, fully to devise devices, they would be so- 
 licitous in it, and to find out some way to mischief 
 Jeremiah. So the word is used, Ezek. xxxviii. 10, 
 " Thou shalt think an evil thought :" the other 
 translation hath it, evil thoughts : it is spoken of 
 Gog, who should have many evil thoughts against 
 the people of God, and be set upon devising evil. It 
 notes intention and solicitousness : 1 Cor. vii. 32, 
 jitpifiva, careth for ; the Vulgate hath it, soUicitus at, 
 and Cyprian, cogitat, to think of a thing with care, 
 and witli intention : this is the word here. 
 
 " Mischief." Junius hath it, vanity ; the Sep- 
 tuagint hath it, fidram, vain things ; the Vulgate, 
 iniquity; and so the French, qui prese?it iiu'quilie : so 
 the Tigurine, qiii cogitant miquitatem ; Castalio, qui 
 nefafi cogitant. The Hebrew is ]1!« which includes 
 all these, and is well rendered " mischief," which is 
 such evil as tends to the ruin aisd destruction of a 
 state or church : such was the device of Haman 
 against the Jews. 
 
 " And give wicked counsel." They do not only 
 devise mischief, but give it out being devised ; the 
 Hebrew runs thus, and counselling ill counsel. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Which say. It is not near ; let us build 
 houses." These words are variously rendered and 
 interpreted. Some expound them thus, many are 
 carried into captivity, the wrath of God is overpast, 
 not near, let us therefore build houses. The Vidgate 
 is, Nmme dudum ipdi/icatiB smif domus ? Were not 
 houses built long since ? and their meaning is this ; 
 Why are you troubled about the ruin of the city, as 
 if it should suddenly be, as Jeremiah that false pro- 
 phet hath said .' the city is so far from being ruined, 
 that you see long since it hath been increased, the 
 old houses stand, new have been added, and Jere- 
 miah is proved a liar ; therefore fear not, no such 
 evil shall come upon us; Nebuchadnezzar destroyed 
 not the houses heretofore, and can he do it now ? 
 But this Vulgate translation suits not with the text. 
 
 The Tigurine translation is, Non est in propinquo 
 contritio, wdijicenma igitur domus : and so Vatablus, 
 only igitur he leaves out ; Contrition, destruction is 
 not near, let us therefore build houses : this inter- 
 pretation we condemn not. Montanus 
 goeth that way, and adds coyttrilio in ims'^ii oix"|'p'<><'- 
 the margin ; Nomie noiiter edi/icatcp sunt *<■'■"? ■i,«<)o6uiji'- 
 
 , ~. ' , . ,.' , Tat ot OiKiai. 
 
 domus f Are not riouses lately or newly 
 built ? 
 
 The Hebrew is, D<r3 riJ3 snps nS it is not near 
 to build houses ; here is an infinitive put for an im- 
 perative, to build, for let us build, or let houses be 
 built. 
 
 " It is not near." What is not near ? the desola- 
 tion threatened, that they said was not near. Jere- 
 miah had told them of the Lord's wrath, and that a 
 sore captivity was at hand ; and because God had 
 forbade him to marry and beget children, because 
 they should be destroyed, as you have it, Jer. xvi. 
 2 — 4, "Thou shalt not fake thee a wife, neither shalt 
 thou have sons or daughters in this place. For thus
 
 246 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 saith the Lord concerning the sons and concerning 
 the daugiiters that are born in this place, and cun- 
 cerning tlicir mothers that bare them, and conc', rn- 
 ing their fathers that begat them in this land ; They 
 shall die of grievous deaths ; they shall not be la- 
 mented ; neither shall they be buried ; but they 
 shall be as dung upon the face of the earth : and 
 they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine ; 
 and their carcasses shall be meat for the fowls of 
 heaven, and for the beasts of the earth." These sad 
 tidings had Jeremiah made known as being given 
 not only for himself, but others ; and hereupon he 
 wrote to the captives in Babylon, that they should 
 build houses, plant gardens, take wives to them- 
 selves, and sons, that they might increase, and not 
 diminish, as they were like to do at Jerusalem, Jer. 
 xxix. 5, 6. Because of these things the people were 
 full of fears, refused to build and plant : hereupon 
 tliese princes of the people counselled things con- 
 trary to God and the prophet, and said, " It is not 
 near ;" wliat Jeremiah threatens, or any other pro- 
 phet, those things they speak of are far off; accord- 
 ing to that in Ezek. xii. '22, " The days are prolong- 
 ed, and every vision faiUth ;" and ver. 27, " He 
 prophesieth of the times that are afar off;" therefore 
 fall a building, plant, multiply, and increase, there 
 is no such danger as you dream of. 
 
 Some carry it thus, houses are not to be built in 
 nearness to the city ; and so make it military coun- 
 sel, as if these princes would not have any suburbs, 
 or neighbouring villages, which might advantage 
 the enemy, if he should come and take them, and so 
 shut up the city : therefore they conceive these 
 words import thus much, houses are not to be built 
 near: that is, they are to be pulled down, and the 
 rubbish removed. 
 
 " This city is the caldron, and we be the flesh." 
 These words have their difficulty in them. If you 
 take the last sense of the former words, then you 
 may understand the:..e thus : We are threatened to be 
 boiled in the siege of this city by the Chaldeans, as 
 flesh is boiled in a caldron ; but we will take a 
 course to prevent that ; we will pull down all the 
 houses without the walls of the city, and near hand, 
 so that the enemy shall not come near us, and then 
 we shall see what truth is in it, that this city is the 
 caldron, and we the flesh. Had they such an op- 
 portunity to sit down in the houses, they would be- 
 siege us straitly, press us with famine, be as a fire 
 to this city, and consume us to nothing. 
 
 Others think these words spoken scoffingly against 
 Jeremiah, who, chap. i. 13, had .said, " I see a seeth- 
 ing pot ;" it is the same word which is here I'D and 
 here it is I'tin the caldron, the seething pot. Jere- 
 miah had prophesied that the enemy should come 
 from the north, and besiege them in the city ; that 
 they should be as liesh in a caldron, boiled w'ith the 
 Chaldean fire till they were consumed : this they 
 mock at ; " This city is the caldron, and we be the 
 flesh," saith that false and lying projihet ; for you 
 see we are as before, we need not fear Chaldeans. 
 
 A caldron, I. Is made of strong materials, as brass, 
 or the like. 2. It will endure the fire many years 
 before it be consumed. 3. It contains the flesli put 
 into it, and that is not to be taken out till it be tho- 
 roughly boiled. Hence upon these grounds they 
 scoflcd at Jeremiah : If the city be the caldron, it is 
 a strong city, and hath brazen" walls, it will endure 
 the fire. Let the Chaldeans come as thou sayest, if 
 we be a caldron, their fire will not melt us ; and 
 though they do boil us, yet we shall not be taken 
 out of this ealdrcm to be eaten before we arc tho- 
 roughly boiled, till old age and death itself take us 
 out of it. Thus did these princes profane that pro- 
 
 phecy, and bred security in the hearts of the people, 
 and fed them with hopes of liberty and long life. 
 Or thus you may take it. If this city be the caldron, 
 and we the llesh, we will rather be boiled in it, than 
 be destroyed by the sword ; we will rath, r die in 
 the fire, be boiled to death, than fall into the hands 
 of our enemies : we will rather die here, than yield 
 ourselves into their hands, be slain out of I'ne city, 
 or be carried into Babylon : but we fear no such 
 thing. Thus these princes eluded the prophetical 
 threats, hardened the people in their ill ways, and 
 ripened them for destruction. 
 
 Obi: 1. Our prophet was acted in these visions by 
 the Spirit ; sometimes it entered into him, sometimes 
 it fell upon him, and sometimes it lifted him up : 
 chap. ii. 2; iii. 24, "The spirit entered into me;" 
 chap. i. 3; viii. 1, "The hand of the Lord" (that is, 
 the Spirit) " came upon me, fell upon me ;" and chap, 
 iii. 12, " The spirit took me up ;" andhere. "The spirit 
 lifted me up." The Spirit liad much to do with our 
 jjrophet, and so with all the prophets ; they were 
 acted by the Spirit in all their visions and prophe- 
 cies, they were lifted up above themselves, and out 
 of theniselves, when they were to have cognizance 
 of divine things. 
 
 Oi.y. 2. The Spirit is God, it knows men and their 
 ways, it discovered them unto the prophet. Here 
 the Spirit took notice of these men, what devices 
 they liad in their heads, what counsel they gave, and 
 acquainted the prophet with them ; so before in 
 chap. viii. the Spirit showed him the image of jea- 
 lousy, the seventy men that were oflering incense 
 to the idols, the women that wept for Tammuz, the 
 twenty-five men that worshipped the sun, and put 
 the branch to their nose. As it is said of the sun, 
 Psal. xix. G, " there is nothing hid from the heat 
 thereof;" so much more of the Spirit, there is no- 
 thing hid from his knowdedge : I Cor. ii. 10, "The 
 Spirit seareheth all things ;" all in heaven, and all 
 in earth, all things in the closets, in the heart : Psal. 
 cxxxix. 7, " AVhither shall I go from thy Spirit." 
 David could not hide himself from the sight and 
 presence of God's Spirit, neither can we. Let us 
 look well therefore imto our ways, the Spirit may 
 make them known to the prophets and servants of 
 God. 
 
 Obs. 3. That men chief in dignity and place are 
 for the most j'art corrupt. Here were the twenty- 
 five w'ho bare the sway in the city, and had great 
 power, all confederate in wickedness. Isa. i. 10, he 
 calls their rulers " rulers of Sodom," because of 
 their extreme wickedness ; and he excepts none, 
 they were generally such. So Neh. xiii. 11, "1 
 contended with the rulers, and said, Why is the 
 house of God forsaken?" they kept away the por- 
 tions of the Levites, and therefore they left the 
 house of God: so ver. 17, the nobles of Judah they 
 profaned the sabbath day, and brought wrath upon 
 Israel. 2 Chron. xxiv. 17, 18, the princes of Judah 
 were all idolatrous, and led Joash into idolatrous 
 practices, but they were quickly after all slain for 
 it, ver. 23. John vii. 48, " Have any of the rulers 
 believed on him :" they were so wicked, even all of 
 them, that they could make their boast, " Have any 
 of them believed on him?" No, no, they are not 
 for Christ and his ways. Jer. v. 5, " I will get me 
 unto the great men, and will speak unto them ; fur 
 they have known the way of the Lord, and the judg- 
 ment of their God : but these have altogether broken 
 the yoke, and burst the bonds." The prophet 
 thought the great ones, who had great obligations 
 upon them to honour God, who knew what pertained 
 to worship and justice, that they would hearken to 
 him ; but they cast off all respect, subjection, and
 
 Ver. 1—3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 247 
 
 obedience to the law of God ; they followed their 
 own wills, lusts, humours ; they regarded ncitlicr 
 equity nor honesty ; they were far worse than the 
 poorer sort, whom the prophet had tried also. Luke 
 mentions but one judge, and he was an unjust one. 
 Are not too many of the great ones among us cor- 
 rupt, loose, and enemies to Christ and his liingdom? 
 
 06.V. 4. It is matter of mourning when those who 
 are set over others to be punishers of the wicked, 
 countenancers of the godly, examples of piety and 
 virtue, and should seek the good of the public, prove 
 clean otherwise, and are actors and patrons of 
 wickedness. The Spirit here is afficted with it, and 
 affects the prophet : Son of man, these are the men 
 that do so ; these pervert, ob.struct justice, these en- 
 courage e^al-doers, these sadden the hearts of the 
 godly, these hinder good designs ; these ai-e the men 
 that seek themselves, that cry. Give, give, and love 
 to have it so ; these are the men that pretend the 
 pood of the state and people, but are the ruin of both. 
 This was matter of grief to heaven and earth. Isa. i. 
 10, when the prophet had termed them " rulers of 
 Sodom," he complains, ver. 23, saying, "Thy princes 
 arc rebellious, and companions of thieves ; every one 
 loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards ; they judge 
 not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the 
 widow come unto them :" they sought themselves, 
 not the good of particulars, or the public, and this 
 troubled the projihet ; and not only him, but the 
 Lord also ; for it follows in the next verse, " Therefore 
 saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of 
 Israel, Ah, I will case me of mine adversaries, and 
 avenge me of mine enemies." God had been wea- 
 ried and grieved with them a long time, and though 
 they were many, and mighty, yet he was the Lord 
 of hosts, &c. This argument did affect God much, 
 and he was oft upon it: Isa. iii. 12, "As for my 
 peojile, children are their oppressors, and women 
 rule over them. my people, they which lead thee 
 cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths ;" 
 they destroyed justice and religion. 
 
 06s. 5. There will never be wanting in any place 
 men to dcv'ise mischief In Jerusalem there were men 
 whose hearts, heads, and tongues were at work. In 
 Dan.- i. 7, all the chap. viii. he tells you of the seventy 
 nresi.k-nts'nf Hie ancicnts, aiid of the twenty-five, who 
 .irs^princel"^'^"' had all devised and were practising 
 ?r,',',","','iL°vi.'.H"f' mischief. In Shushan was not want- 
 pioi asTMinit ing a Haman to devise mischief against 
 
 "' ■ the Jews, Esth. -i-iii. .3. Pharaoh and 
 
 his courtiers devised mischief against the Jews, 
 Exod. i. There were those who devised to take away 
 David's life, Psal. xxxi. 13. "They 'imagined a 
 mischievous device," Psal. xxi. 11. No city, no 
 kingdom was ever free from men of deceitful, wicked, 
 and mischievous devices, and no time ever abounded 
 more with such men, and such devices, than our 
 times ; and if I should say, no place more than this 
 kingdom, I should not much fail. Who can reckon 
 up the mischievous deWces which have been against 
 the estates, laws, liberties, religion, and consciences 
 of the people of this kingdom ? Ship-money was a 
 cunning device to dry up their estates ; prerogative 
 was cried up to bring the laws and liberties of the 
 subject down ; innovations and new canons were 
 prelatical devices to rid you of your religion and 
 consciences, to make way for popery. What wicked 
 devices have been against the parliament, against 
 this city, against this kingdom ! whatever hath been 
 devised for the good of all, hath met with anti-cross 
 devices. There are those who devise as strongly and 
 speedily to niin us, as any do to relieve us. The 
 device against Ireland was a bloody and mischievous 
 device, and bloody devices are in men's heads against 
 
 us ; but here is the comfort, Job v. 12, " God disap- 
 pointctli tlie devices of the craftv, so that their hands 
 cannot perform their enterprise." They devise to 
 undo all, but they cannot. Micah ii. 1, "Woe to 
 them that devise iniquity." God hath threatened, 
 and though they cannot accomplish their devices, 
 yet hewill accomplish his threats. Prov. xii. 2, " A 
 man of wicked devices will he condemn." Many of 
 w icked de\-ices have been amongst us, and hath not 
 the Lord condemned them ? 
 
 Obs. 6. Men in place being evil, they make others 
 evil ; they do not only devise mischief, but commu- 
 nicate mischief, they give and obtrude ill counsel 
 upon others. These that were in place, especially 
 Jaazaniah and Pelatiah the princes, they gave out ill 
 counsel to the people. They and such men do the 
 greatest hurt ; their power, honour, estates, ex- 
 amples, are prevalent with the people, and when 
 they counsel corruptly, their counsel takes and in- 
 fects a multitude quickly. Jeroboam tells the peo- 
 ple it was too much fur them to go up to Jerusalem, 
 that was a long journey, would be very chargeable, 
 and might prove dangerous ; therefore he had taken 
 a better course for tliem, he had made calves, set 
 them up for gods at Dan and Bethel, and now they 
 should need to go no further for to worship : this 
 counsel took. Balak being advised by Balaam, 
 counsels the Midianitish w'omcn to entice the 
 Israelites to folly, which took ; and they drew them 
 both to whoredom and idolatry. Numb. xxv. 1, 2, 
 with chap. xxxi. 16. Ill counsel from great ones 
 doth great mischief : Nah. i. 11, "There is one come 
 out of thee, that imagineth evil against the Lord, a 
 wicked counsellor ;" it is spoken of Nineveh con- 
 cerning Sennacherib. W'e have many come out of 
 us that are wicked counsellors, and prevail with the 
 people to do what they counsel. Did not prelates, 
 judges, nobles, princes, lately give ill counsels, and 
 were not the people too forward to hearken? All 
 counsels that seem good are not always safe ; men 
 should therefore examine others' counsels, whether 
 they be such as agree with the word of God, are 
 really for the good of church or state, before they 
 approve or entertain them. 
 
 Take heed what counsels you take from great ones 
 that are corrupt; this hath endangered cities, 
 churches, whole kingdoms. Take counsel of the 
 great God, who dasheth all wicked counsels, and 
 establishcth his own; Psal. xxxiii. 10, 11, he brings 
 the counsels of men to nought, but the counsel of 
 God endures for ever. 
 
 Obs. 7- That great ones are greatly secure, they 
 put the evil day far from them ; " It is not near." 
 They arc lavish to entertain thoughts that may dis- 
 quiet their hearts, or shake their foundaHons. Ho- 
 nours, pleasures, secular afl'airs take them up so, 
 that they fear not changes, they consider not the 
 evil day, they are as quiet as men that are in cove- 
 nant one with another. Isa. xxviii. 14, 15, those 
 who ruled the people, they said, "We have made a 
 covenant with death, and with hell are we at agree- 
 ment ; when the overflowing scourge shall pass 
 through, it shall not come unto us." The great ones 
 were covenanters, such as ruled the city; but with 
 whom did they covenant ? with death and hell, and 
 now feared not any threatenings of them by the 
 prophets. Although the prophets threatened death 
 and hell to them, it was as nothing, they fearod not. 
 Some think they, being idolatrous, sacrificed to Pluto, 
 fufum Atrnpnx, those gods they conceived had power 
 over death and hell, and so had them their friends, 
 and lived without fear. Amos vi. 3, he tells you of 
 some that " put far away the evil day ;" but who 
 were they ? men of place and power ; they were
 
 248 
 
 AN EXrOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 'I his matte lere- ,. 
 iiiMli s.iy, " I am tn 
 
 such as caused the seat of violence to come near, that 
 lay upon beds of ivory, that stretched thumsi Ivcs 
 upon their couches, and did eat the lambs out of tlie 
 ilocks, and calvt-s out of the midst of the stall ; they 
 were dancers, drinkers, and such as anointed them- 
 selves with the cliiefest ointments. These are men 
 " settled on their Ices," as Zephaniah speaks, chap. i. 
 12; they were like wine in vessels, notemi)iied Irom 
 vessel to vessel, but settled in their sinful security. And 
 not only great ones are secure, but, Zech. i. II, the 
 angel told the man among the myrtle trees, tliat all 
 the earth sat still and was at rest. Security is an 
 epidemical disease. 
 
 Obs. 8. See the impiety and profaneness of these 
 men : 
 
 (1.) They oppose God, and give contrary counsel to 
 what he had given by Jeremiah, that they sliould not 
 build houses in that place, but in Babylon, Jer. xxix. 
 5, 6, and that because of the great judgment which 
 was coming upon them; but tlicy say, " It is not 
 near ; let us build houses," there is no danger ; or if 
 the enemy should come, we had need build and 
 strengthen ourselves ; thus they counsel contrary to 
 the prophet, and to God. 
 
 (2.) Their profaneness ; they scoff at the word of 
 God : " This city is the caldron, and we be the llcsh." 
 Jeremiah had told them that God would bring tlie 
 Chaldeans upon them, and boil tliem in that city like 
 flesh in a caldron. This they scolT at, strengtlicning 
 their malice and profaneness from abuse of the word 
 of God. There is sucli corruption in the heart of 
 man, that it turns the best things of all into bitterness. 
 Isa. xxviii. 14, 15, " Hear the word of 
 Lord, ye scornful men." They 
 cvpry one I'lml'i!-' mockcd and scofi'ed at what was pro- 
 pih me ;" and, plicsicd ; whatever the propliet threat- 
 ix,r,rw"s made a encd they derided it ; therefore, ver. 22, 
 me,'ami''a''<i'in- " ^c uot uiockers, Icst vour bands be 
 sion_.ia[iy," Jul. made strong," lest you have double 
 "'■'■"■ fetters, double judgments. 2 Chron. 
 
 xxxvi. 16, "They mocked tlic messengers of God, and 
 despised his words," all his threateniugs ; and Peter, 
 2 Pet. iii. 3, 4, tells us, " there shall come scofl'ers, 
 walking after their own lusts, saying, AMicre is the 
 promise of his coming." Those under the law 
 scoHed at the threatenings ; these under the times 
 of the gospel scotf at the promises, those of Christ's 
 coming, of the resurrection, last judgment, the end of 
 all, and life eternal : such as these walk after their own 
 lusts, "they bring a city into a snare," Prov. xxix. 
 , 8. The Sejituagint translates the word 
 
 " scornful," Psal. i. 1, Xoi/ioix, pestes, 
 because such men are pestilent men, the veiy jdagues 
 of church and state, contemners of God and men. 
 Jude said it long since, that there should be mockers 
 in the last time, and we have found it true; there are 
 as profane, bitter scoll'ers amongst us, as ever were ; 
 even the trutlis of God are scorned and scoffed at. 
 
 06s. 9. No devices, counsels, attempts of men can 
 null or frustrate the purposes of God. They devise 
 mischief, give ill counsel, scoff at the truths of God, 
 put the people upon contrary designs ; yet all this 
 would not do, desolation was near, the Clialdeans 
 came, they were besieged in that city, boiled in it as 
 llesh in a' caldron, and God's counsels, truths, threats 
 took place, notwithstanding all their counsels and 
 endeavours to the contrary. Balaam was hired 
 by Balak to cross God's design, in cursing of his 
 people ; he attempted to do it, but fiod overpowered 
 him, he coidd not do or speak ought to their preju- 
 dice, Numb, xxiii. 3, 8; therefore he professed, 
 ver. "23, " Surely there is no enchantment against 
 Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: 
 according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and 
 
 of Israel, Vhat hath God wrought ? " Man would 
 have wrought mischief, but could not ; what hath 
 God wrought ? he hath wrought, and none could 
 hinder; therefore, Isa. xiv. 27, it is said, "The Lord 
 of hosts hath pui'poscd, and who shall disannul it? 
 not Balak or Balaam, not Jaazaniali or IMatiah, not 
 the twenty-five rulers in Jerusalem ; his hand is 
 stretched out, and who shall turn it back ? It is not 
 in the power of princes, no not tlic prince of dark- 
 ness, to let his work, to alter his counsels : what 
 God hath determined, shall so come to pass as he 
 liath determined ; ver. 24, " Surely as I have thought, 
 so shall it come to pass ; and as I have purposed, so 
 it shall stand ;" and all his pleasure sliall be done, 
 Isa. xlvi. 10 : so that " there is no wisdom, nor under- 
 standing, nor counsel against the Lord," Prov. 
 xxi. 30. 
 
 Ver. 4 — 12. Therefore proj^hes}/ agaimi them, 
 prophesy, Oson ofmnn. And the Spirit uf the Lord 
 fell tipun me, and said unto me, Speiik ; Thus saith 
 the Lord ; Thtts have ye said, O house oj' Israel : 
 for I know the things tltatconie in toy our mind, every 
 one oftliem. Ye have multiplied your slain in this 
 city, atid ye have filled the streets thereof with the 
 slain. Therefore thus saitli the Lord God ; Your 
 slain whom ye have laid in the midst of it, they are 
 the fesh, and this city is the caldron : hut I will bring 
 you forth out of tlie midst of it. Ye have feared 
 the sword ; and I teill bring a sieord upon you, 
 saith the Lord God. And I will bring you out 
 of the midst thereof, and deliver you into the hands 
 of strangers, and ivill e.recute judgments among 
 you. Ye shall fall by the sword; I will judge 
 you in the border of Israel ; and ye sliall know 
 that 1 am the Lord. This city shall not he your 
 caldron, neither shall ye he the fesh in the midst 
 thereof; hut I will judge you in the border of Is- 
 rael : and ye shall know that I am the Lord: 
 J'or ye have not walked in my statutes, neither exe- 
 cuted my judgments, hut have done after the man- 
 ners of the heathen that are round about you. 
 
 In these verses is contained the denunciation of 
 judgments against these devisers of mischief and 
 wicked counsellors. The parts are these : 
 
 I. A command, " Prophesy against them," ver. 4. 
 
 II. A discovery of their thoughts and counsels, 
 ver. 5. 
 
 III. Demonstration of their w-ickedncss, ver. 6 ; 
 those wdio hearkened not to their counsels, they 
 slew. 
 
 IV. Tile death of these counsellors, and the place 
 where it should be ; not in Jerusalem, but " in the 
 border of Israel," ver. 8 — 11. 
 
 V. The end of God in it, ver. 11, 12. 
 
 VI. The ground of God's proceeding thus with 
 them, ver. 12, " For ye have not walked," &c. 
 
 Ver. 4. " Therefore prophesy against them," &c. 
 The word prophesy is twice mentioned, to set out 
 the intention of God, which was set against them, 
 the certainty of the thing, and to prevent delay in 
 the prophet ; he must go and tell them of heavy and 
 sad things. God was greatly displeased witli them, 
 and therefore will have the prophet without any de- 
 lay to make known his pleasure against them ; he 
 must speak freely and boldly, and foretill them of 
 their destruction. 
 
 Obs. 1. That profane scoffing at the truths and 
 threats of God provokes him greatly. They had 
 scoffed at Jeremiah's words, " This city is the cal-
 
 Vkr. 4—12. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 249 
 
 dron, and we be the flesh," and made constructions 
 of them to please themselves ; therefore saith God, 
 " Prophesy against them." His Spirit was stirred, 
 and he stirs up the prophet to declare his wrath 
 against such scoffers. God's threats and judgments 
 shoidd make men tremble ; Job xli. 10, " Who is able 
 to stand before me ?" At his presence the mountains 
 melt, Isa. Ixiv. 3 ; when he threatened, the great 
 city Nineveh repented, Jonah iii. ; and devils tremble. 
 Jam. ii. 19. Mountains, Ninevites, devils, melt, re- 
 pent, tremble, and yet Israelites scotT at the threats 
 and judgments of God ; but the Lord will not endure it, 
 the prophet must declare dreadful things against them. 
 
 Men that have scoffed at the truths and ways of 
 God, have been lashed with the judgments of God. 
 Fox in Acis and John Apowel scoffing at one for pray- 
 MoQunients. jug, WHS presently surprised with fear, 
 and the next day found mad, crying out night 
 and day, " Oh the devil, the devil ! " Another 
 hearing a godly minister preaching from that text, 
 Prov. X. 7, " The memory of the just is blessed : 
 but the name of the wicked shall rot," scoffed at 
 the minister, and said, he made a rotten sermon : 
 presently after hurting his tongue with a little wood 
 which he held at his mouth, his tongue swelled, 
 rotted, and he died of it. 
 
 064-. 2. That servants of God having divine warrant, 
 are forthwith to do their office, although they be 
 messengers of sad tidings. " Prophesy, prophesy 
 against them." He hath command from God, and 
 he must not stick now, and say. They are great men, 
 the chief of the city, such as sought Jeremiah's death, 
 and if I shall prophesy against them, they will use 
 means to crush me ; God, by doubling the word, 
 takes him off fi-om all such reasonings, from all de- 
 lays, and expected immediate performance of his 
 commands. Let men fret at the messages of God's 
 servants ; they must respect God, and not man, they 
 must give out what the Lord hath given in. If men 
 be great, God is greater ; we must be faithful to him, 
 whoever suffers by it. 
 
 Yer. 5. " And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me." 
 The Hebrew word ^3: notes the falling of a thing 
 from a high place, cum li el impelu, with force aiui 
 violence ; and so here the Spirit coming from above, 
 offered not violence to the prophet, but came upon 
 him with might and power, and provoked him to 
 prophesy. 
 
 " Thus have ye said." Whether the Spirit or 
 prophet repeated their words, is not evident, they 
 are not expressed ; where the sense is evident from 
 former expressions, the Scripture is frequently silent, 
 and repeats not the words. 2 Kings v. 4, " Thus and 
 thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel." 
 So 2 Sam. xvii. 15, " Thus and thus did Ahithophel 
 counsel," saith Hushai, " and thus and thus have I 
 counselled ;" the sense was known by what was be- 
 fore, and therefore the w'ords are not repeated : the 
 Scripture shuns the multiidying of words needlessly. 
 
 " O house of Israel." That is, the house of Judah, 
 the whole being put for a part ; and this is frequent. 
 
 " I know the things that come into your mind." 
 a„.„.„ „„• The Hebrew is, nSvD which notes 
 
 Ascensiones spi- , , . , . ' 
 
 riius vesiri. those things that rise up out of men s 
 
 '^°'°' hearts, as weeds out of the earth, 
 
 or leaves upon trees; nSy is a leaf; quia sursum 
 crescit, whatever goes out and up from the heart 
 or spirit of a man, that is imderstood by mmilolh. 
 Matt. XV. 19, ill thoughts go out from the heart, go 
 up to the tongue, to the eyes. Luke xxiv. 3S, Why 
 do evil thoughts or reasonings arise in your hearts ? 
 Obs. I. Whom the Lord sends about his work, he 
 enables to do it. Go, prophesy, prophesy ; and pre- 
 .sently the Spirit fell upon him, whereby he was 
 
 furnished with prophetical matter, and enabled to 
 deliver it. When God sent Moses, he furnished 
 him for the great work he appointed him to : Moses 
 pleaded his incloqucnee and slowness of speech ; 
 but God said, Exod. iv. 12, " Go, and 1 will be with 
 thy mouth, and teach thee," &c. 
 
 06.«. 2. To new acts of prophecy, new access of 
 the Spirit is requisite. He had received the Spirit 
 before divers times, chap. i. 3; ii. 2; iii. 14, 22, 24; 
 viii. I ; and here again, before he prophesies, the 
 Spirit falls upon him ; which shows that to spiritual, 
 work antecedent receptions of the Spirit suffice 
 not, there must be new influxes of the Spirit for new 
 acts of prophecy. If the Spirit therefore did not 
 reveal new things unto the prophets, they could not 
 prophesy ; for prophecy is no habit which men 
 might stir up, and use at their pleasure. Prophets 
 know not secret and future things, but as the Spirit 
 reveals them. Elisha knew not the death of the 
 Shunammite's son, 2 Kings iv. 2/, " The Lord hath 
 hid it from me, and hath not told me ;" and Nathan 
 knew not the mind of God about building the temple, 
 2 Sam. vii. 3. There must be new acts of the Spirit 
 revealing unto the prophets when they give out 
 prophetical things; but Numb. xi. 26, "The Spirit 
 rested upon Eldad and Medad, and they prophesied 
 in the camp." Some think they continued con- 
 stantly prophesying, and ceased not, but that is an 
 opinion only. The Spirit resting upon them, argues 
 not that they did always prophesy, or had a habit of 
 prophesying, but that they were numbered amongst 
 the prophets, and at what times it pleased the Spirit, 
 had new revelations, which they declared; suitable 
 to that in Isa. 1. 4, " He wakeneth morning by 
 morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the 
 learned ;" the prophet could not speak a word in 
 season if God had not wakened him, and spake to 
 him every morning. 
 
 Obs. 3. Supernatural things commanded are not 
 in vain. God bid Ezekiel prophesy : he was not 
 able to do it ; the Philistines might more easily 
 have interpreted Samson's riddle : Job might as 
 well have answered God's great questions, in chap, 
 xxxviii. — xli. as our prophet have prophesied ; but 
 God commanded, and he caused the Spirit to fall 
 upon him. As the Lord calls upon us to repent, to 
 believe, these are supernatural works, and men may 
 as soon remove mountains, pluck the sun out of 
 heaven, as do these ; but God that commands them, 
 gives power and grace to do them, Phil. i. 29 ; 
 2 Tim. ii. 25. 
 
 Obs. 4. The prophets had warrant to deal j}arlicu- 
 larly, even with the greatest sinners. " Speak ; Thus 
 have ye said;" how? thus, " It is not near; let us 
 build houses ; this city is the caldron, and we be the 
 flesh." The prophet may go and tell them what 
 they have said, though they were the cliiefest men 
 of the city. When great ones sin, they must be told 
 of their sins in a special manner. David defiles his 
 body with adultt ry, and the land with blood ; Nathan 
 comes to him, and tells him a parable that was so 
 general as David took it not home to himself; there- 
 upon the prophet deals roundly with him, and tells 
 him, "Thou art the man," 2 Sam. xii. 7; and ver. 
 
 9, "Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the 
 sword of Amnion, and taken his wife ; now therefore 
 the sword shall never depart from thy house." So 
 Elijah spake home to Ahab, and told him that it was 
 he and his father's house that troubled Israel, be- 
 cause they had forsaken the commandments of tlie 
 Lord, and followed Baalim, I Kings xviii. IH. Isaiah 
 flattered not great nor small when he said, chap. i. 
 
 10, " Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom 
 and people of Gomorrah ;" and Jeremiah must " say
 
 250 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 unto the king rincl to the queen, HumLle yourselves, sit 
 clown : for your principalities shall come down, even 
 the crown of your glory," Jcr. xiii. 18. John told 
 Herod it was not lawful for him to have his brother's 
 wife, Mark vi. 18; Luke iii. lU; it is said he was 
 tXfy^o^d'oj IT avToii, he .showed him the gi-eatne.ss, 
 foulness, and danger of his .sin, and laboured to con- 
 vince him by strong arguments ; so Paul dealt with 
 Peter, and John with Diotrephes. And there is 
 great reason that ministers shoidd tell men of their 
 sins ; Ezek. iii. 18, " If thou sjieakest not to warn 
 the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life ; 
 the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity ; but 
 his blood will 1 require at thine hand." 
 
 Oba. 5. That whatever risings, thoughts, work- 
 ings, are in men's spirits, the Lord knows them, and 
 that exactly. " I know the things that come into 
 your mind, every one." There is nothing in man 
 hid from God ; a thought is a small thing, yet 
 thoughts escape not the eye of God. Jcr. xvii. 1), 
 10, " The heart is deceitful above all things, and des- 
 perately w-ickcd : who can know it?" not a man's 
 self, not Satan, not angels ; who then ? " I the Lord 
 search the heart, I ti-y the reins." Man may know- 
 it conjecturally, Prov. xx. 5, he may by his art pump 
 out much ; man m.ay know it by revelation, 1 Sam. 
 ix. 19, so Samuel the seer could tell Saul all that 
 was in his heart: but to know what is in the heart 
 of man, immediately, exactly, and certainly, can 
 none but God ; he only is KapSwyvii^a, therefore the 
 apostles prayed to him under that notion. Acts i. 24, 
 " Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, 
 show w'hethcr of these two thou hast chosen." There 
 is no juggling with God, his eye beholds all ; and if 
 there could be doubt of any thing with him, he 
 searcheth the heart, he tries the reins : this is 
 spoken to our capacity, God needs no searching, no 
 trying ; for, Psal. cxxxix. 2, " Thou understandest my 
 thought afar off:" not that God is at a distance from 
 us, or our thoughts ; but he imderstands tliem while 
 they are far off from u.s, from our knowledge, while 
 they are potential, as gardeners know what weeds 
 such ground will bring forth, when nothing appears. 
 Deut. xsxi. 21, "1 know their imagination which 
 they go about, even now, before I have brought them 
 into the land which I sware :" God knew their 
 thoughts before they came into Canaan, what they 
 would be there. And how can it be, but that God 
 shoidd know all our thoughts, seeing he made tlie 
 heart, and it is in his hand, Prov. xxi. 1 ; seeing " we 
 live, move, and have our being " in God, Acts xvii. 
 28 ; seeing he is through us all, and in us all, Eph. 
 iv. 6. Look well to your hearts, thoughts, risings, 
 whatever comes into your mind ; let no secret sins, 
 corruptions, lodge there ; think not to conceal any 
 thing from the eye of God. Psal. xc. 8, " Thou hast 
 set our iniquities before thee ;" and not only them, 
 but " our secret sins in the light of thy countenance ;" 
 thou lookest upon them fully, seest, knowest them 
 exactly; therefore remember that. Eeel. xii. 13, 14, 
 " Fear God, and keep his commandments ;" and w hy ? 
 "for God shall bring every work into judgment, with 
 every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it 
 be evil." There is no shuffling with God, men in great 
 place, or of great parts, cannot elude or evade him. 
 
 Vcr. 6. " Ye have multiplied your slain in this 
 city, " &c. Before they had been jirofane, now 
 their injusliee appears. Some think the men were 
 not actually slain, but oppressed and cruelly dealt 
 with ; violence and oppression being counted, in the 
 Scripture sense, murder : but it is not probable that 
 our prophet would use such expressions, as, to mul- 
 tiply the .slain, and fill llic streets with slain, if none 
 were slain. Chap. vii. 'j:i, " The land is full of 
 
 bloody crimes ;" and chap. ix. 9, " The land is full of 
 blood ;" and chap. xxii. 2, it is called the " bloody 
 city ;" so in chap xxiv. C, 9 ; the Hebrew is, the city 
 of bloods. These great men who gave the ill coun- 
 sel, it is likely that they crushed those who opposed 
 them, and dealt with them as seditious, as rebellious, 
 as enemies to the city and state. Jeremiah, you know, 
 they sought his life, petitioned to the king that he 
 might be put to death, Jer. xxxviii. 4; and it is pro- 
 baljle, that many which would not conform to their 
 idolatrous practices, were cut oti'. 
 
 Obi. ^\'hen the Lord is about to proceed in judg- 
 ment against evil doers, he declares the cause of his 
 proceeding in such a w'ay. When God intended to 
 destroy the world, he made known the cause there- 
 of. Gen. vi. 5, 6, 11, 12; when he was about to fire 
 Sodom, he discovered to Abraham the ground of it, 
 Gen. xviii. 20. 
 
 Ver. 7- " Your slain whom ye have laid in the 
 midst of it, they are the flesh, and this city is the 
 caldron." Here the Lord shows them who are the 
 flesh in the caldron ; not in that sense they took it; 
 for tliey thought themselves should be the tiesh, live 
 till old age in the city : but the Lord tells them here 
 that those they had slain unjustly, whose carcasses 
 lay in the streets, and consumed away, they were 
 the flesh boiled in the caldron. Manassch had been 
 bloody, and Zedekiah was bloody, and the slain were 
 the flesh, and so the city was a caldron to them, but 
 not to the others. 
 
 " I will Ijring you forth out of the midst of it." 
 God tells them they shall neither live nor die in it, 
 he would order things so, that they should be car- 
 ried out of Jerusalem ; and for certainty of it, the 
 words arc repeated in the beginning of the 9th verse. 
 
 Obs. Judgments of God cannot be waved by men's 
 wit or power. They jeered, and made a construc- 
 tion of flesh and caldron suitable to their own minds, 
 and conceited they should the in the city in peace ; 
 but the Lord tells them no, he would bring them 
 forth out of the midst of it. 
 
 Ver. 8. " Ye have feared the sword ; and I will 
 bring a sword upon you," &c. Jeremiah had coun- 
 selled them to yield themselves, chap, xxxviii. 17: 
 the king and the rest through fear would not 
 hearken. They feared the sword, and therefore sent 
 to Egypt for help, Jer. ii. 18. They feared the sword, 
 but not the Babylonish captiWty : the Lord brought 
 both upon them. 
 
 Ob.s. 1. Where guilt is, there is fear. They were 
 deej)Iy guilty of imjiicty and injustice ; they had 
 sinned against God by their idolatry, against their 
 brethren by their bloodiness, against the king of 
 Babylon by breaking oath and covenant with him, 
 Ezek. xvii. 15; and now whatever they said, "It is 
 not near," yet they were full of fear ; God saw what 
 timorous spirits they had. If the horror of their 
 wicked acts did not seize upon them, yet fear of 
 wrath and judgment possessed them. Psal. xiv. 5, 
 speaking of workers of iniquity, he saith, "There 
 were they in great fear;" Hebrew is, they feared 
 a fear : but where was it, in their consciences ? 
 when the light of nature did convince them of their 
 wickedness, there where the conviction was they 
 feared greatly. Prov. xxviii. 1, "The wicked flee 
 when no man pursueth :" they fear, and so fear, that 
 they flee to secure themselves from imaginary dan- 
 gers. Lev. xxvi. 3(), " The sound of a shaken leaf 
 shall chase them." And Job xv. 21, Elij)haz, speak- 
 ing of the wicked, saith, " A dreadful sound is in his 
 ears ;" the Hebrew is, a sound of fears : such was in 
 Richard the third, whose hand was ever upon his 
 dagger. " The wicked are like the troubled sea," 
 Isa. Ivii. 20.
 
 Ver. 
 
 -h 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 251 
 
 Ohs. 2. Tlicit wliich sinners fear, the Lord brings 
 upon them. Saul feared the devohition of the king- 
 dom to another, and it fell to David. The Jews 
 feared lest the " Komans should come, and take 
 away their place and nation," John xi. 48, and they 
 did do it. Prov. x. 24, " The fear of the wicked, it 
 shall come upon him ;" it is coming towards him 
 every day, and will be upon him ere he die. 
 
 After the flood the people feared scattering, and 
 therefore said, " Let us build a tower, whose top 
 may reach unto heaven," Gen. xi. 4 ; and ver. 8, 
 " The Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon 
 the face of all the earth." Men that fear evils 
 usually take surer courses to prevent them, which 
 justly brings the thin^ feared upon them. Richard 
 the third feared the kingdom woidd not be firm to 
 him, his nephews he murders for security, and this 
 kindled a fire in the kingdom, which quickly con- 
 sumed him. The prelates feared their standing ; to 
 establish themselves, they remove from jus regium 
 to jus divinum ; they frame a new oath, with an &:c. 
 in it, to swear all men to put to their shoulders for 
 support of their tottering kingdom ; but it is fallen, 
 it is fallen. 
 
 Ver. 9. " I will bring you out of the midst thereof." 
 Of these words before in the /th verse. 
 
 " And deliver you into the hands of strangers." 
 Not of the neighbour nations ; for had they come 
 against them, because of commerce, consultation, 
 language, and some references to them, the nobles 
 and great ones might have found favour ; therefore 
 God would put them into the hands of strangers that 
 understood not their language, that had no induce- 
 ments to show favour to them, that regarded neither 
 great nor small. They had destroyed their friends, 
 now strangers should destroy them. 
 
 " And will execute judgments among you." Of 
 these words I spoke, chap. v. 8. 
 
 06s. The Lord can use any instruments to accom- 
 plish his judgments : strangers, heathens, profene 
 ones, it matters not what the instruments arc, if the 
 holy God use them ; his use of them is holy, and he 
 orders all their thouglits, counsels, operations, to 
 accomplish his own ends. 
 
 Ver. 10. "I will judge you in the border of Israel." 
 The same words are in the 11th verse. Where 
 this was must be inquired. It is generally thought 
 to be at Riblah, and the scripture is for it, 2 Kings 
 XXV. C. Some have thought it to be in Babylon, but 
 without warrant ; 2 Kings xxiii. 33, Riblah was in 
 the land of Hamath, which lay on the north part of 
 Canaan on the east side : and Bonfrerius observes in 
 his Onomasticon of cities and places, that Jerom 
 thinks it to be Antiochia, Adrichomius, some city 
 of Syria or Judea, in the tribe of Naphtali, and this 
 the scripture gives countenance unto, Numb, xxxiv. 
 11, 12. Others think it to be a province in Syria, 
 afterwards called Epiphania, from Antiochus Epi- 
 phanes. This Riblah or Epiphania was at the bor- 
 der of Israel, where Nebuchadnezzar was, whither 
 Zedekiah was brought, and there God judged him 
 and the rest. 2 Kings xxv. 6, " They took the king, 
 and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah ; 
 and they gave judgment upon him;" Hebrew is, 
 spake judgment ; they expostulated with him and 
 the rest about their treachery, in breaking the oath, 
 and revolting from the king of Babylon. And their 
 judgment w as executed ; Zedekiah sees his sons 
 slain, his eyes are jnit out. all the nobles are put to 
 death, Jer. xxxix. 5 — 7 ; lii- 10. 
 
 Obs. God punisheth sinners in places and by per- 
 sons they think not of. These men thought they 
 should die in Jerusalem, never fall into the hands of 
 strangers ; but God carried them to Riblah, to the 
 
 borders of the land, delivered them into the hands 
 of strangers, from whom they found no pity, no 
 mercy. It is some comfort to uien to die in their own 
 country among their friends, that will take care of 
 their dead corpse, see the same interred honourably 
 after death. Hence was it that JLneas counted them 
 happy who died before the walls of Troy, when he 
 was lloating upon the seas, and in danger of death 
 among the waves. Something is in it that the pro- 
 phet saith, Jer. xxii. 10, " Weep ye not for the dead, 
 neither bemoan him : but weep sore for him that 
 goeth away : for he shall return no more, nor see 
 his native country." They must not weep for the 
 dead, but must weep, and that sorely, for those who 
 lost their country : the Jews would rather die than 
 lose their land, and be taken from Jerusalem. Ver. 
 2!), it is laid as a great judgment upon Jeconiah 
 and his mother, to be carried to another land, where 
 they should die. 
 
 Ver. 12. " And ye shall know that I am the Lord," 
 &c. In this verse is the end and ground of God's 
 judgments. You have the first words of the verse 
 oft before, especially in chap. \i. 7, 10, 13, 14; and 
 those words, " Ye have not walked in my statutes, 
 neither executed my judgments," you had opened, 
 chap. V. 6. One thing in this verse must be spoke 
 unto: it is said, chap. v. 7, "Neither have done ac- 
 cording to the judgments" of the nations that are 
 roimd about you ; " and here it is, " but have done 
 after the manners of the heathen that are round 
 about you." The difficulty is not great ; in the 5th 
 chapter they were not so righteous and just as the 
 heathens were, and here, tliey followed the manners 
 of the heathen ; what coiTupt manners they had, 
 those the Jews took up, their manners of worship 
 and of life. 
 
 Obs. 1. The scope and end of God's judgments is 
 to convince the wicked that he is the Lord. " Ye 
 shall know that I am the Lord." You have cast me 
 off, taken in other gods, worshipped the sun, and 
 forms of creeping things ; but I will bring hea\-j'' 
 judgments upon you, caiTy you out of this city to 
 the borders of Israel, slay you with the sword. And 
 when you are in the hands of your enemies, you 
 shall know experimentally that 1 am the Lord, that 
 all other gods were false and idol gods, that they 
 were not able to save you in time of trouble, that you 
 have done exceeding ill to provoke me, who am Je- 
 hovah, the true and only God, who have all power 
 in my hands, and will now make good my threats 
 upon their heads and carcasses; your consciences 
 shall tell you, whether you be willing or unwilling, 
 that I am righteous in my proceedings, and that 
 themselves die justly by my strokes. 
 
 Obs. 2. God therefore punisheth, because men do 
 wickedly. " I will judge you in the border of Israel ; 
 and ye shall know that I am the Lord ; for ye have 
 not "walked in my statutes, neither executed my 
 judgments," &c. God hath a special eye to his own 
 statutes and judgments ; when they are kept and 
 performed, he prospers, but when they are -N-iolated, 
 fie judgeth, he destroys. God's statutes and judg- 
 ments come from infinite wisdom and holiness, tliey 
 are good, equal, profitable ; and for the sons of men, 
 that depend upon God every moment for their lives 
 and beings, to neglect the Lord's statutes, to trans- 
 gress them, and do after their own wills, humours, 
 fancies, or others', this is unspeakable wrong to God, 
 and he hath, doth, and will visit for such wrongs. 
 If men would not be broken with his judgments, let 
 them not break his statutes ; if they would secure 
 their lives, let them walk in his laws. 
 
 06*. 3. The Lord's own people are prone to take 
 up the manners and customs of other nations. " Ye
 
 252 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 have done after the manners of the heathen ; " and 
 not one heathenish nation only, but of all round 
 about you. They observed their manners of life, and 
 manners of worship, liked, fetched them in, and 
 practised the same : 2 Chron. xiii. 9, they made 
 them " priests after the manner of the nations of 
 other lands:" Psal. cvi. 35, they "mingled among 
 the heathen, and learned their works " and ways : 
 2 Kings xvi. 3, Ahaz caused " his son to pass through 
 the fire, accortUng to the abominations of the hea- 
 then:" they would have a king to judge them, like 
 all the nations, 1 Sam. viii. 5, 20. 
 
 Ezek. XX. 32, " AVe will be as the heathen, as the 
 families of the countries." Such conformity had they 
 with the heathen, that Moab and Seir could say, 
 Ezek. XXV. 8, " Behold, the house of Judali is like 
 unto all the heathen." 
 
 Obs. 4. When God's people take up the manners of 
 heathens, and nations hateful to God, it provokes him 
 greatly, and aggravates the evil much. 
 
 In this case, (1.) They reject God's statutes and 
 ways, they laid them by and walked not in them ; 
 yet, Deut, iv. 8, no nation under heaven had statutes 
 and judgments so rigliteous as they. 2 Kings xvii. 
 15, "They rejected his statutes," and his command- 
 ments, "and his testimonies; they followed vanity, 
 and went after the heathen that were round about 
 them." It was as if men should lay aside the Bible, 
 and take the Turkish Alcoran, or popish mass-book. 
 
 (2.) There was a prohibition, that they should 
 not do after the ways of the heathens : Deut. xii. 30, 
 " Take heed thou be not snared by following them, 
 and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How 
 did these nations serve their gods ? even so will I do ;" 
 
 .ler. X.2. ■• Learn '^''''"- ^l, " ThoU shalt nOt do SO," &C. ; 
 
 iK.itiie wayofUie and 2 Kings xvii. 15, the Lord had 
 charged them that they should not do 
 like the heathen. 
 
 (3.) God punished the heathens for those practices 
 they took up; see Lev. xviii. 2-1 — 26, 28 ; Ueut. xii. 
 29, 30 ; he cast them out before their eyes, 
 2 Kings x\-i. 3. 
 
 Ver. 13. And it came to pass, when I prophe- 
 sied, that Pelutidh the son of Benaiali died. Then 
 fell I down vpon mi/ face, and died with a loud 
 voire, and said. Ah Lord God ! wilt thou make 
 afull end of the remnant of Israel? 
 
 This verse presents unto us, 
 
 I. The death of "Pelatiah." 
 
 II. The time of it, "when 1 prophesied." 
 
 III. The consequences ofthis judgment upon Pela- 
 tiah ; which are, 
 
 1. The prophet's falling upon his face. 
 
 2. His exclamation; he "cried with a loud," &c. 
 
 3. What he cried out, " Ah Lord God r" &c. 
 Some doubts lie wrapt up in this verse, and must 
 
 be cleared. Our prophet was, in body, amongst the 
 captives in Babylon ; in spirit, he was in the temple, 
 at the east gate of the Lord's house, ver. 1. 
 
 Quest. I. How Ezekiel saith here, "When I pro- 
 phesied, Pelatiah died ? " whenas he had yet pro- 
 ]ihesied nothing, he was now in a vision; and ver. 
 24, 25, after this he was returned " by the spirit into 
 Chaldea," and then he spake all the "things the Lord 
 had showed him. 
 
 Answ. 1. Some think that by prophesying lure is 
 not meant actual prophesying, as if our prophet did 
 prophesy, and give out what the Lord said, but the 
 hearing of prophecy ; and that place is brought to 
 justify it, I Cor. xi. 5, " Every woman that praycth or 
 prophesieth ;" that is, say they, which heareth ]iro- 
 phecy : and so they will have our prophet only to hear 
 
 prophetical truths which the Lord gave out, and that 
 Pelatiah should die. But this sense of the words 
 seems harsh, and the text saith, he prophesied, he did 
 not hear prophecy, hear Pelatiah should die ; why, 
 at the hearing of these things, should he fall down 
 upon his face, and cry out as he did ? 
 
 2. The Lord had great indignation against these 
 men that gave ill counsel, and bids Ezekiel prophesy, 
 ver. 4, and doubles the command, " Prophesy, pro- 
 l)hesy against them ;" and then the Spirit fell upon 
 him, ver. 5, and bade him speak, " Thus saith the 
 Lord," iVe. ; therefore it might well be that he prophe- 
 sied (while he was in the vision) visionally, and so had 
 a visional sight of Pelatiah's death. And then after, 
 when he came to them in the captivity, he spake to 
 the captivity all the things that the Lord had showed 
 him, and there the real death of Pelatiah was. 
 
 3. The prophet wrote this story after he had 
 prophesied in Babylon, and so might insert these 
 words here, being upon the storyof these twenty-five 
 men ; for it is usual in Scripture to set that before 
 which was done after. 
 
 Quest. 2. But then a second doubt arises ; if Eze- 
 kiel were in Babylon, and prophesied there, how 
 could this proplieey reach the men that were at Je- 
 rusalem ; to them it belonged, and the prophet's voice 
 could not extend to their cars ? 
 
 Ansiv. I. Be it granted tliat the prophet was at a 
 distance from them at Jerusalem, yet the virtue of 
 the prophecy, though not the words, might, and did, 
 extend to Jerusalem. When Ezekiel fell really to 
 prophesy against these men, then Pelatiah died. 
 When Isaiah prophesied against Babylon, Moab, 
 Damascus, Ethiopia, and Egypt, Isa. xiii. xv. xvii. 
 — XX. he was at a great distance from them, yet the 
 prophecies were fulfilled upon them. 
 
 2. There was intercourse between those at Je- 
 rusalem and those in Babylon ; Jer. xxix. I, 3, 
 Zedekiah sent Elasah and Gemariah to Babylon, and 
 Jeremiah sent letters to them, to acquaint them with 
 his prophecy concerning them, and by those men, 
 or others, might Ezekiel's prophecy be made known 
 to them at Jerusalem. 
 
 Quest. 3. How knew Ezekiel that Pelatiah died at 
 that time when he prophesied ? 
 
 Ansiv. 1. This he might know by comparing the 
 tidings of his death by messengers brought unto 
 him, and certifying the time, day, and hour thereof, 
 comparing the same with the time of his prophesy- 
 ing ; for Pelatiah being a prince of the people, great 
 notice would be taken of his death, and the hour of 
 it fly abroad swiftly, and that to Babylon. Ezek. 
 xxxiii. 21, when the city was besieged, one got 
 away, and brought tidings thereof to Ezekiel ; much 
 more easily might they do it before. 
 
 2. The spirit of proplieey might certify our 
 prophet hereof, that when he liid prophesy, Pelatiah 
 should die at that time. Elijah could tell Ahaziah 
 that he should never come oft' the bed he lay sick 
 upon, 2 Kings i. 4 ; and Aliijah could tell Jeroboam's 
 wife, that when her feet entered into the city, the 
 child should die, 1 Kings xiv. 12 ; and, ver. 17, 
 " when she came to the threshold of the door, the 
 child died." 
 
 Quest. 4. How comes it to pass that these twenty- 
 five men, not being of the number of marked ones, 
 chap. ix. escaped the sword of the six slaughter- 
 men, when they slew all unmarked ones in the sanc- 
 tuary, and in the city ? 
 
 yln.^u: They were visionally slain ; not really, till 
 the siege and taking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnez- 
 zar, when also the other Iwenty-four perished, being 
 carried thence to the borders of Israel. And where- 
 as some think Pelatiah here died only visionally,
 
 Ver. 13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 253 
 
 they detrnct much from the words of the prophet, 
 who saith, he died. You know he prophesied against 
 them all, the twenty-five, and they were all cut oif 
 afterward : and if Pelatiah's death were visional, 
 why saw he not visionally the death of all the rest. 
 
 The truth is, Pelatiah was made an example, to 
 show the reality and efficacy of this prophecy ; for 
 when the captives understood that the thing was so 
 at Jerusalem as Ezekiel prophesied in Babylon, that 
 Pelatiah, a prince, was struck dead by the hand of 
 the Lord, they began to change their thoughts of 
 them at Jerusalem, that they had done wisely to stay 
 it out there, and that themselves were improvident 
 in coming into Babylon ; but now they saw God was 
 going on with his judgments against them, and that 
 safety was on their own side. 
 
 Of falling upon the face, and crying out, " Ah 
 Lord God ! " see chap. ix. 8, where those expressions 
 have been opened. 
 
 " Wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of 
 Israel." 
 
 Quest. 5. What moved the prophet to use these 
 words ? Here was only the death of one man, 
 and that a wicked man ; had he seen thousands 
 cut olT, smitten dead by the hand of God, he might 
 have feared all the remnant of Israel : he knew there 
 Mere many marked ones, commission given to sjjare 
 them, and therefore why doth he conceive the Lord 
 would make a fidl end of the remnant of Israel ? 
 
 Ansic. 1. Some think Pelatiah, being the chief of the 
 princes, and bearing great sway (for Zedekiah stood 
 in awe of them, Jer. xxxviii. 5) among the people, 
 that our prophet speaks in their person, rather than 
 his own, and thus it is carried : Pelatiah hath been 
 our counsellor, hath great interest in us, we confide 
 more in him than others, and now thou hast cut him 
 off who was our support : " Ah Lord ! wilt thou make 
 a full end of the remnant of Israel ?" That the pro- 
 phet should speak in their person, I see nothing to 
 induce it; it is not like so wicked a people would 
 make so gracious a use of this judgment, but rather 
 encourage themselves in Jaazaniah and the rest. 
 
 2. I conceive the words refer only to the prophet,who 
 seeing this stroke of God upon Pelatiah, cried out so, 
 
 (1.) From his love to that people in general ; they 
 were Israelites, and love is full of fears. 
 
 (2.) He remembered, chap. ix. 5, 6, the commis- 
 sion given to the slaughtering angels, to be without 
 pity, to slay old and young, maids, women, children : 
 and now seeing the judgment begun upon Pelatiah, 
 he knew not but that it might proceed to the destruc- 
 tion of all, and he therefore saith, " Ah Lord God," 8:c. 
 He had received in this vision much matter for 
 prophecy, which was not yet given out, and here- 
 upon seeing Pelatiah smitten, he cried out so. 
 
 Quest. 6. Should not Ezekiel have rejoiced in the 
 death of Pelatiah ? Psal. Iviii. 10, " The righteous 
 shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance." Did 
 not he neglect a duty, and so offend, seeing he wept 
 and mourned ? 
 
 AnsuK We are to rejoice at the ruin of the wicked. 
 Exod. XV. when Pharaoh and his host were drown- 
 ed in the Red sea, and Egypt howling for their 
 loss, then Moses and the Israelites sang unto the 
 Lord ; when Sisera was slain, Baruch and Deborah 
 sang to the Lord, Judg. v. ; and Solomon layeth it 
 down for a maxim, Prov. xi. 10, "When the wicked 
 perish, there is .shouting " and great joy. Tlie saints 
 may rejoice at the deaths of wicked ones, be they 
 natural or violent ; 
 
 1. As it sets out the glory of his justice. He 
 hath threatened sinners in his word, and when he 
 executes his threats upon them, gives them according 
 to the nature of their sin, then his justice is glorious. 
 
 2. As way hereby is made for the spreading of truth, 
 enlargement of the gospel and kingdom of Christ. 
 
 3. As their death tends to the clearing of the 
 godly. David was suspected, yea, accused, by Na- 
 bal, to be some runagate, 1 Sam. xxv. 10. God 
 smites Nabal with death, ver. 38 ; when David heard 
 it, he blesseth God for it, that he had pleaded the 
 cause of his reproach from the hand of Nabal, and 
 returned his wickedness upon his head, ver. 39. 
 
 4. As by their death the godly gain liberty. So 
 when Haman was hanged, and his ten sons and 
 other enemies of the Jews put to death, they feasted 
 and rejoiced, Esth. ix. 19 ; they were freed from their 
 vexations, oppressions, cruelties, plots. 
 
 5. As there is a stop made to wickedness. Prov. 
 xxi. 11, "When the scorner is punished, the simple 
 is made wise ;" sin ceaseth in the scorner, being cut 
 off, and others cease their wickedness, and grow 
 wise by their stroke. Now Pelatiah's ill counsel, 
 example, power, and whatever he had to promote 
 iniquity with, ceased. So then we may rejoice upon 
 those grounds, but not out of any private respect or 
 revengeful apprehension. 
 
 But there is also matter of grief and mourning. 
 God delights not in the death of a sinner, neither 
 should any godly man ; as, therefore, Pelatiah was 
 a wicked man, died in his sins, was suddenly cut off, 
 ran a hazard of his eternal eonchtion, so it was mat- 
 ter of mourning. Our prophet, therefore, might re- 
 joice upon the grounds first mentioned, and mourn 
 upon these last named ; but, as I hinted in the former 
 question, he looked beyond this one man to the state 
 of Israel. 
 
 Obs. 1. How dreadful God's judgments are upon 
 evil counsellors, and scoffers though never so great ! 
 Pelatiah, a prince of the people, gave ill counsel in 
 the city, scoil'edat the prophecy of Jeremiah, " This 
 city is the caldron, and we be the flesh," and here 
 God smites him. The dreadfulness of the judgment 
 is seen in four things. 
 
 (1.) In that he smites his life ; not his estate, not 
 his liberty, not his near friends, not any limb, but 
 his life : he smote him in that which was dearest of 
 all, his life ; with that which was most feared of all, 
 death, the king of fears. 
 
 (2.) It was sudden. When judgments are sudden, 
 they note severity : Deut. vii. 4, when God's wrath is 
 kindled, and kindled very hot against idolatry, he 
 expresses the heat and severity of it this way, he 
 will "destroy thee suddenly:" and Prov. vi. 14, 15, 
 a wicked man " deviseth mischief continually ; he 
 soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity come 
 suddenly ; suddenly shall he be broken without re- 
 medy." Sudden judgments are unthought of, such, 
 men are unprepared for ; and therefore, Isa. xxix. 
 5, God tells Jerusalem that her judgments should be 
 " at an instant suddenly," yea, as sudden as thunder 
 and lightning, ver. G: and, chap. xxx. 12, 13, be- 
 cause they despised the word of God, he teUs them 
 their judgment .should be as a "swelling out in a 
 high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an 
 instant." When judgments are gradual, they are 
 admonitory, and there is hope ; but when they 
 are so sudden, all hope is cut off, and remedy 
 prevented. 
 
 (3.) Immediate from God's hand ; it was the im- 
 mediate hand of God upon him. Whatever is im- 
 mediate from God, mercy or judgment, hath the 
 more comfort or terror in it. In hell is inmiediate 
 wrath from God, and therefore it is more dreadful ; 
 so when fire and brimstone came upon Sodom and 
 Gomorrah, this made it so terrible, that it was 
 immediately from the Lord, Gen. xix. 24. When 
 judgments come immediately from God, they come
 
 254 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 with a greater weight of wTath upon them than 
 others. 
 
 (4.) It is exemplary ; a great man, a prince of the 
 peopU'. Great men have great sins, and great judg- 
 ments : some men are not only hanged, or beheaded, 
 but they are also quartered, their heads and quarters 
 are set up on the gates of cities, and made spectacles 
 to all that pass by ; so here Pelatiah is made a spec- 
 tacle of divine vengeance. 
 
 Solomon told us long since, that "judgments are 
 prepared for scorners, and slripes for the back of 
 fools," Prov. xix. 29; the word for stripes imports 
 such blows as shiver and break a thing. Ahilhophel 
 caused Absalom to go in to his father's concubines, 
 he gave him ill counsel against David, 1 Sam. xvi. 
 xvii. and you know what a sad and dreadful judg- 
 ment befell him. The captains with their fifties 
 scoli'ed at Elijah, when they said, 2 Kings i. 9, " Thou 
 man of God;" thou sayest thou art a man of God, 
 and the foolish people think so of thee, but we know 
 thou art a deceiver, and the king hath sent for thee : 
 come down, or we well fetch thee down : but before 
 they could fetch him down, he fetches down fire fi"om 
 heaven which consumed these scofiers to ashes. The 
 children that mocked the prophet, 2 Kings ii. 24, 
 forty-two of them were torn in pieces by two she- 
 bears. Luciau, falling ofl' from Christianity, grew a 
 scofl'er, and said that he received no other benefit 
 from Christianity, than that since before he was 
 called Lucius, now he was called Lueianus ; but Suidas 
 tells us he was eaten up of dogs. Jidian would take 
 away the christians' wealth, and say that he took 
 this that they might receive a hundredfold, accord- 
 ing to the doctrine of their Saviour ; but the Lord 
 struck him from heaven, and he died blaspheming. 
 The story of Nightingale is known, which Mr. Pox 
 relates, how abusing that scripture. He that saith he 
 hath no sin is a liar, and the ti'uth is not in him, 
 he fell out of the pulpit and brake his neck. Another 
 making mouths at a godly minister preaching, had 
 his mouth drawn greatly awry, and so died. One pre- 
 sent in this congregatioti was an eye witness of a 
 woman scoffing at another for pin'ity, and walking 
 holily, who had her tongue struck immediately with 
 the palsy, anddied thereof within two days. Take heed 
 of jeering and scoffing; the penitent thief was admitted 
 into paradise, when the scoffing one was sent to hell. 
 
 Obs. 2. Princely and high conditions are quickly 
 laid in the dust. Pelatiah, a prince of the people, 
 in great honour, all things about him as heart could 
 wish, likely to have continued long here, is brought 
 in a dead corpse. There is no certainty in any con- 
 dition ; how suddenly was Herod eaten of worms, 
 Acts xii. 23 ; Nebuchadnezzar driven from his palace, 
 Dan. V. 21 ; and Pharaoh drowned in the bottom of 
 the sea ! Exod. xiv. 28. 
 
 I Thess. v. 3, " When they shall say, Peace and 
 safety ; then sudden di struction," &c. And Christ 
 said, Ye know not what hour the Lord will come, 
 watch ; so we know not what hour death will come, 
 therefore let us watch. The papists call upon St. 
 Christopher to keep them from sudden death; let us 
 call upon Christ to prepare us for, and preserve us 
 in death. 
 
 Obs. 3. God sometimes meets with wicked men 
 when his ordinances arc dispensing. "When I pro- 
 phesied, then Pelatiah died;" it vvas at the time of 
 prophesying. When the word is preached, other 
 ordinances adraiuisten d, then doth God smite sinners, 
 sometimes present at the ordinance, and sometimes 
 absent, as Pelatiah was. Ezek. xxxvii. 7, " As I 
 pro]jhcsied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, 
 and the bones came together." This was done as he 
 prophesied ; there was great virtue and efficacy in 
 
 his words : so here, when he pirophesied, a noise 
 was heard, " and behold, a shaking ; " Pelatiah 
 shakes, and shakes to pieces ; the power of Ezekiel's 
 prophecy in Babylon slays Pelatiah at Jerusalem. 
 There is a converting power in the word, wliich con- 
 verts when men are present; but there is a wovmding 
 and confounding power in it also, when men are 
 absent or present. When the apostles preached, 
 sometimes the Holy Ghost fell upon men. Acts x. 
 44, and sometimes heavy judgments. Elimas the 
 sorcerer is smitten blind, Ananias and Sapphira are 
 struck dead, if not in the time of the ordinance, yet 
 immediately thereupon. Jeroboam thrusts out his 
 hand to take hold of the prophet who prophesied 
 ag.ainst the altar at Bethel, and his hand was "dried 
 up," 1 Kings xiii. 4. When Paul was preaching, 
 Eut3"chus sleeps, falls down, and is " taken up dead," 
 Acts XX. 9 ; at that time he fell down when the orcH- 
 nance was dispensing. And certainly, when the ser- 
 vants of God do preach and prophesy against sinners, 
 present or absent, sometimes God smites them : Hos. 
 vi. 5, " I have hewed them by the prophets ; " the 
 word was an axe in their mouths, and every time 
 they prophesied judgment, they hewed the state, 
 and particular persons; 1 Kings xix. 17, they that 
 escape tlie sword of Hazael and Jehu, shall Elisha 
 slay ; how ? by his prophesying and preaching. 
 This God doth to put honour upon his word, that so 
 men may fear, respect his ordinances, and take heed 
 how tliey hear. 
 
 Obs. 4. Not only judgments themselves are to be 
 observed, but the circumstances of them also. 
 " When I prophesied, then Pelatiah died ;" he notes 
 the time in a special manner. Circumstances of 
 time, place, and person, do add much weight to the 
 judgments of God, and truth of a story : here you 
 have all ; the time when Ezekiel prophesied ; the 
 place, the door of the eastern gate of the temple at 
 Jerusalem, ver. 1 ; the name, "Pelatiah :" these add 
 strength to the judgments and prophecy. Circum- 
 stances commend mercies and aggr^,vate judgments; 
 to be smitten when the prophet was prophesying 
 against him, sets out the judgment with life and ter- 
 ror. Circumstances help to screw the thing into the 
 heart, and to fasten it upon the memor)'. The time 
 of things is much mentioned in the word, be it of 
 sins, Jer. xi. 15, " When thou doest evil, then thou 
 rejoicest ;" or of mercies, when Manasseh was 
 brought back to Jerusalem, " then Manasseh knew 
 that the Lord he was God," 2 Chron. xxxiii. 13 ; or 
 of judgments, Judg. v. 8, " They chose new gods ; 
 then was war in the gates ;" Numb. xi. 33, " While 
 the fiesh was j-et between their teeth, ere it was 
 chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against 
 the people, and the Lord smote the people with a 
 very great plague :" so Dan. iv. 13, " AVhile the word 
 was in the king's mouth" the voice was heard, " The 
 kingdom is departed from thee ;" and Dan. ii. 5, 
 while Belshazzar tasted wine in the bowls of the 
 temple, in the same hour came forth fingers that 
 wrote letters of death upon the wall : and of Uzziah 
 it is said, then he " was wroth," and while he was 
 so, " the leprosy even rose up in his forehead," 2 
 Chron. xxvi. 19. The prophets observed the times 
 of God's giving out the threatenings, and the times 
 of execution. 
 
 Obs. 5. Holy and good men fear when the judg- 
 ments of God fall heavily and suddenly upon wicked 
 men. Psal. lii. (j, when God's hand should fall upon 
 Doeg, saith David, " The righteous shall see and 
 fear ;" what shall they see to make them fear ? the 
 glory and power of God in executing justice, in cut- 
 ling off delinquents : Psal. ix. 16, " The Lord is 
 known by the judgments which he esecuteth,"
 
 Ver. 14, 15. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 known to be most powerful, glorious, dreadful ; 
 he is present in them, and the godly have eyes to 
 see much of him. When angels appeared, Gideon, 
 a man of valour, and others, feared; much more 
 when God appears in thunder and lightning, in sud- 
 den and grievous judgments, there is cause of fear. 
 When Uzzah was smitten with a sudden stroke, Da- 
 vid was afraid of the Lord, 2 Sam. vi. 9 ; this might 
 occasion that in Psal. cxix. V20, " My flesh trem- 
 bleth for fear of thee ; and I am afraid of thy judg- 
 ments." God's judgments are now abroad, and not 
 only wicked men, but good also, are cut down sud- 
 denly. Let us fear, and not only that, but do as the 
 prophet and other holy men did at such a time ; Isa. 
 xxvi. 8, 9, let us wait for God, let the desire of our 
 souls be to his name, let us desire him in the night, 
 seek him early with our spirits, for now is the time 
 that the inhabitants of the world should learn right- 
 eousness. 
 
 06.K. 6. Sudden or great judgments do put the 
 saints and servants of God upon humble, earnest, and 
 argumentative prayer. Humble, " Then fell I down 
 upon my face;" earnest, "and cried with a loud 
 voice ;" argumentative, " Ah Lord God ! wilt thou 
 make a full end of the remnant of Israel ?" Judg- 
 ments looked upon by the saints are of an hum- 
 bling nature, prompt them with arguments to wrestle 
 with God, and that earnestly. Josh. vii. 5 — 9. 
 
 Obs. 7. When God begins judgments with some 
 who are wicked among them, the godly look upon 
 it as an inlet to public misery: "Wilt thou make a 
 full end of the remnant of Israel?" Joshua, when 
 the men fell before Ai, and Israel fled, looked not only 
 at the loss of those men who fell, but at the hazard 
 of all ; chap. vii. 7, " Hast thou brought this people 
 over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the 
 Amorites, to destroy us ? So when God's wrath 
 brake in a little upon the people in Moses's days, 
 he feared lest the sea of God's wrath should come 
 in at once upon them ; therefore he stood in tlic 
 briers, Psal. cvi. 23, to turn away his wTath, lest he 
 should destroy them. When a clo\;d riseth, droppeth 
 a little, they fear a great storm, a deluge, and there- 
 fore look at the public ; they know what God hath 
 said, " When I begin, I will also make an end." 
 
 Ver. 14, 15. Again the word nf the Lord came 
 vnto me, saying. Son of man, thi/ brethren, even 
 thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, and all the 
 house of Israel wholly, are they unto whojn the in- 
 habitants of Jerusalem hath said, Get you far from 
 the Lord: unto us is this land given in possession. 
 
 These words are an answer to the prophet's de- 
 precation of judgment. He had pleaded with God 
 to spare the residue of Israel ; the Lord tells him 
 that the inhabitants of Jerusalem looked upon them 
 as none of the Lord's people, upon the land, city, 
 temple, ordinances, as theirs only ; they thought the 
 captives had nothing to do with God, but were an 
 abject people like the Babylonians and heathens, 
 cut oil' from God, the holy land, and holy things. 
 Now, saith God, see whom thou hast interceded 
 for! Are these fit to be spared ? wilt thou 'nave those 
 that hate thee and the rest of the captives to lie at 
 peace in Jerusalem ? The Lord sets them out before 
 the prophet, what kind of persons they were, and 
 leaves it upon his thoughts to consider of them, and 
 gives not in the complete answer till after, in ver. 21. 
 
 Or thus: the prophet feared lest God would now 
 destroy all, and so his church perish altogether ; but 
 God here intimates to him that the residue of Israel 
 lay not in the twenty-live mentioned before, nor in 
 them that were in Jerusalem, but rather in those 
 
 •255 
 
 who were gone into captivity, " thy brethren, even 
 thy brethren, the men of thy kindred," &c. He 
 calls his thoughts to them, and would rather have 
 him look at them, as the seed of the church, the per- 
 sons to whom the promises belonged, of whom should 
 come the Messiah, than the others. 
 
 "Thy brethren." The word "brethren" hath 
 divers acceptations in Scripture : 
 
 1. It notes the common nature of man, as in Gen. 
 xxix. 4, saith Jacob, " Whence are ye, my brethren."' 
 
 2. Those who are born of the same parents, one 
 or both. Gen. xxxvii. 11, 23; Matt. xx. 24. 
 
 3. Such as are of kindred by consanguinity or af- 
 finity ; so Christ's kinsmen were called his brethren, 
 1 Cor. ix. 5. 
 
 4. Those who agree together, and are partners in 
 any business, as Simeon and Levi were brethren in 
 iniquity, in murdering the Shechemites, Gen. xlix. 5. 
 
 5. Those who are godly true believers, that do the 
 will of God, Matt. xii. 49; Heb. ii. II; 1 Tim. iv. 
 6; I Thess. v. 27. 
 
 6. Them that are of the same calling, Numb, 
 xviii. 2 ; Ezra vi. 20 ; 2 Cor. viii. 23. 
 
 Lastly, Those who are of the same country and 
 nation ; Rom. ix. 3, Paul could wish himself ac- 
 cursed for his brethren, who were Israelites of the 
 Jewish nation. In what sense to take " brethren" 
 is doubtful, because the verse speaks afterwards of 
 the men of his kindred, and all the house of Israel, 
 so that hereby two acceptations of the word seem to 
 be excluded, and the first, second, and fourth are not 
 intended. We may take brethren here for those of 
 the same calling, such as were priests and prophets, 
 and the Levites ; but because these were few, we 
 may take in also the kindred of the prophet, for the 
 words are not, thy brethren, and the men of thy 
 kindred, as making a diflerence between these ; but 
 thus are the words, " thy brethren, even thy bre- 
 thren, the men of thy kindred." 
 
 " iSIen of thy kindred." Hebrew is, the men of 
 thy redemption. The law of redemption was, that 
 if a man were waxen poor, and had sold his house, 
 land, or any person, some kinsman was to redeem 
 it, as you may see. Lev. xxv. 25, and usually the 
 nearest kinsman was to do it : he that was near to 
 him, it lay upon him who was nearest of blood, to 
 redeem house, land, or persons, and also to revenge 
 the blood of persons if slain. Numb. xxxv. 12; and 
 therefore is rendered by some, the men of thy 
 avengements. Both these do set out near kinsmen, 
 and therefore it is likely here are meant some special 
 kindred of the prophet's. 
 
 " All the house of Israel." All that were m 
 Babylon, carried away with Jeconiah ; it is spoken 
 sjTiecdochically, Israel for Judah. 
 
 " Are they." These words are not in the original ; 
 but here are many nominative cases absolute, with- 
 out any verb to refer to, or depend upon; "Thy 
 brethren, even thy brethren, the men of thy kindred, 
 and all the house of Israel wholly :" this is usual 
 in the holy writ: Psal. xi. 4, "The Lord is in his 
 holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven :" so 
 Eph. iii. 1, "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of 
 Jesus Christ for you gentiles." It is so in many 
 places, which may be to make us heed the more what 
 we read. 
 
 " Unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have 
 said. Get ye far from the Lord," &:c. In this part of 
 the verse is laid down the unjust jiroceedings of the 
 men at Jerusalem against those in Babylon ; and it 
 appears in these things : 
 
 I. They judge them not the Lord's people, and so 
 deny them communion with God and his worship, 
 and therefore say, " Get you far from the Lord."
 
 256 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 II. They arrogate God's temple, and the worship 
 of it, to themselves, which is implied. 
 
 III. They challenge the land and all in it to be 
 theirs: "Unto us is this land given in possession." 
 
 IV. They spake those words with disdain and 
 scorn against the captives ; they said, " Get you far 
 from the Lord;" ye are none of our brethren, none of 
 the church, ye are of Babylon, we are of Zion ; ye 
 were a foolish and timorous company, void of coun- 
 sel and spirit in leaving your own country, this city, 
 and temple. 
 
 " Get you far from the Lord." They deemed God 
 was no where but in the temple ; and, chap. viii. fi, 
 their abominations had caused God to go far from 
 . . his sanctuary. It is probable that 
 sm't«. p'.'ni. from this phrase the heathens took up 
 Laval. jj^jij passage of theirs, Proeul este pro- 
 
 phani. Ye profane, be afar olT. The Jews at Jerusa- 
 lem thought the Jews in Babylon to be cut off from 
 their body, they had unworthily left them, and were 
 not now worthy to have any interest in their God 
 or land. 
 
 Obs. 1. God deals gently with his servants, not- 
 withstanding their infirmities. Ezekiel showed some 
 weakness in saying, " ^Vilt thou make a full end of 
 the residue of Israel ? " when God in his hearing 
 had appointed the mourners to be marked, and had 
 answered him this question before, cliap. ix. : yet God 
 bears with his weakness, and speaks to him in a lov- 
 ing manner, and saith, " Son of man ;" and he up- 
 braids him not for any forgetfulness of what was 
 done, for any jealousy he had of God's failing in 
 making good his promise. He .saith not. What 
 troublest thou me any more ? thou hast had an 
 answer, be gone, be silent! No, the Lord knows 
 our weakness ; Psal.ciii. 13, 14, "Asa father pitieth 
 his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him : 
 for he knoweth our frame ;" because we have weak- 
 nesses, therefore doth God pity ; he doth not punish, 
 but pity the weakness of liis people. Deut. i. 31, " In 
 the wilderness, the Lord thy God did bear thee, as a 
 man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went :" 
 sometimes the father carries the child in his arms, 
 sets it upon his knee, and dandles it; the crying, 
 peevishness, half-services, cost, trouble in its educa- 
 tion, he bears with all ; and so whatever is burden- 
 some in God's children, he suffers it. Acts xiii. 18, 
 he sufTered their manners, as a nurse beareth her 
 child in her womb, in her arms, feedeth it with her 
 breasts, so God suffered them ; Isa. Ixiii. 9, " He 
 bare them, and carried them all the days of old," 
 and diith so still. The Lord Christ bears our in- 
 firmities, and puts up many a hard thing from us ; 
 Peter's denial, Paul and Barnabas's contenticm, 
 Thomas's tmbelief ; and not only the iniirmities of 
 one or two, but of all saints ; Heb. iv. 15, he is 
 touched, and touched to the quick, with the feeling 
 of our infirmities. 
 
 Ohs. 2. Those have the name and show of a church 
 who are rigid, cruel, against those who are the true 
 church. "They of Jerusalem say to the others, " Get 
 you far from the Lord;" they were in captivity, 
 suffered hard and sore things there, yet these add 
 afflictions to their affliction : they tell them they are 
 none of God's people, have nothing to do with his 
 worship, and so cut them off from all hope. Isa. x. 
 P>, they were " a hypocritical nation," and they perse- 
 cute, excommunicate those who were faithful and 
 obedient to the will of God : for those Jews who 
 were in Babylon, at the command of God, and the 
 counsel of Jeremiah, yielded themselves to Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, and were carried away ; hereupon they 
 at Jerusalem reject them, and thrust them from God 
 and his worship. False worshippers ever hate the 
 
 true. The Samaritans, and those who worshipped 
 tlie calves, hated the Jews that differed in their wor- 
 ship from tliem. 1 Thess. ii. 14 — 16, "Ye, brethren, 
 became followers of the churches of God which in 
 Judea are in Christ Jesus : for ye also have suffered 
 like things of your own countrymen, even as they 
 have of the Jews ; who both killed the Lord Jesus, 
 and their own pi'ophets, and have persecuted us ; for- 
 bidding us to speak to the gentiles." Thus the papi.sts 
 and others deal with us ; because they have the name 
 of church, and some corrupt ordinances, can plead 
 succession of their priests from Peter, therefore they 
 reproach us, who are justly gone from them, with 
 the terms of heretics, schi>matics, synagogue of 
 Satan, the malignant church ; that we have torn 
 Christ's coat, rent ourselves from his body ; that we 
 have shaken the church, and troubled the whole 
 world : thus with their virulent tongues do they 
 asperse us. Thus Ishmael dealt with Isaac, Gal. iv. 
 29. Long ago, the worse persecuted the better ; thus 
 is it now. 
 
 Obs. 3. Men of rigid and bitter spirits are puffed up 
 and coticeited of their ways and privileges. See it 
 here : they separate the other far from God, bid 
 them get them far off, which amounts to this. You 
 have nothing to do with God or his ways ; God is 
 not with you, he is with us, his ordinances are for us ; 
 you are false, erroneous, but we are orthodox, sound, 
 and the possession and privileges of the temple are 
 ours : they justified and preferred themselves above, 
 and bef(jre, those who were in Babylon, and boasted 
 closely of their own worth and advantages ; their 
 malice blinded them, and made them boast foolish- 
 ly. Paul had a persecuting spirit at first, and how 
 conceited was he of his own ways ! Acts xxvi. 9 — 1 1 , 
 " I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do 
 many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Naza- 
 reth ;" and therefore he complained of the saints, got 
 power from authority to punish them, to imprison 
 them, to put them to death ; therefore he compelled 
 them to blaspheme, and persecuted them to strange 
 cities, and fulfilled that which Christ had said, John 
 xvi. 2, " They shall put you out of the synagogues ; 
 yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will 
 think that he doeth God service." They, the scribes 
 and Pharisees, they would not suffer the christians 
 to meet in their synagogues, and their teachers to 
 preach unto them, but stirred up those who had 
 power in their hand to persecute and put them to 
 death. The scribes and Pharisees were opinionated 
 of their own ways, and could not endure others bet- 
 ter than themselves. Luke xviii. 11, 12, saith the 
 Pharisee, " I am not as other men are," true, for 
 he was more conceited of his own righteousness, and 
 further from mercy, than the publican. 
 
 Obs. 4. Men in false and corrupt ways are glad 
 they are rid of those who are conscientious, bound 
 up by divine truths, and obedient to the will of God. 
 Ezekiel, Daniel, and others, knew that if they had 
 staid in Jerusalem, and not yielded themselves to 
 Nebuchadnezzar, they had died for it ; they were 
 acquainted with Jeremiah's prophecy and counsel, 
 which doubtless he had delivered in Jehoiachin's 
 days, as well as in Zedekiah's, chap. xxi. 9 ; xxxviii. 
 2 ; that if they yielded themselves to the king of 
 Babylon, they shoidd live, which they durst not dis- 
 obey ; and therefore it is said, 2 Kings xxiv. 12, that 
 " Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king 
 of Babylon ;" which act of his Josephus magnifies, 
 saying, he was so good and just, that he would not 
 see the city to perish for his sake ; that the city and 
 citizens might be the safer, he hearkened to Jere- 
 miah's coimsel. Now these men that were left 
 at Jerusalem were glad they were gone, even
 
 Ver. 14, 15. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 257 
 
 Ezckiel and bis brethren, that were of his judgmtnt, 
 and dillored from them; and Jercmiali they were 
 weary of, and those who thought as he thought, Jer. 
 xxxviii. 4; so that men in false ways are desirous 
 and glad to be rid of those who conform not to them- 
 selves. Isa. Ixvi. 5, " Your brethren that hated you, 
 that cast you out for my name's sake, said. Let the 
 Lord be glorified;" those who were the godly op- 
 posed the false ways of the rest, and laboured to 
 reduce them to the truth, therefore they hated them, 
 and cast them out, as they pretended, for the Lord's 
 name's sake ; they said they had the true way and 
 worship, that the others were erroneous, factious, 
 proud, censorious, troublers of church and state, and 
 therefore in reference to God's name they cast them 
 out, excommunicated them ; the word is, d3'ijo 
 elmiganles los, Get ye far off out of our coasts and 
 quarters, get ye into Babylon, or to the ten tribes ; 
 we may not, we cannot, we will not bear you. And 
 how did they rejoice in it ! Let God be glorified ; it 
 is no fault of ours, thank yourselves ; you are so 
 tenacious of your opinions, so ditl'ering from us, and 
 so burdensome to us, that we shall do God and the 
 church good service to cast you out ; God shall have 
 glory, and we shall have ease, we shall go on quietly 
 in our way. So the Jews and Pharisees cast out the 
 blind man, when once he cani,e to see more than 
 themselves, John ix. 34 ; and made an order to cast 
 any man out that should confess Christ, and so diH'er 
 from them in judgment or practice, ver. 22. This 
 is the nature of falsehood ; whereas truth is so far 
 from drawing men from God, that it invites them to 
 come to God. Truth and true godliness is full of 
 love, which beareth, hopeth, and endureth all things, 
 1 Cor. xiii. 7 : and therefore the servants of God are 
 described, 2 Tim. ii. 24, 25, to be gentle unto all nun, 
 patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose 
 nr/TTOTt, if at any time God, &c. They will not drive 
 men from God, from truth, but bear and forbear, that, 
 if it be possible, they may draw men to the truth. 
 How was Ezekiel atleeted with their condition, how 
 did he intercede for them ! 
 
 Obs. 5. The Lord considers and takes notice of 
 the words and ways of 'those which have ill wnll to 
 his people, though far ofl' from them. There were 
 some faithful ones in Babylon, and they at Jerusalem 
 spake hardly of them, dealt unkindly with them ; 
 they said. Get ye far off from the Lord, ye are 
 neither our brethren, nor the Lord's children ; ye 
 have no right to this land, nor interest in us. This 
 the Lord laid to heart, and took notice of, and ac- 
 quaints the prophet with it. There is nothing 
 thought, said, or done in the world against any of the 
 Lord's, but he hath cognizance of it, and, as seems 
 good to him, discovers the same ; any bitter passages 
 towards his he observes. Obad. 11, God tells Edom 
 there of her dealing with his pco])le ; When strangers 
 carried away my people captive, thou stoodest on the 
 other side, and wast as one of the enemies ; but thou 
 shouldst not have looked on, rejoiced, and spoken 
 proudly in the day of their distress, thou shouldst 
 not have laid hands on their substance, nor have cut 
 off those that escaped : ver. 15, " As thou hast done, 
 it shall be done unto thee ; thy reward shall return 
 upon thine own head." They spoke proudly, and 
 did cruelly against their brethren, but God observed 
 it, and rewarded it. Psal. 1. 20, " Thou sittest and 
 speakest against thy brother ; thou slanderest thine 
 own mother's son : but I will reprove thee :" so in 
 Jer. xlviii. 30, " 1 know his wrath, saith the Lord ; 
 but it shall not be so ; his lies shall not so effect it :" 
 Moab was proud and wrathful against the peojile of 
 God, threatened them, plotted against them, and 
 thought by lies and crafly carriages of things to 
 s 
 
 ruin them ; the Lord regarded it, and .said, " His lies 
 shall not so efl'ect it." The word for lies is Vra and 
 rendered bars in the margin : lies were their refuge, 
 their strength, the bars they trusted to, and leaned 
 on ; but lies should not effect it, God would break 
 those bars, and frustrate their lies. Zeph. ii. 8, 9, 
 " I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revil- 
 ings of the children of Amnion, whereby they have 
 reproached my people, and magnified themselves 
 against their border. Thirefore as I live, saith the 
 Lord of hosts, the God of Lsrael, Surely Moab shall 
 be as Sodom, and the children of Amnion as Gomor- 
 rah, even the breeding of nettles, and salt pits, and 
 a perpetual desolation." Let men speak and plot 
 against the servants of God, in due time Christ will 
 come, with ten thousand of his saints, to convince 
 men of all their hard speeches which ungodly sin- 
 ners have spoken against him and his. 
 
 Obs. 6. Men dcejily guilty are deeply secure. 
 They were idolatrous in the highest degree ; so op- 
 jiressive, that they filled the land with bloody 
 crimes and cries ; they were profane, and scoffed at 
 the prophets and their prophecies : they had seen 
 a sudden hand of God ujion Pelatiah, and yet they 
 were secure, and promised safety to themselves j The 
 land is ours, it is given us in possession, we shall 
 quietly enjoy it: we fear no eajitivity, loss of country, 
 temple, or city. Their king was under disgrace, he 
 had violated the oath, perjured himself; and shortly 
 after mothers did eat their children, and men in 
 scarlet embraced the dunghill ; all was laid waste, 
 and yet they feared not. Sometimes when their 
 consciences were awakened, and giiilt stirred, they 
 did fear, but generally they were secure, and dream- 
 ed of liberty and long life. The Eg}-ptians feared 
 not till the waters came upon them and drowned 
 them. God plucked away the ten tribes for their 
 sins, and sent them into ca])tivit)'; yet, Jer. iii. S, 
 " treacherous Judah feared not," but went on in her 
 ways of wickedness; and when the sword was at the 
 door, they looked still for peace, Jer. viii. 15, 1(5. 
 Some creatures sleep most in winter, and many are 
 drowsy against rainy weather : wicked men are 
 sleepy when stomis are coming. 
 
 Obs. 7- Those who go out from the brethren upon 
 just grounds, and meet with unjust censures for it, God 
 will justify and vindicate. These captives in Baby- 
 lon went forth from Jerusalem, wliicli only was the 
 place of God's worship, where only he had a people, 
 and that upon Jeremiah's counscd and exhortation, 
 they went forth to save the city and their lives. For 
 this they are censured deeply of the inhabitants of 
 Jerusalem ; but the Lord pleads for them, and saith 
 to the prophet. Thy brethren, thy brethren are the 
 men spoken against. This pathetical repetition of 
 the word " brethren," notes God's indignation against 
 their censure they gave of them ; and his calling of 
 them the prophet's brethren, argnes his clearing of 
 the prophet and them in what they had done. 
 And the next verse clears it further; they did nothing 
 but what God would have done, and therefore owns 
 as his own act, " I have cast them far off among the 
 heathen," &c. If God's people do withdraw from 
 others upon good grounds, whatever men object 
 against them, yet they shall have approbatiim in 
 heaven, and in their own hearts. These were justified 
 forgoing out of Zion into Babylon ; surely, then, God 
 will not condemn men for coming out of Babylon 
 info Zion. "When we left Rome and Romish trash, 
 we had good warrant for it ; and so Luther, who took 
 the first step thence : for indulgences troubled Luther, 
 and when he jireaehed against them, the Romish 
 priests did with great pride disdain his preaching. He 
 heard the way of truth blasphemed, saw men were
 
 258 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 forced to new articles of faith, anil himself was com- 
 pelled to submit to satanical doctrine; these were just 
 causes to induce Luther to leave the Romish Baby- 
 Ion. And therefore he was unjustly excommnnicat- 
 Mori. Grami ed by Pope Leo, in whose bull this is 
 iniposi. p. 335. made the cause. Because he denied the 
 church to have power to create new articles of faith. 
 But the Lord hath justified his separation from them, 
 and ours since him. Their idolatrous mass, their cor- 
 rupt doctrines, denying of the cup to the people, 
 ice. are just grounds for us and others to leave them ; 
 for if Rome be a church, it is not only 
 We have not subject to crrors as other churches are, 
 
 left tlic word of J . ' 
 
 G.)ti. the apoaties but morc sulijcct to emng than any 
 chur.'he's't'hey otlicr cliurch cliristiau, and the most 
 «'par""','iV i'"'in scliismatical of all christian churches, 
 tiie loiiiaKiou and the only church against which 
 "JiLu'dT"'"^' there is a prophecy in the gospel of 
 falling from the faith ; which three last 
 things that learned man Morton shows : and he hath 
 a section (it is the seventh of his fifteenth chapter) 
 to show wliat may he judged necessary causes of se- 
 paration from any particular churches ; as obstinacy 
 of error in teachers, affected ignorance, obduration 
 of people, idolatry in God's worship, tyranny and 
 persecution against the true and sincere professors. 
 To which I conceive this may further be added. 
 That if a church be so defiled lliat the members of it 
 cannot partake of the ordinances without sin, having 
 used all means for redress, they may justly depart, so it 
 he in a peaceable manner, and God will justify them. 
 Obs. H. Where much may be pretended for truth 
 of churchship, there may be no church. Some 
 make notes of the true church : 
 
 (1.) Succession. Those at Jenisalem 
 t.lle''L""M'io„"° in Ezekiel's days, priests and people, 
 « iiiiout irue doc- succccded Aaron, Eli, and other 
 
 tune. Auptelo:i. . ,> -^ il, x r ■ X r \ 
 
 ]}riests and Levites, that were iaitliful ; 
 but at this time, they were, both priests and peo- 
 ple, become fearfully idolatrous. Frustra allegalur 
 iuccesato pursnmirum ubi tion est successio formce. In 
 vain is succession of persons alleged where there is 
 not a succession of resendjlance. 
 Ti,es„acensare (^•) Carnal Seed. They were of kin 
 from Hasar and to Jeremiah, Kzekiel, Daniel, and other 
 for honour they godly oucs m Babylon, they were 
 ed""iro,'n 'sarrl, ; Abraham's, David's seed ; yet this made 
 yet these are not tlicm not a true churcli ; therefore Jere- 
 miah calls Judah a harlot, chap. iii. 8. 
 
 (3.) Multitudes. Here were a greater multitude 
 at Jerusalem than in Babylon; but what were they.' 
 a multitude of idolaters, oppressors, scoffers, perse- 
 cutors ; and such materials are fitter to make a tower 
 of Babel, than a temple in Zion. 
 
 (4.) They dwell at Jerusalem, in Judea, the holy 
 city, the holy land, but they had defiled both with 
 their abominations, and neither of those added any 
 holiness to them. Men at Jerusalem, and of Jeru- 
 salem, were worse than those in Babylon. It is not 
 Jerusalem, or the local bounds of Judea, can make 
 these the true church. 
 
 (5.) Prosperity, outward pomp, greatness, glory. 
 These men at Jerusalem had what the world and 
 creatures could afford them, plenty, honour, liberty; 
 a|id_theyin Babylon were poor ca]>tives, despised, 
 vilified, scorned ones: the glory of the church is in- 
 ternal, not external ; and that glory had the mourners 
 in Jerusalem. 
 
 (C.) The temple, and worship of it, had these 
 men at Jerusalem. The captives had no temple, no 
 sacrifices, no i)rosperity, no holy laud or city, no 
 multitudes, no succession, yet they were the church 
 of God, and not those ; for God is wroth with lliem 
 of Jerusalem for thinking themselves the thurcli, 
 
 whenas they were none, and unchurching the 
 other, whenas they were the true church, and are 
 called by God " the house of Israel." And it further 
 appears that those of Jerusalem were not the true 
 church, because they were destined to destruction, 
 and as sore judgments as ever people were, chap. v. 
 9, 10, and six slaughtermen designed to slay them 
 utterly, chap. ix. The truth of churchship is to be 
 fetched from other things. It is cwlus Jidelium, a 
 congregation of faithful men, saith our Article ; such 
 as profess Christ and his gospel, and practise an- 
 swerably ; such as are orderly united, and observe 
 divine order in the things of God : 
 Ephes. iv. 12, the apostles and other he'^ru''iy"p."'"di- 
 officers in the church were given |VV°n'J";'iUc'h", 
 TrpoiyKarapTinfiov rtov ayUov, for the join- and the seals ad- 
 ing together of the saints, and putting "i'„','5fwi,o''are a 
 them as members of the body in their false chuicii, as 
 
 . 1 , ^, , .. f, /, at (his time cir- 
 
 rignt pfaces : see Col. n. 5, b. conmsion and 
 
 Ubs. 9. It is God's mind and will, [InJoTesTre "od 
 that those who are strong, highly fa- j;i"',|,'e'rh"V'<'li'"'° 
 voured of God, should look at tlrose iher than marks 
 beneath them as brethren. There were "' "" 
 many in Babylon, questiordess, who were mean in 
 knowledge, low in abilities, weak in faith, tainted 
 with some errors and eorrujjtions of Jerusalem, if 
 not of Babylon ; yet sailh God, " Thy brethren, thy 
 brethren." Where there is any thing of God or 
 Christ, though many and great infirmities accom- 
 pany and cloud the same, we should look upon them 
 as brethren. When Christ saw a little moral good 
 in the young man, he looked upon him, and loved 
 him, INIark x. 21 ; and shall we see any sjiritual 
 good in any, and not love them and use them as 
 brethren ? Look only at the good and graces which 
 are in one another, and nut at the weaknesses ; you 
 can eye a little gtdd in much earth, and why not a 
 little grace? Gal. vi. 2, "Bear ye one another's bur- 
 dens, and so fidfil the law of Christ." 
 
 We must answer for stumliling at the infirmities 
 of the gcdly, and also for neglect of their graces ; if 
 their corruptions do alienate, their graces should 
 allure. It is more honourable and christian, to love 
 
 • beari 
 our judgment. 
 
 Ver. 16. Therefore sni/, Thus saith the Lord 
 God; Although I have east them far off' among 
 the heatlien, and a/though I hare scattered them 
 among the coimtries, yet will I be to them as a little 
 sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. 
 
 At this verse begins comfort for the captives. 
 They were cast out, rejected, and insulled over by 
 their brethren, filled with sad thoughts of their con- 
 dition ; but here heaven opens, and light breaks out 
 in sweet promises ; and they are these : 
 
 I. A promise of mercy to them in Babylon, ver. 16. 
 
 II. Of returning thence, from Babylon to Zion, 
 ver. 17. 
 
 III. Of purifying them from their pollutions in 
 the land ol^ Canaan, ver. 18. 
 
 IV. Of regeneration or conversion, ver. 19, 20. 
 
 V. A threat to those whose hearts should cleave 
 to their detestable things, which is comfortable to 
 the godly. 
 
 For the I6th verse, the sum is this : They at 
 Jerusalem look uiion you in Babylon as a forlorn 
 and forsaken peojile, witlmut God and his worhhip; 
 they exclude you iVoni all fellowship and conimunic n 
 with them, yea from the laud of Canaan, and con- 
 demn your act of leaving them as illegitimate; but 
 go, Ezekiel, and fell them that it was my doing to 
 remove and scatter you, and that howsoever they
 
 Ver. 16. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 259 
 
 look upon this act of mine, as a certain token of my 
 vengeance upon you, and tending to your utter 
 destruction, yet let them know that they are mis- 
 taken, and that 1 am a Father of mercies, and will 
 be a sanctuary unto you in Babylon, and have 
 deserted them at Jerusalem, that the glory is de- 
 parted thence and come to you. Go, declare this 
 for tlieir terror, and the comfort of you captives. 
 
 Tlic words in the verse are most of them plain 
 and easy, only those must be opened, " I will be a 
 little sanctuary," for there is some difficulty about 
 them, being variously interpreted. Sanctuary, U'npr:S 
 the vford wlience mikdas comes, is sometimes used 
 in Scripture for cleansing and sanctifying, as 2 Sam. 
 xi. 4, " She was purified from her uncleanness," 
 mprn N'ni hence some render the word here in 
 sanclijicatimiem ; tlius, 1 will be to you for a little 
 sanctificatiou ; I will piurge and cleanse them, this 
 captivity shall be ignis expiirgatorius unto tliem, 
 seventy years they shall be in the fire, and after that 
 they shall come forth, as a refiner's vessel well 
 purified from its di-oss, be restored to their land, 
 have a new temple, and pure worship. So the 
 Vulgate hath it, in sayicli/icalinnem modicam ; Jerom 
 also takes it in this sense. In Babylon 1 will sanctify 
 them, divorce them from their idols, turn them from 
 their idolatry, that they may worsliip me purely ; 
 and it is observed, they never fell to idolatry more, 
 after their return from the Babylonish captivity. 
 
 In this sense it affords us this note. The Lord doth 
 sanctify and purge his people by sharp and long 
 afflictions. They had greatly defiled themselves with 
 the sins of the nations, and especially with idolatry, 
 and now he threw them into the furnace of allliction, 
 to melt and separate the dross and tin from them. 
 Some conceive that in Isa. i. 25, refers to this Baby- 
 , , -, lonish captivitv, " I will turn my hand 
 
 A Lapid. .11, 1 
 
 upon ttiee, and purely purge away thy 
 dross, and take away all thy tin." Sennacherib's 
 coming did only scare them ; Nebuchailne/.zar's car- 
 rying them away and keeping them so many years 
 in Babylon was the means, thi-ough God's blessing, 
 to sanctify them. God's hottest and fiery trials are 
 to purge, Dan. xi. 35 ; God purges the iniquity of 
 Jacob by affliction, Isa. xxvii. 1) ; and it is all the 
 fruit he gives in it, to take away his sin, not to fake 
 away his limbs, or life, but his sin. When the 
 serajihim touch Isaiah's lips with a burning coal, it 
 was terrible to him ; but then he said, " Thy inicjuily 
 is taken away, thy sin is imrged." Others take the 
 word as here it is rendered, " sanctuary," and so it is 
 frequently used in tiie Scripture, as Jer. xvii. 12; 
 Lam. ii. 7; Ezek. ix. 6. The Scpfuagint reads it, 
 iaofiai aiiTo'ie tig ayla(yfia, in Kancliinriiini, so Kerker, 
 not IK ■ianclififatimiem ; and Suidas interprets ayiaana, 
 temphim : and so Yatablus rendtTS it, viikdas, and 
 Montanus, sanctaarium : so Junius, Piscator, and 
 Polanius. Castalio hath it thus, Fro eisfanum, I will 
 be to them a temple, a sanctuary ; and this sense 
 fits tlie condition of the captives : for, 
 
 1. The inhabitants of Jerusalem reproached them 
 for going into Babylon, and looked on them as hav- 
 ing nothing to do with the temjjle, God, or his wor- 
 ship, " Get you far from the Lord ;" against this 
 evil God comforts them, and saith, " I W'ill be a sanc- 
 tuary unto you," whatever your brethren think or say. 
 
 2. The captives wept to think of their condition. 
 Psal. cxxxvii. 1, "By the rivers of Babylon there 
 we sat down ; yea, we wept, when we remembered 
 Zion." When they called to mind what a glorious 
 temple they had, what solemn assemblies there, what 
 precious ordinances, and comforts they found there- 
 in, and now saw themselves destitute of all, they 
 wept. For their consolation, saith God, " I will be 
 
 s 2 
 
 a sanctuary unto you ;" and whatever benefit you 
 found by the saints at Jerusalem, you shall find in ine. 
 
 (1.) The sanctuary was a place of refuge and de- 
 fence, qua.sisancta lueri, a i)lace to defend holy things, 
 for such things were laid up in sanctuaries. The 
 Greeks call it aavXov, from aXipa, a particle priva- 
 tive, and avXau), to spoil, rob, take away; for a sanc- 
 tuary was deemed a privileged place, from whence 
 no thing, or person, might be taken away without 
 sacrilege. Upon this ground Joab fled to the ta- 
 bernacle of the Lord, 1 Kings ii. 28, and took hold 
 of the horns of the altar. Moses had his cities of 
 refuge ; and in reference to these, many princes ap- 
 pointed sanctuaries to be privileged places, that 
 those who fled to them might be secure. And this 
 land heretofore abounded with such places; churches, 
 churchyards, and other places were privileged, 
 so that if felons or traitors did flee to them, they 
 were sheltered for forty days, in which time they 
 were to confess their fault, and to submit to ban- 
 ishment, taking an oath of abjuration ; and dur- 
 ing these fi.rty days no man might take them 
 thence, without danger of excommunication, or ir- 
 regularity : in this time any might feed them ; after 
 the forty days, if their wives fed them, or gave them 
 any sustenance, it was felony. This 
 law was made by king Edward the 'jvrms'ofLaw. 
 Confessor, grounded upon the law of •*'"".'• 
 mercy, and reverence he bare to holy places. God 
 would be a sanctuary to him in this sense ; Isa. viii. 
 13, 14, " Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself ; let him 
 be your fear, and your dread. And he shall be for 
 a .sanctuary," that is, for a defince unto you. Jer. 
 xlii. 11, " Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of 
 whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the 
 Lord : for I am with you to save you, and to dt liver 
 you from his hand:" here God was a sanctuary uiito 
 them. The three children, when the fiery ,furnace 
 was heated so hot, and cast into it, found God a sanc- 
 tuary unto them. 
 
 (2.) In it they had God's special presence. Hence 
 Zion, wherp the temple stood, was called the habitation 
 and rest of God, Psal. exxxii. 13, 14. Hence God's 
 goings and ways are said to be in the sanctuary, Psal. 
 Ixxvii. 13; Ixviii. 24; and David professeth he had 
 seen God in the sanctuary, Psal. Ixiii. 2. God would 
 be a sanctuary to them in this sense, they should 
 have his special presence ; he had left the temple at 
 Jerusalem, the glory was gone, and now he was \v ith 
 them in Babylon. Ezckiel had the heavens opened 
 to him by the river Chebar, saw visions of God, God 
 did manifest himself in a special manner to him, and 
 to Daniel even in Babylon. God had no church else- 
 where, and now he was with his people there, and calls 
 them his flock four times in one verse, Ezek. xxxiv. 
 8, and twelve times his flock in the whole chajiter. 
 
 (3.) Acceptance in the temple and sanctuary. Their 
 persons and prayers were accepted there ; hence was 
 it that they freimented the temple so much for pray- 
 er. Acts iii. 1 ; Luke x\ iii. 10 ; and that Da\id inii- 
 mates, Psal. xx. 3, that the ofl'erings and sacrifices 
 in the temple were accepted; " He heard my voice 
 out of his temple," P.sa!. xviii. (1. So Jer. vi. 20, 
 when they had corrupted the worship of God, he 
 tells them there, burnt-ofi'erings were not acceptable, 
 nor their sacrifices sweet; before they were; and 
 the prophecy is, Isa. Ix. 7, that they shall come with 
 acceptance to God's altar ; where his altar was set- 
 tled, there was the acceptance. This they hadlikewise 
 in Babylim : when Daniel made his prayer to God for 
 himself and his people, chap. ix. Gabriel comes and 
 tel'.s him, he was greatly beloved of God, a man of de- 
 .sires. So when Wordecai and Esther fasted, their per- 
 sons and prayers were regarded, accepted in Bal.'ylon.
 
 260 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 (4.) Encourngemcnt and help. Psnl. xx. 2, help 
 came from the sanctuary, and strength from Zion ; 
 " Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary," Psal. 
 xcvi. 6 ; there they had counsel to direct them, 
 ordinances to sanctify them, and promises to com- 
 fort them. These they .should not want in Babylon, 
 God wovdd be to them such a sanctuary as should 
 allbrd them help ; therefore he stirred up the sjiirit 
 of Jeremiah to write to the captives, and to counsel 
 them what to do : Jer. xxix. 5 — 7, " Build ye 
 houses, and dwell in them ; and plant gardens, and 
 eat the fruit of them ; take ye wives, and beget sons 
 and daughters ; and take wives for your sons, and 
 give your daughters to husbands, that they may 
 bear sons and daughters ; that ye may be increased 
 there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of 
 the city whither I have caused you to be carried 
 away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it : for in 
 the peace thereof shall ye have peace." And God 
 gave them prophets in Babvlon, Eze- 
 
 Thnn^li thev hail T. i i ta - 1 i 1 *l, 
 
 1)0 niafen.iftein- kicl, and Damel, by whom he coun- 
 oo('"in'Tei''(';od Celled them from time to time ; some 
 would sai.ciiry ordinances they had ; what they want- 
 th'm'^r'aV/lo' cd, God made up himself, being a 
 an ta»ard"fear'"' Special sauctuary unto them. He also 
 made Babylon an ordinance to cleanse 
 them ; and for promises they had many, divers in this 
 chapter and others, as xxxiv. xxxvi. ; which is full 
 of sweet, gracious, and comforting promises. 
 
 " A little sanctuary." tayc Some take this word 
 adverbially, and render it jjciu/nyier ; so Polanus, 
 Junius, and Castalio ; God would be a sanctuary to 
 thi'm a little lime : and so to point out the shortness 
 of the time they should he in Babylon, and thereliy 
 to comfort them against their captivity ; seventy 
 years was not long, and all that time they should 
 have God a sanctuary. 
 
 Others take the word adjecrively, savchiarhim 
 parvvni, or niodictnn ; so Montanus, Pibcator, the 
 Vulgate, and the French. Why this expression is 
 laid down, " a little sanctuary'," we must inquire. 
 
 1. In opposition to that they had at Jerusalem. 
 That was very beautiful, rich, and glorious, set in 
 ivory, Ezek. vii. 20, eyed of all, resorted unto by all 
 the Jews, and famous throughout the earth; God 
 would be a temple to them, but not such a material, 
 conspicuous temple. You think upon th;it great 
 glorious temple, are troubled for it ; I will be a little 
 temple to you. 
 
 2. Little, in regard of the paucity that were there : 
 You are but a few, and a little temjde will suffice you ; 
 Vatablus hath it, lemphim paiirnrutn, and Calvin, sanc- 
 /Karium paucitati.s. Many fell to the ways of the 
 heathens; being mingled with them, they learned 
 tlieir ways, and served their gods ; few were godly. 
 
 3. In regard of the hidden virtue, power, and 
 goodness conveyed unto them, which Babylonish 
 eyes saw not. They thought their (iod had wholly 
 forsaken them, did nothing for them ; but he was an 
 invisible, spiritual, wonderftd, and strange sanctuary 
 unto them, all which was little to that they had in 
 their own land, there they had mercy more openly 
 and more plentifullv. 
 
 " Will I be." >'n!«i Ef fui, I have been a little 
 sanctuary, and will be. Psal. Ixix. II, "I became a 
 proverb unto them ;" the word is Facphi, I have been ; 
 it is future, yet rendered in the preter tense: and so 
 much it showeth here, that God had been, and would 
 be, a sauctuary to his jieople in Babylon. 
 
 Ob.i. I. The harsh dealing of wicked and corrupt 
 men with the godly, occasions God to give out com- 
 fortable truths and promises unto them. Thev at 
 Jerusalem, that were very evil, said, " Get you far from 
 the Lord : unto us is this laud given in possession. 
 
 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord," &-c. Because 
 they spake so bitter, therefore God speaks so com- 
 fortably ; because they rejected them, denied them 
 to have to do with God, or the laud, therefore God 
 receives them, tells them he will be a sanctuary unto 
 them. When others beat the child, the parents' 
 bowels yearn, especially if unjustly, and show the 
 more kindness. When Rabshakeh railed against 
 Ilezekiah, God's people, and blasphemed, from thence 
 did the Lord take occasion to signify by Isaiah, to 
 Hezekiah and the rest, things very comfortable : 
 2 Kings xix. G, " Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid 
 of the words which thou hast heard, with which the 
 servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 
 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall 
 hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land ; and 
 I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own 
 land." God took a rise from the enemies' blas- 
 phemies, and rough proceedings against his people, 
 to give in promises of mercy to his, and of destruc- 
 tion to them. When the enemy had dealt barbar- 
 ously with Rachel, slain and captived her children, 
 and she refused to be comforted, because they were 
 not, hereupon the Lord steps in, and saith, " Refrain 
 thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears : 
 for thy work shall be rewarded ; and they shall come 
 again from the land of the enemy :" because they 
 have destroyed thy children, therefore will I give 
 thee children, because they are scattered abroad, 
 therefore they shall return. When the Pharisees 
 had cast out the blind man, Jesus sought him out, 
 found him, and told him who he was, John ix. 35 ; 
 and Isa. Ixvi. 5, when their brethren that hated 
 them cast them out, then was the gracious promise 
 given in ; " He shall appear to your joy, and they 
 shall be ashamed." Ill manners occasion good laws, 
 and rough dealings have drawn forth sweet promises. 
 
 Obs. 2. Afflictions, be they of what nature soever, 
 are the acts of God. They were deprived of their 
 country, all their comforts there, they were in a sad 
 captiWty, mingled among the heathen ; but wdio did 
 this ? was it their own act ? the Babylonians or any 
 others? No, the Lord takes it upon himself; I have 
 cast them afar ofl", I have scattered them : it was his 
 counsel, power, and providence did it, whoever were 
 the instruments. The Scripture denies afflictions to 
 be from beneath.they spring not out of the dust, the 
 root of them is not in the earth. Job v. ti, but in hea- 
 ven ; it therefore attributes all of them to God: 
 Micah i. 12, " Evil came down from the Lord unto 
 the gate of Jerusalem." It is eWI indefinitely, what- 
 ever evil came nigh that city, it came from the Lord, 
 he created it, he sent it : and not only what was 
 without the city, but all in the city ; Amos iii. 6, 
 " Shall there be evil in a citj', and the Lord hath 
 not done it ? It is an interrogation, and vehemently 
 affirms that all is the work of God. Men take not 
 notice of the hand of God in affliction, and therefore 
 the Lord is oft brought in and presented as the true 
 and only author of them. The instruments are eyed 
 by us, and we are vexed at them, and greatly per- 
 plex ourselves, that creatures of the same rank and 
 condition we are in should harm us and afflict us ; 
 but did we see the Lord in all, it would quiet and 
 still our spirits ; whatever the agents were, God 
 would have us to take notice of this : Isa. xlv. 6, 7, 
 " That they may know fi-om the rising of the sim, 
 and fi'om the west, that there is none beside me. I 
 am the Lord, and there is none else. 1 form the 
 light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create 
 evil: I the Lord do aU these things;" man doth 
 none of them. 
 
 Obs. .3. God is mindful of his threats, and faithful 
 in performing of them. He had long before, in the
 
 Ver. IC, 17. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 261 
 
 days of Moses, told them, that if they sinned against 
 him, they should be plucked off the land they pos- 
 sessed, and be scattered among the heathen, Deut. 
 xxviii. 63, ()4 ; Lev. xxvi. 33 ; and see it here per- 
 formed, " I have cast them out, I have scattered 
 them among the countries." God is not forgetful of 
 what he hath threatened against sinners, he hath 
 his times to fulfil his threats, though some thousand 
 years after. There is a prophetical threat in Hag. 
 ii. 22, which it is probable that the Lord is now think- 
 ing of, and fulfilling ; " I will overthrow the throne 
 of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the 
 kingdoms of the heathen ; and I will overthrow the 
 chariots, and those that ride in them ; and the horses 
 and their riders shall come down, every one by the 
 sword of his brother." Some interpret this place of 
 Zerubbabel literally, and some shaking of heaven 
 and earth was then, some great changes were made ; 
 but the most interpret it of Zerubbabel mystical, of 
 Christ and his kingdom ; so Deodate takes it. God, 
 for the advance of his church under the gospel, will 
 overthrow the throne of kingdoms, all power and 
 greatness that is against the kingdom of his iSon ; 
 and how shall it be done ? by wars, mostly by civil 
 wars, " Every one by the sword of his brother." God, 
 in his wise providence, shall stir up kingdoms and 
 kings one against another, and they shall break 
 themsi Ivi'S and each other in pieces, that his truth 
 and faithfulness may be seen. 
 
 Oi.v. 4. Afllictions are not always arguments of 
 divine hatred. God had cast them afar oft', and 
 scattered them among the countries ; this the in- 
 habitants of Jeru.salem took to be an argument of 
 God's hatred, that he had forsaken them, that now 
 they were none of his people ; they conceived such 
 great judgments upon them could not stand with 
 God's love ; but the Lord's thoughts difi'er from man's; 
 he looked upon them as his people, as the true 
 church, as dearer to him than they at Jerusalem, as 
 those he would be a sanctuary unto. If great af- 
 tliclions were arguments of the Lord's hatred and 
 wrath, then Noah, Job, and Daniel were hated of 
 God, they had exceeding great affliction. Noah saw 
 a world drowned; Job had all plucked from him, his 
 friends and wife against him, yea God also in ap- 
 pearance ; Daniel was a captive, cast into the lions' 
 den ; yet how dear were these to the Lord ! Noah, 
 God accepted his sacrifice, Gen. viii. 21 ; blessed 
 him, chap. ix. 1 1 made a covenant with him, ver. 8, 9. 
 So Job, how doth God justify him ; chap. xlii. 7, 
 " Ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, 
 as my servant Job hath :" Job was God's servant, 
 spoke what was right of God ; Job must pray for 
 his three friends, him God will accept ; God gave 
 Job twice as much as he had before. And Daniel 
 was a man greatly beloved, Dan. ix. 23. Christ was 
 a man of sorrows, yet the man in whom God's soul 
 delighted, Isa. xlii. 1. Afflictions are arguments of 
 love ; Prov. iii. 12, " Whom the Lord loveth he cor- 
 rccteth, even as a father the son in whom he de- 
 lighteth." God loves not affliction, but he loves his 
 children, and his bowels cause him to correct : it 
 were cruelty, not love, in a father, that would suffer 
 his child to die for want of a little physic ; if physic 
 will do a child good, a loving parent will be at any 
 cost that way. Take heed how you censure those 
 that sufi'er ; afflictions are not always wounds of an 
 enemy, but arguments of love, especially when they 
 break the stubbornness and pride of our hearts, 
 purge out our pollutions, cause us to seek the face 
 of God, quicken our endeavours after more holiness, 
 cause us to mind the things of eternity more, make 
 the word and Christ more sweet and precious to the 
 soul, really and seriously. 
 
 Obs. 5. Whatever others think or say of God's 
 people, whithersoever thcv are driven, whatsoever 
 they lose or softer, God will be a little sanctuary 
 unto them. These men were hardly thought of, yea 
 rejected and condemned of those at Jerusalem, car- 
 ried captive into Babylon, they had lost all country 
 comforts, city jirivileges, temple-ordinances, estates, 
 and liberties ; they had hard bondage. When they 
 were yet now in this case, God was a sanctuary unto 
 them, he preserved them, vouchsafed them his pre- 
 sence, accepted their persons and prayers, gave them 
 counsel, sanctified and comforted them ; he was a 
 special sanctuary unto them, and instead of all ordi- 
 nances. Take " sanctuary " for the land of Canaan, as 
 some think it is taken, Exod. xv. 17, God would be 
 a land of Canaan to them ; or take it for sanctifica- 
 tion, as some do here and in Bsal. cxiv. 2, God would 
 be their sanctification ; or take it for heaven, as it is 
 Psal. cii. li), God would be a heaven unto them. 
 However the Jews in Babylon appeared in the world, 
 either to them in Zion or Babylon, they were glo- 
 rious in the eye of God, and he calls them his glory, 
 and would be a sanctuary unto them. This should 
 allbrd comfort unto those who are deprived of ordi- 
 nances, estates, liberties, friends, countries, and suf- 
 fer very hard and sharp things ; if they be godly, 
 God will be a sanctuary unto them. Our brethren 
 that were driven out into other parts of the world, 
 hath not God been a sanctuary unto them ? and hath 
 he not always been a sanctuary unto us, and a stone 
 of stumbling unto others, and for a rock 
 of oftence ? If God hath been a sane- ilau.T'prlsaitly 
 tuary to defend us, to aft'ord us his pre- J"" N»"iv 
 senee, to accept of our persons and '" ' ' 
 prayers, to send us help, counsel, comfort, deliver- 
 ance, let us sanctify this God himself in our heart, 
 make him our dread and fear, and he will still be a 
 sanctuary unto us : Psal. cxxxiv. 2, " Lift up your 
 hands in the sanctuarj', and bless the Lord." 
 
 Obs. 6. There is no place can hinder God from 
 taking care of, and showing kindness unto, his peo- 
 ple. They were in Babylon, a profane, polluted 
 land, they were scattered up and down in the coun- 
 tries thereof, and yet God was a sanctuary unto 
 them, and said he would be so in the countries where 
 they should come. When they were in Egypt, God 
 was a sanctuary to them there, and now in Babylon. 
 Acts X. 34, 35, " God is no respecter of persons" or 
 places ; " but in every nation he that feareth him, 
 and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." 
 God's peojile fear him, and work righteousness: 
 wherever they are cast, if into strange nations, as 
 these Jews; if into the dungeon, as Jeremiah; into 
 the bottom of the sea, as Jonah; if into the fiery 
 furnace, as the three children ; lions' den, as Daniel, 
 God is a sanctuary to them. Let a man be godly, and 
 he shall have not only protection, but praise of God, 
 Rom. ii. 29. 
 
 Ver. 17. Therefore say, Thus saifh the Lord 
 God ; I will eren gather you from the people, 
 and assemble you out of the countries where ye 
 hare been scattered, and I will give you the land 
 of Israel. 
 
 They at Jerusalem had vindicated the land to 
 themselves, " To us is this land given," and so cut 
 oft' the captives from hope of having any jiart in that 
 land. This was questicmless a great affliction to 
 tlieir spirits, and therefore the Lord bids the prophet 
 tell them that, as he would be a sanctuary to them 
 in Babylon, so he would gather them out of Baliy- 
 lon, bring them back to Canaan, and give them that 
 land in possession, which the others unjustly dial-
 
 2G'2 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 lenirecl to tliemsclves. In the former verse he spake 
 to them at Jerusalem, in this he spealis to the captives. 
 
 " I will even gather you." Castalio, convocabo; the 
 Septuagint, tlaSiKofiat avroig (k tuiv i^vSiv, I will re- 
 ceive, or undertake, to bring them out of the nations ; 
 the Hebrew word TYspT coiigregubo von, from yap 
 which is properly sjioken, de redit.per.'ia, to gather 
 that which is dispersed, men or otber things; and 
 these being dispersed among the nations, God saith 
 he will congregate them. The Jews' prayer was in 
 the time of their dispersion, Congrega itos de populis 
 quo dispersisti nos, We are now no body, we have no 
 face of a state or church, gather us into a body, 
 make us a commonwealth, a church again. This is 
 the thiug God hath promised them. 
 
 " Assemble you out of," &c. TheHebrew is 'nscNi 
 
 1 will add you out of those countries; and here it is 
 spoken of those who were scattered; which I ob- 
 serve, because Buxtorf, showing the difference be- 
 tween kabuts and asiiph, saith, asnph is, de re non 
 disperna ; and so doth Leigh out of him, in his Critica 
 Sacra : but both kabats, and amph here, refer to 
 the Jews, who were scattered amongst the Babylo- 
 nians ; and the Vulgate renders it, adunabo, I will 
 unite you and make you one body. 
 
 " I will give you the land of Israel." " The land 
 of Israel " is not oft mentioned save in this prophecy, 
 only nine times before it, and not after it at all, in 
 the Old Testament, and but twice in the New, Matt. 
 ii. 20, "21. In Ezekiel it is mentioned twenty times ; 
 in wrath, when it refers to those who were yet in it; 
 in mercy, when it refers to those who were captives, 
 or enemies insulting at the ruin of it, as you may 
 see, Ei;ek. xii. 19; xxxvi. 6; xxv. 3, 6. 
 
 Why it is said, " the land of Israel," rather than 
 the land of Judah, whenas it was called the land of 
 Judah before it was called the land of Israel, (for we 
 read in Moses's days it was called the land of Judah, 
 Deiit. xxxiv. 2, and the land of Israel first in 
 Samuel's days, 1 Sam. xiii. liJ,) is inrjuirable. The 
 land of Judah is a restrictive term, and includes only 
 what belonged to the tribe of Judah, of which you 
 may read. Josh. xv. 1 — 1. But the land of Israel is 
 a cnmprehensive term, containing all the tribes 
 w hich came out of the loins of Israel ; so that hereby 
 he gives them to understand, that they should not 
 enjoy a piece of the holy land again, but the whole, 
 all that the twelve tribes had. 
 
 The land of Israel was a clioice land, " A land that 
 flowed with milk and honey," Deut. xxvi. 15 ; "a 
 land of corn and wine, bread and vineyards," Isa. 
 xxxvi. 17 ; a land of brooks, fountains, springs, vines, 
 fig trees, pomegranates, oil, and honey, a land of 
 plenty, wherein they should want nothing, Deut. viii. 
 7 — 9 ; a land given of God, Deut. iv. 1 ; the desire 
 and glory of all lands, Ezek. xx. 6, because it was 
 the land of Immanuel, Isa. viii. 8 ; God's holy habi- 
 tation, Exod. XV. 13; the type of heaven, and' there- 
 fore called the land of the living, Psal. xxvii. 13. 
 This land of Israel God [uits them in mind of, the 
 loss of which, as it begat deep sighing in their souls, 
 so the hope of repossessing it revived them not a 
 little. God had given them this land once before ; 
 through their sin they had lost it, but now God would 
 give it them again, and doubly engage them by a se- 
 cond deed of gift. This people W'cre now captives, 
 and their sins had oft captivcd them, after they 
 had kings. Of their first captivity you may read, 
 
 2 Kings XV. 29, which was by Tiglath-pilescr ; a se- 
 cond by Shalmaneser, 2 Kings xvii. (i ; a third by 
 Sennacherib, 2 Kings xviii. 13 ; a fourth by the cap- 
 tains of the host of the king of Assyria, who carried 
 Manasseh into Babylon, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 1 1 ; a fifth 
 by Pliaraoh-ncch.oh, 2 Kings xxiii. 33, 34 ; a sixth 
 
 and seventh, by Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 5, 
 6; 2 Kings xxiv. 10 — 12; 2 Kings xxv. 7- Thus 
 was this people oft brought low, carried into other 
 lands from that " good land " of Israel, as it is called, 
 Deut. iv. 21. And you shall hardly find that any of 
 the preceding captivities had a pronuse of return- 
 ing them again before this ; but here God graciously 
 tells them, he would gather them out of the countries 
 and bring them back to Jerusalem. 
 
 Quest. 1. By whom did the Lord gather them, 
 bring them to this land again? 
 
 Answ. By three men especially, whose names are 
 very observable, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel. 
 Ezra signifieth a helper, and he was a special helper 
 of them, under God, out of Babylon, Ezra vii. G. 
 Nehemiah is. The consolation of the Lord, and he 
 brought divine consolation unto them, Nehem. ii. 
 18; and was as a god amongst them in conveying 
 and comforting them many ways, as you may observe 
 in the book which bears his name. Zerubbabel is, as 
 Jerom will have it, S33 aint Isfe priiiceps-in Babylone; 
 and he that could bring this people out of such a 
 country and condition they were in, had need to be 
 a mighty prince, and so was he ; therefore Zech. iv. 
 7, no mountainous strength of devils or wicked 
 men could stand before him: others interpret it, one 
 repugnant to confusion ; and so he was, he led the 
 people orderly out of that confused place and con- 
 dition they were in, even unto the holy land, and 
 divine order they had formerly enjoyed there ; and 
 thus J'eiitilator babel, The fanner of confusion, or 
 Saa 3">t Fltuus Bubylnnia, he brake down the bank 
 of captivity, and made way for the stream to flow 
 from Babylon to Zion. 
 
 Quest. 2. The promise here being made to the 
 captives in Babylon that were brought thither with 
 Jeconiah, whether had they any benefit of it that 
 were now at Jerusalem, and afterwards carried cap- 
 tive with Zedekiah into Baliylon ? 
 
 Jn.m\ Some think none of the ca])tives with Ze- 
 dekiah returned, or had any benefit of this promise ; 
 and the reason 1 find given is, because few returned; 
 but there may more be said for it. 
 
 1. The promise was not made to them at Jerusa- 
 lem, but to the captives in Babylon at that time. 
 
 2. We find many excepted from entering into the 
 land of Israel after the captivity. Ezek. xiii. 9, the 
 false prophets are excluded the land of Israel ; and 
 Ezek. XX. 38, " The rebels," God saith, " shall not 
 enter into the land of Israel;" and who were the 
 rebels, but those who refused to go with Jeconiah, 
 who stayed at Jerusalem, and sinned greatly against 
 God, and therefore are oft called the " rebellious 
 house," the "rebellious nation," chap. ii. God saith, 
 he would plead with them as he did with their 
 fathers in the wilderness when they came out of 
 Egypt, and there they died, only two of them enter- 
 ed into Canaan. 
 
 3. That chapter in Jeremiah of the good and bad 
 figs, sj.caks to this business : it is the 2-lth of Jere- 
 miah ; where the good figs are interpreted of Jeco- 
 niah and his cajitives ; God saith, he will acknow- 
 ledge them, set his eyes upon them for good, bring 
 them again to the land, and plant them in it, Szc. 
 vcr. 5 — 7. The evil figs are interpreted of Zedekiah 
 and his captives, and them God will deliver into all 
 the kingdoms of the earth for hurt, to be a reproach, 
 a jiroverb, a taunt, and a curse in all pdaees. 
 
 Others conceive, that some of Zedekiah's captives 
 returned to the l.-.nd of Israel, and the grounds given 
 are these : 
 
 (1.) In the 9th chapter some were marked that 
 were godly, and these being preserved and carried 
 away, it is not probable they should be shut out
 
 Ver. 17. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 2C3 
 
 from interest in that gracious promise, " I will gather 
 you, and give you the land of Israel :" whoever were 
 denied the land, not the godly. 
 
 ("2.) Cyrus's decree was not restrictive, but any 
 Jew might return ; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 23, " "Who is 
 there among you of all the Lord's people ? The 
 Lord his God be with him, and let him go up :" 
 Cyrus gave liberty to any or all to go. 
 
 (3.) I shall add one thing, and it is that in Jer. 
 xxxi. 8, " A great company shall return thither;" 
 above forty thousand, as you may read, Neh. vii. 66, 
 67. And it is probable that some of them were of 
 those that Nebuchadnezzar brought with Zedekiah 
 into Babylon. 
 
 Quest. 3. Whether the gathering and deliverance 
 of the church out of Babylon be typical, and a re- 
 semblance of the sjiiritual gathering and deliverance 
 of the church in time of the gospel ; whether they 
 refer to Christ or not ? 
 
 Answ. Those great deliverances out of Egypt and 
 Babylon had something in them representative of 
 the church's deliverance by Christ. Pharaoh and 
 Nebuchadnezzar point out Satan, that held the gen- 
 tiles, and antichrist, that held the christians in 
 bondage, till Christ, as Moses and Zerubbabel, did 
 deliver them. Their coming out of Egypt refers to 
 the time of Christ and the gospel, if you compare 
 Hos. xi. 1, with Matt. ii. 15. And for the Babylon- 
 ish deliverance referring to Christ, consider Ezek. 
 xxxiv. 12 — 14, where the Lord speaks of gathering 
 and bringing his people from the countries where 
 they have been scattered, to the mountains of Israel ; 
 and then in ver. 23, 24, " I will set up one shepherd 
 over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant 
 David ; he shall feed them, and be their shepherd. 
 
 1 the Lord will be their God, and my servant David 
 a prince among them." This one Shepherd, this 
 David, this Prince, was Christ, as is generally agreed 
 upon by interpreters; and John x. 11, Christ tells 
 them he is " the good Shepherd," namely, that one 
 and only Shepherd spoken of in Ezekiel. That of 
 Eachel weeping for her children, when they went 
 into captivity, Jer. xxxi. 15, referred to the time of 
 the gospel, and had its fulfilling then, Matt. ii. 17, 
 18, and why their coming out .should not also have 
 reference to deliverances under tlie gospel by Christ, 
 •.r , , ... ,, . I see not. Some interpret those words 
 
 Muldoo. Toilet. - , 1 ■ 1 ,-, II rm: c ■ -^ c .i 
 
 of Isa. 1x1. 1, 2, " The Spirit of the 
 Lord God is upon me ; because the Lord hath 
 anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek ; 
 he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to 
 proclaim liberty to the captives," See. to be meant 
 literally of the Babylonish captivity ; and you know 
 how the Lord Christ, Luke iv. 21, saith, " This day 
 is this scripture fulfilled in your eafs." 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord's eye is upon his people, he 
 lakes notice of them wherever they are; let them be 
 in Babylon, in the several countries thereof, he ob- 
 serves them. Fathers, when their children are scat- 
 tered here and there, cannot take any notice of them, 
 they are out of their sight: it is not so with God; 
 let his children be among heathens, as now the Jews 
 were, among lions, as Daniel was, among waters and 
 fishes, as Jonah was ; let them be where or in what 
 condition soever, he sees them, observes, considers 
 them : Prov. xv. 3, " The eyes of the Lord are in 
 every place ;" not of some one country, as Judea, 
 Egypt, Babylon, but in every place of the world; 
 
 2 Chron. xvi. 1), " His eyes run to and fro through- 
 out the whole earth, to show himself strong in the 
 behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him :" 
 God's eyeing of his people is not a bare intuition, 
 but in order to their assistance, to do them good, to 
 put out strength from them. 
 
 Obn. 2. In low and miseralile conditions, God sends 
 in hope and helj). They were now stripped naked 
 of all their comfcjrts, amidst barbarians, in a servile, 
 sinking condition, saw no hkehhood of bettering 
 their condition, being under the hand of a potent 
 and severe adversary ; yet now hope and help comes 
 in ; I will gath( r you, you that are captives, deso- 
 late, more low and miserable than ever you were, 
 even you will I gather : thus God lets in comfort to 
 them in their comfortless estate ; and it is God's way 
 to do so. When the Israelites cried in Egypt by 
 reason of their bondage ; when they were sorely 
 afflicted, saith the text, God heard them, remem- 
 bered them, looked upon them, and had respect un- 
 to them, Exod. ii. 24, 25 : and in the next chapter, 
 he appears to Moses, tells him he had seen their 
 affliction, knew their sorrows, and was come to de- 
 liver them, ver. 7, 8. When people are outwardly 
 or inwardly low, it is God's method frequently, if 
 not constantly, to atlbrd relief: Psal. cxvi. 6, " I 
 was brought low, and he helped me :" he was low 
 in Saul's days, low in Absalom's, but the Lord help- 
 ed him. When power is gone from a people, and 
 none to be found, in public rjr private, to help a 
 people, then are they in an afflicted, miserable con- 
 dition : yet then God alTords help, Deut. xxxii. 36. 
 So Neh. ix. 27, " In the time of their trouble, 
 when they cried unto thee, thou hcardest them from 
 heaven ; and according to thy manifold mercies 
 thou gavest them saviours." When the Jews were 
 brought low by Haman, and at the borders of death 
 all of them, God appeared in Esther, Ahasucrus, 
 turned the storm upon Haman himself, and helped 
 the Jews in that strait. 
 
 Obs. 3. Things which are hard and seem impossi- 
 ble to flesh and blood, are easy unto God. How 
 difficult was it to the judgment of those captives to 
 conceive a return! they were far from Jerusalem, 
 the journey long and dangerous ; they at Jerusalem 
 had rejected them ; they were under a mighty tyrant, 
 the terror of nations ; they were scattered in several 
 places, employed to servile work, for the profit, 
 pleasure of the Chaldeans, as digging in their mines, 
 ploughing of their fields, dressing of their vines ; 
 if they should stir to get away, the king had com- 
 mand of a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, 
 and could presently raise forces to fetch them back, 
 or cut them off, &c. These and such like thoughts 
 made it seem difficult, if not impossible to them, 
 that they should ever retiim again to Jerusalem ; 
 but the Lord would gather them ; it was an easy 
 act to him, no more than a shepherd gathering of 
 his flock into the fold: he whistles or sends out his 
 dog, and presently they all run into his fold ; so 
 when God spake the word, moved the heart of 
 Cyrus, he made a proclamation for the Jews to go 
 up to Jerusalem, and presently it was done. In 
 Ezek. xxxvii. II, you may read the Jews' apprehen- 
 sions of their condition ; they say, " Our bones are 
 dried, and our hope is lost ; we are cut off for our 
 parts." They thought themselves like dead and 
 dry bones that lie in the bowels or on the face of 
 the earth, without hope of life, or ever returning 
 into their own land ; but by the parable of the dry 
 bones, which at a word of prophecy were enlivened, 
 raised, and made a great army, God showed what 
 he could easily do, in things seeming to man impos- 
 silde ; and he appilies it to them, ver. 12, "Behold, 
 O my people, I will open your graves, and caure 
 you to come up out of your graves, and bring you 
 into the land of Israel :" they conceived it as im- 
 possible for them to repossess their country, as for 
 a dead man to live; but it was easy with God. 
 There is nothing too hard fur God; lie could bring
 
 2G4 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 a great nation out of Sarah's dead womb, Gen. xviii. 
 14 ; and Jer. xxxii. 27, (iod tells tliem tliat he is 
 " the Lord, the God of all llesh ;" and then asks 
 them this question, " Is there any thing too hard for 
 me?" Did I not bring you out of Egypt, led you 
 through the Red sea, through the wilderness, set 
 you in the pleasant land, and can I not bring- you 
 baek into it, though scattered uj) and down in Baby- 
 lon ? Ver. 37, " Behold, 1 will gather them out of 
 all countries, whither I have driven them in mine 
 anger ; and will bring them again to this j)lace, and 
 cause them to dwell safely." Luke xviii. 27, 
 " Things impossible with men are possible with 
 God." 
 
 Obs. 4. Lands and countries are the Lord's, to 
 dispose of to whom he pleases. " I will give you 
 the land of Israel." " The earth is the Lord's, and 
 the fulness thireof; the world, and they that dwell 
 therein," Psal. xxiv. 1 ; and he disposes of the 
 kingdoms thereof, Psal. cxv. IG, " The earth hath 
 he given to the children of men ;" there is not a 
 son of man which hath any spot of earth, or king- 
 dom in the world, but the Lord gave it him. He 
 rules in the kingdoms of men ; he takes them away, 
 and gives them to whom he will, Dan. iv. 31, 32. 
 He is God of all the kingdoms of the earth, Isa. 
 xxxvii. 16; and Cyrus acknowledged that God had 
 given them all to him, Ezra i. 2 : being the Lord's, 
 he may justly dispose of them as seems good to 
 himself This land of Israel was possessed by Ca- 
 naan, the son of Ham, and called the land of Ca^ 
 naan ; but his posterity, for their wickedness, were 
 cast out of it. Lev. xviii. 25 ; and then God gave it 
 to the seed of Abiaham, Isaac, and Jacob, wdiose 
 name was changed to Israel, and thence his poste- 
 rity were called Israelites, and so this the land of 
 Israel ; but they, through their idolatry and op- 
 pression, forfeited this land, and now God had given 
 it into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, after they had 
 possessed it eight hundred and fifty years. Sin 
 thrusts people out of their country, and robs them 
 of their rights and privileges ; and had not God 
 given them this land again, tliey had had little or no 
 right to it. God gave it to Abraham when the Ca- 
 naanites had it, and he gives it to the Israelites when 
 the Chaldeans had it. 
 
 Obs. 5. The afflictions of the church, though great 
 and grievous, yet have their period. Now Israel 
 was in Babylon, their country, city, temple, ordi- 
 nances, public worship, were gone ; they were amidst 
 idolaters, profane, blasphemous persons, in a pol- 
 luted place, which was very sad ; yet this condition 
 should have an end, God would gather them out 
 from Babylon, into the holy and pleasant land, 
 wliere they should enjoy choice mercies again. " God 
 will not always chide, neither keep his anger for 
 ever," Psal. ciii. 9. Here, at the beginning of their 
 captivity, God's heart was relenting, and he laid in 
 this gracious promise, to refi-esh them. Man, when 
 he is ollended, is not only angry, but bears grudges 
 in his heart, seeks revenge, and tlie ruin of them 
 who liave wronged him, as Haman, Mordccai and 
 the Jews ; but it is not so w ilh God, he may be 
 angry for sevenlv years, but that is not always, for 
 cvir. Isa. liv. 7, 8, it was but a moment, a small 
 moment, and the wrath was but a little, as he 
 calls it there ; because God was a sanctuary unto 
 them all the time, and made them gracious pro- 
 mises at the beginning. So then you may answer 
 the question made, Jer. iii. 5, " \Vill he reserve 
 his anger for ever ? will he keep it to the end ?" 
 No ; God is gracious, and will not always be 
 wrath. 
 
 Ver. 18. And they shall come thither, and they 
 shall take awujj all the detestable things therecif 
 and all the abominations thereoj'fyoin thence. 
 
 God doth not only promise them that they shall 
 return to their own land, but also tells them what 
 they shall do there, " take away the detestable 
 things and abominations thereof" 
 
 " Detestable things." The Septuagint renders it, 
 and so the word for abomination, fictMyixara. Vul- 
 gate, oiiines ojf'ensiones : Calvin, omnia idola ; and 
 idols are detestable things, as I showed when I 
 -ipened chap. v. 11. One thing I shall add, and 
 iliat is, ri'xipr here rendered "detestable" by our 
 translators, is the same word in Dan. ix. 27; xii. 11, 
 where it is translated " abominations :" and Matt. 
 xxiv. 15, jiUXvyfia r?jt' ipii^uicife, which some inter- 
 pjret of the Roman soldiers, profaning the temple 
 with blood and brutish actions ; others of antichrist, 
 sitting in the temple, and worshipped as God; and 
 others of idols, brought in and set up there. 
 
 "Abominations." Ftagitia; Castalio. This word 
 was largely opened in chap. v. i). Notorious sins 
 of all kinds are called in the Scripture sense, abomi- 
 nations, things to be abhoiTcd : so Rom. ii. 22, o 
 (S^iXvaao/iivoi; t<1 lUitiXa, " Thou that abhorrest idols." 
 Idols and idolatries are abominable, 1 Pet. iv. 3. 
 
 Obs. 1. What the Lord promises, that shall be 
 performed. He had said in the former verse, " I will 
 give them the land of Israel," and here he sailh, 
 " They shall come thither :" what obstructions so- 
 ever may be in the way, w hat power soever opposes, 
 yet the Lord having promised it, he would make it 
 good. God is gracious in promising, faithful in 
 kee])ing promise, and piowerful in performing his 
 promises. You may see it made good, Ezra i. I, 3; 
 God stirred up the sj)irit of Cyrus to make a pro- 
 clamation for the Jews to go to their own land, and 
 then he stirred up the spirits of the people to go, 
 ver. 5; their spirits were down, they were heartless 
 and hopeless, many of them, but God raised their 
 spirits, to go up to Jerusalem ; the word is Tyn 
 evigiUivit, suscitarit, they were asleep, and God deals 
 with them as we with sleepy men ; they had their 
 objections, but God took them all away, and raised 
 their spirits above all difficulties, and caused them 
 to hasten to their country, and the work he had for 
 them. God hath promised a new Jerusalem, that he 
 will dwell with men, and be their God, wipe away 
 all tears from their eyes, that there shall be no more 
 death, sorrow, crying, pain. Rev. xxi. 2 — 4; that 
 the nations of those who are saved shall walk in the 
 light of that city ; that kings shall bring the glory 
 and honour of the nations into it; that only those 
 which are written in the Lamb's book shall enter : 
 this will be a glorious time, God hath promised it, 
 he is faithful and able to perform it. 
 
 Obs. 2. When judgments and mercies arc sancti- 
 fied to a people, they will produce answerable eflccts. 
 They had sore judgments in Babylon, for seventy 
 years ; and when they were brought out of that 
 furnace into this pleasant land, which was a great 
 deliverance, when they were come thither, what 
 should they do ? " Take away the detestable things, 
 the abominations thereof" The fruit of that afflic- 
 tion, and the deliverance out of it, evidenced that 
 their judgments and mercies were sanctified. 
 
 (1.) They repented of their idolatry and sinful 
 practices, which had laid the land waste ; which is 
 supposed in the words. They would never have 
 taken away the detestable things, had not their hearts 
 been broken for them. 
 
 (2.) They reform when they come into the land, 
 they " take away the detestable things;" they are
 
 Vi;r. 19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 265 
 
 bitter ;igainst their master-sin, and serve it as it 
 served them. Their detestable things had taken 
 them away out of the land, Jer. xliv. 22, and they 
 fall upon the detestable things presently, and take 
 them away, and what else they apprehended offended 
 God; not only idols did they take away, but reformed 
 also the marriage of strange wives, Ezra x. in point 
 of usury, Neh. v. and profaning of the sabbath, 
 Neh. xiii. 
 
 (3.) They show themselves sincere in it; they 
 spare none, but take away all detestable things, all 
 abominations. Josh. xxiv. 14. It is sincerity to put 
 away false gods, and especially all of them. 
 
 (4.) They endeavour to worship God purely, with- 
 out any corruptions or mixtures of their own. They 
 put away all detestable things, all abominations, they 
 laboured to have only \\hat was divine, and so what 
 was pleasing to God. They would not come to God 
 with any impieties, but in pure worship. As Jacob, 
 Gen. XXXV. 2 — 4, when he was to go up to Bethel, he 
 took all their strange gods, their earrings, and what 
 might be occasion of sinning that way, and buried 
 them under the oak out of sight, and cleansed him- 
 self and family, and would serve God, not with any 
 mongrel but with pure worship ; so was it here. 
 When it is thus, it is an argument that judgments 
 and deliverances are sanctified, that mercies are well 
 bestowed, and well enjoyed. When corrections and 
 mercies stir us up to repent, reform, to deal sincerely 
 with God, and to worship him purely, it is evident 
 they came from God's love, and are sanctified mito us. 
 
 Ver. 19. Arid I will give them one heart, and 
 I will put a new spirit within you ; and Itvill take 
 the stony heart out of their Jlesli, and will give 
 them an heart ofjiesh. 
 
 In the former verses you heard opened sundiy 
 sweet promises of God, made to his people ; he would 
 be a sanctuary to them in Babylon, bring them 
 thence to Zion, purify them from the pollutions in 
 their own land, all which were gracious ; but here 
 he exceeds all given in before : those promises con- 
 cerned their outw-ard conditions chiefly, but these 
 their inward and spiritual estate only. Some make 
 this verse to contain the covenant of grace which 
 God made with his people Israel, whom he had 
 chosen above any people in the world, but they for- 
 sook him, fell to idolatry, and were now justly made 
 captive for their sin, suffered much among their ene- 
 mies ; and here God enters into a gracious covenant 
 with them, and promises great things unto them. In 
 the words consider. 
 
 1. The party promising; " I, I, I." 
 
 2. The things promised ; (1.) " One heart." (2.) 
 " A new spirit." (3.) Taking away the " stony 
 heart." (4.) " Heart of flesh." 
 
 3. The persons to whom ; " them." 
 
 4. The maimer of conveying these, and it is ex- 
 pressed by giving, putting, taking. 
 
 " One heart." The Seiituagint is Inpav rapfiar, 
 another heart: they mistaking the Hebrew T for -i 
 take the word ms for ■^^^s and so fell into that error, 
 which is not great; for one heart was another heart 
 than that they had. The Hebrew is irs* aS one 
 heart. 
 
 " Heart." By it here we may understand, 
 
 1. The judgment or understanding ; so it is taken, 
 Eiih. iv. 18 J lieart and understanding are the same 
 there. 
 
 2. For the will and affections ; so Prov. xxiii. 26 ; 
 Matt. xxii. 37. 
 
 3. For the ccmscience ; so it is taken, 1 John iii. 20. 
 " One," is taken in the word, 
 
 1. For likeness: I Sam. vi. 4, "One plague was 
 on you all ;" that is, a like plague. 
 
 2. For sameness : 2 Cor. xi. 2, " I have espoused 
 you to one husband;" Heb. x. 14, "By one offering' 
 he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." 
 One is put for the same in both places. 
 
 3. For that which is united and makes one : Gen. 
 xi. 6, " Behold, the people is one ;" they were united 
 together as one man, in the building of Babel. We 
 may understand all here, that God w ould unite them 
 together as one man, give them likeness and same- 
 ness of heart. 
 
 Some think, by one heart is meant the mutual 
 consent to hasten to Jerusalem to build the temple. 
 As they were one people, of one language and spirit, 
 in builthng Babel ; so these should be one people, of 
 one mind and language, in rebuilding Jerusalem. 
 But if it should be confined to this sense, it were 
 no spiritual mercy, and here God is promising spi- 
 ritual mercies. This sense may be included, but 
 there is something beyond it. We will inquire what 
 heart was antecedently in this people, which will give 
 us light fxir the better imdcrstandrng of this oneness 
 of heart. 
 
 (1.) They had a backsliding, apostatizing heart 
 in them. 1 Kings xviii. 37, Elijah prays that their 
 hearts maybe turned back again. Jer. v. 23, "This 
 people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart." 
 Ezek. ii. 3, they are called "a rebellious nation;" 
 and Ezek vi. 9, God saith he was "broken with their 
 whorish heart," which departed from him. They 
 went out from God to idols, and to false ways of 
 W'orship ; they walked after the imaginations of their 
 hearts, after other gods, to serve and worship them, 
 Jer. xiii. 10. 
 
 (2.) They had a slippery, unfaithful heart. Psal. 
 Ixxviii. 8, their " spirit was not stedfast with God," 
 they were off and on, no certainty in them, but full 
 of changes. Hence they are said to gad much about 
 to change their way, Jer. ii. 36; and in Isa. xxiv. 5, 
 to change the ordinances ; and in Ezek. v. 6, to 
 change God's "judgments into wickedness, more than 
 the nations." 
 
 (3.) They had a deceitful, hypocritical heart. Isa. 
 xliv. 20, " A deceived heart hath turned him aside ;" 
 and chap. x. 6, God calls them " an hypocritical 
 nation :" they pretended love and obedience to God j 
 but, Jer. iii. 10, Judah served God " feigncdly," in 
 falsehood, is the Hebrew; their hearts were deceitful, 
 false. 
 
 (4.) They had a divided, froward, bitter heart. 
 Hos. X. 2, " Their heart is divided ;" God had a piece 
 of it, and the world a piece, Ezek. xxxiii. 31, and 
 their idols a piece, Ezek. xiv. 3. And it was con- 
 tentious and froward ; Isa. Ivii. 17, " He went on 
 frowardly in the way of his heart." They had di- 
 vided hearts, divided tongues, and divided ways ; 
 Manasseh was against Ephraim, Ephraim against 
 Manasseh, and both against Judah. 
 
 Now this one heart here mentioned, is opposite 
 to all these. 
 
 [1.] God would give them "one heart," and that 
 is, a heart which should be for himself, and not for 
 idols ; a heart which should not withdraw or turn 
 back to any false ways, but cleave to himself only. 
 After they came out of Babylon, they never could 
 endure idols more, God had separated their hearts 
 from them ; and therefore upon their return. God 
 promised they should take away all detestable things, 
 ver. 18. 
 
 [2.] A heart faithful and stedfast, that should hold 
 fast the things of God, and not be given to change. 
 Hence, Jer. xxxii. 39, God saith, " I will give them 
 one heart, anil one way, that they may fear me for
 
 2GG 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 ever :" their heart shall be settled, fixed in my way, 
 and never look out and wander after other ways. 
 
 [3.] An honest, sineere heart, free from hypoerisy, 
 guile, and lying. Zech. viii. 3, " Jerusalem shall be 
 called a city of truth :" the inside and outside sliould 
 be the same ; intentions, words, and actions sliould 
 be correspondent. 
 
 [4.] A united, loving, peaceable heart. As they 
 shall have one God, be firm to bis way, and sincere 
 in that way ; so they shall have sweet communion 
 together ; strife, bitterness, division, 
 s"ii''nm'hurtS shall not be found amongst them ; Isa. 
 11,-sii.o- iii.,itii.v ix. IS, "Violence shall no more be 
 
 holy mounlalu. '. , , , , ^-,, , , , , 
 
 heard in the land. Ihere sliould be 
 much unity, much love, and mutual agreement be- 
 tween them ; they should have but " one heart ;" 
 that is, one which is indivUum a ae, and dhixum ab 
 cmtii alio ; such a heart they should have, a heart 
 undivided in itself, and divided ft-om all things hete- 
 rogeneal, and of a dividing nature : as God, he is one 
 simply, absolutely, undivided in himself, and mostly 
 divided from every thing difiering from liimself ; Gal. 
 iii. 20, " God is one," and one is opposed to many ; 
 so tliat they shall have " one heart," not many hearts. 
 This oneness of heart may be considered, 
 
 1. As respecting themselves : and so, 
 
 (1.) As it includes the judgment and affections; 
 they shall not dissent and cross one the other, but 
 when truth is in the understanding, tlie aftections 
 shall close with it. Ofttimes there is much truth in 
 the heads of men, but no love to truth in their hearts ; 
 2 Thess. ii. 10, "They received not the love of the 
 truth ;" tlie truth was revealed, made love to their 
 souls, appeared very lovely and beautiful, but they 
 had no love to it. John iii. 19, " Light is come into 
 the world, and men loved darkness rather than light ;" 
 their atlections closed with their own lusts and errors ; 
 but it should be otherwise here, they should have a 
 heart towards truth, not divided from truth. 
 
 (2.) As it comprehends the will and conscience ; 
 they shall not be one against another. Sometimes 
 conscience dictates and tells men they must do or 
 not do such tilings ; and their wills carry them a 
 wrong way : Rom. i. 32, their hearts told "them that 
 tliey who did such things as are there mentioned, 
 were worthy of death, yet their wills carried them 
 to do those things, and to delight in them. So in 
 ver. 18, they who held the truth in unri.nhteousness, 
 their consciences told them it was trutli, and to be 
 obeyed, but their wills were against obeying that 
 truth; so that here was not one heart in them. Here 
 the promise is, vill and conscience shall be one. 
 
 (3.) As it looks at the intention and practice. 
 Many men have one heart within, and another with- 
 out, fair pretences, but foul intentions ; their actions 
 and hearts laid together, would confute one another ; 
 Herod pretends to worship Christ, but intends to 
 murder him: but these should have " one heart" 
 within and without ; the same they should lie, inwardly 
 and outwardly, as Nathanael; no guile was in his spi- 
 rit, in his lips, in his actions, but the same heart was 
 in all : Col. iii. 23, " Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily." 
 
 2. As respecting God. They should look at God 
 as the only and adequate object of their heart, they 
 should be content with him alone ; they should not 
 ask counsel, confide in, fetch comfort from, or wor- 
 ship any other ; he only had made covenant with 
 that people, and they should own him only for their 
 God. ^Ioses told them long before, that the Lord 
 their God was one Lord, Deut. vi. 4 ; and Samuel 
 told them they must serve him only, 1 Sam. vii. 3; 
 and this could not be, unless their heart was one. 
 David, who was a one-hearted man, said, Psal. Ixii. 
 5, " My soul, wait thou only upon God." 
 
 One heart in regard of his worship ; that should 
 be pure, unmixed, and one. Zech. xiv. 9, " In that 
 day shall there be one Lord, and his name one :" 
 by name, interpreters understand wor.diip, and that 
 shall be one, and answerable shall be their hearts, 
 Jer. xxxii. 39. 
 
 3. In respect of others. 
 
 (1.) Their judgment shall be one ; they shall agree 
 together in fundamentals, and substantial points of 
 faith, though there be chllerenccs in circumstantials, 
 inferences, consequences, and points of infirii-r 
 alloy ; Phil. iv. 2, they should rii avrb <ppovt'iv, think 
 the same thing, " be of the same mind." 
 
 (2.) Their affections towards one another. Acts 
 iv. 32, " The multitude of them that believed were 
 of one heart and of one soul;" by these words, "one 
 heart and one soul," Beza understands, summa turn 
 in doctrina turn in volantatibiis consensio, an agi'ee- 
 mcnt in sentiment as well as a union in will ; and he 
 tells us, that in the old co]iy he had, there were 
 these words more added, Kai ovu r/v iv ovto'iq dicmpiatg 
 oiiltixia, there was no difference or controversy amongst 
 them, they were united in judgment and alfections, 
 they had common faith, and common affections; 
 they believed the gospel, and loved Christ's truth, 
 and one another dearly. 
 
 (3.) In their converse and practice together, they 
 should be one-hearted. Acts ii. 46, " They con- 
 tinuing daily with one accord in the temple, and 
 breaking bread from house to house, did cat their 
 meat with gladness and singleness of heart -"aipiXiirtjTi 
 •rapping. atpiXuig, Buda-us interprets of men, siyie /ivore, 
 their hearts were without envy, or other evils ; they 
 were single. In this sense, chiefly, I conceive this 
 one-heartedness is to be taken, the union and har- 
 mony of their judgments, affections, and practices in 
 spiritual things. 
 
 Queat. 1. When was this performed? 
 
 Amiv. Some think at their return from Babylon 
 they were one-hearted, and united in their judg- 
 ments, atlections, and practices ; and some phrases 
 in Scripture import it : Ezra i. 5, " Then rose up the 
 chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the 
 priests, and the Levdtes, with all them whose spirit 
 God had raised, to go up to build the house of the 
 Lord in Jerusalem ;" they had the same mind and 
 affection to that good work, to build the house of the 
 Lord : and chap. ii. I, they came " every one unto 
 his city." Chap. iii. 11, " All the people shouted with 
 a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because 
 the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid :" 
 and chap. vi. Ifi, " The children of Israel, the 
 priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children 
 of the captivity, kept the dedication of the house of 
 God with joy." These and such like passages give 
 occasion to think that there was a fulfilling of tliis 
 truth at that time. Others conclude it made good 
 in the apostles' days, when tlic believers were so 
 united as you read'of, Acts ii. 42, 44, 4(i ; chap. iv. 
 32, the believers, yea, the multitude of them, " were 
 of one heart and one soul." Some are of judgment 
 tliat it is not yet accomplished, because there were 
 great divisions and contentions among the churches 
 in the ajiostles' times ; and therefore refer it to the 
 calling of the Jews, when the two prophetical mys- 
 tical sticks, mentioned Ezck. xxxvii. 19 — 23, are 
 united and made one nation, and have David their 
 king ruling over them ; thm shall there be this 
 one-heartedncss amongst them. If we should put it 
 ujion the times wherein those great and glorious 
 things spoken of, Isa. Ix. shall be given into the 
 cluuch, we shall not much mistake : there God saith, 
 " I will make thine officers peace, and tliinc exactors 
 righteousness. Violence shall no more be licard
 
 Vkr. 19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 207 
 
 in thy land, the Lord shall be unto thee an everlast- 
 ing light, and tliy God thy glory ; thy people also 
 shall be all righteous :" which time I suppose may fall 
 in with the new Jerusalem, Rev. xxi. in whieh should 
 be no leanness, death, sorrow, crying,or i)ain ; all tilings 
 in it should be new, having the glury of God, ver. 4, 5. 
 
 Quest. 2. Whether this union, this one-hearted- 
 ness be attainable in this life ? Some judge it im- 
 possible that there should be one-heartedncss in 
 judgment, all'ections, and practice, because of the 
 dillerenee of constitutions, natural abilities, corrup- 
 tions, and temptations of men, and unequal dispensa- 
 tions of grace ; and therefore refer it to oui- condition 
 after this life. 
 
 Ansii: We must distinguish this one-heartedncss. 
 It is either incomplete, and inchoative, which is to 
 be had in this life, or complete and eonsuramative, 
 whieh is a piece of our happiness in heaven : the 
 angels and saints above enjoy the same perfectly ; we 
 ■who are here beneath, have it only in part. Though 
 there be difTcrenees in the lesser things of religion, 
 yet we agree in the weighty things thereof, and are 
 one-hearted in them ; and were there no possibility 
 of being so, and being more and more so, the Lord 
 woulil not here have promised it, nor the apostle ex- 
 horted to it, 1 Pet. iii. 8, "Be ye all of one mind," 
 TrriiTfg o/io^poi'ff, idem sentientes et consentientes : 
 o^6<pf)ortQ, are they, qtit ra ofioia foovovai, which think 
 the same things ; yea, oftotppovijai^ comprehends, as 
 Gerard observes upon the place, coiiseii-siovein iujidei 
 verilate et vitte mnctilute, a harmony in faith and ho- 
 liness. Paul, 1 Cor. i. 10, prays, iva to nvro Xiyiin 
 TavTii, and to " be perfectly joined together in the 
 same mind, and in tlie same judgment ;" let there be 
 no deficiency, no redundancy, but a sweet coherency, 
 as in the members of the body. So Phi'., ii. 2, 
 " That ye be like-minded, having the same love, 
 being of one accord, of one mind :" he would not 
 only have them, to airro (ppovtlv, but to iv (ppoviiVfXiot 
 only o^o;//iT;yoi, but avfij/vxoi. In sundry other places 
 the apostle exhorts unto it ; 2 Cor. xiii. 11; Rom. 
 xii. 16 ; XV. 5. And the text saith, Acts iv. 32, that 
 the believers " were of one heart and one soul ;" 
 they were so united, that the heathens were all'ected 
 with their union, and said ordinarily of the chris- 
 
 tians, J'ide ut se diligant, ut alter 
 
 '■ pro 
 thev 
 
 Terlul. in Apol. . Y- c I 
 
 altera mori sunt parati, See how 
 
 love each other, so much so that thiy are ready to 
 die for each other. There were many bodies, not 
 many soids nor many hearts amongst them. 
 
 There have been great difTerences and contentions 
 amongst the worthies of God, Paul, with Peter and 
 Barnabas ; Basil, with Eusebius ; Chrysostom, with 
 Epiphanius ; and Jerom, withRuffinus : but their dif- 
 ferences have been rather in judgment than affection ; 
 and dilFerences there may be without breach of 
 friendship. Paul differed in judgment from the Jews, 
 and other men, yet he became all things to all, he 
 was wonderful loving to all. Or if the difference 
 came to their wills and affections ; yet it provoked to 
 love rather than abated love, napu^va^toc, pro salute 
 animarum, Heb. x. 24. Neither did they dilTer in the 
 great things of religion ; and had they, yet there 
 might have been harmony in their affections and 
 practice. The Thomists and Scotisis, the Dominicans 
 and Jesuits, have their controversies and differences; 
 so the churches of Spain and Italy have a gnat 
 controversy with those of France, about the infallible 
 judgment in matters of faith : the Italians and Span- 
 iards affirm the pope is that judge ; the French ileny 
 it, and look upon him as liable to error with other 
 men ; and subject to schism, heresy, and deposure 
 by a general coimcil ; and yet they hold together, in 
 brotherly love and communion. 
 
 Obs. 1. Men's hearts of themselves arc divided, 
 multii lied, not one. Physically, men have but one 
 heart ; morally, they have many, according to the 
 number of their lusts in the num'ber of their hearts ; 
 men have proud hearts, froward hearts, unclean 
 hearts, covetous hearts, malicious hearts, bloody 
 hearts, &c. Pliny saith, the partridges 
 of Paphlagonia have double hearts; I-. ii. 37. 
 and men have double and treble hearts. Psal. xii. 2, 
 " With a double heart do they speak ;" the Hebrew 
 is, with a heart and a heart ; they had diversity of 
 hearts. When the heart is separated ft'om God, it 
 falls upon the creatures, and multiplies according to 
 the objects it affects ; so that no man in his natural 
 condition, taken in a moral consideration, can have 
 one heart, but many hearts ; his heart is divided, 
 and as he hath no agreement with God, so none 
 with man, or himself. 
 
 Obs. 2. Oneness of heart is a great blessing, it is 
 the fruit of the covenant of grace. It is the first 
 blessing here mentioned ; it is joined with other 
 great blessings. I will show you the good of it in 
 some particulars. 
 
 (1.) One-heartedness in christians rejoiceth the 
 Spirit of Christ, which is a Spirit of love, peace, 
 union, and is grieved with what is opposite to them. 
 Therefore, Eph. iv. 30, 31, saith the apostle, 
 " Grieve not the holy Spirit of God." And how 
 should that be prevented ? " Let all bitterness, and 
 wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, 
 be put away from you, with all malice." Where 
 these are, there are divisions, and the Spirit is grieved ; 
 where these are not, there is one-heartedness, and 
 that rejoiceth the Spirit. Spiritus res delicata, the 
 mind is tender : where tender hearts are, little 
 breaches offend them : Isa. Ixiii. 10, " They rebelled, 
 and vexed his holy Spirit." 
 
 (2.) It greatly sweetens and contents the heart of 
 man, when the will, atlections, judgment, and con- 
 science, are friendly and united the right way. It is 
 heaven in the soul : Iloui. xiv. 17, " The kingdom of 
 God is righteousness, peace, and joy ;" and Luke xvii. 
 21, "The kingdom of God is witliin you. When the 
 heart is divided, then appear storms and troubles in 
 the soul. When christians are at variance, divided, 
 and not united in their judgments, affections, and 
 practice, they have not that heavetdy sweetness in 
 them which otherwise they would have : James iii. 16, 
 " Where envying and strife is, there is confusion," 
 unquictness, unheavenliness. 
 
 (3.) It makes the conmiunion one with another 
 delightful and acceptable : Psal. cxxxiii. 1, " Behold, 
 how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to 
 dwell together in unity !" Where there is union of 
 hearts, there is sweet communion ; when the union 
 is strongest, the communion is sweetest, as in the 
 sacred Trinity. Acts iv. 32, the believers "were of 
 one heart and of one soul ; " and chap. ii. 42, " They 
 continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and 
 fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayer." 
 Communion of those who are one-hearted, is a box 
 of precious and sweet ointment, without files. 
 
 (4.) It prevents all the evil which comes by di- 
 visions and contentions, whieh are great and many. 
 I will name some few. 
 
 [1.] Much time is lost, where contentions are, in 
 janglings, brawlings, and bitter expressions ; we 
 have woful experience of it in these days, both in 
 mtn's preaching, printing, reading, conversing, and 
 disputings. Time is precious, and the apostle bids 
 us redeem the time, Eph. v. 16. Where one-heart- 
 edness is, there is prevention of this great loss ; 
 Acts ii. 46, 47, the christians there continued " daily 
 with one accord in the temple, praising God."
 
 2G8 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CllAP. XI. 
 
 [2.] Where divisions are, there is seeking the dis- 
 grace and damage, if not the ruin, of one another ; 
 there is plotting and practising to root out eacli otlicr. 
 Scribes, Pharisees, high priests, did not only disgrace 
 Christ, and damage him several ways, but were rest- 
 less till they had his blood. Gal. v. 15, where strife 
 is, there is biting and devouring one another ; but 
 one-heartedness prevents all these things, it never dis- 
 graceth, damnitieth, or destroyeth any ; 1 Cor. xiii. it 
 is full of love, and is kind, not envying, itdoth not un- 
 seemly, it thinkcth no evil, but beareth all things. 
 
 [:?.]' They weaken much, and hinder the doing of 
 much good ; therefore it is the policy of Satan and 
 his instruments, to make divisions in kingdoms, 
 armies, councils, cities, families, that so the good in- 
 tended may not be accomplished. When hearts and 
 heads are divided, hands are weakened, and the good 
 can never be done in a contentious way, which may 
 be done in a peaceable and loving way. When men 
 are divided, their councils, their motions, are oft de- 
 structive one to another. When a great river is 
 divided into many channels, her waters cannot carry 
 such great vessels as before, nor be so serviceable. 
 Where union is, there is strength ; this made Anti.s- 
 thenes say, Fralrum inter xe concordiam quoiis muro 
 Jirmius esae mimimenlum, That unity among brethren 
 is a defence more firm than any wall. Agesilaus 
 being a^ked why Lacedemon had no walls, answered, 
 pointing at the citizens who were unanimous and 
 one-hearted, /// sunt Spartce niicnia. These are the 
 walls of Sparta ; intimating, that the agreement of 
 citizens is the greatest strength to a city. And 
 In Apnphtiieg. Plutarch tells of old Scylurus who had 
 regu.n. eighty sons, and he on his death-bed 
 gave them a bundle of arrows, and bade them break 
 them, &c. ; If you agree you will be invincible, and 
 do great things; if not, you will be weak and do 
 nothing. Therefore Solomon, Eccl. iv. 9, saith, 
 " Two are better than one," there is more strength ; 
 and twenty are better than two, when they agree. 
 Gen. xi. (J, " The people is one ; and nothing will 
 be restrained from them, which they have imagined 
 to do ; " being united, they were so strong to carry 
 on that great work of building Babel, that none could 
 hinder them but God himself. 
 
 [4.] Divisions grieve the weak, and harden the 
 wicked, as you may observe, Rom. xiv. ; but where 
 one-heartedness is, there is no grieving of the one, 
 nor hardening of the other ; that were a strange 
 spirit, which should he ofl'ended at union, peace, and 
 love of brethren. Psal. cxxxiii. 2, the unity of bre- 
 thren " is like precious ointment," which is pleasing 
 to the weak, and softening to the hard heart; hence, 
 Prov. XXV. 15, "A soft tongue breaketh the bone." 
 
 (5.) One-heartedness invites others unto that way 
 where it is found. It is a pleasant and comely thing 
 to see brethren dwell in unity ; men are alTected 
 with it, there is much beauty and mirth in the har- 
 mony of hearts. The sweet peace and union which 
 were amongst the christians in the primitive times, 
 allured many to them : love unites and draws strongly. 
 An Indian passing by the house of a christian, where 
 they were brawling and contending, said, Habbomach 
 dwells there, that was Satan, and would not turn 
 in : but where love, union, and peace is, there God 
 dwells; I John iv. Hi, "God is love," and dwells 
 where love is. And that society which hath God in 
 it hath the strongest argument to draw others to it : 
 Zcch. viii. 23, "Ten shall take hold of the skirt of 
 a Jew, saying, We will go \\'ith you, for we have 
 heard that God is with you." 
 
 (6.) It improves grace, and makes christians thrive 
 much ; whereas jars, divisions, vain disputes, and 
 wranglings, prejudice the lustre and growth of grace, 
 
 if not the life. It is observed by some, that the power 
 of godliness is greatly abated in many places, and 
 among many christians, in these divided times we 
 live in; these waters of Marah have imbittered their 
 spirits, and quenched the graces of the Spirit; so that 
 the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 the doctrine which is according to godliness, are not 
 so minded as formerly. In winter the trees put not 
 forth, neither do the fruits of the earth grow in 
 stormy weather ; in times of war things are greatly 
 defaced : but when winter is gone, sun shines, then 
 do all things flourish ; and in days of peace things 
 prosper. Where one-heartedness is, this unity we 
 speak of, there doth grace thrive among christians. 
 Where envyings, grudges, jealousies, strifes, oppo- 
 sitions, and rising of spirits arc among christians, 
 they are as northern and eastern winds to the corn 
 and fruits, they cause them to dwindle away, or to 
 prove little and lank. 1 Cor. viii. 1, if love edifieth, 
 and builds up christians, divisions pull down : when 
 men are divided they seldom speak the 
 truth in love, and then it doth little 
 good ; w hen it is spoken in love, then christians grow, 
 and grow up into Christ in all things, Eph. iv. 15. 
 
 (7.) It furthers their prayers ; when men are all 
 of one heart, there is much sweetness and strength 
 in their prayers. Acts iv. 24, " They lifted up their 
 voice to God with one accord ;" all Iheir hearts were 
 as one heart; and ver. 31, " When they had prayed, 
 the place was shaken, and they were all filled with 
 the Holy Ghost :" here was a sweet and efficacious 
 prayer, all their hearts were in the prayer, and all 
 were filled with the Holy Spirit, Matt. v. 23, 24, 
 " If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there re- 
 memberest that thy brother hath aught against thee ; 
 leave thy gift, go, and first be reconciled to thy 
 brother, and then come and oiler thy gift." Whilst 
 divisions are amongst brethren, a prohibition lies 
 against our sacrificing, but when there is peace and 
 unity, then heaven is open for acceptance of our 
 prayers. 1 Cor. vii. 5, Paul knew what an enemy 
 contention was to divine duties ; and therefore would 
 not have married parties refrain the use of the mar- 
 riage-bed, without consent of each other ; if it were 
 upon will and humour, it would not further, but hin- 
 der their prayers. So in 1 Pet. iii. 7, husbands 
 must dwell as men of knowledge with their w'ives, 
 honour them, though the weaker vessels, look at 
 them as coheirs of the grace of life ; and why ? that 
 their pirayers be not hindered : if there be dissensions, 
 their prayers will sutler ; but if there be love, one- 
 ness of heart, tlieir prayers will be more spiritual, 
 fervent, and prevalent. 
 
 (8.) It is an honour to the Lord Christ, that 
 christians do agree ; they are members of his body, 
 and it is a disparagement to the Head to have the 
 members fall out, rend and tear one another : this 
 makes strangers speak and think evil of the way of 
 Christ ; hereby he is dishonoured ; but when there 
 is one heart among his disciples, when they love one 
 another, and are peaceable, it is a glory to Christ. 
 John xiii. 35, "By this shall all men know that ye 
 are my disciples, if ye love one another." Christ 
 would be known in the world, and have his disciples 
 known from all others ; and how ? by love. Chry- 
 sostom observes. He saith not, by miracles and won- 
 ders men shall know you to be my disciples ; no, 
 they are laid by ; but by love. That is a glorious 
 grace, it shows forth Christ, and who are his ; it is 
 not gi-eatness of power, but greatness of love, which 
 declares who are the disciples of Christ, and which 
 honours Christ, 1 John iii. 10. 
 
 ('J.) Sympathy with each other. If there be one- 
 heartedness among men, what is the burden and
 
 Ver. 19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 269 
 
 comfort of the one, is tlie burden and comfort of the 
 rest. As in marriage, the sorrows arc divided and joys 
 doubled which fall out to persons in that condition, 
 and the reason is, because they are one flesh, and 
 have qtiast animam miani, as it were one soul : so 
 where there is oneness of heart, there is a choice 
 sympathy, the blows, wounds, losses, griefs, infirm- 
 ities of one, are the blows, kc. of all the rest. When 
 Peter and John had been imprisoned, brought be- 
 fore the council, threatened, they went to their own 
 company, and told them how they had been used, 
 and they were atlected w ith their sufferings, and fell 
 to prayer with thtm, Acts iv. 23, '24. How sensible 
 were the rich christians of the burdens of the poor, 
 pitying and relieving them! ver. 32. And when 
 Peter w'as in prison, the church sympathized, Acts 
 xii. 4. But where this is wanting, I mean sameness 
 or likeness of spirit, there will be a rejoicing at their 
 suflerings and WTongs, and mourning or envying at 
 their good. They that are divided from others too oft 
 glory in the infirmities of others ; and if God's hand 
 be upon them or theirs, they say it is a just judgment 
 of God upon them for their judgments, opinions; 
 and so add affliction to the afflicti.d. 
 
 (10.) What evidmce of being in the covenant of 
 grace, if there be not union of the heart within itself, 
 union of it to God, and others ? what satisfaction can 
 a man have of his being in covenant with God ? 
 Here this one-heartcdness is prefixed as the first 
 thing we should look at ; and so in Jer. xxxii. 39, 
 " I will give them one heart and one way." Men 
 that want this one-heartedness, cannot but suspect 
 themselves, be jealous of their condition ; if it be 
 not in some measure in us, inchoatively and tending 
 to increase, we are not the Lord's, I John iii. 18, It). 
 
 (11.) It makes willing to do one for another. How 
 forw ard was Jonathan to speak and do ! Sec. Aman- 
 tibus facile Jit on.ite difficile, Things difficult become 
 easy where love exists ; and the ground of it is, 
 Cor est ubi avial, non ubi animal, The heart is where 
 it loves, not where it lives. 
 
 I. Helps to unite our hearts. 
 
 1. Consider many things are darkly laid down in 
 the Scriptures, and the scope of God and Christ 
 therein is not to cause contention, difference, and 
 censurino', but to imite us more strongly in those 
 things which are dear, and to cause a forbearance of 
 one another in things which are dark and doubtful: 
 Phil. iii. 15, Hi, " If in any thing ye be otherwise 
 minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Never- 
 theless, whereto we have already attained, let us 
 walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing." 
 Saith Paul, I confide not in my own works or 
 righteousness, but look at Christ alone ; I labour to 
 win Christ, and be found in him ; I press after him, 
 and none but him, and mind nothing else as a means 
 of salvation. If any be otherwise minded, through 
 ignorance, or W( akness of faith, (as many were, who 
 atlected mosaical rites and ceremonies,) God shall 
 reveal even this unto you; he will make known the 
 truth unto you. Nevertheless, though there be dif- 
 ferences, let us forbear one another therein ; and 
 whereto we have attained, let us walk harmoniously 
 and peaceably together, minding the same things. 
 What is clearly held out unto us in the gospel let 
 us consent in, and walk answerably ; in what is dark, 
 doubtful, let us forbear each other, and stay till God 
 reveal more. If we cannot unite in all, let us unite 
 in what is clear. Things fundamental, and absolute- 
 ly necessary, are most clearly laid down in the word ; 
 they are expressly commanded, or held forth in 
 Scripture, whether they be matters of faith or prac- 
 tice ; they are not things drawn out by remote con- 
 sequences, and strength of men's parts, but immedi- 
 
 ately fioni, or in, the word ; and in these most may 
 or do agree, not being many in number : so far as we 
 have attained in these, let us walk; and, as king 
 James saith, in other things place may be given to 
 christian liberty: and let us take lieed how we 
 charge men to hold fundamental errors ; w hen fun- 
 damentals are few, Rom. x. 9 ; 1 John iv. 2, and 
 men's errors are extra-fundamentals. 
 
 2. Divine Providence hath ordered it so, that there 
 should be difference and inequality in the naturals and 
 spirituals of christians, that so they may have a great- 
 er tendency and fitness for union. As in a .ship, or 
 house, all pieces of timber must not be of the same 
 length, height, and breadth, but diflering ; that so 
 they may lit their several ])laees, and conduce to 
 make npa more goodly fabric : so among men, some 
 have great natural and spiritual abilities, some 
 lower degrees of both, some lesser than they ; and 
 this is the will and wisdom of Divine Providence, 
 so to dispense and di.spose, that all may fitly fall in 
 together, and make the more glorious structures for 
 heaven. John tells you, 1 Ejiist. ii. 13, of fathers, 
 young men, and little children, who diflered in their 
 naturals and spirituals, yet lived lovingly and peace- 
 ably together, and made up a church for Christ. If 
 we quarrel because there be difierences of judgment 
 amongst us, we cross the intent of Divine Provi- 
 dence, and quarrel with that, which hath so dispens- 
 ed his gifts and grace, and given them out unequally. 
 When we see one man w bite, another black, one tall, 
 another low ; shall we quan-el because both are not 
 white, both of one equal height : one hath sore eyes, 
 another sound, the veil is fully drawn off one's heart, 
 half way off' another's ; and this is the Lord's doing, 
 it is that we may the better join together. 
 
 3. Seek the good one of another, and that indif- 
 ferently. Selfishness and partiality undo and divide, 
 they have private ends, ways, means, and move upon 
 sinister respects ; whereas if we had more self-deny- 
 ing, impartial, and public spirits, to mind the welfare 
 of others, we should quickly attain to some good de- 
 gree of this oneness of heart. 1 Cor. x. 24, "Let no 
 man seek his own, but every man another's w calth :" 
 it is not a flat prohibition from seeking a man's own 
 good, but he should rather seek the p„,^ ,^. „ 
 good of others than of himself; as " i et evfo' "ne 
 Paul did, ver. 33, " I seek not mine r,ei'siii'.our"or'his 
 own profit, but the profit of many." If sood." 
 
 this were in practice, it would let in our hearts and 
 spirits into the bosoms of others, and make us one- 
 hearted with them. Phil. ii. 20, Paul sjieaking of 
 Timothy, who sought the good of the Philippians, 
 saith, " I have no man like-minded :" the word is 
 mo-i^vxov, of equal mind ; so that Timothy and the 
 Philippians were (Fciiuinimen, of equal mind ; his heart, 
 his soul was in theirs, and equal, yea, one with 
 theirs ; and w hat then ? " w ho will naturally care 
 for your estate ;" the workings of his soul for their 
 good were like the workings of a father towards his 
 children natural, which are most strong, constant, 
 and delightful. When men's hearts are equal, too, 
 one with the hearts of others, they act naturally for 
 their benefit ; but when men seek the hurt of others, 
 black their names, greaten their infirmities, catch 
 advantages against them, they are unnatural, men 
 of other and bitter spirits. 
 
 4. Lay aside the wisdom of the flesh, and exalt 
 the wisdom of the Spirit. Fleshly wisdom makes 
 and maintains divisions; Rom. viii. 7, *poi'i|^n Tt]s 
 (TO(iit6c ixflpa f'c Sfor, it is " enmity against God," and 
 all the ways of God ; it subjects not to them, neither 
 can do it, but opposes continually. And as it hinders 
 union with God and his ways, so it doth with the 
 children of God j it keeps them from one-hearted-
 
 270 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI, 
 
 ness, it makes breaches, and maintains them when 
 made. It was such wisdnm separated Paul and 
 Barnabas, and kept them, being separated, at a dis- 
 tance. Tlie tieslily mind pnfl's up. Col. ii. 18, and 
 so the heart cannot lie even with another's ; but 
 spiritual wisdom is of another nature : Prov. xii. 18, 
 " The tons,aie of the wise is health ;" others' tongues 
 are " like the piercings of a sword," Ihey wound; 
 but the spiritually wise they heal wounds, make up 
 breaches, they pacify wrath, even the wrath of great 
 ones, Prov. xvi. 14, Men think themselves wise in 
 these days, but what is the wisdom of most ? is it not 
 such James speaks of, " earthly, sensual, devilish," 
 because it is joined with bitterness, envying, strife ? 
 see James iii. 14, 15. And then he tells you the 
 nature of spiritual wisdom, ver. 17, "That is from 
 above, first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to 
 be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without 
 partiality, and without hypocrisy." There is nothing 
 in it but what tends to oneness of heart; it is 
 " pure," there is no mixture of Heshly wisdom in it ; 
 it is " peaceable," averse fi-om contention, studious 
 of i)eace ; " gentle, and easy to be entreated," not 
 harsh and self-willed, but pliable to that which is 
 good ; " full of mercy and good fruits," it is ready to 
 help and do for others in their necessities ; " without 
 partiality," without wrangling, judging ; " without 
 hy|)Ocrisy," it is real in what it doth. 
 
 5. Humility; where that is it draws the heart of 
 God to it, Isa. Ivii. 15, God dwells with the liumble 
 spirit ; and surely it will gain the hearts of men to 
 it: Prov. xxix. 23, "A man's pride shall bring him 
 low," it will make God and man against him ; " but 
 honour shall uphold the humble in spirit," both God 
 and man will sujijiort, speak well of, do good to and 
 close with him. It is pride only, chiefly, that makes 
 contentions, Prov. xiii. 10; men's lusts lift them up, 
 divide themselves, and cause divisions amongst 
 others; therefore, James iv. 1, " From whence come 
 wars and fightings amongst you ? come they not 
 hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" 
 Proud men have many lusts and much war, and 
 when they agree not with themselves, how can they 
 agree with others? we should therefore puriiy our 
 hearts from such lusts, and humble ourselves in the 
 sight of the Lord, ver. 8, 10, and then our hearts 
 would close belti r. It is men's proud lusts that 
 dissolve union, that make war and breed confusion, 
 blind men's eyes, and engage them in errors ; but 
 the humble men that hath had his heart broken, and 
 hath let them out, he is readiest to unite with others; 
 he stands not upon his will, his credit, he hath low 
 thoughts of himself, and high of others. Hence 
 Paul bids the Colossians " put on humbleness of 
 mind," chap. iii. 12 ; and 1 Pet. v. 5, Peter bids them 
 " be clotlied with humility," that is the most becom- 
 ing garment and least ofhnsive of any. The man 
 who walks with that garment on will not wrong any 
 man in thought, word, or deed ; he judges not others, 
 but himself; he bears the burden and infirmities of 
 men, and so gains upon and gets interest in the 
 hearts of others. 
 
 6. Consider we are brethren, called and jiressed 
 unto peace and mutual agreement in the gosiiel. 
 Moses thought the name brethren sufiicient to re- 
 concile the two struggling Hebrews ; Acts vii. 2(), 
 " Sirs, ye are lirethren ;" what ! your hearts, hi'ads, 
 and hands divided ? thirds how near you are and 
 dear you should be one to another. The word bre- 
 thren should draw our hearts together, and make us 
 desirous of peace. 1 Tim. vi. 1, 2, servants must 
 not despise their masters, but count them worthy of 
 all honour, because they are brethren ; and we should 
 not despise and contend one with another, because 
 
 we are brethren, endued with di\'ine nature, and bre- 
 thren of Christ, Heb. ii. 12, " The Prince of peace," 
 Isa. ix. 6 ; Partakers of " the gospel of peace," Eph. 
 vi. 15 ; and arc called of God to peace, I Cor. vii. 
 15; Col. iii. 15; and it is peace that we are pressed 
 unto, Rom. xiv. 19, "Let us follow after the things 
 that make for peace ;" see 2 Tim. ii. 22 ; Heb. xii. 
 14. We should pursue peace with all men, but espe- 
 cially with those who are our brethren in Christ ; 
 they make up the body of Christ, in which the Spirit 
 of Christ lives ; therefore, Eph. iv. 3, Paul counsels 
 them to " keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of 
 peace ;" the Spirit hath united men to Christ, and 
 peace is the bond which keeps the Spirit among 
 them. When the Corinthians brake the bond of 
 peace, saying, " I am of Paul," kc. the apostle told 
 them they were carnal, not spiritual, 1 Cor. iii. 1. 
 There should be no strife among brethren, but tliis, 
 viz. who should be most loving and peaceable. 
 II. Preservatives of one-heartedness. 
 
 1. Look much at the gifts, graces, and excel- 
 lences which are in others, not at their weaknesses 
 and imperfections ; let the bright side of the cloud 
 be in your eyes, not the black side ; and this will 
 keep your hearts united. Peter eyed the " like pre- 
 cious faith" which was in the christians, with his 
 and other apostles', 2 Pet. i. 1 ; and John takes spe- 
 cial notice of the graces which were in the fathers, 
 young men, little children, in the elect lady, and 
 Gaius, and that kept liis heart united to them. V/hen 
 men's persons, parts, or graces are slighted, it breaks 
 the bond of peace, divides hearts and spirits. 
 The apostle bids us " honour all men," I Pet. ii. 17; 
 esteem them if there be any worth in them, take 
 notice of it, and honour them answerably: if there 
 be great sins and weaknesses in them, are they 
 greater than thine own ? if they be or be not, 
 grieve for them, be not angi'y with them. 
 
 2. Lay aside all provoking, dividing names, terms, 
 and speeches. Those names of Petrians, Paulians, 
 Johannites, in the primitive times, did hurt ; which 
 Epiphanius observing, would not give way that tln^re 
 sliould be any name added to the christian name. 
 Those names of Lutheran, Zwinglian, Calvinist, bred 
 divisions among the protestants ; and surely dis- 
 criminating names have made divided hearts among 
 us. So reproaching and bitter w ords have kindled a 
 fire which might be put out, if all men had such 
 spirits as Calvin had, who professed if Luther should 
 call him devil, yet woidd he have a reverend esteem 
 of him, and acknowledge him a worthy servant of 
 the Lord's. If we would have our hearts kept in 
 fii'm union, we must use soft tongues and gentle 
 words, Prov. xv. 1 ; xii. 25. 
 
 3. Ever make the best construction of men's 
 words and actions ; that will preserve peace and 
 oneness of heart. When other interpretations are 
 put u])on the words and actions of men than were 
 intended, this sows the seed ofttimcs of bitter con- 
 tentions and great evils. John ii. 19, 20, with Matt. 
 xxvi. Gl, Christ speaks there of the temple of his 
 body, the Jews interpret it of the tempde that was 
 fi^rty-six years a building, and bring it in against 
 Christ, as u)atter worthy of death. If we shall 
 force the words or acts of others, and fetch senses, 
 intentions out of them, which the authors aimed 
 i;ol at, we shall never maintain peace with any. 
 
 4. Get much love and exercise it ; that makes 
 hearts one, and preserves them Ijiing one. 1 Sam. 
 xviii. 1, Joralhan loved David as his own soul; so, 
 ver. 3, David loved Jonathan as his own soul ; they 
 two had as it were one heart and one soul. If Ihera 
 were love among us, it would cover a multitude of 
 sins, and not discover one ; it would make up
 
 Ver. 19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 271 
 
 breaches past, and prevent breaches for the future. 
 The very nature of love consists in vmion ; Ammis 
 est in ama/o, He that loves lives in the loved, the 
 heart of the loved is liis habitation ; and love is very 
 forward to do any kindness for those it relates to. 
 That chapter, 1 Cor. xiii. had need be new studied 
 in these divided times. Whatever the knowledge of 
 faith be, if we have not love, the text saith, we are 
 nothing. He saith not, we are little, but plainly, 
 we are nothing. Many among us are very bitter, 
 uncharitable, and go among men for some things, 
 and some bodies, but in the judgment of God they 
 are nothing : if you have little love, you are little 
 ones; if great love, great ones ; if no love, nothing. 
 It is love (hat Christ specially looked at, and called 
 for, in Peter ; " Peter, lovest thou me more than 
 these," &c. Christ measures men by their love ; 
 and no marvel, love is the fulfilling of the law. Gal. 
 V. 14 ; and if we serve one another by love and fultil 
 the law, where can the breach be made, how can 
 the otl'ence come in ? " Love behaves not itself un- 
 seemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, 
 thinketh no evil ;" this grace binds a man to his 
 good behaviour, and will keep peace with all men : 
 hence is it, that whereas once we are bid above all 
 things to take the shield of faith, Eph. vi. Hi, we 
 are twice bid above all things to put on love, 1 Pet. 
 iv. 8; Col. iii. 14, "which is the bond of perfect- 
 ness;" that is, both in regard of man and God: love 
 knits the members of Christ together, and so per- 
 fects his.body ; it unites us to God, and so causeth 
 the perfecting of divine love in us; 1 John iv. 12, 
 " If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and 
 his love is perfected in us ;" see ver. 17. 
 
 5. Be willing to learn one of another ; that will 
 endear our hearts each to other, and keep them in 
 oneness. The scribes and Pharisees thought they 
 knew the law belter than Christ; they would not 
 learn of him, and so never heartily closed with him, 
 but were peremptory in their own opinions, and 
 tenacious of traditions, and by this means were ene- 
 mies to truth, and those who were one-hearted in 
 the truth. Col. iii. 16, they were to teach and ad- 
 monish one another; yea, chap. iv. 17, they must 
 " say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry 
 which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou ful- 
 fil it." Their willingness to learn one of another, 
 preserved them in order. And those that do teach, 
 should willingly and meekly instruct " those that 
 do oppose, if God peradventure will give them re- 
 pentance to the acknowledging of the truth," 2 Tim. 
 ii. 24, 25 ; for the promise is, Isa. xxix. 24, that 
 those who have " erred in spirit shall come to un- 
 derstanding, and they that murmiired shall learn 
 doctrine." 
 
 6. See God's presence and nearness to us; that is 
 a means to preserve us in a one-hearted condition. 
 When the Master is present the servants are quiet, 
 and keep so. James v. 9, " Grudge not one against 
 another, brethren, lest ye be condemned ;" and what 
 should prevent this, and keep them in brotherly 
 love ? " Behold, the Judge standeth before the 
 door," he is ready to come in, to examine you tho- 
 roughly, what the difl'erences are, what the words, 
 acts, thoughts are ; he is in you all, through you all, 
 observes every rising of the spirit, all workings 
 there ; and above you all, and will reckon with you. 
 
 111. Inducements to one-hcartedness are these : 
 1. That great apostle Paul saith to the Ephesians, 
 chap. iv. 3— fi, " Endeavour to keep the unity of the 
 Spirit : " and why ? " There is one body, one Spirit, 
 one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God 
 and Father of all." Here are seven ones, and every 
 one a strong argument to move to unity and one-heart- 
 
 edness : one body, orderly united : one Spirit, which 
 enlivens, enlightens, strengthens, sanctifies, comforts ; 
 and this Spirit is not contrary to itself, but one and 
 the same, a Spirit of love and peace : one hope 
 among you of innnortality, glory, and eternal excel- 
 lences : one Lord Christ, who rules over you, whose 
 servants you are : one faith, one Christ that you 
 believe in, one rule that you walk by : one baptism ; 
 you are all baptized in the name of the Father, Son, 
 and Holy Ghost : one God and Father; there is but 
 one God whom ye serve, and he is the Father, you 
 are his children in his family; will you fall out? if 
 you were of diverse families, had diverse fathers, di- 
 verse gods, that might be excusable. 
 
 2. Christ hath taken our nature upon him, and as 
 to unite man and God together, so to unite man and 
 man together in himself: hence. Gal. iii. 28, "Ye 
 are all one in Christ Jesus;" and Rom. viii. 17, 
 "Joint-heirs with Christ;" and Eph. ii. 6, said to 
 "sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." 
 This should move us to live and love, as those who 
 have such high privileges by Christ : and it is ob- 
 served, Christ being united to us, bears with more 
 in us than we can with one another ; when we are 
 in that condition as we can cndiu'e one another no 
 longer, I mean dead, and must be buried out of the 
 sight of the living, Christ then is united to our cor- 
 rupt 1 jodies ; when Lazarus lay slinking in the grave, 
 Christ loved him. 
 
 3. If you love them who are of your own opinion 
 only, and love you, what do you more than others, than 
 Pharisees, than publicans ? Matt. v. 46, " If ye love 
 them which love you, what reward have ye ? do not 
 even piddicans," the worst of men, "the same.'" 
 "And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more 
 than others?" publicans do it, all sorts will do that; 
 and know, if you be one witli men, and love them 
 because they are of your opinion, it is the opinion, 
 and not the men, you love ; if of another opinion, 
 then you cannot close with them and love them. 
 But Christ would have you do more than others, 
 more than publicans, he would have you " love your 
 enemies, bless them that ciu'se you, do good to them 
 that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully 
 use you, and persecute you." Why can you not love 
 men who have the same graces with you, as well as 
 those who have the same opinions with you. 
 
 4. It is the fulfilling of a prophecy, Isa. xi. C — 9. 
 By wolf, leopard, lion, bear, and asp, are meant fren- 
 zied, choleric, strong, rigid, and hurtful men ; by 
 lamb, kid, calf, cow, and ox, the weak, meek, labo- 
 rious, and useftd ; and these should dwell together, 
 eat together, and lie down together. Their natures 
 should be so altered by the gospel and Spirit of 
 Christ, that the fiercest should be as meek as a 
 lamb, and live in peace with the rest of the believers; 
 they should come to the state of innoceney, in 
 which no creature should have preyed upon another, 
 but all have lived harmoniously and sweetly together. 
 So should it be under Christ; ver. 9, " They shall 
 not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain," 
 there shall be no hurting nor destroying in the 
 whole church. The Jews, because they see not this 
 fulfilled among us christians, take oiience, and say, 
 that therefore Christ is not yet come ; that our 
 Christ was not the true Christ; for yet the lion 
 tears, the wolf devours, &c. A sad thing to cause 
 Jews to deny Chi-ist, and to blaspheme, because we 
 are like lions, bears, wolves to one another. Let us 
 remember the prophecy in Zeph. iii. 9. 
 
 5. Consider what oneness of spirit is amongst the 
 enemies of God. 
 
 (1.) Devils. Seven devils dwelt together peace- 
 ably in Mary Magdalene, Mark xvi. 9 ; a legion in
 
 272 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 another, Luke viii. 30 ; the man was unquiet, but 
 the devils were very quiet in him; tliougli lumdivds, 
 yet there was no dissension. The devil's kingdom is 
 an undivided kingdom, Matt. xii. 26; and all the 
 devils in the world drive on the same design unani- 
 mously, tliey all seek to hinder the conversion, com- 
 fort, and salvation of sinners, they all labour to 
 draw men to perdition. 
 
 (2.) Wicked men. Mahometans are of one heart 
 in their Mahometanism. Papists, what a multitude 
 of orders and ditVerences among them, and yet all 
 are one-hearted in popery and superstition ; Rev. 
 xiii. 3, 4, " All the world wondered after the beast, 
 and worshipped the dragon and the beast." Herod, 
 Pilate, the gentiles, and people of Israel, were ga- 
 thered together against Christ, Acts iv. 27. And 
 when they built Babel the people were one, Gen. xi. 
 6. Read Psal. Ixxxiii. 3 — 9. Shall wicked men and 
 devils be one-hearted, one-spirited in sinful prac- 
 tices, in false ways, and shall not those who are 
 godly ? 
 
 6. Where oneness is not, there will be divisions 
 and ort'ences ; as amongst the Corinthians, they were 
 the most divided church we read of, and their of- 
 fences did most abound ; and how sad it is to otl'end 
 any who belong to Christ, hear Christ himself tell- 
 ing yon, Matt, xviii. 6, " Whoso shall oH'end one of 
 these little ones which believe in me, it were better 
 for him that a millstone were hanged about his 
 neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the 
 sea." So heinous a thing is it in the eye of God, 
 that a man were better die any death than olTend 
 the godly, the meanest of the godly ; what then if 
 he otl'end the greatest and most of the godly ? it 
 were better a great millstone were hanged about his 
 neck, and that he were drowned in the depths of 
 the sea. 
 
 7. The Lord Christ may own them at the last 
 day for sheep, whom you look upon and carry your- 
 selves towards like goats, and those he may judge 
 Sound sheep, you have judged infected ; and what 
 shame will that be to those who have so foully mis- 
 taken .' The Pharisees thought themselves skilful in 
 the law, and judged the people cursed that followed 
 Christ closest, John vii. 49 ; but those people were 
 dear to Christ. When the blind man saw, and saw 
 more than the Pharisees, they cast him out, but 
 Christ received him, John ix. : so, many that now 
 are cast out, as factious, seditious, erroneous, schis- 
 matical, ere long Christ will own ; and then how 
 will they blush who have reproached them, perse- 
 cuted them, judged them unworthy of any liberty 
 or being amongst them ! God takes the foolish to 
 confound the wise, the weak to confound the mighty, 
 the base, despised, and things which are not, to 
 bring to nought things which are, 1 Cor. i. 27, '28. 
 
 8. Where unity is amongst the saints, there the 
 presence of the Lord Christ is. Matt, xviii. 20, 
 " Where two or three are gathered together in my 
 name, there am I in the midst of them :" where 
 there is most unity, there God delights most to be. 
 Jerusalem was as a city compact together, Psal. 
 cxxii. 3, had God's presence in a special manner ; 
 and it represented the church under the gospel, 
 which wiien it is fitly framed together, then it is an 
 liabitation for (iod, Eph. ii. 21, 22. The curtains of 
 the taberiuu'le where God was present must be 
 coupled together, Exod. xxvi. 3 : the hearts of men 
 must be knit together, if they would have God and 
 Christ among them. The Jews affirm, that where 
 two sit together, (that is, agreed, having one heart,) 
 and speak of the law, Dirhiila-s liubi/al inter ipxos, 
 the Divinity dwells among them. 
 
 I shall end this point with that of Paul, Phil. ii. 
 
 1, 2, " If there be therefore any consolation in 
 Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of 
 the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my 
 joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, 
 being of one accord, of one mind." 
 
 06.«. 3. This one-heartedness is the gift of God, 
 not the work of man. " I will give them one heart ;" 
 they cannot make their hearts one, but 1 can ; it is 
 a work not to be accomplished by force of man, but 
 by the free grace of God : Jer. xxxii. 38, 39, "They 
 shall be my people, and I will be their God : and I 
 will give them one heart, and one way." When God 
 is God in covenant with a people, then w'ill he freely 
 give and work this one-hearledness ; he doth not 
 force it, but freely work it. Men attempt, by com- 
 pulsory acts, to make men difl'ering in principles and 
 practices to be one-hearted, and to go one way ; but 
 such attempts seldom take any good effect ; men's 
 judgments and consciences will not be forced. Bo- 
 dinus in his fourth book of his commonwealth, saith 
 judiciously, if a prince, persuaded of the truth of his 
 religion, would thaw his subjects thereunto, being 
 divided into sects and factions, he must not therein 
 use force, (for the minds of men, the more they are 
 forced, the more froward and stubborn they are, and 
 the greater punishments that shall be inflicted upon 
 them, the less good is to be done ; the nature of man 
 being commonly such, as may of itself be led to like 
 of any thing, but never be enforced so to do,) but 
 without fainting, to profess his religion, devoutly 
 serving the Almighty God, whereby he shall turn 
 the wills and minds of his subjects unto the imita- 
 tion and admiration of himself. Theodosius the 
 elder, who found all the provinces of his empire at 
 the beginning of his reign full of .Brians, whose 
 strengtii and power was so grown and increased 
 under three or four Arian emperors their favourers, 
 as that their doctrine was not only by eight coun- 
 cils confirmed, held at Tyre, Sardis, Syrme, Milan, 
 Seleucia, Nice, Tarsis, Ariminum, (where six hun- 
 dred bishops were of their opinion, and but three, 
 of name, which held the contrary,) but that they 
 punished also others their adversaries, of opinion 
 c(mtrary to themselves, with confiscations, proscrip- 
 tions, and other most grievous punishments ; yet 
 would not this good emperor either force or punish 
 the Arians, though he deadly liated them ; but grant- 
 ed unto both the Arians, and other the catholics, 
 their churches, and suffered them in every town to 
 have two bishops, of either religion one : and though 
 at the importunate suit of the catholic bishops, he 
 commanded certain edicts to be published against 
 the Arians, yet he was contented to have the same 
 held in suspense, and not to be put in execution, as 
 his letters to Ambrose declare. Theodoric king of 
 the Goths, though favouring the Arians, would not 
 yet enforce the consciences of his subjects, nor have 
 them tormented for their religion, lest under the pre- 
 tence of impiety, he should have seemed to have taken 
 the spoil of their goods to bend tluir minds, which 
 could by no threats or commands be constrained to 
 bend ; for thus he writes unto the senate of Rome, Be- 
 Ugimiem imperare non possumus quia nemo cogilur ut 
 credat invilu-t. We cannot control riligion, because no 
 one can be compelled to believe against his will. He 
 saith also. No man is to be forced; the private exercise 
 of his religion is to be yielded, if it cannot be publicly 
 professed without sedition ; otherwise men will be- 
 come atheists, and so, having lost the fear of God, and 
 trod underfoot laws and magistrates, will practise all 
 im])ieties and villanies. Mr. Forbes being sent for 
 to the king of Sweden, when he was victorious, and 
 asked by him what government he should set over 
 Lutherans, Calvinists, papists, whom he had conquer-
 
 Ver. 19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 273 
 
 ed ; his answer was, You have conquered their bodies 
 with ease, but you will find it a hard work to con- 
 quer men's judgments and consciences. What ill 
 effects the forcing of men's spirits brought forth, you 
 may read in that learned and judicious treatise of Sir 
 Simon D'Ewes, entitled, The Primitive Practice for 
 preserving Truth. 
 
 You know who said it, In things of the mind, we 
 look for no compulsion, but that of hght and reason. 
 
 He is not a loving father, but rather a step-father, 
 who will compel his cliildren to eat of that meat 
 which is against their stomachs, when there are va- 
 riety of dishes to feed upon which are suitable to 
 them. AVise physicians persuade, do not force their 
 patients to take physic. It is good to cure errors which 
 are in men's minds, and to save their souls, but in 
 God's way, James v. 19, by conversion, not by com- 
 pulsion, by the power of the word, not the edge of 
 the sword ; this makes hypocrites, that saints. That 
 conscience is not obstinate, which uscth means to 
 know truth. If God hide it from, it liveth under the 
 power of conscience, and is not turbulent. 
 
 These things 1 speak, not to make way for licen- 
 tiousness, that whatever opinions men hold, think, 
 say, or practise, they may be free ; but merely, that 
 consciences truly tender, may not be forced. It is 
 one thing to restrain men's practices which are 
 idolatrous, blasphemous, against pure worship, the 
 power of godliness, and peace of the state ; another, 
 to force men to that their judgment and consciences 
 are against. I pleaded not ever for a toleration 
 of all, neither do, but only that those whose lives 
 are holy, peaceable, and differ in judgment from 
 others in some things, may not be forced to conform 
 or depart. 
 
 " I will put a new spirit within you." The word 
 spirit notes sometimes the soul : Acts vii. 59, saith 
 Stephen, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit;" 2 Cor. 
 vii. 1, "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness 
 of flesh and spirit." Sometimes for the heart and 
 affections: I Kings xxi. 5, "Why is thy spirit so sad?" 
 said Jezebel to Ahab; that is, why is thy heart so 
 hea\'y ? Acts xvii. 16, Paul, "his spirit was stirred 
 within him," when he saw their idolatry, his affec- 
 tions moved him to speak and dispute with them. 
 Sometimes for the faculties of the soul, viz. under- 
 standing, will, and conscience : I Thess. v. 23, " I 
 pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body be 
 preserved blameless ;" by " whole spirit," the under- 
 standing, will, and conscience may be meant : Prov. 
 xviii. 14, " A wounded spirit who can bear?" that 
 is, a wounded conscience. Sometimes for the gifts 
 and graces of the Spirit; Gal. iii. 2, " Received ye 
 the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing 
 of faith?" 
 
 " New," is in Scripture sometimes that which is 
 totally new for matter ; Deut. xx. 5, a new house ; 
 Judg. XV. 13, new ways; 1 Sam. vi. 7, a new cart ; 
 1 Kings xi. 29, a new garment : sometimes for that 
 which is renewed ; 2 Chron. xx. 5, " Jehoshaphat 
 stood before the new court," that is judged to be the 
 priests' court, renewed in its building, or use, after 
 some public profanation j so it is called a new ship 
 or garment, that is altered and changed : sometimes 
 for that which is excellent and admirable ; Mark i. 
 27, " What new doctrine is this?" it is admirable 
 and excellent doctrine ; so the " new name," Rev. ii. 
 17; iii. 12; that is, an excellent and admirable 
 name : sometimes for that which is diverse from 
 what it was before, especially in regard of qualities ; 
 Mark xvi. I7, "They shall speak with new tongues," 
 which. Acts ii. 4, are called " other tongues," tongues 
 which had other gifts and graces in them. 
 
 By " new spirit" here is not meant a new soul, or 
 
 faculties, for substance, or the inward form of it, but 
 the same soul altered in the frame, renewed in the 
 qualities, thereof It hath other excellent qualities 
 in it, which it had not before, even the gifts and 
 graces of the Spirit ; hence it is called the new birth, 
 or birth of the Spirit, John iii. 6 ; " the new man," 
 Eph. iv. 24; the "new creature," Gal. vi. 15. Not 
 only faith and love, mentioned Gal. v. G, but all di- 
 vine qualities man is capable of, are included in this 
 " new spirit." 
 
 1. The understanding is enlightened with divine 
 light, which it had not before. Acts xxvi. 18, " To 
 open the eyes, and to turn them ft-om darkness to 
 light :" The genliles were blind before God gave 
 them this new spirit, which brou</ht new lights unto 
 their minds. Epli. iv. 18, " Having the under- 
 standing darkened, being alienated from the life of 
 God through the ignorance that is in them, because 
 of the blindness of their heart :" but when they had 
 put on " the new man," ver. 24, in the next chap- 
 ter, ver. 8, Paul saith of them, " Ye were sometimes 
 darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord ;" the Lord 
 by his Spirit had brought in marvellous light into 
 their understandings, and scattered their darknesses. 
 This Paul calls God's shining into the heart, 2 Cor. 
 iv. G ; John, Christ's giving an understanding, 1 John 
 V. 20 ; and Luke, an opening of the understanding, 
 Luke xxiv. 45. All which phrases, as thev suppose 
 oldness of darkness, so a renewing of the under- 
 standing with newness of light; and this light is 
 " the light of life," John viii. 12, brought into the 
 soul by " the spirit of wisdom and revelation," Eph. 
 i. 17, 18. 
 
 2. This "new spirit" hath influence into the will, 
 and alters that which in itself is corrupt, and carry- 
 eth the soul the wrong way. Eph. ii. 3, " Fulfilling 
 the desires of the flesh," ra BtXrjiMara ttiq aapKog, the 
 will of the flesh. Paul acknowledgeth nothing to 
 be in the wills of men naturally, but fleshly corrup- 
 tion ; and whatsoever that put them upon, that they 
 did, and with delight, fulfilling the wills of the flesh ; 
 but when this " new spirit" comes, it alters the will, 
 breaks tlie principle of stubbornness in it, purges 
 the pollution and corruption out of it, and makes it 
 pliable unto the will of God. " Ezek. xxxvi. 27, " I 
 will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk 
 in my statutes." God's Spirit will so alter our spi- 
 rits, so transform and renew them, that they shall 
 be inclined to, and carried on in, the obeying of di- 
 vine statutes. Before, they went on in the ways of 
 sin, with strength, constancy, and delight ; now they 
 move with new strength, constancy, and delight in 
 that which is good. This " new spirit" bows the 
 will to the law of righteousness, so that it obeys and 
 commands well. 
 
 3. The affections are renewed. Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 
 " A new heart also will I give you ;" that is, your 
 affections, which are now corrupt and inordinate, 
 shall be changed and regulated ; they shall of sinful 
 be made holy, of earthly be made heavenly, of un- 
 righteous become righteous. Eph. v. 9, " The fruit 
 of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and 
 truth :" When the Spirit of Christ comes and makes 
 our spirits new, there is truth for the understanding, 
 goodness for the will, and righteousness for the 
 affections ; and Gal. v. 22, 23, the fruits of the Spirit 
 refer most to the affections, as, " love, joy, long-suf- 
 fering, gentleness, meekness, temperance." Now 
 the old affections and lusts of the flesh are crucified. 
 Gal. V. 24, and the new aflections are set " on things 
 above," Col. iii. 2. 
 
 4. The conscience is renewed. Before it is defiled, 
 and acts according to that false or dim light which is 
 in the understanding ; but when this "new spirit"
 
 2-4 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 comes in, the conscience is awakened, purged, and 
 acts upon divine grounds. Heb. x. 22, " Having our 
 hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience." The 
 Holy Ghost, like water which washcth away the 
 tilth of the body, cleanseth the conscience from the 
 blindness, impurity, and dcadness which are in it, 
 so that it, being endued with new qualities, becomes 
 a pure, 2 Tim. i. 3, and good conscience, 1 Tim. i. 
 5, and acts new, not in a natural, but sanctified 
 manner. 
 
 5. The memory is renewed and made able to retain 
 good things. Before, like a strainer, it let the milk 
 go, and kept the hairs and drafl'; like a boulter, it 
 let the fine flour go, and kept the bran ; but hav- 
 ing a new quality in it, it is retentive of good: 1 Cor. 
 XV. 2, Ye are saved l)y the gospel, " if you keep in 
 memory what I have preached ;" they had memories 
 enabled to do it. Many a poor soul that is converted, 
 when it comes to practise, remembers truths better 
 than those of able memories. 
 
 These renewing and refining qualities make up 
 the new man, and here are called a "new spirit." 
 
 "Spirit." 1. Because they are from the Spirit, 
 that is the Author of them : John iii. G, " That 
 which is bom of the Spirit is spirit ;" it hath the 
 qualities and graces of the Spirit, the Spirit begets 
 its own likeness in the soul, as a father doth in the 
 body. 
 
 2. In opposition to the flesh. These new quali- 
 ties are contrary to those of corrupt nature, which 
 the Scripture calls " flesh," and therefore fitly call- 
 ed Spirit, Gal. v. 17, "The flesh lusteth against the 
 Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh." 
 
 3. For that they make us spiritual. They have 
 .such operations in us, and honour us with such a 
 denomination; 1 Cor. ii. 15, " He that is spiritual 
 judgeth all things." 
 
 4. Because they are chiefly seated in the most 
 spiritual part of a man, the soul and faculties of it 
 are the subject thereof. 
 
 " New." 1. In opposition to the old corruptions 
 which were in man before, which the Scripture calls 
 " the old man ;" Eph. v. 22, " Put oil' the old man, 
 which is corrupt;" and ver. 23, 24, "Be renewed in 
 the spirit of your mind ; and put on the new man, 
 which after God is created in righteousness and true 
 holiness." Here it is called "the new man," (which 
 is the same with the " new spirit,") in opposition to 
 " old man." 
 
 2. For that it comes a new way into man. Had 
 not Adam sinned, we sliould not have needed such 
 ordinances as now we have, to work this " new spirit" 
 in us ; it is not by generation, but regeneration ; it is 
 not from nature, art, afflictions, ordinances, but the 
 Spirit in ordinances. 
 
 3. Because it is WTOught anew in us. No man 
 hath aught of this "new spirit" in him naturally, 
 but an old and contrary .spirit ; Rom. viii. 7, the 
 wisdom of the flesh is enmity to God. This is 
 totally new wrought, and therefore is called a crea- 
 tion, Eph. iv. 24. 
 
 4. From the eflect. It makes ns new ; 2 Cor. v. 
 17, " If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature;" 
 1 Pet ii. 2, those endued with this " new spirit" are 
 called " new-born babes." 
 
 5. Because it is ever vigorous, fresh, and lively, not 
 decaying. So I find the words new interpreti'd by 
 a late divine, and apjilied to the " new man ;" and 
 .Mr. HhMi. ill iiis l"" thinks the new heavens and the 
 r<»eiiHi.tt(i new earth spoken of, I sa. Ixv. 17; Ixvi. 
 
 C.raie, p. 1"J5. „,, ,, • i , i . 
 
 22; Kev. XXI. I, (wliat.soevcr is meant 
 by them,) that the title " new " seems to import the 
 admirable excellency and contiimance thereof, never 
 t') alter or decay, but to remain before the Lord. 
 
 Quest. I. Whether was this promise fulfilled among 
 the Jews, or in times of the gospel ? 
 
 Answ. Many of the fathers refer the fulfilling of it 
 unto the times of the gospel ; but it being primarily 
 made unto the Jews, we have just cause to think that 
 it was in part fulfilled amongst them after their re- 
 turn from Babylon. So gracious a jiromise being 
 given out by God, made known by Ezekiel, it is not 
 likely they would neglect, having been so sorely 
 afilie'ted in Babylon ; but would improve, and press 
 the Lord for the accomplishment of it : and, without 
 dispute, many of them had this " new spirit," for 
 after they came again to Jerusalem, they had such a 
 hatred of' idols, and love to truth, that they stood out 
 to death for the law and religion of their God, as is 
 recorded in the Maccabees. 
 
 Quest. 2. Whether is this "new spirit" given or 
 wrought all at once ? 
 
 Jnsif. This " new spirit" consists in those new 
 qualities which are put into man, and the several 
 qualities are wrought in at once, but they are 
 wrought up by degrees ; a man hath all graces 
 at once in semiiie, radice, liabitu, the seed, root, 
 and habit : and this grace is called the law in 
 the mind, Rom. vii. 22 ; the law written in the 
 heart, Heb. viii. 10 ; tlie divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 
 4 ; Christ formed in us. Gal. iv. 19 ; the inward 
 man, Rom. vii. 22; seed, 1 John iii. 9. Now this 
 seed, this inward man, this Christ, this divine 
 nature, are growing, this law receives addition ; 
 2 Pet. iii. 18, "Grow in grace, and in the know- 
 ledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ;" 
 2 Cor. iv. 16, "The inward man is renewed day by 
 day ;" there is an addition of more strength, more 
 degrees are added to those new qualities, the inward 
 man gi'ows stronger and better : so chap. iii. 18, we 
 " are changed into the same image from glory to 
 glory." When men are changed, and this " new 
 spirit" is put into them, it is glory; and there is a 
 progress in this glory, they go from one degree of 
 glory to another. 
 
 Obs.X. This "new spirit "is a great mercy, it is a re- 
 newal of the image of God in a man, knowledge, righte- 
 ousness, and true holiness. Col. iii. 10; Eph. iv. 24. 
 It is that makes a man good, and acceptable to God ; 
 it was the Holy Ghost and faith made Barnabas " a 
 good man," Acts xi. 24. Till a man have some new 
 qualities in him, this "new spirit," he is flesh, dis- 
 pleasing unto God ; John iii. 6, "That which is born 
 of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is born of the 
 Spirit is spirit," and so acceptable to God; then the 
 tree is good, and the fruit good also, Matt. vii. 17, 
 18. It is that weakens and wastes sin in us ; 2 Cor. 
 V. 17, " If any man be in Chri.st, he is a new crea- 
 ture : old things are passed away ;" old customs, 
 practices, principles, corruptions, they are decaying, 
 the old leaven is purging out. It is an argument of 
 God's love in the covenant of grace towards a sinner, 
 and evidence that thou art in that covenant ; it is the 
 promise of the new covenant, to give this " new 
 spirit;" it is that makes us honourable and glorious. 
 When we have this " new spirit," we are partakers 
 of the divine nature, and "born of God," 1 John iii. 
 9; and that is honourable, ver. 1, and glorious, 
 2 Cor. iii. 18. It is a choice comfort to the man 
 that hath it, more than thousands of silver and gold, 
 more than a world to him ; no such comfort to him as 
 this. It is life ; Luke xv. 24, " This my son was 
 dead, and is alive again." The dead prodigal, when 
 he had this " new .spirit," had a new life, and this 
 was a sweet, a great comfort to him, to his father, to 
 others. It is that gives you title to the kingdom of 
 heaven ; John iii. 5, " Verily, verily, I say unto the e, 
 Except a man be born of wattr," i^tc.
 
 Ver. 19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 •275 
 
 Quest. How (loth ihis "new spirit" act and discover 
 itself in that man where it is ? 
 
 An.fw. 1. It begets a noble ingenuity in the soul, 
 to maintain the condition it puts into ; it will shun 
 whatever is contrary to it, or olVensive to the Lord 
 who gave it; 1 John v. 18, " \Vhosoever is born of 
 God sinneth not, but keepeth himself, and that wicked 
 one toucheth him not," he hath a nobleness of spirit, 
 and keeps himself from sin and Satan ; the things 
 tiny propound are too low for him, too base. Joseph 
 said, " How can I do this great wickedness, and 
 sin against God?" Gen. xxxix. 9. Neh. vi. II, 
 " Should such a man as I flee." So saith the man 
 endued with this " new spirit," Should such a man 
 as I sin P God hath made me spiritual, and I will 
 not tmbase myself to carnal things : 1 Pet. i. 14, "Not 
 fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts." 
 
 li. A strong impression made upon the soul, so 
 that it cannot but follow after Christ. Before, the 
 luart could not but look downwards, pursue the crea- 
 ture, but now it doth the contrary. Acts xxvi. 18, 
 " To open their eyes, and to turn ihem from darkness 
 to light, and from the power of Satan unto God." 
 AVhen the turn is once made, they cannot but mind 
 the light, and follow after God and Christ. When 
 Elijah threw his mantle upon Elisha, he had such 
 an impress made upon his sj)irit, that he must leave 
 all, and follow him. The needle is unquiet till it 
 come to the northern point ; so a soul, till it come to 
 Christ, when it is anointed with these new quali- 
 ties, &c. 
 
 3. Seethevery thingwithaneweye; there is divine 
 light, the light of life in the soul, John viii. \'l; and 
 "the life of God," Eph. iv. 18. Before, they are 
 alienated from it, but now, having this "new spirit," 
 they partake of it, and not only live the life of God, 
 but look upon tilings as God doth ; they see sin ex- 
 ceeding sinful, Rom. vii. 13; grace to be free, glori- 
 ous, exceeding rich, and abundant, Eph. i. 6 ; ii. 7, 
 8; 1 Tim. i. 14: they behold Christ in another man- 
 ner than ever before ; 2 Cor. v. 16, " Henceforth 
 know we no man after the flesh ; yea, though we 
 have known Christ after the flesh, yet now hence- 
 forth know we him no more." Since we have had 
 an eye to see spiritually, and the eye renewed to see 
 more spiritually into the death of Christ, what satis- 
 faction, peace, life, grace, salvation, glory, it hath 
 wrought and brought ! M'e know no man after the 
 flesh, for their present honour, external excellences, 
 no, not Christ ; we look not upon him as poor, mean, 
 afflicted, contemptible, but we see and judge spi- 
 ritually, we look at what is divine in him, in others, 
 in all. So for God himself; Jer. xxxi. 34, when he 
 should put his law in their inward parts, then they 
 should all know him, that is, in another manner than 
 ever ; they should see not only what an infinite Ex- 
 cellency he was in himself, but what a Father of 
 mercies and God of consolations he was in Christ. 
 
 4. It makes a spiritual war in the soul. This 
 "new spirit" sets upon the old man, the old spirit, 
 and maintains a mighty war against the same, bring- 
 ing under and captivating the flesh, with its lusts, 
 members, wisdom, and strong holds. There was a 
 nat\iral war in the man before, between sin and the 
 conscience, but this is a spiritual war ; and it is 
 known thus : 
 
 (1.) The whole frame of the soul is against sin, 
 not the conscience alone, the understanding, will, 
 allections, conscience. A drunken man may speak 
 against drunkenness, and yet the frame of his heart 
 be towards it; a covetous man may condemn covct- 
 ousness, yet the frame of his spirit may be to it. 
 Col. i. 21, " Enemies in your mind by wicked works : " 
 a man being without this " now spirit," is an enemv 
 T 2 
 
 to God, Christ, truth in his mind, by wicked works, 
 the frame of his mind is against them ; but being en- 
 dued with this "new spirit," he is reconciled to God, 
 and so an enemy in his mind to wicked works. So for 
 his will, Rom. vii. 19, " The evil which I would not, 
 that I do;" his will was against evil: so for his 
 all'eetion, ver. 15, " What I hate, that 1 do :" so for 
 conscience, while it is natural, it restrains a man, 
 and makes him say, I dare not do it; but when 
 sanctified, it causes a man to fight against sin, and 
 to say, I cannot do it; Gal. v. 17, " Ye cannot do the 
 things that ye would : " the new nature is universally 
 through a man, and where it is, it opposes. When 
 Lot was in Sodom, he was vexed with all the sinful 
 ways of the Sodomites ; and when this " new spirit" 
 is in a man, it is vexed with all the ways of the flesh. 
 
 (2.) This "new spirit" wars against sin as sin. 
 The unsanctified conscience never doth so, therefore 
 is carried against sin upon consideration it is a great 
 sin, it brings damage, (tc. ; Darius, when Daniel 
 was in the lions' den, Dan. vi. 18, his conscience 
 troubled him ; but if the sins be lesser, as omission 
 of duties, vain thoughts, lusts, those beginnings of 
 sin, they are dispensed with : but this "new spirit" 
 is against every sin, be it little or great ; it knows it 
 is a breach of the law against the holy God, defiles, 
 cost the blood of Christ. 
 
 (3.) By the weapons which are used. This "new 
 spirit," where it is, useth spiritual arguments against 
 sin, as God's love, God's dishonour, Christ's death, 
 sense of pardon, the sealings and comforts of the 
 Spirit, comnuuiion with God and Christ, love of holi- 
 ness, the nature of grace, and sco])e of the gospel: 
 see Col. iii. 4, 5 ; 1 John iii. 3 ; 2 Cor. vii. 1 ; Tit. 
 ii. 11, 12. But an unregenerate heart, a natural 
 conscience, uses arguments fetched from the curses 
 of the law, terrors of death, fear of hell and damn- 
 ation, shame of men, loss of friends, estate, the 
 sovereignty of God over them. 
 
 (4.) By the continuance of this war, a hypocrite, 
 that hatit only a natural conscience, may go on 
 skirmishing against sin a long time, but not for 
 ever. An unenlightened, unsanctified conscience will 
 either grow weary, or be bribed, or extenuate sin, or 
 grow hard, seared, and commit sin without reluct- 
 ance ; but a man possessed with this "new spirit" 
 will hold out the war to the end of his life ; he grows 
 not faint, he will not be bribed with aught, or all 
 the world, flesh, and Satan have, to make a truce 
 with sin ; sin is sin to him, and shall not be lessened, 
 he will fight it out, and die in the fight, rather than 
 yield: Rom. vii. 24, "O wretched man!" saith Paul, 
 " who shall deliver me ? " Sec. ; 2 Tim. iv. 6, 7 " I am 
 now ready to be ofi'ered, I have fought a good fight." 
 
 (5.) By the event. The man without this " new 
 spirit," by all his combating against sin, gets it more 
 restrained, and so more quiet, but not mortified ; but 
 where this " new spirit "is, there sin is wounded, cruci- 
 fied ; Gal. V. 24, " They that are Christ's have cruci- 
 fied the flesh with the aflFections and lusts" thereof. 
 
 (5.) It works and acts in a new manner. Rom. vii. 
 6, Paul speaks of serving them in the " newness of 
 the spirit, not in the oklness of the letter :" when 
 you were under the law, that showed you your duty, 
 provoked corruption, gave you no power to subdue 
 the one, or do the other, and all the ser\-ice then «-as 
 after the old man, with much earthlincss, dithculty, 
 dulness, untowardly, inconstantly, and no better 
 than dead works ; but now you are under the gospel, 
 the spirit hath begotten a new life in you, beautified 
 you with new qualities and principles, laid in new 
 strength, therefore now serve the Lord in newness of 
 the spirit. AtuI X\rM i.;, 
 
 (I.) In a spiritual manner. Tlie aposOe speaks
 
 276 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 of a " spiritual understanding," Col. i. 9 ; of " a 
 spiritual liousc, a holy priesthood, to oiler up spiritual 
 sacrifices," 1 Pet. ii. 5. They being spiritualized, 
 served the Lord in a spiritual manner, they had 
 more spiritual conceptions of God and liis worship, 
 and put out more spiritual acts. 
 
 (2.) More readily. "When this " new spirit" is in 
 a man, he is like a ship which hath all its tacklings 
 and sails up, and is ready to sail immediately ; such 
 a man is " prepared unto every good work," 2 Tim. 
 ii. 21. Rom. i. 15, Paul was ready to preach the 
 gospel ; and ready to be bound and sufter. Acts xxi. 
 13 ; and the Corinthians had a ready mind, 2 Cor. 
 viii. 19. "Where this spirit is, there the wheels are 
 oiled. 
 
 (3.) ]\Iore delightfully. Rom. vii. 22, " I delight 
 in the law of God after the inward man." Christ's 
 yoke is easy, his commands are not grievous, the 
 ways his wisdom prescribes " are ways of pleasant- 
 ness," Prov. iii. !/: and Paul counted all the pains 
 he took, hard things he sutfered, but a recreation, 
 Phil. iii. 8, " Tliat 1 may win Christ;" he had as 
 much pleasure and delight in them as men have in 
 any games. 
 
 (4.) More beautifully. Before, they bungled, but 
 now, they act more comelily, they pray and sing 
 with the Spirit, and with understanding, 1 Cor. xiv. 
 15. Rom. xii. 8, he gives with simplicity, rules with 
 diligence, shows mercy with cheerfulness ; and, 
 Cant. vii. 1, " How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, 
 O prince's daughter !" the ways of the church are 
 beautiful, actions comely. 
 
 (5.) More evenly and constantly. 2 Pet. i. 4, 
 this "new spirit" is called "the divine nature," 
 both because it is from God our Father, because all 
 the children have it, because it cannot be altered, 
 and also because it acts like nature, constantly, 
 strongly ; tlie eye is not weary with seeing, nor the 
 ear with hearing. 
 
 (6.) It propounds new ends to itself, viz. God's 
 glory. Before, a man's self was his centre and end : 
 this " new spirit" came out from God, and works 
 for God and to God ; now it sees the nature of divine 
 grace, beholds glory in that grace, and answers 
 God's end ; it dotli act to the praise of the glory of 
 his grace. 
 
 (7.) Makes cheerful and thankful. Col. iii. 10, 
 after he had spoken of the new man, ver. 16, he tells 
 them of singing with " grace in their hearts to the 
 Lord." 2 Cor. v. 17, when old things are gone, and 
 all new. Sec. as in a house, when all is renewed in it, 
 beautifully trimmed, &c., it cheers. 
 
 You have mention of " a new song" six times in 
 the Psalms, xxxiii. 3; xl. 3; xlvi. 1; xcviii. 1; 
 exliv. 9; cxlix. I : once in Isaiah xlii. 10: twice in 
 the Revelation, v. 9 ; xiv. 3 ; sung with new fervency, 
 as new things use to aifect most ; sung with the mo- 
 tions of the new spirit of grace, which mindeth more 
 the new benefits by Christ, and the new covenant, 
 than those by creation. 
 
 The twenty-four elders sang this new song, Bev. 
 v. 9 ; the hundred and forty-four thousand redeemed 
 from the earth learned it ; it was a song of the new 
 nu-rcies given in redemption, justification, sanctifi- 
 cation. 
 
 A new song, that is, an excellent song, with singular 
 cheerfulness, made upon the giving in of some new 
 Nonvulcaresed mcrcy. [I .] New, bccausc tlic singcrs 
 cximium. B.:. were new, they had a " new spirit," a 
 spirit of grace and glory in them. [2.] The matter 
 of it was new, Christ's incarnation, passion, doctrine, 
 miracles, ordinances, promises, church, kingdom, 
 but especially the opening tlie book and redemjition 
 by his blood. 
 
 Obs. 2. This "new spirit" is the work of God, 
 and not of man ; the Lord alone is the author and 
 cause of it, man's will contributes nothing to it. " I 
 will put a new spirit within you ; " you oppose, re- 
 sist, but I will overcome all that opposition and re- 
 sistance, and plant new qualities, put a "new spirit" 
 within you ; 1 will work powerfully, efficaciously, so 
 that tlie work shall proceed. The Arminians hold 
 that the operation of God in the conversion of a sin- 
 ner, or putting in this " new spirit," is vwra/is auanio, 
 not realis efficientia. moral persuasion, not a real ef- 
 ficiency ; that he doth not work immediately upon 
 the mind and will, causing us to believe, to come to 
 Christ, to live holily, but only propounds truths, 
 which is sufficient that the understanding and aflec- 
 tions are renewed with such power of God, and his 
 grace, as cannot be withstood, but the will is quick- 
 ened reslslibili inodo, in a manner which may be re- 
 sisted ; that, however it is sometimes renew'ed in the 
 affectionate part of it, yet it continues unrenewed in 
 the willing and nilling part thereof, iecimdum modmn 
 libcrtatis, according to the measure of liberty ; that 
 the grace of God doth nothing but accompany the 
 will, consenting that all things supposed on God's 
 part needful to the co-working this " new spirit," 
 and regenerating the heart, yet a man may go with- 
 out it, and still be as he was ; that tliis " new spirit," 
 and work of conversion, depends not upon any ne- 
 cessary causation or infallible event, from the inten- 
 tion or operation of God, but merely upon the will of 
 man, and so is wholly contingent, and uncertain : all 
 whicli are erroneous. 
 
 The papists also hold that there is free wiU in man 
 before lie hath this "new spirit," which doth concur 
 and co-operate with God in the putting in this " new 
 spirit" as an efficient cause thereof; and they pro- 
 nounce him anathema, in the council sess. e.iie.iusiit. 
 of Trent, that says the will is merely tan. 4. 
 passive in this work. Our divines hold it, and not 
 only they, but the Lord himself; and if it be his 
 judgment, how impious is that canon which puts an 
 anathema upon the Lord. We cannot i,,,,,, ,,. ^ 
 make our spirits new, nor any part of " wiiiKi.it'meye 
 them ; Deux est causa totnis ettli.s; bod is thrreii.ie hII 13 
 the cause of all being, of this new '""" ^''"''• 
 spirit, of every quality in it, and every degree of 
 every quality; Phil. ii. 13, "It is God which work- 
 eth in you, both to will and to do of his good plea- 
 sure." The will to have this "new spirit" is not 
 from man's will, but from the grace of God; and that 
 grace, when it is working and entering into the will, 
 though the will of itself ojipose it and reject it, yet 
 because of the mighty jjower of God in the work, and 
 strong intention of God to eilect such a work, it can- 
 not impede the introduction and forming of this 
 " new spirit." It is called the circumcision of the 
 heart, and is attributed to God, Deut. xxx. 6. It is 
 not in the power of man to circumcise his own heart, 
 God only doth it ; and that he acts powerfully in this 
 work of a "new spirit," see Ezek. xxxvi. 27, "I will 
 put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in 
 my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do 
 them." Though Satan, the god of this world, have 
 got possession of a man, fortified himself in the 
 strong holds which arc in man ; yet the Lord will 
 bring in his Spirit, throw out Satan, throw down his 
 holds, and cause a man, by the power of his Spirit 
 and grace, to walk in contrary ways to what he did. 
 Man in Scripture is said to be dead, and dead men 
 neither desire, nor work their own resurrection ; 
 John v. 25, "The dead shall hear the voice of the 
 Son of God." It must be a mighty and powerful 
 voice which reaebcth to a dead soul, and fcteheth it 
 out of that condition ; and when God speaks and
 
 ViiR. 19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 m 
 
 works efficaciously to that purpose, the soul can no 
 more withstand it than Lazarus could the call and 
 power of Christ. Therefore saith Christ, John vi. 37, 
 " All that the Father giveth me shall come to me ;" 
 they shall not prevent it by the liberty of their wills, 
 tlie event is infallible, the causation necessary : other- 
 wise God's election should be frustrate ; for if man 
 by his free will could keep out this "new spirit," 
 and null all the operations of God about the work- 
 ing of it, what should become of his elect ? his giv- 
 ing of men to Christ would be to no purpose. 
 
 Quest. Whereas they say. Propound suitable 
 objects, and men will take them; as, propound 
 honey to a bee, grass or a green bough to a sheep, and 
 they will receive them ; so let man have fit objects 
 propounded to his understanding and will, and ht 
 will then close with them : and this is all which Is 
 done in the work of grace. 
 
 Ansu\ 1. See how derogatory this is to the Lord, 
 that no more is given to his Spirit in working than 
 is given to Satan. He propounds objects suitable to 
 the sons of men, and if the Spirit propound divine 
 objects, so doth Satan ; Gen. iii. 5, " Ye shall be as 
 gods, knowing good and evil." If the devil's objects 
 be received or refused at the pleasure of man's will, 
 so shall the Spirit's. 
 
 2. WTiat suitableness is there between our carnal 
 heart, and the spiritual high things of God ? 1 Cor. 
 ii. 14, " The natural man receiveth not the things of 
 the Spirit of God ; for they are foolishness unto 
 him ;" men must be made spiritual before they can 
 discern or close with spiritual things. Honey is the 
 proper food of a bee, and grass of a sheep, but spi- 
 ritual things are not the proper food of a carnal 
 heart : new wine is not for old bottles. 
 
 3. If suitable objects would do it, Christ pro- 
 pounded as suitable truths as ever any did, yet the 
 Jews were not taken with them, John vi. 44 ; not 
 any man, be he never so rational, have he never 
 such rational objects propounded, that will hear, or 
 can come. 
 
 Quest. Is it not in man's power to do aught to- 
 wards the working this "new spirit" in himself? it 
 seems otherwise, for the Lord saith, Ezek. xviii. 31, 
 " Make you a new heart and a new spirit." 
 
 Aitstr. 1. Such phrases in Scripture import not 
 liberty and power in man to do such things, but 
 show his duty, and misery that ho cannot do them. 
 Man, having fallen, should set himself in the con- 
 dition God placed him first in, he should cast away 
 his sins, regain that image of God he hath lost, yet 
 all his endeavours will not reach it : a man may 
 with as nuich facility make a new sun, a new hea- 
 ven, a new earth, a new world, as a new heart and 
 "new spirit" within himself. Da\nd knew it, and 
 therefore prayed, Psal. li. 10, " Create iniiie a r'ean 
 heart," &c. 
 
 2. Neither is tlds coiumcUid of God in vain, for 
 the Lord gi^eeuhat he couiniands ; "^^lake you a 
 new heart an.l a new spirit," aaitli God, here is l.'is 
 command ; and iu the verse we are on it is said, " I 
 will put a nev' spirit within yovi ;" so that, when a 
 thing is commanded us to do which we caiuiot do, 
 we are to look at the Lord to do it, who hath there- 
 fore made gracious promises to his people for that 
 purpose. Man is commanded to fear God, Eccles. 
 xii. 13; Isa. viii. 13; 1 Pet. ii. 17; and God hath 
 promised to put his fear in his people's hearts ; Jer. 
 xxxii. 40, " I w-ill put my fear in their hearts, and 
 they shall not depart from me ;" Hos. iii. 5, " They 
 shall fear the Lord and his goodness." Prov. iv. 5, 
 7, we are bid to " get wisdom and understand- 
 ing;" Isa. i. 17, "LeaiTi to do well;" and the pro- 
 mise is, Isa. liv. 13, " All thy children shall be 
 
 taught of the Lord." 2 Pet. iii. IS, we are command- 
 ed to "grow in grace;" but we can no more make 
 grace to grow in our hearts, than the gardener can 
 make the tree to grow in the orchard; therefore the 
 promise is, Psal. xcii. 12—15, " The righteous shall 
 flourish like the palm tree : he shall grow like a 
 cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the 
 house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our 
 God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age ; 
 they shall be fat and flourishing ; to show that Uie 
 Lord is upright." Col. iii. 5. " Mortify your mem- 
 bers which are upon the earth," that is the com- 
 mand, and, Micah vii. 19, " He will subdue our 
 iniquities." 
 
 3. " Make you a new heart," that is, declare you 
 have a new heart wrought in you. Saith Junius, 
 God makes the new heart ivt^-^iia, liy cfl'ectual work- 
 ing, man doth it (pavifuad, by manifestation. 
 
 " I will take the stony heart out of their flesh." 
 pxn aS cor iapidis. The word " heart" hath been 
 opened formerly, and by it we comprehend and mean 
 the understanding, will, affections, and conscience. 
 
 " Stony," or stone heart, or stoniness of heart. 
 It is a metaphorical expression, taken from the na- 
 ture of a stone, and notes out the spiritual stoniness 
 and hardness which is in the heart. 
 
 1. A stone is senseless, and stirs not; Exod. xv. 
 16, "They shall be as still as a stone :" such is a 
 stony heart; it is cor sine sensu, a heart without 
 feeling, as in Nabal, 1 Sam. xxv. 37, " His heart 
 died within him, and he became as a stone," 
 senseless. 
 
 A stone feels no weight ; lay the heaviest burden 
 upon it, smite the hardest strokes, it is not sensible 
 of any. Let a stony heart have a world of sin, and 
 guilt in it, lying upon it, yet no feeling of it ; Eph. 
 iv. 19, "Who being past feeling have given them- 
 selves over unto lasciviousness, to work all unclean- 
 ness wdth greediness :" they had lost all sense of evil 
 in sin, and went on without any check. Let men 
 swear, lie, deceive, whore, &e. they feel no evil in it; 
 let them be upon the pikes, like the young man in 
 Proverbs chap. vii. going as " an ox to the slaughter, 
 as a bird to the snare, they know not that it is for their 
 lives ;" tell such of danger, they are not sensible. 
 
 The Jews had stony hearts, and see how senseless 
 they were. Matt. xiii. 15, " This people's heart is wax- 
 ed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their 
 eyes they have closed ; lest at any time they should 
 see with," &c. This is five times more mentioned in 
 the New Testament, Mark iv. 12 ; Luke viii. 10 ; 
 John xii. 40 ; Acts xxviii. 26 ; Rom. xi. 8, fetched 
 all from Isa. vi. 9. 
 
 Hence those expressions, " The unjust knowcth no 
 shame," Zeph. iii. 5 ; they cannot blush, Jer. vi. 15; 
 " they are impudent children," Ezek. ii. 4 ; their 
 " brow brass," Isa. xlviii. 4. 
 
 2. It is hard and yields not ; sh'ike a stone oft, it 
 yields not to the stroke. In Job xii. 24, speaking of 
 the leviathan, he saith, " His heart is as firm as a 
 stone ; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone ;" 
 brass, arrows, darts, and spears, are as stubble and 
 straw to him, they will not enter. So is it with a 
 stony heart, nothing enters; Zech. vii. 11, "They 
 refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, 
 and stopped their ears, that the}' should not hear. 
 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone ;" 
 and that is lapis indomabilis, it will not yield at all. 
 No rei>roofs, threatenings, afflictions, judgments, did 
 prevail with their stony hearts ; therefore, Isa. i. 5, 
 saith God, " AVliy should ye be stricken any more ? 
 ye will revolt more and more." Man's natural heart 
 is an unteachable, intractable heart ; no prayers, no 
 tears, no truths, no arguments, no mercies, no judg-
 
 278 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 mcnts will conquer it ; it. is inexorable : Isa. xxvi. 
 10, "Let I'avuur be showed to the wicked, yet wiU 
 he not learn righteousness." 
 
 Hence two things : 
 
 (I.) Tenacity of opinions, principles, and conclu- 
 sions, though never .so false and corrupt. Jcr. viii. 
 5, "They hold fast deceit;" chap. iv. 14, "O Jeru- 
 salem, how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge with- 
 in thee?" They thought their worship was right, 
 that God was pleased with their inventions and ad- 
 ditions, that the Lord would not depart from the 
 temple, Sec. 
 
 (2.) Obstinacy in their ways, continuance in their 
 old practices. Jer. xvii. 23, " Tliey obeyed not, 
 neither inclined their ear, but made their neck still', 
 that they might not hear, nor receive instruction ;" 
 chap. V. 3, " They have made their faces harder than 
 a rock, they have refused to return;" Judg. ii. 19, 
 " They ceased not from their own doings, nor from 
 their stubborn way." 
 
 3. Man's heart resists. Lam. iii. I'l, "He hath 
 also broken my teeth with gravel stones :" while a 
 man thinks to break the stones with his teeth, they 
 conquer by their hardness, and break the teeth. 
 Adamants and other stones repel the force of the 
 stroke, and oft break the instrument which strikes 
 them ; so do stony and hard hearts ; Matt, xxiii. 
 37, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the 
 prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, 
 how often would 1," .See. When Christ preached 
 unto them, they yielded not to his doctrine, but re- 
 sisted, and sought the ruin of his person ; Luke iv. 
 28, 2y, " All they in the synagogue, when they heard 
 these things, were tilled with wrath, and rose up, and 
 thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow 
 of the hill, that they might cast him down headlung." 
 Here was the stoniness of their hearts made evident 
 ftdly, they would not receive Christ, but kill him. 
 Such hearts make men possessed with them. 
 
 (I.) Contradictory to the truth; their tongues are 
 busy. Rom. x. 21, the Jews are called " a disobedi- 
 ent and gainsaying people," they contradicted the 
 prophets: 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16, "They mocked the 
 messengers of God:" so Jer. xliv. Ki, "As for the 
 word which thou hast spoken unto us in the name of 
 the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. But we 
 will certainly do whatsoever," &c. 
 
 (2.) Contentious. Horn. ii. 8, "Unto them that 
 are contentious, and do not obey the truth :" hard 
 hearts yield not to the truth, but contend against tlie 
 truth. The Pharisees and others did not only cavil 
 at Christ's doctrine, but plotted, acted, and contend- 
 ed against it and him : John xi. -i/, -18, the chief 
 priests and Pharisees gathered " a council, and said. 
 What do we ? If we let him thus alone, all men will 
 believe on him," &c. ; vcr. 53, " From that day forth 
 they took counsel together for to put him to death." 
 God told Jeri miah that the Jews .should tight against 
 him, Jer. i. 19 ; and xxvi. 8, !), you shall fmd it made 
 good; when he Iiad prophesied against their carnal 
 contidenee in the tem|ile, they were gathered to- 
 gether against him, laid hands upon him, and threat- 
 ened him with death. 
 
 4. A stone hath a strong tendency downwards. 
 Exod. XV. 5, " They sank into the bottom as a stone :" 
 stones hasten downward to the bottom, and they move 
 not upwards at all ; if by force you throw a stone 
 upwards, it falls down again with swiftness. Such 
 i.s the nature of a stony heart, it moves not God or 
 Christ-ward, but sin and hell-ward ; that is the pro- 
 per motion of it, being weighty, and cannot but move 
 downward: Prov. vii. 27, speaking of the adulteress, 
 whose heart is hardened in wickedness, he sailh, 
 " Her house is the way to hell, going dow^l to the 
 
 chambers of death. Eph. iv. 10, "Being .. 
 
 past feeling, they work all unclcanuess ™^-"- • 
 with greediness :" there is a strong inclination to, 
 and greediness of, committing sin, and every sin is a 
 step to hell ; Prov. ii. 18, " Her house inclineth unto 
 death, and her paths unto the dead." Ezek. iii. 7, 
 it is said, " All the house of Israel are impudent and 
 hard-hearted:" and Ezek. vi. 9, their heart is said to 
 be whorish; and why whorish ? because it leads to 
 death and hell, as the whorish woman's house doth. 
 A stony heart is an eartlily heart, and so an enemy 
 to the cross of Christ, Phil. iii. 18, 19 ; that is, to all 
 of Christ, it looks not upwards. 
 
 ObJ. It is said, a stony heart is not yieldable, 
 teachable, receives not impression of any thing : Did 
 not the stony ground receive the word? Matt. xiii. 
 20 ; if so, how is it true which hath been affirmed ? 
 
 Anna-. 1. It is said by Matthew, the seed " fell 
 upon stony places," chap. xiii. 5, and " upon a rock," 
 Luke viii. U ; it fell not into the stones, or into the 
 rock : but some fell not only on the good ground, as 
 Luke hath it, but into the good ground, as Matthew 
 relates it, chap. xiii. 8. 
 
 2. Tliere is a double reception of the word. First, 
 a superficial, and secondly, a solid, reception of the 
 word, which the place holds out ; for that seed 
 which fell upon stony places " lacked moisture," saith 
 Luke, had " no deepness, no root," saith Matthew. 
 It alfected the natural fleshiness of the heart, but 
 the spiritual hardness in it suffered it not to root, to 
 enter, abide : the novelty and rationalness of the 
 word caused them to rejoice, but the spiritualness 
 of it was opposed by their stony hearts. Secondly, 
 the solid reception is, when there is a deej) impres- 
 sion made upon the heart, a thorough entrance into 
 it, so that it roots, abides, and brings forth fruit : 
 Janus i. 21, he calls it " the ingrafted word ;" now 
 it cannot be ingrafted into a stony stock, there is no 
 life, no tenderness in such a stock ; it may be pro- 
 pounded to such a heart, it cannot enter, unite, and 
 grow. 
 
 " Out of their flesh." Flesh is sometimes put for 
 corruption, or corrupt nature ; Rom. vii. 18, " In my 
 flesh dwelleth no good thing ;" so it is not taken here : 
 sometimes for the body of man ; Psal. xxxvii. 3, 
 " There is no soundness in my Hesh," that is, in my 
 body : sometimes for the w hole man ; Rom. iii. 20, 
 " By the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight;" 
 and so in Luke iii. (!, " All flesh shall see the salva- 
 tion of God ;" and thus it is taken here, " out of their 
 flesh, it is out of them, out of the whole man. 
 
 Obs. 1. Men's hearts naturally are stony and hard. 
 Some diseases are hereditary, even the stone in 
 many persons. This stoniness is so in all, not a man 
 born but hath a stony heart, a stony spirit ; Ezek. 
 iii. 7, " All the house of Israel are hard-hearted," 
 young and old. 
 
 There is a natural hardness of the heart, and a 
 contracted. Original siu, which is common to all, and 
 comes with all, makes the heart hard ; and actual 
 sins make the heart stony, very hard ; every sin con- 
 tracts more stoniness, and where sin abounds, there 
 stoniness abounds : hence the Scripture speaks of 
 hearts like adamants ; Zech. vii. 12, " They have 
 made their hearts as an adamant" by their sins, they 
 have brought their hearts to such a high degree of 
 stoniness ; Isa. xlviii. 4, " I knew that thou art ob- 
 stinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow 
 brass ;" which sets out the great hardness they had 
 contracted by their sin. Is there any thing harder 
 than stone, iron, and brass ? unto these are their 
 hardened hearts, necks, and brows compared. 
 
 (1.) The spiritual hardness spreads itself into the 
 understanding. Rom. xi. 7, " The rest were blinded."
 
 Ver. 19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 279 
 
 Blindness respects the mind, the understanding, and 
 it is such a blinding as burdens ; their ignorance and 
 unbelief blinded and hardened them. In the niyht 
 we have the hardest frosts, See. 
 
 Heb. V. II, the apostle tells the Hebrews, they 
 were "dull of hearing;" they had been long taught, 
 vet scarcely understood the principles of religion : 
 Luke xxiv. 25, " O fools, and slow of heart to believe." 
 
 (2.) Into the will and all'ection. Saith Christ, " Ye 
 will not come to me, that ye might have life," John 
 V. 40; there was a stone, stubbornness and ob- 
 stinacy, in their wills. Did not Christ preach power- 
 fully and spiritually ? did he not command, threaten, 
 promise, present strong arguments, tender the great- 
 est mercies, bear with the greatest patience, weep 
 over Jerusalem with the most pathetical and sacred 
 tears, saying most compassionately, " O Jerusalem, 
 Jerusalem," yet Jerusalem would not? Do not the 
 ministers of Christ now beseech you, in his stead, to 
 leave your sinful courses, and to come in, yet, kc. ? 
 
 (3.) Into the conscience. Paul tells you of " con- 
 science seai-ed with a hot iron," 1 Tim. iv. 2. When 
 any part of the body is seared with a hot iron, it 
 grows hard, and feels nothing ; such were the con- 
 sciences of men then, and are now ; they are so 
 brawny aud stony, that tell them of danger, judg- 
 ments, death, hell, eternal damnation, that their sins 
 are great, grievous, subjecting them every moment 
 to all the vengeance of an infinite Deity, they are 
 not troubled at it ; tell them that all the curses in 
 God's book due to sinners will come upon them, 
 their hearts fail them not, their consciences are 
 still, &c. 
 
 Now this stoniness of heart is a great evil ; it is 
 unthankful, what mercies soever it hath given in, 
 insensible of all spiritual good, it is unyieldable to 
 any ordinance, it resists the truth, and Spirit of truth ; 
 Acts-.vii. 51, "Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in 
 heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost : 
 as your fathers did, so do ye." It is contradicting, 
 and contending against the Lord and his ways ; it is 
 tending swiftly to destruction, for it is impenitent, it 
 neither will nor can repent. 
 
 Obs. I. It is the Lord that takes away the stony 
 heart out of men ; I will do it. It is not i.i the 
 power of man to remove the stone out of the heart ; 
 he may get the stone out of the kidneys, out of the 
 bladder, but not out of the heart. We may all say, 
 "Who shall roll away this stone?" as they said, 
 Mark xvi. 3 ; and the answer must be. Not an angel, 
 not any creature, but only the Lord. God tells them 
 that they should take away all the detestable things 
 out of the land ; but he would take away the stone 
 out of their heart, and the stony heart out of them. 
 
 It is the work of free grace. Nothing is in a stony 
 heart to move God to take it away, but enough to 
 move God to destroy it, and him that hath it ; it is 
 merely good will puts him on to do it. 
 
 It is the work of omnipotent power to do it. Some 
 read it, auferam, I will take away ; some, removebo, 
 I will remove ; some, extraliam, I will draw out of 
 you, intimating, there must be a mighty power to 
 do it ; when you would remove a great stone, you 
 bring a strong team, and tacklings, to draw it out of 
 its place, so here. 
 
 It is a great mercy to have this stone removed. 
 The stone in the heart is a great plague, yea, greater 
 than all the plagues of Egypt ; Pharaoh's hard heart 
 was worse than all them ; the removal, therefore, of 
 it, is a greater mercy than the removal of all those 
 judgments. 
 
 It is a heart incapable of reproof; that profits 
 not by any means of grace whatsoever, that is not 
 kindly affected with the greatest mercies or judg- 
 
 ments. It is a heart that hates holiness, and the 
 power of godhness, a heart that pleaseth itself in tlie 
 ways of wickedness ; it is a heart the devU lives in, 
 and works his will by. 
 
 Quest. Whether doth God remove the stone totally 
 out of the hearts of his people at first conversion, or 
 while they are in this life ? 
 
 Ansu). God doth this work gradually, it is not all 
 done at once. The apostles were converted, yet all 
 hardness was not out of their hearts, Mark vi. 52; 
 viii. 17. Stones are digged out of the quarries by 
 degrees, and rocks hewn in pieces in time : so is it 
 here, God breaks and separates the stoniness of the 
 heart, some one day, some another day, and it is 
 doing all a man's life : as a man subject to the stone 
 and gravel, voids some one day, some another, and 
 is not perfectly cured till death, so in this spiritual 
 stoniness. Neither let any say. Then the heart is 
 stony still, and in the same condition it was before. 
 Not so ; for though there be some stoniness in it, 
 yet is it not stony ; there is softness introduced, and 
 the denomination is from that, " I wiU give them an 
 heart of flesh." 
 
 Quest. If there be stoniness in the hearts of those 
 that are in covenant with God, how shall I know 
 the difference between the stoniness in the godly 
 and that in the wicked ? 
 
 Answ. 1. The stoniness of the wicked grows greater 
 and greater, every day they are more stony, they 
 grow "worse and worse," 2 Tim. iii. e ciiron. xxviii. 
 13 ; but the stoniness in the godly --• 
 
 grows less and less, they use all means to abate it; 
 in the one it is incurable, in the other it is curing. 
 
 2. That in the saints is rather accidental tlian 
 essential, an external crustiness rather than an in- 
 trinsical hardness. It is an iciness, not a true stoni- 
 ness : water may become ice, but not stone ; it will 
 thaw and melt again, it freezes and thaws oft ; not so 
 with a stone, or iron, they have intrinsical, essential 
 hardness. 
 
 3. The godly feel the stone in their hearts, com- 
 plain and cry out of it as a grievous evil ; but the 
 wicked feel it not, in them it reigns, is in full power 
 and strength; Eph. iv. 19, they are "past feeling." 
 
 4. The stoniness in the godly is rather a stoniness 
 against sin, than a stoniness of sin ; he is facile to 
 good, but obstinate to evil ; Gen. xxxix. 9, " How 
 then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against 
 God ?" Psal. cxix. 115, " Depart from me, ye evil- 
 doers ; for I will keep the commandments of my 
 God :" he had strong temptations to sin from the 
 wicked, but he would not be drawn by them. But it 
 is otherwise ivith the wicked, they are obstinate to 
 good, and prone to evil ; " they work all uncleanness 
 with greediness," Eph. iv. 19 ; and cease not " from 
 their stubborn way," Judg. ii. 19. So the Samari- 
 tans, who were fallen to false worship, said, in the 
 stoutness and pride of their hearts, " The bricks are 
 fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones," 
 Isa. ix. 9, 10 ; and Mai. iii. 13, their words were 
 stout against God. And Saul, a wicked king, it is 
 said, he " rejected the word of the Lord," 1 Sam. xv. 
 23. The builders who had stony hearts rejected 
 Christ the Corner-stone, Matt. xxi. 42 ; " lawyers 
 rejected the counsel of God," Luke vii. 30. 
 
 " And will give them an heart of flesh." We 
 have opened the word " heart" before, at the begin- 
 ning of the verse, and showed it comprehended 
 understanding, will, affections, and conscience. 
 
 " Flesh." Here it is set. in opposition to stony, 
 and differs from the word "flesh" mentioned imme- 
 diately before; there "flesh" implied substance, 
 their persons ; here it implies a quality, tenderness, 
 softness. Flesh is in itself a tender thing ; sin hard-
 
 2'^0 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 ens it, and makes it stony, but God would take out 
 the stoniness, the hardness thereof, and make it 
 tender and soft. 
 
 There is a double tenderness spoken of in Scripture : 
 
 1. A natural tenderness. 2 Chron. xiii. 7, " When 
 Rehoboam was young and tender-hearted, and could 
 not withstand them ;" he was not hardened in wick- 
 edness, but being young, had a natural tenderness, 
 which made him facile and yieldable to the onsets of 
 others : but this is not the tenderness we are to 
 speak of. 
 
 2. A spiritual tenderness. Eph. iv. 32, " Be ye 
 kind one to another, tender-hearted." A mother 
 hath natural tenderness to her child ; have you 
 answerable spiritual tenderness, such as is in the 
 Lord, who is said to be full of pity and tenderness. 
 Jam. V. 1 1 ; and this is the tenderness here meant. 
 
 This spiritual tenderness is a gracious disposition 
 of the heart, wrought by the Spirit, easily admit- 
 ting or receiving whatever spirituals are propounded 
 unto it. 
 
 It is a gracious disposition, not natural, nor moral ; 
 neither parents nor education convey aught unto it. 
 Grace is a tender thing, and makes tender ; Luke i. 
 78, it is called " tender mercy of our God," and that 
 makes a tender heart, a gracious disposition in it 
 like itself. 
 
 Wrought by the Spirit. It is not the law works 
 it J that may break the heart into pieces, as a ham- 
 mer doth a stone, but not melt it and make it tender ; 
 it is the gospel and fire of the Spirit in it which 
 produceth that effect ; not the plough, but rain, which 
 softens the ground : David saith, Psal. Ixv. 13, 
 " Thou makest it soft with showers." The Corin- 
 thians' hearts were not tables of stone, but fleshy 
 tables ; the Spirit had made them such, and written 
 the gospel in them, 2 Cor. iii. 3. The Galatians re- 
 ceived the Spirit, not by the preaching of the law, 
 but by the preaching of faith. Gal. iii. 2, and that 
 Spirit made their hearts tender. When Job was in 
 his great afflictions, they softened not his heart, but 
 he saith, God made soft his heart, Job xxiii. 16; 
 that was, by his Spirit. 
 
 Ea.sily admitting or receiving. This is the formal, 
 intrinsical nature of this tenderness, that it is like 
 wax taking in impressions. The stony heart yields 
 not, but resists ; this resists not, but yields ; like 
 Gideon's fleece, it drunk in the dew as fast as it fell. 
 Judges vi. ; like the soft earth, which drinks in the 
 rain, not like the rocks and mountains, which shoot 
 it off, Heb. vi. 7- Hence saith Moses, Deut. xxxiii. 3, 
 speaking of saints who have tender hearts, and sit 
 at God's feet, " Every one shall receive of thy words." 
 And Paul, speaking of a natural man, 1 Cor. ii. 14, 
 he saith, " The natural man receiveth not the things 
 of the Spirit ;" his heart is stony, not tender, and so 
 without a capacity of receiving whatever sjiiritiuil 
 things are propounded. It is ready to say, as Samuel, 
 "Speak; fur thy servant hearcth," I Sam. iii. 10. 
 Ijet God, or any from God, offer any spiritual 
 things unto a tender heart, it is ready to receive 
 them ; Acts ix. 6, saith Saul, " Lord, what wilt thou 
 have me to do ? " propound what thou pleasest 
 vmto me. 
 
 Discoveries of this tenderness : 
 
 1. It is affected with, and mourns for, that hard- 
 ness which remains in it, that it is not more tender 
 and wrought vipon by the mercies, ordinances, judg- 
 ments of God. David was sensible of his hardness 
 and deadness, and therefore cries oft to God for quick- 
 ening ; Psal. cxix. I.'J4, "Quicken me according to 
 thy word;" "Quicken me according to thy judg- 
 ments," ver. 156 ; " Quicken me according to thy 
 loving-kindness," ver. 159. 
 
 2. It feels the least sins and risings of corruption ; 
 as some bodies are .so tender, that they discern any 
 distempers stir in them presently, others are hardy, 
 and discern little, till it come to some dangerous 
 disease. It is not so here, a heart spiritually tender 
 is sensible of the least sin : the least mote in the eye, 
 crumb in the windpipe, are troublesome to them ; 
 and so the rising of coiTuption, the very being of 
 sin in the heart, is troublesome to a tender heart ; 
 Paul saw and felt the " law in his members, waning 
 against," &c. 
 
 3. It hearkens and yields to reproofs. Salt will 
 not enter into a stone, but into flesh, seasons it, and 
 makes it savoury. Reproofs are salt, they enter into 
 fleshy and tender hearts : Prov. xvii. 10, " A reproof 
 entereth more into a viise man than an hundred 
 stripes into a fool ;" his heart is tender, and a reproof 
 presently makes impression, the door opens and it 
 goes in ; whereas the heart of a fool will not be beat 
 open w ith many stripes ; nee credit, tree cedit, nei- 
 ther does it believe nor yield ; but the tender-hearted, 
 wise, and godly, believe, and yield : David, Psal. 
 cxli. 5, " Let the righteous smite me ; it shall be a 
 kindness : and let him reprove me ; it shall be an 
 excellent oil." Reproofs soften tender hearts, harden 
 stony ones, Prov. xxix. 1. 
 
 4. It hath a lively sense of God's dishonour, and 
 the saints' wrong. 
 
 (1.) Of God's dishonour. Psal. cxix. 136, " Rivers 
 of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep 
 not thy law." AVhen David saw God's worship cor- 
 rupted, heard his name blasiihemed, beheld his law 
 openly violated, his tender heart bled within him, 
 melted into tears, and wept abundantly, that the in- 
 finite, holy, glorious, great God should be so dis- 
 honoured by sinful dust and ashes. And Psal. Ixix. 
 9, " The reproaches of them that reproached thee 
 are fallen upon me ;" David reproved men that re- 
 proached God by their lips and lives, and they re- 
 proached him for it. Lot's righteous soul was 
 " vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked," 
 2 Pet. ii. 7- 
 
 (2.) It much feels the saints' wrong, and church's 
 suffering. 2 Cor. xi. 29, " Who is offended, and I 
 bum not ? " Wlien any member of the church suffer 
 ed, Paul was afflicted, grieved, as a man burnt with 
 fire, and the more tender the flesh is, the greater is 
 the pain ; and so in the heart, the tenderer that is, 
 the greater sense and pain hath it of others' suffer- 
 ings, especially the church's. Read Psal. Ixxix. 
 and Ixxx. and you shall see how greatly Asaph was 
 afflicted fur the miseries of the church ; the saints 
 suffered nuieh without, and he suffered much within; 
 they were broken in their states and comforts, and 
 he was broken in his heart and spirit : so Jer. ix. 1, 
 " Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a 
 fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night 
 for the slain of the daughter of my people !" Acts xii. 
 5, when Peter, &c. As Christ was tender of the 
 saints when persecuted by Saul, Acts ix. so every 
 memlier of Clu'ist, participating of his tenderness, 
 feels in his degree the injuries done to the rest. 
 
 5. It trembles at the word of God. Isa. Ixvi. 2, 
 contrition of spirit, and trendjling at the word, do go 
 together; there is such majesty, authority, holiness, 
 severity, and glory, in the word, that a tender heart 
 trembleth at it. 2 Chron. xxxiv. 27, Josiah's heart 
 was tender, he trembled and humljled himself before 
 the Lord when the law was read before him. And 
 those in Ezra " trembled at the words of the God of 
 Israel," cliap. ix. 4. 
 
 6. It is obedient unto the call and will of God. 
 Let the Lord call, it saith, Here I am, what wilt 
 thou have me to do ? whither shall I go ? I am
 
 Ver. 19,20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 281 
 
 ready for it. Abi-aham had a tender heart, and when 
 God called for his Isaac, and bade him go and oficr 
 him upon mount Moriah, Gen. xxii. he had a ti'act- 
 able heart, he yielded presently to the Lord, witliout 
 any dispute or delay. A tender heart is an oliedi- 
 ential heart : Josiah was tender-hearted, and he did 
 the will of God most thoroughly of any of the kings 
 of Judah, none of thi-m did reform so as lie did, 
 2 Chron. xxxv. 18. David was a man of a tender 
 spirit, and he fulfilled aU the will of God, Acts 
 xiii. 22. 
 
 7. It is tender towards others. A tender heart 
 hath a tender tongue and a tender hand ; the man 
 that hath such a heart speaks evil of none, doth 
 harm to none ; such a one is merciful to his beast, 
 much more to men ; he pities those who are in a 
 perisliing way, and w-ould pull them out of the fire ; 
 the law of kindness is in his lips, and actions of love 
 are in his hands. Job's heart was soft. Job xxiii. 
 16; and you may find what his words and actions 
 were, chap. xxix. 11 — 13, 15, Hi; " AVhen the ear 
 heard me, then it blessed me ;" he spake such com- 
 fortable words to them, gave them such good coun- 
 sel, that they blessed him for it; and his actions 
 were, delivering the poor and fatherless, helping the 
 blind and lame, and making the widow's heart to re- 
 joice. Tenderness of heart breeds tenderness to- 
 wards others. It is said of Esau, he was red, " all 
 over like a hairy garment," Gen. xxv. 25 ; he was 
 red and rough, bloody and bitter. It were well 
 there were no sons of Esau in our days, men bloody 
 and bitter, seeking the ruin of plain-hearted Jacobs. 
 If others, b)' their rough speeches and dealings, do 
 show the hardness of their hearts, let us, by the 
 softness of our tongues, and bounty of our hands, 
 show the tenderness of our hearts. Eph. iv. 32, 
 " Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiv- 
 ing one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath 
 forgiven you." 
 
 8. It entertains and retains the motions and truths 
 of God's Spirit. A tender heart will not suffer the 
 Spirit to knock long at the door, and then go away 
 grieved, but it opens quickly, and receives the mes- 
 sage. When the Spirit came to Peter, Acts x. 19, 
 20, and bade him go to Cornelius, and preach Christ 
 unto him, he went immediately. When the gospel 
 was preached to the Thessalonians, in demonstration 
 of the Spirit, it is said, they received it " with joy of 
 the Holy Ghost ;" that joy of the Holy Ghost iiiay 
 as well refer to the Holy Ghost itself, who rejoiced 
 at their speedy receiving the word and Spirit in it, 
 as to the Thessalonians, who had joy wrought in 
 them by receiving of the word. 2 Cor. iii. 3, the 
 Corinthians had Heshy hearts, and they are called 
 " the epistle of Christ ;" and why ? because the Spirit 
 had wrote the gospel in them with ease. Moses 
 had much ado to write the law in the tables of stone, 
 but the Spirit did it easily in the fleshy tables of 
 their hearts. Those truths which are written in the 
 heart, are held so fast, that men w^ill rather lose their 
 lives than lose them. 
 
 Ob.f. 1. A tender heart is a choice and great 
 mercy ; where this is, the understanding is apprehen- 
 sive of divine things. The Lord Christ, who was 
 without sin, and so nothing but tenderness, was 
 quick of understanding, Isa. xi. 3 ; and the more free 
 from sin our hearts are, the quicker our understand- 
 ings will be. Matt. xiii. 15, where there is a gross 
 and hard heart, there is an un-understanding heart, an 
 unperceiving heart, Mark viii. 17; on the contrary, 
 where a tender heart is, there is the clearest un- 
 derstanding. 
 
 The will is pliable to the truth of the gospel. 
 Rom. vi. 17, "Ye have obeyed from the heart that 
 
 form of doctrine which was delivered you," and into 
 whudi ye were delivered. 
 
 The conscience is awake, and will not endure the 
 gmlt of any sin to lie upon it. Peter had sinned, but 
 he goes out and weeps bitterly. 
 
 ^ The alTections are lively, and stir much towards 
 God. David had a tender heart, and how strongly 
 did his afl'ections stir after God ! Psal. xiii. I, 2, 
 "As the hart panteth after the water brooks,' so 
 panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul 
 thirsteth for God, for the living God ; when shall I 
 come and appear before God P" Ixiii. 8, "My soul 
 fidloweth hard after thee ;" and Ixix. 9, " The zeal 
 of thy house hath eaten me up." It is that the 
 Lord intends to write his whole will in ; Jer. xxxi. 
 33, " I will j)ut my law in their inward parts, and 
 write it in their hearts ;" first he will make them 
 soft, and then write in the law and gospel. It re- 
 ceives discipline, correction; Jer. v. 3, " Thou hast 
 stricken them, but they have refused to receive cor- 
 rection : they have made their faces harder," &c. 
 A hard heart doth not receive correction, but a ten- 
 der one doth. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is the gift of God, he gives this tender 
 heart unto us. We can harden our hearts through 
 sinning, but we cannot soften them, being once hard- 
 ened, by any means we use. Tenderness of heart is 
 a special grace, so is oneness of heart, neivncss of 
 spirit, and all these are from God, who is styled 
 "The God of all grace," 1 Pet. v. 10: there is not 
 any grace but what is from God, he is the author of 
 it. In this case of a heart of flesh, he puts his 
 hand into the heart and pulls out the stone, and puts 
 in tenderness. He that can turn stones into chil- 
 dren. Matt. iii. 9, is he that turns stony hearts into 
 flesh ; and this he doth freely, there is no motive of 
 his will ; Phil. ii. 13, his working is of his good plea- 
 sure ; James i. IS, "Of his own will begat he us." 
 Not the pleasure of man, or his will, appears in this 
 work, God consults not with man about it, but 
 doth the work himself, " I wiU take away the 
 stone," &c. ; it is exclusive, and shuts out all : hence 
 those sweet promises, Isa. xli. 18 — 20, 
 " I will open rivers in high places, and l'',\ "X'r ^ti.mdi 
 fountains in the midst of the valleys : upon die dry 
 I will make the wilderness a pool of """""'■ 
 water, and the dry land springs of water. I will 
 plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, 
 and tlie myrtle, and the oil tree ; I will set in the 
 desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree 
 together : that they may see, and know, and con- 
 sider, and understand together, that the hand of the 
 Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel 
 hath created it." 
 
 God softens the heart by dropping his word upon 
 it; Deut. xxxii. 2, "My doctrine shall drop as the 
 rain," kc. ; by the blood of Christ, by revealing his 
 free grace, &c. 
 
 Ver. 20. That they may tcalk in ir,y statutes, 
 and keep mine ordinances, and do them : and 
 they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 
 
 Here is the end of God's grace and goodness to- 
 wards them, with an asserting of such to be his 
 people, and his promise to be their God. 
 
 Obs. God multiplies mercies when he is in a 
 way of mercy ; when he is giving out promises, he 
 gives not one, or two, but many. Jer. xxxi. 33, 34, 
 there is a heap of promises : so in Ezek. xxxvi. 
 25 — 29, there are eight or nine promises together. 
 Hos. xiv. 4 — 7, promise after promise is given out. 
 Isa. Ix. is full of sweet promises, one after another. 
 This is a sweet subject to meditate upon, but I come 
 to open the words.
 
 282 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 " That they may walk." Walking here is me- 
 taphorical, taken from the motion of the body, mov- 
 ing by steps from place to place ; and is applied to 
 the conversation and life of man, in a spiritual sense, 
 and imports progress in the way of God, Psal. cxix. 1 . 
 "In my statutes." The Hebrew word 
 ' '■ chukkim, notes rites pertaining to the 
 
 ceremonial law, called also iiKmmfiaTa; and not only 
 so, but chukkim includes the whole ceremonial law. 
 The Seventy do sometimes translate it ivToXai, com- 
 mandments, which milzuoth properly signifies, con- 
 taining the moral law, or ten commandments, and 
 not Jiraiwfiara ; but. Dent. iv. 40, they render nixo 
 by huaiuifinra, and D'pn by ivToXag. Eph. ii. 15, 
 Paul call.s c/iukktm, rofiov tuiv ivToKCjv iv doy^aat, The 
 law of conmiandments in ordinances. 
 
 " Mine ordinances." Mishphatim, 
 icpifiara, judcrments. These some refer 
 to the outward policy of Israel, their civil estate, 
 but statutes and ordinances are used promiscuously ; 
 and here by them I conceive is meant the whole law 
 of God revealed. 
 
 This walking in his statutes is set out in holy writ 
 by such expressions as these, viz. walking after the 
 Lord, Deut. xiii. 4; walking before God, 1 Kings ix. 
 4 ; walking in the light of tlie Lord, Isa. ii. 5 ; walk- 
 ing in the truth, 3 John 4; walking in the name of 
 the Lord, Micah iv. 5 ; walking according to rule. 
 Gal. vi. 16 ; and, walking with God, Gen. vi. 9. 
 
 " Keep mine ordinances." Keeping imports, 
 
 1. Remembering: Luke ii. 51, Mary "kept all 
 these sayings in her heart." 
 
 2. Holding fast : 2 Tim. i. 14, " The good thing 
 committed unto thee keep," that is, hold fast. Here 
 we must take in both remembering and holding fast 
 but in order to doing ; men may know, remember, 
 and hold fast the mind of God, but not do the same : 
 Deut. v. 1, " Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judg- 
 ments which I speak in your ears this day, and keep, 
 and do them;" the Hebrew is, keep to do them. 
 
 " Do them." Doing implies, 
 
 1. The performing and practice of them: Psal. 
 XV. 5, " He that doeth these things shall never be 
 moved." 
 
 2. Fulfilling of things required : 1 Kings v. 8, 
 saith Hiram to Solomon, " I will do all thy desire," 
 that is, fulfil thy desire. Both may be understood 
 here, not simply to do, but to do exactly. 
 
 Obs. 1. The end of God's giving us temporal and 
 spiritual mercies is, that we should be obedient unto 
 him. He gathered them out of Babylon, planted 
 them in Canaan, gives them oneness of heart, new- 
 ness of spirit, &c. ; and why ? that they might walk 
 in his statutes, and keep his ordinances. God hireth 
 us with mercies to dolus will : Psal. cv. 43 — 45, " He 
 brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen 
 with gladness ; and gave them the lands of the 
 heathen : and they inherited the labour of the peo- 
 ple ; that they might observe his statutes, and keep 
 his law." 2 Sam. xii. 7 — 9, David was obliged by 
 God's bounty to obedience. Why did God so much 
 for his vineyard, Isa. v. 2, but that it might bring 
 forth grapes ? the end of all mercies and means 
 afforded us, was to make it fruitful in obedience ; all 
 in God's works and in his word are so many induce- 
 ments to obedience. God hath given us the earth, 
 and fulness of it, and the end is to provoke us thereby 
 to walk in his statutes ; he hath given us his good 
 word, choice ordinances, heavenly counsels, precious 
 promises, profitable commands, holy examples, and 
 his end in all these is to quicken us up to obedience. 
 It is the end of election, 1 Pet. i. 2 ; it is the end of 
 redemption, Luke i. 74, 75 ; it is the end of our new 
 creation, Ej)!!. ii. 10. Paul beseeches the Romans by 
 
 the mercies of God, to present their bodies a living 
 sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. Our mer- 
 cies should prevail with us ; we are planted in a 
 good land, we have the dews of heaven, and fatness 
 of the earth. God hath done great things amongst 
 us, and for us, we have had wonderful deliverances, 
 and shall not we be encouraged thereby to walk 
 in the statutes of our God ? Deut. xi. 7, 8, " Your 
 eyes have seen all tlie great acts of the Lord which 
 he did ; therefore shall ye keep all the command- 
 ments which I command you this day." Let the 
 great things we have seen and heard put us upon 
 obeying the Lord, and so obeying him that our obe- 
 dience may be, (1.) General; God requires you 
 should " walk in all his ways," Deut, x. 12. (2.) 
 Hearty, yea, with the whole heart, Deut. xxvi. 16. 
 (3.) Constant, Deut. iv. 9; Gal. vi. 9. (4.) Will- 
 ing, cheerful, Phil. ii. 14; Deut. xxviii. 47. (5.) 
 With strength and courage, Josh, xxiii. 6. If we 
 do not walk in the statutes of the Lord, and keep his 
 commands, we know not God, 1 John ii. 3, 4; we do 
 not love God, 1 John v. 3, nor Christ, John xiv. 15; 
 our prayers will be unfruitful and successless, I John 
 iii. 22. 
 
 Obs. 2. Note, that walking in God's statutes, keep- 
 ing his ordinances, and doing his will, do evidence 
 the work of grace in the heart, and what the man is. 
 God would give them oneness of heart, newness and 
 tenderness of spirit, that they might walk, keep, do, 
 6cc. If then they did so, this declared what was 
 within. Luke i. 6, " Zacharias and Elisabeth were 
 both righteous before God, walking in all the com- 
 mandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless;" 
 their walking witnessed their righteousness : see 1 
 John iii. 10 ; ii. 29. Luke vi. 44, whatever the fruit is, 
 such is the tree ; figs do not grow upon thorns, nor 
 grapes upon brambles, where you find grapes it is 
 a vine: and not only doth God and Christ know 
 them, but. Matt. vii. 16, "Ye shall know them by 
 their fruits ;" not by their leaves, but their fruits ; 
 not some few actions, but by a daily observation of 
 them. Sometimes delay and time, and always atten- 
 tion, is required to discern them : 2 Tim. iii. 5, 
 " Having a form of godliness," &c. this may be dis- 
 cerned, for, ver. 9, " Their folly shall be manifest 
 to all men." James ii. 18, works are the glass, pic- 
 ture, child of faith : Adam begat a son after his image, 
 and faith begets children after its own image : Abra- 
 ham's offering of his son declared his faith, Heb. xi. 
 17. Works justify faith, and faith justifies the man. 
 Some doubt whether works will prove grace, whether 
 sanctification will evidence justification; but John 
 tells us there is a witness of water, as well as of 
 blood, and of the Spirit, I John v. 8. If the law 
 written in books may be known, and the sense of it 
 evidenced by commentaries, surely the law written in 
 the heart may be known and evidenced by works. 
 
 Obs. 3. Grace in the heart will appear in the life. 
 If there be a new spirit, a tender heart, there will be 
 walkhig in the statutes. A new spirit cannot be im- 
 prisoned within, but it will break out info action ; 
 when the seed is sown in good ground, it will not 
 lie long under-ground, but spring forth, Mark iv. 20 ; 
 grace is light, and that will manifest itself, ver. 21, 
 22. God hath determined that hidden things shall 
 be manifested; grace cannot always be hid, I Pet. 
 ii. 9 ; such virtue will out, 1 Tin ss. i. 5 — 7. The 
 Corinthians were the epistle of Paul written in his 
 heart, read and known of all men. The Romans' 
 faith was spoken of throughout the world, Rom. i. 
 8; that was, in all the churches of the world: so 
 their obedience, chap. xvi. 19. There be divers 
 things cannot be hidden, as the light, fire, life, the 
 wind, a spring ; and of this nature is grace, which is
 
 Ver. 20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 283 
 
 all those : it is li!,'ht, and fire ; John was a huniing 
 and shining light : it is life, Luke xv. 24 ; it is the 
 wind of the Spirit, C'iint. iv. IC ; John iii. 8 ; it is a 
 spring, John vii. 38. A good free cannot bring forth 
 evil fruit, and it cannot but bring forth good fruit ; 
 Acts iv. 20, " We cannot but speak the things we 
 have seen and heard." Paul, when converted, present- 
 ly said, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? " he 
 would not be idle, but doing the will of the Lord Christ. 
 
 06*'. 4. It is not from man's strength but God's 
 grace, that any walk in his statutes, keep his onh- 
 nancps, and do them. I will take away the stony 
 heart, give them an heart of flesh, and put a new 
 spirit within them, that they may walk, keep, and 
 do. Man is a feeble, impotent creature, he cannot 
 think a good thought, make a hair white or black ; 
 and how then can he walk in the statutes of the Lord ? 
 Satan is powerful and politic, he makes strong as- 
 saults, and such, as that, if God did not assist by his 
 grace, we should fall every moment ; hence those 
 expressions of David, Psal. cxix. 5, 35, 36. Moses 
 and the covenant of works called for obedience, con- 
 tributed no strength ; but God in Christ gives 
 strength to do what is called for: Ezek. xxxvi. 27, 
 " I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to 
 walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, 
 and do them." See Heb. xiii. 20, 21. 
 
 Obs. 5. God's statutes and ordinances are to be 
 the saints' way to walk in, and rule to walk by. 
 Statutes, ordinances, are called ways, paths, Jer. vi. 
 16. Young men must cleanse their ways according 
 to the word, Psal. cxix. 9. David would have his 
 steps ordered by the word, ver. 133. The word is 
 the way to wrdk in, and a rule to walk by ; we must 
 try all spirits and doctrines by it, Isa. viii. 20; 
 
 I Thcss. v. 21; 1 John iv. 6; Acts xvii. 11 : all 
 things we believe. Acts xxvi. 27; Eph. ii. 20; John 
 XX. 31 ; Gal. i. 8 : all things we practise, 2 Tim. iii. 
 15, 17; Eccles. xii. 13. Matt. xx\-iii. 20, what God 
 and Christ command must we observe, not what 
 others direct. Isa. viii. 11, walk not in tlie ways of 
 this people ; not in the light of our own fire, Isa. 1. 
 
 I I : not after customs of men. Acts xxi. 21. 
 
 Obs. 6. Those whom God rcncweth by grace, 
 giveth newness and tenderness of spirit unto, he 
 looks they should make progress in his ways, keep 
 in mind his ordinances, and do them exactly, fulfil 
 them. Deut. vi. 17, "Ye shall diligently keep the 
 commandments of the Lord, and his testimonies and 
 statutes." Psal. cxix. 4, " Thou hast commanded 
 to keep thy precepts diligently." The 
 Hebrew is, ralde, greatly ; the Septua- 
 gint, vehemently ; and the Vulgate, nimia, too much ; 
 which expressions show, that we should endeavour to 
 the utmost to keep them. God expected they should 
 keep the sabbath exactly, Isa. Iviii. 13; and so the 
 rest of his commands. 
 
 " They shall be my people, and I will be their 
 God." Tluse words have two things in them: 
 
 I. God's asserting them to be his people. 
 
 II. A gracious promise to be their God. 
 
 You have these words often mentioned in the 
 book of God; once in Leviticus, chap. xxvi. 12; 
 seven times in Jeremiah, chap. vii. 23; xi. 4; xxiv. 
 7; XXX. 22; xsxi. 1, 33; xxxii. 38; four times in 
 our prophet Ezekiel, chap, xxxvi. 28; xxxvii. 23, 
 27, and here in this verse ; once in Zechariah, chap, 
 viii. 8; twice in the New Testament, 2 Cor. vi. 16, 
 and Rev. xxi. 3 : in all there are fifteen times set 
 down ; which intimates to us that there is great 
 weight in them, that they are of great consideration 
 and use. 
 
 " They shall be my people." He 
 
 cr"; ■Vi'm 
 
 brew is, they shall be to me for a 
 
 people. And so, I will be to them Lelohim, for a 
 God. I will show you, 
 
 I. What is implied in these words, " They shall 
 be my people." 
 
 II. What in the other, " I will be their God." 
 1. " They shall bo my people." 
 
 1. They shall acknowledge me to be their God, 
 they shall not own any other god. There is differ- 
 ence between knowing and acknowledging ; you 
 may know such a one to be a child, but not acknow- 
 ledge him to be your child : you may know such 
 towns, countries, kingdoms, but not acknowledge 
 them yours. This phrase, " my people," imports 
 acknowledging God to be theirs : Psal. xlviii. 14, 
 " This God," that dwells at Jerusalem, that breaks 
 the ships of Tarshish, this God " is our Gcd for ever 
 and ever." Psal. Ixxvii. 13, " Who is so great a God 
 as our God ? " Here is acknowledgment of God, not 
 only to be great, but to be their God. Isa. xxv. 0, 
 " This is our God ; we have waited fur him." Exod. 
 xxix. 45, 56, " I will be their God ; and they shall 
 know that I am the Lord their God ;" that is, they 
 shall acknowledge me to be so ; it is called vouching 
 God to be their God, Deut. xxvi. 17. 
 
 2. They shall worship me only : Exod. v. 8, " Let 
 us go and sacrifice to our God ;" not to other gods. 
 When a people is God's people, they are possessed 
 with apprehensions of his gh^ry, greatness, authority 
 over them, and infinite worthiness to be honoured, 
 adored, admired, and magnified by them ; and will 
 say, as it is Psal. xev. 6, " O come, let us worship," 
 <S:c. ; and as it is Hos. xiv. 8, " What have I to do 
 any more with idols ? " They would not meddle 
 with the worship of the nations, their own inven- 
 tions, but they would worship God, and him only, 
 Joel ii. 27; 1 Sam. xii. 24; Psal. cxlvii. I; Rev. 
 xix. 1. 
 
 3. They shall trust and rely upon me, and not 
 on any other gods, or arms of flesh : Hos. xiv. 3, 
 "Asshur shall not save us ; we will not ride uf on 
 horses : neither will we say any more to the work of 
 our hands, Ye are our gods : for in thee the fatherless 
 findcth mercy." See Zeph. iii. 12; Psal. ix. 10. 
 
 4. They shall be a people unto me. When God 
 takes a people to be his, they are holy unto l:im : 
 Deut.'vii. 6, "Thou art an holy people unto the Lord 
 thy God;" God separated them from the world and 
 other nations, to be holy unto himself; therefore it 
 follows, "The Lord thy God hath chosin thee to be 
 a special people unto himself;" see Lev. xix. 2. 
 Hence they were called "an holy nation," Exod. 
 xix. 6. 
 
 5. They shall hearken unto my voice, and do n.y 
 will, and pcld obedience unto me : Jer. vii. 23, 
 " Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye 
 shall be my people :" Josh. xxiv. 18, "We will serve 
 the Lord, for he is our God." See Deut. vi. 17; 
 Psal. 1. 7; Ixxxi. 8, 13. 
 
 6. They shall love me, and lay out their strength 
 for me : Deut. vi. 5, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
 God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and 
 with all thy might;" Mark xii. 30, is added, "with 
 all thv mind:" if God be ours he must have alb See 
 Psal. 'ixviii. 28. 
 
 7. They shall stand for my glory, and make my 
 name honourable : Isa. xliii. 21, " This people have I 
 formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise." 
 
 II. " I will be their God." These are gracious 
 words, and they do import much. 
 
 1. The free grace of God in pardoning their sins. 
 Jer. xxxi. 33, 34, when he speaks of being their 
 God, he tells them he " will forgive their iniquity, 
 and will remember their sin no more." Psal. Ixxxv. 
 2, " Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy peoi)le,
 
 284 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 thou hast covered ;ill their sin." The word " for- 
 given," signifieth to lift up, and take away. Sin is a 
 great burden ; when God beeometh a God in mercy 
 to a people, then he takes oft" that great burden, he 
 lifts it up, carries it quite away, and it is hid out of 
 sight and remembrance, Hos. xiv. 4. 
 
 2. The presence of God amongst them. Lev. xxvi. 
 11, 12, the Jews were God's people, and he saitli, 
 " I will set my tabernacle among you, and will walk 
 among you, and be your God, and ye shall be my 
 people : " the tabernacle and walking were argimients 
 of his presence, and evidenced him to be their God. 
 (iod is essentially present every where, but especially 
 present with his people ; Rev. xxi. 3, no creature, 
 no angel, no representation of God, but God himself 
 shall be with them ; as a father with his children, as 
 a husband with his wife, God will not only be with 
 them, but in them, 2 Cor. vi. 16, he "will dwell in 
 them, and walk in them." 
 
 3. The peculiar and special care of God over 
 them. Deut. xxxii. 10 — 12, the Lord was as tender 
 to them, as any creature could be to her young : the 
 eagle is very careful of her young, carrying them not 
 in her talons, but on her wings ; so God deals by 
 his people, he preventeth harms that might befall 
 them. He went forth before his people, and did 
 march in the front of them through tlie wilderness, 
 Psal. Ixviii. ^ ; Ixxvii. 20. God doth jirovide for, 
 and protect his people, Isa. xxvi. 20; Deut. xxxiii. 
 2/ ; Psal. cxsv. 2. " Upon all the glory shall be a 
 defence," Isa. iv. 5. 
 
 4. Deliverance, if in straits, dangers, misery. Exod. 
 iii. 9, 10, "I have seen the oppression; come now 
 therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that 
 thou maycst bring forth my people out of Egypt." 
 Ezek. xxxvii. 12, "Behold, my people, I will open 
 your graves, and cause you to come up out of your 
 graves." Where God is a God to any, he is a de- 
 livering God, he is alfected with their condition and 
 sufferings, Exod. iii. 7; Isa. Ixiii. 9; 1 Sam. ix. 16; 
 Isa. iii. 15. 
 
 5. Singular comfort. Rev. xxi. 3, 4, they shall be 
 his people, and God himself shall be with them, be 
 their God, and he shall wipe away all tears from 
 their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor 
 sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. See Isa. xl. 1 ; xlix. 
 13; XXX. 26; li. 3. He doth encourage and hearten 
 them, Isa. xli. 10. 
 
 6. Speaking and pleading for them. Isa. li. 22, 
 " Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that 
 pleadeth the cause of his people." Their cause is 
 many times like to suffer, men are unwise, unfaith- 
 ful, manage it strangely, but God will plead the 
 cause of his people ; and he will not do it faintly, as 
 if he cared not whether his people shoidd have the 
 day or no ; but to purpose will he do it : Jcr. 1. 34, 
 " Their Redeemer is strong ; the Lord of hosts is his 
 name : he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he 
 may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants 
 of Babylon." See Micah vii. 9 ; Joel iii. 2. 
 
 7. Exalting and honouring of them. Deut. xxvi. 
 18, 19, "The Lord hath avouched thee to be his 
 peculiar people ;" and what then ? " to make thee 
 high above all nations, in praise, in name, in honour." 
 God makes his people renewed : Isa. xxviii. 5, he is 
 "a crown of glory" unto them; Isa. Ix. 19, "Thy 
 God thy glory :" see Jcr. ii. II ; Isa. xliii. 7. 
 
 8. Teaching and instructing of them. Isa. xxviii. 
 26, "His (iod doth instruct him to discretion." Isa. 
 li. 4, " Hearken unto me, my people ; and give ear 
 unto me, O my nation : for a law shall proceed from 
 me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light 
 of the people." See Deut. iv. 36; Isa. xlviii. 17. 
 
 9. Delight in them. Isa. Ixv. 19, " I will joy 
 
 in my people :" no friends can rejoice more in 
 one another, no bridegroom more in his bride, than 
 God in his people; them he calls "his strength," 
 and "his glory," Psal. Ixxviii. 61 ; yea, "a crown of 
 glory," Isa. Ixii. 3, " Thou shalt be a crown of glory 
 in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the 
 hand of thy God." No king can delight more in a 
 crown than the Lord doth in his people, which are 
 his crown. God's people are near unto him, Psal. 
 cxlviii. 14; they are his jewels, Mai. iii. 17; his 
 portion, Deut. xxxii. 9 ; his heritage, Joel ii. 17 ; his 
 peculiar treasure, Exod. xix. 5. The Hebrew word 
 n'^JD noteth an exquisite treasure, a thing very 
 desirable, singular, and peculiar. Eccl. ii. 8, " The 
 peculiar treasure of kings ;" Aquila hath it, sub- 
 stance ; Yatablus, a treasure entirely beloved : God's 
 people are his choice treasure, dearly beloved. 
 Things we delight in, w'e oft think upon, and speak 
 of; and you may find this expression oft, viz. his 
 treasure, or peculiar people ; it is in Deut. vii. 6, 
 "special people," it is the same word; so in Deut. 
 xiv. 2; xxvi. 18; Psal. cxxxv. 4; Titus ii. 14; I Pet. 
 ii. 9. _ 
 
 10. Blessing and communicating choice and satis- 
 fying mercies ; where a people are his he will crown 
 and load them with variety of blessings. Psal. iii. 8, 
 " Thy blessing is upon thy people ;" thy people are 
 distinguished from all others, and thy blessings are 
 distinct from all others. God's blessings note a 
 plentiful bestowing of all good things, as appears, 
 Gen. xxiv. 35 ; Eph. i. 3. Among his people are all 
 his springs, the lower and upper ones. He blessed 
 them with choice mercies : with his secrets, Psal. 
 XXV. 14: with his name, Dan. ix. 19; Isa. Ixiii. 19; 
 the Shulamite was so called fi'om Solomon, Cant. vi. 
 13 ; w'hen God takes a people to himself, that people 
 is married unto him, and it hath his name ; the 
 church is called Christ, 1 Cor. xii. 12 : with his holi- 
 ness, Heb. xii. 10 : with the divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 
 4 : with grace and glory, Psal. Ixxxiv. 1 1 ; yea, with 
 satisfying mercies, Psal. Ixv. 4 ; xxxvi. 8 ; he will 
 satisfy them with goodness, Jer. xxxi. 14, with him- 
 self. Gen. XV. 1. 
 
 Obs. 1. God prepares a people for himself, and 
 then marries that people unto himself; he gives 
 them oneness, new'ness, tenderness of heart and 
 spirit, and then they shall be his people, and he will 
 be their God. Ezek. xvi. 6, 8, " When thou wast 
 in thy blood, I said unto thee, Live. I spread my 
 skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness, and thou 
 becamest mine." When Abraham was come out of 
 his country, had left his idolatrous ways, walked up- 
 rightly before God, then he hears, I am thy God and 
 the God of thy seed, Gen. xvii. 7. This is the way 
 of Christ ; Eph. v. 26, 27, he is sanctifying and 
 cleansing of his church, that he may present it to 
 himself a glorious church without .spot. 
 
 06.S-. 2. It is great happiness to have Godto be our 
 God. Many think happiness to lie in other things, 
 but in nothing else, only in this, it consists. Psal. 
 xxxiii. 12, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the 
 Lord ; and the people whom he hath chosen for his 
 own inheritance ;" they are the blessed people. Psal. 
 cxliv. 15, it is not thousands of cattle, full barns, 
 laughter in the streets, peace and plenty, which make 
 a people happy ; the happiness of a people is, in 
 having God to be theirs. Great parts, honours, 
 friends, estates, do not make a man hajjpy ; but 
 " happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his 
 help, whose hope is in the Lord his God," Psal. 
 cxlvi. 5. When (iod is the God of a people lie will 
 do great things for them, 2 Sam. vii. 23 ; he will 
 show them the power of his works, Psal. cxi. 6; he 
 will not leave his people, I Sam. xii. 22. When
 
 Ver. 21. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 285 
 
 heaven and earth shake, " the Lord will be the hope 
 of his people," Joeliv. l(j; the Hebrew 
 is, tlie place of repair, or harbour. 
 
 Obs. 3. It is free grace and favour that God doth 
 take any people to be his, and becometh a God un- 
 to. People choose not God ; he saith, " They shall 
 be my people, and I will be their God." We are 
 vile in our natures, wicked in our works, no loveliness 
 or profitableness is in us, or by us ; Ezek. xvi. 5, I!, 
 when thy person was loathed, and thou wast pol- 
 luted in thy blood, I said unto thee. Live. There is 
 nothing in a nation that sets his heart to work to do 
 a people good; it was not their greatness moved 
 him, Ueut. vii. /> they " were the fewest of all peo- 
 ple;" nor their goodness, for what was their father 
 Abraham ? Josh. xxiv. 2, 3, Terah, Abraham, and 
 Nachor, were idolaters, " they served other gods," 
 saith the text, " and I took your father Abraham :" 
 so wlien God took his seed in Egypt, they were idol- 
 atrous, Ezek. XX. 5 — 7. There is no righteousness 
 in people to move God, neither can any sin in them 
 hinder God from putting forth acts of his free grace. 
 Deut. xxxii. 10, speaking of Israel, " he found him in 
 a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness ;" 
 to which some allusion may be. Cant. viii. 5. God 
 found out and took this people in a wicked, lost, dis- 
 tressed condition, and brought them out by his power, 
 and made them his people by his grace ; 1 Sam. xii. 
 22, it pleased the Lord to make them his people. 
 
 Obs. 4. God doth not equally dispense his grace 
 and favour, some are his people and he is their God, 
 others are not. Iilany nations were left, when the 
 Jews were taken, yea, all other nations ; Amos iii. 2, 
 " You only have I known of all the families of the 
 earth;" the Lord's favour fell upon the Jews, and not 
 others. Some infer, from Gen. xxii. 18, " In thy seed 
 shall all the nations of the earth be blessed," that 
 God loves all equally ; at that time he did not. The 
 words are a promise of what should be, not of what 
 was, neither is it so now ; for if he loves all alike, why 
 doth he deny the means of grace to many nations'? 
 ivhy doth he not bless and make the same effectual 
 equally to all where they are ? Besides, such an 
 opinion overthrows election, God's dominion over 
 the creatures, and his freedom in dispensation of 
 grace and mercy, John x. 26 ; Acts xiii. 48. 
 
 Obs. 5. Those who are the Lord's have a strong 
 ground to plead with God in prayer for any mercy. 
 Where there is relation and interest, there is encou- 
 ragement to ask ; if God be ours and we his, surely 
 we may plead with him for great things in our 
 prayers. The people of God did so of old, Jer. xiv. 
 9; Psal.lxxx.4; Isa. lxiv.9; Deut.ix.2G; 2 Chrou. 
 XX. 12; xiv. 11. 
 
 Ver. 21. But as for (hem n-hosn heart walketh 
 after the heart of their detestable things and 
 their abominations, I will recompense their way 
 upon their own heads, saith the Lord God. 
 
 This verse is a threatening to those who should 
 persist in their evil ways, yet a comfort to the godly, 
 that the Lord would judge them and ease them of 
 them. 
 
 " Detestable things and abominations." These 
 words have been opened in ver. 18 ; and chap. v. 
 11; vii. 20. 
 
 " Heart of their detestable things." Hebrew is. 
 Their heart going to the heart of their detestable 
 things. Heart is sometimes put for the midst of a 
 thing : Exod. xv. 8, " The heart of the sea ;" which 
 is called, Ezek. xxvi. 5, " The midst of the sea ;" so 
 their heart was in the midst of their idols, or amongst 
 their idols ; what was delightfid in them, that was as 
 
 the heart of the idol, and their hearts were carried 
 thereunto. Or thus you may take the words. They 
 conceived some deity to be in their idols, and they 
 laboured to please and do those things that delighted 
 the heart of that deity. 
 
 Those rites, ceremonies, ways, whereby they wor- 
 shipped their idols, may be called the heart of their 
 detestable things. It was a law among the heathens, 
 that every god should be worshipped as he thought 
 good, and the way prescribed by him of worship- 
 ping was as the heart and life of the idol and the 
 idolatry. 
 
 " I will recompense their way upon their own 
 heads." Of these words see what hath been said, 
 chap. ix. 10; vii. 3, 4, 8. 
 
 Obs. 1. That when the Lord makes gracious pro- 
 mises to a people, they do not refer to and fetch in 
 all. This observation rises from the two former 
 verses and this laid together. God promises to give 
 them oneness, newness, tenderness of heart, he pro- 
 miseth that he will be their God, and they shall be 
 his people. These promises were absolute, yet made 
 good unto some of the captives, not unto all ; " But 
 as for them whose heart walketh after," &c. they 
 should not come within the compass of them. Many 
 promises of the Lord are delivered indefinitely, with- 
 out restriction, and absolutely, without coniUtion ; 
 and yet are made good only to some, even those who 
 are given of the Father unto Christ. Many of these, 
 after tlie captivity, never had these promises made 
 good unto them, yet God was faithful in that some 
 had the fruit and comfort of them. 
 
 Obs. 2. Tares, hypocrites, and naughty ones will 
 be in the church always. Some had new spirits, tender 
 hearts, and walked in God's statutes ; others had old 
 spirits, hard hearts, and walked after detestable 
 things ; some threw away all abominable things, and 
 others their hearts went after them. They, coming out 
 of Babylon, and laying the foundation of a new church, 
 it was probable that none but choice ones should have 
 been of it, or in it; but there were usurers, sabbath- 
 breakers, and such as had mingled themselves with 
 strange wives, Neh. v. and xiii. Ham was in the ark, 
 Judas among the apostles, the church abounded with 
 hypocrites in Christ's days; Matt. xiii. 30, there will 
 be tares among the wheat to the end of the world. 
 
 Obs. 3. Afflictions, great and long, do not sanctify. 
 They were to be in captivity, and that seventy years, 
 yet, after their return, the hearts of many would be 
 carried to their detestable things. It is granted, that 
 after they came out of Babylon they never fell to 
 idolatry, that is, the body of them did not, but doubt- 
 less some particulars did ; their hearts went to the 
 heart of their detestable things ; when they saw some 
 of the old idols, or relics of them, they were affected 
 with them. Afflictions of themselves purge not out 
 corrirj)tion, nor take the heart off from evil things. 
 
 Obs. 4. Men's hearts are in false ways and wor- 
 ship, they take pleasure in superstitious and idola- 
 trous practices. Things invented by men, and 
 brought into the worship of God, are pleasing to 
 human senses, to carnal reason, men's corruptions, 
 and so take their hearts. W^hen the calf was made, 
 Exod. xxxii. 19, they were greatly affected with it, 
 and danced about it. 1 Pet. iv. 3, lasciviousness, lust, 
 wine, revelling, banqueting, and idolatries, are joined 
 togetlier. False worship, and false ways of worsliip, 
 are set out by such expressions as show their hearts 
 were taken therewith. Numb. xv. 39; Isa. Ivii. o; 
 Ixvi. 3; Acts xvii. 16; 2 Kings xxi. 21 ; Psal. xcvii. 
 7; Ezek. xvi. 1"— 20. 
 
 Obs. 5. That which is an object of hatred to the 
 godly, is an object of delight unto the wicked. In 
 ver. 18, when the godly should come to the land
 
 286 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XI. 
 
 again, they would take away all the detestable tilings, 
 but the wicked, their hearts would go after them ; 
 the hearts of the one sort were for them, of tlie other 
 were against them. 
 
 Obs. G. God takes notice which way the heart 
 looks, how it stands aflected. " As for them whose 
 heart walketh after," &c. see Ezek.xx. 16; xxxiii. 31. 
 In chap. xiv. 3, 4, 7, thrice God observes, they had 
 set up idols in their hearts. The heart is the prin- 
 cipal thing in man that God calls for, Prov. xxiii. 
 26, and therefore he looks after it ; Rev. ii. 23, 
 " All the churches shall know tliat I am he which 
 searcheth the reins and the hearts." 
 
 Oba. 7. Things men are much taken mth, are de- 
 testable in the sight of God. They afi'ected detestable 
 things ; Luke xvi. 15, that which is highly esteemed 
 amongst men is abomination with God. When men 
 bring into his worship things of their own, he ac- 
 counts it iniquity, Exod. xx. 5 ; and the authors 
 thereof, haters ot' him. 
 
 Obs. 8. Superstitious and idolatrous persons shall 
 not go unpunished. " I will recompense their way 
 upon their own heads." When they had made a 
 calf, quickly after three thousand were slain for it ; 
 and though Moses mediated for them, yet God tells 
 Moses that in the day he visits, he will visit their 
 sin upon them, Exod. xxxii. 34 ; and ver. 35, " The 
 Lord plagued the people, because they made the 
 calf, which Aaron made." God is jealous, and can- 
 not endure his glory should be given to another. 
 
 Obs. y. Whenever God punisheth, or whomsoever 
 lie punisheth, he is just in his punishment. " I will 
 recompense their way upon tlieir own heads ;" they 
 shall have the fruit of their own labours, and it is 
 certain : Thus saith the Lord, You think yourselves 
 safe if you can avoid my stroke, that your false gods 
 shall secure you ; but it shall not be, " I will recom- 
 pense your way upon your own heads." God may 
 punish men sometimes less than they deserve, but 
 never more ; he is just, and returns their own doing 
 upon them, Psal. vii. 16. 
 
 Ver. 22. Then did the cherubims lift up theiy 
 unngs, and the wheels beside them ; and the glory 
 of the God of Israel teas over them above. 
 
 Here begins the fifth part of the chapter, which 
 is a further description of the Lord's leaving the city. 
 
 Tlie cherubims' wheels and glory were at the east 
 gate of the teui]ile, chap. x. 19, where you have the 
 very words of this verse. Cherubims note out an- 
 gels, and superior causes ; wheels, inferior things, 
 with tlie motions of them ; and by " the glory of the 
 God of Israel," is meant either the glorious Lord 
 himself, or some visible sign of his glorious pre- 
 sence. 
 
 Obs. All things are under the God of Israel ; he 
 hath the eminence, he is above, wheels and angels 
 are under him at his disposal ; if he give out the 
 word, the chenibim.s move, lift up their wings, and 
 order the wheels. 
 
 Ver. 23. And the glorj/ of the Lord went vp 
 finm the midst of the cifi/, and stood vpon the 
 mountain which is on the east side of the citi/. 
 
 Here you have God's departure from the city. 
 To leave the temple was grievous ; had he stayed at 
 the gates of it, or in the city itself, any where witliin 
 the walls, it had been mercy : but he knaves the east 
 gate, (which he calls the midst of the city,) and 
 goeth forth unto the mountain, which showed God 
 woukl now expose the city to the fury and spoil of 
 the Babylonians. 
 
 " The glory of the Lord." Of this see before, 
 chap. X. 4, 18, 19; ix. 3; viii. 4; iii. 23. 
 
 " And stood upon the mountain." There were 
 many mountains about Jerusalem, Psal. cxxv. 2, it 
 was compassed about with them. The mountain 
 which the " glory " went to, and stood upon, was 
 mount Olivet, or mount of Olives ; Zech. xiv. 4, tliis 
 mountain was before Jerusalem, on the east, and the 
 glory of the Lord stood before at the east gate, 
 whence it removed, and went up this mountain; for 
 it was high and had ascents, 2 Sam. xv. 30. 
 
 The standing of the "glory" upon this mountain 
 may be either to see the ruin and destruction of the 
 city, and so to weep over it, as Christ did upon, or 
 near, the same mount, Luke xix ; or, secondly, to up- 
 braid them for their wickedness there, because they 
 did abominable things in that mount, whence it was 
 called the mount of corruption, 2 Kings xxiii. 13; 
 or, thirdly, to make it typical to represent the as- 
 cending of Christ to heaven, which was fi'om that 
 place, Acts i. 12. 
 
 These things being granted, yet I conceive there 
 was somewhat else in it. The " glory" of God had 
 made several stands before, which they had not much 
 minded ; now it goeth from the temple and city, to 
 a higli conspicuous mountain, that they might take 
 notice of God's departure, repent of their sins, and 
 use all possible means for recalling, recovering, and 
 keeping the glory with them ; and, Zech. xiv. 4, the 
 promise is of returning and standing upon the same 
 mount. 
 
 Obs. 1. God is unwilling to forsake that people he 
 hath vouchsafed his presence and communicated his 
 favour unto. No people in the world liad God so 
 nigh them as this people, Deut. iv. 7- Here God 
 goeth out of the city, but not quite away, nor quite 
 out of sight, he steps to the mountain over against 
 the city ; before, he had removed to the side of the 
 temple, then from within the temple to the thresli- 
 old, after that to the east gate, and from thence to 
 the mount of Olives ; and God paused at every stand, 
 whether he should go any further. The Lor.i is 
 loth to leave his people, they put him upon it; 
 Ezek. viii. 6, " Scest thou the great abominations 
 that the house of Israel committeth here, that I 
 should go far oil' from my sanctuary ? " they forced 
 God out of all ; whereas seeing him upon the leaving 
 them, they should have purged the sanctuary from 
 all idols and false worship, and have importuned the 
 Lord to stay among them. Wlien a friend is leaving 
 his friends, what entreaties, what tears many times 
 are used to stay him ! Acts xxi. 12, 13 ; Jer. xiv. 7 — 9. 
 Obs. 2. God is not tied so to any place, or people, 
 but when they grow wicked, and detile his worship, 
 he may leave them, and the place where he hath re- 
 corded his name. Mount Zion God had chosen above 
 all places to dwell there : Psal. cxxxii. 14, "This is 
 my rest for ever : liere will I dwell ; for I have de- 
 sired it." For ever, is a long time, in Scripture sense, 
 and God had dwelt a long time with them; but now 
 tlie time was come of his departure, now the holy 
 temple, holy city, holy people, were all profane- 
 ness unto him, they had corrupted his worship, pol- 
 luted themselves, and therefore he would leave them. 
 The Jews thought because they had the temple and 
 God amongst them, that therefore they were well 
 and hajipy, though their worship were mixed and 
 tlieir lives wicked; but they were deceived. No 
 particular visible church hath assurance of God's 
 abiding longer with it than it keeps his worship pure, 
 walks holily and humbly with him; when any cor- 
 rupt his glory, his worship, then the glorious Lord 
 and the glory of the Lord doth leave tliem. 
 
 Obs. 3. When God leaves a jieople, then protection
 
 Ver. 24, 25. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 2S7 
 
 of angels and comfort of creatures leave them also. 
 Tlie cherubims and wheels, together with the glory, 
 left them, and went to the mountain. When the 
 liing goeth, the court removes, and the servants fol- 
 low : when God is gone, we are left naked, lie open 
 to all temptations and miseries ; we have no God to 
 counsel, comfort, pi-otect, or save ; and what a case is 
 such a people in ! Jer. vi. 8, " Be thou instructed, 
 O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee ;" and 
 what then.' "lest I make thee desolate, a land not 
 inhabited." 
 
 Ver. 24. Afterwards the spirit took me vp, and 
 brought me in a vision hi/ the Spirit of God into 
 Chalderi, to them of the captivity. So the vision 
 that I had seen went up from me. 
 
 Here is the conclusion of this glorious vision our 
 prophet had seen. The Spirit had carried him, not 
 in body, but in spirit, unto Jerusalem, chap. viii. 3, 
 and showed him how things were there, what God 
 was purposed to do ; and now having seen and heard 
 glorious and terrible things, the vision went up to 
 heaven, he saw it no more. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Spirit can show us things at a great 
 distance, as if we were present. The Spirit caused 
 Ezekiel to see things at Jerusalem, when his body 
 was in Chaldea. Our senses cannot discern far, but 
 the Spirit knoweth all things, in all places, and 
 can satisfy us with the knowledge of them, give us 
 spiritual and prophetical eyes. Paul saith, 2 Cor. 
 xii. 2, 3, that he " was caught up to the third heaven," 
 but "whether in the body, or out of the body," he 
 knoweth not, and being there, he " heard unspeaka- 
 ble words." The Spirit took him up, caused him to 
 hear such things ; so did the Spirit here take up our 
 prophet, and caused him to see such things. 
 
 Obs. 2. This \'ision was real, divine, no imaginary, 
 feigned thing, not from his brain, but from the Spirit 
 itself; therefore it is said, to put all out of doubt, 
 " The spirit took me up, and brought me in a vision," 
 and, " the vision that I had seen went up," which 
 shows it was no human thing, but divine. 
 
 Obs. 3. The servants of God have glorious sights 
 here sometimes, but they soon expire and come to 
 an end. " So the vision that I had seen went up from 
 me." He had seen the glory of God, the cherubims 
 and wheels, and the man clothed with linen, viz. 
 Christ, but here was no continuance of this glorious 
 sight. Jacob seeth a ladder reaching up to heaven, 
 angels ascending and descending, and the Lord at 
 the top of the ladder, but this was only for a night, 
 and then it ceased. Gen. xxviii. 12, 13, 16. Moses 
 saw the Lord in the burning bush, Exod. iii. 2, but 
 the sight lasted not. Isaiah saw the Lord sitting upon 
 a throne, Isa. vi. 1. Peter James, and John, saw 
 the transfiguration of Christ, Matt. xvii. ; and all the 
 apostles " saw his glory, as the glory of the only be- 
 gotten ;" but the vision went up from them. 
 
 Ver. 25. Then I spuke unto them, of the cap- 
 tivity all the things that the Lord had showed me. 
 
 Here you have what the prophet did after the vision : 
 he had been in an ecstasy some time, and now being 
 brought to his ordinary and pristine condition, he 
 relates to the captives what he had seen and heard. 
 Many of those in the captivity, and probably some 
 of those elders which sat in the prophet's house, 
 chap. viii. 1, thought them h.appy which were at 
 Jerusalem, condemned their own act in coming to 
 Babylon, judged their counsels foolish and weak, 
 which they had aliout their coming thither, and 
 blamed Jeremiah for exhorting them thereunto ; 
 
 hereupon Ezekiel being returned, as he thought, 
 from Jerusalem to Chaldea, speaks unto them what 
 he had received concerning the destruction of the 
 temple, city, land, and the miseries of the inhabitants, 
 and thereby convinccth them that they were in a 
 far better condition than those they had left behind. 
 
 " All the things." Things in Hebrew is, words ; 
 now words are not shown but heard, how then doth 
 he say, which he " had showed me ? " They were not 
 mere words, but words restila externo symbolo, clothed 
 with an outward symbol. H? had many types, viz. 
 of a siege, of a razor and hair, of a chain, of six men 
 with slaughter weapons in their hands, and of a cal- 
 dron, which were visible words. 
 
 Obs. 1. When men have been in the hand and 
 power of the Spirit, acted thereby, then are they fit 
 to speak unto the people, " Then 1 spake unto them." 
 When Moses had been in the mount, then was he fit 
 to speak to those at the foot of the mount ; when 
 the Spirit has irradiated the minds of men with di- 
 vine light and truths, then are they mectest to com- 
 municate to others ; the apostles being filled with 
 the Spirit, spake freely, bohlly. Acts iv. 
 
 06.V. 2. God's prophets and messengers must 
 speak unto those they are intended for. Ezekiel had 
 his vision, and all the types in it, for the Jews, those 
 of the captivity, not the Babylonians. God had a 
 care of the captivity, that they might be instructed 
 concerning his mind, and be undeceived in their 
 apprehensions about the things of Jerusalem : " Then 
 I spake unto the captivity." 
 
 Obs. 3. They must declare what they have heard 
 and seen, not what is their own. What is man's is 
 uncertain, unsatisfj'ing, unsanctifying ; but that 
 which is the Lord's is infallible, will satisfy and 
 sanctify. Christ told the apostles the Spirit should 
 take of his and show unto them, John xvi. 14; and 
 Matt, xxviii. 20, they must teach the people to ob- 
 serve what he commanded them. 1 Cor. xi. 23, 
 Paul received what he delivered ; thus did Ezekiel, 
 he spake what the Lord showed unto him. 
 
 Obs. 4. They must be faithful, speak all the 
 things which are showed unto them. Thus did our 
 prophet, he delivered unto them all the Lord had 
 shown unto him, whatever he had seen or heard, 
 that he faithfully giveth out. There must be no 
 adding to the things of God, no detracting from 
 them, no changing any of them, but what is the 
 Lord's, that must be dispensed. Christ, who was 
 sent of the Father, saith, " All things that I have 
 heard of my Father I have made known unto you," 
 John XV. 15; and Paul kept back nothing, but de- 
 livered all the counsel of God unto them, Acts xx. 
 20, 27. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 7. The word of the Lord also came 
 unto me, saying. Son of man, thou dwellest in the 
 midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, 
 and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear 
 not : for they are a rebellious house. Therefore, 
 thou son of man, prepare thee stufffor removing, 
 and remove by day in their sight ; and thou shall 
 remove from thy place to another place in their 
 sight: it may be they will consider, though thry 
 be a rebellious house. Then shalt thou bring 
 forth thy stuff" by day in their sight, as stuff for 
 removing : and tliou shalt go forth at even in their
 
 'J8S 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XII. 
 
 sight, as they that go forth into captiriti/. Dig 
 thou through the wall in their sight, and carry 
 out tlierebi). In their sight shall thou bear it 
 upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the 
 tnilight : thou shall cover thy face, that thou see 
 not the ground : for I have set thee for a sign 
 unto the house of Israel. And I did so as I was 
 commanded : I brought forth tny stuff' by day, as 
 stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged 
 through the ivall with mine hand; I brought it 
 forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my 
 shoulder in their sight. 
 
 EzEKiEL, having been in a vision at Jcrusakm, 
 seen and heard many remarkable things, which lie 
 declared to them of the captivity, here the word of 
 the Lord came afresh unto him, and he is put upon 
 doing those things which might convince Zedekiah 
 and others of the sad judgments coming upon them. 
 
 In the chapter are three things in general ob- 
 servable. 
 
 I. A prophecy of Zedekiah's carrying into cap- 
 tivity, with the citizens of Jerusalem, ver. 1 — 17. 
 
 II. The miserable condition of the people pre- 
 ceding and following the captivity of the king and 
 people, ver. 17 — ^1. 
 
 III. A confutation of those who mocked at the 
 judgments of God threatened by the prophet, ver. 
 21, to the end. 
 
 In the first part you have, 
 
 1. A type set out in the first six verses. 
 
 2. The application of the tvpe, from thence to 
 ver. 17. 
 
 It is a question to whom these words of the Lord 
 do refer, " Thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious 
 house," &c. Our prophet was in Babylon, and before 
 tlie captives there ; he was to remove in their sight, 
 and this was not to give them hopes of any speedy 
 return out of Babylon, but to quiet their disturbed 
 minds ; for these typical actions of the jirophet in 
 carrying out his stutV and digging through the wall, 
 &c. have a double aspect, one towards them at Jeru- 
 salem, to evidence to them that their captivity was 
 at hand, another towards these already in captivity, 
 which was to comfort them, in letting them see 
 what heavy judgments they had escaped, being safe 
 there in Babylon, though burdened with some diffi- 
 culties. 
 
 The scope is to show the certainty of their suffer- 
 ing and destruction at Jenisalem, and their advantage 
 who were come to Babylon, and freed from the 
 judgments which were coming upon the other. 
 
 " Thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house." 
 Hebrew is, a house of rebellion ; family, nation, 
 people, who are rebellious, embittering, exasperating. 
 
 " Which have eyes to see, and see not ; they have 
 ears to hear, and hear not." Some take the sight 
 for the understanding, the ear for the will, for these 
 two senses are the seri'ants of those faculties, and as 
 the eye and ear are delighted with light and sweet- 
 ness, so the imderstanding and will ; but these men 
 were spiritually blind and deaf, they neither heard 
 nor saw as they might have done. They might have 
 seen God's goodness to them, in bringing them from 
 Jerusalem, in causing them to hearken to Jeremiah's 
 counsel, in planting them in Babylon, in procuring 
 more favour from the Babylonians than the condition 
 of captives did require ; tliey might Llavc understood 
 by the prophet's visions, and words spoken to them, 
 what the Chaldc-ans should speedily do to them in 
 Canaan, what bloody and fiery judgments they were 
 bringing upon the city, temple, people, and whole 
 land. 
 
 They did not see inwardly, they considered not 
 what God did, said, nor what they were to do. 
 
 Obs. 1. "Wicked men neither see nor hear the 
 tilings of God, neitlier mercies nor judgments are 
 rightly discerned by them. They saw not the mercy 
 they had in a strange land, nor the judgments they 
 escaped in their own land. ISIereies and judgments 
 have much of God in them, they speak, and speak 
 aloud ; but wicked men neither see God, nor hear his 
 voice, in his works, they are blind and deaf. When 
 men see, hear, and do not profit by their seeing or 
 hearing, then they neither see nor hear in Scripture 
 sense ; the more signs, threatenings, and judgments, 
 the harder-hearted they grow, tlie blinder and deafer 
 they are. We had need pray unto the Lord to open 
 our eyes, that we may see what judgments, what 
 mercies, we have had ; that he would bore our 
 ears, that we may hear his voice and repent of our 
 wickedness. 
 
 Obs. 2. The cause of sinners' not seeing and not 
 hearing is in themselves. " For they are a rebellious 
 house :" their rebellion was the cause they neither 
 saw nor heard ; they did contrary to what God re- 
 quired, and so blinded their own eyes, hardened 
 their own hearts : Isa. xxvi. 10, 11, " Let favour be 
 showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn right- 
 eousness ; w'hen the Lord's hand is lifted up, yet 
 will he not see." I fear this is the case of many 
 amongst us. God hath given men senses to observe 
 his works and ways, but they either do not, or will 
 not, observe them : they have eyes to see mercies 
 and judgments, but they consider them not; they 
 have ears to hear the voice of his rod and word, but 
 they hear not ; their eyes, ears, and hearts are taken 
 up and exercised about other things, which is a 
 dreadful evU. 
 
 " Prepare thee stuff for removing." Hebrew is, 
 instruments ; what instruments ? such were seen 
 in Matt. x. 10, a scrip, a coat, shoes, a staff, some 
 add a girille ; but whether these were the instru- 
 ments Ezekiel was to prepare, I make some doubt : 
 this might suffice for his own travelling, but he was 
 to remove his household stuff, ver. 5, 6 ; he was to 
 carry it out through the hole of the wall, and bear 
 it ujion his shoulder. 
 
 This he was to do for trial of their spirits. They 
 had not been affected with his prophesying, and 
 therefore now a visible sign is added ; and w'hat then ? 
 " It may be they will consider." When they should 
 see the prophet removing from place to place, dig 
 through the wall, go out in the night, cover his face, 
 &-C. these things were likely to affect them : actions are 
 more observable than words, they make deeper im- 
 pressions. If some chief man in a city should pack 
 up all his stuff, break through the walls of the city 
 in the night, carry all he had away, what strange 
 effects would it cause in the hearts of men ! 
 
 Obs. I. The Lord is very patient towards a sinful 
 and rebellious people ; he trieth variety of ways to 
 do them good. Visions, projihecies, signs, they had 
 before ; here again the prophet must do strange things, 
 to see if they will be apprehensive of danger, repent, 
 and prevent judgments. This is the way of God with 
 sinners, he waits, is bountiful, and would with his 
 goodness and long-suffering draw sinners to repent- 
 ance. Let others be like God ; a minister should 
 be patient, not strive, be gentle towards all men, not 
 bitter, nor cursing, in meekness instructing, &c. 
 
 Obs. 2. Prophets must venture, though the success 
 of their endeavours be uncertain. Go, prepare stuff 
 for removing, remove, and from place to place, " it 
 may be they will consider." Prophets and others 
 should look at God's will, not success. Divine plea- 
 sure is warrant sufficient for any to act ; let the issue
 
 Ver. 1—14. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 289 
 
 be what it will, ministers, magistrates, parents, must 
 do their duty : it may be good will come of it, " it 
 may be they will consider ;" it is not a word of 
 doubting, but of hope and encouragement. 
 
 " Thou shall bring forth thy stulf by day in their 
 sight." The reason of this w-as, that so all might see, 
 princes, nobles, and people, and be inexcusable if 
 they did not take warning. 
 
 " Go forth at even." This was to show the steal- 
 ing away of the king, nobles, and men of war by 
 night, as it is 2 Kings xxv. 4, " The city was broken 
 up, and all the men of war fled by night, by the 
 way of the gate, between two walls, which is by the 
 king's garden : and the king went the way toward 
 the plain :" Jer. xxxix. 4, " They fled, and went 
 forth out of the city by night," even Zedekiah with 
 the rest. 
 
 " Dig through the wall," &c. To show what great 
 straits they should be in, all gates should be beset, 
 all known passages stopped, and they necessitated to 
 break through the wall ; and, ver. 7, Ezekiel saith, 
 he thd it with his own hand, " I digged through the 
 wall with mine hand." In imminent danger any 
 shift will men make, pull stones out of walls, &c. 
 
 " Thou shalt bear it upon thy shoulders." To 
 show that the people and princes should carry aw"ay 
 their precious things upon their shoulders. 
 
 " Thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the 
 ground." Covering of the face was in use among 
 the Jews and others. 
 
 1. In case of disappointment and shame they did 
 it: Jer. xiv. 3, "Their nobles have sent their little 
 ones to the waters ; they came to the pits, and found 
 no water ; they returned with the vessels empty ; 
 they were ashamed and confounded, and covered 
 their heads." 
 
 2. In case of sorrow and mourning : 2 Sam. xix. 4, 
 when Absalom was slain, David covered his face, 
 and cried, " O Absalom, my son !" so, in chap. xv. 30, 
 David and the people had their heads covered, and 
 wept when they w-ent up mount Olivet. 
 
 3. In case of guilt and punishment for it: Esth. 
 vii. 8. when Haman was accused by Esther, and to 
 suffer for his villanous plot against the Jews, they 
 covered his face, as not worthy to see the sun or 
 earth. Here the prophet's covering was typical, and 
 was to show not only wdiat a dark, moonless night 
 Zedekiah should choose to flee in, but what a dark 
 condition he should be in when his eyes should be 
 put out ; therefore those words, " that thou see not 
 the ground," are added, intimating, that thougli he 
 were carried into Babylon, yet he should not see 
 that land. 
 
 " For I have set thee for a sign unto the house of 
 Israel." And, in ver. 11, I "am your sign." The 
 word in Hebrew is rBiD portentum, trom ns' which 
 signifieth something beautiful, specious, drawing to 
 admiration ; here it is put for a strange or wonder- 
 ful thing, and is the same with oath, and is rendered 
 " a sign," in this place and others ; as in 2 Chron. 
 xxxii. 24; Isa. viii. 18, " I, and the children whom 
 the Lord hath given me, are for signs and for won- 
 ders ;" there are both the words, and point out the 
 same thing, and that is, a sign or token by which a 
 future event of things is marked out. Isa. xx. 3, 4, his 
 going naked and barefoot, was a sign and wonder upon 
 Egypt and Ethiopia j and our prophet's digging the 
 wall, carrying out his stuff, and covering of his' face, 
 made him a sign to the house of Israel ; they would 
 not believe that they should go into captivity, but this 
 was a lively sign to convince them of it. 
 
 Ohs. The Lord carrieth on his design in the world, 
 ofttimes, by foohsh, weak, and ridiculous means. The 
 prophet must dig through the wall, carry out his 
 u 
 
 stuff upon his shoulder, remove from place to place, 
 and cover his face, that he see not the ground ; these 
 things seemed childish and foolish unto the Jews, 
 they thought him a silly or mad man. So chap. iv. 
 he must take a tile, picture Jerusalem upon it, he 
 must build a fort, cast a mount, set a camp and bat- 
 tering-rams against it, he must also set an iron pan 
 for a wall between him and the city, lie upon his left 
 side, and then upon his right side, drink water by 
 measure, and bake his bread in dung, &.-c. ; all which 
 seemed poor, ridiculous things in the eyes of the 
 people, but there was weight in them. 
 
 " And I did so as 1 was commanded: I brought forth 
 my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity," &c. In this 
 verse is the obedience of the prophet to the type 
 commanded, and in the two next, preparation to the 
 application of the type. 
 
 Obs. from the Gth verse. It is man's duty readily 
 to obey the Lord in whatsoever he commands ; be 
 they things of such nature as to seem ridiculous, 
 unworthy a man, such as will expose him to scorn, 
 disgrace, &c. yet he is bound to do them. Our pro- 
 phet did as he was commanded, he stuck not at the 
 doing those things which would make him a sign and 
 fable in all Israel. 
 
 Ver. 8, 9. And in the morning came the word 
 of the Lord unto me, saj/i)ig; Son of man, hath 
 not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said 
 unto thee. What doest thou ? 
 
 God had appointed the prophet to do those 
 typical things in their sight, and now he comes to 
 inquire what the people did or said upon his so 
 doing ; and such was the blindness and stupidity of 
 this people, that they did not so much as inquire 
 of the prophet what these typical passages meant. 
 The words in ver. 9, are an interrogation, and im- 
 port a negative, not an affirmative ; thus, " Hath not 
 the rebellious house said unto thee, What doest 
 thou ?" No, I know it hath not ; they dreamt rather 
 of their own return out of captivity, than thought 
 of their brethren's coming into captivity w ho were 
 at Jerusalem ; they rather derided the prophet for 
 those strange acts, than consulted what they meant. 
 
 Obs. The Lord looks after his messengers, and 
 messages sent by them, and will have an account 
 what entertainment they have. The Lord command- 
 ed Ezekiel to go and do such things, which he did; 
 and here he comes and inquires what was the efi'ect 
 of those typical actions, whether the people appre- 
 hended his meaning in them, or made inquiry after 
 them ; Have they come to thee, have they said, 
 " What doest thou ? " God minds the servants he em- 
 ploys, their words and actions shall not be in vain. He 
 makes speedy inquiry here after all : " In the morn- 
 ing came the word of the Lord unto nie, saying, Son 
 of man, hath not the house of Israel said unto thee," 
 &c. If they understood them not, it was their duty 
 to come to the prophet for resolution, and his duty to 
 resolve them. 
 
 Ver. 10 — 14. Sen/ thou unto them, Thus saith 
 the Lord God ; Tliis burden convernetli the prince 
 in Jerusalem, a7id all the house of Israel that 
 are among them. Say, I am your sin-n : like 
 as I have done, so shall it be done unto them : 
 thci/ shall remove and go into captivity. And the 
 prince that is among them shall bear upon his 
 shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth : they 
 shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby : 
 he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground 
 with his eyes. My net also will I spread upon
 
 290 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XII. 
 
 him, and he shall he faJicn in mi/ snare : and I 
 will bring him to Bahylon to the land of the Chal- 
 deans ; yet shall he not see it, thongh he shall die 
 there. And I will scatter toward every wind all 
 that are about him to help him, and all his bands; 
 and I will draw out the sword after them. 
 
 In these verses you have the application of the 
 type to the prince, ami all the house of Israel, which 
 is in general laid down in ver. 10 ; then the com- 
 mon calamity of both, in ver. 11, "They shall go 
 into captivity ;" then a more special application of 
 it to the king, in ver. 12, 13, where his btaring stutT 
 upon his shoulder, his flight, digging through the 
 wall, and covering his face, are set down, together 
 with his appreliension, excacalion, deportation into 
 Babylon, and death there. 
 
 " This burden." NE'En from NW3 to lift up, • 
 word so rich in signifioatitm and efiicacy, ut vix 
 ceyilum aliarum /iiigiiariiin verbis eTplicentur ejus di- 
 viticp, that scnrcely can its riches be unfolded in a 
 hundred words of other languages ; it may be ren- 
 dered, This burdensome doctrine, or prophecy, which 
 these types do speak. By " burden," is meant the 
 typical sign of captivity, which was a burden to the 
 prophet to act, to open unto them, a burden to them 
 to hear, and especially to bear. Grievous prophecies 
 are called bnrdens in Scripture, Nahum i. 1 ; Hab. i. 
 1 ; so Isa. XV. 1 ; xvii. 1 ; xix. 1. 
 
 " The prince." It was Zedekiah, a wicked ami 
 timorous king. The Hebrew is, ntsd from Nr; 
 to lift up; either because he is lift up above the 
 people, or should popiili onera levare, case and light- 
 en the grievances of the people, as they in Exod. 
 xviii. 22. But if they grow tyrannical, and impose 
 heavy burdens upon the people, the Lord hath a 
 burden for them ; as here Zedekiah must dig through 
 the wall, carry forth on his shoulder, flee, Src. This 
 you may see fulfilled, Jer. lii. 7 — 1 1, where you have 
 his flight mentioned, the Chaldeans' pursuit and ap- 
 prehension of him, his carrying to Riblath, where 
 his eyes were put out, and after to Babylon, where 
 he died. 
 
 " Say, I am your sign," &c. This relates to the 
 few in Babylon ; they conceived there should no 
 judgment befall Jerusalem, nor the men there. By 
 this typical work of the prophet, the Lord shows 
 tliem their error, that it should not be well with 
 them at Jenisalem : It is true they condemn you for 
 removing into Babylon, and justify themselves, that 
 they are the only people, righteous and acceptable unto 
 me, and therefore are safe in Jerusalem. But you 
 shall see, and they shall know, how vain and foolish 
 their thoughts and reasonings are ; as I have dealt 
 with you, so will I do by them, they shall be made 
 captivc-s very speedily, and meet with sorer judg- 
 ments than you did. 
 
 " My net also will I spread ujion him, and he shall 
 he taken in my snare." These words you have again 
 in chap. xvii. 20. The Chaldeans here are likened 
 unto fishcrau'n, who usually dwell by the water-sides ; 
 now Babylon was among the waters, Euphrates and 
 Tigris running by il, or through it; hence, Jer. li. 
 13, " O thou that dwellest upon many waters." 
 Therefore fitly are they compared to fishermen, and 
 the army was the net ; a net spreads abroad, com- 
 passes, and catches; by tliis net was Zedekiah, the 
 princes, city, and all precious things therein, taken. 
 
 " In my snare." Snares are for the land, and it 
 is thought to be a hunter's snare, such as is set for 
 wild beasts, which being hunted and chased hard, 
 arc driven into snares, and so taken ; they arc set 
 secretly, catch suddenly, hold certainly. The He- 
 
 brew word melzudali, as Junius observes, signifies 
 also a strong hold ; and in this sense it may represent 
 to us Rihhdh, whither Zedekiah was carried, where 
 he received judgment, and had his eyes put out, or 
 that hold he was put into in Babylon. 
 
 Vbs. I. The great mercy and goolness of God, 
 who takes occasion from their sin to atlord them this 
 mercy, the expo^ition of this type. They were 
 stupid, and minded not the prophet and his actions, 
 or, if the\- did, they derided him as a foolish or mad 
 man, to do such things ; hence the Lord is pleased 
 to take an advantage to acquaint them with it: Have 
 they not asked thee, " What doest thou ? Say thou 
 unto them. Thus saith the Lord; This burden con- 
 cemeth the prince," &e. Hos. ii. 13, 14; Isa. Ivii. 
 17, 18: Gen. viii. 21, in those places God takes oc- 
 casion from man's sin to show mercy. So in John 
 XX. 25, 27, from Thomas's unbelief, &c. takes an 
 opj)ortunity to come and show his woimds, &c. 
 
 Obs. 2. To secure and confident sinners God will 
 render judgment most certainly and impartially. 
 Say to them. As I have done, so shall it be done unto 
 them ; wdiatever their thoughts are at Jerusalem, or 
 yours here, their condition shall be like yours; have 
 you been afflicted with war, famine, plague ? have 
 you lost the temple, cit)-, your country and estates, 
 are you brought into a heathenish land ? so shall 
 it be with them. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord hath burdens for princes ; if 
 they be wicked, there are burdensome prophecies 
 against them, and burdensome judgments for them. 
 Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the Lord, 2 Kings 
 xxiv. 19, and you may see what burdens he had. 
 
 (1.) A burden of fear; he durst stay no longer ; 
 and, Jer. xxxviii. 19, " I am afraid of the Jews that 
 are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into 
 their hand." 
 
 (2.) A burden of shame; he covers his face, he 
 will see none, nor be seen of any ; he leaves Jerusa- 
 lem in a shameful manner, carrying some burden 
 upon his shoulder, as if he were some -sndgar man ; 
 he is disguised, as being ashamed of a princely title. 
 
 (3.) A burden of flight ; he is put to it to flee for 
 his life. 
 
 (4.) A burden of darkness ; in the evening, or 
 night, he steals away. 
 
 (5.) A burden of difficulties ; he must dig through 
 a wall, go in by-ways. 
 
 (6.) A burden of sad judgments. 
 
 [1.] He is taken by the enemies. 
 
 [2.] His sons are slain before his face. 
 
 [3.] His eyes are put out. 
 
 [4.] He is led into captivity. 
 
 [5.] He is imprisoned till his death. 
 
 And why all these burdens ? Because he had a 
 burden of guilt in his conscience which was worse 
 than all the rest, and that burden brings the burdens 
 of judgment, for so it is called, 2 Kings ix. 25, when 
 Jehu shot an arrow into the heart of Joram, a wicked 
 king, he saith, " The Lord laid this burden upon 
 liim." Such a burden laid the Lord upon Jezebel 
 for her whoredoms and witchcrafts ; she is thro\m 
 out at a window, her blood sprinkled upon the wall, 
 trod under foot by horses, and eaten >ip all by dogs, 
 except her skull, feet, and palms of her hands. 
 
 Obs. 4. Sinfid princes cannot escape the judgments 
 of God, he hath nets and .snares to sur]irisc them, to 
 hold them. Zedekiah thought by flight to get away, 
 but the Lord spread out his net upon him, and took 
 him in his snare. The Chaldeans' army was God's 
 net and snare to catch sinners ; Hab. i. 13, God 
 makes men, yea takes them, as the fishes of the sea ; 
 and, ver. 15, "They catch tliem in their net;" mean- 
 ing the Chaldeans, which troubled tlie prophet that
 
 Vlr. 1&— 20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 291 
 
 such wicked men shoiJd catch and spoil the Jt-ws : 
 but llie Lord knows how lo make use of the worst 
 nun to execute his judgments. So the Goths and 
 Vandals of old, Turks now, to scourge the christian 
 world, &C. What base spirits hath God set on work 
 to correct us ! kc. if God will catch men, he hath 
 nets ; if he will hunt them, he hath snares. 
 
 Oi.v. 5. The Lord makes sinners' helps helpless. 
 Zedekiah had some nobles, counsellors, friends, 
 about him, a life or person-guard, bands of soldiers, 
 but " I will scatter all that are about him to help him, 
 and all his bands ;" God would put him into a help- 
 less condition, they should none of them be able to 
 relieve him. Men are apt, in times of trouble, to 
 look unto some helps and hopes, but they are vain 
 tilings, soon blasted, scattered. Take heed of making 
 flesh your arm, of creature-conlidences. Wicked 
 aien expect help from things beneath, from those 
 about them, but they arc frequently disappointed, 
 and so perplexed. Take David's counsel, Psal. cxlvi. 
 3, '' Put not your tr>ist in princes, nor in the son of 
 man, in whom there is no help ;" ver. 5, " Hajipy is 
 he that hath the God of Jacob for his help." 
 
 Ver. 15, 16. Aiid ihei/ shall know that I am 
 the Lord, when I shall scatter them atnong the 
 natioits, and disperse them in the countries. Sut 
 I trill leave a few men of them from the sword, 
 from the famine, and from the pestilence ; that 
 they may declare all their abominations among 
 the heathen whither they come ; and they shall 
 know (hat I am the Lord. 
 
 In these two verses you have two great ends of 
 God's judgments. The first is, that the wicked may 
 be comnnccd, from what they have felt and seen, 
 that it was the word of the Lord which they despised ; 
 that he spake by Jeremiah and Ezekicl ; that they 
 were his threatenings, and now made good by him, 
 and this is in ver. 15. The second is, confession of 
 their sin, and God's righteousness in their judgments, 
 and this is in ver. 16. 
 
 Obs. 1. That sinners are of as little account with 
 God as dust and chalT. This is held out to us in the 
 words " scatter," and "disperse;" men are no more 
 before God than a little dust before the wind, or 
 chafl' in a fan. The original word for disperse is, 
 'n»-n ventilavero ; ifr. xv. ", God said he would " fan 
 them with a fan;" and, Isa. xl. 15, God counts the 
 nations "as the small dust of the balance;" and, 
 Isa. xli. 2, "gave them as the dust to his sword." 
 
 Obs. 2. Judgments produce those effects which 
 mercies do not. They had great means and mercies 
 at Jerusalem, in the land, city, temple, but under 
 those they did not know, not confess, their sins, and 
 give glory to his name ; but when they were de- 
 prived of their mercies under sad and sharp judg- 
 ments, they should do so : Isa. xxvi. 'J, " When thy 
 judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the 
 world will learn righteousness;" ver. 16, " In trouble 
 have they visited thee." 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord in the midst of his judgments 
 shows some mercy. " I will leave a few men." He- 
 brew is, men of number, that may quickly be num- 
 bered. Though many were destroyed by the sword, 
 fandne, pestilence, yet some would the Lord leave. 
 
 Ver. 17 — 20. Moreover the irord of the Lord 
 came to me, saying. Son of man, eat thy bread 
 ■nith quaking, and drink thy water icith trem- 
 hling and with carefulness ; and say nnto the 
 people of the land, Thus saith the Lord God of 
 the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and of the land of 
 
 Israel ; They shall cat their bread with careful- 
 ness, and drink their water with astonishment, 
 that her land may be desolate from all that is 
 therein, because of the violence of all them that 
 dwell therein. And (he cities that are inhabited 
 shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; 
 and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 These words contain the second general part of 
 the chapter, viz. the sad condition of the people, 
 both before and after the captivity of the king. In 
 ver. 18, a new type is commanded ; in ver. li), it is 
 applied ; and there you have the end of its applica- 
 tion, which is desolation and devastation, and the 
 procreant cause of both, viz. the ^-iolence which 
 was amongst them. And in ver. 20, the end of God's 
 putting them into such an afflictive condition, that 
 they may know him to be the Lord. 
 
 " Eat thy bread with quaking." Fear and per- 
 plexity of spirit makes men tremble, and takes away 
 the sweetness of any comfort present. The Hebrew 
 is t'yia 171 commotione : cum tremore corporis, such 
 quaking as the earth quakes with, or like unto corn 
 and leaves ; so should the prophet tremble, quake, 
 in eating, looking this way and that way, as one 
 affrighted. 
 
 " Drink thy water with trembling," &c. n]J-i3 
 the Septuagint, iiira fiaaavs Kai S/\ii|'ewf, with tor- 
 ment, affliction; the Vulgate is, in festinatione, in 
 haste, as they did eat the passover. This eating 
 and drinking with quaking and trembling, was to 
 set out, cither the great fear which should be upon 
 them when the Babylonish army should besiege 
 them, so that they should not enjoy the comfort of 
 those creatures without gi-eat trouble ; or the great 
 famine which should be in the earth, which should 
 cause great fear and trembling lest they should 
 want, and die for hunger and thirst, lest others should 
 snatch out of their hands, or pull out of their mouths, 
 that little they had, and so they were full of care in 
 their eating and drinking. 
 
 " Say unto the people of the land ; " that is, 
 those Jews who were in the land of Chaldea ; he 
 must tell the captives what should befall the Jews at 
 Jerusalem, and in the land of Israel. 
 
 " They shall eat their bread with carefulness." 
 nJKia it notes care, grief, fear, which commonly at- 
 tend one the other. The Scphiagint, fitra Muaq, with 
 want ; before, they rendered this word (itro SXii|/fwt, 
 want is a great affliction. 
 
 " And drink their water with astonishment." 
 pccca from DCU' stupescere, udmirari. The Septua- 
 gint hath it, fxiTa arjiaviaiiS, cum interilu, despairing 
 of deliverance and life ; C'haldee, cum slupore ; the 
 French, en desolation. 
 
 " That her land may be desolate." Judea was 
 the choicest of lands, a paradise to other countries ; 
 it abounded with milk, honey, corn, oil, wine, cattle, 
 silver, gold, and other precious things ; but now it 
 was to be laid waste ; now it should be stripped of 
 its inhabitants, of its plenty and treasure : tlie He- 
 brew is, a plenitudine sua. 
 
 " Because of the violence of them that dwell there- 
 in." Dcn notes injury, tyranny, spoil. The Septua- 
 gint renders it, iv aaijitia, because of the wickedness 
 of them, &c. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord puts his servants oft upon trou- 
 blesome service, and sad actions, for the conviction 
 and benelit of others. Here Ezekiel must eat his 
 bread with quaking, and drink his drink with trem- 
 bling ; he must dig through the wall, and bear his 
 stuff upon his shoulder, go out at even, cover his 
 face, remove his stuff, which were burdensome ac-
 
 232 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XII. 
 
 tions ; and, chap. iv. he must lie upon his left side 
 three hundred and ninety days, and then unon his right 
 side forty days ; he must eat bread baked with cows' 
 dung ; and, chap. v. he must shave his head and his 
 beard, make himself bald and unsightly. So Hosea, 
 he must marry a wife of whoredoms, chap. i. 2; and 
 Jeremiah, chap, xxvii. 2, he must make yokes and 
 bands, and put upon his neck. These things were to 
 signify what God would do unto the nations, bring 
 them into subjection to Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is divine pleasure, that when typical 
 and dark things are given out to the prophets, that 
 they should make them known to the people. Eze- 
 kiel must tell the people what was in it, that he ate 
 his bread and drank his drink in such a manner ; so 
 for his digging, and removing, he must tell them 
 what mystery was wrapt up in it: " Say unto them. 
 This burden concerneth the prince," ver. 10; and 
 here, ver. 19, " Say unto the people," &c. It is the 
 duty of those that are teachers in the church, to open 
 things which are mysterious, what they mean and 
 signify. 
 
 Obs. 3. God can mingle sorrows with our comforts, 
 and make our choice comforts comfortless comforts. 
 " They shall eat their bread with careftdncss, and driuk 
 their drink with astonishment." God would bring an 
 enemy to the gates of Jerusalem, and put them to 
 such straits, that they should neither eat nor drink 
 with any comfort; fear, carefulness, and astonishment 
 would be gravel in their bread, and gall in their 
 drink. Adam's comforts in paradise were soon 
 damped; Gen. iii. 17, " In sorrow shalt thou eat;" 
 bread of sorrows was his bread, and is his children's 
 bread to this day, only sometimes God puts in more 
 sorrow tlian at others : there is " bread of affliction," 
 I Kings xxii. 27 ; " bread of mourners," Hos. ix. 4. 
 Here God would put in much sorrow, affliction, and 
 mourning ; quaking, trembling, care, and astonish- 
 ment, should i)Ossess them ; their plenty should be 
 turned into scarcity ; for wine they sliould have 
 water, and very little of that too ; for the finest of 
 the wheat flour, they should have bran, and not their 
 bellies full of that. 
 
 Obx. 4. It is sin, the sin of injustice, oppression, 
 which causes God to lay waste a plentiful land. 
 " That her land may be desolate from all that is there- 
 in, because of the violence of them that dwell therein." 
 It is observed, that the Jews were, and stOl are, a 
 covetous people : it was their covetousness put them 
 upon unjust acts of oppression and violence, and God 
 upon just judgments of famine and desolation : Psal. 
 cvii. 34, he turns " a fruitful land into barrenness for 
 the wickedness of them that dwell therein." Man's 
 wickedness moves the Lord to lay plentiful and 
 pleasant lands waste, yet it is made their act; Zech. 
 vii. 14, " They laid the pleasant land waste ;" they 
 were the procreant cause, they begat sin, sin begat 
 judgment, and judgment begat desolation. 
 
 Ver. 21 — 28. And the word of the Lord came 
 unto me, srit/ing. Son of man, what is that provpvJi 
 that ye have in the land of Israel, sai/ini^. The 
 iliiifs (ire prnlonired, and e.rerif vision faileth ? 
 Tell thfiii therefore. Thus saith the Lord God ; J 
 trill make this proverb to cease, and theij shall no 
 more use it as a proverb in Israel ; but sail unto 
 them, T^ie dai/s are at hand, and the effect of 
 every vision. L'or there shall be no more any rain 
 vition nor Jlatterin^ divination within the house 
 of Israel. Tor I am the Lord : I will speak, 
 and the word that I shall speak shall come to 
 pass; it shall be no more prolonged : for in your 
 
 days, O rebellious house, will I say the v:ord, and 
 will perform it, saith the Lord God. Again the 
 word of the Lord came to me, saying. Son of 
 man, behold, they of the house of Israel say. The 
 vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and 
 he prophesieth of the times that are far off. 
 Therefore say unto them, Jims saith the Lord 
 God ; There shall none of my ivords be prolonged 
 any more, but the word which I have spoken shall 
 be done, saith the Lord God. 
 
 In these verses you have the third part of the 
 chapter, a confutation of those who made an ill con- 
 struction of the prophet's prophecies. One kind of 
 men gave no credence at all to what was prophesied, 
 but derided the prophets, saying, When were you in 
 heaven, or who told you the mind of God ? You are 
 deceivers ; if any such thing had been as you speak 
 of, it had taken place ere this, but notliing is done, 
 therefore we will not believe you. Another kind of 
 men were persuaded the prophets spoke truth, but 
 it was at a great distance, long ere it was to take 
 place ; and therefore grew secure. Hence the Lord 
 commands the prophet to let them know that his 
 words sliould certainly and shortly come to pass. 
 In the words consider, 
 
 I. A complaint of a proverb ; " What is that pro- 
 verb that ye have in the land of Israel ? " ver. 22. 
 
 II. The mention of the proverb J " The days are," 
 &c. ver. 22, 23. 
 
 III. The confutation of it; " I will make this pro- 
 verb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a 
 proverb in Israel," &c. ver. 23. 
 
 IV. A confirmation of that confutation, 
 
 1. From the Lord's proceeding with the false 
 prophets, and their vain visions and flattering divi- 
 nations ; they should cease, ver. 24. And, 
 
 2. From the promise of making good his word, 
 and that speedily, ver. 25, 28. 
 
 I. A complaint of a proverb ; " What is that pro- 
 verb that ye have in the land of Israel ? " 
 
 I shall open the word "proverb" unto you, Swcn 
 which is from Su'O signifying to bear rule, to reign, to 
 excel ; and so a proverb is some notable speech, which 
 excels others, and bears rule amongst men: "New 
 wine is not for old bottles." " Do men gather grapes 
 of thorns." " A little leaven leavens the whole 
 lump." Mashal signifies icvpiav yv<Jiii)v, a lordly, 
 authentic sentence ; as the Proverbs of Solomon, and 
 such as these, viz. " The axe is laid to the root of 
 the tree." " Where the treasure is, the heart will 
 be also." " No man can serve two masters," &c. 
 Or it is from the same root signifying to speak similes, 
 or parables, adagies, or witty sayings. Hence the 
 Septuagint renders it TrapaftoXri, What is the parable 
 which you have in the land ? The gospel expresses 
 a proverli l)y the word vapoi/iia, John x\'i. 25 ; 2 Pet. 
 ii. 22. And the learned think Trapoin'mv, to be airo 
 Tnv i'lfjou. And Scaliger, 1. 3. Poet, ceiiset napoipinv 
 r/ici Trapa tuv i'lfiov, because it is a sentence that goes 
 up and down by the way, it is common amongst 
 men ; or thus, it may rather be so called, because it 
 iti prreter viam, beside the c<immon way of sjieaking; 
 having something mysterious, dark, and diflieult in 
 it. The Grecians say it is Xoyoc <6<pi:\ipoc iv nj! fiii/t 
 tniKpliypit fitrpttf ttoXv to ;^p;;(Ti/jov ix,<^viv iavrt^, a Speech 
 usi-ful for this life, having much good, and moderate 
 darkness in it : they say also it is Xoyof iTnKaXvTrrwv to 
 nn(pfi arrn<i>ii(f, a Speech Veiled'; light in adark lanlhorn. 
 Some proverbs are obscure, and signify somewhat 
 else than the words seem to express, as, " Tlie 
 dog is turned to his own vomit again ; and the 
 sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire,"
 
 Ykr. 21—28. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 293 
 
 2 Pet. ii. 22. So that in Ezck. xviii. 2, " The fathers 
 have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are 
 set on edge." Some are more plain and easy, as 
 1 Sam. xxiv. 13, "Wickedness proceedeth from the 
 wicked;" so that among us, "Truth begets hatred; 
 flattery, friends." Some were wicked and false, and 
 such had this people among them : that in Ezek. xviii. 
 
 2, " The fathers," &c. and that in this place, are 
 wicked proverbs. 
 
 II. The mention of the proverb; "The days are 
 prolonged, and every vision failuth." 
 
 Herein lies the evil of this proverb : when the 
 prophets at the command of God prophesied sad 
 things, threatened destruction to Jerusalem, cap- 
 tivity to the people, &c. they, not willing to hear 
 of such things, put off all by this proverb thus; If 
 that the prophet's prophecy be true, it is not for our 
 days, but the days of those who arc long after, for 
 the next, the second, or third generation after, as 
 " the days are prolonged," say they ; or if they be 
 false, as it is likely, what need we fear, or care, 
 " every vision faileth," they come to nothing, they 
 are words, wind ; and thus wickedly they put off 
 prophetical threats, and deluded their own souls ; 
 they laid not to heart their sins, they used not any 
 means to divert divine wrath, or to secure their own 
 souls ; and that because sinfully they prolonged or 
 disannulled the prophecies. 
 
 Obs. 1 . That men very wicked are very secure ; 
 they look for peace, liberty, and long life, even 
 when they have greatly provoked the wrath of God 
 against them. AVhat if we have siimed by violence 
 in the land, by corruptions and false worship in the 
 church, and the prophets have thundered against us 
 with threatening judgments ; yet " The days are 
 prolonged," we shall have peace, walk at liberty, 
 and fill up the number of our days. So in chap. xi. 
 
 3, " It is not near :" desolation is threatened by the 
 prophets from Chaldea, but is not near ; " let us 
 build houses" for our delight, and dwell in them 
 securely, and take a course with Jeremiah, and 
 those of his strain, which think to trouble us. Jer. 
 \\\. 9, 10, they did "steal, murder, commit adul- 
 tery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal ; " yet came 
 and stood in the house of God, and said, " We are 
 delivered to do all these abominations : " the mean- 
 ing is. Though we have done such things, and have 
 been grievously threatened for them by the prophets, 
 yet we are delivered from their threats, and are well, 
 safe, without fear or danger, and .shall go on in our 
 old ways : when God's threatenings are deferred, 
 out of mercy, that men may consider, repent, and 
 prevent them, they think they will never come, and 
 so grow more secure and more sinful. Eccl. viii. 11, 
 " Because sentence against an evil work is not exe- 
 cuted speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men 
 is fully set in them to do evil ;" they go on more 
 freely, with more delight ; this makes the Lord oft 
 to remind sinners of the days of his wrath. Amos 
 iv. 1, 2, " Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that 
 are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the 
 poor, which crush the needy, which say to their 
 masters, Bring, and let us drink." They were secure, 
 and, like kine, gored, trod under the poorer sort; 
 and what must they hear ? this, " The Lord God 
 hath sworn by his holiness, that, lo, the days shall 
 come upon you, that lie will take you away with 
 hooks, and your posterity with fishhooks." So Zeph. 
 i. 14, " The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, 
 and hasteth greatly." 
 
 06s. 2. Such is the corruption of man, that, 
 being opposed, it swells higher, and vents itself 
 ofttimes blasphemously. The prophets reproved 
 them for their sins, threatened the sorest judgments 
 
 for them, and how did they entertain those threat- 
 enings ? their hearts boiled against the prophets and 
 their messages ; and they uttered it with their tongues, 
 " Every vision faileth," there is no truth in the pro- 
 phets, nor in their visions, they are liars, and their 
 visions lies. This was not only contumelious to the 
 jirophets, but blasphemous against the majesty of 
 God, and the truth of his word. Men that live under 
 the word, if their corruptions and lusts be not weak- 
 ened and mortified, they are ripened, strengthened, 
 and grow to an insufferable height. Jer. xvii. 15, 
 " They say unto me, Where is the word of the Lord ? 
 let it come now :" thou tellest us of the word of the 
 Lord, but it is thine own dream ; if it be the Lord's, 
 let it come now and we will believe it ; but if not, it 
 is thine, and thou art a deceiver to tell us so. 2 IVt. 
 iii. 3, 4, " In the last days shall be scoflers, walking 
 after their own lusts, saying. Where is the promise 
 of his coming." 
 
 Obs. 3. That sinful words are of a spreading nature. 
 They said, " The days are prolonged, and every 
 vision faileth ;" this wicked speech was become a 
 proverb ; it passed through the mouths of all sorts, 
 young, old, great, small, learned, ignorant ; it was in 
 the city and country, a proverb in the land of Israel. 
 The words of the prophet stuck not by them, they 
 mocked at him, and made jests at W'hat he said : 
 Ezek. xxxiii. 31, " With their mouth they show 
 much love ;" in the Hebrew it is, they make jests ; 
 they made sport with the prophet andhis threatenings ; 
 but this blasphemous proverb they took up, and c(m- 
 veyed from one to another all the land over, and 
 made use of to disparage whatever he said. So that 
 in Matt, xxviii. 13, when it was known that Christ 
 was risen, money was given to the soldiers to say, 
 " His disciples came by night, and stole him away 
 while we slept ;" this saying went abroad, " and is 
 commonly reported among the Jews until this day," 
 ver. 15. 
 
 Obs. 4. God takes notice of the ungodly speeches 
 which are in men's mouths. They said, " The days 
 are prolonged," &c. ; God heard and observed what 
 they said. Isa. lix. 3, " Your lips have spoken lies, 
 your tongue hath muttered pcrverseness :" many 
 think a lie nothing, and secret muttering against 
 others nothing, but God observes every lie which is 
 told, all whispering and muttering against others. 
 Jer. xxxiii. 24, " Considerestthou not what this peo- 
 ple have spoken ? " if thou dost not, I do ; they have 
 said, " The two families which the Lord hath chosen, 
 he hath even cast them off." Jer. xliv. 25, God re- 
 gards what men and their wives say, yea, what 
 every one saith; and will come ere long in judgment 
 to convince sinners of the hard speeches .spoken 
 against him, Jude 15, and to call men to an account 
 for every idle word which they have spoken. Matt, 
 xii. 36 ; therefore, Eph. iv. 29, " Let no corrupt com- 
 munication proceed out of your mouth, but that 
 which is good to the use of edifying, that it may 
 minister grace unto the hearers," and comfort to the 
 speakers. 
 
 Obs. 5. The Lord hath an admiring indignation at 
 the wickedness of his people. " What is that pro- 
 verb that ye have in the land of Israel ?" This in- 
 terrogation implies admiration, and indignatiim. 
 Admiration, that a people brought up in his house, 
 which had had the law and prophets from the be- 
 gining, so many hundred years, should be so stuj)id, 
 wicked, jirofane, blasphemous, as to think and say, di- 
 vine threatenings were in vain, the prophets liars, and 
 their prophecies lies. And it shows indignation : 
 What proverb is this which you have taken up? 
 What ! a proverb which strikes at me, which makes 
 me a false and lying God, w hieh overthrows all reli-
 
 !-i 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XII. 
 
 gion? O detestable and vile proverb ! What! shall 
 all that I say by my prophets fail, and come to no- 
 thing;, vanish into tlie air ? 
 
 III. The confutation of the proverb; "Tell them 
 therefore, Thus saith the Lord God, I will make this 
 proverb to cease," &c. 
 
 This verse is a confutation of their sinful proverb, 
 whicli the Lord tells them should cease, and that the 
 days they thouglit prolonged were at hand. 
 
 " They shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel." 
 iSrs'-N^ which is, they shall no more proverb it, 
 not with this proverb ; others they might use ; acute 
 and wise sentences concerning man's life and man- 
 ners, &c. of which nature proverbs are, God would 
 not abridge them of; but this was a destructive 
 proverb. 
 
 " The days are at hand ;" Hebrew, have drawn 
 near. That is at hand, or draws near, which is eitlier 
 presently to be done, or not far oil'. The time was 
 not far now from Jerusalem's besieging, Zedekiah's 
 taking, and the ruin of all ; God's net was made, and 
 his snare ready for them. 
 
 " The efi'ect of every vision." Hebrew is 131 the 
 French, la parole, the word or thing of every vision ; 
 res oninis visionis, so Piscator; whatsoever the vision 
 did present to the prophet, and he to the people, that 
 should be. 
 
 Obn. 1. The thoughts and words of tlie wicked are 
 differing and contrary to the thoughts and words of 
 God. They thought of peace, God of war ; they 
 thought of liberty, God of captivity ; they of long 
 life, God of cutting them oil'; they said the days of 
 judgment were prolonged afar off, God saith, " Thev 
 are at hand ;" they said, " Every vision faileth," God 
 said, every vision should take effect ; they thought 
 and said, this proverb should continue, but God 
 thought and said, it should cease and be used no 
 more ; 1 Thess. v. 3, men cry, Peace, safety, and 
 God cries, Destruction. 
 
 Obs. 2. When sinners are exceeding wicked, and 
 have provoked God grievously, as they did here by 
 this blasphemous proverb, yet even then God shows 
 mercy. They had provoked him info the tiehl, etc. ; 
 God might immediately have slain them, but he for- 
 bears them still, admonislies them of judgment near 
 at hand; Go, say to them, "Tlie days are at hand, 
 and tlie effect of every vision." God tries them yet 
 longer, and labours to awaken them with consider- 
 ation of the nearness of danger. 
 
 Obn. 3. Length of time doth not frustrate and null 
 the threatenings of God against sinners. Jeremiah 
 had prophesied above thirty years, had threatened 
 sad judgments, and because they came not to pass in 
 so long time, they conceived they would come to 
 nothing; but whatever be the distance of time be- 
 tween a threatening going forth, and the execution 
 of it, yet it shall not fall to the ground, but have its 
 time of fulfilling, if I'epentance intervene not. 
 
 IV. The confirmation of the confutation ; " For 
 there shall be no more any vain vision," &c. 
 
 Here begins the confirmation of the confutation. 
 False prophets, who had vain visions, told them it 
 should not be as Jeremiah had prophesied ; Jerusa- 
 lem should not be destroyed, they shor.ld not go 
 into captivity, but dwell safely there, and enjoy th.at 
 good land : but what saith God ? " There shall be no 
 more any vain vision :" the Hebrew runs thus. 
 There shall not be any more all vision of vanity. 
 Some refer these words to the true prophets and their 
 vision, but they are put hard to it how to make it out, 
 how- some of their visions have been vain, for that is 
 implied when it is said, There shall not be any more 
 all, or any, vain vision ; a.s when God saith, I will 
 smite you no more, it argiu s, God hath snutten. But 
 
 thus I conceive it may be taken : if it refer to tlie 
 true prophets, There shall not be anymore all vision 
 of vanity ; that is, hitherto you have looked upon 
 all the vision of Jeremiah as a vision of vanity ; but 
 it shall be so no more ; you shall have visions that 
 shall be real, and quickly take place : but I incline 
 to those who judge the words meant of the false 
 prophets who had filled the people with vain visions, 
 but they should be no more ; God would make good 
 the visions he had given touching the king and peo- 
 ple, temple, city, and land, and this would put an end 
 to all the vain visions of the false prophets. 
 
 " Nor flattering divination." pSn CDpn divinatio 
 blandieiitis : miksam is from ccp futura prtpdicere, to 
 foretell things to come, to divine good or evil ; it is 
 taken both ways, and when in the e\-il sense, it 
 comprehends whatever is done by witchery, sorcery, 
 astrology, or the like. 1 Sam. xxviii. 8, Saul comes 
 to the witch, and saitli, 3iN3 'S Nj 'cisp JDivina quteso 
 nnhi hi Pijlhone, " I pray thee divine unto me by the 
 familiar spirit." So 2 Kings xvii. I/, "They used 
 divinations," a'CDp iCDp'i They divined divinations 
 that were wicked ones. Hence ot;p is put for a sooth- 
 sayer. Josh. xiii. 22, " Balaam the son of Beor," 
 ccpn illuyn magiim ; and Numt). xxiii. 23, Balaam 
 saith, Sn-ic-'s cep-N*?! apya vp.y-nh <3 "Surely 
 there is no enchantment against Jacob, nor any 
 divination against Israel :" no soothsaying, charm- 
 ing, prognostication, had power against Israel. The 
 false prophets being addicted to magic, astrology, 
 and such wicked arts, told them that whatever was 
 prophesied by the other prophets of the king of 
 Babylon's coming and taking Jerusalem, yet all 
 should be well ; which they gathered from the stars 
 and planets. 
 
 Divinations were sometimes from the entrails of 
 beasts or birds; as Ezek. xxi. 21, "The king of 
 Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head 
 of the two ways, to use divination ; he consulted 
 with images, he looked in the liver." 
 
 Lavater thinks their (Uvinations were astrological, 
 and that they had taken up the practice of heathens, 
 who looked at and consulted much with the stars. 
 Isa. xlvii. 13, " Let now the astrologers, the star- 
 gazers, tlie monthly prognosticators, stand up, and 
 save thee from these things that shall come upon 
 thee :" these things were spoken of Babylon, who 
 made use of such artists, but in vain ; and it was the 
 use of the Jews to do so likewise; 2 Kings xvii. 16, 
 17, "They v\'orshipped all the host of heaven, and 
 used divination and enchantments :" to these the 
 people hearkened; therefore, Jer. xxix. 8, " Let not 
 your jirophcts and diviners, that be in the midst of 
 you, deceive you." 
 
 Hence 1 might take a hint to speak against that 
 part of astrology as unlawful, yea damnable, which 
 is judicial and prognosticative. From the conjunc- 
 tion of planets, the benign and oblique aspects of 
 them, men gather and foretell things to come : yea, 
 some think that all material contingent accidents 
 which concern man, are written in the face of hea- 
 ven ; and that God sets the stars in heaven to signify 
 such things. If Deodate goes too far in his annota- 
 tions that way, our learned divines in 
 their annotations on the place, correct 
 that error, and give no allowance to judicial astro- 
 logy ; they say the place giveth no warrant to the 
 presumption of prognosticators or judiciary asti-o- 
 logcrs, to foretell the fortunes of men, or fates of 
 civil estates, by the stars ; or to make any predic- 
 tion of any other supernatural events from the face 
 of the heavins, or the impression of the planets, or 
 from the temperature, figure, colour, or posture of 
 the celestial bodies; for such arts of divination are
 
 Ver. 21— 2S. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 295 
 
 condemned b)' the word of God: Dent, xviii. 10, 
 " Tliere shall not be found among yon any one that 
 useth divinations, or an observer of times ;" such 
 men are bad; for, ver. 12, "all that do these things 
 are abomination unto the Lord." Listen not there- 
 fore to their lying observations ; it matters not what 
 the conjunctions and aspects of planets and stars 
 are, reason and religion will qualify them. If holy 
 men have shut <md opened heaven with their prayers, 
 if they have cast out devils, they may stop the in- 
 fluence of stars. Stars are made for man, not man 
 for stars. If the Lord be with us, let Saturn, Jupi- 
 ter, Mars, &c. be against us. One of note saith of 
 the a.strologers and time observers. Either they tell 
 you of things adverse or prosperous ; if prosperous, 
 and deceive you, you are miserable by expecting ; 
 if adverse things, and false, you are miserable by 
 fearing : if they tell you true things, and not good, 
 you are presently miserable before they come ; if 
 they foretell good things to come, your expectation 
 will weary your hope, and your hope will deflour, 
 yea devour the future fruit of your joy. No re- 
 gard therefore ought ever to be paid to those per- 
 sons who pretend to impart a knowledge of future 
 events. 
 
 " Flattering." p'ri bhndientis, nor divination of 
 a flatterer; tlie Hebrew word originally signifies, 
 smooth, plain, even, and properly refers to things 
 which concern the touching, as any thin plate, but- 
 ter, oil ; and metaphorically is transferred to the 
 speech, and instruments of it, noting out the sweet- 
 ness, smoothness, and flattery thereof. Psal. v. 9, 
 " They flatter with their tongues," Hebrew is the 
 same, and may be rendered, they smooth with thtir 
 tongue, and make smooth their tongue, that is, they 
 give flattering and deceitful words : so the apostle 
 hath it, Rom. iii. 13, " With their tongues they have 
 used deceit. So Psal. Iv. 21, "The words of his 
 mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in 
 his heart ;" that is, his words were flattering and 
 deceitful ; the singular number is put here for the 
 plural, flatterer for flatterers, they promised the 
 people a happy condition of things, and fed them 
 with smooth words : the Septuagint hath it to. irpoq 
 xripii', those things which seem gracious, which are 
 acceptable and make way for favour, which please : 
 the Vulgate reads it, neqne divinatio ambigua, no 
 more doubtful divination, such as the oracles were, 
 which miglit be taken divers, yea contrary ways. 
 
 Obs. 1. False prophets have pretences and cunning 
 ways to prevail with the people. The verse points 
 out the practice of such ; and what is that ? they 
 had visions and divinations, and when they came to 
 the people and told them of these, they were taken 
 therewith ; Jer. xiv. 14, they prophesied lies in the 
 Lord's name, they said he sent them, he commanded 
 them, and so by these pretences made way for their 
 lies. 1 Kings xxii. 24, Zedekiah smites Micaiah on 
 the cheek, and saith, " Which way went the Spirit 
 of the Lord from me unto thee." He pretended he 
 had the Spirit, spake by it, and so gained upon those 
 who heard him. Matt. vii. 17, "Beware of false 
 prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing ;" 
 they seem harmless, their countenance, words, and 
 carriage do plead for them, and usher in their false 
 opinions ; no false teachers but have seme pretences 
 to ingratiate themselves with the people. Eph. iv. 
 14, Paul speaks of the condition of the people, how 
 thi y were " carried about with every wind of doc- 
 trine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, 
 whereby they lie in wait to deceive ;" by mutual 
 opinions and subtle sophisms, they cheated the 
 people, as cunning gamesters at dice lie in wait to 
 cheat young nonces. 
 
 Oi.«. 2. That their visions and divinations are 
 false and flattering. 
 
 (1.) False. They are called here, visions of 
 vanity, there is no truth in them, no trust to be given 
 unto fliem ; the false prophets had their names from 
 the falsehoods which thiy presented to the people. 
 Sometimes they are said to " prophesy lies, false 
 vision and divination, a thing of nought, the deceit 
 of their heart," Jer. xiv. 14. Sometimes they are 
 said to " make vain, and speak a vision of their own 
 heart," chap, xxiii. 16; to "cause dreams to be 
 dreamed," chap. xxix. 8. They are called " foolish 
 prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen 
 nothing," Ezek. xiii. 3; that "have seen vanity, 
 and lying divination," ver. 6, which is as nothing. 
 There were many such prophets amongst them ; 
 and this is the way that antichrist worketh, now in 
 times of the gospel ; 2 Thess. ii. 9, 10, his " coming 
 is after the working of Satan with all power and 
 signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivablene.ss 
 of unrighteousness." When Satan comes into a man, 
 it is with efficacy, and there he works strangely and 
 deceitfully ; so antichrist, when he comes into the 
 church or state, it is with eflieacy ; he pretends that 
 all ecclesiastical power is his, he sits in the temple 
 as God, and exalts himself above all that is called 
 God, even above the civil powers, therefore, in ver. 
 9, is said to come " with all power." Of his "signs 
 and lying wonders," you may see. Rev. xiii. 3, 13, 15. 
 " And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness ;" 
 that is, with all the art and cunning to deceive, 
 which an unrighteous heart, spirit, state, and policy, 
 can afford. 
 
 (2.) Flattering. Jer. xxviii. 2—4, Hananiah, a 
 false prophet, flatters them, and feeds them with 
 vain hopes, saying, " Thus saitli the Lord of hosts, I 
 have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon : w ithin 
 two full years will I bring again into this place all 
 the vessels of the Lord's house, and Jeconiah the 
 son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the cap- 
 tives of Judah, that went into Babylon." Here 
 were pleasing words, which lulled them in security. 
 When Ahab had a mind to go up to Ramoth-gilead 
 and fight, what said the prophets to him ? 1 Kings 
 xxii. 12, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; 
 for the Lord shall deliver it into the king's hand:" 
 and when Micaiah a ti'ue prophet was called to 
 speak, they would have corrupted him; say the 
 messengers, " The words of the prophets declare 
 good unto the king with one mouth : kt thy word, I 
 pray thee, be like unto the word of one of them, and 
 speak that which is good." Foolish people think 
 those words good which flatter and please them ; 
 but such words undo them. Ezek. xiii. 10, " Be- 
 cause they have seduced my people, saying. Peace ; 
 and there was no peace ; and one built up a wall, 
 and, lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar :" 
 the true prophets threw down Jerusalem by their 
 prophecies, but the false built up a wall, prophesi( d 
 safuty, deliverance, and others agreed with them, 
 but this was flattery and their destruction; Prov. 
 xxvi. 28, " A ilattcring mouth wnrkcth ruin." This 
 Paul knew, and therefore justifies himself, that at 
 no time he used " flattering words," 1 Thess. ii. 5. 
 If he should have pleased men, he should not have 
 been the servant of Christ. 
 
 Obs. 3. Vain visions and flattering divinations of 
 false prophets do cause people to be secure and fe.T- 
 less of divine threats. They regarded not what 
 Jeremiah prophesied against Jerusalem, so long as 
 Hananiah and such men prophesied the contrary ; 
 Ahab feared not scattering and falhng at Ramoth- 
 gilead, whilst the false pri phots said, " Go, and 
 prosper." Man's nature is apter to be secure than
 
 296 
 
 AX EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XII. 
 
 to fear, because pleasing things are sooner taken in 
 than such as are averse to them. 
 
 Obs. 4. God hath his time to confute and confound 
 visions of vanity, and divinations of flattery. '• There 
 shall be no more any vain vision," &c. 'When the 
 Lord made good his word, brought Nebuchadnezzar 
 to the walls of Jerusalem, gave it up into his hands, 
 then were all the lying prophets confuted, and con- 
 founded with shame. Events discover visions, and 
 distinguish prophets : Jer. sxviii. 9, " The prophet 
 which prophesieth of peace, when the word of 
 the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the pro- 
 phet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him." 
 If it proved true that was prophesied, then was it a 
 vision of God, if not, a vision of vanity, and this was 
 the way for them to try the prophets by. Deut. xviii. 
 21, 22, the question is there, How shall we know 
 whether a prophet speak of himself or from God ? 
 the answer is. Look to the event; if the thing he 
 speaks come not to pass, it is not of God, it is a lie ; 
 shame and confusion to the prophet : when Ahab 
 was wounded and fell at Kamoth-gilead, then 
 the false prophets were confuted, and Zedekiah 
 confounded, running into an inner chamber to hide 
 himself, 2 Kings sxii. 25. Hence the Lord is said to 
 frustrate the tokens of liars, to make di\ iners mad, to 
 turn wise men backward, and to make their know- 
 ledge foobsh, Isa. shv. 25. 
 
 " For I am the Lord : I will speak, and the word 
 that I shall speak shall come to pass," &c. In this 
 and the la.st verse, the Lord promiseth to make good 
 his word, and that without delay ; it should not be 
 prolonged as they imagined, but quickly take effect, 
 and accomplish those ends it was intended for : I will 
 confound the false prophets and justify the true ; 
 they speak and it never comes to pass, I will speak 
 by my prophets, and it shall come. 
 
 In the words of this verse you have, 
 
 I. A reason, which first looks back to what was 
 said in ver. 24. Tain vision and flattering divi- 
 nation shall cease ; why ? " I am the Lord :" and 
 power is in my hand to discover vain and flattering 
 prophets, to confound them and their visions. Se- 
 condly, forNvard to what God should say : " I will 
 speak, it shall come to pass, it shall not be prolong- 
 ed ;" and why ? " I am the Lord," Jehovah, and w3l 
 give being to my word. 
 
 II. A general promise, of speaking what he 
 pleases, and making it good : " I wiU speak, and it 
 shall come to pass ;" there shall not be any delay. 
 
 III. A special application of it to the house of 
 Israel, and their time : " In your days, O ye rebel- 
 lious house, will I say and perform." 
 
 Quest. 'Whether do the sins of people cause judg- 
 ments threatened to come sooner than the time ap- 
 pointed, because it is said here " it shall be no more 
 prolonged :" as if he should say, I thought yet to 
 have prolonged, deferred my judgments, but they 
 shall come speedily ? 
 
 AnsTc. As men's repentance may prevent judg- 
 ments threatened, so their sins may hasten them. 
 Jer. xlviii. 16, "The calamity of Moab is near to 
 come, and his affliction hasteth fast :" Moab's sins 
 hastened Moab's afflictions. When men sin with a 
 high hand after judgments given out, those sins 
 add wings to judgment. Mai. iii. 5, " I will be 
 a swift «-itness," saith God, " against sorcerers, 
 adulterers, false swearers, those that oppress the 
 hireling, widow, fatherless, and turn aside the 
 stranger from his right;" he will come flying to 
 judgment against them. 2 Pet. ii. 1, sinners are said 
 to "bring upon themselves swift destruction," de- 
 struction makes haste to them. 'V\'hen men shall 
 scoff at divine threats and jest at judgments, this 
 
 provokes God to hasten them. Isa. v. 19, " Let him 
 make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see 
 it." They were so far from fearing and believing 
 the throats of God, that they made a mock at them ; 
 hence saith the Lord, Jer. i. 12, " I will hasten my 
 word to perform it," I will take the first opportunity 
 to make it good. God will shorten the day of aftlic- 
 tion for the elect's sake, and hasten the days of judg- 
 ment for the wicked's sake. 
 
 Obs. 1. The thoughts and hopes of Clicked men 
 about the threatenings of judgment are foolish and 
 vain ; they think and hope, that either they will not 
 come at all, or if they do, it will be a long time after. 
 " It shall be no more prolonged." You conceit, be- 
 cause the time is long, that there is no such thing, 
 or that it will not be in your days ; but you are de- 
 ceived, such threats are groimdless, and hopes are 
 vain : Jer. v. 12, " They have belied the Lord, and 
 said. It is not he (that speaks by these prophets) ; 
 neither shall e\Tl come upon us, neither shall we see 
 sword nor famine ; and tlie prophets shall become 
 wind, and the word is not in them : " they are de- 
 ceived, not we ; they look for a black and sad day, 
 which will not come, and we look for good days, good 
 things : therefore the prophet, impersonating them, 
 saith, chap. viii. 15, " 'W"e looked for peace, but no good 
 came ; and for a time of health, and behold trouble !" 
 They would not beheve that ever an adversary should 
 have entered within the gates of Jerusalem, Lam. 
 iv. 12. 
 
 Obs. 2. That whatever word the Lord speaks, he 
 will make it good. " I will speak, and it shall come to 
 pass." Whatever God hath spoken by the prophets 
 or apostles, yea, whatever is spoken warrantably 
 from the word by any faithful minister of his, he 
 will accomplish the same. He doth not possess his 
 servants with vain ^-isions, or flattering divinations ; 
 whatever he utters by them is divine and infallible ; 
 he is Jehovah, a God of power and faithfulness, suf- 
 ficient every way to fulfil his promises and perform 
 his threatenings. Some take these words, " I am 
 the Lord," to be an asseveration, or an oath, and the 
 sense to lie thus, As sure as I am God, Jehovah, that 
 have being of myself, and give being to all others, 
 so sure will I give being to my promises and threat- 
 enings ; so that not only heaven and earth must pass 
 away, before any tittle of any truth of the Lord's 
 shall fall to the ground, but even God himself must 
 cease to be, before his word shall be without effect. 
 Isa. sliv. 24, " I am the Lord that maketh all things :" 
 that " I am" doth frustrate and confound Lars, di- 
 viners, wizards, and all impostors, as it is ver. 25: 
 " that confirmeth the word of his servant, and per- 
 formeth the counsel of his messengers," ver. 26. 
 What word soever Isaiah gave out, the Lord con- 
 firmed and performed it. He gave out the word 
 touching Cyrus, that he should be a shepherd to 
 God's people, that he should further the Jews' return 
 out of Babylon, and building of the temple : and this 
 was above two hundred years before his birth, as 
 Deodate saith in his notes upon the place, and about 
 two hundred, as our late annotations have it : but if 
 we reckon by Scripture account, you will find it not 
 so much ; for this prophecy of Cyrus was delivered 
 by Isaiah after Hezekiah's sickness, chap, xxxviii. 
 in which fifteen years were added to his days ; and 
 from thence it was but a hundred and twenty-five 
 years and six months to Zedekiah's carrying into 
 captivit\% which was eleven years after the caprinty 
 began, for chronologers reckon the beginning of the 
 captivity from the time of Jehoiachin's carrying 
 away, and the Scripture countenances it, Eztk. i. 2 : 
 so then, reckon the captivity from Jehoiachin, seventy 
 years, and there are but a hundred and fourteen be-
 
 Ver. 1—7. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 21'7 
 
 fore, and these make one hundred and eighty-four ; 
 and this person, prophesied of so long before, did 
 God in due time give to the world, and stirred up to 
 be helpful to his people, Ezra i. 1 — 3, and so made 
 good both what Isaiah said here, and Jer. xxix. 10. 
 God's word must take place, whoever gains or loses 
 by it; Isa. Iv. 11, " The word that goeth out of my 
 mouth, it shall not return unto me void, but it shall 
 accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper 
 in the thing whereto I sent it." Zech. i. 6, " My 
 words and my statutes, which I commanded my 
 servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your 
 fathers ? " God appointed them to do so, and they 
 did accordingly ; God's words overtook them, think- 
 ing to escape. Daniel bears witness to this truth, 
 chap. ix. 12, " He hath confirmed his words, which 
 he spake against us." 
 
 Obs. 5. The corrupt heads and hearts of men are 
 subtle, and prone to elude and put off those truths 
 which are presented unto them by the servants of 
 God. The Lord sent his prophets unto them early 
 and late ; they being faithful, laid open the judg- 
 ments of God, told them of their danger, invited them 
 to repentance, mourned for the slight entertainment 
 they found. Sec. And what then ? they either mocked 
 at them, as it is in 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16, or charged 
 them with falsehoods and lies, Jer. v. 12, 13, or re- 
 solved not to hearken to them, Jer. xliv. 16, or put 
 it off, as not concerning them at all, or if it did, not 
 for a long time, for those that were after them, not the 
 present generation ; ver. 27 of this chapter, " The 
 vision is for many days, and he prophesieth of the 
 times that are far oti." Thus were they witty and 
 wicked against themselves, to turn aside the stroke 
 of God's word, which having been entertained, might 
 have done their souls good. This was the practice 
 in Christ's and the apostles' times, one thing or 
 other still was pretended to wave the doctrine of 
 Christ; as the meanness of his person. Matt. xiii. 
 55, 56; John vii. 27; his breaking of the sabbath, 
 John V. 16; ix. 10, 16, " This man is not of God," 
 &c. They said he blasphemed. Matt. ix. 3, that he 
 deceived the people, John vii. 12, made himself a 
 king and spake against Ceesar, John xix. 12; they 
 pretended his doctrine to be new. Acts xvii. 19, to 
 be hard and severe, John vi. 60, to be against Moses, 
 Acts vi. 11 ; that it was heretical. Acts xxiv. 14, that 
 he spake too particularly to them, Luke xi. 45, that 
 the rulers and great ones received it not, John vii. 
 48, " Have any "of the rulers," &c. ; that his doctrine, 
 and the followers of it, made great stirs wherever 
 it came, caused sects and schisms. Acts xix. 23 ; 
 xxviii. 22. 
 
 CHAPTER Xin. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 7. And the word of the Lord came 
 ■unto me, saying. Son of man, prophesy againH 
 the prophets of Israel that prophest/, and sai/ thou 
 unto them that prophesi/ out vf their oun hearts. 
 Hear ye the word of the Lord ; Thus saiih the 
 Lord God ; Woe unto the foolish projihets, that 
 follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing ! 
 O Israel, thy propihets are like the foxes in the 
 deserts. Ye have not gone vp into thf gaps, nei- 
 ther made vp the hedge for the house of Israel to 
 stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. They 
 have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, Tlie 
 Lord saith : and the Lord hath not sent them: 
 and they have made others to hope that they would 
 
 confirm the word. Hare ye not seen a rain vision, 
 and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas 
 ye say. The Lord saith it : albeit I have not 
 spoken ? 
 
 The former chapter concerned the king and the 
 people ; this concerns only the false prophets and 
 prophetesses, who taking upon them that office, 
 were led by their own spirits, and deceived the peo- 
 ple with vain \-isions and lying divinations, to accom- 
 plish their own ends : against these doth the Lord 
 set our prophet Ezekiel on work to prophesy severelv. 
 
 In the chapter you have two general parts. 
 
 I. A prophecy against false prophets, in the first 
 sixteen verses. 
 
 II. A prophecy against women prophets, from 
 the 17th verse to the end. 
 
 In the first part you have the judgments and sins 
 of the false prophets declared and laid down. 
 
 1. The judgments threatened against them, which 
 are in ver. 2, 3, 8, 9, 11, 13—16. 
 
 2. The sins causing those judgments threatened, 
 and they are expressed in ver. 2 — 10, 16. God's 
 threatenings and their sins are promiscuously de- 
 livered by OUT prophet, and we shcdl handle them 
 as they lie. 
 
 Ver. 1, 2, and 17, do show the author of this pro- 
 phecy ; and that was the Lord, who bade Ezekiel 
 prophesy, and set his face against them. Our pro- 
 phet had divine warrant for what he said, and wisely 
 prefixes it, when he was to deal with false prophets, 
 who had neither word nor warrant from God for 
 what they said or did : true prophets have their 
 commission and instruction from God. 
 
 In ver. 2, you have, 
 
 1. The appellation, " Son of man." 
 
 2. A command, and that is twofold : 
 (1.) Is to Ezekiel, "Prophesy." 
 
 (2.) Is to the false prophets, " Hear ye the 
 word," &c. 
 
 3. The kind of prophecy, and that is comminatory ; 
 " Prophesy against the prophets of Israel." 
 
 4. The sin that moves God to set the prophet 
 against them, and that is. They "prophesy out of 
 their own heart." 
 
 " Against the prophets of Israel." AVhether the 
 prophets in Babylon or in Zion, you may demand ; 
 for there were false prophets in Babylon, who were 
 the prophets of Israel, because they prophesied to 
 the captive Jews, Jer. xxix. 8, 9; and there were 
 false prophets at Jerusalem, Jer. xx\'ii. 14, and they 
 were the prophets of Israel also ? We may under- 
 stand this prophecy of the Mse prophets in both 
 places. 
 
 " That prophesy out of their own hearts." Hebrew, 
 them that are prophets out of their owTi hearts. To 
 prophesy out of their own hearts, is, 
 
 1. To prophesy upon their o«-n mere motion. 
 They are prophets because themselves will be pro- 
 phets, and they prophesy because they will pro- 
 phesy ; they have no call to this office but their 
 wills, they thrust themselves upon it. 
 
 2. The things they prophesy are their own ; what 
 their fancies, lusts, affections, carnal reason, suggest 
 imto them, those things they deliver ; their prophe- 
 cies came by the will of man. 2 Pet. i. 21, " For the 
 prophecy in old time came not by the will of man." 
 The true prophets did not prophecy out of their own 
 hearts, after their own wills, but they spake as they 
 were moved by the Holy Spirit, what that brought 
 in they gave out ; diNnne truths were presented to 
 them, and those they commended to the people : but 
 false prophets had nothing of or from the Spirit ; 
 they had all out of their own hearts .: yet pretended
 
 298 
 
 AX EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CllAl'. XIII. 
 
 they weve inspired and had the Spirit. I Kings xxii. 
 24, " Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from 
 me unto thee?" Zedckiah and all the rest of the 
 false prophets thought Ihey had the Spirit of the 
 Lord, but it was the spirit of Satan, a lying spirit, 
 they had; ver. 22, "I will go forth, and be a lying 
 sjiirit in the mouth of all his prophets." 
 
 Quest. If they speak out of their own hearts, why 
 are tliey called prophets ? they are prophets that 
 speak from Gcd, and not themselves. 
 
 Jnsv: The word prophet is taken largely, for any 
 one that foretells things true or false, and is com- 
 mon to good and bad ; the Scripture speaks accord- 
 ing to the use of words. Titus i. 12, " One of them- 
 selves, even a prophet of their own." That was 
 Epimenides a poet ; for poets were commonly called 
 prophets : and so the Scripture gives the name to 
 any foretelling things ; 1 Kings xviii. 19, " Baal's 
 prophets, and the prophets of the groves;" 2 Pet. 
 ii. 1, "There were false prophets among the people." 
 
 ■' Thus saith the Lord God ; Woe unto the fool- 
 ish prophets," &:e. Here the prophet proceeds in 
 denouncing judgment, and describing those false 
 prophets. 
 
 I. The judgment denounced is in this word, 
 " Woe," a little word, but very comprehensive ; all 
 evils are contained in it. They promise all happi- 
 ness to the people, but, woe to themselves ! woe to 
 their bodies, woe to their souls, woe to their names, 
 woe to them here, woe to them hereafter ! The 
 dreadful judgments mentioned in the Revelation, 
 are called woes; chap. ix. 12, "One woe is past; 
 and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter." 
 
 9. The description of the prophets; they are foolish, 
 tnd this foolishness of theirs is evidenced two ways : 
 
 (1.) They follow their own spirits. 
 
 (2.) They have seen m thing. 
 
 " Foolish." D'Saan from Ssj which signifies vile, 
 foolish, frail. These prophets were subtle and 
 crafty, abounding with carnal and worldly prudence, 
 but in the things of God they were blind and foolish ; 
 tht y called liglit darkness, and darkness light ; they 
 were lifted up with their pretended visions and 
 divinations ; they despised and insulted over the true 
 proplu'ts ; they boasted themselves to be the men 
 of God's counsel, and laboured to be had in ad- 
 miration of all ; they foresaw no danger, but spake 
 pleasing things to the people, prophesying safety 
 and good days, and this was their foelishness : there 
 was no divine wisdom or truth in them. 
 
 " That follow their own spirit." These words 
 are answerable to those in ver. 2, "That ]Tophesy 
 out of their own heart :" the Hebrew is, who walk 
 aftrr their own spirit: their ow'n spirits led them, 
 not the Spirit of God. In chap. i. it is said. The 
 Spirit was in the wheels, and they went whither 
 the Spirit led thi'm, ver. 20 ; but these prophets had 
 not the Spirit in them, neither went after it, but 
 after their own spirit; whatever their own spirits 
 dictated to them, that they embraced, magnified, and 
 gave out to the people. 
 
 " Have seen nothing." The true prophets had 
 visions of God, divine revelation ; their understand- 
 ings were in an extraordinary manner irradiated by 
 the Spirit of God, and they saw, that is, understood, 
 the mind of God. Hence prophets were called 
 seers; Amos vii. 12, "O thou seer, flee away;" 
 2 Kings xWi. 13, God testified against them liy all 
 the Seers. Tiny foresaw judgments to come, and 
 other things which God revealed unto them : Numb, 
 xii. G, " If till re be a prophet among you, I will 
 make myself known unto him in a vision." But 
 these false prophets had seen nothing; they had no 
 vision, no discovery of God's mind unto them any way. 
 
 Obx. 1. It is no new thing that there is in the 
 church of God false prophets, corrupt opinions, 
 great opposition to the truth, chft'erences and divi- 
 sions, in Ezekiel's days there were false prophets, 
 wl'.ich deluded the people, which opposed the true 
 prophets with much insolence, which caused great 
 stirs, contentions, and divisions amongst the cap- 
 tives in Babylon and people at Jerusalem ; see for 
 both these the 28th and 2yth chapters of Jeremiah, 
 where Hanan oppioses Jeremiah, and Jeremiah writes 
 letters into Babylon to quiet them there. In Ahab's 
 days you may find false prophets, and their number 
 very great: 1 Kings xviii. 19, "The prophets of 
 Baal were four hundred and fifty, and the jirophets 
 of the gi'oves four hundred." They exceeded the 
 mmiber of the true prophets eight to one, for they 
 were but one hundred, hid by Obadiah in caves, ver. 
 4. And these false prophets drew many of the peo- 
 ple fi'om the worship of the true God; others they 
 staggered, and made to halt between two opinions ; 
 and so caused great division, opiposition, and perse- 
 cution in Israel. There have always been and ever 
 will be false teachers and prophets among the people 
 of God. In the gospel you read of false Christs, 
 Mark xiii. 22, false apostles, 2 Cor. xi. 13, false 
 teachers, 2 Pet. ii. I, and many false prophets that 
 should arise, Matt. xxiv. II. The churches in the 
 apostles' days were much troubled with those who 
 vented corrupt opinions and caused great contentions. 
 The church of Galatia had those among them who 
 preached another gospel, and justification by the law, 
 and so troubled them, that the apostle wished them 
 cut off, chap. V. 12. There were lying apostles in 
 the church of Ephesus ; the doctrine of Balaam and 
 the Nicolaitanes in the church of Pergamos, &c. 
 Such men, with their opinions, errors, and conse- 
 quences of them, God sutlers, to clear up truth, to 
 make it more precious, to try the godly, to discover 
 hypocrites, to show his power and wisdom, that can 
 work good out of evil, and preserve his people in 
 the midst of contentions. 
 
 Obs. 2. See here who are true prophets, and who 
 are false. The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, it 
 came not to them ; the true prophets saw visions, the 
 false saw nothing ; they were moved by the Spirit of 
 God, these by their own spirits ; out of their own hearts 
 came what they delivered, out of heaven what the 
 other delivered ; God spake by the true prophets, Sa- 
 tan by the false, he is a lying spirit in the mouth of 
 all the false prophets, I Kings xxii. 22. Either Satan's 
 or their own they speak : Jer. xxiii, 10, " They speak 
 a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth 
 of the Lord ;" ver. 26, " They are projdiets of the 
 deceit of their own hearts ;" ver. 27, 28, they tell 
 dreams ; they feed the people with chail', and not 
 wheat, and make them to err and forget the name of 
 God. But the true prophets ever spoke what they 
 received fi'om the Lord : therefore Micaiah, 1 Kings 
 xxii. 14, told some desiring him to speak somewhat 
 of his own, that as the Lord lived he would speak 
 nothing but what the Lord should say unto him. 
 Christ saith, John vii. Ili, 18, " My doctrine is not 
 mine, but his that sent me. He that speaketh of him- 
 self seeketh his own glory ; but he that seeketh his 
 glory that sent him, the same is true," &c. 
 
 Obs. 3. That what comes from man, however 
 esteemed or magnified by men, is worthless in God's 
 account. They prophesied out of their own hearts, fol- 
 lowed their own spirits, which they set a price upon ; 
 but this the Lord blames, condemns, he calls fool- 
 isli, mentions their own hearts and spirits in oppo- 
 sition to the revelations and inspirations of his Sjiirit, 
 which only are of weight and worth ; therefore what- 
 ever prophets or ministers do bring of their own, it
 
 Ver. 1—7. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 299 
 
 is a wicked forgery. It is the office of the Spirit of 
 truth to give out truth ; he leads into all truth, he 
 takes of Christ's and shows unto those wlio are 
 Christ's prophets, apostles, and ministers, John xvi. 
 13, 14. If men preach or prophesy any thing which 
 is not from the Spirit, but from themselves, it is not 
 acceptable unto God, neither should be entertained 
 by us. Hence you shall find, that what men have 
 brought of their own is called lies, Jer. xxvii. 10, 
 dreams, chap, xxiii. 32, untempered mortar, Ezek. 
 xxii. 28, a thing of nought, Jer. xiv. 14, deceit, chap, 
 xxiii. '2(!, perverse things. Acts xx. 30, command- 
 ments of men, Mark vii. 7, wisdom of this world, 
 
 1 Cor. ii. 6, another Jesus, another spirit, another 
 gospel, 2 Cor. xi. 4. What is man's, is opposite to 
 God and Christ ; therefore Paul saith expressly, 
 
 2 Cor. iv. 5, " We preach not ourselves, but Christ 
 Jesus the Lord ;" only what we have from him by 
 his Spirit, that we preach unto you. Paul was a 
 man of great parts, a great scholar, and yet durst 
 not vent any tiling of his own. 
 
 Obs. 4. The folly and madness of false prophets, 
 who pretend they have all from God, yet follow 
 their own spirits. Those words "have seen nothing," 
 import, that they pretended they had seen something, 
 that they told the people they had visions from God. 
 It is frequent in Scripture to hear of their visions : 
 Isa. xxviii. 7, "They err in vision;" Jer. xiv. 14, 
 "They prophesy a false vision;" chap, xxiii. l(i, 
 " They speak a vision of their own heart ;" Zech. 
 xiii. 4, "They shall be ashamed every one of his 
 vision;" and ver. 7, of this chapter, it was a vain 
 vision and a lying divination which they had, but 
 the pretence was they had all from God ; " The 
 Lord saith it," albeit he spake not. Thus they made 
 him author of all their lying, vain, and false prophe- 
 cies, which was extreme madness and folly in them. 
 Herein was a dreadful hand of God upon them ; be- 
 cause they were malicious against the true prophets, 
 and received not the truth with the love of it, God 
 left them to blindness, hardness, to believe lies, so that 
 they thought that to be from God, which was from 
 their own spirits, or from Satan the spirit of errors. 
 
 Obi. 5. That wicked prophets are in a dreadful 
 condition, woe is their portion. " Woe unto the 
 foolish prophets ! " they are men set out for judg- 
 ment, under malediction, ajipointed to condemnation 
 and utter destruction. Jer. xxiii. 15, God tells such 
 prophets that he " will feed them with wormwood, 
 and make them drink the water of gall :" God will 
 deal bitterly with them; Jer. xiv. 15, "By sword 
 and famine shall those prophets be consumed." 
 Rev. XX. 10, the devil, the beast, and the false pro- 
 phet are in the same lake of fire and brimstone, tor- 
 mented continually and eternally : by the prophet 
 some understand the pope, some his clergy ; we may 
 take in all false prophets and teachers, who " bring 
 upon themselves swift destruction," 2 Pet. ii. 1 ; 
 they should be thrust through by their own friends 
 when they prophesied, Zech. xiii. 3. 
 
 " O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the 
 deserts." The words hold forth, 
 
 1. A pathetical exclamation, " Israel." 
 
 2. A description of these prophets, they " are like 
 foxes ;" and that we must make out unto you. 
 
 The land of Israel abounded with foxes ; Judg. 
 XV. 4, Samson caught three hundred at once ; Neh. 
 iv. 3, the enemies fold the Jews that if a fox went 
 up the wall they built, he would brea!v it down ; 
 Cant. ii. 15, "Take us the foxes," wliich .-jhows their 
 land had store of them. Now the prophets of Eze- 
 kiel's days are likened to foxes. 
 
 (1.) A fox is a subtle, crafty creature; the ser- 
 pent and the fox exceed therein. The fox's craft is 
 
 known in deceiving and catching fish, poultry, lambs, 
 and fowls ; when he is hungry he will lie 'as dead, 
 and so the fowls coming to prey upon him as a dead 
 carcass, he snaps them, and preys upon them ; for 
 hares, he counterfeits a sporting with them, till at 
 last he seizeth upon them : he hath many dens to 
 flee unto, and some of them have many entrances, 
 that he may more easily deceive the hunters ; 
 Luke ix. 48, " Foxes have holes." False prophets 
 are subtle to deceive the people ; they say they are 
 sent of the Lord, have seen visions, and make use of 
 his name, Jer. xiv. 14 ; Zech. xiii. 3. Sometimes 
 they did wear rough garments to deceive, Zech. xiii. 
 4. The true prophets had such garments, Isa. xx. 
 2, sackcloth and hairy vestments, and the false pro- 
 phets would imitate them, that they might without 
 jealousy the better deceive the people. Sometimes 
 they came in sheep's clothing, Matt. vii. 15, and spake 
 fair, smooth, pleasing words ; they are full of insinu- 
 ations, windings, turnings, rhetoric, language, to 
 gain upon people ; they are deep and politic to carry 
 on designs to promote their own ends ; they can 
 conform to men, and transform themselves into va- 
 riety of shapes, 2 Cor. xi. 13, " False apostles, de- 
 ceitful workers, transforming themselves into the 
 apostles of Christ," and by this means they had ad- 
 vantage to do wliat they aimed at. How foxish was 
 the old prophet when he set upon the young pro- 
 phet, 1 Kings xiii. 18, saying, " I am a prophet also 
 as thou art ; and an angel spake unto me by the word 
 of the Lord, saying. Bring him back with thee into 
 thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. 
 But he lied unto him," and so prevailed. False pro- 
 phets and teachers have cunning carriage, cunning 
 arguments and speecli, to beguile others with : 2 Pet. 
 i. U), " We have not followed cunningly devised 
 fables ;" there were such as did. Arius was one of 
 these foxes, who counterfeited that he was of the 
 same mind with the orthodox ; and that he might be 
 received into communion of the church again, he 
 subscribed the Nicene creed, and decrees, Sictit sub- 
 scripsi, ita quoque credo, I believe as I have subscrib- 
 ed. Now he had in his bosom his own wicked con- 
 fession, which he had written at home, and subscribed 
 with his own name. The popish priests and Jesuits, 
 what foxes have they been in churches and states to 
 advance the catholic cause ! In the eastern parts 
 they show once a year their converts, in white, with 
 palms in their hands, which is a great policy to 
 draw others to their way. Coutzin hath laid down 
 subtle ways to cheat a state of its religion. The 
 prelates had consulted with the fox when they made 
 the et ccptera oath, to support their tottering king- 
 dom. It were to be wished that there were less of the 
 fox now among the prophets, and more of the lamb. 
 (2.) The fox is cruel and malicious, the object of 
 all his policy is the destruction of the other animals ; 
 when he gets amongst the poultry, the learned ob- 
 serve, he does not eat of the fowls till first he has 
 killed them all. False teachers and prophets are 
 foxes in tlieir cruelty and maliciousness. Zedekiah 
 smites Mieaiali on the chtek, 1 Kings xxii. 24 ; he 
 dealt injuriously and rigidly with him. Shemaiah 
 stirred up authority against Jere- 
 miah the true prophet, whom he would 
 have put in the stocks and prison, Jer. xxix. 24, 26. 
 And tliis would not suffice, they proceed to blood ; 
 Ezek. xxii. 25, " There is a conspiracy of her pro- 
 phets in the midst thereof," not only like foxes, but 
 even " like lions ravening the jirey." They have 
 devoured souls ; the prophets laid their heads to- 
 gether to suck the blood (jf innocents : Lam. iv. 1.3, 
 it was the prophets and the priests which shed the 
 I'l.iol of the just in the midst of Jerusalem ; they
 
 300 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIII. 
 
 were not to meddle in matters of blood, but they in- 
 censed authority to do it, they preached against 
 tliem, told those wlio had the power in their hand, 
 that they should do God good service in sacrificing 
 such persons. So great hath been the malice of 
 wicked prophets and priests ever against the saints, 
 that they have never rested till they have gotten 
 their blood shed. The pope and his priests filled 
 Christendom with blood. It was the prelates and 
 priests in queen Mary's days that brought so many 
 to the fire, and caused that queen to imbrue her 
 hands in innocent blood. 
 
 (3.) The fox is greedy of prey ; so false prophets, 
 they arc greedy enough. Mic. iii. 5, " He that put- 
 teth not into their mouths, they even prepare war 
 against him ;" if they were not fed with the finest and 
 fattest there was no peace, no safety. Ver. 11, " The 
 priests teach for hire, and the prophets divine for 
 money :" it was not the good of souls that they 
 sought, they made merchandise of them, but gain was 
 in their eyes ; Ezek. xxii. 25, " They have taken the 
 treasure and precious things," those they would be 
 sure to lay hands on. Isa. Ivi. II, "They are 
 greedy dogs, which can never have enough, and they 
 are shepherds that cannot understand: tney all look 
 to their own way, every one for his gain, from his 
 quarter;" the words for " greedy " in the Hebrew- 
 are cs:-*iy strong of soul, appetite, stomach, they 
 presently concoct, digest whatever they take in ; 
 souls, Ezek. xxii. 25, widows' houses, Matt, xxiii. 
 14. It is known what great revenues the popish 
 priests and prophets have had in the kingdoms under 
 the pojjish jurisdiction; in king John's days, his 
 revenues were sixty thousand marks, and theirs 
 seventy thousand. Balaam was a false prophet, and 
 he loved the wages of unrighteousness ; he would 
 have oursed the people of God for reward, if God 
 himself had not withheld. Numb. xxii. A cardinal 
 coming to Rome, and seeing nothing but offering of 
 moneys at the election of a pope, said, In this way 
 the roman pontiff's are made. 
 
 (4.) Foxes are timorous creatures, and when 
 danger comes, they run to their holes, and shift for 
 themselves ; so are false prophets and teachers : 
 1 Kings xxii. 25, when trouble came, Zedekiah fled 
 into his holes, he went from chamber to chamber, to 
 hide himself. John x. 12, " He that is an hireling, 
 and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, 
 seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and 
 fleeth :" by wolf you may understand persecution, 
 danger, when these approach and look sternly upon 
 the man, he fleeth. Wickedness always renders men 
 fearful. 
 
 (5.) The fox nms up and down from place to 
 place doing mischief night and day. Cant. ii. 15, 
 " Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the 
 vines :" they ran from vineyard to vineyard, they 
 spoiled the grapes and vines themselves. So false 
 prophets and teachers are like them in this, they 
 went up and down in Israel ; they were at Samaria, 
 at Jerusalem, Jer. xxiii. 13, 14, in Babylon, Jer. 
 xxix. 25. In Paul's days there were such who went 
 up and down from house to house, and " subverted 
 whole houses, teaching things which they ought not 
 for filthy lucre's sake," Tit. i. II ; and Christ tells 
 us of such who compass sea and land to make one 
 proselyte. Are not Jesuits and priests sent into most 
 parts of the world co make proselytes, and to spoil 
 the tender vines and grapes where they are. 
 
 (6.) The fox keeps his nature, whatever you do to 
 him, or do with him ; you may chain him up, but 
 you cannot change him, it is questioned whether he 
 can be tamed, if he get loose he is the same again 
 that ever he was ; so false prophets. 
 
 " In the deserts." In the breaches of the hedges, 
 through which the foxes and other beasts entered into 
 the vineyards. Some think there is nothing peculiar 
 in these words ; it is ordinary to say, the beasts of 
 the field, the birds of heaven, and so, the foxes of 
 the desert ; but desert notes places neglected, with- 
 out any fence, in those places the foxes abounded, 
 were most hungry and ravening. 
 
 06.?. 1. It is a sad judgment to a people, when the 
 prophets degenerate, and become foxes. Foxes, you 
 know, are a cumber, a plague to the country where 
 they live ; and so are false prophets, wherever they 
 come. They caused the people to err, and destroyed 
 the way of their paths, Isa. iii. 12, they perverted 
 and gainsaid what the true prophets gave in. They 
 flattered the people, and concealed their sins and 
 judgments due to them ; Lam. ii. 14, " Thy prophets 
 have seen vain and foolish things for thee : and they 
 have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy 
 captivity ; but have seen for thee false burdens and 
 causes of banishment." Jer. 1. 6, " Their shepherds 
 have caused them to go astray," and so brought de- 
 struction upon them ; Isa. ix. 16, " The leaders of this 
 people," that is, prophets and priests, " cause them 
 to err ;" and what then ? " they that are led of 
 them are destroyed." Jer. xii. 10, " Many pastors 
 have destroyed my \'ineyard, they have trodden my 
 portion under foot:" foxes destroy lambs, poultry, 
 vines, but those destroy souls. Bernard sets down 
 many qualities of false prophets and teachers ; they 
 love to bear rule ; they think pride and profit to be 
 piety ; they think themselves liappy if they may 
 enlarge their borders ; they build stately houses, love 
 full tables, exact of the poor, look strangely or big 
 up(m the inferior sort, and honour great ones ; they 
 either teach not, or teach for their bellies. Such 
 prophets are a burden, if not destruction, to those 
 they are among : and when the prophets are foxes, the 
 princes are lions, and judges wolves, Zeph. iii. 3, 4. 
 
 OA.v. 2. It is matter of grief and complaint to hea- 
 ven itself, when the prophets are subtle, covetous, 
 cruel. " O Israel, thy prophets are like unto foxes." 
 God laid it to heart to see such prophets amongst 
 them, as sought themselves, and preyed upon the 
 people. Isa. iii. 12, " O my people, they which 
 leatl thee," or call thee blessed, " cause thee to err, 
 and destroy the way of thy paths." Their leaders, the 
 priests, prophets, princes, did that which affected Hea- 
 ven, and provoked the Lordtocry out, "Omy people." 
 
 " Ye have not gone up into the gaps," &c. Here 
 the Lord proceeds in accusing these prophets ; and 
 this accusation respects, 
 
 1. Their duty. 
 
 2. The end of their duty. 
 
 1. They are accused, first, not to do their duty, 
 and that is set down in two metaphorical expressions: 
 
 (I.) They went not up into the gaps. 
 (2.) They made not up the hedge. 
 
 2. Not to have minded the end of their duty, 
 which was, that the people might stand in battle in 
 the day of the Lord. 
 
 " Into the gaps." rixisa into the breaches. It 
 is judged by divers of the learned, that this metaphor 
 is taken from a siege, where the siegers labour to 
 make breaches in the fortifications and walls of the 
 place or city besieged ; and it is their duty within, 
 who have the command and power, to make up 
 those breaches, and stand for the defence of the 
 people and place where they are ; but the prophets 
 did not this, when judgments came in upon the 
 people, they stood not in the breaches to divert 
 them. Had he spoken before of military men, I 
 should have rested in this sense of the word ; but 
 having spoken of false prophets, and here by an
 
 Ver. 1—7. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 301 
 
 apostrophe turning to them, we may consider a 
 metaphorical war. God was out with them and 
 against them ; Ezek. v. 8, he was the enemy bring- 
 ing judgments upon them, the people, the city ; re- 
 ligion and their laws were the walls, their sins the 
 gaps which let in WTath upon them. 
 
 These prophets did not oppose the sins of the 
 people, convince them of their idolatry, oppression, 
 security, hypocrisy, profanencss, &c. ; but either 
 sinned with them, or winked at their sins ; and so 
 went not up into the gap to keep out the severe 
 judgments of God from crowding in upon them. 
 Tliey should have called the people to repentance, 
 declared the judgments of God to have been at hand, 
 interceded mightily with the Lord for them, and if 
 possible have prevented judgment ; but these things 
 they did not : Ezek. xxxiv. 4, " The diseased have 
 ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that 
 which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which 
 was broken, nor brought again that which was 
 driven away, nor sought that which was lost." 
 When the people made a calf and worshipped it, 
 there was a great gap made in the law, in the true 
 worship of God ; and now wrath was coming out, 
 and God would have destroyed them, had not " Moses 
 stood in the breach, to turn away his wrath," Psal. cvi. 
 23. Gaps therefore are the breaches which sins make. 
 
 " Neither made up the hedge." The Hebrew is, ye 
 have not hedged a hedge. This is a metaphor taken 
 from gardens, orchards, vineyards, and enclosures, 
 which having hedges made about them, are secure 
 from swine and beasts breaking into them : these pro- 
 phets, instead of makinghedges fortheir defence, they 
 made gaps for their enemy. The hedge about a church 
 and state is, divine protection, sound doctrine, pure 
 worship, holiness of life, and execution of justice ; 
 and when there is a violation of either of these, the 
 hedge is broken down ; and the way to make up the 
 hedge again, is by fasting, prayer, and hearty re- 
 pentance : these prophets minded neither sound 
 doctrine, pure worship, holiness of life, nor called 
 upon authority for execution of justice ; there was 
 a general violation of all things in the church and 
 state, and they laid it not to heart, they neither fasted, 
 prayed, nor repented, but increased the violations, 
 trod down the hedge more, and made the gaps 
 wider. Ezek. xxii. 30, " I sought for a man among 
 them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in 
 the gap before me for the land, that I should not 
 destroy it : but I found none." 
 
 " To stand in the battle in the day of the Lord." 
 Their care should have been for the people's good, 
 that when the day of the Lord's fury and judgments 
 came that he should war against his people, they 
 might have been able to stand. By " battle" under- 
 stand not only the siege they endured by the Baby- 
 lonians, but all afflictions and miseries which befell 
 them ; and had the prophets been faithful to them, 
 the day of the Lord's wrath would have been their 
 day of repentance, and so they might have stood, 
 and not fallen. 
 
 Obs. 1. That people's sins make way for judg- 
 ments to come in upon them ; they break down the 
 wall and the hedge, they make gaps and breaches, 
 they unfortify a city, unhedge the vineyard, and un- 
 arm a state. Exod. xxxii. 25, when the people had 
 sinned, Moses saw that they were naked, a city now 
 without walls, an army without arms, they lay open 
 to the winds and storms of divine wrath. 2 Chron. 
 xxviii. 19, Ahaz " made Judah naked ;" and how ? 
 "he transgressed sore against the Lord" by his 
 sinful courses, he brake down the hedges and walls 
 of protection, and so made them a naked people. 
 God's people have their hedges and fences about 
 
 them; Job i. 10, " Hast thou not made an hedge 
 about him and his house ;" Isa. v. 2, 5, his vineyard 
 was fenced and walled ; and if they were careful to 
 flee sin, their hedges would be without gaps, their 
 walls without holes, but when they .sin, they make 
 gaps and holes, and the greater their sins, the greater 
 breaches still are made in them. When David sin- 
 ned in numbering the people, what a wide gap made 
 he for the pestilence to come in and destroy seventy 
 thousand ! 2 Sam. xxiv. When Uzzah made a breach 
 in God's law by his sin, lie made a gap for judgment 
 to come in upon himself. Sin is a breach, Isa. xxx. 
 13, and ever makes way for judgments to enter. 
 Psal. Ixxxix. 31, 32, " If they break my statutes, 
 and keep not my commandments ; then will 1 ^•isit 
 their transgression with a rod, and their iniquity 
 with stripes ;" when they break God's laws, he will 
 break them with his rods. Micah vii. 13, " The 
 land shall be desolate because of them that dwell 
 therein, for the fruit of their doings :" by their sinful 
 actions they break the bounds, and by my just judg- 
 ments I will make them desolate. Hos. xii. I, 
 " Ephraim daily increaseth lies and desolation ;" 
 how desolation ? by his lies, his lying pretences and 
 practices, he makes breaches for desolation to come 
 in. Isa. xlii. 24, " Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and 
 Israel to the robbers ? did not the Lord, he against 
 whom we have sinned ? for they would not walk in 
 his ways, neither were they obedient to his laws." 
 
 Obs. 2. It is the duty of the prophets and servants 
 of the Lord, when gaps and breaches are made, to 
 go up into them, and make them up ; they are to 
 stand between the people and God's judgments. 
 When the people had sinned greatly, and made way 
 for sore judgments to come in upon them, Exod. 
 xxxii. Moses ascends into the gap, and makes up 
 the breach, he sets upon God by prayer, and uses 
 strong arguments to divert his wrath ; he "besought 
 the Lord his God, and said. Lord, why doth thy 
 wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast 
 brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great 
 power, and with a mighty hand ? wherefore should 
 the Egj'ptians speak, and say, For mischief did he 
 bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and 
 to consume them from the face of the earth ? Turn 
 from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against 
 thy j/eople. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, 
 thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own 
 self, and saidst unto them, I will multijjly your seed 
 as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have 
 spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall 
 inherit it for ever. And the Lord repented of the 
 evil which he thought to do unto his people," ver. 
 II — 14. Here was a true prophet, that stood in the 
 breach and turned away wrath. It was the practice 
 of the good priests and prophets to do so. Numb, 
 xvi. 41 — 48, when the people murmured, made a 
 breach for the plague to come in upon them, Aaron 
 took his censer, fire from the altar, put in incense, 
 hasted into the congregation and made an atonement 
 for the people, and stood between the dead and the 
 living, and stayed the plague. See Deut. ix. 24 — 
 20. When Ezekiel saw the slaughter men sent out 
 to slay young and old, without pity, he steps into 
 the gap and saith, Ezek. ix. 8, "Ah Lord God! wilt 
 thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring 
 out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?" Jeremiah was 
 so frequent in the gap, deprecating judgments, in- 
 terceding for mercy, that the Lord forbids him to 
 pray for that people, chap. xiv. 11 ; and cha)i. vii. 
 If), " Pray not thou for this people, neither lift up 
 cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession 
 to me." He used to pray, to cry, to intercede, and 
 keep off wrath from them. Samuel, when Israel
 
 302 
 
 A\ EXPOSITION U PON- 
 
 Chap. XIII. 
 
 had sinned, and the Phihstines were coming upon 
 tliem, he gets up into tlie gap, oli'ers sacrifice, and 
 cries to the Lord, and }ie heard him, discomfits the 
 Philistines, and delivers the Israelites, 1 Sam. vii. 9, 
 10. This is that which God looks for, when people 
 have sinned, that some man of God or other should 
 thrust into the breach, and jirevent wrath. Ezek. 
 xxii. 29, 30, " The people of the land have used op- 
 pression, and exercised rulibery, and have vexed the 
 poor and needy : yea, they have oppressed the 
 stranger wrongfully." Here was the hedge broken 
 down, and breadth enough for judgments to come in 
 upon them ; and what tlien ? "I sought for a man 
 among them that should make up the hedge, and 
 stand in the gap before me for the land, that 1 should 
 not destroy it : but I found none." These false pro- 
 phets trod down the hedge more and more, made 
 the gaps wider, increased and hastened the judg- 
 ments of God upon them. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord hath days of battle with his 
 people appointed ; what times he comes forth to 
 punish theui with his judgments, those are his days 
 of battle. God hath decreed times to deal with the 
 sons of men for their iniquities, and if they persist 
 in sinning, the Lord will take his days of warring 
 against them. You read in 2 Sam. xi. 1, that kings 
 had a time to go forth to battle ; it was at the return 
 of the year, when it was spring or summer, then they 
 went out to war against their enemies, not in the 
 winter ; but all times are alike to God to go out to 
 war with his enemies, he can bring judgments upon 
 sinners in winter, spring, summer ; yea, he hath his 
 peculiar times and days ajipointed to meet with 
 wicked ones. This day of the Lord in Scripture is 
 called a " day of darkness," Joel ii. 2, a " day of 
 evil," Jer. xvii. 1/, a " day of calamity," Jer. xlvi. 
 21, a " day of indignation," Ezek. xxii. 24, a " day 
 of visitation," Isa. x. 3, a " day of fierce anger," 
 Lam. i. 12, a " day of ruin," Ezek. xxvii. 27, a " day 
 of great slaughter," Isa. xxx. 25, a " day of grief, 
 and desperate sorrow," Isa. xvii. 11, a "day of 
 vengeance," Isa. Ixi. 2, a " day of l)attle," Zech.'xiv. 
 3. What time soever God enters into a- controversy 
 with the sons of men, walks contrary to them, 
 avenges the quarrel of his covenant, executes any 
 judgments upon them, it is the day of the Lord : 
 hence the day of judgment is called " the day of 
 Christ," Phil. i. 10; 2 Thess. ii. 2, because then he 
 shall execute wrath upon sinners. 
 
 Obs. 4. Those the Lord finds in their sins in the 
 day of battle, they cannot st:ind before him, they fall 
 by the strength of his judgments. When Uzzali sin- 
 ned, God made a breach' upon him in the day of 
 battle, and smote him dead, 2 Sam. vi. fi, 7. Whin 
 he smote Egypt, he made it desolate ; the fulness of 
 it could not stand before him, Ezek. xxxii. 15. Israel 
 is no more to God than a reed shaken in the waters, 
 1 Kings xiv. 15 ; one stroke of his will cut it down. 
 Ephraim is no more than a tree to the axe ; if God 
 smite, the root dries up, and no more fruit grows 
 thereon, Hos. ix. 16. If God smite habitations, be 
 they never so costly, stately, great, of what materials 
 soever, they quickly fall, Amos iii. 15. When God 
 reckons with kings and queens, they cannot stand in 
 judgment : Jehoram God smites with sickness till 
 his bowels fall out, 2 Chron. xxi. 18, 19; I'zziah 
 sins, and is smitten with leprosy ; Jezebel and Atha- 
 liah are cut off by just judgment of his, 2 Kings ix. 
 xi. ; he c«its off the spirit of princes, and is terrible 
 to the kings of the earth, Psal. Ixxvi. 12. Great 
 armies cannot stand in the day of the Lord's an- 
 g r: 2 Chron. xiii. Jeroboam had an army of eight 
 hundred thousand, and, ver. 15, God smote him and 
 all Israel, "so that there fell down slain of Israel 
 
 five hundred thousand chosen men," ver. 17. David 
 asks the question, Psal. cxlvii. 17, "Who can stand 
 before his cold?" If God can intend the cold, so 
 that men cannot endure it, he can intend the heat 
 also, so that there is no abiding of it ; his wrath is 
 hot, fierce, a consuming fire : this made Ezra cry 
 out, chap. ix. 15, " Behold, we are before thee in oi.r 
 trespasses, but we cannot stand before thee, because 
 of this ;" clii is rendered here, for, but, under correc- 
 tion, it may be rendered, but ; as in Gen. xlv. 8, 
 " It was not you sent me hither," chi liaelohim, " but 
 God." 1 Sam. vi. 19, 20, when the Lord had smote 
 fifty thousand and seventy men of Bi-thshemesh, for 
 their irreverent meddling with the ark, what said the 
 rest ? " Who is able to stand before this holy Lord 
 God ?" No man in his sin can do it. Nahum i. 5, 6, 
 " The mountains quake at him, the hills melt, the 
 earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all 
 that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indig- 
 nation ? and who can abide in the fierceness of his 
 anger ? his fury is poured out like fire, and the 
 rocks are thrown down by him." Let sinners be 
 never so great, stout, when God comes in battle, he 
 will overcome ; and therefore saith, Ezek. xxii. 14, 
 " Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be 
 strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee ?" Je- 
 rusalem thought so, but she found it otherwise. 
 
 Obs. 5. The prophets' failing in their duty, is one 
 great cause of the people's falling in the day of the 
 Lord's battles. They went not up into the gaps, 
 they made not up the hedge for the house of Israel, 
 that they might stand, &c. therefore the}- fell. The 
 prophets here are implied to be builders and hus- 
 bandmen ; builders, to make a w all about the people, 
 who are the city of God ; husbandmen, to make 
 hedges and finces about them, being the garden, 
 orchard, and vineyard of God : now- when they neg- 
 lect to do these, they expose them to spoil and ruin, 
 and provoke God to destroy all. Samuel knew this, 
 and therefore said, 1 Sam. xii. 23, " God forbid that 
 I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for 
 you :" had he failed in his duty, sin would have in- 
 creased, WTath broken out, and all have been over- 
 thrown. You have an observable place in Jer. xxiii. 
 22, " Had the prophets stood in my counsel, and had 
 caused my people to hear my words, then they should 
 have turned them from their evil way, and from the 
 evil of their doings ;" which had it been done, they 
 had prevented the battle, and the people's falling 
 therein. 
 
 " They have seen vanity and lying divination, say- 
 ing," iS:c. Here is a further manifestation of the 
 iniquity of these prophets. 
 
 I. You have the nature of their visions discovered ; 
 they were vanity and lies. 
 
 II. Their lying pretence for what they saw; and 
 said, " The Lord saith, and the Lord hath not sent 
 them." 
 
 III. The fruit and effect of their prophecy; they 
 made the people to hope that they would confirm 
 what they said ; they gave it out that God had re- 
 vealed it unto them, that they should not go into 
 captivity, tl'.at those in Babylon should return to 
 Jeru^-plem w ithin a few years ; and by this means 
 they Li-gat vain hopes in the hearts of the people with 
 their vain visions. 
 
 What tiles':' prophets had was out of their own 
 hearts, and from their own spirits, not from God ; 
 for notl'.ing from him is vain or lying, but because 
 it was from themselves, it was " vanity and lying 
 divination." 
 
 " Lying divination." Hebrew, diviuations of a 
 lie, that had no truth in them. 
 
 " The Lord hath not sent them." True prophets
 
 ViiR. S. 9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 303 
 
 had two things : 1. The gift of prophecy. 2. A call 
 to exercise that gift. Botli tliese were wanting in 
 tliese prophets, and therefore the Lord sent them 
 not. 
 
 " That they would confirm the word." They op- 
 posed tlie true prophets, told the people God was 
 merciful, and would never bring such a long judg- 
 ment upon them, that ere long they should see who 
 spake truth ; and so the people were brought to a 
 hope and persuasion that their word should be ac- 
 complislied, and this they waited for. The Septua- 
 gint reads it, they began to stir up or revive the 
 word : many times the people's hearts were faint- 
 ing, misgiving tliem that it might prove otherwise 
 than tliey said ; hereupon tliey stirred up their 
 words, bid them not doubt, but be confident they had 
 all from God, and were sent of him. 
 
 Obs. 1. The impudence and arrogance of false 
 prophets and teachers. They said tliey had visions, 
 and had none, ver. 3, they saw nothing. They 
 pretended they had visions and divinations from 
 God, real and true, and they saw nothing but vanity 
 and lying divinations: they said, "The Lord saith," 
 and he said not so ; that the Lord sent them, and 
 he sent them not, but they ran of themselves : they 
 engaged the name and faith of God in their lying 
 prophecies, and would have had them to be thought 
 as good scripture as what any of the true prophets 
 delivered ; they condemned the true prophets for 
 liars, and justified themselves. False teachers are 
 very arrogant and self-justifying ; Zedekiah said to 
 Micaiali, " Wliich way went the Spirit from me to 
 thee ?" have not 1 the Spirit, do not I understand 
 the mind of God as well as thee, or any of thy rank ? 
 1 Kings xxii. 24. Are not Jesuits and many others 
 of this strain ? they pretend miracles, scriptures, 
 coimcils, fathers for their traditions, new articles, 
 faith, seven sacraments, c&c. when there is hardlj' 
 any such thing. And do not many among us wrest 
 Scripture, and force it into other senses, to weaken 
 truth, maintain error, and to obtrude their own terms 
 upon others ? 
 
 Obs. 2. People are easily misled, seduced by false 
 prophets. When they come with pretence of divine 
 revelations and mission, and say, " The Lord saith," 
 they listen, they hope, especially when they shall 
 bring things suitable to their nature and desires, as 
 here. They persuaded them that Jeremiah had pro- 
 phesied falsely in telling them they should be carried 
 mto Babylon, be seventy years there. No, no, we 
 have truer visions than he, the Lord will never for- 
 sake you who are his people, he will never leave 
 Jerusalem, your brethren shall return to you, you 
 shall never go to them ; and this the people hoped 
 woidd be. Prov. xiv. 15, " The simple believeth 
 every word." Jer. v. 31, "The prophets prophesy 
 falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means ; 
 and my people love to have it so :" they affect the 
 lies and flatteries of these false prophets, and what 
 will they do in the end thereof? Let Paul's advice 
 be acceptable to you, 1 Thess. v. 21, "Prove all 
 things ; hold fast that which is good ;" believe neither 
 one prophet nor other, but prove what they say, and 
 what is truth, good, hold that fast. 
 
 Ver. 8, 9. Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; 
 Because ye have spoken vanify, and seen lies, 
 therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the 
 Lord God. And mine hand shall be upon the 
 prophets that see vanih/, and that divine lies : 
 theif shall not be in the assembly of my people, 
 neither shall they be written in the writing of the 
 house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the 
 
 land of Israel ; and ye shall knoir that I am the 
 Lord God. 
 
 In these words are several judgments laid down 
 against the false prophets. 
 
 I. General. 
 
 II. Particular. 
 
 I. The general are two : 
 
 1. God is against them; "Behold, I am against 
 you." 
 
 2. His hand shall be upon them. 
 II. Particular ones are three : 
 
 1. Exclusion from God's people ; " They shall not 
 be in the assembly of my people." 
 
 2. Exclusion from having their names written 
 amongst the Israelites ; " Neither shall they be 
 written in the writing of the house of Israel." 
 
 3. Exclusion from return from captivity : "Neither 
 shall they enter into the land of Israel." 
 
 (1.) The reason of all, because they spake vanity, 
 and divined lies ; " Therefore, because ye have 
 spoken vanity," &c. 
 
 (2.) The authority and certainty of all; "Thus 
 saith the Lord God." 
 
 (3.) The event; "Ye shall know that I am the 
 Lord." 
 
 " Spoken vanity." Hebrew is, for that ye speak 
 a vain thing. These prophets, pretending they had 
 visions and divinations, spake them to the people ; 
 and what were they ? vanity and lies, there was no 
 truth or reality in ought they delivered. The word 
 NIB' notes vanity of words, and falsehood, Psal. cxliv. 
 8. Deut. V. 20, " Thou shalt not bear false wit- 
 ness ;" Hebrew is, witness of vanity. Zech. x. 2 
 " The idols have spoken vanity, the diviners have 
 seen a lie, and have told false dreams :" vanity, lies, 
 and dreams, are joined together here ; these idol 
 prophets spake vanity, saw lies, told dreams. Peter 
 saith, the false prophets spake " great swelling 
 words of vanity," 2 Pet. ii. 18. 
 
 " I am against you." Hebrew is. Behold, I am 
 against you ; it is an aposiopesis, something is con- 
 cealed which may easily be apprehended ; as, I come 
 to you, to punish you, or, I come against you : 
 Chaldee is, I am about to send my anger against 
 you. This phrase you have again, Ezek. xxi. 3, 
 " Behold, I am against thee ;" and in chap. xxvi. 3. 
 And it is used when the Lord is greatly oflcnded, 
 and destruction of persons and things near at hand : 
 Rev. ii. 5, "Repent, and do thy first works; else 
 will I come unto thee quickly, and remove thy can- 
 dlestick." It is of sad importance when the Lord 
 saith, I come to you, or am against you. They 
 thought it was but a few men opposed, who were 
 weak, inconsiderable things, but the great and glori- 
 ous God tells them that he is against them. 
 
 " My hand shall be upon the prophets," &c. Hand 
 notes God's power and stroke ; he being against 
 them himself, he would put forth his power and 
 smite them with some judgment or other. The 
 Septuagint reads it, I will stretch out mine hand to, 
 or upon, the prophets : and the Chaldee, for, my hands, 
 have, my stroke ; thus hand is taken Psal. xxi. 8, 9, 
 "Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies; thy 
 right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou 
 shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine 
 anger." 1 Sam. v. 7, " Hi,> hand is sore upon us ;" 
 chap. vi. 3, " It shall be known why his hand is not 
 removed from you." God had smitten them with 
 the emerods, and that they call the hand of God. 
 The phrase here implies that God will in some spe- 
 cial manner punish these prophets. 
 
 " They shall not be in the assembly of my people." 
 Hebrew is, 1103 which Montanus interprets, in the
 
 394 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIII. 
 
 secret ; the Septuagint, iv TaiSiia, in the instructing of 
 my people ; they shall not prophesy or preach unto 
 them ; their liberty and power of speaking shall be 
 taken from them. The diflerence of interpreting the 
 woril, arises fi-om the several significations of the 
 Hebrew word t\d which signifies a secret council, 
 and the company of those who consult or counsel. 
 If we take it here for secret, they shall not be in the 
 secret of my people, then the sense is, they shall 
 not know those secrets, nor partake of that good, 
 which I reserve for to make known and communi- 
 cate to my people. The Targum hath it thus, /?i 
 occullis boni.'i quip reposila sunt popiilo non Itabebuntur, 
 They shall not be accounted among those secret 
 good things which are laid up for my people. Pro- 
 phets were great mercies for people, and God gave 
 them out upon occasion ; but these should not be 
 numbered amongst them, they should be detected 
 and have their reward. 
 
 This secret of God's people is some choice know- 
 ledge of God and his will, beyond what is vulgarly 
 known by men of the world. Psal. xxv. 14, " The 
 secret of the Lord is with them that fear him." 
 Prov. iii. 32, " His secret is with the righteous." 
 Micaiah knew the secret of the Lord, touching 
 Ahab, 1 Kings xxiv. which neither Zedekiah nor 
 any other of the false prophets knew. Amos iii. 7, 
 " The Lord revealeth his secret unto his servants 
 the prophets," not to those who are false and against 
 him. 
 
 If we take it for " assembly," as the word is some- 
 times used in holy writ, as Jer. vi. 11, "I will pour 
 out my fury upon the assemblies of yolmg men," 
 D'lina ^SD Sy then we must inquire what assemblies 
 are meant. There were two kinds of assemblies 
 among the Jews : 
 
 First, an assembly of elders ; Psal. cvii. 32, " And 
 praise him in the assembly of elders :" these were 
 the magistrates and senators that had authority, and 
 bare rule over the people ; it might be the seventy 
 or sanhedrim. 
 
 .Secondly, an assembly of saints ; Psal. Ixxxix. 7, 
 " God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of 
 the saints :" the Jews were a holy people, and when 
 there were public congregations of them, they were 
 an assembly of saints. You may imderstand it of 
 both assemblies, that these false prophets should 
 neither come amongst the senators, to sit in council, 
 there to consult about any matters of state or church ; 
 nor amongst the saints, they should have no commu- 
 nion with God's people : and this sense I like best ; 
 for the prophets came to ecclesiastic meetings, as 
 appears, 2 Kings xxiii. 2, the prophets were present 
 when Josiah read the book of the covenant ; Jer. 
 xxvi. 7, the priests and prophets heard Jeremiah in 
 the house of the Lord. 
 
 " Neither shall they be written in the writing of 
 the house of Israel." What this writing of the 
 house of Israel was, search must be made. The 
 Septuagint reads. In the Scripture of the house of 
 Israel they shall not be written. By Scripture some 
 understand the canonical books of Moses and the 
 projihets, and will have the sense to be, that the 
 prophecies of these false prophets should not be 
 written in or among those books ; but surely it was 
 never in the thoughts of any true prophet, that the 
 lies and vanities of false prophets should be joined 
 to sacred writ : what hath the chatV to do with the 
 wheat ? We must look out some other meaning of 
 these words. Wh.en it pleased the Lord to bring his 
 people out of Egypt, he commanded them to be 
 numb red. Numb. i. 2, .3. The names and number 
 of all from twenty years old and upwards were to 
 be taken, and when they were numbered they were 
 
 to "give every man a ransom for his soul unto the 
 Lord," Exod. xxx. 12. In like manner, when they 
 came out of Babylon they were numbered, as ap- 
 pears, Ezra ii. viii. ; and Neh. vii. where you have 
 the number set down ; ver. 66, 67, " The whole con- 
 gregation together was forty and two thousand three 
 hundred and threescore, beside man and maid ser- 
 vants seven thousand three hundred thirty and 
 seven, and two hundred forty and fi\e singing men 
 and women." The catalogues in which the names 
 of these were wTitten, are judged to be the writings 
 of the house of Israel ; by these the tribes were 
 known, preserved distinct, and those who were not 
 found in the writing were displaced: Neh. vii. 64, 
 " These sought their register among those that were 
 reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found : there- 
 fore were they, as polluted, put from the priest- 
 hood." Isa. iv. 3, " Every one that is written among 
 the living in Jerusalem shall be called holy." He 
 speaks of great calamity, a destruction which should 
 be upon the Jews, and few should escape, but he 
 that was left, and written among the living, &c. 
 All those who came to Jerusalem from the captivity, 
 and were citizens thereof, were written in some 
 book, catalogue, or register, which was the writing 
 of the house of Israel ; and was called also The 
 book of life, or of the living ; for upon the death 
 of a man, his name was I'ased out of this book, or if 
 he did any thing unworthy the name and right of a 
 citizen ; and then he was counted as a dead man. 
 The sense of these words you may hence then take 
 up thus, viz. These false prophets shall be reckoned 
 amongst the dead, not the living ; they shall not be 
 WTitten in the writing of the house of Israel, when 
 they come back to Jerusalem ; they shall be like 
 trees pulled up and never planted again ; they shall 
 be cut off and destroyed by some judgment. In this 
 sense some take those words of Moses, Exod. xxxii. 
 32, " Blot me out of thy book which thou hast writ- 
 ten," take away my life ; thou art now wroth with 
 thy people, about to slay them ; Lord, forgive them, 
 spare them, else destroy me, and blot my name out 
 of the book thou hast written, as our practice is. 
 
 This sense I condemn not, but something more 
 some interpreters find in the words. This writing of 
 the house of Israel they interpret the book of life, 
 in which the names of all true Israelites were writ- 
 ten ; Phil. iv. 3, " Whose names are in the book of 
 life;" Dan. xii. 1, "Every one that shall be found 
 written in the book ;" Luke x. 20, there is mention 
 of names written in heaven ; Rev. xiii. 8, it is called 
 the Lamb's book of life; so Rev. xxi. 27- Con- 
 trary to this is writing their names in the earth ; Jer. 
 x\'ii. 13, "They that depart from the Lord, shall be 
 written in the earth." The meaning then of the 
 words must be of this nature : These false prophets 
 think themselves to be my servants, that their names 
 are in my book ; they say, the Lord hath sent them, 
 that they have my Spirit, do declare my will, and 
 honour me much among my people ; and you think 
 them also happy men, that their names are written 
 in heaven, tlint if any be saved they shall : but they 
 neither are, nor shall be ever written in any book, 
 accou; fed among my faithful ones; they are hypo- 
 crites, shall be discovered, and discarded for ever. 
 In Psal. Ixix. 28, you have such an expression, 
 " Let them be blotted out of the book of tlie living, 
 and not be written with the righteous :" there were 
 many who appeared to others to be written iji the 
 book of life, but the prophet prays that the Lord 
 would make it evident some way or other, that they 
 were not there. Here the Scripture speaks accord- 
 ing to the opinion of men, not according to the 
 reality of things, (iod blots men out of the book of
 
 Ver. 8, 9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 305 
 
 life, when he declares by some dealings of his with 
 them, that tliey are not accepted of liim. Here 
 God's hand sliould be upon them, they should not 
 be among his peo[)le, have communion with them 
 or him in any ordinance of his, and this was evi- 
 dence they were not in his book, in that they should 
 not come into the land of Canaan, that they should 
 not be written in the v\Titing of the house of Israel. 
 
 " Neither shall they enter into the land of Israel." 
 This is the third particular judgment. The land of 
 Israel hath manv eulogies in Scripture ; it is called 
 " The land of the Hving," Psal. xxvii. 13 ; David 
 had fainted, but that he hoped " to see the goodness 
 of the Lord in the land of the living." People that 
 lived in other lands were dead men, they had dtaf, 
 dumb, dead gods, and deadly worship ; but the Jews 
 had the living God their God, and lively worship, 
 Acts vii. 38. A " land of uprightness," Psal. cxliii. 
 10; where were the best laws that ever nation had. 
 A land of delight, for so the Hebrew is, Dan. xi. 41, 
 »3in yiNa Aland which was " the glory of all lands," 
 Ezek. XX. (). The land of Immanuel, Isa. viii. 8; 
 where Immanuel was promised, born, lived, preach- 
 ed, wrought his miracles, and showed his glory. 
 Into this land must not they come. They propjhe- 
 sied, that within a few years all should return into 
 this land ; but Ezekiel from the Lord tells them, that 
 after seventy years they shall not return into their 
 country, nor enter into heaven, whereof this was a 
 type. Captivity was a little death, and to be in a 
 land of dead ones was another death ; and never to 
 enjoy the land of the living, nor the living God, this 
 was the sting of death. It was lawful for strangers to 
 come into the land of Israel, 2 Chron.ii. 17, there were 
 a hundred and lifty three thousand six hundred at once 
 in the land, and yet these prophets might not come in. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord is against evil prophets, and 
 that is a dreadful thing. There are several things 
 which makes God to be against them : 
 
 (1.) They abuse his name and authority, saying, 
 the Lord sent them, ver. 6. If any man should 
 abuse the name of a prince, or of parliament, and 
 say, they sent them to speak or do any thing, and 
 they did not, what injury were this unto them ! how 
 w ould they take it ! much more is it a wrong to the 
 Lord, who is greater than they. 
 
 (2.) Their prophecies are lies, vanity, the thoughts 
 of their own heads, and conceptions of their own 
 hearts, ver. 2, 3, 7. and so contrary to the truths of God. 
 
 (3.) They prejudice the design of God by the true 
 prophets. By them the Lord made known his dis- 
 pleasure against the ways of sinners, convinced them 
 of the evil of their doings, and drew them to repent- 
 ance ; Jer. XXV. 5, the prophets said, " Turn from the 
 evil of your doings, and dwell in the land;" but the 
 false prophets discredited them, disparaged their 
 prophecies, and cried Peace. 
 
 (4.) They deceived the people with their false- 
 hoods, filled them with vain hopes, ver. 6; and so 
 strengthened them in their evil ways, and encouraged 
 them to their own destruction. 
 
 (5.) They grieved the spirits of the godly, they 
 made their hearts ache, as the false prophetesses did, 
 ver. 22, they " made the hearts of the righteous sad." 
 
 (6.) They were evil themselves; Jer. xxiii. 11, 
 " Both prophet and priest are profane ; yea, in my 
 house have 1 found their wickedness, saith the Lord :" 
 they corrupted the worship of God with their inven- 
 tions ; God had cause enough to be against them. It 
 is very sad, yea dreadful, to have God against one. 
 I that know the secrets of all hearts, I that am holy 
 and hate all sin, I that keep an exact account of all 
 their ways, I that am infinitely just, and must punish 
 all wicked ones, I that am infinitely powerful, and 
 
 can destroy with an everlasting destruction, I, even 
 I am againstyou. Kom. viii. 31, " If God be for us, 
 who can be against us ?" When God is for a man, all 
 is safe, whoever attempts to hurt. David had many 
 against him; Psal. cxviii. 10, "All nations com- 
 jiassed me about;" ver. 12, "they compassed me 
 about like bees;" they swarmed about him, and had 
 their stings ready, thrust out to sting him to death, 
 but he had God with him, for him ; and therefore 
 saith, ver. 14, " The Lord is my strength and song, 
 and is become my salvation;" but had God been 
 against David, one of those bees would have been his 
 death. Whoever the Lord is against, hatli many 
 enemies and few friends, all in heaven, all in earth, 
 are against that man. 
 
 Obn. 2. Those prophets or people the Lord is 
 against, he puts forth his power to punish. " Behold, 
 I am against you, and my hand shall be upon you." 
 Jer. xxviii. 15 — 17) God was against that false pro- 
 phet Hananiah, and his hand was quickly upon him; 
 "Hear," saith Jeremiah unto him; "The Lord 
 hath not sent thee ; but thou makest this people 
 trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord ; Behold, 
 I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this 
 year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebel- 
 lion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet 
 died the same year." God was against Ahab, 
 and spake against him, 2 Chron. xviii. 22, and the 
 next tidings you hear of him, is his death by the 
 hand of the Lord, ver. 33, 34. So Lev. xx. 3, " 1 will 
 set my face against that man, and will cut him oft';" 
 if God's face be against a man, he will put forth his 
 hand to destroy that man from before his face ; and 
 chap. xxvi. 17, "I will set my face against you, and 
 ye shall be slain before your enemies." Ananias and 
 Sapphira had God against them for their wilful lying, 
 and presently his hand was upon them. Acts v. 
 God's judgments are called his hand, 1 Pet. v, (5, his 
 mighty hand ; and if that fall upon any, it will break 
 them to pieces. 
 
 06.S. 3. The fruits of God's displeasure are very 
 grievous. First, they are shut out from the assem- 
 blies of God's people, they shall have no communion 
 with the saints, those who are dear to God. AH 
 David's delight was in them, Psal. xvi. 3 ; and when 
 he was a little put by coming at the assemblies of 
 God's people, how did it trouble and afflict him ! 
 Psal. xlii. 1 — A, " As the hartpanteth after the water 
 brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, God. My 
 soul thirsteth for God, for the living God : when 
 shall I come and appear before God? My tears 
 have been my meat day and night ; while they con- 
 tinually say unto me. Where is thy God ? When I 
 remember these things, I pour out my soul in me : 
 for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them 
 to the house of God." So in the 84th Psalm, how 
 did he long for communion with God and his people 
 in the sanctuary ! his soul longed and fainted for the 
 courts of the Lord, his heart and flesh cried out for 
 the living God, ver. 2 ; he counted a day in the 
 Lord's courts better than a thousand, he had rather 
 be a door-keeper there, than a favourite in Saul's 
 house, ver. 10. David knew there was much good to 
 be had in the assemblies of God's people, and there- 
 fore he prized them so, and was impatient of absence 
 from them. In the assemblies men have communion 
 with God ; there his glory is seen ; Psal. xxix. 9, 
 " In his temple doth every one speak of his glory ;" 
 Psal. Ixviii. 24, " They have seen thy goings, God, 
 in the sanctuary." There his wisdom, his power, 
 his mercy, his truth, his glory, are evidenced, the 
 treasures of his grace opened and dispensed, spiritual 
 life begotten and maintained, drooping souls are com- 
 forted, raised, ravished ; there wc admire, adore.
 
 39,". 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIII. 
 
 magnify, and glorify God ; there we hear of our duty 
 towards God and man ; there we have fellowship 
 with the saints, interest in their ati'ections, gifts, 
 graces, counsels, comforts, admonitions, exhortations, 
 and prayers. In the assemblies of God's people, 
 you iiave the presence of God, of Christ, the Spirit, 
 and the angels, 1 Cor. xi. 10: and what a sore judg- 
 ment is it to be shut out from these assemblies ! 
 Bless God for your liberties, be thankful for all the 
 good you have in the assemblies, and walk so that 
 you may honour truth and the God of assemblies. 
 
 Obs. 4. Many that in their own and the world's 
 esteem go for true prophets and saints, will be in 
 God's time discovered to be liars, hypocrites, false ; 
 themselves think, and others also, that they are 
 written in the writing of the house of Israel, in the 
 book of life, but their names were never there. The 
 Jews said they were Abraham's seed, God was their 
 Father, but they were found false, they were of their 
 father the devil. 
 
 Ver. 10 — 16. Because, even because thri/ have 
 seduced my people, sailing. Peace ; and there was 
 no peace ; and one built up a ivall, and, lo, others 
 daubed it with untenipered murter : say unto 
 them which daub it with untempered morter, that 
 it shall fall : there shall be an overflowing shower ; 
 and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall ; and a 
 stormy u'ind shall rend it. Lo, when the wall is 
 fallen, shall it not be said unto you, ifliere is the 
 daubing wherewith ye have daubed it 9 There- 
 fore thus saith the Lord God ; I will even rend it 
 with a stormy wind in my fury ; and there shall 
 he an overjlowing shower in mine anger, and great 
 hailstones in my fury to consume it. So will I 
 break down the wall that ye have daubed with un- 
 tempered morter, and bring it down to the ground, 
 so that the foundation thereof shall be discovered, 
 and it shall fall, and ye shall be consumed in the 
 midst thereof: and ye shall know that I am the 
 Lord. Thus will I accomj)lish my wrath upon the 
 ivall, and upon them that have daubed it with un- 
 tempered morter, and will say unto you. The wall 
 is no more, neither they that daubed it ; to wit, the 
 prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Je- 
 rusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and 
 there is no peace, saith the Lord God. 
 
 The words before you present to us two things : 
 
 I. The sin of the false prophets, viz. seduction, 
 "They have seduced my people ;" and the manner 
 how, by " saying. Peace ;" by building and daubing 
 a wall with untempered mortar, ver. 10. 
 
 II. God's proceedings with them, and their wall ; 
 he will send a storm, overthrow their wall, shame 
 and confound them, in tlie following verses. 
 
 " Because, even because." Hebrew is. For that, 
 even for that ; the words are doubled, and so em- 
 phatical : the like you have in Lev. xxvi. 43, " Be- 
 cause, even because they despised my judgments." 
 
 " Seduced." Hebrew is Ijran have caused to err ; 
 Vulgate is, deceperint, have deceived ; but, causing 
 to err, sets out the sense of the word more fully. 
 '2 Chron. xxxiii. 9, " Alanasseh made Judah and the 
 inliabitants of Jerusalem to eiT ;" the false prophets 
 seduced him, and he seduced them. Seduction is 
 when men are led aside from the right way, and 
 upon false suggestions are carried into a wrong way, 
 believe lies, and practise answerably ; Amos ii. 4, 
 " Their lies caused them to err, after ihe which their 
 fathers have walked." 
 
 " Saying, Peace." aiSr from aSw entire, perfect, 
 because it preserves things, places, persons entire ; 
 whereas war wastes and consumes all. Peace among 
 tlie Hebrews notes freedom from war, tumults, a 
 quiet condition of life, and all kind of outward hap- 
 piness ; therefore the Jews when they wish happi- 
 ness to a man, they wish him peace. These pro- 
 phets told them in Babylon that they should have 
 liberty and quick return, and their hearts' desire 
 in the land of Judea ; they told those there, that 
 they should not need to fear Nebuchadnezzar or any 
 forces of his, they should live in safety, be fat and 
 flourishing, wanting notliing. 
 
 "One built up a wall." The word for "one" is 
 Nini and he or himself: Junius, hie, he, or this man : 
 Jerom will have this he, or one, to be meant of God, 
 who by his law and prophets built them a wall ; but 
 had God built the wall, he would not have spoken 
 against it, as here he doth. Some understand the 
 people, but there is no sufficient ground for that. 
 The Lord here is reproving the false prophets for 
 seducing the people, not the people for seducing the 
 prophets ; it is unlikely therefore^ that the people 
 should build a wall. By "one," or he, we conceive 
 is meant some chief one amongst the false prophets. 
 Zedekiah was a chief one among Ahab's false pro- 
 phets ; such was llananiah, Jer. xxviii. and She- 
 niaiah, Jer. xxix. 31, whom our prophet may intend; 
 for this Shemaiah was in Babylon, he jirophesied 
 false things, sent letters to all the people at Jeru- 
 salem, and caused them to trust in a lie. Or "one" 
 may be taken indefinitely. 
 
 " Built up a wall." This is a metaphorical ex- 
 pression borrowed from builders, who make walls 
 about their houses, to secure and strengthen them 
 from danger. Jerusalem had a wall about it, which 
 was a great defence unto it. This wall was some 
 false prophecy or doctrine given out unto the people, 
 which caused' them to be secure. Jeremiah had 
 prophesied of the coming of Nebuchadnezzar, the 
 destruction of the temple and city, seventy years' 
 captivity, that so he might awaken this people, bring 
 them to repentance, and prevent such judgments ; 
 but some one or other of the false prophets prophe- 
 sied the contrary. Jer. xxix. 8, it, they had some 
 in Babylon who built a wall there, telling them that 
 they should shortly return again to Jerusalem, and 
 quieted the spirits of those in captivity; they had 
 some at Jerusalem wdio built a wall there, and caus- 
 ed them to trust in vain things; ver. 21, there was 
 Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and Zedeki:ih the son of 
 Maaseiah, which prophesied a lie unto them in the 
 name of the Lord: Either Nebuchadnezzar will not 
 come, or if he do, you will have help from Egypt. 
 Their false and lying prophecies, wherein the people 
 trusted, was the wall they built; the pro|ihecy of 
 peace was the foundation of this wall, and the argu- 
 ments they used, the brick to build it up. So tliat 
 hereupon the people feared not any danger, humbled 
 not themselves for their sins, but became secure 
 and confident that all should be well; which made 
 Jeremiah say, chap. vi. 14, " They have healed the 
 hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, 
 Peace, peace." Jeremiah had threatened judgments 
 to them for their sins, wounded them by liis prophe- 
 cies, but they healed the wounds by crying, Peace, 
 peace. 
 
 " And, lo, others daubed it." Other prophets, 
 with their fair wiu-ds and false pretences, justified 
 what the fcu'mer had said ; when .some chief false 
 prophet had prophesied of peace, the rest, who were 
 inferior, would second him. The word for " daubed" 
 is D>nt3 from niB to cover, plaster over, or anoint ; and 
 so the Septuagint reads it, icai auroi uXtifmaiv abrov,
 
 Vek. 10—16. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 307 
 
 and tliey anoint it. These false prophets were like 
 masons and carpenters, who build deoeitfiuly, and 
 use their art and ntmost skill to make such work seem 
 goodly and beaiitiful. 
 
 " ^Vith untempered mortar." Hebrew is Ssr 
 which Montaniis renders imitlso, with that which 
 is unsavoury ; Piscator, Polanus, Junius, iiiepio, with 
 that which is foolish: the \ u\gate, Into ahiijiie paleis, 
 with mortar which hath no straw, chalT, hair, or 
 binding thing mixed with it. You know there nuist 
 be something mingled with loam, or lime, which men 
 use in buildings, if they will build to purpose ; but 
 these built with untempered mortar; and this mor- 
 tar was their flattering, fal^e, weak reasons and pre- 
 tences with which they used to keep the people in 
 security. Ezek. xxii. 28, " Her prophets have daub- 
 ed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and 
 divining lies unto them, saying. Thus saith the Lord 
 God, when the Lord hath not .spoken." There was 
 no truth, and so no strength in what they said; all 
 was their own, and so Intum sinejinuitate, loam with- 
 out strength. 
 
 The word Sun may be rendered ca-mro, with that 
 which is about to fall, from Ss; and in ver. 11, it is 
 said Se"i and it shall fall. 
 
 " An overflowing shower." t]'a'i:' CVi Great showers 
 will try buildings, especially walls that are of un- 
 tempered mortar. This overflowing shower was the 
 Chaldean ai-my : Isa. lix. 1!), "The enemy shall 
 C( me in like a flood ;" Isa. viii. 7, 8, " The Lord 
 bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong 
 and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his 
 glory : he .shall overflow and go over, he shall reach 
 even to the neck;" Jer. xlvii. 2, "Behold, waters 
 rise up out of the north, and .shall be an overflow- 
 ing flood, and shall overflow the lard, and all that 
 is therein ; the city, and them that dwell therein.'' 
 
 " Great hailstones." Hebrew is, r'aj^s '33N stones 
 of the hail. This word dgahis is only mentioned in 
 this prophet, and but thrice, in this verse, ver. 13, and 
 chap, xxxviii. 22, and it is great hail. The Septuagint 
 is ^u)(TuXi&Bg7rtrpo^6X«c, stones to throw against a rock; 
 and these may note out the chief men in the army, 
 or the whole army, who should be as stones of great 
 hail, to shake this mud wall of theirs. 
 
 The word is a compound v\ord of Sn poteris, and 
 f^'Z:, crysta/liLS. Job xx\nii. 18, " No mention shall 
 be made of coral, or of pearls ;" the word in Hebrew 
 for pearls is csa which Shindler interprets a crystal. 
 Now, because hailstones are like unto crystal and 
 pearl, therefore the word is here used, and el added 
 to it, to show what strong hailstones God would 
 send. 
 
 " A stormy wind shall rend it." Hebrew is, r.m 
 ni'^yo ventus turbinum. These words you have in 
 chap. i. 4, rendered "a whirlwind," where they 
 were o\ ened unto you : such an expression you 
 have in Isa. xxv. 4, "The blast of the terrible ones 
 is as a storm against the wall." By these metaphor- 
 ical words he sets out the wrath of God by the Chal- 
 dean army, which should be as tempestuous rain, 
 hail, and wind ; and the Scripture is frequent in this 
 metaphor when it would make known to us the in- 
 dignation of the Lord ; as you may ob.serve, Isa. xxi. 
 1 ; xxix. 6; Jer. xxiii. 19; xxx. 11); Isa. xvii. 13. 
 
 "The foundations thereof .shall be reveahd." 
 There shall not a stone be left upon a stone of this 
 building ; the foundation of this wall built up and 
 daubed with untempered mortar shall be discovered. 
 God would detect the falsehood of their projihecies, 
 the vanity of all their arguments, wiles, and ways, 
 they used to seduce and secure this people, whatever 
 they priimised of help from Egypt, whatever they 
 prophesied of the Chaldeans' not coming, whatever 
 X 2 
 
 they .said of the people's safety, of God's mercy and 
 favour and good will tow ards' them, whatever they 
 pretended of being sent from God, of speaking his 
 words, of having his Spirit, &c. God would discover 
 all their imposturings, and lav them open to the 
 world, so that nothing shall be left them but disgrace. 
 
 Some make the temple and city to be the founda- 
 tion. Because they had the holy city and holy place 
 where God had recorded his name, therefore they 
 cried, Peace, peace, flattered the people into a good 
 condition, and surrounded them with a wall of secu- 
 rity ; therefore God would destroy both, and discover 
 their foundation. 
 
 ^ " They shall be consumed in the midst thereof." 
 You promise great matters to others, that they shall 
 within few years return from Babylon, come and 
 dwell safely in Jerusalem ; but there is no safety in 
 Jerusalem for yourselves, you shall be consumed in 
 it, that are so confldent of the safety of it. When a 
 wall falls, and foundations are discovered, likely 
 some do sufl'er by it, and so should these false pro- 
 phets here. 
 
 Quett. In Jer. iv. 10, yon have these words uttered 
 by the prophet. " Ah, Lord God ! surely thou hast 
 greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying. 
 Ye shall have peace ; whereas the sword reacheth 
 unto the soul." If God promised them peace and 
 deceived them, doth he not herein resemble tlie false 
 prophets, and so lessen their sin ? 
 
 Answ. 1. God did not promise them peace, but 
 threatened severe judgments against them by Isaiah, 
 Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, as you may see, Isa. xxix. 3 
 —6 ; Jer. ix. 9—11 ; Ezek. v. 8—10. 
 
 2. Some make the prophets here to speak in the 
 name of the people, and to personate them. They 
 thought the peace which was promised them by the 
 false prophets was from God, and therefore, finding 
 the contrary, do charge God, as wicked men in their 
 distresses are wont to do. 
 
 3. The words may be taken by way of interroga- 
 tion, thus ; Hast thou in deceiving deceived this 
 people, hast thou promised them peace, and brought 
 the sword upon them ? Is this thy manner of ].ro- 
 ceeding with thy people ? surely it cannot be, thou 
 art faithful, and canst not deny thyself, 2 Tim. ii. 
 13 ; and Numb, xxiii. 19, " God is not a man that 
 he should lie ; neither the son of man, that he should 
 repent : hath he said, and shall he not do it ? or hath 
 he spoken, and shall he not make it good ?" 
 
 4. If God ])romised them peace, it was after their 
 return from captivity, not at the present ; and so, 
 Jer. iii. 17, 18, you shall find it, " At that time they 
 shall call JerusaUm the throne of the Li rd ; and all 
 the nations shall he gathered unto it, to the name 
 of the Lord, to Jerusalem : neither shall they walk 
 any more after the imagination of their evil heart. 
 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with 
 the house of Israel, and they shall come together 
 out of the land of the north," &c. 
 
 5. The prophet might thus speak and say, God 
 had deceived them, because he sulfered the false 
 prophets to propound their dreams, lies, divinations, 
 visions, and things of their own hearts and spirits, 
 unto the people, whereby they were greatly deceived. 
 A man that suflers a thing to be done, in ordinary 
 spieech, is said to be the author of it : if a physician 
 will not give physic to cure a sick man, if he die of 
 his sickness, it is vulgarly said he is the cause of his 
 death ; if the owner will not preserve a ruinous house 
 from falling, when it is fallen he is said to be the au- 
 thor of its fall ; so here, God is said to deceive them, 
 because he hindered not those false prophets from de- 
 ceiving them. God saw hovi' averse they were to truth, 
 how they slij^dited and mocked his prophets, 2 Chron.
 
 303 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIII. 
 
 xxxvi. 16, and despised his words, therefore in just 
 judn;ment he gave them up to believe lies, falsehoods, 
 and deceivable things. 
 
 Ubx. I. That false prophets and teachers seduce 
 the people, feeding them with vain hope ^. They cried, 
 Peace, peace, all things shall be prosperous, com- 
 fortable, we shall have no wars in our gates, no fa- 
 mine or plague in our cities : they gave out pleasing 
 prophecies, and so beguiled the unstable and credu- 
 lous people, and swelled them with vast hopes. 
 They hoped to see their brethren return from Ba- 
 bylon, to buy and sell, to marry and build, to grow 
 great, and see many good days. The false prophets 
 hllcd Ahab with great hopes of victory at Ramoth- 
 gilead ; " Go up, and prosper," said they, " for the 
 Lord shall deliver it into the king's hand," 1 Kings 
 xxii. 12. These prophets begat and maintained hopes 
 in the hearts of the people, they made them trust in 
 the temple, and corrupt worship which was in it ; 
 therefore Jer. vii. 4, Jeremiah sent to command them 
 not to trust in lying words, " saying. The temple of 
 the Lord," &c. "NVhatever wickedness they conmiittcd, 
 yet if they appeared in the temple, and stood before 
 the Lord, they said they were delivered, no threat- 
 enings of Jeremiah or others should take hold of 
 them. They made them trust in their strong holds, 
 and look to the hills and mountains about them ; 
 therefore, Jer. iii. 23, he tells them, that in vain they 
 hoped for salvation from the hills, and from the 
 multitude of moimtains ; they thought because Jeru- 
 salem was so well fortified with high hills and great 
 mountains, that it could not be taken; Jer. xxi. 13, 
 " Who shall come down against us ; or who shall 
 enter into our habitations ?" and chap. xlix. 4, Jeru- 
 salem said, " Who shall come unto me ?" Hananiah, 
 a false prophet, told the people that within the space 
 of two full years Nebuchadnezzar's yoke should be 
 broken from off the neck of all nations, Jer. xxviii. 
 11 ; and ver. 15, Jeremiah saith, he made the people 
 trust in a lie. 
 
 Obi. 2. It is a clear argument of a blind and false 
 teacher, to speak things answerable to the humours 
 and corruptions of men. This people could not en- 
 dure Jeremiah prophesying truth, threatening judg- 
 ment against them for their sins, see Jer. xxxviii. 2 
 — 5 ; they desired to hear of pleasing things. It 
 was good tidings to them to hear that Nebuchad- 
 nezzar should not come against them, nor make 
 them tributary unto him, therefore the prophets 
 prophesied it; Jer. xxvii. 14, they told them they 
 should not serve the king of Babylon. It was pleas- 
 ing to them to hear of bringing back again the ves- 
 sels of the temple; and, ver. 16, these jirophets pro- 
 phesied, saying, " Behold, the vessels of the Lord's 
 house shall now shortly be brought again from Ba- 
 bylon." Wherein could they have humoured these 
 people more ? You have a notable place in Jer. 
 xxiii. 16, " The prophets that jirophesy unto you 
 make you vain : they speak a vision of their own 
 heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord." Now 
 that which comes not from God's holy mouth, but 
 man's carnal heart, will be pleasing to other carnal 
 hearts ; and lest you may think I deceive you, ob- 
 serve ver. 1 7. " They say still unto them that despise 
 me, The Lord hath said. Ye shall have peace ; and 
 they say unto every one that walketh after the 
 imagination of his own heart. No evil .shall come 
 upon vou." What is more pleasing to man, than to 
 have his own mind, do his own will, walk after the 
 imaginations of his own heart ? and what softer 
 words more suitable to him can be said, than no evil 
 shall come upon him ? False prophets speak verba 
 lactis, milky, oily words, such as please men, and 
 battle their himiours, and so have a great advantage 
 
 with men, who love to be humoured ; but true pro- 
 Iihets speak verba verilatis, words of truth, which 
 have salt and fire in them, and so cross, fret, provoke 
 men's lusts, and stir up their hatred against them : 
 and as the other, with their lies and flatteries, find 
 favour with men, so these, for their truths, with God, 
 who loves truth. Paul durst not preach to please 
 men, but Christ, Gal. i. 10. John would not please 
 Herod. 
 
 Obx. 3. The prophecies and doctrines of false 
 teachers seem unto them, and those who cleave to 
 them, to have much strength. They " built up a 
 wall ;" walls are things of strength, be they earth, 
 timber, or stone walls. They prophesied peace, that 
 Nebuchadnezzar should not come against them, or 
 dejiart, if he came, without prejudice to them ; they 
 said that the vessels and people should speedily re- 
 turn from Babylon, &c. ; these doctrines of theirs 
 were as walls unto them of strength and defence. 
 Solomon tells us, that a rich man's riches are a high 
 wall in his own conceit, Prov. xviii. 1 1 ; and so the 
 opinions and tenets of false teachers are a high wall 
 in their own conceits ; they think the people are 
 strengthened and secured by them. There are 
 scarcely any opinions abroad, be they never so erro- 
 neous, heretical, blasphemous, tending to licentious- 
 ness, but the authors of them judge them to have 
 strength in them, and look upon them as walls to 
 advantage the peojjle ; and those who are deceived 
 by them, think the like of them. 
 
 Obs. 4. That false prophets and teachers do concur 
 and mutually endeavour to countenance and strength- 
 en each other's doctrines and tenets. " One built up 
 a wall, and, lo, others daubed it." The true pro- 
 phets oft prophesied the same things, and so strength- 
 ened the hands each of other ; and so did the false 
 prophets, they improved their art and parts to 
 strengthen one another : they brought their visions, 
 divinations, dreams, lies, and whatever they had, to 
 plaster and daub up this wall ; they told them of 
 God's mercy, covenant, promise to dwell at Jerusa- 
 lem for ever, how greatly God was delighted with 
 that place, that they were a holy people, had the 
 law, ordinances, sacrifices, which ncme else in the 
 world had, that God had no church but them, and 
 therefore unlikely that ever he would destroy them, 
 that his heart was towards them : thus tiny agreed 
 all in falsehood, and strengthened themselves and 
 the people in wickedness. So all the false I'rophets 
 concurred in deceiving Ahab ; Zedekiah, the chief, 
 makes horns, and saith, "With these shalt thou push 
 the Syrians, until thou have consumed thim." 
 
 Obs. 5. Whatever prophets give out of their own 
 unto the people, it is weak, unsolid, and unservice- 
 able. These prophets prophesied of their own heads, 
 out of their own spirits, they had nothing from God ; 
 and what was all, but untempcred mortar, a thing 
 unsavoury and foolish ? did any of their visions, 
 divinations, or prophecies, strengthen the hearts or 
 hands of this people? were they not altogether se- 
 duced by them ? They filled them with vain hopes, 
 nattered them in their sinful ways, prophesied of 
 peace and plenty, and so healed the nurt of God's 
 people slightly ; they skinned it over with fair words, 
 but did not search it to the bottom, and 
 lance it with sound and wholesome ■"■•>"iii- 
 truths ; they brought of their own, not of the Lord's, 
 and therefore it was unserviceable ; they brought 
 lies, Jer. xxvii. 10; false dreams, chap, xxiii. 32; 
 the deceit of their own hearts, ver. 26; false visions, 
 divinations, and things of nought, chap. xiv. 14. 
 Can lies, dreams, deceits, false, and things of nought, 
 strengthen or build up ? The truths and doctrines 
 of God are solid, savoury, strengthening, well tern-
 
 VuR. 10—16. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 309 
 
 pevcd mortar; they are tempered with the glory, 
 wisdom, mercy, and love of God, with the blood of 
 Christ, with the power of the Spirit, and they will 
 build up a wall, be strength unto us ; Zech. i. 13, 
 his words are good and comfortable ; Micah ii. 7, 
 they do good ; Psal. xci. 4, his truth is a shield and 
 buckler ; it is sure and will not deceive, 2 Pet. i. 19; 
 the doctrines of the apostles confirmed the brethren 
 and the churches, Acts xiv. 22; xv. 32. The doc- 
 trines and opinions of men are windy deceitful 
 things, and hinder growth and strength, Eph. iv. 14, 
 but the truths of God cause growth in all things, 
 and so strengthen, making us firm as walls. What 
 „ .. men bring of their own, are TrXdmoi 
 
 \6yoi, feigned words, untempered mor- 
 tar, but what they have from God are wliolesome 
 words and doctrines, " according to godliness," 
 
 1 Tim. vi. 3. 
 
 Obs. 6. Seducing of people by false, flattering, 
 unsound doctrines doth greatly provoke God. " Be- 
 cause, even because they have seduced my people, 
 .saying. Peace ; and one built," &c. Prophets' work 
 is to make known truth, and to bring men out of 
 their by and base ways into the way of truth ; but if 
 they turn men out of that way into the ways of 
 error, they work, but their work is not pleasing unto 
 God, it exasperates his Spirit against them, and no 
 marvel they undo souls, which are precious things. 
 James v. 20, he that converts a sinner from the error 
 of his way saves a soul from death, and hides a mul- 
 titude of sins, that would appear by his going on in 
 an erroneous way. If, on the rontrary, a man se- 
 duce a man from the truth, and had him into ways 
 of error, he destroys a soul, discovers and multiplies 
 sin ; and so did these false prophets, and so do all 
 false teachers. Peter tells you of false teachers, 
 
 2 Epist. ii. 1, who bring in damnable heresies, and 
 draw away many thereby. And is that all ? no, 
 they bring upon themselves swift destruction, they 
 so provoke God by their corrupt and damnable doc- 
 trines, that he intends and hastens their destruction ; 
 and let the seduced look to it lest destruction be their 
 portion: Isa. ix. 16, "The leaders of this people 
 cause them to err ; and they that are led of them are 
 destroyed." 
 
 Obs. 7. AVhatsoever works men work, God will 
 try them. If the prophets build walls, daub with 
 untempered mortar, preach visions of their own 
 heads, &c. ; God will prove their walls, what strength 
 is in them, examine their mortar, whether tempered 
 or not, whether aught of God be in it, or all be 
 human: vcr. 11, "There shall be an overflowing 
 shower ; great hailstones, and a stormy wind." 
 When men build, the wind and weather tries their 
 buildings; the prophets here go under the notion of 
 buildi rs, and they had made their buildincr, and God 
 would try it. Nebuchadnezzar, with all his forces, 
 shoidd come like an overflowing shower, great sti'ong 
 hailstones, a stormy wind, and if their wall coidd 
 stand then, and their mortar endure, it would be 
 evident that they were wise builders, had made a 
 firm wall. I Cor. iii. 13, " Every man's work shall 
 be made manifest ; and the fire shall try every man's 
 work of what sort it is." The work here is inter- 
 preted of doctrines and opinions, ta'ight and held; 
 they shall be tried by fire, either of affliction or of 
 the Spirit, the word of God. 
 
 Obs. 8. God hath variety of ways and means to 
 try men's works, he hath " showers, hailstones, 
 winds." 
 
 Ohs. 9. It is impossible for false prophets to avoid 
 the judgments of God, they and their works must 
 suffer. See what is said in ver. 15, 16, " I will ac- 
 complish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them 
 
 that have daubed it; to wit, the prophets of Israel." 
 God's judgments against them are sudden, irresistible, 
 and unavoidable, they are likened to showers, hail- 
 stones, and stormy winds, which come suddenly, 
 assault strongly, and cannot be avoided; and God 
 saith, in ver. 13, he will rend their wall, and work 
 in anger and fury : if he will rend, who can pre- 
 serve ? if he will tear in pieces, who shall deliver.' 
 Psal. 1. 22. 
 
 Obs. 10. Whatever doctrines, opinions, tenets, false 
 teachers and prophets do deliver, to scatter among the 
 people, shall come to nought. They " built a wall, 
 daubed it with untempered mortar;" but, ver. 1 1, "Say 
 unto them, It shall fall." God had determined the ruin 
 of this wall, of all the false prophecies they had 
 delivered : the doctrines of men are windy, unstable, 
 and vanishing things. Acts v. 36 — 3S, Gamaliel 
 tells of one Theudas, who boasted that he was some- 
 body, a prophet, and vented his own opinions amongst 
 them, and drew four hundred men after him ; and 
 this false prophet, with his prophecies and followers, 
 were scattered, ruined, and brought to nought. After 
 him Judas of Galilee drew away much jieople with 
 his persuasions and jiretences, and he perished, and 
 those who obeyed him were dispersed. And then 
 presents to the council where he was speaking the 
 apostles and their doctrine, saying, " Refrain from 
 these men, and let them alone : for if this counsel or 
 this work be of men, it will come to nought." You 
 have seen the end of Theudas and Judas, of their 
 counsels, opinions, and works ; they being from men, 
 are fallen with the men, but if they had been of God, 
 they would have stood ; as he speaks of the apostle's 
 doctrine, " if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it." 
 Men may venture who build upon divine truths, they 
 have a divine arm to support them, but human opin- 
 ions, doctrines, if we confide in, we shall greatly be 
 deceived, they and we shall fall together. Babylon, 
 you know, was supported by false doctrines, false 
 worship, false government, false miracles, and lying 
 wonders, as you may observe in the Revelation ; 
 chap, xviii. 2, you hear, " Babylon the great is fallen, 
 is fallen ;" and chap. xix. 20, " The beast was taken, 
 and with him the false prophet ;" that is, the pope 
 and his clergy : they desired and endeavoured the 
 standing of their kingdom, but being upon a false 
 foundation, it fell. Psa. cxii. 10, "The desire of the 
 wicked shall perish ;" not only their desires, but 
 doctrines, prophecies, endeavours, shall pirish. 
 
 Obs. II. False prophets and teachers shall be dis- 
 covered, and they and their worship exposed to 
 laughter and scorn. " When the wall is fallen, shall 
 it not be said unto you, where is the daubing where- 
 with ye have daubed it ? " you have made a goodly 
 wall, such a one as could not endure a shower ; ye are 
 impostors, have deceived us and others ; thus should 
 they be detected and derided. There were many 
 false prophets in Ahab's days, they were great with 
 Jezebel and Ahab, and made use of their power to 
 cut oft' the true projihets ; but Elijah calls them forth 
 to a sacrifice, some eight hundred and fifty of them, 
 where they were discovered to be liars, seducers, 
 and laughed to scorn before all the people. Those 
 prophets that bade Ahab go up to Ramoth-gilead and 
 prosper, 2 Chron. xviii. 11, how ashamed were they 
 when Ahab was slain, and the soldiers returned with 
 loss of their king and the day I What cause had these 
 prophets to blush, when God brought Nebuchad- 
 nezzar to besiege the city, when the walls were 
 broken down, and they discovered to be false pro- 
 jihcts, and their foundation, with which they up- 
 lield the hope of this people, to be lies, flatteries, 
 and false divinations !
 
 3!0 
 
 AN EXPOSITION LTON 
 
 ClIAl'. XIII. 
 
 Ver. 17 — 23. Likeivise, thou son qfmrm, set 
 thi/ fnce against the daughters of thy people, which 
 prophesy ottt of their own heart ; and prophesy 
 thou against them, and say, Thus sailh the 
 Lord God ; Woe to the women that sew pillou-s 
 to all armhules, and make kerchiefs upon the head 
 of every stature to hunt souls ! Will ye hunt the 
 souls of my jjeople, and will ye sai'e the sottls alive 
 that come unto you ? And will ye pollute me 
 among my people for handfuls of barley and Jor 
 pieces qf bread, to shcy the souls that should not 
 die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, 
 by your lying to my people that hear your lies :^ 
 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I 
 am against yotir pillows, whereirith ye there hunt 
 the souls to make them Jly, and I will tear them 
 from your arms, and u-ill let the souls go, even the 
 souls that ye hunt to make them fly. Your ker- 
 chiefs also will I tear, and deliver my people out 
 of your Itand, and they shall be no more in your 
 hand to be hunted ; and ye shall know that L 
 am the Lord. Because with lies ye have inade 
 the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not 
 made sad; and strengthened the hands of the 
 wicked, that he should not return from his wicked 
 way, by promising him life : therefore ye shall 
 see no more vanity, nor divine divinations : for I 
 will deliver my people out of your hand : and ye 
 shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 We are now come to the second part of the chap- 
 ter, which is a prophecy against women propliet- 
 esses ; and here, as before, you havetheir judgments, 
 and the sins laid down causing those judgments. 
 
 The judgments are in verses 17, 18, 20, 21, 23; the 
 sins moving God to be against them, and to proceed so 
 with them, are in verses 17, IS, 19, 22, 23 ; the judg- 
 ments and bins are intermingled in the several verses. 
 
 In Israel had been some true prophetesses, as 
 Deborah and Huldah ; now there were many false 
 prophetesses, and the prophet is commanded to turn 
 his speech against them. 
 
 " Set thy face against." Once before you had 
 this phrase, chap. iv. 3, where the prophet was to 
 set his face against Jerusalem; here it is against the 
 women ; be thou an adversary unto them, and pro- 
 phesy against them. Enemies, when they are to 
 encounter each other, they set their faces one against 
 another ; and so here, when tlie prophet should de- 
 nounce judgment against them for their lying pro- 
 phecies, he was as an adversary to them ; and to " set 
 the face," in Scripture sense, against any one, is to 
 proclaim war against them. The Hebrew is, thy 
 faces ; speak boldly, freely, and be severe against 
 them in thy prophesying. 
 
 " The daughters of thy people." Some would 
 understand by these women, men prophets, who 
 were weak and womanish, without courage, con- 
 stancy, and prudence ; but we have no cause to take 
 the words in that sense. Our pro])het had spoken of 
 men prophets before, and now is directed of God to 
 another distinct subject, and that is, the women 
 prophets, who are called daughters of his people ; 
 this cannot belong unto the men. 
 
 " Which prophesy out of their own heart." As 
 the false prophets did, ver. 2 ; that is, of their own 
 accord, and their own imaginations. There were 
 women of old who did prophesy without blame, it 
 was law'ful for them, ^liriam was a prophetess, 
 Exod. XV. 20, and went before the people, Micuh 
 
 vi. 4; so Hi.ldah, 2 Kings xxii. 14; Anna also was 
 a prophetess, Luke ii. 3b ; and the promise of the 
 spirit of prophecy was to women as well as men; 
 Acts ii. 17, "I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh ; 
 and vour sons and your daughters shall prophesy ; " 
 and "Philip the evangelist had four daughters who 
 did prophesy. Acts xxi. 8, 9, and, doubtless, the 
 church and people of God received much good by 
 their prophesying : but these were false prophetesses, 
 which did deceive the people, and came not behind 
 the false ju-ophets in doing mischief. It is probable 
 they exceeded men, for women, by reason of the 
 tenderness of their nature, sweetness of their voices, 
 respect amongst men, have the advantage to in- 
 simiate their opinions, and persuade more power- 
 fully, especially when they have a repute for holi- 
 ness, and are esteemed prophetical, as these were. 
 
 " Prophesy thou against them." They arrogated 
 to themselves the call and authority of God, when 
 there was no such thing ; and for women to pretend 
 this that they might deceive the people, was grievous ; 
 therefore Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy against 
 them. 
 
 One thing here especially is observable, that the 
 Lord calls the people not his, but the prophet's, " Set 
 thy face against the daughters of thy people." When 
 some heinous thing was committed dishonourable 
 to God, reproachful to the people, and the Lord 
 would object it against them, then the Lord would 
 not own them for his people that did such things, 
 that they might be convinced of the greatness of the 
 e\'il they had done, which made them unworthy to 
 be the people or children of the Lord any longer : 
 Exod. xxxii. 7, 8, when the people corrupted them- 
 selves in making a calf and worshipping it, then 
 God calls them Moses's people, " Get thee down, for 
 thy people," &c. ; hence that in Deut. xxxii. 5, "They 
 have corrupted themselves, thth spot is not the spot 
 of his children." 
 
 " Woe to the w'omen that sew pillows," &c. Here 
 is a general judgment denounced against those wo- 
 men : " Woe," w liieh includes evils of all sorts, and 
 special sins set down : 
 
 1. Sewing of pillows to all armholes. 
 
 2. Making kerchiefs upon the head of every 
 stature, whicda are typical actions ; and then the end 
 of these, hunting of souls. 
 
 " Sewing of pillows." nines ni->snD^ Septuagint 
 is nvppaiiTovaait; irpog KKpaKuia, sewing things for the 
 head; this is an obscure phrase. Pillows are soft 
 things, filled with feathers, for the head to repose 
 upon ; some thereby understand, an easy and pleasur- 
 able life ; others think these prophetic women were 
 sorceresses, and ihd use these pillows and kerchiefs 
 in their enchantments ; they appointed those who 
 consulted w ith them to have these on them, or about 
 them, and hereby they were made fit to receive their 
 oratles or prophecies ; as those who went to the oracle 
 in the den of Tryphonius, they had strange vestures 
 and rites, they were clad with a linen coat, that was 
 girt to them with a fillet, or hairlace, and they had 
 slippers tied to their feet peculiar to that place ; 
 these things were to procure the great reverence to 
 their religion, oracles, and prophecies. 
 
 The word is from nD3 to cover, hide, and the 
 nouns derived thence signify operimentum, relamen, 
 prcetejLtum, quicquid obtenditur, ut aliquid abscondas 
 vel di\simules ; hence Pradus interprets the word here, 
 chesathoth, rete, quod obtendunt aucupes ad capiendas 
 aviculas. 
 
 We must take the words in a metaphorical sense. 
 A man that lies upon the hard ground, among stones 
 or thorns, will sleep litlle, and very uneasily, un- 
 quietly ; but a man that hath soft pillows to lie upon,
 
 Ver. 17—2.3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF KZEKIEL. 
 
 311 
 
 lie sIpci.s much, witli great ease and quiet, lie liath 
 notliiri'^ to trouble or interrupt his sleep : when n-.en 
 are full of fears, cares, distractions, ihey sleep among 
 stones and thorns. Th.ese prophetesses by their 
 prophecies took away those fears, cares, and chs- 
 tractions, which were caused in the hearts of the 
 people by th.e true prophets, who told them of Nebu- 
 chadnezzar's coming, and threatened the ruin of 
 city and tcni[de, and their going into captivity ; they 
 flattered them, and fud them with fair words, they 
 promis'd them peace, safety, liberty, iS;c. ; and so 
 put pillows undir tlieir heads and armholes, and 
 str, ngtlnned them in their security. 
 
 " Make kerchiefs upon the head," &c. WnSDcn 
 Viils wherewith women did cover their faces. 
 Heri by is meant the flatteries and false prophecies 
 wh r. bythey veiled and covered up the people in 
 security, that they might .sleep securely, and not be 
 trou'.led with any apprehensions of danger ; though 
 they sinned grii vou.^ly, they persuaded them the 
 Lord was not angry with them, and they fitted their 
 words and prophecies to the condition of every one. 
 They had that which fitted the humours of the 
 ancient, of the middle age, of youth ; they, through 
 thi ir craft and lying prophecies, applied themselves 
 to the head of every stature, and so pleased all, and 
 lidled them in a gen. ral security. Junius thinks 
 these kerchiefs were triumphdles pi/ci, triumphal caps, 
 made u]) into the form of crowns of hats, and set upon 
 the heads of the statues, thereby presaging they 
 should have not only safety from, but victory over, 
 their enemies, which they learned from the prac- 
 ticj of Egyptians and Babylonians. And to this 
 purpose is Deodate, who expounds veils of the 
 mourning and calamity of others. Now, if the Jews 
 had been conquerors of the Babylonians, the Baby- 
 lonians had had cause of covering their faces, and 
 mourning for their loss. 
 
 " To hunt souls." "nixS which the Septuagint 
 renders thus, lui';(iiiptiv rjjvxai;, to pervert souls : Vul- 
 gate, ad capiendns animus ; those that hunt, set their 
 nets, and then drive what is hunted into their nets, 
 and so make a prey of it. The like do these, the 
 jirophets, they seduce souls, that is, men and women, 
 with a false hope of peace and good days, and so the 
 evil day comes upon them unthought of, and they 
 are made a prey. 
 
 " Will you hunt the souls of my people ?" By 
 this interrogation the Lord manifests his displeasure. 
 They thought it was free for them to deceive the 
 people with their pillows and kerchiefs, with their 
 flattering words, false promises, and to make gain of 
 tliem ; but the Lord would not let things pass so. 
 Will you hunttheir souls, spoil and prey upon them ? 
 you shall be hunted yourselves, and taken in your 
 lying projjhccies. 
 
 " Will you save the souls alive, that come unto 
 yon?'' The Hebrew, Will you make alive souls unto 
 you ? These words may refer either to the false pro- 
 phetesses, or to others ; if to the false prophetesses, 
 the sense is this. Will you delude my people with 
 vain hopes, with proniises of life and happy day.s, 
 that you may get from them meat and drink, that so 
 yon may quicken and keep alive your own souls ? 
 what 1 will you destroy their souls with your errors, 
 to feed your own with bread ? And so Piscator reads 
 the words. Do you hunt the souls of my people ? Ut 
 aiiinias vobis vivas conservelis. If to others, the sense 
 is thus ; You himt the souls of the people, you in- 
 snare them with your lies, divinations, and feigned 
 visions, and will ye save them alive that come to 
 you, and believe what you say ? No, while you per- 
 suade them they shall live, you take away their life 
 from them ; the vtry taking of them with your 
 
 falsehoods is their death; you serve them as hunters 
 their game, w^hen it is taken, they kill it. 
 
 " And will ye pollute me among my people ?" &-c. 
 This verse contains several sins also of these wicked 
 prophetesses. 
 
 1. Their pollution of God's name. 
 
 2. Their covetousness, " Handfuls of barley, and 
 pieces of bread." 
 
 3. Their cruelty, slaying of souls. 
 
 4. Tluir partiality; they slew those which should 
 have lived, and spared those which should have 
 died. 
 
 Then the manner how ail these things were done, 
 by their lies. 
 
 " Will ye pollute me," &c. They pretended they 
 were sent and authorized of God to prophesy, that 
 they had the Spirit of God, and were true prophet- 
 esses, that whatever they delivered should come to 
 pass ; they crossed the true prophets, they strength- 
 ened the people in their sinful practices, they made 
 prophecy contemptible, and so profaned the name of 
 the Lord, caused many to fall to atheism and aposta- 
 sy. This God would not bear at their hands, there- 
 fore saith, " Will ye." 
 
 "For handfuls of barley and pieces of bread." 
 This is a kind of proverbial speech, setting out the 
 meannc.-is of that work which is so cheap. Prophecy 
 with them was at a vile and low price ; if any brought 
 never so mean a reward, as a little barky in his hand, 
 or a crust of bread with him, to these deluding pro- 
 phetesses, presently they had a pleasing answer. 
 Had these women set their lying prophecies at the 
 liighest rate, it had not been warrantable to have 
 profmed God's glorious name for great rewards, 
 but for such petty gain to expose his name to scorn 
 was extremely wicked. 
 
 "To slay the souls that should not die," &c. By 
 "souls" you must understand persons ; for souls are 
 not to be slain. Matt. x. 2.S. They prophesied against 
 the godly that they .should die, and so deprived them 
 of their peace, comfort, and apprehensions they had 
 of God's favour; filled them with fears, griefs, and 
 sad thoughts, if they hearkened to Jeremiah, and 
 submitted to Nebuchadnezzar. Or thus, They stirred 
 up the people against them who were godly, and 
 would not adhere to them, believing their prophecies, 
 and provoked the magistrates to restrain them, yea 
 to cut them off, and so slew them before their time. 
 They should have livi d longer by the course of na- 
 ture, had not these blood-thirsty prophetesses hast- 
 ened their death. 
 
 " To save the souls alive that should not live." 
 They promised life, peace, happiness, to those they 
 should have threatened war, misery, death. Zede- 
 kiah, and many with him, had broken the oath made 
 with Nebuchadnezzar to be tributaries to him, and 
 so deserved death upon that ground ; others oppress- 
 ed, filh d the land with bloody crimes, were notori- 
 ously idolatrous, and not worthy to live ; yet these 
 were justified, pleaded for, and protected against the 
 power of any that would have had justice executed. 
 
 It is not against the judgment of some learned ones 
 to understand death and life here, of eternal death 
 and life. These women teachers threatened the right- 
 eous with eternal death, shut heaven upon them, and 
 opened hell wide enough upon them, and what lay in 
 them slew their souls ; and for the others, they pro- 
 mised heaven and all joys of it to them, and so saved 
 them alive they should not. 
 
 Ois. 1. That is an old practice of Satan, to trouble 
 the church, as with false prophets, so with false pro- 
 phetesses. God raised up women prophets to honour 
 that sex, and to help his people ; and the devil raises 
 up women to spread lies, to deceive and damnify the
 
 312 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIII. 
 
 people, and to gain by that sex the more to his 
 kingdom. Satan imitates God; if he will have he 
 or she prophets, the like will he have. In the church 
 ot'Thyatira was a Jezebel, which called herself a [iro- 
 phetess, to teach and seduce the servants of Christ 
 to commit fornication, and to cat things sacrificed to 
 idols, Rev. ii. 20. Jezebel disturbed Israel, opposed 
 and sought the death of the true prophets, maintain- 
 ed idolatry ; so did this other Jezebel, &c. Neh. vi. 
 14, there is mention of one Noadiali, a prophetess; 
 she with other false prophets prophesied against the 
 building of the temple, encouraged Sanballat, Tobias, 
 and others, to hinder it, laboured to possess Nehe- 
 miah and the builders with fear. Such there have 
 been in former days, and such will be, women that 
 take upon them to teach and deceive unwary peo- 
 ple ; such were Prisca and Maximilla, the com- 
 panions of Montanus the heretic ; such are the 
 Jesuitesses. 
 
 06.V. 2. It is the character of false teachers of 
 what kind soever, women or men, to flatter, soothe, 
 insinuate, and speak pleasing things. The false 
 prophets cried" Peace," &c. ; these false prophetesses 
 " sew pillows to all armholes," &c. ; yea, their scope 
 is to please all sorts, they observe the humours o. 
 men, and so apply themselves to please answerably ; 
 Isa. XXX. 10, this was the disposition of the people, 
 " Prophesy not unto us right things ; speak unto us 
 smooth things, prophesy deceits ;" 2 Tim. iv. 3, 
 people woidd have teachers after their own lusts. 
 
 Oba. 3. False prophecies, flattrring and erroneous 
 doctrines, are the snares and nets with which false 
 teachers do hunt souls. Prov. vi. 2(i, an adul- 
 teress hunts for the precious life, and the>e for the 
 precious souls. Eph. iv. 14, " They lie in wait to 
 deceive." Rev. xx. 8, it is the devil's work "to 
 deceive the nations in the four quarters of the earth." 
 
 Obs. 4. Whatever false teachers promise, they 
 cannot perform. " Will ye save alive the souls 
 that come unto you ?" will you keep off war, plague, 
 famine, when Nebuchadnezzar shall come about the 
 walls ? &c. 
 
 Obs. 5. False teachers profane God's name, and 
 he takes it very ill at their hands. " Will ye pollute 
 me among my people ? " to make God the author of 
 their dreams, lies, &.c.\ to pretend they are sent of 
 him, and cause his people to conceive he deludes 
 them, and tells them contraries, one thing by Jere- 
 miah, other things by them, and that for such poor 
 things as barb y ? 
 
 (Jbs. 6. Covetousness, and baseness of spirit, make 
 merchandise of God's name, truth, and the souls of 
 persons. 
 
 Wieah iii. 5, " He that putteth not into their 
 mouths," the jirophets' he means, " they even pre- 
 pare war against him." Judas sold Christ, &'c. A 
 woman to prostitute her chastity for handfuls of 
 barley is base, much more to serve souls so ; 2 Pet. 
 ii. 3, " With feigned words make merchandise of you." 
 
 Obs. 7. That they kill whom God would not have 
 kill d, and spare those whom God would not have 
 spared, they curse whom God blesses, and bless 
 whom God curses. 
 
 In ver. 20, 21, 23, he sets down God's proceeding 
 with these false prophetesses ; he will be against 
 them, tear their pillows and kerchiefs, deliver his 
 people out of their hands, and destroy them and 
 their divinations. 
 
 •• To make them flee." rimsS Piscator hath it, 
 mfloribici Iiortis, flower-gardens; they were wont to 
 sacrifice in gardens, Isa. i. 29; Ixv. 3; Ixvi. 17- 
 These prophetesses, with tluir flatteries, drew in 
 yoimg maids, to projihesy smooth and pleasing 
 things, and they drew in the men, and so great lewd- 
 
 ness and filthiness was amongst them, and they 
 were charmed with their divinations. We may take 
 it thus : They hunted them, they used seducing 
 ways by their prophecies, promises, an'^ flatteries, 
 to make them iiee from the truth, and true prophets, 
 to take them ofl' from Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and so 
 should be like birds that fly from bough to bough, 
 or beasts that run from place to place, and abide no 
 where. 
 
 " I will let the souls go, even the soids that ye 
 hunt." The meaning is, I will free them from the 
 delusion of their false prophecies, they shall go cap- 
 tive into Babylon, and be no longer in their hands. 
 
 " With lies ye have made the heart of the righteous 
 sad." The Hebrew is, to wear, to make contrite ; 
 the Septuagint, Ye have perverted the hearts of the 
 righteous. There were some among them who 
 hearkened to the true prophets, and it was in their 
 hearts to yield to the Chaldeans, as Jeremiah coun- 
 selled ; but when they heard the false prophets and 
 prophetesses encouraging the people not to fear 
 Nebuchadnezzar, but promised safety to them that 
 should stay in the city, they were troubled, and 
 knew not what to do ; and by this means also they 
 " strengthened the hands of the wicked," who gave 
 heed to their lying prophecies, and slighted what- 
 ever Jeremiah said. 
 
 '• You shall see no more vanity, nor divine divi- 
 nations." There was no weight, no truth, in what 
 they said, whoever received their prophecies were 
 deceived ; the time was approaching which would 
 discover the vanity of their visions, and cut them oflT 
 from seeing any more, for they should perish. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord is against false prophetesses, and 
 will destroy their prophecies, ceremonies they use, 
 and them too. " Behold, I am against your pillows, 
 I will tear them from your arms, and the kerchiefs 
 from your heads, and ye shall see no more vanity, 
 nor divine divinations." God will not let such per- 
 sons and practices go unpunished as intrude into the 
 prophetical oflice, abuse his name, authority, truth, 
 and people. 
 
 Obs. 2. Women teachers and men teachers also are 
 very subtle to seduce the peojile. They had their pil- 
 lows and kerchiefs, their flatteries, pleasing prophe- 
 cies and promises, to keep them in security, to hunt 
 them into the gardens, to commit spiritual and cor- 
 poral whoredom. Calvin judges that they pretend- 
 ed alias specidationes, some transcendent matters, 
 thereby to excite the expectations of the people, who 
 were weary of Jeremiah's prophecy, being of a 
 lower strain than Isaiah's and some others, and were 
 tainted with curiosity and itching ears ; they were 
 not content with wholesome and plain doctrine, but 
 would be wise beyond sobriety, and God sutTered 
 subtle and false teachers to hunt and snare them. 
 Sometimes fowls are snared in flying, where no dan- 
 ger is suspected ; and these were deluded by those 
 specidations which were given out by false prophet- 
 esses. How were the pojiish spirits taken with the 
 tenet of Dionysius touching the heavenly hierarchy ! 
 so with the Jesuits' Dalilah, de tiiedia scientia ; and 
 at this day are not multitudes taken with specula- 
 tions and novelties, do they not despise wholesome 
 doctrine, and listen to erroneous teachers, both men 
 and women ? 
 
 Obs. 3. God's people may be taken with some 
 errors of the times, and of false teachers. " I will de- 
 liver my i)cople out of their hand, and they shall 
 be no more in their hand." They were then in their 
 hands, they had hunted them into their nets, and 
 caught them with their enticing prophecies, and 
 brought them over to be of their mind. Jezebel did 
 seduce the servants of Christ, Rev. ii. 20; you know
 
 Ver. 1—5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 313 
 
 Peter and Barnabas were drawn into an error, Gal. 
 ii. 12 — 14; and Chri.st hatU told you, Matt. xxiv. 11, 
 that many " false prophets shall arise, and deceive 
 many ;" they rise from the earth, or out of the bot- 
 tomless pit, and do much hurt with their smoky 
 doctrines; they darken the heavens, so that the saints 
 mistake their way. There were those who con- 
 strained the Gala'tians to be circumcised, chap. vi. 
 12 ; and Acts xx. 30, " Of your own selves shall men 
 arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disci- 
 ples after them." The old lying prophet deceived 
 and drew the young prophet into a snare, which cost 
 him his life, a'lion devoured him, 1 Kings xiii. I fear 
 there are young prophets drawn away into danger- 
 ous errors, and many others about this city, whom 
 I hope God will keep from the roaring lion, and de- 
 liver in due time from the error of their ways. Let 
 the counsel of Solomon to his .son, Prov. xix. 27, be 
 welcome to you, " Cease to hear the instruction that 
 causeth to err from the words of knowledge ;" and 
 hearken to Peter, 2 Epist. iii. 17, 18, "Seeing ye 
 know these things before, beware lest ye also, being 
 led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your 
 own stedfastncss. But grow in grace, and in the 
 knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 
 
 OA.s'. 4. The doctrines of false teachers do preju- 
 dice both the godly and the wicked, they sadden the 
 hearts of those who should not be made sad, and 
 they strengthen the liands of the wicked which 
 should be weakened. When false teachers give out 
 their lies, corrupt truths, and opinions, they weaken 
 the authority of the true prophets' doctrine, they fill 
 the godly with fears, scruples, grief, and discourage- 
 ment. What saddening doctrines are among the pa- 
 pists, from their false teachers ; as that of auricular 
 confession, all sins must be confessed to a priest; jus- 
 tification by works, satisfaction, purgatory, transub- 
 stantiation, that of the death of infants before bap- 
 tism, falling away from grace, keeping of the law, 
 traditions, &c. These, with others, are doctrines 
 which wound the hearts of the godly, and much 
 perplex them. And are there not as saddening and 
 heart-perplexing doctrines among us ? viz. denial 
 of the sacred Trinity, Christ's divine nature, autho- 
 rity of the holy Scriiiture ; that God is the Author, 
 Creator, and Inventor of all sin ; that it is the same 
 spirit which is in the godly and the wicked ; that 
 there is no election, but a universal redemption ; 
 that God sees no sin in his people; that the law is of 
 no use to believers ; that Christ himself may sin as 
 well as a child of God ; that all days are alike, the 
 Lord's day having no pre-eminence ; that m omen may 
 preach ; that there is no power or rule in the church, 
 but all in the civil magistrate : as these opinions 
 sadden the hearts of the godly, so they strengthen 
 the hands of those who are wicked, they go on in 
 their ways, and never think of returning to the Lord. 
 False teachers, which speak pleasing things, undo 
 the souls of sinners ; they promise life when they 
 should threaten death, open to them their danger, 
 show them the evil of their ways, and use the strong- 
 est arguments they can to awaken and reduce them ; 
 Jer. xxiii. 22, had they " caused my people to hear 
 my words, then they should have turned them from 
 their evil way, and from the evil of their doings." 
 
 06.V. 5. God hath his times to deliver his people 
 from the flattery, tyranny, and policy of false teach- 
 ers. " 1 will deliver them out of your hand." There 
 was a day when the people were delivered from the 
 tyranny and flattery of Ahab's false prophets, 1 Kings 
 xviii ; and, Rev. xix. 20, the beast with the false 
 prophet, &c. were thrown into the lake. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Ver. I — 5. Then came certain of the elders of 
 Israel unto me^ and sat before me, And the 
 word of the Lord came unto me, saying. Son 
 of man, these men have set up their idols in their 
 heart, and put the stumbtingblock of their ini- 
 (juitif before their face : should I be enquired of 
 at all bt/ them? Therefore speak unto them, and 
 say unto them. Thus saith the Lord God ; Evertf 
 man of the house of Israel that setfeth up his idols 
 in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of 
 his ini(/uifi/ before his face, and cometh to the pro- 
 phet, I the Lord will answer him that cometh ac- 
 cording to the multitude of his idols ; that I 
 may take the house of Israel in their own heart, 
 because they are all estranged from me through 
 their idols. 
 
 In chap. xii. our prophet treated of the king 
 and his nobles, their sins and judgments ; in chap, 
 xiii. of false projdiets and prophetesses, and how 
 the Lord would punish them ; here of the elders 
 and body of the people, and what sore plagues 
 should befall them. There be three parts of this 
 chapter : 
 
 I. A conference of God with hypocritical elders, 
 and false prophets, ver. I — 12. 
 
 II. A thrtateniug of sore judgments against a sin- 
 ning land, ver. 12 — 22. 
 
 III. A respiting of some from those judgments, 
 ver. 22, to the end. 
 
 In the first part, viz. that of it which concerns the 
 elders, you have, 
 
 1. "The occasion of it, that is, the coming of these 
 elders to the prophet, ver. 1. 
 
 2. God's comidaint of them, ver. 3. 
 
 3. A charge to the prophet what answer to give 
 unto these men, ver. 3 — 8. 
 
 " Then came certain of the elders of Israel." 
 After Ezekiel had declared the mind of God against 
 Zedekiah, the princes, the false prophets and pro- 
 phetesses, who drew many to sinful practices, and 
 especially to trust in vain divinations, some of the 
 elders of Israel thought in themselves to go to Eze- 
 kiel, and hear what he would say : He hath cried 
 down all other prophets, and thinks himself the only 
 true prophet ; come, let us go to his house, and heark- 
 en what he will prophesy unto us. 
 
 " Elders of Israel." These men are called elders, 
 not only because they were aged, but because they 
 were in some place of authority, which required men 
 grave in age and counsel: Jer. xxvi. 17, "Then 
 rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake 
 to all the assembly of the people :" these were such 
 elders. It is questioned whether these elders were 
 elders of those in Babylon, or of those in Jerusalem ; 
 the most interpreters agree that they were of the 
 elders of Judah in Babylon ; chap. viii. 1, it is said, 
 the elders of Judah sat before the prophet, and Jer. 
 xxix. 1, tells you that there were elders carried away 
 captive. But the judicious and learned Junius is of 
 another mind, who thinks these elders were ambassa- 
 dors sent from Zedekiah into Babylon to treat of 
 state affairs between him and Nebuchadnezzar; as 
 Jer. li. 59, Seraiah went with Zedekiah into Baby- 
 lon in the fourth year of his reign. It is no where 
 extant that Zedekiah ever went into Babylon till he 
 was carried thither, and that was in the eleventh 
 year. The meaning, then, of the words is, he went 
 in the behalf of Zedekiah, so it is in the margin, and
 
 314 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAP. XIV. 
 
 bting a qiiic-t prince, endeavoured to keep a peace- 
 able correspondence between Zcdekiah and Nebu- 
 chadnezzar. So, in Jer. xxix. 3, Elasah and Gema- 
 riah were sent by Zcdekiah unto Nebuchadnezzar 
 king of Babylon. It is ordinary for kings to send 
 ambassadors to other states, and especially when a 
 part of their people live in that state, as here ; and 
 when they send, it is some, or divers, of the elders 
 and nobles that are sent ; and of these, certain came 
 to the prophet. It is likely some of those who were 
 formerly brought hitlier, might accompany them, 
 and the judgments spoken of in the chapter con- 
 cerned those who belonged to Judea rather than 
 those captives in Babylon. 
 
 " Sat before me." To converse with the prophet 
 about the great afTairs of the king and kingdom. 
 They wej'C in straits, full of doubts and fears, and 
 came to feel the prophet, to iufpiire of him what 
 would be the event of things ; it is like they had 
 no good tidings from Nebuchadnezzar, they woidd 
 try what was to be had from God: or thus. They 
 had heard what the false prophets and prophetesses 
 liad said, how they concurred in their prophecies, 
 find now they would try Ezekiel, whether he pro- 
 phesied the same, or differing things ; and so came 
 not to him with an upright mind, but fallaciously. 
 If what he had said had liked them, then they would 
 have afllrmed he was of the same judgment the false 
 })rophets were ; if otherwise, that he was a lying and 
 false prophet, that he and Jeremiah were singular, 
 dissenting in their prophecies from all the other 
 prophets. 
 
 Obs. 1. When the true prophets detect and dis- 
 parage those who are false, then those who adhere 
 to them are ofi'ended at it, and seek advantages 
 against them. As here, the ciders of Israel came 
 to Ezekiel ; they could not bear it that he had said 
 their prophets were foolish, followed their own 
 spirits, played the foxes, were liars, seducers, daub- 
 ed with untempcred mortar, that they and their pro- 
 phecies should perish, for the Lord was against 
 them. Great pei-sons will take part with false pro- 
 phets, and appear for them, and seek to entrap those 
 who have discovered them. When Mii-aiah dis- 
 covered the false prophets, 1 Kings xxii. '22, 23, 
 then Ahab appeared for them, and connuands Micai- 
 ah to be imprisoned, fed with bread and water of 
 affliction, ver. 26, 27. 
 
 064'. 2. Many profess love to the true projihets, 
 and to religion, yet are false-hearted to both. These 
 ciders of Israel came to the prophet, sat liefore him, 
 pretended to learn and obey, but their intentions 
 looked another way. Not all who seem religious, 
 frerpient the solemn assemblies, and hear the word 
 ft'om the mouths of the prophets, are truly godly : 
 Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 32, saith God of the people, " They 
 .sit before thee as my j)eo]ile, and they hear thy 
 words, but they will not do them ; for with their 
 mouth they show nnich love, but their heart goeth 
 after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto 
 them as a very lovely song of one that hath a plea- 
 sant voice, and can play well on an instrument ; for 
 they hear thy words, but they do them not." This 
 people were as glad to hear Ezekiel prophesy, as 
 men to hear music and songs, at marriages or feasts, 
 and yet their hearts were unsound: see Isa. xxix. 
 13 ; Iviii. 2 — 5; Jer. vii. 9 — II, where you may find 
 Iheir professions were pious, but their spirits and 
 practices im]iious. Profession is easy in all sorts, 
 elders, and elders of Israel, can do that, but the prac- 
 tice of what men profess is difhcult ; men rest in 
 forms of godliness, and deny the power, 2Tim. iii. 5. 
 
 Oi: ver. 2, Ul/s: That much of the Serii)ture hath 
 been given out upon sinful occasions. When these 
 
 elders came to the prophet, the word of the Lord 
 came unto him, and he gave it out to them and us. 
 Men's sins have opened the windows of heaven for 
 much divine light to shine into the world; the pro- 
 phecy of Ilaggai was occasioucdby the neglect to bniUI 
 God's house, as you may read in chap. i. 2 — 4, S:c. ; 
 Nineveh's sin drew out the prophecy of Jonah, chap, 
 i. 1, 2; David's murder and adultery were occasions 
 of some, if not of all, the penitential psalms ; the 
 Levite cutting his concubmc, who was forced to 
 death, into twelve pieces, and sending her into all 
 the coast of Israel, occasioned some part of the 
 book of Judges to be written ; the Gospel of John, 
 it is conceived by the learned, was written on the 
 occasion of Cerinthus, Ebion, and some others, who 
 did deny the divine nature of Christ, therefore in 
 the beginning, viz. chap. i. he speaks much of his 
 Godhead, sonship, and eternal generation; it was 
 the disorders, divisions, scandals, and corruptions, 
 ■which set Paul on work to write his two eidstles to 
 the Corinthians, as you may observe throughout the 
 epistle ; the doctrine of false teachers amongst the 
 Galatians gave birth to that epistle, chap. i. 6, and 
 in several parts of the epistle it clearly appears ; the 
 danger of the Jews forsaking their professing of 
 Christianity, and revolting to mosaieal ceremonies, 
 opened the doors for the epistle to the Hebrews to 
 enter into the world; the faultiness of the angels in 
 the churches, made way for the several epistles to 
 be wa'itten and sent unto them. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Son of man, these men have set up their 
 idols in their heart," kc. Here is, 
 
 I. God's compilaint of them ; and that, 
 
 1. Of their hypocrisy. 
 
 2. Of their idolatry ; which is the argument he 
 proves their hypocri.sy by. Thus, those that " set 
 up idols in their heart, and put the stumbling-block 
 of their iniquity before their face," and come to in- 
 quire of me, they deal hypocritically w ith me ; but 
 these men do so. 
 
 II. God's indignation against them for these sins ; 
 " Should I be inquired of at all by them ?" 
 
 " Have set up their idols in their heart." The 
 Hebrew is. Have made their idols to ascend upon 
 their heart ; the Septuagint is. They have put their 
 thoughts upon their hearts ; Castalio, Their dung- 
 hill gods are for a delight to these men. The word 
 for idols means that which dcfdes, and which is 
 odious; so idols are offensive unto God: this word 
 yon had before, chap. viii. 18, where it was opened 
 unto you. If one should now, for the sense of these 
 words, (ell you they had the pictures of their idols 
 at their hearts, it may be you would not altogether 
 condemn it, for it suits with the Hebrew, They 
 made their idols to ascend upon their hearts : and 
 such a jiractice the Scripture seems to hold forth ; 
 IIos. ii. 2, " Let her put away her adulteries from 
 between her breasts ;" that is, such pictures she had 
 of her idols hanging at her breast : so that, in Jer. 
 xvii. 1, maybe understood, "The sin of Judah is 
 graven upon the table of their heart;" they had a 
 table, in the form of a heart, hanging at their breast, 
 in which was engraven the effigies of their idol god; 
 and that which adds some strength to this is ver. 20, 
 of the former chapter, " Shall a man make gods unto 
 himself!'" If this be jart of the meaning, yet, I 
 conceive, not all. 
 
 " They set up their idols in their heart ;" that is, 
 
 1. They gave them entertaiiunint in their hearts, 
 and made them the temples and altars for thim. 
 Before, they set them in God's house, Jer. vii. 30, 
 to pollute that; now they set them in their own 
 hearts, to pollute them; tiny niindid and ad'ected 
 them, they w ere much in their thoughts and afl'ec-
 
 Vkr. 1—5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 315 
 
 tions, and had the strength and supremacy of them ; 
 and so judicious Calvin interprets the place ; he 
 saith, They were so addicted to superstition, that 
 their idols and rites about them had made deep im- 
 pressions upon their hearts, and had the conniiand 
 of their thoughts and allcctions : Psal. Ixii. 10, " If 
 riches increase, set not your heart upon them ;" that 
 is, do not mind and afl'ect them, let not them sway, 
 command your thoughts or aifections ; but liere their 
 idols were set up in their hearts, and their hearts 
 were set upon their idols. 
 
 2. Tliey purposed to honour them with duUa and 
 latria, service anil worshiii, and to continue in their 
 idolatry. Wlien the calves were set up at Dan and 
 Bethel, it wa.s for to worship them ; when Amaziah 
 set up the Edomites' gods, he bowed down to them, 
 2 Chnm. xxv. 14 ; and the setting these up in their 
 hearts, notes their intention to persist in their way 
 of worship. 
 
 3. They resolved not to part with them. What 
 men set up in their hearts, they count as their gods, 
 they will lie at any cost to maintain them, venture 
 their credit, lindjs, lives, souls, in defence of them. 
 You know how Micah was afleeted wdien the IJanites 
 took away his idol gods, Judg. xviii. ; you must re- 
 member they were set up in his heart as well as in 
 his house, and therefore he gets men together, pur- 
 sues the Danites, and ventures his life to recover 
 them. When any thing becomes an idol in the heart, 
 as covctousness, wantonness, ceremony, any way of 
 false worship, any foolish or blasphemous opinion, 
 it is no easy matter to get down that idol. 
 
 "And put the stumblingblock of their iniquity 
 before their face." The Hebrew for stumblingblock 
 is from a word which signifies to fall, to dash against 
 any thing, or person, so as to receive hurt, or do 
 hurt ; the Septuagint is, They have set the torment 
 or punishment of their iniquity before them ; Cas- 
 talio, their detrimental evil. This stumblingblock 
 of their iniquity was their idols, which while they 
 afleeted, respected, reverenced, they fell into idol- 
 atry, caused many others to do so, and therefore are 
 called " the stumblingblock of their iniquity ; " they 
 stumbled at these, fell from God upon these, and 
 so wounded themselves : Zeph. i. 3, idols are called 
 " stnmblingbloeks." 
 
 The putting them before their faces or eyes notes, 
 
 1. Delight in them ; for usually we set such things 
 before our eyes as are pleasing : Psal. xxvi. 3, " Thy 
 loving-kindness is before mine eyes." So wives and 
 chikh-en are called " the desire of men's eyes," V.zek. 
 xxiv. 16, 25, because they are pleasing and delight- 
 fid. Such were their idols unto these elders of 
 Israel, and thvers others ; hence is that phrase, 
 Ezck. vi. y, " Your eyes go a whoring after your 
 idols.'' 
 
 2. Insatiableness in that practice ; they intend to 
 look constantly upon them, as not being satisfied 
 with one, two, or some few acts, but they must have 
 them ever in their eyes : Prov. xxvii. 20, " The eyes 
 of man are never satisfied:" the eyes and hearts of 
 idolaters are never satisfied ; Ezek. xvi. 28, Jeru- 
 salem is said to be insatiable; and chap, xxiii. 11, 
 Aholibah, which was Jerusalem, was corrupt and 
 inordinate in her love ; that was, to idols. 
 
 "Should I be inquired of at all by them?" He- 
 brew is. Am I inquired by inquiring ? or, Am I 
 asked by asking ? do they not dissemble ? Ezekiel, 
 dost thou think they are in good earnest now they 
 are come, sit before thee, and make as if they would 
 hearken to what counsel should be given ? No, no, 
 be not deceived, they have idols in their hearts, and 
 before their eyes, and whatever jiretences they have, 
 all is fancied and false. The words are an interroga- 
 
 tion, discovering and reproving their hypocrisy and 
 impudency, that dare come to the Lord to in<iuire 
 of him: "Should I be inquired," &:c. ? do they think 
 I will mind them, give them any comfortable answer ? 
 far be it from me. 
 
 Ubs. 1. That God takes notice of heart-idolatry; 
 not only what idols are in temples, in his worship, 
 what innovations, corruptions, superstitions are there, 
 but also what idols are in men's bosoms. 
 
 Obs. 2. Where superstition and idolatry once get 
 interest, they are not easily removed. These elders 
 of Israel had turned aside from the true God, and 
 fell to idolatry in Jerusalem, chap. viii. 11, and now 
 being come into Babylon, they brought their idols 
 with them in their hearts. Neither change of coun- 
 try, nor company, did prevail with their hearts to 
 let go their idols; they saw many of their brethren 
 in captivity for that sin, they heard Ezekiel prophesy 
 against their practices and those who upheld them 
 in it, they understood Nebuchadnezzar had no good 
 will to them, yet the idols remain firm, and settled 
 in their hearts. When idols get into Bethel, God's 
 house, it is a great difficulty to get them out ; but 
 when gotten into the heart, they become immovable, 
 you may as soon pluck out their hearts, as pluck out 
 their idols. The papists hold fast their images and 
 idolatrous practices to this day, notwithstanding all 
 the judgments of God which have been upon them. 
 Acts of authority may take down monuments of 
 superstition, remove out of the public worship cere- 
 monies, pictures, idols, but can they remove them 
 out of men's hearts ? it is not the power of man, 
 change of place, company, or duties, will do it ; till 
 the Lord speak to the heart with a str(_>ng hand, the 
 idol got in, will stand; men's aflections and corrup- 
 tions are very tenacious of them. 
 
 Ob-1. 3. Idols set up in the heart, or elsewhere, 
 prove ruin to the authors and supporters of them. 
 The text calls them " stumblingblocks," by them 
 they fell into sin, and that brought ruin upon them. 
 Idolatry hath snared and ruined many. When 
 Gideon made and set up an ephod in the city, and in 
 his heart, it became a snare to him and to his house, 
 Judg. viii. 27 ; so Psal. cvi. 36, they served idols, 
 and they were a snare unto them ; it was their idol- 
 atry which brought their captivity. And there is no 
 idol, in secret or public, but is cause of ruin ; idols 
 in worship bring destruction upon churches and 
 states, idols in heart bring destruction upon souls. 
 
 Obs. 4. Men are active to their own destruction, 
 they set up their idols in their own hearts. " And put 
 the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their 
 face." Men's destructions are fi'om themselves : 
 Jeroboam set the calves in Dan and Bethel, I Kings 
 xii.2y; he "made priests of the lowest of the peo- 
 ple ;" and what saith the text, " This thing became 
 sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off', 
 and to destroy it from the face of the earth," chap, 
 xiii. 34. Hence God told them, Hos. xiii. i), that 
 they had destroyed themselves ; they set up the 
 calves at Dan and Bethel, and practised such things 
 as brought total destruction upon them. Prov. v. 
 22, " His own iniquities shall take the wicked him- 
 self, and he shall be holden with the cords of his 
 sins." . 
 
 Obs. 5. However hypocrisy may escape the eyes 
 of men, yet it cannot escape the eye of God. These 
 elders carried it fair with the prophet, but the Lord 
 saw their hypocritical ami deceitful hearts, and dis- 
 covered them unto the prophet : God's eye is a 
 piercing eye, and can discern hypocrisy, how deeply 
 soever it be hid. The scribes and Pharisees had 
 their hypocrisy hid under long garments, long 
 prayers, much zeal, and yet Christ saw it, and made
 
 316 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIV. 
 
 it knowTi; Matt, xxiii. "Woe unto you, scribes," 
 &c. Whatever pretences men make, whatever they 
 practise outwardly, if the heart be not clear, if they 
 go after eovetousness, &c. it is hypocrisy, seen of 
 God, and shall be detected: Prov. xv. 3, "The eyes 
 of the Lord are in every place, beholding the c^^! 
 and the good;" he knows the secret counsels and 
 ploltings of men. 
 
 Ob.i. G. When hypocrites fly unto God, they may 
 rather expect wrath then mercy. These men came 
 for counsel and comfort, but what saith the Lord, 
 " Should I be in(inired of at all by them ? " They 
 have no warrant to come to me with hypocritical 
 hearts, with idolatrous spirits ; and if they do, should 
 I grant their requests ? No, I w ill manifest my dis- 
 like of them, answer them in wrath, " according to 
 the multitude of their idols;" for bread I will give 
 them stones, for lish serpents. Would they have 
 counsel from me ? I will give them up to their own 
 devices, and leave them to seduction by their own 
 thoughts and lusts : Hos. viii. 13, " Tliey sacrifice 
 flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings ; but the 
 Lord accepteth them not ; now will he remember 
 their iniquity, and visit their sins." They came hy- 
 pocritically to God, exi)ected acceptation when they 
 sacrificed, but the Lord at that time remembered 
 their sins, and instead of a gracious answer, they had 
 a grievous judgment. Hence saith the Lord, in Isa. 
 Ixvi. 3, " lie thatkilleth an ox is as if he slew a man; 
 he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's 
 neck ; he that ofVercth an oblation, as if he oflered 
 swine's blood: he that burnetii incense, as if he 
 blessed an idol." What is the reason of this ? why, 
 " they have chosen their own ways, and their soul 
 delighteth in their abominations ;" they have their 
 idols in their hearts, tin y are hypocrites, and come to 
 me, thinking to have favour of me, ar.d mercy from 
 me. They shall hear such things as they would n(jt 
 hear: Ahab consulted with Micaiali about regain- 
 ing Ramoth-gilead, not out of conscience to obey, 
 but that he might have him speak things suitable 
 to his heart ; but he heard that which displeased 
 him. 
 
 Obs. 7. God will give such answer to hypocritical 
 heart-idolaters, as shall snare them. " I will answer" 
 them that come to inquire of me " according to the 
 multitude of their idols, that 1 may take the house 
 of Israel in their own heart," in their ow n thoughts 
 and devices : their tongues ask for mercy, but their 
 hearts call for judgment; there is hypocrisy and 
 idolatry in their hearts, and suitable thereunto shall 
 be my answer. God answers such in justice, and 
 sends them strong delusions to believe lies, 2 Thess. 
 ii. 11; and to ripen their damnation, they bring 
 matter of damnation in their hearts, and God seals 
 it up. 
 
 Quest. How are they said to be taken in their 
 hearts when God doth not answer their desires or 
 hopes, but gives out what is contrary thereunto ? 
 
 jinstr. 1. When God answers not such men after 
 their desires and expectations, they fret and rage 
 against God, as if he dealt not well with tlum, and so 
 God takes them in their heart, and discovers them 
 to the world. 
 
 2. God threatening judgments takes the hearts of 
 sinners with fear, which liolds them in dreadful 
 bondage night and day : famine, plague, sword, and 
 noisome beasts, captivity, were threatened; and, 
 chap. xii. 13, God calls his judgments, nets, snares. 
 
 3. lie convinces them that they do not honour 
 him by their false worship, but are guilty of tho.se 
 things which do greatly offend him ; they think he 
 sees not their idols, because shut up within iu their 
 hearts. 
 
 Obs. 8. Idolatry of what kind soever is a grievous 
 sin, it estranges from God; " They are estranged from 
 me through their idols." Man's hajipiuess lies in his 
 nearness to God, imion with him, and fruition of 
 him ; now idolatry, though only heart-iddlatry, 
 estranges, divides, separates from God, and that is 
 the great mi.sery of the creature. They left the infi- 
 nite, all-sufiicient, living, only good and wise God, 
 for dunghill gods that had nothing in them, that 
 could do nothing for them, that brought a curse upon 
 them and theirs : Jer. xix. 3, 4, " Behold, I w ill 
 bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever 
 heareth, his ears shall tingle. Because they have 
 forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have 
 burned incense in it unto other gods." They first 
 estranged themselves from God, then estranged the 
 place of his worship ; and then God dealt strangely 
 by them, he brought destruction U]ion them. People 
 may think themselves happy that they have commu- 
 nion with God in sacrifice and worship ; but if there 
 be any idols within or without, they are strangers 
 unto God, and God is a stranger unto them, and 
 strange judgments are in readiness for them. 
 
 Obs. 9. Note here, the right way of coming unto 
 God to inquire of him. If you wciuld have a gracious 
 answer, you must come with hearts free from idols, 
 with pure hearts: Psal. Ixvi. IS, " If I regard ini- 
 quity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me ;" if 
 we come with sin in our hearts, (sin approved, 
 countenanced, delighted in,) God will meet us with 
 wrath in his hand; therefore the Scripture oft tells 
 us of this duty, how we should come to God; Heb. 
 X. 22, " Let us draw near with a true heart ;" 1 Tim. 
 ii. 8, Let us lift "up holy hands, without wrath and 
 doubting ;" there must be no wrath nor doubting in 
 your hearts ; James iv. 8, " Draw nigh to God ;" but 
 how ? " cleanse your hands, ye sinners ; and purify 
 your hearts, ye double-minded ;" inwardly they 
 must be cleansed, and outwardly reformed; lives 
 and spirits must be suitable unto God. 
 
 Ver. 6. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, 
 Thns saith the Lord God ; Eepeiit, and turn 
 yourselves from your idols ; and turn auay your 
 faces from all your ahominations. 
 
 This verse is part of the charge given the propihet, 
 which he was to deliver to the house of Israel, and 
 in it is a command, or an exhortation, to repentance, 
 which is laid down, 
 
 I. In general ; "Repent." 
 
 II. More specially. 
 
 1. " Turn yourselves from your idols." 
 
 2. " Turn aw'ay your faces from all your abomi- 
 nations." 
 
 " Repent." law from 3>tf to return, implying a 
 going back from what a man had done. The Greeks 
 have two words by which they express the nature 
 of repentance : one is utTafit^iiv, w Inch is to be care- 
 ful, anxious, .solicitous after a thing done ; this we 
 term penitence. The other word is ^travoiiv, vienteni 
 et consilium in ynilius mulare, ab tivoia, dennnlia, et 
 fiiTa,pf)sl, it being the correction of men's folly, and 
 returning ad sa7iam mentivi ; and ^(raroin is that 
 which we term resipiscentia, a growing wise again ; 
 some express it by an after-mind, an amendment of 
 the mind : one of these respects the change of the 
 will, the other, the change of the mind. The He- 
 brew word for repentance is n3irr\ from the word in 
 my text, and notes a returning from one thing to 
 another, from sin to God : 1 Kings viii. 35, " If they 
 ])ray towards this place, and confess thy name, and 
 turn from their sin, when thou afflictcst them : then 
 hear thou in heaven."
 
 Ver. 6. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 317 
 
 Quest. Is not repentance the work and gift of 
 God ? if so, how is it that man is commanded to 
 repent ? 
 
 Aiuw. Repentance is of the Lord; Acts xi. 18, 
 " God granted repentance to the gentiles unto l;fe ;" 
 2 Tim. ii. 25, ministers must meekly instruct those 
 that oppose, if God peradvcnture will give them re- 
 pentance. It is also the gift of Christ ; Acts v. 31, 
 he is " exalted to be a Prince and Saviour, to give 
 repentance to Israel. Yet God commands man to 
 repent, 
 
 1. Because man may do something that he may 
 repent ; as, first, seriously consider the nature of his 
 sin, what circumstances it is clothed with, what 
 aggravations it admits, how crimson and scarlet it is, 
 against what light, mercies, means, engagements, 
 S:c. : apprehension of sin under false notions of 
 profit or pleasure, induceth to it, and consideration 
 of sin in its own nature, helps to repent of it, and 
 abhor if. Did men lay to heart what wrong the in- 
 finite, holy, blessed God hath by sin, what mercies it 
 keeps from them, how greatly it doth defile them, 
 what miseries and mischiefs it brings upon them, 
 what a weight of divine wrath hangs over their 
 heads, it would have some operation upon their 
 hearts. Secondly, they may confess them before 
 God: Josh. vii. 19, " Give glory to God, and make 
 confession unto him;" Prov. xxviii. 13, "Yv'hoso 
 confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy ;" 
 1 John i. 9, " If we confess our sins," &e. 
 
 2. God gives what he commands. Chap. xi. 19, 
 he had promised to " take the stony heart out of 
 their flesh, and to give them an heart of flesh," and 
 therefore here might command them to repent. 
 Mark i. 15, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel:" 
 neither of these were in their power ; they might as 
 well create new heavens and new earths, as do these 
 acts ; but God gives and works them both in the 
 hearts of whom he pleases, 2 Tim. ii. 25 ; Phil. i. 
 29. Neither repentance nor faith are natural or any 
 acquired habits by the industry and acts of men, but 
 they are the efficacious work of the Spirit in and 
 upon the heart; God and Christ do work repentance 
 by the Spirit, and therefore it is attributed unto 
 them, and denied to be in the power of man : 2 Cor. 
 iii. 5, " We are not sufficient of ourselves to think 
 any thing as of ourselves ;" Phil. ii. 13, " It is God 
 which worketh in you both to will and to do of his 
 good pleasure." Commands argue not power and 
 free will in man to repent. 
 
 There is a use of these, 
 
 (1.) In regard of God. 
 
 (2.) Of man. 
 
 (1.) In regard of God. 
 
 [1.] To manifest what the Lord may justly require 
 at the hands of men; if they sin unjustly, he may 
 justly call for repentance. 
 
 [2.] To clear himself, that it is not his fault if 
 men cannot do what they are called upon for. The 
 creditor may call for his debt of that man, who is 
 fallen into extreme poverty through his own sin. 
 
 [3.] To set before us the corruption and impotency 
 of our nature : by the law we come to the know- 
 ledge, not of our power, but our impotency ; Rom. 
 iii. 20, " By the law is the knowledge of sin." 
 
 [4.] To advise us to look out for help elsewhere : 
 therefore where you have commands in one place of 
 Scripture, you have promises in some other part. 
 
 (2.) In regard of man. 
 
 [1.] That he may be more thoroughly sensible of 
 the wretched corruption of his nature, and bewail it 
 more fully. 
 
 [2.] That he may be stirred up more effectually 
 to beg of God that which he commands, for God 
 
 commands nothing but that which is of great weight 
 and advantage for man. 
 
 [3.] That wicked men may be inexcusable : John 
 XV. 22, " If I had not come and spoken unto them, 
 they had not had sin ; but now they have no cloak 
 for their sin." 
 
 Obs. I. Repentance is a turning from sin to God. 
 Sin turns men from God, draws the soul into ways 
 that lead unto death; James i. 4, a man "is drawn 
 away of his own lust," drawn away from God, from 
 his worship, truths, rules ; but when repentance 
 comes, he turns back again, he changes his thoughts, 
 his mind, his will, he befools, abhors himself fur 
 « hat he hath done, and so conies to God again from 
 whom he departed. The prodigal was drawn away 
 from his father's house through his own lust, and laid 
 a long time in looseness and wantonness ; at last he 
 changed his judgment, counsels, purposes, and re- 
 turning to himself, returns to his father ; Luke xv. 1 7, 
 18, "When he came to himself, he said, 1 will arise 
 and go to my father, and say. Father, I have sinned 
 against heaven and before thee." Sinners are said 
 to be mad, Psal. cii. 8, " They that are mad against 
 me ; " and Paul, when he was in his course of sin- 
 ning, saith, he was " exceethngly mad," Acts xxvi. 
 1 1 ; and Baalam's sin is called " madness," 2 Pet. ii. 
 16: repentance brings a man to his right wits, he 
 becomes wise, and turns from his folly and madness. 
 It is called a turning of men " from darkness to 
 light, and from the power of Satan unto God," Acts 
 xxvi. 18. Sin is darkness, and when men sin, they 
 know not what they do ; it is the power of Satan 
 holds them under his government ; but repentance 
 enlightens and sets at liberty, so that men see and 
 walk from under Satan unto God. Ver. 20, repent- 
 ance and turning to God are put together, they are 
 the same; but it is not any turning, but a turning of 
 the judgment, so that men judge otherwise of God, 
 of his laws, ways, of sin, of themselves, than before ; 
 a turning of the will and afl'eetions, so that they are 
 carried wholly and fully unto God: Joel ii. 12, 
 " Turn ye even to me with all your heart ; " if it be 
 with a piece, it is partial, hypocritical, and deceitful. 
 
 Obs. 2. Repentance is a continued act; the word 
 "repent" implies the continuation of it. Some have 
 thought it one act, and that is sufficient for a man's 
 sin, but repentance is a grace, and must have its 
 daily operation as well as other graces ; if faith, 
 love, patience, humility, mu.st continue, repentance 
 must do so likewise : where a spring breaks forth, 
 it is always flowing ; this is the spring of the soul, 
 when God once smites the rocky heart, the wafer 
 will flow ; sincere rcpentants can no more content 
 themselves with one act of repent:wce, than with one 
 act of faith, they oft renew their repentance. Hence 
 is it that the Lord would not have us forget our old 
 sins, but to think of them and mourn for them : 
 Deut. ix. 7, " Remember and forget not, how thou 
 provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wil- 
 derness ;" Psal. XXV. 7, " Remember not the sins of 
 my youth, nor my transgressions ;" I Cor. xv. 9, " I 
 am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be 
 called an apostle, because I persecuted the church 
 of God ;" Ezck. xvi. 62, 63, " I will establish my 
 covenant with thee ; and thou shalt know that I am 
 the Lord ; that thou mayest remember, and be con- 
 founded, and never open thy mouth any more be- 
 cause of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee 
 for all that thou hast done." 
 
 Obn. 3. Sinners should stir up themselves, and do 
 the utmost which lies in their power, to further their 
 turning unto God. " Turn yourselves from your idols ;" 
 use all arguments you can to cause your hearts to 
 turn from idols, and from other sinful « ays. Consider,
 
 318 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIV. 
 
 (1.) That they are separated from the Lord; Isa. 
 lix. 2, " Yi)ur iniquities have separated between you 
 and your God, and your sins have hid his face from 
 you, that he will not hear." For a woman to be se- 
 parated from her husband, that is gracious, loving, 
 and to join herself to some rogue, is grievous ; so 
 here are too sad effects of it, they have nothing of 
 God's face, nor of God's car. 
 
 (2.) That man's life is short, and the pleasures of 
 sin but for a season. Let a man all his life enjoy 
 them, yet they end then, and man may be cut olF 
 before he is aware of it : Matt. xxv. 13, " Watch 
 therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour 
 wherein the Son of man eometh." 
 
 (3.) The daily treasuring up of wrath, and danger 
 of final impenitency : Rom. ii. 5, Thou " treasurest 
 up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath." 
 It is a seal of condemnation. 
 
 (4.) The condemnings of a man's own heart and 
 conscience : " There is no peace to the wicked," but 
 they " are like the ti'oubled sea, when it cannot rest," 
 Isa. Ivii. 20, 21. 
 
 (5.) Absolute necessity of repenting and tm"ning 
 unto God : Luke xiii. 3, " Except ye repent, ye shall 
 all likewise perish." 
 
 (().) The love of Christ, in laying down his life, 
 shedding his blood, sutfering such hard tilings as he 
 did : Zceh. xii. 10, " They shall look upon me whom 
 they have pierced," (S;c. 
 
 (7.) That it is acceptable unto the Lord: he would 
 not else call for it, as here ; nor make such promises 
 unto it, as I Kings viii. 4S — 50, if tluy will return 
 to God with all their heart and soul, he will hear 
 their prayers, maintain their cause, forgive their 
 sins, and have compassion on them. It is acceptable 
 to the angels, repentance maki s them rejoice. 
 
 Obs. 4. True repentance and turning to the Lord, 
 doth manifest itself in the effects and fruits of it : it 
 hath meet fruit. Matt. iii. 8; worthy fiaiit, Luke iii. 
 8. Now here are three eflects thereof in these words : 
 
 (I.) When the soul is truly turned to God, it seeks 
 to turn others; it is not content that itself is come to 
 God, but would have many come to him. 
 
 (2.) It dispenses with no sin, it saith not, Lord, 
 be merciful to me in this, but turns from " all abomi- 
 nations," from every idol, the most darling sin shall 
 then go to it : Hos. xiv. 8, " Ephraim shall say. 
 What have I to do any more with idols ?" 
 
 (3.) It avoids the occasions of sin, and appearances 
 of evil. " Turn away your faces from all your abo- 
 minations ;" if you should look upon idols, they will 
 endanger you, stir up the old corruptions. Hence 
 Solomon counsels men not to " look upon the wine 
 when it is red, and giveth his colour in the cu|i," 
 Prov. xxiii. 31 ; not to enter " into the path of the 
 wicked," chap. iv. 14. 
 
 Ver. 7, 8. For every one of the house of I.srael, 
 or of the stranger that sojournelh in Israel, which 
 sepnratelh himseff froin me, and setleth up his 
 idols in his heart, and piitteth the stumblingblock 
 of his iniiiidtji before his face, and eometh to a 
 prophet to enfjiiire (f him concerning me; I the 
 lAtrd icill aiisicer him bi/ myself: and I ivill set 
 no/ face against that man, and will make him a 
 sign and a proverb, anil I will cut him ojf from 
 the midst (f my people : and ye shall know that I 
 am the Lord. 
 
 In the foregoing verse he exhorted them to re- 
 pentance, and to turn from their idols and abomina- 
 tions, and here, in these verses, he backs it with 
 reasons; thus, If ye will not repent, but persist in 
 
 your idolatry and sinful practices, " I will answer you 
 by myself, and I will set my face against you," kc. 
 " Every one of the house of Israel." The Hebrew- 
 is, isli, ish, man, man of the house of Israel ; that is, 
 every man of Israel that forsakes me to follow idols, 
 I will do so and so by. 
 
 " The stranger that sojourns in Israel." Hebrew 
 ■ilj< which the Septuagint renders proselyte, of the 
 proselytes that sojourn. Those who came from the 
 gentiles, and embraced the Jewish religion, they 
 were proselytes. There were two sorts of prose- 
 lytes ; one sort was called the proselyte of the cove- 
 nant, and these were to be circumcised, and to keep 
 the law : another sort was called the proselyte of the 
 gate, from Deut. xiv. 29, these were not circumcised, 
 neither received the law of Moses, but the seven 
 precepts of Noah ; one of which was, that they 
 should not worship idols ; if therefore they should 
 come with idols in their hearts, God would answer 
 them. 
 
 " And separateth himself from me." God had 
 taken the Jews to be his people, and some of the 
 gentiles came in to join with them, yet these sepa- 
 rated themselves fi'om God to go to idols ; like a 
 woman that leaves her husband, and follows other 
 men, Hos. ix. 10. When men leave the law of God, 
 and his pure worship, then they separate from God. 
 Of setting up idols in the heart, and putting the 
 stumblingblock of iniquity before their face, we have 
 spoken in ver. 4. 
 
 " And eometh to a prophet to inquire of him con- 
 cerning me." In ver. 4, it is said, " and eometh to 
 the prophet," then he adds, " to inquire of him." It 
 was an ordinary thing for this people, upt)n occa- 
 sions, to go to the prophets; Exod. xviii. 15, the 
 people came to Moses, who was a prophet, to inquire 
 of God ; they went to the seer to inquire, I Sam. 
 ix. 9 ; so 2 Kings viii. 8, Benhadad sends to Elisha 
 the prophet, to inquire of him ; Zedekiah sent again 
 and again to Jeremiah, to inquire of the Lord for 
 him, Jer. xxi. 2; xxxvii. 7- When they came to 
 the prophets, or sent to them, it was to know the 
 mind of the Lord in their straits, undertakings, de- 
 sires, and doubts. 
 
 " I the Lord will answer him by myself." The 
 Hebrew runs thus, I the Lord, it shall be answered 
 to him in me, I will not let any answer him but mv- 
 self. God spake himself to Moses, Numb. xii. 7, 8, 
 which was an argument of great love and good will: 
 and sometimes it is an argument of wrath and dis- 
 pleasure when he will not speak by others, but by 
 himself; as here, I will not answer him by the pro- 
 jihet, whom he entreats to inquire for him, but by 
 myself, whom he despises, by setting up idols in his 
 heart ; I will answer him, not with words, but 
 deeds, not with mercies, but with judgments, as the 
 next verse imports. God would not vouchsafe their 
 (juestions tliey propounded any answer at all, but he 
 would go on in his judgments, not be in(piired of by 
 them, but answer them according to the multitude 
 of tlieir idols. 
 
 Ver. 8. " I will set my face against that man." 
 The Hebrew is, faces, the ple.ral for the singular; 
 this phrase is frequent in Serijiture. The Targnm 
 expounds it, anger, which appears in the face, "and 
 face is oft put for the wrath and anger of (iod : Jer. 
 iii. 12, " I will not cause mine anger to fall upon 
 you ;" Hebrew is, my faces 'J3 Lam. iv. Ifi, " Tlie 
 anger of the Lord hath divided them ;" Hebrew is, 
 the face of the Lord: Psal. xxi. 9, "Thou shalt 
 make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine an- 
 ger ;" Hebrew is, in time of thy face ; that is, wlun 
 the wrath is in thy face, thou wilt consume them as 
 stubble in an oven: so 1 Pet. iii. 12, " The face of
 
 Ver. 7, 8. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 319 
 
 the Lord is against them that do evil ;" that is, the 
 anger of God is against such. So then, to set the 
 face against a man is to manifest himself to be an 
 enemy to that man, to persist in that enmity, and to 
 act accordingly. You may see it in those scriptures 
 where this phrase is mentioned : Lev. xvii. 10, '• I 
 will set my face against that soul that eateth blood, 
 and will cut him oil' from among his people ;" chap. 
 xxvi. 17, " I will set my face against you, and ye 
 shall be slain before your enemies ;" Jer. xxi. 10, " I 
 have set my face against this city for evil ; it shall 
 be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and 
 he shall burn it \\ith fire." You see when God sets 
 his face against any person or thing, he is an emmy 
 unto them, and gives not over his enmity till he hath 
 ruined them ; and therefore it follows here, 
 
 " 1 will make him a sign." His punishment shall 
 not be easy or common, but exemplary ; the Vulgate 
 is, in eieiiiplum ; such judgments would God bring 
 upon them, as that others should be astonislied at 
 them : I)eut. xxviii. 37, " Thou slialt become an 
 astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word, among all 
 nations." 
 
 " A proverb." God would so deal with these 
 men, as that they should be talked of every where. 
 Jer. xxiv. 9, Zedekiah, the princes, and residue of 
 Jerusalem, God would remove them " into all king- 
 doms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach 
 and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places ;" 
 their puni.shment should be proverbial. Calvin ob- 
 serves, that Srn signitieth disgrace, so that they 
 shall not only be matter of talk to the people, but 
 their names shall be infamous. 
 
 " And I will cut him off from the midst of my 
 people." God would not only make him a sign and 
 talk to others, that were no great matter, but destroy 
 him, " cut him oil." The Scripture oft speaks of 
 cutting oti' men ; it is not always meant by death, 
 but thought to be some censure whereby they were 
 deprived of the privileges of God's people ; but 
 sundry times it is spoken of God's cutting men off 
 by death. Lev. xvii. 10; xx. 3 — fi, and it is certain, 
 where God is said to set his face against any, and 
 then speaks of cutting oft' from his people, that there 
 it is to be understood of cutting oft' by death ; as in 
 this place, they should be cut off from his people, 
 both by temporal and eternal death. 
 
 " And yo shall know that I am the Lord." Hypo- 
 crites pretend they are godly, they converse with 
 tlie prophets, ask counsel of God, but yet they con- 
 temn the true prophets, and the power of godliness, 
 they will choose their own ways ; therefore saith 
 God, " Ye shall know that I am the Lord;" you set 
 up idols in your hearts, make gods of them, but I will 
 my self deal with you for them, and punish you severely. 
 
 06*. 1. That when men leave God, and his ways, 
 then they fall to idolatrous and other sinful practices. 
 They separated themselves from God, and set up 
 idols in their hearts. When once corruption hath 
 taken off' the heart from the Lord, who is an Infinite 
 good, then it cleaves to any creature, any dunghill god, 
 and deifies that: Hos. ix. 10, "They went to Baal- 
 peor, and separated themselves unto that shame ;" 
 it was a shameful idol, yet, having left God, they 
 could embrace it: and Hos. iv. 10 — 12, " They have 
 left oil' to take heed to the Lord. Whoredom, and 
 wine, and new Avine, take away the heart. They 
 ask couns-1 at their stocks, and their staff declareth 
 unto them." Jer. ii. 13, they forsook God, the foun- 
 tain of living waters, and then hewed themselves 
 cisterns that could hold no water : it was therefore 
 good counsel the apostle gave, Heb. iii. 12. "Take 
 heed lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbe- 
 lief, in departing from the living God." Through 
 
 imbclief men separate from God, and that is the 
 principle of all disobeehencc, and lets the heart loose 
 unto any creature, to every sin. 
 
 06.V. 2. Men exceeding sinful may put on a face 
 of holiness. These men, who were idolaters, come 
 to the prophet, inciuire of God by him, as if they were 
 pious men, intended to know the mind of Geid, and 
 do what he would have done ; this was coimtcrfeit 
 holiness, they had idols in their hearts, and meant 
 to keep them there. Saul was sometimes among 
 the prophets; the devil seems an angel of light, and 
 wicked, vile men appear saints ; 2 Tim. iii. 5, " Hav- 
 ing a form of gOLlliness." The worst of men may 
 make a cloak of religion ; antichrist sits in the tem- 
 ple, 2 Thess. ii. 4 ; Simon Magus, believing, is bap- 
 tized, and wonders at the miracles Philip wrought, 
 Acts viii. 13. 
 
 Obs. 3. Look what men are in comingunto God, the 
 like shall they find him unto them. They came to 
 the prophet fallaciously, and God would not answer 
 them by the prophet, but by himself; he knew liow 
 to deal with them, he knew- their hearts, and so what 
 was fittest to be said or done unto them : Psal. xviii. 
 25, 2(), " With the merciful thou wilt show thyself 
 merciful ; with an upright man thou wilt show thy- 
 self upright ; with the pure thou will show thyself 
 pure ; and with the frow ard thou wilt show thyself 
 froward," or wrestle with them : so Lev. xxvi. 23, 
 24, if ye will walk contrary to me, I will walk con- 
 trary to you. If a people come humbly unto God, 
 and sue for mercy, he will save them, but if their 
 hearts swell, rise within them, he will bring down 
 their high looks, Psal. xviii. 27. As God finds men, 
 so he wiU proceed with them ; so he dealt witli 
 Pharaoh. 
 
 Obs. 4. God will proceed impartially with every 
 man; be he Jew or gentile, all is one to God. "Every 
 one of the house of Israel, or of the .stranger that so- 
 joumeth in Israel," &c. God neither accepts nor re- 
 spects persems. Gal. ii. 6 ; Acts x. 34. If a Jew be 
 guilty he shall have an answer suitable ; so if a gen- 
 tile be faulty, his gentilism shall not excuse him. 
 Let men's conditions, nations, rjualities, degrees, be 
 what they will, it matters not, if they come to God 
 with idols in their hearts, the greatest shall speed no 
 better than the meanest, the Jew no better than the 
 sti-anger. 
 
 Obs. 5. Men set up idols in their hearts, and God 
 sets his face against them, he becomes an adversary 
 unto them, looks severely upon them, speaks ter- 
 ribly unto them, and works powerfully against them. 
 They had set their faces and hearts upon idols for 
 evil, and God sets his face and heart against them 
 for evil, and is resolved to ruin them: Jer. xliv. 
 11, "Behold, I will set my face against you for 
 evil, and to cut off all Juelah." To have God set 
 his face against a people is very sad. 
 
 There are several sins mentioned in Scripture 
 for which God sets his face against men ; ottering 
 their seed to Molech, Lev. xx. 2, 3; despising of 
 his statutes, and breaking his covenant. Lev. xxvi. 
 15, 17 ; ielolatry and hypocrisy here in the text. 
 
 Obs. 6. When God's face is against a people, his 
 judgments upon them will be exemplary, he will 
 make them signs and proverbs in the world. Jer. 
 xix. 8, " I will make this city rlesolate, and an hiss- 
 ing : every one that passeth thereby shall be aston- 
 ished and b.iss, because of all the plagues thereof:" 
 chap, xv'ii. 16, "Every one thatpasseth thereby shall 
 wag his head ;" chap. xlii. 18, " Y'e shall be an exe- 
 cration, and an astemishment, and a curse, anel a re- 
 proach." Men's names are dear unto them, but 
 (iod will blast their names, make them to be a taunt 
 and proverb : Jer. xxix. 22, it was a proverb among
 
 320 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIV. 
 
 them, " The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like 
 Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the tire." 
 And when they wished hurt to any, they used this 
 speech, God make them a reiiroach among all nations, 
 Ezek. V. 14, 15; and when this is done, God cuts 
 them otTfrom the land of the living in that condition. 
 Oii-. The end of God's setting his face against 
 sinners, and proceeding severely with them, is, that 
 they may acknowledge his justice and power over 
 them. 
 
 Ver. 9. And if the prophet he deceived ivhen he 
 hath spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that 
 prophet, and I ivill stretch out my hand upon 
 him, and will destroy him from the midst of my 
 people Israel. 
 
 False prophets were both in Judea and in Baby- 
 lon, and the people had often recourse unto them; 
 they spake pleasing things, they told them who were 
 in Judea tliat Nebuchadnezzar should never subdue 
 and carry them captives, as he had done Jeeoniah, 
 and some others with him ; yea, they told them that 
 those in Babylon should shortly return. These were 
 vain, false, and deceitful prophecies, and Divine Pro- 
 vidence ordered it so, and therefore God saith here, 
 " If the propliet be deceived when he hath sjioken 
 a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet," &c. 
 
 In the verse you have, 
 
 I. A supposition. 
 
 II. An assertion. 
 
 III. A threatening. 
 
 I. For the supposition, the false prophets (for of 
 them he speaks) wire deceived in what they spake 
 to the people. Zedekiah, and the rest of the pro- 
 phets which bade Ahab to go up to Ramoth-gilead, 
 and prosper, were deceived, 1 Kings xxii. Hana- 
 niah and Shclemiah made that people trust in a lie, 
 Jer. xxviii. 15; xxix. 31. They were deceived in 
 their prophets, and deceive others ; the things they 
 spake came not to pass. 
 
 " If the prophet be deceived." Hebrew original 
 word is .ina which being taken in the ill part, as 
 here, notes a turning of the heart to that. A man 
 may be deceived by others, or by his own corruption, 
 for a man may be seduced in himself by himself; 
 James i. 14, "Every man is tempted, when he is 
 drawn away of his own lust ;" his lust is in him ; by 
 his lust he is enticed, seduced, and this 
 
 Jer. XIV. 14. i .■ • i * \ i • ^ 
 
 seduction is voluntary, Ijy nis own act 
 and will ; so that in himself is the true efficient cause 
 of his seduction. 
 
 II. "I the Lord have deceived that prophet." 
 Here is the assertion. These words sound very 
 harsh, and no man durst have attributed them unto 
 the Lord, had not he himself said so. We nuist in- 
 quire into the Sense of these, how God is said to de- 
 ceive a projihet that speaks falsely. 
 
 To say God declared him to be deceived, or per- 
 mitted him to be deceived, comes not up to the ex- 
 pression here ; " 1 have deceived that," &c. 'r>rB 
 it is active and notes action. This we must lay 
 down, that God neither is nor can be the author of 
 sin ; for then he must act against some rule. God's 
 will, which is ever most holy, just, and wise, is his 
 rule; audit is unreasonable and impious, to think 
 that God should work or do any thing against his 
 own will ; yet God wills sin, not as good, but so far 
 as he intends and is alile to work good out of it, and 
 bring about his ghiry by it. Mr. Baynes and some 
 otliers bold, there is an efficacy fif God reaching to 
 the beginning of sin, though not to the essence of 
 sin ; and it is no more than some Jesuits acknow- 
 ledge, who maintain a deadly quarrel against Calvin, 
 
 for making God the author of sin, when he saith for 
 substance no more than they. A Lapide saith, 
 God's permission of sin is an action, otherwise no 
 sin could be. He saith further, this permission is 
 etlieacious. He instanceth in a greyhound which a 
 man lets loose to pursue the hare, and sets the dog 
 upon the hare ; so God lets Satan loose upon men, 
 and so is active to the beginning of sin. 1 Kings 
 xxii. 20, " Thf Lord said, AVho shall persuade Ahab 
 that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead ? And 
 one said on this manner, another on that manner." 
 Ver. 21, "There came forth a spirit, and said, I wiU 
 persuade him." And ver. 22, " The Lord said unto 
 him, V herewith ? I will go forth and be a lying 
 spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he 
 said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also : go 
 forth, and do so." Here is some concurrence of 
 God to the deception of these prophets ; and God 
 might have said of them as here, 1 have deceived 
 these prophets. 
 
 The words " I have deceived," are to be taken as 
 a judicial act of God, who dealing with them as de- 
 linquents, pnnisheth them witii this special judg- 
 ment of s< duction ; they were idolatrous and hypo- 
 critical, and God punished those sins with others, 
 and so accidentally was the efficient cause of their 
 deception. God finding those men false and forward 
 to deceive, hearkening to their own hearts, and 
 following their own spirits, Ezek. xiii. 2, 3, he 
 gave them up and over to vain visions and lying 
 divinations, which was one punishment, and to per- 
 dition, which was another punishment following 
 thereupon. Have you a mind to be prophets, to pro- 
 phesy lies ? ye shall be so. 
 
 Quest. Jer. xx. 7, saith Jeremiah a true prophet, 
 " Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was de- 
 ceived ; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevail- 
 ed." What ! doth God deceive true prophets ? 
 
 Answ. 1. The deception here is no sinful deception, 
 he had no vain visions, no lying divinations, wdiat- 
 ever he prophesied was truth, from the God of truth, 
 and came to pass. The meaning here is this ; Jere- 
 miah was discontented that he saw so little fruit of 
 his ministry, that he found such opposition, that he 
 was daily in derision and mocked of every one ; and 
 therefore saith. " Lord, thou hast deceived 
 me," in making me a prophet ; I looked for other 
 things than I find, but I am deceived, and thou hast 
 done it: I was unwilling to be a prophet, objected 
 against it, chap. i. 6, but thou laidest thy charge 
 upon me, overpoweredst me, and prevailedst against 
 me, making me great promises, which yet I see not 
 performed, ver. 7, 8, 18, 19. 
 
 2. The words may be read thus. Thou hast per- 
 suaded me, and I was persuaded; for when it is 
 taken in the better sense, it notes to persuade. 
 
 Quest. Isa. Ixiii. 17, " O Lord, why hast thou made 
 us to (IT from thy ways? and hardened our heart 
 from thy fear p " Did God make the prophet and 
 people to err ? did he harden their hearts ? 
 
 Answ. 1. The prophet speaks in the name of the 
 people, not of himself; he did not err from the W'ay 
 of (iod, but reproved the people for it. 
 
 2. God did this in judgment to the people, who 
 afi'ected false prophets, and chose their own ways, 
 Isa. Ixvi. 3, and delighted in their abfmiinations ; 
 therefore God denied them his Spirit, and left them 
 to their own spirits ; he in judgment gave them up 
 to their own ways, and to hardness of heart; and 
 this was not sinful in the Lord. Psal. Ixxxi. 11, 12, 
 '■ My people would not hearken unto my voice, and 
 Israel w ould none of me. So I gave tlum up unto 
 their own hearts' lust : and they walked in their own 
 counsels."
 
 Ver. 9, 10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 321 
 
 III. " I will stretchout my lianduiwnlnm." Here 
 is the threatening:. God hath no hand to stretch out, 
 he is without all parts ; the words are metaphorical, 
 taken from the practice of men, who stretch out 
 their hands to do this or that. Gen. xxii. 10, " Abra- 
 ham stretched forth his hand to slay liis son ; " 
 Jeroboam put forth his liand to lay hold upon the 
 prophet that had prophesied against his altar, 1 
 Kings xiii. 4 ; so God would put forth his power to 
 punish such a prophet. 
 
 Quest. If God deceived him, how can he in justice 
 punish or destroy that prophet. 
 
 Answ. I. The false prophet did whatever he did 
 freely, he was not forced by any power or act of God, 
 his seduction was principally from himself; and it 
 was his own fault that he was deceived, that he de- 
 ceived otliers. 
 
 2. A man may serve providence, and yet sin 
 against the law of God. The secret providence of 
 God had ordered it that this people should be se- 
 duced by false propluts, yet God in his word had 
 forbid false propliets and prophecies, Deut. xiii. ; 
 and because men are to look at what is written, not 
 what is secret and liidden, therefore if they violate 
 the law, God mav justlv punish thereupon. Acts iv. 
 27, 28, Herod, Pilate, Judas, and the Jews, they did 
 to Christ whatsoever God had determined to be done, 
 yet w'ere they not without sin, nor without punish- 
 ment, because they transgressed the rule given them. 
 
 Oba. I. The Lord, in his infinite wisdom and jus- 
 tice, doth make a punisliment of sin, and punish one 
 sin with another. Besides corporal judgments he 
 hath spiritual ; if the prophet be deceived, " I the 
 Lord have deceived him," I have laid this judgment 
 upon him, that he should be deceived, led into errors, 
 and deceive others ; this he hath deserved at my 
 hands, and this punishment in just judgment I inflict 
 ujion him. The Scriptures hold out frequently this 
 w:iy of God's proceedings with sinners, his punish- 
 ing of one sin with another; 2 Chron. xxv. 17 — 20, 
 Amaziah provokes Joash to war, he dissuades liim 
 from it; but Amaziah would not hear ; " for it came 
 of God, that he might deliver them into the hands of 
 their enemies, because thev sought after the gods of 
 Edom." Jer. iv. 10, "Then said I, Ah, Lord God! 
 thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, 
 saying, Ye shall have peace, whereas the sword 
 reacheth unto the soul." They were desirous of pro- 
 phets that might speak pleasing things imto them ; 
 they regarded not Jeremiah and Ezckiel ; and God 
 in judgment lets them have such prophets which 
 cried, Peace, peace, and gave them over to believe 
 thfirlies; and this made Jeremiah say ; "Thou hast 
 greatly deceived," &:c. Rom. i. 25, 2(!, "They 
 changed the truth of God into a lie ; worshipped and 
 served the creature more than the Creator : for this 
 cause God gave them up unto vile affections ;" and 
 ver. 28, " over to a reprobate mind." 2 Thess. ii. 
 10, II, "Because they received not the love of the 
 truth, that they might be saved; for this cause 
 God shall Send them strong delusion, that they should 
 believe a lie." 
 
 06.S-. 2. God will deal severely with false prophets. 
 " 1 will stretch out my hand upon him, and w'ill de- 
 stroy him from the midst of my people Israid ;" he 
 would make him exemplary to all. Hananiah was a 
 ftdse prophet, and deceived many ; therefore said 
 God, " Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of 
 the earth," and that quickly ; " this year thou shalt 
 die," Jer. xxviii. 15, 16: God would not stay long 
 from cutting him off. Shemaiah was another false 
 
 {irophet, and God would destroy him and his seed; 
 le should not have a man to dwell among that 
 people, chap. xxix. 31,32. 
 
 Y 
 
 Ver. 10. And they shall hear the punishment of 
 their iniqtiifi/ : the punishment of the prophet shall 
 he even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto 
 him. 
 
 There being false prophets among this people, 
 they gave ear to them, resorted unto tliem, took 
 counsel of them ; and here God tells Ezekiel, that 
 not only the false prophets should be punished for 
 deceiving the people, but even they that by seeking 
 to those prophets were deceived by them. 
 
 The Hebrew is thus, they shall bear their ini<iuity ; 
 as the iniquity of him that seeks is, so shall be the 
 iniquity of the prophet. Where you have " punish- 
 ment," the original is, iniquity. This phrase is 
 much in holy writ, " to bear iniquity," and is put 
 for bearing of punishment, which iniquity doth 
 cause. Lev. v. 1, 17. They that uncover the naked- 
 ness of their kin, " shall bear their iniquity," that 
 is, their punishment for it, chap. xx. 17, 19. This 
 phrase is appHed to Christ, Isa. liii. II, " He shall 
 bear their iniquity ;" which the 5th verse calK-, 
 wounding, bruising, chastisement, stripes. Paul liath 
 the like phrase. Gal. v. 10, " He that tronbleth you 
 shall bear his judgment;" he shall have his punish- 
 ment, whatever he be. 
 
 "The punishment of the prophet shall be even as 
 the punishment of him tliat seeketh unto him." It 
 may seem hence, that there is an equality in their 
 sin, and in the punishment ; but sins and punishment 
 do ditl'er in Scripture. Matt. v. 22, " Whosoever is 
 angry with his brother without a cause shall be in 
 danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say, 
 Raca, shall be in danger of the council : but whoso- 
 ever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell 
 fire :" here are divers degrees of sin, and divers 
 degrees of punishment. Matt. xii. 45, " The last 
 state of that man is worse than the first;" worse for 
 sin, worse for punishment. John xix. II, " He that 
 delivered me unto thee hath tlie greater sin ;" his 
 sin that betrayed Christ was greater than Pilate's, 
 and answerable should be his punishment. Jer. vii 
 20, " They did worse than their fathers ;" so shouhl 
 have worse punishment than they. God appointed 
 punishment to be inflicted according to the nature 
 of the sin : Deut. xxv. 2, " If the wicked man lie 
 worthy to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to 
 lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according 
 to his fault." Rev. xviii. 7, " How much she halh 
 glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much tor- 
 ment and sorrow give her." By these scriptures 
 you see that all sins are not equal, neither all punish- 
 ment, and that God doth proportion punishments to 
 the nature of sins. We are not here to conclude an 
 equality of punishments upon the false prophet and 
 those that came >mto him ; for certainly his sin in 
 deceiving the people, pretending visions and divina- 
 tions from heaven, that he was sent of God, &c. was 
 greater than the people's : " even as," notes the 
 quality and reality of the punishment, not the degree. 
 
 Obs. 1. The fruit or reward of sin is burdensome. 
 " They shall bear their iniquity ; " that is, the fruit 
 and effect of it ; it lights and lies heavy upon the 
 authors of it. Guilt is a heavy burden for a soul to 
 bear ; it made a prophet cry out, Psal. li. 14, " De- 
 liver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of 
 my salvation." Guilt lay like a mountain of lead 
 upon him ; so any punishment for sin is w'cighty. 
 If God send a plague, a famine, or sword, are they 
 not heavy ? when God brought tidings to David that 
 one of those judgments must be upon him for nuni- 
 beriug the people, he was in a great strait, 2 S;;m. 
 xxiv. 14. And Psal. xxxviii. 2 — 5, "Tliine arrows 
 stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
 
 322 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIV. 
 
 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine 
 anger ; neither is there any rest in my bones be- 
 cause of my sin : for mine iniquities are ^one over 
 my head ; as an heavy burden they are too heavy for 
 mo : my wounds stink and are corrupt because of my 
 foolisl;ness." He had sinned, and found tlie burden 
 of bin wonderful grievous. The church saitli, Lam. 
 iii. 7, " He hath made my cliain heavy ; " sin had 
 brouglit an iron heavy cliain upon her. Sin brings 
 shame, and that is a burden ; Ezek. xvi. 54, " That 
 thou mayest bear thine own shame : " it brings sor- 
 rows, fears, pains, loss, death, damnation, and all 
 these are grievous. Ezek. xviii, 20, it is said, " The 
 ■wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him;" it 
 shall be a burden upon him. 
 
 Obs. 2. To seek unto false prophets is a thing 
 punishable before God. " The punishment of the 
 prophet shall be even as the punishment of him 
 that seeketh unto him." Men think it is nothing to 
 consult with a wicked prophet, but God will not so 
 pass it over ; he counts it a great sin, and will lay 
 upon him a proportionable burden. If prophets be 
 not sent of God, if they give out erroneous and false 
 things, if they be wicked in their lives, it is a danger- 
 ous thing to have recourse to them ; God is against 
 those prophets, and those that depend upon diem. 
 Jer. xxiii. 32, " I am against such prophets," sailh 
 God there, and "they sliall not profit this people at 
 all;" they thought by consulting with them, that 
 they should gain much, and it is true they gained 
 the displeasure of God, they brought exemplary 
 judgments upon themselves. God had commanded 
 them not to hearken to such pirophets, ver. 1(5, as 
 spake a vi.sion out of their own heart, and not out of 
 the mouth of the Lord ; yea, he had commanded such 
 prophets to be put to death, Deut. xiii. 5 ; for them, 
 therefore, to consult with these p)rophets, to follow 
 their counsels, and do what they appointed, leaving 
 the true prophets, discountenancing and discourag- 
 ing them, was a high provocation of God, and punish- 
 ed answerably. Ahab sought unto the false prophets, 
 but God remembered it, and visited it upon his head. 
 If God will punish those that seek to filse prophets, 
 surely he will not spare those that seek unto witches, 
 sorcerers, astrologers, and star-gazers ; nor those 
 that seek unto another god : Psal. xvi. 4, " Their 
 sorrows shall be multiplied." 
 
 Ver. II. Jltat the house of Israel may go no 
 more astrai/ from me, neither be polluted nny 
 more with all their transgressions ; but that thet/ 
 may he my people, and J may be their God, saiih 
 the Lord God. 
 
 This verse shows the end why the Lord would 
 punish the false prophets, and those that consulted 
 with them, viz. to prevent the people's sinning 
 against him by idolatry and other unlawful practices. 
 ^Vhen they should see God cutting oft" their prophets, 
 and those who had hearkened to them, this would 
 breed fear in them, and put a stand to their sinful 
 ways, cause them to return, and continue in the 
 ways of God. 
 
 " House of Israel." By these we are to under- 
 stand the godly, those who were elected, the spirit- 
 ual Israelites ; not all after the flesh, for the false 
 prophets, and those who clave to them, were so of 
 the house of Israel. When God visited with great 
 judgments, he ever reserved some, that so his cove- 
 nant which he had made with Abraham might not 
 fail ; and they were the spiritual Israelites, not the 
 carnal, who went no more astray. 
 
 " May go no more astray." ijfn> sS from nyn to 
 err, to wander ; it is a metaplior borrowed from cat- 
 
 tle which wander out of the right way, as jMatf. xviii. 
 12, " If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them 
 be gone astray ;" Exod. xxiii. 4, " If thou meet thine 
 enemy's ox or ass going astray ;" and is applied 
 unto man, 2 Pet. ii. 15, "Which have forsaken the 
 right way, and are gone astray, fullowing ihe way 
 of Balaam." Here they had left the way of God, 
 and followed lying prophets. 
 
 " No more." 
 
 Quest. Do the godly being once redeemed go 
 astray no more ? l)avid went astray oft : and the 
 apostle saith, " In many things we sin all," James 
 iii. 2. 
 
 Ansir. 1. God's end in punishing the wicked, is to 
 keep his people from straying at all ; as a jiarcnt, 
 when he corrects the child for lying, would have it 
 lie no more, though through that corruption which 
 is in it, it lie often. 
 
 2. That they go no more astray from him in that 
 way and manner they did before, no more to false 
 gods and false worship ; they go not astray in any 
 dangerous wandering. 
 
 " From me." The Hebrew is 'inNO from after 
 me. God's people are to follow him ; but by heark- 
 ening to false prophets, and the enticement of their 
 own hearts, they are turned aside from following God. 
 
 " Neither be polluted any more." The original 
 word Ncia is to pollute, defile, be unclean ; and it is 
 contrarv' to into which is to be clean and innocent. 
 
 " With all their transgressions." Or prevarica- 
 tions ; the word yea notes not any transgression, 
 but such a one as hath much of the will in it, joined 
 with pride and malice, and therefore is rendered re- 
 bellion, Psal. V. 10, " Cast them out in the multitude 
 of their transgressions ; for they have rebelled against 
 thee :" they were transgressions which had sedition 
 and rebellion in them. Job xxxiv. 37, " He addeth 
 rebellion unto his sin ;" ye'S irstsn the Vulgate hath 
 it, blasjdiemy. 
 
 "But that they may he my people, and I," &c. 
 Hebrew is, and they shall be to me for a people, and 
 I will be to them for a God. They were God's peo- 
 ple before, in covenant, circumcised, had the temple, 
 sacrifices, &c. God speaks thus, to show they had 
 made a defection from him, forfeited all, deserved 
 to be rejected, and had by their sins bred a great 
 strangeness between him and themselves ; for they 
 had corrupted his worship, violated his laws, reject- 
 ed his (irophets, polluted his name and timple, for- 
 saken hiin, and followed after strange gods, and so 
 done what was in them to be none of God's people: 
 but if they would awaken out of their spiritual shmi- 
 bcr, consider, repent, and turn to him. he would 
 manifest his faithfulness and loving-kindness unto 
 them, they should be his people. Sec. The like 
 words you had in chap. xi. 20, "They shall be my 
 people, and I will be their God." 
 
 Obs. I. From the coherence with the two former 
 verses, That God makes use of ill means to accom- 
 plish good ends ; he lets errors, and strange opini- 
 ons, seducing doctrines, prevail with false prophets 
 and people, that so they sufl'ering proportionably 
 for their evil, his people may be kept from such 
 ways and ends. He in judgment sent strong delu- 
 sions to the prophets and people, wdiich they vent- 
 ing and embracing, he punished them, that so the 
 house of Israel might not go any more astray from 
 him. 
 
 There is no creature so poisonous, but God makes 
 use of it to some good end ; and there is no pro].het 
 or teacher so corrnp)t, no opinions so damnable or 
 blasphemous, but the Lord, by his infinite powi r, 
 orders and works it to some good end. 1 Cor. xi. 
 19, " There must be heresies among you, that thty
 
 Ver. 11. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL, 
 
 323 
 
 which are approvcil may be made manifest among 
 you :" God makes use of heresies, sects, and schisms, 
 to discover who are sound, who are not : when it is 
 a time of war, men of valour and counsel are made 
 known. Deut. xiii. 3, when a false prophet rose up 
 amongst them, the Lord tells them it was to prove 
 them, whether they did love the Lord, and his truths, 
 would hold tliem fast and follow him ; or whether 
 they would be led aside with erroneous doctrines, 
 and follow seducing teachers. 
 
 Obs. 2. By judgments upon the wicked, God in- 
 tends the good of his people. He will destroy the 
 seducing prophet and seduced people, that the house 
 of Israel may go no more astray from him ; that 
 those who were godly people might awake out of 
 their secure slumber, consider what they had done, 
 repent of it, and never do the like. When the pro- 
 phets of Baal were slain, then the jieople were freed 
 from their baitings between God and Baal, and clave 
 to the Lord. Psal. ix. I'i, "The Lord is known by 
 the judgment he executeth ;" when he lays bis hand 
 upon sinners, saints tremble, consider his power, 
 majesty, greatness, the nature of his judgments, 
 and so judge themselves, and remove out of the way 
 whatever may provoke. Psal. cxix. 119, 120, " Thou 
 puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross : 
 therefore I love thy testimonies. My flesh trembleth 
 for fear of thee ; and I am afraid of thy judgments." 
 When God, by his fiery judgments, separated the 
 dross from the gold, the wicked from the ungodly, 
 David tretnbled, considered the law of God more 
 thoroughly, and loved his testimonies. So Isa. xxvi. 
 9, " When thy judgments are in the earth, the in- 
 habitants of the world will learn righteousness :" 
 Isaiah knew that it was the mind of God, in his 
 judgments, to advantage bis people by them, and 
 therefore saith, " the inhabitants of the world," that 
 is, the godly inhabitants, " will learn righteous- 
 ness," they will see the evil of sin and hate it. 
 
 06.?. 3. God's own people are apt to go astray. 
 " That tile bouse of Israel may go no more astray." 
 They had gone astray, and were in danger to do it 
 again. They are like sheep, and no creature apter 
 to wander out of the right way than that : Psal. 
 cxix. 17(5, David confesseth he had gone astray like 
 a lost sheep, a sheep that hath lost the fold, and lost 
 the way. Adam, who was the ram in the head of 
 the flock, he went astray in eating the forbidden 
 fruit, and the whole flock of mankind have ever 
 since followed him. Psal. Iviii. 3, " The wicked go 
 astray as soon as they be born," even from the belly, 
 as the Hebrew is ; and Isaiah speaking in the name 
 of the better sort, saith, chap. liii. 6, " All we like 
 sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one to 
 his own way :" one hath a way of pride ; another of 
 wantonness ; a third hath a way of covetousness, &c. 
 " Ye were as sheep going astray ; but are now re- 
 turned," ifcc. I Pet. ii. 25. A sheep is, 
 
 (1.) A foolish creature. 
 
 (2.) Subject to many diseases. 
 
 (3.) Obvious to much danger. 
 
 (4.) Aptest to leave the good paths and good 
 pastures. The foolish Galatians were ready to em- 
 brace another gospel, and to admit circumcision. 
 Peter and Barnabas stepped awry, when they dis- 
 sembled with the Jews. David it is said turned 
 aside " in the matter of Uriah the Hittite," 1 Kings 
 XV. 5. And the i)eople quickly turned aside out of 
 the way of God, Deut. ix. 12. 
 
 Ohs. 4. When God's people are once gone astray, 
 they would never return of themselves, if God should 
 let them alone in their wrong ways : he must reduce 
 them by his own hand, and keep them in the right 
 wav by his own power. A sheep wanders further 
 Y 2 
 
 and further, and thinks not of returning : David when 
 he had left the way of God, and turned aside to 
 Bathsheba, he goes further, he makes Uriah drunk, 
 plots his death, rejoices at it, takes the widow to be 
 his wife, and never considers all this time that he is 
 out of the way of God ; and bad not Nathan been 
 sent to him, to tell him bow he had wandered, he 
 had not returned : so Peter denies his Master once, 
 twice, thrice ; and had not Christ looked upon him, he 
 might have denied him for ever. This appears in 
 the parable of the lost sheep. Matt, xviii. 12; the 
 shepherd stays not for the sheep's returning, but 
 goes into the mountains, and seeks that which is 
 gone astray. 
 
 Obs. 5. God would have his people to keep close 
 to him, to follow him, to walk witb him, that they 
 may no more go astray from after him. To go 
 after God, is to worship him in his own way, to have 
 him in our eye, to do things in order to him, to fol- 
 low his directions, commands, to observe his ope- 
 rations in the world, to lean upon him for counsel, 
 comfort, assistance, safety, and blessings, to submit 
 to his will, to receive what he reveals, following on 
 to know God, and to get further communion with 
 him. God would have his people to do thus. Hosea 
 xi. 10, "They shall walk after the Lord:" he would 
 go before them, and they should follow him ; they 
 should not go after other gods, after their own eyes, 
 hearts, inventions, but after him. God commends 
 David for his following him, I Kings xiv. 8 ; he sets 
 him there before Jeroboam, and condemns him by 
 his example : " Thou hast not been as my servant 
 David, who kept my commandments, and who fol- 
 lowed me with all his heart, to do that only which 
 was right in mine eyes." lie went not from after 
 God, but followed him closely ; and it is very pleas- 
 ing to God when his people do so. Elijah knew it 
 well, and therefore said to the people, I Kings xviii. 
 21, " If the Lord be God, follow him," do not leave 
 him to go after any olhcr. 
 
 Obs. 6. God showeth mercy not only to little sin- 
 ners, but great ones. They were polluted with all 
 their transgressions, with all their rebellious sedi- 
 tions ; yet being the house of Israel, his select ones, 
 he would pardon their sins, though of a high nature. 
 God is rich and great in mercy, and no sins can ex- 
 ceed his m.ercy ; he would pass by their pollutions 
 and transgressions, account them his peoide, and be 
 their God, their sins should not obstruct bis grace. 
 fsa. i. 18, "Though their sins be as scarlet, they 
 shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like 
 crimson, they shall be as wool." Scarlet and crim- 
 son are of a deep dye ; silk and wool do hold those 
 colours firmly, you cannot wash nor wear them out, 
 neither nature nor art can reduce them to their pris- 
 tine condition ; but let souls be dyed and stained 
 with sins most deeply, with the deejiest and vilest 
 sins, yet God can take out that hellish dye and tinc- 
 ture, he can make them white as snow, pure as wool 
 undyed. The wool in those countries was exceed- 
 ing white; Psal. cxlvii. 16, "He giveth snow like 
 wool;" and Dan. vii. 9, it is called "pure wool," in 
 regard of the whiteness; Rev. i. 14, the whiteness 
 of wool and snow are put together, " His hairs were 
 white like wool, as white as snow." Now let a 
 man's sin be wilful murder, which is very great, and 
 his soul be dipped in blood, yet God can and doth 
 take away such sins, and make white again. Psal. 
 li. 7, " Wash me," saith David, whose soul had a 
 double dye, one of uneleanness, another of murder, 
 " and I shall be whiter than snow." Manasseh's 
 sins were exceeding great, yet the grare of God 
 surmounted them all, and they were swallowed up 
 in a sea of mercy. Luke vii. 37, it is said, a woman
 
 324 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIV. 
 
 that was a sinner came to Christ. Was this such a 
 matter to be recorded in lioly writ? are not all men 
 and women sinners ? Yes ; but the word sinner notes 
 a notorious sinner ; she-was such a great and known 
 sinner, that the Pharisee wondered at Christ, that 
 he should sutTer her to touch him, ver. 39. Her 
 sins were many, ver. 47 ; yet mercy was reached 
 out to her, ver. 4S, " Thy sins arc forgiven thee." 
 
 Obs. 7- Sin is a polluting thing. " Neither be 
 polluted any more." Matt. xv. 19, 20, Christ reckons 
 up sins there, and saith, " These are they which de- 
 file a man ;" ra Koivovvra tov avOpunrov, they make 
 common, which in Scripture sense is, to defde, to 
 profane, to make unclean ; so Peter expounds it, 
 Acts X. 14, " I have never eaten any thing common 
 or unclean," koivov ») axdeapTov, and Erasmus renders 
 the word koivoI, Matl. xv. 11, impurum rcddcre. It 
 is sin, and sin only, which makes impure creatures ; 
 therefore in Scripture it is compared to blood, Ezek. 
 xvi. G, to mire and dirt, Isa. Ivii. 20, to vomit, 2 Pet. 
 ii. 22, to filth, Isa. iv. 4; yea more, it is put in the 
 abstract, and called " filthiness," Prov. xsx. 12; 
 2 Cor. vii. 1, im'Svnftoc, that defiles both flesh and 
 spirit; 2 Pet. ii. 20, ra fLtdcjiaTa tov Korrfiov. Physi- 
 cians say, that miasmata are those spreadings or 
 seminaries of the pestilence in a corrupt air : you 
 know in a pestilence the air is infected, and that in- 
 fection in the air spreads, and falling upon subjects 
 capable of it, infects and kills them ; so pollutions 
 in the world are pestilential, they spread, infect, and 
 kill many. Seeing sin is such a polluting thing, let 
 us hasten to the fountain set open for sin and un- 
 cleanness, let us get our, souls washed in the blood 
 of Christ; Heb. ix. 14, that blood will purge, yea, 
 purge out any spots, all defilements, 1 John i. 7- 
 Rev. vii. 14, they had "washed their robes, and 
 made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Blood 
 makes red, but the blorjd of the Lamb makes white, 
 takes away all sin, and makes innocent. 
 
 Ver. 12 — 21. Tlie word nf the Lord came 
 a^atn to me, sm/ing, Son of man, when the land 
 sinnefh agnlnst me hi/ trespassing griefoush/, then 
 will I stretch oiit mine hand npon it, and will 
 break the staff of the bread thereof, and u-iU send 
 famine vpon it, and will cut off man and beast 
 from it: thoitgh these three men, Noah, Daniel, 
 and Job, were in it, they shonld deliver hit their 
 own souls by their righteoustiess, saith the Lord 
 God. Lf I cause noisome beasts to pjass through 
 the land, and thei/ spoil it, so that it be desolate, 
 that no man mai) pass through because of the 
 beasts: though these three men were in it, as I 
 live, saith the I^ord God, ther/ shall deliver neither 
 sons nor daughters : they only shall be delivered, 
 but the land shall be desolate. Or if I bring n 
 sword upon that land, and say, Swoi-d, go through 
 the land; so that I cut off man and beast from 
 it: though these three men were in it, as I live, 
 saith the Lord God, thei/ shall deliver neither 
 sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered 
 themselves. Or if I send a pestilence into that 
 land, and pour out my fury vpon it in blood, to 
 cut off from it man and beast : though Noah, 
 Daniel, and .Job, trere in it, as I live, saith the 
 Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor 
 daughter ; they shall but deliver their own souls 
 by their righteousness. For thus saith the Lord 
 Ood ; How much more when I send my four sore 
 judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the 
 
 famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, 
 to cut off from it man and beast ? 
 
 These words are the second part of the chapter, 
 wherein, 
 
 I. The Lord shows what he will do with a sinning 
 people, he will send judgment after judgment; and 
 here are four laid down. 
 
 1. " Famine," in ver. 13. 
 
 2. " Noisome beasts," in ver. 15. 
 
 3. " A sword," in ver. 17. 
 
 4. " A pestilence," in ver. 19. 
 
 And all these are threatened against Jerusalem, 
 ver. 21. 
 
 II. That he will not hearken unto the intercession 
 of any, be they never so righteous, powerful in 
 prayer, in the behalf of such a people. 
 
 ViT. 13. " By trespassing grievously." Syc SycS 
 Maal signifieth in general, any disloyalty of inferiors 
 tov.'ard superiors; yet especially it notes those sins 
 which are against the Lord, his covenant, and holy 
 things ; as here, they had forsaken God, broken the 
 covenant, set up idols in the temple, worshipped the 
 sun, &c. These were grievous sins, and therefore 
 Piscator renders the word, prevaricnndo perjide, by 
 sinning treacherously ; the doubling of the word 
 notes the alTeetion to, delight, and continuance in 
 sin, they were obstinate. 
 
 Of breaking the staff of bread, and famine, hath 
 been spoken in the 4th and 5th chapters. God breaks 
 the statT of bread, when he either takes away the 
 virtue of it, that it doth not nourish, but men pine 
 away and come to nothing; or when he takes away 
 the bread itself, so that there is not sufficient to nou- 
 rish. This the Lord doth, by sending unseasonable 
 weather, by too much drought, too much rain, by 
 frosts, hail, mildews, blastings, caterpillars, locusts, 
 &c. And these are the hand of God stretched out, 
 to break the staff of bread. 
 
 Ver. 15. " Noisome beasts to pass through the 
 land." Some would understand by these beasts, the 
 Babylonians, who spoiled the land, and laid all deso- 
 late ; and if we shoidd do so, it were not much 
 amiss ; for we do not find that any wild beasts were 
 sent as a judgment upon the Jews, before their going 
 info captivity ; yet liecause he speaks here of dis- 
 tinct judgments, and that which is to be exemplary 
 for all, we shall take it literally as the rest are. It 
 was threatened in Moses's law, that evil beasts 
 should be sent amongst them ; Lev. xxvi. 22, " I 
 will send wild beasts among you, which shall rob 
 you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and 
 make you few in number; and your high ways shall 
 be desolate." And it was made good ; " The Lord 
 sent fiery serpents amongst them," which stung and 
 destroyed many of them, Numb. xxi. Ii ; bears, which 
 slew their children, 2 Kings ii. 24; lions, which slew 
 the men, chap. xvii. 25, 21); and Josh. xxiv. 12, by 
 the hornet God drove out the two kings of the 
 Amorites. And it is probable, that when the Chal- 
 deans came, many who fled into wtjods, nunmtains, 
 and by-ways, were wounded and slain by wild beasts. 
 
 Ver. 17. " If I bring a sword upon that land." 
 Sword is put for war. Jer. iv. U), " The sword 
 reaeheth unto the soul ;" chap. xxv. 29, " 1 will call 
 for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth," 
 that is, a war ; and so in this place, God would bring 
 in an enemy, armed with the sword, and other mili- 
 tary instruments, and they should make grievous 
 wor\ amongst them. Of the misery of war, for- 
 merly hath been spoken. 
 
 Ver. 19. " If I send a pestibnee into that land." 
 Hebrew is, 131 from 131 to speak ; because in this 
 judgment the Lord speaks aloud. It is a sore judg-
 
 Ver. 12— 21. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 325 
 
 ment, and because it is amongst us, 1 shall speak some- 
 tliing of it. Philiburtus Marcliinus calls it billum 
 divhmm, a divine war : this judgment is more imme- 
 diately from God, and hath less of man and second 
 causes in it, than others ; and therefore when the 
 mun'ain and plague was upon the cattle, Exod. ix. 
 3, there was no hand of Moses or Aaron in bringing 
 it in, as in other judgments ; and Psal. xci. 5, it is 
 called an arrow, not of man's, but God's shooting ; 
 God shoots it into cities and families, by ways un- 
 discernible unto us. 
 
 That there are second causes of it we do not wholly 
 deny, but assert they are few, and hard to be found 
 out. It puzzles the learned physicians to express 
 clearly what are the causes of it ; some refer it to the 
 indisposition of the air, by dryness and heat; some 
 to malignant and occult qualities in the air, or in 
 the body, or in the diet men feed upon ; some to cor- 
 ruption in the blood ; some to hunger ; some to 
 surfeit. 
 
 God's hand is seen much in this noisome disease. 
 Some pestilences kill cattle, and not men ; some kill 
 men, and not cattle ; some kill one sort of men, and 
 not others ; some kill women, and not men ; and 
 sonic men, and not women ; some kill young, and 
 not old people ; some the strong and healthful, and 
 not the weak and sickly ; some the rich, not the 
 
 Eoor ; some the poor, and not the rich, as the learned 
 ave observed. 
 
 This judgment, the plague, and pestilence, spreads 
 far ; it flies up and down by night and day, it devours 
 multitudes suddenly. In David's time seventy thou- 
 sand were consumed by it in three days, 2 Sam. 
 xxiv. 15. In Vespasian's days, at Rome, there died 
 ten thousand a day, for many days together ; and in 
 the year 1345, it was so general through the chris- 
 tian world, that it destroyed half mankind ; and in 
 this city, thousands have died in one week : and 
 how suddenly men die of it, is known unto many of 
 you ; some within few days, yea, some within few 
 hours. 
 
 The great cause of this judgment is sin. You 
 may observe in Scripture some sins, which brought 
 in the plague or pestilence. 2 Sam. xxiv. David's 
 heart was lifted up, and he confided in the number 
 of his people, and hereupon was the plague sent : 
 when persons in place have lofty spirits, and pride 
 themselves in what they have, they make w'ay for 
 this judgment. So oppression of God's people ; 
 Pharaoh woidd not let the Israelites have liberty, 
 but held them under ; therefore the murrain and 
 plague of boils came upon the cattle and people, 
 Exod. ix. When people sin grievously, then God is 
 ready to send in the arrows of pestilence. Do not 
 many sin greatly, by pride in their apparel, by ex- 
 cess in their feastings, and pomp in the funerals of 
 their friends, by their bitterness against those who 
 difl'cr from them ? When the plague was much in 
 France, especially at Lyons, about 1(529, the pro- 
 papists judged Calvinism to be the cause ; those 
 sectaries and heretics were tolerated ; therefore 
 Marchinus, a Florentine, in his book De Bello 
 Divino, tells his Italian friends, that the Lord's end 
 in that plague was to root out Calvinism. 
 
 " And pour out my fury upon it in blood." To 
 put this fur blood corrupted in the body by the 
 plague, sounds harsh ; we may take it for death ; 
 Ezek. iii. 18, " He shall die in his iniquity, but his 
 blood will I require at thine hand," that is, his death. 
 
 Vcr. 14. " Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, 
 and Job, were in it, they," &c. To speak something 
 of each of these: "Noah," Gen. vi. j), "was a just 
 man, and perfect in his generations," there was none 
 like unto liim in the world in his days ; " and he 
 
 walked -with God," he had great familiarity with 
 him ; his justice, sincerity, and piety were eminent. 
 His name signifies, rest, or comfort; Gen. v. 29, 
 " Lamech called his name Noah, saying. This same 
 shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our 
 hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath 
 cursed :" surely he was a great comfort both to God 
 and man, being so holy as he was. It is conceived 
 Lamech was a prophet, or at least uttered these 
 words by a prophetical strain, intimating thereby, 
 that Noah should be a type of Christ; and so he 
 was in building the ark, and ofl'ering sacrifice, which 
 was a sweet savour in the nostrils of God, and made 
 him say, he would curse the earth no more for man's 
 sake. Gen. viii. 21, 22. He was also " a preacher of 
 righteousness," 2 Pet. ii. 5 ; and the man with whom 
 God made a special covenant, and gave the rainbow 
 for a sign thereof. Gen. ix. 9, 13 : yet if this man 
 shoiUd pray for them, God would not luar. 
 
 " Daniel." He was a holy man, and " would not 
 defile himself with the portion of the king's meat" 
 and drink, Dan. i. 8. And he was a man of great 
 wisdom ; Ezek. xxviii. 3, " Wiser than Daniel :" 
 men that had great insight into things, who knew 
 secrets and mysteries, were paralleled \rith Daniel, 
 or preferred before him, but Daniel was the standard. 
 Daniel was alive at this time, and young, as will ap- 
 pear, if you consider this time. Ezekiel spake these 
 words in the sixth year of Jehoiachin's captivity, if 
 you compare chap. i. 2, with chap. xx. 1, where he 
 speaks of the fifth and seventh year ; so that this 
 was the time betn'cen ; and Dan. i. 1, 0, it is evident 
 that Daniel was carried into captivity the third year 
 of the reign of Jehoiakim, father to Jehoiachin ; so 
 that now Daniel had been fourteen years in Babylon, 
 eight years of Jehoiakim's reign, for he reigned 
 eleven years, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 5, and six of Jehoia- 
 chin's captivity. So tliat the learned think Daniel 
 was not above thirteen years of age when he came 
 into Babylon ; therefore is it that the king spake 
 unto A.shpenaz to bring of the children of Israel, and 
 of the king's seed, and of the princes, whereof Daniel 
 was one ; and now at this time, when Ezekiel ranked 
 him with Noah and Job, about twenty-seven. Surely 
 Daniel was a choice man, of singular wisdom and 
 holiness, whom the Spirit of God would thus join 
 with Noah and Job, such great worthies in their 
 days. He was a man much given to prayer; Dan. 
 vi. 10, three times a day he prayed in his chamber, 
 with his face towards Jerusalem, and that when it 
 lay upon the hazard of his life. His prayer and 
 fasting are mentioned, chap. ix. 3 ; x. 2, 3. 
 
 " Job." The Lord gives him this testimony, that 
 he was " perfect and upright, one that feared God, 
 and eschewed evil ;" he was much in offering sacri- 
 fice for himself and family. Job i. 1, 5; he was a 
 man of much faith, great patience, chap. xiii. 15; 
 xiv. 14; James v. II ; he was acceptable with God, 
 and prevailed for his friends in prayer, ch. xlii. 8, 9. 
 If these three men were in a land that hath griev- 
 ously sinned, they should not deliver it. 
 
 Some make great inquiry why these three men 
 should be mentioned, rather than others, and they 
 give in their answer : 
 
 1. It is thought they are named, for that they 
 could not divert God's wrath by their holiness and 
 prayers from the people of their times. Noah could 
 not keep off the flood, nor Job tlie sad things which 
 befell himself and his, nor Danii 1 the captivity. 
 
 2. Others think they are named, because they 
 freed others in imminent danger in their times ; 
 Noah saved his family from the flood ; Job prayed 
 for his friends, and they were spared ; Daniel pre- 
 served the magicians and wise men. But rather they
 
 326 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIV. 
 
 are named, because they were men of great holiness, 
 exercised witli great trials, and so the more fervent 
 in prayer. And what if these men, who were so 
 acceptable to me, had so much interest in me, and 
 often prevailed with me, should pray for you, yet 
 they should do nothing for your deliverance by their 
 prayers. 
 
 These were men in great afllictions, and aifliction 
 is the whetstone of prayer, the bellows to blow up 
 that fire. David when he tied from Absalom, then 
 he cried unto the Lord, and he heard him, Psal. iii. 
 4. Jonah, when he was in the whale's belly, prayed 
 fervently ; Jonah ii. 2, " I cried by reason of mine 
 afiiiction unto the Lord, and he heard me." Surely 
 Noah, when the flood came, poured out a flood of 
 tears in pirayer ; and Job, when God's hand was so 
 hard upon him, cried aloud unto God ; and Daniel, 
 among the lions ; yet such was the case here, that if 
 these three men were amongst them, they should do 
 tiiem no good. 
 
 Ver. 16, 18, 20. " They shall deliver neither sons 
 nor daughters." Children are very dear to parents, 
 they come out of their loins, are part of them, even 
 the bowels ; and holy parents would strive hard in 
 prayer with God for thtm, they are so dear unto 
 them, they would invent arguments {for love is in- 
 ventive) to move the Lord to spare them ; yet if they 
 should bring the strongest arguments that nature, 
 reason, or grace could find out, saith God, " They 
 should deliver neither sons nor daughters" from any 
 one of the judgm< nts. 
 
 Ver. 14, 20. " They should deliver but their own 
 souls by their righteousness." You must not think 
 ht nee, that their holiness or righteousness merited 
 deliverance of thi mselves. Man's goodness is nothing 
 to God ; all he can do is debt, and the best he doth 
 is imperfect, no motive of God's will. Deliverance, 
 salvation, are acts of grace and favour ; Eph. ii. 8, 9, 
 " By grace are ye saved ; and that not of yourselves : 
 it is the gift of God : not of works, lest any should 
 boast." God hath out of his free grace promised to 
 do great things for his elect, for the godly : and when 
 he doth aught for them, it is not because they de- 
 serve it, or because they are godly, but because he 
 hath proir.ised. INIany promises are made to godli- 
 ness ; 1 Tim. iv. 8, " liociily exercise profiteth little: 
 but godliness is profitable unto all things, having 
 promise of the life that now is, and of that which is 
 to come." Psal. 1. 15, " Call ii))on me in the day of 
 trouble : I will deliver thee ;" not without calling, 
 yet not for calling, but for his promise' sake. 
 
 Quest. If these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, 
 who were so eminent in holiness, so fervent in 
 prayer, should not by their prayers and j}iety de- 
 liver any, to what end should we desire the prayers 
 of any in our days, when they are neither so holy 
 nnr efl'ectual in prayer as these men were ? is it not 
 altogether in vain to crave the prayers of others, 
 whatever our condition be ? 
 
 Jnm: I. If God revealed our estate to be despe- 
 rate, and that he would not hear any praying for us 
 here, then it were in vain for us to reqiust any to 
 solicit the Lord on our behalf. I John v. 16, if a 
 man have sinned a sin unto death, any prayer made 
 for him by whomsoever, is to no purpose ; I say not 
 that you should pray for it, for the pardon of it, 
 whoever should entreat you to do it. 
 
 2. AVe have divine warrant for the practice of it. 
 I Sam. xii. 19, "All the pco]de said unio Samuel, 
 Pray for thy s. rvants unto the Lord thy ("'d, that 
 we die not;" and 1 Thess. v. 25, "lirethnn," (saith 
 Paul,) "pray for us." Eph. vi. IS, 19, he entreats 
 (hern to pray for all the saints, and for him. James 
 v 14, " Is any sick among you ? let him call for the 
 
 elders of the church ; and let them pray over him ;" 
 and then ver. 15, "The prayer of faith shall save 
 the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up." Esth. 
 iv. 16, she would have all the Jews gathered together 
 that were in Shushan, to fast and pray for her. 
 
 Qiu'it. 2. Had these three men met together, and 
 agreed to pray for this people, would God have de- 
 nied them ? Doth not Christ say, Matt, xviii. 19, 
 " If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any 
 thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them 
 of my Father which is in heaven ?" 
 
 ^-Inxu: If two, three, or more agree to ask any 
 thing, it must be in faith. Matt. xxi. 22, according 
 to God's will, 1 John v. 14 ; which coidd not here 
 have been, for God had declared his mind otherwise, 
 and so they could neither in faith, nor according to 
 his will, have prayed ; they would never have agreed 
 together to ask a thing contrary to his mind. 
 
 Obs. 1. That lands may sin grievously against 
 God, provoke him greatly. So did the Jews ; Ezek. 
 vii. 23, their land was full of bloody crimes, their 
 city full of blackness, they had variety of abomina- 
 tions, chap. viii. 10. Hos. xii. 14, " Ej)hraim provoked 
 him to anger most bitterly;" Isa. Ixiii. 10, "They 
 rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit ;" hereupon you 
 find. Lam. i. 8, " Jerusalem hath grievously sinned;" 
 and Amos v. 12, " I know your mighty sins ;" they 
 did mightily provoke, press, and weary God. See 
 one place, in Jer. ii. 10 — 12, " Pass over the isles of 
 Chittim and see ; and send unto Kedar, and consider 
 diligently, and see if there be such a thing. Hath a 
 nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods ? 
 but my people have changed their glory for that 
 which doth not profit. Be astonished, O ye heavens, 
 at this, and be hoi-ribly afraid, be ye very desolate, 
 saith the Lord." 
 
 Obi: 2. God hath variety of judgments to punish 
 a sinning people ; he can stretch out his hand, bring 
 in a faniine, the noisome beasts, the sword, and pes- 
 tilence. When men have grievous sins, God hath 
 sore judgments for them : read Dent, xxviii. and 
 Lev. xxvi. Let lands be never so full of people 
 and cattle, let their towns and cities be never so well 
 fortified, God can quickly cut off man and beast, and 
 lay all desolate. Cardanus in his eighth book De 
 Varietate, eh. xlv. reckons up seven judgments of 
 a grievous nature, that do befall the sons of men, 
 three more besides those here in our prophet. (1.) 
 Earthquakes, which sometimes are very grievous, 
 and shake down whole towns. (2.) Inundations, 
 when waters break out and drown up whole coun- 
 tries. (3.) Winds, which do great mischief, both at 
 sea and land. And those we have here mentioned, 
 how grievous are they ! In famines, i)arties have 
 ate their own flesh, and mothers their own children. 
 Wild beasts fill all full of fears, that none dare look 
 out of doors, or travel the highways. The sword 
 hath made sore work in Germany, Ireland, and Eng- 
 land of lute days. The plague is amongst us, and 
 what it will do ere it leave us, is unknown ; we that 
 have escaped the sword, it may be are numbered out 
 for the plague. let us repent of our former and 
 present sins, ].ride in apparel, excess in diet, pomp 
 in funerals, bitter divisions, unchristian carriages one 
 towards another, unthaiikfuliuss for mercies, our 
 unworthy walking of the gospel, and take heed of 
 all sin for the future. 
 
 Oi.y. 3. Whatever the judgment be upon a sinning 
 land and ]]eople, God is the author of it, acts in, and 
 orders it. " I will stretch out my hand, and break 
 the stafl' of bread," ver. 13; "If I cause noisome 
 beasts to pass through the land," ver. 15; "If I 
 bring a sword upon tliat laud," ver. 17; "If I send 
 a pestilence," ver. I'J. These judgm( nts come not
 
 Ver. 12—23. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 327 
 
 casually, they are Ijy divine power and providence ; 
 if man or beast fall by them, it is God cuts them olT; 
 if the wild beasts come here and there, it is God 
 causes them to go those ways ; he gives commission 
 to the sword, and saith, Go through the land ; it 
 could not enter without God, much less go through 
 a kingdom without warrant from him ; if the plague 
 wander up and down in a land, skip from street to 
 street, from family to family, if it slay thousands 
 and ten thousands, the Lord bids it, orders it to do 
 so : therefore we should look at God's hand in all 
 judgments, quietly submit to his stroke, and humble 
 ourselves under his mighty hand. " 1 will stretch 
 out my hand and break," 6cc. Shall God's hand be 
 stretched out, and we not take notice of it .' it is ar- 
 gument of a profane spirit not to do it. Isa. xxvi. 
 11, " Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will 
 not see ; but they shall see," and feel to their de- 
 struction. 
 
 Ohs. 4. The sins of a land or people may be so 
 great and grievous, that the Lord will show them 
 no mercy, but proceed irrevocably to their destruc- 
 tion, what means soever be used for their help. You 
 have sinned so against me, saith the Lord, that 
 though Noah, Daniel, and Job were here, men of 
 renown for their piety and prayers, though they 
 should singly or jointly pour out their hearts before 
 me, use all their interest in me for you, yet should 
 they do no good ; they should not change my 
 thoughts, my heart, in the least degree, they should 
 not obtain at my hands to abate aught of my fury ; 
 all the judgments intended should come, not one of 
 them should be withheld. Jer. xv. 1 — 3, " Though 
 Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind 
 could not be toward this people." Moses was " the 
 man of God," Psal. xc. title ; the man of God's 
 choice, love, honouring, the man of his counsel, that 
 did his work, that ruled his people ; the man that 
 was so potent in prayer, that he held God's hands, 
 and kept him from destroying the progenitors of 
 this people here spoken of, and brought God to re- 
 pent of the evil he thought to do unto tliem, Exod. 
 xxxii. 14; and Samuel was a man who had the ear 
 and heart of God very nuich, when he cried for 
 Israel God heard him, 1 Sam. vii. 9 : yet if these 
 two men stood before him, and, mediating for these 
 people, should produce their strong arguments as 
 of old, God's mind could not be towards them, but 
 he would say, as it there follows, " Cast them out of 
 my sight, and let them go forth ; — such as are for 
 death, to death ; such as are for the sword, to the 
 sword ; such as are for the famine, to the famine ; 
 such as are for the captivity, to the ca]ifivity. And 
 
 1 will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord; 
 the sword to slay, the dogs to tear, and the fowls of 
 the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour." 
 Their sin was so high, that the prayers of the holy, 
 yea the holiest men, would do them no good. Jere- 
 miah was a praying and a weeping man, much 
 atTected with the condition of this people, Jer. ix. 1, 
 
 2 ; xiv. 7 — 9, and was much in prayer for them ; but 
 God was so far from hearing him for them, that he 
 forbade him to |iray for them, chap. vii. IG, "Pray 
 not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor 
 prayer for them, neither make intercession to me ; 
 for I will not hear thee." So in chap. xiv. 11," Pray 
 not for this peuple for their good;" as if the Lord 
 had said, Jeremiah, I know thou wilt be ]iraying, 
 weary and wear out thyself but pray not for their 
 good ; if thou wilt pray for their destruction, that I 
 would hasten in my judgments upon them, I will 
 hear thee so praying, otherwise not. 
 
 Quest. But what if they prayed themselves? 
 Answ. It follows in the next verse, " ^^'he^ they 
 
 fast, I will not hear their cry ; and when they offer 
 burnt olVering and an oblation, I will not accept 
 them ; but I will consume them by the sword, fa- 
 mine, and pestilence." In James" v. l(j, you find 
 "the eliectual fervent prayer of a righteous man 
 availeth much ;" if of one righteous man, surely the 
 working prayers of many righteous men should do 
 more. \ ou have six mentioned in Ezekiel and Je- 
 remiah, Noah, Daniel, Job, Moses, Samuel, and 
 Jeremiah himself; yet if all these should make the 
 most fervent prayers that ever were made, God 
 would not hear, but proceed in his intended judg- 
 ments against this people. Their sins had such 
 malignity in them, as that they outcried the prayers 
 of all the righteous, yea, the very mercies of God. 
 
 Obs. 5. Righteousness is advantage to men in 
 times of common calamity. Koah, Daniel, Job 
 were righteous persons, and if they had been in the 
 land or city when these sore judgments were come 
 upon it, they should have been delivered, ver. 14, 
 It), 18, 20; though their righteousness could not 
 profit others, yet it should profit themselves. Prov. 
 xi. 4, "Riches profit not in the day of wrath; but 
 righteousness delivereth from death ;" and ver. 6, 
 " The righteousness of the upright shall deliver 
 them." When men are holy, praying, upright men, 
 God hath a s])ecial care of them in times of danger : 
 Noah, when the flood came, he had an ark to be se- 
 cure in ; when Sodom was destroyed, Lot was pull- 
 ed out by an angel. 
 
 Ver. 22, 23. Yet, hehohl, tliemn shall be left a 
 remnant that shall be brought furth, both sons and 
 daughters : behold, thei/ shall come forth unto 
 you, and ye shall see their tvay and their doings : 
 and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that 
 I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning 
 all that 1 have brought upon it. And they shall 
 confort you, when ye see their ivays and their 
 doings : and ye shall know that I have not done 
 icithout cause all that I have done in it, saith the 
 Lord God. 
 
 These two verses are the third part of the chap, 
 ter, and contain a respiting of some from the 
 judgments there mentioned. You have here, 
 
 I. A gracious promise of preserving a remnant ; 
 "Therein shall be left a remnant." 
 
 II. A declaration what should be done with that 
 remnant ; " They shall be brought forth," and come 
 to Babylon. 
 
 III. The events following hereupon; and they 
 are these : 
 
 1. They should see their ways and doings, what 
 the judgments upon Jerusalem, and their deliverance 
 from them, wrought in them. 
 
 2. Be comforted, 
 
 (1.) Touching God's dealings with Jerusalem; 
 " And ye shall be comforted concerning the evil," <&c. 
 
 (2.) Enlargement of their comfort from the sight 
 of their brethren's ways and practices; "And they 
 shall comfort you, when ye see," &c. 
 
 (3.) Acknowledgment of the equity of God's deal- 
 ing so with Jerusalem. 
 
 "There were sundry things which saddened the 
 hearts of the captives in Babylon much. 
 
 [1.] That God should so forget his covenant made 
 with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and his oath to 
 Da\id, Psal. Ixxxix. 28 — 36, as to root out their seed 
 from the land of the living. 
 
 [2.] That they had hearkened to the voice of Je- 
 remiah and yielded themselves up into the hands of 
 Nebuchadnezzar, who had brought them thither.
 
 3:>8 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIV. 
 
 whereas their hrcthren still inhabited Jerusalem, had 
 the benefit of the temple, and possessed their lands 
 and habitations in Judea, themselves being destitute 
 of all. 
 
 [.3.] That the temple, city, and pleasant land 
 should be laid waste, by such sore judgments brought 
 upon them at once, as famine, wild beast, sword, and 
 pestilence. 
 
 Against these sad apprehensions the Lord here 
 lays in comfort. And, 
 
 For the first, he tells them there shall be left 
 a remnant, that God will be mindful of his covenant 
 and oath, that he will preserve a seed from the loins 
 of their fathers, have a church and number to wor- 
 sliip him. 
 
 For the second, he certifies them that those who 
 escaped should be brought forth unto them in Baby- 
 lon ; and so they should not have cause any more to 
 complain that they had listened to Jeremiah, and were 
 brought into Babylon, for by this means they had 
 escaped the sore judgments their brethren met with, 
 and by this time were well accommodated in Babylon, 
 and fitted in some measure to entertain their desolate 
 brethren; and should see the judgments threatened 
 by Jeremiah accomplished fiilly, and what mercy it 
 was they were brought hither beforehand. 
 
 For the third, that all should be laid waste, he 
 assures them that he hath had just cause for it, that 
 he hath not in his fury done ought unadvisedly, to 
 be repented of, but considered the cause thoroughly, 
 viz. the grievousness of their sins, which deserved 
 to the full all that he had done, and more ; therefore 
 saith, " Ye shall know that I have not done without 
 caikse all that I have done in it ;" whatever I have done 
 against the temple, city, land, and people, I had such 
 cause for it, as will stop your mouths for ever. What 
 if my judgments have been sore upon them ? yet there 
 is this good come by them, they acknowledge me just 
 and righteous, are ashamed of and mourn for their 
 ways, and will tell you, when they eome amongst 
 you, that in the midst of wrath they have met with 
 mercy ; for " they shall comfort you, when ye see 
 their ways and their doings." 
 
 " Their ways." Some understand hereby, their 
 former course of life at Jerusalem, which they should 
 still walk in, which when the others should see, 
 they should be comforted in the heavy hand of God 
 upon them. Others understand by tlu^ir ways, that 
 sad course of life they should lead in Babylon. The 
 primitive captives thought them happy who were at 
 Jerusalem, and themselves the most miseraljle ; but 
 now when they should see them in captivity with 
 themselves, and suilering as hard, if not harder 
 things than themselves, the Babylonish yoke would 
 seem easier. Consorts in misery are comforts to 
 each otlier. 
 
 Junius interprets their ways and doings of the 
 confession of their sins, and repentance ; the sore and 
 heavy judgments of God convinced them of the 
 greatness of their sins, caused them, being now 
 stripped of all, and in the hands of a potent and bar- 
 barous enemy, to confess their inicpiity, and repent 
 of their former ways and doings ; and that induceth 
 me to close with this exposition in those words, 
 " They shall comfort you, wdien ye see their ways 
 and their doings," thus : Though we have met with 
 grievous judgments, have lost city, temple, country, 
 all, are become captives like yourselves, yet God is 
 just in all lie hath done ; he hath made good the 
 word of his servants Jercuiiah and Ezekiel, lirought 
 us to you, liut withal, he liath liroken our hearts for 
 our sins, made us to abhor and loathe our former 
 ways and doings, so that we must say, in wrath he 
 hath remembered mercy, and recompensed all our 
 
 temporal losses with spiritual advantages : and this 
 was a comfort to the hearts of the former captives, 
 when they saw their ways changed. Doubtless the 
 first captives were a great comfort unto them, when 
 they came into Babylon naked, and spoiled of all ; 
 and when they had told them of the severe judgments 
 which befell them, how that some did cat their own 
 children, &c. certainly they were astonished at it; 
 but when they told them what good they had gotten 
 by the dealings of God with them, they were com- 
 forted again. 
 
 Obs. 1. When God's judgments are sorest, yet 
 then he shows mercy to some. When God brought 
 his four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, viz. the 
 sword, famine, noisome beast, and pestilence, yet a 
 remnant is preserved ; each judgment devoured its 
 number, hundreds, thousands, and ten thousands, 
 but all those judgments destroyed not all the people ; 
 God had some elect ones amongst them, and the 
 election obtains mercy, and, together with them, 
 some others. The Lord never poured out his wrath 
 so fully, as that no drams of mercy were mingled 
 with it. In the flood of wrath which drowned the 
 world, were drops of mercy which saved Noah. In 
 the brimstone and fire which burned up Sodom and 
 Gomorrah, were sparks of divine love, to deliver Lot. 
 He ever hath in wrath remembered mercy, and will do 
 it to the end, the world shall not have advantage to 
 charge him with cruelty ; had none been spared, 
 they might have said so ; a remnant is left, and the 
 mouth of ini(|uity is stopped. 
 
 Obs. 2. The Lord will satisfy and comfort the 
 hearts of his people against the evil and scandal 
 that comes Vjy any of his judgments. When Jerusa- 
 lem was destroyed, the Jews rooted out and carried 
 to Babylon, what joy was there in the nations ! what 
 rcproachings of the Jews I Where noAV is their God ? 
 what now is become of their holy city and temple, 
 are not all laid waste, &c. ? At these things the Jews' 
 hearts in Babylon were grieved, otfended ; therefore 
 the Lord tells them, they "shall be comforted con- 
 cerning all the evil he hath brought upon Jerusalem;" 
 they shall know the greatness of their sins, which 
 moved him to do so, they shall know the fruit of his 
 judgments, how they have caused those brought unto 
 them to confess their sins, to repent of their ways, 
 and turn to the Lord. 
 
 Obs. 3. That the Lord is righteous and just in his 
 judgments. " I have not done without cause all that 
 I have done in Jerusalem ;" he cut not off man or 
 beast without cause : it is the devil's design to do so ; 
 therefore saith God, Job ii. 3, " Thou movedst me 
 against him, to destroy him without cause," but God 
 would not do it; whatever he doth, he hath great 
 cause for; he is the only and infinitely wise God, 
 and doth all things upon the height of reason. Their 
 sins were such as impeached his honour, corrupted 
 his worship, brake the covenant, questioned his pro- 
 viilencc, violated justice, and conformed them to the 
 heathen ; he had cause enough therefore to destroy 
 them, and do what he did, namely, to vindicate his 
 honour, worship, covenant, providence, justice, and 
 to show that his people, if they will sin with the 
 world, must suffer grievous things for it. Jer. xxii. S, 
 9, when the nations should pass by the city and say, 
 " Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great 
 city?" (iod will have the cause known; "then they 
 shall answer, Because they have forsaken the cove- 
 nant of the Lord their God, ami worshipped other 
 gods, and served them:" and chap. xix. 13, God 
 said he would make Jerusalem as Tophct (that is, 
 fill it with blood, and the bodies of slain men); and 
 why would he do so? "Because of all the houses 
 uj'on whose roofs they have burned incense unto ;dl
 
 Chap. XV. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 329 
 
 the hnst of heaven, and have poured out drink offer- 
 ings unto other gods." 
 
 Obs. 4. Men shall know in due time the equity of 
 God's judgments. " And ye shall know that 1 have 
 not done aught without cause." God's "judgments 
 are a great depth," Psal. xxxvi. 6, men cannot sound 
 or measure them ; the nature of tliem, the sudden- 
 ness and severity of them, the frequency and conti- 
 nuance of them, do puzzle men, and especially the 
 causes of them, which are hidden from the eyes of 
 most. Job's friends mistook the cause of God's deal- 
 ing so sharply with Job, but afterwards they under- 
 stood it; they in Babylon, and others, were astonish- 
 ed at the sore judgments of God, but God let them 
 know the cause of it, and so they were brought to 
 justify God. 1 Kings ix. 7 — 9, " 1 will cut ofl' Israel 
 out of the land which I have given them ; and this 
 house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I 
 cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb 
 and a by-word among all people ; and at this house, 
 which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be 
 astonished, and shall hiss ; and they shall say, ^Vhy 
 hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and to this 
 house ? and they shall answer, Because they forsook 
 the Lord their God, and have taken liold upon other 
 gods, and have worshipped and served them ; there- 
 fore hath the Lord brought upon them all this evil." 
 God proclaims the cause of his severe judgments, 
 that so men may see the equity of them, that he is 
 " righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his 
 works," Psal. cxiv. 17. When we hear of the 
 bloody doings which have been in Germany so long, 
 and of those in Ireland, we are amazed, wonder w hat 
 is the cause that God proceeds so severely with 
 them ; there is cause sufficient for if, and if we 
 know it not, God will in his time clear himself, and 
 make it known to us. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Ajid the word nf the Lordcame unto me,sayin!r, 
 Son of mrin, Wlint is the vine tree more than any 
 tree, or than a branch which is among the trees 
 of the forest ? Shall tvood be taken thereof to 
 do any work ? or will men take a pin of it to 
 hang any vessel thereon ? Behold, it is cast into 
 the f re for fuel ; the fire devoureth both the ends 
 of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for 
 any ivork 9 Behold, when it teas whole, it was 
 meet for no work : how much less shall it be meet 
 yet fur any ivork, when thefre hath devoured it, 
 and it is burned? Therefore thus suith the Lord 
 God ; As the vine tree among the trees of the 
 forest, which I have given to the f re fur fuel, so 
 will J give the inhabitants nf Jerusalem. And I 
 will set my face against them ; they shall go out 
 from one fire, and another fire shall devour them; 
 and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I 
 set my face against them. And I will make the 
 land desolate, because they have committed a tres- 
 pass, saith the Lord God. 
 
 In this short chapter, under the similitude of a use- 
 less and fruitless vine tree, is set forth the condition 
 of the inhabitants of Jerusalem ; that is fit for 
 nothing but the fire, and so arc they fit only for 
 judgment. 
 
 I. The similitude is propounded in ver. 2, and 
 illustrated in ver. 3 — 5. 
 
 II. The apodosis and application of it, to the men 
 of Jerusalem, is in ver. (i—S. 
 
 III. The authority of this prophecy, in the first 
 verse, " And the word of the Lord came unto me, 
 saying." The prophet did not form this parable, or 
 take it up from others, or by observation, but he had 
 it from the Lord. 
 
 God often in Scripture calls Israel a vine, and his 
 vineyard, Psal. Ixxx. S, 14, 15; Isa. iii. 14; xxvii. 
 2; Jer. xii. 10; Ezek. xvii. 6. And they were " a 
 noble vine," Jer. ii. 21 ; "a choice vine," Isa. v. 2; 
 " a goodly vine," Ezek. xvii. 8 : but because it was 
 now become a " degenerate plant of a strange vine," 
 Jer. ii. 21 ; " an empty vine," Hos. x. 1, or brought 
 forth wild grapes ; therefore the Lord liktns the 
 Jews here to tlie wood of a fruitless vine. 
 
 We shall a little show you wherein the Jews, who 
 were the church of God, resembled the vine. 
 
 1. Vines are few in respect of other trees, so were 
 the Jews in respect of other people ; Deut. vii. 7, 
 they " were the fewest of all people." 
 
 2. Vines are planted by hill-sides, by houses, in 
 gardens, orchards, tec. ; and the Jews were planted 
 in the choicest land ; Hos. ix. 13, " In a pleasant 
 place;" Isa. v. I, "In a very fruitful hiU." The 
 vine was brought out of Egypt, it was a chosen vine, 
 and was planted, Psal. Ixxx. 8; but where? in "a 
 good land," Deut. viii. 7, even a land of brooks, 
 fountains, springs, valleys, hills ; in a land " flowing 
 with milk and honey, the glory of all lands," Ezek. 
 XX. 6 ; therefore called a branch of his own planting, 
 Isa. Ix. 21, planted with his right hand, Psal. 
 Ixxx. 15. 
 
 3. Vines are weak, must have props and supports 
 to uphold them ; God dealt so by the Jews ; Deut. 
 i. 31, "In the wilderness the Lord thy God bare 
 thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that 
 ye went." Children are weak, and must be carried 
 in the arms; and so God did carry them; Deut. 
 xxxiii. 27, " 'The eternal God is thy refuge, and un- 
 derneath are the everlasting arms." 
 
 4. Fruitful ; no tree so fruitful as the vine ; Psal. 
 cxxviii. 3, it is called the " fruitful vine ;" it is 
 fruitful in branches, and fruitful in clusters. The 
 Jews were as fruitful a nation as any ; Deut. x. 22, 
 " Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore 
 and ten persons, and now the Lord thy God hath 
 made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude :" in 
 a natural way they were very fruitfid. 
 
 5. It spreads much ; so the Jews, who were God's 
 vine : Psal. Ixxx. 9 — 11, the psalmist saith there of 
 this vine, that it filled the land, covered the hills 
 with its shadow, sent out her boughs unto the sea, 
 and her branches unto the river, and they spread far. 
 
 6. It is pleasant and delightful ; such were the 
 Jews ; Isa. v. 7, " The vineyard of the Lord of 
 hosts is the house of Israel, and themen of Judah his 
 pleasant plant;" the Hebrew is, his plant of pleasures. 
 
 7. Most pains required about vines of any plants 
 or trees ; much digging, dressing, pruning, support- 
 ing, fencing is needful : the Jews had nuich pains 
 or cost bestowed upon them ; Isa. v. 4, " What could 
 have been done more to my vineyard, that I have 
 not done in it?" Other trees are little looked after, 
 but the vine must have special care; John xv. 2, 
 the husbandman observes every branch, the fruitful 
 and unfruitful : Amos iii. 2, " You have I known of 
 all the families," &:c. 
 
 Ver. 2. " What is the vine tree more than any 
 tree ? " The Hebrew is, |33n ^y the wood of the 
 vine ; the word ^'y signifies mostly a living tree, as 
 Gen. i. II, "Let the earth bring forth the fruit 
 tree ;" Psal. i. 3, " Like a tree planted by the rivers 
 of water;" yet sometimes it notes the trunk and
 
 330 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chai'. XV. 
 
 body of a tree cut down, as in Deut. iv. 28, " Ye 
 shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and 
 stone." Some would understand it here of the vine 
 tree dead and cut down, but that needs not ; it is 
 more suitable to Scripture, to take it for a fruitless 
 vine tree, neither dead nor cut down, but as if dead 
 and cut down : and what is such a vine more than 
 other trees ? it is not only lower, weaker, more 
 bunched, wreathed, unsightly than they, but it is of 
 less use than any of the trees of the forest; they 
 serve to make temples, palaces, houses, ships, musi- 
 cal and martial instruments, and tools for many uses, 
 but for the vine tree, it serves not for any such use. 
 By the interrogation, he sets out the unusefuhiess of it ; 
 it is so far from being equ;d to the trees of the forest, 
 as that it is not comparable to a branch of one of 
 those trees. Take one arm or branch of an oak, 
 elm, or ash, it would be of more use to the joiner or 
 carpenter, than tlie wood of a thousand vines. 
 
 Therefore it follows, 
 
 Ver. 3. " Shall wood be taken thereof to do any 
 work ?" This is a great derogation from the vine, 
 the wood of it is not fit for any work ; the wood of 
 other trees is fit for variety of services within doors 
 and without, this for none. The Hebrew is, to make 
 it into work. It is not fit to make a pin of, which 
 is a small thing, and for small uses, as to hang a 
 cloak, hat, or band on : " Will men take a pin of it 
 to hang any vessel thereon ?" no, they will not, they 
 know it is unfit to hang the least thing on it. 
 
 Ver. 4. " Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel." 
 Here he showeth what it is fittest for, viz. " the 
 fire ;" neither is it the best fuel for that, for the 
 branches of vines, cut and bound up, if they be re- 
 served any considerable time, will not bum well. 
 
 " The fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the 
 midst of it is burned." The roots and tops, namely, the 
 branches, they are only for the fire, and quickly con- 
 sumed in it; and whereas you may think the body, 
 which is the middle part, may be good for some- 
 what, it is otherwise ; the midst of it, that you think 
 strongest, soundest, most useful, burns like the rest, 
 and you cannot make aught of it. Other trees, when 
 the roots and tops arc burned, their bodies are im- 
 proved to several great and good purposes : the vine 
 tree is wholly combustible matter, and only for the 
 fire. Some refer the ends to the ten tribes, and 
 those carried away under Jehoiachin ; the midst to 
 those that remained at Jerusalem. 
 
 " Is it meet for any work?" The Hebrew is, 
 nSi'n AVill it prosper to work ? it will break in pieces, 
 deceive a man's expectation, come to nought, and 
 his labour will be in vain. 
 
 Ver. ,5. " AN'hen it was whole, it was meet for no 
 work : how much less shall it be meet yet for any work 
 when the fire hath devoured it?" Sanctius thinks 
 that their vines at this time were much wasted, for 
 the Chaldeans had been twice there, in Jehoiakim's 
 and Jehoiaehiu's time ; and where armies come, they 
 spoil the countries, pull down buildings, cut up 
 trees, tear the vines in pieces, and lay the vineyards 
 open to waste ; they had almost ruined the meta- 
 phorical vine the Jews. As therefore the vine, nei- 
 ther whole nor bunied, was meet for any domestic 
 or state service ; so this Jewish people, neither in 
 their prosperity nor adversity, neither before the 
 Chaldeans afHicted them nor since, have been ser- 
 viceable to (iod or his church. 
 
 Ver. 7- " Set my face against them." See chap. 
 xiv. S, concerning these words. 
 
 " They shall go out from one fire, and another fire 
 shall devour them." By fire is meant affliction, judg- 
 nu-nts, Psal. Ixvi. 12, "We v.-ent through fire and wa- 
 ter," and there be sundry resemblances between them. 
 
 1. Fire is dreadful to men's thoughts ; fire of 
 Sodom, and fire of hell ; how terrible ! if you see a 
 ship on fire, &c. So judgments, afflictions are ex- 
 ceeding terrible to the apprehensions of many ; the 
 sword, how sad did it make the hearts of many be- 
 fore it was drawn .' the plague now is terrible to 
 yoin- thoughts. 
 
 2. It is painful; and so are the judgments of God; 
 they jnit a land into travail. Isa. xxvi. when the 
 judgments of God were abroad, what saith the pro- 
 phet ? ver. 17, " Like as a woman with child, that 
 draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and 
 crieth out in her pangs ; so have we been in thy 
 sight, O Lord." God's judgments breed terrible 
 pangs in those who are under them. 
 
 3. Fire enlightens the eyes, and judgments en- 
 ligh.ten men's understandings : Hos. v. 1,'5, " In their 
 affliction they will seek me early ;" then thry will 
 see the nature of their sins, the danger of their lives, 
 the great need they have of mercy, and therefore 
 will seek me early : hence it is that God saith so oft 
 after judgments threatened, " They shall know that 
 I am the Lord." 
 
 4. It refines ; so do the judgments of the Lord : 
 Zech. xiii. 9, " I will bring them through the fire, 
 and refine them as silver is refined :" the Babylonish 
 furnace purged out their idolatry. Isa. i. 25, " I 
 will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away 
 thy dross, and take away all thy tin :" when God 
 takes away his hand of mercy from a nation, and 
 turns his hand of judgment upon it, then he purges, &c, 
 
 5. It consumes ; and so do his judgments : Psal. 
 xxi. 9, " Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in 
 the time of thine anger : the Lord shall swallow 
 them up in liis wrath, and the fire shall devour 
 them." Famine devoured its thousands, &c. 
 
 The scope of the words is, that they should have 
 judgment after judgment; if they escaped one, they 
 should fall into another, until they were consumed. 
 
 Ver. 8. " Because they have committed a trespass." 
 Hebrew is, ^yo l^yc, he means not one trespass only, 
 but it is a singular put for a plural, and is cleared 
 by that, chap. xiv. 13, " When the land sinneth 
 against me by trespassing grievously," ^yo SycS there 
 is little dift'crence in the words, and those here might 
 have been so rendered, they have trespassed griev- 
 ously. 
 
 Uh.i. 1. The ministers of God have warrant to use 
 similitudes in their teaching of the people. God 
 himself doth it here, he brings in a parable of the 
 vine tree, and allegorizeth upon it; and the Scrip- 
 ture is frequent in parables and allegories. Christ 
 was much in parables ; they help memory, if fami- 
 liar and known ; they convince more fully than plain 
 speeches. 
 
 Obs. 2. That men are apt to glory and confide in 
 the privileges they have. " What is the vine tree 
 more than any tree ? " The Jews, because they v/ere 
 God's vine, God's people, thought themselves better 
 than any, than all other, that they should never be 
 cut down and destroyed : What ! are not we God's 
 vine, his ]>leasant plant ? hath he not made a hedge 
 about us, done much for us ? will he pluck up the 
 hedge and lay us waste ? No man would ever de- 
 stroy his own vine and vineyard, and shall we think 
 (iod will deal so l>y his ? The Jews doted upon 
 their privileges, that they were Abraham's seed, 
 tin y had the temple, tliat they were a jilant of God's 
 planting; and it is incident to most, to adhere to 
 and' confide in some privileges they have ; but whence 
 had they, or any, their p>rivilegcs ? if they were the 
 people of God, his vine, the Lord chose them, they 
 chose not him ; he planted them, and was pleased 
 I to call them his vine, and vineyard ; whatever ex-
 
 Chap. XV. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 331 
 
 cellency or privilege they had, it was from his free 
 grace and good pleasure ; neither they nor we can 
 merit or purchase aught at the hands of God. Let 
 us not glory in privileges, in carnal excellences, have 
 any confidence in the tlesh ; but remember, the more 
 privileges we have, the stronger obligation is upon 
 us to admire free grace, and to honour the God of 
 our mercies. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord knows what all trees are, the 
 vine tree in the vineyard and the trees of the forest, 
 the cedars of Lebanon, the oaks of Bashan, and 
 shrubs of the wilderness ; he knows the goodliness 
 or meanness, the tallncss or lowncss, the weakness 
 or strength, the fruitfulness or unfruitfulness, the 
 usefulness or unusefulness of every tree. He knew 
 what trees the Jews were, and what trees the gentiles 
 were ; which tree was fit for the fire, and which fit 
 for other services ; he knows every man's nature, 
 qualities, operations, uses, and ends. 
 
 06s. 4. Trees in the forest and wilderness may be 
 of better use than trees in the orchard and vineyard, 
 wild trees may exceed those which are planted. 
 " What is the vine tree, to a branch among the trees 
 of the forest ? shall wood be taken thereof to do any 
 work ? " Will it serve for a pin to hang a hat on ? 
 ao ; other trees you may take the wood and timber 
 )f, and employ many ways. The heathens, that were 
 Tees of the forest, had more good in them than the 
 Jews, who were his ^^ne ; they did more service to the 
 rorld, they were more just, diligent, faithful, boun- 
 dful, pitiful than the Jews ; they were fitter for tem- 
 ple work than the other : and is it not so now ? are 
 QOt many forest trees better than us christians ? 
 
 06i. 5. People degenerating from the condition 
 they were set in, lose their esteem and favour. This 
 people of the Jews was a noble vine, a choice vine, 
 a good vine ; but now it was become a degenerate 
 plant of a strange vine. Jer. ii. 21, " I had planted 
 ixod. XV. 17. thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed : 
 Psai. xiiv. •-•. liow then art thou turned into the de- 
 generate plant of a strange vine unto me ? " They 
 were become like Sodom and Gomorrah ; Isa. i. 10, 
 " Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom ; 
 give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Go- 
 morrah :" now their vine was of the vine of Sodom 
 and of the fields of Gomorrah, now their grapes were 
 of gall, and their clusters were bitter, fieut. xxxii. 
 32 i and why so ? Isa. i. 4, they were a sinful nation, 
 a people laden with inicjuity, a seed of evil-doers, 
 children that were corrupters ; they had forsaken the 
 Lord, his ordinances, truths, worship ; they had 
 changed their glory, and wandered after idols, Jer. 
 ii. 11, 20; they oppressed in the gates, the city and 
 land were full of violence and bloody crimes, Ezek. 
 vii. 23 : and hereupon they lost their favour with 
 God, and esteem they had of him, so that he came 
 to abhor tliem ; Psal. Ixxviii. 59, he greatly abhor- 
 red Israel, forsook them, delivered them into cajitivi- 
 ty, and into the enemy's hand, ver. 61. Because 
 they degenerated so, God branded them with dis- 
 graceful titles, as " a rebellious nation, impudent 
 children," Ezek. ii. 3, 4; " hypocritical," Isa. x. G; 
 "lying," Lsa. xxx. 9; "reprobate silver," Jer. vi. 
 30; "sons of the sorceress, seed of the adulterer," 
 Isa. Ivii. 3 ; " soothsayers," lsa. ii. 6 ; " supplanters, 
 slanderers," Jer. ix. 4; "an assembly of treacherous 
 men," ver. 2 ; " a homeborn slave," Jer. ii. 14; 
 thorns and briers, Isa. x. 17; "naughty figs," Jer. 
 sxiv. 8 ; "a garden without water," Isa. i. 30 ; 
 "scorpions," Ezek. ii. 6; " a generation of vipers," 
 Matt. iii. 7- When this vine lost its sweetness, it 
 lost the interest it had in the heart of God, and the 
 more it degenerated, the more distasteful and re- 
 { roacliful it became. Degeneracy from God and his 
 
 ways is a provoking sin. God had done more for his 
 people than any people in the world, he had given 
 them such a land, such ordinances, laws, privileges, 
 as none else had ; and now for them to forsake God 
 was a grievous tresjiass, they violated many bands 
 of love, they brake the covenant of their God, and 
 did secretly accuse God, as not being so good as he 
 had promised to be unto them ; therefore, Micah vi. 
 3, 4, " O my people, what have I done unto thee, 
 and wherein have I wearied thee ? testify against 
 me. I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, 
 and redeemed thee out of the house of servants," &c. 
 
 It is good for us therefore to keep close to God, 
 not to admit of any unders-aluing or discouraging 
 thoughts of God and his ways. Let not your hearts 
 draw you back from God ; Heb. x. 38, " If any man 
 draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." 
 Drawing back is the way to perdition; Heb. iii. 12, 
 Take heed, therefore, lest there be at any time, in 
 any of you, a heart of unbelief, to depart from the 
 living God. If you would be honourable and fruil>. 
 fol, you must cleave fully to God, and keep close to 
 him and his ways; Johnxv. 4, "The branch cannot 
 bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine ; no 
 more can ye, except ye abide in me." 
 
 Obs. 6. That people which is fruitless and useless, 
 is determined of God to destruction. The vine tree 
 being barren and of no use, was given and cast into 
 the tire ; and so should the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
 for they were neither fruitful nor useful. 
 
 (I.) Not fruitful. Hos. x. 1, " Israel is an empty 
 vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself;" this 
 secmeth a contradiction, that Israel should be called 
 an empty vine, and yet bring forth fruit, but it is not, 
 the fruit was selfish fruit, and that is as no fruit in 
 God's account ; it brought forth branches, leaves, 
 and wild grapes, but God reckoned not these for 
 fruit ; their idolatry, superstition, oppression, \\o 
 lence, and injustice, were wild grapes ; their hypo- 
 crisy, formal professions, carnal confidences, their 
 fastings and sacrificings, were leafy things ; they had 
 no fruit unto holiness and righteousness, their wor- 
 ship was not pure, laws were not executed ; so that 
 they were unfruitful towards God and man. 
 
 The evil of fruitlcssness lies in this : 
 
 [1.] A vine or people that are fruitless, deceive 
 God's expectation : Isa. v. 2, " He looked that it 
 should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild 
 grapes :" God had taken great pains, been at great 
 cost with his people, waited long for grapes, and 
 when all came to all, there were only wild grapes ; 
 ver. 7, " He looked for judgment, but behold oppres- 
 sion ; for righteousness, but behold a cry." 
 
 [2.] It oftcnds God to have such trees in his vine- 
 yard, people that bring forth nothing but wild gray es, 
 cursed fruit. How grievous was it to God, that 
 there was no justice in the land! Jer. v. 1, " Run to 
 and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see if 
 there be any that executeth judgment, that seekc th 
 the truth; and I will pardon it:" Isa. v. 3, "Judge 
 between me and my vineyard ;" it argues God was 
 troubled. Though they had no good fruit, yet they 
 had evil fruit too much, such as offended his eyes, 
 his ears, his taste; therefore, Isa. i. 15, " I will 
 hide mine eyes from you ; yea, when ye make many 
 prayers, I will not hear ;" and the grapes they bare, 
 were sour grapes, distasteful unto the Lord. 
 
 [3.] Fruitlcssness is a reproach to God, who is the 
 Husbandman of the vineyard, as if he were not 
 skilful, or negligent, and did not what was fitting to 
 make the \ine to bear; and therefore, 
 Isa. V. 3, 4, "Judge between me and 
 my vineyard, what could have been done more ;" I 
 have done all which is fitting for a prudent and in-
 
 332 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UrON 
 
 Chap. XV. 
 
 dustrious vine-dresser to do, and my vine is a re- 
 proach to me. Wlien men till their land, sow it 
 Nvith the best seed, and it brings forth nothing bnt 
 thistles, nettles, or weeds, it is a reproach lo the 
 owner. If other people had had that pains taken 
 ■with them, those pains and mercies bestowed upon 
 them, which the Jews had, they would have brought 
 forth fruit unto repentance. 
 
 [4.] Fruitless ones are a burden to God, to the 
 godly, and to the place where they grow. 
 
 First, to God, who, speaking of this people, Isa. i. 
 24, saith, "Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries." 
 They were a mighty burden unto him; Amos ii. 13, 
 " Behold, I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed 
 that is full of sheaves." 
 
 Secondly, to the godly : Lot's righteous soul was 
 vexed with the Sodomites, 2 Pet. ii. 7; they were a 
 vine that brought forth nothing good. David sighed 
 and said, " \Voe is me," itc. Such hinder the 
 liberties and sadden the spirits of those who are 
 truly good. 
 
 ThiriUy, to the place where they grow : Luke xiii. 
 J", the barren tig tree must be cut down ; and why ? 
 it cumbers the ground, keeps out others which might 
 be set up in the place, sucks up the moisture and 
 fatness of the earth, overshadows and prejudiceth 
 tile plants which are near. 
 
 [5.j Such are slighted, looked upon as worthless, 
 inconsiderable. Take a vine or tree which hath no 
 fruit, it is not regarded : it is not the leaves or 
 branches, but the fruit makes it esteemed : it is not 
 a leafy profession, but a fruitful conversation, makes 
 people to be esteemed. Mark xiv. 3, a woman be- 
 stows a box of precious ointment upon Christ's 
 head ; some envied at it, but Christ said she had 
 wrought a good work, and this begat such a high 
 esteem for her in the heart of Christ, that to honour 
 her, he said, the fact should never be forgotten, but 
 wherever the gospel should be preached in the 
 world, that she had done should be spoken of for a 
 memorial of her, ver. 9 ; she was a tree that bare 
 good fruit, and was honoured for it, but fruitless trees 
 are not minded, not valued ; take a man that doth no 
 good, we say he is an idle, an empty man. 
 
 [6.] Fruitlessness declares a man to be an evil 
 man. A tree is known by its fruit : if it have good 
 fruit it is a good tree, if ill, it is an ill tree ; but what 
 if it have no fruit? you cannot say, it is neither good 
 nor bad, God hath no such trees in his garden : in 
 that it hath no fruit, it is an ill tree ; a barren tree 
 cannot be good ; when Christ found no fruit upon 
 the tree, he dealt with it as with an evil tree. 
 
 [7.] That which is fruitless, is near to a curse. 
 Matt. xxi. 10, when Christ saw a fig tree without 
 figs, what said he to it.' " Let no fruit grow on thee 
 henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree 
 withered away." Heb. vi. 8, the ground that brings 
 forth briers and thorns, not herbs meet for the dress- 
 ers, "is rejected, and nigh unto cursing." Prov. x. 
 7, "The name of the wicked shall rot;" wicked men 
 are fruitless, and God will curse their names ; Esau, 
 Jeroboam, Judas. 
 
 If a vine be fruitless, God will take away what he 
 hath bestowed, and undo what he hath done. Isa. 
 v. .^, "I will tell you wliat I will do to my vineyard ; 
 I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be 
 eaten up ; and break down the wall thereof, and it 
 shall be trodden down." The hedge and wall were 
 (iod's protection and defence of them ; now because 
 the vine had no good fruit, was an empty vine, the 
 Lord woidd preserve them no longi'r, but expose 
 them to spoil and ruin. God made a law concerning 
 fruitful trei s, that they shoidd be preserved, Deut. 
 XX. 19; and God liimself is careful of fruitful trees. 
 
 and vines that bring forth good grapes ; Isa. Ixv. 8, 
 ■'As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one 
 saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it; so will 
 I do for my servants' sakes." If God's trees, vines, 
 be fruitful, God will preserve them, prohibit others 
 to -wTong them; Psal. cv. 15, "Touch not mine 
 anointed, and do my prophets no harm." Cant. ii. 
 15, " Talse us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil 
 the ■vines ; for our vines have tender grapes." ^\ hen 
 the vines do bear good clusti'rs and wine, the Lord 
 is careful to preserve them, he is a hedge and wall 
 unto them ; but when they are barren, or bring forth 
 sour grapes, he will protect and bless no longer, he 
 will undo what he hath done, take away what he 
 hiith bestowed : Matt. xxi. 43, " The kingdom of God 
 shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bring- 
 ing forth the fruits thereof." The Jews had the title 
 to be God's people, the gospel was presented to them ; 
 both shoulii be taken away, and be bestowed upon the 
 gentiles, who would bring forth the fruits thereof. 
 Several kingdoms have several fruits, and the fruits 
 of God's kingdom are the fruits of the Spirit. 
 
 [9.] Fruitless trees must be cut downi or plucked 
 up; Luke xiii. 7i " Cut it down." Matt. iii. 10, 
 " Now the axe is laid ur.to the root of tlie trees :" 
 the Jews were a fruitless vine tree, and when Christ 
 came, he laid the axe to the root, and quickly they 
 were cut down. And sometimes he pulls them up by the 
 roots; Jude 12, "Trees whose fruit withereth, with- 
 out fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots :" fruit- 
 less trees are twice dead, dead in the body and 
 branches, and dead in the root, dead by nature, and 
 dead by their apostasy from that profession they 
 made ; and these God plucks up by the roots, there 
 shall nothing of them remain. 
 
 (2.) They were not useful. As the vine tree, if 
 fruitless, it must be cut down, or pluckid up, it is 
 unserviceable for any work, to make a pin of, other 
 trees, w'hen they are growing or cut down, serve for 
 divers uses at sea and land ; this people w'erc come 
 to such a pass, as that they ■were unfit for any use ; 
 Jeremiah tells you they were like naughty figs, that 
 could not be eaten, chap. xxiv. 8, and like the girdle 
 he hid in the bank of Euphrates, chap. xiii. 7, which 
 was marred and profitable for nothing. You know 
 what Christ saith of salt, when it hath lost its sa- 
 vour, " it is good for notliing, but to be cast out and 
 trodden under foot," Matt. v. 13; so the vine tree, 
 when it hath lost its fruitftiluess, its clusters, and 
 wine, with which it cheered God and man, it is good 
 f(U' nothing but to be cast into the fire : such a vine 
 tree ■were the Jews ; Jer. iv. 22, " My people is fool- 
 ish, they have not known me ; they are sottish 
 children, and they have none understanding : they 
 are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no 
 knowledge." 
 
 Let England, London look to it : we have been 
 the vine and vineyard of the Lord, he hath made a 
 hedge and wall about us, he hath of late digged us 
 and pruned us ; he looks for fruit, good fruit, the 
 power of godliness, not the form, thorough rcibrm- 
 ation,not a half one, justice, not oppression, love, not 
 bitterness, taking off burdens, not laying them on, 
 countenancing of the saints, not reproaching. Sec: if 
 w'e be found without such fruit, the axe is sharpening, 
 we shall be cut down, and cast into the fire, like the 
 inhabitants of Jerusalem. Let us now, then, after 
 such warnings, such mercies and deliverances frcm 
 the wild beasts and boars, bring forth fruit meet for 
 repentance, meet for the gospel, meet for all that 
 God hath done for us. 
 
 Jfr/lcclinn 1. We have been near cutting down, like 
 the fig tree. Luke xiii. (i — 9, a man had a fig tree, 
 planted in his vineyard, and came three years to see
 
 CiiAP. XV. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 333 
 
 what fruit it had, and there was none, either no figs, 
 or naughty figs ; and tlicn he said to the dresser. Cut 
 it down ; but the dresser interceding, prevailed for 
 another year, Lord, let it alone this year also ; if 
 it bear fruit, well, if not, then cut it down : so 
 here, &c. 
 
 Rejicction 2. God hath bestowed upon and done 
 great things for us : he hath taken us out of the 
 Romish Egypt, and planted us in Canaan, a land 
 that flows with milk and honey ; he hath given us 
 the glorious and everlasting gospel, which many 
 other nations have not ; in it he hath given us ex- 
 ceeding great and precious promises, with it pardon 
 of sin, the Spirit, Christ himself, all ; to us heaven is 
 opened, we have visions of God, dews, showers, and 
 sunshine, to make us fruitful. He hath done for us 
 wonderful things : Hath he not fenced and walled 
 us about with his protection, defending us from ene- 
 mies without and within, so that neither lion nor 
 leopard, boar nor bear, wolf nor fox, Jesuits, papists, 
 malignants, have been able to devour us ? hath he 
 not delivered us from the greatest dangers, most 
 devilish devices and plots, and out of many deaths ? 
 hath he not destroyed the serpents and scorpions 
 that stung us, or driven them into holes, made their 
 hosts to fall, " as the leaf falleth from the vine, and 
 as a falling fig from the fig tree," Isa. xxxiv. 4 ? 
 hath he not plucked up most of the thorns and 
 briers that grew in his vineyard, and removed the 
 stones of stumbling out of the ecclesiastical and civil 
 estate ? hath he not turned curses into blessings, 
 wise counsels into foolish results, and by weak hands 
 wrought glorious effects for us ? hath he not disap- 
 pointed the expectations of our enemies, when they 
 have been high, puzzling the wit of hell, nonplussing 
 the powers of darkness, causing their designs to dash 
 out their own brains, and to promote those they were 
 intended to ruin ? 
 
 liejleclion 3. God blesses and prospers a people 
 that is fruitful in good. Gen. xlix. 22, " Joseph is a 
 fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well, whose 
 branches run over the wall;" of him came two 
 tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh ; and how did he 
 prosper in Egypt ! to what a height and greatness did 
 he grow ! he was the only man in all the land, Gen. 
 xli. 44. It is said of the man who is fruitful, that 
 " whatsoever he doth shall prosper," Psal. i. 3. Moses 
 exhorted the people to obedience upon this ground, 
 Deut. xxix. 9, " Keep the words of this covenant, 
 and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do." 
 When men are obedient unto the will of God, and so 
 fruitful, it pleases the Lord to bless them. The Jews 
 were the terror of nations whilst they worshipped 
 God in his o-hti ways, and executed justice in their 
 gates: 2 Chron. xxxii. 30, " Hezekiah prospered in 
 all his works ;" he abounded in doing good, and pros- 
 pered accordingly. If you bring forth sweet 
 grapes and pleasant fruit, you shall prosper in your 
 families, shops, journeys, worship, &c. 
 
 Rejiec/ion 4. All creatures are fruitful one way or 
 other. The earth is so plentiful in fruit-bearing, that 
 as it is the mother of all living, so it is the maintaincr 
 of them. What is there grows upon the face of the 
 earth, which is altogether fruith'ss, and doth not 
 contribute something to the good of man, and glory 
 of its Creator ? Clouds are the bottles of heaven, and 
 being carried over the quarters of the earth, they 
 empty their silver drops to enrich the earth. The 
 heavens yield us their light and influence, and move 
 constantly to do us service ; that old servant of the 
 world the sun, is not yet weary of sending down his 
 beams to warm us. and all other creatures. Hath 
 God made the heavens and earth useful and fruitful 
 for man, and all the fish, fowl, beasts, birds, plants in 
 
 them ? and shall man be barren ? surely for a chris- 
 tian it is a great reproach to be so. 
 ^ Re/lection 5. It is the appointment of the Lord 
 Christ, that those who are his servants should be 
 fruitful. John xv. 16, "I have chosen vou, and or- 
 dained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit ;" 
 that they shoidd preach, pray, convert souls, work 
 miracles, plant churches, set up his kingdom, &c. 
 And now if Christ hath chosen you to any places, in 
 the family, city, church, or state, he hath ordained 
 that you should bring forth fruit; he would not have 
 a parent fruitless in the family, nor a magistrate in 
 the city. 
 
 Reflection 6. It is an honour to God to be fruitful. 
 When a vine is full of goodly clusters, what a credit, 
 what a cheering is it to the vinc-dresser .' When the 
 ground yields great increase, it is an honour to the 
 husbandman ; when trees are loaden with fruit, the 
 gardener glories in it. Come, look upon this tree ! 
 when the ewes bear twins, it is the shepherd's hon- 
 our: and so when christians are fruitful, it is the 
 honour and glory of God; John xv. 8, " Herein is 
 my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." When 
 christians are fruitful, it provokes others to praise 
 the name of the Lord; Matt. v. 16, "Let your light 
 so shine before men, that they may see your good 
 works, and glorify yoin- Father which is in heaven." 
 
 Rejiection 7. Fruitfulness is delightful to God and 
 man. Hos. xiv. 5, 6, God would be dew to Israel, he 
 should grow, his beauty should be as the olive tree, 
 (the beauty of the olive tree is to be full of oliv( s,) 
 and his smell as Lebanon ; Lebanon was full of 
 sweet trees and fragrant flowers, and filled all the 
 parts thereabouts with a sweet smell; so should 
 Israel be fruitful, and yield a sweet savour to God 
 in heaven, and men on earth. Judg. ix. 13, the 
 vine cheered God and man with its pleasant and 
 sweet-smelling wine: God, in that it was offered in 
 the freewill offering, for a sweet savour unto God, 
 Numb. XV. 3, 5; man, Psal. civ. 15, wine makes 
 glad his heart : so fruitfidness in christians hath a 
 sweet savour, delights heaven and earth. The Phi- 
 lippians' fruitfulness was " an odour of a sweet smell, 
 a sacrifice acceptable to God," Phil. iv. 18; so prayers 
 and praise are as incense and music unto him, Psal. 
 cxli. 2; Heb. xiii. 15. The Corinthians' bounty and 
 fruitfulness so delighted Paul, that he boasted of them, 
 2 Cor. ix. 2 ; the savour of it extended far, and made 
 many to glorify God on their behalf, ver. 13. Be 
 fruitful, then, that you may please, delight, God and 
 man, and leave a good savour behind you. 
 
 Reflection 8. It is the glory of any to be fruitful. 
 
 Reflection 9. Christ is coming to see what fruit is 
 upon his vine trees : Heb. x. 37, " Yet a little while, 
 and he that shall come will come, and will not tar- 
 ry ;" and when he comes, if there be ill fruit or no 
 fruit upon them, he will not only curse those trees, 
 but bum those ti-ees, for his coming will be in flames 
 of fire, 2 Thess. i. 8. The inhabitants of Jerusalem 
 were not spared because barren : and the inhabitants 
 of London will not be spared if found baiTen : if you 
 be fruitful he will transplant you, and you shall be 
 trees of righteousness in the heavenly paradise for 
 ever. 
 
 Obs. 7- When God's face is against a people, he 
 will follow that people with judgment after judg- 
 ment, till they be consumed. " I will set my face 
 against them, they shall go out from one fire, and 
 another fire shall devour them :" if they escaped 
 the famine, the plague should take hold of them ; 
 if that did not, the sword should ; if that failed, the 
 wild beasts should devour them; if by them they 
 died not, captivity should be their i-uin. When God 
 is wrcth, he hath fiery judgments for the wiekid,
 
 334 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Cmai'. XVI. 
 
 and if he scorch them in one fire a little, pull them 
 out like brands, he will throw them into another 
 fire ; if he burn them a little more in that, and pull 
 them out again, at last he W'ill throw them into a 
 devouring, consuming fire. " The wrath of a king 
 is as messengers of death," Prov. xvi. 14; but tlie 
 wrath of God is as death itself, it pursues sinners 
 till they are burnt to ashes. AVicked men are apt to 
 think, that when they are got out of some one fiery 
 aHliction they are safe, but another is preparing for 
 them. Nebuchadnezzar had twice before been in 
 their land, carried away Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin 
 at several times, and now he was ready to come 
 again ; and after a long siege, he took the city, and 
 carried away many to Babylon : those who were left, 
 he set Gedaliah over them, whom, with many others, 
 Ishmael slew ; this Islimael presently after was put 
 to flight by Johanan, who also going into Egypt, 
 contrary to the counsel of Jeremiah, is slain there 
 with divers others by the Babylonians, as Jer. xli. 
 xlii. xliii. xliv. relates. 
 
 Obs. 8. The sins of the inhabitants bring desola- 
 tion upon a land. " I will make the land desolate, 
 because they have committed a trespass." Canaan 
 was a pleasant and fruitful land, a very paradise, but 
 because they committed a trespass, corrupted God's 
 w'orship and oppressed the people, therefore God 
 laid waste the land, even his own vineyard ; he 
 plucked away the fence, broke down the wall, and 
 let in those wild l)easts, bears, boars, and foxes, the 
 Babylonians, who tore the vine in .pieces, and rooted 
 it w holly up, and laid all desolate ; before they came, 
 the land was as the garden of Eden, but they left it 
 a desolate wilderness ; and where the vines grew, 
 there were briers and thorns, Isa. vii. 23 ; yea, " all 
 the land should become briers and thorns," ver. 24. 
 So chap, xxxii. 1.3, " Upon the land of my people 
 shall come up thorns and briers ; yea, upon all the 
 houses of joy in the joyous city." Psal. cvii. 3, 4, 
 the Lord turns " a fruitful land into barrenness, for 
 the wickedness of them that dwell therein." If we 
 would therefore prevent this, let us hearken to what 
 is said, Jer. vii. 5 — 7, " If ye thoroughly amend your 
 ways and doings ; if ye thoroughly execute judg- 
 ment between a man and his neighbour ; if ye op- 
 press not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, 
 and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither 
 walk after other gods to your hurt : then will I cause 
 you to dwell in this place." 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 5. Again the word of the Lord came 
 iinto me, saylrirr, Son of man, cause Jerusalem to 
 know her abominations , and sai/. Thus saith the 
 Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thij birth and thi/ 
 natiriti/ is of the land of Canaan ; thij father teas 
 an Amorite, and thi/ mother an Hittite. And as 
 for thy nativity, in the day thou vast born thy na- 
 vel was not cut, neither wast thou washed m water 
 to sujiple thee ; thou least not salted at all, nor 
 swaddled at all. A'one eye pitied thee, to do any of 
 these unto thee, to hare compassion ujton thee ; but 
 thou toast cast out in the openjield, to the lothing 
 of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. 
 
 W'e are now come to the longest chapter in the 
 whole prophecy, and it is against the Jews who were 
 at Jerusalem. 
 
 The parts of it are these : 
 
 I. The principal scope of the chapter laid down in 
 ver. 2. 
 
 I I. The natural state of the Jews represented under 
 a parable of an infant left and neglected of all, ver. 
 3— (i. 
 
 III. A commemoration of God's dealing with them, 
 ver. 6 — 1.5. 
 
 IV. An exprobration of their great ingratitude in 
 running out from God, and sinning above other 
 nations, ver. 15 — 35. 
 
 V. A commination of grievous judgments, ver. 35 
 — 60, wherein also the aggravation of their sins are 
 laid down. 
 
 VI. A promise of mercy to restore and establish 
 them, ver. 60, to the end. 
 
 Ver. 1. "Again the word of the Lord came unto 
 me, saying." These words are frequent, they show 
 whence he had what he spake, and with what au- 
 thority he spake, viz. divine authority ; and serve for 
 attention, to provoke the sons of men to heed what 
 the prophet delivered. 
 
 Ve 
 
 ' Cause Jerusalem to know her abomi- 
 
 nations." By Jerusalem, he means the men of Jeru- 
 salem ; and by abominations, those sins of idolatry, 
 adultery, injustice, &e. which were abominable. 
 
 The projihet being in Babylon, how could he 
 cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, his voice 
 would not reach thither ? 
 
 He might by letters send to Jerusalem, to Jere- 
 miah, or some of the faithful, to make known what a 
 message, what a prophecy he had received from the 
 Lord. Or else, he might give it out in Babylon, 
 where were some that would quickly carry or send 
 tidings thereof unto Jerusalem. 
 
 Obs. I. That a peoj)le may be guilty of abominar- 
 tions, and not know nor acknowledge them. Jeru- 
 salem was so, and did not know nor acknowdedge 
 it; " Cause Jerusalem to know her abominations." 
 Amos iii. 10, "They know not to do right." When 
 men know not what is right, how can they know 
 what is wrong ? 
 
 They stored up violence and robbery in their 
 palaces, they got wealth by injustice, oppression, 
 laid it up, and thought it well gotten. 
 
 They know not God. Jer. ix. 3, " They proceed 
 from evil to evil, and know not me, saith the Lord;" 
 when people know not God, they do evil after evil, 
 and know not that they do evil. " They know not the 
 way of the Lord," Jer. v. 4; therefore their own ways 
 seem good in their eyes. John xvi. 2, " The time 
 Cometh, that who.soever killeth you will think he 
 doeth God service :" when men shall murder the 
 saints of Christ, (a crying .sin, a great abcmiination,) 
 they will be so far from knowing or acknowledging 
 it, that they will justify the fact. In Isa. v. 20, you 
 may read what the Jews said of evil ; they called 
 "evil good, and good evil; they put darkness for 
 light, and light for darkness; thry put bitter for 
 sweet, and sweet for bitter." They set up idols, 
 worshipped the queen of heaven, oppressed in the 
 gates, filled the land with bloody crimes, and yet 
 justified themselves : Jer. vii. 9, " Will ye steal, 
 murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and 
 burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods, 
 whom ye know not ; and come and stand before me 
 in this house, and .say, We are delivered?" we are 
 in no danger, whatever is threatened. They were 
 blinded, and as they knew not their abominations, so 
 they acknowledged them not : Hos. v. 15, " I w"ill 
 go and return tfi my idace, till they acknowledge 
 their oU'enec ;" if they did know their doings to be 
 evil, yet they did not acknowledge them to be such 
 evils as in truth they were, they did not profess them-
 
 Ver. 1—5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 335 
 
 selves to be guilty ; the Lord therefore puts them upon 
 it, Jer. iii. 13, " Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that 
 thou hast transgressed against the Lord tny God," 
 lay it to heart, and confess it. 
 
 Obs. 2. Note, there is an unwillingness, an averse- 
 ness in sinners to hear of their sins. " Cause Jerusa- 
 lem to know her abominations ;" she is against it, 
 but make her to know them. Jer. xliv. IG, " We 
 will not hearken unto thee ;" thou tellest us of sin- 
 ning, and judgment for sins, but say what thou wilt, 
 "we will not hearken:" Zech. vii. 11, 12, " They 
 refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, 
 and stopped tlieir cars, that they should not hear. 
 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, 
 lest they should hear the law, and the words which 
 the Lonl of hosts hath sent in his Spirit by the former 
 prophets." What averseness was here in this people, 
 to hear of their sins or duly ! 2 Chron. xxxvi. 1(5, 
 " They mocked the messengers of God, and despised 
 his words, and misused his prophets ;" they were 
 not only unwilling to hear of their sins, but wilfully 
 add to the heap of their sins, they mock, despise, 
 misuse the prophets, that told them of their mock- 
 ing, despising, misusing. When Stephen told them 
 of their practices. Acts vii. 51, 52, what followed 
 upon it ? '• They were cut to the heart, and they 
 gnashed upon him with their teeth ; they cried out 
 with a luud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran 
 upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the 
 city, and stoned him," ver. 54, 57, 58 : so when Christ 
 told them of their sins, they derided him, Luke xvi. 
 14 ; told him he had " a devil," John viii. 48 ; they 
 " were filled with wratli, and rose up, and thrust 
 him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of 
 the hill, that they might east him down headlong," 
 Luke iv. 28, 29. And not only wicked men are un- 
 willing to hear of their sins, but even good men 
 also. When God reproved Jonah, " Doest thou well 
 to be angry ?" his reply was, " I do well to be angry, 
 even to death ;" he thought God did evil in reprov- 
 ing him, that he had more cause to be angry than 
 God had to chide him for his anger. When Hanani 
 the seer came to Asa the king, (who was a godly 
 king,) and told him he had done foolishly in relying 
 upon the king of Assyria, and not upon the Lord, and 
 that therefore he should have wars, " Then Asa was 
 wroth with the seer, and put him in a prison house : 
 for he was in a rage with him because of this thing." 
 Paul was become the Galatians' enemy, because he 
 told them the truth, he told them of their sins. Good 
 men do not easily endure to hear of tlieir faults, and 
 this is that which discourages friends from telling 
 them what they hear, observe, and know, and so 
 through fear they become unfaithful. 
 
 Obs. 3. What God commands the prophets and 
 ministers to do, it matters not how it is taken by the 
 people, they arc to do it. 
 
 Here God commands Ezekicl to cause the peo- 
 ple to know the abominations ; it was not for liim 
 to excuse himself from this service, to object against 
 it, to say they will mock me, despise me, misuse me, 
 hate me, seek my hurt, ruin mc ; God commanded, 
 and it was his duty to do it, carefully, conscientiously, 
 and faithfully; he must make known their sins to 
 the world, to themselves, let the event be what it 
 will. Isa. Iviii. 1, " Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy 
 voice like a trumpet, and show my people their 
 transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins :" 
 the prophet must not whisper, but cry, and that 
 aloud ; it matters not who hears, he must lift up his 
 voice like a trumpet. When men blow trumpets, 
 they do it with all their strength, and the sound of 
 it goeth far ; so must the prophets, with extension 
 of their voice, utter the sins of the people, and show 
 
 them their transgressions, they must represent them 
 ftdly and earnestly befoi'e their eyes, and to their 
 ears. Tliis they must do, 
 
 (1.) That others may take warning, and not do as 
 they have done; 1 Tim. v. 20, "Them that sin re- 
 buke before all ;" them that sin opcnlv, must be re- 
 buked openly. And why ? That others also may fear. 
 
 (2.) That they may bring the parties to repentance : 
 Jer. xxiii. 22, " If they had stood in my counsel, and 
 caused my people to hear my words, then they should 
 have turned them from their evil way, and from 
 the evil of their doings." 
 
 How shall sinners come to repentance, if they 
 hear not of their sins, if they be not convinced of 
 the sinfulness of them, by the prophets and ministers 
 of God ? This was the fault of the false prophets, 
 they hid their sins from them ; but the faithful ones 
 must tell them of them. 
 
 (3.) That they may deliver their own souls : 
 Ezek. xxxiii. 8, 'J, " When I say unto the wicked, O 
 wicked man, thou shalt surely die ; if thou dost not 
 speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked 
 man shall die in his iniquity ; but his blood will I 
 require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn 
 the wicked to turn from his way, if he turn not, he 
 shall die in his iniquity ; but thou hast delivered 
 thy soul." 
 
 Obs. 4. The sins of people are abominations in 
 God's account. He calls the sins of Jerusalem 
 " abominations," what his soul loathed and abhorred : 
 Psal. xiv. 1, "They have done abominable works ;" 
 Psal. liii. I, "They have done abominable iniquity." 
 Sins are works, but works of iniquity, abominable 
 works, and abominable iniquity ; now, Psal. v. 5, it 
 is said of Gcd, " Thou hatcst all workers of iniquity ;" 
 if God's hatred be against the workers of iniquity, 
 how great is it against iniquity itself ! if a man 
 hate ,1 poisonous creature, he hates poison much 
 more. The strength of God's hatred is against sin, 
 and so should we liate sin, and hate it with strength; 
 it is abomination unto God, let it be so unto us : Prov. 
 vi. 16 — ly, "These six things doth the Lord hate ; 
 yea, seven are an abomination unto him : a proud 
 look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent 
 blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, 
 feet that bo swift in running to mischief, a false 
 witness that speakcth lies, and he that soweth dis- 
 cord among brethren." 
 
 Ver. 3. " And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto 
 Jerusalem ; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land 
 of Canaan." The Jews stood much upon their pro- 
 genitors, and gloried in it that they were descended 
 from Abraham ; but they were so degenerated at 
 this time, that the Lord sends the prophet to upbraid 
 them, and tell them, that their birth and nativity 
 was rather of the Canaanites, Amorites, and Hittites, 
 than of Abraham ; your ways and doings arc such, 
 that you seem rather to be the seed of any impious 
 stock than of Abraham, who was so upright, faith- 
 ful, and honourable ; your works are contrary to his, 
 they are such as the nations' are, and so testify that 
 you are rather of them, than of him. 
 
 "Thy birth." The Hebrew is, -j'n-nsD which 
 Montanus interprets mansiunes tucp ; the Scptuagint 
 is, j) pi'ia nov, thy root ; so the Vulgate, radix tua ; 
 Junius, Piscator, Polanus, have it, commercia tua, 
 tliy commerce, and trafficking in matters of religion 
 is of Canaan ; we have it " birth," which implies, 
 bcgiiming, rise ; and all these may stand : Thy birth, 
 habitation, commerce, whatever thou thinkestof thy- 
 self, do all declare that thou art of Canaan, of the 
 Amorites and Hittites ; thy worship and practices 
 arc such, that if any inquire whence thou art, where 
 thou dwellest, whom thou resemblcst, they wotdd
 
 33t') 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 conclude tliou art of, dwellest among, and most like 
 unto, C'auaanites, Hittitc-s, Aiiiorites. 
 
 This is truth, but some further thing the prophet 
 seems to aim at here, viz. their condition before the 
 Lord took them to be his people. And what were 
 they then ? no better than other nations, barbarous, 
 idolatrous, like the Canaanites, iVe. ; and so the 
 word I'miDO may import, for some of the learned 
 derive it from ni3 which is to dig and cut out; Isa. 
 li. 1, " Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and 
 to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged." 
 
 " Thy nativity." Hebrew is, I'mSiD natales tui, 
 thy nativities or birth days. It is [.lural, to signify 
 their descent of both parents, that they were by 
 father and mother of the Canaanites. They drew 
 their pedigree from Abraham and Sarah, who were 
 Chaldeans, Gen. xi. 31, but no better than the rest 
 of other nations, till God pleased to call them, and 
 distinguish them from otliers : Josh. xxiv. 2, " They 
 served other gods," they and their fathers. 
 
 " Of the land of Canaan." Some understand 
 Egypt here the land of Canaan, because the Jews 
 had long lived in Egypt, which is called the land of 
 Ham, or Cham, Psal. cv. 27 ; but Egypt was not 
 Canaan. Canaan was a country in Asia the Less, 
 so called from Canaan, the son of Ham, Gen. x. 6, 
 18, 19, possessed by him and his sons. 
 
 Now Canaan was cursed by Noah; Gen. ix. 25, 
 " Cursed be Canaan ; a servant of servants shall he 
 be ;" that is, extremely vile and base : from him came 
 the Canaanites, a cursed race ; they were so wicked, 
 that Abraham caused his servant to swear he W'ould 
 not take a wife unto his son of the daughters of the 
 Canaanites, Gen. xxiv. 3. They were given to such 
 abominable sins, as that the land vomited them out. 
 Lev. xviii. 25 ; and when the Israelites came to pos- 
 sess Canaan, they were so hateful to God, that he 
 charged his people utterly to destroy them ; Deut. 
 vii. 2, " Thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy 
 them ; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor 
 show mercy unto them;" ver. IG, "Thine eye shall 
 have no pity upon them :" they had all abominations 
 amongst them. 
 
 " Thy father was an Amorite." The Amorites 
 were of Caniian, the son of Ham, Gen. x. 15, 16, 
 and they were as wicked as the Canaanites. Gen. 
 XV. l(i, " The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet 
 full." Their iniquities were very great, only God 
 waited for the completing thereof, before he would 
 destroy them ; they were great iilohiters, oppressors, 
 made incestuous marriages, and Ahab, one of the 
 most wicked kings that ever was, is compared to 
 the Amorites ; 1 Kings xxi. 20, " He did very abomi- 
 nably in following idols, according to all things as 
 did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before 
 the children of Israel." They were bitter enemies 
 unto the Israelites, and would not let them pass 
 through their country, Numb. xxi. 23, but fought 
 with them ; they forced the children of Dan into the 
 mountain, Judg. i. 34. They were a people potent, 
 and dreadful to the Jews, for, Amos ii. 9, it is said of 
 them, that their " height was like the height of the 
 cedars, and they were sti-ong as the oaks ;" they 
 were a giant-like people, and as they exceeded in 
 height and strength, so they exceeded in wicked- 
 ness, and therefore God destroyed his fruit from 
 above, and his root from beneath. 
 
 " Tliy mother an Hittite." n-nn Chittith. The 
 Cethites, or llittites, were of the same stock the 
 Amorites were, viz. from Ham and Canaan; Gen. 
 X. 15, Heth is said to be the son of Canaan, and 
 from him sprung up the Cethites, or Hittites, as they 
 are called. Gen. xv. 20. \Vhat kind of people these 
 were, you may judge by profane Esau, v.lio took 
 
 two wives from among the Hittites, which were a 
 continual grief to Isaac and Rebekah, Gen. xxvi. 34, 
 .35 ; yea, such an atllietion to Rebekah, that she said, 
 " I am weary of my life, because of the daugliters of 
 Heth," chap, xxvii. 40. They were contentious, 
 stubborn, and idolatrous, as the Greek, Chaldee, and 
 the Targum observe ; and when the charge is given 
 to the Israelites to destroy the nations, the Hittites 
 are mentioned first, Deut. xx. 17. 
 
 You see what the Canaanites, Amorites, and Hit- 
 tites were, exceeding wicked; and the Jews which 
 were at Jerusalem were so degenerate, that they 
 were as if they dwelt amidst Canaanites, and were 
 the ofi'spring of cursed Amorites and Hittites : 
 2 Kings xxi. 9, it is said of them, that they did 
 "more evil than the nations whom the Lord de- 
 stroyed ;" he means the Canaanites, Amorites, and 
 Hittites, as appears by what follows, ver. II, Manas- 
 seh did " wickedly above all that the Amorites did, 
 which were before him." 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord judges and pronounces other- 
 wise of sinners than they do of themselves. The 
 Jews thought themselves better than other nations, 
 they called them f;oijm, nations, gentiles, by way of 
 disgrace ; they thought themselves the holy seed, 
 the children of Abraham, an honourable and blessed 
 people, but God thought and pronounced otherwise : 
 he tells them they are Canaanites : What ! you Abra- 
 hamites ? no, you are Amorites ; what ! you Is- 
 raelites ? you are Hittites, as bad as the worst of 
 nations. They thought themselves children of God, 
 in high favour with him, the true church, whereas 
 they were abhorred of God, and an apostatized 
 church ; Rev. ii. 9, they said they w'ere Jews, when 
 they were the synagogue of Satan. Ephraim said, 
 " In all my labours they shall find none iniquity in 
 me that were sin ;" but God found " the balances of 
 deceit in his hand," Ilosea xii. 7, 8. 
 
 Ob.s: 2. Men are their children, whose ways, man- 
 ners, and example, they follow. Jerusalem imitated 
 the nations in their worship, fashions, practices, and 
 she is the child of an Amorite, of an Hittite, and her 
 citizens imitated their impiety, they contracted kindred 
 with them, and obtained inheritance oriL-, icmm, 
 with them, as the fathers comment on Tiieodor. 
 the words. 
 
 When men live according to the courses, natures, 
 manners of others, they are styled their sons, or 
 children, and they be their fathers : John viii. 44, 
 " Ye arc of your father the devil, and the lusts of 
 your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the 
 beginning, and abode not in the truth ;" so you abide 
 not in the truth, you seek to kill me ; and herein 
 you resemble the devil, and he is your father. If 
 Abraham were your father, as you pretend, " ye 
 would do the works of Abraham," ver. 39 ; " If God 
 were your Father, you would love me," ver. 42. 
 The Father loves me, honours me, and, if you were 
 his children, you would do so too ; but you hate me 
 and my doctrine, lie in wait to murder me, " ye are 
 of your father the devil." Christ calls the scribes and 
 Pharisees " a generation of vipers," they were so 
 bitter, cruel, of such a bloody and persecuting nature. 
 
 When Elymas the sorcerer would have hindered 
 the conversion of Sergius Paulus, the apostle told 
 him he was "the child of the devil," Acts xiii. 10; 
 his works, ways, were such as the devil's were, and 
 therefore the devil was his father. In Isa. Ivii. 3, 
 God calls the Jews " s(ms of the sorceress, the seed 
 of the adulterer and the whore," because they did 
 such things as sorceresses, adulterers, and whores 
 use to do : chap. i. 10, he calls them "rulers of So- 
 dom," and " people of Gomorrah ;" they so livelilv 
 represented their natures and practices, llir.t tluy
 
 Veh. 4, 5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 337 
 
 seemed to be of them, and justly deserved those 
 titles. 
 
 Let us look to it whose ways we take uj). If we 
 imitate the world, we are children of the world ; if 
 Rome, Babylon, we are their children. The church 
 of Rome boasts that her birth is from the apostle, 
 that Peter, Paul laid her foundation ; but doth she 
 embrace their doctrine, imitate their examples ? no, 
 she is like the nations for her idolatry, superstition, 
 whoredom, deceit, pomp, pride, 6cc. therefore her 
 father is an Amorite, and her mother an Hittite. 
 We say we are of Christ, but are we like unto Christ 
 in our worship and lives ? 
 
 Obs. 3. All are not godly who spring from godly 
 parents, families, and have a name to be godly. The 
 Jews, they came out of the loins of Abraham, Isaac, 
 and Jacob, the best families that were then in the 
 world, they of all people were counted the holy and 
 godly people ; but grace is not hereditary. You see 
 here they were so wicked, that God reckons them 
 among Canaanites, Amorites, cVc. ; they were as bad 
 as any of the nations, yea worse ; Ezek. v. 6, Jeru- 
 salem " hath changed my judgments into wickedness 
 more than the nations, and my statutes more than 
 the countries that are round about her." You see it 
 made good, what Paul said, Rom. ix. 6, 7, "They 
 are not all Israel, which are of Israel ; neither, b''- 
 cause they are the seed of Abraham, are they all 
 children :" they were all Israelites, and the seed of 
 Abraham, after the flesh, but they were not the children 
 of God, they were of the land of Canaan, &c. Judge 
 not thou from such external tilings, for, Rom. ii. "28, 
 29, "He is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; 
 neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the 
 Hesh : but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and 
 circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not 
 in the letter ; whose praise is not of men, but of God." 
 
 Ubs. 4. When the Lord takes in any to be his peo- 
 ple, they were like othei's, no better than they. 
 
 Vcr. 4, 5. And as fur thi/ nativiti/, in the day 
 thou tvast born thy navel zvas not cut, neither 
 irast thou washed in water to supple thee ; thou 
 wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all. None 
 eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto (hee, to 
 have compassion upon thee ; but thou wast cast 
 out in the opien field, to the lothing of thy pjerson, 
 in the day that thou wast born. 
 
 This chapter is a continued allegory, setting forth 
 the state of the Jewish church, under the consider- 
 ation of a woman in her birih, education, marriage, 
 adultery, repudiation, and re-entertainment. 
 
 Something in the last exercise was said touching 
 the nativity of the Jews, that they were of the 
 Amorites and Hittites. Now to go on : 
 
 " In the day thou wast born." When to begin 
 the birth of the Israelitish nation is inquirable ; our 
 prophet speaks of it in the person of a woman, and 
 saith, " In the day thou wast born." 
 
 Some make her birth-day to be, the calling of Abra- 
 ham out of Chaldea, and entering into covenant with 
 him, to bless him, to be a God to him, and his seed. 
 
 The infancy and youth of this woman, or Jewish 
 estate, was from the time of Jacob's going into 
 Egypt, till they wer' led out by Moses ; her grown 
 estate, the time of the judges and kings ; and her 
 old age, from the time of the Babylonish captivity 
 to Clirist. 
 
 Others make the birth-day of this nation to be 
 
 their going out of Egypt, when they were freed 
 
 from their rigorous bondage there ; but to this 
 
 opinion I cannot cast in my approbation, because it 
 
 z 
 
 was the time of this woman's youth, not her birth, 
 and so the Scripture sets it out ; Jer. ii. 2, " I remem- 
 ber thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of 
 thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the 
 wilderness;" and, Hoseaii. 15, the days of her youth, 
 and of her coming up out of the land of Egyi)t, are 
 the same ; and presently after, God espoiised this 
 people unto himself. 
 
 Some take this birlh-day to be the time of Jacob's 
 going into Egypt with seventy souls. But this is 
 forced, and suits not with what follows in ver. 5, 
 where it is said, " none eye pitied thee, but thou 
 wast cast out," &c. Jacob and his were received 
 honourably Ijy Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and 
 greatly regarded for Joseph's sake. 
 
 Pradus makes the birth-day to be the time after 
 Joseph's death, when another king rose up which 
 knew not Joseph, but oppressed the Jews; from 
 which time it is said, Exod. i. 7, "The childi-en 
 of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and 
 multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty ; and the 
 land was filled with them :" but to me their birth-day 
 must needs be long before, take it literally or spirit- 
 ually. A people must be born, have tlieir being, 
 before they can increase and multiply, and they were 
 the Lord's people before this day. This birth-day 
 I know not now we can begin it at any other time, 
 than when the Lord called Abraham : Gen. xii. 1, 2, 
 the Lord said unto him, " Get thee out of thy country, 
 and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, 
 unto a land that I will show thee ; and I will make of 
 thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make 
 thy name great ;" and afterwards he told him his seed 
 should be as the stars of heaven, Gen. xv. 5 ; as the 
 dust upon the earth, chap. xiii. IG ; " and as the sand 
 which is upon the sea-shore," chap. xxii. 17. Hence 
 is it that Abraham is called their father, Josh. xxiv. 
 3, " I took your father Abraham from the other side 
 of the flood." We may include all the time, from 
 God's calling Abraham to their going out of Egypt, 
 to be their birth-time. 
 
 " Thy navel was not cut." Hebrew is, -pt' from 
 ■nr with a double resli, which Aben Esra saith is so 
 called ajirmitiite, for Tif is Jiriiium, and the navel is 
 that which gives strength to the child, from mit' 
 principale, because it is the principal thing whereby 
 the child is supported in the womb. 
 
 As a tree by the roots is fastened to the earth, 
 and by the fibres, the little sti'ings upon them, draws 
 nourishment and spirits from the earth, so is it with 
 a child in the womb ; the navel fastens it to the 
 mother, and by the veins and arteries in the navel, it 
 fetches in nourishment and spirits. 
 
 For the meaning of the words, 
 
 1. It may be this: look as a child by the navel 
 draws life, spirits, and nourishment from the mother, 
 so did the Israelitish estate draw from the nations, 
 that were her parents, Amorites, Hittites, Chaldeans, 
 Egyptians, the life, spirit, and nourishment of several 
 impieties. Rachel had her father's idols, and in 
 Egypt they learned the manners, fashions, and wor- 
 ship of the Egyptians, they were not separate from 
 idols, but drew thence the grounds of their idolatry. 
 
 2. It points out the miserable condition of this 
 people at first. A child wdiose navel is not cut, 
 must needs perish, be a dead child ; so here, Thy 
 navid was not cut, thou wast in a lost and desperate 
 condition. Abraham was au idolater when the Lord 
 took him ; Psal. cvi. 7, " Our fathers understood not 
 thy wonders in Egypt ;" they were an ignorant, per- 
 verse, superstitious people. 
 
 " Neither wast thou washed in water to supple 
 thee." Wlten an infant is born, first the navel is cut, 
 and then they use to wash it with warm water,
 
 338 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XYI. 
 
 1. To cleanse it from that filth which adheres to 
 the body of it. 
 
 2. For safety, that sickness may be prevented. 
 
 3. For sightliness, that its appearance may be 
 more agreeable. 
 
 We have it, " to supple thee," 'yrnS that thou 
 shouldst be lenified. The joints and parts may 
 have some stitl'nessin them, it is usual, therefore, to 
 mix butter, or oil, with the water they wash them 
 in, that so their limbs may be tractable : but surely 
 the flesh of infants, their bodies and bones, are very 
 tender things, and do ratlier stand in need of con- 
 solidating than of suppling. I conceive, therefore, 
 it were better translated, Thou wast not washed in 
 water to my sight, or when I looked upon thee ; 
 thou hadst those pollutions, corruptions adhering to 
 thee, which made thee unlovely, unsightly. Acts 
 ix. 37, they washed the body of Dorcns, and laid it 
 in an upper chamber. It was their use to wash at 
 deaths and births. 
 
 " Thou wast not salted at all." It seems, in an- 
 cient days, it was the custom, after washing, to salt 
 their infants, or to mingle salt with the water in 
 which they washed them. We read nothing of this 
 practice but only in this place. 
 
 That which the prophet hereby leads us unto, 
 is, that this people had no heavenly wisdom, no 
 fear of God, no true grace, no salt to cure their 
 wounds, to keep them from putrefying, but abounded 
 in noisome huniours, were altogetlier weak and feeble. 
 
 " Nor swaddled at all." Hebrew is, rt^nn nS ^nnn 
 In swaddling thou wast not swaddled. Children are 
 swaddled to strengthen their bodies, and to keep their 
 limbs straight : Luke ii. 7, Christ was wrapped in 
 swaddling clothes ; and it is given as a reason why 
 the bodies of barbarians were straigliter than the 
 bodies of the Romans, because they kept their chil- 
 dren swaddled two or three years. Hereby is set out 
 how destitute of all help this people were. 
 
 Vcr. 5. " None eye pitied thee, to do any of these 
 unto thee." Here the contemptible condition of this 
 metaphorical infant is set out in three things : 
 
 1. That none eye pitied, or had compassion on her, 
 to do aught for her. It is something, in misery, to be 
 pitied, but to have none to pity, all to be without 
 compassion, is sad. 
 
 2. That she was " cast out," not into some by 
 or secret place, but into "the open lield." 
 
 3. Her person was loathed. 
 
 " None eye pitied thee." Hebrew is, ncPi N^, Eye 
 hath not spared upon thee, the eye of man hath not 
 looked after thee, hath not had pity on thee, no 
 human eye ; and the word DW signifies, to pity, as 
 well as, to spare ; and this must be the sense, as 
 these following words do show : 
 
 " To do any of these things unto thee." What 
 things ? To cut her navel, to wash her, to salt her, 
 or swaddle her ; these seemed no great things, of 
 small moment, yet there w-as none found to do any 
 of these. If some one had cut her navel, another 
 washed her, a third salted her, &c. it had been some 
 comfort; but she w'as so vile, sordid, contemptible, 
 that none eye minded her, was moved to do aught 
 for her, or show her the least compassion or 
 kindness. 
 
 The words for pity and compassion were opened, 
 chap. V. II. 
 
 " liut tliou wast east into the open field." It was 
 a custom among the heathens, if they were poor, 
 and could not bring up their childri'U, or if the 
 children were deformed, to carry them forth and lay 
 them in the fields, if they did not otherwise make 
 them away ; and these cfiildrcn were called, Liberi 
 eajmsititii. This was so common a practice, that the 
 
 Thebans made a severe law against it, that whoever 
 exposed tlieir infants in the Woods or fields, should 
 suffer for it. It is reported of the Japonians, that 
 thnse of them who are not able to maintain their 
 children, do usually make them away, especially if 
 they be females, looking upon them as burdensome, 
 and less useful. There is provision in some countries 
 to prevent the untimely death of feeble children; 
 they are looked after, and taken into houses ap- 
 pointed for their preservation. The Jews were free 
 from this sin above all others, for it is said of them, 
 never was an infant born among the Jews exposed ; 
 yet the Jewish state was as an infant cast out. 
 
 Now you know, when a little infant is cast out 
 into the woods, or fields, it must needs perish, either 
 by hunger, injury of weather, fowls of heaven, beasts 
 of the field, or some vermin, if it be not taken up. 
 Moses was cast out, and had perished in the ark 
 among flags, if he had not been taken up. 
 
 Some divine this to be meant of the casting out 
 of the Hebrew children to their destruction ; others 
 put it upon the time of their making brick and clay 
 in the fields. 
 
 " In the open field." Hebrew is. In the faces of 
 the field. The Hebrew call the outside or superfi- 
 cies of things, their faces, as, "the face of the deep," 
 " face of the waters," Gen. i. 2 ; so here, the face 
 of the field, and here rendered " open." 
 
 " To the loathing of thy person." Hebrew is, 
 ■^C'BJ Syj3 In the easting away of thy person. 
 
 The task-masters ojiprcssed the Jews, their chil- 
 dren were cast into the rivers, Pharaoh and others 
 jdotted their ruin, and there was none to pily, to 
 help ,• but they were as a child cast out, to the loath- 
 ing of their persons. 
 
 Obs. The miserable estate of man by nature, both 
 Jew and gentile ; for what is said here of the Is- 
 raelites is true of all mankind, and is here implied ; _ 
 for if the Jew had no privilege, «hat must the gen- ' 
 tile have ? Man's condition by nature is very de- 
 plorable. 
 
 I shall give you it out, as it lies couched in this 
 similitude of an infant new-born. 
 
 1. Man naturally is not cut ofl' from the old stock, 
 (as the infant's navel was not cut,) but draws life, 
 spirits, nutriment from it ; every man's father natu- 
 rally is an Amorite and his mother an Hittite, and 
 look what way they walk in, the same doth the 
 child. Adam was of the earth, earthy, and savoured 
 of the earth ; so do all his children. Thou hast a 
 navel about thee, carnal desire, which sucks nutri- 
 ment from the womb and paps of the creature ; their 
 navels are fastened to the earth, which is their 
 mother, thence they suck their nutriment ; hence the 
 church, Psal. xlv. 10, is bid to forget her own people, 
 and her father's house. 
 
 2. Naturally, man is filthy, void of all beauty and 
 comeliness. " Thou wast not washed with water." 
 Washing supposes defilement; Psa. li. 5, "I was 
 shapen in iniquity ; and in sin did my mother con- 
 ceive me," warm me ; John iii. 6, " That which is 
 bom of the flesh is flesh ;" Psal. xiv. 3, " They are 
 altogether become filthy." There is some natiuval de- 
 filement adheres to a child newly born, but there is 
 much spiritual defilemi'ut. 
 
 3. He is htilV in wickedness, he halh nothing to 
 supple him ; Psal. Ixxviii. 8, " A stubborn and re- 
 bellious generation." 
 
 4. Man corrupts in his natural condition more and 
 more. II" a1)ouiids in ill humours, his thoughts are 
 evil only and c(mlinually, his aifeetions are inordinate. 
 Col. iii. 5 ; wicked men grow " worse and worse," 
 2 Tim. iii. 13, they putreiy in that state. " Thou 
 wast not salted at all." It is salt that preserves from
 
 Ver. 4 — G. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 339 
 
 putrefacrion ; now man, by nature, having no salt, 
 must needs grow more and more unsavoury. Natu- 
 rally, men are not salted with tile fire of the Spirit, or 
 any' spark of that tire, with any grace, with any di- 
 vine trutli. 
 
 5. Man is naked in his natural estate. " Thou wast 
 not swaddled." An infant not swaddled, lies naked, 
 sjirawling, and is a miserable object. Man, since 
 the fall, is naked, without God, and is not ashamed 
 of his condition ; Jcr. iii. 3, " Thou hast a whore's 
 forehead, thou refusest to be ashamed :" he is not 
 clothed with humility, hath not put on the armour 
 of God, the robe of righteousness, but is impotent, 
 weak, and cannot help himself. A child new-born, 
 how feeble is it I it cannot think of aught for its own 
 good, it cannot speak a word for itself, it cannot go 
 or do any thing that may advantage it : such is man in 
 his natural condition; 2-Cor. iii. 5, we are not " suf- 
 ficient of ourselves to think any thing," that is good, 
 " as of ourselves ;" Matt. xii. 34, " How can ye, being 
 evil, speak good things ?" 
 
 Nor can he do good; Rom. iii. 12, "There is 
 none that doeth good, no, not one;" Matt. vii. 16, 
 grapes do not grow upon thorns, nor figs upon this- 
 tles ; he that is flesh, in the flesh, cannot please 
 God, Rom. viii. 8. Here is his misery, he that v.as 
 made at the first to serve God and please him, can- 
 not now serve or please him at all ; he is so impotent, 
 that he is not able to receive good when it is pre- 
 sented unto him; 1 Cor. ii. 14, "The natural man 
 receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God;" no, 
 he is so far from entertaining of them, that he refuses 
 them. Luke xiv. 16, when the great supper was 
 made, many invited, and all things ready, what did 
 they ? they all made excuses, and refused to come, 
 ver. 18—20. 
 
 An infant kicks, sjirawls, and opposes its own 
 good ; so doth man naturally ; Rom. i. 30, they hated 
 God ; John xv. 24, they hated Christ and his Father; 
 Acts vii. 51, they do always resist the Holy Spirit. 
 
 6. Man in his natural estate is in a helpless con- 
 dition, there is none can do him good. " None eye 
 pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have 
 compassion upon thee ;" none had any bowels to 
 pity, or power to do for this child. And who pities, 
 or hath power to do for men in their natural estates ? 
 All men are in the same condition, they cannot help 
 themselves ; other creatures are enemies to man 
 since his fall. Angels have not power to cut the 
 navel of a natural man, to wash him, salt him, swad- 
 dle him. Did either priest or Levite pity or help the 
 man that went from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he 
 fell amongst thieves, and was left half dead ? ^\^lo 
 pitied Abraham when he was in Ur of Chaldea ? 
 
 1 . Man in his natural estate is cast out, an exposed 
 infant. " Thou wast cast out in the open field." 
 Adam, and all in him, were cast out of paradise, a 
 type of heaven, into the open field of the world ; so 
 that he hath no habitation, but is a vagabond upon 
 the face of the earth, an excommunicate person. 
 Moses could say, Psal. xc. 1, " Lord, thou hast been 
 our dwelling-place in. all generations." 
 
 8. He lies senseless in that condition, and perishes 
 in it. The infant cast out is not sensible of that 
 estate, lies obvious to a thousand dangers, and perishes, 
 if not taken up. 
 
 9. Man in his nahiral estate is loathsome. This 
 infant was cast out to the loathing of her person ; 
 when men saw her, they were so far from pitying 
 her, they loathed her : and a man, in his natural 
 estate, is so full of sin that he is abominable ; his 
 prayers and sacrifice are abomination, and what then 
 is himself? 
 
 Lastlv, this was in the day of birth, no sooner 
 z 2 
 
 bom but miserable, extremely miserable, either still- 
 born, or devoted to death immediately. It is report- 
 ed of the Indians and Brahmins, that after birth 
 about two months, some are apjiointed to view their 
 children, and if they be not likely to prove sound, 
 strong, useful to the state, they make them away ; 
 so that these children were of all unhapiy, because 
 they were born, not to live, but to be murdered, ac- 
 cording to that in Hosea ix. 13, Ejdiraim brought 
 forth children to the murderer. And it was once an 
 order amongst the Romans, to put children, suppos- 
 ed to become a burden to the commonwealth rather 
 than advantage, to death the same day and hour 
 they were born ; a great misery. Jerusalem, in the 
 day of her birth, was cast out, exposed to all misery. 
 
 Ver. 6. And when 1 passed bj/ thee, and saw thee 
 polluted in thine own blood, Z said unto thee when 
 thou wast in thy blood. Live ; yea, I said unto thee 
 when thou wait in thy blood. Live. 
 
 We are now at the third general part of the chap- 
 ter, the commemoration of God's dealing with this 
 Israelitish metaphorical infant. When none pitied 
 her, but she was cast out, loathed, in a perishing 
 condition, the Lord him.self had compassion, and be- 
 stowed choice mercies on her, which are expressed 
 in the ensuing verse to the loth. 
 
 I. Is life, in ver. 6. 
 
 II. Is increase, growth, in ver. 7. 
 
 III. Is spiritual marriage, ver. 8. 
 
 IV. Spiritual washing, and cleansing and anoint- 
 ing, ver. 9. 
 
 V. Costly provisions of divers sorts for ornament, 
 clothing, and delight for back and belly, ver. 10 — 13. 
 
 VI. Royal dignity, ver. 13. 
 
 VII. Great fame and glory, ver. 14. 
 
 " When I passed by thee." God is immutable, 
 and immovable, he goes not from place to place. 
 It is spoken after the manner of men, as if God, like 
 some great man, were upon a journey, and in the 
 way should -spy a poor infant thrown out naked 
 under a hedge, ready to perish, and should take pity 
 on it; so did God towards this Israelitish infant. 
 This passing by refers to the time of God's calling 
 Abraham out of Ur of Chaldea ; Gen. xii. I, " The 
 Lord said unto Abraham, Get thee out of my coun- 
 try;" and to their condition in Egypt; Exod. xii. 
 12, "I will pass through the land of Egypt this 
 night." 
 
 This act of God's passing by this Israelitish in- 
 fant, seems casual and accidental, but it was nothing 
 so ; for known unto God are all his works and crea- 
 tures, and he doth nothing but upon foreknowledge 
 and counsel ; he knew in what case this infant was, 
 where and how she lay. The expression of it in 
 that manner, is to set out the extreme misery she 
 lay in, that there was none she could look for in 
 heaven or earth to show pity, and do for her. 
 
 " And saw thee polluted in thine own blood." 
 We must let you understand what is meant by 
 " blood." Some judge it to be the red earth, where- 
 of they made their brick, which looked like blood ; 
 and that God pitied them when they were so put to 
 it by their task-masters, and were near ruin by their 
 hard labour, God passed by them, and beheld them 
 in that condition. 
 
 But others by "blood" do understand that inbred 
 corruption which is in man, and estate it hath put 
 him into ; he is without all spiritual good, full of all 
 sin, in a miserable, helpless condition. A Lapide 
 expounds it mystically of original sin, which is that 
 innate and inherent corruption which is in man. 
 
 "Blood" doth in Scripture set out the corrupt
 
 340 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XYI. 
 
 nature of man; as Matt. xvi. 17, "Flesh and blood 
 hath not revealed it unto thee ;" corrupt nature was 
 never able to attain unto it ; so Gal. i. 16 ; 1 Cor. xv. 
 50. Sin being set out by "blood" in Scripture, we 
 must consider the resemblances. 
 
 1. Blood is natural; so sin; Psal. li. 5, "I was 
 shapen in iniiiuity, and in sia did my mother con- 
 ceive me." Corruption is hereditary, as chalT with 
 wheat, bark with the tree; sense is not more natural 
 than sin. 
 
 2. Blood difTuscth itself through the whole man ; 
 so doth sin ; it is not in some one part, but in every 
 part. As in the sea, all parts of it are brackish ; in 
 wormwood, every jjart is bitter ; so in man there is 
 sin in every part : in the heart, Matt. xv. 19; in the 
 mind, Eph.'iv. 1/", they " walkedin the vanity of their 
 mind ;" in the will. Matt, xxiii. 3/, How oft would 
 I have gathered you, and you would not ; in the 
 understanding, Eph. iv. 18, "Having the under- 
 standing darkened ;" in the conscience, Heb. ix. 14 ; 
 in the memory, Heb. ii. 1, that is unfaithful, and let 
 things slip; in the eyes, 2 Pet. ii. 14, they had eyes 
 full of adultery ; in the tongue, James iii. 6, " It defil- 
 cth the whole" body, and setteth on fire the course of 
 nature;" in the throat, Rom. iii. 13, "It is an open 
 sepulchre ;" in the hands, Isa. i. 15, they " are full 
 of blood;" in the feet, Rom. iii. 15, they "are swift 
 to shed blood." 
 
 3. Blood defileth ; Psal. cvi. 3S, " The land was 
 polluted with blood ;" and sin pollutes, yea, it is pol- 
 lution : 2 Cor. vii. 1, let us cleanse oiu-telvts fromall 
 jiollution of lle.sh and spirit: I Thess. v. 23, he prays 
 that they may be sanctified wholly : Psal. xiv. 3, 
 man is altogether become filthy. 
 
 4. Loathsome. Sin is such ; Prov. xiii. 5, a wicked 
 man is loathsome, his sin makes him to be loathed ; 
 .Tob xlii. 6, " I abhor myself." See vcr. 5, " To the 
 loathing of thy person." 
 
 " I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, 
 Live." There is some difierence about the reading of 
 these words. The Hebrew nms thus, 1 said unto thee, 
 (and there makes the stop,) In thy blood live ; " when 
 thou wast " is not in the original. Others read it 
 thus, I said unto thee in thy blood, (and there make 
 the stop,) Live, I saw thee in thy blood, and said utito 
 thee in that condition. Live. 
 
 The most interpreters do follow the Hebrew, and 
 render it, in satiguiiie tuo vive, or, in smiguivihKs luis 
 Vive; notasifso be God would leave this infant in her 
 sinful or afflicted condition still. Thou art cast into a 
 miserable condition, and that thou .shall continue in ; 
 the scope of the jilace j.rohibits credit to sucli a sense 
 of the words. We may take the words therefore 
 strictly according to the Hebrew, in thy blood live ; 
 in thy blood live : that is. Thou art now in thy blood, 
 in a polluted, loathsome condition thou shalt live, I 
 will give thee life. 
 
 In the Hebrew, an imperative is put for a future 
 sometimes, and notes power, efficacy : Deut. xxxii. 
 49, 50, Get thee up into the mount, and die in the 
 mount; there is an imperative put for a future, and it 
 notes power, 1 will cause thee to die in the mount; 
 so in this place, " Live," I will cause thee to live : 
 and so it h.ath the nature of a promise, and carries 
 thus much with it, Th.ough thou be in great afflieti on, 
 yet thou .sh;dt live, I v.ill eiphedd thee in thy afflic- 
 tions, thiy shall not sink thee; though thou be in 
 tliy natural and siuful condition, elead, yet thou shalt 
 live, thy sins shall not luido thee. 
 
 " Live." What life is here meant ? Some look 
 no further than a natural or peditical life, that God 
 preserved them, and made then prosper into a king- 
 dom ; and the ground of this int- rjux-tation is, their 
 referring of the words to the ir being in Egypt, under 
 
 sad aflflictions, in which God preserved them, out of 
 which he brought them, and caused the m to grow 
 into a political boely. They were there in bondage, 
 (which was a kind of death, as the Jews were said to 
 be in their graves in Babjdon,) and yet, by the hand 
 of God, preserved and freed, which is called life. 
 
 But surely we are to look further tban a natural, 
 metaphorical, political life. We must take in a spirit- 
 ual life here ; and that will not be forced, if we 
 refer the words to Abraham's call, when their 
 birth-day began; God found him in his blood, and 
 the life he bestowed on him was spiritual ; a life 
 of faith, for he was the father of the faithful ; a 
 life of holiness, for he walked before God, and was 
 upright. 
 
 Ubs. 1. God lets men lie in their blood as long as 
 he pleases. Take blood for affliction, or man's na- 
 tural condition ; in either of these, men lie the Lord's 
 pleasure. God passed not by presently ; they lay in 
 an afilieted condition in Egypt two hundred years 
 and more, before the Lord appeared, and led them 
 forth ; they lay seventy years in Babylon before 
 deliverance came ; the two witnesses must prophesy 
 twelve hundred and sixty days in sackcloth. Rev. xi. 
 3 ; the Jews have been now sixteen hundred years 
 in an afflicted, tossed condition, and the Lord hath 
 not appeared unto them. So for man's natural con- 
 cUtion : Abraham was seventy-five years old when 
 God spake to him, called him out of his country, and 
 sinfid conditiem. Gen. xii. 4; the gentiles laid in 
 their blood, in their blindness, unbelief, impenitence, 
 idolatries, profanencss, sejme thousands of years, 
 before the Lord granted them repentance unto life, 
 ere he passed by them, and called them; Nicodemus 
 was a doctor in Israel, before the Lord let him know 
 the nature of regeneration. 
 
 Obs. 2. The Lord takes notice of men in what 
 condition they are, and lie in. " I saw thee polluted 
 in thine own blood." He saw A-braham in his idolatry, 
 heathenism; he saw the Jews making brick of reel 
 earth, in the house of bondage ; there is no sinful, 
 afflicted conelition that any are in, but the Lord 
 takes notice of it. When Adam hid himself in the 
 bush, the eye of the Lord was upon him, and he saw 
 in what a conelition he was, and all mankind in him, 
 all sinful and sinners, all blood and bloody : Gen. vi. 
 5, "God saw that the wickeelness of man was great 
 in the earth, and that every imagination of the 
 thoughts of his heart was only evil continually ;" he 
 knew what a race came out of Adam's loins. Christ 
 knew Jerusalem's condition, that she lay in her 
 blood, when he said, " O Jerusah^ni, Jerusalem, how 
 oft would I," SiC. Matt, xxiii. ; Luke xiii. So for 
 Israel in her affliction ; 2 Kings xiv. 21), " The Lord 
 saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter." 
 (iod takes special notice of the conditiems men are 
 in, and not only so, but visits them in those condi- 
 tions ; " I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in 
 thine own blood," &c. 
 
 Obs. 3. Jerusalem, the church of God, in its primi- 
 tive and natural consideration, was in a state of 
 death. " I said unto thee, Live." Neither Abraham, 
 nor any of his seed by natiu'e, had any spiritual life 
 in the ni, he and all his were dead in sins and tres- 
 passes ; they were ielolaters, unbelievers, under the 
 power of sin; "guilty before God," Rom. iii. 19; 
 " conchnh'd under sin," Gal. iii. 22; they lay in their 
 blood without life. And this is tbe condition of 
 every man by nature, though he hath a natural life, 
 yet he is nuirally dead. Matt. viii. 22, " Let the 
 dead bury their "dead :" let those who were dead 
 me,rally, bury those who were dead naturally. 
 
 The whcde world is dead. John vi. 51, Christ saith, 
 he will give his flesh " for the life of the world;" it
 
 Ver. 6. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 341 
 
 was dead bc'forp, and he brought Hfe to it, therefore 
 he is said to abolish death, to bring " hfe and im- 
 mortality to light," 2 Tim. i. 10. But the world is 
 not quickened, it hath not received life, it lies in 
 wickedness, 1 John v. 19, and the members of it are 
 dead; 1 Tim. v. 6, the widow " that liveth in plea- 
 sure is dead while she liveth ;" and Luke xv. 24, 
 " This my son was dead, and is alive ;" whilst he 
 lived in sinful courses, he was dead. 
 
 Obs. 4. God is the Author of life. He is the living 
 God, and gives life, all life is in him and from him : 
 he breathed into Adam the breath of life ; he caused 
 tlie sjiirit of life to enter into the witnesses after 
 they were slain ; he gave life to this dying infant ; 
 Abraham had his spiritual life from him ; so hath the 
 true church, and every member thereof. 
 
 (1.) There is a life of righteousness or justifica- 
 tion, which lies in the remission of sin, the removal 
 of the guilt, and deliverance from the curse of the 
 law due to it, and acceptation of our persons unto 
 favour ; and this life is from God, and is called the 
 life of faith, Hab. ii. 4 ; Hcb. x. 3S ; " iustification of 
 life," Rom. v. IS, and this is of God; Col. ii. 13, 
 " You, being dead in your sins and the uncircum- 
 ci-iion of your flish, hath he quickened together 
 with him, ha^nng forgiven you all trespasses;" and 
 E]ih. i. 6, " He hath made us accepted in the 
 beloved." 
 
 (2.) There is a life of holiness; 1 John iii. 3, he 
 " tliat hath this hope purifieth himself, even as he is 
 pure;" see Rom. vi. 11, 13, 19; Eph. iv. 24; 
 which lies in conformity to the will of God, and 
 walking as Christ walked ; and this life is of God, 
 "for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus 
 unto good works," Eph. ii. 10. 
 
 (3.) The life of glory, which consists in that hap- 
 piness the saints have in the enjoyment of God in 
 the heavens ; and this God is author of, therefore is 
 called "the Father of ghiry," Eph. i. 17; and is said 
 to bring many sons to glory, Heb. ii. 10 ; and to call 
 "us unto his eternal glory," 1 Pet. v. 10. 
 
 Obs. 5. There is nothing in the creature to move 
 God to show mercy. " AVhen thou wast in thy blood," 
 in ihy sin, " I said unto thee. Live." God saw no- 
 thing to incline or move him to do aught, or bestow 
 aught, upon this infant. He saw no dispositions or 
 qualifications in Adam or Abraham, when he spake 
 to them and called them. Adam was the greatest 
 malefactor that ever was amongst men, he destroyed 
 the whole world at once ; Abraham was amongst 
 idolaters and idolatrous : yet God set his heart upon 
 them, showed them mercy, said unto them, Live. 
 Adam had no repentance, Abraham no holiness ; 
 tliere were no previous dispositions, neither could 
 they, being "flesh," John iii. 6, being "dead," Eph. 
 ii. 1, prepare themselves for mercy. If men could 
 by themselves, or others, be fitted for mercy, then 
 they should be in a middle condition, between a dead 
 man and a living man, a natural man and a spiritual 
 man, an ungodly man and a godly ; but the Scripture 
 aeknowlcdgeth no such middle condition ; whatever 
 men have in them, they are one of those two, and if 
 they be dead men, they are not nearer life by all they 
 can do ; Rom. ix. Ifi, '" It is not of him that'willefh," 
 &'c. There is nothing can have influence into the 
 will of God ; what; ver he doth, is free. 
 
 There are several things wliich move men. 
 
 (1.) Birth and progeny. Royal and noble births 
 have affected many : David was taken with Saul's 
 daughter, 1 Sam. xviii. 17, 18; this moves not God, 
 he " poureth contempt upon princes," Job xii. 21 ; 
 he chooseth the poor to be rich in faith, James ii. 
 5. Believers are said to be " born, not of blood," 
 John i. 13, which some refer to families of noble 
 
 and royal blood; and, 1 Cor. i. 26, "Not many 
 noble." 
 
 (2.) Beauty. Jacob was afi'ected with the beauty 
 of Rachel ; Ahasuerus with the beauty of Vashti, 
 Esth. i. 11. God is not moved with beauty ; if we 
 had it, there is nothing in man to affect his eye ; Psal. 
 xiv. 3, we are altogether filthy ; and God saw them in 
 their blood. 
 
 (3.) Natural parts prevail much with men. Ahitho- 
 phel his counsel took much with David and Absa- 
 lom ; Joseph, Daniel, had excellent spirits, great 
 wisdom, and they were advanced thereupon. Learn- 
 ing is persuasive, and conquers many, but parts and 
 learning can do nothing with God: 1 Cor. i. 20, "Not 
 many wise men after the flesh ;" ver. 20, " Where is 
 the wise ? where is the scribe ? where is the disputcr 
 of this world ? hath not God made foolish the wis- 
 dom of this world ? for afler that in the wisdom of 
 God the world by wisdom knew," &c. ; Matt. xi. 25, 
 " I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, 
 because thou hast hid these things fi'om the wise 
 and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." 
 
 (4.) Profitableness, serviceablcness. So Paul per- 
 suades Phikmon to take Onesimus, because he 
 would be profitable unto him. Men are taken with 
 nun, because they bring in gain unto them; it is 
 not so with the Lord, he is not profited by the right- 
 eousness of men. Job xxxv. 7 ; he receives nothing 
 at any man's hands, and when we have done all, we are 
 unprofitable servants, we have meat, drink, wages, 
 from him, and do all for ourselves. 
 
 (.5.) Necessity moves mightily. It caused Abiathar 
 to give the shew-bread to David, 1 Sam. xxi. G; the 
 necessity of the church moved the rich to sell their 
 lauds and goods to dish'ibute unto every man as they 
 had need. Acts ii. 45. This is no motive unfo divine 
 Majesty : the greatest part of the world lie in blind- 
 ness, darkness, and they must perish without the 
 means of grace, and God doth not vouchsafe it unto 
 them. 
 
 (().) Entreaty, that hath a great prevaleney. Luke 
 xi. 5, 8, when a man came to his friend to burrow 
 bread of him at midnight, and used entreaties, im- 
 portunity, he got what he desired ; but let men pray 
 that are in their blood, and it moves not God : Prov. 
 XV. 8, "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomina- 
 tion unto the Lord; Jer. xi. 14, and xiv. 12, God tells 
 them that, when they pray, fast, cry, offer sacrifice, 
 he will not hear, nor accept them ; " The desire of 
 the wicked shall perish," Psal. cxii. 10. 
 
 (7.) Hope of proving well draws forth men to do 
 much ; parents for children, and men for others ; 
 they conjecture that they may become instrumental 
 to church, state, and to God's glory in both. The 
 Lord that knows all, sees nothing that will make 
 him prove well ; he knows every man will run the 
 WTOng way, if he do not prevent, infuse, change and 
 alter nature ; Jer. iii. 5, they spake and did evil 
 things as they could. There is nothing in the cria- 
 ture to move God to do for it ; not foreseen works, 
 faith, use of free will, perseverance. God doth be- 
 stow liis favour where there is nothing to invite : 
 " When I saw thee polluted in thy blood, I said unto 
 tliee. Live ;" not when 1 saw thee washed out of thy 
 blood, cleansed and well qualified; not when I saw 
 thee penitent, believing, obedient ; but when 1 saw 
 thee in thy blood, in the worst condition of all. As 
 nothing can incline God, so nothing can hinder God, 
 from showing mercy ; Rom. ix. 15, " 1 will have 
 mercy on whom 1 will have mercy," &ic. God will 
 give gifts to Christ for the rebellious, and dwell among 
 flu m, Psal. Ixviii. 18. How rebellious was Manasseh ! 
 how did he sin against heaven and earth ! yet God 
 had a gift for liim, life for him. Mary Magdalene,
 
 342 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XYI. 
 
 Zacchcus, Christ said to them, Live, when they were in 
 their blood. Paul, when he was a blasphemer, per- 
 sei-utor, an injurious person, he showed nierey to 
 liim, and bade him live. These were his preparations 
 to graee and mi-rcy ; he knew that legal aets could 
 not dispose him or others to receive grace, and there- 
 fore concludes, Rom. iii. 28, that a man is justified 
 without the deeds of the law. 
 
 (8.) Nothing in the godly moves God, all they do 
 is debt; Luke xvii. 10, when they had done all, it 
 was but their duty. Besides, the will and deed are 
 of the Lord; Phil. ii. 13, he works in us "to will 
 and to do of his good pleasure," and his dispensations 
 of graee and mercy are not according to our wills, 
 dispositions, qualifications, but according to the good 
 pleasure of his own will ; 2 Tim. i. 9, he saves and 
 calls, " not according to our works, but according to 
 his own purpose." 
 
 Obs. 6. Go., doth all freely, and nothing can hin- 
 der the work of free grace. " When I passed by thee, 
 and saw thee in thine own blood, I said unto thee. 
 Live ;" when there was nothing to move in the crea- 
 ture, there was much in God to move him to show 
 compassion. The principle that sets him on work, 
 is in himself, and that is his cvSokUi, Matt. xi. 2t), 
 his good pleasure; Trpodtmi, Ylom. ix. 11, his pur- 
 pose; fhvXtj Tov 0t\riijnrog ni'/roC, Eph. i. 11, " the 
 counsel of his will." The motive being within God, 
 all he doth is free favour, mere mercy ; if you will 
 search fr(mi God's beginning with man, to his end, 
 you shall find' all to be of free grace and favour. 
 Predestination and election are so, Rom. xi. 5 ; God 
 hath chosen the foolish, weak, and base things of the 
 world, 1 Cor. i. 27, 28 ; and these are called " ves- 
 sels of mercy," Rom. ix. 2.3. Calling is of free 
 grace, 2 Tim. i. 9 ; Gal. i. 15, " AVHio called me by his 
 grace." Justification is so ; Rom. iii. 24, " Being jus- 
 tified freely by his grace." Adoption ; Eph. i. 5, it 
 is " according to the good jdcasure of his will." 
 Christ himself is free grace, John iii. IG; iv. 10. 
 Faith in him ; Acts xviii. 2/, they believed through 
 grace. Repentance ; 2 Tim. ii. 25, " If God perad- 
 venture will give them repentance." Love ; 1 Thess. 
 iv. 9, " Ye are taught of God to love." Change of 
 heart and spirit, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. Good works, Eph. 
 ii. 10 ; John xv. 5, " Without me ye can do nothing." 
 Sanctification ; 1 Thess. v. 23, " The very God of 
 peace sanctify," &c. Perseverance ; 1 Cor. i. 8, 
 " Who shall confirm you unto the end ;" and Ezek. 
 xxxvi. 27, " I will put my Spirit within you, and 
 cause you to walk in my statutes." Salvation ; Ejdi. 
 ii. 8, " By grace are ye saved tlirough faith ; not of 
 yourselves: it is the gift of God ;" Titus iii. 5, "Ac- 
 cording to his mercy he saved us." Eternal life ; 
 Rom. vi. 23, it is " the gift of God." 
 
 Let the consideration hereof draw your hearts to 
 believe, cheer you against all doubts, fears, distem- 
 pers, and cause you to give glory to God for what 
 he hath done. 
 
 Oi.v. 7- The Jjord shows mercy to men when they 
 are in desptrate conditions. When this infant was 
 ca.st out, loathed, lay polluted in her blood, (for her 
 navel was not cut, nor healed, but she lay bleeding 
 to death.) ready to be devoured by the beasts of the 
 field, th<' fowls of heaven, iSrc. then God said, "Live." 
 Take life for j)reservation, freedom, and prosperity, 
 it is true therein : when Moses, and other Hebrew 
 children, were to be drowned, and so the male Jews 
 to have been ruined, when their lives were grievous 
 to them under their task-masters, llic Lord preserv- 
 ed them, delivered them ; when, in Babylon, all their 
 necks were upon the block, by Hamim's plot and 
 power, the Lord showed them in( rcy, and said, 
 "Live;" so Daniel in tlie lions' den, tlie three chil- 
 
 dren in the fiery fiimacc, &c. God preserved them, 
 freed them from their dangers, enemies, and caused 
 them to live. Take life for spiritual life, and you 
 shall find that the Lord hath said, " Live," when 
 men have been in desperate cases, and at the brink 
 of eternal destruction. The tliief upon the cross 
 met with life in the gates of death ; and so the jailer, 
 Acts XAa. One, having a fish-bone sticking in his 
 throat, and ready to be strangled, being reproved for 
 swearing and cursing, at that time was so wrought 
 upon, that the life of sin was turned into the life of 
 grace. Another, being in a wood, and going to 
 hang himself, the Lord, in his providence, caused 
 one going by the wood to hear a noise, who came in, 
 counselled the man, so as that he was wrought upon 
 at that time, and lived. You have heard of some 
 that have come to godly ministers, who crossed 
 them in their preaching, with resolution to murder 
 them, but ere they parted, God said to them, " Live." 
 
 Obs. 8. When sinners look not after God, he is 
 pleased to look after and find out them. This infant 
 minded not God, inquired not after him, came not 
 towards him ; but God passed by, and seeing her in 
 a bloody and sinful condition, he said unto her, 
 "Live." 
 
 God found out and called tlie Jews, when they 
 neither sought nor called ; so was it with the gen- 
 tiles, Isa. Ixv. 1, "I am sought of them that asked 
 not for me, I am found of them that sought me not." 
 These words are paradoxical ; how could they seek, 
 that asked not ? and how could they find, that sought 
 not ? in them therefore is held out the preventive 
 mercy of God ; God came to them, sought them, 
 found them, before they asked or sought after him. 
 Eph. ii. 17, Christ " came and preached peace to 
 you which were afar ofl';" that was, the gentiles. 
 And Paul was to bear the name of the Lord before 
 them. Acts ix. 15; by him salvation was sent to 
 them, Acts xxviii. 28 ; and he was the " apostle of 
 the gentiles," Rom. xi. 13. Being prevented and 
 converted by the grace of God, they sought him 
 whom before they knew not, nor asked for, and now 
 they found him they had not formerly sought. Rom. 
 X. 20, the words run thus, " I was found of them 
 that sought me not ; I was made manifest unto them 
 that asked not after me :" when they were worship- 
 ping false gods, blaspheming and dishonouring my 
 name, I unexpectedly came to them, offered them 
 mercy and salvation, which they neither thought of, 
 or sought for ; like men that dig in the earth for 
 stones, and coals, and find a great treasure. 
 
 Muscul. reads the words in future, I will be sought 
 of them that asked not for me, I will be found of 
 them who sought me not ; and so they are a gracious 
 |)romise of God's looking after, finding out, and 
 manifesting of himself unto them, before they had a 
 thoughtthereof. All their learning, wisdom, morali- 
 ty, lc>d them not to look after God and salvation by 
 Christ ; by those, they were carried the wrong way, 
 and whilst they were in the way to destruction, God 
 met them, revealed and tendered salvation unto 
 them. Both gentile and Jew had preventing grace, 
 and were souglit out of God, befin-e ever they sought 
 God : hence Jerusalem had that promise or title, 
 Isa. Ixii. 12, " Thou shall be called. Sought out;" 
 God had called her children, and sought them out of 
 many nations. 
 
 Obs. 9. God halh no need of any people. What- 
 ever he did to this people, was not because he wanted 
 them to do him service, to praise his name, to pro- 
 mote any of his designs, to suffer for his sake. He 
 jiassed by, like some great man, that, riding forth, 
 finds a poor distressed infant, and out of compassion 
 takes it nji, and into his family, and doth nuich for
 
 Ver. 6, 7. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 343 
 
 it ; not because he needs it, but will show kindness 
 to it of his own good pleasure : so dealt the Lord 
 here, he passing by, and seeing so miserable a crea- 
 ture, said, " Live," not because he had need, but be- 
 cause he would show mercy. Deut. vii. 7, S, the 
 Lord chose them, not for their number, but because 
 he loved them ; and he loved them, not because he 
 needed tViem, but because he woidd communicate 
 good unto them. He is all-sufficient of himself, not 
 depending on or beholden to any creature ; if he 
 needed jieople or nations, he could create them, 
 raise them up from the stones. Isaiah sailh, chap, 
 xl. 15, '• The nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are 
 counted as the small dust of the balance ;" and 
 surely God, who is an infinite ocean, an inlinite Being, 
 needs not a little drop or a little dust. The Sama- 
 ritan had no need of the wounded man, Luke x. but 
 he needed the Samaritan's wine and oil. God hath 
 no need of England. 
 
 Obs. 10. The Lord bestows gi'eat mercies in a 
 transient way. " When I passed by and saw thee, I 
 said. Live :" he took this occasion to do good to this 
 bloody, helpless, sinful infant. The Samaritan, as 
 he passed by the man wounded, took occasion to 
 bind up his wounds, and save his life ; Christ, in 
 chap. ix. of John, going by, saw a blind man, and 
 thereupon anointed his eyes, and caused him to see ; 
 so in Joel ii. 14, you read of leaving a blessing be- 
 hind him. God passes through kingdoms, families, 
 and uses to leave blessings where he goes : he 
 takes occasion from what he sees, and finds, to dis- 
 tribute mercies. Christ, when he was going out of 
 the world, said, " Peace I leave with you," John xiv. 
 27 ; he would not leave them without a blessing. 
 We should labour to be like unto God and Christ, 
 take occasions and advantages to do good. 
 
 Obs. 11. In bestowing mercies, God is serious and 
 real. This appears from the ingcmination of the 
 words, " Live," " Live." When there is a doubling of 
 the same word, there the intention, reality, and 
 earnestness of the author speaking is held out, be it 
 in matter of judgment, or matter of mercy : Ezek. v. 
 8, " I, even I, am against thee ;" God was seriously 
 and earnestly against them. Ezek. xxxvii. 5, G, 
 " Ye shall live," " Ye shall live ;" God was set upon 
 it, viz. the giving life to dry bones. Isa. xl. I, 
 " Comfort ye, comfort ye my people ;" the duplica- 
 tion of the words imports God's seriousness to com- 
 fort them. Hos. ii. I'J, " I will betroth thee unto me, 
 yea, 1 will betroth thee unto me;" yea, a third time, 
 " I will betroth thee unto me ;" the more iteration, 
 the more affection, intention, and reality. Isa. Iv. 1, 
 " Come," " Come," " Come," saith God thrice, and 
 this sets out the real and vehement desire of the 
 Lord to do sinners good. And how should this make 
 sinners hearken imto the Lord when he speaks, and 
 entertain any otfers of mercy from him ! 
 
 Obs. 12. When God hath done much for a people, 
 and they are degenerate, ungrateful, disobedient, the 
 Lord's way of dealing with them is to set before 
 them their original condition, and his kindness unto 
 them. " When thou wast in thy blood I said unto 
 thee. Live," &c. So in Micah vi. 2 — 5, God had a 
 C(mtroversy with them for their unkindnrss towards 
 him, and saith, " my people, what have I done 
 imto thee ? and wherein have I wearied thee ? tes- 
 tify against me. For I brought thee up out of 
 the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the 
 house of servants ; and I sent before thee Moses, 
 Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember now 
 what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what 
 Balaam the son of Beor answered him fi'om Shittim 
 unto Gilgal, that ye may know the righteousness of 
 the Lord ;" that I kept covenant, performed all I 
 
 promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, &c. I gave you 
 prophets and prophetesses, choice deliverers, I 
 turned curses into blessings, I led you by a pillar of 
 fire in the night, and a cloud in the day. So in Jer. 
 ii. 5 — It, "Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have 
 your fathers found in nv, that they are goue far from 
 me, and have walked after vanity, and are become 
 vain ? neither said they, Where is the Lord that 
 brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that kd us 
 through the wilderness, through a land of deserts 
 and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the 
 shadow of death, through a land that no man passed 
 through, and where no man dwelt ? And I brought 
 you into a plentiful country, to cat the fruit thereof 
 and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye 
 defiled my land, and made miue heritage an abomi- 
 nation. The priests said not. Where is the Lord ? 
 and they that handle the law knew not me : the 
 pastors also transgressed against me, and the pro- 
 phets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things 
 that do not jirofit. Wherefore I will yet plead with 
 you, saith the Lord, and with your children's chil- 
 dren will I plead." God had done great things for 
 them, and they had greatly corrupted their ways, 
 degenerated fearfully from the worship of God, 
 therefore God reduceth them to consider of their 
 pristine condition, and what a bountiful, merciful, 
 gracious God he was to them. He had done such 
 and such things for them, and they forgot him and 
 all his kindness, and made him say, Deut. xxxii. 6, 
 " Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and 
 unwise ? Is not he thy father that hath bought thee ? 
 hath he not made thee, and established thee ? " 
 
 ^'er. 7. / have caused thee to miiltipli/ as the 
 bud of the field, and thou hast increased and 
 teaxen great, and thou art come to excellent orna- 
 ments : thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair 
 is grown, lohereas thou wast naked and bare. 
 
 This verse contains the second benefit which the 
 Lord vouchsafed this infant, viz. growth, increase ; 
 after life granted, he caused her to multiply. 
 
 This multiplication is set out by a double com- 
 parison : 
 
 1. Is " the bud of the field." 
 
 2. Is of a young maid, growing up to a marriage- 
 able condition ; '■ thy breasts are fashioned," Src. 
 
 " I have caused thee to multiply." The Hebrew 
 word for multiply is, .133-1 and Montanus renders the 
 word thus, Decern niillia ve/iili germen agri dedi te, I 
 have given thee ten thousand as the grass of the 
 field, I have increased thee exceedingly. The He- 
 brews use to put thousands for great numbers : 
 Psal. Ixviii. 17, "The chariots of God are twenty 
 thousand, even thousands of angels ; " that is, an in- 
 numerable, or exceeding great, company. Exod. i. 
 7, "The children of Israel were fruitful, and in- 
 creased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed ex- 
 ceeding mighty ; and the land was filled with them : " 
 God had made a promise to Abraham that he would 
 make of him a great nation, Gen. xii. 2 ; that his 
 seed should be as the stars of heaven, chap. xv. 5 ; 
 "as the dust of the earth," chap. xiii. 16; "as the 
 sand which is on the sea-shore," chap. xxii. 17; 
 and here you see it made good ; his posterity in- 
 creased so abundantly, multiplied and waxed so 
 mightily, that they filled the land. 
 
 Some observe that it was but fifty years from the 
 death of Joseph to this lime, or thereabouts, and in 
 those few years they came to such a number as 
 did fill the land, and exceed the number of the 
 Egyptians, in their apprehensions ; Exod. i. 9, " Be- 
 hold, the people of the children of Israel are more
 
 344 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 and mightier tiian we." Wlien tliey came into 
 Egypt, tht'V were not above seventy or seventy-five 
 souls, Ijiit when they went out, they were six liundred 
 thousand men : neitlier women, cliildren, nor aged 
 men were here reckoned; for in the second year 
 after they were gone out of Egypt, and the second 
 month of tliat year, they were reclconed again, and 
 oidy tliose were reckoned wlio were twenty years 
 old and upwards, and able for the war, and they 
 were found to lie six hundred and tliree thousand 
 five hundnd and fifty. Numb. i. 4-'), 4(5 ; here were 
 ncillier Levites, aged women, or cliildren numbered, 
 which had they been, would have doubled the num- 
 ber. Tliis made Diivid say, Psal. cv. 24, "He in- 
 creased his people greatly." 
 
 " As the bud of the field." Hebrew is, mm nrvs 
 sicul giTimni agri, as the grass of the field, or what- 
 ever grows in the field; the Septuagint is, icaSilig 
 r) avaroXfi tov dyiioii, as tVie rising or spring of tlie field. 
 You know, every thing which hath life in it puts 
 forth in the spiiiig-time, corn, grass, flowers, weeds, 
 trees, bu.shes, every thing buds and springs forth ; 
 and what a multitude of Inids arc upon some one 
 tree, some one hedge, in one field, and the Jews 
 multi|i!ied not as some one of them, but as the bud 
 of the field in general. Here our prophet seems to 
 allude to Isaac's blessing of Jacol) ; Gen. xxvii. 27, 
 " The smell of my son is as the smell of a field which 
 the Lord hath blessed." 
 
 " Thou hast increased and waxen great." God 
 gave out the blessing, and presently increase and 
 greatness followed, both multitude and magnitude. 
 Tin ir multitude is set out in Numb. x. 36, " Return, 
 C) Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel ;" the 
 Hebrew is, ten thousands. Their greatness you have. 
 Dent. iv. 6 — 8, where thrice they are c.illed a great 
 nali(m, yea, greater than others; and Joshua inti- 
 mates the greatness of his people, when he saith to 
 those that came out of Joseph's loins only, chap, 
 xvii. 17, "Thou art a great people," hast great 
 power : how great were they all, and all their power ! 
 
 " Thou art come to excellent ornainents." He- 
 brew is, a""iV nya to the ornament of ornaments. 
 The Sejituagint showed themselves here like other 
 men, subject to error, for they, mistaking T for -\ 
 read instead of nf/e, adim, are, arim, and so make the 
 sense this, Thou art come to cities of cities, to chief 
 and excellent cities; but the original is, ornament of 
 ornaments. What those ornaments were, men's 
 thoughts are divers; some have thought them to 
 be the law, taberuaeles, but that is too curious; 
 others refer these ornaments to those jewels of gold 
 and silver which they borrowed of the Egyptians, 
 Exod. xi. ; and this peojile, both men and women, 
 had bedecked themscdves with golden earrings, which 
 they pulled off, and brake in pieces, to make the 
 molten calf with, Exod. xxxii. '23. And not only 
 these, but some fake in all artificial ornaments that 
 virgins mariiageable, and near marriage, are wont to 
 adorn thems;lves with, that they may be more 
 amiable and delightfid; liut the words in ver. II and 
 12, forbid us to close with this opini<m, for here the 
 Lord S]ieaks of such things ; " I decked thee also 
 with ornaments, and 1 put bracelets upon thy hands, 
 and a chain on thy neck. And I put a jewel on thy 
 forehead, and earrings iii thine ears." 
 
 We are, thendbre, to refer the words to natural 
 ornaments, and beauty of the body ; for when virgins 
 are grown up and fit for marriage, then they have 
 natural ornaments, wliiih do greatly beconu.' them. 
 And that this is tlie genuine sense, the words follow- 
 ing do confirm, " Thy breasts are fashioned, and 
 thine hair is grown ; " these arc natural ornament'^, 
 and in these he specifics what ornaments ho mean!. 
 
 " Thy breasts are fashioned." Now by this fa- 
 shioning of the breasts, is lield out the fitness of this 
 metaphorical maid (the Isratlitish state) for mar- 
 riage. 
 
 " WTiereas thou wast naked and bare." Hebrew 
 is. And thou wast naked and bare. This nakedness 
 may refer to the words before, in the fourth and fifth 
 verses, " Thou wast not swaddled at all, but wast 
 cast nut in the open field, to the loathing of thy per- 
 son, in the day that thou wast born;" and some are 
 persuaded to it upon this ground : because now was 
 the time of her youth, and it is improbable that God, 
 who had taken care of her, (being born of an Amo- 
 rite and an Hittite,) who had brought her up all this 
 time, should let her be naked and lie exposed to 
 shame, reproach, and contempt. But the Hebrew 
 invites us to put it upon her present, not her past, 
 condition, thus : I have caused thee to multiply, in- 
 crease, grow great, brought thee to excellent natural 
 ornaments, fashioned thy breasts, made thine hair 
 grow, and yet thou art but naked and bare, thou art 
 poor and hast nothing. 
 
 In what this nakedness lay, is needful a little to 
 inquire. Some place it in her being void of the law, 
 Theodoret saith of this person, iVoru/tim ucceperat 
 lerri.s- tegumentum : the law was the chief honour and 
 ornament of the Jewish people, and where that is 
 not, there is a great nakedness. Some place it in 
 their poverty ; the rabbins .say, that Israel was clad 
 with vile garments, their nakedness was much seen. 
 
 It is proljable their poverty was great in Egypt. 
 When they were to go out of it, they borrowed rai- 
 ment of the Egyptians, and jewels of gold and silver, 
 Exod. xii. 35. Others put it in this, that they were 
 destitute of all help, they were in great bondage, 
 snU'en d great hardship, a politic plot was upon them 
 to drown their male children, and so to ruin them ; 
 and being in this case, none pitied them, came in to 
 their counsel or help, and so in this sense they were 
 tridy naked and bare. 
 
 Ohs. 1 . The Lord is mindful of his promises, and 
 makes them good by degrees, and in due time. He 
 had promised Abraham that he would make of him 
 a great nation. Gen. xii. 2; that his seed should be 
 as the stars, dust, sand ; and here you see it made 
 out, " I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of 
 the field." It was very unlikely that it should ever 
 be so. God promised Abraham a son, but he stayed 
 near twenty years for him after the promise ; some 
 think it was forty years, if not more, befure Isaac 
 married, and when married, his wife was barren all 
 Abraham's days ; after, he had two sons, Jacob and 
 Esau ; then Jacob had twelve sons, and went down 
 into Egypt with seventy souls, and from them pro- 
 ceeded multitudes without number. So God, by de- 
 grees, accomplished what he promised, and made 
 Abraham's posterity innumerable. 
 
 Obs. '2. From mean beginnings God sometimes 
 raises to much greatness, he brings from a low, des- 
 picable estate, to great excellence. This Israelitish 
 state was at first as ivfans expoaitiis, like a child 
 throHii out by the friends, as not able to maintain it, 
 left in the fields to perish ; this child the Lord toe>k 
 lip, and brought forth a great nation out of the loins 
 of it. Abraham was the man, and from him came the 
 pojnilous nati(m of the Jews, &c. He brought those 
 grec n buds out of a dry tree. It is (iod's method 
 ofttimcs to raise glorious buildings out of rubbish ; 
 he made the world out of nothing ; from the little 
 drops he makes great floods; from a little dust en- 
 livened, he hath brought forth all mankind. 
 
 What is all the world but Adam ? and all the Jews 
 but Abraham ? 
 
 At the first-fruit offering, they were to say, " A
 
 Ver. 8. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 3-10 
 
 Syrian was my father ; he went down into Egypt, and 
 sojourned there with a few, and became there a na- 
 tion, great, mighty, and pojiidous," Dent. xxvi. 5. 
 
 The Roman state grew up ft-om Hoinidiis a bas- 
 tard. The Turkish had low lieginnings. Wliat was 
 Drii. signifies Enghiiid oncc ? The Britons went 
 paiute.i. Tame, naked, they painted their bodies bhie, 
 a iMiiou. -were caUed Picti, and sliy-coloured 
 
 Britons ; they wore tlieir liair hmg ; their towns were 
 tlieir woods ; they liad ten or twelve wives apiece, 
 and those common to brothers and parents ; they 
 tilled no ground, did cat no flesh, but lived nnich 
 upon roots and barks of trees ; they were exceetling 
 superstitious, and paralleled, if not exceeded, the 
 Egyptian idols and idolatry j they were given nnieh 
 to magic ; they held that the soul passed from one 
 to another ; they were hardly known to other na- 
 tions, and had little or no connneree with any ; the 
 keels and ribs of their ships were of light wood, 
 covered over with leather ; their coin, of l)rass and 
 iron rings. From these we came, and our beginning 
 was mean. 
 
 Obs. 3. The work of nature is the work of (iod. 
 Multiplying, increasing, waxing great, fashioning of 
 breasts, growing of hair, are all natural tilings ; but, 
 " I caused thee to," &c. It was the hand of God to 
 bring that green sprig, Isaac, out of dry roots ; and 
 it is also the work of God to bring branches out of 
 green roots. Cbildren are the gift of (iod, Gen. 
 xxxiii. 5, he fcn-nis them in the wond), brings them 
 into the world, and be stows them upon the parents ; 
 Deut. xxxii. (i, " Hath not he made thee, and estiib- 
 lished thee ?" 
 
 Obs. 4. The natural beauty, excellency that any 
 person or kingdom hath, is of the Lord's good plea- 
 sure, and mere mercy. "Thou art come to excellent 
 ornaments ;" but who brought her to them ? was it 
 not the Lord took her in, being east out, that gave 
 her breasts, that fashioned them, &:c. In ver. 14, 
 the Lord saith, he puts comeliness upon her. What- 
 ever excellences, ornaments of nature, kingdoms or 
 people have, they had them from the Lord. 
 
 Obs: 5. Man in himself, or naked of himself, hath 
 no excellency. " Thou was naked and bare ;" no free 
 will, no merits. 
 
 Ver. 8. Now when I paused hy thee, and look- 
 ed upon thee, behold, thi/ time teas the time of 
 love ; and I .ijiread iny skirt over thee, and cover- 
 ed thy nakedne.is : yea, I su-are uvto thee, and 
 entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord 
 God, and thou hecamest mine. 
 
 Here you have laid before you the third choice 
 mercy which the Lord bestowed ujion this metapho- 
 rical infant, grown up to woman's estate, viz. s])irit- 
 ual marriage ; the Lord brought her to excellent or- 
 naments, fashioned her breasts, made her hair to 
 grow, and then married her unto himself. 
 
 In the verse you have, 
 
 I. The preparatories to this marriage ; which are, 
 
 1. God's access to her, and observation of her; 
 " When I passed by thee." 
 
 2. His acknowledgment of her time ; " thy ticic 
 was the time of love." 
 
 3. His manifestation of his love to her ; " I spread 
 my skirt over thee." 
 
 II. The marriage itself; "I sware unto t?iee, and 
 mtercd into a covenant with thee." 
 
 III. The effect of it; special obligation between, 
 and mutual relation to, each other, in these words, 
 " thou becaraest mine." 
 
 The parts of the verse being propounded, the next 
 thing is to open the words unto you. 
 
 his pitying and nu'rciful reganliug them 
 
 tby time was the time of love." Thy 
 
 " Now when I passed by thee." Of God's pass- 
 ing by, I spake in ver. 6; it notes not local nmlion, 
 but is sjioken after the manner of men. (iod is re- 
 sembled to a traveller, going IViim place to place, 
 observing or doing several things in several places. 
 
 The former passing by referred to Abrahaiu in 
 his C'haldeeish estate. This is a second i>assing by, 
 and refers to their estate in Egypt, Exod. ii. 2-i; 
 xii. 12. 
 
 " And looked upon thee." Hebrew is, I saw thoc, 
 or, have seen thee. Not that God was ignorant of 
 them and their condition, or that they were out of 
 his sight, for he is incsent every where, seelli all 
 things at all times; but it is to note, that God in- 
 tended some special mercy towards tlu'ni, to do some 
 remarkable tbiug for them, and ibat was the calling 
 and sending of Moses to be a (Uliverer unlo tbem : 
 Exod. iii. 7, 8, Kl, God appeared to Moses in ibe 
 burning bush, and said, "1 have surely seen the 
 afllietioM of my people, and am come down to de- 
 liver them. Come now therefore, and I will send 
 tliee luito I'haraoli," iS;c. The Lord's seeing notes 
 ' is pitving a 
 
 "Beliold, 
 time, what time was thisi' 
 
 1. Tlie time when she was in Egypl, and sulVered 
 hard things. Tlu^ Israelites, you know, were baled 
 of I'haraoh, Psal. cvi. 10; therefore Ix' set task- 
 masters over them, and conunanded their children 
 to be murdered by the midwivcs, to be drowned 
 by the iieojile; they were made to serve willi rigour 
 in all their services, tiuir bondage and ojiiiression 
 was such as made them cry (mt, and filled them willi 
 anguish of spirit, Exod. ii. 23; chap. vi. and ix. 
 
 2. The time of youth. She was now grown np to 
 woman's estate, and was fit for marriage. When a 
 maid hath her breasts fashioned, and her hair grown, 
 then lovers and suitors frequent the j>laees where 
 she lives, labour to gain her all'eetions, and to bring 
 her into the honourable estate of marriage; and for 
 that purpose they employ some faithful friends to 
 speak for them, to make way for the aecomijlisli- 
 mi nt of their desiri'S : thus dealt the Lord wild llu; 
 Israelitish state, being much nndlijilicd, in I'lgypl, 
 Exod. iv. 14 — Ki; and chap. v. \, they wuit in onto 
 Pharaoh and said, "Tbus saitb tlie Lord (iod of 
 Israel, Let my people go, that they may bold a feast 
 unto me in the wilderness." 
 
 "The time of love." The Hebrew is, i:'m rj) the 
 time of loves, or lovers ; the Septuagint is, Km/iuf; 
 KriTiiXiovTuiv, which Kirker interprets, tiimpus dircr- 
 lenlium, which you may refer to tiie wooers, or to the 
 wooed. If to the wooers, thus : it was a time for the 
 wooers to leave their own houses, and to lurn in to 
 the house of their desiri'd, to suit and solicit her 
 their hearts and thoughts were upon; as Samson 
 did the woman in 'J'inmali. If to tin- wooed, thus : it 
 was a lime for tlie wooed to divert and jiass from the 
 state of virginity to the state of marriage, and to be 
 ranked in the order of the married. But KaTiiSvai'TMv 
 signifies rather dinsolvejttium, it was a lime of dis- 
 solving or dissolvers, a time for the wooers and wooi d 
 to let out their allections one to another, and to de- 
 clare their nmtual delights in each other. Aquila, 
 in his second edition, hath it, tempUH awaXXayrit, a 
 time of espousals and marriage, as Pradus renders 
 the word; of commerce and exchange, as Sanctius 
 gives it, because they have sweet commerce to- 
 gether, and do buy each the other, the man giv( s 
 himself to and for the woman, and the woman herself 
 to and for the man ; they exchange persons, liber- 
 ties, estates. Castjilio, cum eixeii fjus a'lulix, qur/- ent 
 amofdjiui tdonea; others, coipoc r'/C Sia TranHiviuHjvni, 
 the time of departing out of their virginity. The
 
 346 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 words are expressive of C4od's love, he was the 
 Lover ; you must not take them in a carnal manner ; 
 love, in such a sense, is unsuitable to his nature, he 
 is without all passions and perturbations. When 
 God doth such acts as argue love, in the judgment of 
 man, he is said in Scripture phrase " to love." When 
 the time promised of their deliverance was come, 
 (which was to be at the end of four hundred years, as 
 you may see. Gen. xv. 13, 14; Acts vii. 6, f,) when 
 God began the work of deliverance, then he loved 
 them, then was a time of loves. God loved them 
 before ; Abraham was the friend of God, 2 Chron. xx. 
 7 ; so Isaac and Jacob were beloved of him, witli 
 the rest of their forefathers ; Deut. iv. 37, " He 
 loved thy fathers," saith Moses : yet here it is 
 called " the time of love," because the Lord mani- 
 fested sinij'ular love unto them, in redeeming them 
 from the house of bondage, in taking them, in a 
 peculiar manner, to be his people, &c. ; and therefore 
 it is said to be a " time of love ;" love in pitying 
 them, love in remembering his promise, love in 
 causing the midwives to spare their children, love in 
 making them grow and increase, love in sending 
 Moses and Aaron, love in working such wonders for 
 them, love in giving them the Egyptians' jewels 
 and raiment, love in bringing them out of the house 
 of bondage, love in leading them through the Red 
 sea, and drowning their enemies in it. 
 
 " I spread my skirt over thee." -i-Sy 'Sja riBNl 
 Septuagint, rag TrripvyaQ f(«. The Vulgate is, umic- 
 tum vieum, I spread my clothing over thee. The 
 word f)j3 properly signifies, the wing of a bird; 
 Gen. vii. 14, that is, there every bird of every sort 
 is -iisv-Ss, c^ja-Ss every bird, every winged tiling. 
 Metajihoricaliy it is applied to the extremity or 
 utmost part of things, as the outward parts of an army 
 are called the wings of it: Isa. viii. 8, " The stretch- 
 ing out of his wings .shall fill the breadth of thy land, 
 O Immanuel ;" the wings, that is, the utmost part of 
 Sennacherib's army, when he lay before Jerusalem 
 in Hezekiah's days. The ends of the earth are called 
 so, Isa. xxiv. 16, " From the uttemiost part of the 
 earth have we heard songs;" so chap. xi. 12, he 
 shall " gather together the dispersed of Judah from 
 the four corners of the earth," pNn niSJ3 from tlie 
 wings of the earth. So it is put for the uttermost part 
 of a garment, 1 Sam. xxiv. 4, I)a\id "cut olf the 
 skirt of Saul's robe privily," S'ycn >]33 the wing of 
 thy robe. The like is Jer. ii. 34, " In thy skirts is 
 found the blood of innocents," original, in thy wings. 
 
 Now what this spreading of the wing or skirt 
 means, falls into consideration. It seems to imjiort 
 a marriage rite. When they were to be espoused or 
 married among the Jews, it was a custom to S]iTead 
 their garment over them; hence it was that Rnth 
 said to Boaz, Ruth iii. <J, " Spread therefore thy 
 skirt over thine handmaid ; for thou art a near kins- 
 man," that is, beti-oth thee unto me, and marry me. 
 The law was, that when a man died without issue, 
 some near kinsman should marry the widow, enjoy 
 the inheritance, and raise up seed to him who was 
 dead, and the ceremony used was spreading the 
 skirt over them. Deut. xxii. 30, a man must not 
 discover his father's skirt ; that is, he must not have 
 to do with his step-mother, w'hom his father hath 
 spread his skirt over, and married; defiling of her 
 is uncovering of his father's skirt, Deut. xxvii. 20. 
 Maliionate saith it was a rite of marriage, or cer- 
 tainly a ))riimise of marriage, if a man did cover a 
 woman with his skirt or garment. 
 
 Besides, tliis rite iini)lii s protection, defence, safe- 
 ty. The W'ing of any fowl, spread over its young, 
 is a safety unto it. Isa. xxxi. .5, " As Ijirds flying, so 
 will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem:" when | 
 
 birds sec their young in danger, they fly, make 
 haste unto them, spread their wings over them, and 
 so defend them ; in like manner would the Lord do, 
 spread his wing of protection over Jerusalem, and 
 preserve it: hence that phrase in Scripture, of trust- 
 ing in the shadow and covert of his wings, Psal. 
 xxxvi. 7 ; L"!!- 1 ; Ixi. 4 ; Ixiii. 7 ; xci. 4. But this 
 protection we speak of is not protection in general, 
 but maritatis protectio, as Abraham was to Sarah, 
 Gen. XX. 16, "A covering of the eyes;" God was a 
 covering to them ; Isa. iv. 5, " Upon all the glory 
 shall be a defence." So then by this expression is 
 held out, God taking his people into his custody, his 
 special care, provision, and defence of them. 
 
 Calvin thinks that by this spreading of their skirt, 
 is meant all that power and goodness of God which 
 he put forth in delivering of them out of Egypt ; the 
 Lord brought them out with a strong hand, and 
 stretehed-out arm, his power, mercy, wisdom, good- 
 ness, a])peared marvellously in that work. He tells 
 them, Exod. xix. 4, what he had done for them ; 
 "Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians," (I 
 have sent plague after jilague upon them, till I 
 had utterly consumed them, and in the midst of 
 all, you were preserved,) "and how I bare you 
 on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself." 
 The eagle, when her young ones are in danger, 
 or ready to go from the nest, she takes them upon 
 her wings, and carries them away with strength, 
 speed, safety, and that in open view : so did the 
 Lord by this people, he carried them from their nest, 
 the house of bondage, being in danger to be devour- 
 ed by Pharaoh, that dragon, upon the wings of his 
 power and goodness; and that with strength, all the 
 power of Egypt could not detain them ; speed, they 
 hasted out of the land, Exod. xii. 33 ; safety, not a 
 dog moved his tongue against them, Exod. xi. 7 ; in 
 open view, they hired them to go with gold, silver, 
 and with raiment, Exod. xii. 33, 35. This is more 
 fully expressed, Deut. xxxii. 11, 12, "As an eagle 
 stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, 
 spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth 
 them on her wings : so the Lord alone did lead 
 him." Moses and Aaron were as the wings or hands 
 of God, but God led them. 
 
 " And covered thy nakedness." The Hebrew is, 
 ■^rinj; ignomim'am luum : so the Septuagint, iKaXinpa 
 m(j-)(riixonvri]v an, thy shame ; Vulgate, ignominiam 
 tuam, thy shame. 
 
 1. This nakedness may be taken literally, and so 
 God covered it, wdien he gave them the Egyptian 
 garments ; they might leave their ragged, tattered 
 garments behind them; and it is likely they were 
 poor, wlienas the Lord preserved their garments and 
 slioes from wearing out, or old, forty years together; 
 Deut. xxix. 5, " I have led you forty years in the 
 wilderness ; your idothes are not waxen old upon 
 you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot." 
 Had they had variety of garments, this miracle had 
 not been so needful. 
 
 2. You may take it metaphorically, for that re- 
 proach. Gen. XXX. 23, which, under the law, was 
 upon unmarried, fruitless, barren women: Isa. iv. 1, 
 " Seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, 
 Let us be called by thy name, to take away our re- 
 proach." It was a reproach for maidens not to be 
 married ; Psal. Ixxviii. (i3, " Their maidens were not 
 given to marriage ;" and Luke i. 25, when Elisabeth 
 had conceived, she said. The Lord hath " looked 
 on me, to take away my reproach among men." 
 Want of marriage, and want of issue, were both mat- 
 ters of reproach in Israel; and if parents kept their 
 virgins beyond the flower of their age, it was a re- 
 proach to them, 1 Cor. vii. 36. God's covering of
 
 Ver. 8. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 347 
 
 her nakedness and shame, was his entering into 
 covenant with this people, and taking them to be 
 his ; so that they were not without God, witliout a 
 liusband, to love, to protect, to provide for them ; 
 which made Moses to say, Deut. iv. 7, " Wluit na- 
 tion is there so great, who hath God so nigli unto 
 tliem, as the Lord our God is in all things ? " 
 
 3. For that reproach and shame the Jews were 
 under in Egypt. They were servants to the Egyp- 
 tians, an idolatrous and heathenish people, who used 
 tlieni hardly, and held them under cruel bondage, 
 Deut. xxvi. 6 ; they were under a king of another 
 nation, that was cruel as a dragon ; Ezek. xxiii. 3, 
 Pharaoh is called " tlie great dragon," unnatural, wil- 
 ful, liated them, sought their death : the Egyptians 
 evil-entreated them, alllieted them, and laid upon 
 them hard bondage ; when they moved to go and 
 worsliip the Lord their God, tliey were charged to 
 be idle, and their task increased. 
 
 Now tliis was a great reproach to Abraham's pos- 
 terity, that they were servants, and lield in bondage 
 generation after generation. This reproach God 
 covered, and took away, when he brought them out 
 of Egypt, and drowned the Egyptians (who had 
 lorded it so over them) in the bottom of the sea. 
 
 No sooner were they come out of Egypt, but tlie 
 Lord told them tliey were come " out of the house 
 of bondage," Exod. xiii. 3 ; which is often men- 
 tioned in holy writ: and they were to remember that 
 condition, that so they might consider how God 
 had covered their shame ; Deut. xv. 15, " Thou shalt 
 remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of 
 Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee ;" so 
 chap. xvi. 12 ; xxiv. 18. God redeeming and bring- 
 ing them out thence, was the covering of their 
 nakedness, and removing of their shame. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord doth wait and watch, to do good 
 unto his people. Before, in ver. 6, he passed by, 
 beheld this Israelitish maiden in her blood, said unto 
 her, " Live ;" and now again he passed by her, looked 
 upcm, and said it was a " time of love." 
 
 God observes times to be gracious; Isa. sxx. 18, 
 " Therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gra- 
 cious unto you." God waits for fit opportunities and 
 seasons to do for his people: Psal. Ixxxi. 13, 14, "Oh 
 that my people had hearkened imto me, and Israel 
 had walked in my ways ;" 1 looked for such a season ; 
 " I should soon have subdued their enemies, and 
 turned my hand against their adversaries." Jer. viii. 
 6, " I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright : 
 no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, 
 "Whnt have I done ? " the Lord waited, exjiected, 
 and longed for repentance, a time wherein to show 
 them kindness; Jer. xxxi. 28, "I will watch over 
 tliem, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord :" he would 
 watch a time to do them great good, to build tliem 
 up again into a civil estate, and to plant them a noble 
 vine. That in Rev. iii. 20, "Behold, I stand at the 
 door, and knock : if any man hear my voice, and 
 open the door, I will come in to him." God waits and 
 watches opportunities to show mercy to sinners ; 
 hence it is that David saith, Psal. Ixxxv. 8, " I will 
 hear what the Lord will speak : for he will sjjeak 
 peace unto his people, and to his saints :" and Wis- 
 dom invites her children to hearken ; Prov. viii. 32, 
 "Now hearken unto me, O ye children." 
 
 Obs. 2. There are special times wherein God makes 
 and m.anifests love unto his people. "Thy time wa^ 
 the time of love." vSolomon tells us, there is a time 
 for every thing ; Eccl. iii. 8, " A time to love," and 
 that for God as well as man ; he hath his times of 
 wooing people, of making and manifesting love unto 
 them. 
 
 I shall show you seme ol those times : 
 
 (1.) The time of affliction. This woman was in 
 great distress in Egypt, hated, persecuted, oppressed, 
 held under bondage, not sullered to go and worship 
 her God, all liberty that way was denied her, new 
 burdens imposed, her life imb'ittered and endangered, 
 Exod. v. 7, 21 ; no friend to be found in court or 
 country, no help or comfort appearing any where j 
 and now was the time of God's love, he hears her cries, 
 comes down into the bush, converses with Moses, 
 sends him to this woman, to tell her that God had 
 good thoughts towards her, intended love to her, 
 and would suddenly bring her out of that condition, 
 and put licr in a new and nearer relation to himself; 
 and when she heard this, she bowed her head and 
 worshipped, Exod. iv. 31. 
 
 AVlien this woman was in Babylon, and her neck 
 upon tlie block, through the malice, power, and 
 policy of Hainan, then was a " time of love ;" the 
 Lord visited, delivered, and showed marvellous loving- 
 kindness to her, he chose her to himself in that 
 condition; Isa. xlviii. 10, "I have chosen thee in 
 the furnace of affliction." Elective love is prime, 
 strong, fundamental. 
 
 You may see also God's love to this woman, under 
 the name of Rachel; Jer. xxxi. 15, IG, " A voice 
 was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weep- 
 ing; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be 
 comforted, because they were not." Here was a sad 
 affliction, captivity hath bereft her of liev children ; 
 but see, now was a " time of love," for presently the 
 Lord visited her, and said, "Refrain thy voice from 
 weeping, and thine eyes from tears : for thy work 
 shall be rewarded ; they shall come again from 
 the land of the enemy to their own border," ver. 
 16, 17. . 
 
 God visits his people in afflictions. "When the 
 high priests, rulers, elders, and scribes, threatened 
 Peter and John, charged them not to preach, wliich 
 was a sad thing ; but they went to their own com- 
 pany and prayed, and presently God appeared, shak- 
 ed the room where they were, and filled them with 
 his Spirit. Rev. xii. when the dragon persecuted the 
 woman, she had eagle's wings, &c. 
 
 Times of affliction are times of love, also, in this 
 respect, because then, as it is Job xxxvi. 8 — 10, he 
 shows men the nature and gi'catness of their sins, he 
 opens their ears to disciplines and commands, that 
 they return from their iniquities ; chap, xxxiii. l(j, 
 he opens men's ears, and seals up their instruction. 
 
 (2.) The time of fulfilling promises is a " time of 
 love." God had promised tliat his seed should serve 
 four hundred years, and in the fourtli generation 
 should return to Canaan ; this time being expired, 
 now was the " time of love," that God should put 
 forth his hand, lead tlieni out with great substance 
 of jewels and cattle, and so make good his promise, 
 when God makes a promise, it is a " time of love,'' 
 and when he fulfils it, it is a " time of love," many 
 receive benefit thereby. 
 
 God had promised Adam, the seed of the woman 
 should break the serpent's head ; to Abraham, that 
 in him all the nations of the earth should be bless- 
 ed ; now when this promise was fulfilled, C'nrist 
 given out into the world, it was a " time of love," yea, 
 of loves : Luke ii. 14, " Glory to (iod in the high- 
 est, and on earth peace, good will toward nun." 
 When the promise of the Spirit was made good, 
 then was a time of loves ; a " time of love " to the 
 nations that heard them speak such excellent things 
 in their own tongues. 
 
 God promised that, at the end of seventy years, 
 they should return from Babylon. When tliaf time 
 was out, then was the "time of love," God fulfilled 
 his promise, and brought them to Jerusalem again,
 
 3-4S 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XYI. 
 
 \vlii<;h Isai;ih, chap. liv. ", calls, a gathering with 
 gieat mercies. 
 
 (3.) The young time of a people is the " time of 
 love;" God doth not only manifest, but make love 
 known, to young ones. This infant was come to 
 those years virgin.? are at when marriageable, and 
 being so, God made love to her, he gave her love 
 tokens, jewels of gold and silver, and raiment, Exod. 
 iii. 21, 22 ; quails and manna from heaven, Exod. 
 xvi. This time the Lord points at in Jer. ii. 2, " I 
 remember thee, the kindness of thy youth," not of 
 her kindness unto God, but his own kindness, love, 
 or mercy, nnto her. The Lord doth sue and woo 
 young ones to come in unto him ; Eccl. xii. 1, 
 " Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy 
 youth ;" look upon me, how beautiful, glorious, great, 
 rich, honourable I am, how suitable for thee, what 
 a contented happy life thou niayst lead with me, 
 remember and mind me for thy husband. God sent 
 Samuel to call David, the youngest of the brethren, 
 before him, and when he was come, " Arise, anoint 
 him : for this is he," 1 Sam. xvi. 1 1, 12. Prov. i. 4, 
 Solomon's Proverbs were written to give the young 
 man knowledge and discretion. Zech. ii. 4, " Run, 
 sjieak to this young man." Not only youth, but any, 
 v\hen God oilers them grace, calls upon them for re- 
 pentance, believing, that is a " time of love." 
 
 (4.) Calling of people into the church state, is a 
 " time of love." Tncy were in Egypt without 
 mercy, they had not church-order and ordinances, 
 but now the Lord was bringing them into such a 
 condition. 
 
 Ohx. 3. God's love is the foundation and foimtain 
 of all the good his people receive and have. It was 
 love caused him to look upon this infant, to say to it, 
 " Live ;" that caused her to multiply and grow great, 
 that brought her to excellent ornaments ; it was his 
 love, that made him spread his skirt over her, and 
 cover her nakedness, to enter into a covenant with 
 her, to take her to be his, and do all those things he 
 did for her. 
 
 When Palak and Balaam would have cursed this 
 woman, the Lord prevented it, and turned the curse 
 into a blessing, because he loved her, Dcut. xxiii. 4, 
 5. It was love which caused and moved God to 
 choose this people to be his, nothing in them, Deut. 
 vii. 7, 8 ; it was his love to give them favour in the 
 sight of the Egyptians, Exod. xi. 3 ; it was his love 
 to bring them out of Egypt with a mighty hand, 
 Deut. iv. 37; his love to drive out the nations, to 
 bring them into their land, and to give it them for 
 cin inheritance, vcr. 38. It was from his love to give 
 them the tabernacle, the temple, his laws, statutes, 
 oracles, ordinances, priests, prophets, sabbaths, so- 
 lemn feasts, iScc. ; all spiritual mercies are blessings 
 fi-om his love. Hos. xiv. 4, when he heals back- 
 slidings of a people it is because he loves them free- 
 ly. Election, adoption, justification, sanctification, 
 glorification, are the issues of his love; Christ is so, 
 John iii. !(!, " God so loved the world, that he gave 
 his only begotten Son," &c. If divine love be the 
 bottom and fountain of that gift, it is so of all others ; 
 Rom. viii. 32, " He that spared not his own Son, but 
 delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with 
 him also freely give ns all things ?" It was his great 
 love that caused him to quicken us being dead, Eph. 
 ii. 4, 5. (iod's love is the womb which conceives 
 and sends forth all the good things we enjoy. 
 
 OOx. 4. When God takes a people to be his, he 
 will protect them in a special manner, and cover 
 their nakedness and shame. He took this Israclitish 
 woman, spread his skirt over her, and covered her 
 nakedness ; he protected her forty years in the wil- 
 derness, against enemies and evils that threatened 
 
 her ruin ; he took away her reproach of barrenness 
 and servitude in the house of bondage, he made her 
 fruitful aud free. When uncircumcisiim was a re- 
 proach unto this people, the Lord took that away, 
 Josh. v. i). When Goliath defied the host of Israel, 
 God took him away by David, 1 Sam. xvii. And 
 when the Lord took in the gentiles, did he not spread 
 his skirt over them, and cover their nakedness ? Isa. 
 liv. 1 — 5, " Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear ; 
 break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that 
 didst not travail with child : for more are the chil- 
 dren of the desolate than of the married wife. En- 
 large the place of thy tent, and let them stretch 
 forth the curtains of thine habitations : spare not, 
 lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy slakes ; for 
 thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the 
 left ; and thy seed shall inherit the gentiles, and 
 make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not ; 
 thou shalt not be ashamed, for thou shalt forget the 
 shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the re- 
 jiroach of thy widowhood any more :" and what is 
 the ground of all this? " Thy JNlaker is thine hus- 
 band ;" therefore God would have a special care of 
 her, turn her barrenness into fruitfulness, and cover 
 her shame, her idolatry and profaneness. 
 
 " Sin is the reproach of any people," Prov. xiv. 
 34, and makes naked, Exod. xxxii. 25 ; and when 
 God loves a people, and takes them to be his, he 
 covers their sins. Zech. iii. 4, God had good will to 
 Jo.shua tlie high priest, and then said, " I have caused 
 thine iniquity to pass from thee, and will clothe thee 
 with change of raiment :" God took away his sins, 
 by the satisfaction of Christ, and clothed him with 
 his righteousness, that covers our spots, shame, 
 nakedness. Rev. iii. 18, " I counsel thee to buy of 
 me white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and 
 that the .shame of thy nakedness do not appear." 
 
 " I sware unto thee." Hebrew is, -p y3U'N^. The 
 meaning is, I have given thee assurance of marriage, 
 conjugal faith. 
 
 Touching the Lord's swearing. I shall speak a 
 little. 
 
 That the Lord did swear, is upon record, but what 
 kind of oath it was, is not here specified. 
 
 Some conceive that " I am the Lord," these 
 words do carry in them the force of an oath ; and 
 that this was the oath made to Abraham and Jacob, 
 to which the Lord refers. Gen. xv. 7, " I am the 
 Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldecs, 
 to give thee this land to inherit ;" Exod. vi. G — 8, 
 " Say nnto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and 
 I will bring you out from under the burdens of the 
 Egyjitians ; and I will take you to me for a people, 
 and I will be to you a God," &c. 
 
 It is thou.yht these words, " I the Lord," or, " I 
 am the Lord," do hold out the nature of an oath, 
 because, Exod. xiii. 5, it is said, " The Lord sware 
 unto thy fathers, to give thee a land flowing with 
 milk and honey ;" but this will not hold, because no 
 more is expressed than " I the Lord," and he is said 
 to swear, that therefore no more was in this oath ; 
 if we consult well with the word, we may find there 
 was more in it, for, Exod. xxxii. 13, it is pl.-iin he 
 sware by himself; " Remember Abraham, Isaac, 
 aud Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by 
 thine own self, and saidst, I w ill multi|)ly your seed 
 as the stars of heaven, and all this laud that I have 
 spoken of will I give unto them." The word of {iod 
 tells ns that lie halh sworn, sometimes, by his ludi- 
 ness, Amos iv. 2, by his life, Ezek. xiv. !(!, by his 
 great name, Jer. xliv. 2(), by his soul, Jer. Ii. 14, by 
 his right hand, and the arm of his strength, Isa. 
 Ixii. 8. 
 
 Now the oath God sware to Abraliam, was l.y
 
 Ver. 8. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 349 
 
 himself, as you have heard, anrl may read. Gen. 
 xxii. 16; therefore we may not rest in those words, 
 " I the Lord," as being the oath, but look at God's 
 swearing by himself 
 
 The manner of God's swearing is set down in 
 Deut. xxxii. 40, " I lift np my hand to heaven, and 
 say, I live for ever :" the Lord imitated the practice 
 of men in swearing, for it was their way to lift up 
 their hands to heaven when they took an oath. Gen. 
 xiv. 22; Dan. xii. 7; so the angel. Rev. x. 5, 6. 
 This was done at the covenant-taking. 
 
 " And entered into a covenant wiili thee." KiSNi 
 •l^^5 n'133 A covenant imports two parties con- 
 senting together, which a testament doth not : a man 
 may make his will or testament, and give what he 
 please to any specified therein, without consents ; it 
 is not so in a covenant, there mutual consent is re- 
 quired, especially in a marriage covenant, nns 
 some derive from mi to eat, because at the making 
 of covenants they were wont to have sacrifices and 
 feasts, or to eat and drink. Obad. 7, " The men 
 that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, 
 and prevailed against thee ; they that eat thy bread," 
 or, the men of thy bread, " have laid a wound under 
 thee :" they were the Egyptians, who drew them 
 into a covenant against the Chaldeans, by eating 
 bread, that is, by eating and drinking, which was a 
 rite accompanied covenants. You find in the word 
 mention made of " a covenant of salt," Numb, xviii. 
 19; 2 Chron. xiii. 5; which though some think to 
 be so called for the firmness and evcrla.5tingness of 
 the covenant, (because salt is a lasting and preserv- 
 ing thing,) yet somewhat else may be found in it, 
 viz. because they did eat and drink at the making 
 of covenants, and used salt which made all savour}', 
 therefore also it may be called " a covenant of salt." 
 To this sense that in Ezra giveth some light, chap. 
 iv. 14, " Now because we have maintenance from 
 the king's palace, and it was not meet for us to see 
 the king's dishonour, therefore have we sent and 
 certified the king :" these words, " maintenance from 
 the king's palace," are in the original thus. Now 
 seeing we are salted with salt of the palace ; that is, 
 we have obligtd ourselves to him in a covenant, by 
 eating and drinking with him, therefore, (Stc. : so 
 that place in Lev. ii. 13, " Thou slialt not sufler the 
 salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from 
 thy meat oiiering." 
 
 vSome derive the word berilli from ina dissecare, 
 because then when they made covenants, there was 
 some beast killed and cut in the midst ; as Gen. xv. 
 9, 10, 18, when God made a covenant with Abraham, 
 there a heifer, a she goat, and a ram were divided in 
 the midst, and laid each piece one against another 
 orderly, that so the covenanters might pass between 
 them : according to what is in Jer. xxxiv. 18, " They 
 cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts 
 thereof," and so cut out a covenant, and manifested 
 thereby, that if they brake the covenant, they de- 
 served to be cut in pieces. 
 
 Others derive it from ma eligere, because it is that 
 which two or moi-e do choose out and agree upon. 
 Abimelech and his people chose to make a covenant 
 with Isaac, Gen. xxvi. 28: so the Gibeonites chose 
 to make a league with Joshua and the Israelites, 
 Josh. ix. 6 : both persons and conditions are chosen 
 and agreed ujion, in making of covenants. 
 
 Again, some fetch it from Nt3 to create, order, dis- 
 pose : for when they cut the beast in pieces, they 
 d^d divide, order, and dispose of them equally on 
 both sides ; and so in a covenant, there is disposing 
 and ordering of things, to the content of both. 
 
 Lastly, some draw it from ma to purify and 13 
 purity, because when covenants are making, the par- 
 
 ties ought to be holy, and to deal holily, without all 
 guile, hypocrisy, and overreaching of one another ; 
 and in this sense, among others, the covenant was 
 called holy, Dan. xi. 28 ; Luke i. 72. The Gibeon- 
 ites dealt fraudulently, when they came with their 
 old sacks, bottles, shoes, garments, and mouldy bread, 
 to make a covenant with Joshua, chap. ix. 4— (i. 
 
 This covenant which the Lord entered into, was 
 that at mount Sinai ; Exod. xix. 5, G, Moses being 
 called up unto the mount, the Lord said to him, " If 
 ye will obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then 
 ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me abuve all 
 people ; ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests 
 and an holy nation." Moses goeth with these 
 words unto the people, to see if they would give 
 their consent, which they presently did; ver. 8, " AH 
 the jieople answered together, and said. All that the 
 Lord hath spoken we will do :" when the Lord 
 heard this, he said, " Lo, I come," ver. 9 ; there was 
 nmtual consent and a solemn covenant made. So 
 chap. xxiv. 3 — 8, there the consent on both sides is 
 manifested, beasts are slain and sacrificed, both the 
 altar and people sprinkled with the blood of the co- 
 venant, and the covenant was written, and read in 
 the audience of all. 
 
 This covenant which God made at mount Sinai 
 with this people, was a covenant of grace and mercy ; 
 take in all which was delivered by God to Moses 
 being in the mount, and it was so. For, 
 
 1. It was a marriage covenant; God took this 
 people to be his spouse, church : Exod. xix. 4 — 6, he 
 brought them to himself, made them his peculiar 
 treasure, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation ; which 
 words are appropriated by Peter unto the church 
 under the gospel, 1 Pet. ii. 9. See Rev. i. 6. 
 
 2. It was given in the hands of a mediator. Gal. 
 iii. 19 : if it were Moses he typed out Christ, who 
 was the only Mediator between God and man ; and 
 Acts vii. 38, he is said to receive " lively oracles to 
 give unto us ;" and therefore it is thought by some, 
 that Christ himself was the Mediator, who led them 
 through the wilderness, and gave out those lively 
 oracles. 
 
 3. It was made with sacrifice, shedding and sprink- 
 ling of blood, Exod. xxiv. 5- — 8 ; and the blood was 
 called " the blood of the covenant," which repre- 
 sented the sacrifice and blood of Christ, which is 
 called, Heb. xiii. 20, " The blood of the everlasting 
 covenant :" the covenant of works hath no sacrifices. 
 
 4. The ceremonial law was all instituted worship, 
 types, figures, sacrifices, garments, washings, oint- 
 ments ; and what that law had led unto Christ, Gal. 
 iii. 24; Heb. ix. 10, 11, and was evangelical. Now 
 all instituted worship is contained and comprehended 
 in the second command, they were bound to the ob- 
 sei'vation thereof by that command, therefore this 
 covenant must needs have grace and mercy. 
 
 5. If it were a covenant of work.s, not of mercy, 
 what argument were here in the words, " I entered 
 into a covenant with thee ? " God was in a cove- 
 nant of works with them and all the world before, 
 and so it would be of no validity to tell them of it ; 
 he did no more for them than for others, and if they 
 had broken covenant, it was but what all the world 
 had done : here lieth a strong convincing argimient 
 in the words, I entered into a gracious covenant with 
 thee, I knew thee above all the families of the earth, 
 Ames iii. 2; and yet you have done thus, Szc. 
 
 6. Ti;e covenant of grace Mas given out long be- 
 fore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; therefore it is 
 called " the covenant and mercy" he sware unto 
 them, Deut. vii. 12. And Moses was under this 
 covenant; Heb. xi. 24, "By faith he refused to be 
 called, &c. when come to years;" he had Christ
 
 350 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 with him, Exod. xxiii. 20, the Angel there was 
 Christ: I Cor. x. 9, they templed Christ in the wil- 
 derness. The scope of Moses's writings was Christ ; 
 John V. 4G, " Moses wrote of me." Heb. iv. 2, it is 
 said the gospel was preached unto them, viz. that 
 were in the wilderness. 
 
 Now if Moses was under a covenant of grace be- 
 fore, God would not reduce him back to a covenant 
 of works. It is conceived, that after the breach of 
 the first covenant of works, God did never make any 
 more such a covenant with man, but that after cove- 
 nants were of grace and mercy : now it was the same 
 covenant that God made with the peojile and Moses; 
 Exod. xxxiv. 27, " Write thou these words : for after 
 the tenouv of these words I have made a covenant 
 with thee and with Israel." 
 
 7. If a covenant of works, it should be to all, 
 seeing that covenant at first was made with Adam, 
 the root of mankind ; but this is to some few, the 
 seed of Abraham only, those who were brought out 
 of Egypt ; Deut. v. l', " Hear, O Israel ; " ver. 6, " I 
 am the Lord thv God, which brought thee out of 
 the land of Egypt." 
 
 " And thou becamest mine." These words note 
 God's actual taking of this people to be his. Ruth 
 iv. 13, "Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife." 
 Hos. iii. 3, " Thou shalt not be for another man, so 
 will I be for thee :" here was a nuptial conjunction 
 between the Lord and this Israelitish woman, she 
 became his wife, his possession. This was the joy- 
 ful day; Deut. xxvi. 18, "The Lord hath avouched 
 thee this day to be his peculiar people," his church, 
 his spouse. 
 
 In marriage, 1. There is a special union. "They 
 two shall be one flesh ;" two that were mere strang- 
 ers before, by marriage become one : so here, God 
 passed by this people, cast his eye upon them, the 
 tim^e of love was come, he betroths and marries them 
 to himself, and so makes a near and dear union be- 
 tween himself and them. 
 
 2. Special communion with and delight in each 
 other. C;mt. ii. 16, " My beloved is mine, and I am 
 his ; " chap. vii. 10, " I am my beloved's, and his desire 
 is toward me :" tliis woman called the Lord " Ishi," 
 Hos. ii. I(), Mv husband; and the Lord called her 
 " Hephzi-bah,'' Isa. Ixii. 4, My delight in her. The 
 wife is the glory of the husband, 1 Cor. xi. 7, and 
 the husband the glory of the wife ; so God looked 
 upon this people as his glory ; Isa. iv. 5, " Upon all 
 the glory shall be a defence;" Isa. Ixii. 3, they 
 were " a crown of gloiy in the hand of the Lord;" 
 and God was their "glory," Jer. ii. II. There was 
 mutual delight in each other; God looked upon 
 them as his jewels, as his peculiar treasure. 
 
 3. Communication of what they have each to 
 other, esjjecially of the husband to the wife ; he com- 
 municates himself, his name, his estate, his secrets 
 to his beloved; and so did God imto this woman, 
 and doth unto his cliurch : Psal. Ixxvii. 1, 2, "In 
 Judah is God known ; his name is great in Israel. 
 In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his dwelling- 
 place in Zion." They had God amongst them. 
 
 For his name ; he imparts it to his church, Jer. 
 xxxiii. Hi, "She shall be called Jehovah our Right- 
 eousness," which is the Lord's name, chap, xxiii. (i ; 
 and the church is called Christ, I Cor. xii. 12; Jer. 
 xiv. il, " We are called by thy name." 
 
 Estate ; she had the huid of Canaan given her, 
 which was the land of Imuianuel, Isa. viii. S. 
 
 God communicated to his people his wisdom, 
 power, secrets, truths, Spirit, merits and righteous- 
 ness of his Son. 
 
 By virtue of this covenant they had mercies tem- 
 poial and spiritual promised them and given in. 
 
 1 . Temporal ; and they were many. 
 
 (1.) Canaan was promised them. Abraham had 
 the first promise of it, and often to them it was re- 
 newed, Deut. vi. 10, 1 1 ; xi. 23, 24. This land hath 
 divers encomiums in the word : 
 
 [Lj It is called the desire and " glory of all lands," 
 Ezek. XX. 6. 
 
 [2.] The land of Immanuel, Isa. viii. 8. 
 
 [3.] It was a type of heaven, and therefore is 
 called "the land of the living," Psal. xxvii. 13, the 
 " rest and inheritance " of the people, Deut. xii. 9 ; 
 and it was given them of free grace, through the 
 covenant, Deut. ix. 6. 
 
 (2.) Great increase in that land, Deut. vii. 12 — 14; 
 Psal. Ixvii. 6, " The earth shall yield her increase, 
 and God, even our own God, shall bless us." 
 
 (3.) Heahhfulness, Deut. vii. 15; Exod. xxiii. 25, 
 with Exod. XV. 2(), God would be a physician amongst 
 them, and heal them. 
 
 (4.) Length of days, if they kept covenant with 
 God, Deut. iv. 40. This is made an argument to 
 move children to honour their parents, Exod. xx. 
 12; Deut. V. IG; and people are pressed by this 
 argument to love God, and obey him, Deut. xxx. 20; 
 xxxii. 4(), 47. 
 
 (5.) Honour and esteem in the world, Deut. xxvi. 
 IS, PJ; xxviii. 13; Psal. cxlviii. 14. This Balaam 
 prophesied of, Numb. xxiv. 7. 
 
 (6.) Power against and victory over their ene- 
 mies, Deut. xi. 25 ; Lev. xxvi. 7, 8 ; Deut. xxxiii. 
 27; Josh. X. 42 ; Psal. Ixviii. 35 ; Numb, xxiii. 23. 
 
 (7.) Peace, Lev. xxvi. 6, " I will give peace in 
 the land," iSrc. Hence they said, Isa. xxvi. 12, 
 " Lord, thou wilt ordain peace for us." 
 
 (8.) Protection, Deut. xxxiii. 29 ; 2 Sam. xxiii. 
 3 ; 1 Chron. xvii. 24, " The Lord of hosts is the God 
 of Israel," &c. ; Psal. Ixviii. 34, and xc. 1. 
 
 (9.) Deliverance, Lev. xxvi. -W, 45. Zech. ix. II, 
 they were delivered out of Babylon, through the 
 blood of the covenant, when in danger by Zerah, 2 
 Chron. xiv. 9, 12; God by virtue of the covenant 
 delivered them, Psal. xliv. 4. 
 
 (10.) By virtue thereof God made sh-angers and 
 heathens serviceable unto his people, Isa. xiv. 3, 4 ; 
 Ezra vii. II, and turned the plots and curses of ene- 
 mies into blessings, Deut. xxiii. 5. 
 
 2. Spiritual mercies ; and they were divers. 
 
 (1.) They had God to be their God in a special 
 manner. God was God of all creatures, and of the 
 heathens, but not as of this people ; in respect of 
 them they were "without God," Eph. ii. 12; but the 
 Jews had God to be theirs in a most peculiar man- 
 ner, 2 Sam. vii. 24; I Chron. xvii. 22; therefore 
 happy in the judgment of the Lord, Psal. cxliv. 15. 
 All in God was theirs ; as all the man is, and halli, 
 is the woman's, when married unto him, Isa. liv. 5. 
 Exod. xxxiii. 19, he let Moses see what he had in 
 God ; and not only Moses, but that people also saw 
 his glory, Deut. v. 24. They owned one another, 
 Exod. XV. 2; Deut. xxxii. 3; Psal. \. 7; Heb. 
 xi. 10. 
 
 (2.) He recorded his name amongst them, and 
 dwelt with them. Lev. xxvi. 11, 12; Psal. cxxxii. 
 1.3, 14; Numb, xxiii. 21. When God was with 
 them, none could hurt them, but when he was ab- 
 sent, then evil came upon them, Deut. xxxi. 17. It 
 is worth much to have God amongst a people, Psal. 
 Ixxvi. I, 2. 
 
 (3.) The law was theirs, which was holy, just, and 
 good. Deut. iv. 8, " What nation is there so great, 
 that hath statutes and judgments so righteous," iS:c. ; 
 they made men wiser than their enemies, than all 
 their teachers, Psal. cxix. 98, 99. They were " lively 
 oracles," Acts vii. 38; Psal. cxlvii. 19, 20.
 
 Ver. 8, 9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 351 
 
 (4.) He made his mind and secrets known unto 
 that people, 2 Sam. vii. 27. Moses had familiar 
 converse with God; Abraham was his friend ; God 
 gave them Urim and Thummim, they were taught 
 of God, whereas the nations were deluded bv the 
 devil and his oracles. The Lord appeared to Jacob, 
 Joshua, Solomon, and others, and made known his 
 will to them. 
 
 (5.) They had forgiveness of sins; Exod. xx. 6, 
 that is a pardoning mercy, because visiting iniquity is 
 contrary to it, and noteth punishment, Exod. xxxiv. 
 6, 7; Isa. Iv. 7 ; Micah vii. 18; Dan. ix. 9. 
 
 (().) This covenant was the ground of their being 
 heard in prayer; 1 Sam. i. 17, "The God of Israel 
 grant thee thy petition;" Dan. ix. 17; 1 Sam. xxiii. 
 10, 1 1 ; 1 Kings viii. 23 ; 2 Kings xix. 15 ; 1 Kings 
 xvii. 21 ; Jer. xiv. 8. From hence they had, 
 
 [1.] A ground of expostulation with God; Psal. 
 xxii. 1, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
 me ?" &e. ; 2 Chron. xx. 12; Exod. xxxii. II. 
 
 [2.] Of challenging God for help ; Psal. iii. 7, 
 "Arise, O Lord ; save me, my God ;" Psal. xxxv. 
 23; xl. 17. 
 
 [3.] Of confidence ; Micah vii. 7, " I will look 
 unto the Lord ; 1 will wait for the God of my salva- 
 tion ; my God will hear me ;" Isa. xxv. 9. 
 
 (7.) They had many privileges by virtue of this 
 covenant. 
 
 [1.] They were a holy people, Exod. xix. G ; Deut. 
 vii. 6 ; Isa. Ixii. 12 : Dan. xii. 7- God called them 
 his " anointed," Psal. cv. 15; his " saints," 1. 5. 
 
 [2.] They were dear unto God, Deut. %ni. 6 ; Exod. 
 xix. 5, " a peculiar treasure;" they were his "jew- 
 els," Mai. iii. 17; as "the apple of his eye" imto 
 him, Deut. xxxii. 10 ; "a people near unto him," 
 Psal. cxUnii. 14 ; in his " arms," Deut. xxxiii. 27 ; 
 his " glory," Isa. iv. 5 ; Psal. Ixxviii. 61. 
 
 [3.] The Messiah was to come of them, Luke i. 
 72 ; Gen. xxii. 18. 
 
 [4.] Amongst them did the Lord choose out mate- 
 rials for the heavenly Canaan; Rom. ix, 4, the 
 adoption appertained to them. 
 
 (8.) Etemalhfe and salvation ; Acts xv. 11, "We 
 believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ we shall be saved, even as they." They had 
 sacrifices wliich typified Christ, and the brazen 
 serpent. 
 
 06.V. 1. That we are backward to believe what 
 the Lord saith and propounds unto us. He came 
 to this woman, pitied her in her bloody, sinful, afflict- 
 ed condition, said unto her, " Live," promised to do 
 much for her ; but she feared, doubted, apprehended 
 not God's intentions by Moses, Exod. ii. 11, 12, 
 compared with Acts vii. 25 : she was like other wo- 
 men, that believe not their suitors too easily, when 
 they tell them of great estates, honours, advantages 
 they shall have by them, and so put them to it to 
 make things out clear and evident, whereupon they 
 vow and swear to them it is so. This was the case 
 here, the Israelitish woman was not forward to be- 
 lieve, the Lord he swears by himself unto her, and 
 you know an oath is for confirmation, Heb. vi. 16; 
 so then that she might have her scruples, fears, 
 doubts, jealousies removed, and be confirmed in the 
 reality of things, the Lord is pleased to swear. She 
 had seen the great plagues upon the Egyptians, the 
 signs, wonders, and mighty hand of God, in bring- 
 ing her out of Egypt, yet this satisfied her not ; her 
 spirit was unbelieving, and God swears, to cure and 
 take away that unbelief. 
 
 Happy we, for whose sakes the Lord will vouch- 
 safe to swear! but O most miserable wc, if we be- 
 lieve not the Lord swearing ! He hath sworn that 
 he hath not pleasure in the death of the wicked, 
 
 Ezek. xxxiii. 1 1 : Isa. xlv. 23, " I have sworn, That 
 unto me every knee shall bow." 
 
 06.y. 2. See the infinite kindness and condescen- 
 sion of God towards poor sinners, that he will enter 
 into covenant with them. He is a God of infinite 
 glory, excellency, majesty, holiness, greatness ; to 
 him all the nations of the earth are but as the (hop 
 of a bucket, and as the small dust of the balance, 
 Isa. xl. 15 ; and what was this nation of the Jews ? 
 "The fewest of all peojde," Deut. to. 7; and yet 
 the Lord is pleased to make a covenant with this peo- 
 ple, this Israelitish woman. What was there in it 
 to move the Lord thereto ; was she of great birth ? 
 No ; " Thy father was an Amorite, thy mother an 
 Hittite." Had she any breeding ? any great por- 
 tion? any beauty ? No; she was an exposed infant, 
 brought up in brick and clay, a bond-servant, not 
 having a rag to cover her nakedness ; she lay in her 
 blood, and was without all beauty, under great scorn 
 and reproach ; yet the Lord is pleased to enter into 
 a covenant of mercy with her. But it may be the 
 Lord foresaw that she would prove well, be lov- 
 ing, obeilient, dutiful. No; the Lord foresaw she 
 would be a contentious wife, a continual chopping, 
 that she would be murmuring, ungratefid, whorisli, 
 rebellious, and idolatrous ; yet he strikes a covenant 
 with her, &c. God might have dealt with her and 
 us in an absolute way, commanded us, and immedi- 
 ately destroyed us if we had not obeyed ; but he con- 
 descends to deal with us in a way of covenant, a 
 way of mercy, with us worms. This should, 
 
 (1.) Put us into a rapture of admiration, and make 
 us say with David, Psal. viii. 4, " O Lord ! what is 
 man, that thou art mindful of him ? and the son of 
 man, that thou visitest him ? " Psal. cxliv. 3, " Lord, 
 what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him ! or 
 the son of man, that thou makest account of him !" 
 Job vii. 16, " What is man, that thou shouldest mag- 
 nify him ? and that thou shouldest set thine heart 
 upon him ? " 
 
 (2.) Endear the Lord unto us abundantly. When 
 great ones stoop to weak unworthy ones, it is a great 
 endearing of them unto those they stoop to. When 
 Boaz condescended to Ruth, it drew her heart strongly 
 towards him. 
 
 (3.) Make us faithful unto God, not to let our 
 hearts run out a whoring after other tilings. " I am 
 my belovi d's," said the spouse ; she was not for 
 others. Job made a covenant with his eyes, and 
 would not think of a maid ; he was faithful to God. 
 It was an imputation to Solomon, that "his heart 
 was not perfect with the Lord," 1 Kings xi. 4. 
 
 (4.) Make us free and cheerful in our obedience, 
 yielding such as springs from covenant rather than 
 command, from love rather than fear. 
 
 Ver. 9. Then washed I thee ivith water ; yea, 
 I throughly ivashed away thy blood from thee, and 
 I anointed thee with oil. 
 
 This verse lays before you the recital of fornif r 
 mercies God vouchsafed this people, and they are 
 two : 
 
 I. Washing. 
 
 II. Anointing. 
 
 No sooner had the Lord taken this woman into 
 covenant with him, made her his, but he washeth 
 and anoints her. 
 
 " I washed thee with water." Some refer this 
 washing to their passing tlirough the Red sra, 
 Exod. xiv. 21, 22, of which the ajiostle saith, I Cor. 
 X. 1, 2, " All our fathers were under the cloud, and 
 all passed through the sea ; and were all bajitized 
 imto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." Their
 
 352 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 bringing out of Egypt was a type of redemption by 
 Christ, and their passage through the Red sea, a 
 figure of baptism, or washing in tiie blood of Christ. 
 
 Some here nialie the water to be heavenly doctrine, 
 which tlie Lord gave them; Deut. xxxii. 2, " My 
 doctrine shall drop as the rain :" when the rain falls, 
 it washctli away the filth of places ; so did the law, 
 the corruptions and pollutions of this people. 
 
 Others think here to be meant those legal wash- 
 ings, spoken of in several places, begun in Exod. 
 xix. lU, " The Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the 
 people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and 
 let them wash their clothes;" and Numb. xix. you 
 may read of a water made of the ashes of a red 
 heifer, to purify and cleanse those who were defiled, 
 rieb. ix. 10, they had "divers washings." One was 
 dymaiioi, John xi. 55, they went up to Jerusalem, "to 
 purify themselves." A second, tcaSxipia/ibs, whicli 
 was a more thorough washing; John iii. 25, there 
 was "a question between some of John's disciples and 
 tile Jews," nipi KuOapia^oii. You know they had their 
 water-pots, which held two or three firkins apiece, 
 in which tliey washed their clothes, hands, feet, 
 when they were defiled by touching any unclean 
 thing. 
 
 Others put it upon God's freeing them from their 
 misery and sordid cimdition, through their poverty 
 and meamiess, raising them up to a considerable 
 estate. 
 
 ■We may step over the second and fourth, and take 
 the first and third : I washed tliee in the Red sea, 
 and with legal washings. Now because these were 
 typical, and leading unto Christ, we must pass from 
 the ceremony to the substance, viz. the blood of 
 Christ, and remission of sins ; I led thee by those 
 washings and baptisms, to the fountain set open for 
 uncleanness, Zech. xiii. 1. Sin defiles, and the 'blood 
 of Christ cleanseth from that defilement. I find in- 
 terjireters do understand by this washing with water, 
 forgiveness of sins, which in the New Testament is 
 oft expressed by tile metaphor of w-ashing, sprink- 
 ling, cleansing, purging, 1 John i. 7; 2 Pet. i. 9; 
 Rev. i. 5; Heb. ix. 14; 1 Pet. i. 2. Water cleanses, 
 cools, comforts ; and so doth forgiveness of sin 
 through the blood of Christ, Eph. i. 7; Heb. x. 22; 
 Matt. ix. 2 : Heb. xii. 24. 
 
 " I throughly washed away thy blood." The 
 Hebrew is, 1 have flooded thy bloods from thee. 
 
 By bloods (so it is in the Hebrew) is meant sins, 
 the analogy between which I spoke of in the Gth 
 verse. Blood is natural, difi'useth itself through the 
 whole man, defileth, makes loathsome ; and so doth 
 sin : I may add this, it abounds in man ; and so doth 
 sin; but God washed away their bloods, their sins, 
 thoroughly. 
 
 Quest. How appears it their sins were washed 
 away ? 
 
 Answ. Some scriptures give in evidence: Psal. 
 Ixxviii. 38, " He being full of compassion, forgave 
 their inicpiity ;" the word in the original, noD is, 
 to cover or cleanse ; God cleansed the elect by the 
 blood of his Son, as Deodate upon the jilace s'ailh. 
 Psal. xcix. 8, "Thou wast a God that forgavest 
 them ;" f;od did forgive them their manifold and 
 great iirovoealions of his majesty. That place in 
 Numb. xiv. lil, 2(J, is very remarkable ; snitli Moses, 
 " Pardon, I beseech thee', the ini(|uity of tliis people 
 according unto the greatness of thv mercy, and as 
 thou hast forgiven this jieople, from" Egvpt' even un- 
 til now." They had ofti n and much provoked God 
 after their drpiirture out of Egypt, yet God had for- 
 given them, and this arffuinent he pressed to move 
 God to pardon them still; and ver. 2f), "The Lord 
 said, I have pardoned according to thy word;" thou 
 
 hast desired me to pardon, and I have done it : 
 hence in Neh. ix. 17, he is called a God of pardons; 
 " ready to pardon," is the translation in our hands, 
 but the original is, nin'So niVst A God of propitiations 
 of pardons. 
 
 " And 1 anointed thee with oil." The Hebrew is, 
 ^i:r2 -|:dni I anointtd thee in oil. AVe must inquire 
 in what sense these words are to be taken. 
 
 Some put this construction upon them, that God 
 refreshed them after their great and long afflictions 
 in Egypt. They had sutl'ered long and much in the 
 house of bondage, and when God brought them 
 forth, freed them from their tasks and ta^k-masters, 
 gave them liberty and ease, this was a kind of anoint- 
 ing of them. 
 
 Others refer this to the holy oil, with which Aaron 
 and his sons were anointed ; Exod. xxx. 30, they 
 were anointed and consecrated, to "minister unto 
 the Lord in the priest's otfice," and so virtually in 
 them the people were anointed ; and you know that in 
 Exod. xix. U, they are called " A kingdom of priests, 
 an holy nation ;" and in Ezra ix. 2, " The holy seed;" 
 Dan. viii. 24, "The holy people." 
 
 You may take the w'ords in this sense : For the 
 abuiulance of oil that God gave them, Deut. viii. 8, 
 their land is called " A land of oil olive," or, as the 
 original is, A land of olive tree of oil ; that is, a land 
 of such olive trees as yielded much oil. This land 
 did not only abound with milk and honey, but also 
 with oil ; Joel ii. 24, their fats did " overflow with 
 wine and oil ;" they liad it in such abundance that 
 they sold it to other nations ; Hos. xii. 1, " Oil is 
 carried into Egypt." 
 
 Artaxerxes appointed his officers to allow Ezra 
 upon his return one hundred baths of oil, Ezra vii. 22. 
 
 Now there were two sorts of baths ; one called the 
 lesser bath, which contained seventy-two quarts, an- 
 other called the greater bath, which contained one 
 himdred and eighty sextaruses or quarts ; and this 
 distinction is founded upon 1 Kings vii. 26, where 
 the brazen sea is said to contain two thousand baths, 
 which must be understood of the greater baths, and 
 2 Chron. iv. 5, where it is said it h.eld three thousand 
 baths, which you must interpret of the lesser baths. 
 Ezra was allowed one hundred of them, which shows 
 they had plenty of oil amongst them ; and hence it 
 is likely the pirophet gave out the expression of 
 " rivers of oil," Micah vi. 7, for they had olive yards 
 in abundance, Neh. ix. 25. 
 
 For a more full understanding of these words, you 
 must know that in the oriental parts they used much 
 to wash and anoint themselves ; Amos vi. 6, " They 
 anoint themselves with the chief oinlments :" it was 
 ordinary at their feasts to do it ; ISIatt. xxvi. 7, a 
 woman came and poured a box of precious ointment 
 upon Christ's head as he sat at meat ; Luke vii. 38, 
 a woman anointed his feet with ointment as he sat 
 at meat ; ver. 46, saith Christ to Simon, " My head 
 with oil thou didst not anoint ; but this woman hath 
 anointed my feet :" Eccles. ix. 8, " Let thy head 
 lack no ointment." They anointed not only at their 
 feastings, but also upon their fastings; Matt. vi. 17, 
 " When thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash 
 thy face." 
 
 Lavater saith, that among the eastern people the 
 use of oil was the same ■« ith them, as the u.se of 
 baths amongst those where he lived. Husbands had 
 balhs in their houses for themselves and wives to 
 cleanse tlieir bodies and strengthen their spirits. 
 And so upon the marriage of women, they used to 
 wash and bathe ; Ruth iii. 3, when a match was in- 
 tended between Ruth and Boaz, what said Naomi to 
 her ? " Wash thyself tiierefore and anoint thee, and 
 put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the
 
 VtR. 9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 353 
 
 floor :" so Esth. ii. 12, the wives of the Persian kings 
 had twelve months for the time of their purification, 
 six months with oil of myrrh, anil six months with 
 other sweet odours, that so they might be the more 
 pleasing and delightful to the king ; this was their 
 custom. Now unto this, it seems to me, the Lord 
 here alludes, who proceeding in the allegory of this 
 metaphorical woman, the Jewish state, was now 
 upon the marriage and enjoyment of her ; and hav- 
 ing washed away her blood and filth with water, he 
 also anoints her with oil, that so she may be the 
 more acceptable and delightful unto him. Now this 
 anointing leads us to a spiritual consideration. 
 
 The stream of later interpreters runs that way. 
 So Polanus, " I have anointed thee with oil," that 
 is, I have regenerated thee by my Holy Spirit. Pis- 
 cator. By this unction seems to be signified regene- 
 ration by the Holy Spirit. CEcolampadius, After 
 washing comes the anointing of the Spirit. Pintus, 
 " I have anointed thee with oil." that is, with the 
 oil of my grace. Deodate, I have endowed thee 
 with the graces of my Spirit, signified by the anoint- 
 ing. Of the same judgment are they who set out 
 the Annotations upon the Bible. So Bernard, in his 
 Thesaurus Biblicus, in the word Oil, referring to this 
 place, saith, It is put for the grace of regeneration. 
 
 Now it is clear from the holy writ, that spiritual 
 things are held forth by oil and anointing with it. 
 Exod. si. 13, 15, Aaron and his sons must be anointed 
 with the anointing oil, which represented the anoint- 
 ing of Christ and his servants with the Spirit. Psal. 
 xlv. 7, " Thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of 
 gladness above thy fellows ;" it is spoken of God's 
 anointing Christ with his Spirit, and so likewise of 
 his anointing the saints with the graces of his Spirit. 
 2 Cor. i. 21, " He who hath anointed us is God." 
 The Spirit and graces of it are here represented by 
 oil. We must inquire further what is meant by this 
 anointing, for it is certain all of them had not the 
 Spirit and graces of it. 
 
 1. By this anointing we may understand the con- 
 secration of this people unto the Lord ; he separated 
 them from the Egyptians and the rest of the world, 
 who were profane, and made them a holy people to 
 himself. Exod. xl. 9 — 11. the tabei-naele, altar, and 
 vessels of both were anointed with oil, that so they 
 might be holy to the Lord, they were consecrated 
 by that oil to the Lord : so when God by his Spirit 
 in Moses told this people, Exod. xix. 6, that they 
 should be " a kingdom of priests, an holy nation," 
 then did he anoint them and consecrate them unto 
 himself; and Psal. cv. 15, they are called the Lord's 
 anointed ones, " Touch not mine anointed." 
 
 2. God's bringing them to a gladsome conihtion 
 after their sore bondage in Egypt, and forty years' 
 travel in the wilderness. Oil in holy Scripture sets 
 out joy and cheerfulness ; Psal. civ. 15, " Oil to 
 make his face to shine." Oil when they anointed 
 with it, and when they did eat it, much refreshed 
 them ; it is called " oil of gladness," Psal. xlv. 7, 
 and "oil of joy," Isa. Ixi. 3; and in that God made 
 them a gladsome and a joyous people, he is said to 
 anoint them. Psal. cv. 43, " He brought forth his 
 people with joy, and his chosen with gladness ;" the 
 Hebrew is, with singing. When tiny saw them- 
 selves through the Red sea, and the Egyptians 
 drowned, they sang for joy, Psal. cvi. 12, "They 
 sang his praise ;" and you have the song, Exod. xv. 
 Before, they were filled with anguish of spirit, 
 Exod. vi. 9; but God gave them for mourning the. 
 oil of joy by his Spirit, he put gladness into their 
 hearts, they were tlie people that knew the joyful 
 sound, Psal. Ixxxix. 15. 
 
 3. God's teaching of them in the wavs of his 
 
 2 A 
 
 worship. Never before had any people such laws 
 given them for divine worship, for regulation of 
 their lives and ways towards God and man, as they 
 had. Now teaching is set out by oil and unction, 
 1 John ii. 20, 27, " Ye have an unction, and the 
 anointing teacheth vou all things ;" that was the 
 Spirit : God anointed Moses and the prophets which 
 were amongst this people with the Spirit, and so 
 taught them all things needful for their condition. 
 What saith Moses, Deut. iv. 5 ? " I have taught you 
 statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God 
 commanded me :" Moses and the prophets spake as 
 the Holy Spirit moved them, and having the spirit of 
 prophecy amongst them, they may be said to be anoint- 
 ed. Origen saith. The anointing is the indwelling of 
 the Holy Spirit in the knowledge of the truth. 
 
 4. God's working of grace in their hearts, and 
 making of them truly lioly. The giving of the 
 Spirit and graces of it unto Christ, is called an 
 anointing of him. Acts x. 38, " God anointed Jesus 
 of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit;" and Cant. i. 3, 
 " Because of the savour of thy good ointments the 
 virgins love thee." Christ communicated the graces 
 of his Spirit, and anointed the virgins therewith, 
 which were sweet and savoury as a precious oint- 
 ment ; and here God saith he anointed the Jews 
 with oil, and did give unto many of them his Spirit 
 and saving grace. Abraham their father was emi- 
 nent for faith, Rom. iv. IS — 20; so Isaac, Jacob, 
 Joseph, Moses, Caleb, Joshua, Gideon, Baruch, 
 Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets, and multi- 
 tudes of others, they had not only true grace, but 
 much grace ; Heb. xi. 39, " These all obtained a 
 good report through faith." 
 
 This people was the church of God, he had no 
 other people which he owned as his; the Jewish na- 
 tion alone was his peculiar people, and if there was 
 any true grace in the world it was amongst them : 
 they were called the " holy people," Deut. vii. 6, 
 the "holy nation," Exod. xix. 6, "holy seed," Isa. 
 vi. 13, " the generation of the righteous," Psal. xiv. 
 5, "saints," 1. 5; not only because they were sepa- 
 rated from the rest of the world, came of Abraham, 
 made a profession of the true God and his worship, 
 but also because they had true grace. Isa. Ii. 7, God 
 gives this testimony of them, " The people in whose 
 heart is my law;" if there had not been many of 
 them truly gracious, God would never have given 
 them such a commendation. 
 
 Thus you see what is meant by this anointing, and 
 though all had not true grace, yet how all may be 
 in one respect or other said to be anointed. 
 
 Obs. 1. Those whom it pleaseth the Lord to enter 
 into covenant with, and take to be his people, them 
 he pleaseth to wash : this ariseth clearly from the 
 coherence ; " I entered into a covenant with thee, 
 and thou becamest mine ;" what then ? " Then 
 washed I thee with water." 
 
 There is a double washing to be considered : one 
 external, which was in the Red sea, and in the legal 
 washings, and so they were all washed, good and 
 bad. 'There is another washing which is internal, 
 viz. by the Idood of Christ, signified by the outward 
 washings, and this is the principal washing; and 
 with this washing they were not all washed, only 
 those who were elect and vessels of grace, they were 
 washed in the blood of Christ, and had the forgive- 
 ness of sins. In Jer. xxxi. 33, 34, where God 
 speaks of entering into covenant with the house of 
 Israel, he tells them he will forgive iniquity ; and 
 chap, xxxiii. 8, " I will cleanse them from all their 
 iniquity," DTino that cleansing is washing them 
 away in the blood of Christ, and pardoning them for 
 his sake, for it follows in the original •nrT?ci "and I
 
 354 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 will pardon all their iniquities." Now in the times 
 of the gospel, those who live under the sound of it, 
 and do profess the same, they are washed with the 
 water of baptism, but not all with the blood of 
 Christ. Simon Magus had the outward washing, 
 Acts viii. 13, but wanted the inward washing; so 
 John baptized many with water, whom Christ never 
 baptized with his blood ; but all the Father gave 
 him, and were covenanted for, those he washed with 
 liis blood ; Rev. i. 5, " He loved us," that is, being 
 in covenant with the Father, " and washed us 
 from our sins in his o«n blood," wliich is there- 
 fore called " the blood of the covenant," Heb. 
 xiii. 20. And whereas it is said, Heb. x. 29, that 
 some which proved apostates were sanctified with 
 that blood, you must understand it of those who 
 by profession of the faith, and participation of 
 the seals, baptism and the supper, were separated 
 from Judaism and paganism, ami in the judgment of 
 charity such : not that they were internally washed 
 from their sins by the blood of Christ, for it is im- 
 possible that any man sanctified and pardoned 
 through the blood of Christ, should tread under 
 foot the Son of God, and count that blood an unholy 
 thing ; to such a soul nothing is more precious than 
 Christ and his blood. 
 
 Obs. 2. Those whose sin God forgives, he fulh' 
 forgives. " I throughly washed away thy blood," 
 I sufTered no sin, no guilt to stick upon thee. Ezek. 
 xxxvi. 25, " I will sprinkle clean water upon you, 
 and ye shall be clean ; from all your filthiness, and 
 from all your idols, will I cleanse you :" sprinkling 
 of them with clean water imports the sprinkling of 
 them with the blood of Christ, whereby sins are 
 purged and done away. 1 John i. 7, " The blood of 
 Christ cleanseth from all sin," not some few, some 
 little, some great, some old, some new sins, but from 
 all sin ; when God pardons he pardons thoroughly, 
 Jer. xxxiii. 8, " I will cleanse them from all their 
 iniquity, wliereby they have sinned against me ; and 
 I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have 
 sinned against me:" let the sins, iniquities, be 
 what they will, when the Lord is upon the work of 
 forgiving, he will forgive them all. Dand blesseth 
 God upon this ground, because God was a God for- 
 giving all iniquities, Psal. ciii. 3. That place in 
 Isa. Iv. 7, is to our purpose, " He will abundantly 
 pardon ;" not ten, tw"ent)', a hundred, or a thousand 
 sins, but ten thousand sins, all wicked ways, all evil 
 thoughts. The Vulgate reads it, Multus est ad ig- 
 nosceinlum, He is much inclined to pardon, much in 
 pardoning, he takes delight in it, as a thing natural 
 to him. Micah vii. 18, " He pardoneth iniquity and 
 jiasseth by transgression ;" and why ? " because he 
 delighteth in mercy ;" it is his will, his nature to be 
 merciful, nothing pleases him more than to sliow 
 mercy. The Hebrew is, He will multiply to ]iar- 
 don ; if man have multiplied sins, he will multiply 
 means to pardon those sins ; the sins of the creature 
 shall not be supernumerary to the mercies of the 
 Creator. Man is a father of sins, and God is a 
 " Father of mercies," 2 Cor. i. 3. Doth man beget 
 and bring forth thousands of sins in a day ? God 
 begets and brings forth more mercies in an hour ; 
 where sin abounds, he makes grace much more to 
 abound, Rom. v. 20. 
 
 06.S. 3. Those whose sins God washes away, them 
 he separates from the world, makes glad, teaches 
 his ways, and beautifies with the graces of his Spirit. 
 " I throughly washed thee from blood, and anointed 
 thee with oil;" all these are comprehended in that 
 anointing ; when God washeth away the sins of any, 
 then he anoints them with oil. "SVhen Aaron was 
 washed, then was he anointed, Exed. xl. 12, 13. 
 
 And Peter tells them that had put the Lord Christ 
 to death, that they were washed, and they should be 
 anointed ; they must first be baptized for remission 
 of sins, and then they should receive the gift of the 
 Holy Spirit, Acts ii. 38. When God pardons any, 
 he purges them ; after the remission comes the 
 unction : and thin, 
 
 (1.) They are ofi" from the world, they are the 
 Lord's, his beloved, they have sweet peace and fel- 
 lowship with him ; they are vessels anointed for the 
 Lord's use, and dare not profane themselves with 
 the world, knowing " that the friendship of the world 
 is enmity with God," Jam. iv. 4. In 1 John i. he 
 speaks of their cleansing from sin by the blood of 
 Christ ; in chap. ii. of their receiving the anointing ; 
 and in chap. iii. 13, of the world's hatred of them : 
 they were now not of the world, the unction had 
 severed them from the world, and they were conse- 
 crated to the Lord. 
 
 (2.) They are joyous and cheerful ones who are 
 anointed. The apostles, after they received the Holy 
 Spirit, their sorrows for the departure of Christ fled 
 away, their troubles in the flesh were nothing. So 
 Paul and Silas sang praises at midnight, after whip- 
 ping, imprisoning, and thrusting into the stocks. 
 Acts xvi. 24, 25. And the Hebrews " took joyfully 
 the spoiling of their goods," Heb. x. 34 ; and why ? 
 they " were made partakers of the Holy Spirit," chap, 
 vi. 4, they were anointed, and that made them joyful. 
 
 (3.) Tliey are taught the ways of God. Heb. viii. 
 10 — 12, "I will put my laws into their mind, and 
 write them in their hearts. They shall all know me, 
 from the least to the greatest. For I will be mer- 
 ciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and 
 iniquities will I remember no more." ^\ hen God 
 should forgive them, and wash away their sins in 
 the blood of Christ, then he would anoint them, he 
 would teach them, little and great, the knowledge 
 of himself and his ways. 
 
 (4.) They are sanctified and beautified with the 
 graces of his Spirit. When sins are washed away 
 in the blood of the Lamb, then God anoints with the 
 graces of his Spirit. Tit. iii. 5, 6, upon " the wash- 
 ing of regeneration" (that is, upon the effectual 
 washing of the soul by the blood of Christ in the use 
 of baptism) followed the " renewing of the Holy 
 Spirit ; which he shed on us abundantly," poured 
 out like oil, so that they were replenished, sanctified, 
 and beautified with all the graces of his Spirit. 
 
 Ver. 10 — 13. I clothed thee also with hroidered 
 work, and shod thee ivith hadgers' skin, and I 
 girded thee about with Jine linen, and I covered 
 thee irith silk. I decked thee (i!so with ornaments, 
 and J put bracelets upon thij hands, and a chain 
 on ihi) neck. And I jmt a jewel on thy forehead, 
 and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown 
 upon thine head. Tims wast thou decked with 
 gold and silver; and thij raiment was of fine 
 linen, and silk, and broidered work ; thou didst 
 eat fine Jiour, and honey, and oil : and thou wast 
 ctceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a 
 kingdom. 
 
 These verses hold out more of God's bounty to- 
 wards this woman; like a loving husband newly 
 married, he makes great provision for her. 
 
 I. Clothing, and that not common, but costly, ver. 
 10, and part of 13. 
 
 II. Ornaments, ver. 11, 12, bracelets, a chain, a 
 jewel, earrings, a crown. 
 
 III. Diet, fine flour, honey, and oil. 
 
 " I clothed thee also with broidered work." -jraSs
 
 Ver. 10—13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 355 
 
 r^Cy>-\ I clothed thee with that which is dia«Ti, 
 painted, or embroidered with a needle. The word 
 is from cpi to embroider with the needle, or by 
 weaving, to work in divers colours, figures and pic- 
 tures in cloths ; they made the pictures of men, 
 beasts, and other living creatm-es in them ; some- 
 times they intermixed gold and silk of divers colours, 
 and so the work was very curioiis and costly. Pradus 
 conceivts that the word rickmah doth properly sig- 
 nify work done by the needle ; and Psal. xlv. 14, 
 where it is said, " She shall be Ijrought unto the 
 king in raiment of needlework," nciJ-iS it sets out 
 what broidery the word imports, viz. that which is 
 done with the needle, and such embroidery is called 
 opus Phrygioiiicum, because the Phrygians first in- 
 vented it. Some refer this clothing with broidery 
 to Aaron; Exod. xxviii. 4, there a "broidered coat" 
 was to be made for him, in which they affirm was 
 embroidered the whole world, heaven, earth, sea, 
 with the fulness and furniture of them, as birds, 
 fishes, beasts, meadows, and those living creatures 
 which were dos uxoris, the dowry of the wife, these 
 were intertext, woven in ; also with the needle was 
 embroidered most livelily the glory of their pro- 
 genitors, according to that in VVisd. xviii. 24, " In 
 the long garment was all the ornament, and in the 
 four rows of the stones was the glory of the fathers 
 graven." Theodoret refers the broidery, and what 
 follows in the woi'ds, to the curtains, coverings, and 
 ornaments of the tabernacle, which were costly and 
 wrought with needlework, some of them, Exod. 
 xxvi. 36. But both these are too narrow ; the peo- 
 ple were clothed with broidered work, as well as 
 the priests and tabernacle; Isa. iii. 18, they had 
 their bravery and their broidery too. Judg. v. 30, 
 when Sisera was gone forth to fight witli the Is- 
 raelites, did not his mother and the ladies say, 
 " Have they not divided the prey ? to Sisera a prey 
 of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needle- 
 work on both sides, meet for the neck of them that 
 take the spoil ? " The Hebrew for needlework is 
 Tichmah and rickmatliaim, broidery made with the 
 needle, which the Jews had plenty of; the repeti- 
 tion of the words import it ; had they conquered and 
 spoiled the Jews, they looked for a prey of divers-co- 
 loured needlework. 
 
 " And shod thee with badgers' skin." The He- 
 brew is, rnn I'^yjxi That this taclmt,h was some 
 living creature all agree, but what creature, is doubt- 
 ful ; some rabbles say it was a beast, which only at 
 that time had been found, having many spots, which 
 the Chaldeans called sasgona, as delighting in colours, 
 for some of the Hebrews say it had six colours ; we 
 have it "badgers' skins;" so it is rendered, Exod. 
 XXV. 5; xxvi. 14; xxxv. 7, -3; xxxvi. 19; xxxix. 
 34; Numb. iv. 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 25; but whether 
 so warrantable I leave to consideration, for the Jews 
 held the taclianch to be a clean beast, which the 
 badger is not, by Moses's law, as Ainsworth ob- 
 serves. How could they handle the badger, if it 
 were an unclean creature, flay it, and make shoes of 
 the skin, and not be defiled therewith ? the wearing 
 of such shoes was a defilement and abomination. 
 Besides, it is not probable that God would have the 
 tabernacle covered with the skins of unclean beasts, 
 that being holy. Gesner also saith that the skins of 
 badgers have no preciousness in them ; he would have 
 inquiry made whether it be not the Thos lynx, some 
 such creature, whose skin is precious and spotted. 
 Further, it appears not that badgers' skins were 
 of use to make shoes, as here the tachash is said to 
 be. It is most likely to be some living creature 
 peculiar to those parts, having sundry blue spots in 
 it, which occasioned the Septuagint and Vulgate 
 2 ,v 2 
 
 to translate it as they have done, " I shod thee 
 with skins of a blue colour." The Jews did wear 
 their garments short, because their feet were seen ; 
 they had their shoes exquisitely made and much 
 adorned ; Isa. iii. 18, " Omaments about their feet." 
 This shoeing of them held out, saith Prado, 
 
 1. Liberty; for as to be unshod noted captivity, 
 Isa. xs. 3, 4, so being shod the contrary, Exod. 
 xii. 11. 
 
 2. Taking possession ; for loosing the shoe was an 
 emblem of man's parting with his right, Ruth iv. 
 7 ; Deut. XXV. 9, 10. 
 
 3. Joy : Ezek. xxiv. 1/, in time of mourning they 
 put of}' their shoes, and therefore the prophet being 
 forbid to mourn, is commanded to put on his shoes. 
 
 4. Constancy and resolution. The word here for 
 shoeing is from Syj to shut, because when a man is 
 shod, his feet are shut up Irom danger of stones and 
 thorns, and so he goes on boldly, constantly, reso- 
 lutely : Eph. vi. 15, " Having your feet shod with 
 the preparation of the gospel ;" let the gospel be to 
 the affections as shoes to the feet, have that in 
 readiness, it will make you go on undauntedly. 
 
 " I girded thee about with fine linen." Hebrew 
 is thus, U'ca "iransi I covered thee with fine linen. 
 Exod. XXV. 4, it is tx- there, which Tremellius and 
 Junius render Imum, xilinum, not hyssum, and upon 
 this reason, because bysse or fine linen hath another 
 name among the Hebrews, viz. ^'^3 as in I Chron. 
 XV. 27 ; hut this argument is not convincing, because 
 both in the Hebrew tongue and in others, one thing 
 may have divers names ; and Boetius in his Sacred 
 Animadversions saith that if U'C be cotton, it hath 
 also another name in the Hebrew, namely, nntt'3 and 
 so he interprets that place in Josh. ii. 6, yjrn TU'Ba 
 to be understood of cotton and not of flax, which is 
 Masius's opinion. It appears to me that sheah was 
 some choice material, whereof they made precious 
 garments and girdles, such as were for kings and 
 great persons. Gen. xli. 42, when Pharaoh would 
 exalt Joseph, set him over all the land next to him- 
 self, he arrays him in vestures o{ shesh, bysse or fine 
 linen. So in Prov. xxxi. 22, speaking of the vir- 
 tuous wife, he saith, her clothing is aliesh : in the 
 verse before, it is said of her household, they were all 
 clothed with scarlet; if they were clad with that, 
 this shesh must be sometliing more precious, other- 
 wise her servants should be better clad than herself: 
 I conceive the marginal reading were fitter, they 
 were all clothed with double garments ; so the He- 
 brew word will bear it, and the former words of tlie 
 verse seem to infer it, " She is not afraid of the snow," 
 that is, the greatest cold of all, because her household 
 is clothed with double garments, and she herself 
 with shesh, fine linen and purple, which were more 
 costly than the others. Luke xvi. 19, the rich man 
 is brought in clothed with purple and fine linen, 
 bysso ; and it is reckoned amongst precious things. 
 Rev. xviii. 12, 16, as gold, silver, precious stones, 
 pearls, fine linen or bysse ; purple, silk, scarlet, &c. ; 
 fine linen here, or bysse, is distinguished from silk, 
 and so is ru- in my "text ; there is another word for 
 silk "U'c they have mistaken therefore who have 
 rendered u'V silk, whereas it is the common consent 
 of interpreters, that »C'C is silk ; this *7!e.s7i or bymus 
 was a kind of flax greatly esteemed and desired of 
 women, and of no less value than gold. The rabbles 
 say, what place soever in the law speaketh of shesh 
 or butz, it is flax, or bysse, maymony. Mercer saith 
 it is a kind of flax most fine, white, and precious, 
 and so divers others, only some doubt is made of the 
 colour. Pausanias and Boetius do conceive it was 
 of a yellowish or reddish colour, but the Scripture 
 itself may determine that doubt; Rev. xix. 14, it is
 
 355 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 called /SiViTD'oi' Xtinov, white linen ; ami the word uliesh 
 is put for white marble, Cant. v. 15; and if the 
 Scripture calls it white, we need not make inquiry 
 after any colour : for the origin of it, Del. tells us 
 that bi/f:-iu7n non vermiculi pratum esse sed terr<E 
 ceil planfw. 
 
 " I girded thee." The Hebrew ran signities, to bind 
 and to cover. Isa. i. 6, Thy wounds have not been 
 " bound up ;" Gen. xxii. 3, " Abraham rose, and sad- 
 dled his ass ;" the Hebrew is, covered ; in this place, 
 the word is, to girt; now which sense of the word is fit- 
 test must be inquired after. WHienas some render it, I 
 covered, I clothed thee ; others, I girded, or bound thee ; 
 to me girding i.s most peculiar here, because he 
 spake of clothing before, and speaks of covering in 
 the next words : it is well rendered by our trans- 
 lators, " I girded thee," i:c. that is, with a girdle 
 made of fine linen, I girt thee and thy children. 
 Aaron's girdle was of fine twined linen, Exod. xxxix. 
 29. Girdles usually were of costly things, needle- 
 work, Exod. xxviii. 39, of gold. Rev. xv. (i ; Dan. x. 
 5; and girdles were for gifts, 2 Sam. xviii. 11, saith 
 Joab to the young man, " 1 would have given thee 
 ten shekels of silver and a ginlle." Girdles amongst 
 the attire and dressing of women, were of some ac- 
 count : Jer. ii. 32, " Can a maid forget her orna- 
 ments, or a bride her attire ;" their hearts and 
 thoughts are much taken up with them, and because 
 they sinned so about them the Lord told them, Isa. 
 iii. 24, " That instead of a girdle there should be a 
 rent, and instead of a stomacher a girding with sack- 
 cloth :" this girding some make to note out chastity, 
 and conjugal fidelity ; others, fitness and prepared- 
 ness for employment. 
 
 " Covered thee with silk." Hebrew is 'f c -IDIX 
 This covering was not any inward garment, but 
 some outward veil, a covering, not a clothing. The 
 Hebrew women did wear their veils and coverings 
 over their outward garments : Gen. xxxviii. 14, 
 Tamar covered herself with a veil ; so did Rebekah, 
 Gen. xxiv. tiS ; and Cant. v. 7, the spouse had her 
 veil : so Isa. iii. 23, the daughters of Zion had their 
 hoods and veils. Whether these veils did cover 
 ihe whole bodies, like hukes in some countries, or 
 their half bodies, whether their heads or faces, is 
 doubtfid amongst interpreters. That they were not 
 only for the head, but larger, is clear from Ruth iii. 
 15. How big or little soever, it was of silk, so do 
 expositors in general render it; only the Septuagint 
 and Jerom read it otherwise : the one hath it Tpixair- 
 Tov, which Suidas affirms to be a silken cloth, or 
 precious vesture; Theodoret, a net or caul made of 
 fine hair, and put upon the heads of woman ; Hesy- 
 chius exiiounds it to be jiofiliiiciov inpaufia v-rrtp tSiv 
 rpixwi' KnfiaXfiQ aTTTu)itvov, a silken covering, woven, 
 knit, or made for the hairs of the head ; and Sfejiha- 
 luis in Thes. rpif^a-Krov, is tectum (juoildam leiiue et 
 bnmbijcnium magni preiii i/uod criiiibus oliducebalur. 
 Jtrom hath it, subtilibus, I covered thee with curious 
 and fine coverings ; it was of that fineness saith he. 
 Hi cupillonim tenuitatem habere credalur, that it equal- 
 led small hair. Our prophet saith 'tt'o with silk, 
 which may be drawn out into very curious threads ; 
 the word from whence meshi comes is nrc signifying 
 to draw out. 2 Sam. xxii. 17, " He drew me out of 
 many waters;" and Moses had his name hence, 
 Exod. ii. 10, because drawn out of the water ; so silk 
 is called tnes/ii in Hebrew, because it is drawn out of 
 the bowels of a worm, and afterwards being put into 
 the water, is drawn out into the finest threads. 
 
 The use of veils in Scripture was twofold : 
 
 1. For declaration and preservation of modesty : 
 Gen. xxiv. 65, when Isaac was coming, Rebekah 
 puts on her veil, and covers her beauty from the 
 
 sight of man, and manifests her modesty, 1 Cor. xi. 
 5, a woman prophesying was to have her head 
 covered, .she must not do it without her veil on ; that 
 was a shame to her, argued boldness and impudence, 
 and was as disgraceful as being shorn ; when there- 
 fore a woman prophesied, either in an extraordinary 
 way, as Deborah, Huldah, Anna, the daughters of 
 Philip, or in an ordinary way, that is, sung in pub- 
 lic, (tor so prophesying is taken, 1 Chron. xxv. 1, 
 wdiere the singers are said to prophesy with harps,) 
 they were for modesty's sake to put on their veils ; 
 and God here gave a silken veil or covering to the 
 Jewish church his spouse, that she might carry 
 herself modestly towards him. 
 
 2. A veil notes subjection ; 1 Cor. xi. 10, "A 
 woman ought to have power on her head," that is, 
 to cover it, that so it may appear she is under the 
 dominion of her husband. Man being God's deputy 
 on earth, lord of the world, he ought not to cover 
 his head, lest he wrong the power put into his hand ; 
 but the woman being of man and for man, she 
 ought to cover and veil herself, to declare her sub- 
 jection to hor husband, and reverence the power in 
 him. God therefore giving a covering to this Jewish 
 state, would have her to know, that she was not to 
 live as she listed, but to be in subjection unto him, 
 and to be ruled by his laws, that she was not at her 
 own disposal, but at the pleasure and disposure of 
 the Lord. 
 
 Ver. II. "I decked thee also with ornaments." 
 In the former verse you heard of the rich clothing- 
 of tiiis Israelitish woman ; in tliis and the next verse 
 yon have her ornaments, which are for comeliness 
 and sight, rather than any necessity. 
 
 " I put bracelets upon thy hands." Hebrew is, 
 D'icy armUlas, from itit to couple, join, unite to- 
 gether ; and bracelets are made of such materials as 
 are stringed and united together. This practice was 
 very ancient ; Gen. xxiv. 22, you have mention of 
 golden bracelets for the hands of Rebekah ; and 
 these were worn sometimes by men also, as Gen. 
 xxxviii. 18, Tamar asked Judah for his signet and 
 his bracelets ; and 2 Sam. i. 10, Saul had a bracelet 
 upon his arm ; these persons of note did use to 
 wear, and they were a great ornament unto them, 
 signifying, saith Origen, that the hands should do no 
 uncomely thing. 
 
 " A chain on thy neck." Hebrew is, "im Sj? 
 "|J1"13 it is from 15"i which was a chain of divers gems, 
 or precious things, hanging down from the neck to 
 the breast. This wearing of chains about the neck 
 we find to be first in Egypt ; Gen. xli. 42, Pharaoh 
 put a gold chain about Joseph's neck, which was a 
 great honouring of him ; it is like the Egyptian 
 kings and nobles did wear chains for ornaments. 
 Dan. v. U), Belshazzar said to Daniel, " If thou canst 
 read the writing and make it known to me, thou 
 shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of 
 gold about thy neck." It was used as for honour, 
 so for reward ; Solomon saith, his beloved's neck 
 was comely with chains of gold. Cant. i. 10; so obe- 
 dience to parents is reckoned as a chain about the 
 neck, Prov. i. 9. Here by chain, saith Bernard in 
 his Bibl. Thes. is meant (he laws and ordinances of 
 God, which would be a chain to her neck. 
 
 Ver. 12. "I put a jewel on thy forehead." The 
 Hebrew word for jewel i.s, DT3 which notes a jewel 
 for the forehead. In the original it is, on thy nose 
 or nostrils ; and Isa. iii. 21, you read of " nose jew- 
 els," f|Nn 'C13 the rings of the nose or jewels of the 
 nostrils : so in Gen. xxiv. 47, " I put the earring uj)- 
 on her face," it is in the original, I put the jewel on 
 her nose or nostrils. Some think it was a ring fast- 
 ened in the cartilage, or partition between the nos-
 
 Ver. 10—13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 357 
 
 trils, wliich is a place fit enough for such a purpose, 
 and from thence hung down to the lips ; Thcodoret 
 is of that judgment : and the Lord seems to allude 
 unto Isa. xxxvii. 29, " I will put my hook in thy 
 nose," or nostrils ; and historians tell us, that there 
 are Indians and others in the world who wear jewels 
 in their noses. Others hold it was a jewel fastened 
 on their foreheads, and so hung down to their noses. 
 Castalio hath it, frontale, as if it were a forehead 
 jewel. The author of this opinion was Jerom, who 
 affirms that among their ornaments they were wont 
 to have golden rings hang down fi-om their foreheads 
 to their mouths; and he renders Isa. iii. 21, Gem- 
 mas &r fronte pendentes. I shall not contend in this 
 point, but when the Scripture calls them jewels for 
 the nose, I should think it safest to rest there. 
 
 " Earrings in thine ears." Hebrew is, D'S-jy cir- 
 culos, it is from Sijy rolundum, because they are 
 round. They were of gold usually : Exod. xxxii. 2, 
 " Break ofl' the golden earrings, which are in the 
 ears of your wives;" Job xlii. 11, every one of Job's 
 friends brought him an earring of gold ; Judg. \iii. 
 24, " They had golden earrings ;" the word here 
 signifies any round thing, and so rings in general. 
 
 I shall speak a word or two of rings. I find in 
 Scripture that they were ancient, and their use to be, 
 
 1. Honorary- : so when Joseph had told Pharaoh 
 his dream, he honoured him with putting a ring 
 upon his finger ; Gen. xli. 42, " He took oti' the ring 
 from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's." 
 
 2. Signatory : Ahasuerus bids Esther write in the 
 king's name for the Jews, and seal it with the king's 
 ring. Sealing rings were called signets ; Gen. 
 xxxviii. 18, Tamar demands of Judah his signet; 
 Dan. vi. 17, " The king sealed it with his own signet, 
 and the signets of his lords :" and they did wear 
 their signets upon their right hands ; Jer. xxii. 24, 
 " Though Coniah were the signet," &c. 
 
 3. Decorary, or for ornament, either of the hands, 
 Esth. viii. 2, or of the nose, as before, or of the ears, 
 as in this place. By this earring, Theodoret un- 
 derstands the hearing of the word of God. 
 
 4. Testificatory : 
 
 (1.) Of joy : Luke xv. 22, said the father of the 
 prodigal upon his return, " Put a ring on his hand." 
 
 (2.) Of estate : James ii. 2, " If there come unto 
 your assembly a man with a gold ring," &c. ; that 
 shows him to be a man of estate. Crassus, that rich 
 Roman, wore two rings, thereby intimating the great 
 increase of his wealth. 
 
 (3.) Of power : Esth. iii. 10, when Haman had tra- 
 duced the Jews, persuaded the king it was not for 
 his profit to sulTer them, and had offered a great sum 
 of money for their destruction, the king took the ring 
 from his hand, and gave it unto Haman, which tes- 
 
 Cu.i. hb. 6. tified the king thereby gave him power 
 de Gest. Alex, (q (Jq jf . gg Alexander, when sick unto 
 death, was asked who should be his successor, 
 answered. The best amongst them ; and shortly 
 after, his speech failing, he pulled off his ring, and 
 gave it to Perdiccas. 
 
 Their earrings that entered their ears, had the 
 names of their gods in them : Gen. xxxv. 4, they 
 gave to Jacob all their strange gods, and their ear- 
 rings, which he buried under the oak. Why should 
 he bury the earrings, if they had not the names, 
 effigies, or memorial of their gods in them ? 
 
 Also they were tokens of reconciliation : Job xlii. 
 11, they brought to Job an ean-ing of gold : so God 
 had given them his word, that it might enter into 
 their cars, carry the name and memorial of God to 
 their hearts, and be a pledge of his friendship and 
 good will towards them. 
 
 Obs. I. That whatever wealth vou have, clothing, 
 
 ornaments, jewels, it is the Lord who gives you 
 them. "I clothed thee, I girded thee, 1 covered 
 thee, I decked thee, I put bracelets upon thy hands, I 
 put a jewel on thy forehead ;" here are six things. 
 If we have clothes, we consider not who clothed us, 
 therefore saith God, "I clothed thee;" if we be 
 girded, &c. we are very apt to forget God's bounty, 
 and to attribute what he gives to our own industry, 
 prudence, providence, or some second cause : Hos. ii. 
 5, she thought her lovers, not God, gave her bread, 
 water, wool, flax, &c. ; ver. 8, " She did not know 
 that 1 gave her." We all live upon the alms of God ; 
 no man hath a coat, a shoe, a girdle, no woman a 
 veil, a hood, a jewel, but it is the gift of God. Cant. 
 iv. 1, the church is said to have doves' eyes, because 
 she looks much upward : others have swine's, they 
 look downward. 
 
 " A beautiful crown upon thine head." Hebrew is, 
 rnsBP niBjr, a crown of glory, that is, a crown which 
 made thee glorious and beautiful. 
 
 ^^'hat this crown was we must inquire. A crown 
 is somewhat that compasseth about ; so the word 
 IBJ? whence it comes, signifies, \-\z. to surround ; and 
 the learned conceive this crown was some ornament 
 upon the head, made of fine linen, silk or gold inter- 
 mixed with the same. In Isa. iii. 18, you read of 
 round tires like the moon, which Deodate saith they 
 wore on their shoes, but others, on their heads, that 
 were made of costly materials, and round like the moon, 
 and may be that which the Lord calls here the beauti- 
 ful crown. Women in our days do tie up their hair 
 in around, which shows like a crown upon their heads. 
 
 Aaron you know was crowned ; Lev. viii. 9, Moses 
 put upon his head the holy crown, and so in him 
 crowned the people, who are called a royal priest- 
 hood, " a kingdom of priests," Exod. xix. 6 : to this 
 crowning, some think, the Lord respects here. 
 Others judge the Lord alludes to a custom among 
 the Jews, and others, of putting crowns upon the 
 heads of those who were to be married, and receive 
 princely power and dignity ; Cant. iii. 11, Solomon's 
 mother crowned him with a crown " in the day of 
 his espousals ;" and Isa. Ixi. 10, "As a bridegroom 
 decketh himself with ornaments;" the Hebrew is, 
 that decketh himself as a priest, who had choice 
 ornaments, and among the rest a crown; and so the 
 Vulgate reads it. As a bridegroom adorned with a 
 crown : and so the brides had crowns, or peculiar dress- 
 ings like crowns. The Vulgate reads the words, Cant. 
 iv. 8, " Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with 
 me from Lebanon," et coronaberis, and thou shalt be 
 crowned. When Ahasuerus took Esther to be his 
 spouse, he " set the royal crown upon her head," 
 Esth. ii. 17; so God here, speaking of the marrying 
 of this woman to him, tells you, that he put a crown 
 upon her head ; it was an honourable, a princely 
 marriage, and God would have the world know, that 
 his spouse should not be inferior to any, but have 
 her crown and the honour of a kingdom : and by 
 this crown I conceive is meant, not the cloud which 
 covered and compassed them by day, nor the law 
 which God gave them at mount Sinai, but princely 
 dignity, dominion, and power ; so it is used, Psal. 
 cxxxii. 18, " His enemies will I clothe with shame ; 
 but upon himself shall his crown flourish," that is, 
 his dignity and power shall flourish. Rev. \\. 2, he 
 that sat on the white horse "had a crown given 
 unto him, and he went forth conquering and to con- 
 quer :" the crown given was an emblem of dignity 
 and dominion ; and here it notes that honour and 
 power God gave this people. Numb. i. 16, there 
 were princes of the tribes, twelve are named in the 
 verses before, and chap. xvi. 2, you have mentioned 
 two hundred and fifty princes : they had store of
 
 358 
 
 AN EXrOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 princes amontjst them, which shows they were an 
 honourable andpotent people; Joshua, Barak, Jcph- 
 thali, &"c. their dignity and dominion was the crown of 
 glory the Lord had put upon their head. Jer. xiii. 
 IS, "Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble 
 yourselves ; for your principalities shall come down, 
 even the crown of your glory;" the word princi- 
 palities is rendered in the margin, head tires, those 
 ornaments on their heads which noted their princi- 
 palitirs, as their crowns, which imported greatness, 
 power, and sovereignty ; these being crowns of their 
 glory, should come down : or we may take the word 
 as it stands. The principalities, what you count the 
 principal things, as the royal dignity, and sovereign 
 power, these shall come down, thise arc the crowns 
 of glory, and they shall be laid in the dust. 
 
 Ver. 13. " Thus wast thou decked with gold and 
 silver." The Hebrew is, and thou wast decked with, 
 noting their riches and wealth they had, rather than 
 their golden and silver apparel. Gold is the chiefest 
 of metals, and hath the precedency in Rcripfiu'e, it 
 is first spoken of. Gen. ii. 11, 12; and this woman 
 had much gold, she had jewels of gold from the 
 Egyptians, Exod. xii. .35. You may read in Exod. 
 XXV. what golden things were in the tabernacle, 
 and in 1 Kings vi. vii. what gold and golden vessels 
 were in the temple ; and Solomon abounded with 
 gold, he had yearly coming in (i(56 talents of gold, 
 chap. X. 14; and the common talent was 18/0 li. 
 and the sacred was 3/50 li. ; now after tlie rate of 
 the common talent, it was l,i248,-150 li. and after the 
 rate of the sacred, 2,496,600 li. David in his time 
 prepared 100,000 talents of gold, and 1,000,000 of 
 silver, for the house of the Lord. Solomon had 
 targets and shields of gold, and all his drinking ves- 
 sels, and silver was as plentiftd as stones, and nothing 
 accounted of in his days, 1 Kings x. 16, 17, 21, 27; 
 yea, gold was so plentiful, that they made them gods 
 of gold, 1 Kings xii. 28, and lavished out gold, 
 Isa. xlvi. 6. 
 
 Obs. I. The Lord doth not only give apparel, or- 
 naments unto his people, but he gives rich and costly 
 apparel, precious ornaments. He gave them broi- 
 dered work, fine linen, and silk, braci h ts, chains, 
 jewels, and earrings of gold ; Jer. xx. 5, there were 
 precious things in the city ; 2 Sam. i. 24, the daugh- 
 ters of Israel were clothed in scarlet, and had orna- 
 ments of gold upon their apparel, they had choice 
 ornaments ; Lam. iv. 5, they were " brought up in 
 scarlet ;" they were clothed with crimson, and deck- 
 ed with ornaments of gold, Jer. iv. 30. Now seeing 
 the Lord gave them such raiment, and such orna- 
 ment, there is a lawful use of such things. The 
 apostle Paul seems to be against the use of them, 
 I Tim. ii. 9, " I will that women adorn themselves 
 in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and so- 
 briety ; not with bvoidered hair, or gold, or pearls, 
 or costly array." Uev. i. 13, Christ was girt about 
 with a golden girdle ; it was no sin for Rebekah to 
 wear the jewels and bracelets that Abraham's ser- 
 vant brought and gave her. Gen. xxiv. 47 ; it was 
 not sinful for the virtuous wife to wear silk and pur- 
 ple, Prov. xxxi. 22 : (iod would never have given 
 materials at all to work them, if it were simply un- 
 lawful to wear them. Let us consider for what' ends 
 the Lord hath given apparel and omanu^nts, and 
 hereby we shall come to discern more clearly of the 
 lawful use or sinful abuse of these things. 
 
 There are several ends : 
 
 (I.) To cover man's nakedness. God set man and 
 woman naked in the world at first, that they might 
 see they had nothing of their own, that all was the 
 Lord's who created llu'm ; but when they sinned in 
 eating the forbidden fruit, they were ashamed of 
 
 their nakedness, and sought to cover it. Gen. iii. 7; 
 yea, God made them " coats of skins, and clothed 
 them," ver. 21, that so their nakedness and shame 
 might not be seen, that so modesty and chastity 
 might be jireserved; Hos. ii. 9, " I will recover my 
 wocd and my flax given to cover her nakedness." 
 
 (2.) To arm and defend them against the injury 
 of the air, the violence of wind and weather, heat 
 and cold : Prov. xxxi. 21, " She is not afraid of the 
 snow-, for all her household are clothed with " 
 double garments, they keep off the harm that would 
 come by snow and frost to the body if not clothed : 
 therefore saith Solomon, it is unseasonable to take 
 away a man's garment in cold weather, Prov. xxv. 
 20 ; and Job judgeth it an act of wickedness in 
 them that cause men to want coverings in the cold, 
 Job xxiv. 7- 
 
 (3.) To distinguish one sex from another. God 
 would not have men and women dressed and adorned 
 alike ; Deut. xxii. 5, " The woman shall not wear 
 that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a 
 man put on a woman's garment :" God would not 
 have men to be effeminate, nor women to be 
 mannish. Some therefore judge it unlawful for wo- 
 men to put on any arms, because armour is the fur- 
 niture or covering of man ; the Hebrew word cheli 
 signifieth an instrument or ornament that a man puts 
 on him in time of peace or war. 
 
 (4.) To preseri'e the healthiness of our bodies. 
 " Man is born to labour, as the sparks fly upward," 
 Job V. 7: and man labouring, his body sweats, and 
 sends forth those humours which would breed sick- 
 nesses, diseases, &c. which our vestures receiving are 
 to be changed, and so health preserved : so in time 
 of sickness, Job xxx. IS, "By the great force of my 
 disease is my garment changed ; it bindeth me about 
 as the collar of my coat." 
 
 (5.) To notify the conditions, ranks, and places of 
 men. Gen. xii. 42, when Joseph was exalted, he 
 was " arrayed in vestures of fine linen," which was 
 a mark that he was a man of great place ; so Esth. 
 vi. 8, the man the king would honour, must have 
 the "royal apparel;" and Herod, Acts xii. 21, had 
 on "royal apparel." Psal. xlv. 13, 14, the king's 
 daughter was in clothing of wrought gold, and 
 raiment of needlework ; 2 Sam. xiii. 18, Tamar had 
 a garment on of divers colours, for with such robes 
 were kings' daughtei's apparelled ; Lam. iv. 5, by 
 scarlet they were differenced fi-om others ; Matt. xi. 
 8, soft silken raiment was for those who were in 
 kings' houses, that were virgins ; and because Christ 
 was a King, and a pretended king, as the Jews 
 thought, therefore they clothed him in scarlet, Matt, 
 xxvii. 28. 
 
 (6.) To adorn the body. Gen. xxvii. 15, Esau had 
 goodly, the Hebrew is, desirable raiment, that be- 
 came him so, as made him lovely, desirable ; Isa. 
 Iii. 1, Zion had "beautiful garments," was to put on 
 such as made her beautiful ; Hos. ii. 13, " She deck- 
 ed herself with earrings and jewels;" Jer. ii. 32, 
 "Can a maid forget her ornaments ?" Exod. xxviii. 
 40, Aaron's sons must have coats, girdles, bonnets, 
 " for glory and beauty." 
 
 (7.) To testify grief or joy. Mordecai put on sack- 
 cloth in a time of mouniing ; Joel i. 13, " Come, lie 
 in sackcloth ; " there was a sore judgment ujion them. 
 So for joy, Luke xv. 22, "Bring forth the best robe, 
 and put upon him:" Isa. Ixi. 10, "A bridegroom 
 decketh himself with ornaments, and a bride adorn- 
 eth herself with jewels." Marriage is a time of re- 
 joicing ; garments and jewels do testify it : when 
 joy and mirth are in the heart of a man, then, saith 
 Solomon, " Let thy garments be white," Eccl. ix. 8. 
 
 AVherein persons sin about apparel and ornaments.
 
 Ver. 10—13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 359 
 
 [1.] When it is not modest, but carries with it 
 provocation to wantonness. Prov. vii. 10, there met 
 the young man "a woman in the attire of an harhjt," 
 with naked breasts, with curled and powdered hair, 
 with costly garments, which were incentives of evil. 
 Rev. xvii. 1—4, the whore with whom the kings of the 
 earth committed fornication, was arrayed with purple 
 and scarlet colour, decked with gold, precious stones, 
 and pearls, such things as might entice them to 
 folly. Hos. ii. 2, he speaks of adultery between 
 the breasts ; they either had naked breasts, or hung 
 enticing ornaments about their breasts : when the 
 habit, hair, or adorning of the breasts are such as 
 draw the eyes, this is the fault of her who sets her 
 chastity to sale. Hierom saith, if a man or woman 
 adorn themselves so as they provoke others to look 
 after them, though no evil follow upon it, yet the 
 party shall snfler eternal damnation, because they 
 offered poison to others, though none would drink 
 of it. 1 Tim. ii. 9, women should "adorn themselves in 
 modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety." 
 
 [2.] When persons exceed their degree and rank 
 in costly apparel and ornaments. Gold, pearls, and 
 costly array is forbidden by the apostle, 1 Tim. ii. 9, 
 and i Pet. iii. 3. The Lord' doth not simply forbid all 
 adorning, as Pelagius would have it, but their adorn- 
 ing themselves beyond their degrees ; it is not for 
 the lower rank of people to be arrayed like unto 
 the middle sort, nor for the middle sort like unto 
 the highest. 
 
 [3.] When* it proclaims and maintains pride, 
 haughtiness, and contempt of others. Rich apparel 
 and precious ornaments puff up the hearts of those 
 who wear them : Isa. iii. 16, 18—23, " The daughters 
 of Zion are haughty^ and walk with stretched forth 
 necks, wanton eyes," &c. ; and what was the occa- 
 sion and cause of this ? they had their bravery, 
 tinkling ornaments, cauls, and tires like the moon, 
 chains, bracelets, earrings, rings, nose-jewels, change- 
 able suits of apparel, fine linen, hoods and veils, and 
 these they were proud of, and contemned those who 
 wanted them. It is said of the leviathan, '■ his 
 scales are his pride," Job xli. 15; so many, their 
 clothing is their pride, and being proud they become 
 contemptuous ; Psal. cxxiii. 4, " Our soul is exceed- 
 ingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, 
 and with the contempt of the proud ;" proud ones 
 contemn others ; the devil is a proud creature, and 
 he accused, contemned Joshua, who was clothed 
 with filthy garments ; and when persons are puffed 
 up with their apparel, they will contemn those who 
 are clad with mean or filthy garments. 
 
 [4.] When it is so ex])ensive as that it hindereth 
 works of mercy. 1 Tim. ii. 9, 10, "Let women 
 adorn themselves in modest apparel, not with broi- 
 dered hair, gold, pearls, or costly array, but with 
 good works ;" now when they wear such costly ap- 
 parel and ornaments, that they are disabled to do 
 good to the poor, proportionable to their rank, their 
 clothing and ornaments become sinful. Hence it is 
 that many of note are very miserable in their houses, 
 defrauding their bellies to lay the more upon their 
 backs ; yea, become not only covetous, but griping 
 exactors upon their tenants, racking their rents to so 
 high a rate, that their pride is maintained by the sweat, 
 loss, and undoing ofttimes of others; yea, ofttimes so 
 profuse this way, that they imdo their own families. 
 
 [5.] When strange and foreign fashions are taken 
 up, w-hich is one of the great sins of England. You 
 read in Zeph. i. 8, a (errible sentence, which is this, 
 ' I will punish all such as are clothed with strange 
 apparel ;" that is, those vvbich did follow and imi- 
 tate the strange apparel of other nations. Some aped 
 themselves into the Chaldran habits, some into the 
 
 Egyptian, some into the Tyrian, some into the Phi- 
 listian, and some into other gentilish habits ; as it is 
 amongst us, some take up the French, some the 
 Spanish, some Italian habits. That we may con- 
 ceive to be strange apparel, which is not peculiar to 
 the nation where men live, nor found in the churches 
 of God there. 
 
 [().] When too much time is laid out about curious 
 and costly apparelling of the body, and adorning it 
 with ornaments. Our furniture and dressings there- 
 with should be such as should take up little time, 
 for time is more precious than all thy rich robes, 
 than all thy preciousjewels and ornaments : Eph. v. 
 16, "Redeeming the time, because the days are 
 evil." Many men and women squander away the 
 time in minding new fashions, and in tricking up 
 their vile bodies with gorgeous apparel and orna- 
 ments, and spend so many hours therein, as that they 
 have scarce one hour for God, or the good of their 
 souls : if more time be not spent about that most 
 nolile part of man, the clothing and trimming up of 
 it for the Bridegroom, viz. the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 than upon the body, you sin greatly. It is a crying 
 and provoking sin in this land, that many not only 
 among the great and gallant ones, but even of in- 
 ferior rank, do spend a third part, if not half of their 
 day, in dressing up their bodies with their ornaments, 
 whereas a divine prohibition lieth against these com- 
 paratively ; 1 Pet. iii. 3, speaking of women, he 
 saith. Let not their adorning be outward, of plaiting 
 the hair, wearing of gold, putting on of apparel, but 
 let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the orna- 
 ment of a meek and quiet spirit; rather this than 
 the other. Hence those scriptures : " Put on the 
 Lord Jesus Christ," Rom. xiii. 14; " Put on the new 
 man, which, after God, is created in righteousness 
 and true holiness," Eph. iv. 24; " Put on bowels of 
 mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, 
 long-suffering, charity," Col. iii. 12, 14; "Be clothed 
 with humility," 1 Pet. v. 5. 
 
 [7-] When it is worn unseasonably. Costly ap- 
 parel and ornaments are sometimes as unseasonable 
 as snow in summer. When it is a time of mourning, 
 when God calls either privately or publicly to it, 
 then we sin if we put on rich attire, our chief robes 
 and ornaments : Exod. xxxiii. 4, 5, there were evil 
 tidings, " they mourned, and no man put on him his 
 ornaments ;" God had bid them put off their orna- 
 ments, and told them he would not go with them, 
 which was a sore judgment. David, when the child 
 lay sick, had not on his royal apparel, for the text 
 saith. When the child was dead, he rose from the 
 earth, and changed his garments, 2 Sam. xii. 20. 
 When Haman had got power against the Jews, and 
 their lives were in danger, Mordecai and many of 
 the Jews fasted, but it was in sackcloth and ashes ; 
 and when Esther sent other raiment for Mordecai to 
 put on, he would none of it; God called to mourning, 
 and he would testify the sorrow of his heart, by the 
 sackcloth on his loins, and ashes on his head. Judg- 
 ments and afflictions had better effects in their days 
 than ours. God hath a long time called upon us to 
 put on sackcloth, to testify our sorrows, we have had 
 many days of mourning, God hath spoken to us to 
 put off our vain fashions, our gorgeous apparel, our 
 costly ornaments, but we have not done it. When 
 God hath looked for our coarsest and worst garments 
 at a fast, we have come in silk and satin, plush and 
 crimson, bespangled with pearls, diamonds, with 
 curled locks, powdered heads, naked necks and 
 breasts, fitter for pageants and play-houses, than the 
 presence of a provoked God. Do you think it meet 
 in their own consciences, that men and women 
 shoidd take pleasure in adorning their bodies, and
 
 360 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 manifest it at a fast, when God is so far displeased 
 tliat lie threatens our lives and liberties. 
 
 So when they may draw away the minds of those 
 that wear them, or those that behold them, from the 
 worship of God : therefore it is questionable whether 
 such apparel and ornaments should be worn on the 
 Lord's days, and at such times when people meet in 
 the congregation to worship the Lord ; if they take 
 not up their own hearts, they draw away the eyes 
 of others, and when they come home, they can tell 
 you more of men and women's habits, and fashions, 
 and ornaments, than of the preacher's sermon, kc. 
 
 It is inquirable why people should so dress up 
 themselves when they are to come before God, 
 especially put on rich attire, and costly ornaments. 
 Do these make you more acceptable to God ? upon 
 consideration you may fear it is otherwise ; for, 
 
 First, you come before God in an open breach of 
 his will, 1 Tim. ii. ; 1 Pet. iii. 
 
 Secondly, do you not come to the Lord in a peti- 
 tionary way, that he would teach you, pardon, sanc- 
 tify, comfort you ; and should beggars come with 
 badges of pride upon them ? Should a beggar come 
 to you adorned with pearls and diamonds, witli silk, 
 satin, scarlet, you would have little heart to give unto 
 him. 1 Tim. ii. he puts them upon praying every 
 where, and then tells them that they must not be 
 adorned in costly array. 
 
 [8.] When the callings of men are hindered by 
 their apparel, that they cannot do what is fitting in 
 them, or with that activity they should. Sometimes 
 garments are too long, sometimes so little, sometimes 
 so wide, that they cannot walk in them, nor put 
 forth themselves w'ith such life, as in other garments. 
 David, when he had Saul's armour on, he could not 
 go in it, 1 Sam. xvii. 39 ; it hindered the natural 
 actions and motions of his body. That apparel which 
 doth impede, and not promote the actions of the 
 body, be they natural, vital, or animal, is sinful. 
 God never set up art to prejudice but to perfect 
 nature ; therefore all garments and ornaments should 
 be to make you act more lively ; they should not 
 retard your walking, but further it. When the 
 sheep's fleece is heavy and cumbersome, you take it 
 away. Sailors will have clothes to further, not hin- 
 der, their motion. 
 
 [9.] When you multiply garments and ornaments, 
 and have them to satisfy your eye, new-fangled hu- 
 mour, curiosity, to fill trunks and wardrobes, yea, to 
 breed and feed moths, rather than for any necessity 
 or good use. Isa. iii. 22, God threatens to take away 
 the " changeable suits of apparel :" they had variety 
 of suits, and shifted out of one into another, like 
 many vain giddy spirits in our days, that change 
 their habits twice, yea thrice sometimes in a 
 day ; they have such plenty, that though they do 
 change oft, yet they cannot keep them from the 
 moth : Jam. v. 1, 2, " Go to, ye rich men, weep and 
 howl for your miseries that shall come upon you : 
 your riches are corrupted, your garments are moth- 
 eaten." Besides, they breed moths in you, Ihcy make 
 you solicitous and careful how to keep them.'which 
 of them to put on, liow to change them into the next 
 fashion, &c. Matt. vi. 28, " Why take ye thought for 
 raiment?" See 1 Tim. vi. 8. 
 
 [10.] When health is endangered by them, as when 
 huHles, slits, and windows are made in garments, so 
 that they let in the cold, &c. ; when too short above 
 or beneath ; when sluttish. Christ's dead body was 
 "wrapped in a clean linen cloth," Matt, xxvi'i. 59; 
 our living bodies should not be covered with unclean 
 linen or woollen. 
 
 [11.] When it doth misbecome the body. Apparel 
 is for the adorning of the body ; but there are many 
 
 fashions now in the world, and dresses, that do dis- 
 parage that natural beauty and comeliness, which 
 God hath put upon the body, and ought to be main- 
 tained. Paul saith, women should adorn themselves 
 with modest apparel, with becoming apparel, such 
 as becomes nature, such as becomes women that 
 profess godliness. If you put honour upon those 
 parts which are less honourable, will you dishonour 
 those parts which are more honourable ? 
 
 [12.] When apparel is made use of to deceive. 
 Zech. xiii. 4, the false prophets did wear rough gar- 
 ments to deceive ; such were the garments of the 
 true prophets, as you may see from Isa. xx. 2 ; 
 2 Kings i. 8, and they put on such garments, that 
 they might be thought such prophets, and thereby 
 deceive the people. Many put on rich apparel, that 
 they may be thought wealthy men, of good families, 
 that they may get rich matches, insinuate themselves 
 into the society of rich and great ones, to make 
 advantage of them: many cover their crookedness, 
 deformities, to deceive the world. 
 
 [1.3.] When it is .scandalous to others ; either ac- 
 tively, by drawing them to do the like, or infecting 
 the minds of others, and their own chikh'en, with 
 sinful thoughts and lusts ; or passively, when godly 
 ones are made sad thereby. 
 
 We should not be proud of our clothing and orna- 
 ments, 
 
 First, because they are the fruit of sin, or conse- 
 quents of it. Adam's sin brought in garments: they 
 are the tokens of sin ; had there beei> no sin there 
 had been no need of them. 
 
 Secondly, they mind you of your great loss : you 
 lost better garments and better ornaments than these. 
 
 Thirdly, all from the beasts or bowels of the earth ; 
 it is weakness, if not foolishness, to afl'ect such things. 
 
 Fourthly, your bodies are better than your clothes ; 
 Matt. vi. 25, " Is not the body more than raiment? " 
 yet, Phil. iii. 21, " Who .shall change our vile body, 
 that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, 
 according to the working whereby he is able even 
 to subdue all things unto himself." Our bodies are 
 made of the earth, full of sin, subject to all diseases, 
 are oft in base employments. 
 
 Fifthly, you must give account unto God of every 
 mercy, garment, &c. James v. 9, The judge is at the 
 door. 1 Pet. iv. 5, "Who shall give account to him 
 that is ready to judge the quick and the dead." 
 
 Sixthly, because they are under condemnation, and 
 are pas.sing : 1 John ii. 15 — 17, " Love not the world, 
 neither the things that are in the world. If any 
 man love the world, the love of the Father is not in 
 him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the 
 flesh, the lu.st of the eyes, and the pride of life, is 
 not of the Father, but is of the world. And the 
 world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he 
 that doetli the will of God abideth for ever." 
 
 Seventhly, usually they have been wicked who 
 have afTectcd those things : Jezebel ; those in Isa. 
 iii. ; the whore. Rev. xvii. ; Herod, Acts xii. ; Dives, 
 Luke xvi. 
 
 Kighthly, Christ hath set us an example of hu- 
 mility. Matt. xi. 29 ; he wore no tim.' clothes, no 
 jewels or ornaments, he was crucified naked lor the 
 sin of our ajiparel : and it was the practice of holy 
 women to look at the inward adorning, " the adorn- 
 ing of a meek and quiet spirit ;" 1 Pet. i. 5, " After 
 this manner in the old time the holy women also, 
 who trusted in God, adorned themselves." 
 
 Obs. 2. The Lord gives variety of blessings unto 
 
 , his ])eople. Not only apparel, costly ap])arel, but 
 
 variety of it; not only ornaments, and precious ones, 
 
 but variety of them ; they had broidered work, fine 
 
 linen, silk, bracelets, chains, nose-jewels, earrings.
 
 Ver. 10—13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 361 
 
 gold, silver, in atundance : Deut. xxviii. 12, " Thou 
 shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shall not 
 borrow ;" whatever they lent, clothes, jewels, or 
 money, they had variety. When the people olTered 
 so largely, gold, silver, preeious stones, and other 
 things, 1 Chron. xxix. it argues that God had given 
 them abundance of each; which made David .say, 
 ver. 14, " All things come of thee, and of thine own 
 have we given thee ;" God had first given, else there 
 had been no giving unto him. It is said, Dent, 
 xxviii. 47, they had "abundance of all things;" yea, 
 all things at land or sea ; Deut. xxxiii. 19, " They shall 
 suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures 
 hid in the sand," of gold and silvei', and apparel in 
 great abundance. 
 
 06s. 3. The Lord minds and provides for his people, 
 from top to toe. Clotlied her with broidered work. 
 he covered her head with silk, he girded her witli 
 fine linen, and s?iod her with skins of rnri; her ears, 
 nose, neck, hands, had their ornaments ; God's eye was 
 upon every part, and his hand gave coverings and 
 adornments for them. God doth not only mind the 
 honourable and higliest parts, but the lowest, the 
 very feet of his people ; Isa. iii. 20, they had orna- 
 ments upon their legs ; Deut. viii. 4, " Thy raiment 
 waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, 
 these forty years ;" chap. xxix. 5, " Thy shoe is not 
 waxen old upon thy foot." God minded the tip of 
 Aaron's and his sons' right ears, the thumbs of their 
 right hands, the great toe of their right foot, Exod. 
 xxix. 20. God hath put honour, and abundance of 
 honour, upon the uncomely parts, 1 Cor. xii. 23, 24. 
 Seeing God minds all, and provides for all, we should 
 honour him with all, with our heads, hands, legs, feet, 
 even the whole body. Thou hast adorned us, we 
 will adore thee ; thou hast clothed, girded, shod, and 
 decked us from the head to the feet, we will see to 
 it that the whole and every part may be serviceable 
 unto thee, that our inward man may be clothed with 
 the righteousness of Christ, and adorned from the 
 top to the toe with the graces of the Spirit. 
 
 Ver. 13. " Thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, 
 and oil." You have heard before what were this 
 woman's clothing and ornaments, now you may hear 
 of" her diet. At marriages, as they had costly gar- 
 ments, precious ornaments, so they had suitable dain- 
 ties, "rhe Lord provided for this woman, not acorns, 
 or the onions and leeks of Egypt, but diet answer- 
 able to her condition ; for under these expressions 
 is held out unto us all provisions which God gave 
 into this Israelitish estate, to feed upon all things 
 for nourishment. 
 
 " Fine flour." Hebrew is, rSo which Kirker ren- 
 ders Jios sen deliciip ; farmee trilicitp, the flour and 
 delicacies of wheaten meal, being ground most finely ; 
 this was offerable in sacrifices. Lev. v. 11 ; but ncp 
 was common flour or mc al, and not used in sacrifice, 
 but only in the ofl'ering of jealousy. Numb. v. 15. 
 It was very fine, such as made bread or cakes for 
 kings, 1 Kings iv. 22 ; such as Abraham entertained 
 angels with, Gen. xviii. 6. This people had manna 
 in the wilderness, and fine flour abundantly in Ca- 
 naan ; it is called the fat of wheat in Psal. Ixxxi. 10. 
 Solomon spent in a day thirty measures of fine flour, 
 in that I Kings iv. 22 ; and it was cheap, " A measure 
 of fine flour was sold for a shekel," 2 Kings vii. 16, 
 which was about two shillings ; and their land was 
 " a land of wheat," Deut. viii. 8, and so abounded 
 therein, that Solomon gave twenty thousand measures 
 of wheat unto Hiram, 1 Kings v. 1 1 : the word for 
 measure is, 13 core ; now a core is the same with the 
 homer, eight or ten bushels, so that he gave him 
 twenty thousand quarters at the least. 
 
 " Honey." Hebrew is, wai which notes all sweet 
 
 things, honey, sugar, dates, figs, grapes, &c. 2 Chron. 
 xxxi. 5, there the people brought for offerings, the 
 first-fruit of corn, wine, oil, and honey, U'3T Now it 
 is not well translated honey in this" place, because 
 honey was forbid in ofl'erings ; Lev. ii. 11, no honey 
 was to be in any ofl'ering made with fire. It is better 
 in the margin, where you find it rendered dates. 
 Junius and Tremellius have itpahrxp, that is, dates, or 
 the fruit of the palm tree. The law speaks not at all 
 
 of the first-fruits of honey, but of other things it doth. 
 rsT may there in Chronicles be trarslated, sweet 
 
 things, or sweet fruits ; and here in Ezekiel you 
 may understand not only honey, but all honeyish 
 anci sweet things. You have that phrase oft, " A 
 land flowing with milk and honey," Exod. iii. 8; 
 xiii. 5 ; Deut. vi. 3 ; Josh. v. 6 ; Jer. xi. 5 ; Ezek. 
 XX. 6 ; which comprehend all other blessings, and 
 declare what sweet and delicate things they had to 
 feed upon. When you read of honey in the word of 
 God, you must not always confine it to tliat we 
 strictly call honey, but you must extend it to any 
 pleasant or sweet things edible. Deut. xxxii. 13, 
 •' He made him to suck honey out of the rock :" 
 the rocks do not yield honey ; but God gave them 
 water out of rocks, which was as sweet as honej', 
 and God made rocks, barren places, fruitful, which 
 was as pleasant and delightful to them as honey. It 
 is true, they had much honey itself in the land, as 
 you may see from 1 Sam. siv. 26, and they did eat 
 it, Isa. vii. 22 ; yet honey comprehended other 
 things also. 
 
 " Oil." Hebrew is, \^r.v from Jew to make fat. 
 Oil is very nourishing, it makes plump and fat ; 
 Neh. ix. 25, " They took strong cities, and a fat land, 
 and possessed houses full of all goods, wells digged, 
 vineyards, and oliveyards, and fruit trees in abun- 
 dance : so they did eat, were filled, and became fat, 
 and delighted themselves in thy great goodness." 
 Canaan was called a fat land, it abounded with oil 
 and other choice things, which they fed upon and 
 became fat with. Now oil here is comprehensive, 
 and notes also plenty of mercies belonging to the 
 belly : Deut. xxxiii. 24, " Let Asher dip his foot in 
 oil ;" that is, let him enjoy a country that abounds 
 with fatness. Job xxix. 6, " I washed my steps with 
 butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil :" 
 these expressions show the plenty and prosperity he 
 had ; the rock did not send out rivers of oil, but 
 rocky places became fruitful through God's blessing ; 
 and this was as if he had been anointed with or 
 eaten oil. Isa. xxv. 6, " the word is put there for 
 fat things, " In this mountain shall the Lord make 
 a feast of fat things," D'jcu' nnrt: a feast of oils. By 
 these three, flour, honey, and oil, are set out the 
 delicate and abundant provision of the holy land. 
 
 " Thou wast exceeding beautiful." Hebrew is 
 emphatieal, TNc IKCS *B'ni The doubling of the 
 word sets a weight upon the sense, and imports that 
 she was come to exceeding great beauty, her silken 
 garments and costly ornaments made her beautiful ; 
 her feeding delicately, and feasting ■n^th the choicest 
 dainties, made her have a fresh and lively colour, 
 and to be very beautiful. But I conceive the beau- 
 tifulness of the Jews' persons is not the thing so 
 much aimed at here, as the beauty of her state, viz. 
 that spiritual beauty this people had, which none of 
 the nations had ; they had the temple, which was 
 called the " beautiful house," Isa. Ixiv. II ; and be- 
 cause it was upon " mount Zion," Psal. xlviii. 2, 
 that is said to be beautiful, yea, " the perfection of 
 
 ^beauty," Psal. I. 2. " Strength and beauty are in 
 
 ■ his sanctuary," Psal. xcvi. 6; before that they had 
 the sanctuary, which was called " the beauty of 
 holiness," Psal. xxix. 2; xcvi. 9; 1 Chron. xvi. 29.
 
 ■SCyl 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 They had the priests, who had garments Rlorious 
 and 'beautiful, Exod. xxviii. 2, 4; when Aaron had 
 on his robes, the twelve stones in his breastplate 
 representing the twelve tribes, how beautiful did he 
 appear and they in him ! They had the covenant, and 
 seals of it, circumcision and the passover ; they had 
 the law, the prophets, Urim and Thunimim, sabbaths, 
 new moons, solemn feasts and assemblies; they had 
 the sanhedrim, and other judicatories ; all which 
 were their great glory and beauty. 
 
 " Thou didst prosper into a kingdom." This is 
 the sixtli choice mercy that the Lord did bestow 
 upon her. In ver. 7. it is said, she had multiplied 
 '• as the bud of the field, had increased and waxen 
 great," and so great, as that she attained and came 
 to the honour of a kingdom ; not into the place of 
 other kings, that were of the hills and valleys in 
 Canaan and at Jerusalem, of which you may read, 
 Josh. ix. X. xi. and xii ; but this state itself grew 
 up to a kingly state. At first it was governed by 
 judges, it was a free estate, and they chose whom 
 they pleased to rule over them ; afterwards they 
 mounted to royal dignity, and out of their own loins 
 sprang kings, .Saul, David, Solomon, and many 
 others. And in Solomon's days did this kingdom 
 most flourish, as you may see, Psal. Ixxii. and I 
 Kings iv. 24 — 20, cVc. ; he reigned over all kingdoms, 
 from the river (that was, Euphrates) unto the Phi- 
 listines, and unto the border of Egypt ; they brought 
 presents, and served Solomon all the days of his 
 fife ; " Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man un- 
 der his vine, and under his fig-tree, from Uan even to 
 Beersheba. And Solomon had forty thousand stalls 
 of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand 
 horsemen." 
 
 Or thus, if we will follow the metaphorical allu- 
 sion : God entered info covenant with this Je\rish 
 state, took it to be his, and married himself to it, 
 being a great King, and so it became, or passed into, 
 a kingdom, for the word nSx signifies, to pass over, 
 as well as, to be in a prosperous state. God there- 
 fore becoming the King of Israel, the Israelitish 
 .state became a kingdom ; Exod. xix. (i, " Ye shall 
 be unto me a kingdom." King and people are like 
 husband and wife ; Isa. Ivi. 5, " Thy Maker is thine 
 liusband ; " God, who was the King of this people, 
 was their Husband; Lam. i. 1, "How doth the 
 city sit solitary, that was full of people ! how is she 
 become as a widow ! she that was great among the 
 nations, and princess among the provinces, how is 
 she become tributary ! " while God was in her, with 
 her, she was a princess, but now having left her, 
 she sat as a widow, her King and Husband was 
 gone. This exposition suits with what you had in 
 ver. 12, " I put a beautifid crown upon thine 
 head ;" I married thee, and gave thee princely dig- 
 nity, dominion, and power. 
 
 Obs. I. The Lord allows his people dainty and 
 delicious fare. " Thou didst eat fine flour, and 
 honey, and oil ;" under these are comprehended all 
 the choice edibles, and the pleasant meats, the land 
 of Canaan brought forth. At first green herbs and 
 fruit were tlieir meats, Gen. i. 29, but afterwards, 
 when sin had gotten into the world, and men's de- 
 sires were enlarged after the creatures, God gave 
 them license to eat of all creatures ; Gen. ix. 3, 
 "Every moving thing that livefh shall be meat foryou; 
 even as the green herb have I given you all things." 
 Old Isaac must have savoury meat ])iovided for him. 
 Gen. xxvii. 4 ; and Job speaks of dainty meats, chap. 
 xxxiii. 20, Hebrew is, meat of desire ; and Lam. iv. 
 5, they fed delicately ; Psal. Ixxviii. 25, " man did 
 eat angels' food ;" ver. 27, " He rained flesh also 
 upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the 
 
 sand of the sea." God gave them the best and 
 choicest of meats, and so still doth unto his people. 
 
 Now, that we may not abuse that liberty which 
 God gives us, to eat and drink, and that of the best, 
 we must consider these cautions and rules : 
 
 (I.) We must not eat to the ofi'ence of others: 
 Rom. xiv. 21, " It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to 
 drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother 
 stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak." God 
 allows us not meat to be offensive therewith ; 1 Cor. 
 viii. 13, "If meat make my brother to ofl'end, I will 
 eat no flesh while the world standcth, lest I make 
 my brother to offend : " much less doth he allow us 
 dainties. 
 
 (2.) You must not be too expensive in diet, nor 
 go beyond the place you are set in, and abilities God 
 hath given you. Some waste all they have upon 
 their backs and bellies, so that they have nothing 
 for the cause of God, public occasions, for their poor 
 friends, or the poor in general. It will be a sad 
 complaint, if you shall hear Christ say at last, " I 
 was an hungred, and you gave me no meat," Matt. 
 XXV. 42. 
 
 (3.) You must not fare deliciously in times of 
 public calamity: Isa. xxii. 12, 13, "In that day 
 did the Lord God of hosts call to mourning, and to 
 baldness, and to girding with sackcloth : and, behold, 
 joy and gladness, slaying oxen and kilHng sheep, 
 eating flesh and drinking wine." AVhen God's judg- 
 ments are abroad, he would have us lay aside our 
 dainties, and drink our own tears, to eat the bread 
 of mourners; and because they did not, God threat- 
 ens them grievously; Amos vi. 1, 4, 6, 7, "Woe to 
 them that are at ease in Zion, that eat the lambs out 
 of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the 
 stall ; that drink wine in bowls, and anoint them- 
 selves with the chief ointments ; but they are not 
 grieved for the affliction of Joseph. Therefore now 
 shall they go captive with the first that go cap- 
 tive, and the banquet of them that stretched them- 
 selves shall be removed:" ver. 8, " The Lord God 
 hath sworn by himself, saith the Lord, the God 
 of hosts, I abhor the excellency of Jacob;" what 
 is that ? the pomp and riches ; pomp in feasting, 
 pomp in apparel, &c. ; " and hate his palaces : there- 
 fore will I deliver up the city, with all that is 
 therein." 
 
 (4.) Dainties must not be too frequent. It is a 
 brand upon the rich man, Luke xvi. 19, that "he 
 fared sumptuously every day," he feasted daily ; so 
 the kings of the earth are censured, Rev. xviii. 9, 
 for that they "lived deliciously" with the whore. 
 The choice and best of the creatures should be used 
 sparingly. 
 
 (5.) In the use of them, you must not forget those 
 who want necessaries : Neh. viii. 1(1, " Go your way, 
 eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions 
 unto them for whom nothing is prepared." Christ 
 bids you, when you make a feast, and have dainties, 
 to call the poor ; he counsels j'ou to make them 
 your guests; Luke xiv. 13, "When thou makest a 
 feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind." 
 There may be maimed soldiers, poor widows, and 
 orphans, did you ever invite any of these ? if you 
 mind them not to make them your guests, and eat 
 your dainties, yet so far mind them, as to give them 
 your scraps : Dives would not give Lazarus the 
 crumbs which fell from his table. 
 
 (G.) Your dishes and dainties must not be too 
 many, excessive. Some are so pompous, that they 
 must have mess upon mess, course upon course, ex- 
 ceeding in quality and quantity : Sodom had fulness 
 of bread; 1 Pet. iv. 3, the gentiles had excess of 
 wine, and banquetings.
 
 Ver. 10—13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 3o3 
 
 (7.) We must so eat and drink as to maintain 
 health and strength, not impair them. Eeol. x. 17, 
 Solomon tells you, that land is happy, where •' princes 
 eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunken- 
 ness." Meat was appointed of God to nourish and 
 strengthen ; Psal. civ. 15, "Bread," that is, all things 
 given to eat, " strengthcneth man's heart." When 
 princes and others eat for that end, to strengthen 
 them to do service to the public, then they use the 
 creature comfortably. Many sin in eating too mucli, 
 few on the other hand : large and delicate diet breed 
 abundance of humours, diseases, &c. 
 
 (8.) So must we partake of them, as to further us 
 in the operations of body and mind, to make us more 
 active and lively in the duties of our callings. A 
 man hath not eat and drunk warrantably, when, as 
 Terence saith, 7uc pes, vec maniis, nee lingua officium 
 suum fungi possit, neither foot, nor hand, nor tongue, 
 can discharge its duty. You give horses provender, 
 that they may more freely do their work. Tcr- 
 tullian saith of the primitive christians, that they 
 were wont so to feed and feast, as to remember they 
 were to pray : Luke xxi. 34, 36, " Take heed, lest at 
 any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting. 
 Watch ye therefore, and pray always ;" so eat and 
 drink should a man, as that he should ever be fit to 
 watch and pray : I Pet. v. 8, " Be sober, be vigilant ; 
 because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, 
 walketh about seeking whom he may devour." 
 
 (9.) You must feed and feast with fear. Itis acharge 
 upon some in Jude, ver. 12, that they did feed and feast 
 without fear ; they sinned in eating and drinking too 
 liberally, they did not considerthe nature of the meats, 
 nor of their appetites, but inconsiderately ventured 
 upon what was before them, and so gluttonized; 
 whereas, Prov. xxiii. 1, 2, he bids a man, when he 
 is at a ruler's table, where dainties and delicacies 
 usually are, to consider diligently what is before him, 
 and to put a knife to his throat, if he be a man given 
 to appetite ; what is that ? put thyself into a condition 
 as if thou wert to die : when the knife was at Isaac's 
 throat, he was near death ; so putting of the knife to 
 the throat, is serious minding of death, account, judg- 
 ment, eternity, which will keep thee from surfeiting. 
 Paid tells you of some with a sad heart, that they 
 make their bellies their gods, Phil. iii. 19; and they 
 are dunghill gods ; how do they make these their 
 
 fods .'' by over-minding and over-pampering them, 
 he rabbles say, he is a glutton, or a belly-god, that 
 eats a pound of flesh, and that he is a drunkard who 
 drinks a quart of wine. I know there is a difl'erence 
 in men's constitutions and inclinations, but whoso- 
 ever eats too much, he is guilty of gluttonizing. 
 2 Pet. ii. 13, 14, they " riot in the day time, while 
 they feast with you ; having eyes full of adultery ;" 
 they maintain and strengthen their lusts by the dain- 
 ties they feed upon : James v. 5, " Ye have lived in 
 pleasure on the earth, and been wanton:" now the 
 rule is, " Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the 
 lusts thereof." Men should rather look at, and choose, 
 that which is wholesome, than what is delicious. 
 
 (10.) There must be spiritual care had of the time. 
 Too much time must not be spent about dressing or 
 eating of meats, whole nights spent in preparing for 
 feasts, and making provision for lusts ; and do not 
 multitudes in this city .sit more hours at feasting their 
 bodies, than ever they have done at feasting their 
 souls ? Here, an hour or two is enough, or too 
 much, there, half days, half nights: Isa. v. 11, they 
 rose early, and continued till night in following 
 strong drirJt, and other dainties, to please their lusts : 
 and 1 Thess. v. 7, " They that be drunken, are 
 drunken in the night;" (hey spent that time which 
 was allotted by God for rest in eating and drinking ; 
 
 and too many spend that time which is allotted for 
 labour, Psal. civ. 22, 23, in pampering their flesh, 
 yea, that lime which should be for prayer. 
 
 (11.) You must have God's glory in your eye. 
 When you are eating fine flour, honey, and oil, 
 when you eat your daily dainties, that must not be 
 forgotten, 1 Cor. x. 31, " Whether therefore ye eat or 
 drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 
 
 This is done, 
 
 [1.] When we acknowledge God to be the Author : 
 Hos. ii. 8, "She did not know," that is, acknowledge, 
 " that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil." 
 
 [2.] When we look for the sw"eet blessings and 
 comfort to come from the Lord, rather than from the 
 creature : Matt. iv. 4, " Man shall not live by bread 
 alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the 
 mouth of God." 
 
 [3.] When we season our tables with heavenly 
 and gracious discoiu-se. Many vent corrupt, filthy, 
 and lewd speeches, they fill their bellies, and foam out 
 their shame ; but Christ, when he was at meat with 
 his disciples or strangers, he took occasion to speak 
 some gracious things, to reprove misdemeanours, 
 Lukexxii. 15; xi. 38; Matt. ix. 10, 12, 13. 
 
 [4.] When we see somewhat of God in the crea^ 
 ture, and pass speedily through the creature unto 
 God. Many stick in the creature. 
 
 [5.] When we take these as pledges of God's love 
 in Christ, as coming through the covenant of grace, 
 and are thankful for them : Eph. v. 20, " Giving 
 thanks always for all things unto God, and the 
 Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 Obs. 2. The Lord bestows beautifying mercies 
 upon his people, and not only so, but such mercies 
 as make them very beautiful. " Thou wast exceeding 
 beautiful," thou wast made beautiful very much. 
 God made her so ; he gave her such vestments and or- 
 naments as made her beauteous ; he gave her " fine 
 flour, honey, and oil," the choicest diet, which added 
 to her lustre, and made her look lovely. If we put 
 the beauty of this Israelitish woman, or state, in 
 temporals, she had the choicest of them ; her land 
 was. Dent. Wii. 7 — 9, " A good land ; a land of 
 brooks, fountains, depths, springs ; a land of wheat, 
 barley, vines, fig-trees, pomegi'anates ; a land of oil- 
 olive, and honey ;" she had goodly mountains : Deut. 
 iii. 25, Tabor, Hermon, Olives, Lebanon ; she had 
 great and goodly cities, Deut. vi. 10 ; goodly houses, 
 Deut. viii. 12; multitudes of gardens, Amos iv. 9; 
 pleasant fields, Isa. xxxii. 12 ; goodly cedars, Psal. 
 Ixxx. 10; great and thick oaks, 2 Sam. xviii. 9; 
 Ezek. vi. 13; her pastures were clothed with flocks, 
 and her valleys were covered over with corn, Psal. 
 Ixv. 13 ; she had her navy of ships at sea, 1 Kings 
 ix. 2(), and thirteen hundred thousand fighting men 
 on land at once, 2 Sam. xxiv. 9. 
 
 But if you place her beauty in spirituals, all nations 
 of the earth were in ignorance when compared to her, 
 they were without God and his worship : Psal. Ixxvi. 
 1, 2, " In Judah is God known; his name is great 
 in Israel. In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his 
 dwelling-place in Zion ;" there he gave more special 
 testimonies of his presence than in any parts of the 
 world besides ; there he conversed with and converted 
 sinners; there he poured out his Sjjirit, inspired the 
 prophets, gave out divine truths ; there he wrought 
 miracles ; there were all his ordinances and wor- 
 ship, the sanctuary, the temple, pi'iests, sacrifices, 
 altars, the covenant, seals, promises, the election, 
 adoption, the law, the glory, salvation ; Isa. xlvi. 13, 
 " 1 will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory." 
 This Jewish state was the glory of the Lord, and 
 the Lord was her glory ; he was her God, her Hus- 
 band, her Counsellor, "her Strength. Spiritual mer-
 
 364 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 cies are the beauty, the glory, of any people, there- 
 fore Phinehas's wife did rightly call the ark tlie glory 
 of Israel, 1 Sam. iv. 21. Jerusalem is said to be 
 comely ; it wa.s the spiritual mercies which were 
 there that made her comely, and this caused David 
 to say, Psal. Ixxxiv. 1, " How amiable are thy taber- 
 nacles, O Lord of hosts!" 
 
 Ob.f. 3. From low and mean conditions God raises 
 up a people to greatness. " Thou didst prosper into a 
 kingdom." A little before, you may remember, this 
 woman's birth and condition are set out ; her father 
 was an Amorite, her mother an Hittite, she was cast 
 out into tlie open field, lay in her blood, had none to 
 pity her ; only the Lord himself did jiity her, caused 
 her to multiply, as the bud of the field, to become 
 great, and prosper into a kingdom. From Adam 
 ..nd Eve, God raised up the old world, which was 
 very populous; from Noah and seven more, the 
 world is come to that populousness you now find it 
 in ; from Abraham and Sarah, which were even dry 
 roots, came the whole race of the Jews: Isa. li. 1, 
 2, "Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to 
 the hole of the pit, whence ye are digged. Look 
 unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare 
 you : for I called him alone, and blessed him, and 
 increased him." Ruth iv. II, Rachel and Leah are 
 said to build the house of Israel : two weak women 
 were the pillars of the Israelitish state, they bare 
 many children, multiplied the posterity of Jacob, and 
 so reared up the building of Israel. That in Deut. 
 xxvi. 5, is remarkable: "Thou shalt say, A Syrian 
 ready to perish was my father ; and he went down 
 into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and be- 
 came there a nation, great, mighty, and populous." 
 Jacob fled from Esau (who sought his death) into 
 Syria, to his uncle Laban, and therefore is called a 
 Syrian ; and after went down into Egypt, when Jo- 
 seph sent for him, and there he grew to a great na- 
 tion. Great cities began with single houses, great 
 woods with single trees, great armies with single 
 men, and great floods with little drops ; how low 
 was the state of Christianity at first, in Christ, and 
 some few ! 
 
 Obs. 4. It is the Lord that forms people into a 
 kingdom, that gives them kingly power and dignity. 
 Ver. 12, " I put a beautifid crown upon thine head ;" 
 and, ver. 13, " thou didst prosper into a kingdom;" 
 I followed thee so with blessings and increase, as 
 that thou becamest a kingdom : this caused David 
 to say, 1 Chron. xxix. II, "Thine is the kingdom, 
 
 Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all." 
 God hath made Israel a kingdom, and given it to 
 David to reign over under himself, and this he ac- 
 knowledged. If any people in the world have grown 
 great, had a crown set upon their heads, and pros- 
 pered into a kingdom, the Lord did it, his liand 
 brought it to pass; hence saith Hezekiah, 2 Kings 
 xix. 15, " Lord God of Israel, thou art the God, 
 even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth." 
 There is not a heathen or christian kingdom, but 
 the Lord is the Author of; the ]irosperity and wel- 
 fare of them is of the Lord, so long as he pleases. 
 When Said sinned, God took the kingdom from him, 
 
 1 Sam. XV. 8, yea, slew him, and tunu'd the kingdom 
 to David, 1 (^liron. x. 14 ; he stablisheth kingdoms, 
 
 2 Chron. xvii. 5, he shakes kingdoms, Isa. xxiii. 11 : 
 he rent the kingdom from Rehoboam, and bestowed 
 it upon Jeroboam ; I Kings xiv. 7 — 10, " Go tell Je- 
 roboam," saith God to Abijah, " Forasmuch as I 
 exalted thee among the |)cople, and made thee prince 
 over my people Israel, and rent the kingdom away 
 from the liouse of David, and gave it thee : and yet 
 thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept 
 mv commandments, and who followed me with all 
 
 his heart, to do that only which was right in mine 
 eyes ; but hast done evil above all that were before 
 thee ; and hast cast me behind thy back ; therefore, 
 behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jerobo- 
 am, and will take away the remnairt of the house of 
 Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung till it be all 
 gone." He grew base, and God destroyed him and 
 his, and devolved the kingdom upon others. So that 
 it is frequently made good which Daniel told Ne- 
 buchadnezzar, chap. ii. 21, " He changeth the times 
 and the seasons ; he removeth kings, and setteth up 
 kings:" yea, he makes kingdoms to cease, Hos. i. 4; 
 and if is terrible what God saith, Amos ix. 8, " Be- 
 hold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful 
 kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of 
 the earth ;" and he did so, when they were all car- 
 ried away captives ; but after that great destruction, 
 he brought them back again, built them up, pros- 
 pered them into a kingdom, and set a crown upon 
 their head. 
 
 To speak a little of the nature and state of this 
 kingdom : Jacob, prophesying of it. Gen. xlix. 9, 
 compares it to a lion, which in strength and majesty 
 exceeds all other beasts, and therefore is called the 
 king of beasts ; so this kingdom of Israel exceeded 
 other kingdoms, and was above them. God was 
 the King of this kingdom ; Psal. Ixxxix. 18, " The 
 Holy One of Israel is our King ; 1 Sam. viii. 7, They 
 have rejected me, that I should not reign over them." 
 They were the Lord's people, and he ruled them, he 
 gave them laws, judicial and ceremonial, which other 
 nations had not. 
 
 He chose their kings for them, Saul, David, Solo- 
 mon ; therefore, Deut. xvii. 15, " Thou shalt in any 
 wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy 
 God sliall choose." God chose the house of David, 
 and settled upon his posterity the kingdom itself, 
 which was a glorious monarchy ; " And Solomon 
 reigned over all kingdoms from the rivei unto the 
 land of the Philistines, and unto the border of 
 Egypt," I Kings iv. 21. The church and state were 
 so composed, that they made but one body. This 
 kingdom brought forth Messiah, King of the Jews, 
 and the land was called the land of Immanuel, Isa. 
 viii. 1 ; this kingdom, and the kings of it, were re- 
 presentative of Christ and his kingdom, and standeth 
 still in Christ ; Luke i. 32, 33, "He shall be great, and 
 shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord 
 God shall give unto him the throne of his father 
 David : and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for 
 ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end." This 
 kingdom was at the height in Solomon's days, then 
 the glory of it was very glorious; and in Jehosha- 
 phat's days it flourished, 2 Chron. xviii. 1, " Jehosha- 
 phat had riches and honour in abundance :" so in 
 Hezekiah's days ; 2 Chron. xxxii. 2/ — 29, he " had 
 exceeding much riches and honour." 
 
 Ver. 14. Ayid thy renown went forth among the 
 heathen fo)' thy lipaiiti/ : for it iras perfoet throiiirh 
 mi/ comeliness, trhich I had put upon thee, saith 
 the Lord God. 
 
 This verse holds out the last benefit which here 
 the Lord tells this Israelitish state he had bestowed 
 upon her, and that was great fame ; concerning which 
 you have, 
 
 I. The extent of it ; " went forth." 
 
 II. Ground of it. 
 
 1. Bea\ity. 
 
 2. Perfection of it. 
 
 3. The cause of all ; the comeliness God put upon 
 her. 
 
 " Thy renown." Hebrew is, ott' thy name. It is
 
 Ver. 14. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 305 
 
 put in Scripture for reno\^^l and fame ; Gen. xi. 4, 
 " Let us build us a city and a tower, whose fop may 
 reach unto heaven ; and let us make us a name ;" let 
 us thereby get renown and fame in the world : so in 
 chap. xii. 2, I will " make thy name great," that is, 
 thou shalt be renowned in the world. Ezek. xxxiv. 
 29, Christ is called " A plant of renown," DwS ytflo 
 a plant for a name. 
 
 " Went forth." Hebrew is, NX'l thy fame, or re- 
 nown, spread, and was known among heathens. 
 There were sundry things which made tliis state re- 
 nowned. 
 
 1. The temple. When Solomon went about the 
 building of it, he sent to Hiram king of Tyre for 
 cedars to build it, 1 Kings v. ; and the letters which 
 Solomon wrote to that heathen king were so greatly 
 esteemed, that they were preserved by the Tyrians 
 till the time of Flavius Josephus, as himself affirms, 
 in his hrst book against Apio the Grammarian. 
 
 There were a hundred and fifty-three thousand 
 three hundred men employed about the work of the 
 temple, 1 Kings v. 15, 16; the glory and stateliness 
 of it you may read in the sixth chapter. In the 
 holy of holies the Lord did show himself in a spe- 
 cial manner unto the high priest once in the year. 
 This temple was exceeding famous, it was called the 
 house of God, Eccl. v. 1 ; the temple of the Lord, 
 Jer. vii. 4; the place where God's name should be, 
 ! Kings viii. 29 ; the holy and beautiful house, Isa. 
 Ixiv. 1 1 ; God's resting-place, 2 Chron. vi. 41 ; the 
 mountain of the Lord, Isa. ii. 3; the desire of their 
 eyes, Ezek. xxiv. 21. David had told Solomon, the 
 house he " builded for the Lord must be exceednig 
 magnifical, of fame and of glory through all coun- 
 tries," I Chron. xxii. 5. It was known far and near; 
 hence it was prophesied, Psal. Ixviii. 29, " Because 
 of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring pre- 
 sents unto thee." 
 
 2. Solomon's \visdom, house, and justice were 
 such, as caused the name of this state to go out 
 among the heathens : I Kings iv. 29, " God gave 
 Solomon wisdom and understanding. And Solo- 
 mon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children 
 of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 
 For he was wiser than all men : and his fame was 
 in all nations round about;" and ver. 34, " There 
 came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, 
 from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his 
 wisdom." Among others came the (jueen of Sheba, 
 to prove him with hard questions, which he satisfied 
 her in ; and when she had seen his wisdom, his 
 house, and the order of it, she said to the king, " It 
 was a true report that I heard in mine own land of 
 thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed 
 not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen 
 it : and, behold, the half was not told me : thy wis- 
 dom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I 
 heard," 1 Kings x. 1, 3, 4, G, /. ■ His justice was 
 foretold ; Psal. Ixxii. 4, " He shall judge the poor of 
 the people, he shall save the children of the needy, 
 and shall break in pieces the oppressor." 
 
 3. Their battles and victories. They had many 
 choice warriors, and fighting men, among them ; 
 Joshua, Othnicl, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Barak, 
 Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, David, Kc. Asa had an 
 army of five hundred and eighty tliousand, and he 
 ruined Zerah's army of a thousand thousand, 2 Chron. 
 xiv. H, 9, 12, 13; so Jehoshaphat vanquished the 
 army of the Ammonites, Moabitcs, and those of 
 mount Seir, 2 Chron. xx. The Lord of hosts 
 was with them, and fought their battles for them, 
 which filled the nations with the fame and fear of 
 them. 
 
 4. The prophets, and the miraculous things they 
 
 did, caused the fame of this Israelitish state to go 
 forth. Elijah opened and shut heaven, James v. IJ, 
 18 ; he raised the widow of Zarephath's son, 1 Kings 
 xvii. ; he sacrificed the prophets of Baal and of the 
 groves, chap, xviii. So Elisha, what great things did 
 he ! he multiplied the widow's oil, 2 Kings iv. ; he 
 gave a son to the good Shunammite, which went 
 childless, and restored him to life when he was dead ; 
 his fame spread into Syria, whereupon Naaman 
 came to him, to be cured of his leprosy, 2 Kings v. ; 
 he disclosed the secrets of the king of Syria's coun- 
 sel, chap. vi. 
 
 5. Their being in covenant with God, and \\alking 
 according to his law'S, rules, and commands, made 
 them renowned. Hos. xi. 12, " Ephraim compasseth 
 me about with lies, and the house of Israel with 
 deceit ;" they went out from God to false and idol- 
 atrous worship, they brake the covenant, the law, 
 clave to their own inventions ; " but Judah yet ruleth 
 with God," he goeth along with God in his ways, and 
 is faithful with the saints, he keeps covenant and 
 touch with the Lord, and this is his wisdom, glory, 
 renown. Deut. iv. G, " Keep God's statutes and do 
 them ; for this is your wisdom and your understand- 
 ing in the sight of the nations, wdiich shall hear all 
 these statutes, and say. Surely this great nation is a 
 wise and understanding people ;" their obedience to 
 God's laws was that which made them honourable 
 abroad, and to be counted wise and understanding. So 
 Deut. xxvi. 18, 19, "The Lord hath avouched thee this 
 day to be his peculiar people, and that thou shouldest 
 keep all his commandments ; and to make thee high 
 above all nations which he hath made, in praise, in 
 name, and in honour :" the way to be exalted in all 
 these, is to walk in the ways of the Lord. It is " right- 
 eousness exalteth a nation : but sin is a reproach to 
 any people," Prov. xiv. 34. 
 
 " For thy beauty." I have spoken of this woman's 
 beauty before in ver. 13. Beauty consists in the 
 symmetry or due proportion of all the parts well 
 coloured ; here it was so : there was a symmetry 
 between church and state, a fit proportion between 
 princes, prophets, priests, and the people, and they 
 were all well-coloured with temporals and spirituals. 
 
 " It was perfect." The Hebrew word S'Ss signi- 
 fies, entire, perfect. You must not take " perfect," 
 for that which wants nothing absolutely, but for 
 that which is complete or perfect in its kind ; it is 
 joined to peace, Isa. xxvi. 3; to love, I John iv. 
 18 ; to faith, James ii. 22 : it notes the muchness or 
 entircness of them. 
 
 " My comeliness." Hebrew is, mn3 in my come- 
 liness, •\'\ri notes all honourable comeliness and 
 adorning decency ; Psal. viii. 5, thou " hast crowned 
 him with glory," with honour, comeliness. What- 
 ever this kingdom and people had which was excel- 
 lent, majestical, honourable, beautiful, glorious, that 
 is comprehended in this word " comeliness." 
 
 Obs. 1. That whatever comeliness any kingdoms, 
 states, or persons have, it is not from themselves, 
 but from the Lord. " Through my comeliness, which 
 1 had put upon thee." This Jewish state was W'ith- 
 out beauty, glory, honour, she lay in her blood, filth, 
 was naked and loathsome ; but God spread his skirt 
 over her, covered her nakedness, washed away her 
 blood, anointed her with oil, clothed her with broidcr- 
 ed work, shod her with skins of tachasch, girded her 
 with fnic linen, covered her with silk, decked her 
 with ornaments. Whatever external or internal 
 comeliness is in any, the Lord hath put it upon 
 them. Is a state decked with cities, people, trading, 
 with mountains, woods, rivers, flocks of cattle, &c. ? 
 hath it good laws, good magistrates, justice duly ex- 
 ecuted, the righteous countenanced, the wicked awed?
 
 3GG 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 it is the Lord's doing. Have any spiritual mercies, 
 tlie word, other ordinances ? 1 Cor. iv. 7, who makes 
 tliee diller ? or what hast thou thou didst not receive ? 
 if you receive any thing, you receive it i'rom God. 
 Tlie spouse was comely. Cant. i. 5 ; her countenance 
 was comely, chap. ii. 14; her speech was comely, 
 chap. iv. 3 ; this comeliness the Lord put upon her. 
 
 Obx. 2. That which we have is the Lord's. 
 " Through my comeliness." God had bestowed 
 many ornaments and excellences upon this woman, 
 which made her comely, and here he calls all his 
 " comeliness." I Kings xx. 3, Benhadad said to 
 Ahab, " Thy silver and thy gold is mine ; thy wives 
 also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine." 
 He challenged all injuriously, but God most justly ; 
 Hos. ii. 9, " My corn, my wine, my wool, my flax." 
 This woman was the Lord's, ver. 8, " Thou becamest 
 mine," and so all she had was his. 
 
 Obs. 3. That renown and fame is a choice mercy, 
 which God gives to his jieople "Thy renown went 
 forth among the heathen ;" God made her beautiful, 
 and caused her renown to go abroad, and reckons it up 
 amongst the mercies he bestowed upon her. Prov. 
 xxii. 1, " A good name is rather to be chosen than 
 great riches ; " if man might have mountains of 
 gold, the wealth of the Indies, it is nothing to a 
 good name. Eccles. vii. 1, "A good name is better 
 than precious ointment," it pleases, refresheth, is 
 profitable ; Prov. xv. 30, " A good report maketh the 
 bones fat." God gives this name ; I Chron. xvii. 
 8, speaking of David, " I have made thee a name 
 like the name of the great men that are in the earth :" 
 ver. 21, "What one nation in the earth is like thy 
 people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his 
 own people, to make thee a name of greatness and 
 terribleness." While they clave to the Lord, as a 
 girdle to the loins, they were to the Lord for a name, 
 for a praise, for a glory, Jer. xiii. ; but when they de- 
 generated from God and his ways, they became base. 
 Prov. X. 7, "The memory of the just is blessed : but 
 the name of the wicked shall rot :" Isa. Ixv. 15, " Ye 
 shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen :" 
 Isa. Ixii. 7, " Give him no rest, till he make Jerusa- 
 lem a praise in the earth."^ 
 
 Ver. 1.5 — 19. Bid thou didst trust in thine own 
 lecnitii, and jjlinfedst the harlot because of thy re- 
 nown, and poiiredst out thy furnication s on every 
 one that passed hy ; his it ivas. And of thy gar- 
 ments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places 
 trith divers colours, and playedst the harlot therc- 
 iijton : tlie like things shall not come, neither shall 
 it be so. Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of 
 '".'/ gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, 
 and madesf to thyself images of men, and didst 
 coniniit ivhoredom ivitk them, and tookest tliy 
 broidered garments, and covcredst them : and 
 thou hast set mine oil and my incense before them. 
 3Ty meat also which I gave thee, fine Jlour, and oil, 
 and honey, wherewith I Jed thee, thott hast even 
 set it before them, for a sweet .savour : and thus it 
 was, saith the Lord Cod. 
 
 From the beginning of the (ith verse imto the 15lh, 
 you have heard of the choice mercies the Lord be- 
 stowed up(m this Jewish state, even such mercies as 
 should have engaged her heart and strength to God 
 for ever. In these verses, and the fifteen following, 
 you have the fourth general pari of the chapter, viz. 
 The Lord's exprobratinn of this Israelilish woman 
 for licr ingratitude ; he was exceeding kind and mer- 
 
 ciful unto her, and she was exceeding unkind and 
 unthankful unto him. 
 
 This ingratitude is set out, 
 
 I. By her defection from God to idolatrous prac- 
 tices, laid down ver. 15 — 35. 
 
 II. By her inhumaneness, in slaying and sacri- 
 ficing her own children, ver. 20, 21. 
 
 III. The cause of these, ver. 22. 
 In ver. 15, yon havi.', 
 
 1. Her sinful confidence, "Thou didst trust in 
 thine own beauty." 
 
 2. Her whoredom, " and playedst tlie harlot." 
 
 3. The motive thereunto, her " renown." 
 
 4. The greatness and extent of her whoredoms, 
 " and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that 
 passed by." 
 
 5. The manner of her whorish and idolatrous 
 practices ; .she took her garments, jewels, oil, in- 
 cense, fine flour, and honey, and bestowed them all 
 upon her images, ver. 16 — 19. 
 
 " Thou didst trust." Hebrew is, 'raan thou hast 
 trusted. Having received many mercies from God, 
 both temporal and spiritual, she grew proud, confi- 
 dent, and trusted in what the Lord had given her to 
 make her beautiful ; she grew secure, presumptuous, 
 and loose, leaving God, who gave her all, and rest- 
 ing in his gifts. 
 
 " And playedst the harlot." Hebrew is, ':tril the 
 word n:i signifies, to be impure in body or mind, 
 when one leaves her husband, and wantonizeth with 
 others in mind or body. When it is spoken of the 
 state of the Jews, (as here, and frequently in other 
 places of Scripture,) it notes leaving of God, cleaving 
 to idols, worshipping of them, which is called forni- 
 cation, whoredom ; Hos. i. 2, " The land hath com- 
 mitted great whoredom, departing from the Lord ;" 
 Judg. ii. 17, "They went a whoring after other gods, 
 and bowed themselves unto them ;" chap. viii. 27, 
 when Gideon set up his ephod, " all Israel went thi- 
 ther a whoring after it." There is spiritual whore- 
 dom as well as corporal whoredom ; the setting up 
 idols or images, using any reverential gestures in 
 honour of them, the worshipping of them, or God 
 by them, is spiritual whoredom. 
 
 I shall show you wherefore idolatry is called for- 
 nication and whoredom, and that is, from the re- 
 semblances which are between them. 
 
 1. A whorish woman leaves and goes out from 
 her husband to another ; Prov. ii. 17, " She forsaketh 
 the guide of her youth," that is, her husband ; she 
 pleads she had not that content, delight, satisfaction 
 in him as she looked for : so here, this Israelilish 
 woman forsook her Husband, and went out to other 
 gods; Jer. ii. 11, 13, " Hath a nation changed their 
 gods, which are yet no gods ? but my people have 
 changed their glory; they have forsaken me the 
 fountain of living waters." Hos. ix. 1, "Thou hast 
 gone a whoring from thy God ;" and what was that 
 whoring ? Jer. iii. 9, committing adultery with 
 stocks and stones ; that was, idolatrous worshipping 
 of them. 
 
 2. Whoredom is a breach of that covenant which 
 was made between husband and wife at marriage. 
 Prov. ii. 17, she " forgetteth the covenant of her 
 (iod," that is, the covenant made with her husband, 
 in the presence of God; so a people in covenant 
 with God, going out to idolatrous jiractiees, they 
 break covenant with him ; ver. 8, " I entered into 
 covenant with thee, and thon becamest mine ;" but 
 this woman, falling into idolatry, brake covenant, 
 therefore, Jer. iii. 20, "As a wife treacherously de- 
 parteth from her husband, so have ye dealt treach- 
 erously with me, () house of Israel, saith the Lord :" 
 tliis God foresaw, and foretold long before ; Deut.
 
 Ver. 15— I'J. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 367 
 
 xxxi. 16, they will go a whoring after other gods, 
 they " will forsake me, and break my covenant which 
 I have made with them." 
 
 3. Wlioredom is pleasing and delightful to men 
 and women, but it is abominable and loathsome in 
 the account of God : Prov. vii. 18, saith the harlot 
 there, " Come, let us take our fill of love until the 
 morning : let us solace ourselves with loves." They 
 had pleasure and delight in their sin, but it was 
 abominable in the sight of God, and therefore it is 
 called uncleanness in a special manner, Rom. i. 24 ; 
 Epli. iv. 19; so in idolatrizing, andsuperstitionizing, 
 there is that which pleascth man, but provokes God 
 greatly. They went a whoring after idols, they saw 
 beauty in them, found pleasure in letting out their 
 hearts unto them ; Ezek. xviii. 6, they lifted up their 
 eyes to their idols, they took as much pleasure in 
 beholding them as a man in beholding the beauty of' 
 a woman, their idolatry was delightful to them. Isa. 
 xliv. 9, images are called their " delectable things," 
 or desirable, as the Hebrew is ; but however they 
 were delightful to them, they were not so to God ; 
 Isa. Ixv. 12, they " did choose that wherein I de- 
 lighted not." God was so far from delighting in 
 them that he abhorred them, and therefore calls them 
 defiling abominations, Jer. xxxii. 34; devils, Deut. 
 xxxii. 1 7 ; confusion, Isa. xli. 29 ; detestable things, 
 Ezek. v. 11. 
 
 4. AVhoredom darkens men's understandings, in- 
 fatuates the spirits of men, and steals away their 
 hearts ; Hos. iv. 11, " Whoredom and wine and new 
 wine take away the heart." Solomon, that was ex- 
 ceeding wise, had his spirit so besotted with women, 
 that he was not able to see the sinfulness of idolatry, 
 but had his heart turned after other gods, 1 Kings 
 xi. Such is idolatry, it blinds men's understanding, 
 and clouds their judgments; Rom. i. 21, "They 
 became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish 
 heart was darkened," and they, " professing them- 
 selves to be wise, they became fools," in making 
 images of God, ver. 22, 23 : see their folly, " They 
 worshipped the works of their own hands," Jer. i. 
 16; they trusted in that which could neither hear, 
 see, speak, smell, nor go, Psal. cxv. 5 — 8 ; they 
 asked counsel of stocks, Hos. iv. 12 ; they said " to 
 a stock. Thou art my father; and to a stone. Thou 
 hast brought me forth," Jer. ii. 27. 
 
 5. Whoredom is a reproaching sin ; Prov. vi. 33, 
 speaking of a man committing adultery, he tells you, 
 "A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his re- 
 proach shall not be wiped away :" so idolatry brings 
 reproach upon men ; 1 Pet. iv. 3, they are called 
 " abominable idolatries," they make the names of men 
 abominable, as well as their persons arid actions. 
 They are termed haters of God, Exod. xx. 5 ; blas- 
 phemers, Isa. Ixv. 7 ; adulterers, Jer. iii. 9 ; worship- 
 pers of devils. Rev. ix. 20. 
 
 6. It is an inflaming sin. Job xxxi. 12, it is called 
 "a fire," and kindles such a flaEie in the house, as 
 ofttimes consumes it. Idolatry is of the same na- 
 ture : Isa. Ivii. 5, " Inflaming yourselves with idols ;" 
 there was a spirit of whoredoms in them, which 
 kindled strong, burning, inflaming lusts after their 
 idols : Jer. 1. 38, " They are mad upon their idols :" 
 where there is madness, there is a great inflammation 
 of the blood and spirits. 
 
 7. Uncleanness is a sin destructive to body and 
 soul: Prov. v. 11, it consumes the body; it destroys 
 the soul, chap. vi. 32; and the harlot's house is the 
 way to hell, going down to the chambers of death, 
 chap. vii. 27. So idolatry is a dangerous sin, it threat- 
 ens destruction of body and soul ; Baal's prophets 
 lost their lives for their idolatry, 1 Kings xviii. ; 
 Gideon's cphod was a ruin to him and to his house- 
 
 hold, Judg. viii. ; and, in 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10, there is a • 
 dreadful place against fornicators and idolaters ;" 
 " Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit 
 the kingdom of God ? Be not deceived ; neither for- 
 nicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers," &c. " shall 
 inherit the kingdom of God." 
 
 8. Whoredom is a costly sin; much is wasted in 
 vestments, much in ornaments, much in meats, drinks, 
 junketings, and perfumes. Prov. vii. 16, 17, " I have 
 decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with 
 carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have per- 
 fumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon :" the 
 dressings, deckings, banquetings, perfumings which 
 attend that vice, are very costly. Idolatry, likewise, 
 is a chargeable thing; Isa. xlvi. 6, " They lavish 
 gold out of the bag." When nothing else could 
 fetch the gold out of it, idolatry could, and that in 
 abundance; "they lavish it out," to maintain and 
 adorn an idol-god; see Isa. xl. 19; Jer. x. 4, 9. So 
 here, they decked their high places with broidered 
 garments, with jewels of gold and silver, they bestow- 
 ed upon them oil and incense, fine flour and honey. 
 
 9. It is an impudent sin, it makes bold and brazen- 
 faced : Prov. vii. 13, the harlot had an impudent 
 face, and spake impudent things. Idolatry begets 
 impudence also : Ezek. iii. 7, " All the house of Is- 
 rael are impudent;" and how impudently did they 
 speak, when they ofTered incense in the chambers 
 of their imagery, to creeping things, and abominable 
 beasts, portrayed upon the walls ! they said, " The 
 Lord seeth us not ; the Lord hath forsaken the 
 earth," chap. viii. 10 — 12. 
 
 " Because of thy renown." Hebrew is, ipvr Sy 
 Thou hadst a great name, wast become famous abroad, 
 and this invited the nations to come and visit thee, 
 and brought in the gods of their countries, which 
 thou receivedst, and playedst the harlot with : or 
 thus you may read the words, against thy name ; 
 Thou hast played the harlot against thy name ; 
 whereas, before, thou hadst an honourable and pre- 
 cious name, now by thy sinful and base practices, 
 thou hast polluted it, and made thy name to stink. 
 
 The Vulgate reads it, in thy name ; and I find in- 
 terpreters carry the sense to be this, That this wo- 
 man having left her husband, under whose authority 
 and power she formerly was, did all now in her own 
 name ; she pretended now she was sui Juris, and 
 would live as she list, and converse with whom she 
 pleased : Hos. iv. 12, " They have gone a whoring 
 from under their God;" they would not be under the 
 authority and command of God, as a chaste .spouse 
 should be, but left him as a whore doth her husband, 
 and so did all in their own name : Jer. ii. 31, " We 
 are lords ; we will come no more unto thee ;" we 
 are at liberty, are lords over ourselves and our own 
 actions, we will have what gods we jdease. 
 
 " And pouredst out thy fornications." Hebrew is, 
 '3Brni like a whore that prostitutes herself to all 
 comers; so did this Jewish state prostitute itself to 
 the idolatrous practices of all nations that came to 
 her. It is sinful for a woman to be taken with the de- 
 sire of another man, worse to commit folly with him, 
 though one of the same house, but it is far worse to 
 be taken with strangers, and to prostitute herself to 
 all comers, and to be a common strumpet ; this Israel- 
 itish woman was so, if any had any new gods, or new 
 devices in worship, she entertained them. The 
 word pouring out sets forth the vehement and insati- 
 able desire she had to sin. Orthus: "Pouredst out thy 
 fornications ;" thou cUdst comnumicate and impart thy 
 idolatrous and false ways of worship to all that 
 passed by, thou infectedst them therewith ; thou 
 was not content alone to be naught thyself, but 
 drewest in many others to partake of thy sins : she
 
 36S 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XYI. 
 
 was full of spiritual wlioredoms, and taught all na- 
 tions to be more idolatrous. 
 
 " His it was." Hebrew is, 'n' ^S to him it was. 
 In ver. 8, saith God, " Thou becamcst mine;" and 
 in ver. 14, " Thy beauty ivas perfect through my 
 comeliness, which I put upon thee ;" but here it was 
 another's, her comeliness, her beauty, her desire, her 
 body, her estate, were all another's. Vulgate is, that 
 thou shouldst become his ; thou wast weary of my 
 love, and hast sought out other lovers, that thou 
 mightest mingle with them, and satisfy tliy lust; 
 and not only'hast thou left, cast oft', me, but thou 
 hast embraced others ; whoever passed by thee had 
 thy heart and all'ection as much as ever I had, for 
 him thou wast, and his was all thou hadst. 
 
 Obs. 1. Where God bestows choice mercies upon 
 a people, he looks for answerable returns from them. 
 He gave life to the Israelitish state, ver. 6 ; he 
 multiplied it as the bud of the field, ver. 7 ; he loved 
 this people, entered into covenant with them, married 
 them unto himself, ver. 8 ; he washed away their 
 blood, and anointed them with oil, ver. 9 ; he gave 
 them costly apparel, precious ointments, tine flour, 
 honey, and oil, royal dignity, special beauty and 
 comeliness, great fame and glory, ver. 10 — 14; and 
 now expected that they should have lived to him, 
 loved, feared, obeyed, served him, and improved all 
 for the honour of his name. " But thou didst trust 
 in thine owti beauty, and playedst the harlot," Sec. 
 I looked not for this at thy hands ; of all the people 
 in the world, I lonked that thou shouldst liave been 
 faithful and fruitful in all good works, and been as 
 exemplary for holiness and justice to other nations, 
 as I was exemplary in my mercies towards thee 
 above other nations. Isa. v. 2, there God fenced his 
 vineyard, gathered out the stones thereof, planted it 
 with the choicest \-ine, built a tower in the midst of 
 it, made a wine-press in it, digged it, caused the 
 clouds to rain upon it, and did all that could be done 
 for the good of it ; and what then ? " I looked that it 
 should bring forth grapes," ver. 4 ; I looked for judg- 
 ment and righteousness, ver. 7 : where God multi- 
 plies mercies, he expects suitable returns. See one 
 place more. Dent, xxxii. 6 — Ifi, he shows there that 
 God was their Father, had bought them, made them 
 a great people from low begimiings, set them their 
 boimds, chosen them to be his portion and inherit- 
 ance, how he had led, instructed, and kept them as 
 tile apple of his eye, and what variety of other mer- 
 cies he had bestowed upon them; " but Jeshurun 
 waxed fat, and kicked." This peo])le, that should 
 have been righteous and upright, obeying the laws 
 of their God and Father, rebelled and kicked like a 
 fatted OX; which made Moses say, ver. G, " Do you 
 thus requite the Lord ? " do j'ou corrupt and spot 
 yourselves with the courses of the world ? The Lord 
 looked for other things at their hands. 
 
 Obtt. 2. Ingratitude in God's people is a provoking 
 sin, and causes God to upbraid them for it. I gave 
 thee life, increase, took thee to be mine, cleansed 
 thee from thy filth and blood, anointed thee with 
 oil, I clothed, decked, covered thee, fed thee, I made 
 thee exceeding beautiful and comely, gave thee great 
 renown, set a crown upon thy head, prospered thee 
 into a kingdom ; " but thou didst trust in thine own 
 lieauty, and [ilayedst the harlot." From the begin- 
 ning of ver. (i, to the end of ver. 14, which are but 
 nine verses, there is " I" seventeen times, and every 
 mention of it is matter of upbraiding unto them ; 
 there is hardly tlie like in all the l)ook of God. 
 When men will not mind God's nurcies, to be thank- 
 ful, he will remember them, to upbraid their un- 
 thankfulncss for them. 
 
 When God had made Adam after his image, 
 
 planted him in paradise, given him dominion over 
 all (he creatures, for him not to obey one little com- 
 mand, this was great ingratitude ; provoked the Lord 
 to come down from heaven, to upbraid him, and 
 jiunish him for it, Gen. iii. ; " Adam, where art 
 thou?" what! hast thou forgotten me, and all the 
 mercies so lately heaped upon thee, and eaten the 
 forbidden fruit ? " Cursed is the ground for thy 
 sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of 
 thy life," ver. 17. In Isa. xxxvii. you read of Senna- 
 cherib's gi-eat army before Jerusalem, which filled 
 them with fears, and caused sadnesses in many fami- 
 lies ; God destroyed this army by an angel in a night. 
 In the next chapter, you find Hezekiah was sick 
 unto death : Jerom delivers it to be the judgment 
 of the learned Jews, that therefore he was struck 
 with sickness, because he w-as not thankful to God 
 for this great deliverance ; and this was a real up- 
 braiding of him for his ingratitude. Isa. i. 2, 3, God 
 was so troubled at the ingratitude of this people, 
 that lie could hold no longer, but must call forth a 
 prophet, and cause him to begin his prophecy in this 
 manner, " Hear, O heavens, and give ear, earth : 
 for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and 
 brought up children, and they have rebelled against 
 me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his 
 master's crib ;" they give them a little hay, straw, 
 grass, water, and the brute creatures are thankful for 
 them ; " but Israel doth not know, my people do not 
 consider ;" I give them their oxes, and asses, all that 
 belongs to them, and greater things than so, yet they 
 know not me. 
 
 Matt. xi. Christ upbraids Chorazin, Bethsaida, 
 and Capernaum, where his mighty works were done, 
 because they brought not forth fruits answerable, 
 but were impenitent and ungrateful ; he tells Caper- 
 naum, it shall be more easy for Sodom than for her 
 in the day of judgment. 
 
 Judg. viii. 34, 35, " The children of Israel remem- 
 bered not the Lord their God, who had delivered them 
 out of the hands of all their enemies on every side : 
 neither showed they kindness to the house of Gideon, 
 according to all the goodness he had showed unto 
 Israel." Socrates, saith the Athenians, admitted no 
 ungrateful man into the republic. 
 
 What ingratitude was it in the men of Keilah, 
 when the Philistines fought against them, robbed 
 them, endangered their liberties and lives, and 
 David with his men smote the Philistines with a great 
 slaughter, and saved the inhabitants of Keilah, 1 
 Sam. xxiii. 15 ; and quickly afterwards, they would 
 have delivered David, who had saved them, into the 
 hands of Saul, his enemy ! ver. 12. 
 
 Obs. 3. We are very apt to trust in, and be proud 
 of, the mercies God bestows upon us. " Thou didst 
 trust in thine own beauty;" those things I gave to 
 make thee beautiful, those thou hast abused, been 
 proud of, put too mui'li confidence in. Such is the 
 heart of man, that it is ready to idolize every mercy 
 God gives. 
 
 There are several mercies we are apt to trust in. 
 
 (1.) In riches. Prov. x. 15, "The rich man's 
 wealth is his strong city," he confides as much in 
 it as citizens do in a walled, well fortified, and well 
 built city : Psal. Iii. 7, " This is the man that made 
 not God his strength ; but trusted in the abundance 
 of his riches :" 1 Tim. vi. 17, "Charge them that 
 are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, 
 nor trust in uncertain riches ;" he that doth it shall 
 fall, Prov. xi. 28. 
 
 (2.) In princes and gi'cat ones. Psal. cxlvi. 3, 
 " Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of 
 man. in whom there is no help," no salvation : Lsa. 
 ii. 22, " Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his
 
 Ver. 15—19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 369 
 
 nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of ? " 
 Jer. XNni. 5, " Cursed be the in;in that trusteth in 
 man, and makcth rtesh Ids arm." The Jews put con- 
 fidence in Egypt, and the king of it ; Isa. xxx. 3, 
 " Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your 
 shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your 
 confusion." 
 
 (3.) In your own natural excellences. Jer. ix. 
 23, " Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, 
 neither let the mighty man glory in his might ;" it 
 shows there is a great propensity in the hearts of 
 men to do it. Prov. xx\-iii. 26, " He that trusteth in 
 his own heart is a fool ;" the heart is the most excel- 
 lent part of man : Prov. iii. 5, " Trust in the Lord 
 with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own 
 understanding." 
 
 (4.) In the ordinances and means of grace. Jer. 
 vii. 4, "Trust ye not in lying words, saying. The 
 temple of the Lord," &c. : ver. 14, 15, "Therefore 
 will I do unto this house, which is called"by my name, 
 wherein yc trust, as I have done to Shiloh. And I 
 will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all 
 your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim." 
 
 Obs. 4. Great renown, through man's corruption, 
 oft proves a snare, occasions great sins. "Thou 
 playedst the harlot because of thy renown ;" thou 
 wast grown great, famous abroad, excecdedst other 
 nations, who, coming to see thy beauty, and behold 
 thy glory, which they heard of, tliou dotedst upon 
 them, and drewest them to fornication : her renown 
 was the bait to allure them, and to induce them, 
 being allured, to spiritual whoredoms. Renown is 
 a great mercy of the Lord, and should be a special 
 motive to make us honour God, and to improve it 
 for his glory, and others' good ; but usually estates 
 and piersons abuse that renown and esteem they 
 have in the world, making advantage thereof only 
 to serve their own turns and lust. God made this 
 people above all nations, in praise, in name, in 
 honour, that they might be a holy people unto 
 him, Deut. xx^^. 19 ; their renown should have en- 
 couraged them to holiness, and it was an incentive 
 unto looseness. Solomon had great renown abroad 
 in the nations, I Kings iv. 31 ; that drew the princes 
 to bestow their daughters upon him ; chap. xi. 3, he 
 had seven hundred wives, princesses; his name 
 made way for unlawful marriages, and they made 
 way for unlawful gods. You read of rooting up 
 Israel, 1 Kings xiv. 15 ; of blotting out their name 
 from under heaven, Deut. ix. 14 ; of cutting it olT, 
 Isa. xlviii. 19 : the reason was, they abused that 
 name God had given them to idolatry, and other sin- 
 ful practices. Many of great credit take up money 
 and break. 
 
 Obs. 5. Going out from God to false gods and 
 ways of worship, is a grievous sin. " Thou playedst 
 the harlot," that is, thou didst leave me, thy God 
 and Husband, and wentest after others ; thy body, thy 
 beauty, thy heart and afi'ections were theirs, and with 
 tliem thou didst commit whoredoms ; Psal. cvi. 28, 
 " They joined themselves also unto Baal-peor." 
 This was apostasy in this people, to forsake God, 
 break covenant, all engagements, to go out to others, 
 as if there were more good, content, sweetness 
 to be had in them, than in the Lord ; Mieah vi. 3, 
 " O my people, what have I done unto thee ? and 
 wherein have I wearied thee ? testify against me." 
 Tliey made their nations think their gods better 
 than the God of Israel, and their way of worship 
 better than his, which was a great reproach to the 
 Lord, and made him to complain. The Hebrew 
 calls the winter r|-\n because it is a reproach to the 
 earth ; and such is an apostate peoj)le ; they are f|in a 
 reproach to God and his ordinances, thev bring up 
 2 B 
 
 an ill report upon Canaan, the grapes and God there- 
 of. "When the Samaritans worshipped strange gods, 
 the Jew's counted and called them bastards for it ; but 
 when they practised it themselves, they were blind, 
 and discerned not the evil of it: John viii. 41, "We 
 be not born of fornication ;" they meant tliey were 
 not the children of idolaters, and such as had apos- 
 tatized from God ; whereas their predecessors had 
 been the greatest apostates and idolaters of the world. 
 This sin kindles the jealousy of God, Exod. xx. 5; 
 Prov. y\. 34 ; and made the Lord say, Heb. x. 38, 
 " If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure 
 in him :" no, his soul should be exceedingly against 
 them. Hence saith God of the Levites, that fell to 
 idolatry, that they should "bear their iniquity. And 
 they shall not come near unto me to do the office of 
 a priest unto me," Ezek. xliv. 10, 13. 
 
 ■Some of the ancients have thought that a man 
 falling away from the truth once, or twice especially, 
 there is no mercy for him. 
 
 Obs. 6. The most beautiful and renowned church 
 may degenerate, apostatize, and become so corrupt, 
 that it may be questionable whether there be the 
 face of a true visible church in all the world. This 
 Israelitish woman was the only spouse of God, he 
 entered into a covenant with her, she became his, 
 ver. 8 ; he did great things for her, he put more 
 spiritual beauty and comeliness upon her than upon 
 all the nations, and made her renowned throughout 
 the world; yet she forsook God, played the harlot, 
 multiplied fornications, prostituted herself to every 
 idol and idolater; and now where was the church of 
 God ? She " played the harlot with many lovers," 
 Jer. iii. 1 ; here was visible apostasy, visible idola- 
 try, but no true visible church in joining communion 
 with God in his own way. Neither was God with- 
 out a true church at this time. There were some 
 godly ones in secret, which kept themselves from 
 those idolatrous pollutions, who mourned in secret 
 for the abominations done in the temple, city, and 
 every where, Ezek. ix. 4 ; but these lay hid, and 
 durst not appear in the ways of w-orship then amongst 
 them. So in Elijah's days, Ahab, Jezebel, the false 
 prophets and priests of Baal, had so corrupted the 
 worship of God, and the people so apostatized, that 
 there was no visible face of a church left in the view 
 of Elijah himself; for he saith, "The children of 
 Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine 
 altars, and slain thy prophets : and I, even I only, 
 am left ; and they seek my life, to take it away," 
 I Kings xix. 10; but God had then seven thousand 
 in secret, ver. 18. 
 
 The true church may be brought to such a pauci- 
 ty, such a lowness, as that there may be no public 
 meetings, or view thereof. Whilst this church 
 heai'kened to her Husband, obeyed his voice, follow- 
 ed the rules of the word, she was chaste, and free 
 from errors ; but when she grew proud of her fame, 
 and trusted in her beauty, then she fell into errors, 
 defiled herself with idols, and sinned shamefully. 
 
 The papists say, their church cannot err, espe- 
 cially in things necessary to salvation ; and why ? 
 because it is the spouse of Christ. Was not this 
 Israelitish church the spouse of God ? and did it not 
 err in the great and weighty things of salvation ? 
 did it not leave God, and fall to idolatry, such 
 practices as exclude the kingdom of heaven .' Wliat 
 privilege hath the Koman church more than this 
 had? Whatever papists say or write, their church 
 hath trusted in her beauty, been proud of her re- 
 nown, and played the harlot, as notoriously as cv cr 
 Jerusalem did. 
 
 Ver. 16. "And dcckedst thy high places with 
 divers colours." The Hebrew is, And hast made to
 
 370 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Ciur. XVI. 
 
 thyself spotted high places. In their high places 
 were altars made for the honour of their idols, those 
 they decked with tapestry, and clothes bespotted 
 with divers colours, that so they might affect and 
 allure more strongly the worsliippirs, and those 
 that came to see them worshipping. 
 
 Ver. 17. " Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels." 
 The Hebrew is, -jmNSn •hi the vessels or instru- 
 ments of thy glory. Some refer these instruments 
 of glory to the golden or silver vessels of the temple, 
 which were glorious vessels, and vessels of their 
 glory. It is said that Ahaz, 2 Chron. xxviii. 24, 
 " gathered together the vessels of the house of God, 
 and cut them in pieces, and made him altars in every 
 corner of Jerusalem." It is like he might convert 
 the gold and silver of the temple to idolatrous uses ; 
 or you may interpret it of their plate, those vessels 
 of glory they had for their domestic use, not exclud- 
 ing the golden and silver ornaments they had for 
 their own adorning. 
 
 " And madest to thyself images of men." The 
 Hebrew is, 131 'cSv images of man ; not images of 
 God, who was her Husband and beloved, but images 
 of man. The nations had their gods and goddesses, 
 he-gods and she-gods ; Baal, Milchom, Chamos, Mo- 
 Icch, were masculine gods ; Ashtoreth, Isis, Derceto, 
 were feminine gods. The Jewish state being here 
 compared unto a i\oman, a whorish woman, \\ho 
 loves and afl'ects the presence, beauty, and em- 
 bracings of men, that is fitly said to make unto her- 
 self images of m( n, with which she might adulterize 
 and idolize, and satiate her lusts botli fleshly and 
 spiritual. The Hebrew word for masculine, or of a 
 man, is from n2i to remember ; these images were 
 memorials and remembrancers of their idol gods, of 
 pleasures they liad in accompanying with or wor- 
 shipping of them. 
 
 Ver. 19. " My meat also which I gave thee." 
 The Hebrew is, 'cnSi my bread. Though arS ordi- 
 narily signifies bread, yet here it must be taken com- 
 prehensively for any thing edible ; the enumeration 
 following shows it, as " fine flour, and oil, and 
 honey ;" and the word is so to be understood in 
 Luke xiv. 1 ; Christ went into one of the Pharisees' 
 houses to eat bread ; by " bread " is meant whatever 
 should be set before him : so Gen. xxxix. 6, Poti- 
 phar left all in Joseph's hand, he knew not aught 
 he had, save the bread which he did eat ; " bread," 
 that is, all things he did eat: so Matt. vi. 11, 
 daily bread comprehends all edible things, and 
 more too. 
 
 " Thou hast even set it before them for a sweet 
 savour." The Hebrew is, nn'j n'lS That which is 
 sweet and pleasing to the smell, we rest in as de- 
 lightful to us. She set these things before the 
 images of men, and the false gods, to practise them 
 if they were offended, and to endear them more unto 
 herself hereby, as if she had merited their favours 
 and embraces. The offering of incense and sweet 
 odours was a i]art of divine worship, and when sa- 
 crifice was made to him by Noah, he smelled a 
 sweet savour ; the Hebrew is the same with what 
 was here, he was well pleased therewith. It is 
 taken from the practice of men, who used sweet 
 smells, Isa. iii. 24. 
 
 Obs. 1. The making of high places, altars, images 
 for religious uses, the adorning of them, and offer- 
 ing unto them, is idolatrous and ]>rov(]king. Here 
 God upbraids and cimdcmns this woman in ver. 16; 
 in ver. 17, for making of images; in ver. 18, for 
 covering of them with liroidered garments ; and in 
 this verse and ver. H), for olfering oil, incense, flour, 
 honey unto them. God calls these things playing 
 the harlot, committing whoredom. 
 
 This practice of theirs hath many aggravations 
 in it. 
 
 (1.) That they made high places the places of 
 their idolatry, which were open to view ; they would 
 worship false gods in the sight of heaven and earth. 
 
 (2.) That they made masculine images, which 
 showed their filthy lust, and filthy idolatry, and set 
 them up in the stead of God. 
 
 (3.) That they covered them with divers colours, 
 and broidered garments : those of one colour, of 
 worse materials, might have sufficed them, but these 
 pleased their eyes, and inveigled others. 
 
 (4.) That they oflfered the'Lord's oil, incense, and 
 meat unto them. 
 
 (5.) That they thought these made them accept- 
 able to the idols, and the idols propitious unto them, 
 and put some divineness in them. 
 
 Obs. 2. Idolaters and false worshippers think no 
 expenses, no charges, too much, to accomplish their 
 devices, and maintain their way. If they want a 
 god, or an image, to mind them of the true God, they 
 will take their vessels of glory, the gold and silver 
 of the temple, their plate, their fair jewels and orna- 
 ments of their bodies, and have gods and images 
 made with them ; if these gods and images seem 
 naked, they will bestow their own clothes, their 
 broidered and best garments, their coloured hang- 
 ings, yea, they will spare their meat out of their 
 own bellies, and set it before them. When Moses 
 was in the mountj the j>eople were set upon it to 
 have a new visible god to go before them, and they 
 call upon Aaron to make them such a god ; he 
 thought they would not have been at any great cost 
 for an idol-god, and therefore saith. If you will have 
 a god, you must break the golden earrings out of 
 the ears of your wives, sons, and daughters ; if you 
 will part with them which are your glory and orna- 
 ment, which will put you to much pain before you 
 get them out, for you must break them ; if you will 
 do so, you shall have a golden god, Exod. xxxii. I, 2. 
 Did they stick at this ? no, no ; ver. 3, " All the 
 people brake off the golden earrings which were in 
 their ears, and brought them unto Aaron :" here 
 was no compulsion, no delay, they brake and 
 brought. Hos. ii. 8, God " multiplied her silver and 
 gold, which they prepared for Baal," or therewith 
 made Baal ; they freely bestowed it upon idols, and 
 idolatrous worship. Should we come to people 
 now, and say, You would gladly have the true God 
 to be your God, his ways and ordinances to walk in, 
 and serve him by, but it must cost j'ou your vessels 
 of glory, your plate, jewels, ornaments, embroidery," 
 what could they think of it? 
 
 Obs. 3. It is a detestable sin to abuse the mercies 
 God gives ns, for our necessities, ornaments, or de- 
 lights, to the dishonour of his name. I gave thee 
 gold and silver, and thou madest images of them; I 
 clothed thee with broidered work, and thou coveredst 
 thine images with them ; I gave thee oil, incense, 
 honey, and fine flour, and thou hast set them before 
 thine images. Here was abominable ingratitude ; as 
 if God should say here. Consider and commiserate 
 my case, all ye my friends and faithful servants, men 
 and angels, 1 have showed great kindness, and dealt 
 bountifully with this people, honoured them above 
 others, given them the choicest blessings the world 
 hath, and they turn all against me, and bestow my 
 blessings upon false gods ; they take their vestments 
 and ornaments, clothe, adorn, and beautify their abo- 
 minable idols with them. Suppose a prince, most 
 amiable and virtuous, should take a poor, beggarly 
 maid, having nothing, sick unto death, be at great 
 cost to cure her, clothe, adorn her, and make her his 
 wife, and she should bestow her embroideries and
 
 \En. 20, 21. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 371 
 
 jewels upon whore-masters, and prostitute her body 
 unto common rogues, leaving the prince who had 
 done so much for her, were it not horrible ingrati- 
 tude ? would not every one who heard of it commise- 
 rate the prince, and condemn her. Absalom turned all 
 against his father, and it was intolerable ingratitude. 
 
 If a man should set up his child with a great stock, 
 give him house and land, and he should spend it in 
 sueing and vexing of his father, who would not cry 
 out of such a child ? Many men take the blessings 
 God bestows upon them, and spend them wholly in 
 the service of their lusts ; their bellies are their gods, 
 their honours, their pleasures are so, and all is 
 wasted about them, to the grief and dishonour of that 
 God who gave them all. 
 
 It was never the intent or end of God that we 
 should pervert his blessings, and bestow them upon 
 idols, or any of our base lusts ; he aimed at our good 
 and his own glory, and we cross both when we 
 abuse his mercies, we wound his honour, darken his 
 glory, and destroy ourselves. 
 
 Ver. 20, 21. Moreover thou hast taken thy 
 sons and thi/ daughters, whom thou hast home unto 
 me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be 
 devoured. Is this of thj/ whoredoms a small 
 matter, that thou hast slain my children, and 
 delivered them to cause them to jjass through the 
 fire for them ? 
 
 These words do set out the ingratitude of this 
 woman yet more fully, viz. fi'om her unnaturalness ; 
 God gave her children, and she slew and sacrificed 
 them unto false gods. 
 
 " Whom thou hast borne unto me." Not brought 
 forth that they should be the Lord's, but they were 
 his; for in ver. 21 he calls them his children: 
 though this IsraeUtish woman had forsaken God, 
 and was become a notorious idolatress, yet the chil- 
 dren she brought forth were the Lord's, 
 
 1. By the right of the Lord. He is the God of 
 nature, having sovereign authority over all creatures, 
 and so both the parents and children were the 
 Lord's, as well as other creatures ; he calls it his 
 gold, his silver, his oil, his incense, &e. 
 
 2. By the right of the covenant. God had made a 
 covenant with them, and promised to be their God, 
 and the God of their seed, Gen. xvii. 7. He speaks 
 of his being in covenant with his people, ver. 8 of 
 this chapter ; he took this Israelitish woman to be 
 his, and though she played the whore, yet the chil- 
 dren she bore were the Lord's, because God had 
 not given her a bill of divorce, but her children had 
 circumcision, which was a token of the covenant 
 between God and them. Gen. xvii. 1 1 ; and it is 
 called the covenant of circumcision. Acts vii. 8. In 
 themselves considered, they were worthy rather the 
 name of bastards, than to be honoured with the title 
 of sons. 
 
 " These hast thou sacrificed." The Hebrew word 
 nST is, to kill, slay, as you do beasts, cither for eat- 
 ing or sacrificing. Thou hast slain ; so you have it 
 in the next verse, " Thou hast slain my children," 
 'tanrni from lant' to kill, or extend, because, when 
 tlie beast was killed, they extended the parts of it ; 
 here they killed their children, either before they 
 put them into the fire and sacrificed them to idols, 
 or by casting them alive into the fire. Jer. vii. 31, 
 there is mention made of " Tophet in the valley of 
 the son of Hinnom," and it was to bum their sons 
 and daughters in the fire. Expositors say, this 
 Tophet was a chapel, or altar, where Molech was, 
 and here they offered their children to that idol. 
 This idol Molech, the Hebrews tell us, was made of 
 2 B 2 
 
 brass, hollow and capacious in the concave of it ; 
 they put their children either in it, or under it, there 
 being a great fire ; they burned them in honour to the 
 idol. Others think they were put in the arms of the 
 idol, being red hot, and so i-oasted to death ; and be- 
 cause the lamentable shrieks and cries of the chil- 
 dren in the fire should not be heard, they played 
 upon tabrets, beat on drums or pans, whence it was 
 called Tophet, for P|n is a tabret, or drum. 
 
 This inhuman practice was frequent among the 
 Jews, as you may observe fi'om 2 Kings xvi. 3 ; xvii. 
 1 7 ; and xxi. 6 ; Jer. xix. 5 ; xxxii. 35. Ahaz " walked 
 in the way of the kings of Israel, and made his son 
 to pass through the fire," (that was their ordinary 
 practice,) " according to the abominations of the hea- 
 then." And, 2 Kings xvii. 31, "The Sepharvites burnt 
 their chihhen in fire to Adrammeleeh and Anamme- 
 lech, the gods of Sepharvaim." 
 
 This custom of sacrificing their children, it is judg- 
 ed, by the learned, that the heathens lookup fi-om the 
 example of Abraham, who would have oflered his 
 son in sacrifice to God; they thought (though this 
 was not done) surely such sacrifices were acceptable 
 to God ; if God took it well at Abraham's hands, 
 who did but attempt it, he would much more take it 
 well at their hands, who should do it : their chil- 
 dren were dear to them, and when they should thus 
 part with them for the honour of their God, as they 
 conceived, how could it be but he should take it 
 well at their hands : they considered not that Abra- 
 ham did it upon special command. Besides, it is 
 proljable that the heathens had learned the meaning 
 of their sacrifices, which typed out Christ, who 
 should take man's nature upon him, and be a sacri- 
 fice to jmcify the wrath of God. They thought, 
 hereupon, that the sacrificing of children and men 
 would do the like with their gods, and make them 
 acceptable to them. Micah vi. 7, " Shall I give my 
 firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body 
 for the sin of my soul ?" These words import, that 
 both the heathens and idolatrous Jews did imagine, 
 that the sacrificing of their children did make atone- 
 ment for their sins, which the prophet confutes and 
 condemns. 
 
 " To be devoured." The Hebrew is, to eat or to 
 be eaten : they put their children into the fire, which 
 did eat them up, and consume them. In Isa. v. 24, 
 you have the same word, " as the fire dcvoureth ;" 
 the original is, eateth the stubble ; and the word 
 fire, in the Hebrew, is, U'S" \^E•S the tongue of the fire : 
 the tongue licks in the meat, and eats it ; so the 
 flame catches hold of combustible matter, and con- 
 sumes it. 
 
 " To pass through the fire." The Hebrew is, in 
 causing them to pass through. Some children they 
 burned wholly in the fire ; others, as it is usually 
 conceived, they caused to pass through the fire, which 
 was a purging of them from the filth and defilements, 
 as also a consecrating of them to the idol and his 
 service : they placed much eflicacy in fire, for the 
 hallowing of those who passed through it. 
 
 The Tartars, saith Abuiensis, think all strangers, 
 such as are not of their own race, unclean ; and be- 
 fore they can see or speak with their king, they must 
 pass between two fires, by which being purged, they 
 are deemed worthy of his presence. We must pass 
 through the fire of the law and gospel, before we 
 come to the sight of the Lord. 
 
 Whether authors have not mistaken in this, think- 
 ing that some children only were drawn through the 
 fire, and not burnt, I desire one thing may be taken 
 into consideration, and that is, what the Scripture calls 
 passing through the fire in one place, it calls 
 burning in another : 2 Kings xvi. 3, it is said, Ahaz
 
 372 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Ciur. XVI. 
 
 " made his son to ])ciss through the fire ;" 2 Chron. 
 xxviii. 3, it is said, " He burnt liis children in the 
 fire :" so here in our prophet, that which is called 
 devouring in ver. 20, is termed passing through the 
 fire in ver. 21 ; not under correction, that they pass- 
 ed through the fire and so lived, but passed through 
 it to the honour of the idol. 
 
 Obs. 1. When men leave God and his word, they 
 fall into wicked practices, and proceed further and 
 fiirther daily. This Jewish state left God and his 
 word, fell to idolatry, the idolatry of all the nations, 
 yea, more than that, to the sacrificing of her children ; 
 " Moreover, thou hast taken thy sons," &c. Jehoram 
 slew his brethren, divers princes of Israel, wrought 
 evil in the eyes of the Lord, 2 Chron. xxi. 4, 6 ; ver. 
 11, "Moreover he made high places in the moun- 
 tains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusa- 
 lem to commit fornication, and compelled Judah 
 thereto." So Ahaz, besides his walking in the ways 
 of the kings of Israel, and making molten images for 
 Baalim, it is said, " Moreover he burnt incense in the 
 valley of the son of Hinnom." See chap, xxxvi. 14 ; 
 this i6th of Ezekiel, ver. 29, sinners have their more- 
 overs, they add sin to sin. Herod had done much 
 evnl, yet he added more to it; Luke iii. 19, 20, he 
 shut up John in prison. As sinners have their more- 
 overs, so God hath his moreovers : Deut. xxviii. 45, 
 after the Lord had threatened them with judgments 
 and curses, ver. 15 — 45, there he saith, "Moreover all 
 these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue 
 thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed ;" so 
 Ezek. V. 14, " Moreover I will make thee waste, and a 
 reproach among the nations that are round about thee." 
 
 Obs. 2. Sinners may come to such a height of 
 sinning, as to violate all bonds and bounds of re- 
 straint. " Thou hast taken thy sons and thy daugh- 
 ters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast 
 thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of 
 thy whoredoms a small matter?" 
 
 There were many bonds and considerations to 
 have kept them ofl' from this bloody work. 
 
 (1.) It was against the light of nature. The 
 light w'hich is in the sfiuls of men, naturally tells 
 them they should not murder, especially innocents, 
 such as children ; they should do as they would be 
 done by : it was an unreasonable act. 
 
 (2.) It was against the law of nature, which Ulpian 
 thus defines, It is that which nature hath taught all 
 creatures living. You knfjw nature hath put a law 
 or instinct into all creatures to preserve their young, 
 and if they be endangered by any, they will contend 
 and venture nuich for them, even timorous creatures, 
 as birds for their young, hens for (heir chickens, and 
 all creatures more or less. The law and impulse of 
 nature is strong in them, but here the law of nature 
 had no force, " Thou hast taken thy sons," &"c. : they 
 came out of their loins, were parts and pi< ces of 
 themselves, and nature should have moved, wrought 
 strongly in them, for the preservation of their little 
 ones ; but they were luinatural, beneath the brute 
 creatures in this act, they are so far from destroy- 
 ing their young, that they hazard themselves to pre- 
 serve them. 
 
 (.'{.) Those were children consecrated unto the 
 Lord, yet being circumcised, and having the token 
 of the covenant, were the Lord's ; therefore it is 
 said, " Which thou hast borne unto me." This 
 should have restrained them from so sacrilegious an 
 act, as to take them from God and sacrifice them 
 unto devils, for, I'sal. cvi.37, "They sacrificed their 
 sons and daughters unto devils:" to take them from 
 an infinite, gracious, blessed, holy God, and give 
 them unto idols and devils, what an accursed and 
 horrible thing was this ! as if a moth-er should take 
 
 the child out of the father's arms, who is loving, 
 tender over it, and throw it to lions, bears, or any 
 other ravenous creatures. 
 
 (4.) They had a full command to the contrary ; 
 Lev. xviii. 21, "Thou shalt not let any of thy seed 
 pass through the fire to Molech :" yea, this was 
 backed with no less penalty than death ; Lev. xx. 2, 
 3, 5, " Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or 
 of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth 
 any of his seed unto Molech ; he shall surely be put 
 to death : the people of the land shall stone him 
 with stones. And I will set my face against that 
 man, and against his family, and will cut him oft'." 
 
 (5.) The manner of the death should have pre- 
 vailed with them not to have yielded to it. It was 
 the most terrible death of all deaths, to be burnt in 
 the fire ; oh the shrieks, cries, and lamentations of 
 poor innocents ! but see the hand of God upon them 
 for it, Lam. iv. 10, "They sod their own children." 
 
 (jbs. 3. A whorish, idolatrous church may bring 
 forlh children unto God. This Jewish church was 
 fallen to as gross idolatiy and practices as were to be 
 found among heathen, and yet the children she brought 
 forth are termed to be the Lord's ; in what sense, I 
 showed you in opening of the words. A church may 
 have ordinances which may entitle its children to be 
 the Lord's, and yet not prove itself to be a true church. 
 The Jews had circumcision, which the chilihen par- 
 taking of, were counted the Lord's, but themselves 
 were so corrupt, whorish, idolatrous, bloody in otl'er- 
 ing their chikhen to idols, that the Lord did not 
 own them for a lawful spouse and true church, as 
 you may see, ver. .38, " I will judge thee, as women 
 that break wedlock and shed blood are judged." So 
 the tribes brought forth children unto God, but the 
 Lord said of them, Hos. i. 9, " Loammi ; ye are not 
 my people." The Komish church may bring forth 
 some children imto God, because she hath baptism 
 and other ordinances in her ; yet she is so corrupt, 
 idolatrous, bloody in persecuting the saints, that she 
 is rather the whore of antichrist, the synagogue of 
 Satan, than the true spouse of Christ. 
 
 Oba. 4. In matters of worship, it is not men's zeal 
 and good intentions will justify their actions. They 
 sacrifice their children with zeal as hot as fire, they 
 thought to pacify and please their idol-gods, that 
 they did acceptable service in parting with their 
 dearest comforts, their tender babes, for the honour 
 of their god ; but this was so far from acceptation, 
 that it fearfully provoked God; "Is this of thy 
 whoredoms a small matter ?" the more zealous thou 
 art in this, the worse ; thy good intentions are 
 abominations ; w ho required this at thy hands ? 
 Gideon, in making an ephod, Jeroboam, in setting 
 up the golden calves, the Galatians, in observing of 
 days, the 'C(dossians, in subjecting to ordinances, had 
 their zeal and good intentions, but not one of them 
 were justifiable by the word of God. Will-worship 
 hath no acceptance in divine worship ; men's inven- 
 tions are nothing the better for their good intentions. 
 The papists pretend good intentions for all their 
 additions to baptism, and other parts of the worship 
 of God, but, notwilhstanding tlieir intentions, they 
 are no better than supei-stitious. 
 
 Obx. 5. In prcl ended ways of worship, men grow 
 cruel and bloody. "Thou hast .slain my children, 
 and delivered them to cause them to pass through 
 the fire for them;" they pretended this was a right 
 and good way of worship, and, in honour of their 
 false geds and ways, they become cruel, and murder 
 their own children. False ways of worship have 
 this grand evil intrinsical unto them, they have 
 cruelty and bloodiness attending them ; whereas true 
 religion only, and the ways of it, hath this honour,
 
 Ver. 22—29. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 373 
 
 to be mild and merciful, bearing and forbearing, 
 James iii. 17. The Pharisees pretended they knew 
 the law, were only in the right way, but they were 
 deceived ; and how bitter, bloody, and persecuting 
 were they against Christ's apostles, and those who 
 embraced the truths they delivered ! John xvi. 2, 3, 
 Christ tells them what woidd be the practice of men 
 in false ways, they would kill them, and think they 
 did God good service in it ; and why ? they knew 
 not the Father, nor Christ, they were strangers unto 
 their ways, which were full of love, meekness, kind- 
 ness, and had ways of their own, which made them 
 zealous, bitter, plot, and to break out into open 
 violence : Rev. xvi. 5, 6, the Babylonish whore 
 slew the children of the Lord, and was drunk with 
 the blood of saints and martyrs ; in her was found 
 the blood of all the slain upon the earth, all that 
 suffered for the truth : she succeeded the former, 
 justified their ways, filled up what was wanting in 
 them. 
 
 Ver. 22. And in all thine abominations and thy 
 whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of 
 thy youth, uhen thou uast naked and bare, and 
 wast polluted in thy blood. 
 
 This verse contains the ground and cause of this 
 woman's sinful departure from God, of her idolatry 
 and cruelty, viz. she forgot in what a poor, forlorn, 
 and miserable condition she had been in, and what 
 God had done for her ; she neither remembered her 
 own misery, nor God's mercies : she was naked, 
 bare, and he clothed her ; she was polluted in her 
 blood, and he washed her ; she was very deformed, 
 and he put beauty upon her; she was base, con- 
 temptible, and he made her renowned in the world ; 
 but these things were not thought on. Had she 
 kept in her heart what a low estate she once was in, 
 and how the Lord dealt by her in that estate, she 
 would never have left him, broken out into, and pro- 
 ceeded on in, such wicked ways as she did. 
 
 Obs. I. When God's people are raised, they are 
 apt to forget God and themselves, and to break out 
 into sinful courses. This Israelitish woman being 
 exalted by God, thought not upon her former low 
 estate, nor what God had been unto her in that 
 estate : Psal. cvi. 21 , " They forgat God their saviour ;" 
 he saved them from the plagues in Egypt, from 
 the Egyptians, from the Red sea, the fiery serpents, 
 and other evils ; and what I did they forget him ? 
 yea, they soon forgat him ; ver. 13, they " soon for- 
 gat his works;" the Hebrew is, they made haste, 
 they forgat. Man at first was called Adam, earth, 
 or red earth, but after the fall, Enosh, which some 
 render, forgetful, because through sin he was so 
 cracked, that he could not hold or remember any 
 thing. God had done great and many wonderful 
 things for this people, Deut. iv. 32 — 34, and charged 
 them they should not forget them or him, chap. iv. 
 9; xxiii. 12; viii. 11, 14; yet look into chap, xxxii. 
 18, where it is said, "Of the Rock that begat thee 
 thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that 
 formed thee :" God begot them, and formed them 
 into a people, kingdom, did all for them, yet they 
 forgot him. And is it not so among us, whom he 
 hath begotten into families, and formed into cities, 
 counties, and a kingdom ? may we not say, with 
 David, Psal. viii. 4, Lord, " what is man, that thou 
 art mindful of him ?" what is Enosh ? he is a sorry, 
 miserable, wretched, forgetful creature ; do what 
 thou wilt for him, be what thou wilt to him, he will 
 soon forget thee, and all thou hast done. 
 
 Obs. 2. Consideration of men's misery, and God's 
 
 mercy to them in that misery, is a special help to 
 prevent sin. " In all thy whoredoms thou hast not 
 remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast 
 naked and bare, and polluted in thy blood:" their 
 forgetfulness of them opened the door unto sin ; the 
 remembrance of them would have shut it against, 
 and kept them from, sin. When the heart is seri- 
 ously exercised about a low, miserable, lost, perish- 
 ing condition, and what undeserved kindness God 
 showed in it, ingratitude, pride, carnal confidence, 
 bud not out, grow not up, bring not forth ; and as it 
 is a curb to keep us from sin, so it is a strong trace 
 to draw us out of sin : " In all thine abominations 
 and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered," iStc. 
 intimating, that if this woman had laid to heart her 
 former condition, and the great kindnesses of God 
 to her, she would have repented her of her ways, 
 and turned to the Lord ; thoughts thereof would 
 have begot such thoughts, workings of spirit, as 
 these : What ! did God pity me when none would 
 pity ? did he take me in when I was cast out ? did 
 he bestow life upon me, make me grow and increase ? 
 hath he washed, anointed me, covered, adorned, 
 beautified me ? and have I gone out from him, left 
 him, sinned against him, requited him ill for all his 
 kindness ? I am ashamed of it ; I will turn to him 
 and ask him forgiveness. When David had sinned, 
 and lay in it, the prophet minds him of his former 
 condition, and what God had done for him : 2 Sam. 
 xii. 7, " I anointed thee king over Israel," thee 
 who wast at the sheepfold, low, mean, despised ; 
 " I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul," he sought 
 thy life ; " I gave thee thy master's house," wives, 
 the houses of Judah and Israel : these he sets before 
 him, that upon the due minding of them he might 
 be affected, and led to repentance for his sinful prac- 
 tices. If you would think what low estates you were 
 lately in, what God did for you then, it would be a 
 special means to keep you from sin. 
 
 Ver. 23 — 29. And it came to pass after all thy 
 wickedness, {woe, woe unto thee ! saith the Lord 
 God;) that thou hast also built unto thee an 
 eminent place, and hast made thee an high place 
 in every street. Thou hast built thy high place 
 at every head of the way, and hast made thy 
 beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet 
 to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy 
 tvhoredoms. Thou hast also committed fornica- 
 tion ivith the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of 
 flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to pro- 
 voke me to anger. Behold, therefore I have 
 stretched out my hand over thee, and have di- 
 minished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee 
 ■unto the ^cill of them that hate thee, the daughters 
 of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd 
 ivay. Thou hast played the whore also with the 
 Assyria7is, because thou wast unsatiable ; yea, thou 
 hast played the harlot ivith them, and yet couldest 
 not be satisfied. Thou, hast moreover multiplied 
 ih)/ fornication in the land of Canaan unto C'hal- 
 dea ; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith. 
 
 In these verses the Lord doth further accuse and 
 charge this woman, that she made no stop nor stand 
 in her wickedness, but proceeded further and fur- 
 ther ; " after all thy wickedness, thou hast also built 
 imto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an 
 hi^ place in every street." 
 
 This is set out unto us, 
 
 I. By the eminency of the place. She built not
 
 374 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 some little, low place, obscure, unnoted, but one 
 eminent, great, glorious, liigh. 
 
 II. From the multitude of high places and altars. 
 She made not here and there one, but " in every 
 street, at every head of the way," where was the 
 most concourse of people. 
 
 III. From her impudence; " Tliou hast opened 
 thy feet to every one that passed by." Thou didst 
 not, through frailty of nature, violence of temptation, 
 transgress with one, two, or a few, but like an arrant 
 whore past shame, " thou hast opened thy feet to 
 every one." 
 
 IV. From the several nations she committed folly 
 with. She was not content to be idolatrous herself, 
 but made covenants and leagues with others, and 
 drew them in ; as, 
 
 1. The Egyptians, who are described to be, 
 (1.) Her " neighbours." 
 
 (2.) " Great of flesh," ver. 26. 
 
 2. The " Assyrians," ver. 28. 
 
 V. From the extent of her whoredoms, which was 
 from "Canaan unto Chaldea," ver. 29. Not only in 
 Canaan, but in Chaldea, she was idolatrous. 
 
 VI. From her insatiableness, ver. 28, 29. 
 
 VII. From the effects ; which are, 
 
 1. Threatening from God; ver. 23, "Woe, woe 
 unto thee !" 
 
 2. Abhorrence of her beauty; ver. 25, " And hast 
 made thy beauty to be abhorred." 
 
 3. Punishment, ver. 27 : 
 
 (1.) Set down in general, under this expression, 
 " I have stretched out my hand over thee." 
 
 (2.) In particular, and that in two things, 
 
 [1.] In diminution of their comforts; " I have di- 
 minished thine ordinary food." 
 
 [2.] In pjutting them into the power of their ene- 
 mies ; " I delivered thee unto the will of them that 
 hate thee." 
 
 4. Shame ; so lewd and vile were her ways, that 
 even her enemies were ashamed of hei', ver. 27. 
 
 In ver. 23 there is nothing to open. 
 
 06*. 1. That when God's ovm people go on in sin- 
 ful ways, it is grievous unto him, it all'ects, yea af- 
 flicts, his heart. Here God, taking notice and 
 speaking of this Israelitish woman's sinful practices, 
 and proceeding on in them, breaks out in the midst 
 of a sentence, saying, " Woe, woe unto thee !" he 
 was so full with thoughts of her ingratitude, imkind- 
 ness, rebellion, idolatry, &c. that he opens, empties, 
 and eases himself in these expressions. Gen. vi. 5, 
 6, when God saw the wickedness of man to be 
 great, it repented him that he had made man on the 
 earth, and grieved him at the heart ; Psal. Ixxviii. 
 40, they did oft grieve him in the desert ; Psal. xcv. 
 10, God saith, " Forty years long was I grieved with 
 this generation ;" Isa. Ixiii. 10, they "vexed his holy 
 Spirit," therefore, Isa. i. 24, " Ah, I will ease me of 
 mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies." 
 Christ wept over Jerusalem. 
 
 06.V. 2. The end of wickedness is woe. She had 
 been notoriously wicked, and what followed upon it ? 
 " woe, woe," it is double, and notes iutenseness ; she 
 had been intense in sinning, and Ciod was intense in 
 threatening : Woe to thee, thou hast left me, woe to 
 thee, thou hast embraced other gods; woe to thy 
 estate and body, Assyrians shall come and destroy 
 them, and woe to thy soul, I will destroy that. 
 God was greatly cxasiierated, and therefore pours 
 out a double woe against her, one temporal, another 
 eternal. Let who will be wicked, be it ,ludah and 
 Jerusalem, woe and woe must be their jjortion; let 
 it be the Lord's own j)eople, he will not spare; if 
 they repent not, if they turn not from their evil ways, 
 he will denounce woes against them, and bring woes 
 
 upon them. " The wages of sin is death;" a tempo- 
 ral death, there is one woe ; an eternal death, there 
 is another woe. 
 
 Ver. 25. " Thou hast made thy beauty to be ab- 
 horred." This woman was very lovely, through 
 her state and church beauty, she was renowned 
 among the nations for it ; but when she became 
 idolatrous, she spotted her beauty, so as it became 
 abominable. Take the fairest woman, that is most 
 desirable and prized, if once she come to be com- 
 mon, and open her feet to all comers, as the phrase 
 here is, she grows loathsome, abominable. Such 
 was the Jewish state of our prophet's metaphorical 
 woman, who multiplied altars, idolatries, and com- 
 mitted fornication with the nations far and near. 
 The Lord had said long before, when they fell to 
 idolatry, that their spot was not the spot of his chil- 
 dren, Deut. xxxii. 5 ; when they were free from 
 this sin they were beautiful and glorious; Numb. 
 xxiv. 5, " How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and 
 thy tabernacles, O Israel !" chap, xxiii. 21, " He hath 
 not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen 
 perverseness in Israel." The Vulgate reads it thus; 
 There is not an idol in Jacob, nor is an image seen 
 in Israel. Idolatry makes the most glorious nation 
 abominable : Prov. xiv. 34, " Sin is a reproach to 
 any people," and especially this sin ; 1 Pet. iv. 3, 
 they are called " abominable idolatries ;" they are so 
 in themselves, and they make so. Whatever a wo- 
 man's beauty is, if she be mad and frantic, you de- 
 spise her and her beauty, you will not have to do 
 with her ; idolatry is a madness ; Jer. 1. 38, " They 
 are mad upon their idols ;" and such madness makes 
 the beauty of a state or church loathsome. 
 
 Ver. 27. " And have diminished thine ordinary 
 food." The Hebrew for ordinary foodis, -jpn Jirom 
 interprets it of their ceremonies, sabbaths, and so- 
 lemnities ; Theodorct of the law itself; others of 
 their holy things. But God, dealing here with this 
 Jewish state as a husband with an expensive and 
 adulterous wife, saith, I have cut thee short of thy 
 allowance, I have diminished thy portion. Prov. 
 xxxi. 15, " She riseth also while it is yet night, and 
 giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her 
 maidens :" it is pn and it is taken for a portion of 
 meat and drink ; and it is not amiss to take it so 
 here ; Thou hast abused thy fine flour, honey, and 
 oil, but I will lessen them, thou shalt have little of 
 these hereafter, thy portion sliall be smaller. The 
 confining it to things edible I like not ; let us extend 
 it to other things also, and the sense will be more 
 full, viz. to her garments, ornaments, silver, gold, 
 incense, &c. ; Hos. ii. 9, I will " take away my corn, 
 my wine, recover my wool and my flax ;" and so it 
 suits with the Chaldee interpretation, I will take 
 away thy good. It is our sin that causes God to 
 diminish our comforts. 
 
 " Delivered thee unto the will of them that hate 
 thee." The Hebrew for will is CS33 to the soul. 
 It is a hebraism, the soul put for the will, lust or 
 desire in it, and so it is frequently used ; Exod. xv. 
 9, " My lust shall be satisfied upon them ;" Psal. 
 Ixxviii. 18, " They asked meat for their lust ;" the 
 Hebrew is, soul ; Psal. cv. 22, " To bind his princes 
 at his pleasure," according to the lust and pleasure 
 of his soul ; Psal. xli. 2, Give him not " to the wiU 
 of his enemies," Hebrew, soul of his enemies ; 
 Luke xxiii. 25, " He delivered Jesus to their will." 
 
 "The daughters of the Philistines." In Scripture 
 sense, villages and towns are counted daughters, as 
 chief cities were called mothers ; 2 Sam. xx. 19, 
 " Thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in 
 Israel," that was Abel, where they asked counsel. 
 And because cities had towns and \'illages belonging
 
 Ver. 23—20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 375 
 
 to them, as you may read, 1 Chron. vii. 2S, " Bethel, 
 and the towns thereof ; Gezcr, with the tow-ns 
 thereof; Shechem, Gaza, and the towns thereof;" so, 
 ver. 29, " Bethshcan and her towns, Taanach and her 
 towns," &c. ; these towns were accounted the daugh- 
 ters of those cities, because they were either made, 
 governed by, or some ways belonging to those cities 
 and the citizens thereof. And so divers expo- 
 sitors do take the daughters of the Philistines 
 here to be the towns and villages of Palestina ; and 
 so the daughters of Jerusalem, oft mentioned in the 
 Canticles, to be the villages adjacent. But it is 
 better to interpret the words of the persons than of 
 the places, and to understand by daughters of Philis- 
 tines, the Philistines themselves : 2 Sam. i. 20, " Tell 
 it not in Oath ; lest the daughters of the Philistines 
 rejoice ;" that is, not the villages, but the Philistines 
 themselves. So, Psal. xlviii. 11, "Let the daughters 
 of Judah be glad," that is, the people of Judah. In 
 ver. 2.1, that which is " Egyptians," in the original 
 is, sons of Egypt ; and ver. 28, " with the Assyrians," 
 in the Hebrew is, the sons of Ashur ; and here, by 
 " daughters of the Philistines," is meant the Philis- 
 tines ; and daughters are mentioned rather than 
 sons, because the Lord had spoken of the Jewish 
 state as a woman, and so continues the allegory in 
 the same sex. The Philistines hated the Jews much, 
 often warred against them, and brought them under, 
 as you may observe in the book of Judges, chap. x. 
 and xiii ; they were glad when mischief befell them, 
 therefore, when Saul and Jonathan were slain, 
 David would not have it told in Gath or Askclon, 
 lest the Philistines should triumph, 2 Sam. i. 20. 
 
 Obs. 1. To be delivered up to the wills of men that 
 hate us is a sad judgment. To be given up to the 
 wills and lusts of men is sad, but especially to the 
 wills and lusts of those that hate us. David, when 
 God propounded the three sad things to him, 2 Sam. 
 xxiv. one whereof was to flee before his enemies, he 
 chose rather famine or plague, than to fall into the 
 hands of man, ver. 14 ; he knew that the hands and 
 hearts of men were merciless : Psal. xxvii. 12, " De- 
 liver me not over unto the will of mine enemies ;" 
 why ? they bear false witness, they breathe out 
 cruelty. Lev. xxvi. 17, " They that hate you shall 
 reign over you ;" the Philistines and Babylonians 
 hated them, and they were lords over them, and very 
 sad was their bondage under them. 2 Chron. xxviii. 
 18, "The Philistines invaded the cities of the low 
 country, and of the south of Jndah, and had taken 
 Beth-shemesh, Ajalon, Gederoth, Shocho, Timnah, 
 Gimzo, with the villages thereof: for the Lord 
 brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel ; 
 who made Judah naked, and transgressed sore 
 against the Lord." 
 
 06s. 2. Those who are accounted God's people 
 may so exceed in sin, as that God's enemies may be 
 ashamed of them. The Philistines, who hated God 
 and the Jews, were ashamed of their lewd ways, 
 they blushed at the sins the Jews gloried in : they 
 gloried in their idolatry, they made high places 
 every where ; they committed spiritual whoredom 
 with greediness ; other nations kept their gods, but 
 they changed their God and glory for that which did 
 not profit, Jer. ii. 11. This levity and idolatry of 
 theirs made the heavens astonished, and the Philis- 
 tines ashamed : they saw more filth and loathsome- 
 ness in this sin than the Jews ; such abominable 
 idolatry atfected their hearts. The word in Hebrew 
 for lewd is nci wickedness, yea, some notable and 
 emphatical wickedness. The abusing and forcing 
 the Levite's concubine unto death, Judg. xix. is 
 called, chap. xx. 6, ni:i lewdness, wickedness, abomi- 
 nation ; and Hierom, upon the 24th of Ezekiel, inter- 
 
 prets it, an execrable and villanous filthiness. The 
 impudence of this Jewish woman was such in her 
 accursed idolatry, that the daughters of the Philis- 
 tines were ashamed at it, durst not do the like, and 
 were chaste in comparison of Jerusalem and her 
 daughters, who lusted after the gods and worship of 
 the nations on every side. The Egyptians deified 
 onions, leeks, cats, beetles, oxen, sheep, dogs, apes, 
 hawks, crocodiles, serpents, bats, moles, &c.; and with 
 Egyptian idolatry did the Jews entangle themselves, 
 as also with the Assyrian and Chaldean. If they had 
 any new gods, the Jewish hearts were on fire for 
 them, and unquiet till they enjoyed them ; the 
 nations were content with their own gods, but Jeru- 
 salem must have all. 
 
 Ob.s: 3. Wicked and wanton lusts are insatiable. 
 This metaphorical woman had vile lusts in her, she 
 lusted after the Egyptians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, 
 committed fornication with them, opened her feet to 
 all passengers, yet she was not satisfied therewith, 
 ver. 29 ; and in ver. 28, it is said, she was insatiable, 
 and could not be satisfied. Eccles. i. 8, " The eye is 
 not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with 
 hearing ;" the one would see more, the other hear 
 more ; and so it is with the lusts of men and women, 
 they would see, hear, and have more. " There are 
 four things that are never satisfied, that say not. It is 
 enough : the grave, the barren womb, the earth, the 
 fire," Prov. xxx. 15, 16. And I may add, there are 
 four evils, or lusts, that will never be satisfied. 
 
 (1.) Is the covetous lust; it would have more when 
 it hath most: Eccles. iv. S, the covetous man's eye 
 is not satisfied with riches: chap. v. 10, "He that 
 loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver." 
 
 (2.) Is revenge : he that is haunted with this lust, 
 be he great or small, will not be satisfied ; Prov. vi. 
 34, 35, " He will not spare in the day of vengeance. 
 He will not regard any ransom ; neither will he rest 
 content, though thou givest many gifts." 
 
 (3.) Frowardncss of spirit: Prov. xvii. 20, " A 
 froward heart findeth no good ;" do what you will 
 to him or for him who hath it, he finds no satisfying 
 good in it. 
 
 (4.) Is the lust of the flesh, which is the most in- 
 satiable : Eph. iv. 19, they gave "themselves over 
 unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanncss with 
 greediness." Rom. i. 26, 27, they " burned in their 
 hist one towards another," not in a natural way, but 
 in that which was against nature, men with men and 
 women with women. To this lust idolatry is com- 
 pared, and called fornication, because idolaters are 
 as insatiable in their way, as men and women in the 
 lusts of the flesh. Hos. ii. 5, " I will go after my 
 lovers," I will have more idols and more idolatrous 
 practices, Ephraim was not satisfied with what she 
 had ; so Jerusalem had the Egyptian, Assyrian, and 
 Chaldean gods, and they did not quench, but in- 
 crease, her thirst after more still. Thus it is with 
 any lust whatsoever, if you give way to it, it grows 
 sti'ong, insatiable, like water breaking over the 
 banks, and will not be stopped, like fire getting 
 strength, and cannot be quenched ; it is wisdom 
 therefore to deal with our lusts betimes, to keep them 
 in, under, yea, to crucify and mortify them. 
 
 Some interpreters understand the fornication and 
 whoredom committed with the Egyptians, Assyrians, 
 and Chaldeans, in ver. 26, 28, 29, to be meant of those 
 sinful leagues the Jews made with them, Isa. xx. 5, 
 6; XXX. 1 — 3; 2 Kings xviii. 21, 24; Isa. xxxi. 1 ; 
 2 Kings xvi. 7, 8; 2 Chron. xxviii. 16. They had 
 little cause to confederate with any of (he nations, 
 especially the Egyptians, who had kept them under 
 hard bondage many years, drowned their children, 
 were the grossest idolaters under heaven, and pur-
 
 376 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 (JnA\: XVI. 
 
 sued tlicm to the Red sea, to bring them back to 
 tlieii' tasks of brick, clay, and straw, or to destroy 
 them ; and God had forbid tliem to seek help from 
 tlie nations ; and therefore, Jer. ii. !8, " What hast 
 thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the water 
 of Sihor ? or what hast thon to do in the way of 
 Assyria, to drink the waters of the river ?" What 
 hast thou to do to treat and covenant with, or to 
 fetch help from them, to drink of Niliis and Euphra- 
 tes, those muddy rivers, and forsake the fountain of 
 living waters, the Lord God of Israel ? Ver. 19, 
 " Thine own wickedness shall correct thee," &c. 
 thou shalt fall by them, and sulTer. It was a wicked 
 thing, an evil and bitter thing, a forsaking of God, 
 and casting him oil', who had taken the protection of 
 that land and people to himself in a peculiar manner. 
 It is questioned whether a nation or prince may 
 covenant and confederate with them that are of a 
 false religion ; it should seem to be negative, because 
 here the Jews' confederating with the P'gyptians and 
 Assyrians is called fornication, whoredom ; and God 
 was twice wroth with Jehoshaphat for entering into 
 league with the kings of Israel, who had set up false 
 worship ; once for joining with Ahab, 2 C'hron. xix. 
 2, and after for joining with Ahaziah, 2 Chron. xx. 
 36, 37. But notwithstanding these instances, it is 
 not unlawful for those of the true religion to make 
 leagues and covenants with foreigners that are of a 
 another religion. Abraham was in confederacy with 
 Eshcol and Aner, who were Amorites, Gen. xiv. 13, 
 with Abimelcch, chap. xxi. 2"; Jacob with Laban, 
 Gen. xxxi. 44, -45 ; Solomon with Hiram, 1 Kings v. 
 12; Joshua with the Gibeonites, Josh. ix. 15. If 
 they were unlawful, these men must all lie under 
 censure. Those leagues that are for defence against 
 violence of wicked men, f)r preservation of peace, 
 without prejudice to the true religion, tending to the 
 propagation of it, they are warrantable. But when 
 distrust of divine assistance, covetousness, compliance 
 with idolaters, unjust war with and oppression of 
 others, and hazard of corrupting the worship of 
 God, are the grounds and ends of making leagues with 
 them, they are unlawful. The Jews distrusted God, 
 and sought to Egypt and 2\ssyria for help, compliecl 
 with idolaters, corrupted the pure worship of God 
 thereby ; therefore their leagues were imlawful. As 
 for that of Jehoshaphat with Ahab and Ahaziah, 
 besides his compliance and covetousness, there was 
 a special consideration in it, viz. that they being re- 
 volters from God, (for the ten tribes fell fi-om the 
 true God, and set np the calves,) he should join in 
 covenant with them ; he helped Ahab in his war 
 against Ramoth-gilead, which the prophet Micaiah 
 had told them they should not prosper in ; there 
 being a law against revolters, Dent. xiii. 13 — 1,5. 
 
 Howbeit leagues be lawful with others, yet they 
 are dangerous, and .should cautiou.sly be made. 
 
 Vcr. 30. Ifniv iredk is thine heart, saith the 
 Lord God, seeinir thou doest alt these things, the 
 work of an imperious whorish iruman. 
 
 This verse is another effect of this woman's wick- 
 edness, and that is, weakness of heart ; set out, 
 
 I. By way of admiration ; " How weak," &e. 
 
 II. By way of comparison, viz. of an imperious 
 whorish woman ; .she doth those things which en- 
 feeble her heart, enervate her spirits, and thou doest 
 the like, thy heart must therefore be weak. 
 
 " Weak." Hebrew rScN The word umlah signifies 
 athing which hath novirtue,power, eflicacy init. Jer. 
 XV. 9, " She that hath borne seven languisheth ; she 
 hath given up the ghost ;" it is the same word ; she 
 was so without strength that her soul was ready to 
 
 leave her. It notes not any weakness, but extreme 
 weakness, and therefore sometimes it is jiut for a 
 thing withered or dried up; Isa. xxiv. 7, "The vine 
 languislielli," it was with.ered and dried up ; so Jnel 
 i. 10, 12; Nah. i. 4; Lam. ii. S. Pradus saitli, (he 
 word signiticth, cut oH", destroyed, corruiited, per- 
 verse, and makes the sense thus. How perverse, de- 
 ju-aved, and corrupt is thy heart, when thou doest 
 such things as declare tliat thou hast not only 
 banished the fear of God from thy heart, but also all 
 modesty from thy face ! Jerom, What shall I do to 
 thy heart ? She was unstable, desired society with 
 the gods of other nations ; she could not contain, 
 but used all means to accomplish her wicked desires. 
 
 " Imperious." Hebrew rta'^r a woman that hath 
 a domineering spirit ; from tsSr to domineer and 
 exercise lordliness over others, to usurp authority. 
 Septuagint nafiptiaiaZanivjic, of one that is at liberty, 
 that hath no husband, but runs up and down accord- 
 ing to her own lust and will. The prr, .ix idem 
 Vulgate is, wanton, impudent ; when ''"'"' p'^'""- 
 the mask of modesty and bridle ofcontinency are laid 
 aside, and a bold forwardness to filthiuess is mani- 
 fested, when a woman doth not only expect and wait 
 for her lovers, but desires, invites, and constrains 
 them to satisfy her lusts, and will have no nay. 
 Such a shameless, saucy, imperious whore was she 
 in Prov. vii. who, ver. 21, caused the young man to 
 yield ; so here Jerusalem was like a queen of whores, 
 daring and doing any thing. 
 
 " The work." What is that work ? 
 
 1. To slight and leave her husband, or parents, 
 friends, if she have no husband; so did this woman, 
 Jer. ii. 13; Ezek. vi. 9. 
 
 2. To seek out, invite, follow, fetch in others, and 
 to communicate herself to them; so did this woman, 
 Ezek. xxiii. Ifi, 17, she sent to the Chaldeans and 
 Babylonians, and they " came to her into the bed of 
 love'." 
 
 3. To waste her husband's estate ; so here, Thou 
 hast taken my gold and silver, made images, set 
 mine oil, iS:c. 
 
 4. To neglect, deal harshly with the children of 
 her husband ; so here, Thou hast taken the sons and 
 daughters thou didst bear unto me, and hast sacri- 
 ficed them imto idols. 
 
 5. To excuse, clear, and justify herself: Prov. xxx. 
 20, "The adulterous woman eateth, wipeth her 
 mouth, and saith, I have done no evil ;" so this Jew- 
 ish woman ; Jer. ii. 23, " How canst tliou say, I am 
 not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim ? " ver. 
 29, " Wherefore will ye jilead with me ? ye all have 
 transgressed against me." 
 
 6. To be excessive in feasting and filthiness : Prov. 
 vii. 18, "Come, let us take our fdl of love ;" 2 Pet. 
 ii. 1.3, 14, they feast and have eyes full of adultery : 
 so here, ver. 15, " Thou pouredst out thy fornications 
 on every one that passeth by ;" ver. 29, she multi- 
 plied hi r fornications in Canaan and Chaldea. 
 
 Ohs. 1. That sin, especially whoredom and idolatry, 
 do efleminate and enfeeble the hearts of peo|)le. Hos. 
 iv. II, whoredom is one of the things which takes 
 away the heart, that is, the reason, understanding, 
 judgment, so that a man becomes unstable, weak, 
 and foolish. Corjioral whoredom subjects men to 
 the wild and insatiable lusts of the flesh; si)iritual, 
 to an idol, which is the work of man's hands; and 
 what folly is this! Such sins weaken men's credit, 
 consciences, hearts, and spirits. Adidtcry is the 
 destruction of the soul, it woimds ; Prov. vii. 2(;, 
 " She hiith cast down many wounded," and the more 
 wound the more weakness. Delilali weakened 
 Samson's hands and heart, and woutulcd him deep- 
 ly. Gen. xlix. 4, Reuben, unst;ible as water, lie
 
 Ver. 31—34. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 3/7 
 
 went up to his father's bed. Prov. x. 29, " The way 
 of the Lord is strength." 
 
 Obs. '2. Aduherers and idolaters are imperious. 
 The Jewish stale was guilty of those sins, and is 
 compared here to an imperious whorish woman. 
 All lusts are masterly and domineering. James iv. 
 1, " \Mience come wars and fightings among you.'' 
 come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in 
 your members.'" The word for lusts is ijcovat, plea- 
 sures, they are pleasing things, and must be pleased ; 
 they must have the heads, hearts, and hands of men 
 to do them service, else they will make war in you ; 
 if they cannot win consent, they will force it, they 
 are imperious things. Yer. 12, " There is one law- 
 giver, who is able to save and to destroy ; who art 
 thou that judgest another ? " Here he shows the im- 
 pcrionsness of men's lusts, when they are rigid and 
 censorious; they sit in judgment upon others, they 
 thrust themselves into the throne of God, they take 
 his prerogative upon them, and will be judges of the 
 law, save and destroy at their pleasure. Psal. xii. 
 4, " With our tongue will we jirevail ; our lips are 
 our own : who is Lord over us ? " Their lusts were 
 so imperious, they lorded it in their hearts and 
 tongues. Exod. xv. 9, what said Pharaoh? "I will 
 pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my 
 lust shall be satisfied upon them ; I will di'aw my 
 sword, my hand shall destroy them." Pharaoh was 
 a great king, yet his lusts were above him. 2 Pet. ii. 
 14, "Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot 
 cease from sin ;" their fleshly lusts commanded their 
 hearts and eyes, and carried them with greediness to 
 uncleanness. So for idolaters, Jer. xliv. 16, 17, "As 
 for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the 
 name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee. 
 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth 
 forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the 
 queen of heaven, and to pour out drink ofl'erings 
 unto her, as we have done, we, and our fatliers, our 
 kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in 
 the streets of Jerusalem." 
 
 04s-. 3. Imperiousness argues weakness. " How 
 weak is thine heart, seeing thou doest the work of an 
 imperious whorish woman." The more weak the more 
 imperious, and the more imperious the more evi- 
 dence of weakness. Prov. xxix. 8, " Scornful men;" 
 the Hebrew is, men of derision and scorn; the Sep- 
 tuagint, men without law, that are imperious, and 
 make their wills and lusts their laws, they " bring a 
 city into a snare," or set it on fire, which shows 
 their weakness ; " but wise men turn away wrath," 
 which shows their strength. When men are hastv, 
 violent, and imperious, they exalt folly, Prov. xiv. 
 29, and proclaim their weakness. The apostle saith, 
 that women are the weaker vessels, 1 Pet. iii. 7, and 
 being weak they are prone to be imperious ; which 
 Paid observing, gave out that rule, 1 Tim. ii. 12, "I 
 suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority 
 over the man." Many think that greatness and 
 strength of spirit consists in imperiousness and stout- 
 ness ; but it is otherwise, they who are the weakest 
 are most imperious. 
 
 \ er. 31 — 34. Tn that thou huildest thine emi- 
 nent ])Iace in the head of every nay, and mukcst 
 thine high place in every street ; and hast not 
 been us an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; 
 hut as a ivife that committeth adulteiy, which 
 taketh strangers instead of her husband f They 
 give gifts to all tvhores : but thou givest thy gifts 
 to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may 
 come unto thee on every side for thy whoredotu. 
 And the cotitrary is in thee from other nxmen in 
 
 thy ivhoredoms, whereas none folloiveth thee to 
 commit whoredoms : and in that thou givest a re- 
 ivard, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore 
 thou art contrary. 
 
 These verses contain a repetition of what this 
 whorish woman did, and also a further amplifica- 
 tion and aggravation of her lewd and abomniaLle 
 practices. 
 
 The repetition is in ver. 31, wliich falls in with 
 what you have in ver. 24, and beginning of ver. 25. 
 
 The amplification and aggravation of her lewd 
 ways is set out, 
 
 I. From a dissimilitude, in the end of ver. 31 ; 
 " And hast not been as an harlot, in that thou 
 scornest hire ;" other harlots took hire, but thou 
 wonldst none. 
 
 II. From a similitude, in ver. 32; "as a wife," 
 &c. : for a wife that hatli a husband to take in 
 strangers, that is great lewdness. 
 
 III. From the contrariety of her practice to other 
 whores, ver. 33, 34. They had those who followed 
 them, gave gifts unto them whicli they received ; 
 but Jerusalem had no followers, no gifts, but she 
 gave gifts, and hired men to come unto her. 
 
 " Eminent place." Hebrew is 2J which signifies 
 
 whatsoever excels or appears above another ; here 
 
 it is an "eminent place," (a place raised above 
 
 others,) it is so rendered in ver. 24. Scptuagint 
 
 translates it, oiKjjfia iropviKov, there and here ; Tropvtiov 
 
 is a stews or house of fornication. These eminent 
 
 places were for commission of those sins which 
 
 drowned them in perdition. From this word 3J it 
 
 is more than probable that that word Gubbathu, in 
 
 John xix. 13, doth proceed : the words are thus, 
 
 " Pilate sat down in the judgment seat in a place 
 
 that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, 
 
 Gabbatha," which signifies Bima, locum ^ . . , 
 
 , 1 IV 1 11 Grot, in loc. 
 
 ej:celsuni, a lofty place, sucli a place as 
 
 judges sit in to pronounce sentence against malefac- 
 tors ; it is called the Pavement, or XiW^pwroi', because 
 it was covered or paved with stones. 
 
 " Thine high place." Hebrew irci ,lci is a 
 place higher than others, from t:n to lift up ; they 
 made altars and places for false worship higher than 
 all the rest. Septuagint renders it by two words ; 
 in ver. 24, by tKBiiia, prostibulum, a place where they 
 did prostitute themselves to whoredom, or to idola- 
 try, or both ; in this verse they render it jiarra, it 
 being the foundation of the false worship oilered up 
 there. 
 
 " In that thou scornest hire." Hebrew is cSp"? 
 from oSp or oSp which hath a double, yea, contrary 
 signification; sometimes it signifies to praise, and 
 so the Jews used it in their prayers ; Psal. Ixviii. 5, 
 what there is iSo extol, the Targum pagn. in The- 
 hath it, leSp praise him who rides upon sauro. 
 the heavens ; hence Shindler renders the word sSpS 
 to be praised: and so the meaning must be, that 
 Jerusalem was not like other whores, who did jiraise 
 and magnify the gifts and hire they had fi-om their 
 lovers, that so they might draw more ; no, she did 
 not value or praise them. Sometimes, and most fre- 
 quently, the word signifies to mock, despise, dis- 
 praise, and vilify ; in this verse it is generally taken 
 by interpreters so : the meaning then iicretrires a 
 is, that Jerusalem was so far from mercendo. 
 praising, that she scorned hire ; not in policy, to in- 
 crease the hire, as common harlots do, who make 
 advantage of their sin ; but in way of opposition, to 
 manifest that she was not for profit, but for pleasure; 
 not for the purses of her lovers, but for their persons. 
 
 " Hire." Hebrew prs hire that belongs to a 
 whore, from njr, to hire, and properly it is, to give
 
 373 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 a rewiird. Deut. xxiii. 18, Ethnan zonah, 
 
 P^gn. m Thes. ^j^^ j^.^^ ^^ ^ ^.j^^^.^ . ^^ jj^^,_ j^_ j . 
 
 Micah i. 7- Taniar, when Judah came in to her, 
 would have hire, " What wilt thou give me," Gen. 
 xxxviii. IG; and Hos. ii. 12, "These are my rewards 
 that my lovers have given me." 
 
 Ver. 32. " As a wife that commits adultery." 
 Hebrew is ri'C'Nn rssxn a woman an adulteress. A 
 single woman that plays the harlot doth very ill ; 
 but a woman that hath a husband, to leave him, and 
 receive others in his stead, that is exeeedin'' griev- 
 ous ; especially when she wants nothing, hath abun- 
 dance, and her husband is most loving, meek, de- 
 lightful, wise, and faithful : this was the case of 
 Jerusalem, yet she plays the adulteress, takes in 
 strangers in the room of her husband. 
 
 Ver. 33. '• They give gifts, but thou givest gifts." 
 The word for gift is mi and I'jnj which is nierce.i 
 weretrtcia, from r.lj which signifies to separate, and 
 remove a thing as unclean. The hire of a whore 
 was not to be brought into the temple, because got- 
 ten from that which was sinful, and therefore was 
 to be kej.t, and separated from the temple, Deut. 
 xxiii. 18. 
 
 Ver.34. "The contrary is in thee." Hebrew is •^ino^)- 
 posilum, from "lEH to invert, change, alter. This 
 Jewish woman did invert, change, and alter the 
 way that other women went in, for satisfaction of 
 their lusts, in the abuse of their bodies ; they had 
 gifts given them, but this woman gave gifts ; they 
 were hired, this woman did hire. Scptuagint is 
 ^UTp«f/|/Eroi', perversum quid ; Vulgate, conira con- 
 sicetudmem niulierum. " Whereas none followeth thee 
 to commit whoredoms :" the Hebrew runs thus, after 
 thee it hath not been whored. So the Septuagiut, 
 /lira ai ov TnTropvivicaaiv, they have not gone a whoring 
 after thee. The meaning is, Jerusalem sought after 
 the idol gods of other nations, was at expenses, gave 
 gifts to them to get and fetch in their idolatry ; but 
 no nation did so by them. Hos. viii. 9, " Ephraim 
 hath hired lovers." 2 Kings xvi. 8, 10, Ahaz sent 
 the silver and gold of the temple to the king of As- 
 syria, and was at no small charges for the altar of 
 Damascus. Isa. Ivii. 7, " Upon a lofty and high 
 mountain hast thou set thy bed ;" that is, altars, 
 chapels, temples, which he calls beds, because there 
 they committed spiritual adultery : and they were 
 upon the eminent and high places, because the more 
 might see them, turn in, and worship their idol gods, 
 and so commit folly with them ; for it follows, " even 
 thither wentest thou up to offer sacrifice." And in ver. 
 2 Kings sxi. 4. 8, " Thou liast discovered thyself to an- 
 jcr. xxxM. 34. other than me, and art gone up ; thou 
 hast enlarged thy bed, and made thee a covenant with 
 them ; thou lovedst their bed when thou sawest it." 
 The sense is tins, the Jewish state was not content with 
 God alone to be her husband, but like a whorish wife 
 left her husband, and went up to the bed of others : 
 and not only .so, but enlarged her own bed, made 
 more room, built more altars, high places, and tem- 
 ples, for the gods of other nations to be taken in to 
 her, and made covenant with them to worship and 
 honour them; and whatever bed, that is, altar, tem- 
 ple, idol, she saw among the nations, she fell in love 
 with it, and must have it. cost it never so dear. 
 
 Ohn. I. That the worship of God is not to be mo- 
 delled according to the wisdom of states or churches. 
 This Jewish state and church built high places, 
 altars, fetched in the worship and ways of it, which 
 otlier nations had, were at much cost and charges to 
 accomplish the same, and thought herein they did 
 acceptable service ; but God was provoked sorely : 
 and the more expensive any state or church is (hat 
 way, the more they exasperate the Lord against 
 
 them ; as a husband, the more prodigal his wife is 
 to entertain others, the more oflended is he. God 
 is a jealous God, and it is dangerous to alter in, or 
 add any thing to his worship, especially to corrupt 
 it with idolatrous inventions. Ahaz did so ; but 
 what saith the text, 2 Chron. xxviii. 22, " This is 
 that kitig Ahaz" that spent the gold and .silver found 
 in the house of the Lord, that was aflected with and 
 brought into the temple the altar of Damascus, that 
 sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, that shut up the 
 doors of the temple, that made altars in every corner 
 of Jerusalem, that burned incense to other gods, and 
 provoked the Lord to auger, ver. 25. 
 
 Obs. 2. A pure vnrgin church may in process of 
 time become whorish, adulterous, idolatrous, and 
 worse than others. This church of Jerusalem was 
 at first chaste, holy, glorious ; but when she had left 
 the Lord, and those ways and niles of worship which 
 he had given her, then she became a strumpet, a 
 common whore, did worse, yea, contrary to all 
 whores ; she sought for and hired lovers to come 
 in to her. If churches would therefore not degene- 
 rate, let them " hold fast the form of wholesome 
 words," 2 Tim. i. 13. Let them be content with the 
 way of worship which God hath prescribed them, 
 and lead such lives as may not blemish the religion 
 they profess ; and then they shall never provoke 
 God to complain of them. 
 
 Ver. 35—38. Wherefore, O harlot, hear the 
 word of the Lord: thus saith /lie Lord God; 
 Because thif Jilthiness was poured out, and thy 
 nakedness discovered through thy u-horedoms with 
 thy lovers, and tcith all the idols of thy abomina- 
 tions, and by the blood of thy children, n-hich thou 
 didst give unto them; behold, therefore L will 
 gather all thy lovers, icith whom thou hast taken 
 pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with 
 all them that thou hast hated ; I will even gather 
 them round about against thee, and will discover 
 thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy 
 nakedness. And L will judge thee, as women that 
 break wedlock and shed blood are judged ; and I 
 will give thee blood in fury and jealousi/. 
 
 Here begins the fifth general part of the chapter, 
 viz. a commination of grievous judgments, together 
 with the aggravation of their sins, the cause of those 
 judgments, and this extends to ver. GO. 
 
 In the words from ver. 35, to ver. 44, you shall 
 find, 
 
 I. An introduction to the judgments threatened, 
 ver. 35. 
 
 II. A specification of the causes moving God to 
 bring such judgments upon this woman, namely, her 
 id(datry, murdering of her cliildren, and forgetfulness 
 of her low condition, and God's dealing with her in 
 it, ver. 36, 43. 
 
 III. The enumeration of the judgments threaten- 
 ed ; which are, 
 
 1. The gathering together of her lovers and ene- 
 mies, and setting them against her, ver. 37. 
 
 2. Publication ofhernakedness and shame, ver. 37. 
 
 3. Condemnation to die, ver. 38. 
 
 4. Rendition into the hands of her enemies, ver. 39. 
 
 5. Plundering, spoiling, and laying all waste, ver. 
 39. 
 
 (). Death itself by stones and swords, ver. 40. 
 7. Morning their houses, ver. 41. 
 
 IV. The consequents hereupon, which are two : 
 
 1. The cessation of this woman from her idola- 
 tries, ver. 41, last part of it. 
 
 2. Cessaliim of God's anger, ver. 42.
 
 Ver. 35—38. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 379 
 
 Ver. 35. "O harlot." The Lord calls her not 
 wife, but harlot ; he would not vouchsafe her that 
 name, it carries honour in it ; but gives her a dis- 
 graceful name, "harlot," the Jewish nation he calls 
 a harlot. 
 
 Obs. 1. Sin brings reproachful names and terms 
 upon people and persons ; Isa. i. 10, " Rulers of 
 Sodom, and people of Gomorrah." It causes God 
 to fasten disgracino- titles and epithets upon them : 
 Deut. xxxii. 5, '• A perverse and crooked genera- 
 tion ; " Lsa. Ivii. 4, " Children of transgression, a 
 seed of falsehood ; " Jer. vi. 28, "Grievous revolters, 
 corrupters;" chap. ii. 21, "Degenerate plants;" 
 Isa. X. 6, " An hypocritical nation ; " chap. Ixv. 2, 
 "A rebellious people;" chap. xvi. 3, "Outcasts;" 
 chap. i. 4, " A people laden witli iniquities ; " Jer. 
 vi. 30, " Reprobate silver ;" Isa. Ivii. 3, " Sons of the 
 sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore ; " 
 chap. xxi. 2, Treacherous dealers. 
 
 Formerly this people were very dear to God, and 
 he gave them honourable titles ; Exod. iv. 22, " Israel 
 my son, my iirst born;" chap. xix. 6, " A kingdom 
 of priests, an holy nation;" Deut. xxxii. 9, "The 
 Lord's portion, and inheritance;" Psal. exxxv. 4, 
 "His peculiar treasure;" lsa. v. 7, "The Lord's 
 vineyard;" Jer. ii. 21, "A noble vine;" Isa. iv. 5, 
 "The glory:" chap. vi. 13, "The holy seed;" Jer. 
 xviii. 13, "The virgin of Israel." 
 
 It is true you see what Solomon gave out long 
 since; " Righteousness exalts a nation; but sin is a 
 reproach to any people." 
 
 Obs. 2. From these words, "hear the word of the 
 Lord;" They who will not hear the word of the 
 Lord for their consolation, shall hear it for their con- 
 demnation. God had often spoken to this meta- 
 phorical woman, this Jewish state, by his prophets, 
 and she would not hear: Isa. Ixv. 2, " I have spread 
 out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people ; " 
 God had sent prophets at the third, sixth, and ninth 
 hour, and yet she would not hear : he had dealt like 
 a loving husband by her, invited her to repent and 
 turn, as you may read, Jer. iii. and iv. and in divers 
 other places promised mercy and forgiveness, and 
 nothing would prevail ; here therefore the Lord 
 speaks like a just judge, giving out a sentence of 
 death ; " Hear the word of the Lord, O harlot : " 
 seeing that thou wouldst not hearken to my loving 
 entreaties, gracious invitations, wholesome counsels, 
 the word of grace and mercy ; now thou must liear 
 and hearken to my threats, my words of vvTath, of 
 condemnation, and destruction. 
 
 Ver. 3(7. "Thy filthiness." Hebrew ^nrnj which 
 Montanus renders, thy money ; showing how lavish 
 and profuse she was in .spending her estate to hire 
 lovers to come in unto her. 
 
 " Thy lovers." These lovers were the Assyrians, 
 Babylonians, Chaldeans : Ezek. xxiii. 12, " She 
 doted upon the Assyrians ;" ver. 16, " She sent mes- 
 sengers unto them into Chaldea ;" ver. 17, " The 
 Babylonians came to her into the bed of love ;" and 
 in ver. 19 — 21, you shall find that the Egyptians 
 were her lovers. So Jer. ii. 3G ; and iii. 1, " Thou 
 hast played the harlot with many lovers ;" she had 
 lovers out of most nations. 
 
 Ver. 37. " Thou hast taken pleasure." Hebrew 
 is nsiy dulcui.sti, or jocundata es ; the word 3-ij; is of 
 the largest signification amongst the Hebrew words ; 
 the primitive and chief signification of it is, to mingle ; 
 and so here notes that pleasure, deliglit, which 
 comes upon mixture : this woman mingled herself 
 with strangers, all comers, especially Assyrians, 
 Babylonians, Egyptians, in bodily and spiritual 
 whoredoms. God would gather together her lovers, 
 and those she hated, having fallen off from her 
 
 loves, and they should be against her, and be- 
 siege her. 
 
 Obs. 1. When God threatens, or brings judgmeuts 
 upon a people, it is upon considerable and just 
 grounds. " Because thy filthiness was pouied out," 
 &c. : " behold, therefore I will," &c. 
 
 Obs. 2. That when God by the sin of man is pro- 
 voked, he will set his friends and lovers against him. 
 The Assyrians and Chaldeans had been Jerusalem's 
 lovers ; but because she sinned against God, he 
 turns them to be her enemies : Lam. i. 2, " All her 
 friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are 
 become her enemies." Ahithophel was a choice 
 friend and counsellor to David ; and because he 
 offended the Lord in the matter of Uriah and Bath- 
 sheba, therefore he turned the heart and head of 
 Ahithophel against David, which went very near to 
 him, and troubled his heart sorely : he speaks of it 
 twice in the Psalms : once in Psal. xli. 9, " Mine 
 own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who did eat 
 of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me," 
 i. e. hath dealt injuriously with me, and like a brute 
 creature, kicked at liis master wlio feeds him ; or tlius, 
 he hath looked at me as one down, and lift up his 
 heel to tread me under. Again he mentions it in 
 Psal. Iv. 12 — 14. Vashti refused to come at the 
 king's call, and God set Ahasuerus and all the 
 princes against her, Esth. i. So Obad. 7i " The 
 men that were at peace with thee have deceived 
 thee ; tliey that eat thy bread have laid a womid 
 under thee." See Matt. x. 36. 
 
 Obs. 3. God in his infinite wisdom and justice 
 doth oftrimes make them instruments of his wrath, 
 to punish us, with whom we have sinned. The 
 Jews had pleased themselves in making covenants 
 W'ith the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Egyptians, in 
 fetching in their gods, forms of worship, in following 
 their manners and practices ; and what saith the Lord 
 here ? " I will even gather them round about against 
 thee,"they shall besiege thee, andlay thee waste. Rev. 
 xvii. 16, " The ten horns which thou sawest upon the 
 beast," and so did sin by the counsel and power of 
 the beast; those horns, being so many kings, " shall 
 hate the whore " with whom they had committed 
 fornication ; ver. 2, " and shall make her desolate 
 and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and bum her with 
 fire." As they had sinned with her, so God would 
 use them to execute his wrath upon lier. Martia, 
 the concubine of Commodus the emperor, having 
 espied her own name in a catalogue of chief persons, 
 intended to be made away by him, consulting with 
 others, she poisoned him in a cup of wine. 
 
 Obs. 4. In what kind people sin, in that kiud some- 
 times God doth punish them. Jerusalem sinned in 
 discovering her nakedness to others, ver. 3,i, and 
 God doth punish her by discovering her nakedness 
 to others, ver. 37, " I will discover thy nakedness 
 unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness." 
 Lam. i. 8, " All that honoured her despise her, be- 
 cause they have seen her nakedness." She com- 
 mitted sin in a shameful manner, and God would 
 punish her shamefully. Adoni-l;ezek cut oil' thumbs 
 and toes of seventy kings, and his thumbs and toes 
 were cut off, Judg. i. 6, 7- Agag he had slain many 
 by the sword, and himself sutlers by it ; I Sam. xv. 
 33, "As thy sword hath made women childless, so 
 shall thy mother be childless among women." Obad. 
 15, "As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee." 
 Rev. xiii. 10, "He that leadeth into captivity shall 
 go into captivity; he that killeth with the sword 
 must be killed with the sword." Isa. xxxiii. I, 
 " When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoil- 
 ed ; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treach- 
 erously, they shall deal treacherously with thee."
 
 3S0 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 This discovering of nakedness which was the 
 punishment here threatened, was a grievous judg- 
 ment, and should have caused this woman to have 
 given over her whoredom and filthiness, as once it 
 did the Milesian virgins their murders; for they 
 being troubled and perplexed in their minds, were 
 set upon it to make away themselves, no tears or en- 
 treaties of friends could prevail with them ; many 
 did make away themselves, notwithstanding all 
 means used to prevent the same : at the last, one 
 amongst them, wiser than the rest, made a law, 
 that if they did make away themselves, they should 
 be drawn naked through the market ; this so pre- 
 vailed with them, that they gave over that wretched 
 practice ; the thought of the shame of having their 
 nakedness discovered, kept them from that bloody 
 sin of self-murder. 
 
 Ver. 38. " I will judge thee as women that break 
 wedlock." The Hebrew is, I will judge thee with 
 the judgment of adulteresses. What the judgments 
 of whores and adulteresses were, we shall find in 
 Lev. XX. 10; Deut. xxii. 22. The adulterer and 
 adidteress were both to be put to death, but what 
 death is not specified. The Jews had four capital 
 punishments or deaths. 
 
 1. C'/(e)ieA', strangling : and this was the death they 
 affirm that the adulterer and the adulteress were to 
 sutler ; for where the kind of death is not expressed, 
 their rule is, it is strangling, because that is the 
 easiest. 
 
 2. Is hcreg, beheading. 
 
 3. Sheripliah, burning : so Judah judged Tamar, 
 when she had played the whore, to be biu'nt. Gen. 
 xxxviii. 2-t. The priest's daughter, if she played 
 the whore, was to be burnt with fire, Lev. xxi. 9. 
 
 4. Sekilah, stoning: so the Pharisees tell Christ, 
 John viii. 5, adulteresses should be stoned by the 
 law of Moses ; yet there is no express law in him 
 for it, only those who committed sins of like nature 
 were to be stoned, as Deut. xxii. 24 ; and it is evi- 
 dent from our prophet, who, in ver. 40, tells this 
 adulteress woman she shall be stoned with stones. 
 
 The manner of stoning was, to lead the offender 
 bound to a place without the gates, where one of the 
 witnesses struck him behind upon the loins ; then 
 they took a very great and heavy stone and threw 
 upon him ; and if that did not kill him, then all the 
 people threw stones upon him, according to Deut. 
 xvii. 7- This death was counted the most grievous. 
 
 Among the Romans, adulteresses were beheaded 
 by the Julian law. Tacitus relates, that among the 
 old Germans, the adulteress being found out by her 
 husband, she was stripped and set naked in the 
 sight of her kindred ; and afterward, her hair being 
 cut ofT, her husband with rods drove her through the 
 street so. Diodorus Siculus tells that the Egj-ptians 
 did cut off and maim the nostrils of the adulteress, 
 that so they might deform the face which had 
 pleased : and the adulterer had a thousand stripes, 
 with which he was almost beaten to death. Vid. 
 Pet. Mart, upon 2 .Sam. xii. 
 
 " And shed blood." Their judgment was to have 
 their blood shed. Gen. ix. 6 ; Exod. xxi. 12. No 
 satisfaction was to be taken for the life of a mur- 
 derer, but he was absolutely to be put to death. Num. 
 XXXV. 31, 32; whatever friends he could make, 
 whatever ransom he could give, whatever r|uality he 
 were of, these were not to be respected, Imt die he 
 must. So here, Jerusalem had shed blood, even the 
 blood of her infants, ver. 20, 21 ; and now her blood 
 shouhl be shed, she should be thrust through with 
 swords, ver. 40. 
 
 " In fury and jealousy." Hebrew runs thus. I 
 will give thee the blood of wrath and jealousy. The 
 
 words show how severely the Lord will deal with 
 her, even like a husband whose rage and jealousy 
 is up, and nothing will pacify it but the blood of the 
 adulterer and adulteress : Prov. vi. 34, " Jealousy is 
 the rage of a man ;" nothing exasperates him more 
 than the falsehood of his wife ; and so nothing ex- 
 asperates God more than the falsehood and whore- 
 dom of his spouse. Psal. Ixxix. 5, " Shall thy jea- 
 lousy burn hke fire ?" yea, it burns like the hottest 
 fire, and cannot be quenched. His fury and jealousy 
 consumed Jerusaletn before they ceased. These words 
 agree with those in chap. v. U, " Mine eye shall not 
 spare, neither will I have any pity." God would give 
 her blood without any mercy ; no sacrifices, no tears, 
 no prayers, no means should prevail with him. 
 
 Obs. I. Adultery and bloodshed are sins which 
 the Lord punisheth severely. He propounds the 
 pimishment of these sins to be the pattern of Jeru- 
 salem's punishment ; I will judge thee with the judg- 
 ments of adulteresses, and of those that shed blood. 
 Their punishments are exemplary. Jer. xxix. 22, 
 Zedekiah and Ahab are said to be roasted in the fire, 
 which was a terrible judgment, a grievous torture : 
 and what was the reason of it ? " Because they 
 have committed villany in Israel, and have commit- 
 ted adultery with their neighbours' wives." Mai. 
 iii. 5, " I will be a swift witness against the adulter- 
 ers ;" that is so provoking a sin, and deserves such 
 hea\'y judgment, that God will make haste to punish 
 them. Heb. xiii. 4, " AVhoremongers and adulterers 
 God will judge;" that is, punish with emphatical 
 punishments. Sodom's great sin was uncleanness, 
 and God judged and punished them with fire and 
 brimstone from heaven. The forcing of the Levite's 
 concubine cost the blood of sixty thousand men, Judg. 
 XX. ; there uncleanness and murder were punished 
 with severity. Psal. ix. 12, God " makes iui|uisition 
 for blood :" he is so stirred at this sin, that he will 
 up, search out the authors, contrivers, and com- 
 missioners of this scarlet sin ; he will avenge for 
 blood. Hos. i. 4, " I will avenge the blood of Jez- 
 reel upon the house of Jehu." Ezek. xxxv. 5, 6, 
 because mount Seir had shed blood, " Therefore, as I 
 live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, 
 and blood shall pursue thee. See how the Spirit of 
 the Lord is up, he swears to it, that he would prepare 
 them unto blood, and that blood should pursue them. 
 Chap, xxxvi. IS, " I poured my fury upon them for the 
 blood that they had shed upon the laud, and for 
 their idols wherewith they had polluted it. 
 
 Obs. 2. Note, there is diflcrenee of sin and punish- 
 ments. Women that break wedlock and .shed blood, 
 tJiey sin more grievously than others do, and their 
 j)unishments are greater than others ; their sins are 
 scarlet and crying sins, abominations ; and their 
 punishments are answerable ; they are judged other- 
 wise than liars, slanderers, drunkards, thieves, &c. 
 God punisheth some sins without blood ; but these 
 sins, adultery, murder, idolatry, with blood, and not 
 only with blood, but with blood in fury and jealousy. 
 
 Vei. 39 — 43. And I will also give thee into 
 (heir hand, and they shall throw down thine emi- 
 nent place, and shall break dnten thij hiirh places: 
 they shall strip thee also of thi/ clothes, and shall 
 take till/ fair jewels, and leave thee naked and 
 hare. They shall also bring vp a eoiiipriny 
 against thee, and thei/ shall sto7ie thee with stones, 
 and thrust thee through with their swords. And they 
 shall burn thine houses wi/h fire, and e.rpcute judg- 
 ments upon thee in the sight (^fjnany women : and 
 I will cause thee to ceasefrom jilaying the harlot, 
 and thou also shall gire no hire any more. So
 
 VnR. 39—43. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 381 
 
 will I make my furii toward thee to rest, and »»/ 
 jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will he 
 quiet, and will be no more angrt/. Because 
 thou hast not remembered the days of thy yovth, 
 but liast fretted me in all these things; behold, 
 therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine 
 head, saith the Lord God: and thou shall not 
 commit this lewdness above all thine abominations. 
 
 The analysis of these words is before ; I shall open 
 some things in them, and then give you the observation. 
 
 Ver. 39. " Give thee into their hand." This 
 nlirasc is sometimes expressed by delivering into the 
 hand, 2 Chron. xxv. 20; sometimes by leaving in 
 the hand, Neh. ix. 2S; sometimes by giving up, 
 1 Kings xiv. 16. States, churches, cities, families, 
 persons, come not into the hands of wicked men 
 without the providence of God. They may all say 
 as Christ did to Pilate, John xix. 11," Thou couldcst 
 have no power at all against me, except it were given 
 thee from above." So neither Chaldeans, Babylo- 
 nians, nor any other could have had power against 
 Jerusalem and the Jews, unless it had been given 
 them from above. Psal. cvi. 41, " He gave them 
 into the handof the heathen;" hebrought the heathen 
 upon them, and delivered them up into their hands ; 
 see Jer. xx. ,") ; xxi. 7. Till God puts a people out 
 of his own hands, and into the hands of others, they 
 cannot hurt them. 
 
 " They shall throw dowTi." Hebrew iDin from 
 Din to pull down, subvert, demolish. 
 
 " Eminent place." Not the temple, or city, but 
 some eminent place they had built, as it is in ver. 
 24 and 31, and with it all other high places where 
 they had been idolatrous. 
 
 Obs. God's hatred is so great against idolatry and 
 idolaters, that he will not endure the places where 
 they have used idolatrous worship ; the places where 
 they sinned must be destroyed, broken, utterly razed 
 and ruined. 2 Kings xviii. 4, Hezekiah is commend- 
 ed for four things ; and the first is, for removing the 
 high places ; then for breaking the images, cutting 
 down the groves, and breaking the brazen serpent. 
 Amos v. 5, " Bethel shall come to nought." What 
 was the matter that that place should come to 
 nought ? 1 Kings xii. 28, 29, Jeroboam had set up a 
 golden calf there, made an altar, and bi-ought the 
 people to worship God in a false way, and in a false 
 place. God's anger was so kindled against this, 
 that presently he sent a prophet to ciy against that 
 altar in that place, and to threaten the ruin of it, 
 chap. xiii. 2, 3; and in 2 Kings xxiii. 15, it is made 
 good ; Josiah breaks down the altar, the high place, 
 stamps it to powder, and burns them and the grove 
 to ashes : and afterwards God laid waste both city 
 and temple, because they had filled them with altars 
 and idols. They would not hear the prophets crying 
 out against those things ; God raised up means, &c. 
 And so here against altars, crosses, &c. 
 
 " They shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and 
 shall take thy fair jewels." Hebrew for fair jewels 
 is, thy instruments of ornament, or vessels of glory ; 
 those things that did adorn, make thee glorious, as 
 in ver. 17. 
 
 Obs. When we abuse the mercies of God, we give 
 him cause to take them away. They decked their 
 high places with their garments, ver. I (J ; they made 
 images of their jewels, ver. 17, &c. ; here (iod 
 threatens to take away both the one and the other ; 
 he would give them into their hands who should rob 
 them of their fair jewels, and strip them of all their 
 clothes. Isa. xlii. 22, " This is a people robbed and 
 spoiled." Ver. 24, 25, " Who gave Jacob for a spoil. 
 
 and Israel to the robbers ? did not the Lord, he 
 against whom we have sinned ? for they would not 
 walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto his 
 law. Therefore he hath poured out upon him the fury 
 of his anger," &c. Ofttimes you are robbed of your 
 clothes and goods, because you have abused them to 
 the dishonour of God. 
 
 " And leave thee naked and bare." Before, in 
 ver. 8, it is said, that God covered her nakedness ; 
 he found her naked, and now he would leave her 
 naked and bare. 
 
 Obs. When God hath showed much kindness to a 
 people, and they have been ungrateful, he will re- 
 duce them to their former condition. He found this 
 woman naked, and he would leave her naked. God 
 did much for Ephraim, yet Ephraim was ungrateful, 
 forgot God, went out to other lovers ; and what saith 
 the Lord? Hos. ii. 2, 3, " Plead with your mother : 
 let her put away her whoredoms and adulteries, lest 
 
 1 strip her naked, and set her as in the day «hen 
 she was born." God was upon the doing of it, and 
 therefore put her upon a course of preventing it; 
 but because she took not his counsel, in ver. 9, he 
 saith, " 1 will return, and take away my com in the 
 time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and 
 will recover my wool and my flax given to cover 
 her nakedness," and then her condition would be as 
 at the first. God had spread his skirt over this 
 Jewish woman, clothed her with embroidered silk 
 and fine linen, decked her with choice ornaments 
 and jewels, put his comeliness upon her ; but she 
 abused all his bounty and love, proved ungratefid 
 and whorish, and therefore he would put her into 
 her first condition, strip her of all, and leave her 
 naked : she came out of captivity, she should go into 
 captivity ; she was cast out, and now she should be 
 cast out again ; she was poor, beggarly, and had no- 
 thing, and should be made so again. 
 
 Ver. 40, 41. From the 40th verse, and beginning 
 of the 41st, 
 
 Note, when God intends the ruin of a people, he 
 will bring sore judgments upon them one after 
 another, till they be consumed. " They shall bring 
 up a company against thee." What company this 
 was you may see, Hab. i. (i, " The Chaldeans, that 
 hasty and bitter nation :" and what should they do ? 
 
 1. They should stone her like a harlot, with 
 stones ; great stones should they sling in, which 
 should kill many of her children. 
 
 2. They should thrust her through with swords ; 
 they should cut in pieces her sons and daughters. 
 
 3. They should burn her houses with fire. Each 
 of these judgments was very dreadful. What sad ap- 
 prehensions had the Jews, when they saw the Chal- 
 deans before the walls and gates of Jerusalem, and 
 called to mind what the prophets had foretold they 
 should do to Jerusalem! In 2 Kings xxv. 8 — 10; 
 
 2 Chron. xxxvi. 17 — 20; Jer. lii. 12 — 14, &c. you 
 may find these judgments executed, when the army 
 came up ; and that in Mieah made good, where it is 
 said, that for the judges', priests', and prophets' 
 sins, Zion .should be ploughed as a field, Jerusalem 
 become as heaps, and the mountain of the house as 
 the high places of the forest. 
 
 " In the sight of many women." By y^.^^, p„,| 
 "women" I find expositors understand 5»"."P"'- 
 other nations, cities, and towns, and it 
 suits well with the matter in hand; for here the 
 Jewish state and nation is treated of under the no- 
 tion of a woman : and therefore other nations and 
 cities may be meant by the name of women, and so 
 some interpret the word "women" in Isa. xxxii. 
 9,11. The Jews say, these women were n. navid. 
 kingdoms and provinces: yet some ciiaU. p..i .r'u
 
 382 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 think by "womon" here are to be understood the 
 women in the Chaldean army, which were of divers 
 nations. Maldonate thinks here is an allusion to 
 the punishment of adulteresses, who were to be stoned 
 or burned in the siglit of other women, for the 
 greater shaming of the sufferers, and for admoni- 
 tion of the spectators, tliat they beholding adulter- 
 esses brought to so shameful and dreadful an end, 
 might learn to be faitliful both to God and man ; and 
 such was tlie case here with Jerusalem, she was pun- 
 ished as a whore in the sight of nations, for the 
 learning of the nations. When the Lord punishefh 
 a nation with shai-p and heavy judgments, other 
 nations should take notice thereof, and be instructed 
 thereby to take heed of those sins that nation is 
 judged for ; else God is provokedmore, and the judg- 
 ment will be heavier. Jer. iii. 8, " I put Israel away, 
 and gave her a bill of divorce ; yet her treacherous 
 sister Judah feared not, but went and played the 
 harlot also." God looked that Judah should have 
 learned by Israel's judgments to have taken heed 
 of such sins she was guilty of; but she did not, 
 rtnd that exasperated him the more. So Edom, Obad. 
 10 — 14, because she made no good use of Jerusalem's 
 sufferings, but was glad at it ; therefore the Lord 
 threatens her, tliat .?hame should cover her, and that 
 she should be cut off for ever. 
 
 Ver. 41. "And I ^rill cause thee to cease from 
 playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire 
 any more." These words afford us this observation. 
 
 Obs. That by great judgments Godcausetha peojile 
 to give over their great sins, to cease and rest from 
 them. God would take away Jerusalem's wealth, 
 her jewels, her gold and silver, her change of raiment; 
 diminish her portion, cast her into captivity ; and 
 then she should not have to give to lovers, or spend 
 upon idols, then she should not have leisure nor op- 
 portunity to seek or serve them. Isa. xxvii. !), the 
 fruit of God's judgments is to take away sin; by 
 these sore judgments God cured them of their idolatry 
 for ever. 
 
 Thus God hath dealt of late with Germany, Ire- 
 land, England; by his sore judgments he hath taken 
 away the matter and occasion of sinning from thou- 
 sands, tliey have not wherewithal to sin as formerly. 
 
 Poverty, sickness, imprisonment, loss of places, 
 make men cease from sin, though their hearts be 
 still the same. 
 
 Ver. 42. In this verse is mentioned God's fury, 
 jealousy, anger. Fury is the excess of anger ; Isa. 
 xlii. 2.5, " He hath poured upon him the fury of his 
 anger :" when angi^r is boiled up to the height, that is 
 the fury of it. Jealousy is hot displeasure, Psal. 
 Ixxix. 5 ; I Cor. x. 22. Anger is a desire of punish- 
 ing that which hath wronged us. Now these are 
 given to God as becomes God; he is not as man, to 
 become furioiis, jealous, angry, with perturbation, 
 distemper, and imperfection; but he doth such acts 
 as do entitle him to fury, jealousy, anger, yet without 
 any change or weakness. 
 
 " So will I make my fury toward thee to rest." 
 Some read it, I will make my fury to rest upon 
 thee; and so it may refer to the wlioK- time of 
 their being in liabylon. Chap. v. 13, the Lord said, 
 he woidd cause his fury to rest upon them. It is 
 very dreadful wlien God's fury is out against a pio- 
 pl'-, but it is most dreadful when his fury rests upon 
 them. Hebrew is tlnis, I will make to rest my fury 
 towards thee, that is, I will be furious no longer : 
 when I have judged thee as adulteresses and murder- 
 ers are judged, when I have stoned thee with stones, 
 thrust thee through willi swords, and burned tliee 
 « ith fire, there will be no more materials for my 
 fury to feed upon, it .vhull rest and end. Sejitu- 
 
 agint, t7ra0?}fT(j Ttiv ^vfiov fxa eni as, I will dismiss 
 mine anger upon thee, there shall be an end of it : 
 this sense the words following do evince; "and my 
 jealousy shall depart from thee," &c. 
 
 Obs. 1. When God's people sin against him, 
 especially in ways of false worship and idolatry, they 
 disquiet and trouble him, they cause his anger to 
 kmdle, his jealousy to burn, and provoke him to 
 fury. A man, when his wife goes to other men, is 
 enraged, so divided and perplexed, that he knows 
 not what to do. The Septuagint reads it, for I will 
 be no more angry : I will not be solicitous any 
 longer ; I will not be divided and distracted with 
 cares and thouglits about thee. The heart and 
 sjiirit of God was much troubled about his people 
 wlien they left him, and went out to sinful practices. 
 Hos. vi. 4, " O Ephraim, what shall I do unto 
 thee ?" Judah, what shall I do unto thee ? " God 
 was even at a stand with them. Hos. xi. 8, 
 " How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I 
 deliver thee, Israel?" He was divided in himself; 
 he considered this people were his wife, and so his 
 mercy led him to spare them ; yet a whorish wife, 
 and so his anger, jealousy, and fury provoked him to 
 punish them. Hence saith he, Ezek. xi. 9, " I am 
 broken with their whorish heart, which hath de- 
 parted from me." Jer. v. 7, " How shall I pardon 
 thee for tliis ? thy chilth-en have forsaken me." God 
 had a fire and strife within himself; fain he would have 
 pardoned Jerusalem, but he knew not how to accom- 
 plish it without prejudice to his justice, truth, and glorv. 
 
 Obs. 2. When judgments are thoroughly executed 
 upon a whorish and backsliding people, then God is 
 at rest, and satisfied. When this woman, this Jew- 
 ish state, fell into the hands of enemies, was plun- 
 dered and spoiled, had her children stoned and 
 thrust through, her city burnt to ashes, and all her 
 glory laid in the dust ; tlien God caused his fury to 
 rest, his jealousy to depart, then he was quiet, and 
 angry no more. Before judgment be thoroughly ex- 
 ecuted, God is troubled, and restless ; but when it is 
 done, he is pacified, comforted, as it is Ezek. v. 13. 
 Before Jonah had judgment passed upon him, there 
 was a great wind, and a mighty tempest in the sea, 
 the Lord's anger, jealousy, and fury were up, and lei 
 out: but when Jonah was sent, and cast into the sea, 
 justice done, it is said the sea ceased from her 
 raging, it was so presently ; and what was the rea- 
 son of it ? the Lord first ceased from his fury, he was 
 pacified, and manifested it by stilling of the seas. 
 The mariners did it not so much out of love to jus- 
 tice, as love to save themselves : they saw all like 
 to perish, a common shipwreck at hand, Jonah was 
 detected to be tlie delinquent; and so to secure them- 
 selves, they threw him over, and had their desire. 
 When justice was executed upon Saul's bloody 
 house for slaying the Gibeonites, the three years' 
 famine ceased: till that was done, there was nothing 
 but fury, jealousy, and anger from God ; but being 
 done, the Lord caused his displeasure to cease, and 
 was at rest, 2 Sam. xxi. God would bring the As- 
 syrians upon the Jews ; and what then ? " the indig- 
 nation shall cease, and mine anger in their desti'uc- 
 tlon," Isa. X. 25 : when I have laid all waste, and de- 
 stroyc d them, then shall I be angry, jealous, furious 
 no more. Esth. vii. 10, " They hanged Haman on 
 the gallows, and then was the king's wrath pacified." 
 Ver. 43. '■ Because thou hast not remendjered the 
 days of thv ymitl), but hast fretted me in all tliese 
 things." This verse contains two of the princijial 
 causes moving God to bring such dreadful judg- 
 ments upon Jerusalem. 
 
 I. Her forget fulness of her youth. 
 
 II. Her fretting of God by her lewd courses.
 
 VcR. 39—43. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 383 
 
 Of her not remembering the days of her youth was 
 spoken in ver. 22. 
 
 " Hast fretted me." Hebrew »i;-\ni from iji to 
 move, stir up, provoke. Septuagint, tXiirrtij, hast 
 grieved me. 
 
 " This lewdness." Hebrew, nnn-ns Something 
 I said of ziminah in ver. 27 ; it signifies properly a 
 premeditated evil or villany, which is shameful and 
 abominable, as Lev. xviii. 17, the uncovering a 
 woman's nakedness and her daughter's, it is zinimah, 
 a wickedness ; chap. xix. 29, whoredom is zimmali. 
 Now what is this lewdness here spoken of? Piscator 
 saith, it was the murdering of her children, vei-. 20, 
 21, upon which act God sets an emphasis, " Is this 
 of thy whoredoms a small matter ? " Some read the 
 words otherwise, thus ; Neither hast thou made a 
 thought upon all thine abominations, taking zimmah 
 in a good sense, viz. thou hast never thought of thy 
 wicked ways and abominations to repent thee of 
 them, but gone on securely. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord expects we should be mindful 
 of our primitive condition and estate he began with 
 us in. " Thou hast not remembered the days of thy 
 youth :" so in ver. 22. Psal. Ixxviii. 42, " They re- 
 membered not his hand, nor the day when he de- 
 livered them from the enemy :" their poverty and 
 bondage in Egv'pt they thought not of, and what 
 God did for them in bringing them out of that land, 
 and drowning their enemies in the Red sea; ver. 11, 
 " They forgat his works, and his wonders he had 
 showed them." It is often put upon them to mind 
 their former estate. Deut. xv. 15, " Thou shalt re- 
 member that thou wast a bondman in the land of 
 Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee." So 
 chap. s\-i. 12; xxiv. 18, 22. And that they might 
 not forget their first condition, the Lord appointed 
 the offering of the first-fruits, at which they were to 
 profess before the Lord, that a Syrian ready to 
 perish was their father, who went down into Eg)-pt, 
 sojourned there with a few, and became a nation, 
 great, mighty, and populous. It is the way to keep 
 us humble, make us thankful, and to walk answerably. 
 
 Obs. 2. When man is advanced, he is apt to forget 
 the low, poor, and miserable conchtion he was in. 
 " Thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth." 
 There was a time, saith God, wherein thou wast in- 
 considerable ; when Jacob served Laban, was in 
 Egypt with seventy souls, how mean, how low was 
 thy condition ! but this thou hasl forgotten. When 
 Pharaoh's butler was brought out of prison, he for- 
 got the prison, and Joseph who had been his com- 
 panion there. Gen. xl. Saul was taken from seeking 
 his father's asses, and set upon the throne of Israel, 
 where he quickly forgot God and himself. When 
 men or states are become great oaks and mountains, 
 they forget what little acorns and hillocks once they 
 were ; when arrived to the height of cedars, they 
 are loth to look what rushes once they were, grow- 
 ing in the mire. Deut. viii. 12 — 14,' beware lest 
 when thou art full, hast built goodly houses, and art 
 multiplied with herds, flocks, silver, gold, &c. thine 
 heart be lifled up, and thou forget the Lord, and the 
 condition he brought thee out of, viz. Eg)-pt, the 
 house of bondage: and notwithstanding this caution, 
 Israel did forget her first condition, and God's first 
 and great kindness imto her, Deut. xxxii. 15 ; Hos. 
 xiii. 6. 
 
 Obs. 3. W'hen men forget the low, poor, and 
 miserable estate they were once in, and God's loving- 
 kindness and bounty in exalting them to a rich, high, 
 or honourable condition, they exasperate the Lord 
 greatly. " Because thou hast not remembered the 
 days of thy youth, but hast fretted me." This .sin 
 frets and provokes God, that he should pit}' a nation 
 
 when it is low, at the door of death, brink of despair, 
 do great things for it, and then jirove ungrateful and 
 forgetful ! Thus was it with the Jewish state. God 
 did much for Jeroboam, preserved his life, called 
 him out of Egypt, bestowed ten tribes upon him ; 
 and he forgot what he had been, what he was at the 
 present through God's mercy, and therefore see 
 what a message the Lord sent him ; 1 Kings xiv. 
 7 — 10, "Go, tell Jeroboam, Forasmuch as I ex- 
 alted thee from among the people," he was as low 
 as others, " and made thee prince over my people 
 Israel, and rent the kingdom away from the house of 
 David, and gave it to thee ; and yet thou hast not 
 been as David, but hast done evil above all that were 
 before thee, &'c., therefore I will bring evil upon 
 the house of Jeroboam," &c. God would utterly 
 destroy it. So chap. xri. 2, concerning Baasha ; 
 " Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and 
 made thee prince over my people Israel ; and thou 
 hast walked in the ways of Jeroboam, and made my 
 people sin to provoke me to anger ; behold, I will 
 take away thy posteritv', and make thy house like 
 Jeroboam's," dogs and fowls shall devour those that 
 die thereof. This was the sin which made the Lord 
 to be as a lion, as a leopard, and as a bear bereaved 
 of whelps, unto Epbraim, Hos. xiii. 6 — 8. 
 
 Obs. 4. God will deal with sinners according to 
 their ways. " I will recompense thy way upon thine 
 head;" if thy ways be sinful, thou shalt have the 
 fruit and reward of them upon thy head. Prov. x. 
 6, "Blessings are upon the head of the just." God 
 recompenseth to the just according to their way, and 
 to the wicked according to thejr way. If men shed 
 blood, God w-ill return that blood upon their heads. 
 Joab he slew Abner and Amasa, and see what is re- 
 corded, 1 Kings ii. 31 — 34; Benaiah falls upon him, 
 and slays him at the horns of the altar ; so their 
 blood, which is called "his blood," returned upon 
 his own head : this blood rested upon Joab's head 
 all David's reign, 2 Sam. iii. 29, and was recom- 
 pensed upon his head in Solomon's days : whatever 
 a man's ways be, God will return them upon his 
 head. Hence saith Solomon to Shimei, " Thou 
 knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is 
 privy to, that thou didst to David my father ; there- 
 fore the Lord shall return thy wickedness upon 
 thine own head," 1 Kings ii. 44. Solomon knew 
 God was so just and exact in this point, that he 
 prays God would distinguish between the wicked 
 and the just, by recompensing their ways upon their 
 heads, 2 Chron. vi. 23 ; and so Nehemiah, " Turn 
 their reproach upon their own head," chap. iv. 4. 
 E(hia had slain Edmund the king for canaid. Rem. 
 the sake of Chute, who after put him i'- -5-- 
 to death, saying. His blood be upon thy head. 
 
 Obs. 5. Some sins God eyes, and brands, and beats 
 ofT from above others. " Thou shalt not commit 
 this lewdness above all thine abominations;" the 
 slaying of her children : God took special notice of 
 that wickedness, set a mark upon it, " this lewd- 
 ness," and tells her that he would so punish her, as 
 that she should not commit it any more. Deut. 
 xvii. 5, the serving other gods is called there the 
 committing " that wicked thing." When the Jews 
 maiTied the daughters of the nations, God was much 
 displeased at it, and brands it with "this trespass," 
 Ezra ix. 2, "this thing," ver. 3. So their sin in 
 Jer. xliv. 4, is called an "abominable thing;" "Do 
 not this abominable thing that I hale." Jer. ii. 10, 
 II, " Consider diligently, and see if there be such a 
 thing : hath a nation changed their gods ? " &c. So 
 Judg. xix. 30, "There was no such deed done nor 
 seen." Deut. xiii. 11, they should stone the seducer, 
 and then all Israel should fear.
 
 384 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 Ver. 44 — 46. Behold, every one that tiseth 
 proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, say- 
 ing. As is the mother, so is her daughter. Thou 
 art thy mother's darighter, that lotheth her hus- 
 band and her children; and thou art the sister 
 of thy sisters, jchich lothed their husbands and 
 their children : your mother was ati Hittite, and 
 your father an Aniorife. And thine elder sister 
 is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell 
 at thy left hand : and thy younger sister, that 
 dwelteth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her 
 daughters. 
 
 In these words you liave, 
 
 1. Another judgment threatened, which is com- 
 mon reproach, ver. 44. 
 
 II. A comparison of her for wickedness with her 
 parents and sisters ; lier parents were the Hittites 
 and Amorites, ver. 45, her sisters Samaria and So- 
 dom, ver. 46. 
 
 " That useth proverbs." Upon chap. xii. ver. 22, 
 I opened the word proverb, and showed you the 
 nature and meaning of it. All nations have their 
 proverbs, which they much account of. Every one 
 that can jeer and scoff shall disgrace thee. 
 
 " As is the mother, so is her daughter." The 
 mother is lewd, idolatrous, bloody, rebellious, and 
 the daughter is such ; look therefore what befell the 
 mother for her sins, what punishment was inflicted 
 upon her, the like shall befall and be inflicted upon 
 thee. Proverbs suitable unto this are these : " 111 
 birds lay ill eggs ; " " Roses grow not out of shrimps ; " 
 " From the wicked proceeds wickedness ; " " 111 seed, 
 ill corn;" "By the children you may know the 
 parents." Now these are not always true ; but 
 sometimes it falls out, that wicked parents have good 
 children, and good parents wicked ones. Noah had 
 a Ham, Isaac an Esau, David an Absalom, Hezekiah 
 a Manasseh : anil so contrary, Ahaz that wicked king 
 had good Hezekiah for his son ; Amon, Josiah ; La- 
 meeh, Noah. 
 
 Ver. 45. " Thou art thy mother's daughter," &:c. 
 We must inquire who was her mother, and wherein 
 the likeness between them lieth. 
 
 Her motlicr is said here to be an Hittite, and her 
 father an Amorite, rid. supra in ver. 3. She was so 
 unlike to Sarah and Abraham, out of whose loins by 
 nature she came, and so like to the Amorites and 
 Hittites, as that the Lord calls her the daughter of 
 them. 
 
 Her sisters were, 1. Samaria: that was the chief 
 city of the ten tribes, the royal city ; it was upon a 
 hill, built by Oniri king of Israel, who bought the 
 hill of one Shemer, so from him called it Samaria, 
 1 Kings xvi. 24, afterwards called Stbaste. 
 
 2. Sodom ; this was the city were Lot dwelt, given 
 so to fdtliiness and uncleanness, that one sin of that 
 kind hath its name from hence ; and was one of tlu> 
 five cities, yea the chief, that God consumed witli 
 fire and brimstone from heaven. 
 
 The daughters ofthese were the lesser cities, towns, 
 and villages which depended on them for protection, 
 counsel, niaintinance, and were under the govern- 
 ment of their kings. 
 
 The likeness between them is set out in these 
 words, " whicli lotlud their husbands and their chil- 
 dren." Tlie word '^yi signifieth, to cast out, to loathe 
 with contenn)t, and spitting at. Tliese nations for- 
 sook .lehovali the true (iod, wlu) was their Creator, 
 Lawgiver, and Benefactor, and served idols, murdered 
 their children, and walked in all lewd ways, not re- 
 garding the light or laws of nature: see Deut. xviii. 
 
 9, 10, tliey made their children pass through the fire. 
 They were so unclean, idolatrous, and profane, that 
 the "land vomited them out, Lev. xviii. 25, spewed 
 out those nations, ver. 28. 
 
 Jerusalem was come to that pass, that she rejected 
 God her Husband, and loathed his worship, violated 
 all bonds of rehgion and humanity, sacrificing her 
 children unto devils. She was exceeding like the 
 Sodomites ; Deut. xxxii. 32, " Their vine is the vine 
 of Sodom;" Isa. i. 10, " Rulers of Sodom, and people 
 of Gomorrah." The Jews were transformed into 
 their natures, dispositions, customs. Samaria was 
 at her left hand, that was the north pari, and Sodom 
 at her right hand, which was the south part. 
 
 It seems strange that Samaria here is called the 
 elder sister, whenas Sodom was many years before 
 her, and destroyed ere she had her birth. The 
 original therefore consulted, and rightly interpreted, 
 will help us in this ; for the word for elder is nSnjn 
 jiiagiin, thy sister, the great Samaria ; n:t:pn parca, 
 or iiiinor, thy sister, the little one in comparison of 
 thee ; or Samaria had more pow-er, cities, and citizens 
 belonging to her than Sodom had. 
 
 Obs. I. When states, churches, cities, persons dis- 
 honour God by sinful and lewd ways, God will dis- 
 honour them, and set men to work that are skilful 
 at and exercised in jeering, scoffing, and reviling, to 
 disgrace them. This woman had brought up an ill 
 report upon the land of Craiaan and God of Israel ; 
 and therefore saith God, Those who are used to pro- 
 verbs, yea, every one that is skilled that way, " shall 
 use this proverb against thee. As is the mother, so 
 is her daughter ;" thy mother was a whore, an idol- 
 atress, a murderess, and so art thou. Jer. xxiv. 9, 
 " I will deliver them to be removed into all king- 
 doms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach 
 and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places 
 whither I shall drive them." 2 Chron. vii. 20, if 
 they dishonoured God, he tells them he would pull 
 them up by the roots out of the land, make them 
 and their temple a proverb and by-word among all 
 nations. Jer. xxiii. 40, " I will bring an everlasting 
 reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which 
 shall not be forgotten." Ezek. xxii. 5, "Those tliat 
 be near, and those that be far, shall mock thee, 
 which art infamous." Lam. v. 1, "Consider, and 
 behold our rejjroach :" their princes, prophets, peo- 
 ple, city, temple, land, were all reproached. Job 
 xii. 21, " He poureth contempt upon princes." 
 
 Obs. 2. Children usually tread in the steps of their 
 parents. " As is the mother, so is her daughter," of 
 the same disposition, spirit, practice. Drunken 
 parents have drunken children ; unclean, covetous, 
 jiroiid, froward, contentious parents have had ."^uch 
 children, they have learned of them to be and do as 
 they were and did. 1 Kings xxii. .52, Ahaziah did 
 evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way 
 of his father, who was Ahab, and of his mother, who 
 was Jezebel. Jehoram the son of Jchoshajihat, it 
 is said, " he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, 
 for the daughter of Ahali was his wife," 2 Kings viii. 
 18. Take hec d whom you marry, for the children 
 will resemble the parent ; and take heed what you 
 do before your children, for your examples have 
 great influence into them ; they are strong traces 
 to draw your children into your ways, especially 
 if bad. 
 
 Obs. 3. Cities, states, churches, people, are their 
 cliildrcn in the account of the Scripture, whose 
 manners, ways, and examples they follow. Jeru- 
 salem took up the ways, worship, manners, and 
 ctistiims of the nations and cities near to her; hence 
 her mother is said to be an Hittite, her father an 
 Amorite, her sisters Sodom and Samaria ; according
 
 Ykr. 47—50. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 385 
 
 to their ways she fashioned herself. Those that fol- 
 low thi- faith and steps of Abraham, are the children 
 of Abraham, Gal. iii. 7: Horn. iv. 16. Those who 
 are peaceable, and labour to make peace, they are 
 children of God, Matt. v. 9. Men that mind the 
 world are provident, frugal, and saving ; they follow- 
 ing courses of the world, are called children of 
 the world, Luke xvi. 8. So those that do wickedly, 
 they are the children of the devil, 1 John iii. 8, 10, 
 12; Matt. xiii. 38. "Ye are of your father the 
 devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do," John 
 viii. 44 ; they did imitate him : and here Jerusalem 
 declared her sin as Sodom, Isa. iii. 9, and as the na- 
 tions, and therefore is styled the daughter and sister 
 of them. 
 
 Obs. 4. Those who are in near relation to God, 
 and think well of themselves, may be hateful to 
 him, and as bad as any. Jerusalem was in covenant 
 with God, his spouse, the Jews his peculiar people, 
 and thou,<,dit themselves more holy, righteous, in a 
 better condition than any of all the nations ; and 
 thought the prophets wronged them when they 
 compared them to the nations, to Sodom and Sama- 
 ria ; but what saith the Lord here ? " Thy nuither is 
 an Hittite, and thy father an Amorite:" whatever 
 thou thinkest of thyself that thou art of the stock of 
 Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Jacob, a true Israel- 
 ite ; yet it is otherwise, thou art of the seed of the 
 nations, and worst of the nations, viz. the Hittites 
 and Amorites : thou thinkest thou art holy, hut art 
 profane ; that thou art dear to me above them, Ijut 
 thou art as odious and hateful as any. 
 
 The priests wei-e near the Lord, stood before him, 
 offered sacrifice, thought themselves to be some- 
 bodies. Mai. ii. 1, 2, thi-y thought they did glorify 
 God, and should be glorified by God; but, ver. 8, 9, 
 " Ye are departed out of the way ; ye have caused 
 many to stumble at the law ; ye have corrupted the 
 covenant of Levi, sailh the Lord of ho,^ts. There- 
 fore have I also made you contemptible and base 
 before all the people, according as ye have not kept 
 my ways, but have been iiartial in the law." Matt. 
 vii. 22, 23, " Many will say to me in that day. 
 Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name ? 
 and in thy name have cast out devils ? and in thy 
 name done many wonderful works ? " You see they 
 stood in near relation to God, pretend they did all 
 in his name, thought themselves in a good condition, 
 looked for some good and great reward ; but w hat 
 follows ? " Then will I profess, I never knew you ; 
 depart from me, ye that work iniquity." There is 
 vast ditl'erence between man's and God's judgment. 
 
 Ver. 47 — 50. Yet hast thou not ivalked after 
 their ivat/x., nor done after their ahuminations : 
 hut, as- if that were a very little thing, thou wast 
 corrupted more than thei/ in all thii ways. As I 
 live, snith the Lord God, Sodom thy si'iter hath 
 not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast 
 done, thou and thy daiighters. liehold, this was 
 the inif/iiity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of 
 bread, and ahundanee of idleness was in her and 
 in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the 
 hand of the pioor and needy. And they were 
 haughty, and committed abomination before me : 
 therefore I took them away as I saw good. 
 
 In these verses, and the two next, the comparison 
 is still carried on between Jerusalem, the nations, 
 Sodom, and Samaria, wherein the sins of Jerusalem 
 are drelared to exceed their sins. 
 
 I. This is laid down in general, ver. 47. 
 
 II. In special, in ver. 48, where the sinof Jerusa- 
 
 2 c 
 
 lem is not only asserted to exceed the sin of Sodom, 
 but ratified with an oath, " As I live," &c. 
 Now concerning Sodom you have, 
 
 1. The catalogue of her sins, ver. 49, and begin- 
 ning of ver. 50. 
 
 2. God's dealing with the Sodomites for their sins, 
 ver. 50, " Therefore I took them away," &c. 
 
 Yer. 47. " Yet hast thou not walked after their 
 ways," &c. Before he had said, " As is the motlu-r, 
 so is her daughter," and, " Thou art thy mother's 
 daughter, that loatheth her husband," &c. and here, 
 " Yet hast thou not walked after tlieir ways, nor done 
 after their abominations;" how do these cohere ? 
 
 The prophet doth not accjuit Jerusalem from 
 imitation of the Hittites, Amorites, Sodomites, and 
 Samaritans, he grants she had done that; but by a 
 figure called epanorthosis, correcting himself, he 
 carries it on further. Thou hast not walked after 
 their ways, nor done, &c. but thou hast gone beyond 
 them all in thy wickedness. Thou thoughtest to be 
 like unto them a small matter, a very little thing, 
 this contented not thee, but thou hast done mere 
 abominably than they, and corrupted thyself more 
 deeply. 
 
 Some take the words thus. Thou hast not walked 
 after their ways, nor done after their abominations 
 for a little and a little time ; and so refer the time to 
 the reign of Hezekiah, wherein Jerusalem having 
 sinned greatly in Ahaz's days, after Samaria was 
 taken by Sennacherib, repented, and abstained from 
 idolatry ; but presently after, in Mauasseh's days, 
 returned more fully to it, and exceeded Samaria, 
 Sodom, and the nations : which hints this unto us, 
 that state repentance and reformation are seldom 
 sound or long-lived ; it is fear of authority, not hatred 
 of sin, conscience of duty, love of truth, virtue, justice, 
 holiness, that set them on work ; and when the 
 bridle of fear is lax or removed, they return to their 
 old ways, which cannot be otherwise, having their 
 old natures. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord takes notice of the ways of a 
 people even from their beginning to their end. This 
 observation arises from ver. 45, 40, and this verse, laid 
 together; there the Lord said their mother is an 
 Hittite, their father an Amorite, their sisters, 
 Samaria and Sodom ; and here, "Thou wast corrup- 
 ted more than they in all thy ways :" I have observed 
 thee from the first to the last, from thy birth to thy 
 end. God eyes the infancy, youth, growth, and age 
 of a state, and what the ways of it are ; whose tenets, 
 manners, customs, and ways it follows. 2 Chron. 
 xxviii. 2(5, of Ahaz, a wicked king, it is said, "The 
 rest of his acts and of all his ways, first and last, 
 behold they are written," iS;c. ; there was nothing 
 escaped the eye of Heaven. Jer. xxxii. 19, "Thine 
 eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men;" 
 even from the beginning to the end it is so. God 
 doth not chop in like man, and observe here a pas- 
 sage and there a passage ; but he is a constant ob- 
 server of every thing, of every way : Prov. v. 2 1 , " The 
 ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he 
 pondereth all his goings." 
 
 Ot)S. 2. Sinful republics and states think it no 
 great matter to be like their neighbour nations and 
 cities in wickedness and villanies. The Lord told 
 this commonwealth of Israel that she was like the 
 C'anaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Sodomites, Samari- 
 tans, in idolatry, uucleanness, and other sins ; and 
 she thought this no great matter, a little, yea a very 
 little thing. Ver. 20, " Is this of thy whoredom a 
 small matter?" she thought it so. 1 Kings xvi. 31, 
 Ahab's walking in the sins of Jeroboam was reputed 
 but a light thing ; and Jehu saith of him, that he 
 " served Baal a little," 2 Kings x. 18; yet, 1 Kings
 
 5SG 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 xxi. 2.5, 2i), " There was none like unto Ahab, wliich 
 did sell iiirasclf to work wickedness in tlie .sight of 
 the Lord ; and he did very abominably in following 
 idols, according to all things as did the Amorites :" 
 though he equalled the Amorites, yet this was a lit- 
 tle thing. Ezek. viii. 17, " Is it a light tiling to the 
 house of Judah that they commit the abominations 
 which they commit here?" they thought it so. 
 Take any nation, even this nation, is it not like other 
 nations for injustice, oppression, dnuikenness, whore- 
 dom, swearing, falsehood, excess, fantasticalness, 
 &c. ? yet we say it is no great matter ; sin, the great- 
 est evil, is made nothing. 
 
 Obs. 3. Those God hath done much for, taken very 
 near to himself, may degenerate so far, as to prove 
 worse than others, than any. Thou whom I exalted 
 from so low an estate, and took into my special fa- 
 vour, even thou hast corrupted thyself more than 
 they in all thy ways. So notorious was Jerusalem 
 in her abominable practices, that, ver. 27, the Phi- 
 listines were ashamed of her lewd ways. Chap. v. 
 7, she multijilied sin more than the nations round 
 about her. How desperately did this state sin in 
 the days of Ahaz and Manavseh I is not Jerusalem 
 called the filthy, polluted, oppressing city ? Zeph. iii. 
 1. And is it not thus at this day.!" are not many 
 christian states, which God hath done great things 
 for, and blessed with choice means and mercies, are 
 they not worse than heathenish nations ? those sins 
 foiuid amongst us which arc unknown to them ? I 
 fear Rome, Mackid, Paris, &c. with Italy, Spain, 
 France, England, will be found to exceed the 
 heathens. 
 
 Ver. 48. " As I live." Hebrew is >js-'n I living, 
 or I live. Septuagint, ?ui tyw, I do live. When 
 Phiioingia Sacra, ^^"^ swcars, most usually it is by his 
 r.5. iraccat. 2. p! life; and Glas,sius tclls US, that by the 
 life of God is meant his eternal glory, 
 majesty, powc r, and truth ; so that all these are im- 
 pawned in God's oath, and he had rather not be, 
 than be found false and unfaithful. Of this oath of 
 God was spoken in chap. v. 1. The Lord swears 
 thus, 
 
 1. To let them know he did not hyperbolize : he 
 had been in an allegory before, and spoken alle- 
 gorically of this Jewish state: and that they might 
 not think he did now allegorize or hyperbolize, he 
 swears plainly that their sins were greater than 
 Sodom's. This assertion was both odious and in- 
 credible ; to take away both the odiou.sness and in- 
 credibility thereof, he binds it with an oath, and the 
 greatest oath of all, by his life, by himself, as sure 
 as he was God, as he lived, it was so. 
 
 2. To afl'ect them, as with the greatness of their 
 sins, so with the heinousness of their pimishments ; 
 if they exceeded Sodom in sinning, surely they de- 
 served more dreadful punishments and judgments 
 than Sodom. 
 
 04.«. 1. That those who ])rofess God, and are in 
 common account God's people, may come to such 
 a height of siuiung, as exceeds belief. Who would, 
 who could have thought that any city or nation 
 should have been worse than Sodom ; espeeiallv tliat 
 Jerusalem, the holy city, the habitation of the Lord, 
 and that the Jews, who were the Lord's first-born, 
 his treasure aiul peculiar people, that these should 
 outgo Sodom and the Sodomites in wickedness? It 
 is matter of wonder; what! a Jew worse than a So- 
 domite ? who can believe it ; Jerusalem and her 
 daughters worse than Sodom and her daughters ? 
 
 Ob.i. 2. What great cities are, usually such are the 
 lesser cities. The bordering towns 'and villages, 
 which are called daughters, they imitate their mo- 
 thers, learn their ways, receive their opinions, follow 
 
 their counsels, practices, manners. Samaria and 
 her daughters were alike, Sodom and her daughters, 
 ver. 45, 4G ; and so Jerusalem and her daughters. 
 Great cities have great influence into the adjacent 
 to\^^lS and villages ; if they be idolatrous, unjust, 
 bitter, contentious, proud, excessive in diet and ap- 
 parel, so will all about them be : Rev. xvii. .'j, " Ba- 
 bylon the great, the mother of harlots and abomina- 
 tions of the earth." 
 
 Obs. 3. To assure us of the truth of things, God 
 is pleased to take an oath. The Lord knew this 
 would not easily be entertained, that Jerusalem and 
 her daughters were greater sinners than Sodom and 
 her daughters ; to put it out of doubt, therefore, the 
 Lord swears a great oath, " As I live" it is so, as 
 sure as I am the living God it is truth : so God 
 swears, Ezek. xxxiii. 11, to ass>u-e man. O happy 
 they in whose cause God swears! but great their 
 misery who do not believe a God giving such con- 
 firmation ! 
 
 Ver. 49. Behold, this was the ini(ptifii of thy 
 sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abun- 
 dance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, 
 neither did she strengthen the hand of the jjoor 
 and needy. 
 
 In this 49th verse he tells us the sins of Sodom ; 
 and the first was, 
 
 " Pride." Hebrew ^WJ pride, or lifting up of the 
 mind against a precept, or an inordinate desire of 
 excellency in any thing. It is a tumour and swell- 
 ing of the mind, and lieth principally in contemning 
 and slighting of God himself, his word, promises, 
 threats, ordinances, worship, works ; in self-esteem 
 and admiration ; in a swelling for gifts and graces, 
 succcssfulncss of endeavours, for birth, breeding, 
 wealth, honoiu-, place, relation, and in despising of 
 others. 
 
 It is either inward in the heart, Hab. ii. 4; Prov. 
 xvi. 5 ; or outward, and that, 
 
 1. In tlie speech : Uan. iv. 30, " Is not this great 
 Babylon, that I have built for the house of the king- 
 dom?" So chap. iii. 15, " Who is that God that 
 shall deliver yuu out of my hands ? " Here was a 
 tongue that .spake proud things, Psal. xii. 3; 1 Sam. 
 ii. 3. 
 
 2. In the looks: Prov. vi. 17, "A j)roud look." 
 Psal. cxxxi. 1, " My heart is not haughty, nor mine 
 eyes lofty." 
 
 3. In the habit of the body : so Herod's pride ap- 
 peared, Acts xii. 21 ; so the rich man's, Luke xvi. Ii). 
 
 4. In the gesture and carriage of the body : Isa. 
 iii. Hi, " The daughters of Zion arc haughty, and 
 walk with stretched forth necks, wanton eyes,mincing 
 and tinkling with their feet." 
 
 5. In actions : Isa. iii. 5, " The child shall behave 
 himself proudly against the ancient." Neh. ix. 16, 
 29, " They and our fathers dealt proudly, and heark- 
 ened not to thy conunandmcnts." So in feasting 
 and furniture, and in tenacity of opinions. 
 
 The evil and .shifulness of this sin will appear in 
 several particulars : 
 
 (1.) It blinds and hardens the mind and heart of 
 man. Dan. v. 20, Nebuchadnezzar's mind was " hard- 
 ened in pride," and reason so blinded, that he became 
 brutish. 
 
 (2.) Pride sets a man in opposition to God. Other 
 sins are aversions from God, this sin is coming 
 against (iod ; in other sins they fly from God, in 
 this sin they fly upon God. James iv. G, " God re- 
 sistelh the proud." Men do not resist till they are 
 set upon: when thieves set u]:on travellirs, if able 
 they make resistance; wlien tlie devil sets upon a
 
 Ver. 49. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 387 
 
 christian with his temptations, then he resists : so 
 liere, proud men set upon God, his truths, his church, 
 and then he resists them. PsaL Ixxiii. 9, " They set 
 their mouth against tlie heavens." 
 
 (3.) It is the root of other sins. Absalom's pride 
 carried him on to rebellion and other vile practices : 
 it was Athaliah's pride which put her upon slaying 
 the seed royal, that so she niignt reign, 2 Kings xi. 
 Prov. xiii. 10, "Only by pride cometli contention:" 
 all the contention in families, in suits of law, in 
 trading, in the pulpits, in the wars, have sprung 
 from pride. Ezek. vii. 10, " Pride hath budded." 
 It is the nurse of covetousness : it was Haman's 
 pride put him upon seeking and plotting the death 
 of all the Jews in Babylon. 
 
 (4.) It is that makes us like the devil. 1 Tim. iii. 
 6, " Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he 
 fall into the condemnation of the devil." God there- 
 fore sets Satan upon his servants sometimes to pre- 
 vent this evil. 2 Cor. xii. 7, God had rather see him 
 buffeted by Satan, then swell with pride. 
 
 (5.) It is that sin which makes God abhor man. 
 Prov. xvi. .5, " Every one that is proud in heart is 
 an abomination to the Lord." " A proud look" is 
 one of the things God hates, Prov. vi. 16, 17. His 
 hatred is great against proud men; Psal. cxix. 21, 
 Proud men are cursed. God delights in nothing 
 more than his glory, and he hates nothing more 
 than pride, which would rob him of his glory. 
 
 (6.) It is a grand enemy to the spiritual good and 
 salvation of man. The gospel saith. He that thinks 
 he knows any thing, knows nothing as he ought to 
 know ; a proud man thinks he knows something, if 
 not all things. The gospel saith, A man must be- 
 come a fool, that he may be wise, deny himself, and 
 go to Christ for wisdom, righteousness, redemption, 
 grace, salvation ; but a proud heart will not, he will 
 be his owTi alpha and omega, the efficient and end of 
 his own actions : " Ye will not come to me that ye 
 might have life," John v. 40. Therefore it is twice 
 upon record. Jam. iv. 6 ; I Pet. v. 5, " God resisteth 
 the proud, and giveth grace to the humlile." Full 
 stomachs loathe the honey-comb. Matt. xi. 25, 
 Christ thanketh his Father that he had hid the 
 things of the gospel from the wise and prudent, 
 from the proud men of the world. 
 
 (7.) It brings sad calamities and sore judgments 
 upon men and places. Pride hath blasted manj" a 
 man's parts. Prov. xv. 25, " The Lord will destroy 
 the house of the proud." Haman, Ahithophcl, were 
 proud persons, and God destroyed them and their 
 houses. Herod was presently smitten, and eaten of 
 worms. Acts xii. 23. Isa. ii. 12 — 17, " The day of 
 the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is 
 proud, and he shall be brought low ; upon all the 
 cedars of Lebanon, all the oaks of Bashan, high 
 mountains and hills ; upon every high tower and 
 fenced wall ; upon all the ships of Tarshish, and all 
 pleasant pictures : and the loftiness of man shall be 
 bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be 
 made low." The Jews would not have Christ to 
 reign over them, and they were quickly after scat- 
 tered and destroyed, and Jerusalem laid waste. So 
 Moab, Amnion, Assyria, and Nineveh are threatened 
 for their pride, Zeph. ii. ; Tyre, Ezek. xxviii. And 
 here pride was the first firebrand that set Sodom 
 on fire. 
 
 Pride must down ; as Christ said of the buildings 
 of the temple, not a stone shall be left upon a stone. 
 2 Sam. xxii. 28, God's eyes are upon the haughty that 
 he may bring them down; he watches his opportu- 
 nities to do it. He commands us not to be proud ; 
 Prov. iii. 7, " Be not wise in thine own eyes." Godly 
 men have prayed against it: Psal. xxxvi. II, "Let 
 2 c 2 
 
 not the foot of pride come against me." Psal. xix. 
 12, 13, "Cleanse me from secret faults; keep back 
 thy servant also from presumptuous sins." Paul 
 beat down his body lest he should be a reprobate ; let 
 us beat down our spirits, lest, &c. 
 
 We have spoken of the first sin, viz. pride, now 
 we are come to the second, 
 
 " Fulness of bread." Hebrew, onS-ryar. 
 
 "Bread" is sometimes used in holy language for 
 all things needfiil for the support and comfort of this 
 life, as Luke xi. 3, " Give us this day our daily 
 bread :" sometimes only for what is edible and pota- 
 ble, and tends to the nourishment of man ; 2 Sam. 
 ix. 7, saith David to Mephibosheth, " Thou shalt 
 eat bread at my table continually." In this sense 
 we are to take it here, for whatsoever men eat or 
 dr'ink. 
 
 " Fulness." Sodom was seated in a most fertile 
 place, in the plain of Jordan, which was " well 
 watered every where, even as the garden of the 
 Lord, like the land of Egypt," Gen. xiii. 10. It was 
 like Paradise and Egypt for fruitfulness : one was 
 watered with Euphrates, the other with Nilus, and 
 this plain with Jordan, so that it abounded with grass, 
 corn, cattle, fruit, and other pleasant things. It was 
 so fertile, that Luther thinks it w'as the place where 
 Paradise was : that is disputable, but we are sure it 
 was the place Lot chose for its fruitfulness when 
 he left his brother Abraham; and it yielded such 
 abundance, that the Sodomites had great plenty. 
 You may demand whether a plentiful estate in corn, 
 cattle, oil, wine, fowl, fish, fruit, &:c. be sinful, be- 
 cause fulness of bread, which imports these things, 
 is reckoned up among Sodom's iniquities .' The 
 answer is, that plentifulness of such things is not 
 evil, but a great blessing, and men thereby have 
 occasion to do much good. The sin lieth not in 
 having much meat and drink, but in their excessive 
 eating and drinking; they were intemperate, feed- 
 ing and drinking so fully, that instead of satisfying, 
 they surfeited nature : and here by fulness of bread is 
 meant both gluttony and drunkenness ; of both 
 which something is to be spoken. 
 
 Gluttony may seem to be no sin upon a double 
 ground : 
 
 1. From Matt. xv. 11, "Not that which goeth 
 info the mouth defileth the man," saith Christ ; 
 " that gneth into the belly, and is cast out into the 
 draught," ver. 17 : that which is a sin doth defile, but 
 nothing eaten doth so. It is true, that the meat 
 ealen in its own nature doth not defile : the meats 
 forbidden to the Jews, if any did eat of them at any 
 time, the defilement lay not simply in the meat, but 
 in the breach of the command, viz. eating forbidden 
 meat ; for if any meat did defile, ratione s-ui, of its 
 own substance and nature, it were never law fill to eat 
 that meat; but so doth no meat : it is therefore not 
 the meat, but the inordinate desire of meat, which 
 makes the sin, and causeth the defilement. 
 
 2. In whatsoever is sinful, the first motion there- 
 unto is so ; the first motion to anger, to idolatry, to 
 uneleanness is so : but now the principle or first 
 motion to eating is hunger, and it is most certain 
 that is not sinful ; for then the more hungry any 
 should be, the greater sinner he is. 
 
 For clearing this doubt you must know there is a 
 double desire of meat : one natural, simply tend- 
 ing to the nourishment of the creature, and subser- 
 vient to the vegetative power of the soul ; and this 
 rises not from any ajprehension of this or that in 
 the meat, but only from want in nature; and this ia 
 truly called hunger, and so far from being sinful, 
 that the greater it is, the more it excuseth lilieral 
 eating, 'fhere is another desire of meat, which ie
 
 338 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 sensitive, and tendoth to the pleasing of the sensual 
 part in man, and falls under the power of reason ; 
 which the other did not, being merely natural : and 
 here the first motion or desire of meat beyond 
 what sound reason approves, is inordinate in the 
 sensitive appetite, and so sinfiJ. 
 
 Gluttony, the nature of it lies in an inordinate de- 
 sire of eating, and men are said to gluttonize several 
 ways : 
 
 1. When they desire delicacies, not being content 
 ■with those meats Providence hath given in. Numb. 
 xi. 4, the children of Israel being discontented with 
 their manna, " fell a lusting, and said. Who shall 
 give us flesh to eat ?" Manna, heavenly and angel- 
 ical food, was loathed by them, and now they must 
 have some dainties to satisfy their lusts. 
 
 2. When they are too solicitous atiout the cooking 
 and dressing of their meats. 1 Sam. ii. 15, " The 
 priest's servant came, and said to the man that sa- 
 criticed, Give flesh to roast for the priest ; for he 
 will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw." Why 
 would he have raw flesh ? that he might prepare 
 and cook it more curiously. 
 
 3. When men eat unseasonably, and prevent the 
 due time. Eccles. x. 16, 17, there is a woe threaten- 
 ed when " princes eat in the morning," and the land 
 is blessed when they " eat in due season." The 
 morning is the time for them to do justice, Jer. xxi. 
 12, " Execute judgment in the morning;" and now 
 for them to eat, drink, feast, when neither nature re- 
 quires it nor the time is seasonable for it, this argues 
 an inordinate desire of the creature. Isa. v. 11, 
 " Woe unto them that ri.se up early in the morning 
 to follow strong drink !" that is not a time to have 
 the heart and thoughts taken up about pots and 
 dishes. So when men are set upon eating, before 
 there be a half or full concoction of what they took 
 in before. 
 
 4. When men are greedy of meat, not observing 
 such a decorum as becomes men. Swine are greedy 
 and hasty of their meat, and ravenous in eating, but 
 it ill becomes men to be so. The .schoolmen say 
 this was Esau's sin, who slighting his birth-right, 
 sold it for pottage, and greedily devoured it. 
 
 5. When men cat too much, exceeding in the 
 quantify ; and this is most properly gluttony : and 
 this was Sodom's sin, " fulness of bread" and drink. 
 Now too much is eaten and drunk, 
 
 (1.) When the health or strength of the party 
 eating and drinking is impaired thereby. Some 
 overcharge nature with surfeiting and drunkenness, 
 Luke xxi. 34, and so bring sickness and weakness 
 upon themselves. Hence, Eccles. x. 17, " Blessed 
 is the land, when princes eat for strength, and not 
 for drunkenness." 
 
 (2.) When made heavy and dull, so that the oper- 
 ations of body and mind are hindered thereby, and 
 men unfitted for the duties of their callings in public 
 or private. Prov. xxiii. 21, speaking of tlu> drunkard 
 and glutton, he presently mentions drowsiness ; be- 
 cause too much eating and drinking makes drowsy, 
 and unfits for all action. 
 
 (3.) When men sit much at meat and drink, and 
 through custom or strength can bear away much : 
 though no ])rejudice come to their health, though 
 they tie not retarded and dulled in the operations of 
 body or mind ; yet if men are given to eating and 
 drinking, this falls witliin the compass of sin, and 
 under the notion of gluttony and drunkenness. When 
 a man is " given to covetousuess," as Jer. vi. 13, he 
 is a covetous man ; when one is " given to plea- 
 sures," as Isa. xlvii. 8, he is a man of pleasure : 
 so when one is given to cat and drink, he is a man 
 of eating, a man of drinking, " a man given to ap- 
 
 petite," Prov. xxiii. 2; a man that lives to eat, and 
 doth not eat to live. 
 
 I shall next come to show you the evil of intem- 
 perate eating and drinking, 1. As it respects God; 
 2. Others ; 3. Themselves. 
 
 1. In respect of God ; and so, 
 
 (1.) It makes men forget God and his laws : Hos. 
 xiii. 6, " According to tlieir pasture, so were they 
 filled : they were filled, and their heart was exalted; 
 therefore have they forgotten me." Prov. xxxi. 4, 
 5, drinking wine and strong drink will make men 
 forget the law of God aud man. 
 
 (2.) It is setting up another god, which is a noto- 
 rious sin. Phil. iii. 19, "AVhose god is their belly." 
 The Babylonians had Bel for their god, a god of 
 brass ; but these men make their bellies their god, 
 a god of flesh ; their thoughts, care, endeavours are 
 more to please their bellies, their idol-god, tlian the 
 true God ; they do all tilings for the indulgence of 
 appetite. Their end is delight in edibles and po- 
 tables. They are rentricolee, belly-gods, which love 
 good liquor and good cheer. They serve their bellies, 
 Rom. xvi. 18. The rabbles say, he is a glutton or 
 belly-god that eats a pound of flesh, and drinks a 
 quart of wine : we have many such. And do not 
 those who drink healths upon their knees, sacrifice it 
 to those they drink unto, and make gods of them ? 
 
 (3.) They abuse the good creatures of God, which 
 they should use for the honour and glory of his 
 name ; them they abuse to the maintenance, pleasing, 
 and pampering of their lusts, which are bitter ene- 
 mies to God and his trutlis, and ought to he morti- 
 fied. 1 Cor. X. 31, "Wliether ye eat or drink, or 
 whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." What 
 glory hath the Lord, when men make their bellies 
 barrels and pantries ; so victual the camp, that they 
 are unfit for motion, and miist sleep ? 
 
 (4.) It is sacrilegious, robbing God of his worship. 
 You know we must honour God with all our hearts, 
 mights, strength ; for he is an infinite excellency, 
 worthy of all : but when a man hath crammed him- 
 self with meats, is much liquored, how unlit is he to 
 do any acts of worship ! his head is heavy, his spirits 
 dull, and God may have his carcass, but as for heart 
 or spirit he hath none for him: Hos. iv. II, "Wine 
 and new* wine take away the heart." Excess in 
 meat and drink causeth defects in the worship of 
 God ; he may have bodily worship, lip-labour, sleepy 
 performances ; but as for spiritual worship, that is 
 not to be had, though the Lord be a Spirit most 
 holv, great, and glorious, and ought to be worship- 
 ped in spirit and truth. 
 
 2. As it respects otliers. 
 
 (1.) Those who are given to their bellies, they 
 mind not the condition of the church or state, at 
 least not so much as they should do ; so they may 
 have fulness of bread, they care not how it goes with 
 otliers. Amos vi. 4, (i, " They eat the lambs out of 
 the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; 
 they drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves 
 with tlie chief ointments ; but they are not grieved 
 for the aflliction of Joseph." By Joseph is meant 
 the ten tribes, wliieh were greatly infested and af- 
 llicti'd by the Assyrians : but these men laid it not 
 to heart, did not condole and sympathize with tlieni ; 
 tli( y ])oured not out prayers or tears for them; they 
 minded their own bellies, not tin ir miseries. So 
 Isa. xxii. 12, 13, when God's hand was upon them, 
 and he called to weeping and mourning, what did 
 their gluttonous men ? Slay oxen, kill sheep, tat 
 flesh, drink wine ; chap. v. 12, " They regard not 
 the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation 
 of his hands." 
 
 (2.) They wrong the poorer sort. Gluttons and
 
 Vi;r. 49. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 389 
 
 drunkards are like caterpillars, locusts, canker, 
 palmcr-wornis, which devour that wliich should 
 maintain others. Did not men exceed so much in 
 eating and drinking, there would be more plenty, 
 more cheapness, more relief for the poor ; who, had 
 they what is superfluously and sinfully spent in eat- 
 ing and drinking, I believe we should see no beggars 
 in our streets, nor hear any cry at our doors. Prov. 
 XXX. 14, "There is a generation, whose teeth are as 
 swords, and their jaw-teeth as knives, to devour the 
 poor from otT the earth, and the needy from among 
 men : " such are the teeth and jaw-teeth of gluttons ; 
 they make bread, malt, and grapes dear. 
 
 (3.) They wrong the chastity of others. Who 
 make more attempts, or commit fouler acts, than 
 they that feed and drink most liberally ? Fulness of 
 bread breeds fulness of lusts: 2 Pet. ii. 13, 14, they 
 rioted, feasted, and had eyes full of adultery, which 
 could not cease from sinning. High diet is the 
 mark of high lusts, and they the parents of heinous 
 actions. Jer. v. 7, 8, " When I had fed them to the 
 full ; " God gave them abundance, and thereupon 
 they pampered the flesh, and "then conmiitted adul- 
 tery, and assembled themselves by troops in the 
 harlots' houses : they were as fed horses in the morn- 
 ing ; every one neighed after his neighbour's wife." 
 Intemperance begets incontinency ; after rioting and 
 drunkenness follow chambering and wantonness, 
 Rom. xiii. 13. When Lot was tilled with wine, 
 then was he fit for incest, Gen. xix. 31 — 36 ; and 
 the Sodomites, of whom our text speaks, were guilty 
 of horrible uncleanness, as appears in that chapter, 
 ver. 5, " Where are the men which came in to thee 
 this night ? bring them out unto us, that we may 
 know them." 
 
 (4.) They give ill example, and draw others to 
 their own practice, to intemperate eating and drink- 
 ing, which is a great evil. 1 Pet. iv. 4, " They think 
 it strange that ye run not with them to the same 
 excess of riot :" there is a great propensity in men 
 to follow others in eating and drinking excessively ; 
 they not only go, but run, to it, a little encourage- 
 ment that way doth much. Prov. xxviii. 7, " He 
 that is a companion of riotous men shameth his 
 father ;" therefore Solomon counselleth his son, 
 chap, xxiii. 20, thus ; " Be not among wine-bibbers ; 
 amongst riotous eaters of flesh :" he knew that their 
 example, company, and cheer, were strong attrac- 
 tives. Hab. ii. 15, "Woe imto him that giveth his 
 neighbour drink ;" the Hebrew is. Woe to him that 
 drinketh to his neighbour. It is not unlawful to 
 drink to another but when it is done with an ill in- 
 tent, to draw him to excess ; and therefore it follows, 
 " that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him 
 drunken also." The word for bottle is "^ncn which 
 Montanus renders, venerium luum, thy poison : it is 
 spoken of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians, who 
 drew in neighbour princes, and others, to eating 
 and drinking, and so poisoned them with gluttony 
 and drunkenness, and spotted themselves with 
 their sin and nakedness ; men are poisoned in iU 
 company. 
 
 (.5.) "This sin, fulness of bread, brings down hea^'y 
 judgments upon places: Eccles. x. 16, "Woe to 
 thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy 
 princes eat in the morning ! " The surfeiting of 
 great ones brings woes and great judgments to king- 
 doms : Isa. v. 11, 12, there their intemperance is set 
 down, feasting, drinking, and merry-making ; and, 
 ver. 13, behold the judgments, " therefore my people 
 are gone into captivity, because they have no know- 
 ledge ;" their gluttony and drunkenness made them 
 sensual ; " and their honourable men are famished, 
 and their multitude dried up with thirst." So Bel- 
 
 shazzar, he feasts and revels with a thousand of his 
 lords, and tliat night was he slain, and the kingdom 
 was taken by Darius and tlie Medes, Dan. v. 
 
 3. As it respects themselves. 
 
 (I.) The soul. 
 
 (2.) The body. 
 
 (3.) The whole man. 
 
 (4.) Their estate. 
 
 (5.) Their name. 
 
 (1.) The soul : and evils which intemperance 
 causeth, are, 
 
 [1.] It clouds the understanding. Such fumes and 
 vapours possess the brain from immoderate eating 
 and drinking, as that men are altogether inept to 
 discourse or judge of things: Prov. xxvii. 7, "The 
 full soul loatheth an honey-comb," it judgeth amiss 
 of it. Fulness of bread infatuates the understanding, 
 blinds the mind, and dams up the spirits with mud : 
 Isa. xxviii. 7, the priests and prophets were given 
 to their appetites ; and what then ? " they err in 
 vision, they stumble in judgment." 
 
 [2.] Disorders the afl'ections ; for when, through 
 overmuch eating and drinking, the government of 
 reason is laid aside, or asleep, the allections take 
 their opportunity, and grow disorderly ; then wanton 
 lusts, thoughts, desires, and pleasures travel up and 
 down the region of the .soul, and peep out at the 
 windows of the house, 2 Pet. ii. 13, 14. 
 
 [3.] It hinders the activity of gifts and graces in 
 the soul. When a man is loaded with any burden, 
 he caimot move nimbly ; so when one is loaded w ith 
 meat and drink, his soul camiot act lively, there is 
 so much earth and mud about it. that the operations 
 of it are greatly impeded. Gal. v. 21, the word 
 there for revellings, is kiu/joi, eating together, and 
 notes such eating as is a fruit of the flesh, an eating 
 so much as the flesh craves, or can well bear, such 
 eating as strengthens the flesh, the corrupt part in 
 man, which opposes and hinders the spirit and acti- 
 vity of it. How poorly doth grace act in those who 
 are full, and have pampered their bellies ! Paul 
 knew this, and therefore was very abstemious, tem- 
 perate, and much in fasting, 2 Cor. vi. 5. 
 
 (2.) The body. Excess causeth sickness, and is 
 destructive of health ; the most diseases men have, 
 do come from the abundance of humoiu-s which are 
 in their bodies ; and whence come these but from 
 intemperance in eating and drinking ? take men that 
 are moderate, and sparing in diet, and they are sel- 
 dom troubled with any diseases. Sobriety is the 
 best nurse to health, and a greater enemy it finds 
 not than intemperance. I Cor. xi. 21, 30, the Corin- 
 thians were faulty in their feastings and drinking : 
 and what saith Paul ? For this cause many are sick 
 and weak. Hos. vii. 5, the princes made the king 
 sick with bottles of wine. It weakens the body ; 
 concoction being hindered by fulness, crude humours 
 are gendered, and nourishment of the spirits by pure 
 blood is letted. 
 
 (3.) The whole man. 
 
 [1.] By intemperance a man is brought into bond- 
 age unto the creatures, he is a slave to his appetite, 
 and whatever pleases that: and this is a great evil, 
 for man that hath dominion given him by God over 
 all sublunaries, to become a servant to any of them. 
 Paul was more heroic; 1 Cor. vi. 12, 13, " All things 
 are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under 
 the power of any. Meats for the belly, and the belly 
 for meats ;" let the belly crave what meats it will, 
 let meats be never so pleasant or desirable, yet I 
 will not be brought under the power of either of 
 them : but few are so noble-spirited as Paul. The 
 most men are apprentices to their own appetites : 
 the rich man, Luke xn. 19, "fared sumptuously
 
 390 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 evciy day ;" no cost must be spared to please his 
 palati'. 
 
 [2.] Hereby a man is put beneath a brute crea- 
 ture ; for tliose creatures eat and drinli only to satisfy 
 nature, and when they have taken so much, you 
 cannot persuade or force them to take more ; they 
 observe the law of nature, and follow- tlie instinct 
 thereof; but many men do eat and drink, not only 
 to satisfy nature, but to the surfeiting thereof, and 
 without any persuasion or force overcharge nature 
 with variety of meats and drinks. Yea, sometimes they 
 are so excessive herein, that they become void of 
 sense j Prov. xxiii. 35, when the drunkard was 
 beaten, he felt it not. So void are intemperate per- 
 sons oftliraes of common sense, as that they neither 
 foresee future danger, to prevent it, nor feel present 
 smart, to profit by it : horse and ass may teach 
 men. 
 
 [3.] It hastens death. Many might have lived 
 longer, had they been more sober, more sjaring at 
 their tables ; many diseases breed in the womb of 
 intemperance, and one or other of them shortens a 
 man's days ; many die by the sword, but more by 
 surfeits. Because it is lawful to eat and drink, and 
 what we eat and drink is pleasing, therefore we ex- 
 ceed the due bounds, and so increase humours, 
 quench our natural heat, and precipitate death. The 
 Corinthians' excess sent them to their long sleep : 
 this sin abbreviates or takes away life. 
 
 [4.] It makes men very secure and fearless : Isa. 
 Ivi. 12, " Come, we will fill ourselves with strong 
 drink ; and to-morrow shall be as this day, and much 
 more abundant." A ship loaden much, sinks deep 
 into the water, if overladen, drowns ; so man, that 
 is loaden with the creatures, sinks deep into the sea 
 of security, if he be overladen, he drowns himself. 
 Luke xxi. .34, 35, if men's hearts are overcharged, 
 that day will come unawares, as a snare, suddenly. 
 
 [5.] Intemperance is such a sin as endangers your 
 eternal estate, yea, and excludes you fi-om coming 
 into heaven. The rich glutton, you know, was cast 
 into hell, that was his portion, Luke xvi. Gal. v. 
 21, those that " do such things shall not inherit the 
 kingdom of God :" what things ? that eat and drink 
 intemperately. Drunkenness and revelling are fruits 
 of the flesh, and sutler not men to enter into the 
 kingdom of heaven. 
 
 (4.) Their estates. It brings a consumption upon 
 them : Prov. xxiii. 21, " The drunkard and the glut- 
 ton shall come to poverty : and drowsiness sliall 
 clothe a man with rags." Many who have glutton- 
 ized in their youth, have wanted bread in their old 
 age, and instead of feasting, have fasted more than 
 once or twice in a week. The prodigal's excess 
 among the harlots brought him to want among the 
 swine. Prov. xxi. l?, " He that loveth wine and oil 
 sliall not be rich." 
 
 Diogenes, seeing the house of an intemperate per- 
 son set to sale, said, I knew the house was so over- 
 charged with meat and wine that it would quickly 
 vomit out the cormorant. He seeing another brought 
 to beggary, and eating olives for his supper, said, If 
 you had so dined, you should not have needed to 
 have so supped. 
 
 (5.) Their names and professions suffer by it. In- 
 temperance brings an ill report upon men ; Noah's 
 intem|ierance was a great disgrace to him. Prov. 
 xxviii. 7i " He that ir> a companion of riotous men 
 shameth his father;" if being only a companion of 
 them be so ill, what is it then to be a riotous person, 
 intemperate in meats and drinks? that doth nuich 
 more shame the son, and the father too ; such a one 
 will men say is a belly-god. Isa. xxviii. 8, " All 
 tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there 
 
 is no place clean." What a disgrace was this to the 
 priests and propliets in those days, and to their pro- 
 fession ! Rom. xiii. 13, " Let us walk honestly, as 
 in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness." Let us 
 not be intemperate ; intemperance is a night-work, 
 and hath no honesty in it. If it be, therefore, a 
 work of darkness and dishonesty, as the apostle 
 makes it, it must needs disgrace a man. Fabius, 
 who had spent his patrimony, a great estate, was 
 called Giirges, a gulf which swallows all ; among us 
 such men are called liehwnen, gluttons. 
 
 Let us take heed of this sin : why should we pam- 
 per our bodies, which must see corruption, and be 
 worm's meat ? The apostle's nde is, " Make no 
 provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof." 
 He doth not forbid to eat or provide meat, but to 
 make provision for the flesh, their inordinate desires, 
 to satisfy them. Luke vi. 25, " Woe unto you that 
 are full ! for you shall Imnger." 
 
 Christ bids us deny ourselves ; and if we will not 
 do it in a little meat and drink, how shall we forsake 
 all, wives, children, friends, lands, life ? It was a 
 notable saying of Seneca, Major sum, et ad majora 
 geniliis, quam ut corporis mei mancipium Jiain, I am 
 greater, and bom to greater things, than to be ser- 
 vant or slave to my body. He was a heathen, we 
 are christians ; let us say, we are greater, and born 
 to greater things, better bom, and better taught, than 
 to be slaves to our appetites. 
 
 Let us say, as it is Tit. ii. 11, 12, " The grace of 
 God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all 
 men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and 
 worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, 
 and godly, in this present world." 
 
 " And abundance of idleness was in her and in her 
 daughters." Having spoken of two of the sins of 
 Sodom, we come now to the third, which is, " abun- 
 dance of idleness." 
 
 " Idleness." Hebrew, ^sp-an which is from tflpty 
 signifying, to rest, to live in peace, quietly, idly. 
 When people arc in peace, they grow secure and idle. 
 
 " Abundance." Hebrew, riSa" from rhxt to be 
 quirt, to rest, to live at ease, and notes tranquillity ; 
 so that both words signify the same thing, and may 
 be rendered, rest of rest ; the sense whereof is well 
 expressed by our translation, " abundance of idle- 
 ness," or deep idleness. 
 
 I shall show you two things touching idleness : 
 
 1. When a man is said to be idle. 
 
 2. The evil of idleness. 
 
 For the first, a man is said to be idle three ways. 
 
 (1.) When he doth nothing, is unemployed. Matt. 
 XX. 3, Christ " saw some standing idle in the mar- 
 ket-place." The word for " idle " is, apyog, a man 
 without work : so in ver. 6, " Why stand ye here all 
 the day idle ?" Many are idle all the day of their 
 life, nothing is done by them ; of this sort are many 
 gentlemen and others, that have no calling nor em- 
 ployment for the good of the public ; such was Solo- 
 mon's sluggard, tliat would not plough by reason of 
 the cold, Prov. xx. 4; but had rather sleep and 
 .slumber in his bed, than dig in his vineyard ; chap. 
 xxiv. 33, " Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little 
 fokUng of the hands to sleep." 
 
 (2.) When they do not what they should do. 
 Some of the learned say, he is idle who does not 
 God's work. There is work of God's appointment 
 for the day, which you ought to take notice of, and do. 
 2 Thess. iii. II, There are some among you which 
 work not at all, but are busy-bodies ; fitjlh' Ipya^ofd- 
 vug, dWa TipiipyaZofuyHf, doing no work, yet working 
 about every where. When jicrsonsare busy, and do 
 much of tliat which doth not belong to them to do, 
 it is doing of nothing; therefore Paul, in the first
 
 VEit. 4D. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 3yi 
 
 Episi-lp, chap. iv. 1 1, exhorts them to do tlieir " own 
 busin.'ss." 
 
 (3.) When they do not so much as they ought to 
 do, but are lazy in doing Httle. Rom. xii. 11, " Not 
 slothful in business." Eccl. ix. 10, " Whatsouver tliy 
 hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." When 
 men put not forth themselves to do wlK.t they ought 
 to do in conscience', and according to right reason, they 
 are justly said to be idle, Prov. xviii. 9. 
 
 2. The e\-il of this sin you may discern in sundry 
 particulars. 
 
 (1.) It is against the end of man's creation. God 
 made man for labour; when he was in a state of in- 
 nocency, he was to dress and keep the garden, Gen. 
 ii. 15 ; he must not be idle there, taking his pleasure 
 in a paradise, but work he must, though not for a 
 living : so after the fall. Gen. iii. IS*, in the sweat of 
 his face he was to eat his bread ; he was now to 
 work for bread, and to work hard ; if he will have 
 food, he must sweat for it. It is the end of man's 
 creation and birth to be doing : Job v. /, " Man is 
 born unto trouble," labour, saith the margin, and 
 Montanus, " as the sparks fiy upward." 
 
 (2.) It is a sin against the light of nature, which 
 puts every thing upon motion. The heavens, with 
 the glorious lights thereof, move, and are constant in 
 their motions : Psal. xix. 5, the sun " rejoiceth as a 
 strong man to run a race." The wind and air fly up 
 and down, the waters run, the earth brings forth, 
 plants and trees grow up ; the fislns in the sea, 
 fowls in the air, beasts in the field, have their mo- 
 tions and operations, which is a loud dictate to man 
 tliat he should not be idle. Prov. vj. 6, " Go to the 
 ar.t, thou sluggard ; consider her ways, and be wise." 
 The ant is a very little creature, but exceeding la- 
 borious ; nature hath put an instinct into her to be 
 active and working all the summer ; siie is early and 
 late at it, and will not lose an hour, unless the 
 weather hinder. So the bee is little in bulk, but 
 great in employment, and wonderful busy ; and So- 
 lomon might have added. Go to the bee, and consider 
 her ways ; she flies far, examines the fields, hedges, 
 trees, orchards, gardens, loads herself with honey 
 and wax, and then presently makes return. These 
 creatures, with many others, confute the sluggard 
 daily, preach down idleness, and call for action. Yea, 
 the sluggard's own soul is always in motion and 
 action, and thereby tells him he should not be idle. 
 
 (3.) It puts God's family out of order. The world 
 is God's famih% and he hath appointed men unto, 
 and fitted them for, some employment ; as a wise 
 artist makes no wheel in a clock, or watch, but to 
 move and help on the general work ; and if one 
 wheel stand, it is out of order, and hinders all the 
 rest; so here, when men are idle, they stand still, 
 are out of order, and hinder the motion of others. 
 Idle persons are disorderly persons; 1 Thess. v. 14, 
 " Warn them that are unruly," draicrMf, men out of 
 rank, such arc idle ones; when others march, they 
 st.and still ; when others are up, they are down. 
 2 Thess. iii. 11, "We hear there are some which 
 walk among you disorderly, working not at all :" by 
 "walking" is meant living, and their disorderly liv- 
 ing was not working. 
 
 (4.) It s:-ts a man among the dead. An idle man 
 is both unsavoury and unactive, as a dead man is, and 
 therefore may well be counted a guest of the grave : 
 1 Tim. V. 6, the widow that liveth in pleasure, idly, 
 disorderly, neglecting or out of a calling, is diad while 
 she lives. Eccl. ix. 4, " A living dog is better than a 
 dead lion :" the dead lion, saith Paris, is the great man, 
 in wealth and honour, but idle and loose ; the living 
 dcg is the poor man. but diligent and active. Now 
 the poorest and meanest man of the world that fol- 
 
 lows a calling, and is laborious in it, is better than the 
 greatest, richest, and most eminent man in the world 
 who lives out of a calling, and doth nothing; one is 
 a living, and the other a dead man : and what the 
 odds is between life and death, such is the dillcrence 
 between idleness and action, sloth and labour. 
 
 (5.) Idleness exposes a man to variety of tempta- 
 tions, lays him open to Satan ; a man unemployed, 
 is like a city without walls and gates, whither any 
 enemy may easily have entrance : Ezek. xxx\-iii. 1 1, 
 " I will go up to the land of unwalled villages ; 1 
 will go to them that are at rest, that dwell saftly, all 
 of them dwelling without walls, and having neither 
 bars nor gates." What God saith here, that Satan 
 saith of idle persons ; they are unwalled villages, they 
 have neither bars nor gates, no defensive or offensive 
 weapons, and therefore the devil doth boldly invade, 
 and easily conquer, them with his temptations. Paul 
 knew this, and therefore counselled the Ephesians to 
 make provision against Satan; ciiap. vi. II, "Put 
 on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to 
 stand against the wiles of the devil." An idle man 
 either hath no armour, or if he hath, will not take 
 the pains to put it on. It will require more than 
 ordinary pains to put on the whole armour of God, 
 to be armed completely, and then to stand armed, 
 and withstand all the onsets of principalities and 
 powers ; this the sluggard will not do, he must needs 
 therefore become a prey to Satan. A man out of 
 employment, and idle, is like a vessel which is empty, 
 any one that comes to it may put in what he will ; 
 so Satan pours into idle persons, which are empty 
 vessels, what liijuor he pleases. When men are 
 thoroughly employed, they are incapable of the 
 devil's temptations : you see it daily, that tliose who 
 are out of God's work are most exercised with the 
 devil's. 
 
 (6.) Idlenessis the mother and nurse of our most 
 dangerous enemies, viz. lusts. Standing waters cor- 
 rupt soonest, and more mud, filth, and vermin are to 
 be found in them than in the running waters. To the 
 sink in the ship is the confluence of all fiUh ; idle- 
 ness is the sink in the ship, and comprehends aU 
 noisome lusts in it: silver, gold, iron, out of use, 
 canker and rust. Idleness bringeth much evil, 
 and breeds many evils. Idle and sluggish persons 
 have the foulest bodies, and breed most diseases ; 
 and such have the foulest souls, and abound with 
 most noisome lusts. Among the Sodomites was 
 abundance of idleness, and abunda7icc of lusts, which 
 fight and war against the soul ; and what madness is 
 it for a man to harbour, feed his enemies that seek 
 his life ! idleness, like dinig upon the earth, fattens 
 the spoil, makes all rank, especially the weeds, 'so 
 that tlie flesh and lusts thereof, even in godly pro- 
 p\e, they grow headstrong, violent and furious against 
 the Spirit ; and in others, they break out into drunk- 
 enness, theft, anduncleanness. A't'/iil agendo homines 
 discunt male agere, In doing nothing men learn to do 
 ill. If ever occasion should put as much power 
 into their hands, as idleness hatli put villany into 
 their hearts and heads, they will be ready to fire 
 your houses, ravish your daughters, and cut your 
 throats. 
 
 (7.) It is against common equity and justice to 
 live upon others, who get their li\ing by the sweat 
 of their brows, and to eat their bread from them. 
 Drones, that eat up the honey of the laborious bee, 
 W'e condemn ; they beat them out, and sting to death ; 
 a just punishment for so unjust an act. 
 
 Thieves that rob particular persons suffer death, 
 because they do acts of injustice against common 
 equity: and wnat are idle ones but thieves, robbing 
 the public of its maintenance ? Tin's made Paul to
 
 3C2 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chat. XVI. 
 
 command the Thcssalonians to " work, and eat tlieir 
 own bread," 2 Thess. iii. 12. 
 
 (8.) It deprives a man of that privilege which a 
 beast hath. You know a beast may eat, work or 
 work not, but it is not so with man, except he work 
 he may not eat ; 2 Thess. iii. 10, " This we command- 
 ed you, that if any would not work, neither slmuld he 
 eat." If sickness or weakness hinder not, let num 
 be great or small, rich or poor, what he will, the 
 rule is, if he will not work, he nnist not eat, neither 
 the state nor the church must maintain such a one. 
 
 The Jews say, Quinon laboravent in pro nabhal o, lie 
 edat ill aabbulo, The sabbath was a day of rest, and 
 if any had not so laboured on the day before, as to 
 get wherewithal to maintain him on that day, he 
 njust fast. 
 
 Matt. X. 10, Christ tells you, " the workman is 
 worthy of his meat," others not : you sin therefore 
 when you relieve such beggars or persons as are 
 able to work, but will not; they are neither worthy 
 of meat, nor should you let them eat. And what if 
 they should perish for want of meat ? their destruc- 
 tion is of themselves ; the ease of the simple .slay- 
 eth them, Prov. i. 32. He that will not have a part 
 in daily labour, shoidd not have a part of daily bread. 
 
 (9.) Poverty and beggary are the issues of idleness. 
 Prov. vi. 11, Solomon tells the sluggard, that his 
 "poverty shall come as one that travelleth, and his 
 want as an armed man ;" he lieth still, but poverty 
 is up, and marching towards him ; he is without de- 
 fence, but that comes armed : the meaning is, pover- 
 ty will come upon an idle and slothful person sud- 
 denly and irresistibly. Prov. xxiii. 21, " Drowsiness 
 shall clothe a man with rags :" by drowsiness under- 
 stand sloth ; and when men go about things as if 
 they were half asleep, lazily, they shall certainly 
 come to a poor condition, which is intimated by rags ; 
 the coat that sloth gives is rags. Prov. xviii. 9, A 
 man " slothful in his work is brother to him that is 
 a great waster :" the Hebrew i.s, A man remiss in his 
 work is brother to a great waster, a much waster ; a 
 man that spends profusely must needs come to beg- 
 gary, he hastens swiftly to it : so doth a sluggard, 
 who is remiss in his work, and so an idle person. 
 Other things may bring some to beggary ; sickness, 
 suretiship, fire, robbery, plundering wars ; but put 
 them altogether, they beget not so many beggars, so 
 much poverty, as idleness doth; this tills towns and 
 cities with s«arms of them. 
 
 (10.) Idleness is such a sin as exempts a man 
 from the protection of the angels. A man that hath 
 no calling to walk in, that lives unemployed, he is 
 a vagabond upon the face of the earth. Psal. xci. 
 11, " He shall give his angels charge over thee, to 
 keep thee in all thy ways :" what ways ? those which 
 are according to his will, which his providence leads 
 imto ; not in ways of sin. A man that is idle, is in 
 the devil's way, not in God's way ; he hath appoint- 
 ed callings for men : 1 Cor. vii. 20, " Let every man 
 abide in the same calling wherein he was called ;" 
 vcr. 24, " Let every man, wherein he is called, there- 
 in abide with God." Some refer the words "called" 
 in both verses, to the spiritual call, viz. to grace and 
 commvniion with Christ : be that so, yet there is an 
 outward condition of life, a calling that God would 
 have men to be in, and abide in, because it is an 
 abiding with God. (iod app.roves it, blesses them 
 in it, if they honour him in a calling according to 
 the rulrs he hath given in his word, and vouchsafes 
 them a guard of angels to defend them therein ; but 
 idle persons that have no calling, go out from God 
 and the guard of his angels: and it is questionable whe- 
 tlu'r those that may work and will not, have any true 
 fear of God, or faith, in them. Did they fear God, 
 
 they would walk in a calling, and the angels of God 
 would be about them, Psal. xxxiv. 7 • and faith is a 
 working grace, witness Heb. xi. ; 1 Tim. v. 8. 
 
 (11.) Idle persons are burdensome creatures. The 
 fig tree that bare no fruit was a burden to the ground 
 where it stood ; Luke xiii. 7, " Why cumbereth it the 
 ground?" it was a burden to the garden, to the gar- 
 dener, to the other trees, to the lord and master of all. 
 Matt. XX. 6, " Why stand ye here all the day idle ?" 
 you do no good 'o yourselves, none to your neigh- 
 bours, none to the public, none to posterity, nor bring 
 any glory to God. An idle and fruitless person is 
 good for nothing : Ezek. xv. the vine tree that bare 
 no fruit was not fit to make a pin of, nor for any use 
 but only for the fire. 
 
 (12.) It is a wasting of precious time, a hiding of 
 our talent, and so a great provocation of divine 
 Majesty. An iille man trilles away time, which, 
 « hen men are in straits, they value, and would give 
 thousands for a few days or hours, as it is like the 
 Sodomites would, wdien their city was on fire ; but 
 such persons make no account of time, how precious 
 soever it be, but pass it away in doing nothing, which 
 is a dreadful evil. Time, that is given us to get 
 grace, to work out our salvation in, to gloriiy God, 
 and do good in, even that doth the idle person 
 squander away, though eternity be in the bowels of 
 it; not minding the apostolical rule, Eph. v. 15, 16, 
 " See that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but 
 as wise, redeeming the time." He that sits still and 
 will not walk, he is a fool ; and he is the greatest of fools 
 that will not redeem time for the good of his soul, 
 but loiter it away, and lose it daily ; though God 
 have given him a talent, yet he will not use it. 
 Matt. XXV. 25, 2(), the man w'ho had one talent would 
 not use it, but hid it in the earth ; and what follow- 
 ed hereupon ? he provoked God greatly, who said, 
 " Thou wicked and slothful servant," (wickedness 
 and sloth go together,) thou oughtest to have im- 
 proved my talent or money well : seeing it is not 
 done, fake it from him, and cast the unprofitable 
 servant into utter darkness, ver. 27, 30. 
 
 Having now heard the evil of idleness, let us gird 
 up the loins of oiu' minds, stir up ourselves, and be 
 more diligent in our callings. Sloth brings judg- 
 ments ; the men of Laish were quiet, secure, and 
 had no business with any man, and the Danites came 
 uiion them, " smote them with the edge of the sword, 
 and burnt the city with fire," Judg. xviii. 7, 27. 
 Though all idle people meet not with such judg- 
 ments, yet there is a woe pronounced "to them that 
 are at ease in Zion," Amos vi. I. Some woe or other 
 will be the portion of those that live idly. We have 
 a multitude of such amongst us, and it were well 
 some course were taken by those in authority to set 
 idle persons on work. 
 
 The Athenians did sue idle persons at law- ; idle- 
 ness among them did bear an action, and they made 
 inquiry after each man and woman, what trade or 
 course of life they had to live upon. liivet. in Gen. 3. 
 
 When Joseph's brethren came into Egypt, and 
 were before Pharaoh, the first question he a.sked 
 them was, "What is your occupation?" Gen. xlvii. 
 3. This was a good question of a king, wdien stran- 
 gers were to come and dwell in his land, to know 
 wlu'thiTthey had any calling, could get their living.s, 
 and not be burdens(}uu' to his kingdom and subjects. 
 The Mnssiliaus forbade any to come into their city 
 who had no trade or art to live by. And there was 
 a law among the Persians, that every subject, at the 
 year's end, should come to the magistrate and give 
 account of his year's work ; it were happy if we liad 
 some such laws anu)ugst us. They were great ene- 
 mies to idleness, and so was Alexander, wlio, dis-
 
 Vkr. 49. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 393 
 
 covering two idle porsons in his dominions, made 
 one to flee out of them, and the other to drive 
 him. 
 
 In Marcus Aurelius' days, the Romans followed 
 their callings so earnestly, that having occasion to 
 send a letter two or three days' journey from the 
 town, he could not find one idle body in all the city 
 of Home to carry it. When will it be so with this 
 city ? idleness abounds in the streets, and I fear 
 within doors too. But however it be with others, let 
 us hate sin, be diligent in those places and callings 
 (iod hath set us ; for " the hand of the diligent maketh 
 rich," Prov. x. 4; "shall bear ride," chap. xii. 24, 
 and will cause to stand before princes, chap. xxii. 2'J. 
 
 " Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor 
 and needy." This is the fourth sin of Sodom and 
 her daughters, unmercifulness, inhumanity. 
 
 " Did she strengthen." Hebrew is, np-inn nS she 
 hath not taken them by the hand, and held them up, 
 but let them sink. Jer. xxxi. 32, " In the day that I 
 took them by the hand to bring them out of the land 
 of Egypt;" being there, they were in a low, poor, 
 needy, sinking condition, and God reached out his 
 hand from heaven, took hold of them, and upheld 
 them ; he gave them counsel and help. It is the 
 same word there which you have here : these Sodom- 
 ites did not reach out a hand to support and strengthen 
 their poor and needy. The Scptuagint is, they did 
 not succour and help them ; the Vulgate, they reached 
 not out a hand to them. She did not make firm and 
 strong the hands of the needy, she did not give them 
 counsel and aid, that they might not despair. 
 
 " The poor." Hebrew, 'jy from n;y to afflict, 
 humble ; because poor men are afflicted and humbled 
 under the burden of their poverty. The Hebrew 
 word 'jy signifies both affliction and poverty ; Exod. 
 iii. 7, " I have surely seen the affliction of my people 
 tthich are in Egypt;" 1 Chron. xxii. 14, "Behold, in 
 my ]ov(rty I have prepared for the house of the 
 Lord :" it is the same word in both places ; and 
 poor men find their poverty an affliction. Poverty 
 causcth much fear, care, sadness, dejection of spirit, 
 and hath many temptations accompanying it. Mon- 
 tanus reads the word for poor, egeni, of the needy, or 
 wanting, which seems to be the ti-ue sense of -ktuixoq 
 in the gospel ; for as the word is used there, it notes 
 not absolutely a beggar, but one needy : 2 Cor. viii. 
 It, it is said of Christ, tTrriiixtvat, " he became poor," he 
 had not a house to hide his head in, yet he did not 
 fjo up and down and beg lodging, bread, and other 
 things : and Mark xii. 42, there came x'lP" ^''"'XV' <^ 
 poor widow, yet she had two mites to throw into 
 the treasury: Rom. xv. 26, "Those of Macedonia 
 and Achaia made a contribution for the poor saints 
 at Jenisalem ; ice tuvq TTTuixoidTuv aytdv, the church 
 did not suffer the poor saints in it to go from house 
 to house begging ; this had been a great reproach 
 to the church and way of the gospel. That which 
 hath made men to think xrw^os notes such poor as 
 go from door to door, hath been, that they might 
 distinguish it from Trivjig, which is a poor man also : 
 2 Cor. ix. 9, " He hath given to the poor," ISuKi roig 
 nfrtimv. There is a difference between these words, 
 and so the jjoor meant by them, but not that dill'tr- 
 ence which by some learned is made. Aristophanes 
 in Pluto saith, Trr^xoc ianv firjciv f'xiui', he is a beg- 
 gar, or poor man, who hath nothing, and TrivriQ is 
 Of Z,ii ^ficojufi'oi.- Kai toIq tpyoiQ irpoafx^^i who lives 
 sparingly, following his work, that spends all he 
 gets, and hath much ado to live. So Pasor makes 
 TTti'ijj to be a man who by his labour gets his living, 
 from TTifofint, to labour; and he is right in this, but 
 out in •nTcuyoc, whom he saith to be one qui oxtialiiii 
 pe/if, who begs an alms at men's doors. It is true 
 
 Lazarus was such, Luke xvi. 20, but usually in the 
 gospel it notes such poor as have somcthinsj, though 
 not enough, to live upon, be they aged, sick, weak, 
 lame, or compassed about with any other infirmities, 
 
 " Needy." Hebrew is p'SK il Jomes from hdn to 
 will, desire, and notes a man not simply poor and 
 needy, but very poor ; so poor, saith Pagninc, ijiiod 
 mimibun carens, omnia coiicupiscat, that wanting all 
 things, he desires all things; rich in desires, but 
 having nothing else, a man of desires. Amos ii. 6, 
 " They sold the poor for a pair of shoes :" the word 
 for poor is the same we have here ; and certainly 
 they were very poor that were worth no more than 
 a pair of shoes, and likely old (mes too. Montanus 
 interprets the word in our prophet, meiidicus, a beg- 
 gar, which notes the extreme poverty that some 
 \yere in, yet had no help from the rich and full 
 Sodomites. .lEeol. hath it liunu'lis, of one so needy, 
 that he is humbled to purpose, and lies on the earth, 
 desiring relief. Servius upon Virgil saith, ptjorem 
 e.vi-e egextatem paupertale, that need is worse than 
 poverty. The Vulgate accords with our English, and 
 hath it egeno, they reached not out a hand to the poor 
 and needy, which sorts best with the original words. 
 The sum and scope of the words is this ; That the 
 Sodomites were unmerciful and hard-hearted ; tluy 
 were not affected with the necessities of the poor; 
 neither their wants, prayers, tears, nor their sad 
 countenance, mournful complaints, nor stretched-out 
 hands, prevailed at all with them. 
 
 Men are backward to, if not averse from, giving ; 
 1 Tim. vi. 17, 18, "Charge them that are rich in this 
 world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in un- 
 certain riches ; that they do good, that they be rich 
 in good works, ready to distribute." Dives would not 
 give the crumbs and scraps of his table to poor 
 Lazarus, Luke xvi. ; so the young man, Matt. xix. 
 21, 22. 
 
 I shall show you what an evil unmercifulness is. 
 
 1. It is an argument and evidence of covetousness. 
 When Christ, Luke xvi. 9, bids tlum make to them- 
 selves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, 
 (which he so calls, because men usually sin in the 
 getting, keeping, or using of them,) and said, they 
 could not serve God and mammon, ver. 13, the Phari- 
 sees, who were covetous, derided him ; they thought 
 Christ spake like an ignorant man ; they could serve 
 God, keep their wealth, and not cast it away upon 
 poor people : this showed their covetousness. And 
 what an evil that is, let Paul tell you : 1 Tim. vi. 
 10, " The love of money is the root of all evil ; " in- 
 ward and outward evils do spring from it. A covet- 
 ous man is "an idolater," E]'h. v. 5; he hath no in- 
 heritance in the kingdom of heaven, 1 Cor. vi. 10; 
 he is abhorred of God, Psal. x. 3. Chrysostom 
 saith, he had rather dwell with a thousand possessed, 
 than with one covetous man; for they hurt their gar- 
 ments and themselves, but a covetous man hurts his 
 neighboui'S. Clirysoslom on Matt. x. as cited by 
 Sti'lla on Luke xvi. 
 
 2. It is argument of unbelief. Men think if they 
 give to the poor, and strengthen the hands of the 
 needy, that themselves shall want ami come to 
 poverty. Prov. xxviii. 27, " He that giveth unto the 
 poor shall not lack." Here is the voice of God, who 
 is truth itself, and hath power enough to make good 
 what he hath said, for the earth and fulness of it is 
 his, Psal. xxiv. 1. And yet man's heart distrusts 
 God, arid thinks of other ways to provide for itself: 
 I will kee)! what I have : if this be gone, I know 
 not what I shall have ; it is a hard wcu'ld, and one 
 bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Thus un- 
 belief discovers itself, ami had rather trust in unci r- 
 tain riches, than in the all-sufficient and omnipotent
 
 394 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 God. Saifh God, Give to the poor, and thou shalt not 
 lack ; saith the hard-hearted man, Give to the ) oor, 
 and tliou .sliah. lack. Thus doth he cross the will of 
 God, and put the lie upon him: Eecles. xi. 1, '■ Cast 
 thy bread upon the waters : for thou shalt find it 
 after many days : " No, saith the unmerciful man, I 
 will never cast my bread upon them, f(n' I shall never 
 see it again ; and so makes God a liar, and declares 
 himself an unbeliever. 
 
 3. It is argument there is no love of God in that 
 man. It is a sad charge to tell any man he doth not 
 love God. John is peremptory in it; 1 John iii. 1/, 
 " Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother 
 have n( ed, and >hutteth up his bowels of compassion 
 
 from him, how dwelleth the love of God in 1 
 
 he 
 
 may think he loves God, and others may think and 
 say so, but there is not any dram of God's love in 
 that man. How dwells it in him ? this interrogation 
 imports a full negation ; for if a man loved God, 
 he would love man, who is the image of God. 
 Christ's command is, that we love one another as he 
 hath loved us, John xv. 12 : he testified his love, by 
 giving his blood, his flesh, his life ; and we will not 
 give a little bread, an old garment, a little silver : 
 it is a clear demonstration there is no love of God 
 in us. 
 
 The primitive christians were distinguished from 
 others by their love, and that made them sell all, 
 bring it and lay it down at the ajiosfles' feet for the 
 relief of the poor christians. Acts iv. 34, 35. 
 
 4. It is a sin that hath much cruelty and unnatural- 
 ness in it. Isa. Iviii. 7, " Deal thy Ijread to the hungry, 
 cover the naked, and hide not thyself from thine own 
 flesh ;" the poor are our own Hesh : Mai. ii. 10, " Have 
 we not all one father? hath not one God created 
 us ?" Prov. xxii. 2, " The rich and poor meet to- 
 gether ; the Lord is the maker of them all :" hence 
 he hath commanded that we should love our neigh- 
 bours as ourselves, Matt. xxii. 39. Now-, if w-e hide 
 away our eyes from them, if we will not consider 
 their necessities, wants, and relieve them, we are 
 cruel and unnatural. If a man be naked or hungry, 
 a man w ill seek to clothe and feed himself, he will 
 not hate his own Hesh : Eph. v. 29, " No man ever 
 yet hated his own flesh ; butnourishelh and cherish- 
 eth it." Wlien men, therefore, refuse to strengthen 
 the hands of the poor and needy, they despise, they 
 hate their owti flesh, they are unnatural ; and to 
 prevent this, God hath laid a command to be merci- 
 ful, where the strongest reason and plea might be 
 against it; Prov. xxv. 21, "If thine enemy be 
 hungry, give him bread to eat ; and if he be thirsty, 
 give him water to drink." 
 
 5. It brings a curse, yea many curses, upon men 
 and their estates. Prov. xxviii. 27, " He that hidetli 
 his eyes from the poor shall have many a curse :" 
 the ])oor will cm-se them; but who liids them curse? 
 When Shimei cursed David w rongfully, saith he. The 
 Lord bid him do it; so, when the poor do curse 
 hard-hearted men that will not pity them, there is 
 something of God in it: this Scripture must be ful- 
 filled though it lie their sin, yet it is a just judgment 
 of God upon a merciUss man. And not oidy doth 
 man, but even (iod himself curseth them. I'salmxli. 
 1, "Blessed is he that considereth the poor." If a 
 man do it not, shall he have a blessing ? Matt. xxv. 
 41, 42, "Depart, ye cursed, for I was an hungred," 
 iKre. The curse of God was upon tin m before, ac- 
 cording to what you find in Prov. iii. 33, "The curse 
 ofthe I.ord is in the house of the wicked." Some- 
 times they have not a heart to eat, and lake the 
 comfort of their estates themselves ; somelimes they 
 are perplexed with fears, cares, sorrows about their 
 estates ; sometimes they arc wasted at law ; some- 
 
 times by fire, plundering ; sometimes in a secret way, 
 that none can give any rational account of, but know 
 the ciu'se of God was there. 
 
 6. It makes mm altogether unlike God. He is 
 " the Fatlier of mercies, and God of all comfort," 
 2 Cor. i. 3; "he maketh his sun to rise on the evil 
 and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and 
 on the unjust," Matt, v. 45 ; he " givefh f(]od to all 
 flesh," I'sal. cxxxvi. '25; he hears the desires of 
 the humble and poor, Psal. x. 17; "he is kind to the 
 unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merci- 
 ful, as your Father also is merciful," Lukcvi. 35, 36. 
 But now a man that is near, pinching, miserable, 
 and regards not the condition of the poor, to com- 
 fort their hearts, and strengthen their hands, he is 
 unlike and contrary to God, who is love, bowels, 
 pity, compassion, mercy, and very mindful of the 
 poor. He made a law, Deut. xv. 7, S, " If there be 
 a poor man in thy land, thou shalt not harden thine 
 heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother; 
 but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him :" so 
 Lev. xxv. 35. Luke xiv. 13, 14, " When thou makesta 
 feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the 
 Iilind : and thou shalt be blessed." Luke iv. 18, 
 God anointed Christ " to preach the gospel to the 
 poor ;" and, " hafh not God chosen the poor to be 
 rich in faith ? " Jam. ii. 5. Judas was a hard-hearted 
 wretch that " cared not for the poor," John xii. 6. 
 
 7. It puts in a caveat and bar in the court of 
 heaven against their praj-ers, they must have no 
 entertainment there. Prov. xxi. 1.3, " Whoso stop- 
 peth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry 
 himself, but shall not be heard ;" this man, before he 
 dies, shall come to some great strait or other, so as 
 to cry cither to man or God, and wdien he cries, he 
 shall not be heard ; he would not hear the poor cry- 
 ing, nor God w ho sent those poor, and cried to him 
 in those poor, therefore when he cries unto man for 
 help, God will stop their ears, turn their hearts from 
 him, yea, stop his o«n ear, and turn away his own 
 heart. Luke vi. .38, " With the same measure that 
 ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again :" 
 you stop your ears, God w'ill stoj) his ear; you shut 
 up your bowels, God will shut up his ; you with- 
 hold your pence, God will withhold his talents. 
 The rich man cried for a drop of water, being in tor- 
 ment, but neither Abraham nor God would hearken 
 to his request ; he that would not give one crumb, 
 must not receive one drop : Matt. v. 7, " The merciful 
 shall obtain mercy." 
 
 8. It is a shrewd badge of a reprobate condition. 
 A merciless man's name will hardly be found in the 
 book of life. Col. iii. 12, "Put on as " elect of God, 
 bowels of mercies, kindness :" those who are elect of 
 God have had mercy, and being called, they find and 
 feel Ihat mercy, and cannot but ]iut on bowels of 
 mercy, which declares their election. Before, as Paul 
 saith. Tit. iii. 3, men live " in malice and envy, hate- 
 ful and hating one another;" but when God hath <mce 
 called them, and manifested their election, (In n they 
 ]iut on bowels of mercy, and they are as natural to 
 them now, as their lusts were before, as bowels are 
 to a parent ; they pity others, as God pitied them: 
 but where there are no bowels of m( ny, but churlish- 
 ness, hardness, unmercifuhiess, there is the black 
 badge of re|irol);ilion rather than of eh ction. 
 
 9. It is a degree of murder. Some men hate and 
 curse the poor, and the Scripture bluslietli not to 
 call them murderers; 1 John iii. 15, " Wluisnever 
 hatetli liis brother is a murderer :" Jolixxiv. 14, "The 
 murderer rising with the light killeth the poor and 
 needy;" he devises ways how to oppress, suck, and 
 squeeze them, and this is killing of them, and he is 
 a murderer for it as well as the other ; so, when a
 
 Ver. 49. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 31)5 
 
 man sees his brother or neighbour poor, sinking, and 
 like to be ruined, and will not reheve him, being able 
 to do it, he falls into a degree of murder. The hea- 
 then, I'ublius Mimus, could see this, who said, Qui 
 ■•succurrere pi'riluro potest, cum nonsuccurrit, occidil, He 
 that hath jjower to succour a man being ready to 
 piri.sh, and succours him not, he kills him. Suppose 
 a man in the water or fire, you pass by, and lend him 
 not your hand, which if you had done, his life had 
 been saved, are not you now guilty of his death ? 
 When the priest and Levite passed by the man that, 
 going from Jerusalem to Jericho, fell among thieves, 
 and relieved him not, it was their sin ; and had he 
 died in that condition, they had been accessaries to 
 his death. If the poor be our flesh, then our goods 
 are theirs as well as ours ; and if we let them perish, 
 we murder them and ourselves to. 
 
 10. The end of that man will be very sad who hath 
 been merciless to others ; he must have the end of a 
 fruitless, or dead tree, he must be hewn down, and 
 cast into the fire. Jam. ii. 13, " He shall have judg- 
 ment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy ;" 
 all judgment, mere severity, pure wrath, shall be his 
 portion. Matt. xxv. 41, 42, (S:c. it is the chief, if not 
 the only, sin which Christ mentions at the day of 
 judgment : " I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat, 
 I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink ;" you showed 
 me in my poor members no mercy ; " therefore de- 
 part from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire pre- 
 pared for the devil and his angels." 
 
 Seeing, then, uncharitablcness is so great an evil, 
 let us put on bowels of mercy, and strengthen the 
 hands of the poor and needy. It is a hard time, 
 things are dear, trading little, poor abound, and 
 therefore now it is seasonable for the rich to open 
 the bowels of their compassion, and to succour those 
 that are in want. Job was " a father to the poor," 
 chap. xxix. 16 ; he did not eat his morsels alone, the 
 fatherless ate thereof, chap. xxxi. 1/; the bellies 
 and loins of the poor blessed him, being filled and 
 warmed with the fiesh and fleece of his sheep, ver. 
 20. Dorcas, Acts ix. 31). It were well if Job's and 
 Dorcas's spirit and compassions were in all rich men, 
 that so the hungry might be fed, the naked clothed, 
 and necessities of the poor supplied. Spare some- 
 thing out of your superfluities for them. Can you 
 adorn your houses with pictures and hangings, your 
 tables with carpets, your shelves with pewter and 
 brass, your closets and cupboards with plate, and have 
 you nothing for the poor, who are the temples of 
 God p can you feed your dogs, parrots, monkeys, 
 pamper your horses, and not mind poor christians 
 which lie at your doors? If it be so, how will the 
 Lord take it at your hands ? Remember Dives; he 
 had been better to have given all to Lazarus, than to 
 have met with such an end for his unmercifulness. 
 The Lord Christ hath told you it is a Idessed thing 
 to give. Acts XX. 35. You would count it a blessed 
 thitig to show kindness to Christ; the paps that 
 gave Christ suck were counted blessed, Luke xi. 27. 
 When you give to the poor, you give to Christ : 
 Matt. xxv. 40, " Inasmuch as ye have done it unto 
 one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done 
 it unto me ;" they are Christ's brethren thou dost it 
 unto, and he accounts it done to himself, yea, the 
 least or meanest it is done unto. 
 
 Again, is it not a blessed thing to have the Lord 
 of heaven and earth to be indebted to one : Prov. 
 xix. 17, " He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth 
 unto the Lord ; and that which he hath given will 
 he pay him again." 
 
 1. God is the poor man's Surety. 
 
 2. He takes the debt upon himself. 
 
 3. Gives thee his word for security ; his faithful- 
 
 ness and his honour are engaged for performance. 
 Had you the city's bond, the parliament's security, 
 the public ftdth, for repayment of what you expend 
 upon the poor, it were nothing to this. O give, 
 give unto the poor, and make God as much as you 
 can indebted to you, he is a good Paymaster : Luke 
 vi. 38, " Give, and it shall be given'unto you, good 
 measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and 
 running over." If you will not make God your 
 debtor by giving, he w ill be your judge for not giving. 
 
 We live in dangerous times, and riches are uncer- 
 tain things : the way to make them safe, is to be- 
 stow them upon the poor: Eccles. xi. 1, " Cast thy 
 bread upon the waters : for thou shalt find it after 
 many days ;" if you keep it, you lose ; if you cast it 
 away, you shall find it again. 
 
 One had this epitaph upon his tomb : 
 
 Habeo quod dedi, perdidi qiiud serraii : I possess 
 what I gave ; 1 have lost that which I kepit. 
 
 If you would keep wine or meal, you piut them 
 into empty vessels : Isa. Iviii. 10, 11, " If thou draw 
 out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the aftiicted 
 soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy 
 darkness be as the noon day : and the Lord shall 
 guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in 
 drought, and make fat thy bones : and thou shalt be 
 like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, 
 whose waters fail not." 
 
 Quest. Seeing we are to strengthen the hands of 
 the poor and needy, whether are we to give to all in 
 such case ? 
 
 Ansir. It is the judgment of some, that no beggars 
 should be relieved that go from door to door ; they 
 think it an unwarrantable practice for people to do 
 so, and to be relieved upon so doing, it is the nursery 
 of many vagabonds and vile persons : such live in 
 no calling, are under no government, are the shame 
 of the magistrate, a disorder in a commonwealth, 
 and reproach of the laws made for relief of the 
 poor in their several respective places. Certainly 
 those that beg up and down, being able to work, and 
 will not, you ought not to relieve, you sin in doing 
 of it; the apostle's rule is. If any will not work, he 
 must not eat, 2 Thcss. iii. 10. And further, when 
 begging is made a trade, I see not how it is justifi- 
 able before God, or can be countenanced by man ; 
 there are few but can do something towards their 
 living, and if they cannot, they ought to be relieved 
 otherwise than by begging. 
 
 Yet, to conclude it unlawful to give to any that 
 beg, I dare not ; Christ healed two blind beggars, 
 Luke xviii. 35, 42 ; John ix. 7, i', and did not reprove 
 them for their begging. Besides, he hath given out 
 a i-ule, Luke vi. 30, " Give to every man that asketh 
 of thee ;" which would be void and useless, if I 
 might give to no beggars. 
 
 1. Then, if you be able, you ought to give to all 
 that are truly poor and needy, justly necessitated to 
 ask, even those that are able to work, and willingly 
 would work, but through the ill disposition of the 
 times cannot get any, or not sufficient to maintain 
 them. 
 
 2. If men be not able to relieve all that shall ask, 
 then caution and christian wisdom are to be used. 
 You are to observe the rule of nature, which leads 
 you to give, 
 
 (I.) To your kindred according to the degrees 
 thereof. 
 
 (2.) To your affinity. 
 
 (3.) ^ our friends. 
 
 (4.) Cohabitators of the same village, parish, city, 
 country, kingdom. 
 
 (5.) To strangers, whom Providence shall ofTtr 
 unto vou.
 
 396 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 But more specially, I. You are to consider whe- 
 ther they be godly poor or not ; and if godly, there 
 to place your charity : Gal. vi. 10, " As we have 
 opportunity," &c. 
 
 2. Their necessity, and so, 
 
 (I.) It may be extreme, they may be in danger of 
 life, ready to starve, as Lazarus did at Dives' door; 
 or in danger of sinning, as captives to turn Turks, and 
 poor amongst us of turning to popery, or to steal : 
 now such are to have help before others. 
 
 (2.) It may be great, attended with some grievous 
 inconvenience, as loss of liberty, sinking of a family, 
 scandal to religion ; now these are to have a hand 
 reached out to them, when others may not. 
 
 (3.) There is a common necessity ; when poor 
 want, live not so comfortably, as they would : and 
 these, as we have ability and occasion, we may, the 
 other wc must relieve. 
 
 3. Their impotency : they may be sick, infirm, 
 lame, blind, aged, so that they are not able to do 
 ought for a livelihood. 
 
 4. You are to consider their servicealjleness for- 
 merly. The more useful any have been in church 
 or state, the more good they have done to either or 
 both, the rathtr should they, in case of want, feel 
 your charity than others ; as many now, that have 
 ventured their lives in the wars. 
 
 5. The cause of their poverty and want. If men 
 have been brought to it by sickness, by special acts 
 of Providence, fire, losses at sea, plundering, robbery, 
 unfaithfulness of men and their dealings: these are 
 to be pitiid, supported before others that have 
 brought themselves to beggary by ill courses. 
 
 Ver. 50. And they were haiighti/, and committed 
 abomination before me : therefore I tooh them 
 away as I saiv good. 
 
 Here he goeth on in numbering Sodom's sins, and 
 showing Sodom's end ; they sinned against God, and 
 he took them away for their sins. 
 
 " They were haughty." The Septuagint, they 
 gloried ; sin they did grievously, and gloried in their 
 sins. Montanus, they are lifted up. Some exposi- 
 tors read it partieipially, thus, exalting themselves, 
 they committed abominations. 
 
 In the former verse was spoken of pride, and 
 therefore I shall say nothing of haughtiness, it being 
 so near of kin to pride, if not the same. 
 
 " Committed abomination." By abomination we 
 may understand that sin which is denominated from 
 that place, viz. " sodomy, unnatural lusts, filthy un- 
 cleanness ;" for they being jjroud and haughty, ex- 
 cessive in eating and drinking, abounding in idle- 
 ness, ncglective of the poor and needy, how could it 
 be that they should be chaste ? no, they were un- 
 clean, and abominably unclean ; according to that 
 you read, Rom. i. 27, " The men, leaving the natu- 
 ral use of the woman, burned in their lust one to- 
 wards another ; men with men working that w hich 
 is unseemly." When the angels came to Lot, 
 Gen. xix. the Sodomitis, thinking tliey were men, 
 both old and young, and all the people from every 
 quarter, compassed his house, and said. Bring out 
 the men that came unto thee, that we may know 
 them, ver. 4, 5. 
 
 This lying with the male, an unnatural sin, we 
 first find practised by these Sodomites, who, as .Tude 
 snith, gave themselves over to fornication, and went 
 after strange, or other flesh ; the women did not 
 content them, but they burned in their lusts men to- 
 wards men, and committed abomination one with 
 another; it was other flesh than God appointed for 
 generation. Man and wife arc one flesh, but man 
 and man, woman and woman, can never be so. 
 
 "Before me." That is, publicly, at noon-tide, in 
 the sight of all; suitable to what you find in Isa. iii. 9, 
 " They declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not." 
 Lawful acts of this nature should be in secret, but 
 they did unlawful acts against the light of nature, 
 and' that openly: Zeph. iii. 5, "The unjust know- 
 eth no shame ;" such were these Sodomites. 
 
 Their sin is set out emphatically, in Gen. xiii. 13, 
 " The men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners be- 
 fore the Lord exceedingly." 
 
 1. They were wicked, and intensively wicked, 
 which the words "wicked" and "sinners" imjiort; 
 for the Spirit saith not only they are wicked, but 
 wicked and sinners. 
 
 2. Sinners before the Lord ; they sinned impu- 
 dently, openly, and as in the presence of God, him- 
 self looking on : and they were sinners against the 
 Lord, as some do read the words, that is, they sin- 
 ned with a high hand. 1 Sam. ii. 25, " If a man sin 
 against the Lord, who shall entreat for him ? " they 
 are heinous sins : and these Sodomites sinned against 
 conscience, common equity, and liglit of nature. 
 
 3. Exceedingly ; they were not seldom or little in 
 sinning, but frequent, and much, and their sins of a 
 transcendent nature. As Nimrod was a mighty 
 hunter before God, so these were mighty sinners be- 
 fore him, none equal to them then on the earth. 
 
 " I took them away." The Hebrew is, TDK, I 
 caused them to be removed. What this removing or 
 taking away was, you may see Gen. xix. 24, 25, 
 " The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah, 
 brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven ; and 
 he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all 
 the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew 
 upon the ground." 
 
 Here is one of the most dreadful judgments, if not 
 the dreadfulest, of all that we find in the book of 
 God, executed upon sinners. The Lord, from him- 
 self, immediately, miraculously, suddenly sends a 
 rain from heaven, of fire and brimstone, which was 
 dreadful to the sight, to the smell, but worst of all 
 to feel ; and they, having been hellish in sinning, 
 are made Indlish in suffering ; for fire and brimstone 
 is the punishment of hell. Rev. xix. 20 ; xx. 10. Jude 
 tells us, they suflered the vengeance of eternal fire, 
 ver. 7 ; they passed through a temporal, or tempora- 
 ry, fire, to an eternal fire : and Peter saith, they 
 were condemned, 2 Epist. ii. 6, God, " turning the 
 cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemn- 
 ed them with an overthrow," he condemned them 
 here, and to eternity. And the prophet Jeremiah, 
 when he was in a cursing vein, curses the man who 
 brought tidings of his birth, thus : "Let that man 
 be as the cities which the Lord overtlirew, and repent- 
 ed not," Jcr. XX. 16. The prophet judged them ac- 
 cursed, and so separate from God for ever; they re- 
 pented not of their sin, for Sodom was overthrown 
 in a moment, Lam. iv. (i ; neither did God repent 
 of what he had done, and therefore no reconciliation 
 could be between them, but they perished utterly. 
 Not only were the men consumed in this judgment, 
 their houses and buildings turned to ashes, their 
 cattle, corn, and whatever grew upon the ground, 
 but even the ground itself is under a curse still, 
 being lacus asplia/titcs, or mare tnortuum, nourishing 
 no living creature, and so extremely salt, that it 
 bears up whatever is thrown thereinto; and birds 
 that fly over fall down into it, being sufVocated with 
 the poisonous vajiours which rise from it : so that 
 now tliis plain, which was a fruitful valley, and as 
 Paradise, is become, through the people's sins, and 
 just judgment of God, a filthy, and sulphurous, and 
 poisonous lake. 
 
 " As I saw good." Some read it, as thou hasi
 
 Ver. 50. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 397 
 
 seen. The men of Jerusalem from the turrets of the 
 temple, their prospects in Zion and Jerusalem, could 
 see this lake, and the hand of God upon the Sodom- 
 ites therein, and therefore snith, as thou hast seen : 
 but the Hebrew is, T'si as 1 have seen. Gen. xviii. 
 21, the Lord went down to see whether Sodom had 
 done according to the cry of it. The cry of her sins 
 was great and grievous, and the Lord hnding it so, 
 he did as he saw good and cause, he dealt with it 
 as you have heard. 
 
 Ub.i. 1. The Lord remembers the iniquities of 
 people long after they are committed, yea, after they 
 are dead and gone. Sodom's sins were not forgotten, 
 though they had sinned them many hundreds of 
 years before ; no vestiges left of them or their cities. 
 
 " Behold, this was theiniq\jity of thy sister Sodom, 
 pride," i:e. God remembered the provocation of 
 him by the Jews at the Red sea, in David's days, 
 which was long before, Psal. cvi. /, the calf they 
 made at Horeb, ver. 19 : their idolatry, fornication, 
 and murmuring, were fresh in God's thoughts in 
 Paul's days, 1 Cor. x. 7, 8, 10. Balaam's, Sodom's, 
 the old world's, the angels', were minded by God, 
 and mentioned by his Spirit, in Peter's days, 2 Pet. 
 ii. 15, (), 5, 4 : the angels had sinned four thousand 
 years before, and above, yet was not! their sir. for- 
 gotten. I Sam. XV. 2, " I remember, saith the Lord 
 of hosts, what Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait 
 for him in the way when he came up from Egypt :" 
 this was four hundred years before. It was twice 
 fourteen generations from David to Christ, and yet 
 there is a gentle touch upon David's sins. Matt. i. 
 6, 17. God hath a firm and tenacious memory, it 
 lets nothing slip which once it receives : you see sin- 
 fid acts of men in states are ke| t upon the file, and 
 on record, and many hundreds of years after are 
 brought forth : God keeps the sins of cities, king- 
 doms, princes, and people in his book of remembrance, 
 which should lesson us to take heed what we do. 
 Men do not more easilj' sin, than forget their sins, 
 but God doth not so easily or quickly forget them, 
 Jobxiii.2IJ, " Thou makest me to possess the iniqui- 
 ties of my youth :" Psal. xxv. 7, " Remember not 
 the sins of my youth." 
 
 Obs. 2. Plenty is the parent of sin, yea, many sins. 
 Sodom, as hath been shown, was situate in a plain 
 very fruitful and delightful, as appears. Gen. xiii. 
 10 ; it had abundance ; and what was the eil'oct there- 
 of.' pride, fulness of bread, idleness, unmercifulness, 
 haughtiness, and uneleanne.^s. Deut. xxxii. 15, " Je- 
 shurun waxed fat, and kicked : thou art waxen fat, 
 grown thick, thou art covered with fatness : then he 
 forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed 
 the Rock of his salvation." 
 
 AVhen Israel grew rich, had plenty of all things 
 about her, then she became like a fatted ox that 
 kicks at the owner, and cares for none. 1 Sam. ii. 
 29, " Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine 
 offering;" they slighted the sacrifices and offerings 
 of God, and, in so doing, they slighted, they kicked, 
 at God. Nehem. ix. 25, 26, when God had brought 
 them into Canaan, " they took strong cities, and a 
 fat land, and possessed houses full of all goods, wells 
 digged, vineyards, and olive-yards, and fruit trees 
 in abundance : so they did eat and were filled, and 
 became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great 
 goodness. Nevertheless they were disobedient, and 
 rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their 
 backs, and slew thy prophets, which testified against 
 them to turn them to thee ; and they wrought great 
 provocations." 
 
 Solomon, when he abounded most with God's 
 blessings, then he loved strange women, multiplied 
 wives and concubines, and fell to idolatry, as you 
 
 may see from 1 Kings x. and xi. Jcr. v. 27, 28, 
 " They are become great, and waxen rich. They 
 are waxen fat, they shine : they overpass the deeds 
 of the wicked :" they went beyond the very heathen 
 in wickedness, Ezek. v. 6, 7. Jerusalem" here, in 
 this chapter, the metaphorical woman, for whom 
 God had done so much, and upon whom he had be- 
 stowed broidered work, skins of tai7)o.«7i, fine linen, 
 silk, ornaments, bracelets, chains, jewels, rings, a 
 crown, gold, silver, fine Hour, honey, oil, she plays 
 the harlot, abuses those choice blessings and abun- 
 dance she had to idolatry ; she sacrificed her chil- 
 dren to idols, and walked in such lewd ways, that 
 the daughters of the Philistines were ashamed of 
 her, ver. 27. Dives was wealthy, and as wicked as 
 wealthy. James v. the rich men, that had plenty of 
 all things, withheld the labourers' hire that reaped 
 down their fields ; they lived in pleasure, were wan- 
 ton, condemned the just. 
 
 Plenty is dangerous, yet all men labour to be 
 rich, and have much aljout them. Men's tables and 
 estates prove snares. The bag caught Judas; and 
 many in prosperity have fallen who stood in the 
 days of adversity. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord gives outward blessings, not 
 only to saints but to sinners, yea, to great and no- 
 torious sinners. Even the Sodomites, that were 
 wicked, and sinners before God exceedingly, had 
 bread, and abundance thereof; that is, of all out- 
 ward blessings, edible and potable, they had va- 
 riety, and likewise other things plentifully. Matt. 
 v. 45, " He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and 
 on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the 
 unjust." Not only Abraham and Lot had the sun 
 and rain, who were righteous persons, but Sodomites, 
 who exceeded all sinners then in the world, had the 
 sun shining upon them, Gen. xix. 23. 
 
 Other nations had the dews of heaven, and fatness 
 of the earth, as well as the Jews, God's own people. 
 The Canaanites and others had that pleasant land 
 which flowed with milk and honey before they had 
 it ; and they were so wicked that the land could 
 bear them no longer, but even spewed them out, 
 Lev. xviii. 28. 
 
 Antiochus, a vile person, had the kingdom, Dan. 
 xi. 21 : so Ahab, that sold himself to work w ieked- 
 ness in the sight of the Lord, 1 Kings xxi. 25, he 
 was a king in Israel. The whore of Babylon was 
 arrayed in purple, decked with gold, precious stones, 
 and pearls ; and w hen Jerusalem here was grown 
 worse than the nations round about her, yet then 
 she had the blessings of God in great store : so that 
 " all things come alike to all, and no man knoweth 
 love or hatred by all that is before them," Eccles. 
 ix. 1, 2. 
 
 If any man should conclude himself a good man, 
 beloved of God, because he gives him many bless- 
 ings, much of the creature, then may it be said the 
 Sodomites were good men, for they had plenty. If 
 any should say he is an evil man because he wants 
 these, then Lazarus, the apostles, Christ himself, 
 should be so, because they had little or nothing. 
 God gives his outward blessings promiscuously to 
 good and bad, that men may see he is impartial in 
 his outward dispensations ; that good men using 
 them well, and honouring him therewith, might in- 
 crease their comforts and rewards ; that evil men 
 abusing them to the service of their lusts, and dis- 
 honour of their Giver, might have the deeper con- 
 demnation. 
 
 Obs. 4. Cities commonly are guilty of great sins. 
 Sodom was a city ; 2 Pet.'ii. G, " thccities of Sodom 
 and Gomorrha;" and there were two more, which you 
 have specified in Deut. xxix. 23, together w ith the
 
 3S8 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAP. XVI. 
 
 other ; " Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, 
 which the Lord overtlirew in his anger and wrath." 
 These four cities perished togctlicr, and they were 
 full of crying sins, pride, gluttony, idleness, inhu- 
 manity, uncleanness, and the like ; these sins run 
 through them all : Jude 7, " Sodom and Gomorrha, 
 and the cities about them, they gave themselves to 
 fornication, and went after strange Hesh." 
 
 There were high places and idols in the cities of 
 Samaria, 1 Kings xiii. 32; Isa. x. 10; Hos. viii. 5. 
 The woman of one of the cities of Samaria, that 
 talked wilh Christ, John iv. was very bitter, lived in 
 uncleanness, and worshipped she knew not what. 
 Babylon was full of cruelty and pride, Jer. 1. ; the 
 bloody city, Ezek. xxiv. 6. Nineveh so abounded 
 with sin in Jonah's days, that had they not repented, 
 destruction had been upon them : see Nahum iii. 
 13. Jerusalem had violence and strife in it; Psal. 
 Iv. 9 — 11, " Mischief, sorrow, and wickedness are in 
 the midst thereof, deceit and guile depart not from 
 her streets :" Zeph. iii. 1 — 4, she is called the filthy, 
 polluted, oppressing city ; her princes were roaring 
 lions, her judges evening wolves, her proj)hets liglit 
 and treacherous persons, her priests polluted the 
 sanctuary, and did violence to the law : Ezek. viii. 
 you may read what horrible abominations were in 
 the temple and city ; Lam. iv. 13, her prophets and 
 her priests " shed the blood of the just in the midst 
 of her." 
 
 Obs. 5. Sinners in time come to a height and im- 
 
 Eudency of sinning. " They committed abomination 
 efore me ;" nothing restrained them, not con- 
 science, light of nature, shame amongst men, fear of 
 punishment, spectacles of death, but they go on and 
 sin in the sight and presence of God : Isa. Ixvi. 4, 
 " They did evil before mine eyes ;" even in the tem- 
 ple, where God dwelt, they sinned, set up idols, 
 and worshi])ped them. To what a height of sinning 
 did Manasseh come, and the Jews in his days ! they 
 did that which was evil in God's sight, and provoked 
 him to anger, 2 Kings xxi. 15. In tract of time sin- 
 ners become stout, and ■will contest : Mai. iii. 13, 
 " Yonr words have been stout against me. Yet ye 
 say. What have we spoken so much against thee ? 
 Ye have said, It is in vain to serve God," &c. 
 
 Obs. 6. When God brings terrible judgments upon 
 kingdoms, persons, he seeth cause for it. " Therefore 
 I took them away as I saw good." I saw what sin- 
 ners they were, I came down fi-om heaven, examined 
 the cry of their sins, and saw sufficient cause to 
 make me stretch out my hand, and rain down fire 
 and brimstone upon them. When God drowned the 
 old world, confounded their language, made the 
 earth to swallow up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, 
 when he sent fiery sei-pents amongst them, famines, 
 plagues, wars, captivity, he saw cause for all these. 
 
 There is never any public or private judgment be- 
 falls states, cities, or persons, but the Lord halh 
 great and just cause to do so ; if there were no sin, 
 there would be no punishment : Lam. iii. 39, " Where- 
 fore doth a living man complain, a man for the pun- 
 ishment of his sins ?" 
 
 Obs. 7. We ought to take notice of God's judg- 
 ments upon sinful places, and to beware of their sins. 
 God doth therefore tell us in his holy word what lie 
 hath done to Sodom and other places for that end : 
 this judgment upon Sodom is oft mentioned. Gen. 
 xiii. 10 i Isa. i. 9 ; Lam. iv. 6 ; Luke xvii. 29 ; 
 Rom. ix. 29 ; 2 Pet. ii. 6 ; Jude 7- And here also, 
 when God threatens to punish sinfid persons and 
 jdaccs severely, he tells them they shall be made 
 like Sodom, as in Deut. xxix. 2^5; Isa. xiii. 19; Jer. 
 xlix. 18; 1. 40; 7,c]ih. ii. 9 : and in Amos iv. II, 
 he saith, he had overthrown some of them as he 
 
 overthrew Sodom. In thirteen places this sore 
 judgment is mentioned, that so we might frequently 
 meet with it, mind it, and abhor the sins which 
 brought it upon them. If the sins of Sodom be 
 found in cities, pride, fulness of bread, abundance of 
 idleness, unmercifulness to the poor, uncleanness, 
 they shall have Sodom's judgment, or some equiva- 
 lent. It may be, we are free from Sodom's sins, and 
 I would we were ; but arc we not guilty of worse ? 
 I fear we are, if we receive not the gospel in the 
 power of it, as Capernaum did not : Christ tells you 
 it shall be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah in the 
 day, cSrc. Matt. xi. 
 
 Ver. 51, 52. Neither hath Samaria committed 
 half of thy sins ; but thou hast multiplied thine 
 abominations more than they, and hast justified 
 thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou 
 hast done. Thou also, which hast fudged thy sis- 
 ters, bear thine otvn shame for thy sins that thou 
 hast committed more abominable than they : they 
 are more righteoiis than thou : yea, be thou con- 
 founded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou 
 hast justified thy sisters. 
 
 The scope of these two verses is to convince Jeru- 
 salem that she was more wicked than others, than 
 Samaria or Sodom her sisters, and therefore ought 
 proportionably to be confounded and shamed for her 
 abominations. 
 
 " Samaria." This was the chief city of the ten 
 tribes, and is here put for the kingdom of Israel, as 
 it is distinct from the kingdom of Judah, and is oft 
 called Israel and Ephraim ; and the sins of the Is- 
 raelites or Ephraimites were exceeding great. Their 
 kingdom was begun in rebellion and idolatry, 1 Kings 
 xii. 19, 28, 29; they rebelled against the house of 
 David, chose Jeroboam to be their king, who set up 
 the golden calves at Dan and Bethel, and drew the 
 people to 'worship them ; he " made priests of the 
 lowest of the people," set up high places, devised 
 feasts and worship of his own, ver. 31 — 33. And all 
 the kings of Israel were wicked: Aliabso abominably 
 wicked, that none was like unto him, 1 Kings xxi. 
 25. Jezebel filled the land with wickedness; she 
 caused Naboth to be unjustly accused and stoned to 
 death, chap. xxi. 10; the true prophets were perse- 
 cuted, eight hundred and fifty false prophets coun- 
 tenanced, chap, xviii. 
 
 There was no truth, mercy, or knowledge of God 
 left in the land; swearing, lying, killing, stealing, 
 adultery aboimded, Hos. iv. 1, 2; they were pro- 
 found in slaughtering, chap. v. 2 ; the priests of Is- 
 rael were murderers, chap. vi. 9 ; the pride of Israel 
 was great, chap. vii. 10 ; they had " deeply corrupted 
 themselves," chap. ix. 9; confederated with the As- 
 syrians and Egyptians, chap. xii. 1 ; " provoked 
 God to anger most bitterly," ver. 14. They walked 
 in the statutes of the heathen, and of the kings of 
 Israel; they sinned secretly and openly ; they set up 
 images and groves on every high hill, under every 
 green tree, burnt incense in all the high places as 
 did the heathen ; they rejected the statutes and co- 
 venant of God, they left all his commandments ; 
 caused their sons and daughters to pass through the 
 fire ; they used divination and enchantments, and 
 sold themselves to do evil, 2 Kings xvii. S — 11, 15 
 — 17. Now, although the ten tribes, comprised in 
 the word Samaria, were guilty of these and many 
 other sins, yet they were not the half of Jerusalem's 
 sins; " Samaria hath not committed the half of thy 
 sins ;" which we are not to account of by arith-
 
 Ver. 51, 52. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 399 
 
 nii'tical in'n]ior(ion, as if Jerusalem's sins for number 
 were more tlian so many more ; but the quality and 
 nature thereof were such, so dreadful, so grievous, 
 clothed with such circumstances and aggravations, 
 that, compared together, and all things considered, 
 tliose of Sodom and Samaria were not half so bad. 
 Tlie Sodomites had only the light of nature to direct 
 them, the Samaritans had a devised worship forced 
 upon them by Jeroboam, and were held to it by suc- 
 ceeding idolatrous kings ; they had not the law, the 
 temple, the ark, the prophets, the true priests, sacri- 
 fices, solemn feasts, and good kings, as Jerusalem 
 had, therefore Jerusalem's sins were the greater. 
 Samaria had lieard and read of God's heavy judg- 
 ment upon Sodom, for her wickedness ; Jerusalem, 
 besides that, had seen God's dealing with Samaria, 
 that the ten tribes were ruined and carried away into 
 captivit)-, that she alone was preserved and reserved 
 as God's peculiar; and now for Jerusalem to be un- 
 grateful, to fall into, and to continue in, those sins, 
 for which the Israelites suftered so much, notwith- 
 standing the threats of the prophets ; yea, to set up 
 the image of jealousy at the gate of the altar, to pic- 
 ture the forms of all creeping things and abominable 
 beasts, and to portray all the idols of the house of 
 Israel upon the walls of the court, and for the elders 
 to offer incense before them ; to place Tammuz in 
 the temple, women to weep for that abominable idol, 
 men therein to worship the sun towards the east, 
 and put the branch to their nose, and fill the land 
 with violence, Ezek. viii. ; these things make the 
 Lord to say, that " Samaria committed not half of 
 thy sins, but thou hast multiplied thine abominations 
 more than they ;" and, as it is Jer. iii. 5, " Behold, 
 thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou could- 
 est." She was become so wicked, had sinned with so 
 high a hand, that she could not do worse, she ex- 
 ceeded all ; Ezek. v. 6, 7, " She hath changed my 
 judgments into wickedness more than the nations, 
 and my statutes more than the countries that are 
 round about her ; and multiplied more than the 
 nations," more sins, more aggravations. 
 
 " And hast justified thy sisters." Hebrew, 'pivni 
 not, hast made them holy, just, righteous, as the pa- 
 pists do interpret the word when they treat of justifi- 
 cation, but by the greatness of thy sins hast declared 
 th'm to be less sinners than thyself: so Sanctius 
 saith, that juxtijicare in this place is the same with 
 /u.stum o.slendere ; and Vatablus, jusliorcs te ase osten- 
 den'.s, thou dost manifest that they are more right- 
 eous than thyself; for, set their sins with thine, and 
 the disproportion is so great, that they are not half 
 such sinners as thou art, they seem just in compari- 
 .son of thee, thy sins are heavy, and theirs are light. 
 This doth not lessen the sins of the Sodomites or 
 Samaritans, or suppose them to be innocent, but 
 only showeth that their sin.? had not such heinous 
 aggravations as theirs of Jerusalem had. 
 
 Ver. 52. " Hast judged thy sisters." Hebrew, 
 n'^Ss hast pronounced judgment. Saith Montanus, 
 ^^3 signifies, to pray, to appeal, and it is likely the 
 Latin word, appetlo, and Englisli, a])peal, do come 
 from it; but Irequenlly, to judge. Avenarius saith 
 it is rerbum juridicuiu, and B'S'Ss is, judges, Exod. 
 xxi. 22 ; Deut. xxxii. 31; Job xxxi. 11. Vatablus 
 saith lh:\t jji/u/ti signifies in alios decemere sententiam 
 tanquum meriin puiiilo.i. Thus Jerusalem, when she 
 heard of God's severe proceedings with Sodom, she 
 said, their sins were great, and those judgments de- 
 served; when she saw Samaria besieged, taken, and 
 the ten tribes carried away by Shalmaneser into 
 captivity, she did not pity, but censure them, looking 
 at them as rebels, idolaters, apostates, and persecu- 
 tors, and so adjudged all those punishments due unto 
 
 them which they underw-cnt, thinking herself more 
 righteous than they of Sodom or Samaria. 
 
 " Bear thine own shame." Hebrew, 'Nip nn?:SD the 
 word for sliame notes more than ordinary shame ; 
 ignominy, reproach, from oSs which signifies, to be 
 calumniated, to have such words and usage as if one 
 were a dog, or esteemed no better than a dog ; hence 
 the word culumnia, calumny ; and it is always used in 
 contemptuous, or in an ill sense, as some critics ob- 
 serve ; whereas ViZ is not, neither notes so deep a 
 shame, reproach, as qSd doth. Jer. xiv. 3, " They 
 were ashamed and confounded." ic'^sni iws here are 
 both words ; one imports, shame, the other, con- 
 founding shame, exceeding great shame. Isa. 1. 6, 
 " I hid not my face from shame and spitting." M'hcn 
 Christ was put to death, you know how ignominiously 
 they used him, scoffing at him, and spitting upon 
 him; they slighted and reproached him to the ut- 
 most. The Septuagint renders the word shame in 
 our prophet, (iaaavov, torment, because such shame 
 is a torment, a burden. 
 
 " Bear thine ow'n shame." The meaning of the 
 phrase is this : Seeing thou hast done shameful 
 things, yea so shameful, as the sins of Samaria and 
 Sodom seem little in respect thereof; now look for 
 and submit unto shameful judgments W"hich I shall 
 bring upon thee. I will bring the Assyrians, they 
 shall discover thy wickedness, strip thee of all thy 
 jewels and ornaments, stone thy children, burn thy 
 habitations, carry thee away captive. I will make 
 thee a reproach and hissing in the open view of all 
 the world, as I chd the Sodomites and ten tribes, 
 when I punished them for their abominations : I 
 know it will be very heavy for thee, but, however, 
 " bear thine own shame." 
 
 This expression of bearing shame you have it not 
 elsewhere than in this prophet, it is peculiar to him, 
 and frequent. It follows here in this verse again, 
 "be thou confounded, and bear thy shame." 
 
 The word.s being opened, and sense given, we 
 should come to the observations ; but before we do 
 that, one query is to be made and answered. 
 
 The query is. Seeing that Jerusalem's sins were 
 greater than Sodom's and Samaria's, and they right- 
 eous in comparison thereof, why had she not greater 
 puni.shments than they ? Sodom was consumed with 
 fire from heaven ; the ten tribes so extirpated and 
 captivated, as that they never returned, or became 
 the Lord's people, to this day : God is just, and the 
 greatest sinners should have the greatest pimish- 
 ments. 
 
 To this I answer, 
 
 1. That as God would have wholly spared Sodom 
 had there been ten righteous in it. Gen. xviii. 32 ; 
 so there being many righteous in Jerusalem, w'ho 
 cried for mercy, and bewailed the abominations 
 thereof, the Lord lessened the judgment. That there 
 were many righteous in it, who sighed and cried to 
 the Lord, you may sec, Ezek. ix. (>; and if the Lord 
 will divert judgments for their sakes, he may also 
 lessen them. 
 
 2. God's judgments upon Jerusalem, all laid toge- 
 ther, were greater than the fiery hand of God upon 
 Sodom. The famine, whicli maile the iiitiful women 
 to cat their children. Lam. iv. 10, the fathers to eat 
 their suns, and the sons their fathers openly, Ezek. 
 v. 10 ; the pestilence, the sword, and captivity, were, 
 all things considered, sorer strokes of God upon 
 Jerusalem, than the fire fi'om heaven upon Sodom ; 
 and you have divine testimony for it. Lam. iv. 6, 
 "The punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of 
 my people is greater than the punishment of the sin 
 of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and 
 no hand stayed on her." Sodom's punishu:eiit was
 
 ■100 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 sharp, but short ; JerusMlem's was sharp and long. 
 To kill a man by degrees, by cutting olf fingers, toes, 
 ears, arms, legs, is tar worse than cutting oft' the 
 head at once ; sucli was God's dealings with Jerusalem. 
 
 3. If the punishment of the ten tribes were 
 greater ; for they endured three years' siege, 2 Kings 
 xvii. 5, and were carried away into Assyria, and 
 never returned; I answer, God hath his preroga- 
 tive to punish sinners with what degree of punish- 
 ment he please here in this life ; he may punish 
 lesser sinners with greater punishments, and greater 
 sinners with lesser punishments, and yet be free from 
 partiality or injustice, because he hath a day to 
 reckon with sinners hereafter, and then will render 
 to them fully according to the merit of their sins : 
 Ezra ix. 13, God punished them less than their ini- 
 quities deserved. And if Jerusalem's punishment 
 came short of the ten tribes, the more icmained be- 
 liind, without repentance, and God rendered it in due 
 time ; but upon search into the word, it may ajipear 
 that Jerusalem's punishment was not short, but be- 
 yond the ten tribes. Ezek. v. 9 — 12, God saith 
 there, he will do that in her which he had not done, 
 and whereunto he would not do any more the like. 
 The meaning is, he would puni>h Jerusalem more 
 and otherwise than he had done Sodom, Samaria, or 
 any other before. God swears there, that he would 
 not spare them, nor have any pity. Samaria was 
 not burned, when taken, and the tribes carried away; 
 but Jerusalem, the temple, and all the holy things in 
 it were burned, and taken away, the people divided 
 into thirds, and each third pursued with judgment. 
 
 4. God may show mercy to the greatest sinners, and 
 bring them to a condition of enjoying the greatest 
 privileges, to show the riches of his free grace aiul 
 mercy; and so he did here those that sinned more 
 than Sodomites or Samaritans ; after great sufferings 
 and seventy years' captivity, he brings back to Jeru- 
 salem, bestows a new city and temple upon them, 
 with the privileges and ordinances thereof. And 
 besides, we may remember that the promise of return 
 from Babylon was not made to Samaria or the ten 
 tribes after seventy years, hut unto Jerusalem, and 
 the two tribes that were left, Jer. xxix. 10. The 
 ten tribes were gone into captivity before Jeremiah's 
 days ; about the sixth year of Hezekiah they were 
 carried away, and Jeremiah prophesied not till the 
 thirteenth year of Josiah, Jer. i. 2, and he was then 
 come to the days and reign of Zcdekiali, as ajipears, 
 chap. xxi. 1 ; and it was above a hundred and twenty 
 years that the tribes had been then carried away, as 
 is evident upon compute of the years, from the sixth 
 of Hezekiah to the times of Zcdekiali ; therefore it 
 is said, Ezra i. 5, when the time of return came, that 
 the fathers of Judah and Benjamin rose up to go 
 and build tlie house of the Lord at Jerusalem. God's 
 lu'omise was given out to show mercy to them, and 
 bring till m liaek, which he did, notwithstanding their 
 great sins, to show his faith fulness and fulness of mercy . 
 
 Oha. 1. The sins of one people may be greater 
 than tlie sins of another; all sins are not equal, nor 
 all sirmcrs equally guilty. Jerusalem's sins exceeded 
 Samaria's and Sodom's, they were not half so great 
 sinners as she was. 
 
 The more mercies any peojile enjoy, the greater 
 are their sins if they answer not those mercies. 
 
 Jerusalem was taken from a low, bloody, beggarly, 
 perishing cou{htion ; God blessed and multiplied her 
 exceedingly, entered into covenant with her, and took 
 her to be his ; he bestowed upon her beauty, honour, 
 renown, wealth, all things desirable ; he set her in 
 till' midst of the nations, Ezek. v. .5, that all might 
 see what he had done for her. She was the " holy 
 city," Matt. iv. 5, and had those privileges, ordi- 
 
 nances, and advantages which no city in the world 
 had; he had often delivered her out of the hands of 
 enemies, especially in the days of Hezekiah, when 
 Sennacherib lay before her with one hundred and 
 eighty-five thousand men, 2 Kings xix. 35. Yea, 
 God had wooed her by his prophets, made many j^ra- 
 eious promises to her, watered her, and watched her 
 night and day, Isa. xxvii. 3, done what he could for 
 lier, chap. v. 4; and yet she sinned notoriously, ex- 
 cessively against God more than the nations. Those 
 who hail not half her mercies, did not commit half 
 her sins ; such abominations, lewdness, villanies, 
 were not to be found elsewhere. She sinned wilfully, 
 Jer. xliv. 16, 17; she continued in sin, notwithstand- 
 ing great means used to reclaim her, Neh. ix. 26 ; 
 she ])rovoked God to his face, Isa. Ixv. 3 ; she was 
 insatiable in wickedness, ve'r. 2S, 29 of this chapter; 
 she caused other nations to sin with her, Ezek. xxiii. 
 16, 17. These and many other aggravations were 
 in her sins : and as the Jews then sinned greater 
 sins than the Sodomites and Samaritans, so christians 
 now sin greater sins than the Jews did then. Gos- 
 pel sins are the greatest sins : in the gospel is held 
 out the greatest grace, mercy, and love to sinners ; 
 and if these be refused or abused by them, their sins 
 will be exceeding sinful, and it will be more tolerable 
 for Sodomites, Samaritans, Hierosolymites, Nine- 
 vites, or any, than for such. Christians' sins will be 
 found the scarlet and unparallelable sins. 
 
 Obs. 2. That comparing of sins and sinners to- 
 gether, makes great sins seem little, and great sin- 
 ners seem righteous. 
 
 Sodom's and Samaria's sins were great and grie^■- 
 ous ; yet compared with Jerusalem's, they seemed 
 little, not half so great or grievous : " Thou hast 
 justified thy sisters, and they are more righteous 
 than thou." Neither of them were little sinners, or 
 had any righteousness ; but being laid together, sins 
 and sinners, Jerusalem was transcendently sinful and 
 unrighteous, and they less sinful, less unrighteous. 
 Great things when they are exceeded by greater in 
 view, they seem little ; a great house is nothing to a 
 great rock, a great mountain or city ; a great river is 
 nothing to the ocean; so a great heap of sins is as 
 nothing to a greater ; what is a cartful of dung to a 
 great dunghill ? And as it isin quantities, so in quali- 
 ties : some poisons are so poisonous, so strong, that 
 they kill immediately; others, though more in 
 quantity, yet are longer in producing such an effect, 
 and in comparison they are no poisons ; so some sins 
 and sinners compared with others, are asnone. Luke 
 xviii. 14, the publican went down to his house jus- 
 tified rather than the Pharisee : this Pharisee com- 
 pared himself with the publican, and thought 
 liimself righteous ; but the publican in com- 
 parison of him was righteous. There is a righteous- 
 ness which doth condemn, and there is a sinfulness 
 which doth justify, and both arc naught: a i)harisa- 
 ical righteousness damns a man, when a Jerusalem's 
 sinfulness justifies a man. Take heed therefore of 
 comparing yourselves with others who are worse 
 and greater sinners than yon, and from thence of 
 framing a righteousness to yourselves notwithstand- 
 ing. Sodom and Samaria were less sinners, more 
 righteous than Jerusalem, yet you know how God 
 dealt with them, and destruction will be the end of 
 all those who trust to such i-ighteousncss. 
 
 Obs. 3. Great sinners see not, or forget their own 
 sins, and are apt to censure, judge, and condemn 
 others who are less sinful than themselves, and 
 especially when they are under the hand of (iod. 
 
 Jerusalem, whose iniquities and abominations were 
 incomparable, beyond Sodom's ar.d Samaria's, sees 
 not her own sins, remembers not how she had dealt
 
 Ver. 51, 52. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 401 
 
 V ith her God, her Lord and Husband, but forgets 
 him, Jer. ii. 32; and here judges her sister Samaria, 
 and thought her sins and courses so grievous, so 
 foul, and provoking, that when she was besieged 
 three years, carried into captivity, and suffered sad 
 things, it was well done of the Lord to deal so by 
 her ; that she was more wicked than herself or any 
 others. Luke xiii. 1 — 5, when some out of Galilee 
 were sacrificing, Pilate gave command they should 
 be slain, and so made sacrifices of them ; they that 
 saw them brought to such an end, presently judged 
 them to be the greatest sinners of all the Galileans ; 
 so those who were slain by the fall of the tower in 
 Siloam : they thought Jerusalem had not greater 
 sins in it ; but it was otherwise, Christ told them 
 that they were as great or greater sinners ; " Except 
 ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." It is not war- 
 rantable to conclude them to be the greatest sinners 
 who are smitten with some heavy hand of God ; then 
 Job and Josiah might have been censured to be the 
 greatest sinners of their times. You may observe 
 in human politics, that oft accessaries and instru- 
 ments in plots, treasons, rebellions, and murders, do 
 suffer, when principals escape ; and so God some- 
 times executes judgments upon lesser sinners, and 
 lets others who are greater supervive. Let us in- 
 stead therefore of judging others, judge ourselves, 
 and fear we are reserved for the like or worse judg- 
 ments, if we repent not. Jerusalem, who judged 
 her sister to be the greatest of sinners, and justified 
 her by the greatness of her own sins, was reserved 
 for greater judgments, and a worse end, because she 
 repented not. 
 
 Obs. 4. It is a shame for those who are guilty of 
 the same or greater sins, to judge others. Jerusa- 
 lem committed the same sins, and did worse, yet 
 she judged Samaria; and this w'as her sin and 
 shame : in the Hebrew the words run thus, Thou 
 also bear thy shame, who hast judged thy sisters in 
 thy sins, in which thou hast done abominations more 
 than they. It is a shameful thing to reprove, cen- 
 sure, or judge those who are less sinful than our- 
 selves, and especially being under the hand of God 
 for their sins. 
 
 (1.) We justify ourselves in so doing, and step 
 into God's throne. 
 
 (2.) We give occasion to the censured to say. Thou 
 hypocrite, pull the beam out of thine own eye, before 
 tliou meddle with the mote in mine. 
 
 (3.) We condemn ourselves in so doing : Rom. ii. 1, 
 he that doth the same thing, or worse, and judges 
 another, he condemns himself. 
 
 (4.) We insult over them, and add affliction to 
 aflliction, if they be judged by the Lord. 
 
 And all these are matters of shame : he that re- 
 proves or judges others, should be innocent him- 
 self 
 
 When the scribes and Pharisees brought and com- 
 plained unto Christ of the woman taken in adultery, 
 he said unto them, " He that is without sin among 
 you, let him first cast a stone at her." Christ did 
 not mean simply, he that is without sin, for he knew 
 there were none such living except himself; but he 
 that is without that sin, or sins equivalent, (as they 
 were not, who came to tempt Christ, and get advan- 
 tage against him, being malicious, and bloodily 
 minded,) let him first throw a stone at her: here- 
 upon being convicted by their ow'n consciences, that 
 they were sinners, and very faulty, they were 
 ashamed, hung down their heads, and went sneaking 
 away, John viii. 9. 
 
 Obs. 5. Sin brings shame. " Bear thy shame " 
 for thine iniquities ; thou hast sinned, and sinned 
 more than others ; thy sins are thy shame, and will 
 2 D 
 
 bring shame upon thee. What a shame was it to 
 Jerusalem, that she was a greater sinner than Sa- 
 maria, than Sodom ; that she did such things as 
 made the daughters of the Philistines ashamed of 
 her ! ver. 27. When Moses was in the mount, this 
 people would have gods to go before them ; and 
 the calf being made, what saith the text? Exod. 
 xxxii. 25, " Aaron had made them naked unto their 
 shame amongst their enemies." They were made 
 naked of their ornaments, of God's protection, by 
 this calf, and "changed their glory into the simili- 
 tude of an ox that eateth grass," Psal. c\i. 20; and 
 this was their shame. When Amnon would have 
 his will upon Tamar, she opposed him with an argu- 
 ment taken from the shame of sin ; 2 Sam. xiii. 13, 
 " Whither shall I cause my shame to go ? and as for 
 thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel ;" it 
 will be a great reproach unto us both. 
 
 The Corinthians' going to law before the unjust, 
 and not taking up the matter among themselves, 
 was their shame, 1 Cor. vi. 1, 5; and chap. xv. 34, 
 "Some have not the knowledge of God; I speak 
 this to their shame." Ignorance is a shame to peo- 
 ple, and so is all sin: Rom. vi. 21, the Romans 
 were ashamed of their false worship and sinful lives. 
 Shame is the lackey that waits upon sin, and causeth 
 the conscience to blush as well as the face : Prov. 
 xiv. 34, sin is a reproach to nations. 
 
 Obs. 6. Shame in itself, or as it accompanies the 
 judgments of God upon sinners, is a burdensome 
 thing. " Bear thine own shame," reproach, dis- 
 grace. W^omen that are common whores, yet can- 
 not endure to be called so ; much less to be used as 
 sometimes they are, carted, pumped, or sent to 
 bridewell. Barrenness in women, because it was a 
 reproach unto them, how burdensome was it of old 
 to them. Rachel was pinched upon this consider- 
 ation as much as any other, when she said, " Give 
 me children, or else I die," Gen. xxx. 1 ; for so soon 
 as she had a child, she acknowledged God had taken 
 away her reproach, ver. 23, that was the burden 
 upon her. Psal. Ixix. 20, " Reproach hath broken 
 my heart, and I am full of heaviness." His adver- 
 saries did unjustly accuse, slander, and disgrace him, 
 and this lay so heavy, like a mountain or millstone 
 upon him, that it broke his heart, and filled him 
 with heaviness. What did the reproach, then, and 
 shame which came upon his defiling Bathsheba, and 
 murdering Uriah, do ? they brake and ground his 
 heart to powder. When men are touched in their 
 reputations, it goeth near them ; the burden of dis- 
 honour and disgrace is so heavy, that sometimes 
 they will venture their lives in duels and quarrels, 
 and rather die than bear the burden of reproach. 
 Shame and reproach have caused many to make 
 away themselves. Saul, fearing the Philistines would 
 abuse and disgrace him, fell upon his own sword, 
 and slew himself When this city Jerusalem was 
 laid waste, the inhabitants thereof made a curse, re- 
 proach, and hissing among all nations, was it not a 
 torment, a burden, and vexation to them ? Ezek. v. 
 14, 15. Jer. xxiii. 40, "I will bring an everlasting 
 reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which 
 shall not be forgotten." 
 
 Obs. 7- Sinners must bear the judgments of God, 
 and the shame that is due unto them, whoever they 
 be. " Thou also," even thou Jerusalem, " bear thine 
 own shame." Jerusalem had been the faithful 
 city, Isa. i. 21, but was become a harlot; judg- 
 ment and righteousness did lodge in her, but now 
 murderers. She had sinned, shamed herself before 
 God and man, and she must bear her burden, bear 
 God's judgments, bear shame before heaven and 
 earth.
 
 402 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI 
 
 Ver. 53 — 56. When J shall bring- again their 
 captivili/. the captiiiiti) of Sudom and her daugh- 
 ters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daugh- 
 ters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy 
 captives in the midst of them : that thou inayesf 
 oear thine own shame, and mai/cst be confounded 
 in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a com- 
 fort unto them. JVheti thy sisters, Sodom and 
 her daughters, shall return to their former estate, 
 and Sama7'ia and her daughters shall return to 
 their former estate, then thou and thy daughters 
 shall return to your former estate. For thy 
 sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in 
 the day of thy pride. 
 
 These verses contain more judgment, and the 
 cause thereof. In tin m you have, 
 
 I. Jerusalem's irrecoverablencss of her former 
 estate, in ver. 53, 55, laid down under a double com- 
 parison, viz. God's dealings with Sodom and Sa- 
 maria, and their daughters. 
 
 II. The scope and end of God in it, ver. 54, that 
 she might bear her own .shame, &c. 
 
 III. The causes of this judgment ; which are, 
 
 1. Her being a comfort to them, ver. 54. 
 
 2. Her pride and forgetfulness, ver. 56. 
 
 Ver. 53. " When I shall bring again their cap- 
 tivity," &c. Hebrew is, |.Tn'3W-rN»r3ii'i Some make 
 this verse, and so the 55th, to be promissory, not 
 minatory ; affirming that the Lord here promiseth 
 to show mercy to the captives of Sodom, Samaria, 
 and Jerusalem, and to bring them all back again. 
 But because Sodom and her daughters were utterly 
 destroyed, and they saw not how they could be re- 
 turned ; therefore they labour much to prove, that 
 by Sodom is meant the two tribes and half on the 
 other side Jordan, Reuben, Gad, and half Manasseh ; 
 but these are comprehended in Samaria, which was 
 the head city of the ten tribes : and if that should 
 be yielded, the difference between Sodom and her 
 daughters, and Samaria and her daughters, would be 
 gi'eat, yet taken away. 
 
 Others therefore by Sodom here understand the 
 Moabites and Ammonites, that came from the loins 
 of Lot, who dwelt in Sodom, as apptars, Gen. xix. 
 37, 3S. But the Scripture gives no warrant to ac- 
 count these among the Sodomites ; rather tb.ey should 
 have been called Lothites, or Lottites, seeing they 
 descended from his loins. Besides, the word Sodom 
 is to be taken in its proper and native sense here, as 
 well as Samaria and Jerusalem, and that Sodom to 
 be meant, of which he spake in ver. 49, 50, which 
 was destroyed with lier daughters by fire from heaven, 
 and so destroyed that no man can or shall dwell or 
 abide there, Jer. xlix. 18. 
 
 Again, if the words do hold out a promise of 
 mercy, it is first to Sodom and her daughters, next 
 to Samaria and hers, and last to Jerusalem and her 
 daughters ; so that they must be restored to their 
 former estate before Jerusalem ; but neither Sodom 
 nor Samaria were re^tored before the captivity ended 
 in Babylon. It is clear enough that the words are 
 not a promise of mercy, but a threatening of severity ; 
 and it lies thus : When I shall bring again the cap- 
 tivity of Sodom and Samaria, which I will never do, 
 then will I bring again thy captivity. I have de- 
 stroyed them utterly, and intend not to replant them, 
 but to let tliem he in the dark, and abide in cap- 
 tivity ; and thy condition shall be like unto theirs. 
 
 Some read the words with an interrogation, thus : 
 Shall I bring again their captivity :' the captivity of 
 Sodom and lier daughters, the captivity of Samaria 
 
 and her daughters ? and shall I bring again the cap- 
 tives ? No, I will neither do the one nor the other; 
 thou hast sinned above them, and hast no cause but 
 to expect more rigorous dealings from me than they 
 have had. Piscator, Junius, Polanus read the words 
 conditionally, thus : If I shall return the captivity of 
 Sodom and Samaria, then I will return thine ; but it 
 is not in my thoughts, counsels, or purposes to re- 
 turn and restore them, who never provoked me as 
 thou hast done ; therefore much less do I intend to 
 do so by thee. 
 
 Some take the words ironically : When I restore 
 Sodom and Samaria, then will I restore thee. But 
 they are so destroyed that they are past recovery : I 
 intend never to bring the Sodomites out of the fire, 
 and seat thtm in Sodom ; nor the ten tribes out of 
 captivity, and settle them in Samaria ; and no more 
 do I mean to restore thee and thy captives. 
 
 Quest, Did not the Lord return the captivity of 
 Jerusalem after seventy years ? how is it then true 
 which is said here if this be the sense ? 
 
 Answ. I. When God threatens them with utter de- 
 solation, it is to be meant of the body of people in 
 general, who had apostatized from God as the ten 
 tribes had done, and there was no help left for them; 
 they were destroyed the most of them in the war, 
 famine, plague, captivity ; and so not they, but some 
 of their posterity, were restored, and brought back 
 again. God had promised the Jew's who came out 
 of Egypt, that they should etiter into Canaan ; but 
 observe. Numb. xiv. the people murmured, and God 
 told them, ver. 29 — 31, their carcasses should fall in 
 this wilderness, and all from twenty years old and 
 upward, that none of them but Caleb and Joshua 
 should come into the land ; only their little ones, 
 which they said should be a prey, he would bring 
 into it. So here, it was not the body of the people 
 that returned, but some of their posterity. Those 
 Jews who were at Jerusalem when Ezekiel thus pro- 
 phesied, it is probable were utterly destroyed, and 
 never had tluir captivity returned. 
 
 2. We may understand it of a full return, which 
 never was ; though some Jews came back again, yet 
 multitudes staid behind, and continued in Babylon, 
 as may be gathered from Ezra i. 5. 
 
 3. Though the Jews were brought back from 
 Babylon, yet never was Jerusalem in that glory 
 as before ; neither was her temple, state, or kingly 
 dignity such as formerly. Ezra iii. 12, many wept 
 when they saw the difiTerence between the latter 
 temple and the former. 
 
 Ver. 54. Of bearing shame, and being confounded, 
 was spoken in ver. 52. 
 
 " In that thou art a comfort to them." Septuagint 
 reads it thus, iv rip ai Trapopyirrai fit, in that thou hast 
 provoked me to anger. Jerusalem's sins exceeding 
 the sins of Sodom and Samaria, this justified them. 
 Some refer it to the punishments and judgments of 
 God upon Jerusalem, which was some ease and com- 
 fort to Sodom and Samaria, when they saw her in a 
 suffering condition with themselves. 
 
 Ver. 55. " When thy sisters, Sodom and her 
 daughters," &c. This verse is the same for sub- 
 stance with ver. 53. 
 
 Ver. 56. "Thy sister Sodom was not mentioned," 
 &c. Hebrew is, -|<S3 nyiLtt'S there was no hearing 
 of Sodom in thy moutli. Thou didst neither think 
 nor speak of her and my dealings with her for her 
 sins, that so thou mightest have feared, and not fallen 
 into her sins, or greater. 
 
 " In the day of thy pride." Hebrew, I'JiNJ Dva in 
 the day of thy prides or prosperitits. When thou 
 hadst honour, wealth, renown, greatness, and abund- 
 ance of all things, thy heart was lifted up ; thou
 
 Vrr. 53—56. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 403 
 
 thoughtest thyself happy and innocent, disdaining to 
 mind or mention Sodom, whom thou contemned.st 
 and slightedst ; but thy wickedness is come to such 
 a height that Sodom's sin is little in comparison of 
 thine. 
 
 Obi. 1. The sins of people may come to such a 
 height, admit of such dreadful aggravations, as to 
 cause God to cut off all hopes of mercy, and cast 
 them into irrecoverable misery. Je^u^a!em had so 
 sinned here, provoked God so heinously, that he 
 saith he would sooner bring back the captivity of 
 Sodom and Samaria, than hers ; they were cut otT 
 and cast into such conditions as were irrecoverable, 
 for less sins, and therefore what could she look for ? 
 God would not show her any pity, Ezek. v. II ; vii. 
 4. Read Jer. xv. 1 — (i, where you shall find God 
 was so provoked by the sins of this people, that 
 though Moses and Samuel should plead for them, his 
 mind could not be towards them ; he would cast 
 them out of his sight, and death, sword, famine, cap- 
 tivity should devour them. 
 
 Jer. li. 25, 2(3, " I am against thee, O destroying 
 mountain : I will stretch out mine hand up(in thee, 
 and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make 
 thee a burnt mountain. And they shall not lake of 
 thee a stone for a comer, nor a stone for foundations ; 
 but thou shalt be desolate for ever." It is spoken 
 of Babylon, whose sins had gotten up to such a 
 height, that the Lord threatened her with irrecover- 
 able ruin ; he would deal with this Babylonish state 
 as with a thing burnt to ashes, which is unservice- 
 able, irrecoverable ; lie wouUl so break the pow'er 
 and state of the Babylonish empire, that it should 
 never recover itself more. 
 
 06*. 2. Onegreat end of God's denying hope of mer- 
 cy, and casting into irrecoverable misery, is to bring 
 sinners to shame and confusion. God saith he will 
 never return her captivity, that she might bear her 
 own shame, and be confounded in all she had done. 
 You have disgraced the holy temple with your idols, 
 the holy city and land with your violence and bloody 
 crimes, my holy name with your inventions and abo- 
 minations ; therefore when once I have sent you into 
 captivity, you shall not return thence at all, but live 
 in disgrace, perish in what you have done, your 
 estate is hopeless and helpless ; you have made me 
 to bear shame, but in your captivity you shall bear 
 shame and reproach enough, even to confusion : Jer. 
 xsii. 22, " Thy lovers shall go into captivity ; surely 
 then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all 
 thy wickedness." 
 
 Obs. 3. Great sinners and great sufi'erers afford 
 comfort, such as it is, to other sinners and sufferers. 
 Jerusalem was a greater sinner, and, all things con- 
 sidered, a greater .sufferer, than Sodom or Samaria ; 
 and it is here said, " in that thou art a comfort unto 
 them;" hersinsjustifiedtheirsins, her sufferings justi- 
 fied their sufferings. When cities, republics, or persons 
 do see others to exceed them in sins or punishments, 
 they conceive theirs are the less, and so frame a kind 
 of comfort. Those who are miserable, through .sin or 
 punishment,do think it some relief to have companions, 
 equals, or those who go beyond them, especially in 
 the same kind. Mark vi. II, " It shall be more 
 tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of 
 judgment, than for that city." This will he a com- 
 fort when that day comes, that any have been worse 
 than they in sinning, and suffer more grievously for 
 their sins. When the Jews in Babylon saw those of 
 Jerusalem brought into the same condition with 
 themselves, to be captives, it eased their hearts. 
 When men suffer alone, it stings. In a storm at sea, 
 if one man be shijfwr eked, that atflicts more deeply; 
 but if there be fellows, ;'.nii those sulRring more hard 
 •J n a 
 
 things, it eases in some measure. It will be an ease 
 to thousands at the last day, when they shall see the 
 children of the kingdom east out into utter darkness, 
 that their sins and punishments exceeded theirs. 
 
 Obs: 4. God's blessings, and abundance of creature- 
 comforts, through the corruption that is in man, 
 swells them with pride. Jerusalem had variety of 
 mercies, peace and plenty, and she was puffed up. 
 " In the day of thy pride." Prosperity makes proud, 
 and fills with windy conceits of happiness, and con- 
 tinuance in that happiness. Prov. xviii. 11, " The 
 rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high 
 wall in his owti conceit;" he thiriks himself fenced 
 and guarded so strongly, that he is secure, and de- 
 spises dangers. Ezek. xxviii. 5, speaking of the 
 prince of Tyrus, the prophet saith, " By thy great 
 wisdom and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy 
 riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy 
 riches." 
 
 It is a hard matter for men of high estates not to 
 have high minds ; therefore Paul counsels Timothy 
 to " charge them that are rich in this world, that 
 they be not highmindcd," 1 Tim. vi. 17. I have 
 lately spoken of this subject; it was Sodom's sin, 
 Jerusalem's sin ; and I shall not insist upon it. 
 
 Obs. 5. Proud persons mind not God's dealings 
 with others, though like themselves. Sodom's sin 
 was pride, haughtiness, and for these sins she and 
 her daughters were destroyed with fire from heaven ; 
 but Jerusalem in her pride forgets Sodom, and never 
 once names her; " thy sister Sodom was not men- 
 tioned by thy mouth." She should have considered 
 God's severity against Sodom for her sins, and seen 
 to it that they had not been found in herself; but 
 plenty bred pride, pride blinded, and made her for- 
 getful of that example of divine vengeance. It was 
 near unto them ; the place where Sodom stood was 
 a sulphureous lake, a lively monument of Heaven's 
 displeasure against pride and other sins. Lot's wife 
 turned into a pillar of salt, to season them with fear, 
 yet they took no notice of these things ; Isa. v. 12, 
 " They regard not the work of the Lord, neither 
 consider the operation of his hands." 
 
 Obs. 6. The Lord expects that we should take no- 
 tice of and improve his judgments upon others. He 
 blames Jerusalem here for not minding Sodom's 
 condition ; " thy sister Sodom was not mentioned." 
 God dealt so severely with Sodom, Gom.oirah, and 
 the other cities, that all who should hear thereof 
 might be instructed, and fear to oflend that God 
 which can at his pleasure rain fire and brimstone. 
 Though judgments were executed long before, yet 
 the Lord would not have men forget them, but keep 
 them fresh in memory, and advantage themselves by 
 them. Jer. vii. 12, " Go to my place which was in 
 Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see 
 what I did to it for the wickedness of my people." 
 They had forgotten the judgment of Hophni and 
 Phinehas, and the ark, and therefore he minds them 
 of it. In 1 Sam. iv. II ; Psal. Ixxviii. 60; Jer. xxvi. 
 6, he mentions it unto them. 
 
 There are no judgments of God in the world or 
 Scripture, but men ought to mind them, and make 
 use of them. The drowning of the old world, con- 
 fusion of Babel, seven years' famine in Canaan and 
 Egypt, the ten plagues of Egypt, the fiery serpents 
 in the wilderness, earth opening her mouth and swal- 
 lowing up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram ; the men of 
 Bethshcmesh, Sennacherib's army, Jezebel, Ahab and 
 his sons, Baal's priests, Athaliah, Ananias and Sap- 
 phira, &c. ; these and many others ought to be 
 thought upon to awake our secure spirits, to breed 
 and maintain fear in us, to provoke us to re]entance 
 for what is past, and more exact walking for time to
 
 40-1 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 come. Luke xvii. 32, " Remember Lot's wife." 
 And 2 Pet. ii. 6, God hath made Sodom and Gomor- 
 rah ensamples to " those that after should live un- 
 godly." There is much in the words " that after 
 should live :" what ! hath God turned those cities 
 into ashes, set them up as burning beacons, to warn 
 all in the world that they live not ungodly ? and shall 
 their very sins be found in cities and families ? will 
 any dare to do such things as draw down such judg- 
 ments ? Surely none will ; if they do, they must suf- 
 fer such things for their sins, and hotter lire, yea, 
 more scalding brimstone, because they took not 
 ■warning by these examples. 
 
 Ver. 57, 58. Before thy wiclcedness was dis- 
 covered, as at the time of t/ii/ reproach of the 
 daughters of Syria, and all that are round about 
 her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise 
 thee round about. Thou hast borne thy lewdness 
 and thine abotninations, saith the Lord. 
 
 The prophets had told Jerusalem of her wicked- 
 ness, but she would take no notice of it; much like 
 strumpets, who though they be the common talk of 
 the world for wickedness, yet because they enjoy 
 their lovers, have pleasure and prosperity, mind not 
 their sin or shame ; but when some stroke of God is 
 upon them, then their wickedness appears wicked- 
 ness indeed, however they think of themselves. 
 The 57th verse sets out Jerusalem's pertinacy and 
 stubbornness. 
 
 " Of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria," 
 Hebrew is, of the reproach of the daughters of Aram. 
 Aram was one of the sons of Shem, Gen. x. 22, from 
 whom the Aramites descended, who peopled many 
 lilaees, which therefore are mentioned w-ith distinc- 
 tion : Gen. xxviii. 2, " Padan-aram." 2 Sam. x. 6, 
 " The Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zo- 
 ba :" the original is, the Aramites of Beth-rehob, 
 and the Aramites of /oba. " Aram-naharaim," Psal. 
 Ix. title ; that is, Aram which was between two 
 rivers, called Mesopotamia, Gen. xxiv. 10. So Aram- 
 maachah, 1 Chron. xix. G, " Syria-maachah ;" the 
 original is, Aram-maachah ; and 2 Sam. viii. 5, Aram- 
 dammeseck, which in our translation is, " the Syri- 
 ans of Damascus." The Septuagint renders the 
 word Aram, Syria constantly, as Mizraim, Egypt, and 
 Cush, Ethiopia ; and under the name of Syrians 
 were included also the Mesopotamians, Chaldeans, 
 and Assyrians, as Pliny testifies in the fifth book of 
 liis Natural History. 
 
 Some refer this time to the days of Ahaz, who was 
 exceedingly wicked. In his reign RcEin king of 
 Syria, 2 Kings xvi. 6, the Edomites and Philistines, 
 invaded the land, and brought Judah low ; and Til- 
 gath-pilneser, king of Assyria, whom he sent for to 
 help him, distressed him, 2 Chron. xxviii. 17 — 21, 
 and helped him not, though he gave him the gold 
 and silver of the temple, a portion of his own, and 
 of the princes. This was a great reproach, that 
 they were imiioverished, disappointed, and spoiled ; 
 and in the time of this distress did Ahaz trespass yet 
 more against the Lord. 
 
 This did Jerusalem no good, but she sinned more, 
 and so her wickedness was discovered, both former 
 and present. Or thus you may take the sense : Be- 
 fore thy wickedness was discovered by my sending 
 the Syrians and Philistines upon thee, thou didst 
 n.;ver take notice of ray proceedings with Sodom and 
 her daughters. 
 
 " Which d< spise thee." Hebrew is, nuNrn from 
 taw or Iflw a Chaldee word, which signifies to despise, 
 contemn, disgrace, as also to spoil ; or from ttsr, to 
 prick as with a thorn, and so are either spellings or 
 
 despisings, they arc as thorns in the sides of those 
 that are spoiled or despised. 
 
 Ver. 58. " Thou hast borne thy lewdness." By 
 lewdness here is meant, the punishment of lewdness. 
 In vei\ 52, he saith, " bear thy shame ;" here, " thou 
 hast borne thy lewdness." She had had a part of her 
 punishment, not all, more was behind than she had 
 received. The Hebrew word for "thou hast borne " 
 is rendered diversely ; by some in the future, thou 
 shalt bear ; by some in the imperative, bear thou. 
 The context seems to me to call for one of these, 
 either, bear thou thy lewdness ; or, thou shalt bear 
 it. The learned do observe, and say, that in the 
 Hebrew tongue oft the preter tense is put for the 
 future, and so it is most suitable here ; God was 
 bringing of judgments upon her, and saith in the 
 next verse, "I will deal with thee as thou hast done." 
 
 Obs. 1. That wickedness is a close and covert 
 thing, it walks masked, and in the dark. " Before 
 thy wickedness was discovered." Jerusalem's wick- 
 edness lay hid : chap. viii. 12, " Son of man, hast 
 thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel 
 do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his 
 imagery ? " Sin loves corners and chambers ; they 
 that were the chief men in public, w'cre the chief 
 sinners in secret: Isa. xxix. 15, they " seek deep to 
 hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works 
 are in the dark ;" they would neither be seen of men 
 or God; Job xxiv. 15 — 17, " The eye of the adul- 
 terer waiteth for the twilight, saying. No eye shall 
 see me : and disguiseth his face. In the dark they 
 dig through houses, which they had marked for 
 themselves in the day time : they know not the 
 light. For the morning is to them even as the 
 shadow of death," they are afraid of being discovered. 
 
 Men whose deeds are evil hate the light, John iii. 
 20. "Wickedness is a night-bird, and loves darkness, 
 veiling, muffling, secrecy : wicked ones take secret 
 counsel, Psal. Ixiv. 2; and privily lay snares, ver. 5; 
 and secretly murder the innocent, Psal. x. 8; and 
 slander their neighbours, Psal. ci. 5. Paul tells you 
 it is a shame to speak of those things which are done 
 in secret, Eph. v. 12. The greatest mischiefs, trea- 
 sons, rebellions, murders are hatched in the dark, 
 and covered over with the fairest pretences : wicked- 
 ness hath a black and ugly face, which if seen, would 
 aflrighten men ; she therefore appears covered and 
 disguised. 
 
 Obs. 2. Wickedness shall not always be veiled and 
 hid. God will reveal and make known the wicked- 
 ness of men, cities, states, and kingdoms, he will 
 pluck the vizard from their faces, and discover them 
 to the world, how closely soever their sin was con- 
 trived and acted. David sinned closely and cunningly, 
 2 Sam. ii. 12, but God discovered it. The Israelites 
 did secretly those things that were not right against 
 the Lord their God, 2 Kings xvii. 9, and God made 
 them known. Sinful thoughts, counsels, affections, 
 words, actions, gestures have been discovered, Psal. 
 1. 21; Nahum i. 11 ; James iv. 4; Mai. iii. 15; 
 1 Kings xxi. 19; Prov. vi. 13. Christ told you long 
 since, " there is nothing covered that shall not be 
 revealed ; and hid that sliall not be known," Matt. x. 
 26 ; and before Christ's time, Solomon left it upon 
 record, Eccles. xii. 14, that " God shall bring every 
 work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether 
 it be good, or whether it be evil." 
 
 Let us judge ourselves thoroughly for wickedness 
 committed, that so it may be hid, and take heed for 
 the future that we do evil no more, lest it be dis- 
 covered to our shame and confusion. You may re- 
 member what discoveries God hath made of treasons, 
 murders, plots, and mischiefs in our days ; things 
 have been brought to light that lay in deep dark-
 
 Ver. 59. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 405 
 
 ness, and men have wondered at the discoveries ; 
 Job xii. 22, " He discovereth deep things out of 
 darkness." 
 
 Obs. 3. Times of trouble are times of discovery ; 
 when great affiictions are upon sinners, then their 
 wickedness is made known. When tlie Syrians and 
 Philistines came against Jerusalem and her territo- 
 ries, spoiled and plundered them sorely, then her 
 wickedness appeared : " Before thy wickedness was 
 discovered, as at the time of thy reproach," &c. 
 Somewhat her wickedness was seen before, but not 
 so fully, so greatly, as then. When cities and states 
 have peace, prosperity, they dissemble and cloak 
 their wickedness, and many that know things, are 
 afraid to speak out ; but when God's hand is heavy, 
 by war, plague, or other sad judgments, then men 
 will speak freely, and judge of the sins by the 
 punishments : What grievous punishments ! there 
 were grievous sins. W'hen Sodom's judgment was 
 so dreadful, it was a proclamation to the world that 
 her sins were answerable. When winter comes, the 
 birds' nests are seen that were hid before ; and so, 
 when the winter of affliction comes, the nests of 
 wickedness do appear. When the leprosy clave to 
 Gehazi, it discovered his covetousness, 2 Kings v. 
 26, 27. Have not the troubles of England discovered 
 the wickedness of England ? I believe England never 
 appeared abroad or at home more ulcerous, black, 
 and loathsome, than now. 
 
 Obs. 4. Times of warring, plundering, spoiling, 
 are times of reproach. When the Syrians and Phi- 
 listines warred against the Jews, took Elath, 2 Kings 
 xvi. 6, Beth-shemesh, Ajalon, Gederoth, Shocho, 
 Timnah, Gimzo, with the villages thereof, 2 Chron. 
 sxviii. IS, this was a time of reproach. " As at the 
 time of thy reproach." It was a reproach to have 
 strangers come armed and invade their land, to beat 
 their men of war, to carry away their wealth, to 
 conquer and keep their towns and cities. 
 
 Obs. 5. When people are unfaithful with God, and 
 fall to base ways, and unwarrantable courses, it is 
 just with God to leave them to be contemned and 
 despised of all about them. 
 
 Jepjsalem was not faithful to her God and Hus- 
 band, but fell to foul courses, dealt unjustly with 
 God and man ; and what then ? the daughters of the 
 Philistines despised her round about. Those that 
 honour God he will honour, but those that despise 
 him shall be lightly esteemed, 1 Sam. ii. 30. 
 
 Jerusalem despised the holy things of God ; Ezek. 
 xxii. 8, " Thou liast despised mine holy things ;" 
 therefore the Lord caused her to be despised ; and 
 so he will any that turn from him after lying vani- 
 ties. Job xii. 21, " He poureth contempt upon 
 princes ;" Psal. cvii. 40, " And causeth them to 
 wander in the wilderness, where there is no way." 
 
 Ver. 59. Por thus saith the Lord God ; I 
 will ei'en deal with thee as thou hast done, which 
 hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant. 
 
 This verse is the conclusion of the fifth part of the 
 chapter, which was a declaration of threatening, and 
 contains the sum of all those judgments fore-men- 
 tioned. The parts of it are these : 
 
 I. A judicial sentence, " I will even deal," &c. 
 
 II. The cause of God's so dealing, which is, " de- 
 spising the oath, and breaking the covenant." 
 
 III. The ratification of th's judicial sentence, 
 " Thus saith the Lord." 
 
 " I will even deal with thee as thou hast done." 
 Septuagint is, I will do in thee as thou hast done. 
 The Hebrew is, with thee. Thou hast broken the 
 covenant thou madest with me, promising to wor- 
 
 ship, honour, and obey me, and I will not keep it, 
 who promised to counsel, comfort, and protect thee. 
 Because I entered into covenant with Abraham and 
 your fathers at mount Sinai, you think that whatso- 
 ever you do, howsoever you provoke me by your in- 
 gratitude, disobedience, idolatries, and apostasies, 
 yet that I am bound by covenant and promise to 
 you, and that there must be performance on my part 
 however things are on your part. But you are de- 
 ceived; seeing you have first broken with me, I am 
 free, and shall render to you according to your merits ; 
 you have sinned excessively, and I will punish you 
 answerably ; neither have you cause to blame or 
 censure me as being unfaithful and false, whenas 
 you yourselves are perfidious and covenant-breakers. 
 
 " W'hich hast despised the oath." Hebrew is, 
 nna which is from 7U or nis to contemn, despise, 
 disdain : and Avenarius makes it to have affinity 
 with C13 to tread under foot, because we tread upon 
 things despised. The Septuagint is, w'c ririfiuiaaQ, as 
 thou, hast dishonoured, disgraced the oath. 
 
 " The oath." Hebrew is, n*7S which signifies, not 
 simply an oath, but an oath with execration, or 
 cursing : it is such an oath as ties a man to keep 
 promise or covenant, cmn imprecatioiie ntali, if he do 
 not, and difi'ers from ryi3W which is an oath without 
 imprecation of evil, as you have it, Neh. vi. IS; 
 Deut. vii. S; Psal. cv. 9. But ,iSn notes swearing 
 with n wishing of evil, as that a man perish, be anni- 
 hilated, suffer some grievous thing, if he do not per- 
 form what he swears: Numb. v. 21, it is called an 
 oath of cursing; and Jer. xliv. 12, " They shall be 
 nS.sS for an execration or a curse ;" so the verb is 
 used, Judg. xvii. 2 ; Hos. x. 4 ; 2 Chron. vi. 22 ; 
 and when they did swear, it is said, Neh. x. 29, they 
 " entered into a curse," -''sa and sometimes the 
 curse was expressed, as 1 Sam. xiv. 44, saith Saul, 
 when Jonathan had tasted the honey, " God do so 
 and more also." His meaning is this ; I have cursed 
 the man that shall eat any food this day before 
 evening ; and seeing thou hast transgressed, God do 
 so to me and more, let me be accursed, let me die 
 the death, if thou die not. The like to this is that 
 of Jezebel, 1 Kings xix. 2, " So let the gods do to 
 me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life 
 of one of them by to-morrow about this time ;" so 
 chap. XX. 10. Sometimes it was implied, as Gen. 
 xiv. 22, 23, " I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, 
 that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe- 
 latchet, and that I will not take any thing that is 
 thine." Now it is implied here, if I do, let the 
 Lord do so and so by me. Psal. xcv. II, " Unto 
 whom I sware in my wrath that they should not 
 enter into my rest;" so it runs in the Hebrew: here 
 is a part of the oath concealed, implied, and not 
 expressed, as thus. If they enter into my rest, let not 
 me live, or let not me be God any longer. 
 
 The Septuagint renders nSs by apd and raVapa, 
 malediction and execration : they wished themselves 
 accursed and execrable, if they did not perform what 
 they had sworn. It is the judgment of some, that 
 the curses mentioned in Deut. xxvii. by which the 
 law was established, and unto which they said Amen, 
 are here meant ; and doubtless they are, for there 
 curses are pronounced against idolatry, bribery, 
 murder, and other sins ; yea, against every man that 
 should not confirm all the words of the law to do 
 them. Now, they did not observe them, but violate 
 them all in a grievous manner, and so despised the 
 oath, that is, the execrations and curses which are 
 called " the curses of the covenant." Deut. xxix. 21. 
 
 " In breaking the covenant." God entered into a 
 covenant with his people, ver. 8, and they joined in 
 covenant with him. Exod. xxiv. 7, Moses " took the
 
 406 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UrON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 book of the covenant, and read in the audience of 
 the people : and they said, All that llie Lord hath 
 said will we do, and be obedient :" here was a so- 
 lemn engagement. Deut. xxvi. 17, 18, "Thou hast 
 avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to 
 walk in his ways : and the Lord hath avouched thee 
 this day to be his peculiar people :" here was a mu- 
 tual avouching and owning one another. And Deut. 
 xxix. 12, the people are said to " enter into covenant 
 with the Lord, and into his oath," which he made 
 with them. This covenant they brake. 
 
 The Hebrew word is, isnS from lis to break ; 
 which in Hiphil. is, to weaken, make void, abrogate. 
 Psal. xxxiii. 10, "The Lord bringeth the counsel of 
 the heathen to nouglit," -I'sn he makes them frustrate ; 
 iiamfat^ii, Septuagint, He scattered and dashed in 
 pieces their counsels. Here in Ezekiel the Septuagint 
 is, TTapalSiivat, to violate, or transgress. When any 
 thing material is done contrary to agreement, that is 
 a breaking of-covenant. 
 
 There are some things set down in the word more 
 particularly, which are violations of the covenant; 
 as not circumcising their males, Gen. xvii. 14 ; idolatry, 
 Deut. xvii. 2, 3; Josh, xxiii. 16; making a league 
 with the inhabitants of Canaan, Judg. ii. 2, 20 ; 
 bringing the uncircumcised into the sanctuary, who 
 polluted the worship and ordinances, Ezek. xliv. 7 ; 
 and the general was, the not observing all things 
 which God had commanded them in the law, Lev. 
 xxvi. 15, 16: if they did not all his commandments, 
 they brake covenant. 
 
 This breaking of covenant is set out in the word 
 by several expressions. Sometimes it is called, not 
 continuing in the covenant ; as Heb. viii. 9, " They 
 continued not in my covenant :" sometimes unsted- 
 fastness in it ; Psal. Ixxviii. 37, they were " not stead- 
 fast in his covenant :" sometimes forgetting of it ; 
 Deut. iv. 23, "Take heed, lost ye forget the covenant" 
 sometimes, yea oft, fursaking of it ; as Deut. xxix. 
 25 ; Jer. xxii. 9; 1 Kings xix. 10, 14; and transgress- 
 ing it, Hos. vi. 7; Judg. ii. 20; 2 King^ xviii. 12. 
 
 Quest. The Scripture saith, that God .s a God which 
 keeps covenant, Nehem. ix. 32; yea, iaithful in 
 keeping covenant, Deut. vii. 9, and C!od saith, he 
 vill not suffer his faithfulness to fail, uor break his 
 covenant, nor alter the thing gone out of his 
 lips, Psal. Ixxxix. 33, 34 : how doth the Lord then 
 say here, " I will deal with thee asthoa hast done?" 
 Is not he bound up by his faithfulness and promise 
 to do them good though they fail ? according to that 
 in 2 Tim. ii. 13, " If we believe not, yet he abideth 
 faithful : he cannot deny himself." 
 
 Answ. 1 . If the covenant were made upon conditions, 
 and those not observed, no imputation could be laid 
 upon the Lord if he perform not what was his part. 
 1 ne covenant you may see how it runs in several 
 places; Deut. vii. 9, " 'i'he Lord thy God, he is God, 
 the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy 
 with them that love him and keep his commandments 
 to a thousand generations ; and repayeth them that 
 hate him to their face, to destroy them." All the 
 blessings and cursings, Deut. xxviii. depend upon 
 obedience and disobedience, keeping and breaking 
 covenant, so that the Lord is free to puni.sh if man 
 perform not : Lev. xxvi. 15—17, " If ye will not do 
 all my commandments, but break my covenant, I 
 also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over 
 you terror, consumption, and the burning ague. I 
 will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain 
 before your enemies : they that hate you shall reign 
 over you ; and ye shall Hee when none pursueth :" 
 Bo Deut. xxxi. 16, 17, " They will forsake me, and 
 break my covenant. Then my anger shall be kindled 
 igainst them in that day, arid I will forsake them, 
 
 and I will hide my face from them, and they shall 
 be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall be- 
 fall Ihem." 
 
 2. Though God afflicted them very sorely, and cut 
 of!" the body of this people by severe judgments, yet 
 he reserved some, continued his faithfulness, kept 
 covenant with them, and manifested his loving-kind- 
 ness unto them, according to that written, Psal. 
 Ixxxix. 28 — 34. God owned them in Babylon for 
 his people, and dealt like a God in covenant with 
 them there : Ezek. xxxvii. 12, "0 my people, I will 
 open your graves, and cause you to come up out 
 of your graves, and bring you into the land of 
 Israel." 
 
 Obs. 1. The tie of a covenant between God and 
 man is a strong tie, it hath the nature of an oath, 
 and an oath is the strongest tie of all. " Thou hast 
 despised the oath in breaking the covenant ;" that 
 strong tie of an oath wherewith thou wast bound to 
 me thou hast broken. 
 
 God promised unto Abraham to give him and his 
 seed the land of Canaan, Gen. xii. 7 ; xiii. 15. Chap. 
 XV. 18, it is said, God "made a covenant with Abra- 
 ham, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land." 
 Now this promise and covenant is called an cath ; 
 Gen. xxvi. 3, " I will perform the oath which I swear 
 unto Abraham thy father ;" Deut. xxxiv. 4, " This 
 is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, 
 and unto Jacob." 
 
 The covenant also which God made with them at 
 mount Sinai is called an oath, Dan. ix. 11. It is so 
 called because of the bindingncss of it : a man that 
 enters into covenant with God, is bound as much as 
 if he had taken the most solemn oath. Acts xxiii. 
 12, they " bound themselves under a curse," or with 
 an oath of execration ; as was at the giving out ol 
 the law, and making the covenant, Deut. xi. 26 — 28 : 
 they agreed to it, that if they did not do what God 
 commanded, what they covenanted, that the curse 
 should come upon them, Deut. xxvii. when they 
 said " Amen " to the curses ; so that there was a 
 strong obligation upon them : hence you have that 
 expression, Ezek. xx. 37, "The bond of the covenant." 
 A wife is not tied more strongly to her husband by 
 the bond of marriage, than a people is unto God by 
 the bond of that covenant they make with him. 
 
 God would bring them under the bond of the cove- 
 nant by those judgments and curses he would pour 
 out upon them, and make them acknowledge him 
 for their God and King, as they did, Dan. ix. 10, 
 11, We obeyed not the "voice of tlie Lord our God, 
 to walk in the laws, which he set before us by his 
 servants the prophets. Yea, all Israel have trans- 
 gressed thy law : therefore the curse is poured upon 
 us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses." 
 
 Obs. 2. Such is the corruption of man, that it vio- 
 lates, frustrates, and makes void the strongest obli- 
 gations. They brake the covenant, which was a 
 sacred bond, and had the strength of an oath, and 
 bound them under penalty of being cursed. God 
 had set life and death before them, good and evil, 
 Deut. XXX. 15; blessing and cursing, Deut. xi. 26; 
 he had hedged them about with promises, with 
 threats, bound them in a covenant and oath ; yet all 
 woidd not do, such strong bands held them not in, 
 they brake all. God had broken the bands of cap- 
 tivity. Lev. xxvi. 13, and bound them with cords of 
 love, and looked they should have kept close to 
 him ; but, Jer. ii. 20, " Of old time I broke thy yoke, 
 burst thy bands ; and thou saidst, I will not trans- 
 gress ; when upon every high hill and under every 
 green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot." 
 
 God brake the Egyptian yoke and bonds by a 
 mighty power, and freed them, and they brake his
 
 Ves. 59. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 407 
 
 yoke, his bonds, by the mighty power of their cor- 
 ruption, and would rather be in bondage to sin, than 
 in covenant with him ; neither was it here and there 
 a man that did so, but it was the body of the people : 
 therefore, Jer. xi. 10, " The house of Israel and the 
 house of Judah have broken my covenant which I 
 made with their fathers ;" all Israel and all Judah 
 have done it. Lest God should mistake, he would 
 make trial of those he thought were most likely to 
 have kept his covenant : Jer. v. 5, " I will get me 
 unto the great men, and will speak imto them ; for 
 they have known the way of the Lord, and the judg- 
 ment of their God;" they are in places of authority and 
 honour, and resemble me ; the}' have understanding, 
 knowledge, and time to consider of the covenant, the 
 engagements they are in, the benefits of keeping and 
 evils of breaking it; "but these have altogether broken 
 the yoke, and burst the bonds :" notwithstanding their 
 breeding, the meajis of knowledge, and many mercies 
 they had above others, and such strong ties to have 
 kept them in bonds ; yet they have not regarded me, 
 my commands, threatenings, covenant, or curses. 
 Man's corruption is violent, and will violate all en- 
 gagements and relations. 
 
 Obs.3. Breaking of the covenant by sinning against 
 God, is a slighting and despising of the threats and 
 curses of God. " Thou hast despised the oath in 
 breaking the covenant." 
 
 God hath threatened all sin with woes and curses : 
 see Lev. xxvi. and Deut. xxviii. " Cursed is every 
 one that continueth not in all things which are writ- 
 ten in the book of the law to do them," Gal. iii. 10; 
 and, " The wrath of God is revealed from heaven 
 against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men," 
 Rom. i. 18. 
 
 Now if men did not slight and despise threatening, 
 wrath, curses, they would not dare to sin, and break 
 covenant with God : they think words are but wind, 
 that threatenings are but scarecrows, having no 
 great matter in them, or, if they have, they will not 
 suddenly come ; as Ezek. xii. when the Lord threat- 
 ened destruction to the prince, people, cities, and the 
 whole land, they slighted all, and said, " The days 
 are prolonged, and every vision faileth," ver. 22 ; 
 yea, " the vision is for many days to come," ver. 2/ ; 
 and so went on in their sinful ways, and despised the 
 truths of God. 
 
 Wlien a man reproachcth and slanders another 
 
 Erivily, he despiseth that branch of the oath, " Cursed 
 e he that smiteth his neighbour secretly." 
 When children set light by their parents, they de- 
 spise that part of it, " Cursed be he that setteth light 
 by his father or his mother." 
 
 When men t;ike bribes, or reward, to pervert jus- 
 tice, they despise that clause of the oath, " Cursed is 
 he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person ;" 
 and so of the rest, Deut. xxvii. 
 
 Now what presumption and boldness is it in men 
 to despise the oath, break the covenant, of God, pre- 
 sume they shall do well enough though they sin, 
 and continue in sinful ways : Lev. xx\'i. 15, " If ye 
 shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my 
 judgments, so that ye will not do all my command- 
 ments, but that ye break my covenant ;" I will do 
 so and so by you. 
 
 Despising of the law is a despising of God, judg- 
 ing both to be little worth. Shall the infinite, wise, 
 great, and glorious God magnity* his law, and make 
 it honourable, Isa. xlii. 1 ; yea, magnify it above all 
 his name, Psal. cxxxriii. 2 ; and shall sorry, sinful, 
 foolish man slight, contemn the same ? shall he de- 
 spise the oath, and break the covenant ? 
 
 Obs. 4. See here the admirable justice of God. 
 " I will deal mth thee as thou hast done ;" thou shalt 
 
 be judge thyself; is it not equal to do like for like ? 
 " Thou hast despised the oath," I will despise thee ; 
 thou hast broken tlie covenant unjustly to sin against 
 me, I will break it justly to punish 'thee. ISiarvel 
 not at that expression of God's breaking the cove- 
 nant ; you have in the word that w hich is equivalent 
 to it. Numb. xiv. 34, " Ye shall know my breach of 
 promise." God had promised them, sworn to them, 
 that they should enter into Canaan ; but they brought 
 up an ill report concerning that land, mui-mured 
 against God, who thereupon told them they should 
 not come into that land, but wander forty years in 
 the wilderness, till their carcasses were wasted, and 
 so they should know his breach of promise. Had 
 they made good their promise, he w-ould have made 
 good his promise, but because they brake with him 
 in sinning, he brake with them in punishing, and so 
 here was exact justice ; as in our prophet's words 
 also, they brake covenant, and despised the oath, 
 and so made God and his ways contemptible ; where- 
 upon God breaks with them, and makes them and 
 their ways despicable : Jer. xxii. 28, " Coniah, a de- 
 spised broken idol." Lam. i. 8, speaking of Jerusa- 
 lem, he saith, " All that honoured her despise her;" 
 she was a derision, chap. iii. 14; a reproach, Ezek. 
 V. 14; they said, " Sing us one of the songs of Zion," 
 Psal. cxxxvii. 3; a hissing, Jer. xix. 8; " All that 
 pass by clap their hands at her, hiss, and wag their 
 heads," Lam. ii. 15; a curse, Jer. xliv. 12. They 
 despised the curse God made them. 
 
 Ubx. 5. Breach of covenant is so provoking a sin 
 as God w-ill certainly punish. " Thus saith the Lord 
 God ; I will even deal with thee ;" thou hast broken 
 the covenant, and I will not put it up at thy hands. 
 The Lord appeared in a judiciary way, and gave out 
 a judicial sentence, ratifying it with " Thus saith 
 the Lord God :" he is a God of truth and power, and 
 will undoubtedly punish the breach of covenant. 
 God is intinitely beyond all creatures : " The nations" 
 to him " are as a drop of a bucket, the small dust of 
 the balance," Isa. xl. 15; yea, "all nations before 
 him are as nothing, less than nothing, and vanity," 
 ver. 17. What was this nation of the Jews, then, for 
 the great God to mind, and so far to mind, affect, as 
 to take to be his people, to enter into covenant w ithal, 
 to counsel, comfort, protect, prosper, and exalt with 
 pri\ileges above all the nations in the world ? It was 
 no better nor bigger than other nations, but it pleased 
 God to bestow himself and his love upon this people, 
 and to join in covenant with them, the highest fa- 
 vour a people could have ; but what did they ? they 
 brake covenant with God, left him, the fountain of 
 life, love, mercy, and of all good, fell to other gods, 
 other worship, and went a whoring after the sight 
 of their eyes, the inventions of the nations, and 
 imaginations of their own hearts. This provoked 
 God greatly, and made him say, " Be astonished, O 
 ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye 
 very desolate. For my people have committed two 
 e\ils ; they have forsaken me the fountain of living 
 waters, and have hewed them out cisterns, broken 
 cisterns, that can hold no water," Jer. ii. 12, 13. They 
 violated the covenant, and God would visit for it : 
 Josh, xxiii. 10, " When ye have transgressed the 
 covenant of the Lord your God, which he command- 
 ed you ; then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled 
 against you, and ye shall perish quickly from oiVthe 
 good land which he hath given unto you." God 
 will make quick work with them : Hos. viii. 1, 
 " He shall come as an eagle against the liouse of 
 the Lord, because they have transgressed my cove- 
 nant." Eagles fly swiftly ; the eagle was the king 
 of Assyria, who hastened to their destruction. Needs 
 must breach of covenant provoke sorely, when it
 
 408 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 causeth God to pronounce a curse upon the man 
 that shall do it : Jer. xi. 3, " Thus saith the Lord 
 God of Israel ; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not 
 the words of this covenant." 
 
 A curse is a consuming thing. Persons, towns, 
 cities, nations consume away, because the curse of 
 God is upon them for breaking covenant with him : 
 Isa. xxiv. 5, 6, " The earth is defiled under the in- 
 habitants thereof; because they have transgressed 
 the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the ever- 
 lasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devour- 
 ed the earth, and they that dwell therein are deso- 
 late." One place more ; Lev. xxvi. 25, " I will bring 
 a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of 
 my covenant : and when ye are gathered together 
 within your cities, 1 will send the pestilence among 
 you ; and j'e shall be delivered into the hand of the 
 enemy." When the covenant is broken, it hath a quar- 
 rel with man, pleads against him, calls for vengeance : 
 the original is, n'i3 cpj the vengeance of the cove- 
 nant. As there is much mercy in the covenant if it 
 be kept, so there 'is much vengeance if it be broken; 
 all the woes and curses mentioned in the book of 
 the law are the vengeance of the covenant ; there- 
 fore, when the Lord told them by Huldah what he 
 would do for the breach of covenant, he said, " Be- 
 hold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon 
 the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are 
 wntten in the book which they have read before the 
 king of Judah," 2 Chron. xxxiv. 24. 
 
 Ver. 60 — 63. Nevertheless I uill remember my 
 covenant with thee in the days qfthj/ youth, and I 
 will establish vnto thee an everlasting covenant. 
 Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be 
 ashamed, tvheii thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine 
 elder and thy younger : and I will yive them unto 
 thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant. And 
 I will establish my covenant with thee ; and thou 
 shalt Jcnoiv that I am the Lord: that thou may- 
 est remember, and be confounded, and never open 
 thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when 
 I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast 
 done, saith the Lord God. 
 
 We are now come to the sixth and last part of the 
 chapter, which is evangelical, and contains promises 
 of mercy and comfort. Formerly, the prophet had 
 thundered out the threats of God against the multi- 
 tude and wicked ones ; here, he brings forth cordials 
 to refresh the sad hearts and drooping spirits of the 
 saints who were amongst them. 
 
 In the words are held out, 
 
 I. Mention of a covenant made, and the time of it, 
 " My covenant with thee in the days of thy youth." 
 
 II. A double promise. 
 
 1. Of remembering that covenant. 
 
 2. Of establishing an everlasting covenant, ver. 
 fiO, (i2. 
 
 III. The benefits of the covenant, or effects there- 
 of; which are, 
 
 1. Evangelical repentance; ver. 61, " Then thou 
 shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed ;" ver. 
 63, " That tiiou mayest remember," &e. 
 
 2. Reception of her sisters to mercy, the incorpo- 
 ration of Jews and gentiles into one body, which is 
 done by way of gift and free grace ; " I will give them 
 unto thee, but not by thy covenant." 
 
 3. Acknowledgment of the Lord ; ver. 62, " And 
 thou shalt know that I am the Lord." 
 
 4. Patient submission unto the hand of God ; ver. 
 6.3, " And never open thy mouth any more." 
 
 5. Propitiation or pacification ; " Wlien I am paci- 
 fied toward thee." 
 
 Yer. 60. " Nevertheless I wOl remember my cove- 
 nant with thee." God properly doth neither re- 
 member nor forget ; they are human acts : remem- 
 brance is an act of the understanding, recollecting 
 the species of things forgotten ; and forgetfulness is 
 a separation between the understanding and the 
 species of things, not always an abolition : in these 
 senses neither the one nor the other doth befall God. 
 He is said to remember, when he doth that which 
 demonstrates he hath regard to us ; and so, to re- 
 member his covenant when he deals with us accord- 
 ing to the grace and mercy comprehended in it : 
 Psal. cxv. 12, " The Lord hath been mindful of us : 
 he will bless us :" his blessing is evidence of his 
 mindfulness : Psal. cxxxvi. 23, " Who remembered 
 us in our low estate ;" God did that which con- 
 vinced them that he was mindful of them : so Psal. 
 xcviii. 2, 3, " The Lord hath made known his salva- 
 tion : his righteousness hath he openly showed. 
 He hath remembered his mercy and truth." 
 
 God is said to remember in regard of us, not of 
 himself Chrysostom, Homily 27, in Genesis, because 
 he makes us to know and remember. When he 
 doth such things as are tokens that he is mindful of 
 his covenant ; as when God punisheth, lays his 
 hand heavy upon people ; he remembers them and 
 their iniquities : and thus Maldonate carries it here, 
 I will remember my covenant; that is, saith he, I 
 will punish you ; for punishments are part of the 
 covenant as well as promises. But although he be 
 right in this, that when God punishes, he remem- 
 bers men, and makes them remember him, yet he is 
 alone with all interpreters I meet with, in putting 
 that sense here upon the words. They all take 
 them to be meant of a gracious remembrance of his 
 covenant ; I will remember my covenant ; I showed 
 thee nmch kindness then, and I will again show 
 thee kindness. 
 
 " My covenant." I spake largely of the word 
 berith, whence it was derived, and of the nature of a 
 covenant, in ver. 8. He saith here, not the covenant, 
 but " my covenant ;" he was principal in it, he sware 
 and entered into covenant with them. 
 
 " In the days of thy youth." When thou wast in 
 Abraham's family and loins, or when thou wast 
 brought out of Egypt, and wanderedst in the wilder- 
 ness at mount Sinai, I made a covenant with thee, 
 being newly come out of the house of bondage. 
 
 " I will establish." Hebrew is, TiC'pn 1 will 
 confirm. You have the same word, Isa. xxix. 3, 
 and it is translated, " I will raise forts against thee." 
 Septuagint is, avaariiaui, you have broken, nulled the 
 covenant what lies in you, but 1 will raise it up 
 again, and put life and power into it, make it firm 
 and stable. 
 
 " An everlasting covenant." Hebrew is, nSiy n'-i3 
 Septuagint, ciaBijiaiv niwrioi', an eternal testament. 
 What covenant this was is to be opened. When 
 this people had so grievously sinned, as to be in a 
 great part ruined, and the rest sent into captivity, to 
 outward view God seemed to have no people ; the 
 l)romise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that in 
 their seed all the nations of the earth should be 
 blessed, seemed to be void, and the covenant made 
 between God and them at mount Sinai wholly dis- 
 solved ; but however tilings appeared, it was other- 
 wise ; God minded his covenant, and would establish 
 it with the remnant of them, and make additions of 
 more grace and mercy to it; before, he gave them 
 the law in tables of .stone ; now, he would write it in 
 their hearts, and give them power to keep it. In 
 Jer. xxxi. 31 — 34, you have the covenant set down
 
 Yer. f)0— 63. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 409 
 
 which our prophet here means, and it is called a 
 " new covenant," because of the new addition and 
 new administrations ; not that the substance of it is 
 altered ; it is the same law which is written in the 
 hearts of those God makes his covenant with as was 
 written in the tables of stone. It is again mentioned 
 in Heb. viii. 10 — 12. That covenant at mount Sinai 
 some make to be mixed partly of works, and partly 
 of grace ; some looked for life and justification by it, 
 but therein it was faulty and weak : see Rom. ix. 31, 
 32; Gal. iii. 21 ; Rom. iii. 20; chap. viii. 3: and so 
 far as it comprehended aught of the covenant of works, 
 it was antiquated, and more grace added, Christ 
 and the gospel brought in more clearly and fully. 
 
 Obs. 1. Although God's people sin greatly, break 
 covenant with him, meet with sad judgments, yet he 
 will spare some of them, and show mercy to them. 
 Jerusalem had grievously sinned, despised the oath, 
 broken covenant, deserved as ill at God's hands as 
 could be ; but what saith God ? " Nevertheless I 
 will," &c. However the people of God sin, however 
 he deal with them for a season, yet he will not alto- 
 gether take mercy from them. Judg. ii. 13, " They 
 forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtaroth ; 
 whereupon God sold them into the hands of their 
 enemies round about : God was against them for 
 evil, and they were greatly distressed." Ver. 16, 
 "Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which de- 
 delivered them out of the hand of their spoilers." 
 Psal. cvi. 7, S, " They understood not the works of 
 God in Egypt, nor remembered the multitude of his 
 mercies, but provoked him at the sea, even at the 
 Red sea. Nevertheless he saved them for his name's 
 sake." Psal. Ixxxix. 31 — 33, " If they break my 
 statutes, and keep not my commandments ; I will 
 visit their transgression with the rod, and their 
 iniquitv' with stripes. Nevertheless my loving-kind- 
 ness will I not utterly take from you." Isa. Ivii. 
 17, 1*^, " For the iniquity of his covetousness was I 
 wroth, and smote him : I hid me, and was wroth, 
 and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart." 
 This was bad enough ; and, though God hid him- 
 self, yet he saw what he did : " I have seen his 
 ways," cross, perverse, provoking: "nevertheless I 
 will heal him also, and restore comforts unto him." 
 
 This sets out the glory and greatness of divine 
 mercy. Are a people rich in sinning ? God is rich 
 in mercy ; are their sins great ? his mercies are 
 greater; are their sins old? his mercies are from 
 everlasting. Let not sour, hard, sinking thoughts 
 lodge in our breasts, whatever our sins have been. 
 Psalm cxlvii. II, "The Lord hath pleasure in those 
 that hope in his mercy." 
 
 06.?. 2. However men forget their promi-ses, cove- 
 nants, yea, break them ; yet God will not forget his 
 promisf s, his covenant. " I will remember my cove- 
 nant." Though man had a strict charge not to forget 
 the covenant, Deut. iv. 23, "Take heed unto your- 
 selves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your 
 God," yet he forgot it : yet God doth not so, he is a 
 God who forgets not covenant, ver. 31 ; he is mind- 
 ful of it, Psal. cxi. 5 ; he keeps covenant, 2 Chron. 
 vi. 14; he remembers it for ever, Psal. cv. 8. Men 
 are deceitful, lying, vain things ; Psal. Ixii. 9, " Surely 
 men of low degree are vanity, and men of high de- 
 gree are a lie ;" but God is real, faithful, and true : 
 hence it is said, Deut. vii. 9, " The faithful God, 
 which keepeth covenant;" Titus i. 2, "God, that 
 cannot lie, promised ; " and 2 Tim. ii. 13, " If we 
 believe not, yet he abideth faithful ; he cannot deny 
 himself" However the creature prove, God doth 
 things upon the account of his faithfulness : 1 Thess. 
 V. 24, " Faithful is he that calleth you, who also 
 will do it " I 
 
 Solomon justifies God in this point of his faithful- 
 ness observably : 1 Kings viii. 56, " Blessed be the 
 Lord, which hath given rest unto his people Israel, 
 according to all that he promised : there hath not 
 failed one word of aU his good promise which he 
 promised by the hand of Moses his servant. So, in 
 Josh, xxiii. 14, saith he, " I am going the way of all 
 the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all 
 your souls, that not one thing hath failed of aU the 
 good things which the Lord your God spake con- 
 cerning you ; all are come to pass unto you." 
 
 Therefore doubting of God's performance is a great 
 sin ; to distrust him who cannot fail us or deceive us 
 is intolerable. We apprehend it so through weakness 
 of grace and strength of corruption : Psal. Ixxxix. 
 39, " Thou hast made void the covenant of thy ser- 
 vant;" because things went ill, the church was sorely 
 afflicted, and many suffered hard things, he thought 
 so. God had told David a little before, that he would 
 not sutler his faithfulness to fail. Psal. Ixxvii. 8, 
 saith Asaph, " Is his mercy clean gone ? doth his 
 promise fail for evermore ? " 
 
 Let us trust in the Lord for ever, and trust per- 
 fectly; he is a God of truth, remembers his cove- 
 nant: Psal. cxlvi. 5, " Happy is he whose hope is in 
 the Lord," &c. 
 
 It should be encouragement to prayer. Psal. 
 Ixxxix. 49, " Lord, where are thy former loving- 
 kindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy 
 truth ? " Psal. Ixxiv. 20, " Have respect unto the cove- 
 nant : for the dark places of the earth are fuU of the 
 habitations of cruelty:" the covenant with Abra- 
 ham, Isaac, &c. Abraham is father of all the faith- 
 ful now ; and we may press God wdth the covenant, 
 as David, " for the dark places of the earth are full 
 of the habitations of cruelty." 
 
 Obs. 3. Mercies come from God to a people 
 through the covenant, or for the covenant's sake. 
 Had not the Lord been in covenant with this people, 
 he would have minded them no more than other 
 nations ; but because he had made a covenant with 
 them in the days of their youth, therefore he would 
 show mercy, do for them : 2 Kings xiii. 23, " The 
 Lord was gracious unto them, and had respect unto 
 them, and compassion on them, because of his cove- 
 nant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Though they 
 were very wicked, murmuring, provoked God many 
 ways, yet, for his covenant sake, he did show them 
 kindness. Psal. cv. 9, he gave them quails, water out 
 of the rock : and why ? did they deserve it ? no ; 
 " for he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham 
 his servant." Moses knew this, and therefore when 
 the people had sinned, so as that God was resolved 
 to destroy them, Exod. xxxii. (the calf. Sec.) ver. 13, 
 he sets upon God with this argument : " Remember 
 Abraham, Isaac, and I.srael, thy servants, to whom 
 thou swarest by thine ownself." As it is a great 
 condescension in God to make covenant with any, 
 so it is unspeakable mercy to those that are in cove- 
 nant with him. 
 
 Obs. 4. \v'hen a covenant is shaken, broken, fall- 
 en to the earth, and nulled on man's part, God can 
 raise it up again. " I will establish." Jerusalem 
 had sinned, suffered grievous things, was carried into 
 Babylon, abode there seventy years, and lay buried 
 as in a grave, the Jews were even out of hope ; Ezek. 
 xxxvii. II, "Our bones are dried, and our hope is 
 lost ; and we are cut off' for our parts." But in 
 the next verse, saith God, " O my people, I will open 
 your graves, and cause you to come up out of them, 
 and bring you into the land of Israel." 
 
 Obs. 5. When God doth renew the covenant with 
 his people, he makes some comfortable or gracious 
 additions ; as when a house, town, or city are repaired
 
 410 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 or new built, some enlargements or beautifyings 
 there are, which were not before ; so here, " I will 
 establish to thee an everlasting covenant." The 
 covenant before, they brake : but this was a cove- 
 nant they should not break, Jer. xxxi. 32; therefore 
 this covenant is said, Heb. ^■ii. 6, to be "a better 
 covenant, and established upon better promises." 
 The promises are : " That he will write his law in 
 their hearts;" "That all shall know him from," &c.; 
 " That he will forgive their iniquity, and remember 
 their sin no more." These promises are better : 
 
 (1.) More spiritual. 
 
 (2.) More free without conditions. 
 
 (3.) More extensive. 
 
 Second editions have additions. Adam had the 
 promise. Abraham more fully, iS."c. " with an oath." 
 
 Obs. 6. God doth all here upon the account of his 
 own good pleasure ; " I will remember," " I will 
 establish." 
 
 What saw God now in Jerusalem to cause or in- 
 cline him to renew the covenant ? She had despised 
 the oath, broken the covenant, run out to excessive 
 idolatry; yet, saith God, "I will," &c. Isa. xliii. 
 
 25, " 1 am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for 
 mine own sake," not their sakes. 1 John ii. 12, " I 
 write unto you, little children, because your sins are 
 forgiven you for his .name's sake." "Anew heart 
 ■will I give you, a new spirit will I put within you. 
 I will put my spirit within vou," &c. Ezek. xxxvi. 
 
 26, 27. 
 
 Vcr. 61. Tlten thou shall remember thy icm/s, 
 and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sis- 
 ters, thine elder and thy younger : and I will give 
 them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy 
 covenant. 
 
 God having renewed and established the covenant 
 with Jerusalem, yea, an everlasting covenant, here 
 begin the benefits and fruits thereof; which are, 
 
 I. Remembrance of her ways, and shame upon it. 
 
 II. Reception of her sisters, "elder, younger," 
 amplified, 
 
 1. From the true ground and cause thereof, God's 
 free grace, " I will give," &c. 
 
 2. By removal of a supposed and false ground, 
 " not by thy covenant." 
 
 " Thou shalt remember thy ways." It imports 
 more than a bare remembrance ; for the word "\3T as 
 Avenarius observes, signifies reservare ct revolvere in 
 corde, to keep and roll a thing up and down in the 
 mind, so as thereby to be stirred up to the avoiding 
 of evil, or doing good. Psal. cxix. 55, " I have re- 
 membered thy name, O Lord, in the niglit, and have 
 kept thy law :" Exod. xx. 8, " Remember the sab- 
 bath day, to keep it holy ;" that is, so muse, meditate 
 on it, as to be stirred up thereby to do those holy 
 duties belonging to it. So here, "Thou shalt re- 
 member thy ways ;" so think of, consider, and mind 
 them, as to be stirred up thereby to renounce them, 
 and turn from them ; suitable to that of David, Psal. 
 cxix. 59, " I thought on my ways, and turned my 
 feet unto thy testimonies." It was an efficacious 
 thinking on them. 
 
 " Thy ways." The Hebrew word ■y^i signifies, a 
 path which leads from place to place, which men do 
 walk in ; and metaphorically, it is applied to the 
 customs, manners, actions, religions, and lives of 
 men. Jer. x. 2, " Learn not the ways of the hea- 
 then," that is, their customs and manners. Prov. i. 
 JO, "So are the ways of every one that is greedy of 
 gain ;" that is, their actions. 2 Chron. xxviii. 2, 
 " Ahaz walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and 
 made also molten images for Baalim ;" that is, he did 
 
 idolatrously, his religion and worship was as theirs 
 were. Prov. iv. U), "The way of the wicked is as 
 darkness;" that is, their lives and conversations are 
 as darkness. The ways of sinners in the word are 
 said to be crooked, Psal. cxxv. 5 ; stubborn, Judg. 
 ii. 19; false, Psal. cxix. 104; grievous, Psal. x. 5; 
 pernicious, 2 Pet. ii. 2. Jerusalem's ways had been 
 crooked, stubborn, false, grievous, pernicious, and 
 these she should remember. 
 
 " Be ashamed." The Hebrew is, ncSsji shalt 
 blush. The word qSd I opened in ver. 52, when I 
 spake of those words, " bear thine own shame." 
 'I he Septuagint is, iiaTi/iwSij'yi], which Kircker render! 
 despicies, thou shalt despise thy ways ; but Stephanus 
 in Thesaur. saith it is, prorsus et periilus infamia 
 notare, utterly and thoroughly to brand and infamize ; 
 yea, infami et ignominiosa damnatione plectere, to sen- 
 tence "and punish in an infamous and reproachful 
 way. So should Jerusalem, upon serious remem- 
 brance of her ways, she should utterly renounce 
 them, brand them, yea, shame and condemn herself 
 for them, as not worthy to live. 
 
 " When tliou shalt receive thy sisters." Hebrew 
 is, in thy receiving ; there is no " when." Here the 
 calling and incorporation of the gentiles into the 
 church is presented to consideration, of which much 
 had been said and promised of old. That in Gen. 
 ix. 27, falls in here ; "God shall enlarge Japheth, and 
 he shall dwell in the tents of Shem." The posterity 
 of Japheth spread over many parts, and became 
 heathenish ; but God in his time did bring them into 
 the tents of Shem, that was, the church ; by the 
 sweet voice of the gospel they were wrought upon, 
 and brought in. The promise was to Abraham, that 
 in him and his seed all the families and nations of 
 the earth should be blessed, Gen. xii. 3; xviii. 18; 
 xxii. 18. The heathen were promised Christ for his 
 inheritance, Psal. ii. 8. Isaiali makes frequent men- 
 tion of the calling and coming in of the gentiles, 
 chap. liv. throughout ; xlii. 4 : Ix. 3—5, &c. " The 
 gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the 
 brightness of thy rising. Thy sons shall come fi-om 
 far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 
 The abundance of the sea shall be converted unto 
 thee, the forces of the gentiles shall come unto thee," 
 tkc. This was made good in Christ's time, and after; 
 when the apostles, who were Jews, preached the 
 gospel, converted some out of several nations, and 
 received them into the christian church. 
 
 " Thy sisters." The nations were sisters to the 
 Jews, coming from the posterity of Noah, as the Jews 
 did : or here they may be called sisters, for their 
 likeness in qualities and conditions ; Jerusalem was 
 very w'icked, and so were the nations. Upon this 
 account you may take that expression, Jer. iii. 7> 8, 
 " Her treacherous sister Judah :" Judah was like 
 Israel in treachery and apostasy from God. 
 
 " Thine elder and thy younger." Not Sodom and 
 Samaria, unless taken synecdochically for all the 
 rest. Sodom was not, and Samaria, by which is 
 meant the ten tribes, to this day is not come in to 
 the christian Jerusalem ; we must therefore include 
 the nations. The words " elder and younger," in 
 the original are, the greater and lesser, riiSnjn nijDpn 
 Those nations that are greater in extent, in people, 
 in honour, in wealth ; or less than thyself, that were 
 before thee, or since thee j when thou shalt receive 
 them. 
 
 " I will give them unto thee for daughters." 
 Thou shalt by the preaching of the gospel beget 
 them unto thee. In Jerusalem was the first christian 
 church, which consisted most of Jews ; and when 
 any were converted in Jerusalem, they were added 
 to that church, Aet.s ii. 41, 47. Hence Jerusalem
 
 Vkr. 61. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 411 
 
 had the honour to be called the primitive church. 
 Yea, the christian church is called Jerusalem, and 
 said to be " the mother of us all," Gal. iv. 26. All 
 converted nations or persons are the daughters of the 
 christian Jerusalem. 
 
 " But not by thy covenant." Lest thou shouldst 
 think it is for thy faithfulness, holiness, obedience 
 that I do this, I tell thee I -Rill do it, "but not by 
 thy covenant ;" which, as thou didst carry it, gen- 
 dered unto bondage, and made the very sons servants, 
 Gal. iv. 1 — 3, 24. Thou shall have daughters, but 
 not ex vt textamenti veteria, but ex ri pacti met, by 
 virtue of my covenant made with Abraham ; not by 
 the law of works, but by the law of faith ; faith in 
 Christ the promised Seed, who is called a Father, Isa. 
 ix. 6, and acknowledges the children which God had 
 given him, Heb. ii. 13, "Behold I and the children 
 which God hath given me." So that thy covenant 
 doth nothing herein, but all this shall be done by 
 the covenant of grace. 
 
 Obs. 1. The love, kindness, and mercy of God, is 
 that which causcth a sinful, guilty, unfaithful people 
 to remember their ways, and turn from them. Saith 
 God in the words immediately before, " I will estab- 
 lish unto thee an everlasting covenant," show thee 
 much kindness and mercy ; and " then thou shalt 
 remember thy ways ;" then thy heart shall melt, 
 break within thee, and renounce the ways thou hast 
 walked in. Ezek. xxxvi. 24 — 31, God would gather 
 them from the heathen, plant them in their own 
 land, cleanse them from their filthiness and idols, 
 give them new hearts, new spirits, be their God, 
 own them for his people, multiply their corn and 
 fruit : and what upon all this ? " Then shall ye re- 
 member your own evil ways, and your doings that 
 were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your 
 own sight for your iniquities and for your abomina- 
 tions." When God did let out love, show kindness, 
 and multiply mercy, then did they remember to 
 purpose their evil ways, how they had profaned his 
 name, his sanctuary, rejected his counsel, his ordi- 
 nances, his prophets ; despised |his threatenings, 
 broken covenant, apostatized from him, turned idol- 
 aters, became heathenish, yea worse than heathenish, 
 and loathed themselves for such things. 
 
 Undeserved or unexpected kindnesses do work 
 upon the hearts of men who have any ingenuity in 
 them ; they are coals of fire, and will warm, yea 
 thaw a frozen, icy heart. Prov. xxv. 21, 22, "If 
 thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat ; and 
 if he be thirsty, give him water to drink : for" in so 
 doing " thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head :" 
 thy kindnesses will work in his head and heart, 
 make him reason thus ; Why should 1 think, speak, 
 or do evil to this man who is so lo\-ing, who relieves 
 me in my necessities, and preserves my life ? ah, 
 what a wretch was I that had such hard thoughts, 
 spake such bitter words, and did so ill by him ! I will 
 never think, speak, or do so more. Here are coals 
 upon his head and heart, that have warmed and 
 melted him to good purpose. If man's kindness 
 prove such coals, how^ much more will the Lord's ! 
 When he heaps kindness upon a people unexpect- 
 edly, undeservedly, they will be coals of juniper, 
 causing a flame in their bosoms, making them to 
 say. Ah, what have we done ! how have we sinned 
 against a God of love, against mercy, against grace ! 
 we will do it no more. Ezek. vi. 9, " They that 
 escape of you shall remember me among the nations 
 whither they shall be carried captives, and they 
 shall loathe themselves for tVie evils which they 
 have committed." When God did give them their 
 lives for a prey, which was a great mercy, this 
 iifl^ected them, caused them to remember how they 
 
 had sinned against God, and to loathe themselves 
 for what they had done. If common mercies will 
 do this, much more covenant mercies, which was 
 the case here. So when Christ looked upon Peter, 
 how did it atlect and break his heart, make him go 
 out and weep bitterly for what he had done, Luke 
 xxii. 61, 62. It was a covenant look, such a look as 
 had influence into his heart, and made him to think, 
 with himself; What! will the Lord Christ vouch- 
 safe to look upon me, who denied him to be my 
 Lord and Master, who denied that I knew him, who 
 forsware him ? will he yet mind me ? Ah, WTctch, 
 that, &c. 
 
 Obs. 2. Former ways are matter of shame to true 
 converts and penitents. " Thou shalt remember thy 
 ways, and be ashamed ;" not only because she had 
 wounded her honour, her conscience, but especially 
 because she had broken covenant with her God, 
 violated his law, defiled his W" orship, and stained his 
 glory. That which causeth shame is something 
 evil and naught properly, things forbidden, dis- 
 honest, dishonourable. Rom. vi. 21, " What fruit 
 had ye then in those things whereof ye are now 
 ashamed?" When the Romans were converted to 
 the faith, they were ashamed of their former ways, 
 those sins mentioned, chap. i. 29 — 31. When grace 
 hath got possession of the heart, such a deformity 
 is seen in men's former ways, that their blood ap- 
 pears in their cheeks, and they are greatly ashamed 
 of them. Jer. xxxi. 19, " After that I was turned, I 
 repented ; and after that I was insti'ucted, I smote 
 upon my thigh : I was ashamed, yea, even con- 
 founded, because I did bear the reproach of my 
 youth." After Ephraim was converted, became 
 truly penitent, then Ephraim's sins were burden- 
 some, shameful, and confounding. When men are 
 changed by grace, then they loathe their sins and 
 themselves : Ezek. xx. 42, 43, they should know 
 God, and remember their ways, and loathe them- 
 selves in their own sight for all the evils that they 
 had committed ; every sin would be matter of shame 
 and self-abhorrence : they should loathe themselves, 
 not for evil to come upon them, but for evil done by 
 them, for the evil of sin. 
 
 Obs. 3. The church under Christ and the gospel, 
 is of larger extent than that under Moses and the 
 law. The church was then shut up under the nar- 
 row bounds of Judea or the holy land, but since it is 
 enlarged to other nations : In thy receiving thy sis- 
 ters, the greater and the lesser. 
 
 The gentiles were a long time aliens from the 
 commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the co- 
 venant of promise ; they were sisters, but not 
 espoused or mariied till Christ's time ; Jerusalem 
 was taken in to be the Lord's, but not the gentiles. 
 Cant. viii. 8, " We have a little sister, and she hath 
 no breasts ; what shall we do for our sister when she 
 shall be spoken for?" Here the church, by a pro- 
 phetical eye, seeing what should befall the gentiles, 
 that they should be spoken for, and taken in by 
 Christ,- or spoken against, when taken in, (for .13 
 will bear both,) calls her sister, and a sister without 
 breasts ; she had no means of grace, which are 
 breasts, and breasts of consolation, Isa. Ixvi. 1 1 ; 
 but, however, a sister she was, and " what shall we 
 do for her ? " The Jewish church minded the gen- 
 tiles, and had it in her thoughts to do for her ; why ? 
 she was a sister ; yet not a daughter : when it jjleased 
 God actually to bring in the nations to Christ, then 
 they were Jerusalem's daughters. Some were for- 
 merly received in from the gentiles, who were neither 
 called daughters nor brethren, but strangers, Exod. 
 xii. 48, and these were few ; but in Christ's time the 
 partition-wall was broken down, and they came
 
 412 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 flocking in " as doves to their windows," Isa. Ix. 8 : 
 and they were no longer " strangers and foreigners, 
 but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the house- 
 hold of God," Eph. ii. 19; and Jerusalem was the 
 mother of them all. So that was made good, Isa. 
 Ixvi. 18, " It shall come, that I will gather all na- 
 tions and tongues ; and they shall come, and see my 
 glory ;" my glory in Christ, my glory in the gospel. 
 Read Isa. liv. 23. 
 
 Obs. 4. The coming in of the gentiles, as it was 
 of special grace and favour, so most certain, infal- 
 lible. It notes a powerfid giving; John vi. 37, " I 
 will give them to thee :" he saith not, they will 
 come to thee, others will bring them ; no, but " I 
 will give them." God would work upon them by 
 his word and Spirit, and cause them, being given, to 
 come in. God nad given the gentiles to Christ long 
 before, Psal. ii. 8 ; and though they minded not pro- 
 phecies, promises, Christ, gospel, Jerusalem, them- 
 selves, or their own good ; yet God minded them ; 
 and as he had freely given them, so freely brought 
 them in, and powerfully. Hence these expressions : 
 Psal. Ixxii. 11, " All kings shall fall down before 
 him ; all nations shall serve him." Psal. Ixxxvi. 9, 
 " AU nations whom thou hast made shall come and 
 worship before thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy 
 name." Isa. xi. 10, " In that day there shall be a 
 root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the 
 people ; to it shall the gentiles seek ; and his rest 
 shall be glorious." While Christ lay in the .sacri- 
 fices and ceremonies, in the prophecies and promises, 
 he was a dark, hidden thing, like a root under 
 ground ; but when God sent him into the world, then 
 he was as an ensign lifted up ; then he caused the 
 gentiles to see him, and seek to him, and Jerusalem, 
 the place of his rest, was glorious. Isa. xlix. 20, 21, 
 Zion should have so many children come in from the 
 nations, that she should say, " Who hath begotten 
 me these?" It was the Lord begot them by the 
 power of his Spirit, he made them to run unto Christ, 
 Isa. Iv. 5. Read the 60th of Isaiah ; consider and 
 observe the conclusion, " I the Lord will hasten it 
 in his time." And he did so, pouring out his Spirit 
 upon the apostles, whom he sent abroad into the 
 nations to preach Christ and the gospel, to bring all 
 their brethren for an offering unto the Lord, out of 
 all nations, unto his holy mountain Jerusalem, (that 
 was, the christian church,) Isa. Ixvi. 20. So the 
 kingdom was given to the gentiles, Matt. xxi. 43, 
 &e. ; they made subjects of Christ, and that fulfilled 
 which you have in Psal. xxii. 30, 31, " A seed .shall 
 serve him ; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a 
 generation. They shall come, and shall declare his 
 righteousness unto a people that shall be born ;" that 
 he hath done this : the Lord did it, and that power- 
 fully ; nothing could hinder, neither ignorance, pro- 
 faneness, nor unbelief. 
 
 Obs. 5. When nations or any people receive the 
 gospel of Christ, they have a new relation put upon 
 them, they are daughters of Jerusalem ; not Jerusa- 
 lem in a literal or carnal notion, but of Jerusalem in 
 a spiritual and mystical sense, as it notes out the 
 church, which is the spouse of Christ and God, Hos. 
 ii. 19, 20; 2 Cor. xi. 2. Eph. v. 32, Christ and the 
 church are a great mystery. Rev. xix. 7, the church 
 is called the " Lamb's wife ;" so chap. xxi. 9 ; and 
 she is the mother of the faithful, as Abraham w-as 
 the father of them ; for she brings forth, and with 
 difficulty. Rev. xii. 2, the woman clothed with the 
 sun, viz. the christian church, was with child, fell 
 into labour, and was jiained to be delivered : and 
 when any arc born of the Spirit, and immortal seed 
 of the word, they are her children, and their privi- 
 leges arc great : I « ill name two. 
 
 (1.) God will be their teacher : Isa. liv. 13, " All 
 thy children shall be taught of the Lord ;" and, 
 " who teacheth like him ? " Job xxxvi. 22. 
 
 (2.) They shall have peace, yea, great peace : 
 " Great shall be the peace of thy children," Isa. liv. 
 13. Psal. cxix. 1(J5, " Great peace have they which 
 love thy law, and nothing shall oll'end them :" they 
 are taught of God, and cannot but love the law of 
 God. Therefore let us walk as children of God ; 1 
 Pet. i. 14, 15, as obedient children, not fashioning 
 ourselves according to our former lusts, in our igno- 
 rance : but as he which hath called us is holy, so let 
 us be holy in all manner of conversation. It is an 
 honour to be a son or daughter of Zion : Psal. Ixxxvii. 
 5, " Of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was 
 born in her." 
 
 Obs. 6. When holy things are abused, many times, 
 God owns them not, but calls them theirs that have 
 abused them ; as here, " thy covenant." Jerusalem 
 had broken the oath, and despised the covenant, and 
 God calls it her covenant. Isa. i. 11, 14, " To what 
 purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices. Your 
 new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth." 
 
 Obs. 7. People are apt to think, who are in relation 
 to God, that for their sakes God doth much. Jerusa- 
 lem was near unto God, he had taken her to be his ; 
 and she thought when the gentiles should be given 
 in to her for daughters, it was for her sake ; but the 
 Lord says, No, it is not for thy sake ; thou hast not 
 kept covenant with me, nor pleased me ; thou couldst 
 not challenge any such thing at my hands, hadst 
 thou walked never so exactly, much less now, having 
 walked contrary unto me ; it is not for thy covenant. 
 When God showed mercy to the Jews, Ezek. xxxvi. 
 32, " Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord 
 God, be it known unto you ;" you may think it is 
 so, but it is otherwise. 
 
 Obs. 8. Not legal, but evangelical dispensations, 
 tenders of free grace and mercy by Jesus Christ, 
 wrought upon the gentiles. It was Christ, not Mo- 
 ses, prevailed with them. The commission was, 
 Mark xvi. 15, " Go ye into all the world, and preach 
 the gospel to every creature." The gospel is the 
 seed of faith ; the way in which the Spirit is given, 
 2 Cor. iii. 8 ; " word of grace," Acts xx. 32 ; " grace 
 of God," Titus ii. 11; " word of life," Phil. ii. 16 j 
 " power of God to salvation," Rom. i. 16. 
 
 Ver. 62, 63. And I will establish my covenant 
 with thee : and thou shall know that I am the 
 Lord : that thou mai/esl remember, and be con- 
 founded, and never open thy mouth any more be- 
 cause of thy shame, when I am pacified toward 
 thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God. 
 
 The former verse contained two benefits of the 
 covenant established with Jerusalem after her breach 
 of covenant. These verses tell you of more, which 
 we shall open to you, and finish the chapter. 
 
 " I will establish my covenant with thee." Of 
 establishing or raising up the covenant was spoken 
 in ver. 60, and therefore 1 shall not insist upon that ; 
 only note, the repetition of it argues our backward- 
 ness to believe it, and God's readiness to assure us 
 of it. Men once sensible of breach with God, are 
 not easily induced to believe that God will bestow 
 great mercies upon them, to make a covenant with 
 them, and to bestow covenant mercies : the Lord 
 therefore, out of his abundant goodness, doubles the 
 promise of making and establishing his covenant 
 with Jerusalem, that so her fears, doubts, and dis- 
 putes may cease, and she be ascertained thereof. 
 
 " Thou shalt know that I am the Lord." The 
 Hebrew word yi' signifies to know, to acknowledge,
 
 Ver. G2, 03. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 413 
 
 to understand, to be certain, and properly refers to 
 the mind and understanding: Gen. xlviii. 19, "I 
 know it, I know it ;" tliat i.s, I certainly know it. 
 The Septuagint, for the word here, saith, intyvunri, 
 thou shalt acknowledge that I am the Lord. 
 
 The knowledge here meant is not common know- 
 ledge, but a saving knowledge ; not a legal, but an 
 evangelical knowledge ; for he speaks not of that 
 knowledge which arises from afflictions and judg- 
 ments, of which he had oft spoken before. Chap. vi. 
 7, 13; vii. 4, 9; xi. 10, 12; xii. 20; xiii. 9, 14, 21, 
 23 ; xiv. 8 ; XV. 7 ; thirteen times the Lord saith, 
 they should know that he was the Lord, that it was 
 by his judgments ; but here he speaks of such know- 
 ledge as springs from a fountain and foundation of 
 mercy. " I will establish my covenant with thee, 
 and thou shalt know me ;" that is, in another man- 
 ner than thou didst before ; thou shalt know me 
 spiritually, with a knowledge of faith and salvation : 
 so much tlie word know imports in John vii. 17; x. 
 4. Now this knowledge differs from vulgar, legal, 
 and literal knowledge ; for, 
 
 1. It is a more distinct knowledge of God; human 
 is more mixed, dark, and confused. Job x. 22, 
 " The light is as darkness :" every ungodly man's 
 light is darkness ; but he who hath light from God 
 in covenant, his light is clear. Prov. xiii. 9, " Tlie 
 light of the righteous rejoiceth ;" if it were confused 
 and obscure, it would not rejoice. James iii. 17, 
 "The wisdom from above is pure;" and the more 
 pure, the more clear, the more distinct. 
 
 2. It is a savoury, relishing knowledge, the soul 
 is affected with it; "Taste and see that the Lord is 
 good." No meat, no wine, no spice tastes more 
 pleasant to the palate of a man, than the goodness 
 of God doth to a man who hath the spiritual know- 
 ledge thereof. Tasting notes knowledge and expe- 
 rience : Prov. xxxi. 18, " She perceiveth that her 
 merchandise is good ;" the Hebrew word is, she 
 tasteth ; the gain of her labour is pleasant and de- 
 lightful. Exod. xvi. 31, manna had a taste like 
 wafers made of honey. The true knowledge and 
 taste of God is as sweet as any gain, as ever manna 
 was : Cant. ii. 3, " His fruit was sweet to my taste;" 
 and his knowledge hath a savour in it, 2 Cor. ii. 14. 
 
 3. It is a deep-rooted and well-settled knowledge. 
 Job xxxviii. 36, "Who hath put wisdom in the in- 
 ward parts ? or who hath given understanding to the 
 heart?" the Lord doth it to those he strikes his 
 covenant with ; " Thou shalt know me ;" thou shalt 
 have a deeper and more rooted and settled know- 
 ledge than others. 2 Cor. iv. 6, " God, who com- 
 manded light to shine out of darkness, hath shined 
 in our hearts :" not in our heads only, not on our 
 hearts only, but in our hearts. God seats the know- 
 ledge of himself in the hearts of his people ; he puts 
 and writes his law in their hearts, Jer. xxxi. 33. 
 Wicked men have knowledge and light in their 
 heads, but darkness in their hearts. 
 
 4. It is a knowledge distinguishable from other 
 knowledge by the effects. 
 
 (1.) It is peaceable, and eauseth men to live 
 peaceably: James iii. 17, " The wisdom from above 
 is pure and peaceable." Isa. xi. 9, " They shall not 
 hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain ; for the 
 earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord." 
 When men know God savingly, they love peace, and 
 pursue peace ; but when knowledge is literal, they 
 are contentious and bitter. 
 
 (2.) It humbleth much ; the more men know God 
 in his holiness, glory, and goodness, the more hum- 
 ble they will be. Ezek. xx. 42, 43, "Ye shall know 
 that I am the Lord, and remember your ways and 
 doings : and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own 
 
 sight for all your evils that ye have done." When 
 Job had a clear and spiritual sight of God, he ab- 
 horred himself in dust and ashes, chap. xiii. 5. So 
 Isa. vi. 5, " Woe is me ! for I am undone ; because 
 I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst 
 of a people of unclean lips ; for mine eyes have seen 
 the King, the Lord of hosts." See 1 Cor. xv. 8, 9. 
 
 (3.) It is working and powerful; like fire, it con- 
 sumes the lusts of men's hearts, and separates the 
 dross of their spirits. 1 Pet. i. 22, the truth purified 
 their souls. Psal. cxix. 34, "Give me understand- 
 ing, and I shall keep thy law ; yea, I shall observe 
 it with my whole licart." Divine knowledge keeps 
 under what hinders practice, and leads out the soul 
 to action. 1 John ii. 4, " He that saith, I know him, 
 and keepeth not his commandments, isa liar, and the 
 truth is not in him." Men have not the true know- 
 ledge of God when their lusts overpower them, and 
 make them disobedient. 
 
 4. Trust and confidence in the Lord. The know- 
 ledge we speak of hath certainty in it, and causcth 
 venturing : Psal. ix. 10, " They that know thy name 
 will put their trust in thee :" they that know God 
 spiritually, his truths, promises, covenant, faithful- 
 ness, will resign up themselves to him, and lean upon 
 him. What is the bottom and ground of the pro- 
 phet's exhortation ? Isa. xxvi. 4, " Trust ye in the 
 Lord for ever ; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlast- 
 ing strength." When a man hath the true, real, 
 and clear knowledge of this, he vrill trust in God. 
 David had the right knowledge of God, ho said of 
 him, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God; 
 in him will I trust," Psal. xci. 2. 
 
 Obs. The (rue knowledge of God is a covenant 
 mercy ; those who are in covenant with God, they 
 have tlie saving and spiritual knowledge of him. 
 " I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou 
 shalt know that I am the Lord." Jer. xxxi. 33, 34, 
 speaking there of the covenant of grace, saith the 
 Lord, " I will put my law in their inward parts, and 
 write it in their hearts ; and will be their God, and 
 they shall be my people. And they shall all know 
 me, from the leas.t of them to the greatest of them :" 
 so Heb. viii. 10, 11. The knowledge here spoken of 
 is not a common, but a choice knowledge, and it is 
 given to those who are in covenant, it is a covenant 
 mercy ; none have such knowledge who are out of 
 covenant. They may by their industry get a general, 
 unsavoury, and powerless knowledge of God, but 
 they have not this knowledge we speak of: it is 
 " given," 1 John v. 20, and is called seeing of God. 
 Job xiii. 5 ; Isa. vi. 5 ; Mic. vi. 9 ; " the true light," 
 1 John ii. 8 ; " the truth which is after godliness," 
 Tit. i. I ; " the mystery manifest to saints," Col. i. 
 26 ; " sound wisdom," Prov. ii. 7 ; " marvellous light," 
 1 Pet. ii. 9; "the light of life," John viii. 12; ex- 
 cellent knowledge, Phil. iii. 8 ; the teaching of God, 
 Psal. xxxii. 8, and his Spirit, John xiv. 26, according 
 to that in Isa. liv. 13, " All thy children shall be 
 taught of the Lord :" he speaks of Jerusalem in 
 covenant : God would give her spiritual children, 
 and they should have spiritual instruction, whereby 
 they should know Grd to be their God, a Father of 
 mercies, and God of consolations ; they should know 
 the riches of his grace, and things freely given them 
 of their God, all the good of the covenant. 
 
 Ver. 63. " That thou mayest remember, and be 
 confounded." Of remembering and being ashamed 
 was spoken in ver. 61 ; and of being confounded in 
 ver. 52, 54. 
 
 " And never open thy mouth any more." Hebrew 
 is, ns nrrs the words run thus, and there may not 
 be to thee further opening of thy mouth ; that is, that 
 thou mayest be silent, and not open thy mouth any
 
 414 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVI. 
 
 nioi-e. Ill the book of divine things you read of 
 several openings ; the opening of the hand, Deut. xv. 
 11 ; of the eyes, 2 Kings vi. 17; of the womb, Gen. 
 XXX. 22; of the ear, Job xxxvi. 10; of the lips and 
 mouth, Psal. li. 15; Ixxviii. 2: and likewise of 
 answerable shuttings, as the shutting of the hand, 
 Deut. XV. 7; of the eyes, Isa. vi. 10; of the womb, 
 1 Sam. i. 6; of the ears, Prov. xxi. 13; of the mouth, 
 Isa. lii. 15, " Kings shall shut their mouths at him;" 
 that is, they shall be silent and submit to Christ : so 
 here the not opening of the mouth imports silence, 
 patience, ([uiet submission ; Thou shalt have nothing 
 justly to complain of me, or excuse thyself; thou 
 shalt justify me in all my proceedings with thee, 
 give me glory, and take shame to thyself. 
 
 " When 1 am pacified towards thee." Hebrew 
 i?, '1B33 in my being propitious. "iB2 properly 
 signifieth to cover a thing, with that which cleav- 
 eth and sticks to the thing covered ; not with 
 dust, grass, earth, wood, for such things may easily 
 be removed; but with pitch, glue, cement, so that 
 the thing covered cannot easily be brought to sight 
 again. Gen. vi. 14, " Pitch it within and without 
 with pitch ;" it is the same word : when a thing is 
 pitched over, you cannot suddenly come at the sight 
 of it ; and by. way of metaphor it is applied to 
 the covering of sin, and wrath caused by sin. Isa. 
 xxii. 14, "This iniquity shall not be purged till ye 
 die.;" Hebrew is, covered. So Psal. Ixxviii. 38, " He 
 forgave their iniquity ;" Hebrew, he covLrcd it. 
 When sin is so covered as not to be seen again, it is 
 1 urged away, it is forgiven. So for WTath and anger 
 stirred up by sin : Gen. xxxii. 20, Jacob had ofiended 
 Esau by getting the blessing, and he .saith, I will 
 appease his face : Hebrew is, cover his face, or anger 
 that appears in the face. To come to our purpose ; 
 Jerusalem had sinned grievously, and God's anger 
 was greatly up, and something there must be to 
 cover her sins, and appease his wrath ; and that was, 
 the sacrifice, death, and blood of Christ, who is the 
 only covcrer of sin, and appeaser of anger : he is, 
 iXaa/ioi, the true propitiation for man's sin, and only pa- 
 cifier of God's anger, 1 John ii. 2. He is the peace- 
 maker, Eph. ii. 14, the purger of sin, Hcb. i. 3, the 
 Mediator, Heb. ix. 15, reconcihation, Eph. ii. 16. 
 
 Some read the words thus ; When I shall expiate 
 thee from all that thou hast done. Others, When I 
 shall pardon thee, or blot out all thou hast done. 
 
 Obs. 1. Godly sorrow and .shame for sin arises from 
 the right knowledge of God in the covenant of grace. 
 " I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou 
 shalt know that I am the Lord;" gracious, faithful, 
 merciful ; and what then ? " that thou maycst re- 
 member, and be confounded" and ashamed. Men's 
 sorrow is according to their knowledge ; a vulgar 
 knowledge, and a vulgar repentance ; a legal know- 
 ledge, and a legal repentance : but if the knowledge 
 be spiritual and evangelical, the fruit of the covenant, 
 men's repentance will be suitable ; sanctified know- 
 ledge will produce sanctified .shame, sorrow, and 
 tears. Zcch. xii. 10, " I will pour upon the house of 
 Da\Hd, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusahm, the 
 spirit of grace and of supplications : and they shall 
 l(.(ik upon me whom they have pierced, and they 
 shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only 
 son." When men are in covenant with God, and 
 have the spiritual knowledge of his love and bounty, 
 in giving Chri»t to take away sin, and look upon 
 him in his piercings and snU'crings by and for their 
 sins, then will they mourn with a great, but a spirit- 
 ual mourning, which is the most kindly and accept- 
 able. When we apprehend God to have taken us 
 into c<,veiiant w ith him, to be our God, to have done 
 great things for us, to have promi.ved gnat tilings to 
 
 us, and to have been very good to us, then the re- 
 membrance of our wretched ways causeth a holy 
 shame and a holy sorrow. 
 
 Obii. 2. Those who rightly know God in the cove- 
 nant of grace, will not murmur against or accuse 
 God for any of his dealings with them, but be silent 
 and submissive before him. They know God is in- 
 finitely wise, just, and holy ; that all their afflictions, 
 chastisements, troubles, temptations, sufl'erings, are 
 exceeding .short of what they deserve ; that nothing 
 conies to pass without his providence ; that he can 
 wrong none ; that he doth use unholy instruments 
 hohly, and hath holy ends in all his ways. Till men 
 know the Lord spiritually, in a covenant and gospel 
 manner, they are apt to open their mouths to accuse 
 and blame God ; yea, oft they utter unsavoury 
 speeches; but when it is known, it is otherwise. 
 Job i. 22, " In all this Job sinned not, nor charged 
 God foolishly :" he met with very hard things ; but 
 knowing God the right way, he opened nothismouth 
 against him, but for him, ver. 21. So David, Psal. 
 xxxix. 9, " 1 was dumb, I opened not my mouth, 
 because thou didst it." He was silent, and patiently 
 submitted unto the hand of God ; he neither accused 
 him, nor excused himself : If I be reproached, per- 
 secuted, afflicted any w ay, I know it is thy doing, 
 and I will be dumb. 
 
 When Absalom, that rebellious and unnatural son, 
 had driven David out of all, and sought his life ; 
 what said he to it? If God have no delight in me, 
 " behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth 
 good unto him." If he will have me cut off and cut 
 down by the hand of mine own wicked son, I am 
 content; if he will have me driven out from the holy 
 city and land, and live in a profane land amongst his 
 enemies, I leave it to him, let him do what he 
 pleases, I know what I have deserved, 2 Sam. xv. 
 26. When God sent out a fire which consumed Na- 
 dab and Abihu for ofl'cring strange fire, it was a sad 
 affliction even for a godly parent, and might have 
 made Aaron open his uuiulh ; but saith the text, 
 " he held his peace," Lev. x. 3. It is fit all flesh 
 should be silent before the Lord, as it is Zcch. ii. 
 13; and that every mouth should be stopped, Rom. 
 iii. 19. But most mouths are open against God, 
 more or less ; only those who have sjiiritual know- 
 ledge of him, and spiritual sorrow for their sins, are 
 most silent; what condition soever they be cast into, 
 they will say with the church, Mieah vii. 9, " We 
 will bear the indignation of the Lord, because we 
 have sinned against him." 
 
 Obs: 3. Sin is such an evil as provokes God. 
 "When I am pacified toward thee:" there can be 
 pacification where there is no provocation. Esth. 
 vii. 10, "Then was the king's wrath pacified:" Ha- 
 nian had offended Ahasuerus before, and being hang- 
 ed for it, his wrath was pacified. Eccles. x. 4, " Yield- 
 ing pacifieth great offences." If there were not 
 offence, no place would be found for pacification ; 
 where this is to be made, provocation hath gone be- 
 fore. Sin is that which provokes a God of patience 
 and long-suffering, it makes him angry and wrath- 
 ful : Jer. xliv. 8, "Ye provoke me to wrath." Sin 
 provokes him bitterly, Hos. xii. 14, and makes him 
 angry every day, Psal. vii. 1 1 ; yea, it provokes him 
 to jealousy, 1 Kings xiv. 22. Let us take heed of 
 sin, and offending God any way ; to kindle his anger 
 but a little is a dangerous thing, Psal. ii. 12. Paul 
 knew it when he said, " Do we provoke the Lord to 
 jealousy? are we stronger than he?" 1 Cor. x. 22. 
 We would not provoke a lion, a man of war, such a 
 one as S;,mson was; and shall we provoke God, who 
 puts all strength into beasts and men, who is a roar- 
 ing lion and the Lord of hosts ?
 
 Vek. 1— G. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 4:5 
 
 Obs. 4. Tliough sin do provoke God greatly and 
 bitterly, yet he is to be pacified. " When I am paci- 
 fied towards you;" he is not implacable. Jer. iii. 
 12, he saith, " 1 will not keep anger for ever." His 
 mercy endures for ever, but not his anger ; his wrath 
 is momentary, but his kindness is everlasting, Isa. 
 liv. 8. Aaron made an atonement for the people, 
 Numb. xvi. 4() ; Phinehas turned away his w rath, 
 Numb. XXV. 1 1 ; Moses prevailed with God, and 
 pacified liim when he was very angry, Exod. xxxii. 
 14. The Lord is " a God ready to pardon," Neh. 
 ix. 17; though men have sinned much, long, pro- 
 voked exceedingly ; yet if they sue unto him, he is 
 ready to forgive. When the man who owed ten thou- 
 sand talents came to the Lord for patience, " Have 
 patience with me, and I will pay thee all;" he did 
 not only forbear him, but forgave him. Matt, xviii. 
 26, 27. With men it falls out oft, that they will 
 never forgive ; but the Lord is forward to it. And 
 when the people were full of sin, had greatly tres- 
 passed, '' he, being full of compassion, forgave their 
 iniquity, and destroyed them not : yea, many a time 
 turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his 
 wrath," Psal. Ixxviii. 38. When man persists in sin, 
 God eeaseth from his WTath, and reacheth out mercy ; 
 Isa. Ivii. 17, 18, "I have seen his ways, and will 
 heal him." 
 
 Obs. 5. God's being pacitied towards a people is a 
 great mercy, which appears here in two things : 
 
 (1.) All that hath offended is passed by and for- 
 given. " When I am pacified towards thee for all 
 that thou hast done : " not for one, two, or three, or a 
 hundred things done, but for all done ; the idolatry, 
 oppression, pride, fulness of bread, idleness, neglect 
 of the poor, injustice, profaneness. Sec. When God 
 is once pacified, he is fully pacified for all sins. And 
 here is the greatness of divine grace, be sins never 
 so great, old, many, they are all done away. 
 
 (2.) He is so pacified, as that he will not be angry 
 again with them for those evil deeds. I told you in 
 the opening the words, that capliar notes such covering 
 of them, as they cannot easily be seen again ; expi- 
 ation, blotting out. Isa. xliii. 25, " I am he that 
 blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, 
 and will not remember thy sins ;" God so blots out 
 when he is pacified, as not to remember them. Heb. 
 viii. 12, God being in covenant, and so pacified to- 
 wards his people, he is " merciful to their unright- 
 eousness, and their iniquity will he remember no 
 more." Jer. 1. 20, " The iniquity of Israel shall be 
 sought for. and there shall be none ; and the sins of 
 Judah, and they shall not be found." 
 
 CHAPTER XVn. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 6. And (he word of the Lord came 
 unto me, saying, Son of man, put forth a riddle, 
 and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; 
 and say. Thus saith the Lord God; A great 
 eagle with great wings, long-winged, full of fea- 
 thers, which had divers colours, came unto Leba- 
 non, and took the highest branch of the cedar: 
 he cropped off the top of his young twigs, and car- 
 ried it into a land of trajick ; he set it in a city 
 of merchants. He took also of the seed of the 
 land, and planted it in a fruitful field ; he placed 
 it by great tvaters, and set it as a willow tree. 
 And it grew, and became a spreading iHne of low 
 stature, whose branches turned toivard him, and 
 
 the roots thereof were under him: so it became a 
 vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth 
 sprigs. 
 
 This 17th chapter contains, 
 
 L A preface, in the first two verses. 
 
 II. A riddle or parable, from the beginning of the 
 3rd to the end of the 8th verse. 
 
 III. The application of this parable, from the 1 1th 
 verse to the 22nd. 
 
 IV. A promise of mercy, from the 22nd to the 
 end. In the preface you have, 
 
 1. The author of what is prophesied in this chap- 
 ter, who is the Lord ; " The w ord of the Lord." 
 
 2. The instrument by which it was conveyed ; 
 Ezekiel, it came to him. 
 
 3. His appellation or title ; " Son of man." 
 
 4. A command laid upon him ; " Put forth, speak." 
 
 5. What; " a riddle, a parable." 
 
 6. Unto whom; " to the house of Israel." 
 
 I shall pass over all in the preface but these words, 
 " Put forth a riddle, and speak a parable," which I 
 shall open. 
 
 " Put forth a riddle." Hebrew is, riddle a riddle, 
 or sharpen a sharpening, whet a whetting. ^^^ sig- 
 nifies, to propound hard questions, difficult and ob- 
 scure theses, to sharpen and whet the understand- 
 ing. Judg. xiv. 12, "I will put forth a riddle." 
 Samson put it forth to try and exercise their wit. 
 Ver. 14, " They could not in three days expound the 
 riddle ;" for, saith Avenarius, it is acuteness rather 
 than search which discovers such secrets. 
 
 A riddle is a dark and subtle sentence or allegory, 
 containing a sense different ft-om the sound of the 
 words ; as that Judg. xiv. 14, " Out of the cater came 
 forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweet- 
 ness." The sense and meaning of the riddle is 
 another thing than the words import. The Septua- 
 gint here put Siijyrifia for riddle, which is a narration ; 
 but in other places 7rpd/3X?)/ja, a problem or hard 
 question, as Psal. Ixxviii. 2; Dan. wii. 23. The 
 Vulgate and others have it (enigma, from alviTTw, to 
 speak obscurely and perplexedly. 
 
 " Speak a parable." Hebrew, Sro Suxi of this 
 word was spoken, Ezek. xii. 22, where we insisted 
 largely upon it. There it is called " proverb," here 
 " piarable."' Masked is a sentence, a speech, axiom, 
 metaphor, allegory, which hath choiceness in it, and 
 is worthy memory. Solomon's wise and excellent 
 sayings are called Proverbs ; tried, proved words. 
 Parables are similitudes, much like unto riddles, 
 comprehending the same in them ; as Psal. lxx\-iii. 
 2, compared with Matt. xiii. 35. Mashal and chtdosh 
 are called parables or similitudes. Heb. xi. li', 
 Abraham received Isaac from the dead, iv TrafiajSuXij, 
 " in a figure ;" figuratively, or representatively, he 
 was dead, and rose. The rabbles say it was in the 
 hand of a parable ; here was a lively parable or 
 representation of his death and resurrection. The 
 words are used promiscuously here ; and whether 
 riddles or parables, they present one thing in words, 
 another in sense, and require interpretation. 
 
 The papists assert the Scriptures are obscure. 
 Barradius the Jesuit saith they are enigmatical, and 
 lirings this place for it ; " Son of man, put forth a 
 riddle, speak a parable unto the house of Israel :" 
 but he forgot the explication of the riddle and para- 
 ble afterwards in the chapter. And the father saith, 
 if a thing be spoken obscurely in one place, it is 
 cleared up in another. 
 
 We grant there are riddles, parables, hard and 
 deep things in the Scriptures ; 1 Cor. xv. 29 ; Heb. 
 vi. 4, and many places in the Revelation and other 
 books, are difficult, obscure ; and the wisdom of God
 
 41 J 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVII. 
 
 is seen in it ; for hereby man's priure is stained and 
 beaten down, his abilities, whatever, moral or spirit- 
 ual, exercised, and the dignity of Scripture kepi up , 
 but in things neccessary to salvation it is plain and 
 easy. Timothy knew the Scriptures when he was a 
 child, 2 Tim. iii. 15. And they are compared unto 
 a light, shining in a dark place, '2 Pet. i. 19. And 
 Christ gives thanks, that the Father hid the things 
 of the gospel from the wise and prudent, and re- 
 vealed them unto babes, Matt. si. 25. And Chrysos- 
 tom saith the Scriptures are so divinely written, 
 that all may read them profitably, both idiots and 
 artists. 
 
 The holy Scriptures are frequent in parables ; 
 some say they are as many as the weeks in the year, 
 fifty-two. Our prophet and Christ do much parabo- 
 lize. The use of parables is, 
 
 1. To veil divine things, and keep them secret 
 from the knowledge of profane and wicked spirits, 
 as Matt. xiii. 13-^15. 
 
 2. To help the memory. Parables are taken from 
 things obvious to the senses, and so make a stronger 
 impression upon the memory : as similes are better 
 remembered than naked truths, they take stronger 
 hold of a man's memory ; so parables. , 
 
 3. To stir and quicken the affections and spirits of 
 men. There is a sweetness in truths conveyed by 
 parables, so that they please and provoke to a 
 further inquisition after knowledge. When Ciirist 
 had spoken in parables, the disciples came to him 
 and said, Declare unto us these parables, Matt. xiii. 
 36; XV. 15. 
 
 4. To convince, and that strongly. When David 
 sinned greatly in .slaying Uriah, and defUing Bath- 
 sheba, Nathan came with a parable unto him of a 
 rich man having flocks and herds, and a poor man 
 having one lamb, which the rich man took from the 
 poor man, and slew for his friend. David heai-ing 
 this, gives sentence ; " As the Lord liveth, the man 
 ■who hath done this thing shall surely die." Saith 
 Nathan, " Thou art the man." Now David's mouth 
 was stopped, the conviction strong, he had sentenced 
 himself, 2 Sam. xii. 1 — 7- So the parable of the 
 householder letting out his vineyard to husbandmen, 
 who beat his servants, and slew his son : When the 
 Lord comes what will he do to those men? They 
 being convinced of this great injustice, pass sentence 
 against themselves, and say, " He will miserably 
 destroy those wicked men," Matt. xxi. 41. 
 
 It is the third use our prophet intends here, viz. 
 to quicken their attention, affections, and spirits to 
 those things he was to commend unto them ; which 
 had they been in a common and familiar style, they 
 would not have listened unto ; but being in a para- 
 bolizing w'ay, they caused the greater attention, and 
 made the stronger impression. 
 
 Obs. The wisdom of God in giving out Scripture. 
 He ordered it so that all should not be given out in 
 one way, but in several ways, fitting it to the capaci- 
 ties, conditions, and necessities of people ; some parts 
 are given out in higher strains, others in lower ; some 
 in a plain manner, others in parables and riddles. 
 Isaiah is lofty, Amos is low ; sometimes Christ spake 
 plainly, sometimes parabolically ; and Ezekiel some- 
 times is in visions and hieroglyphicals, sometimes in 
 riddles and parables, and sometimes he passes at a 
 lower rate. The manifold wisdom of God shines in 
 it ; hereby he invites men to mind his word, to be 
 affected with it so, that, whether great or small, we 
 might repent of our sins, and prevent his judgments. 
 
 We come now to the riddle and parable itself. 
 
 Ver. 3. A great eagle with great wings, long- 
 winged, full of feathers, which had divers colours. 
 
 came unto Lehanon, and took the highest branch 
 of the cedar. 
 
 This parable leads us to the consideration of Ne- 
 buchadnezzar king of Babylon, who is likened unto 
 an eagle. This eagle is discovered, 
 
 I. Prom its greatness ; " A great eagle," &c. 
 
 II. From the extent of its wings; "long-winged." 
 
 III. From its featheriness ; " full of feathers." 
 
 IV. From the variety of these feathers ; " which 
 had divers colours." 
 
 V. From its actions, two whereof are set down in 
 this verse ; 
 
 1. He "came to Lebanon." 
 
 2. He " took the highest branch of the cedar." 
 
 " A great eagle." This eagle is called the king 
 of Babylon, ver. 12, who was Nebuchadnezzar ; and 
 now it concerns us to see the correspondency be- 
 tween him and an eagle, and upon what groimds it 
 is that he is so called. Some have told us an eagle 
 was the Babylonian ensign ; but that is denied 
 by those who affirm a dove to be their ensign, which 
 they gather fi-om Jer. xxv. 38, where the words, 
 " because of the fierceness of the oppressor," in the 
 original are, because of the fierceness of the dove : 
 and in Jer. xlvi. 16; 1. 16, where the words arc, 
 " the oppressing sword," in the original they are, 
 the sword of the dove ; that is, the sword of Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, who bare in his ensign a dove : but 
 the root whence n:i< a dove, comes, is n:' which 
 signifies to oppress, and therefore is not amiss ren- 
 dered by our translators in the places mentioned ; 
 and so hath not sufficient strength to prove that the 
 ensign of the Chaldeans or Babylonians was a dove. 
 It might be an eagle, notwithstanding this conjec- 
 ture ; but because both these opinions are imcertain, 
 we shall inquire after truth. 
 
 1. Eagles mind high and great things; flies and 
 petty things they look not after. Eagles soar aloft, 
 and are m the clouds : Job xxxix. 27, the eagle 
 mounts up, and makes her nest on high : so Nebu- 
 chadnezzar had a high spirit, and minded high, gi-eat 
 things, as monarchs and princes do. He made an 
 image of gold, sixty cubits in height, and six in 
 breadth, Dan. iii. 1. He minded kingdoms and na- 
 tions, Jer. xxvii. 8. His heart was lifted up high 
 when he said, " Is not this great Babylon, that I 
 have built for the house of tlie kingdom by the might 
 of my power, and for the honour of my majesty ?" 
 Dan. iv. 30. He set his nest on high above others. 
 
 2. Eagles are swift in their flight and motions. 
 Job xxxix. 30, " Where the slain are, there is she :" 
 she flies swiftly to the prey, and upon all occasions. 
 Deut. xxviii. 49, God threatened if they sinned, to 
 bring " a nation as swift as the eagle flieth." Jer. iv. 
 13, speaking of Nebuchadnezzar, " He shall come up 
 as clouds, and his chariots as a whirlwind ; his 
 horses are swifter than eagles." They found it so ; 
 Lam. iv. 19, "Our persecutors are swifter than 
 the eagles of heaven." Alexander was quick in his 
 undertakings; Julius Ca;sar expeditious; and Nebu- 
 chadnezzar had his excellency : Jer. xlviii. 40, " He 
 shall fly as an eagle, and spread his wings over 
 Moab." 
 
 .3. Strong and cruel ; they are the chief of all 
 which have wings, they are stronger than other 
 fowls: Isa. xl. 31, " They shall mount up with wings 
 as eagles." They have much strength in them, and 
 being strong, do gripe and tear their prey cruelly. 
 Job xxxix. 30, " Her young ones also suck up blood." 
 It is natural to the eagle to be bloody. So Nebu- 
 chadnezzar was strong and cruel. Nations served 
 him, Jer. xxvii. 7- He is called an " oppressor," 
 Isa. xiv. 4. " He smote the people in wrath with
 
 Ver. 3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 417 
 
 a continual stroke, he ruled the nations in anger ; 
 persecuted, and none hindered," ver. 6. This Ne- 
 buchadnezzar broke the bones of Israel, Jer. 1. 17. 
 He heated the fiery furnace seven times hotter than 
 ever, and caused the tliree childi'en to be thrown in, 
 Dan. iii. 19, 21. 
 
 4. Eagles are quick-sighted : Job xxxix. 28, 29, she 
 sits upon the rock, " and her eyes behold afar oft." 
 And we use to say of men sagacious and discerning, 
 that they are eagle-eyed. Nebuchadnezzar sat on 
 high in a throne, and so other princes, and they see 
 afar oft'; they see where prey is to be had ; they are 
 greedy of honour, greatness, and wealth, and look 
 every way, far and near, to find out what may satisfy ; 
 they have eyes and spies in all ])arts of their king- 
 doms, to search and sift out things, and make them 
 known unto them. 
 
 " Great." This eagle was no ordinary eagle : 
 Nebuchadnezzar was a great king ; Dan. ii. 37, 
 " Thou, O king, art a king of kings ; for the God of 
 heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, strength, 
 and glory." He was great in titles, great in attend- 
 ants, great in possessions, great in power, and great 
 in name. 
 
 " With great wings." This notes his power. 
 AVings are for motion and flight. Nebuchadnezzar 
 had power to move, and move speedily, as you heard 
 before, for his power w^as great. By wings we may 
 understand his military forces : Jer. xlix. 22, " Be- 
 hold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and 
 spread his wings over Bozrah." 
 
 " Long-winged." Hebrew is, long in feather or 
 wing. If you will refer this to the long spears the 
 Babylonians used, you may ; but I rather judge it is 
 meant of the vast and extensive greatness of this 
 king ; for, Dan. iii. 3, there were many provinces 
 under him, " all the rulers of the provinces were 
 gathered unto him." Chap. iv. 1, " Nebuchadnez- 
 zar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, 
 that dwell in all the earth." His wings were long, 
 that reached to all people : and more than this ; ver. 
 22, " O king, thy greatness is grown, and reacheth 
 unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the 
 earth." He had the largest dominions of any prince 
 then living. 
 
 " Full of feathers." Hebrew, fuU of feather, the 
 singular put for the plural. Tlie Septuagint is, full 
 of nails or talons. Others read the words as we do. 
 What is meant by feathers must be seen. Some do 
 understand thereby the great riches and wealth this 
 king had, they were his feathers ; and it is a com- 
 mon speech among us, that when men are grown 
 rich, we say they have feathered their nests : and 
 the Germans, when they will punish a man's purse, 
 say, his feathers must be lessened. This eagle had 
 store of these feathers ; his empire was oriental, and 
 had exceeding great riches in it : so ftdl of gold, 
 that the king made such an image thereof, as the 
 world never saw before or since, Dan. iii. 1. 
 
 But without prejudice to this opinion, I conceive 
 principally by feathers people are understood ; they 
 are the feathers of kings. Prov. xiv. 28, " In the 
 multitude of people is the king's honour : but in the 
 want of people is the destruction of the prince." A 
 king may want wealth, and yet be in honour; if 
 the hearts of the people cleave to him, like feathers 
 to the body of an eagle, there is his honour : but 
 though he have treasures of gold and silver, and no 
 people, he is without honour, he is at the border of 
 destruction. That which invites me thus to inter- 
 pret feathers, is the next words ; 
 
 " Which had divers colours." Hebrew is, varie- 
 gation, or variety. We had the word in chap. xvi. 
 10, where I penned it at large, and therefore shall 
 2 E 
 
 not criticize upon itatall. Septuagint turns it,T6 I'lyriiia 
 hatXOuv, tacitly implying the people by feathers ; 
 for, not his wealth, but his people, had a will and 
 desire to come to Lebanon, and spoil the Jews. 
 
 Besides, as the feathers of the eagle are of divers 
 colours, and carry a kind of embroidery upon them 
 which adorn her much ; so these people were of di- 
 vers colours, being of divers provinces, and of divers 
 customs, manners, habits, ranks, and orders, which 
 served Nebuchadnezzar in his wars with the Jews ; 
 and this variety was an embroidering of the army, 
 and a glory to the king. 
 
 The next thing is the action of this eagle, which 
 is twofold : 
 
 1. He comes to Lebanon. Lebanon is a moun- 
 tain in Canaan, rising fi'oni the back of Sidon, and 
 running fifteen hundred furlongs towards Symira, as 
 Masius observes out of Pliny. It is a liill very high, 
 delightful, and fruitful. It is so called fi-om the 
 whiteness of it ; for the height is such, that the snow 
 continues upon it ; Jer. xviii. 14, " Will a man leave 
 the snow of Lebanon ? " or from the abundance of 
 frankincense there, which is white. It is very 
 delightful by reason of the sweet frankincense 
 trees which grow there, as also the sweet cedars, 
 (Cant. iv. 11, " The smell of thy garments is as the 
 smell of Lebanon,'") whereof it is very fi'uitful, 
 as appears I Kings v. 6, and thrived greatly, Psal. 
 xcii. 12, and excelled. Cant. v. 15. Of the cedars 
 which grew upon this mountain Solomon built the 
 temple, which therefore metonymically is called Le- 
 banon : Zech. xi. 1, " Open thy doors, Lebanon ;" 
 that is, temple, which are built of the goodly cedars 
 which grew upon that mountain, open thy doors. 
 This eagle Nebuchadnezzar came to Lebanon ; that 
 is, invaded the holy land wdiich lay contiguous to 
 Lebanon. 
 
 " And took the highest branch of the cedar." 
 Hebrew, the top ; Septuagint, the choice things ; 
 Vulgate is, the marrow of the cedar. The Hebrew 
 is plural, and notes not one, but many branches, the 
 highest branches ; but most interpreters render it 
 singularly, and understand by it Jehoiachin king 
 of Judah. There is much written by Pliny of the 
 cedar, which rather hath a show of truth, than 
 reality. It is a tree of goodly stature, and therefore 
 they are called cedars of God ; Psal.lxxx. 10, "Like 
 the goodly cedars," Hebrew is, cedars of God. And 
 the wood of it is very durable ; therefore the temple 
 was built of it, and Solomon made himself a chariot 
 of it, Cant. iii. 9. 
 
 The cedar is in Scripture used to set forth a 
 flourishing condition: Psal. xcii. 12, "The righte- 
 ous shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon." Numb, 
 xxiv. 5, (), Jacob's tents and tabernacles were goodly 
 " as cedar trees beside the waters." Here the king- 
 dom of Judah is represented by the cedar, whicli 
 was very high and flourishing; so you may see the 
 state of the Amorites, Amos ii. 9, " whose height was 
 like the height of the cedars." And as cedars have 
 some branches higher than others, so had this stale 
 a top-branch, Jeccmiah. 
 
 The taking away the highest branch, was the re- 
 moval of the king "from his throne, 2 Kings xxiv. 
 
 Ver. 4. He cropped off" the top of his young 
 twigs, and carried it into a land of truffick ; he 
 set it in a city oj' merchants. 
 
 The prophet here proceeds in setting down the 
 actions of the great eagle he had spoken of before ; 
 and here are three actions : 
 
 I. Cropping. 
 
 II. CaiTving.
 
 418 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVII. 
 
 III. Setting. 
 
 He cropped the top of the cedar's young twigs. 
 
 He carried it ; whither ? into a hind of traffick. 
 
 He set it ; where ? in a city of merchants. 
 
 " He crojjped oft' the top of his young twigs." 
 Hebrew is, lie pulled away the head of his tender 
 branches, nip':' is from p:' to suck, because those 
 tender shoots or branches do suck the juice of the 
 tree. Septuagint is, he hath cut oft", or taken away, 
 the top of his tenderness. 
 
 These twigs or plants were the nobility of Judah, 
 the princes and potentates that were highest in the 
 kingdom, and next unto the king. These did Nebu- 
 chadnezzar deprive of their power and greatness, and 
 so spoiled the glory of the land ; those who were 
 most eminent he took away. Being young himself, 
 he had such about him. 
 
 " And carried it into a land of traflick." Hebrew is, 
 into the land of Canaan ; and so the Septuagint. 
 But the word Canaan is not to be taken properly, 
 but appellatively, and notes Chaldea, which is so 
 called, because it is a land of trading and merchan- 
 dizing ; for Cenaan in Hebrew is a merchant. Prov. 
 xxxi. 24, " She dclivereth girdles unto the mer- 
 chant," ':j,'jdS so it is used Isa. xxiii. 8 ; Hos. xii. 7- 
 And some render that in Zech. xiv. 21, " In that 
 day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the 
 house of the Lord," a merchant in the house of the 
 Lord. Chaldea was a land of traffic, as ajipears by 
 Rev. xviii. 11, "The merchants of the earth shall 
 weep over Babylon, for no man buytth their mer- 
 chandise any more." And it follows in our prophet, 
 
 " He set it in a city of merchants." The word 
 here for merchant is Sdi and noteth especially 
 merchandizing in sweet things, grocery, spicery, 
 perfumes, powders; and therefnre in Cant. iii. (i, 
 " With all powders of the merchant," it is the same 
 word, and imports they dealt in myrrh, frankincense, 
 and all powders. 
 
 The meaning of this verse is, that Nebuchadnezzar 
 took away the chief men, princes, nobles, counsel- 
 lors, judges, warriors, and carried them to Babylon, 
 and set them amongst those who were merchants, 
 trading for the chief things the world had. This 
 vou may see in ver. 12, and also in 2 Kings xxiv. 
 12, 14— IG. 
 
 Ver. .5. He took also of the seed of the hind, 
 and planted it in a fi-uitfnl Jield ; he placed it hy 
 great waters, and set it as a willow tree. 
 
 " The seed of the land." Jehoiachin, the princes 
 and nobles, being captives in Babylon, he took 
 Mattaniah, who was of the seed of the land of Judah, 
 not of Babylon ; of the seed of the cedars, for he was 
 of the blood-royal, uncle unto Jehoiachin, 2 Kings 
 xxiv. 17; him did Nebuchadnezzar set up for king, 
 and changed his name, calling him Zedekiah. His 
 first name was Mattaniah, signifying the gift of God, 
 and according to the Syriac, the expectation of God ; 
 this he had from Josiah that godly king, whose son 
 he was. His second name was Zedekiah, given 
 him by Nelmchadnezzar a lieathen king, which 
 signifies, the justice of God, whereby he minded 
 him, being set up king by him, and sworn to be sub- 
 ject unto him, 2 Cliron. xxxvi. 13, of the justice of 
 God if he .should break with him. 
 
 " Planted it in a fniilful field." Hebrew, in a 
 field of seed, in a field fit to receive and fertile to 
 bring forth : he did not plant it in Babylon, or any 
 other province of liis, but in Jiidea, \vhich was "a 
 fruitful place, Isa. v. 1 ; it was a land which fiowed 
 with milk and honey, and abounded with good 
 things, exceeding all lands, Ezek. xx. G. 
 
 " He placed it by great waters." Husbandmen 
 when they plant trees are observant of the soil, 
 whether dry or moist. So here, Nebuchadnezzar 
 placed this seed and young pilant Zedekiah (for he 
 was but twenty-one years old when he began to 
 reign, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 11) near unto or among the 
 waters, that so he might root, grow, and bring forlh 
 fruit. 
 
 Jehoiachin was planted before, but he took no 
 rooting; he reigned but three months and ten days, 
 2 Chron. xxxvi. 9, and then was plucked up ; but 
 Nebuchadnezzar aimed at the rooting and settling of 
 Zedekiah. The Vulgate reads it, that he might 
 strengthen his roots upon or amongst the great 
 waters. Some by waters understand people : so 
 Rev. xvii. 1, the whore sat " upon many waters;" 
 which, ver. 15, are interpreted people : they are 
 inconstant, movable this way or that way, as waters 
 are. By waters are to be understood the poor. 
 
 " And set it as a willow tree." Hebrew, he put 
 it a willow, or as a willow, so interpreters have ren- 
 dered it, but upon what ground I cannot find; for 
 the word nsvsv is either from a w'ord which is to 
 peep, make a noise like birds, as it is in Isa. viii. 19; 
 X. 14. And so Avenarius deriving the word from 
 hence, interprets our prophet thus, Siridore el sibilo 
 emisso posuit semen quod ore sustulerat oqiiita. He 
 set it with noise and muttering. It is like Nebu- 
 chadnezzar was troubled at the doings of former 
 kings, both Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin, and therefore 
 might murmur at the setting up of Zedekiah. Or 
 else it is from a word that signifies to spy, watch, ob- 
 serve, and so signifies circumsjiection,and here is used 
 adverbially, and may thus be rendered, he set it most 
 circumspectly, or with great circumspection ; and so 
 botli Junius, PiscatoY, and Polanus do render it. 
 The Septuagint is, iTnjiXnroiuvof, he looked into the 
 thing; fearing lest he should fall off, he took an 
 oath of fidelity of him, and he became tributary to 
 him. 
 
 Ver. 6. And it grew, and became a spreading 
 vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward 
 him, and the roots thereof were tinder him: so it 
 became a vine, and brought forth branches, and 
 shot forth sprigs. 
 
 Here you have the effects of the seed planted ; the 
 meaning is this, that Zedekiah being advanced to 
 the throne, he reigned; and while grateful and faith- 
 ful to Nebuchadnezzar who raised him, he prospered. 
 
 " It grew." This plant or seed budded presently, 
 he let the people of Judah see and know that he 
 had power. 
 
 " Became a spreading vine." Hebrew is, a luxu- 
 riant vine. The vine abounds with leaves and sjirigs, 
 and runs out far. Zedekiah increased in riches, 
 friends, power, strength, but never came to any con- 
 siderable greatness : he was not like the tall cedar, 
 but as a low vine ; for it follows, 
 
 " Of low stature." Hebrew is, low in stature ; 
 the vine is a plant that creeps upon the earth, and 
 grows not high, unless helped by others. Septua- 
 gint saith, he became a weak vine, and little in 
 greatness. There was as much difl'erence between 
 his reign and Jehoiachin's, us between a tall cedar 
 and a low shrub: he was under Nebuciiadnezzar. 
 
 " Whose branches turned toward him." Some 
 doubt there is, whether this "him" be Nebuchad- 
 nezzar the eagle, or Zedekiah tlie vine : to me if is 
 apparent Nebuchadnezzar is pointed at ; for both 
 Zcflekiah and his branches did depend upon the 
 king of Babylon; and whilst they looked to him, 
 and kept covenant, they flourished, both root and
 
 Ver. 6. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 419 
 
 branches grew and spread ; but when they failed to 
 perform engagements, the branches were plucked 
 off, and the vine rooted up. 
 
 " The roots thereof were under him." Nebuchad- 
 nezzar gave rooting to this vjne ; what power soever 
 Zedekiah had, it was under him ; he planted it in 
 Judea, his own country, tied him to conditions, 
 would have defended him from any other invasive 
 power, and had it in his hand to hold him under, or 
 to make him a free prince again at his pleasure. 
 The root hath life, communicates virtue, and bears 
 up the body and branches. But whence hath it all ? 
 is it not from the earth, in and under which it is ? 
 so Zedekiah had his political or kingly life, all his 
 power and strength, from Nebuchadnezzar, under 
 whom he was. 
 
 OA.y. 1. That heathen princes may come to much 
 greatness. Nebuchadnezzar, who was a heathen, 
 is called an eagle, who is the chief of all birds ; and 
 not simply an eagle, but a great eagle, with great 
 and long wings, full of feathers. He had great 
 power, great territories, multitudes of people, yea, 
 kings and princes under him. Dan. ii. 37, 38, 
 " Thou, O king, art a king of kings : for the God 
 of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, strength, 
 and glory. And wheresoever the children of men 
 dwell, the beasts of the tield and the fowls of the 
 heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath 
 made thee ruler over them all." He had vast power 
 over men, fowls, and beasts ; he was the greatest 
 eagle of those times. 
 
 Profane authors make an eagle an emblem of ma- 
 jesty and greatness. King Pyrrhus would be called 
 an eagle, as Plutarch observes in his Life. Alexan- 
 der the Great, that day he was born, two eagles were 
 seen to sit upon the top of the house, which pre- 
 saged his greatness ; for he conquered Europe and 
 Asia, two great parts of the world ; he was an eagle 
 that had great and long wings, which extended from 
 east to west. Ahasuerus was such an eagle, he 
 " reigned from India even unto Ethiopia, over an 
 hundred and seven and twenty provinces," Esth. i. ]. 
 
 06.V. 2. Princes, potentates, who are the eagles of 
 the v.orld, have an ill eye at the church and people 
 of God. This great eagle came to Lebanon, his eye 
 was upon the Jews that dwelt in the holy land, that 
 were the only people of God, and them he made a 
 prey of. Eagles have piercing eyes, strong beaks, 
 terrible talons ; and let the doves look to it, if any 
 be in danger, it is they ; not puttocks, kites, buzzards 
 do eagles mind, but doves. The church is in holy 
 writ called a dove. Cant. vi. 9; Psal. Ixxiv. 19; and 
 it is subject to spoil and prey. The eagles have 
 their eyes upon it, and watch their opportunity to 
 tear and devour it. Did not Sennacherib, that great 
 eagle, who had strong and long wings, come to 
 Judah and take the defenced cities thereof? came 
 he not up to the gates and walls of Jerusalem, with 
 full purpose to spoil and devour? Isa. xxxvi. 1, 2. 
 Did he not say, " I am come to the sides of Lebanon, 
 and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the 
 choice fir trees thereof," chap, xxxvii. 24. It is 
 Zion, Lebanon, Jerusalem, that the monarchs and 
 great ones of the earth have spite at. Did not the 
 great ones of Edom, Ishmael, Moab, Hagaren, Gebal, 
 Ammon, Amaiek, of the Philistines, Tyrians, and 
 Assyrians, conspire together against God's people, 
 consult against his hidden ones, and say, " Come, let 
 us cut them oif from being a nation, that the name 
 of Israel may be no more in remembrance," Psal. 
 Ixxxiii. Mount Scir " had a perpetual hatred against 
 the children of Israel," Ezrk. xxxv. 5. Ammon, 
 Moab, and mount Seir, though spared by the Israel- 
 ites when they came out of Egypt ; yet they came 
 2 E 2 
 
 against Jehoshaphat and Judah to cast them out of 
 their possessions, 2 Chron. xx. 10, II. They would 
 not only plunder them, but root them out; they 
 would utterly extirpate them, and the memory o'f 
 them. Such was the intention and attempt of Ha- 
 man. Do not the eagles and great ones of the earth 
 seek to lay waste Zion, and root out the generation 
 of the righteous ? 
 
 Obs. 3. States may rise to a great height, even the 
 height of cedars. The Jewish state is called a cedar, 
 yea, a cedar upon Lebanon, a hill. Cedars are very 
 high : 2 Kings xix. 2:3, " The tall cedars ;" Hebrew 
 is, the tallness of cedars : Amos ii. 9, " Whose 
 height was like the height of cedars." And they 
 were higher than fir trees ; Zech. xi. 2, " Howl, fir 
 tree ; for the cedar is fallen :" inferiors howl, mouni, 
 when higher than themselves do fall. 
 
 The Jewish state being likened to a cedar, was 
 great, high, glorious, powerful, God prospered it so 
 that it flourished greatly ; it was like the cedar for 
 tallness, but not for sweetness, for Jehoiachin, who 
 was the top of this cedar, " did evil in the sight of 
 the Lord," 2 Kings xxiv. 9. 
 
 Obs. 4. No kings or kingdoms are so high or 
 great, but the Lord can bring them down, and abase 
 them. A great eagle comes and crops the highest 
 branch of the cedar, and the top of his young twigs ; 
 Jehoiachin, the princes and nobles, are taken away 
 by him, and deprived of all their greatness and glory. 
 The top of this tall cedar was broken oft', and thrown 
 to the groimd, and it was done by the counsel, ap- 
 pointment, and providence of God : " Thus saith the 
 Lord, A great eagle came to Lebanon." God sent 
 this eagle to do it : he hath means, ways, times, to 
 un-power kingdoms, to un-king kings, to un-noble 
 nobles ; he can at his pleasure remove kings, and 
 take them and others from all rule and government. 
 Dan. ii. 20, 21, "Wisdom and might are his; he 
 changeth the times and the seasons ;" the times of all 
 slates, empires, governments, are in his hand, and he 
 removes the kings and governors of them at his 
 pleasure. Job tells us, " he looseth the bond of 
 kings," chap. xii. 18; the bond of kings is their au- 
 thoritj', the laws and covenants, by which people 
 are bound unto them ; the Lord takes away the one, 
 and makes people regardless of the other. "He 
 leadeth princes away spoiled, and overthroweth the 
 mighty," ver. 19 ; " he poureth contempt upon 
 princes," ver. 21 : thus did he deal by Jehoiachin, 
 he loosed his bond, led him away, spoiled, and made 
 him contemptible. 
 
 Sometimes God takes them off from the throne by 
 a stroke in war ; so Ahab was removed, 1 Kings xxii. 
 Sometimes by the act of their own hand ; so Saul, 
 1 Sam. xxxi. 4. Sometimes by stirring up their own 
 subjects against them ; so Nebuchadnezzar, this 
 great eagle, that cropped the cedars of Lebanon, was 
 driven from his nest by the inferior birds : Dan. iv. 
 
 32, " They shall drive thee from men, and thy dwell- 
 ing shall be with the boasts of the field ;" and, ver. 
 
 33, " he was driven from men." Christian, king of 
 Denmark, was ]iut from the throne by his nobles for 
 his great cruelty, himself, wife, and three children, 
 banished, as Sleid. 1. 4. The Roman emperors were 
 sixty-three, and only six died a natural and peace- 
 able death, as Fitzherbert obscrvetlr in his treatise 
 concerning Policy and Religion, p. 2. c. 13. They 
 were bloody, tyrannical, and God took them off by 
 unnatural deaths. 
 
 Other kingdoms, and this also, can tell you of 
 cedars whose top-branches have been cropped : how 
 it fared with Edward II. is not unknown to you. 
 
 If kings would not have Goil to loose their bonds, 
 let them take heed how they break his bonds, and
 
 420 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVII. 
 
 go beyond the bounds of religion and justice which 
 he sets them. 
 
 Obi: 5. Though God do deprive great ones of 
 great mercies, yet not always of all mercies. "The 
 highest branch of the eedar, and the top of his young 
 twigs," are cropped, but they are not thrown away, or 
 thrown into the tire ; but they arc " carried into a 
 land of traffiek, and set in a city of merchants." 
 Jelioiaehin, the princes, and glory of the land, are 
 deprived ot^ their power and greatness ; that was a 
 sad affliction ; but they were provided for in a strange 
 land, suffered to trade and live. God mingles mercy 
 with judgments ; yea, when they are great, sharp, 
 proclaim the severity of God, yet even tlien there is 
 some matter of comfort twisted together with them ; 
 if there be severity on the one hand, there is good- 
 ness on the other. 
 
 It seemed to be the height of rigour to pull Je- 
 hoiaehin, a young king, from tlu' throne, and to 
 deprive him and the nobles of all tlie comforts that 
 Canaan, Jerusalem, and the temple could aflbrd ; but 
 it was not. Their limbs miglit have been pulled 
 from them, their eyes put out, their lives taken away ; 
 but these are spared, and tlicy are seated, not in a 
 country village, but in a city, and a city of merchants, 
 that so tliey might have commerce with men of 
 quality, be taken up witli merchandizing affairs, 
 and not mind their losses too much. 
 
 Obs. 6. God prevents men's expectations, and 
 raises up to that honour and greatness they looked 
 not for. God ordered the spirit of Nebuchadnezzar 
 so, tliat " he took of tlie seed of the land, and planted 
 it;" that is, he made Zedekiah kin^, who looked not 
 for it. He was Jehoiachin's fatlier's brotlier, 2 
 Kings xxiv. 17; and, seeing the cedar of Lebanon 
 now cropped, had httle cause to think himself, or 
 any of the Jewish race, should be advanced: he 
 might have concluded warrantably that himself 
 should have been carried into Babylon, set in tlie 
 city of merchants, and not have abode in Canaan, be 
 planted in the fruitful field and cit}' of God; but 
 God's thoughts are not the thoughts of men, he 
 exalts whom he pleases : Psal. Ixxv. 6, 7, " Promotion 
 is neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from 
 the south ; but God is the Judge ; he putteth down 
 one, and setteth up another," and doth it unexpect- 
 edly many times. Saul, when looking for asses, had 
 a kingdom, and kingly honour, bestowed on him, 
 
 1 Sam. ix. x. When David's thoughts were upon 
 the sheep and sheepfolds, God's thoughts were upon 
 him for higher purposes ; he took him from his 
 sheep and sheepfolds to feed Jacob his people, and 
 Israel, iSce. Psalm Ixxviii. /O, /l- How unexpectedly 
 were Hazael and Jehu raised to kingly dignity, 
 
 2 Kings viii. 13 ; ix. 5, 6. Joseph in Egypt, Daniel, 
 Mordecai, and Esther, in Babylon ; did not God pre- 
 vent their thoughts, and set them higher than their 
 expectations advanced ? Hannah saw, and confessed 
 it long since, that the Lord " raiseth up the poor out 
 of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the 
 dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make 
 them inherit the throne of glory." Poor and mean 
 men look not for such high "things, but the Lord 
 freely bestows it on them : Psal. cxiii. 8, he sets 
 them with princes. 
 
 _ Obs. 7. The disposing of subdued kingdoms is a 
 difficult work, and requires wisdom, care, and cau- 
 tion. Nebuchadnezzar had subdued the land of 
 Canaan, and what doth he ? he wisely takes " of the 
 seed of the laud," not of the seed of "Babylon, not a 
 stranger, which would have bred divisions, conten- 
 tions, wars, and blood, Init one of themselves, and 
 places amongst them, and that with circumspection. 
 He made things sure as he could for himself, and 
 
 sure for Zedekiah, whom he planted amongst and 
 set over the people ; he was very circumspect in (his 
 weighty business ; so the word saphaapliah signifies : 
 men of this world are wise in their generations. 
 This king, when he took away Jelioiaehin, " carried 
 away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the 
 mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, 
 and all the craftsmen and smiths, the king's wives, 
 and his officers, and all that were apt for w ar, and 
 none remained save the poorest sort of the land," 
 2 Kings xxiv. I-l — 16. He took away all tb.at might 
 be of use to the new king ; he woidd leave him none 
 to give him ill counsel, or assist him in ill enter- 
 prises ; he planted him " by gTcat waters," among 
 multitudes of poor people, that had little for them- 
 selves, and less for their king. 
 
 Obs. 8. Tributary princes and kingdoms at first 
 are respectful and grateful to those that they depend 
 upon. Zedekiah was planted by Nebuchadnezzar 
 in Judea, and his branches turned toward him, and 
 the roots were under him : himself, and those who 
 belonged to him, acknowledged their dependence on 
 Nebuchadnezzar. Kindness, favour, is to be owned 
 and confessed, though from strangers and heathens. 
 He sent to Nebuchadnezzar, Jer. xxix. 3, yea, he 
 went to him, Jer. li. 59 ; so that he was very ob- 
 servable of him. And while he was content with 
 this condition of being under that potent king, and 
 faithful in keeping covenant, and performing articles 
 agreed upon, he and the kingdom thrived; it is said 
 of him, " he grew, and became a spreading vine, 
 which brought forth branches, and shot forth twigs." 
 He grew in estate, in children, in nobles, in offices 
 and officers ; he came to the condition of a vine, yea, 
 a spreading vine, that hath leaves and branches. 
 
 Obs. 9. When the glory and strength of a king- 
 dom is marred and broken by wars, it doth not easily 
 recover its pristine condition, if ever. The kingdom 
 of Judah, after Nebuchadnezzar's plundering and 
 spoiling of it, in time became a vine, but "of low 
 stature ;" in all Zedekiah's days it did not recover 
 itself When a tree is cropped, it requires time to 
 grow up again, and, it may be, never attains its 
 former heiglit and glory. This kingdom was a tall 
 eedar before, now it was a low shrub ; it had not 
 that wealth, jjower, dignity, greatness it had before. 
 If a family or town be ruined by wars, it may be 
 seven years before tliey get up again, and seven to 
 that ; much more when kingdoms are shaken, batter- 
 ed, wounded. 
 
 Obs. 10. See hence the instability of all eartlily 
 greatness. Kings and kingdoms that were high and 
 most flourishing, are soon brought low. The king- 
 dom of Judah was glorious, powerful, like the 
 highest cedar upon the hill of Lebanon; but it con- 
 tinued not, it suffered many changes. Ten tribes 
 were rent from it in Relioboam's days ; Sennaeherib 
 infested it in Hezekiah's days ; Pharaoh-necho in 
 Jehoiakim's, and put it under tax ; Nebuchadnezzar, 
 lie cropped, cropped the cedar, took off the highest 
 branch, and top of the young twigs, Sec. So that the 
 kingdoms of this world cannot be liolden long by 
 any. Let us fear that God, who batters and shakes 
 kingdoms in pieces ; look after, and labour, for that 
 "kingdom which cannot be moved," Heb. xii. 28. 
 Let us not mind the riches of the world, but labour 
 to be poor in spirit, " for theirs is the kingdom of 
 heaven." 
 
 Ver. 7, 8. Tlit're was olsn anofher grrrif engle 
 
 iritli gvcnt wings and mnni/J'rathcrs ; and, beho/d, 
 
 this vine did bend Iter routs toward him, and shnf 
 
 J'urlh her blanches toivard him, that he might
 
 Ver. 7, 8. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 421 
 
 water it bif the furrows of her plantation. It was 
 planted in a good soil by great waters, that it 
 ■might h)-ing forth branches, and that it might 
 bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. 
 
 Here you have the second part of the parable, 
 wherein the king of Egypt and Zedekiah's revoking 
 come into consideration. 
 
 " Another great eagle." This eagle was the king 
 of Egypt, as the 15th and 17th verses do certify. 
 Kings are called eagles, and upon what account was 
 opened unto you out of the third verse. 
 
 This eagle was great in power and dominion, but 
 not so great as the other ; for though this eagle had 
 great wings, yet it is not said, he had long wings, 
 as the other had. 
 
 " Many feathers." Much wealth, many people 
 and soldiers. 
 
 "This vine did bendher roots toward him, and shot 
 forth her branches toward him." Zedekiah looked 
 at the power and greatness of the king of Egyj)t, and 
 sent ambassadors to him, thiit they might join forces. 
 The roots of trees do incline that way there is mois- 
 ture and succour for them ; so Zedekiah, ajiprehend- 
 ing that Pharaoh, king of Egypt, would succour and 
 relieve him, he falls off from Nebuchadnezzar, and 
 seeks to him. He sent his ambassadors, wliich were 
 as the branches of this vine, into Egyjit for horses 
 and people, ver. 15; Jer. ii. 18, " What hast thou to 
 do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of 
 Sihor ?" Sihor was a little river before Egypt, Josh, 
 xiii. 3, and is put for Nilus, or Egypt, and waters, 
 for the people and forces. Zedekiah sent thither to 
 draw the forces thereof unto his assistance. . 
 
 " That he might water it by the fuiTows of her 
 plantation." Hebrew, from, or by, the lines of her 
 plantation. The Hebrew word signifies, a bed ; so 
 it is used. Cant. v. 13, and a furrow, which is a line 
 drawn : and Avenarius saith, it is a water line, or 
 furrow through which the waters ran. In Egypt 
 they made furrows and lines through which the 
 waters of Nilus ran and watered the country ; so 
 here, Zedekiah endeavoured, by his ambassadors and 
 presents, to join interest with Pharaoh, and so to 
 gain the help of men and horse from him, whereby 
 he might defend himself against Nebuchadnezzar, 
 whom deserting, he provoked against him. Pharaoh 
 entertaining this notion, sends forces, as you may 
 see, Jer. xxxvii. 5, 6 : and this was the watering of 
 the Jewish vine in the furrows of her plantation. 
 
 Ver. 8. " It was planted in a good soil," &c. This 
 verse sets out the ingratitude of Zedekiah, who might 
 not only have kept his kingdom, but have prospered 
 in it, and come to greatness, for Nebuchadnezzar had 
 planted him " in a good soil," &c. 
 
 If a vine be planted in a good and rich soil, it roots, 
 grows, flourishes with branches, leaves, clusters, and 
 becomes useful, delightful unto many ; so might this 
 metaphorical vine Zedekiah, for the soil he was 
 planted in was the land of promise, " a fruitful field," 
 as it is expressed in ver. 5 ; a good field, as the He- 
 brew hath it here : a good field is a fnntful field, 
 and a fruitful field is a good field. 
 
 " By great waters." \Vhat was meant by " waters " 
 was shown in ver. 5. When trees are planted by 
 waters, there is no fear of wanting moisture and 
 withering thereupon. Vines do need nuu-h moisture, 
 and draw abundantly from the soil ; Zedekiah was 
 among the waters, viz. the poor people, who con- 
 trilnUed their endeavours to make him great. 
 
 " That it might be a goodly vine." The Hebrew 
 word for goodly is, n-ns which signifies, comely, 
 mrignificent, strong. Scptuagint, iig npnnXov fuyaXtiv, 
 tliat it might be a great vine. Nebuchadnezzar dealt 
 
 honoui-ably and prince-like by Zedekiah, who being 
 a private man before, and liable to captivity with the 
 rest carried away when Jeconiah was, was not only 
 spared, but advanced to kingly dignity, and set in 
 such a condition that he needed not the help of any, 
 he needed not the waters of Egypt and Nilus: he 
 had Nebuchadnezzar, that great eagle, to be his pro- 
 tector ; and had he been faithful in his engagements 
 to him, he might have become a goodly, great, 
 strong, beautifid, excellent, and fruitfid vine. 
 
 Obn. 1. That the Lord takes special notice of the 
 monarchs and kings of the earth, of their greatness, 
 power, honour, wealth, and glory. In ver. 3, he 
 speaks of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ; " A great 
 eagle with great wings, longwinged, full of feathers, 
 which had divers colours ;" in this 7th verse, of 
 Pharaoh, king of Egypt, a " great eagle with great 
 wings and many feathers." God's eye is much upon 
 princes and potentates of the earth : Psal. lxxxix.27, 
 I will make David " higher than the kings of the 
 earth ;" he observed them and their height. He sees 
 and notes their rising ; Hos. viii. 4, " They have set 
 up kings, but not by me:" their greatness; Dan. 
 iv. 22, " Thy greatness, king, is grown, and reach- 
 eth unto heaven :" their doings ; Luke xxii. 2.>, 
 " The kings of the gentiles exercise lordship over 
 them:" how they set themselves against God, Psal. 
 ii. 2: against him and his people, him and his 
 army ; Hev. xix. 19, " I saw the kings of the earth, 
 and their armies, gathered together to make war 
 against him that sat on the horse, and against his 
 army." They are gods upon earth, Psal. Ixxxii. G ; 
 they bear his image, have his authority ; and if they 
 step aside, and turn their greatness against tiod, his 
 cause, and people, the Lord will " strike through 
 kings in the day of his wrath," Psal. ex. 5. " He 
 shall cutolf the spirit of princes." and be "terrible 
 to the kings of the earth," Psal. Ixxvi. 12. Let 
 kings, therefore, be wise, kiss tiae Son, Psal. ii. 10, 
 12, and improve all for the interest of Christ. 
 
 Obs. 2. The kings and monarchs of the earth are 
 not all alike, they are diverse, and admit of disparity. 
 Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh both were eagles, but 
 the Egyptian eagle was not so great and potent as the 
 Babylonian; this was "full of feathers," that had 
 " many feathers;" this had " great and long wings," 
 that only " great ;" Pharaoh's power extended not so 
 far as Nebuchadnezzar's. Some princes are little 
 eagles, some are great, and others very great. Those 
 thirty-one kings whom Joshua smote were kings of 
 cities. Josh. xii. 9 — 24; they were little eagles, and 
 had little nests. Hamor was prince of a country, 
 Gen. xxxiv. 2, he was a greater eagle ; so Tidal, king 
 of nations. Gen. xiv. 1, he went beyond Hamor; but 
 others exceeded him. Ahasuerus was an eagle with 
 " great and long wings," his nest was large, a hun- 
 dred and twenty-seven provinces over which lie spread 
 his wings, Esth. i. 1. So Sennacherib, the king of 
 Assyria, is called " the great king, the king of As- 
 syria," Isa. xxxvi. 4. And Nebuchadnezzar, for his 
 greatness, is titled "a king of kings." The Baby- 
 lon, Assyrian, Grecian, and Roman emperors were 
 great eagles. God gives power, honour, greatness, 
 to whom he pleases, and in what proportion he 
 pleases ; some are eagles with greater, longer wiiig.s, 
 and more feathers, than others. 
 
 Obs. 3. Men's nahires are such as that they are 
 seldom content with any condition they are set in. 
 Zedekiah was set in the throne, exalted to kingly 
 honour, but this satisfied him not ; " this vine did 
 bendher roots toward" the Egyptian eagle, "and 
 shot forth her branches toward him." Adam and 
 Eve at first were not content with their ccnditioa 
 they were set in, but must have and know mure than
 
 422 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAP. xvir. 
 
 God allowed them, Gen. iii. 6. " Man being in 
 honour abidoth not," Psal. xlix. 12: he abides not 
 satisfied, his brutish desires carry him after forbidden 
 fruit. Habakkuk, speaking of a Chaldean prince, 
 saith, " He keeps not at home, he enlargeth his de- 
 sire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, 
 but gathereth unto him all nations, and heaps unto 
 him all people," Hab. ii. 6. Isaiah tells you the 
 king of Babylon was so unsatisfied with his present 
 condition, that he said he would ascend into heaven, 
 and exalt his throne above the stars of God, be like 
 the Most High ; he had made the world a wilder- 
 ness, and destroyed the cities thereof, and now he 
 would up to heaven, Isa. xiv. 4, 13, 14, 17. 
 
 Plutarch in Pyrrluis, king of Ejiirus, having en- 
 
 Pjiiiio. larged his dcjuiinions by the conquest 
 of Macedonia, thirsted after Italy ; and demanding 
 the adNdce of Cineas, his great counsellor, he asked 
 him what he meant to do when he had conquered 
 Italy p Next I mean to get Sicily, which is near, 
 rich, and powerful. When you have gotten Sicily, 
 said Cineas, what then ? Africa, saith the king, is 
 not far off, and there be many goodly kingdoms, 
 which, through my fame and valour of my soldiers, 
 I may subdue. Be it so, said Cineas ; when you 
 have Africa, and all in it, what will you do then ? 
 Said the king, Then thou and I will be merry, and 
 make good cheer. Cineas replied. Sir, if this be 
 the end you aim at, what need you venture your 
 kingdoms, person, life, honour, and all you have, to 
 purchase that you have already ; Epirus and Mace- 
 donia are sufficient to make you and me merry ; had 
 you all the world you could not be more merry, nor 
 have better cheer. 
 
 Ob-s. 4. Disconfentedness with the present condition 
 puts men upon unwarrantalile practices to relieve 
 and free themselves from what they apprehend bur- 
 densome. Zedekiah was disconti nted that he was 
 tributary to and dependent upon the king of Baby- 
 lon, he apprehended this a grievous burden ; his 
 predecessors most of them free and absolute kings, 
 and he to be under the power of another, and he a 
 heathen ! This kindled an ill, fiery, malignant spirit 
 in his breast, and made him sue to Egypt for help 
 to sliake off the Babylonish yoke, which was un- 
 warrantable and unlawful for him to do. This is 
 like an ill wife, that finding the yoke of her hus- 
 band a little pinching, deserts him, and betakes 
 herself to another. Zedekiah should have apjilied 
 himself to Nebuchadnezzar for relief if any thing 
 were grievous to him, and not to Pharaoh, on whom 
 he had no depindence, from whom he had received 
 no favour ; but discontent, and hope of liberty, puts 
 him upon perfidious practices. The Israelites, being 
 discontented with the taxes laid upon them by Solo- 
 mon, sued to Reholioam for relief: he unwisely 
 gives them a rough answer, and exasperates their 
 spirits ; presently they fall oil' from him, stone Ado- 
 ram the tribute-gatherer, make Jeroboam king, and 
 submit to him, I Kings xii. 14, Ifi, IS, 20. 
 
 The Jews, hearing the ill report of the land of 
 Canaan, murmur and say, " Would God that we had 
 died in the land of Egypt, or in this wilderness ! 
 Wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, 
 to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children 
 should be a prey ? were it not better for us to return 
 into Egypt ? " And see what their discontent put 
 them upon : " They said one to another. Let us make a 
 captain, and let us return into Egypt," Numb. xiv. 
 2—4. They were weary of Moses and Aaron, and 
 their government, and now they woidd make them a 
 captain, a king, say the rabbles, and return to Egypt 
 to the onions and garlic, to their old ways. Such 
 hath been the condition of the people here : Jero- 
 
 lioam thought, by setting up the calves, to secure 
 himself and the kingdom, but that very thing was 
 his ruin. 
 
 Obs. 5. The condition Divine Providence sets any 
 in is good, and therein they may prosper if wise and 
 contented. This vine " was planted in a good soil," 
 and to what end ? " that it might bring forth branches, 
 bear fruit, and be a goodly vine." Zedekiah, being 
 made king in Israel, was set in a good condition ; 
 and had he wisely managed the affairs of the king- 
 dom, and been content with what God gave him in 
 and by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, he might have 
 prospered greatly, had a glorious kingdom, been a 
 renowned king. 
 
 The kingly office is honourable, and when God 
 sets up kings over people, they might be happy, and 
 grow potent. Solomon, who was a wise king, pros- 
 pered exceedingly in that soil he was planted in, and 
 lived happily ; but Rehoboam his son, through his 
 folly and disconfentedness with his people, lost ten 
 parts of his kingdom, and made his reign trouble- 
 some afterwards, 1 Kings xii. Zedekiah, by his 
 folly and discontent, undid himself ; being impatient 
 of the yoke God had put upon him, he foolishly 
 sends to, and relies upon, Egypt, and thinks by 
 Egyptian hands to re-lift himself into a better con- 
 dition than God had put him in, but this was his 
 ruin : Isa. xxxi. 1, " Woe to them that go down to 
 Egypt for help ; and stay on horses, and trust in 
 chariots, because they are many ; and in horsemen, 
 because they are very strong ; but they look not 
 unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord." 
 Had Zedekiah sought to the Lord, he could have 
 watered the furrows of his plantation better than 
 Egypt. It is a common sickness among men, and 
 especially great ones, kings and princes, that they 
 make the good condition God hath set them in un- 
 happy to themselves ; would they keep within 
 bounds, be content with what God hath allowed 
 them, and use that wisely, they might do well, and 
 live happily. 
 
 The God' of Israel and his worship would not con- 
 tent Ahaz, but he must set up the Damascene altar, 
 sacrifice to the gods of Damascus, hoping for help 
 from them ; but they j)roved his ruin, and the ruin 
 of all Israel, 2 Chron. xxviii. 23. 
 
 Ver. 9, 10. Soi/ thou. Thus snith the Lord 
 God; Shall it prosper ? sJudI he not jiuU up the 
 roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it 
 ivither ? it shall tvither in all the leaves of her 
 spring, even without great potrer or many people 
 to pluck it vp hi the roots thereof. Yea, behold, 
 being planted, shall it prosper ? shall it not nt- 
 tevhi wither, ivhen. the east wind toucheth it? it 
 shall wither in the furrows where it grew. 
 
 These verses do enigmatically proclaim the event 
 of Zedckiah's revolt ; he thought to have mended 
 and made himself by it, but it was his ruin. Being 
 formerly compared to a vine, here the vine is 
 sentenced, 
 
 I. Not to prosper ; " Shall it prosper ?" 
 
 II. To be rooted up, so that it shall wither, and 
 neither have fruit nor leaves. 
 
 III. How ? not by any great power, ver. 9, but by 
 an east wind, ver. 10. 
 
 "Shall it prosper?" Hebrew nSyn the word nSx sig- 
 nifies, to divide, cut, pass through ; and metaphorical- 
 ly, to pass, break through happily, to prosj)er. This 
 vine was planted under the wings of the great eagle, 
 who did ])reserve and )>rotect it while it looked and 
 leaned towards him, and then it prospered, ver. U. But,
 
 Ver. 9, 10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 423 
 
 seeing the roots and branches of this vine bend and 
 move another way, viz. towards Egypt, " shall it 
 prosper ? " no, perfidiousness is not the way to pros- 
 per, it will bring the axe to lop and cut it down. 
 This interrogation is a vehement negation : " Shall 
 it jirosperp" It is so far from prospering, that its 
 utter ruin is at hand. 
 
 " Shall he not pull up the roots thereof?" &c. 
 This metaphorical vine, Zedekiah, should be de- 
 prived of kingly power ; yea, his children, no- 
 bles, counsellors, officers, people, which were the 
 branches and leaves of this vine, should wither and 
 come to nothing ; yea, llie place it grew in, Jerusa- 
 lem itself, should be laid waste. The destruction of 
 Zedekiah and his kingdom is likened to the cutting 
 down and plucking up of a flourishing vine. The ful- 
 filling of this you may see in 2 Kings xxv. /, 
 18 — 21. It is said, at Riblah they gave judgment 
 upon Zedekiah, there Nebuchadnezzar called a 
 council of war, told him what he had done for him, 
 in what engagements he stood bound to him, which 
 he expected should have been made good ; how he 
 had perfidiously revolttd from him, betaken himself 
 for help to the king of Egypt against him, and there- 
 fore now he should suffer for it. Whereupon he 
 slew his sons before his eyes, put all the nobles of 
 Judah to death ; and when he had seen these sad 
 spectacles, then he also put out Zedekiah's eyes, 
 Jer. xxxix. 6, 7- 
 
 " Without gi-eat power or many people to pluck 
 it up." Hebrew is, and not in, or with, a great 
 arm ; that is, without great power, arm noting 
 power. Some read the words by way of interro- 
 gation, thus ; Shall he not with great power? in- 
 sinuating, that Nebuchadnezzar should come with 
 great power and many people, as he did, to cut 
 down and pluck up this vine : but this is rather 
 forced than natural. " Without great power or 
 many people ;" Nebuchadnezzar will bring multi- 
 tudes and great strength, but half, or a third part, 
 will do the business ; for Zedekiah hath sinned by 
 his perfidious di-alings, provoked me against him, 
 saith (Jod, and therefore I will give him up to the 
 hand of Nebuchadnezzar without much ado ; I will 
 be so far from helping him with counsel or protec- 
 tion, that I will facilitate the way for his utter ex- 
 tirpation and ruin. 
 
 Ver. 10. " When the east wnnd toucheth it." 
 Eastern winds are prejudicial, as to other things, so 
 especially to plants, vines, trees ; see Hos. xiii. 15 ; 
 Ezek. xix. 12, an east wind dried up the fruit. It 
 was an east wind made Jonah to faint, chap. iv. 8 ; 
 an east wind that blasted the ears of corn. Gen. xli. C. 
 By east wind here is meant the king of Babylon 
 and his army, who is so called, either because he 
 should be as an eastern wind unto this \nne, dry up 
 all the moisture and sa]) of it, that it should wither 
 in the branches and roots ; or else from the situation, 
 Babylon being north-east from Jerusalem. 
 
 Hence is it that Nebuchadnezzar and his forces 
 sometimes are called a wind out of the north : chap. 
 i. 4, " A whirlwind came out of the north." And 
 hcri', a wind of the east, which shoidd no sooner 
 touch this vine, but it should languish. East winds 
 are violent, suddin, and destructive ; so should this 
 be to this vine, even a scorching wind. 
 
 Ohs. I. Wlien men are pcrficbons and false in 
 their trust and obligations, though princes, they 
 shall not sped well, they shall not prosper. " Shall 
 it prosper?" shall Zedekiah, his sons, nobles, 
 counsellors, people, that have had a hand in his per- 
 fidious doing, "prosper?" No, they shall not pros- 
 per, I am rcs;>lved upon it. Let them take counsel 
 together, it shall come to nought, as Isa. viii. 10. 
 
 No counsels, no enterprises, no wars, shall succeed 
 well, I will blow upon and blast all ; let them get 
 all their power, their soldiery and strong men, to- 
 gether, go out to war, and see what shall be the 
 issue : Jer. xxxii. 5, " Though you fight with the 
 Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper." 
 
 When men are false to God and man, they can- 
 not thrive and prosper in their ways. See what is 
 upon record in 2 Chron. xxiv. 20, '• Why transgress 
 ye the commandments of the Lord, th.at ye cannot 
 prosper?" these words were spoken to a king, and 
 to princes. Joash, his princes, and people, had cove- 
 nanted, through Jehoiada's means, to be for the 
 Lord, chap, xxiii. 10; but Jehoiada being dead, the 
 princes violated the covenant, and drew the king to 
 idolatry ; hereupon saith Zaehariah unto them, 
 " Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, 
 that ye cannot prosper?" God is not with you, and 
 you cannot prosper in any thing. Have any pros- 
 pered in the late wars amongst us who were perfi- 
 dious ? Let Wales, Kent, Essex, and the sea itself 
 speak. 
 
 Obs. 2. Perfidiousness, treachery in kings, nobles, 
 or any, is so provoking a sin, as oft it moves God to 
 bring severe judgments upon them who are guilty 
 thereof yea, utter destruction upon them and theirs. 
 Sailh God of this metaphorical vine, " Shall he not 
 pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit there- 
 of," &c. ? Zedekiah thought by his perfidious ways 
 to advance himself, but his perfidiousness so pro- 
 voked tiod, that for it he rooted him and his family 
 up, and ruined the whole kingdom : Zedekiah loses 
 his crown, kingdom, sons, nobles, people, eyes, at 
 once, and afterwards his life. What sad things did 
 that perfidious act bring upon them ! vide Turkish 
 History, p. 287, battle of Varna, between Uladislaus 
 and Amurath, &c. 
 
 Obs. 3. It is no difficult thing for God, being pro- 
 voked, to pluck up, root out, destroy kings and king- 
 doms, how strong and well accommodated soever they 
 be. Here was a vine planted in a good soil, by 
 many waters, was likely to prosjier, grow, and con- 
 tinue long ; but " shall "he not pull up the roots there- 
 of, without great power or many people ?" A gar- 
 dener can easily, quickly pluck up a vine, and God 
 did as easily pluck up Zedekiah, who was jilanted 
 in Jerusalem, compassed about with mountains, as- 
 sisted with the strength and power of Egypt ; it is 
 but sending of a wind, when the east wind toucheth 
 it. I will but call for a wind, saith God, it shall be 
 an east wind, and as soon as that toucheth this vine, 
 it .shall wither. A wind seems an unlikily thing 
 to do any great matter, yet it is such as none can 
 prevent, withstand; trees, ships, mountains, &c. have 
 suffered greatly by it. 
 
 2 Chron. xxiv. 23, 24, the Syrians came with a 
 small company of men, and the Lord delivered a 
 very great army into their hand ; because they had 
 forsaken the Lord God of their fathers, they destroy- 
 ed all the princes of the people. 
 
 Let the power, policy of princes be what it will, 
 if they sin with a high hand against God, he can 
 without a high hand punish them ; he hath an cast 
 wind, or a north wind, &c. 
 
 Ohx. 4. God magnifies his justice in punishing 
 wicked men even in the place where they sin, and 
 turning that to their ruin which they thought would 
 have been their raising. " It shall wither in the fur- 
 rows where it grew." It grew at Jerusalem ; there 
 it sinned in bending its roots towards Egypt, and 
 fetching help from thence, and there it shall witlu r. 
 Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. iv. 30, 31, where he lifted 
 up hims( If there it was said, "The kingdom is de- 
 parted from thee." Those who built Babel, smitten,
 
 424 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVII. 
 
 &c. Gen. xi. ; Sodomites, Gen. xix. ; two captains 
 with their fifties, 2 Kings i. If you .sin where God 
 hath planted you, even tliere he can punish you, he 
 can make you witlier in the furrows of your planta- 
 tion. 
 
 Ver. 11 — 15. Moreover the word of the Lord 
 came unto me, saying, Say now to the rebellious 
 house, Knoii; ye not ivhit these things mean? tell 
 them, Behold, the king of Bahylon is come to Je- 
 rusalem, and hath tok-cn the king thereof, and the 
 princes thereof, and led them u-ith him to Bahy- 
 lon ; and hath taken of the king's seed, and made 
 a covenant u-ith him, and hath taken an oath of 
 him: he hath also taken the mighty of the land: 
 that the kingdom might be base, that it might not 
 lift itself up, but that by keeping of his covenant 
 it might stand. But he rebelled against him in 
 sending his ambassadors i^ito Egypt, that they 
 might git^e him horses and much people. Shall 
 he prosper ? shall he escape that dueth such things ? 
 or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered ? 
 
 Here begins the explication and a]jplication of 
 the fonner parable concerning the eagle, the cedar, 
 and vine, and it extends unto the 22iid verse. 
 
 I. You have a transition in the 11th verse, from 
 the parable itself to the explication of it. 
 
 II. An introduction to the explication by way of 
 query in the first part of the 12th verse. 
 
 III. The cxphcation itself; " Tell them. Behold 
 the king of Babylon is come," &c. 
 
 There is nothing in the transition and introduction 
 needfid to open, but these words, 
 
 " The rebellious house." Hebrew is. The house 
 of rebellion or bitterness ; Septiiagint is, vrpoj rbv 
 inKov lapaitX riv TrapairiKpaivovra, to the house of Israel 
 that is contentious. And so was this house, which 
 was not the house of Israel strictly taken, but the 
 tribe of Judah ; but, in a large sense, it was called 
 the liouse of Israel, ver. 3. 
 
 Obs. 1. The messengers of God must deliver the 
 mind of God, be it pleasing or provoking, be it 
 matter of comfort or terror. Ezekiel must go and 
 tell this rebellious house sad things ; that it should 
 not prosper, that it should be rooted up and utterly 
 ruined. They must denounce judgments to the wick- 
 ed, as well as pardon to the penitent ; threats to the 
 stubborn, as well as promises to the fainting ; they 
 must not give out what pleases themselves, but what 
 the Lord hints and conuuands them: "The word of 
 the Lord came unto me, saying, Say now to the re- 
 bellious house," ice. It is grievous to the servants 
 of God to be heralds, trumpeters of war, judgments, 
 and death ; but they must not decline the service ; 
 if they do, it may cost them dear. Jonah, when sent 
 of God to proclaim war against Nineveh, " Yet forty 
 days, and Nineveh," &c. he fled another way; but 
 God pursued him with a tempest, and set the winds 
 and waters in battle against him, and his life was 
 almost goue. 
 
 The ambassadors of God and Christ must neither 
 flatter the persons, nor fear the faces, of the greatest 
 among the sons of men. Jeremiah dealt roundly 
 with Jehdiakim and Jehoiachin, and thundered out 
 God's ju{lgments against them, though great kings, 
 chap. xxii. 17 — 22, 24, &c. So Paul against Ely mas. 
 Acts xiii. 10, II. Neither favour nor fear must 
 strike a prophet dumb ; when God hath given in 
 commission, he must give out, let the event be what 
 it will. 
 
 Oiv. 2. Truths disafTective find cold entertainment ; 
 judgments threatened arc little minded. " Know ye 
 
 not what these things mean ? do you not understand 
 what is pointed out in this parable and riddle ? 
 You may easily attain thereunto, but that you have 
 no heart to it, the things delivered please you not, 
 are cross to your wills, desires, humours, and there- 
 fore care not to know the meaning of tlieni : Qiue 
 ?wlumus facile et tibtnter ignoramus, ]\Ien shut their 
 eyes against those things that dislike them, and care 
 not for the knowledge of them. Jeremiah counselled 
 Zedekiah to yield himself to the Babylonians, told 
 him it would be the means to save his life, and the 
 city from Ih-e, Jer. xxxviii. 17, but it suited not witii 
 his spirit, and he minded it not. Micaiah prophe- 
 sied truths distasteful unto Ahali : what followed 
 upon it ? he did not only disafleet those truths, but 
 the person also for the truths' sake : 1 Kings xxii. 
 8, " I hate him," saith Ahab, " for he doth not pro- 
 phesy good concerning me, but evil." And when 
 he told him that if he went up to Ramoth-gilead he 
 should not prosper, but his men be scattered, and 
 himself not return in peace, he believed it not, but 
 commanded the prophet to prison, for declaring the 
 mind of God. So Luke xvi. 13, 14. 
 
 Ver. 12. Tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon 
 is come to Jerusalem," &e. Do you not know what 
 the parable means ? The meaning is this : The 
 great eagle, with great and long wings, full of fea- 
 thers, and of divers colours, is the king of Babylon ; 
 Lebanon is Jerusalem ; the top of the cedar, and twigs 
 thereof, are Jehoiachin, his princes, and nobles; the 
 land of traffic is Babylon ; them hath he taken away, 
 brought thither, and" seated there ; the seed of the 
 land is Zedekiah, whom he set up to be king in Je- 
 rusalem, invested with power, that he might flourish 
 and spread as a vine, &c. 
 
 Ver. 13. " And made a covenant with him." The 
 Hebrew is, cut out, or struck, a covenant with him ; 
 Septuagint, he ordered, or disposed, a covenant to 
 him. As for the word " covenant," I spake of it 
 largely in cliap. xvi. 8. The manner of making a 
 covenant among the Jews you may read of in J er. 
 xxxiv. 18; but whether the Babylonian king made 
 this covenant with Zedekiah in such a manner is 
 not evident; a covenant he made with him, that he 
 should be tributary to him, and bound it with an 
 oath, as followetli : 
 
 " And hath taken an oath of him." Hebrew, hath 
 brought him into an oath ; Septuagint, into a curse. 
 The Hebrew word nSs signifies an oath with curs- 
 ing, or execration; a man ties himself with impre- 
 cation of mischief if he perform not his promise, or 
 things agreed upon. 
 
 " He hath also taken the mighty of the land." 
 Hebrew is, the rams of the land; Septuagint, the 
 leaders ; others, the potentates. Mighty and great 
 men are called rams. 
 
 1. They are strong creatures, and have their name 
 from a word which signifies, fortitude, strength, vir- 
 tue. So gTcat men are strong, they are strengthen- 
 ed with riches, honours, friends, counsel, strong 
 holds, arms, and what the creature can aflbrd, yea, 
 with strong lusts : Dan. viii. 20, " The ram which 
 thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media 
 and Persia." 
 
 2. Rams go before the flock, they have the prece- 
 dency. Great men, they are the leaders, and go be- 
 fore the people ; they carry multitudes after them, 
 people follow the great men as flocks of sheep do 
 the rams. Ezek. xxxi. 1 1, Nebuchadnezzar is called 
 " the mighty one of the heathen ;" the Hebrew is, 
 the ram of the heathen, he went before them and 
 led them. 
 
 3. Rams are pushing things. Dan. viii. 4, " I 
 saw the ram pushing eastward, and westward, and
 
 Ver. 11—15. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 425 
 
 southward ; no beast could stand before him :" they 
 oft do fiercely assault one another. So great men are 
 pushing and butting with their power, and who of 
 the peojde can stand before them? Ecclcs. iv. 1, on 
 the oppressors' side was power. Ezek. xlvi. 18, 
 princes and great men use to take of the people's in- 
 heritance by oppression, and to thrust them out of 
 their possessions. 
 
 Many times great ones push and butt at one 
 another till they break each in pieces. 
 
 Ver. 14. " That the kingdom might be base," or 
 low. This was Nebuchadnezzar's design, to take 
 away the mighty men, who were the strength of the 
 kingdom, and held it up in greatness and glory, tliat 
 so it might be base, low, weak ; and so the Septua- 
 gint renders it, that it might be a weak kingdom, of 
 low stature, as it is, ver. 6. Nebuchadnezzar left 
 none but poor people ; 2 Kings xxiv. 14, " None 
 remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the 
 land." 
 
 " That it might not lift itself up." Nebuchadnezzar 
 conceived this people, having been free, would hardly 
 submit to his yoke, and depend upon him ; he dealt 
 politicly, as princes in such cases use to do when 
 they fear rising and rebellion ; they carry away the 
 wise, skilful, strong, and honourable men, disarm 
 them, break down their strong holds, and plant gar- 
 risons among them ; so he took that course, which 
 he thought should prevent this kingdom's lifting up 
 itself- any more. It is like, the great ones were of 
 turbulent, stirring, and active sj>irits, and he ordered 
 it so as might secure the kingdom to himself, and 
 keep all quiet under Zedekiah. 
 
 "That by keeping of his covenant it might stand." 
 Had it kept the covenant Nebuchadnezzar made with 
 it, the kingdom might have continued ; but breach of 
 covenant was the breaking of the kingdom : they did 
 lift up themselves, and God threw them down. 
 
 Ver. 15. " But he rebelled against him." Zede- 
 kiah growing impatient under the Babylonish yoke, 
 shook it oil'. The Hebrew word for, to rebel, signi- 
 fies, to cast away the authority of him who hath 
 power over one ; Septuagint saith, he receded from 
 him : and so he did, and went, or sent, to Egypt. 
 
 " In sending his ambassadors into Egypt." Here 
 was the bending of his roots tow^ard the second 
 eagle, ver. 7. He sent his angels, as the Septuagint 
 hath it, into Egypt, and made a league with Pha- 
 raoh, which he had little cause to do, having no such 
 hard conditions put upon him by Nebuchadnezzar 
 as might have been ; and besides, the Egyptians had 
 oppressed the Jews of old with bitter and sore 
 bondage, and not longbefore had put down Jehonhaz, 
 carried him into Egypt, " condemned the land in an 
 hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold," 
 2 C'hron. xxxvi. 2 — 4. 
 
 " That they might give him horses." Egypt had 
 plenty of horses ; Solomon had horses from thence, 
 1 Kings X. 21 ; and when Shishak, king of Egypt, 
 came up against Jerusalem, he came with twelve 
 hundred chariots, and sixty thousand horsemen ; 
 which clearly evidences they abounded in horses, and 
 were notable horsemen. The Jews were apt to look 
 unto the Egyptians and their horse, and placed ton 
 much confidence in them, as being mighty and 
 strong, Isa. xxxi. 1, which occasioned the Spirit of 
 Cod to say, " The Egyptians are men, and not God ; 
 and their horses flesh, and not spirit :" you think 
 they arc strong, swift, serviceable, as if they were 
 all spirit, but I tell you they are all flesh. 
 
 " Shall he break "the covenant ? " Hebrew, shall 
 he make void the covenant ? transgress, violate the 
 covenant ? It was no uidawful oath or covenant that 
 Zedekiah took or made : such oaths or covenants 
 
 bind not. Herod sinned in performing his oath made 
 to Herodias, Matt. xiv. 7, 8. 
 
 Quent. What if Zedekiah were forced to this ? It 
 may seem it was so ; for the Hebrew is, he brought 
 him to an oath, ver. 13. If so, was it binding .? are 
 extorted oaths and covenants to be observed ? 
 
 Amtv. If there be nothing simply evil hi them, 
 they do bind, and are to be performed. Men, when 
 they make covenants, take oaths, though they do 
 them not with full consent of will, yet they never do 
 them against their wills ; for there is somethinu- 
 expressed or implied that begets a willingness, if 
 not a complete will. As suppose a thief sets upon a 
 man, robs him, and threatens to kill him if he will 
 not vow, covenant, swear never to discover or pursue 
 him; now rather than lose his life, let the thief spill 
 his blood, add sin to sin, he doth it. So Zedekiah 
 might fear captivity and his life, and upon those con- 
 siderations enter into covenant; and had it been so, 
 he had been bound in conscience to have made good 
 his engagements. But there were other inducements 
 to bring him into covenant ; as advancement to king- 
 ly pow-er, enjoyment of the kingdom upon conditions, 
 preservation and protection by Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 Object. It was to his great loss, the prejudice of 
 him and his posterity, to become tributary to a fo- 
 reign king. 
 
 Answ. It is a rule, that in injustice no right is or 
 can be bottomed. If a man will take a kingdom 
 upon such and such terms, it is no injury to him, 
 though abridged of privileges and prerogatives his 
 predecessors had ; it is mercy he hath the kingdom, 
 no injury he wants what others had : if he take the 
 kingdom willingly, he takes the terms, conditions of 
 it willingly. Conquerors may put their own terms 
 upon those they do promote. This case of loss and 
 prejudice is resolved by David, Psal. xv. 4; if a man 
 have sworn " to his own hurt," he must not change, 
 break covenant, falsify his oath, if he will be achUd 
 of Cod, or a citizen of heaven. 
 
 Obs. 1. God would have people understand his 
 mind and meaning in Scripture, even riddles, para- 
 bles, dark sayings. " Know ye not what these things 
 mean ? tell them. Behold, the king of Babylon is 
 come to Jerusalem," &c. He will have Ezekiel to 
 interpret the whole business unto them : what is 
 given out darkly at one time in one place, at another 
 time in some other place is cleared up, opened, and 
 made more intelligible. The types and sacrifices 
 were expounded and opened in Christ ; he oft spake 
 parables, and often opened them ; see Matt. xiii. 
 The service of the passover God would have made 
 known to the children that should come after, Exod. 
 xii. 26, 27 : it would have been a dark business to 
 them, God therefore provided they should understand 
 it. So for tlie heaps of stones set in Jordan, and 
 out of it God took care that they and their posterity 
 might know the meanin" thereof, Josh. iv. 8, 9, 
 21 — 23. The vision that Peter saw was afterwards 
 opened unto him, and he knew the meaning of it, 
 Acts X. Truths, scriptures that are difficult, God 
 causes us to know the meaning of by some other 
 scripture, or by his Spirit, revealing his mind to us 
 in them. An angel was sent to Daniel to make him 
 understand those dark visions he had, chap. viii. ix. x. 
 
 Ubs. 2. No rank or sort of men are exempt from 
 common and grievous calamities, not kings, not 
 princes, not mighty men. The king of Babylon is 
 come to Jerusalem, and hath taken the king, the 
 princes, and the mighty men of the land, and led 
 tliem with him into Babylon ; they were conquered, 
 plundered, taken, and carried into captivity. Such 
 is the condition of human things, that even kings 
 lose their kingdoms, their glory, greatness, and ex-
 
 42r, 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVII. 
 
 ccllences. Nebuchadnezzar, whose greatness did 
 reach to heaven, and dominion to the ends of tlie 
 earth, Dan. iv. 22, even " he was driven from men, 
 and did eat grass as oxen," ver. 33. 
 
 Dionysius the king, or rather tyrant, was driven 
 out from Syracuse, and glad to teach a school at 
 Corinth. Great men do prey upon, and seek the 
 ruin of one another. CiPsar ruined Pompey; Cas- 
 sius and Brutus ruined him. Berengarius the em- 
 peror, and Albertns his son, being overcome by 
 Otho, were banished. Bajazet, king of the Turks, 
 was brought to that misery as to be a stirrup for 
 Tamerlane to get up upon his horse. Nimrod was 
 a mighty himter, he hunted men, and afterwards a 
 kingdom, and by ruining of others he raised hiuiself. 
 No sort of men, especially if wicked, can promise 
 any security to themselves long. Roderick, king of 
 Spain, to assure himself against the children and 
 friends of king Vitiza, whom he had deposed, dis- 
 mantled all the strong holds in Spain, and disarmed 
 the people ; whereby, though he strengthened his 
 state in regard of domestic dangers, yet he weakened 
 it in respect of foreign attempts ; for the Moors in- 
 vathng him shortly after, and overthrowing him, 
 found so little resistance, that in seven or eight 
 months they conquered almost all Spain. Look 
 abroad, and you may see the kings and mighty men 
 of the earth brought low, if not wholly broken : let 
 China, Turkey, Muscovy, and nearer parts, speak 
 what they feel and find. 
 
 Obs. 3. That covenants and oaths are securing 
 and binding things. Nebuchadnezzar makes Zede- 
 kiah king, but he will not take his word for de- 
 pendence on him, and being tributary to him ; but 
 he makes a covenant with him, takes an oath of him, 
 and hereupon he thought all was safe. 
 
 Oaths are arguments of man's weakness ; all hu- 
 man credit is so feeble, that it had need be strength- 
 ened with something more firm than itself. Psal. 
 Ixii. 9, " Surely men of low degree are vanity, and 
 men of high degree are a lie ;" there is no truth, 
 fidelity in them, or their words. Men's hearts and 
 tongues are so deceitful and false, even kings' and 
 princes' as well as others, as that they deserve little 
 or no ti-ust to be given unto them, especially in 
 matters of weight, as government and rule. Oaths 
 therefore being by the great God, who knows the 
 heart, and hears what the tongue utters, came in to 
 strengthen human credit ; for had not man sinned, 
 there would have been no need or use of oaths ; 
 man's corruption made wtty for them. An oath 
 therefore is to further man's credit, and it halli been 
 of great authority and weight in all ages, and amongst 
 all people ; and Tully saith, antiquity knew no bond 
 stronger than an oath to strengthen men's credit and 
 fidelity. Jurainenlum, saith Aquinas, a jure dicitur, 
 An oath was a law, and some used no other law to 
 decide controversies but an oath; audit were well that, 
 according to the apostle, an oath did end our strifes. 
 
 Obs. 4. God knows how to embase kingdoms and 
 keep them under. He caused Nebuchadnezzar to 
 take away the mighty men of the land, that the 
 kingdom might be base, and not lift up itself. Men 
 mighty in power, in wisdom, in justice, in wealth, 
 they are the glory and strength of a land, they up- 
 hold it ; but when a land becomes guilty by sinning 
 grievously, God can bring it low, by foreign forces, 
 as it is in the text, or by civil wars, as it is with us 
 at this day : and not only doth God bring down 
 kingdoms, but keej) them so that they cannot get up. 
 
 OA.v. .5. Faithfulness and justice uphold kingdoms. 
 " Tliat by keeping of his covenant it might stand." 
 Had '/edekiah been faithful in the covenant, just in 
 performing the oath made to Nebuchadnezzar, the 
 
 kingdom had stood, himself continued reigning, his 
 princes and mighty men abode in honour, and all 
 things flourished. 
 
 Fidelity in observing and performing men's words, 
 promises, covenants, oaths, is the found- xuil. i, i. <ie 
 ation of justice, and justice is the "''''^• 
 strength of the republic. If people be not faithful 
 in their covenants and promises, how can a prince 
 confide in them, that they will be loyal ? and if a 
 prince be false in his word, violate protestations, 
 covenants, oaths, what protection, safety, or justice 
 can they expect from him ? where is no faithfulness, 
 there can be no justice, and where that is wanting, 
 can be no security to any state. It is justice estab- 
 lishcth a land, " but he who reeeiveth gifts over- 
 throweth it," Prov. xxix. 4. 
 
 Should not a king receive gifts P no, not to per- 
 vert justice : if he be covetous, he will be unjust, 
 false, and so overthrow all; but if righteous, he will 
 preserve, uphold all, for " righteousness exalteth a na- 
 tion," Prov. xiv. 34. 
 
 Obs. G. Violating of covenants, oaths, and perfi- 
 dious doings, falsifying of trust, is very ill in any, 
 especially in princes, who resemble God; and so ill, 
 that God will not suflTer it to go unpunished. Zedc- 
 kiah rebels, falls otl' from Nebuchachiczzar, breaks 
 all bonds and engagements made unto him, and sues 
 to Egypt for help. This was a sin of that natvu-e, 
 as made the Lord to say, " Shall he prosper ? shall 
 he escape that doeth such things ? or shall he break 
 the covenant, and be delivered?" No, he shall not 
 prosper, nor escape, nor be delivered : I appeal to 
 thee, Ezekiel, to all men, whether such a man 
 should find any favour, whether such a man who 
 doth such things, should not be made exemplary to 
 all the world ? Yes, he should, and God made him 
 so. When men are jierfidious, and violate oaths, 
 they are in credit neither with God or good men, 
 their very names stink, and they live under perpetual 
 infamy. Men's credits are like glasses, which if 
 broken, can never be mended again, especially if 
 stained with perfidiousness, lireach of oath and cove- 
 nant. Other sins may be imputed to frailty and er- 
 ror, and so be more pardonable ; but this sin argues 
 a base, vile, and treacherous nature, and is not ex- 
 cusable in any, least of all in princes, who should be 
 noble and ingenuous, and stand more upon their 
 word, covenants, and oaths, than others, because 
 they are public persons, and their actions have great 
 influence into all sorts of persons: they greatly dis- 
 honoiu' God, whom they rejjresent, abuse his com- 
 mission, and shamefully profane his name ; God 
 is therefore greatly set against such. Psal. Iv. 23, 
 " Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half 
 their days." Usually men of treacherous spirits are 
 bloody, and God by one judgment or other cuts 
 them otf, or their posterity, or both. It fell out so 
 with Zedekiah ; and with Saul, who was false and 
 bloody towards David, and towards the priests whom 
 he caused to be slain ; he brake the covenant with 
 the Gibeonites, himself fell by the Phihstines and 
 his own sword, and seven of his sons were hanged 
 for it, 2 Sam. xxi. 
 
 The duke of Bourbon, being made governor of 
 Milan by Charles the Fiflh, did so exact of and op- 
 press the people, that they rose up against him ; he, 
 to pacify them, bound himself by oath to certain 
 conditions, wishing if he did not faithfully perform 
 them, he might be killed with a bullet in the first 
 occasion of war which should be ollered. Notwith- 
 standing his oath and his imprecation, he tyrannized 
 over the people, and shortly after at the siege of 
 Rome, by a soldier of his own negligently discharg- 
 ing a piece of artillery, he was slain.
 
 Ver. 1G— 21. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 427 
 
 Henry the Third, king of France, after great dif- 
 ferences between him, the cardinal, and duke of 
 Guise, was reconciled unto them, confirmed the re- 
 conciliation with many oaths, took the sacrament 
 upon it, and gave himself to tlie devil, body and 
 soul, in case he meant or should attempt any thing 
 against them. Yet, saith the story, he caused tlie 
 duke to be killed in his own presence, and the car- 
 dinal his brother the next day after. Here was 
 breach of covenant : but did he prosper, escape, do 
 such things, and have deliverance ? No ; within 
 eight months after he was slain by a friar in the 
 midst of his army. 
 
 The ancient Romans were very religious and con- 
 scientious in observing their leagues, covenants, and 
 oaths made publicly ; and if any violated them, they 
 v\ere held fur cursed creatures, and counted unwor- 
 thy to live in human society. 
 
 Ver. 16 — 21. As I lire, saith the Lord God, 
 siireli) in the place where the king dicelleth that 
 made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose 
 covenant he biake, even with him in the midst of 
 Subiilon he shall die. Neither shall Pharaoh 
 with his mighty army and great company make 
 
 for him in the war, by casting up mounts, and 
 building forts, to cut off' many persons: seeing he 
 despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, 
 lo. he had given his hand, and hath done all these 
 things, he shall ttot escape. Therefore thus saith 
 the Lord God; As I live, surely tnine oath that 
 he hath despised, a)id my covenant that he hath 
 broken, even it will I recompense up07i his oivn 
 head. And I tvill spread my net upon him, a)id 
 he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring 
 him to Baby/on, and will p/lead with him there 
 
 for his trespass that he hath trespassed against 
 me. And allhisfoigitives with all his bands shall 
 
 foill by the sword, and they that remain shall be 
 scattered toward all wi72ds.- and ye shall kiiow 
 that I the Lord have spoken it. 
 
 These verses comprehend Zedekiah's sin, with 
 some aggravation thereof, and the punishments 
 threatened for the same, and these ratify them. 
 
 His sin is, despising the oath, and breaking the 
 covenant, of Nebuchadnezzar, ver. 16, 18, which 
 God calls his "oath" and "covenant," ver. 19, and 
 the trespass trespassed against him, ver. 20. 
 
 The aggravations are two : 
 
 I. Is from Nebuchadnezzar's kindness and bounty 
 towards him ; ver. 16, "That made him king, whose 
 oath he despised." 
 
 II. Is from bis own act; ver. 18, "'\Mien, lo, he 
 had given his hand." 
 
 The punishments threatened are, 
 
 I. Death ; ver. 16, " He shall die," and that in 
 Babylon. 
 
 II. Disappointment by the Egyptian army; ver. 
 17, "Neither shall Pharaoh," &c. 
 
 III. Obstructing all ways of escaping ; ver. IS, 
 " He shall not escape." Ver. 19, " I will recom- 
 pense it," viz. his perjury, "upon his own head." 
 Ver. 20, " I will spread my net upon him, and he 
 shall be taken in my snare." 
 
 IV. The execution of his fugitives; "They shall 
 fall by the sword," ver. 21. 
 
 V. The dispersion of those who should be left ; 
 they "shall be scatterid toward all winds," ver. 21. 
 
 The ratification of them is by an oath ; ver. 16, 
 19, " As I live, saith the Lord." 
 
 For the words, they need not much opening. 
 
 Ver. 16. " As I live." As sure as I am God, and 
 live, it shall so come to pass, he shall die in Baby- 
 lon. Of this oath was spoken, chap. v. U ; xiv. 16; 
 and xvi. 48. 
 
 " Whose oath he despised." The word in Hebrew 
 for despised notes, despising out of 
 pride and disdain. Zedekiah thought, ^^^ 
 
 SVhat should I, that am an Israehte, keep an oath 
 nuide to a heathen ? should I, that am of Zion, be 
 subject to Babylon ? No, no, I will be in bondage 
 no longer. It is true, I have made an oath, but that 
 is no great matter, it will be more advantage for me 
 to break wiUi that heathenish king, than to keep 
 the oath : thus did he despise the oath. 
 
 " In the midst of Babylon he shall die." Zede- 
 kiah had his eyes put out, that he never saw Babylon, 
 and yet he was carried captive thither, and kept in 
 prison there tiU his death, Jer. Hi. 11; Ezek. xii. 
 13, " He shall not see it, thouijh he shall die there." 
 
 Ver. 17. " Neither shall Pharaoh," &c. The first 
 Pharaoh the Scripture mentions was in Abraham's 
 days, Gen. xii. 15; and the last was this here men- 
 tioned, who is called Pharaoh-hophra, king of Egypt, 
 and was delivered into the hands of Nebucdiadnezzar, 
 king of Babylon, Jer. xliv. 30. From the first to 
 the last was tliirteen hundred and thirty-six years, 
 all which time this name was common to all the 
 kings of Egypt, but afterwards ceased. Some have 
 thought this word, " Pharaoh," to be taken from an 
 island so called. Others fetch it from the Hebrew 
 word pharah, which signifies, to be free from bond- 
 age ; whence A Lapide derives the word baro, a 
 baron. Kings, saith he, are called pharuones quasi 
 barones, free princes. But it is most probable that 
 Pharaoh was an Egyptian name or title, noting 
 sovereignty : Gen. xh. 44, " Pharaoh said unto 
 Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no 
 man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of 
 Egypt." Josephus saith, Pharaoh was a name of 
 honour and principality. 
 
 "Make for him." Hebrew, w'ith him. Let Pharaoh 
 come with never so great an army, it will not make 
 with him, he shall never accomplish what he intends 
 thereby ; Pharaoh, with all his power, shall not be 
 able to free him from the king of Babylon, and make 
 him great. 
 
 " Building forts." The word for " forts" signifies, 
 a wooden tower. In those times they made great 
 engines of wood, like towers, out of which they 
 threw stones or darts into the towns or cities they 
 warred against, and so weakened them. Whether 
 the casting up mounts, and building of forts, were 
 the work of the Babylonish or Egyptian king, is 
 questioned among expositors ; but to me it seems 
 evident, by the words, that it was the Egyptian king. 
 
 Ver. 18. " When, lo, he had given his hand." 
 To give the hand imports, 
 
 1. Society, equality; as Gal. ii. 9, Cephas and 
 John gave Paul and Barnabas the right hand of 
 fellowship. 
 
 2. Subjection ; as 2 Chron. xxx. 8, " Be ye not 
 stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield your- 
 selves unto the Lord." The Hebrew is, give the 
 hand unto the Lord, and serve him. So, 1 Chron. 
 xxix. 24, they " submitted themselves unto Solomon 
 the king." Hebrew is, they gave the hand under 
 him, or to him. 
 
 3. Confirmation of a promise, covenant, or oath : 
 Ezra X. 19, " They gave their hands that they would 
 put away their wives ;" they promised it, and they 
 confirmed it, by giving their hands to Ezra. Lam. 
 V. 6, " We have given the hand to the Egyptians, 
 and to the Assyrians, to be satisfied with bread;"
 
 42S 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVII. 
 
 we have covenanted to be theirs for bread, and have 
 impawned our fidelity and honesty by giving our 
 hands. So liere, Zedekiah had made a covenant 
 witli Nebucliadnezzar, and confirmed it, not only 
 ■with an oath, but also with his hand, that he would 
 be subject unto him. If he forgot his oath, yet how 
 could he look upon his own hand, and not remember 
 how it was engaged. 
 
 Vcr. 19. " It will I recompense upon his own 
 head." The Lord would bring his perjury upon 
 him. Of recompensing upon tlie head hath been 
 spoken, chap. ix. 10; xi. 21 ; xvi. 43. 
 
 Ver. 20. " And I will spread my net upon him, 
 and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring 
 him to Babylon." These very words you have had 
 opened in chap. xii. ver. 13. The net and snare 
 were the Babylonish army ; the Jews, the fishes, &c. 
 
 " And will plead with him there." Hebrew is, I 
 will be judged w ith him ; so Montanus reads it. That 
 I may be judged with him ; so Vatabhis. And the 
 sense is this : I will so clear my justice in piunishing 
 this perfidious king, that I will be judged even by 
 heathens, whether he hath not deserved what I shall 
 inflict, and whether I be not righteous in inHicring 
 the same ; I know they will justify me, and condemn 
 him. But others render the word actively, I will 
 judge, or plead with, as here ; that is, I w'ill punish 
 him. After the city was taken, his sons, princes, 
 and nobles slain, his eyes put out, he was carried in- 
 to Babylon, where he was put into prison, and im- 
 prisoned till his death, Jer. lii. 11. 
 
 Ver. 21. " All his fugitives." Wlien Jerusalem 
 was besieged, and began to be broken up, Zedekiah, 
 and many with him, fled, who are threatened here 
 all to fall by the sword ; yet presently it is added, 
 " they that remain shall be scattered." How are 
 these words to be taken, so as to make truth out of 
 them ? 
 
 Answ. Universal notes are not always to be taken 
 universally. All, that is, the greatest part ; so it is 
 to be taken, Jer. xiii. 19; xliv. 12; Matt. ii. 3; iii. 5. 
 
 Ui.s. 1. Judgments threatened are not readily and 
 easily believed ; if so, there need no swearing to con- 
 firm the certainty of them. But man, as he is back- 
 ward to believe what should do him good, so what 
 is threatened, and tends unto his ruin ; therefore 
 God swears. As I live, Zedekiah shall die. Jeremiah 
 had often told Zedekiah that he should be taken and 
 carried to Babylon, chap, xxxii. 4, 5; xxxiv. 2, 3; 
 but he believed it not. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 12, " He 
 humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet 
 speaking from the mouth of the Lord ;" ver. Ki, he 
 and others " mocked the messengers of God, and de- 
 spised his words, and misused his prophets, until the 
 wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there 
 was no remedy." Much was given out by the pro- 
 phets concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, but 
 none .would believe that the enemy should ever have 
 entered into the gates of it. Lam. iv. 12. What! 
 God destroy his own city, his own people ? how 
 can this be ? Judgments are sour things to the 
 spirits of men, very unwelcome, and therefore they 
 shift them off with some pretence or other. God is 
 a mereifid God, and will not do such severe things ; 
 or if he do, it will not be in our days, as they in 
 Ezek. xii. 22, "The days are prolonged;" or if not, 
 " yet we shall escajie." 
 
 06.V. 2. Ingratitude to those instruments God hath 
 used to do us good by, he takes special notice of, 
 and will punish. Nebuchadnezzar was the man 
 whom God used to make Zedekiah king : and he, 
 being exalted by him, and having tied himself by 
 the strongest bonds to be grateful and serviceable to 
 him, forgets his benefactor's kindness, and breaks with 
 
 him ; here was hellish ingratitude : hereupon the 
 Lord saith, " In the place where he dwelleth that 
 made him king, even in Babylon, he shall die." His 
 ingratitude so provoked God, that he would punish 
 him exemplarily in that place, where the king of 
 Babylon, and all the Babylonians, might see how 
 greatly the God of Israel abhorred ingratitude. 
 
 Jehoiada was the hand of God to set Joash in the 
 throne, 2 Chron. xxii. ; and after the death of Jehoi- 
 ada, Joash slew his son, because he dealt faithfully 
 with him and the pirinces, in reproving them for fall- 
 ing to idolatry. This the Lord took special notice 
 of, for it is said, " Thus Joash the king remembered 
 not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done 
 to him, but slew his son," who, dying, said, "The 
 Lord look upon it, and require it," 2 Chron. xxiv. 
 20 — 22. And it was not long ere God did require it ; 
 for shortly after, an army of the Syrians spoiled him, 
 and his own servants slew him for his ingratitude 
 towards Jehoiada in slaying his sons, ver. 25. 
 
 Ahithophel was advanced by David to be his coun- 
 sellor ; he fell in with Absalom's conspiracy against 
 David ; the Lord was ofl'ended at this wretched in- 
 gratitude, and left him to lay hands upon himself, 
 and become a monument and warning-piece to pos- 
 terity to take heed of the like sin : so Judas. Gideon 
 was a man God used to do Israel much good by ; and 
 though the people soon forgot it, yet God did not 
 forget their ingratitude: Judg. viii. 35, "They show- 
 ed not kindness to the house of Gideon, according to 
 all the goodness which he had showed unto Israel." 
 God expects men should be thankful unto those men 
 he hath employed to do them good ; if they be not 
 thankful to men, whom they see, they will not be 
 thankful unto God, whom they see not. 
 
 Obs. 3. God is so resolved upon the punishing of 
 perfidiousness, that he swears unto it : As I live, 
 saith the Lord, seeing he hath despised the oath, 
 and broken the covenant, he shall die. And again, 
 As I live, I M ill recompense it upon his own head. 
 Himself, his princes, false prophets, ma)' think, hope, 
 nay, swear, it will be otherwise ; but, as sure as I 
 live, as I am God, he and they shall feel the weight 
 of my displeasure for their perfidiousness and per- 
 jury. Kings on the earth take oaths, and little re- 
 gard them, but the King of heaven doth not so. If 
 the Lord once swear, he will perform, and there is 
 no possibility of escaping. Perjury is a sin which 
 violates the name of God exceedingly, and evidences 
 that men have no fear of God in them, that they 
 make an idol of him to serve their own turns ; that 
 such men are neither for God nor man to trust; not 
 only religion, but even common honesty, sutlers by 
 them. No marvel, then, that the Lord swears, and 
 swears again, that he will recompense such sins upon 
 men's heads. 
 
 Obs. 4. Such is the condition of human afl'airs, that 
 even kings and great men may fall into the hands, and 
 die in the hands, of foreign enemies. Zedekiah fell 
 into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, and " even with 
 him in the midst of Babylon he shall die." He 
 made no account of meeting with such a condition, 
 and dying in that jdace, but his sins brought those 
 evils upon him. Jehoahaz fell into the hands of 
 Pharaoh-neeho, and was carried to Egypt, 2 Chron. 
 xxxvi. 4. Jelioiachin, with his princes, officers, and 
 mighty men, was a captive in Babylon, 2 Kings 
 xxiv. 15, U). God had told them, by Moses, that 
 if they did provoke him by their sins, they should 
 be removed into their enemies' land. Lev. xxvi. 34, 
 41. And Solomon was jealous of it, I Kings viii. 
 40. As it is a mercy to live and die in one's own 
 land, so it is a judgment to be driven or carried out 
 of it, and to die in a strange land.
 
 Ver. 16—21. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 429 
 
 On ver. 1/, Oba. 1. Men look for help ft'om an 
 arm of flesh when in straits. Zedekiah expected 
 that Pharaoh's mighty army, and great company, 
 his chariots and horses, should make for him. It 
 is very incident to us to look unto second causes 
 and creature-help more than God's. Asa, being 
 in distress, did so ; " he relied," saith the text, " on 
 the king of Syria, and not on the Lord his God," 
 2 Chron. xvi. 7 ; and " in his disease he sought not 
 to the Lord, hut to the physicians," ver. 12. Con- 
 fidence in man is a common practice of the sons of 
 men. Ahaz, he sent to the king of Assyria to help 
 him, 2 Chron. xxviii. 16. So Ephraim, when he saw 
 his sickness, he went to the Assyrian, and sent to 
 Jareb, Hos. v. 13. Men's spirits look any way, turn 
 any whither, for relief rather than unto God ; the 
 arm of flesh is more to them than the arm of God. 
 Psal. sx. 7, " Some trust in chariots, and some in 
 horses ;" some in riches, Psal. lii. 7 ; some in false- 
 hood, Jer. xxiii. 25 ; some in strong holds, Zech. ix. 
 3 ; some in men, Isa. ii. 22. But it argues atheism, 
 ignorance, pride, unbelief, that men look not unto 
 God at such times ; yea, it proclaims the baseness 
 of our spirits, that we fall upon what is visible, weak, 
 unfaithful, at distance, and neglect God, who is 
 strong, all-sufficient, near ; and all because invisible, 
 not Seen of us. 
 
 Ob\. 2. Divine Providence overrules and orders 
 things so, that wicked men are frustrated and disap- 
 pointed of their hopes and expectations. Zedekiah 
 hoped and expected that Pharaoh, with his great 
 forces, should make much for him; but "neither 
 shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great com- 
 pany make for him ;" it is not kings, armies, coun- 
 sellors, and counsels, will do it. Pharaoh's army 
 came forth of Egypt, raised the siege when Nebu- 
 chadnezzar was before Jerusalem, Jer. sxxvii. 11; 
 yet it did not make for him ; the Chaldeans returned 
 again, sat down before the city, took it, Zedekiah, 
 the princes, and others. Ahaz expected help from 
 the king of Assyria ; Tilgath-pilneser comes, and 
 what then? he distressed him, but strengthened him 
 not, 2 C'hron. xxviii. 20. Absalom expected much 
 from the counsel and advice of Ahithophel, but God 
 turned it into foolishness, 2 Sam. xvii. 14 ; and all the 
 strength he had made not for him, chap, xviii. Job 
 v. 12, " He disappointelh the devices of the crafty, so 
 that their hands cannot perform their enterprise." 
 Haman could not perform his enterprise. Herod 
 could not accomplish his design to murder Christ, 
 when he slew the infants. Matt. ii. Kings and peo- 
 ple imagine vain things, and the Lord laughs them 
 to scorn, Psal. ii. 1, 4. The Lord sees what fools they 
 are to project, plot, expect help from arms of flesh, 
 and makes them to see, find, and feel it in time. He 
 brings " the counsel of the heathen to nought : he 
 maketh the devices of the people," princes, armies, 
 " of none ed'ect," and establisheth his own thoughts 
 and counsels, Psal. xxxiii. 10, 11, and that to all gen- 
 erations. God served his own will upon Pliaraoh, 
 and his army. Zedekiah was frustrated, he looked 
 for light, and met with darkness ; he leaned upon 
 Pliaraoh, a broken reed, that ran into his hand, and 
 pierced him, 2 Kings xviii. 21. The armies and 
 forces raised in this land have not made for the king, 
 nor had the Scots that assistance they looked for, 
 when they so lately came in. God's providence 
 works in all, by all, and overrules all, and he brings 
 to pass his own sacred purposes by kings, armies, by 
 nun's wits, wills, policies, and powers. 
 
 On ver. 18, Obs. The Lord takes notice of the 
 circumstan<-es and aggravations which are in men's 
 sins, especially kings'. " He despised the oath by 
 breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his 
 
 hand." I saw him, saith God, reach out his hand, 
 give it as a pawn and pledge of his fidelity to Nebu- 
 chadnezzar ; he engaged liimselfthcrebyto be sub- 
 ject and tributary unto him. This aggravated his 
 sin much ; it was against the light of nature, special 
 mercy ; for he had made it a royal hand, the strongest 
 engagement, done upon delib( ration. It was against 
 his superior, Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest king then 
 on earth ; it was against the good of the whole Jew- 
 ish state, for it brought war, famine, plague, cap- 
 tivity upon them all : yea, more than all these, it was 
 a high oflence against God and his attrilnites, and 
 therefore the Lord saith, ver. 20, it was a trespass, 
 " he trespassed against me." God minds with what 
 circumstances men's sins are clothed. He noted 
 not only Ahaz' sin, but the time when he sinned : 
 in the time of his distress, when he should have con- 
 sidered his sins, and repented of them, even then did 
 he sin more, 2 Chron. xxviii. 22. So Solomon's sin 
 hath the aggravation nailed to it, 1 Kings xi. 9, 
 " His heart was turned from the Lord God, which 
 had appeared unto him twice." 
 
 On ver. 19, Obs. Oaths and covenants made with men 
 are divine things, and not to be slighted. " Mine oath 
 that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath 
 broken :" it was made with Nebuchadnezzar, a hea- 
 then king, an idolatei', yet God owns it as made with 
 himself, because his sacred and dreadful name was 
 used therein, and judges the breach and violation 
 thereof as bad as if it had been formally made with 
 himself. If Zedekiah had sworn to God, and cove- 
 nanted with him, and given him his hand that he 
 would have been faithful to him, obedient to p.ny 
 thing propounded by his divine majesty, it had not 
 been worse. 
 
 Oaths made between man and man are called in 
 Scripture the "oath of God," Eccles. viii.2; and the 
 covenant made between Jonathan and David is call- 
 ed " the Lord's oath," 2 Sam. xxi. 7- Let not men, 
 therefore, sliglit covenants and oaths they have made 
 with men. but remember they have to do with God, 
 who is faithful, performing what he swears, and 
 keeping covenant for ever. It is good to be like 
 unto God, as in other things, so in this. When 
 Joshua had made a league with the Gibeonites, 
 and the princes had sworn unto them, though 
 they were fallaciously brought thereunto by the 
 Gibeonites' craft, yet they durst not violate the 
 league made and sworn, and so put them to the 
 sword as they did others ; but said, " We will even 
 let them live, lest wrath be upon us, because of the 
 oath," Josh. ix. 15, '20. You know what great wrath 
 of God hath fallen upon those who invaded us, 
 breaking the covenant and despising the oath. 
 
 On ver. 20, Obs. The Lord hath nets and snares to 
 catch and take perfidious princes and people in. " I 
 will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken 
 in my snare." There is no evasion when jod seeks 
 after siimers ; if he throw the net, it shall encompass 
 the greatest leviathan ; if he set the snare, it sluill 
 take the stoutest lion. 
 
 God had a net for Pharaoh, and caught that great 
 leviathan in the sea. An oak was the net he caught 
 Absalom in, 2 Sam. xvhi. 9. The earth w'as his net 
 to take Kirah, Dathan, and Abiram. A heap of 
 stones was his net thrown upon Achan. A cave was 
 the snare he took five kings in. Josh. x. 16 — 18. The 
 kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were snared in slime 
 pits. Gen. xiv. 10. Herod could not escape the worms, 
 thev were God's net and snare to catch him. The 
 Babylonish armies were his nets and snares to take 
 Hos'hea,2 Kings xvii ; Manasseh, 2 Chron. xxxiii. : 
 Jchoiakim, Jehoiaehin, and Zedekiah, who wer<> all 
 I kings, 2 Chron. xxxvi. Zedekiah had thoughts he
 
 430 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVII. 
 
 should escape, but he did not escape besieging, 
 taking, carrying into Babylon. When tlie city was 
 talcen, he fled by night, Jer. xxxix. 4 ; but God 
 spread his net so, tiiat it fell upon him, and all 
 with him. 
 
 Let men take heed of offending the great God of 
 heaven and earth, he hath nets and snares to take 
 them with. If once he throw his net, and set liis 
 snare, he will take them ; and being taken, you may 
 struggle, but shall never get out. Nets and snares 
 are hidden tilings, they catch suddenly, and hold 
 certainly. 
 
 On ver. 22, Obs. Not only princes, but counsellors 
 and co-partners in wickedness, shall be punished. 
 " All his fugitives witli all his bands shall fall by 
 the sword." The king was not alone in this defec- 
 tion from Nebuchadnezzar ; his princes, nobles, 
 counsellors, joined with him in sending to Egypt, 
 they and the militia in opposing Nebuchadnezzar, 
 who had given them their lives and power, but they 
 all fell by the sword, or were scattered. 
 
 04.V. 2. Events declare the truth of threatening, 
 and cause men to see their follies. Zedekiah and 
 others would not believe what was threatened against 
 them and Jerusalem ; but when things came to pass, 
 they were convinced, and made to see their errors : 
 they "shall know that I the Lord have spoken it." 
 
 Ver. 22— 24. Thus saith the Lord God ; I 
 will also fake of the highest branch of the high 
 cedar, and tcill set it; I will crop off' from the 
 fop of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant 
 it vpon an high mountai^i and eminent: in the 
 mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it : 
 and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, 
 and be a goodli/ cedar ; and under it shall dwell 
 all fowl of everi) wing ; in the shadow of the 
 branches thereof shall thei/ dwell. And all the 
 trees of the Jield shall know that I the Lord have 
 brought down the high tree, have exuUed the low 
 ti ee, have dried up the green tree, and have made 
 the dry tree to flourish : I the Lord have spoken 
 and have done it. 
 
 These verses contain a promise of mercy, which is 
 the last general part of the chapter : and it is no 
 mean promise, but an exceeding great and precious 
 promise, namely, of Christ and his kingdom. 
 
 The Lord having resolved and sworn, in the for- 
 mer part of the chapter, the rooting up the Jewish 
 vine, namely, the destruction of Zedekiah, his princes, 
 nobles, city, people, and laying all waste, some 
 among them might say, What will now become of 
 his jiromise to Abraham, to David, and others, that 
 out of their loins and seed should come a blessing 
 to all nations, that the Messiah should spring out of 
 their root ? if all Judah be rooted up, and carried 
 out into Babylon, what truth in the promise of God ? 
 how will this be made good which hath proceeded 
 out of his sacred lips ? What ! will the God of truth 
 be unfaithful, and fail now ? No, saith the Lord, I 
 am mindful of what I have promised ; and though 
 you see not how it shall be accomplished, I do ; I 
 have ways not thought of by you : " I will also take 
 of the highest branch of the high cedar, I will set, 
 and )dant it," ike. 
 
 In the words you have these things considerable : 
 
 I. The " high cedar," ver. 22. 
 
 II. What (iod will do to it ; " take of the highest 
 branch," dc. ver. 22. 
 
 III. What he will do with that branch; "set it, 
 plant it," ver. 22, 23. 
 
 IV. Where ; " upon an high mountain and emi- 
 nent," ver. 22; wliich is specified to be " the moun- 
 tain of the height of Israel," ver. 23. 
 
 V. The ert'ects of this plantation. 
 
 1. Growth ; " It shall bring forth boughs," ver. 23. 
 
 2. Fruitfulness ; " and bear fruit," ver. 23. 
 
 3. Greatness, or goodliness ; " and be a goodly 
 cedar," ver. 23. 
 
 4. Security to all fowls ; " under it shall dwell 
 all fowl of every wing." 
 
 VI. The product of the whole, ver. 24. 
 
 I shall open the words, and then give you the ob- 
 servations. 
 
 Ver. 22. " I will also take of." The pronoun, 
 " I," seems to be mentioned in opposition to the 
 great eagle, Nebuchadnezzar, who " took the high- 
 est branch of the cedar," ver. 3; wdiich he did, to 
 weaken, make tributary, and destroy the kingdom of 
 Israel ; though he planted it, yet it prospered not 
 any considerable time. And seeing he did so, saith 
 God, I will also, who am a greater eagle, and more 
 mighty monarch, than he, " take of the highest 
 branch of the high cedar, and plant it," so as it shall 
 grow, prosper, and thereby the kingdom of Israel be 
 raised to a greater height and glory than ever. 
 
 " The highest branch of the high cedar." The 
 high cedar was the tribe of Judah, which had the 
 pre-eminence above the rest, the head whereof was 
 the family of David, out of which came the kingly 
 race. The highest branch of it was Jehoiachin, 
 who, though in Babylon, God looked at, and minded 
 not Zedekiah, who was perfidious, his sons were 
 slain, himself laid by, and God would take of Je- 
 hoiachin's seed, and from thence raise up the king- 
 dom of Judah. Jehoiachin, who also was called Je- 
 coniah, 1 Chron. iii. I(>, in his captivity was said 
 to beget Salathiel, and Salathiel, Zorobabel, Matt, 
 i. 12, who was the tender one cropped off from the 
 young twig, as the Jews expound the place, and 
 make all spoken here to be meant of him and his 
 successors, for he was the chief man that brought 
 them out of Babylon unto Jerusalem again, and rear- 
 ed up the tabernacle of David and the Jewish polity. 
 
 Be it granted that he is included in this allegorical 
 promise, yet it cannot be principally understood of 
 him ; for something is here spoken that was never 
 verified in him or his successors according to the 
 Jewish account. In ver. 23, it is said, " under it 
 shall dwell all fowl of every wing:" this is of larger 
 extent than the power of Zorobabel or the Jewish 
 estate reached imto. It clearly points at the king- 
 dom of Christ, and all sorts of people coming under 
 his wing and protection ; the evidence whereof hath 
 caused some absolutely to interpret all of Christ. 
 But we may look at Zorobabel in it as a type, out of 
 whose root and stock Christ came, as appears. Matt. i. ; 
 and safely conclude it had its real fulfilling in him, 
 wdu)m our pro]>het chiefly aims at in this place, and 
 upon him we shall fasten what is to be said. 
 
 " A tender one." The Hebrew word i^ from ■]3i 
 signifies such a tenderness as is opposed to hard- 
 ness. When a branch of a tree is grown up, it is 
 hard, firm, but when it first shoots forth, it is soft 
 andten((er; such a one was Christ. The Septuagint 
 is, Kapcia, or, the heart, which is the tenderest part in 
 man ; others, a little twig. 
 
 " I will plant it upon an high mountain and emi- 
 nent." This tender one he would not plant in the 
 wilderness, in some obscure place, but upon a moun- 
 tain, and not any ordinary mountain, but a high and 
 eminent one, which was mount Zion : Psal. ii. (I, 
 " 1 have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion." 
 Mount Zion was the place he loved, Psal. Ixxviii. 
 08, and where he resolved to dwell, Psal. cxxxii. 14.
 
 Ver. 22—24. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 431 
 
 It is put oft for the church and people of God, Isa. 
 Ix. 14 ; 1 Pi-t. ii. 6 ; Hcb. xii. 22. And so the high 
 and eminent mountain here is put for the church, in 
 and over which Christ was to be planted King. 
 God would raise up this " tender one," and make 
 him King. Zion was a little hill in it ; but because 
 the law and glory of God was to go out from thence, 
 therefore it was eminent. 
 
 Ver. 23. " In the mountain of the height of Israel 
 will I plant it." That is, in the church, which is 
 the height of Israel: Micah iv. 1, " In the last days 
 it shall come to pass that the mountain of the house 
 of the Lord shall be established in the top of the 
 mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills." 
 Christ's kingdom shall be above all kingdoms : Luke 
 i. 32, " He shall be called the Son of the Highest : 
 and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of 
 David his father:" ver. 33, "He shall reign over 
 the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom 
 there shall be no end." 
 
 " It shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit." 
 Their tender ones, being planted in the mountain of 
 God, did not wither, but rooted, grew, had boughs 
 and fruit. The boughs you may call Christ's apostles, 
 seventy disciples, his fruit was judgment and justice : 
 Jer. xxiii. 5, " I will raise unto David a righteous 
 Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and 
 shall execute judgment and justice." David long 
 before proiihesied what his fruit should be: Psal. 
 Ixxii. 12 — 14, " He shall deliver the needy when 
 he crieth ; and him that hath no helper. He shall 
 spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls 
 of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from de- 
 ceit and violence : and precious shall their blood be 
 in his sight." 
 
 The fruit of this Plant is specified by Isaiah, chap. 
 Ixi. 1 — 3, " Preaching good tidings, binding up the 
 broken-hearted, proclaiming liberty to captives, open- 
 ing the prison to those who are bound, comforting 
 mourners, and making trees of righteousness ; " he 
 went up and down " doing good, and healing all that 
 were 0])pressed of the devil," Acts x. 38. The gospel, 
 with all the ordinances, promises, miracles, and bene- 
 fits of it, are the fruit of this tree. 
 
 " And be a goodly cedar." A great cedar, saith 
 the Septuagint. A stately one, say others. The 
 cedar excels other trees in height, in sweetness, in 
 duration ; and hereby the excellency of Christ's king- 
 dom is set out in the spiritualness, fragrancy, and 
 lastingness of it. His " kingdom is not of this 
 world," John xviii. 3G ; he rules in righteousness, 
 Isa. xi. 4; so that his "name is as ointment poured 
 forth," Cant. i. 3 ; and of his kingdom there is no 
 end, Isa. ix. 7. This cedar is the most excellent, 
 goodly, odoriferous, and durable, that ever grew in 
 Lebanon. The top of this cedar doth not only reach 
 up to heaven, but is in heaven, Phil. ii. 6 — 11. 
 
 " Under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing." 
 Hebrew, all fowl, all of wing. Septuagint, every 
 beast, and every flying thing. That is, the tribes, 
 and the gentiles, all the elect out of both, they should 
 come flying like birds unto a tree for shelter ; all 
 nations should come unto the church for relii'f. Not 
 all kings, nor angels, but all nations, should come 
 imder this cedar, as in Dan. iv. 12, the fowls of the 
 heaven dwelt in the great tree there mentioned. So 
 here, all fowl should come imder this goodly cedar. 
 In and under the trees the birds were safe sheltered 
 from the violence of weather, heat of sun, and vermin 
 on the earth ; there they lired, there they sung, and 
 there they quietly rested themselves. Such benefit 
 should the faithful find by coming under Christ, 
 the gooilly cedar, in Zion. That which is called 
 all "fowl of every wing" here, is called "all na- 
 
 tions and tongues," Isa. Ixvi. 18 ; and " all flesh," 
 ver. 23. 
 
 Ver. 24. " All the trees of the field." By " trees 
 of the field," some understand all the kings, princes, 
 and potentates of the world; who are so called, 
 because, 
 
 1. They are deeply rooted and fastened in the 
 world, as trees are in the earth. You may easily 
 pluck up a flower, a little plant, but not a tree ; and 
 so great ones are not easily moved, or plucked up. 
 
 2. They are eminent above others, as trees are 
 above bushes, shrubs, little plants, underwood, whose 
 growth they hinder by overshadowing and over- 
 dripping them. 
 
 3. They are trees in respect of their spreading 
 and extension. The arms, boughs, and branches of 
 trees extend every way, and far ; so great men, their 
 power reaches far, and oft too far. 
 
 4. In that they succour and harbour others, many 
 shelter themselves under their shadow, as trees do 
 the birds. Oft great men shelter the beasts and 
 vermin of the earth, not the birds of heaven. 
 
 5. Trees, in regard of fruitfulncss. Great men 
 are very fruitful one way or other, but mostly in 
 wickedness. Zedekiah had his fruit, falseness and 
 perjury. " Every tree that bears not good fruit," &c. 
 
 However great ones be trees, yet I conceive not 
 only they, but the people of the nations, are here 
 meant by trees, for he calls them " trees of the field." 
 The Jews were the trees of the orchard and garden 
 of God, but the gentiles were the trees of the field 
 or world ; and they should see and know what the 
 Lord's ways were with this Jewish state and people. 
 
 " Have brought down the high tree." This high 
 tree was Zedekiah, who would not hear Jeremiah, 
 nor keep covenant with Nebuchadnezzar, but being 
 stubborn and haughty of spirit, would go his own 
 ways, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 12, 13. Some would have it 
 understood of the kingdom of Zedekiah, but that is 
 not congruous with what is in ver. 6, where that is 
 likened to " a vine of low stature ;" it is better, 
 therefore, to expound it of the person of Zedekiah ; 
 for though the kingdom was low, yet he was haughty 
 and high. Others make this high tree to be the 
 kingdom of Babylon, which was overthrown by the 
 hand of Cyrus, and so way made for the low tree, 
 the Jews in captivity, to return by the hand of Ze- 
 rubbabel. They, Christ and his kingdom in them, 
 were very low during the captivity, but the Lord 
 brought them forth, exalted them, Christ and his 
 kingdom, in due time. 
 
 " Have dried up the green tree." Zedekiah and 
 his kingdom were like a green vine with branches 
 and sprigs, ver. 6 : but the Lord rooted up this vine, 
 threw it into Babylon, where it died. "Green" 
 with apprehension they only were the people of 
 God; "green" with conceits of their own right- 
 eousness; "green" with hopes of liveliness. 
 
 " Have made the dry tree to flourish." By the 
 dry tree Lavater understands the gentiles, who were 
 without promises, covenant. Others, Jeconiah, who 
 was a captive in Babylon, and, after thirty-seven 
 years' imprisonment, exalted by Evil-merodach, and 
 his throne set above the throne of other kings with 
 him ; and so the kingdom of David, that had been 
 long a dry tree, began in him, Salathiel, Zcrubbabel, 
 and afierward in Christ, to flourish. 
 
 Obs. 1. After grievous judgments threatened to 
 come ujion a state or church, God propounds matter 
 of comfort to his elect and faithful therein, that .so 
 whi'n the execution is, their hearts may be supjiorted 
 and comforted. 'When God should root out Zedekiah 
 and his people, the kingdom would be laid waste, 
 the faithfid should suffer much, lose estates, friends.
 
 432 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XYIl. 
 
 liberty, country, tomplc, onlinances, and worship of 
 God. Now for comfort against all these evils, he 
 tells them of the Messiah, whom he would take care 
 should come into the world : " I will take of the 
 highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it." 
 However things went, God would take care that the 
 line of which Christ was to come should be preserved, 
 and that his promise should be made good. So Lsa. 
 xi. 1, " There shall come forth a rod out of the stem 
 of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots." 
 Now the stem of Jesse seemed to be cut down, and 
 the root of Jesse to be pulled up; but the Lord pre- 
 served the root and stem, out of which he brought 
 a rod and a branch for the comfort of the faithful 
 suffering Jews. This promise of the Branch is oft 
 mentioned in holy writ for the comfort of the Jews, 
 Jer. xxiii. 5, 6; xxxiii. 15. 1(3; Zech.iii. 8; vi. 12, 13. 
 
 Ob/i. 2. The Lord Christ descended from the high- 
 est. " I will take of the highest branch of the high 
 cedar." He came from the loins of Jeconiah, who 
 was king of Judah, and from fourteen kings before 
 him, as ap]iears Matt. i. ; he was the son of nobles, 
 and born a King ; therefore when the wise men came 
 from the east to Jerusalem, they said, " Where is 
 he that is born King of the Jews," Matt. ii. 2. He 
 was the first-born of the kings of Judah, the right 
 lieir to, and should have succeeded them in, the 
 kingdom, which Herod at that time usurped. Such 
 a hint being given out by the wise men, it is strange 
 that neithei the sanhedrim, the high priests, scribes, 
 nor Pharisees, should search out the truth of it. 
 They were wise and learned in their generation, but 
 blind in all the things of Christ. However they 
 failed, let us take notice of it, that Jesus Christ was 
 the son of nobles, and came of royal blood. 
 
 Obs. 3. The beginnings of Christ were mean and 
 low. " Twill crop of! from the top of his young twigs a 
 tender one." Christ at first was as a little tender 
 shoot of a tree set in the earth ; and how weak, mean, 
 low, and inconsiderable is such a thing ! If one 
 should take a little twig of a cedar, or an oak, and 
 prick it in the earth in some obscure place, men 
 would not regard it. Christ's beginnings were such : 
 he took fiesh of a poor mean virgin, the wife of a 
 carpcnti r. Matt. i. He was born in a poor village, 
 Mic. v. 2; in a stable, laid in a manger, Luke ii. 7. 
 He was suljject to his parents, being poor and low, 
 ver. 51. He lay in the dark till thirty years of age, 
 Luke iii. 23 ; and then he began with two or three 
 poor fishermen. Matt. iii. 18 — 22 ; then some others 
 to the number of twelve ; and even now when he 
 seemed to be somebody, he had not a house or bed 
 for himself or them: Luke ix. 58, "Foxes have 
 holes, and birds of the air have nests ; but the Son 
 of man hath not where to lay his head." And for 
 his maintenance, it was at the good will of others ; 
 Luke viii. 3, " Joanna, Susanna, and many others, 
 ministered unto him of their substance." 
 
 Obs. 4. The Lord Christ is planted in the church, 
 and become a fruitful and goodly cedar therein. " I 
 will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent, 
 the mountain of the height of Israel ; and it shall 
 bring forth boughs, bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar." 
 Christ was planted in Zion. there he grew, there he 
 brought forth fruit ; with the timber of this cedar 
 was the church built, with the fruit of this cedar 
 it is maintained. lsa. iv. 2, " In that day shall 
 the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, 
 and the fruit of the earth be excellent." The branch 
 was Christ, and hr should be for beauty and glory to 
 the church, and the fruit that should come from him 
 should be excellent; never tree bare su( h fruit: the 
 church saith, " His friut was sweet to my taste." " Wis- 
 dom, righteousness, redemption, and sanctification," 
 
 are the fruits of this cedar, 1 Cor. i. 30 ; the life of 
 the world, John vi. 33 ; the ordinances of the gospel, 
 Matt, xxviii. 19; 1 Cor. i. 23; "exceeding great 
 and precious promises," 2 Pet. i. 4; reconciliation, 
 Col. i. 20 ; the gift of the Spirit or Comforter, John 
 xvi. 7 ; revelation of the counsels of God, John xv. 
 15 ; fellowship with the Father and the Son, John 
 xiv. 9 ; 1 John i. 3 ; " eternal life," John x. 28. 
 Such was the fi'uit this cedar bore. In the midst 
 of the church he was planted, fruitful, and sang 
 praise to God, Heb. ii. 12. And so high is this 
 cedar grown, that it is now in heaven at the right 
 hand of God, " far above all principality, and power, 
 and might, and dominion, and every name that is 
 named, not only in this world, but also in that which 
 is to come," Eph. i. 20, 21. iSo that the mountain 
 of the Lord is on the top of all mountains, and this 
 cedar on the top of that mountain. 
 
 Oi.v. 5. Unto Christ and his kingdom shall come 
 in all that are elect, both Jews and gentiles. " Under 
 it shall dwell all fowl of every wing :" they shall 
 come, and come flying; let them be in what king- 
 dom they will, in what condition soever, learned, 
 ignorant, rich, poor, weak, strong, sound, sick, young, 
 or old, they shall come to Christ. lsa. Ix. 3, " The 
 gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the 
 brightness of thy rising." Yer. 4, " Thy sons shall 
 come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy 
 side." He speaks of the church under Christ : ver. 
 8, they should come flying " as doves to their win- 
 dows." Chap. Ixvi. 23, " It shall come to pass, that 
 from one new moim to another, and from one sab- 
 bath to another, shall all fltsh come to worship be- 
 fore me, saith the Lord ;" both Jews and gentiles, 
 nothing shall let or hinder, he will bring them, lsa. 
 Ivi. 7. And Christ saith, John vi. 37, " All that the 
 Father giveth me shall come unto me ;" nothing in 
 Satan, in themselves, in the world, shall keep or let 
 them from coming under this cedar. 
 
 Obi-, (i. There is safety under Christ, he will pro- 
 tect and defend his people from all harms. " Un- 
 der it shall they dwell." Men will not dwell where 
 is no safety. Fowls and birds when they get into a 
 great tree, they are seciu'e from any who pursue 
 them, from all harms from above or from beneath ; 
 so those who come under Christ's shadow, Christ's 
 power and government, they shall dwell there safely. 
 Ezek. xxxiv. 24, 25, God will set up his servant 
 David a Prince among them, that is, Christ ; and 
 what then ? " I will cause the cvdl beasts to cease 
 out of the land ,'' that is, by the power of Christ : 
 lsa. xi. 4, and they shall dwell safely, there .shall be 
 no hurting nor destroying in the mountain of God, 
 ver. 9. And chap. xxv. 10, " In this mountain shall 
 the hand of the Lord rest, and Moab shall be trodden 
 down under him, even as straw is trodden down for 
 the dunghill." Christ will protect his church, and 
 tread down the enemies thereof, whatever their 
 power, policies, and pretences are. He is a cedar 
 in wisdom, Col. ii. 3; a cedar in power. Matt, xxviii. 
 18; a cedar in his providence and vigilance, lsa. 
 xxvii. 3 ; hence saith the church, " I sat down under 
 his .shadow with great deliglit," Cant. ii. 3. It is 
 Christ secures from sin, from the wisdom of the flesh, 
 the storms of the world, temptations of hell, and 
 whatever is dangerous : lsa. xxv. 4, " Thou hast 
 been a strength to the jioor, a strength to the needy 
 in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow 
 from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is 
 as a storm against the wall." If you be under the 
 shadow of this cedar, though the winds blow hard, 
 the floods beat sore, and rain fall with strength, yet 
 you shall be as safe as the house built upon the rock, 
 'Matt. vii. 24, 25.
 
 ViiR. 22—24. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 433 
 
 Under other cedars there is no safety. Kings of 
 the earth are cedars, but they prey upon their sub- 
 jects rather than protect them ; they think that all 
 men are made to serve their lusts, and therefore 
 mind themselves, and care not what becomes of tlie 
 people, so they may gi-ow great and fat on earth : it is 
 otherwise with Christ, he seeks the good, the comfort, 
 the safety, the greatness, and glory of his subjects. 
 
 Obs. 7." Princes that are haughty and proud, God 
 will bring them down, though they be in nourishing 
 conditions. " I have brought down the high tree, and 
 dried up the green tree." Zedokiah was a high 
 tree ; the king of Judah and his spirit was high, he 
 would not stoop to God or man, he hearkened not 
 to the God of Israel, nor to his prophets ; he would 
 not keep covenant and promise with the king of 
 Babylon, but his will was his law ; but God laid the 
 axe to the root of this tree, and hewed it down, and 
 great was the fall thereof. No trees are so high, 
 but the Lord, who is higher than they, can lay them 
 low ; let them be green with boughs, branches, 
 leaves, let them have many children, many nobles, 
 many soldiers, many counsellors, many kingdoms, all 
 cannot preserve them from ruin. Nebuchadnezzar 
 was a high tree, his top reached to heaven, Dan. iv. 
 II, he was proud and bloody ; and what fell out ? 
 " A watcher and an holy one came down from hea- 
 ven, cried aloud, and said. Hew down the tree, cut 
 off his branches, shake olf his leaves, scatter his 
 fruit ; let the beasts get away from under it, and the 
 fowls fi-om his branches," ver. 13, 14. There is a 
 watcher observes the spirits, plots, practices of kings, 
 and hews them down at his pleasure; and when they 
 fall, let the beasts and fowls which have harboured 
 under tiiem, and been instruments to accomplish 
 their wicked wills, take heed lest they be crushed in 
 tiicir full. 
 
 Pharaoh was a high tree, the highest in all Egypt ; 
 he said, " I will pursue, I will overtake, 1 will divide 
 the spoil ; my lust shall be satisfied upon them ; I 
 will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them :" 
 here was pride and cruelty, which usually go toge- 
 ther ; and what followed hereupon ? " Thou didst 
 blow with thy wind, the sea covered them ; they 
 sank as lead in the mighty waters," Exod. xv. 9, 10. 
 Amaziah king of Judah grew proud upon a victory, 
 and provoked Joash to battle ; by him God broke 
 him in pieces, brought him low, and afterwards he 
 was slain by his own subjects, 2 Chron. xxv. Saul 
 was a goodly man, a high tree in Israel, he was 
 proud, cruel, false, disobedient to God ; and he re- 
 jected him, and cut him down by the Philistines 
 and his own sword, 1 Sam. xxxi. So Ahab, 1 Kings 
 xxii. ; Herod, Acts xii. 23. Belshazzar lifted up 
 himself against the Lord of heaven, and would not 
 see the hand of God upon his father Nebuchadnez- 
 zar, and humble himself; and presently a hand was 
 seen writing his doom, and that night was he slain, 
 Dan. V. 5, 22, 23, 30. Haughty spirits, whoever they 
 are, God w ill humble and lay low ; he beholds them 
 afar off, he resi.sts them, and will scatter them. Isa. 
 X. 33, 34, " Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, 
 shall lop the bough with terror : and the high ones 
 of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall 
 be humbled. He shall cut down the thickets of 
 the forests with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a 
 mighty one." It is spoken of Sennacherib and his 
 army ; this God hewed down by a mighty angel, and 
 hiniself liy his own sons, Isa. xxxvii. 3G, 3S. The 
 Lord hath days and times to reckon with the high 
 and haughty ones : Isa. ii. 12 — 17, " The day of 
 the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is 
 proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up ; 
 and he shall be brought low : upon all the cedars of 
 2 F 
 
 Lebanon, upon all the oaks of Bashan, nj on all the 
 high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted 
 up, &c. And file loftiness of man shall be bowed 
 down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made 
 low : and the Lord alone shall Ije exalted in that day." 
 And then men shall run " into holes and caves for 
 fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, 
 when he ariseth to shiike terribly the earth," ver. I'J. 
 
 Ob.s: 8. How low soever the conditions of king- 
 doms, families, or persons are, God can, and it is his 
 way to raise them. " I have exalted the low tree, 
 and made the dry free to flourish." The kingdom 
 of Judah, the house of David, the person of Jeco- 
 niah, were very low in Babylon, like low shrubs, 
 dry trees ; but God's eye was upon them, he wrought 
 for them, he exalted them, and brought a glorious 
 kingdom and church out of those low beginnings. 
 Was not Christ like a low and dry tree, w-hen he lay 
 in the loins of Jeeoniah, a prisoner, a captive ; when 
 he lay in the womb of the virgin ; hewed timber, 
 made houses for his living ; especially when he was 
 cut down and laid in the heart of the earth ; was he 
 not as a dry tree then? but God exalted him, set 
 him at his right hand. Acts ii. 33, and Peter jiro- 
 elaimed it ; " Let all the house of Israel know as- 
 suredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom 
 ye crucified, both Lord and Christ," ver. 36. Thus 
 did he " grow up before the Lord as a tender plant, 
 and as a root out of a dry ground," Isa. liii. 2. 
 Luke i. 52, " He hath put down the mighty from 
 their seats, and exalted them of low degree." 
 
 Obs. 9. God will do these things bo eminently, 
 that the world shall take notice, and be filled with 
 the glory thereof. " And all the trees of the field 
 shall know, that I the Lord," cS:c. : not only the 
 orchard trees, but the field trees, not domestic alone, 
 but wild ones. Isa. ii. 19, men shall fear and hide 
 themselves " for the glory of his majesty, when he 
 ariseth to shake terribly the earth." 
 
 CHAPTER XVin. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 4. The word of the Lord came unto 
 me again, saying, 1J hat mean i/e, that ye use this 
 proverb concerning the land iif Israel, saying. 
 The fathers hare eaten sour grapes, and the c/ril- 
 drcns teeth are set on edge ? As I live, saith the 
 Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more 
 to use this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls 
 are mine ; as the soul of the father, so also the soul 
 of the son is mine : the soul that sinneth, it shall die. 
 
 The Jews in Babylon meeting with much hard- 
 ship in their captivity, instead of being humbled for 
 their sins, which brought sad miseries upon them, 
 took up an imjust complaint against God, and charg- 
 ed him to deal unjustly by them ; viz. That their 
 fathers had sinned, and they who were their chil- 
 dren suffered for their sins ; we being innocent, are 
 grievously afflicted for their iniquities. This false 
 charge God clears himself of in this chapter, and 
 shows them that he is most just in punishing and 
 rewarding, that every one shall bear his own sins, 
 and not another's, be rewarded according to what 
 he is, and hath done, be he just or unjust. If the 
 unjust repent of his evil ways, he shall have mercy ; 
 if the just turn from his righteousness he shall have 
 judgment. And this is the sum and main argument 
 of this chapter. 
 
 In the chapter you have two general parts :
 
 '1 34 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAP. XVIII. 
 
 I. God's expostulation with the Jews by the pro- 
 jjhvt, vlI-. 1—30. 
 
 II. An exhortation to repentance and ne\\Tiess of 
 life, ver. 30 to the end. 
 
 Concerning the expostulation, you have, 
 
 1. The ground of it, ver. 2, "What mean ye, 
 that," &c. 
 
 2. A threatening to take away that evil proverb, 
 ver. 3. 
 
 3. God's vindication of himself, 
 
 (1.) In general, in ver. 4, "Behold, all souls are 
 mine," &c. 
 
 (2.) More particularly, from the begjinning of ver. 
 5 to ver. 19. 
 
 4. The Jews' replication in ver. 9, and God's 
 further vindication of himself against their imjust 
 accusation, from the middle of ver. 19 to ver. 25, 
 where, 
 
 5. They treble their charge upon God, and tell 
 him his ways are not equal ; from which God retort- 
 ing the accusation upon themselves, doth, as former- 
 ly, vindicate himself, to ver. 30. 
 
 Ver. 1. " The word of the Lord came unto me, say- 
 ing." Thus began chap. vi. vii. xii. xiii. xv. xvi. 
 xvii. The Holy Spirit inspired him; as that moved 
 him he spake, and not of his own head, as the false 
 prophets did. Though he were in Babylon, he 
 wanted not divine inspiration, which he often tells 
 them of, that his prophecy might be weighty and 
 autVioritative. 
 
 Ver. 2. " What mean ye, that," Sec. Here is the 
 matter of the expostulation, propounded by way of 
 reprehension : You do use a strange proverb, that 
 tends to my dishonour, and represents me to the 
 world to be an unjust God ; but what cause have I 
 given you to speak in tliis manner? surely I know 
 no cause given you why you should utter such a pro- 
 verlj ; if there be, bring it forth, and let me hear it. 
 
 " That ye use this proverb." Hebrew is, proverb- 
 izing a proverb, as chap. xvii. 2; and it notes the 
 frequent use they made of it, tossing that proverb up 
 and down amongst them : they did not now and then 
 speak it, but it was frequently and constantly in their 
 mouths. Of the nature of a proverb was spoken 
 chap. xii. 22, and xvii. 2. 
 
 " Of the land of Israel." That is, of the people of 
 Israel ; not the ten tribes, for they were gone into 
 captivity long before, but those of Judea. 
 
 " The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the 
 children's teeth are set on edge." The word for 
 " sour grapes " is "ID3 which signifies an unripe or 
 wild grape. 
 
 " Are set on edge." Hebrew is from nnp which 
 Bignifies to make blunt and dull, as iron without an 
 edge. Whether the English words, " are set on 
 edge," are so jiropcr, and hold out the sense, I leave 
 to the judgment of the learned; they seem tome to 
 hint a sharpening rather than a dulling. All ex- 
 positors I meet with make the word to signify ob- 
 stupescency and hebetation. 
 
 Sour grapes, and many other sour things, do dis- 
 affect the teeth ; sometimes they cause the tooth- 
 ache, sometimes they dull and stupify the teeth, so 
 that those which stand by and see the parties eating 
 them, have their teeth ill affected also ; as Aristotle 
 observes in his Problems, and experience tcacheth 
 us. Two things are to be considered concerning this 
 proverb: 1. The meaning of it. 2. The occasion. 
 
 1. For the meaning. By " sour grapes," the Jews 
 understand sin, not sin simply, but such sins as do 
 bring heavy judgments of God upon a land or people, 
 as idolatry, nuirdcr, oppression, trusting in an arm of 
 flesh, unnatural pollutions, illegal mixtures, drunk- 
 tnncss, profaneness, &c. The prophet Isaiah warrants 
 
 this sense of sour grapes, chap. v. 2, 4, where he 
 calls the sins of Judah, " wild grapes :" God looked 
 that his vineyard .should bring forth grapes, good 
 fruit, justice, righteousness, truth, and it Ijrought forth 
 wild grapes, oppression, a cry, covetousness, lascivi- 
 ousness, drunkenness, pride, of which he speaks in 
 the chapter. 
 
 Such sins arc called sour or wild grapes, because 
 they wound conscience, are burdensome unto others, 
 are as distasteful unto God as such grapes are to us; 
 they gi-ieve his Spirit, and exasperate him to lay 
 waste the vine that bears such fruit. 
 
 By this proverb thus much is signified, that the 
 fathers had sinned, and the children suti'ered for their 
 sin ; the fathers did that which was very offensive 
 unto God, and the children were punished for it ; 
 they did eat the sour grapes, brought forth the 
 bitter fruit, and these smarted for it, the children's 
 teeth were set on edge, or stupified, that is, they were 
 punished for w hat their fathers had done ; they 
 thought and said that their fathers were the cause 
 of all the evils which befell them. Like unto this 
 proverb are these : " Kings sin, and the people sutler :" 
 " The child offends, and the servant is beaten." 
 
 2. The occasion. The princes and people going 
 on in the idolatrous, oppressing, profane, bloody, and 
 wicked ways of their fathers, the prophets did threat- 
 en them with destruction of their temple, city, and 
 estate ; hereupon they said. Our fathers did as wc 
 do, and they were spared, why should we suffer? 
 And when the prophets pressed the sins of Manasseh, 
 as Jer. xv. 3, 4, " I will appoint over them four kinds, 
 saith the Lord ; the sword to slay, the dogs to tear, 
 the fowls of heaven, the beasts of the earth, to devour 
 and destroy : and I will cause them to be removed 
 into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh 
 the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which 
 he did in Jerusalem." Manasseh's sin struck much 
 upon the heart of God : he made them do more evil 
 than the nations which God destroyed ; he filled Jeru- 
 salem with innocent blood, 2 Kings xxi. 9, 16; he 
 " made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to 
 err and do worse than heathen," 2 Chron. xxxiii. 9. 
 When God stirred the prophets to tell them that for 
 his sins he would lay Jerusalem waste, as he had 
 the ten tribes for Jeroboam's sins, they then took up 
 this proverb, and said, "The fathers have eaten sour 
 grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge ;" 
 Ahaz, Manasseh, Anion, and others of our forefathers, 
 have sinned, and we must suffer. Or thus : Zedekiah 
 and his counsellors hadperfidiously broken covenant 
 with Nebuchadnezzar, for which the prophets threat- 
 ened utter ruin to all ; hereupon the people said, 
 " Our fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the chil- 
 dren's teeth are set on edge ;" the kings and nobles 
 have transgressed, and we shall be ruined for 
 it. But the former occasion is the better, because 
 Zedekiah and the nobles did suller with them, and 
 were punished for their own sins. 
 
 This proverb was grown common amongst them, 
 both in Babylon and in Zion, it was tossed up and 
 down and spread. Ezekiel tells them of it in Baby- 
 lon, and Jeremiah in Zion ; chap. xxxi. 29, " They 
 shall say no more. The fathers have eaten a sour 
 grape," &c. The evil of this proverb was great, for 
 besides their charging of God with injustice and par- 
 tiality, hereby, (1.) they discovered their fathers' sins 
 and nakedness, and that without sorrow or repentance 
 for them. (2.) Made light of any thing the pro- 
 phets threatened against them. (3.) Obstructed the 
 way against futurerepentance,orprofitingby the judg- 
 ments of God which should come upon them; for being 
 persuaded and possessed with this opinion, that they 
 suffered unjustly for their fathers' sins, not their own,
 
 Ver. 1—4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 435 
 
 they would never suLmit, mourn, condemn, but jus- 
 tify themselves. 
 
 Ver. 3. " As I live, saith the Lord God." This 
 oath of the Lord hath several times been spoken of, 
 and therefore I shall now say nothing of it. 
 
 " Ye shall not have occasion any more to use this 
 proverb." Hebrew is, If there shall be to you any 
 more to provcrbize this proverb. Septuagint, If this 
 parable shall be said any more in Israel j I will take a 
 course that this wicked proverb shall cease. The words 
 may be taken either as a commination, thus ; If any of 
 you shall use this proverb any more, as I live, I will 
 punish you ; let me be as a dead, dumb, idol god, and 
 not as the living God, if I do it not. Or they may 
 be taken by way of asseveration ; I swear that this 
 proverb shall be no more used, I will clear my pro- 
 ceedings with them, so that themselves shall ac- 
 knowledge, and all the world see and say, they suffer 
 justly ; or, I will destroy them for this blaspfaemous 
 proverb of theirs, and so it shall be heard no more 
 in the land of Israel. 
 
 Ver. 4. " Behold, all souls are mine." Here the 
 Lord doth vindicate himself from that unjust crime 
 they laid to his charge, viz. that he punished one 
 for another, the child for the sin of the parent. You 
 mistake, saith God, all souls are mine, I am the 
 common Father of all, I observe the ways of all, and 
 render unto them all according to their works ; I do 
 not accept the persons of any in judgment, I neither 
 pronounce nor execute any unjust judgment, but 
 being essentially just, am righteous in all my ways, 
 and holy in all my works, Psal. cxlv. 17. Kone in 
 heaven or earth hath any sufBcient warrant to accuse 
 me, and if I should punish the son for the father's 
 sin, I could give you satisfactory grounds for it. 
 
 By " soids," we are to understand persons, a part 
 being put for the whole ; and the Scripture doth fre- 
 quently put the soul for that which is endued with 
 the soul. Lev. vii. 18, 20, 21, " The soul that eat- 
 eth, the soul that toucheth, any unclean thing, that 
 soul shall be cut off." Josh. xx. 3, " The slayer 
 that killeth any person ;" the Hebrew is, any soul. 
 And so here soul is put for the person. Some think 
 that where it is said, the soul of the father, and the 
 soul of the son, it is to be taken properly ; but with- 
 out prejudice to others, I conceive in those expres- 
 sions the person is meant ; the soul of the father is 
 mine, that is, the father is mine ; and the soul of the 
 son is mine, that is, the son is mine ; the principal 
 part being put for the whole by a synecdoche. Soul, 
 father, son, man, are synonymes here. Ver. 20, it is 
 said, " The son shall not bear the iniquity of the 
 father ;" there it is expressed in the person : and 
 Jer. xxxi. 30, " Every one shall die for his own 
 iniquity ; every man that eateth the sour grape," 
 (S;c. ; he speaks of the same thing our prophet doth, 
 and puts it upon the person. Hence is no warrant 
 for the death of the soul, though it be said, " The 
 soul that sinneth, it shall die ;" that is, the person, 
 whatsoever he be that sins, he shall die for it, he 
 shall be punished for his sins. 
 
 There is an opinion among some, that the soul 
 sleeps and dies with the body, and so is mortal for 
 the present, though afterwards both body and it put 
 on immortality ; but this opinion is repugnant to 
 divine truth. Eecles. xii. 7, speaking of man's 
 death, saith Solomon, " Then shall the dust return 
 unto the earth, and the spirit shall return unto God 
 who gave it ;" the body goes one way, the spirit 
 another; if the spirit or soul were mortal, it should 
 have gone with the body. Matt. x. 28, " Fear not 
 them which kill the body, but are not able to kill 
 the soul." That is such a transcendent and precious 
 thing, as that it is beyond the reach of all mortal 
 2 F 2 
 
 power ; death, the king of fears, cannot approach it ; 
 but if it were of the same constitution or condition 
 the body is, it might fall by the same hand and 
 stroke the body doth. John viii. 51 ; xi. 26, Christ 
 saith, he that keeps his sayings, and believes in him, 
 he shall never see death, he shall never die. The 
 Greek is, ilg tov aiuva, to eternity, not as if he should 
 sec dcatli for a time or times, but he shall ever live ; 
 this must be verified of the soul, which sees not the 
 second death, as the souls of the wicked do, nor the 
 first death, as the bodies of all do. 1 Thess. iv. 14, 
 if ihe soul sleep, it is in Jesus, not in the dust, it is 
 with Christ, not the body ; how else will he bring it 
 with him ? 
 
 "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." These 
 words seem easy, but they are very difficult, and 
 have greatly perplexed interpreters and others. 
 The words import only thus nmch, that the man 
 which sinneth, whatever he be, he shall sutler, and 
 be cut off for his sin ; himself, not any other, shall 
 bear the burden thereof. 
 
 The difficulties concerning these words are three. 
 
 1. That many sin, and that notoriously, who die 
 not for their sins, but live, adding drunkenness to 
 thirst, and at last go off the stage of the world with 
 as much ease and quiet as other men. 
 
 An.mK 1. It is granted that many do not suffer for 
 their sins, though such as deserve suffering ; and that, 
 
 (1.) To convince men there is a judgment to 
 come. Some suffer here, to show there is a Provi- 
 dence that takes notice of men's ways in the world; 
 and some pass away without any observable judg- 
 ment upon them, to pssure men there is a day of 
 reckoning to come, 2 Pet. ii. 9. 
 
 (2.) That the world might not be unpeopled ; for 
 if all should be cut off who deserve death, if every 
 soul who sins should die, how few would be left ! In 
 the destruction of the old world you know how few 
 were spared. 
 
 (3.) That God's long-suffering towards sinners 
 might appear, according to that you have, 2 Pet. iii. 
 
 9, " The Lord is long-suffering to us-ward." 
 
 2. Sometimes, yea often, it is so, those who are 
 notoriously wicked, they die for it. Prov. x. 27, 
 " The years of the wicked shall be shortened." And 
 Psal. Iv. 23, " Bloody and deceitful men shall not 
 live out half their days ;" not that all bloody and 
 deceitful men do fall by the stroke of justice, but it 
 is so many times, that by the judge, by their ene- 
 mies, by themselves, or some hand of God, they 
 perish /therefore the words in the psalmist are not 
 to be taken, mulliemalice, too subtlely, but note out 
 abbreviation of sinners' lives, which is frequently 
 made good; as in Shimei, Joab, Amnon, Ahab, Je- 
 zebel, Judas, &c. 
 
 3. They die before they can bring to pass fully 
 what they aim at: they break bounds, pervert jus- 
 tice, change times and seasons, think to subject all 
 to their wills, and now while they are in the pursuit 
 of such things, they die, which is a just and heavy 
 judgment of God upon them. 
 
 4. By death we may understand a metaphorical 
 death, viz. afflictions, judgments, war, plague, famine, 
 captivity, loss of comforts formerly enjoyed ; so it is 
 taken, Exod. x. 17; 2 Cor. xi. 23. And in this sense 
 there is scarce any man who sins beyond the ordi- 
 nary rule of men's common infirmities, but dios for 
 it, t'liat is, suffers sad afflictions. When David sin- 
 ned his great sins, the sword was drawn against 
 him, and never departed from his house, 2 Sam. xii. 
 
 10. Much more is it so ^\-ith wicked men; some 
 hand of God or other is upon them. 
 
 5. They may humble themselves for th<'ir sins, 
 and so tin y may be spared : Ahab humbled himself.
 
 436 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 1 Kings xxi. 20. If they do not sufTer themselves 
 fur their sins, the judgment follows and falls upon 
 their posterity for their sins, which makes the next 
 ditRculty. 
 
 2nd difficulty. If the soul that sins shall die, how 
 is it then that the children suffer for their fathers' 
 sins ? Where it is said, 1 Kings xxi. 29, " I w'ill not 
 bring the evil in his days," that was Ahalj's, " hut 
 in his son's days I will bring the evil upon his 
 house." And 2 Kings xxiv. 2, 3, for the sins of 
 Manasseh after he was dead, came sad things upon 
 Judah. 2 Sam. xii. 14, for David's sin the child was 
 stricken with death. Saul's sons were punished for 
 his bloody dealings with the Gibeonitcs, 2 Sam. xxi. 
 
 Aiisir. I. We must make an exception here in the 
 point of original sin ; for that sin of our first pa- 
 rents, death comes upon all their posterity, Rom. v. 12. 
 
 2. For the sin of the father, the child suffi-rs not 
 eternal death, no man is eternally damned for an- 
 other's sin simply considered; it is a man's own sin 
 which is his everlasting ruin. 
 
 3. Temporal and bodily punishments do oft befall 
 the children for their fathers' iniciuities, and that 
 justly ; for they are parts of them, they come out of 
 their loins, too often inherit their corruptions, imitate 
 and live in their sins ; they are part of the family, 
 they make the house : therefore God said he would 
 bring the evil upon Ahab's house, and so he suffered 
 in the suffering of his family. When subjects rebel, 
 fall into treasonable practices, princes deal so with 
 them, that not only they, but their posterity, to 
 divers generations, do suffer ; yea, princes themselves 
 have done such acts, as have excluded their posterity 
 fi'om sitting in that throne ; and that without 
 imputation of injustice. Besides what is said, chil- 
 dren are under the same covenant with their parents; 
 and when magistrates, who are metaphorical parents, 
 or those who are natural parents, do transgress, God 
 may strike the children upon that account, and that 
 to prevent the like evil in them. When fathers are 
 troubled with the gout or stone, physicians prescribe 
 their children to forbear such meats as are disposi- 
 tive that way. 
 
 Whether may the sins of parents being under one 
 covenant, be visited upon the children being under 
 another ? as, suppose the parent imder the covenant 
 of works, and his children under the covenant of 
 grace, doth it fall out ever that such children suffer 
 for their parents' sins? Yes, they do, as in the case 
 here ; Manasseh sinned, and for his sins not only the 
 wicked ones, but Ezekiel and other precious ones, 
 suffered in Babylon : Zedekiah sins, and those that 
 did mourn and sigh, Ezek. ix. 4, for his and others' 
 abominations, suffered greatly. So on the contrary, 
 for the sins of godly parents, who are in one covenant, 
 may their children suffer, that are under another, as 
 in David and Absalom, 2 Sam. xii. II, "I will raise 
 up evil against thee out of thine own house :" Absa- 
 lom's rebellion and death, David's sin had the greatest 
 influence into. So Solomon's sin fell heavy upon 
 Rchoboam, I Kings xi. II, 12, and xii. 15, Hi, 20. 
 But there is an observable difference in the suffering 
 of the children for the sins of the parents. When 
 the children are gracious, their sufferings upon the 
 account of their parents' sins are chastisements, 
 mercies, and from love ; but where they are ungodly, 
 their sulVerings are real and true punishments, 
 coming from divine justice and wrath. 
 
 3rrf difficult)/ is. The Lord tells them here that for 
 the tinu- to come it should not be so ; If the children 
 have suffered for their fathers" sins heretofore, and 
 you have had cause to complain, yet henceforward 
 vou shall have no occasion, " the soul that sinneth, 
 It .shall die," and no other. Yet shortly after those 
 
 at Jerusalem suffered ; and, Lam. v. 7. took up the 
 complaint here spoken of, " Our fathers have 
 sinned," say they, " and are not ; and we have borne 
 their iniquities." Moreover, it is evident to the 
 whole world, that the Jews now do suffer for their 
 fathers' sins : they put the Lord Christ to death, 
 wished his blood to be upon them and their children, 
 and it is upon them in a dreadful manner to this day. 
 
 Ati.su-. This is a riddle m hich I believe w iU not bo 
 fully expounded till the great day of the Lord; only 
 thus much may be said beforehand : Men have ex- 
 tended the sense of those words further than God 
 intended ; if W"e exceed not our limits, but keep to 
 the persons, time, and matter in hand, we may make 
 out the difficulty ; as thus, the prophet speaks of the 
 Jews that were already in Babylon, and the others 
 that should suddenly be brought from Jerusalem 
 into the same captivity with them, and principally 
 he hath reference to the sin of Manasseh, as may 
 appear by 2 Kings xxi. 11 — 14; xxiii. 26, 2/ ; xxiv. 
 3, 4 ; Jer. xv. 4, for which they sufl'ered, and made 
 them to complain. Now the Lord intimates, yea 
 assures them, that after their suffering in the Baby- 
 lonish caplivity, he would be satisfied, and they 
 shoidd never suffer more for the sins of Manasseh, 
 but should return again ; and if they suffered after- 
 ward, it should be for their own sins, not his. In 
 this sense you see the difficulty cleared, but if you 
 enlarge the words to all times and persons, it is 
 beyond the reach of men to answer the difficulty ; 
 for we see it daily, that one sins, and others suffer 
 for it; parents sin, and their children suffer; magis- 
 trates sin, and cities suffer ; princes sin, and people 
 suffer. The Lord did not divest himself here of that 
 power and privilege of visiting the iniquities of 
 parents upon the heads of their children, but takes 
 away that accusation they laid against him for suffer- 
 ing so long and grievous a captivity for the sins of 
 Manasseh. That this is the meaning of the words, 
 and their not using the proverb any more, I am con- 
 firmed out of Jeremiah, chap. xxxi. 2/ — 30, " Behold, 
 the days come, saith the Lord, that I will sow the 
 house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed 
 of man, and with the seed of beast. And it shall come 
 to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to 
 pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, 
 and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over 
 them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord." This 
 is meant of their return from Babylon ; and what 
 then ? " In those days they shall say no more. The 
 fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's 
 teeth are set on edge ; but every one shall die for his 
 own iniquity." So then after the return this proverb 
 ceased, and to those Jews that suffered upon the ac- 
 count of Manasseh's sins ; but it is still of force to 
 other Jews, and among us gentiles. 
 
 " The soul that sinneth, U shall die." 
 
 Quest. May not God spare a soul that sins? he 
 saith peremptorily here, " The soul that sins .shall 
 die ;" and if so, it, obstructs, bars uji mercy, and 
 leaves us all without hope, and ties God's hand, &c. 
 
 Ansic. I. I will answer this question by clearing 
 another scripture like unto it; Gen. ii. 17, "In the 
 day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." 
 This threatening or law was not purely or simply 
 legal, nor from absolute justice, because if we look 
 at the elect, it included the good pleasure of God in 
 the death of Chi'ist for them, and so it had some- 
 what evangelical iu it; but in respect of the repro- 
 bate it was merely legal, and from pure justice, 
 whereby (Sod determined to punish sinners; so here, 
 this threatening liatli mercy in it, the soul that sins 
 nnist either die itself, or in Christ; so that in some 
 it is fulfilled evangelically, in others legally.
 
 VtR. 1—4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 437 
 
 2. Sin is not against the essence and nature of 
 God, for sin is transgression of a law : had not God 
 made such a law, there had been no sin; " where no 
 law is, there is no transgression," Rom. iv. 15. 
 Therefore sin not being against the nature of God, 
 he might have left all free to man, as well as to 
 beasts, fowls, and fishes : had sin been against his 
 nature, he had been necessitated to punish it, but 
 being against his will, he doth freely punish it, and 
 therefore may not punish it, but spare the sinner. 
 Those rules and laws of justice in the word, are to 
 tic us, and not God ; he hath his prerogative above all 
 those laws, and saith, " I will have mercy on whom 
 I will," Rom. ix. 15. And if this do not satisfy, oast 
 your thoughts upon the death of Christ. That Clirist 
 died is justice, and so respects the covenant of works ; 
 that he died for us is mercy, and so respects the 
 covenant of grace. 
 
 Obs. 1. Men are apt to quarrel against God's 
 word, ministrations, and proceedings in the world j 
 they think and say, he deals hardly, if not tyrannically, 
 with them. If he cause wars, send famines, plagues, 
 cast into captivity, and lay his hand heavy upon a 
 nation or family, how apt are the sons of men to 
 murmur and charge God foolishly ! But what is 
 flesh and blood unto God ? Shall clay dispute with 
 the potter, dust with the balance, the drop with the 
 bucket P He is the Maker of the whole world; let 
 us be silent before him. 
 
 Obs. 2. God is just and righteous in his govern- 
 ment of the world, and in all his dispensations there- 
 in, however things appear, and are accounted of by 
 men. Sometimes the ways of God with the world, 
 kingdoms, families, persons, seem strange, crooked, 
 dark, unequal, not because they are so, but because 
 men are weak, purblind, and cannot penetrate into 
 the depths of them. God's drowning the whole 
 world, shutting up the knowledge of himself so 
 many hundred years in Judea from the rest of the 
 world ; his consuming Sodom and Gomorrah with 
 fire and brimstone, slaying so many thousands for 
 looking into the ark ; his casting oft" the Jews from 
 being his people, and letting them go under the 
 curse now sixteen hundred years ; his blessing of 
 the wicked, and afilicting of the godly, Jer. xii. 1, 2; 
 his casting oil" Saul for lesser sins, and sparing 
 David, Solomon, who were guilty of greater ; his 
 sending unseasonable weather, to blast, corrupt, and 
 make both corn and cattle unwholesome, unuseful, 
 or less serviceable ; his setting t)-rants over his 
 people, to impoverish, persecute, and destroy them, 
 without any mercy ; his ordering it so, that the 
 young of all brute creatures can shift for themselves 
 presently, and infants, the births of more noble crea- 
 tures, should be shiftless so long ; that so many thou- 
 sand innocent creatures are cut off, even infants, in 
 public calamities ; that the Baptist's head must otf, 
 when a Barabbas goes free ; " that the race is not to 
 the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the 
 wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favour 
 to men of skill," &c. Eccles. ix. 11 : these and 
 such emergents in the world, prompt occasions unto 
 shallow, silly man, to think that there is no Provi- 
 dence, or that the government of the world is not 
 righteous and just. But as there is a God, so in his 
 wise providence he orders and rules all things, and 
 that righteously : Psal. cxlv. 17, " The Lord is right- 
 eous in all his ways ; " no ways of his general or 
 special providence have any crookedness in them ; 
 whenever thoughts rise in any to that purpose, let 
 them remember what Jeremiah said when his heart 
 was troubled in the same case, " Righteous art thou, 
 O Lord, when I plead with thee ;" though I cannot 
 see the ground, cause, reason of thy ways, yet thou 
 
 art righteous, and that shall suffice me. God is 
 most righteous, he will punish none unjustly, nor 
 neglect to reward any who have done well; see 
 Rom. ii. 6 — II. 
 
 Obs. 3. God may give and impose what laws he 
 pleases. Isa. xxxiii. 22, "The Lord is our law- 
 g:iver ; " Hebrew is, our statute-maker ; all legisla- 
 tive power is fundamentally in God: James iv. 12, 
 " There is one lawgiver ; " he hath given all crea- 
 tures, as limits for their essence, so laws for their 
 operation: Psal. cxix. 91, "They continue this day 
 according to thine ordinances ; for all are thy ser- 
 vants;" they all do the work God appoints, and ob- 
 serve the laws he prescribes. He may command 
 what he pleases : he licensed Adam to eat of some 
 trees, and not of others ; he bade Abraham go out 
 of his country, sacrifice his son ; the Israelites to 
 rob the Egyptians ; he forbade the Jew'S to eat of 
 several fowls and beasts ; he appointed Ezekiel to 
 eat his bread baked in dung, chap, iv.; Saul to slay 
 Amalek, and not to spare man, woman, or child, 
 1 Sam. XV. ; he bade Hosca take a wife of whore- 
 doms, chap. i. 2; he laid circumcision, sacrifices, 
 and all the ceremonials upon the Jews, easier things 
 upon the gentiles : all souls are his, and what laws, 
 statutes, ordinances seem good to him, he may put 
 upon them. The gospel, not the law, faith, not 
 works, he hath made the way to glory. He may 
 prescribe what he list, his will is law unto the crea- 
 ture : he may give us easy or harsh laws, such as 
 tend to our ruin as well as our good ; Ezck. xx. 25, 
 "I gave them statutes that were not good, and judg- 
 ments whereby they should not live." Men may 
 not do so, their laws must be for good, else they are 
 sinful, and not binding. 
 
 Obs. 4. Then may the Lord choose whom he will. 
 Rom. ix. 13, 15, 18, " Jacob have I loved, but Esau 
 have I hated. I will have mercy on whom I will 
 have mercy : and whom he will he hardens." May 
 kings choose from among their subjects whom they 
 please to serve them in their courts, and shall not 
 the Lord, whose are all souls, take whom he pleases 
 to serve hini in his court of glory ? hath every 
 potter power over the clay, to make one vessel to 
 honour, another to dishonour, ver. 21, and shall not 
 the Lord, who is the greatest potter of all, have that 
 prerogative ? shall the servant have more than the 
 Master.' In this great house of the world, there 
 are vessels to honour and dishonour, 2 Tim. ii. 20 ; 
 there are some appointed unto disobedience and 
 stumbling, 1 Pet. ii. 8, yea, unto wrath, 1 Thess. v. 
 9 ; and w'ho shall question God for so doing ? He 
 is not to give account to any man of his actions ; he 
 may absolutely do with his own what he list : lie 
 made of the same earth man and beast, and shall the 
 beast say to God, AVliy madest thou me a beast, and 
 not a man ? it may as well as man dispute it with 
 God, and say, AVhy didst thou make me a vessel of 
 dishonour, and not of honour.' Should Adam have 
 reasoned it with God, and said, AVhy didst thou 
 make me the first Adam a natural man, and Christ 
 the second Adam a spiritual man ? There is no 
 reasoning with God. Psal. cxxxv. 6, " Whatsoever 
 the Lord pleased, that chd he in heaven and in 
 earth ; " and whatsoever pleaseth the Lord, that 
 doth he now in heaven and in earth. 
 
 Obs. 5. Then may the Lord bestow what gifts he 
 will upon the children of men, excellent or mean, 
 greater or less ; he may give one five talents, another 
 two, a third one. A father gives to his children 
 siveral portions, to one more, to another less, he is 
 not bound to give all alike, but as seems good to 
 himself: men furnish some rooms with richer hang- 
 ings and materials than others, and that without
 
 ■438 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 Ijlame ; they plant and beautify some grounds with 
 choice ])lants and flowers : so deals the Lord with 
 men, some have admirable gifts, others very mean, 
 if you observe God's distributions tliat May in the 
 ■world. God hath given the earth to the children of 
 men, Psal. cxv. IG; yet one hath more, another less, 
 one a fat, another a lean portion : so for reason, wis- 
 dom, judgment, understanding, memory, utterance, 
 &c. God hath given these to the sons of men ; but 
 some have them in a lower, some in a higher degree. 
 David, Solomon, Daniel, were very wise, Snmson 
 very strong, Absalom very beautiful ; the Corinthians 
 were " enriched with all utterance, and all l<now- 
 ledge," 1 Cor. i. 5 ; Bezaleel and Aholiab excelled 
 others in skill, Exod. xxxi. And as it is in gifts, so 
 in graces, one hath a little, another a greater portion, 
 one a single, another a double portion: Jonah but 
 little patience. Job much ; the disciples of Christ had 
 little faith, the woman of Canaan a great faith : God 
 doth of his own give to his own, what and how much 
 he pleases. By variety of gifts and graces, liis 
 manifold wisdom, bounty, and goodness are seen, the 
 world and church are beautified, and each made 
 useful unto the other. 
 
 Obs. 6. All being the Lord's, he will take care and 
 provide for them. Nature dictates, yea provokes, 
 every creature to provide for its own ; there is no 
 good or wise man who will not do it, much more the 
 Lord. If husbands must provide for their families, 
 1 Tim. V. 8, God will provide for his. The whole 
 world is God's family, all the living wait upon him, 
 and he feeds them, Psal. civ. 27. Especially man is 
 his, and for him he takes care : I Tim. iv. 10, he " is 
 the saviour of all men, specially of those that be- 
 lieve ;" it is not meant of eternal salvation ; awnip 
 imports a temporal saviour. Matt. viii. 25, Kvpu 
 auaov 'ifiac, uTvoWvjitea, they Were in danger of drown- 
 ing. Psal. xxxvi. G, " Thou preservest man and 
 beast :" the word for preserving is yv whence the 
 name Joshua and Jesus comes ; it notes a common, 
 external, temporal salvation. God is good to all 
 souls, his sun shines and rain falls upon good and 
 bad. Matt. v. 45; Acts xiv. 17 : chap. xvii. 28, " In 
 him we live," in his providence, power, goodness, 
 blessing, as worms in the earth, fishes in the sea, 
 and birds in the air. And this should be a founda- 
 tion of comfort, as unto all, so especially unto those 
 who are poor, and mean, and cast upon hard times ; 
 and why ? because be you never so poor, weak, 
 sickly, destitute, all souls are the Lord's, and he 
 looks after them. Matt. vi. 31, (S;c. Christ assures 
 you of it; " Take no thought, saying, ^Vhat shall 
 we eat P or. What shall we drink ? or. Wherewithal 
 shall we be clothed ? for your heavenly Father 
 knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But 
 seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteou.s- 
 ness ; and all these things shall be added unto you;" 
 not some, but all shall be given unto you. 
 
 Obs. 7- He may set up or throw down whom he 
 will. Isa. iii. 4, " I will give children to be their 
 ju inces, and babes shall rule over them ;" children 
 in years, and children in understanding, God sets 
 over people. God set up Solomon, and set by Ado- 
 nijah, though thi' elder, 1 Kings i. He took David, 
 the least and unlikcliest of all the sons of Jesse, even 
 from the .sheepfidd, and set him upon the throne, 
 1 Sam. xvi. (iidcon was of a poor family, and the 
 least in his father's house, as himself confesses, 
 Judg. vi. 15; yet him did God exalt: so that it is 
 true which Hannah said; " He raiseth up the poor 
 out of the dust, and liftcth up the beggar from the 
 dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make 
 them inherit the throne of glory," 1 Sam. ii. 8. And 
 contrary, as God sets up, so he pulls down whom he 
 
 pleases. Isa. xlii. 15, " I will make waste mountains 
 and hills, and dry up all their herbs ;" be the moun- 
 tains never so great, the hills never so high, God will 
 lay them waste, and level them with the earth, and 
 whatever their issue, wealth, power, wisdom, rela- 
 tions be, God will dry them all up, and they shall be 
 herbless. Dan. ii. 20, 21, " Wisdom and might are 
 his : he changeth the times and the seasons ; he re- 
 moveth kings, and sttteth up kings." Did not the 
 Lord lay by Saul and his family ? did he not drown 
 Pharaoh in the bottom of the sea like lead ? Herod, 
 Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and others, did not the 
 Lord lay them low ? they were high and green trees, 
 yet the' Lord cut them down, and dried them up. 
 You may remember what the Lord said to Ahab ; 
 " Hast tiiou killed ? In the place where the dogs 
 licked the blood of Naboth .shall dogs lick thy blood, 
 even thine," I Kings xxi. 19; and likewise what he 
 saith in Jer. xxii. 24, " As I live, though Coniah the 
 son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon 
 my right hand, yet would I pluck him thence ;" and 
 Ezek. xvii. 15, of Zedekiah it is said, " Shall he 
 prosper?" no, by the roots shall he be pulled up. 
 God plants and pulls up whom he pleases. 
 
 Ob-s: 8. Then are they in safe custody, and no evil 
 can befall them without the Lord's good pleasure. 
 Wen stand for those who are theirs against all op- 
 position, but cannot hinder evil from coming : God 
 stands for his servants, and he can hinder any mis- 
 chief; none can have any power over or against his 
 people without leave; if God give not commission, 
 nothing can be done by men or devils. John xix. 
 11, Christ told Pilate he could have no power against 
 him, unless it were given him from above ; I am in 
 the hand of my Father, he can defend, deliver me 
 ti-om thine and all adversaries' power; and if he do 
 not, it is by his hand and determinate counsel that 
 thou doest aught against me, and I am content with 
 it. So Luke xxii. 53, " This is your hour, and the 
 power of darkness ;" before you could do nothing, 
 now, through divine dispensation, you have leave 
 to seize upon me, to judge me, and take away my 
 life, and I submit thereunto. The devil could do 
 nothing against Job, his sons, camels, sheep, or 
 asses, till he had leave from the Lord, Job i. He is 
 the god of the world, prince of the air, and hath bit- 
 ter envy, great enmity, against man, but is not able 
 by all his power or policy to take a hair from the 
 head of any man, till the Lord say, Do it, Matt. x. 
 30. All souls are the Lord's, they are in his hands. 
 It was comfort to David to think his times were in 
 God's hand; Psal. xxxi. 15, "My times are in thy 
 hand;" and so nothing could befall him unseason- 
 ably ; yea, his person also was in God's hand, and 
 who could touch or harm it without the Lord: Isa. 
 xlv. 7, the good or evil that befalls us is from the 
 Lord. 
 
 Obs. 9. Then it belongs to God to hear the plead- 
 ings, determine the controversies, that are between 
 those who are his, and to right their wrongs. If all 
 souls be his, he is Judge, and so to hear their suits, 
 decide their differences, and see that one wrong not 
 another. The people Moses was over, are called his 
 people, Exod. xxxii. 7; and he heard their jdeadings, 
 ended their controversies, and righted their wrongs, 
 Exod. xviii. 13. All soids being the Lord's, he hath 
 an ear open to hear their suits, and he sits in judg- 
 ment to do them right that suffer, Psal. exxv. 
 Hence is it that David appeals to God, Psal. xliii. 1, 
 " Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an 
 ttngodly nation." Others judge unrighteously, but 
 I come to thee, do thou judge me, that art the great 
 Judge ; all souls are thine, do thou plead my cause, 
 it belongs to thee to do it, and I wait upon thee for
 
 Vkr. 1—4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 439 
 
 it. So the church in Micah vii. 9, " I will bear the 
 indigiiiilion of the Lord, beciuise I have sinned 
 against him, until he plead my cause." The Baby- 
 lonians oppressed the Jews, .ler. 1. 33, 34, and the 
 propliet saith, "The Lord of hosts shall throughly 
 plead their cause, that he may give rest to the laud, 
 and disquiet the inliabitants of Babylon." Let Ba- 
 bylonians, others, any molest, ojipress, God hears, 
 sees, knows what is done, he will plead and main- 
 tain the cause of his people : Psal. ix. 4, " Thou hast 
 niainlained my right and my cause ; thou satest in 
 tile throne judging right." If the cause be a cause 
 of blood, as it was Rev. vi. 10, where the souls cried, 
 " How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not 
 judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on 
 the earth.'" the Lord will not neglect it, for the 
 answer was, vcr. II, that they should rest yet for a 
 little season, and then God would avenge their blood. 
 God hath his times to make inquisition for blood, 
 Psal. ix. \2 ; and " the earth shall disclose her blood," 
 Isa. xxvi. 20. 
 
 Obx. 10. God may employ whom he will, and in 
 what ways and works he thinks good ; he is neither 
 tied to any sort of men, nor to the laws or customs 
 of any kingdoms. Nathan thinks David must build 
 the tiiuplc, but God employs Solomon, not David, 
 in that work, 2 Sam. vii. He took Amos, who was 
 no projihet, nor son of a prophet, but a herdman, a 
 poor mean man, and would have him to prophesy 
 unto Israel, Amos vii. 14, 15. He took Cyrus, a 
 heathen king, to perform all his pUasure about 
 Jerus;dem's rebuilding ; he held up and used his 
 right hand to subdue nations, to loose the loins of 
 kings, to break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut 
 in sunder the bars of iron, Isa. xliv. 2S ; xlv. 1, 2. 
 God employed David, a stripling, despised by his 
 brethren and others, to slay Goliath, and free Israel 
 from the Philistines, 1 Sam. xvii. He took a woman 
 to kill a great prince, even Jael to slay Sisera, Judg. 
 iv. 21. As the Lord may take whom he will, so he 
 may lead them in what ways, and put them upon 
 what designs, himself judges fit and meet, however 
 they seem unwarrantable to us. Isa. xlii. 16, " I 
 will bring the blind by a way that they know notj 
 I will lead them in paths that they have not knowni; 
 I will make darkness light before them, and crooked 
 things straight;" the blind, that is, men perplexed, 
 in straits and difficulties, not seeing what to do, 
 which way to tuni them. Now God, as he is not 
 tied to go in one and the same way, to proceed by 
 the laws, statutes, privileges, customs, usances of 
 kingdoms, cities, or corporations, but hath unknown 
 ways and unwonted paths to tread in hiinself ; so he 
 hath unknown and unwonted paths to lead his ser- 
 vants in upon any occasion. It was no trodden path 
 that Phinehas went in, when he, a priest or a priest's 
 son, no magistrate, thrust a prince and a princess 
 through their bellies with a javelin, and that in the 
 presence of Moses the chief magi.^trate, Numb. xxv. 
 So Esther's going in to the king was not according 
 to law, chap. iv. 16; she ventured her life upon it : 
 and David'.s eating the shcwbread was an unlawful 
 act, if judged by Exod. xxix. 32, 33; Lev. viii. 31 ; 
 xxiv. 5; yet justified by Christ, Matt. xii. 3. Sam- 
 son takes a wife of the daughters of the Philistines, 
 and that against the will of his father and mother, 
 and it was against law for him to marry among the 
 uncireumcised, but he seeth a woman at Timnah, 
 falls in love with her, and must have her, Judg. 
 xiv. 4; tliis was of the Lord. His burning the Phi- 
 listines' corn, his slaying a thousand of them with 
 the jawbone of an ass, pulling down the house 
 upon his own and others' heads, were irregular 
 ways, yet such ways as God led him in, and he is 
 
 in the catalogue of believers, Heb. xi. The eunuchs 
 throw Jezebel out at the window upon the command 
 of Jehu, and he trod her to death with his horses, 
 2 Kings ix. 33. Jehoiada the priest calls forth the 
 soldiers, sets them in ranges, and makes a martial 
 law, that whosoever enters those ranges should be 
 put to death ; Athaliah the queen (who had reigned 
 six years) enters, and at his appointment she is put 
 to death, 2 Kings xi. These, and many other, (as 
 Solomon's sacrificing in Gibeon, 1 Kings iii. 4, 
 Paul's shaving of himself, circumcising Timolhy,) 
 were irregular and unwonted ways, yet were ap- 
 proved of God, and brought forth unwonted mercies. 
 Let us not be too hasty to condemn persons doing 
 extraordinary things, lest we justle against God, and 
 intrench upon his providence and prerogative ; if 
 Peter walk upon the waters, there is somewhat of 
 Christ and God in it. Matt. xiv. 28, 29. 
 
 Obs. 11. Let all be faithful in their places. All 
 souls are his, he hath his eye upon all, and upon 
 every one, and there is none but must give account 
 unto him. Whatever talents we have, he will reckon 
 with us for the use or abuse of them : Matt. xxv. 19, 
 the Lord called and reckoned with his servants he 
 had given the talents unto ; those who had talents of 
 grace, and used them well, were advanced to heaven 
 to their Master's joy ; he who had a talent of na- 
 ture, for the abuse was thrown into hell. Oh let us 
 be faithful in our places, and use our talents to the 
 honour of that God whose we and our talents are ' 
 Bclshazzar was set on high, had a talent in his 
 hand, but the charge was heavy upon him, when he 
 that is Lord of all souls called him to an account ; 
 Dan. V. 23, "The God in whose hand thy breath is, 
 and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glori- 
 fied ;" and thereupon he was doomed to death : he 
 did not lay out his power and greatness for the 
 honour of God and good of his people, and better 
 he had been a poor beggar than so great a king. 
 Paul had this consideration in him when he said, 
 " Woe to me if I preach not the gospel ! " 1 Cor. ix. 
 16, 17; and, " if 1 yet please men, I should not be 
 the servant of Christ," Gal. i. 10. And when he 
 wrote to the Corinthians, " We labour that we may 
 be accepted of him : for we must all appear before 
 the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may re- 
 ceive the things done in his body, according to that 
 he hath done, whether good or bad," 2 Cor. v. 9, 10. 
 Men must give account of all they have received, 
 and if they be found false and unfaithful, they shall 
 smart for it. Seeing then " every one of us shall 
 give account of himself to God," Rom. xiv. 12, let 
 us all be faithful in the least, in the greatest things 
 committed to us, and so shall we have peace within, 
 praise of God, if not of men, and a sure reward. 
 
 Obs. 12. He may take away or continue men here 
 as long or little while as he will ; all souls are his, 
 and he may cut off the thread of life, or lengthen it 
 out, at his pleasure. Moses speaking to the Jews as 
 one man saith, " He is thy life, and the length of thy 
 davs," Deut. xxx. 20 ; that is, the shortening or 
 prolonging of thv life and days are in his hand. 
 God therefore told Solomon, that if he would keep 
 his commands, he would lengthen his days, 1 Kings 
 iii. 14. The keys of life and death are in the hand 
 of the Lord, and in a moment he can let out our 
 souls, bring do« n to and back from the gates of 
 death. Hence is it that some are taken away at the 
 first hour, some at the third, some the sixth, some 
 the ninth, and some lengthened out unto the twelfth, 
 and live more years than others do days or hours : 
 Methuselah lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years, 
 and manv children attain not to so numy days or 
 hours ; from llie birth, the womb, and conception,
 
 440 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 God takes them away, Hos. ix. 11. lie cut off all 
 flesh by the flood, young and old ; and long since that 
 he hath threatened to cut off " evil-doers," Psal. 
 xxxvii. 9, and " man from off the land," Zeph. i. 3, 
 and when he ]ileases he doth it, 
 
 " The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Hence 
 Obn. 1. God may lay wdiat punishment he pleases 
 upon the soul that sins. " All souls are mine," and 
 " the soul that sinneth shall die," it shall suffer 
 whatever I-see good, according to the nature of its 
 sin. However the w ords seem to import an equal 
 punishment for all sins, yet it is otherwise ; accord- 
 ing to the intrinsical nature, circumstances, and de- 
 merit of the sin, shall be the death ; God will pro- 
 portion the one unto the other; as he rewards men 
 according to their works, so he will punish them 
 according to their sins. God hath variety of deaths, 
 and various degrees of those deaths, variety of afflic- 
 tions, and various degrees of the same ; he lays on 
 which, and in what measure, he pleases : how are 
 sinners tortured with colics, stranguries, gouts, stone, 
 plague, and other diseases ! If states think good to 
 inflict upon delinquents several punishments, and in 
 a high degree as they find men guilty, how much 
 more may God! He smote Jehoram with incurable 
 and sore diseases, so that his bowels fell out, 2 Cliron. 
 xxi. 18, 19. He sent fire and brimstone upon Sodom 
 and Gomorrah, Gen. xix. He did that in Jerusalem 
 which he never did before, nor ever would do the 
 like, he punished them so with famine, that fathers 
 did eat their sons, and sons their fathers, Ezek. v. 
 9, 10. Neitlier these nor any that suffer in what 
 kind soever, do sul'er unjustly ; men may pretend 
 innocency, but if they suffer, and that severely, God 
 is not cruel, they are not guiltless ; for " the soul 
 that siimeth shall die." 
 
 Obs. 2. Sin is a deadly thing. " The soul that 
 sinneth shall die ;" sin is the great murderer, it let 
 death into the world, and keeps death alive ; if there 
 were no sin, there would be no death, no ])unish- 
 ment, but if men sin, they must suffer. The old 
 world sinned, and died for it; Sodcmiitcs sinned, 
 and died for it ; the Bethshemites sinned by looking 
 into the ark, and fil'ty thousand of them died for it; 
 Jerusalem sins, and is burnt fur it, and her children 
 buried in a Babylonish grave ; Ananias and Sapjihira 
 die for their dissimulation : " the w'ages of sin is 
 death," Rom. vi. 23. Let us then take heed of sin, 
 whereby we offend that God who hath said, "The 
 soul that sinneth, it shall die;" he is a dreadful 
 Majesty, and ought greatly to be feared. Jer. x. 7, 
 "Wlio would not fear thee, O King of nations P for 
 to thee doth it appertain;" fear is God's due, and 
 your duty ; " stand in awe," then, " and sin not," 
 Psal. iv. 4. If yon sin, you must die ; death is the 
 king of fears, and God is the King of death, he can 
 command it to seize upon you in a moment. 
 
 Ver. .5, 6. Siit if a man he just, and do that icliich 
 is lan-fid and rif;ht, and hath not eaten vpon 
 the motintain.t, ^/either hath lifted up his eyes to 
 the idiil.1 of the house of Israel, neither hath de- 
 filed his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near 
 to a menstruous woman. 
 
 The Lord having vindicated himself in general, 
 ver. 4, from that unjust accusation, that their fathers 
 sinned and they who were the cliildnn sutlered, he 
 comes here in a more particular manner to quit him- 
 self from that false imputation. 1 have told you 
 that the soul which sins shall die, but 
 
 I. If a man be just, lu' .shall not die, but live, as 
 appears from ver. 5, to the end of ver. 9. 
 
 il. If his son be unjust and wicked, he sliall not 
 
 live, but die, as ajipears from ver. 10, to the end of 
 ver. 13. 
 
 III. If this unjust man beget a son, who lives not 
 in his father's sins, but is just and deals justly, not- 
 withstanding all his father's .sins, he shall live, he 
 shall not die, as is evident from the beginning of 
 ver. 14, to the end of ver. 17. 
 
 The words in ver. 5 — 9, contain and specify, 
 
 1. A subject, which is, a man just, or a just man. 
 
 2. The description of this subject, which is set out, 
 (1.) In general; ver. 5, "and do that which is 
 
 lawful and right." 
 
 (2.) In particular; and that, 
 
 [1.] In duties respecting God, ver. G, which are set 
 down negatively, and they are two : 
 
 First, not eating upon the mountains. 
 
 Second, not lifting up the eyes to Uie idols of the 
 house of Israel. 
 
 [2.] In duties respecting man, and they are divers : 
 
 First, continency ; " neither hath defiled his neigh- 
 bour's wife." 
 
 Second, chastity ; " neither hath come near to a 
 menstruous woman." These two are in ver. 6. 
 
 Third, innocency; in four things: 1. Not op- 
 pressing any. 2. Restoring the pledge. 3. Not 
 spoiling by violence. 4. Withdrawing his hand 
 from iniquity. 
 
 Fourth, cliarity ; which is held out in, 1. His 
 feeding the hungry, ver. 7. 2. Clothing the naked, 
 ver. 7. 3. In lending freely, ver. 8, " he that hath 
 not given forth upon usury, nor taken any increase." 
 
 Fifth, in righteous judgment between man and 
 man, ver. 8. _ 
 
 Lastly, a general comprehending of these and all 
 other duties, ver. 9, " hath walked in my statutes, 
 and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly." 
 
 3. The thing predicated on this subject so de- 
 scribed, " he shall live." 
 
 I shall open the words, and after come to the 
 observations. 
 
 Ver. 5. " If a man be just." Hebrew word, pny 
 is a man free from fault, doing tilings approvable ; 
 such a one was Noah, who is called. Gen. vi. 9, 
 p'lv tr'N such a one was Zacharias, Luke i. 6, oUaiog, 
 as the Septuagint renders it in this place ; and the 
 word for "just" is opposed to yu'i a wicked man: 
 Psal. xxxvii. 16, " A little that a righteous man hath, 
 is better than the riches of many wicked." So Psal. 
 i. 6, there is an opposition between the righteous 
 and ungodly, the just and wicked. 
 
 " Do that which is lawful and right." Hebrew 
 for lawful and right, is judgment and justice. To 
 do judgment, is not only to do things judiciously and 
 rationally, but here it notes one jiart of the office of 
 a judge, which is to sentence and condemn the guilty ; 
 and so to do justice, is not only to judge without 
 resjiect of persons, but to absolve and vindicate the 
 innocent. Thus Pradus interprets the words, who 
 thinks these words coming together, not to be exe- 
 getical, but signifying distinct things, in a more nar- 
 rowed sense, than when they are taken absolutely 
 and in their latitude. So Isa. v. 7, " He looked for 
 judgment," that the guilty should be condemned, 
 " but behold oppression," iniquity, a scab, as the 
 word signifies ; the delinquents being spared, there 
 was iniquity in the judges, a scab upon the state. 
 I looked " for righteousness" or justice, that the 
 innocent .should be vindicated and freed from the ac- 
 cusations, aspersions, oppressions of the wicked, " but 
 behold a cry ;" they sutlered, were condenmed, and 
 this was a crying sin. When men in place do act 
 according to the laws of God, suppressing the wicked, 
 defending and countenancing the good, then they do 
 judgment and justice. Some by these words under-
 
 Ver. 5, 6. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 4AI 
 
 stand the fulfilling of the law ; when a man gives to 
 (iod and man what is required, then he is a just man, 
 he doth judgment and justice. 
 
 Ver. 6. " And hath not eaten upon the mountains." 
 Upon mountains and hills both the Jews and nations 
 used to build high places, images, and altars, 1 Kings 
 xi. 7; 2 Kings xvii. 10; Jer. xvii. 2; Ezek. vi. 13: 
 and there they did sacrifice to their idol-gods ; Hos. 
 iv. 13, " They sacrifice upon the tops of the moun- 
 tains, and burn incense upon the hills :" see Ezek. 
 XX. 28; 2 Chron. xxviii. 4; Isa. Ivii. 7. And of those 
 things that were sacrificed to the idols they were wont 
 to eat ; Psal. cvi. 28, " They ate the saerifiees of the 
 dead," of those beasts, fowls, or whatsoever things 
 they sacrificed to the dead idols, of those they did eat. 
 Such was the eating, Exod. xxxii. G ; Judg. ix. 2/ ; 
 xvi. 23, 25. This eating of idolothites noted their 
 communion with idols, that they were in near rela- 
 tion, even as near as those that live, sit, feed, and 
 feast together: I Cor. x. 20, 21, by their eating and 
 drinking those things which were offered to idols, 
 they had communion with idols and devils. 
 
 This eating of such things was a grievous sin ; 
 they left God, the Holy One of Israel, and joined 
 themselves to dumb and dead idols, which could do 
 nothing for them but procure the wrath of the true 
 and living God against them. 
 
 Not to " eat upon the mountains," then, is to keep 
 oneself free from false worship. They " eat upon 
 the mountains," who worship God any other way 
 than he hath prescribed in his word. 
 
 " Neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols." 
 The lifting up the eye in sacred writ notes, 
 
 1. A serious and affective consideration of a thing, 
 as, Isa. xl. 26, " Lift up your eyes on high, and be- 
 hold who hath created these things ;" that is, seri- 
 ously and affectively consider, contemplate the hea- 
 vens, and host of them : so here, to lift up the eyes 
 to idols, siguifies to aflfect, mind much, to tliiuk upon 
 them, as if they had some special beauty, excellency, 
 or deity in them. 
 
 2. To countenance ; Psal. iv. C, " Lift thou up the 
 light of thy face upon us ;" the eye is the light of 
 the face, when that is let down, it notes disfavour, 
 discountenancing ; but when that is lift up, it imports 
 tlie contrary ; so here, lifting up the eyes to idols, 
 imports a favourino;, gracing, countenancing of them. 
 
 3. Adoration. Lifting up the eyes is an adoring 
 gesture : Ezek. viii. 16, the five and twenty men 
 there stood with their faces towards the east, their 
 eyes were lift up to the sun, and the sun they wor- 
 shipped. Job xxxi. 26, " If I beheld the sun when 
 it shincd ;" did not he see the sun when it shined ? 
 yes ; but he did not lift up his eyes to adore it, 
 "though it were a beautiful and glorious creature, a 
 great benefactor unto the whole world. 
 
 4. Invocation and expectation of something the 
 party would have. John xvii. 1, Christ "lifted up 
 his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, glorify thy Son ;" 
 he looked up to heaven, prayed, and expected glory. 
 Psal. cxxiii. 1, " Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O 
 thou that dwellest in the heavens :" here was invoca- 
 tion and expectation of mercy, ver. 2. So lifting up the 
 eyes to idols, argues invoking of and expecting help 
 from them, and the not lifting up the eyes nntu them, 
 implies a disafiecting, discountenancing, and detest- 
 ing them, as lies, vanity, abomination. 
 
 " Idols." Hebrew word is, 'SlVj from 
 pi."erc?,,vai ,'," SSj dung which is trodden down in the 
 Lori'w"'' ^"' Streets. They are stinking, loathsome, 
 defiling things ; a man cannot be more 
 annoyed with the dung of man, or any other creature, 
 tlian he is with idols; they defile the whole man; 
 James iii. 6, an ill tongue "defiles the whole body. 
 
 and an idol defiles the whole soul and body. Se])tu- 
 agint renders the word for idols, iidvfi i/fi«r«, thoughts, 
 devices ; because they are the mere inventions of men's 
 brains, the imaginations of their hearts. God said, 
 " Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, 
 or any likeness of any thing," Exod. xx. 4 ; yet vain, 
 silly, weak, wretched man, will be making to him- 
 self likenesses of every thing, and fancy a deity in that 
 which is most unlike, yea, most opposite, to the (rue 
 Deity. 
 
 " Of the house of Israel." These words are added, 
 
 1. To prevent an evasion and excuse of theirs. 
 Had the prophet said, " Neither hath lifted up his 
 eyes to idols," and no more, they would have said. 
 We hate the idols of the nations, and have nothing 
 to do with them, we know such idols are forbidden ; 
 to cut off this plea therefore, the words run thus, 
 " idols of the house of Israel." 
 
 2. To remind them of God's dealing with the ten 
 tribes for their idolatry, who properly are called the 
 house of Israel, and were carried into captivity, 
 2 Kings xvii. 
 
 3. If by house of Israel be meant those of Judah 
 and Benjamin, which I conceive to be the prophet's 
 mind, it is to take away a false conceit they had of 
 their gods above others : Be it that others have wor- 
 shipped their idols, given more honour to them than 
 was due, yet we worship the true God, use these 
 idols and images in worship to further our honour- 
 ing and worshipping God by them ; we do not tir- 
 minate our worship in them, but transmit it by them 
 unto God. Whatever conceits you have of your 
 idols, they are idols, no better than those of the ten 
 tribes and nations, by which they provoked God 
 against them ; so do you by these. 
 
 " Neither hath defiled his neighliour's wife." 
 From duties respecting God, he conies to duties re- 
 specting man, and begins with that which concerns 
 the married estate. 
 
 By " neighbour," understand not only him that 
 dwells next you, but any man whatsoever ; so 
 "neighbour" is taken, Luke x. 36. The meaning 
 of the words is not that a man may lie with a stran- 
 ger's, foreigner's, or an enemy's wife, but not with 
 his neighbour's ; no, the meaning is, a man must not 
 lie with any man's wife whatsoever ; be he single 
 or married, he may not defile the wife of another 
 man, he may not commit adultery with her, which 
 is meant by the word defiling. 
 
 NCtfl S'S "which the Septuagint renders, hath not 
 conlaminated ; others, hath not defiled. I shall in- 
 sist a little upon the evil of this sin. 
 
 1. It breaks the order which God in his great 
 wisdom hath set. He hath appointed that two 
 should be one flesh, not three, or more, Gen. ii. 24 ; 
 and it is oft set down by the Spirit of God, as Matt. 
 xix. 5, 6 ; Mark x. 7, 8 ; 1 Cor. vi. 16; Eph. v. 31 ; 
 that this divine institution may take the^ deejjer im- 
 pression upon men, and so be kept inviolable : but 
 when adultery is committed, it is against the institu- 
 tion of an infi'nitcly wise God, and dreadful bn-ach of 
 his order, and however it be done in secret, yet the 
 Lord seeth it, Prov. v. 21. 
 
 2. It stains the ordinance of God. Marriage is 
 honourable, both in itself, and as it is a resemblance 
 of Christ and his church, Heb. xiii. 4; Eph. v. 31, 
 32. Now if adultery be committed, the bed is de- 
 filed, the honour of the married estate laid in the 
 dust, and the members of Christ made the members 
 of a harlot, 1 Cor. vi. 15. Adulterers therefore sin 
 against Christ, they take away that resemblaiu^e 
 which is in marriage between Christ and his church, 
 and prostitute their bodies, what lies in them, to dis- 
 honourable acts.
 
 442 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XV III. 
 
 3. It brutifies a man, besots, anil makes him who 
 is a rational en atnrc, the chief of God's works here 
 in the worlil, to belike unto the brute creatures, and 
 to do irrational things. Hos. iv. 11, whoredom is 
 one of the things which take away the heart, that is, 
 a right understanding. Jer. v. 7, 8, like horses, they 
 neighed after their neighbours' wives ; they were 
 more like horses than men, and acted like those 
 brutish, unruly creatures; whereupon the Lord saith, 
 chap. xiii. 27, " I have seen thine adulteries, and 
 thy neighings." Adultery makes men so sensual, 
 that they forget reason, it blinds and infatuates them 
 exceedingly. Solomon, who had the greatest por- 
 tion of wisdom, liy his pleasing himself with women, 
 doted and did strange things, he became as block- 
 ish as the idols he set up. ]\Ien that live in such 
 pollutions of the world, as adultery and other un- 
 cleanncsscs are, the apostle likens them to dogs and 
 swine, 2 Pet. ii. 22. 
 
 4. In this sin, man sins against, 
 
 (1.) His o«ni body, I Cor. vi. 18. Fornication and 
 adultery are sins in u special manner against a man's 
 own body, 
 
 [1.] In that he subjects it to another. It is called 
 a bowing down, Job xxxi. 10. To bow down to an 
 adulteress, to bow down to an adulterer, is a subject- 
 ing themselves to be one with each other : the thief 
 is not one with the thing he steals, nor the murderer 
 one with him he murders, but the adulterer is one 
 witli the adulteress. 
 
 [2.] Weakens it, brings diseases, and hastens death; 
 the more prodigal men are in pouring out themselves 
 in fdthv practices, the faster they wear out. 
 
 [3.] He defiles it ; Matt. xv. 19, 20, adulteries, for- 
 nications, are among the things that do defile a man; 
 they are unclean persons who fall into tliose sins. 
 Ceremonial defilements, as touching a leprous person, 
 a dead body, were evil, but this is a moral defilement. 
 
 (2.) It is a sin against their names and credit : Prov. 
 vi. 33, " Dishonour shall he get, and his reproach 
 shall not be wiped away ;" it sticks fast like the 
 leopard's spots, nothing makes more infamous. 
 Eeelus. xxiii. 26, A shamrful report shall she leave, 
 and her reproach shall not be put out; speaking of 
 the whorish woman. 
 
 (3.) It is against the peace and comfort of a man, 
 it wounds him sorely : Prov. vi. 33, " A wound shall 
 he get," a wound in his conscience, which is the 
 worst of all wounds. There are some sins that do 
 destroy the conscience, and adultery is one of the 
 chief of tiiem ; it devours all the peace, quiet, con- 
 tent, comfort, the soul had, and wounds it so greatly, 
 that sundry times it proves incurable ; yea, so fiery, 
 stinging, and tormenting it is, that men make away 
 themselves : Prov. vii. 26, " She hath cast down 
 many woimded." 
 
 (4.) It is against a man's own soul : Prov. vi. 32, 
 " He that commits adultery, destroyeth his own soul." 
 The soul is a precious thing, yea most precious, it is 
 better than all the world ; what an evil is it then to 
 destroy that which is so excellent ! Adultery is the 
 destruction of a soul, therefore it is said, Prov. vii. 
 27, " Her house is the way to hell, going down to 
 the chandlers of death ;" Prov. xxiii. 27, " A whore 
 is a deep ditch." 
 
 (5.) It is a great ofTenee to the innocent parties ; 
 to the wife of the man who commits it. to the hus- 
 band of tin- woman who falls into it. Mai. ii. 14, if 
 a man leave his wife, who is his companion, and the 
 wife of his covenant, he deals treacherously and per- 
 fidiously with her ; he promised, before the Lord, 
 to lie for her and n(,ne else : so tlie vvcunan, when she 
 doth so, forsakes the guide of her youth, and forgets 
 tile covenant of her God. \Miat gr. aier wrorg eau 
 
 a man do to his wife, or a wife to a husband, than 
 to be treacherous the one to the other; th;y rend 
 tliemselves each from other, and bestow themselves 
 upon strangers ; strangers have their hearts, atl'ec- 
 tions, and company ; strangers have power over 
 them, and not their wives or husbands, which they 
 ought to have, 1 Cor. vii. 4. 
 
 (6.) It is a sin that prejudiceth the family, and 
 may bring ruin upon it. Bastards, those who are mis- 
 begotten, are brought into the family; bitter jarrings, 
 contentions, and jealousies raised tlierein : Prov. vi. 
 34, " Jealousy is the rage of a man," and so of a 
 woman. And Job tells you, that this sin is " a fire 
 that eonsumeth to destruction," it consumes the body, 
 the estate, the family, chap. xxxi. 12, and if I were 
 guilty of it, it " would root out aU my increase ;" not 
 one or two, but all his increase. This is a sin that 
 hath ruined many families, and is against not only 
 the good of families, but of mankind. Hos. iv. 10, 
 " They shall commit wdioredom, and shall not in- 
 crease ;" and what if an adulteress should bring forth, 
 Eeelus. xxiii. 25, " Her children shall not take 
 root, and her branches shall bring forth no fruit." 
 
 (7.) It oecasioneth, if not causeth, many other 
 sins. Sometimes the adulteress pilfereth from hei 
 husband, and wastes his estate, neglects him and her 
 family : sometimes it hath idolatry following it ; 
 Solomon's wives, concubines, and whores brought 
 him to idolatry. Jer. xiii. 27, " I have seen thine 
 adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy 
 whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills." 
 Corporal and spiritual adultery go together very 
 often ; and not only these, but it hath been the cause 
 of untimely deaths and murders : David defiles the 
 wife of Uriah, and he must first be made drunk, and 
 after be murdered, that the fact might be concealed, 
 2 Sam. xi. Edgar, once king of this nation, falling 
 into adulterous practices with Alfreda, a nobleman's 
 wife, one Ethelwolf, they got him despatched out of 
 the way, that so they might marry, chrvsost. in Ps. 
 The father saith, that the fniit of adul- i'- "<""■ '• 
 tery is murder and witchery, and that adulteresses do 
 frequently practise murders : Prov. vi. 26, " The 
 adulteress will hunt for the precious life." It is also 
 accompanied with much lying and perjury. 
 
 Lastly, the evil of this sin is seen, in that it sets 
 Christ and God against a man, and shuts him out of 
 heaven. Mai. iii. 5, " I will be a swift witness 
 against adulttrers;" men are backward to meddle 
 in that case, but Christ will be forward to witness 
 against them. It is spoken of him, Heb. xiii. 4, 
 " Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge ;" 
 he reserves such to be punished at the day of judg- 
 ment, 2 Pet. ii. 9, 10; and then he will .shut them 
 out of heaven, 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10; Rev. xxii. 15: and 
 they shall have their portion " in the lake which 
 burnetii with fire and brimstone," Rev. xxi. 8 ; and 
 so " shall be punished with everlasting destruction 
 from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his 
 piower," 2 Thess. i. 9. 
 
 The punishment appointed by God for this sin 
 here in this world, was no less than death, as you 
 may see. Lev. xx. 10; Dent. xxii. 22; both the 
 adulterer and the adulteress were to be put to death. 
 Job intimates so much, who lived before the law 
 was given, chap. xxxi. 11, "This is an heinous 
 crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the 
 judges ;" he means, it is capital, and deserves death. 
 Boniface, bishop of Mentz, in a letter of his to The- 
 obald king of the Mercians here in England, dis- 
 suading him from unclean practices, tells him of 
 the pagans in old Saxony, who knew not the true 
 (iod, lived chastely with their wives, and if maid or 
 wife were taken in fornication or adultery, tluy first
 
 Ver. 5, 6. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 4-13 
 
 stmngled them and then huvnt them. And if the 
 gentiles, who knew not God, had such a zeal and 
 love to chastity, what should you do that are a 
 christian king ? If jiagnns did so hate this sin, how 
 should we christians much more do it ! Some would 
 have it punished with death, because the sin is the 
 same it was then, and God the same, hating it as 
 much as ever : be it so, yet the change of punish- 
 ment maketh the sin neither less hateful or grievous, 
 nor God changeable. Under the law, he that gather- 
 ed sticks on the sabbath was stoned to death, Numb. 
 XXX. ; but Christ excused his disciples when they 
 pulled and rubbed the ears of corn on that day. Matt. 
 xii. The thief was then to restore fourfold ; but un- 
 der the gospel, " Let him that stole, steal no more," 
 only make restitution of the thing stolen, or recom- 
 pence for it. Neither doth it argue change in God, 
 to change or mitigate the punishment; for then lie 
 should be charged with change for changing the ce- 
 remonial law, and judicials belonging to it. The law 
 came by Moses, but grace and mercy by Christ ; and 
 the times of the gospel abate the rigorous punish- 
 ments of the law, rather than increase them. Nei- 
 ther do I conceive there should be no punishment 
 for this sin, as some gather from John viii. wliere 
 Christ did not condemn the woman taken in adul- 
 tery ; he did not thereby abrogate that law, but by 
 his silence showed, that it is not always necessary 
 for states to punish that sin with death, but with 
 punishments of a lower nature. And some of note 
 observe, that it was not single but double adultery 
 when they were put to death for it under Moses' law. 
 " Let every one know how to possess his vessel in 
 sanctification and honour ; and not in the lust of 
 concupiscence," 1 Thcss. iv. 4, 5. 
 
 " Neither hath come near to a menstruous woman." 
 Hebrew is, m: nrs a woman separate, or put apart, 
 for her monthly courses or terms ; for nij is from 
 "itj or mj to remove, separate, put away. They 
 were by the law of God, during that time, accounted 
 luiclean, that is, unfit for matrimonial acts and use, 
 Lev. xii. 2, and so separate a loco et sancliiario, from 
 companying with their husbands, and coming to the 
 sanctiuiry. Lev. xv. 31. 
 
 This practice also was among the heathens, which 
 it is probable they learned from Moses. The Zabi- 
 ans had a law, that such women should dwell apart 
 for a time, and they purged with tire the places 
 where they w'ere. Orpheus gave charge, that women 
 in that condition should not come to the 
 »v'.' 'Eufi^riK ■ sacred rites of Bacchus ; and Diana suf- 
 ipi.ig. m lauris. fpj.p^ jjpf ^ n^^n that had touched a slain 
 person, or a woman in child-bed, or a dead corpse, 
 to come unto her altars, but counted him as unclean. 
 
 " Come near." That is, hath not only not lien 
 with her, but not had any thing to do with her : 
 Lev. XV. 19, " Whosoever toucheth her shall be un- 
 clean until the even." If a husband, or any other 
 man, touched the woman in time of her separation, 
 they were unclean for it. 
 
 It is that which the wisdom of God hath for- 
 bidden, and if there were nothing else in it, that is 
 sufficient. Lev. xviii. 19, " Thou shalt not ajiproaeh 
 unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, .-is long as 
 she is j.ut apart for her uneleanness." In this 
 chapter, unlawful marriages and unlawful hist.'? are 
 forbidden, and it is as unlawful for men to meddle in 
 that case, as to mai-ry their mothers, sisters, aunts, 
 or daughters-in-law ; the same authority that hath 
 forbidden one, hath also forbidden the other. 
 
 The punishment of this sin is great. Lev. xx. 
 18, the man and woman are both to be cut off from 
 among their people ; the meaning is not, to be 
 separated from the cor.t;reL,ation as defiled, but tin y 
 
 were to die for their unseasonable lusts, and ap- 
 proaching near to each other. This may seem very 
 severe ; but know, if the man did it ignorantly, he 
 was judged unclean seven days, and was to wash and 
 cleanse himself, Lev. xv. 24, 27; but if wittingly 
 and knowingly it were done, they were both to die 
 for it. Answerable to this is w hat out prophet saitli 
 here. If he have not come near to a menstruous 
 woman, he shall live. Solomon understood this, 
 when he said, Eccles. iii. 5, " There is a time to 
 embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing ;" 
 or, as the Hebrew hath it, to be far from embracing : 
 and no time hath the Lord so punctually and se- 
 verely forbidden it as at that time. Though there 
 be not the same punishment in practice amongst us, 
 yet God hates this sin nevertheless, and questionless 
 visits with sharp sickness, yea strange and sudden 
 death, for it. 
 
 Let men and women moderate their affections, 
 mortify their lusts, live soberly, and take heed of pro- 
 voking God by unseasonable embracings, who would 
 have his people to be chaste both in body and soul. 
 
 Ver. 7. And hath not oppressed any, but hath 
 restored to the'debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none 
 by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, 
 and hath covered the naked with a garment. 
 
 " And hath not oppressed any." Hebrew, .tjv nS 
 hath not afflicted, molested, oppressed; for so the 
 word no' signifies, and it is mostly applied to rich 
 and great men, who usually molest and opjiress 
 the poor, the fatherless, widows, and strangers : 
 Lev. xix. 33, " If a stranger sojourn with thee in 
 tlie land, ye shall not vex him," or oppress him ; 
 Jer. xxii. 3, " Do no violence to the stranger, the 
 fatherless, nor the widow," do not afflict, molest, 
 oppress either of them ; Ezek. xxii. 2;(, " They have 
 vexed the poor and needy." You have all these to- 
 gether, Zech. vii. 10, " Oppress not the widow, nor 
 the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor." 
 
 Besides these, there were servants also whom 
 they might not oppress : Deut. xxiv. 14, " Thou 
 shalt not ojipress an hired servant." These chiefly 
 are subject to oppression ; but great and small may 
 vex and oppress one the other : Lev. xxv. 17, " Tliey 
 shall not oppress one another." Sometimi s it falls 
 out so, but more frequently the great, rich men in 
 jilaee and power, do oppress those who are inferior 
 to them, and under them. 
 
 I. Wherein this oppression consists. 
 
 I. In outreaching men in buying or selling : Lev. 
 xxv. 14, " If thou sell aught unto thy neighbour, or 
 buyest aught of thy neighbour's hand, ye shall not 
 o])prcss one another." Men must neither sell too 
 dear, nor buy too cheap; which is contrary to the 
 practice of the world, for most men, if not all men, 
 will buy as cheap, and sell as dear, as they can. 
 
 (I.) It is oppression, when the buyer will wring a 
 commodity out of his neighbour's or brother's hand, 
 which he is unwilling to part withal. Ahab will 
 have Naboth's vineyard, 1 Kings xxi. 
 
 (2.) When he makes advantage of the seller's 
 necessity. And so many monied men will furnish 
 sellers and needy men with money, upon condition 
 they may have such wares, such a house, such land, 
 at an easitr and under rate : such advantage they 
 made of them, Neh. v. 3, who were necessitated to 
 mortgage their lands, vineyard.s, and houses, for 
 money to buy corn. So those who sell to the shops, 
 you will have their commodities at, &c. 
 
 (3.) When he disparageth tlie roiumoditics of the 
 s(dler, who bi ing not so well iiisii,ditcd into the 
 thing to be sold as the subtle buyer, is ovcrrtaclud
 
 444 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 find (k'fraudfd : Prov. xx. 14, "It is naught, it is 
 naught, saith the buyer ;" he brings up an ill report 
 upon it, casts a mist before the seller's eyes, that so 
 he may get it at a cheap rate. So in the seller, 
 
 [1.] "When you sell that for good which is not so: 
 Amos viii. C, they sold the refuse of the wheat for 
 good wheat. And so for meats, wares, fruits, wines ; 
 many help off ill commodities with lies, oaths, false 
 glosses, lights, and pretences that it cost so much, 
 that such would have given them so much, &c. 
 
 [2.] When you deceive them in weight and mea- 
 sure ; Prov. XX. 10, "Divers weiglits, and divers 
 measures, are both of them alike abomination to the 
 Lord." 
 
 [.3.] When you take advantage of the buyer's 
 weakness or necessities. Some, when an ignorant 
 party comes to their shops, tliey set the dice upon 
 him, and make him pay double, or more than a 
 knowing man should ; but this is against the rule ; 
 1 Thess. iv. G, " Let no man go beyond and defraud 
 his brother in any matter." So for his necessity ; 
 many sellers seeing men in straits, and tliat they 
 must have their commodities, they set them such 
 prices as undoeth them, dealing with them ; so that 
 according to Amos viii. 4, " They swallow up the 
 needy, and make the poor of the land to fail." 
 
 2. In wiuiholding that which is right and due to 
 others ; James v. 4, " Behold, the hire of the labourers 
 who have reaped down your fields, \\ hich is of you kept 
 back by fraud, crieth." " The labourer is wortliy of 
 his hire," saith Christ, Luke x. 7 ; and it was quickly 
 to be paid. Lev. xix. 13. Now to deny it, witldiold 
 it, to detract from it, or to pay it in money not cur- 
 rent, is oiipression : Mai. iii. 5, " I will be a swift 
 witness against those that ojipress the hireling in his 
 wages, tlie widow and the fatherless, and turn aside 
 the stranger from his right." If any withhold the 
 portion of orphans, legacies given to the poor, the 
 estates and rights of widows, they will lie under the 
 censure of being oppressors. 
 
 3. In laying too heavy burdens and tasks upon 
 others. The Egyptians oppressed the Israelites, 
 Exod. iii. 7; they must make their tale of brick, and 
 gatlier straw too, which made them cry more tlian 
 they did before, Exod. v. And so many lay more upon 
 their servants and apprentices than they can well per- 
 form ; they must be up early, down late, fare hard, lie 
 hard, work liard, and be worn out before their time, 
 if they had not been under such rigid masters and 
 task-masters; and if not so, to break away and run 
 into dissolute and desperate courses : and what is 
 this but oppression in a high degree ? whereas the 
 rule is, Col. iv. 1, " Masters, give unto your servants 
 that wh.ieh is just and equal ; knowing that ye also 
 have a Master in heaven." 
 
 Likewise the taxing and rating the poorer sort of 
 people beyond their proportion, for the easing of the 
 richer sort, is great oppression: Isa. x. l,"Woe 
 unto them tliat decree unrighteous decrees, and that 
 write grievousness wdiieh they have prescribed ; to 
 tm-n aside the needy from judgment." Great and 
 rich men usually make the rates and taxes, and what 
 they decree, prescribe, though never so gi'ievous to 
 the poorer sort, must stand ; but let them look to it, 
 there is a dreadful woe pronounced against tliem ; 
 and, Amos iv. 1,2, " Hear this word, ye kine of Ba- 
 shan, which opi)ress the poor, which crush the 
 needy. Tlie Lord God hath sworn by liis holiness, 
 that the days shall come upon you," tliat he will 
 take you away with hooks, and your posterity with 
 fish-hooks." 
 
 4. In perverting and delaying of justice and judg- 
 ment, so that the petitions and causes of widows, 
 orplians, and poor people cannot be heard : Isa. i. 
 
 23, " Every one loveth gifts, and followeth after re- 
 wards ; they judge not the fatherless, neither doth 
 the cause of the widow come unto them." The 
 fatherless and widows had no gifts, no bribes, to give 
 them, the rich had, and by tliat means justice was 
 perverted, and judgment delayed; "yea, judgment 
 was turned into gall, and the fruit of righteousness 
 into hemlock," Amos vi. 12. And this sin is reckon- 
 ed amongst the mighty ones : Amos v. 12, " I know 
 the mighty sins ; they afflict the just, they take a 
 bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from 
 their right." Let the poor man and his cause be 
 never so good and just, rich and great men, by their 
 purses and their frimds, have, in all ages, and still 
 do, oppress them in judgment. Jam. ii. 6. When 
 the ^^•oIf and sheep were in contention together, the 
 wolf confessed the sheep had a better cause than he, 
 but he had stronger teeth than they ; so poor men, 
 widows, orphans, may have a better cause tlian rich 
 and great men, but they have stronger teeth than 
 they, and therefore Zephaniah is not afraid to call 
 such, evening, yea ravening, wolves, Zeph. iii. 3. 
 
 5. In imposing upon men's consciences those 
 things which are doubtful and disputable, whether 
 warrantable or no, yea of unlaw'ful things ; this is 
 the greatest oppression of all. WHien doctrines, 
 worship, disciplines, are imposed upon men's con- 
 sciences, which cannot clearly be made out to them, 
 it is height of oppression, and the ground-work of 
 persecution. The scribes and Pharisees taught for 
 doctrines the commandments of men. Matt. xv. 9 ; 
 they laid gTievous burdens on men's shoulders and 
 hearts. Matt, xxiii. 4. So did prelacy of late, and op- 
 pressed men in their courts for not observing their 
 ceremonies and will-worship ; and not only so, but 
 persecuted men, and drove them out of the land. 
 And this is an evil in many families, where husbands, 
 parents, masters, put and press those things upon their 
 wives, children, and servants, which in conscience 
 they cannot yield unto ; or, if they do, it is with 
 doubting and scrupulosity : and " whatsoever is not of 
 faith is sin," Rom. xiv. 23 : and the rule is, 1 Cor. yii. 
 23, " Ye are bought with a price ; be not ye the ser- 
 vants of men." 
 
 II. The evil of oppressing. 
 
 1. It is an unnatural evil. No creatures do oppress 
 those of their own kind ; take birds of prey, eagles, 
 vultures, liawks, do not prey upon those of their 
 own, but another kind. So lions, tigers, wolves, 
 bears, are favourable to those of their own kind, and 
 prey upon foreigners, those of another kind ; but 
 men most unnaturally prey upon one another ; one man 
 
 is a wolf to another : Ezek. xxii. 27 
 
 'Her princes 
 
 are like wolves ravening the jirey." And who were 
 the prey ? widows and fatherless ones, Isa. x. 2. 
 Lions have spared men, Dan. vi. ; ravens fed men, 
 I Kings xvii ; and yet one man seeks to eat up and 
 devour another. 
 
 2. It is argument there is little or no fear of 
 God in their hearts that do oppress others. Lev. 
 XXV. 17, "Ye shall not oppress one another; but 
 thou shalt fear thy God ;" whereby is fully inti- 
 mated, that if they oppress, they do not fear God; if 
 they fear God, they will not oppress; for "by the 
 fear of the Lord men depart fi-om evil," Prov. xvi. 6. 
 When Amalek fell upon the Jews, and smote some 
 of them passing through his country, it is said, " he 
 feared not God," Deut. xxv. 18. The Jews' opjiress- 
 ing one another is attributed to their not fearing of 
 God, Nell. v. 9 ; Job's eschewing of evil was because 
 he "feared God," Job i. 1. 
 
 3. It is against that great and common rule of 
 equity. Matt. vii. 12, " All tilings whatsoever ye would 
 that men should do to you, do ye even so to them."
 
 Ver. ". 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 4J5 
 
 Tlip like is in Luke vi. 31. Xow, no man that is in 
 his riglit mind, that hatli use of reason, would have 
 anolhf 1' to wrong and oppress himself in estate, name, 
 conscience ; he should not do it unto others. Lac- 
 tantius saith, That is the root and whole foundation 
 of equity, not to do to any what he would not sufTcr 
 himself; and measure another's spirit or mind by 
 thine own. Hierom calls this sentence of Christ's, 
 " All things whatsoever ye would," (S;c. the summary 
 of justice, and should always be written upon men's 
 hearts, .td Celantiam. 
 
 4. It is a sin which greatly provokes God, hath 
 dreadful woes denounced against it, and brings dread- 
 ful judgments upon those who are guilty of it: see 
 Micah ii. 12; Hab. ii. 12; Zeph. iii. 1; Jer. xxii. 
 13; Isa. X. I — 3. In those places such woes are 
 thundered out against oppressors, as would make 
 even stony hearts to tremble : What will ye do in 
 the day of visitation ? to whom will ye flee for help ? 
 God will visit for this sin : Prov. xxii. 22, 23, " Rob 
 not the poor, because he is poor ; neither oppress the 
 afflicted in the gate : for the Lord will plead their 
 cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them." 
 The Egyptians oppressed the Israelites, and did not 
 God spoil the Egyptians? Exod. xii. 36. Rehoboam 
 would oppress his subjects by laying heavy burdens 
 upon them, and God spoiledhim often tribes, I Kings 
 xii. And he threatens to be a " swift witness against 
 those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the 
 widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the 
 stranger from his right," Mai. iii. 5; the meaning 
 is, God will punish them severely. And you may 
 see what God will do, Exod. xxii. 21 — 24, " If thou 
 afflict, vex, oppress the stranger, the widow, the 
 fatherless in any wise, and they cry at all imto me, I 
 will surely hear their cry ; and my wrath shall wax 
 hot, and I will kill you with the sword: and your 
 wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless." 
 Of all people, strangers, widows, fatherless ones, 
 should be pitied, countenanced, counselled, comfort- 
 ed, relieved; for therein lies the fi'uit and power of 
 true religion, Jam. i. 27. If those, therefore, be 
 afflicted in any wise, and do cry at all, G(jd will hear ; 
 liis wrath will wax hot, consume you, and bring your 
 wives and children into their condition : therefore, 
 I Thess. iv. 6. 
 
 " But hath restored to the debtor his pledge," 
 &c. Poor men being in straits, were wont to pawn 
 their garments, their tools, and household stuff, unto 
 their creditors for what they borrowed of them. 
 Men that had money and means were hard-hearted, 
 and would not lend freely ; and when they had the 
 
 iioor and needy 'sj)ledges, they would keep them. The 
 jord therefore gave them laws thereabout ; as Exod. 
 xxii. 2(3, " If thou at all take thy neighbour's rai- 
 ment to pledge, thou shall deliver it unto him by that 
 the sun goeth down:" so Deut. xxiv. 6, 10 — 13, 17, 
 they might not take the upper millstone, nor a 
 widow's garment, for pledges; and what they did 
 take, they were faithfully and speedily to return. 
 Job complains of the wicked, that they took the 
 widow's ox for a pledge, and the garments of the 
 poor, Job xxiv. 3, 9. It is not unlawful to take a 
 pledge, so it be not of present and m cessary use ; 
 but to make advantage of the poor, to have pledges 
 double or treble the worth of that men lend, and then 
 to take forfeitures, or withhold the pledges, is cruelty 
 towards man, and iniquity before God, who would 
 have men to be merciful as himself is merciful, to be 
 helps, and not hindcrers, to those who are in affliction. 
 " Hath spoiled none by violence." Hebrew, 
 Su' nS nSiJ hath not taken away by force that which 
 ^u)'e^f spoiure hath been so gotten by others. The 
 avditre. word '^i notctli, a violent taking away. 
 
 and so it is expressed, Prov. xxii. 22, "Rob not the 
 poor." Robbing is a violent taking from any ; and 
 so. Lev. xix. 13, and Amos iii. 10, violence and rob- 
 bery are joined together. Wickid men are said to 
 " drink the wine of violence," Prov. iv. 17; that is, 
 they spoil others; as ver. 16, " Tl ey sleep not, ex- 
 cept they cause some to fall :" and what they get 
 that way, they live ujion, they make merry therewith, 
 "drink wine in bowls," and that is the wine of vio- 
 lence. So those phrases of, eating violence, Prov. 
 xiii. 2, storing up violence, Amos iii. 10, are to be 
 understood; they feed upon, and furnish themselves 
 with, what they get by violence. 
 
 1 spake of violence in chap. vii. II ; viii. 17, and 
 therefore shall not insist much on it, but tell you 
 what David saith, Psal. cxl. II, "Evil shall hunt tlie 
 violent man to overthrow him." Certain ruin abides 
 the violent man, one judgment of God or other will 
 hunt him like a wild beast, till he be overthrown ; 
 yen, his own violent dealings shall come upon him 
 and overwhelm him, Psal. vii. 16. 
 
 Samuel could say, "Whose ox have I taken ? or 
 whose ass have I taken? or whom have 1 defrauded? 
 whom have I oppressed ?" 1 Sam. xii. 3. It were well 
 such innocency could be found in men; but we have 
 been full of plundering and spoiling one another, yea, 
 many precious ones have been spoiled of all they had, 
 but the Lord will spoil the spoilers, Prov. xxii. 23. 
 
 " Hath given his bread to the hungry." The 
 word for " hungry " is from syn to consinne with 
 hunger, and notes such as are pinched with hunger, 
 and have real need of relief: and by "bread" is 
 here meant, not only what in a strict sense we call 
 bread, but whatever is fit for man to eat, as in chap. 
 xvi. 49. Giving bread to the hungry imports not 
 one or two acts, but a constant and free relieving of 
 them, as thou art able, and there is occasion. Isa. 
 Iviii. 7> it is to deal the bread to the hungry, to 
 bring the poor who are cast out to thine house, and 
 when thou seest the naked, to cover him. 
 
 " Hath covered the naked with a garment." That 
 is, those who have ragged, thin, poor clothing, so 
 that their nakedness is not hid. A man is to mind 
 such, cover their nakedness ; as Job saith, chap, 
 xxxi. 19, "If 1 have seen any perish for want of 
 clothing, or any poor without covering ; if his loins 
 have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with 
 the fleece of my sheep." It is not enough to give 
 food, but there liiust be clothing too, if need be, James 
 ii. 15, 16. We should be charitable, feed the hungry, 
 and clothe the naked; they are our own flesh : Isa. 
 Iviii. 7, " Hide not thyself from thine own flesh." 
 It was the sin of Sodom, not to " strengthen the 
 hand of the poor and needy." It was a damned 
 Dives that would not relieve a poor Lazarus. 
 
 God feeds you with the finest of the wheat-flour, 
 clothes you with the choicest clothes, silks, &c. yea, 
 feeds you with manna, flesh of his Son, clothes you 
 with garments of salv;;tion, with the righteousness 
 of Christ. 
 
 It is the exercise of faith; Eccles. xi. I, "Cast 
 thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after 
 many davs." 
 
 Itmakes a man to be of good report; Psal. cxii. 
 9, " He hath given to the poor ; his righteousness 
 endureih for ever : " Mark xii. 42 " And there came 
 a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites," 
 which were remembered and recorded. 
 
 It is ai-gument of a good man; Psal. cxii. 1, 9, 
 " Blessed is the man who fears God: he hath dis- 
 persed," iS:c. 
 
 It is feeding of Christ; Matt. xxv. 35, 40, "Inas- 
 much as ye have done it unto one of the least of 
 these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
 
 443 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. XVIII. 
 
 Il is an honour to religion ; James i. 27, " Pure 
 religion and undcfilcd before God and the Father 
 is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their 
 affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the 
 world." 
 
 It procures many a prayer and blessing ; 2 Cor. 
 ix. 10, "Now he that ministereth seed to the sower 
 both minister bread for your food, and multiply your 
 seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righte- 
 ousness;" Job xxix. 13, "The blessing of him that 
 was ready to perish came upon me : and I caused 
 the widow's heart to sing for joy:" 2 Tim. i. 16, 
 " The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesipho- 
 rus ; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed 
 of my chain." 
 
 It is maintaining and saving of life ; Job xxix. 13. 
 
 It makes like unto God; Luke vi. .3(5, " Be ye there- 
 fore merciful, as your Father also is merciful : " 
 Psalm cxlvi. 7, he " giveth food to the hungry." It 
 makes like Christ, he fed the multitude. Matt. xiv. 
 
 It is lending to the Lord ; Prov. xix. 17, " He that 
 hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and 
 that which he hath given will he pay him again." 
 
 It is pleasing and acceptable to God ; Acts x. Heb. 
 xiii. 16, "To do good and to communicate forget 
 not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." 
 
 Ver. 8. He that hath not given forth upon 
 ii.turi/, neither hath taken any increase, that hath 
 ivithdrawn his hand from iniquitif, hath executed 
 true Judgment between man and man. 
 
 Our prophet is upon declaring who is a righteous 
 man. .Sundry characters of such a one he hath laid 
 down before, and here proceeds to add more ; and the 
 fir.st is, he meddles not with usury, he increases not 
 his estate that way. It is mucli in practice among 
 the sons of men, as if Scripture did rather authorize 
 than prohibit it. 
 
 " I'pon usury," nc'JS, from -jii'j to bile ; yea, to 
 bite like a serpent. It is akin to cnj a serpent, 
 saitli Avenar. A serpent's biting is little felt at first, 
 but after it inflames and ruins the luan ; so usury is 
 not much felt at the beginning, but in time eats up 
 and devours a man's whole substance : or, for that 
 it makes a man restless, sleepless, who is bitten with 
 it, as the biting of a serpent doth ; or biting, in that, 
 like a hungry dog or wolf, by biting and devouring 
 others, it feeds itself. Chrysostom, super illud, Matt. 
 V. volenti mufuare, saith. The usurer's money is like 
 the biting of the asp. A man bitten by the asp hath 
 a delightful sleepiness upon him, and dies sleeping, 
 because poison sweetly diffuseth itself through his 
 whole body ; so the man that takes money of the 
 usurer, pleases himself, thinking it a kindness and 
 benefit unto him, but it quickly eats up a great part, 
 if not his W'hole estate. This kind of usury many 
 are against, but other sorts of usury they allow and 
 practise, I shall therefore consider wdiat usury is, 
 and then show you whether the Scripture will war- 
 rant any usury. 
 
 What usury is. 
 
 It is the taking of any thing above the principal, 
 saith Tostat. A receiving more than was lent, Cajet. 
 These are too strict, excluding whatever any return 
 freely by way of thankfulness. 
 
 In usury, three things are considerable: lending, 
 gaining, covenanting. 
 
 To lend money for gain, iiiterpnsila pactione, that 
 is " usury." When men put out their money to 
 receive more than the principal by virtue of a cove- 
 nant, contract, or compact, that makes them usurers. 
 It is gain taken merely for the lending of a thing. 
 Herein, it is conceived, lies the formality of it, viz. 
 
 the covenanting, agreeing, and contracting to have so 
 much for what is lent. This the word points at, 
 Exod. xxii. 25, thou shalt not put usury upon him 
 
 Amesius saith, it is gain sought after, aimed at, 
 from what is lent, because it is lent; and he includes 
 in the word quwsilttni, not only real usury, which is 
 contracted for, but mental usury, which is intended. 
 
 Usury thus described I find no warrant for from 
 the word of God, but much against it : look into 
 these places, Exod, xxii. 25 ; Lev. xxv. 35 — 37 ; 
 Dent, xxiii. 19, 20. The great God of heaven and 
 earth commands them not to be usurers, not to lend 
 upon, or take, usury. 
 
 The answer and evasion that some have and make 
 here, is this : True, we must not lend upon usury to 
 the poor, who are mentioned in the two fii'st places, 
 and implied in the third, but to the rich we may. 
 
 To take away this evasion, 
 
 1. Consider, there are other places where no men- 
 tion of the poor is made. Psal.xv.5, " He that putteth 
 not out his money to usury." It is spoken indefinitely ; 
 they might not put it out to the poor ; and who, then, 
 were there to put it out to, but the rich ? So in Jer. xv. 
 10 : Ezek. xxii. 12, usury is censured, and yet there is 
 no mention of the poor. Usury seemed a cursed thing. 
 
 2. Rich men were their brethren as well as the 
 poor ; and, Deut. xxiii. 20, " Unto thy brother thou 
 shalt not lend upon usury." He might not lend to 
 a rich foe, only to a stranger. 
 
 3. What countenance, warrant, or encouragement 
 do you find in holy writ for lending moneys to rich 
 and wealthy men, especially with expectation of 
 gain. Luke vi. 34, " If ye lend to them of whom ye 
 hope to receive, what thank have ye ? for sinners 
 also lend to sinners, to receive as much again." 
 Wicked men, the worst of all, who have no fear of 
 God in them, will do that ; therefore, saith Christ, 
 " Lend, hoping for nothing again." Here is shown 
 who should lend, and to whom. Rich men are to 
 lend, not to borrow ; and to those the lending .should 
 be who are not able to maintain their charge, drive 
 on their callings, without help ; to these rich men 
 should lend freely : and to others that are beggars, 
 truly poor, they should give :. ISIatf. v. 42, " Give to 
 him that asketh thee, and from him that would 
 borrow of thee turn not thou away." It is a duty 
 for rich men to lend, not to borrow ; and because 
 they let many families sink these hard times, which 
 would do well enough had they a little support from 
 the rich, it will stand upon their account one day. 
 This is the evil of rich men, because they see such a 
 man decaying, therefore they will not lend him ; but 
 because he is upon decaying, therefore they should 
 lend him that he may not utterly decay, Deut. xv. 7, 8, 
 
 The second evasion men have is this : Usury, 
 when it is biting, hath the serpent's sting and teeth 
 in it; prejudiceth, and doth not profit, advantage a 
 man, then it is unlawful ; but if a man be a gainer 
 by it, it is not unwarrantable ; and so they distin- 
 guish between biting usury and profiting usury, 
 
 ^•hisiv. Distinctions and arguments from etymolo- 
 gies are insiin'.rient and weak. Absalom signifies a 
 father of peace, or, the father's peace ; but he was a 
 father of war, and his fither's trouble. As for 
 "usury," the Scripture knows no such distinction as 
 biting, and jjrofiting, usury ; it is a human invention, 
 to make way for the satisfaction of men's covetous 
 and greedy desires. Men think they are safe if they 
 take usury of the rich, not of the poor ; but see how 
 the Lord strangles and cuts off this distinction by 
 the next words in the verse. 
 
 " Neither hath taken any increase." He must not 
 be a biting usurer, which they grant ; neither must 
 he be an increasing usurer ; this is forbidden by the
 
 VtR. 8. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 4i7 
 
 same authority that the other is. The word is, r'ann 
 from nsi to multiply and increase, and is rendered 
 by Montanus, arnplius : so Vatablus and Jerom, He 
 is a just man that takes no more than he lends. 
 Some would have this word to be exegetical, and so 
 think to avoid the force of it : but though the wis- 
 dom of man be inventive to promote its own interests, 
 yet it must not null the wisdom of God. Let us 
 grant it exegetical, it is of more force against them ; 
 for the latter word must expound the former, and so 
 any increase is the meaning of usury. Upon this 
 account, then, he is a usurer who takes any increase. 
 But this likes not those who plead for it. By in- 
 crease they would have such increase as burdens, 
 bites, oppresses, and consumes him that gives it. 
 
 This is forcing of the word tarbillt, which notes 
 simply any increase or multiplication ; not biting, 
 oppressing, undoing increase. As they therefore 
 stick to the word neslieck, to make one sort of usury 
 unlawful, so may we stick to the word tarbilli, to 
 make that other sort of usury unlawful, because it is 
 said, " he that hath not given forth upon usury, 
 neither hath taken any increase." The word notes 
 increase of victuals, as well as of money ; Lev. xxv. 
 37, " Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, 
 nor lend him thy victuals for increase." There must 
 not be increase of money or victuals ; it is not meant 
 a burdensome increase of victuals, but no increase 
 at all. 
 
 Some plead the lawfulness of it from Deut. xxiii. 
 
 20, " Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; 
 but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury :" 
 hence they conclude, that usury is not simply un- 
 lawful but to a brother. 
 
 Answ. God is above the law, and may authorize 
 men to do such things as the letter of the law is 
 against : he bade Abraham sacrifice his son, the 
 Jews to rob the Egyptians. The law, in Lev. xx. 
 
 21, is against a man marrying his brother's wife; 
 yet in Deut. xxv. 5, the brother must raise up seed 
 to the brother ; and seven brethren had one woman, 
 Matt. xxii. 24 — 26. And so here, the Lord might give 
 way to the Jews to take usury, he is above the law. 
 
 2. Some answer it thus, and say, God permitted 
 it unto them for the hardness of their hearts, who 
 would have taken of their brethren, if they had not 
 had liberty thus to have done. As they were per- 
 mitted to give a bill of divorce to their wives, and 
 send them away, so it was here. It was a per- 
 mission, " thou mayest," &c. and permission is of 
 evil, not of good. 
 
 3. It was to strangers they might do it ; and not 
 to all strangers, but C'anaanites only, who were de- 
 signed of God to destruction ; so that those they 
 might destroy with the sword, they might devour 
 with usury. So then, where men are not appointed 
 to death, and to be cut off by war, they may not 
 exercise usury. 
 
 4. The distinction of strangers is now taken away ; 
 the partition-wall is broken down, and we are all 
 brethren. A stranger that was become a proselyte, 
 and embraced the Jewish religion, they might not 
 tJike usury of, he was a brother. Lev. xxv. 35, 3G ; 
 they had all one father, Mai. ii. 10, and so have we, 
 and are brethren. This made Jerom, upon this 
 place, say. In the law, usury was taken off from bre- 
 thren ; in the prophets it is forbid to all ; in the 
 gospel is yet more virtue and favour ; the Lord saith, 
 " Lend to them from whom ye may expect nothing." 
 
 It is the blindness of the Jews, to think they may 
 take usury of christians, when Christ hath made of 
 both one, Eph. ii. 14 ; and it is our sinful covetous- 
 ness to take usury one of another when we are bre- 
 thren. And therefore some affirm that in this place 
 
 of Deuteronomy, that usury towards strangers is 
 neither commanded nor permitted; but the Scrip- 
 ture would have us acknowledge all our neighbours 
 and brethren; and that if we do exercise usury 
 towards any, we treat them not as brethren or neigli- 
 bours, but as enemies. 
 
 Some ground the lawfulness, and so their practice, 
 of it upon Matt. xxv. the parable of the talents ; vcr. 
 27, " Oughtest thou not to have put my money to the 
 exchangers, and then at my coming I should have 
 received mine own with usury." Hence they conclude, 
 that Christ doth not only allow, but justify, usury. 
 
 Answ. 1. This is a parable, and solid arguments 
 are seldom drawn from parables. 
 
 2. Christ here speaks, not concerning the justice 
 of the matter, as if he approved usurious practices, 
 whereby men of covetous minds do increase their 
 estates ; but concerning its mode, the increase that 
 came by such practices, which he propounds to be 
 imitated in spiritual things. You see men of this 
 world improve their moneys, and so shoidd you im- 
 prove those gifts and graces which are concredited 
 and committed unto you. Christ here justifies usury 
 no more than he justifies the unjust steward, Luke 
 xvi. 8, where it is said, he " commended the unjust 
 steward, because he had done wisely." Why, what 
 had he done ? In one accoimt he had defrauded his 
 master of fifty measures of oil ; in another account, 
 he cut him short of twenty measures of wheat; yet 
 Christ saith, " he hath done ^visely ; " that is, wisely 
 for himself, though wickedly for his master. Christ's 
 commendation of him did not legitimate tlie action. 
 If men's stewards or servants should do so now, and 
 allege his instance, they would not hold them ex- 
 cusable, but have the law against them. Christ 
 saith, that he will come as a thief, Rev. xvi. 15 ; 
 and that "the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief 
 in the night," 1 Thess. v. 2. Doth this, therefore, 
 countenance or justify theft ? 
 
 You see, then, no footing for usury in the word of 
 God. It seems to me to make void three great rules 
 which our Lord and Saviour hath given us in the 
 gospel. 
 
 The first is that, Matt. vii. 12, "All things wliat- 
 soever ye would that men should do to you, do ye 
 even so to them : for this is the law and the pro- 
 phets." Now, is there any man in straits, in neces- 
 sities, that would not borrow freely, rather than be 
 tied to pay so much, not knowing whether he shall 
 gain any thing, or preserve the principal : and if 
 any should deny it, I fear their own consciences 
 would condemn them for it. It is true, through the 
 custom and practice of the times, men are willing to 
 borrow upon such rates and terms, because they can- 
 not have moneys otherwise ; but if men will lay 
 aside all respects of that kind, and look at the sim- 
 ple nature of the thing, they cannot but confess they 
 had rather have money freely than upon terms ; and 
 if so, then they ought to do so to others, and not lay 
 the burden of usury upon them. 
 
 2. It is against that great rul? and command, 
 Luke vi. 35, " Lend, hoping fur nothing again." 
 The Greek is, cavii^irt fttj^iv fiVtXTri^oiTfg, men should 
 so lend as not to hope for, much less covenant for, 
 any thing again. Any thing for the lending their 
 principal they may ; for it is not said, give, but. 
 lend, not cwn, but ^artiZirt ; and if you should not 
 have the principal again, it were not (^avuafia, but 
 Siupi]fui, not a lending, but a giving : lend, hoping 
 for the principal, but nothing for the loan of it. 
 Such lending is attributed to righteous and good 
 men : Psal. xxxvii. 2(i, " He is ever merciful, and 
 lendeth ;" and, Psal. cxii. 5, " A good man sheweth 
 favour, and lendeth."
 
 44S 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVII. 
 
 3. It is against that great rule and command, 
 Heb. xiii. 5, " Let your conversation be without 
 covetousness." Should poor men be without covet- 
 ousness who have little, and should not rich men 
 who have much ? they usually arc the usurers, and 
 so most covetous. Usury is the invention and prac- 
 tice of covetousness, and serves only to feed the ap- 
 petite thereof. Covetousness is a grievous sin ; it is 
 idolatry, as you may see, Col. iii. 5 ; it makes the 
 times perilous, 2 Tim. iii. 1,2; it is the root of all 
 evil, 1 Tim. vi. 10; it makes a man unw^orthy of 
 christian society, 1 Cor. v. II; to be abhorred of 
 God, Psal. X. 3 ; and so to be shut out of the king- 
 dom of heaven, I Cor. vi. 9, 10; Eph. v. 5: and 
 surely such as the mother is, such is the daughter. 
 Psal. XV. 1, " Lord, who shall abide in thy taberna- 
 cle ? who shall dwell in thy holy hill ? " Ver. 5, 
 " He that putteth not out his money to usury." Of 
 which words Luther, in his Commentary upon that 
 psalm, saith, that place does not need explanation, 
 but obedience. Many councils have condemned it 
 as unlawful. In the first Nicene it was condemned 
 for a mortal sin, can. 17; the first Carthaginian de- 
 termined it to be base gain, cap. 13; the Lateran 
 saith. Usury is not allowed to redeem captives; 
 Concil. Viennense decrees him to be punished as a 
 heretic who says usury is no sin ; the Eliberine 
 council degraded clergymen, and cast the pieople out 
 of the church, who were usurers, cap. 20. Not only 
 councils, but fathers, have been against it. Augus- 
 tine upon the 3Gth Psalm says, Si plus quam dedistt 
 eipeclas accipere, fceneratores ; and Bernard calls it, 
 I- enenum pat rimonii : m/er pra'ceptafariiil. The very 
 heathen have censured and condemned it. Aristotle, 
 in I Polit. c. 7, saith, Unuran'a acqnixilio est ma-xime 
 contra naturam, Because it is barren and not apt to 
 bring forth ; and Cato makes usury equal to murder ; 
 Ilti fterierari idem fiiit quod hominem occidere, Tul. 2. 
 Offic. cited by Aret. in Problem. ; Lycurgus e lota 
 Sparta tisiirarios expulit. Agis burnt all the usurers' 
 tables at Athens ; which made Agesilaus to say he 
 never saw a better or brighter light than that fire 
 made, Alexan. ah Alewand. lib. 1. Gen. Dier. e. 7- 
 Plato would have usurers banished out of the com- 
 monwealth, 1. 5. de Legib. 
 
 Let, men, therefore, take heed how they meddle 
 with usury, seeing there is such a cloud of witnesses 
 against it, and not trust to a distinction of man's 
 brain, making biting usury unlawful, and other usury 
 lawful, lest by this distinction they get money in 
 their coHers, and lose their souls at last ; for, as Al- 
 phonsus saith, such gain is the sepulchre of the 
 soul ; and he must not sojourn in the tabernacle 
 of the Lord, that puts his money to usury : and 
 surely it is an ill trade that excludes a man from 
 heaven. 
 
 Money at first w-as invented for exchange of things 
 xmeasy to be transported, not, to beget money, or a 
 trade, without laboiu-; for the usurer's trade is most 
 easy and gainful. The ancient Grecians and Romans 
 forbade all usury above one penny for a hundred in 
 the year; and if any took above that rate, he was 
 condemned to restore fourfold, and judged more vile 
 than a thief, who was condemned but in double as 
 much. Afterwards it was brought to a half-penny a 
 year among the Romans, and not long after wholly 
 taken away by the (iemutulian law. And if it were 
 brought to lower rates amongst us, or rather wholly 
 taken away, it were an honour to the gospel, and to 
 our nation. 
 
 "That hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity." 
 Hebrew is, hath turned away his hand. The sense 
 of the plirase is, that hath abstained from doing evil, 
 from unjust and sinful acts; not oidy that keeps 
 
 his hand from taking bribes, as Polanus ; but from 
 wronging any when it is in his power, and occa- 
 sions are presented. If men be so minded, they 
 shall have variety of occasions to revenge them- 
 selves upon their enemies, to crush the poor, to 
 get the wealth and honour of the world, yea, 
 strong temptations to things that are evil; "but now 
 when a man will not give way to such temptations 
 and occasions, he is said to withdraw, or turn his 
 hand from iniquity. AVhen Judah said of Joseph, 
 "What profit is it if we slay our brother, and con- 
 ceal his blood ? let not our hand be upon him ;" here 
 he kept his own and his brothers' hand from iniquity, 
 Gen. xxxvii. 26, 27. Saul commands liis footmen to 
 kill the priests, 1 .Sam. xxii. 17, but they would not 
 put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the 
 Lord; they withdrew their hands from iniquity. Job 
 professes his innoccncy in this kind; chap. xxxi. 21, 
 " If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, 
 when I saw my help in the gate : then let mine arm 
 fall from my shoulder :" he had opportunities and 
 encouragement from others in place, to have wrong- 
 ed the fatherless, but he would not do it; he with- 
 drew his hand from iniquity. Joseph would not 
 hearken unto his mistress ; Daniel would not defile 
 himself with the king's portion, chap. i. 8 ; the three 
 children would not bow to the image, chap. iii. ; they 
 withdrew their hands and hearts from iniquity : and so 
 David, he kept himself from his iniquity, Psal. xviii. 
 23, from that which was most stirring in him. Wick- 
 ed men withdraw- not their hands from iniquity, but, 
 as Mic. vii. 3, they do evil with both hands, and that 
 earnestly : evil is their element, and doing evil is 
 their trade. But a righteous man withdraws his 
 hand from iniquity, yea all iniquity; from all un- 
 warrantable actions, prescriptions, subscriptions. 
 
 " Hath executed true judgment between man and 
 man." Hebrew is, the judgment of truth. Whether 
 these words be referred to public magistrates, or pri- 
 vate men chosen to end controversies between men 
 at variance, it matters not, both may be included; 
 for whosoever do judge or execute judgment between 
 man and man, they are to judge truly, and execute 
 the judgment of truth : Zech. viii. 16, it is written 
 thus, " Execute the judgment of peace and truth in 
 your gates :" there is a judgment of truth, or, as the 
 Hebrew is, judge truth; see your judgment have 
 nothing in it but truth ; see it be according to the 
 word of truth, approved by the God of truth, and 
 then it will be a judgment of peace, else it w ill breed 
 more contention and heart-burnings. The Scripture 
 speaks of perverting judgment, Prov. xvii. 23 ; of 
 turning aside judgment, Isa. x. 2; but those who are 
 called to that work shoidd, neither for fear or favour, 
 hatred or love, warp from the rule set of God. No 
 greatness, no relation, no gifts, no respects whatso- 
 ever, should draw a man to wrest, pervert, or turn 
 aside judgment of truth, or true judgment. Deut. 
 xvi. 18, 19, "They shall judge the people with just 
 judgment. Thou shalt not wrest judgment ; thou 
 shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift : for it 
 blinds the eyes of the wise, and perverts the words 
 of the righlrous. That which is altogether just 
 shalt thou follow." God loves true, righteous, and 
 just judgment, and hates what is thereunto contrary. 
 Deut. xxvii. 19, " Cursed be he that pcrverteth the 
 judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow :" 
 his hatred is so great, that he hath laid a curse upon 
 the perverters thereof 
 
 Ver. 9. IlatJi u-alked in my stahdes, and hath 
 kept iiiy judgmenl.t, to deal truly ; he is just, he 
 shall surely live, saith the Lord God.
 
 Vet!. 9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 449 
 
 We are coming towards an end of the description 
 of a righteous man ; one thing or two remains. 
 
 " Uatli wallied in my statutes." There are several 
 expressions in the good word of God consonant unto 
 this : as, walking with God, Gen. vi. 9 ; walking he- 
 fore God, Gen. x\-ii. 1 ; walking after the Lord, 
 2 Kings xxiii. 3 ; walking in the Spirit, Gal. v. 25 ; 
 after the Spirit, Rom. viii. 1 ; walking in the fear of 
 the Lord, Acts ix. 31 ; Neh. v. 9. 
 
 Several equivalent unto it : as, walking in the 
 truth, Psal. Ixxxvi. 11; walking in his ways, Deut. 
 xxviii. 9 ; walking in the light of the Lord, Isa. ii. 
 5; walking honestly as in the day, Rom. xiii. 13; 
 walking worthy of the Lord, 1 Thess. ii. 12; walk- 
 ing after his commandments, 2 John v. 6 ; in the 
 good way, Jer. vi. 16; respecting all his command- 
 ments, Psal.cxix. 6; sticking to his testimonies, ver. 2. 
 
 It is opposed to other walkings and ways : as, 
 walking in the stati tes of the heathen, 2 Kings xvii. 
 8; in the statutes of Israel, ver. 19; keeping the sta- 
 tutes of Omri, Mic. vi. 16; walking in the ways of 
 the kings of Israel, 2 Kings viii. 18 ; in the statutes 
 of their father, Ezek. xx. 18; in their own connsels, 
 Psal. Ixxxi. 12; the counsels of their evil hearts, 
 Jer. vii.24; walking after Baalim, Jer. ix. 14; after 
 other gods, chap. xvi. 11 ; walking according to the 
 flesh, 2 Cor. x. 2; according to the course of this 
 world, Eph. ii. 2 ; walking after their own lusts, 
 2 Pet. iii. 3 ; in the imaginations of their own hearts, 
 Jer. xiii. 10; after our own devices, chap, xviii. 12; 
 walking in pride, Dan. iv. 37 ; walking in lies, Jer. 
 xxiii. 14 ; walking in the ways of darkness, Prov. ii. 
 13; John xi. 10; walking in the vanity of the mind, 
 Eph. iv. 17 ; in the ways of a man's heart, Eccles. 
 xi. 9 ; walking after vanity, Jer. ii. 5 ; after things 
 which do not profit, ver. 8 ; walking with slander, 
 Jer. vi. 28 ; walking after customs. Acts xxi. 21 ; 
 walking with vanity, Job xxxi. 5. 
 
 Walking in God's statutes implies several things. 
 
 1. Life. 
 
 2. Light. 
 
 3. Action, motion. 
 
 4. Progress. 
 
 5. Perseverance. 
 
 1. Life. A dead man cannot walk, he lies im- 
 movable. Walking is from life ; Rom. vi. 4, spirit- 
 ual walking is from spiritual life, as natural walking 
 is from natural life. Hos. xiv. 9, "The ways of the 
 Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them ; but 
 the transgressors shall fall therein." Men justified 
 by faith, they live, and they walk in God's ways, not 
 others ; transgressors fall in them, they cannot stand, 
 much less walk in them. If men be not good them- 
 selves, they cannot do good. 
 
 2. Light. Men must know God's statutes, else how- 
 can they walk in them ; unknown things are neither 
 desired nor practised. Matt. xxii. 29, " Ye do err, 
 not knowing the Scriptures ; " they wandered from 
 God's ways through ignorance ; being in the dark, 
 they stumbled. Jer. iv. 22, "To do good they have 
 no knowledge ; " an ignorant man cannot walk in 
 God's ways ; a servant can never do the will of his 
 master, if he knows it not, nor a son the will of his 
 father, if he understands it not. Prov. xiv. 8, " The 
 wisdom oftheprudint is to understand his way;" 
 a prudent man will examine his way, whether it be 
 the way of God he walks in, or the way of the world, 
 flesh, corruption: if it lie this last, he will not walk 
 in it, but walk out of it : he will walk inio God's 
 way, and walk in his statutes : when he discerns 
 them once to be his, he dares not keep out of them. 
 
 3. Action, motion. A man that walks, m ither 
 stands nor sits still ; he stands not in oontem]>hition, 
 nor sits still in meditation ; contents not himself with 
 
 2 G 
 
 reading or hearing, but is doing the will of God. 
 Walking and doing are the same : 1 Kings xi. 38, 
 " If thou wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right 
 in my sight, to keep my statutes and commandments :" 
 those that do and keep them, they walk in them. 
 This walking is observing his commandments, Neh. 
 i. 5 ; obeying the voice of the Lord, Deut. xiii. 4 ; 
 it is hearkening unto God, Psal. Ixxxi. 13; fulfdling 
 the statutes and judgments of the Lord, 1 Chron. 
 xxii. 13; performing his statutes, Psal. cxix. 112. 
 
 4. Progress. A man that walks, goes on step by 
 step, and presses on towards that which is before 
 him ; he walks in the statutes of the Lord, goes for- 
 ward, his obedience is more and more. It is said of 
 wicked men, " They proceed from evil to evil," Jer. 
 ix. 3 ; they walk on in their evil ways. And so do 
 good and just men ; they go on from statute to 
 statute, from truth to truth, from grace to grace ; 
 Psal. Ixxxiv. 7, " They go from strength to strength," 
 and from light to light. Phil. iii. 13, Paul forgot 
 those things which were behind, and reached forth 
 towards those things which were before him; he 
 took long strides towards heaven, and walked fast 
 that way ; he forgot how much ground he had 
 walked over, and hastened to his journey's end. In 
 Rom. iv. 12, they are said to walk in the steps of 
 Abraham's faith ; Abraham walked in faith, and all 
 believers since have trodden in his steps. 
 
 5. Perseverance. That is implied here by walk- 
 ing, as appears by ver. 24, " \\ hen the righteous 
 tumeth away from his righteousness," &c. Psal. 
 cxix. 1 12, " I have inclined mine heart to perform 
 thy statutes alway, even unto the end :" a man that 
 walks in God's statutes must never stand still, nor 
 turnback; God hath no pleasure in such, Heb. x. 
 38. However times prove, whatever troubles arise, 
 however men or Divine Providence acts, those who 
 are in God's ways should proceed and persevere : 
 Psal. xliv. 18, 19, " Our heart is not turned back, 
 neither have our steps declined from thy way. 
 Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of 
 dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death." 
 The word for dragon is D'jn and signifies both sea 
 and land dragons, and refers to the gentiles, saith 
 Kimchi, who were as cruel to them as dragons. Now, 
 notwithstandmg they met with dragons, were stung 
 with them, and brought unto the point (jf death, yet 
 they held on in God's ways, neither hand nor foot 
 declined or withdrew at all ; they knew it is the end 
 crowns all antecedent acts : Matt. xxiv. 13, " He that 
 shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." 
 It is continuance in well doing which arrives at 
 eternal life, Rom. ii. 7- 
 
 " Hath kept my judgments." These words ex- 
 press the meaning of tlie former. Walking in God's 
 statutes, is keeping of his jud;,nu'nts, Judg. ii. 22. 
 Of these words, " statutes " and "judgments," was 
 spoken, chap. v. 6. A word or two of keeping. 
 
 To keep, here, is not meant of keeping God's judg- 
 ments, or laws, from perverting, having corrupt 
 glosses and senses put upon them, as you would 
 keep clothes from moths, which do mar them; 
 neither is it meant of keejing them in memory, as 
 the word is used, Luke ii. 51 ; but to keep them, is 
 to do and perform them thoroughly, Psal. cxix. 48, 
 69 ; Deut. xxiii. 23. Keeping and performing is 
 the same, so observing and keeping, Psal. cv. 45. 
 The Hebrew word net' signifies to keep, as Pagnine 
 saith, with care and diligence; and, Prov. iv. 23, it 
 is rendered so, " Keep thy heart with all diligence ;'' 
 -itittx-Ssc with all care and diligence; anil so must 
 the judgments, commands, and ways of God be kept : 
 Deut. vi. 17, " Ye shall diligently keep the com- 
 mandments of the Lord ycur God." p-icit'n iicitf
 
 450 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 " To deal truly." Hebrew is, to do truth. There 
 are lies in men's actions as well as in their words. 
 This expression of our prophet, " to deal ti'uly," is 
 consonant to that of Christ, John iii. 21, " He that 
 doeth truth." Men do truth, when their actions are 
 adequate or conformable to the word of God. The 
 Septuagint has it, to do the same things, referring 
 to judgments and statutes. The doing of them is 
 doing of truth : Psal. cxix. 142, " Thy law is the 
 truth." All things in the law of God, all his sta- 
 tutes, judgments, commands, ways, are truth, and 
 the doing of them is doing truth ; and when a man 
 deals truly, without fraud, guile, deceit, hypocrisy, 
 which is tlie thing here intended, he doth truth. 
 You read in holy writ of dealing treacherously, Lam. 
 i. 2; subtly. Acts %'ii. If); perversely, Psal. cxix. 7<^; 
 unfaithfully, Psal. Ixxviii. 57; corruptly, Neh. i. 7; 
 deceitfully. Job vi. 15; falsely, Jer. \a. 13. And 
 unto all these is dealing truly opposite ; he who doth 
 so, deals neither treacherously, subtly, perversely, 
 nor unfaithfully, corruptly, deceitfully, or falsely. 
 
 Dealing truly is hard to find among the sons of 
 men, great or small, prophet or priest, Jer. viii. 10 ; 
 but where it is to be found, it is a jewel ; I say a 
 jewel, enriching the man with peace invaluable, and 
 making him delightful unto God : Prov. xii. 22, 
 " They that deal truly are his delight." Hebrew is, 
 those that do truth ; not those that speak truth only, 
 but those whose lives and actions hold out the truth, 
 they are his delight. Men have their delights ; one 
 delights in a witty man, another in a learned man, a 
 third in a beautiful man, a fourth in a bountiful man; 
 but God delights in a man that doth truth, or deals truly. 
 
 " He is just." Hebrew is NW pm Something I 
 spake of a just man in ver. 5 ; I shall add something 
 here. 
 
 There is a just man in appearance ; Matt, xxiii. 
 28, the Pharisees did outwardly a]>pear righteous. 
 There is a just man in opinion and conceit ; Luke" 
 xviii. 9, there were those who trusted in themselves 
 that they were righteous. There is a just man in 
 truth, and that either evangelically or legally. 
 
 1. Evangelically just. Heb. xii. 23; Luke xiv. 
 14; Heb. X. 38, they are such as are justified by 
 faith in Christ. 
 
 2. Legally just. And such are they who do that 
 which is lawful and right, who live honestly and 
 harmlessly, walking in the ways of God, dealing 
 justly with all men. Such a one was Paul before 
 his conversion, Phil. iii. ti, "Touching the righteous- 
 ness in the law blameless." Such were Abner and 
 Amasa, 1 Kings ii. 32, who are said to be just or 
 righteous. Of such Solomon speaks, Eccles. vii. 15, 
 " There is a just man that perisheth in his" jusfice 
 or " righteousness, and there is a wicked man that 
 prolongeth his life in his wickedness." Some are 
 loose, and they are spared in states ; others are too 
 strict, and are crushed by states. 
 
 Now here is meant by a just man, not one in ap- 
 pearance or opinion, but one in truth ; yet not evan- 
 gelically, but legally : for, 
 
 (1.) Here is no mention of Chri.st, or any refer- 
 ence unto him by faith, both which are requisite 
 unto evangelical justice and righteousness. 
 
 (2.) A just man here is put in opposition to the 
 soul that sinneth : ver. 4, " The soul that sinneth, it 
 shall die ;" that is, the soul that sinneth, and doth 
 contrary to the duties here mentioned, as appears 
 from the beginning of ver. 10, to the end of ver. 13. 
 He who sinneth such sins shall die, either a meta- 
 phorical or violent death, be cast into captivity, or 
 cut off by the sword or some stroke of God ; but he 
 who is free from those sins, he is just, he shall not 
 die, but live. 
 
 (3.) It is meant of such a just man as may cease to 
 be just : ver. 24, " When the righteous turneth away 
 from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and 
 doeth according to all the abominations that the 
 wicked man doeth, shall he live ?" &.'C. This must 
 be the man who is legally just, not evangelically ; 
 for the man evangelically just cannot cease to be 
 just; see Ezek. xxxvi. 27; 1 John iii. 9; Heb. x. 14; 
 viii. 12. 
 
 " He shall surely live." Hebrew is, he shall live 
 by living. This phrase, he shall live by living, saith 
 Pradus, is to live pleasantly and prosperously, his 
 fathers' and predecessors' sins shall bring no woe, no 
 evils, upon him, he shall reap the fruit of his righteous- 
 ness. David givcth us some light unto this life, Psal. 
 xxxiv. 12 — 14, " What man is he that dcsireth life, 
 and loveth many days, that he may see good ? " By 
 " life," and " days," he means such a life and days 
 as have good in them, prosperity, peace, pleasure, 
 comfort ; and he shows how to obtain them : " Keep 
 thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking 
 guile. Depart from evil, and do good." This falls 
 in with our prophet ; He who doth so shall live a 
 desirable life, and see good days. But if men sin, 
 and their sins be upon them, they pine away in 
 them, they do not live, Ezek. xxxiii. 10; they live 
 not a comfortable life, they see no good days. 
 
 Obx. 1. The Lord doth not onlj', in general, ap- 
 prove of doing good and avoiding evil, but particu- 
 larly shows them what evils they should not do, and 
 what good things they should do. " If a man be just, 
 and do that which is lawful and right." Here is the 
 general, and then he descends to particulars : " And 
 hath not eaten upon the mountains, lift up his eyes 
 to idols ; neither defiled his neighbour's wife, nor 
 oppressed or spoiled any by violence, nor given forth 
 upon usury, nor taken any increase ; but hath restor- 
 ed the pledge, given his bread to the hungry, cover- 
 ed the naked with a garment, executed true judg- 
 ment, and dealt truly." 
 
 Here are negative and affirmative particulars. God 
 would have his mind so fully known, all pleas and 
 objections so taken away, that none may have ex- 
 cuse, or say. Had we known what was acceptable 
 to God, we would have done it. Generals we have, 
 but for particulars we are at a loss. God takes 
 away this plea both here and elsewhere, and shows 
 men in special what he approves, and what they 
 should do. See Deut. xxvii. 15 — 26 ; there are 
 eleven particulars reckoned up together; and like- 
 wise as many in Psal. xv. In Mic. vi. 8 ; Zech. vii. 9, 
 10; Rom. xii. 9 — 12, tVc. you have sundry particu- 
 lars enumerated, and above twenty in the last place. 
 The duties of magistrates, subjects, ministers, people, 
 husbands, wives, parents, children, masters, servants, 
 of all relations, ages, sexes, conditions, are particu- 
 larly laid down in the word ; and all are inexcusable, 
 if they be ignorant or disobedient. 
 
 Obs. 2. See here the way to have a good name, 
 esteem with God, and a good report from him. The 
 man who doth the particulars mentioned, "he is just," 
 saith God. 
 
 If a man do the duties of the first table, which 
 are implied in not eating upon the mountains, nor 
 lifting up eyes to idols, he is approved of God ; and 
 if he do the duties of the second table, which are 
 implied in the other particular's, he is approved of 
 man ; and so hath a good report from heaven and 
 earth ; God pronounces liim just, and man mu«t sub- 
 scribe unto it. A good name is a great mercy ; So- 
 lomon tells you it is " better than precious ointment," 
 Eccles. vii. 1, which pleases the senses, and profits 
 the limbs ; yea, that it is " to be chosen rather than 
 great riches," Prov. xxii. 1. Make a mountain of
 
 Ver. 10—13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 451 
 
 silver and gold, a good name is more eligible than 
 that; it is better to fill the world with a good name, 
 than to fill coffers and chambers with rich treasure. 
 The Grecians say it is better to hear well, than to 
 heap up wealth. Many, by caring to grow rich, have 
 wasted their bodies, and drowned their souls in per- 
 dition ; whereas " a good report maketh the bones 
 fat," Prov. XV. 30. 
 
 Take, then, the right way to get a good name ; do 
 what is here required, and so shall you be counted 
 just, and have a good report. 
 
 Agesilaus, being asked how a man should come to 
 have a good name, his answer was, To speak the 
 best things, and do the most honest. Aristides, by 
 the light of nature, did those things which caused 
 him to be called Aristides the just, an honourable 
 and good name. And shall not we christians, who 
 have, beside the light of nature, divine light, do 
 those things that may cause God to honour us with 
 this title, "he is just?" If we do not this, heathens 
 and others will be witnesses against us at the last day. 
 While we are here, an ill savour will be round about 
 us, and when we are gone, our names w-ill rot; "but 
 the memory of the just shall be blessed." 
 
 Obs. 3. Hence note how to come unto it, as to live 
 comfortably. " He shall live," that is, comfortably, 
 sweetly ; but who shall do so ? the just man, he that 
 doth that which is lawful and right, that walks in 
 God's statutes, that keeps his judgments, and deals 
 truly, he shall surely live ; that is, prosperously and 
 pleasantly. So the word life signifieth, Prov. xvi. 
 
 15, " In the light of the king's countenance is life ;" 
 what life ? felicity and prosperity. A man that is 
 morally just .shall have much comfort, content, and 
 sweetness in his life ; Prov. xii. 21, " There shall na 
 evil happen to the just : but the wicked shall be 
 filled with mischief;" no evil with a sting in it, no 
 evil as shall suck or pluck away the sweet of his life ; 
 but a wicked man shall have evils enough, he shall be 
 filled with fears, cares, sorrows, impatience, discontent, 
 and with the guilt of his sins, so as his life will be no 
 life unto him : Deut. xxviii. 06, " Thy life shall hang 
 in doubt before thee ; and thou shalt fear day and 
 night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life." 
 
 This is spoken of those who do not walk in God's 
 statutes, keep his judgments, and do that which is 
 lawful and right; their lives are continual deaths, 
 they have no assurance of life, which is the most 
 desirable thing, and what comfort or peace can they 
 have in life ? But as for the just, w'ho walk in his 
 ways, they live, and live comfortably, no evil befalls 
 them. And no marvel ; they are compassed about with 
 favour as with a shield, Psal. v. 12; the Lord up- 
 holds them, Psal. xxxvii. 17 ; they shall not be 
 moved, Psal. Iv. 22 ; they shall flourish as a branch, 
 Prov. xi. 28; their desire shall be granted, chap. x. 
 24 ; the wicked shall bow before them, chap. xiv. 
 19 ; and the righteous shall see their fall, chap. xxix. 
 
 16, enjoy their wealth, chap. xiii. 22, " The wealth of 
 the sinner is laid up for the just :" if the just man fall 
 into trouble, he shall come out of it, chap. xii. 13 ; 
 blessings are upon his head, chap. x. 6, in his ha- 
 bitation, chap. iii. 33; his house shall stand, chap. 
 xii. 7; thus is he blessed in his life, and "hath 
 hope in his death," chap. xiv. 32. If these blessings 
 be to the just, labour not only to be morally just, but 
 evangelically also, for to such they do especially 
 belong. 
 
 Ver. 10 — 13. If he brget a son that is a robber, 
 a shedder of blood, and that dorth the like to ani/ 
 one of these things, and that dneth not any of 
 those duties, but ei'en hath eaten upon the moun- 
 tains, and deji/ed his neighbour's ifife, hath op- 
 2 r, 2 
 
 pressed the poor and needij, hath spoiled by vio- 
 lence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath 
 lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed 
 abomination, hath given forth upon usury, and 
 hath taken increase : sha 11 he then live ? he shall not 
 live : he hath done all these abominations ; he shall 
 surely die ; his blood shall be upon him. 
 
 The prophet, having freed the Lord from that 
 aspersion laid upon him, that the fathers did eat .sour 
 grapes, and the children's teeth were set on edge ; 
 they sinned, and the children suffered for it ; and that 
 both in general, ver. 4, and by particular instance 
 of his dealing with a just man, ver. D; he comes in 
 these verses to another instance, which is the son 
 of this just man. What if he .should have a lewd 
 son ? will the son's lewdness prejudice the father's 
 righteousness, or the father's righteousness advan- 
 tage the son's lewdness ? Neither the one nor the 
 other ; the father shall not be damnified by the son, 
 nor the son benefited by the father, but the one shall 
 live in his righteousness, and the other shall die in his 
 wickedness, and my justice shall appear to all men. 
 
 Of the father's righteousness, and his living in it, 
 hath been spoken in the former verses ; now we are 
 to come unto his son's wickedness. 
 
 Ver. 10. " If he beget a son that is a robber." 
 The Hebrew word for robber is \;'-\s from yi3 to 
 break, and, to break by violence ; to break through, 
 or over, as water doth in a Hood, through and over 
 the banks. Montanus renders the word " robber" 
 ejf'raclnrem, a breaker ; robbers do break walls, w in- 
 dows, doors, laws, and all bounds of justice, to ac- 
 complish their sinful desires. The word is ti-ans- 
 lated " robber," Ezek. vii. 22 ; (where something 
 was spoken of it;) Dan. xi. 14; Jer. vii. 11. But, 
 in Psal. xvii. 4, it is rendered " destroyer;" " I have 
 kept me from the paths of the destroyer," or robber; 
 because, where robberies are committed, there is 
 great destroying, yea, even of men's lives sometimes. 
 The Septuagint is, vibv Xotfiov, a pestilent son, one 
 that is a plague to his parents and country. 
 
 " A shedder of blood." Hebrew is, S"7 -\zv a man 
 that spills the blood of another; not that only draws 
 blood, but draws and sheds blood, that deatli follows 
 upon it. So the phraseimports, Deut. xxi. 7 ; when 
 a man was found slain, the elders of the city next to 
 him must wash their hands, and say, " Our hands 
 have not shed this blood," we have not murdered 
 this man : so it signifies in Gen. ix. 6 ; Psal. Ixxix. 
 10; 1 Sam. XXV. 31 ; Prov. i. 16; Gen. xxxvii. 22. 
 This shedder of blood is a murderer. Numb. xxxv. 
 16, 17; and murder is a crying sin. Gen. iv. 10; it 
 defaces God's image. Gen. ix. 6 ; it makes a land 
 mourn, Hos. iv. 2, 3; it takes away the life of a man, 
 for which no recompence can be made. Job ii. 4. A 
 man's life is better than all that ever the blood- 
 shedder or all his friends can return, it is a sin for 
 which he must die : Numb. xxxv. 31, they "shall 
 take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is 
 guilty of death, but he shall be surely put to death." 
 
 The Jewish doctors say, Though the murderer 
 could give all the riches in the world, and though 
 the avenger of blood were willing to free him, yet 
 he must be yut to death, because the vi.ie Am.sw. 
 soul or life of the party murdered is '^"'- "■ ^• 
 not the possession of the avenger of blood, but the 
 possession of the most holy God. It is a sin that 
 excludes from the kingdom of heaven, Gal. v. 21 ; 
 Rev. xxii. 15: such God abhors, Psal. v. 6; if men 
 be bloody, God, who is love, abhors them, and will 
 cut short their days ; Psal. Iv. 23, " They shall not 
 live out half their days."
 
 452 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 Of the Illh, 12th, ;md former part of the 13th 
 verse, wris .spoken in the Glh, 7tli, .'ind 8th verses ; 
 the words " ))Our" and " needy" were opened in 
 chap. xvi. 49 ; so that there remains nothing to open 
 but a httk' in ver. 13. 
 
 Ver. 13. " Shall he then live ? he shall not live." 
 He thinks to live, thrive, prosper in the world ; but 
 "shall he live?" what I such a man live? no, "he 
 shall not live." The words are a question and an 
 answer, and discover a vehemency of spirit in the 
 speaker. The son may flatter himself, because his 
 father is just, doth that which is lawful and right, 
 that it shall be well with him notwithstanding all 
 his lewd andvillanoas practices, that he shall live as 
 happily as ever he did ; What ! live ? saith the Lord ; 
 " shall" lie then live? he shall not live." 
 
 This interrogalion and answer is like that in chap, 
 xvii. 10, " Shall it jirosper ? shall itnot utterly witlier, 
 when the east wind toucheth it ? it shall wither." 
 
 " He shall surely die." Hebrew is, he shall die 
 in or by dying. This manner of si)eaking is fre- 
 quent in the book of God: Gen. xx. 7; xxvi. li ; 
 Exod. xxi. 12, 15, It), 17, four times in that chapter, 
 and as many in Numb. xxxv. Hi, 17, h'^, 21. Sep- 
 tuagint is, Sai'drui Sava-nuOi'iaiTtu, he shall die by death. 
 He shall not escajie the jaws, teeth, and sting of 
 death ; the famine, plague, sword, or some special 
 hand of God, shall be ujion him, cut him off. It is 
 opposed to what we had in the iJlh verse, " he is just, 
 he shall surely live :" and this man is unjust, and 
 "he shall surely die;" his comforts, hopes shall 
 cease, his ruin and destruction hastens. 
 
 " His blood shall be upon him." Hebrew is, 
 his bloods shall be in him; a substantive plural 
 with a verb singular : .Tn' is vcn the cause of his 
 death shall be in himself, he shall answer fur all the 
 blood he hath shed with his own blood ; he hath 
 shed the blood of others, and his blood shall be shed 
 for it. The Chaldee is, he shall be found giulty of 
 his own death, just matter and ground for his death 
 shall be found in himself. Or thus, his blood shall 
 be against him, his bloody and cruel dealings shall 
 come against him. The Hebrew preposition 2 or 
 beth, signifies, against, and, upon : against, Gen. 
 xvi. 12, 13 S3 Tl Ssa IT " his hand will be against 
 every man, and every man's hand against him :" here 
 beth is " against," and so it may be rendered here. 
 His blood shall lie against him. It signifies also, 
 npon, Ezek. xxxiii. 4, " His blood shall be" lu'N-ia 
 " upon his own head ;" and so it is in this place, 
 " his blood shall be upon him ;" he is the cause of 
 his own death, his sinful acts have brought death 
 upon himself. 
 
 Oh.i. I. That a just man may have a wicked son. 
 " If he beget a scm that is a robber, a shedder of 
 blood," &c. : he speaks of the just man who may 
 have such a son. If we search into the bowels of 
 the word, we shall find frequent examples hereof: 
 Jacob had Simeon and Levi, who slew the Shechem- 
 ites, troubled him, and made him to stink among the 
 inhabitants of the land, Gen. xxxiv. 2.5, 2(). 30 ; and 
 therefore he called them instruments of cruelly, and 
 laid a curse upon them at his death. Gen. xlix. 5, 7: 
 Abraham had a scolling Ishmael, Gen. xxi. i) : Isaac 
 a profane Ksau, (ien. xxv. .32, 34 ; old Lli had 
 sons who were sons of Belial, 1 Sam. ii. 12; David 
 had his Absalom, who shed the blood of his liiolher 
 Amnon, 2 Sam. xiii. 2S ; Solimn)n had his Heho- 
 boam, who jiroved tyrannical, 1 Kings xii.; Heze- 
 kiah Manasseh, who filled Jerus;drm with innocent 
 blood, 2 Kings XX. 21 ; xxi. Ki; Josiah his Jduudiaz, 
 who did evil in the sight of ihe Lord, 2 Kings xxiii. 
 30, 32. It is a great allliction m lien a good man hath 
 a wicked son: i'rov. xvii. 2,j, ■' A loolish son is a 
 
 grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare 
 him." If a foolish son be so, what is that son that 
 is a robber, a blood-.^hedder, an idolater, an op- 
 pressor ? Just men have had such sons, and you 
 must not think it strange if any of yonrs be such. 
 
 Obs. 2. The righteousness of the father neither 
 privilegeth, patronizelh, nor protects a wicked child 
 from the stroke of justice. " If he," viz. the just man, 
 " beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood," 
 &C. "shall he live ? he shall not live." Though his 
 father be just, his righteousness great, yet it doth not 
 reach to his son, being guilty of such things. The 
 Lord had said, ver. 4, " The soul that sinneth, it shall 
 die," the father's righteousness cannot expiate the 
 son's sin. As the life of the child cannot answer for 
 the sins of the father, nor profit him at all npon that 
 account, IVIic. vi. 7> so neither can the righteousness 
 of the father answer for the sin of the child, or ad- 
 vantage it at all in that respect. What Solomon 
 saith of a wise man, Prov. ix. 12, " If thou be wise, 
 thou shalt be wise for thyself," that I may say of a 
 righteous man. If thou be righteous, thou art righte- 
 ous for thyself, and not for another, no, not for thy 
 own child. David's righteousness did not privilege 
 Absalom ; he sinned, and he snflfered. 
 
 Qiienl. Is it not said, Prov. xi. 21, "The seed of 
 the righteous shall be delivered ?" 
 
 jiiisiv. 1. Not for the righteousness of the father, 
 that deserves nothing at God's hands ; Job xxii. 3, 
 " Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art 
 righteous ? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy 
 ways perfect ? " 
 
 2. It is for the promise and covenant-sake which 
 God hath made: see Gen. xvii. 7; Psal. cxii. 1, 2; 
 Ixxxix. 2.S— 34. 
 
 3. It supposes continuance in the steps of their 
 fiithers, else not; for mark the whole verse, " Though 
 hand join in hand, Ihe wicked shall not be unjumish- 
 ed :" let them plot, act, use all means and ways 
 themselves, their friends, or parties, can make, yet 
 they shall be punished, the just God will bring it 
 about one way or other. Now, if the seed of the 
 righteous prove wicked, they must be punished. 
 
 4. Outward calamities and affliction fall alike unto 
 all, but God will deliver the righteous and their seed 
 out of the evil of them, Psal. xxxiv. 19; but wicked 
 men are left to sink in them. Let not children, then, 
 presume upon the righteousness of their parents, 
 and live loosely ; if they f.dl into vicious and lewd 
 courses, they may perish, notwithstanding their right- 
 eousness. 
 
 Obs. 3. The sins here specified, howsoever they 
 may seem to men, they are abomination unto God. 
 Robbery, blood-shedding, idolatry, adultery, oppres- 
 sion, violence, witltholding the pledge, going in to a 
 menslruous woman, which is meant by committing 
 abomination in ver. 12, usury, and taking increase; 
 he hath done all these abominations. The Lord 
 calls them all " abominations," things to be abhorred, 
 loathed, rejected, olTensive to all the senses. One 
 sin iiere annmg the rest I desire may be taken no- 
 tice of, and that is, usury and increase ; lie dislin- 
 guisheth them here from oppressing the needy and 
 the poor in ver. 12. If it were, therefore, meant of 
 biting usury, as many would have it, that is compre- 
 hended in those words, of oppressing the poor and 
 needy, which is aljominalion. Now, besides that, 
 he adds, giving forth iijKm usury, and taking increase; 
 and this lie calls an "abomination." 
 
 Let men take heed how they meddle and please 
 themselves with that which so far disjileases, yea 
 ])rovokcs, the Lord, that he brands it with the title 
 of an ";ibomination." If in the judgment of the infi- 
 nite and only wise God, it be abominable, let not
 
 Ver. 14—18. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEEIEL. 
 
 453 
 
 the groundless distinctions and vain pri-tences of men 
 prevail with thee to judge it warrantable or lawful. 
 Obs. 4. (ireat and notorious sinners bring, hasten 
 woes, judgments, deaths upon themselves. " Shall 
 he then live ? he shall not live ; he hath done all 
 these abominations, he shall surely die ;" eitlur me- 
 taphorically, or some violent death. God will turn 
 such sinners' prosperity into adversity, their light 
 into darkness, their comforts into crosses and curses. 
 Jer. ix. 13 — 16, " They have forsaken my law, walk- 
 ed after the imagination of their own heart : there- 
 fore saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Be- 
 hold, I will feed them, even this people, with worm- 
 wood, and give them water of gall to drink." They 
 should have sad and bitter afflictions : and what 
 then ? " I will scatter them also among the heathen, 
 whom neither they nor their fathers have known : 
 and I will send a sword after them, till I have con- 
 sumed them." To be fed w"ith wormwood, and 
 drink gall, is a dtath ; to be scattered among stran- 
 gers is a death ; to have a sword pursuing is a death. 
 Wicked ones have many deaths, they are dying and 
 pining away under threats, fears, strokes, or guilt 
 continually ; they may say, as it is Ezek. xxxiii. 10, 
 "Our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and 
 we pine away in them, how should we then live ;" 
 the thought of their sins and ways banished all sound 
 comfort from their lives. And oft such sinners are 
 snatched away, cut oil' by some sudden hand of God; 
 and when it is so, it is most just, their blood is uj on 
 their heads, nothing befalls them but what is due 
 and deserved ; their sins call for death, and bring the 
 evil upon them. See Lev. xx. 9, II, 12, 13, IG, 27; 
 2 Sam. i. Ki; where you may find that it was their 
 own sin which brought death upon them. 
 
 Ver. 14 — 18. JVow, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth 
 all his father's sins tvhich he hath done, and con- 
 sidereth, and doeth not such like, that hatJi not 
 eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up 
 his eyes to the idols if the house of Israel, hath 
 not defiled liis neighbour's nife, neither hath op- 
 pressed any. hath not withhohlen the pledge, neither 
 hath sjmiled bi/ violence, but hath given his bread 
 to the hungry, and hath covered the naked icith a 
 garment, that hath taken off' his hand from the 
 poor, that hath not received usury nor iiicrease, 
 hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my 
 statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his 
 father, he shall surely live. As for his father, 
 because he crtielly oppressed, spoiled his brother 
 by violence, and did that tchich is not good among 
 his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity. 
 
 The prophet, in these words, presents a third 
 instance to free the Lord from imputation of in- 
 justice. You stick not to affirm that he punisheth 
 the children for the sins of the fathers ; but behold 
 here the error and wickedness of your assertion. If 
 a wicked father, a robber, a blood-sheddcr, beget a 
 son that doth not as he hath done, God is so far 
 from punishing him for those sins of his father, that he 
 shall be s])ared and blessed, he shall not die but live. 
 
 Three tilings are here commended unto us con- 
 cerning this son of a wicked father. 
 
 I. His full observation of his father's evil ways, 
 in these words, " that seeth all his father's sins 
 which he hath done." 
 
 II. His ellectual consideration of them; "and 
 considereth, and doeth not such like." 
 
 III. His doing of the contrary, which is implied 
 in the several particrlars mentioned in ver. 15 — 17. 
 
 " That seeth all liis father's sins." Sin is not 
 properly visible, it is net the object of the eye ; we 
 may see sinful actions, but not the sin of those 
 actions, with the eye of the body ; the sight of the 
 sinfulness refers to the eye of the mind. Junius 
 therefore renders the words thus, qui avimadverlat, he 
 who marks, observes the sins of his father. 1 Sam. 
 xii. 17, "That ye may see that your wickedness is 
 great ;" that you may take notice, observe it is so. 
 In this sense it is used, Eccles. v. 8, 13, 18; vi. 1 ; 
 X. 5; Jer. xiii. 27; xxiii. 13; Job xi. II. Many 
 children do as their fathers do, and never observe 
 of what nature it is they do, whether good or evil ; 
 yea, oft parents possess their children with argu- 
 ments to justify their ways, which are altogether 
 tmlawful. 
 
 " All his father's sins." It is impossible any son 
 should see or observe all the sins of his father, many 
 are acted in secret, many abroad ; our prophet in- 
 tends not that every particular sin should be obsei-v- 
 ed by him, but those which are more obvious, and 
 expose to judgments and death, such as he had men- 
 tioned before. 
 
 " And considereth." The Hebrew W'ord is, NT1 
 from riN-i which signifies not simply to see, but curi- 
 ously to look into, to consider and intend a thing. 
 The Sejjtuagint, Vulgate, and some others read it, 
 and feareth, and so derive it from NT to fear ; but 
 Montanus saith, it is from nsi and so our translation 
 hath it. I shall speak to it therefore as it imports 
 consideration, not fearing. 
 
 1. Consideration is a serious exercise of the un- 
 derstanding about things to be done, or not to be 
 done, furthering or impeding the execution of them 
 as it see s cause. 
 
 (1.) It is an exercise of the understanding, mind, 
 heart ; these are at work in consideration : Psal. 
 cxix. 59, " I thought on my ways," or considered 
 them; I turned them over and over, as simpsters 
 do their needle-work ; I looked upon all the circum- 
 stances and aggravations of them. It is called a 
 speaking or saying, Hos. vii. 2, " They consider not 
 in their hearts ;" Hebrew is, they say not to their 
 hearts. It is called a communing with a man's own 
 heart, Psal. Ixxvii. 6. 
 
 (2.) Serious: it is not a slight general thinking 
 of a thing, but a serious, settled minding of a thing; 
 Heb. X. 24, " Let us consider one another :" it notes 
 the sinking down of a thing into cur minds. It is 
 the intention of the mind upon a thing, with great 
 earnestness; Eccles. ix. 1, "I considered in my 
 heart;" Hebrew is, I set to my heart: considera- 
 tion is a setting the heart to a thing, or upon a thing, 
 as a bee sits upon a flower, and sets her sti'ength to 
 it to draw out the sweet in it. 
 
 (3.) It is about things to be done, or not to be 
 done. Contemplation looks upon things as the eye 
 upon the object. Judgment discerneth things whe- 
 ther good or bad, right or wrong, and there leaves 
 tliem, having pronounced them so. ^leditation is a 
 further inquisition into truth, or minding of truth, 
 and comes up nearest to consideration, which is in 
 order to doing or not doing. Men intend this and 
 that, and oft fall upon things rashly lo their preju- 
 dice, because they consider not ; now consideration 
 reflects upon things intended. The two sons in the 
 gospel, one said, I will go, and went not ; the other 
 said, I will not go, and went. The one's purpose 
 was to go, the other's not to go ; but this last con- 
 sidering of his sinful purpose, intention, and resolu- 
 tion, repented, and went, Matt. xxi. It is taken up 
 about doing, or not doing, as you may see, I'rov. 
 xxiii. 1, 2; 1 Sam. xxv. 17; Ju'dg. xviii. 14. 
 
 (4.) Furthering or impeding the execution of
 
 454 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 them, as it sees cause. . Psal. cxix. 59, " I thought 
 on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimo- 
 nies." David considered his ways, and not finding 
 them good, he ceased from walking any longer in 
 them ; and seeing God's ways the only good ways, 
 he turned about, stepped into, and walked in them. 
 If upon consideration things be found good, the 
 heart affects them, and so proceeds to the doing of 
 them : the virtuous wife considered a field and bought 
 it, Prov. xxxi. 16. But if things upon consideration 
 be found sinful, the heart disaffects them, and so 
 keeps oil': see ver. 28 of this chapter, " He consider- 
 eth, and turneth away from all his transgressions." 
 
 2. Wherein the strength of it lieth. 
 
 (1.) In searching out the causes, effects, rising, 
 progress, continuance, and issue of a thing. Judg. 
 xix. 30, the Levite's concubine being cut in twelve 
 pieces, and sent into all the coasts of Israel, they 
 saw it, and said, " Consider of if, take advice, and 
 speak;" let.us search out the cause and original of 
 this evil, what damage it hath brought to the Jew- 
 ish religion, and may bring ; what the Levite can 
 say ; wliat will be the issue of this horrible fact. 
 
 (2.) In comparing things together, and so draw- 
 ing up and out that which may be most useful. 
 When all things are laid together, weighed, scanned 
 over again and again, a man takes that which is 
 most necessary, seasonable, suitable, and useful. 
 Ecclcs. xii. 10, "The preacher sought to find out 
 acceptable, words ;" he compared one word with 
 another, one truth with another ; and then, in ver. 
 13, " Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. 
 Fear God," &c. He had tried books, creatures, all 
 things ; and then considering them, sums up, and 
 draws out what was most material. 
 
 (3.) In pressing to and assisting the soul in act- 
 ing. When consideration hath drawn up what is to 
 be done, or not to be done, then it puts it upon the 
 conscience as sinful, if not followed, and directs in 
 the execution. Many things well contrived have 
 miscarried through want of consideration, which 
 looks to the congruency of particulars to the whole : 
 Psal. Ixiv. 9, " All men shall fear, and declare the 
 work of God ; for they shall wisely consider of his 
 doing." Consideration lays an injunction upon 
 men's wills and consciences to be doing. Did men 
 in these days wisely consider the Lord's doings, they 
 would fear, and declare the work of God. 
 
 3. The excellencv of it. 
 
 (1.) It is that which God himself doth : Prov. 
 xxiv. 12, "Doth not he that pondereth the heart 
 consider ? " When God intended to make man, he 
 called a council. Come, let us make man after our 
 image, Gen. i. 21). The Lord considers, ponders, 
 and weighs things, according to the language of 
 Scriptme, Exod. xxxiii. 13; Prov. v. 21; Deut. xxxii. 
 
 26, 27 ; Hos. xi. 8, 9. 
 
 (2.) It difFerenceth a man from brutes ; they are 
 led by sense, and cannot distinguish whether an 
 action ought to be done or not, this is man's privi- 
 lege and power. Reason doth distinguish men from 
 beasts, but the generality of men do not use reason ; 
 they have souls for salt, their eyes, ears, tastes, their 
 senses are their guides: Jer. x. 14, "Every man is 
 brutish in his knowledge." Men do not rcllect upon 
 their actions, and consider them ; if they did, they 
 would not be so sensual, so sinful. Isa. i. 3, " The 
 ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's 
 crib : but Israel doth not know, my people doth not 
 consider." 
 
 (3.) It enables the understanding, completes a 
 man, makes him wise and prudential. Prov. xvii. 
 
 27, "He that hath knowledge S|)areth his words; 
 and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit." 
 
 He who considers what advantage may be made of 
 words, and therefore is sparing in speaking, shows 
 the more understanding and excellency of spirit. 
 Prov. vi. 6, " Consider her ways, and be wise." If 
 the considering of an ant's ways will make us wise, 
 much more the consideration of our own ways. 
 Direct acts may enable and perfect others, but re- 
 flex acts do enable and perfect a man's self. Con- 
 sideration looks inward, looks over the same thing 
 again and again, it defecates the understanding of 
 man from those raw and imperfect notions and con- 
 ceptions which arise at first, and those impertinent 
 ones which interpose afterwards. We say, second 
 thoughts are best, which imjilies that consideration 
 ripens and perfects the man and his actions ; as meat 
 in the pot, if suddenly pulled out, is raw, but if well 
 boiled, is freed from crude humours, and so more 
 wholesome. 
 
 (4.) It puts life into those principles and talents 
 God hath given a man ; like a th-imi in an army, 
 when that beats all' stir and march ; like a spring 
 in a watch, when that goes all the wheels go. Did 
 men consider what graces and gifts God hath given 
 them, they would not let them lie still and fallow, 
 but improve them. Isa. Ixiv. 7, "None stirreth up 
 himself to take hold on thee :" they had talents, but 
 did not employ them. Heb. x. 24, " Let us consider 
 one another to provoke unto love and to good works :" 
 consideration will set others' graces on work, and 
 much more a man's own. 
 
 A third thing here commended about this son of a 
 wicked father, is his doing the contrary : he wor- 
 ships God in his own way, he eats not upon the 
 mountains, he lifts not up his eyes to idols ; but he 
 comes to mount Zion, and lifts up his eyes to the 
 God of heaven whom he serves ; he is chaste and 
 charitable, he wrongs none, but doth good to all ac- 
 cording to his ability ; he executes judgment, and 
 walks in God's ways ; and whatever his father's 
 sins have been, though crimson and scarlet abo- 
 minations, he shall not die for them, but he shall 
 surely live. 
 
 Ver. 16. " Hath not withholden the pledge." 
 Hebrew is, hath not pledged the pledge. Hath not 
 taken a pledge, saith Calvin, Lavater, Junius, Mon- 
 tanus ; but Piscator saith, the word for pledging doth 
 not signify here to take or receive a pledge, but to 
 detain it being pledged, as appears from ver. 7, 
 where the words are, " hath restored to the debtor 
 his pledge ;" and here it must be, not who hath 
 taken, but who hath not withholden being taken : 
 so Vatablus, doth not retain the pledge ; and Weems, 
 the repetition of the same word signifies to take 
 away the pledge, and to keep it. Now he who doth 
 not take away, or withhold, but restore the pledge, 
 is just. 
 
 Ubs. 1. A good son may descend from a wicked 
 parent. A father that is a robber, a blood-shedder, 
 a son of Belial, a plague to city and country, may 
 have a son that is free fi'om his vices, a son that is 
 just; as good parents may have ill children, so ill 
 parents may have good children. God may and 
 doth honour his free grace, when, where, and upon 
 whom he pleases. Manasseh was transcendently 
 wicked, and his son Amon ; so 2 Chron. xxxiii. 9, 
 22, 23 ; yet out of their loins came Josiah, ver. 25, 
 who hath this testimony ; that " he did that which 
 was right in the si^ht'of the Lord, and walked in 
 the ways of David his father, and declined neither 
 to the right hand, nor to the left," chap, xxxiv. 2. 
 Hezekiah was very godly, did much in reformation, 
 restored the passover, walked in the steps of David, 
 and did that which was right in the sight of the 
 Lord, yet he came from as wicked a parent as the
 
 Ver. 14—20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 455 
 
 world then hud, even from Ahaz, 2 Chron. xxviii. 
 27. Ahaz came from Abijam, who walked in the 
 sins of his father, 1 Kings xv. 3. Abraham descended 
 from idolatrous parents, Josh. xxiv. 2. " Some good 
 tiling toward the God of Israel" was found in a son of 
 Jeroboam's, who made Israel to sin, 1 Kings xiv. 13. 
 
 Some mitoward parents in our days nave had 
 good children, and such as have much honoured 
 God. ISiow this is not from nature, or because they 
 are born under such and such planets, but because 
 they are born of God, and made partakers of the 
 divine nature. If parents have gracious children, 
 let them give the glory thereof to God, whose grace 
 hath made them such. If they have ungracious 
 ones, let them beg hard of. God for mercy and grace 
 for tliem, who hath abundance of the Spirit to be- 
 stow on whom he please, and hath promised to 
 those in covenant with him, to pour out his Spirit 
 upon their seed, and his blessing upon their off- 
 spring, Isa. xliv. 3. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is not always safe, warrantable, to 
 imitate parents, ancestors, predecessors, and to tread 
 in their steps ; it may be dangci'ous, deadly, yea 
 danmable. If the son of the unjust man should fol- 
 low his father in his ways, he must die for it ; but if 
 he see his ways, and doth not such like, he shall 
 live. When the ways of parents are idolatrous, 
 superstitious, profane, oppressive, contrary to, or 
 not grounded upon the word of God, children are not 
 to conform unto them. There is one greater than 
 they, and wiser than they, who is the Father of 
 spirits, and hath more authority over them than 
 tlieir parents after the flesh ; him must they hearken 
 unto, his counsels must they embrace, his conmiands 
 must they obey, his will must they do. The Lord 
 commends the son here that doth contrary to his 
 wicked father. 1 Pet. i. IS, men are redeemed from 
 the vain conversation by tradition from their fathers. 
 Fathers who are vain, have vain conversations, de- 
 liver those to their children, but children should not 
 receive their traditions, nor imitate their conversa- 
 tions, they are redeemed from them ; but they are 
 ajit to do it, Jer. ix. 14; xliv. 1/ : and it is oft com- 
 plained of and spoken against in Scripture, 2 Kings 
 XV. 9; xxiii. 32; Neh. xiii. 18; Psal. Ixxviii. 57; 
 Ezek. XX. 24, and in other places. There is a full 
 jinihiliition against it, 2 Chron. xxx. 7, "Be not ye 
 like your fathers, and like your bretliren, which 
 tn'spassed against the Lord God of th.eir fathers, 
 who therefore gave them up to desolation." 
 
 06.S-. 3. Consideration is a special means to keep 
 men from sinning. If a son see his father's sins, and 
 considrreth, and doth not such like. There is a 
 strong inclination in men to sin ; example is power- 
 ful to draw out that inclination, and especially the 
 example of a father; yet consideration hath virtue in it 
 to stop that inclination, to take oft' from evil example, 
 and to carry another way. The prodigal, " when he 
 came to himself," that is, considered what he had 
 done, in what case he was, what might be had in 
 his father's house, he comes oft' from his wicked 
 ways, and returns to his father, Luke xv. 17. It 
 is want of consideration that men sin so as thi'y do ; 
 had Noah, Lot, David, Peter, others, well considered, 
 they woidd not have fallen into such sins as they 
 did ; it is rashness, inconsiderateness, that occasions 
 and causeth many sins. Malt. vii. 3, '• Why behold- 
 est thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but con- 
 siderest not the beam that is in tiiine own eye ? " 
 Want of consideration makes men censorious and 
 hypocritical, it leads men into a multitude of sinful 
 ways, and keeps them there, Isa. xliv. 19; Hos. vii. 
 1, 2; Eccles. v. 1 ; whereas if men would seriously 
 consider, they would neither sin so freciuently, nor 
 
 continue in sin, if overtaken with it. Ezek. xii. 3, 
 " It may be they will consider, though thev be a 
 rebellious house." Here the Lord intimates," that if 
 they would consider, they would give over their 
 sinful practices, and not persist in ways to provoke 
 God ; they would see so nuich evil in their own ways, 
 so much equity in God's ways, that they would leave 
 the one and embrace the other. 
 
 In ver. 28, of this chapter, you may see the virtue 
 and eflicacy of consideration : " Because he considcr- 
 eth, and turneth away from all his transgressions." 
 Nothing more advantages Satan's kingdom than in- 
 cogitaney and inconsiderateness ; and nothing doth 
 prejudice it more than the contrary. Consideration 
 puts a stop to men's sinful ways, and causeth them 
 to turn to God, Psal. cxix. 59. Therefore the Lord 
 calls earnestly forit, Psal. 1. 22, "Now consider this, ye 
 that forget God ;" and Deut. xxxii. 29, " O that they 
 were wise, that they understood this, that they would 
 consider their latter end ! " 
 
 Obs. 4. Good children descending from wicked 
 parents, are not to be branded with their vices. If 
 he beget a son who doth not such like ; if the son do 
 not tread in the steps of his father, he is just, he 
 shall not suffer for his father's sins ; I will not 
 charge the guilt or shame of them upon him, he 
 shall live comfortably, and without infamy. Chil- 
 dren choose not their parents, neither could prevent 
 their sin ; if they cleave not to their ways, they 
 shall not be spotted with their vices. 
 
 The world deals otherwise, it is forward to pick 
 up any thing, yea to seek out matter from parents 
 and jiredecessors to disgrace their posterity, though 
 they walk not in their sinful paths ; this is not to be 
 like unto God, but unto the world, to lay the burden 
 of the guilt upon the innocent. 
 
 From ver. 18, observe, that covetous men are op- 
 pressors, yea oppressors of those who are near unto 
 them. " Because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his 
 brother by violence :" the Hebrew is, he oppressed 
 by oppressiim, and spoiled by spoiling, and that his 
 brother. The word ns notes a brother of the same 
 womb, a kinsman, a brother in friendship, one near 
 and dear to a man. He that is covetous will eon- 
 tend fraudulently, oppress, as pry signifies, yea spoil, 
 and wrest out of his hand by violence what he hath, 
 as ^M imports. Covetousness is cunning and cruel : 
 Neh. v. 7, " Ye exact usury, every one of his bro- 
 ther." Micah vii. 2, " They hunt every man hisbrother 
 with a net." Amos v. 11, they take burdens 
 of wheat from the poor; they oppress and crush 
 them, chap. iv. 1. They robbed tile fatherless, and 
 made widows their prey, Isa. x. 2. If you would 
 see the cunning and cruelty of covetous men, consult 
 with these texts, Jer. vi. 13; Jam. v. 4; Luke xix. 
 8 ; Isa. iii. 14, 15 ; Micah iii. 2, 3 ; Ezek. xxii. 7 ; 
 1 Kings xxi. 15. 
 
 Covetous men little care from whom they pull, so 
 thev may get and feed their covetous desires ; many 
 have undone their brethren, kindred, friends, fathers, 
 sons, by their cunning, cruel, covetous practices. 
 
 Ver. 19, 20. Yet saij ye. Why? doth not the 
 son bear the iniquilii of tliefotlier ? When the 
 son hath done that nhieh is lairful and rieht, and 
 hath kept all my statutes, and hath dune them, he 
 shall suiely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. 
 The son shall not bear the iniquitij of the fathei , 
 neither shall the father hear the ini(/uity of the sou : 
 the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon hiiii, 
 and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 
 
 Here begins the Jews' replication, and God's fin-- 
 thcr vindication of himself from what they accused
 
 45r. 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 him of, which extends to the end of the 24th 
 verse. 
 
 The replication is in these words, " Wliy ? doth 
 not the son bear the iniquity of the father?" Why 
 dost thou deny it, bring nrj;uments against it, attempt 
 to persuade us otherwise ? have we not experience 
 of it in ourselves ? do not we bear the iniquity of 
 our fathers ? The IlebreW' word for " why" is yiD 
 which is used when we desire to know the reason or 
 cause of a thing, as Gen. xxvi. 2/, " Wherefore," or 
 why, " come ye to me, seeing ye hate me," said Isaac 
 to Abimelech and his men, let me know the cause 
 of your coming: so here, they would have a reason, 
 know the cause why the Lord spake so, and justified 
 his proceedings with men and government in the 
 world, that he wronged none, but rendered to all ac- 
 cording to their ways and works. It is otherwise, 
 we find and feel the contrary, the iniquity of our 
 forefathers is upon us their children ; and therefore 
 we wonder how either thyself, or Ezekiel, who pre- 
 tends to be thy prophet, can assert such things : 
 either that is not true which is said, or our condition 
 is worse than others ; if thou dealest justly with 
 others, yet unjustly with us, we suffer for the sins of 
 our parents. 
 
 " Bear the iniquity." Iniquity here is put for the 
 punishment due unto it, and so it is frequently used 
 in Scripture : Gen. xix. 15, " Lest thou be consumed 
 in the iniquity of the city ;" that is, in the punish- 
 ment which iniquity hath brought upon it. So Psal. 
 xl. 12 ; xxxi. 10; Exod. xxviii. 43 ; Numb. xiv. 34; 
 xviii. 23; Isa. liii. 11 ; Ezek. xliv. 10: bearing of 
 iniquity in these places is put for bearing of punish- 
 ment by a metonymy of the efficient. 
 
 To this reply and charge God answers, 
 
 1. In general, in the rest of this 19th verse, and 
 in the 20ih. If a son do that which is lawful and 
 right, if he keep my statutes, he shall live, he shall 
 not suffer (as you reproachfully and blasphemously 
 object against me) for the sins of his father ; no, 
 the soul that sins shall die. If the father sin he 
 shall die, if the son sin he shall die, if neither of 
 them sin neither shall die. He who is righteous, 
 his righteousness shall be upon him ; he who is 
 wicked, his wickedness shall be upon him. 
 
 2. More particularly, in ver. 21 — 24. 
 
 There is nothing more to be opened in the 19th 
 verse. Of doing that which is lawful and right, of 
 keeping statutes, and living, hath been sjioken. 
 
 Ver. 20. " The soul that sinneth, it shall die." 
 Of these words you heard largely out of the 4fh 
 verse. By " soul " is meant person ; by dying, suf- 
 fering of punishment, putting to death : so the words 
 to die do signify, Deut. xvii. 12; xviii. 20; xxiv. 7; 
 2 Sam. xii. 5 ; 1 Sam. xiv. 39. The sense of the 
 words then is this : that person who commits sins 
 worthy of death shall die for them, and not another. 
 
 " The son shall not bear the iniquity of the 
 father." If he persist not in his father's steps he 
 shall not suffer for his father's sins, that w'ere against 
 the law, Deut. xxiv. l(i, "The fathers shall not be 
 put to death for the children, neither shall the chil- 
 dren be put to death for the fathers ; every man 
 shall be put to death for his own sin." Amaziah 
 remembered this law, and kept it, 2 Chron. xxv. 4 ; 
 when he slew the fathers, he slew not the children 
 for the fathers' sin. It was otherwise when Joshua 
 put Aehan's sons to death for Achan's sins. Josh, 
 vii. 24; and when David delivered Saul's sons to 
 be put to death hy tlie diljeonites for the sin of their 
 father, 2 Sam. xxi. 9. Tlie law tlun tics not God, 
 he hntb a prerogative above his own laws given out 
 to us : thry do and must tie us, and witluut s])ecial 
 warrant, hint, and instinct, we may not do contrary 
 
 unto them ; both Joshua and David had special di- 
 rection for what they did, or else it was evident to 
 them that they approved and justified their fathers' 
 facts, and so became guilty of the same, and suffered 
 according to law. 
 
 " The righteousness of the righteous shall be 
 upon him." Look what the righteous hath done, 
 accordingly shall he have ; as iniquity before did 
 note punishment, so righteousness here notes re- 
 ward, he shall have the fruit of his righteous acts. 
 Isa. xlviii. 18, "Thy righteousness had been as the 
 waves of the sea," that is, the fruit or rew'ard of thy 
 righteousness had been great, and coming in daily : 
 so the word "righteousness" is to be taken, Gen. 
 XXX. 33; James iii. 18; Gal. v. 5. 
 
 Some from these words, and those in ver. 19, 
 " Hath kept all my statutes, and done them, he shall 
 surely live," do conclude thataman may keep the law, 
 and so by his own righteousness attain unto, if not 
 merit, life eternal. 
 
 But where is that man that ever yet did keep the 
 law exactly? since Adam's fall there is none. If 
 Adam in innoeeney could not do it, how shall we 
 think men subject to sin and many infirmities can do 
 it ? Eccles. vii. 20, " There is not a just man upon 
 earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." Solomon 
 had observed men, and the best of men ; the most 
 just sinned and broke the law : James iii. 2, " In 
 many things we offend all." Paul durst not stick to 
 his legal righteousness, Phil. iii. 9 ; he knew it was 
 impossible for himself or any other to keep the law. 
 Rom. viii. 3, " What the law could not do in that it 
 was weak through the flesh, God," &c. Gal. iii. 21, 
 " If there had been a law given which could have 
 given life, verily righteousness should have been by 
 the law." The law was weak and unprofitable, it 
 made nothing perfect, Heb. vii. 18, 19 : the law nei- 
 ther justifies nor sanctifies, it neither quickens nor 
 comforts. If men think by legal righteousness to 
 attain life eternal, they will fall short of it, as the 
 Jews did, Rom. ix. 31, 32; x. 3, 4. They think to 
 earn eternal life ; but that is not earned, it is given, 
 Rom. vi. 23 ; Eph. ii. 8, 9. The just live by faith, 
 and look for eternal life, not by Moses, but by Christ, 
 Tit. iii. 5—7. 
 
 Obs. I. Erroneous and corrupt opinions being en- 
 tertained, are not easily got out of the heads and 
 hearts of men. These Jews had drunk in a hard 
 opinion of God, that he dealt unjustly with them, 
 punishing them for their fathers' sins. The Lord 
 by many arguments and instances clears up the jus- 
 tice and equity of his proceedings with the sons of 
 men, that he punished none without just cause, and 
 that it is for their own sin when he doth it : he 
 spends eighteen verses to convince them of the 
 falsehood and evil of their tenet, to remove it out of 
 them ; but they, notwithstanding all this, hold their 
 ojiinion fast, and dispute it with God : " Yet say ye. 
 Why ? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the 
 father ? " we are of this mind and judgment, and so 
 shall continue for aught thou hast said. Errors 
 quickly root deep, take strong hold, and cannot easily 
 be imllcd up. 
 
 The Pharisees held corrupt opinions about wash- 
 ings. Matt. XV. 2, dispensing with children's obe- 
 dience to parents, Mark vii. 1 1 ; about swearing. 
 Matt, xxiii. 16, 18, fasting and tithing, Luke xviii. 
 12. They held many corrupt opinions touching the 
 law, as in Matt. v. appears ; and could Christ pre- 
 vail W'ith them to get those opinions out of them? 
 He brought the (dearest light that ever was, yet they 
 loved llieir own darkness more than his light; yea, 
 they gat him out of the world, before he could get 
 these errors out of them.
 
 Ver. li.'— 23. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 457 
 
 The SadduceescUnicd the resurrection, Mntt. xxii. 
 23; and notwithstanding Christ took pains to con- 
 vince them, and spake to the astonishment of others, 
 ver. 33, yet their opinion abode with them, and they 
 were of that mind after Christ was gone to glory, 
 even in Paul's days, Acts xxiii. 8. HymenoEus, Alex- 
 ander, Philetus, had rather be delivered up to 
 Satan, than deliver up their corrupt and damnable 
 opinion, of saying " the resurrection is past already," 
 '2 Tim. ii. IS, with 1 Tim. i. 20. The apostles had 
 taken up an opinion that Christ would be great in the 
 world, and advance them, from which opniion Christ 
 had oft been beating them oft', yet it abode with 
 tliem till his ascension, Acts i. 6. There were those 
 in the church of Pergamos who held corrupt doc- 
 trines, and tlie angel of it could not get them out. 
 Rev. ii. 14, 15. Take heed therefore what opinions 
 you receive. If in John's time there was need to 
 " try the spirits, because many false prophets were 
 gone out into the world," 1 John iv. 1, much more 
 had men now need to try the spirits, because the 
 world is full of false prophets and false spirits ; and 
 men are grown so artificial to deceive, that if it were 
 possible the very elect should be deceived, and that 
 finally. Let the apostle's counsel take place, 1 Thess. 
 V. 21, "Prove all things;" take nothing upon trust 
 for the learning, holiness, worth of, or respect you 
 have to any man ; but pirove all by the word, see it 
 have a sound bottoming there, and then it is good ; 
 hold it fast, then it will do you good, let it not go. 
 
 Oi.v. 2. That what punishments soever befall men, 
 they have no just cause to complain of God, though 
 it be punishment unto death ; for he hath said, " the 
 soul that sinneth shall die," not another for it, not it for 
 another's sins. If it were so, there were just cause of 
 complaint ; if the son should die for the father, or the 
 father for the child, this were injustice ; therefore the 
 Lord saithhere, " The son shall not bear the iniquity 
 of the father, neither shall the father bear the inicjuity 
 of the son," &c. God is most just, and cannot do an 
 act of injustice to any man; and if it be just what 
 he doth, why should man mutter, think, or speak 
 hardly of God ? Lam. iii. 311, " Wherefore," saith Jere- 
 miah, " doth a living man complain, a man for the 
 punishment of his sins ? " who wrongs him ? doth 
 God ? he hath wronged God, and God doth but right 
 himself. If a man strike a lion, and the lion bite 
 him, hath he cause to complain of the lion, or his 
 own folly in striking the lion : Prov. xix. 3, " The 
 foolishness of man perverteth his way ; and his 
 heart fretteth against the Lord :" but what cause 
 hath he to fret against God, correcting and punish- 
 ing him for his folly ? Men should " accept of the 
 punishment of their iniquity," as it is Lev. xxvi. -11, 
 rather than complain, when it is their own fault that 
 they sutler ; yea, men have cause to be thankful to 
 God that he doth punish them less than their ini- 
 quities deserve. 
 
 Obs. 3. Then God hath authority over souls, to set 
 them what laws he please, and prescribe what pun- 
 ishments he thinks good. "The soul that sinneth 
 shall die :" be persons great or small, honourable or 
 base, wise or foolish, the Lord is above them, hath 
 command over them, hath set them their bounds ; 
 which if they transgress, they shall sutfer according 
 as his wisdom shall appoint. Have states that power 
 to give laws to the people, and set what punishment 
 they judge fit for the breach of them, as confiscation 
 of estate, imprisonment, mutilation, racking, press- 
 ing, decollation ? and shall not God much more ? 
 Ver. 4, Me saith, " All souls are mine ; the soul that 
 sinneth shall die :" I have given them all laws, and 
 ordained punishments for the breach of those laws. 
 Obn. 4. No man's sin shall go unpunished; men 
 
 shall not sin, and go away without suffering for it. 
 " The sold that sinneth shall the," either a meta- 
 phorical death, it shall meet with grievous afflic- 
 tions, or a violent death, be cut off by some stroke of 
 God, or an eternal death, which is worst of all. 
 Prov. xi. 21, "Though hand join in hand, the wicked 
 shall not be unpunished ;" whatever they think or 
 attempt, God will meet with them, whoever they be. 
 Job ix. 4, " Who hath hardened himself against him, 
 and hath prospered ? " Did ever any man sin, and 
 enjoy peace, offend God,'and have his blessing ? No ; 
 God hath made men know it is a sad and dreadful 
 thing to sin against him. Adam sinned and God 
 visited him for it ; his posterities sin, and they smart 
 for it. In vain do men fiafter themselves that they 
 may sin, and not suffer, they may do wickedly, and 
 escape : it cannot be, God who is truth hath said it, 
 " The soul that sinneth shall die." God may defer 
 the stroke, but without repentance it must come. 
 Rom. ii. y, " Tribulation and anguish shall be upon 
 every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and 
 also of the gentile." " The wickedness of the wick- 
 ed shall be upon him." 
 
 Obi. 5. Righteous men shall not lose the fruit of 
 their righteous doings. "The righteousness of the 
 righteous shall beuponhim." Psal. xcvii. 1 1, " Light 
 is sown for the righteous." And Psal. Iviii. 11, 
 " Verily there is a reward for the righteous." Prov. 
 xi. IS, " The wicked worketh a deceitful work ; but 
 to-him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure re- 
 ward." Isa. xlviii. 18, " that thou hadst hearken- 
 ed to my commandments ! then had thy pieace been as 
 a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea." 
 
 Ver. 21 — 23. But if (he wicked will turn from 
 all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all 
 my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, 
 he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his tra7is- 
 gressions that he hath committed, they shall not be 
 mentio7ied unto him: in his righteousness that he 
 hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all 
 that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: 
 and not that he should return from his ways, and 
 live ? 
 
 In these verses and the next, you have a more fuU 
 and particular answer of the Lord's to the unjust re- 
 plication of the Jews, and charge laid upon him in 
 ver. 19. " Why ? doth not the son bear tlie iniquity 
 of the father?" No, saith God, he that doth right 
 he shall live, and he that sins he shall die. There is 
 the general answer, and here comes the particdar. 
 
 I. Concerning a wicked man, in ver. 21 — 23. 
 
 II. Concerning a righteous man, in ver. 24. 
 Concerning the wicked man, here are two things 
 
 requu-ed, and two things promised: the things re- 
 quired are, 
 
 1. Turning from all his sins. 
 
 2. Keeping all God's statutes. 
 The things promised are, 
 
 1. Life. 
 
 2. Not mentioning of his sins. 
 
 If the wicked will turn from his evil ways, repent 
 him of what he hath done, and walk in the ways of 
 God for the future, he is so far from suffering or dy- 
 ing for his father's sin, that he shall not suffer or die 
 for his own; he shall live, and his sin not once be 
 mentioned unto him : I am so far from punishing him 
 for another's sin, that upon repentance I punish not 
 a man for his own. 
 
 " If the wicked will turn from." The Vulgate is, 
 .■it egeril pa'nitentiam, if he shall repent ; the Hebrew 
 is, vv from aiif and notes turning froni ill, and 
 turning to God, which is repentance : so it is used,
 
 458 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 Ezek. xiv. 6, " Repent," the word is, 131W turn ye, or 
 repent ; in repentance there is turning. 
 
 This turning from evil is set out by sundry ex- 
 pressions : Isaiali calls it washing, making clean, 
 putting away the evil of men's doings, ceasing to do 
 evil, chap. i. 16. Solomon styles it confessing and 
 forsaking of sin, Prov. xxviii. 1.3. David terms it 
 departing from evil, Psal. xxxiv. 14; Peter, eschew- 
 ing of evil, 1 Pet. iii. 11. Daniel's phrase is, break- 
 ing off from sin, chap. iv. 2/ ; and Christ's is, " Sin 
 no more," John v. 14. 
 
 These words, "if the wicked will turn from all his 
 sins," seem to import power and freedom in man to 
 repent and turn himself. This difficulty was spoken 
 unto chap. xiv. 6, upon tliose words, " Repent, and 
 turn yourselves." Men may use means, but those 
 means will not produce repentance and turning 
 without God: the Jews used means, Jcr. vii. 10, yet 
 could not turn themselves, chap. xiii. 23. Natural 
 instruments have power to work of themselves, there 
 is virtue in them to bring forth such and such 
 effects ; but moral instruments, of which sort the 
 word is, do not work so : the word is " mighty 
 through God," 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. Nothing is done to- 
 wards the conversion of a sinner ; therefore repent- 
 ance is the gift and work of God, Acts xi. 18 ; v. 31 ; 
 2 Tim. ii. 25. Yet when we are called upon to re- 
 pent, to turn, there is somewhat to be considered : 
 in God's commands, know what you ought to have ; 
 in his reproofs, consider it is through your own fault 
 you have it not ; in prayer, see where and whence 
 you have it. 
 
 Ver. 22. " They shall not be mentioned unto him." 
 Hebrew, nsr N*? they shall not be remembered. 
 His sins shall not prejudice him, he shall not sutler 
 or be punished for them. To remember sin accord- 
 ing to the Scripture sense is, to punish. Psal. 
 cxxxvii. 7, " Remember, Lord, the children of 
 Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said. Rase it, 
 rase it ;" that is, punish them : in the like sense you 
 have it, Hos. viii. 13, " Now will he remember their 
 iniquity, and visit their sins ;" so chap. ix. 9. And 
 not to remember, is to pass by, forget, and not to 
 punish, Isa. Ixiv. 9. Psal. xxv. 7, " Remember not 
 the sins of my youth ;" let them not move thee to 
 punish or be avenged on me for them ; as men, 
 when they remember injuries, seek to be avenged on 
 those who have done them. 
 
 " In his righteousness that he hath done he shall 
 live." His righteousness shall preserve him from 
 metaphorical and violent death. The papists from 
 these words pretend that a man is justified before 
 God for his own righteousness ; but we know the 
 Scripture runs otherwise : Gal. ii. 16, " A man is 
 not justified by the works of the law ;" and, " all 
 our righteousnesses are as filthy rags," Isa. Ixiv. 6. 
 See Rom. iii. 24, 28; 1 Cor. iv. 7; Rom. v. 19; 
 2 Cor. V. 21 ; which places show that we are justified 
 not by our own works, our own righteousness, but 
 by the righteousness of another. Besides, it is not 
 said here, for his righteousness, but " in his righte- 
 ousness." Good works do not precede justification, 
 and so merit it; but follow the person justified, and 
 declare his justification ; they are the path-way to 
 life and glory. 
 
 Again, could a man forsake all sins, keep all God's 
 statutes, yet could he not hereby be justified before 
 God, because there must satisfaction be made to the 
 law, and to G-od, for tliosc sins now left, and that is 
 not in man's power, Mieah vi. 7; Psal. xlix. 7- 
 
 Ver. 23. " Have I any pleasure at all that the 
 wicked should die." Hebrew is, ^Bpis yDn.T the 
 radical word signifies to have pleasure in, to afi'cct, 
 delight, to desire and will ; therefore some render it, 
 
 do I desire or will the death of a simier ? Others, 
 have I pleasure, or any pleasure ? You charge me 
 to punish the children for the fathers' sins, and think 
 I take pleasure in the death of sinners, but 1 neither 
 do the one nor the other ; I punish not you for your 
 fathers' sins, but for your own ; and when I do pun- 
 ish you for your own, I had rather you should repent 
 and live, than be cut off for them. 
 
 This seems contradictory to what is written, Prov. 
 i. 26, " I will laugh at your calamity, I will mock 
 when your fear cometh ;" and Ezek. v. 13, " Thus 
 shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause 
 my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted." 
 If God have no pleasure in the death of sinners, how 
 can these texts be verified ? To clear this difficulty, 
 know that it is not absolutely to be taken, that God 
 hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked, unless 
 you mean it of the wicked who do repent ; but re- 
 spectively, thus, if they could turn from their wicked 
 ways, and keep his statutes, he should have more 
 pleasure in this, than in their death ; but when they 
 do not repent, he hath pleasure in their punishment 
 and death, as it is an act of justice, and work of God, 
 for God hath pleasure in all his works : the destruc- 
 tion and ruin of Babylon is called " his pleasure," 
 Isa. xlviii. 14, " He will do his pleasure on Babylon, 
 and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans." 
 
 Some refer this to the antecedent will of God, and 
 say so he hath no pleasure in the death of a sinner, 
 he wills it not, delights not in it; but in regard of 
 his consequent will he doth. 
 
 Obs. 1. Repentance is a turning, and a turning 
 from sin. Ver. 30, " Repent, and turn." Acts iii. 
 19 ; xxvi. 20, repenting, and turning to God, are put 
 together. Sin tin'ns men from God ; Jer. xxxii. 33, 
 " They have turned unto me the back, and not the 
 face." Repentance is a turning of them again unto 
 God ; it turns them from their sinful and wicked 
 ways, 2 Chron. vii. 14 ; Jer. xxvi. 3 ; from all sin, 
 and sinful wavs, not some few ; " if the wicked will 
 turn from all his sins ;" so ver. 30, " Turn from all 
 your transgressions ;" it turns men from their secret 
 sins, Psal. xix. 12; Isa. Iv. 7- If a man turns not 
 from all, he turns from none in truth, because there 
 is the same reason why a man should turn from all, 
 as well as one, viz. the will and command of God. 
 This turning must be with the whole heart, and 
 therefore it is from all sin, Deut. xxx. 10 ; Joel ii. 12. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is not enough to turn from all sin, but 
 we must turn to all good. " If the wicked will turn 
 from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep 
 all my statutes, and do," &c. Negative righteous- 
 ness is no righteousness, negative holiness is insuf- 
 ficient holiness, 2 Kings xvii. 13. We must turn 
 from the commands of sin, Satan, and the world, 
 unto the commands of God. We must turn from 
 worldliness unto heavenly-mindedness, from pride 
 unto humility, from censuring to loving. It suf- 
 fices not that the tree bears no ill fruit, but it must 
 bring forth good fruit, else it is a barren tree, and 
 must down. The question will be hereafter. What 
 good have you done? 1 Tim. v. 10, " If she have 
 diligentlv followed everv good work." David ful- 
 filk'd all'the wills of God, Psal. cxix. 6, he had re- 
 s])eet unto all his commandments ; and christians 
 must observe all things Christ hath commanded, 
 Matt, xxviii. 20. 
 
 OA»-. 3. The way to live comfortably and prosper- 
 ously is to be godly. He who turns from all his 
 sins, and keeps all my statutes, and doth that which 
 is lawful and right, he shall surely live ; he shall 
 live in living ; others are dead in living, they have 
 no comfort in their lives: Prov. iv. 4, " Keep my 
 commandments, and live ;" see Isa. Iv. 3 ; Amos v.
 
 Ver. 24. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 459 
 
 4, 6; Psal. xxxiv. 12, 14. It is man's sin which 
 maketh times evil, 2 Tim. iii. I, 2. 
 
 Obs. 4. Note, that to penitent, obedient sinners, 
 mercy is promised. " All his ti'ansgressions that he 
 hath committed shall not he mentioned unto him." 
 Those that turn fi-om their wicked ways unto the 
 Lord shall find mercy with him, their sins shall be 
 forgiven ; let the sins be what they will for nature, 
 never so many for number, they shall all be blotted 
 out, and not be mentioned, Matt. xii. 31 ; Isa. Iv. 7 ; 
 Jer. xxxi. 12. It was made good in the prodigal. 
 Remission of sins is promised to repentance. Acts iii. 
 It) ; when a sinner hath once repented, God will 
 mention his sins no more, and why should we re- 
 member or mention them ? 
 
 Obs. 5. If the sins of the penitent shall not be 
 mentioned, then there is no purgatory to punish 
 them for the same hereafter. How is it true that 
 God remembereth not, mentioneth not the sins of his 
 friends, of penitents, if he punish them so sharply in 
 purgatory ? 
 
 Obs. G. God hath no delight in the death of sin- 
 ners ; if they sutler and perish, it is of and from 
 themselves. " Have I any pleasure at all that the 
 wicked should die ?" Ver. 31, " Why will ye die, 
 O house of Israel ?" I like it not that men will ruin 
 themselves ; 1 had rather they would consider tlieir 
 ways, turn their feet unto my testimonies, and live. 
 Hos. xiii. 9, " O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; 
 but in me is thy help." Destruction is of man, sal- 
 vation is of the Lord. 
 
 Ver. 24. But tvhen the righteous turneth away 
 from his righteovstiess, and committeth iniquity, 
 and doeth according to all the abominations that 
 the wicked man doclh, shall he lice? All his 
 righteousness that he hath done shall not be men- 
 tioned : in his trespass that he hath trespassed, 
 and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall 
 he die. 
 
 Having laid down the case of a wicked man, re- 
 penting him of and turning him from his sins, and 
 so cleared the proceedings of God, that such a one 
 finds mercy, and sufi'ers not for his own sin, much 
 less for his father's, he comes here to the use of a 
 righteous man, who if he turn from his righteous- 
 ness, and fall to wicked courses, his former right- 
 eousness shall not advantage him, but he shall be 
 dealt with according to his present sin. The sin of 
 the wicked repenting shall not hinder him from 
 mercy, and eternal life ; and the righteousness of 
 the righteous sinning, shall not keep him from 
 justice, and eternal death. Old sins shall not bvirden 
 a returning sinner, and old righteousness will not 
 help a revolting saint. 
 
 Of a righteous man, his turning from his right- 
 eousness, and committing iniquity, hath been largely 
 spoken of chap. iii. 20, where the first part of this 
 verse is word for word ; yet, because this verse is 
 much controverted, and insisted upon by the patrons 
 of apostasy and falling away, I shall touch upon it. 
 
 Who the righteous or just man here spoken of is, 
 may be gathered from the opposition to the wicked 
 man ; the one is really wicked, and the other is 
 really righteous, that is, with a legal or moral right- 
 eousness. He that hath not eaten upon the moun- 
 tains, lift up his eyes to idols, defiled Ins neighbour's 
 wife, oppressed the j)oor and needy, but given his 
 bread to the hungry, clothed the naked, taken no 
 usury nor increase, that hath executed judgnicnt, 
 and walked in God's statutes, such a one is right- 
 eous, and the righteous man in the text. 
 
 That here is meant a moral, legal righteousness, 
 appears from those words in the 4tli and 20th verses, 
 where it said, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." 
 If this did refer to the gospel, and righteousness 
 thereof, and not to the law, and legal righteousness, 
 no man could be saved, because all men sin ; but 
 notwithstanding their sinning, those who are right- 
 eous with the righteousness of the gospel, they shall 
 not die, but be saved : it must therefore be under- 
 stood of a legal, civil, moral righteousness. 
 
 Gerhard brings this verse to prove, that a man by 
 his sins may put away faith and the Holy Spirit, 
 loco. Theol. t. 4. De Bonis Operibus. Bellarmine 
 brings it, tom. 4. 1. 5. de Grat. et lib. Arb. c. 29, to 
 prove that a man may lose a new heart ; and lib. 3. 
 de Jus/if. c. 14, he makes use of this verse to show 
 that faith may be lost. The Arminians also say. 
 Hence it is so evident that every one may see it, that 
 a righteous man may totally and finally fall away, 
 Ames, in Anlisynod. de perseu. Sanct. c. 2. 
 
 For answer unto these, know, 
 
 1. It is said when the righteous man doth turn 
 away, he shall be so dealt with, as if he had never 
 been righteous. It is a caution to prevent a right- 
 eous man's falling, rather than an implication that 
 he will or shall turn from his righteousness. 
 
 2. The prophet speaks here of a righteous man 
 considered in himself, not in relation to God, or 
 Christ ; and so he may turn from his righteousness, 
 as angels and Adam did. 
 
 3. The scope of the chapter is, not to prove fall- 
 ing away from grace, but to clear the Lord's justice, 
 and that in two things : 
 
 (1.) That he doth not punish one man for the sin 
 of another, if he be not guilty thereof: a guiltless 
 son shall not suffer for the sins of a guilty father, 
 ver. 4, 20. 
 
 (2.) That he is not partial in his dealings, either 
 with the wicked or righteous ; he punishes wicked 
 men if they sin, he spares them if they repent : and 
 as for righteous men, he blesses, prospers them, be- 
 cause they walk in his statutes, keep his judgments, 
 and deal truly ; but if they forsake their righteous- 
 ness, and fall to sinful courses, he will punish them 
 as he doth wicked men : so that here is not any 
 thing spoken of grace, or faith, whereby men are 
 united to Christ, justified, sanctified, and evidenced 
 to be in covenant with God, through Christ; but 
 what is here said, is spoken in a legal way, namely, 
 to vindicate God from what unjustly they cast upon 
 him, viz. that they suffered for the sins of others. 
 Jer. xxxi. 29—31, " In those days they shall say no 
 more. The fathers have eaten a sour grape, &c. But 
 every one shall die for his own iniquity. Behold, 
 the days come, saith the Lord, that 1 will make a 
 new covenant with the house of Israel." God is now 
 put upon better terms with the house of Israel, th;ui 
 he was at that time. If they sinned they should 
 die, if they did well they should live, this was the 
 covenant of works; but God promised to make a 
 covenant of grace with them, which they should not 
 break as they had done the former, ver. 32; for he 
 will put his fear into their hearts, that they sh«)uld 
 not depart from him, chap, xxxii. 40, and his Si^irit, 
 which should cause them to walk in his statutes, to 
 keep his judgments, and to do them, Ezek. xxxvi. 
 •27. And Christ tells his disciples, that he would 
 send the Comforter that he might abide with them 
 for ever, that he might dwell with them, and be in 
 them, John xiv. 16, 17- And John saith, " He that 
 is born of God doth not commit sin ; for his seed rr- 
 maineth in him : and he caimot sin, because he is born 
 of God," 1 Epist. iii. 9. If he cannot sin, tlun surely 
 not so sin as to shake off faith, thrust out the Spn-it,
 
 4C0 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 totally and finally to fall away. This last place 
 troubleth all those who hold that opinion of falling 
 away. BL-Uarmine saith, that this jjlace is the hard- 
 est of all to answci'. Ambrose refers it to the state 
 of glory, in his Commentary upon Isaiah. Bernard, 
 by seed imderstands gratiam pr(Pdestinulionis, and 
 saith, the predestinate cannot sin so as to harm them, 
 seeing their sins are forgiven, and to work for their 
 good. Others expound it, cannot sin, ought not to 
 sin, Those who are born of God ought not to sin ; 
 but that is nothing to purpose, those who are born 
 of God ought not to sin. If sin ought to be, it w^ere 
 not sin, Aug. Tract. 5. in Epi.ft. Johannis expounds 
 it of deadly sins ; and Bellarmine likes this exposi- 
 tion, and acknowledgeth that he who is born of God 
 does not sin nor can sin unto death, while he con- 
 tinues a son of God. The text saith, he neither 
 doth sin, nor can sin, because he is born of God ; 
 therefore he shall continue to be the son of God, 
 and so never fall into those sins which will unchild 
 him, disinherit him, unjustify, and unsave him. 
 Some that say, saving faith may be lost, do make 
 three degrees of saving faith. 
 
 The first and highest degree is, the attainment of 
 the life and divine nature of Christ into our souls ; 
 after which attainment we live still by faith carrying 
 us out after the nourishment of this new life, and 
 nature begotten in us, which are the heavenly satis- 
 factions of God and Christ : from this faith it is 
 acknowledged impossible to fall away. 
 
 A second or miildle degree of saving faith is, such 
 a belief of Christ's fulness, life, and divme communi- 
 cations, as brings us not only to fall in love with 
 Christ, and those communications in him, of life and 
 divine things, but also causeth us to leave all things 
 in our desires and atl'ections, wholly to depend on 
 God, and to wait with earnestness, longing, and 
 patience, for the giving in of Christ, his life, and 
 divine communications ; and though such a degree 
 of faith doth not likely fall away, yet it is possible it 
 may ; Heb. x. 35, " Cast not away your confidence," 
 ■which intimates they might do it. 
 
 A thinl, and the lowest degree of true saving faith, 
 is that which believes the satisfaction and fulness of 
 Christ to be for us, and so affects us therewith, that 
 it carries us out after Christ, for himself, and for the 
 things believed to be in him, causing us to do and 
 forsake much for him, yet brings us not to willing 
 and actual forsaking of all we have for him, Luke 
 xiv. 33. This is ti-ue faith, and will make us par- 
 takers of Christ, if continued in, Heb. iii. 14 : from 
 this faith it is affirmed that we may fall for ever. 
 John viii. 31, 32 ; Col. i. 23, there is mention of true, 
 saving faith, for it would save them if continued in ; 
 and this manner of speech shows, they might not 
 continue, and so lose what ihcy had. 
 
 yl7i.su: 1. I find not salvation put upon the strength, 
 but truth of faith, not upon the highest degrees, but 
 any degree of faith, John iii. 16; Mark xvi. 16; 
 1 Pet. ii. 6 ; I John v. 1 ; Acts x. 43 ; xiii. 39; xvi. 
 31. It is not said in these or other places, if you 
 have such a degree of faith you shall be justified, 
 saved; but simply believing is required, the lowest 
 degree of true faith will do it: Rom. x. 9, " If thou 
 shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and 
 shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised 
 him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." The thief 
 upon the cross had not attained to such high degrees 
 of faith ; he by one act, and that of a weak faith, 
 was jus'ified and saved, Luke xxiii. 42, 43. 
 
 2. The power of God is in the weakest faith, as 
 well as in the strongest. 1 Pet. i. 5, " Who are kept 
 by the power of God through faith unto salvation ;" 
 it is n(jt, through strong faith, or such a degree of 
 
 faith, but only, "through faith." The power of 
 God begets faith in the soul, Eph. i. 19 ; it keeps it 
 alive there, how weak soever it be, and it keeps it 
 unto salvation. That we may be saved by faith, he 
 saves faith in us ; he will not let faith perish, that 
 we may not perish. God's power must fail, if true 
 faith in the lowest degree fail. But, John x. 29. 
 
 3. If men may fall from true, saving faith, being 
 in its infancy, what hinders but they may fall from 
 it being grown up, and come to man's estate? Death, 
 which seizeth upon infants, seizeth also upon men ; 
 water, which extinguisheth a spark, will extinguish 
 also a great fire. The sense and operations of 
 faith men may be without, but the suibstance of it 
 abides. All the fiery darts of the devil cannot pierce 
 the shield of faith, Eph. vi. 16. All the strength, 
 malice, and opposition of the world, cannot over- 
 come a little true faith ; 1 John v. 4, one born of 
 God, though but new born, a very babe, he over- 
 comes the world. He is "born, not of corruptible 
 seed, but incoiTuptible," 1 Pet. i. 23 ; he hath an 
 anointing which abides in him, 1 John ii. 27 ; his 
 faith hath made him a son of God, Gal. iii. 26, and 
 sons abide in the house for ever, John viii. 35. Yea, 
 he that believes " hath everlasting life, and shall not 
 come into condemnation," John v. 24 ; God puts his 
 fear into his heart, and he shall not depart from him, 
 Jer. xxxii. 40. His Spirit being in the heart of a 
 true believer, causes him to walk in God's statutes, 
 to keep his judgments, and do them ; he shall 
 be confirmed to the end, 1 Cor. i. 8. So that by 
 these texts it appears, that where true, saving faith 
 is, it will abide, not be extinct, but will live for 
 ever. 
 
 Be it granted, therefire, that in the places men- 
 tioned, John viii. 31, 32; Col. i. 23, a true saving 
 faith is meant, then the words, " if ye continue," do 
 not import they should not continue. " If" is not 
 a word of doubt, but of caution and encourage- 
 ment; so it is taken, 2 Pet. i. 10, " If ye do those 
 things ye shall never fall." This and the like places 
 are encouragements to stir them up unto perseverance, 
 and do show, that none have true saving faith, are 
 intrinsically and really in Christ, but those do con- 
 tinue in the word and faith to the end. 
 
 Suppose they do continue and not fall from their 
 faith, yet doth not this word, "if," note a possibility 
 that they may fall from their faith ? Conditional 
 suppositions are of things impossilde, as well as of 
 possibles. Gal. i.8, " If we, or an angel from heaven," 
 &c. Matt. xxiv. 24, " If it were possible, they 
 should seduce the very elect:" but they cannot be 
 S'duced, and those that have true faith cannot fall 
 away finally. Job xvii. 9, " The righteous shall 
 hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall 
 be stronger and stronger." 2 John 2, "The truth 
 dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever." And 
 Psal. cxxv. 1, "They that trust in the Lord" are 
 or "shall be as momit Zion, which cannot be removed, 
 but abideth for ever." Mount Zion was a great and 
 firm mountain, which could neither move itself, nor 
 be removed by others; whatever rains, floods, winds, 
 earthquakes there were, yet mount Zion stood im- 
 movable ; and those who trust in God are, and shall 
 be, like moiuit Zion for ever. They are not like a 
 ship floating upon the water, a tent pitched upon 
 the earth, a house built upon the sand, which may 
 be sunk, pulled up, or blown down, but like a mighty 
 mountain that stands fast, and is immovable for 
 ever. It is not the freedom of their wills can do it, 
 Psal. xlviii. 14, for " God will be their guide imto 
 death." It is not the strength of corruption can do 
 it, for their faith iiurifieth their hearts. Acts xv. 9 ; 
 I Pet. i. 22. U is not the world can do it, I John
 
 Veh. 24. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 4GI 
 
 V. 4, nor all the power and policy of Satan, 
 Matt. xvi. 18. 
 
 " And committeth iniquity." These words were 
 opened in chap. iii. ver. 20, where they were .some- 
 what largely insisted upon : something is now to be 
 given in about them. This phrase, to commit ini- 
 quity, is equivalent to and the same with that in the 
 gospel, viz. to commit sin, 1 John iii. 8 ; John viii. 
 34. All men sin, but all do not commit sin ; 1 John 
 iii. 9, " Whosoever is born of God doth not commit 
 sin." Sins of infirmity they have ; they sin against 
 the inclination and tendency of the divine nature in 
 them occasionally, from some sudden temptation, but 
 they do not commit iniquity. They that do so are 
 under the influence of the love of sin ; there is study, 
 counsel, meditation, purpose, resolution in their sin- 
 ning. John vii. 34, "Whosoever committeth sin is 
 the servant of sin :" and what it is to commit sin, he 
 shows, ver. 40, "Ye seek to kill me," your studies, 
 counsels, meditations, purposes, resolutions, endea- 
 vours, are upon that. So Jcr. ix. 5, " They weary 
 themselves to commit iniquity." When the bent of 
 the heart and head is that way, studying, plotting, 
 and endeavouring to accomplish some evil thing, 
 then iniquity is committed; as here in our prophet, 
 the man is turned from righteousness, and turned 
 to iniquity, the bent and •operations of his heart 
 and head are that way. Such men, by the voice of 
 the Sj.irit, are said to be given to sinning ; as Isa. 
 xlvii. 8, "Thou that art given to pdeasures." Jer. 
 vi. 13, "Every one is give to covetousness;" their 
 counsels, thoughts, desires, spirits, are taken up 
 about, and work after their pleasures and covetous- 
 ness. The Lord Christ calls these " they that work 
 iniquity," Matt. vii. 23; and Luke xiii. 27, " workers 
 of iniquity ;" that is the trade they profess, and are 
 skilful in. Samuel calls them, " doers of evil," 
 2 Sam. iii. 39 ; Isaiah, evil-doers, chap. ix. 17; Solo- 
 mon, "wicked doers," Prov. xvii. 4; they do what 
 the wicked man doth, and as he doth. 
 
 " According to all the abominations that the wick- 
 ed man doeth." Of abominations hath been spoken 
 formerly ; I pass therefore to the following words. 
 
 " All his righteousness that he hath done shall 
 not be mentioned." The Hebrew is, all his righteous- 
 nesses, it is plural : whatever good works or righteous 
 acts he hath done, they shall not be mentioned, or 
 remembi.red. 
 
 From these words some gather, that a man par- 
 doned, and justified, may fall into those sins which 
 do cancel his pardon, and reduce him to an unj\isti- 
 fied condition, and revive the guilt of his former sins. 
 
 This place doth not speak of a man pardoned, and 
 justified by faith in Christ, for such a man, though 
 he may, and sometimes doth fall into foul sins, yet 
 they never prevail so far as to reverse pardon, and 
 reduce to a state of non-justification. Psal. xxxvii. 
 24, " Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast 
 down ; for the Lord uphokjeth him with his hand." 
 He speaks of a good man pardoned, justified ; he 
 may fall, but how far? from pardon, from justifica- 
 tion ? No, then he should utterly fall, be cast down 
 beneath God's hand ; but the text saith, "he shall 
 not be utterly cast down ; for the Lord upholdeth 
 him with his hand ;" or, as Montanus renders the 
 words, the Lord upholdeth his hands, and he will 
 not let him sink into such a condition. If it were so, 
 then sin should have dominion over him, but, Rom. 
 vi. 14, " Sin shall not have dominion over you," and 
 chap. viii. 2, justified ones are freed "from the law 
 of sin and death ;" and ver. 30, the predestinated, 
 called, justified, and glorified ones, are so linlied to- 
 gether, that there is no breaking their chain ; if they 
 do sin, they have "an Advocate with the Father, 
 
 Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation 
 for our sins," 1 John ii. I, 2. 
 
 Further, know that grace and great sins may stand 
 together ; though grace consist not with the do- 
 minion, strength, and power of sin, yet flesh and 
 Spirit will be together while we live. David's great 
 sins did not destroy and annihilate his grace : Psal. 
 li. U, " Take not thy Holy Spirit from me." This 
 psalm was made when Nathan came to him, told 
 him of his sins ; and then, even then he had the 
 Spirit of God abiding in him, else he could not have 
 made that psalm, nor would have prayed in that 
 manner : so those places in 1 Kings xi. 4, 6 ; Acts 
 xiii. 22, do testify as much. Peter sinned greatly, 
 yet did not he sin away his faith. His sin, and ag- 
 gravations of it, you have Matt. xxvi. 70, 72, 74 ; he 
 denied that he knew Christ, did it with an oath, 
 with swearing and cursing ; this was dreadful, yet 
 notwithstanding such sins, his faith abode with him : 
 Luke xxii. 32, " I have prayed for thee that thy faith 
 fail not." Christ's prayer was heard, therefore his 
 faith could not fail ; if it failed totally, as men affirm 
 that hold falling away, then Christ's prayer was not 
 heard, which is contrary to John xi. 42, " I knew 
 that thou hearest me always," and he deceived 
 Peter, telling him his faith should not fail. That 
 faith which is in thee shall not fail, not totally ; for 
 that which fails totally, fails finally, there is an end 
 of that, and it must be a new faith, not the same, if 
 there be faith given in after a total failing. Peter's 
 faith therefore did neithir fail totally nor finally, but 
 did consist with those great sins and shakings of his. 
 Whatever then the sins of the justified, pardoned 
 ones be, though in their own nature such as are de- 
 structive to salvation, yet they do not bring them to 
 an unpardoned and unjustified condi- . ^ 
 
 ,. * 1 .1 ■ .1 -u c Aug. Teitull. 
 
 tion ; nor do they revive tlie guilt of 
 former sins with God : with us they may, but not with 
 him ; for whom God pardons, he pardons absolutely, 
 not conditionally ; he so pardons sin as he will not 
 remember it again : Isa. xliii. 25, " I, even I, am he 
 that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own 
 sake, and will not remember thy sins." See Jer. 
 xxxi. 34; Mic. vii. 18, 19; Heb. viii. 12. 
 
 " In his trespass." Hebrew is, iSytra in his pre- 
 varication. *7yD signifies a transgression voluntary 
 and against conscience, with contempt and con- 
 tumacy, saith Kirker. And it dilTers from Ntan 
 which is, to err, to mi.ss of the mark, to turn aside ; 
 and chiefly notes those sins which come from igno- 
 rance, and infirmity of the flesh, which are more 
 easily cured ; but the trespass here is, of a man 
 turned from his righteousness unto wickedness, and 
 so sins irremediably ; for it follows, 
 
 " In them shall he die." That is, in the guilt of 
 them shall he die ; as Christ told the Jews, John 
 viii. 21, 24, in the guilt of their unbilief they should 
 die ; or, for them he shall die : so divers cxjiositors 
 read the words ; and by death is not meant only a 
 temporal but an eternal death also. 
 
 Obs. 1. There is a righteousriess which men may 
 turn from. " When the righteous turneth away 
 from his righteousness." There is an opinionative 
 righfiousncss, Luke xviii. 9, and Matt, xxiii. 28 ; 
 many think themselves righteous, and appear so to 
 others : there is also a duty, a moral, or legal right- 
 eousness, such as Paul had, Phil. iii. 6: and from 
 these righteousnesses men may and do turn daily. 
 Many attain to a duty righteousness under the gospel, 
 but yet fall off again, as you may see. Matt. xiii. 20 
 —22 ; 1 Tim. v. 15 ; John vi. 66 ; 2 Pet. ii. 2 ; I Tim. 
 iv. 1. Take heed therefore of trusting in or to any 
 righteousness of your own. Matt. v. 20, " Except 
 your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the
 
 462 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into 
 the kingdom of heaven." It is Christ's righteous- 
 ness only which will let you in thither : lay aside your 
 own righteousness, and labour for that, as Paul did, 
 Phil. iii. 8, 9 ; and if any fall away, let it not offend 
 and stumble you, knowing it is from their own right- 
 eousness, not Christ's. 1 John ;i. 19, " Tliey went 
 out from us, but they were not of us, for if they had 
 been of us, they would no doubt have continued with 
 us : but they went out, that they might be made 
 manifest that they were not all of us." 
 
 Obs. 2. It is not sufficient to begin well unless we 
 proceed : fair begiimings without progress come to 
 nothing. " If a righteous man turn from his right- 
 eousness," if he do not go on with perseverance, it 
 will not advantage him, it is not acceptable with God 
 or men. Joash, while Jthoiada lived, did well, that 
 was his glory ; but when he was dead, he fell to 
 commit iniquity, that was his shame. Paul blames 
 the Galatians, chap. iii. 3, 4, who were near the tro- 
 pics : " Are ye so foolish ? having begun in the Spi- 
 rit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh ? Have 
 ye suffered so many things in vain ? if it be yet in 
 vain :" it argues great foolishness, and will be ac- 
 companied \fith great loss, if you do go off from your 
 hopeful beginnings. When men withdraw, fall off, 
 it is argument tliey were never sound. 2 John 9, 
 " Whosoever transgresseth, and abidcth not in the 
 doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth 
 in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father 
 and the Son." If men fu-sake the ordinances and 
 gospel, whatever they think of themselves, they have 
 neither Father nor Son. Peter thunders against 
 such as fall off from their former professions, 2 Epist. 
 ii. 20 — 22. Let it not be said of any here. They 
 " did run well," as it is. Gal. v. 7, but let us go on, 
 " run with patience the race that is set before us," 
 Heb. xii. 1 ; and " so run that we may obtain," 
 1 Cor. ix. 24. Consider the arguments which lie 
 here in the text, to keep you from falling off, and 
 encourage you to persevere in God. 
 
 (1.) If you do turn back you will fall into iniquity; 
 you will commit iniiiuity, the frame, bent, and set of 
 the heart will be that way ; the thoughts, studies, 
 counsels, motions, endeavours, will be towards and 
 in iniquity, you will be an evil-doer, a w'orker of 
 iniquity. 
 
 (2.) He lies obvious to all manner of sin; what 
 will not the man do that turns from his holy profes- 
 sion? He is lialile to do according to all the abo- 
 minations that the wicked man doth : if there be any 
 man more wicked than others, that doth abominable 
 things, such will that man do ; and it may be, not 
 Bome one or two abominations, but all the abomina- 
 tions of the wicked. 
 
 (3.) Whatever good he hath formerly done shall 
 be all forgotten : if he have done good to the church 
 and saints, to the state in a military, consultalciry, 
 navigatory, or contributary way, if he have done 
 much good to his family, or friends, it shall be all 
 laid aside, buried in the dark, and not once be men- 
 tioned unto him. What if he have built an hospital, 
 free-school, redeemed captives, maintained many 
 lectures, relieved thousands of poor, done more good 
 than many others ? yet if he turn from his good he 
 was doing, God turns also, and will never mind it 
 more. 
 
 (4.) He shall die, and that eternally, in his apos- 
 tasy, and the guilt, not of one sin, but all his sins, 
 shall be upon him. 
 
 Ver. 25 — 29. Yrt yr say. The ii-ft)/ of the iMvd 
 is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel ; Is 
 not my way equal ? are not your ways unequal? 
 
 When a righteous man turneth away from his 
 righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth 
 in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall 
 he die. Again, wheii the wicked man turneth 
 away from his u-ickedness that he hath committed, 
 and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall 
 save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and 
 turneth away from all his transgressions that he 
 hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not 
 die. Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of 
 the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are 
 not my ways equal ? are not your ways unequal ? 
 
 The Jews had complained of the Lord's hard deal- 
 ing with them in the 2nd verse, to which unjust 
 complaint he makes a large answer to the 19th verse, 
 where they reply upon God the same thing still ; to 
 which reply he returns a sufficient defence, thorough- 
 ly satisfactory to any unprejudiced, and that is in 
 the six verses last opened ; but they not taking sa- 
 tisfaction from what the Lord gave in by the pro- 
 phet here, they come again to charge him. 
 
 In these verses you have, 
 
 I. Their charge ; " The way of the Lord is not 
 equal." 
 
 II. God's answer to this charge ; where, 
 
 1. Attention is called for; "Hear now, house 
 of Israel." 
 
 2. An interrogation made ; " Is not my way," &c. 
 
 3. A retortion of the accusation u]ion themselves. 
 
 4. "The probation of the equity of his ways, in ver. 
 26— 2S. 
 
 5. A repetition of the charge, inten-ogation, and 
 recrimination, ver. 29. 
 
 For the words, something to the opening of them 
 must be spoken. 
 
 " The way of the Lord is not equal." The He- 
 brew word for " not equal" is. pn' nS The Septua- 
 gint puts it actively, KdTopQm, The way of the Lord 
 shall not be direct; we look not upon it as so, but 
 as crooked ; or, it doth not direct us, but lead us to 
 think hardly of him ; his way is such as would make 
 any sort of men judge that he deals unjustly. The 
 most expositors have it as it is here, " the way of 
 the Lord is not equal." The Hebrew verb, pn sig- 
 nifies to ponder, weigh, frame artificially ; I Sam. 
 ii. 3, " By him actions are weighed." The charge 
 here that God's way is not equal, amoimts to this; 
 that his way is not well weighed, artificially framed, 
 and exactly done, but irregular, crooked, and sinful : 
 so Munster hath the words, it is not equally carried. 
 
 " Way." Hebrew, -j-n the work, action, dealing, 
 judgments, and proceedings of God with them ; not 
 ratio, as Castalio puts it, unless it be taken thus; 
 there is no reason in that which God doth, or he 
 hath no reason for what he doth. 
 
 " Is not my way equal ?" It is an interrogation, 
 which is more than a plain or naked afhrmation ; 
 had the Lord said, INly way is equal, whatever you 
 think or say, however you carry yoursc Ives, it had not 
 had such weight, efficacy, and strength in it, as now 
 the words contain. "Is not my way equal ?" what! 
 not my ways ? do you doubt or question the same ? 
 If there be not equity in my way, there is none in 
 any way : all ways are rough, crooked, perverse, to 
 my ways ; they are weighed exactly, wrought artifi- 
 cially, and done upon such mature, rational, wise, 
 and strong grounds, that neither you nor any have 
 cause to (juarrel, and say my ways are not equal ; 
 they are equal, yea equity itself. 
 
 There are some things which men can catch at 
 to make the ways of God seem unequal, especially 
 these: 1. His punishments. 2. His choices. 3. His
 
 Ver. 25—29. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 4f)3 
 
 distribution of things to men. 4. Disappointments. 
 5. His rewards. 
 
 1. For his punishments. Great was the complaint 
 and charge here in this chapter, that God did punisli 
 them for their fathers' sins, to whicli calumny sufK- 
 cient hath been spoken. That of Adam's sin, and 
 all his posterity to sutfer for it, sticks much with 
 some; that millions should perish upon that account, 
 makes the way of God seem unequal. But upon due 
 consideration it will appear otherwise ; for Adam 
 being a public person, represented all mankind ; and 
 God covenanted with him, that if he stood and kept 
 that image of God in which he was created, that 
 then his posterity should be like him, and happy 
 with himself; but if he fell, that they should sulier 
 in him, and with him ; and what unequalness was 
 here ? Adam was the root of all men, had all in his 
 loins ; and as all lost the image of God in him fall- 
 ing, Rom. V. 12, 16 — 19, so all should have had the 
 image of God in him standing. 
 
 2. For his choices. God seems to respect jiersons, 
 because he dealeth imequally with men that are 
 equal. All men are fallen in Adam, equally guilty ; 
 yet some of these God chooseth to life, others he 
 leaves and passes by ; all are his creatures, and he 
 deals not alike with them. Besides, he chooseth 
 the foolish, the weak, the base and despised, and sets 
 by the wise, mighty, and noble, 1 Cor. i. 26 — 28 ; 
 what equity therefore in his ways ? yea, ofttimes he 
 takes great, notorious sinners, and those who are 
 less sinful are rejected. 
 
 To set all straight here, consider what it is to ac- 
 cept or respect persons. It is to look at men upon 
 external grounds, some outward qualities, and there- 
 upon to do for them, as riches, honour, birth, breed- 
 ing, power, kindred, family, beauty, strength, condi- 
 tion of life, learning, wisdom, parts, policy, &c. 
 Now the Lord doth not look at any external adjuncts 
 or ornaments in his elections and choices of men ; 
 nothing in the creature or from the creature moves 
 him, it is his own good pleasure and will sets him at 
 work to choose any, 2 Tim. i. 9 ; Eph. i. 5, 1 1 ; 
 Rom. ix. 18. 
 
 Besides this, know God is not bound to deal equally 
 W'ith men, being equally miserable, for then he must 
 destroy all, or save all, and so have the glory of jus- 
 tice alone, or mercy alone, and not the glory of both ; 
 then he should not have made Christ sin for us, 2 
 Cor. V. 21, but have punished Adam and all those 
 who sinned in him ; and what then had become of 
 the world ? hell had been full, and heaven empty. 
 And for his choice of any out of those who are equal 
 in sin, or of greater sinners, what doth this show 
 but the freedom of his grace, and his sovereignty 
 over the creatures, to do with them as he pleases ? 
 Rom. ix. 21, shall that privilege be denied to God 
 which is given to the potter, and God's way seem 
 more unequal in his dealing with men, than the pot- 
 ter's is with the clay ? And whereas God doth take 
 the weak, base, foolish, and despised things of the 
 world, it is argument that he doth not respect per- 
 sons : he takes those who have nothing in them to 
 move him : should he take the wise, mighty, noble, 
 rich, and learned, tlien there would be some ground 
 for charging God with acceptation of persons; but 
 examine the Scriptures, and they quit the Lord 
 abundantly from it: Deut. x. 17; 2 Chron. xix. 7; 
 Job xxxiv. 19; 2 Sam. xiv. 14; Acts x. 34; Rom. 
 ii. II ; Gal. ii. 6; Eph. vi. 9; Col. iii. 25; 1 Pet. i. 
 17; in all these places the Lord is freed from re- 
 garding, respecting, or accepting of persons. 
 
 3. For his distribution of things, the Lord is ac- 
 counted to deal unequally. Why, say men of this 
 humour, have many so much, and others so little, or 
 
 nothing at all ? Some have manors, lordships, coun- 
 ties, kingdoms, when others have neither house nor 
 land ; some have iive talents, others one ; some are 
 wise, and others idiots ; yea, that which shows the 
 way of the Lord to be unequal, is, wicked men have 
 great estates, high places, they ride, and the right- 
 eous go on foot, being poor and low. 
 
 For answer to this, know, that the Lord is a free 
 agent, and may give what he pleases, when, where, 
 and in what proportion seems good to himsidf and 
 to his infinite wisdom. Men blame not Providence, 
 that some trees are sti'onger, taller, bigger than 
 others : if the vine, olive, and fig tree are lower than 
 cedars and oaks, they are more fruitrul, and yield 
 pleasanter fruit. Is the merchant blamable if he 
 fraught one ship with coals, another with corn, one 
 with skins, another with silks, one with boards, an- 
 other with the richest wines ? surely no ; and may 
 not the Lord put into these earthen vessels of men 
 what he will, and as much as he will ? is he unequal 
 in such dispensations ? What if wicked men have 
 much ? it is but " thick clay," Hab. ii. 6 ; " meat 
 that perisheth," John vi. 27; "unrighteous mam- 
 mon," Luke xvi. 11;" the lust of the flesh, eyes, 
 and pride of life," 1 John ii. 16 ; " vanity arfd vexation 
 of spirit," Ecol. i. 14; and that which will not profit 
 in an evil day, Prov. xi. 4. Better things than these 
 are given to the righteous : peace of Christ and 
 God, "which passeth understanding," John xiv. 27; 
 Phil. iv. 7; joy unspeakable and glorious, 1 Pet. i. 
 8; " precious' faith," 2 Pet. I. 1 ; "the spirit of 
 power, love, and of a sound mind," 2 Tim. i. 7 ; the 
 " great and precious promises," yea, " all things per- 
 taniing to life and godliness," 2 Pet i. 3, 4. There- 
 fore though they be low in a worlrUy sense, yet they 
 are lifted up in a spiritual sense, and so highly 
 exalted, that the w'orld is not worthy of them, Heb. 
 xi. 38. 
 
 4. His disappointing of men and means which are 
 likeliest to attain unto those ends that are aimed at. 
 Ecel. ix. 11, " The race is not to the swift, nor the 
 battle to the strong, neither bread to the wise, nor 
 riches to men of understanding, nor favour to men of 
 skill." To whom should these be, if not to such ? 
 When men use honest means, and with all their 
 might, they are disappointed and discouraged. If 
 the race be to the slow, the battle to the weak, bread 
 to the foolish, riches and favour to the ignorant 
 and unskilful ; what equity is there in God's ways, 
 and why should we having talents use them, or 
 using them be disappointed ? 
 
 This objection seems to strike deep, yet wovmds 
 not the honour of the Lord and equity of his ways. For, 
 
 (1.) God's ways are not unequal, because we 
 cannot see the reason of them ; we are pour pur- 
 blind creatures, and know little. The Lord's " un- 
 derstanding is infinite," Psal. cxlvii. 5; "there is 
 no searching of it," Isa. xl. 28 : his "judgments are 
 a great deep," Psal. xxxvi. 6, there is no fathoming 
 of them; "his ways are past finding out," Rom. xi. 
 33. It is not safe therefore, because we see not the 
 equity of them, to conclude they arc unequal. 
 
 (2.) God disappoints men of abilities using lawful 
 and direct means to attain their ends propounded, 
 because tluy trust in the means, idolize them, looking 
 at God in the second place, or not at all. Acquaint 
 yourselves with these places, and you will find the 
 reality of it, that men are apt to confide in tluir own 
 abilities, to trust in an arm of flesh, to applaud their 
 own preparations, and expect much from them ; Isa. 
 xxxi. 1—3; Jer. ix. 23; Psal. xx. 7; xlix. C; Jer. 
 vii. 4; Ezek. xW. 15; Amos vi. 1 ; IIos. x. 13. If 
 God disappoint them for their own sin of their ex- 
 pectation, what inequality is there in God's ways ?
 
 4r,-! 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 "The wages of sin is death," death of designs and 
 nndirtakings, as well as of men the undertakers. 
 
 (3.) Let it be granted, ih.-it ni( n use their ahi'.ili, s 
 and nican.s condueiiig to their ends propounded, the 
 right way, without confidence in the same, in subor- 
 dination unio God; yet may the Lord disappoint 
 men's jiurjioses, contrivances, aims, and ends, and 
 tliat without sin ; for the Lord is aliove all second 
 causes, his providence rules and runs through all, 
 and doth give clieck when, wIutc, and how it pleases, 
 to all creature motions ; and (ioii will have men to 
 see, that, willuiut concurrence of his ])rovidence and 
 assistance, nothing can be done. It is not human 
 dispositions, counsels, preparations, operations, use 
 of any medicines, that can produce any ctlect witlujut 
 God: Lam. iii. 37, " Who is he that saith, and it 
 Cometh to pass, when the I/ord commaudelh it not?" 
 Let princes, potentates, and powi'rs, consult of, at- 
 tempt, what they will, if the Lord have not com- 
 manded the thing, if he do not co-operate willi them 
 in doing the thing, it proves abortive: see 1 Kings 
 xii. 21 — 23; 2 Chron. xxv. (i, 7; Isa. xxxvii. 33, 34, 
 3i; 2 Kings vii. 5— 7; Lsa. xix. 3; Job v. 12; Isa. 
 viii. y, 10. The sum of all wliicli is, that in Psal. 
 xxxiii. 10, " He maketh the devices of the people of 
 none effect." If nu'n have that power to stop and 
 frustrate great undertakings at sea and land, shall it 
 be denied to the great God of heaven and earth p 
 God should not be omnipotent, nor reign in the 
 kingdoms of the earth, if men should carry on their 
 designs, and attain their ends, without him. 
 
 (4.) Events and successes of things are hidden 
 in tlie hand of God; men nuist, therefore, improve 
 their talents, use all lawful means, for accom|ilishing 
 those things which are good in the sight of God, 
 and wait ujiou the Lord for discovery of his mind 
 and good pleasure therein. It argues an ill sj)irit, 
 to say we shall be disappointed, ami therefore we 
 will sit still, llow know we what shall be the issue 
 of any undertaking ? If ouc enterprise fail, another 
 may take ; if one arrow hit not the mark, a second 
 or tliird may. If we hide our talents in napkins, 
 we shall be found ill servants ; and the command is, 
 " \\hatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with tliy 
 nnght," Eccles. ix. 10. Men must not be idle, l)ut 
 active, aiul active to the utmost ; for, there is a 
 season to every thing, and a time to every purpose, 
 chap. iii. 1. What that season and time will |irove, 
 no man knows; you must venture therefore : Eccles. 
 xi. t), " In the morning sow thy seed; and in the 
 evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest 
 not whether shall pro^^per, cither tliis or that, or 
 wlielher they liolh shall be alike good." 
 
 (5.) If there be disappointuunts, God may make 
 them as advantageous to thee as enjoyments', or re- 
 compense it in anotlier undertaking. Amaziah hired 
 a huudreil thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel 
 for a hundred talents of silver; God sends a prophet, 
 who bids him dismiss them all ; this disa])pointmeut 
 troubled him ; what sliall we do for tlie hundred 
 talents? the prophet answered him, "The Lord is 
 able to give thee nuudi more than this," 2 Chron. 
 xxv. 9. So God is able to make up any disapjK.iut- 
 ment, and more too: what injustice or'ini(|uity then 
 is in his way? 
 
 5. The last thing propoimded making God's ways 
 to seem unecpial, is his rewarding men unpropo'r- 
 tionaldy to what they do or sull'er. Matt. xx. 12, 
 " These last have wrought but one hour, and thou 
 hast made them ei|ual unto us, which have borne 
 the burden ;md heat of llie day:" we have been 
 eleven or twelve hours in thy 'vineyard, we have 
 wrought hard, the work hath lien heavy upon our 
 hands; we have endured the heal and scorching of 
 
 the sun, done ten times as much as those who came 
 in lint an hour since ; and what justice, what equity 
 is il that they should be equal witli us in the pay, 
 that were so unequal in the labour ? 
 
 To quit the Lord, let us consider only what the 
 parable aflbrds us, and therein is plentifid nuittcr to 
 justify him from wronging those wlio here did mur- 
 nuu' aiul complain ; for, 
 
 (1.) Those who were hired earliest in the morn- 
 ing, and so v, ere longest in the vii eyard, and at the 
 work, the Lord agreed with them for a penny a day, 
 ver. 2, which he paid them, ver. 10, and therefore 
 did tlicm no wrong, ver. 13. 
 
 (2.) Those who were hired at the third, sixth, and 
 ninth hours, ver. 3, and 5, the Lord promised them 
 whatever was right and equal, ver. 9. Whatever 
 they had, tl en, it was just; and where justice is, 
 there is no ground of complant. So for the eleventh 
 hour nien, they had the same pronnse ; ver. 7, " Co 
 ye also into the vineyard; and what.^ocvcr is right, 
 that sliall ye receive." How is God's dealing with 
 them unequal and wrong, when he gave them that 
 which was e(|u;il and right? 
 
 (3.) If the last did not deserve the penny, yet God 
 mi;;lit s.ive tlnm tlie penny; and so he did, ver. 14, 
 " I will give unto this last, even as unto thee." God 
 may give what rew ard he pleases unto those who do 
 him the least and latest strviee, equalize them with 
 the first, and those who do most, and that without 
 partiality ; for it is lawful for him to do w'hat he will 
 with his own, ver. 15. 
 
 "Are not your ways unequal?" You observe, 
 complain of my ways, charge them to be unetjual j 
 but your ways, if examined, will be found the un- 
 equal and unjust ways, the charge you lay upon me 
 will light ujion yourselves. The Vulgate riads it, 
 Non me^'j'.v viip n-nlnr prnvce siait ? you say my ways 
 are not right, but rather, are not your ways wicked 
 and corrupt? Surcdy they are, you are blind, j rc- 
 judieed, and cannot judge aright of me and my 
 ways ; but I am God, light and no darkness, 1 know 
 you and your ways, and do assert them to be un- 
 equal : you have forsaken me, Isa. i.4; even me, 
 " the fountain of living waters, and hewed you out 
 cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water," 
 Jer. ii. 13; you have filled tlie temple with idols, 
 and the land with violence, Ezek. viii. ; you have 
 devised mischief, and given wicked counsel, chap, 
 xi. 2; driven out the brethren, ver. 15; you have 
 scotl'ed at my prophets and projdieeies, chap. xii. 
 22; you have hearkened to lying proplicls and pro- 
 phetesses who have daubed with nntempered mortar; 
 saddc ned the hearts of the righteous, and strength- 
 ened the hands of the wicked, (liaii. xiii. 10, 22; you 
 have set iq> idols in your hearts, chap. xiv. 3; you 
 have justified Sodom and Samaria in all their wick- 
 edness, and done more abominably than they, chap, 
 xvi. 4(i, 47; you have broken covenant with Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, king of Babylon, and revolted from 
 him, and sent to Egypt for help, chap. xvii. 15. And 
 now, consider, "are not your ways unequal?" yea, 
 most unequal : had you any cause to charge mc ? 
 have not 1 just cause to chr.rge you ? 
 
 Of the 2(;ih. 27th, and 2.Sth' verses, hath been 
 spoken befre in the 24th, 21st, and I4th verses of 
 this chapter. Only those words in the 27th verse 
 we shall speak a liltlc imto, namely, 
 
 " lie shall save his soul alive."' The Hebrew is, 
 n'n> irs:-nx Nin he shall quicken his own soul. 
 The Seiituagint hath it, ti)i' i|/i'x')i' civtov iij>v\iiti, he 
 h.ith preserved, or shall preserve, his own soul. 
 This expression appears contradictory to what is 
 rcc(u-ded in Psal. xxii. 29, where it is said, "none 
 can keep alive his own soul."
 
 Ver. 25—29. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 465 
 
 1. We must search out the meaning of the He- 
 brew word ; and, 
 
 2. See how to reconcile the places. 
 
 1. For the word viiijicare, or vivificare artimam, 
 doth not note always bringing to, or begetting, life 
 in the soul, being dead ; for liow can that which is 
 dead act and produce life in itself: quickening from 
 death, either natural or spiritual, is from the Lord, 
 John V. 21 ; Eph. ii. 5. Sometimes it notes sparing 
 of a man's life, 1 Kings sx. 31, " Peradventure he will 
 save thy life," it is spoken of Benhadad, being in the 
 hands of Ahab : the Hebrew is, "(rBJ-rN r\T<'' 'Sin 
 peradventure he will quicken thy soul. Benhadad 
 was alive, but in danger of death : the meaning 
 therefore is, that, if they tried the king of Israel, he 
 might free him from death, spare his life, and that 
 was the quickening of his soul. In this sense it is 
 used. Gen. xix. 19. Sometimes preserving of life ; 
 2 Kings vii. 4, say the lepers, Let us go to the Syrians, 
 if they save us alive, we .shall live ; the Hebrew is, 
 if they quicken us ; if they will give us to eat and 
 drink, our lives wiU be preserved; and so the word 
 signifies. Gen. ^-i. 19 ; xlvii. 25. Sometimes it notes 
 putting into a former condition, as Keh. iv. 2, " Will 
 they re\ ive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish 
 which are burned ? " that is. Will they restore the 
 stones burnt to ashes, and set them in the wall as 
 formerly. Sometimes to comfort ; Ezek.xiii. 18, 19, 
 so the false prophets are said to quicken or save 
 souls that came unto them ; they, by their feigned 
 and fair words, did beget hopes in them of good 
 things, and good days. The sense we are to take it 
 in here, is the first and second : " He shall quicken 
 his soul, and make it alive ;" that is, save it from 
 death, and destruction, which wicked men are sub- 
 ject unto ; they do that wickedness which shortens 
 their days. Job xxxvi. 6, " He preserveth not the 
 life of the wicked :" the original is, he shall not 
 quicken the wicked ; he shall not deliver him from 
 the deatli and judgment he hath brought upon him- 
 self, he shall die for his sin. But when a man ceases 
 from wickedness, he shall free his soul from death ; 
 and that this is tlie meaning, is clear from the words 
 in ver. 26, viz. " For his iniquity that he hath done 
 shall he die." A righteous man, turning from his 
 righteousness, and sinning, shall die, shall be cut off'; 
 a wicked man, turning from his wickedness, he shall 
 save his life, and preserve it in a comfortable con- 
 dition, he shall surely live. For the place in the 
 psalmist, you may understand it of a natural death ; 
 so, " no man can keep alive his own soul," that is, 
 himself Or thus, he speaks of Christ in the verse, 
 The rich shall worship him, and the poor shall bow 
 before him ; and, as it follows, " none can keep alive 
 his own soul ;" that is, without him, without Christ, 
 John XV. 5 ; without him none can free his soul from 
 wrath, and eternal death. And if any will stretch 
 Ezekiel's words so far, that he shall save his soul 
 alive from wrath to come, and the second death, he 
 must take in Christ ; it is not man's own acting will 
 do it. 
 
 The 29th verse is a repetition of the 25th, which 
 is not in vain ; but, 
 
 I. Sets out the impiety and impudence of those 
 who charged God's ways to be unequal. 
 
 II. How ill God took it at their hands. 
 
 III. It tends to a further clearing of God. And, 
 
 IV. A fuller conviction of the chargers, that they 
 were guilty : all which I shall pass by, and come 
 unto some few observations. 
 
 Obx. 1. Men arc apt to question, quarrel, and carp 
 at God, and the ways of God ; they say, " The way of 
 the Lord is not equal." Sometimes men charge his 
 ways to be grievous and burdensome : John vi. 60, 
 
 " This is an hard saying ; who can hear it ?" Amos 
 vii. 10, " The land is not able to bear all his words." 
 Sometimes to be dangerous : I'rov. xxvi. 13, "The 
 slothful man saith, "There is a lion in the streets ;" 
 if I walk in God's ways, I shall meet with reproaches, 
 persecutions, temptations, and tempters, and these are 
 all lions. Sometimes to be unprofitable : Mai. iii. 
 14, " Ye have said, It is vain to serve God : and 
 what profit is it that we have kept liis ordinance, and 
 that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of 
 hosts ?" so, Isa. Iviii. 3, " Wherefore have we fasted, 
 and thou scest not ? wherefore have we afflicted our 
 soul, and thou takest no knowledge?" all our labour 
 is in vain, there is no benefit in his ways. Some- 
 times to be lying, and false : Ezek. xii. 22, " The 
 days are prolonged, and every vision faileth ;" 2 Pet. 
 iii. 4, "Where is the promise of his coming?" 
 Sometimes to be heretical, Act.s xxiv. 13. And here, 
 they are said to be unequal. And not only do men 
 charge God's ways, but himself also ; they blush not 
 to speak it out, that God seeth not, tl.at he hath for- 
 saken the earth, Ezek. viii. 12 ; ix. 9. Some in these 
 days affirm, that God is the autlior of sin, that it is 
 injustice in him to punish the souls of the wicked 
 in hell, while their bodies lie at rest in the grave ; 
 that God doth as much hurt as good, take one time 
 with another. Oh the corruption, pride, impudency, 
 arrogancy of men, that dare sit in judgment upon 
 God and his ways, charge and sentence him and 
 them so unjustly ! And that which is to be lamented, 
 good men sometimes have gone too far this way : 
 see Psal. Ixxvii. 7 — 9; Ixxiii. 13, 14; Jer. xx. 12; 
 Job x. 3. Let us take heed of this wretched dispo- 
 sition, humble yourselves for failings this way, and 
 learn not to judge of God and his ways by our fan- 
 cies and shallow capacities ; though we cannot see 
 the reason of his proceedings, let us adore him, and 
 justify them ; for, 
 
 Obs. 2. God's ways are just and straight, whatever 
 men's thoughts are of them. " Are not my ways 
 equal?" his ways are full of equity. Those which 
 seem grievous are pleasant, Prov. iii. 1 J"; tlif se which 
 are thought dangerous are safe; Prov. i. 33, " Who- 
 so hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall 
 be quiet from fear of evil :" those which are said to be 
 unprofitable, are very profitable, Psal. cxix. 56, " This 
 I had, because I kept thy precepts ;" Psal. xix. II, 
 " In keeping of them is great reward :" those which 
 are reckoned false, and heretical, are most true ; Psal. 
 cxix. 160, " Thy word is tnie from the beginning ;" 
 Ezek. xii. 23, " The days are at hand, and the effect 
 of every vision ;" Rev. xv. 3, " Just and trae are thy 
 ways, thou King of saints." God is a God that cannot 
 lie, Tit. i. 2 ; that cannot deal unjustly, that cannot 
 pervert his ways; and therefore he makes challenge 
 to the sons of men to prove it if they can, to produce 
 one instance of that kind if they can : Mic. vi. 3, 
 " What have I done unto thee ? and wherein have 
 I wearied thee? testify against me ;" let your kings, 
 nobles, princes, prophets, priests, people, their wise 
 men, and ancient ones, come forth, and testify against 
 me if they can. I have been amongst you ever 
 since I brought you out of Egypt, now almost a thou- 
 sand years, and if there be any unjust act done by 
 me, if I have walked in any unequal way, let me 
 hear of it, spare me not. So Jcr. ii. 5, " What ini- 
 quity have your fathers found in me ?" God put 
 them to it, to make it out if there were any, but 
 none could be found out. It did stand for a truth in 
 David's days, it doth stand now, and must stand for 
 ever : " The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and 
 holy in all his works," Psal. cxlv. 17. 
 
 6bs. 3. When we have a controversy with any, we 
 should not reproach them, be in passion, give them
 
 4GG 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIIl. 
 
 hard language, but gentle, sweet, loving compclla- 
 tions. '• Hear now, O house of Israel ;" what a 
 loving term was this, what entreaty was here from 
 the great wronged and provoked God ! Mic. vi. 2, 
 3, " The Lord hath a controversy with his people, 
 and he will plead with Israel." But how doth he 
 plead ? not in fury, in an upbraiding, reviling way, 
 but in a loving manner, " O my people, what have 
 I done," Sec. Men, when they are charged unjustly, 
 and have controversies with others, they forget God, 
 and themselves ; they are full of passion, bitterness, 
 reproaching, exasperating, and dangerous expres- 
 sions ; they think they may take liberty to speak and 
 vindicate themselves. True ; but not in an unjust 
 way ; you must not speak evil of any man : Tit. iii. 
 2, you must not brawl, you must " be gentle, show- 
 ing all meekness unto all men." Thus did Christ 
 to a reprobate. Matt. xxii. 12; thus did Michael to 
 the devil, Jude 9. 
 
 06s. 4. When men are once prejudiced against 
 God and his ways, it is hard to unprejudice them. 
 When corrupt opinions are once gotten into the head 
 or heart, they root, take such hold, as it is a great 
 difficulty to get them out again. These Jews said 
 they suffered greatly for the sin of their fathers ; that 
 his ways, therefore, were not equal. The Lord 
 spends this chapter upon them, to free them from 
 that prejudice, to extirpate that misconceit they had 
 of him and his ways, and to set himself right in their 
 thoughts; but "yet say ye," ver. 19; "yctye say," ver. 
 25 ; " yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the 
 Lord is not equal," ver. 29. The strong arguments 
 the Lord brought did not prevail with them. 
 
 No marvel, then, that ministers cannot prevail ; 
 people hold fast errors, lies, delusions, and will not 
 let them go. Many wonder that learned men should 
 not convince those who are unleai-ned, and weak, 
 and take them off from their opinions ; but see here, 
 they stood it out against God. Men are very tena- 
 cious of erroneous and false tenets, and being by 
 them prejudiced against God, his truth, and ways, 
 they will not let them go, they will rather die in 
 than depart from them. Ahab is prejudiced against 
 Micaiah, and in him against God : " He prophesies 
 no good, but evil, concerning me ;" he is a man 
 I hate, 1 Kings xxii. 8. Jehoshaphat, though a 
 good man, and great king, he could not take him off 
 from this prejudice he had against God and the 
 prophet, but he persisted therein to his death. 
 
 One Rabbi Akibba, being imprisoned amongst the 
 gentiles, another rabbi brought him as much water 
 as served to quench his thirst, and wash his hands. 
 The keeper of the prison one day poured out half of 
 it. Akibba, seeing not enough water, said to the 
 other rabbi. Give me that to wash my hands; to 
 which he replied, There is not enough to quench 
 your thirst. Akibba answers. It will be better for 
 me to die for thirst, than to despise the tradition 
 of my elders. Bujdorf. Si/nag. Ind. 
 
 The Jews are so strongly possessed with untoward 
 opinions, that no reason, no time will keep them off 
 from them. They still think that neither Elias nor 
 Messiah are come, but look for them dailv, and that 
 God deals unkindly with them that he doth not send 
 them. They hold that their Messiah shall not come 
 in such a clandestine way as the christians* Messiah 
 did; he shall have a glorious kingdom here on earth, 
 many wives, and leave children to reign after he is 
 dead and gone. The papists retain their opinions 
 about images, transubstantintion, Christ's descent to 
 hell, purgatory, &c. notwithstanding all the protest- 
 ants' disputes and writings to the contrary ; they 
 will die in (heir errors, rather than leave them to 
 embrace truth, 
 
 Obs. 5. Men faulty themselves, are forward to 
 fault others, even those who are most innocent. 
 These Jews, whose ways were most unequal, they 
 spy faults in God, as they conceive, and say his 
 ways are unequal. Jonah, who ran away from God, 
 yet he was WToth with God for sparing Nineveh, and 
 destroying the gourd ; he thought the Lord did ill 
 in both, Jonah iv. And so with men; those who 
 are most guilty and obnoxious, they are usually 
 censuring, accusing, disgracing, condemning. Ahab, 
 who had sold himself to do wickedly, set up idols, 
 and done more abominably than others, yet he sets 
 upon Elijah, and accuses him to be the troubler of 
 Israel, 1 Kings xviii. 17. The scribes and Phari- 
 sees, who were very wicked and notorious hypo- 
 crites, were most forward to charge Christ. 
 
 Ver. 30 — 32. Therefore I will judge you, O 
 house of Israel, evert/ one according to his ways, 
 saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves 
 from all your transgressions ; so iniquity shall 
 not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your 
 transgressions, tcherehy ye have transgressed ; 
 and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for 
 why will ye die, O house of Israel 9 For I have 
 no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith 
 the Lord God ; wherefore turn yourselves, and 
 live ye. 
 
 In these three verses we have the second general 
 part of the chapter, which is an exhortation to re- 
 pentance. 
 
 The particulars contained in the words are, 
 
 I. A conclusion drawn up from the former expos- 
 tulation ; ver. 30, " Therefore I will judge you," &c. 
 
 II. The exhortation itself, which is variously set 
 down and under divers expressions. 
 
 1. " Repent, and turn yourselves from all your," &c. 
 
 2. " Cast away from you all your transgressions." 
 
 3. " Make you a new heart and a new spirit." 
 
 4. " Turn yourselves." 
 
 III. The reasons hereof, which are three. 
 
 1. Is, from the benefit of so doing; " so iniquity 
 shall not be your ruin," ver. 30 ; ye shall live, 
 ver. 32. 
 
 2. Is, fi-om the danger, if they do it not ; ver. 31, 
 "Why will ye die?" 
 
 3. Is, from the disposition of the Lord ; he hath 
 no pleasure in the death of a sinner. 
 
 Yer. 30. " Therefore I will judge yon, O house of 
 Israel, every one according to his ways." You have 
 charged my ways not to be equal, that I have 
 wronged you, and herein you have condemned me, 
 and justified yourselves ; but I find mine own ways 
 equal and straight, your ways unequal and crooked. 
 " Therefore I will judge you," even " every one ac- 
 cording to his ways ;" I will recompense upon you 
 your deserts, and make you experimentally to see 
 and say, that my ways are equal, that you sufl'er for 
 your own sins, and not the sins of others. The He- 
 brew is, Therefore every one according to his ways 
 I will judge you ; that is, I will so judge you, as I 
 will judge every one of you, not in general, but man 
 by man. Of judging men according to their ways 
 hath formerly been spoken, chap. vii. 3, 8, 27 ; only 
 take this. That whatever thoughts men have of 
 God's ways and their own, the Lord will judge 
 righteously, and make it appear to the world, and to 
 the consciences of those that misjudged him, that 
 his ways are equal, and himself just in his proceed- 
 ings with them, and in the government of the world; 
 he will stop the mouth of iniquity itself, and over- 
 come in judgment.
 
 Ver. 30—32. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 467 
 
 " Repent, and turn yourselves." Of these word.s 
 was spoken, chap. xiv. 6, where the same words are, 
 " Repent, and turn yourselves." 
 
 " Yourselves" is not in the original ; some, in- 
 stead thereof, have, others ; Repent, and turn others. 
 So the word hasliivu is, make to convert, whether 
 themselves or others. When men are once returned 
 from their wicked ways, they will labour to bring 
 others out of them ; they will use what means they 
 can to make others partake of their grace and mercy, 
 especially those they have been instruments to draw 
 to sin. 
 
 Tliis turning themselves is called, in 1 Kings viii. 
 47, and 2 Chron. vi. 37, bethinking themselves ; if 
 they shall return to their heart, or, bring back to 
 their heart. When men go from God and his ways, 
 they are inconsiderate, without heart and under- 
 standing; Prov. xi. 12, he is destitute of heart ; but 
 when they repent and turn to him, they come to 
 themselves, Luke xv. 17; then they have hearts, 
 then they understand. 
 
 Sometimes repenting and turning is given to man, 
 as here, and in sundry other places ; sometimes unto 
 God, as Acts iii. 26 ; 2 Tim. ii. 25 ; Jer. xxxi. 18 : 
 sometimes to the instrument, or medium, God useth, 
 as Acts xxvi. 18; xix. 26; Luke i. 17; which is 
 done to provoke man to use those talents and abili- 
 ties God hath given him to fm-ther his own good, as 
 also to beget a due esteem of, and respect to, those God 
 employs in such a work ; and especially, to cause 
 men to look unto God, who works both the will and 
 the deed, Phil. ii. 13. 
 
 " So iniquity shall not be your ruin." The Hebrew 
 for ruin is, SirsD which is, a scandal, an ofl'enee, 
 that which canseth a man to stumble, to fall. S'cs is 
 an axe, or hatchet, from Stt'3 to weaken and cause to 
 fall. Scandals are axes, hatchets, which do weaken 
 men, and cause them to fall. 
 
 Ver. 31. "Cast away from you all your h-ans- 
 gressions." You hug and hold them fast, but cast 
 them away. l3'S»n cast olT, cast out, cast away: 
 diroppii|/fin, fling away, rid yourselves of them. This 
 casting away of sin doth import more than cessation 
 from sin, or caution of sin ; men may cease from 
 sin, take heed of sin, and yet keep much sin in their 
 bosoms. You may mind such expressions as these 
 in the book of God, as, hiding, and, keeping of sin, 
 Job XX. 12, 13; cleaving unto sin, 2 Kings iii. 3; 
 taking hold of sin, 1 Kings ix. D; holding it fast, 
 Jer. viii. 5 ; setting up sin in the heart, Ezek. xiv. 3 ; 
 gathering iniquity to itself, Psal. xli. 6 ; regarding 
 of it, Psal. Ixvi. 18; setting the heart upon it, Hos. 
 iv. 8 ; or, lifting up the soul unto it, as the Hebrew 
 sounds. Now casting away of transgressions is con- 
 trary to all these ; he who doth so, Hfts not up his 
 heart to, sets it not upon, sin, regards it not, gathers 
 it not, nor sets it up, he holds it not fast, cleaves not 
 to it, keeps it not, nor takes any hold of it, but to 
 throw it out, to cast it away. Answerable unto 
 which is what you have in Heb. xii. 1, lay aside 
 every burden ; " all filthiness, and superfluity of 
 naughtiness," James i. 21 ; and that in 2 Tim. ii. 21, 
 purging a man's self; likewise what you have, Eph. 
 iv. 22, " Put oflf the old man ;" and Matt. vii. 5, 
 " Cast out the beam out of thine own eye." It is to 
 lay aside, purge out, and put oflT, and cast forth all 
 sin. There are three things implied in casting 
 away sin. 
 
 1. A dissolving of that union which is between 
 sin and the soul. Men and their sins are strongly 
 united together ; they love to oppress, Hos. xii. 7 ; 
 they love flagons of wine, chap. iii. 1 ; and it is 
 hard to divide between the drunkard and his drunk- 
 enness, Prov. xxiii. 3.") ; they love pleasures more 
 2 H 2 
 
 than God, 2 Tim. iii. 4. You may sooner pluck men 
 from God than from their sins. Christ tells you, 
 that men's lusts are their eyes, hands, feet. Matt, 
 xviii. 8, 9. Paul calls them " members," Col. iii. 5 ; 
 as members have union with the body, so men's lust 
 and sins have union with them, ^ow, when sin 
 comes to be cast away, there must be a breach of 
 tliis union ; until that be, there can bo no separation 
 of sin from us. Therefore the Lord calls upon men 
 to rend their hearts, Joel ii. 13; to break up their 
 fallow ground, and not to sow among thorns, Jer. iv. 
 3 ; there must be a breach and separation between 
 the earth and thorns, before thorns can be cast away. 
 
 2. W'hen the union between sin and a man's heart 
 is broken, he loathes and abhors his sins, and him- 
 self for them; Ezek. xxxvi. 31, they loathed them- 
 selves for their iniquities ; much more, then, did 
 they loathe their iniquities; Psal. cxix. 163, " 1 hate 
 and abhor lying:" he saw matter of detestation and 
 abhoiTency in it. 
 
 3. Casting out, and away, that which is loathed 
 and detested. Isa. xxx. 21, 22, when their ears 
 heard the word, " this is the way, walk ye in it," 
 and so were taken off from false ways, then they 
 should cast away the coverings and ornaments of 
 their idols ; they should look upon them as loath- 
 some things, and cast them away. 
 
 Men cast away things that are either, (1.) Unpro- 
 fitable and useless; (2.) Hurtful and dangerous; 
 (3.) Loathsome and grievous. Sin is all these. 
 
 (1.) It is unprofitable and useless: see Jer. xii. 
 13; xvi. 19; Prov. v. 10; X. 2. Wickedness hath 
 its trea.sures, but they are unprofitable; E]ih. v. 11, 
 works of darkness are unfruitful : the forbidden tree 
 yields no good fruit ; Rom. vi. 21, " What fruit had 
 ye then in those things whereof ye are now 
 ashamed." It is not of God, it hath no good in it, 
 Rom. vii. 18. 
 
 (2.) Hurtfrd and dangerous. Idolatry hurts, Jer. 
 vii. 6; murder hurts. Gen. iv. 23; wantonness and 
 uncleanness wounds, Prov. vii. 26 ; covetousness 
 hurts, Eccles. v. 13; 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10, it pierces men 
 through, it drowns them in destruction and perdi- 
 tion ; lying, fearfulness, unbelief, hurt, Rev. xxi. 8. 
 Nothing harms like unto sin, no poison, no weapon 
 can pain, torment the body, as sin doth the con- 
 science ; " A wounded spirit who can bear ?" Prov. 
 xviii. 14 ; it is " more bitter than death," Eccles. 
 vii. 26. 
 
 (3.) It is loathsome and grievous. It is likened 
 to mire and dirt, Isa. Ivii. 20 ; to vomit, 2 Pet. ii. 22 ; 
 is filth, and filthiness, Isa. iv. 4; 2 Cor. vii. 1 ; it is 
 corruption, pollution, 2 Pet. i. 4; ii. 20; it is abo- 
 mination, Prov. XV. 26 ; it is rebellion, and grievous 
 revolting, Prov. xvii. 11 ; Jer. vi. 28; it is a detest- 
 able thing, Ezek. xi. 21. Men's righteousnesses are 
 as filthy rags, Isa. Ixiv. 6. What, then, are their 
 sins ? they are the quintessence of filthiness, exceed- 
 ing filthinesses. 
 
 " Make you a new heart and a new spirit." These 
 words are made use of by the remonstrants to prove, 
 that the Lord, in conversion of a sinner, doth not use 
 such efficacy of grace as man cannot resist ; as also 
 to show, that men not converted have a,„„ ;„ /^„„ 
 internal grace absolutely sufficient for '^^;;"\'^] 'i'c'w 
 conversion, or equal to that by w'hich ,ie'Kr.,iia ci 
 others are converted. Bellarmine brings I'l"-'" '^f''- 
 these words to prove the freedom cf will in man. 
 
 These words do not favour or countenance such 
 opinions, so far as is thought, if rightly understood. 
 It is a rule in theology, that active verbs are given 
 to those things which do not properly, c^sjus !„ 
 and by immediate influx, do that which Pi'i,'"^"8'"- '• ^■ 
 the verbs do signify. And this is fre- ''' "
 
 4G8 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XVIII. 
 
 qupnt in the busir.ess of man's salvation, where that 
 is attributed to nsan which is peculiar to God ; and 
 he instar.ctth in this place, " Make you a new heart 
 and a new spirit." This, saith he, is the work of 
 God alone, who by his saving word creates " a new 
 heart and a new spirit" in men ; and in other scrip- 
 tures you shall find it f;ivcn to the Lord : Psal. li. 
 10; Jcr. xxxi. 33; xxxii. 39; Ezck. xxxvi. '26; xi. 
 19, where was spoken of " a new spirit," and some- 
 what about man's liberty and power. God said to 
 Moses, Exod. xiv. 16, " Lift up thy rod, stretch out 
 thine hand over the sea, and divide it :" had !Moses 
 power to divide the sea ? no, but because there was 
 a certain concurrence of Moses using the rod accord- 
 ing to direction, therefore it is attriljuted to Moses, 
 which was the work of God alone: ver. 21, it is 
 given to God, for wh(n Moses stretched out his 
 hand, it is said, " The Lord caused the sea to go 
 back." So making " a new heart and a new spirit," 
 is given to man, because of that concurrence of man 
 in using the means appointed of the Lord ; but when 
 the new heart and spirit are wrought, they are the 
 work of the Lord, as appears, Phil. ii. 13; Eph. ii. 
 10. Thus we are to understand all those places 
 which put so much upon a m.in, as to believe, 1 John 
 iii. 2; to repent, Acts ii. 38; to put otf the old man, 
 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, to jiut on 
 the new man, Eph. iv. 22 — 24; to cleanse ourselves 
 from all pollution of flesh and spirit, 2 Cor. vii. I ; 
 to lay hold upon eternal life, 1 Tim. vi. 12 ; to be 
 filled with the Spirit, Eph. v. 18. In these, and the 
 like places, is notliing given to the power of man, if 
 rightly understood ; but man is commanded to apply 
 himself to those means by which God works faith, re- 
 pentance, holiness, salvation, and conveys the Spirit. 
 
 These words, then, do not hinder but that the 
 Lord may, and doth, M'ork efficaciously in the con- 
 version of a sinner. God bids men use means, wait 
 upon him, and he will work powerfully in them by 
 his grace and Spirit; and that the Lord doth work 
 powerfully, see Eph. i. 19; Col. ii. 12, 13; Deut. 
 XXX. 6; John vi. 37. 
 
 For man's having internal sufficient grace to con- 
 version, it is strange divinity ; it argues a man is 
 converted, and yet unconverted. If a man have 
 grace, he is converted ; but you must know that 
 Arminians make reason, understanding, to be grace, 
 and the first grace ; but, John iii. 6, " That which is 
 bom of the flesh is flesh." And take the excellency 
 of the flesh, even the wisdom of it ; Rom. viii. 7, it 
 is " enmity to God ; it is not subject to the law of 
 God, neither can be." If men have power and grace 
 sufficient to convert themselves, to make them new 
 hearts and new spirits, why should it be as impos- 
 sible for men accustomed to do evil to do good, as 
 for an Egyptian to change his skin, or a leopard his 
 spots ? Jer. xiii. 23 ; why is it not easy ? what is hard 
 to him who hath power and will ? why cannot he be 
 subject to the law of God ? why cannot he add a 
 cubit to his stature ? Luke xii. 25 : surely reason is 
 not grace. The Athenians, who had reason, mocked 
 at Christ and the resurrection, Acts xvii. 18, 32, 
 which if gracious, they would not have done. All 
 men have reason, but all have not grace. " Not 
 many wise men after the flesh are called" or chosen, 
 1 Cor. i. 26. Had men power in themselves they 
 would boast ; that men may not boast, it is of God, 
 ver. 2'*, 30; it is of grace, not of ourselves, our 
 strength, reason, abilities, Eph. ii. 8, 9. 
 
 The ground that pajnsts, Arminians, and others, 
 go upon, is, that commands suppose power in men 
 to do what is commanded. This ground is too weak 
 to build their structure upon. For what man, ever 
 since Adam's fall, had power to keep the law exactly ? 
 
 yet the law consists of commands. Had m.en been 
 able to have done it, the law woidd have saved them : 
 Rom. viii. 3, "What the law could not do, in that 
 it was weak through the flesh, God sending," &c. ; 
 Gal. iii. 21, " If there had been a law given which 
 could have given life, verily righteousness should 
 have been by the law." AVhy could not the law 
 give life ? because man had not power, strength, to 
 keep it; God may command that which men have 
 not power to do, 
 
 1. To break the strength of man's confidence. 
 Men, through apprehension of their abilities, stand 
 much upon doing, and think tin y can perform much : 
 " What shall I do to be saved?" God may com- 
 mand that now which is beyond man's strengili, that 
 so he may know his own weakness. 
 
 2. To cause us to sue to him for help to do what 
 is commanded. W hen Nebuchadnezzar commanded 
 the wise men to tell him his dream, which was im- 
 possible, Daniel sought to God for the discovery of 
 the thing, and obtained it: see Dan. ii. 17 — 19. God 
 commands what we cannot do, that we may know 
 what to ask. If any thing be hard, impossible, let 
 us not stick in ourselves, but run to God. 
 
 3. The Lord may do it, because he can give what 
 he commands. Ezek. xi. 4, God bids Ezekiel pro- 
 phesy ; he could not do it unless God gave him the 
 spirit of prophecy ; therefore in the next verse it is 
 said, " The Spirit of the Lord fell upon him." Christ 
 saith to Lazarus, " Come forth," John xi. 43 ; he had 
 no power to do it but he who commanded, accom- 
 panied his word with power; and, John v. 25, "The 
 hour is coming, and now is, that the dead shall hear 
 the voice of the Son of God ; and they that hear 
 shall live." 
 
 The meaning then of these word.s, " Make you 
 a new heart and a new spirit," is, be not negligent 
 and wanting to yourselves, but use the means ap- 
 pointed of God, give diligence to obtain a change of 
 your hearts and spirits, to get repentance, and bring 
 forth fruit worthy thereof. 
 
 "For why will ye die?" Hebrew is, and why 
 will ye die ? In the former, these, and the subsequent 
 words, God speaks after the manner of men, as a 
 father doth to his untoward children, or as a minister 
 to a perishing people. 
 
 Ver. 32. " For I have no pleasure in the death of 
 him that dieth." Of these words was spoken, ver. 
 23. I shall give you some few observations, and so 
 end this chapter. 
 
 Obs. 1. That repentance is profitable to man, and 
 pleasing to God. " Repent and turn, so iniquity shall 
 not be your ruin: why will ye die?" I have no 
 pleasure in your death, but I have pleasure in your 
 repentance and life. When man hath undone him- 
 self, repentance is his setting up again ; it is safe 
 landing after shipwreck. The prodigal, repenting 
 and turning, did advantage himself, and please his 
 father, Luke xv. 18 — 21. "Except ye repent ye 
 shall all perish," saith Christ, Luke xiii. 3, 5 : re- 
 pentance preserves from destruction, and hath that 
 good in it. See Acts ii. 38; iii. 19; Rev. ii. 5, 16; 
 2 Cor. vii. 9, 10; Acts xi. 18. And that it greatly 
 pleases God, the jiarable of the lost sheep showeth ; 
 Luke XV. 7, there is more joy in heaven for the re- 
 pentance of one sinner, than for the righteousness 
 of ninety-nine just persons. Sacrifices under the 
 law were pleasing to God ; a repentant broken heart 
 is instead of all sacrifices, Psal. li. 17; God will nut, 
 he cannot, despise it ; he will look to it, Isa. Ixvi. 2; 
 he will dwell in it, Isa. Ivii. 15. 
 
 Obi: 2. Sin is of a ruining nature. " So iniquity 
 shall not be your ruin." Sin, in itself, is destructive. 
 What is said of time, it is edaj: rerum, a consumer of
 
 Ver. 
 
 -32. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 469 
 
 all tilings, is verified of sin : nay, more than time 
 could do, sin hath done. Time could never have 
 ruined angels; sin did it, sin threw them out of hea- 
 ven, Adam out of paradise : sin ruined the old world, 
 Gen. vi. 5, / ; it ruined Sodom and Gomorrah, Gen. 
 xix. 13; the cry of their sins was great, and there- 
 fore the angels destroyed it. Wars are ruining and 
 desolating things, so is the plague, and famine ; but 
 sin brings them all, Ezek. xiv. 13; xvii. 19 ; and is 
 more ruinating than they all. Sin ruins the name, 
 Prov. vi. 33 ; it ruins the conscience, and comforts 
 of it, Psal. xxxii. 3 ; li. 8 ; it ruins the soul, 1 Pet. 
 ii. 11 ; 1 Tim. v. 6. These things, the name, con- 
 science, comforts, soul ; sword, famine, plague, can- 
 not reach ; they may, and do, oft ruin our outward 
 comforts, our flesh, our lives, but further they go 
 not : sin ruins both these and the other. Sin is 
 wonderfully malignant, and proves destructive to 
 them that deal with it. Gideon's epho4 was a snare 
 to him and to his house, it rained him and his, Judg. 
 viii. 27. It was their sin w'hich laid waste the com- 
 monwealth of Israel, which brought the slaughtering 
 angels, Ezek. ix. and kindled the fire in the temple 
 and city, and laid all waste. 
 
 Obs. 3. That man who in truth comes unto God, 
 must come off from all sin, he must not stick in any. 
 " Repent, and turn from all your transgressions:" 
 cast away all your transgressions ; you must not like 
 any, but loathe all, not keep any, but ca^t out all : if 
 you cast out a thousand, and retain but one, it is no 
 Sound coming to God, no true repentance, or turn- 
 ing. Herod turned from many evils, but would not 
 turn from his Hcrodias, Mark vi. 18 — 20, and all his 
 turning was nothing. Judas, his life was fair as the 
 other apostles, no visible sin appeared, only he had 
 a covetous heart within ; and because that golden 
 devil was not cast out, he was cast into hell ; his 
 ajiostlcship, preaching, working of miracles, hearing 
 of Christ, conversing with him, did him no good. 
 Let men go as far as they will in repentance, turning 
 from, and casting off of sin, if it be not from all, it is 
 from none ; for if any one sin be kept and livi d in, 
 the union between sin and the soul is not dissolved, 
 and so there is no true hatred, no real ejection of 
 sin. If a man did hate sin, and cast it out because it 
 is sin, he would do so by all sin, because there is 
 the same reason for all as for one, and for one as 
 for all. Let us look narrowly to it, that we do not 
 harbour nor spare any sin in our bosoms. Saul 
 spared Agag, and the witch of Endor, whom he 
 should have destroyed, and they were his ruin. 
 
 Obs. 4. That for the encouragement of men to use 
 the means, and wait upon God in them, he honours 
 them with the doing of that which is his prerogative 
 and peculiar work. " Make you a new heart and a 
 new spirit, turn yourselves ;" these are acts which 
 none but the Lord can do. A new heart, a new spi- 
 rit, is the work of divine grace. Because there is 
 some effort of man, therefore he is said to do that 
 which the power of divine grace principally effects, 
 Sanct. in locum. This is very fair for a Jesuit : but 
 the apostle goeth further, Phil. ii. 13, the will and 
 the deed are of the Lord. Let us be encouraged, 
 therefore, to be diligent in the use of all means, and 
 that constantly. There may be " a new heart and a 
 new spirit" given in from God, his mighty power 
 put forth to work these, and yet be attributed to us, 
 that we have made ourselves new hearts and new 
 spirits. 
 
 Obs. 5. The Lord would not have men run on in 
 sinful courses, and die, but turn, and live ; he hath 
 not ileasure in their perishing, but in their living. 
 " Why will ye die ?" Szc. In this question secretly is 
 locked up an answer to all they could object ; as, 
 
 (1.) We bear the initjuity of our fathers, who sin- 
 ned greatly, and therefore we must die. No, you 
 shall not die upon that account; ver. 20, " The son 
 shall not bear the iniquity of the father." 
 
 (2.) Our sins are great and grievous. What then ? 
 " Why will ye die ?" " Come, let us reason together : 
 though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white 
 as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they 
 shall be as wool." 
 
 (3.) We have nothing to bring if we come to thee. 
 What then ? " Why will ye die ?" If you have no 
 money, yet I have mercy, and mercy enough ; a sea 
 of mercy, a heaven of mercy, a world of mercy : 
 " Come, buy without money," Isa. Iv. 1 ; I am a God 
 of mercy, delight to show mercy. 
 
 (4.) But thou biddest us repent, turn, cast away 
 all our sins, make us new hearts, &c. ; we cannot do 
 these things. What then ? If you will but look 
 unto me, I can give you what is commanded, it is 
 my w ay of dealing with sinners ; I can give you re- 
 pentance, power to east out all your sins ; I can give 
 you a new heart, a new spirit ; " why will ? " cS:c. Isa. 
 xlv. 22, " Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the 
 ends of the earth." 
 
 (5.) Thou hast forsaken us, and left us to our own 
 lusts. But now I sue unto you, call upon you, tender 
 life unto you, hold out my hand, and am desirous to 
 take you in ; " why will ye die, house of Israel .' " 
 
 (6.) Thou hast threatened our destruction by the 
 prophets, and thy threats nuist take place ; tliou wilt 
 make good thy word, take pleasure in fulfilling it, 
 and destroying us. What if my threats be out ? so 
 they were against Nineveh ; they repented of their 
 sins, I repented of my threats : I do not take plea- 
 sure in executing of judgments, nor in your death, 
 and " why will ye die ?" 
 
 (7.) We are Jews, have apostatized from our pro- 
 fessicm, from what the prophets taught us ; we have 
 lived long in such a way, it is too late now to think 
 of turning. No, not so ; turn and live, yet there is 
 mercy. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 9. 3Ioreover tahe thou up a lament- 
 ation for the princes of Israel, and say, IVJiat is 
 thtf another ? A lioness : she lay doirn among 
 lions, she nourished her tvhelps among young lions. 
 And she brought up one of her whelps : it became 
 a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey ; it 
 devoured men. The nations also heard of him; 
 he was taken in their pit, and they brought him 
 with chains unto the land of Egypt. Now when 
 she saw that she had waited, and her hope zcas 
 lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made 
 him a young lion. And he went vp and down 
 among' the lions, he became a young lion, and 
 learned to catch the prey, and devoured men. 
 And he knew their desolate palaces, and he laid 
 waste their cities ; and the land was desolate, and 
 the fulness thereof, by the noise of his roaring. 
 Then the nations set against him on every side 
 from the provinces, and spread their net over him : 
 he was taken in their pit. And they put him in 
 ward in chains, and brought him to the king of 
 Babylon : they brought him into holds, that his 
 voice should no more be heard upon the mountains 
 of Israel.
 
 470 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIX. 
 
 This chapter is a chapter of lamentation, 
 
 I. For the princes of Israel. 
 
 II. Viir Jirusalem, or the kingdom of Judah. 
 The lamentation for the princes of Israel is set out 
 
 under the parable, or similitude, of a lion's whelps, 
 from vcr. 1 to ver. 10. The lamentation for Je- 
 rusalem is, from ver. 10 to the end of the chapter, 
 held out under the resemblance of a vine. 
 
 As for the first part, the lamentation for the 
 princes of Israel, we may consider therein, 
 
 1. The lamentation, commanded in ver. 1. 
 
 2. The mother of the whelps, or the lioness, and 
 what she did, ver. 2, 3. 
 
 3. The advance of the whelps, their carriage, ruin, 
 and punishment, in the 3d, 4th, and rest of the verses. 
 
 Ver. 1. "Take thou up a lamentation." The Lord 
 here speaks to the prophet to put himself into a 
 mourning posture, and to bewail the conditions of 
 the kings of Israel. The word for lamentation is 
 n:>p the same that Jeremiah iiseth in the title of his 
 book called The Lamentations, of which was spoken 
 chap. ii. 10. 
 
 " The princes of Israel," These were Jehoahaz, 
 Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, who were kings 
 of Jiidah, as appears, 2 Kings xxiii. 31, 34 ; xxiv. 8, 
 18. They are called the princes of Israel, because that 
 is a comprehen.sive term, and included Judah in it, 
 which these were kings of, and not of Samaria, 
 for the ten tribes and their kings were captivated 
 before. 
 
 Vcr. 2. " WTiat is thy mother ? " Because it is not 
 said, What is your mother? some think he means the 
 prophet's mother ; but it is said " thy mother," in 
 reference to each prince. Jehoahaz, " what is thy 
 mother ? " Jehoiakim, " what is thy mother ? " and 
 so of Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. By " mother " here 
 ismcant Jerusalem, and the kingdom of Jndah. Great 
 cities and kingdoms are in a metaphorical sense 
 called mothers, they bring forth kings, they elect, 
 crown, and set them up to rule. 
 
 " A lioness." Jerusalem is likened unto a lioness 
 in several respects. 
 
 1. A lion or lioness is a noble and kingly creature, 
 and .so was Jerusalem a noble and royal city. The 
 ensign of the tribe of Judah was a lion. Old Jacob, 
 Gen. xlix. 9, said, "Judah is a lion's whelp:" that 
 tribe was the royal tribe, and the chief city in it was 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 2. A lioness is strong: Judg. xiv. 18, "What is 
 stronger than alion ? " see Prov. xxx. 30. Jerusalem 
 was a strong city, Psal. xxxi. 21 ; cxxv. 2. 
 
 3. A lioness is venturous and bold, Prov. xxviii. 
 1 ; 2 Sam. xvii. 10; so Jerusalem was a bold, daring 
 city ,' the people of it were impudent and provoking, 
 Isa. iii. 8; Ixv. 3; Kzek. lii. 7, provoked him to 
 his face. 
 
 4. The lioness is cruel and bloody, Psal. vii. 2; 
 Isa. xxxviii. 13; so Jerusalem was an oppressing 
 city, Zeph. iii. 1, 3; a bloody city, Ezek. xxiv. 6. 
 
 5. Libidinous, mingles with the leopard and 
 hya'na; so Jenisalem mingled herself with other 
 nations, Ezek. xvi. 2(3, 28. She was not humane, but 
 lionish in her manners ; no piety, justice, humanity 
 were in her ; she was brutish. 
 
 " She lay down among lions." By lions here, are 
 meant the nations, or kings of the nations, round 
 about, who were profane, barbarous, and cruel ; and 
 Jerusalem was like unto them ; and therefore it is 
 said to lie down among lions, as one lion doth 
 among others without fear. The gentiles made no 
 conscience of sin, but did whatever they liked or 
 lusted after; and Jerusalem had cast olTthe worship 
 and ways of God, following their own wills and 
 lusts. 
 
 " She nourished her whelps." Hebrew is, she 
 multiplied whelps ; in a little time she had many 
 princes, which were to succeed in the kingdom. 
 These w helps were Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, 
 and Zedekiah, whom he calls " whelps," 
 
 1. Because they were young when they began to 
 reign, 2 Kings xxiii. 31, 3G ; xxiv. 8, 18. One was 
 but eighteen, another twenty-one, a third twenty- 
 three, and the eldest was but twenty-five when he 
 came to the throne. 
 
 2. Because they were little, in comparison of 
 former kings. David and Solomon were great lions, 
 in respect of them; the kingdom then flourished, but 
 now it was declining ; they reigned long, these but a 
 little while. 
 
 3. "Whelps," becauseof their disposition and pro- 
 pensity to do like lions and lionesses : there is the 
 same nature in the whelps as is in the dams ; if the 
 lion be fierce, cruel, the wheli s will be so. 
 
 " Among young lions." Hebrew, in the midst of 
 young lions. td3 is a young lion that begins to 
 prey. Whether we take them for the princes of the 
 nations, or the princes and nobles of Jerusalem, (for 
 there were princes who were not of the royal family, 
 2 Kings xxiv. 12; 2 Chron. xxiv. 17,) they were 
 brought up after their manners and fashions. 
 
 Ver. 3. " And she brought up one of her whelps." 
 The Hebrew is, she made one of her whelps to come 
 up ; that is, to come up into the throne, and to be 
 king. This was Jehoahaz, whom after the death of 
 Josiah, the people took and made king in his father's 
 stead in Jerusalem, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 1 ; 2 Kings 
 xxiii. 30; Jerusalem, and the peo[de of the land, 
 joined together to make him king : Jehoahaz was the 
 whelp of this lioness. 
 
 " It became a young lion." Being made king, he 
 reigned like a lion, yea, a young lion. He was ty- 
 rannical, and tyrants are compared to lions, and you 
 may see a true picture of them in the lion. 
 
 1. Their faces are stern, and voices terrible. Amos 
 iii. 8, "The lion hath roared; who will not fear ?" 
 It is said of the Gadite soldiers, they had faces 
 like the faces of lions, 1 Chron. xii. 8, terrible. Such 
 are tyrants, their countenances and voices trouble 
 and disturb much. When they send out their edicts, 
 proclamations, commands, wdiich are their voices, and 
 have the effigies of their grim countenances within 
 them, how do they shake cities, kingdoms, nations ! 
 When Ahasuerus' decree was given forth for the de- 
 struction of the Jews, it is said, "the city Shushan 
 was perplexed," Esth. iii. 15; so all the provinces 
 where the sound of it was. Tyrants roar like lions, 
 they strike terror into all ; Prov. xix. 12, " The 
 king's wrath," &c. ; xx. 2, " The fear of a king is as 
 the roaring of a lion." 
 
 2. As they are roaring, so ravening. They are 
 greedy of their prey ; Psal. xvii. 12, " Like as a 
 lion that is greedy of his prey." See Psal. xxii. 13; 
 Lam. iii. 10. Psal. civ. 21, they roar after their 
 prey, and are hardly satisfied ; Job xxxviii. 39, 
 "Wilt thou fill the appetite of the young lions P" So 
 wicked rulers and tyrannical princes are ravenous 
 and greedy of the prey. What a strong appetite 
 had Ahab to Naljoth's vineyard ! he was sick, and 
 refuses to eat, if he have not that morsel to feed 
 upon, 1 Kings xxi. 2, 4. When the Jews woidd 
 have a king, the Lord told them what a ravenous 
 creature he would be, 1 Sam. viii. 11 — 17. It is 
 said of Saul, their first king, that he did " fly upon 
 the spoil," chap. xv. 19. What a vast appetite had 
 the king of Babylon, who " enlarged his desire as 
 hell and death, and could not be satisfied, but gather- 
 ed unto him all nations, and heaped unto him all 
 peoj le,'' Hab. ii. 5. That princes are greedy of
 
 Ver. 1—9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 4-1 
 
 their prey, see Zcph. iii. 3 ; Ezek. xxii. 27 ; Micah 
 iii. 11. Caligula, his impositions, tributes, and new 
 devised exactions, were innumerable, Herb. 129. 
 
 3. They are vigilant and subtle, lying in wait to 
 get their prey. They sleep little, and when they 
 sleep it is with open eyes; they mind their prey 
 much, and are cunning to catch it. Psal. xvii. 12, 
 " The young lion lurks in secret places ;" he bides 
 himself, and when the prey comes near, he suddenly 
 surprises the same. Our prophet saith here of the 
 young whelp, " it learned to catch the prey," it learn- 
 ed the cunning of the old lions. 
 
 Basil saith, they use to lie down fiat upon their 
 bellies, to counterfeit sleep, not to stir, and to do as 
 cats when they catch birds. Another cunning device 
 the lions have is, when the prey is too swift for 
 them, and so likely to save itself by flight, they roar 
 grievously, which so affrightens the creatures fleeing 
 from them, that their spirits faint, are forced to 
 stand still, and become a prey : he also hides his 
 claws, and covers his steps with dust by his tail, 
 that he may not be discovered. 
 
 So tyrannical princes are watchful and cunning 
 to catch their prey. Saul had many stratagems and 
 devices to catch David. What a cunning plot had 
 Jezebel to catch Naboth ! The policies of tyrants 
 are infinite to catch the people, and make a prey of 
 them. 
 
 4. They are proud and stately. They go alone, 
 they eat not with the lionesses, much less with other 
 creatures ; they will not stoop to, or turn away for 
 any, Prov. xxx. 30 ; they do what they list : such 
 are tyrants. You may see the pride and arrogancy 
 of Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. iv. 30. The prince of Tyre 
 said he was a god, and sat " in the seat of God," 
 Ezek. xxviii. 2. " Who is the Lord, that 1 should 
 obey his voice ? " said Pharaoh, Exod. v. 2. 
 
 Alexander would be accounted and worshipped as 
 the son of Jupiter Ammon ; Caligula, Domitian, 
 Heliogabalus, would be worshipped as gods. 
 
 5. They are cruel, bloody, devouring creatures. 
 Nahum ii. 12, "The lion did tear in pieces, and 
 strangled for his lionesses." They have terrible 
 claws, sharp teeth, and are mighty to crush and 
 break all the bones. The devil is called a devouring 
 lion, 1 Pet. V. 8, because he destroys as lions do : 2 
 Kings xvii. 26, the lions slew them. Such are ty- 
 rannical princes : Prov. xxvii. 15, "Asa roaring lion, 
 and a ranging bear ; so is a wicked ruler over the 
 poor people." Like as lions and bears in a forest do 
 catch, crush, and devour the sheep, lambs, kids, 
 conies, and whatever they find preyable, so wicked 
 rulers deal with the people : Mic. iii. 1 — 3, the 
 princes of Israel plucked off the skin and flesh of 
 God's people from their bones, brake and chopped 
 them in pieces as for the pot : when they kill men, 
 they think it lawful, not sinful. Our prophet tells 
 you, that this lion, Jehoahaz, devoured men, he 
 "learned to catch the prey, and devoured men." 
 
 History tells us of cannibals, men-eaters ; such are 
 tyrannical governors, they feed upon men. Athaliah 
 devoured all the royal seed at a meal, 2 Chron. xxii. 
 Jezebel ate up Naboth at a fast, 1 Kings xxi. What 
 a multitude of children did Herod devour at once in 
 Bethlehem ! Matt. ii. 16. What tearing, flesh-eating, 
 bone-breaking was there, when that roaring cruel 
 lion Manasseh filled Jerusalem with innocent blood! 
 2 Kings xxi. 16. What lions were in the time of 
 the ten persecutions ! Christiani ad leones, The chris- 
 tians to the lions. 
 
 6. It is dangerous to meddle with lions : Numb. 
 xxiv. 9, " He lay down as a lion, and as a great lion : 
 who shall stir him up ?" Lions, if oifended and pro- 
 voked, are revengeful. jElian tells of a bear that 
 
 came into a lion's den, and bit the whelps she found 
 there. The lion returning, the bear, to shift for her- 
 self, got up into a high tree ; the lioness watched at 
 the foot of the tree ; the lion ranged abroad in the 
 woods, and meets with a man that had an axe, and 
 used to fell trees; this man the lion brings to the 
 den, showed him the wounded whelps, (hrects him 
 to the tree where the bear was, which he cut down : 
 the bear, being torn in pieces, the man was safely 
 dismissed. In the hunting or taking of lions, the 
 lion observes who wounds him, and on him, if pos- 
 sible, he w ill be revenged. Such are tyrannical men : 
 it is ill meddling with them ; if they be roused, or 
 any of theirs wronged a little, they \\'iU remember 
 and revenge. 
 
 Ver. 4. " The nations also heard of him." After 
 the death of Josiah by Pharaoh-nccho, king of 
 Egypt, Jehoahaz was by the Jews set up king ; but 
 the Egyptians thought themselves wronged, that 
 they had no hand in disposing of that kingdom, and 
 placing a king over it ; which it is probable the 
 Jews apprehended, in that they passed by Eliakim, 
 who was elder, and set up Jehoahaz, who was 
 younger ; as is evident, if you compare 2 Kings xxiii. 
 31, with ver. 36. They judged this doubtless of a 
 more warlike and lionlike spirit, and so fitter to en- 
 counter the Egyptians, if they should assault them ; 
 which it is conceived they did, for he reigned but 
 three months and then was taken. 
 
 " He was taken in their pit." The word for pit is, 
 sliacha/h, which signifies, a net, or, a pit, and is from 
 r\nv to corrupt, or kill, because pits and nets are 
 to take creatures, and so tend to their killing and 
 coiTuption. One way of taking lions was, to observe 
 their haunts, and in that way they used to dig a round 
 pit, leaving a pillar of earth in the midst of it, upon 
 which they tied a lamb, covering the pit with 
 boughs ; the hungry lamb, bleating in the evening, 
 invites the lion to supper, who hastening thereunto, 
 falls into the pit, and so is taken. Ezekiel alluding 
 hereunto, saith, Jehoahaz was taken in their pit. 
 Some think he was taken by a wile ; that Pharaoh 
 sent for him, under pretence of friendship and kind- 
 ness, and then when he had him in his power, kept 
 him. Others, that there was a bloody battle between 
 Jehoahaz and Pharaoh, in which though he was 
 taken, yet not without great loss to the Egyptians ; 
 therefore the Vulgate renders these words, iVon absque 
 iiiltienbus iui cejierunt eum, They took him, but not 
 without wounds. 
 
 " They brought him with chains," &c. The 
 Hebrew is, D'nns with hooks. Chains are hooky 
 things linked together; the word "chains" here, in 
 2 Kings xxiii. 33, is " bands :" Pharaoh-necho put 
 him in bands ; he was carried bound to Egypt. 
 
 Obs. 1. It is matter to be lamented, when princes 
 are wicked, tyrannical, and ruin themselves and the 
 people they are set over. " Take thou up a lamenta- 
 tion for the princes of Israel ;" so Ezek. xxxii. 2, 
 " Take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, 
 and say unto him. Thou art like a young lion of the 
 nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas," &c. 
 When princes, rulers, are roaring and ravening lions, 
 when they are cunning and cruel, and take such 
 courses as tend to the ruin of themselves and others, 
 it is a great and just ground for lamentation. Solo- 
 mon saith, there is a time to mourn, Eccl. iii. 4; and 
 if any lie a fit time to mourn, it is when it goes ill 
 with the church of God, with the state, when rulers 
 are lions, and do like lions. We mourn when some 
 personal or family evil is upon us, but public evils 
 are neglected. Evil rulers, evil princes, evil magis- 
 trates are public evils, like so many lions and wild 
 beasts. Where such are, there is a house of mourn-
 
 4/2 
 
 AX EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIX. 
 
 ing. and let the living lay it to heart. I fear we have 
 lions among us, for whom we may justly take up 
 a lamontaticm. 
 
 06.y. 2. That those princes who oppress their people 
 and ruin tlieir kingdoms, are ungrateful and un- 
 natural, for their people and kingdoms are their 
 motht rs. " What is thy mother ? " Jerusalem, Judea 
 is thy mother. It is the people chooses them, and so 
 brings them forth, sets them up : 2 Kings xxiii. 30, 
 "The people of the land lock Jehoahaz the son of 
 Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his 
 father's stead." How wickedly did he, therefore, to 
 become a lion to this people, who advanced him ! If 
 he were uimatural who ripped up the bowels of his 
 own mother, so likewise is he that rips and rends 
 the bowels of that kingdom which begat him. Princes 
 should entreat them well who have given them their 
 princely bein.'; they have their milk and mainte- 
 nance from them, and it is height of ingratitude to 
 wrong or ruin tliem. 
 
 Ob.s. 3. Such as the people are, usually such are 
 the rulers, tlie princes. If the mother be a lioness, 
 the whelps will be lions ; if the lioness be audacious, 
 bloody, libidinous, idolatrous, the lions will be such. 
 Jerusak'm was very wicked, and her princes like- 
 wise ; the pi inees were like the people. Hos. viii. 
 4, " They have set up kings, but not by me ;" the 
 people set up Jehoahaz, and he was a lion; he did 
 wickedly, 2 Kings xxiii. 32. 
 
 Obs. 4. Great is the efficacy of evil example, it 
 prevails more than good example. Jehoahaz had a 
 godly parent, Josiah by name, of whom it is said 
 that there was no king like him before or after him, 
 that turned to the Lord with all his soul, heart, and 
 might, according to all the law of Moses, 2 Kings 
 xxiii. 25. Not the good education nor good ex- 
 ample he had from and by his father, did sufficiently 
 antidote him against the poison and power of evil 
 example ; he was brought up among lions, and 
 learned of them to catch the prey : they were wicked, 
 covetous, proud, fiirce, subtle, cruel, revengeful, and 
 their manners he took up, conformed unto. Wicked- 
 ness is easily learned; men are so apt to it, that 
 they need no rods to put them on. Parents cannot 
 propagate piety ; if that could have been, Josiah 
 would have had sons as eminent for holiness as they 
 were for impiety. Gracious parents have graceless 
 children ; ht none be troubled thereat as a thing 
 strange, it was so with Josiah. If you be godly, and 
 would have your children so, take heed of being ill 
 examples yourselves, or letting them be amongst 
 those who give ill example ; for tinder is not apter 
 to take fire, wax the impression of the seal, paper 
 the ink, than youth is to receive the impressions of 
 wickedness. 
 
 Obs. 5. After good princes and great reformers, 
 Divine Providence orders it so, that wretched, wicked 
 kings, enemies to all good, are set up. Josiah was 
 a most godly king, and more thoroughly reforming 
 than ever judah had any before ; yet after him 
 comes a lion, a wicked Jehoahaz. When people are 
 unthankful for good princes and rulers, when they 
 murmur against reformation, have a secret enmity, 
 open bitterness, against godliness, and those who 
 are godly, it is just with God to set lions over them, 
 to be terrible unto tliem, to cat up their estates and 
 till m. 
 
 OA.v. 6. W'hen wicked men come to places of 
 eminrney, they vent their corruptions whicli lay hid 
 before, they make progress in wickedness, nothing 
 restrains them. Whin tbis whcl]), J( hoahaz, came 
 to the throne, he became a young lion, a lion rampant, 
 he could catch the prey, and devour men. We oft 
 think that the whelps of great ones are well na- 
 
 tured, well educated, v^ry hopeful, will prove ad- 
 mirable instruments of God's glory and public good ; 
 but we deceive ourselves ; w hen they come to public 
 and high places, their lionish natures do appear, and 
 they grow worse and worse ; they perfect wicked- 
 ness, nothing prevails to keep them in, but they 
 mu'^t play the lions, flay the skins, suck the blood, 
 eat the flesh, and crack the bones. There was as 
 great hope of Josiah's sons, as ever of any, yet you 
 see how they proved. Nero at first for five years 
 carried himself well, like a lamb; but he was a lion, 
 and his lionish disposition showed itself to the full. 
 You, who are godly, and have hopeful issue, promise 
 not too much unto yourselves of them ; great ex- 
 pectations disappointed cause great vexations. 
 
 Obs. 7. That princes pervert the end for which 
 they were ordained of God, and set up by men. God 
 appointed not magistrates, lie they princes or others, 
 to lurk for the prey, to devour men, but to preserve 
 men. They should be shepherds, not lions ; nursing 
 fathers, not cannibals ; they should govern them 
 according to divine rule. Dent. xvii. 18 — 20, not 
 after prerogative, a devouring beast, which eats up 
 men's estates, honours, lives ; they should do justice, 
 not obstruct or pervert it. But where are those 
 princes that answer the end of their institution, that 
 lurk not for prey, that devour not men ? In Micah's 
 days, the heads of the house of Jacob, and the princes 
 of the house of Israel, abhorred judgment, and per- 
 verted all equity ; they built up Zion with blood, 
 and Jerusalem with iniquity : and for their sins and 
 sakes was Zion ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem 
 made heaps. Take heed, you who are governors of 
 families, that you pervert not that institution; be 
 not bitter to your wives, beat not servants for your 
 fantasies, oppress not any who are under you, Ecclus. 
 iv. 30. 
 
 Obs. 8. The evil doings of princes fiy abroad; 
 if they play the lions, roar, raven, tear, oppress, the 
 nation will hear of it. W'hen Jehoahaz became a 
 lion, caught the prey, devoured men, " the nations 
 also heard of him ;" not only his own nation knew 
 it, but the nations round about. Princes, great per- 
 sons, stand high, their voices are heard and actions 
 seen far : let them whisper in secret, plot mischief 
 in their closets, out they come ; cabinet-letters, 
 counsels, designs, treasons, come abroad and spread 
 far. Their projects, how cryptically soever carried, 
 are observed, divulged, and fill the nations with the 
 noise thereof Princes generally are so wicked, 
 that their evil report is Avidely spread ; chronicles 
 and nations are filled with the reports thereof; if 
 they will do infamous things, they cannot be con- 
 cealed. 
 
 Obs. 9. W^hcn princes prove lions, God stirs up 
 some to himt and take those lions. The nations, 
 hearing that Jehoahaz caught the prey and de- 
 voured men, they bethought and bestirred them- 
 selves, digged a pit, hunted this lion into it, and 
 took him. When Zimri had gotten the crown, he 
 did rend and tear like a lion ; but presently God 
 stirred the people to set up Omri to be king, who 
 hunted that lion into a fiery pit, 1 Kings xvi. Saul 
 played the lion in his reign, and at last he was 
 hunted, slain, and taken by the Philistines, 1 Sam. 
 xxxi. Jehoram b( came a young lion, preyed upon 
 his brethren, devoured them, 2 Chron. xxi. 4; and 
 the Lord stirred up the spirit of the Philistines and 
 Arabians against him, who came and spoiled him 
 and his, ver. I(>, 17- Manasseh was a ramping and 
 roaring lion, he brake the bou'-s of many, and sucked 
 nuich blood, and he was taken in the jdt of the Assy- 
 rians, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 
 
 AVhen the rulers and potentates of the earth op-
 
 Ver. 1—9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 473 
 
 press and tyrannize over the people, God, in his 
 wise xirovidence, sets some to work to catch and 
 crush them, Amos iii. 10, 11 ; one way or other their 
 strength is brought down, and they sutfcr for their 
 oppressions, and are cut otF by violent and untimely 
 deaths. Tiberius was poisoned or smothered by his 
 own nephew ; Caligula slain by his own guard ; 
 Vitrellius was overthrown in battle, taken prisoner, 
 and drawn with a halter about his neck along the 
 streets, half naked, and after many outrages done 
 unto him, he was killed and cast into Tiber. Fi/z- 
 herbert. Leander, tyrant of Cyrena, was taken alive, 
 and being sewed into a leathern bag, was cast into 
 the sea. Thirty tyrants were .slain in one day at 
 Athens by Theramenes, Thrasibulus, and Archippus, 
 who did it with seventy men. 
 
 Obs. 10. Princes who, by covetousness and cjn- 
 elty, spoil others of their estates and liberties, 
 through the just judgment of God come themselves 
 to be deprived of their estates and liberties. Jeho- 
 ahaz, he caught the prey, and himself was caught 
 and made a prej' ; he devoured men, and himself 
 was devoured ; he fettered, chained others, and him- 
 self was put in chains ; he lost his kingdom and 
 liberty ; Pharaoh took him, bound him, earned him 
 to Egypt. This was he whom Jeremiah calls Shal- 
 lum, chap. xxii. 11, 12, and saith he should return 
 no more, but die in his captivity. It was a great 
 evil, a sad judgment, to be taken and carried out of 
 his own land, and to die in a profane land amongst 
 Egyptians ; therefore it is said, ver. 10, " Weep sore 
 for him that goeth away ; for he shall return no 
 more, nor see his native country." Such judgments 
 do princes bring upon themselves ; to satisfy some 
 base and bloody lusts, they hazard all, yea oft do 
 lose their kingdoms, liberties, and lives ; whereas 
 they might be happy if they would keep within 
 their bounds, yea, live and die comfortably in their 
 own lands ; but when they deal injuriously w ith 
 others, hook, fetter, and spoil them, God meets with 
 them, Amos i. 2. Those who oppressed the poor, 
 and crushed the needy, God would take them with 
 hooks, and their posterity with fish-hooks ; he would 
 pull them out of their estates, power, greatness, as 
 fishes out of the water. 
 
 Ver. 5. " Now when she saw that she had waited, 
 and her hope was lost." When Jerusalem, the 
 lioness, had expected the return of Jehoahaz from 
 Egypt, and saw it was in vain, that there was no 
 hope of it. The Hibrew runs thus, And she saw, 
 , because she hoped, her hope had perished. The 
 Septuagint, for her hope was lost, her substance 
 perished, or was lost. She thought the prince (and 
 so usually do states) W'as a strong and substantial 
 foundation to build upon; but she was deceived, and 
 her hope failed her. 
 
 " Then she took another of her whelps." WTiat 
 whelp this was is controverted amongst expositors. 
 Some make this whelp to be Zedekiah, but there is 
 least reason for that, because hereby both Jehoiakim 
 and Jehoiachinare passed over, who were both kings 
 before Zedekiah ; this whelp, therefore, must be one 
 of them. The protcstant expositors do make it to 
 be Jehoiakim, called also Eliachim, and Joachim, 
 and so do some others ; but the difiieulty is, if meant 
 of them, how that is true which is in ver. 9, " They 
 brought him to the king of Babylon : they brought 
 him into holds, that his voice should no more be 
 heard upon the mountains of Israel;" whereas Je- 
 hoiakim came back again, if he were in Babylon, and 
 his voice was heard. If it be meant of Jehoiachin, 
 there is also this great difficulty, how he, reigning 
 but three months, could lay waste their cities, and 
 make the land desolate, as it is, ver. 7 ; being but 
 
 eight years of age, as it is 2 Chron. xxxvi. 9 ; or at 
 ■most but eighteen, as it is 2 Kings xxiv. 8. To let 
 pass Jehoiachin, and to come to Jehoiakim, whom 
 we may take to be the man represented by the whelp 
 ;here, the difficulty shall be answered when we come 
 to ver. 9. 
 
 . " She took another of her whelps, and made him 
 'a young lion." That is, she set him up to be king. 
 But this seems cross to what you have, 2 Chron. 
 xxx\-i. 4 ; 2 Kings xxiii. 34, where it is said, that 
 Pharaoh " king of Egypt made Eliakim king over 
 Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Je- 
 hoiakim." If Pharoah, therefore, made him king, 
 how is it said here, that she, viz. Jerusalem, made 
 him " a young lion," that is, exalted him to kingly 
 dignit)' ? The answer is, that Pharaoh did it not by 
 force, but by the joint consent of the people : Jeru- 
 salem's concurrence was in this work ; the prophet 
 saith, she " made him a young lion." You may 
 find it frequent in the historical books, that the 
 people did elect and set up their kings. 2 Chron. 
 xxxvi. 1, the people made Jehoahaz king; 1 Kings 
 xxi. 24, the people made Josiah king; they made 
 Omri kin^, 1 Kings xvi. 16; they made Jeroboam 
 king, 1 Kings xii. 20 ; they made David king, 
 1 Chron. xii. 38 ; they made Saul king, 1 Sam. xi. 
 15; they m.ade Jcphthah head, Judg. xi. 11. God 
 himself, when he commended a king unto them, 
 would have their consent and concurrence in it, 
 Deut. xvii. 14, 15. There is an essential and funda- 
 mental right in the people to choose and set up them 
 who are to rule over them ; therefore they are called 
 avdpujTrivri KTLr'ii;, 1 Pet. ii. 13, the ordinance of a 
 man, or a human creation. 
 
 Ver. 6. " He went up and down among the lions." 
 Being advanced to princely state, here his carriage 
 is set out : he conversed with lions, that is, with 
 wicked men who had lionish dispositions, who were 
 stern, covetous, crafty, and cruel ; the king of Egypt, 
 the king of Babylon, the princes about him in the 
 bordering countries ; they were lions, and he went 
 up and down amongst them, their counsels he took, 
 their manners, fashions, customs he learned, their 
 steps he trod in, 8cc. 
 
 " Became a young lion." That is, had the nature, 
 properties, and qualities of a young lion ; of which 
 you heard before. 
 
 "Learned to catch the prey." Hebrew is, to 
 prey the prey. The word tina is that which wild 
 beasts, hunting, do get and feed upon, from liD to 
 catch and tear with the teeth, and is applied here 
 unto kings, who are metaphorical lions ; and what- 
 ever they can get, catch, tiar and rend from others, 
 that is their prey, that they feed upon. Psal. Ixxvi. 
 4, there is mention of " mountains of prey," which 
 are the kingdoms of this world. Thi-y are like 
 mountains, where wild beasts are, which prey upon 
 what is thereon, or thereabouts ; and so kingdoms 
 have wild beasts in them, which prey upon those 
 who are in their kingdoms. 
 
 " Devoured men." Septuagint, urBponrnQ ifayt, eat 
 men. This young lion fed upon men. The Hebrew- 
 is, man, in the singular number, but hath the force 
 of a plural, and so is rendered. This devouring of 
 men was by taking away their estates, liberties, 
 limbs, lives. Jehoiakim was very covetous and 
 very cruel. Jeremiah, chap. xxii. 17, speaking of 
 him, he saith, " Thine eyes and thine heart are not 
 but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent 
 blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do il ;' 
 his eyes and heart were set upcn nothing else but 
 catching the prey, and devouring of men. 2 Kings 
 xxiii. 35, " He exacted silver and gold of the people 
 of the land;" Pharaoh, that Egyptian lion, com-
 
 474 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIX. 
 
 manded him to tax the land : he yields to Pharaoh, 
 taxes and exacts upon the people. It is not impro- 
 bable that he was perfidious, bloody, and cruel to- 
 wards the Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites, who 
 infested him, 2 Kings xxiv. 2, and interpreters say 
 he slew the prophets. 
 
 Ver. 7- " And he knew their desolate palaces." 
 Hebrew is, vrucSs yTi which !Montanus renders, 
 cognovit vidiias ejus, he knew their widows ; the 
 Hebrew, pijcSn y^ is so translated, Psal. Ixviii. 
 5, " A father of the fatherless, and a judge of 
 widows, is God :" so it should be ; the word is atma- 
 7iot/i, widows. But in Isa. xiii. 22, it is used for de- 
 solate palaces ; " And wild beasts of the islands shall 
 cry in their desolate houses." If we take the word 
 for " widows," and so the old translation hath it, the 
 sense is, That Jehoiakim defiled the widows, whose 
 chastity he ought to have preserved; he wronged 
 them greatly, by devouring their husbands and defil- 
 ing their bodies. Or thus : 'When their husbands 
 were put to death, and estates unjustly taken away, 
 the widows came petitioning for relief; whereupon 
 he knew them ; but was so hard-hearted, as that he 
 was not moved with their tears, cries, requests, or 
 complaints. If we take it for "desolate palaces," as 
 it is here, the interpretation is, That have deprived 
 the palaces of their husbands, their owners and in- 
 habitants, and made them widows ; he did confiscate 
 them to his own treasury, he challenged them to be 
 his. Having unjustly devoured the men, he thought 
 he might justly devour their palaces ; he knew their 
 palaces, and took possession of them. 
 
 " He laid waste their cities." He made their cities 
 to be waste, desolate, or dried up, as the word im- 
 ports. As the sun dries up ponds, brooks, or scinie 
 diversion draws away the water, that they are void, 
 empty, so did this king, by his taxes and impusitiuns, 
 draw away their estates, and dry up trading : or, he 
 did those things which caused their cities to be laid 
 waste ; he provoked God and men against himself 
 and them, by his tyranny and cruelty ; he caused 
 many to fall, many to flee, and forsake their habitation, 
 so that the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof 
 
 " By the noise of his roaring." Heljrew, by the 
 voice of his roaring, jsttf is, to roar, as lions do; 
 yea, it is proper to lions, but is metaphorically given 
 to min, as here. The roaring of lions is very terri- 
 ble : Prov. xix. 12, " The king's wrath is as the roar- 
 ing of a lion." When the lion roars, it troubles all 
 the beasts of the forest and mountains ; and when 
 kings in their wTath roar, and send out their com- 
 mands, edicts, Sec. they trouble and make desolate 
 families, cities, lands. 
 
 Ver. 8. " The nations set against him on every 
 side." His wickedness and tyranny was such, as 
 that all the nations were provoked against him, and 
 contributed their help to take this young lion. The 
 original is, the nations gave upon him ; they gave 
 their judgments upon him, that he was not fit to 
 range, ramp, and roar any longer. Vulgate reads it, 
 convirtermit, they came together, took counsel, re- 
 solved to hunt and take this wild beast. 
 
 " From the provinces." What pro\'inces these 
 were you may see, 2 Kings xxiv. 2 : the Chaldeans, 
 Syrians, Moabites, Ammonites, these all called upon 
 and called out one another, to hunt this lion, and to 
 take him. 
 
 " And spread their net over him." Hebrew for 
 net is, m which is either from tf-i> to possess, 
 because a net holds in possession what it catcheth, 
 or from m to make poor, because a net deprives of 
 liberty, and oft of life. Tliese hunters prepared a 
 net strong enough to hold this lion, and they spread 
 it out for him. 
 
 " He was tskcn in their pit." Of these words 
 were spoken, ver. 4. 
 
 Ver. 9. " And they put him in ward." Hebrew, 
 they put him into safe custody, into some prison; 
 they shut liim up, that he might not escape, and be 
 as a lion among the people any more ; they put 
 chains upon him, an iron collar, or about his neck a 
 chain, and brought him to the king of Babylon. 
 They did not carry him into Babylon, some think ; 
 for, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 6, Nebuchadnezzar king of Ba- 
 bylon came up against him, and bound him in chains 
 or fetters, to carry him to Babylon ; but that he did 
 carry him thither, or .send him back, having rebelled 
 against him, 2 Kings xxiv. 1, doth not appear, nei- 
 ther is probable. That which makes most for this 
 opinion, is what vou have in Jer. xxii. 19, " He shall 
 be buried with the burial of an ass," drawn and cast 
 forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem. These words 
 induce some to believe, that either he went not to 
 Babylon, or, if he did, that he returned, that Jere- 
 miah's prophecy might be made good; and if that 
 were so, how is it true here, " that his voice may be 
 heard no more ujion the mountains of Israel?" 
 
 To clear this doubt and difficulty, it is most pro- 
 bable that Jehoiakim was carried to Babylon ; for 
 that in 2 Chron. xxxvi. 6, of Nebuchadnezzar coming 
 uj) against him, is to be understood of his forces, 
 rather than his person ; and in 2 Kings xxiv. 2, it is 
 said, " bands of the Chaldees," not Nebuchadnezzar 
 himself: our prophet also saith, " they brought him 
 to the king of Babylon." And whereas some affirm 
 he died by the way, (being led in a disgraceful man- 
 ner, like a wild beast, with an iron collar about his 
 neck, and a chain fastened thereunto,) how suits it 
 with what is recorded, " They brought him to the 
 king of Babylon : they brought him into holds?" 
 That was, saith Piscator, into the city of Babylon, 
 which was full of strong holds; and being there 
 shut up till his death, " his voice was no more heard 
 on the mountains of Israel." 
 
 For that in Jeremiah, it is a mistake to conceive 
 the prophet meant that Jehoiakim should die in 
 Jerusalem, be drawn up and down the streets thereof, 
 and be cast out at the gates thereof. The words are, 
 " he shall be cast forth beyond the gates of Jer\isa- 
 lem ;" that is, beyond the bounds and limits which 
 belong to Jerusalem. Dying, or being slain, in Ba- 
 bylon, he was cast out, and judged unworthy of 
 burial, his carcass lay like an ass, to be meat for the 
 beasts of the earth and fowls of heaven, 'o be subject 
 to all wind and weather : Jer. xxxvi. 30, " His dead 
 body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in 
 the night to the frost." 
 
 Though two wheljis only be here spoken of, yet I 
 make no doubt but that the other two also, Jehoia- 
 chin and Zedekiah, are intended, who were caught 
 and carried away, " that their voices might no more 
 be heard ujion the mountains of Israel." 
 
 Obx. 1. The hopes of the wicked are not long- 
 lived, they are soon dashed and disappointed. 
 " When she saw she had waited, and her hope was 
 lost :" she promised nnich to herself, expected nuich 
 from F/gypt, and from Jehoahaz ; but all was in 
 vain, no relief came thence. Prov. xi. 7, " The hope 
 of unjust men perisheth," and that easily and sjieed- 
 ily. Job viii. 14, it is likened to a spider's web or 
 house, a little thing; a brsom sweeps away the house 
 and inhabitant together, and that in a moment : such 
 is the hope of wicked mtn, it is suddenly and easily 
 ruined. Had not they great hopjcs that were before 
 Dublin ? did they not think to take it and triumph 
 in it ? but I may say of them as Ambrose did of 
 wicked men. They came, they went, they stood stiU, 
 they vanished. God hath cut down their hopes, and
 
 Ver. 1—9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 475 
 
 many of them, the spider and her web, are gone to- 
 gether ; they may say, the Lord " hath destroyed us 
 on eveiy side, and our hope hath he removed like a 
 tree," Jobxix. 10. There is a difTercnce between the 
 hopes of the righteous and those of the wicked : Prov. 
 X. 28, " The hope of the rigliteous shall be gladness : 
 but the expectation of the wicked shall perish." 
 
 06»-. 2. Corrupt states are so affected with and 
 addicted to tlieir princes, that they will set them up, 
 liave them rule over them, though it be to their own 
 ruin, and ruin of the state also. Jerusalem, the 
 lioness, sets " up another of her whelps, and makes 
 it a young lion;" she put this whelp into the royal 
 seat, and stirred him up to do lion-like, such things 
 as did undo himself and Jerusalem also. She learned 
 nothing by the loss of her former whelp, but pro- 
 ceeds in her old way, and would have lions, tyrants 
 to be over her ; she, being a lioness very corrupt and 
 wicked, couples with that Egyptian lion Pharaoh, 
 and brings forth, advances a lion like themselves. 
 
 The over-much love of states, of mothers to their 
 children, is the undoing of them ; they set them up 
 who tear out their own bowels. When an astrologer 
 told Agrippina that Nero her son should be emperor, 
 but withal that he should kill his own mother ; what 
 said she ? even like a fond and foolish woman. So 
 he may reign, I care not, though he be my ruin. 
 The men of Shechem made Abimelech king; but he 
 proved not only a bramble, to scratch them, but a 
 tierce and fiery lion to consume them. Mothers had 
 need consider the temper of their sons, and how they 
 advance them ; and states, whom they set over them, 
 lest they become lions unto them. 
 
 Obs. 3. Such as men live amongst and converse 
 withal, such they prove. " He went up and down 
 among the lions, and became a lion :" those lions 
 he conversed with, talked of enriching themselves, 
 by laying taxes, rates, and burdens upon the people, 
 by taking them out of the way who should oppose, 
 of making themselves great, of having their wills, 
 and ruling by prerogative ; and these things, and 
 such like, were soon learned by this whelp. When 
 Nebuchadnezzar was among beasts, he became 
 brutish, and did as they did. Plutarch reports of a 
 woman brought to a serpentine and poisonous nature 
 by feeding on serpents ordinarily ; and those who 
 converse with a generation of vipers, will prove 
 viperous ; those who converse with lions will prove 
 lionish. Ill company is the Delilah that bewitches, 
 defiles, undoes many in their estates, names, bodies, 
 and souls. Men that have infectious diseases you 
 will not come near; you love your bodies, your lives. 
 Wicked company have infectious vices ; come not 
 near them, neither yourselves nor your children, love 
 your souls and theirs too. If you sulTer your chil- 
 dren to be among lions, among wicked ones, they 
 will learn their manners; and those who will not 
 leave ill company, it is a thousand to one they will 
 lose their souls. Be choice of your company; it is 
 the making or marring of young ones. Many are 
 clioice in their diet, in tlieir apparel, choice in every 
 tiling they buy, yet have no care of company. Will 
 you not admit a foul dish to come to your table ? and 
 will you admit foul and vicious ones to be your com- 
 panions ? We should touch no unclean thing. Ill 
 company is pitch, it is poison. David knew it, 
 therefore said, " Depart from me, all ye workers of 
 iniquitv," Psal. vi. 8 ; and, " I am a companion of 
 all them that fear thee," Psal. cxix. 63. 
 
 Obs. 4. They who converse willi wicked ones do 
 not only become wicked, but many times they prove 
 eminently wicked ; they are skilful in wickedness, 
 they exceed their teachers. Jehoiakim, by his con- 
 verse with lions, became not onlv a lion to catch the 
 
 prey, but such an one as devoured men, defiled 
 widows, made desolate palaces, laid waste cities, and 
 the land also. He tyrannized so, that he went be- 
 yond otiier tyrants ; he was an inventor of wicked- 
 ness, and profited above others in his way, and came 
 to a perfection of iniquity. It is incident to man's 
 nature to outstrip one the other, if not in good, yet 
 especially in evil. It is said of this Jelioiakim, 
 2 Kings xxiii. 37, " He did that which was evil in 
 the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers 
 had done :" take any, or all his predecessors, he did 
 evil according to all they did. 
 
 Obs. 5. Tyranny is hateful unto heathens. "Then 
 the nations set against him on every side." Jehoia- 
 kim was such a roaring lion, that the heathens could 
 not endure him ; he spoiled their palaces, cities, 
 land, so witli his tyrannical proceedings, that he be- 
 came hateful to all round about him. Doubtless the 
 princes of the nations were tyrannous themselves ; 
 yet this man, being a prince of Israel, exceeded so 
 in his tyrannical practices, that he incurred the dis- 
 pleasure and hab-ed of them all. Tyranny is con- 
 trary to humanity. Tyrants cease to be men, and 
 become beasts ; therefore here are called lions, and 
 are ranked amongst wild, savage creatures, which 
 none can endure. When there are wild beasts in a 
 land, all are against them, and often there is a mu- 
 tual agreement and concurrence of all sorts to destroy 
 them, being destructive to the public. So was it here ; 
 the nations agreed to hunt and take this lion, which 
 roared, preyed, spoiled, and did so much mischief. 
 
 Obs. (i. God hath times, means, ways to catch lions, 
 to deal with covetous, cruel, and bloody men. " Then 
 the nations set against him on every side." When 
 Jehoiakim made desolate the palaces, wasted the 
 cities and land, became a terror to all ; then the 
 Lord stirred up the nations ; they were his net, his 
 pit, his instruments he used to take this lion witlial. 
 When wicked men, tyrannical spirits, are at their 
 height, have filled a land with confusion, oppression, 
 desolation, and bloody doings, through their roar- 
 ings and tearings, then the Lord appears, roars like 
 a lion against them, and sets his agents on work to 
 catch those roaring and ramping licms ; he wants not 
 means to take them, he is richly stared and provided 
 that way ; he hath the nations at command, and 
 can call them forth, set them on to hunt lions when 
 he please. Jer. li. 27 — 29, " Blow the trumpet 
 among the nations, prepare the nations against her," 
 (that is, Babylon and her princes, who were great 
 tyrants,) " call together against her the kingdoms 
 of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz ; appoint a captain 
 against her ; cause the horses to come up as the 
 rough caterpillars. Prepare against her the nations 
 with the king of the Medes, the captains thereof," &c. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar was a crafty, cruel, and bloody 
 lion, and so were the whelps that came of him and 
 after him, but the Lord had a time and means to 
 catch those lions and whelps. Jer. 1. 9, " I will raise 
 and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly 
 of great nations from the north country." Great lions 
 must have great nets, great pits, great doings to take 
 them ; God would bring an assembly of great nations. 
 
 Obs. 7- Tvrannical princes arc not of long continu- 
 ance ; usually they are sliort-lived ; either they lose 
 their power, or their power and lives both. Je- 
 hoiakim roared and played the lion eleven years, and 
 then he was taken in tlie pit of the nations, and lost 
 his power. So Jehoahaz before him, he tyrannized 
 three months, and then was taken. In 2 Kings xv. 
 you may read of four lions which roared, but their 
 roaring quickly hastened their ruin. Zicliariah 
 lionized it six months, Shallum one month, Peka- 
 I hiah two years, and Pekah twenty years, and then
 
 47G 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIX. 
 
 they were cut ofT. WHien potentates oppress, tyran- 
 nize, theii- ruin is at hand. God hath said, " Bloody 
 meu shall not live out half their days," Psal. Iv. 23, 
 and he makes it good ; " He cuts ofi" the spirit of 
 princes ; and is terrible to the kings of the earth," 
 Psal. Ixxvi. 12. Stories will tell you what quick 
 despatch hath been made of tyrai-.ts. 
 
 Ubti. 8. Eminent wickedness briigs eminent judg- 
 ments. Both Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim exceeded in 
 ■tt-ickedness, and their judgments were answerable, 
 they were chained, carried into strange lands, put into 
 strong holds. Abimelech murdered seventy of his 
 brethren, that he might get to the llirone ; but a 
 woman cast a piece of a millstone upon his head, 
 brake his skull, and manifested the just hand of God 
 upon him, Judg. ix. 5, 5j, J6. Jezebel and Ahab 
 were eminently wicked, and God's hand was upon 
 them both in an eminent manner, 1 Kings xxii. ; 
 2 Kings ix. 
 
 Kichard the third obtained the crown by the mur- 
 der of his nephews ; and having tyrannized two 
 years, two months, and one day, he was slain in a 
 battle at Bosworth Field, his naked body was laid 
 upon a horse like a hog or calf, his head, arms hang- 
 ing o:i the one side, and his legs on the other ; and 
 being all besprinkled with mire and blood, he was 
 brought into Leicester, where for two 
 *"" ■ days he lay naked and unburied ; after, 
 his body was buried, but without solemnity, and the 
 stone chest wherein his body lay is since made a 
 drinking trough for horses at a common inn. 
 
 Obs. y. God takes away wicked and tyrannical 
 princes, that it may be well with his people, that 
 Zion may have the benefit of it. Jehoiakim was 
 taken, chained, carried to Babylon, put in strong 
 holds ; and why ? " that his voice shoidd no more 
 be heard upon the mountains of Israel ;" that 
 the people of God might not be terrified with his 
 roarings, nor torn with his teeth, but might enjoy 
 freedom and safety. It is a great mercy when lions 
 are not in a land, nor other hurtful wild beasts ; 
 wdiere such are, there is no dwelling or sleeping in 
 safety ; but God, for the good of his people, destroys 
 or drives out the wild beasts. Ezek. xxxiv. 25, " I 
 will cause the e\dl beasts to cease out of the land ; 
 and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and 
 sleep in the woods." Isa. xxxv. 9, "No lion shall 
 be there." 
 
 Ill the primitive days were many lions, and they 
 roared terribly upon the mountains of Israel ; they 
 scattered, tore, and devoured the flocks of the Lord 
 which were feeding upon those mountains ; but the 
 Lord hunted those lions into pits, and took them 
 away for his flock's sake. 
 
 Sennacherib with a great army comes up to the 
 gates of Jerusalem, roars upon the mountains about 
 it, tills all with fear ; but the Lord sends a destroying 
 angel that slew his army, and caused that lion to 
 flee, that " his voice might be heard no more upon 
 the mountains." 
 
 Ver. 10 — 14. Thi/ innther is like a fine in thy 
 hlfjncl. jilanted h}j the waters : she wasfniitful and 
 J'u/I nf //ranches hi/ reason nfmany ivaters. And 
 she had strotiir i-nds for the sceptres of them that 
 bare rule, and her stature teas ej'nltitd among the 
 thick branches, and she appeared in her height 
 irilli the multitude of her branches. But she was 
 plucked tip in fury, she teas cast dotcn to the 
 ground, and the east nnnd dried up her fruit : her 
 strong rods were broken and u'ithered ; the fire 
 consumed them. And now she is planted in the 
 wilderness, tn a dry and thirsty ground. And 
 
 fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, whicli 
 hath deroured her fruit, so that she hath no strong 
 rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamenta- 
 tion, and shall be for a lamentation. 
 
 In these verses is laid down the second general 
 part of the chapiter, viz. the lamentation for Jerusalem, 
 or the kingdom of Judah under the parabolical re- 
 presentation of a vine. We may here consider, 
 
 I. The state of this vine, as it was in Jehoiachin's, 
 and especially in Zedekiah's days, ver. 10, 11. 
 
 II. The misery which befell it, ver. 12, l4. 
 
 III. The transplantation of it, ver. 13. 
 
 The words must be opened, and then the observa- 
 tions shall be given in. 
 
 " Thy mother." That is, Jerusalem, or the king- 
 dom of Judah, which was the mother of princes. 
 " Thy mother," O Jehoiachin : he had spoken before 
 to Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim rs whelps of this mother 
 under the notion of a lioness ; now he comes to speak 
 of Jehoiachin and Zedekiah, as branches of this 
 mother, under the notion of a vine. 
 
 " Is like a vine." Frequently doth the Spirit of 
 God resemble Israel and Judah to a vine, as Isa. 
 xxvii. 2; v. 2; iii. 14; Psal. Ixxx. 8, 14, 17. Jeru- 
 salem or the kingdom of Judah is likened to a vine, 
 
 1. For the excellency or choiceness of it. Vines 
 are noble, choice, and excellent plants ; so this king- 
 dom was a noble vine, Jer. ii. 21, a choice vine, Isa. 
 V. 2 ; and, Psal. Ixxviii. 67, 68, " He refused the ta- 
 bernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of 
 Ephraim ; but chose the tribe of Judah." 
 
 2. Because the vine spreads and extends itself far. 
 Psal. Ixxx. 9 — II, the Jewish vine filled the land, 
 and covered the hills, it extended far. This is one 
 thing chiefly intended here ; for after Jehoiakim 
 and Jehoahaz, two roaring lions, which laid all 
 waste, were taken and carried to Egypt and Baby- 
 lon, in the days of Zedekiah this vine did flourish 
 and spread : Ezek. xvii. 6, " It grew and became a 
 spreading vine," &c. ; it grew in wealth, in power, 
 in glory. 
 
 3. Because vines are fruitful things, no tree, no 
 plant like them: Psal. cxxviii. 3, "Thy wife shall 
 be as a fruitful vine." Vines are fruitful in branches, 
 in leaves, in clusters. This kingdom had princes 
 and nobles, and Zedekiah divers sons, 2 Kings 
 XXV. 7. 
 
 " In thy blood." These words are variously ren- 
 dered by those who touch or treat upon them. The 
 Septuagint is, wg dvQoc, iv poa or poaf, as the flower of 
 a pomegranate or peach ; thy mother is ruddy and 
 comely as the flowers of those trees are. But the 
 Hebrew bears not this sense ; the word is -icia if 
 we take the word for quiet and silence, the sense 
 is this ; The kingdom flourished and prospered like 
 a vine, while Jehoiachin and Zedekiah were quiet, 
 and did not roar and raven as their predecessors did. 
 Vines torn, cut down in time of war, do grow again 
 and flourish in times of peace. If we read the word, 
 in thy likeness, or, in the likeness of thee, the mean- 
 ing may be, Thou, O Zedekiah, art a king, but low 
 and mean in comparison of other kings that were be- 
 fore, as Asa and Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah ; 
 and thy mother is like unto thee: Jerusalem and 
 Judah flourish not as in former days, but are low and 
 liltle ; according to that in Ezek. xvii. 6, " It grew, 
 and became a spreading vine of low stature : " he 
 speaks there of Zedekiah and the kingdom in 
 his days. 
 
 But seeing t'ne words are in our translation " in thy 
 blood," and the original bears it so, it is flt to in- 
 quire what sense the words so taken may bear. 
 Thou camest of kings, princes, and nobles, Ihcy were
 
 Ver. 10—14. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 ^n 
 
 tliy progenitors ; and in production of them, Jerusa- 
 lem, " thy mother, is like a vine in thy blood." It is 
 usual by blood to note the stock, race, and house 
 that men come of. Or, " Thy mother is like a vine 
 in thy blood," that is, in thy seed and issue ; thou 
 hast a numerous issue, and this renders thy mother 
 like a vine, a generous vine, bringing forth noble 
 plants. Some think by '-blood" is meant saccus, 
 robitr ; and then the sense may be this. Thy mother 
 is like a vine upheld by thy influence and strength ; 
 thou and thy sons support this feeble kingdom. 
 
 " Planted by the waters." In hot countries they 
 wire careful to plant their trees and vines where 
 they might not want water. Canaan was a hilly 
 country, yet full of water; Ueut. viii. 7, it was "a 
 land of brooks of water," of fountains and depths that 
 spring out of vail, ys and hills ; and their vines 
 planted by the vvat. rs could not want moisture, 
 though the heat was great there. Nebuchadnezzar 
 planted Zedekiah among the poor; he carried away 
 with Jehoiachin the princes, nobles, and chief of the 
 land, 2 Kings xxiv. 14, where it is .said, "none 
 remained save the poorest sort," and those were the 
 waters this vine was planted amongst and by ; chap, 
 xvii. 5, 8, they are called " great waters," and here, 
 " many w-aters." 
 
 " She was fruitful." After the great waste, spoil, 
 made in the palaces, cities, and land by the tyranny 
 of those two lions, Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, this 
 metaphorical vine did flourish and become fruitful. 
 In chap. xvii. 8, it is said, "it was planted in a good 
 soil by great waters, thr.t it might bring forth 
 branches, and that it mi^ht bear fruit;" and here it 
 is said, " she was fruitful and full of branches." She 
 brought forth snch_as had been carried away; those 
 branches that were plucked oft', grew again ; smiths, 
 craftsmen, soldiers, mighty men of valour, nobles, 
 princes, counsellors, and such like ; the palaces were 
 frequented, the cities rebuilt, the land tilled, the 
 vines dressed. 
 
 " By reason of many waters." By waters here we 
 may well understand the mercies and blessings of 
 God upon this kingdom : for as God himself is a 
 " fountain of living waters," Jcr. ii. 13, .so his bless- 
 ings, mercies are called waters : Isa. xxvii. 3, speak- 
 ing of his vineyard, he saith, he " will water it every 
 moment," he will continually bless it, and aflbrd it 
 what may do it good. See Isa. Ivii. 18 ; Hos. xiv. 5. 
 Or if we will understand it of the poor Jews who came 
 " out of the waters of Judah," Isa. xlviii. 1, and 
 are called "w-aters," Eceles. xi. 1, it was by virtue of 
 God's blessing upon their labours ; God watered them, 
 they watered the kingdom, so that it became as a 
 flourishing and fruitful vine. 
 
 Ver. 11." And she had strong rods for the sceptres 
 of them that bare rule." Hebrew is, rods of 
 strength ; so the Septuagint, a rod of strength ; 
 others, sound, strong rods, boughs, or branches. It 
 is said of this Jewish vine, Psal. Ixxx. 10, that "the 
 boughs thereof were like goodly cedars." The 
 meaning is, there were in the kingdom of Israel men 
 of great worth and eminence in David's days. Now 
 it had rods of strength, and such rods as were fit to 
 make sceptres of. 
 
 How this suits with what we had in chap. xv. is con- 
 siderable, where it was said, that the vine tree yields 
 not wood fit for any work, no not to make a pin of it 
 to hang any vessel thereupon ; and here it is said, 
 the vine had strong rods for sc( ptres. There he 
 speaks of the material vine, here of a metaphorical 
 vine; there was shown God's re jcction of them, and 
 what the vine was in God's account, here what this 
 vine was fit for in man's account. This kingdom 
 thought every son of Zedekiah, which were the rods 
 
 of strength, being of royal descent, fit and meet to 
 sway sceptres, rule kingdoms; but the Lord thought 
 not so. 
 
 \Ve may by " strong rods" understand not only the 
 royal branches, but also the nobles, judges, coun- 
 sellors, and men of might, w ho were of use and great 
 service to those who did bear rule, and fit to be rulers 
 under these wlio did bear the scejjtre. 
 
 " Her stature was exalted among the thick 
 branches." Hebrew, her stature was lifted up above 
 among the perplexities, contortions, that is, the thick 
 branches. This kingdom, though greatly battered 
 and broken, yet, like a vine, grew up again to a 
 greatness and height ; the people were increased 
 much, and the re)yal family was exalted high. 
 Zedekiah, though he were a wicked king, yet both 
 he and his were magnified by the people ; they were 
 the top branches of the vine. In all states there are 
 some more eminent than others. 
 
 " And she appeared in her height with the multi- 
 tude of her branches." She flourished, spread, mul- 
 tiplied, grew so great and high, that her height and 
 greatness appeared to others. It was evident that 
 God had done much for this kingdom, &c. Thus 
 through the multitude of her branches, and great- 
 ness of her power, wealth, and honour, she became 
 proud, despised others, and so appeared in her 
 height. The words thus taken, correspond with 
 what you have in chap. xvi. 15, "Thou didst trust 
 in thine own beauty." He speaks of Jerusalem un- 
 der the notion of a woman ; she being grown into a 
 kingdom, become great, rich, renowned, she waxed 
 proud, and trusted in her ow n beauty. 
 
 Obs-. 1. That states and kingdoms broken to 
 pieces, ruined in times of war and trouble, do flourish 
 again in times of quiet t.-.d silence. AMien roaring 
 lions are taken away, and men of peaceable and 
 quiet spirits succeed, then the vine grows, then the 
 land prospers, then breaches are repaired, then 
 wastes are built up, &c. Tyranny, oppreseicn, wars 
 pull down, root up, destroy, 2 Chron. xv. 5, C ; but 
 when there is peace and rest, it is otherwise. Chap, 
 xiv. 7) "They built and prospered;" and why.' 
 they had "rest on every side." In storms ard 
 fights ships sufler much in their saiks, masts, tack- 
 lings, often they are greatly broken ; but when the 
 storms and fights are over, then all things are mend- 
 ed and made np again. So when state-storms are 
 over, all things besjin to grow up again, that were 
 broken or trodden down. Peace after war is like 
 spring after a sharp winter, which revives, causeth 
 growth and greenness ; yet know that states ruined 
 by tyranny of princes, by wars, do not suddenly re- 
 cover themselves, or attain to their former greatness 
 and splendour: though Jerusalem became a vine 
 after the roaring and spoil of Jehoiakim, yet she 
 was a " vine of a low stature." Thy mother is a vine 
 in thy likeness : thou artlow, and thy mother is low. 
 
 Ob.s. 2. It is through the mercy, goodness, and 
 blessing of God that wasted kingdoms do become as 
 vines, and flourish again. "Thy mother is like a 
 vine, fruitful and full of branches by reason of m.any 
 waters." God watered the kingdom with blessings ; 
 he gave peace, he gave the poor strength to labour, 
 he rained upon them, and gave sap to the vine, that 
 she was fruitful. When God lays waste his vine- 
 yard, then he commands " the clouds that they rain 
 no rain upon it," Isa. v. 6 ; but w hen he causes it 
 to flourish, then he calls forth the rain, he moistens 
 the spirits of men of all sorts, to contribute their 
 help, thoughts, counsels for the good of a kingdom ; 
 he stirs up the spirits of men to be doing for the 
 public ; he gives people planted by him many waters, 
 many blessings. 'We have been rent, torn, wasted ;
 
 47S 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XIX. 
 
 (ind is beginning to make us as a vine fruitful and 
 full of brauihes ; let us take heed we abuse not our 
 mercies, lest God ib-y up the waters, and so we wither 
 and be utterly laid waste. 
 
 3. Wlien mercies are multiplied, men are apt to 
 abuse them, and swell with the enjoyment of them. 
 This metaphorical vine, the kingdom of Judah, liad 
 " strong rods, her stature was exalted among the 
 thick branches, and she appeared in her height with 
 the multitude of her branches :" she grew up again 
 to a height, greatness; she had a multitude of 
 branches, variety of mercies, and these sweUed her 
 so. that she became proud, insolent, and desjiiscd 
 others. Piosperity is a dangerous thin^:, and hath 
 hazarded many. Isa. xlvii. 5, 7, the Babylonian 
 kingdom was so rich, great, populous, plentiful, that it 
 was called "The lady of kmgdoms," and she herself 
 said, " I shall be a lady for ever ;" she prided herself 
 in her prosperity : so spiritual Babylon; Rev. xviii. 7, 
 " I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no 
 sorrow." She had abundance of blessings and delica- 
 cies, ver. 3, but she glorified herself, not the Lord. 
 When Amaziah had smitten the Edomites, and pros- 
 pered in his undertakings against them, his heart 
 was lifted up, and that unto boasting, as Joash told 
 him, 2 Chron. xxv. 19. After Hezekiah had receiv- 
 ed many mercies, " his heart was lifted up," 2 Chron. 
 xxxii. 23 — 25. Rehoboam, when he was strength- 
 ened in the kingdom, " forsook the law of the Lord, 
 and all Israel with him ;" here was a sad efl'ect of 
 prosperity, 2 Chron. xii. 1. This people were sel- 
 dom the better for mercies and blessings bestowed 
 upon them. Jer. xxii. 21, " I spake unto thee in 
 thy prosperity, but thou saidst, 1 will not hear. This 
 hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou 
 obeyest not my voice." The Hebrew is, in thy pros- 
 perities ; for she had many times of prosperity, and 
 in none of them did she hearken, but grew so wicked 
 that the daughters of the Philistines were ashamed 
 of her lewdness, Samaria and Sodom were less sin- 
 ful, Ezek. xvi. 27, 47. She had forgotten the caution 
 the Lord gave her in the days of her infancy. Dent, 
 viii. 1 1 — 14, " Beware that thou forget not the Lord 
 thy God; lest when thou art full, thy herds. Hocks, 
 silver, gold, and all thou hast is multiplied, then thine 
 heart be lifted uji," Sec. 
 
 Ver. 12. " But she was plucked up in fury." Here 
 he shows the miserable event of this vine ; it was not 
 broken, pruned, cut down, but " plucked up." The 
 Hebrew word signifies to eradicate or pluck up by 
 the roots, as trees and plants are pulled out of the 
 earth, roots and all ; and it is metaphorically applied 
 to other things, as Jer. i. 10, "I have set thee over 
 nations and kingdoms, to root out," that is, to pro- 
 phesy the extirpation of them. 
 
 " In fury." Not in mercy, with a gentle hand, as 
 sometimes the owner or vine-dresser doth, but " in 
 fury." When a vine hath been planted in a good 
 soil, watered, and long waited upon, with expectation 
 of fruit, and yields nothing but leaves, suddenly, and 
 in great displeasure, the master of the vineyard 
 comes, lays hands upon it, puts forth all his strength, 
 and pulls it out of the earth, and saith it shall never 
 cumber the ground longer. 
 
 " She was east down to the ground." Vines 
 are weak things, and have props to support and 
 uphold them, and when they are gone they fall 
 to the ground. The Lord would no longer uphold 
 this vine, this kingdom of Judah, he would withdraw 
 all supporting props it had, pull it up, and cast it 
 down ; as a man doth a dry or barren plant, when 
 he hath pulled it up, he throws it away in anger. 
 God would bring down the exalted stature of this 
 vine to a low condition. 
 
 " The east wind dried up her fruit." Of this east 
 wind was spoken, chap. xvii. 10. East winds are 
 very prejudicial to corn, fruit, and plants, especially 
 to vines ; when east winds blow much upon them, 
 they are barren, and often dried up. These winds 
 are scorching and consuming ; therefore great afHic- 
 tions are called cast winds, Isa. xxvii. 8. This east- 
 ern wind was Nebuchadnezzar with his forces. Ha- 
 bakkuk mentions him and his army under this notion 
 of an eastern wind, chap. i. 9, " They shall come all 
 for violence ; their faces shall sup up as the east 
 wind." This wind hath a sucking virtue in it; the 
 water, the moisture of the earth, the juice of trees 
 and plants, are supped up by it, so that it leaves 
 things dry and withered ; so should the Chaldeans 
 suck up and devour all the pleasant things of this 
 kingdom, all the fruit of this vine, from the highest 
 branch to the lowest. 
 
 " Her strong rods were broken and withered." 
 Montanus reads the words thus. They are broken and 
 withered, and leaves the other words to be joined 
 with what follows, thus. The rod of her strength the 
 fire hath consumed it ; and so Lavater. But others 
 read the words as you have them : and which way 
 soever you read them, there is no considerable dif- 
 ference therein. The Hebrew is in the singular 
 number, which frequently in the holy language is 
 put for the plural. The rods of strength on this 
 vine were notonly Zedekiah's sons, but all the prin- 
 cipal young men, who were full of blood and spirits, 
 as the chief branches in a vine are full of juice. 
 Yea, all that had places of power and trust, and were 
 sujiporting strength to this vine, did Nebuchadnez- 
 zar by his forces pluck away, break in pieces, and 
 make to wither. Break oil the strongest part of a 
 vine, the strongest rod upon it, and throw it aside, it 
 quickly dries up ; so these being pulled from their 
 places, stripped of their wealth and power, withered. 
 
 " The fire consumed them." When the branches, 
 the strong rods of a vine, are plucked olTand wither- 
 ed, they are fit for the fire, and that consumes them: 
 these strong rods and branches the fire consumed. 
 This fire was the fire of God's wrath ; the coals 
 which the man clothed in linen scattered over the 
 city, chap. x. 2. Jerusalem, with all the precious 
 and pleasant things in it, was burnt with fire, 
 2 Kings xxv. 9. By the Babylonish army the walls 
 were broken down, the land laid waste, and all con- 
 siderable things and persons carried away. Tlius 
 was this Jewish vine, which had been planted 
 by God's hand in a good ground, plucked up again 
 by him in fury. 
 
 Ver. 13. " And now she is planted in the wilder- 
 ni ss." This wilderness was Babylon, which was a 
 fruitful, pleasant, and well watered country; the 
 city and land were the " glory of kingdoms," Isa. xiii. 
 19. It had variety of rivers; Psal. cxxxvii. 1, " By 
 the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down." Some 
 write of it, that it yields two hundred, yea, in the most 
 fertile parts of it, three hundredfold increase ; that it 
 abounds with dates, whereof they make honey and 
 wine. Now if this were the nature of the country, 
 how is it here called a wilderness ? It is so called 
 not in respect of itself, but in reference to the Jews, 
 who being captives therein, were as in a wilderness. 
 
 In a wilderness, 1. A man is destitute of all com- 
 forts ; 2. Exposed to many dangers. So were the 
 Jews in Babylon. 
 
 1. They were destitute of comforts. They came 
 naked into Babylon, where they were amongst a 
 people of a barbarous and unknown tongue, that knew 
 nothing of God ; there they had no form of a church 
 or state j they had no life, but were as dry bones, 
 Ezek. xxxvii. 11. There they were captives; Baby-
 
 Ver. 10—14. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 479 
 
 Ion was a prison unto them, and prisons of what 
 kind soever are not pleasing. Prisoners endure 
 much hunger and thirst, and doubtless so did the 
 Jews in Babylon. Though there were plenty, yet 
 they had little enough, and therefore it was " a dry 
 and thirsty land" to them. 
 
 2. They were exposed to many dangers, being 
 amongst them that mocked and hated them. The 
 Babylonians were " bitter and hasty, terrible and 
 dreadful," Hab. i. 6, 7. They were like wild beasts 
 in the wilderness, and sought, upon all occasions, to 
 make a prey of the poor captived Jews. They got 
 the three children into the fiery furnace, Daniel into 
 llie lions' den, and Haman attempted the total ruin 
 of them. 
 
 " She is planted." Before, in ver. 12, it is said, 
 " the tire consumed them :" what is consumed in the 
 fire is burnt to ashes, and how then can that be 
 planted? He doth not say the whole vine was burnt, 
 but her "strong rods" were broken off and burnt; 
 some were burnt and consumed by famine, some by 
 the plague, some by the sword: 2 Chron. xxxvi. if, 
 " The king of the Chaldees slew their young men 
 with the sword," but " they that escaped the sword 
 he carried away to Babylon, where they were ser- 
 vants to him and his sons," ver. 20. 
 
 If it should be granted that the whole vine was 
 dried up, withered, and burnt to ashes, yet these 
 words may bear a good and sound sense, viz. thus, 
 they may be understood of Jehoiachin and those that 
 were with him in Babylon at that time when they 
 were spoken ; for the words run in the present tense, 
 " she is planted," not, she shall be planted ; for 
 Zedekiah and those that escaped the sword were 
 carried after this prophecy to Babylon. 
 
 Ver. 14. " And lire is gone out of a rod of her 
 branches." What this rod was, and the fire that 
 went out of it, is fit to inquire. I will not say that 
 Ishmael was the rod, and the fire that went out of it the 
 destruction of GedaHah, whom the king of Babylon 
 had left governor over the land, and this Ishiiiael 
 sh-w, 2 Kings XXV. 25 ; Jer. xli. 1 — 3, with many 
 others : but rather conceive Zedekiah to be this rod, 
 who being of the royal family, was a principal rod 
 of this vine ; and the fire which went out of this rod 
 was his rebellion against the king of Babylon, who 
 had set him up upon the throne of Judah ; for this 
 act of his stirred up Nebuchadnezzar to come and 
 lay all waste, 2 Kings xxiv. 20 ; xxv. 1 — 1 1 ; 2 Chron. 
 xxxvi. 13, 17; Jer. lii. 3, 4. So that Zedekiah was 
 a fire and cause of destruction, he did that which 
 brought fire and destruction upon this vine. 
 
 " VVhich hath devoured her fruit." The fire 
 caused by him did devour the young men, maidens, 
 old men, the vessels of the sanctuary, the treasure of 
 the Lord's house, and the treasure of the king and 
 princes, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 17 — I'J. 
 
 " So that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre 
 to rule." The meaning is, that this vine was so 
 ruined, that there was none left to bear rule. Zede- 
 kiah's sons were slain, and the princes of Judah, Jer. 
 lii. 10; yet not all, for it is said, 2 Kings xxv. 25, 
 that Ishmael was of the seed royal, or of the king- 
 dom ; and Jer. xli. 1, that " the princes of the king, 
 even ten men," that is, those princes or nobles who 
 had escaped, joined with Ishmael in the murdering 
 of Gedaliah ; but these and others which had some 
 small power were glad to fiee, some to the Ammon- 
 ites, some to Egypt, for fear, as appears in Jer. xli. 
 and 2 Kings xxv. 2(j. None of them were able to 
 raise up the kingdom again ; now the kingly power 
 was taken from them, and expired in Zedekiah. His 
 daughters were left in the custody of Gedaliah ; but 
 it w as not for women to sit upon the throne of Judah. 
 
 The kings and kingdom of Judah were swallowed 
 up in the Babylonish captivity ; for afterwards they 
 had no kings, but governors, Haggai ii. 2. And 
 Paul called their state not a kingdom, but " the 
 commonwealth of Israel," Eph. ii. 12. So that in 
 this sense also, she was " planted in a wilderness, 
 in a dry and thirsty land;" she had not virtue, 
 power, strength, to bring forth any rods for kingly 
 government. 
 
 The sceptre seemed now to be departed from Ju- 
 dah, there being no strong rod to be a sceptre to 
 rule. Now there was no king in Israel, nor any 
 more to be. True, it seemed so, but it was not so ; 
 for though Zedekiah and his seed were cut off, yet 
 the Lord had an eye to his promise, remembered the 
 covenant with David, Psal. Ixxxix. 34— 3(5, and 
 showed his faithfulness ; for he thought upon Jehoi- 
 achin or Jechonias, from whom as a dry root sprouted 
 Salathiel, and Zorobabel, who brought them out of 
 Babylon, and was ruler over this people ; and so in 
 him, his, and the high priests after him, was the 
 power of the sceptre contmued till Christ came. 
 
 The promise was not that there should be kings 
 always of the tribe of Judah, but that ruling power 
 should be in that tribe of one kind or other, which 
 was made good. 
 
 " This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lament- 
 ation." This prophecy is matter of mourning to me 
 at present; to hear and speak of such sad things 
 coming upon Judah and Jerusalem " is a lament- 
 ation," and when they shall be accomplished, they 
 will be " for a lamentation" to posterity; they will 
 lament for the princes of Israel, for Jerusalem, for 
 the temple, and for this vine plucked up by the roots. 
 
 Obi: I. God lays waste, destroys flourishing and 
 potent kingdoms when they provoke him by their 
 sinful and grievous courses. This kingdom of Judah 
 did flourish like a vine, had many branches, strong 
 rods, much wealth and power ; but it trespassed 
 grievously, Ezck. xiv. 13, and here God plucks it up 
 in fury, he spares neither branches, body, nor roots. 
 The quiet, happiness, and flourishing condition of 
 earthly kingdoms is not perpetual, God hath ways 
 to weaken them, to ruin and root them up ; by the 
 Egyptians he lopped this vine, and by the Babylo- 
 nians he pulled it up; see 2 Kings xxv. 11 ; Jer. lii. 
 15. God had threatened oft before to pluck up and 
 root them out, if they provoked him by their diso- 
 bedience, Dei-t. xxviii. 25, 48, 63; 1 Kings xiv. 15: 
 2 Chron. vii. 20, " I will pluck them up by the roots 
 out of my land which I have given them." " I will 
 pluck up even this whole land," Jer. xiv. 4. God 
 made good his word, he plucked them up ; though the 
 house of Israel had been his vineyard, and the men 
 of Judah his pleasant plant, Isa. v. 7. If nations 
 would flourish like vines, and continue in a flourish- 
 ing condition, they must not provoke the Lord to 
 fury, but bring forth fruit answerable to mercies 
 given in, answerable to the soil they are planted in, 
 the waters they are planted by, the digging, dunging, 
 pruning, hedging, and shining upon they have had ; 
 if not, but bring forth sour grapes, injustice, oppres- 
 sion, profaneness, hear what is said, Psal. cvii. 34, 
 " He turneth a fruitfiU land into barrenness, for the 
 wickedness of them that dwell therein ;" yea, he 
 drives out princes for their wickedness, Ezck. xxxi. 
 1 1 ; and men cannot be established thereby, Prov. 
 xii. 4. It is " righteousness exalteth a nation ; but 
 sin is a reproach to any people," Prov. xiv. 34 ; and 
 though they may prosper a while, be like vines, yet 
 God plucks them up at last, and that in fury. 
 
 Obs. 2. When God is in his fury, yet he shows some 
 mercy. Although he plucked up this vine, threw 
 her down to the ground, dried up her fruit by an east
 
 480 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 wind, brake off her strong rods, consumed them in 
 the fire ; yet something of this vine he spared and 
 plaiittd in the wilderness, the body and some 
 branches of it were carried to Babylon, and set there, 
 which was mercy. God might have burned them all 
 in his fury and tire of his indignation ; but in wrath 
 he reniembcrti mercy ; though he let out much wrath, 
 niucli fury, yet he lets out some mercy. When Pha- 
 raoh pillaged this vine, plucked off the jirincipal 
 branch, yet some mercy was shown, Jehoiakim was 
 planted in his room; when Nebuchadnezzar took 
 him away, Jehoiachin was set up, which was mercy; 
 and when both Jehoiachin and Zedekiah were pluck- 
 ed away, yet here was mercy, some were planted in 
 Babylon. The Lord let not out all his wrath at any 
 time against them, but, as Isaiah saith, he left them 
 a remnant, and made them not as Sodom and Gomor- 
 rah, chap. i. y. God's wrath and fury have ajipear- 
 ed towards our English vine ; and though he liath 
 plucked up many branches and rods of strength, yet 
 liath he not plucked us up in wrath and fury, he 
 hath shown us rich, great, extraordinary mercy. 
 Let us bring forth better fruit henceforward, lest he 
 put forth his hand and jjluck us up by the roots. 
 
 Obs. 3. Those who are planted amongst wicked 
 and ungodly people, they are in no better condition 
 than men in a wilderness. What though the place 
 be pleasant, well watered, fruitful, and abounding 
 with outward blessings, yet it is no better than a 
 wilderness to them who have lived in Canaan. 
 
 When these Jews were planted in Babylon, which 
 was a garden, a land of rivers, of delightful things, 
 it was unto them like a heath and wilderness ; things 
 were not suitable to their spirits, they were destitute 
 of true comforts, they had no temple, no sacrifice ; 
 they were exposed to great and many dangers, and 
 lived amongst wild beasts. Canaan was the land of 
 the living. There the living God did manifest him- 
 self; there were the living oracles, the living waters, 
 and the living people : all lands else were heaths and 
 wildernesses ; they had dead and dumb gods, dead 
 worship, dead waters, and were full of dead and dry 
 bones. Such was Babylon, affording no spiritual 
 and living sap to nourish this vine. The Jews could 
 nut sing the Lord's song there, Psal. cxxxvii. 4. 
 
 When people plant themselves among wicked and 
 jirofane ones, they plant themselves in Babylon, in a 
 wilderness. 
 
 Obs. 4. When men are planted in a good soil, and 
 bring not forth good ti-uit, it is just with God to re- 
 move them from the means they enjoy. This vine 
 was " planted in a good soil," Ezek. xvii. 8, " by 
 many waters," ver. 10 of this chapter ; but she 
 brought not forth good fruit, therefore God plucked 
 her up, dejirived her of those mercies and means 
 she formerly enjoyed, and " planted her in a dry and 
 thirsty land." Deut. xxviii. 47, 48, " Because thou 
 servedst not the Lord with joyfulness and gladness 
 of heart, fur the abundance of all things: therefore 
 shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall 
 send against thee, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, 
 and in want of all things." This it may be they 
 had forgotten, being given out in Moses' days ; but 
 Jeremiah oft minded them of it, who lived amongst 
 them, even when they were removed ; see chap. xv. 
 4; xxix. 18; xxxiv. 17. God had brought this vine 
 formerly out of Egypt, and planted it in Canaan, 
 where it took deep root, Psal. Ixxx. 8, 9, for it en- 
 joyed many mercies ; but because it degenerated, 
 and was like the jilant of a strange vine unto God, 
 Jer. ii. 21, therefore he removed it from the pleasant 
 land to the wilderness, h(> carried it out of his orchard 
 or garden, and set it in (he forest. 
 
 Obs. 5. The wasting and ruin of kingdoms is from 
 
 themselves ; the cause is intrinsieal. " A fire is gone 
 out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured 
 her fruit." It was not Nebuchadnezzar, but Zede- 
 kiah that kindled the fire ; he was a rod of this 
 vine's branches, he did the mischief by his rebellion, 
 he brought the eastern wind which dried up the 
 fruit of this vine, broke off her strong rods, and burnt 
 them in the fire. Jehoiakim was a rod of this vine's 
 branches, he likewise rebelled, 2 Kings xxiv. I ; and 
 so fire came out of this rod to destroy the vine ; for 
 presently bands of Chaldees, bands of Syrians, bands 
 of Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, 
 came against Judah to destroy it, ver. 2. Manasseh 
 was a rod of this vine, and out of him went fire to 
 waste it ; he plucked oil' and consumed many branches 
 of it, 2 Kings xxi. IG: and he caused the Lord to 
 bring in the captains of the host of the king of Assy- 
 ria to spoil it more, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 11; yea, his 
 sins had the greatest influence into the consumption 
 of this vine, Jer. xv. 4 ; 2 Kings xxiv. 3. 
 
 The desolation of kingdoms usually have been by 
 their own kings and rulers, by those they have brought 
 forth and set up ; their follies, cruelties, treacheries, 
 have fired and consumed their kingdoms. It was 
 Hoshea's conspiracy that ruined the kingdom of 
 Israel, 2 Kings xvii. -t — 6. 
 
 Obs. 6. When a lawful form of government is 
 abused by governors gi-owing tyrannical and unfaith- 
 ful, God may set by, yea destroy, such governors 
 and their posterity, and change the government. 
 " Fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which 
 hath devoured her fruit, so that she hath no strong 
 rod to be a sceptre to rule." Zedekiah was tyran- 
 nical and perfidious, and here God excludes him and 
 his family from all kingly power and ruling, and 
 changed the government. 
 
 The Lord is not tied to any men, any family, any 
 way of government ; but whom he jih ase he may 
 pull down, and what form of government he will he 
 may set up. " He bringeth princes to nothing, lie 
 maketh judges of the earth as vanity. Yea, they shall 
 not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown; yea, 
 their stock shall not take root in the earth : and he 
 shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, 
 and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble," 
 Isa. xl. 23, 24. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 4. And it came to pass in the seventh 
 year, in the fifth month, the tenth daij of tlte month, 
 that certain of the e/ders of Israel came to en- 
 quire of the Lord, and sat before me. Then came 
 the word of the Lord vtito 7ne, .tai/ing; Son of 
 man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and saij nntu 
 them, Th%ts saith the Lord God ; Are ye come to 
 en(juire of me .^ ^4* / lire, saith the Lord God, 
 I will not be enrjuired of by you. Wilt thou judge 
 them, son of man, wilt thou judge them f cause 
 them to knoir the abominations of their fathers. 
 
 In this chapter you have, 
 
 I. The exordium, in the 1st, 2nd, and part of the 
 3rd verse. 
 
 II. A severe reproof, or refusal, of those that came 
 to the prophet, ver. 3, 4, 31. 
 
 III. A relation of God's dealings with them, in 
 Egypt, in the wilderness, and in Canaan, and their 
 sinful carriages towards him, ver. 4 — 33.
 
 Veh. 1—4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 481 
 
 IV. A denunciation of judgment for their hy- 
 pocrisy, and other sins, mixed with promises of 
 mercy, ver. 33 — 45. 
 
 Y. A paraliolical declaration of the destruction of 
 Judea and Jerusalem, ver. 45 — 19. 
 
 VI. A doleful conclusion of the prophet, ver. 49. 
 
 In the exoi'dium or introduction you have, 
 
 1. The time of this prophecy punctually set down, 
 both the year, month, and day, ver. 1. 
 
 2. The occasion thereof, which was the coming of 
 the elders to the prophet to inquire of the Lord, 
 ver. 1. 
 
 3. The commission the prophet had to give out 
 this prophecy, ver. 2, 3. 
 
 Ver. I. " And it came to pass in the seventh year." 
 That is, of their captivity. Ezckiel began to pro- 
 phesy in the fifth year thereof, chap. i. 2; and now 
 it was the seventh year of their captivity in Baby- 
 lon, and of Zedekiah's reign at Jerusalem, and two 
 years and five months before Jerusalem was besieged, 
 as appears, 2 Kings xxv. 1. 
 
 " In the fifth month." The Jews, before they came 
 out of Egypt, computed their year from the month 
 Tisri, or Ethanim, which was part of those months 
 we call September and October; but after they came 
 out of Egypt, they began their year from the month 
 Nisan, which comprehends part of March and part 
 of April. Their fifth month was called Ab, which 
 had half of July and half of August in it. 
 
 " The tenth day of the month." Often in this 
 prophecy the very day of the month is set down, as 
 chap. i. 2, the fifth day of the fourth month, and 
 chap. viii. 1, the fifth day of the sixth month, and 
 here, the tenth day of the fifth month. The Spirit 
 of God put the prophet upon an exact chronology, 
 both to strengthen the credit of the prophecy, and 
 to mind them of the man)' years that were yet be- 
 hind of their captivity, that so they might repent 
 them of their iniquitj' which had brought them into 
 that condition, and patiently submit to the Babylonish 
 yoke which God had put upon them for seventy years. 
 
 " Certain of the ciders of Israel came." In chap, 
 viii. 1, the elders of Judah sat before him, and cluip. 
 xiv. I, ciders of Israel came unto him, and so it is 
 here. " Certain of the elders of Israel came ;" the 
 Hebrew is, men of the elders, that is, some of the 
 ancient that were or had been governors and chief 
 amongst them, they came ; from whence ? from 
 Jerusalem, say some, but they had Jeremiah there 
 to consult with ; and it is not likely that after 
 Zedekiah and the chief men had broken covenant 
 with Nebuchadnezzar, that men of the elders at 
 Jerusalem would take a long journey to Babylon to 
 consult with Ezekiel. Others therefore say, they 
 were of the captives, to whose judgment 1 should 
 incline, if I could see how that which is said in ver. 
 34, and so after, might fitly be applied unto them. 
 It seems probable to me, that some of the elders at 
 Jerusalem, upon the revolt of Zedekiah from Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, and falling in with the king of Egypt, 
 might send to some of the elders among the captives 
 to make inquiry of Ezekiel touching their afl'airs. 
 
 " To inquire of the Lord." They came to the 
 prophet, that he consulting with God, might make 
 known his mind unto them. They had been now 
 seven years in captivity ; the false prophets had pos- 
 sessed them with hopes of returning to Jerusalem, 
 which should abide and not be destroyed, as Jere- 
 miah had said; and therefore some think they came 
 to inquire what should become of them. Others 
 make the ground of their coming to the prophet, and 
 inquiring, to be the rumours of, if not tlie prepara- 
 tion for, war by Nebueliadnezzar, ])ccause tlie Jews 
 at Jerusalem had rebelled and broken covenant with 
 2 I 
 
 him. Hereupon they thought it might go ill with 
 themselves, that they might sufler very hard things, 
 if not be cut off by the Babylonians, "and therefore 
 came to the prophet to in(]iiire what would be the 
 issue of things. It is probable they were in danger 
 through the perfidiousness of their "bretliren at Jeru- 
 salem, and that the considerations thereof might 
 have some infiuence into their coming to the pro- 
 phet ; but there was more than so. They now, to 
 secure themselves, thought and resolved of a sinful 
 way ; ver. 32, " We will be as the heathen, as the 
 families of the countries, to serve wood and stone ;" 
 they conceived, that if they conformed to the Baby- 
 lonian worshi]), they should be taken for good sub- 
 jects, and be safe, whatever befell them at Jerusalem 
 for their provocation of the Babylonish 'king. This 
 they concealed from the prophet, and come to him 
 to inquire (seeing they were now more odious to the 
 Babylonians than before Zedekiah's breaking cove- 
 nant) whether it were not better and safer for them 
 to disperse, than to live in bodies, and multitudes 
 together, which caused envy, hatred, and great 
 danger at that time, as they pretended. But they 
 dissembled deeply, for w'hile they lived together, 
 they could not so easily desert the Jewish religion, 
 and embrace the Babylonish idolatry. There would 
 be special observation of it, and bitter reprehension 
 for it. But if they had the prophet's counsel, and 
 consent to scatter themselves, and fix their habita- 
 tions here and there, they thought they might do it 
 without any noise or check. 
 
 " And sat before me." The Hebrew for before 
 me is, before my faces, that is, in my presence, ex- 
 pecting some answer from me. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Then came the word of the Lord unto 
 me." The Hebrew is, and the word of the Lord 
 hath been to me. 
 
 " Saying." Hebrew is, to say ; the Spirit moved 
 him that he might speak to others. There Ijeing an 
 opportunity and season for speaking, the Spirit came 
 upon him, and informed him touching the mind of 
 God, and commissioned him to deliver it. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Son of man." He saith not, Ezekiel, 
 but, " Son of man," to mind him of his original, that 
 he was his creature, and ought to hearken to and 
 observe the laws of his Creator. Of this appellation 
 hath been spoken heretofore. 
 
 " Speak unto the elders of Israel." Here is a 
 command laid upon the prophet. The Lord com- 
 mands him to speak, and puts into his mouth what 
 he shall speak. False prophets were neither sent 
 of the Lord, nor spake from the Lord, chap. xiii. 3, (i. 
 
 "Are ye come to inquire of me?" Or, Do ye 
 come to inquire of me ? The words arc an inter- 
 rogation, and this interrogation imports distaste at 
 their coming. Do you come to inquire of me ? your 
 hearts are not right in this matter, you play the 
 hypocrites and dissemble egregiously, for you pre- 
 tend to honour me in asking counsel at my mouth, 
 and that if you knew my mind you would do it, 
 whereas you are resolved beforehand what to do, 
 let my counsels be what they will. you dis- 
 semblers, ye are come to try and tempt me, whether 
 I will give out what suits with your intentions and 
 resolutions; if .so you will embrace it, but if not. my 
 counsels must be rejected, and your own established. 
 
 "As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be in- 
 quired of by you." This hypocritical carriage of 
 theirs did so displease, yea, provoke the Lord, that 
 he swears he will not be inquired of by them. Had 
 they come in truth and simplicity of heart, intend- 
 ing to hearken to the Lord, and obey his voice, 
 whatever he had advised them, he would have bcc n 
 inquired of by them ; but being they had fallacious
 
 482 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 siiirits, and came in a way of mockage nnto God, 
 thtrofore he deals roundly and severely with them, 
 and binds it with an oath, that he will not be in- 
 quired of by them. 
 
 But they did inquire of God, they came to the 
 prophet to inq\iire of him, ver. 1 ; how then is it 
 true that the Lord saith, and swears, he will not be 
 inquired of by them p The meaning of those words 
 is, I will not answer them ; let them inquire, ask 
 what they please, I will not answer them, and so it 
 is all one as if I were not inquired of: so the Sep- 
 tuagint, Vulgate, and French have it, though they 
 do ask, they shall not obtain, thej' shall not prevail, 
 I will not answer ; or if I do, it shall not be such an 
 answer as you would have. 
 
 Ver. 4. "Wilt thou judge them?" &c. Besideslhe 
 appellation, this verse consists of an interrogation 
 and an injunction. The interrogation is double, 
 "Wilt thou judge them? wilt thou judge them?" 
 The injunction, " cause them to know the abomi- 
 nations," &c. 
 
 In this verse, the Lord doth anticipate and pre- 
 vent the prophet, who having good thoughts of these 
 elders of Israel, that came to inquire of the Lord, 
 was ready to plead for them, wlicn he saw the Lord 
 so severe and resolute against them, as not to voueh- 
 .safe them an answer : Lord, what is the matter ? 
 these men are conscientious, they do their dutv, they 
 come to consult for the good of the people, they 
 would do nothing, being in a strait and danger, with- 
 out thee : Lord, be not so peremptory, listen unto 
 them, and give them a gracious answer. God fore- 
 seeing that the prophet would be their patron, and 
 plead for them, he takes him off from this, by say- 
 ing, "Wilt thou judge them?" that is. Wilt thou 
 deem them to be honest, sincere, plain-hearted men, 
 that come with a purpose to know and obey the will 
 of God ? thou art deceived, they are deep dissemblers, 
 devilish politicians, pretending one thing and in- 
 tending another ; they come not out of duty or con- 
 science, but to get countenance from me and thee, 
 to cloak their cursed designs ; therefore parley not 
 with them, plead not for them, be not troubled about 
 them, pray not to me in behalf of them. So that 
 this interrogation carries the force of a negation and 
 prohibition with it. 
 
 The word "judge" is frequently used for plead- 
 ing, as in Jer. v. 28; Isa. i. 17; PsaLlxxii. 4; Ezek. 
 xxii. 2; xxiii. 36; and so we have interpreted it 
 here. The doubling of the words, "Wilt thou judge 
 them ? wilt thou judge them ? " sets out the heinous- 
 ness of their sin, and the severity of the Lord, that 
 would not suffer tlie prophet to plead for them. 
 
 " Cause them to know the abominations of their 
 fathers." Be thou so far from pleading for them, 
 that thou possess them with and present before them 
 the abominations of their fathers which they follow. 
 Of abominations hath been spoken before ; by fathers, 
 their predecessors, kings and others, are meant, who 
 were idolaters, oppressors, and profane. 
 
 Obn. \. The Lord keeps an exact account of his 
 people's sufferings ; be the time long or short, he 
 observes it. " In the seventh year, fifth month, and 
 tenth day ;" that was, of their captivity. The Lord 
 forgot not how long they had been iri Babylon, he 
 notes how the time of their trouble passes. In chap, 
 xxiv. 1, the ninth year, tenth month, and tenth day 
 are mentioned; in chap. xxix. 1, the tenth year, 
 tenth month, and twelfth day are set down ; in chap. 
 xxvi. 1 , the eleventh year and first day of the month 
 are specified; in chap. xl. !, the twenty-fifth year of 
 the captivity is named. They were captives" in Ba- 
 bylon, suH'ered hard things, but God took notice of 
 the time, and how the years ran out. It is said Israel 
 
 served Eglon eighteen years, Judg. iii. 14; that Ja- 
 bin oppressed them twenty years, chap. iv. 3. It is 
 not said only that the woman had a spirit of infirm- 
 ity, Tjut the time is recorded also, she had it eighteen 
 years, Luke xiii. 11 ; so in John v. 5, not only the 
 man and his infirmity is mentioned, but the time also 
 how long, thirty-eight years ; so iEneas is said not 
 only to have had the palsy, but to have kept his bed 
 eight years, Acts ix. 33. God tells the years, 
 months, and days, that his people endure adversity : 
 seventy years were determined that they should be 
 in Babylon, Jer. xxix. 10, 11, and God gave them to 
 see, he observed as well, yea, better than they, how 
 they passed. 
 
 Ubs. 2. The time of men's doing some things is 
 specially noted by the Lord. These elders coming 
 to inquire of the Lord, the time of it is recorded, "in 
 the seventh year, fifth month, and tenth day." 
 Though all things be noted by the Lord, yet some 
 things more especially than others. See how the 
 actions of Josiah are observed ; 2 Chron. xxxiv. 3, 
 " In the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet 
 young, he began to seek after the God of David his 
 father : and in the twelfth year he began to purge 
 Judah and Jerusalem from the high places." Ver. 
 8, " In the eighteenth year of his reign" he repaired 
 the house of the Lord his God ; and kept the great 
 passover in that year, chap. xxxv. 18, 19. When 
 Jeroboam feasted and sacrificed to the calves he had 
 made, God took notice of the month and day ; I Kings 
 xii. 32, it was the eighth month and fifteenth day. 
 When Jehoiakim cut the roll, cast it into the fire, 
 and burnt it, God noted the time of it, Jer. xxxvi. 
 22, 23. When Esther was fciken into the royal 
 house by Ahasuerus, the time is eyed by the Lord, 
 and recorded, chap. ii. 16. See Ezra x. 16; 2 Chron. 
 xxix. 17; Esth. ix. 1, 18; Jer. Iii. 31; xxsix. 2, 
 where the times of things are specially recorded. 
 Let men take heed what they do, and when they do 
 it. Matt. xxvi. 15, 16, God observed the time when 
 Judas covenanted with the chief priests, to sell 
 Christ for thirty pieces of silver ; " from that time 
 forth he sought opportunity to betray him." When 
 the persecution of the church was, God took notice 
 of it; Acts \'iii. 1, " At that time:" so Herod's slay- 
 ing of James ; " About that time, he stretched forth 
 his hands," Acts xii. 1, 2. 
 
 Obs. 3. Hypocrisy is a close sin, and is in those 
 ofttimes we little think. It is found where it was 
 not expected, in " the elders of Israel ;" those who 
 here came to Ezekiel. pretended piety, sat before 
 him, as if they would hearken to whatsoever the 
 Lord should say, and do it ; yet they intended no 
 such thing, but were resolved to go on in their own 
 ways, and to be as the Babylonians and heathens, as 
 you may see, ver. 32, that so they might enjoy peace 
 and safety. They did here like many that are upon 
 marriage, who will go to two or three to inquire and 
 have counsel, but are resolved to go on, whatever is 
 said unto them ; so whatever counsel they should 
 have had given them from the I^ord, they meant to 
 go on in their wicked ways ; and this was ju'ofound 
 hypocrisy, whose wont it is to veil the foulest things 
 with the fairest pretences. In Ananias and Sapphira 
 there was dissimulation, Acts v. ; so in those who came 
 to Jeremiah, entreating him to pray for them, and 
 to consult with God for them : it was a time of afflic- 
 tion, and they would do whatever God should say 
 unto them by Jeremiah ; but tliey dealt hypocritically 
 with him, and God ; they were resolved to go into 
 Egypt, although they sent Jeremiah to ask of the 
 Lord, whether they .should or no. He told them 
 they must not go; if they did, they should perish 
 there ; and because they would go, Jer. xlii. 20, he
 
 Ver. 1- 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 483 
 
 tells them they dissembled in their hearts, when 
 they sent him to the Lord to pray for them : here 
 vas damnable hypoerisy in them. So those tliat 
 came to Christ, jSlatt. xxii. IG — 18, they carried a 
 foul business very smoothly : " Master, we know 
 tluit thou art true, and teachest the way of God in 
 truth, neither carest thou for any man. Tell us 
 tlierefore, What thinkest thou ? Is it lawful to give 
 tribute unto C'a."Sar, or not?" Here was villany 
 couched under these words ; they thought to en- 
 tangle Christ, and to have got advantage hereby to 
 have cut him oil"; and therefore perceiving their 
 wickedness, he saith, " Why tempt ye me, ye hypo- 
 crites?" There are many, it is to be feared, who 
 will be found hypocrites at last, who now frequent 
 the assemblies, and come to hear the word of God, 
 but do it not. Are there not many who come to 
 hear and sit before the Lord, and his ministers, as if 
 they would conform to what he should give out by 
 them; but they hold fast their corrupt opinions, vile 
 lusts, wretched practices : and what is this but hy- 
 jiocrisy ? Those in Ezek. xxxiii. 31, 32, they came 
 to the prophet, heard him, gave him good words, but 
 nothing they would do ; their hearts went after their 
 covetousness, and they were no better than hypo- 
 crites. So now, if men come not with honest hearts, 
 intending to do what they hear, they come hypo- 
 critically. 
 
 OOs. 4. To inquire and ask counsel of the prophets 
 and men of God, is of ancient standing and warrant- 
 able. Here the elders of Israel, that had years, ex- 
 perience, they come to a prophet. Their coming 
 was not unlawful or condemnable, but their coming 
 sinfully. It was a frequent practice of old, to con- 
 sult with the prophets, 1 Sam. ix. 9 ; I Kings xxii. 
 15; 2 Kings viii. 8; Jer. xxi. 2; xxxvii. 7; and 
 their coming to them was coming to the Lord, as 
 here they came to inquire of the Lord. Then men 
 look the right way upon the prophets, when they 
 look at God in them, and what he saith by them, 
 with resolution to follow the same. What though 
 now there are no prophets nor apostles immediately 
 inspired and infallible to consult withal, yet there 
 are pastors and teachers, with whom Christ hath 
 promised to be to the end of the world, who are 
 given to perfect and edify the body of Christ; and 
 therefore upon consultation with them, you may be 
 helped to that light which of yourselves you cannot 
 attain unto. 
 
 Obs. 5. The prophets were to give out the Lord's 
 mind in his name and words, unto those they were 
 sent unto. " Speak unto the elders of Israel, and say. 
 Thus saith the Lord God :" he might not speak his 
 own mind, his own words, in his own name, he must 
 not say. Thus saith Ezekiel, but, " Thus saith the 
 Lord :" this gave weight and authority to the word, 
 and bred the greater reverence in the hearts of the 
 liearers. That which is from the Lord, hath a di- 
 vine stamp upon it, a divine power in it ; but that 
 which is man's is like himself, frail and feeble ; you 
 may refuse it without any considerable prejudice, 
 but not so with the word of the Lord. 
 
 Ohx. (i. How closely soever men carry their wicked 
 devices, with what colours soever they varnish and 
 paint them over, though they may, can, delude and 
 deceive men, even prophets, yet they cannot impose 
 upon God and deceive him. Ezekiel was cmtreachcd 
 by these old foxes, these hypocritical elders, because 
 he could not see into their hearts, discern their inten- 
 tions ; but the Lord, whose eye pierceth into the 
 depths, saw wdiat was within, and detected their 
 fend insides, notwithstanding their pious pretences. 
 " Are ye come to inquire of me ? " whom do you 
 think I am ? wdiat a God do you make of me ? am I 
 2 1 2 
 
 like unto man, such as yourselves ? No, no ; I know 
 your hearts, ye hypocrites. How dare you come 
 into my presence to inquire of me, when you are re- 
 solved to go on in your own ways ? The Lord knew 
 they had idols in Iheir hearts, Ezek. xiv. 1 — 3; they 
 were elders of Israel likewise. Great men ofttimes 
 are great hypocrites, they think, being crafty, to go 
 beyond God and his prophets ; but it cannot'be ; he 
 knows upon what grounds, with wdiat purpose, in- 
 tentions, resolutions, men come to hear his word, to 
 ask counsel of his servants. Look to yourselves, 
 s]]irits, and all your ways ; God seetli and knoweth 
 all, and if you be not sincere, upright, without guile 
 and hypocrisy, he will find you out and detect you. 
 
 Ohs. 7. When men come to God or his ordinances 
 with hypocritical hearts, they get nothing of him; he 
 is so far from accepting and hearing of them, that 
 he rejects them, and resolves not to answer them. 
 " Come ye to inquire of me ? as I live, I will not be 
 inquired of by you." Do you think to have my 
 ear, my countenance, my heart, my hand to do for 
 you ? No, you shall have nothing at all of me ; be- 
 gone, I will afford you no answer : though ye be 
 elders of Israel, yet you are hypocrites, and they are 
 odious to me, be they of the highest rank, or lowest ; 
 it is not your hoary heads will move me, seeing you 
 have hypocritical hearts : you are resolved to go on 
 in your ways, and I am resolved to go on in my way. 
 I will not answer you; come oft, sit long before the 
 prophet, if you will, answer of me you shall have 
 none, none suitable to your desires and expectations. 
 Job, speaking of a hypocrite, saith, "Will God hear 
 his cry when trouble cometh upon him ? " chap, xxvii. 
 y : at such a time he will cry, and cry hard, but will 
 God hear him ? No ; God hath no pleasure in hyiio- 
 crites; therefore saith Ezekiel, chap. viii. 18, "Though 
 they ery in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I 
 not hear them ;" the like you have in Micah iii. 4. 
 If men's hearts be not upright, sincere, let them 
 pray, and ery in prayer, let them hear, and hear at- 
 tentively, let them come to a prophet to ask coim- 
 sel, and wait, God respects them not, w ill not answer 
 them : " the upright in their way are his delight," 
 Prov. xi. 20 ; he delights in their persons, their pre- 
 sence, their prayers, in doing for them. Prov. x. 
 29, " The way of the Lord is strength to the upright." 
 What is the way of the Lord? Prayer, hearing of 
 the word, asking counsel of his prophets and ser- 
 vants, are the ways of the Lord ; in these he ap- 
 pears, is found, lets out strength, but it is when men 
 are upright, not hypocritical. Come not therefore 
 resolved to go on in your own ways, but, as Peter 
 saith, " Lay aside all malice, all guile, and hypo- 
 crisies, envies, and evil speaking, and as new born 
 babes," &c. 
 
 Oi.v. 8. Hypocrites and wicked men may carry 
 themselves so, as to deceive the prophets and ser- 
 vants of God. These elders, by their coming, put- 
 ting the prophet on to inquire of the Lord for them, 
 sitting before him for an answer, bred such good 
 thoughts of them in the prophet's mind, as that when 
 God told him he would not be inquired at by them, 
 he was ready to plead for them, and excuse them 
 from being hypocrites, wondering the Lord should 
 be so hot and resolute against them, as not to vouch- 
 safe them an answer. He thought they were good 
 men, and worthy of better entertainment at the bauds 
 of God, than they had, but he was deceived. Simon 
 Magus demeaned himself so, that he begat a good 
 esteem in the heart of Philip, and was adnntted to 
 baptism. Acts viii. 13. In John's days many got into 
 the church, who seemed saints, but w-erc hypocrites : 
 1 John ii. 19, "They went out from us 'tiiat they 
 might be made manifest." John and others had
 
 481 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 had good opinions of them, hut were deluded hy 
 them. False apostles got into the church of Ephc- 
 si;s, and for a time had gained too much upon the 
 angel thereof, Rev. ii. 2. When the captains and 
 people came to Jeremiah in a smooth way, promising 
 to do whatever the Lord should say by him, they iu- 
 simiatcd so far into him, that they prevailed with 
 him to inquire of the Lord for them ; but they jug- 
 gled with him, Jcr. xlii. Prophets and ministers 
 may be and are deceived oft with the specious pre- 
 tences of naughty men ; because they \xould not be 
 uncharitable, they arc many times too credulous. 
 
 Obs. y. Hypocrites are not to be pleaded for. 
 " AVilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge 
 them?" God would not have the prophet to plead 
 for or excuse them. Hypocrites are so odious in 
 God's eye, that he takes it unkindly when his pro- 
 phets and ministers appear for them ; if they have 
 thoughts that way, he dislikes it, and forbids them. 
 This double interrogation is a double negation. 
 These hypocrites would have drawn in God and the 
 prophet to have countenanced their \\\e intentions, 
 therefore God would neither answer them, nor sutler 
 his prophet to speak for them. Hypocrites are not 
 always the greatest of sinners, but they arc ever the 
 worst, of sinners, because they pretend to be holy, 
 and under pretence of holiness cover all their wick- 
 edness. The devil is never more devil, than when 
 he transforms himself into an angel of light ; he 
 seeming light, being darkness, is devilishly hypo- 
 critical, hiding all his hellish darkness under pre- 
 tended light : and so do all hypocrites, who are his 
 eldest sons ; under the light of being religious, they 
 do all their deeds of darkness. The Jews were " a 
 hypocritical nation," Isa. x. 6; Jer. vii. 9, 10; and 
 therefore God forbids Jeremiah to pray for them, 
 chap. xiv. II. And what if they would pray them- 
 selves? you have an answer in Job xiii. IG; God 
 tells you that "an hypocrite shall not come before 
 him," that is, to have acceptance of his person, or 
 hear any comfortable answer from him. Christ hath 
 told hypocrites what they must look for. Matt, xxiii. 
 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" 
 woes they may look for, and must liear of. Woe to 
 them for imposing upon God, as if he saw not their 
 close wickedness! Woe to them for abusing religion 
 to further their devilish designs ! Woe to them for 
 deceiving others by their painted shows and pro- 
 fessions! and woe to them for deceiving themselves! 
 
 Obs. 10. The prophets and servants of God, when 
 they are inquired of by men, must not proceed ac- 
 cording to their desires, or their own apprehensions 
 of them that do so desire, but they must wait for the 
 mind of God, and do answerably thereunto. " Wilt 
 thou judge them, son of man ? cause them to know 
 the abominations of their fathers." They would 
 have thee inquire of me for them, l)ut I will not be 
 inquired of, they shall not have their desires : thou 
 apprehendcst they arc good, and wouldst speak for 
 them, but thou must not do after thy own appre- 
 hensions, Ihou must attend my pleasure, and do what 
 that is ; and it is this, " make them to know the 
 abominations of their fathers." They did such 
 things as provoked me to cast these their children 
 into this Babylonish captivity ; and will thev continue 
 in their ways, or jjrocced to worse ? Go 'thy wavs, 
 lay before them the abominable things their" fathers 
 have done, see what effect that will have with them. 
 Mind not their desires, stand not upon thy own 
 apprehensions of them : I have made known my 
 will unto thee, go thou .and make it known unto 
 llum without dispute or delay. Not the people's 
 desires, nor the prophet's fancies, must be his direc- 
 tion, when he is to make answer to those that in- 
 
 quire ; but the will of God made known by his word 
 and Spirit. 
 
 Vcr. 5. And sax/ unto them, Tims saith the 
 Lord God; In the day ivhen I chose Israel, and 
 lifted vp mine hand vnto the seed of the house of 
 Jacob, and made mijself knou-n unto them in the 
 land of Ei(iii>t, ichen 1 lifted up mine hand unto 
 them, saying, I am the Lord your God. 
 
 Here begins the third part of the chapter, which 
 is the relation of God's dealing with them, and theirs 
 towards him ; 
 
 1. In Egvpt, from this verse to the lOth. 
 
 2. In the" desert, from the lOth to the 27th. 
 
 3. In Canaan, from the 27th to the 33rd. 
 
 In the first of these you have sundry choice mer- 
 cies of God sef down, with his command, and their 
 notoi'ious wickedness. 
 
 The mercies are reckoned up in ver. 5, 6, 7, and 
 9, and they are these : 
 
 (1.) God's election of them. 
 
 (2.) His revelation of himself unto them. 
 
 (3.) His profession of being their God. 
 
 (4.) His jiromise to bring them out of the land of 
 Egyjit into the land of Canaan. 
 
 (5.) His confirmation of all these, by lifting up 
 his hand. 
 
 (G.) His sparing of them for his name's sake. 
 
 (7.) His bringing them forth out of Egypt. 
 
 The command is to cease from Egyptian idolatry, 
 ver. 7. 
 
 Their sin was rebellion, vcr. 8. 
 
 I come now to open the words, and so to give you 
 the observations. 
 
 " In the day when I chose Israel." The Hebrew 
 is, in the day of my choosing in Israel. Septuagint, 
 from what day I chose the house of Israel. 
 
 " Hay," here, is not taken in opposition to night, 
 as it is John xi. 9, 10, nor for time indefinitely, as 
 Gen. iii. 5, but for the time wherein some particular 
 thing was evidenced to be done. 
 
 By election, here, is not meant the decree or pur- 
 pose of God, to take the Jew s to be his people, that 
 was before all time, from eternity; but the manifest- 
 ation of that election. In the day that I made it ap- 
 pear that I had elected you. Election or choosing, 
 in the Scripture, sometimes refers to things, as Deut. 
 xxiii. 16; Gen. xiii. II; 1 Kings xviii. 25; Pro v. 
 xxii. 1 : sometimes to persons, and then it is either 
 to Christ, as Isa. xhi. 1 ; or to angels, as I Tim. v. 
 21 ; or to men, and then it is spoken either of per- 
 sons who are invisible members of the mystical body 
 of Christ, as 2 Thess. ii. 13, or of a community and 
 visible body, and so it is here. God chose this 
 nation of the Jews to be his nation and church, 
 Deut. vii. G, to have his oracles, ordinances, and 
 means of grace amongst them. 
 
 " In the day when I chose Israel." What time 
 this was, is to be searched out. It was not that 
 time when God manifested himself to Abraham, and 
 bid him get him out of his country, to a land he 
 would show him, and he woidd make of him a great 
 nation. Gen. xii. I, 2; nor that time when he ap- 
 peared to Jacob, and said, " I am God, the God of 
 thy father : fear not to go down into Egypt: for I 
 will there make of thee a great nation : I will go 
 down with thee into Egypt ; and I will also surely 
 bring thee up again," Geu. xlvi. 2 — 4. They were 
 not yet a nation, nor in Egypt, of both which the 
 choice here is meant. The time, then, was, when 
 God took notice of their hard sullerings in Egypt, 
 by the rigorous taskmasters, and appeared to Moses, 
 and bid him say to Pharaoh, " Israel is my son, my
 
 Ver. 5. 
 
 THK BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 485 
 
 firstborn ; let my son go, that he may serve me," 
 Exod. iv. 2'2, 23; and sent Aaron with him upon that 
 message to Pharaoh, chap. v. 1, where they go in to 
 Pharaoh and say, " Thus saith the Lord God of 
 Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast 
 unto me in the wilderucso." Thou thinkest these 
 people are thine, and therefore holdest them in ser- 
 vitude and bondage ; but the Lord God of heaven is 
 the God of Israel, he challengeth this people to be 
 his, and commands thee to let them go and serve him. 
 " And lifted up mine hand." Lifting up the hand 
 is a phrase much mentioned in the book of God ; it 
 is seven times in this chapter, twice in this verse, 
 once in the 6th, and then it is in ver. 15, 23, 28, and 
 42. To lift lip the hand notes divers things, and was 
 used in divers weighty things. 
 
 1. In blessing. Psal. cxxxiv. 2, " Lift up your 
 hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord." Lev. 
 ix. 22, " Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people, 
 and blessed them." Luke xxiv. 50, Christ " lifted 
 up his hands, and blessed them," 
 
 2. In prayer. P.sal. Ixiii. 4, " I will lift up my 
 hands in thy name." I Tim. ii. 8, " I will that men 
 pray every where, lifting up holy hands." And Psal. 
 Ixxxviii. y, Heman saith, he called upon God daily, 
 and stretched out his hands unto him. Lam. ii. 19, 
 " Lift up thine hands toward him for the life of thy 
 children." 
 
 3. It notes open mercy, favour, aid. I>a. xlix. 22, 
 *' I will lift up mine hand to the gentiles," that is, 
 I will reach imto them the gospel, and by the power 
 and grace of it, bring them to Zion. In this sense 
 it is to be taken, Psal. x. 12, " God, lift up thy 
 hand ; forget not the humble ;" that is, evidence thy 
 power, and help the humble and afflicted against 
 their oppressors. 
 
 4. To lift up the hand, imports threatening, hurt- 
 ing, smiting. Psal. cvi. 26, " He lifted up his hand 
 against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness." 
 When men are angry with others, and threaten to 
 do them harm, to ruin them, they oft lift up their 
 hands and fists against them ; thus it signifies in 
 Micah V. 9; Ezek. xliv. 12. 
 
 5. To lift up the hand, implies swearing. It was 
 a gesture used in that sacred act, Gen. xiv. 22 ; Deut. 
 xxxii. 40. It is expressed so in Isa. iii. 7, " In that 
 day shall he swear," the Hebrew is, lift up the hand. 
 The first and second sense pertains not to this place ; 
 and though some would have it meant of God's lift- 
 ing up his hand to help the Israelites out of their 
 bondage, by the smiting of Pharaoh and the Egyp- 
 tians, yet to me the last sense seems most suitable : 
 and lifting up the hand here imports swearing; it 
 refers to what you have Exod. vi. 8, " I will bring 
 you to the land concerning which I did swear," or 
 lift up my hand, " to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, 
 and to Jacob." God had promised and sworn to 
 them, that he would bring their seed out of Egypt, 
 into Canaan, Gen. 1. 24; xv. 7, 14, IG. 
 
 " Unto the seed of the house of Jacob." Monta- 
 nus reads the words, for the seed of the house of 
 Jacob. Vatablus, upon, or, on the seed. Here it is, 
 " unto the seed ;" God's promise and oath was for 
 them, over them, and unto them. By " seed " is 
 meant, the posterity of Jacob. God had told Jacob 
 that his seed should be as the dust of the earth, 
 (ien. xxviii. 14; and his seed did greatly multiply in 
 Egypt, Exod. i. 7: and his seed is called sometimes 
 " the seed of Israel," Isa. xlv. 25, and " seed of the 
 house of Israel," Jer. xxiii. 8; sometimes "the seed 
 of Jacob," Psal. xxii. 23, and here, "the seed of the 
 house of Jacob," because Jacob or Israel was the root, 
 stock, family out of which the Jews in Egypt sprung. 
 
 "And made myself known unio them." Great 
 
 \yere the afflictions of the Jews in Egypt ; they were 
 like men in a storm at sea, and that Yn a dark night ; 
 when day breaks it is some refreshing, and such was 
 God's making himself known unto them. This 
 making himself known unto them was for their de- 
 liverance. God appeared to Moses in the burning 
 bush, and told him who he W'as, and what he was 
 about to do, Exod. iii. 2, 6—8; he had promised 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give their seed the 
 land of Canaan, and now he was come to give being 
 to that promise, to make himsiilf known by his name 
 Jehovah, which they knew not ; in this sense they 
 saw not that promise fulfilled, but IMoses, Aaron, 
 and their seed should now see it, chap. vi. 3, 8; 
 God would put forth his mighty power, and by a 
 strong hand bring them forth, ver. I. God made 
 himself known to them by Moses, who was God's 
 messenger, and instrument to speak, and do what he 
 pleased ; Psal. ciii. 7, " He made known his wavs 
 unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel':" 
 God's pity, faithfulness, and power were abundantly 
 made known. 
 
 After the Lord had appeared to Moses, answered 
 all his objections he made arainst undertaking the 
 difficult work of delivering the people, and joined 
 Aaron with him for his assistant, in chap. iv. they 
 gather all the elders of Israel together, they told 
 them all the words God had spoken, and did (he 
 signs by which God had confirmed the words con- 
 cerning their deliverance ; which the people be- 
 lieved, bowed, and worshipped God, ver. 21) — 31. 
 Here God was made known unto them. 
 
 " I am the Lord your God." Hebrew is, I Jeho- 
 vah your God. The first is absolute, the second re- 
 lative. Of Jehovah I have spoken heretofore ; it 
 notes God's nature and being, which is of itself, 
 within itself, and dependent upon none ; all other 
 beings are from him, and depend on him, according 
 to what you have, Rom. xi. 36, " Of him, through 
 him, and to him are all things ;" and Acts xvii. 28, 
 " In him we live, move, and have our being." 
 
 " Your God." This is a gi-eat word, and hath 
 great mercy in it; an engaging word, tying God 
 and all his attributes to them : your God to counsel 
 you, your God to jjroteet you, your God to deliver you, 
 your God to comfort you, your God to plead for you, 
 your God to teach you, your God to set up my name 
 and worship among you, your God to bless you with 
 the dews of heaven and fulness of the earth, your 
 God to hear your prayers and to make you happy. 
 
 "While they were in Egypt, God professed himself 
 to be their God: Exod. vi. 7, " I will take you to me 
 for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye 
 shall know that I am the Lord your God." He 
 would not be a titular God unto them, like the hea- 
 then's gods ; but they should have experience of him 
 and his attri'outes, he would do by them, and for 
 them, as a God in covenant. 
 
 Ohs. 1. There are times when the Lord is pleased 
 to show mercy to people in misery and great afflic- 
 tions. In the day that I chose thee. Israel was in 
 a distressed condition in Egypt, in a very low estate; 
 their lives were imbittered with hard bondage, in- 
 somuch that they sighed and cried, Exod. ii. 23 ; 
 and now at this time, and being in this condition, 
 God heard their groaniugs, looked upon and liad 
 respect unto them, now he chose them, ver. 24, 25 ; 
 therefore Isaiah saith, chap, xlviii. 10, God chose 
 them " in the furnace of afiliction." Times of 
 misery are times of God's showing mercy; when 
 they were in a hot fiery furnace, ready to be con- 
 sumed to ashes, no likelihood of escaping, yet even 
 then did the Lord appear and manifest his choice of 
 them. Ezek. xvi. when this people were in their
 
 486 
 
 AN EXrOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 blood, filth, nakedness, saith God, " I passed by 
 thee, and looked upon thee, and behold thy time was 
 the time of love ; I spread my skirt over thee, and 
 covered thy nakedness," ver. 8 ; at that time God 
 took this people into favour. God hath his day to 
 bind up the breach of his people, and to heal "the 
 stroke of their wound," Isa. xxx. 26. Hosea tells 
 you, that after two days he will revive his people, 
 and in the third day raise them up ; though they 
 be like men dead and buried, yet God hath his time 
 to revive, raise, and to cause to live in his sight. 
 They were as dry bones in Babylon, and served a 
 hard service there ; but there was a day wherein 
 God gave them rest from their sorrow, fears, and 
 servitude, Isa. xiv. 3, 4. The gentiles were a long 
 time in the wilderness, in a lost and perishing con- 
 dition ; Eph. ii. 12, there was a time they were 
 without Christ, without hope, without God in the 
 world, but God had a day to manifest his choice of 
 them ; ver. 13, " But now in Christ Jesus they who 
 sometimes were afar otf, are made nigh ;" there was 
 a now, a time, a day for them. So Zeph. iii. Hi, 19, 20. 
 
 Obs. 2. The taking of a people to be the Lord's, 
 is of mere grace and mercy ; it is God's own free 
 act. " In the day when I chose Israel." Israel did 
 not choose him, Israel had nothing to affect him, but 
 out of his good pleasure he chose Israel. The Lord 
 makes open protestation, Deut. y\\. 7, 8, that he did 
 not set his love upon them, nor choose them, because 
 they were more in number than other people, but be- 
 cause he loved them. And what made God love them ? 
 were they better than other nations ? They came of 
 the Amoritcs and Hittites, they were in their blood, 
 when he said unto them, " Live," Ezek. svi. 3, 6. 
 Did he foresee they would believe, repent, and per- 
 severe in keeping his commands, and honour him 
 above the rest of the world? no, he foresaw that 
 they would be more wicked than the nations and 
 countries round about them, chap. v. 6, 7, and exceed 
 Sodom and Samaria in wickedness, as it is chap. xvi. 
 47, 51, 52. What was it then caused God to love 
 and choose this people ? Nothing without God him- 
 self, all was within doors that stirred him up to do 
 it. " I will say to them which were not my people. 
 Thou art my people," Hos. ii. 23. God's will is the 
 cause, and nothing else : Rom. ix. 18, he will have 
 mercy on whom he will : Isa. xli. 9, " I have chosen 
 thee, and not cast thee away." 
 
 Obs. 3. A\'hen God's people are in troubles, he 
 discovers and reveals himself unto them, one way or 
 other, by one means or other. " I made myself 
 known unto them in the land of Egypt." That was 
 a land and house of bondage to them, they met with 
 reproaches, threats, stripes, rigour, and hard labour 
 there ; and when the case was so with them, then 
 God unmasks, and shows himself unto them. When 
 Joseph's brethren were in great trouble, then he 
 made known himself unto them, Gen. xlv. ; and so 
 did God unto his people by Moses and Aaron : he 
 made known what promise and oath he had made to 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; he made known his ten- 
 der-heartedness to them, that their cries came up to 
 his ears, and that he was affected with their sorrows, 
 and would no longer endure the Egj-ptians to oppress 
 them ; he made known his mighty power unto them, 
 that he was stronger than "Pharaoh and all his 
 strength : Deut. iv. 34, 35, " Hath God assayed to 
 go and take him a nation from the midst of another 
 nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, 
 by war, by a mighty hand, by a stretched-out arm, 
 and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord 
 your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes ? 
 Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know 
 that the Lord he is God." The Lord made himself 
 
 known by these in an eminent manner unto them. 
 It is God's way to appear to his people in the time 
 of their calamity and darkness : Isa. liv. 1 1 — 14, " O 
 thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, 
 behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and 
 lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will 
 make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of car- 
 buncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And 
 all thy children shall be taught of the Lord ; and 
 great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteous- 
 ness shalt thou be established," &:c. What a pre- 
 cious, glorious discovery of God was here unto the 
 church, being in a storm ! So when Rachel wept 
 for her children, and refused to be comforted, because 
 they were not, how did the Lord break out of the 
 clouds and shine, when he said to her, " Refrain thy 
 voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears ; for 
 thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord ; and 
 they shall come again from the land of the enemies," 
 Jer. xxxi. 15, 16. In the time of affliction God's 
 words and works are more observed, take deeper 
 impression, endear more unto him, therefore he loves 
 to manifest himself in them. 
 
 Obs. 4. God knowing men's weakness, condescends 
 for to strengthen and establish them in the assurance 
 of his favour towards them. Not only by word and 
 works did God evidence it, that the seed of Abra- 
 ham, Isaac, and Jacob were his chosen ones, his 
 people, which might have sufficed ; but he took his 
 oath upon it ; "I lifted up mine hand unto the seed of 
 the house of Jacob ;" yea, that it might be the more 
 firm, he doubled it ; " When I lifted up mine hand 
 unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God." For 
 God to tell any ])cople he hath chosen them, argues 
 great favour ; then, to appear unto them, and make 
 large manifestations of himself and his good will 
 imto them, by words, providential and wonderful 
 working for them, argues more and more favour ; 
 and then to swear unto them, or declare he hath 
 sworn unto them, and not only to do some few things 
 for them, but to be their God, this is height of favour, 
 wonderful stooping on God's part ; and this he did 
 to confirm their hearts in assurance of his love. God 
 cannot falsify his word, much less his oath. God 
 did swear, that Abraham and his seed might have 
 strong consolation, not stagger, question his love any 
 more ; and the apostle applies it to himself, Heb. vi. 
 17, 18, to all believer-s, who are heirs of the promise, 
 and under the oath of God, that we might have 
 strong consolation. 
 
 Ver. 6. In the day that I lifted np wine hand 
 nnto them, to bi ing the?n forth of the land of 
 Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, 
 flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory 
 of all lands. 
 
 God, having chosen the Jews to be his people, 
 made himself known unto them, and professed him- 
 self to be their God ; here he tells them of the good 
 promise he made unto them, which was, to bring 
 them out of Egypt into Canaan. The praise and 
 encomium whereof is set out more fully in this verse 
 than in any part of holy writ besides. It is threefold : 
 
 1. From the Discoverer; it was a land of God's 
 looking out for them. 
 
 2. From the commodities it had ; that in plenty it 
 flowed " with milk and honey." 
 
 3. From the eminency of it above other lands ; it 
 " is the glory of all lands." 
 
 Of " lifting up the hand," hath been spoken in the 
 former verse. 
 
 " The land of Egypt." The Hebrew is, the land 
 of Mizraim. So Egypt is constantly called in the
 
 Ver. 6. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 487 
 
 Old Testament, and thrice, " the land of Ham," Psal. 
 cv. "23, 27, and cvi. 22 ; and once, " the tabernacle of 
 Ham," Psal. Ixxviii. 31. Mizraim was the son of 
 Ham, who possessed that part of Africa, and from 
 him it was called ^lizraim, or the land of Mizraim, 
 and sometimes the land of Ham, who was his father. 
 Paraus in Gen. Joscplius saith, tile Egyptians in his 
 
 chap. X. jjme were called Mesrsi, by the eastern 
 
 people. In the Septuagint it is rendered Egypt, so 
 called from one Egyptus, who reigned there some 
 three hundred and ninety years after the Israelites 
 came out of Egypt. This land was very plentiful, 
 Joseph. 1. 1. con. and in Joseph's days supplied Jacob's 
 tia Appioneni. family with corn, when the famine was 
 great : for the fruitfulness thereof, it was called the 
 granary of the Roman people ; but to the Jews it 
 was a house of bondage. 
 
 " Into a land that I had espied for them." This 
 land was Canaan, which God looked out for them 
 amongst all lands in the world. The Hebrew word 
 signifies, to search out by wandering over, and view- 
 ing on every side : so did the Lord here ; he took 
 special notice of this land ; his eyes did run to and 
 fro throughout the earth, to see what land was the 
 chiefest, and Canaan was the land he pitched upon. 
 The Septuagint is, to a land which I had prepared 
 for them : God had long before prepared and pro- 
 vided this land. Israel was his son, his firstborn, 
 and like a loring and pro\ndent parent, he provided 
 a land and habitation for him. 
 
 " Flowing with milk and honey." This enco- 
 mium of this land is eighteen several times in the 
 book of God : four times in Exodus, as chap. iii. 8, 
 17; xiii. 5; xxxiii. 3; once in Leviticus, chap. xx. 
 24; twice in Numbers, chap. xiii. 27; xiv. 8; six 
 times in Deuteronomy, chap. vi. 3; xi. 9 ; xxvi. 9, 
 1.5 ; xxvii. 3 ; xxxi. 20 ; twice in Jeremiah, chap. xi. 
 5 ; xxxii. 22 ; once in Joshua, chap. v. (3 ; and twice 
 in this chapter, in this verse and the 15th. Doubt- 
 less the land of Canaan abounded with milk and 
 honey, as may appear by Gen. xviii. 8 ; Prov. xxvii. 
 27; 1 Sam. xiv. 26; 2 Sam. xvii. 29; but the phrase 
 here, of " flowing with milk and honey," is prover- 
 bial, and notes plenty of all good and precious 
 things ; as you may see, Joel iii. 18; Amos ix. 13 ; 
 and in Job, plenty is set out by rivers, floods, and 
 brooks of honey and butter, chap. xx. 17. And it is 
 clear that the fruits of the earth were called " milk 
 and honey ;" Numb. xiii. 26, 27, when the spies that 
 searched the land came back and brought of the 
 fruit thereof, they said, " Surely it floweth with milk 
 and honey," and this is the fruit of it ; the figs, 
 pomegranates, and grapes, were part of the " milk 
 and honey." So that synecdochically here by "milk 
 and honey," are understood all good things, needful 
 and delightful. 
 
 This plenty is set out by " milk and honey," 
 rather than by other things, 
 
 1. Because they are most common, serving old 
 and young, all sorts of people. Milk is food for 
 babes, and for those whose age hath so enfeebled 
 their stomachs, as that they cannot bear strong 
 meat. 
 
 2. They are always in a readiness. Other meats 
 usually require much time to fit them for our tastes. 
 
 3. "They are sweet and pleasant. Though other 
 things be' so, as oil and wine, yet not comparable to 
 " milk and honey." 
 
 That Canaan did abound with all good things, see 
 Deut. viii. 7 — 9, where it is called, "a good land," 
 in which they should not want any thing. This was 
 partly from the nature of the air and soil, the one 
 being very wholesome, and the other very fat, and 
 partly from the peculiar blessing of God upon the 
 
 Jews ; he gave them the former and the latter rains, 
 he made the land in the sixth year to bring forth 
 fruit for three years. Lev. xxv. 18 — 21 ; chap. xxvi. 
 3 — 5; Deut. xi. 13 — 15; which blessing, for their 
 sins, God hath taken away, as he threatened, Lev. 
 xxvi. 20 ; Deut. xxviii. 38—40 ; therefore they are 
 deceived that think or say Judea was no fertile 
 place. Rab-shakeh, who was an enemy to the Jews 
 and their God, yet acknowledged their land to be a 
 fertile land, 2 Kings xviii. 31, 32. Whatever men's 
 conceits are of it now, it was a land which flowed 
 with " milk and honey ;" which proverbial speech 
 was of use also among others, to set out plenty and 
 fruitfulness bv. 
 
 " Which is' the glory of all lands." The Hebrew 
 is, which is the ornament of all lands, the honour, 
 ornament, or glory of all. The Septuagint hath it, 
 Kripiov, the honeycomb; it was so fruitfid and pleasant 
 a land, that it was like a honeycomb, wonderfid 
 sweet to the inhabitants. Vatablus calls it the land 
 to be desired above all lands. Kircker interprets 
 '3i' of that which atFects the mind and sense, and 
 invites to the loving of it, aflxirding pleasure and 
 delight. The Spirit of God calls it, the land of 
 desire, thrice, Psal. cvi. 24; Jer. iii. 19; Zech. vii. 
 14, so the Hebrew is, and so the margin hath it; a 
 " good land," Deut. viii. 7 ; an " exceeding good 
 land," Numb. xiv. 7. It was not only a "good 
 land," but a land that exceeded in goodness ; " that 
 good land," Deut. iv. 22 ; the words are very em- 
 phatical, rNin r\2yan -psn that land, that good, that. 
 In Dan. xi. it is twice termed the " glorious land," 
 ver. 16, 41. '3Xn \"in the land of ornament, or the 
 land of glory, yea, that glory which no other land 
 attained unto. 
 
 The land is thought to be situated in the midst of 
 the world, being very temperate, neither too hot, nor 
 too cold ; it is computed to be two hundred miles in 
 length, and not above fifty in breadth. It had thirty- 
 one kings in it when Joshua smote it, when he brought 
 the Jews to possess it, Josh, xii ; and in David's days 
 there were found in Israel and Judah (for so it was 
 then divided) thirteen hundred thousand fighting 
 men, besides women, children, and such as were 
 not able to fight, 2 Sam. xxiv. This land was " the 
 glory of all lands," in regard of the fruitfulness and 
 plenty of it, of which see Deut. viii. 7 — 9 ; xxxii. 13, 
 14; Isa. xxxvi. 17; a land beyond Egypt, (though 
 some have affirmed the contrary,) for, Deut. xi. 
 10 — 12, " The land thou goest in to possess is not as 
 the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where 
 thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy 
 foot, as a garden of herbs : but the land whither ye 
 go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and 
 drinketh water of the rain of heaven : a land which 
 the Lord thy God careth for : the eyes of the Lord 
 thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of 
 the year even unto the end of the year." This is a 
 divine testimony, and a high praise of it, and doth 
 justly entitle it 'to be the " glory of all lands." 
 
 What our prophet saith here of Canaan may be 
 suspected, and seems to be contradicted by Isaiah, 
 chap. xiii. 19, where he calls Babylon " the glory 
 of kingdoms ;" and if that be the glory of them, how 
 can Canaan be the " glory of all lands ?" He speaks 
 of the city Babylon, which was the head of Chaldca, 
 and gave denomination to a great part of Mesojio- 
 tamia and Assyria, the walls whereof were two 
 hundred feet high, fifty cubits broad, and sixty miles 
 in com])ass, which tlic Babylonians counted the 
 glory of kingdoms, and boasted of If it did exceed 
 Jerusalem in its greatness, richness, strength, and 
 l)opidousness, yet it fell short of it in other things. 
 Jerusalem represented the true church. Gal. iv. 26 ;
 
 488 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 Hcb. xii. 22; Babylon, the malignant and false 
 church, Rev. xvii. 5. Glurious things were spoken 
 of Jerusalem ; and it was the faithful city, Isa. i. 21 ; 
 the holy city, Isa. lii. 1 ; the city of truth, Zech. viii. 
 3; a city of righteousness, Isa. i. 2G; the city of the 
 Lord of hosts : such things were never spoken of 
 Babylon. 
 
 Again, if Babylon be the glory of kingdoms, it is 
 not said to be of all kingdoms. It might be the glory 
 of heathenish kingdoms, it was not the glory of Ca- 
 naan; for there was the idol Bel, other images, and 
 abominable idolatry, Jer. li. 44, 47, which eclipsed 
 the other glory it had. 
 
 Again, if it be granted that Babylon was the glory 
 of all kingdoms, and so of Judeaor Canaan, yet take 
 Canaan in its latitude, with all its excellences, and 
 so considered, it is the " glory of all lands," and be- 
 yond Babylon, taken for the city or the country ; 
 for, besides its milk and honey, its fruitfulness and 
 plenty, there was something of a higher nature which 
 made it so. For, 
 
 1. It was the land of promise, Ileb. xi. 9. 
 
 2. A type of heaven, Heb. iii. II. 
 
 3. The land God chose to dwell in, Psal. cxxxii. 
 13, 14; Exod. XV. 17. 
 
 4. In it was the temple, worship, ordinances, and 
 oracles of God, I Kings vi. and viii. Whence it was 
 called the holy land, Zech. ii. 12; holy habitation, 
 Exod. XV. 13 ; the land of the Lord, Isa. xiv. 2 ; Psal. 
 Ixxxv. 2; the land of uprightness, Isa. xxvi. 10; the 
 land of Immaiuiel, Isa. viii. 8; and upon this ac- 
 coimtj it was " the glory of all lands ;" for no land 
 besides in all the world was so called as this, or had 
 such prerogatives. 
 
 Ohs. 1. Old mercies should be minded, not only 
 by those they were first bestowed upon, but also by 
 their posterity, who had benefit by them also. In 
 the former verse and this, God minds them of old 
 mercies, his choice of tlu m, his making known him- 
 self unto them, his professing himself to be their 
 God, his bringing them out of Egypt, which were 
 some eight or nine hundred years before, and his 
 espying out a land for them, which was four hundred 
 years before that; for it was in Abraham's days that 
 God took notice of that land; Gen. xii. 1, " Get thee 
 to a land that I will show thee;" ver. 7, "Unto thy 
 seed will I give this hind." These old mercies God 
 would have them to mind, though they were in Ba- 
 bylon, and deprived of that good land God had given 
 them. Let men be in what condition they will, old 
 mercies should not be forgotten, especially signal, 
 great, emphatical mercies. When God shall pub- 
 licly own a people, deliver them from great slavery, 
 put them into a state of freedom, safety, and honour, 
 provide all good things for them, such mercies ought 
 not to be forgotten, but to be remembered from 
 generation to generation. This was done in David's 
 days : Psal. xliv. 1,2, " We have heard with our ears, 
 O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst 
 in their days, in the times of old ; how thou didst drive 
 out the heathen with thy hand." Judg. vi. 13, fathers 
 told their children of the miracles God had wrought 
 for them, and how he brought them out of Egypt. 
 And because men are apt to forget former mercies, 
 when they grow old they grow out of mind, the 
 Lord laid a charge upon the'jews that they should 
 not forget them, l)eut. vi. 10 — 12; and commanded 
 them to " remember the days of old, and to consider 
 the years of many generations," and to inquire of the 
 ancient what he had done for them, Dent, xxxii. 7- 
 There are no works like unto God's works, and they 
 ought to be had in remembrance. David kept theiii 
 in mind, for he professes to the Lord himself, " I re- 
 member the days of old, I meditate on all thy works, 
 
 I muse on the work of thy hand:" he looked back 
 to the days of Noah, of Abraham, of Joseph, of the 
 I.sraelites, and of God's dealing with them ; and, be- 
 cause the heart is not quickly ailccted with old mer- 
 cies, and works of God, he meditated and mused on 
 them, and that till his heart was warmed, and stirred 
 up to praise ; as it is, Psal. cv. 5, " Remember his 
 marvellous works that he hath done ; his wonders, 
 and the judgments of his mouth ; O yc seed of Abra- 
 ham his servant." 
 
 Ohs. 2. That lands, countries, and habitations of 
 peojile, are appointed, ordered, and disposed of by 
 the Lord. He "brings them forth of the land of 
 Egypt, into a land that he had espied for them." 
 All souls, and all lands, are the Lord's, and whom 
 he will he plants where he pleases ; he distributes 
 lands and habitations to wdiom he thinks meet : " The 
 earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof," Psal. 
 xxiv. I ; he is the sole owner (hereof, the true Lord 
 of the soil, and all it brings forth, and he hath " given 
 it to the children of men," Psal. cxv. IG; he hath 
 assigned them their several portions. Deut. xxxii. 
 S, " The Most High divided to the nations their 
 inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam :" 
 the most high God, being Lord paramount, would 
 not have the sons of Adam to live all in one 
 countiy, or land, but appointed them several lands 
 and countries to dwell in, and set them their bounds 
 and limits, as you may see in Gen. x. especially ver. 
 25, where Eber names his son Peleg, (which signifies 
 division,) because the earth was divided in his days. 
 After the flood, at the building of Babel, God con- 
 founded the languages, and dispersed the posterity 
 of Noah into divers lands, and set them their bounds, 
 Gen. xi. 9 ; and so, when he brought the Israelites 
 into the land of Canaan, he gave them their bounds, 
 according to wdiat you find, Psal. Ixxviii. 55, " He 
 cast out the heathen also before them, and divided 
 them an inheritance by line, and made the ti'ibes of 
 Israel to dwell in their tents ;" he drove out and de- 
 stroyed the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, 
 the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the 
 Jebusites, seven great and mighty nations, Deut. vii. 
 I, and gave the land unto his people the Jews. If 
 God now will drive out the bloody, perfidious, and 
 idolatrous out of Ireland, and give it unto others, that 
 the seed of his servants may inherit it, and that those 
 which love his name may dwell therein, who shall 
 blame him for it ? And that England hath had right 
 thereunto, not only from Henry the Eighth's days, 
 who was proclaimed king thereof, in parliament 
 here, and in an Irish parliament likewise, if Heylin 
 say true, but also from Henry the Second's time, yea, 
 from Edgar's, wdio was long before, appears by 
 English history. 
 
 Ohx. 3. The Lord provides and bestows the choicest 
 mercies upon his owai people. If there be a land in 
 the world that Hows with milk and honey, that ex- 
 ceeds other lands for plenty and pleasantness, his 
 people shall have it; he espies out Canaan for them, 
 that land was too good for heathens, his people must 
 have it. When God carried Jacob and his family 
 into Egypt, he provided the good and fat of that land 
 for them, Gen. xlv. 18; yea, they were placed in 
 the "best of the land," chap, xlvii. II. God fed and 
 filled his people with the " finest of the wheat," Psal. 
 cxlvii. 14. Moses mentions seven things together in 
 Deut. xxxii. 13 — 15, as, "honey out of the rock, oil 
 out of the flinty rock, butter of kiue, milk of sheep, fat 
 of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, 
 fat ofkidneys of wheat, the pure blood of the grape ;" 
 these the Lord provided for his people, and they had 
 all an excellency in them. When God gives honey, 
 oil, butter, milk, fat, flour, wine, he giveth the best
 
 Vek, 6, 7- 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 489 
 
 and purest. You may read what choice mercies God 
 bestowed upon this people, Ezek. xvi. 10 — 13 ; tliey 
 had " goodly pleasant things," Joel iii. 5 ; the Hebrew 
 is, goodly desirable things : and David acknowlcdgetli 
 he had a " goodly heritage." Psal. xvi. 6. God had not 
 measured out to him a mean portion, but a good ; yea, a 
 " goodly heritage," that which was so in the eyes of 
 all, even a "wealthy place," Psal. Ixvi. 12. God 
 provided the best places in the court for Esther and 
 her maidens, when in Babylon, Esth. ii. 9, IG; so 
 likewise Daniel and the three children were set in 
 eminent places, Dan. ii. and iii. God made his peo- 
 ple to ride and tread upon the high places of the 
 earth, and of their enemies, Deut. xxxii. 13 ; 
 xxxiii. 29. 
 
 Obs. 4. Spiritual mercies make a land glorious, 
 yea, more glorious than all lands that want the 
 same, whatever mercies they else enjoy. Canaan 
 was the glory of all lands, not so much for its flow- 
 ing with milk and honey, its great plenty it had, as 
 for the spiritual mercies it enjoyed ; there was the 
 Lord's presence, his prophets, his worship, his oracles, 
 and his ordinances, and these made it glorious, yea, 
 more than all the nations far or near. Psal. Ixxvi. 1, 
 2, " In Judah is God knofloi : his name is great in 
 Israel. In Salem also is his tabernacle, and his 
 dwelling-place in Zion." God was not known in 
 Babylon, in Egypt, in other nations, his tabernacle 
 and dwelling-place was not amongst them, therefore 
 they were not glorious. But see what is in the 4th 
 verse, "Thou art more glorious than the mountains 
 of prey ;" thou Judah, thou Israel, thou Salem, thou 
 Zion, that hast spiritual mercies and blessings, art 
 more glorious than they, whatever their glory be. 
 Have the nations abroad goodly towers ? thou hast 
 the temple ; have they stately cities ? thou hast 
 Jerusalem, the city of God ; have they wise men ? 
 thou hast the prophets ; have they gods of gold, 
 silver, and stones ? thou hast the true living God, 
 Jehovah, to be thy God ; have they human laws 
 that are good ? thou hast divine laws that excel ; 
 liave they temporal excellences ? thou hast spiritual ; 
 have they the glory of the world ? thou hast the 
 glory of heaven. Psal. 1. 2, " Out of Zion, the per- 
 fection of beaut)', God hath shined." What made 
 Zion so glorious and beautiful ? it was the presence 
 of God : if he had not been there, Zion had been like 
 other mountains, and Canaan like other nations ; but 
 his presence was like the sun, darting out her beams, 
 and making all lightsome, glorious, and beautiful. 
 Spiritual mercies are beams and rays of that God, 
 who is ten thousand times more bright than the sun ; 
 by these he shined in Zion, and made it the perfec- 
 tion, or universality, of beauty ; by these he shined 
 out of Zion, and darkened all the glory of the 
 nations, what or how great soever it was. Where 
 God and his ordinances are, there is glory ; and 
 where these are not, there is no glory, but Egyptian 
 darkness, a land without the sun. 
 
 In Canaan was spiritual light and glory. There 
 were glorious appearances of God, glorious praisings 
 of God, glorious conversions of sinners unto God, 
 glorious sabbaths and assemblies; and glorious beau- 
 ties of holiness, glorious types of Christ, and people 
 who were the glory of God, Isa. iv. 5, and had glo- 
 rious communion with God. There were glorious 
 trutlis, ordinances, and dispensations of God. 
 
 So then, wise counsellors, good magistrates, stout 
 soldiers, rich merchants, industrious labourers, strong 
 towns, stately houses, high mountains, fertile valleys, 
 pleasant rivers, goodly corn-fields, herds of cattle, 
 flocks of sheep, with plenty of all outward things, do 
 not make a land so glorious as spiritual mercies do : 
 if God, Christ, gospel, and the ordinances of it, be in 
 
 a land, tliey make it glorious, and glorious beyond all 
 other things, and above all other nations. Let us 
 learn to know our true glory, even spiritual mercies, 
 and prize them highly, though loathed by some like 
 manna of old, and pray that such glory may ever 
 dwell in our land. 
 
 Ver. 7. Then said T unto them. Cast ye auay 
 every man the abominations of his eyes, and dejile 
 not yourselves with the idols of Egypt : I am the 
 Lord your God. 
 
 This verse is a command ; wherein you have the 
 Commander, the things commanded, and the reason 
 thereof. 
 
 I. The Commander ; " Then said I unto them." 
 
 II. The things commanded ; whicli are, 
 
 1. Casting away of abominations ; where, 
 
 (I.) You have a specification of these abomina- 
 tions, they are the abominations of their eyes. 
 (2.) The extent of this act, "every man." 
 
 2. Non-defilement of themselves with Egypt's idols. 
 
 III. The reason; "I am the Loi'd your God." 
 "Then said I unto them." For "then," the 
 
 Hebrew is, and I said to them. Where the Lord 
 said thus to them, we do not find ; the words refer to 
 the time of their being in Egypt, and nothing is re- 
 corded in Exodus, that the Lord spake thus unto 
 them, before they departed fi-om Egypt. They were 
 a long time in Egypt, and though Moses mentions 
 not this passage, yet our prophet assures us that the 
 Lord said so ; whence we may take this observatimi : 
 
 Obs. That many things said and done by the 
 Lord, and his servants, though omitted in those 
 places which seemed most proper for them in pen- 
 ning the Scriptures, yet are occasionally given forth 
 in other places ; as this verse, spoken by the Lord 
 when they were in Egypt, omitted by Moses, and 
 now given out to Ezekiel in Babylon, and recorded 
 by him in this place. Enoch's prophecy, being ut- 
 tered in the iuftincy of the world, was either unknown 
 to, or passL'd over, if known by Moses, the prophets, 
 and apostles, till Jude's time, and then it was 
 recorded upon the occasion of the scoffing and 
 profaneness of that time, Jude 14. The names of 
 Jannes and Jambres, who withstood Moses, were not 
 taken into tlie text till Paul's time, 2 Tim. iii. 8: so 
 Moses his refusing to be called the son of Pharaoh's 
 daughter, his choosing rather to suffer affliction with 
 tile people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of 
 sin for a season, his esteeming tlie reproach of Chri.st 
 greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, and his 
 eyeing the recompence of reward, were not men- 
 tioned by himself, nor by any other till the apostle 
 set them down, Heb. xi. 24—26 : these things they 
 had by the Spirit, not by tradition. 
 
 " Cast ye away." Of these words hath been 
 largely spoken in chap, xviii. 31, " Cast away from 
 you all your transgressions;" the word is there 
 the same. 
 
 " Every man." In the Hebrew it is lt"t» a man, 
 let man cast away ; that is, let every one that hatli 
 the name or nature of man do so. It is from a word 
 which signifies, essence, or bfing, and is often put 
 indefinitely for any man ; as Hos. ii. 10, "None shall 
 deliver her out of mine hand;" the Hebrew is, not a 
 man ; that is, not any man shall do it : and for 
 "every man;" Psal. Ixii. 12, "Thou rcnderest to 
 every man according to his work ; " the word for 
 "every man" is, t'sS to a man, that is, to every 
 man, whoever he be. 
 
 " The abominations of his eyes." Of " abomina- 
 tions," formerly. These " abominations " were their 
 idols, things abominable and to be abhorred. They
 
 400 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 are here called the " abominations of their eyes," Le- 
 caiise their eyes were lift up unto them, as it is 
 chap, xviii. 6, 12, and went a whoring after them, 
 chap. vi. 9. Their "eyes" were taken with the 
 form, beauty, ornaments of the idols, and so let in 
 that to their hearts which inflamed and provoked 
 them to idolatry. 
 
 " And defile not yourselves with the idols of 
 Egypt." Of the word -'defile," see chap. v. 11. 
 "With the idols of Egypt;" the Hebrew is, in the 
 idols of Egypt ; that is, in the idolatry of the 
 Egyptians, in their defilements, do not you defile 
 yourselves. The Septnagint renders it, in the super- 
 stition of Egypt; Junius and Tremellius hath it, 
 with the dirty or dunghill gods of Egypt ; and Pis- 
 cator, witli the dung of the Egyptians. They were so 
 addicted to idolatry and superstition, that they made 
 gods of every thing, even of beetles, that live in and 
 feed upon dung ; Exod. xii. 12, " Against all the gods 
 of Egypt I will execute judgment." They had many 
 gods and idols, Isa. xix. 1 ; they had images of the 
 house of the sun, and houses of gods, Jcr. xliii. 13. 
 These gods of theirs were all thrown down and 
 broken in the night the Israelites came out of Egypt, 
 say the Jews, which was the judgment executed 
 upon them. 
 
 The Jews li\"ing in Egypt, fell into their super- 
 stitions and idolatries, as appears clearly by that 
 you have in Josh. xxiv. 14, " Now therefore fear 
 the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth : 
 and put away the gods which your fathers served 
 on the other side of the flood, anil in Egypt." Their 
 fathers were not only idolaters in Mesopotamia, 
 which was beyond the flood, that is, Euphrates, but 
 also in Egypt ; there they were notorious idolaters ; 
 and no sooner w-ere they come out of Egypt, Imt 
 Ihey wonld have a calf, an Egyptian god, to whom 
 they might attribute the honour of their Egyptian 
 deliverance, Exod. xxxii. 4. 
 
 " I am the Lord your God." In the preface to the 
 ten commandments you have these words, " I am 
 the Lord thy God," which is a strong reason why 
 they should have no other gods before him ; and so 
 here, they are the reason why they should cast away 
 their idols, and not defile themselves any more with 
 them. The strength of the argument runs thus, I am 
 the Lord of all creatures, it belongs to me to give 
 laws, and command wliat I please. There is no 
 God besides myself. I allow none in heaven or earth 
 to be set up and acknowledged for God by any, much 
 less b}' you, whose God I am in a more special man- 
 ner, whom I have chosen for my people, and made 
 as it were my temple to dwell in ; therefore cast ye 
 away all idols, all false gods, defile not yourselves 
 with them, but be a holy people nnto me your God, 
 who hate all such things, and dehght in holiness. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the posterity of good men, by living 
 amongst idolaters, and conversing with them, do in 
 time drink in their opinions and manners, and be- 
 come like unto them. The Jews, who were the pos- 
 terity of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the holy seed, 
 by living in Egypt, and conversing with Egyptians, 
 they learned tlieir opinions and ])ractices, they de- 
 lighted in and served the Egyptian gods. Their 
 fathers' piety, precepts, examples, did not antidote 
 them sufficiently against this contagion. Snprrsti- 
 tion, idolatry, and profaneness, are prevalent tilings. 
 Solomon himself, the son of David, was caught in 
 this snare, 1 Kings xi. 4. It is said of the Israelites 
 after they came out of Egypt, that they mingled 
 among the heathen, and learned their works, yea, 
 served their idols, Psal. cvi. 35, 36; by dwelling 
 amongst them, they were transformed into their 
 likeness ; what they saw them do, they did, what 
 
 they saw them worship, they wor.shipped. The 
 heathens served idols, or griefs, as Mimtanushath it, 
 because idols cause grief; and the Hebrews served 
 idols, which brought giief and vexation. There is a 
 secret but strong power in all wickedness to assimi- 
 late, and few who dwell near her borders escape 
 subscription to her laws and practices. When Dinah 
 went out to see the daughters of the land, she was 
 caught and defiled. Gen. xxxiv. 1, 2; and when men 
 go not only to see, but to converse with, and live 
 amongst, the daughters of a land, viz. the corrupt 
 inventions and practices thereof, they are in great 
 danger to be caught and corruj)ted. Grace is not 
 communicable from parents to posterity ; corruption 
 is, and that inclines strongly to conform to their 
 ways and worship among whom men live. 
 
 Obs. 2. When the Lord shows mercy to a people, 
 doth great things for them, then he requires- and ex- 
 pects they should be holy. When the Lord chose 
 Israel, made himself known unto the house of Jacob, 
 promised them to bring them out of Egypt into a 
 land flowing with milk and honey, then he said, 
 " Cast ye away every man the abominations of his 
 eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of 
 Egypt ; " that is, be ye holy, this I call for, this I 
 look for. Exod. xix. 4, 5, " Ye have seen what I did 
 unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' 
 wings, and .brought you unto myself. Now there- 
 fore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my 
 covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto 
 me above all people : for all the earth is mine." 
 Here the Lord reckons up the great benefits he 
 vouchsafed them : (1.) His dealings with their ad- 
 versaries ; " Ye have seen what I did unto the 
 Egyptians," not, heard, but seen, seen how I plagued 
 them in Egypt, and drowned them in the Red sea for 
 your sakes. (2.) His dealings with them; he "bare 
 them on eagles' wings," that is, carried them out of 
 Egypt, and through the Red sea, with much speed, 
 strength, and tenderness, as an eagle carries her 
 young when in danger, speedily, strongly, tenderly, 
 not in her talons, as other fowls do, but on her back 
 and wings. He took tliem unto himself; having 
 taken them out of the hands of the Egyptian tyrants 
 and task-masters, he put them not under the power 
 of strangers, but took them to himself, he became 
 their Lord and Sovereign ; they took not him, but he 
 took them. Having done such things for them, he 
 expected they should be holy; for he saith, " Now 
 therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep 
 my covenant," that is, if you will be holy, and honour 
 me, I will put dignity upon you, such as no people 
 have, " ye shall be a peculiar treasure imto me 
 above all people," as dear, and as much cared for, 
 as any precious things are by princes. God's mer- 
 cies are engagements imto holiness, Lev. xx. 23, 24 ; 
 and especially ver. 26, " Ye shall be holy unto 
 me : for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you 
 from other people, that ye should be mine;" dis- 
 tinguishing mercies should breed distinguishing 
 tiualities; "I have severed you from other people, 
 that you should " forget tlieir manners, and conform 
 to me, a holy God, even every one of you. 
 
 Obs. 3. The eyes are instrumental to, and inlets of, 
 much \rickedness. Their eyes behold the idols, and 
 let in that which stirred their hearts and them to do 
 abominably, even to idolatry. Whether more evil 
 enter by the ear, or eye, may be questioned, but 
 most certain it is, that abimdance of wickedness is 
 let in to us by the eye. The breach of most, if not 
 of all, the conmiandments, hath been occasioned by 
 the eye. 
 
 Of the first: Hos. iii. 1, they "look to other gods." 
 Of the second: 2 Kings xvi. 10 — 12, Ahaz saw an
 
 Ver. 7, 8. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 491 
 
 nlt;ir at Damascus, and makes the like, and sets it in 
 the place of God's altar. Of the third : Mark vi. 
 22, 23, Herod, being pleased at the sight of Hcrodias' 
 dancing, swears to give her whatever she would ask, 
 imto the half of his kingdom. Of the fourth : Ezek. 
 xxii. 2(), they " have hid their eyes from my sab- 
 baths ;" they would not see what holiness that day 
 required, they connived at the pollution and profaning 
 thereof. 
 
 Here you see the breach of the first table, and 
 we may find the second violated by means of them. 
 For the fifth, see Gen. is. 22, Ham saw the naked- 
 ness of his father, and discovered it. For the sixth, 
 sec Esth. iii. 5, 6, " When Haman saw that Morde- 
 cai bowed not, he was full of wrath. And thought 
 scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone, but sought to 
 destroy all the Jews." For the seventh, consult 
 Gen. xxxiv. 2; 2 Sam. xi. 2, 4. When Shechem saw 
 Dinah, and David Bathsheba, they were so taken 
 with their beauties, that they committed folly, and 
 brought evil upon themselves and others. For the 
 eighth, that in Psal. 1. 18, proves it, " When thou 
 sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him." 
 For the ninth, consider that in Jer. xxxvii. 13 ; when 
 Jeremiah was going out at the gate of Benjamin, 
 Irijah, a captain, spies him, and accused him falsely, 
 " saying, Thou fallcst away to the Chaldeans." For 
 the tenth, take that place in Josh. vii. 21. " I saw," 
 saith Achan, " among the spoils a goodly Babylonish 
 garment, two hundred shekels of silver, a wedge of 
 gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and 
 took them." By these instances you see the eyes have 
 been instruments to further the breach of all the 
 commandments. The sight is a great mercy, a prin- 
 cipal sense, yet it had been good for some men if 
 they had been born blind, their eyes occasioned so 
 much sin and wickedness. By the eye the heart 
 sends forth and receives in wickedness ; the eye is 
 the pander between both ; and what thing created is 
 worse than a wicked eye ? Solomon advises you to 
 keep your hearts with all diligence ; and you had 
 need keep your eyes with all diligence : both heart 
 and eyes are roving and mischieving things, if not 
 well kept. God calls for both, Prov. xxiii. 2C, " My 
 son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe 
 my ways." If this were done, multitudes of 
 sins would be prevented ; the eye would let in 
 good to the heart, and the heart send out good by 
 the eye. 
 
 Obx. 4. The consideration of God being our God, 
 should take us off from all former engagements, sin- 
 ful conformities, and false confidences, and cause us 
 to cleave to the Lord, to conform unto and confide in 
 him. The Jews here were engaged to Egyptian gods, 
 conformed to them, and confided too much in them. 
 But, cast them away, defile not yourselves with them ; 
 I am the Lord your God, you must engage, conform 
 yourselves to me, and confide in me : I am your God, 
 able to counsel, help, deliver you; so are not, so can- 
 not, the idols of Egypt. I am a holy God, they 
 are abominations ; I am for you Israelites, they are 
 for Egyptians. God becoming our God, is a great 
 condescension, a favour beyond comprehension, and 
 should knock us off from all false ways, and cause 
 us to conform to him, Exod. xxiii. 24, 25 ; Lev. xi. 43 
 — 45; xviii. 2 — i; xix.2— 4; Numb. xv. 38—41. In 
 all these places God uses this argument why they 
 should conform to him and be holy ; because he is 
 the Lord their God, and a holy God. He made 
 them his temple, to dwell in and among, and his 
 temple must not be defiled, admit of any thing un- 
 suitable to his mind; therefore he tells them, Deut. 
 vii. 6, that he hath chosen them to be a .special 
 people unto himself, special in their holiness, special 
 
 in their love, special in their obedience, and special 
 in their confidence in and reliance upon him. 
 
 Ver. 8. But they rebelled against me, and 
 would not hearken unto me : they did not every 
 man cast away the abominations of their eyes, 
 neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt : then 
 1 said, I ivill pour out my fury ujjon them, to 
 accomplish my anger against them in the midst 
 of the land of Egypt. 
 
 In this verse you have two things to be considered. 
 I. Their wickedness ; which is set out, 
 
 1. In general; " they rebelled," they hearkened not. 
 
 2. In particular ; " they did not cast away the 
 abominations of their eyes," they did not forsake 
 the idols of Egypt. 
 
 II. God's purpose hereupon, which was severely 
 to punish them ; " then I said, I will pour out my 
 fury," &:c.; which is illustrated from the circum- 
 stance of the place where he would do it, " in the 
 midst of the land of Egypt." There is little in this 
 verse which hath not been opened and spoken of 
 formerly : the word " rebelled," we had, chap. xvii. 
 15; ii. 3. 
 
 " And would not hearken unto me." The Hebrew 
 is, and have not desired to hearken to me ; they had 
 no desire that way, but the contrary. Non velle here, 
 is nolle, their not willing, was nillin^, and Zechariah 
 calls it, refusing, ch. vii. 1 1 ; they had not a heart 
 inclinable to hearken unto God. 
 
 " Then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them." 
 The Hebrew is, and I said to pour out ; that is, I 
 purposed, seeing they dealt thus by me, to make 
 them examples of my fury, and to destroy them. Of 
 pouring out fury, and accomplishing auger, was 
 spoken chap. vi. 12; vii. 8; ix. 8 ; xiv. 19. 
 
 " In the midst of the land of Egypt." We find 
 not in Moses any thing recorded of this nature, but 
 here the prophet delivered what God commanded 
 him ; ver. 5, " Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord." 
 He had it not by tradition, that God bid them cast 
 away the abomination of their eyes, and not defile 
 themselves with the idols of Egypt, that they re- 
 belled and would not do so, that God purposed their 
 destruction in Egypt; these things he had not by 
 tradition, but by divine inspiration. They were so 
 corrupted with the idolatry of Egypt, and averse 
 from hearkening to the admonitions, counsels, and 
 exhortations of God, that he thought in his heart to 
 destroy them in the midst of Egypt. Many of thiir 
 children were drowned, and the oppressions they 
 endured were very great, and long, which, Lavater 
 saith, was for their Egyptian idolatry : Psal. cv. 25, 
 " He tm-ned their heart to hate his people, to deal 
 subtilly with his people." 
 
 Obs. 1. Those the Lord hath bestowed great mer- 
 cies upon, and professed much kindness unto, they, 
 even they, are ungratefid when he calls for reforma- 
 tion at their hands. This people the Lord chosc,_ 
 made himself known to, promised to bring out of 
 Egypt into a land he had looked out for them, even 
 a land flowing with milk and honey, the glory, 
 ornament, desire of all lands ; and now, calling upon 
 them to purge themselves from their abominations 
 and idolatries, and to conform to him who professed 
 himself to be their God, what do they ? rebel against 
 him ; " but they rebelled." Here was ingratitude, 
 and ingratitude at a height. God bids them cast 
 away abominations, and they cast away his counsels ; 
 he bids them eye him, his beauty and glery, and 
 they eye the form, beautv, and glory of their idols ; 
 he bids them be holy, and they defile themselves 
 with idols; he bids them cleave to him, the God of
 
 492 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAP. XX. 
 
 Israel, and they cleave to the idols of Egypt; he 
 Lids them forsake all their evil ways, and they for- 
 sake him. This people were very ungrateful ; what- 
 ever mercies they had from God, he seldom had any 
 testimony of true thankfulness from them. Neh. ix. 
 see what a multitude of mercies, great, seasonable, 
 wonderful, God licstowed upon them, calling, by his 
 prophet-s, for turning to him. And did they turn, 
 reform, and testify a thankful frame of heart to be 
 in them ? no ; they were disobedient, rebelled against 
 him, cast his law behind their backs, and slew his 
 prophets, ver. '26. God did choice things for this 
 people all along, but they forgot him, and provoked 
 him. The lOGth Psalm is a psalm of God's mercies, 
 and their ingratitudes ; he tells them they had a 
 multitude of mercies, " but they provoked him at the 
 sea, even the Ked sea," ver. /; "but they lusted 
 exceedingly in the wilderness," ver. 14 ; " but they 
 murmured in their tents," ver. 25 ; " but they mingled 
 among the heathen," ver. 35. Here are four " buts," 
 testifying their ingratitude. 
 
 God hath done great things for us, bestowed 
 Israelitish mercies ujjon ns, he hath made himself 
 known amongst us, brought us out of Egyptian 
 bondage, owned us for his people above any people, 
 and jjrofessed himself to be our God, and hereupon 
 called upon us to cast away our abominations, to re- 
 form and become a holy people, conformable to his 
 mind ; but may not the Lord come in with a re- 
 proaching "but," and say, "But ye rebel;" your 
 abominations are not cast away, you do defile your- 
 selves with the idols of England. And notwithstand- 
 ing all the mercies we have had, God may come in 
 with many buts, and say, " But" you provoke me by 
 your oppressions, divisions, and bitterness ; " but " 
 you lust exceedingly after a king, and to be like 
 other nations; "but" you murmur against me, my 
 servants, and dispensations; "but" you mingle with 
 the customs, corruptions, and fashions of the times ; 
 "but" you forsake my truths, and run into danger- 
 ous and damnable opinions. 
 
 06.V. 2. Such is the corruption of men's natures, 
 that frequently the more mercies and means they 
 have, the worse they grow. This people had va- 
 riety of mercies, and every mercy should have led 
 them to repentance, according to "that in Rom. ii. 4, 
 especially such mercies as they had ; but, above all, 
 God's speaking to them should have done it. How 
 he spake to them in Egypt we find not, no prophets 
 are mentioned to have been there before Moses. 
 Whether he spake himself unto them, or by angels, 
 or by Joseph, or some others, he did speak, but 
 they rebelled and hearkened not, their corruj)t 
 hearts and natures degenerated more and more. 
 The Jews, who had the pleasant land, the prophets, 
 temple, oracles, and ordinances of God, grew worse 
 than any of the nations; see Jer. ii. 10, 11; Ezek. 
 xvi. 47; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 15, 16. It is observable, 
 that men living in the christian world, and where, 
 besides a multitude of other mercies, they have the 
 gospel to do them good, to draw them to God, to 
 direct and enable them to work righteousness, and 
 go beyond heathens in all things, yet in many things 
 they fall short of them, some of them ; and chvers 
 in many things, are worse than the worst of them. 
 If mercies and means prove not the savour of life, 
 they ripen and perfect men's corruptions, and be- 
 come the savour of death. Was there heard of 
 amongst the heathens such a wretch as Judas was, 
 who betrayed such a Master as he did ? Chorazin, 
 Bethsaida, and Capernaum, were the more unhap- 
 py, and exposed to the deeper condemnation, be- 
 cause they had more mercy and means. 
 
 Ob.s: 3. Not doing what God commands, is not 
 
 hearkening; and not hearkening, is rebellion. They 
 "rebelled," and would not "hearken" unto me, 
 they did not cast away the abominations of their 
 eyes, nor forsake the idols of Egypt. They " re- 
 belled" because they hearkened not, they hearken- 
 ed not because they "did not;" it is like they heard 
 God commanding, but hearing, and not doing, they 
 did not hearken. Doino^, is knowing of God, Jer. 
 xxii. 6 ; and doing, is hearkening to God, Deut. 
 xxxiv. 9 ; but not doing, is not hearkening, and not 
 hearkening, is rebellion. Hence not doing is called 
 " rebelling against the command of the Lord," Deut. 
 i. 26; going "backward," Jer. vii. 24; rejecting of 
 the words and law of God, chap. vi. 19; hardening 
 of the neck, Neh. ix. 16, "Our fathers dealt proud- 
 ly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to 
 thy commandments." It is pride, and hardness of 
 heart, not to hearken unto God and his commands. 
 
 Obx. 4. Men's not hearkening unto God, puts him 
 upjon thoughts and purposes of punishing them, and 
 that severely. " Then I said, I will pour out my 
 fury upon them," and accomplish, consummate, per- 
 fect mine anger against ihem : " then," when they 
 would not do as I bid them, I had thoughts and re- 
 solutions to destroy them. When the glorious, 
 great, and only wise God, shall speak to the crea- 
 ture, to do that which tends to its great good, and 
 shall not be heard, but disobeyed and slighted, this 
 provokes God, and procreates thoughts of destruc- 
 tion. When they hearkened not, but sinned so in 
 the business of the calf, it was in the heart of God 
 utterly to destroy them: Exod. xxxii. 10, "Let me 
 alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, 
 and that I may consume them ;" and not only them, 
 but "their name from imder heaven," Deut. ix. 14. 
 Had not Moses poured water upon this fire and 
 quenched it, he had done it ; they had no longer 
 been a people, nor had any memorial left of them. 
 Of this speaks David, Psal. cvi. 23, " He said that 
 he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen 
 stood before him in the breach, to turn away his 
 wrath, lest he should destroy them." This is spoken 
 of God, after the manner of men; when they are 
 offended, they purpose and resolve to destroy those 
 who have provoked them, but some friend inter- 
 poses, prevails with them, and prevents them, as 
 Abigail did David. So Moses here prevented the 
 Lord by his j^rayers and entreaties from destroying 
 this people. Men's perverse dealings with God do 
 put him upon intentions of their ruin : Deut. xxxii. 
 26, " I said, I woidd scatter them into corners, I 
 would make the remembrance of them to cease from 
 
 among' men. 
 
 Ver. 9. Sut I wrought for my names sake, 
 that it should not be polluted before the heathen, 
 among whom they were, in whose sight I made 
 myself knoivn unto them, in bringing them forth 
 out cf the land of Egypt. 
 
 In this verse are set down God's last kindnesses 
 to this people, being in Egypt ; and they are two : 
 
 1. His sparing of them for his name's sake. 
 
 2. His bringing them out of that condition. 
 Touching the first, in the latter part of the former 
 
 verse God had said he would pour out his fury upon 
 them, and accomplish his anger against them in the 
 midst of Egypt ; but foreseeing and considering what 
 would be the event thereof, if he shoidd do so, viz. 
 that his name would suffer and be polluted, here he 
 provides for the honour of his own name, and spares 
 them. 
 
 " But I wrought." The Hebrew is, I did, or have 
 done, not what I purposed, but what was most con-
 
 Yer. 9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 493 
 
 venient for me to do, what was for the honour of my 
 name : when I saw that like to suffer, I did that 
 which prevented it, I took care of my name, had re- 
 spect unto it. 
 
 " For my name's sake." " Name," in the Scripture, 
 as it refers to God, is sometimes put for God himself, 
 as Psal. xxxiii. 21 ; and Nch. i. 11, "who desire to 
 fear thy name ;" that is, God himself, he is the ob- 
 ject of fear, Isa. viii. 13 ; sometimes it is put for 
 God's titles, Psal. Ixxxiii. 18; Exod. iii. 13—15; 
 sometimes for the attributes of God, as chap, xxxiii. 
 19, compared with chap, xxxiv. 6, 7; sometimes for 
 the glory, esteem, and renown of God, Psal. viii. 9, 
 and Psal. Ixxvi. 1 ; here it is put for God's attributes 
 and honour. Three of his attributes had been ques- 
 tioned, if he should have destroyed this people in 
 Egj-pt. 
 
 1. His faithfulness. For God had promised and 
 sworn to bring them out of Egypt, as it is vcr. 6 ; 
 and Gen. xv. 14; xlviii. 4; and had he not done it, 
 Egyptians and others would have charged God with 
 breach of promise, with unfaithfulness. 
 
 2. His power and almightincss. For they would 
 have said he was not able to bring them from under 
 the Egyptian gods and Pharaoh, that their power 
 was beyond the power of the Jews' God. 
 
 3. His mercy. That he had a people who professed 
 him to be their God, but he was so merciless, that 
 he destroyed and cut them all off; a thing that the 
 heathen gods never did to any which worshipped 
 them. 
 
 Now, had the case been thus, how had God's 
 honour been laid in the dust, his glory stained, and 
 renown eclipsed. 
 
 " That it should not be polluted." The word, to 
 pollute, in Hebrew, signities originally, to grieve, to 
 cut; and metonymically, to pollute, to violate, profane, 
 which are grievous and cutting. When God's name 
 is polluted, we are not to conceive any actual defile- 
 ment to adhere to it, for God's name can no more 
 be defiled than the beams of the sun. It is said to 
 be polluted, 
 
 1. When it is not hallowed; that is, not acknow- 
 ledged, not esteemed to be holy and honourable. As 
 the sabbath, when it was not sanctified, it was pol- 
 luted ; so here, when the glory due to God's name 
 is not acknowledged, it is a polluting of his name. 
 
 2. When it is slighted, and not used reverently. 
 God's name is great, glorious, excellent, holy, and 
 dreadful, and ought to be reverenced, Psal. cxi. 9. 
 
 3. When occasion is given to the wicked to speak 
 evil of God and his ways. As, 2 Sam. xii. 14, David 
 by his sins gave great occasion to the enemies of the 
 Lord to blaspheme ; so, Ezek. xxxvi. 21, the Jews, by 
 their sinful carriage, caused the name of God to be 
 profaned among the heathen. 
 
 Had the Lord, then, destroyed this people in 
 Egypt, according as he purposed, the Egyptians and 
 other nations would have slighted him, spoken evil 
 of his doings, blasphemed his name, and wounded 
 his honour. Therefore, though this people deserved 
 to die in the way of justice, yet God spared them in 
 tlic way of mercy, for the honour of his name. 
 
 Quest. Seeing God purposed to destroy them, and 
 did it not, is not his will alterable and inefficacious? 
 
 jlnsw. The counsels, purposes, decrees of God are 
 unalterable, and do take place : sec Psal. xxxiii. 11 ; 
 Lsa. xiv. 27; xhii. 13; xlvi. 10; Mai. iii. 6; Hcb. vi. 
 17. For that said and done here, it is after the 
 manner of men. God saw cause sufficient to move 
 him to their destruction, but seeing what evil was 
 like to come from it, he would not destroy them. Had 
 the Lord decreed it before the world, it must have 
 taken place ; no charge or alteration could have been. 
 
 " Before the heathen." The Hebrew is, in the 
 eyes of the heathen. God would not have them to 
 see or behold any thing which might occasion them 
 to dishonour him ; he would not slay his people in 
 their sight, but made liimself known bv his word 
 and mighty works unto the Jews, in the sight of the 
 heathen, so that hereby he was known unto both. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord spares and saves sinners deserv- 
 ing death, even for his name's sake. " But I wrought 
 for my name's sake." Thou, for thy rebellion, idol- 
 atry, and other sins, didst deserve to die, and I could 
 almost have cut thee off, but for my mercy and 
 name's sake, I spared and saved thee : Isa. xlviii. 8, 
 9, " I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacher- 
 ously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb ;" 
 that is, worthy so to be called, seeing as soon as ever 
 thou camest out of the womb of Egypt, in which 
 thou wast shut up as a child in the womb, thou fell- 
 est to idolatry. Here was enough to have caused 
 God to stifle this child ; but what follows : " For my 
 name's sake will I defer mine anger, and for my 
 praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not oil'." 
 Nothing in this metapliorical child, this Jewish 
 people, moved him to show mercy ; but his own 
 " name," his own praise, prevailed with him to pre- 
 sers'e them from destruction. God's honour and 
 glory are strong arguments to move him to show 
 mercy to his people. This the servants of God have 
 known, and made use of, in their straits. When 
 Jerusalem was in a manner laid desolate, and the 
 jealousy of God burned like fire, what argument did 
 the church use then to move God to show mercy, 
 but his " name," and glory of it ? Psalm Ixxix. 9, 
 " Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of 
 thy name : and deliver us, and purge away our sins, 
 for thy name's sake." The church was low, weak, 
 beset with enemies and sins at once, and now it 
 would have help, deliverance, pardon, and upon the 
 account of God's name; " for thy name's sake" help 
 us, " for thy name's sake" deliver us, " for thy 
 name's sake" purge away our sins. What hurt 
 would it be to God's name if he did it not ? It would 
 not be glorious, but dishonoured ; for in the next 
 verse it is said, " Wherefore should the heathen say. 
 Where is their God ?" they trusted in their God, and 
 he is a non-helping God, a non-delivering God, a 
 non-pardoning God. This was the argument Joshua 
 used when Israel fell before their enemies, " Lord, 
 what wilt thou do unto thy great name?" God's 
 name was precious to Joshua, but more precious to 
 God himself. Josh. vii. 9, and he did great things for 
 his name's sake. When the people forgot the mul- 
 titude of great mercies they had m Egypt, and j)ro- 
 voked him at the sea, even at the Red sea, and de- 
 served to be drowned in it, and tliat their blood 
 should be mingled with the waters thereof, what 
 saith the text? Psal. cvi. 8, " Nevertheless he saved 
 them for his name's sake." When nothing else mduccd 
 him to do it, the honour of his name vide Muscul. in 
 did, that he might appear faithful, mer- locum, 
 ciful, powerful. God did not save them for their 
 prayers, for their faith, for their fathers' sakes, for 
 their righteousness, or for their enemies' sakes, being 
 very malicious and wicked, but for his " own name's 
 sake ;" God doth more upon that account alone, than 
 upon the account of all the rest. You may hear the 
 Lord speak graciously to this purpose, Isa. xliii. 25, 
 " I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgres- 
 sions for mine ov:n sake ;" here is " I" twice; one 
 " I" referring to them, it is " I" that blot out their 
 transgressions, and none besides ; the other rcfrrs to 
 God, " I" blot them out " for mine own sake," not 
 your sakes : God doth all freely. 
 
 OLs. 2. God's sparing of his people, and pre-
 
 494 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chai'. XX. 
 
 venting the reproaches, blasphemies, and mischiefs 
 ■which would come by his destroying of them, is an 
 lionouring and sanctifying of his name. I wrought, 
 saith Uod, that my name might not be polluted be- 
 fore the heathen ; that is, that it might be honoured 
 and sauclified in their sight. God doth often spare 
 his people, being ripe for destruction, that the 
 enemy might not blaspheme and profane his name ; 
 and when he doth so, he honours his name. Dent, 
 xxxii. 26, 27, God saith there, he would scatter and 
 destroy his people ; but why did he it not ? he 
 " feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adver- 
 saries should behave themselves strangely, and lest 
 they should say, Our hand is high, and the Lord 
 hath not done all this." God foresaw what they 
 would say and do, if he should have used them as 
 instruments to punish his children; they would 
 have been very outrageous, bloody, and cruel, and 
 when they had vented all their malice against them, 
 and done whatever they would, they would have 
 denied God's hand to have been therein, and arro- 
 gated all to themselves, which had been a great dis- 
 honour to God; he therefore prevents their blas- 
 pheming by sjiaring of his people, and so pi'ovides 
 for the honour of his name. Moses once and twice 
 put God upon it, to take heed he caused not the 
 Egyptians to speak evil of him and his ways, when 
 he was upon the design of destroying his people for 
 their sins : see Exod. xxxii. 10 — 12; Numb. siv. 12 
 ■ — 16. God deals with his people sometimes, not 
 after the ordinary rule and course of his proceedings, 
 but in a prerogative way; he spares them, though 
 their sins be great, because their enemies would be 
 proud, arrogant, bloody, and blasphemous. And 
 hath he not spared England upon this account ? 
 
 Obs. 3. That notwithstanding the sins of God's 
 people, he shows them kindness openly, and in the 
 face of their enemies. Though the Jews had re- 
 belled against God, and the Egyptians would have 
 rejoiced in their ruin, yet, in their sight, God made 
 himself known unto them, in bringing them forth 
 out of the land of Egypt, God would have the 
 Egyptians see that he could be kind to his people, 
 though they were disobedient unto him ; that he 
 would not break w-ith them, though they broke 
 with him. 
 
 When the Jew^s were in Babylon, under great dis- 
 pleasure of God for their sins, yet God did show 
 them such favour, and do such things for them, that 
 their enemies were convinced, and said, " The Lord 
 hath done great things for them," Psal. cxxvi. 2 ; 
 he made known his salvation, and openly showed 
 his salvation in the sight of the heathen, Psal. 
 xcviii. 2. This the Lord doth, as to magnify his 
 own name, to rejoice the hearts of his people, and 
 to gain upon them, so to vex and consume the 
 wicked: Psal. cxii. 10, "The wicked shall see it, 
 and be grieved ; he shall gnash with his teeth, and 
 melt away." Hath not this been God's method with 
 us ? notwithstanding our sins, and ill deserts, hath 
 he not openly made known himself to us, showed 
 us kindness in the sight of our enemies ? have they 
 not seen it, grieved, gnashed tluir teeth, and melted 
 away ? they have seen God's kindnesses to us, and 
 we have seen God's vengeance on them. 
 
 Ver. 10, 11. JJlterrfore I caused them to go 
 forth out of the hind of Egypt, and hrovght them 
 into the wUderness. And 1 gave them, my statutes, 
 and shewed them my judgments, which if a man 
 do, he shall even line in them. 
 
 Having seen and heard of God's dealings with 
 them, and theirs with him, in Egypt, now we are led 
 
 to consider their mntual dealings each with other in 
 the wilderness, wdiich reacheth to the 27th verse. 
 Where he shows in general, 
 
 I. AVhat benefits he had bestowed upon them. 
 
 II. What their sinful deportment was towards him. 
 
 III. How worthy they were to perish, if the Lord 
 had not showed them mercy for his name's sake. 
 
 In these two verses you have, 
 
 1. Their eduction out of Egypt. 
 
 2. Their introduction into the wilderness. 
 
 3. The donation or promulgation of the law. 
 
 " I caused them to go forth." The Vulgate is, I 
 cast them forth, or, drove them forth ; which shows 
 their backwardness to leave that land where they 
 were born, had habitations, and other accommoda- 
 tions. It is like many of them neither thought of 
 the promise made to their fathers, nor of the pro- 
 mised land, but thought Egypt a good land, yea, a 
 " land flowing witli milk and honey," as they called 
 it, Numb. xvi. 13; only they were troubled" at the 
 hard labour the Egyptians held them to. But the 
 word here imports not any violence, but a powerful 
 bringing of them forth. We will inquire, 
 
 1. IIow the Lord brought them forth ? 
 
 2. When? 
 
 1. How ? It was not in an ordinary way, but in a 
 way full of extraordinaries. To do it, the Lord came 
 down from heaven, Exod. iii. S ; that was in the 
 vision of the burning bush ; he prepared Moses, 
 Aaron, and the people, by signs and miracles, to 
 leave Egypt, and because all the power and wisdom 
 that Pharaoh and Egypt had was employed to re- 
 tain the Jews there, they being utterly averse from 
 their departure, the Lord sent strange and dreadful 
 plagues, one after another, till their spirits were 
 brought ofl' to let them go, chap. xii. 30 — 33. Pha- 
 raoh was resolved not to let them go, (he had so 
 much profit by their service,) unless it were by a 
 strong hand, chap. iii. 19; and God was resolved to 
 bring them out, and therefore he did arise, put forth 
 his power, and by " strength of hand" brought them 
 out, chap. xiii. 3; by " an high hand," chap. xiv. 8 ; 
 by " mighty power, and a stretched-out arm," Deut. 
 ix. 29. You have it fidly set down in chap. iv. 34, 
 God took them from the midst of another nation by 
 " temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by 
 war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched-out 
 arm, and by great terrors." There was great strife 
 between God and Pharaoh, who should have this 
 people, as there was between Michael and the devil 
 about the body of Moses. Pharaoh puUed hard to hold 
 them in Egypt, but God out-j)ulled Pharaoh, and pull- 
 ed them out of Egypt, and so caused them to go forth. 
 
 2. When. You have the time punctu- 
 ally set down in Exod. xii. 40, 41, where 
 
 it is said, " At the end of the four hundred and thirty 
 years, even the self-same day, they went out." Not 
 that they were four hundred and thirty years in 
 Egypt, for they were there but two hunihed and ten, 
 or two hundred and fifteen, as chronologies inform 
 upon good account. The four hundred and thirty 
 years are to begin from the time of the promise 
 made to Abraham, which Stephen tells us. Acts vii. 
 2, was before he dwelt in C'harran, even while he 
 was in Ur, and but seventy years old ; from which 
 time, to the going out of Egyjit, were four hundred 
 and thirty years ; two hundred and fifteen, or two 
 hundred and twenty whereof, were rini out befcjre 
 Jacob went down into Egypt. From the promise 
 made to Abraham to Isaac's birth, were thirty years, 
 some make it but twenty-five, (they then reckon 
 from his time of departing out of Haran,) for he was 
 a hundred years old when Isaac w'as born. Gen. 
 xxi. 5; and from thence to the birth of Jacob were
 
 Ver. 10, 11. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 495 
 
 sixty years, Gen. sxv. 26 ; and from thence to 
 Jacob's going into Egypt, one hundred and thirty 
 years, chap, xlvii. 9 ; which, summed up, make two 
 hundred and twenty, at least two hundred and fifteen, 
 and so the rest of the four hundred and thirty tliey 
 were in Egypt. And at the just time they were ac- 
 complished, the Lord brought them out, to show his 
 faithfulness, as it appears, Deut. vii. 8. 
 
 " And brought them into the wilderness." There 
 is mention made of one " wilderness" before they 
 passed through the Red sea, Exod. xiv. 11, and of 
 other wildernesses after they had passed the same ; 
 as the " wilderness of Sin," chap. xvi. 1 ; the " wil- 
 derness of Paran," Numb. xiii. 3; which doubtless 
 was but one, though diversely called from the several 
 parts it bordered upon. A " wilderness" is a deso- 
 late, solitary place, where is no way, where are no 
 comforts, but where are many dangers. Deut. viii. 
 15, it was " a great and terrible wilderness," wherein 
 were fiery serpents, and scorpions, drought, and no 
 water. It had many wild beasts in it, and therefore 
 was called the " howling wilderness," chap. xxx. 
 10. Jeremiah tells you, chap. ii. 6, this " wilder- 
 ness" was a land of deserts, and of pits ; but not pits 
 which would hold any water, for he adds, it was a 
 " land of drought," and of the " shadow of death," 
 a land that no " man passed through," and where 
 " no man dwelt ;" while they were in this " wilder- 
 ness," they were in danger of death, or in such 
 straits as that they desired death. The " wilder- 
 ness " here meant was the " wilderness of Sin," 
 which was not far from Sinai, where the law was 
 given, of which the next verse speaks. Into the 
 wilderness God did bring them, to try them, to 
 humble them, and to do them good at their latter 
 end, Deut. viii. 16. 
 
 Obn. 1. That God, for the honour of his name, 
 shows mercy after mercy to his people, deserving no 
 mercy, yea, deserving destruction. In the former 
 verse, to prevent the dishonour of his name, he 
 spared them, made himself known to them, and 
 here he goes on, adding mercy to mercy : " Where- 
 fore I caused them to go forth." 
 
 Obs. 2. No length of time, no depth of misery, no 
 power or policy of adversaries whatsoever, can hin- 
 der God from delivering his people when his time is 
 come. The Jews had been long in Egypt, suil'ered 
 very hard things for the space of one hundred and 
 sixteen years, or one hundred and twenty-one, from 
 the time of Joseph's death till their departure out of 
 Egypt, that house of bondage, which was thereabout. 
 They were under heavy pressures and great tyranny ; 
 Pharaoh, that great dragon, used all his cunning 
 and power to keep them longer in that condition ; 
 but notwithstanding all these, the Lord caused them 
 to go forth, his time was come. The like did God 
 for this people when they had been in Babylon 
 seventy years, were as dry bones, and out of hope, 
 Ezek. xxxvdi. 1 1 ; he opened their graves, and caused 
 them to come up out of them, and come to the land 
 of Israel, ver. 12. There is nothing too hard for 
 the Lord to do; he can, and will, remove all ob- 
 structions, break through all difficulties, and shake 
 the foundations of heaven, earth, and hell, to bring 
 to pass his good jileasure in the time thereof Tlie 
 state of the Jews in Egypt represents men's condition 
 under sin and Satan ; that in Babylon, the condition 
 of God's servants under antichrist. Now, let men 
 be never so long in bondage to either or both of 
 them, sulfer never such hard things ; let Satan, that 
 red dragon, and antichrist, that man of sin, improve 
 all their craft, skill, and power, to hold men in dark- 
 ness and ways of false worship ; yet when the Lord's 
 day is come, he will cause them to come out of 
 
 Egyptian bondage, and Babvlonian darkness, he will 
 fetch them oil' from all sinftil practices, all invented 
 ways of worship, and bring them into his marvellous 
 and glorious light. 
 
 Obs. 3. When God doth show his people special 
 mercy, in freeing them from old and special miseries, 
 he doth not wholly exempt them from new miseries. 
 Though he caused them to go forth of Egypt, yet 
 he brought them into a " wilderness," where they 
 met with hunger, thirst, danger, and death ; they 
 were treed from Egyptian miseries, not from wilder- 
 ness miseries. They thought if once they were 
 freed from their making brick, gathering straw, and 
 rigid task-masters, they should be happy ; but they 
 met with new hardships, new miseries ; they did ride 
 upon the back of mercy, out of old miseries into 
 new, out of a house of bondage into a wilderness, a 
 howling wilderness, a wilderness that made them 
 howl many a time. It is God's method oft to mingle 
 water with our wine, miseries with our mercies, 
 crosses with our comforts, to lead us out of great 
 straits in much mercy, and to lead us into others for 
 trial. David was delivered oft out of straits, but 
 shortly after he was freed fi-om one he was brought 
 into another, and that by the same hand ; which 
 made him say, " Thou hast showed me great and sore 
 troubles," Psal. Ixxi. 20. Sometimes he was on the 
 mount of mercies, and sometimes in the valley of 
 miseries, yea, in the valley of the shadow of death. 
 Take it in a spiritual sense. When men are convert- 
 ed, do they not meet with hard things, are they not 
 brought out of Egypt into a wilderness, where are 
 dangers, fiery serpents, scorpions, &c. ? 
 
 Ver. 1 1. " And 1 gave them my statutes, and showed 
 them my judgments." This people being brought out 
 of Egypt, and freed from great bondage, being in a 
 wilderness, might now fancy a total liberty to them- 
 selves, and exemption from all obedience. To pre- 
 vent this, some fifty days after their coming out, the 
 Lord at mount Sinai gives them out his law, by 
 which they might be ordered and regulated. 
 
 Of " statutes" and "judgments " hath been spoken 
 formerly ; by them, both morals and ceremonials are 
 comprehended. 
 
 " Shewed them." The Hebrew is, I made them 
 to know ; that is, I caused them to be written in the 
 tables of stone, and proclaimed amongst them ; yea, 
 I caused them to be opened and expounded unto 
 them. The Lord made known his mind unto them, 
 though not so efficaciously as in these days. 
 
 " Which if a man do, he shall live in them." The 
 doing here is, man's keeping, observing, and obeying 
 these statutes and judgments ; and if so, he should 
 not be punished as transgressors are, but live a long 
 and prosperous life, and not only so, but a happy 
 and eternal life ; for if the keeping God's statutes and 
 commands should reach but unto a temporal pros- 
 perous life, what benefit had the Jews thereby above 
 the gentiles, who by their justice, civility, and moral 
 virtues, obtained great prosperity and length of days. 
 The Lord Christ clears it up unto us, tliat by life 
 promised upon keejiing the law, is meant eternal 
 life : Luke x. 25, saith a lawyer to Christ, " Master, 
 what shall 1 do to inherit eternal life ? " Christ saith, 
 " What is written in the law ? how readest thou ?'' 
 He tells him, ver. 2", what he found there; and Clirist 
 upon it tells him, ver. 28, that if he did so, he should 
 live; that is, live eternally. There was a righteousness 
 of the law, which if men came unto, the law confer- 
 red life upon them; see Gal. iii. 12; Rom. x. 5; 
 Lev. xviii. 5 ; there was life in them, life by them, 
 and life from them : but because no man could at- 
 tain unto the righteousness of the law through the 
 weakness of the fiesh, Rom. viii. 3, therefore the
 
 496 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 law was so far from conferring eternal life upon ni;in, 
 that it excludes him from that life, chap. iii. '20, and 
 takes away the life he hath, chap. vii. 10. The 
 commandment which was ordained to life he found 
 to be unto death ; that which in itself held out life, 
 accidentally and eventually jiroved death unto him. 
 
 Paul seems to deny any power to be in the law of 
 giving life ; Gal. iii. 21, " If there had been a law 
 given which could have given life, verily righteous- 
 ness should liave been by the law." The impotency 
 is not originally and intrinsically in the law, for 
 that is perfect, and able to give life to any, to all 
 that keep it: Matt. xix. 17, Christ makes the keep- 
 ing the commandments the entrance into life. The 
 fault is in us, not in the law, which is holy, just, and 
 good ; if we could keep the law, it could give us life. 
 
 Obs. 1. When God brings his people into straits, 
 he will not leave them destitute, he will show them 
 some mercy in such a condition. He brought them 
 into the wilderness ; and what then ? he gave them 
 his statutes, and showed them his judgments. When 
 they were in the wilderness, they had the cloud, the 
 pillar of fire, the manna, the tabernacle, the water 
 out of the rock, many great mercies did God bestow 
 on them whilst they were in the wilderness. Jacob, 
 by the hand of God, was brought into straits : he 
 must leave his father's house to secure his life, Gen. 
 xxvii. 42, 43 ; lie in the ojsen field all night, where 
 the earth was his bed, and tlie stones his bolsters, 
 where the wild beasts might have found and devoured 
 him ; but in this condition the Lord appeared to him, 
 and told him what lie would give and do for him. 
 It was a good night to Jacob, he met with sweeter, 
 greater mercies when he lay without doors, than 
 ever he did by lying in his father's house. God 
 brought Jerusalem into a strait by Sennacherib ; and 
 did he leave it so, and let him sack and spoil it ? no, 
 lie prepared an angel that was both auiTi'jp and 
 aKoWvuiv, a saviour to the Jews, and a destroyer to 
 the Assyrians. Christ, by the Spirit, was led into 
 the wilderness, where the tempter set upon him very 
 fiercely, and ceased not for forty days together to shoot 
 his fiery darts against him ; but did not the Lord mind 
 him in that condition ? yes, he sent angels unto 
 him ; Matt. iv. 1 1, " Behold, angels came and minis- 
 tered unto him." 
 
 Obs. 2. God is the Lawgiver to his people. " I 
 gave them my statutes, and showed them my judg- 
 ments." God gave them laws to govern and direct 
 them, both in their worshipping of him, and carriage 
 one towai'ds another. It was no small mercy that 
 God gave them " statutes and judgments," for no 
 nation had the like mercy : Dent. iv. 8, " What 
 nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judg- 
 ments so righteous as all this law, which I set be- 
 fore you this day ?" said Moses to them. Other 
 nations had their statutes and judgments, but either 
 they were not righteous, or at best not so righteous 
 as theirs were ; if some were righteous, others were 
 not. Here all were righteous, Psal. cxix. 128; they 
 are called judgments of righteousness, vcr. 7; and 
 commands that are rigliteousness, ver. 172 ; they are 
 the judgments and commands of the righteous God, 
 they are full of righteousness, and make men right- 
 eous. If the law of the twelve tables among the 
 Romans did exceed all the libraries of philosophers 
 in weight and worth, as Tully said, what then did 
 the " statutes and judgments " God gave to this 
 people ? they exceeded all the laws that ever were 
 or shall be. This made David to value them above 
 " thousands of gold and silver," Psal. cxix. 72 ; and 
 to pray unto the Lord to open his eyes, that he might 
 sec the mysteries and depths v/hich were in them, 
 vcr. 18, 129 ; and that he would incline his heart to 
 
 keep them, vcr. 36. God gave them these laws, to 
 show that he would be their Governor, that they 
 ought to obey him : Isa. xxxiii. 22, " The Lord is 
 our lawgiver." 
 
 Obs. 3. The great bounty and wisdom of God in 
 making promise of a happy life here, and eternal life 
 hereafter, to the keepers of the law, to those who 
 should observe his statutes and judgments. 
 
 First, his great bounty : for, suppose a man could 
 perfectly in all things keep the law, and that perpe- 
 tually, he deserves nothing thereby ; being God's 
 creature, it is his duty to do what he appoints and 
 commands ; man's works do not excel, nor carry that 
 intrinsical worth before God, as to merit at his 
 hands : the life therefore attainable hereby is from 
 covenant and promise, not from the nature of man's 
 obedience, but of God's promise ; and so is from his 
 bounty and good-will. For God to promise life to 
 man's obedience was great mercy, transcending 
 whatever possibly, or imaginably, could be therein ; 
 whereas he might have commanded all man could do 
 without any promise of life at all. Neither let any 
 say, this promise was to no purpose, because man was 
 not able to keep the law ; the fault thereof was not in 
 God, nor in the law, but in man himself, who had 
 disabled himself. And here appears. 
 
 Secondly, the great wisdom of God, that made this 
 promise of life to the keepers of the law, that so he 
 might draw out their endeavours to the utmost, and 
 that seeing when they Vv'cre at the height they fell 
 short of that perfection the law required, they might 
 look for life upon another account, viz. the' righteous- 
 ness of faith; see Deut. xxx. 12 — 15, with Rom. ix. 
 30 — 32, and chap. x. 5 — 8. Therefore the law, finding 
 us incapable of life through our sin, directed us unto 
 Christ, where we might have it through his grace ; 
 Gal. iii. 24, "The law was our schoolmaster to bring 
 us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." 
 
 Ver. 1'2. 3Ioreover also I gave them, iin/ sab- 
 baths, to be a sign betiveen me and them, that they 
 might know that I am the Lord that sanctifij them. 
 
 Here is another mercy which the Lord bestowed 
 
 upon this people, namely, his "sabbaths," which were, 
 
 1. " To be a sign between him and them." 
 
 2. To evidence that the Lord was he which sanc- 
 tified them. 
 
 " My sabbaths." The word " sabbath " signifies, 
 rest, and such rest, as work hath gone before ; from 
 nar to cease, to be quiet, and give over working ; it 
 imports, not a sitting still, or doing nothing, but a 
 resting from what formerly was a doing. Some by 
 "sabbaths" here understand, not only the sabbath of 
 days, but the sabbatical years also, the seventh and 
 fiftieth years, which were years of rest; but it is 
 more genuine to take "sabbaths" here for sabbati- 
 cal days, one of which came every week, and those 
 " sabbaths " were the " signs " between God and 
 them. It may be inquired whether they had the 
 sabbath before they came out of Egypt, because it is 
 said, that God brought them out thence into the 
 wilderness, and gave them his sabbaths ; and there 
 are some of note, who hold that the sabbath was not 
 given at first, but in Moses' days. 
 
 To this inquiry, the answer is. That they had the 
 sabbath before that time of Moses giving the law at 
 mount Sinai, as appears, Exod. xvi. 23, 25, 26, on 
 the saiibath day there was no manna to be found or 
 gathered; and Gen. ii. 3, " God blessed the seventh 
 day, and sanctified it." Surely this blessing and 
 sanctifying of it was for man's use, God needed no 
 day ; therefore in that place, Exod. xvi. 29, he saith, 
 " The Lord hath given you the sabbath," alluding
 
 Ver. 12. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 4'J7 
 
 to the first institution ; and the word " remember," 
 which begins the fourth commandment, imports that 
 the day was given before, thoiiglt much forgotten 
 and neglected. And what if there be no particular 
 testimony, which mentions the patriarchs' keeping 
 of it before the law ? it doth not follow, therefore, it 
 was not kept. • 
 
 There is no mention of keeping it in Joshua, in 
 Judges, in Samuel ; is it therefore a warrantable or 
 good argument, to conclude that it was not kept ? 
 yea, if it were granted that they did not keep it, doth 
 tliis prove that they were not required to keep iti* 
 For Justin Martyr, Ireneus, and Tertullian, tlieir 
 scope is to show, that none of tlie fathers of those 
 times were justified, or obtained salvation, by keep- 
 ing of the sabbath. 
 
 If the "sabbaths" were given before, how are 
 they said to be given when they were in the wilder- 
 ness ? this is answered in the next words. 
 
 "To be a sign between me and them." The first 
 giving of the sabbatli was to be a memorial of the 
 creation, Gen. ii. 3, and therefore was observed by 
 the primitive fathers, whom the creation of the 
 world did most nearly concern, and was in use be- 
 fore Moses' days, who was above two thousand 
 years after. But when God gave it out again by 
 Moses, it was upon another account, viz. to be a 
 " sign " between him and his people the Jews, whom 
 he brought out of Egypt, and that upon the sabbath 
 day, as Junius observes. 
 
 " A sign." The sabbath was a " sign" of the true 
 sabbath, wherein we shall rest from the laJjour of 
 this world, so Jerom ; " a sign" of love and reconcilia- 
 tion, so Yatablus; a" sign" of holiness, that by the 
 time dedicated to God we might know ourselves 
 dedicated to God, so C'ajetane ; a " sign" of difier- 
 ence between the Jews and all other people, who 
 were profane, and derided the Jews for losing the 
 seventh part of their time, so Tostatus and Sanctius. 
 They were distinguished from other nations by cir- 
 cumcision, and by meats ; but these were not so 
 visible, observable, in the eye of the world as their 
 " sabbaths." A " sign" that God had taken this 
 people to himself, separated them from Egyptians, 
 and others, and would have them in a special man- 
 ner remember their Egyptian deliverance on that 
 day, as formerly the creation. It was a sign be- 
 tween God and them ; they glorified him, owning 
 him for their God, and he sanctified them, owning 
 them for his people. So that here was a second 
 edition, and, as it were, a new institution, of the sab- 
 bath : because he brought them out of Egypt with a 
 mighty hand, therefore he commanded them to keep 
 the sabbath, Deut. v. 15. 
 
 " I am the Lord that sanctify them." Sanctifying, 
 as it refers to God, notes sometimes preparation to 
 some special service ; as, Jer. li. 27, 2S, " Prepare 
 the nations against her ;" the Hebrew is. Sanctify 
 the nations against her ; that is, Babylon. Prepar- 
 ing of the nations to the destruction of Babylon, is 
 sanctifying of them. Sometimes it notes separation 
 to a holy use, as Joel i. 14, " Sanctify ye a fast ;" 
 that is, separate a time from common employments 
 to religious. So Christ is said to be sanctified, John 
 X. 36. Sometimes it notes making holy. Lev. xxi. 
 23, " I the Lord do sanctify them ;" that is, make 
 them holy; so John xvii. 17 ; Rom. xv. 16. We are 
 here to take it in the two last senses. I have given 
 them my holy-days, times separated from all common 
 use and worldly employments ; times for drawing 
 near to and worshipping of me ; times wherein they 
 ought to be holy and to mind holy things ; and so 
 know that it is I which separate them from others, and 
 do make them holv, a peculiar people unto mvsclf. 
 2 K 
 
 Quest. Whether was not the sabbath a mutable 
 ceremony, seeing he calls it a " sign" here ? 
 
 Annw. Tliat proves it not to be so ; for, Gen. ix. 
 12, the rainbow is called a " token" or sign between 
 God and man; and that was no mutable ceremony, 
 but continues to the end of the world. Besides, it is 
 not a " sign" or type of future grace, something to 
 come, but a " sign" of their deliverance out of 
 Egypt, or of the creation, which were things past, 
 or a " sign" of God's sanctifying them at the pre- 
 sent, when they met before him on those days. And 
 further, " sign" here, by some, is put for proof; it 
 is a note of your distinction from others, of your be- 
 ing my people, and of my sanctifying of you. 
 
 Ohs. 1. When God is in a way of mercy with a 
 people, he hath his " moreovers." " Moreover I 
 gave them my sabbaths." Neh. ix. he reckons up 
 many mercies ; and ver. 22, he saith, " Moreover 
 thou gavest them kingdoms and nations." So in Isa. 
 XXX. he tells them of what mercies they shall have ; 
 and ver. 26, " Moreover the light of the moon shall 
 be as the light," &c. God doth always perform his 
 promises, showing his faithfulness ; and many times 
 he gives more than he promises, good measure pressed 
 down, and running over, to show his bountifulness. 
 
 Ohs. 2. That of holy times and days God is the 
 Author. " I gave them my sabbaths." God blessed 
 and sanctified the seventh day, and gave it unto the 
 Jews, Gen. ii. 3. It is his prerogative to make per- 
 sons, things, or times, holy ; it is not in the power 
 of man, or any sort of men, to make days holy. It 
 was no small sin in our forefathers, that took upon 
 them to make Lent and other times holy, and some 
 days more holy than the Lord's day itself. The Jews 
 had no holy days but at the Lord's appointment. 
 
 Ob-t. 3. The Lord gave forth and appointed holy 
 and resting days, upon weighty and considerable 
 grounds, always after some great mercy, some spe- 
 cial thing or other which he had done. As here, 
 when he had brought them out of Egypt, drowned 
 Pharaoh and his host in the deeps, then he gave 
 them out the sabbath again. At first it was insti- 
 tuted after that great and glorious work of the cre- 
 ation ; God would have great works and mercies to 
 be kept in memory. So the day we keep was ap- 
 pointed in memorial of that great work, man's re- 
 demption, by the death and resurrection of Jesus 
 Christ, and therefore is honoured with the title of 
 "Lord's day," Rev. i. 10. 
 
 Obs. 4. The sabbath is a day of special concern- 
 ment to God and his people. " I gave them my 
 sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them." As 
 the rainbow is a sign of special concernment be- 
 tween God and the world, so is the sabbath. It is 
 an argument and evidence that God looks ujion 
 them as his people, where his sabbath is, and that 
 they acknowledge God their God, who keep his 
 sabbaths ; by it God keeps alive the memory of his 
 glorious, great, and gracious works, and by it the 
 people are brought to glorify and magnify his name 
 for those works ; by it he distinguisheth his people 
 from the profane, and by it they distinguish him 
 from the idol gods ; in it the Lord sanctifies his peo- 
 ple, and they in it do worship him ; it is the day 
 wherein they meet, visit, and make each other 
 cheerful and glorious. Let us have more honour- 
 able thoughts of the sabbath, and not think it con- 
 cerns not us ; if we be his people, it is still a " sign" 
 between him and them. 
 
 If we liave no sabbath, or no day answerable to it, 
 we come short of the Jews, who had it given imto 
 them as a great mercy : " I gave unto them my sab- 
 baths," mv holv resting days. 
 
 06s. 5. Sanct'ification is 'the work of (lie Lord,
 
 498 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. XX. 
 
 and specially of the Lord when people meet on his 
 day. He gave them his " sabbaths," and they were 
 called holy convocations, because on them the peo- 
 ple met. Lev. xxiii. 3. And why did he give them 
 those days ? that they might know that he was the 
 Lord, which sanctified them. There is none which 
 can sanctify persons by way of separation or in- 
 herent holiness, but the Lord; he assumes this 
 power and privilege to himself; see Lev. xx. 8; 
 Ezek. xxxvii. 28 ; and his sanctifying is ehielly 
 when people meet on his day. Then the law was 
 read and opened unto them, Acts xv. 21 ; Neh. viii. 
 8; then did God appear amongst them, and work by 
 the means he appointed for their sanctification. 
 Psal. Ixxxix. 7, " God is greatly to be feared in the 
 assembly of the saints," there he convinces them of 
 their sinfulness and sinful practices ; there he beats 
 down their strong holds, and captivates their thoughts 
 to the obedience of his will. What was it made 
 David openly to proclaim it, that " a day in God's 
 courts was better than a thousand ?" one sabbath 
 day, wherein he had communion with God, and 
 found him sanctifying his head and heart, was more 
 esteemed of him than a thousand other days : " For 
 the Lord," saith he, " is a sun and shiekl," he en- 
 lightens me, he strengthens me, and so separates 
 my darkness and weakness from me, and makes me 
 more holy. Let us, therefore, look unto God alone 
 for sanctification, and wait upon him on his days in 
 the solemn assemblies, and he will sanctify us ; those 
 are days of his special presence, power, and blessing. 
 Obs. G. God's people should observe and take no- 
 tice what God doth in them, on sabbaths, when they 
 appear before him. They had the " sabbaths " given 
 them, that they might know the Lord did sanctify 
 them, that they might have experience in them- 
 selves of the powerful operations of God in them; 
 God observed what they did that day, and they were 
 to observe what he did that day. They read the 
 law and the prophets, and expounded them, Acts 
 xiii. 15; Neh. viii. 8; they prayed, Acts xvi. 13 ; they 
 discoursed, reasoned, and persuaded men out of the 
 Scriptures, Acts xviii. 4 ; they offered sacrifices. 
 Numb, xxviii. 2, 10; they did sing, Psal. xeii. 
 title. These things they did, and God observed 
 their spirits in the doing of them ; he observed how 
 they sanctified the day, and himself in the duties of 
 the day ; and they were to observe what he did in 
 the assemblies, and in their bosoms. This David 
 did ; Psal. xcvi. 6, " Strength and beauty are in his 
 sanctuary," saith he ; and Psal. Ixiii. 2, he confesses 
 he had seen God's power and glory there ; the 
 " strength " and " beauty " in one place, is the same 
 with "power" in the other. Itis a glorious, beauti- 
 ful work, when God sanctifies a sinner ; it is a work 
 of power and strength, when he breaks the snares 
 of our lusts, the chains of unbelief, and enlarges 
 our hearts, quickens, comforts, strengthens, and en- 
 lightens us. It is a conmion sin and sickness 
 amongst christians, that they heed not wdiat the Lord 
 does in his ordinances for them, and in them ; they 
 cannot say from experience. We know itis the Lord 
 that sanctifies ; most can say this from the temgue, 
 few from the heart. It was not without cause, that 
 Solomon said, " Keep thy foot when thou goest to 
 the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than 
 to give the sacrifice of fools," Eccles. v. 1. Some 
 think he alludes to Exod. iii. 5 ; xxx. 19 ; and Josh. 
 V. 15 ; where is mention of putting ofl' their shoes, 
 and washing their feet, because they were to ap- 
 pi-oaeh until the holy God. And surely we had need 
 look to our feet, that is, our affection, (foot is put for 
 feet, the singular for the plural,) for we approach 
 near to God when we go to his house ; we go to be 
 
 sanctified, and therefore should take heed we defile 
 not ourselves. 
 
 Ver. 13. But the liouse of Israel rebelled 
 ugainH me in the icilderness : they walked not 
 in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, 
 tchich if a man do, he shall even live in them ; and 
 my sabbaths they greatly polluted : then I said, I 
 ivuuld pour out my fury upon them in the wilder- 
 ness, to consume them. 
 
 Having represented unto them the mercies he con- 
 ferred on them in the wilderness, here he declares 
 what their carriage was towards him therein, and 
 what his purpose was towards them. 
 
 I. Their carriage towards him is laid down, 
 
 1. In general; "the house of Israel rebelled 
 against me." 
 
 2. In special ; and that in three particulars : 
 (I.) " They walked not in my statutes." 
 (2.) "They despised my judgments." 
 
 (3.) They polluted my sabbaths, and that greatly. 
 
 Now all these are aggravated, 
 
 [1.] From the place where they were done; "in 
 the wilderness," where they had special need of 
 God's protection and provision, where they had and 
 saw his miracles daily. 
 
 [2.] From the nature of the statutes and judgments 
 given, which were such, as, if done, they might 
 have livcnL 
 
 II. The Lord's purpose towards them -was, " to 
 pour out his fury upon them," and consume them, 
 and that in the wilderness. 
 
 Little shall 1 speak of this verse, because in the 
 8th and llth verses you have already had most 
 things in it. 
 
 " The house of Israel rebelled against me." Of 
 their rebellion in the w-ilderness yon may read, 
 Deut. i. 26, 43; Exod. xvii. 7 ; with Numb. xs. 24, 
 27 ; chap. xiv. ; Deut. ix. 22. 
 
 " They despised my judgments." The Hebrew 
 word for despise, notes, rejecting, hating, vilifying. 
 They looked upon them as contemptible things, and 
 threw them away ; they did not only refuse to walk 
 in his law, Psal. Ixxviii. 10, but tliey "despised" 
 his judgments, and abhorred his statutes. Lev. xxvi. 
 43 ; it was such despising as had an abhorrcncy ac- 
 companying it. 
 
 " My sabbaths they greatly polluted." Of their 
 polluting his " sabbaths," you may read, Exod. xvi. 
 27, they went to gather manna on the sabbath day ; 
 one gathered sticks. Numb. xv. 32 ; they carried 
 burdens, and did servile work, Jer. xvii. 22, 23 ; 
 whereas they should have highly praised the " sab- 
 baths," resting from doing their own ways, finding 
 their own pleasure, speaking their own words, and 
 wholly have been taken up in the worship of God, 
 and the duties peculiar to the day. 
 
 Obs. 1. Such is the corruption of man's nature, 
 that nothing will keep it within its bounds, but it 
 breaks out against God, neglects and abuses the or- 
 dinances and means he hath appointed for man's 
 salvation. " But the house of Israel rebelled against 
 me, they walked not in my, statutes, they despised 
 my judgments, and they greatly polluted my sab- 
 baths ;" these God gave thtm for their good, life, sal- 
 vation, but they slighted, perverted, polluted them. 
 God had done great things for them, he provided for 
 them in the wilderness manna, water, shoes, clothes, 
 all in a mii'aculous way, so that they could not sub- 
 sist without him ; yet they rebel against him, despise 
 him. Numb. xi. 20; cast off his statutes and judg- 
 ments, and profane his sabbaths to his face. 
 
 Thus they dealt with the Lord when he brought
 
 VEn. 14—17. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 4'J9 
 
 thorn out of Babylon, Nell. siii. 15, Ifi; they greatly 
 jioUuted the sabbatlis of the Lord ; whereupon saith 
 Nehemiah, ver. 18, " Did not your fathei-s thus," and 
 so bring evil upon us? and will you bring more wTath 
 upon Israel by profaning the sabbaths? Neither 
 the mercies their fathers had, when they were brought 
 out of Egypt, nor the mercies themselves had, when 
 they were brought out of Babylon, kept in their 
 corruptions ; but they rose to a great height, and 
 brake out so far as to set at nought all his counsels, 
 Prov. i. 25, to reject the word of the Lord, Jer. viii. 
 9, to mock and misuse his messengers and prophets, 
 2 C'hron. xxxvi. Ui, to speak stoutly against God, Mai. 
 iii. 13; yea, so strong grew their corruptions, that their 
 souls abhorred God, Zech. xi. 8. Is it not thus in our 
 days? neither miraculous mercies, nor wonderful judg- 
 ments, do keep men within bounds, or chain up their 
 corruptions, but they break out, greatly polluting the 
 Lord's day, despising all or some ordinances. Do they 
 not set at nought and reject the whole counsel of God, 
 the very Scriptures ? do they not moek and misuse 
 the messengers and ministers of God ? do they not 
 blaspheme, curse, and glory in it ? do they not speak 
 .stoutly against Christ and God ? do not some turn 
 Jews, and others atheists, denying Christ, God? 
 Surely inicpiity abounds, and is within little of its 
 perfection: the harvest is near, sinners are .almost 
 full ripe for judgment, and ere long God will say, 
 Thrust in the sickle. 
 
 Obs. 2. M'hen men do neglect, despise, and abuse 
 the ordinances of God and means of grace, they pro- 
 voke God even to their destruction. They neglected 
 to walk in God's statutes, they despised his judgments, 
 they polluted his sabbaths ; and what then ? " Then 
 I said, I would pour out my fury upon them, to con- 
 sume them." iVIen think that neglecting and slight- 
 ing of ordinances, profaning of the Lord's day and 
 holy things, is no such great evil, if it be an evil at 
 all ; but there is hardly any thing kindles the wrath 
 of God hotter than the casting off, despising, and 
 abusing the ordinances and mediums appointed of 
 God, for his worship, our good, comfort, and salvation. 
 Their sins here of this nature put God into fury, 
 which is more than anger or wrath ; upon pouring 
 out of fury, and such pouring out as to consume them. 
 Heb. x- 2.1 — 27, he tells yuu of some that did forsake 
 the assemblies, cast olTthe ordinances of God, which 
 was a wilful and provoking sin, exclucUng mercy, 
 and hastening judgment and tierce indignation, which 
 should destroy. When God in his infinite wisdom 
 and mercy hath condescended to man's weakness, 
 given him ordinances and mediums wherein he will 
 be worshipped, and through which he will do good 
 to the creature, and now the foolish creature to neg- 
 lect, despise, or profane them, this pierces God's 
 heart, and transforms his patience into fury, and puts 
 him into ways of destruction. Those who despised 
 Moses' law were to die without mercy ; and what 
 will be their portion who despise Christ, the gospel, 
 and ordinances thereof? see Heb. xii. 25. Acts iii. 
 23, " Every soul that will not hear Christ shall be 
 destroyed ;" that is, whosoever shall not hearken to 
 Christ's voice in the gospel, submit to the ordinances 
 appointed by him therein, and worship the Father 
 in the way he hath prescribed, he shall be destroyed. 
 The Corinthians abused and profaned the supper of 
 the Lord, and were they not smitten and destroyed 
 for that sin ? I Cor. xi. 30. Moses had the sword 
 drawn upon him by the Lord himself, because he 
 neglected the circumcision of his son, Exod. iv. 24. 
 
 Ver. 14. Sul I xvrouf^ht for my name's sake, 
 that it should not he polluted before the heathen, 
 in ivhuse sight I brought them out. 
 2 K 2 
 
 Whilst they were in the wilderness, and Moses in 
 the mount, they made a calf, and fell to idolatry, 
 which exasperated the Lord so, that he thought to 
 destroy them; and had not Mf)ses interposed and 
 pressed God with the honour of his name, he had 
 done it. Exod. xxxii. 12, " Wherefore should the 
 Egyptians speak, and say. For mischief did he bring 
 them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to con- 
 sume them from the f;'ce of the earth ? Turn from 
 thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy 
 people." God did so, and wrought for his name's 
 sake. Of these words was spoken in the ninth verse. 
 
 Ver. 15 — 17. Yet also I lifted iip mxj hand vnlo 
 them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them 
 into the land which I had given them, f owing with 
 milk and honei/, which is the glory of all lands ; 
 because they despised my judgments, and walked 
 not in my statutes, but polluted my sahhaths : for 
 their heart went after their idols. Nevertheless 
 mine eye spared them from destroying them, nei- 
 ther did I make an end of them in the wilderness. 
 
 In the I5th verse you have mention of God's 
 swearing, that he would not bring them into Canaan ; 
 in the Itith, the reason thereof; in the 17th, his in- 
 dulgence and pity towards them. 
 
 " I lifted up my hand unto them," &c. This was, 
 when upon the ill report the spies had brought upon 
 the land of Canaan, the Israelites murmured against 
 Moses and Aaron, as you may see, Numb. xiv. 28 — 
 30, and chap. xxvi. 65. 
 
 But here a difficulty ariseth. In the Gth verse of 
 this chapter, it is said that God had lifted up his 
 hand, and so sworn to bring them not only out of 
 Egypt, but into the land of Canaan ; and here it is 
 said, he had lifted up his hand to the contrary, that 
 he would not bring them into the land he had given 
 them : so that it seems here is one oath against an- 
 other. And in Numb. xiv. .34, God acknowledges 
 his breach of promise, for he saith, " Ye .shall know 
 my breach of promise :" I have j)romised and sworn 
 to bring you into the land of Canaan, but you have 
 so sinned against and provoked me, that I will not 
 do it, yea, have sworn you shall not enter into my 
 rest, Psal. xcv. 11. 
 
 This difficulty is removed, by considering, that 
 God did not make promise, or swear, to those indi- 
 vidual men that were kept out of Canaan, that they 
 should be brought into it ; if it had been so, God had 
 forgot and forsworn himself; but his promise and 
 oath was, that the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 
 should be brought into it. Gen. xii. 7; xiii. 15; xv. 
 18; xxvi. 4; 1. 24; Deut. xxxiv. 4; and their seed 
 was brought into the promised land, Josh. i. 2 ; iv. 
 1 ; xiv. 1 ; xxiv. 13 ; and so God's promise and oath 
 was kept. Those he swore against, were those that 
 murmured against him, even all from twenty years 
 old and upwards, except Caleb and Joshua, whose 
 carcasses fell in the wilderness, as you may see, Josh, 
 v. 6. 
 
 As for that. Numb. xiv. 34, God's breach of pro- 
 mise, the original is, my frustration : You looked 
 certainly to have entered into Canaan, but for your 
 mumiuring and unbelief, I have frustrated your ex- 
 pectations ; or thus, You think my oath cannot be 
 true, because of a former oath, and that the words 1 
 have uttered will prove false, a lie ; but you slu.ll 
 know whether my words and oath be false or not. 
 Junius and Piscator read it, abruplionem meam, and 
 make the sense this ; You have broken olT from me,_ 
 and you shall know what it is to have me break ofl' 
 from you ; I will plague you for your nuu-muving,
 
 500 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 ingratitude, unfaithfulness, and unbelief, so that you 
 shall never come into the land of promise. The 
 Septuagint hath it, You shall know the wrath of 
 mine anger. 
 
 " Flowing with milk and honey, which is the glo- 
 ry of all lands." Of these words hath been spoken 
 largely in the 6th verse. They are repented here, 
 to show the ingratitude of this people, that were not 
 atiected with this land, which was a second Paradise, 
 but despised it, and raised an ill report upon it; as 
 also to show what they lost in being kept out of it, 
 and their folly in preferring Egypt before it. 
 
 There is nothing needful to open in the other two 
 verses, because occasion hath been given formerly 
 in this chapter and others to open them. 
 
 Obs. 1. Men's sins disappoint them of choice mer- 
 cies, yea, mercies promised, expected, and near at 
 hand. God had promised them Canaan, they were 
 near unto it, Numb. xiii. expected to go in and pos- 
 sess it; but God would not bring them into the land, 
 because they despised his judgments, walked not in 
 his statutes, but polluted his sabbaths. 
 
 In Heb. iii. 19, it is said, " They could not enter in 
 because of unbelief;" and Psal. cvi. 24, " They de- 
 spised the pleasant land, tliey believed not his word." 
 It was their sins kept them from so great, so near, 
 so longed-for a mercy. Such is the malignity of sin, 
 that it drives mercies back when they are at the 
 door, and blocks up the passage, that none for the 
 future may issue forth towards us. Isa. lix. 1, 2, 
 " Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it 
 cannot save ; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot 
 hear :" God can hear and lielp ; " but your iniquities 
 have separated between you and your God, and your 
 sins have hid his face from you, that he will not 
 hear:" your sins stand like a brass wall, a mighty 
 mountain, between him and you ; they have cramped 
 his will, so that though he can, yet he will neither 
 hear your prayers nor help your persons. It is sin 
 that keeps mercy from us ; Jer. v. 25, " Your ini(|ui- 
 ties have turned away these things ; " what things ? 
 the former and latter rain, the harvest and fruits of 
 the earth ; they were coming to you, but your sins 
 turned them back again, and bid them be gone ; 
 Away, rain, away, harvest, away, fruits of the earth ! 
 and so the next words import, " your sins have with- 
 holden good things from you ; " they have forbidden 
 good from you, so Montanus and the Vulgate read 
 the words. Our sins do forbid and withhold good 
 from us ; see it. Matt. vi. 15, " If ye forgive not men 
 their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your 
 trespa.sscs." 
 
 John viii. 19, "If ye had known me, ye should 
 have known my Father also." Isa. xlviii. 18, " O 
 that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments ! 
 then had thy peace been as a river, and thy ri<)-ht- 
 eousness as the waves of the sea : thy seed also "had 
 been as the sand," 6cc. See Luke xiv. Ui — 20; xiii. 
 34; Johnv.40; Psal. Ixxxi. 13, 14: it was their sins 
 which frustrated them of mercies. If the word profit 
 not us, it is sin that hinders the profit, Heb. iv. 2 ; 
 Jam. i. 21 ; 1 Pet. ii. 1, 2. 
 
 Obs 
 
 When the heart is carried out after unlaw- 
 
 ful things, then the ways and ordinances of God are 
 neglected, .slighted, and profaned. This rises from 
 the words of the Kith verse; they despised God's 
 judgments, walked not in his statutes, they polluted 
 his sabbaths ; and why did they so ? " for their heart 
 went after their idols." These had stolen away their 
 hearts from God; these had their thoughts, desires, 
 affections, and the things of God were of little ac- 
 count with them ; his statutes, judgments, sabbaths, 
 were laid aside, and only what their hearts were 
 carried forth unto, that they magnified. Ezek. vi. 9, 
 
 they had whorish hearts, and whorish eyes, which 
 went after their idols, and made them depart from 
 God, that is, from his judgments, statutes, sabbaths, 
 ordinances: idols had their eyes and hearts, and as 
 to God and the things of God, they were eyeless and 
 heartless. When Solomon's heart was carried out to 
 women and idols, then he did evil in the sight of the 
 Lord, I Kings xi. 4 — 8; then the Lord's ordinances 
 w-ere despised, and his sabbaths polluted. If once 
 the heart go out to unlawful things, it is drawn off 
 from law-ful ; so much as it adheres to evil, so 
 nmch it is divided from God and good. Ezek. xxxiii. 
 31, "Their heart goeth after their covetousness :" 
 so much as it went after riches, so much it was dis- 
 tanced from God, and walking in his ways. David 
 hereupon advised men not to set their hearts upon 
 riches, Psal. Ixii. 10 ; they will then be their idols, 
 and make them forget God and his ways, and do 
 those things which will profane his ordinances. 
 Look well to your hearts, and let not them carry you 
 away, Job xv. 12. 
 
 Obs. 3. When sinners provoke God into ways of 
 destruction, he doth not utterly destroy them, but 
 shows some pity and mercy. "Nevertheless mine 
 eye spared tliem from distroying." God did destroy 
 many of them in the wilderness ; three thousand 
 upon their making the calf, Exod. xxxii. '2.S ; twenty- 
 four thousand upon their committing whoredom with 
 the daughters of Moab, Numb. xxv. 9 ; much people 
 by fiery serpents upon their murmuring. Numb. xxi. 
 G; Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were swallowed up 
 of the earth, and all theirs, and the two hundred and 
 fifty men that offered incense, were consumed by 
 fire. Numb. xvi. 32, 33, 35 ; fourteen thousand seven 
 hundred were destroyed by the plague, ver. 49 ; and 
 many by the Amorites in Seir, Deut. i. 44. Now 
 notwithstanding so many were destroyed, yet all were 
 not ; he did not make an end of them in the wilder- 
 ness, he did not consummate and perfect his wrath 
 upon them, his eye spared them, he was moved io 
 mercy, and had compassion on them. 
 
 Though men have sinned much, and God have let 
 out much wrath, yet nevertheless he hath an eye to 
 spare, and a heart to ]iity. If he should punish, 
 destroy none, he would be thought to be like unto 
 sinners. Psalm 1. 21 ; if he should destroy all, he 
 would be thought to be cruel : to show therefore that 
 he is a just God, he cuts off some ; and to show he is 
 a merciful God, he spares some. 
 
 In the late powder blow, some were l''''"?'.'^"''''!' "f 
 destroyed, some were spared, yea, won- oirM o'liotk at 
 derfidly spared and preserved. "'"'''• 
 
 Ver. 18, 19. Sut I said unto their children in 
 the wilderness, Walk j/e not in the statutes of your 
 fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile 
 1/ovrselves with their idols : I am. the Lord your 
 God ; walk in my statutes, and keep my judg- 
 ments, and do them. 
 
 In the 18th verse God dehorts them from follow- 
 ing their fiithers' ways. 
 
 In the 19th he exhorts them to follow his ways, 
 and shows them the reason why they should do so, 
 because he is their God. 
 
 Where the Lord spake thus unto them in the wil- 
 derness, is not recordc-d by Moses, but that he did 
 speak what is in the 18th verse, our projihet assures 
 us, who spake as he was moved by the Spirit. You 
 have that which is equivalent thereunto, Deut. v. 32, 
 " Ye shall observe to do as the Lord your God hath 
 commanded you : ye sh;dl not turn aside to the right 
 hand or to the left ;" not to your fathers on the right 
 hand, nor to the heathen on the left.
 
 Ver. 20, 21. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 501 
 
 The 19tli verse you have Lev. xviii. 4, 5, " I am 
 the Lord your God; ye shall therefore keep my 
 statutes and my judgments." Nothing in these 
 verses requires explication. Take these observa- 
 tions. 
 
 Obs. 1. Children are prone to follow the corrupt 
 decrees, counsels, and examples of their parents. " I 
 said. Walk not in the statutes of your fathers," that 
 is, in what they decree, appoint; " observe not their 
 judgments," that is, their counsels and advisements ; 
 " nor defile yourselves with their idols," that is, 
 follow not their examples. They were addicted 
 much to what their sinful fathers said or did. Of 
 tlic kings of Israel it is said, they did e\il as their 
 fathers had done, 2 Kings xv. 9 ; xxiii. 32 : xxiv. 9 : 
 and Jer. xliv. 17, the children would sacrifice to and 
 defile themselves with idols, as their fathers had done. 
 Fathers, laws, customs, traditions, examples, per- 
 suasions, counsels, are loadstones, and draw them 
 strongly to that which is evil. 
 
 Obi. 2. Posterity are not tied to the statutes and 
 judgments of their fathers or forefathers. "I said, 
 Walk not in the statutes of your fathers, neither ob- 
 serve their judgments," &c. Though there he a 
 strong tie between parents and children, and they are 
 bound by the command of God to obey their parents, 
 yet when they shall conmiaml or counsel them any 
 thing unlawful, contrary to the statutes and judg- 
 ments of God, they are not to hearken, not to 
 observe or obey them. Here is divine authority for 
 it, " I said." 
 
 If it be God's command that lead children to obey 
 parents, and people to obey magistrates in lawful 
 things, then God's prohibition must keep them from 
 obeying in unlawful things. When masters or 
 parents are so wicked, as to put their servants or 
 children upon lying or swearmg, to put off their 
 commodities, they should remember what God hath 
 said, " Walk not in their statutes," &c. 
 
 This holds especially in matters of faith and wor- 
 ship ; men's statutes and judgments must not come 
 in there : what is not divhie, is no matter for my 
 faith, nor rule for my worship. Men's chatf and 
 bran must not come among God's wheat ; their 
 weeds and nettles must • not come amongst his 
 flowers : it is not popes' decrees, canons of councils, 
 judgments of fathers, votes of synods, customs of 
 churches, religion of ancestors, that must tie my 
 conscience, or guide my practice in the worship of 
 God. He hath said it, who is above them all, 
 " Walk not in their statutes, neither obscr\-e their 
 judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols." 
 Men have their statutes, their judgments, their in- 
 ventions and additions to points of faith and mat- 
 ters of worship, which are no other than idols, and 
 will defile. 
 
 Obs. 3. That we are only to walk in God's sta- 
 tutes, and to keep his judgments ; not men's statutes 
 or judgments. " I am the Lord your God," I have 
 authority over you, I am in covenant with you ; I 
 have given you statutes and judgments which are 
 right, Psal. xix. 8, true and good, Neh. ix. 13; 
 therefore " walk in my statutes, keep my judg- 
 ments." When the Israelites walked in other sta- 
 tutes, the statutes of the heathen, or the statutes that 
 themselves made, the Lord was wroth with them, 
 and afflicted them for it, 2 Kings xvii. 8, 19, 20 ; and 
 commanded them to observe his statutes and ordi- 
 nances, and to do them for evermore, ver. 37 ; see 
 Josh. xxiv. 14, 15. 
 
 Ver. 20. A7id hallow my sabbaths; and they 
 shall be a sign beta-pen me and you, that ye may 
 knotv that I am the Lord your God. 
 
 In this 20th verse, the Lord proceeds in his ex- 
 hortation of the children of those rebellious Israel- 
 ites m the wilderness, and exhorts them to hallow 
 his sabbaths, which their fathers had polluted. 
 
 " Hallow my sabbaths." Not make holy, but 
 keep holy ; the Hebrew word is the same with that, 
 Exod. XX. 8. The hallowing or sanctifying of the 
 sabbath here, consisteih in two things : 
 
 1. In resting from labour and work. "Servile 
 work," Lev. xxiii. 7, 8, that is, such work as men 
 may lawfully do on other days, works for gain and 
 profit, might not be done on sabbath days; they 
 were to rest from their own works, words, and 
 pleasures, Isa. Iviii. 13. See Exod. xx. 10; Neh. 
 xiii. 15; Jer. xvii. 22; Exod. xvi. 29; xxxi. 14. 
 
 2. In doing those things which God required on 
 that day ; as, meditation on the works of creation, 
 for which it was first instituted, Gen. ii. 2, 3 ; re- 
 membrance of their servitude in Egypt, and deliver- 
 ance thence, Deut. v. 15; meeting in solemn assem- 
 blies, Lev. xxiii. 3; in which the word was to he 
 read, opened, and reverently heard, Luke iv. 16; 
 Acts XV. 21 ; Eccles. v. 1 ; prayer to be made, Acts 
 xvi. 13; God to be praised, Psal. xcii. ; sacrifices 
 to be ofl'ered, Numb, xxviii. 9, 10 : and they were to 
 exercise works of mercy on that day, Matt. xii. 
 10 — 12; John V. 9: and all these duties they were 
 to do with delight, Isa. Iviii. 13. 
 
 '■ They shall be a sign between me and yon." Of 
 these words you heard in the 12th verse. Besides 
 what was said there, the sabbath was a sign of the 
 covenant God made with them to be their God, and 
 to own them for his people ; for it follows, 
 
 " That ye may know that I am the Lord your God." 
 The sabbath day was the time wherein God and this 
 people met ; God made himself known unto them 
 then, by sanctifying of them, ver. 12, for whom he 
 is a God unto, he blesses and sanctifies, and specially 
 on his sabbaths ; then he heard their prayers, ac- 
 cepted their offerings, and let out his loving-kindness 
 unto them. 
 
 Obs. 1. Having and hallowing God's sabbaths, is a 
 sign and manifestation that God is the God of that 
 people. The Jews had the Lord's sabbaths, and he 
 bade them hallow them, that so being hallowed, 
 they might signify and certify to them, that God was 
 their God. As circumcision and the passover were 
 signs that the Jews were in covenant with God, so 
 likewise was the sabbath, Exod. xxxi. 13 ; and be- 
 cause it was a sign of the covenant between them 
 and God, ver. 16, God tells them, they must observe 
 it for a perpetual covenant ; and hence it was, that 
 when they violated the sabbath, God accounted it 
 the violation of the covenant between them. 
 
 Ver. 21. Notwith.'ifanding the children rebelled 
 against mc : they lealked not in my statutes, neither 
 kept mij judgments to do them, which if a man do, 
 he shall even lire in them ; they polluted my sab- 
 baths : then I said, I ivould pour out my fury 
 upon them, to accomplish my anger against them 
 in the wilderness. 
 
 Here the unsuccessfulness of God's exhortation is 
 evidenced ; he pressed them to be obedient, and du- 
 tiful to him, being their God, but they rebelled, and 
 would not walk in his statutes, nor keep his judg- 
 ments ; their fathers' statutes and judgments tin y 
 would walk in and observe ; they chose ratlnr to be 
 defiled and die in their fathers' ways, than to be 
 sanctified and live in God's ways : whereupon God 
 had a purpose to destroy them, as he had formerly 
 to destroy their fathers. This verse is the same
 
 502 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 with tlie 13th, which hath been opcrnnl, and the ob- 
 st-rvations given. 
 
 Ver. 22. Nevertheless I withdrew mine hand, 
 and ?vrought for my name's sake, that it shuuld 
 not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose 
 sight J brought them forth. 
 
 God having purposed tlieir destruction, saw that if 
 he shouki proceed thereunto, the heathens would 
 make an ill sense of it, and blaspheme his name ; for 
 prevention whereof, he let fall his purpose, and 
 would not destroy them. This verse falls in with the 
 9th and 14th, only this is in it, which they have not: 
 
 " I withdrew mine hand." God's hand was stretch- 
 ed out, and he pulled it back again. The Hebrew 
 word notes thus much, 1 made to return, I made 
 mine arm come back again, when it was going forth 
 to destroy them. 
 
 Obs. God's people do oft provoke him, both 
 fathers and children, and so that they are at the door, 
 brink, point of destruction, and yet he is merciful 
 unto them, and that for his name's sake. When he 
 cannot show mercy for their sakcs, he will show 
 mercy for his own name's sake. In ver. 8, is set 
 down their "but," " But they rebelled againt me, 
 they would not hearken," they would not forsake 
 their idols, whereupon God purposed to destroy them. 
 In ver. 9, is God's "but," " But I wrought for my name," 
 &c. In ver. 13, again is their " IJut," "But the 
 house of Israel rebelled," <S:c. ; then God was angry 
 again, and purposed to consume them. In ver. 14, 
 you have God's "but" again, "But I wrought for 
 my name's sake," Sec. In ver. 16, you have their 
 " "but" the third time, "But they polluted my sab- 
 baths." In ver. 17, you have God's "nevertheless," 
 or but, again, for it is the same in the original, 
 " Nevertheless mine eye spared them," &c. In ver. 
 21, you have their " notwithstanding," or but, once 
 more, the Hebrew is the same with " but " before ; 
 " Notwithstanding," or but, " the children rebelled," 
 &c. And in this 22nd verse you have God's but, or 
 "nevertheless" answering thereunto, "Nevertheless 
 I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's 
 sake." Four times in this chapter you have them 
 provoking God even to their ruin, and as many times 
 his sparing of them : this last time his hand was 
 stretched out, even at the work, and had he strucken 
 one blow, had broken them all ; but he recalled his 
 hand, he would not let his power fall upon them to 
 crush them in pieces, but wrought for his name, and 
 iheir safety. If we have our "buts" and "notwith- 
 standings," importing rebellion, ingratitude, and dis- 
 obedience, the Lord hath his "buts," and " neverthe- 
 lesses," importing mercy, patience, and loving- 
 kindness. 
 
 Ver. 23, 24. / lifted tip mine hand unto them 
 also in the u-ilderness, (hat I would scatter them 
 among the heathen, and disperse them through the 
 countries ; because they had not executed my 
 judgments, but had desjjiscd my statutes, and had 
 polluted ijiy suhhaths, and their eyes were after 
 their fathers' idols. 
 
 In these two verses you may see, 
 
 I. A commination, backed with an oath, in ver. 23. 
 
 II. The reason thereof, in ver. 24. 
 
 " I lifted up mine hand unto them in the wilder- 
 ness." Of this gesture used in swearing, you heard 
 before, ver. 5, 6 ; but where it was done will hardly 
 be found in Moses' writings, that God thus lifted up 
 his hand, and threatened to disperse them. Some- 
 thing like hereunto, see in Deut. iv. 2G, 2"; xxviii.25, 
 
 36, 37, 64 ; chap, xxxii. 21—26 ; Lev. xxvi. 33 ; in 
 
 those places the Lord tlireatens to scatter them ; and 
 David tells you, he " lifted up his hand" to do it, Psal. 
 cvi. 26, 27, " He lifted uj) his hand against them, 
 to overthrow them in the wilderness; to overthrow 
 their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them 
 in the lands." Maldonate makes the lifting up the 
 hand here, to be in way of threatening, not of sweanng. 
 
 " That I would scatter them among," &c. Of 
 their scattering and dispersion, was spoken in the 
 5th, 6th, and 12th chapters. 
 
 " Because they had not executed my judgments." 
 Some refer these words, and the rest in the verse, to 
 the time after their entrance into Canaan ; if then 
 they should not keep God's judgments and do them, 
 he having performed his promise unto them, he 
 W'ould scatter and disperse them among the nations ; 
 but because the verse speaks of the time past, we 
 must also look at what was done, as well as what 
 was to do. The children before mentioned had re- 
 belled, and did not keep the judgments of God to do 
 them, they polluted his sabbaths, and defiled them- 
 selves with their idols, whereupon God thought to 
 have desti-oyed them in the wilderness, but spared 
 them for his name's sake, that the Egyptians and 
 nations might not blaspheme and pollute his name ; 
 but knowing that when he had possessed them of 
 Canaan, that their children would do as they had done, 
 he lifts up his hand, and threatens their driving out of 
 that land again, and dispersion in the countries, and 
 so makes their sin the cause of their posterity's ruin. 
 
 " Their eyes were after their fathers' idols." In 
 the 8th verse, he mentions the idols of Egypt, and 
 they were their " fathers' idols," which the children 
 minded, and were intent upon ; for when the eyes go 
 after any thing, there is some affection in the heart 
 unto that thing, ver. 16: and chap. vi. 9, "I am 
 broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed 
 fi'om me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring 
 after their idols :" if the heart did not affect them, 
 the eyes would not. " Fathers' idols" affected both 
 the hearts and eyes of their children ; Rachel stole 
 her father's gods, Gen. xxxi. 19, and said, they should 
 be her gods. 
 
 Obs. 1. That parents' sins prepare heavy judgments 
 for their posterity many years after. God lifted up 
 his hand in the wilderness, that he would scatter 
 them among the heathen, and disperse them through 
 the countries, because they were statute-breakers, 
 sabbath-polluters, and idol-minders, which fell not 
 upon them, but their posterity many hundred years 
 after ; Junius makes it five hundred ; and then they 
 were driven out of the land of Canaan, and dispersed 
 into heathenish nations, a judgment that deprives 
 men of aU their own comforts, and exposes them to 
 all the injuries of others. One calls this judgment 
 the beginning of new evils, and it may be added, of 
 unknown evils. Let parents therefore take heed 
 how they provoke God by sinful and wicked prac- 
 tices, their posterity may smart soundly for it many 
 years after. Saul's, Jeroboam's, and Manasseh's sins, 
 made their posterity to feel sad strokes long after ; and 
 some in our days have suffered for their fathers' sins, 
 and it is just with God they should, when they tread 
 in their fathers' steps, who have rebelled against God. 
 
 Ver. 25, 26. Wherefore I gave them also sta- 
 tutes that were not good, and judgments whereby 
 they .should not live ; and I polluted them in their 
 own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the 
 fire all that openeih the womb, that I might make 
 them desolate, to the end that they might know that 
 I am the Lord.
 
 Ver. 25, 23. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 503 
 
 Here is a further progress of God's judiciary deal- 
 ings with them, wliiclj lies, 
 
 I. In the statutes and judgments he gave them. 
 
 II. In the polluting of them. 
 
 Then you have tile end of both, which is, 
 
 1. To make them desolate. 
 
 2. To bring them to the knowledge of himself. 
 In this verse is first a figure called antanaclasis, 
 
 which is the reciprocating the same words, in a di- 
 verse sense ; in the former verse is mention made 
 of statutes and judgments, which God gave them, 
 ver. II, and were his divine word; here is a men- 
 tioning of statutes and judgments, which he gave 
 tliem as divine punishments, being the commands 
 and devices of men. 
 
 Secondly, a figure called meiosis or tapeinosis, 
 which is, when less is expressed, and more intended ; 
 as, not good, is a mild expression, but more is in- 
 tended in it, viz. hurtful, deadly : so these words, 
 " should not live," are moderate, but they include 
 that which is grievous, namely, death, yea, terrible 
 deaths ; they should not only have no good by them, 
 but much evil, sore destruction. 
 
 '* I gave them statutes that were not good." The 
 Hebrew is, statutes not good. These statutes were 
 not the moral law, though it be a killing letter, 
 2 Cor. iii. 6 ; for the " law is holy, just, and good," 
 Rom. vii. 12, yea "perfect," Psal. six. T : not the 
 ceremonials, viz. sacrifices, and sacraments, as Jerom 
 ,,.,„.. . and Estius calls them ; for though these 
 
 Viil. Est. ID sent. , , i. ,i . , ° 
 
 1.4. Sect. 27. p. were shadows oi thmgs to come, yet 
 "*■ *'"'■ '■ '■ ^' they had purifying virtue in them, and 
 led to Christ, Heb. ix. 1.3; Gal. iii. 24; and in this 
 chapter, God speaking of the statutes and judgments 
 he gave them, which comprehend both morals and 
 ceremonials, he saith, ver. 11, 13, 21, that they were 
 such, as, if they kept them, they might live in them. 
 Neither doth it advantage to say, these are called 
 " not good," because they are less good than those 
 of the gospel ; let that be granted, yet those statute.^, 
 kept, would afford life, but the statutes here meant, 
 were such as whereby they shoidd not live. Not 
 the tributes and taxes imposed upon them by the 
 nations, when they prevailed against them in war, 
 for they were under none in the wilderness, and 
 these statutes were given when they were there. 
 By these statutes are meant, 
 
 1. Those punishments that befell them in the wil- 
 derness ; as, the sword, Exod. xxii. 27, 28, fiery ser- 
 pents. Numb. xxi. 6, the plague, chap. xvi. 49, the 
 earth swallowing up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, 
 ver. 31, 32, fire, ver. 35, suspension, chap. xxv. 4: 
 God commanded the hanging up the heads of the 
 people, he appointed the fire, the earth, the plague, 
 the sword, to do execution upon them, these w..'re 
 "statutes not good;" not good for them, but hunful, 
 yea, very hurtful, for so much " not good " implies, 
 and the next words prove, being a further declara- 
 tion of these "judgments, whereby they should not 
 live ;" these statutes and judgments took away their 
 lives. 
 
 2. Those threatenings and curses you find Deut. 
 iv. 26—28; xxvii. 15—26; xxviii. 15—68; Lev. 
 xxvi. 14—40: these were sentences of death. 
 
 3. The inventions, laws, rites, decrees, supersti- 
 tions, of men, which are called statutes, Dan. vi. 7. 
 Micah vi. 16, " The .statutes of Omri are kept;" and 
 2 Kings xvii. 8, " The statutes of the heathen." And 
 God is said to give them, in that he gave them over 
 to these which were not good, but tended to death 
 and destruction : Seeing they would none of mine, I 
 gave them men's. 
 
 Obs. When men slight and violate the statutes and 
 judgments of God, he doth not only threaten and 
 
 punish them with temporal judgments, but also with 
 spiritual. Because they despised God's statutes, and 
 did not keep his judgments, therefore he gave them 
 " statutes not good, and judgments whereby they 
 should not live." God threatened them with curs- 
 ings, cut off many of them in the wilderness, and 
 gave over others to believe errors, to follow the 
 imaginations of their own hearts, the commandments 
 and statutes of men, which was a more dreadful 
 judgment. When men care not for the ways of God, 
 which have good and life in tliem, it is just with God 
 to give them over to the ways of men, that have no 
 good, no life in them ; notliing but expense, labour, 
 disappointment, vexation, and destruction, Ezek. 
 xxiv. 12; Jer. ii. 36, 37; Prov. xiv. 12. When God's 
 people would not listen to him, he gave them up to 
 their own hearts' lusts, to the perverse intendments 
 and pertinacies of their hearts ; they intended the 
 statutes and judgments of men, of heathens and idol- 
 aters, those they were set upon, and God gave them 
 up unto them, as you may see, ver. 39 of this chap- 
 ter, " Go ye, serve ye every one his idols ;" seeing 
 you will not submit to me any ways, go to your idols 
 where your eyes and hearts are, and serve them ac- 
 cording to the statutes and judgments of the nations 
 whence ye had them ; or if they be of your own de- 
 vising, serve them according to the ways of your own 
 hearts. 2 Thess. ii. 10 — 12, when men receive not 
 the love of the truth that they might be saved, God 
 sends them strong delusions that they should believe 
 a lie, and be damned; ivipytiav ■rr'Ka.vnq, the efficacy 
 of error ; the tnith comes with love, error with effi- 
 cacy ; if truths wooing and love be not entertained, 
 God sends error with efficacy to seize upon men. 
 Because we have been wanton with the truths, ordi- 
 nances, and things of God, not received the love of 
 them, but busied our wits and parts about tliem, yea, 
 against them, therefore God hath sent the efficacy of 
 error to take hold of men. Is not the efficacy of 
 error upon them that say, there is no devil but holi- 
 ness, no heaven nor hell but what is in a man's own 
 conscience, Src. ? 
 
 " And I polluted them in their own gifts." God 
 being most holy, could not communicate any thing 
 that should defile them ; from a holy God comes no- 
 thing but that which is holy and good. Some take 
 it in this sense, that God suffered them to do those 
 things which deffled them, to prostitute themselves 
 to all abominations. 
 
 Sanctius informs us, that one is said to do a thing, 
 when he declares it to be done : Lev. xiii. 3, " The 
 priest shall look on him," ins Nctsi and shall pollute 
 )vm, that is, pronounce, declare him polluted ; so 
 ver. 6, he shall cleanse him, saith the original, that 
 is, declare him to be clean ; and ver. 44, the priest 
 shall by polluting pollute him, that is, declare him 
 altogether polluted ; and our Ezekiel is said to de- 
 stroy the city, whenas he did but declare the destruc- 
 ti(m of the city, chap. xhii. 3 : so here, God is said 
 to pollute them, in that he did declare them polluted; 
 and not only so, but in that he dealt with them as 
 polluted ones, rejecting them and their gifts. 
 
 " In their own gifts." The Sepfuagint reads it, iv 
 Ttnc, loyfiaaiv aiiTuv, in their opinions. When men 
 leave the statutes of God, and iake up ojiinions of 
 their own, or tenets of the world, they pollute them- 
 selves, God judges them so, will declare them to be 
 such, and deal with them as such : this by the way. 
 
 By " gifts" are not meant all the sacrifices which 
 they brought unto the Lord, but their firstborn, 
 which were to be given to God in remembrance of 
 their coming out of Egj'pt, when the firstborn of the 
 Egy|ilians were all slain, and the firstborn of the 
 Israelites all preserved, Exod. xiii. 2, 3, 12.
 
 504 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 " In that thoy caused to pass through the fire all 
 that openith the womb." The Hebrew is, making 
 to pass all opening of the womb ; it is a periphrasis, 
 the opening of the womb, for the firstborn, and that 
 of the male kind, which were to be oflered to the 
 Lord ; but the)- offered unto idols, causing them " to 
 pass through the fire," as it is in the 31st verse of 
 this chapter. They were forbidden, and that upon 
 pain of death, to let any of their seed to pass through 
 the fire, or to give them unto Molech, Lev. xviii. 21 ; 
 XX. 2: God expected they should strictly have ob- 
 served his ordinance of consecrating their firstborn 
 unto him, and they either sacrificed or consecrated 
 them to idols. David, Psal. cvi. 37, 38, tells you, 
 " they sacrificed their sons and daughters unto 
 devils ; " he calls their idols devils, and they sacri- 
 ficed their sons, not only their firstborn, but others, 
 and not only sons, but daughters, so corrupt were 
 they in their opinions and practice. 
 
 If it should be granted here, as some interpreters 
 conceive, that they did not offer their firstborn to 
 idols, but to the true God, that they did not cause 
 them to pass through the fire, as the heathens did, 
 but caused them to pass from themselves, from 
 under their power, and give them to God ; yet be- 
 cause they despised his statutes, polluted his sab- 
 baths, minded idols, and kept not his statutes, God 
 polluted them in these gifts, declared them and their 
 gifts to be such. 
 
 " That I might make them desolate." The word 
 for " desolate " is, ccrN from ocv to make waste 
 and desolate even to astonishment. Some render it 
 here, that I might destroy them, and then the sense 
 runs thus ; I have declared what polluted creatures 
 they are, that I may thence take occasion to destroy 
 them : but this suits not so well with what follows, 
 " that they might know that I am the Lord." To 
 keep then to the word as it is here ; God would 
 "make them desolate,'" by convincing them of the 
 pollution of their offerings, and by afflicting their 
 consciences ; making them to see, that though they 
 had offered their sons, their firstborn to liim, or to 
 idols, yet they had gained nothing at his hands 
 thereby, but were so far from pleasing him, that 
 they had greatly provoked him, so that they should 
 be amazed at their desolation. 
 
 Obs. ]. That if men alienate from God what is 
 due to him. or bring him his due and live in the 
 breach of his commands, he will not respect them, 
 but declare them to be and deal with them as pol- 
 luted ones. They alienated their firstborn to idols, 
 which God commanded to be consecrated to him ; or 
 brought them to God living in the breach of his 
 statutes ; and hereupon he saith, " I polluted them in 
 their own gifts." They thought they did me good 
 service, and should obtain much favour at my hands, 
 that I would be a great benefactor unto them, but 
 they were deceived; I look upon them and their 
 gifts as defiled, loathsome things, and pronounced 
 them to be so. Many think their persons, prayers, 
 and other d-itics are very acceptable to God, but 
 they will fiTid them otherwise, Isa. i. 11 — 14; Matt, 
 vii. 22, 23. 
 
 Obs. 2. The Lord would not have men to confide 
 in their sacrifices and services. He declared them 
 polluted, that he might make them desolate, beat 
 them off fi'om their hopes and confidences they had 
 upon doing these things. We are apt to rest upon 
 duties, and to promise much to ourselves thereupon ; 
 but when God shall tell men they are polluted things 
 they offer, yea, that themselves are polluted in those 
 offerings, this will shake their vain foundations and 
 hopes. "When God told them, " He that killed an 
 ox was as if he slew a man ; he that sacrificed a 
 
 lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck ; he that of- 
 fered an oblation, as if he otfered swine's blood ; 
 he that burned incense, as if he blessed an idol," 
 Isa. Ixvi. 3 ; did he not undermine their strong 
 liolds, and make them naked ? for he shows that all 
 they did was either lost labour, as the blessing of an 
 idol ; or abomination, as swine's blood ; or danger- 
 ous, as cutting off' a dog's neck ; or deadly, as killing 
 of a man : thus God " polluted them in their own 
 gifts " and doings, and made them desolate. Thus 
 Clirist dealt with the scribes and Pharisees, Matt, 
 xxiii. 13— Hi, 23, '25, 27, 20 ; they look for blessings, 
 not for woes : but they were polluted, whatever their 
 confidences were, and Christ declares them to be so, 
 and makes them desolate. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord strips men of their righteous- 
 ness, and beats them out of their confidences, that 
 they might come to him, bottom upon him, and find 
 him a sure foundation. God would make them de- 
 solate, to the end, that they might know that he was 
 the Lord, that they might not trust in their sacri- 
 fices, but in him, the God of them and their sacri- 
 fices ; in him that could show them their errors, and 
 pardon them being shown. When men are deprived 
 of their supposed comforts, convinced of the false- 
 ness of their confidences, surrounded with the guilt 
 and evil of their ways, they begin to look where 
 succour is to be had ; to run from the sand to the 
 rock ; from themselves, and all that is their own, 
 unto the living God, and look at his promises to 
 believe them, and his statutes to obey them, and so 
 embracing him for the all-sufficient good, abide with 
 and build upon him alone. 
 
 Ver. 27 — 29. Therefore, son of man, speak 
 iinto the house of Israel, and say unto them. 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; Yet in this your 
 fathers hare bla.<<phemed me, in that they hare 
 committed a trespass against 7ne. Tor when I 
 had brought them into the land, for the ivhich I 
 lifted up 'mine hand to give it to them, then they 
 saw every high hill, and all the thick trees, and 
 they offered there their sacrifices, and there they 
 preseytted the pirovocation of their ofering: there 
 also they made their sweet savour, and poured 
 out their drink offerings. Then I said iinto 
 them, What is the high place whereiinto ye go 9 
 And the name thereof is called Bamah unto 
 this day. 
 
 Having spoken of the proceedings between God 
 and this people in Egypt and the wilderness, we are 
 come now to the passages between them in the land 
 of Canaan. 
 
 For the Lord's part, he " brought them into 
 the land," ver. 28, which is the only mercy men- 
 tioned ; but it was such a mercy as included a mul- 
 titude of mercies in it, for it was a land " flowing 
 with milk and honey, the glory of all lands," as 
 twice you have it in this chapter ; and something of 
 the goodness of this land you may see, Dent. viii. 
 7 — 9. And, chap. vi. 10, 11, it was the land that 
 God had lifted up his hand, and sware to give them; 
 and he brought them into it, without the help of any 
 other people, even by his own arm, for he destroy- 
 ed the seven nations in it, Acts xiii. 19; and he 
 " gave them the lands of the heathen ; and they in- 
 herited the labour of the people," Psal. cv. 44. And 
 why did the Lord bring them into this land ? the 
 next verse shows, " That they might observe his sta- 
 tutes, and keep his laws." Which thing they did 
 not ; for,
 
 Ver. 27—29. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 505 
 
 1. They Lksphemcd him, ver. 27. 
 
 2. They fell to idolatry, ver. 28. 
 
 3. They persisted in it, ver. 29. 
 
 " Yet in this your fathers have hlasphemed me." 
 The Hehrew for " yet in this," is, moreover this. 
 Septuagint, even to this ; they sinned and dealt un- 
 gratefully, not only till they came to Canaan, but in 
 Canaan : they were not content with what they had 
 done in Egypt and the wilderness against me, lut 
 they continued in their wickedness, and added sin to 
 sin, doing worse and worse daily. Or, moreover in 
 this, and so it notes some heinous and great offence, 
 viz. what he mentions in the end of the verse. 
 
 " Have blasphemed me." The Hebrew word 
 .signifies, to revile with words, to reproach, and blas- 
 pheme. The Septuagint is, they provoked me, they 
 were contumelious, disgracing me. Our translation 
 has it, blaspheme, which is to hurt the name or 
 fame of any, and is a kind of evil speaking, dero- 
 gating from the glory of God: God's glory or name 
 in itself is inviolable, but blasphemy doth what it 
 can to violate it. 
 
 Aquinas makes it to consist, 
 
 1. In attributing to God what is not congruous to 
 him ; as to say. He is the author of sin ; he sees 
 not, he hath forsaken the earth, Ezek. viii. 12; He 
 is like unto man, Psal. 1. 21. 
 
 2. In detracting from him what belongs unto him ; 
 as to deny his providence, his omniscience, his 
 omnipotence ; as. Can he provide a table in the wil- 
 derness ? Psal. Ixxviii. 19 ; If he should make win- 
 dows in heaven could this thing be ? 2 Kings vii. 2 : 
 to which may be added, 
 
 3. The doing of such things as cause God's name 
 to be blasphemed ; as Rom. ii. 24, " The name of 
 God is blasphemed among the gentiles through 
 you." As there is practical atheism, Tit. i. 16, so 
 practical blasphemy. 
 
 " In that they have committed a trespass against 
 me." The Hebrew is, in their prevaricating a pre- 
 varication against me. The doubling of the word 
 intends the signification, and notes the greatness of 
 their sin, and progress in their wickedness. The 
 Vulgate is, seeing that despising they have despised 
 me. The word Syn notes such prevarication, and 
 sinning, as hath the will in it : hence Piscator ren- 
 ders the words here, they have perfidiously sinned 
 against me. They sinned not ignorantly, or of com- 
 mon infirmity, but with a high hand. Junius saith, 
 their sin was, speaking against the truth of God's 
 worship, for when people fall to false worship, they 
 will disparage, if not wholly despise, the worship 
 they had before. So then here we may understand, 
 both their speaking against the true worship of God, 
 and practising contrary thereunto. 
 
 Obs. AVilful sinning is a reproaching, a blasphem- 
 ing of God, and provokes him greatly. " In this 
 your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have 
 committed a trespass against me ;" they have spoken 
 against my worship, and run out to other ways 
 which I forbade them ; other sins they have commit- 
 ted which I could have winked at, but when they 
 sin wilfully, despising me, my laws, my worship, 
 they reproach, blaspheme, provoke me so, that they 
 shall hear of it. Son of man, go and speak to the 
 house of Israel, go and tell them how they have 
 dealt with me, and how I take it. Such sins de- 
 serve death: Numb. xv. 30, "The soul that doeth 
 ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the 
 land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord." 
 tl"iiD it is the same word which is here for " blas- 
 phemed," and may as well be rendered so as " re- 
 proacheth ;" (for he that reproacheth the Lord 
 blasphemes him, and he that blasphemes him re- 
 
 proacheth him, they are joined together, 2 Kings 
 xix. 22;) and what then? " That soul shall be cut 
 ofi' from among his people. Because he hath de- 
 spised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his 
 commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut olV." 
 There was no mercy for those who sinned in that 
 manner, Heb. x. 26, 27. Many, I fear, commit such 
 trespasses in these days, by speaking against provi- 
 dence, ordinances. Scriptures, angels, Christ, God 
 himself, and so sin away mercy and their own souls 
 at once. David prayed that God would keep him 
 back from " prcsimiptuous sins," Psal. xix. 13; and 
 we had need do it, for there is that in our natures 
 which carries us on strongly towards them, as much 
 as they did him. Remember what Solomon saith, 
 Prov. xxviii. 14, " Happy is the man that feareth 
 always ; but he that hardeneth his heart," that pre- 
 sumeth, that is wilful, pertinacious, " shall fall into 
 mischief;" into mischievous sins, into mischievous 
 judgments. Chap. xiii. 13, " Whoso despiseth the 
 word shall bo destroyed ; but he that feareth the 
 commandment shall be rewarded;" he that slights 
 the word and ways of God, destruction is his por- 
 tion ; but he that fears to violate the command of 
 God " shall be rewarded," dSc NXn he shall have 
 peace, safety. A man by despising or fearing the 
 word and command of God, doth neither hurt the 
 one nor advantage the other ; but he may, he doth, 
 hurt or advantage himself, and that greatly. 
 
 Ver. 28. " Then they saw every high hill," &:c. 
 In this verse you have the idolatry they fell into 
 when they came into the land of Canaan, with the 
 degrees thereof. 
 
 1. Their leaving of God, and looking unto the 
 hills, yea, " every high hill, and all the thick trees ;" 
 they gave liberty to their eyes to spy out places 
 suitable to their idolatrous thoughts ; on hills, and 
 places beset with thick trees, the heathens worship- 
 ped, and their hearts and eyes were towards such 
 places. 
 
 2. Their making altars, and sacrificing there ; 
 " they offered there their sacrifices," &c. They 
 should not have sacrificed any where but in the place 
 God appointed, which was first the tabernacle, after- 
 wards the temple ; but they spied out hills, groves, 
 thickets, set up altars, and sacrificed on them those 
 offerings which were peculiar unto God. 
 
 3. Their continuance and expensefulness therein ; 
 " they ofi'ered sacrifices, they poured out there their 
 drink-oflTerings." 
 
 4. Their content and delight they took thcrem ; 
 " there also they made their sweet savour." 
 
 " The provocation of their offering." The He- 
 brew is, the indignation and anger of their corban, 
 that is, their approaching gift, or offering. There 
 is a figure in these words called hypallage, which 
 is such a transposing of words, as that is said of 
 one, which should be said of the other, as here, pro- 
 vocation of offerings, for offerings provoking. 
 
 " There also they made their sweet savour." The 
 original for " sweet savour" is, literally, the odour 
 of their rests, their acceptable odours ; when they 
 had offered these, they thought the Lord smelt a 
 sweet savour, was well pleased with them, and so 
 rested in them : which fancied rest was pleasing to 
 them, though it lasted not, neither had reality in it, 
 for their incense or " sweet savour" was a provoca- 
 tion to God. 
 
 Obs. 1. That what the Lord promiseth he makes 
 good, how difficidt or impossible soever it seems to 
 man. The Lord had promised them Canaan ; and 
 how shoidd thev come to it ? They were bond-men 
 in Egvpt, thcre'is a Red sea, a vast wilderness, be- 
 tween' Egypt and Canaan ; and besides, Canaan had
 
 506 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 strong men in it, sons of Anali, cities walled and 
 great, several kings to oppose and keep them out ; 
 but notwithstanding all these difficulties, God having 
 promised to bring them in, he did it : "' when I had 
 brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up 
 my hand to give it to them." His hand that was 
 lift up to confirm them it should be done, was let out 
 for the doing thereof; that hand that could take 
 away all doubts, could also take away all difficulties. 
 There is nothing too hard for the Lord ; he will work, 
 and who shall, who can, let it, Isa. xliii. 13. As he 
 is gracious to promise, so faithful and able to per- 
 form, and doth in due time make g(xid whatever he 
 hath promised, though it seem impossible. He said, 
 a virgin should bring forth, Isa. vii. 14 ; and was 
 it not made good? Matt. i. J8: that Abraham who 
 was aged should have a child, and his seed be as 
 the stars of heaven ; and were not both made good .' 
 Gen. xxi. 2 ; Exod. xii. 3/ ; Numb. xi. 21 ; not one 
 word failed of all that God promised Moses, I Kings 
 viii. 5G. This should make us believe the promises 
 of God, whatever flesli and blood objects. 
 
 06.V. 2. Men's habitations are given and assigned 
 unto them of the Lord. I brought them into the 
 land, I gave it them. If men be removed from 
 place to place, seated here or there, the hand of the 
 Lord is in it ; if tliey have commodious, j)leasant, 
 gainful habitations, if they dwell safely under vines 
 and fig trees, as it is 1 Kings iv. 25, it is the Lord's 
 doing, his providence disposed it so ; and we should 
 be thankful in and for our habitations, and mind the 
 lieavenly Canaan, and those mansions mentioned, 
 John xiv. 2, prepared for those who do believe, and 
 glorify God, out of which, when once we are pos- 
 sessed of them, we shall never be removed. 
 
 Obs. 3. Circumstances of time and place do aggra- 
 vate men's sins, and make them heinous. When I 
 had brought them into the land, then they saw every 
 high hill, lliere they otfercd sacrifices, lliere they pre- 
 sented tlie provocation of their oll'erings, tlicre they 
 made their sweet savour, lliere they poured out their 
 drink-ofl'erings ; here are four Ihcres, every one ag- 
 gravating and accenting their sins. This was in- 
 gratitude with a witness, that the Lord should bring 
 them into such a land as flowed with milk and honey, 
 and they shoidd bestow the milk and honey upon idols ; 
 into such a land as was the glory of all lands, and 
 they should defile it, and make it abominable, as it 
 is Jer. ii. 7, " I brought you into a plentiful country, 
 to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; 
 but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made 
 mine heritage an abomination." This, this made 
 their sin exceeding sinful, and the Lord to set the 
 emphasis upon it. There, in Canaan, the land I 
 espied out for them, they sinned ; tliere, in Canaan, 
 where I fulfilled my promise made to their fathers 
 and them, they sinned ; there, in Canaan, out of 
 which I drove mighty nations for their sakes, they 
 sinned ; there, in Canaan, the land I chose to dwell 
 in, they set up altars, and diverted my sacrifices, 
 offerings, and sweet savours unto them ; there, where 
 I looked they should have become a holy people 
 unto me, they became like the nations, and worse 
 than the nations round about them. Sinning after 
 great mercies bestowed, and where they were be- 
 stowed, makes sin sinful above measure. 
 
 Obs. 4. When men go out from God's truths, or- 
 dinances, and ways of worship, they are restless, and 
 run from opinion to opinion, and ft-om one way to 
 another. "They saw every high hill, and all the 
 thick trees;" they ran from hill to hill, from tree to 
 tree, and were not long satisfied any where; when 
 they had found a hill which pleased them, set up an 
 altar there, and sacrificed awhile, they grow to dis- 
 
 like of that place and that altar ; then they must to 
 another hill, have another altar, which had its time, 
 and then that was left ; and to the thick trees they 
 go, and there they fall in with the worshippers and 
 ways there in jiracticc ; and so from altar to altar, 
 from place to place, and not satisfied, Ezek. xvi. 2'J. 
 And it is just with God, that those men who go out 
 from him, and otf from the ways and forms of wor- 
 ship he hath prescribed, (depriving him of his legis- 
 lativeness therein,) should be given up unto restless- 
 ness of spirit. This is abundantly verified among 
 the papists, where they run from saint to saint, from 
 altar to altar, and from one order of friars and Je- 
 suits to another ; yea, this hath been signally ful- 
 filled amongst us, in our days, wherein many having 
 left and cast off God's ways and worship, have run 
 into variety of opinions and practices ; they have 
 seen every hill, every tree, every altar, every way ; 
 and may it not be said, as of the unclean spirits in 
 the gospel, they have walked in dry places, sought 
 rest and found none ? iSlen's ways, opinions, inten- 
 tions, are di-y things, and have no rest in them. Only 
 God's ways and ordinances have virtue in them, to 
 moisten, quicken, comfort, and satisfy us. Micah ii. 
 7, " Do not my words do good to him that walketh 
 uprightly ? " whatever the sickly fancies of men are, 
 God's words and ways are good, and they only do 
 good to the sons of men that walk uprightly : Prov. 
 X. 29, " The way of the Lord is strength to the up- 
 right," not to those who turn aside to the whimsies, 
 fancies, and wills of men. 
 
 Obs. 5. That may be offensive and hateful to God, 
 which men judge to be grateful and acceptable. 
 " They presented the provocation of their offering," 
 or provoking offerings. Whom did they provoke ? 
 even the Lord, whom they concluded they greatly 
 pleased, for it follows, " there also they made their 
 sweet savour;" they made account their sweet sa- 
 vours would be sweet in the nostrils of God, but 
 they were stinking and loathsome, because not ofl'er- 
 cd where they should have been offered, ijor as God 
 had appointed, nor came from hearts believing and 
 obedient. They were at great pains and charges in 
 their sacrifices, ofterings, sweet savours ; and what 
 was the issue of it ? instead of pleasing, they pro- 
 voked God. Amos v. 21, 22, 24, " I hate, I despise 
 your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn 
 assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt ofterings and 
 your meat offerings, I will not accept them ; neither 
 will I regard the peace ofterings of yoiu- fat beasts. 
 Let judgment run dowm as waters, and righteous- 
 ness as a mighty stream." They thought that not- 
 withstanding all their injustice, that their sacrifices 
 and services should be accepted ; but God was so far 
 from it, he despised and hated them : the like you 
 have in Jer. vi. 20. Let us take heed lest we pro- 
 voke God by our sacrifices, while we think we please 
 him. If they be not from gracious hearts, tendered 
 up in faith, according to rule, and for his glory, he 
 will say, as it is Isa. Ivii. 6, " Should I receive com- 
 fort in these ? " 
 
 Ver. 29. " Then I said unto them. What is the 
 high place whereunto ye go ?" Here the Lord doth 
 reprove them for, and seek to reclaim them from, 
 their idolatry. You know that place I have chosen, 
 where my tabernacle is, the altar I have appointed 
 for sacrifices : what is the high place whither ye go ? 
 what is it for ? what do you there ? why transgress 
 you my statutes, and keep not to them ? To this ef- 
 fect and purpose the Lord spake by his prophets 
 unto them. 
 
 The word for "high place" is, ncan that high, 
 or the high place. Some think it a high altar, or a 
 chapel built in a wood, or on a high hill. It was
 
 Ver. 30—32. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 507 
 
 the practice of the gentiles, upon hills, and under 
 green trees, to build altars with steps, or ascensions 
 to go up by, which the Jews imitated contrary to 
 command ; for God had bid them to make an altar 
 of earth unto him, and where he should appoint ; 
 and if of stone, it must not be of hewn stone, neither 
 might his altar have any steps, Exod. xx. 24 — 26. 
 Neither was the altar of God ever called " Bamah," 
 a high place, but Mizbeach, the sacrilicatory, or the 
 place of slaying and sacrificing. But the Jews fall- 
 ing to heathenish customs and practices, learned 
 their names, and imposed them uijon their altars, 
 called them Bamalis or Bamoths. When God there- 
 fore saith, " AVhat is the high place," or Bamah ? 
 he doth reprove and upbraid tliem for their idolatry ; 
 What madness is this in you, that you have forsaken 
 the temple and altar of God, to go to the Bamahs, 
 the high places, hills and trees of heathens, that you 
 prefer their ways before mine ? what is it you find 
 there, that you cannot keep your habitations, and 
 content yourselves with what 1 have appointed you ? 
 Are the gods of the nations, and their high places, 
 better than the God of Israel and his altar ? 
 
 " And the name thereof is called Bamah unto 
 this day." They desisted not from that idolatrous 
 name and practice they had taken up, but persisted 
 therein; they had called those places Bamah, and 
 would call them so still, they were tenacious of their 
 superstitious opinions, names, and ways ; the high 
 places remained till the days of Josiah, 2 Chron. 
 xxxiv. 3. 
 
 Obs. 1. Such is the pervcrseness of men's natures 
 and spirits, that they are not content with what God 
 in his infinite wisdom and goodness hath prescribed 
 them in point of worship. " What is the high place 
 wliereunto ye go ?" Am not I your God ? have not 
 I given you an altar, appointed sacrifices, and told 
 you where and how you must sacrifice ? have not I 
 accepted your sacrifices, when brought according to 
 my direction ? why do you go out from me, and are 
 not content with what is mine ? This is the evil of 
 man's nature, that it oft rejects what is divine, and 
 chooses what is human, it leaves the Creator's, and 
 chooses the creature's : Jer. ii. 13, " My people have 
 committed two evils ; they have forsaken me the 
 fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cis- 
 terns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." 
 
 Ob),: 2. That superstitious names, ways, and prac- 
 tices, once taken up, are not easily laid down again. 
 They had a high place called Bamah, and that high 
 place they would go unto, and keep that name, though 
 the Lord had oft reproved them for it j and not only 
 that, but other high places also : when the altar of 
 Damascus, the image of jealousy, and Tammuz, 
 were once admitted amongst them, they were not 
 suddenly or easily removed again. Ephraim having 
 taken up the names of Baalim, woidd not lay them 
 aside till God took them out of her mouth, Hos. ii. 
 1". Are there not names amongst us, kept to this 
 day, which sprung from gross idolatry ? Vorstegan 
 tells you, that Sunday was so called from the idol 
 of the sun, unto whose adoration it was dedicated ; 
 ED Monday from tlie idol of the moon, Tuesday from 
 the idol Tuisco, Wednesday from the idol Woden, 
 Thursday from the idol Thor, Friday from the idol 
 Friga, or Frea, and Saturday from the idol Seater, 
 not Saturn. These were Saxon idols, and they who 
 gave the days their names, and dedicated them unto 
 such idols, sinned greatly ; and it is not excusable 
 that we keep their memory still alive, calling the 
 days by such names, which are dishonourable to 
 God and Scripture. The Rhemists disallow these 
 names of the days ; they say Sunday is a heathenish 
 calling, as all other of the week days are ; some 
 
 imposed after the names of planets, as in tlie Romans' 
 time ; some by the name of certain idols that the 
 Saxons did worship, and to which they dedicated 
 their days before they were christians, which names 
 the church used not. 
 
 Ver. 30 — 32. Jf herefore sai/ unto the house 
 of Israel, Thus saith the Lurd God ; Are ye pol- 
 httcd after the manner of yutir fathers? and eom- 
 mit ye whoredom after their abominations ? Fo7- 
 when ye offer your gifts, when ye inake your sons 
 to pass through the fire, ye pollute youiselves icith 
 all your idols, even unto this day : and shall I be 
 encpdred of by you, O house of Israel ? As I live, 
 saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by 
 you. And that which cometh into your mind shall 
 not he at all, that ye say, We will be as the hea- 
 then, as the families of tlie countries, to serve wood 
 and stone. 
 
 Here you have, besides the prophet's commission 
 in the beginning of the 30th verse, 
 
 1. An imputation of their wretched practices unto 
 them ; they followed the steps of their fathers, they 
 became idolatrous like them, otfering their gifts to 
 idols ; they caused their children to pass through the 
 fire ; they persisted in their wickedness. 
 
 2. God's resolution and oath not to have to do with 
 them ; " Shall 1 be inquired of by you ?" &c. ver. 31. 
 
 3. His frustration of their counsels and designs ; 
 ver. 32, " That which cometli," ^:c. 
 
 " Are ye polluted after the manner of your fa- 
 thers ? " The elders of Israel that were in Babylon 
 came to the prophet to inquire of the Lord, touching 
 the aflairs of Jerusalem. The Lord commands the 
 prophet to ask them this question, " Are ye polluted 
 after the manner of your fathers ?" intimating that 
 they were, and therefore, their coming to the pro- 
 phet was but a pretence, and should speed accordingly. 
 
 (Ecolampadius reads the words thus. Do ye not 
 pollute yourselves in the way of your fathers ? Va- 
 tablus. Are ye not polluted in the way of your 
 fathers ? Castalio hath it without an interrogation, 
 You are polluted with the manners of your ances- 
 tors ; but it is best with the interrogation. Interro- 
 gations in Scriptm-e sometimes serve for admiration, 
 as Luke i. 34, " How shall this be, seeing I know 
 not a man?" sometimes for demonstration, Psal. xv. 
 1, " Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle, who 
 shall dwell in thy holy hill ? " Sometimes they are 
 arguments of doubting, as Luke i. 18, saith Zacha- 
 rias, " Whereby shall I know this ? for 1 am an old 
 man, and my wife well stricken in years." Some- 
 times they note indignation, as Exod. x. 3, " How 
 long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me ? 
 let my people go, that they may serve me." Some- 
 times they hold out accusation, and exprobration, as 
 Mai. iii. 14, " What profit is it that we have kept his 
 ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before 
 the Lord of hosts?" Here the interrogation notes 
 both indignation and exprobration ; " Are ye polluted 
 after the manner of your fathers?" do ye live in 
 their sins, and come to inquire of the prophet, and 
 of me by the prophet ? I am angry, and cannot en- 
 dure such vile pretences and deep dissimulation. 
 
 " And commit ye whoredom after their abomina- 
 tions?" By "whoredom" is meant idolatrizing; and 
 wherein idolatry resembles whoredom, liath formerly 
 been hinted unto you, chap. vi. 9. It is a violating 
 the covenant between God and his people, which is 
 called marriage, Jer. iii. 14; Hos. ii. 2; it is to go 
 out from the true God to other gods, Deut. xxxi. 1(1; 
 it is to sacrifice to devils, Lev. xvii. 7 ! to mind
 
 508 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 wizards, chap. xx. 6 ; to seek after our own hearts, 
 eyes, and mventions, Numb. xv. 39 ; Psal. cvi. 39. 
 
 Ver. 31. " When ye offer your gifts." The He- 
 brew is, in elevatinsj your gifts. By "gifts," in the 
 '26th verse, were understood their firstborn ; but here 
 " gifts " and firstborn are distinct. " When ye oiler 
 your gifts," when you make your sons to pass through 
 tlie fire. These "gifts" were those other oblations 
 appointed in the law, or whatever they voluntarily 
 bestowed upon their idols, as in chap. xvi. 18, 19. 
 
 " When ye make your sons to pass through the 
 fire." Of these words something hath been said before 
 in chap. xvi. 20, 21. I shall add a little. 
 
 The heathens were wont, in times of public ca- 
 lamity, to sacrifice their children, saith Eusebius ; and 
 Lactantius tells of Pescennius Fertus, saying. That 
 the Carthaginians did sacrifice men to Saturn, and 
 being overcome by Agathocles,king of the Sicilians, 
 thinking their god was angry with them, they ofi'er- 
 ed two hundred noblemen's sons to pacify him. 
 Sometimes they killed them, sometimes they drown- 
 ed them, and sometimes they burnt them. 
 
 This practice of sacrificing their children, to pacify 
 their provoked gods, some affirm to be taken up 
 from Abraham's sacrificing of his son, witli which 
 God was so well pleased, that he gave forth a large 
 eulogy ofhimforit. But itisnot probable that itpro- 
 ceeded thence, for the Lord suffered not Abraham to 
 do it, and prohibited by a severe law the doing of 
 such a thing, viz. the sacrificing of their children to 
 idols, Lev. xx. 2. It was more likely from the devil 
 in their oracles, for Plutarch tells of the Lacede- 
 monians, who being greatly afflicted with the plague, 
 had an answer from the oracle of 
 M.oiedbjPe'ter Apollo, that the plaguc should cease. 
 Mart, upon the jf they Sacrificed a virgin chosen out of 
 '°^^' the chief of the nobility. Doubtless it 
 
 was Satan put this into the hearts of men, fiir he 
 " was a murderer from the beginning," and delight- 
 cth much in shedding of man's blood, especially in 
 honour to himself, Psal. cvi. 37, for such sacrifices 
 
 Tertui.in wcrc to him and his. Some sacrificed 
 
 Scorpiuco. mQn to Diana, some to Mercury, some 
 to Saturn, whom divers think and affirm to be Mo- 
 lech, the idol the Jews sacrificed their 
 MarbTnfi'Km^s children unto. They admitted the 
 Lv'^'""'""!"' '" hc'irtienish idol, and the heathenish 
 practice : 2 Kings xvi. 3, Ahaz made 
 his sons to pass through the fire according to the 
 abominations of the heathen ; and it was to Molech 
 that he, and others, made their children piass through 
 the fire unto, chap, xxiii. 10. This Molech was a 
 great brazen idol, having a calfs head and hands to 
 receive whatever was offered ; it being hollow, had 
 seven distinct cavities in it. 1. For those who offer- 
 ed fine flower. 2. For those who offered turtles. 
 3. For those who offered a sheep. 4. For those wdio 
 offered a ram. 5. For those who offered a calf. 
 6. For those who offered an ox. 7. For those who 
 offered their children. For the children offered, it is 
 conceived they were burnt alive in that hollow place 
 Ihey were put into, or upon, or else they were put 
 into the arms of the idol, and roasted to death in 
 them ; at the doing whereof, they made hideous 
 noises with kettles, or drums, that the screechings 
 
 Lactantius de and crics of the children might not 
 
 Faha Heli;^io. I. 1. Ijp heard 
 
 "And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of 
 Israel ? " &c. These words you had in ver. 3, they 
 need not now to be opened, only there is, " elders of 
 Israel," and here it is, " O house of Israel." 
 
 Obs. 1. The ways of our forefathers are not always 
 to be trodden in and followed. " Are ye polluted 
 after the manner of your fathers ? and commit ye 
 
 whoredom after their abominations ?" Here the 
 Lord is angry with them, accuses and upbraids them, 
 for following their fathers. It is not always unlaw- 
 ful so to do. Josiah walked in all the ways of David 
 his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or 
 to the left, 2 Kings xxii. 2; so Hezekiah flid accord- 
 ing to all that David his father did, chap, xviii. 3. 
 Men that are good, and walk in the ways of God, 
 they may be followed. Solomon commends them 
 that " walk in the way of good men, and keep the 
 paths of the righteous," Prov. ii. 20; but when men 
 forsake the ways of truth, mercy, and righteousness, 
 fall to false W'orship, unjust and unwarrantable prac- 
 tices, children ought not to tread in their fathers' 
 steps ; if they do, they will pollute themselves, and 
 provoke God against them, as these did here. Fore- 
 fathers are not to be followed in doctrine, worship, 
 or manners, further than they follow the word and 
 Christ. Paul, that great apostle, would not have 
 any to follow him further than he followed Christ, 
 1 Cor. xi. I. The Thessalonians followed Paul, 
 Sylvanus, Timothy, but they followed the Lord also, 
 and these men no otherwise than they followed him. 
 If men will follow their fathers, they must see to it 
 that they were soiuid in the faith, sound in their 
 worship, and sound in their lives ; for the exhorta- 
 tion is, 3 .John 11, to "follow not that which is 
 evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of 
 God : but he that doeth evil hath not seen God :" 
 and, Heb. vi. 12, Be " followers of them who through 
 faith and patience inherit the promises." 
 
 Obs. 2. That children, to uphold the customs and 
 practices of their fathers, will part with things dear, 
 and do unnaturally, especially if pretence of religion 
 come in. The fathers of these in Babylon, tliey 
 were idolaters, they sacrificed their children to idols, 
 under pretence of the more acceptance ; and to up- 
 hold such customs and doing of their fathers, the 
 children part with their dear and tender infants, do 
 impious, unjust, and inhuman things, cause their lit- 
 tle ones to pass through the fire, to be burnt to ashes, 
 in honour of their feigned and false deities. Super- 
 stition and idolatry make men unnatural. Beasts 
 will preserve their young, and venture their lives to 
 save their little ones, when men do willingly destroy 
 theirs under pretence of religion, and put them to 
 such cruel toi-tures. The papists do uphold the sin- 
 ful ways of their forefathers at dear rates, and are 
 unnatural in whipping of themselves. If these, and 
 Jews, did part with dear things to maintain the 
 wicked ways of their fathers, and do unnaturally, 
 unjustly, to keep them up, what condemnation will 
 it be to us, if we will not part with things needful, 
 do things christian and just, to uphold true religion, 
 and uphold the lawful and godly practices of our 
 forefathers ! If they would part with their children 
 and blood for maintenance of idolatry, what should 
 we think too dear for maintenance of the gospel ? 
 People will part with dear things to maintain their 
 opinions, even their modesty, to uphold a conceit of 
 perfection. 
 
 Obs. 3. Hypocrisy so displeases God, that he will 
 have nothing to do with hypocrites. These elders, 
 this house of Israel, they polluted themselves in 
 their fathers' sins, they took up ways of false wor- 
 ship, and lived in the same to the day they came to 
 inquire ; and what saith God ? " Shall I be inquired 
 of by you, O house of Israel ?[" you dissemble, act 
 the hypocrite's part, and you provoke me not only 
 to refuse to hear you, but to swear against you : 
 " As I live, I will not be inquired of by you." You 
 come not in sincerity, but in subtlety ; you pretend 
 to walk in my ways, but you intend to follow your 
 fathers' ways ; you make as if you would worship
 
 Ver. 30—32. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 509 
 
 me, but you mean to worship idols. Ah ! you old 
 hypocrites, painted sepulchres, why come ye lo me ? 
 I will not hear, answer, nor have to do with you. 
 Hypocrites seem to do that they do not ; 2 Kings 
 xvii. 33, "They feared the Lord, and served their 
 own gods ;" that is, they seemed to fear him, but 
 did not, for, ver. 34, it is said, " They fear not the 
 Lord." Hypocrites would join God and their own 
 ways, or fathers' ways, together, but it will not take 
 with him: Matt. -vi. 24, "No man can serve two 
 masters." The great Master of truth said this ; 
 and when men lean to their fathers' ways, love 
 them and idols, they despise God, and hate his ways. 
 There is no truth in them ; no metaphysical truth, 
 their notions agree not with the mind of God ; no 
 physical truth, there is no reality in their words or 
 actions ; no moral truth, their lives agree not with 
 their professions. John Huss had the devil pic- 
 tured upon his clothes, but he had Christ within ; 
 hypocrites have the picture of Christ without, but 
 tlie devil within. Satan hath their hearts, or the 
 greatest part of them ; Hos. x. 2, " Their heart is 
 divided ; now shall they be found faulty : he shall 
 break down their altars :" God will not accept them, 
 nor their sacrifices, he will appear against them and 
 their doings. 
 
 Labour, therefore, to be sincere, for the upright 
 are his delight. Those who regard iniquity in their 
 hearts, whoever they be, whatever they inquire and 
 seek for at the hands of God, God will not hear 
 them, but discover them, and give them the reward 
 of hypocrites. 
 
 Ver. 32. " And that which cometh into your mind 
 shall not be at all." The Hebrew runs thus, that 
 which ascends upon the spirit by being shall not 
 be ; that is, your thoughts, purposes, counsels, deter- 
 minations, which are risen up in your heads and 
 hearts, and take impression there, have a being in 
 them, they shall lose their being, and come to no- 
 thing ; you look upon them as having nuich essence 
 in them, but they shall all vanish. The Vulgate is, 
 the thought of the mind shall not be etTected. 
 
 " That ye say. We will be as the heathen." Here 
 the thought of their heart is made known. These 
 elders of Israel, considering the condition they were 
 in, thought it best to cast off the God of Israel, and 
 his worship, and to fall to the gods of the nations, 
 and their worship ; to cease from their Judaism, and 
 to turn to gentilism. They thought the gods of the 
 heathen dealt better with them than the God of the 
 Jews did with them. Or, if their God were the 
 God of all nations, yet he showed more kindness to 
 them, serving wood and stone, than he did to the 
 Jewish people, who were tied up by strict laws, bur- 
 dened with a multitude of sacrifices and ceremonies, 
 now spoiled, captives, held under hard bondage, in 
 danger of being cut oft" for Zedekiah's revolt and 
 perfidiousncss ; whereas the Babylonians and pro- 
 vinces that belonged to them did prosper, were in 
 safety and peace : and let the best be made of it, 
 they'knew that they must abide many years under 
 the Babylonish yoke, therefore thought it the wisest 
 course to becorne like the heathens, to conform to 
 their worship and manners, whereby they should be 
 looked upon as of them, and not of Abraham ; as men 
 of Babylon, not of Zion ; as gentiles, not Israelites ; 
 and so provide for their safety, peace, and prosperity. 
 
 " As the famihes of the countries." They made 
 account to cast off the worship of the God of Israel, 
 which exposed them to rejiroach, hah-ed, and hard 
 sufferings, and to give up themselves fully to their 
 gods, their worship, and obsei-vance of their rites : 
 they intended to incorporate and become one with 
 the" Babylonish race and brood, that so they might 
 
 have a Babylonish happiness, and be free from the 
 strokes of the God of Israel, under whom they suf- 
 fered so much. 
 
 "To serve wood and stone." That is, gods, or 
 idols, made of wood and stone. See Deut. xxix. 1" ; 
 chap. iv. 28, " There ye shall serve gods, the work 
 of men's hands, wood and stone." 
 
 Obs. 1. How cunningly soever hypocrites do carry 
 their lewd and wicked designs, yet they are known to 
 God, and he will discover them. These elders of Israel 
 were resolved to change their religion, to be like the 
 heathen, and colour it over with coming to the pro- 
 phet, to inquire how things would proceed with them 
 at Jerusalem ; what counsel he would give unto 
 themselves, they would be ready to do it, whereas 
 they never intended it. This the Lord saw, this he 
 discovers, and uncases these dissembling hypocrites. 
 Herod pretended he would go and worship Christ, 
 but his intent was to murder him. Matt. ii. 8, 13, 
 which God discovered. 
 
 Obs. 2. There be risings, thoughts in men's hearts 
 which are not of God. What they had in their 
 heads, or hearts, God owned not. Many in these 
 days think every motion they have in their hearts, 
 minds, whatever riseth up there, is of God, and his 
 Spirit, and therefore must be obeyed ; hence it comes 
 to pass that darkness is called light, and all vices are 
 practised under the notion of virtue ; but corrup- 
 tions, flesh, old man, Satan, have their operations in 
 the hearts of the wicked always, and too oft in the 
 godly. The earth brings forth weeds of itself, and 
 not corn, unless it be sown. 
 
 Obs. 3. Carnal, politic men affect religion as it 
 serves their own interest. These elders, considering 
 what Zedekiah and their brethren had done at Jeru- 
 salem, revolted from Nebuchadnezzar ; they feared 
 hard measure now would befall them for their Jew- 
 ish religion, and they resolved not to venture liberty, 
 limbs, or life for that religion, which had been a 
 bondage, and burdensome unto them, and now 
 might hazard all. They would now revolt from 
 God and truth, and be as the heathen, who prosper- 
 ed, were in peace and safety. Politicians think it 
 weakness, foolishness, to suffer for religion. They 
 can change it at pleasure, and fall in with that 
 which hath most pomp and applause in the world. 
 Upon this account many have fallen from protestant- 
 ism to popery, and from Christianity to Turcism : 
 to save their skins, they have parted with their re- 
 ligions. Many men make use of religion as mari- 
 ners of the wirids, merely to serve their own ends ; if 
 religion once cross them, they can cast it olT, and 
 fall in with those ways of worship which do suit 
 their humours, and further their designs ; like chil- 
 dren, that, having been held in by their parents, be- 
 stow themselves upon any to obtain their own ends. 
 These elders saw their law and worship were differ- 
 ing from the religion of the state where they were, 
 and so exposed them to many inconveniences and 
 dangers ; they would therefore be of the state re- 
 ligion, outwardly at least complying with that, serv- 
 ing " wood and stone." 
 
 Obs. 4. God sometimes disappoints the designs and 
 expectations of men, who intend and resolve to for- 
 sake him, and provide for themselves by sinful and idol- 
 atrous ways. "That which cometh into your mind 
 shall not be at all ;" you would be as the heathens, but 
 it shall not be ; I will not only deny your desires, 
 but dash your designs : you seek heathens' favour, 
 and shall 'meet with heaven's frowns, and miss of 
 your aims ; you would be Babylonians, have the 
 protection and blessing of Babylonish gods, but my 
 thoughts are cross to yours, that which is in my 
 mind shall stand, not what is in yours ; that happi-
 
 JIO 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 ncss you hope for in the waj'S and worship of Baby- 
 lonians you shall not find. Men think, by going out 
 to the world, by conforming to base, vile superstition, 
 and idolatrous practices, to get much ; but God, in 
 his infinite wisdom and justice, disappoints them, as 
 Denias and Judas. 
 
 Ver. 33. As I Ih-p, saith the Lord God, siirely 
 u-i/h a mighty hand, and with a sfretched-out arm, 
 cmd with fuiy poured out, u-ill I rule over yoii. 
 
 Having showed the ingratitude and untoward car- 
 riage of this people in Egypt, in the wilderness, in 
 Canaan, and their resolution to cast ofT God in 
 Babylon, here begins the fourth general part of the 
 chapter, viz. a denunciation of judgment for their 
 hypocrisy and other sins, together with promises of 
 mercy, extending to the 45th verse. In the verse 
 you have. 
 
 I. God asserting his authority and power over 
 this people, who thought to cast him olf ; " I will 
 rule over you." 
 
 II. The manner of his ruling over them, which is, 
 
 1. With power. 
 
 2. With fury. 
 
 III. The ratification of both, and that is by oath, 
 " As I live, saith the Lord." 
 
 Touching this oath of God much hath been spoken 
 already, in this and former chapters. 
 
 " With a mighty hand." The Hebrew is, in or 
 with a strong hand ; with a rigid hand, .saith Ca.s- 
 talio. By " mighty hand" here is not simply meant 
 God's power, but his power in punishing ; so the 
 plagues of Egypt were God's strong and " mighty 
 hand." God would punish them ftir their dealings, 
 and to that pm-pose, it should be visibly and openly, 
 and therefore it follows, 
 
 " With a stretched-out arm." Sometimes the 
 stretching out of God's arm notes powerful and 
 visible deliverance, Psal. cxxxvi. 12 ; sometimes 
 jiowcrful and visible punishment, as here. In the 
 inflicting of puni.shments, men stretch out their 
 hands and arms, which here, after the manner of 
 men, is given to God. 
 
 " ^\'ith fury poured out." Of dealing in " fury," 
 accomplishing, " fury," and pouring out " finy," see 
 before, chap. viii. 18; v. 13; ix. 8. 
 
 " Will I rule over you." Ruling imports sove- 
 reignty, authority, and power over others. Here 
 the genus, by a sjTiecdoche, is put for the species ; 
 the whole work of ruling, for punishing ; and the 
 sum of the words is this ; You think, by withdraw- 
 ing from me and my worship, and by Babylonizing, to 
 secure yourselves, to escape danger and all punish- 
 ment; but know assuredly, you arc my subjects, I 
 will not suffer you so to revolt from me, I will put 
 forth mine hand, and mine arm, my fury, punishing 
 you for your rebellions and idolatries, so that, will- 
 ing or unwilling, me shall you acknowledge to be 
 your Lord and Sovereign. 
 
 Ohs. ]. It is a vain thing to think of getting from 
 under the dominion of God, and impossible to ac- 
 complish. These elders thought to withdraw from 
 imder the laws and government of the God of Israel, 
 and put themselves under the Babylonish gods and 
 Babylonian government; but what saith God? "I 
 will rule over you ;" take what course you please ; 
 transform yoirrselves into heathenish manners, dis- 
 perse yourselves into by-corners, villages, towns, 
 cities, plant yourselves in what province soever of 
 the king of Babylon's, use what policy you can to 
 cast oS' my yoke, yet " I will rule over you," for 
 you cannot go from my presence nor from my 
 power. In the second Psalm, the great ones of the 
 
 earfli thought to exempt themselves from the govern- 
 ment of God and Christ ; " Let us break their bands 
 asunder, and cast awny their cords from us ;" but 
 they were laughed to scorn, and vexed for it, ver. 3 — 5. 
 
 (Jbs. 2. The untoward carriage of God's people 
 causes him to deal more sharply with them. Re- 
 belliousness in them produceth rigidness in him ; 
 their treachery bred severity ; " With a mighty hand, 
 and fury poured out, will I rule over you." They 
 thought to run from rmder him, and he held a 
 stricter hand over them ; they would not willingly 
 obey as sons, he made them obey as servants. When 
 servants run from their masters, they bestir them, 
 fetch them back with power, punish them severely 
 for their fugitiveness, and hold them harder to it 
 than ever; so did the Lord by these, and made them 
 know that he ruled in Babylon, as well as in Zion, 
 and turned his golden sceptre into an iron rod, and 
 put a yoke of iron upon them. This is that the 
 Lord tidd them in Moses' days, that if they walked 
 contrary to him, he would walk contrary unto them, 
 and punish them seven times more ; that is, rule 
 over them with greater severity, Lev. xxvi. He 
 would make his little finger heavier than his loins 
 had been before. 
 
 Obs. 3. God will punish those that shake off his 
 worship to follow false ways, with visible and irre- 
 sistible punishments. These elders were upon terms 
 of apostatizing from the God of Israel, about to leave 
 his tents, and to betake themselves to the Babylon- 
 ish temples, therefore the Lord swears he will rule 
 over them with a " stretched-out arm," (he would 
 visibly punish them,) and with " fury poured out ;" 
 they should no more be able to withstand it than a 
 man can a great rain or flood. When subjects are 
 upon rebelling, and would fall in with some other, 
 this kindles his fury, causes him to punish thi m 
 openly and irresistibly. Apostasy is a provoking 
 sin ; it is a reproach to God, his truths, and ordinan- 
 ces ; it is a violating of all former promises and en- 
 gagements unto God; it is high ingratitude and re- 
 bellion against God ; it is a great scandal unto all 
 the godly, especially the weak ; it encourages, hard- 
 ens, and justifies the wicked ; it ruins souls ; it 
 gratifies Satan ; and therefore exposes men to visible 
 and unavoidable judgments. You know how God 
 met with Julian, and other apostates since his time. 
 That men should east off God, is wonder to heaven 
 and earth; Jer. ii. 12, 13, "Be astonished, ye 
 heavens, at this ; my people have forsaken me ;" 
 and because they did so, lions roared upon them, and 
 laid them waste, ver. 15; Egyptians took the crown 
 from their head, ver. 16, 17. It bred astonishment 
 in Paul, that the Galatians were so soon removed 
 from him, that called them into the grace of Christ, 
 to another gospel. Gal. i. 6 ; they had apostatizing 
 spirits, minding another gospel, another Christ, 
 another way to salvation, thaii he delivered to them. 
 And may it not be matter of astonishment to us, that 
 many are so shaken, that they have cast off our 
 God, our Christ, our gospel, our ordinances, and 
 have foimd out another gospel, another Christ, and 
 another way to salvation than ever ; but it is to be 
 feared some remarkable and unavoidable judgments 
 are near unto them. God hath no pleasure in those that 
 draw back, Heb. x. 38 ; they have " cast ofl' the 
 thing that is good : the enemy shall pursue them," 
 Hos. viii. 3. These elders have purposed to be- 
 come like the heathen, and God sware ]n'esently to 
 pimish them openly and irresistibly ; what will he 
 then do to those who have actually withdrawn from 
 him and his ways ? s\u-ely his wrath will smoke 
 against them. Let us take heed, in these declining 
 times, of falling away from God and his W'ays ; be-
 
 Ver. 34—33 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 511 
 
 ware of carnal policy, which was tlie thing here 
 that put these elders upon it ; heware of carnal re- 
 lations and unmortitied lusts, wliich made Spira 
 and Spalato revolt so foully ; beware of promotion 
 and greatness, which made Henry the fourth of 
 France to turn papist ; beware of false teachers, cor- 
 rupt opinions, wliich liave made many among us to 
 go so far from God and his ways. Keep innocency, 
 count all tlie glory and greatness of the world as 
 nothing ; prize truth, and the ways of God, highly ; 
 cleave fiilly to Christ, live by faith, prove all things, and 
 hold fast what is good ; so shall tliere never be an evil 
 heart in you of unbelief, to depart from tlie living God. 
 
 Ver. 34. And I will bring you out from the 
 •people, and will gather you out nf the countries 
 wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and 
 rcith a stretched out arm, and u-ith. fury poured out. 
 
 These words do hold out no good unto them, but 
 declare that what they hoped to be a mercy, should 
 prove a judgment. They thought that if they were scat- 
 tered up ami down among the Babylonians, and quitted 
 the Jewish worship, they should be safe, and live as 
 happily as Babylonians ; but God would not lose 
 his right and privilege, he would rule over them ; 
 and here he shows the manner of it again, and that 
 more fully, " I will bring you out," &c. 
 
 " I will bring you out from the people." Divers 
 expositors, by " people," or nations, understand the 
 Ammonites, Sloabites, Tyrians, Egyptians, Idumeans, 
 and Edomites, and cite Jer. xl. 11, 12, and xliii. 7 ; 
 and so make the prophet to mean it of tlie Jews dis- 
 persed into those places upon the siege, spoiling, 
 and takinu^ of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in the 
 times of Jehoiachin and Zedekiah ; but our prophet 
 and these elders being in Babylon, he speaks of the 
 Babylonians among whom these captive elders and 
 Jews were dispersed, and sought to be like unto 
 them, that so they might be the safer, but God 
 gathered them out from them, and would not suffer 
 them to become Babylonians. Besides, this was in 
 the seventh year of the captivity, as appears, verse 1 
 of this chapter ; and at that time Jerusalem stood, 
 Zedekiah was reigning, and the people were not 
 scattered into those nations mentioned ; for Zedekiah 
 reigned eleven years, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 1 1 ; and no- 
 thing is said of any dispersion when Jehoiachin was 
 taken away, and Zedekiah set up. It is also further 
 added here, 
 
 " I will gather you out of the countries wherein 
 ye are scattered." He speaks of those who were 
 scattered at that time. There were many ju'ovinces 
 into which they had scattered, or were upon scatter- 
 ing themselves. Vatablus' sense is thus, I will gather 
 you out of the nations among which yo are captives. 
 
 Obs. Wherever wicked men hide themselves, or 
 shark for their own safety, God will find them out, 
 and bring them forth to punishment. These elders, 
 and the rest of the captives that were wicked, thought 
 by lurking amongst the Babylonians, and conforming 
 to them in state and religious afi'airs, they should be 
 safe and well ; but saitli the Lord, Live where you 
 will, shift for yourselves what you can, be as the 
 heathen, and carrj' it as close as may be, I will find 
 you out, and bring you forth from them with strength, 
 and punish you to purpose. God's eyes run to and 
 fi"0 throughout the earth, and he quickly spies where 
 sinners lie hid, and brings them forth to justice at 
 his pleasure : Amos ix. 2 — 4, " Though they dig 
 into hell, thence shall mine hand take them, though 
 they climb up to heaven, thence will 1 bring them 
 down. Though they hide themselves in the top of 
 Carmel, I will search and take them out thence ; 
 
 and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom 
 of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and 
 he shall bite them : and though they go into cap- 
 tivity before their enemies, thence wi'll I command 
 the sword, and it shall slay them." The sense of 
 these wonls is thus much. That whereas other crea- 
 tures can shift and secure themselves from their 
 enemies ; the conies and creeping things by hiding 
 themselves in the holes of the earth, the birds by 
 flying up into the clouds and heavens, the beasts by 
 running to the hills and woods, the fish by sinking 
 down to the bottom of the sea; men that have ofiend- 
 ed God cannot secure themselves any where, God's 
 eyes are set upon them for evil, and his hand is 
 against them. Isa. xxviii. 15, they were at agree- 
 ment with death and hell, and thought the overllow- 
 ing scourge should not come unto them; but, ver. 18, 
 " Your covenant with death shall be disannulled, 
 and your agreement with hell shall not stand ; when 
 the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye 
 shall be trodden down by it." Babel ascended above 
 the height of the clouds, yet was brought down to 
 hell, Isa. xiv. 14, 15; Jer. li. 53; the high places 
 and hills, whither the Jews oft betook themselves, 
 did not secure them, Jer. xii. 12. Let sinners hide 
 themselves in any place, their sin will find them out, 
 Numb, xxxii. 23 ; they cannot escape the piercing 
 eye, or punishing hand, of God. 
 
 Ver. 35, 36. And I will bring you into the 
 wilderness of the people, and there will I plead 
 with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your 
 fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so 
 will I plead icith you, saith the Lord God. 
 
 These verses tell us what God did with them af er 
 he had gathered them out of the countries. He did 
 two things : 
 
 I. He brought them into a " wilderness." 
 
 II. He pleaded \vith them there ; and the manner 
 of his pleading with them is set down, 
 
 1. To be " face to face." 
 
 2. So as he pleaded " with their fathers in the 
 wilderness of the land of Egypt." 
 
 " Into the wilderness of the people." Not into 
 Babylon, which is called a " wilderness," chap. xix. 
 13, for they were already in Babylon. " Wilderness 
 of the people," doth not signify de.\erlum inter populos, 
 but rather desertion a populis, as Rom. i. 4, IK livaTa- 
 aiug viKfKov, "by the resurrection of the dead;" that 
 is, by the resurrection from the dead: so '-into the 
 wilderness of the people," imports, into a wilderness 
 from the people. Vatablus saith. There was a wil- 
 derness between Chaldea and Judea, unto which the 
 Lord alludes ; as he brought their fathers out of 
 Egypt into Arabia Deserta, so he would bring them 
 out" of Babylon into that wilderness. Junius' sense 
 of this wilderness is, That God would bring them 
 into such a place as all men would fly from on ac- 
 count of its dreadfid nature. Others make the mean- 
 ing of the words to be. That God would bring them 
 into a most miserable estate ; they thought they 
 should be best of all if they turned heathens, but 
 this caused God to bring them into a worse condition 
 than they were. I incline to take the words literally, 
 rather than metaphorically, because he speaks of 
 brinc^ing and gathering them out from people and 
 countriLS, and bringing them "into the wilderness," 
 which notes motion from place to place ; and this 
 " wilderness" is paralleled with that of the land of 
 Egvpt, which was real, and not metaphorical. 
 
 "" There will I plead with you." Not only dispute 
 and reason the case with you, but also deal with 
 you according to your sins ; I will be revenged on.
 
 512 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 L'nAP. XX. 
 
 you, I will execute my judgments upon you. As I 
 punished your fethers when they were in the wilder- 
 ness for iheir sins, so will I punish you for your 
 sins. They smarted for their murmuring, lusting, 
 whoredom, idolatry, rebellion, ingratitude ; and so 
 shall you for doing as your fathers did. 
 
 " Face to face." The rabbles, being very pro- 
 pitious to their own nation, interpret these words 
 thus : God alone, having them alone separate from 
 the nations, would punish them, that they might not 
 see what punishment he laid upon them, and rejoice 
 thereat. But the phrase notes God's presence and 
 visible manner of punishing them, so that it should 
 be most evident to be the hand of God. 
 
 " As I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness 
 of the land of Egypt." How God " pleaded" with 
 them in that " wilderness" which belonged to the 
 Egyptians, let us search a little. 
 
 1. He pleaded with them speedily. Numb. xxv. 1, 
 " The people began to commit whoredom with the 
 daughters of Moab ;" and, vcr. 4, the Lord bids Moses 
 " take all the heads of the people and hang them 
 up ;" here was quick work. So Exod. xxxii. 7, 10, 
 " Get thee down ; the people have corrupted them- 
 selves : let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot 
 against them, and that I may consume them :" ver. 
 28, " There fell of the people that day about three 
 thousand men." 
 
 2. He pleaded with them severely. Numb. xxi. 
 6, " The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people ;" 
 these bit them so that many died; their venomous 
 bitings did so intlame them, that they were in a man- 
 ner burnt to death, which was a dreadful judgment. 
 Before Aaron could take his censer, put in incense, and 
 make an atonement for the people, fourteen thousand 
 and odd were destroyed by the plague, Numb. xvi. 
 4(5, 47, 49 ; which was both sudden and severe plead- 
 ing witli them. 
 
 3. Immediately. He caused the earth to open her 
 mouth, and to swallow up Korah, Dathan, and Abi- 
 ram, them and all theirs ; he sent fire and consumed 
 the two hundred and fifty men that ofiered incense. 
 Numb. xvi. 32, 33, 35 ; and so were the fiery ser- 
 pents the immediate hand of God. 
 
 4. Openly. Numb. xxv. 4, " Take all the heads 
 of the people, and hang them up before the Lord 
 against the sun." The Septuagint is, make them 
 examples. 
 
 5. Strongly. They could not withstand his plead- 
 ings, his judgments and strokes were unavoidable. 
 Though Moses and Aaron interposed and pleaded 
 hard with God for them, yet multitudes of them per- 
 ished by the sword, plague, serpents, fire, and earth. 
 Thus God pleaded with their fathers, and so he 
 would jdead with them. Nothing secured their fa- 
 thers from his judgments, and nothing should secure 
 them ; not Babylonians, or Babylonish gods ; not 
 their prophets or priests, not prayers or tears : their 
 fathers fell in the wilderness, and so should they; if 
 not by the same judgments, yet by those which were 
 not much unlike, there should be an analogy between 
 them. 
 
 Ohs. 1 . "When men seek to avoid straits and dangers 
 by sinful policy, and ways luiwarrantable, God meets 
 with them, and brings them into greater straits and 
 troubles. These elders thought, by becoming as the 
 heathens were, that they should free themselves 
 from all the troubles and evils that were like to come 
 upon them for Zedekiah's revolting from Nebuchad- 
 nezzar ; but the Lord told them that he would bring 
 them into a wilderness, where their condition should 
 be very miserable, and worse than in Babvlon, what- 
 ever they liad sufl'ered there for God and their re- 
 ligion. Jeroboam was in a strait about the people's 
 
 sacrificing at Jerusalem : if they went up thither, 
 he feared they would be so wrought upon, as to re- 
 turn to Rehoboam, from whom they had fallen, and 
 kill him. To expedite himself out of this strait, he 
 took wicked counsel ; set up the calves at Dan and 
 Bethel, telling the people the journey to Jerusalem 
 was too long and tedious for them, they had God 
 nearer to them, and might worship at an easier rate, 
 1 Kings xii. ; but for this .sinful policy and subtle 
 design, God brought him into greater straits and 
 dilficulties, as you may see, chap. xiii. 4; xiv. 6, 10 
 — 12; his hand was withered, heavy tidings de- 
 nounced against him and his house, and his son 
 died. Saul was in a great strait when the Philistines 
 had invaded him, and God would not answer him ; 
 he would not wait in this ease, leaving all to God, 
 but runs into an unlawful practice to relieve himself; 
 he consults with the witch of Endor, and is brought 
 into greater and worse straits than before, 1 Sam. 
 xxviii. 17 — 20. Men in our days have taken wrong 
 courses to extricate themselves out of dangers and 
 troubles, and hath not God brought them into a 
 " wilderness," into greater entanglements and worse 
 pierplexities than ever before ? It is good to wait 
 upon God, and keep his way ; then if dangers and 
 deaths do come, there is comfort, they find you in 
 God's way ; but if out of that, they are great evils 
 in themselves, and your being out of God's way is 
 v\orse than all. 
 
 Obs. 2. That God's punishments are his pleadings ; 
 when he visits men for their sins he pleads with 
 them. Every rod of his hath a voice, and pleads for 
 God. God's strikings are real pleadings ; Isa. Ixvi. 
 16, "By fire and by his sword will the Lord plead 
 with all tlesh ; " his punishments are arguments he 
 uses to convince or confound sinners ; and whatso- 
 ever punishments he inllicts upon any, they are just 
 and righteous, for he never pleads an ill cause : they 
 are the judgments of God ; he is infinitely wise, and 
 as he judgeth aright, so he executeth judgment 
 righteously. 
 
 Obs. 3. Those who are like in sinning, must be 
 like in suffering. " Like as I pleaded witli your fa- 
 thers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will 
 I plead with you." These Jews were their children, 
 and did as their fathers had done. Their fathers shook 
 off the God of Israel, and chose them an Egyptian 
 god, Exod. xxxii. 4 ; they mingled with the heathen, 
 and learned their works, Psal. cvi. 35 ; they polluted 
 liis sabbaths, caused their children to pass through 
 the fire, ver. 13, and 20, of this chapter; and these 
 their posterity chose Babylonish gods, became as 
 the heathen, made their sons pass through the fire, 
 and ti-od in their fathers' steps, ver. 30 — 32. 
 
 Vcr. 37, 38. And Iivill cause you to pass under 
 the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the 
 covenant : and I will purge out from among you 
 the rebels, and them that transgress against me : 
 I rcill bring them forth out of the country where 
 they sojourn, and thei/ shall not enter into the land 
 of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 God being in a judiciary way pleading with this 
 people, here he proceeds further in the manner 
 thereof. 
 
 1. He would examine and reduce (hem to their 
 former state, ver. 37. 
 
 2. He would make a discrimination between them, 
 ver. 38. 
 
 " I will cause them to pass under the rod." The 
 Hebrew word for "rod" is, taatt'wliieli in this place 
 may signify either a sceptre, as frequently it doth 
 in Scripture, and is so rendered, chap. xix. II, 14,
 
 Ver. 37, 38. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 513 
 
 or a shepherd's staff, or crook, which he useth among 
 his sheep, so it is used, Psal. xxiii. 4. If it be 
 taken the first way, the sense is this, That though 
 they scattered tlicmsclves among the Babylonians, 
 and put themselves under heathenish power, yet the 
 Lord would make them " pass under the rod," that 
 is, come under his kingly power ; he would rule 
 over them, they should still be his subjects. But of 
 this he spake in ver. 33, therefore I conceive " rod" 
 here, is to be taken in the latter signification, that 
 God would deal with them like a shepherd or herds- 
 man, who were wont to number their cattle with a 
 wand or rod, which is called " passing under the 
 rod," Lev. xxvii. 32. To this purpose is that of 
 Jer. sxxiii. 13, " In the cities of the mountains, in 
 the cities of the vale, and in the cides of the south, 
 and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about 
 Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks 
 pass again under the hands of him that telleth 
 them :" when the flocks went into the field or fold, 
 and when they went out, their practice was to tell 
 them by a " rod" in their hand, and so they " passed 
 under the rod." Hereunto Christ alludes, John x. 
 3, when he saith, " He calleth his own sheep by 
 name, and leadeth them out." The meaning, then, 
 of the Lord here is, that he would take an exact ac- 
 count of them, tell them as a shepherd doth his 
 flock, and see which were rotten and which were 
 sound. 
 
 God's " rod," are afflictions and judgments, as you 
 may see Psal. Ixxxix. 32, " I will visit their trans- 
 gressions," &e. See Lam. iii. 1. 
 
 " I will bring you into the bond of the covenant." 
 You think to break the bond of the covenant made 
 between me and your fathers, by becoming Baby- 
 lonians, and ceasing to be my people, but it shall 
 not be ; I will keep the covenant, and cause you to 
 come under the bond of it, and perform that obedi- 
 ence I look for. The word fur "bond" is, rnona 
 from -iD« to bind unto obedience or punishment. 
 When men are in covenant, they are bound to obey, 
 or to suffer if they disobey. Vatablus and others 
 carry it thus. That God would deal with them as 
 he had done with their fathers, that he would make 
 a covenant with these as he had done with them ; 
 and so make it another covenant, by which God 
 would bind them up, and refer it to the covenant 
 made in Ezra's days ; but rather, I conceive, the 
 Lord intends the former covenant, especially that 
 mentioned, Ezek. xvi. 8, when God, in a solemn 
 manner, took this people to be his in Moses' days, 
 wherein he made good his promise and covenant 
 with Abraham, and bound them unto him by the 
 law ; the covenant bound them from other gods and 
 ways of worship. 
 
 " And I will purge out from among you the rebels." 
 The Septuagint and Vulgate read the words, I 
 will chase out ; the Hebrew nns signifies both to 
 choose and purge. God would number them, distin- 
 guish them one from another, and then " purge out" 
 those who were rebellious ; they should no longer be 
 in his flock, but be discovered, and declared to the 
 world what they were. By " rebels," he means those 
 that cast ofl' God and his works, and turned heathens. 
 
 " I will bring them forth out of the country where 
 they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land," 
 &c. The Hebrew is. Out of the country of their 
 sojournings, or peregrinations, I will bring them. 
 Some make these words to point out those who were 
 then in Judea, whom God would bring forth, and 
 not suffer to return any more ; and not only them, 
 but many of those who were in Babylon before, God 
 suffered not to return into the land of Israel ; for if 
 we understand these words of the return after the 
 2 L 
 
 seventy years, as they must, long before that time 
 were these Jews with Zedekiah brought out of the 
 " land of their sojourning," and they, with many 
 others, were never suffered to enter into that land 
 more ; for here is a comparing of their return from 
 the Babylonish captivity, to that of their coming out 
 of Egypt. Tlien they were brought into a " wilder- 
 ness," where their carcasses fell for their rebellions, 
 and so never entered the promised land : so here, 
 likewise, God brought them into a " wilderness," 
 pdeaded with, and consumed many of them, who by 
 that means never returned to the land of Israel. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord doth not only know, but takes 
 special notice of his people, and doth distinguish 
 them from others. " I will cause you to pass under 
 the rod ;" I will examine which are sheep, and 
 which are goats, and will sever the one from the 
 other. . Christ knew his sheep, his little flock, from 
 all the goats of the mountains, the bulls of Bashan, 
 and wild beasts of the forests: and God knew the 
 "good figs" from the "naughty," Jer. xxiv. ; he 
 manifested his love to the good, and displeasure to 
 the bad. When he is in a judiciary way, he knows, 
 owns, preserves his servants, and will not suffer any 
 of them to perish. Ezek. ix. when the men appeared 
 with slaughter weapons in their hands, and execu- 
 tion was to be upon Jerusalem, the Lord made his 
 people to " pass under the rod," he numbered them, 
 and set his mark upon them, that they might not 
 perish in the common calamity ; he put a diSerence 
 between the precious and the vile, as a shepherd 
 doth between sheep and goats. Matt. xxv. 32. 
 
 Obs. 2. Though God's people do go out from him, 
 and violate the covenant, yet he will not let them so 
 go, but will look after them, and bring them under 
 his power. These here had transgressed the cove- 
 nant, broken the bonds, cast off the ways of God, 
 thought to exempt themselves from his rule over 
 them, but, saith the Lord, " I will bring you into the 
 bond of the covenant;" you shall be under my 
 power and law ; though 1 suffer Babylonians, and 
 other nations, to be at their own disposal, to wander 
 where they will, to live as they list, yet it shall not 
 be so with you, who are my people, with \\hom I 
 am in covenant, and to whom I must be faithful, 
 whatever you are to me, and will be known to be 
 your God and Sovereign ; I will have account of you, 
 and make you know you are under my bonds, and 
 not Babylonish ones. 
 
 Obs. 3. God's dealings with his people is very 
 different. He brings them " into the bond of the 
 covenant," to see what they are ; if they be goats, 
 wicked, he punishes them, and purges them out ; if 
 they be sheep, though they have gone astray, he 
 pardons them, keeps them " under the bond of the 
 covenant," and enables them to yield covenant obe- 
 dience. When God had made them " pass under 
 the rod," and brought them " under the bonds of the 
 covenant," made them know they were his people, 
 though many of them were very wicked, he purged 
 out the rebels, and them that had transgressed 
 against him. He turned the goats out of the fold, 
 and kept the sheep in ; he purged out the wicked by 
 judgments and death, and preserved the others : 
 Mai. iii. 17, 18, " In that day when I make up my 
 jewels I will spare them, as a man spareth his own 
 son that sei-vcth him," &c, ; so God showed his dif- 
 ferent dealings between the righteous and the wicked ; 
 for, chap. iv. 1 — 3, the wicked being but " stubble," 
 should be burnt, and be as ashes under the soles of 
 the feet of the righteous. The righteous were 
 jewels, and therefore spared ; the wicked were stub- 
 ble, and therefore destroyed. 
 
 Obs. 4. Though the wicked be among the godly,
 
 514 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 yet they shall not always be so. " I will purge out 
 from among you the rebels, and them that transgress 
 against me." There were rebels, great sinners, that 
 were among the Israelites in the wilderness of Egypt ; 
 Korah, Dathan, and Abiram ; others that would liave 
 gone back to Egypt; many that murmured, that fell 
 to idolatry, and committed whoredom with the 
 daughters of Moab ; but God purged them out from 
 amongst them ; and the like he did here. It is 
 God's method, even here in this world, ofttimes, to 
 separate the wicked from the godly, to fan out the 
 chafl' from the wheat, to burn the one, and preserve 
 the other. In Sodom God made a separation, pre- 
 serving Lot, who was wheat, and burning the Sodom- 
 ites, who were chaff, with unquenchable fire : Isa. 
 i. 25, " I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely 
 purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin ; " 
 the dross and tin were the wicked amongst them, 
 ver. 28, 31, whom the Lord would take away, con- 
 sume and burn with fire, not to be quenched. Now 
 God's fan is in his hand, and he is purging both the 
 English and Irish floor ; yea, he is pulling up the 
 pricking briers, and grieving thorns, that his people 
 may not always be vexed by them, Ezek. xxviii. 24. 
 
 Obs. 5. Whatever men's thoughts are of tlie world, 
 they are but sojourners therein. " I will bring them 
 out of the land of their sojournings," were it Ca- 
 naan or Babylon : they were no more than "sojourn- 
 ers." Wicked men think they are heirs to, owners 
 and lords of the earth: Psal. xlix. II, "Their in- 
 ward thought is, that their houses shall continue for 
 ever, and their dwelling-places to all generations ; 
 they call their lands after their own names;" men 
 set their names upon what they conclude is their 
 own. Let lands be good or bad, men are only " so- 
 journers" in them. Godly men, who are said to 
 " inherit the earth," do it but for a season, they are 
 pilgrims and " sojourners " here. David, though king 
 in Israel, yet acknowledged! himself a sojourner in 
 Canaan, as all his fathers were ; they spent a few 
 days therein, and so passed away, and this was his 
 condition. Let us look so upon ourselves, and " pass 
 the time of our sojourning here in fear," I Pet. i. 
 17 ; and mind that city which hath foundations, out 
 of which, if we be once possessed, we shall never be 
 removed. 
 
 Obs. 6. When God brings his people into Canaan, 
 he will shut out the wicked, they shall not enter into 
 the land of Israel. Others shall be brought in, but 
 as for those who would be as the world, as the 
 heathen, as Babylonians, they shall never come into 
 Canaan. Canaan was a type of heaven, and this 
 exclusion of these wicked ones, represented the ex- 
 clusion of ungodly ones out of heaven. However 
 good and bad are mingled together in this world, 
 and oft in the church, yet when God brings his 
 people to the heavenly Canaan, no unclean thing 
 shall enter there : Rev. xxi. 27, " There shall in no- 
 wise enter into it any thing that defileth. neither 
 whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie." 
 Many may cry, and seek for entrance, as those. 
 
 Matt. 
 
 and those foolish virgins, Matt. xxv. 
 
 11, 12; but they shall in no wise, by no means, 
 enter ; " the unrighteous shall not inherit the king- 
 dom of heaven," 1 Cor. vi. 9 ; dogs shall be shut 
 out. Rev. xxii. 15. 
 
 06s. 7. Mercies and judgments make God known 
 experimentally. "Ye shall know that I am the 
 Lord." God would purge out the rebels from the 
 obedient, there was mercy ; keep them out of the 
 land of Israid, there was judgment; and by these 
 God made them know him to be Jehovah, givinc 
 lif • to his promises, and breath to his threatenino-s. 
 The rebels should know and acknowledge him to be 
 
 Jehovah, being convinced with the equity of his 
 judgments, and affected with the severity of them. 
 The godly should do it, being convinced and affected 
 with the nature, greatness, needfulness, and freeness 
 of that mercy. Judgment upon these rebels was 
 mercy to the godly ; and mercy to the godly was 
 judgment to the rebels ; and both were brought to 
 acknowledge the Lord, but specially the goiUy. 
 Mfrcies and judgments work most affectionately and 
 effectually upon them : for it is said, " ye shall 
 know," ye that are purged, ye that shall come to the 
 land of Israel. 
 
 Ver. 39. As for you, O house of Israel, thtis 
 saith the Lord God; Go ye, serve ye every one 
 his idols, and hereafter also, if ye ivillnot hearken 
 unto me : but pollute ye my holy name no more 
 with your gifts, and with your idols. 
 
 This verse speaks fully to the elders of Israel, 
 that came to inquire of the Lord, yet were resolved 
 in their hearts to be as the heathen, and to serve 
 wood and stone outwardly at least ; seeing it is so, 
 saith God, " Go ye, serve every one his idols, and 
 pollute my name no more." 
 
 " Go ye, serve ye every one his idols." These 
 words may be taken for an ironical concession, a 
 yielding that which the Lord would not have done ; 
 which is frequent in Scripture, as Amos iv. 4, " Come 
 to Bethel, and transgress ; at Gilgal multiply trans- 
 gression ;" Matt, xxiii. 32, " Fill ye up the measure 
 of your fathers." See Eccles. xi. 9 ; 1 Kings xxii. 15 ; 
 1 Cor. XV. 32 ; Jer. vii. 21 ; in all these places is an 
 ironical concession, which the Scripture uses to affect 
 men's consciences the more with the wickedness of 
 their ways. So here ; " Go, serve your idols." God 
 commands them not to serve idols, then it had been 
 lawful ; but by this ironical concession, would affect 
 them more fully with the evil of their idolatry, and 
 so take them off therefrom. This is a good sense 
 of the words, but they are rather a rejection of them; 
 Seeing you are such dissemblers, and have your 
 hearts set upon idols, go your ways, take your fill of 
 them : and so the Lord utterly cast them oft', and left 
 them to perish. 
 
 " And hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto 
 me." >Sanctius thinks here is a figure called aposio- 
 pesis, which is a sudden breaking off the speech, 
 with concealment of some special thing expected : 
 as Luke xiii. 9, " If it bear fi-uit;" here is somewhat 
 kept in, which any hearing the words expect, as, if 
 it bear fruit, it should be cut down : so 2 Sam. v. 8, 
 " Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth 
 the Jebusites, and the lame, and the blind, hated of 
 David's soul :" what then ? here is no more, the 
 speech is broken oft', and something left to expecta- 
 tion, which is given out, I Chron. xi. 6, " He shall 
 be chief and captain." Here seems something to be 
 concealed, " If ye will not hearken unto me," ye 
 shall be scattered, cursed, or slain : but we may read 
 the words thus, referring " and hereafter" to the 
 former words. Go ye, serve ye every one his idols 
 even hereafter; and then read the other words thus, 
 seeing you will not hearken unto me, or, have not 
 hearkened unto me. And thus divers expositors 
 read them, and the sense lieth fair this way ; Go, 
 serve your idols hereafter, seeing ye will not heark- 
 en unto me. 
 
 " But ])ollute ye my holy name no more with your 
 gifts, and with your idols." The Hebrew is, and 
 pollute ye, which accords with the reading of the 
 former words mentioned. You have pretended, that 
 by your idols set up in my stead, and the gifts you 
 have oft'ered to them, or by them to me, that you
 
 Ver. 
 
 11. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 515 
 
 have honoured my name, but by joining them and 
 me together, you have polluted my name. I had 
 rather you should be open idolaters, than that, by 
 your hypocritical practices, dividing between me and 
 your idols, you should cause my name to be polluted 
 and disgraced; either be perfect idolaters, or per- 
 fectly for me ; give not my glory to idols, pretend- 
 ing you worship me. 
 
 " My holy name." In the Hebrew it is, the 
 name of my holiness ; so in Amos ii. 7 ; Lev. xx. 
 3 ; Ezek. xxxvi. 20, and in most places where men- 
 tion is made of God's " holy name." By " name " 
 is meant God's worship, attributes, and titles, which 
 are " holy ; " or himself, as Sanctius affirms, who is 
 holiness. 
 
 Obs. 1. God doth punish liypoerites and idolaters 
 with spiritual judgments. " Go ye, serve ye every 
 one his idols ;" the house of Israel, whom these 
 elders represented, were hypocritical and idolatrous, 
 set upon idols, and God gave them over to them. 
 Ephraim \\as of this humour, thus leavened, and see 
 how God dealt with him ; Hos. iv. 17, He " is joined 
 to idols, let him alone ;" he likes and loves them, let 
 him live and die with them: and, chap. viii. 11, 
 " Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall 
 be unto him to sin," he shall have altars enough ; he 
 is greedy of them, and his greedy appetite shall be 
 answered : this was a spiritual plague and judgment 
 upon him, to be given up of God to his own heart's lusts. 
 Obs. 2. Those that will not hear God, shall be re- 
 jected of God, which is dreadful. " Go ye, serve 
 every man his idol." I will have no more to do 
 with you, my temple, mine altar, mine ordinances, 
 are no longer for you ; none of you shall have my 
 presence, worship, or acceptance. Where men will 
 not be reclaimed, they must be rejected ; here they 
 would not hearken unto God, and therefore he bids 
 them be gone. 2 Kings xvii. 15, they rejected his 
 statutes, and his covenant that he made with their 
 fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against 
 them, and they followed vanity, and became vain, 
 and went after the heathen, &c. ; " therefore the Lord 
 was very angry with Israel, and removed them out 
 of his sight," ver. 18 ; only he left Judah ; and be- 
 cause Judah would not be reclaimed, the Lord re- 
 jected all the seed of Israel, and cast them out of 
 his sight, ver. 20. So, in Jer. xxiii. when they would 
 not hearken to the Lord, who forbid them theirmock- 
 ing of the true prophets, and listening to false ones, 
 what saith the Lord ? " Therefore, behold, I, even 
 I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you, 
 and the city that I gave you and your fathers, and 
 cast you out of my presence, and I will bring an 
 everlasting reproach upon you." When God rejects, 
 it is grievous ; no sorer judgment can befall the sons 
 of men. This David knew, and therefore advised 
 his son Solomon to keep close to God ; if he did 
 otherwise, God would cast him oiT for ever, 1 Chron. 
 xxviii. 9. 
 
 Obs. 3. There is no halving, no dividing, between 
 God and idols, God and the creature, in matters of 
 Avorship and religion. " Pollute ye my holy name 
 no more with your gifts, and with your idols ;" you 
 join me and them together, thinking that I am 
 pleased, honoured thereby, but I am provoked, and 
 my holy name is polluted ; I abhor such doings. 
 Seeing your idols must have some honour, and I the 
 rest, I will have none, get ye to your idols, let tlicm 
 have all ; 1 like it better that you should be wholly 
 for tliem, than divide between me and them : I can 
 bro(jk no partner in my worship, I must have the whole 
 heart, the whole soul, the whole body, and strength 
 of all, else I will have none. I Kings xviii. 21, 
 when the people stood halting between two opinions, 
 2 L 2 
 
 and were sometimes for God and sometimes for 
 Baal, it pleased neither God nor Elijah ; therefore 
 saith the prophet. How long will ye halt between 
 two thoughts, or two branches ? how long will ye 
 be like a bird that touches upon one twig, and then 
 upon another, and settles not upon either ; so how 
 long will ye be looking one day towards God, another 
 day towards Baal ? do ye not yet see the evil of it ? 
 while ye stand thus in uncertainty, ye provoke God. 
 If God be God, follow him, and him fully, only, con- 
 stantly, eternally ; and if Baal be god, follow him 
 so ; you must follow but one. Christ hath told us, 
 we cannot serve God and mammon, God and the 
 world, God and our bellies, God and our credit, God 
 and our lusts. These are mastei-s who command 
 contrary things, and carry away from God. 
 
 Obs. 4. The honour of God's name is dear imto 
 him. " Pollute ye not my holy name." Take God's 
 name for his worship, as it is, Exod. xx. 24 ; 2 Chron. 
 XX. 8 ; Mai. i. 6 ; or for his attributes, as it is, Exod. 
 xxxiii. 19; or for his titles, as it is, Deut. xxviii. 58; 
 his name is very dear unto him ; which appears, 
 
 (1.) In that he will not endure any mixture with 
 his worship, or tender of any thing to him which 
 hath been in idols' service ; the Babylonish gods, 
 wood and stone, and the gifts offered to them, or by 
 them to God, he would not admit. 
 
 (2.) He counted it a disparagement to his name, 
 to have half of them, and not all ; and therefore 
 would rather have them lay out all upon their idols, 
 than some upon him. 
 
 (3.) He shows vehement affection and indignation 
 upon this account ; Get ye to your idols, begone ! 
 pollute my name no more; out of my sight ! I cannot 
 endure it. 
 
 (4.) He cares not for the perishing of their souls 
 and bodies, in comparison of his name ; Go ye, serve 
 idols. 
 
 God's name is exceeding dear unto him : he swears 
 by it, Jer. xliv. 26 ; he sanctifies it being polluted, 
 and will not suffer any blot or stain to lie upon it, 
 Ezek. xxxvi. 23; he labours and works for the 
 maintenance of it, when it is in danger, as you have 
 it in this chapter, ver. 9, 14, 22 ; rather than it shall 
 suffer, he will defer his anger and judgments, Isa. 
 xlviii. 9. If false prophets presumed to speak in his 
 name, not sent by him, he cut them off, Deut. xviii. 
 20 ; or laid heavy judgments upon them, Ezek. xiii. 
 9. Whoever takes his name in vain any way, he will 
 not hold him guiltless, Exod. xx. 7 ; and no marvel, 
 for God's name is his glory, Isa. xlviii. 11 ; and men 
 must give glory due unto his name, Psal. xxix. 2; 
 not any kind of glory, but that which is proportion- 
 able to his glory, even his glorious name, remember- 
 ing what a magnificent temple Solomon built for the 
 honour of his name, 2 Chron. vi. 34. 
 
 Ver. 40, 41. For in mine holy mountain, in the 
 mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord 
 God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them 
 in the land, serve me: there will I accept them, 
 and there ui/l I require your offerings, and the 
 firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy 
 things. I ivill accept you with your sweet savour, 
 when I bring you out from the people, and gather 
 you out oj" the countries wherein ye have been scat- 
 tered ; and I will be sanctified in you before the 
 heathen. 
 
 Now we are come to the gracious promises of 
 God to this people ; and here you have, 
 
 1. A promise of reduction, which is implied in ver. 
 40, and expressed in ver. 41.
 
 516 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 II. Acceptation of them, and their services, ver. 
 40, 41. 
 
 III. Sanctification of himself in them, ver. 41. 
 Antecedent to these promises is a description of 
 
 the place whither he would bring them, and where 
 he would accept them, and that is in his "moun- 
 tain," which is described, 
 
 1. From its holiness. 
 
 2. From its height. 
 
 " In mine holy mountain." The Hebrew is, the 
 mountain of my holiness, as ver. 39, the name of my 
 holiness : so, Jonah ii. 4, 7, the temple of thy holi- 
 ness ; Isa. Ixii. 12, people of holiness; Psal. Ixxxix. 
 20, oil of my holiness; Psal. li. 11, spirit of thy 
 holiness; Psal. xliii. 3, hill of thy holiness; Psal. 
 Ixviii. 5, habitation of thy holiness ; in all these 
 places you have the abstract, and it is rendered by 
 the concrete, holy mountain, holy name, holy tem- 
 ple, holy people, holy oil, holy spirit, holy hill, and 
 holy habitation. By " holy mountain," he means 
 mount Zion, which is called the hill of his ho- 
 liness, Psal. ii. () ; there God recorded his name, 
 set up Christ and his kingdom. By a synecdoche, 
 " holy mountain" is put for Canaan, which prefigured 
 the church of God, in the times of the gospel. 
 
 " In the mountain of the height of Israel." Of 
 these words before, chap. xvii. 23. This is spoken, 
 not because Zion was so high a mountain, but be- 
 cause of the honour and glory it had above all other 
 mountains ; there was the holy city, the holy tem- 
 ple, the holy ordinances, and the holy God's habi- 
 tation, Psal. Ixxvi. 2. 
 
 " There shall all the house of Israel." All that 
 were purged from the rebels and transgressors, ver. 
 38, all that were true Israelites ; for such are de- 
 scribed to be the dwellers in God's holy hill, Psal. 
 XV. And not only those of the Jewish race, but 
 even gentiles, that should become christians, and be 
 spiritual Israelites, they should come to the church, 
 which should begin at mount Zion, which represent- 
 ed the true church. 
 
 " All of them in the land serve me." That land 
 was Canaan, which being polluted with blood, idols, 
 and other abominations, Psal. cvi. 3/ — 10, God ab- 
 horred it, and the people thereof, yea, his sanctuary 
 therein. Lam. ii. 7 ; which caused liim to lay it waste 
 for seventy years, wherein he purged it from its filth 
 and blood, Isa. iv. 4, and them from their iniquities, 
 Ezck. xxxvi. 33, and then brought them in to serve him. 
 
 This expression is comprehensive, and imports 
 their worshipping and obeying of God : Exod. x. 7, 
 " Let the men go, tliat they may serve the Lord 
 their God," that is, worship him : Exod. xx. 5, they 
 must not serve images, that is, worship them, but 
 worship God; the word -jay and so SnXiiu), which 
 the Septuagint docs frequently express it by, signifies, 
 to give up oneself wholly to the service of any ; so 
 here, they should serve God wholly, worship him, 
 and not any idols, and his own ways, not their ways, 
 and that in spirit and truth ; 1 Sam. xii. 24, " Serve 
 him in truth, with all your heart," and " with all 
 humility of mind," Acts xx. 19. 
 
 It notes also to obey, and do what he commands; 
 as Josh xxii. 5, " Take dUigent heed to do the com- 
 mandment and the law, which Moses the servant of 
 the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, 
 and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his com- 
 mandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve 
 him with all your heart and with all your sold :" 
 serving, here, extends to all outward obedience, as 
 well as worship. 
 
 They shall " serve" me, that is, worship me, as 
 the only oliject of divine worship ; they shall obey 
 me as their only King and Lord. 
 
 " There will I accept them." The Hebrew is, 
 
 DVTN Monfanus renders it, Iwill will them. When it 
 refers to God, as here, it imports, 
 
 1. Pardoning, and passing by, whatever fonnerly 
 offended. 2 Sam. xxiv. 23, when David would offer 
 a sacrifice for his sin in numbering the people, and 
 for stopping the plague, saith Araunah, " The Lord 
 thy God accept thee ;" that is, pardon thy sin, and 
 remove the judgment. Jer. xiv. 12, " When they 
 otter burnt ottering and an oblation, I will not accept 
 them ; but 1 will consume them." Non-accepting, 
 was non-pardoning ; and that appears most clearly, 
 Lev. i. 4, " He shall put his hand upon the head of 
 the burnt offering ; and it shall be accepted for him 
 to make the atonement:" the laying his hand upon 
 the head of the sacrifice, noted the laying of his sins 
 upon the same ; and if God accepted the sacrifice, his 
 sins were forgiven, and peace was made, but when 
 he accepted it not, there was no pardon, no peace. 
 When God therefore saith here, " I will accept 
 them," the sense is, he will pardon them. 
 
 2. Approving, receiving with favour and delight. 
 Job xlii. 8, " Him will I accept." God would hear 
 and regard the prayer of Job for his three friends. 
 Eccl. ix. 7, " Eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy 
 wine with a merry heart ; for God now accepteth thy 
 works ;" nxi he is well pleased with thee, and what 
 thou hast done ; so Psal. cxlix. 4, " The Lord taketh 
 pleasure in his people :" and this also is included 
 here, " I will accept them," that is, approve of, fa- 
 vour, and take delight in them. Some render the 
 words. There will I take pleasure in them ; when 
 they are come to my holy mountain, to a church 
 state again, being purged from their sins through my 
 grace, I will take pleasure in them, as a husband 
 in a wife, as a father in liis children. 
 
 " There will I require your offerings." Formerly 
 the Lord had refused their offerings, and manifested 
 his displeasure against them and their offerings ; as 
 Mai. i. 10, '• I have no pleasure in you, saith the 
 Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at 
 your hand:" see Amos v. 21, 22; Jer. vi. 20; Isa. 
 Ixvi. 3; i. II ; but now he would be so far from re- 
 fusing, hating, and prohibiting of them, that he 
 would call for them, and accept them. 
 
 "Offerings." The Hebrew word for " off^erings" 
 is, nicinri which notes any offering freely given to 
 the Lord; and frequently it is put for the heave- 
 offering, so called, because it was lifted up unto the 
 Lord. If we take it in this sense, it is, by a synec- 
 doche, put for all their offerings; but we may keep 
 to the words as they are. 
 
 " And the first-fruits of your oblations." The 
 Hebrew is, the beginning of your elevations ; Sep- 
 tuagint, the first-fruits of your separations ; the Vul- 
 gate is, the beginning of your tenths. The Jews 
 say, they were to bring the " first-fi-uifs" of seven 
 things only, viz. of wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pome- 
 granates, olives, and dates ; but God was to have what- 
 ever opened the womb first, of man or beast, Exod. xiii. 
 2, which may also come in amongst " first-fruits." 
 
 " Oblations" and sacrifices do differ thus : that is 
 properly an oblation, which is ottered, though no- 
 thing be done to it, or about it ; a sacrifice is offer- 
 ed, but something is done to it, and about it. The 
 sacrifice was to be killed, flayed, cut in pieces, or 
 the like. By " first-fruits of oblations," we may 
 understand the principal and chief oblations, for 
 ri*tt'NT notes, the choicest and most excellent, as well 
 as, the first ; and Calvin interprets it, that which 
 was the flower and excellency in your gifts. 
 
 " With all your holy things." The Hebrew is, 
 in all your sanctifications. fnp sometimes noted 
 the temple, or sanctuary ; sometimes their sacrifices;
 
 Ver. 40, 41. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 517 
 
 sometimes their festivities ; and sometimes whatever 
 was dedicated to divine worship : here we may take 
 it in the last sense. Calvin expounds it, in all my wor- 
 ship ; and so the sense runs well with that before, I 
 will require your offerings and the first-fruits ; i. e. 
 the principal of your oblations, in all your dedica- 
 tions and holy things, and in all my worship. Some 
 read the words. In all the things you shall prepare 
 set a part and conserve for me. If we read it with 
 " all your holy things," the sense is, that the sacri- 
 fices, temple, priests, solemnities, and festivals, should 
 be restored. 
 
 Ver. 41. "I will accept you with your sweet sa- 
 vour." Of " sweet savour," or savour of rest, as the 
 Hebrew is, you heard in ver. 28 of this chapter, and 
 in chap. xvi. 19. They should be pleasing and de- 
 lightful unto God, as a sweet savour is unto man. 
 They were wont, when at Jerusalem, to offer incense 
 and sweet things unto God, and he accepted the 
 same ; and they should do it again after their return, 
 and be accepted ; both they and their sacrifices should 
 be a sweet odour unto God. This, and the like ex- 
 pressions in the Old Testament, the apostle alludes 
 unto, in Phil. iv. 18; 2 Cor. ii. 15 ; Eph. v. 2. 
 
 " When I bring you out from the people, and 
 gather them out of the countries," &c. These words 
 we had before in ver. 34, where they sounded judg- 
 ment, but here, mercy. 
 
 " And I will be sanctified in you before the hea- 
 then." The Hebrew is, I will sanctify myself. 
 When sanctification refers to God, it imports, 
 
 1. Vindication of his name, being polluted and 
 dishonoured by the sons of men ; as Ezek. xxxvi. 23, 
 " I will sanctify my great name, which was profan- 
 ed among the heathen, which ye have profaned in 
 the midst of them." 
 
 2. Making himself known, and acknowledged to 
 be holy, just, and powerful : so it is to be taken, 
 Ezek. xxviii. 22, " They shall know that I am the 
 Lord, when I shall have executed judgments in her, 
 and shall be sanctified in her ;" so, Lev. x. 3, by the 
 fury and judgment upon Nadab and Abihu, God 
 sanctified himself, he made himself known to be a 
 holy, just, and dreadful majesty. 
 
 3. God's doing of that which redounds to his 
 honour and praise ; and thus divers interpreters take 
 it in this place. I will bring you out of Babylon 
 into your own country, unite you into church order, 
 give you another temple, with all the ordinances of 
 it, sanctify you by my word and Spirit, cause you 
 to worship me with pure worship, bringing me the 
 best you have for sacrifices, that so you may praise 
 me for my goodness unto you, and the nations, for 
 the great things done for you. The Lord's bringing 
 them out of the countries where they were scattered, 
 was a great work, and filled the heathens with ad- 
 miration, making them to say, " The Lord hath done 
 great things for them," Psal. cxxvi. 2 ; and the Jews 
 also to say, " The Lord hath done great things for 
 us," ver. 3. When the Jews were brought out of 
 Egypt, it is said, Psal. cxiv. 2, "Judah was his 
 sanctuary." God separated them from the Egyp- 
 tians, as these from the Babylonians, to inhabit 
 their praises, and to be worshipped by them, and so 
 they were his sanctuary, and sanctification. 
 
 God doth sanctify himself, when he doth vouch- 
 safe a people manifestations of his goochiess, wis- 
 dom, mercy, love, and faithfulness, and God is 
 sanctified, when a people doth that which is pleasing 
 and acceptable to God. Numb. xx. 12, "Because 
 ye believed me not, to sanctify' me in the eyes of the 
 children of Israel :" unbelief is a non-sanctifying of 
 God, and believing is a sanctifying of him. 
 
 Obs. 1. God accounts not apostates and idolaters, 
 
 but those who are true Israelites, to be his people, 
 his church. " For in mine holy mountain there 
 shall all the house of Israel be :'"' those who were 
 rebels, and would serve wood and stone, that would 
 not hearken unto him, he purged out, and the house 
 of Israel, purged, must be in his holy mountain. 
 God esteems fliose who are godly, true believers, 
 Israelites indeed, to be his. There are none but 
 such in the invisible church, Rom. xi. 26 ; Gal. vi. 
 16 ; but in the visible, there are tares and wheat, yet 
 God doth not reckon the tares to be wheat, they are 
 Satan's, not the Lord's, Matt. xiii. 38; there are 
 goats and sheep, yet the Lord reckons not the goats 
 to be sheep. Matt. xxv. 33. Psal. xv. 1, 2, "Lord, 
 who shall dwell in thy holy hill ? He that walketh 
 uprightly, and worketh," ic. 
 
 Obs. 2. Wherever God's people are scattered, he 
 will bring them, and all of them, into, or unto, Zion, 
 to serve him. " In mine holy mountain, &c. there 
 shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, 
 serve me." God would bring them out of Babylon 
 into Canaan, from heatlienish mountains to his 
 " holy mountain," from the world and synagogues 
 of Satan into the true church. Wherever God hath 
 any sheep, he will gather them, and all of them, into 
 his fold. 
 
 These verses do speak and hold out God's dealing 
 with his people under Christ and the gospel, wherein 
 God would bring them from all nations, to enjoy the 
 great and good things provided for them ; of which 
 the evangelical prophet Isaiah speaks at large, chap. 
 Ix. ; so Zechariah, chap. viii. 20 — 22 ; and hereof 
 spoke our Lord Jesus Christ, when he said, John x. 
 16, " Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold : 
 them also I must bring, and they shall hear my 
 voice." When the prodigal was in a far country, 
 did not the Lord order things so, that he returned to 
 his father's house ? when the sheep was strayed and 
 lost, did not the Lord seek it out, and bring it home 
 to the fold ? Luke xv. ; and did not Christ send out 
 his apostles into all nations, to gather in those who 
 were given him of the Father? Matt, xxviii. 19, 20. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord is to be worshipped especially 
 in Zion, in his holy mountain, in the solemn assem- 
 bly. "There shall all the house of Israel serve 
 me." It is not sinful to worship God any where, 
 1 Tim. ii. 8, or alone. Matt. vi. 6 ; but chiefly in the 
 congregation it should be, where his worship is 
 publicly held forth, and with the harmoniousness of 
 many spirits held up, where strangers may come in, 
 and see, yea, say, God is here, 1 Cor. xiv. 25 ; for 
 he is " in the assembly of the saints," Psal. Ixxxix. 
 7. This made the prophet say, Isa. ii. 2, 3, " It shall 
 come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of 
 the Lord's house shall be established in the top of 
 the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills ; 
 and all nations shall flow unto it. And many peo- 
 ple shall go and say. Come ye, and let us go up to 
 the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God 
 of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we 
 will walk in his paths." But in our days this gra- 
 cious prophecy hath been greatly crossed ; for many 
 have said. Come, let us go from the mountain of the 
 Lord, from the house of the God of Jacob ; let us go 
 to our own mountain, follow our own teachings, and 
 walk in our own paths ; but God hath made it evi- 
 dent, that their mounts are mounts of corruption, 
 their teachings delusions, their paths crooked and 
 cursed. Let us therefore take the apostle's counsel, 
 Heb. X. 23 — 25, " Let us hold fast the profession of 
 our faith without wavering; and let us consider one 
 another to provoke unto love and to good works : 
 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, 
 as the manner of some is :" nor let us meet as the
 
 518 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 manner of some is, viz. to wickedness. Let us fulfil 
 the prophecy, call upon one another to go up to the 
 mountain of the Lord, &c. and say, He will teach us 
 his ways, and we will walk in his paths. 
 
 Obs.' 4. In the Lord's mountain, in the church, 
 God will show favour and mercy to his people. 
 "There will I accept them," that is, pardon, ap- 
 prove of, and receive them. ^Vhen we come to serve 
 the Lord after his own way, in gospel congregations, 
 meeting in the name of Christ, to know the mind of 
 God, and glorify him, God is the Master of such as- 
 semblies, he dispcnseth many mercies, and distri- 
 butes sweetest comforts therein. Isa. Ix. 7, "They 
 shall come up with acceptance on mine altar," is 
 spoken of the gospel times ; men should come from 
 several quarters to the christian congregations with 
 acceptance ; God would meet them there, welcome 
 them thither, there he would bless them : see Jer. 
 xxxi. 12; Isa. Ixvi. 18. 2 Cor. vi. 16—18, as every 
 christian, so every congregation, is " the temple of 
 the living God;" therefore he told the church of 
 Corinth, he would dwell in them, be their God and 
 Father, and they should be his people, his sous and 
 daughters ; God would accept of them as a father 
 doth of his children, take pleasure in them, and let 
 out choice mercies unto them. When the disciples 
 were met, Jesus came to them, bestowed his peace 
 and Spirit upon them, John xx. 19 — 22; and see 
 what mercies they met with, who served him in his 
 temple, Rev. vii. 15 — 17. 
 
 Ubs. 5. Where the person is accepted of God, 
 there the actions and sacrifices of that person are ac- 
 ceptable also. " There I will accept them, and there 
 will I require their offerings." In Zion God would 
 accept the men, and in Zion he would accept their 
 services. If persons or congregations be not ac- 
 cepted of God themselves, nothing they do or ten- 
 der is welcome unto him. Gen. iv. 5 ; but if the par- 
 ties be imder divine favour, their presents and duties 
 are grateful. Isa. Ivi. 6, 7, those that joined them- 
 selves to the Lord, and took hold of his covenant, 
 " them," saith the Lord, " will I bring to my holy 
 mountain, and make them joyful in my house of 
 prayer : their burnt offerings and their sacrifices 
 shall be accepted upon mine altar." They being 
 in covenant with God, and offering in Zion unto 
 God, he was pleased with them and their offer- 
 ings. Mai. iii. 1,3, 4, when Christ, " the messenger 
 of the covenant," should come, refine them, and be 
 delighted in and by them, then should " the offering 
 of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord." 
 God is desirous of the prayers, praises, and alms 
 of a good man, who is reconciled unto him ; they 
 are sweet odours unto him ; so they are called in 
 the next verse, " I will accept you with your sweet 
 savour," or savour of rest ; when God hath these, 
 his Spirit is at rest, being in a manner troubled when 
 he hath them not. Hence prayers of the godly are 
 likened to "incense," Psal. cxli. 2; their bounty, 
 to the "odour of a sweet smell," Phil. iv. 18; and 
 their praise is preferred before the sacrificing of an 
 ox, Psal. Ixix. 31. 
 
 Obs. 6. God must have the best tendered up to him 
 in our sacrifices and services ; he calls for and ex- 
 piects the best from his people. " I require the first- 
 fruits of your oblations ; " the chief, principal, and 
 best you have, in all your holy things. If God have 
 lean, lank, lame, imperfect sacrifices offered to him, 
 it is a dishonour, and offends him : Mai. i. 8, " If 
 ye ofier the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil ? and if 
 ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil ? " yes, it is 
 very evil, it is extremely evil ; the interrogation it- 
 self portends so much, and being a double interroga- 
 tion doubles the evil. What! offer it to me P man 
 
 would not accept of such offerings ; go try, " offer 
 it now unto thy governor," that is brought unto me ; 
 go tender it to him, " will he be pleased with thee, 
 or accept thy person ? " no, I know he will not ; and 
 if man, sorry, sinful man, like thyself, will not ac- 
 cept such things, should I, the great God, do it ? 
 God is so far from accepting and showing favour in 
 this kind, that he poureth out a curse upon him that 
 doth so : ver. 14, " Cursed be the deceiver, which 
 hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth 
 unio the Lord a corrupt thing." Men think if they 
 do something in religion, give God a sacrifice, 
 though it be blind, lame, sickly, they shall have a 
 blessing ; but see how the Lord brands them, they 
 are deceivers ; and whom do they deceive ? not God, 
 but themselves ; for instead of a blessing they meet 
 with a curse : such dealings with God, cause him, 
 even then when he uses to be most propitious, to 
 throw forth curses. Suitable hereunto, is that in 
 Hos. viii. 13, " They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices 
 of mine offerings, and eat it ; but the Lord accepteth 
 them not ; now will he remember their iniquity, and 
 visit their sins ; " if they did bring the best they had, 
 yet they had no respect to God, but to their own 
 bellies. 
 
 Obs. 7. When the Lord brings his people out of a 
 scattered, captive condition, into church order, he 
 expects they should set up all his ordinances. " I 
 will require your offerings, and the first-fruits of your 
 oblations, with all your holy things ; " circumcision, 
 passover, sacrifices, &c. Their being in Babylon was 
 a representation of the church's condition under an- 
 tichrist; and as then they, being freed from the 
 Babylonish captivity, fell into the ways of worship 
 formerly given out, so now christians, being brought 
 out of spiritual Babylon, should do the like. Nei- 
 ther let any say, those gifts are lost which the 
 churches once had, &c. 
 
 Ezra ii. 62, 63, those priests that were put from 
 their places, because their names were not found in 
 the genealogies, the Tirshatha or governor said, 
 " They should not eat of the most holy things, till there 
 stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim ; " 
 that was, never. They lost at the Babylonish cap- 
 tivity, (1.) The ark with the mercy-seat and cheru- 
 bims; (2.) The fire from heaven; (3.) Sheivah or 
 divine presence ; (4.) The Urim and Thummim ; 
 (5.) The spirit of prophecy : these all were wanting 
 in the second temple : yet they did not forbear to 
 set up and use the ordinances of God which formerly 
 were appointed. 
 
 06s. 8. The Lord doth those things for his people, 
 which makes him honourable amongst them and 
 others. " I will be sanctified in you before the hea- 
 then." The mercy and kindness he showed them 
 in bringing them out of Babylon, and restoring to 
 them their former enjoyments, set them on work to 
 praise the Lord, and made the heathens acknowledge 
 that God was faithful to them in keeping his promise. 
 
 Ver. 42 — 44. And ye shaUhnow that lam the 
 Lord, when I shall bring you into the land oj" Is- 
 rael, into the country for the which I lifted up mine 
 hand to give it to your fathers. And there shall 
 ye remember your ways, and all your doings, 
 wherein ye have been defiled ; and ye shall loihe 
 yourselves in your own sight for all your evils 
 that ye have committed. And ye shall know that 
 I am the Lord, when I have wrought with you for 
 my name's sake, not according to your wicked 
 ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O 
 ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God.
 
 Ver. 42—44. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 519 
 
 In these verses you have the event and sequel of 
 the Lord's gracious dealings with this people, in 
 bringing them out of their captivity into their own 
 land again ; which is, 
 
 I. Experimental acknowledgment of God and 
 his goodness unto them, ver. 42, 44. 
 
 II. Consideration of their former ways, ver. 43. 
 
 III. Humiliation and repentance for them. 
 
 " And ye shall know that I am the Lord." They 
 knew the Lord by the works of creation, by the pro- 
 phets, by the severe judgments he had executed 
 upon them, but that knowledge had not affected their 
 hearts, and brought them to i^ear, worship, and serve 
 the Lord answerably ; but now upon that great 
 mercy of being delivered out of Babylon, which 
 seemed a thing impossible to them, Ezek. xxxvii. 
 11, and being brought into Canaan, they should have 
 such knowledge of God as should descend to their 
 hearts, and cause them to hearken to and honour 
 him. They should know him practically, do his 
 will ; they should know him to be faithful in per- 
 forming his promises, powerful and gracious in doing 
 greater things than they looked for, and so should 
 set themselves to serve the Lord. Others knew him 
 by his judgments, ver. 38, which knowledge pro- 
 duced no real ctfects in their hearts and lives ; but 
 these by his mercies and goodness, which know- 
 ledge rested not in their heads, but was operative in 
 their hearts, and extant in their lives ; so knowing 
 is to be taken, 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. 
 
 " When I shall bring you into the land of Israel," 
 &c. Of these words, or not much differing, you 
 heard in the 28th verse. Though the "land of 
 Lsrael" were a fruitful land, flowing with milk and 
 honey, and so it was a great mercy to be brought in 
 upon that account, yet that was not all ; it was the 
 land of promise, the inheritance of their fathers, and 
 their repossession of it evidenced that they were 
 their children, their heirs, the people of God. 
 
 Obs. 1. Experimental knowledge of God affects the 
 heart, and makes obedient to his will, to worship and 
 honour God, which other knowledge doth not. What- 
 ever knowledge a man hath of God and his ways, 
 without this, it is a form of knowledge, rather than 
 knowledge itself. 1 John ii. 4, " He that saith, I know 
 him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, 
 and the truth is not in him ; " that is, he hath no true 
 knowledge of God in him ; for what he saith of love, 
 chap. V. 3, "This is the love of God, that we keep 
 his commandments," that is true of knowledge; there 
 is no right knowledge of God if ye keep not his com- 
 mandments. Hence saith the Lord, Isa. i. 3, " Israel 
 doth not know ; " and Jer. iv. 22 : chap. viii. 7, " My 
 people know not the judgment of the Lord ; " they 
 had the law, the prophets, yet they did not know ; 
 and why ? they did not keep his commandments : 
 violation of them is an argument men know not 
 God. Where works of iniquity are committed, there 
 the knowledge of God is wanting: Hos. v. 4, "The 
 spirit of whoredom is in the midst of them, and they 
 have not known the Lord;" and chap. iv. 1, when 
 there was no truth nor mercy in the land, then there 
 was no knowledge of God in it. When men are 
 disobedient to the commands of God, they are igno- 
 rant of God in their hearts, deny God in their lives, 
 whatever knowledge they have of him in their 
 heads : you may find it in holy writ, that as those 
 who do evil are said not to know God, Jer. ix. 3, so 
 those that do good, are said to know him, Jer. xxii. 
 lo ; and pure religion, which is the right knowledge 
 of God, is put upon doing, James i. 27. Daniel 
 therefore tells us, that turning from iniquity, and so 
 walking in the ways of God, is the way to under- 
 stand truth, and so to know God, Dan. ix. 13 ; and 
 
 Christ hath affirmed it, that doing is the way to 
 knowing, John vii. 17. 
 
 06*. 2. The goodness, mercy, and kindness of God 
 begets experimental knowledge of him in the hearts 
 of men. " Ye shall know that I am the Lord, when 
 I shall bring you into the land of Israel." When 
 God should knock off the Babylonish yoke, and re- 
 plant them in Canaan, then their hearts should taste 
 and be affected with the dealings of God. Great 
 mercies had great operations upon them, and made 
 deep impressions in them. God teaches men by his 
 works ; experimental knowledge comes in that way ; 
 when his word is fulfilled in promises or threats, in 
 mercy or judgment, then men come to know God. 
 He is known by executing of judgment, Psal. ix. 
 16, and known by his mercies, Isa. xix. 20 — 22. It 
 is one thing to hear of wine, another to find the 
 virtue of it in the stomach; so it is one thing to 
 hear of God and his mercies, another to taste of the 
 loving-kindness of God in his mercies : Psal. xxxiv. 
 8, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." God's 
 goodness had bred experimental knowledge in David, 
 and he could sensibly speak of it, and provoke others 
 to partake of what he had. 
 
 Ver. 43. " And there shall ye remember your 
 ways." These words we had in chap. xvi. 61. The 
 word " remember " notes remembering with affec- 
 tion, so as to do something thereupon. 
 
 " And all your doings, wherein ye have been de- 
 filed." The Septuagint reads the former words with 
 a part of these, thus, There shall ye remember your 
 ways, wherein ye have defiled yourselves, and leave 
 out these words, "all your doings;" but they are in the 
 Hebrew, and import their idolatries, and other 
 abominations. They corrupted God's worship, fell to 
 Babylonish practices, and greatly defiled themselves. 
 
 " And ye shall loathe yourselves in your own 
 sight." In chap. vi. 9, were these words opened, 
 where they are thus, " They shall loathe themselves 
 for the evils which they have committed in all their 
 abominations." The Septuagint is, they shall smite 
 their faces; others, you shall be displeased and wroth 
 with yourselves. The meaning of the verse is, that 
 they should seriously consider their ways, be asham- 
 ed of them, truly repent of them ; yea, so repent, as 
 to judge themselves worthy to be cut off from being 
 God's people, and to be made a curse. 
 
 Obs. I. Senseofmercies, rather than of judgments, 
 makes sin bitter, and leads unto repentance. Their 
 captivity, and the sad things they suffered therein, 
 chd not imbitter their sin unto them, and break their 
 hearts ; but God's kindness in bringing them out of 
 Babylon into the land of Israel, that prevailed with 
 them ; when they had received marvellous kindness 
 from God, then they were marvellously affected, 
 greatly ashamed of their ways, and loathed them- 
 selves. Mercies in Zion produced that which judg- 
 ments in Babylon did not. Great mercies bestowed 
 upon great sinners, do preach the doctrine of repent- 
 ance most effectually, convincing them strongly of 
 their unworthy and vile carriages towards the Lord. 
 
 1 Sam. xxiv. David's kindness brake the heart 
 of Saul, and made him to weep and say, " Thou art 
 more righteous than I ; for thou hast rewarded me 
 good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil." If human 
 favour hath such influence into a sinful heart, what 
 hath divine ? Moses by his strokes fetched water out 
 of a rock ; David, by his kindness. God sometimes 
 by his judgments humbles men, and brings them to 
 repentance, but mostly by his mercies. The sweet 
 influences of the gospel have pierced deeper into 
 sinners' hearts, than the terrors of the law. 
 
 Oha. 2. When the Lord gathers up his people out 
 of the world, and brings them into nearer relation to
 
 520 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XX. 
 
 himself, into Canaan, and church order, he looks 
 they should review their former ways, and be much 
 affected witli them, and thoroughly repent for them. 
 " There shall ye remember your ways, and all your 
 doings, w-herein," &c. When brought into Canaan, 
 they were not only to eat the milk and honey, to 
 behold the glory thereof, but they were to remember 
 days of old, their sins in Babylon, compliances with 
 Babylonians, how they had polluted themselves and 
 provoked the Lord ; and thereupon to mourn kindly 
 for their unkindnesses to him, who had showed such 
 marvellous loving-kindness unto them. When God 
 brings men out of the world now into Zion, gives 
 them the milk and honey of the gospel, shows them 
 the glory thereof, then they look back, wonder at 
 their wickedness, and loathe themselves for it, say- 
 ing, Who is like unto us in sin and wickedness, and 
 who is like unto our God in grace and goodness, in 
 pardon ;md forgiveness ? Micah vii. 18. When it shall 
 please God to bring the Jews out of that Babylon they 
 are now in, unto the true Canaan, the church of 
 Christ, they will remember their iniquities, their 
 bitter and bloody doings against Christ, mourn and 
 loathe themselves for the same, Zech.xii. 10; Rev. i. 7- 
 
 Obs. 3. Where repentance springs from sense of 
 love and kindness, as it is real and deep, so it is se- 
 cret and universal. They should, being brought 
 into Canaan, not only remember their sins, but they 
 should loathe themselves, be displeased so with them- 
 selves, that they should smite and abhor themselves, 
 and that in their own sight, and for all the evils 
 they had committed ; when no eye saw them, they 
 would spread all their sins before them, and in the 
 sight and sense of them, be vile m their own eyes. 
 
 Ver. 44. " And ye shall know that I am the Lord." 
 These words we had in ver. 42, wherein they were 
 opened and expounded of an experimental know- 
 ledge. 
 
 " When I have wrought with you for my name's 
 sake." Of these words, see ver. 9, 14, 22. The 
 Vulgate is, when I shall have done good to you. 
 The Hebrew is, when I have done to you, or with 
 you, for my name's sake ; that is, when I have dealt 
 graciously and mercifully with you out of my free 
 grace, and for the honour of my name. 
 
 " Not according to your wicked ways." Of" wick- 
 ed abominations" was spoken chap. viii. 9, of " wick- 
 ed counsel," chap. xi. 2, of "wicked way" and 
 "ways," chap. xiii. 22; xviii. 23. Those are "wick- 
 ed ways" which lead from God, from truth, from 
 just, honest, and good things. In such they had 
 walked long, but God would not deal with them ac- 
 cording to the wickedness of their ways. 
 
 "Nor according to your corrupt doings." The 
 word for "corrupt" is from rrr which signifies to 
 corrupt even to the bottom, thoroughly ; and such 
 were they : they were not a little corrupt, but totally 
 corrupted, in their judgments, wills, affections, words, 
 and actions ; they were like a corrupt spring, that 
 sends forth nothing but corrupt waters ; Ezek. xvi. 
 47, " Thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy 
 ways." 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord is gracious and merciful unto 
 the sons of men, deserving ill at his hands ; he deals 
 with them upon the account of his grace, not their 
 deserts. What did their wicked ways and corrupt 
 doings deserve at his hands, but that he should have 
 poured out his fury, and accomplished his anger upon 
 them, as it is cliap. vii. 8? but he wrought with 
 them for his name's sake, that is, out ofhis free 
 grace and favour he spared them, he pardoned them, 
 he delivered them out of Babylon, and brought them 
 into Canaan. When God seeth nothing in the crea- 
 ture to put him on to show mercy, he finds enough 
 
 in his own name to provoke him thereunto ; you 
 have it four times in this chapter, thrice before, and 
 here, that he wrought for his name's sake : whatever 
 mercy this people had, it was from chvine favour, not 
 their desert. 
 
 If it was free grace brought the Jews out of Baby- 
 lon into Canaan, what is it but freeness, fulness, and 
 riches of grace to bring men out of the world into the 
 heavenly Canaan ? Predestination, calling, justifica- 
 tion, and glorification, are acts of mere grace and 
 favour, Eph. i. 5 ; 2 Tim. i. 9 ; Rom. iii. 24 ; viii. 30 ; 
 I Pet. V. 10. All the sons of men enjoy here, or expect 
 hereafter, is from the bounty, favour, and mercy of 
 God, Psal. ciii. 8 — 12 ; Luke xii. 32 : to attribute 
 aught to our own wills or endeavours, is to derogate 
 from God, and darken the glory of his name and free 
 grace. 
 
 Obs. 2. God doth therefore deal graciously with 
 sinners, that they may know him experimentally. 
 " Ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have 
 wrought with you for my name's sake," &c. God 
 works, and so works, thathe makes the hearts of men 
 affected with his works, and to say, Psal. Ixxxvi. 8, 
 " Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O 
 Lord ; neither are there any works like unto thy 
 works ;" none so full of glory, so full of grace and 
 mercy, none so influential and operative upon the 
 heart. It is God's scope and aim in doing good so 
 freely and fully as he doth, to make himself known 
 to the hearts of his people, that so they may be knit 
 to him, provoke them to admire him, and live more 
 fully to him. 
 
 Ver. 45 — 48. Moreover the tcord (if the Lord 
 came tinto me, saying. Son of man, set thy face 
 toivard the south, and drop thy word totcard the 
 south, and prophesy against the forest of the south 
 field ; and say to the forest of the south. Hear 
 the word of the Lord ; Thus saith the Lord God ; 
 Behold, I will kindle a fre in thee, and it shall 
 devour every green tree in thee, and every dry 
 tree : the flamingjiame shall not be (juenched, and 
 all faces from the south to the north shall be burned 
 therein. And all fesh shall see that I the Lord 
 have kindled it : it shall not he quenched. 
 
 These verses are the fifth general part of the 
 chapter, viz. a parabolical declaration of the destruc- 
 tion of Judea and Jerusalem. 
 
 Some refer these words to the next chapter, and 
 make the beginning of that at the 45th verse of this. 
 
 The 45th verse sets before us the divine authority 
 of this prophecy against the Jews that were yet in 
 Canaan ; the prophet received it from the Lord, it 
 came from God to him, before it went out from him 
 to men. 
 
 In this 45th verse we have, 
 
 I. The compellation, " son of man," of which 
 heretofore. 
 
 II. A command, to declare and utter the word he 
 had received ; " Set thy face," &c. 
 
 " Set thy face." Of this expression in chap. iv. 
 3, 7; \"i. 2; xiii. 17. Dispose thyself to, and be un- 
 daunted in, what thou art to prophesy, and them 
 thou art to prophesy against; speak then like a man 
 of God, and sent from God, not regarding the frowns 
 or threats of any. 
 
 " Toward the south." Babylon was north from 
 Jerusalem, Jer. j. 14, and our prophet being there, 
 and having declared the mind of God against those 
 elders who came subtlely to inquire of him, he is 
 here commanded to set his face "towards the south," 
 that was, towards Jerusalem and Judea.
 
 Ver. 45—48. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 521 
 
 " Drop thy word toward the south." In the He- 
 brew is not " thy word," hut only thus, drop towards 
 the south. The word rjtsj properly signifies the 
 dropping of the clouds, or rain, which falls by drops ; 
 and metaphorically is put for prophesying and 
 preaching; and Vatablus saith, the Chaldee para- 
 phrase hath it, prophesy ; and so it is expressed in 
 the next words of this verse, " prophesy against the 
 forest of the south," which are cxegetical of what 
 was before. Preaching or prophesying is likened to 
 rain or the droppings thereof, 
 
 1. In respect of the flowing and succession of one 
 drop after another. Judg. v. 4, " The heavens 
 dropped, the clouds also dropped water ;" so in pro- 
 phesying, there is one word, one truth after another ; 
 he that prophesieth, poureth out words. 
 
 2. In respect of the influence thereof. The drops 
 soak into the earth ; so words have influence into 
 men's ears and hearts. Deut. xxxii. 2, " My doctrine 
 .shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the 
 dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as 
 the showers upon the grass :" as the rains and dews 
 insinuate themselves into the grass and ground, so 
 do words into the heads and hearts of men ; Psal. 
 cxix. 130, " The entrance of thy words giveth 
 light." 
 
 3. In respect of the trouble and hurt that oft rains 
 and droppings produce. Prov. xxvii. 15, " A con- 
 tinual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious 
 woman are alike," alike grievous, troublesome, 
 wasting, and wearying; so prophesying of judgments 
 and destruction is grievous and troubles much, it is 
 like great rains and drops. 2 Chron. xxxiv. 25, " My 
 wrath shall be poured out upon this place ;" the 
 original is, shall drop upon this place ; there should 
 be a storm, and such great drops of God's wrath, as 
 should consume it. 
 
 " Toward the south." The word here for " south " 
 is, Qm a lofty habitation, because the sun goeth 
 high there : and after in the verse you have ajj 
 for the south ; the word signifies a dry place, and 
 metonymically it is put for the south, because of the 
 great heat of the sun there ; Judg. i. 15, saith Achsah 
 to Caleb her father, " Thou hast given me a south 
 land," that is, a land of drought, " give me also 
 springs of water." 
 
 " Prophesy against the forest of the south field." 
 That is, against Jerusalem, and those that dwelt in 
 Judea. The Hebrew for " forest" is, njn a w-ood ; 
 and Judea or Jerusalem is compared to a forest or 
 wood, 
 
 1. For the number of those in it. In a wood are 
 a multitude of trees : Jer. xlvi. 23, " They shall cut 
 down her forest, saith the Lord, though it cannot be 
 searched ; because they are more than the grasshop- 
 pers, and are innumerable ;" it is spoken of the 
 people of Egypt : so they of Judea were many. 
 
 2. In a wood and forest is no order, the trees stand 
 confusedly ; so now there was no order amongst 
 them, all run into confusion : Micah vii. 6, " The 
 son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up 
 against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her 
 mother-in-law ; a man's enemies are they of his ow-n 
 house." 
 
 3. In a forest, trees are fruitless ; or if fruitful, it 
 is wUd fruit those trees bear, they are for the axe 
 and fire, Ezek. xv. 6 : such were the men in Judea, 
 trees that bare no fruit, or evil fruit; Isa. ix. 17, 
 " Every one is an hypocrite and an evil doer, and 
 every mouth speaketh folly." See Micah vii. 3, 4. 
 
 4. Forests and woods are dens of wUd beasts, Psal. 
 civ. 20; Jer. v. 6; and Jerusalem was full of wild 
 beasts, Zeph. iii. 3, 4; Ezek. xxii. 25, 27; Micah iii. 
 10. Ezek. vii. 23, " The land is fidl of bloody crimes, 
 
 the city is full of violence." Jer. vii. 9 — II, there 
 was robbing, murdering, and all abominations. 
 
 Obs. 1. When God calls men to prophesy or 
 preach, they are to prepare for it, and undauntedly 
 to proceed therein. " Son of man, set thy face 
 toward the south, and drop thy word," &c. He 
 must fit himself for that work, and whatever he met 
 with in the work, he must not be discouraged, but 
 go on as one sent out and commissioned by the 
 Lord : thus did Peter and John, Acts iv. 19, 20. 
 
 Obs. 2. God's word shall not be in vain, which is 
 given out against hard-hearted sinners. " Drop 
 thy word toward the south, and prophesy against 
 the forest." They would not admit the dews of the 
 word for their good ; they must feel the droppings of 
 it for their ruin. Men cannot keep the rain from 
 falling upon the earth and rocks ; neither can they 
 keep off the threats of God from falling upon them 
 and theirs ; and when they fail they will be terrible 
 unto them. Isa. Iv. 10, 11, as the rain hath its end 
 when it falls, so hath the word he sends forth and 
 causeth to be dropped ; if he drop a word of wrath, 
 that drop will eat into the most stony heart, and 
 consume it at last. Zech. i. 6, God's words took hold 
 of their fathers ; the prophets dropped out such 
 terrible drops of judgment, as consumed them. ,_ Let 
 Judea be as a forest full of trees, and mighty" ones 
 too, if God once drop his word against it, down must 
 these trees : Hos. vi. 5, God hewed them by his pro- 
 phets, and slew them by the judgments of his mouth. 
 
 Obs. 3. God's threats and judgments are irrespec- 
 tive, and impartial. " Prophesy against the forest ;" 
 the w'hole forest, and highest trees in it, as well as 
 the shrubs and bushes. Wicked cities and countries 
 are no other in God's account, than a forest of wild 
 and fruitless trees, which he lays his axe unto, to 
 cut down for the fire. 
 
 Ver. 47. " And say to the forest of the south, 
 Thus saith the Lord," &c. After a command of the 
 prophet to speak, and the forest to hear, you have 
 the parabolical declaration itself, of the destruction 
 of Jerusalem ; where you may take notice, 
 
 1. Of the judgment, which is fire. 
 
 2. The author of it ; "I will kindle a fire." 
 
 3. The place where ; " in thee." 
 
 4. The effect of this fire ; it should devour every 
 tree, both green and dry. 
 
 5. The kind or manner of this fire, inextinguish- 
 able ; " the flaming flame shall not be quenched." 
 
 " I will kindle a fire in thee." By " fire" is 
 meant that warlike invasion by the Babylonians, who 
 by sword, and what accompanied it, laid all waste. 
 
 " Every green tree, and every dry tree." Jerom 
 makes these to be saints and sinners ; so some others 
 expound the " green tree" of the righteous, and 
 "dry tree" of the wicked; but, Ezek. ix. 4, the 
 righteous mourned for all the abominations that were 
 in Jerusalem, and were marked that they might not 
 be destroyed. It is better therefore to understand 
 by " green tree " the rich and wealthy, the young 
 and lusty, the high and mighty ; and by the " dry 
 tree" the old, poor, and such as were underlings and 
 inconsiderable : or by them you may understand all 
 sorts of people, as by green trees and dry trees all 
 sorts of trees in a forest or wood are meant. 
 
 " The flaming flame shall not be quenched." The 
 Hebrew is, the flame of flame, the duplication of the 
 word notes the intention of it, a vehement flame, such 
 as should continue, and by no art, power, or policy 
 be extinct ; the affliction should be wonderful, sore, 
 and lasting. The war begat famine, famine the 
 plague, plague death ; here was a flame of a flame. 
 They strove by the Egyptians to quench that fire, 
 but could not.
 
 522 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAP. XX I. 
 
 " All faces from tlie south to the north shall be 
 burned therein." Not all destroyed, or be ashamed 
 only, but all through fear, famine, and diseases, 
 should appear as dry, withered, and burnt up, from 
 one end of the land to the other. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord sends fierce judgments upon his 
 own people for their wickedness, which do consume 
 all sorts of them. " I vriQ. kindle a fire in thee," in 
 thee, Jerusalem, in thee, Judea, who gloriest in thy 
 princes, in thy nobles, in thy soldiers, in thy privi- 
 leges, and churchship, which " shall devour every 
 green tree, and every dry tree." As a fire devours 
 all before it, so do God's judgments. Let houses be 
 strong or weak, great or small, trees be green or dry, 
 fire conquers them, and brings them to ashes ; so 
 do God's judgments ruin people, be they high or 
 low, weak or strong, rulers or subjects, and dries up 
 the spirits of those that are living : Lam. iv. 8, 
 " Their visage is blacker than a coal ; they are not 
 known in the streets : their skin cleaveth to their 
 bones ; it is withered, it is become like a stick." See 
 Isa. xxiv. 4 — 6. 
 
 Obs. 2. God's judgments once begun, cannot be 
 stayed by the skill or power of the creature. " The 
 flaming flame shall not be quenched;" they used all 
 their policy and power to divert the Babylonians 
 from coming, to remove them being come, but no- 
 thing prevailed. God's fires are not extinguishable 
 by the arts, counsels, or strengths of men. As we 
 cannot avoid his judgments threatened, so we cannot 
 remove them inflicted : if he send a spirit of division 
 among brethren, who can cast out that spirit ? if he 
 commission the sword to walk abroad, who can com- 
 mand it into the scabbard again, and to keep home ? 
 if he cause a burning heat in the body, who can 
 quench that heat but himself? 
 
 Ver. 48. And all ffish shall see that I the Lord 
 have kindled it : it shall not be quenched. 
 
 " All flesh." By a synecdoche of the genus for 
 the species, flesh is put for men ; and by " all flesh," he 
 intends the people in the regions round about, and 
 Chaldeans themselves. 
 
 " Shall see ;" that is, shall acknowledge, that this 
 war, this destructive judgment, is not human, but 
 divine. When strange and dreadful things are done, 
 men inquire info the causes. If mountains be set 
 on fire, fire and brimstone come down from heaven, 
 they will see and say this is the hand of the Lord. 
 
 " It shall not be quenched." God would con- 
 tinue the burning of this fire, till it had consumed 
 what he had appointed to consumption. Not their 
 prayers, tears, or blood, should extinguish it ; he 
 that kindled it, only could quench it ; only he that 
 calleth for and causeth war, can cease wars. 
 
 Obs. It is one main end of God's severe judgments 
 upon cities, nations, and people, to make them know 
 and acknowledge that he is the causer and continuer 
 of them, yea, that they are unremovable without 
 his hand. 
 
 Ver. 49. Tlien said I, Ah Lord God ! Tliey 
 say ofnie. Doth he not speak parables? 
 
 Here is the last part of the chapter, viz. a doleful 
 conclusion of the prophet, wherein he complains of 
 the coarse and reproachful usage he had amongst 
 the people ; they mocked and scoffed at him and 
 his parables, they told him they were dreams and 
 fancies of his own. What did he tell them of the 
 " south," and" forest of the south field," of" fire," and 
 " flaming flame," of green and dry trees ? these were 
 dark things, \-isions, and divinations of his own 
 
 head, and as for them, they would not heed what 
 he said ; his words savoured more of man than of 
 God, setting forth his wit more than any thing else. 
 
 " Doth he not speak parables ?" Junius and Tre- 
 mellius have it. Is not he an artist in parabolizing ? 
 Piscator, Is he not a deviser of parables ? he vexes 
 us with such things, gives us words we understand 
 not. 
 
 Obs. 1. The prophets and messengers of God are 
 subject to scorn and reproach, even fi-om those they 
 are sent unto. See Jer. xviii. 18 ; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 
 16; Isa. viii. 18. 
 
 Obs. 2. When the messengers of God are burden- 
 ed with the revilings, scofl's, and reproaches of men, 
 their refuge is to go unto God, and ease themselves 
 in his bosom ; as the jirophet here doth. 
 
 Obs. 3. W^hen prophets and preachings are not 
 pleasing to the people, they are not willing to under- 
 stand what is delivered. " They say, Doth he not 
 speak parables ? " they knew what fire, forest, flame, 
 green and dry trees meant, but because it was a sad 
 prophesy, and struck at their interests, they would 
 not understand, they put off all as mystical and 
 enigmatical. 
 
 CHAPTER XXL 
 
 Ver. I — 5. Ayid the icord of the Lord came xmto 
 me, saying. Son of man, set thy face toward Je- 
 rusalem, and drop thy word toivard the holy 
 places, and prophesy against the land of Israel, 
 and say to th e land of Israel, Thus saith the Lord ; 
 Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth 
 my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from 
 thee the righteous and the wicked. Seeing then 
 that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the 
 wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of 
 his sheath against all fesh from the south to the 
 north: that all fesh may know that I the Lord 
 have drawn forth my sword otit of his sheath : it 
 shall not return any more. 
 
 In this chapter is a double prophecy. 
 
 I. One against the land of Israel, and what was 
 therein, from the 1st verse to the 2Sth. 
 
 II. Another against the Ammonites, from the 28th 
 to the end. 
 
 Ver. I. " And the word of the Lord came unto me, 
 saying." The Hebrew for " came unto me," is, was 
 unto me, that is, was put into me by divine inspira- 
 tion ; he spake not of himself, but from God. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Son of man, set thy face toward Jeru- 
 salem, drop thy word, and prophesy." Of these 
 words see the former chapter, ver. 46, where they 
 were spoken of. 
 
 " Toward the holy places." The temple, which 
 is put plurally, because of the several partitions of 
 it, the sanctum, and sanctum sanctorum, with the 
 buildings contiguous to it, which the Jews esteemed 
 holy. 
 
 Here he shows what, in the end of the former 
 chapter, he meant by the " south, forest of the south, 
 and south field," viz. the land of Israel, Judea, and 
 the temple. 
 
 06a-. Holiness of places will not privilege unholy- 
 people. Sanctuaries are no protections against di- 
 vine justice. Canaan was the holy land, Jerusalem 
 the holy city, and the temple more holy than both ; 
 yet, " Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, 
 and drop thy word toward the holy places, and pro-
 
 Ver. 1—7. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 523 
 
 phesy against the land of Israel, and say, Thus saith 
 the Lord ; Behold, I am against thee," &c. ; I will 
 bring the Babylonish army upon thee ; which shall 
 utterly destroy thee. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Behold, I am against thee." Here was 
 sad tidings to hear, that God was against Jerusalem. 
 See chap. v. 8. 
 
 " And will draw forth my sword." By " sword " 
 is meant war, and the grievous evils which accom- 
 pany it, Lev. xxvi. 33. 
 
 " And will cut off from thee the righteous and the 
 wicked." The Septuagint reads the words other- 
 wise, I will destroy out of thee the unjust and law- 
 less ; the Chaldee hath it, 1 will cause thy just ones 
 to go out of thee, that I may destroy the wicked; 
 but the Hebrew is, the righteous and the wicked. 
 How this can be understood of a man truly righteous, 
 I find not, for, Psal. v. 12, the Lord blesseth the 
 righteous, and compasseth him with favour as with 
 a shield ; if he cut him off, how doth he compass 
 him with favour, and favour as a shield ; how doth 
 he protect him ? Gen. xviii. 23, 25, " Wilt thou de- 
 stroy the righteous with the wicked ? far be it from 
 thee : shall not the Judge of the earth do right ? " 
 said Abraham to God. He thought it an unjust and 
 grievous evil that God should cut off the righteous 
 and wicked together ; and the truly righteous were 
 marked, Ezek. ix. 4, that they might not be slain. 
 Divers expositors, therefore, make the "righteous" 
 here to be such as were reputed so, seemed to be so, 
 but were not in truth so. The holy Scripture speaks 
 often according to the opinions and apprehensions 
 which are had of men, or what they have of them- 
 selves, Luke xviii. 9, the Pharisees thought them- 
 selves righteous, and were reputed so, but fell short 
 of true righteousness. Tliese were less wicked than 
 others, and so appeared righteous. 
 
 Ver. 4. " My sword shall go forth out of his sheath 
 against all flesh from the south to the north." This 
 verse is the same for substance with ver. 47 of the 
 precedent chapter; "fire" there is the same with 
 " sword " here ; "green tree" and " dry tree," the 
 same wth " righteous" and " wicked ;" the burning 
 up of all faces from the north to the soutli, the same 
 with the words, going out against all flesh. 
 
 Ver. 5. " That all flesh may know," &c. " All 
 flesh" was to be cut off in Judea, that " all flesh" in 
 other lands might know the severe judgments of God. 
 
 Obs. 1. That wars are the Lord's; they come not 
 without his commission, he sends them, orders them, 
 and ends them at his pleasure. " I will draw forth 
 my sword out of his sheath." Ver. 4, " My sword 
 shall go forth against all flesh from the south to the 
 north ; " and, ver. 5, " it shall not return any more," 
 i. e. till it had accomplished the Lord's will. Nebu- 
 chadnezzar and his army was the sword, Babylon 
 the sheath ; God brought them out of their own 
 country into the land of Israel, which he laid waste 
 from one end to the other ; and then, having fhiished 
 the work ofthe Lord, they returned. 
 
 Obs. 2. Outside righteousness doth not secure men 
 from the judgments of God. " I will cut off from thee 
 the righteous and the wicked." Such righteousness 
 finds not favour with God ; it is no better in his ac- 
 count than wickedness. Labour for true righteous- 
 ness. What if Josiah fell in war, and other right- 
 eous ones have been cut off in public calamities, yet 
 know, death is not punishment to them, but glory. 
 
 Obs. 3. From the 4th verse. The Lord is severe in 
 his judgments at last. He bare long with the Jews, 
 but now he would unsheath his sword, and " cut off 
 the righteous and the wicked" from the land, yea, 
 " all flesh from the south to the north." None should 
 escape his stroke, he would find them out wherever 
 hid. 
 
 Obs. 4. From the 5th verse, That God's end in 
 bringing judgments upon a nation, is to make known 
 his power, justice, and severity against sinners, and 
 their sinful ways. " That all flesh may know that I 
 tlie Lord have drawn forth my sword out of his 
 sheath." There is a knowledge of God by his works, 
 as well as by his word ; and by his judgments, as 
 well as by his mercies. When Nebuchadnezzar and 
 his army, the great s\\ ord of God, should come and 
 cut them down, all men should see and say, God 
 is, &c. 
 
 Ver. 6, 7. Sigh therefore, thou son of man, 
 with the breaking of thy loins ; and with bitter- 
 ness sigh before their ei/es. And it .ihal! be, when 
 they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou ? that thou 
 shalt answer. For the tidings ; because it Cometh : 
 and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be 
 feeble, and eve7i/ spirit shall faint, and all knees 
 shall be weak as rcater : behold, it cometh, and 
 shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord God. 
 
 Here is a command laid upon the prophet, which 
 is, to " sigh." The manner of it is threefold. 
 
 I. " With breaking of loins." 
 
 II. " With bitterness." 
 
 III. " Before their eyes." 
 
 " With the breaking of thy loins." Sigh as if thy 
 loins were broken ; sigh greatly. It is suitable to 
 that in Isa. xxi. 3, " My loins are filled with pain ; 
 pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a 
 woman that travaileth." A woman in travail thinks 
 her back broken, her loins loosed, and sighs griev- 
 ously, yea, bitterly, as if herself, child, or both, were 
 losing their lives ; so should the prophet sigh here, 
 really, not feignedly, deeply, not superficially, bitter- 
 ly, not to ease himself. 
 
 " Before their eyes." How could this be, whenas 
 Ezekiel was in Babylon, and they at Jerusalem ? 
 It is probable there were some of Jerusalem came to 
 see and hear how things would go with them there, 
 seeing they had lately revolted from Nebuchad- 
 nezzar ; or if it were before the revolt, some might 
 be there to bring the tribute they paid to the Baby- 
 lonish king yearly. 
 
 In the 7th verse is the cause of this great sighing 
 laid down, which is double. 
 
 1. " Tidings," that is, of the Babylonish army 
 coming. 
 
 2. The eflfects thereof; which are four : 
 (1.) Melting of hearts. 
 
 (2.) Feebleness of hands. 
 
 (3.) Faintness of spirits. 
 
 (4.) Weakness of knees. 
 
 Such fear should possess them upon the tidings of 
 the Babylonish army's approaching, as should make 
 their rocky hearts melt, as snow before the sun, or 
 fat of lambs before the fire ; and the hands, spirits, 
 and knees of their stoutest men to be feeble, faint, 
 and weak; so that they should be inept unto all 
 services, especially military ones. 
 
 Obs. 1. The goodness of the Lord towards a stub- 
 born, wilful, perishing people, in that he will have 
 the prophet to see what prophetical signs will do, 
 when prophetical threats did nothing. " Sigh, son 
 of man, with the breaking of thy loins, and with 
 bitterness," &c. These were prophetical sighs, re- 
 presenting unto them the great evils which were 
 coming upon them ; that so they might consider, 
 .sigh in like maimer for their sins, and prevent their 
 destruction, or else certainly expect the same. God 
 laid a heavy burden upon the prophet, to sigh so. 
 
 06*. 2. Ill tidings sink the hearts and spirits of
 
 )24 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CUAH. XXI. 
 
 hypooritcs and wicked ones. When tliey hear of 
 w ars and great forces coming against tlicro, not only 
 doth their mirtli cease, but their liearts, hands, spirits, 
 knees, fail them. When Nebuchadnezzar came, their 
 hands were upon their loins, they knew not what to 
 do, whither to go, where to hide themselves. Hath 
 it not been so in Ireland ? But, Psal. cxii. 7, it is 
 said of a godly man, " He shall not be afraid of evil 
 tidings : his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord." 
 
 Ver. 8 — 13. Again the word of the Lord came 
 vnto me, sailing. Son of man, propheay, and say. 
 Thus saifh the Lord ; Say, A sword, a sword is 
 sharpened, and also furbished : it is sharpened to 
 make a sore slaughter ; it is furbished that it may 
 glitter : should we then make mirth ? it confemn- 
 eth the rod of my son, as every tree. And he hath 
 given it to be furbished, that it may be handled: 
 this sword is sharpened, and it is furbished, to give 
 it into the hand of the slayer. Cry and howl, son 
 of man : for it shall be upon my people, it shall 
 be upon all the princes oj" Israel: terrors hy rea- 
 son of the sword shall be tipon my people : smite 
 therefore upon thy thigh. Because it is a trial, 
 and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it 
 shali be no more, saith the Lord God. 
 
 The Lord had said before, he would unsheath his 
 sword, and now orders the prophet to cry out, 
 " A sword, a sword ;" and shows the approaching of 
 it, for it was sharpened and furbished, he drew it 
 out for service, to slay both people and princes. 
 
 Ver. 9. "A sword, a sword." By "sword" you 
 may understand all those judgments which came 
 withNebuchadnezzarandhis army,ormore specially, 
 those warlike instruments they prepared and brought 
 with them. 
 
 " Is sharpened, and also furbished." If it were 
 blunt before, now it was whetted ,■ if it were rusty, 
 now it is scoured. Now Nebuchadnezzar was ready 
 with all his military preparations, sharp and shining, 
 full of terror, and fit for execution. 
 
 Ver. 10. " It is sharpened to make a sore slaugh- 
 ter." Hebrew is, to kill a killing, that is, to make 
 a great slaughter; it was both furbished and sharp- 
 ened, that it might terrify with its glistering, and cut 
 more sorely with its sharpness. 
 
 Ohs. When God is bringing judgments upon a 
 people, he will fit instruments for accomplishing of 
 the same, and that to piurpose. He will make that 
 which is blunt, sharp; that which is rusty, glitter- 
 ing ; and those who are spiritless, full of spirit : he 
 can make one to chase ten, ten a hundred, and a 
 hundred a thousand ; his works shall never fail for 
 want of instruments. 
 
 "Should we then make mirth?" The Hebrew 
 is, shall we rejoice ? 
 
 Obs. 1. Times of war and judgments are no times 
 for mirth. The sword is unsheathed, it is whetted, 
 it is furbished, it is approaching ; should we then 
 make mirth ? that is as unseasonable as snow in 
 summer, and thimder in winter ; that is a time for 
 fasting and prayer, for sackcloth and ashes, for 
 judging ourselves and rending our hearts ; that is a 
 time to mourn, and not to be merry : Isa. xxii. 12 — 
 14, " In that day did the Lord God of hosts call to 
 weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to 
 girding with sackcloth : and behold joy and glad- 
 ness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, 
 and drinking wine, &c. And it was revealed in 
 mine ears by the Lord of hosts. Surely this iniquity 
 shall not be purged from you till ye die." It pro- 
 
 vokes God exceedingly, that man calls for mirth 
 when he call for mourning. 
 
 Obs. 2. The godly and faithful, both ministers and 
 people, are affected with judgments coming upon 
 church or state. " Should we then make mirth ? " Isa. 
 xxii. 4, 5. " Look away from me ; I W'ill weep bitter- 
 ly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling 
 of the daughter of my people : for it is a day of 
 trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity." 
 So Jer. ix. 1, " Oh that my head were waters, and 
 mine eyes a fountain of tears," &c. So Christ wept 
 over Jerusalem, Luke xix. 41 — 14, for the evils he 
 
 saw commg. 
 
 " It contemneth the rod of my son, as every tree." 
 These words are dithcult. The Hebrew stands thus, 
 the rod of my son contemning every tree. 
 
 The word " rod," isar some render, tribe, and 
 so make the sense to be, the tribe of Judah, the son 
 of God, which Nebuchadnezzar, the sword of God, 
 despised as every tree ; but thus tribe, son, and every 
 tree, do fall in to be the same. 
 
 Others make the sense thus, This sword, the rod 
 of my son, viz. my people, I have appointed to punish 
 them with ; and however they have been able to en- 
 dure other rods, yet this is stronger than they, and 
 shall not be broken or frustrated of its end, when I 
 shall use it: this sense is not to be despised; as if 
 by "son," Nebuchadnezzar be meant, who being 
 armed with power, contemned every tree, the green 
 tree and the dry tree, the high and the low tree, all 
 the men of the land of Israel. If Cyrus, who de- 
 livered God's people, be styled but his " servant," it 
 were much that Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed 
 them, should be called his " son." 
 
 Others interpret the words of Christ, who is meant 
 by "son," and "rod," to be the sword in Christ's hand; 
 he was resolved now to cut down every tree by his 
 judgment, and to break this nation in pieces by the 
 iron rod and sword he had in liis hand : the Father 
 speaks concerning his Son to the prophet. And the 
 1 1th verse strengthens this interpretation : " He hath 
 given it to be ftirbished." Who is that "he," but 
 the Son ? and who gave it " into the hand of the 
 slayer," but he ? and that was Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 Obs. 1. Christ hath rods and judgments in his 
 hand. " The rod of my Son." Christ is not all 
 mercy, though full of mercy ; " the Father hath 
 committed all judgment unto him;" Rev. vi. 16, the 
 Lamb hath wrath in him, as well as meekness ; 
 Christ is a Lion to tear in ])ieces, as well as a 
 Samaritan, &c. See Psal. ii. 12. 
 
 Obs. 2. When sinners profit not, but are worse 
 under lesser judgments, this provokes Christ to bring 
 forth more heavy judgments. The rod of my Son, 
 contemning every tree : though they stood it out 
 against other rods, they should not be able to do so 
 against this. When the axe comes to the root of 
 trees, they must down : a knife they may despise, 
 but an axe despises them. 
 
 Obs. 3. Some judgments are so grievous, as they 
 sweep away all. This rod despised every tree, the 
 strongest oaks, the tallest cedars, the king, princes, 
 nobles, counsellors, soldiers, artificers, &c. 
 
 066'. 4. From ver. 11, Enemies cannot hurt unless 
 they have power and furniture given them. The 
 sword was fitted for and given into the hand of the 
 slayer ; Nebuchadnezzar could not have stirred, 
 destroyed a man in the land of Israel, unless Christ 
 had empowered him. Pilate had no power but 
 w^hat was given him. No man or nation hath power 
 against another, unless they are armed from God or 
 Christ. Had the Jews kept in with them, none 
 should ever have harmed them. 
 
 Ver. 12. " Cry and howl, son of man." The word
 
 Veb. S— 13 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 620 
 
 for " cry " is pyi which signifies to cry out on account 
 of distress of mind. Jer. xxx. 15, " Why criest thou 
 for thine affliction ? " afflictions straitened and 
 pressed the spirit of Jacoh, so that he cried out. 
 You have the word in Ezek. ix. 8; xi. 13, where it 
 notes, crying from sorrow and pressure of mind. 
 
 " Howl." Beasts do howl when pinched with 
 hunger, or sutler some great misery. The Hebrew 
 word, SS' saith Abenacius, hath affinity with SSn and 
 S'S words which signify night, and reduction in a 
 manner to notliing ; and when men are encompassed 
 •ft ith great calamities, and ready to perish, then they 
 howl. Isa. Ixv. 14, "Ye shall cry for sorrow of 
 heart, and howl for vexation of spirit :" the Hebrew 
 is, for breaking of spirit ; when their spirits should 
 be broken, and they ready to sink, and be ruined, 
 then they should howl. 
 
 " For it shall be upon my people." The Hebrew 
 is, it hath been upon my people : it is usual with 
 the Hebrew to put a preter-tense for the future, to 
 signify the certainty of the thing ; and so it is here. 
 
 " Upon all the people of Israel." In chap. xi. 1, 
 you have " princes of the people." The word there 
 is, -lytf whence our English word, sir, which is as 
 much as prince, or lord : here it is " princes of Israel," 
 and the word is, 'tiirj nesiee, from nwj to prefer, lift 
 up, set on high. 
 
 " Terrors by reason of the sword." The word for 
 " terrors " is, 'TiJO which is variously rendered. 
 The reading we have I like best, and most exposi- 
 tors agree in it ; and so the word is rendered, Lam. 
 ii. 22. Jer. vi. 25, '"The sword of the enemy and fear 
 is on every side." 
 
 " Smite therefore upon thy thigh." In chap. vi. 
 11, the Lord commanded the prophet to smite with 
 his hand, stamp with his foot, and here to smite 
 upon his thigh ; which were gestures to express 
 grief and sorrow in great and sad calamities : Tun- 
 debant f(Pmora palmia, They smote upon their thighs 
 with their hands. 
 
 Obs. 1. The calamities of wars are matter of great 
 mourning and sad gestures. Cry, howl, smite upon 
 thy thigh. Jer. iv. 6 — 8, God would bring evil from 
 the north upon them, Nebuchadnezzar the lion w'as 
 coming ; " for this gird you with sackcloth, lament, 
 and howl." 
 
 Obs. 2. The sword makes no distinction of persons. 
 " It shall be upon my people, and upon all the 
 princes of Israel ;" they should find no more favour 
 than others, not any, not the greatest of them, should 
 be exempted from the evils of the sword. Jer. lii. 
 10, 11, " The king of Babylon slew the sons of Zede- 
 kiah before his eyes ; he slew also all the princes of 
 Judah in Eiblah. Then he put out the eyes of Ze- 
 dekiah." 
 
 Obs. 3. Times of war are times of fears. " Terrors 
 by reason of the sword shall be upon my people." 
 The sword drawn is a terrible thing. Josh. ii. 9 ; x. 
 12 ; Jer. xv. 8 ; xlvi. 3—5 ; xlix. 24, 29. The sword 
 is mugor-missabib, fear round about ; it makes fami- 
 lies, towns, cities, nations, to fear and tremble ; when 
 the sword is without, there is terror within, and such 
 terror ofttimcs as is desh-uctive, Dcut. xxxii. 25 ; 
 men's hearts meditate such terrors, as bereave them 
 of their wits, senses, lives. 
 
 Ver. 13. " Because it is a trial." The word for 
 " trial" is, |n3 to prove, examine, try. Now they 
 should find and feel the sword more glistering, sharp, 
 and destructive than ever. 
 
 " And what if the sword contemn even the rod ? 
 it shall be no more." Interpreters are perplexed 
 about these words, as they are in the original, and 
 what to make of them as translated, I know not. 
 Those words, " the sword," and " more," are not in 
 
 the text, and puzzle the sense. The Hebrew is tlius. 
 And what if also the rod despising, hath not been ? 
 that is, what if the rod heretofore or hitherto hath 
 not been a despising rod, but rather despised ? as 
 Zedekiah and his nobles despised the oath and co- 
 venant made with Nebuchadnezzar, chap. xvii. K! ; 
 yet now it should be a despising rod : and so it suits 
 with that in ver. 10, The rod of my Son, despising 
 every tree ; and that in ver. 12, " It shall be upon 
 all the princes of Israel ;" and with that in Hab. i. 
 10, " They shall scoff at the kings, and the princes 
 shall be a scorn unto them ; they shall deride every 
 strong hold." Or thus. There is cause thou shouldst 
 cry, howl, smite upon thy thigh, because the sword 
 shall be a trial ; and what also if it shall not be a 
 despising rod ? if it be a trying rod, there is cause 
 enough to mourn, but it shall be a despising rod, and 
 so there is more cause to mourn. If this rod make 
 them not try their ways, repent, and turn, it shall be a 
 rod to despise the stoutest of them, and to destroy them. 
 
 Obs. 1. That the judgments of God are trials, they 
 discover and make known what people are. The fire 
 tries the metals, and declares what is good silver, 
 good gold, and what is reprobate. Deut. viii. 2, God 
 kept them forty years in the wilderness, to prove 
 them, and know what was in their hearts ; the hard 
 things they met with there, discovered some to be 
 murmiircrs, some idolaters, some fornicators, some 
 backsliders. Isa. viii. 21, " It shall come to pass, 
 that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret 
 themselves, and curse their king and their God :" 
 when evil was upon them, then their wickedness 
 appeared. So Jehoram, 2 Kings vi. 33, belched out 
 his vileness in a time of distress, saying, " This evil 
 is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord 
 any longer?" he is a cruel God, destroys the people 
 with famine, and puts them upon eating their own 
 children, therefore I will wait no longer on him. 
 When great winds are abroad, they tell you what 
 trees are sound or rotten. 
 
 Obs. 2. God tries before he destroys ; rods of trial 
 come before rods of destruction. When the sword 
 is drawn, furbished, and whet, the Lord tries men 
 thereby, whether they will consider their w-ays, re- 
 pent, and turn unto him, before he cut and destroy 
 therewith. Tidings and terrors of the sword pre- 
 cede the strokes of it. Amos iv. 6, 9, the Lord sent 
 a famine amongst them, but they returned not unto 
 him ; he tried them what they would do, he looked 
 for their return. 2 Chron'. vii. 13, 14, " If I shut up 
 heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the 
 locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence 
 among my people ; if my people which are called 
 by my name, shall humble," &c. God tries his peo- 
 ple by threatenings, by bringing judgments near 
 unto them, by inflicting lesser judgments upon them, 
 .before he makes an utter destruction of them ; that 
 they may learn righteousness, humble themselves, 
 and so either prevent the judgments, or have them 
 turned into mercies. 
 
 Obs. 3. Wlien rods of trial do us no good, then 
 follow rods of destruction ; when the trying rod hath 
 been dispised, then comes the despising rod, the 
 rod that will not regard young or old, high or low, 
 prince or people. At first God did lightly afflict 
 Zebulun and Naphtali, but that being in vain, after- 
 wards he afflicts them more gi'ievously, Isa. ix. 1. 
 When Dimon profited not by her first strokes, God 
 laid more upon her, Isa. xv. 9. When smiting the 
 Imtel of the door, and shaking the posts, did not 
 prevail, then did the Lord cut and slay with the 
 sword, Amos ix. 1. If fear work not, he hath a pit ; 
 if that do it not, he hath a snare, Isa. xxiv. 17, 18. 
 When paternal chastisements profit not, God hath
 
 526 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. XXI. 
 
 destroying juclt;ments; he will deal then with men, 
 not as erring children, but as open enemies. 
 
 Ver. 14 — 17. Thnu therefore, son of man, pro- 
 phesfi, nnd smite thine hands together, and let the 
 xu-ord be doubled the third time, the siiord of the 
 slain : it is the stcord of the great men that are 
 slain, which entereth into their privy chambers. 
 I have set the point of the sword against all their 
 gates, that their heait may faint, and their ruins 
 be multiplied : ah ! it is made bright, it is wi-ap- 
 ped up for the slaughter. Go thee one way or 
 other, either on the right hand, or on the left, 
 whithersoever thy face is set. I will also smite 
 tiiine hands together, and I will cause my fury to 
 rest : I the Lord have said it. 
 
 The instruments, causes, and end, of the sad judg- 
 ments coming upon the Jews, being formerly de- 
 clared, here the manner and circumstances thereof 
 are laid down. 
 
 " Smite thine hands together." The Hebrew is, 
 Bmite hand to hand ; P|D notes the concavity and 
 liollowness of any thing, and .so the hollow and palm 
 of the hand. Whether this smiting of hands imports 
 sorrow or joy is questioned ; some make it to signify 
 joy, prefiguring the pleasure of God in executing 
 judgment upon the Jews ; but when smiting or 
 clapping of hands is referred to the creature to ex- 
 press joy, other words are used, as saphack, Job xxvii. 
 23; Lam. ii. 15 : macha, Psal. xcviii. 8 ; Isa. Iv. 12: 
 takang or takah, Psal. xlvii. 1 ; Nah. iii. 19. Be- 
 sides this, the prophet was in a mourning frame ; 
 ver. 10, wlien the sword is coming, " should we then 
 make mirth?" and, chap. vi. 1 1, smiting with the 
 hand imported sorrow, and so I conceive it doth 
 here : " Smite thine hands together," once, twice, 
 thrice, oft, for the evils that are coming. 
 
 "Let the sword be doubled the third time." The 
 word for "doubled" is, Sd3 which signifies also, 
 lo repeat, reply. The sense is, let the sword come 
 the second and third time. Some read the words 
 thus, The sword shall come the third time. Nebu- 
 cha<lnezzar had come twice before, in Jehoiakim's 
 and Jehoiacliin's days, and after came in Zedekiah's, 
 carrying him away to Babylon ; and this is made the 
 mind of the Lord in these words : but because two of 
 these were past, and the Lord speaks of the time 
 to come, we may understand them of the sword of 
 Nebuchadnezzar upon Zedekiah, 2 Chron. xxxvi. ; 
 of the sword of Johanan against Ishmael, and the 
 Jews, for nnn-dering Gedaliah, Jer. xli. ; and the 
 sword of Nebuzaradan when he laid all waste, car- 
 ried all away, leaving only a few to be vine-dressers 
 and husbandmen, Jer. Iii. 
 
 " The sword of the slain." A sword that is ready" 
 to slay, to slay the great ones, and to make great 
 slaughter of them : when many are slain by the sword, 
 that sword is the sword of the slain, "or slaying 
 sword. 
 
 " It is the sword of the great men that are slain." 
 It is a sword appointed to slay the great men. In 
 the Hebrew it is in the singular number, the sword 
 of the great man slain, or, of great slaying. 
 
 " Which entereth into their privy chambers." 
 The Hebrew is, chambering or lodging with them ; 
 mn is a chamber, any secret, close place ; it notes 
 the inwards of man's heart, or soul, Prov. xviii. 8 : 
 the sword shoidd enter into their chambers, into 
 their bowels and souls, the fear of it should possess 
 them. The Septuagint express it thus. Thou shalt 
 cast them into fear, or amazement; the sword shall 
 first enter into the secret of your souls, and fill you 
 
 with terrors, and after enter into your bodies, and 
 take away your lives. 
 
 Ver. 15. " 1 have set the point of the sword 
 against all their gates." The word for " point " is 
 nnsN which interpreters render, splendour, clamour, 
 terror, slaughter, and these are all like the point of a 
 sword to those who are besieged : properly it notes 
 the point or edge of the sword, which God set against 
 all their gates, their public gates of the city round 
 about, and the private gates of their several houses ; 
 every where should the sword be, both in city and 
 country, where they had gates, any rule or power. 
 
 " That their heart may faint." In times of great 
 fears and dangers, men's hearts do often faint and 
 fail them ; when they have most need of heart, they 
 are without hearts. God sent and set his sword for 
 to dissolve and melt their hearts, so the word, Jia 
 translated, to faint, signifies ; all their spirit, vigour, 
 and courage, should be dissolved, and so they should 
 be faint, feeble, heartless. The Septuagint is, That 
 their heart might be hurt or w'ounded. 
 
 " And their ruins be multiplied." In the Hebrew 
 it is, to multiply offences : the soldiers would offend 
 them, the sword would offend them, their straits would 
 offend them, the slain would offend them, they met 
 with nothing but offences, at which they stumbling 
 fell also. If we take the words passively as they 
 stand, the meaning is, that their destructions might 
 be many, that multitudes of them might fall. 
 
 " It is wrapped up for the slaughter." This ex- 
 pression seems unsuitable for a sword, and exposi- 
 tors are put to it to make out the meaning of it. 
 The original word means, to cover, clothe, put on, 
 to hasten, and were better rendered, it is put on, or 
 hastened for slaughter, than clothed or wrapped up 
 for slaughter ; it is harsh to say, clothed with the 
 hilt, or wrapped up in the belt. Sanctius makes the 
 clothing for slaughter, to be the fitting of it thereto. 
 
 Ver. Hi. " Go thee one way or other, either on 
 the right hand, or on the left." Here by an apostrophe 
 the Lord speaks to the sword, and under that to the 
 army of the Chaldeans, commissioning that and them 
 to go through the land of Judea, and to execute his 
 pleasure. The words in the Hebrew run thus, Unite 
 thyself, right-hand thyself, put, or set thyself, left- 
 hand thyself. 
 
 " Whithersoever thy faces are prepared." That is, 
 Sword, unite thyself to the soldiers, soldiers, unite 
 yourselves together, go the right-hand or left-hand 
 way, which you have most mind unto, which way 
 your spirits incline y'ou most to, only see to it that 
 you execute my pleasure upon all you meet. Be not 
 afraid at what befell Sennacherib when he went 
 against Jerusalem ; I was against him, but I am 
 with you. 
 
 Ver. 17. "I will also smite my hands together." 
 In this verse is God's approbation of what the Chal- 
 deans' sword and army should do ; they should con- 
 quer and destroy the Jewish nation, and he would 
 rejoice in it. Smiting of hands before expressed grief, 
 and here it is an expression of joy ; so it is used chap. 
 XXV. 6. It notes not only God's approbation of the 
 Babylonians' undertakings, but his encouragement of 
 them to that work, that so he might execute his 
 vengeance upon them, and be at rest ; as it follows : 
 
 " I will cause my fury to rest." God's fury was 
 stirred against them, and boiled in him, and when 
 this fury should be poured out upon them by the 
 Chaldeans' army, then should he be at ease, and com- 
 forted, as it is Ezek. v. 13, where these words were 
 spoken to. 
 
 Obs. 1. It is no new thing for the prophets of the 
 Lord to prophesy in sackcloth. Ezekiel must pro- 
 phesy and smite his hands together, in token of
 
 Ved. 18—24. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 527 
 
 mourning and heaviness ; our prophet was in sack- 
 cloth, bijng a captive in Babylon, seeing the sad 
 judgments which were coming upon Jerusalem. So 
 Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel, Amos, had mournful spirits, 
 and prophesied in sackcloth, they smote their hands 
 together, and dropped out sad things. The times 
 were black in their days, they are not clear now ; is 
 not the sword coming the third time ? is it not put- 
 ting on for slaughter ? shall not the prophets mourn 
 and smite their hands together ? 
 
 06.V. 2. Where the word prevails not to reform a peo- 
 ple, there the judgments of God will come in, one after 
 another, to the destruction of a people. " Prophesy, 
 and let the sword be doubled the third time." He had 
 oft prophesied, but there appeared no repentance, no 
 returning to God, therefore let the sword come again 
 and again. Had they repented of their sins, God 
 would have repented of the evils intended, Jer. xviii. 
 7, 8 ; but when people go on in their sins, God will 
 go on in his judgments, even to destruction. See 
 Lev. xxvi. 21, 22, 31—^3 ; Deut. xxviii. 62. 
 
 Obs. 3. When God will punish sinners for their 
 wickedness, there is no hiding-place to secure them 
 from the stroke of God, be they great or mean ones ; 
 that is the sword of the great men, which entereth 
 into their privy chambers ; whatever holes, recesses, 
 vaults, hiding-places, they had, the sword would 
 find them out. God knows where men are when 
 hid, and his hand can reach them as well as his eye 
 see them. When the Syrians fled to Aphek to secure 
 themselves from the sword of Ahab, a wall fell upon 
 twenty-seven thousand, and slew them, 1 Kings xx. 
 30. In times of danger men think of shifting for 
 themselves, of hiding here and there ; but what are 
 cities, towers, chambers, secret places ? there is no 
 safety in any of them, or any other place ; see Amos 
 ix. 2, 3. The only safe hiding-place, is in " the 
 secret place of the Most High," Psal. Ixxxi. I, that 
 is, in God himself ; Psal. cxix. 114, "Thou art my 
 hiding-place and shield." Be wise then, foresee evil 
 coming, and hide yourselves in this hiding place : 
 Prov. xxii. 3, " A prudent man foreseeth the evil, 
 and hideth himself." 
 
 Obs. 4. AVhen the Lord intends the destruction of 
 a people, he will order things accordingly. " I have 
 set the point of the sword against all their gates." 
 Hereby all fleeing was prevented, and if they thought 
 to stand and fight it out with the instruments he 
 used, he made their hearts to faint, he threw stum- 
 bling-blocks in their way, he multiplied their ruins. 
 When the Lord is against a nation, he besieges them 
 ^•ith evils, stops and shuts up all doors of hope, takes 
 away their hearts, makes those thingsmatter of ruin 
 wliich they made account would be their refuge. 
 Jer. iv. 9, " At that day the heart of the king shall 
 perish, and the heart of the princes ; and the priests 
 shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder ;" 
 and why ? " the sword rcacheth unto the soul." 
 
 Obs. 5. It is the Lord's commission, encorn'age- 
 ment, and providence, which puts life into military 
 undertakings, and makes them successful. " Go thee 
 one way or other, to the right hand or to the left." 
 God bid Nebuchadnezzar, the army, and sword, go ; 
 had he not bid them go, been with them in their 
 going, and ordered all their undertakings, they had 
 been vain and fruitless. Armies are but instruments, 
 and if they do execution upon enemies, if they con- 
 quer and subdue, it is by the hand and power of God. 
 
 Obs. 6. Execution of justice upon sinful persons 
 and nations is pleasing and delightful unto God. He 
 put on Nebuchadnezzar to go and destroy the Jewish 
 nation, and when he went, he smote his hands to- 
 gether at it, he rejoiced; by this means the Lord 
 eased himself of his adversaries, as he speaks, Isa. 
 
 i. 24, rested from his fury, and comforted himself. 
 They had pleased themselves in their sinnings, but 
 wearied God thereby; now jGod would please him- 
 self m punishing them for their sins, and weary 
 them, yea, waste them with his judgments. 
 
 Obs. 7- That which is matter of mourning unto 
 man, is matter of joy unto God. This rises from the 
 various sense of the phrase, smiting of hands ; because 
 the sword was come, therefore Ezekiel was to smite 
 his hands together, and manifest mourning, and be- 
 cause it was to come, God would smite his hands 
 together, and manifest joy. 
 
 Ver. 18 — 24. T7ie u-ord of the Lord came unto 
 me again, saying, Also, thou son of man, ap- 
 point thee two ways, that the sword of the king 
 of Babylon may come: both twain shall come 
 forth out of one land : and choose thou a jjlace, 
 choose it at the head of the way to the city. Ap- 
 point a way, that the sword may come to Rahbath 
 of the Ammonites, and to Judah in Jerusalem the 
 defenced. For the king nf Babylon stood at the 
 parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, 
 to use divination : he made his arrows bright, he 
 consulted with images, he looked in the liver. At 
 his light hand ivas the divination for Jerusalem, to 
 appoint captains, to opeii the mouth in the slaugh- 
 ter, to lift up the voice ivith shotiting, to appoint 
 battering rams against the gates, to cast a. mount, 
 and to build a fort. And it shall be unto them as 
 a false divination in their sight, to them that have 
 sivorn oaths : but he will call to remembrance the 
 iniquity, that they may betaken. Therefore thus 
 saifh the Lord God; Because ye have made 
 your iyiiqitity to be reinembered, in that your 
 transgressions are discovered, so that in all your 
 doings your sins do ajipear ; because, I say, that 
 ye are come to remeiabrance, ye shall be taken 
 with the hand. 
 
 These words do treat of Nebuchadnezzar's con- 
 sultation about his military xmdertakings, and the way 
 he took to accomplish the same, viz. divination, and 
 the event thereof in respect of the Jews. 
 
 " Appoint thee two ways." In the fourth chapter 
 the projihet was to portray out Jerusalem upon a 
 tile, and to lay siege against it; here he is com- 
 manded to foretell the coming of the king of Babylon, 
 not verbally, but typically, by way of representation, 
 and he must draw out upon the same tile, or some 
 such thing, two ways; put before thee, or make unto 
 thee, two ways. 
 
 " That the sword of the king of Babylon may 
 come." Much was said before of the sword, the 
 drawing, sharpening, furbishing, and slaughtering of 
 it : and here is a plain discovery whose sword it 
 was, the sword of a king, and the king of Babylon. 
 
 " Both twain shall come forth out of one land." 
 These two ways must come out of Babylon ; he must 
 first draw a line, and then branch it out into two, as 
 a river runs a long tract in one channel, and then di- 
 vides itself into two. 
 
 " Choose thou a place, choose it at the head of 
 the way to the city." Choose you the hand, side, 
 or place, where the king of Babylon, having mustered 
 up his forces, may deliberate and consult what to do, 
 whither to go, which way to take ; let it be at the 
 head of the way. Where the beginning of the two 
 ways was, that was the head of the way. 
 
 Ver. 20. " Appoint a way that the sword may come 
 to Rahbath." Draw out one way leading to Rab-
 
 528 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXI. 
 
 bath, that so Nchnchadnezzar may see work for his 
 sword there. Rabbath was the royal city, and cliief 
 city of the Ammonites, 2 Sam. xii. 26, who wi re the 
 posterity of Ben-ammi, the incestuous son of Lot, 
 Gen. xix. 38. 
 
 " And to Judah in Jerusalem the defenced." That 
 the sword may come not only to the Ammonites, but 
 also to the Jews which dwelt iu Jerusalem, a city 
 well fortified. Habbath was strengthened by waters, 
 2 Sam. xii. 27, and therefore was called " the city of 
 waters;" but Jerusalem was compassed about with 
 hills, Psal. cxxv. 2, had strong towers and bulwarks, 
 Psal. xlviii. 12, 13, and was called a strong city, 
 Psal. xxxi. 21. 
 
 Ver. 21. " For the king of Babylon stood at the 
 parting of the way, at the head of the two ways." 
 Here is a preter-tense put for the future ; the king 
 of Babylon had not yet stood there, but he shall 
 .stand at the parting of the way, at the mother of the 
 way; when a way divides into or begets two ways, 
 the Hebrew calls the first way, the mother of the 
 other, and head of them, as here, " the head of the 
 two ways." 
 
 " To use divination." He being doubtful what 
 to do, whither to go, the right-hand or left-hand 
 way, should make a stand, where the way parted, 
 to consult ; he thought it not meet to divide his 
 army, and to go both ways at once : to set upon two 
 such great cities as Jerusalem and Rabbath, each 
 of them would require his whole strength, and there- 
 fore he would try by divination to which of them he 
 shoidd go. 
 
 " He made his arrows bright." This is the first 
 kind, which expositors call, /jfXofmj'rin, seu pafiSofiavria, 
 a divining by weapons, or rods. The Hebrew for 
 " arrows " is, D'sna wdiich signifies an arrow or knife, 
 so called from cutting or dividing, for 2fn is from nyn 
 to cut in pieces. Some render it, arrows, as the 
 manner of divining by them, was either by writing 
 the names of Jerusalem upon one, and of Rabbath 
 npon another, and then putting them with other ar- 
 rows into a quiver. The arrow first drawn out with 
 either of those names upon it, determined the case. 
 If the arrow with Jerusalem upon it was first drawn, 
 they then went thither; if that with Rabljafh u]ion 
 it, then they went to Rabbath. Some affirm they 
 made the arrows to leap out of the quiver by magic 
 art, and that which leaped on the right hand led 
 them to Jerusalem, that on the left hand to Rabbath. 
 So the Septuagint renders the words tov avaiSpaaat 
 piifiSov, to make the r<id spring forth. Others make 
 the manner of this divining to br, by the king's 
 throwing up an arrow into the air, whicli if it fell on 
 the right hand, they went the riglit-hand way ; if on 
 the left hand, the left-hand way. Others render the 
 word, knives, and so the sense may run thus ; He 
 made bright his knives, to cut open the birds or 
 beasts that were to be sacrificed : or take the word 
 for arrows or knives, he made them bright, he 
 scoured and polished them, that in the brightness of 
 the iron or steel, they miglit discern something to 
 direct. 
 
 " He consulted with images." This is the second 
 kind of divination wliich he used. Q'sins Ssf so 
 is the Hebrew, he asked of or consulted with tera- 
 phims. This word teraphim is oft used in the Old Tes- 
 tament, and is divers times translated images, whereas 
 in the Hebrew it is teraphim ; so you have it, Gen. xxxi. 
 19, 34, 35 ; 1 Sam. xv. 23 ; xix. 1.3, 16; Zech. x. 2; 
 2 Kings xxiii. 24. It is fit to inquire therefore what 
 teraphims were : not instruments of brass to distin- 
 guish the mituites or parts of hours, n(n- astrological 
 images made to speak; but, as Shindler observes, 
 they were images made like men, to this end, that 
 
 they might in or by them know things to come. So 
 Kircher sailh of 2-in they were images of men, 
 made to receive and communicate intelligence from 
 heaven about things to come. The teraphim Michal 
 laid in the room of David, was like unto a man, 
 I Sam. xix.; and that it was a divining image, may 
 appear by tliat you find in Gen. xxx. 27. " I have 
 learned by experience," saith Laban, "that God hath 
 blessed me for thy sake." The Hebrew is, 'nrnj 
 I have divined, he had his teraphims by which be 
 could do it; and it is conceived by the learned, that 
 Rachel stole away her father's teraphims npon this 
 ground, that he might not divine by them which way 
 she and Jacob were gone. The Sejitnagint, Zech. 
 X. 2, calls the teraphim, ujro(p9iyyottkvoi, speaking; and 
 Hos. iii. 4, (V(Xwi', representing, which the Targum 
 renders, mechoni ammntiantes ; all which do show, 
 that men held a divining virtue to be in their tera- 
 phims, audso Nebuchadnezzar conceived, and there- 
 fore consulted with his teraphims. 
 
 " He looked in the liver." This is the third kind 
 of divination. When they sacrificed, they opened 
 the sacrifice, and observed the inwards and entrails 
 exactly, especially the kidney, the heart, the milt, 
 and the liver, whence they were called eatispices, 
 and arusmcefi, because they did it at the altar. The 
 liver, asLavater saith, wns/on.f valicinii, from thence 
 they made their chiefest divinations : if that were 
 sound and good, without blemish, they made successful 
 (Uvinations thereupon ; but if vitiated or dislocated, 
 their divinations were untoward and unhappy. 
 
 Such divinations as these mentioned were unlawful; 
 Deut. xviii. 10, II, " There shall not be found among 
 you any one that uscth divination, or an observer of 
 times," &c. ; they are abomination to the Lord. 
 Divining in such ways was a grievous sin; I Sam. 
 XV. 23, " Rebellion is as the sin of divination ;" which 
 is not countenanced by that Prov. xvi. 10, "Divina- 
 tion is in the lips of the king," for so the Hebrew is : 
 here the word divining is taken in a good sense, and 
 is spoken of the king sitting in judgment, whom God 
 would guide, so that he should find out the truth; 
 for the next words are, " his mouth transgresseth not 
 in judgment." When the two harlots were before 
 Sidomon, pleading each for the live child, and the 
 truth was obscured by their pleading, God endued 
 the king with a divining spirit, so that he found out 
 the truth, and gave a divine sentence ; but this makes 
 nothing for the wicked divinations here mentioned. 
 Ver. 22. " At his right hand was the divination 
 for Jerusalem." Here you have the issue of his di- 
 vinations, which determined him, being doubtful be- 
 fore, which way he should go, viz. the right-hand 
 way, and that was to Jerusalem ; the arrows, images, 
 and livers, did all concur, according to their divina- 
 tions, that Nebuchadnezzar should go thither. 
 
 " To appoint captains." The word for " captains" 
 is, n'i3 cart'm, from 13 car, which signifies a pasture, 
 a lamb, and battering-rams, which were military in- 
 struments, used in sieges ; and so it was rendered, 
 Ezek. iv. 2 ; and so it is rendered in the latter part 
 of this vers '. where it is said, "to appoint battering- 
 rams against the gates ;" but because the word is 
 twice in the verse, it is rendered in the first place 
 " cajitains," for the word signifies the heads and 
 chief men of an army ; so you have it, 2 Kings xi. 4, 
 19. The king having consulted, now fell to action, 
 and appointed captains to lead the army to Jerusalem. 
 " To open the mouth in the slaughter." It may 
 be read, to open the mouth to slaughter; so Alonta- 
 nus, Lavater, and Vatablus read the words ; and the 
 sense is, the captains should exhort and stir them 
 up to kill and slay their enemies. Or if you will, 
 take opening the mouth here, for making a breach
 
 Ver. 18—24. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 529 
 
 in the wall. For " slaughter," vid. Junius. The 
 captains shnuld come close, besiege the city, make 
 a breach, enter, and slay, and in their entrance and 
 slaying, .should open their mouths, and make shout- 
 ing ; as follows, 
 
 " To lift up the voice with shouting." When 
 great exploits are attempted by men against their 
 enemies, oft they shout, and make a great noise, 
 that so they may daunt and terrify them. Doubtless 
 the clamour and shouts of these barbarous Babylo- 
 nians, did much perplex the Jews, made their hearts 
 faint and hands feeble ; to see the mounts, forts, and 
 battering-rams at their gates, could not but trouble 
 them, but when they made breaches in their walls, 
 entered and slew men with shouting, this attrighted 
 them and sunk their spirits. They afflicted Jerusa- 
 lem with shouting, and the Lord threatened Babylon 
 in the same kind ; Jcr. li. 14, " 1 will fill thee with 
 men, as with caterpillers ; and they shall lift up a 
 shout against thee." 
 
 Obs. I. The Lord knows things to come most cer- 
 tainly, yea, as certainly as if done already. He 
 knew that Nebuchadnezzar would come out of Ba- 
 bylon, what way he would come, and where he 
 would make a stand and consult, which he shows to 
 the prophet, and speaks of as done already, ver. 21, 
 " The king of Babylon stood at the parting of the 
 way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination." 
 The Lord sees things afar off, and knows what shall 
 be in ages to come. Hereby he confounds all idol 
 gods, and proves himself to be the true God. Isa. 
 xli. 22, 2.3, " Let them bring forth, and show us what 
 shall happen ; declare to us things for to come. 
 Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we 
 may know that ye are gods:" if you cannot discover 
 things that lie in the dark, if you cannot foretell 
 what shall be many years hereafter, you are no gods ; 
 I can do it, and therefore am God, the true and only 
 God: Isa. xlvi. 9, 10, " I am God, and there is none 
 like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and 
 from ancient times the things that are not yet done." 
 God had foretold things in Moses' days, that were 
 not accomplished in Isaiah's ; and he foretold things 
 in Isaiah's days, that are not yet all fulfilled : see 
 Isa. Ix. throughout, chap. Ixv. 17; Ixvi. 22. In Pe- 
 ter's days, the new heavens and the new earth were ex- 
 pected, 2 Pet. iii. 13, and arc not yet given out; so, 
 many things hath the Lord foretold in the Revela- 
 tion, which we wait still to see fulfilled. 
 
 Obs. 2. That even heathens, when they are in 
 straits, doubtful what to do, and how to proceed in 
 their undertakings, will not neglect, but use variety 
 of means for resolution. Nebuchadnezzar uses di- 
 vination, he makes bright the arrows, consulted his 
 gods, he looked into the liver ; these were such 
 means as he conceived condacible to sucli a purpose, 
 though sinful. Heathens have been forward in their 
 straits and doubts to get resolution, Dan. ii. 1, 2, 5, 
 6, 9 ; V. 5 — 8. It is incident to the nature of man, 
 both heathens and others, to run to unlawful means 
 in their necessities. God's own people did it ; Hos. 
 iv. 12, " My people ask counsel at their stocks, and 
 their staff declareth unto them ;" they consulted 
 with their images, which in disgrace the Spirit of 
 God calls " .stocks," and from their staves or rods 
 they took divinations. Such practices let us abhor, 
 but use those means God approves of, and hath ap- 
 pointed, for our resolution in our doubts and straits. 
 Instead of making bright the arrows, let us purge 
 and make bright our consciences, and they will tell 
 us something ; instead of consulting terapbims, 
 stocks, and stones, h t us consult with God and his 
 servants ; instead of looking into the liver of beasts, 
 let us look into the book of God, there we shall find 
 2 M 
 
 light to dispel our darkness, and to direct our ways : 
 David made God's testimonies his delight and coun- 
 sellors, Psal. cxix. 24. 
 
 Obs. 3. God overrules the wicked acts of men, and 
 makes them subservient to his will and ends. Nebu- 
 chadnezzar uses divinations which God had forbid- 
 den; and the divination might have been at his left 
 hand for Ral)bath, or Philadelphia, which is the 
 same ; but God had a purpose to bring him to Jeru- 
 salem, to cast up a mount, to build a fort there, to 
 set battering-rams against the gates thereof, and 
 therefore secretly, by his providence, he ordered the 
 divination, that it should be at his right hand for 
 Jerusalem. Whatever the lot is, wheresoever it be 
 cast, " the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord," 
 Prov. xvi. 33 ; Providence runs through the evil 
 counsels of men, and makes use of them, their coun- 
 sels and actions, to accomplish the good pleasure 
 and righteous ends of the blessed God: by the arts, 
 policies, methods, wiles, depths, designs of the devil, 
 and deWlish men, God carries on his own work, and 
 nothing puts him or his work out of the way. Di- 
 vinations of heathens promote the work of Heaven. 
 This is a mystery, but full of truth and admiration, 
 that God makes the worst tools and instruments, all 
 wicked men, and their ways, to serve his providence, 
 further his ends, and advance his glory ; the devil did 
 it in tempting Eve, and Judas in betraying Christ. 
 
 Ver. 2.3. " And it shall be unto them as a false 
 divination in their sight." The Jews at Jerusalem 
 would not believe this typical prophecy of Ezekiel, 
 representing the coming of Nebuchadnezzar, and 
 besieging of their city ; they looked upon what he 
 said as a false and foolish divination. What ! hath 
 Nebuchadnezzar made bright his arrows, consulted 
 his teraphims, looked into the liver ? we neither care 
 for nor fear him, or his coming. They saw not 
 God's hand in these things which ordered them so ; 
 however superstitious and wicked that Nebuchad- 
 nezzar w-as, he was confirmed in his work and way 
 for their ruin. 
 
 " To them that have sworn oaths." The Hebrew 
 is, swearing oaths to them. Rabbi David expresses 
 the words thus. Propter juramenia juramentorum ipsis, 
 For the oaths upon oaths made to them. The false 
 prophets had by many oaths confirmed them, that 
 the city should never be taken, whereupon they were 
 secure as men that keep sabbaths, who are at rest. 
 The Septuagint turns those words, i/3c"of/o?wi' tuq ijiSo- 
 fidSaQ aiiToii, weeking a week, or sabbatizing a sab- 
 bath. This variety rises from the Hebrew word yaw 
 which signifies seven, and thereupon a sabbath, and 
 also to swear. In this sense we take it: and the 
 Jews might be secure upon the oaths of their false 
 ]irophets, but whether they made such oaths is doubt- 
 ful ; rather, because of the oaths between them and the 
 Egyptians, for having violated the oath and covenant 
 with the Babylonians, they entered league with the 
 Egyptians, chap. xvii. 15, who promised them help, 
 horses, and much people, and that against the Ba 
 bylonians, if ever they .should come. 
 
 " But he will call to remembrance the iniquity, 
 that they may be taken." The word "he "being s-in 
 in the original, is hoc, as well as /tie, and may make 
 the sense thus. This thing, viz. their slighting the 
 prophecy, as a false divination, and their oathing of 
 it with the Egyptians, shall call to remembrance 
 that iniquity for which they shall be taken : or. This 
 thing, viz. this divination, falling on the right hand 
 of Nebuchadnezzar, and leading him to Jerusalem, 
 will bring to mind the iniquity, that is, the perfidi- 
 ousness of Zedekiah and the rest, in breaking the 
 oath, that they may be taken. If we read it, " he," 
 that is, Nebuchadnezzar, he will remember the ini-
 
 530 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXI. 
 
 qiiity of Zedekiah, ihat he and those with him miglit 
 be taken. 
 
 Obs. 1. Tiiat the messages and passages of the 
 messengers of God are matter of scorn to profane 
 and wicked men. " It will be unto them as a false 
 divination in their sight." When the jirophet por- 
 trayed out the way the king of Babylon should come, 
 the things he should do, the siege he should make 
 about Jerusalem, and the effects thereof, all these 
 were reputed by them lying things, false divinations. 
 What he told them in the latter end of the twentieth 
 chapter, they cried out of as parables, dark and ob- 
 scure things, which they understood not ; and here 
 they account his typical threatcnings as falsehood 
 and lies. When the false prophets fed them with 
 lying visions and divinations, they were honoured 
 and believed, 1 Kings xsii. 11, 12; Ezek. xiii. 6, 
 but when the true prophets told them the mind of 
 the Lord, they were reproached, as Jeremiah, " Thou 
 speakcst falsely," chap, xliii. 2 ; they were smitten 
 and imprisoned, as Micaiah, 1 Kings xxii ; their lives 
 were sought, Jer. xxxviii. 4 ; yea, they were put to 
 death, 2 Chron. xxiv. 20, 21. 
 
 Obs. 2. That those who brenk and make oaths fur 
 their own ends, making no conscience thereof, God 
 leaves them to injudiciousness of spirit, and to stum- 
 ble at his word and threats. " It shall be unto them 
 as a false divination in their sight, to them that 
 swear oaths." They sware to Nebuchadnezzar, and 
 violated what they had sworn for their own advan- 
 tages, and then sought for their security to the 
 Egyptians ; but what was the fruit hereof ? they 
 were given over to injudicious minds and impenitent 
 hearts, so that they discerned not God's proceedings 
 towards them, nor the prophet's language to them. 
 Perfidious and unjust dealings do so blind and harden, 
 that the word and ways of God become snares and 
 stumblingblocks unto them. 
 
 06.?. 3. The iniquities of princes and people do 
 not always lie hid, but in time appear for the ruin 
 of those who have committed them. " But he," or, 
 this thing, " will call to remembrance the iniquity, 
 that tliey may be taken." Zedeki^ih, his nobles, and 
 people, sinned in breaking with Nebuchadnezzar, 
 and falling in with Egyptians ; they thought that 
 time would bring a veil over those passages, that 
 they should be buried in the dark, lie still and never 
 see light more ; but those iniquities were brought to 
 mind, when the divination fell on the rightliand, 
 and drew Nebuchadnezzar to Jerusalem. He called 
 to mind what cause he had to invade their land, and 
 besiege that city ; he remembered how perfidiously 
 they had dealt with him, and thereupon roused up 
 himself and forces, to set upon them with all their 
 might. Princes' and states' iniquities may be coueh- 
 ant and dormant for a season, but at last they will 
 awake, appear, and prove lions rampant. Let not 
 any, great or small, flatter themselves that their sins 
 are forgotten, because they hear not of them ; they 
 will be called to mind to their detriment, if not then- 
 destruction. Saul's sin in slaying the Gibeonites 
 was unthouglit of, but by a famine it was called to 
 remembrance, and cost the lives of seven of his sons, 
 2 Sam. xxi. 
 
 Ver. 24. " Because ye have made your iniquity 
 to be remembered," &c. In this verse the Lord 
 gives a definitive sentence concerning the Jews, 
 they " shall be taken w ith the hand ;" and lays down 
 the reasons thereof. 
 
 1. They did those things which "made their ini- 
 uity to be remembered ;" they gloried they had 
 sliaken oflT the Babylonish yoke, w hich brought their 
 perjury and rebellion to remembrance ; God remem- 
 bered it, Nebuchadnezzar remembered it. 
 
 si 
 
 2. They w'ent on in other wicked courses; in all their 
 doings, their sinning appeared, they sinned openly. 
 
 You have three words here which seldom meet in 
 one verse, "iniquity," " tran.sgression," and "sin;" 
 the like is in Job xiii. 23, and in Exod. xxxiv. 7- 
 
 The word for "iniquity" is Jiy which signifies, 
 obliquity, crookedness, perverseness, injustice, and is 
 contrary to that which is right and equal; which 
 our English word, iniquity, imports. The word for 
 " transgression" is, yrs which notes rebellion, ob- 
 stinacy, maliciousness. The third word is, nsDn 
 which is, " sin" in a lower degree ; any or every go- 
 ing aside from the rule, any aberration from the way 
 of God, any failing in duty. The first of these the 
 Septuagint terms ahKta, the second aaijitta, the third 
 a/jiaiiTia, injustice, impiety, sin, or error. 
 
 " You shall be taken with the hand." By "hand " 
 the projihet means the Assyrian army, which should 
 come, take the city, and them in it. 
 
 Obn. 1. Open, impudent sinning, brings to mind 
 former iniquities. They had east olf the Babylonish 
 yoke in an unjust and wicked way ; they went on glo- 
 rying in their shame, and their latter sins brought to 
 mind their former ; their transgressions were so open, 
 discovered, their sins so apparent in all their doings, 
 that they made their iniquity to be remembered ; they 
 provoked God to plague them for their present and 
 former sins. Thieves, when taken in some wicked 
 acts, their former villanies come to light. As one 
 sin begets another, so one sin discovers another. 
 Many, having sinned in prostituting their bodies to 
 those they should not, afterwards make away the 
 children had by them ; so their sins breaking out, 
 former iniquities are brought to remembrance, and 
 themselves to punishment; men discover their .sins, 
 and their sins discover them. Here they made 
 their iniquities to be remembered, and their ini- 
 quities brought them to remembrance. 
 
 Obs. 2. Puljlic sins bring public judgments. They 
 had opeidy broken with N ebuchadnezzar, they gloried 
 in what they had done, and went on in such vile 
 cotu'ses as were apparent to heaven and earth ; and 
 because it was so, therefore Nebuchadnezzar is sent 
 against them, to take and ruin them. The Lord 
 never lets in public desolations upon a church or 
 state, till their sins are become public and incorri- 
 gible. It was so with Jerusalem at first, 2 Chron. 
 xxxvi. 14 — 17 ; and it was so with Jerusalem at last, 
 Matt, xxiii. 37, 38; their sins were public, and God 
 most justly brought public evils upon them. 
 
 Obs. 3. That God hath hands to apprehend sin- 
 ners with. " They shall be taken with the hand." 
 The Babylonish army was the hand of God, and with 
 it he apjirehended the sinners in Zion, slew many of 
 them, and led the rest captives into Babylon. The 
 instruments God uses to punish his people sinning 
 with, are sometimes called swords, Psal. xvii. 13 ; 
 sometimes axes, saws, rods, staves, Isa. x. 15; some- 
 times his battle-axe, and weapons of war, Jer. li. 20; 
 sometimes his net and snare, Ezek. xvii. 20 ; his pit, 
 chains, chap. xix. 4 ; all which are the hand of 
 God, Psal. xvii. 14; and in the hand of God he uses 
 them to do that which hands do ; by these he takes 
 plagues, and destroys sinners. 
 
 Ver. 25 — 27. And thou, profane ivicked prince 
 of Israel, whose day is come, ichen inif/niti/ shall 
 hai>e an end, thtis saith the Lord God ; Re- 
 move tlie diadem, and take off the crown : this 
 ■shall not he the same: e.ralt him that is low, avd 
 abase him that is high. I irill overturn, overttirn, 
 overturn, it: and it shall he no more, until he 
 come whose right it is ; and I ivul give it him.
 
 Ver. 25-27. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 U 
 
 These words are an apostrophe to the prince of 
 Israel, deelarmg what should befall him, and the 
 whole kingdom of Israel. He should be deprived 
 of his kingly dignity, the kingdom ruined, and abide 
 so, till the Lord should give it to him it belonged 
 unto. 
 
 Concerning the "prince of Israel," he is, 
 
 I. Described to be " profane and wicked." 
 
 II. The time is intimated of his misery; both 
 which are in ver. 25. 
 
 Ver. 25. " And thou, profane wicked prince of 
 Israel." This prince of Israel was Zedekiah, and 
 the titles given him are, not. Your saored majesty, 
 or, Your excellency's highness, but, " Thou profane 
 wicked prince." His profaneness and wickedness 
 doubtless was great, though much be not specified 
 iu the word; yet something is set down therein, 
 2 Chron. xxxvi. 12, " He did that which was evil in 
 the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not him- 
 self before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the 
 mouth of the Lord;" he despised the word and pro- 
 phet of the Lord; and ver. 13, " He rebelled against 
 king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by 
 God, but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his 
 heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel ;" 
 he profaned the holy name of God. Being perfidious 
 and obstinate, he fell in with Pharaoh kin" of Egypt, 
 and sought help of him against Nebuchadnezzar, 
 Ezek. xvii. 15 ; and so trusted in man, and not in 
 God. He was like the other lions, which learned to 
 catch the prey, and devoured men, Ezek. xix. ; and 
 so was cruel, bloody. " He did evil according to all 
 that Jehoiakim had done," Jer. Hi. 2 ; and he 
 did abominations, 2 Chron. sxxvi. 8 ; and in his 
 days was as gross idolatry in Jerusalem, and in the 
 temple, as ever before : Ezek. viii. then was there 
 the image of jealousy ; then did the ancients of Israel 
 worship creeping things, abominable beasts and 
 idols ; then did they worship the sun towards the 
 east ; then was Tammuz in the temple, and women 
 weeping for Tammuz : so that he upheld the vilest 
 idolatry that ever Jerusalem had, he was the cause 
 of their total ruin. It is not without cause, therefore, 
 that the prophet affixes these titles to the crown, 
 " Thou profane wicked prince of Israel :" and pro- 
 faneness was not peculiar to the prince, but prophets, 
 priests, and people were under that denomination ; 
 Jer. xxiii. 15, " From the prophets of Jerusalem is 
 profaneness gone forth into all the land ;" the court 
 prophets countenanced and communicated all the 
 court profaneness; and 2 Chron. xxxvi. 14, "The 
 chief of the priests and people transgressed very 
 much, after all the abominations of the heathen." 
 
 Yatablus reads the words thus, And thou, O prince, 
 condemned to death : and he cites the Chaldee para- 
 jihrast, in which it is to the same purpose, O thou 
 prince of Israel, who art to be cut ott'by the sword. 
 
 The prophet may seem here to forget himself in 
 speaking so opprobriously of the prince, which the 
 law forbad, Exod. xxii. 28. Eccl. x. 20, they might 
 neither think nor speak e\'il of the ruler, nor wish 
 evil to him ; and here Ezekiel calls Zedekiah the 
 pirince of Israel, profane, and wicked: and in so 
 doing he sinned not ; for being a prophet, he was to 
 give out what the Spirit of God gave in, and moved 
 him unto. So dealt Jeremiah by Coniah, calling 
 him " a despised broken idol, a vessel wherein was 
 no pleasure," chap. xxii. 2S. They would not flatter 
 princes, by being false to truth. When it is done 
 from a private and depraved spirit, then it is ill. 
 
 " Whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an 
 
 end." The words in Hebrew are, w'hose day of his is 
 
 come, in timeorseasonanendofiniquity. OZedekiah, 
 
 the dav of thy punishment is at hand, wherein shall 
 
 2 M 2 
 
 be an end of thy wickedness; thou shall no longer 
 be king, but suffer for what thou hast done. 
 
 Some by "iniquity" understand punishment, and 
 so the sense is, ttiy day is come when punishment, 
 that is, destruction, shall be thy end ; thou and thy 
 kingship shall be laid in the dust. The Hebrew for 
 " w-hen" is, ry which is of the same signification as 
 KatpoQ is, it notes both time and opportunity of time ; 
 and whether by "iniquity," sin, or punishment of 
 sin, be understood, or both, is not much material : God 
 will not suffer thee to go on any longer in thy pro- 
 fane and wicked courses, the time and season is at 
 hand, wherein he will punish thee, and so put an end 
 to thy sinning ; as before. 
 
 Obs. 1. That princes ofttimes are far from piety 
 and justice. " And thou, profane wicked jjrince of 
 Israel." Of all princes in the world, the princes of 
 Israel had cause to be holy and just. They were 
 seated where the worship of the true God was ; they 
 had the law of Moses, and were commanded to read 
 it continually, and not to depart from it to the right 
 hand or to the left, Deut. xvii. 18—20 ; they had the 
 sanhedrim, the priests, and prophets to counsel and 
 advise them : yet princes of Israel were profane, 
 they minded not the law of Moses or the worship of 
 God, they despised priests and prophets, they were 
 wicked, they persecuted good men and were perfidi- 
 ous to other princes, both Jehoiakim and Zedekiah 
 were so to Nebuchadnezzar, 2 Kings xxiv. 1, 20. 
 The profaneness and perfidiousness of princes hath 
 been great. Among all the kings of Israel there was 
 none good ; they followed Jeroboam and Ahab, who 
 were profane and wicked. Few among the kings of 
 Judah were found good. Howjirofane was Pharaoh, 
 when he said, " Who is the Lord, that I should obey 
 him ? " Exod. v. 2. How profane was Belshazzar, 
 when he quaffed in the bowls of the temple ! Dan. 
 v. 2 — 4. How profane was Ahaz, that thrust aside 
 the Lord's altar, and set up the Damascene altar ! 
 2 Kings xvi. How profane was Jehoiakim, that cut 
 the roll of Jeremiah in pieces, and cast it into the 
 fire ! Jer. xxxvi. 23. How profane was Herod, who 
 mocked Christ, set him at nought, and arrayed him 
 in a scornful manner! Lulie xxiii. 11. They were 
 kings that gave their power and strength to the 
 beast, and made war with the Lamb, Rev. xvii. 12 — ■ 
 14. You may read the horrible profaneness of An- 
 tioehus in 1 Mace. i. 46 — 52 ; he sent letters to Jeru- 
 salem to forbid what God had appointed; he com- 
 manded them to offer swine's flesh, and unclean 
 beasts ; that they .should defile their souls, and pol- 
 lute themselves with uncleanness ; that they might 
 forget the law, and change all the ordinances ; and if 
 they would not do so, they should die for it. Kings 
 and rulers have been the greatest enemies to the ways 
 of God and Christ ; they, above others,have set them- 
 selves against them, Psal. ii. 2, 3. Hence they are eoun- 
 silledto "be wise" and to "kiss the Son," ver. 10, 12. 
 
 Oba. 2. That the prophets and ministers of God 
 are not to fear the faces or frowns of the greatest, 
 but to reprove them sharply, being evidently guilty. 
 Thus dealt Ezekiel with Zedekiah, "Thou profane 
 wicked prince of Israel :" though he were great, yet 
 he spares him not, but brands him with his wicked- 
 ness, and sets it upon record for after generations. 
 John Baptist did the like by Herod ; when he was 
 upon taking his brother Philip's wife, he told him it 
 was unlawful, and would be an incestuous match, 
 Mark vi. 18 ; he was faithful in his ministry, and 
 would not flatter Herod himself. Neither magis- 
 trates nor ministers should fear or flatter the greatest, 
 because they are agents for and ambassadors of the 
 great God of heaven, in comparison of whom the 
 greatest on earth are as potsherds.
 
 632 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXI. 
 
 Obs. 3. That as princes have their times for sin- 
 ning, so there are times for their suffering. Zede- 
 kiah's day was cume, -nlien iniquity should have an 
 end ; he had his times to sliow his profaneness and 
 wickedness, and God had liis time to reckon with him 
 for the same. Princes may abound in wickedness, 
 go long unpunished, but there is a day, a time, com- 
 ing, wherein they shall smart for their lewdness. 
 David tells you, the day of wicked men is coming, 
 Psal. xxxvii. 13, that is, the time and season set for 
 their destruction ; which Peter expresseth thus, 
 2 Epist. ii. 3, "their judgment lingereth not, and 
 their damnation slumbereth not," it is making 
 towards them, and coming on swiftly, and will be bad 
 to them when it comes. Jer. 1. 27, " Woe unto 
 them ! for their day is come, the time of their visita- 
 tion :" that day is a visiting day ; God is the visitor, 
 and he will so visit them as shall breed amazement. 
 Job xviii. 20, Bildad, speaking of the calamities 
 which should befall the wicked in his day, saith, 
 "They that come after him shall be astonished at 
 his day, as they that went before were affrighted :" 
 the day of God's visiting those who are eminently 
 wicked, as princes and great ones, is so dreadful, as 
 that it alfrights the living which behold it, and 
 astonisheth the generations that come after it. You 
 may see what he doth at such times. Job xii. 1/ — 
 19, 21 ; PsaL Ixxvi. 12. Psal. ex. 5, he strikes 
 " through kings in the day of his wrath." 
 
 Ver. 26. " Thus saith the Lord God ; Remove the 
 diadem, and take off the crown." This verse con- 
 tains a judicial sentence agaiust Zedekiah, and de- 
 claration of mercy towards Jehoiachin. 
 
 " Remove the diadem." The verb here is infini- 
 tive, which may be read. Thus saith the Lord, to 
 remove the diadem, that is, I am now resolved to 
 take the diadem from Zedekiah's head, and to un- 
 king him : but it is usual among the Hebrews to put 
 infinitives for indicatives and imperatives, and there- 
 fore some read it, I will lake it away : others. Take 
 away, remove the diadem. The word for " diadem" 
 is r3:yo the same with B'JV both from bj» to wrap, 
 or compass about ; and sometimes it is expressed 
 by " hoods," which compassed the heads of women 
 about, as Isa. iii. 23 ; sometimes by " mitres," 
 which compassed the heads of priests about, as 
 Zech. iii. 5 ; sometimes by " diadem," as Isa. xxviii. 
 5, which compassed the heads of kings, as here 
 it did Zedekiah's. Some would have the high 
 priest here meant, by the word mitzm-phelli, which 
 they render hidurim, and belonged to him, Exod. 
 xxviii. 4 ; but here is no speech of the high priest, 
 it is spoken of the king, and notes his crown, not the 
 high priest's mitre, and so the next words import. 
 
 "Take off the crown." In Hebrew it is, Lift up 
 the crown : it now sits close to his head, and because 
 he hath sti-engthened himself by making a league 
 with the Egyptians, he thinks it" so fast, that it shall 
 not be removed ; but lift it up, take it away, it shall 
 no longer rest thrre. Of the word "cniwn" was 
 spoken before, chap. xvi. 12 ; the word is mey 
 gnalerah, from itay to surround, to cover on every 
 side. Kings' crowns do compass and cover their 
 heads. So did the king of Rabbath's, which Joab 
 took from the king's head, 2 Sam. xii. 30; the 
 weight of which was a talent of gold, which the 
 Annotations say, was sixty pounds weight; and 
 A ins worth, on Exod. xxxviii. 24, saith, a talent 
 weighed one hundred and twenty pounds, and Di- 
 odate, one hundred and twenty-five. AVhatever the 
 natural weight of the cro^\^^and chadem was, the 
 metaphorical weight exceeded it, viz. the cares, 
 fears, and troubles of it were exceeding great. Crowns 
 and diadems were insignia regalia ; and w hen the 
 
 Lord saith to the prophet, " Remove the diadem, 
 take off the crown," he intends not that the prophet 
 should do any such thing with his own hand, but 
 that he should declare by his prophesying, tliat now 
 the time was come, wherein Zedekiah should be 
 sfripped of all his regalities, be unkinged, and made 
 as another man. 
 
 " This shall not be the same." This, not this, is 
 the original. The Septuagint, al'Tti uv Tmavrr) inrat. 
 This shall not be such. This crown shall not be 
 this man's any longer ; or. This crown shall not be 
 thine, O Zedekiah ; or, This crown, viz. this kingly 
 government, shall not be this, an end of it is now 
 come, thou art the last that shall be in Judea. Junius 
 reads the words thus. This diadem, the crown shall 
 be no more. Of this land, monarchical government 
 shall down, great confusion shall follow ; this shall 
 not be the same. Thou dreamest, through the de- 
 lusions of the false prophets, that Nebuchadnezzar 
 will not come to invade the land, or if he do come, 
 that thou shalt vanquish him by the help of Egypt, 
 and so that thou and thy posterity .shall reign still ; 
 but this shall not be, all regal power shall cease 
 from thee and thy posterity. 
 
 " Exalt him tliat is low." The word for " low" 
 is, nSsrn from Seh" which signifies, to be hum- 
 bled, oppressed; and so " low" is opposite to proud, 
 haughty, and those who are lifted up ; it refers to 
 one who is like a valley, not a mountain, and that 
 was Jehoiachin, ^\ ho yielding himself, by the counsel 
 of Jeremiah, to Nebuchadnezzar, was carried into 
 captivity, and there imprisoned ; God's eye was upon 
 him, and him, being depressed, oppressed, and low, 
 he would have exalted. Some read, I will exalt, 
 some. Exalt ; the Hebrew is infinitive, and may be 
 read indicativcly or imperatively. 
 
 " Abase him that is high." The former words 
 and these may be read thus. Heighten him that is 
 low, and make him low that his high. This high 
 person was Zedekiah, who through his pride and 
 haughtiness of spirit, would not endure the Babylon- 
 i.-.h yoke ; but perfidiou.^ly breaking with Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, fell in with the king of Egypt, grew confi- 
 dent, and despised the Assyrian power. He had 
 high thoughts, high hopes, high confidences, he 
 was become very mountainous ; but this mountain 
 must be levelled. Jeconiah, or Jehoiachin, being 
 a valley, was exalted, Jer. Iii. 31 ; 2 Kings xxv. 
 27 ; and Zedekiah being a mountain was abased, 
 2 Kings xxv. 6, 7; Jer. Iii. 8 — 11. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord doth strip great ones, even kings 
 and princes, of their glory, depose and abase them 
 for their iniquities. Zedekiah was profane, perfidi- 
 ous, cruel, unjust; and what saith the Lord ? " Re- 
 move the diadem, take away the crown, abase him 
 that is high." Whoever be the instruments that 
 take wicked kings, that spoil and punish them, it is 
 God that commands and commissions the doing 
 thereof. Nebuchadnezzar and his army were the 
 hand that did the things here ; they took Zedekiah, 
 they pulled off his crown, slew his sons, all the 
 princes, put out his eyes, bound him in chains, carried 
 him to Babylon, imprisoned him there ; but they could 
 not have done these things, unless they had had com- 
 mission and power from above : when kings are pulled 
 down and removed, it is the Lord doth it, Dan. ii. 21. 
 
 Job xii. 18, " He looseth the bond of kings ;" the 
 Vulgate saith, the belt of kings, that is, their autho- 
 rity and power, say some expositors. Vatablus hath 
 it, disciphnam, that tyrannical government they use 
 he dissolves, and casts them into reproach, prison, 
 captivity, and so " girdeth their loins with a girdle " of 
 sackcloth and calamity ; Vulgate is, he girds their 
 loins with a rope. And ver. 19, " He Icadtth princes
 
 Ver. 25—27. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 533 
 
 away spoiled;" the word is, cjns which though 
 some turn priests, yet it signifies also princes and 
 rulers, 2 Sam. viii. 18; and where our transla- 
 tors, who were much affected to priesthood, have 
 put it priest in the text, as Exod. ii. Iti ; Gen. xli. 
 40 ; xlvii. 22, 213, yet in the margin they have put 
 prince : and such God leads away spoiled ; spoiled 
 of their glory, their diadems, crowns, and princely 
 robes ; spoiled of their power, their soldiery, and 
 strong holds ; spoiled of their stratagems and designs ; 
 spoiled of their territories, dominions, and revenues ; 
 spoiled of their friends, comforts, and hopes. And 
 whither doth he lead them ? In dementiam, saith 
 Junius and Tremellius, into madness and brutishness : 
 and so he led Nebuchadnezzar, for his pride and 
 other sins, to bellow and graze amongst the beasts. 
 Intocontempt, saith Job, chap. xii. 21, being led out of 
 all desirable and delightful : " He poureth contempt 
 upon them ;" that is, he fills them w'ith contempt and 
 scorn, who were wont to be honoured of all, and 
 confer honours upon others : and how grievous this 
 is you may judge by that of Zedekiah, who chose 
 ratlier to see Jerusalem on fire, than to yield him- 
 self into the hands of the Chaldeans, for fear of 
 mocking, Jer. xxxviii. 18, 19 ; but afterwards he had 
 scorn and misery enough, being roasted in the fire 
 thereof. The Lord throws wicked princes from 
 their height of glory and greatness, mto extreme 
 misery. You know how Adoni-bezek was served ; 
 and in Isa. xxii. 15 — 18, you may read of Shcbna, 
 who was a great man, " Behold, the Lord will carry 
 thee aw-ay w'ith a mighty captivity, and will surely 
 cover thee :" and with what would he cover him ? 
 w ith misery and shame ; for it follows, " He will 
 surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a 
 large country : there shalt thou die, and there the 
 chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy 
 Lord's house." God east this Shebna, who was 
 proud and high, into extreme misery and disgrace j 
 he was driven out into a foreign land, where he was 
 either torn in pieces by dogs or buried with the 
 burial of an ass. 
 
 Obs. 2. The Lord pulls down and puts an end to 
 kings and kingdoms at his pleasure. " This shall 
 not be the same ;" this crown shall be no more for 
 thy head, any of thy posterity, or for the kingdom 
 of Israel. Here God pulled down the kingdom of 
 Israel or Judah, when it had stood near five hundred 
 years, and put a period to monarchical government. 
 Josephus, in his tenth book of the Jewish Antiquity, 
 chap. 10, saith, that the kingly government lasted 
 five hundred and fourteen years, six months, and ten 
 days, from the beginning of Saul's reign to the end 
 of Zedekiah's. Kingship began with them in God's 
 wrath, and ended in his fury, 1 Sam. viii. ; Ezek. xix. 
 12. The Assyrian empire lasted some one hundred 
 and twenty years, and then God pulled it down, it 
 was the same no more. The Atlienian government 
 by kings was some four hundred and ninety years, 
 and then the Lord said, " This shall not be the same," 
 he changed it into a popular government. The king- 
 doms of the earth are the Lord's, and he deals with 
 them as he sees good, he breaks them in pieces, and 
 gives them new forms, at his pleasure : Dan. ii. 20, 
 21, " Wisdom and power are his; he changeth the 
 times and the seasons ; he rcmoveth kings, and set- 
 teth up kings ;" he takes away one form of govern- 
 ment, and sets up another ; he puts down monarchy, 
 and sets up aristocracy. After the continuation of 
 monarchical government amongst us near six hun- 
 dred years, the Lord hath said, " Remove the diadem, 
 take off the cro\ni, this shall not be the same ;" he 
 hath put a new form upon us, which must have its 
 time, and period also. 
 
 What the Lord hath done here, and did long since 
 in Israel, he is about to do in other kingdoms of the 
 earth. The kings generally are so profane and 
 wicked, that the Lord hath a "controversy with them, 
 and is speaking to this effect, if not by his prophets, 
 yet by his providences ; " Remove the diadem, take 
 off the crown : these shall not be the same." 
 
 Seeing it is God which makes such changes, let 
 not us stumble at his providences and dispensations. 
 We are too apt to look at the tools he doth his work 
 by, and to quarrel uj)on that account, and not to 
 look at his hand which useth those tools. If kings 
 lose their crowns, if their glory be laid in the dust, 
 if posterity be excluded, if great alterations be made, 
 it is the Lord's doing, and should be marvellous in 
 our eyes, and not matter of murmuring. 
 
 Obi: 3. That as God brings down the haughty 
 and proud ones, so he raises the humble and deject- 
 ed. " Abase him that is high, exalt him that is low :" 
 God minds the oppressed. Jehoiachin lay a long 
 time in prison, and that in Babylon, even thirty- 
 seven years, but he was not forgotten ; God moved 
 Evil-merodach to bring him out of prison, and lift 
 up his head, Jer. Hi. 31 ; and so made that good, in 
 Job xii. 18, in another sense than you heard before; 
 " He looseth the bond of kings," he brings them out 
 of their disgrace, restraint, and misery, and girds 
 their loins with a girdle of honour, liberty, and com- 
 fort. Psal. cxxxviii. 6, " Though the Lord be high, 
 yet hath he respect unto the lowly," he advances 
 and honours them. Job v. 11, he sets " up on high 
 those that be low." Maiy was low, and he set her 
 among the highest ; which made her to sing and 
 say, Luke i. 52, " He hath put down the mighty 
 from their seats, and exalted them of low degree." 
 Let us take heed of high, aspiring thoughts, and re- 
 member what Christ hath given out, Luke xiv. 11, 
 " Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he 
 that humhleth himself shall be exalted." Self-ex- 
 altation makes way for abasement, and self-abase- 
 ment makes way for exaltation. Psal. cxlvii. 6, 
 "The Lord lifteth up the meek : he casteth the wick- 
 ed down to the ground." Those who are meekencd 
 and sweetened by their affiictions, the Lord lifts up ; 
 but the wicked he casts them off, he casts them down, 
 and down to the ground, into extreme misery. 
 
 Ver. 27. " I w'ill overturn, overturn, overturn it." 
 This verse is a threatening of the destruction of the 
 kingdom, and the time of its continuance in that con- 
 dition, which is, till he come, who is the right owner. 
 
 The Hebrew word is, n>y aji'a, from n^y which sig- 
 nifies to do crookedly, perversely, untowardly ; all 
 which do diminish the glory of w-hat is done ; and 
 so here, God would diminish the glory of the crown, 
 yea, the crown itself: " I will overturn it," and bring 
 it to nothing, (for it refers to the crown,) and that 
 should fall to the ground and be no more, the king- 
 dom shall be utterly overthrown and laid waste. 
 
 The word is trebled, " 1 will overturn, overturn, 
 overturn," to show not only the certainty and evi- 
 dence of the thing, but the gradation and continuance 
 of it ; for the kingdom of Judah by certain degrees 
 fell from its height, and was under the dominion of 
 strangers ; for after that Zedekiah was deposed by 
 Nebuchadnezzar, there was no crown nor king more 
 in Judah. After the capti^ty, there were no kings, 
 but governors, captains, rulers, as Zcrubbabel, Ne- 
 hemiah, and others ; after them, the high priests had 
 the power, in whose hands it continued, even to Hyr- 
 canus, who usurping kingly authority, saith Pradus, 
 was miserably slain, Herod, a stranger, succeeding. 
 
 Sanctius makes this triplication of the word to point 
 out the three great evils Zedekiah suffered. 1. The 
 loss of his kingdom and revenues. 2. The loss of
 
 534 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Ciur. XXI. 
 
 his sons and eyes. 3. His reproachful living in cap- 
 tivity. 
 
 A Lapide, and some others, understand by the 
 treblinir of the word, the three notable destructions 
 that befell the Jews after this time, tlie first by Ne- 
 buchadnezzar, the second by Antiochus, the third by 
 Titus and the Romans. 
 
 Otliers, by this triplication, judge the time of 
 those three, Assir, Shealtiel, and Pedaiah, to be 
 meant ; in whose days the kingdom of Judah was 
 very low, if not quite overthrown, but began to 
 flourish again in the days of Zerubbabel, who was 
 the son of Pedaiah, 1 Chron. iii. 19. But Assir may 
 be read appellatively, and not as a proper name, (it 
 is in the l/th verse of that 1 Chron. iii.) thus, The 
 sons of Jeconiah the bound, for he was then bound, 
 was a ])risoner in Baliylon; and so the word is used, 
 Isa. xlii. 7, "to bring out the prisoners;" the He- 
 brcH' is, -I'DiS and if it be taken so, this triplication 
 is marred. 
 
 Cheuinitius hath another exposition of this tripli- 
 cation of the words, which the learned may see in 
 his Harmony upon the Gospel, the first part, third 
 chapter, the latter end. 
 
 Men are various in their thoughts about the tripli- 
 city of these words, but do generally agree in this, 
 that the overthrow of the kingdom and kingly dignity 
 is designed out thereby. 
 
 " It shall be no more." In Hebrew thus, even 
 this hath not been ; but here the preter-tense is put 
 for the futuie, and so the Septuagiut reads it, neither 
 shall this l)e the same. Yatabhis hath it, Etiam hcpc 
 V071 fuit, vhich he interprets thus. This alteration 
 shall not be before Nebuchadnezzar come, to whom 
 the judgment belongs, and to him will 1 deliver 
 Zedekiah : so he. The French is, et ne sera plun, it 
 shall be no more, the crown sluill be no more, the 
 crown of Judah ; no king shall reign tlieixin any 
 more. 
 
 All the sons of Zedekiah were slain, Jer. Iii. 10; 
 and of Jehoiachin, Jeconiah, or Coniah, it is said, 
 Jer. xxii. 30, " Write ye tliis n:an ehiUiless, a man 
 that shall not prosper in liis days : for no man of his 
 seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, 
 and ruling any more in Judah ;" none of them shall 
 ever come to kingly dignity. 
 
 " Until he come whose right it is." The sense is. 
 The crown shall neither fit iior be fastened to any 
 head, till he come that hath the true right to it; and 
 that is neither Nebuchadnezzar nor Zerubbabel; 
 nor Aristobulus, Alexander, or Hyreaiuis, who as- 
 sumed kingly dignity to themselves, in time of the 
 Maccabees; but Christ the Messiah, who is the true 
 Heir and (Successor of David: when he comes, he 
 shall raise up the kingdom of Judah, being miserably 
 afllicted, destitute, and lost to the eye of the W'orld; 
 he changing it into a spiritual kingdom, shall restore 
 it to as high, yea, a higher, glory than ever it had. 
 The crown here was reserved and laid up for the 
 Lord Christ, who was born King of the Jews, Matt, 
 ii. 2; to whom the angel told Mary, that the Lord 
 should give the throne of his father David, and that 
 he should reign over the house of Jacob for ever, 
 and have an endless kingdom, Luke i. .32, 33 : upon 
 this account it was, that Nathanacl called him "the 
 King of Israel," John i. 40; and that Christ said, 
 "The Father hath eominitted all judgmrnt imto tlie 
 Son," John v. 22. The Father had appointed Christ 
 to be King and Kuler, Mieah v. 2; gave him power, 
 Isa. ix. 6; he was to succeed David, sit upon his 
 throne and kingdom to order the same, ver. 7 ; and 
 his right thereunto both Matthew, in liis first chap- 
 ter, and Luke, in his third, do clear up, showing how 
 he descended fre.m David. 
 
 " And I will give it him." Christ, when he 
 comes, shall not be kept ofi' from his right ; " I will 
 give it him ;" and he shall have the crown, it will 
 fit his head, and sit fast upon it : though he come in 
 a mean and low way, yet he shall be King, and 
 reign. 
 
 06.S. 1. The Lord doth lay the glory of crowns 
 and sceptres in the dust when he jdeases. " I will 
 overturn, overturn, overturn it." Ihere is no erown 
 so sure to any mortal's head, no kingdom so stable, 
 but the Lord can j luck away the erown, shake the 
 kingdom to pieces, throw out the possessors, and dis- 
 possess their heirs. He pulled the crown from 
 Zedekiah's head, he brake his kingdom in pieces, he 
 threw him out of his throne, deprived him and his 
 sons of ever inheriting more. 
 
 Sometimes the Lord doth .suddenly overturn em- 
 pires and kingdoms ; as Belshazzar's by Darius the 
 Median, Dan. v. 30, 31 ; sometimes he proceeds 
 gradually ; and so he did with the kingdoms of 
 Israel and Judah, Hos. v. 12, " I will be unto 
 Ejihraim as a moth, and to the house of Judah as 
 rottenness." A moth cats up a garment by degrees, 
 now it makes one hole in it, and anon another ; so 
 rottenness enters by degrees into a tree, first into one 
 branch, then another, after into the body and root; 
 so God by degrees ate up, wasted, and consumed 
 those kingdoms. But be it suddenly or gradually, 
 he overturns them when he pleases. God overturned 
 the Persian monarchy, by the goat which had the 
 notable horn, Dan. viii. 5, that was Alexander the 
 Great, king of Greece ; and when he was grown 
 very great, ruled according to his will, his kingdom 
 was broken, divided to others, and not to his pos- 
 terity, Dan. xi. 3, 4; the Lord plucked up his king- 
 dom, and quartered it among those who were not 
 his heirs. The Lord made the sceptre depart from 
 Egypt, Zcch. X. 1 1 ; he etit ofThim ; held the sceptre 
 from the house of Eden, Amos i. 5. He breaks the 
 staves of the wicked, and the sceptres of the rulers, 
 Isa. xiv. 5 ; crowns, sceptres, kingdoms, he tumbles 
 down, and lays in the dust. 
 
 Ob.s. 2. When God overturns crowns and king- 
 doms, he keeps them in such a condition while 
 he pleases. " I will ovt rturn, overturn, overturn : 
 and it shall be no more, until he come whose 
 right it is:" this was near five hundred years; for 
 from Zedekiah's deposal to the birth of Christ were 
 four hundred ninety and two years, which was a long 
 season for his erown and kingdom to lie in darkness, 
 and a desolate condition. Hosea told us long since, 
 that the children of Israel should " abide many days 
 without a king, and without a prince," chaji. iii. 4. 
 The kingdom of Israel was overturned by the hand 
 of God above a himdred years before the kingdom of 
 Judah, and lies overturned to this day ; and so hath 
 been above two thousand years in a sad, dark, dis- 
 tressed condition. AVhen kingdoms, scei'tres, and 
 thrones are once overturned, they are not quickly 
 raised tip again. Their sins were great which caused 
 the Lord to overturn them, and he lets them lie un- 
 der the pimisliment of their iniquity many days and 
 years. When kingdoms are down, many struggle to 
 lift them up again to their former dignity, ghiry, and 
 greatness ; but it must not, it cannot be, till the 
 Lord's time come, till he please to put forth his 
 hand and do it. 
 
 06.V. 3. The Lord Christ, the promised Messiah, 
 was the true King of Judah, and Prince of Zion. 
 " Until he come, who^e right it is, and I will give it 
 him." The Father had appointed him to be King, 
 given him the kingelom, and made it known long be- 
 fore his coming in the fle.sh. He was speikcn of, 
 Gen. xUx. 10; he was the Shiloh, the Prosperer,
 
 Ver. 25—29. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 535 
 
 unto whom the gathering of the people should be ; 
 he gathered Jews and Gentiles together. He was 
 spoken of, Numb. xxiv. 17, "There shall come a 
 Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of 
 Israel;" so in Psal. xlv. 6, 7, "The sceptre of thy 
 kingdom is a right sceptre, and God hath anoirtted 
 thee." See Isa. xi. 1, 2; xlii. 1 — 3; Jer. xxiii. 6; 
 Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24; Dan. vii. 14, 27 ; Zecli. ix. 9. 
 In these places, and many other, the kingdom of 
 Christ, his right thereunto, and the Father's dona- 
 tion thereof unto him, are spoken of. The people's 
 hearts were towards him, and they would have made 
 him a king, John \d. 15. However he appeared to 
 the world, the apostles beheld glory and majesty in 
 him, John i. 14; 2 Pet. i. 16; and Pilate wrote over 
 his head, " This is Jesus, the King of the Jews," 
 Matt, xxvii. 37. Christ was not a contemptible per- 
 son, whatever men thought of him ; the Father de- 
 signed him to be a King, gave him a kingdom ; the 
 prophet foretold his king:ly dignity ; he was born a 
 King, died a King, he lives and reigns at this day 
 King of Zion, and of all saints. Rev. xv. 3. We 
 have no cause to be ashamed of our King, but ought 
 to honour him as we honour the Father, seeing all 
 judgment is committed to him, John v. 22, 23. 
 
 Obs. 4. The wisdom and goodness of the Lord to- 
 wards his people, that when he tells them of the 
 severest judgment, he mingles some mercy. " I will 
 overturn, overturn, overturn ; " " overturn " the 
 church, " overturn" the state, "overturn" them for 
 a long time ; which was very sad and bitter ; yet 
 even now, when he is in a full career of overturning, 
 he tells them of the coming of Christ, who should 
 be their King, wear the crown, and raise up the 
 kingdom again. This was great mercy, in the depth 
 of misery ; if they lost an earthly kingdom, they 
 should have a spiritual one ; if they lost a profane 
 and temporal king, they should have a King of right- 
 eousness, an eternal King. It is the method of the 
 Lord, when he is bringing in dreadful judgments 
 upon his people, that have provoked him bitterly, to 
 lay in something that may support and comfort those 
 who have served him faithfully. Amos ix. 8 — 11, 
 " Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the 
 sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from oft' the 
 face of the earth ; saving that I will not utterly de- 
 stroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord : " there 
 was mercy mingled with judgment. So in the next 
 verse : " For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the 
 house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is 
 sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall 
 upon the earth : " here again is mercy in the midst 
 of judgment. So again in the two next verses : " All 
 the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, 
 which say. The evil shall not overtake nor prevent 
 us : " and what then ? " In that day wOl I raise up 
 the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up 
 the breaches thereof; and 1 will raise up his ruins, 
 and I will build it as in the days of old : " here is 
 goodness with severity. 
 
 Obs. 5. That how contrary soever God's actings 
 appear, yet he will make good his promises ; he is 
 mindful of them, and will be faithful. The Lord 
 had promised to set up his Son Christ to be King in 
 Zion, the hill of his holiness, Psal. ii. 6 ; that the 
 government should be upon his shoulder, Isa. ix. 6 ; 
 that he would " cause a Branch of righteousness to 
 grow up unto David, and he shall execute judgment 
 and righteousness in the land," Jer. xxxiii. 15. What 
 likelihood was there that these things should be, 
 when the Lord overturns the land, plucks up all by 
 the roots, and lays all in a dead condition, and that 
 for many days and years ? They might have thouglit 
 and said, Surely, this death of the crown, of church 
 
 and state, will be the death of all those and other 
 promises ; but it w^as not so. Though a sentence of 
 death was upon the land, upon the Jews, yet the 
 living God kept life in the promises, he minded 
 them, and said, I will give it to him, he shall have 
 this land, the kingdom and the crown, he shall 
 sit upon Zion, reign and execute judgment. The 
 actings of God sometimes are such, that to man's ap- 
 prehensions they will make void the promises of 
 God. Psal. Ixxvii. 7, 8, saith Asaph, ""Will the 
 Lord cast off for ever ? and will he be favourable no 
 more ? is his mercy clean gone for ever ? doth his 
 promise fail for evermore?" God's hand was heavy 
 upon him, his proceedings with him such, as his soul 
 w.TS greatly afflicted, questioned the truth of his pro- 
 mises, and was ready to despair. But what saith he 
 in the tenth verse ? " This was my infirmity :" there 
 was no infirmity in God ; he hacl net forgotten his 
 promise, it was not out of his sight, though out of 
 Asaph's. Man's faith may fail him sometimes, but 
 God's faithfulness never fails him ; Psal. Ixxxix. 33, 
 God will not suffer his faithfulness to fail. God's 
 operations may have an aspect that way ; the devil's 
 temptations, and our unbelieving hearts, may not 
 only make us think so, but jiersuade us it is so, 
 whtnas it cannot be so, for the Lord will not suffer 
 it, he will not make a lie in his truth or faithfulness ; 
 so the Hebrew is : he is a God that cannot lie, he is 
 Truth, speaks Iruth, and not one of his promises can 
 or shall fail ; which may afford strong consolation 
 unto all that are under any promise of God. 
 
 Ver. 28, 29. And thou, son of man, prophesy 
 and say, Tims saith the Lord God concerning the 
 Ammonites, and concerning their reproach ; even 
 say thou. The sicord, the sword is drawn : for the 
 slaughter it is furbished, to consume because of 
 the glittering. Whiles they see vanity unto thee, 
 ichiles they divine a lie unto thee, to bring thee 
 upon the necks of them that are slain, of the wick- 
 ed, whose day is come, when their iniquity shall 
 have an end. 
 
 In these verses and the rest, to the end, is contain- 
 ed the prophecy against the Ammonites. 
 
 Two ways were spoken of in the 19th, 20th, and 
 21st verse ; one leading to the Ammonites, the other 
 to the Jews. Nebuchadnezzar using divinations to 
 discover unto which of these he should go. Divine 
 Providence overruled the divination, so that he was 
 to make his military expedition unto Jerusalem; 
 hence, lest the Ammonites should be secure, and in- 
 sult over the Jews, whose judgments were now com- 
 ing upon them, the Lord commands the prophet to de- 
 nounce judgment, yea, the same judgment unto them. 
 
 In his prophecy we have, 
 
 I. The judgment, which is the sword, ver. 28. 
 
 II. The causes of it: 
 
 1. Reproach, ver. 28. 
 
 2. Impiety, and inhumanity, ver. 29. 
 
 III. The place where it shall be, ver. 30. 
 
 IV. The similitudes to which the judgment is 
 likened, ver. 31. 
 
 V. The event thereof, ver. 32. 
 
 VI. The ratification of the prophecy, ver. 32. 
 
 " Concerning the Ammonites." The Hebrew is, 
 to the children of Ammon. These Ammonites 
 came of the Jewish race, for they were from Lot, and 
 his younger daughter. Gen. xix. 38, who being with 
 child by him, named her son Ben-Ammi, who was 
 the fiitlier of the Ammonites, and for Lot's sake, 
 who was the root of them, the Lord showed them 
 kindness long after; Dent. ii. 19, when the Jews
 
 536 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXI. 
 
 came into Canaan, they must not distress them, nor 
 meddle with them. The Ammonites' land was given 
 to the children of Lot for a possession ; and so the 
 Moabites, ver. 9, had their land upon that account : 
 but the Ammonites, though descended from the 
 Jews, were bitter enemies to them, and made war 
 against them; see Judg. xi. 4; 1 Sara. xi. I, 2; 
 2 Chron. xx. 1. They were notorious idolaters; 
 they had Molech and Milcom among them, I Kings 
 xi. 7; 2 Kings xxiii. 13 ; they were cruel and bloody, 
 Amos i. 13. 
 
 " Concerning their reproach." Some would have 
 the words taken passively here, for the " reproach " 
 they sutTered from the Chaldeans ; but they are rather 
 to be taken actively, for the " reproach " which the 
 Ammonites put upon the Jews. So Vatablus under- 
 stands the words, and other interpreters. A Lapide 
 afiirms, that the Ammonites upbraided the Jews and 
 their God as weak and unwarlike, because Nebuchad- 
 nezzar was coming to tliem, and durst not meddle 
 with the Ammonites. It is certain the Ammonites 
 bare the Jews no good will, and were glad of oppor- 
 tunities to vent that ancient hatred they had against 
 them; when, therefore, they saw that Nebucliadnez- 
 zar should come, besiege their city, lay all waste, 
 and carry them into captivity, they insulted over the 
 Jews; they said, Where is your God.' why doth he 
 not appear for you, defend you against that cruel 
 oppressor Nebuchadnezzar, and dehver you ? "We see 
 what your God is ; our Molech, our Milcom, doth 
 more for us than your God doth for you. Zeph. ii. 8, 
 " I have heard the reproach of Moab, and tlie revil- 
 ings of the children of Amnion, whereby they have 
 reproached my people, and magnified themselves 
 against their border." Our prophet is more plain 
 and full, bringing in the Ammonites scofhng at the 
 calamities of the Jews : chap. xxv. 3, 4, " Say to the 
 Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord ; Thus saith 
 the Lord God ; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my 
 sanctuary, when it was profaned ; and against the 
 land of Israel, when it was desolate : and against the 
 house of Judah, when they went into captivity ; lie- 
 hold, therefore, I will deliver thee to the men of the 
 east for a possession," &c. 
 
 "The sword, the sword is drawn." By "sword" 
 is meant war, all warlike instruments, arid all those 
 evils which attend the same. Here is an epizeuxes, 
 a doubling of the word, " the sword, the sword," which 
 is empliatical, aiid imports certainty and progress of 
 it to destroy. You Ammonite s think the sword is 
 drawn only against the Jews, and that when they 
 are slain it shall lie put up, but it is not so ; " the 
 sword, the sword is drawn " feir slaughter of you Am- 
 monites, as well as the Jews : you have little cause 
 to insult, reproach, or flatter yourselves you shall be 
 secure ; your destruction is decreed, it is coming, only 
 the Jews' is first, yours after. 
 
 The word for "drawn" is, r.mra sohttm est ; it was 
 bound up before in the sheath, now it is loosed, un- 
 sheathed ; now it is at liberty, and in readiness to do 
 execution, even among vou Ammonites, at my pleasure. 
 
 "For the slaughter it is furbished." 'Not only 
 was It drawn, but it was " furbished," ntai-ic filed, 
 scoured ; tsnc whence it comes, signifies, to pluck up 
 hairs, or, pull out feathers by the roots, to excoriate 
 or flay ofl' the skin; and metaphoricallv, is applied 
 to things which contract rust, and sisnifies, to re- 
 move rust. When swords have been long in their 
 sheaths, undrawn, unused, they become rusti,- ; that 
 rust is like a hairy or feathery skin uj.on the'blades, 
 which must he removed, and that is the furbishing 
 of them. The sword here was not "furbished" for 
 sight, but for use, for slaughter. 
 
 "To consume, because of the glittering." The 
 
 Hebrew is, to .sustain by reason of the shining. It 
 is "furbished," that it may suffice for the slaugh- 
 tering of many, and that it may terrify with its "glit- 
 tering " those that are to be destroyed. The Synac, 
 thou art whetted and shining. Lavater, that it may 
 consume, because of the brightness or lightening of 
 it. The sword and military instruments were so 
 glittering, that, like lightning, they should strike 
 sudden terror into them, and quickly consume them. 
 
 Ob.v. 1. When God is bringing, or brings, judg- 
 ments upon his people for their iniquities, then the 
 wicked, then their enemies take advantage and revile 
 them. The Ammonites, understanding that Nebu- 
 chadnezzar was marching with his forces to Jerusa- 
 lem, they reproached them, being glad that the 
 day of their calamity and sufTering was at hand. 
 The Ammonites were their neighbours, they were as 
 brethren, coming from the brother of Abraham, yet 
 they reproached the Jews, and added affliction to 
 affliction ; Zeph. ii. 8, both Moab and Ammon 
 reviled and reproached the Israelites, and " magnified 
 themselves against their border." 
 
 The rabbles say, that when the Chaldeans carried 
 the Jews captive, through the lands of the Moabites 
 and Ammonites, the Jews wept, and they reproach- 
 ed them, saying, Why do you afflict yourselves? 
 why do you weep ? are you not going to your 
 father's house ? tliey meant Chaldea, which was 
 Abraham's country and habitation. These and 
 many other reproachful speeches doubtless they used 
 against the Jews, when they were spoiled and led 
 into captivity, and " magnified themselves against 
 tlieir border." They said, now their border, their 
 land should become theirs ; and they did take the 
 advantage, and invaded their possessions. Jer. xlix. 
 1, " Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the Lord; 
 Hath Israel no sons ? hath he no heir ? why then 
 doth their king (that is, the king of the Ammonites) 
 inherit Gad, and his pcojde dwell in his cities .•' " that 
 is. Seeing Israel hath sons and heirs of his own, and 
 I have given the possessions of Gad, being carried 
 away with the ten tribes, unto Judah and Benjamin, 
 why do the Ammonites usurp, and take possession of 
 that which is none of their own P Thus they re- 
 proached and wronged the Jews. So likewise did 
 the Edomites ; Psal. cxxxvii. 7, " In the day of 
 Jerusalem," that was, in the day Nebuchadnezzar's 
 forces took and plundered it, they cried, " Rase it, 
 rase it, even to the foundation." In reproach of, and 
 despite to, the Jews, they cried out so, when Jeru- 
 salem was destroyed ; the adversaries saw her, and 
 did mock at her sabbaths, they scoffed at all her 
 festivals, religion, and worship : Where is your God, 
 whose days you have so religiously observed .' why 
 did he not defend you from this day of your suffer- 
 ings ? either he was infirm, and could not, or un- 
 faithfid, and would not. 
 
 Ob-t. 2. The Lord takes notice of the enemies' 
 reproaching his people. He tells the prophet of 
 the Ammonites' rcjiroachings. Ezekiel was in Baby- 
 Ion, he knew nothing of it, but God heard and 
 observed it ; Zeph. ii. 8, " I have heard the reproach 
 of Moab, and the revilings of the children of 
 Ammon." God's ear is very open in this case, and 
 though his people hear not, yet he heareth ; Jer. 
 xlviii. 27, he saith in his indignation unto Moab, 
 " Was not Israel a derision unto thee ? " put it oft' if 
 thou canst, deny it if thou darest. I saw it, I heard it. 
 This is some comfort to the church and peojile of 
 God, that he observes not only the wrongs wicked 
 men do unto his people, but also the reproaching 
 speeches they utter against them : Lam., iii. 6, Jere- 
 miah comforted himself in this, " Thou hast hiard 
 their reproach, O Lord, and all their imaginations
 
 Ver. 28—32. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 537 
 
 against me." When we are reproached, and mis- 
 chief is imagined against us by wicked ones, let us 
 make use of this Scripture, and comfort ourselves 
 therein, not breaking out into bitterness and passion. 
 
 Ob.i. 3. Reproaching and reviling God's people, 
 when they are in affliction, draws judgment upon the 
 reproachers and revilers. 1 he Ammonites reproach- 
 ed the Jews when the Babylonish sword came upon 
 them, and here the prophet must tell them the 
 sword is drawn, furbished for slaughter and con- 
 sumption of them. Reproach in this kind is a pro- 
 voking sin ; God's name, truths, ordinances, sutler 
 when his people are reproached for his correcting 
 hand upon them for their iniquities. Jer. xlviii. 2(5, 
 27, Make ye Moab drunken; that is, let the cup of 
 God's wrath be given him, let him have judgment 
 after judgment, drink so deep of divine fury, that 
 he shall not be able to .stand : and why was this ? 
 he magnified himself against the Lord ; he derided 
 Israel, ver. 27 ; he magnified himself against their 
 border, Zeph. ii. 8 ; and this is called magnifying 
 himself against the Lord, (for what is done against 
 his people, and their borders, is done against liim,) 
 and Moab must be made drunk for it ; yea, Moab 
 also shall wallow in his vomit, he also shall be in 
 derision, he shall be derided and scorned in his 
 misery, as a drunken man who lies wallowing in his 
 vomit : Moab for reproaching should be reproached ; 
 yea, grievously afflicted, yea, utterly destroyed. 
 Zeph. ii. 8, 9, both Moab and Amnion reviled, re- 
 proached the Jews, and magnified themselves against 
 their border : " Therefore as 1 live, saith the Lord 
 of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as 
 Sodom, and the children of Amnion as Gomorrah, 
 even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a per- 
 petual desolation." The meaning is, not that they 
 should be consumed by fire from heaven, as Sodom 
 and Gomorrah were, but they should suffer extreme 
 and severe judgments at the hands of the Lord, and 
 be perpetually desolate, as they were. 
 
 Ver. 29. "Whiles they see vanity unto thee, whiles 
 they divine a lie unto thee." The Hebrew is, In 
 seeing to thyself a vain thing, in divining to thyself 
 a lie. The Septuagint runs to that purpose. In thy 
 vision for vanity, and in thy prophesying a lie to 
 thyself The Ammonites, like other nations, had 
 their false prophets, diviners, and soothsayers, as 
 you may clearly see from Jer. xxvii. 3, where the 
 prophet, under the type of bonds and yokes put upon 
 his neck, prophesieth the subjection of the nations 
 unto Nebuchadnezzar, and among others, the Am- 
 monites ; and, ver. 9, he forbids them to hearken 
 to their prophets, diviners, dreamers, enchanters, 
 sorcerers, which told them they should not serve the 
 king of Babylon. They held them asleep by telling 
 them, either Nebuchadnezzar would not come to 
 them, or if he did, they were a strong people, had 
 strong cities, and needed not to fear any enemy ; but 
 they saw vanity, and divined a lie unto them : and 
 this is the sense of the w<irds, both according to the 
 Hebrew and our translation. 
 
 " To bring thee upon the necks of them that are 
 slain." Their false prophets and diviners put them 
 on to insult over and trample upon the Jews, when 
 they were slain by the Chaldeans ; assuring them of 
 safety. Or thus, to give thee to the necks of them 
 that are slain ; so the Hebrew may be rendered ; and 
 then the meaning is, Thy false prophets and diviners, 
 by their vanities and lies, do subject thee to the 
 sword of Nebuchadnezzar, and make way for thy de- 
 struction, like the Jews. 
 
 "Of the wicked, whose day is come." These 
 words, "of the wicked," ai-e joined with the former 
 in the Hebrew, to the necks of the slain of the 
 
 wicked ; and so is the Septuagint. All translations 
 and expositors do join them ; and they may refer 
 either to the slain, or slayers, noting their wicked- 
 ness. Some do refer them to the one, some to the 
 other. Piscator by " wicked" understands the Chal- 
 deans, and reads the words thus, upon the necks of 
 them who are slain by the wicked. 
 
 " Whose day is come, when their iniquity shall 
 have an end." The "day" of the Jews, that was 
 " come," wherein God's judgments slioidd cut them 
 off, and put an " end " to their iniquit)-. Of these 
 words, see ver. 25. 
 
 Ohs. 1. When the Lord threatens sinful nations 
 with sore judgments, they have those amongst them 
 which divert them from the truth, possess them with 
 delusions, and put them upon destructive practices. 
 The Ammonites were threatened here with the Baby- 
 lonish sword, but they neither believed Ezekiel nor 
 Jeremiah, who told tliem the same thing, chap, xxvii. 
 Their false prophets, their diviners, beat them off 
 from it, possessed them with vanities and lies, put 
 them upon insulting over the Jews, when the hand 
 of the Lord was most heavy upon them, and so 
 brought them to sutler by the same sword the Jews 
 did. It is just with God to give men and nations 
 over to believe lies, and lying prophets which shall 
 lead them to destruction, when they have stopped 
 their ears against the true prophets. Ahab would not 
 believe Micaiah, but the false prophets, wdio spake 
 words according to his mind ; but they were vanity, 
 lies, and he smarted for it, 1 Kings xxii. 
 
 Obs. 2. Though the Lord forbear sinful nations 
 long, yet he hath his days and times of reckoning 
 witli and punishing of them. The Jews' day was 
 come, and their iniquity had an end ; the Ammonites' 
 day came, and thi ir iniquity had an end: God pun- 
 ished them severely for their sins, Ezek. xxv. Ne- 
 bucli;idnezzar and the Babylonians were forborne 
 long, but God had his time for them : Jer. xxvii. 7, 
 " All nations shall serve him, and his son, and his 
 son's son, until the very time of his land come : then 
 many nations and great kings shall serve themselves 
 of him." Babylon and its king had a time to sin 
 and a time to suffer. God stayed many days, yet 
 had his day, and came at the day appointed, Jer. 1. 
 31 ; Ii. 13, " O thou tliat dwellest upon many waters, 
 abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the 
 measure of thy covetou.sness." Babylon was insati- 
 ably covetous, robbing the nations of their riches, 
 but all her wealth could not purchase one day's re- 
 spite from the wrath of God, nor all her waters pre- 
 serve her from the fire of his indiguiition ; the fire 
 God sent in his day burnt up their habitations, and 
 licked up the water of Euphrates, whereon Babylon 
 sat. God bare long with us, and the nations about 
 us, but his day is come, he is vi.siting ; we, they, 
 have had our times of sinning, and now must have 
 our times of suffering. 
 
 Ver. 30 — 32. Shall I muse it to return into 
 liis sheath ? I u-iU jvdge thee in the place u-here 
 thou wast created, in the land of thy naticity. 
 And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, 
 I will blow against thee in the fire of my wrath, 
 and deliver thee into the hand of brutish men, and 
 skilful to destroy. Thou shalt be for fuel to the 
 fire ; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land ; 
 thou shalt be no more remembered : for I the 
 Lord have spoken it. 
 
 Some interpret these words of the Babylonians, as 
 if God would deal with them after he bad done with 
 the Jews and Ammonites, which be did, according
 
 538 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXII. 
 
 to the prophecies in Isa. xiii. and Jer. xxv. 50, 51 ; 
 
 but tliis prophecy is ngiiinst the Ammonites, whose 
 hind the Babylonish king laid waste some five years 
 after the final destruction of Jerusalem, as Sanctius 
 saith, citing the tenth book of Josephus' Antiquities 
 for it. 
 
 " Shall I cause it to return into his sheath ? " You 
 Ammonites think that when the sword hath done 
 execution upon the Jews, it will be sheathed, quiet, 
 and proceed no further ; but " shall I cause it to re- 
 turn into his sheath ?" no, I will not give it any such 
 commission, or if I do, it shall be for a short time, it 
 shall come to you, and slay you as it hath done 
 them. The Hebrew, sen is infinitive put for an 
 imperative, and so is rendered by some expositors, 
 Put the sword, or, thy sword, into the sheath : thou 
 thinki-st to draw the sword, to defend thysilf against 
 the Chaldeans when I send them upon thee, but it 
 shall be in vain, thou slialt not be able to stand 
 against them ; I will make thy strength and weapons 
 useless. 
 
 " I will judge thee in the place where thou wast 
 created." That is, I will punish the Ammonites in 
 their own land, where they were born, where my 
 hand created or framed them. They shall not be 
 carried to Babylon, and be preserved there, but they 
 shall be destroyed in their own country, at their own 
 door ; yet scmie were captives, Jer. xiix. Of this 
 expression, " I will judge thee," was spoken, Ezek. 
 xvi. 38. 
 
 " In the land of thy nativity." The Hebrew is, 
 in the land of thy mansions, or peregrination. In 
 terra negotiatioiium luarum, saith Piscator, in the land 
 of thy traffic, where thou hast pleasure and profit. 
 
 Ver. 31. "I will pour out mine indignation upon 
 thee," &c. Here you have the resemblances to which 
 God's jndgniL-nt is likened. 
 
 1. It is compared to a flood, or torrent; to a great 
 rain, or water, that nms swiftly, and bears down all ; 
 of which before, chap. vii. 8; xiv. 19 ; xx. 8, 13, 21. 
 
 2. To a wind, or storm; I will blow against thee. 
 I will make such a wind, such a storm, as shall throw 
 down all the greatness and glory of the Ammonites. 
 
 3. To a fire, which, where it kindles and fastens, 
 consumes all to ashes. Of this before, chap. xv. 7- 
 
 " And deliver thee into the hands of brutish men." 
 The word for "brutish" is, Q'-iys from -lya to burn, 
 and therefore in the margin it is, burning. God 
 would deliver them into the hands of the Chaldeans, 
 who were burning, that is, choleric, hasty, furious 
 men, Hab. i. 6, " a bitter and hasty nation." The 
 word also signifies, to be brutish, foolish, Psal. Ixxiii. 
 22; I was foolish, brutish, and knew not; so that 
 "lya is, a man without knowledge, a barbarian, and 
 so the Septuagint speaks, into the hands of barbarous 
 men. 
 
 " Skilful to destroy." In the original, artists of 
 corruption. In killing men they were very expert ; 
 they had been sundry times before at Jerusalem, 
 slain many Jews, and knew how to destroy Am- 
 monites. 
 
 Ver. 32. " Thou .shalt be for fuel to the fire." 
 Thou shalt be meat to the fire, that shall eat up 
 thee, and thy habitations. As fire is fed by wood, 
 coal, straw, turf, and such combustibles, so should 
 the fire of God's wrath be fed with their vineyards, 
 habitations, towns, cities, persons. 
 
 " Thy blood shall be in the midst of the land." 
 Thou shalt be slain openly, lie in thy blood, unpitied, 
 imbnried. 
 
 " Th.ou shalt be no more remembered." This 
 judgment shall deprive thee of life, and also of thy 
 name ; thou shalt have no monument to make men- 
 tion of thee, but thy memory shall altogether perish, 
 
 thou shalt be so handled, that not a vestige of thee 
 shall be left. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord oft doth cross the thoughts and 
 blast the hopes of wicked men. The sword came 
 to the Ammonites when they thought it should not 
 come : they hoped by their swords to beat back the 
 Babylonians, and God bade them put up their swords 
 into the sheaths, they should do them no good, the 
 Babylonians should prevail. Zedekiah and the Jews 
 thought Nebuchadnezzar would not draw his sword 
 against them ; if he did, they hoped the Egyptian 
 sword would prove stronger than the Babylonian, 
 but they were deceived in both: see Ezek. xvii. 12, 
 17. When princes and slates trust in their strong 
 men, and look for help, deliverance by them, the 
 Lord disappoints them, and makes the pomp of the 
 strong to cease. 
 
 Obs. 2. The Lord punishes sinners in the midst of 
 their conveniences, pleasures, and profits. " I will 
 judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in 
 the land of thy nativity." There they had most 
 conveniences, delights, contents, and thither God 
 brings the sword, there he cuts them off: there they 
 sinned, there they were impious, consulting with 
 false prophets, diviners ; there they were barbarous, 
 inhuman, mocking at the calamities of the Jews 
 when God visited them ; and there God punished 
 them. Thus hath God dealt with them in Ireland, 
 in the land of their nativity, in the places of their 
 delights and conveniences ; where they sinned, there 
 they suffered. 
 
 Obs. 3. Suddenly and easily can the Lord destroy 
 sinfiil nations. " I will pour out mine indignation 
 upon thee, I will blow against thee in the fire of my 
 wrath, and deliver thee," &c. Floods, winds, stoi-ms, 
 fires, come suddenly; and blowing is an easy thing: 
 if God do but blow upon a nation in his wrath, it is 
 undone ; Isa. xl. 7, " The grass withereth, the flower 
 fadeth ; because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon 
 it." If the Lord " blow " with a spirit of indignation 
 upon a land or people, they wither away quickly, 
 and come to nothing. Ver. 24, speaking before of 
 princes, judges, and their stock, which seem to be 
 rooted like mighty oaks and tall cedars, it is said, 
 " He shall blow upon them, and they shall wither, 
 and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble." 
 Let God "blow" upon princes, and their glory 
 fades, their roots dry up. If God let out the fire of 
 his wrath, who, what is not meat, fuel, for that fire ? 
 princes, peojile, cities, nations, are. 
 
 Obs. 4. Wicked nations, and persons, God takes 
 away the name and memory of them. " Thou shalt 
 be no more remembered" in way of mercy, or for 
 honour; but if at all, in way of wrath, and for re- 
 proach. Many nations since the fall of man, for 
 their sins, are defunct, extinct, and buried in th.e 
 darkness of oblivion. 
 
 Obs. 5. Judgments come not upon nations without 
 the Lord, but because the Lord hath appointed 
 them. The Ammonitish nation jnust be fuel for the 
 fire, no more remembired ; and why ? " For I the 
 Lord have spoken ;" I, that am faithful, and will 
 not falsify my word; I, that am able, andean inflict 
 what is threatened ; I have spoken, decreed, and 
 appointed such things, and they must come to pass. 
 
 CHAPTER XXn. 
 
 Ver. I — 12. Moreover the word oj" the Lord- 
 came unto trie, saying, ]Vow, thou son of man, wilt 
 thou judge, wilt thou Judge the bloody city? yea,
 
 Ver. 1—12. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 539 
 
 thou sludt shew her all her aboiiiination.t. Tlien 
 say thou, Thus saith the Lord God; The citi/ 
 sheddeth blood in the midst nf it, that her time maif 
 come, and maketh idols against lierself to defile 
 herself. Thou art become guilti/ in thi/ blood that 
 thou hast shed ; and hast defiled thyself in thine 
 idols which thou hast made ; and thou hast caused 
 thy days to draw near, ayid art come even unto 
 thy years : therefore have I made thee a reproach 
 vnto the heathen, and a mocking to all countries. 
 Those that be near, and those that be far from 
 thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and 
 much vexed. Behold, the princes of Israel, every 
 one were in thee to their power to shed blood. In 
 thee have they set light by father and mother; in 
 the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression 
 with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the 
 fatherless and the tvidow. Thou hast despised 
 mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths. 
 In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: 
 and in thee they eat upon the mountains : in the 
 midst of thee they commit lewdness. In thee have 
 they discovered their fathet s' nakedness : in thee 
 hare they humbled her that was set apart fur pol- 
 lution. And one hath committed abonunation 
 with his neighbour's wife; and another hath 
 lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law ; and another 
 in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daugh- 
 ter. In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood ; 
 thou hast taken usuiy and increase, and thou 
 hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extor- 
 tion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God. 
 
 In this 22nd chapter, you have three messages of 
 the Lord to the prophet. The 
 
 I. Is from tile begimiing to ver. 17, wherein a 
 large catalogue of Jerusalem's sins are set down, 
 with intermixture and addition of some thruatenings 
 and judgments. 
 
 II. Is from ver. 17 — 23, wherein is declared what 
 the house of Israel is likened unto, and what the 
 Lord will do with it. 
 
 III. Is from ver. 23 to the end, wherein is laid 
 forth the general corruption of all sorts, both pro- 
 phets, priests, princes, and people, with certainty of 
 their destruction. 
 
 Ver. 1. " Moreover, the word of the Lord," &c. 
 Prophets stir not till God stirs them ; after God 
 speaks to them, they may speak to others. God 
 hath more still to communicate unto prophets, not- 
 withstanding he hath communicated much : " More- 
 over the word," &c. ; besides all delivered, this I 
 have had from the Lord. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the 
 bloody city?" The Hebrew word tSBtt- signifies to 
 judge ; and because in judging two parties are to be 
 dealt with, one wronging, the other wronged, hence 
 the word notes sometimes, to plead for, to defend ; 
 sometimes, to sentence and punish : in this place, 
 the former of these is most suitable. Son of man, 
 wilt thou excuse, defend, and plead for this city ? 1 
 tell thee it is a bloody city, a city that hath wronged 
 me, and must not be pleaded for. Of these words 
 were spoken before, chap. xx. 4. 
 
 If we read them as Montanus, OScolampadius, and 
 some others do, thus, Wilt thou not judge, wilt thou 
 not judge the bloody city ? that is, wilt thou not re- 
 prove, and tell it thoroughly of its iniquities ? what ! 
 wilt thou faint, give over, and wink at the wicked- 
 ness thou seest ? is it not a part of thy prophetical 
 
 office, to lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and to tell 
 my people of their transgressions ? Remember thine 
 office, connive not at their sins, but cry out against 
 them. In this sense, it alfords this note : That pro- 
 phetical men are oft discouraged, ready to cease 
 from their work, and need to be roused and quick- 
 ened thereimto by the Lord. 
 
 " The bloody city." The Hebrew is, the city of 
 bloods, Jerusalem, which is so called, because she 
 had shed much innocent blood, and was become very 
 cruel : Jer. xix. 4, Ye " have filled this place with 
 the blood of innocents ;" and 2 Kings xxi. 1(3, Ma- 
 nasseh shed so much innocent blood therein, that he 
 filled Jerusakm from one end to the other there- 
 with : yea, so bloody was Jerusalem, that she filled 
 the land with blood and bloody crimes, Ezek. vii. 
 23 ; ix. 9 j and how bloody this city was, appears in 
 verses 3, 4, 6, 9, of this chapter. 
 
 Obs. The sins of a city and nation may be such, 
 that God will not have his prophets to plead or in- 
 tercede for them, but to cry out against them. " Son 
 of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody 
 city ? " I know thou art very charilable, and ready to 
 speak for them, but the city is so bloody, and full of 
 abominations, that I will not have thee to appear or 
 move for them, but thou must set their sins in order 
 before them, and thunder out my judgments against 
 them. When there is a fulness of sin, so that it is 
 universal in all sorts, sinners are grown impudent 
 and obstinate, then the Lord stops his ears and the 
 mouths of his prophets, he will have no pleading for 
 such a people. This was the case of Jerusalem, sin 
 had spread itself through all ranks of people, as you 
 shall find in this chapter, and her children were 
 " impudent and hardhearted," Ezek. iii. 7. 
 
 Ver. 3. " The city sheddeth blood in the midst of 
 it, that her time may come." Jerusalem shed blood 
 in the midst of herself, so is the Hebrew ; that is, 
 publicly, fearlessly, freely, against law and hght of 
 nature, without all shame. 
 
 " That her time may come." She fills up the 
 measure of her sins, that so the time of her destruc- 
 tion may make haste. 
 
 " And maketh idols against herself." In the former 
 words was a violation of the second table, and in these 
 is a violation of the first. Of the word " idols," or, 
 dunghill gods, hath been spoken in former chapters. 
 The Septuagint hath, devices, Jerusalem devised 
 idols, and ways of worship, she fetched in the gods 
 of other nations, and devised some of her own, but 
 they were against herself; she thought they made 
 for her, but they tended to her destruction. 
 
 Ver. 4. "Thou art become guilty in thy blood 
 that thou hast shed." The word for "guiUy" is, 
 ncCN and the original crN signifies, to do wickedly, 
 shamefully. Jerusalem, in shedding of blood, had 
 done wickedly, shamefully, and so became guilty 
 with a witness, exceeding guilty ; she cut not olf tlie 
 wicked, to take guilt off from herself and llie land, 
 but she murdered the innocent, and multiplied guilt 
 thereby upon herself and the nation. 
 
 " Thou hast defiled thyself in thine idols which 
 thou hast made." Thou hast made idols, thinking 
 thereby to please God, and pacify his anger, but th.y 
 have defiled thee, made thee hateful unto God, and 
 increased his wrath much more against thee. God 
 had forbidden them to make to themselves idols or 
 images, Exod. xx. yet they did make them, defiling 
 thereby both the worship of God and their own 
 souls, and so hastened their own destruction. 
 
 "Thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and 
 art come even unto thy years." Thou hast, by th.y 
 transgressions, broken the thread of my patience, 
 and hastened judgment to come u;:on thee, I gave
 
 640 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. XXII. 
 
 thee time to repent, and prevent my wrath from 
 breaking out against thee, but thou, having abused 
 my patience, mispent thy time, art become worse ; 
 and now vengeance is at thy gates, and ready to 
 enter. The time is come for the sword to visit thee, 
 and that thou shalt go into captivity. 
 
 " Tlierefore have I made thee a reproach unto the 
 heathen." Jerusalem was the habitation of God, 
 Psah Ixxvi. 2 ; the city of the great King, Matt. v. 
 35 ; which the Lord took leasure to protect and de- 
 fend, Isa. xxxi. 5 : it was the perfection of beauty, 
 PsaL L 2; the holy city, Matt, xxvii. 53; very ho- 
 nourable : but this city, and the inhabitants thereof, 
 did the Lord make a "reproach" unto heathens. 
 The word for "reproach" is, ns"\n which notes, 
 reproach, disgrace in word or action j and doubtless 
 tile Jews met with reproachful words and actions 
 from the heathen. Tluy were not yet made a " re- 
 proach," but God intended them to be so : the preter- 
 tense is put for the future. 
 
 " A mocking to all countries." The Hebrew is, 
 nthp a vilifying and scorning of a man. It is only 
 in this place, and imports the scorning and vilifying 
 of the Jews in all countries. The Septuagint hath 
 it, for a derision and laughing-stock. It is rendered, 
 Heb. xi. 3(3, "cruel mockiugs," such mockings as 
 argue cruelty and insulting. 
 
 Ver. 5. " Those that be near, and those that be far 
 from thee, shall mock thee." The nations round 
 about thee, the Ammonites, Moabites, Idumeans; 
 and those far oil", tlie Babylonians. 
 
 " Which art infamous." In the Hebrew it is, thou 
 art polluted in thy name. Septuagint, who art 
 named impure. Jerusalem, tlie faithful city, was 
 become an harlot, Isa. i. 21, and like an " imperious 
 whorish woman," Ezek. xvi. 30; Jeiusalem's idol- 
 atry, blood, uncleanness, and profaneness, had made 
 her infamous, and to be called the filthy, polluted, 
 the o]>]iressing city, Zeph. iii. 1. 
 
 " Much vexed." The Hebrew wouls are, r3") 
 ncins.T of much contrition ; that is, a city greatly to 
 be broken for thy wickedness. Septuagint, ttoXXi) Iv 
 Talc aivftiuK:, much in wickedness, which brought her 
 much vexation. 
 
 From these three verses, thus opened, take these 
 observations. 
 
 Obs. \. That when people become idolatrous, they 
 grow cruel. Jerusalem made idols, and shed blood"; 
 bloodiness, cruelty, and idolatry usually go together ; 
 she had idols in the midst of her, Ezek. xvi. 24, 25 ; 
 and she shed blood in the midst of her ; she w'as a 
 public idolatress, and a public murderess. The 
 Babylonians were very idolatrous, Ezek. xx. 32, and 
 they were very bloody, Jer. li. 35. So Rome, which 
 is called Babylon, Rev. xvii. was idolatrous and 
 bloody ; those she could not make drunk with the 
 ■wine of her fornications, those she could not draw to 
 popery and idolatry, she made herself drunk with 
 their blood, ver. 2(i. How bloody popish idolaters 
 are, the Parisian massacre heretofore, and the Irish 
 of late do witness. AVhen men once make gods, and 
 form ways ofworship, to themselves, they are zealous 
 for them, will lavish out gold to maintain them, and 
 be lavish of their blood that oppose them. 
 
 Obx. 2. Great sins do accelerate the judgments of 
 God, they put wings mito them, and cause them to 
 make haste. Jerusalem's bloodiness and idolatries 
 made her time to come, and days to draw near. Sin- 
 ners, by their lewdness, do abbreviate God's patience, 
 and swiften his punishments ; Psal. Iv. 23, " Bloody 
 and deceitful men shall not live out half their days ;" 
 the length and strength of their wickedness shortens 
 their days. In Job xxii. 16, it is said, "wicked men 
 were cut down out of time ;" and, chap. xv. 32, " It 
 
 shall be accomplished before his time ;" a wicked 
 man, his life is gone, cut oflF before the just time ; 
 like a green tree, cut down before it come to perfec- 
 tion ; and so is out of time, and before his time ; he 
 might have lived longer, had he not been so wicked : 
 Eeeles. vii. 17, "Be not over-much wicked, neither 
 be thou foolisli : why shouldest thou die before thy 
 time ? " the Hebrew is, not in thy time. Many men, 
 through drunkenness, thefts, murders, duels, unclean- 
 ness, do die, not in their time, not in the time they 
 might have lived unto ; they die out of time, and 
 before their time : and what is the cause ? their own 
 wickedness, and over-much wickedness precipitates 
 their death. Haman's enmity to Mordecai, and blood- 
 iness against the Jews, brought the halter about his 
 neck before his time. Herod's pride caused the worms 
 to eat him up before his time. The wickedness of 
 many in our days hath brought them to the block, 
 tempore no?i xuo, out of time, or before their time. 
 
 Ubs. 3. The sins of nations, cities, and people, do 
 expose them to the reproachings andscornings of all 
 sorts, both far off and near. Jerusalem and her peo- 
 ple were very wicked, therefore saith God, " 1 have 
 made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mock- 
 ing to all countries. Those that be near, and those 
 that be far from thee, shall mock thee ;" Lam. ii. 
 15, " All that pass by clap their hands at thee ; they 
 hiss and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, 
 saying, Is this the city that men call The perfection 
 of beauty. The joy of the whole earth ? " All passen- 
 gers, of what nation soever, when Jenisalem suffered, 
 and was made desolate, clapped their hands, hissed, 
 wagged their heads, gnashed their teeth, ver. 16, 
 which were gestures of scorn and insultation, and ut- 
 tered this bitter sarcasm, " Is this the city that men 
 call The perfection of beauty. The joy of the w hole 
 earth ?" see Jer. xviii. 15, 16. It was the Jews' sin- 
 ing against God that made them a perpetual hissing. 
 Lam. i. 8, "Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; there- 
 fore she is removed : all that honoured her despise 
 her;" her sin transformed her honour into shame 
 and despite. One of her sins was, that the word of 
 God was a reproach to her and hers, Jer. vi. 10; 
 therefore Godmadeherand hers a reproach, aproverb, 
 a taunt, a curse in all places, whither he should 
 drive them, Jer. xxiv. 9. Not only the Moabites and 
 Ammonites mocked them, when they were leading 
 away captive, Why do you weep ? you are going 
 to your father's house; but also the Babylonians : Psal. 
 cxxxvii. 3, " Sing us one of the songs of Zion ;" you 
 say Zion is the joy of the whole earth, let us have a 
 song of it, and sec how joyful it will make you here 
 in Babylon. 
 
 OA.y. 4. Sin makes cities and citizens to have an ill 
 name. Jerusalem's wickedness made her infamous; 
 her iniquities were great and many, and they caused 
 her to hear ill. Formerly Jerusalem had been re- 
 nowned, Ezek. xvi. 14, for beauty ; the presence, or- 
 dinances, and worship of God, Psal. Ixxvi. 1 — 4; re- 
 nowned for her faithfulness, Isa. i. 21 ; for her holi- 
 ness, Psal. ii. 6 ; for her justice and righteousness, Isa. 
 i. 21 : but now, through her idolatry, cruelty, pro- 
 faneness, uncleanness, she had lost her beauty, faith- 
 fulness, holiness, and righteousness, she was become 
 infamous as any strumpet : and, Ezek. xxiv. 6, 9, 
 hath this infamous motto twice written upon lier 
 gates, " Woe to the bloody city !" " Woe to the bloody 
 city ! " And what were the citizens ? rulers of Sodom 
 and peojile of Gomorrah. Jerusalem was Sodom, 
 Gomorrah; and what a brand was this to that city ! 
 and the people were Sodomites and Gomorrheans ; 
 and what an infamy was this unto them ! How infa- 
 mous was Jezebel, Jeroboam, and Judah for their 
 wickedness ! The Spirit of God resembles wicked
 
 Ver. 1—12. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 541 
 
 men to things that are vile and infamous ; as, the 
 smoke of a chimney, Hos. xiii. 3, which blacks and 
 infects; to sepulchres, which are stinking and loath- 
 some, Matt, xxiii. 27; to despised, broken idols, Jer. 
 xxii. 28 ; to dogs and swine, 2 Pet. ii. 22 ; to adders 
 and serpents, Psal. Iviii. 4; to dragons, Isa. li. 9; 
 yea, to the devil, John vi. 70. If men would not 
 have an ill name, be likened unto vile things, let 
 them not do such things as will make infamous. 
 
 Obs. 5. Sin brings sad afflictions upon the sons of 
 men. " Thou art nmch vexed." Jerusalem's sins mul- 
 tiplied her sorrows ; she " vexed the fatherless and 
 widow," ver. 7; she "vexed the poor and needy," 
 ver. 29 ; and she had much vexation for it. The 
 Ammonites, Egyptians, Babylonians vexed her ; yea, 
 the Lord vexed her with famine, sword, and pesti- 
 lence. In Ueut. xxviii. 20, it was told the Jews that 
 God would send upon them cursing, vexation, and 
 rebuke, till he had destroyed them ; and why ? be- 
 cause of the W'ickcdness of their doings, because they 
 forsook God ; and, Isa. Ixiii. 10, " They rebelled, and 
 vexed his holy Spirit : therefore he was turned to 
 be their enemy, and fought against them." When 
 God is an enemy, and fights against a people, they 
 have nothing but vexation. God makes every crea- 
 ture, eveiT condition, vexatious. 
 
 Ver. 6. " Behold, the princes of Ir.rael, every one 
 were in thee to their power," &c. The Hebrew 
 stands thus. The princes of Israel, every one accord- 
 ing to his arm, were in thee : an arm, is put for 
 power. Yatablus hath it. Every one of the princes, 
 according to his power and place, did put forth him- 
 self to do unjust and cruel things. The "princes," 
 who were set up above others, and empowered to 
 have done justice impartially to all, they abused their 
 power and places, to the defiling of Jerusalem with 
 blood ; there was no equity amongst them, tyranny 
 prevailed. 
 
 Ver. 7- " In thee have they set light by father and 
 mother." The law of God, and light of nature, 
 teaches men to honour their parents, but Jerusalem 
 had those in it, who violated both these laws. Chil- 
 dren were come to such a height of wickedness, that 
 they vilified their parents, and reproached them ; 
 both their natural and metaphorical parents. Sep- 
 tuagint, tKaico^oyovii. Isa. iii. 5, "The child shall be- 
 have himself proudly against the ancient, and the 
 base against the honourable ;" this was now fulfilled 
 in Jerusalem, and that curse pulled upon them, Deut. 
 xxvii. 16, " Cursed be he that setteth light by his 
 father," &c. 
 
 " In thee have they dealt by oppression with the 
 stranger." The word for " oppression " is from pry 
 which signifies, to oppress a man by force or fraud ; 
 and though the law was, that they should not vex or 
 oppress a stranger, Exod. xxii. 21, yet now was the 
 wickedness of Jerusalem such, that she by fraud and 
 force did oppress the stranger. 
 
 By " stranger" is not meant, any one of other 
 nations that came to Jerusalem, but him who, being 
 vi,i. itivei in adopted intothe Jewish nation, became 
 Exnd. xMi. "1. ^ proselyte. God took special care of 
 such ; (and so the Septuagint renders the word, 
 strangers ;) that so more might be encouraged to come 
 in to the worship of the true God ; but they oppressed 
 them, and so shut the door which God had opened. 
 
 " In thee have they vexed the fatherless and the 
 widow." Orphans and widows, being deprived of 
 those who should be their help and strength, God 
 himself hath declared for them, Psal. Ixviii. 5, " A 
 father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, 
 is God in his holy habitation ;" and therefore pe- 
 remptorily forbids the affliction of any widow or 
 fatherless child, Exod. xxii. 22. And the sense is, 
 
 not only that they should not harm them, but that 
 they should protect them, plead their causes, and do 
 them good; Isa. i. 17, "Judge the fatheriess, plead 
 for the widow ;" but they were so far from this, that 
 they afflicted and vexed them. The word here for 
 " vexed " is, l;in from nr to oifer violence, to prey 
 upon ; they offered violence to the widows and father- 
 less, making a prey of them, which was a great 
 vexation to their souls. 
 
 Ver. 8. " Thou hast despised ndne holy things." 
 The " holy things " were, all those things which were 
 consecrated and dedicated to God, as the jiriests, the 
 temple, the vessels of it, the sacrifices and sacra- 
 ments they had, yea, all the ordinances of God, 
 which they despised : the word r.ta is, despising, 
 out of pride and disdain. So did the Jews of old, so 
 do many now through pride of heart, despise holy 
 things. Religion was then vilified. 
 
 " And hast profaned my sabbaths." Of profaning 
 or polluting the sabbath, you heard, chap. xx. 13, 
 16. It is the same word for " polluted " there, which 
 you have for "profaned" here. God had command- 
 ed them to remember his sabbaths, to sanctify them, 
 and promised great blessings unto them upon the 
 due sanctification of them, Isa. Iviii. 13, 14 ; but Je- 
 rusalem " profaned" them, and made them common, 
 or worse than common, days. 
 
 Ver. 9. " In thee are men that carry tales to shed 
 blood." The words for "men that carry tales" are, 
 S'Di 'U'J!* for which the Septuagint gives you, dvSfieQ 
 \tlTai, thieves, robbers. JRacltit is, one that narrowly 
 observes another's words, and perverts them to the 
 prejudice of him whose they were ; the word is from Ssi 
 rochet, a merchant, and so is, one that, by car- 
 rying tales, sets to sale the fame, liberty, or life of 
 his neighbour. It signifies also an apothecary, who 
 mingles, blends things together, and sells them for 
 his own advantage ; so this carry-tale mingles some- 
 tliiug of his own with what he heard, and makes his 
 advantage thereby. Montanus renders the words, 
 viri di'luiionis, men of carriage, because tiny seek 
 out, pick up, or invent matter against another, and 
 carry it to those that be in place, which here made 
 way for shedding of blood. This kind of men are 
 very pernicious. Solomon tells you, that the words 
 of tale-bearers are as wounds, " they go down into 
 the innermost parts of the belly," Prov. xviii. 8 ; they 
 make way for the wounding and spilling the blood 
 of the innocent. There were wicked princes and 
 magistrates at that time in Jerusalem, glad to have 
 ocacsions against the innocent, and these murderous 
 tale-carriers possess them with falsehoods, to the 
 prejudice of their lives. 
 
 " In thee they eat upon the mountains." They 
 did eat there things offered to idols, in honour to the 
 idols, otherwise it was not sinfid to " eat upon the 
 mountains." Of these words before, chap, xviii. 6, 
 11, 15. 
 
 " In the midst of thee they commit lewdness." 
 Of " committing lewdness," see chap. xvi. 43. nST 
 the Septuagint translate, avooia, unholy things, that 
 is, villanous things ; thou that shouldst be holy, 
 doest filthy things. So Lavater ; and he saith zimnmh 
 notes, a villany done not ignorantly, or out of weak- 
 ness, but on purpose ; therefore the translation, 
 which either is Vatablus's, or which he follows, hath 
 it, a plotted wickedness. Chap. xi. 1, 2, Jaazaniah 
 and Pelatiah did devise mischief; and such devised 
 mischiefs are called here, zwimahs, lewdnesses. Je- 
 rusalem had those in her who made it their practice : 
 Micah ii. 1, " Woe to them that devise iniquity, and 
 work evil upon their beds ! " In the night season, 
 when their thoughts and spirits were most retired, 
 fittest and strongest for meditation, then they devised
 
 5-12 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXII. 
 
 iniquity ; liow to root out the righteous, to take 
 away the prophets, to pervert the law, to promote 
 idolatry, &c. and these were lewdnesses. 
 
 Ver. 10, II. " In thee have they discovered their 
 fathers' nakedness : in thee have they humbled her 
 that was set apart for pollution. And one " (or, every 
 one) " hath committed abomination with his neigh- 
 hour's wife ; and another hath lewdly defiled his 
 daughter-in-law," &c. In these two verses are set 
 out the incestuous, adulterous, and whorish doings 
 of Jerusalem. In her, sons lay with their niolhirs, 
 fathers with their daughters-in-law, brothers with 
 their sisters, and every one with his neighbour's 
 wife ; and being not satisfied with those times which 
 were fit for embracing, they humbled, they forced 
 those who were set apart for pollution ; all which 
 things were forbidden in the law : see Lev. xviii. and 
 XX. So filthy was Jerusalem at this time, that " they 
 were as fed horses, every one neighing after his 
 neighbour's wife," Jer. v. 8. 
 
 \ er. 12. " In thee have they taken gifts to shed 
 blood." There are two sorts of gifts : first, such as 
 are bestowed upon triiuds, and those wlio deserve 
 well of us : these are lawful, and when given, testify 
 esteem and thankfulness. And secondly, such as are 
 given to retard, pervert, and corrupt justice : such 
 were the gifts here, and they were forbidden, Exod. 
 xxiii. 8; Deut. xvi. 19. This gift-taking was too 
 common in Jerusalem : Isa. i. 23, " Every one loveth 
 gifts, and followeth after rewards : they judge not 
 the fatherless, neither dolh the cause of the widow 
 come unto them :" the fatherless and widows had 
 no " gifts" to give them, therefore their causes 
 could not be heard; they petitioned, but petitions 
 without presents would do no good, for they judged 
 for reward, Mic. iii. 11 ; and said. Give, give, Hos. 
 iv. 18. If there were no " gifts," there was no justice. 
 
 " Thou liast taken usury and increase." Of these 
 words, and this sin, was largely spoken in chap, 
 xviii. 8, whither you are referrc'd'. 
 
 " And thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours 
 by extortion." Rlontanus renders the word for 
 " greedily gained," appelcbas, fntudnbus, thou didst 
 covet or deceive thy neighbours. The Hebrew is, 
 ys3 which signifies, to wound, to cut in i)iects, and, 
 to exercise covetoKsncss. It notes an insatiable desire, 
 which carries a man out to wrest and wring from his 
 neighbour by any means, and so wounds him, squeezes, 
 and cuts him in jdeces. 
 
 Ohs. 1. That great men, the princes and potentates 
 of the earth, lay out themselves to tyrannize over and 
 oppress the people. " Behold, the princes of Israel, 
 every one were in thee to their power to shed blood." 
 They all agreed in these two things, to opi)ress, and 
 to oppress to the utmost. This doubtless made Je- 
 remiah say, chap. iii. 5, of Jerusalem, "Behold, thou 
 hast said and done evil things as thoucouldest :" thy 
 princes, which had arms and power, they have jut 
 forth the same, what they could, to do wickedly, to 
 oppress and shed blood ; what could they do more 
 than take away the lives of men ? This w;.s the 
 way great ones went of old: see Micah iii. 1—3; 
 and Zeph. iii. 3. 
 
 Obs. 2. That forgetfulness of God is the cause of 
 all the sins in a city or people. Jerusalem's sins 
 are here reckoned up ; cruelty, idolatry, slighting of 
 parents, oppression of strangers, vexing of fatherless 
 and widows, despising of linly things, profaning of 
 sabbaths, tale-carrying to shed blood, eating upon 
 the mountains, devising wickedness, incest, adultery, 
 briber)', usury, extortion. And what is the root of 
 all these ? " Thou hast forgotten me, saith the Lord 
 God." When men mind not what God commands, 
 forbids, what he threatens, what he approves, when 
 
 they acknowledge not his eye, his power, his judg- 
 ments, the account they must give to him, they fall 
 into all manner of sins, lewdnesses, and transgres- 
 sions : when men forget God, they do not, they can- 
 not fear him ; and where the fear of God is not, they 
 will not stick to shed blood. Gen. xx. 11, or do any 
 wickedness. In Vi^al. 1. 1/ — 20, many sins of the 
 Jews are recited ; and what was the ground of those 
 sins.' they forgat God; ver. 22, "Consider this, ye 
 that forget God." See Psal. cvi. 19,20; Jer. xiii. 
 25 ; xviii. 15. When men forget God, they forget his 
 law, which should regulate their lives, and so they live 
 without God, and without law ; they follow the lusts 
 of their own hearts, and lie exposed to all evils. 
 
 Ver. 13—16. Behold, therefore I hare smitten 
 •mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast 
 made, and at thi/ blood which hath been in the 
 midst of thee. Can thine heart endure, or can 
 thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal 
 with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will 
 do it. And I will scatter thee among the heathen, 
 and disjjerse thee in the countries, and will con- 
 sume thy Jilthiness out of thee. And thou shalt 
 take thine inheritance in thyself iii the sight of 
 the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the 
 Lord. 
 
 Ha\'ing rehearsed Jerusalem's sins, here the Lord 
 conies to set down his dislike of their ways, the judg- 
 ments that should come upon them, and the eud of 
 those judgments. 
 
 I. His dislike, in ver. 13. 
 
 II. Tile judgments, in ver. 14, 15. 
 
 III. The end of them, in ver. 15, 16. 
 
 Ver. 13. " Behold, therefore I have smitten mine 
 hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made." 
 Smiting of hands is sometimes a sign of joy, as chap, 
 xxi. 17, and sometimes of grief and anger, as here. 
 God was so provoked with the heinousness of their 
 sins, that he smites his hands together, both to testify 
 his indignation against them, and readiness to take 
 vengeance on them. When parents smite their 
 hands at the lewd doings of their children, it is an 
 argument of anger and grief, not of joy. God hath 
 no hand, but it is spoken afttr the manner of men. 
 
 The word for " dishonest gain" is, yv3 from yxa 
 opened before. Montanus renders it, covetousness. 
 Others, money gotten by fraud and force ; such gain 
 is " dishonest gain." The French is, avarice, that 
 gain which conies in by overreaching, by forcing or 
 sinking of others. That is " dishonest gain," when 
 we do not as we would be done unto. 
 
 " And at thy blood which hath been in the midst of 
 thee." Here are only two sins mentioned of all that 
 went before, but the other are intended also ; God 
 smote his hands against them, though principally 
 against these. Jerusalem had shed much innocent 
 blood, which cried to God for vengeance, and caused 
 him to smite his hands at her. 
 
 Obs. Covetousness and cruelty are sins that sorely 
 provoke God. He smote his hands at their dishonest 
 gain, and bloody doings ; his spirit boiled up against 
 them, and he was coming to be avenged on them. 
 The Hebrews say there are twenty-four sins reckoned 
 up in this chapter, and that God threatens the de- 
 struction of the city only for covetousness. The 
 Jews were a people greedy of gain, given to covetous- 
 ness, which makes men cruel, and oft bloody : Prov. 
 i. 19, those who are greedy of gain, they take away 
 the life of the owners, they suck their blnod ; Amos 
 viii. 4, they " swallow up the needy ;" Micah iii. 2, 
 3, they pluck oflf their skins, break their bones, and
 
 Ver. 13—16. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 5-13 
 
 eat their flesh. And if covetous men are not cruel 
 and bloody, yet they are abhorred of God for their 
 covelousness : Psal. x. 3, " The wicked blesseth the 
 covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth ;" the word for 
 " covetous," and that here for " dishonest gain," are 
 both of the same verb, and difi'er very little. God 
 abhors the covetous, and smites his hands at covet- 
 ousness, and so he doth at bloodiness ; Psal. v. 6, 
 he " will abhor the bloody and deceitful man ;" the 
 Lord abhors them at the present, and he will make 
 it manifest that he doth abhor them : God hath done 
 it in the gosjiel, 1 Cor. vi. 10. Rev. xxi. S, there it 
 appears, that neither the covetous nor the bloody 
 shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Let us learn of 
 God to smite our hands against these sins. 
 
 Ver. 14. "Can thine heart endure?" The He- 
 brew for " endure" is, ncy which Montanus and CEco- 
 lampadius render, xtubit, Will thy heart stand, or con- 
 sist, when I shall deal with thee P The Septuagint is, 
 it vTto';t\i!iTM i) rapJi'a (rs. If thine heart shall stand it 
 out; but the interrogation is more emphatical, Can 
 thine heart stand, or endure ? and carries the force 
 of a negation. O Jerusalem ! thou thinkest that when 
 my judgments come, thou shall be able to stand under 
 them, but be thine heart never so stout or strong, my 
 judgments will be too heavy for thee to bear them ; 
 when they come, thine heart will fail thee, fail thee of 
 counsel, that thou shall not know what to do, and fail 
 thee of strength, that thou shalt not be able to do what 
 thou knowest ; thine heart will be in thine heels, thou 
 wilt be more forward to flee than to consult, or stand 
 it out u])on consultation. 
 
 " Can thine hands be strong ?" Thou thinkest to 
 do some great matters, if Nebuchadnezzar draw near 
 to thy gates; thou wilt call upon thy strong men to 
 appear and make resistance, but their hands will be 
 feeble, and unserviceable, not fit to handle or use 
 weapons of war. Jerusalem, thou art deluded ; con- 
 sider with thyself, can thine hands be strong when I 
 have " smitten mine hands "against thee ? canst thou 
 withstand me, or bear my judgments, when I shall 
 thunder and throw them upon thee with a strong 
 hand ? Whatever fancies possess thine head, thou 
 art not able to do it. 
 
 " In the days that I shall deal with thee." In 
 the days that men have dealt with thee, thy ciunsel 
 and power have prevailed ; but what wilt thou do 
 " in the days that I shall deal with thee ?" I, that 
 am " wonderful in counsel, and excellent in work- 
 ing," Isa. xxviii. 2;i ; I, that work and none can 
 hinder, chap, xliii. 13 ; I, that am " terrible to the 
 kings of the earth," Psal. Ixxvi. 12 ; I, that plead 
 with fire and sword in my hand, Isa. Ixvi. 16; I, 
 that make mountains flow, and nations to tremble 
 at my presence, Isa. Ixiv. 1, 2: I, that make fruitftd 
 places wildernesses, and break down cities, Jer. iv. 
 26 ; what wilt thou do then ? Those days are com- 
 ing upon thee, and they will be the saddest days 
 thou ever mettest with. 
 
 " I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it." Thou 
 mayest hope it shall not be, that I will deal severely 
 with thee, in whom I have delighted, and upon whom 
 I have bestowed so many mercies ; but know, I have 
 resolved, spoken it, and will do it : I am not man, 
 to repent of what I speak or do. 
 
 Obi: 1. Sinful cities and creatures are apt to con- 
 fide in one thing or other, in their wisdom, strength, 
 power, riches, friends. Jerusalem thought she had 
 wherewith to keep off all judgments, or suflicient to 
 enable her to wrestle with them if they came : " Can 
 thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong ? " 
 Jerusalem thought so, had confidence that way, else 
 the Lord would not have put these questions to her. 
 Ezek. xvi. 15, " Thou didst trust in thy beauty ;" in thy 
 
 wealth, in thy walls, in thy soldiers, in thy counsel- 
 lors, in thy temple, in thy mountains, which were 
 thy beauty. In Jeremiah's days it is evident that 
 the wise, the rich, and strong iiicn of Jerusalem did 
 too much confide and glory in their wisdom, their 
 riches, and strength, chap. ix. 23. Zophaniah saith 
 of Jerusalem, that " she trusted not in the Lord," 
 chap. iii. 2 ; her confidence was in falsehood, Jer. 
 xiii. 25 ; that was, in things which proved false and 
 deceitful : one of this kind was the Egyptian strength, 
 Isa. XXX. 2; Ezek. xvii. 1/. Not only did Jerusa- 
 lem confide in falsehoods, but Babylon also, Isa. 
 xlvii. 10 ; and Rabbah, Jer. xlix. 4 ; she once trust- 
 ed in her wickedness, saying, " None seeth me :" 
 the other in her treasures, saying, " M'ho shall come 
 unto me?" It is not good to lean to our o\\ni wis- 
 dom, to rest upon our own strength, or strength of 
 others ; whoever makes flesh within, or flesh with- 
 out, his arm, lies under a curse, Jer. xvii. 5 ; but he 
 that trusts in the Lord, and in him only, he hath the 
 blessing, ver. 7. 
 
 Obs. 2. God hath his times to reckon with sinners, 
 to make them smart for their evil doings. " In the 
 days that I shall deal with thee." God had his day to 
 deal with Egypt ; Ezek. xxx. 9, "As in the day of 
 Egypt ;" he met with Egyptians in the Red sea. He 
 had his day to deal with Midianites ; Isa. ix. 4, " As 
 in the day of Midian ;" when God smote them b)' the 
 sword of Gideon, Judg. vii. that was the day God 
 dealt with them. Men have the ir days to sin, and 
 God hath his days to smite. Ahab had his day to 
 do wickedly, and God had his day to deal with him, 
 1 Kings xxii. 34, 35. Ahaz had his time to trans- 
 gress, and God had his time to distress him for his 
 transgressions, 2 Chron. xxviii. 19, 20. Ephraim 
 had his days of sinning, and God had his day of re- 
 buke to lay Ephraim desolate, Hos. v. 9. The Jews 
 had their day to make a calf, and God had his day to 
 cut off three thousand of them, Exod. xxxii. 28. 
 Men sin, and think to hear no more of their sins, but 
 God remembers them, and hath his days to visit for 
 them. He hath a day for every one who is proud 
 and lifted up, Isa. ii. 12 ; he hath a day for those 
 that decree unrighteous decrees, that write grievous- 
 ness, that wrcmg widows and fatherless ones, Isa. 
 X. 1 — 3; he hath his day to de; 1 with them, and so 
 to deal with them, that they shall not know what to 
 do : " What will ye do in the day of visitation ?" to 
 whom will ye flee for help ? and where will ye leave 
 your glory ? Men will be thinking what to do, 
 whither to flee, how to dispose of themselves and 
 what they have, but the day of the Lord will be 
 darkness and distress unto them. Whoever takes a 
 time to sin against God, must expect a time wherein 
 God will deal with him for so sinning ; Rom. ii. 6, 
 9, God " will render to every man according to his 
 deeds ;" he hath his day to render " tribulation and 
 anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil ;" he 
 hath his day wherein he will " judge the secrets of 
 men," ver. 16. Would you " see good days, eschew 
 evil, and do good ; seek peace, and ensue it," 1 Pet, 
 iii. 10, 11. 
 
 Obs. 3. God's judgments discover the vanity and 
 rottenness of human confidences. " Can thine heart 
 endure ? can thine hands be strong, in the days that 
 I shall deal with thee?" when I shall bring the 
 sword, plague, and famine ? no, thy heart will faint, 
 thy hands will be feeble. If at the tidings of judg- 
 ments their heart melted, their hands were feeble, 
 every spirit faint, and all knees weak as water, as it 
 is, chap. xxi. 7, what were they at the presence, 
 sight, and sense of those judgments ? they were like 
 men without hearts and spirits, without hands and 
 legs. God's judgments are fires which consume
 
 544 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. XXII. 
 
 men's confidences, and make them see tlieir own 
 weakness. Men think they shall stand in the evil 
 day ; but if they cannot stand against the frowns and 
 fury of the creature, how will they stand before the 
 dreadful Creator ? if footmen, horsemen, the swell- 
 ings of Jordan, Jer. xii. 5, weary, sink men, what 
 will the Lord of hosts do ? if they cannot bear the 
 lesser judgments, how will they bear the greater? 
 If briers and thorns conceit themselves to be oaks 
 and cedars, can they endure the fire ? Isa. xxvii. 4, 
 they will be burnt to ashes. What they said of Jehu, 
 2 Kings X. 4, Two kings were not able to stand before 
 him, how then shall we stand ? he is coming with 
 the sword ; may wicked cities more fully say of 
 God, The old world could not stand before him, 
 Sodom and (romorrah could not stand before him, 
 how then shall we stand ? Egyjjt had men like 
 fatted bullocks, but when the northern storm came 
 upon them, they " turned back, they fied away to- 
 gether, they did not stand, because the day of their 
 calamity was come upon them, and the time of their 
 visitation," Jer. xlvi. 21. You may see what strong, 
 mighty, and courageous men will do, when God 
 deals with them, Joel ii. I-l — 1(5; their hearts could 
 not endure, their hands, their feet, were not strong, 
 to act or stand. Let us not sin, provoke the Lord by 
 our vain confidences, for he is stronger than man. 
 
 Obs. 4. That the word of the Lord shall take 
 place, wdiatever men's thoughts are. They thought 
 Nebuchadnezzar would not come, or if he did, that 
 they and the Egyptians shoidd be able to deal with 
 them, and prevent those evils which were threatened 
 by the prophets : but, " I the Lord have spoken if, and 
 will do it." Where he hath a mouth to speak, he 
 hath a hand to do ; it is not any pow-er can hinder : 
 " I will work, and who shall let it?" Isa. xliii. 13; 
 not devils or men can do it. Neither will the Lord 
 revoke what he hath said, and so prevent judgments 
 intended ; Isa. xxxi. 2, " He is wise, and will bring 
 evil, and will not call back his words." Men often 
 speak, threaten, and then after eat their words, call 
 back their threatenings, saying, they were uttered in 
 passion, inconsiderately, and so show their folly ; 
 but God, when he speaks, it is in wisdom, his words 
 shall stand, and not be removed, or called back, 
 Amos vi. 11. Hence is it that, Jer. xliv. 28, the 
 Lord saith, " They shall know whose word shall 
 stand, mine or theirs ;" they shall see in a little time 
 that their words are vanity, foolish, and come to 
 nothing, and that my words are the words of wis- 
 dom, weighty, and stable. Zcch. i. 6, " Did not my 
 words and my statutes take hold of your fathers ?" 
 what God said was accomplished, and they could not 
 but acknowledge it ; " Like as the Lord of hosts 
 thought to do unto us, so hath he dealt with us." 
 
 Ver. 15. " And I will scatter thee among the hea- 
 then, and disperse thee in the countries." Of their 
 scattering and dispersing hath formerly been spoken. 
 It was a great comfort to them to have their solemn 
 meetings at Jei-usalem, and in the temple ; and as 
 great an affliction to be deprived of them, and scat- 
 tered as dust and cliatf among the heathens, whose 
 language they understood not, and whose religion 
 was abomination to the God of Israel. 
 
 " And will consume thy filthiness out of thee." 
 The Hebrew is, I will make thy filthiness to fail out 
 of thee : so Montanus, I will make an end of thy 
 filthiness. Thou art now so defiled with idols, blood, 
 and other abominations, that thou art as a heap anil 
 bundle of " filthiness," even the filthy city ; but I 
 will throw thee into the furnace of afiliction, and 
 cause thy " filthiness " to depart from thee. By " fil- 
 thiness" we may understand, filthy ones, the abstract 
 being put for the concrete. Jerusalem had many 
 
 filthy persons in it, and God would by his judgments 
 consume them. 
 
 Oi.v. The Lord, by his judgments, doth purge out 
 of cities and nations the wicked, and makes them and 
 their wickedness to cease. " I will consume thy fil- 
 thiness out of thee;" that is, thy filthy ones, with 
 their " filthiness." God brought the sword, famine, 
 pestilence upon Jerusalem, and by these did cut otf 
 and consume the filthy ones there. See Ezek. v. 12 ; 
 Jer. xiv. 15; xvi. 4; Ezek. xiii. 14. God by his 
 jndi;ments destroyed Jerusalem, and so caused her 
 "filthiness" to be at an end: Ezek. xvi. 40, 41, 
 " They shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee 
 through with their swords ; burn thine houses with 
 fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight 
 of many women : and I will cause thee to cease from 
 playing the harlot." The same judgments you have, 
 Ezek. xxiii. 47 ; and by them he would "cause lewd- 
 ness to cease out of the land," ver. 48. By his judg- 
 ments the Lord ccmsumes the filthy out of the city 
 and land, and "filthiness" out of the saints. 
 
 Ver. I(). " And thou shalt take thine inheritance 
 in thyself." Hebrew is thus. Thou shalt inherit in 
 thyself; thou shalt be thine own inheritance. Here- 
 tofiu'e thou wast mine inheritance, but it shall be so 
 no longer; I will cast thee otr, being so filthy as 
 thou art, and thou shalt have no "inheritance" in 
 me, but in "thyself." Some making the word to be 
 from SSn to wound, to profane, do render it in the 
 first person, thus, I will wound thee : so Symmachus, 
 I will defile thee, and profane thee : so Theodotion. 
 The Septuagint, is, I will possess in thee ; that is, I 
 will have a people for my possession among you, 
 when you are scattered abroad among the heathens. 
 It is true (iod had a peojjle among them when they 
 were in Babylon ; but the Hebrew is not in the first 
 person. Piseator hath it thus. Thou shalt be made 
 profane in thyself; thou shalt be cast ofi'by me into 
 banishment, and be no other in my account than a 
 common and jirofane people ; I will account of thee 
 so, and deal accordingly with thee. So the words 
 are to be understood, Isa. xliii. 28; xlvii. 6; where 
 the Lord is said to profane the princes, and pollute 
 his inheritance. This sense may well stand with 
 the first, for if God made them a profane and common 
 people, they had no " inheritance " in him, but their 
 " inheritance " was in themselves. 
 
 " In the sight of the heathen." Heathens shall 
 see that thou art a people cast off of thy God for thy 
 wickedness, and exposed to reproach, cursing, and 
 as great miseries as ever any people were. 
 
 Obs. I. That the wickedness of God's people doth 
 disinterest them in God ; it makes God disown them, 
 and leave them to themselves. They might think 
 and say they were still the people, the "inheritance," 
 of God, that they had interest in him ; but " thou 
 shalt take thine inheritance in thyself," I disclaim 
 thee, I cast thee ofl" as profane, and look upon thee 
 no otherwise than I do upon heathens. It was the 
 wickedness of the ten tribes which made the Lord 
 to say, " Lo-ainnii, ye are not my people, and I will 
 not be your God," Hos. i. 9; in which pro])het you 
 may read largi ly of their sins. Chapter viii. 3, tells 
 you, that Israel had cast ofl'the thing that was good, 
 viz. the worship of God ; and, ver. 5, " Thy calf, O 
 Samaria, hath cast thee ofl';" that is, thy false wor- 
 ship hath made me to cast thee ofl^, to declare thee 
 to be none of my city, and thy jieople to be none of 
 mine. In the twelfth chapter of Jeremiah you have 
 that which bears witness fully to this observation ; 
 ver. 7 — 9, "I have forsaken mine house, I have left 
 mine heritage ; I have given the dearly beloved of 
 my soul into the hand of her enemies. Mine herit- 
 age is to me as a lion in the forest ; it crieth out
 
 Ver. 17—2-2. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 545 
 
 against me : therefore have I hated it. Mine heritage 
 unto me is as a speckled bird, the birds roundabout are 
 against her ; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the 
 field, come to devour." The meaning of these words 
 is this: That the Jews were once very dear to God, 
 even as dear as any wife can be to a husband ; but 
 because, like lions, they carried it stoutly against 
 God, and cried out against him and his prophets, 
 therefore he forsook them, hated them, and gave 
 them into the hands of the Babylonians ; and be- 
 cause Jerusalem was as a "speckled bird" in the 
 eye of God, through her variety of gods, altars, su- 
 perstitions, and idolatries, therefore God caused the 
 birds of all the nations to hoot at and hate her, even 
 as birds do a "speckled bird," inviting them, and all 
 the beasts of the field, to come and devour her. And 
 why all this ? they dealt treacherously, ver. 1 ; they 
 were hypocritical, ver. 2 ; they were wicked, ver. 4. 
 The Jews had been a people precious in the si^ht 
 of God, and honourable, Isa. xliii. 4; Jerusalem his 
 habitation, and the people of it his inheritance and his 
 glory, whom he protected, Isa. iv. 5 ; yet by their 
 sins they provoked God, so as that he gave "his 
 strength into captivity, and his glory into the ene- 
 my's hand," Psal. Ixxviii. 61. 
 
 Oba. 2. That God's judgments bring people to the 
 knowledge of God. It rises from the former verse 
 and this laid together. God would scatter them, 
 consume them, cast them ofT, leave them to them- 
 selves, and they should know that he was the Lord : 
 Psal. ix. 16, "The Lord is known by executing 
 judgments;" his power, his justice, and sovereignty 
 arc known thereby, and so men are made to fear, and 
 stand in awe of him. When God is silent, and speaks 
 not by his judgments, men think he is like them- 
 selves, Psal. 1. 21 ; and are imboldened to sin, Eccles. 
 viii. 11; but when God thunders by his judgments, 
 they have other apprehensions of him, 1 Sam. vi. 
 ly, 20. 
 
 Ver. 17 — 22. And the word of the Lord came 
 unto me, snying. Son of man, the house of Israel 
 is to me beco7ne d ross : all they are brass, and tin, 
 and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace ; 
 they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus 
 sailh the Lord God ; Because ye are all become 
 dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the 
 midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and 
 brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst 
 of the furnace, to blow thejire vpon it, to melt it ; 
 so trill I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, 
 and 1 icill leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I 
 will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of 
 my ivrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst 
 thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the 
 furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; 
 and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured 
 out my fury upon you. 
 
 In these words is the Lord's second message to 
 Ezekiil, wherein is set forth, 
 
 I. The degenerate estate of the Jews, under the 
 similitude of " dross," ver. 18. 
 
 II. God's judicial proceeding with them being 
 "dross," ver. 19 — 22. 
 
 1. He would "gather" them together. 
 
 2. " Blow" upon them. 
 
 3. "Melt" them. 
 
 III. The end of his so dealing with them, ver. 22. 
 Ver. 17. " And the word of the Lord came unto me, 
 
 saying." These words we have had oft, and in ver. 
 
 I of this chapter. God being upon bringing judg- 
 
 2 N 
 
 ments upon his people, gives them notice thereof by 
 his prophets ; he speaks before he strikes. 
 
 \er. 18. "The house of Israel is tome become 
 dross." The house of Israel, viz. the Jews, had been 
 of high account with God, they were once his chosen 
 people above all others, Dcut. vii. 6 ; they were once 
 "a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation," Exod. 
 xix. 6 ; they were once so hono\irable and precious, 
 that God gave and destroyed other nations for their 
 sakes, Isa. xliii. 4 ; they were once his portion, his 
 inheritance, Deut. xxxii. 9; Isa. xix. 25 ; they were 
 once his vineyard, and pleasant plant, Isa. v. 7 ; they 
 were once "a people near unto him," Psal. cxlviii. 
 14; the dearly beloved of his soul, Jer. xii. 7 ; his 
 peculiar people, Exod. xix. 5 : but now they were be- 
 come "dross," they had degenerated from their for- 
 mer faithfulness, justice, honesty, sincerity, and 
 purity. 
 
 The word for " dross " is, j'D sig, which is, whatso- 
 ever the fire separates from any metal. Metals have 
 something of an heterogeneal nature to themselves, 
 which being separated by fire or any other way, is 
 that we call " dross." The house of Israel here is 
 not said to be drossy, but to be " dross ;" it is fit 
 therefore to see wherein the resemblance lies between 
 them. 
 
 1. The "dross" obscures the lustre and glory of 
 the metal, yea, covers it up, so that it appears not ; 
 rust and filth compass and hide the gold, so that 
 neither the nature or lustre of it can be seen. So 
 the house of Israel was such at this time, that no 
 gold, no silver appeared: Jer. v. 1, "Run ye lo and 
 fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, 
 and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye 
 can find a man, if there be any that executeth judg- 
 ment, that seeketh the truth ;" Jer. ix. 2, " They be 
 all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men ;" 
 Zeph. iii. 7, " They rose early, and corrupted all 
 their doings ;" Jer. vi. 2*^, " They are all grievous re- 
 volters, walking with slanders : they are brass and 
 iron ; they are all corrupters :" tliere was no pure 
 metal appeared amongst tliem, especially gold or 
 silver. If there were some righteous, just, holy, 
 faithful ones amongst them, they lay hid under the 
 " dross." 
 
 2. "Dross" is a deceiving thing. It is like me- 
 tal, but is not metal ; the dross of silver is like 
 it, and so the dross of gold is like it, but the dross 
 is neither silver nor gold : so the house of Israel 
 was deceitful, hypocritical, like saints, but not saints ; 
 see Isa. x. 6 ; Iviii. 2. Chap. ix. 17, " Every one is an 
 hypocrite, and an evil-doer, and every mouth speaketh 
 folly." They professed themselves to be the people 
 of God, yet were not such as they seemed to be, Jer. 
 vii. 2, 4, 9, 10; they were like potsherds covered 
 with silver dross, Prov. xxvi. 23. 
 
 2. " Dross " is not bettered by the fire : put it into 
 the fire time after time, it abides so still. God had 
 oft put the Jews into the fiiniace of affliction, and 
 heated the furnace sometimes very hot, but they were 
 the same still : they had been in the Egyptian fire, 
 2 Kings xxiii. 33 ; in the Syrian and Chaldean fire, 
 chap. xxiv. 2, and other fires; but none of them did 
 them any good : Jer. v. 3, " Thou hast stricken them, 
 but they have not grieved ; thou hast consumed them, 
 but they have refused to receive correction ;" and not 
 only did the prophet complain thus, but the Lord 
 himself; chap. ii. 30, " In vain have I smitten their 
 children ; they received no correction :" they were 
 nothing the better for all Ciod's blows and fires, 
 "dross" they were, and "dross" they continued. 
 
 4. " Dross " is a worthless thing. It is of no value, 
 base, vile, contemptible : such was the house of 
 Israel, and chief in it ; Jer. xxiv. 8, Zedekiah the king
 
 6-JG 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chai'. XXII. 
 
 his princes, and the rest of Jerusalem, were as evil 
 figs ivhicli could not be eaten: the kingdom was 
 base, Ezck. xvii. 14 ; the city a harlot, chap. xvi. 
 35 ; she changed the judgments of God into wicked- 
 ness more than the nations, chap. v. (J ; and was 
 more vile than Sodom and Samaria, chap. xvi. 47. 
 
 5. It is useless, and to be rejected. Tlie Jews now 
 were so corrupted, so wicked, so unprofitable, that 
 the Lord was casting them oft', and out; Jer. vi. 30, 
 " Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the 
 Lord hath rejected them." As the wood of the vine, 
 when fruitless, is not fit for any thing but the fire, 
 Ezek. XV. so the dross of silver is not fit for any thing 
 but rejection. The house of Israel being become 
 " dross," the Lord saith, Jer. vii. 15, " I will cast you 
 out of my sight, as I have cast out allyour brethren, 
 even the whole seed of Ephraim :" the ten trilies 
 they proved " dross," and the Lord cast them away, 
 and now he would cast Judah and Benjamin out of 
 his sight ; and when he did it, they were the oftscour- 
 ing and refuse in the midst of heathens. Lam. iii.45. 
 
 6. '' Dross" is an offensive thing, rust eats into the 
 metal, endangers that, and makes the goldsmith to 
 kindle the fire, to separate it from the gold and 
 silver. So wicked men are olfensive to God and 
 good men, and cause the Lord to bring his fiery 
 judgments to separate between the precious and the 
 vile. The wickedness of the house of Israel caused 
 God to bring the sword, famine, plague, captivity, 
 and by these to purge out and consume the filthiness 
 of Jerusalem. 
 
 " All they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead." 
 Before, he had said they were dross ; how doth he 
 now call them, brass, iron, tin, lead ? these are good 
 metals. True, in themselves they are so, but com- 
 pare them with silver or gold, they are but as dross, 
 base metals ; so tin is reckoned in Scripture account, 
 Isa. i. 25; so brass, iron, and lead are reputed, Jer. 
 vi. 28, 29. When pure religion, judgment, and right- 
 eousness were in the house and city of Israel, then 
 she was silver, precious and good metal ; but falling 
 to idolatry, oppression, and profaneness, her silver 
 became dro.ss, and her children became brass, that 
 is, "impudent and hardhearted," Ezek. iii. 7; tin, 
 that is, hypocritical, being all in show nothing in 
 substance, chap, xxxiii. 31 ; iron, that is, cruel, bloody, 
 inflexible, so were the great ones, mm in place, chap. 
 xxxiv. 2, 4; Zeph. iii. 3, 4; Jer. v. 5; lead, that is, 
 sottish and stupid, Jer. iv. 22: chap. viii. 9, "They 
 have rejected the word of the Lord ; and what wis- 
 dom is in them ? " that which should have enlight- 
 ened them, and made them wise, that they rejected, 
 and so were foolish and sottish. 
 
 " In the midst of the furnace." In the 1 1th chap- 
 ter, 3rd and /th verses, the city is called a " caldi-on," 
 and the peojile the "flesh" to be boiled in it; and 
 here it is called the " furnace," and the people the 
 "brass, tin, iron, lead," to be melted in it. God 
 would make Jerusalem a furnace of affliction, and 
 east the dross and base metal into it. The Jews had 
 so degenerated from the golden and silvery purity of 
 their fathers, that they had no preciousness in them, 
 nothing left but dross, or that which was base as dross. 
 
 "They are even the dross of silver." Their fa- 
 thers were true believers, sincere worshippers, just 
 dealers, covenant keepers, and so were like unto 
 silver, precious, pure, white, desirable ; but these 
 their children were " dross, even the dross of silver," 
 faithless, hypocritical, unjust, perjured. The na- 
 tions were dross, but not the dross of silver, they 
 were never of higher account than brass, tin, iron, 
 lead; only the Jews were accounted silver, and now 
 they were become the " dross of silver," worse than 
 the nations, 2 Kings xxi. 9. 
 
 Ver. 19, 20. " I wiU gather you into the midst of 
 Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and 
 iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace." 
 The Hebrew is, I will gather you with the gathering 
 of silver, that is, with such a gathering, that like 
 as,:,the founder, silver or goldsmith, when he would 
 prove the metals digged out of the mines, what they 
 are, and separate the dregs and dross from them, he 
 gathers them together, and puts them into the fur- 
 nace ; so would the Lord do by the Jews, he would 
 gather them from all parts of Judea into Jerusalem, 
 which was the furnace, when God brought Nebu- 
 chadnezzar with his army to besiege it. 
 
 "To blow the fire upon it, and to melt it." When 
 the metals are in the furnace, then the founder causes 
 tile fire to be blown, the heat to be heightened, till 
 the metals be melted, that so the scimi and dross 
 being taken away, they may be malleable and useful. 
 
 " So will I gather you in mine anger and in my 
 fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you." 
 The Lord finding his people to be dross, or mingled 
 with base metals, he was greatly provoked; and so, 
 in his anger and fury, gathered them into the fur- 
 nace, and there left them to be melted. 
 
 The fire God used in the melting of them was fa- 
 mine, plague, and sword, which melted many of 
 them ; and then the burning coals scattered over the 
 city, Ezek. x. 2, which melted the furnace, and them 
 that were left in it. 
 
 Ver. 21. "I will gather you, and blow upon you 
 in the fire of my wrath." The word for " blow upon 
 you" is, »nns: the same with that in the 20th verse ; 
 that like as the founder blows, and gives not over 
 blowing till the metals are melted, and the dregs sejia- 
 rated, so the Lord he would blow upon them, that 
 is, exercise them with severe judgments one after 
 another, till they should be melted and consumed, 
 and the vile separated from the precious. This ex- 
 pression of blowing upon them in the fire of his 
 wrath, is the same with that in the former chapter, 
 ver. 31, " I will blow against thee in the fire of my 
 wrath :" when God blows against any, he blows 
 upon them, and the breath of his nostrils bums as fire. 
 
 Ver. 22. " As silver is melted in the midst of the 
 furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof." 
 Their melting is oft spoken of, ver. 20, 21 ; and here 
 God was serious in the business, and resolved upon 
 it, nothing should now prevent it, not the interces- 
 sion of Moses and Samuel, Jer. xv. I. 
 
 " And ye sliall know that I the Lord have poured 
 out my fury u])on you." Though the greatest part 
 were consumed by those sad and severe judgments 
 God brought upon them, yet some escaped, some 
 were carried into Babylon, another furnace, to melt 
 out their remaining dross ; and they were made to 
 know, and acknowledge, that the Lord had poured 
 out his fury upon them. 
 
 Of pouring out fury, or fury poured out, see chai). 
 XX. 33. 
 
 Obs. I. That churches or states may degenerate 
 from their preciousness and purity, into vileness and 
 profanenes.s. " The house of Israel is become dross, 
 even the dross of silver;" it was so degenerated, 
 that it went beyond others in wickedness ; which 
 made Isaiah to wonder, chap. i. 21 — 2-3, " How is the 
 faithful city become a harlot!" not simply a harlot, 
 but a great and notorious harlot: " it was full of 
 judgment, and righteousness lodged in it," but in- 
 stead of these, now there was oppression and murder. 
 " Thy silver is become dross, thy wine is mixed with 
 water;" thy money is counterfeit, and thy wine cor- 
 ruy.t ; or thus, whatever was pure in thee, is now 
 corrupted, the law is corrupted with false expositions, 
 the worship is corrupted with idols and human tra-
 
 Ver. 17—2: 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 547 
 
 ditions, justice is coiTupted with bribery and bloody 
 oppressions, chastity and sobriety are corrupted with 
 lewd and unclean practices. Jerusalem had lost her 
 excellency, and was become loathsome, as a filthy 
 harlot, doing the work of " an imperious whorish 
 woman," Ezek. x\^. 30: Jer. vii. t) — 11, she justified 
 herself in her sinful and shameful practices, and 
 made the house of God a den of thieves. Rome was 
 once a golden city for her faith and holiness, Rom. 
 i. 8 ; xvi. 19 ; but now is so corrupt in doctrine, wor- 
 ship, and manners, that she is become " the mother 
 of harlots and abominations," Rev. xvii. 5. The 
 seven churches were once golden candlesticks, but 
 through their corruptions and weaknesses, they soon 
 degenerated into dross. 
 
 Obn. 2. That men professing godliness, and living 
 ungodlily, whatever others' thoughts are of them, 
 or whatever they think of themselves, they are not 
 acceptable to God, nor fit materials of a church. 
 " The house of Israel is to me become dross ;" they 
 profess my name, and so judge themselves good sil- 
 ver, precious in my sight, and others accord with 
 them therein ; but they live wickedly, and to me 
 they are no better than dross, than brass, tin, iron, 
 and lead, too base materials to make a temple for 
 me to dwell in, or a candlestick for me to set a pro- 
 phetical light in. Such persons, whatever profession 
 they make, whatever parts or privileges they have, 
 they are no silver, but the dross, the excrements of 
 silver, which defile, disgrace the name, the church, 
 the ordinances of God, and must be separated from 
 the gold and silver, 2 Cor. vi. 17. As the prophet 
 saith, " What is the chaff to the wheat?" Jer. xxiii. 
 28 ; so, what is the dross to the silver ? It is fitter 
 for the dunghill than the temple. Many t'nat appear 
 silver unto men, will be found dross unto God. The 
 best have some dross in them, they are drossy, but 
 not dross. Hypocrites and wicked ones are dross ; 
 only hypocrites are the " dross of silver." 
 
 Obs. 3. The greatest part of professors, when they 
 come to the trial, will be found coiTupt and naught. 
 " All they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in 
 the midst of the furnace." When they came to be 
 tried, what metal they were of, they proved all to be 
 base metal and dross ; the furnace discovered them. 
 The prophets told them what they were, Jer. vi. 13; 
 viii. 10 ; ix. 2 — 1, viz. covetous, false dealers, treach- 
 erous, liars, slanderers, deceivers, c&c. ; Isa. i. 4, a 
 " sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed 
 of evil-doers, corrupters," &c. But they believed 
 not the prophets, telling them what they were, and 
 what judgments would come upon them for their 
 sins : but notwithstanding all their wickedness, they 
 cried, " The temple, the temple, the temple," Jer. 
 vii. 4 ; they worshipped God, and called themselves 
 citizens of the holy city, Isa. xlviii. 1, 2. They 
 leaned upon the Lord, and said. Is not the Lord 
 among us ? doth not he own us for his people ? are 
 not we his portion, and he oui God ? none evil can 
 come upon us. Thus they flattered themselves that 
 they were good metal, and precious ; but when the 
 Lord gathered them into the furnace, he found them 
 dross ; they were no better in the account of God 
 than Sodomites and Gomorrheans, Isa. i. 10; Jer. 
 xxiii. 14 ; the city, and all the inhabitants of it, were 
 a provocation unto him, Jer. xxxii. 31, 32, and he 
 was destruction unto it and them. In the city was 
 found much dross, but little silver ; much brass, tin, 
 iron, lead, but little gold. Since the Lord hath put 
 us into the furnace of affliction, have not many been 
 discovered to be dross, who aj>peared silver before ? 
 Are all those pure metal which make profession 
 now ? Most will be found brazen, tinny, irony, and 
 leaden ; the number of sincere and sUvcr-like chris- 
 2 N 2 
 
 tians will be few. What Paul said to the Corinthi- 
 ans, 2 Epist. xii. 20, that may the Lord say to this 
 city, and professors every where ; " I fear, lest, 
 when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, 
 and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would 
 not." Look to it, that you be "sincere. 
 
 OSs. 4. In the degeneracy of a people, some do 
 degenerate more than other*, into a worse condition 
 than the rest. Here some were brass, some tin, 
 some iron, some lead, and some the dross of silver. 
 The house of Israel was degenerated into base 
 metals, which were one worse than another, yea into 
 dross, yea dross (for so the word is in Hebrew) of 
 silver. Some were impudent, some hypocritical, 
 some murderers, some brutish, some idolatrous, some 
 atheistical, some unclean and profane : see Ezek. 
 viii. 10 — 16. Some did great, and others greater 
 abominations ; some did evil with both hands, and 
 that earnestly, Micah vii. 3 ; the best of them were 
 briers and thorns, ver. 4, and the rest were scorpions, 
 Ezek. ii. 6 ; and the iniquity of the house of Israel 
 was exceeding gTeat, chap. ix. 9. When once peo- 
 ple do degenerate from their honesty, their prin- 
 ciples, their profession, some go further than others; 
 Jer. vii. 26, " they did worse than their fathers ;" 
 chap. ix. 3, " they proceed from evil to evil ;" they 
 stayed not till they became dross, yet one was worse 
 dross than another. In our days hath been great 
 degenerating, and some are degenerated into brass, 
 some into tin, some into iron, some into lead, some 
 into the dross of silver. 
 
 06$. 5. Those who degenerate from God and his 
 ways, from principles of honesty and equity, be it 
 more or less that they degenerate from them, they 
 shall meet with fury and fire from the Lord. " Be- 
 cause ye are all become dross, I will gather you in 
 mine anger and 'in my fury, into the midst of the 
 furnace, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath," 
 to melt you, to consume you. When the church of 
 Ephesus decayed in her first love, that of Pergamos 
 turned aside to doctrines of Balaam and the Nico- 
 laitanes, that of Thyatira to the teachings and se- 
 ductions of Jezebel ; when Sardis aliated in her zeal, 
 and Laodicea became lukewarm ; the Lord threat- 
 ened them severely ; and at last brake the candle- 
 sticks, and put out the lights, Rev. ii. and iii. Be 
 they states, churches, families, or persons that de- 
 generate, God hath no pleasure in them, Heb. x. 38 ; 
 but will cast them " into great tribulation," Rev. ii. 
 22, and be unto them a consuming fire, Ezek. xxi. 
 31. And David tells you, Psal. cxix. 119, that God 
 w ill put away all the wicked of the earth from him 
 like dross, at the last day ; this he will do, and be 
 an eternal consuming fire unto them. 
 
 Obs. 6. Melting and consuming judgments upon a 
 people are the wrath of God, whoever be the execu- 
 tioners thereof. Nebuchadnezzarshouldbesiege Jeru- 
 salem, and make it like a furnace to melt and consume 
 the Jews, and this the Lord owns to be his doing ; 
 ver. 22, " And ye shall know that I the Lord have 
 poured out my fury upon you : " it was not Nebu- 
 chadnezzar nor the army's fury, but the fury of the 
 Lord; they were only the vials or vessels by which 
 it was poured out. And now if fury ^^^,^ ,_ ^^-^_ 
 have been poured out in Scotland, it is »eie the smts 
 
 , ^ 111 •ii^T, roiilec), four 
 
 not the army hath done it, but the tii.>us»ii.i slain, 
 Lord, who gathered them together, as ^,;'j",;;i,'e''„°''- 
 brass, iron, lead, and tin in a furnace, 
 blew upon them in the fire of his wrath, melted and 
 consumed them as dross ; and you must know it was 
 the Lord, not man, that poured out his fury upon 
 them, and those the Lord hath made vessels of 
 mercy unto us, who have been vials of his fury 
 towards them. If you will moiu-n for God's se-
 
 548 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi". XXII. 
 
 verity towards them, yet rejoice for his goodness to- 
 wards us. 
 
 Ver. 23, 124. And the word of the Lord came 
 unto me, saying. Son of man, say nnto her. Thou 
 art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained vpon 
 in tlie day of indignation. 
 
 Here begins the tliird message of the Lord unto 
 the prophet. Tlie 23rd verse is the same with the 
 17th and 1st, and we pass it by. 
 
 Ver. 24. " Thou art the land that is not cleansed." 
 In this verse is laid down the pollution of the land 
 in general ; in the verses following it is more par- 
 ticularly expressed. 
 
 The word for " cleansed " is from nntfl which sig- 
 nifies, to purge from filthiness, and so to purge as to 
 make shining and beautiful. Judea, the land here 
 meant, had been oft cleansing, but was never 
 thoroughly cleansed. Hezekiah and Josiah made 
 the greatest cleansings, but all the sin was not purged 
 out in their days ; they took away the objects and 
 mediums of sin, viz. the idols, images, groves, and 
 high places, but the people continued wicked ; they 
 did not cleanse their hands, nor hearts, and turn to 
 the Lord, but returned to their former and worse 
 abominations, when those good kings were gone. 
 The Lord had sent them many prophets, who dealt 
 with them several ways to draw them to repentance; 
 sometimes they allured them by sweet promises and 
 invitations, sometimes they threatened them with 
 sharp judgments, sometimes they pressed thera with 
 strong arguments, Jer. iv. 1, 3, 4; Ezck. xviii. 31, 
 32 ; sometimes they spake plainly to them, some- 
 times parabolically ; sometimes they wept and sighed 
 to the breaking of their loins, doing strange things 
 to atfect them, Ezek. xvii. 2; Jer. iv. 19; ix. 1; 
 Ezek. xxi. (5 ; xii. 5, 6 ; iv. 1 — 3, &c. Besides these 
 things, God oft sent sweeping and fierce judgments 
 amongst them, Isa. xxiv. ; Amos i. and iv. famine, 
 sword, pestilence; and notwithstanding all these, 
 they retiu-ned not to the Lord, but the land, that is, 
 the people of it, did remain uncleansed, they were 
 like a land wherein was nothing but weeds, nettles, 
 briers, and thorns. 
 
 Object. Isa. xxvi. 10, it is called a " land of up- 
 rightness ; " and if so, how is it here said it is a 
 " land not cleansed ? " 
 
 jlnsw. The Hebrew is, in the land where men are 
 taught right things ; right worshipping of God, right 
 dealing with men, right walking in their several re- 
 lations : or, " the land of uprightness," for that they 
 ought to have done uprightly ; but in that land they 
 dealt unjustly, and filled that land with sin, Jer. li. 
 5 : or, " the land of uprightness," for that it had been 
 so, Isa. i. 21. 
 
 " Nor rained upon in the day of indignation." 
 God had oft withheld the former and latter rain 
 from them, and afflicted the land with great drought, 
 Isa. xxiv. 6, 7 ; Psal. Ixviii. 9 ; 1 Kings xviii. 5 ; 
 2 Kings viii. I; Jer. xiv. 4; Amos iv. 7; and he 
 threatened, Isa. v. 6, to command the clouds to rain 
 no rain upon it : and it was so in Joel's days, chap. 
 i. 9 — 11, who lived in Manasseh's time, as the rab- 
 bles said, and that was a time of indignation, and 
 sorely distressed them, so that man and beast suffered 
 much. In Jeremiah's days also, who lived in the 
 times of Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, were 
 the rains denied unto the land, so that by reason of 
 drought, Judah mourned, the gates thereof languish- 
 ed, Jerusalem cried, the nobles and their little ones 
 were ashamed, confounded, and covered their heads, 
 Jer. xiv. I — 3. 
 
 Or thus we may understand these words ; Judca, 
 
 thou art a polluted, filthy land, nothing hath j.re- 
 vailed with thee to cleanse thee, and thou shall not 
 bi- rained ujion in the day of mine indignation ; that 
 is, thou shalt have no mercy when the fire of my 
 wrath is kindled, thou shalt have no rain to quench 
 it, in my wrath I will not remember mercy. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord takes notice of places, what they 
 are, whether cleansed or not cleansed. . " Thou art 
 the land not cleansed :" thou art full of briers and 
 thorns, full of vermin and wild beasts, Ezek. ii. 6; 
 Isa. ix. 18 : it was full of wicked and vile men which 
 did defile the land ; Ezek. vii. 23, " The land is full 
 of bloody crimes, the city is full of violence." There 
 is not a land, city, town, or family in the whole 
 earth, but the eye of the Lord is upon it, and he sees 
 what it is, whether it be defiled, and how greatly 
 defiled. He knew what Sodom and Gomorrah were, 
 before he sent fire from heaven upon them. He 
 knew how polluted Canaan was by the nations, be- 
 fore he brought the Jews into it. Dent. ix. 4, 5. He 
 took notice of Amnion, Moab, Seir, Edom, Philistia, 
 Tyre, Sidon, and Babylon, he saw what cages of 
 unclean birds they were. Hos. vi. 10, "I have seen 
 an horrible thing in the house of Lsrael." He saw 
 what the ancients of Israel did, Ezek. viii. II. He 
 saw fully in the prophets of Samaria, and an horrible 
 thing in the prophets of Jerusalem ; they strength- 
 ened the hands of evil-doers, Jer. xxiii. 13, 14. 
 
 Obs. 2. When lands have had means of cleansing, 
 and are not cleansed, they are matter of indignation 
 and exprobration unto God. Judea had the pro- 
 phets, sometimes good magistrates, it had great mer- 
 cies, great judgments, solemn fasts, Isa. Iviii. 3; 
 Joel i. 14; but was still uncleansed; therefore saith 
 the L(jrd, " Thou art the land that is not cleansed." 
 The word " thou" notes God's indignation at them, 
 and his exprobration of them. When a ground is 
 full of thorns, briers, nettles, vermin, and wild beasts, 
 and the husbandman's servants cannot with all their 
 art and pains rid the ground of them, that ground ex- 
 asperates the husbandman, and makes him say. This 
 is the ground that will not be cleansed, that brings 
 forth nothing which is good : so was it here with 
 Judea ; Isa. v. 4, " What could have been done more 
 to my vineyard, that I have not done in it ? where- 
 fore, when I looked for grapes, brought it forth wild 
 grapes?" it retained its sourness, notwithstanding 
 all done. Ezek. xxiv. 13, " Because I have purged 
 thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be 
 purged from thy filthiness any more :" seeing I 
 have used means to purge thee, and thou wilt not be 
 purged, seeing thou art obstinate, and there is lewd- 
 ness in thy filthiness, there shall no more purgative 
 means be afforded thee, but I will bring my firry, 
 and cause it to rest upon thee. And when it is thus, 
 it is dreadful ; Jer. xiii. 27, " Woe unto thee, O Jeru- 
 salem ! wilt thou not be made clean ?" 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord hath his day and time to judge 
 and punish lands uncleansed, people uureformed. 
 " In the day of indignation." Though the Lord bear 
 long with a sinful nation, yet he will not bear always, 
 the time comes at last that his hot anger breaks out 
 and damnifies. This " day of inchgnation " was when 
 the Lord called the Babylonish army to the walls of 
 Jerusalem, Jer. iv. 6, 7, 9, 13; lii. 4: Zeph. i. 
 14, 15. The ten tribes not hearkening to the pro- 
 phets and seers, but proceeding in their wicked ways, 
 2 Kings xvii. 12 — 14, found the Lord had a day to 
 send Shalmaneser, who spoiled the land, besieged 
 Samaria three years, and carried them away captive 
 into Assyria; which was the verifying of Isaiah's 
 prophecy against them, chap. xvii. 4, " In that day it 
 shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be 
 made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax
 
 Yer. "25. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIKL. 
 
 549 
 
 lean." The glory and fat of Jacob, were their princes, 
 counsellors, soldiers, wealth, and strong holds, which 
 the Assyrian deprived them of, and made Jacob thin 
 and lean. God had his day to visit Egypt, by .shaking 
 liis hand over it, Isa. xix. 16. The Lord had his 
 day to make Tyre " forgotten seventy years, accord- 
 ing to the days of one king," Isa. xxiii. 15. About 
 that time which Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem, he 
 also took Tyre, and the great merchandizing of it was 
 interrupted seventy years, so long as the Jews were 
 in Babylon, which Isaiah calls " the days of one 
 king." The days of kings, and so other men who 
 lived at ease, were usually counted seventy years. 
 Or thus, according to the days of one kingdom, that 
 is, the days of the Babylonian kingdom ; from the 
 time of taking Tyre, for seventy years after, that 
 kingdom ceased, and Darius the Median took it, 
 Dan. V. 31. 
 
 Obs. 4. When a land and people retain their filtlii- 
 ness, and rest uncleansed after mercies, judgments, 
 and means used to do them good, God doth not only 
 withhold mercy, but deny hope of mercy. Judea 
 was the land uncleansed, and she should have no 
 rain " in the day of indignation." Her sins kept 
 back the rain in a literal sense, Jer. iii. 2, 3, and cut 
 otr the hope of rain in a metaphorical sense. Zeph. 
 i. 17, l*^, " I will bring disti-ess upon men, that they 
 shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned 
 against the Lord :" they shall see nothing tending 
 to their comfort, but all working against them ; for 
 it follows, " Their blood shall be poured out as dust, 
 and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver 
 nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in 
 th.e day of the Lord's wrath ,■ but the whole land 
 shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy." Gold 
 and silver will do much, but nothing " in the day of 
 wrath," Prov. xi. 4. That place in Isa. viii. 21, 22, 
 is observable ; " They shall pass through it, hardly 
 bestead and hungry : and it shall come to pass, when 
 they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and 
 curse their king and their God, and look upward. 
 And they shall look unto the earth ; and behold 
 trouble and darkness," &c. When Sennacherib or 
 Nebuchadnezzar should invade the land, the famine 
 should be so great, and the men of Judea so hungry, 
 that they should fret, and curse their king, their 
 (iod ; the one, because he prevented not their misery ; 
 tile other, because he delivered them not out of it : 
 and they should look up to heaven, down to the 
 church, and find help from neither, nor hope of mercy 
 any where ; trouble, darkness, anguish were before 
 them, and they should be di'iven to them. They 
 disgrace the true prophets, ver. IS; they listened to 
 false prophets and liars, ver. 19; they tried not 
 them and their doctrine by the law and testimonies, 
 ver. 20 ; therefore God brought evil upon them, yea, 
 such evil as they were helpless and hopeless. 
 
 Ver. 25. There is a conspiracy of her prophets 
 in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening 
 the prei) ; they hare devoured souls; they have 
 taken the treasure and precious things ; they have 
 made her many widows in the midst thereof. 
 
 In this verse and the 28th you have the sins of 
 the prophets expressed which defiled the land, and 
 made it to be called, the land uncleansed ; and 
 they are, 
 
 I. Conspiracy. 
 
 II. Cruelty; " like roaring lions," &c. 
 
 III. Murder, and that of souls; "they have de- 
 voured," iSrc. 
 
 IV. Covetousness : " they have taken the treasure 
 and precious things." 
 
 V. Inhumanity or impiety ; " they have made her 
 many widows." 
 
 VI. Flattery and lymg, ver. 28. 
 
 " A conspiracy of her prophets." The Hebrew 
 for "conspiracy" is, -lU'p, which is from a root or 
 word, which signifies to bind, to tie together, as Jer. 
 li. G3; Isa. xlix. 16; and metaphorically is referred 
 to the minds of men combining together, as I Sam. 
 xviii. 2, " The soul of Jonathan was knit with the 
 soul of David," was united, bound to, inleagued with 
 the soul of David; and 2 Sam. xv. 31, " Ahithophel 
 is among the conspirators with Absalom," his mind 
 with others were united in a conspiracy against 
 David : so 2 Kings xii. 20, Joash " his servants arose, 
 and made a conspiracy ;" the Hebrew is, they con- 
 spired a con.spiracy, they were all of one heart and 
 mind, and it was to kill their master. Here the 
 prophets had a conspiracy, it is spoken of the evil 
 prophets ; they met in Jerusalem, they consulted and 
 consented to prophesy the same thing, that none 
 should prophesy otherwise ; if they did, they would 
 cry them down, and those who should follow them : 
 thus they " made a conspiracy " against the true pro- 
 phets, and those who were truly religious, opposing 
 God and godliness. You may read how they set them- 
 selves against Jeremiah, chap. xxvi. 8, and stirred up 
 the princes and people against liim, ver. 1 1 ; how they 
 prophesied the same things, chap, xxiii. 17; vi. 14. 
 
 " Like a roaring lion ravening the prey." Lions 
 are fierce and cruel, especially when hungry ; and 
 it is observed of them, that they first roar, whereby 
 they scare men and beasts, and then hunt after the 
 prey : so these prophets did roar against the true 
 prophets and their followers; Jer. xxvi. 11, " This 
 man is worthy to die," not to be silenced, imjirison- 
 ed, or banished, but " to die ;" nothing but death 
 will suffice them ; they were greedy of the prey, and 
 said, he should " surely die," ver. 8. 
 
 " They have devoured souls." " Souls," that is, 
 men, by a synecdoche of the part for the whole. 
 They jireached dreams and visions of their own 
 heads, whereby they seduced and undid multitudes, 
 Ezek. xiii. 10; Jer. xiv. 13; xxiii. 13. \Vhen pro- 
 phets do not tell people of their sins, they destroy 
 them, Ezek. iii. 18 ; and so when they present their 
 own fancies instead of God's word: Jer. xxiii. 22, 
 with 32, had they delivered the word of God, they 
 should have turned men fi'om their evil ways, but 
 by their lies and dreams they made them to err. 
 
 " They have taken the treasure and precious 
 things." The Hebrew word for " treasure " is, ^Dn 
 which INIontanus renders robur, strength ; and so it 
 is used, Isa. xxxiii. (i ; and riches, treasure, are call- 
 ed cosen, because men put their confidence in them, 
 and make them their strength, Prov. x. 15. Psal. hi. 
 7, the word is used for trea.sure and riches. Prov. 
 XV. 6, " In the house of the righteous is" ai pn 
 "much treasure," much riches, or much strength: 
 here it is " treasure." 
 
 " Precious things." " Precious things," np'i notes 
 things " much set by," as a good name, 1 Sam. 
 xviii. 30; things beloved, Jer. xxxi. 20, " Ephraim 
 my dear son," "i'p» :3 i'tog dyuiriirog, my dearly be- 
 loved son, saith the Septuagint : things of great 
 worth, Prov. xx. 15; Isa. xxviii. 16; Jer. xx. 5. 
 Here it notes things of worth, and dear unto them. 
 These prophets were false, and would not prophesy, 
 unless the people gave them, and gave them choice 
 things. Hence Micah saith, the prophets divined 
 for money, chap. iii. 11, and prepared war for them 
 who would not put into their moutbs, ver. 5. They 
 did not take by force, or steal away their treasures, 
 but they carried it so, that the people nuist give, and 
 they had their " treasure and precious things." They
 
 550 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXII- 
 
 were not contf nt with what was their stipends ; but, 
 as Lavater siieaks, they had ways, arts, devices, to 
 get such things. 
 
 The word jakar signifies also glory, and honour, 
 Dan. ii. 37 ; Esth. i. 20 ; and so it is rendered here 
 hy Montanus, Lavater, fficolampadiiLs, and the 
 French translation. The sense then is tliis, that 
 these false prophets were ambitious, minding high 
 places and popular glory. 
 
 " They have made her many widows." Those men 
 vho woidd not be of their minds, hearken to their 
 prophecies, countenance and maintain them with 
 their treasures and precious things, they prepared 
 war for them, they stirred up the powers and 
 people who were of their own way, to hate them, 
 and deal unkindly with them. Isa. Ixvi. 5, " Hear 
 the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word ; 
 Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for 
 my name's sake," &c. There were some who trem- 
 bled at the word of the Lord, the word of the true 
 prophets, and durst not side with the false prophets, 
 their doctrines or jiractices ; these therefore were 
 hated of their brethren, that were their disciples, 
 and cast out. So Ezek. xi. 15, they said, " Get you 
 far from the Lord ; unto us is this land given in pos- 
 session." Yon have nothing to do here in Judea or 
 Jerusalem, here is no liberty for you ; begone, or die 
 for it ! Now because many did venture to stay, they 
 prevailed so, that they were put to death, and by 
 this means they made many widows. They also 
 used to encourage the princes to war ; as, 1 Kings 
 xxii. the false prophets put on Ahab to go up to 
 Ramoth-gilead, and promised him success in that 
 war. but he fell, and many others with him, and 
 hereby they made many widows. 
 
 Obs. 1. In Jerusalem were wicked and false pro- 
 phets. Jerusalem was the holy city, the city of God, 
 the place where God's name was recorded, a type 
 of the church of God in all ages ; yet there, even 
 there, were such prophets : and it holds out clearly 
 to us, that there will be false prophets in the church 
 of God always. In Christ's time there were such ; 
 Matt. vii. 15, " Beware of false prophets, which come 
 to you in sheep's clothing." In Paul's time there 
 were such ; Acts xiii. 6, there was ore Bar-jesus, a 
 Jew, and a false prophet. In John's time there were 
 such; 1 John iv. 1, " Many false prophets are gone 
 out into the world :" so many went out then, that 
 there is a generation of them to this day, and that 
 generation will not cease so long as the Lord hath a 
 church in this world ; there will be found false pro- 
 phets even at doomsday. 
 
 Obs.2. Jerusalem's prophets may be, yea, sometimes 
 are, against Jerusalem. " There is a conspiracy of her 
 prophets in the midst thereof." Those who thought 
 themselves the chief prophets in Jerusalem, met, 
 consulted, and agreed together to preach the same 
 things, to set themselves against the prophets and 
 professors M'ho diftered fiom them, as being unsafe 
 and unsound, and to slir up authority against them. 
 The meetings of prophets are not always for the 
 welfare of Zion : here was a council of them, but it 
 was for mischief: that they thought was very lawful, 
 the Spirit of God calls a " conspiracy." Such was 
 that meeting of the chief priests, scribes, and eldirs 
 in the palace of the high priest, where they consulted 
 against Christ, Matt. xxvi. 3, 4; and that wherein 
 they agreed, " that if any did confess that he was 
 Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue," John 
 ix. "22. Was not the coimcil of Trent a conspiracy 
 of prophets, who pretended tluy were for Jerusalem, 
 but were in truth against Jerusalem ? Did they not 
 agree together, that whoever preached any thing con- 
 trary to their canons and articles, should be anathe- 
 
 matized ? Did they not stir up princes and powers 
 of the world, to punish those they judged sectaries, 
 schismatics, and heretical ? Mr. Fox's " Acts and 
 Monuments" do testify the truth thereof. Have not 
 the prophets of our Jerusalem gone too far this way ? 
 
 Obs. 3. God takes special notice of the sins of pro- 
 phets. They are first mentioned in the general cor- 
 ruption that was of all sorts. There were priests', 
 princes', people's sins, but the proj>hets' are set in 
 the front; they provoked God greatly, they did most 
 hurt. Jer. xxiii. 15, " From the prophets of Jerusa- 
 lem is profaneness gone forth into all the land." 
 They were corrupt springs, that corrupted the whole 
 Jewish earth with the streams of their false doctrines, 
 and example of their sinful practices. Their sins 
 are very much spoken of in the word, and set upon 
 record: they dealt falsely, Jer. vi. 13; they "belied 
 the Lord," Jer. v. 12; they "taught rebellion against 
 the Lord,"' Jer. xxviii. 16; xxix. 32; they strength- 
 ened " the hands of evil-doers," so that none return- 
 ed from his wickedness, Jer. xxiii. 14; they were 
 " light and treacherous," Zeph. iii. 4 ; they deluded 
 the people, and murdered their souls, Jer. viii. 11 ; 
 Ezek. xiii. 10; they were exceeding covetous, and 
 greedy of gain from every quarter, Isa. Ivi. 1 1 ; Micah 
 iii. 5 ; they made the people forget the name of the 
 Lord, Jer. xxiii. 2/"; they were foxes, and dealt very 
 subtlely, Ezek. xiii. 4. They being defiled with such 
 sins, defiled the land thereby, kindled the indigna- 
 tion of the Lord, and made him to say concerning 
 them, " Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, 
 and make them drink the water of gall," Jer. xxiii. 
 15 ; and would consume them by sword and famine, 
 chap. xiv. 15. 
 
 Obs. 4. That the men who should openly declare 
 against sin, do openly commit sin. " There is a 
 conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof." 
 They roared like lions, not earing who heard or saw 
 them ; they made many widows in the midst of Jeru- 
 salem. They sinned notorious sins, and were not 
 ashamed of them; Jer. xxiii. 11, "Both prophet and 
 priest are profane ; in my house have I fuund their 
 wickedness, saith the Lord ;" in the temple, the most 
 pidJic place of worship, there they set up their idols 
 and detestable things, Ezek. vii. 20. When pro- 
 phets and men in near relations to God are naught, 
 they proceed from sin to sin, from degree to degrie 
 of the same sin, till they become impudent. These 
 prophets conspired against those who were good in 
 Jerusalem; they were cruel, murderous, covetous, 
 inhuman, and that in the midst of Jerusalem ; they 
 blushed not at any or all these sins ; they proceeded 
 so in their covetousness, that they got the treasure 
 and precious things the people had. Thus was it 
 with the popish clergy ; they got the best lands, 
 woods, waters, habitations, they got the treasure and 
 precious things ; yea, so covetous were they, tliat 
 they occasioned that proverb, a woriuis tributum exi- 
 gere, to scrape from the dead ; and so openly wicked 
 they were, that in their temples and cathedrals they 
 strove so for place, as they shed blood. 
 
 Ver. 26. Her priestn hare violated my law,avd 
 hare jtrofaned mine holij things : they hare piit 
 no difference between the holij and profane, nei- 
 ther harp they iheu-ed difference between the un- 
 clean and the clean, and hare hid their eyes from 
 my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. 
 
 In the former verse you had the prophets' sins, 
 here you have the priests' ; and they are three : 
 
 I. Violation of the law. 
 
 II. Profanation of holy things. 
 
 III. Neglect of duty ;' which is twofold:
 
 Ver. 23 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 551 
 
 1. Tliey did not make difference between the holy 
 and profane, the clean, Sec. 
 
 2. They minded not the Lord's sabbaths, but hid 
 their eyes from them. 
 
 •' Her priests have violated my law." The priests 
 were to be men of knowledge, Mai. ii. 7, and to 
 teach the people the true sense of the law, 2 C^hron. 
 XV. 3; Deut. xvii. 9—11 ; (for the priests taught, 
 and not only the Levites, Micah iii. 11;) but now 
 the priests were so blind and ignorant, that they 
 knew not God, Jer. ii. 8, so intemperate, that they 
 erred in the things of God, Isa. xxviii. 7 ; and reject- 
 ing true knowledge, are said to forget the law, Hos. 
 iv. 6, and here, to violate it. 
 
 The Septuagint reads it, they have contemned my 
 law, they set light by it. Lavater hath it thus, they 
 have stolen or taken away my law ; to which sense 
 Vatablus agrees ; for because they were bound to 
 teach the law, and did it not, they are said to have 
 stolen away the law. The Hebrew word Dcn sig- 
 nifies, to take away, to offer violence, to handle a 
 thing unjustly. The priests did handle the law, Jer. 
 ii. 8 ; but they handled it unjustly, they wrested and 
 forced it to speak their sense, to countenance their 
 practices ; they cared not for the true sense, nor 
 sought after that, but such senses as would please 
 and suit with the times and men's humours. 
 
 The law or word of God is violated, 
 
 1. When men do wrong point it, and so mar the 
 sense, and alter it ; as those that, to make way for 
 the opinion of the soul's sleeping, do put the point 
 after the word " day," " I say unto thee to-day ;" 
 whereas the right pointing is at " thee," not at 
 " day," " I say unto thee. To-day shalt thou be with 
 me in paradise," Luke xxiii. 43 ; that is, thy soul 
 shall not lie dormant in or with thy body till the day 
 of resurrection,. but shall this very day pass into 
 paradise. . So, Rev. xiii. 8, the mispointing causes 
 an error in the sense ; it is said there, that all shall 
 worship the beast, " whose names are not written in 
 the book of life of the lamb ;" there is the conmia, 
 and then follows, " slain from the foundation of the 
 world;" whereas the comma, or pointing, should be 
 after " slain," which refers to " lamb," and not to 
 the following words, for those words relate to the 
 names written in the book ; and the sense stands 
 thus, " whose names are not written in the book of 
 life, from the foundation of the world." 
 
 2. When something of man is added to it, or de- 
 tracted from it. The scribes and Pharisees joined 
 their traditions with the commandments of God, and 
 thereby oli'ered such wrong unto them, that Christ 
 tells them, they made them of none effect, Matt. xv. 
 6; they put so much chaft" to God's wheat, that it 
 rather choked than nourished the people ; they put 
 so much water of their own to his wine, that thci'e 
 were no spirits at all in it. The Jews had joined 
 the statutes of the heathen with the statutes of the 
 Lord, 2 Kings xvii. 8 ; and the statutes of Omri were 
 observed, Micah vi. 16. The Septuagint, in the 5th 
 of Genesis, have added one hundred years more to 
 the age of the fathers, before they begat children, 
 than is in the original ; they have also added much 
 to the end of Job, which the Hebrew hath not. The 
 postscripts after Paul's epistles are not canonical, but 
 additions of those who wrote the epistles, or of some 
 others, and they have little truth in them: see Mr. 
 Perkins upon the 6th chapter of the epistle to the 
 Galatiaus, on the conclusion. 
 
 3. When the translation is erroneous. The Sep- 
 tuagint hath failed in many places ; and the Vulgate 
 in most. Lindanus, a popish prelate, saith, it hath 
 monstrous corruptions of all sorts, scarce one copy 
 can be found that hath one book of Scripture unde- 
 
 filed and whf'le. Many points are translated too in- 
 tricately and darkly, some improperly and abusively, 
 some not so fully, nor so well and truly ; sundry 
 places are thrust out from their plain and natural 
 sense. The translator possibly was no Latinist, but 
 a smattering (irecian. In our Old Translation there 
 were (T^dXfiarn TToXXa, many errors, as in \^,|,||J |„ ,,15 
 Mai. ii. K), " If thou hatest her, put her \* -.v >'o the 
 away, saith the Lord God of Israel;" Church, p. S9. 
 whereas he hated putting away ; so in 1 Cor. xii. 
 28, it is "helpers, governors;" whereas it is in the 
 Greek, "helps, governments:" and our last transla- 
 tion, which is the best extant, is faulty in this place, 
 reading those words thus, "helps in government," 
 which was done to countenance all tlie assistants 
 prelates had in their government. And not only 
 there, but in other places also; as Jer. xxxiii. 16, it 
 is thus translated, "This is the name wherewith 
 she shall be called. The Lord our righteousness ; " 
 whereas the Hebrew is, he who shall call her, is the 
 Lord our righteousness ; and the contents before the 
 l49th Psalm, insinuate that the church hath power 
 to rule the consciences of men. 
 
 4. When the word is constrained to speak that 
 which was never intended of God, when a sense is 
 drawn from it that was never included in it. Tyra- 
 bosco, patriarch of Venice, preaching on the miracle 
 of loaves and fishes, made the sense of Philip's words, 
 " Two hundred pennyworth of bread will not suffice," 
 to be this. That all the mysteries of the Old and New 
 Testament are not enough to enlighten the people's 
 blind and ignorant grinds, without the seven sacra- 
 ments ; which he made to be the meaning of An- 
 drew's words, "There is a boy here ^y^.^^ . ^.^ 
 which hath five loaves and two fishes." Way'i'o tiie" 
 What forced senses have men put upon ci""!-!., ,.. w. 
 those scriptures, "Tell the church," and "This is 
 my body ! " That is the sense of Scrijiture which 
 the Spirit intended; if any other sense be imposed 
 on or extracted from the word, it is a violation of it, 
 and so it speaks not the mind of God, but the plea- 
 sure and fancies of men. 
 
 " And have profaned mine holy things." By " holy 
 things," the Lord means the sacrifices and obla- 
 tions which they were to order according to the 
 institution and rules given them from God, by Moses ; 
 but what was holy upon a legal account, they esteem- 
 ed common, and slighted, which was a profaning of 
 them. In tlie 8th verse God told Jerusalem she had 
 despist d his holy things ; and here he tells the priests 
 they had profaned them, that is, they had ordinary 
 thoughts and esteem of them, and handled them so, 
 as became not "holy things." When the "holy 
 things " were eaten of out of season, or by persons 
 imfit, under legal uncleanness, they were profaned, 
 Lev. xix. 8; xxii. 1 — 16. 
 
 " They have put no difference between the holy 
 and profane." The law tells us what things and 
 persons are said to be holy or profane, clean or im- 
 clean, as you may see. Lev. xi. throughout; Numb, 
 xviii. 1 1-^13 ; Deut. xiv. 3—21 ; Lev. xix. 7, 8 ; xxi. 
 and xxii. The priests should have instructed the 
 people, -what meats were lawfid for them, what not ; 
 what sacrifices were fit to be brought to the Lord, 
 and what not; who were worthy, and who not, to 
 eat of the holy things, and to approach unto the 
 holy God. This is acknowledged to have been the 
 duty of the priests, from Lev. x. 10, 11 ; Ezek. xliv. 23, 
 where mention is made of teaching ; and from Haggai 
 ii. II — 1.3, where they practised it, and told them 
 Avhat was unholy and unclean. But this is not all 
 contained in this text, for the Hebrew word Vt3 
 rendered here, to put difference, imports power and 
 authority to separate persons and tilings one from
 
 552 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXII. 
 
 another, as Gen. i. 4, "God divided" or separated 
 " the light from the darkness ;" Deut. iv. 41, " Moses 
 severed three cities on this side Jordan ;" 2 C'hron. 
 XXV. 10, " Then Amaziah separated them ;" and 
 Ainsworth reads those words, Lev. x. 10, That ye 
 may separate between the holy and profane : by that 
 power God had put into their hands, they were to 
 keep the wicked and profane from the holy things, 
 to separate them from the congregation ; and so the 
 word is used, Ezra x. 8. The priests sinned in that 
 they did not teach the people what was legally holy, 
 and legally profane, and also in that they did not 
 put forth that power they had, to preserve the holy 
 things of God pure. Those priests therefore that 
 withstood Uzziah the king, attempting to offer in- 
 cense upon the altar, and thrust him out of the 
 sanctuary, when the leprosy appeared in his fore- 
 head, they did their duty, and kept the things of God 
 impolluted, 2 C'hrou. xxvi. 20 : it was unlawful for 
 him to offer incense, unlawful for him, being leprous, 
 to be in that jilaee where the incense was to be 
 offered ; and had not the priests had power, it had 
 been unlawful in them to have thrust him out. 
 
 " Neither had they showed difference between the 
 unclean and the clean." The Hebrew word for 
 " showed difference" is, lyiin they did not make to 
 know, they neglected to teach and instruct them, 
 which was a sin inexcusable ; but more than so may 
 be gathered out of this word ; they did not make 
 them to know experimentally, by indicting censures, 
 what the dilhrence was between the clean and the 
 unclean. They had three sorts of exeomnumication ; 
 the lesser, called niddui, the middle sort, called 
 cherem, and the greatest, called sammatlia. He who 
 was defiled with leprosy was to be removed out of 
 the camp of Israel, the camp of the priests, and the 
 camp of God. He who was defiled with an issue, was 
 to be removed out of the camp of God, and the camp 
 of the priests, but not out of the camp of Israel. He 
 Weenies in ^'^^^ ^^'^^ defiled by the touch of a dead 
 
 Christian Sjiia- bod}', was Only to be removed out of 
 *"*'"'• the camp of God. Now it is likely the 
 
 priests failed in doing their part in some of these, 
 they suffered those who were legally unclean, to 
 come amongst those who were legally clean, and did 
 not, by removal of them, make them to know what 
 a mercy it was to be clean, and what an evil to be 
 unclean. It is said, Judg. viii. 16, that Gideon took 
 briers and thorns, " and with them he taught the 
 men of Succoth," j)"i<l he made them to know, by 
 what they felt and suffered, he made them to know ; 
 so the priests should have made them to know, by 
 their removal from the camp and holy things of 
 God, what the great difference was between the 
 clean and unclean. I have met with one author, 
 viii. Gillespie in who rcads the words thus. Neither 
 blnsso^m'S, '""' liave they broken or divided between 
 I'' IS- the clean and the unclean. 
 
 " And have hid their eyes from my sabbaths." 
 The Hebrew word for " hid" is, d'^y'ahm, which 
 properly is spoken of them that have walerv, blear, 
 and bloodshot eyes; so that they caimot sce'well, as 
 Avenarius saith ; such eyes had those priests, that 
 they could not see. The ordinary acceptation of the 
 word is, to hide or cover. The Septuagint is, 
 Trnpfk-dXuTrror, they have covered their eyes from my 
 sabbaths. This expression, of hiding tlieir eyes, 
 hath these things in it. 
 
 1. They did not mind the holiness and honour of 
 the sabbath. That was a day to be sanctified in a 
 special manner, Exod. xx. 8; Lev. xxiii. 3; Ezek. 
 XX. 20 ; they should have called the sabbath a de- 
 light, holy and honourable, Isa. Iviii. )3; for it was 
 a day as for honouring of God, so for God's honour- 
 
 ing them with his presence and blessings; but they 
 minded not the holiness or honourableness of the 
 day, and this w'as hiding their eyes from it. 
 
 2. AVhen men by their sinful practices profaned 
 the sabbaths of the Lord, they took no notice there- 
 of, they did not tell them of their sins, convince them 
 of the wickedness of their doings, but connive and 
 wink at their doings. Jer. xvii. 27, there were those 
 who carried in burdens at the gates of Jerusalem on 
 the sabbath day, which God by Jeremiah complained 
 of, and threatened the destruction of Jerusalem for ; 
 but the priests, though they knew and saw these 
 things, yet they were silent; and this was hiding 
 their eyes from the sabbaths of the Lord. 
 
 3. Themselves did those things on the sabbaths 
 which the law of God did not justify, and they hav- 
 ing their pretences and excuses for the same, they 
 did not the duties of the sabbath ; they did their own 
 pleasure, walked in their own ways, and spake their 
 own words, contrary to that in Isa. Iviii. 13 ; they did 
 wicked things on that holy day, and profaned the sab- 
 baths of the Lord, ver. 8, of this chapter ; Jer. xxiii. 
 II, " Both prophet and priest are profane," they did 
 profanely, and so they hid their eyes from the sabbath. 
 
 " And I am profaned amongst them." The pro- 
 faning of holy things, the holy day, and holy name of 
 the Lord, are oft mentioned, Lev. xxii. 15 ; Neh. xiii. 
 17; Amos ii. 7; Ezek. xx. 9, 14, 22; but here it 
 goes higher, and comes to God himself, who saith, 
 " I am profaned." God in his own nature cannot be 
 profaned, that is incapable of all profanation ; but 
 he is said to be profaned, when his commands are 
 despised, his worship corrupted, and evil is spoken 
 of him and his ways. God is sanctifitd when we 
 fear him in our hearts, Isa. viii. 13, and tremble at 
 his words, Isa. Ixvi. 2, worship hiin according to his 
 ow'n appointments, preserving his worship pure, 
 and so live as to cause others to glorify his name, 
 I Pet. ii. 12: Matt. v. IG: when the contrary is 
 done, he is profaned ; when men contemn the com- 
 mands of God, Ijreak his laws, defile his sabbaths, 
 they profane the Lord, and by such doings cause his 
 name to be blasphemed by others, and, in that, him- 
 self is profaned. 
 
 Obs. 1. That holy things are to be kept holy. 
 " They have violated my law, profaned mine holy 
 things, put no difference between the holy and pro- 
 fane," &-C. This was the evil, that holy things were 
 profaned. The holy oil, spoken of Exod. xxx. must 
 be kept holy, and none must make or compound any 
 like it, ver. 31, 32; so for the holy perfume, ver. 37. 
 The passover was aholy thing, and the Lord ordered 
 it so, that it might be kept holy ; Exod. xii. 43, -14, 
 48, strangers and uncircumcised might not eat there- 
 of, because that was a defiling of it; those who were 
 legally unclean, were not to keep the passover till 
 they were cleansed, Numb. v. 2, 3 : chap. ix. 6, 7, 
 &c. tliey were put off from the fourteenth day of the 
 first month, unto the fourtcentli day of the second 
 month. And so for other of the holy things, see 
 what rules God gives, and how strict he was to ]ire- 
 vcnt the profaning of them ; Lev. xxii. 3 — 7, God 
 threatened to cut off such a soul, that should meddle 
 with the holy things, being unclean. Cut off from 
 children, say some, he should be without posterit)' ; 
 cut off by an untimely diath, say others ; or cut off 
 from Goci, and having inheritance with his people in 
 heaven. Hence was it that God com- vi.ie Gmiivin 
 mitted the holv things to the charge of Anuqmi. i. 3. 
 the priests, Numli. iii. 28, 31, 32, and "'*' 
 Levites, chap, xviii. 2 — 5 ; and they kept the door 
 of the Lord's house, 2 Kings xii. 9; and when they 
 were defiled, they were not to meddle with the holy 
 things, Ezra ii. 63 ; Ezek. xliv. 13.
 
 Ver. 23, 27. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 553 
 
 Ohi. 1. When those who are near to God are un- 
 faithful, and do not improve their power and interest 
 to preserve the things of God and ordinances holy, it 
 is matter of provocation and complaint. The priests 
 here, who were officers in his house, they dealt un- 
 faithfully, and did not to their interest and power lay 
 out themselves to preserve the things of God from 
 profaning and polhiting ; and that ofl'ended the Lord, 
 and made him to complain of them. Ezek. xliv. 7, 8, 
 God complains of them there, that they brought into 
 his sanctuary uncircumcised in heart and flesh, and 
 polluted it thereby ; that they did eat fat and blood, 
 which were prohibited most severely. Lev. vii. 25 — 
 27; and so broke his covenant, and kept not the 
 charge of his holy tilings. ^Vhen Nadab and Abihu 
 brought strange tire, that is, unholy tire, such as God 
 commanded not, how greatly did it provoke God, 
 even so far as to kindle a fire in his wrath, and to 
 consume them ! they wei'e not faithful, they defil- 
 ed themselves, their censers, and the worship of God, 
 with their unholy fire. Lev. x. I, 2. You may find 
 the Lord angry with and complaining of s<ane of the 
 angels of the seven churches, for their unfaithfuhiess 
 and faultiness this way : Rev. ii. 14 — Ki, there God 
 complains of the angel of Pergamos, and tells him 
 that he did not keep out corrupt doctrines, that the 
 doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitanes were suffer- 
 ed amongst them : so for the angel of Thyatira, 
 that Jezebel was sutfered to teach and seduce the 
 church, and to draw the members thereof to commit 
 fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Here 
 the Lord w as offended with the churches, and com- 
 plains of them. 
 
 Obs. 3. That there is a difference to be made be- 
 tween person and person, when it comes to commu- 
 nion in and participation of holy things. It was the 
 jiriests' sin here, that they did not put a difference 
 between the holy and profane, the clean and the 
 unclean. This is to be done both doctrinally and 
 practically. 
 
 (1.) Doctrinally. The prophets and priests were 
 by their teachings to make a difference. Jer. xv. 
 li), "If thou take forth the precious from the vile, 
 then thou shalt be as my mouth." The Vulgate reads 
 it. If thou shalt separate the precious from the vile ; 
 that is, saith Maldonate, If thou shalt by thy word 
 sever the elect from the reprobate. Piscator likewise 
 interprets the words doctrinally, If thou shalt hold 
 out my gracious promises only for the comfort of the 
 godly, and not of the wicked, then thou shalt be as 
 my mouth ; I will own thee for my faithful servant, as 
 having spoken and done what I myself w'ould have 
 spoken and done. Ezek. xiii. 22, God is wroth with 
 the false prophets and prophetesses for saddening 
 the hearts of the righteous, and strengthening the 
 hands of the wicked, that he should not return from 
 his wicked ways, by promising him life : they did 
 not distinguish Vietween the precious and the vile. 
 
 (2.) Practically. When any of the people were 
 ceremonially unclean, they were to be kept from the 
 clean, and from communion with them in the holy 
 things. No stranger, no uncircumcised, none that 
 had any running issue, that was leprous, were to eat 
 the passover, or join with the congregation in their 
 holy things, Exod. xii. 4S ; Lev. xxii. 3. And if cere- 
 monial uncleanness did exclude Israelites from the 
 holy things undi r the law, moral uncleanness may 
 justly exclude christians under the gospel. 2 Cor. vi. 
 17, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, 
 and touch not the unclean thing." Idols and idola- 
 ters are unclean things, scandalous and ignorant per- 
 sons are unclean things, and we must come out from 
 them, if we will have God to receive us; yea, those 
 who are unbelievers, how civil and fair soever their 
 
 lives be, are unclean things, Tit. i. 15 ; those that 
 have a form of godliness, and deny the power, are 
 also such, and we must turn from them, 2 Tim. iii. 5, 
 from such, as well as the others before mentioned, 
 you must turn away, and not have commimion with. 
 There is a prophecy in the 52nd of Isaiah, ver. 1, 
 that the uncircumcised and unclean should not come 
 into Zion, or the new Jerusalem ; and it suits with 
 what you have, Rev. xxi. 27, " There shall in no wise 
 enter into it," viz. the new Jerusalem, " any thing 
 that defileth ;" such must be kept out as will defile. 
 There were porters at every gate of Jerusalem when 
 the passover in Josiah's days was kept, and they 
 suffered not unclean or uncircumcised ones to enter ; 
 and the Annotations upon this place in the Revelation 
 say. In the last church on earth discipline in likeli- 
 hood shall be so strictly executed, that no profane 
 persons shall be found there, only elect persons, so far 
 as men can judge; there shall be spiritual porters to 
 keep out defilers. Dead stones must not be laid in a 
 living temple. 
 
 Obs. 4. That the profaning of holy things is a pro- 
 faning of God himself "They have violated my 
 law, profaned my holy things, iS.c. and I am pro- 
 faned amongst them." When holy things are not 
 ordered and regarded as they ought, as becomes 
 them, and him who hath made them holy, it is a 
 profanation of both. There is so near a relation be- 
 tween God and his ordinances, his holy things, that 
 the wrong done to them he accounts done to himself, 
 and the profaning of them, the pri>faning of himself. 
 When the priests offered polluted bread upon the 
 altar, they pioUuted God, Mai. i. 7 ; they brought 
 that which was defective, and not according to the 
 law, and that polluted the altar, which God account- 
 ed polluting of himself And this dealing with God 
 so offends him, that sometimes he breaks out, and 
 smites, yea, destroys persons for the same. When 
 the Bethshemites irreverently meddled with the aik, 
 the Lord did smite fifty thousand and seventy men, 
 I Sam. vi. 19; it was a pi-ofaning of the Lord, so 
 rudely to touch and peep into the ark. The Co- 
 rinthians abused, profaned the holy things of God, 
 1 Cor. xi. ; and for that very cause many were made 
 weak and sickly, and others were cut off by death. 
 Look to it then that you be holy, if you will meddle 
 with holy things, and that you handle them holily, 
 lest you profane the Lord: Eccles. v. I, " Keep thy 
 foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more 
 ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools." 
 
 Ver. 27. Her pri7ices in the midst tliereof are 
 like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and 
 to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. 
 
 You had the prophets' and the priests' sins in the 
 two precedent verses ; in this you have the princes'; 
 which are, violence, cruelty, covetousness. 
 
 "Her princes." The Hebrew for "princes" is, 
 nnr from -\ir to act the part of a prince, to Itear rule. 
 The Septuagint hath it. oi anxoiTsc. her chief men. 
 Her rulers, her princes, that sliould have been "such 
 as feared God, men of truth, haling covetousness," 
 Exod. xviii. 21, they were now so degenerated, that 
 they were become like wolves. 
 
 "Like wolves." Wolvts for their outward sluipe 
 are like unto dogs, a creature that is j,|„,„i, ,^,,1. 
 strong, swift, fierce, cruel, and crafty, iii„iii.m. 
 as Franzius observes. In them are seen notable re- 
 semblances of the devil, heretics, thieves, and tyrants. 
 When princes and rulers oppress the people, they 
 are tyrants, and in Scripture language, "wolves." 
 Now two things in wolves especially they resemble: 
 
 I . Their subtlety, or craftiness in "getting the prey,
 
 554 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXII. 
 
 for the wolf comos bi-hind homed beasts, sets upon 
 them unawares, that they may not be able to defend 
 themselves ; so lyrants deal craftily with the peojile, 
 take them suddenly in their stratagems, and si)oil 
 them of the benefit of law, and other helps : Exod. 
 i. 10; Acts vii. 19, Pharaoh, that tyrant, dealt sub- 
 tlely with the Jews ; so did Haman, Esth. iii. 8, 9 ; 
 so did Ishmael, Jer. xli. 5 — /. 
 
 2. Their cruelty. Wolves are very cruel and 
 bloody, they will kill many lambs, many sheep, and 
 only suck their bloods ; nothing do they desire more, 
 than blood, and man's flesh, and when they go out 
 to prey, they do sharpen their teeth with a certain 
 herb tliey chew. So tyrants are wolvisli in this re- 
 spect. Adoni-bezek, was not he such, when he cnt 
 oft" the thumbs and toes of seventy kings ? Judg. i. 
 7. Was not Herod a ravenous wolf, who sucked the 
 blood of all the children in Bethlehem, and the 
 coasts thereof, under two years old? Matt. ii. lli. 
 "What a she-wolf was Athaliah, who murdered all 
 the seed royal ! 2 Kings xi. 1. What a cruel, bloody 
 wolf was Menahera, who ripped up all the women 
 ■with child in Tiphsah ! 2 Kings xv. 16. And was 
 not Manasseh a mighty blood-sucking and ravenous 
 wolf, who filled Jerusalem with innocent blood from 
 one end to the other ? 2 Kings xxi. 10. Jehoiakim 
 and Jehoiacliin were lions and wolves, that caught 
 the prey, and devoured men, Ezck. xix. 3, 6 ; and in 
 Zedekiah's days the j>rinees and rulers were such, as 
 filled the land with " bloody crimes," Ezek. vii. 23. 
 Not mijustly therefore are they said to be like wolves, 
 yea, to be wolves, Zeph. iii. 3. 
 
 " Ravening the prey." These words we had in 
 the 25th verse ; the prophets were like lions raven- 
 ing the prey, and the princes were like wolves 
 ravening the prey : wolves are more ignoble than 
 lions, and the princes were worse than the false pro- 
 phets, they ravened sorer than they. 
 
 " To shed blood." Of this sin mention is made 
 in ver. 4, 6, 9, 12, of this chapter. It is a sin in any, 
 but especially in princes, who should protect their 
 subjects from violence and blood, and rather venture 
 the shedding of their own blood, than suffer the 
 people's to be wrongfully shed ; but now the jirinces 
 were so wiekeil, that, like wolves, they destroyed 
 and devoured their own sheep, by breaking covenants 
 made with other princes, and so drawing upon them 
 barbarous nations. By receiving bribes, and Iieark- 
 ening to tales, they gave way to the execution of 
 innocent ones, by which sin they destroyed the lives 
 of men, their persons, and the image of God; for 
 which thing no recompence can be made, nor ought 
 to be taken if it could be made. Numb, xxxv.^31, 
 he that shed blood unjustly, was to have his blood 
 shed, whatsoever he were. 
 
 " And to destroy souls." Souls are not in the 
 power of princes or other n'len to destroy or hurt, 
 Matt. X. 28 ; they are the Lord's, Ezek. xviii. 4, and 
 he only liath power over them. Princes here are 
 said to " destroy souls," because they do what lies 
 in their power to destroy them : or we may take 
 " souls " here synecdochically for the whole man, 
 they shed blood to destroy men ; when the blood of 
 men is spilled, they are destroyed. 
 
 " To get dishonest gain." The Hebrew is ren- 
 dered by Montanus, to desire a lust, or to satisfy a 
 lust; and in the margin he hath it thus, that they 
 might covetously or greedily follow covetousness. 
 These princes did covet the' wealth of the people, 
 and found out ways to cut them off, that so they 
 might enjoy their estates. These words " dishonest 
 gain," we had in the 13th verse, and therefore shall 
 forbear to add any thing more about them. 
 
 Obs. 1. That when prophets and priests are cor- 
 
 rupt, the niagistrales are not sound. In the 25th 
 verse, the prophets were like lions, they devoured 
 souls; in the 2l)tli, the priests violated the law, and 
 profaned the holy things ; and here the princes were 
 like wolves, shedding blood. When the heads in 
 the ecclesiastic estate are evil, those in the civil 
 estate are siddoni good ; when prophets and priests 
 do wickedly, princes will quickly learn to follow 
 them ; they have great influence into the courts and 
 hearts of princes. 
 
 Obs. 2. When magistrates and rulers are covetous, 
 they are insatiably covifous, and will be cruel to 
 satisfy their covetous lusts. The princes were greedy 
 of gain ; and to get it, Ihey, like wolves, did raven 
 the prey, shed blood, destroy souls. They being 
 princes, had great revenues ; but they were not con- 
 tent with what was their own, they cast their eyes 
 and thoughts upon what the people had, and let out 
 their desires after the same; and covetous desires 
 brought forth oppression in taxes, and cruelty, in 
 making away and cutting off many rich ones, under 
 pretence of delinquency, that they might enjoy their 
 lands and livings. When men are " greedy of gain," 
 they will "take away the life of the owners thereof," 
 Prov. i. 19. Ahab and Jezebel took away the life of 
 Naboth for his vineyard, which they greedily covet- 
 ed, I Kings xxi. 19. Solomon tells you that a 
 " wicked ruler is like a roaring lion, and a ranging 
 bear," he is a great oppressor, Prov. xxviii. 15, 16; 
 he threatens them, fills them with fears, and daily 
 is plucking away their estates from them ; he rang- 
 eth here for a prey one day, and there for a prey 
 another day, and is never satisfied, till he hath de- 
 voured them and theirs. Zeph. iii. 3, " Her princes 
 within her are roaring lions ; her judges are evening 
 wolves ; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow ;" 
 they devour the men one day, and their estates the 
 next day ; the flesh will not suffice them, but they 
 must eat up bones and all. Covetousness is an in- 
 satiable horse-leech, that cries Give, give, and will 
 break all laws, bonds, relations, to enjoy what it de- 
 sires. There was much in it, when the Lord forbade 
 kings to multiply gold and silver greatly to them- 
 selves. Dent, xvii. 1/: he foresaw that if their hearts 
 were carried out strongly after such things, that 
 they, having power in their hands, would oppress, 
 shed blood, destroy souls, and all for to get dishonest 
 gain. Isaiah therefore calls such princes " thieves," 
 chap. i. 23 ; they robbed, they murdered the people 
 to enrich themselves. Vespasian was Suetnnins in 
 such a tliief to the Roman state, who VMpasiano. 
 put in the greatest offices the greatest extortioners, 
 whom he used like spunges, to fill them while dry, 
 and to crush out their liquor when they were full ; 
 when they were grown rich then he spoiled them. 
 It is needful to pray for rulers, that they may fear 
 God, hate covetousness, and never prove roaring 
 lions, nor ravening wolves. 
 
 Ver. 28. And her prophets have daubed (hem 
 with untempered morter, seeing vanitii, and di- 
 rining lies unto them, sriying. Thus srtith the Lord 
 God, when the Lord hath not spoken. 
 
 Here we have the prophets brought in again, 
 where, besides those sins mentioned, ver. 25, you 
 have an addition of their flattery and lying. 
 
 " Have daubed them with untempered morter." 
 Of these words see before, chap. xiii. 10, II. Ssn 
 imports, a thing unseasoned, weak, inept to adhere 
 and cleave to a thing, and quickly falling off, having 
 no tenacity in it. When plasterers lay loam or sand 
 upon a wall, and there be nothing binding therein, 
 ere long it falls off again, though for the present it
 
 VEn. 2S, 29. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 555 
 
 covers deformities, nnd makes it seem goodly. So 
 these propliets flattered the princes and great ones, 
 and plastered over their vile practices with smooth 
 and fair words, encouraging theni in their ways, and 
 promising them safety ; which they did, having 
 countenance and maintenance from them, Micah iii. 
 11, and upon liopcs of greater preferment; but it 
 proved otherwise, for when the winds and storms of 
 divine displeasure came, both prophets, princes, and 
 the untempered mortar fell togetlier. 
 
 " Seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, say- 
 ing, Thus saith," &c. These words were formerly 
 spoken of, chap. xiii. 6, 7- They told the princes 
 and people, that they had visions from God, that he 
 had spoken unto them, and sent them to prophesy 
 such things unto them; whereas they saw nothing, 
 neither heard or had any thing from God, but fol- 
 lowed their own spirits, which were vain and lying. 
 Herein they dealt perfidiously with God and man. 
 
 Obs. I. Though princes and rulers be exceedingly 
 wicked, insatiably covetous and cruel, oppressing 
 and destroying the people, yet there are prophets 
 who will flatter, countenance, and enconi-age them 
 in those ways. The pirinces were ravening wolves, 
 shed blood, destroyed souls, to get dishonest gain, 
 and Jerusalem's prophets daubed them with untem- 
 pered mortar : they applauded their practices, justi- 
 fied their doings, and told them that God did approve 
 of their ways. It was not the nobles, citizens, but 
 the prophets of Jerusalem which did this. Princes 
 and great ones want not false and lying prophets to 
 bolster them up, and to bear them out in their vile 
 and detestable courses. 
 
 .\hab was a wicked king, and he had a multitude 
 of flattering, danbing prophets: 2 Chron. xviii. 10, 
 11, " Go, and prosper, for the Lord hath delivered 
 it into the hand of the king ;" the enterprise is war- 
 rantable, will prove successful ; fear not. There 
 were "flattering divinations" among the false pro- 
 phets, Ezek. xii. 24 ; and with these they bedaubed 
 the wicked princes, and strengthened the hands of 
 evil-doers, Jer. xxiii. 14. When princes are evil- 
 doers, and encouraged by false or true prophets, they 
 will do mischief with a witness. AVhen the king 
 that lately suffered was upon oppressing designs, to 
 get dishonest gain, did not England's prophets flat- 
 ter, encourage, and daub with untempered mortar, 
 when they told him, all the people had was his, that 
 he might do what he pleased with his subjects and 
 their estates ? 
 
 Flattery is evil in any, but worst of all in prophets, 
 and especially when they have to do with wicked 
 princes, whom they harden in their wickedness 
 thereby, and ripen for destruction. Flattery pleases 
 men greatly, it is like tickling ; but there is tickling 
 unto death. Reproof is a precious balm, Psal. cxli. 
 5 ; but flattery is a destructive net, Prov. xxix. 5. 
 Let the true prophets abhor it ; and so speak the 
 ti-uth, that they may appeal to the consciences of 
 great and small, as Paul doth, 1 Thess. ii. 5, " Not 
 at any time used we flattering words, as ye know." 
 It is good to be free from flattery, and also from re- 
 viling. Many, that they may not seem to flatter, 
 vet will revile and speak evil of rulers ; both which 
 are evil. 
 
 Obs. 2. That what false prophets give out is unsa- 
 voury, and unsound, weak, and useless. It is untem- 
 pered mortar : it may stick in men's heads a little, 
 to strengthen them to do wickedly ; but it will not 
 stick in their hearts, to strengthen them against the 
 day of evil, and to justify their doings. What is 
 there in vanity and lies to establish ? False pro- 
 phets see vanity and divine lies, which are unsavoury 
 and unprofitable things : it is truth, and divine truth, 
 
 which establishcth, 2 Pet. i. 19; the vain and lymg 
 imaginations of men, do deceive and disappoint. 
 Pashur jirophesied lies, the things of his own heart 
 and spirit, which himself and others trusted in ; but 
 see how he, and they who believed him, were de- 
 ceived and disappointed, Jer. xx. 6. The scornful 
 rulers which made lies their refuge, and hid them- 
 selves under falsehood, saying, " The over-flowing 
 scourge shall not come unto us," Isa. xxviii. 14, 15; 
 see what the Lord saith in the 17th verse, "The hail 
 shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters 
 shall overflow the hiding-place." False prophecies, 
 false opinions, false confidences, will not advantage 
 in a windy and stormy time ; they are all untempered 
 mortar ; and what men give out from themselves, 
 and not from God, doth not profit at all, Jer. xxiii. 32. 
 Obs. 3. The subtlety and impudency of false 
 prophets, to make way for their vanities and lies : 
 they pretend they have messages from God, and say, 
 '' Thus saith the Lord God," there is their cunning; 
 and to make God author of their vanities and lies, 
 there is their impudency. They knew their dreams, 
 visions, vanities, lies, would not take with princes or 
 people, if not presented unto them as from God. 
 The true prophets told them, " Thus saith the Lord ;" 
 and the false made use of his name and authority, 
 the better to usher in what came from their own spi- 
 rits ; for whatsoever seems to have the authority of 
 men or God to back it, hath the better acceptance, 
 and greater influence. This was the constant prac- 
 tice of false prophets, as you may see, Jer. xxviii. 
 10, 11; xiv. 14; xxvii. 14, 15; xxiii. 17. Ezek. xiii. 
 (i, 7. They made God the author of all their vani- 
 ties, lies, dreams, and whatsoever came out of their 
 own heads and hearts, which argued a height of im- 
 pudency in them. They did not only abuse men, 
 lint they greatly abused God; Jer. v. 12, "They 
 have belied the Lord," and made that to be the woid 
 of God wdiieh was not ; they walked in lies, and 
 strengthened the nands of evil-doers ; which provok- 
 ed God so bitterly against them, Jer. xxiii. 14, 15, 
 that he saith, he would " feed them with wormwood, 
 and make them drink the water of gall." And be- 
 cause many prophets amongst us have belied the 
 Lord, in making some scriptures speak that to main- 
 tain their opinions and tenets which never was the 
 mind of God in them, therefore he is wroth with 
 them, feeding them with wormwood, and making 
 them to drink the water of gall. 
 
 Ver. 29. TTie people of the land hare used op- 
 pression, and exercised rohbery, and hare vexed 
 the poor and needii : yea, thei/ have oppressed the 
 stra7iger nrongfuUy. 
 
 Having spoken of the prophets', princes', and 
 priests' sins, he comes now to the people's ; they 
 had no cause to insult over and censure them, for 
 themselves were not free : and their sins were, 
 
 I. "Oppression." 
 
 II. " Robbery " and covetousness. 
 
 Both these aggravated from the persons they op- 
 pressed, robbed ; and they were, 
 
 1. "The poor and needy." 
 
 2. " Strangers." 
 
 " The peojile of the land." There were four sorts 
 of men in Canaan ; " prophets of Jerusalem," Jer. 
 xxiii. 14; "priests of the Lord," 1 Sam. i. 3, and 
 " of the high places," 2 Kings xxiii. 20 ; " princes 
 of the people," Ezek. xi. 1 ; and " people of the 
 land," which were the inferior sort, the vulgar, 
 whom the prophet terms so, not by way of disgrace 
 and opposition to the others, who were in places of 
 eminency, but for distinction only.
 
 550 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Cu.w. XXII. 
 
 " Have used oppression." The Hebrew is tnus, 
 did oppress with oppression, that is, did greatly op- 
 
 Eress. The word for oppressing, notes opjiression 
 y force or fraud, as hath formerly been showed, and 
 is rendered here by Junius, This peo)ile deals very 
 deceitfully. Some read the words thus. They did 
 calumniate one another, and so oppress ; for calum- 
 niation, or slandering, is a great wronging and op- 
 pression of a man. Those who are given to ojipress- 
 ing will use slander, fraud, force, any way to accom- 
 plish their wills and desires. 
 
 " And exercised robbery." These words are the 
 same in the Hebrew with those chap, xviii. 12, 
 "hath spoiled by violence." There the verb is in 
 the singular number, and the substantive in the plu- 
 ral ; here the verb is in the plural, and the sub- 
 stantive in the singular number. They did steal and 
 get from one another what they could, secretly or 
 openlv, which was violence and robbery, and this 
 they did frequently, they were exercised in it. 
 
 '■ And have vexed the poor and needy." The 
 word for " vexed". here is, pry the same with op- 
 pressed, or used oppression ; of which, with the other 
 words, " poor and needy," was spoken chap, xviii. 7, 
 12; xvi. 49 : the poor and needy should have been 
 counselled, comforted, not vexed or oppressed. 
 
 " Yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrong- 
 fully." Of oppressing the stranger hath already 
 been spoken in the /tli verse of this chapter. The 
 Hebrew for "wrongfully" is, usu'D N^3 without 
 right. They did unjustly oppress the stranger 
 a(,uiiist all law and right. There was no justice 
 amongst them, in their dealings with natives or 
 strangers ; only fraud and force took place. 
 
 Oba. 1. That people are usually such as those 
 over them in church and state are. The prophets, 
 the priests, the princes, were wicked, and the people 
 were like unto them. The prophets were covetous, 
 and thereupon oppressed, taking the treasure and 
 precious things, ver. 25 ; the priests violated the 
 law, and profaned the name of the Lord, ver. 26 ; 
 the princes, for " dishonest gain," did di.bhonest 
 and cruel things, ver. 27 ; and here the people were 
 like them, covetous, using oppression, and exercising 
 robbery. INIicah iii. 11, " The heads thereof," that 
 is, of Zion, "judge for reward, and the priests 
 thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof 
 divine for money." Here the chief in the state and 
 church had their eyes upon the reward, the hire, the 
 money; and to enjoy the same, they would do, say, 
 any thing. Covetousness is the root of all evil, and 
 causeth all sorts of men in whom it is found, to 
 comply witli the humours of others, for its own in- 
 terest, and to make a prey of those who oppose the 
 same ; and were not the people suitable unto these 
 that were over them? Jer. v. 31, "The prophets 
 prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their 
 means ; and my people love to have it so :" the 
 false prophets, by their lies and tlatteries, did 
 strengthen the wicked jiriests in their practices ; 
 they took into their hands (so the words may be 
 read) more power than they should, and gifts which 
 they should not, and the " people love to have it 
 so ;" they love to hear the prophets' lies, and to feed 
 the priests with gifts, to bear them up in their ways. 
 Chap. vi. 13, " From the least of them to the greatest 
 of them every one is given to covetousness ; and 
 from the prophet even unto the priest every one 
 dealeth falsely ;" and how came it to be so? the 
 people learned it of those in place: Jer. xxiii. 15, 
 " From the prcjphets of Jerusalem is profaneness 
 gone forth into all the land ;" the word may be ren- 
 dered hypocrisy, dissimulation, deceit ; the false 
 prophets were notorious hypocrites, deceivers them- 
 
 selves, and they infected all the land with their 
 leaven. It was the prophets and priests principally 
 that made the " king glad with their wickedness, 
 and the princes with their lies," Hos. vii. 3 ; and 
 when a prince or "ruler hearkens to lies, all his 
 servants are wicked," Prov. xxix. 12. Wicked pro- 
 phets and priests make wicked princes ; wicked 
 princes make wicked servants and wicked subjects. 
 They tell them tales, lies, accusing unto them those 
 who" are contrary to their ways, designs, and inte- 
 rest, or not forwarders thereof; whereupon princes 
 set their servants, creatures, agents on work, to ob- 
 struct and pervert justice, to entrap and crush such 
 l>ersons. This was much practised in late days. 
 The prelates possessed the princes with their lies 
 and falsehoods concerning the Book of Sports im 
 the Lord's day, concerning altars and altar-worshij), 
 and they quickly infected all their servants, and too 
 many of their subjects therewith ; so that if the pro- 
 phets, priests, and princes be naught, the people are 
 too like unto them. 
 
 06*-. 2. Covetous practices in deceiving of, or in 
 getting and griping from others, is plain theft. " The 
 people of the land have used oppression," or deceit, 
 as your margins have it, " and exercised robbery." 
 Wlien covetousness puts men upon deceitful prac- 
 tices, as to use false weights, false lights, false 
 measures, it is robbery ; so w hen corrupt, counter- 
 feit, embased materials be put olf for sound and 
 good, be it in moneys, clothing, corn, meal, wines, 
 tlesh, fish, any vendible commodity, it is, in the 
 judgment of God, robbery; so exacting of fees, ex- 
 pedition-money, taking advantages of men's necessi- 
 ties, of forfeitures of bonds or lands, withholding of 
 servants' and labourers' wages, altering of wills, 
 forging of deeds, warrants, Luke xix. 8. Lev. xix. 
 13, " Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither 
 rob him ; the wages of him that is hired shall not 
 abide with thee all night until the morning :" the 
 word for " defraud," notes wresting and jilucking 
 from a man, and is the same with the word for op- 
 pressing here. So that he who oppresseth, who 
 wrests any thing from another by subtlety, he plays 
 the thief, he robs him ; so for the hired man's 
 wages, when the time agreed upon for payment 
 comes, you must not defer one night, one day longer, 
 it is oppression, it is robbery, and cries out against 
 men, James v. 4. When many, for greediness of 
 gain, bought and sold in the temple, Christ called 
 them thieves ; " Ye have made it," saith Christ, " a 
 den of thieves," Matt. xxi. 13. The priests, for gain, 
 gave way to others to buy and sell doves and other 
 things which were of use for oflerings and sacrifices, 
 and they made them, who bought the same for such 
 purposes, pay dearly for them, and for this they 
 were called thieves, not simply for being in the 
 temple ; it was their covetous practices, their de- 
 ceiving, their griping, that made Christ brand them 
 with that name. AVheu men out of covetousness do 
 grate upon others, defraud and overreach them in 
 bargaining, or otherwise, they are robbers ; and 
 such doings is called robbrry : Amos iii. 10, " They 
 know not to do right, saith the Lord, who store up 
 violence and robbery in their palaces ;" they were 
 so exercised with covetous practices, that " they 
 knew not to do right," only they were acquainted 
 with theft. Nineveh was such a city; Nahum iii. 
 1, " It is full of lies and robbery," all shops, all 
 places in it, were full of them. I fear London is too 
 like Nineveh, " full of lies and robbery." Are not 
 men's hearts, tongues, hands, exercised with covetous 
 practices ? is there not much fraud, griping, and 
 catching advantages in most shops, places, and per- 
 sons ? When will the time come, that this city may
 
 Ver. i>9, 30. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 557 
 
 be called " a city of righteousness, the faithful city ? " 
 If you Jo find your hearts carried out greedily after 
 gain, and desire to be rich, consider these places of 
 Scripture : 
 
 Prov. xxviii. 20, " He that maketh haste to be 
 rich shall not be innocent ;" he shall not go without 
 punishment; God -will plague him one way or other, 
 send some secret curse into his heart or estate, if not 
 some ouhvard visible judgment. 
 
 Prov. XX. 21, " An inheritance may be gotten 
 hastily at the beginning ; but the end thereof shall not 
 be blessed." Men may think God blesses them, leaves 
 them, they thrive, they get great estates ; but mark the 
 end, the end of an estate so gotten shall not be blessed. 
 How many get great estates in this city, and their 
 children spend it shamefully when they are gone ! 
 
 Jer. xvii. II, " He that getteth riches, and not by 
 right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and 
 at his end shall be a fool." He promises long life to 
 himself, but he shall soon be plucked away, and be 
 declared to be a fool : Luke xii. 19, 20, " Soul, thou 
 hast much goods laid up for many years ; eat, drink, 
 and be merry :" he thought he should live long ; 
 but what followed? " Thou fool, this night thy soul 
 shall be required of thee; then whose shall those 
 things be which thou hast provided ? " It may be 
 you think your children shall have what you get ; 
 but it is more than you know, if you will believe 
 David, Psal. xxxix. 6. Suppose your heir do, can 
 you tell what he will prove ? it is more than Solomon 
 could tell: Eccl. ii. 19, "Who knoweth whether he 
 shall be a wise man or a fool ? " 
 
 I Tim. vi. 9, 10; read, study, mind those verses 
 ■well, they have much in them. 
 
 Obs. 3. Who are a prey and spoil to the rich and 
 great? It is the poor, needy, and strangers: "the 
 people of the land vexed and oppressed them." 
 Those who had estates, purses, and power, they dealt 
 wrongfully with others. The Scripture sets out 
 this evil by various expressions. Men are said to 
 have an evil eye against the poor, Deut. xv. 9 ; to 
 set their eyes against the poor, Psal. x. 8; to lie in 
 wait to catch the poor, Psal. x. 9 ; to devise devices 
 to destroy the poor witli lying words, when he 
 speaks right, Isa. xxxii. 7 ! to shame the counsel of 
 the poor, Psal. xiv. 6; to despise the poor, James ii. 
 6 ; to mock the poor, Prov. xvii. 5 ; to hate the 
 poor, chap. xiv. 20; to rule and lord it over the 
 poor, chap. xxii. 7; to bend their bow to cast 
 down the poor, Psal. xxxvii. 14; to grind the faces 
 of the poor, Isa. iii. 15 ; to turn aside the poor in the 
 gate, Amos v. 12 ; to take away the right fiom the 
 poor and needy, Isa. x. 2 ; to tread upon the poor, 
 Amos v. 11 ; to sell the poor for shoes, chap. ii. 6 ; 
 to rob the poor, because he is poor, Prov. xxii. 22 : 
 to take away his house violently, Job xx. 19; to 
 devour the poor secretly, Hab. iii. 14 ; to oppress 
 the poor, crush the needy, Amos iv. 1 ; to swallow 
 up the needy, chap. viii. 4 ; to turn aside the stranger 
 from his right, Mai. iii. 5 ; to oppress him, as here ; 
 to slay him, Psal. xciv. 6. 
 
 The Lord takes special notice of the poor, and 
 men's carriages towards them. Take heed, then, 
 that the spoil of the poor be not found in your houses, 
 as it is said, Isa. iii. 14 ; and that their blood be not 
 found on your skirts, Jer. ii. 34; for the Lord will 
 arise " for the oppression of the poor, and sighing 
 of the needy," Psal. xii. 5 ; he will maintain their 
 right, Psal. cxl. 12. Let your hearts and eyes be 
 towards them, let your hands be stretched out to do 
 them good, for " blessed is he that considereth the 
 poor," Psal. xii. 1 ; and whoso hath mercy on them 
 is happy, Prov. xiv. 21 ; be not of that generation, 
 Prov. XXX. 14. 
 
 Ver. 30. And I sought fjr a man among them, 
 that should make vp the hedge, and stand in the 
 gap before me fur the land, that I should not de- 
 stroy it: but I found none. 
 
 The Lord having made a large catalogue of Jeru- 
 salem's sins, and shown a universal corruption of all 
 sorts of men, what could be expected but that he 
 should proceed to the destruction of them? But, 
 that he might more fully justify his proceedings to- 
 wards those that were already in captivity, and like- 
 wise towards them that were yet remaining, he tells 
 them what he did ; he sought for some one or other 
 to have appeared, interceded, and prevented judg- 
 ments ; he looked some course should have been 
 taken, the land being so guilty, to have kept oft" de- 
 stroying judgments ; and seeing there was none 
 minded the public good, doing aught that might oc- 
 casion God to spare them, the fault was in them- 
 selves, and not in him, that they w ere wholly ruined. 
 
 " And I sought for a man among them." The 
 Hebrew word tt'p3Ni signifies, to seek with great care ; 
 as Kirker observes, an earnest, diligent seeking, a 
 running up and dow'n to find out a thing. So here 
 the Lord made a diligent search, he went up and 
 down from prophet to priest, from priest to prince, 
 from firince to people, to see if he could find out any 
 man. It is spoken of the Lord after the manner of 
 men, and is suitable to that expression, 2 Chron. 
 xvi. 9, " T'he eyes of the Lord run to and fro through- 
 out the w hole earth ;" that is, Divine Providence 
 exactly observes all things in the world, especially 
 what men do ; and here God looked earnestly upon 
 all sorts of men, to see if any stirred to interpose, 
 and stand in the gap. The French is, I demanded 
 some one among them ; I called for a man to come 
 forth, and see if he could prevent those judgments 
 which were coming upon them. 
 
 " That should make up the hedge." The Hebrew 
 is, hedging a hedge. The words are metaphorical, 
 and the metaphor is taken from vineyards, gardens, 
 and places enclosed, which use to have fences and 
 hedges about them, to preserve them from every 
 thing that might harm them, both men and beasts. 
 The Jews were God's vineyard, Isa. v. 1 ; and he 
 had fenced and hedged them, ver. 2, 5 ; they were 
 God's garden, and he had enclosed them. Cant, iv. 12. 
 The fence, " hedge," or wall, about this people was, 
 
 1. God's protection of them. He had a special 
 care of them, being his church and people, above 
 all others ; as the city Jerusalem had a wall about 
 it, Neh. i. 3, so God was a wall to the citizens there- 
 of ; Zech. ii. 5, " A wall of fire round about them." 
 Isa. xxvii. 3, lest any should hurt his vineyard, he 
 kept it night and day, he watched over it continual- 
 ly, and preserved it. 
 
 2. Those things and means God had given them 
 to be a hedge or wall unto them ; as, 
 
 (1.) Sound doctrine; which was as a " hedge" to 
 keep out all errors, corrupt and heathenish opinions, 
 which they were in danger of, having the nations 
 round about them ; but God had given them good 
 doctrine, Prov. iv. 2; right words, Psal. xxxiii. 4; 
 lively oracles, Acts vii. 38 ; faithful commands, Psal. 
 cxix. 86; sure testimonies, Psal. xciii. 5; such as 
 they were to try all doctrines and opinions bv, Isa. 
 viii. 20. 
 
 (2.) Pure worship; which was as a " hedge " be- 
 tween them and the heathens. Deut.vi. 13,14,"Thou 
 shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt 
 swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, 
 of the gods of the peojile which are round about you." 
 Ver. 17, 18, " Ye shall diligently keep the command
 
 55S 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXH. 
 
 merits of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, 
 and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. 
 And thou shalt do tliat which is right and good in 
 the sight of the Lord : that it may be well with 
 thee." 2 Kings xvii. 36, 37, God had appointed them 
 a pure way of worshiji, whicli hedged tliem in from 
 all false ways of worship, from bringing in ought of 
 their own and others'. 
 
 (3.) Good laws; Dcut. iv. 8, "What nation is 
 there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so 
 righteous ?" no nation under heaven had such laws 
 to be governed by as the Jews had, and those laws 
 were " hedges" against all injustice; they might 
 not wrong one another, nor strangers. 
 
 (4.) God had given them good prophets, priests, 
 and princes, for their safety, to be a "hedge" unto 
 them. The prophets were to preserve the doctrine 
 soiuid, the priests to keep the worship pure, and the 
 princes to see justice impartially executed : Elijah, a 
 good prophet, was the hfirsemen and chariot of 
 Israel, 2 Kings ii. 12; xiii. 14; the priests were 
 mediators between God and the people, Joel ii. 1/; 
 the princes were the strength of the land, Prov. xxix. 
 4 : thus you see what the " hedge " was. And if you 
 would have it more brieliy, it was the covenant made 
 between God and this people ; he had promised to 
 be their God, and to protect them ; they had pro- 
 mised to be his people, and to walk in his ways ; 
 now when they transgressed the covenant, the 
 " hedge " was broken, and gaps were made. 
 
 The Hebrew for gaps is visa in the breach, from 
 y-iB to divide and break through : they had now 
 broke through the " hedge," and made many gaps, 
 which appears thus: 
 
 1. The doctrine was coiTupted. There was much 
 chaff mingled with the wheat, Jer. xxiii. 28 ; false 
 prophets gave in that to be divine, which was from 
 their own hearts, spirits, heads, Ezek. xiii. 2, 3; 
 they prophesied lies, Jer. xiv. 14 ; the providence 
 of God was denied, and his omnipresence, Ezek. 
 viii. 12, " The Lord seeth us not ; he hath forsaken 
 the earth ;" so his justice, Ezek. xviii. 2, 25, .they 
 Baidhis ways were not equal, the fathers had eaten 
 sour grapes and the children's teeth were set on 
 edge ; they taught the people to swear by a false 
 god, even by Baal, Jer. xii. 1(5. 
 
 2. For the worship, that was greatly corrupted. 
 The sanctuary was defiled with detestable tilings, 
 Ezek. v. 11 ; they had brought images and idols near 
 to the temple, and into the temple, chap. viii. ; they 
 had high places and altars in every street, chap. xvi. ; 
 they burnt incense to other gods, and worshipped 
 the works of their own hands, Jer. i. 16; the statutes 
 of Omri were kept, and the works of the house of 
 Ahab, Micah vi. 16; and the fear or worship of God 
 was taught by the precepts of men, Isa. xxix. 13. 
 
 3. The laws were wrested and perverted, so that 
 there was no justice. Micah iii. 9, " They abhor 
 judgment, and pervert all equity :" all that was right, 
 equal, just, they oppressed or suppressed, and would 
 not let it take place ; so that, according to Isaiah, 
 judgment was turned away backward, and justice 
 stood far off; they thrust them out of doors, out of 
 their gates and cities, and when they pressed hard to 
 come in, there was no admission, the doors and gates 
 were locked and bolted upon them, equity could 
 not enter, Isa. lix. 14 ; only oppression was let in, 
 Isa. V. 7. 
 
 4. For the men, who shotild have been as strong 
 stakes to keep up the " hedge," thev were rotten. 
 The prophets were lions, Jer.' xxiii. 14; the priests 
 corrupters and wicked. Lam. iv. 13 ; the princes were 
 rebellious, and companions of thieves, Isa. i. 23; and 
 all ofthtni brake covenant with God, Ezek. xvi. 59; 
 
 so that it is evident the " hedge " was broken and 
 gaps made. 
 
 " To make up the hedge, and stand in the gap." 
 What that is, falls in now to be considered, and it 
 lies in these things : 
 
 1. In public opposing (hose corruptions which 
 were crept in, and practised amongst them. When 
 of old the Jews had broken down the " hedge," by 
 making a calf, Moses appeared for God against this 
 wickedness ; he seized upon the calf, Exod. xxxii. 
 burnt it, ground it to powder, made the people drink 
 it, sharply reproved Aaron, and " stood in the gate 
 of the camp, saying. Who is on the Lord's side ? let 
 him come unto me ;" and when the sons of Levi came 
 to him, he commissioned them to slay the idolaters ; 
 and this was the beginning of making up the breach. 
 So when Josiah began to purge Judah and Jerusa- 
 lem from the high places, the groves, images, and 
 altars, that were therein, then was the "hedge" 
 making up which they had broken down, 2 Chron. 
 xxxiv. 3, 4. InNehemiah's days, when the "hedge" 
 was new-made about them, there were some began 
 to tre.ad down the " hedge," and make a " gap " 
 therein, by doing unlawful things on the Lord's day ; 
 whereupon the zeal of Nehcniiah was kindh d, so that 
 he contended with the nobles of Judah, who coun- 
 tenanced them, and did violence to the sabbath them- 
 selves, saying, "What evil thing is this that ye do, 
 and profane the sabbath?" Neh. xiii. 15 — 18. 
 
 2. In mourning for such breaches, and deprecating 
 the wrath and judgments due for the same. When 
 the calf w-as made, and the people worshipped it, 
 now the " hedge" was down, God's wrath ready to 
 break in upon them, and to consume them, Exod. 
 xxxii. 10; but Moses, being afl'ected much with 
 what they had done, and with what God was about to 
 do, he falls to praying and interceding for the people ; 
 " Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy peo- 
 ple ? &c. Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and 
 say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them 
 in the mountains, &e. Turn from thy fierce wrath, and 
 repent of this evil against thy people ;" and he did so, 
 ver. 14. Now this act of Moses was standing in the 
 breach, and making up the "hedge," Psal. cvi. 23 ; 
 it kept out the fury of the Lord from breaking in upon 
 them. The intercession of God's servants is a strong 
 " hedge " and wall to prevent judgments ; therefore 
 when the Lord was resolved upon the destruction of 
 the Jews, he forbade Jeremiah to pray for them ; chap, 
 vii. 16, " Pray not thou for this people, neither lift 
 up cry nor prayer for them, neither make interces- 
 sion to me : for I will not hear thee." Intercession 
 or deprecation is an obstructing of God in his way. 
 The Vulgate hath it. Do not thou stopor oppose me. 
 When an army is marching to a town to destroy it, 
 if there be a strong wall in their way, that puts 
 them to a stand, and oft causeth them to give over 
 their attempt : so prayers against judgments, when 
 God is marching out to destroy a people, puts him 
 to a stand, and oft causes him to retreat into heaven. 
 
 3. In putting things into their primitive condition. 
 When the bushes ti'od down, and stakes pulled out, 
 are put into their places again, or new in their rooms, 
 then is the "hedge" made up. When Josiah caused 
 the house of the Lord to be repaired, the covenant 
 with God to be renewed, the law to be read, and the 
 passovi r to be kept according to the institution there- 
 of, and all things were brought to their primitive 
 condition, 2 Chron. xxxiv. xxxv. then was the "hedge" 
 made up, then was there a man stood in the gap be- 
 fore the Lord. So when Jehoshaphat brought back 
 the people from false doctrine, and false worship, to 
 the Lord God of their fathers, that was, to the true 
 religion and worship, and set judges in all the
 
 Ver. 30. 
 
 THE BOOR. OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 559 
 
 fi-ncedcitiesof Judali, andset Levitcs, priests, and tlie 
 chief of the falhurs in Israel, in Jerusalem, and in- 
 structed them to do all things faithfully, with a per- 
 fect heart, and for the Lord, 2 Chron. xix. 4, Sec. 
 when he brought things to the pattern in Moses' 
 days, then was the " hedge" made up, then God was 
 ■with them, and protected them against those wild 
 beasts, the Ammonites, Moabites, and those of mount 
 Seir, chap. xx. 
 
 " For the land, that I should not destroy it." By 
 " land," is meant the people of the land, the inhabi- 
 tants, and their habitations, which were all shortly 
 after laid waste by the Chaldean army. The Septua- 
 gint renders these w ords, that I should not destroy it, 
 that I should not leave it for ever. God by degrees left 
 the temple, the city, the land, and none of them en- 
 treated him to stay ; and when he was gone, de- 
 struction came upon them. 
 
 " But I found none." Was there not Jeremiah 
 and Ezekiel, who interceded wilh God for this peo- 
 ple ? were there not many that mourned for the 
 abominations that were amongst them ? Jer. ix. 1 ; 
 xiv. II; Ezek. ix. 4, 8. 
 
 It is true, Jeremiah did appear for God, he opposed 
 the false prophets, cried out of their false and cor- 
 rupt ways of worship, the perverting of justice, the 
 iniquities of priests, princes, and people, but they 
 would not hearken to him, Jer. xliv. 16; they de- 
 vised devices against him, and slandered him, chap, 
 xviii. 18; they sought to put him to death, and cast 
 him into prison, chap, xxxviii. 4, 6 ; and God had 
 forbid him to pray for them three times, chap. vii. 
 IG: xi. 14; xiv. 11: and he could prevail with none 
 of them towards making up the "hedge." 
 
 As for Ezekiel, he was in Babylon, and the Lord 
 looked for a man amongst them in Jerusalem ; so 
 the Lord tells Ezekiel here, " I looked for a man 
 among them," not among you. 
 
 For the sighers and mourners that were in Jeru- 
 salem, they did it in secret, and durst not openly be 
 seen, they had not s] irits to contradict the wicked 
 prophets, priests, and princes ; or if they had, yet 
 they saw there was no good to be done, the times 
 were exceeding and desperately wicked; a man was 
 made an offender for a word, and a snare was laid 
 for him that reproved in the gate, Isa. xxix. 21 ; if 
 any appeared openly to speak against them and their 
 ways, tliey were made a prey. It was an evil time, 
 and the time for the prudent to keep silence, Amos 
 V. 12, 13. So then, there was none among the pro- 
 phets, the priests, the jrinces, or people, whom he 
 mentioned in the verses before, that minded or made 
 up the " hedge," or stood in the " gap." 
 
 Ohs. I. That sin makes breaches and gaps. In 
 this chapter the Lord, having enumerated the sins 
 of all sorts in Jerusalem, here he tells them the 
 " hedge" was down, and " gaps" were in it. Their 
 sins brake down the hedge, and made those gaps : 
 Isa. XXX. 13, " This iniquity shall be to you as a 
 breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall :" 
 as storms, wars, do make breaches in a wall, so doth 
 sin make breaches in a state. Solomon's sins made 
 such a breach therein, that ten tribes were rent 
 therefi'om, and given to Jeroboam, ] Kings xi. 31 ; 
 whence it came to pass that Ephraim envied Judah, 
 and Judah vexed Ephraim, Isa. xi. 13. Sin made 
 the breach between the tribes, Isa. ix. 21 ; the breach 
 between them and other nations, (Zedekiah's per- 
 fidiousness did it,) Ezek. xvii. 15; the breach be- 
 tween God and them ; Isa. lix. 2, their iniquities 
 separated between them and their God, and their 
 sins hid his face from them, that he would not hear; 
 and set God against them, Ezek. v. 8. Sin makes 
 breaclies in churches, 1 Cor. i. 11, 12; and breaks 
 
 churches. Rev. ii. 5; it makes breaches in cities, 
 Luke xix. 14; in families, Ezek. xvi. 38; in men's 
 names, Prov. vi. 33; in men's estates, Deut. xxviii. 
 15, j6, &c. Mai. ii. 2; in men's consciences. Matt, 
 xxvii. 3, 4; Prov. xviii. 14; xv. 4; and between the 
 chicfest friends, Prov. xvi. 28. 
 
 There are some sins which make such breaches as 
 shake the foundations : Psal. Ixxxii. 5, " All the 
 foimdations of the earth are out of course." The 
 laws were their foundations, but the iniquity of the 
 judges moved those foundations out of place, and the 
 state was like a bowing wall and tottering fence, 
 Psal. Ixii. 3. Religion was a foundation unto them, 
 but they had so corrupted the doctrine and the wor- 
 ship, made such breaches therein, that God was de- 
 parting far from the sanctuary, and so from them, 
 Ezek. viii. 6. 
 
 Obs. 2. When breaches and gaps are made by sin, 
 the Lord hath a purpose to let in his judgments 
 thereby, and to destroy for the same. They had 
 trod dowTi the hedge, and God had thoughts to de- 
 stroy the land, to bring in a fiood of wrath. Ezek. 
 XX. 8, 13, 21, you may see how, upon their making 
 breaches upon the worship, statutes, and sabbaths of 
 the Lord, ne resolved to pour out his fury upon 
 them, and to consume them. Isa. i. 23, you have 
 the gaps their sins made, and, ver. 24, the resolution 
 of God thereupon, " Ah, I will case me of mine ad- 
 versaries, and avenge me of mine enemies ;" they 
 had made breaches upon his law, and he would 
 make breaches upon them : therefore, Isa. v. 5, 6, 
 " I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be 
 eaten up ;" they have trodden down the hedge of 
 justice, made great gaps therein, and I will take 
 away the hedge of my protection, and let in the wild 
 beasts and boars to tread thim down, and eat them 
 up : which the Lord did quickly after. When lately 
 the hedge was trodden down here in England, and 
 gaps made in it, did not the Lord let in wild beasts 
 to devour ? were not our princes roaring lions, our 
 judges evening wolves ? did not the prelates and 
 priests raven the prey, devour souls, take the trea- 
 sure and precious things ? Though now the wild 
 beasts be destroyed, or driven to their dens, yet 
 every gap is not stopped, nor the hedge fully made up. 
 
 Ols. 3. When the hedge is down, gaps are made, 
 and judgments ready to come in upon a people, the 
 Lord looks that one or other should appear, put forth 
 himself, to prevent those judgments. " I sought for 
 a man to make up the hedge, to stand in the gap be- 
 fore me for the land, that I should not destroy it ;" 
 Jer. viii. 6. " I hearkened and heard, but they spake 
 not aright." God expected they should have repent- 
 ed, and some at least to have said. What have I done ? 
 and what have I done ? oh, I have trodden down the 
 hedge of Jerusalem, made many gaps therein ; I see 
 God's judgments coming in thereat; now, I will labour 
 to make up the hedge, stop the gaps, divert God's 
 wrath, and bring things to their primitive condition : 
 this God looked for, and would have been glad to 
 have heard. So in Isa. lix. 13 — 15, the hedge was 
 down, gaps were made, God was displeased, and now 
 he looked that one or other should have showed a 
 public spirit, opposed the sinful practices, and depre- 
 cated judgments ; he looks in all the gaps round 
 about, and, ver. 16, " He saw that there was no man, 
 and wondered that there was no intercessor," none 
 to meet God, to set upon him by prayer and strong 
 arguments to withhold his judgments. The Se])tua- 
 gint is. There wasno helper, none to help up the hedge 
 being down, none to help keep out the floods of God's 
 wrath, none to help the state or church in that tot- 
 tering condition it was, none to settle their founda- 
 tions, and bring things into a right order.
 
 560 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIII. 
 
 Obs. 4. Making up the hedge, and standing in the 
 gaps, is the way to save a land from destruction. 
 Let men oppose the sinful practices in a land, de- 
 precate the judgments of God, and reduce things to 
 the primitive condition, to what is required in the 
 word, and then the Lord will spare a sinful nation, 
 a guilty city. Jer. v. 1, " Run to and fro through 
 the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and 
 seek in the broad places thereof; if ye can find a 
 man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that 
 seekcth the truth ; and I will pardon." The hedge 
 of justice was broken down, they had good laws, but 
 they were violated by all sorts ; now, if any man 
 would have appeared against injustice and falsehood, 
 and seen justice executed, and so made up the breaeli, 
 the Lord would not only have withheld judgments, 
 but have pardoned. In such a case one man may 
 do much : Moses stood in the gap, and diverted the 
 wrath of God, Psal. cvi. 'I.i; the hedge of religion 
 and worship was broken down by a golden calf, and 
 he made it up : Numb. xvi. 41, 42, the people mur- 
 mured, rose up against Moses and Aaron, trod down 
 the hedge of authority, whereupon the plague brake 
 in upon them ; presently Aaron steps into the gap, 
 makes up the hedge, and stops the plague, ver. 47, 
 48. That which they did was honourable ; and they 
 were repairers of breaches. We, through infinite 
 mercy, have liad some like Moses and Aaron, to 
 make up our hedges, raise up our foundations, to 
 stop some gaps ; but all our gaps are not yet stopped. 
 Are there not gaps in the hedge of doctrine.' if it 
 were not so, how came in such erroneous, blasphem- 
 ous, and wild ouinions amongst us ? Are there not 
 gaps in the hedges of civil and ecclesiastical autho- 
 rity ? do not multitudes trample upon magistracy 
 and ministry, all powers, both human and divine ? 
 are there not gaps in the worship of God ? tip not 
 too many tread down all churches, all ordinances, 
 yea, the very Scriptures ? are there not gaps in the 
 hedge of justice, through which the bulls of Bashan 
 enter, which oppress the poor, and crush the needy p 
 Amos iv. 1 : are there not gaps in the hedge of love ; 
 is not that bond of perfection broken ? are there not 
 bitter envyings and strife amongst us ; do we not 
 bite and devour one another ? are there not gaps in 
 the hedge of conscience ? is not the peace broken 
 between God and your souls ? doth not Satan come 
 in oft at the gap, and disturb you ? are there not 
 gaps also in your several relations, whereby he gets 
 advantage .'' Surely, if our eyes be in our heads, we 
 may see gaps enough. Let us make up the breaches, 
 stop all gajis in the public and private hedges, other- 
 wise God will break in upon us by his judgments: 
 Lev. xxvi. 18, 19, " If ye will not hearken unto me, 
 I will punish you seven times more for your sins, 
 and I will break the pride of your power." 
 
 Obs. 5. That in times of general corruption m 
 church and state, it is hard to tind a man of a public 
 spirit to oppose those corruptions, to wrestle with 
 God for mercy, and to bring things to their original 
 condition. The Lord " sought for a man amongst 
 them, that should make up the hedge and stand in 
 the gap, but he found none." Isa. lix. 4, " None call- 
 eth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth." The 
 judges and great ones did oppress the people, and 
 none ai)peared publicly for them, to plead their cause, 
 and reprove the oppressors. Many disliked the car- 
 riage of things, but they had no spirit to oppose, 
 they were "not valiant for the truth," as Jeremiah 
 saith, chap. ix. 3 ; therefore, Isa. Ixiii. 5, God saith, 
 " I looked, and there was none to help ; and I won- 
 dered that there was none to uphold." He doth not 
 say simply, there were " none," but, "none to help, 
 none to uphold;" the state and church were sinking, 
 
 and not a man stepped out to put to his shoulder 
 to help support them. God looked for and sought 
 for such a man, but could find none ; and, to con- 
 vince them of the truth thereof, he bids them see 
 and seek all Jerusalem over, if there were a man 
 that executeth judgment : neither God nor men could 
 find one. In eonmion corruptions and calamities, few 
 have hearts to apjiear for the public good, against 
 overspreading evils ; sinful prudence, or fear of 
 crushing, makes them silent, and lie hid : Eccles. iv. 
 
 I, the oppressions under the sun were great, the 
 tears of the oppressed many, but there was no com- 
 forter, none pitied them, none appeared for them, 
 none used any means to relieve them. 
 
 Ver. 31. Therefore have I poured out mine in- 
 dignation upon them ; I have consumed them with 
 the fire of nil/ wrath : their own tray have I re- 
 compensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God. 
 
 Seeing they were guilty of such sins as are men- 
 tioned in the chapter, and so universally corrupt, the 
 Lord, in this last verse, denounces judgments against 
 them. The verbs are in the preter-tense, " I have 
 poured out," " I have consumed," " I have recom- 
 pensed." So he had done upon those in captivity, 
 but he speaks of those in the chapter who were then 
 at Jerusalem ; ami it is usual, in the Hebrew, to put 
 a preter-tense for the future, to note the certainty of 
 a thing: and so here God saith, he had done so, be- 
 cause certainly he would do so. The words of this 
 verse we have had before, chap. xxi. 31 ; xix. 12; 
 ix. 10; xvi. 43. 
 
 06*-. 1. When a people is universally corrupt, the 
 hedges of religion and justice trod down, and none 
 appears to make up those hedges, God will certainly 
 visit that peojde with his judgments. Prophets, 
 priests, princes, and people, were degenerated and 
 greatly corrupted, all hedges down ; God looked for 
 some or other to appear against the corruptions which 
 were amongst them, and because there was none, 
 therefore he would pour out his indignation upon 
 them, and consume them with the fire of his wrath ; 
 and they found it so shortly after; Lam. ii. 4; iv. 
 
 II, they and their foundations were devoured. 
 
 Obs. 2. That God, in his severest judgments, is 
 most just. " I have" or will " recompense their own 
 way upon their head." God did not punisli them 
 for others' ways, but for their own ; it was their own 
 evil doings brought his judgments upon them ; he 
 did them no wrong, when sword, famine, plague, fire, 
 consumed them. Whatever dreadful judgments have 
 fallen out in our days, in this or other nations, let us 
 justify the Lord, he hath recompensed men's own 
 ways upon their heads ; he is righteous in all his 
 works, and holy in all his ways. 
 
 CHAPTER XXin. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 4. The word of the Lord came again 
 unto me, saying. Son of man, there were two ivomen, 
 the daughters of one mother : and they committed 
 whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms 
 in their youth : there were their breasts pressed, 
 and there they bruised the teats of their virgiydty. 
 And the names of them were Aholah the elder, 
 and Aholihah her sister : and they were mine, and 
 they hare sons and daughters. Tims were their 
 names ; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem, 
 Aholihah.
 
 Ver. 1—4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 .5G1 
 
 In this chapter are contained these generals : 
 
 I. A complaint of, or prophecy against, the idol- 
 atry and wickedness of the whole body of the Jews, 
 under the names of Aholah and Aholibah, showing 
 their several sins, and the greatness of Aholibah's 
 above Aholah's. 
 
 II. Denunciation of judgment against them, and 
 their destruction. 
 
 Ver. 1. " The word of the Lord came," &c. This 
 verse shows our prophet spake not out of his own 
 heart or spirit, as the false prophets did ; it was the 
 Spirit of the Lord brought the " word of the Lord " 
 unto him, and he spake as he was moved by the 
 Spirit, which shows the divine authority of this 
 prophecy. 
 
 Ver. 2. " There were two women, the daughters 
 of one mother." The Jews were at first one people, 
 till the days of Rehoboam, and then they were di- 
 vided. Ten tribes fell off" to Jeroboam, which fre- 
 quently after were called Ephraim, and Israel, or, 
 the children of Israel, the house of Israel. The 
 other two tribes were called Judah, and the house 
 of Judah : one was the kingdom of Israel, the other 
 the kingdom of Judah. These two were the two 
 women here mentioned. 
 
 The word for women is, a'C3 which is from nivj 
 to forget, they are so called, from their forgetfulness ; 
 and these metaphorical women, Israel and Judah, 
 forgat their God greatly, and thereupon are called 
 jiaiVn'm, women, or, forgetters. 
 
 " The daughters of one mother." In the Scripture 
 language, the whole of things is termed the " mo- 
 ther," and the parts thereof, "daughters." Ezek. xxi. 
 21, The king of Babylon stood at the mother of the 
 way ; so is the Hebrew : while the way was entire 
 and one, it was called the mother, and when it di- 
 vided into parts, those parts were as the daughters 
 of that mother. The whole body of the Jews was as 
 the one " mother," and when that body divided into 
 two kingdoms, those kingdoms were as tlie " daugh- 
 ters " of that " mother." When they were in Egypt, 
 and a long time after, they were as one woman, but 
 in Rehoboam's days this woman grew big, brought 
 forth twins, and so became one mother of two daugh- 
 ters, I Kings xii. 
 
 Ver. 3. " They committed whoredoms in Egypt." 
 They being in the loins of their " mother," forsook 
 the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and fell in 
 love with the Egyptian gods: see Josh. xxiv. 14; 
 Ezek. XX. 7, 8. 
 
 " They committed whoredoms in their youth." 
 This Jewish nation, at her first beginning, while 
 young and little, played tlie harlot, and defiled her- 
 self with the Egyptian idolatry. What she did is 
 set out by way of aggravation ; she sinned in her 
 youth, or these sisters sinned betimes ; their spirits 
 were carried out that way early, and that in Egypt, 
 or house of bondage and suffering. 
 
 " There were their breasts pressed, and there they 
 bruised the teats of their virginity." The meaning 
 is this. That quickly after the Jews came into Egypt, 
 the Egyptian's prevailed with them by flatteries, or 
 threats, to embrace their idolatrous worship, whereby 
 they lost their chastity, and became like the nations. 
 
 Ver. 4. " The names of them were Aholah, the 
 elder." Here he comes to the "names" of these 
 women, and shows you who they were. The name 
 of the one was " Aholali," and this Aholah was 
 Samaria, the chief city of the ten tribes, where the 
 kings of Israel had their chief residency. Aholah is 
 from VnN a tent, or tabernacle ; and Aholah is, his 
 own, or tlieir own, tabernacle j that is, .Samaria, or 
 the ten tribes, have not me, or my worship, amongst 
 them, they have devised a worship of their own, set 
 2 o 
 
 up golden calves at Dan and Bethel, they have for- 
 saken my temple, and set up their own tabernacle, 
 and dwell by themselves, separate from me. 
 
 " The elder." The Hebrew is not " elder," but, 
 the greater. This woman Aholah had ten tribes, 
 the other only two ; this we had, chap. xvi. 46, 
 where it is said, " Thine elder sister is Samaria." 
 
 " Aholibah her sister." Thus is the name of the 
 other woman. Aholah's sister was " Aholibah," 
 which signifies, my tabernacle, or, dwelling in her; 
 and this was Jerusalem, where the temple and wor- 
 ship of the Lord were ; what was done there the 
 Lord himself appointed, and that was the place he 
 chose, Psal. cxxxii. 13, 14. 
 
 " They were mine." I tied them unto me by a 
 covenant, Ezek. xvi. 8 ; I became their God, and 
 they became my people. The Hebrew is, They 
 were for me, that is, for me alone, for no other God, 
 no other way of worship than what I should pre- 
 scribe them. 
 
 " And they bare sons and daughters." God blessed 
 them, so that they multiplied greatly, they had 
 many sons and many daughters ; Ezek. xvi. 7, " I 
 caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field." 
 
 Obs. I. That going after false ways of worship is, 
 in God's account, whoredom. " They committed 
 whoredoms." When they bowed to any of the false 
 gods in Egypt, they did as basely and vilely as she 
 that commits filthiness with another. 
 
 06s. 2. The Lord takes notice where and when those 
 who are in relation to him do sin. " They committed 
 whoredoms in Egypt, and in their youth ;" they 
 sinned amidst the grand and bitter enemies of God, 
 among Egyptians, and tlien when they were but 
 growing up to be a people. They should have con- 
 sidered what enemies the Egyptians were to their 
 God and to his worship, how odious their ways and 
 worship were to him, that so they might have kept 
 at a great distance from them ; they should have 
 walked circumspectly, that so they might have kept 
 his name from being polluted; and likewise they, 
 being in their youth, under bondage, should have 
 minded God's kindness in preserving them, and 
 making them to prosper; but they did not, "they 
 sinned in Egypt, and in their youth," two great 
 aggravations of their sin. When God is begin- 
 ning to show kindness to a people in misery, and 
 raising them up to some height and greatness, and 
 then for them to turn aside to lewdness, to super- 
 stitious, idolatrous, and heathenish practices, this 
 God observes in a special manner, and it provokes 
 him greatly. See how it affected the Lord, that 
 they sinned presently after he had showed them 
 kindness, in bringing them out of Egypt : Psal. cvi. 
 7, " They provoked him at the sea, even at the Red 
 sea :" I put forth my mighty power to bring them 
 out to the sea-side, and was ready to divide the sea 
 to carry them through, but even then and there they 
 provoked me. When states, cities, families, degenc; 
 rate in their youth, it sorely displeases God. 
 
 Obs. 3. Wheresoever a devised worship is brought 
 in, there man's tabernacle is set up ; where true w^or- 
 ship is advanced, there is God's tabernacle. The 
 ten tribes had a worship of Jeroboam's devising, 
 like unto the worship of Jerusalem in many things ; 
 but this was Aholah, their own tabernacle, God own- 
 ed it not, he was not in their assemblies, he accepted 
 not their sacrifices, their incense was a stink in his 
 nostrils ; but Jerusalem was Aholibah, there God's 
 own worship was set up, and so long as his worship 
 was there, he acknowledged his tabernacle to be in 
 her. Where his worship is, there he dwells, Psal. 
 Ixviii. 16; and is to be seen and inquired of, Psal. 
 xxvii. 4.
 
 562 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAP. XXIII. 
 
 Ver. 5 — 10. And Aholnh played the harlot 
 when she was mine ; and she doted on her lovers, 
 on the Assyrians her neighbours, ivhich were clothed 
 with Hue, captains and rulers, all of them desir- 
 able young men, horsemen riding upon horses. 
 Thus she committed her whoredoms with them, 
 with all them that were the chosen men of Assyria, 
 and with all on whom she doted : icith all their 
 idols she defiled herself. Neither left she her 
 whoredoms brought from Egypt : for in her youth 
 they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of 
 her virginity, and poured their ivhoredoni upon 
 her. Wherefre I hai'e delivered her into the 
 hand cfher lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, 
 upon whom she doted. These discovered her na- 
 kedness : they took her sons and her daughters, 
 and slew her with the sword : and she became 
 famous among women ; for they hud executed 
 judgment upon her. 
 
 In the'se verses Aholah's sins and judgments are 
 set out. 
 
 I. Her sins ; which were, 
 
 1. Confederating with the Assyrians, ver. 5; see 2 
 Kings XV. 19; and those Assyrians are described, 
 ver. G, 7, 
 
 (1.) From their garments. 
 
 (2.) From their titles. 
 
 (3.) From their age. 
 
 (4.) From the creatures they used. 
 
 2. Entertaining and defiling herself with the As- 
 syrian idols, ver. 7- 
 
 3. Retention of her old Egyptian idolatry, ver. 8; 
 there she had a calf, and under Jeroboam and others 
 slie had golden calves. 
 
 II. Her judgments ; which were, 
 
 1. Loss of her freedom, ver. 9. 
 
 2. Desolation, ver. 10; in which verses we have 
 also, 
 
 (1.) The causes of the judgments: 
 
 [1.] The principal, God himself, ver. 9. 
 
 [2.] The instrumental, viz. the Assyrians. 
 
 (2.) The event of those judgments ; ver. 10, "She 
 became famous among women." 
 
 Ver. 5. " When she was mine." The Heiirew for 
 " mine " is, 'nnn when she was under me, under my 
 covenant, under my worsliip, my power, and autho- 
 rity. Septuagint is, air'' iiiov, she hath gone out 
 from me her husband, and played the harlot ; or, in- 
 stead of me and my worship, she hath taken in other 
 gods and their worship. The Chaldee is, she hath 
 left my pure worship, and fallen to the abominable 
 idolatries of the Assyrians. 
 
 " She doted on her lovers." The Hebrew word 
 3Jy notes, violent and base love, and is rendered by 
 the Vulgate, insanivit in amulores suos, she was mad 
 upon her lovers, tiie Assyrians and other nations. 
 
 Ver. 8. " Neither left she her whoredoms brought 
 from Eg)'pt." That superstitious, idolatrous dispo- 
 sition which she had, being in Egypt, still abode 
 with her ; she made leagues with the Egyptians, 
 2 Kings xvii. 4; she had her calves like the Egyp- 
 tian calf, 1 Kings xii. 28. 
 
 Ver. 10. " Tliese discovered her nakedness." The 
 Assyrians took away her ornaments and clothing, as 
 VI r. 26, and used her sliamefully and cruelly, as 
 women often are being taken in war, Isa. xlvii. 2, 3. 
 
 " She became famous among women." Hebrew 
 is, she was a name to women. Septuagint, lylvtro 
 XaXi)^a fi'e yvi'a'inac, she was a talli among women. 
 Some talked of her for her whoredoms and filthi- 
 nesses ; others, for lier miseries, judgments, and 
 
 grievous sufferings, and so she was " famous among 
 women." 
 
 Obs. 1. That when people go out from God to false 
 ways of worsliip, and contidences therein, they are 
 violent and strong in their affections thereunto. 
 Aholah doted upon her lovers, her heart was fired 
 witli Babylonish gods, and confidences in them. 
 
 Obs. 2. What evil persons have practised in their 
 youth, that they affect in their age. Aholah had 
 loved the Egyptian idols in her minority, and after 
 she was grown up, come to her latter days, those 
 idols were not out of her thoughts ; lier Egyptian 
 lovers w'ere still in lier mind, like liarlots that mind 
 their former lovers long after they are married. 
 Wliat corruption gets in in youth, grows up and 
 abides; an unclean, idolatrous heart in youth, will 
 be so in age. 
 
 Obs. 3. That idolatry may continue long in a na- 
 tion, but shall at last be severely punished by the 
 Lord. Aholah had been an idolatress from her 
 youth, and when she was grown up to some great- 
 ness, then she brake out into gross, notorious idol- 
 atry, 1 Kings xii. ; in which slie continued some two 
 hundred sixty and odd years, and then the Lord 
 plagued, yea, destroyed her, her sons and daughters. 
 It is wisdom to cleave to the Lord and his worship, 
 not to follow or confide in other nations, or their 
 ways. 
 
 Obs. 4. God makes places and persons remark- 
 able by the judgments he executeth upon them. 
 Aholah was made famous among women by those 
 judgments he brought upon her. Aholah was Sa- 
 maria, which Shalmaneser besieged three years, and 
 then took it, 2 Kings xvii. 5, 6 ; and after burnt it, 
 as Lavater observes. 
 
 Ver. 11 — 21. And when her sister Aholibah 
 saiv this, she tvas more corrupt in her inordinate 
 love than she, and in her whoredoms more than 
 her sister in her whoredoms. She doted upon the 
 Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers 
 clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon 
 hor.ies, all of them desirable young men. Tlien I 
 saw that she ?vas defiled, that they took both one 
 way, and that she increased her whoredoms : for 
 when she saw me7i pourtrayed vpion the ivall, the 
 imagesofthe Chaldeans pourtrayed with vermilion, 
 girded with girdles upon their loins, e.vceeding in 
 dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes 
 to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians 
 of Chaldea, the land of their nativity : and as 
 soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon 
 them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea. 
 And the JBabylonians came to her into the bed of 
 love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, 
 and she was polluted with them, and her mind was 
 alienated from them. So she discovered her 
 whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness : then 
 my mind 7vas alienated from her, like as my mind 
 was alienated from her sister. Yet she multiplied 
 her U'horedoms, in calling to remembrance the 
 days of her youth, wherein she had played the 
 harlot in the land of Egypt. For she doted upon 
 their paramours, whose flesh is as the flesh of 
 asses, and whose issue is like the issue of horses. 
 Thus thou calledst to remembrance the lewdness 
 of thy youth, in bruising thy teats by the Egyptians 
 for the paps of thy youth. 
 
 Having set out Aholah's sins in the former verses,
 
 Ver. 11—21. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 5G3 
 
 here he comes to Aholibah's sins, nnd the events of 
 them. 
 
 Her sins were, 
 
 I. Her not taking warning by her sister to amend, 
 but growing worse, ver. 11. 
 
 II. Her confederacy and idolatry with, 
 
 1. The Assyrians, ver. 12; who are described, 
 (I.) From their nearness, " neighbours." 
 
 (2.) From their titles or offices, " captains, rulers," 
 (3.) From their habit, " clothed most gorgeously." 
 (4.) From their rank, "horsemen riding upon," &c. 
 (5.) From their age and comeliness, "all of them 
 desirable j'oung men." 
 
 2. The Chaldeans, ver. 14 ; which idolatry is 
 set out, 
 
 (1.) From the occasion of it, viz. pictures, or " im- 
 ages ;" which are described, ver. 14, 
 
 [1.] From their colouring, "vermilion." 
 
 [2.] Their form, " girded, dyed attire," &c. 
 
 [3.] Aspect, " princes to look to." 
 
 [4.] Pattern and place, ver. 15. 
 
 (2.) From the haste she made thereunto, ver. 
 16, 17. 
 
 (3.) The Egyptians, ver. 19; which is aggravated 
 from the violence of her affection, ver. 20. 
 
 III. The events were, 
 
 1. God's displeasure, ver. 13. 
 
 2. Alienation of his mind from her, ver. 18. 
 Alienation of Aholibah's mind from the Chaldeans, 
 
 ver. 17. 
 
 Ver. 11. " She was more corrupt in her inordinate 
 love than she." The Hebrew is, she corrupted her 
 love more than she. The Septuagint is, Cit(j)etipt 
 rljii iTTtdtniv, she corrupted her desire, she was more 
 fihhy and vile in her dotings and violent loves, than 
 her sister. Jerusalem was more addicted unto idols 
 than Samaria. 
 
 " And in her whoredoms more than her sister in 
 her whoredoms." In the original it is, her whore- 
 doms were before, or more than, the whoredoms of 
 her sister ; she exceeded Samaria and other places 
 in her idolatries, as you may see, Ezek. xvi. 47, 
 " Thou W£St corrupted more than they in all thy 
 ways." 
 
 Ver. 12. " She doted upon the Assyrians." For 
 " Assyrians," the text saith, the sons of Assur. This 
 you have verified, 2 Kings xvi. 7, 8, when Ahaz 
 hired Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, with the gold 
 and silver of the temple, to come and help him. 
 
 " Clothed most gorgeously." In the Hebrew it is, 
 clothed with an absolute garment, with every kind 
 of comely clothing. Junius hath it, clothed most 
 perfectly, with every kind of precious garments. 
 
 "Desirable young men." The Hebrew is, the 
 elect of desire ; such men as desire itself would 
 choose. They were no ordinary men, but such as 
 were comely, amiable, even men of desires, very 
 desirable. 
 
 Ver. 14. " Portrayed with vermilion." The He- 
 brew for "vermilion" is iwr which signifies, red 
 colour, with which any thing is painted. The rab- 
 bles say it is red lead. It is but twice used in the 
 holy Scriptures, in Jer. xxii. 14, and here. 
 
 Ver. 15. " All of them princes to look to." The 
 word for " princes" is n'r'Sc which Montanus 
 renders, those that were of the third rank or dignity 
 from the king. 2 Kings vii. 2, " Then a lord on 
 whose hand the king leaned answered ;" the word 
 is, hashalish, one that was a man in place third from 
 the king. 
 
 Ver. 17. " The Babylonians came toher intothe bed 
 
 of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom." 
 
 This is spoken of metaphorical whoredom. The 
 
 Jews sent to the Babylonians to enter into league 
 
 2 o 2 
 
 with them, and that being done, they brought in 
 their Babylonish idols and worship amongst them, 
 and taught the Jews to sacrifice unto them, and so 
 defiled the temple and ordinances, " the bed of love." 
 Ahaz brought in the altar from Damascus, which 
 did defile, 2 Kings xvi. 
 
 " Her mind was alienated from them." In the 
 Hebrew it is, her soul was removed from them. 
 The Septuagint, her soul departed from them. She 
 grew weary of them, and fell in with the Egyptians, 
 2 Kings xxiv. ; those she had doted upon before 
 now she afliected no longer, her soid was loosed from 
 them, and as a thing out of joint. 
 
 Ver, 19. " In calling to mind the days of her 
 youth." That is, she remembered, and, together 
 with her remembering, exercised her former .spiritual 
 whoredom. 
 
 Ver. 20. " She doted upon their paramours." 
 The word for "paramours" is, qh'E'jSb ; f:^s is a 
 concubine. Montanus renders the word here, their 
 harlots. The Egyptians had the neighbouring na- 
 tions leaguing it with them, and imitating their 
 idolatry ; these were Egypt's concubines. Now 
 Aholibah, or Jerusalem, doted upon these also : or 
 rather thus, She doted above their paramours, above 
 their concubines, more than they, she was carried 
 more strongly towards the Egyptians than other 
 nations. 
 
 " Whose flesh is as the flesh of asses, and whose 
 issue is as the issue of horses." The strength and 
 wealth of Egypt are here represented, which pro- 
 voked the Jews to make leagues with them. 
 
 0/js. 1. That when God executes severe judgments 
 upon cities, he looks that sister cities should take 
 warning thereby, and reform in those sins which 
 brought such judgments upon them. God destroyed 
 Aholah, or Samaria, for her idolatry, and confederat- 
 ing with heathenish nations. When Aholibah saw 
 this, she reformed not, but was more corrupt. God 
 expected that Jerusalem should hereupon have 
 purged out all idolatry, knocked off her confidences 
 in other nations, and cleaved wholly to him, that so 
 she might have been spared, but she made no good 
 use of his dealings with Samaria. 
 
 Obi. 2. That progress in the same sins after judg- 
 ment executed upon others for the same, and seen, 
 is a fearful aggravation of sin. Aholah's sins were the 
 same that Aholibah's were, and Aholiljah saw God's 
 judgments executed upon her for those sins, and yet 
 she continued and proceeded in the same : " When 
 she saw this, she was more corrupt." When God's 
 hand is lift up, judgment executed, men should fear 
 and learn righteousness ; but to go on in wickedness 
 is a horrible slighting, yea, despising of God, and 
 his judgments. 
 
 Obs. 3. That sinful cities usually grow worse, 
 whatever judgments they see or hear to be executed 
 upon others. Jerusalem was more corrupt than Sama- 
 ria, and abounded in whoredoms more than she did, 
 and doted more upon the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and 
 Egyptians. So corrupt is the nature of man, that it 
 is not only the worse after mercies, but even after 
 judgments. Are not we in this city and land, worse 
 now after all the judgments and mercies we have 
 seen, felt, and enjoyed ? 
 
 Obs. 4. The Lord takes notice wdiat ways cities 
 go, and how they do defile themselves. Ver. 13, " I 
 saw that she was defiled" with Assyrians, Chal- 
 deans, Egyptians, by her trusting in them more 
 tlian in me, by her idols she fetched in from them. 
 God's eye was upon Sodom, Gomorrah, Nineveh, 
 Babylon, Tyre, Rabbath, and all other cities, and so 
 it is now upon Rome, iSrc. 
 
 Obx. 5. From this 13th verse, That sinful cities do
 
 564 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIII. 
 
 tread in one another's steps. " They took both one 
 way," what one did that the other did ; if Ahohdi 
 was gone to Assyria, Aholibali will follow her ,- if 
 one run to Egypt, the other will run after her ; if 
 one dote upon them both, so will the other ; if one 
 prostitute herself to corporal and spiritual whore- 
 dom, so will the other : Simeon and Levi were 
 brethren in evil, and went both one way : Samaria 
 and Jerusalem were sisters in wickedness, and went 
 both one way. 
 
 Obs. 6. From ver. 14 — 16, Tliat the eyes are in- 
 struments and occasions of great evil. AVhen she 
 saw the images of the Chaldeans in their dresses, 
 with their belts and aspects, she was taken with 
 them. " As soon as she saw them w'ith her eyes ;" 
 Hebrew is, at the sight of her eyes she doted upon 
 them ; the images alfected her eyes, and they con- 
 veyed corruption to her heart, or that which stirred 
 the corruption pre-existent in her heart, which set 
 her on work to send into Chaldea for the men them- 
 selves. Adultery and idolatry have their chief en- 
 trance by the eye, and many other sins likewise : if 
 men and women would have chaste hearts, they 
 must have special care of their eyes : what a sad 
 thing was it, that Jerusalem's eyes should be taken 
 with the painted images of Babylonians ! Some 
 confess there is danger by gazing upon living ob- 
 jects, the beauties of men and women, but they fear 
 none from dead objects ; but Aehan saw a wedge of 
 gold and a Babylonish garment, and they snared 
 him : Aholibah here saw Babylonish pictures, and 
 they insnared her. If you would be safe, keep your 
 eyes from wandering, and beholding wanton pic- 
 tures ; such sights have cost some dear, and brought 
 forth much wfickedness. 
 
 Obs. 7. From ver. 17, For God's people to con- 
 federate with Babylonians, and admit of any part of 
 Babylonisli worship, is to defde the bed of love. 
 For a woman to make leagues with other men, and 
 to admit any one info the marriage-bed, is to defile 
 it. God is a jealous God, his worship must be pure, 
 and the heart must be pure ; if the worship be mix- 
 ed, or heart ilean upon an arm of flesh, the bed of 
 love is defiled : in the worship and orchnances God 
 lets out his love to the soul ; when they are pure, 
 in the heart being pure and confiding in God, God 
 lets out himself and his love. Let us look to our 
 hearts, that they may be disengaged from all crea- 
 ture confidences, and to our worship, that it be ac- 
 cording to God, and then the bed of love is undeliled, 
 and we shall have communion w ith and comfort from 
 our Beloved. 
 
 06*. 8. Wickedness is inconstant. Aholibah doted 
 upon the Assyrians, ver. 12; and again she doted 
 upon the Chaldeans, ver. 16; and here, in ver. 17, 
 her mind was alienated from them. Wickedness is 
 violent and inconstant ; .she was taken with the 
 very images of the Babylonians ; now she cares not 
 for the men themselves, her soul is disjointed fi'om 
 them ; but it was to fall in with some others, and 
 they were the Egyptians, ver. 19 ; but ^he held not 
 there long ; which made the Lord to say, Jer. ii. 36, 
 " Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy 
 way ? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou 
 wast ashamed of Assyria." 
 
 Obs. 9. Impudence and open sinning cause God to 
 disown and renounce them that do so. Aholibah, 
 ver. 18, discovered her whoredoms and nakedness ; 
 she talked openly what she had done with the Ba- 
 bylonians, she set up altars and idols in every street, 
 was ojienly and impudently wicked, even like a whore 
 that should prostitute herself to any in the streets. 
 Now it being so, saith the Lord, " then my mind 
 was alienated from her ;" seeing she is become so 
 
 audaciously wicked, I can affect her no longer : there 
 is a necessity in it, that I should alineate my heart 
 from her, as I did from her sister Aholah ; else I 
 shall be thought not to liave dealt justly with her, 
 especially seeing Aholibah's sins exceed Aholah's. 
 Jerusalem's wickedness alienated God's heart from 
 her, that is, made him renounce her for a harlot. It 
 is sad when God renounces. Hos. i. 9, " Lo-ammi ; 
 ye are not my people, and I will not be your God ;" 
 what more dreadful sound was there ever in the ears 
 of Ephrain, Samaria, or Aholibah, than that ? There 
 can he nothing more dreadful, than to have God dis- 
 claim and renounce ; then is God turned against 
 them ; he so renounces ; and so he was against Je- 
 rusalem, Ezek. v. 8, "Behold, I am against thee, 
 and will execute judments in the midst of tliee." If 
 we would not have God's heart alienated from ns, 
 and so be disowned, renounced by him, let us take 
 heed of all sins, especially of impudency in any sin ; 
 let us give him our hearts, not alienate them from 
 him, and so he will not alienate his heart from us. 
 
 Obs. 10. From ver. 19—21, That fresh sins bring 
 to mind former old sins. Aholibah's latter trucking 
 with the Egyptians minded God of her primitive 
 whoredoms and abominations, when she lived in 
 Egypt, which was one thousand years before : there 
 she had her lovers, there she defiled herself " w'ith 
 the idols of Egypt," Ezek. xx. 7 ; and her affection 
 now to Egypt, and Egypt's paramours, caused God 
 to mind those sins of her youth : he had no plea- 
 siu'e in doing so, but Aholibah called them to re- 
 membrance, by acting the same or like things again ; 
 she called them out of darkness, and presented them 
 to the view of God. 
 
 Ver. 22 — 35. Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith 
 the Lord God ; Behold, I will raise vp thy lovers 
 against thee, from irhom thy mind is alienated, 
 and I trill bring them against thee on ereiy side ; 
 the Babi/lonians, and all the Chaldeans, Pekod, 
 and Shoa, and Koa, and all the Assyrians with 
 them.- all of them desirable young inen, captains 
 and rulers, great lords and renowned, all of them 
 riding upon horses. And they .ihall come against 
 thee with chariots, wagons, and wheels, and with 
 an assembly of people, which shall set against thee 
 buckler cmd shield and helmet round about : and 
 I will set judgment before them, and they shall 
 judge thee according to their judgments. And I 
 will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall 
 deal furiously with thee : they shall take away 
 thy nose and thine ears ; and thy remnant shall 
 fill by the sword: they shall take thy sons and 
 thy daughters ; and thy residue shall be devoured 
 by the fire. Tliey shall also strip thee out of thy 
 clothes, and take away thy fair jewels. Thus 
 trill I make tliy letvdness to cease from thee, and 
 thy trhoredom brought from the land ff Egypt : 
 so that thou shalt not I ft up thine eyes unto them, 
 nor remember Egypt any 7nore. For thus saith 
 the Lord God; Behold, L trill deliver thee into 
 the hand of them trhom thou hatest, into the hand 
 of them from whom thy mind is alienated: and 
 they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take 
 airay all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked 
 and bare : and the nakedness of thy whoredoms 
 shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy 
 trhoredoms. L will do these things unto thee, be- 
 cause thou hast gone a whoring afer the heathen,
 
 Vf.r. 22—35. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 565 
 
 and because thou art polluted with their idols. 
 Tliou hast walked in the way of thy sister ; there- 
 fore will I give her cvp into thine hand. Tlius 
 saith the Lord God ; Thou shalt drink of thy 
 sister s cup deep and large : thou shalt be laugh- 
 ed to scorn and had in derision ; it containeth 
 tnuch. Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and 
 sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desola- 
 tion, tvith the cup of thy sister Samaria. Thou 
 shalt even drink it and suck it out, and thou shalt 
 break the sherds thereof , and pluck off thine own 
 breasts: for I have sjjoken it, saith the Lord 
 God. Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; Be- 
 cause thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind 
 thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness 
 and thy whoredoms. 
 
 In these verses you have a declaration of God's 
 dealings with Aholibah, and the grounds thereof: 
 and herein, 
 
 I. Whom God would raise up against her, those 
 who liad been her lovers ; and the cause thereof, her 
 defection from them, ver. 22. Now these are, 
 
 1. Nominated and described, ver. 23. 
 
 2. The manner of their coming against and judg- 
 ing Aholibah is set down, ver. 24. 
 
 3. Specification of the evil tlaey should do unto 
 her, ver. 26, 26, 29. 
 
 II. What God would do himself. 
 
 1. Like a husband enraged, he would set his jea- 
 lousy against her, ver. 25. 
 
 2. Put her into the hands of those who hated her, 
 ver. 28. 
 
 3. Bring her to the condition her sister Samaria 
 was in, she should drink of her cup, and that deeply, 
 ver. 32—34. 
 
 III. The grounds moving God thus to deal with 
 her, which are jirincipally two : 
 
 1. Her idolatry, ver. 30, 31. 
 
 2. Her forgetfulness of God, ver. 35. 
 
 IV. The events, which are two : 
 
 1. Cessation from her idolatry and confederating 
 with Egypt any more, ver. 27. 
 
 2. Scorn and derision, ver. 32. 
 
 Ver. 22. " I will raise up thy lovers against thee." 
 The Babylonians were lovers of Aholibah, or Jeru- 
 salem, because she had affected their gods, rites, and 
 sacred things, and trusted in them for help against 
 others ; but being now fallen off to the Egyptians, 
 God would stir up the Babylonians 
 MiVliassiu'/hi" against her, and so generally, that they 
 u'ee's' ''''" ^' should come and compass her round 
 about. 
 
 Ver. 23. " Pekod, Shoa, and Koa." Some make 
 
 these the names of great men, but they are rather 
 
 . the names of provinces, which were 
 
 in"B*ib""t'com^ Under the Babylonians, the people 
 
 locum"^ '" whereof God stirred up with others to 
 
 come to the siege of Jerusalem. 
 
 Ver. 24. " I will set judgment before them," &c. 
 Mariana understands the words thus, I will punish 
 thee, O Jerusalem, the Babylonians beholding it : 
 they were the executioners of God's judgments, and 
 must needs behold them. We may take the words 
 thus, I will make known my mind to the Babyloni- 
 ans concerning thy destruction, and leave thee to 
 them to be punished according to their laws, seeing 
 thou hast been perfidious and treacherous unto them. 
 I will put thee into their hands, give them power to 
 punish thee, and they shall do it according to their 
 laws and judgments. 
 
 Ver. 25. "And 1 will set my jealousy against thee." 
 
 By "jealousy," Maldonate understands the Chal- 
 deans, because they were the instruments of his 
 wrath : but here the Lord alludes to the practice of 
 jealous husbands, who finding their wives faulty, set 
 themselves against them, and'turn them out of doors : 
 so would God deal with this woman whom he had 
 taken to be his ; he would drive her out of the land 
 for her spiritual whoredom, he would give her a bill 
 of divorce, and send her away. 
 
 " They shall take away thy nose and thine ears." 
 This Aholibah did trust in her beauty, and play the 
 harlot, chap. xvi. 15 ; and the Lord would have her 
 deformed like a most filthy harlot, whose nose and 
 ears were wont to be mangled or cut off. It was a 
 law or custom in Egypt, that if a man were taken in 
 adultery, he shoidd be beaten with rods, to a thou- 
 sand stripes, and that a woman found therein, should 
 have her nostrils cut off. And Pradus saith, it was 
 so in many nations, that for the greater 
 disgrace, they used to cut off the nose, Lfct."Anf'i'q^i. 
 lips, ears, tops of the toes and fingers •}■ '',• -t^- ^1°^ 
 of their enemies, and adulterers, which 
 was shameful to any, specially to women. Here- 
 unto it is conceived our prophet alludes ; but be- 
 cause it is doubtful whether any such thing was 
 really done to Aholibah, divers interpret " nose " of 
 the king, and " ears " of the judges, or chief priests : 
 but we need not allegorize ; the meaning is, that God 
 would bring Jerusalem to suffer open and extreme 
 shame. 
 
 Ver. 26. " They shall also strip thee out of thy 
 clothes." This metaphorical woman was well clad, 
 she exceeded in her apparel, both for the matter, 
 quantity, and quality, as appeared, chap. xvi. ; she 
 took up the fashions of the Babylonians and Egyp- 
 tians, whom she doted upon, and had confederated 
 with ; but whatever she had, when the soldiers came, 
 they stripped her of all. The Hebrew for "strip" 
 is, -|ita'\J'Sn they shall make thee to put off; they 
 shall handle thee so roughly, that thou shalt be 
 forced with thy own hands to put ofl' thy garments, 
 and give them to them, those garments thou hast 
 taken much pride and pleasure in. Of these words, 
 and " fair jewels," was spoken, chap. xvi. 39. 
 
 Ver. 27. "Thus will I make thy lewdness to cease 
 from thee," &c. By my judgments upon thee, I will 
 make thee give over thine idolatry ; thou shalt mind 
 neither Egyptians, nor gods, their idols, thou shalt 
 neither adore nor desire help from them ; thou shalt 
 be made to mind other things, as food, raiment, 
 habitations. 
 
 Ver. 28. " I will deliver thee into the hand of them 
 whom thou hatest." In chap. xvi. 27, God delivered 
 her into the hand of them that hated her ; chap. xxi. 
 31, he saith, he would deliver her "into the hand of 
 brutish men, and skilful to destroy;" and here, into 
 the hand of those she hated : there was hatred on 
 both sides, she hated her lovers, and her lovers hated 
 her, and into their hands would the Lord put her ; 
 she should find it was the Lord's doings. 
 
 Ver. 29. " They shall deal with thee hateftilly." 
 They shall speak evil of thee, do evil unto thee, 
 they shall show thee no mercy ; they shall spare 
 neither thee, nor thy estate, nor thy name, but shall 
 take away all thou hast gotten by thy labour, and 
 make known to the world what a filthy strumpet 
 thou hast been. 
 
 Ver. 30. " Because thou hast gone a whoring after 
 the heathen," &c. Thou hast left me thy Husband 
 and Guide, and gone out to tlie heathenish goils and 
 idols for help ; thou hast bestowed thyself and love 
 upon them, and art defiled by taking them into the 
 bed of love : see chap. vi. 9, where you have the 
 same or like words.
 
 566 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIII. 
 
 Ver. 31. "Thou hast walked in the way of thy 
 sister." Aholah dot. d upon the Assyrians, mide 
 leagues with them, defded herself with their \C.o\s, 
 manifested her idolatnms disposition she hail in 
 Eg}-pt to 1)6 still living; and thus did Allolibah, 
 vef. 12, IG, ir, 19. 
 
 " I will give her cup into thine hand." Yer. .32. 
 " Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup." Thou 
 shalt Ije punished with the same punishments Aho- 
 lah was ; she was taken by the Assyrians, shame- 
 fully entreated, and her children carried into cap- 
 tivity, and so shalt thou be dealt with ; the same cup 
 she drank of, thou shalt also drink of. This meta- 
 pihor is very frequent in Scripture, Isa. li. 17,22; 
 Jer. XXV. 15, \7, 28; Psal. Ixxv. 8; Lam. iv. 21. 
 Some think this metaphor to be borrowed from 
 physicians giving potions in cups to their patients, 
 which are troublesome to behold and gi-ievous to 
 taste ; so God's judgments arc cups of that nature. 
 Others think it taken from that practice of giving 
 cups of wine or strong drink to those that were to 
 sutler, Amos ii. 8, which hebetating their senses, 
 should take away the .sharpness of their pain. Others 
 fetch it from the practice at feasts, where the master 
 of the feast did temper and proportion a cup for each 
 guest according to his capacity, and for those they 
 purposed to make dnmk, they would fill the larg.rr 
 cups. Let the metaphor of " cup" be borrowed 
 from which you will, it notes out here, God's order- 
 ing and measuring out of judgments for Aholibah 
 and hers. 
 
 "Deep and large." It shall not be a "cup" to 
 drink off at one draught, or in one day, but it shall 
 be a " cup deep and large," containing much, 
 grievous, great, and long afflictions; a "cup" thou 
 shalt be seventy years drinking. 
 
 " Thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in de- 
 rision." AVlien whores ar? punished for their whore- 
 doms, they become matter of scorn and derision to 
 all. The like words we had before, chap. xxii. 4, 5. 
 
 Ver. .3.3. " Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness 
 and sorrow." Thy afflictions, thy punishments shall 
 be such, as shall make thee stagger like cne that is 
 drunk ; thy pains and sorrows shall be great ; it 
 shall not be a cup of consolation, but of astonishment 
 to thyself and all about thee, yea, a cup of desola- 
 tion, and, as the Septuagint hath it, of perdition. 
 
 Ver. 34. " Thou shalt even drink it and suck it 
 out." Thou mayest think this " cup" shall pass 
 away from thee, or if not, that thou shalt drink only 
 a little of it, liut thou deceivcst thyself, it sliall not 
 ])ass from thee, thou shalt drink it, and drink it olT 
 all, thou shalt " suck it out," even the lees and dregs 
 of it, how bitter soever they be. 
 
 " Thou shalt break the sherds thereof." Not only 
 drink up what is in the " cup," but as drunkards oft 
 break the vessel, and lick the fragments, not suffer- 
 ing the least drop to be lost, so w.idd God make 
 Aholibah to drink every di'op of his fury, which he 
 had put in this " cup." The greatness of their 
 punishment is set out hereby. 
 
 " And pluck off thine own breasts." In time of 
 great afflictions many do strange things, rend their 
 garment^:, bite their flesh, tear their hair ; and Aho- 
 libah .should pluck oft' her breasts. Before she had 
 let Egyptians and Assyrians bruise the breasts of her 
 virginity, and draw her to idolatry, and now she 
 should scratch and rend them ; she should express 
 signs of great grief and great misery upon her. 
 
 Ver. 35. " Because thou hast forgotten me, and 
 cast me behind thy back." Here is the ground of 
 her wickedness, and God's judgments coming upon 
 her, she forgat God; which words we had, chap, 
 xxii. 12. 
 
 " And cast n;e behind thy back." The Hebrew 
 is, behind thy body : the sense is this. Thou hast 
 turned from mc to thy lovers, to the Assyrians and 
 Egypti.ms, so that thy face and heart are toward.s 
 them, and thy back is towards me. A like expression 
 we had chap. viii. 16, where it is said, " Their backs 
 were toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces 
 toward the east.'' Or thus. Thou hast dealt by me 
 as men do by things they throw behind them, they 
 slight them, and mind them no more. Neh. ix. 26. 
 " They cast thy law behiud their backs, and slew 
 thy prophets ; " that is, they slighted the law, 
 minded it not, it was out of their sight as a thing 
 behind them, as if there were no such thing. When 
 Jeroboam slighted the counsel of the prophet, 1 
 Kings xi. 38, and set up other gods, then he cast 
 God behind his back, chap. xiv. 9. 
 
 Obs. 1. God makes them instruments of our woe 
 and misery, with whom we liave sinned. "I will 
 raise up thy lovers against thee," the Babylonians, 
 Chaldeans, Assyrians, " I will l;ring tb-em against 
 thee on every side." Jerusalem had doted upon and 
 trusted in them, and by them would God plague 
 Jerusalem. She had oft sinned by her confidence 
 in Egypt, Isa. xxx. 2; xxxi. 1 ; and God by the 
 Egyptians scourged lier, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 3. Parents 
 dote upon their children, and oft God makes them 
 rods to whip them, yea, clubs to break their hearts 
 and bones. 
 
 Obs. 2. Wien people go out from God to false 
 ways of worship, and put confidence in arms of flesh, 
 God will deal severely by them. God would put 
 Aholibah into the Babylonian hands, they should do 
 with her as they pleased, judge her according to 
 their judgments. God would set his jealousy against 
 her, thrust her out of doors ; and what then ? the 
 Babylonians should deal furiously with her, abuse 
 her body, destroy her children, burn her habitation, 
 strip her of her vestments and jewels, take away all 
 she had gotten, lay open her shame, and do hate- 
 fully by her ; she should be punished with the same 
 punishments Aholah was. 
 
 06.y. 3. Judgments and afflictions are cups which 
 the Lord gives sinners to drink of, some more, some 
 less. " Thou shalt drink of thy sister's cup deep 
 and large." Sometimes God's judgments are called 
 a " cup of trembling," as Lsa. li. 22; sometimes a 
 " cup of fury," as Jer. xxv. 15; and sometimes a 
 ■" cup of astonishment," as here ; and Aholibah had 
 all these cups given her to drink, they were " deep, 
 large," contained much, and she was made to drink 
 them all off, yea, to drink the very dregs of them : 
 as men fill up the measure of their sins, so God fills 
 up the cups of his judgments ; Rev. xviii. 6, " Fill 
 to her double." Babylon's sins were come to the 
 full, and the cup of the Lord's fury was full. 
 
 Obi: 4. Neglect and contempt of God, and his 
 word, causes him to execute judgment. "Because 
 thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, 
 therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whore- 
 doms ;" that is, bear the punishment of thy lewd- 
 ness and whoredoms ; thou hast made me bear thy 
 sins, and thou shalt bear my punishments. As the 
 fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, so the for- 
 getting of God is the Ijcginning of folly and all evil ; 
 then God is out of sight, behind the back : and what 
 will not men do when no awe of God or his word is 
 upon them ? Then, like Aholibah, they will com- 
 mit any lewdness ; and because they do so, God lets 
 out his wrath, loads them with his judgments, and 
 makes them bear the merit of their wickedness. 
 
 God had done much for Aholibah, dealt by her 
 like a loving husband ; but .she slighted him, went 
 out a whoring from him, did those things which
 
 Ver. 36—44. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 567 
 
 greatly dishonoured liim, and so provoked him to 
 mind her, that forgot him, for he fell upon her with 
 his judgments, and destroyed her ; and so will the 
 Lord do by all that forget him : Psal. ix. 17, " The 
 wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations 
 that forget God :" whatever sins the nations commit, 
 they are comprehended in their forgetting God, that 
 is the root of all evil ; and because they did forget 
 God, they should be " turned into hell," and bear 
 the burden of their sins there for ever. 
 
 Ver. 36 — 44. Tlie Lord said moreover unto 
 me ; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and 
 Aholibah ? yea, declare unto them their abomina- 
 tions ; that they have committed adultery, and 
 blood is in their hands, and with their idols have 
 they committed adultery, and have also caused 
 their sons, irhom they bare unto me, to pass for 
 them thrnvgh the fire, to devour them. Moreover 
 this they have done unto me : they have defiled mxj 
 sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned mi/ 
 sabbaths. For when they had slain their children 
 to their idols, then they came the same day into 
 my sanctuaiy to profane it ; and, lo, thus have 
 they done in the midst of mine house. And fur- 
 thermore, that ye have sent for men to come from 
 far, unto whom a messenger was sent ; cmd, lo, 
 they came : fur whom thou didst iva.ih thyself, 
 paintedst thy eyes, and deckedst thyself with orna- 
 ments, and satest upon a stately bed, and a table 
 pi epared before it, ivhereupon thou hast set mine 
 incense and mine oil. And a voice of a multitude 
 being at ease teas with her: and with the men of 
 the common sort were brought Sabeans from the 
 wilderness, which put bracelets upon their hands, 
 and beautiful croivns upon their heads. Tlien 
 said I unto her that ivas old in adiilteries. Will 
 they now commit whoredoms tvHh her, and she 
 with them? Yet they nent in unto her, as they go in 
 unto a ivoman that playeih the harlot: so went they 
 in unto Aholah and unto Aholibah, the lewd wom,en. 
 
 In these nine verses Aholah's and Aholibah's sins 
 are further declared and amplified. 
 
 I. Here is a mandate to the prophet, to declare 
 their abominations, ver. 36. 
 
 II. The declaration of those abominations ; which 
 are, 
 
 1. Idolatry, expressed by the term of " adultery," 
 ver. 37. 
 
 2. Cruelty, in sacrificing their children, ver. 37, 
 and slaying of them, ver. 39. 
 
 3. Defilement of holy things, " sanctuary, sab- 
 baths," which is set out with aggravation, ver. 38, 39. 
 
 4. Invitation, and alluring men of other nations to 
 commit lewdness, ver. 40 — 12. 
 
 5. Incorrigibleness ; they were reproved for their 
 wickedness, warned and counselled to desist, but they 
 went on, ver. 43, 44. 
 
 Ver. 36. " Wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah ?" 
 God being very angry with these two women for 
 their lewdness and abominations, turns to the pro- 
 phet, who being charitable, was ready to excuse them 
 (for so the words may be read, and are by Piscator) ; 
 See thou do it not, they are inexcusable. But take 
 the words as they are here, " Wilt thou judge 
 Aholah and Aholibah?" thou seest what they have 
 done, what vile strumpets they arc, how justly they 
 deserve severely to be punished ; what sayest thou, 
 wilt thou judge them, wilt thou reprove and sen- 
 tence them for their sins ? speak, son of man. I see 
 
 thou art backward to it, thou thinkcst there will no 
 good come of it, thou art discouraged ; but rouse up 
 thy spirit, it is thy duty to do it, and tliou shalt do it. 
 
 Ver. 37. " That they have committed adultery, 
 and blood is in their hands, &c. and have also caused 
 their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass," iS:c. 
 For this verse see what hath been said, chap. xvi. 
 16, 20,21, 32; ix. 9; xxii. 3. 
 
 Ver. 38. Moreover this they have done imto me : 
 they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and 
 have profaned my sabbaths." Of defiling the sanc- 
 tuary, see chap. v. 11, where these words, "because 
 thou hast defiled my sanctuary," were handled ; and 
 of profaning the sabbaths, was spoken chap. xx. 13, 
 16; and xxii. 8. 
 
 One thing here is to be considered, viz. the time 
 when they did defile the sanctuary, and profane the 
 sabbaths ; it is said, " in the same day ;" what day 
 that was, the next verse tells more fully. 
 
 Ver. 39. " When they had slain their children to 
 their idols, then they came the same day into my sanc- 
 tuary to profane it." It was unnatui-al and barbarous 
 for them to slay their children, impious lo ofler them 
 to idols, to devils ; and to do those things upon the sab- 
 bath days, wherein they were to rest from ordinary 
 works, how extremely wicked and abominable was 
 it ! and then after such evils to come into the temple, 
 and appear before God, as if they had done no 
 wickedness, but well, what height of iniquity was 
 here ! The blood of their children was yet hot upon 
 their hands, and fresh upon their skirts, and in that 
 state they came into the temple to have communion 
 with God in his worship. 
 
 " Lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine 
 house." They have not only set up idols in hills 
 and groves, offered their children to Molech in the 
 valley of Hinnom, but they have set up idols in the 
 temple, and have sacrificed their children to them 
 there. So I find some interpreters to understand 
 these words. Maldonate saith. Even in the temple 
 itself they have sacrificed their sons ; and he 
 grounds it upon Jer. vii. 30; Ezek. viii. 10, 11; 
 which places prove there were idols in the temple, 
 that they sacrificed unto them, but not that they sa- 
 crificed their children there ; but rather came with 
 the guilt of their children's blood upon them into the 
 temple, and so polluted it, and the worship of it. 
 
 Obs. 1. That wicked ones make little or no con- 
 science of horrible sins, or holy duties ; they do pass 
 from the one to the other immediately. When 
 Aholah and Aholibah had slain their children to 
 their idols, the same day they came into the sanc- 
 tuary and joined the duties of the place and day ; 
 from shedding of blood and sacrificing to idols, they 
 step into the temple, and worship of God. Had not 
 their consciences been seared, they would have ac- 
 cused them and told them they were unclean, not fit 
 to meddle with holy things, that they might look for 
 vengeance every hour, who had done such things, 
 and that if they come before tlie Lord, he would be 
 a consuming fire unto them ; but they go boldly and 
 impudentlyinto his presence, not being troubled for 
 what they had done, nor considering how they pol- 
 luted holy things. So in Jer. vii. 9, 10, they did 
 steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn 
 incense to Baal, walk after other gods, and then come 
 presently and stand before him in his house, and 
 say, " W^e are delivered ;" they passed from wicked 
 practices unto holy duties, making no conscience of 
 the one or the other. 
 
 Ohs. 2. The Lord takes notice how men draw near 
 to him on his days, in the duties of his worship. 
 When they slew their children to their idols, then 
 they came to my sanctuary the same day; they de-
 
 5fi8 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIII. 
 
 filed themselves with blood and idolatry on my sab- 
 baths, and in those defilements they came to worship 
 me, Jer. vii. 10. God observed them there, how 
 they came in their sins, and stood before him ; they 
 were notoriously wicked, and thrust into the temple 
 W'orship, and into the presence of God, as if they 
 had been innocent, and as acceptable to God as any. 
 Men may deceive others and themselves, but they 
 cannot deceive the Lord ; he sees their spirits, knows 
 them fully, whether they come before him with 
 bloody, idolatrous, unclean, profane, covetous, proud, 
 froward, and malicious hearts, or no ; whether they 
 come unprepared in the guilt of former or present 
 sins. 
 
 Obs. 3. Profaning of holy things is wronging of 
 God, provokes greatly, and causes him to set an em- 
 phasis thereon. When they had sinned, and so came 
 into the sanctuary, and profaned that and the sab- 
 bath, saith God, " This they have done unto me. 
 Lo, thus have they done in the midst of mine house." 
 God takes the wrong done to his house, worship, 
 and day, as done unto himself; for he dwelt in the 
 temple', instituted the worship and day, had stamped 
 holiness upon them ; and therefore the defiling and 
 profaning of them he counted the defiling and pro- 
 faning of his name, and of himself, and it did so sorc- 
 Iv oll'end him, that he sets a double mark, or brand 
 thereupon : " This have they done to me. Thus have 
 they done in my house." 
 
 Three ways especially are holy things defiled, 
 profaned : 
 
 (1.) When men come in their sins, without purg- 
 ing themselves, and preparing for them. James iv. 
 8, if men draw near to God without cleansing their 
 hands, and purifying their hearts, God will not draw 
 near them ; he will not touch unclean things, they 
 will defile him. 
 
 (2.) When we mingle aught of ours therewith. 
 Additions of human things are pollutions of divine 
 things : when they brought aught into the temple 
 which God appointed not, that was a defiling that, 
 and the worsliip thereof. When Nadab and Abihu 
 put strange fire into the censers, they defiled them, 
 and the worship, and provoked God to their destruc- 
 tion. Lev. X. And when they set their threshold 
 with God's threshold, they defiled his name and wor- 
 ship, Ezek. xliii. 7, 8. 
 
 (3.) When holy things are handled irreverently. 
 The Bethshemites in a rude manner peeped into the 
 ark, and profaned it, which caused the Lord to smite 
 them with sudden death, 1 Sam. vi. 19. Hence it is, 
 that Solomon gives counsel, Eccles. v. I, that men 
 should keep their feet when they go to the house of 
 God : why then ? because they are to be conversant 
 in holy things; and if they look not well to their 
 atlections, they will play the fool, and profane those 
 holy things, and pu'oeure a curse instead of a blessing. 
 
 Ver. 40. " And furthermore, that ye have sent for 
 men to come from far, unto whom a messenger was 
 sent; and, lo, they came." They were not content 
 to do wickedly themselves, but they sent to and in- 
 vited others, the Chaldeans, Assyrians, and Egyp- 
 tians. These metaphorical harlots were wanton 
 with those that did provoke them thereto, and also 
 provoked others afar off to wantonize with them, 
 according to what you had, Ezek. xvi. 33 ; the mean- 
 ing is, they sent for men of other nations to make 
 leagues with them, and being come, admitted their 
 idols and idolatrous ways of worship, as appeared 
 ver. 17. 
 
 " For whom thou didst wash thyself, paintedst 
 thine eyes, and deckcdst thyself with ornaments." 
 Here is set forth the practice of whores, they wash, 
 they paint, they deck themselves for their lovers ; 
 
 and so did these city harlots, Aholah and Aholibah, 
 they fitted themselves for the Babylonians and 
 Egyptians, their courtings and loves. 
 
 " Paintedst thine eyes." The Hebrew word, Sna 
 is only in this place, and signifies to colour, to paint, 
 with stibium or red. Montanus renders the words, 
 thou hast coloured thine eyes. The SeptuaLcint is, 
 fTi/3i?H, thou hast stibiumed thine eyes. Stibium 
 was a colouring stuff women used to make them- 
 selves black-ljrowed with. " Eyes" here are put 
 synecdoehieally for the whole face ; and by painting 
 their eyes, is meant the painting of their faces : 
 2 Kings ix. 30, it is said of Jezebel, " she painted 
 her face ;" the Hebrew is, she put her eyes in paint- 
 ing, the eyes are put for the face. Painting of faces 
 was long ago in practice. Some out of pride painted 
 them, that none might seem more beautiful than 
 they ; some out of lust, that they might please men 
 therewith, and allure them thereby to folly and 
 wickedness : painted faces are like Samson's foxes, 
 which set the corn on fire. This practice is not 
 warrantable. If women may not counterfeit and 
 change their habits, Deut. xxii. 5, why should they 
 counterfeit and change tlieir faces? if the body be 
 more than meat, the face is more than clothes. The 
 apostle forbids us to " take the members of Christ, 
 and make them the members of an harlot," I Cor. 
 vi. 1.5; and may we take the faces which are the 
 Lord's, ver. 19, and make them the faces of harlots 
 by painting them ? 
 
 Again, all hypocrisy is odious in the sight of God, 
 and there is face hypocrisy as well as heart hy- 
 pocrisy. This painting is face hypocrisy ; women 
 thereby seem that which they are not. Christ calls 
 them hypocrites for disfiguring their faces, that they 
 might appear unto men to fast. Matt. vi. 10; and do 
 not they who paint their faces disfigure the work- 
 manship of God, that they may appear unto men 
 beautiful, which they are not? Matt, xxiii. 27, 28. 
 By this painting you say you are beautiful, but you 
 lie both to God and man, pretending it to be the 
 work of God, when it is not. 
 
 " And deckedst thyself with ornaments." Of or- 
 naments, and decking therewith, was spoken in chap, 
 xvi. II, 13. Aholibah put on her bravery, and trim- 
 med up herself for strangers, as whores do for their 
 lovers. 
 
 Ver. 41. " And safest upon a stately bed." The 
 Hebrew is, a bed of honour, or, an honourable bed. 
 Others, in a bed of state. The Scriptures mention 
 two kinds of beds : Iccti cubici)lares, which men sleep 
 in ; Psal. vi. (5, " All the night make I my bed to 
 swim :" and lecti discuhilorn, which they did eat and 
 feast at, Esth. i. 6 ; Amos vi. 4 ; and these were 
 called trictiniares, tables, or beds, with three feet. 
 Which bed she sat upon is not much material : like 
 the harlot in the Proverbs, chap. vii. 16, 17, she pre- 
 pared all things to affect and please her lovers ; she 
 had a table furnished, and set the incense and oil 
 which w'ere for God's worship, in a readiness for 
 idolatrous worship, or to be spent upon the Chalde- 
 ans and Egyptians, when she entertained and feasted 
 them ; she was profuse in her expenses upon 
 idolaters. 
 
 Ver. 42. " And a voice of a multitude being at 
 ease was with her." When the Chaldeans and 
 Egyptians came to Aholibah and Aholah, they were 
 feasted, leagues made between them, and all were at 
 peace, so that the voice of a multitude at peace was 
 with her; so the word for "ease" signifies, being 
 iSlf from ."iSiy to be at peace and quiet. Peace 
 being made they were at " ease," and the voice of 
 music, singing, and rejoicing was amongst them j 
 they walked, they worshipped, they feasted together.
 
 Ver. 45 — 19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 5r,9 
 
 " With the men of the common sort, were brought 
 Sabeans from the wilderness." These harlots were 
 not satisfied with the captains, rulers, lords, and 
 princes of the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Egyptians ; 
 but they invited the baser sort of people, who'thought 
 it a great honour that they should be entertained by 
 these famous harlots, Samaria and Jerusalem. Jer. 
 xxvii. 3, there were messengers sent fi-om the kings 
 of Edom, Moab, Amnion, Tyre, and Sidon, which 
 were inconsiderable to the kings of Babylon and 
 Egypt ; and as these were drawn in, so men inferior 
 to them, those of the common sort, yea, Sabeans, or 
 drunkards, as some render the word. 
 
 " Which put bracelets upon their hands, and 
 beautiful crowns upon their heads." They brought 
 their presents with them, " bracelets and crowns," 
 which they bestowed upon those harlots, who hired 
 and gave gifts to the great ones, to come unto them, 
 chap. vi. 33, 34, but were cunning here, and received 
 gifts of the meaner and under sort. Of " bracelets " 
 and " beautiful crowns," the I6th chapter gave 
 occasion to speak, ver. 11, 12. 
 
 Obs. Wicked ones are active and expensive to 
 draw others to themselves and their wicked ways. 
 These harlots, Aholah and Aholibah, sent to Assyria, 
 to Egypt, to others, to come unto them ; they trimmed 
 and decked up themselves, made great preparations 
 to entertain them, they spared not for any cost 
 whereby they might please and satisfy them. Thus 
 did the harlot, Prov. vii. ; she perfumes her bed, 
 trims up herself, goes forth, and diligently seeks, 
 finds, and brings in a prey. Some, bad enough, 
 compass sea and land to make proselytes : shall 
 wicked ones, and wickedness, be active, expensive 
 to draw and ruin others, and shall not godly ones, 
 and godliness, be as active and expensive, to win 
 and save sinners ? 
 
 Ver. 43. " Then said 1 unto her that was old in 
 adulteries, Will they now commit whoredoms W'ith 
 her," &c. What ! art not thou yet satisfied ? thou 
 art old in wickedness, art like a dry and dead thing ; 
 what ! can thy lovers have any pleasure in thee, or 
 thou in them? Cease, ye harlots, from your wicked 
 and lewd practices. Here the Lord chides and 
 reproves them, upbraiding them from their long 
 continuance in their sin. Aholah, Samaria, was 
 oldest in her adulteries, she had continued from the 
 time of Jeroboam in her idolatrous worship ; and 
 Aholibah had many years lived in that sin. God's 
 reproof, upbraiding, prevailed not, for, 
 
 Ver. 44. " Yet they went in imto her, as they go 
 in unto a woman that playeth the harlot," &c. 
 
 Oi.s-. 1. Those who are given to corporal or spi- 
 ritual uncleanness, are seldom recovered, but go on 
 and grow old in those sins. These women had 
 many reproofs and threatcnings, but none prevailed. 
 Such sins are bewitching, and hold men captive ; 
 Prov. ii. 19, " None that go unto her return again." 
 
 Obn. 2. The Lord takes notice of persons' begin- 
 ning, progress, and continuance in sin. He observed 
 when Aholah began her whoredoms, when the 
 calves were set up at Dan and Bethel, how' she grew 
 up and grew old in adulteries. God's eye goes along 
 with sinners, from the beginning to the end. 
 
 Ver. 45 — 49. And the righteous men, they shall 
 judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and 
 after the manner of women that shed blood ; he- 
 cause they are adulteresses, and blood is in their 
 hands. For thus saith the Lord God; I will 
 bring up a company vpoji them, and will give 
 them to be removed and spoiled. And the com- 
 pany shall stone them with stones, and dispatch 
 
 them with their swords ; they shall slay their sons 
 and their daughters, and burn up their houses 
 with fire. Thus will I cause lewdness to cease 
 out of the land, that all women may be taught not 
 to do after your lewdness. And they shall re- 
 compense your lewdness upon you, and ye shall 
 bear the sins of your idols: and ye shall know 
 that I am the Lord God. 
 
 I. In these verses the judgments of God upon 
 those harlots are further set out. 
 
 1. They shall be punished like adulteresses and 
 murderesses, ver. 45. 
 
 2. They shall be carried into captivity, and spoiled, 
 ver. 46. 
 
 3. They, their sons and daughters, shall be stoned 
 and slain, and their houses burned, ver. 47. 
 
 11. The events or effects of these judgments are, 
 
 1. Cessation of lewdness, ver. 48. 
 
 2. Instruction of other women to take heed of 
 doing the like, ver. 48. 
 
 3. Conviction of the equity of God's dealings, 
 ver. 49. 
 
 Ver. 45. " And the righteous men." The Assyri- 
 ans and Babylonians who destroyed Samaria and 
 Jerusalem, are called "righteous" or just "men," 
 not that they were so really, but comparatively : 
 they are styled so in respect of the Jews ; they were 
 such, Ezek. v. 6, 7 ; xvi. 27, 47, who exceeded the 
 nations in wickedness ; or because they were God's 
 instruments to execute his just judgments upon them, 
 especially for their perfidiousness with those nations. 
 
 " They shall judge them after the manner of 
 adulteresses, and after the manner of women that 
 shed blood." Adulteresses were punished with death 
 under the law. Lev. xx. 10 ; Deut. xxii. 22 ; and the 
 death was stoning, John viii. 5, 7, else Christ would 
 not have commissioned them to have thrown stones 
 at the woman, if they had been faultless themselves ; 
 and as these were to die from their uncleanness, so 
 were those that shed blood. Of these words see 
 chap. xvi. 38. 
 
 Ver. 46. " 1 will bring up a company upon them." 
 I brought up an army against Samaria, and destroy- 
 ed it : and so I will do with Jerusalem, I will bring 
 the Babylonians upon her, who shall spoil her, by 
 stoning, slaughtering, burning, and removing her 
 into captivity. No enemies can stir out of their 
 country to mischief others, till the Lord call and 
 bring them ; and when he doth so, sad effects follow ; 
 theylay all waste, making cities heaps, and pleasant 
 lands wildernesses. Of this 46th and the 47th verse, 
 see chap. xvi. 40, 41. 
 
 Ver. 48. " Thus will I cause lewdness to cease out 
 of the land." When the Lord sliould have accom- 
 plished his judgments upon these harlots, when 
 Aholah and Aholibah should be destroyed, then 
 idolatry should cease, and be no more in the land ; 
 then sacrificing their children to idols, and shedding 
 of blood, should be no more heard of. God's judg- 
 ments will silence wickedness, and take away evil 
 from the land. 
 
 " That all women may be taught not to do after 
 your lewdness." By "women" here understand, 
 cities, provinces, nations, which seeing the just judg- 
 ments of God upon these whorish women, Aholah 
 and Aholibah, might learn to beware of such sins, 
 and not to go out from God, having once given up 
 themselves to him, lest they draw such severe and 
 shameful punishments upon themselves. 
 
 Obs. God's judgments are teaching things. He 
 brought dreadful judgments upon Aholah and Aho- 
 libah, that all women might be taught thereby.
 
 570 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIV. 
 
 Gideon by thorns and briers taught the men of Suc- 
 coth, Judg. viii. 16; and God by his piercing judg- 
 ments teaches the nations ; he punisheth one city, 
 that others may take warning. There is no judg- 
 ment of God upon any city, nation, or people, but it 
 speaks and teaches : Micah vi. 9, " Hear yc the 
 rod ;" it hath a voice, a teacliing voice. 
 
 1. It teaches all who are guilty of the same sins, 
 and not visited with the same judgments, to admire 
 the long-suffering and goodness of God towards them. 
 
 2. It teaches those presently to consider iheir 
 ways, turn to the Lord by repentance, who are guilty 
 of such sins, lest the Lord, being now in a way of 
 judgment, should break out also upon them, and 
 make them examples of his justice. 
 
 3. It teaches others to fear and flee from such 
 practices, as In-ing such destructive judgments. When 
 Samaria and Jerusalem shall be destroyed by dread- 
 ful judgments for their confidence in arms of flesh, 
 by confederating with other nations, for their idol- 
 atry, cruelty, profaneness, and perfidiousness, will 
 not other cities fear to do the like ? will not every 
 city learn to see what is the reward of wickedness, in 
 the sufferings of others ? This God's judgments 
 teach sinners to do, that so they may consult for 
 their credit and safety. 
 
 Ver. 49. " And they shall recompense your lewd- 
 ness upon you." The Hebrew is. And they shall 
 put your tilthiness and lewdness upon you ; that is, 
 the nations and cities round about shall concur with 
 the Babylonians to punish you for your wickedness, 
 to bring upon you the merit of your sins ; or thus, 
 They shall approve of what the Lord doth in destroy- 
 ing of you, saying, All is the fruit and just recom- 
 pince of your own doings. 
 
 " And ye shall bear the sins of your idols." Their 
 idols did not sin, but they sinned with their idols, 
 and the fruit of those sins they must eat, the punish- 
 ment due to them they nuist bear : there is a near 
 connexion between sin and punishment, they have 
 the same names ; so ver. 35. 
 
 04*. God's proceeding with sinners in judgment 
 righteously, brings them to acknowledge the equity 
 of his dealing with them. When the just punish- 
 ment of your lewdness and idolatry shall be upon 
 you, " ye shall know that I am the Lord God," who 
 observed all your ways, who waited long for your 
 repentance, who have dealt justly with you in all the 
 evils I have brought upon you; you cannot but jus- 
 tify me, and condemn yourselves. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 5. Again in the ninth year, in the tenth 
 month, in the tenth day of the month, the icofd of 
 the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, write 
 thee the name of the day, even of this same day : 
 the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem 
 this same day. And jitter a parable unto the re- 
 bellions hoiise, and say unto them. Thus saith the 
 Lord God ; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pottr 
 water into it : gather the pieces thereof into it, 
 even every good piece, the thigh, and the shmdder ; 
 fill it with choice bones. Take the choice cf the 
 fock, and burn also the bones binder it, and inake 
 it boil ivell, and let themseethe the bones of it therein. 
 
 This chapter is conceived to be the last prophecy 
 against the kingdom of Judah, before the final de- 
 struction thereof; which, with the great calamity 
 
 thereof, is set out under the type of a boiling pot, 
 and the death of the prophet's wife. 
 
 In the chapter is contained a double prophecy : 
 
 I. That of the boiling pot, and the interpretation 
 thereof, to the 14th verse. 
 
 II. That of Ezckiel's wife dying suddenly, his not 
 mourning for her, and the explication thereof, from 
 the 15th verse to the end. 
 
 In the verses before us we have, 
 
 1. The time of this prophecy, ver. \. 
 
 2. The occasion, ver. 2; which was, the king of 
 Babylon's setting himself against Jerusalem. 
 
 3. The prophecy itself, ver. 3 — 5. 
 
 Ver. 1. "In the ninth year, the tenth month, and 
 the tenth day thereof" Our prophet being in Ba- 
 bylon, reckons from the ninth year of the captivity, 
 the time that Jehoiachin, himself, and others, were 
 brought into Babylon, Ezek. i. 2 ; viii. 1 ; and 
 not from the time of Zedekiah's reign, though it 
 were the "ninth year, tenth month, and tenth day " 
 thereof, for that day the one was carried away the 
 other was made king. It concerned them in Baby- 
 lon to keep account of their captivity. 
 
 " Tlie word of the Lord came unto me, saying." 
 He had nothing of his own to give out that day, but 
 the " word of the Lord came" to him, the Spirit of 
 the Lord brought it, and with such power, that he 
 must write and speak. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Write thee the name of the day, even 
 of this same day." The Hebrew is. Write the name 
 of the day, and the body, or substance, of the same 
 day. It was a day wherein something considerable 
 and substantial was acting. God would have the 
 prophet "write the day," not only to add weight to 
 Iiis proplieey, but to stir them up to be affected, and 
 to sec how the providential hand of God ordered 
 things at a great distance. 
 
 " The king of Babylon set himself against Jeru- 
 salem this same day." Here was the occasion, or 
 cause, of his writing down the day, and so prophe- 
 sying upon it. Nebuchadnezzar was that "day" 
 sitting down before Jenisalem, as you may clearly 
 see, 2 Kings xxv. 1 ; Jer. xxxix. 1 ; lii. 4. When 
 Nebuchadnezzar was upon a warlike expedition, he 
 knew not whether he should go to Rabbath or Jeru- 
 salem, chap. xxi. 21 ; but he was ordered by a divine 
 hand to lay siege to Jerusalem, the tenth day of the 
 tenth month, in the ninth year, which Ezekiel could 
 not possibly know, had not the Lord revealed it. 
 This was a business of high concernment to the Jews 
 in Judca, and those in Babylon. 
 
 Obs. \. The Lord takes notice of what men do, 
 and can make known the same to whom he pleases, 
 at what distance soever. Nebuchadnezzar and his 
 forces were in Judea, sitting down before Jerusalem, 
 and this the Lord revealed to Ezekiel, being in Ba- 
 bylon. It was declared to Elisha, whither the king 
 of Syria would march, and where he would pitch his 
 camp, 2 Kings vi. 9, 10. The death of Herod in 
 Judea was discovered to Joseph, being in Egypt, 
 Matt. h. 19, 20. And when Moses was in Midian, 
 the Lord told him that all the men were dead in 
 Egypt, which sought his life, Exod. iv. 19. 
 
 Obs. 2. There are some things and times the 
 Lord would have his people take special notice of, 
 and keep the chronology thereof. Ezekiel must 
 write the year, the month, and day, of Jerusalem's 
 besieging: "In the ninth year, the tenth month, the 
 tenth day, the king of Babylon set himself against 
 Jerusalem ;" that was a sad business and a sad time. 
 When God hath been upon executing great judg- 
 ments, or showing great mercies, the days and 
 months have been recorded. 
 
 The day and month of Noah's entrance into the
 
 Ver. 1—5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 571 
 
 ark, and of his coming out again, arc recntioned, Gen. 
 vii. 11; viii. 14, IG. The time of tlic Jews' going 
 out of Egypt you have punctually set down, Exod. 
 xii. 41, 42; so the time of their passing over Jordan, 
 Josh. iv. 19; of Solomon's building the temple, 
 2 Chron. iii. 2 ; of Haman's plot to destroy the Jews, 
 Esth. iii. 8, 13; and several other things, the year, 
 month, and day, stand recorded : which shows they 
 were providential, not casual, that the wisdom and 
 power of God were interested in them, whoever w'ere 
 the instruments ; and that, being so exactly set down, 
 posterity should not forget them. And questionless 
 the Lord expects, that we should keep a chronology 
 of the great and remarkable things done by him for 
 us : as the fight at Marston-moor, July 2nd, 1C44; at 
 Naseby, the"l4th of June, l(i45 ; at Maidstone, 2nd 
 June, 1648; Scots routed in England, August ITth, 
 1648; Ormond beaten from Dublin, August 2nd, 
 1649, &c. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Utter a parable unto the rebellious." The 
 Hebrew is, Speak thou parabolically to the house of 
 rebellion, a parable ; that is. Speak thou darkly unto 
 them, that they maj' the better attend, and make the 
 more diligent inquiry after the meaning of what 
 tliou delivercst. Of " j arable " and proverbs for- 
 merly have been s) oken, chap. xvii. 2; and of the 
 " rebellious house," chap. ii. 5. 
 
 " Set on a pot, set it on." It is for cooks to set 
 on pots, put in water, then the meat. Ezekiel, he 
 must bid them " set on the pot;" a strange work for 
 a prophet, and because strange, it would make the 
 people mind it the more, and search out the mystery. 
 By this " pot" is meant Jerusalem. Ezek. xi. 3, 
 " This city is the caldron :" -ion it is the same word 
 that is here for " pot," which notes, strength, com- 
 prehensiveness, and durableness. So Jerusalem was 
 strong, comprehended much, and was more durable 
 than other places when besieged : not Jerusalem 
 simply, but under judgment, was the " pot." 
 
 " And also pour water into it." When pots are 
 set over the tire, they put in and fill tliem with 
 " water," that so whatever they please may be boil- 
 ed therein. By this " water " is meant the afflic- 
 tions and judgments, in which, as in " water," God 
 would boil Jerusalem. Now the king of Babylon 
 was set down round about it, had straitly besieged it, 
 and varietj' of calamities were upon it, and the waters 
 of affliction began to be hot. So calamities are called, 
 Isa. viii. 7. 
 
 Ver. 4. " Gather the pieces thereof into it." When 
 the cook hath set on the pot, filled it with water, then 
 he takes the several pieces of flesh, which are to be 
 boiled, and puts them into the pot ; and they are 
 called the " pieces thereof," because they are to be 
 boiled therein. 
 
 " Even every good piece, the thigh, and the 
 shoulder." Here the people, or commonwealth of 
 Israel, is likened unto a body dissected ; as the 
 Levite's concubine was,' Judg. xix. 29 : and they 
 must take the good or principal pieces, those that 
 were the strength and supiport of the body and head, 
 as the thighs and shoulders ; that is, the nobles, 
 counsellors, priests, and chief soldiers amongst them. 
 
 " Fill it with choice bones." The Hebrew is. Fill 
 it with the choiceness of bones ; which Rabbi Da- 
 vid interprets, as w'c do. Fill it with choice hemes ; 
 that is, with choice pieces ; because the pieces, saith 
 he, are cut according to the " bones." This " pot" 
 must not have a " piece " or two, a " bone " or two, 
 put into it, but must be filled with the choicest pieces 
 and bones which were in all the bodv. 
 
 Ver. 5. " Take the choice of the Hock." By the 
 " choice " may be understood the king himself, who 
 is the head of the flock ; or, the fat and wealthy ones. 
 
 "Bum also the bones under it." By "bones" 
 here, divers expositors understand the bones of the 
 innocent prophets, and others, who were slain un- 
 justly. Those the prophet bids them to burn under 
 the pot, and that to manifest the cause of God's 
 great wrath against, and just destruction of, the 
 city. But this interpretation of " bones," suits not 
 with the scope of the place, which is not to disquiet 
 the bones of the innocent, and lay punishment upon 
 them, but to revenge their death. The " bones " 
 here are to sufier as well as the flesh. We may un- 
 derstand these words thus ; Let flesh and bones boil 
 together, and when they are so boiled, that all the 
 flesh and fat is taken Ir-om the " bones," then burn 
 them ; that is, when all the wealth, places, honour 
 are taken from the rich, then let them be destroyed by 
 famine, plague, or sword, and that is the burning of 
 the " hemes ;" let nothing of them or theirs be spared, 
 but let all be consumed. Or thus. Boil the fat ones 
 in the " pot," and burn the poor under it; they are 
 like "bones" without flesh, make them instrumental 
 to consume the rich ; and doubtless, in the famine, 
 they werelike a fire devouring the flesh in the " pot." 
 
 " And make it boil well." The Hebrew is, nm 
 ,l>nrn which Montanus renders, make its boilings 
 to boil, boil it thoroughly. There be old tough 
 pieces in the " pot," which will not easily or sud- 
 denly be boiled, they will require a hot and con- 
 tinued fire ; th.erefore Buxtorf interprets the words, 
 see that the boilings be very hot. The Chaldean 
 army were not the " bones " and fire under this 
 metaphorical " pot," but the bellows rather, to blow 
 up and increase the fire. 
 
 " And let them seethe the bones of it therein." 
 The Hebrew is, let the hemes thereof be sodden in 
 the midst of it; and the stream of interpreters carry 
 the words plurally, and so it suits best with the words 
 going before : Make it boil well, and let the bones 
 thereof be sodden in the midst of it ; that is, let them 
 be thoroughly sodden. " Bones " are strong things, 
 they require more than ordinary seething, csjjecially 
 if old ; and there be many old bones in the " pot," 
 many hardened sinnei's, many stout spirits amongst 
 the soldiers, princes, nobles, and others ; but let them 
 be soundly boiled in this "pot" of affliction, and 
 that W'ill make them tender. The Vulgate is, the 
 bones are boiled till the flesh and they are sundered, 
 they are thoroughly boiled ; and Vatablus makes this 
 the sense of it, let the strongest and stoutest men be 
 slain and consumed in that siege. 
 
 Obs. 1. The sinfulness of men hath occasioned 
 God to give out much Scripture. " Sjieak a parable 
 to the rebellious." God took occasion from their re- 
 belliousness to give forth this " parable," and many 
 others. Much of Jeremiah and our prophet was oc- 
 casioned to see the world, by the wickedness of the 
 Jews. Sin accidentally occasions good : sin made 
 way for Christ ; and as for him, so for much, if not 
 the greatest part, of the holy Scriptures. 
 
 06^.2. Teachingby parables is warrantable. God 
 sends and commands the prophet to utter a " para- 
 ble." Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, were not with- 
 out parables. Christ was abundant in them. The 
 parables they used were taken from ordinary things, 
 known and familiar, such as were obvious to the 
 senses, as here from a pot, water, pieces of flesh, 
 bones, &c. Hereby the mind and memory are much 
 enlivened, and stremger impression made upon the 
 heart. Chap. xxii. 18, "All they are brass, and tin, and 
 iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace :" and 
 here they were as flesh, and bones, in the midst of 
 the pot. 
 
 Obs. 3. The judgments of God upon places, makes 
 them pots, in which he boils sinners. Now Jcrusa-
 
 572 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIV, 
 
 lem was a " pot" over the fire; the Babylonish forces 
 were round about it, dreadful calamities upon it, mul- 
 titudes in it who were like pieces of iiesh in a boiling 
 pot. What boiling thoughts, fears, cares, distractions, 
 discontents, were amongst them ! We may judge what 
 boiling was therein, by the army's lying near this city, 
 and being in readiness to come upon it. 
 
 Obs. 4. That God at his pleasure commands judg- 
 ments upon places. " Set on a pot, pour water into 
 it ;" make Jerusalem miserable with plague, famine, 
 and sword. If he speak the word, the thing must be 
 done; whatever he calls for, takes place. Jerusalem, 
 that was a paradise, must now become a boiling pot. 
 
 Obs. 5. That when God's judgments are abroad, 
 he meets with all sorts of men, the fat and lean, the 
 strong and weak, the rich and poor. When the 
 "pot" is on the fire, God will have the choice 
 pieces and choice ones into it; the shoulders, tlie 
 thighs, the choice bones, prince, nobles, men in 
 place, of wealth, as well as the jioor and lean ones. 
 
 Obs. 6. When God is boiling of sinners iu the fire 
 of his judgments, he will boil them to purpose. 
 " Make it boU well, and let the bones thereof be 
 sodden in the midst thereof:" this pot was boiling 
 not a few hours, days, or months, but a year and 
 half, 2 Kings xxv. 1 — .3. So when God made Sa- 
 maria a boiling pot, 2 Kings xvii. 5, he boiled the 
 sinners in it three years together. God so boiled 
 them there, and these here, that he made the proudest 
 and stoutest of them to stoop, yea, all of them to 
 become meat to their enemies. 
 
 Ver. 6 — 8. Wherefore thus saith the Lord 
 God; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot u-hose 
 scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out 
 of it! brinir it out piece h) piece ; let no lot fall 
 upon it. For her blood is in the midst of her ; 
 she set it upon the top of a rock ; she poured it 
 not upon the ground, to coiner it with dust ; that 
 it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance ; 
 I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that 
 it should not be covered. 
 
 Here the Lord comes to interpret the parable, 
 denouncing a fearful " woe" to Jerusalem, and giv- 
 ing the grounds thereof; which are, 
 
 I. Her bloodiness, with the aggravation thereof, 
 ver. 6, 7. 
 
 II. Her unprofitableness under judgments ; when 
 she was boiling, her scum abode with her, went not 
 out of her. 
 
 Ver. 6. " Woe to the bloody city ! " Jerusalem 
 was guilty of much blood, Ezek. xxii. 3, 4, G, 9, 12, 
 13, 27; 2 Chron. xxi. 16. Jerusalem was now as 
 bad as Nineveh, which, Nahum iii. 1, is called the 
 " bloody city," and hath the same "woe" denounced 
 against it. By blood, not only murder, but also 
 other notorious wickednesses, which deserved death, 
 are to be understood : Ezek. vii. 23, " The land is 
 full of bloody crimes;" of such sins for which men 
 ought to be cut off. Vide loc. 
 
 " To the pot whose scum is therein, and whose 
 scum is not gone out of it ! " Here it is clear, that 
 by this metaphorical " pot " is meant the city ; 
 he calls Ihe city the " pot," which was not with- 
 out its scum, nnx^n from nSn tpgrotavit ; fur the 
 
 Avenarius "scum" IS ergritudo otlcp, the sickness 
 of the " pot." Rabbi Solomon calls it, 
 excrementum, the excrement and filth of the pot. 
 The Scptuagint is, lof, the poison of it. The Vul- 
 gate is, rubigo, the rust of it. Frosterus hath it, 
 sordes, those filthinesses, which, through great boil- 
 ing, do adhere to the "pot," from what is boiled 
 
 therein. By " scum" is meant the sin and wickedness 
 of the city ; which is likened thereunto, in respect, 
 
 1. Of its loathsomeness. "Scum" and filth are 
 loathsome things ; the sins of this city were loath- 
 some, it was full of abominations, blood, idolatry, 
 uneleanness, &c. such evils as made it to be ab- 
 horred, Ezek. xvi. 25 ; as made the Philistines 
 ashamed, ver. 27 ; such sins as were loathsome after- 
 wards to themselves, chap. xx. 43. 
 
 2. Of its visibleness. The "scum" and filth is 
 uppermost, next to view ; such were Jerusalem's 
 sins : they were open, she had an eminent and high 
 place in every street, Ezek. xvi. 24 ; " she opened 
 her feet to every one that passed by," ver. 25 ; she 
 and her princes shed blood openly, chap. xxii. 6 ; 
 nothing but sin and wickedness appeared in her. 
 
 3. Of its adherency to the "pot." So Jerusalem's 
 sins did cleave close to her ; the more she was boil- 
 ed in the judgments of God, the more fast she held 
 her sins, her scum and filth stuck to every side of 
 her. Jer. viii. 5, "They hold fast deceit:" their 
 sins cleaved to them, as fiesh to the bones, as rust to 
 a pot; though they were oft in the fire, or over it, 
 yet their filthiness departed not from them, their 
 scum, their dross, boiled in, and cleaved fast to them, 
 Jer. vi. 29. 
 
 " Bring it out piece by piece." He persists in the 
 allegory of the " pot," and orders how they should 
 be dealt' with who were in the city. They should 
 be brought out severally, not all at once, but as 
 pieces are taken out of the pot, one after another, 
 till there be no more : so it should be done with 
 this city, one piece of it should be brought out and 
 consumed with famine, another piece of it with the 
 plague, ver. 3, with the sword, ver. 4 ; should be 
 carried away into captivity, so that it should be 
 emptied of all : so the words are rendered in Vatablus, 
 part by part empty it. This city was emptied some- 
 what under Jehoiakim, when he was carried to Ba- 
 bylon, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 6, 7 ; it was emptied more 
 when Jehoiachin was taken, and many with him also 
 carried thither, 2 Kings xxiv. 15; but it was wholly 
 emjitied when Zedekiah was taken, and carried 
 away, 2 Kings xxv. 
 
 " Let no lot fall upon it." Let it not have that 
 favour or mercy. Among soldiers, in their military 
 discipline, when they take many enemies worthy all 
 to die, they single out some by lots to sufler, and 
 spare the rest ; but Jerusalem should not have any 
 spared, they should all, young and old, taste of one 
 judgment or other. We may refer this lotting to the 
 city itself; let it not come to that, as to cast a " lot," 
 whether the city shall be saved or destroyed : such 
 a famous, great, ancient city might fall into consult- 
 ation, whether it should be ruined or no. Carthage 
 was long in debate in the senate of Rome, saith La- 
 vntcr, whether it sholJd be utterly destroyed. But 
 the Lord prevents such a consultation, and saith, 
 " Let no lot fall upon it ; " I have decreed it to be 
 ruined, and it shall be ruined, utterly ruined. 
 
 Ver. 7. " Her blood is in the midst of her, she set 
 it upon the top of a ruck," Sec. The meaning of 
 this verse is, she shed blood openly, tUd bloody and 
 notorious things publicly, as if she had done them 
 " upon the top of a rock : " if blood be shed there, 
 it is dry, hard, drinks not in the blood at all, but it 
 lies to be seen of all that come upon the " rock ; " 
 whereas, if blood be shed upon the earth, that drinks 
 it in quickly, or it may be covered with dust, that 
 others may not discern it. Jerusalem did not sin 
 closely, and hide her wickedness from the world, but 
 so openly, that all nations took notice of it. 
 
 Ver. 8. " That it might cause fury to come up to 
 take vengeance." They did not sin to that end that
 
 Ver. G— 14. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 573 
 
 God might take " vengeance " on them, but the 
 nature of their sin was such, as it provoked God 
 to "fury," and to hasten vengeance : their sins were 
 open, great, and crying for " vengeance ; " their sins 
 ascended, and God's "fury" descended. 
 
 " I have set lier blood upon the top of a rock." 
 As she did, so did the Lord. She slied blood openly, 
 and was not ashamed of it, and 1 have slied her blood 
 openly, and am not ashamed of it. She did not 
 cover her sin, but exposed it to the view of all, and 
 God, by his punishments, set it on " the top of a 
 rock," and made it known to the whole world. 
 
 Obs. 1. That cities have their filth and scum in 
 them. Jerusalem here is likened to a "pot" with 
 the " scum " in it. The poor are not the "scum" 
 of the city, but the sin and wickedness of poor and 
 rich, that is the "scum ; " Jerusalem was full of it. 
 Ezekiel, chapters viii. x\a. and xxii. tells you what 
 "scum," and abundance of it, was in Jerusalem. There 
 was much " scum" in Sodom, much in Samaria, much 
 among the nations, but most in Jerusalem. To great 
 cities there is a confluence of all sorts of people, who 
 bring " scum " and filth with them, and add to what 
 they find there. What scummy doctrine did the false 
 prophets teach in Jerusalem ! Jer. xxiii. ; what scum- 
 my counsel did Jaazaniah and Pelatiah give in that 
 city,! Ezek. xi. 1,2; what dunghill gods did Jerusalem 
 entertain ! Jer. ii. 2S, " According to the number of thy 
 cities are thy gods, Judah :" there was no sin against 
 God or man, but it was in Jerusalem. And other 
 cities are not without their " scum," no, not this city. 
 Obs. 2. Heavy judgments upon sinful places do 
 not work out the wickedness which is in them. Je- 
 rusalem was besieged, sufl^ered hard things, and her 
 " scum" went not out of' her, it boiled in, she was 
 the worse for all those fiery judgments God brought 
 upon her. Jer. v. 3, " Thou hast stricken them, 
 but they have not grieved ; thou hast consumed 
 them, but they have refused to receive correction ; 
 they have made their faces harder than a rock ; they 
 have refused to return." God did strike them with 
 Egyptian and Babylonish rods, but there were no 
 tears, no relentings, no returnings, but grew harder 
 and harder, even to a rockish hardiness. . Ahaz, the 
 head of this city, in the time of his distress sinned 
 the more agahist the Lord, 2 Chron. xxviii. 22. 
 When Samaria was besieged by the Syrians, 2 Kings 
 vi. did the " scum" of it boil out? no, Jehoram at 
 that time sent to take otFElisha's head, ver. 31, and 
 said, he would wait no longer for the Lord, ver. 33 : 
 his " scum" boiled in, and boiled up to a greater 
 height. Is the " scum" gone out of Ireland, by all 
 the bloody judgments of God which have been upon 
 them ? is it gone out of England, or London, by all 
 the sad strokes we have had ? 
 
 Obs. 3. When judgments prevail not with sinful 
 [ilaces to cleanse them from their iniquities, God 
 tlireatens, and will certainly destroy such places, 
 and that without mercy. Jerusalem was as a pot 
 over the fire, her " scum" went not out of her; and 
 what then ? " Woe to the bloody city ! bring it out 
 piece by piece ; let no lot fall upon it:" because the 
 scum wrought not out, the flesh, the people, must 
 be brought out to destruction, and the pot be broken 
 in pieces. God said of Jerusalem, Jer. xxxii. 31, 
 " This city hath been to me as a provocation of 
 mine anger and of my fiary from the day that they 
 built it even unto this day :" sometimes there were 
 good kings, and good people, in it, but generally the 
 people w'ere wicked; and therefore, Jer. xix. 11, 
 " I will break this people and this city, as one break- 
 eth a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole 
 again." It was bloody, merciless, and now should 
 have bloody judgments without mercy. 
 
 Obs. 4. Open, impudent sinning provokes to ven- 
 geance, and shall be punished openly. The 7th and 
 8th verses together yield this observation. Jerusa- 
 lem shed blood, not in a corner, or some secret place, 
 she had no care to conceal and cover what she did ; 
 but openly, as on the top of a rock, she set up scaf- 
 folds to execute the innocent; this caused fury to 
 rise in the Lord, and hastened him to take vengeance, 
 and to punish her openly : he called for Nebuchad- 
 nezzar to come out of Babylon, he led him to the 
 gates of Jerusalem, caused him to sit down there, 
 and visibly to execute his vengeance upon her, so 
 that her punishment was as open as her sin ; she 
 sinned as on the top of a rock, and God set her blood 
 " on the top of a rock." The besieging, taking, and 
 burning of Jerusalem was so known, and famous, as 
 that all the nations took notice thereof, and made 
 themselves sport therewith. Lam. ii. 15, 16; she 
 would not cover her sin and shame, and God would 
 not cover her punishment. 
 
 Ver. 9 — 14. Tlierefore thus saith the Lord 
 God ; Woe to the bloody city. I wi/l even make 
 the pile for Jire great. Heap on wood, kindle the 
 fire, consume the Jlesh, and spice it tvell, and let 
 the bones be burned. Then set it empty upon the 
 coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and 
 may buin, and that the filthiness of it may be 
 molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed. 
 She hath wearied herself icith lies, and her great 
 scum ivent 7iotforth out of her : her scum shall be 
 in the /ire. In thy filthiness is lewdness: because 
 I hare purged thee, and thou wast not purged, 
 thou shall not be purged from thy filthiness any 
 more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon 
 thee. I the Lord have spoken it : it shall come 
 to pass, and I will do it ; I will not go back, nei- 
 ther will I spare, neither will /repent ; according 
 to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall 
 they Judge thee, saith the Lord God. 
 
 In these verses the Lord proceeds, 
 
 I. In threatening of judgments, ver. 9, " Woe to 
 the bloody city ! " as before, ver. 6. 
 
 II. In a parabolical declaration of those judgments, 
 in the end of ver. 9, and in ver. 10, II. 
 
 III. In showing the causes thereof, ver. 12, 13. 
 
 IV. In sealing up the certainty and irrevocable- 
 ness of these judgments, ver. 14. 
 
 Ver. 9. " I will even make the pile for fire great." 
 I will bring a multitude of Babylonians, a miglity 
 army, which shall besiege Jerusalem, and be as a 
 great fire unto it ; by them I will execute fiery judg- 
 ments upon the " bloody city." The Hebrew is. 1 
 will make a great fire, that is, I will consume the 
 whole city : here are a multitude of houses, stately 
 buildings, and they shall be all as a pile of wood for 
 fire ; yea, the inhabitants thereof shall be consumed 
 by the fire of my wrath. 
 
 Ver. 10. " Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume 
 the flesh." The Hebrew verbs in this verse are in- 
 finitive, but rendered imperatively. Vatablus reads 
 them in the future, 1 will heap on wood, I will kindle 
 the fire ; that is, saith he, I will add spirit and power 
 to the Babylonish forces, to besiege the Jews, that 
 so by famine, sword, and plague, they may be con- 
 sumed. According to our reading the words, God 
 calls for, and hastens, the destruction of Jerusalem. 
 
 " Spice it well." The Hebrew is, nnpncn npnn 
 which Montanus renders thus. Season a season- 
 ing with spicery. npn signifies, to make an 
 ointment, sauce, or seasoning, of divers kinds of
 
 574 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. XXIV. 
 
 grocery or sweets, that so it may be the more pleas- 
 ing to the nostrils or palate. Cooks " spice" their 
 meats and sauces, that so they may be more accept- 
 able to the taste of those who feed upon them. The 
 spicing here I conceive to be, the various judgments 
 which were to be inflicted upon Jerusalem, which 
 made it as savoury meat both to men and God ; when 
 it was salted and spiced with his judgments, God was 
 at rest and comforted, Ezek. v. 13. Their fears, 
 sorrows, distractions, sufferings, famine, were several 
 spices they were spiced withal ; and it was meat and 
 drink to the Chaldeans at last, to destroy them, being 
 made faint and feeble with a long siege. 
 
 " Let the bones be burned." Let the strongest 
 soldiers, wealthiest citizens, and principal men of 
 the city, be weakened and consumed in this siege, 
 or at the end of it ; not only the poor and low ones, 
 but the highest and mightiest ones. The Chaldee 
 hath it. Let her strong men be mad. 
 
 Ver. 11." Then set it empty upon the coals there- 
 of." When the city should be emptied of the in- 
 habitants thereof, it should be as a " pot" set on the 
 fire without any thing in it ; when it is so, it quickly 
 melts, consumes, and comes to nothing. This "pot" 
 must be set on, 
 
 1. That it may be melted. 
 
 2. That the filthiness of it may be separated. 
 
 3. That the scum and rust may be consumed. 
 Ohs. \. That sin and wickedness do defile the 
 
 places and persons where they are, as filthy liquors, 
 scum, and rust, do the vessels and pots in which they 
 are. This metaphorical " pot" had her filthiness in 
 it; Jerusalem had shed blood, set up altars and idols, 
 oppressed the fatherless, widows, and strangers, and 
 these things defiled her; not only were the citizens, 
 but even the city itself was defiled. The leprosy de- 
 filed the garments and the houses. Lev. xiv. ; sin is 
 that leprosy which defiles men, garments, houses, 
 towns, cities, and lands: Ezra ix. 11, "The land 
 which ye go to possess, is an unclean land with tlie 
 filthiness of the people ;" filthy people make all like 
 themselves. 
 
 Obs. 2. Destructive judgments upon sinful places 
 are pleasing unto God. He encouraged the Chal- 
 deans to "heap on wood," to "kindle the fire, con- 
 sume the flesh," and to " spice it well." Execution 
 of justice, destruction of sinful cities and persons, 
 is a sacrifice well pleasing to God, delighting him 
 as much as any spiced meats do the palates of men. 
 When Jehu had executed justice upon Ahab's sons 
 and Baal's priests, see what the Lord said ; 2 Kings 
 X. 30, " Because thou hast done well in executing 
 that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto 
 the house of Ahab all that was in mine heart, thy 
 children of the fourth generation shall sit on the 
 throne of Israel." Was not the destruction of those 
 wicked ones very pleasing unto the Lord, when he 
 rewarded it so well ? 
 
 Ver. 12. " She hath wearied herself with lies." 
 Montanus renders the Hebrew thus, she hath afflict- 
 ed or wearied herself with injuries, that is, with 
 wronging others. Vatablus, in his notes, hath it thus, 
 she hath wearied herself, and that in doing injury 
 to others. " Herself" is not in the original ; the words 
 may therefore refer to God, and so both Junius and 
 Piscator read them : She hath wearied me with her 
 lies and vexations ; I often reproved her for her sins, 
 threatened her by my prophets, visited her wdth my 
 judgments, but all was to no purpose : if at any time 
 she promised amendment, it was hypocritically, she 
 performed it not ; or she took those ways and courses 
 which pleased not me, nor profited herself, and in 
 those she both wearied me and " herself." The 
 word for " lies " signifies, iniquity, vanity. 
 
 " Her great scum went not forth out of her." In 
 the sixth verse the words are, " whose scum is not 
 gone out of it ;" here, " her great scum went not forth 
 out of her." What course soever she took to advan- 
 tage herself, her " scum" rather increased than di- 
 minished ; she pretended oft to part with her " scum," 
 but never did. 
 
 " Her scum shall be in the fire." Seeing her 
 "scum" and rust (for so the word may be inter- 
 preted) will not be gotten out of her, she shall be 
 served like the unclean vessels, that were to pass 
 through the fire. Numb. xxxi. 22, 23. So this 
 " pot" or city should be burnt with fire, and so her 
 " scum " and rust should be consumed with her. 
 
 Oi.y. 1. Wicked, vain, sinful practices, do weary 
 God, and those that do use them. She hath wearied 
 me, she hath wearied herself with lies ; that is, with 
 her wretched doings : I have oft presented mercy to 
 her, she refused it; I have oft called upon her to 
 turn from her idolatry, unjust and bloody doings, but 
 she hath had a deaf "ear ; I have waited long for her 
 repentance, and she hath dissembled with me, and 
 is grown impenitent ; I am weary of waiting any 
 longer. Isa. Ixv. 2, 3. " I have spread out my hands 
 all the day to a rebellious people, which walketh in 
 a way that was not good, after their own thoughts ; 
 a people that provoketh me to anger continually to 
 my face," &c. How could it be but that God should 
 be weary of such people, and such doings ? God 
 tells her, she had wearied him with her iniquities, 
 Isa. xliii. 24. O Jacob, Israel, Jerusalem, thine ini- 
 quities are so great, many, oft iterated, that I am 
 weary of beholding, of hearing, of bearing them 
 any longer : others have wearied me with their 
 words, Mai. ii. 17, but you have wearied me with 
 your lying words, and wicked deeds. When my 
 fury hath been kindled in me, so that I have been 
 ready to pour out judgments upon you, I have been 
 stopped by the prayers of some precious ones, and 
 repented me of what I intended against you, but I 
 will do it no more, " I am weary with repenting," 
 Jer. XV. 6 : God repented, but they repented not, he 
 would repent no more. And as sinners, by their sin- 
 ful ways, do weary God, so they weary themselves ; 
 Jer. ix. 5, " They have taught their tongue to speak 
 lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity." 
 Some tire themselves more in the service of sin and 
 Satan, than others do in the service of God and 
 Christ : Isa. v. 18, they draw iniquity, and they toil 
 at it as horses in a cart. 
 
 Obs. 2. When the scum will not be got out by the 
 word and lesser judgments, God will destroy both 
 scum and pot together. " Her scum went not forth of 
 her ; God's threats by the prophets did no good, his 
 lesser judgments procured it not, the " scum " still 
 boiled in, the rust still cleaved to the pot: what 
 then ? " her scum," her rust, " shall be in the fire :" 
 when neither wind nor water will do it, fire shall. 
 
 Ver. 13. " In thy filthiness is lewdness." Thou 
 hast defiled thyself with all manner of sin, with idols, 
 blood, profaneness, hypocrisy, covetousness, &c. and 
 to these thou addest " lewdness," that is, obstinacy ; 
 thou art settled upon thy lees, and wilt not be re- 
 claimed ; no counsel, admonition, reproof, takes 
 with thee, thou standest out against them all. The 
 Vulgate reads it, thy filthiness is execrable. Zini- 
 ■mah notes, a resolved wickedness, which is execra- 
 ble. Qicolampadius makes the " filthiness " to be, 
 evil counsel : Jerusalem had hearkened to the false 
 prophets, taken in their counsel against the true pro- 
 phets, and was resolved to go on in her ways ; Jer. 
 xxiii. 14, " They strengthen the hands of evil-doers, 
 that none doth return from his wickedness." 
 
 " Because I have purged thee." The Hebrew is,
 
 Ver. 9—14. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 575 
 
 tiliartich, which Montanus in the margin gives the 
 sense of, I have purged thee ; that is, I have com- 
 manded that thou shouldest purge thyself. God 
 sent prophets unto Jerusalem, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 15, to 
 tell her of her sins and danger, and to invite and 
 press her to repentance, as Jer. iii. 12 — 14 j who 
 fully declares throughout his prophecy, what sad 
 judgments God would bring upon her, if she did not 
 purge and cleanse herself. See chap. vi. 26; vii. 
 14; ix. 11 ; xiii. \J. God affording them means 
 for purging, as prophets, reproofs, admonitions, 
 counsels, exhortations, corrections, is said to have 
 purged them; he did that which in his wisdom he 
 thought meet to do. The purging here meant is 
 from idolatry, injustice, profaneness, &c. 
 
 " And thou wast not purged." Hebrew, thou 
 hast not purged thyself; thou didst not entertain 
 and improve the means afforded. When the pro- 
 j)hets came to thee, and told thee of thy sins and 
 dangers, thou didst mock at them, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 
 16, and despise the word they brought. When I 
 smote thee with my correcting hand, thou didst " re- 
 volt more and more," Isa. i. 5 ; and thy children 
 " received no correction," Jer. ii. 30 ; that is, no 
 benefit by those blows I gave them : thou saidst, 
 " I have loved strangers, and after them will I go," 
 ver. 25; and those in thee said, " We are lords ; 
 we will come no more unto the Lord," ver. 31 ; so 
 Jer. xliv. 16, 17: they did not cease from their 
 wicked ways. 
 
 " Thou shaltnot be purged from thy filthiness any 
 more." I will cease from using means to purge thee, 
 my prophets shall labour no more in vain about 
 thee ; they have spent their lungs and strength to re- 
 claim thee, but they shall not do it again, they shall 
 neither reprove, threaten, counsel, or invite thee 
 any more to tui-n, but thou shalt be left as des- 
 perate and incurable. Hebrew is, thou shalt not 
 purge thyself from thy filthiness any more ; if thou 
 wouldest now go about it, it will be in vain, it is too 
 late, I am resolved upon thy destruction. 
 
 "Till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee." 
 Anger, indignation, wrath : fury is anger never at rest 
 till vengeance is taken. There is now no purging, 
 but destruction ; I shall spend all my judgments upon 
 thee, consume thee and thine, and so my fury shall 
 rest upon thee. These words we had before, chap. v. 
 13; xsi. 17. "Till" doth not imply a purging 
 afterwards, Psal. ex. 1 ; Rom. \aii. 22 ; Matt. v. 26, 
 " Till thou hast paid the uttermost," &c. 
 
 Obs. 1. Obstinacy in sin provokes God to the de- 
 struction of sinners. " Her scum shall be in the 
 fire ;" Jerusalem shall be burnt, and why ? " In thy 
 filthiness is lewdness;" thou art obstinate, hardened 
 in thy wickedness. All sin offends, some sins provoke 
 to judgments, obstinacy provokes to destruction. Jer. 
 xliv. 15 — 17, in those verses you have the obstinacy 
 of the Jews in Egj-pt, (they, and others of them, had 
 been so obstinate in the land of Judea, that God 
 could bear them no longer, but laid the land deso- 
 late, and made it a curse, ver. 22,) and see how the 
 Lord threatens them ; ver. 27, " I will watch over 
 them for evil, and not for good ; and all the men of 
 Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be con- 
 sumed by the sword and by the famine, until there 
 be an end of them :" and not only would he destroy 
 them, but Egypt likewise, where they were, ver. 30 ; 
 even that should fare the worse for their being in it. 
 Obstinacy in sin is worse than the sin itself; many 
 sins are committed against man's will and purpose, 
 but obstinacy in sin hath the will fully in it, and 
 therefore must needs exasperate the Lord, Neh. ix. 
 30, " Many years didst thou forbear them, and testi- 
 fiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets : yet 
 
 would they not give ear : therefore gavest thou them 
 into the hand of the people of the lands : ' this stub- 
 b(jrnness of theirs made the Lord cast them off, and 
 put them into the hands of heathens. Zechariah 
 tells you, that for this sin " came a great wrath from 
 the Lord of hosts" upon them, chap. vii. 12; not 
 only " wrath," which is destructive in itself, but 
 " great wrath," and that not only from the Lord, but 
 from the " Lord of hosts ;" as if the Lord mustered 
 up all his forces, to come against obstinate and re- 
 bellious sinners, and pour out great wrath and 
 vengeance upon them. Certairjly obstinate sinners 
 are those the Lord will accomplisli his wrath upon ; 
 1 Thess. ii. 16, the wrath of God came upon the 
 Jews to the uttermost, even to perfection. 
 
 Obs. 2. In Scripture language, that is said to be 
 done, which God or men endeavour to do, though it 
 be not done. " I have purged thee." God using 
 means, and endeavouring, by his prophets, mercies, 
 threats, and judgments, to purge Jerusalem from her 
 sin, is called purging, though Jerusalem were not 
 purged. Psal. Ixix. 5, " They that destroy me are 
 mighty:" David's enemies, who sought to destroy 
 him, are said to do it. Rom. ii. 4, " The goodness of 
 God leadeth thee to repentance ;" that is, its agency 
 and tendency is that way. Deut. xxvi. 5, " A Syrian 
 ready to perish :" Jacob increased and prospered 
 when he was with Laban, but because Laban did 
 that which tended to his perishing, he changed his 
 wages, he pursued him returning home, therefore 
 he is said to be in a perishing condition. 1 Cor. x. 
 33, " I please all men in all things :" in the fourth 
 chapter, he tells you he was reviled, persecr.ted, de- 
 famed, made as the filth of the world, and the off- 
 scouring of all things, how then did he please all 
 men in all things ?" he is said to do it, in that he 
 endeavoured to do it, seeking their good, their sal- 
 vation. Matt. v. 32, " Whosoever shall put away 
 his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth 
 her to commit adultery ;" that is, this action of put- 
 ting her away exposes her to that sin, whether she 
 fall into it or not. Because, therefore, the man's act 
 in putting away his wife is likely to produce such an 
 effect, he is said to do it, to cause her to commit 
 adultery. Gal. v. 4, " Christ is become of no eflect 
 unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the 
 law :" they sought to be justified by the law, and 
 thereupon are said to be so ; not that the law justi- 
 fied any, or any could be justified by it. This should 
 teach us how to understand the like scriptures. 
 Things may be said to be done, when only there 
 hath been means used conducing thereunto. 
 
 Obs. 3. A people may have the means, and not 
 improve the same for their good. Jerusalem had 
 prophets, ordinances, sabbaths, sacrifices, mercies, 
 judgments, by which God would have purged her, 
 and she was not purged ; she did not purge herself, 
 she improved not the same for her good, she did not 
 hearken to the prophets, humble herself for her sins, 
 fear the Lord and his threatenings, observe his sab- 
 baths, worship him only, and execute justice. God 
 called upon her oft to purge herself: Jer. iv. 14, 
 " Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, 
 that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain 
 thoughts lodge within thee ? " I have' given thee 
 water to wash thine heart from all thy vain, base, 
 destructive thoughts, why dost thou not use it ? 
 Chap. xiii. 27, " O Jerusalem ! wilt thou not be made 
 clean ? when shall it once be ? " my prophets would 
 cleanse thee, if thou wouldest receive them, and my 
 word by them ; mine ordinances would sanctify thee, 
 if thou didst use them according to mine institution 
 of them ; my mercies and judgments would cause 
 thee to cleanse thyself, if thou didst well weigh them;
 
 576 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIV. 
 
 but thou hast means, and dost not impi'ove them. 
 It is not the ha^dng of means, but the right use of 
 means, will do good. Jerusalem thought herself 
 clean, not needing to be purged : chap. ii. 23, " How 
 canst thou say, I am not polluted ?" Jerusalem, that 
 was more guilty than Sodom or Samaria, justified 
 lierself, and so neglected purging ; yea, " rejected 
 the word of the Lord," which should have purged 
 her, chap. viii. 9; she gave ear to false prophets 
 and priests, chap, xxiii. 14, -who strengthened her 
 in her wickedness, and defamed the true prophets, 
 chap, xviii. 18; she profaned the means, Ezek. xxii. 
 26; she idolized the means, and rested in the act 
 done, Jer. vii. 4, 9, 10; viii. 8; she went on still 
 in her own ways, whatever God or man said unto 
 her: chap. vii. 28, "This is a nation that obeyeth 
 not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth 
 coiTection." God had spoken to Jerusalem and Judea 
 oft, yea, corrected them oft, but neither word nor rod 
 did better them. 
 
 Obs. 4. People may so slip the tim.e of repenting, 
 and turning to God, as that it may be too late for 
 them to go about the same ; they may sin aw'ay the 
 time of mercy. Beca\ise Jerusalem, having means, 
 took not the opportunity of purging herself, she 
 should never be purged, her filthincss should abide 
 with her. As Judea was the land not cleansed, Ezek. 
 xxii. 24, so was Jerusalem the city not purged ; she 
 passed the time of her purging ; she lost the season 
 for mercy. The Scripture is clear for it : Psal. 
 Ixxxi. 11, 12, "My people would not hearken to my 
 voice ; and Israel would none of me. So I gave 
 them up to their own hearts' lust : and they walked 
 in their own counsels." God invited them by means 
 and mercies, which they entertained not so as to 
 profit by them, they stood it out with God, who cast 
 them oft, and now it was too 1 ate for them to come : "Oh 
 that they had hearkened ! " not, Oh that they would 
 hearken! The foolish virgins staid so long before 
 they got oil, that the door of the bridegroom was 
 shut, and no entrance for them. Matt. xxv. they came 
 too late. Matt, xxiii. 37, 38, " O Jerusalem, Jerusa- 
 lem, how often would I have gathered thy children 
 together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under 
 her wings, and ye would not!" I used all means, 
 but Jerusalem took not her time to do herself good, 
 therefore her house was left desolate ; her temple, 
 her city, should be emptied of all means and mercies, 
 and her children be left in a desolate condition. 
 God would have purged the old world, but it slipped 
 the time of its purging: Gen. vi. 3, " My Spirit shall 
 not always strive with man ;" they have been warn- 
 ed, counselled, reproved, convinced by my Spirit, in 
 the patriarchs, and in their bosoms that hath been 
 labouring to bring them to repentance, but tliey 
 grieve, resist, and vex my Spirit, therefore it shall 
 cease to strive any more with them, to do them any 
 good. Let us not presume upon hereafters, that we 
 will purge, repent, and turn to God hereafter ; thy 
 hereafter may be too late : " Seek ye the Lord while 
 he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near," 
 Isa. Iv. 6. There is a time when he will not be 
 found, a distance at which he will not hear : Prov. 
 i. 28, " Then shall they call upon me, but I will not 
 answer; Ihey shall seek me early, but they shall 
 not find me." They slighted and improved not the 
 means which God afTorded tlum, thereupon judg- 
 ments came on them, whereupon they betake them- 
 selves to a more serious use of the means ; but it 
 was too late, God had no ear to hear them, neither 
 would make any ajipearanee for them. Time present 
 is the acceptable time, 2 Cor. vi. 2. " Let us cleanse 
 ourselves from all filthincss of the flesh and spirit, 
 perfecting holiness in the fear of God," 2 Cor. vii. 1. 
 
 Obs. 5. Those who have had means, and not pro- 
 fited thereby, God will deal most severely with, there 
 is no mercy, but altogether judgment, for them. Je- 
 rusalem had means, but was not purged, and she 
 should not be purged, but God's fury should rest 
 upon her ; " Thou shalt not be purged from thy filthi- 
 ncss any more, till I have caused my fury to nst 
 upon thee ;" that is, thou shalt never be purged in 
 mercy, but destroyed in my fury ; and so it was 
 quickly after, by the Chaldean army. Capernaum 
 was exalted to heaven in means, but what said 
 Christ ? she should " be brought down to hell," Matt. 
 xi. ; that is, suffer extreme punishment ; and why ? 
 she improved not the means ; " For if the mighty 
 works which have been done in thee, had been done 
 in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day :" 
 had Sodom had the preaching and miracles thou 
 hast had, it would have made such improvement of 
 them, as to have kept off the fire and brimstone 
 which fell upon it; therefore the punishment of the 
 Sodomites should be less than of tlie Capernaites, at 
 the day of judgment. God is severe against those 
 who have the means to purge them, and do it not, 
 that have the gospel, and improve it not. The fig- 
 tree in the vineyard had stood there three years, and 
 was not better at last than at first ; the influences of 
 heaven, and fatness of the earth, had done it no good; 
 and behold the severity of the owner, " Cut it down ; 
 why cumbereth it the ground ? " Luke xiii. 7- He 
 saith not. Dig it up, set it elsewhere, but. Cut it down, 
 it is a burden to me, to the earth, and reproach to 
 all the trees in the garden. What made the Lord 
 deal more severely witli the Jews than other nations ? 
 It was because they had the means to do them that 
 good wdiich others had not : Amos iii. 2, " You only 
 have I known of all the families of the earth ;" I 
 have so known you, as to own you for my people, as 
 to give you my prophets, my law, mine ordinances, 
 my covenants, &c. ; " therefore I will punish you for 
 all your iniquities," you shall be made as exemplary 
 by my judgments as ever you were by my mercies. 
 Ver. 14. " I the Lord have spoken it." This 
 verse seals up the certainty of all threatened, and 
 cuts off all evasions which Jerusalem might make 
 whatsoever : as, 
 
 1. She might say, Ezekiel hath hard thoughts of 
 me, he speaks these things out of his own head and 
 spirit, they are his devices, and I weigh them not. 
 This is answered in these words, " I the Lord," I, 
 Jehovah, who am of myself, and give being, life, to 
 all my_ threats, " have spoken." What is said is 
 no vain vision, lying prophecy, like to what the false 
 prophets have given out; what Ezekiel hath said, 
 he had from me, I commissioned him to speak, and 
 it is not he, but I that have spoken it. 
 
 " It shall come to pass." 2. Be it so that thou 
 hast spoken it, yet the time may be long ere these 
 threats against me may take place : such thoughts 
 were in the breast of Jerusalem, chap. xii. 27. This 
 is answered here ; It comes, nsa venil, saith Montf,- 
 nus ; it is not afar ofl', for many days, but it is at hand. 
 Others have it, it is ready to come ; Nebuchadnezzar 
 is upon his march, hastening to thy gates, and will 
 suddenly sit down before them. 
 
 " I will do it." 3. What if Nebuchadnezzar oe 
 coming, he and all with him are but men, they may 
 fail of their purposes, sink in their undertakings, 
 and never be able to perform what they enterprise. 
 This shift is here taken ofli'; " I will do it ;" I am 
 not man, but Jehovah, I fail not in my purposes, I 
 sink not in my undertaking, I am able to perform 
 whatever I enterprise ; the whole work is mine ; I 
 have called forth Nebuchadnezzar and his army, I 
 will bring them to thy gates, and enable them to do
 
 Ver. 9—14. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 577 
 
 nil my pleasure. I have done it, so is the original, 
 it is as certain as if done. 
 
 " I will not go back." 4. Grant it, that the work is 
 thine, and thou hast determined to see it done, yet upon 
 second thoughts thou mayest change thy resolutions, 
 W'hen thou shalt consider that I, Jerusalem, am thy 
 city, and the only city thou hast chosen in all the 
 world ; and wilt thou bring a heathenish king and 
 an army to destroy me, and the temple where thou 
 dwellest, and art worshipped ? surely it cannot be, 
 Lam. iv. 12. This conceit of hers is blown away 
 by these words, " I will not go back :" thou art a 
 bloody city, thy scum is not gone out of thee, thou 
 art filthy, and in thy filthiness is lewdness, obstinacy, 
 thou goest not back from thy wicked doings ; " I 
 will not go back " from doing what I have purposed. 
 The Hebrew is, y-iBN-sS I will not retract what I 
 have said and purposed, I will not withdraw myself 
 from it. Avenarius renders the words thus, I will 
 not make holy-day, and cease to prosecute what I 
 liave determined. 
 
 " Neither will I spare." 5. Jerusalem might yet 
 say, The Lord is merciful ; though he be angry, and 
 in his anger bring the enemy to my gates, he will 
 not keep his anger always ; when I shall fast, weep, 
 pray, he will be entreated, he will pardon, spare, and 
 not suffer me to be destroyed. This refuge is here 
 made useless; "Neither will I spare," fasting, prayers, 
 and tears, shall do her no good. Jer. xiv. 12, when 
 Jerusalem's children should fast, God would not hear 
 their cry, no, nor Jeremiah for them, chap. xi. 14; 
 nor Ezekiel, chap. ix. 8 — 10. Though themselves, 
 their prophets, should importune God, he saith, " As 
 for me, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have 
 pity ;" thou hast caused my fury to come up to take 
 vengeance, and I will be avenged on thee ; I will 
 not abstain from revenge, so the word signifies. 
 
 " Neither will I repent." 6. Thou hast oft re- 
 pented thee, when thou hast been upon destroying 
 designs ; see Jonah iii. 10; Hos. xi. 8; Ezck. xx. 8, 
 II, 13, 14, 17, 22; and I hope thou wilt repent thee 
 of what thou art about : if thou dost not repent be- 
 fore my destruction, thou wilt repent after it, that 
 thou hast dealt so by me. This strong hold is here 
 battered down ; " Neither will I repent ;" what 
 though I have oft repented me of the evil I purposed 
 to bring upon thee and thy children, must I always 
 be upon those terms with thee ? No, no, Jerusalem, 
 my repentings have not caused thee to repent, my 
 repenting shall now cease : Jer. xv. 6, " I will stretch 
 out my hand against thee, and destroy thee ; I am 
 weary with repenting :" I w'ill neither repent when 
 thou art destroying, nor when thou art destroyed ; 
 it will be an ease to me to see thee and thy children 
 consumed. 
 
 Repentance sometimes in Scripture is attributed 
 to God, and then it is spoken after the manner of 
 men ; and it must warily be understood, so as God 
 may not be wronged in men's apprehensions thereby. 
 In men's repentance there is grief, change, some- 
 thing falls out they did not foresee : David repents 
 of murdering Uriah, defiling Bathsheba, because that 
 fell out in it which he did not foresee, as the blas- 
 pheming God's name, and the sword it brought upon 
 his house ; hereupon he changed his mind, was af- 
 fected with grief. These things are not in God ; he 
 foresees all events, he grieves not, he changes not ; 
 therefore in this sense he cannot be said to " repent." 
 Theodoret speaks right, when he saith. Repentance 
 in God is a change in his dispensations : if God had 
 not destroyed Jerusalem, he should have been said 
 to " repent." His repentance is alteration of things 
 and actions, no change of his purpose and will. In 
 human repentance there is the change of the wdll ; 
 2 p 
 
 in divine repentance there is the willing of a change, 
 and that in the thing, not in the will or counsel of 
 God, which are unchangeable. Here God would 
 not change the thing, " I will not repent." 
 
 " According to thy ways, and according to thy doings, 
 .shall they judge thee." 7. Jerusalem might yet say. 
 If it be so, that thou wilt not repent, and show mercy 
 unto me, thou wilt show thyself a cruel and merci- 
 less God. This imputation is here prevented ; " Ac- 
 cording to thy ways and doings" shalt thou be dealt 
 with : if thy judgments be sharp and dreadful, thou 
 hast deserved them ; the equity of roy proceedings 
 shall be so conspicuous, that all the world shall clear 
 me, and say. The fault is thine own, that thou sufl'ei-- 
 est such hard things ; thou hast done such wicked- 
 nesses, lewdnesses, abominations, that God is right- 
 eous in consuming of thee, all is suitable to thy 
 " W'ays." 
 
 These words, " they shall judge thee," by the 
 Septuagint are rendered in the first person singular, 
 I will judge thee ; and so by the Vulgate. By Ju- 
 nius, in the second person, thou shalt be judged. 
 By others, as here, they shall judge thee, "that is, 
 the Babylonians. And these several readings or ren- 
 derings of the word make up but one and the same 
 sense, thou shalt be judged, that is, by the Lord, 
 and the Babylonians, who are his instruments to ex- 
 ecute his pleasure : Ezek. xxiii. 24, " I will set judg- 
 ment before them, and they shall judge thee;" I 
 will make known to them my purpose of utter de- 
 stroying thee, and they shall do it. 
 
 Obs. I. Great sinners do not believe judgments 
 threatened, but are apt to shift them off, and tiatter 
 themselves with hopes of mercy. Jerusalem had 
 great scum, God threatened to consume her and her 
 scum in the fire, but she believed it not, she shifted 
 off all threatenings, she still expected peace and 
 safety. Jerusalem's prophets had so bewitched and 
 possessed her with thoughts of peace and security 
 from evil coming upon her, Jer. xxiii. 17, that 
 nothing Jeremiah or Ezekiel threatened could be 
 heard ; therefore saith God here, " I the Lord have 
 spoken it, it shall come to pass," &c. Thou thinkest 
 I will not do it, that I will recall my threats, spare 
 thee, and repent: such vain thoughts lodged in Je- 
 rusalem, Jer. iv. 14, and such vain speeches were 
 uttered by Judah, " Thou sayest. Because I am in- 
 nocent, surely his anger shall turn from me," Jer. ii. 
 35. Jerusalem and Judah thought, said, they were 
 innocent, and thereupon shifted otf all that was 
 threatened, and flattered themselves with hopes of 
 mercy ; but they were guilty, yea, more guilty than 
 all the nations and cities round about them, Ezek. v. 
 5, 6, and had such judgments coming upon them, as 
 never had any the like, ver. 9, 10 ; which they would 
 not believe, though the Lord himself told them 
 thereof, for, Jer. v. 12, " They belied the Lord, and 
 said, It is not he ; neither shall evil come upon us ; 
 neither shall we see sword nor famine :" we shall do 
 well enough in this city ; and if they should come, 
 we will appear before him with our sacrifices, and 
 we shall be delivered, Jer. vii. 10. Wicked men do 
 flatter themselves, in their own fancies, shifts, eva- 
 sions they have, till their iniquity be discovered, and 
 judgment surpriscth them, Psal. xxxvi. 2. That 
 wretched art they have of putting off the evil day, 
 of shifting the threats and judgments of God, undoes 
 them : and many precious souls are too well skilled 
 in this wretched art and work of putting ofl' the pro- 
 mises and mercies of God from themselves, which 
 greatly prejudice their peace and comforts, and grati- 
 fy' the enemy of their souls. Those make con- 
 science of their ways, that desire to be purged and 
 wait on God in the use of means; they lie not under
 
 57^ 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIV. 
 
 these threats, but are under many gracious promises, 
 especially that, Psal. cxlv. I 'J, " He will fulfil the 
 desire of them that fear him." 
 
 Ohs. 2. Those who profess themselves God's peo- 
 ple, may he such sinners, as that God resolves their 
 destruction, excluding all hope of mercy. Jerusa- 
 lem, which was the Lord's city, and the people of it 
 his, had so sinned, that God would irrevocably de- 
 stroy both it and them. " I the Lord have spoken 
 it ; it shall come to pass, and I will do it ; I will not 
 go back, neither will I spare," &c. God was fully 
 set upon it, and therefore peremptorily cuts off all 
 hope of mercy. Jer. xvi. 5, " I have taken away 
 my peace from this people, saith the Lord, even 
 loving-kindness and mercies." I have gone up and 
 down and gathered up my peace, my kindnesses and 
 mercies, and carried them away from this people ; 
 what hope was then left for them ? both the great 
 and the small shall die in this land. God's heart 
 was so against them, that Moses and Samuel could 
 not incline it towards them, if they should entreat 
 for them, chap. xv. I ; and therefore saith God, 
 " Cast them out of my siglit," 1 have no pity, no 
 mercy for them. Ezek. ix. 10, " As for me, mine 
 eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity." If 
 God would not spare them, who would ? if he would 
 not have pity on them, wlio could? they were hope- 
 less, their case was desperate. Chap. v. 8, 11, "Be- 
 hold, I am against thee ; I will not have any pity." 
 Jer. xi. 11, "I will bring evil upon them, which 
 they shall not be able to escape." 
 
 Obi: 3. When God cuts ot!' hope of mercy, and 
 brings sinners into a forlorn condition, the fault is 
 in themselves, not in the Lord ; it is their own doings, 
 their own ways, which bring irrevocable judgments 
 upon them. " According to thy ways, and according 
 to thy doings, shall they judge thee." Thou hast 
 been irrevocable in thy sins, and I am irrevocable in 
 my judgments ; thou hast gone on to commit great 
 iniquities, and I am going on to execute answerable 
 punishments ; 1 could not prevail with thee to desist 
 from sinning, and thou shalt not prevail with me to 
 desist from destroying; thou by thy obstinacy madest 
 me without hope of tliy amendment, and now by my 
 threateuings I have made thee hopeless of any mercy. 
 Jerusalem might thank herself, that she was brought 
 to so desperate a condition. Jer. xiii. 22, " If thou 
 say in thine heart, AVherefore come these things upon 
 me?" why must I be besieged? why must plague, 
 famine, and sword devour my children ? why nmst 
 I be burnt to ashes, and have no mercy showed me ? 
 the answer is, " For the greatness of thine iniquity :" 
 and what that iniquity is, you have specified, chap, 
 xvi. 11, 12; they forsook God, worshipped other 
 gods, walked after the imaginations of tlieir own 
 hearts, and did worse than their own fathers ; they 
 sinned till there was no remedy, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16. 
 Jerusalem with her children provoked God, so that 
 his glory, his truth, his name, his prophets, must 
 have suffered if they hatl been spared ; therefore the 
 lions roared upon Israel, yelled, and made his land 
 waste : when his cities were burnt, and without in- 
 habitant, what said God ? " Hast thou not procured 
 this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken God ?" 
 Jer. ii. 15, 17. 
 
 Ver. 15 — 18. Aho the word of the Lord came 
 unto me, saymir, Son of man, behold, I take away 
 from thee the desire of tliine eyes with a stroke : 
 yet neither shall thou mourn nor weep, neither 
 shall thy tears run down. Forbear to cry, make 
 no mourningfor the dead, bind the tire of thine 
 head upon thee, and pxd on thy shoes vp(m thy 
 
 feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread 
 of men. So I spa Ice vnto the people in the mor7i- 
 ing : and at even my wife died ; and I did in the 
 morning as I was commanded. 
 
 The second general part of the chapter liegins 
 here, being a prophecy declaring the destruction of 
 the temple and city, represented under the type of 
 the sudden death of Ezekiel's wife. This type is in 
 the words read; the interpretation is in the words 
 following. 
 
 The parts of these verses are, 
 
 I. The divine authority for this type, and for what 
 is commanded and done thereupon, ver. 15. 
 
 II. The narration of the tyjie, ver. 16, " Son of 
 man, behold, I take away from thee the desire," &c. 
 
 III. Several commands laid upon the prophet, 
 ver. 16, 17. 
 
 IV. The execution of the type, ver. 18. 
 
 Ver. 15. " The word of the Lord came unto me." 
 The false prophets ran when they were not sent, 
 and spake when they had no word ; but Ezekiel was 
 sent, chap. ii. 3, and he had a word from God when 
 he spake : he durst not be the month of God to 
 others, until the Lord had opened his mouth to him ; 
 the Spirit of projihecy brought the word to him, and 
 then moved him to utter it to others. 
 
 Ver. 16. " Son of man." He saith not, Man of 
 God, or. Son of God, but, Son of Adam, (for so the 
 original is,) that is, son of him who was made of 
 the earth, that had an earthly beginning. Ezekiel, 
 thou art a weak, worthless creature, that ere long 
 must away to the earth from whence thou earnest; 
 see thy heart do not swell with the prophetical 
 honour I have put upon thee, the many appearances 
 of my Spirit unto thee, nor be thou refractory, that 
 I put thee upon hard services, or command thee hard 
 things : when thy father Adam disobeyed me, I 
 turned him out of Paradise ; obey therefore my voice, 
 and do what I command thee, therein shalt thou 
 show thyself a son of God. 
 
 " Behold, I take away from thee the desire of 
 thine eyes." By " desire of thine eyes" is meant, 
 Ezekiel's wife, ver. 18. The Septuagint is, to iniBv- 
 (lilfiaTa 6'<.9a\iiiiv, the desires of thine eyes. This ex- 
 pression, the desire of the eyes, imports a thing 
 very dear to one ; and what is dearer to men than 
 their wives ? There are many things to endear a 
 woman to her husliand. 
 
 1 . She was made for man ; I Cor. xi. 9, " The man 
 was not created for the woman, but the woman for 
 the man." She was made "an help meet" for man, 
 Gen. ii. 18. 
 
 2. She is a gift of God, Prov. xix. 14. 
 
 3. She is joined to man, by a divine ordinance, 
 and is made one with him thereby. Gen. ii. 24; 
 Matt. xix. 5 ; 1 Cor. vi. 16; Eph. v. 31. 
 
 4. She is " the glory of man," I Cor. xi. 7. Man 
 represents God, being his image and glory ; and 
 woman represents man, and so is his image and glory. 
 
 5. She is "a crown to her husband," a great 
 ornament unto him, Prov. xii. 4. 
 
 6. She is the builder of the house; Ruth iv. 11, 
 " Rachel and Leah did build the house of Israel." 
 
 7. She is a companion in all conditions, " the wife 
 of thy youth," and the wife of thine age, Prov. v. 18. 
 
 8. She is a bosom friend, in whom the heart of her 
 husband may safely trust, Prov. xxxi. 11. 
 
 9. She is an heir "of the grace of life," together 
 withlier husband, 1 Pet. iii. /• 
 
 These things, besides beauty, amiableness, and 
 sweetness of nature, do endear wives to husbands, 
 and so cause them to eye and mind them the more ; 
 fur things or persons which are dear to us, our
 
 Ver. 15—18. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 579 
 
 thoughts, our eyes are upon : where love is, there 
 will be the eye. Christ loved his church dearly, and 
 therefore said, Cant. ii. 14, "Let me see thy counte- 
 nance." The church was black, chap. i. 5, yet the 
 delight of Christ's eyes, because she had inward 
 glory, beauty, excellency ; so, many wives, though 
 they be not outwardly so amiable and beautiful as 
 others, yet they may have inward virtues, excel- 
 lences, and those graces which may make them the 
 desires of husbands' eyes, if gracious themselves. 
 And if such inward attractives be wanting, propriety 
 may do it Every one affects what is his own ; a 
 piece of land, a house, a ship, a child, that is one's 
 own, is more delightful to the owner than what is 
 another's. 
 
 Doubtless Ezekiel's wife was amiable, virtuous, 
 gracious, endeared much unto him, upon several 
 grounds, so that she was a delight unto, and the 
 desire of his eyes, else the Lord woidd not have for- 
 bidden him to mourn and weep for her. His love 
 was such to her, that it would have carried him out 
 stronglj' thereunto, if the Lord had not prohibited it. 
 
 " \Vith a stroke." The Hebrew is, nssaa which 
 Montanus renders, in percussiotie, in striking, or, by 
 a stroke ; it is from f|jj which signifies to beat, to 
 smite, yea, to smite unto death. It hath some 
 affinity with the word j;:i: which is, to touch or hurt 
 more lightly ; but this notes hurting more vehement- 
 ly, and is applied in Scripture to God's striking 
 with extraordinary judgments : as Exod. viii. 2, 
 " I will smite all thy borders with frogs ;" I Sam. 
 iv. 2, " Israel was smitten before the Philistines;" 
 2 Chron. xiii. 15, " God smote Jeroboam and all 
 Israel ;" Exod. sii. 29, " At midnight the Lord smote 
 all the firstborn in the land of Egypt." Hence the 
 nouns B3J and nSJD signify, " a stroke," and the 
 heavy strokes of God. Exod. ix. 1-1, "I will at 
 this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, 
 and upon thy servants, and upon thy people ;" the 
 word for " plagues " is the same with that here, the 
 ten plagues of Egypt were ten strokes of God. 
 Sometimes the word is put for that sad stroke of 
 God, viz. the plague: Numb. xvi. 46, t]3jn Snn " the 
 plague is begun." Some think the "stroke" here 
 was the plague, but whether that, an apoplexy, im- 
 
 Eosthume, or palsy, is not set down ; this only we 
 ave for certain, that it was sudden, whatever it 
 was ; she did not lie long with a pining disease, but 
 was suddenly snatched away from Ezekiel. 
 
 " Yet neither shalt thou mourn." The Jews were 
 wont to honour their dead with great mourning. 
 When Aaron died, " they mourned for him thirty 
 days," Numb. xx. 29 ; and so many days they 
 mourned for Moses, Dent, xxxiv. 8. Joseph mourn- 
 ed forty days for the death of his father Jacob in 
 Egypt, and seven days after that in the land of Ca- 
 naan, Gen. 1. 3, 10; and seven days' mourning for 
 the dead was the ordinary practice, as Ecclesiasticus 
 observes, chap. xxii. 12; but Ezekiel is here forbid 
 to mourn at all in a public and solemn manner. The 
 Hebrew word for mourning is, izo which notes 
 mourning by striking the head or breast, and refers 
 most to funeral pomp. 
 
 " Nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down." 
 The word for weeping in Hebrew is, nso which 
 signifies weeping with lifting up of the voice, as 
 Judg. ii. 4; Job ii. 12, "They lifted up their voice, 
 and wept ;" and herein it differs from yi:i which is 
 to weep also, hut silently, without noise. Weeping 
 oft is a great ease to the heart, but Ezekiel must 
 not testify any grief, by voice, tears, or any outward 
 gesture. 
 
 Ver. 17. " Forbear to cry." The Hebrew is, Hold 
 thy peace from crying. The Vulgate is, Sigh, hold- 
 2 p 2 
 
 ing thy peace, so sigh as none may hear thee. Others 
 allow not so much as sighing, but read the words 
 thus. Let there be no sign of any sigh. 
 
 " Wake no mourning for the dead." The Jews 
 were wont to bewail their dead : 2 Chron. xxxv. 24, 
 25, " AU Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah ; 
 Jeremiah lamented for him, and all the singing men 
 and singing women." Abraham mourned for Sarah, 
 Gen. xxiii. 2. They were wont to cry, " Ah my 
 brother! or. Ah sister!" Jer. xxii. 18; to cut and 
 make themselves bald in their lamentations for their 
 dead, Jer. xvi. 6 ; which was forbid the priests. Lev. 
 xxi. 5, though they might mourn for their near kin- 
 dred, ver. 2, 3. But Ezekiel must " make no mourn- 
 ing," he must not put on sackcloth, shave his head, 
 or the corners of his beard, nor cut his flesh at all ; 
 he is forbid all funeral pomp and expressions. 
 
 " Bind the tire of thine head upon thee." It was 
 in practice among the Jews, sometimes to cover 
 their heads in their mournings, as being unworthy to 
 see the light or any creatures, and sometimes to un- 
 cover them, as not being w'orthy of any ornament. 
 2 Sam. XV. 32, David and those with him had their 
 heads covered, and went weeping. Lev. x. 6, when 
 Nadab and Abihu were destroyed by fire, and Aaron, 
 with his remaining sons, had great cause to mourn, 
 Moses commands them not to uncover their heads, 
 or rend tlieir clothes, clearly demonstrating that 
 that was their custom in their mournings. They 
 made bare their heads, and laid ashes or earth upon 
 them, as you may see, 1 Sam. iv. 12; Lam. ii. 10. 
 This Ezekiel might not do, he must not throw off 
 his head tire ; the word is, nxs pear, which signi- 
 fies, glory, ornament ; whatever the prophet did 
 wear upon his head, he must keep it on, and not lay 
 it aside. 
 
 " And put on thy shoes upon thy feet." In their 
 mournings and funerals they went barefoot. 2 Sam. 
 XV. 30, David was barefoot when he went up the 
 ascent of mount Olivet. Antonius Margarita, who 
 of a Jew became christian, and wrote of the rites of 
 the Jews, saith, that the kindred at the death of a 
 friend do tear their garments, eat nothing that day 
 in that house, but abroad ; that they eat no flesh, 
 drink no wine, unless it be upon the sabbath ; and 
 that they follow the hearse with bare feet. To this 
 agrees what Leo Modena hath lately commended to 
 the world. The nearest kindred of the party de- 
 ceased, when they are returned to their house, they 
 sit down all together upon the ground without shoes 
 upon their feet. This rite of going barefoot was a 
 token of grief and shame, Isa. xx. 2, 4. 
 
 " And cover not thy lips." Another ceremony 
 the Jews used in their mournings, was the covering 
 of their chin, mouth, all under the nose, which is 
 understood by the word " lip." Lev. xiii. 45, the 
 leper was to " put a covering upon his upper lip," 
 that so, his mouth being covered, his breath might 
 not infect any. Or we may by " lip " understand 
 the whole face ; and so that in Micah iii. 7 may be 
 taken, "They shall all cover their lips ;" the Hebrew 
 is, their upper lip ; " fur there is no answer of God :" 
 the seers and dinners should be ashamed and con- 
 founded, having no vision, from being discovered by 
 him to be false prophets, they should cover their 
 faces ; so the Vulgate reads it, they shall all cover 
 their faces. 
 
 " And eat not the bread of men." Jerom and the 
 Vulgate have it, the bread of mourners ; the Hebrew 
 word d'c:n signifies men, not simply, but woful, 
 soiTowful, miserable man. Enosli, as Pradus ob- 
 serves, is not a word signifying the nature of man, 
 as Adam ; nor a word to distinguish the sexes, as 
 Ish : but it sets out the miserable condition of men.
 
 580 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIV. 
 
 whose days are few, and full of sorrow. It was a 
 custom among the Jews at the death 
 Ki'c'ii'v'cimsni^ and funeral of friends, to send in meats 
 v''"''']'"' \r"''''' ^"'^ drinks to those who were chief 
 dei'i.i. ii'isiory of moumcrs, to comfort and refresh them. 
 sPar'ch'gl''*''' Jeremiah bears witness to this prac- 
 tice, chap. xvi. 7, 8, " Neither shall 
 men give them the cup of consolation to drink for 
 their father or their motlier :" they feasted with them, 
 as the next verse shows, and sought hereliy to drive 
 away their sorrows. Not only did the Jews make 
 feasts at the funerals of their dead, but tlie gentiles 
 also had it much in practice. They had their feasts, 
 called Parentatia, and Silicernia. Sometimes their 
 feasts were ad moriuoruni memoriam, for memorials, 
 and honour of the dead ; sometimes, ad hwredum gra- 
 tiam, in behalf of their heirs which succeeded them ; 
 and mostly, ad amtcorum solatium, for the comfort of 
 their friends. Prov. xxxi. 6, 7, they that had heavy 
 hearts, were to have wine given them to drink, that 
 being comforted therewith, they might remember 
 their misery no more. Ezekicl must not mourn, 
 neither drink of any thing that belonged to mourners, 
 nor meddle with any of their rites. 
 
 Ver. 18. " So I spake unto the people in the 
 morning." The next morning Ezekiel makes known 
 unto the people what he had received from the 
 Lord, viz. the parable of the boiling pot, the taking 
 away of his wife by a sudden stroke, and how all 
 mourning and funeral rites were prohibited unto 
 him ; which the Lord therefore did, that he might 
 provoke the people to make diligent inquiry into the 
 meaning of the thing, being unusual, yea, contrary 
 to custom. 
 
 "And at even my wife died." The Hebrew word 
 for " wife" is, ncK signifying both woman and wife, 
 from inh, both man and husband ; the woman was of 
 man, and being a wife is for man, for man's help and 
 good, some therefore derive uxor from the Hebrew, 
 -\^y au3.iliuni, help. Others from avlui, migeo, be- 
 cause she increases the family. Here was accom- 
 plished what the Lord said, ver. 16. 
 
 " I did in the morning as I was commanded." I 
 did forbear all signs of open mourning ; I did not 
 weep, sigh, or cry out, I kept my tire upon my head, 
 I walked out with shoes on my feet, w'ith my lip im- 
 covered ; I ate not with those that brought the 
 bread of mourners, I drank not with them tliat 
 brought the enp of consolation. 
 
 Obs. 1. Marriage, even in prophets, and men in 
 spiritual functions, is lawful. Ezekiel, a prophet and 
 priest, was in that condition. Jehoiada the high 
 priest was married, and had no meaner person to 
 his wife than a king's daughter, 2 Chron. xxii. II. 
 Moses was a great prophet, and he had to wife Zip- 
 porah, daughter to the prince of Midian, Exod. ii. 
 16, 21. Isaiah, tliat evangelical prophet, had his 
 prophetess, which conceived and bare him a son, 
 Isa. viii. 3. Samuel the seer, and man of God, had 
 sons who were judges over Israel, 1 Sam. viii. 1 — 3. 
 Few of the prophets lived single lives. 2 Kings iv. 
 1, " There cried a certain woman of the wives of the 
 sons of the prophets," that is, one of the prophets' 
 wives cried " unto Elisha ;" whidr shows that their 
 calling did not exclude them from marriage. God 
 took special care about the priests' marriage, order- 
 ing whom they might marry, and whom not, Lev. 
 XXI. 13, 14; Ezek. xliv. 22. Neither was it lawful 
 only for prophets and priests to marry, but for apos- 
 tles and ministers of the gospel also. Peter himself 
 had a yoke-fellow. Matt, \-iii. 14. Paul tells you, 
 I Cor. ix. 5, that he had " power to lead about a 
 sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the 
 brethren ofthe Lord, and Cephas ;" which evidences, 
 
 that most of the apostles had their wives, and that 
 Paul had not done ill if he had had is. It is a doc- 
 trine therefore of devils, to forbid marriage to any 
 sort of men, 1 Tim. iv. 1,3, when "marriage is hon- 
 ourable in all " men, Heb. xiii. 4. 
 
 Obs. 2. Conjugal ail'ection between man and wife 
 is warrantable and pleasing unto God. Ezckiel's 
 wife was the desire of his eyes, dear and delightful to 
 him, he took pleasure and content in her, as husbands 
 ought to do in their wives. Col. iii. 19, " Husbands, 
 love your wives, and be not bitter against them." God 
 would have no waters of Marah, no bitter passages, 
 to come from husbands against their wives, but alto- 
 gether and always streams of love ; their love to and 
 delight in their wives, should be not only at first, 
 while youth, beauty, and means do last, but all the 
 time they are their wives ; no bitter looks, no bitter 
 words, no bitter actions, but their looks, words, car- 
 riages, should be full of love and sweetness. God hath 
 therefore not only prohibited bitterness, and com- 
 manded love, but given direction for the manner how 
 they should love their wives ; Eph. v. 25, " Hus- 
 bands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the 
 church, and gave himself for it." Christ loved the 
 church, notwithstanding all its spots, wrirdiles, 
 blemishes, sincerely, spiritually, and strongly ; and 
 so should men their wives, notw ithstanding all infir- 
 mities or deformities, they should love them sincere- 
 ly, spiritually, strongly ; yea, ver. 28, " So ought men 
 to love their wives as their own bodies ;" men are 
 great self-lovers, and they should be as great wife- 
 lovers ; he that loves not, that takes not compla- 
 cency in his wife, doth not love nor take delight in 
 himself. God would have men so love their wives, 
 as to honour them whatever objection lies in the 
 way ; I Pet. iii. 7, though the wife be the weaker 
 vessel, yet she must be honoured, her weakness must 
 not hinder her honouring : a Venice glass is a vessel 
 of more honour in the house than a brass pot. The 
 husband is to honour his wife by making known 
 bosom secrets to her, by taking her counsel and 
 advice, by speaking well of her as his glory and 
 crown, by trusting her, by esteeming of her above 
 others, and by taking her part against all othcr.s. 
 If God did not approve of love in husliands produ- 
 cing such effects, he would not have said, "Let her 
 breasts satisfy thee at all times ; and be thou ravished 
 always with her love," Prov. v. 19. God would have 
 men abound in their love to their wives ; and because 
 they fall short therein, he bids them err in their 
 love, for so is the Hebrew, Ten nju'n en-abia jugiter, 
 thou shall love thy wife rather too much than too 
 Httle. And, did husbands consider, besides God's 
 command, and Christ's example, how it would further 
 their prayers, prevent temptations, and honour a 
 married condition, they would love their wives more 
 conscientiously, sincerely, spiritually, and strongly. 
 
 Obs. 3. Our nearest and dearest comforts are in the 
 hand of the Lord, to dispose of as he please. " Be- 
 hold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes :" 
 I have let thee enjoy her thus long, I have continued 
 her with thee many days and years, but now I take 
 her away, she shall abide with thee no longer. A 
 prudent wife is from the Lord, given by him, he 
 brought the woman unto Adam, Gen. ii. 22; and as 
 he gives, he takes at his pleasure. He took away 
 Sarah from Abraham, Gen. xxiii.; Elijah from Eli- 
 sha, 2 Kings ii. 3; and Rachel from Jacob, Gen. 
 XXXV. Wives, husbands, children, friends, are only 
 lent us ofthe Lord for a season, and when that season 
 is expired, he takes them to himself; we should 
 therefore in all such cases look unto the hand 
 of God. 
 
 Obs. 4. That God can, and sometimes doth, sud-
 
 Ver. 15—18. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 581 
 
 dcnly deprive us of our choicest comforts. " I take 
 away the desire of thine eyes with a stroke." There 
 was no antecedent sickness, no visible symptoms of 
 death, but in a moment was Ezekiel's wife snatched 
 away. How suddenly was the fire kindled that con- 
 sumed Nadab and Abihu ! Lev. x. 2, " There went 
 out fire from the Lord and devoured them" pre- 
 sently. Was not Sodom overthrown in a moment ? 
 Lam. iv. 6. Did not the Lord strike fourteen thou- 
 sand and seven hundred with the plague in a mo- 
 ment ? Numb. xvi. 45, 49. Were not all the first-born 
 of the Egyptians smitten and destroyed in an hour 
 at midnight ? Exod. xii. 29. Was not Sisera in a 
 minute deprived of his breath, and head ? Judg. v. 
 26. God hath a scourge, yea, many scourges, to 
 slay suddenly, Job ix. 23; he hath arrows to shoot, 
 which wound suddenly, Psal. Ixiv. 8; there is no 
 foresight, no preventing of them, nor cure of their 
 wound. How unexpectedly was Rachel made child- 
 less. Matt. ii. 16, 18, when Herod slew the children ! 
 God hath various strokes, and sudden ones, to take 
 away us, and our comforts ; by gunpowder, by fire, 
 &c. Man's calamity comes suddenly, and he is 
 broken suddenly, without remedy, Prov. vi. 15. 
 The consideration hereof should cause us, 
 
 (1.) To fear the Lord, that can strike such strokes 
 as to deprive us of our chief comforts in a moment : 
 we should sanctify him in our hearts, and make him 
 our fear, that so he may be a sanctiiary unto us, to 
 defend us, and not a hammer or sword to strike or 
 destroy us. 
 
 (2.) Not to promise long continuance of any 
 creature comforts unto ourselves ; use them for the 
 present, but expect not much, nor long continuance 
 of them. 1 Cor. vii. 29, " The time is short ; let 
 them that have wives be as if they had none." Isa. 
 ii. 22, " Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his 
 nostrils." 
 
 (3.) To prepare for death. Men put off the evil 
 day, and are snared in an evil time, when the stroke 
 falls suddenly upon them, Eccles. ix. 12. " They 
 spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go 
 down to the grave," Job xxi. 13, which is a sad 
 thing ; but if men spent their days in getting grace, 
 labouring to win Christ and be found in him, their 
 end would be happy, though their death be sudden, 
 for "blessed are those that die in the Lord," Rev. 
 xiv. 13. Live every day therefore as your last day. 
 
 Obs. 5. Bitter and great afflictions are not always 
 arguments of God's hatred and indignation. Ezekiel 
 was a prophet, a choice servant of the Lord's, yet 
 from him doth God take away the desire of his eyes; 
 which was a very bitter and grievous affliction, if 
 we consider the aggravations which were in it. 
 
 (1.) He was now in captivity among Babylonians, 
 where his wife was a sweet companion and comfort 
 unto him, in the midst of all the troubles, reproaches, 
 and difficulties he met with. 
 
 (2.) She was taken away, not in the common way 
 of men and women, but by a sudden stroke : such 
 strokes go to the quick, wound deep, and might 
 have sunk our prophet had not the Lord given him 
 a little notice of it. 
 
 (3.) That it should be to type out the destruction 
 of the temple and city of Jerusalem ; that God should 
 suddenly strike, and take away his wife thereby, to 
 represent the sudden ruin of them, could not but be 
 grievous to him. 
 
 (4.) He is forbidden to mourn, weep, or perform 
 any funeral rites for her. Might he have sighed, 
 mourned, wept, that would have cased his heart ; 
 might he have used the Jewish rites and customs at 
 her death and burial, that would have testified respect 
 and love unto her; but he might not do either of them. 
 
 So then, by these aggravations, you see he had no 
 light affliction upon him, and whatever they were, 
 in them was nothing of divine hatred and indigna- 
 tion. Aaron was " the saint of the Lord," Psal. cvi. 
 16, and him the Lord gave a bitter cuj) to drink otTj 
 he slew two of his sons at once, both the eldest, 
 Exod. vi. 23, and fur offering a little kitchen or 
 strange fire, which was not prohibited, though not 
 commanded, being the first time, and then forbade 
 him and his other sons to mourn for them. Lev. x. 
 1, 2, 6. Christ was more than a prophet, than a 
 saint, he was a Son, the only begotten, the well-be- 
 loved; yet he had a cup given him to drink, which had 
 more gall and M'ormwood in it than any, yea, than all 
 the cups the prophets and saints had before or .since. 
 Afflictions argue not God's hatred ; if we say so, we 
 shall condemn the generation of the righteous, and 
 falsify the truth, for it is said, " As many as 1 love, 
 I rebuke and chasten," Rev. iii. 19. Those there- 
 fore that have bitter and heavy afflictions, should 
 take heed how they yield unto the persuasions of 
 Satan and corruption, saying. Surely if God loved 
 you he would never deal so by you. 
 
 Obs. 6. That mourning for the dead is not unlaw- 
 ful. Ezekiel would have mourned, wept, and used all 
 funeral rites amongst the Jews, not superstitious, 
 if he had not been forbidden by the Lord. He was 
 not stoical, without aflection ; neither are the people 
 of God now unnatural, they do and may mourn for 
 their dead, so it be neither excessively nor despair- 
 ingly. David's mourning for Absalom, and Rachel's 
 for her children, were too excessive, and the Thessa- 
 lonians' too hopeless ; 1 Thess. iv. 13, Paul allowed 
 them to sorrow and mourn for their dead, but not as 
 others which had no hope. Christianity doth not 
 abolish, but moderate and direct affections. Christ 
 himself wept for Lazarus when he was dead ; his 
 weeping was with moderation and hope. Many for- 
 get themselves in this kind, and give so much scope 
 to their passions, that they offend God, shame their 
 professions, and hazard their own health. But we 
 should remember what Solomon commends unto us, 
 Prov. xvi. 32, " Better is he that ruleth his spirit 
 than he that taketh a city :" the bridling our spirits, 
 and keeping our aifections, hath a great excellency 
 in it. 
 
 Obs. 7. A gracious spirit will deny itself, and obey 
 God in difficult cases, and that speedily too. No 
 sooner had God made good his word, in taking away 
 Ezekiel's wife, but he did what the Lord commanded. 
 Nature prompted him to mourn, to weep for his wife, 
 but he denies the dictates of nature, and is content to 
 seem unnatural for God. His credit and love to his 
 wife called upon him to show respect unto her dead 
 corpse, as others did in that kind, by funeral rites ; 
 but he prefers God's command before his credit, love, 
 and respect to his wife, and is willing to bear the 
 censures and reproachings of the people in this 
 case ; his wife dies in the night, and next morning 
 he appears in his wonted habit and tire, he sheds no 
 tears, puts off no shoes, covers not his lip, eats not 
 the bread of men or mourners, shows no sign of 
 sorrow, but was in as sweet and settled a posture as 
 if there had been no stroke in his family ; he was 
 the same his wife being dead, as he was she being 
 living; her death that was so dear to him, that was 
 so strange and sudden, that was in such a place, 
 made no alteration in hira, and upon this ground 
 only, because God had commanded it shouljl be so. 
 Here is a rare example of obedience, and\flat in a 
 difficult case. Obedience to God is always com- 
 mendable, but especially when hard things are com- 
 manded. The many difficuhies Abraham brake 
 through, to sacrifice his son, made his obedience so
 
 582 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIV. 
 
 acceptable, Gen. xxii. Moses' refusing the honours, 
 dignities, treasures, and temptations of Egypt, and 
 Pharaoh's court, his choosing an afflicted condition, 
 and reproaclied godliness, endeared him and his 
 obedience unto the Lord, Heb. xi. When servants 
 sutler for well-doing, and go on cheerfully in their 
 work, lionouring the gospel, this is acceptable with 
 God, 1 Pet. ii. 19. 
 
 Ver. 19 — 24. And the people said unto me, 
 Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, 
 that thou doest so ? Then I answered them. The 
 tvord of the Lord came unto me, saying. Speak 
 unto tile house of Israel, Tims saith the Lord 
 God ; Behold, J will profane my sanctuary, the 
 excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, 
 and that ivhich your soul pitieth ; and your sons 
 and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall 
 by the sword. And ye shall do as I have done : 
 ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of 
 men. And your tires shall he upon your heads, 
 and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not 
 mourn nor iveep ; but ye shall pine away for your 
 iniqxiities, and moicrn one toward another. Thus 
 Ezekiel is unto you a sign : according to all that 
 he hath done shall ye do : and ivhen this cometh, 
 ye shall know that I am the Lord God. 
 
 Having in the former verses spoken typically and 
 darkly, here he comes to open and interpret what he 
 had said ; and we have before us, 
 
 I. The occasion of his intrepreting these hiero- 
 glyphical passages, ver. 19. 
 
 II. The interpretation itself, in ver. 21 — 24. 
 Ver. 19. " Wilt thou not tell us what these things 
 
 are ? " The people seeing Ezekiel's wife suddenly 
 struck dead, and he not affected with it, which was 
 not only contrary to the Jewish custom, but even to 
 nature itself, they are startled at these things, and 
 set upon the prophet in a heat, and will know what 
 was in these strange things : We know there is some 
 mystery in them, they have relation unto us, and we 
 are unquiet, restless in our spirits, till we know what 
 it is ; wilt thou not tell us ? Ezekiel, hide it not from 
 us, whatever it be, we must know it. This was the 
 thing God aimed at, in putting Ezekiel upon things 
 unusual and unnatural, to provoke them thereby to 
 consider and make a special inquiry into them. 
 Unwonted things do awaken, breed admiration, and 
 cause examination, men search into the meaning of 
 such things. When Ezekiel sighed to the breaking 
 of his loins, chap. xxi. 7, they said, "Wherefore 
 sighest thou ? " When Ezekiel was put upon remov- 
 ing, digging a hole through the wall, and carried his 
 stulf upon his shoulder, as stuff for captivity, God 
 said to him, " Son of man, hath not the house of 
 Israel said to thee, What doest thou ? " chap. xii. 9. 
 God expected such strange doings should afl'ect them, 
 and make them consider, ver. 3, and inquire into the 
 matter. Ordinary things are slighted, when extraor- 
 dinaries have answerable operations. 
 
 Ver. 21. "Behold, I will profane my sanctuary." 
 By Ezekiel's wife was typed out the temple, and 
 what was desirable ; and by her sudden death, tlie 
 destruction of the same. The temple was as dear to 
 the Jews as Ezekiel's wife was unto him. God 
 would bring the Chaldeans into it, and they should 
 profane it with the blood of those they found in it, 
 (for many tied thither for refuge,) and then set it on 
 fire. The Jew's had profaned it with idols and idol- 
 atrous worship, Ezek. viii. ; by coming into it with 
 the guilt of notorious sins upon them, Jer. vii. 9, 10; 
 
 and now heathens should enter into it, defile and 
 destroy it ; the thought whereof made the Psalmist 
 long before to complain, saying, " God, the hea- 
 then are come into thine inheritance ; thy holy 
 temple have they defiled ; they have laid Jerusalem 
 on heaps," Psal. Ixxix. 1. The defihng the temple 
 was grievous to prescience, to remote apprehensions; 
 what was it then to those who had the present si^'ht 
 of it ! The Septuagint reads the words in Ezekiel 
 thus, I will pollute my holy things, that is, I will 
 cause the heathens to come and profane the temple, 
 the altar, and all the holy things belonging there- 
 unto ; yea, so to profane them, as to lay them all 
 waste. 
 
 " The excellency of your strength." The He- 
 brew is, the pride of your strength, p.sj signifies 
 majesty, excellency, pride ; from HNj to be lifted up, 
 to excel, to grow proud. The translation Vatablus 
 follows hath it, the glory of your strength. The 
 temple was a strong place, in which the Jews put so 
 much confidence, as that they thought it standing 
 they should for ever be safe ; they prided themselves 
 in it, and cried, " The temple of the Lord, The 
 temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord," Jer. 
 vii. 4. They thought none able to harm them, and 
 destroy that temple. 
 
 If we read the words, "the excellency of your 
 strength," as Junius, or, your strong excellency, as 
 Piscator, the sense is, that though they had other 
 strong holds and towers, yet none like unto the 
 temple ; that excelled all, not only in strength, but 
 in renown. It was for the structure the wonder of 
 the world, fifteen hundred thousand having been 
 employed seven years in the building thereof, 
 1 Kings V. 15; it bare the name of the Lord, 
 1 Kings viii. 29 ; in it God dwelt, Psal. Ixxx. 1 ; of 
 it he had a special care, 1 Kings ix. 3, and it was 
 " the excellency of Jacob," Amos vi. 8. 
 
 " The desire of your eyes." Some understand by 
 these words, their wives, but most interpreters ex- 
 pound them of the temple, which seems to me to be 
 the truest interpretation : for Ezekiel's wife typed 
 out the temple ; and as she was the desire of his eyes, 
 so was the temple of the Jews' eyes ; and the words 
 of this verse do give countenance and life to this 
 sense. " I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency 
 of your strength, the desire of your eyes." What 
 w-as the excellency of tlieir strength ? it was the de- 
 sire of their eyes, viz. the sanctuaiy. By " desire of 
 the eyes" is meant, that which is affected and de- 
 lighted in, and such was the temple or sanctuary : 
 Psal. xcvi. 6, " Strength and beauty are in his sanc- 
 tuary ;" there was material and spiritual beauty ; 
 Psal. xxvii. 4, there David desired to dwell all the 
 days of his life, " to behold the beauty of the Lord." 
 The temple was the desire of his eyes ; when he 
 was shut out of it, see how he thirsted after it, Psal. 
 Ixiii. 1, 2: so of Jonah when he was in the fish's 
 belly, he looked towards the " holy temple," Jonah 
 ii. 4. It was beautiful in itself, and had the beauty 
 of holiness in it, the beautiful ordinances and wor- 
 ship of God ; so that hence Zion was called " the 
 perfection of beauty," Psal. 1. 2, and " the joy of the 
 whole earth," Psal. xlviii. 2. In Lam. i. 7, it is 
 said, " Jerusalem remembered in the days of her 
 affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things," 
 the Hebrew is, all her desirable things, that " she 
 had in the days of old;" and the temple was one of 
 them, yea, the most desirable of all her desirables. 
 
 " Aiid that which your soul pitieth." Machmall 
 naphshtcliein, that which your souls indulge and fa- 
 vour, viz. the temple, which they dearly afi'ected, 
 and would not by any means that it should be de- 
 stroyed, or profaned by heathens. The Vulgate hath
 
 Ver. 19—24. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 583 
 
 it, that for which your souls are afraid ; men are 
 jealous of that which is dear unto them, lest it should 
 be violated. Isaiah foreseeing by a prophetical eye 
 what would befall the temple, shows how his soul 
 
 Eitied it; Isa. Ixiv. 11, " Our holy and our beautiful 
 ouse, where our fathers praised thee, is burned 
 up with fire ; and all our pleasant things are laid 
 waste." The profaning of the temple, which was 
 holy, full of glory and beauty, the place of prayer 
 and praise, went nearer the heart of this great pro- 
 phet than any thing else. So Jeremiah, Lam. ii. 7, 
 declares what pity he had for the house of-the Lord : 
 " The Lord hath cast off his altar, he hath abhorred 
 his sanctuary, he hath given up into the hand of the 
 enemy the walls of her palaces ; they have made a 
 noise in the house of the Lord, as in the day of a so- 
 lemn feast." The temple lay heavy upon Daniel's 
 heart, chap. ix. 17. These words by some are refer- 
 red to their children, whom their souls pitied, and 
 would have spared, but of them are the words fol- 
 lowing: 
 
 " And your sons and your daughters whom ye 
 have left shall fall by the sword." When the Baby- 
 lonians should come, profane and destroy the temple, 
 many of their children should suffer and perish, some 
 by famine, some by plague, some by other calami- 
 ties and casualties ; and those that were remaining, 
 he tells them they should fall by the sword. The 
 Lord would take from them, not only the temple, 
 but all things that were dear unto them, their city, 
 their kingdom, their wives, their children. 
 
 Ver. 22. " And ye shall do as I have done : ye 
 shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men." 
 You wonder at me that I mourn not for my wife, 
 being taken from me by a sudden stroke, but ere long 
 you will cease to wonder at me, and find the case to 
 be yours : when the enemies shall come, take away 
 the temple, your wives and children, what things 
 soever are dearest to you, then you will be so con- 
 founded and amazed, that you will have neither 
 hearts nor opportimity to change your garments, and 
 accompany your dead to the grave, but rather throw 
 them out into the streets, and shift for your lives. 
 Then you will remember me, make no lamentation 
 for your dead; then you will not pull off your tires 
 from yoiir heads, nor the shoes from your feet, nor 
 cover your lips, nor eat the bread of mourners ; then 
 you will use no funeral rites or gestures. 
 
 Ver. 23. " But ye shall pine away for your iniqui- 
 ties." The word for "pine away," is from ppc 
 to dissolve and melt away, to consume, corrupt, to 
 be filthy, loathsome ; because those things which do 
 corrupt, at last become stinking and unsavoury. So 
 these Jews, their spirits, flesli, fat, and strength, 
 should consume, " pine away," till they became even 
 loathsome, and that " for their iniquities," that is, 
 the punishment of their iniquities, for so the word is 
 frequently used, as Isa. liii. 6 ; and 2 Kings vii. 9, 
 " Some mischief will come upon us," the Hebrew is, 
 iniquity, that is, mischief or punishment. 
 
 " And mourn one toward another." In this verse 
 he had said, " ye shall not mourn nor weep," and 
 here, as with the same breath, he aflirms, they 
 should " mourn one toward another." Though the 
 words run so, there is no contradiction in them. 
 Though they could not mourn openly, and in a fu- 
 neral way, yet they should mourn inwardly, and so 
 as to " pine away" themselves. You here in Baby- 
 lon, when the report comes of taking the city, of 
 burning the temple, and of the spoiling of all the 
 desirable things in them by Nebuchadnezzar's forces, 
 you will be in such a strait, as that you will not dare 
 to mourn for fear of the Babylonians, who will en- 
 danger your liberties and lives, if yon lament the 
 
 successes and doings of their king. So that what 
 with God's judgments upon them at Jerusalem, and 
 the fear of the enemies both there and in Babylon, 
 neither Jews in Jerusalem nor in Babylon should 
 dare to moum, or express any tokens of sorrow, how 
 full soever their hearts were thereof. But when they 
 were in secret, a man with his brother, (for so is the 
 Hebrew,) then they should open their minds " one 
 toward another, and mourn." 
 
 Ver. 24. " Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign." The 
 Hebrew is, rsioS in portentum, for some prodigious 
 thing. Mop/ieth, it notes a visible sign presaging 
 good or evil, and so accordingly is pleasing to the 
 sight, or horrible ; it is that which is unusual, fore- 
 showing somewhat to come. Ezekiel not mourning 
 for the death of his wife, was a sign to them that 
 they should be in such perplexity as not to mourn 
 for their temple, city, and desirable things, which 
 should be pulled from them by a sudden stroke of 
 God. The Hebrew have niH and rain which coming 
 together are rendered, a sign and a wonder, as Isa. 
 XX. 3 ; that is oth, or " a sign," which is not against 
 nature, as to cure the sick ; that is mophetli, or a pro- 
 digy, which is against nature, as to raise the dead, 
 and do strange things. 
 
 " According to all thai he hath done shall ye do." 
 You have beheld Ezckiel's doings, and wondered at 
 them ; he hath but preached what ye are to do, and 
 the time is at hand wherein he shall see you acting 
 over the same things. 
 
 06s. 1. The resting in holy things, causes God to 
 remove them, how dear soever they be unto us. " I 
 will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your 
 strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which 
 your soul pitieth :" you confide in the outward 
 means, you are taken with the outward splendour of 
 the ceremonies and pomp of the temple, but the 
 spiritual true worship ye mind not; the temple, city, 
 and state, are dearer unto you than I am, they have 
 your eyes, your hearts, your souls, when I am neg- 
 lected. I have honoured you with my sanctuary, 
 and all the holy things in it, belonging to it, but you 
 have not honoured me : why is the temple, and not 
 myself, " the excellency of your strength ?" why is 
 that " the desire of your eyes," and not myself, who 
 fill the temple with my glory? why is that the pity 
 of your souls ? being "troubled that it should be laid 
 in the dust, and not my honour, my glory, my name, 
 which are profaned amongst you, and laid in the dust. 
 Obs. 2. 'That sometimes men's sins bring them 
 into such straits, that though they have lost their 
 dearest comforts, yet they dare not outwardly mani- 
 fest any sorrow for them. God would take away the 
 temple, the excellency of their strength, the desire 
 of their eyes, the pity of their souls, their sons and 
 daughters, and they should not dare to "mourn nor 
 weep " openly, but should secretly " pine away," 
 and come to nothing. It was sad to lose their dear- 
 est comforts, and more sad that they might not ease 
 their hearts by tears or sighings, and most sad that 
 they must show no respect to their dead friends by 
 any funeral rites. This sad condition had Jeremiah 
 told them of, chap. xvi. 6, 7, " Both the great and 
 the small shall die in the land : they shall not be 
 buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut 
 themselves, nor make themselves bald for them : 
 neither shall men tear themselves for them in mouni- 
 ing, to comfort them for the dead ; neither shall nun 
 give them the cup of consolation to drink for tht ir 
 lather or for their mother :" they should be in such 
 straits, through the fury and violence of their ene- 
 mies, (whom their sins had brought upon them,) 
 that they should not dare to mourn for their dead, 
 and the great evils upon them.
 
 584 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIV. 
 
 Obs. 3. God may and doth put his own faithful 
 servants upon hard and unwonted things, thereby tn 
 declare what shall be the condition of the wicked. 
 " Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign :" he hath had his 
 dearest comfort taken away by an extraordinary 
 stroke, he hath not been suffered to mourn or weep 
 therefore ; and why so ? that he may be a sign unto 
 you : you would not be taught by my doctrine, now 
 you must be taught by my example ; " according to 
 all that he hath done shall ye do." The things are 
 harsh and unnatural that I have done, but it is for 
 your sakes that I am put upon them; and ye shall 
 do as I have done. Thus Isaiah was put upon it to 
 walk naked and barefoot three years, which was 
 hard and reproachful ; and why ? that he might be 
 " for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and Ethiopia," 
 Isa. XX. 3. Some may think God deals ill with his 
 servants, in putting them upon harsh, reproachful, 
 unnatural, ridiculous things ; but know, all souls are 
 the Lord's, and he may command them what he 
 please : they have comfort in their obedience, what- 
 ever men think or say of them ; whenas those they 
 are made signs unto have nothing but bitterness and 
 terrors. 
 
 Obs. 4. Signs accomplished, convince men of the 
 truth and just proceedings of God. " When this 
 Cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God ;" 
 by the fulfilling what this sign foretold, ye shall be 
 so convinced as to acknowledge Ezekiel was a true 
 sign, made so by me, and that I have dealt justly 
 with you for your iniquities, in bringing you into 
 such straits, as not to dare to mourn openly for your 
 miseries. If Ezekiel have nothing to object against 
 me, from whom, being innocent, I took away the 
 desire of his eyes, and forbade him to mourn for 
 her ; what can you object against me, being so 
 guilty as none more, if I rend away your desirable 
 things, and hem you about so with my judgments 
 and enemies, that you shall not dare to mourn ? 
 
 Ver. 25 — 27. Also, thou son of man, shall it not 
 he in the daj/ ivhen I take from them their strength, 
 the joii of their glory, the desire nf their eyes, and 
 that whereupoyi the\i set their minds, their sons and 
 their daughters, that he that escapeth in that day 
 shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with 
 thine ears ? In that day shall thy mouth be opened 
 to him which is escaped, atid thou shall speak, and 
 he no more dumb : and thou shalt be a sign unto 
 them ; and they shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 In these words you may perceive, 
 
 I. A repetition of the taking away what was 
 dearest to the Jews, ver. 25. 
 
 II. The events thereupon ; which are, 
 
 1. Tidings thereof brought to the prophet, ver. 26. 
 
 2. Freedom of prophesying in Ezekiel, ver. 27. 
 
 3. Conviction of the people, ver. 27. 
 
 Ver. 25. " When I take from them their strength." 
 What in ver. 21 he called " the excellency of their 
 .strength," here he calls "their strength," that was, 
 the temple : it was strong, but should not have been 
 their strength ; the God of the temple should have 
 been their hope and confidence. 
 
 "The joy of their glory." The word for "joy" 
 is, nrc which is, to have inward delight in the mind, 
 and that without external gesture. The Septuagint 
 is, the lifting up of your glory. The temple was 
 " their glory," and that cheered and lifted up their 
 hearts. Both Jimius and Piscator have it, the joy 
 of their ornament. The temple was their ornament, 
 Ezek. vii. 20 ; nothing did so become and adorn 
 them, as their temple did, and that worship which 
 
 God appointed to be in it ; but they corrupted that 
 worship, stained their glory, and joyed sinfully 
 therein. 
 
 " The desire of their eyes." They took pleasure 
 in beholding the temple, which was a stately build- 
 ing, beautified with precious stones, and gold of 
 Parvaim, 2 Chron. iii. G, 8. The second temple took 
 them much. Matt. xxiv. I ; Luke xxi. 5 ; yet that 
 was inferior to the first temple. The material tem- 
 ples were very dear unto the Jews. 
 
 " And that whereupon they set their minds." In 
 the Hebrew it is, the lifting up of their souls, or 
 minds ; that unto which tliey lift up their soul, so 
 Junius ; the Vulgate, that on which their souls do 
 rest : Steph. in Phrasibus Hebraicis, renders the 
 place thus. That their hearts are lifted up unto, or, 
 that which is the burden of their soids, and pressed 
 them most, as the temple, and their children ; they 
 were perplexed about the loss of these. 
 
 This phrase of setting the mind upon a thing 
 imports, 
 
 1. Overprizing of the thing; when the mind is 
 set upon a thing that is valued : every man values 
 what his lust is set upon. 
 
 2. Adhering to it. When the mind is set upon a 
 thing, it cleaves to it, and fixes upon it : 1 Sam. ix. 
 20, " Set not thy mind on them." 
 
 3. Taking content and delight in a thing, seeking 
 no further ; Col. iii. 2, " Set your affections upon 
 things above." 
 
 Ver. 26. " He that escapeth in that day, shall 
 come unto thee to cause," &c. The Lord, in his 
 wise providence, ordered it so, that some three years 
 after this prophecy, there came one who escaped at 
 the delivery up of Jerusalem unto Nebuchadnezzar, 
 and brought tidings that the city was smitten, chap, 
 xxxiii. 21, which was half a year after the smiting 
 of it, if you compare this place in Ezekiel with Jer. 
 Hi. 6, and 2 Kings xxv. 3. 
 
 " To cause thee to hear it with thine ears." The 
 Hebrew is, to the hearing of the ears ; not to tell 
 what he hath heard, as some rabbins would have it, 
 but to tell in the ears of Ezekiel what he had seen, 
 and been an eye-witness thereof. It is not impro- 
 bable but that they had heard some rumour of it be- 
 fore, it being half a year since the taking of that 
 city, and desolation of all things. This man there- 
 fore came to inform Ezekiel of the certainty of all 
 things which had passed. 
 
 Ver. 27. " In that day shall thy mouth be opened 
 to him that is escaped, and thou shalt be no more 
 dumb." That Ezekiel was " dumb," and prophesied 
 not at all till the man brought tidings of Jerusalem's 
 destruction, is not the sense of this place; for in the 
 26th chapter he saith, the word of the Lord came 
 unto him in the eleventh year, in the first day of the 
 month. The meaning then is this ; That as to the 
 Jews, he ceased prophesying, and was as a " dumb " 
 man unto them ; God gave him not the gift, nor 
 called him to speak any more unto them : they be- 
 lieved not what he had prophesied unto them, but 
 gave ear to false prophets, who seduced them, tell- 
 ing them that they should shortly return, and Jeru- 
 salem should not be destroyed ; but when the news 
 came to our prophet, that God had fulfilled what he 
 had prophesied against the city and temple, then God 
 put his word into his mouth again, and he spake 
 freely and boldly. 
 
 " And thou shalt be a sign unto them." As thou 
 hast oft been " a sign " unto them, sometimes repre- 
 senting an army laying siege against a city, chap, 
 iv. ; sometimes a barber shaving the hair, chap. v. ; 
 sometimes a man removing his stuff, chap. xii. ; some- 
 times representing a mourner, chap. xxi. 6 ; some-
 
 Ver. 23—27. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 585 
 
 times a condition wherein there must not be mourn- 
 ing, as, ver. 16 — 18 of this chapter; so here he must 
 be a "sign unto them" by his silence. All the time 
 from this chapter to the day that tidings came of 
 the taking and smiting of Jerusalem, he was for " a 
 sign unto them." 
 
 "They shall know that I am the Lord." Those 
 that are here in Babylon, those that escape the fa- 
 mine, pestilence, sword, " shall know that I am the 
 Lord," and sent thee to prophesy ; " that I am the 
 Lord," and have made good what thou didst pro- 
 phesy ; " that I am the Lord," and have punished 
 them justly for their iniquities. 
 
 Obi. 1. That our natures are prone to overprize, 
 adhere to, and rest in external privileges and mercies. 
 The temple they doted upon, they made it their 
 strength, their glory, the joy of their glory, the de- 
 sire of their eyes; they set their minds upon that, 
 and their sons and daughters ; these had their 
 thoughts, afl'ections, and hearts, they ran out strong- 
 ly unto them, their souls were lift up unto them : 
 they looked at their temple as their strength against 
 all enemies, as their joy at home, and their glory 
 abroad : so for their children, they made idols of 
 them, setting them up in their hearts, and their 
 hearts upon them ; Hosea is. 11, their children were 
 " their glory," they gloried in them, their hearts were 
 set upon them. Because children are parts of their 
 parents, coming out of their loins, because tliey bear 
 their image, are their hopes, perpetuate their lives, 
 names, and memories, therefore they let out their 
 hearts too far towards them, and set their minds upon 
 them ; and not only on these, but on other things 
 also, as riches; Psal. Ixii. 10, "If riches increase, 
 setnot your heart upon them ;" as they increase, usu- 
 ally men's atfections and desires increase towards 
 them, so that they come to trust in them : Psal. lii. 
 7, he " trusted in the abundance of his riches ;" they 
 were his security against all dangers, all enemies. 
 There is scarce any thing we have of any moment, 
 but we are apt to set our minds and hearts thereon ; 
 hence we are commanded to keep our hearts " with 
 all diligence," Prov. iv. 23 ; the Hebrew is, above 
 all keeping, keep that. The less we set our minds 
 upon the creatures, the longer we are like to enjoy 
 them; the more we set our minds upon them, the 
 sooner they may be pulled away. God will not 
 endure any thing to deprive him of his interest in the 
 heart. 
 
 Obs. 2. God hath his times to take away mercien, 
 privileges, idolized and confided in. " In the day 
 when I take from them their strength, the joy of 
 their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that where- 
 upon they set their minds," &c. God took away the 
 temple, their children, he had his day for them both. 
 1 Sam. iv. 3, the Jews trusted in the ark, and idol- 
 ized that ; " Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of 
 the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that when if cometh 
 among us, it may save us out of the hand of our ene- 
 mies ;" but God had a day quickly after that to de- 
 prive them of it : ver. 11, "The ark of God was 
 taken ;" the Philistines took it, and slew thirty thou- 
 sand footmen. Ephraim gloried in his children, but 
 God had his time to pluck them away: Hosca ix. 
 11, 12, " Their glory shall flee away like a bird, from 
 the birth, and from the womb, and from the concep- 
 tion. Though they bring up their children, yet will 
 I bereave them, and there shall not be a man left ;" 
 their priding themselves in their children and in- 
 crease made the Lord to diminish them, he took his 
 tim.es for that purpose. "When Jonah idolized the 
 gourd, the Lord had his day to smite it, Jonah iv. 7. 
 Jacob was over-fond of Joseph, and God had his day 
 to send him far from him. Gen. xxxra. 
 
 Obs. 3. That when God is most angry, executing 
 his severest judgments, then, even then, some are 
 spared, some find mercy. When the Lord should 
 take away the temple, city, their sons and daughters, 
 and make good all the dreadful threatenings given 
 out by Jeremiah and Ezekiel against the Jew'S, by 
 plagtie, famine, sword, wild beasts, which was as 
 black and sad a time as ever they saw, even then 
 some escaped: " He that escapefh in that day." It 
 was hard for any to escape, when such an army of 
 Babylonians, so cruel and bitter, had lain so long 
 round about Jerusalem, watching as lions for the 
 prey ; yet some did escape. Jeremiah saith, Lam. ii. 
 22, " In the day of the Lord's anger none escaped or 
 remained :'' he doth not mean absolutely none, for 
 himself escaped, and divers others; his meaning is, 
 that they were few in comparison of those who 
 suffered. Since the beginning of the world, hath it 
 been heard that God was so severe in any judgment 
 executed upon the sons of men, as to show no tokens 
 of mercy ? When he drowned the world, he showed 
 great mercy to Noah and his family ; when he con- 
 sumed Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes, he gave Lot 
 and his daughters their lives for a prey ; and when 
 he made Jerusalem here a spectacle of his vengeance, 
 he made an outlet and escape for some. He is a 
 God that "in wrath remembers mercy :" and doubt- 
 less, in that great overflowing and drowning made 
 in the Low Countries at this time, as he hath showed 
 much severity, so he hath not forgotten mercy. 
 
 Obs. 4. God at his pleasure puts singular honour 
 upon his faithful servants the prophets. He tells 
 Ezekiel that when he shall have accomplished what 
 he had prophesied against Jerusalem, that he should 
 be informed thereof, that he would give some or 
 others their lives for a prey, that they might bring 
 him tidings thereof ; and so lift up his head against 
 all his adversaries, who looked upon and counted 
 him a false prophet. Herein was great honour put 
 upon the prophet : " He that escapeth shall come unto 
 thee, to cause thee to hear it," &c. So God honoured 
 Abraham, in telling him what he was about to do 
 unto Sodom; Gen. xviii. 17, "Shall I hide from 
 Abraham that thing which I do ?" no ; he is a pro- 
 phet, a friend of mine, my faithful seri'ant ; and he 
 would not conceal the matter from him. So, Amos 
 iii. 7, " The Lord revealeth his secret to his servants 
 the prophets ;" he sends a messenger unto them, 
 even his Holy Spirit, to acquaint them with what he 
 is doing, and with what he hath done : so he sent an 
 angel to Joseph, to tell him that Herod was dead, 
 who sought the life of the young child. Matt. ii. 20. 
 
 Obs. 5. God hath his times of shutting and open- 
 ing the mouths of his prophets. " Thou shalt speak, 
 and be no more dumb :" after this time the prophet 
 was as a dumb man towards the Jews, because they 
 believed not his prophecies, entertained him not as a 
 prophet, but shghted, mocked, and scorned him for 
 those unusual passages of his. which the Lord put 
 him upon ; therefore the Lord took him off from 
 being a prophet unto them, he had no more word 
 for them ; the false prophets went on still, but the 
 tnie prophet is silenced. Men's sins do cause the 
 Lord to stop the mouths of his prophets ; their unbe- 
 lief, unprofitableness, perverse constructions they 
 make of what is said and done by them, their heark- 
 ening to lies, errors, and vain visions of false pro- 
 phets, do discourage them and cause them to be silent. 
 Thus people's untoward carriages made Jeremiah 
 resolve to be silent, and preach no more in the name 
 of the Lord, Jer. xx. 9. The prophets then had, and 
 the prophets now have, great discouragements, and 
 cause enough to be silent ; and God may cause them 
 to be as dumb unto them, removing them into
 
 5S6 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chai'. XXV. 
 
 corners, or taking them away : the people's sins rob 
 them of spiritual mercies. Ezek. iii. 26, " I will 
 make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, 
 that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a 
 reprover; for they are a rebellious house:" their sin 
 deprived them of prophecy, and made the prophet 
 " dumb." Let us look to it, that our sins deprive 
 not us thereof, and make our prophets " dumb ;" 
 God may in justice make them "dumb to us," and 
 open their mouths to others. If you would still hear 
 the prophets speaking unto you, let the Lord see 
 you practising what they present unto you in his 
 name, yea, let the Lord hear you praying for them : 
 and then see what is written and promised, Isa. 
 XXX. 19 — 21 ; then your teachers shall not be re- 
 moved into corners, but your eyes shall see them, 
 and your ears shall hear them. 
 
 Obs. i). Tliat prophets, when they are discouraged, 
 silenced, and become signs unto the people, they are 
 to be patient, waiting upon the Lord to make good 
 what they have spoken in his name, and for the 
 opening of their mouths again. Ezekiel was a 
 " sign" unto them, being silenced and discouraged; 
 he was patient, expecting tlrat God should accom- 
 plish what lie had prophesied, and open his mouth 
 again, which he did : '• In that day shall thy mouth 
 be opened to him that is escaped." 
 
 CHAPTER X.KV. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 7. The word of the Lord came again 
 unto me, saying. Son of man, set thy face against 
 the Ammonites, and prophesy against them; and 
 say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the 
 Lord God ; Thus saith the Lord God ; Because 
 thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it 
 u-as profaned ; and against the land of Israel, 
 tchen it was desolate ; atid against the house of 
 •Tudah, when they went into captivity ; behold, 
 therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east 
 for a possession, and they shall set their palaces 
 in thee, and make their dwellings in thee : they 
 shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thi/ milk. 
 And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and 
 the Anmwnites a couching-place for focks : and 
 ye shall know that I am the Lord ; For thus 
 saith the Lord God, Because thou hast clapped 
 thine hands, and stamped with the feet, cmd re- 
 joiced in heart with all thy despite against the 
 land of Israel , behold, therefore I luill stretch 
 out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for 
 a spoil to the heathen ; and I will cut thee off 
 from the people, and I will cause thee to perish 
 out of the countries : I will destroy thee ; and 
 thou shalt knoiv that I am the Lord. 
 
 In this prophecy of Ezekiel are four things chiefly 
 considerable : the first is, The destruction of the 
 Jewish state by the Babylonians ; which our prophet 
 having declared in the twenty-one chapters preceding, 
 he conies now to the second general head, which is, 
 threatening of judgment to other nations, for their 
 pride, and insulting over the Jews in their misery ; 
 and this he doth in the eight next chapters, from 
 the beginning of this to chap, xxxiii. 
 
 In this chapter our proidiet dcnounceth the judg- 
 ments of God against four of those nations, which 
 were enemies to the Jews; as, 
 
 I. The Ammonites. 
 
 II. Tlie Moabites. 
 
 III. The Edomites. 
 
 IV. The Philistines. 
 
 In these words read, is a prophecy " against the 
 Ammonites," wherein, 
 
 1. Their sins are propounded, ver. 3, 6. 
 
 2. Their judgments, ver. 4, 5, 7- 
 
 3. The end, why God would bring such judgments 
 upon them, ver. 5, 7. 
 
 Ver. 1. " The word of the Lord came again unto 
 me, saying." Being taken off from prophesying 
 against the Jews for the present, he receives com- 
 mission now to prophesy against the gentiles, who 
 accused the God of the Jews either of weakness, 
 that he could not defend his city and temple, or of 
 malice towards his people, whom, if he could deliver, 
 yet he left to the spoil of enemies. The Lord, there- 
 fore, would have them know that he is neither weak, 
 nor malicious, but the great God of heaven and earth, 
 who in justice punished his own people for their sins, 
 and would not spare them, being guilty ; and there- 
 fore commands Ezekiel now to declare his judgments 
 against them. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Set thy face against the Ammonites." 
 In chap. vi. 2, God bids him set his " face towards 
 the mountains of Israel ;" chap. xiii. 17, " against the 
 daugliters of his people ;" in chap. xx. 46, God bid 
 him "set his face towards the south ;" chap. iv. 3, he 
 bids him set it against the city ; and now, to set it 
 "against the Ammonites." This phrase, to set the face 
 against one, imports a full and fixed resolution of doing 
 a thing. Ezekielmustnowresolve to look sourly upon 
 the nations, and prophesy as harsh things against tliem 
 as he had formerly done against the Jews. Jer. xliv. 11, 
 " I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off 
 all Judah ;" God was resolved not to behold them with 
 a countenance promising mercy, but with a counte- 
 nance threatening judgment and utter destruction : so 
 Ezekiel must " set his face against the Ammonites," 
 and prophesy no pleasing things, but sad, bitter, and 
 destructive. The Ammonites had an incestuous be- 
 ginning; they came from Lot and his younger daugh- 
 ter, who named her son Ben-Ammi, who was the 
 father of the children of Ammon, Gen. xix. 38 ; they 
 were bitter and bloody enemies to the Jews, 2 Chron. 
 XX. I ; Amos i. 13; 2 Sam. x. 3, 4, 6 ; their country 
 was strong, well peopled, and full of c'.ties, Numb. 
 xxi. 24; Judg. xi. 33. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word 
 of the Lord God." How the Ammonites should hear 
 Ezekiel being in Babylon, and they far off from him, 
 is inquirable. When he had denounced the judg- 
 ments of God against them, and left this prophecy 
 upon record, by some Babylonians or Jews it might 
 be conveyed unto them. The words, " hear the 
 word of the Lord," import not, that they should 
 hear it at that instant when he prophesied, but that 
 they should in time know what the mind of the 
 Lord was towards them : and doubtless he was com- 
 manded thus to say and prophesy, for the Jews' sake, 
 that they, hearing Ezekiel declare and denounce 
 such judgments against the Ammonites, who had 
 insulted over them, might in some measure be com- 
 forted thereby. 
 
 " Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, 
 when it was profaned." When the " sanctuary " 
 was, by the Babylonians, taken and destroyed, the 
 Ammonites, as one man, or one woman, said, " Aha ;" 
 they rejoiced at it, and scoffed at the Jews. The 
 Hebrew word for " Aha" is, nN'n which is a note of 
 one rejoicing and insulting. Psal. xxxv. 'I'j, it is ren- 
 dered, "Ah, so would we have it;" and Psal. xl. 15, 
 " Aha, aha;" they rejoiced and insulted in the misery
 
 Ver. 1 — 7- 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 587 
 
 of David. So these Ammonites, that should have 
 grieved at the profaning of the sanctuary, and the 
 holy things thereof, and at the sutl'erings of God's 
 people, they sported themselves thereat, and said. So 
 would we have it, we are glad to see this day ; where 
 now is your God ? what are you the better for all 
 your sacrificing and worship ? who hath the true 
 religion, you or us ? Zeph. ii. 8, they reviled and 
 reproached the people of God, and magnified them- 
 selves against their borders, they spake evil of them 
 in the day of their calamity, and added affliction to 
 their affliction. Lam. ii. 10, " All thine enemies 
 have opened their mouth against thee ; they hiss and 
 gnash the teeth -, they say. We have swallowed her 
 up ; this is the day we looked for." The Septuagint 
 for "Aha" is, ye have been glad: the Latin ex- 
 positors turn it, Euge, Euge ; they commended the 
 heathen for what they did against the temple and 
 people of the Lord. 
 
 " Against the land of Israel, when it was desolate." 
 The ten tribes long before were led into captivity by 
 Shalmaneser, 2 Kings xvii. 5, 6; and when their 
 land was overrun by the heathens, and they carried 
 away, these Ammonites did show hostile minds, then 
 they cried, " Aha;" and not only then, but also, 
 
 " Against the house of Judah, when they went into 
 captivity." The " house of Judah went into cap- 
 tivity" by degrees, some with Jehoiakim, some with 
 Jehoiachin, and the residue with Zedekiah ; and still 
 when any of them were carried away captive the 
 Ammonites were glad of it, but especially at the last, 
 when all was laid waste, city, temple, land ; when 
 Zedekiah and the people were all led into captivity, 
 then they belched out their sarcasms and bitter taunts. 
 
 Ver. 4. " I will deliver thee to the men of the 
 east for a possession." The Hebrew is, to the sons 
 of the east. Whom they were, men's thoughts 
 are various. Vatablus makes them the Medes and 
 Persians : some think them to be the Kedarites, who 
 are called " the men of the east," Jer. xlix. 28 : 
 others judge them to be the Arabians, which descend- 
 ed from Abraham by Keturah, and were sent east- 
 ward. Gen. XXV. 6 : but thei-e is no sound reason 
 why we should not conceive them to be the Babylo- 
 nians, who were not fully north from them, but 
 north-east. And therefore, as they were called some- 
 times a wind out of the north, Ezek. i. 4, so at other 
 times, a wind out of the east, or an east wind, chap. 
 xvii. 10; xix. 12; and when Nebuchadnezzar began 
 his military expedition, his eye was upon Rabbath 
 of the Ammonites, as well as Jerusalem of the Jews, 
 Ezek. xxi. 21, 22; he used divination to take him off 
 from his inditl'erency between both, which the Lord 
 by his oveiTiding providence ordered so, as, first, to 
 bring him to Jerusalem, and five years after, unto 
 Rabbath, which he took, subduing the whole coun- 
 
 Ant. lib, 10. try, as Josephus relates. And when 
 cap. 10. tj^e Babylonians had spoiled the Am- 
 monites, and left their country desolate, it is affirmed 
 that the Arabians, who were shepherds, came and 
 possessed the same. 
 
 " And they shall set their palaces in thee, and make 
 their dwellings in thee." When countries are con- 
 quered, th e conquerors are careful to keep them in sub- 
 jection unto them ; and therefore place su.-h in them 
 as they may confide in, who build them " palaces," 
 dwelling-places, and strong holds, to secure them- 
 selves and the country, and so cut them ofTfrom hopes 
 of recovering their liberty. The word for " palaces " is, 
 m'B which is, a castle, or building, having its compass. 
 Palaces, castles, and great houses, are much in com- 
 pass ; or because they are built with squared stones, set 
 equally, and in order : the greater had their " palaces," 
 and the meaner sort their tents, or " dwellings." 
 
 "They shall eat thy fruit." Whatever "fruit" 
 thy land bears, they shall have the benefit thereof. 
 Their land was very fruitful, as may appear from 
 2 Sam. xvii. 27 — 29 ; it was near Canaan, the place 
 Lot had chosen, and his children possessed for many 
 years; so pleasant and fruitful, that had not God 
 forbade the Jews to meddle with it, Deut. ii. 19, they 
 would have had it in their possession : now strano-ers 
 should possess and "eat" the fruit of it. 
 
 " They shall drink thy milk." In those eastern 
 and hot countries they were wont to " drink milk." 
 Judg. V. 25, Jael gave Sisera milk to drink. And these 
 Ammonites having much pasturage, and many cattle, 
 abounded in " milk," by which great gain came in 
 unto them ; whereupon they are called, milk-eaters, 
 by Lavater ; milk-drinkers, by Sanctius. Their land 
 flowed with milk and honey, and now their enemies 
 should " eat" the one, and " drink" the other. The 
 Septuagint renders the word aSn milk, fatness ; 
 strangers should eat and drink the fat and sweet, 
 they should possess their land and wealth. 
 
 Ver. 5. " And 1 will make Rabbath a stable for 
 camels." Rabbath was the head city of the Am- 
 monites, so called because of its greatness and popu- 
 lonsness. There was another Rabbah, or Rabbath, 
 among the Moabites; for distinction' sake, therefore, 
 this was called " Rabbath of the children of Am- 
 nion," Deut. iii. 11 ; it endured a long siege by Joab, 
 2 Sam. xii. ; in after-times it was named Philadelphia, 
 by Ptolemeeus Philadelphus. This great city was 
 taken by Nebuchadnezzar, and made "a stable for 
 camels : " it had been a palace for princes, and was 
 called " the royal city, the city of waters," 2 Sam. 
 xii. 26, 27 ; and it was made a " stable," and that for 
 " camels," which drank the waters thereof. "Camels " 
 are creatures made to carry burdens, they will cany 
 six hundred, seven hundred, yea, ten hundred weight ; 
 ihey kneel down to take their burdens, and being 
 sufficiently loaded, they will admit no more ; they 
 cannot endure the cold, they are content with little 
 meat, and will travel four days without water; they, 
 being weary in journeying, are not put on by blows, 
 but by their keepers going before them and singing. 
 The Hebrew word is, Vcj gamal, whence our English 
 word camel. This creature is patient of labour, and 
 repays with advantage his master for keeping. 
 
 " And the Ammonites a couching-place for flocks." 
 By a metonymy of the adjunct. Ammonites are put 
 for their country ; that should be for a bed of the 
 flock, or resting-place of the sheep and goats ; for 
 [Nl signifies, a flock of sheep and goats. The cities 
 and towns of the Ammonites should be so wasted, 
 that grass should grow there, cattle feed and lie 
 down there. 
 
 " And ye shall know that I am the Lord." Now 
 you blaspheme, saying, I was weak, and could not 
 deliver the Jews out of the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, 
 or malicious, and would not; but you shall know that 
 I am a powerful and just God, who dealt so with 
 them, and you also, for your sins. 
 
 Ver. 6. "Because thou hast clapped thine hands." 
 He had mentioned their sin before, ver. 3, and here 
 he sets it out more fully, and that in the several 
 degrees of it. 1. They " clapped their hands :" this 
 gesture, chap. vi. 11, noted grief; here it imports 
 gladness, they clapped their hands for joy that the 
 temple was burnt, and the Jews rooted out of their 
 land. Job xxvii. 23, " Men shall clap their hands at 
 him." When God should destroy the wicked man, 
 then others should rejoice at it, and manifest their 
 joy by clapping of hands; and when God did exe- 
 cute his wrath upon Jerusalem, all that passed by 
 did " clap their hands" at her, Lam. ii. 15. 
 
 " And stamped with the feet." This is the second
 
 588 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXV. 
 
 expression of their insulting. This gesture noted 
 grief, chap. vi. 11, but here the contrary. In the 
 Hebrew it is, because thou hast enlarged thyself in 
 foot, that is, stretched out thy foot, and stamped with 
 it. The Septuagint is, hast made a noise with thy 
 feet. Their hands and feet were used in an insult- 
 ing manner against the Jews in their misery; it is 
 like they skipped and danced for joy, and so made a 
 noise with their feet. 
 
 " And rejoiced in heart." Here is a third expres- 
 sion. They were not a little atfected, but glad at 
 heart, that Jerusalem was ruined, and the Jews 
 carried away captive: they said, "in heart," Aha! 
 so would we have it. This was as wine unto them, 
 it cheered and enlarged their hearts. 
 
 " With all thy despite against the land of Israel." 
 This is a further degree and aggravation of their 
 sin, they insulted, and that with despite: -|BNW-':33 
 in all thy scorn and despite. The word for " despite," 
 is from Bx» which is, to thrust a thorn or pointed 
 thing into one to vex. These Ammonites did so 
 contemn, scorn, and despise the Jews in their great 
 sufferings, that they were like thorns and goads in 
 their sides. Avenarius renders the words, in all thy 
 lashing : their scorns and despitings were as so many 
 lashes upon the backs and sides of the Jews ; they 
 said, Are these the holy people ? is this the holy 
 land ? where is your God ? why hath he not appeared 
 for you ? thus they reproached God's people, " and 
 magnified themselves against their border," Zeph. 
 ii. 8. 
 
 Ver. 7. "Behold, therefore I will stretch out my 
 hand upon thee." Thou hast clapped thy hands 
 against me and my people, " therefore I will stretch 
 out my hand upon thee," that is, against thee ; it 
 shall be upon thee, to break and destroy thee. I 
 have held in my hand a long time, but now I will 
 stretch it out, aiid thou shalt feel the power of it. 
 Zeph. i. 4, " I will stretch out mine hand upon 
 Judah, and upon all the iidiabitants of Jerusalem ; 
 and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this 
 place, and the name of the Chemarims with the 
 priests:" after stretching, followed cutting off: so 
 Ezek. xiv. 9, " I will stretch out my hand upon him, 
 and will destroy him from the midst of my people 
 Israel." 
 
 " I will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen." 
 In the fourth verse it was said, " I will deliver thee 
 to the men of the east," here, " to the heathen." 
 Those men of the east were heathens, whom the 
 Jews hated as nneireumcised, Judg. xv. 18; as dogs. 
 Matt. XV. 25, 2() ; Christ .speaks according to the 
 esteem the Jews had of the gentiles. To them they 
 should be for " a spoil." The word for " spoil " is, 
 33*7 which Montanus renders, for meat ; but Pis- 
 cator thinks it put for laS for a prey, but that is 
 not needful, because the word bag itself signifies 
 meat, a portion ; as Dan. i. 5, 8, " the portion of 
 the king's meat," -iScn .:3nS God would deliver 
 the Ammonites to be meat unto them, they should 
 feed upon them and what they had, as they had done 
 upon the Jews ; they should eat their fruit, and 
 drink their milk. 
 
 " And I will cut thee oflT from the people." Thou 
 art now a nation among others, but I will cause thee 
 to cease from being a nation, either by destroying 
 of thee, or sending thee into captivity, scattering 
 thee amongst the heathens. If thou be a people at 
 all, thou shalt be a people without any head, without 
 a name ; thou shalt be removed far from the people 
 thou now borderest upon, and they shall know thee 
 no more, thou and thy name shall both perish : so 
 much the next words import. 
 
 " I wiU cause thee to perish out of the countries : 
 
 I will destroy thee." These last phrases do inter- 
 pret the former. Causing them to perish out of 
 " the countries," is, cutting them off from the people ; 
 and, destroying of them, is both. The Hebrew word 
 for " perish " and " destroy " do signify, an utter and 
 total destruction. 
 
 06*-. 1. The Lord having contended with his own 
 family, he contends with others. First, he had a 
 controversy with the Jews, and now he enters into 
 controversy with the nations. " Son of man, set thy 
 face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against 
 them." He had formerly set his face against the Jews, 
 and prophesied sad things against them ; which being 
 done, he must set his face against others, and pro- 
 phesy not only dura but durin-iima, the hardest things 
 against them, even utter destruction. When God's 
 people have drunk of the cup, then it shall be given 
 unto others : Jer. xxv. 15 — 26, God began with 
 Jerusalem, his own people and family, and then 
 caused the cup of his fury to pass unto all nations 
 and kingdoms. So Isaiah, after he had begun with 
 the Jews, and declared what dreadful judgments God 
 would bring upon them, he turns aside to the nations, 
 and lays the burden of the Lord upon them, and that 
 in nine chapters together, from the beginning of 
 chap. xiii. to the end of chap. xxi. Judgment oft be- 
 gins at God's house, as Amos iii. 2, " You only have 
 I known of all the families of the earth : therefore 
 I will punish you for all your iniquities." God would 
 begin with them ; Ezek. ix. 6, " Begin at my sanc- 
 tuary ;" but he ends elsewhere : Psal. Ixxv. 8, when 
 God's people have drunk the red wine in the cup, 
 the wicked must drink the dregs ; the cup passeth 
 from place to place till all be drunk off. Jer. xxv. 
 29, " Lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is 
 called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpun- 
 ished ? Ye shall not be unpunished : for I will call 
 for a sword upon all the inliabitants of the earth." 
 Have I begun with mine own city and people, and 
 do you think to go free ? no, the sword is commission- 
 ed to come unto you ; if that have ate the flesh of my 
 sons, and drunk their blood, much more shall it eat 
 your flesh and bones, and drink your blood. If Je- 
 i-usalem go down, other cities will not stand ; if God 
 spare not his own temple, he will not spare Satan's 
 synagogues : when the green trees are cut down that 
 stood in the garden, the dry trees must expect the 
 axe, which stand in the forest. 
 
 Obs. 2. That the Lord takes notice what the ways 
 and carriages of nations are towards him and his. 
 " Thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it 
 was profaned ; and against the land of Israel, when 
 it was desolate." All the secret consultings, plottings, 
 revilings, attempts that are against the worship, 
 ways, and people of God, among heathens, and 
 heathenish spirits, are minded by the Lord : Psal. 
 Ixvi. 7, " His eyes behold the nations," the men of 
 them, their thoughts, words, and ways. When the 
 nations gathered themselves together against Zion, 
 and said, " Let her be defiled, and let our eye look 
 upon Zion," Mic. iv. 11, God then looked upon them, 
 and observed the workings of their hearts, heads, 
 tongues, and hands; yea, their rage and imaginations 
 he animadverts; Psal. ii. 1, " W'hy do the heathen 
 rage, and the people imagine a vain thing ?" He 
 observed how insultingly the Babylonians carried it 
 against his people, Jer. 1. II: Psal. exxxvii. they 
 rejoiced, they laughed, they said, " Sing us one of 
 the songs of Zion ;" they, and the rest of Zion's ad- 
 versaries, mocked at her and her sabbaths. AVhat- 
 ever the nations now do devise, plot, speak, or enter- 
 prise against the people of God, he that sits in hea- 
 ven beholds the same, and laughs them to scorn. 
 
 Obs. 3. To laugh at, and insult over, the calamities
 
 Ver. 1—7. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 589 
 
 of others, is a grievous and provoking sin. " Because 
 thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was 
 profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it 
 was desolate ; and against the house of Judah, when 
 they went into captivity ; behold, therefore I will 
 deliver thee to men of the east for a possession," &c. 
 Because the Ammonites insulted, clapped their hands, 
 stamped with their feet, were heartily glad at the 
 suli'erings of the Jews, and vented their spite against 
 them, therefore God was exasperated, so as to threaten 
 the Ammonites' ruin, and utter extirpation. They 
 were the neighbours bordering upon them, they were 
 their confederates, in league with the king of Egypt, 
 as the Jews were ; they were their half brethren, 
 descending from Lot; and upon these accounts should 
 have sympathized with the Jews, wept with those 
 that wept, Rom. xii. 15 ; been sensible of their great 
 adversities, Heb. xiii. 3 ; but they insulted over 
 them, mocked at them, were despiteful against them, 
 and added coals to the fire, weight to their burdens, 
 and more chains to their bonds. It is not only an 
 uncharitable, but also an inhuman, an unnatural, 
 thing to insult, make sport, and domineer at the 
 miseries of others. When there be wars in a land, 
 fires in cities, shipwrecks at sea, robberies of houses, 
 inundations of waters, and many sufl'er grievous 
 things by such judgments of God, should we rejoice 
 thereat, mock, and make ourselves merry ? Surely, 
 if we do so, we offend, we provoke the Lord. Prov. 
 xvii. 5, " He that is glad at calamities shall not be 
 unpunished ;" the Hebrew is, shall not be innocent; 
 God will deal with him as a person deeply guilty : 
 he that makes others' calamities the object of his 
 gladness, stirs up God to be the Author of his de- 
 struction. Shimei was glad at the expulsion of 
 David by his son Absalom, yea, mocked at, and 
 cursed him, 2 Sam. xvi. 7, 8 ; he made David's misery 
 the matter of his mirth ; but this kindled such a lire 
 in the breast of the Lord, that it made him return 
 his wickedness upon his head, 1 Kings ii. 44, and 
 cut him ofl' from the land of the living. It is an ar- 
 gument of a malicious heart, of an imbittered spirit, 
 to insult over the miseries of others, and mock at 
 their calamities ; yea, it is an evidence of a wicked 
 man that doth so ; such are Ammonites and Baby- 
 lonians. Job xxxi. 29, " If I rejoiced at the desti-uc- 
 tion of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when 
 evil found him." Job professes he did not make the 
 misery of his enemies matter of music, he had a bet- 
 ter principle within than to put him on to such a 
 wickedness. So David, though the abjects and base 
 ones rejoiced in his adversity, yet he durst not do so ; 
 but when they were sick, he put on sackcloth, he 
 sympathized with them, he humbled his soul with 
 fasting, and prayed for them, Psal. xxxv. 13 — 15. 
 Of such a spirit was Solomon, who gives wholesome 
 counsel; Prov. xxiv. 17, "Rejoice not when thine 
 enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when 
 he stumbleth :" he that rejoiceth at the misery of his 
 enemy, will be sad at his good ; and both are evil. 
 Some, the greater evils befall their enemies, the 
 more they rejoice ; if they fall into sin, reproach, 
 or bitter affliction, they are much gladdened at it ; but 
 thou that dost so, hast not only stumbled, but art 
 fallen, both into sin, and into the displeasure of God, 
 for ver. 18, is a reason why men should not triumph 
 in the troubles and afflictions of others, lest the Lord 
 see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his 
 wrath from him ; thy so doing displeases the Lord, 
 and may cause him to turn away his afflicting hand 
 from thine enemy, and to turn it against thee. In 
 these times this sin is too much in practice, nations 
 and persons rejoicing in the miseries of one another. 
 But we should further consider. 
 
 (1.) That if others be imder the heavy strokes of 
 God to-day, we may be to-morrow, and therefore 
 should not feast ourselves upon others' calamities. 
 Eccles. ix. 2, " All things come alike to all ; there is 
 one event to the righteous and to the wicked :" what 
 befalls thine enemy one day, whom thou thinkest 
 the worst that lives, may befall thee the next day, 
 though thou be the best" man that lives ; therefore 
 " boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest 
 not what a day may bring forth;" it may bring 
 forth as much woe and evil to thee, as the" former 
 day did to thine enemy or neighbour. 
 
 (2.) That we deserve as sad things as any others 
 feel. Are not we sinners, and such sinners as make 
 the times perilous ? 2 Tim. iii. 1^ — 5, are not we lovers 
 of ourselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, 
 disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy ? &c. If 
 we be so, why should not we fear lest the judgments 
 of God should overtake us, and arrest us, as they 
 have done others. Lam. iii. 22, " It is of the Lord's 
 mercies," saith Jeremiah, " that we are not consum- 
 ed : " he puts in himself; and it was not single mer- 
 cy, but mercies, all God's mercies, were at work to 
 keep them alive. We should wonder we are spared, 
 being such sinners as we are, rather than rejoice in 
 the miseries of others, who may be more righteous 
 than ourselves. 
 
 (3.) The end of God's laying his hand upon others; 
 it is not that we should rejoice, clap our hands, dance 
 and insult over them that are miserable, but it is to 
 awaken us, and excite us unto repentance. Luke 
 xiii. when God, by his providence, brings sudden 
 and sad strokes upon men, it is that others should 
 consider and repent : the death of the Galileans, and 
 those upon whom the tower of Siloam fell, was for 
 that end ; therefore saith Christ, " Except ye repent, 
 ye shall all likewise perish." The miseries of Scot- 
 land, Ireland, by the sword, and of the Ketherlands 
 by waters, is not that men should rejoice, but sym- 
 pathize with them, and repent ; if others suffer, and 
 we be spared, that is the goodness of God to us, and 
 his goodness therein should lead us to repentance. 
 
 (4.) The rule of Christ is otherwise : Matt. v. 44, 
 " I say unto you. Love your enemies, bless them 
 that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and 
 pray for them which despitefully use you and per- 
 secute you : " we must not rejoice at their miseries, 
 but love them, and manifest our love by blessing 
 them, doing them good, and praying for them. 
 
 Obs. 4. For die sins of the people, God lays na- 
 tions waste, and disposes of them to whom he please. 
 The sins of the Ammonites caused God to cut them 
 off, to destroy them and their name, and to deliver 
 them for a spoil to the heathen, and their country to 
 the men of the east for a possession : Psal. cvii. 33, 
 34, " He turneth rivers into a w-ilderness, and the 
 watersprings into dry ground ; a fruitful land into 
 barrenness," or saltness, "for the wickedness of them 
 that dwell therein." He is the Governor among the 
 nations, Psal. xxii. 28, and when they do wickedly, 
 he can break them with his rod of iron, cut them ofl' 
 with his battle-axe, and give their countries to whom 
 he pleases. He set Jeremiah over the nations and 
 kingdoms, to root out, pull down, and destroy, Jer. 
 i. 10; which he did in a prophetical way, chap, 
 xxvii. many lands are reckoned up there ; and, ver. 
 6, saith God, "Now have I given all these lands into 
 the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon." 
 They were wicked, proud, idolatrous, oppressive, 
 and insulted against God's people; and the Lord 
 brake them in pieces, and gave them to the men of 
 the east. God, that made the earth, gives it to whom 
 it seems meet unto him, ver. 5. 
 
 Obs. 5. Cities and places which are honourable
 
 590 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXV. 
 
 among men, for their sins, God pours contempt upon, 
 ai'.d puts tliem into base conditions. Ilabballi, that 
 was a royal city, he makes " a stable for camels. " 
 Isa.xiii. 19 — 21, "Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the 
 beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when 
 God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. Wild beasts 
 of the desert shall lie there ; and their houses shall 
 be full of doleful creatures : owls shall dwell there, 
 and satyrs shall dance there ;" for satyrs, the Chal- 
 dee saith, dragons ; Jerom, devils. So spiritual 
 Babylon, Rev. xviii. 2, " It is fallen, it is fallen, and 
 is become the habitation of devils, and tlu- hold of 
 every foul spirit, and a c;ige of every unclean and 
 hateful bird." Rome, that was so famous, i,s, or 
 shall be, a base, contemptible place, a dungeon for 
 devils, a prison for foul spirits, a cage for the worst 
 of birds. Have not the palaces of prelates and their 
 cathedrals been made stables for horses in our days, 
 and prisons for malefactors ? 
 
 Ver. 8— 11. Thus saifh the Lord God; Be- 
 cause that 3Ioah and Seir do say, Behold, the 
 house of Jvdah is like unto all the heathen ; 
 therefore, behold, I will open the side of 3Ioab 
 from the cities, from his cities which are on his 
 frontiers, the glory of the country, Beth-jeshi- 
 moth, Baal-meon, and Kiriathaim, unto the men 
 of the east with the Ammonites, and will give 
 them, in possession, that the Ammonites may not 
 be remembered among the nations. And I will 
 execute judgments upon Moab ; and they shall 
 knotv that I am the Lord. 
 
 In these verses you have our prophet denouncing 
 judgments against the Moabites. Where comes to 
 be considered, 
 
 I. Their sin, ver. 8. 
 
 II. The judgments themselves, ver. 9, 10. 
 
 III. The end of those judgments, ver. 11. 
 
 Ver. 8. "Because that Moab." The Moabites 
 were brethren to the Ammonites, descending from 
 Lot and his eldest daughter, G^n. xix. .37, as the 
 Ammonites did from him and his yoimgest : they 
 abode not in the ways and worship of the true God 
 long, but fell to idolatry, Judg. x. 8, were bitter 
 enemies unto the Jews. Balak, that hired Balaam 
 to curse them, was king of these Moabites, Numb. 
 xxii. 4; they were men of might, Exod. xv. 15; 
 and had the Jews under eighteen years in the days 
 of Eglon, another of their kings, Judg. iii. 14; 
 whom Ehud slew, and after him ten thousand of the 
 Moabites, all men of valour, ver. 21, 22, 29. They 
 infested the Jews much, and oft were there wars be- 
 tween them ajid the Jews: see 1 Sam. xiv. 47; 
 2 Sam. viii. 2: 2 Kings iii. 7: 2 Chron. xx. 10, 11. 
 In their land Moses died and was buried, Deut. xxxiv. 
 5, 6 ; from them descended virtuous Ruth, chap. i. 4 ; 
 of whom also Christ came, Matt. i. 5. 
 
 " And Seir." Seir was a part of Edom : Gen. 
 xxxii. 3, " The land of Seir, the country of Edom," 
 or field of Edom. It was a mountainous part of 
 Edom ; Gen. xiv. 0, it is called " mount Seir," and 
 that from "Seir" the Horite prince of the country, 
 as Bonfrerius observes, from Gen. xxxvi. 20. Tlie 
 Horites, or Horims, were driven out by Esau, Deut. 
 ii. 22; so that he and his posterity possessed it, 
 having that name before. Esau was " Seir," a hairy 
 rough man, and that jilace was mountainous and 
 rough where he sat down. 
 
 " The house of Judah is like unto all the hea- 
 then." The Jews, said they, have stood upon it 
 that their God was the only true God, better and 
 
 mightier than all the gods of (he nations ; that they 
 were a people so dear to him that he would defend 
 them and their city, having his temple, his worship, 
 his prophets, Isa. iv. 5; xxxi. 5; but we see their 
 prophets are liars, they are deluded with vain confi- 
 dences, and their God hath forsaken them ; he hath 
 not dealt better by them than our gods have done 
 by us ; he hath exposed, yea, delivered them into 
 the hands of their bloody and barbarous enemies : 
 so that Judah is like unto all the heathen, who have 
 not met with worse usage from the Babylonians 
 than the Jews themselves have. Thus Moab blas- 
 phemed, and magnified himself against the Lord, 
 deriding Israel, and skipping for joy, J er. xlviii. 26, 27. 
 
 Ver. 9. " I will open the side of Moab from the 
 cities," &e. The word for "side" is, rjra which 
 signifies, a shoulder; and metaphorically, the "side," 
 or strength, of any thing. Here by " side" is meant, 
 the strong cities of Moab, the frontier towns, which 
 were as tlie shoulders and sides to the country : tliese 
 God would " open," he would break their ribs and 
 shoulders, and make way into the heart and bowels 
 of their country, Jer. xlviii. 25, " The horn of 
 Moab is cut oft", and his arm is broken :" Moab's 
 horns and arms were his frontier towns, castles, and 
 forts, he had to ke*ep out the enemy, but the Lord 
 would break these by the Chaldean, and let him into 
 their land. 
 
 " The glory of the country." The Hebrew for 
 " glory " is '3y from na* to swell, to be lifted up ; 
 because those things, which are our glory and orna- 
 ment, usually do pufi" us up, and make us to swell. 
 The cities here mentioned were the glory of the 
 Moabites. 
 
 " Beth-jeshimoth." This city was near Jordan, in 
 the plain of Moab, between which and Abel-shittini 
 the Israelites pitched their last tents before they en- 
 tered into Canaan, Numb, xxxii. 49 ; it was part of 
 Reuben's inheritance at first. Josh. xiii. 20 ; and 
 signifies, the house of solitariness. 
 
 " Baal-meon." This was another city belonging 
 unto them. It is mentioned Numb, xxxii. 38; 1 
 Chron. v. 8. The Scptuagint renders it, upon the 
 fountain : Eusebius saith, it was a great village, 
 nigh a mountain of hot waters. 
 
 " Kiriathaim." It was in the tribe of Reuben, 
 Josh. xiii. 19 ; formerly possessed with giants, Gen. 
 xiv. 5 ; rebuilt or beautified by the children of Reu- 
 ben, Numb, xxxii. 37 : and alter the ten tribes were 
 carried away, who had driven out the Amorites, the 
 Moabites repossessed it, being formerly expelled 
 thence by the Amorites. The word signifies, meet- 
 ings, or two cities, because two cities met together 
 in it. 
 
 Ver. 10. " Unto the men of the east with the Am- 
 monites," &c. God would make way through Moab's 
 chief cities for the Babylonians, who were " men of 
 the east," that they should come in, and take their 
 country in possession. The Hebrew for, " with the 
 Ammonites," is, against the sons of Ammon. God 
 would so deal with the Moabites as he had done with 
 the Ammnniius ; " the men of the east" should come 
 and take possession of both their coimtries. 
 
 " That the Ammonites may not be remembered 
 among the nations." God woidd so spoil and waste 
 the nations of the Moabites and Ammonites, that not 
 only themselves should perish, but the memoiy of 
 them. 
 
 Ver. 11. "And I will execute judgments upon 
 Moab." They think I am a God like the gods of 
 the nations, but they shall find my hand so heavy 
 upon them, be so broken and ruined, that they shall 
 know I am far different from all the gods of the 
 heathen.
 
 Ver. S— II. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 591 
 
 Obs. 1. Nations are like one anotlier in sin and 
 wickedness. The Ammonites insulted over, and 
 scoffed at, the Jews in the da)- of their affliction, 
 and so did Moab and Seir. " Tlie house of Judaic is 
 lilie unto all the heathen;" Moab reproacheth, and 
 Amnion reviles them, Zeph. ii. 8. Jerusalem was 
 " great among the nations, and princess among the 
 provinces," Lam. i. 1 ; but they all were glad of her 
 ruin, and laughed at her suffering. Lam. ii. 15, 16. 
 
 Obs. 2. The world, and men of it, judge untoward- 
 ly of the Lord and his people. What said Moab 
 and Seir? " Behold, the house of Judah is like unto 
 all the heathen;" their God is as our gods, and his 
 people are as we are, they have no more privilege 
 than others. Heathens have heathenish thoughts of 
 God himself, and those who are his. Isa. xxxvi. 18 
 — 20, "Beware, lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying. 
 The Lord will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of 
 the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the 
 king of Assyria ? Where are the gods of Hamath 
 and Arphad ? where are the gods of Sepharvaim ? 
 and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand ? 
 Who are they among all the gods of these lands, 
 that have delivered their land out of my hand, that 
 the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand ? " 
 Here you see wliat the thoughts of Rabshakeh, Sen- 
 nacherib, and his army were, concerning the God of 
 Israel ; that he was nothing differing from the gods 
 of the nations ; tliat he was no more able to deliver 
 Jerusalem out of their hands, than the idol gods were 
 to deliver the nations out of them ; that the Jews 
 should presently become like other people. You 
 have it more fully in 2 Chron. xxxii. 14, " Who was 
 there among all the gods of those nations that my 
 fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver his peo- 
 ple out of mine hand, that your God should be able 
 to deliver out of mine hand ?" No god of any na- 
 tion, against whom my fathers and myself did ever 
 draw the sword, was able to withstand them or me, 
 and so to protect the people. And what ! do you 
 Jews think your God greater and wiser, better, more 
 able to do for you ? you deceive )'ourselves ; I am 
 come against you, and you must fall into my hands, 
 and become like the nations. 
 
 Obs. 3. Heathens' reproaching God and his people, 
 makes way for sad judgments upon them, ushers in 
 certain destruction. Because Moab and Seir said, 
 "the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen," 
 which was a reproaching of God and his people, 
 " Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab ;" 
 I will break his ribs, his strong holds, and let in a 
 potent enemy to destroy him and his. WTien men 
 blaspheme the name of God, and are inhuman to- 
 wards his people, albeit they be heathens, God is so 
 offended at it, that he will severely deal with them. 
 Zeph. ii. 8 — 10, " I have heard the reproach of Moab, 
 and the re\-ilings of the children of Ammon, &c. 
 Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God 
 of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the 
 children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding 
 of nettles, and salt-pits, and a perpetual desolation : 
 this shall they have for their pride, because they 
 have reproached and magnitied themselves against 
 the people of the Lord of hosts." Moab and Ammon 
 were near unto Sodom and Gomorrah, they could 
 not be ignorant of God's dealings with them, and 
 because, in their pride, they reproached God and his 
 people, they should be make like unto them ; their 
 judgment should have something extraordinary in 
 it ; God's curse should be upon them, they should 
 breed nettles and salt-pits, that is, be fruitless and 
 useless, yea, and that for ever. When Nahash the 
 Ammoni'te would not make a covenant with the men 
 of Jabesh-gilead, unless he might thrust out their 
 
 right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel, 
 see what the issue was, for intending to reproach 
 God's people, and himself in them : 1 Sam. xi. God 
 stirred up the spirits of Saul and the people, so that 
 they, fighting with the Ammonites, slew them, and 
 scattered them, " so that two of them were not left 
 together," ver. 11. It is ill to have a reproaching 
 desire towards God's people, and far worse to do it. 
 If God do not bring some open judgment upon such, 
 he will secretly consume them. Isa. Ii. 7, 8, " Fear 
 ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of 
 their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like 
 a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool." 
 Moths and worms are close, hidden things, and do 
 secretly eat into garments and wool, whereby they 
 are altogether marred ; so God hath secret and in- 
 visible moths and worms, plagues and judgments, to 
 devour those that reproach his people, him, and his 
 ways. If God be severe against heathens doing it, 
 will he spare christians doing such evil ? 
 
 Obs. 4. When God is wroth with a nation, strong 
 holds and garrisons will not secure and protect them. 
 Moab had frontier towns, and those manned with 
 men of might, but they kept not out the judgments 
 of God; he opened the side of Moab, he brake in 
 upon them, notwithstanding their forts, castles, gar- 
 risons, and their great strength. Moab is notable 
 for strong forts and strong men, Jer. xlviii. 17, 18, 
 25, 41 ; but how strong soever their cities, their forti- 
 fications, their men were, they could not preserve 
 Moab : Isa. xxv. 10, " Moab shall be trodden down 
 under him, even as straw is trodden down for the 
 dunghill ;" all Moab's strength was no more unto 
 the Lord than straw. Straw is a weak thing, yea, 
 among the weakest of things, the foot of a child can 
 tread that down ; look, then, how easily the foot 
 of a child or man treads down straw, so easily would 
 the foot of God tread down all the strength of Moab. 
 So for Nineveh, the Lord shook down her strong 
 holds as easily as ripe figs are shaken off the fig-tree, 
 Nahum iii. 12. As there is no counsel against the 
 Lord, Prov. xxi. 30, so there is no force or fort can 
 stand out against him : if he give out the command, 
 strong holds are destroyed, Isa. xxiii. 11 ; if he be 
 angry, they are thrown down. Lam. ii. 2. It is law- 
 ful to have strong holds, but sinful and vain to trust 
 in them; that makes what was once profitable to 
 become prejudicial. 
 
 Obs. 5. Cities, forts, and strong holds, do adorn 
 and beautify the places where they are. Moab's 
 cities and fi'ontier towns were the glory of the coun- 
 try. Adullam, a city belonging to Judah, Josh. xv. 
 35, near which was the cave David hid himself in 
 when he fled from Saul, 1 Sam. xxii. 1, is called" the 
 glory of Israel," Micah i. 15. Piscator interprets it 
 of Jerusalem, and makes that " the glory of Israel ;" 
 he shall come to AduUam, even to the glory of Israel. 
 Be the words meant of Adullam or Jerusalem, they 
 were the " glory of Israel." Babylon, Isa. xiv. 4, is 
 styled " the golden city ;" what an ornament was 
 that unto the pro\'ince or place where it was ! so 
 Tyrus, Isa. xxiii. 8, is named "the crowning city;" 
 it was as great an honour to the country where it 
 was, as a crown to a king's head. In Canaan were 
 " great and goodly cities," Deut. vi. 10 ; in IMidian 
 were cities and goodly castles, Numb. xxxi. 10; and 
 these were the ornaments and glory of those places. 
 
 Obs. 6. Strong holds, cities, nations, are the Lord's, 
 and he gives them to whom he will. As he gave the 
 Ammonites', so the Moabites' country unto the men 
 of the cast, and that for a possession. Ezek. xxix. 
 19, " Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Ne- 
 buchadnezzar king of Babylon." What had the 
 Lord to do with Egypt ? was it not Pharaoh's ? had
 
 592 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAP. XXV. 
 
 he any right to dispose of it to another king? Yes, 
 he had more riglit to it than Pharaoh himself; Jer. 
 s. 7) h<^ is tliC " King of nations," and may take from 
 one and give to anotlier at his pleasure. He took 
 the kingdom out of Rehoboam's hands and gave it 
 luito Jeroboam, even ten tribes, 1 Kings xi. 35 ; he 
 took the land of Canaan from others, and gave it 
 unto Abraham and his seed, Gen. xiii. 12 — 15; 
 afterward he took it from them, and gave it, with 
 the great city thereof, into the hands of the Baby- 
 lonians, Jer. x:xxii. 3 ; and with it every strong hold, 
 Hab. i. 10 ; and after seventy years gave it again 
 unto the Jews. 
 
 Ver. 12— 14. Tims salth the Lord God; Be- 
 ccniae that Edom hath dealt against the house of 
 Jiidah hif taking ve)tgca7tce, and hath gveath) 
 offended, and revenged himself vpon them ; there- 
 fore thus saith the Lord God ; I trill also stretch 
 out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off ^nan 
 and beast from it ; and I will make it desolate 
 fi'Om, Teman ; and they of Dedan shall fall In/ the 
 sword. And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom 
 by the hand of my pieople Tsrael : and they shall 
 do in Edom according to mine, anger and accord- 
 ing to my fury ; and they shall know my venge- 
 ance, saith the Lord God. 
 
 These verses contain a prophecy against the Edom- 
 ites, who are the third sort of enemies to the Jews 
 mentioned in this chapter. Here likewise, as before, 
 you have, 
 
 I. Tlieir sin, vcr. 12. 
 
 II. Their judgments, ver. 13. 
 
 III. The efhcient and instrumental causes, ver. 14. 
 
 IV. The end of those judgments, ver. 14. 
 
 Ver. 12. " Because that Edom hath dealt against 
 the house of Judah." By "Edom" are meant the 
 Edomites or Idumeans, who descended from Esau, 
 who. Gen. xxxvi. 8, 9, is called " Edom," and the 
 " father of the Edomites ;" wliich name he had either 
 from his red skin and hair. Gen. xxv. 25, or rather 
 from his selling his birthright for red pottage ; 
 ver. 30, Make me to eat, ntn msn msn-p of that 
 red, that red : he was cruel and profane ; not un- 
 like unto him were his posterity, the Edomites, who 
 ever bare ill will to the house of Jacob. When 
 the Jews came out of Egypt, Moses sent to the king 
 of Edom to let them have passage through their 
 country, but he refused, and came out in hostile 
 manner against them, though they were his brethren, 
 Numb. XX. 14, 18, 30: it was Doeg, an Edomite, 
 that fell upon (he priests, and slew them, 1 Sam. 
 xxii. 19. That the Edomites' unkindncss might not 
 lie upon the spirits of the Jews, and beget ill blood 
 in them, the Lord made a law, that they should "not 
 abhor an Edomite," because they were their brethren, 
 Deut. xxiii. 7 ; he took care that there might be 
 brotherly love between them, but there was very 
 little. 
 
 " Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by 
 taking vengeance." \Vhat cause the Edomites had 
 to deal revengefully with the Jews, we must inquire. 
 They being borderers upon the Jews, Jo.sh. xv. I, 
 and full of enmity against them, did many times vex 
 and prejudice them ; whereupon when Saul was 
 king, he fought against them, as being their com- 
 mon enemies with others, 1 Sam. siv. 47 ; and Da- 
 vid slew all their males, lying upon them six months 
 with his army, 1 Kings xi. 15, 10, and made them 
 tributary, putting garrisons in all parts of their 
 rountry, 2 Sam. viii. 14. After this, in Jehoram's 
 days, they revolted, and made themselves a king, and 
 
 hereupon were smitten by Jehoram and his forces, 
 2 Kings viii. 20, 21 ; Amaziah also, in his days, slew 
 ten thousand of them. 2 Kings xiv. 7; and other ten 
 thousand did the children of Judah carry away cap- 
 tive, and threw them off the top of a rock, and broke 
 them in pieces, 2 Chron. xxv. 11, 12. These things, 
 together with that ancient grudge they had against 
 them for Jacob's getting the blessing and birthright 
 from Esau, their father, made them splenetive, and 
 to seek revenge ; and therefore, when they had any 
 opportunity, they used violence, and shed innocent 
 blond, Joel iii. 19. And when the Babylonians came 
 against the Jews, carried them away captive, the 
 Edomites rejoiced at it, encouraged them against the 
 Jews, and said of Jerusalem, "Kase it, rase it, even 
 to the fotnidation thereof," Psal. cxxxvii. 7. They 
 were as the Babylonians, Obad. ver. 11," Thou wast 
 as one of them :" look what spirit was in a Babylo- 
 nian, the same was in an Edomite : did they speak 
 proudly? sodid the Edomites, ver. 12; did they enter 
 the gates of Jerusalem, and lay hands on the prey ? 
 so did the Edomites, ver. 13 ; did they cut otT many ? 
 so did the Edomites, they cut o(V those that did 
 escape, and delivered up those that remained in the 
 day of distress, vcr. 14 : thus they dealt " against 
 the house of Judah by taking vengeance." The He- 
 brew for " taking vengeance," is, in revenging a re- 
 venge ; Edom was greedy of revenge, and set upon 
 it ; so much the doubling of the word imports. 
 
 " And hath greatly offended, and revenged him- 
 self upon them." In the Hebrew it is, they offend- 
 ed in offending; that is, they " greatly offended :" 
 Qf N signifies, to do wickedly, shamefully, and also, 
 to make desolate, Ezek. vi. 6, because abominable 
 sins do bring desolation. Junius renders the words 
 thus, and do make themselves guilty for ever ; they 
 so offended, as that there was no jiardon, no mercy 
 for them. Piscator, they contracted great guilt; 
 their revenging themselves upon the Jews made 
 them exceeding guilty. 
 
 1. The Jews were their brethren, Obad. 10; Amos 
 i. II. 
 
 2. They were their neighbours, Idumeaand Judea 
 bordered upon one another, Mark iii. 8. 
 
 3. They were confederates with the Jews. Jer. 
 xxvii. 3, an Edomitish ambassador was at Jerusa- 
 lem, who, together with the ambassadors of the 
 other kings there mentioned, were strengthening 
 themselves with Zedekiah against Nebuchadnezzar; 
 see Obad. 7- 
 
 They, therefore, to revenge themselves for former 
 wrongs done them upon the Jews, and that in the 
 day of their calamity, this made their sin exceeding 
 sinful. 
 
 Ver. 13. "I will also stretch out mine hand upon 
 Edom." In ver. 7. the Lord had said that he would 
 stretch out his hand upon Amnion ; that is, he would 
 severely punish it ; so now, also, he would " stretch 
 it out upon Edom," and make it exemplary by his 
 judgments ; he would " stretch out his hand," not 
 to help, but to destroy " Edom." 
 
 " I win cut off man and beast from it." It was a 
 populous country, and abounded much in cattle, but 
 God would cut them all off; Isa. xxxiv. 6, he would 
 make " a great slaughter in the land of Idumea," 
 his sword sliould eat the fat, and drink the blood, of 
 lambs, goal-i, and rams. 
 
 " And I will make it desolate from Teman." Te- 
 man was a principal city in Idumea: Jer. xlix. 7, 
 " Concerning Edom, thus saith the Lord of hosts ; 
 Is wisdom no more in Teman ? is counsel perished 
 from the prudent ? is their wisdom vanished ? " Jerom 
 makes it to be in Edom, and intimates to us that the 
 people of "Teman" were wise, learned, and under-
 
 Ver. 12—14. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 593 
 
 standing. The inhabitants hereof were called " Te- 
 nianites," 1 Chron. i. 45, and so all that dwelt there- 
 abouts. In Job 3-011 read of " Eliphaz the Temanite," 
 Job XV. 1 ; xlii. 7i 9 ; he was of this city, so called 
 from Teman the son of Eliphaz, which Eliphaz 
 was the eldest son of Esau, Gen. xxxvi. 15. Jerom 
 tells us, that the Hebrews call all the south region 
 Theman, and therefore both he and the Septuagint 
 sometimes do render it, the south. From this city, 
 even to Dedan, should all be laid desolate. 
 
 "They of Dcdan shall fall by the sword." "De- 
 ilan " was another city of note in the opposite part 
 of the country to Teman, or a part of Iduniea ; so 
 called from Dedan that descended from Cush, Gen. 
 X. 6, 7; or that Dedan who was from Jokshan, 
 1 Chron. i. 32 : it was a rich and merchandizing 
 place or city, Ezek. xxvii. 15 : the men and merchants 
 of it Gud threatened to cut off by the sword. 
 
 Ver. 14. "And 1 will lay my vengeance upon 
 Edom." The word for " vengeance " is, ncpj in 
 the Septuagint, ic^iic/jCTie, which, in 2 Tliess. i. 8, is 
 rendered "vengeance," which is a wrathful retri- 
 bution of evil, as Leigh saith in his Critica Sacra, or 
 a punishing of sinners unto destruction : it is pecu- 
 liar to the Lord; see Deut. xxxii. 35; Rom. xii. 
 19. The meaning here is, that God would punish 
 Edom so as Edom should be destroyed. 
 
 " By the hand of my people Israel." The word 
 "hand" is taken by some interpreters for the Baby- 
 lonians, by whose "hand" and power the Jews were 
 smitten and broken ; them God would stir up to be 
 avenged on the Edomites, for their unbrotherly deal- 
 ings with the Jews. It is true, they were shortly 
 after subdued by the Babylonians, for God had pro- 
 mised to give Edom and other nations unto Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, Jer. xxvii. 3, 6 : but notwithstanding 
 this were so, that which I find in the projihecy of 
 Obadiah, ver. 18, "The house of Jacob shall be a 
 fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house 
 of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, 
 and devour them ; and there shall not be any 
 remaining of the house of Esau;" this prophecy 
 enforccth me to understand by "hand" here, the 
 "hand" of the Jews, and not of the Babylonians. God 
 woidd bring back the Jews again from their captivity, 
 and by them plague the Edomites, waste and con- 
 sume them by their hands, as stubble by a fire ; 
 which was done in the time of the Maccabees, 2 Mac. 
 
 Vide josepii, I. X. 15 — 23; tlicrc you shall find that 
 
 13, ADiiq.c. 17. Jndas Maccabseus 'slew of the Edom- 
 ites forty thousand. It was prophesied long before, 
 that Edom and Seir should be possessed by the 
 Jews, Numb. xxiv. 18. 
 
 " They shall do in Edom according to mine anger 
 and according to my fury." " Mine anger " and " my 
 fury " is great against the Edomites, and whatever 
 thoughts Edomites or Jews have in them, judgments 
 shall be executed upon the one by the other, accord- 
 ing to " mine auger," not their anger ; according to 
 " my fury," not their fury. 
 
 "And they shall know my vengeance." They 
 shall have experience thereof, they shall feel the 
 weight of my " vengeance," and acknowledge it to 
 be very heavy. The Jews had it laid upon them 
 before, and the weight of it brake them in pieces, at 
 which they sported themselves ; now by their hand 
 it should be laid upon the Edomites, and they should 
 know and acknowledge that the God of Israel was 
 another kind of God than the gods of the nations. 
 
 06s. 1. That bearing grudges in the mind, and 
 seeking revenge thereupon, doth highly displease 
 the Lord, and put nnder much guilt. Edom had 
 former unkindnesses in mind, and acted revengefully 
 when opportunity served; by this he contracted 
 2 (i 
 
 great guilt, he greatly offended. Men ought to for- 
 give one another, and not bag up malice in their 
 hearts: Lev. xix. 18, revenge is flatly against the 
 command; ver. 19, it is against the light of nature, 
 which teaches us to do as we w ould be done unto ; it 
 is thrusting God out of his office, and putting our- 
 selves into his place ; Heb. x. 30, and these things 
 bring us under dreadful guilt, and make us great 
 oflenders. Though rtvenge be sweet, yet it will be 
 bitterness in the end; therefore Kt us learn that 
 needful and unpractised lesson, " Owe nothing to any 
 man, but to love one another," Rom. xiii. 8; owe 
 them no hatred. Lev. xix. IS; no grudges, James v. 
 9 ; no bitterness, nor evil words, Eph. iv. 31 ; but 
 owe love, much love, fervent love, constant love, yea 
 fruitful love, one unto another. 
 
 Obs. 2. Bitter and malicious practices of brethren 
 against brethren, especially in their misery, cause 
 God to bring in severe and consuming judgments. 
 The Edomites dealt bitterly and maliciously against 
 the house of Judah, and therefore the Lord stretched 
 out his hand upon Edom, cut otVman and beast from 
 it, and made it like a wilderness from Teman to 
 Dedan. Their unbrotherly, their enemy-like car- 
 riage to the Jews in their distress, was their undoing; 
 see Amos i. 11, 12; and take what Obadiah gives 
 you, ver. 10, " For thy violence against thy brother 
 Jacob shame shall cover thee, and thou slialt be cut 
 off for ever." The papists in Ireland, those Edom- 
 ites, how bitter, how cruel and bloody, were they 
 against the house of Jacob, all the protestants ! and 
 hath not their ow'n doings covered them w'ith shame, 
 and caused them to be cut off for ever ? The Edomites 
 in this land, and those in Scotland, how unbrotherly 
 did they deal with us in our Icjw estate ! how did they 
 insult over us, speak proudly, and lay their hands 
 upon our substance ! and these dealings of theirs 
 have caused the Lord to bring sharp and con- 
 sumptive judgments upon them. 
 
 Obs. 3. When sore judgments and destructive 
 punishments do come upon nations, it is God that 
 doth bring them, whosoever be the executioners of 
 them. In this chapter God takes it off upon him- 
 self, " I will lay my vengeance upon Edom ;" and ten 
 times bi fore : I will deliver Amnion, ver. 4 ; " I will 
 make Rabbath a stable for camels," ver. 5 ; " I will 
 stretch out mine hand, 1 will cut thee oil', I w-ill cause 
 thee to perish, I will di stroy thee," ver. 7; " I will 
 open the side of Moab," ver. 9 ; " I will execute 
 judgments," ver. 11 ; "I will stretch out my hand, I 
 will make it desolate," ver. 13; and thrice more in 
 the ch.ajiter afterw-ards. Men are backward to eye 
 God ; when judgments come, they will not see his 
 hand: the hands of men they see and feel, and 
 thereupon fret, rage, meditate revenge, disquiet 
 themselves, plot mischief, and attempt changes ; but 
 did they see God's hand laying vengeance upon 
 them, they would see also how justly he had done it, 
 even for their sins, and so humble themselves, be 
 quiet, submit, and accept the punishment of their 
 iniquities. God hath laid his vengeance upon 
 nations mar us, and farther off; they do not, they 
 will not see the Lord, or his hand, but they shall 
 see, and be ashamed for their envy at his people: 
 whatever vengeance is upon any nation, it is the 
 Lord's vengeance, not man's. 
 
 Obs. 4. it is God's method to plague and punish 
 the wrongers by lhe wronged. The Edomites dealt 
 wretchedly, cruelly, against the house of Judah, they 
 were the wrongers, the oppressors ; and what sailh 
 God? " I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the 
 hand of mv people Israel;" they were the wronged. 
 The Edomites thought the Jews should never be 
 able to get up again, or trouble them, but God had
 
 594 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. XXV 
 
 his time to make them instruments to plague and 
 ])uuish those who had entreated them so ill : Obad. 
 21, the Lord caused "saviours to come up on mount 
 Zion to judge the mount of Esau;" after the Baby- 
 lonish captivity, the house of Jacob grew stnmg, be- 
 came terrible as fire, and burnt the Edomites as 
 stubble and straw : those they had despised and in- 
 sulted over, at last they suffered by. 
 
 Ob.s. 5. When God employs men to be inslruments 
 of executing his judgments, they are carried forth 
 so far as he pleaseth. "They shall do in Edom 
 according to mine anger and according to my fury :" 
 God had c(mccived great anger against them, liad 
 much fury to let out, therefore they should destroy 
 man and beast, make it desolate from one end or side 
 of tlie country to the other. 
 
 Obs. 6. The vengeance of God is an awakening 
 and distinguishing thing. " They shall know my 
 vengeance;" that 1 am a God of infmite power, 
 most holy and ju>.t, difl'ering from all the gods of 
 the nations. 
 
 Ver. 15—17. Thus saith the Lord God ; Be- 
 cause (he Philistines hare dealt by revenge, and 
 hare taken venffeance with a despiteful heart, to 
 destroy it for the old hatred ; therefore thus saith 
 the Lord God ; liehold, I will stretch out mine 
 hand vpon the Philistines, and I will cut off the 
 Chcrethims, and destroy/ the renujant of the sea 
 coasts. And I will execute great vengeance upon 
 them with furious rebukes ; and they shall know 
 that I am the Lord, when I shall lay viy vengeance 
 tijion them. 
 
 These verses are a prophecy against the Philis- 
 tines ; where you may take notice of, 
 
 I. Their sin; tiny were revengeful, ver. 15. 
 
 II. Their punishment ; cutting off, destruction, 
 ver. IG. 
 
 III. The manner of God's punishing them; ver. 
 17, " with furious rebukes." 
 
 IV. The end of his punishments; ver. 17, "they 
 shall know that I am the Lord." 
 
 Ver. 15. " The Phili.stines." They came out of 
 the loins of Cashdiim, Mizraim, and Ham, Gen. x. 
 6, 13, 14. Their country was Palestina, which was 
 west of Judea, and bordering upon the sea ; it had 
 five great cities in it, Ashdod, Gaza, Askelon, Gath, 
 and Ekron, I Sam. vi. 17, each of which had its 
 lord, Josh. xiii. 3. The Septuagint calls them 
 aXXntpvXoi, men of another stock, race, nothing allied 
 to the Jews. They owned not the God of Israel, but 
 had other gods, Judg. x. 6. Dagon was a chief 
 god of theirs, Judg. xvi. 23 ; they had a house of 
 gods, 1 Chron. x. 10 ; poor and petty gods, that 
 were confined to and comprehended in a house. 
 These Philistines were men of war ; they had the 
 Jews under their power eighteen years together, 
 Judg. X. 7, 8 ; yea, forty years together, Judg. xiii. 
 1. In Samuel's days, they slew thirty thousand 
 footmen at once, and took the ark of God, I Sam. 
 iv. 1 1 ; they slew Saul and his three sons in another 
 battle, whereupon they came to possess many cities 
 of the Israelites, 1 Sam. xxxi. They were the 
 greatest enemies the Jews had, and more frequent 
 wars were between them and the Jews than any 
 other. 
 
 " Have dealt by revenge." The Hebrew is, for 
 that thou hast had to do in revenge, which is an act 
 of an ulcerous mind, repaying evil for evil. The 
 word ncpj revenge, hath aflinity with cip lam, 
 to rise up. The revenger riscth up against him who 
 hath wronged him, be the injury real or in imagina- | 
 
 tion, and satisfieth himself for the same. The Phi- 
 listines, as they had oft conquered and kept under the 
 Jews, so they had oft been conquered and held under 
 by the Jews. Samson in his days plagued and slew 
 many of them, Judg. xiv. xv. xvi. So in Samuel's 
 and Jonathan's times, they suffered much, 1 Sam. 
 vii. 13, and chap. xiv. ; but David, 2 Sam. v. viii. xxi. 
 was the great champion that subdued them. Heze- 
 kiah also smote them, 2 Kings xviii. 8; and Uzziah 
 brake down the walls of their strong cities, and 
 built cities among the Philistines, 2 Chron. xxvi. 
 
 6. Tliese acts of the Jews lodged in their hearts, 
 rankled, begat malicious thoughts in them, and made 
 them from generation to generation to meditate re- 
 venge ; and having an opportunity, upon the Baby- 
 lonians coming to besiege Jerusalem, they fell in 
 witli them, furnished them with men, ammunition, 
 and what they could, to destroy the Jews. 
 
 " And have taken vengeance with a despiteful 
 heart." The words in the original run thus, and 
 have revenged a revenge with contempt in the 
 mind : they contemned and despised them in their 
 hearts, minds, and were glad they had an oppor- 
 tunity to be revenged on them. Piscator reads the 
 words, they did from their heart take vengeance on 
 Jerusalem, by depopulating it : they were very 
 spiteful against them, and used them with tlie 
 greatest scorn and spitefulness they could. ISlatt. v. 
 44, " Pray for them which dcspitefnlly use you ;" 
 the word for "despitefully use" is, tTrijpfaJw, from 
 Ap))f, Mars, helium, war, because where there are de- 
 spiteful actions, there is a hostile and warlike in- 
 sulting over others, and seeking their harm, yea, oft 
 their ruin. 
 
 " To destroy it for the old hatred." Montanus 
 turns the Hebrew thus, to destroy through the en- 
 mity of the age; it is like they had great enmity, 
 against the Jews at that time ; but in the margin he 
 hath it, inimicitiis ■perpetuis, the Philistines had per- 
 petual enmity agamst them, and upon all occasions 
 manifested it. CEcolampadius, to destroy the eternal 
 hatreds which were between them : the Philistines 
 now made account so to destroy the Jews, as that 
 they should never be troubled or harmed by them 
 more. Our translation is good, which saith, " the 
 old hatred." They hated the Jews from the begin- 
 ning ; Gen. xxvi. 18, the Philistines stopped the 
 wells Abraham had digged, and contended with 
 Isaac when his servants digged new ones ; so that 
 he named one Esek, the other Sitnah, that is, Con- 
 tention and Hatred, ver. 20, 21 : and after, the Jews 
 obtaining many victories over them, their hatred 
 increased; and especially for David's slaying their 
 Goliath, 1 Sam. xvii. burning their images, 2 Sam. 
 v. 21, and killing their fom- giants, 2 Sam. xxi. and 
 making them tributaries. They knew that the Jews 
 and Jerusalem had plagued them many years, and 
 now out of that old hatred they bare to it and them, 
 they would destroy both. 
 
 Ver. 10. " I will stretch out mine hand upon the 
 Philistines." Of stretching out the hand, the 7th 
 and 13th verses gave occasion to speak. God had 
 forborne them notwithstanding all their enmity and 
 evil doings against the Jews, but now he would aji- 
 pear and punish them, his hand should bring destruc- 
 tion upon them. 
 
 " I will cut off the Cherethims." They were a 
 people dwelling near the sea coast in Palestina, 
 warlike and fierce ; they had been subdued by 
 David, and served him, 2 Sam. viii. 18 ; xv. 18 ; xx. 
 
 7. It is conceived they were David's guard. Some 
 derive their name from r-^s ej.cindere, because they 
 were men of might, able to cut off and destroy. 
 Symmachus and Theodotion render the word " Che-
 
 Veu. 15—17. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 595 
 
 retliims," destroyers. ^\^latever they were, God 
 here threatens their ruin ; and so in Zcph. ii. 5, 
 " Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the na- 
 tion of the Chcrethites ! " 
 
 " And destroy tlie remnant of the sea coast." 
 Those that dwelt upon the coast of the Mediterra- 
 nean sea. In the Hebrew it is, the remnant of the 
 haven of the sea, that is, the Philistines, whose 
 bounds were the sea. 
 
 Ver. 1/. " And I will execute great vengeance 
 upon them." In the llth verse the Lord said he 
 would " execute judgments upon Moab ;" in the I4th 
 verse, he would " lay vengeance upon Edom ;" and 
 here, he " will execute great vengeance upon " the 
 Philistines and Cherethims. The Hebrew is, great 
 vengeances ; they are such as do destroy, and are 
 without mercy. 
 
 "With furious rebukes." In the Hebrew it is, 
 with rebukes of fury. God would lay aside all mer- 
 cy and pity, he would not only be angry, but wrath- 
 ful, hot, fiery. ncPl which is fury, a calore dicitur ; 
 for both nrr and acn from one of which it comes, 
 signify to grow hot ; and fury is nothing else but 
 fervnr irep, the heat and height of anger : and in such 
 a mood would God rebuke them ; they should not 
 have verbal rebukes, but real rebukes. 
 
 Obs. 1. Enmity once bred between nations, dicth 
 not away, but groweth up, and vents itself upon all 
 occasions. The Philistines took the actions done 
 by the Jews against them so ill, that they hated 
 them, grew in their hatred, and showed their hate- 
 fulness of them whenever they had opportunity. In 
 the 15th verse there are several gradations : (1.) They 
 hated the Jews. (2.) Their hatred continued, they 
 would not lay it down, but let it proceed from gene- 
 ration to generation ; it was " old hatred," such as 
 had been in their fathers, grandfathers, great grand- 
 fathers, and their predecessors many hundred years. 
 (.'3.) It was not a secret hatred, but such as put them 
 upon " revenge," and brake out in action. (4.) Such 
 as was not content with a few revengeful actions, 
 but carried them on to trade in such actions ; they 
 " dealt by revenge," it was their constant practice. 
 (5.) Their heart was in the same, they were given 
 to it, set upon it. (6.) Their hatred was joined with 
 despite, they did insult and domineer over the Jews 
 in their atHiction. And, (7.) Their end was the de- 
 stroying and rooting out of the Jewish nation ; they 
 look " vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy 
 it for the old hatred." They neighbouring upon 
 the Jews, did oft infest them. In Ahaz's days they 
 invaded the south of Judah, took " Beth-shemesh, and 
 Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages 
 thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo 
 also and the villages thereof ; and dwelt there," 
 2 Chron. xxviii. JS. Their hatred to the Jews was 
 implacable and immortal. When enmity began 
 once between Judah and Israel, it lasted from age 
 to age : " There was war between Jeroboam and 
 Rehoboam all their days," 1 Kings xiv. 30 : so for 
 Asa and Baasha, there was nothing between them 
 but acts of hatred and hostility, 1 Kings xv. 32. 
 
 Obs. 2. Those that hate, oppose, and evil entreat 
 the people of God, he wUl be revenged on, and that 
 severely. The Philistines dealt despitefully and re- 
 vengefully with the Jews, and therefore the Lord 
 would cut them oft", " execute great vengeance upon 
 them," and that " with furious rebukes." God's 
 people are dear unto him, he that touches them 
 touches the apple of God's eye, Zech. ii. 8 : because 
 the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, dealt injuriously 
 with the Jews, therefore God laid his vengeance 
 upon them, cut them oil', and rooted them out. The 
 Egyptians tyrannized over them in their minority, 
 2 Q 2 
 
 and God drowned them in the bottom of the Red sea 
 for it. Sooner or later God met with and plagued 
 all the nations round about the Jews, who dealt un- 
 kindly and despitefully with them. The Babyloni- 
 ans were called of God to punish the Jews for' their 
 wickedness, but because they carried it bloodily and 
 insultingly against the people of God, Jer. 1. 11, 
 therefore the Lord destroyed Babylon and took " ven- 
 geance on her," ver. 15, even "vengeance of his 
 temple," ver. 28. God is now at this time revenging 
 the wrongs of his people, done by antichrist and 
 the antichristian party. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVL 
 
 Ver. 1 — 6. And it came to pass in the eleventh 
 yeay\ in the first day of the month, that the word 
 of the Lord came wito me, saying, Son of man, 
 because that Tyriis hath said against Jerusalem, 
 Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the 
 people: she is turned %i.nto me : I shall be replen- 
 ished, now she is laid waste : therefore thus saith 
 the Lord God ; Behold, I am against thee, O 
 Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up 
 against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to 
 come up. And they shall destroy the walls of 
 Tyrus, and break down her towers : I tcill also 
 scrape her dust from her, and make her like the 
 top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spread- 
 ing of nets in the midst of the sea : for I have 
 spoken it, saith the Lord God: and it shall become 
 a spoil to the nations. And her daughter's which 
 are in the field shall be slain by the sword ; and 
 they shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 EzEKiEL having prophesied against the Ammonites, 
 Moabites, Edomites, and Philistines in the former 
 chapter, here he proceeds in prophesying against 
 the Tyrians, foretelling their destruction. In the 
 chapter we have, 
 
 I. The time when this prophecy was, ver. I. 
 
 II. The sin of the Tyrians, which caused God here 
 to threaten their destruction, ver. 2. 
 
 III. Their destruction, and by whom, with the 
 events thereof, in the rest of the chapter. 
 
 IV. The end of God's dealing thus with them, 
 ver. 6. 
 
 Ver. 1. " In the eleventh year, the first day of the 
 month." It is evident what year Ezekiel had this 
 prophecy given in, viz. in the eleventh year of Zede- 
 kiah's reign, and Jehoiachin's captivity, both which 
 run upon the same account ; but for the month it is 
 controverted. Some make it to be the fourth month 
 of the said year, nine days before the city was broken 
 up, Jer. lii. 5 — 7, which is not mentioned hence by 
 the prophet, because it was such a black and sad 
 month unto the Jews : but if this were a sufficient 
 reason, why did Jeremiah mention it? and why is 
 it expressed 2 Kings xxv. 3 ? Others make it to be 
 the fifth month, which was the first month after Je- 
 rusalem was taken. Between the ninth day of the 
 fourth month and the first day of the fifth month, 
 there being twenty days, the tidings of Jerusalem's 
 ruin came to the Tyrians, who thereupon insulted, 
 and said, " she is broken," ver. 2 ; which was a great 
 affliction to the superviving Jews, oppressed with 
 miseries, and going into captivity, and would be no 
 less to those who were formerly in Babylon, when 
 they should hear of it.
 
 50G 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UTON 
 
 Ciur. XXVI. 
 
 Note hence, That there are remarkable times 
 when God gives in a word to his servants. When 
 Jerusalem was taken, broken up, and bnrnt, when 
 heathens insulted over the poor Jews, then " tlie 
 word of the Lord" came to the prophet, then he 
 must projihesy against their enemies, which v,as 
 some matter of comfort unto them in their great and 
 extreme sufferings. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Because that Tyrus hath said against 
 Jerusalem." The first mention of Tyre in holy 
 writ, is Josh. xix. 29, where it is placed within the 
 lot of Ashcr, and not in the tribe of Naphtali, as 
 Jerom and Eusebiiis affirm. And though it were 
 given to Asher, yet that tribe never had possession 
 of it. In Hebrew it is called Tzur, or Tzor, (which 
 signifies a strait, a rock,) because it w"as built upon 
 a rock. The Greeks, who could not well pronounce 
 tzaddi, turned that into tau, whtnce it was called 
 'J'lcr, and so Tyrus. This city was very ancient; 
 Isaiah t(dls you the anticjuity of it; it was "of an- 
 cient days," chap, xxiii. 7- Dionysius Alexandrinus 
 called it. The ancient city. And Pliny 
 
 MU3. in Josh. XIX. ,, .. rrii ii c L ■ i. 
 
 calls ]t, I he mother of most ancient 
 
 cities. It was built above four hundred years before 
 
 the temple, and more, though Josephus 
 
 Lib. 8. Ant. c. e. ^.^jjj^ jj ^,^^ ^^^^ j^^,^ hundred and forty 
 
 years. It was no part of the land of Canaan, but a 
 strong city, in an island seven hundred paces distant 
 from the continent; Junius saith, about one hun- 
 dred. Hiram, w-ho loved David, and furnished Solo- 
 mon with cedars for V)iulding the temple, was king 
 thereof, 1 Kings v. It was a famous mart town, first 
 taken by Nebuchadnezzar, and after by Alexander, 
 who made it of an island, a peninsula. Tyrus here 
 is ])ut for the Tyrians. 
 
 " Aha, she is broken th:it was the gates of the 
 people." Here was the sin of the Tyrians, they 
 cried, " Aha," when Jerusalem was taken and ruined 
 by the Babylonians, and so insidted over them in 
 their afflicted estate ; they said, " she is broken that 
 was the gates of the people." Jerusalem was a city 
 that had many gates, Jer. xvii. 19; whether twelve 
 or more, it matters not : by these gates which it 
 had on every side people of all parts entered into it; 
 so that the confluence of people to Jerusalem, partly 
 for worship, and partly for trading, was very great ; 
 she was " full of jieople, great among the nations, 
 and princess among the i)rovinees," Lam. i. 1. And 
 therefore, because people of all nations had free in- 
 gress into her, and egress out of her gates, she is 
 called " the gates of the people ;" by "gates" also 
 is noted strength, power, and so Jerusalem was the 
 " gates of the people." The sense is this, Jerusa- 
 lem hath had all nations flocking thither, crowding 
 in at her gates, but now her strong gates arc broken, 
 she is desolate, no foot shall come thither to worship 
 or trade any more. 
 
 " She is turned unto me." Now Tyrus shall be 
 Jerusalem, my gates shall be the gates of the peo- 
 ple, all that flocked thither will come unto me ; I 
 shall now have the great trading and commerce with 
 nations which Jerusalem had. Tyrus was a rich 
 city, had great trading, Isa. xxiii. 3 ; yet rejoiced in 
 the ruin of Jerusalem, because her merchandizing 
 and wealth would be increased hereby. 
 
 " I shall bo replenished." My gates, my streets, 
 my shops, my ho\isi'S, my harbours, my places for 
 worship, shall be filled all of them, and that as much 
 as ever Jerusalem's were ; now the people and 
 wealth of all nations will come flowing in to me, so 
 Ih.at my greatness, riches, and glory, will equalize, if 
 not exceed, Jerusalem's. 
 
 " Now she is laiil waste." The Hebrew is, 
 nsinn from snn to dry up. Now all her streams 
 
 and springs are dried, now she is like the channel 
 of a river without water or fish, now the press- 
 ing in of people at her gates is ceased, now her 
 merchants fail her, now her wealth, strength, and 
 glory are laid in the dust, now she is dry, desolate, 
 and waste. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Behold, I am against thee, Tyrus." 
 This was sad news for Tyrus ; to have God declare 
 himself against her, was more than if all nations 
 had done it. The Hebrew is, I am above thee ; 
 thou hast lifted up thyself against Jerusalem, and 
 above other cities, but I am above and against thee ; 
 I, that am the great God of heaven and earth, that 
 shake the foundations of the world, that have all na- 
 tions at my command, behold, I am above thee, I am 
 coming against thee. 
 
 " And will cause many nations to come up against 
 thee." Nebuchadnezzar had divers nations and pro- 
 vinces under his command. God would order it so, 
 that he should bring an army made up of those na- 
 tions against Tyrus : wdiat cruelty and violence was 
 wanting in one nation, should be made up in another. 
 
 " As the sea causeth his waves to come up." The 
 waves come up thick when tlie wind blow-s, they rise, 
 they roar, they rage, they break the ships in pieces ; 
 so when God should breathe out a word of command 
 to the nations, they should come like waves of the 
 sea, raging, threatening, and ruining all. Armies 
 and forces are likened to the sea, great waters, and 
 their waves, which roar and destroy. Jer. 1. 42 ; li. 
 42, there Cyrus his great army is called a sea roar- 
 ing, and covering Babylon with her waves. 
 
 Ver. 4. " And they shall destroy the walls of Ty- 
 rus." Cities and towns of note, especially upon the 
 sea coast, use to be W'ell walled ; such was Tyrus, 
 being upon a rock in the sea, it had strong walls; 
 but they .should be destroyed, and the towers thereof 
 broken down. 
 
 " I will also scrape her dust from her, and make 
 her like the top of a rock." God would so destroy 
 Tyrus, that no monument of her shall remain, there 
 shall not be any pnece of a house, tower, or wall, 
 not one stone left upon another : I will raze her 
 foundation, and that dust which comes by so doing 
 I will take away, there shall be nothing visible but 
 " the top of a rock ;" such as that phice and rock 
 was before Tyrus was built, such should it be again. 
 God would exceedingly, yea, utterly deface that city. 
 The word for " scrape" is from nnD sicclia, to sweep 
 or pare off dirt from the pavement. Septuagint is, 
 Xiniiijaui, I will fan her dust from her. 
 
 Ver. 5. " It shall be a place for the spreading of 
 nets in the midst of the sea." It shall serve for no 
 other use but the nets of fishermen ; whc n they have 
 done their fishing in the sea, they shall come thither, 
 and spread their nets there for drying and mending : 
 wliere now are pleasant gardens, orchards, walks, 
 stately pakaces and buildings, where none but mer- 
 chants and men of quality come, even there shall 
 poor fishermen come, and spread their nets. 
 
 " For I have spoken it, saith the Lord God." You 
 think this impo.ssible, that a city upon a rock in the 
 sea, strongly built, strongly walled and towered, that 
 hath stood many hundred years, shoidd be brought 
 to nothing, and made as a plain or fiat for fishermen 
 to spread their nets on ; but " I have spoken il, saith 
 the Lord," and I am a God of truth, and able to 
 make gf)od my word. 
 
 " It shall become a spoil to the nations." It hath 
 great store of merchants' goods, of ware, and wealth; 
 it is a rich city, and shall be for a prey to the na- 
 tions ; they shall come, take, and carry iiway all that 
 is in it. 
 
 Ver. G. " And her daughters which are in the
 
 Veu. 1—14. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 5or 
 
 field," &c. Tyrus had many towns and cities upon 
 the land undor her command, and these are here 
 called her " daughters in the fiuld :" Solomon gave 
 Hiram, in his days, twenty cities in the land of Gali- 
 lee, for tlie gold, cedars, and fir trees he furnished 
 him with, 1 Kings ix. II; and it is without dispute 
 that he, being king of Tyre, had other towns and 
 cities belonging to him, all which are called "daugh- 
 ters," Tyrus being the metropolis and chief city. 
 Great cities had towns belonging to them, 1 Chron. 
 vii. 28, 29 ; 2 Chron. xxviii. 18 ; and these were 
 called " daughters," Jer. xlix. 2, 3; Lam. iii. 51 ; 
 Ezek. xvi. 4(j, 4S, 49, 53, 55. If we take " daugh- 
 ters" here for the women of Tyre, widows, wives, 
 and maids, who walked out into the fields, Lavater 
 will join issue with us. Understand it of which you 
 will, it is certain both were destroyed by the judg- 
 ments of Cjod. 
 
 Oi.y. 1. That when God's people are severely dealt 
 with by the Lord for their sins, others do impiously 
 and inhumanly scuff' at and insult over them. 
 •Wlien Jerusalem was sacked by the Babylonians, 
 the Tyrians cried, " Aha, she is broken ;" so the 
 Ammonites, chap. xxv. 3, they had their " Aha " 
 against the sanctuary, and land of Israel : so Ezek. 
 xxxvi. 2, the enemy said, " Aha," against the Jews. 
 Nature teacheth men to sympathize with those who 
 are in misery, not to multiply their miseries by scofi's 
 and mocks ; but the nations showed themselves im- 
 pious and unnatural in dealing so with the Jews. 
 The like may God's pieople expect now from the 
 world : if they meet with breaking for their sins, the 
 men of the world will say, " Aha," so would we have 
 it; others' mourning is their music, others' tears are 
 their wine. 
 
 Obs. 2. That merchandizing cities, through their 
 envy and covetousness, are glad at the ruin of other 
 cities, expecting to enrich themselves thereby. Ty- 
 rus was a city of merchants, Isa. xxiii. 1 1, had great 
 trading, was rich, yet she envied Jerusalem, saying, 
 " she is the gates of the people," she hath the great 
 concourse of all sorts from all nations entering into 
 her, and merchandizing with her; but now' " she is 
 broken, she is turned unto me ;" all that traded with 
 and enriclied her, will come to me, and 1 shall be 
 replenished: thus. she manifested her covetousness, 
 and hope of being enriched by the breaking of Jeru- 
 salem. When a city flourishes, and hath great trad- 
 ing, other cities envy them, and if mischief befall 
 them, they are glad, gaping then to be made by their 
 miseries: this is the disposition of merchants and 
 merchandizing places, they look too much at them- 
 selves, and so they may gain, it matters not who are 
 losers : let Jerusalem go down, so Tyrus may go up. 
 To rejoice in the ruins of others is wretched, but to 
 rejoice therein that we may be enriched, is accursed. 
 Some are glad when their neighbours' houses are on 
 fire ; when they break, they think thereby they shall 
 be made, have the greater trading, be replenished, 
 &c. Let tradesmen and merchants look to it ; this 
 was the sin of Tyrus, and did not a little displease 
 the Lord. 
 
 Oi.v. 3. Rejoicing in, and desire to be enriched by, 
 the harms of others, provokes God, so as to bring 
 destruction upon cities and citizens. The Tyrians 
 did so, therefore saith God, " Behold, I am against 
 thee, Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come 
 up against thee. And they shall destroy thy walls, 
 thy towers, thy daughters, and thou shaft be a spoil 
 unto them." To insult over others in their miseries, 
 and to make a prey of them through covetousness, 
 are dangerous sins ; God looks we should pity 
 and help men sull'ering, l)y our prayers, counsels, 
 estates ; not that we should add to their afflictions, 
 
 and make their furnace hotter ; such doings heat 
 God's fury, and cause it to break out unto destruc- 
 tion : ujion this account the Ammonites, Moabilcs, 
 Edomites, and Philistines, were destroyed. Let us 
 then not sport ourselves at the sufl'erings of others, 
 nor expect raising from their ruins. " Covetousness 
 is the root of all evil ;" it emptied Tyre of its wealth 
 and citizens, yea, helped on its utterdesolation. 
 
 Obs. 4. I'he Lord hath the command of nations, 
 and calls them forth when and to what service he 
 pleases. " I will cause many nations to come up 
 against thee." He is " King of nations," Jer. x. 7 ; 
 " Governor among the nations," Psal. xxii. 28; and 
 if he call, they come ; Isa. v. 25, he will " lift up an 
 ensign to the nations," he will " hiss unto them," 
 and " behold, they shall come with speed :" and let 
 the Lord make known his mind by word or sign, by 
 any acts of his providence, and the nations come pre- 
 sently, and are ready to do what he will, to assault 
 cities, even Jerusalem, Kabbah, Tyre, or Babylon 
 itself: Jer. 1. 9, " I will raise and cause to come up 
 against Babylon an assembly of great nations from 
 the north country : and they shall set themselves 
 in array against her." God hath the command of 
 great nations, and can cause them to come out of 
 their countries, and do him service, where he please. 
 Let us then fear this God, who hath such command, 
 and say, " Who would not fear thee, King of na- 
 tions ? for to thee doth it appertain." 
 
 Ver. 7 — 14. For thus sciith the Lord God; 
 Behold, I mill bring upon Tyrus Nelmchadrezzar 
 king of Babiflnn, a king nf kings, from the north, 
 tvith horses, and with chariots, and ivith horsemen, 
 and companies, and much people. He shall shnj 
 icith the sword thy daughters in the field: and he 
 shall make ajbrt against thee, and cast a mount 
 against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee. 
 And he shall set engines of u-ar against thy walls, 
 and with his a.res he shall break down thy towers. 
 By reason of the abundance of his horses their 
 dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the 
 noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of 
 the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gntt^, as 
 7iien enter into a city wherein is made a breach. 
 M ith the hoofs if his horses shall he tread down 
 all thy sti'cets : he shall slay thy people by the 
 swnrd, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to 
 the ground. And they shall make a spoil of thy 
 riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise : and 
 they shall bleak down thy walls, and destroy thy 
 pleasant houses : and they shall lay thy stones and 
 thy timber and thy dust in tlie midst of the water. 
 And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; 
 and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard. 
 And I will make thee like the top of a rock : thou 
 shall be a place to spread nets upon ; thou shall 
 be built no more : for I the Lord have spoken it, 
 saith the Lord God. 
 
 In these verses is set out, 
 
 I. What instrument the Lord will use in this great 
 work of destroying Tyre, and that is, Nebuchadrez- 
 zar, with his forces, ver. 7. 
 
 II. A narration of his doings, ver. 8 — -12. 
 
 III. The events following thereupon, ver. 13, 14. 
 
 Ver. 7- " I vvill bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrez- 
 zar king of Babylon." This name, "Nebuchadrez- 
 zar," we had not in our prophet before ; most often 
 it is written, Nebuchadnezzai', yet it is thirty-one 
 times in Jeremiah and Ezekiel "Nebuchadrezzar."
 
 598 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVI. 
 
 It is a compound name of Nebo chad and 7iet:ar or 
 retzar, which arc proper and simple Chaldee names, 
 
 Viii. Martin. Serving to distinguish the Chaldee king 
 LexKon. from the Assyrian ; Nebo, according to 
 their account, is one, chad, twenty-four, and netzar, 
 seven. Nebuchadnezzar some make to signify, the 
 bewailing of that judgment, which is a pressure ; 
 Nebuchadrezzar, the mourning of the 
 generation of straitening ; he was a 
 man that did oppress and straiten the nations nuich, 
 and made them to mourn. Tliis man was " king of 
 Babylon," and not only so, but "king of king.?," that 
 is, either the chiefcst of all kings, or one that had 
 many kings under him ; he was a universal mon- 
 arch, Dan. ii. 37, 38 ; and, as appears by Jer. lii. 
 32, left many kings under the power of Evil-mero- 
 dach, who succeeded him. 
 
 Ver. 8. " He shall make a fort against thee, and 
 cast a mount against thee." He .shall besiege thee, 
 and use all warlike instruments to batter and break 
 thee. This undertaking of Nebuchadrezzar was very 
 difficult. Tyrus was so situated and fortified, that it 
 was thought impregnable, and had not Nebuchad- 
 rezzar been a man exceeding resolute and obstinate 
 in his designs, he had fainted in this business, for 
 Usher's Annals, the siege lasted thirteen years, as Junius 
 p. i.ia. observes out of .losephus, and he out of 
 Berosus, Philostratus, and other Pha'uician writers ; 
 Ithobalus then reigning there. Hence Ezekiel, 
 chap. xxix. 18, saitli, that "Nebuchadrezzar caused 
 his army to serve a great service against Tyre :" for 
 an army to lie thirteen years before a city on a rock 
 in the sea, was a " great service," which he and his 
 army endured, and went through. 
 
 Ver. 9. " He shall set engines of war against 
 thy walls." The Hebrew is,^'^3p 'no the blow of 
 his sliugs, or battering-rams, shall he give against 
 thy walls ; the words properly sound thus, the smit- 
 ing of her adversary. The walls being over-against 
 these engines, they were their adversaries, and them 
 they did smite and batter. 
 
 Ver. 10. "By reason of the abundance of his 
 horses their dust shall cover thee." The " horses" 
 employed in the service were so numerous, that they 
 raised great clouds of " dust," which fell upon their 
 habitations, orchards, and gardens, like snow, and 
 covered them. 
 
 " Thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horse- 
 men," &c. Such should be the rattling and "noise" 
 of horses and chariots, that the earth, and things 
 founded upon it, should " shake ;" or such fear should 
 the inhabitants be stricken withal, that they should 
 apprehend all to be tottering and shaken. 
 
 " As men enter into a city wherein is made a 
 breach." Hebrew, according to the entrance of a 
 city which is broken up. When the walls of a city 
 were broken down, there is great shouting, and men 
 enter with great noise, triumphing, and tumult, which 
 makes the earth to ring, and fiUs'all witli trembling. 
 
 Ver. 11. "Thy strong garrisons shall go down 
 to the ground." The Hebrew for " strong garri- 
 sons" is, \ty risso the statues of thy strength. 
 Tyrus being upon a rock in the sea, it is probable 
 had many arches and pillars to support it. The 
 Septuagint is, the subsistence or underpropping of 
 thy strength, or, whatever thou hast gotten to bear 
 thee up. Some by iimzeboth, statues, lead us to their 
 tutelar gods, Hercules and Apollo, whose statues, 
 saith Pradus, the Tyrians kept bound with chains. 
 The Vulgate hath it, thy noble statues ; that is, those 
 .statues which were erected for those men who had 
 done great and heroical exploits: their idol gods, 
 their statues, should be thrown down to the earth, 
 and whatever they had considerable in the city! 
 
 Rabbi David renders the words, the towers of thy 
 strength, or strong towers, which suits with our trans- 
 lation ; " thy strong garrisons," even those wherein 
 the Tyrians did much conficle, should be levelled 
 with the ground. 
 
 Ver. 12. " They shall make a spoil of thy riches," 
 &c. They should take and carry aw-ay all that was 
 profitable and portable ; and as for other things, 
 they should break them down, and throw them into 
 the sea ; their walls, houses of desire, the stones, 
 timber, and dust of the city, should be throw-n into 
 the waters. Such should be the ruin of this strong 
 and famous city, that the dust of it should not remain. 
 
 Ver. 13. " I will cause the noise of thy songs to 
 cease," &c. " and the sound of thy harps," &c. The 
 Tyrians, being a rich people, were jovial and merry ; 
 Ezek. xxviii. 13, they had their tabrets and pipes, 
 their "harps" and " son^s ;" they so abounded in 
 mirth and music, that their city was called the 
 " joyous city ;" Isa. xxiii. 7, " Is this your joy- 
 ous city ?" ihey were given to delights and sen- 
 suality. God would cause their mirth to cease ; 
 Jer. XXV. 10, he would take away the " voice of 
 mirth," the " voice of gladness," &e. ; God would 
 tiu'u their mirth into mourning, their " songs" into 
 bowlings ; they should be for a long season in a 
 darksome and sutFering condition. 
 
 Ver. 14. " Thou shalt be built no more." These 
 words we must not take simply and absolutely, for 
 then they will contradict Isa. xxiii. 15, 16, where it 
 is foretold, that after seventy years Tyre should be 
 again, and sing. The mind, then, of the words is 
 this, " Thou shalt be built no more " to be the me- 
 ti'opolis of a kingdom ; or, " Thou shalt be built no 
 more " with that strength and glory thou wa.st he- 
 fore ; or, "Thou shalt be built no more" to enjoy the 
 same name, for that city built afterwards in the 
 same place was called Palatyrus; or, "Thou shalt 
 be built no more," that is, for a long time : the word 
 Tiy notes a jubilee, or long time. 
 
 Obs. 1. Things difficult and impossible in the ap- 
 prehensions of men, are accomplished by the Lord. 
 Tyrus was a strong city, upon a rock in the sea, had 
 strong walls, towers, garrisons, endured a siege of 
 thirteen years, yet was taken and levelled with the 
 ground, which to men seemed incredible and im- 
 possible : therefore let not princes, merchants, citi- 
 zens, confide in their strong holds, abundance of 
 wealth, or any human foundation. 
 
 OA.y. 2. The Lord makes places of renown con- 
 temptible, and subjects them to vulgar and incon- 
 siderable uses. Tyrus was a famous city, the mart 
 of nations, her merchants were princes, her trafRck- 
 ers the honourable of the earth, Isa. xxiii. 3, 8 ; 
 and God made her like the top of a rock, a place for 
 fishermen to spread nets upon. 
 
 Obs. 3. Wealthy cities are usually given to mirth 
 and sensual delights, which God will make to cease. 
 Tyrus was rich, and she had her songs, music, and 
 sinful delights, which God made in time to cease. 
 
 Ver. 15—21. Thus the Lord God to Tyrus; 
 Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thi/ fall, 
 zrhen the wounded cry, uhen the slaughter is made 
 in the midst of thee 9 Then all the princes of the 
 sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay 
 away their robes, and put ojf their broidered gar- 
 ments : they shall clothe themselves with trem- 
 bling ; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall 
 tremble at every moment, and be astonished at 
 thee. And they shall take tip a lamentation for 
 thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, 
 that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned
 
 Ver. 15—21. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 599 
 
 cit>i, which wast strong in the sea, she and her in- 
 habitants, which cause their tenor to be on all 
 that haunt it ! Now shall the isles Iremhle in the 
 ^^'H "f t^^y f"^^ i yea, the isles that are in the sea 
 shall be troubled at thi/ departure. For thi(s 
 saith the Lord God ; When I shall make thee a 
 desolate cili/, like the cities that are not inhabited ; 
 when I shall bring up the deep rtpon thee, and 
 great waters shall cover thee ; when I shall bring 
 thee down with them that descend into the pit, 
 with the people of old time, a7id shall set thee in 
 the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of 
 old, with them that go dou-n to the pit, that thou 
 be not inhabited ; and I shall set glory in the land 
 of the living; I will make thee a terror, and thou 
 shalt be no more : though thou be sought for, 
 yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the 
 Lord God. 
 
 In these verses the prophet proceeds in laying 
 down events and consequences of Tyrus' destruction, 
 As, 
 
 I. The shaking and trembling of the islanders, ver. 
 15, 16, 18, 21. 
 
 II. Their mourning and "lamentation" for Tyrus, 
 ver. 17. 
 
 III. Desolateness of the place, ver. 19. 
 
 IV. Oblivion ; she should be forgotten, ver. 20, 
 21 ; so destroyed, as not to be found. 
 
 " Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy 
 fall." They look to thee as impregnable, being forti- 
 fied by art and nature beyond all other cities and 
 places, but when they shall hear of thy fall, they 
 shall tremble, fearing that ruin will be their portion 
 if the enemy shall besiege and assault them. " Shall 
 not the isles shake?" it is an interrogation, which 
 imports they will shake, and shake greatly. 
 
 " When the wounded cry, when the slaughter is 
 made in tlie midst of thee ? " When great cities are 
 taken, oft many are slain, and many are sorely 
 wounded ; and when the men in the neighbour 
 islands should hear of their sufierings, cries, and fall 
 of the city, they should be troubled, and stand 
 amazed. '1 he Hi- brew for "slaughter" is double, 
 ir^n jins in slaughtering with a slaughter : the 
 " slaughter" was great. 
 
 Ver. It). " Then all the princes of the sea shall 
 come down from their thrones." Tyrus was upon 
 the Mediterranean sea, and that had many islands. 
 Lavater tells us of eight, viz. Rhodes, Cyprus, Crete, 
 Sicily, Melita, Sardinia, Samos, Chius ; and others 
 are mentioned. Acts xxvii. In some of these were 
 princes, and they should bewail the fall of Tyrus : 
 or, these were the principal islands of the sea, and 
 had many principal mariners which sailed from port 
 to port, and were as princes and commanders of that 
 sea; both they, and the governors of the islands, 
 shall be straitened and atfected with the condition 
 of Tyre ; there was wont to be great trading between 
 them and Tyrus, which now should cease. 
 
 " And lay away their robes." The Hebrew for 
 " their robes " is, meileehem, S>ya by the Septuagint 
 is rendered sometimes, Troh'ifitiQ, a coat, Exod. xxviii. 
 4 ; sometimes, vTrolinTig, Exod. xxxix. 22 ; sometimes, 
 iTTivlvTiig, 2 Sam. xiii. 18 ; sometimes, dt-irXoie, 1 Sam. 
 XV. 27; sometimes, ^oXrj, Job ii. 12; sometimes, 
 i/juTiov, Job i. 20 ; sometimes, xn-iiv, Isa. Ixi. 10 ; 
 and here, furpa : however the Septuagint express it 
 by various words, it signifies such a garment as men 
 of quality did wear. 
 
 " And put off their broidered garments." In the 
 Hebrew it is, their garments of broidery, ncpi 
 
 broidery, was spoken of, Ezek. xvi. 10; these tlicy 
 should " put oti;" Brs which is the word for put- 
 ting oft', notes, a forcible putting off: they should, 
 through anger and grief, pull off their rich coats 
 with a violence, and throw them aside, when the 
 news of Tyrus' ruin came unto them. 
 
 " They shall clothe themselves with h-embling." 
 They shall be greatly afraid, "trembling" shall 
 take hold of them ; they shall tremble and tremble ; 
 the word is in the plural number, tremblings, from 
 "iin which signifies open and visible " trembling." 
 The downfall and desolation of Tyre, that strong 
 place, should fill them with such astoni-shraent and 
 fear, as they should openly tremble, or be clothed 
 with tremblings, that is, put on such garments as 
 testify grief and fear. 
 
 " They shall sit upon the ground." They that 
 sat in the throne a little before, shall sit on the 
 " ground." Sitting on the ground implies, a sad and 
 troubled condition : Job ii. 13, Job and his fi'iends, 
 in the time of their sorrows and trouble, " sat upon 
 the ground:" so Isa. xlvii. 1, Babylon is called to sit 
 on the ground, that is, to a mourning condition, for the 
 judgments which should come upon her : so the evils 
 which came upon Jerusalem made her to " sit upon 
 the ground," Isa. iii. 26, and her elders. Lam. ii. 10. 
 
 " And shall tremble every moment." They should 
 have a continual fear upon them, lest Nebuchadrez- 
 zar should come, and deal by them as he had done 
 by Tyrus, if that could not resist him ; much less 
 could they. The word for " every moment" is, tir 
 jaim; a " moment" is a little fragment of time, and 
 it may here note the moment past, as thus, they 
 shall tremble for the moment, the sudden surprise 
 and ruin of Tyrus ; or the moment to come, they 
 shall tremble from moment to moment, fearing there 
 will be such a moment for them. 
 
 " And be astonished at thee." When they shall 
 hear that thy walls and strong garrisons are broken 
 down, that tliy pleasant houses, stones, and timber 
 are laid in the water, that thou art made like the 
 top of a rock, they will be " astonished at thee," at 
 thy desolation. 
 
 Ver. 17. " And they shall take up a lamentation 
 for thee." When great judgments and changes fell 
 out, many who were concerned tlicrein did not only 
 grieve, but took up " lamentations," and made a 
 formal business thereof: Jer. xxxi. 15, so Rachel 
 lamented for her children ; so Ezekiel for the princes 
 of Israel, Ezek. xix. 1, 1-1; so the kings of the earth 
 for Babylon, Rev. xviii. 9, 10 ; and so the princes of 
 the sea took up a " lamentation " for Tyrus. 
 
 " How art thou destroyed ! " How hast thou pe- 
 rished ! so is the original. It is a question full of 
 admiration ; they wondered that such a strong city, 
 seated in the sea, that had stood so long inviolable, 
 should now be destroyed. It is a question full of 
 lamentation ; " How art thou destroyed ? " Oh it 
 grieves us at the heart, and troubles our souls, that 
 thou art thrown down, and laid in the water ; we 
 cannot believe it was by an ordinary power that thou 
 art destroyed. 
 
 " That wast inhabited by seafaring men." Here 
 is one argument which made the princes of the sea 
 to say, " How art thou destroyed ? " we wonder at it, 
 we mourn for it, but cannot tell how it should be, 
 seeing thou hadst a multitude of seamen from all 
 parts, who were able to fetch in provisions upon all 
 occasions to relieve thee, and sufficient to have kept 
 out anv enemy from enterins; into thee. The Hebrew 
 here is, D'CC roru inhabited by the seas, that is, 
 by merchants and mariners, which dwelt in other 
 sea towns, and came thither by the seas, to sojourn 
 and trade.
 
 GOO 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVI. 
 
 " The renowned city." This was a second argu- 
 ment which begat astonishment and grief in them 
 for the destruction of Tyre, she was a " renowned 
 city." In Isa. xxiii. she is called the joyous, the 
 crowning, the merchant city, and here, the " renown- 
 ed city," nS'Tin -\<yn the city most praiscable : being a 
 city of merchants, and these princes, and her tratfick- 
 ers " the honourable of the earth," Isa. xxiii. 8, 
 she must needs be " renowned," and of great fame 
 abroad ; whicli made her friends wonder at her ruin, 
 and mourn that she should be a place for fishermen, 
 and sj'reading of nets. 
 
 " Which wast strong in the sea." Tyrus was a 
 city upon a rock in the sea, the waters compassed it 
 about, and made it an island, so that it was hard to 
 come at ; the waters, the rock, the walls, were choice 
 protections to it, so that the " princes of the sea" 
 thought it inaccessible, and if attempted, yet impreg- 
 nable ; and this made them to say, " How art thou 
 destroyed ? " 
 
 " She and her inhabitants, which cause their ter- 
 ror on all that haunt it!" Tyrus was so seated and 
 fortified, that she was dreadful to all that knew her, 
 to all the islands far and near. She was rich in 
 shipping, furnished with all things needful for a 
 naval expedition, and had the command of the 
 seas, wliich caused " the princes of the sea" to won- 
 der at, and greatly to lament for, her unexpected 
 ruin. 
 
 Ver. IS. "Now shall the isles tremble in the day 
 of thy fall." When some great tower or house is 
 blown up by powder, or falls by an earthquake, it 
 shakes all the houses and parts adjacent. So should 
 the fall of Tyre be, it should make all the islands 
 and islanders to " tremble " openly and visibly ; for 
 so inn is interpreted by Kirker. 
 
 " Yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be trou- 
 bled at thy departure." The word for " troubled " 
 i.s from 'tid which is, to be stricken with sudden fear 
 and trouble ; when they hear of thy departure, or 
 going out, that thou art laid waste and become 
 no city, they shall immediately be "troubled" and 
 perplexed, fearing their own desolations and deaths, 
 or captivities. 
 
 Ver. 19. " When I shall make thee a desolate city, 
 like the cities that are not inhabited." A city with- 
 out people is like a field without cattle, corn, or 
 grass, a very wilderness, solitary and dangerous, by 
 reason of serpents and wild beasts which lurk in it. 
 Cities broken down, and uninhabited, are no better: 
 such would the Lord make Tyrus. 
 
 " When I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and 
 great waters .shall cover thee." In ver. 3 he had 
 said, he would cause "many nations" to come up 
 against Tyrus, that was, a mighty army of Nebu- 
 chadrezzar's, which here he calls Dinn " the deep," 
 and B>3nn a'M many or "great waters." Great 
 armies are like waters of the sea, which, breaking 
 into c<iunlries, cities, and towns, do nadtiply their 
 calamities, and lay them desolate. 
 
 Ver. 20. " When I shall bring thee down with 
 them that descend into the pit." By " pit " is meant 
 the grave : Psal. xxviii. I, " Like them that go down 
 into the pit ;" that is, like them which die, and go 
 down into the grave. ni3 signifies a " pit," a prison, 
 a grave. Tyrus should become like one dead and 
 buried. 
 
 " With the people of old time." The Hebrew is, 
 bSij? ay-Ss to the people of old time. Gud had 
 caused many by the flood, many by the sword, for- 
 merly to descend into the gTave, and so should the 
 Tyrians. The Vulgate translation is, to the everlasting 
 people, that is, to those that lie from generation to ge- 
 neration in the dust, and must lie there till the day of 
 
 judgment ; to those that " sleep a perpetual sleep," as 
 the phrase is, Jtr. li. 57. That place in Lam. iii. fi, 
 " He halh set me in dark places, as they that be dead of 
 old," gives light unto this : those that were dead long 
 ago, lie in the dark, are unseen, unknown, forgotten; 
 and Tyrus, with her people, should be like unto them. 
 
 " And shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, 
 in places desolate of old." Thou shalt be made like 
 cities that were ruined long ago, and have no ves- 
 tiges of them rem.aining : now thou art high, seen 
 far at sea and land, but thou shalt sliortly come 
 down, and be as deep under wattT and earth as thou 
 art now above them. 
 
 " And I shall set glory in the land of the living." 
 " The land of the living" was Canaan, which is fre- 
 quently so called by David: as, Psal. xxvii. 13; Iii. 
 5; cxNi. 9; cxlii. 5 : by Isaiah, chap, xxxviii. II; 
 liii. 8: by Jeremiah, chap. xi. 19: and by Ezekiel 
 here it was so called, because there " the living God" 
 was known and worshipped, Psal. xlii. 2, with Psal. 
 Ixxvi. 1, 2; because there were the living oracles, 
 Acts vii. 38, the living waters, and wells of salva- 
 tion, Isa. xii. 3; because there were the living 
 saints, and only there. In other lands, though tlie 
 people had wealth, honour, greatness, natural ex- 
 cellences, yet as to God they were dead, but in Ca- 
 naan they were quickened and made alive. 
 
 For the setting glory therein, understand it of 
 restoring Canaan, or Judea, unto its former con- 
 dition. Tyrus, thou judgest Canaan now a land 
 desolate, without temple, cities, people, and thinkest 
 it shall for ever be so, but thy glory shall down, 
 descend into the pit; and "I will set glory in the 
 land of the living" again; Jirusalera shall live, and 
 be glorious, but Tyrus shall die, and be ignominious. 
 By " glory," Piseator understands the people, who, 
 being carried into captivity, the Tyrians and heathens 
 thought should never return ; but God would bring 
 them back, being his glory, into that land whereby 
 they should enjoy the lively oracles, drink the living 
 wafers, and have the special presence and protection 
 of the living God. 
 
 "Ver. 21. I will make thee a terror." The He- 
 brew is, terrors. Thou shalt be matter of terror to 
 every island near or fir oft'; when they shall hear 
 of thy downfall, it shall terrify them. The word for 
 " terror" may be rendered, consumption, being from 
 n^3 to wax old, to consume : I will so consume thee 
 as that thy consumption shall be terrible to all others. 
 
 " Thou shalt be no more : though thou be sought 
 for, yet shalt thou never be found again." Thou 
 shalt be so demolished, as that a stone upon a stone 
 shall not be left in thee ; thou shalt be brought to a 
 nothingness, how bushy and strong soever thou art 
 now ; and when thou shalt be sought, and inquired 
 after, thou shalt not be found by this generation. 
 The Hebrew is thus, thou shalt not be found any 
 more for ever, that is, for a long time, so n^yS is 
 oft used ; as, Exod. xxi. 6 ; Psal. Ixxxix. 1 ; Prov. 
 xxix. 14; and so here, for ever, is not absolute, but, 
 for a long time. After seventy years Tyrus was 
 built again, or Palatyrus, near unto that place, but 
 not by the Tyrians, who were either all slain, or 
 carried so away captive, that they perished in their 
 captivity ; it was built by strangers. 
 
 Obs. 1. God, by his destructive judgments upon 
 strong cities and great states being sinful, makes 
 others to tremble that were secure. " Shall not the 
 isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the 
 wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the 
 midst of thee ?" God's destroying of Tyrus should 
 awaken and affright all the isles and islanders who 
 were secure, and laughed at the attempt of Nebu- 
 chadnezzar against "Tyrus; they thought it impos-
 
 Ver. 15—21. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 GOl 
 
 siblo that ever he should take it, but, being taken 
 and ruined, shaking seized upon them. When the 
 sound of God's judgments come to men's ears, they 
 startle them, and trouble ihtm : Ezek. xxx. 4, " The 
 sword shall come upon Egypt," that is, wars shall lay 
 waste the Egyptians, and " great pain shall be in 
 Ethiopia," their fear shall be such as shall pain and 
 torment them : and, ver. 8, 9, God would set a fire in 
 Egypt, destroy all their helpers, and then messengers 
 should go forth from him in ships, to make the care- 
 less Ethiopian afraid. God destroys wicked cities, 
 states, and people, that he may beget fear in others, 
 who were careless. When the Lord drowned the 
 Egyptians in the Red sea, it caused the nations to 
 fear, Exod. xv. 14 ; when Sihon, king of Heshbon, 
 and Og, king of Bashan, they and their people, were 
 destroyed by Joshua and the Jews, then Balak and 
 theMoabites were sore afraid. Numb. xxii. 2,3; when 
 God brought destruction upon Babylon, it made all 
 hands faint, all hearts melt, they were as full of fears 
 and pains as a woman in travail, Isa. xiii. 6 — 8. 
 
 Obs. 2. There is that dreadfulness in the judg- 
 ments of God, as will drive the greatest out of their 
 thrones and glory, make them tremble continually, 
 put on sackcloth, and lie in the dust. " Then all the 
 princes of the sea," be they never so great, so stout, 
 "shall come down from Iheir thrones, lay away 
 their robes, and put off their broidered garments," 
 Sec. When Tyrus her streets were trodden down 
 with the hoofs of Nebuchadnezzar's horses, her 
 people slain, her strong garrisons thrown down to 
 the ground, her riches become a prey to the enemy, 
 her stones, timber, and dust laid in the water, then 
 should fear seize upon these princes : the dreadful- 
 ness apprehended in that judgment of God should 
 make them forget themselves, their glory, and great- 
 ness, and to sit upon the ground trembling, and fear- 
 ing their own destruction from day to day. God's 
 judgments make great changes ; those that sat in the 
 morning like princes in their thrones, commanding 
 at sea and land, in a little time sit on the ground 
 trembling. When the Syrians besieged Samaria, 
 and the famine increased amongst them, it made 
 Jehoram the king to fear, and wear sackcloth next 
 his flesh, 2 Kings vi. 30 ; and did not Ben-hadad, the 
 king of Syria, and all his men of might, fearing the 
 noise of chariots, horses, and a great host, fear, flee 
 for their lives, and throw away their garments ? 
 2 Kings vii. 6, 7, 15. WHien the hand of God was 
 stretched out for the Israelites, and against tlie 
 Egyptians, the dukes of Edom were amazed, and the 
 mighty men of JSIoab trembled, Exod. xv. 15. When 
 Saul beheld the army of the Philistines, " he was 
 afraid, and his heart greatly trembled," 1 Sam. xxviii. 
 5. When God brought the destroyer of the gen- 
 tiles, viz. Nebuchadrezzar, to execute his judgments 
 upon Judea and Jerusalem, then did the heart of 
 king and princes perish, then they laid aside their 
 robes, girded themselves with sackcloth, lamented, 
 and howled, Jer. iv. 7 — 9. 
 
 Oh.s. 3. That great cities have their periods, they 
 abide not for ever. As they have a time to come 
 into the world, so a time to go out of it; as they 
 have a time to get up on high, so a time to descenl 
 low. Tyrus had her day to fall, her day of de- 
 parture, ver. 18 ; she descended into the pit with the 
 people of old time, ver. 20. Jerusalem, formerly 
 called Jebus, 1 Chron. xi. 4, and Salem, Gen. xiv. 18; 
 as it had its time for building, so its day for burning, 
 Jer. Hi. 12, 13. The like end had Jericho, a walled 
 and strong city. Josh. vi. 24. Babylon had its time 
 to begin. Gen. xi. 8, and its time to cease, Isa. xiv. 
 4. So Damascus stood long, but at last it became a 
 ruinous heap, Isa. xvii. 1. You may read of Nine- 
 
 veh's raising. Gen. x. II, and of her desolation, 
 Nah. iii. 7 ; Zeph. ii. 13. Hence we may see the 
 instability of human things. Learn not to trust in 
 strong holds, neither think it any great privilege to 
 be citizens of such perishing cities, but labour to be 
 citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the city 
 prepared of God, and iiath foundations which shall 
 never be razed, Heb. i. 10, I(j. 
 
 Obs. 4. God's people are dear unto him, they are 
 glorious, and the glory of a land. That which is the 
 glory of any is dear unto them : God's people are his 
 glory, Isa. iv. 5; Zech. ii. 8; in both those places 
 God's people are called his " glory." They bear his 
 image, 2 Cor. iii. 18 ; they show forth his praises, 
 I Peter ii. 9; they worship him in the spirit, Phil, 
 iii. 3 ; they are formed for himself, Isa. xliii. 
 21 ; they are his vineyard, his pleasant plant, Isa. v. 
 1, 7; his jewels, Mai. iii. 17; his peculiar treasure, 
 Exod. xix. 5; his pleasant portion, Jer. xii. 10; his 
 spouse, Ezek. xvi. 8 ; they are near unto God, 
 Psal. cxlviii. 14; anointed ones, Psal. cv. 15; trees 
 of righteousness, Isa. Ixi. 3; a congregation of saints, 
 Psal. Ixxxix. 5. They have the law of God in their 
 hearts and keep the same, Isa. Ii. 7, so that they are 
 dear unto him, and his glory ; and not only so, but 
 the glory of a land. Joseph and the Jews were the 
 glory of Egypt ; Dan. vii. they were the glory of 
 Babylon ; and the godly ones were the glory of Zion, 
 Isa. vi. 13, " The holy seed shall be the substance 
 thereof." Saints, a " holy seed," is the substance 
 and glory of any nation. Let men take heed how 
 they wrong them, for in so doing they wrong the 
 glory of God, and the glory of the land. 
 
 Obs. 5. There is a diflerence of lands in the world, 
 all are not alike. There is " the land of the living." 
 Canaan diflered from all other lands ; there dwelt the 
 living God, there were the living waters, the ordi- 
 nances and means of grace and salvation, which 
 other lands had not. That land once flowed with 
 spiritual milk and honey, and was the " glory of all 
 lands," chap. xx. 6 : Egypt, Chaldea, and the other 
 lands round about, were as dry and dead lands unto 
 that ; they had gods in them, but they were idol gods ; 
 they had worship, but it was false worship ; they 
 had waters, but they were bitter waters, such as 
 God's people could not drink, they killed those that 
 drank of them. Where God's name is recorded, his 
 ordinances set up in purity and power, he worship- 
 ped in spirit and truth, there is life, and " the land 
 of the livnng." David judged himself even among 
 the dead, when he was shut out from the people, 
 presence, worship, and ordinances of God ; Psal. 
 Ixxxiv. 2, his soul fainted, and he was almost gone. 
 Most lands are lands of darkness, dryness, and death, 
 they have neither the liglit nor waters of life in them. 
 Let us bless God that we are in the land of the living. 
 
 Obs. t). God's people may be deprived of their 
 privileges and comforts for a season, but he will in 
 due time restore them to the enjoyment of the same. 
 " I shall set glory in the land of the living." God's 
 glory, his people, were in Babylon, but he would not 
 lose nor leave his glory there, he brought them back 
 again, and " set them in the land of the living," he 
 gave them another temple, all those ordinances and 
 privileges they had before: Isa. xlvi. 13, "I wiU 
 place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory." 
 
 CHAPTER XXVn. 
 
 Ver. I — 6. The n-ord nf the Lord came again 
 unto me, sai/ing-, Nviv, thuii son of man, take np a
 
 f,02 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVII. 
 
 lamentation fur Tijrus ; and say unto Tyrus, O 
 thou that art situate at the entry of the sea, which 
 art a merchant of the people for many isles. Thus 
 saith the Lord God ; O Tyrus, thou hast said, I 
 am rf pel feet beauty. Thy border's are in the 
 midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy 
 beauty. They have made all thy ship boards of 
 fir trees of Senir : they have taken cedars from 
 Tebanon to make masts for thee. Of the oaks of 
 liashan have they made thine oars; the company 
 of the Ashurifes have made thy benches of ivory, 
 brought out of the isles of Chittim. 
 
 In this chapter the prophet is commanded to take 
 up a "lamentation for Tyrus;" wherein is set out, 
 
 I. The dignity, glory, and excellency of Tyrus, 
 ver. -2—25. 
 
 II. The irrecoverable fall and destruction thereof, 
 ver. 26, to the end. 
 
 Ver. 1. "The word of the Lord came again unto 
 me." The Hebrew is, and there hath been the word 
 of Jehovah to me, the word of him who is being, 
 hath had being, in me. God is essence, or being un- 
 changeable, and such is his " word," which shows 
 the certainty of the " word." He had twice before 
 received the "word" to prophesy against the na- 
 tions, and now again he is pint on by the same, God 
 commissioning him thereunto. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Take up a lamentation for Tyrus." The 
 word KWJ to take up, signifies, to take up tliat which 
 is heavy, burdensome, and lamentations are such 
 things ; the Lord would have the prophet sensible 
 of the great misery coming upon Tyrus, and to be- 
 wail the same. Jeremiah bewailed the condition of 
 Jerusalem wlien desti'uction was coming upon it, 
 Jer. iv. 19; ix. i. God would not have projihets 
 give out judgments and threatenings with bitter 
 spirits, not when they are against heatliens, Tyrians ; 
 he would have his servants to compassionate others. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Say unto Tyrus, O thou that art situate 
 at the entry of the sea." Here he begins to set out 
 the dignity of " Tyrus ;" which first he doth, from 
 her situation, she was seated at the " entry of the 
 sea ;" she was not only upon a rock, and so eminent 
 for sight, but by the "sea," yea, "the entry of the 
 sea," and so was commodious for trading. The He- 
 brew for " entry " is, tnisd entries, or ports, from 
 N13 to come in ; Tyrus was famous for ports, so that 
 .ships miglit come in, and ride there safely, and go 
 cut again at pleasure. It was in an island, and 
 islands have numy ports, or harbours. 
 
 " Which art a merchant of the people for many 
 isles." Tyrus did merchandize with the isles far and 
 near, she did send out to them, and they brouglit in to 
 her, what commodities were merchantable. She was 
 a merchant city, Isa. xxiii. 8 ; the merchants of Zid<m 
 traded with her, ver. 2. The Hebrew is, to many 
 isles : the people prepared many vendible commo- 
 dites, which the isles took off their hands, so that 
 hereby her wealth was greatly increased, and her 
 merchants like princes, Isa. xxiii. 8; and this was 
 another dignity of Tyrus. 
 
 " Thou hast said, I am of perfect beauty." nV*?3 
 •S' of universal beauty ; 1 am so built that I want 
 nothing to add unto my beauty, it is " perfect." 
 What God said of Zion, Psal. 1. 2, that she " was the 
 perfection of beauty," the same said Tyrus of herself, 
 which was her sin. That she was neatly and strong- 
 ly built was her glory, but that she was proud hereof 
 was her sin and shame ; for who can say, " I am of 
 perfect beauty," but the Lord ? 
 
 Ver. 4. "Thy borders are in the midst of the 
 seas." Some cities border upon hills, valleys, woods. 
 
 rivers ; but Tyrus had no such " borders," her " bor- 
 ders" were in the midst, or, as the Hebrew is, in the 
 heart of the seas. None could come to her by land, 
 being half a mile, or seven hundred paces, from the 
 continent ; but Alexander, in his time, made a passage 
 into Tyrus, by filling up the sea. This was the glory 
 of Tyrus, that she was compassed about with the seas, 
 and sat as a virgin city, and rpieen regent in the deeps. 
 
 " Thy builders have perfected thy beauty." Who 
 were the "builders" of Tyrus we find not in Scripture, 
 but Adrichomius, following Berosus and the tradi- 
 tions of the ancients, tells us, that one Tyrus, the 
 seventh of JaphetH's sons, built it a little after the 
 flood, and that from him it was called Tyrus. This 
 seems very probable, because it was before Joshua's 
 days, as appears Josh. xix. 29. But whether he or 
 the Sidonians built it, is not clear ; but whoever were 
 the " builders," they were masters of architecture, 
 and nothing was left undone which tended to the 
 ornament and strength of the city. The Sidonians 
 were men of skill, artists in hewing and building, 
 1 Kings v. 6. 
 
 Ver. 5. " They have made all thy ship boards of 
 fir trees of Senir." Having showed the dignity of 
 Tyrus from the situation, structure, and trading, 
 now he comes to set it out from tlie shipping of it. 
 The Tyrians abounded in ships, and are thought to be 
 the first authors of navigation. Pliny ^ 
 
 saith, the Phtenicians were famous for 
 the invention of the navigatory and military art; 
 and TibuUus saith, that Tyrus first Yi<ie Samis' Be- 
 committed a ship to sea, Lib. 1. E. i»<..'ird Edit. 
 
 1 f , ,■ / J , l''-^- I- 3. p. 214. 
 
 leg. J,primo ratem ventis credere cfocta Vide Quisur. 
 Tyrus. Tyrus was the metropolis of >"""■ '" '"'^■ 
 Phoenicia. 
 
 " Thy ship boards." rvh is a table, or plank, 
 and dtihS-Sd is, all the planks on both sides of the 
 ships: there must be thick and strong planks to 
 make a ship. Some render the word, seats, whereon 
 rowers sit in ships, boats, or galbys. 
 
 " Of fir trees of Senir." The word Q'W-ia for " fir 
 trees," some render it, cedars ; but, 1 Kings v. 8; Isa. 
 xxxvii. 24, " fir trees" and cedars have distinct names ; 
 ns is, a cedar, and iero.yA, the "fir tree," which isa ti-ee 
 tall and strong, therefore great men are likened unto it; 
 Nahum ii. 3, " The fir trees shall be terribly shaken," 
 that is, the men in place and honour. Planks of fir, 
 it is observed, are smooth, will cleave close together, 
 and so were counted then fittest for shipping. These 
 " fir trees" were taken from Senir, a mount, which 
 had many names ; Dent. iii. 9, Moses called it Her- 
 mon; the Sidonians, Shirion, or Syrion ; the Amor- 
 ites, Shenir ; others, Hor ; and some, Sion ; Ste- 
 phanus, in Onomast. interprets it, dorviiens lucerna ; 
 the Chaldee calls it, the snow mount, because the 
 snow used to continue upon it ; our prophet here 
 makes it a mount of " fir trees." 
 
 " They have taken cedars fi-om Lebanon." This 
 mountain is partly in Canaan, and partly in Syria, or 
 Pha?nicia. Solomon sent to Hiram to hew him 
 cedar trees out of Lebanon, that was, from that part 
 of the mount which runs along in Syria and Phoe- 
 nicia. Some make it a mount in Syria, so high, that 
 in the midst of the sumnuT it preserves the snow on 
 the top of it, which is fetched thence to Tyrus, and 
 made use of to cool their summer cups, 
 and sold to others for the same purpose. '"^' ''^"' 
 It is called " Lebanon," the learned conceive, because 
 of its snowy whiteness; pS in Hebrew, is white, 
 thence " Lebanon ;" Jer. xviii. 14, " Can a man 
 leave the snow of Lebanon ? " It abounded with 
 " cedars," which are strong, durable, and tall ; Ezek. 
 xvii. 22, they are said to be " high ;" and men in high 
 places are compared to high " cedars," exposed to
 
 Ver. 1— C. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 C03 
 
 winds, storms, shakings, and ruin more than others ; 
 by reason of their tallness and strength, they were 
 the fitter for shipping. 
 
 " To make masts for thee." The mast is the tree 
 in the ship, which bears up the sails. In Greek, 
 koj, ab 'iVndSai, because it stands upright in the ship. 
 Hesychius calls it, to op96v iiiXov rijy vf^fi the right 
 or straight wood of the ship. 
 
 Ver. (j. " Of the oaks of Bashan." " Bashan" was 
 a land beyond Jordan, which bred mighty men, and 
 was called " the land of giants," Dmt. iii. 13. Og 
 was king thereof, whose bedstead of iron was nine 
 cubits in length, and four in breadth, ver. 11 ; this 
 country was large, and fell partly to Manasseh, ver. 
 14, and jiartly to Gad, 1 Chron. v. 11, 16 ; it was a 
 rich soil, and fruitful ; the lambs and rams of it are 
 set out in Scripture with an emphasis, Deut. xxxii. 
 14, " the breed of Bashan," it bred lusty, strong, and 
 fat cattle : hence great ones, and rich men, are 
 likened to the "bulls of Ba.shan," Psal. xxii. 12; to 
 " kine of Bashan," Amos iv. 1 ; the mighty ones 
 and princes of the earth are called " fallings of Ba- 
 shan," Ezek. xxxix. 18. This land, as it bred men 
 and beasts of strength and stature, so ti-ees likewise, 
 especially oaks, which are set out by way of dis- 
 tinction from others, as, " oaks of Bashan," Isa. ii. 
 13; by which strong and great men are set out, 
 Zech. xi. 2. The Hebrew for "oaks" is d'JiSn 
 which some have rendered, pine trees, some, chesnut 
 trees, some, fir trees, but most, " oaks ;" for Baslian 
 was a woody country, and did abound with " oaks ;" 
 and al/on signifies, an " oak," Josh. xxiv. 20 ; Isa. vi. 
 13, callonim, as "oaks." 
 
 " Have they made thine oars." The Tyrians 
 made their ships so, that when the wind served not, 
 or not sufficiently, they might row with " oars," and 
 so make more the speed upon occasions. Their "oars" 
 were made of choice oak, which was firm and last- 
 ing : n'taif oars, it is from Biff which signifies, to 
 go forward, to impel ; the " oars " helped on the 
 motion of the ship, and served to row her in, where 
 winds would not sufier. 
 
 " The company of the Ashurites have made thy 
 benches of ivory." In the Hebrew it is Q'-\rN 
 na the daughter' of the Assyrians. Vatablus hath 
 it, the congregation of the Assyrians, which he in- 
 terprets thus ; The best Assyrian artists have made 
 thy " benches of ivory." The Septuagint hath it, 
 dark houses. Others have diflcring conjectures 
 about the words, which in the original stand thus ; 
 They have made thee benches of ivory, the daughter 
 of Ashurim, that is, the daughter of tradings, or 
 goings. To this piurpose Junius and Piscator inter- 
 jiret the words ; one hath it, ex ebore trilhuimo, the 
 other, ex ebore bene attrilo, of ivory well worn, or 
 trodden. And thus doth Buxtorfius render the words 
 C'lii'N-ra \v ebur,Jilius or /ilia gi-e\siinm, i. e. gres- 
 sibus trilum. The word a.^liur signifies, going, 
 treading ; and Pliny saith, that ivory which hath 
 Viii. isuxior. Id been long in the earth, and much trod- 
 
 verbo Asiiur. dp^ upon, is the Only ivory. The 
 word for "ivory" is, slien, a tooth, which by a .sy- 
 necdoche is put for the tooth or teeth of elejihants, 
 whereof ivory is made. Some call them the elejihant's 
 horns, because tht-y are large and like unto horns. 
 These teeth, or horns, they shed every ten years, 
 and being shed, they hide them, and lay them iip. 
 
 jiuMiiiius ill Theophrastus and Pliny speak of ebur 
 
 Lexic. fossile, ivory digged out of the earth, 
 
 white and black, which may be the teeth, or horns, 
 
 of the elephant, hid in the earth, and trodden into it. 
 
 t)f "ivory" the Tyrians made them, "benches." 
 The word for "benches" is, »np which signifies, a 
 board, a table, or plank, tliat which may be joined 
 
 to other things, and may be rendered, the decks or 
 hatches, but because their ships had " oars," it is 
 like there were seats or " benches." 
 
 " Brought out of the isles of Chittim." In the 
 word is mention of the land of Chittim, Isa. xxiii. 
 1 ; the coast of Chittim, Numb. xxiv. 24 ; the ships 
 of Chittim, Dan. xi. 30 ; and here, of the " isles of 
 Chittim." Some make it Italy ; the Vulgate hath 
 it, of the isles of Italy. Melancthon thinks it to be 
 Macedonia. Bonfrerius saith, Cyprus was first so 
 called, and after, this name Chittim was given to 
 other islands, as Italy, Greece. A Lapide names 
 Cyprus, Crete, Sicily, the islands of Apulia, and 
 Italy, which he comprehends under the " isles of 
 Chittim." They were so called from Chittim, one 
 of the sons of Javan, who descended from Japheth, 
 the son of Noah, Gen. x. 4, 5, and he, with his brethren, 
 divided the isles of the gentiles, after their tongues 
 and families. 
 
 Obs. 1. The men of the world are wise, choosing 
 the fittest places for their own advantage and in- 
 terest. Tyrus was situate at the entry of the sea, 
 was a merchant of the people fur many isles ; the 
 Tyrians seated themselves where they might have 
 great trading at sea, and access unto them from all 
 parts, and so grow great and rich. The Canaanites 
 dwelt by the sea, and coast of Jordan, Numb. xiii. 
 29, places fit for exportation and importation. Ba- 
 bylon was seated upon many waters, Jer. li. 13, the 
 great river Euphrates ran through it, by means 
 whereof it grew rich; for it follows, "abundant in 
 treasures." Those cities or towns that are built up- 
 on rivers navigable, and sea coasts, where are ports 
 commodious for shipping, they draw the wealth un- 
 to them, and abound in treasure. Let us learn so 
 much of the men of the world, to be wise for our 
 spiritual interest, and seat ourselves near the waters 
 of the sanctuary, that so, trading with God and 
 Christ, we may abound with spiritual treasure. 
 
 Obs. 2. Outward excellences lift up men's hearts, 
 beget vain confidences, and cause them to boast. 
 Tyrus was built upon a rock, situate at the entry of 
 the sea, did merchandize with many isles, wdiereby 
 she got the riches and rarities of otlier jilaces, and 
 hereupon she swelled, and said, " I am of perfect 
 beauty," I want nothing conducing to essence or or- 
 nament, to being or well-being, I and mine are com- 
 pilete every way. Great cities, which have outward 
 advantages of enriching themselves, are full of pride, 
 confidence, and sinful boastings. Babylon was a 
 great and rich city, and, Isa. xlvii. 7, she said, " I shall 
 be a lady," or mighty woman, "for ever:" she took 
 upon her the name of God ; ver. 8, " I am, and none 
 else beside me ; 1 shall not sit as a widow ;" I am the 
 golden, the beautiful, the strong city, none is com- 
 parable unto me, none is able to deal with me, to 
 deprive me of my glory, wealth, greatness, and make 
 me desolate, and sit mourning like a widow : these 
 were the confidences and boastings of Baljylon. The 
 like you may read of Rome, wdiich is siiiritual Ba- 
 bylon ; Eev. xviii. 7, "She said in her heart, 1 sit a 
 queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow ;" 
 I have great command and power, I obey none, 
 nations and kings are under me ; I am no widow like 
 other cities, I abound with delicacies and delights ; 
 in this condition shall I continue, I shall see no sor- 
 row. This is the great wickedness of cities enriched 
 by God, that they forget him, and glory in external 
 excellences. 
 
 Obs. 3. No situation, strength, or outward advan- 
 tage can secure proud cities. Tyrus' borders were 
 in the heart of the seas, she was compassed about 
 with great waters, judged by all to be ini])regnable ; 
 but God's design was to ruin Tynis for her pride,
 
 f;o4 
 
 AN EXrOSITION LTON 
 
 Chap. XXVII. 
 
 and he found out a way and means to do it. Let 
 cities be built where they will, in the deeps, on roeky 
 mountains, wheresoever, if they glory in their 
 strenfjth, beauty, situation, God can bring destruction 
 upon them ; nothing shall hinder in nature or art. 
 " He will work, and who shall let it ? " Isa. xliii. 13 ; 
 he will work, and what shall let it? not seas, not 
 rocks, not walls, not strong towers, not multitude of 
 ships. Babylon's many waters could not secure her, 
 when the Lord had a device to destroy her ; her 
 pride and insolency caused him to dry up her waters, 
 and make her heaps, Jer. li. 3G, 37. 
 
 Obs. 4. Artists will put foith themselves to the 
 utmost to show their skill. " Thy builders have per- 
 fected thy beauty ; "' they concealed not tlieir art ; 
 what skill soever they had in architecture, they 
 strove to manifest the same. 
 
 Ver. 7. Fine linen 7rith hroidered work from 
 Egypt was that wliich thou spreadest fortli to he 
 thy sail ; blue and purple from the isles ofElishah 
 was that which covered tliee. 
 
 Having spoken of the substantials, he comes now 
 to the ornament ofTyrus' .shipping, viz. their sails. 
 
 " Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt." 
 Egypt abounded with flax, which was very '• tine," 
 white, and precious, whereof the Egyptians made 
 " tine linen," which, for the excellency and distinc- 
 tion' sake, was called the " tine linen of Egyj)t," Prov. 
 vii. 16; which was so fine, that divers interpret- 
 ers have rendered the word re silk ; it was such 
 as, Philostratus saith, was lawful only for noblemen 
 to wear. 
 
 Notwithstanding this linen was so fine, they did 
 embroider it, which as it made it more strong, so 
 far more costly. The Hebrew, ncpna is from npi 
 to picturize by the needle, and rochem is, such an 
 artist as can draw the form and figures of things in 
 divers colours. Linen of Egypt embroidered with 
 the forms and figures of several things had the Ty- 
 rians to make sailing for their ships. 
 
 " Which thou spreadest forth to he thy sail." 
 The word f(jr "sail" is, d: which some derive 
 from nc] to elevate, for sails are on high. Others, 
 from CDJ which is, to set up a banner, to which 
 the soldiers gather ; and to the sail, when it is 
 hoisted up, as to the banner of the ship, the winds 
 gather. 
 
 " Blue and purple." These might be rich colour- 
 ings, which they used to beautify and adorn their 
 ships with, or to colour their sails with. In Jer. x. 
 9, it is said, " blue and purple is their clothing;" 
 their idols were clothed with cloth of those colours ; 
 and so here, it is probable they might cover their 
 heads with " blue and purple" cloths to keep off 
 the heat, or deck and cover their ships with cloths 
 so coloured. 
 
 " From the isles of Elishah." In Gen. x. 4, 5, 
 Elisliah the son of Javan was one of them that di- 
 vided the isles of the gentiles, and those isles he had 
 were honoured with his name. Theodoret makes 
 them to be the islands of Greece ; Jerom, the islands 
 in the Ionian sea. Junius makes Elishah to be au- 
 thor of the i-Eolians, who were of note for purple. 
 Tyrus had much purple of its own, yet being a mart 
 Vi.i. Inn. Kolas town, from all places where it was, both 
 
 111 Gen >i.4. tViat and other rich commodities were 
 bronglit unto Tyre. 
 
 Obs. 1. The wisdom of God in bestowing several 
 mercies upon several places. No one place hath all 
 his blessings, and hardly any place but hath some 
 distinct blessing. In ver. 5 — 7, you may see that 
 Senir had fir trees, Lebanon had cedars, Bashan had 
 
 oaks, the isles of Chittim had ivory, Egypt fine linen, 
 tlie isles of Elishah blue and purple. All these 
 places had distinct mercies, and Tyrus was beholden 
 to them all. The Scripture speaks of God's assign- 
 ing distinct mercies to divers places, as balm and 
 myrrh to Gilead, Gen. xxxvii. 25 ; gold to Ophir, 
 1 kings ix. 28 ; brass to Tibhath and Chun, 1 Chron. 
 xviii. 8 ; vines to Sibmah, Jer. xlviii. 32 ; and wines 
 to Lebanon, Hos. xiv. 7: which sets out the mani- 
 fold wisdom of God, making way thereby for the 
 merchandizing of nations, civilizing of men by com- 
 merce, communicating of intelligence, providences, 
 the truth, and gospel of Christ. The Indies have 
 sweet spices, silks, cotton, indigo, cocliincal. Con- 
 stantinople, Smyrna, the MediteiTanean islands, and 
 other parts have their commodities. Norway, and 
 those parts, have something peculiar. Our nation 
 hath le.'.d, tin, fullers' earth, wools, and cloths, for 
 which foreigners have been beholden to us. 
 
 Obs. 2. Proud spirits spare no cost to satisfy their 
 humours and lusts. The men of Tyrus were rich 
 and proud, they built ships, and beautified them with 
 costly materials ; their ship-boards were of fir trees 
 of Senir, their masts were of cedars from Lebanon, 
 their oars were of oaks of Bashan, their benches, 
 holds, or decks, were of ivory, out of the isles of 
 Chittim; thdr sails were of fine linen fi-om Egypt, 
 and that embroidered; they coloured and covered 
 their ships with blue and purjile from the isles of 
 Elishah. Men's lusts are costly things, to gratify 
 them, they will lavish out gold and silver. When 
 sea towns are fatt. d with the wealth of sea and land, 
 they become proud ; and jiride, in whomsoever it is, 
 is expensive. Where God gives in great supplies, 
 great means, they are seldom laid out for the honour 
 of that God, but frequently, both among heathens 
 and God's people, are laid out to maintain state, pride, 
 some wretched, some base lust or other. So Jeru- 
 salem being enriched with God's blessings, and 
 trading from all parts, Ezek. xxvi. 2, being " the 
 gates of the people," she made of her jewels, gold, 
 and silver, idols, covering them with broidered gar- 
 ments, Ezek. xvi. 17, IS. 
 
 Ver. 8, 9. n>e inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad 
 were thy mariners : thy wise men, O Tyrus, that 
 were in thee, were thy pilots. Tlie ancients of 
 Gehal and the wise men thereof were in thee thy 
 calkers : all the ships of the sea with their mari- 
 ners were in thee to occupy thy merchandise. 
 
 Having spoken of the materials, fabric, and rich 
 ornaments of Tyrus' shipping, in these two verses 
 he tri'ats of the officers and persons employed there- 
 in, and multitude of traffickers with Tyrus. 
 
 Ver. 8. " The inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad." 
 Zidon was a famous city of Phoenicia, saith Jerom 
 and Eusebius ; it was more north than Tyrus, in the 
 north-west of Canaan, at the ulmnst borders thereof. 
 It was built either by Sidon, the first-born of Canaan, 
 Gen. x. 15, 19, or by the Sidonians, who descending 
 from him, built it in honour to his name. It was a 
 great city, Jo.sh. xix. 28, assigned unto the tribe of 
 Asher ; but the inhabitants thereof were not driven 
 out by that tribe, Judg. i. 31. It was more ancient 
 than Tyrus. Strabo makes it two hundred furlongs 
 from Tyre ; Bonfrerius, some five or six miles. 
 
 Arvad or Arad; the Vulgate reads it, Aradii, the 
 Aradians were thy mariners. It was not Arad, a 
 city in the south, Niimh. xxi. 1 ; for the men thereof 
 were no mariners, it being an inland city. The He- 
 brew is, Arvad, which CEeolampadius takes to be 
 Damascus. Jerom makes it an island, and so doth 
 Vilalpandus, and that not far from Zidon ; but Junius
 
 Ver. 8— 11. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 G05 
 
 makes it rather, a town in the sen, seven furlongs 
 long, and two hundred paces from the continent. 
 And Pliny tells us, that the Tyrians, Zidonians, and 
 ,,-, „,.... Aradians dwelt near tosrether, and were 
 
 Viile Phnu ^a- 1 -.r i • • .• ■ 11 
 
 luiaUm iiibtn very skilnu in navigation, especially 
 rum, I. 5. c. 23. (jj^ 2idonians and Arvadites. Of these 
 were their mariners. 
 
 "Thy wise men, O Tyrus, that were in thee, were 
 thy pilots." The Tyrians took mariners from other 
 places, but set men of their own over them, such as 
 were wise and fit for that employment : inferior 
 places they called strangers to ; the honourable, and 
 jilaces of trust, they reserved for their own. The 
 Tyrians were wise and skilful in sea afl'airs ; 1 Kings 
 ix. 27, Hiram's sliipmen were such as had knowledge 
 of the sea : they knew the several parts, what rocks 
 and sands were in the way to them ; they knew how 
 to steer the sliip in all winds and weathers, and to 
 order all in the ship for the best advantage: such 
 were their pilots. The word for " pilot " is, San clw- 
 bet, which signifies the master, captain, or governor 
 of the ship, which OCcolampadius derives from San 
 funis, because by them the sails of the ship are ex- 
 tended or contracted at the pleasure of the pilot or 
 governor ; but rather it is from San pariurire, like one 
 in travail, who hath many fears and sorrows before 
 she bring forth, so hath the pilot or master of the 
 ship. 
 
 Ver. 9. " The ancients of Gebal, and tlie wise men 
 thereof." Gebal was a province or city in Syria, or 
 Syrophcenicia, near unto Zidon ; the men thereof 
 confederated with others against the people of God, 
 Psal. Ixxxiii. 7. These Gebalites were men skilful in 
 hewing of stones, 1 Kings v. 18, that is, " stone- 
 squarers." The Hebrew is, D'Saj the Giblites, or 
 Gebalites; they, with others, were the hewers of the 
 stones and timber wherewith the temple was built. 
 Among these also were ancipnt wise and able men 
 for building and calking of ships. 
 
 " Were in thee thy calkers." The Hebrew is, 
 ■]pia 'pnno which Montanus renders, strengthening 
 thy clefts, or ruptures ; in the margin you have it, 
 stoppers of chinks. Calkers are those that drive 
 in the okum in the clefts, chinks, or distances be- 
 tween the planks of the ship, and then with pitch, 
 rosin, and oil, doth pay the same, that so no water 
 may enter. 
 
 " All the ships of the sea with their mariners were 
 in thee to occupy thy merchandise." Ships from 
 all places and parts came to Tyrus, bringing in their 
 commodities thither, and carrying out what Tyrus 
 afforded, glass, purple, and other commodities. Tlie 
 Hebrew word for " ships " is, nvjs being the plural 
 number, from •:(« which sometimes is rendered, a 
 navy, as 1 Kings x. 11, 22; ix. 26, 27; but mostly, 
 a ship, as Prov. xxx. 19 ; Jonah i. 3, 4, 5 ; Isa. xxxiii. 
 21. A ship is a hollow vessel, made to swim or sail 
 upon the waters, and carry burdens. Which Plautus 
 calls a wooden horse ; Lucretius, the chariot of the 
 winds; August, a sea waggon. Ships are at sea, 
 what carts, chariots, or waggons, are at land; and 
 as those are drawn by horses, so are they driven on 
 by winds and sails ; the word 'JN being from njt< to 
 impel. It is the wind which causeth the ship to 
 move. 
 
 The word for "mariners," in ver. 8, is ctatt" and 
 in this 9th verse it is bt'^c ; the first is from Bit' to 
 move, go up and down from place to place, and so 
 mariners do, carrying the ship from port to port ; the 
 hitter word is from n^c salt, quasi, salt-men, because 
 they row and sail in the salt sea. 
 
 " To occupy thy merchandise." The Hebrew is, 
 to negociate thy negociation, or, to buy thy buying ; 
 thou hast played the merchant in buying divers com- 
 
 modities, and merchants come to thee to fetch away 
 those commodities. Vatablus his sense of the words 
 is so, to take oft" thy wares. 
 
 Ver. 10, 11. They of Persia and of Lud and 
 of Phut were in thine anni/, thi/ men of war : 
 they hanged the shield and helmet in thee .- they 
 set forth thy comeliness. The men of Aread uith 
 thine army tvere upon thy walls round about, and 
 the Gammndims were in thy towers : they hana^ed 
 their shields upon thy walls round about ; they 
 have made thy beauty perfect. 
 
 Having spoken of their gallant shipping, their 
 pilots, mariners, calkers, and naval affairs, here he 
 comes to the military ; they had considerable forces, 
 from other parts, and of their own, both which are 
 touched in these two verses. 
 
 " They of Persia." The Persians were good 
 soldiers ; Cyrus the Persian conquered the Chal- 
 deans, and set up the Persian empire. Ammianus 
 saith of the Persians, they are expert 
 in warlike affairs. The Hebrew for -i ■ •> ■ 
 
 " Persia " is, DiS which signifies, to divide ; to 
 this Daniel alludes, chap. v. 28, " Peres ; Thy king- 
 dom is divided, and given to the Medes and Per- 
 sians." But the name of Persia was before, and 
 upon another account, from one Perseus Mnrimius ia 
 a king. Lcmco. 
 
 " And of Lud." In the 10th of Genesis there is 
 mention of Ludim the son of Mizraim and Ham, ver. 
 13, and of Lud the son of Shem, ver. 22. Of the 
 first it is conceived came the Lubims in Africa, w ho 
 were enemies to the Jews, 2 Chron. xii. 3. Of the 
 second the Lydians, a people in Asia, who were skil- 
 ful archers, as appears, Jer. xlvi. 9 ; and Jerom saith, 
 they were counted the strongest among the nations. 
 
 " And of Phut." Phut was one of the sons of Ham, 
 Gen. X. 6, from whom both posterity and country 
 were so named. Ezek. xxxviii. 5, Phut is translated 
 Libya, and Jer. xlvi. 9, Libyans ; and the Greek 
 Scholiast here turns Phut, Lihyas, the Libyans ; so 
 the Vulgate; and these were famous warriors, and 
 therefore hired to be defenders of the city of Tyre. 
 Those joined with their own men, made up their 
 army, fighting for them at sea, when occasion was, 
 and constantly guarding their city. The word for 
 " war" is n^nSo from onS to eat, and to fight, because 
 wars do eat up men, and their estates ; hence the 
 sword is said to devour, and that from one end of 
 the land to the other, Jer. xii. 12; and to be drunk 
 with blood, Jer. xlvi. 10. War is bloody, consuming, 
 and devouring. 
 
 " Thev hanged the shield and helmet in thee." 
 The Hebrew for " shield" is, JJD to protect, because 
 it protects and defends him that bears it. Tlie Lord 
 said to Abraham, Gen. xv. 1, -|S pn 'a:!< I am a 
 shit'ld to thee, that is, I, that am the great God, am 
 thy Protector. Hence great men, who ought to 
 protect the people, the places, and cities they dwell 
 in, are called viN-':.in " the shields of the earth," 
 Psal. xlvii. 9. 
 
 The word for " helmet " in Hebrew is, yaia Greek, 
 jTfpitf^aXain, that piece of armour wliicli covers tlie 
 head, (^f old they made helmets of the skins of 
 beasts, afterwards of metals, as brass, iron, silver. 
 
 In time of peace, they hanged up their shields and 
 helmets where they might be seen, that so both 
 Strang vs and others might see they were well pro- 
 vided fir wars upon all occasions, or rather, it was 
 to set firth their glory and greatness. It is like they 
 had some public armoury, where tlieir arms were 
 laid up. The Jews stored up theirs in the house of 
 God, 2 Chron. xxiii. 9.
 
 COG 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVII. 
 
 "They set forth thy comeliness." This added 
 much to the beauty ami gloiy of Tyrus, that it had 
 strong men in it, who were expert warriors, and 
 store of arms hung up orderly. Solomon tells you 
 an armoury is very comely, where there hang shields 
 and bucklers of mighty men. Cant. iv. 4 ; such hang- 
 ings become an armoury, as well as tapestry or arras 
 do any room. 
 
 Ver. 1 1. " The men of Arvad with thine army were 
 upon thy walls roundabout." Of the Arvaditeswas 
 touched before ; they, with the Tyrians, and those 
 they had hired for military services, kept watch upon 
 the walls of Tyrus continually. Though it were a 
 strong city, seated upon a rock, in the midst of the 
 seas, yet they thought it wisdom to have a watch on 
 all sides, not knowing but enemies might come by 
 sea, and do them mischief. These Tyrians trusted 
 not only to their walls, a lifeless strength, but had 
 watches of their soldiers, which were living strengths. 
 
 " The Gammadims were in thy towers." Inere 
 is some dispute among interpreters, who these Gam- 
 madims were. The Vulgate renders the word, 
 pigmies, and so doth Shindler, whom authors affirm 
 to be a people of three cubits or spans in stature ; 
 but it is impossible the Tyrians should employ such, 
 who had sought the strongest and skilfullest of men 
 in other nations, to be an ornament and defence unto 
 them : what glory was it, to have such dwarfs among 
 their valiant men ? Some make tliem to seem pig- 
 mies, and little ones, becau.se they were in high 
 towers ; tliis savours more of fancy than of truth ; 
 why shonld not the Tyrians have stout men in their 
 towers, as well as on their walls ? The Chaldee reads 
 it, Cappadocians ; the Septuagint, ipi\a<tg, keepers ; 
 and Jerom, though he renders the word pigmies, yet 
 he adds, quasi bellatores, aito r^q Trvy/iij^, a lucta el 
 cerlamine, because they were forward to fight, and 
 were notable fist-fighters. " Gammadim " is from 
 gotned, a cubit, which occasioned many to think 
 them to be cubit men ; but gomed may note the arm, 
 wherein man's strength lies, and hence they are 
 called, viri brachiales, quod brachio potentes et robusli 
 essent, because they were men of their 
 
 Duxlor. iDverbo a j t ■ ii ^i ,. 
 
 OaMimadim. Vid. amis. And Junius calls them, men of 
 ?um?'"'' '" '"■ ar""^ and strength, fit to defend what 
 they undertook. Doubtless they were 
 men of stature and strength ; otherwise what should 
 they have done with shields, they would have been 
 burdensome to little and weak men. Quistorpius 
 saith, these Gammadims were a warlike people, not 
 inferior to the Persians, Lydians, or Arvadians, so 
 called from a region of that name. A Lapide con- 
 ceives, " Gammadim " may be from ncj? stare, and 
 so these Gammadims to be standing soldiers, a 
 standing garrison in the towers of Tyrus. 
 
 " They hanged their shields upon thy walls round 
 about." The word for " shields " differs fi-om that 
 in the former verse, there it is, magen, and here it is, 
 taSf shelet, whence our English word shield comes ; 
 it is from tsVw to rule, because those wlio used 
 shields were like men of power, and enabled to en- 
 counter their enemies. 
 
 " They have made thy beauty perfect." The 
 Vulgate is, they have filled up thy beauty ; the 
 Zidonians, Arvadians, Gebalites, Persians, Lydians, 
 Libyans, Gammadims, every one added something, 
 which made up the beauty of Tyrus. You may con- 
 fine it to their shipping and arms. 
 
 Obs. I. That even amongst heathens were wise 
 and experienced men. Zidon, Arvad, Tyrus, Gebal, 
 were heathenish, yet had they their wise men, and 
 ancients, D'csn and D>:pT All wisdom and ex- 
 perience were not shut up in Judea; the Lord gave 
 gifts unto heathens, so that many of them ex- 
 
 celled in wisdom, and had great skill in natural and 
 human things. The \\'orA cliacam imports knowledge 
 and wisdom, in divine and human things. Heathens 
 fell short in the first, but went beyond most in the 
 second. Solomon acknowledged, that there was 
 none among the Jews that had such skill in hewing 
 of timber as the Sidoniaus, 1 Kings v. 6, and you 
 may read how skilful a Tyrian was, 2 Chron. ii. 1-J; 
 he was /.v/( cliacam, ver. 13, it is a " cunning man " 
 in our translation, Init rather it should be, a man of 
 wisdom, a man of skill, he was so skilful, as to find 
 out any thing put unto him. There were " wise 
 men" in the nations, Jer. x. 7; Edom had hers, 
 Obad. 8 ; so Babylon, Dan. v. 7 ; Egypt had the 
 like, Exod. vii. 1 1 ; and Tyre and Zidon had not 
 only wise men, but those who were " very wise," 
 Zech. ix. 2. 
 
 Ohs. 2. Matters of importance are to be committed 
 to men of wisdom and experience. Tyrus put her 
 naval afl'airs in the hands of wise men and ancient; 
 she would not trust young, raw, unexpert men to be 
 her mariners, pilots, or calkers ; she looked not to 
 kindred, friends, and relations, as states now do ; but 
 unto those who were fit and able, wise and experi- 
 enced in the affairs they were to be employed in. 
 AVisdom directs, Eccles. x. 10 ; wisdom builds up 
 and establisheth, Prov. xxiv. 3. 
 
 Obs. 3. Wise states, as they will make use of 
 foreigners to advance their affairs and secure them- 
 selves, so especially they will promote their own 
 unto the principal places. " Thy wise men, O Tyrus, 
 that were in thee, were thy pilots ;" Zidonians and 
 Arvadites were her mariners, the Gebalites her 
 calkers, but Tyrians themselves were her pilots. So 
 Persians, Lydians, and Phutians were in the army 
 of Tyrus, but they were not the commanders thereof. 
 Tyrus was careful, and showed her great wisdom in 
 placing men of her own, those who were natives, in 
 the chief places of her navy and of her army. 
 
 When strangers are set in chief places, it discon- 
 tents the natives, causes envy, grudgings, and ani- 
 mosities, so that those under them oft plot against 
 them, and so the work they are in is made unsuc- 
 cessful. Solomon set his own people over the work, 
 1 Kings V. 16; and Pharaoh set Egyptians over the 
 Jews and Jewish officers, Exod. i. 11 ; v. 14. 
 
 Obs. 4. The glory of a state and city is made up 
 of and set out by external things. Ships, soldiers, 
 shields, helmets, they made up the beauty of Tyrus, 
 they made it perfect, they became her, and set forth 
 her comeliness. Such comeliness, such beauty, have 
 heathenish states and cities ; but there is another 
 beauty, another comeliness, which would far exceed 
 these, and make states and cities very glorious, viz. 
 true doctrine, pure worship, holiness of life, execu- 
 tion of justice, and provision for the poor ; these 
 things would make the beauty of a city perfect, and 
 set forth the comeliness thereof unto the life. Zion, 
 that had these things in her, was " the perfection of 
 beauty." 
 
 Ver. 12. Tarshish was thy inercliant hi/ reason 
 of the multitude nf all kind of riches ; with silver, 
 iron, tin, and lead, theii traded in thy fairs. 
 
 The glory of Tyrus, being pencilled out from its 
 structure, navy, and militia, now the prophet pro- 
 ceeds to amplify the same from the great merchand- 
 izing it had. Isaiah tells you, chap, xxiii. 3, that 
 Tyrus was a " mart of nations ;" and Lavater saith, 
 it was as a market or fair for the whole world, which 
 was an exceeding great honour unto Tyrus. This 
 amplification extends unto the 25th verse, and in the 
 several verses are set out the divers sorts of mer- 
 chants, and their wares.
 
 Ver. 12, 13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 607 
 
 " Tavshish was thy mercliant." This word " Tar- 
 shish " hath greatly perplexed interpreters, and 
 their thoughts about it are various. Jerom in most 
 places, and many others that follow him, miike it to 
 be the sea, some the Mediterranean, others the 
 ocean ; but this Munster likes not, because, as the 
 other sons of Javan divided the isles of the gentiles, 
 and gave their names unto them, so it is probable 
 that Tarshish, being his son, did the like. Gen. x. 4, 
 5; besides, Psal. Ixxii. 10, mention is made of "the 
 kings of Tar.shish," which imports it was land, and 
 not sea. In this place the Septuagint hath aapxi- 
 ivriot; Jerom and the Vulgate, Carllwginenses, the 
 Carthaginians, so that they all understand by 
 Tarshish, Carthage. So Mariana likewise, wdio 
 saith, that Tunis being near Carthage, was called in 
 the Arabic tongue Tharsis, which he hath from Leo 
 Africanus; and in these two places, Isa. xsiii. 1, 
 Ezek. xxxviii. 13, the Septuagint hath Carthage, and 
 the Carthaginians. Pliny makes it a colnny of 
 
 Lib. 5. 0. ici. Tyriis ; and Curtius saith, the Tyrians 
 
 Q. Curl. 1. 4. built Carthage, and were honoured by 
 the Carthaginians, parentum loco. Some make Tar- 
 shish here to be Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, that which 
 Jonah fled unto, Jonah i. 3; the city whereof Paul 
 the apostle was. Acts xxi. 39; but this Boetius, in 
 his Sacred Animadversions, likes not, because Tarsus 
 was not a sea, but an inland town ; 
 ■ ' '^' ■ and he cites Pliny for proof of it, 
 saying that the river Cydnus doth divide Tarsus 
 „ far from the sea; and moreover, Cilicia 
 had not such metals as here are men- 
 tioned. Others therefore make this Tarshish to be 
 Tartessus, a sea town in Spain, which abounded with 
 these metals here mentioned, viz. silver, iron, tin, and 
 lead, which were brought to Tartessus ; but what- 
 ever probabilities are alleged for this opinion, the 
 prophet Isaiah confounds them all, when he saith, 
 chap, xxiii. 10, that Tyrus was the daughter of Tar- 
 shish. Tyrus was very ancient, yet not so ancient 
 as Tarshish, which was some INIediten-anean island, 
 with the city thereof, so named from Tarshish the 
 son of Javan, Gen. x. 4, 5. How then can either 
 Carthage or Tartessus be Tarshish, when they were 
 daughters of Tyrus ? as Pliny, 1. 5. c. 19, and Sane- 
 tins, upon Isa. ii. 16, do affirm ; and though both of 
 them were ancient, yet must they not compare with 
 Tyrus or Tarshish for antiquity. 
 
 The men of Tarshish, what island, city, or place 
 soever it was, they came to Tyrus, and merchan- 
 dized with her. The word for "merchant" is, "^^D 
 socher, from sacltar, to go from place to place, in a 
 trading way, transporting commodities, which is the 
 work of merchants ; they themselves, or by their 
 factors, do cause goods to be carried from port to 
 port, and transported beyond sea. Either Tarshish 
 had such mines as yielded the metals spoken of in 
 the verse, or they were brought unto it, and so trans- 
 ported by the merchants thereof to Tyrus. 
 
 " With silver, iron, tin, and lead." Ceseph is the 
 word for " silver," which comes from t]03 to desire ; 
 for silver is that which all men covet and desire, yet 
 are not satisfied therewith. So strongly are some 
 carried out in their desires after it, that they venture 
 limbs and life for it, yea, pierce themselves through 
 with many cares, and drown their souls in perdition, 
 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10. 
 
 Sna is "iron;" beriz is a Chaldee word, signi- 
 fying Irantfigere, perforare, from whence it may be 
 derived, because iron is that which pierceth through, 
 and fastens things together; it is of great use, and 
 could not well be wanted in any state. It is fre- 
 
 Scaiig. E»erc. quently put in Scripture for that which 
 10. 6. 2. is made of iron : as 2 Kings vi. 5, G, 
 
 that which is called the " axe," in Hebrew is iron ; 
 and Psal. cv. 18, " He was laid in iron," that is, in 
 chains made of iron ; so Psal. cvii. 10, " Being bound 
 in affliction and iron," that is, in fetters or chains ; 
 therefore metaphorically it notes hard things. 
 
 " Tin," that is, Sns from Sn3 which is, to sepa- 
 rate, because it is separated not only from silver 
 in the fire, but other drossy materials; some call it 
 while lead. Our pewter hath much of it mingled 
 with it. 
 
 " Lead," the Hebrew is, nBij? ophereth, from -iBj; 
 dust, because it hath much earthiuess in it, not be- 
 cause it is fetched out of the dust of the earth, so are 
 other metals which are more noble. 
 
 " They traded in thy fairs." The Hebrew runs 
 thus, they have given in these to thy aid : fairs are 
 aids and helps to places where they are kept. Others 
 read for " fairs," in thy leavings they have traded, 
 in the place where all things are left for sale and ex- 
 change ; the word \'my or n';'i3Ty notes the place 
 whither wares are brought and left, from 3Ty asab, to 
 leave, and also, to help. 
 
 Ver. 13. Javati, Tubal, and MeshecJi, they were 
 thy merchants : they traded the persons of men 
 and vessels of brass in thy market. 
 
 Javan was the son of Japheth, Gen. x. 2, from 
 whom came the lonians, afterwards called the Gre- 
 cians. Dan. viii. 21, "The rough goat is" -|Sd 
 p* " the king of Grecia ;" and the Septuagint here 
 hath it, >/ tAXdci which is Greece : Joel iii. 6, D'jv is 
 rendered s\Xi]v!q, by the Septuagint, and Grecians, 
 by our translators. 
 
 " Tubal." Tubal was the son of Japheth also, 
 Gen. X. 2; and as Junius, in his notes upon the 
 place, observes, from him came the Iberians and Al- 
 banians. The Iberians were a people in Asia, near 
 the Caspian and Euxine seas, and the Albanians were 
 tlieir neighbours, between Colchis and Armenia. 
 Some expositors do tell us, there were the occidental 
 Iberians, as well as oriental, and by them they un- 
 derstand the Spaniards, who were so called from the 
 river Iber ; and they make Tubal the 
 father and founder of Spain, the first ' ' '"''■ 
 city whereof they affirm to be called Thubal. 
 
 " Meshech." Some make him, being the son of 
 Japheth, Gen. x. 2, the father of the Muscovites ; 
 others, of the Cappadocians, who formerly were called 
 Mesehines, or Meschates. Josephus, in his first book 
 of Antiquities, cap. 7. which is of nations deriving 
 their names from the authors, saith, Meschus was 
 the author of them called Meschates, who were 
 lately named Cappadocians ; for they show even at 
 this day a token of their ancient name, to wit, the 
 city of Masaca. 
 
 " They were thy merchants." The word for " mer- 
 chant " here, dift'ers from that in the precedent verse, 
 it is, San rochel, which properly is a merchant deal- 
 ing in grocery, spicery, and sweet things ; in 1 Kings 
 X. 15, they are called " spice merchants," liarocelim. 
 There are two words more in the verse for "mer- 
 chants ;" tor, -\ir\ because they search into the nature 
 of things ; and ino because they send their goods 
 up and down from place to place ; but rncliel is used 
 for those that merchandize in other things, as fol- 
 lows. 
 
 " They traded the persons of men." The He- 
 brew i«, ano tt'Sja in the soul, or souls of men. So 
 the Sei)tuagint, iv )^iix"'C di'Opuivwv. The Vulgate 
 is, slaves. Junius and Piscator read it, they traded 
 in men, cither they brought men to Tyrus to sell 
 them there, or brought men in to Tyrus to carry 
 elsewhere. This was a frequent practice among
 
 608 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVII. 
 
 heathens, to buy and sell men. If it be thought 
 lawful to sell those who are taken in war, from whom 
 the conqueror might take their lives, what warrant 
 there is to buy and sell other men like beasts in a 
 market, I see not. The Scholiast saith, God here 
 doth accuse their great injustice, who sold men by 
 force. The merchants that dealt with the whore of 
 Babylon, they traded. Rev. xviii. 13, in the bodies, 
 so is the word " slaves" in the original, " and souls 
 of men." They traded in the soul of man, that is, 
 saith Vilalpandus, with tlie great hazard of their 
 lives ; according to that. Lam. v. 9, " We gat our 
 bread " ijfSJ3 that i.s, with the hazard of our 
 soul, or life, " because of the sword of the wilder- 
 ness." 
 
 " And vessels of brass in thy market." All kind 
 of brazen vessels were brought thither, and sold into 
 other parts. The word for " market" is, 3"iyc fnim 
 3"iy to mingle, because in markets there are mix- 
 tures of all things; in Tyrus were men, brass, lead, 
 tin, iron, silver, and a multitude of other things to 
 • be had. 
 
 Ver. 14. Tlieij of the house of Togarmah tvaded 
 ill thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules. 
 
 Togarmah was the son of Gomer, the son of Ja- 
 pheth. Gen. x. 2, 3; and the Chaldee paraphrast 
 makes his coimlry Germany. The Jews understand 
 by the Thogarnucans, the Turks, and by Togarma, 
 Turkey. Olliers by " the house of Togarmah" 
 mean the Phrygians, who abounded in horses and 
 horsemen, which were skilful in horsemanship. 
 What " house," that is, people, or nation, soever 
 they were, they possessed the northern parts, Ezek. 
 xxxviii. 6. 
 
 " Horses, horsemen, and mules." D'DiD notes 
 common horses ; D'tt'iS pharasim, horses for war ; 
 CDms swift horses, such as kings and princes 
 used, saith A Lapide : but parasli is a horseman, be- 
 cause he urges on the horse with spurs, 2 Chron. i. 
 14; and pered is a mule, from •)-!& to separate, be- 
 cause the generation of mules is differing from other 
 beasts. 
 
 Ver. 1 .5. The men ofDedan u-ere thy merchnnf.i ; 
 vi(iny isles were the merchandise of thine hand: 
 they brought thee for a present horns of ivory 
 and ebony. 
 
 " Dedan" was a city in Idumea, belonging to the 
 posterity of Esau, Jer. xlix. 8; of it see what was 
 said chap. xxv. 13: those in that city, who were 
 merchants, did merchandize with Tyrus. 
 
 " Many isles were the merchandise of thine hand." 
 Isles in the ocean, or Mediterranean sea. Sanctius 
 thinks they could not be the Mediterranean islands, 
 because they yielded not such commodities as are 
 here spoken of. They brought their wares into 
 Tyrus, bargaining with her merchants and inhabit- 
 ants, which bargains were confirmed by striking 
 hands : or, by the " merchandise of thine hand," 
 may be understood, their bringing wares to her hand, 
 and taking wares off from her hand. 
 
 " They brought thee for a present horns of ivory 
 and ebony." Elephants have no horns ; but because 
 their teeth grow something like horns, therefore 
 they are called horns, and " horns of ivory," for that 
 the ivory is made of those teeth or horns. 
 
 The Hebrew word for " ebony " is, D"J3in hobnim, 
 which some have interpreted, peacocks; but the 
 word for peacocks is, D"2n 1 Kings x. 22. Ebony is 
 black, solid, and shining wood, so heavy, that it 
 swims not in water, but sinks even like a stone. 
 
 Eben in Hebrew is a stone, and ebony differs not 
 much from it. India is the parent of it. 
 
 " For a present," not that they gave the Tyrians 
 their ivory and ebony, but presented them for sale 
 unto Ihem. Therefore Piscator reads the words 
 thus. With horns of ivory and with ebony they have 
 made or rendered thy price ; they have given thee 
 these for other commodities. 
 
 V^er. 16. Syria was thy merchant hy reason of 
 the multitude of the wares of thy making : they 
 occupied in thy fairs with emeralds, purple, and 
 hroideredworlx:,andfine linen, and coral, and agate. 
 
 The word for " Syria" in Hebrew is, ais Gen. 
 X. 22, Aram was the son of Shem, and from him 
 came the Aramites, or Armenians, who possessed 
 Armenia, so called from Aram, which signifies high, 
 and in Armenia it is conceived was the highest part 
 of the earth; Gen. viii. 4, the ark first rested upon 
 the mountains of Ararat, which were in Armenia. 
 Vilalpandus tells us, that from -iw Sur, a province 
 therein, it afterward was called Syria. Josephus, 
 Antiq. 1. i. c. 7, saith, of Aram came vid. Mmtin. in 
 the Aramaeans, whom the Greeks call- •'"^- ''J^us. 
 ed Syrians. These Syrians were the merchants of 
 Tyrus; but whether the Syrians of Damascus, 2 Sam. 
 viii. 5, or the Syrians of Beth-rehob, or those of 
 Zoba, 2 Sam. x. 6, or the Syrians of Padan-aram, 
 Gen. xxv. 20, or all of them, is uncertain. 
 
 " By reason of the multitude of the wares of thy 
 making." In the Hebrew it is, for the multitude of 
 thy works. Tyrus had many artists, which made 
 and multiplied wares for other parts. She employed 
 her people, who filled her with artificial things. 
 
 " They occupied in thy fairs with emeralds." The 
 word for " emerald" is, -jSi which Rabbi David saith 
 is a kind of precious stone, of black colour. Jerom 
 and Sautes make it a carbuncle, and so the French, 
 and Vatablus. Others, the smaragd emerald, or green 
 stone, with which colour the eyes are greatly pleased 
 and delighted. 
 
 " Purple, and broidered work, and fine linen." 
 These were rich commodities which the Syrians 
 traded in. Of these before. 
 
 " Coral." Tliis grows in the sea ; whilst it is 
 under the water it is green, being got above the water, 
 it becomes red: it is called the tree-stone, or stony- 
 tree, because it brancheth out like a tree. The He- 
 brew, ncN-i is from csn to elevate or raise up, and 
 so doth coral spring up out of the rock or sea. 
 
 " Agate." The margin is, chrysoprase, ^D^^ Je- 
 rom pirofesses he knows not what this word means. 
 The Hebrews affirm, that by it are meant all pre- 
 cious wares. It is rendered by interpreters, a car- 
 buncle, a pearl, a crystal, and here, an agate, which 
 is a stone well known. It had its name from Achates, 
 a river in Sicilia, in which, or near to which, it- was 
 first found, but afterwards in other places. 
 
 Ver. 17. Judah, and the land of Israel, they 
 were thy merchants: they trctded in thy market 
 wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and 
 oil, and balm. 
 
 The posterity of Judah, and the inhabitants of 
 Canaan, they abounding with wheat, honey, oil, and 
 balm, exported them to Tyrus; for Tynis was vic- 
 tualled by Judea, Acts xii. 20; and Hiram king of 
 Tyre had twenty thousand measures of wheat, and 
 twenty measures of oil, yearly from Solomon, for his 
 houseliold, 1 Kings v. 11; w hat then had all his 
 people from the merchants of the Jews! 
 
 " Wheat of Minnith." p'jd 'lans. nan jMoii ,nts:n
 
 Ver. 18—22. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 cm 
 
 from tajn to bving forth, to thrust out, because the 
 wheat thrusts itself out of the hose or stalk, and 
 appears above the same. Canaan was erez cliilluh, 
 " a land of wheat and barley, a land of oil-olive and 
 honey," Deut. viii. 8. Minnith was some principal 
 place in it for wheat; it is mentioned only in Judg. 
 xi. 33, and here. 
 
 " Pannag." Some translate it, balsam, some, a fig, 
 but Aquilla, Symmachus, and Theodotion do make 
 it a place, as Minnith, which yielded choice wheat. 
 Jvmius and Piscator call it Phoenicia ; and so Bux- 
 torfius. 
 
 " Balm." Some render it rosin, which is a hu- 
 mour or juice flowing out of certain trees; but 
 "balm " it is rendered here, and Gen. xxxvii. 35 ; 
 Jer. viii. 22 ; xlvi. II; li. 8 ; which is the principal 
 of oils, or liquids, that flow out of trees, quusi 
 pw-Sya the lord or king of oils. 
 
 Ver. 18. Damascus was thy merchant in the 
 multitude of the wares of thy making, for the mul- 
 titude of all riches ; in the wine of Helhun, and 
 white wool. 
 
 Damascus was a famous city of Syria, rather than 
 Phoenicia, which Julian called, the eye of the east, 
 between Libanus and mount Hermon. Isaiah tells us 
 it was the " head of Syria," chap. vii. 8, that is, the 
 head or principal city thereof: merchants came from 
 thence to Tyrus, and traded in her wares, and Tyrians 
 went to Damascus, and traded in hers. 
 
 " For the multitude of all riches." Tyrus abound- 
 ed with the riches of sea and land, having commo- 
 dities fitting for all places. 
 
 " In the wine of Helbon." ]^3Sn chelbmi, sig- 
 nifies milk, or fatness, and metaphorically, it sig- 
 nifies the best of any thing; here it is conceived to 
 Bustorf, in ^'^ '^^ name of a place in Syria, where 
 ver'bo iiaiab. grew choice grapes, of which the best 
 wine was made, wine as pleasant as milk, if not like 
 unto milk in colour. 
 
 " And white wool." The Septuagint and Jerom 
 have it, wool from Miletus, a city in the borders of 
 Ionia and Caria, but the Hebrew word is, inY which 
 is, whiteness, so that the words are, wool of white- 
 ness. In the eastern parts are arbores taniferip, trees 
 that bear wool or cotton, which is very white, and 
 sheep that bear wool of whiteness, or white wool. 
 The W'Ord tzachar hath affinity with nnx tzahar, which 
 signifies light, and all light hath a whiteness and 
 brightness in it. 
 
 Ver. 19. Dan also and Javan going to and fro 
 occupied in thy fairs : bright iron, cassia, and 
 calamus, were in thy viarket. 
 
 " Dan," the posterity of the patriarch Dan, who 
 inhabited the city Dan near Jordan, both which had 
 their names from him. Josh. xix. 47. That city Dan 
 in Christ's time was called Caesarea Philippi ; and in 
 Jerom's, Paneas : from hence, being some thirty-five 
 miles from Tyrus, came the Danites to trade with 
 the Tyrians. 
 
 "Javan going to and fro." Of "Javan" before, 
 ver. 13. The word for " going to and fro," SiVSD 
 Meuzzal, some make the name of a place. Meuzzal, 
 "from Uzal," so Aquila, as if the Danites and Gre- 
 cians did bring commodities from Uzal to Tyrus ; but 
 meuzel is a participle from Slis ezal, which is, to go, 
 to move. Vatablus turns it, ragabunda, for the 
 Greeks, being covetous, did sail and move to all 
 places for gain. 
 
 " Bright iron." The Hebrew is, iron made, de- 
 fecated from all the dross, and made pure, or made 
 into bars or plates. 
 
 2 R 
 
 " Cassia." It is a kind of a sweet cane, or shrub ; 
 in Hebrew, .lip from lip to bow with the bend, or 
 top ; so this cassia grows with the top inclining or 
 bowing ; it is mentioned only here, and in Exod. 
 XXX. 24, where it is reckoned among the " principal 
 spices " for the holy anointing. The word for 
 " cassia" in Psal. xlv. 8, is, myxp from yyp to shave, 
 unbark ; for cassia is an odoriferous vid.piin. Natur. 
 shrub, whose bark shaved off is very ^ist. 1. 12. c. 19. 
 useful. 
 
 " Calamus." It is a kind of sweet reed, or cane, 
 full of knots, growing in India. Isa. xliii. 24, it is 
 called " sweet cane," and Jer. vi. 20, " sweet cane 
 from a far country," which was India, saith Jerom. 
 Of it, and other spices, was made the MaUinn. in 
 incense. locum. 
 
 Ver. 20. Dedan was thy merchant in precious 
 clothes for chariots. 
 
 The Hebrew for "precious clothes" is, rsn <T33 
 garments of ingenuity, or liberty ; such garments as 
 noble and free men used for their horses and chariots. 
 Men of quality adorn their horses and chariots with 
 rich and precious ornaments, rich saddles, trappings, 
 and coverings. 
 
 Ver. 21. Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, 
 they occupied with thee in lambs, and ^'ams, and 
 goats ; in these were they thy tnerchants. 
 
 The Arabians dealt much in sheep and goats, they 
 brought thousands of them to Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. 
 xvii. 11. Arabia Petraea and Deserta bred multi- 
 tudes of tliem. 
 
 " The princes of Kedar." Kedar, saith Jerom, is 
 a region in the wilderness of the Saracens, so named 
 from Kedar the son of Ishmael, Gen. xxv. 13; in it 
 was a city also of that name, which had divers 
 princes. The Kedarites and Arabians, as they were 
 not far from one another, so not far from Tyrus, be- 
 cause such cattle could not be driven far : in these 
 they traded with the Tyrians. 
 
 " In these were they thy merchants." The He- 
 brew is, the merchants of thy hand, that is, mer- 
 chants near at hand : they were near, and alway 
 ready to furnish them with lambs, rams, and goats. 
 
 Ver. 22. Tlie merchants ofSheba and Raamah, 
 they U'ere thy merchants : they occupied in thy 
 fairs ivith chief of all spices, a7id with all precious 
 stones, and gold. 
 
 In Gen. x. 7i we read of Seba with samech, and 
 Seba with shin ; this Seba with shin was the son of 
 Raamah, who inhabited the upper tract, coast, or 
 part of Arabia Felix, and from him that region was 
 named Sheba ; the other Seba, with samech, was the 
 son of Cush, and nephew of Ham, who piosscssed 
 that region in Ethiopia, called from him Saba, of 
 W'hich Isaiah speaks, chap, xliii. 3, " I gave Egypt 
 for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba," or Saba, " for 
 thee." You have them both Psal. Ixxii. 10, " The 
 kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts ;" the first 
 is with the letter v/ shiri ; the second with samecli. 
 The queen that came to Solomon, was of Sheba, 
 not Seba, or Saba; Sheba, in Arabia the Happy, 
 abounded with those things she presented unto him. 
 
 " Raamah." Some make this word an epithet 
 of the former, The merchants of Sheba, even 
 Raamah : or thus. The merchants of Sheba, even 
 thunder, or thunderers ; for cyi or ncyn signifies 
 thunder ; Job xxxix. 19, " Hast thou clothed his 
 neck with thunder'" speaking of the burse; Hast
 
 610 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVII. 
 
 thou made liim terrible ? The Sabcans v/ere the 
 vid. Jiin. Id disturbers of all things. But I rather 
 Gen. 1. 7- conceive, with Junius, it was some place 
 in Arabia the Happy, near unto Sheba ; it is more 
 probable the father and the son pitched in those 
 parts which were near one another. 
 
 " With chief of all spices, and with all precious 
 stones, and gold." Arabia Felix did abound with 
 choice spices ; Jer. vi. 20, incense came from 
 Sheba ; and not only incense, but gold, Isa. Ix. 
 6 ; the queen of Sheba she brought spices, much 
 gold, and precious stones unto Solomon. 1 Kings 
 X. 2. 
 
 Ver. 23. Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, (he 
 merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chihnad, were 
 thy merchaiits. 
 
 Haran, or Charran, was a city in Mesopotamia, 
 where Abraham some time dw-elt. Gen. xi. 31 ; Acts 
 vii. 4. Canneh is no where mentioned but in this 
 place, and it is thought to be some city or region 
 nigh to Haran ; Junius makes it the same with Cal- 
 iieh, Gen. x. 10. Eden is spoken of 2 Kings xix. 
 12, and Isa. xxxvii. 12, where it is said to be in Thc- 
 lasar. Vilalpandus makes Eden to be a most plea- 
 sant region in Syria ; others, in Mesopotamia ; Ju- 
 nius, in Chaldea. 
 
 " Sheba." Some make this Sheba the same with 
 the former. Junius and Piscator difference it from 
 the former, placing it in Arabia Dcserta, and think 
 it that Sheba Job speaks of, chap. vi. 19, " The com- 
 panies of Sheba waited for them." 
 
 " Asshur." He was the son of Shem, Gen. x. 22; 
 of him came the Assyrians, who were a scourge and 
 plague to the Jews, Isa. x. 5. 
 
 " Chilmad." It is from lamad, to teach, and the 
 words may be read thus, The merchants of Sheba 
 and Asshiu-, being versed and skilled in thy wares 
 and affairs, thiy were thy merchants ; but it is more 
 suitable to look at " Chilmad" as the proper name 
 of a place. It is by the learned made a province of 
 the Medes, between Assyria and Parthia. 
 
 Ver. 24. These ivere thy merchants in all sorts 
 of things, in blue clothes, and broidered work, and 
 in chests of rich apparel, bound tvith cords, and 
 made oj' cedar, among thy merchandise. 
 
 The men of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, they 
 brought the commodities here mentioned unto Tyrus, 
 and sold them in her markets. 
 
 " In all sorts of things." The Hebrew is, a»'?S3D3 
 Vulgate, in peifectionibus ; it is from SSd to perfect, 
 and notes variety and multitude of perfect wares, 
 such as were no ways faulty. 
 
 " In blue clothes." nSan 'diS« saith Monta- 
 nus, in the wrappings of hyacinth ; Symmachus, 
 in precious coverings. The word galom is a cloak 
 or covering, in which a man doth w rap and cover 
 himself. 
 
 " In chests of rich apparel, bound with cords." 
 't3J3 in the cases, or chests; ^:) is that in which 
 gold, silver, clothes, and desirable things are laid 
 up in : they put up rich apparel in clothes, and 
 bound tliem with cords, yea, with cords of silk, saith 
 Vilalpandus. 
 
 The word for " rich apparel " is, D'cna only in 
 this place, and it notes precious, desirable gai-ments. 
 The Septuagint turns it, Briaavpois UXtKroig, choice 
 treasures. 
 
 " Made of cedar." Cedars are well scented, du- 
 rable, but brittle, of them they made chests for their 
 precious things. 
 
 Ver. 25. Tlte ships of Tarshish did sing nf thee 
 in thy market : and thou icast replenished, and 
 made very glorious in the midst of the seas. 
 
 The ships of Tarshish were thy princes, so Mon- 
 tanus ; and others, they were the chief of all the 
 ships which came to thee. The Hebrew is, sliaro- 
 thajick, which the Hebrews derive from -iw to play 
 the prince ; but ours, from -iir shur, to sing ; and so, 
 the merchants, or men of Tarshish, that came and 
 traded with thee, they did magnify thee and thy 
 wares, they praised thee above all places, and thy 
 wares above all wares. 
 
 " Thou wast replenished, and made very glorious." 
 Thou wast tilled with the w'ares and commodities of 
 all the islands and nations near and far off, so that 
 nothing was wanting in thee, and hereupon thou be- 
 camest famous abroad ; thou hadst all precious and 
 rare things ; whatever was the glory and excellency 
 of other places, was brought to thee, being in the 
 heart of the sea ; so it is in the original. 
 
 Obs. 1. That merchandizing is ancient and lawfiil. 
 Tyrus was of great antiquity, Isa. xxiii. 7, and the 
 " mart of nations," ver. 3. In Jacob's days there 
 were Midianitish merchants. Gen. xxxvii. 28; in 
 Abraham's time there were such, Gen. xxiii. 16. 
 Neither is the calling of merchants unlawful, though 
 Chrysostom be against it. He saith, Christ cast the 
 buyers and sellers out of the temple, signifying that 
 a merchant can hardly or never please God, and 
 therefore no christian ought to be a merchant; or if 
 he will, let him be thrown out of the church of God. 
 He cites that in Psal. Ixx. 16, according to the Vul- 
 gate, Because I have not known merchandizing, I 
 shall enter into the powers of the Lord ; (but this is 
 otherwise in the original, in our translation being in 
 Psal. Ixxi. 15, 16;) and he gives his reason hereof, 
 because merchandise can hardly be exercised with- 
 out lying and perjury. This is a hard v,i»ipand. p. ic. 
 sentence against them. It is much to '^"'- -■ ''•■ E- 
 be feared that many of them are covetous, deal in 
 bad wares, corrupt those which are good by mixtures 
 of W'Orse with them, set prices too high, do lie, 
 swear, and forswear themselves, in their much deal- 
 ings ; yet all these do not make merchandizing un- 
 lawful. Prov. xxxi. 24, the virtuous woman sold 
 her fine linen and girdles unto the merchant ; had 
 merchandise been unlawful she would not have dotie 
 it. Let merchants take heed of eovetousness and 
 the evils which are incident to buying and selling, 
 do in all their tradings, with domestics or foreigners, 
 as they would be done unto, and so their calling will 
 not only be warrantable, but of singular advantage 
 unto commonwealths and cities. 
 
 06*. 2. Great trading makes places rich and famous. 
 Tyrus had merchants trom all parts, and they brought 
 in all sorts of precious commodities, so that she was 
 replenished and glorious ; she was full of wealth, 
 and famous in all parts. Babylon had trading w ilh 
 many nations, and she abounded in treasures, Jer. 
 li. 13. When Jerusalem was the gates of the people, 
 when all nations came in to her, then she abounded 
 in wealth and fame. 
 
 Obs. 3. True happiness lies not in the abundance 
 of outward things. Tyrus had what the world could 
 afford ; men of wisdom, skill, and strength ; choice 
 helmets and shields, horses, horsemen, and mules ; 
 horns of ivory and ebony, gold, silver, precious 
 stones, emeralds, agates, coral ; the choicest wheat, 
 honey, oil, and balm ; she had precious clothes, rich 
 apparel, the multitude of all riches in her; yet 
 heathenish, and near unto destruction : Isa. xxiii. 1 1, 
 " The Lord hath given a commandment against the
 
 Ver. 26—36. 
 
 THE BOOIs OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 611 
 
 mcrchnnt city, to destroy the strong holds thereof." 
 Outward things make not happy, Psal. cxliv. 15. 
 
 Ver. 26 — 86. Thji rowers have brought thee 
 into great n-aters : the east n- in d hath broken thee 
 in the midst of the seas. Thy riches, and thi/Jtiirf, 
 thy merchandise, thi/ marine's, and thj/ pilots, thjj 
 calkers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise, and 
 all thy men of icar, that are in thee, and in all 
 thy company which is in the midst of thee, shall 
 full into the midst of the seas in the day of thy 
 ruin. The suburbs shall shake at the sound of 
 the cry of thy pilots. And all that handle the 
 oar, the mariners, and all the pilots cf the sea, 
 shall come doun from their ships, they shall stand 
 upon the land; and shall cause their iioice to be 
 heard against thee, and shall cry bitterly, and 
 shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall 
 v-allow themselces in the ashes: and they shall 
 make themselves utterly bald for thee, and gird 
 them with sackcloth, and they shall iceep for 
 thee with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing. 
 And in their wailing they shall take up a lament- 
 ation for thee, and lament ot^er thee, saying, VfTiat 
 citi/ is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst 
 of the sea? TVJien thy wares went forth out- of 
 the seas, thou flledst many people ; thou didst 
 enrich the kings of the earth icith the multitude of 
 thy riches and of thy merchandise. In the time 
 when thou shall be broken by the seas in the depths 
 of the tcaters thy merchandise and all thy com- 
 pany in the midst of thee shall fall. All the in- 
 habitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, 
 and their kings shall bi sore afraid, they shall be 
 troubled in their countenance. Tlie merchants 
 among the people shall hiss at thee ; thou shall he 
 a terror, and never shall be any more. 
 
 Having shown the great wealth and dignity of 
 Tyrus, here the prophet comes to the second general 
 part of the chapter, viz. to show the irrecoverable 
 fall of Tyrus. 
 
 In these words we have, 
 
 I. The destruction itself of Tyrus. 
 
 II. The effects and events that follow. 
 I. This destruction of Tyrus is set out, 
 
 1. By way of metaphor, or similitude, which is 
 implied in ver. 26. Tyrus is likened unto a ship at 
 sea, that suffers by the winds and waters, and so 
 perisheth, being laden with rich commodities. 
 
 2. From the moving cause thereof, viz. her " row- 
 ers," ver. 26. 
 
 3. The instrument or means, " the east wind." 
 II. The elTects. 
 
 1. Loss of all, ver. 27, 34. 
 
 2. The mourning of pilots and mariners, ver. 2S 
 — 33, with the manner thereof. 
 
 3. The influence it had upon foreigners ; astonish- 
 ment, fear, trouble, it produced in some, ver. 35, and 
 hissing in others, ver. 36. 
 
 Ver. 26. " Thy rowers have brought thee," Sec. 
 This verse is wholly metaphorical. By " rowers " 
 are meant the great men that ruled and governed 
 Tyrus, who were to the city as rowers to a ship. 
 They by their pride, wicked counsels, and wretched 
 lives, caused God to bring a long siege upon her, 
 and ruin at last, which are called " great waters." 
 
 " The east wind hath broken thee." That was 
 T\'cbuchadnczzar, who came with a great army from 
 the east, besieged, took, and ruined Tyre ; he dealt 
 
 with that metaphorical ship, as a rough east wind 
 doth with a ship at sea, breaks it, and sinks it. 
 
 Ver. 27. " Shall all fall into the midst of the sea." 
 &c. The Hebrew is, the heart of the sea ; all the 
 wealth, greatness, and glory of Tyrus should be 
 drowned in the sea. 
 
 Ver. 28. " Tlie suburbs shall shake." The word 
 for " suburbs " is, rw-iio and migrush, saith Pag- 
 nine, is a village out of the city." " By suburbs " 
 here, you understand all the villages and colonies be- 
 longing unto Tyre. When the pilots, the prince, and 
 governors thereof, should cry for the ruin of it, then 
 should all the towns, villages, colonies, which were 
 under her command, be troubled and shake for fear. 
 
 Obs. 1. Nothing human can protect a sinful city 
 and people from the judgments of God. Tyrus was 
 as strong a place as the world had ; her walls, tow- 
 ers, ships, wise, strong men, could not do it. Tyrus 
 was as rich a place as any under heaven, she had a 
 multitude of all riches ; yet these kept her not from 
 being brought into great waters. What power or 
 art of man can keep off the wind from a ship, when 
 it is at sea ? It is not in the power of all the sea- 
 men or mariners in the world to do it ; neither can 
 any number of men, or all men, keep off a judgment 
 of God when it is coming upon a sinful place. Let 
 us not confide in human things. 
 
 Obs. 2. The ruin of cities and states is chiefly 
 from the princes and governors in the same. " Thy 
 rowers," they who sit in the chief places, they " have 
 brought thee into great waters;" they brought war, 
 famine, desolation upon Tyrus. Zedekiah and his no- 
 bles breaking with Nebuchadnezzar, brought Judea 
 and Jerusalem into great waters. Pharaoh's sin 
 brought all the plagues upon Egypt. When govern- 
 ors are wilful, covetous, weak, ignoraut, careless, 
 given to their lusts and pleasures, they may quickly 
 overthrow all. Rehoboam's fully caused that rent in 
 Israel, which never was made up again. It was 
 Ahaz's sin that brought Judah into deep waters ; 2 
 Chron. xxviii. 19, " The Lord brought Judah low 
 because of Ahaz king of Israel ; for he made Judah 
 naked, and transgressed sore against the Lord." 
 
 Obs. 3. That cities and states grown rich and re- 
 nowned, have their periods. Tyrus was replenished 
 with the rarities of the world, she had all excellent 
 things in her, and was very glorious j but w hat be- 
 came of her, and all she had ? were not her riclies, 
 her glory, laid in the seas in the day of her ruin ? 
 ver. 2/. She had her days for rising, and a day 
 for her ruin. All the glory, bravery, and wealth of 
 this great, strong, and beautiful city, was on a sud- 
 den, in a day, buried in the deep sea. 
 
 Obs. 4. When the Lord brings his judgments upon 
 sinful cities and states, when he makes great changes 
 in them, or utterly ruins them, then some lament, 
 and some laugh. When Tyrus was besieged, storm- 
 ed, taken, and ruined, then the rowers, mariners, and 
 pilots, cried, wept, and wailed bitterly, lamenting 
 her destruction ; then the merchants laughed and 
 hissed at her. When Jerusalem was taken, burnt, 
 and nothing left but rubbish and ashes, then Jere- 
 miah and many others lamented greatly for the ruin 
 thereof; and then the Ammonites, Moabites, and 
 Edomitcs, laughed thereat, as you may see, Ezek. 
 XXV. Such is the condition of human affairs, and 
 corruption of human nature, that what is matter of 
 mourning and humiliation to one, becomes matter of 
 rejoicing and insulting to another ; but Wisdom hath 
 said, " He that is glad at calamities shall not be un- 
 punished," Prov. xvii. 5. 
 
 Obs. 5. Tlie righteous God doth sometimes recom- 
 pense sinners in the same way they have sinned. 
 Tvrus laughed at the destruction of Jerusalem, Ezek.
 
 612 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVIII. 
 
 xxvi. 2; and here, in this chapter, ver. 36, "The 
 merchants among the people shall hiss at thee." 
 Hissing, as it sometimes notes astonishment, so 
 sometimes gladness and insulting; Lam. ii. 15, 16, 
 " All that pass by clap their hands at thee ; they 
 wag their heads, and hiss, and say. This is the day 
 we looked for," &c. At first these merchants might 
 be astonished at the tidings of Tyrus her ruin, and 
 after rejoice, clap their hands, and hiss at her. Agag 
 by his sword had made women childless, and by 
 Samuel's sword his mother was made childless, 
 1 Sam. XV. 33. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 10. TTie word of the Lord came again 
 Unto me, sai/ing, So)i of man, sai) unto the prince 
 of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God ; Becaitse 
 thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am 
 a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the 
 seas ; yet thou art a man, and not God, though 
 thou set thine heart as the heart of God: heliold, 
 thou art iviser than Daniel ; there is no secret that 
 they ca7i hide from thee : with thy wisdom and 
 with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee 
 riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy 
 treasures : by thy great wisdom and by thy traf- 
 fick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart 
 is lifted up because of thy riches : therefore thus 
 saith the Lord God ; Because thou hast set thine 
 heart as the heart of God ; behold, therefore I 
 irill bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the 
 nations: and they shall draw their swords against 
 the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy 
 brightness. They shall bring thee down to the 
 pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are 
 slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt thou yet say 
 before him that slayeth thee, Jam God? but thou 
 shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him 
 that slayeth thee. Thou shalt die the deaths of 
 the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers : for 
 I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. 
 
 In this chapter you have these general parts. 
 
 I. A prophecy against the king of Tyre, in these 
 ten verses. 
 
 II. A lamentation for him, and the spoiling of his 
 glory, from the 11th verse to the 19th. 
 
 III. A prophecy against Zidon, from the 20th 
 verse to the 23rd. 
 
 IV. A prophecy of mercy unto the people of God, 
 from the 24th to the end. 
 
 I. In the prophecy against the king of Tyrus, you 
 have, 
 
 1. The authority of the prophecy, in ver. 1. 
 
 2. The sin that brought destruction upon him, 
 which was his pride, ver. 2, occasioned from his 
 seat, his wisdom, ver. 3, 4, and his wealth, vex. 4, 5. 
 
 3. The instruments the Lord would use in his de- 
 struction ; and they were strangers, ver. 7 ; the 
 manner of whose dealings with him is set out in 
 ver. 8—10. 
 
 Ver. 1. "The word of the Lord came again," &c. 
 Being to speak unto the king of Tyrus, he mentions 
 liis commission, that the Lord spake to him, and 
 sent him, one greater than the king himself. Here- 
 by the prochet made way for himself and his mes- 
 
 sage to have the better entertainment; had he come 
 of his own head, delivered things from his own 
 spirit, he had rendered himself contemptible : what 
 he had to declare unto the king, and against him, 
 was not human, but revelation from the Lord. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Son of man." The " son of man" must 
 utter the words of God. Heavenly treasure is put 
 in earthen vessels, and makes them honourable. 
 Ezekiel, though he were the " son of man," yet 
 herein he was the servant of God. He sent him, 
 and put his own words in his mouth, full of majesty, 
 and to be believed, notwithstanding his meanness 
 and frailty. This " son of man," is made a son of 
 thunder against a proud and haughty prince. 
 
 " Say unto the prince of Tyrus." Some of the 
 fathers do make this prince of Tyrus to be the devil ; 
 but they were much mistaken in so conceiting, for 
 here are many things which are incompetent to him, 
 especially what is said in ver. 7, 8. The words 
 are to be taken literally of Ethbahal, or Ithobalus, 
 who was at that time prince of Tyrus, unto whom 
 this prophecy was directed, being in his glory and 
 height ; w hereas Satan was cast out, and cast down 
 into greater misery than here is mentioned, long 
 before. 
 
 " Thus saith the Lord God." Prophets, being 
 subject to the same infirmities and passions as 
 others, are little regarded in the world, especially 
 by princes. Ezekiel therefore must not speak his 
 own words, but say, "Thus saith the Lord God." 
 The Hebrew, Adonai Jehovah, are very significant 
 words : Jehovah imports God's being, and giving 
 being unto all things ; Adonai, his supporting all in 
 their beings, for it is from pN a pillar, or founda- 
 tion. Thus saith he, who hath his being of himself, 
 and hath given being to heaven and earth, and all 
 creatures therein, that upholds all by his power, 
 even thee thyself, O prince of Tyrus ; thus saith he 
 unto thee. 
 
 "Because thine heart is lifted up." By "heart" 
 understand not that little part of flesh in man 
 wherein is the seat of life, but the thoughts, coun- 
 sels, reasonings, designs, w'isdom, workings, and 
 contrivances of the heart: so "heart" is oft to be 
 taken in Scripture ; and it is lifted up, when it is 
 carried out after high and great things. Psal. cxxxi. 
 1, "Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes 
 lofty : neither do I exercise myself in great matters, 
 or in things too high for me." Here you may see 
 what it is to have the heart lifted up, or to be 
 haughty ; it is naj in both places, and it is to liave 
 aspiring tlioughts, to mind liigh things, to be de- 
 signing and reaching after them, to have a high 
 conceit of oneself, as this prince of Tyre had, who 
 thought himself above the condition of mortal men ; 
 and so the counsels, reasonings, designs, and work- 
 ings of his heart, were to become a god, and he 
 blushed not to say it. 
 
 " Thou hast said, I am a god." Not, thou hast 
 thought so, which had been too much, but, thou hast 
 said it. The word iCN sometimes notes purposing, 
 determining, as in 2 Chron. ii. 1, " Solomon deter- 
 mined to build an house ;" he said, that is, he pur- 
 posed in himself to do it ; but here it is more than 
 purposing and determining, the prince of Tyrus 
 " said, " he spake it out, what he thought in his 
 heart he uttered with his lips. " I am a god," El 
 ani, I am the strong one, I give being to this city 
 and state, I uphold the same, on me they all depend, 
 from me they have counsel, comfort, and protection ; 
 I do what I list, my power extends far and near j I 
 open the door and ports for all the isles and nations 
 to trade with thee, O Tyrus, and I can prohiint them 
 at my pleasure : I have filled thee with the riches
 
 VliR. 1 — 10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 613 
 
 nnd rarities of all the nations, I have done great 
 tilings, 1 am beyond others, mighty and powerful, 
 a god, and worthy of such honour as becomes 
 the gods. 
 
 " I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas." 
 As God is in the heavens, which are inaccessible, 
 none being able to come thither, to wrong or harm 
 him ; so am I in Tyrus, seated upon a rock, in the 
 heart or " midst of the seas ;" none can come at me 
 to dome prejudice, I am without fear, I am in " the 
 seat of God," not subject to the malice or power of 
 any mortal whatsoever; all the merchants bring 
 presents unto and adore me ; I have power, wealth, 
 honour, and all things glorious and delightful, my 
 seat is no other than the " seat of God." Here was 
 the great pride of this prince, who arrogated to him- 
 self a deity, and affected divine honour. 
 
 " Yet thou art a man, and not God." The He- 
 brew is, Ss^-nSi din thou art of earth, and not of 
 heaven ; thou art a weak, sinful man, that canst do 
 nothing for others or thyself; what! thou El, the 
 strong God? no, thou forgettest what tliou art; he 
 that is El will break thee in pieces like a potter's 
 vessel, and make thee know " thou art man, and 
 not God," that there is no difference between thee 
 and other men ; if they be infirm and feeble things, 
 subject to changes, sorrows, sicknesses, and death, 
 so art thou. 
 
 " Though thou set thine heart as the heart of 
 God." Thou hast had such thoughts of thy strength, 
 thy glory, thy wisdom, that thou hast persuaded 
 thyself tiiou art become a god, another god, or as 
 God. The thoughts of God's heart are, that he is 
 strong, glorious, great, and wise, and thou takest up 
 his thoughts : by " heart," the thoughts, imagina- 
 tions, and devices of it are meant. This prince of 
 Tyrus dreamed, that he was as fit and able to rule in 
 the seas as God was in heaven, and that his wisdom, 
 strength, and government, made him as honourable 
 and glorious as the Lord's made him, that he was 
 invincible, like God himself. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord takes notice of men's hearts, in 
 what frame they are. "Thine heart is lifted up." 
 Men cannot look into the heart, being shut up in a 
 house of clay ; but the eyes of the Lord pierce 
 through our mud walls, and behold our hearts, and 
 the workings of them. 1 Sam. xvi. 7, " The Lord 
 looketh on the heart :" we look upon actions, faces, 
 outward appearances, but God looks inward, and fixes 
 his eye upon the heart ; and so, that he knows what 
 is in the heart, and how it works, he understands all 
 the thoughts thereof, and the imaginations of those 
 thoughts, 1 C'hron. xxviii. 9, not only the rude 
 draught, but what imaginations are thereupon. He 
 knows men's minds exactly, and can tell you whose 
 hearts are proud and whose are humble, whose are 
 froward and whose are meek, whose are chaste and 
 whose unclean. 
 
 Obs. 2. Princes and great ones are prone, not only 
 to be proud, but to deify themselves. The prince 
 of Tyrus his heart was lifted up, and he said, " I am 
 a god." This is the height of pride, to make oneself 
 a god, to arrogate that which is due unto the Lord. 
 God had said it, " I am God, and there is none else ; 
 I am God, and there is none like me," Isa. xlvi. 9 ; 
 now what pride, what blasphemy was it for this 
 prince to say, " I am a god ! " There are two things 
 which God challengeth to himself, " vengeance," 
 Dent, xxxii. 35, and godship, Isa. xliv. 8. This prince 
 robbed God of one, making himself God. Sundry 
 of the heathen emperors would either be called or 
 worshipped as gods. Caligula made himself a god, 
 erecting a temple with his image in it, ordaining 
 priests and most costly sacrifices to be offered there 
 
 to himself. Domitian by a public edict ordained, 
 that in all writings wherein he should be mentioned 
 irpon any occasion, he shoidd be called Dominus 
 Deus, Lord God. A mad humour of deifying them- 
 selves also invaded Alexander the Great and Julius 
 Ccesar. Such is the frame of antichrist's spirit, 
 2 Thess. ii. 4, " He as God sitteth in the temple of 
 God, showing himself that he is God." 
 
 Obs. 3. Haughtiness and pride of spirit, do pre- 
 cede and presage the destruction of men. This 
 prince was near unto utter ruin, and before it his 
 heart was lifted up ; he said, " I sit in the seat of 
 God," I punish and I spare whom I please ; but 
 quickly after he was thrust out of his seat, and made 
 an example of divine vengeance for his pride and 
 presumption. Edom's heart was proud and high, 
 even before the Lord threw her down, Obad 3, 4. 
 The hearts of Samaria's inhabitants were greatly 
 swollen with pride, and tympanized, when the Lord 
 threatened to bring the adversaries of Rezin against 
 them, Isa. ix. 9 — 11. Herod's pride bred the worms 
 that did devour him. Prov. xvi. 18, " Pride goeth 
 before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a 
 fall." 
 
 Obs. 4. Whatever thoughts and conceits princes or 
 others have of themselves, yet they are but dust and 
 ashes, poor, inconsiderable things in respect of God. 
 " Thou art a man and not God, though thou set thine 
 heart as the heart of God." He was a worthless, 
 despicable thing, notwithstanding he deified himself. 
 Men fancy themselves Elohims, Jehovahs, when they 
 are but Adams, and Enoshes. Jehoiakim made his 
 nest in the cedars, when he was but earth, " a 
 despised broken idol," Jcr. xxii. '23, 28, 29. Great 
 men have great thoughts, ranking themselves among 
 the gods of the earth ; but, as David expresseth it, 
 " among the gods there is none like unto the Lord," 
 Psal. Ixxxvi. 8 : they are earthen, proud, foolish, 
 dying gods, Psal. Ixxxii. 6, 7; but God is in heaven, 
 holy, wise, ever-living : the greatest and best of the 
 sons, of men is no better than a brier or thorn to him, 
 Isa. xxvii. 4; he is " a consuming fire," and what is 
 a brier or thorn to such a fire ! In Isa. xxxi. 3, it is 
 said, " the Egyptians are men, and not God ;" they 
 had high thoughts of themselves, and the Jews had 
 higher ; they looked at them, and not at the Lord ; 
 they thought every Egyptian was El, a strong God ; 
 but the Egyptians were Adams, not El, men, and not 
 God ; the highest of them, their Pharaohs, were men, 
 worms, grasshoppers, nothings, to that God they neg- 
 lected, and that they should know, when he should 
 stretch out his hand. God's thoughts and men's do 
 differ exceedingly, they think themselves some- 
 bodies, as Simon Magus did. Acts viii. 9, gods as 
 the prince of Tyrus here did ; but, Psal. Ixii. 9, " Men 
 of high degree are a lie," not lying, but a lie ; and you 
 know a lie is that which hath no truth in it, no sub- 
 stance, no weight : they think themselves solid, sub- 
 stantial, massy pieces ; but they deceive themselves, 
 and others, not God, who tells them they are a lie, 
 false, vain, and empty things. And not only some 
 men, but even all men are so in his eye ; Isa. xl. 
 17, "All nations before him are as nothing; and 
 they are counted to him lessthannothing,andvanity." 
 That all are as nothing before him who is infinite, 
 easily will be granted ; but that they are less than 
 nothing in his account, this seems strange and ques- 
 tionable. How can all the nations be less than 
 nothing ? the sense is, they are extremely inconsi- 
 derable. The words in the original are rendered 
 thus by Montanus, They are viewed by him as no- 
 thing and vanity ; for nothing and emptiness they are 
 reputed or accounted to him, or he reckons them as 
 a thing of nought, and vain.
 
 614 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chai'. XXVIII. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel." The 
 Tyriiins were wise men, Zech. ix. 2 ; Ezek. xxvii. 
 8; 2 Chron. ii. 14; and it is probable their kings 
 were wise, well seen into sea, military, and political 
 affairs ; and that the prince of Tyre, here spoken of, 
 was one of the wisest of them, but puffed up with a 
 conceit of more wisdom than he had ; therefore here 
 the Lord, in an ironical way, as expositors conceive, 
 gives him a check, saying, " Behold, thou art wiser 
 than Daniel;" thou makest thyself a god, as if thou 
 knewest all things, which Daniel did not. The 
 Septuagint reads the words by way of interrogation. 
 Art thou wiser than Daniel ? The words by some 
 are taken by way of concession. Thou sayest thou 
 sittest in the seat of God, and hast a heart as the 
 heart of God; be it so ; behold, then, thou art wiser 
 than Daniel ; he knew some secrets, thou knowest 
 all. Daniel was very wise, he would not defile him- 
 self with the king's meat or wine, Dan. i. 8 ; he re- 
 vealed and interpreted the king's dreams, chap. ii. 
 and iv. : he read and interpreted the writings upon 
 the wall, which none of the wise men could do, 
 chap. V. ; he had an excellent spirit in him, and was 
 chief president over the one hundred and twenty 
 princes that were set over the whole kingdom ; and 
 when the two other presidents, and all the rest of 
 the princes, envied him, and sought occasion against 
 him, he had carried things so wisely and well, that 
 they could find no occasion against him, chap. vi. 
 Daniel had natural, political, and spiritual w^isdom, 
 insomuch that it grew into a proverb, " wiser than 
 Vid. DaD. i. Daniel." His wisdom was great, dispers- 
 17, CO. ed far, and known to the eastern and other 
 parts of the world, and even to Tyrus, which had trad- 
 ing from all parts ; and because the prince of it was so 
 wise in his own conceit, the Lord gives him a notable 
 twitch here, " Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel." 
 
 " There is no secret that they can hide from tliee." 
 Thou art so possessed W'ith opinion of thy wisdom, 
 that thou conceivest nothing can be kept secret or 
 hid from thee. The Hebrew word for "secret" is, 
 D>nD sathum, which signifies a thing shut up ; and 
 what is so, is secret and hidden from others : as 
 Dan. viii. 26, " Shut up the vision, for it is for many 
 days." The vision being sealed and " shut up," it 
 was not knowable for a season, men could not tell 
 what was therein, it was hid from them. But this 
 prince of Tyre took upon him to know secrets, and 
 things shut up from the \-ulgar, and w'ise also. In 
 the original, the words stand thus, every hidden 
 thing they do not hide from thee ; here an active is 
 put for a passive verb, and carries this sense. Every 
 hidden thing is not hid from thee, thou art so wise 
 as that thou piercest into secrets, dai'k and deep 
 things ; thou art a God, and what can men hide, or 
 what can be hidden from thee ? The words are 
 spoken ironically, or according to the opinion men 
 had of him. 
 
 Obs. I. Wisdom makes men honourable and famous. 
 Daniel was wise, and his wisdom begat such a high 
 esteem of him, that it became a proverb, " wiser 
 than Daniel." Nebuchadnezzar honoured Daniel 
 much, when he acknowledged Daniel's wisdom to be 
 ten times lietter than the wisdom of all the astrolo- 
 gers and magicians that were in his realm, Dan. i. 
 20 ; but God honoured him more, when he made his 
 wisdom exemplary, and proverbial throughout the 
 ■world.^ Wisdom is from God, a " principal thing," 
 Prov. iv. 7 ; it makes men of an " excellent spirit," 
 Dan. V. 12 ; Prov. xvii. 27, directing to do like unto 
 God ; hence it is, that men endued with it are 
 honourable and renowned. David was wise, and 
 his wisdom is recorded in holy writ for his honour ; 
 i Sam. xviii. 5, 15, 30, he behaved himself wisely. 
 
 very wisely, " more wisely than all the servants of 
 Saul ;" the widow of Tckoah compared his wisdom 
 to the " wisdom of an angel," 2 Sam. xiv. 20. Solo- 
 mon was wise, yea, '■ wiser than all men, than Ethan 
 the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda;" 
 these were wise men, and honoured for their wisdom, 
 but Solomon above them all ; his wisdom spread into 
 all courts, and unto all kings of the earth, 1 Kings 
 iv. 31, 34. This made Solomon to say, "The wise 
 shall inherit glory," Prov. iii. 35 : a son of wisdom 
 is an heir to glory ; he shall not have flitting glory, 
 but fixed, such glory as shall be his inheritance. 
 
 Obs. 2. Men know not what themselves are. 
 " Thou art wiser than Daniel." Thou thinkest thy- 
 self to be very wise, whereas thou art ignorant, and 
 foolish, and dost manifest it to the full. The irony 
 in the words speaks this out unto us ; for an"irony 
 is a trope, putting one contrary for another : here 
 wisdom is mentioned, and by it the prince's foolish- 
 ness is declared ; it was so in him, to think himself 
 a God, that he knew every secret ; he did not know 
 himself, that is a hard lesson. The apostle tells 
 us, I Cor. viii. 2, that " if any man," be he prince, or 
 of what condition soever, " thinketh that he knoweth 
 any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to 
 know." When men conceit they know something, 
 this puffs them up, makes them despise and neglect 
 others, and they know nothing rightly ; for right 
 knowledge of things would make men humble, and 
 direct them to use their talents to the good of others, 
 the glory of the giver, considering they must give 
 account thereof ere long. The doctrine of self-know- 
 ledge is out of practice ; men study to know other 
 men, other countries, what news, but are strangers 
 to themselves. Hazael knew not himself; when 
 the prophet told him what strange things he should 
 do, he was conceited that such cruelty could not 
 harbour in his nature, 2Kings viii. 12, 13. The Phari- 
 see knew not himself, when he justified himself so 
 above the publican, Luke xviii. II. It is the com- 
 mon evil of the w orld, that men do not know them- 
 selves, what in truth they are. Laodicea knew not 
 herself; she said she was rich, increased with goods, 
 and wanted nothing, she knew not that she was 
 wretched, poor, blind, and naked. 
 
 Obs. 3. That ironical speeches are not unwarrant- 
 able. " Thou art wiser than Daniel ;" thou knowest 
 all secrets. They have some tartness in them, yet 
 are frequently used in the word, both by God him- 
 self, and his holy servants. 
 
 (I.) By God himself. Gen. iii. 22, " Behold, the 
 man is become as one of us. to know good and evil." 
 God had made man after his own image, but he, by 
 believing Satan, telling him he should he as God, 
 knowing good and evil, if he ate of the forbidden 
 fruit, lost that image ; and here God upbraids him 
 for it, "Behold, Adam is become as one of us." The 
 meaning is, he is now altogether unlike us, he is de- 
 luded by the serpent, and become abominable like 
 the serpent himself : in this expression God laughed 
 him to scorn for his folly. In Judg. x. you have 
 another ironical passage of the Lord's; it is ver. 14, 
 " Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen, 
 let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation." 
 Here God cuts them to the quick for their wicked- 
 ness, idolatry, and blindness : You have been weary 
 of me, better gods have you .spied out, chosen, and 
 served, gods that can do great things for you ; w?iy 
 come you to me in your straits ? go, get you to your 
 new gods ; let them, who have had your worship, 
 arise, appear, act for, and deliver you. Such is that 
 of Christ, Mark vii. 9, " Full well'ye reject the com- 
 mandment of God, that ye may keep your own tra- 
 dition." Did they well to reject God's commands
 
 Ver. 1—10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 GI5 
 
 and set up men's traditions ? no, they did exceeding 
 ill in it, and that is the mind of Christ ; when he 
 saith, " full well," he speaks ironically, and intimates 
 they did extremely evil, most wickedly. 
 
 (2.) By men, that were precious in the sight of 
 God. Micaiah being demanded of Ahab, whether 
 he should go up to Bamoth-gilead to battle, said, 
 " Go, and prosper ; for the Lord shall deliver it in- 
 to the hand of the king," 2 Kings xxii. 15. Take 
 the words as they seem to sense, it here is good en- 
 couragement, but so they contradict ver. 17, and 28 ; 
 they are therefore a bitter irony, or sarcasm : All 
 your prophets encourage you to go, and you expect 
 the same from me ; well, go, and prosper ; his mean- 
 ing is, go, and perish, that is the spirit and true sense 
 of the words. Job xii. 2, " No doubt but ye are the 
 people, and wisdom shall die with you." Job's 
 friends thought him a silly man compared to them, 
 no better than a beast, chap. xi. 12; but here 
 he hits them home for it : No doubt you are 
 the only people in the world for wit and wisdom, 
 you are the only knowing and all-knowing men, and 
 when you die, there will be a duath of all wisdom, 
 the world left in a sad case, having not a wise man 
 in it. Job, by a holy irony, batters the conceit they 
 had of their own wisdom. 
 
 Ver. 4. " With thy wisdom and with thine under- 
 standing," &c. The king of Tyrus was expert in 
 civil affairs, and by that skill he had therein, he got 
 unto himself much wealth. The Spirit of God calls 
 the cunning and craft he had in worldly affairs, 
 " wisdom and understanding." It cannot be meant 
 of spiritual wisdom, for, Prov. iii. 13, that makes 
 blessed, and this prince was under the curse and 
 judgments of God. He was worldly wise, and set 
 his wisdom on work to get riches. 
 
 " Thou hast gotten thee riches." The Hebrew is, 
 thou hast made to thyself riches. The word for 
 "riches" is, S'n which the Septuagint renders, 
 ivvaijiv, power ; the Vulgate, strength ; and ours, 
 " riches ; " for " riches," to rich men's apprehensions, 
 do add strength and power to them. This king made 
 himself rich, and so strong and powerful by his 
 riches. He had all sorts of riches, chap, xxvii. 
 
 "And hast gotten gold and silver into I liy treasures." 
 The Hebrew for " treasure " is, nv^N otzar, from njN 
 to gather together, to lay up, and it notes both the 
 treasure, and the place where the treasure is laid up ; 
 and so it may do here ; the king of Tyre had gotten gold 
 and silver into his treasures, that is, among his other 
 treasures he had them, or, they were in his treasury. 
 
 Ver. 5. " By thy great wisdom and by thy trafBck 
 hast thou," &c. Thou art very wise in thy own 
 opinion, and thou art grown exceeding rich by thy 
 trading and merchandizing with other nations, but 
 thou attributest all to thine own wisdom and in- 
 dustry, nothing is given unto me, no mention is made 
 of me. This king was a great merchant, did mightily 
 increase in wealth, was reputed wise, but was really 
 foolish, as the next words declare. 
 
 " Thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches." 
 He had a mountain of wealth, and that made his 
 heart mountainous, his riches puffed him up ; he 
 should have been the more humble, having much to 
 answer for, but he was the more haughty, confident, 
 secure, and fearless of danger ; he thought, being so 
 rich and great as he was, that he could do any thing, 
 yea, all things. 
 
 Obs. 1. That by skill and industry men grow 
 wealthy. The prince of Tyre had insight into trad- 
 ing, w-hich he employed, and so made himself rich. 
 Solomon tells you, Prov. x. 4, that " the hand of the 
 diligent maketh rich :" there is much in diligence 
 to advance a man's estate, especially when diligence 
 
 and skill go together, when a diligent hand is order- 
 ed by a wise head; if there be actings without skill, 
 little will be produced, if skill without acting, nothing 
 comes thereof; where these go together, often they 
 bring in great wealth. Some besides their skill, use 
 craft and cunning, and so suddenly get great estates. 
 
 Obs. 2. Great men are prone to covetousness, and 
 lay out themselves to get wealth. "Thou," even 
 the prince of Tyre, " hast gotten thee riches ; by thy 
 traffick hast thou increased thy riches." He was 
 covetous, and traded with the isles and nations to 
 feed his covetous humour. Princes are forbidden to 
 multiply gold and silver to themselves, Deut. svii. 1 7 ; 
 they may lose the hearts of their people by it, yea, 
 they may lose themselves also thereby ; but this 
 prince made it his work to increase wealth, which 
 is the practice of most princes and people in the 
 world. Men's corrupt natures and carnal wisdom 
 carry them unto it : Prov. xxiii. 4, " Labour not to 
 be rich ; cease from thine own wisdom." Men's 
 wisdom puts them on to be rich, it heartens them 
 thereunto, but it is such wisdom as the Scripture 
 condemns. The Arabian proverb is. Justice and covet- 
 ousness dwell not together : a just man iioffiu:! Historia 
 covets not what is another's, but a oneutah. 
 covetous man will have the prey wherever he finds 
 it, and \'iolate bounds to satisfy his lusts. Ahab's 
 sickness was not cured, till he had eaten Naboth's 
 vineyard and drunk his blood. 
 
 There is a story among the Arabians, of one that 
 had the world presented to him in the shape of an 
 old woman, whom he asked, how many husbands 
 she had ? she said, innumerable. The party asked 
 what was become of them ? she said, she had killed 
 them all. Then it was replied by the party, I won- 
 der that other men are so foolish, that, seeing how 
 thou hast used thy former husbands, they should 
 still be in love with thee. 
 
 Obs. 3. Prosperity makes men proud and insolent. 
 " Thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches :" 
 they begat great thoughts in him, and swelled his 
 heart above his brethren. It is hard to keep the 
 heart low in prosperity. It is a common saying, and 
 too true. As rises my good, so rises my blood. Beggars 
 having gotten estates, account themselves princes ; 
 and princes being rich, think Oiemselves gods. 
 When Amaziah prospered in his war against the 
 Edomites, his heart was lifted up, and being but a 
 thistle, he accounted himself a cedar, 2 Chron. xxv. : 
 prosperity begets cedarish spirits. Hos. xiii. 6, 
 " They were filled, and their heart was exalted ; " 
 when they had plenty, then they grew proud, and 
 forgat God. There is an aptness in men to dote upon 
 the creature, when they have much, and to magnify 
 themselves. This Agur knew when he prayed that 
 God would not give him riches, lest he should be 
 full and deny God. Men are ready to attribute their 
 riches to their -wisdom, industry, favour of their 
 friends, &c. : hereby they exclude and deny God, 
 they allow him no hand, no interest therein ; they say, 
 Wlio is the Lord, that we should be thankful unto 
 him ? we are not beholden at all to him, or very little ; 
 and thus they deny and belie the Lord too, as the 
 word cathash signifies. You that prosper in this world, 
 take heed to your hearts, lest being drunk with this 
 wine, j'OU discover your nakedness. 
 
 Ver. 6, 7- " Therefore thus saith the Lord God ; 
 Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of 
 God ; behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon 
 thee." Here the Lord tells the prince of Tyrus wiat 
 he must look for at his hands for his sins, especially 
 his pride ; because he magnified himself, and would 
 be as God, therefore he must expect destruction. 
 
 " Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of
 
 CI (5 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVIII 
 
 God," The Hebrew is, hast given thine heart as the 
 heart of God : Thoii hast given liberty to thy heart, 
 to think high and great things ; yea, to think thyself 
 equal with God. He thought tlie infinite, glorious, 
 great God, had not other thoughts in him, or vaster, 
 than himself, and this was setting his heart as the 
 heart of God. 
 
 " I will bring strangers upon thee." That is, 
 Nebuchadnezzar, with his forces gathered up out of 
 several provinces, Ezek. xxvi. 7 ; they were men of 
 a strange language, of strange manners, and out of 
 strange countries, they were strangers to the Tyrians. 
 
 " The terrible of the nations." The word for 
 " terrible " is, 'X»-iy aritze, which Montanus renders, 
 the strong; tlie Vulgate, the most mighty ;^ Vatablus, 
 the tyrants of the nations ; Septuagint saith, Xoi/ioiif, 
 pestilent men, that should be as a plague or pesti- 
 lence is to a town or country ; ours, the " terrible :" 
 y-iy amtz signifies, through power to be formidable 
 to others ; so should the Chaldeans be to the Tyrians. 
 
 " They shall draw their swords against the beauty 
 of thy wisdom." By " beauty of wisdom," under- 
 stand whatever beautiful things the prince had got- 
 ten by his wisdom, as beautiful shipping, beautiful 
 army, beautiful treasure and riches, a beautiful city, 
 a beautiful throne, &c. The Chaldeans should come, 
 and destroy all the beauty of his wisdom, all that by 
 his policy and craft he had gotten. Or thus ; Thou 
 thinkest by thy counsels, art, and devices, to prevent 
 the taking of the city, and thyself, which eouldst 
 thou do, it would make thy wisdom beautiful and 
 glorious ; but they shall draw their swords, and pre- 
 vail against all thy counsels, machinations, plots, 
 and attempts to secure the city and thyself. 
 
 "They shall defile thy brightness." Thou art 
 now in a glorious kingdom, and shinest upon thy seat 
 and throne, all the isles and nations behold thy 
 splendour; but the Chaldeans shall come and cut 
 thee off, and " defile thy brightness " with thine own 
 blood ; they shall take away thy kingly dignity and 
 life also. 
 
 Ver. 8. " They shall bring thee down to the pit." 
 The word for "pit" is, nne which signifies cor- 
 ruption, and also a pit, or grave, because that is 
 the place of corruption; men in their graves do see 
 corruption, they turn to dust. It is a proverbial 
 speech, noting death : Prov. xxviii. 17, "A man that 
 doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to 
 the pit," that is, be cut off, and thrown into the grave ; 
 so here, the strangers should cut off the prince of 
 Tyrus, and cause him to perish. 
 
 " Thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain 
 in the midst of the seas." Thou art in a city upon 
 a rock, well walled, fortified, and manned, thou 
 thinkest thyself secure, invincible ; but thou shalt 
 be like those who are slain at sea, and thrown over- 
 board, or sunk into the depths thereof. For kings 
 to be slain by foreigners is dishonourable ; when 
 .slain, not to be buried as kings, is a greater dis- 
 honour; to be cast out, and drowned as common 
 men, is a height of dishonour. 
 
 Ver. 9. " Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth 
 thee, I am God? " Thou hast said that thou art a 
 god ; but when the enemy shall be before thy gates, 
 when he shall seize upon thee, and be ready to thrust 
 thee through, what wilt thou then say ? wilt thou say 
 thou art a (iod ? no, thou wilt show thyself a man, 
 thou wilt be full of fears, and at thy wit's end. 
 
 " Thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of 
 him that slayeth thee." Then shall the vanity of 
 thy thoughts appear, thou shalt see thyself a man, 
 and not God: thou hast thought thyself-fiV, the strong, 
 powerful, and stable God, but thou shalt find thyself 
 Adam, weakness, misery, instability. 
 
 Ver. 10. "Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncir- 
 cumcised." These words may be taken two ways : 
 either, thou shalt die by the hand of those that are 
 uncircumcised ; thou shalt not have the lionour to 
 die by the hand of the Jews, who by circumci.sion 
 are distinguished from all other, thou shalt die by 
 Chaldeans, a profane and barbarous people : or, thou 
 shalt die the death of the uncircumcised, that is, 
 thou shalt so die, as to perish soul and body for ever; 
 thou hast exalted thyself to be a god, and thou shalt 
 be cast into hell. The nations wlio were uncircum- 
 cised were without God, without Christ, Eph. ii. \2, 
 and so perished. 
 
 " For I have spoken it, saith the Lord God." 
 Thou mayst contemn this prophecy, and think there 
 is nothing in it ; but know, it is not tlie voice of 
 man, like thyself, but the voice of God, who will 
 fulfil it, and make thee know that thou art man, and 
 not God, that thou hast sinned greatly in comparing 
 thyself with God. 
 
 Obs. 1. Haughtiness and pride of spirit provokes 
 God to deal severely with men. " Because thou 
 hast set thine heart as the heart of God, therefore 
 will I bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the 
 nations." God stirred up, led out, the most terrible 
 of the Babylonians to punish the prince of Tyrus for 
 his pride and insolency. Theudas boasted himself 
 to be somebody, drew followers after him ; but he 
 and they were all slain by the just judgment of God, 
 Acts V. 36. Zeba and Zalmunna said, " Let us 
 take to ourselves the houses of God in f/ossession," 
 Psal. Ixxxiii. 12; they had aspiring spirits, but the 
 Lord cut them otTby the hand of Gideon, Judg. viii. 
 21. Proud spirits the Lord will meet with, and 
 break in pieces; he hath said it, Isa. ii. U, "The 
 lofty looks of man shall be humliled, and the 
 haughtiness of men shall be bowed down." Let 
 those that have much, look to it that they be not 
 lifted up, lest they fall, be broken, and rise no more. 
 
 064'. 2. That which is the glory and delight of 
 men, is subject to spoil and profanation. ■ " They 
 shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy 
 wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness." They 
 laid all the glory of Tyrus, and of the prince thereof, 
 in the dust ; there was beauty and brightness in the 
 court, in the city, in the navy, in the armoury, in the 
 treasury ; but when the Chaldean came, he spoiled, 
 he stained all : it was not the wisdom of the Tyrian, 
 nor the beauty or brightness of the things, that 
 could keep off the enemies from plundering and pro- 
 faning ; they minded not beauty or brightness, wis- 
 dom, real or pretended, but they lay all waste, cut 
 off the prince, and make a beautiful glorious city as 
 a heap of rubbish, or as nothing. 
 
 Oi.v. 3. Approachings of death will make men 
 know themselves. When this prince of Tyrus should 
 be in the hand of his enemies, and at death's door, 
 then he should see that he was no God, but a poor, 
 miserable, mortal man ; when death comes, and 
 strikes upon our walls, then we understand ourselves. 
 Psal. ix. 20, " Put them in fear, O Lord ; that the 
 nations may know themselves to be but men." When 
 nations prosper, have all things as heart desires, 
 they judge themselves more than men, they are 
 petty gods ; but let the Lord send in some sore judg- 
 ments, that carry death in their foreheads, then the 
 nations will know themselves to be but men; that 
 is, sorry, fading, perishing things : though death 
 shut all men's eyes, yet the approach of death opens 
 them oft to see more of themselves than ever before. 
 Obs. 4. That wicked princes and others, however 
 they may flourish in the world for a season, yet their 
 ends will be miserable. " Thou shalt die the deaths 
 of the uncircumcised;" a temporal death here, eter-
 
 Ver. 11—15. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 C17 
 
 nal death hereafter, therefore envy not great ones, 
 who tiourish here in the world for a season, and 
 after go down to the pit, where they shall sufTer 
 sufficiently for their demerit. 
 
 Ver. 11 — 15. Moreover the word of the Lord 
 cume nnto me, saying, Son of niati, fake tip a 
 lamentation vpon the king ofTi/rus, and say unto 
 him. Thus saith the Lord God; Thou seah.st up 
 the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 
 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God ; 
 every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, 
 topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and 
 the jasper, the sajrphire, the emerald, and the 
 carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy 
 tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in 
 the day that thou wast created. Thou art the 
 anointed cherub that covereth ; and I have set 
 thee so : thou wast upon the holy motintain of 
 God ; thou hast walked up and down in the midst 
 of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy 
 ways from the day that thou ivast created, till 
 inif/uity was found in thee. 
 
 Here begins the second general part of the 
 chapter, viz. a lamentation for the prince of Ty- 
 riis, and the corrupting of his glory. Besides the 
 lamentation, and authority' of it, in ver. 11, 12, you 
 have, 
 
 1. The state of this prince, set out from his 
 power, wisdom, wealth, delights, and greatness, ver. 
 12—15. 
 
 2. The cause that his state and glory w-ere de- 
 stroyed, ver. 15. 
 
 Ver. 12. " Take up a lamentation upon the king 
 of Tyrus." In chap, xxvii. 2, the Lord bade him 
 " take up a lamentation for Tyrus ;" and here he 
 liid.s him take up one for " the king of Tyrus," be- 
 wail his condition, for he should sutler as well as the 
 city ; and though he were a heathen king, yet the 
 Lord would have him to be lamented, the prophet 
 must weep over him. 
 
 '• Thou sealest up the sum." The Hebrew is, 
 r':3n nrn nnx which Montanus renders, Tu 
 sigillas dispositionem : Septuagint, av dTroaippuytnua 
 u/ioujaeuig; the Vulgate, Tu signaculum simi/iludiuis. 
 Ours is, " Thou sealest up the sum :" thou having 
 power over all the commodities to be carried out or 
 brought in, sayest how much and how little shall 
 be exported and imported. " Thou sealest up the 
 sum," thou puttest the last hand to the business, 
 and dost complete it ; thus some expositors interpret 
 the words. Others, considering taehnith is from 
 tachan, to weigh, to measure, and notes a thing mea- 
 sured, according to all its dimensions, they make 
 the sense this ; Thou art an absolute and complete 
 king, whatever is wanting in others is found in thee ; 
 " thou sealest up the sum ;" others want wisdom, 
 riches, power, friends, thou hast all that conduceth 
 to the greatness and happiness of a prince. When 
 bags have all the money in them they should have, 
 and writings all things inscribed which should be 
 there, then they are sealed; so this king, in his own 
 conceit, or apprehension of others, had ;J1 a king 
 should have, and therefore the seal is set upon him ; 
 " thou sealest up the sum," thou art hkwv (iaaiXmi), a 
 picture and pattern for all kings. 
 
 " Full of wisdom." This prince seemed very wise, 
 having his head filled with cunning, and skill in 
 naval, mercatory, and political affairs. When princes 
 know a little in any thing, they are applauded and 
 magnified for knowing men, but if they have gut 
 
 some deeper insight into things than others, then 
 they are deified. 
 
 " Perfect in beauty." This perfection of beauty 
 lay in his buildings, shipping, riches, laws, govern- 
 ment, soldiery, court, &c. in all which appeared much 
 beauty and glory. The 27th chapter sets out the 
 beauty and glory of Tyrus, which was also the king's. 
 
 Ver. 13. " Thou hast been in Eden the garden of 
 God." Gen. ii. 8, it is said, " God planted a garden 
 eastward in Eden." This Eden was a region in 
 Mesopotamia, or Babylonia, which was a most plea- 
 sant place. The word " Eden" signifies delight, and 
 pleasantness. In it God made a garden, which is a 
 place enclosed, separated from what is common ; 
 \i a garden, is from ]:5 to pruiect, or compass about, 
 because it is fenced in, and so protected from vio- 
 lence and spoil. This garden being planted by 
 God in so pleasant a place as Eden was, exceeded it 
 far, and was such a paradise as never eye saw since. 
 Pleasant and delightful places are likened unto the 
 same, and called Edens, and the gardens of God, 
 Gen. xiii. 18; Joel ii. 3; Ezek. xxxvi. 35. So Tyre, 
 though situate upon a rock, was by the art and in- 
 dustry of man made an Eden, as " the garden of 
 God," very pleasant and delightful : the prince of it 
 was in a paradise, wherein he had all things desir- 
 able. 
 
 " Every precious stone was thy covering." The 
 merchants of Syria, of Sheba, and Raamah, brought 
 precious stones of all sorts unto Tyrus, chap, xxvii. 
 IG, 22; the chief whereof were set in his crown, 
 canopies, tents, garments, beds, hangings, and other 
 utensils. Princes spare not for cost ; if any stone 
 be more precio\is than others, they will have them, 
 and beautify themselves and theirs witii the same. 
 
 " The sardius." In Hebrew ms odem, from ms 
 which signifieth, to be red, for it is of a fleshy or 
 blood colour. It is called " sardius," because the 
 best of them are found in Sardinia. This stone was 
 the first in the breastplate of Aaron, Exod. xxviii. 
 17. The Chaldee calls it, samkim, which Shindler 
 interprets, the ruby, or " sardius." The Romans of 
 old used this stone, being hard and firm, for seals. 
 Much virtue is attributed to this stone, as, to drive 
 away fear, to make confident, to preserve from witch- 
 ery and poisoning, &c. 
 
 " Topaz." The Hebrew word is, niBB pitdah, 
 which the Septuagint renders, TOTr-d'Ctov, and so it is 
 called, Rev. xxi. 20. This stone for colour is of a 
 greenish yellow, or yellowish green, such a colour 
 as is in fern, yellow and green together. Some make 
 two sorts of them, one very green and clear, called 
 prasoides, another like pure gold, called chrysopteros. 
 It is the greatest of all precious stones, saith Pliny, 
 and it is so named a " topaz," from 
 Topazon, an island in the Red sea ; yet 
 there were topazes from other places : Job xxviii. 
 19, " The topaz of Etliiopia shall not equal it :" 
 though those topazes were very precious, yet not 
 comparable to wisdom. The " topaz" Martinius in 
 is commended for that virtue it hath to }:,ov Kueus <ie 
 stop eruptions 01 blood, to restrain 
 passion and wanton lusts, to help against melan- 
 choly, deliriums, phrenzies, falling sickness, and 
 sudden death. 
 
 " And the diamond." nbn'l which some render, 
 the jasper; others better, the adamant, or "dia- 
 mond," for jahalon is from nSn contundere, to break 
 in pieces: the "adamant" is of that hardness, that 
 it breaks all other precious stones, and rniitinn"s 
 unbroken itself. In Arabic it is, diamah, from a'l 
 dim, to abide, because of its durableness. It is not 
 so clear as the crystal, but sparkles and sends forth 
 fiery or bright beams, like the sun. Philosophers
 
 G18 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVIII. 
 
 say the diamond is of great use against poisons and 
 enchantments, that it prevents madness, vain fears, 
 and searings in the sleep; it pacifies fury and enmity 
 between parties, and maintains love in the nearest 
 relations ; at its presence, the loadstone loseth its 
 attractive virtue. 
 
 " The beryl." Some have it the hyacinth, some 
 the chrysolite. The Hebrew is, ff-iri which is 
 the sea-beryl, because it resembles the greenness of 
 the sea. Of this stone was spoken, chap. i. ver. 16. 
 Some make it to be of a bluish colour. There are 
 several kinds of them, the best are of a sea-green 
 coloui'. Watery eyes, sighing, liver-griefs, dulness, 
 are helped by the virtue of this stone ; it is beneficial 
 to the brain. 
 
 " The onyx." It is a precious stone, like the nail 
 of a man's hand for whiteness. The Hebrew is anv 
 ilio/mm, translated sometimes a sardonyx, sometimes 
 an " onyx," but Rueus makes a difl'crence between 
 them. The Septuagint is very uncertain in the 
 translation of this word sholiam, the onyx, as you 
 may sec in Dc Dieu, upon Exodus xxviii, p. 76, and in 
 Martinius, on the word " onyx." 
 
 " The jasper." The Hebrew being nsc demon- 
 strates no other stone can be admitted here but only 
 the jasper, which is a stone of much worth and 
 glory : Rev. iv. 3, the glory of God and Christ upon 
 the throne in heaven is likened thereunto ; as also 
 the light and glory of the new Jerusalem, Rev. xxi. 
 1 1 ; yea, they were jasper stones which made the 
 first foundation in the walls thereof, ver. 19. Isidore 
 calls it the green gem, or precious stone. There 
 are many kinds of jaspers, green, blue, airy, white, 
 ruddy, purple, spotted. Onkelus turns the word 
 jaxpeli, in Exod. xxviii. payitree; and Jonathan, in 
 this place of TizeViel, prniterm, a panthera bestia, be- 
 cause the jasper is spotted like the panther. The 
 green Indian jasper is the chiefest of them all. 
 Pliny affirms he saw a jasper so great, 
 that it weighed eleven ounces. They 
 are preservative against all poisons, dropsies, fevers, 
 restrain blood and sweat, and refresh the eyes with 
 their greenness. 
 
 " The sapphire." Of the sapphire was largely 
 spoken, chap. i. 26. Its colour is like the heavens, 
 azure, or blue, and transparent. There are some 
 sapphires white, others blue, these are the males, 
 the other females, saith Ba?tius, in his second book 
 Of Gems. The best of this kind of stones come from 
 the Wedes. The virtue of this stone is much ; it is 
 a friend to chastity, it is powerful against anger, 
 envy, deceitfulness, sadness ; it is good against 
 poisons, rupttires, &-c. 
 
 " The emerald." "^BJ in Hebrew. Montanus 
 makes it the carbuncle ; Shindler, the smaragd ; 
 others, the chrysoprase ; and so it is termed here 
 in the margin ; and so in chap, xxvii. 16, the 
 margin is, chrysoprase. It is for colour a golden 
 green, like a leek, inclining to yellow green. The 
 best sort of emeralds, or chrysoprases, are those 
 which have golden drops or spots on them. The true 
 beauty and glory of these stones is seen only in the 
 dark. They are comfortable to weak eyes, refresh 
 the heart. 
 
 "The carbuncle." It is a precious stone, so call- 
 ed from the shining of it. The name of it in 
 Hebrew is, npi3 from p-\3 which signifies, light- 
 ning, shining. De Dieu saith it is a stone that 
 shines like lightning. Some would have it to be the 
 smaragd, but Mercer and Shindler judge barekvth 
 to be the carbuncle ; and so Danseus, who saith, the 
 smaragd doth not resemble the brightness of light- 
 ning, but the carbuncle, and at midnight, like the 
 sun, it enlightens dark places near mito it. In 
 
 Chaldee it is called Jpi3 barkan, which by a trans- 
 position of letters is ]3-ip carhan, whence carburtculus. 
 Of all flaming gems, it is counted the ^^ jj,^^^ . 
 cliief, and called " carbuncle," being Emui. xvViii. 
 like a burning coal: some call it, up- »'»••""■ '°i-"i- 
 prolus, because no fire will hurt it. 1 hose who write 
 of it say, it comprehends the virtues of all other 
 precious stones. 
 
 " And gold." The Hebrew for " gold " is, ariT zahab, 
 or zahaf, which hath affinity with any Izahab, which 
 signifies, yellow ; and it is called, uurum ab aura, as 
 Isidore observes, because it is shining, or pure, aa 
 the air; and zahaf metaphorically is put for that 
 which is pure, shining. Job xxxvii. 22, " Fair wea- 
 ther Cometh out of tlie north." The Hebrew is, 
 zaiwf, gold comes out of the north ; the meaning is, 
 clear and pure air, like gold, conies out of that part 
 of the world. So, Zech. iv. 12, the golden pipes are 
 said to empty gold, for so is the original. The 
 meaning is, oil which is pure, and in colour and 
 brightness like gold. 
 
 " The workmanship of thy tabrcts and of thy 
 pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast 
 created." In the day of his birth, or of his being 
 made king, there was great rejoicing, all instruments 
 of music were used; "tabrets" and "pipes" being 
 put for all the rest by a synecdoche. The Tyrians 
 delighted in music, chap. xxvi. 13, and upon such 
 occasions, as the birth and coronation of princes, 
 they greatly rejoiced, and made use of their choicest 
 instruments. 
 
 " The workmanship of thy tabrets." The word 
 for workmanship is nssSD melecheth ; melachah sig- 
 nifies, saith Kirker, any thing that is for the service 
 or use of man, whether arts, cattle, or any thing 
 gotten by indush'y. Here it notes, that artifice was 
 in their " tabrets and pipes ;" they were curiously 
 made and wrought, they were not common ones, 
 but the choicest the art of man could produce. 
 
 " And of thy pipes." The Vulgate reads the 
 words thus, thy holes, which Maldonate and some 
 others do interpret " pipes," because they are full 
 of holes; for capj the Hebrew for "pipes," is from 
 3p3 to bore through, and " pipes " are so. 
 
 " Was prepared in thee." How they were " pre- 
 pared" in the king is hard to conceive: Piscator 
 renders it, with thee, or, before thee, at the time of 
 thy creation. 
 
 " In the day that thou wast created." Creation 
 is proper to God, and is the production of an entity, 
 or creature, out of nothing, as Gen. i. 1 ; and some- 
 times it is called creating, when of pre-existent 
 matter a thing is made new, that it was not before, as 
 man out of the earth ; Gen. ii. 7> with Gen. i. 27, he 
 is said to be " created:" and metaphorically it is ap- 
 plied to men, when they are made that which they 
 were not ; those who make them so are said to cre- 
 ate, and those made so, to be " created :" hence, 
 w hen men are raised by others, they are called their 
 creatures. 
 
 Obs. I. When men have natural or acquired ex- 
 cellences beyond others, and abuse them, it is matter 
 of mourning. " Take up a lamentation upon the 
 king of Tyrus :" he had more wisdom, beauty, 
 blessing, prosperity, and abundance, than others, 
 but he abused all ; his heart was lift up, he honoured 
 not God with what he had, and therefore Ezekiel 
 must lament: so chap. xix. I, he must lament for 
 the princes of Israel, who abused their power, 
 places, jiarts, and blessings they had. 
 
 Obs. 2. Choice accomplishments, with outward 
 glory and greatness, are no arguments of God's 
 grace, or God's special favour towards men. Heathens, 
 and the worst of men, have had these ; the prince of
 
 Ver. 11 — 15. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZEKIEL. 
 
 619 
 
 Tyrus, who blasphemously said he was a god, he 
 sealed up the sum ; he was a complete prince, he 
 had choice endowments, he was full of wisdom, per- 
 fect in beauty, he had outward glory and greatness 
 as much as any, he W"as seated in a paradise, he 
 glistered with pearls and precious stones, he had as 
 choice music as was to be had ; yet notwithstanding 
 all tliese, he was a wretched man, under the curse of 
 God, and was to die the death of the uncircumcised. 
 ^Vhat vanity is it, therefore, to pride ourselves in 
 any human excellences, to set our hearts upon, or 
 confide in, any outward glory or greatness! 
 
 Ver. 14. " Thou art the anointed cherub." Here 
 the prince of Tyrus is compared unto an angel. 
 Angels in Scripture are called " cherubims," Gen. 
 iii. 24. The resemblances between him and them 
 take in these particulars : 
 
 1. They are full of knowledge and wisdom, 2 Sam. 
 xiv. 20 ; and it is said of this king, that he was full 
 of wisdom. 
 
 2. Tliey are beautiful and glorious creatures ; 
 Luke ix. 26, Christ shall come in the " glory of the 
 angels ;" so this king was perfect in beauty, and full 
 of glory, being adorned with such precious stones as 
 he was. 
 
 3. They are highly exalted above others, having 
 great power and command; see Dan. x. 13, 20; 
 2 Kings xix. 35; they are called " principalities and 
 powers," Eph. iii. 10 : so this king was exalted above 
 others, he had great power and command, so that he 
 was dreadful, as the cherubims that kept the way 
 into Paradise. 
 
 " Anointed." The cherubims above the ark, or 
 mercy-seat, were anointed with oil, Exod. xxx. 26 ; 
 to which here may be an allusion, " thou art the 
 anointed cherub," or, thou thinkest thyself so : or it 
 may be spoken in reference to the kings of Israel and 
 high priest, who were anointed, and so had many 
 prerogatives thereupon ; and this man, being made 
 king of Tyrus, had great privileges and prerogatives. 
 
 " That covereth." The cherubims had wings 
 which covered the ark, Exod. xxv. 20 ; and this 
 king had wings of power, stretched out at sea and 
 land, to cover and protect his iiec'I'le. 
 Ihe Hebrew word is, -|2ion from -|D0 
 which is, to hide by covering over; a hen hides her 
 chickens by putting her wings over them : it notes 
 also, to protect ; when things are covered, they are 
 protected. 
 
 " 1 have set thee so." Thou wast made king, 
 hadst great honour, privileges, and power, thou 
 wast above others ; and how earnest thou to all this ? 
 It was not by any other than myself, " I have set 
 thee so." The Hebrew is, I have given thee, that 
 is, into such dignity and greatness. 
 
 " Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God." 
 Some refer tliis to Hiram furnishing Solomon with 
 materials to build the temple ; but this sense of the 
 words is in nowise entertainable, for Hiram was 
 dead long before, and here the prophet speaks of one 
 that was then to be destroyed. Piscator senses the 
 words thus. Thou hast been so gorgeously attired, as 
 if thou wert the high priest of my people, when he 
 is in his robes. Others make this the sense. Thou 
 wast as one upon the ho4y mountain of Gud. Tyrus 
 is likened to mount Zion, the king to a cherub in the 
 temple, thereupon itiscalled the " holy mountain," by 
 way of resemblance ; or because Tyre belonged to 
 the tribe of Asher, it was within their lot. Josh. xix. 
 24, 29, and therefore belonging to God's people ; and 
 being on the borders of Canaan, it might be called 
 " holy." If any should question whether Tyrus were 
 on a mountain, know, that in the Scripture, cities, for 
 their high buildings and strong defences, are called 
 
 " mountains," though they be not on moimtains ; 
 as, Jer. li. 25, " Behold, 1 am against thee, O de- 
 stroying mountain ;" it is spoken of Babylon, which 
 was not upon a mountain, but in a plain, upon 
 many waters, ver. 13. So Tyrus, for its high build- 
 ings, strong walls, and defences, may be called a 
 " mountain ;" but Tyrus was upon a rock, which was 
 high above the waters, if not above the rest of the 
 earth. Some tell us Tyrus was upon a great moun- 
 tain, and things which are great, and goodly to see 
 unto, are said to be the Lord's. 
 
 " Thou hast walked up and down in the midst of 
 the stones of fire." What these " stones of fire " 
 are, hath exercised the heads of men to find out. 
 Some make them the angels, who, Heb. i. 7, are 
 called " a flame of fire ;" some will have them to be 
 the two tables of stone given at mount Sinai in fire ; 
 some assert them to be the people of the Jews, who 
 for their holiness, zeal, and love, are called " stones 
 of fire ;" some tell you they were the precious stones 
 in the temple at Jerusalem, or the common stones 
 gilded over ; others by these understand men of ex- 
 cellent parts, spirits, and abilities, with whom the 
 king of Tyre conversed. But these have overlooked 
 the truth lying near at hand, for these " stones of 
 fire" are the precious stones mentioned in the former 
 verse, and are so called for their shining and glister- 
 ing like fire, especially the carbuncles and diamonds, 
 which sparkle, and seem to cast out fire. Sanctius 
 saith, he walked in the midst of the stones of fire, 
 because his royal palace shined with such stones as 
 might well be called " stones of fire." The Jews at 
 this time were not so holy as to be called or counted 
 " stones of fire," they "committed adultery wdth 
 stones and stocks," Jer. iii. 9; and were "stones of 
 darkness," Job xxviii. 3, rather than " stones of 
 fire." 
 
 Ver. 15. " Thou wast perfect in thy ways." The 
 Septuagint hath the words thus, av afiufwc iv raXg 
 t'lHipaiQUH, thou wast faultless, or spotless, in thy days ; 
 thou didst keep thyself free from those polhitions 
 which kings usually are defiled with. The Hebrew 
 is, thou wast perfect in thy ways ; not in a moral 
 sense, as if he were without sin, but in a political 
 sense ; he prospered in what he did, in his naval, 
 military, court, and state affairs ; he was successful, 
 he wanted nothing pertaining to kingly greatness, 
 he had all things which might make him complete 
 and glorious. 
 
 " From the day that thou wast created." From 
 the time of making thee king. In the day he was 
 " created," all sorts of music were used then, ver. 
 13 ; and from that time he had all things conducible 
 to royal greatness. 
 
 " Till iniquity was found in thee." There were 
 some sins in this prince which were very provoking. 
 
 1. His insulting at the destruction of Jerusalem, 
 which you have, chap. xxNi. 2, " Tyrus hath said. 
 Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people." 
 Tyrus, that was, the king of Tyrus, and the people, 
 they insulted over the Jews in their misery. 
 
 2. His excessive pride in making himself a god, 
 or as God. These were iniquities, and whilst he 
 was free from them, he prospered, his actions were 
 commendable ; but when these sprung up, and were 
 discovered, thcr the Lord threatened him with de- 
 struction, and hastened his ruin. The words are 
 spoken of God, after the manner of men ; as men 
 search and find out things, so God is here said to do ; 
 his finding out is making known things. 
 
 Obs. 1. Princes, and men in supreme power, are 
 honourable ; they are cherubs, or cherubims, next 
 unto God ; in whose word they have many honour- 
 able titles given them. They are called " shields,"
 
 620 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVIII. 
 
 Hos. iv. 18, the word for "rulers" is, shields, in the 
 Hebrew ; and " shields of the earth," Psal. xlvii. 9 ; 
 they protect the state where they live. Ezek. xvii. 3, 
 they are named eagles and cedars. Psal. Ixxxii. 6, 
 they are termed gods, and children of the Most 
 High ; God owns them for his children, and calls them 
 gods, which is a height of honour. 
 
 Obs. 2. Tliat kings and potentates have their 
 places, privileges, and power, that they may be pro- 
 tectors of the people. " Thou art the anointed 
 cherub that covereth ;" he was on the throne, that he 
 might spread his wings of protection over his sub- 
 jects, both at sea and land. Magistrates should be 
 as hens to the chickens, as fathers to their children ; 
 they are called not only fathers, but " nursing 
 fathers," Isa. xlix. 23 ; the word in Hebrew is, 
 -I'JCN thy nursers or nourishers, and notes faith- 
 ful nursing; they should make it their business to 
 preserve and provide for their people, as nurses do 
 for their nurse child, seeing daily that it be kept 
 from dangers and want nothing. Such a nursing 
 father was David; Psal. Ixxviii. 72, " He fed them 
 according to tlie integrity of Ids heart, and guided 
 them by the skilfulness ot'his hands;" David's heart 
 and hands were at work for the good of the people. 
 Such a nursing father was Moses, whom the Lord 
 would have to carry the people in his bosom, as a 
 nursing father beareth the sucking child. Numb. xi. 
 12. God would have kings, princes, magistrates, to 
 deal tenderly with the people ; they should be as 
 cherubs unto them, spreading the wings of protection 
 and justice over them, and when they do otherwise, 
 he is wroth with them. Zeph. iii. 1 — 3 ; Micah 
 iii. 1 — 4, when instead of fathers they are lions, in- 
 stead of angels they are devils, to the people, God 
 is sorely displeased, and will destroy them. 
 
 Obs. 3. That princes are exalted by God, and 
 depend upon him. " I have set thee ;" so it is God 
 that raises them, and clothes them with honour and 
 majesty. Prov. viii. 15, 16, "By me kings reign, 
 and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and 
 nobles, even all the judges of the earth." Here is 
 mention of kings, princes, nobles, judges ; what 
 power soever any or all of these have, the highest 
 or subordinate, they have from God, who is the 
 fountain of all power as well as of being ; he is Lord 
 of heaven and earth, he is chief Governor among 
 angels and men, Psal. xxii. 28 ; and lie sets up in 
 Tyrus, and in Babylon, in Egypt, and in Jerusalem, 
 whom he pleases. They should consider who sets 
 them up, on whom they depend, and serve him with 
 fear, ruling for the Lord ; which, because they do 
 not, they grow proud, insolent, tyrannical : and there- 
 fore the same hand that set them up throws them 
 down, Dan. ii. 21. 
 
 Obs. 4. God minds the places where princes dwell, 
 and the pomp they live in. " Thou wast upon the 
 holy mountain of God ; thou hast walked up and 
 down in the midst of the stones of fire :" thine habi- 
 tation hath been in a strong, fortified city, thou hast 
 lived in great state and glory, having thy palace 
 glistering with carbuncles and other precious stones. 
 1 Kings xxii. 39, God took notice of the " ivory 
 house " which Ahab built for his state. Solomon's 
 house, throne, overlaid with the best gold, his pomp 
 and state, God observed, and caused to be recorded, 
 1 Kings x. 7 ; and because great ones pride them- 
 selves in their seats and palaces, God threatens to 
 smite their winter houses and their summer houses, 
 and tells them that their ivory houses shall perish, 
 and their gnat houses have an end, Amos iii. 15. 
 
 Obs. 5. Princes and states are prosperous and 
 successfid in their undertakings, whilst they are free 
 from iniquities. " Thou wast perfect in thy ways from 
 
 the day tliou wast created, till iniquity was found : " 
 so long as thou didst keep thyself from unjust and 
 wicked acts, thou didst speed well in all thy enter- 
 prises at sea and land. The Lord blesses heathen 
 kings, while they do just things. It is righteousness 
 exalts a nation, even any nation, Prov. xiv. 3, 4. 
 David told Solomon what was the way for him and 
 his kingdom to prosper ; 1 Chron. xxii. 13, he must 
 fulfil the statutes and judgments of the Lord ; and 
 then he should prosper in all that he did, and whither- 
 soever he turned himself, I Kings ii. 3. Hezekiah 
 was free from iniquities, imjust and cruel acts ; and 
 hear what the Spirit of the Lord saith of him, 2 
 Chron. xxxii. 30, " He prospered in all his works." 
 
 Obs. 6. Great and grievous sins may be in princes 
 and states undiscovered, but the Lord will search 
 them out, and make them known. " Till iniquity 
 was found in thee." The prince of Tyrus his sin was 
 secret, and hidden from the world, kept within doors, 
 in his own chamber, palace, city, or territories ; but 
 the Lord found it out, and made discovery of it to 
 the prophet, and the prophet to the world. Tlie 
 great ones of Judah thought themselves innocent, 
 yet God found the blood of innocents upon iheir 
 skirts, and he found it not by secret search, by dig- 
 ging, that is, by taking much pains to find it out, but 
 so soon as he came he spied it upon their skirts, and 
 made it known, Jer. ii. 34. Men jdot mischief, do 
 works of darkness, and think they shall not be seen, 
 Isa. xxix. 15 ; but the Lord sees, will find it out, and 
 bring it into the light. David sinned in secret, but 
 the Lord saw it, and proclaimed it to the world. 
 
 Obs. 7. Wickedness blasts prosperous princes 
 and flourishing states. " Thou wast perfect in thy 
 ways, till iniquity was found in thee :" that caused 
 all to wither : his exalting himself to be as God, his 
 insulting over otliers in their misery, and his unjust 
 actions, caused the Lord to threaten and bring deso- 
 lation. Iniquity is the canker and plague of pros- 
 perity ; many princes and states, which were fat 
 and flourishing, have been made lean thereby. 
 Jeroboam's iniquities lost him five hundred thousand 
 men at once, 2 Chron. xiii. 8, 9, 17. When iniquity 
 was found in Zedekiah, brefJiing with Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, and relying upon the king of Egypt, what 
 said the Lord ? " Shall he prosper ? shall he escape 
 that doth such things ? " Ezek. xvii. 15 ; no, he shall 
 never prosper more. It is said of Jotham that he 
 became mighty, he prospered greatly ; and what was 
 the cause ? 2 Chron. xx^^i. 6, it was because he 
 " prepared his ways before the Lord," or established 
 them before him ; he looked to it that he did nothing 
 but what God commanded and approved, he would 
 not defile his heart or hands with iniquity, therefore 
 he grew mighty, and left a flourishing kingdom. 
 But when Ahaz his son came to it, who did wickedly, 
 you may see how the Syrians, Israelites, Edomites, 
 and Tilgath-pilneser, did waste and consume his 
 kingdom, 2 Chron. xxviii. Would princes, rulers, 
 states, cities, families, persons, prosper, let them 
 take heed of wickedness, and remember Malachi iv. 
 1, "The day cometh that shall burn like an oven; 
 and all the proud, and all that do wickedly, shall be 
 stubble : and the day that cometh shall burn them 
 up, and leave them neither root nor branch." 
 
 Vcr. 16 — 19. Bi/ the midtitude of thy mer- 
 chandise they have filled the midst of thee with vio- 
 lence, and thou hast sinned : therefore J will cast 
 thee as profane out of the mountain of God : and 
 I will destroy thee, O covering cheriib,from the 
 mid.it of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted 
 up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy
 
 Veb. 16—19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 621 
 
 wisdom hy reason of thij brightness : I will cast 
 thee to the ground, I uill lay thee before kings, 
 that thei) may behold thee. Thou hast def/ed thy 
 sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by 
 the iniquity of thy traffick ; therefore will I bring 
 forth ajirefrom the midst of thee, it shall devour 
 thee, and' I ivill bring thee to ashes upon the earth 
 in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they 
 that know thee among the people shall be astonish- 
 ed at thee : thou shall he a terror, and never shall 
 thou be any more. 
 
 In these verses you have, 
 
 I. The king's sins ; which are, 
 
 1. Injustice, or violence, vcr. 16. 
 
 2. Pride, or vain confidence, ver. 1 7- 
 
 3. Profaneness, ver. 18. 
 
 II. God's judgments, or punishments of him for 
 his sins ; which are, 
 
 1. Casting out, and destruction, vcr. 16. 
 
 2. Casting down, and making exemplary, ver. 17. 
 .3. Burning, and that to ashes, ver. 18. 
 
 III. The events of God's so dealing with him ; and 
 they are, 
 
 1. Astonishment. 
 
 2. Terror, ver. 19. 
 
 Ver. 16. " By the multitude of thy merchandise." 
 Tyrus was a city of the g-reatest merchandizing, as 
 appears, chap, xxvii.; and the king of Tyre himself 
 was of the merchants' company, Isa. xxiii. 8, and 
 countenanced their trading greatly. This drew 
 merchants from all places thitlier ; they brought in 
 commodities, and carried out commodities, and there 
 was great trafficking between theTyrians and them; 
 and wliat followed thereupon ? 
 
 " They have tilled the midst of thee with violence." 
 The Hebrew word for "\'iolence" is, Dcn cliamas, 
 which notes, that wrong which is a violation of 
 justice. These merchants, seeking themselves, mind- 
 ed not what was just and equal, but made a prey of 
 one another, and so filled the city with injustice, 
 iniquity, and "violence." The Septuagintis, avoniag, 
 that is, with illegality, transgression, unrighteous- 
 ness. 
 
 " And thou hast sinned." Thou, who shoiddst 
 have looked to it that no nnjust things should have 
 been done in the city, that there should have been 
 no violence, even " thou hast sinned," either by do- 
 ing as other merchants did, or by being lift up by 
 the abundance of those things thyself and citizens 
 possessed ; or rather, thou hast sinned, in suffering 
 those who have done violence to go unpunished, 
 thou hast connived at them, and so given them en- 
 couragement to their wickedness. The word chola 
 signifies, to err from the way, scope, mark : he 
 should have had justice in his eye, and neither have 
 done unjust things himself, nor have suffered his 
 citizens to have done them. 
 
 "Therefore 1 will cast thee, as pi-ofane, out of the 
 mountain of God." The Hebrew is, I will profane 
 thee from the mountain of God. Some understand 
 the words thus, I will blot out the memory of thee 
 from Jerusalem, and from amongst my people ; but 
 it is better to understand it of his own city and king- 
 dom, out of which God would cast him. He was an 
 " anointed cherub," set up by God in great honour 
 and dignity, ver. 14 ; but he not doing answerable to 
 his place, God would pull the crown from his head, 
 take away all his power and greatness, and profane 
 him ; that is, make him as a common person, or cast 
 him out as "profane," as one that hath profaned the 
 place of majesty. Of the "mountain of God" you 
 
 heard in vcr. 14, where this king was said to be 
 " upon the holy mountain of God." 
 
 " And I will destroy thee, O covering cherub." 
 The word for destroying is, nss abud, which notes an 
 utter destruction, and God would utterly destroy this 
 king for not protecting his people from violence and 
 wrongs. He was an angel for place and power over 
 others, and should have covered them with the wings 
 of protection and justice. 
 
 "From the midst of the stones of fire." "The 
 stones of fire" were those precious stones himself 
 and palace were adorned with, all so called because 
 of their glistering and lightening, of which before, 
 ver. 14, 
 
 Ver. 17. "Thine heart was lifted up because of 
 thy beauty." In ver. 5, it is said, "Thine heart is 
 lilted up because of thy riches," and here, "because 
 of thy beauty ; " he was rich, great, honourable, 
 strong in men, ammunition, shipping, and fortifica- 
 tions, all which had a glory, a " beauty," and that 
 lifttd up his heai't, made him swell with pride, and 
 think himself more than a man, to imagine that he 
 was a petty god. 
 
 " Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of 
 thy brightness." This king was in repute for "wis- 
 dom," ver. 5, 12, by which he attained to great wealth 
 and glory, which here is expressed by "brightness" 
 (for glory is a bright and shining thing). The 
 glory, beauty, and brightness of his condition begat 
 such pride in his spirit, that his wisdom was corrupt- 
 ed, and lost, as the Vulgate reads it; his pride did 
 obscure his understanding, and disfigure his " wis- 
 dom." True "wisdom" consists in the knowledge 
 of a man's self, and carrying it humbly when he is 
 highest ; but he knew not himself, that would be as 
 God, and make all bow unto him. 
 
 " I will cast thee to the ground." Thou art in 
 great glory and honour, eminent and renowned, 
 hfted up above other princes, sifting, as thou fanciest, 
 in the seat of God ; but 1 will strip thee of all thy 
 glory and greatness, bring thee down from thy height, 
 and "" cast thee to the ground : " it imports violent 
 and extreme misery. 
 
 " 1 will lay thee before kings, that they may be- 
 hold Ihee." " I will make thee a public example to 
 the kings of the world-; thou shall be so debased, 
 cast down, and trampled upon, that kings shall mind, 
 and wonder at thy condition, be terrified, and ac- 
 knowledge the just hand of God upon thee for thy 
 wickedness. The Scptuagint is, ivavriov (iaatXiuv 
 iduiKd at TTOiialtiyfiaTioSrivai, 1 have given thee, or will 
 give thee, to be an example before kings. 
 
 Ver. 18. " Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by 
 the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of 
 thy traffick." By " sanctuaries," or sanctification, 
 some here take to be meant the king's virtues ; 
 others, his oaths and covenants : but his royal palace 
 and city, or the palaces where he and his people did 
 worship, and that religion they had, chiefly are in- 
 tended. Their traffic was great, and the iniquities 
 adhering thereunto were great, as deceit, covetous- 
 ness, pride, injustice, violence ; by which the palace, 
 city, and sacraries, were defiled, and the religion 
 they had, whatever it was. Piscator makes the 
 " sanctuaries " to the king's palaces only, wdiich for 
 their magnificency were answerable to the temple at 
 Jerusalem, and the king, by his iniquities, had given 
 cause to God to bring in the Chaldeans to defile and 
 destroy them. This sense and the former stand well 
 together ; for, being formerly defiled with sin, it was 
 just with God to defile them with blood, and utterly 
 to destrov them. 
 
 " Therefore will 1 bring forth a fire from the midst 
 of thee, and it shall devour thee." That Tyre was
 
 fi±2 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVIII. 
 
 consumed by fire is prubaUe, if not, it is to be con- 
 sidered wliat is meant by " fire." Some make it to 
 be the plotting of lus own citizens to destroy him; 
 discontented ones should flee to the king of Babylon, 
 besieging the city, and betray him ; others make 
 this " tire " to be the judgment of God upon Tyre : 
 she sinned, and the king also, in a special manner, 
 and God from those sins would cause punishment to 
 spring up, which should consume them and him, as 
 a fire kindling in a house eats it up, and consinnes it. 
 
 " And I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth." 
 These words do hint unto us, that the judgment of 
 God upon Tyrus, after it was taken by Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, was " fire." What they could not spoil by 
 their axes, and other warlike instruments, that they 
 set fire unto, and so turned into " ashes " the stately 
 and goodly buildings thereof, the glorious palaces of 
 the king, were made ashes : fire is a consimiptive, 
 transforming thing, and so are God's judgments. 
 Of if we take the words not in a literal, but a meta- 
 phorical, sense, " ashes " note a contemptible and 
 base condition : Job xxx. 19, " He hath cast me into 
 the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes ;" 
 when Job was stripped of all his honour and glory, 
 set upon the dunghill, then he was as dust and ashes. 
 
 " In tlie bight of all them that behold thee." Tlie 
 word, to "behold," is, nsn which notes not only 
 seeing with the eye, but with the mind also ; Jer. ii. 
 31, "O generation, see ye the word of the Lord;" 
 tliat is, hear, consider, understand; they could not 
 see it with the eye. And here, not only those that 
 saw with their bodily eyes, but those that heard of 
 it, even the i.slcs which were afar off, are included. 
 
 Ver. ly. " All they that know thee among the 
 people shall be astonished at thee." All thy sub- 
 jects, and all foreigners with whom thou hast traded, 
 and have heard of thy wisdom, beauty, glory, great- 
 ness, they shall be astonished at thee ; they shall 
 wonder to see thee, the " anointed cherub," brought 
 to so low and despicable a condition. Some con- 
 ceive, that, as they were astonished at the destruc- 
 tion of Tyrus, and the prince thereof, so they were 
 glad, hissed, and mocked thereat ; but, chap. xxvi. 16, 
 17, they should be astonished, and tfike up a "la- 
 mentation." 
 
 " Thou shalt be a terror." In the Hebrew it 
 is, thou hast been terrors, n"n ninSa thou, with 
 thy power, greatness, majesty, bast been terrible 
 unto others. The Septuagint is, aTrutXfia iyivn, thou 
 hast been destruction. Our translation suits well 
 enough with the Hebrew, which oft puts a prefer 
 tense for the future ; and so the sense is. All those 
 that see to what a desolate condition thou art brought 
 unto, shall be terrified. Chap. xxvi. 21 ; xxvii. 36, 
 you have this word terror. 
 
 " Never shalt thou be any more." Thou shalt 
 never be king more, nor Tyrus ever be built more in 
 such state as formerly it was, nor any king or form 
 of a kingdom be ever seen therein more; for Junius 
 tells us it was upon the re-building of it made a com- 
 monwealth. These words we had formerly, chap, 
 xxvi. 21 ; xxvii. 36. 
 
 Obs. 1. That in much trading there is much sin. 
 " By the multitude of thy merchandise they have 
 filled the midst of thee with violence :" the mer- 
 chants of Tyrus were covetous, fraudulent, unjust, 
 violent, speaking unlawful words, and doing unlawful 
 things, and that so commonly, as that they filled the 
 city and palace with the guilt thereof Prov. x. 19, 
 " In the multitude of words there wants not sin," 
 that is, there is much sin, many of them are sinful ; 
 so in much trading and merchandising there wants 
 not sin, it abounds ; sinful thoughts, desires, idle, 
 evil, false, flattering, lying words, adhere to them 
 
 that arc busied therein, and many unjust, yea, op- 
 pressing acts are done by them. In heart they have 
 exercised with covetous practices, and many of them 
 do love the wages of iniquity, as Balaam did, 2 Pet. 
 ii. 15; and, like Judas, purchase fields with the re- 
 ward of iniquity, Acts i. 18. In mart towns, where 
 there is niucli trading, there is much sinning, much 
 lying, swearing, whoring, drunkenness ; merchants 
 bring the vices of their countries, as well as the 
 wares and commodities thereof, and it may be ques- 
 tioned whether the vices brought in do not more 
 harm than all the commodities do good. 
 
 Ob.i. 2. God takes notice of men in place, whether 
 they connive at, or punish, sin. The merchants filled 
 the city and palace of the king with injustice, vio- 
 lence, and all manner of wickedness, and be punished 
 them not, but connived at them ; and so, besides his 
 great neglect, which was very evil, he contracted 
 the guilt of their sins upon himself. Governors are 
 sent by God, saith Peter, 1 Epist, ii. 14, " for the 
 punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them 
 that do well ;" being sent of God, and set up by him, 
 as this prince of Tyre was, ver. 14, God looks after 
 them, observes strictly how they act, whether they 
 encourage men that do well, and punish such as do 
 evil ; if they do not, the Lord will charge their sin 
 upon them : " Thou hast sinned, thou hast filled all 
 with violence." Not to punish sin, is to encourage 
 men in sin, and so rulers bring a world of guilt upon 
 themselves ; they must answer for the sins of the 
 people, when they prevent not, nor punish, what 
 they might. 
 
 Ob.s. 3. Doing of unjust things, and non-execution 
 of justice, undo the princes and rulers of the earth, 
 they cause God to thrust them out of their thrones 
 and kingdoms, and to lay their glory and greatness 
 in the dust. " Thou hast sinned," that is, done un- 
 justly, and neglected justice, " therefore I will cast 
 thee as profane out of the mountain of God; I will 
 destroy thee, O covering cherub, ft'om the midst of 
 the stones of fire." Nebuchadnezzar and his army 
 w ere the instruments to do this, but God was the 
 chief agent ; " I will cast thee out, I will destroy 
 thee ;" and it was for his wicked acts, and want of 
 doing justice. When princes do just things, punish 
 evil-doers, countenance them that do well, then they 
 establish themselves in the mountain of God, in their 
 thrones and greatness ; but when they fail therein, 
 they undermine themselves, and hasten their own 
 ruin. The Arabians say. Justice is the sinews and 
 strength of a kingdom ; injustice, then, must be the 
 dissolution of it. Psal. Ixxxix. 14, justice and judg- 
 ment are the establishment of God's throne ; it is 
 " habitation " in your books, but tlie margin hath it, 
 establishment; and the word p30 signifies, a basis, 
 or foundation. Justice upholds the very throne of 
 God ; should he not execute justice, or do unjust 
 things, his throne would shake, his glory and great- 
 ness come down. Would rulers and great ones be 
 established in their places, let them keep justice and 
 judgment, and do wrong to none. Saul spared Agag, 
 when he sliouM have hewed him to pieces, 1 Sam. 
 XV. ; he caused to be slain eighty-five priests of the 
 Lord, I Sam. xxii. ; and shortly after, for his unjust 
 acts, and want of doing justice, he was thrust out of 
 his throne, east out as a profane prince fi-om the 
 raonntain of God, and destroyed from being a cover- 
 ing cherub, and from all his glory and greatness. 
 
 Ob.s. 4. The abundance and glory of outward things 
 occasions men to forget God and themselves. " Thine 
 heart was lifted up because of thy beauty :" he had 
 abundance of all things, and they, with the glory 
 and beauty of them, "swelled his heart, made him 
 proud, forget God, the Giver of them, and himself.
 
 Ver. 16—19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 623 
 
 who was to give account for them. It is hard to 
 keep the heart in a right fi'ame, when we are com- 
 passed about with creature plenty, glory, and beauty ; 
 pride, disdain, and violence, are the brats and bas- 
 tards of plenty. It is harder for princes, or any, to 
 regulate their spirits in prosperity than in adversity. 
 A man under pressures is seldom pulled up with 
 pride, overcome with lust, drowned in covetousness, 
 overtaken with surfeiting and drunkenness, or tickled 
 with worldly glory ; all which, and many other evils, 
 are incident to them that dwell in the midst of abun- 
 dance : see Deut. xxxi. 10; viii. 10 — 14. In their 
 fulness, men forget and forsake God, when, ui their 
 adversity, they seek and sue unto him : Hos. v. 15, 
 " In their affliction they will seek me early," or, 
 diligently. Manasseh, in his greatness and fulness, 
 forsook God and his worship, did violent acts ; but 
 when he was in fetters in Babylon, and in affliction, 
 then he besought the Lord his God, and himibled 
 himself greatly, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 12; his heart was 
 lifted up before, but now humbled, and that greatly. 
 Affliction pricks the bladders prosperity hath blown 
 up, and fflled with pride. 
 
 Obs. 5. Men's priding themselves in an outward 
 glory, doth prejudice them in a greater excellency. 
 " Thou hast corrupted thy wisdom, because of thy 
 brightness :" his wisdom was of a higher nature 
 than all his greatness and glory, than his shipping, 
 soldiers, buildings, precious stones, and whatever 
 other external excellences were in Tyrus, but by 
 his pride in these he marred that. Sin is the smoke 
 of the soul ; and what smoke is to the eye of the body, 
 that sin is to the understanding, which being dark- 
 ened, men's wisdom is corrupted. If there be a drop 
 of ink, or poison, in milk or wine, they are corrupted ; 
 so if sin, especially pride, be found in a man, his 
 wisdom is corrupted, and he will think, speak, and 
 do corruptly. Prov. si. 2, " When pride Cometh, 
 then Cometh shame : but with the lowly is wisdom." 
 When men are pufi'ed up with their parts and enjoy- 
 ments, then Cometh shame ; then they will carry 
 themselves so, as others will be ashamed of them, 
 their wisdom is corrupted, and they do foolishly ; 
 but when men are low and humble, they are wise, 
 and do things commendable : true, sound, imcorrupt- 
 ed wisdom dwells with the lowly, and is a stranger 
 to the proud. 
 
 One saith, upon these words of our prophet. That 
 all proud men are fools, their pride hath darkened 
 their foolish hearts. Let us take heed of priding 
 ourselves in any externals or internals, thereby we 
 shall corrupt our glory ; let us be lowly, so shall we 
 have wisdom unspotted, humble, so God will give us 
 more grace, James iv. 6. 
 
 Obs. 6. The end of God's dreadfiil judgments upon 
 sinners is, that they may be examples and warning- 
 pieces unto others. " I will cast thee to the ground, I 
 will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee," 
 and so take heed of thy ways and practices. God is 
 terrible unto kings, he cuts them otY, and makes them 
 exemplary unto others : they are oft blasphemous, 
 proud, unjust, violent, tjTannical; and God, by the 
 thunder of his power, cuts them down, and by their 
 fall sets them up to be lights unto others, that they 
 tread not in their steps, lest they come to their ends. 
 Pharaoh is drowned in the sea ; the princes of the 
 people hung up before the sun ; Herod is eaten up 
 with vermin ; the king of Ai hanged on a tree. Josh, 
 viii. 29 ; Adoni-zedec and other kings, their necks 
 were made footstools to the Jews, Josh. x. 24 ; Agag 
 was he\\'n in pieces, 1 Sam. xv. 33 ; Joash was slain 
 in his bed, 2 Chron. xxiv. 25 ; Jehoram was so smit- 
 ten with sickness, that his bowels fell out, 2 Chron. 
 xxi. 19; Zedekiah had his eyes put out, was bound 
 
 in fetters, and carried to Babylon. Jer. Hi. 11, and 
 made a prisoner all his days ; the kings of Sodom 
 and Gomorrah were roasted in the fire, and burnt 
 to ashes. And why were these things done to kings ? 
 that they might be examjiles to others, both kings 
 and people : 1 Cor. x. 1 1 ," All these things happened 
 unto them for ensamples : and they are WTitten for 
 our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world 
 are come :" had they not been written, they would 
 have been forgotten; but God in his great "wisdom 
 would have them " written," that all that read or 
 hear of them may be admonished by them, and learn 
 to avoid those sins they were guilty of, lest they 
 partake of the same or parallel judgments. 
 
 Examples in holy Scripture are used (Uvers ways. 
 
 (I.) For arguments in prayer, as Psal. Ixxxiii. 9 
 
 (2.) As matter to strengthen our faith, Deut. iii. 
 21,22; Isa. li. 9, 10. 
 
 (3.) As precedents for God to proceed by, Jer. vii. 
 12, 14 ; Ezek. xx. 36. 
 
 (4.) As motives to repentance, and turning unto 
 God, Luke xiii. 1 — 5 ; Amos iv. 11. 
 
 (5.) For cautions and admonitions unto us, that 
 we do not commit such things as they did, 2 Pet. ii. 6. 
 
 Such an example did God make the king of Tyrus ; 
 he was a sea mark to direct kings and others who 
 sit at the stern, that they sail not that way he did, 
 lest they sufler shipwreck. Thus God makes men 
 serviceable after their death, who were sinful and 
 mischievous in their lifetime. 
 
 06*. 7. Sinful practices defile men's chiefest ex- 
 cellences and glories, and expose them to defilement. 
 " Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the iniquity 
 of thy traffic:" covetousness, lying, deceit, violence, 
 pride, luxury, and such like sins, attended their trad- 
 ing, and these sins defiled the city, the coiut, the 
 crown, their temples, their worship, and whatever 
 was precious unto them. Sin is of a spreading natm-e, 
 defiling us, and all we have, yea, exposing all to ruin 
 and desh'uction ; see Ezek. v. 11 ; vii. 24. The Jews 
 defiled God's sanctuary with sin, therefore God would 
 expose them to be defiled by heathens. 
 
 Obs. 8. Men's own sins do breed their woes, bring 
 them into contemptible conditions, and to utter de- 
 struction. This prince's sins kindled the fire of God's 
 indignation in the midst of his city, palace, and 
 sanctuaries, and such a fire as devoured him, and 
 brought him to ashes. Wood breeds the worms 
 which eat it up, garments the moths which consume 
 them. Men by their follies contract those distempers 
 and diseases which rend them from the land of the 
 living, and enfranchise them among the dead. It is 
 the sin of a nation that tears out the bowels of it, 
 and lays all the pleasant things therein waste. It is 
 princes' sins which shake the crown from their 
 heads; their injustice, tyranny, covetousness, pro- 
 faneness, throw them out of their thrones, lead them 
 with scorn, and cause the Lord to pour his indigna- 
 tion upon them. There is no nation, city, or family, 
 roasted in the fire of divine, dreadful judgments, but 
 themselves do bring the same upon themselves. 
 Israel destroyed herself, Hos. xiii. 9 ; that was, by 
 her calves and idolatrous worship. Ireland hath 
 destroyed itself by her treachery and bloody doings ; 
 and search into i>, you shall find that Scotland hath 
 destroyed itself by its own iniquities : so M'oreester, 
 by its own acts, hath brought w-oes upon itself, &c. 
 Many are brought to ashes at this time, to bondage, 
 base and contemptible conditions, because they fed 
 upon ashes, made lies their refuge, doing dis- 
 honourable things ; Isa. xx\-i. 11, "the fire of their 
 enemies shall devour them;'' their sins were the 
 material fire that they brought, i:c.
 
 624 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVIII. 
 
 Obs. 9. God's judgments upon wicked princes and 
 places oft are sueli, as tliat they become matter of 
 astonishment and terror to otliers. " All that know 
 thee among the people shall be astonished at thee ; 
 thou shalt be a terror : " whosoever should hear 
 what God had done to Tyrus, and the prince thereof, 
 should be amazed thereat, and tremble, chap. xxvi. 
 15. " He is terrible to the kings of the earth," Psal. 
 Ixxvi. 12, and makes them terrors to others. 
 
 Ver. 20 — 23. A^ain the word of the Lord came 
 unto me, saying. Son of man, set thy fare against 
 Zidon, and prophesy against it, and. say, Thus 
 saifh the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, 
 O Zidon ; and I ivill he glorified in the midst of 
 thee : and they shall know that I am the Lord, 
 when I shall have executed judgments in her, and 
 shall he sanctified in her. For I will send into 
 her pestilence, and blood into her streets ; and the 
 wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the 
 sword upon her on every side ; and they shall 
 know that I am the Lord. 
 
 In these words you have a prophecy against 
 Zidon, which is the third general part of the chap- 
 ter : the authority of it is in ver. 20, and the pro- 
 phet's commission in ver. 21 ; the prophecy itself in 
 ver. 22, 23, where destruction is threatened to Zidon 
 by " pestilence " and " sword," and the ends of God's 
 judgments declared. 
 
 Ver. 21. " Set thy face against Zidon." The 
 word for to " set," notes a setting on purpose, not 
 carelessly, but composedly, intensively. Amos ix. 
 4, " I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not 
 for good;" though formerly I have seriously and 
 purposely set myself to do them good, yet now I will 
 with as much seriousness and resolvedness set mine 
 eyes upon them, or against them, for evil, I will look 
 sourly upon them : so the prophet must fix his face 
 upon Zidon, and look severely, suitable to the judg- 
 ment he had to threaten against it. 
 
 " Zidon." Of " Zidon" was spoken, chap, xxvii. 
 8. It was seated at the foot of mount Libanus, and 
 terminated the bounds of Canaan in the north-west. 
 Justin saith, it was built by the Phoenicians, and 
 called Zidon, from the multitude of fishes that were 
 thereabouts ; for they call a fish, zidon. It was a 
 rich and potent city, having its king; for Ethbaal, 
 the father of that wicked woman Jezebel, was king 
 of the Zidonians, 1 Kings xvi. 31 ; they were idol- 
 De Diis Syris aters, for Ashtoreth was the goddess 
 Syniag. 2. c. 2. of the Zidonians, 1 Kings xi. 5 ; and 
 Selden judges those four hundred prophets of the 
 groves, which did eat at Jezebel's table, to be the 
 prophets of this goddess. "" These Zidonians were, 
 for their manners and wickedness, like to the Tyri- 
 ans, no better than thorns and briers unto the Jews ; 
 and hence Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy against 
 them, as Jeremiah was, chap. sxv. 15, 22. 
 
 Ver. 22. " Behold, I am against thee." Some 
 read the words thus, Behold, I come to thee ; not to 
 show thee kindness, not to protect or comfort thee, 
 but I come to punish, to destroy thee. The words 
 may also be read. Behold, I am above thee, or over 
 thee ; thou art strong, wise, wealthy, secure, but I 
 am above thee, and thou canst not escape my hands. 
 But to take the words as here they are, " I am 
 against thee," thou hast me thy enemy ; hitherto I 
 have been thy friend, caused thee to grow great and 
 prosper, but now " I am against thee ;" it is not men 
 or angels, but I, the Lord of all in heaven and earth, 
 that have the command of all creatures in my hand, 
 that shake the foundations of the earth, and lay 
 
 waste kingdoms, cities at my pleasure, even " I am 
 against thee." 
 
 " And I will be glorified in the midst of thee." 
 Montanus reads the word " glorified" actively, I 
 will glorify myself in the midst of thee; thou hast 
 dishonoured me by thy sins, given mine honour unto 
 idols, but now I will punish thee severely for what 
 thou hast done, and so vindicate my name, make 
 thee know that I am a God diilcring from fhy false 
 gods and goddesses. The Septuagint reads the word 
 passively, iviolaa^rjaofiai; so we, and many others, I 
 will be glorified ; and the sense is this, I am against 
 Zidon, I will fight her, get the victory over her, by 
 executing my judgments upon her, and so I shall be 
 glorified by all that see my hand upon her. God is 
 glorified when he punLsheth evil-doers, and cuts 
 them off: Exod. xiv. 4, " I will be honoured upon 
 Pharaoh, and all his host ;" ver. 17, upon his chariots 
 and his horsemen : and how was this done ? by 
 drowning them in the midst of the sea, ver. 27, 
 28 : and God is glorified when others take notice of 
 his power, justice, judgments, and praise, and fear 
 him, as it is, Exod. xv. 1, 14. When men do con- 
 quer others, all the fi-iends of the conqueror do re- 
 joice, and triumph with him ; they go or send to 
 him, as 2 Sam. viii. 10, and give him thanks for 
 what he hath done, which is an honouring of him ; 
 and it is no less that his enemies fear him. 
 
 " And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I 
 shall have executed judgments in her." The end of 
 God's judgments is, to bring men to a right knowledge 
 of him. When Zidon should receive the punishments 
 due to her sins, then she would know, that is, acknow- 
 ledge, God to be above all idol gods, that he only 
 was worthy to be feared, adored, praised, and obeyed. 
 
 " And shall be sanctified in her." In chap. xx. 
 41, we had these words, " I will be sanctified in you," 
 where they were opened. They may be taken here 
 actively or passively : I will sanctify myself in her, 
 that is, I will do that in Zidon, execute such judg- 
 ments in her, as shall declare to all nations that I 
 am a holy God, hating all sin, that my name is holy 
 and reverend ; in this sense they are taken actively : 
 passively, thus. Whereas my name hath sufl'ered by 
 the Zidonians, and many have thought me no better 
 than the idol gods, that I take little care of the world, 
 wink at men in their wickedness, and am like unto 
 them ; when my judgments are upon Zidon it will be 
 otherwise, then they will have high and honovu-able 
 thoughts of me, then they will declare me to be a 
 just and righteous God : and so the holy God shall be 
 sanctified in righteousness, as it is Isa. v. 16; that is, 
 made known to be holy for his righteous judgments. 
 
 Ver. 23. " For I will send into her pestilence." 
 These are the judgments with which God would visit 
 Zidon. The word for " pestilence " is, ^3^ which 
 interpreters make to signify, speech, death, and or- 
 der, as well as the plague, and that to have all these 
 in it ; for the plague is a speaking judgment, it speaks 
 out God's severity, it speaks unto us to repent pre- 
 sently. It is a dreadful judgment, few escape that 
 have it, and it hath order in it, for that it goeth from 
 house to house, city to city, and oft sweeps away all. 
 
 " And blood into her streets." The Babylonians 
 should besiege Zidon, and after the pestilence had 
 devoured many, they should take the city, slay the 
 citizens, and fill the streets with " blood," dead and 
 wounded bodies. 
 
 " And the wounded shall be judged in the midst of 
 her." When towns and cities are besieged, many 
 from within make attempts to raise the siege, or 
 break through, whereupon they come to be wound- 
 ed, if not slain. So here, many were " wounded " 
 upon such attempts, and after the city was taken,
 
 Ver. 24— liG. 
 
 THK BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 G25 
 
 they were jiulgetl to death. The Hebrew is, the 
 wounded man shall fall in the midst of hi.r ; and so 
 the Seiituagiiit. 
 
 " By the sword upon her on every side." There 
 should neither be any articles or terms of peace ofl'ercd 
 them, nor any way of escape be left them; the sol- 
 diers should compass her about " on every side," so 
 that whoever attempted to flee and get away, should 
 fall into their hands. 
 
 Oba. 1. That great, flourishing, and strong cities 
 may have God their enemy, and so their enemy, as 
 to declare and proclaim war against them. " Son of 
 man, set thy face against Zidon," tell that great city 
 what the Lord saith, " Behold, I am against thee, O 
 Zidon ;" I am coming in a martial way against thee, 
 and will consume thee to ashes. 
 
 Obs. 2. God's aim and end in his judgments, is to 
 make himself known, what a dreadful, just, and holy 
 God he is, and that he may be declared by men to 
 be so. God would destroy Zidon by pestilence and 
 war, that he might be glorified and sanctified in her : 
 she would not give glory to God before ; the Lord 
 would therefore fetch his glory out of her by his 
 judgments, and cause others should see the same, to 
 confess him to be a God of power, justice, and holi- 
 ness. Psal. ix. 16, "The Lord is known by the 
 judgment which he executeth ;" there are characters 
 of his power, justice, and holiness in them, that men 
 must needs take notice of them, if they be not 
 atheistical. If others will not fear, praise, worship, 
 adore the Lord, whose hand hath lately been lifted 
 up so eminently, yet let us do it ; God must be glo- 
 rified and sanctified one way or other. Let us there- 
 fore say, " Great and marvellous are thy works, 
 IjOrd God Almighty ; just and true are thy ways, 
 thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, Lord, 
 and glorify thy name ? " 
 
 Oi.y. 3. What judgments soever come into or upon 
 cities and persons, it is the Lord that sends them 
 thither, that brings them upon them. " I will send 
 into her pestilence, and blood into her streets." It 
 is the Lord gives commissions, as to the prophets to 
 prophesy judgments against a city, so to the judg- 
 ments themselves, to come to and upon them. If in 
 Worcester dead bodies and blood filled the streets, 
 if all houses were jilundered, if armies are routed, 
 thousands slain, it is the Lord's doing. Let none 
 stumble by looking at the instruments, they are the 
 sword in God's hand, he causes it to wound and to 
 kill. 
 
 Ver. 24 — 26. And there shall be no more a 
 pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any 
 grieving thorn of all that are round about thevi, 
 that despised them; and they shall know that I 
 am the Lard God. Thus saith the Lord God ; 
 Ulien I shall have gathered the house of Israel 
 from the people among who7n they are scattered, 
 and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the 
 heathen, then shall they dicell in their land that I 
 have given to my servant Jacob. And they shall 
 dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and 
 plant vineyards ; yea, they shall dwell with con- 
 fidence, ichen I have ei'ecuted judgments upon all 
 those that despise Ihem round about them ; and 
 they shall know that I am the Lord their God. 
 
 These verses are a prophecy of grace and mercy 
 to the church of God, being the last general part of 
 the chapter ; where, 
 
 1. You have the things prophesied of ; which are, 
 (1.) Freedom from molestations by enemies, 
 ver. 24. 
 
 2 s 
 
 (2.) Collection of the Jews out of the places they 
 were dispersed into, ver. 25. 
 
 (3.) Habitation in the land given to Jacob, ver. 25. 
 (4.) Safety and prosperity, ver. 26. 
 
 2. The time when tliese things shall be, ver. 26, 
 after judgments executed upon their enemies. 
 
 3. The end of this comfortable prophecy, and 
 sweet promises in it, and that is, the knowledge and 
 profession of God, ver. 24, 26. 
 
 " There shall be no more a pricking brier." The 
 wordfor "brier" in the holy language is,iiWo«,athorn, 
 a sting, a brier ; and metaphorically, it is put for a 
 thorny man : hence is oiWaiVw, saith Avenarius, 
 which signifies, to scratch a man's name with ill 
 words. pSo is no where else used but in Ezekiel, 
 chap. ii. 6, and in this place. The Septuagint turn 
 it, <r/co/\oi|/, which in 2 Cor. xii. 7, is rendered a 
 " thorn," and by the Vulgate, an oflence. 
 
 " Pricking." tnco is from isn which signifieth, 
 to cause grief, to make the heart ache ; so do thorns 
 and briers ; when they prick a man, they pain and 
 grieve him. 
 
 " Unto the house of Israel." By a synecdoche 
 of the whole for a part, he understands the house of 
 Zidon. 
 
 " Nor any grieving thorn." The word for " thorn" 
 here is, yip from "^'ip to be afflicted, to be in straits, 
 because thorns do afflict and straiten men. Some 
 make it, to difler from others in quantity, and to note, 
 a greater thorn, but it signifies any thorn, thistle, or 
 grieving thing. 3N3D grieving, is from 3N3 to make 
 sad ; when a man is pricked with a thorn, it makes 
 him sad. 
 
 "Of all that are round about them." These words 
 show who were the briers and thorns, viz. those who 
 dwelt near unto the Jews, on every side, the Tyrians, 
 Sidonians, Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Idu- 
 means, and Egyptians. These were subdued by the 
 Chaldeans much about that time Jerusalem was 
 taken, and after their return out of Babylon those 
 nations were brought under by the Maccabees. 
 
 " That despised them." In Hebrew D'tflNrn which 
 is from 13NW signifying, to provoke one, by contemn- 
 ing and spoiling of them. It is again in ver. 26, 
 rendered in the margin, that spoil them. 
 
 Wricked men are likened to thorns and briers. 
 
 1. Thorns and briers are of little worth or use; 
 what serve they for but to make a hedge, stop a gap, 
 or burn in the fire : they are inconsiderable things ? 
 and such are wicked men; they are vile, Jer. xv. 19; 
 godly men are precious, but wicked ones are little 
 worth, Prov. x. 20. Isa. x. 17, the Assyrians were 
 thorns and briers, and should be burnt up in a day. 
 
 2. They change not their nature ; wherever you 
 set or plant them, they continue the same, in the 
 wilderness, garden, or orchard; so wicked men, do 
 what you will to them, they change not, neither can 
 thunder, lightning, sunshine, winter or simimer, 
 change the one or the other. Pharaoh was a great 
 brier, no miracles altered him. Saul was trans])lant- 
 ed, and made a king, yet honour and favour alti red 
 not him. Jeroboam, what sweet promises had he 
 from God himself, 1 Kings xi. 37, 38, but they turned 
 not that thorn into a vine. 
 
 3. They pester the earth where they are ; they 
 suck away the fat, moisture, and sweetness of it, 
 from better plants, corn, and grass ; so w icked men. 
 they pester the earth, they get the chief places of 
 power, honour, they get the lordships and manors : 
 Psal. xii. 8, the vilest of the sens of men are exalted. 
 Abimelech, the bramble, is made king by the She- 
 chemites, and slays his seventy brethren, whose right 
 it was to have had the crown before him ; and what a 
 plague he was to the Shechemites, see Judg. ix.
 
 626 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXVIII. 
 
 4. They are low things, creeping upon the earth, 
 and inclining towards it; they are not like the oaks 
 and cedars, which mount up to lieaven ; so wicked 
 men are base, low, earthy, minding the things of 
 this world, they incline unto them, they savour the 
 things of the flesh, and what is suitable to their lusts : 
 such a base brier was the fool in the gospel, and 
 Dives also. 
 
 5. They are dangerous things to meddle with, 
 they are pricking and grieving. Numb, xxxiii. 55, 
 the inhabitants remaining were "pricks" in their 
 eyes, and "thorns" in their sides, and vexed them. 
 NaVial was very churlish to David, and not over-kind 
 to Abigail ; he was a pricking thorn to the one, and 
 a grieving brier to the other. 
 
 Quest. Wherein are wicked men pricking briers 
 and grieving thorns ? 
 
 yhhsw. 1. In their tongues; they are often full of 
 prickles, their words are pungent. 
 
 (I.) They have calumniating and lying words, 
 Neh. vi. 6; Jer. xviii. 18. 
 
 (2.) Scoffing words, Neh. iv. 2, 3; the nations 
 scoflTed at the Jewish sabbaths, sacrifices, and wor- 
 ship. Lam. i. 7- 
 
 (.'}.) Threatening words. Acts iv. 17; ix. 1. 
 
 (4.) Disgracing, undervaluing words. The scribes 
 and Pharisees said of Christ, he was a wine-bibber, 
 a Samaritan, that he had a devil. Tertullus said, 
 Paul was a pestilent fi-llow, Acts xxiv. 
 
 (5.) Provoking words, 2Chron.x.KV. 17;Neh.vi.2. 
 
 2. In their countenances and looks. Wicked men 
 look so big and fiercely ofttimes upon the godly, 
 that they prick and grieve them to the heart. Dan. 
 viii. 23, Antiochus was of a fiery countenance, terri- 
 ble to look unto. How sourly clid Ahab look upon 
 Elijah, when he said, " Art thou he that h-oiibleth 
 Israel ? " &c. Wicked men's frowns are sharp thorns 
 in the sides of the godly. 
 
 3. In their actions. 2 Pet. ii. 7, 8, Lot's righteous 
 soul was vexed, &-c. ; Delilah tempted and urged 
 Samson, so that his " soul was vexed unto death," 
 Judg. xvi. 16; see Josh, xxiii. 12,13; the daughters 
 of Heth were such thorns unto Rebckah, that she was 
 weary of her life. Gen. xxvii.4(); see Psal. xxxvii. 14. 
 
 I. Some general observations from hence, that 
 wicked men are thorns. 
 
 Obs. 1. Their acquaintance is not desirable. Fa- 
 miliarity with them is dangerous : Prov. xxiv. 1, " Be 
 not envious against evil men, neither desire to be 
 with them ;" be they great, honourable, eminent, yet, 
 if wicked, we should neither envy them, nor affect 
 their company : andwliy? "Fortheir heart studieth 
 destruction, and their lips talk of mischief;" they 
 are the "seed of the serpent," and cannot cordially 
 close with the " seed of the woman ;" there is enmity 
 between their seeds. Mie. vii. 4, "The best of them 
 is a brier ; the most upright is sharper than a thorn 
 hedge." If the best of them be so, what are the rest ? 
 One time or other you will find them so. David 
 chose those for his companions who feared the Lord, 
 Psal. exix. 63. 
 
 Obs. 2. Answerable fruit is to be expected from 
 them. Thorns and briers must bring forth fruit 
 suitable to their natures. Some make no difference 
 between men, but will trust wicked ones as soon as 
 godly ones; but they have been, or may be, deceived; 
 for can good fruit grow upon an ill tree ? Christ hath 
 taught us otherwise ; Matt. vii. 16, "Do men gather 
 grapes of thorns ?" &-c. he makes it an impossibility ; 
 ver. 18, A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. 
 Wickedness proceeds from the wicked, it is natural 
 to them to do wickedly, and nothing else : fire comes 
 out of brambles, and devours the cedars of Lebanon, 
 Judg. ix. 15. 
 
 Obs. 3. It is rather matter ofrejoicing than mourn- 
 ing, when wicked men are cut off, and taken away. 
 They are but thorns and briers, worthless things, 
 cimibering the ground, and bearing ill fruit. Prov. 
 xi. 10, "Whenitgoeth well with the righteous, the 
 city rejoiceth ; and when the wicked perish, there is 
 shouting." Unprofitable, hurtful things are taken 
 away. Husbandmen and garden<'rs are glad when 
 the briers and brambles are pulled up from the corn, 
 flowers, and plants among which they grew. The 
 loss of good men is a great loss, as of Josiah, a good 
 king ; but the loss of wicked king's is no loss, it is 
 gain to a state, and matter of rejoicing : they are 
 great l)rand)les, and there is much a do to pull them 
 up, but being up and perishing, multitudes shout 
 for joy, who were scratched and oppressed by them. 
 
 Obs. 4. Those who are the Lord's deputies and 
 rulers under him, should see to it, that briers and 
 brambles oven'un not all the field and vineyard of 
 God. They do grow high, great, spread, and are 
 like to endanger much if they be not dealt with. 
 There are thorns and briars in all places ; there are 
 state brambles, city thorns, and church briers : such 
 were in the church of Galatia, which Paul wisheth 
 were cut oil'. Gal. v. 12, because they scratched and 
 troubled them ; and David's resolution was, to thrust 
 away as thorns all the sons of Belial who troubled 
 the state and city of Jerusalem, 2 Sam. xxiii. 6 ; and 
 Psal. ci. 8, he saith, " I will early destroy all the 
 wicked of the land ; that I may cut off all wicked 
 doers from the city of the Lord." Here was a man 
 after God's own heart, that would not suffer pricking 
 thorns and grieving briers. 
 
 II. Some more particular observations from the 
 words of the verse. 
 
 Obs. I. The church and people of God live amongst 
 thorns. They dwell in the midst of wicked men ; 
 all that were round about them were pricking briers 
 and grieving thorns. The church is a " lily among 
 thorns," Cant. ii. 2. Jerusalem was amidst heathen- 
 ish nations : Christ and his apostles were among 
 scribes and Pharisees, whose spirits were thorny. 
 Hence take these inferences : 
 
 (1.) Then God's people ought to take heed how 
 they walk. Men who live and w-alk among briers 
 and' thorns, had need have their eyes in their heads; 
 they may otherwise be quickly entangled in the 
 briers, and miserably scratched. Matt. x. 16, " Be 
 wise as serpents," &c. ; they live among thorns. 
 
 (2.) Then it is not strange if God's people be 
 scratched sometimes by wicked men. They will tear 
 and rend their names, states, comforts, peace, privi- 
 leges, &c. David, Jeremiah, Paul, were sufficiently 
 scratched by such briers and thorns : whoso touch- 
 eth them, had need be fenced with iron, and the 
 staff of a spear. 
 
 (3.) Then see a reason why the people of God 
 cannot carry on the work and things of God with 
 more speed. Tliey dwell amongst thorns, and when 
 thorns are in the way things move slowly. When 
 good seed was sown, the thorns hindered the growth 
 of it ; when Joshua went about taking Ai, there was 
 Achan, a great thorn, in the way ; when Nehemiah 
 was in the work of the temple, Tobias and Sanballat 
 were thorns in the way. The motions of parliament 
 and army Avere not so speedy, because the)' met with 
 great thorns and brambles in their ways. 
 
 Obs. 2, The church and people of God shall not 
 always be among briers and thorns. They shall have 
 a time of freedom ; " There shall be no more a prick- 
 ing brier and a grieving thorn." Chap, xxxiv. 28, 
 " They shall no more be a prey to the heathen," <&e. 
 This was made good to the Jews in the letter after 
 their return ; the nations, which had been thorns to
 
 Vf.r. 24— '20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 027 
 
 them, the Lord destroyed. This promise refers also 
 to the gospel times, the Lord is making way for it 
 now. When enemies have power, strength, counsel, 
 are active and successful, then they are thorny and 
 grievous ; liut the Lord is disappointing his church's 
 enemies, and consuming them as briers and thorns, 
 Isa. xxvii. 4. 
 
 This is matter of comfort to the church, that al- 
 tliough she have been long among briers, thorns, 
 and hath been much offended by them, yea, wound- 
 ed, yet there is a time she shall be freed from them, 
 it is approaching, and makes haste, Luke xviii. 7, 
 8. The Israelites were freed from the Egyptians, and 
 Lot from the Sodomites, who were thorns, yea, 
 terrible ones, unto them. 
 
 This should draw out our spirits in prayer unto 
 the Lord, to hasten the time, and that he would 
 make good what he hath promised : Isa. Iv. 13, " In- 
 stead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and in- 
 stead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree." 
 Let us pray earnestly that God would give us fir 
 trees and myrtle trees, in the room of our briers 
 and thorns ; good magistrates and good ministers, 
 instead of those w'ho have been no better than 
 thorns and briers unto us. 
 
 Obs. 3. Wicked men have ill thoughts of God's 
 people ; they slight them. These briers and thorns, 
 the wicked round about the house of Israel, de- 
 spised them, and scorned them : Psal. Ixxix. 4, " We 
 are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn 
 and derision to them that ai-e round about us." 
 Wicked men are proud, the ways of God are contrary 
 unto them and their ways ; hence they despise his 
 w'ays, and those who walk in them. 
 
 Ver. 25. " Thus saith the Lord God ; When I shall 
 have gathered the house of Israel from the people 
 among whom they are scattered," &c. This people 
 of God, the Jews, were scattered into the eastern 
 countries, over several provinces of the king of Baby- 
 Ion, and here the Lord promiseth to gather them out 
 thereof, and to return them to their own land. 
 
 " And shall be sanctified in them in the sight of 
 the heathen." Of sanctifying was spoken in ver. 
 22. The Hebrew is, when I shall sanctify myself, 
 that is, make kno\vn myself, by my judgments upon 
 them for their sins, by seventy years' captivity, and 
 cause the heathen to confess that 1 am a just and 
 righteous God, which will be, when they shall see 
 me gather them up again, and bring them out with 
 a strong hand; then they will say, he hath not 
 utterly cast them off, though he hath severely punish- 
 ed them. The words may be taken passively, as 
 here they are read, when I shall be sanctified in 
 them, or by them ; when they shall see me remember- 
 ing my promises made unto them, and begin to make 
 way for their deliverance, then shall th(-y praise my 
 name, and rejoice in me their God, and tell the hea- 
 thens, God hath not forgotten them. 
 
 06s-. 1. God's people have no fixed, certain habit- 
 ation in this world, but are subject to scatterings. 
 They were removed out of their land, carried into 
 Babylon ; so the church. Acts viii. 1, " was scattered 
 throughout all the regions of Judea and Samaria." 
 Heb. xi. 37, " They wandered about in sheepskins 
 and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented." 
 
 Obn. 2. Whenever God's people are scattered 
 abroad in the world, he hath a care of them, and 
 will sanctify his name in bringing them into a safe 
 and happy condition. They sliall be brought into 
 Canaan, that is, into the church, which Canaan re- 
 presents. As the Jews were gathered out of Baby- 
 lon, and the provinces thereof, into their own land, 
 so shall all the elect be brought into the church of 
 God, where is peace, safety, and confidence, where 
 2 s'2 
 
 they shall find God a habitation, a vineyard. Isa. 
 xi. 10, " The root of Jesse shall stand for an ensign 
 of the people ; to it shall the gentiles seek : and his 
 rest shall be glorious;" and ver. 12, "He shall 
 set up an ensign," kc. The Lord Christ was a 
 great gatherer; see Luke xi. 23; xiv. 10, 17, 21, 23. 
 
 Ob\. 3. The end of God's gathering his people out 
 of their scattered condition is, that they may sancti- 
 fy him, and that he may be sanctified by them. 
 God's power, faithfulness, and goodness, appear in 
 his gathering and bringing them out of enemies' 
 hands, and so way is made for his praise and honour, 
 and that before their enemies. 
 
 Ver. 26. " And they shall dwell safely therein, and 
 shall build houses, and plant vineyards ; yea, they 
 shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed 
 judgments upon all those," &c. The word fur 
 "safely," and " with confidence," is the same, ntsaS it 
 noteth, safety, freedom from danger, fear, and inward 
 confidence, boldness. The Septuagint is, Iv IXkIci, 
 which is somewhat short of the meaning. AVhethcr 
 this was made good unto them at their return from 
 Babylon is questionable, for they were troubled with 
 Sanballat, Tobias, and Geshem ; the workmen had 
 a trowel in one hand, and a sw-ord in the other, Neh. 
 iv. Afterwards Alexander the Great came, and tilled 
 all with fears, and they were necessitated to admit 
 him into their city. After this, also, many of them 
 were carried away into Egypt by Ptolemy, the son 
 of Lagus. In the Maccabees' times they had as 
 sharp and miserable wars as ever, and at last were 
 brought under by the Romans. Though sometimes 
 they had quiet rest, as in the days of PtolenicEus Phi- 
 ladelphus, yet they had much trouble, great fears, 
 wars, and ruins. Some, therefore, understand this 
 prophecy of a spiritual restoration by Clirist, who, 
 when he came in the flesh, made way for the coming 
 in of all nations, to enjoy perfect peace in himself; 
 according to Gen. xlix. 10, " Unto him shall the 
 gathering of the people be," nations shall flock to 
 him. Hereupon said the Lord Christ, John x. 10, 
 " Other sheep I have, which are not," Ace. This 
 restoration began in Christ's days, and shall be per- 
 fected at his next coming. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord will meet with, and cut off, the 
 enemies of his church and people, yea, all of them 
 shall fare alike when I shall have executed my judg- 
 ments upon those that despise them round about. 
 Those that despise, contemn, and trouble the ser- 
 vants of God, judgments are their portion, they are 
 thorns and briers, and fire shall consume them : see 
 Numb. xxiv. 8; Isa. xli. 11, 12. 
 
 Obs. 2. When God separates his people from the 
 wicked, and plagues them for their wronging his 
 people, then shall they have glorious times ; they 
 shall dwell safely, build houses, plant vineyards, 
 dwell securely, have confidence, &c. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord's scope in comforting his people 
 with sweet promises, in delivering them from their 
 enemies, and bestowing choice mercies, is, that they 
 should acknowledge, profess him to be their God, 
 and praise him for his goodness to them : " They 
 shall know that I am the Lord their God." 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 7. In the tenth year, in the tenth 
 month, in the twelfth day of the month, the word of 
 the Lord came unto me, saying. Son rfman, set 
 thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and
 
 628 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIX. 
 
 prophesy against him, and against all Egypt: 
 speak, and say. Thus saith the Lord God ; Be- 
 hold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, 
 the great diagon that lieth in the midst oj' his 
 rivers, which hath said, My river is mine otvn, and 
 J have made it for myself. But I ivill put hooks 
 in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers 
 to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up 
 out of the midst of thy rivers, and all thefish of 
 thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales. And J will 
 leave thee thrown into the ivilderness, thee and all 
 the Jish of thy rivers: thou shalt full upon the 
 open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, 
 nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the 
 beasts of the feld and to the fords of the heaven. 
 And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that 
 I am the Lord, because they have been a staff' of 
 reed to the house of Israel. When they took hold 
 of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all 
 their shoulder : and when they leaned upoji thee, 
 thou brakest,and niadcst all their loins to be at a 
 stand. 
 
 EzEKiEL having prophesied against the Ammon- 
 ites, Moabites, Edomites, PhiHstines, Tyrians, and 
 Sidonians, in the four antecedent chapters, in this, 
 and in the three following, he prophesies against 
 the Egyptians. In this chapter take notice, 
 
 I. Of an inscription, or preface, ver. 1, 2. 
 
 II. Of a conimination asjainst the king of Egypt, 
 tlie land, and people thereof, ver. 2 — 12. 
 
 III. A promise of restoring Egypt again, ver. 
 1.3— IG. 
 
 IV. A prophecy of giving the land of Egypt unto 
 Nebuchadnezzar, ver. 1/ — 20. 
 
 \. A promise of mercy to the Jews, ver. 21. 
 
 Ver. 1. "In the tenth year, in the tenth month, in 
 the twelfth day of the month." This prophecy 
 was given to Ezekiel in the tenth year of Jehoia- 
 chin's captivity, six months and odd days before the 
 final destruction of Jerusalem, Jer. xxxix. 2. In 
 chap. xxvi. our prophet tells you of a prophecy he 
 had in the eleventh year of Jehoiachin's captivity, 
 for he reckons upon that account, Ezck. i. 1, 2; and 
 here he mentions one he had the year before ; so 
 that the order of time is not observed, but inverted. 
 The reasons hereof are made by some to be these : 
 1. Because Tyrus and Zidon were nearer Jerusalem 
 than Egypt was, and therefore the prophet respected 
 the place rather than the time. 2. Because Tyrus 
 and Zidon were to be destroyed before Egypt. 
 .'J. Because the prophet had another prophecy con- 
 cerning Egypt in the seven and twentieth year of the 
 captivity, ver. 17, and therefore thought meet to 
 join tliem together. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Set thy face against Pharaoh king of 
 Egypt." Of setting the face towards or against 
 places or persons, occasion was given to speak, chap, 
 xxviii. 21; XXV. 2; xx. 46; and vi. 2: by this 
 posture he declared whither his prophecy tended. 
 He was far from E>;ypt, being in Babylon, but look- 
 ing towards it fixedly was an argument he liad 
 Bomething to say concerning it. 
 
 "Pharaoh." 'This was a name common to the 
 k-ngs of Egypt, as C;csar was to the Roman empe- 
 rors, and signifies a king, in the old Egyptian 
 language, as Josephus saith. Some make it to sig- 
 i.ify denying him, because Pharaoh denied God. 
 ., ,..,., Others interpret it, free, because he 
 was absolute of himself; but rather it 
 was a name of honour, given unto them. In the 
 
 word you have mention of Pharaoh-nechoh, 2 Kings 
 xxiii. 2'J, that is, Pharaoh the lame ; and of Pharaoh- 
 hophra, Jer. xliv. 30, whom Herodotus calls Apries, 
 and is the Pharaoh here meant. 
 
 " Egypt." It is a famous region of Africa, so 
 called either from /Egyptus the son of Belus, or from 
 the blackness of the river Nilus, which formerly was 
 called Sichor, that is, black. The Grecians under- 
 standing this, they, in their language, called it 
 aiyiiTTTiov, wdiich signifies black, whence in time the 
 land came to be called Egypt. In the Old Testa- 
 ment it is always called the land of Mizraim, from 
 Mizraim the son of Ham; for of this Mizraim came 
 the Egyptians. It is a land very fruitful, the 
 granary of the world. Macrobius gives it this honour, 
 to be the mother of arts : it had famous schools, 
 especially at Alexandria, but abounded with super- 
 stition and idolatry. The Egyptians were the first, 
 saith Polydore Virgil, that set up altars. Lib. i. .le lierum 
 temples, images, and sacrificed to idol i"^'""""^. t-S- 
 gods, and taught strangers to do so. 
 
 " Prophesy against him, and against all Egypt." 
 These words show the latitude and extent of his pro- 
 phecy ; it was not to be against the king alone, or his 
 nobles, but against them and all the people. He was 
 to prophesy against great and small. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord would have men mind the time 
 when he sets his prophets on work, and that pimc- 
 tually. The year, month, and day, are here recorded, 
 when he gave out his word to Ezekiel, that the same 
 might be observed by all it concerned. The Jews 
 trusted much to Egypt, and the kings thereof. The 
 Egyptians were haughty and self-confident. Now 
 God records the time of his commissioning Ezekiel 
 to prophesy against the king of Egypt, and the 
 Egyptians, that the Jews, hearing of their ruin, 
 destinated from such a time, they might rely no 
 longer upon them ; and that the Egyptians might 
 consider what to do, being in such imminent danger, 
 for their treachery to the Jews, and confidence in 
 what they had. 
 
 06s-. 2. That the servants of God must impartially 
 dispense the word committed unto them. " Set thy 
 face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy 
 against him, and against all Egypt." He must nei- 
 ther fear nor flatter any, of what condition or rank 
 soever, but declare the mind of God, and denounce 
 his judgments indifferently towards all. When pro- 
 phets, and the sons of prophets, have to do with 
 great ones, they are apt to be discouraged, and to 
 falter in their work, which they ought not to do, 
 considering God who sends them is greater than the 
 greatest. Jeremiah had something of this nature in 
 him, and therefore see how God rouses him, and 
 steels his spirit; chap. i. 17, 18, " Gird up thy loins, 
 and arise, and speak unto them all that 1 command 
 thee : be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound 
 thee before them. For behold, I have made thee 
 this day a defenced city, and an iron jiillar, and bra- 
 zen wails against the whole land, against the kings 
 of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the 
 priests thereof, and against the people of the land. 
 And they shall fight against thee." Jeremiah had 
 high and low, all sorts of men, yea all men, against 
 him ; yet he must dispense the truth, and all the truth, 
 impartially, not fearing the faces of any, lest he 
 should be confounded. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king 
 of Egypt." The words may be read. Behold, I am 
 above thee : thou art above others, and thinkest none 
 to be above thyself; but I am above thee, and being 
 above thee in power and greatness, " I am against 
 thee" for thy wickedness. I, that am God, the King 
 1 of kings, that shake heaven and earth at my plea-
 
 Ver. 1—7. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 629 
 
 sure, that tumble do\vnkini;s from their thrones and 
 seats, " I, even I am against tliee." 
 
 " The great dragon that lieth in the midst of his 
 rivers." The Hebrew word for "dragon" is, ]<:r\ 
 which. Lam. iv. 3, is rendered, a sea monster; in 
 Job vii. 12, a whale ; in Isa. li. 9, a dragon ; and so 
 here : it notes monstrous and great crL-atiires in tlie 
 sea or at land, and, according to the subject matter, 
 it is to be understood of the whale, dragon, or croco- 
 dile. The Septuagint, Montanus, Vulgate, Vatablus, 
 and our English, liave it, dragon. Junius, Piscator, 
 and Lavater, a great whale. Some interpreters 
 make it the crocodile, which is like a dragon or ser- 
 p-nt, and lives in the Egyptian fens and waters, 
 chietiy in the river of Nile, and may not unfitly b.' call- 
 ed the whale or dragon thereof. Pharaoh is likened 
 unto this dragon or crocodile. 
 
 1. The crocodile is the chiefest and greatest of all 
 that moved in the Egyptian waters, no fish, no ser- 
 pent, comparable to it ; so Pharaoh was the chiefest 
 and greatest among all the Egyptians. 
 
 2. The crocodile is cruel and ravenous, seeking his 
 prey both in the waters and on the land, being armed 
 with sharp claws and teeth ; and some of them can 
 swallow an entire heifer, as Sands reports in his Tra- 
 vels : so the Egyptian Pharaohs were cruel and ra- 
 venous. Did not Pharaoh command the midwivcs 
 to kill all the males of the Hebrews at their birth ? 
 and when they would not do it, did not he charge 
 his people to drown them ? Exod. i. ; and did he not 
 seek his prey in the Red sea, when he pursued the 
 Israelites going through it ? 
 
 3. The crocodile is subtle, and useth cunning ways 
 to get his prey ; he will lie as if asleep and dead, 
 •with his mouth open, to deceive the birds and pas- 
 sengers. Sometimes also he fills his mouth with 
 water, and spouts it out in the way where beasts and 
 men do pass, that so, it being slippery, they may 
 fall, and become a prey to him. So the Egyptian 
 Pharaohs were subtle, and used much cunning to 
 make a prey of the people, especially the Jews; 
 Exod. i. 10, " Come, let us deal wisely with them ;" 
 and how cunning was he in calling forth his ma- 
 gicians, to discredit the miracles of Moses and Aaron ! 
 ch;\]->. vii. and viii. 
 
 " That lieth in the midst of his rivers." The He- 
 brew for "rivers" is, n''-is' and notes such as are 
 made by the art and help of man, cut out of some 
 great river for to water the land. In Egypt they 
 had seldom any rain, but cut rivers out of Nilus. by 
 which the land was watered ; according to that. 
 Dent. xi. 10, where Canaan is said not to be like 
 Egypt, where they sowed their seed, and watered it 
 with the foot; that is, they digged trenches and lit- 
 tle rivers, and so watered Egypt by the help of their 
 feet, but Canaan was watered from heaven. The 
 dragons, or crocodiles, lay lurking in these securely ; 
 and so did Pharaoh in his kingdom, which was full 
 of artificial rivers. 
 
 " My river is mine own, and I have made it for 
 myself." The words in the Hebrew sound thus. 
 To me is my river, and I have made myself. The 
 Septuagint is. Mine are the rivers, and I have made 
 them ; that is. Mine is Nilus, and all the aqueducts, 
 or rivulets, cut out of it: but if we take the words 
 as they are in the original, the sense may be this ; 
 To me is my river, it is instead of clouds, rain, hea- 
 ven, God. I have Nilus, which makes my land as 
 fruitful, comfortable, and beneficial unto me, as all 
 those do the lands of others ; if they owe aught to 
 them, I owe as much to Nilus. If we take the 
 words as transla'ed, " My river is mine own," that 
 is, it is so mine that none can take it from me, or 
 hinder me of the benefit of it ; here he showed his 
 
 pride, arrogancy, and vain confidence, for God l.ad 
 in a former Pharaoh's time made Nilus useless unto 
 them in Egypt, Gen. xli. 55, when the seven years' 
 famine was, and he could do it again. 
 
 Those words, " I have made it for myself," must 
 not be interpreted as if he made Nilus, for that had 
 its being and flowings many hundred years before, 
 and the spring of it lay unfound-out: but the mean- 
 ing is, I have by my power, wisdom, and industry, 
 made it advantageous to myself and people ; I have 
 enriched them and myself thereby, and so furnished 
 and secured my kingdom by means of it, that I shall 
 neither stand in need of nor fear any. Herodotus 
 saith of this king, whom he calls Apries, that it was 
 his usual saying, no God could move him out of his 
 kingdom, he had so established it. 
 
 Obs. 1. God is an open and professed enemy unto 
 wicked kings ; he proclaims war against them, be 
 they never so great. " Behold, I am against thee, 
 Pharaoh king of Egypt." Few are the kings which 
 abuse not their authority ; they lift up themselves, 
 oj'press the people, oppose the interest of God, and 
 therefore he is a declared adversary unto them. Jer. 
 XXV. l.S — 26, you may see what a multitude of kings 
 the Lord sends the cup of fury unto, and draws out 
 the sword against. There was scarcely one good 
 king at that time upon the face of the earth. God 
 was against them all. It is a dreadful thing for any 
 king to have God denounce war against him, he 
 must needs be conquered, and brought to nothing ; 
 for God is the Lord of hosts, armed with such power 
 and majesty as that there is no withstanding him : 
 Isa. xl. 23, " He bringeth princes to nothing;" when 
 they are wicked he will not spare them, though they 
 be as great as whales, as cruel as dragons, and as 
 cunning as crocodih s. 
 
 Obs. 2. Wicked kings are resemblances of Satan. 
 Pharaoh is here called " the great dragon," and so 
 is Satan; Rev. xii. 9, " The great dragon was cast 
 out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan." 
 Dragons are dreadful, subtle, and cruel ; so are ty- 
 rants, so is the de\il. The former Pharaohs were 
 dragons, and so called, Psal. Ixxiv. 13; Isa. li. 9; 
 they were enemies to the people of God, so are all 
 wicked kings, so is Satan. What w-cre all the per- 
 secuting emperors but dragons ? they were lively 
 representations of the devil, that great red dragon ; 
 and so are all that tread in their steps. 
 
 Obs. 3. Princes abounding with outward things, 
 grow secure, arrogant, and confident. Pharaoh lay 
 as a dragon " in the midst of his rivers," he was 
 secure, fed upon the prey, and said, arrogantly 
 enough, and with too much confidence, " ^ly river is 
 mine own." I have water sufficient in Nilus for the 
 watering of Egypt, I need beg no rain of God ; let 
 him give his rain to whom he will ; and I am so 
 well fortified by my rivers, that I fear no power to 
 dispossess me thereof; I am hajipy, and who can 
 make me miserable ? Here yon have the true pic- 
 ture and character of this Egyptian Pharaoh, and in 
 him of all wicked kings, who in their prosperity for- 
 get God, promise much safety to themselves, and 
 trust in an arm of flesh. 
 
 Ver. 4. " But I will put hooks in thy jaws." Here 
 begin God's judgments upon this confident king. 
 God would deal with him as men do with some great 
 fish ; when the hook is in his jaws, they draw him 
 out of the waters to the diy land, where he dies. So 
 God would, by an occasion, draw Pharaoh out of 
 Egypt into another land, and with him a great army 
 <i( the Egyptians, W'here they should all perish. 
 The occasion was this, as Junius relates it, out of 
 Herodotus : Adiciam, or Ariciam, king of the Lii y- 
 ans, had put himself under the protection of t!:e
 
 630 
 
 AN EXrOSITIUN UPON 
 
 CdAP. XXIX. 
 
 king of Egypt, because the Cyreneans hail invaded 
 some part of Liljya, and had spoiled king Aricrani-s 
 of his government ; hereupon Pharaoh was pro- 
 voked to lead out an army in Agrum Cyrenaicum, 
 which was the hook God put in his jaws. 
 
 The word for " hooks " is, cnn from mn a 
 thorn, and metaphorically a hook, such as men bait 
 to catch fish with. Job xli. 1, "Canst thou draw 
 out leviathan with an hook?" the whale was too 
 big to be taken with such a hook, though other fishes 
 were not. God had a hook to take and draw out the 
 Egyptian dragon. 
 
 " I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto 
 thy scales." Pharaoh being likened unto the cro- 
 codile, or sea-dragon, here his princes, nobles, and 
 people are called fish, and likened unto them for 
 their multitude and dispersion into all parts, and 
 aptness to be devoured one by another. These 
 should adhere unto Pharaoh, as the scales do unto 
 a fish. He had called Nilus his river, and it is 
 said here, " the fish of thy river." The word for 
 "scales" is, nrpcp from ne'p which signifies diffi- 
 cult, and the radical letters are doubled, showing that 
 they so tenaciously cleave together, that it is very 
 hard to pierce them. The scales of Pharaoh were 
 the arms that he bare. 1 Sam. xvii. 5, the " coat 
 of mail" which Goliath had on, was a brigandine, 
 or coat of scales, that is, made like the scales of a 
 fish. Such a one it is probable Pharaoh had on ; 
 and all his people in their arms suitable followed him. 
 
 " I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy 
 rivers." He thought himself so secure in Egypt, 
 as that no danger, no .mischief, could befall him. 
 Egypt is so fenced by nature, ha>ing the sea on one 
 side, the vast desert on the other, on the right hand 
 such craggy mountains, and on the left such fens, 
 as that it is judged inaccessible ; but however it was 
 in itself, yet God saith hci'e, " I will bring thee up 
 out of the midst of thy rivers," I will draw thee out 
 into thine enemy's land, and there thou shalt fall. 
 
 Ver. 5. " And I will leave thee, thrown into the 
 wilderness." The Hebrew is, I will leave thee in 
 the wilderness. rBJ signifies, to cast off"; so to 
 leave, as to have no care of what is left. God would 
 bring this proud, confident king into the C'yrenean 
 wilderness, and there leave him to be a prey unto 
 the enemy : when he and his army were spread over 
 the wilderness, then they should be deserted of God, 
 and left to spoil. 
 
 " Thee and all the fish of thy rivers." As a fish 
 drawn out of the water, left upon the land, dies, and 
 becomes a prey, so should the king of Egypt and the 
 Egyptians. 
 
 " Thou shalt fall upon the open fields ; thou shalt 
 not be brought together, nor gathered." Thine 
 army shall be so beaten, routed, and overthrown, as 
 no one part of it shall be joined to another; there 
 shall be no rallying, no recruiting, no gathering up 
 for burial, but all shall be meat for the beasts of the 
 field and for the fowls of heaven. Some fishes, 
 when thty are drawn out of the waters, are taken up, 
 much use is made of them ; others are thrown away. 
 Matt. xiii. 48 ; but here they were so bad, that all 
 should be thrown to the beasts and birds of prey. 
 
 Obs. 1. When God is wroth with princes and 
 people, he makes and takes occasions to execute his 
 judgments upon them. Pharaoh and his people had 
 sinned greatly against God, and he stirred up the 
 Cyreneans to invade their neighbour country, the 
 Libyans ; whereupon he and his are drawn out to 
 war, and fall thereby. He and his thought to live 
 securely in Egypt, but God had hooks to draw them 
 out, and judgments to inflict upon them being so 
 drawn out. The elder Pharaoh in Moses' days, 
 
 having greatly provoked God, by detaining the Jews 
 in Egypt, God made an occasion, by dividing the 
 waters of the Red sea, for him to follow them ; and 
 then, he and his being in the Red sea, took occasion 
 to be avenged on him, by causing the waters to 
 swallow up him and all his host, Exod. xiv. God 
 drew Zerah, with his huge host of one thousand 
 thousand and three hundred chariots, out of Ethiopia 
 unto Mareshah, which was a city in the tribe of 
 Judah, Josh. xv. 44, and there he smote the Ethi- 
 opians, and overthrew them, 2 Chron. siv. God 
 made Ramoth in Gilead a hook to draw out wicked 
 Ahab to war against the Syrians, and when he was 
 there, he was slain, and his army wholly routed, 
 1 Kings xxii. God wants not hooks to draw le- 
 viathans, dragons, and crocodiles, out of their holes, 
 fens, or rivers, nor swords to pierce them when they 
 are drawn out. He had hooks for Hamilton, and 
 the late king of Scots, to draw them into England, 
 and judgments to inflict upon them being come forth, 
 for their iniquities. Let great and small take heed 
 how they offend the Lord ; he hath hooks enough, 
 and can make new if he want them, to drag sinners 
 out of their lurking holes, and vials of wrath to pour 
 out upon them being haled out. 
 
 Ob.s. 2. In those actions men do freely, the wise 
 providence of God acts powerfully, and accomplisheth 
 his designs. Pharaoh and his subjects go out freely 
 to war against their enemies, yet God had a hook in 
 their jaws, and drew them to that work. Rehoboam 
 freely refused the counsel of the wise men, and freely 
 followed the counsel of the young men, yet God's 
 hand was in these actions, his hook was in his jaws ; 
 1 Kings xii. 15, " The cause was from the Lord." 
 Rehoboam carried on freely his own design, and 
 God powerfully carried on his, though Rehoboam 
 discerned it not, neither aimed at it. God sent the 
 Assyrians against the hypocritical Jews, he charged 
 him to take the spoil, and tread them down like 
 mire in the streets. He came freely, though God's 
 hook were in his nostrils ; he came to do his own 
 will, not God's, that he aimed not at, for he meant 
 not so, his heart did not think so, Isa. x. 6, 7, yet 
 God's providence overruled so, that he did the work 
 of God. This is a great mystery, all wicked men 
 act freely, drive on their own interests, yet God 
 powerfully moves in these actions, brings to pass his 
 own purposes and counsels, and that without sin. 
 
 Obs. 3. The counsels and strength of princes and 
 armies come to nothing, where God doth not assist, 
 but desert. " I will leave thee thrown into the wil- 
 derness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers ; thou 
 shalt fall." Pharaoh was a great dragon, wise and 
 subtle, he had wise counsellors, strong soldiers, a 
 great army ; but neither their counsel nor strength 
 stood them in stead ; when God had drawn them 
 into the field, he left them, and they fell. Human 
 wisdom and strength can do nothing without God. 
 Saul had a great army, all Israel were gathered to- 
 gether to fight against the Philistines, but did they 
 prevail ? no, they fled, and fell down before their 
 enemies; and what was the reason ? Saul tells you, 
 1 Sam. xxviii. 15, " The Lord is departed from me," 
 he is neither with me nor mine army : all Israel can 
 do nothing against uncircumcised Philistines when 
 God had forsaken them. Jeroboam had an army 
 of eight hundred thousand men, mighty men of 
 valour; Abijah meets him with an army of four 
 hundred thousand, even half so many, and slew of 
 Jeroboam's army five hundred thousand. They were 
 strong men on that side, and two to one, yet more 
 fell by a hundred thousand than Abijah's army con- 
 sisted of. And what was the cause hereof ? 2 Chron. 
 xiii. 3, 12, the cause was, God was with them ;
 
 Vkr. 1- 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 631 
 
 " Behold, God himself is with us for our Captain," 
 he guides us, and girds us witli strength, said 
 Abijah : Jeroboam by his golden calves had driven 
 God from him. So then, where God is not, there 
 can be no success. I Sam. ii. 9, " By strength shall 
 no man prevail :" let men have strong horses, strong 
 arms, strong bodies, strong counsels, strong armies, 
 strong treasures, if they have not El-shaddai, the 
 strong Almighty God \\-ith them, all their strengths 
 will prove weakness : we have seen this made good 
 in our days most eminently. 
 
 Obs. 4. God in his just judgments brings princes 
 and armies, who confide in an arm of flesh, to open 
 shame and utter ruin. " Thou shalt fall upon the 
 open fielcLs ; thou shalt not be brought together, nor 
 gathered;'' thou shalt lie unburied, and be meat for 
 beasts and fowls. This Egyptian great dragon, and 
 all the fish of his rivers, were such as God cast out 
 for naught, and gave to be meat to kites, crows, 
 vultures, dogs, swine, and wild beasts ; their shame 
 was open, their end was miserable. Pharaoh that 
 entreated the Israelites so cruelly, did not God bring 
 him to open shame, and his great army ? did he not 
 drown this dragon, and all who adhered to him, in 
 the deeps ? did he not give their carcasses to be 
 meat txi the sea-dragons and sea-leviathans ? Absa- 
 lom and his army met with shame, scorn, and misery 
 enough, 2 Sam. xviii. Jehoiakim was " buried with 
 the burial of an ass," Jer. xsii. 19 ; that is, he had 
 no burial, but was cast out, to shame, scorn, and 
 feeding of birds and beasts. 
 
 Ver. 6. " And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall 
 know that 1 am the Lord." In this verse the event 
 of the former judgment upon Pharaoh and his army 
 is laid down, together ^^■ith the cause thereof. The 
 event is this ; the Egyptians shall see, that the 
 counsels and confidences of princes are vain, that 
 they are not masters of designs, to caiTy them on 
 and make them successful according to their minds 
 and wills, but that the great God of heaven and earth 
 overrules all, blasting or prospering the greatest 
 undertakings at his pleasure ; and so shall acknow- 
 ledge him to be the Lord. 
 
 " Because they have been a staff of reed to the 
 house of Israel." Here the cause is rendered of 
 God's so dealing with Pharaoh and his army, viz. 
 because they were unfaithful to the house of Israel, 
 and prejudicial. The word for " stafi" is, mishnentth, 
 from \yi£ to lean upon, because men that are weak 
 do lean and rest ujion their staves ; and metaphori- 
 cally it is put for stay, hope, confidence : 2 Sam. 
 xxii. 19, " The Lord was my stay," it is niishan, or 
 mi.slignan, my staff, that is, my stay, my hope, my 
 confidence. 
 
 The Jewish state being feeble in its latter days, 
 entered into covenant with the Egyptians, and leaned 
 upon them, as on a staff, for help against its own 
 weakness and others' violence ; but Egypt proved 
 " a stafl' of reed." 
 
 The word for " reed" is, mp whence our English 
 word, a cane. Egypt did abound with reeds and 
 canes, especially the banks of Nilus, where it is 
 probable the little ark which contained Moses was 
 laid, for it is said, Exod. ii. 3, " she laid it in the 
 flags by the river's brink :" flags and reeds did grow 
 there. The Egyptians here, and in other places, 
 are compared unto them. 
 
 I. Reeds have nothing solid or substantial in 
 them. They are hollow, empty things, or some 
 slight matter in them ; if you trust to them they will 
 deceive you. Such were the kings of Egypt and the 
 Egyptians, they had no solidity in them. Isa. xix. 11, 
 " Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of 
 the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish :" 
 
 their counsels were not solid, they had no faithful- 
 ness in them ; they oft promised to help the Jews, but 
 did not, they failed them ; Isa. xxx. 2, all the strength 
 of Egypt was but as a shadow, their help was vain, 
 and to no purpose, ver. 7 ; and it is said, " Pharaoh 
 king of Egypt is but a noise," Jer. xlvi. 17, like a 
 hollow cane without substance. The Jews expected 
 help from Egypt, they leaned upon Pharaoh and 
 his forces as on a staff, but he and they deceived 
 them ; so that they complained at last, saying, " Our 
 eyes failed for our vain help ; in our watching we 
 have watched for a nation that could not save us," 
 Lam. iv. 17: they earnestly waited for help, they 
 relied wholly upon Egypt, and Egypt did whoUy 
 fail them. 
 
 2. A reed is a weak thing, and blows this way and 
 that way as the wind blows. Matt. xi. 7, " What 
 went ye out into the wilderness to see ? A reed 
 shaken with the wind," an inconstant, weak, flexible 
 thing ? John was no such man, but the Egyptians 
 were : Isa. xxxi. 3, " The Egyptians are men, and 
 not God ; " they are mutable, uncertain, turning 
 eveiy way for their own advantage ; they made 
 leagues with the Jews, held correspondence with 
 them, and at their pleasure violated them again. 
 
 3. A reed easily breaks, and when it breaks it en- 
 dangers those that lean upon it; the splinters and 
 shivers run into the hand and shoulder, ver. 7, and 
 so it not only deceives, but damnifies. Such were 
 the Egyptians, they drew the Jews into sinful leagues 
 with them, and by that means to sinful marriages 
 and sinful worship with them. Lavatcr tells us that 
 the Eg^'ptians persuaded Zedekiah to break with 
 Nebuchadnezzar, unto whom he was tributary, pro- 
 mising him help to recover former liberty, which 
 Zedekiah attempting, proved ruin to him, and the 
 whole nation ; so that the Egyptians were a pierc- 
 ing reed unto them. Rabshakch knew what the 
 Egyptians were, when he said to Hczekiah, " Be- 
 hold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, 
 even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go 
 into his hand, and pierce it : so is Pharaoh king of 
 Egypt unto all that trust in him," 2 Kings xviii. 21. 
 
 Ver. 7- " When they took hold of thee by thy 
 hand." When the Jews looked towards Egypt, and 
 sent their ambassadors thither for help, Ezek. xvii. 
 7, 15, they took them by the hand, and the Egyp- 
 tians promised to do great things for them ; and 
 they came with an army out of Egypt, to help them 
 against Nebuchadnezzar, Jer. xxxvii. 5, from whom 
 they had solicited the Jews to revolt; but what was 
 the issue ? it follows in the next words : 
 
 "Thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder." 
 Nebuchadnezzar being before Jerusalem, raised his 
 siege, and hastened to encounter with the Egyptian 
 army, which returning back into Egypt, caused Ne- 
 buchadnezzar to return to the siege, which he con- 
 tinued without any further interruption by the 
 Egyptians, till he took and burnt the city, and car- 
 ried away the Jews to Babylon, Jer. xxxvii. 5,7,^- 
 they leaned upon Pharaoh and his army, to secure 
 them against Nebuchadnezzar, but he failed them, 
 and so brake and rent their shoulder ; that is, did 
 them much harm, and grieved them exceedingly ; 
 as a man that leans upon a staff, and it breaking 
 runs into his flesh, shatters his shoulder-bone in 
 pieces, he is much damnified and grieved. 
 
 " And when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest." 
 The Hebrew word for breaking here is, larn 
 the former, i^nn from '^'vn which signifies, to shake, 
 bruise, or break, but not altogether. 12W notes a 
 total breaking, a fragmentation, breaking into pieces. 
 The sense is, the Egyptians did utterly fail and dis- 
 appoint the Jews, who relied altogether upon them.
 
 C32 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIX. 
 
 " Anil matlest all their loins lo be nt a stand." The 
 Scpttiagint translate the words thus, thou hast broken 
 all their loins. The Vulgate is, thou ha^^t loosened 
 all their loins, thou hast tilled them with fears and 
 faintings, and caused their strength to fail. But our 
 translation is according to the Hebrew, if we read 
 the words thus, and madest all their loins to stand ; 
 thou hast made them to withdraw their confidence 
 in thee, finding thee a broken staff, and to trust unto 
 their own strength, and stand upon their own legs; 
 they gird up their own loins, look to themselves, and 
 trust no more to thee. 
 
 Ob.i. 1. God by hisjudgments makes himself known 
 to heathens, and to acknowledge him to be another 
 kind of God than their idol gods. " And all the in- 
 habitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord;" 
 that I rule and overrule all actions, and do whatever 
 I please in heaven or earth. 
 
 Obn. 2. The ruin of princes and their armies is 
 their sins and wickedness. Pharaoh's pride and 
 pcrfidiousness caused the Lord to leave and over- 
 throw hiui and his in the wilderness, to give them 
 to be meat to the beasts of the field and fowls of 
 heaven : he thought no power could overpower him, 
 he was unfaithful to the house of Israel, and de- 
 ceived them, trusting to him for aid, and because of 
 these things, the Lord poured out vials of wrath 
 upon him. Zedckiah's perfidionsness brought sword 
 and fire upon Jerusalem, blindness, captivity, and 
 chains upon himself. 
 
 Obs. 3. It is neither pleasing to God, nor safe for 
 God's people, to rely upon heathens and wicked ones 
 for help in their straits and fears. Tiie house of 
 Israel relied upon the Egyptians, and this pdeased 
 not the Lord, neither was safe for them. Isa. xxxi. 
 J, " Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; 
 and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because 
 they are many : and in horsemen, because they are 
 very strong ; but they look not unto the Holy One 
 of Israel, neither seek the Lord '." The Jews 
 looked to the strength of Egypt, and not to the 
 strength of God, and therefore a woe is denounced 
 against tliem ; God was ]irovoked thereby, and he 
 would bring evil upon them, and saith, that the 
 helped and helpers should both fall and fail to- 
 gether, ver. 3: yea, he tells the Jews, chap. xxx. 
 3, that the strength of Pharaoh should be their 
 shame, and their trust in the shadow of Egypt 
 their confusion. When Asa relied on the king of 
 Syria, and not on God, Hanani the prophet told him 
 he had done foolishly, and that thenceforward he 
 should have war, 2 Chron. xvi. 7, 9. God's peopile 
 should trust in God alone, who is all-sufficient for 
 them, and not in an arm of flesh. Idolaters, pro- 
 fane .and wicked ones, are seldom cordial to God's 
 people ; how can they help the church of God in 
 earnest, which they hate most heartily ? The 
 Egyptians loved not the Jev.s, and therefore they 
 snuirted for seeking their help, and trusting to them 
 for help. 
 
 Obs. 4. That those mediums men expect comfort 
 and help from, do oft wound them and prove their 
 ruin. The house of Israel leans upon Pharaoh and 
 the Egyptians for relief and aid against the Baby- 
 lonians, and what did tliey ? lireak and rend all their 
 shoulder, and dissolve their loins ; they failed them, 
 and this proved the rending of the Jewish shoulder, 
 the breaking of them in pieces, and total dissolving 
 of their kingdom : they were to them as a staff to a 
 weak, infirm man ; he leans hard upon it, that sud- 
 denly breaks, runs into his arm and shoulder, and so 
 falling down wounded, he rises no more ; that he 
 trusted to wounded and ruined him. This falls out 
 oft, that men's confidences are their confusions. The 
 
 things they trust to and lean upon are thorns unto 
 them. Ahaz places his hope in Tilgath-pilneser ; 
 when the Edomites invaded Judah, he is sent for, 
 comes, and what then ? he " distressed him, but 
 strengthened him not," 2 Chron. xxviii. 20, he was a 
 staff of reed unto him. Benhadad had great confi- 
 dence in Hazael, but he proved his ruin, 2 Kings 
 viii. 8, 15, he made a prey of him and his kingdom 
 at once. In Obadiah's prophecy, ver. 7, it is said, 
 " The men of thy bread have laid a wound under 
 thee ;" that is, those Edom was familiar with, con- 
 fided in, looked for much comfort from, even they 
 wounded her, they laid snares and traps for her, 
 they became instruments of her ruin. 
 
 Obs. 5. Disappointments by and harms from others, 
 do make men wary, and look to themselves. When 
 the Egyptian reed brake and wounded the Jews, then 
 their loins were made to stand, then they recalled 
 their spirits from the Egyptians, and set themselves 
 to secure themselves against the Babylonish forces. 
 AVhile men trust to others, they are usually negligent 
 in their counsels and actions ; but when they see 
 others fail them, and feel they have wounded them, 
 then they muster up their spirits, then they consult, 
 watch, and act more vigorously. 
 
 Ver. 8 — 13. Tlierpfore thus saith the Lord 
 God ; Behold, I will bring n sword upon thee, 
 and cut off man and bca.st out of thee. And the 
 hind of Eg-i/pt shall he desolate and waste ; and 
 they shall know that I am the Lord : because he 
 hath said. The river is mine, and I have made it. 
 Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against 
 thy rivers, and I will make the landofEgtjpt utterh/ 
 waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even 
 u7ito the boi der of Ethiopia. No foot of man shall 
 pass throvgh it, nor foot of beast shall pass through 
 it, neither shall it be inhabited fort)/ years. And 
 I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst 
 of the countries that are desolate, and her cities 
 among the cities that are laid waste shall be deso- 
 late forty years ; and I will scatter the Egyptians 
 amcng the nations, and will disperse them 
 through the cotmtries. 
 
 In these verses you have clearly laid before you 
 these jiarticulars : 
 
 I. The judgment God would bring upon Egypt, viz. 
 the sword, ver. 8. 
 
 II. The effect or event of this sword ; utter devast- 
 ation, ver. 8, 9, and dispersion, ver. 12. 
 
 III. The extent of this devastation, ver. 10. 
 
 IV. The duration of the same,' ver. II, 12, which 
 is forty years. 
 
 V. One special cause thereof repeated, ver. 9, 
 which is the pride of the king of Egypt. 
 
 Ver. 8. " I will bring a sword upon thee." " Sword" 
 in Scripture imports sometimes power, as Exod. 
 xviii. 4, "God delivered me from the sword of Pha- 
 raoh," saith Moses, that is, from the power of Pha- 
 raoh : sometimes great sorrows, as Luke ii. 35, 
 " A sword shall pierce through thine own soul ;" that 
 is, the mockings, reproaches, and evil usages Mary 
 and Christ should meet with in the world, shoidd be 
 as a sword in the heart of Mary, and fill hei' with 
 sorrows ; sometimes it is put for the word of God, 
 as Eph. vi. 17, "The swoi-d of the Spirit, which is 
 the word of God." "Which," in the grammatical 
 construction, may refer to "spirit;" but then the 
 sense is not so clear, for what then shall be the 
 " sword ? " It is better therefore to read those words, 
 b hi, which thing is the word of God. Sometimes
 
 Vkr. S— 12. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 G33 
 
 for di\-ision, as Matt. x. 34, "I came not to send 
 peace, but a sword," that is, division ; so Christ ex- 
 presses it in Luke xii. 51 ; and sometimes war, and 
 the evils which attend it : so it is to be taken here ; 
 God would bring the Babylonian army, Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, with all instruments of war, upon Pharaoh 
 and his land. 
 
 " And cut off man and beast out of thee." God 
 would deal severely with Egypt, not only man should 
 be cut off, but even the beasts also. They had not 
 sinned, and God did not punish the beasts in destroy- 
 ing of them ; but he punished their owners, in depriv- 
 ing them of their beasts, who had made them serve 
 their lusts. Egypt abounded with men and cattle, 
 and the Egyptians being wicked, and given to luxury, 
 God brought that judgment upon them, viz. the 
 sword, which spared neither man nor beast. 
 
 Ver. 9. " The land of Egypt shall be desolate and 
 waste." Egypt was a fmitful and pleasant land, 
 flowing with milk and honey, Numb. xvi. 13; but 
 here the Lord threatened to make it " desolate and 
 waste." The Hebrew is, it shall be for a desert, and 
 a reproach ; the wars should consume all, cities, vil- 
 lages, men, beasts, so that it should be a reproachful 
 wilderness, stripped of all its glory and ornaments. 
 
 " And they shall know that I am the Lord." 
 When I shall have brought in a potent enemy upon 
 them, and laid all waste, then they shall know there 
 is one greater than Pharaoh and the Egyptians, to 
 whom belongs the right of lands and rivers. 
 
 " Because he hath said. The river is mine, and I 
 have made it." Here the cause is specified, why the 
 Lord would deal so S'vcrely with Egypt ; because 
 Pharaoh was so proud and arrogated so much to 
 himself, he challengeth Nilus to be his, and that he 
 by his art and industry had made it so beneficial to 
 all Egypt. These words were spoken to in the 
 3rd verse. 
 
 Ver. 10. " I am against thee, and against thy 
 rivers." In the 3rd verse it is said, " Behold, I am 
 against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt," and here, " I 
 am against thee, and thy rivers." He was proud 
 of and confident in his rivers, that they would fer- 
 tilize his land, and secure him from enemies ; but 
 (jod was against him and them, and disappointed his 
 confidences. 
 
 " I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste." 
 The Hebrew is, the solitudes of solitariness, or the 
 wastings of waste, that is, exceedingly waste, there 
 shall be nothing considerable left therein, it shall be 
 as a dry wilderness. 
 
 " From the tower of Syene even unto the border of 
 Ethiopia." Solinus makes Syene to be in the front 
 of Egypt, between Nilus and the Red sea, but others 
 find it to be in the utmost parts of Egypt southward, 
 five thousand furlongs above Alexandria. Pliny re- 
 Piiny Niit.ir. ports, Under the tropic of Cancer, 
 iiistor. 1.2. c. 73. where, at mid-day of the solstice, bodies 
 Sanris' irav, 1. have no shadows. Sands also, in his 
 2. mii.ip. 111. Travels, places it above Thebes, and 
 under the tropic of Cancer, affirming that there was 
 a well of marvellous depth in it, which was filled 
 with light at the summer solstice. It is now called 
 Asna. Bonfrerius saith, it is a city of Egypt, in the 
 utmost part of Thebais, and in the borders of Ethiopia. 
 In Hebrew the word is, noiD iii llie Scptuagint, 
 Stiiji'j;. »Therein was a t'-wer, to defend from enemies 
 they bordered upon, or for other uses. 
 
 " Even to the border of Ethiopia." These words 
 will not afford good sense so wetake Ethiopia as it is 
 commonly taken, for if the desolation were but from 
 Syene to Ethiopia, that was ineonsidirable, they 
 bjing near together, yea, so near that Syene dister- 
 niinated them. It is improper to say, England shall 
 
 be destroyed from Berwick to Scotland. The wor.l 
 in Hebrew for Ethiopia is, tt'lD which in sacred 
 Scripture doth not always note Ethiopia in Africa, 
 though frequently it doth; for, Gen. li. 13, "The 
 name of the second river is Gihon," which there is 
 said to compass " the whole land of Ethiopia," or 
 Cush, this cannot be the African Ethiopia, for Gihon 
 ran not that way : it was the oriental Ethioiiia, of 
 which Moses' wife was, Numb. xii. 1, " Miriam and 
 Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian 
 woman whom he had married ;" the Hebrew is, the 
 Cushite ; this woman was Zipporah, the daughter of 
 Jethro, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Exod. ii. 15, 
 IS, 21 ; iii. 1. So then the Midianites were the ori- 
 ental Cushites, or Ethiopians of Asia. Of this sort 
 it is probable were those Ethiopians that came 
 against Asa ; 2 Chron. xiv. 9, Zerah the Ethiopian 
 came with one thousand thousand ; it had been too 
 far a journey for so many to have marched out of 
 the African Ethiopia. Tostatus upon the place saith, 
 the Ethiopians dwelt not only in Africa, but in Asia 
 also. Torncellus and others make this Ethiopia, out of 
 which Zerah came, to be the land of Midian. The word 
 Cush, saith Junius upon the 2nd of Genesis, compre- 
 hends the three Arabias, both the Ethiopias, and all 
 the meridian coast. The sense of our prophet is, that 
 all Egypt should be laid w aste, even from Syene, in 
 the borders of the African Ethiopia, to Arabia and 
 Midian, which are Cush, viz. the oriental Ethiopia. 
 
 Ver. 11. "No foot of man shall pass through it, 
 nor foot of beast shall," &c. By these and such like 
 speeches, great desolation is set forth unto us. We 
 must not take the words so strictly, as if no man or 
 beast should be found or left in Egypt ; but it should 
 be so wasted, that trading should cease, there should 
 not be such mai-kets, fairs, and merchandizing in her 
 as was before, men should not mind coming to Egypt, 
 nor have occasion to pass through it, few men or 
 beasts, yet some should be there. 
 
 " Neither shall it be inhabited forty years." After 
 the taking of Tyrus by a long siege, Nebuchadnezzar 
 had Egypt given him for that service, which was in 
 the seven and twentieth year of the Jews' captivity, 
 ver. 17; shortly after he made war upon it, spoiled 
 it of man, beast, and all its glory, and so it continued 
 till the Babylonish captivity ceased, which was some 
 forty or three and forty years after. There are dif- 
 ferent opinions among expositors concerning the be- 
 ginning of these forty years, and their ending. Fide 
 Junium. 
 
 Ver. 12. " In the midst of the countries that are 
 desolate." Nebuchadnezzar made many countries 
 desolate, according to the word of Jeremiah, chap. 
 XXV. 9, and among tho.-e, Egypt was one ; so the 
 words " in the midst" are to be understood. 
 
 " And her cities among the cities that are laid 
 waste." As Egypt was fertile, so populous, and 
 abounded in great cities. Lavater informs us, that 
 in the time of king Amasis, it had twenty thousand 
 cities. How many or how great soever, they were 
 laid waste by the Babylonian army, and that forty 
 years. 
 
 " I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations." 
 Where wars come, many are consumed by the sword, 
 scmie are famished, some devoured by the plague 
 and other diseases ; and doubtless, though many 
 Egyptians perished by such means, yet some escap- 
 ed, and those God scattered, and drove into otlur 
 countries. 
 
 06s. 1. Wars, and the dismal effects of them, are 
 the just judgments of God upon perfidious princes. 
 Pharaoh had deceived the Jews; they leaned upon 
 him for help, but he was a broken reed unto 
 them : " Therefore, behold, I will bring a sword
 
 634 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIX. 
 
 upon tlicc," and it shall be sharp, I will " cut off 
 man and beast out of thee." Thou occasionedst my 
 people to be cut off through tliy unfaithfuhiess, and 
 I will cause thee and thine to be cut ofl' througli my 
 fury. Wars are dreadful, but they are appointed, 
 sent, and ordered by God, wherever tliey come. 
 
 Obt. '2. Such is the efficacy and severity of God's 
 judgments, as that nothing can stand before them, or 
 secure against them. Egypt had strong cities, great 
 rivers, was well peopled, abounded in horses and 
 chariots, Isa. xxxi. 1 ; yet the land of Egypt shall 
 be desolate and waste. God's judgments would cut 
 off man and beast, destroy her cities, and in effect 
 dry up her rivers, they should be made useless. 
 Egypt struggled to defend and secure herself, but it 
 availed not. Jer. xlvi. 11, " Go up into Gilead, and 
 take balm, virgin, the daughter of Egypt : in vain 
 shalt tliou use many medicines ; for thou slialt not 
 be cured." Egypt was yet a virgin, unconquered, 
 and she is bid to go to Gilead, where the most pre- 
 cious and sovereign balm was, and to take thereof; 
 that is, to use the best means slie could find out to 
 prevent her ravishing and destruction ; and when she 
 had tried one means and another, many medicines, 
 all were vain, her wound was incurable, she had 
 dealt deceitfully with the Jews, and lift up herself 
 against the Lord, robbing him of his glory, whilst 
 she said, The river is mine, I have made it for my- 
 self. God's judgments were of that power, and so 
 severe, as Jerusalem, with all her art and means, 
 could not prevent them, or protect herself from them. 
 Jer. ii. 22, " Though thou wash thee with nitre, and 
 take thee much sope," though thou have many ex- 
 cuses, shifts, pretences for what thou doest, though 
 thou send to Egypt for help, though thou fast and 
 pray, these things shall do thee no good ; thine ini- 
 quity is marked before me, and my judgments must 
 come, and lay thee waste, yea, utterly waste. 
 
 Obs. 3. God's judgments are often universal and 
 sweeping. God would lay Egypt universally waste 
 and desolate, and that from one border to another, 
 from the tower of Syene to Arabia, within which 
 bounds all Egypt was comprehended. Jer. xii. 12, 
 " The spoilers are come upon all high places through 
 the wilderness : for the sword of the Lord shall de- 
 vour from the one end of the land even to the other 
 end of the land : no Hcsh shall have peace." The 
 Chahleans were God's instruments, he put the sword 
 in their hand, which did eat and devour from one 
 extreme part of the land to another ; no place so 
 strong, so secret, but the sword found it out, and 
 spared neither things nor persons ; the judgment was 
 so universal, that no flesh had peace, that is, none 
 of the Jewish nation, the terror of the sword was 
 every where. Zeph. iii. 6, " I have cut off the na- 
 tions : their towers are desolate ; I made their 
 streets waste, that none passeth by : their cities are 
 destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is no 
 inhabitant." God swept away from the heathens 
 their towers, their streets, their cities, their men, 
 expecting his people would have learned to fear 
 him, received instruction, and prevented a universal 
 judgment at least ; ver. 7, " but they rose early, and 
 corrupted all tlieir doings ;" as God's mercies had 
 not, so his judgments did not do them good. There- 
 fore he complains thus, Jer. xliv. 7, S, " Wherefore 
 commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut 
 off from you man and woman, child and suckling, 
 out of Judah, to leave you none to remain; in that 
 ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your 
 hands :" they put God upon a universal judgment 
 by their imiversal wickedness. 
 
 Obs. 4. That the times of kingdoms' flourishings, 
 and kingdoms' desolations, are in the hand of God ; 
 
 he sets the bounds and periods for their prosperity 
 and their adversity. He said, " The land of Egypt 
 shall be desolate ;" he put an end to its glory and 
 greatness ; he set the time how long it should pros- 
 per, and when that time was come, and it brought 
 to desolation, he determined the time how long it 
 should lie in that desolate condition : It shall not be 
 inhabited forty years ; the cities of it shall be deso- 
 late forty years. Isa. xxiii. 15, Tyre, as it had its 
 time for reigning, so its seventy years for suffering : 
 the same proportion of years the Lord allotted unto 
 the kingdom of Judah, and to divers nations, Jer. 
 XXV. 11 ; God put an end to their dominion, and de- 
 termined the time of their subjection, which was 
 seventy years' service unto the king of Babylon. 
 The life and death of states is in the hand of the 
 Lord, to lengthen and shorten at his pleasure. Some 
 states flourish four hundred, some five hundred, some 
 six hundred years, and then they are made desolate 
 for their forty, their seventy years, or more, as seems 
 good unto the Lord; Dan. ii. 21, " He changeth 
 times and seasons," he removeth kings from their 
 glory and greatness, and throws them into obscurity, 
 what time he hath determined for them. 
 
 Obs. 5. In time of wars people are driven from 
 their friends, habitations, and countries. When the 
 sword came upon Egypt, the Egyptians were scat- 
 tered among the nations, and dispersed through the 
 countries ; God made use of them abroad, to declare 
 their own misery, and his justice. It is a sad thing 
 to be amongst strangers, whose language is not un- 
 derstood ; to be exposed to the scorns, frowns, and 
 harsh usage of enemies ; the smoke of one's own 
 country is better than the fire of another. Many in 
 our late wars have met with this great evil, and can 
 experimentally tell you what it is to be driven out of 
 their own country and habitations into foreign ones. 
 
 Ver. 13 — 16. Yet thus saith the Lord God; 
 At the end offorfi/ years u-ill 1 gather the Eyyp- 
 tians from the people tvhither they were scattered : 
 and I u-ill bring again the captivity nf Egypt, 
 and will cause them to return into the land of 
 Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and 
 they shall be there a base kingdom. It shall be 
 the basest of the kingdoms ; neither shall it exalt 
 itself any more above the nations: for I will di- 
 minish them, that they shall no more rule over the 
 nations. And it shall he no more the confidence 
 of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity 
 to remembrance, when they shall look after them : 
 but they shall know that I am the Lord God. 
 
 These verses are a promise of mercy to the Egyp- 
 tians ; where comes into consideration, 
 
 I. The time when this mercy shall be, at the end 
 of the fcnty years. 
 
 II. The mercy itself, which is double : 
 
 1. Revocation, ver. 13. 
 
 2. Restitutionof their kingdom, ver. 14, 15: where 
 the nature of the kingdom is set forth, " it shall be 
 the basest," &c. 
 
 III. The end and aim of God in so doing, which 
 is twofold ; 
 
 1. That Egypt may be no more the confidence of 
 the Jews. 
 
 2. Acknowledgment of God, ver. 16. 
 
 Ver. 13. "At the end of forty years will I gather 
 the Egyptians." The Egyptians being notorious idol- 
 aters, confiding in their own strength, were scattered 
 among the nations, where they wandered, and lived 
 without hope of seeing their own country, and be-
 
 Yer. 13 -1G. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 C35 
 
 coming a people or kingdom again ; but the Lord 
 out of his abundant goodness, beyond theirs and 
 otliers' expectation, promiseth, that after forty years 
 expired he would gather tlieni, wherever they were 
 scattci-od. Forty years he would exercise them with 
 captivity, and those hard things w'hich accompanied 
 the same, but at the end thereof he would show them 
 mercy. This is that which Jeremiah speaks of, chap, 
 xlvi. 25, 2(5, " The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, 
 saith ; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No," 
 that was a great city in Egypt, afterward called Alex- 
 andria, " and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, 
 and their kings ; even Pharaoh, and all them that 
 trust in him;" that was Johanan, and all the Jews 
 who (led into Egypt for safety, contrary to the mind 
 and counsel of Jeremiah, chap. xlii. 19 — 22; "and 
 I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek 
 their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar 
 king of Babylon, and into the liand of his servants." 
 Here you have the judgment of God upon Egypt, 
 Egyptians, and the Jews trusting in them ; but now 
 what follows ? " And afterwards it shall be inhabit- 
 ed, as in the days of old;" after forty years' suiTering, 
 Egypt should receive her scattered ones, and become 
 a kingdom again. 
 
 Ver. 14. " And I will bring again the captivity of 
 Egypt." Here the abstract is put for the concrete, 
 "captivity" for captives : so you have it Jer. xlviii. 
 47, "I will bring again the captivity of Moab;" 
 and Ezek. xxxix. 25, "I will bring again the cap- 
 tivity of Jacob;" that is, the captives of Jacob, the 
 captives of Moab, and the captives of Egypt, or 
 Egyptian captives. 
 
 " And will cause them to return into the land of 
 Pathros." Maldonate makes Pathros a city, to- 
 wards the south borders of Egypt, furthest off from 
 Chaldea. Bonfrerius judges it to be that city in 
 Egypt called Babylon. But here it is called, "the 
 land of Pathros," and Jer. xliv. 1, "the country of 
 Pathros," where the Jews which fled into Egypt 
 dwelt; and though it were distinct from Egypt, Isa. 
 xi. 11, for it is said there, God shall recover his 
 people " from Assyria, from Egyjit, and from Pa- 
 thros," yet it was in the land of Egypt; Jer. xliv. 
 15, the Jews "dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pa- 
 thros." Junius conceives this country to be near 
 unto Arabia Petrcea ; and by Jerora it was reiiuted 
 formerly to be nemus Jrabio', a wood of Arabia. 
 Pathros, it is most probable, was so called from Pa- 
 thrusim, the son of Mizraim, Gen. x. 14: as all 
 Egypt was called Mizraim from the father, so might 
 some part be called Pathros from the son, viz. that 
 part which lay between the Red sea and the Medi- 
 terranean sea; and as God had carried them out 
 that way, so he would bring them again the same way. 
 
 " Into the land of their habitation." The He- 
 brew for "habitation" is, Dmiso the land of thy 
 tradings, where they did buy and sell ; for the word 
 is from -i3d to sell, and deliver wares to others. 
 Piscator hath the words thus, into the land of their 
 commerce. The Egyptians dealt in fine linen, broi- 
 dered works, flax, silk, and other rich commodities ; 
 now God would bring them into the land of their 
 trading again. 
 
 Obs. 1. The goodness and mercy of God extends 
 to heathens, he hath a care of them in their cap- 
 tivity, and after they have suffered his appointed 
 time, he will show kindness to them. The Egyp- 
 tians, after forty years' scattering, shall be gathered. 
 Isa. xix. 23 — 25, " In that day shall there be an 
 highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian 
 shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into 
 Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the 
 Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with 
 
 Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst 
 of the land : whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, 
 saying. Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the 
 work of my hand, and Israel mine inheritance." 
 The Assyrians, Egyptians, and Israelites, had their 
 days and times of suffering, and God had his days 
 and times of showing mercy to those heathen 
 nations, as well as to Israel. It is, Blessed be Egypt 
 my people, and blessed be Assyria the work of my 
 hands, and blessed be Israel mine inheritance. 
 
 06a-. 2. The afflictions of nations and persons may 
 be long, yet not without end ; they may suffer seven 
 and seven years, yea, twenty, thirty, forty years 
 together, whicli is a long time, and then see an end 
 of their sufferings. " At the end of forty years will 
 I gather," &c. ; the Egyptians were captives forty 
 years to the king of Babylon. The Israelites were 
 in bondage to the Philistines forty years, Judg. xiii. 
 1, and then there came an end of their slavery ; they, 
 and many other nations, were captives to the king of 
 Babylon seventy years, Jer. xxv. II, which was a 
 long time to sufferers ; but when they were run out, 
 their captivities ended. God sometimes lengthens 
 out the afflictions of people very much, for ends best 
 known unto himself; as Gen. xv. 13, God "said unto 
 Abraham, Know of a surety, that thy seed shall be 
 a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall 
 serve them ; and they shall afflict them four hundred 
 years :" here was a long season to be afflicted, but 
 then it had an end. Jehoiachin was thirty-seven 
 years a prisoner in Babylon, but in the twelfth 
 month of that year he was set at liberty, Jer. lii. 31. 
 The man in the gospel had been afflicted thirty- 
 eight years with an infirmity, John v. 5, and then 
 he was delivered from it. Though wars, famines, 
 plagues, captivities, diseases, and other afflictions, 
 may be long, yet they are not, they shall not be for 
 ever, they must have an end. 
 
 Obs. 3. That God sometimes deals more favour- 
 ably with heathens than with his own people. 
 " At the end of forty years w'ill I gather the Egyp- 
 tians ;" but it was the end of seventy years before he 
 gathered the Jew's out of Babylon : his own people 
 were thirty years, or near upon, longer under the 
 Babylonish yoke than the Egyptians. There was 
 just cause for this ; God's people had sinned worse 
 than the heathens, and so provoked him above 
 them. Ezek. v. 6, "Jerusalem hath changed my 
 judgments into wickedness more than the nations, 
 and my statutes more than the countries round 
 about her ;" there were no people, near or far off, 
 who did like unto the Jews ; they forsook God the 
 fountain of living waters, and trusted in Pharaoh 
 that great dragon, and in his rivers of waters. 
 
 Obs. 4. Nothing is too hard for God, or can hinder 
 the fulfilling of his will. The Egyptians were scat- 
 tered among the nations, here a family and there a 
 family, and that forty years together ; so mingled 
 with the people of other countries, that they had well- 
 nigh forgotten Egypt, and had so drunk in the man- 
 ners and customs of the places where they lived, that 
 they were naturalized thereunto ; they were so 
 rooted among the nations, that it seemed impossible 
 to jduek them up, and plant them in their own 
 countries ; yet notwithstanding these things, saith 
 God, " I will gather the Egyptians from the people 
 whither they were soattered." It is like the Babylo- 
 nians and other nations that had them, held them 
 under, and made advantage of their labours, made 
 laws against their flight or departure, and struggled 
 hard to detain them, as they of old in Moses' days 
 did to retain the Jews ; but whatever opposition was 
 made or difflculty appeared in the way, God said, " I 
 will bring again the captivity of Egypt." Had they
 
 63j 
 
 AN EXPOSITION LTOX 
 
 Chap. XXIX. 
 
 liouiid them all in fetters, laid them in dungeons, set 
 guards of soldiers to have kept them, all these 
 should not have hindered the reduction of them ; for, 
 as Jehoshaphat acknowledged in his prayer, God 
 rules over all the kingdoms of the heathen, and in 
 his hand there is power and might, so that none is 
 able to withstand him, 2 C'hi'on. xx. (j ; no king, no 
 counsel, no country, no army, no created power is 
 able to withstand him. The Jews had lain longer 
 in Babylon, and were like dry bones in the grave, 
 without hope, Ezek. xxxvii. 1 1 ; but God made good 
 his word, he brought them out with a strong hand, 
 breaking in pieces gates of brass, and cutting in 
 sunder bars of iron. 
 
 06*. 5. It is the same hand, the same God, that 
 drives men out of their countries and comforts, into 
 deep and long afflictions abroad, and brings them 
 back out of the same, to enjoy their countries and 
 comforts. God scattered the Egyptians among the 
 nations, he threw them forty years into captivity ; 
 and he brought them out again from the nations, and 
 from their captivity, into the land of Pathros, into 
 the land of their commerce. God led them out, and 
 he brought them in ; he afflicted them, and he com- 
 forted them; God conducted them outward and in- 
 ward : as the loss of their country was a great afflic- 
 tion unto them, so the repossessing of it was a greater 
 consolation unto them. God threw the Jews into 
 Babylon, those deep and brackish waters they were 
 so long pickled in, and he brought them out again to 
 the sweet waters of the sanctuai'y. Long afflictions 
 have comfortable ends ; the Jews' seventy years' 
 suflerings ended in everlasting kindnesses, Isa. liv. 8. 
 
 "They sliall be there a base kingdom." The 
 word for "base" is, nSar which the Septuagint 
 renders, TaTrnvt), and Montanus, a vile, base, low 
 kingdom. Marlinius saith, it should be like a low 
 shrub, that is, little above the earth, such as that 
 kingdom, Ezek. xvii. 6, " of low stature." Some 
 kingdoms are great, high, like cedars of Lebanon 
 and oaks of Bashan. Others are small, like vines 
 and shrubs, that creep upon the earth. .Such a 
 kingdom should the Egyptians' be. They w ere not 
 free, but in subjection to the Babylonians, Persians, 
 Alexander the Great, to Ptolemy, the Romans, who 
 made Egypt a province ; after that it was under the 
 Saracens and Turks. 
 
 Ver. 15. " It shall be the basest of the kingdoms." 
 Not only shall it be base, as many kingdoms are, 
 especially after wars, but " it shall be the basest of 
 kingdoms ;" it should have less power, dignity, and 
 liberty, than other kingdcmis. 
 
 "Neither shall it exalt itself any more above the 
 nations." It had got power and dominion over other 
 nations, the Pharaohs of Egypt had power over the 
 land of Judea and the kings of Judah, 2 Kings xxiii. 
 33 — 35, and other nations ; but after this it became 
 an underling, and nothing remarkable is mentioned 
 about it in the word of God. Here God put a band 
 of iron and brass upon this kingdom, to keep it from 
 rising again ; it shall not " exalt itself any more 
 above the nations." 
 
 " For I will diminish them, that they shall no 
 more rule over the nations." I will make the 
 Egyptians few, and the kingdom little. The Hebrew 
 for "diminish" is, tayn to make little, or few in 
 number. When either or both of these are done, 
 there is a diminishing. Their number might in- 
 crease, yet they be diminished in power, liberty, and 
 dignity; so that other nations should look upon 
 them as contemptible. 
 
 Obs. 1. When kingdoms are nrined, brought to 
 utter desolation, and have lain so along time, God is 
 able to raise them up again. Egypt was made deso- 
 
 late from one end to the other, man and beast cut ofT, 
 the Egyptians scattered into remote parts ; yet \\ hat 
 saith the Lord? " They shall be there a kingdom ;" 
 Egypt shall be possessed again, inhabited, become 
 a kingdom, after forty years' desolation. God can 
 raise up great structures out of heaps and ruins. 
 When a kingdom is brought to ashes, the Lord can 
 out of those ashes bring forth another. The Lord 
 causeth kingdoms to cease, Hos. i. 4 ; he plucks 
 them up, Dan. xi. 4; Jer. i. 10, and he plants and 
 builds them up again, Jer. xviii. 9. Judea and Jeru- 
 salem lay waste seventy years, and then God returned 
 the Jews from Babylon, built their city, planted 
 their land, made them a people again. 
 
 Obs. 2. The wise providence of God in restoring 
 and ordering of kingdoms, mingles judgment with 
 mercy. They should be a kingdom, but a " base 
 kingdom," they should want that dignity, power, and 
 liberty they had formerly. So the kingdom of Judah 
 after Josiah's days was low and base, Ezek. xvii. G, 
 14; Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar kept it under. It 
 is from the Lord what condition kingdoms shall be 
 in ; they shall be honourable or base, as he pleases. 
 
 Obs. 3. Those that lift up themselves above others, 
 shall proporlionably be brought down beneath others. 
 Egypt exalted itself above the nations ; they were 
 proud, haughty, insolent, but Egypt exceeded them 
 therein; and what came thereof? "It shall be the 
 basest of the kingdoms :" consider what kingdom 
 is basest amongst them all, and Egj'pt shall be baser 
 than that ; as it was the highest in pride, so it should 
 be the lowest through baseness, and most contemp- 
 tible. The Lord pours out contempt upon kingdoms 
 and kings. Nebuchadnezzar was a son of pride ; 
 and did not God drive him out from among men, and 
 make that proud king graze among the beasts ? and 
 abase him proporlionably to his pride, and cause him 
 to say, "Those that walk in pride he is able to 
 abase ?" Dan. jv. : and in his time he will abase all 
 such. He hath abased kingdoms, kings, and poten- 
 tates in our days, who swelled with pride. The 
 leai'ned Jews tell us what God saith of every man 
 whose spirit is lift up, I and he cannot dwell together 
 in the same world. Biutorf. Jpoth. Hebr. 
 
 Ver. 16. " And it shall be no more the confidence 
 of the house of Israel." Whilst Egypt flourished, 
 abounding with men, horses, and chariots, the Jews 
 had an eye unto them, and leaned much upon them, 
 Isa. XXX. 2; xxxi. I ; xxxvi. C, 9; Ezek. xvii. 15; 
 but the Lord laid it waste, brake the pride of its 
 power, made it base, and kept it in that condition, 
 that the Jews might not confide in it ; for when they 
 hung so upon the Egyptians for help, that drew them 
 on to their idolatrous practices, and to break tl:e 
 leagues they had made with others. 
 
 " Which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance." 
 The Hebrew is, the remembrancer of iniquity. The 
 Vulgate hath it, teaching iniquity, and so refer it to 
 the Egyptians, who being familiar with the Jews, 
 taught them to do evil ; but the words refer to confi- 
 dence, which brought their iniquity to remembrance, 
 viz. that they should forsake God, trust in an arm of 
 flesh, hearken unto idolaters, &c. 
 
 " WHien they shall look after them." Had the 
 Egyptians been restored to their former glory and 
 power, the Jews would have been looking after them, 
 trusted in, and expected help from them ; but being 
 low, base, in subjection to others, they would neither 
 look at them nor lean upon them, but leave them, as 
 men do a broken stafT. 
 
 Obs. 1. God's own people are apt to confide in an 
 arm of flesh. The house of Israel made Egypt its 
 confidence. Asa relied on the king of Syria, 
 2 Chron. xvi. 7- The Jews were very prone to this
 
 Ver. 17—20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF E'ZEKIEL. 
 
 637 
 
 sin ; sometimes they trusted in their fenced cities, as 
 Jer. V. 17; sometimes in their land of peace, as Jer. 
 xii. 5; sometimes in their multitudes of men, as 
 Hos. X. 13 ; sometimes in their own glory and great- 
 ness, as Ezek. xvi. 15; sometimes in their privileges, 
 as Jer. vi). 4; sometimes in their own wisdom, Jer. 
 viii. S ; and sometimes in others, as the Assyrians, 
 2 Chron. xxviii. 16, and the Egyptians, as Ezek. 
 xvii. 15. This showed their trust in God was little, 
 and made him say, Jer. xiii. 25, " Thou hast for- 
 gotten me, and trusted in falsehood :" iptt'3 is, a lie ; 
 in things that promise help and safety, but cannot 
 make them good, they will deceive you, be a lie and 
 falsehood unto you. This practice of theirs made the 
 Lord to say, Jer. ii. 36, "Why gaddest thou about so 
 much to change thy way ? thou also shalt be ashamed 
 of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria ;" they had 
 formerly trusted to the Assyrians, who, instead of 
 helping, distressed them, 2 Chron. xxviii. 20; and so 
 should the Egyptians, for it follows, " Thou shalt go 
 forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head ;" 
 that is, lamenting thy disappointment ; " for the Lord 
 hath rejected thy «-onf;dences, and thou shalt not 
 prosper in them," that is, thou shalt fail of them, 
 and be undone by them. Let us take heed of bot- 
 toming upon any thing beneath the Lord, for, Jer. 
 xvii. 5, a curse is pronounced upon the " man that 
 trusteth in man, and maketh tlesh his arm," and 
 whose heart departeth from the Lord : his heart is 
 gone from the Lord who trusteth in any creature. 
 
 Ob.i. 2. Creature confidence brings former sins to 
 remembrance. When the house of Israel looked to 
 Egypt for help, that is, trusted in them, then their 
 former inicjuity was brought to mind, that occasioned 
 God to remember other sins. When a wife leaves 
 her husband, or a soldier his commander, this re- 
 minds them of former miscarriages ; and so when 
 God's people leave him for an arm of flesh, this re- 
 vives the memory of old iniquities. Ezek. xxi. 2-1, it 
 is said, they made their iniquity to be remembered ; 
 and how came that ? by discovery of their trans- 
 gressions ; some new sins appeared, and they caused 
 the former to be remembered. New sins are edi- 
 tions of the old ; bankrupts, by some later acts, bring 
 former debts into question, and men, by some new 
 later sin, occasion God to bring their former sins 
 into view. 
 
 Obs. 3. That the Lord, for the good of his people, 
 brings down proud nations, and keeps them in servile 
 conditions. Egypt lifted up itself above the nations, 
 but God brake it in pieces, made it base, yea, the 
 basest of kingdoms, decreeing it should not be ex- 
 alted, but abide so ; and why ? that the house of 
 Israel might not confide any more in it, that their 
 ini(iuity might not by so doing be brought to remem- 
 brance, that they might know the Lord to be above 
 all nations, princes, and powers whatsoever, and 
 trust in him. Here was wonderful goodness in God 
 towards his church and people, that he would keep 
 under Egypt to prevent their sinning and punishing, 
 and to dr;iw them to trust in himself Had Egypt 
 been set in its former power, glory, and greatness, 
 the eye and heart of the house of Israel would have 
 been looking that way, iniquity been brought to 
 mind, and their confidence taken off ft'om God; now, 
 rather than such things should be, Egypt shall be 
 made base and contemptible, and kept in that condi- 
 tion. There was a time when we confided too much 
 in Scotland ; God hath broken that nation in pieces, 
 and will keep it in a low condition, that we may learn 
 not to depend upon nations, but the God of nations. 
 
 Ver. 17 — 20. And it came to pass in the seven 
 and twentieth year, in thejiist month, in the Jirst 
 
 day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto 
 vie, saying, Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of 
 Babylon caused his army to serve a great service 
 against Tyrvs : every head was made bald, and 
 every shoulder was jjeeled : yet had he no wages, 
 nor his army, fur Tyrus, for the service that he 
 had served against it. Therefore thus saith the 
 Lord God ; Behold, I will give the land of 
 Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon ; 
 and he shall take her multitude, and take her 
 spoil, and take her prey ; and it shall be the wages 
 fir his army. I have given him the land of Egypt 
 for his labour wherewith he served against ii, be- 
 cause they wrought for me, saith the Lord God. 
 
 These verses comprehend the fourth general part 
 of the chapter, which is a prophecy of giving Egypt 
 unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon ; wherein is 
 set down, 
 
 I. The time of this prophecy, when it was, ver. 17. 
 
 II. The cause why God gave Egypt to Nebuchad- 
 rezzar, ver. 18, 20. 
 
 III. The donation itself, ver. 19, 20. Egypt, and 
 the wealth of it, are given him to pay his army. 
 
 " In the seven and twentieth year, in the first 
 month, in the first day of the month." This pro- 
 phecy was sixteen years and upwards after the 
 former, but being of the same nature, is here con- 
 joined with it, though he had many others between 
 them. It was in the twenty-seventh year of Jehoi- 
 achin's captivity, sixteen years after the destruction 
 of Jerusalem, and shortly after the taking of Tyrus. 
 The punctual time is here set down, that so the chro- 
 nology of things done might be known and observed. 
 
 Ver. 18. " Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon 
 caused his army to serve a great service against 
 Tyrus." Tyrus was a strong city upon a rock in 
 the sea, well walled and towered, seven hundred 
 paces from the continent, abounding with shijis to 
 supply all things needful, and to secure her by sea, 
 so that in the eye of man it was invincible. Nebu- 
 chadrezzar besieged this city with a vast army thir- 
 teen years, which Josephus confirms 
 from other historians. Dioclesian, in i'°fo''c' io,",lJ''rhe 
 the second book of his Persian history, ••"J "' ''" ciiap- 
 and Philostratus, in his Phoenician and 
 Indian history, make mention of this king, saying, 
 that he overcame the city of Tyre at the end of 
 thirteen years, at such time as Ithobald reigned 
 over the Tyrians. In this time he filled up that 
 space of the sea which was between the shore and 
 Tyrus with solid materials, so that the soldiers 
 might foot it even to the walls of Tyre, which cost 
 much sweat and labour, and was a great service, be- 
 sides all the rest of their labour, watchings, and suf- 
 fei'ings of heat and cold. To lie so many winters 
 and summers there, doing ordinary and extraordinary 
 things, was a great service, especially their filling up 
 the sea, w-hich the Tyrians laughed at, and thought 
 impossible. 
 
 " Every head was made bald." The Hebrew for 
 " bald " is, nipD from mp to pull off the hairs ; 
 and it notes natural baldness as well as accidental, 
 the shedding of the hair, and the plucking off the 
 hair: ihe snjdicrs, by continual wearing their head- 
 jiieces, did shed and wear off their hairs. Some 
 through sickness, and upon other occasions, might 
 become bald. 
 
 " And every shoulder was peeled." By the daily 
 carrying of stones, timber, earth, and other things 
 necessary for the siege and taking of Tyrus, their 
 shoulders were peeled. f\riS signifies not only
 
 633 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIX. 
 
 the " shoulder," hut the side also ; and Piscator ren- 
 ders the words, every side was made naked, their 
 garments were worn out, and their sides bare, worn, 
 and peeled. 
 
 " Yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus." 
 This lono- siege cost Nebuchadrezzar dear, it ex- 
 hausted the Babylotiish treasury greatly, insomuch, 
 that had he taken Tyru«, with all the wealth of it, 
 it woidd hardly have recompensed his vast ex- 
 penses ; but the Tyrians, when they saw themselves 
 in danger, conveyed away by sea their choicest 
 things to Carthage, and neighbouring islands, as 
 Lavater insinuates, and when they could hold their 
 city no longer, threw their remaining substance into 
 the sea, so that when it was taken, Nebuchadrezzar 
 and his army found little or nothing considerable 
 therein ; therefore it is here said, " he had no wages, 
 nor his army." 
 
 " For the service he had served against it." The 
 king and soldiers having lain thirteen years before 
 Tyrus, which showed their resoluteness, looked for 
 answerable recompence for so long, difficult, danger- 
 ous, and expensive service ; but because they were 
 disappointed in Tyrus, therefore the Lord thought 
 upon them, and provided for them elsewhere. 
 
 Ver. I'J. " Behold, I will give the land of Egypt 
 unto Nebuchadrezzar." Egypt was a rich coun- 
 try, abounding with corn, cattle, and wealth of all 
 sorts ; this country did the Lord give unto Nebu- 
 chadrezzar and his army, for that they had done him 
 service in executing his judgments upon the Tyrians. 
 
 " He shall take her multitude." Midtitudes of 
 men were worn out and consumed in the long siege 
 of Tyre, and therefore God would give the king of 
 Babylon Egypt's "multitude;" she was populous, 
 and her " multitude " must serve him forty years. 
 The Hebrew word n:t;n signifies, multitude of people, 
 and multitude of riches ; Nebuchadrezzar should 
 take both. 
 
 " And take her spoil." The Hebrew is, he shall 
 spoil her spoil. " Spoil " is, whatsoever may be re- 
 moved, taken, or driven away, as corn, cattle, house- 
 hold stuff, garments, jewels, plate, plants, ware. Sec. 
 The Babylonian should strip Egypt of all her glory. 
 
 " And take her prey." In Hebrew it is, he shall 
 prey her prey. The Septuagint is, he shall cajiti- 
 vate her captivity. The words being doubled be- 
 fore, and here, import that Nebuchadrezzar should 
 thoroughly spoil and prey upon Egypt. 
 
 " It shall be the wages for his army." Seeing his 
 army had so little in Tyre, it shall have enough in 
 Egypt, nothing here shall be conveyed away, em- 
 bezzled, or kept from him and his army, the whole 
 wealth of Egypt shall be theirs. 
 
 Ver. 20. " For his labour." The word nSys some- 
 times signifies, the thing produced by work and la- 
 bour, as Psal. xvii. 4 ; but here, and in other places, 
 it notes, the very working and efficiency itself: 
 2 Chron. xv. 7, " Your work shall be rewarded," that 
 is, your labour and pains. 
 
 " Because they wrought for me." They looked at 
 their king, who commanded and carried them forth 
 fo that work, not unto Jehovah, the Lord of heaven 
 and earth, who set both him and them on work to 
 execute his judgments threatened against Tyre, and 
 in that they did fulfil them, they are said to work for 
 God. Materially they did serve his purpose and 
 providence in the destniction of Tyre, but formally 
 and intentionally they did serve their own wills and 
 lusts. God had a righteous end, and attained it by 
 Vid.Aqiiin. I.e. them; they had an evil end, and ob- 
 1- "^- tained it in an ill way ; Isa. x. 6, 7, the 
 Assyrian had one meaning, God another, yet he 
 wrought for the Lord. 
 
 Obs. I. That men in misery keep account exactly 
 of their suderings. Ezekiel was in captiWty, and 
 many other Jews, who diligently heeded how the 
 years passed ; " In the seven and twentieth year," 
 that was, of the captivity. Ezekiel, and the rest, 
 forgot not how long they had been under the Ba- 
 bylonish yoke : men are best chronologers in ad- 
 versity. 
 
 Obs. 2. When God is upon doing great things, 
 usually he doth make them known unto some of his 
 servants, one W'ay or other. When he was tipon de- 
 stroying Sodom, he made it known unto Abraham, 
 Gen. xviii. 17; when about to destroy Eli's house, 
 he revealed it to Samuel, 1 Sam. iii. H, 12; the 
 strange things which befell Nebuchadnezzar were 
 revealed to Daniel, chap. iv. ; and the Lord showed 
 John things to come. Rev. i. 1 ; and here, he hides 
 not from Ezekiel that he will give all Egypt to Ne- 
 buchadrezzar. This was so frequent of old, that 
 Amos said, " Surely the Lord will do nothing, but 
 he revealeth his secret to his servants the prophets," 
 Amos iii. 7 ; hardly did God ever any considerable 
 thing, but he gave some hints of it to his servants. 
 
 The drowning of the world, the Jews' captivity in 
 Egypt, their coming out of it, their suffering by Ne- 
 buchadnezzar, their return out of Babylon, &c. were 
 all hinted and made known to Noah, Abraham, 
 Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and others. 
 
 Obs. 3. Princes have power to lead out and em- 
 ploy their subjects against foreigners, when there is 
 cause of warring with them. The king of Babylon 
 caused his army to serve against Tyrus, and before 
 that against Jerusalem ; many hundreds of miles did 
 he bring out his army to do him service against the 
 Jews and Tyrians. Had he no particidar cause, this 
 was cause enough, that God stirred up his spirit to 
 execute his judgments upon those who had desperate- 
 ly provoked him. 
 
 Obs. 4. That heathenish soldiers have undergone 
 very hard things, yea, hazarded their lives to please 
 their heathenish commanders, and all for a temporal 
 reward. Nebuchadrezzar's army served a great ser- 
 vice thirteen years together ; to lie before a city was 
 hard, their heads were made bald, their shoulders 
 were j>celed, they laboured hard, carried heavy bur- 
 dens, they watched, they suflered heat and cold, and 
 all this for hope of good plunder in Tyrus. If hea- 
 thens would do and endure so much for their com- 
 mander, who was an idolater, an enemy to God and 
 his people, how much more should cliristians do 
 and endure any thing for Christ, their King, and 
 heavenly Commander! If he say. Go, we shoidd go; 
 if. Come, we should come ; if. Pluck out your right 
 eye, cut off your right hand, or right foot, we should 
 do so ; if he calls us to endure affliction, and sufl'cr 
 hard things, we should not stick at them, no, though 
 it be the jeoparding of our lives, knowing he hath a 
 spiritual and eternal reward for us. Seeing men 
 have done and suffered so much for heathens, how 
 can we do or suffer too much for Christ ? Scipio 
 Africanus had three hundred soldiers, who would 
 climb a tower if he bid them, or throw themselves 
 from the top of a tower at his command ; what dis- 
 honour will it be to Christ, if his soldiers will not 
 do as much at his command as others have done at 
 their lords' commands ! 
 
 Obs. 5. Armies, Vith their generals and command- 
 ers, may serve long, labour sorely, suffer hard things, 
 and after all these be disappointed of their expect- 
 ations. Nebuchadrezzar caused his army to serve 
 a great service thirteen years, so that their heads, 
 shoulders, sides, were bald, and peeled; and what 
 then ? yet had he no " wages," nor his army ; they 
 expected great matters in 'Tyrus, which was so rich,
 
 Ver. 17—20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 C39 
 
 and full of all sorts of commodities, but found nothing 
 considerable, nothing answering their expectation, 
 or sufficient to recompense their charge and siitTer- 
 ing. This undertaking could not be without millions 
 of money ; hopes they had, that Tyrus, being now 
 the mart of nations, would repay them with advan- 
 tage, but Tyrus's wealth was dispersed, and there 
 was no money in cash. Sometimes armies find rich 
 spoil and fat prey in the towns and cities they take, 
 and sometimes they find empt)' houses. 
 
 Obs. 6. Nations, lands, kingdoms, are the Lord's, 
 and he disposes of them to whom he pleases. " Be- 
 hold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchad- 
 rezzar :" he would take it from Pharaoh, king there- 
 of, and give it to another. Neither did the Lord do 
 any wrong unto Pharaoh, because he was tenant at 
 will, and held upon these terms, to be king while he 
 carried himself well ; but he grew proud, insolent, 
 and like a dragon lay in the midst of his rivers, 
 saying, " My river is mine, and I have made it for 
 myself." God therefore took away his kingdom from 
 him, and gave it to the king of Babylon ; he looseth 
 the loins of kings, and dismisseth them from their 
 kingdoms. He rejected Saul, 1 Sam. sv. 23, and 
 gave his kingdom to David, chap. xvi. 1,13; he rent 
 ten tribes from Rehoboam, and gave them to Jero- 
 boam, 1 Kings xi. 31 ; he cast out many kings, and 
 gave their lands to Nebuchadrezzar, Jer. xxvii. 3, 
 7 ; and, ver. 5, you may see upon what ground he 
 doth so : "I have made the earth, the man and the 
 beast that are upon the ground, by my great power 
 and by my out-stretched arm, and have given it unto 
 whom it seemed meet unto me. And now I have given 
 all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar." 
 He made the earth, he may give it to, and take it 
 from, whom he please ; it is his, not ours : no man 
 is owner of the earth, or any part of it, it is the 
 Lord's ; therefore if he break in pieces mighty men 
 without number, and sets others in their stead, he 
 WTongs, he oppresses none, Job xxxiv. 24. Let 
 not us be troubled that God hath done such things 
 in our days. 
 
 Obs. 7. God, in his holy and wise providence, 
 makes use of heathens, or any insti-uments, to do 
 his work. Nebuchadrezzar and his army wrought 
 for him, they were his servants, he set them on work, 
 though they knew it not. When armies of heathens 
 do plunder towns, take cities, lay waste kingdoms, 
 they are working for God, they are executing his 
 judgments, though they mind it not ; God carries on 
 his work, let instruments be what they will. He 
 can make use of the worst of men, as well as of the 
 best ; he can promote his interest by an army of 
 heathens, as well as by an army of christians ; and 
 let armies be what they will, good or bad, when 
 they are at work, they work for God. " They 
 wrought for me," saith God. It is good, therefore, 
 not to stick upon the instruments which work, but 
 to look at the hand in which they are, how that di- 
 rects and regulates them, look at him whose tools, 
 whose servants, they are ; this will quiet men's 
 spirits, and keep their tongues within compass. 
 
 Obs. 8. The Lord suffers not any, no not heathens 
 and infidels, to labour for him in vain. He gave the 
 land of Egypt, with all the wealth of it, to Nebu- 
 cliadrezzar and his army, who were the worst of the 
 heathen, Ezek. vii. 24, because they served and 
 wrought for him. God is just, not like those masters, 
 who set men on work and then will give them no 
 wages i whosoever works for God shall have his 
 penny. AVhen the midwives would not destroy the 
 male cliildron of the Jews, but save them alive, be- 
 cause they feai-ed God, he dealt well with them, and 
 gave them houses, Exod. i. 17, 20, 21 ; he gave them 
 
 habitations, and blessed their families ; they were 
 infidels, yet God rewarded their work. Jehu was 
 wicked, yet because he did the work of the Lord in 
 rooting out Ahab's family, in destroying Baal, with 
 all the priests and temple of Baal, therefore the Lord 
 rewarded him, and that largely : 2 Kings x. 31), 
 " Because thou hast done well in executing that 
 which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the 
 house of Ahab according to all that was in mine 
 heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit 
 on the throne of Israel ; " which was made good in 
 Jehoahaz, Joash, Jeroboam, and Zechariah, who 
 came out of his loins, and reigned after him, 2 Kings 
 xiii. xiv. XV. How should this stir us up to do good, 
 and serve the Lord ! if heathens shall not labour for 
 him in vain, much less shall christians, who know 
 how to act from a right principle, in a right man- 
 ner, and for a right end ; if they meet with hardship 
 in his service, he will remember and reward it fully, 
 not with a temporal kingdom, but with an eternal ; 
 the land of Egypt shall be given to Babylonians, 
 because the kingdom of heaven shall be given to 
 christians : Luke xii. 32, " Fear not, little (lock ; it 
 is your Father's pleasure to give you the kingdom." 
 Let us " therefore be stedfast and immovable, always 
 abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as 
 we know our labour shall not be in vain." A cup 
 of cold water, two mites east into the treasury, a 
 sigh, a tear, laid out for God and his interest, shall 
 not be forgotten : what Paul told the Hebrews, I 
 may tell you, that God is not unrighteous, to forget 
 your work ; men may forget, or reward poorly, but 
 God will not forget, because he cannot be unright- 
 eous, nor reward poorly, because he deals bountifully 
 with his servants, Psal. cxvi. 7. 
 
 Obs. 9. Execution of judgment upon proud princes, 
 and wicked people, is pleasing unto God. He set 
 Nebuchadrezzar and his army on work to besiege 
 Tyre, to rase it to the ground, he paid them their 
 wages for it, which convinces that the work was 
 pleasing unto him : when men are at great cost and 
 charges in setting many to work, it is argument they 
 take pleasure in such work ; so was it here, the work 
 the Babylonish army did was a pleasure unto God, 
 he gave them all Egypt for that service. God de- 
 lights as well in executing judgment as in exercising 
 mercy; therefore, Jer. xlviii. 10, he curseth those 
 who should be negligent in, or backward to, the 
 slaughter of the Moabitcs. God sent the Chaldeans 
 to destroy the Moabites, and his heart was so much 
 in this work, that he would have it done thoroughly ; 
 and to quicken up the Chaldeans to it, he pro- 
 nounces a curse upon them if they should forbear to 
 do it, or not do it to purpose. So that, Jer. 1. 25, 
 " The Lord hath opened his armoury, and hath 
 brought forth the weapons of his indignation : for 
 this is the work of the Lord God of hosts in the land 
 of the Chaldeans. Come against her from the ut- 
 most border :" these words the Lord speaks con- 
 cerning the destruction of Babylon, which was a 
 work very pleasing to him ; he opened his armoury, 
 brought forth his weapons, called men from all parts 
 to come and take these weapons, and employ them 
 against her. Like some mighty prince the Lord 
 doth here, who when he will war against some 
 strong place, opens his armoury and magazine, bring- 
 ing forth all his warlike instruments, his ammuni- 
 tion and artillery, he calls his soldiers to take them, 
 saying. Come, this is the work I have called thee to, 
 viz. to storm this castle, to destroy this town, this is 
 the work I take pleasure to see done. 
 
 Ver. 21. In that dai/ u-lll I cause the horn of 
 the house of Israel to bud forth, and I will give
 
 C40 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXIX. 
 
 thee the opening of the mouth in the midst of them ; 
 and they shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 This chapter, according to Junius, ended at the 
 17lh verse, where lie begins the thirtieth cliaptcr, 
 but aceor.Ung to our translation, this is the last 
 verse of this chapter, and it is a precious promise of 
 mercy to the house of Israel, and to the prophet. In 
 the words you have, 
 
 1. The things promised, which arc, 
 
 1. Restitution of power to the tiibe of Judah, " I 
 will cause the honi," &c. 
 
 2. Liberty of prophesying to Ezekiel, " I will 
 give thee the 0]iening of the mouth." 
 
 II. The end of his so doing, "Tiny shall know," &c. 
 
 III. The time when, " In that day." 
 
 Ver. 21. " In that day." When the Egyptians 
 were subdued, and the Babylonish monarchy quieted, 
 and settled in peace, as shortly after Nebuchadrez- 
 zar's return from Egypt it was ; for he dying, Evil- 
 merodach came to the throne, and then was the 
 " day." " Day " notes not only twelve hours, or, 
 four and twenty, but frequently a short time ; as 
 Deut. ix. 1, " Hear, O Israel : Tliou art to pass over 
 Jordan this day," that was, shortly, within some few 
 years or months, for they passed not over Jordan till 
 Joshua's days, (when Moses was dead,) and he 
 governed. Josh. iii. ; so here, "day" is put for some 
 sjiace of time after the destruction of Egypt. 
 
 " Will I cause the horn of the house of Israel to 
 bud forth." " Horn" is proper to a beast, but meta- 
 phorically is applied to men, and in holy writ signi- 
 fies sometimes dignity and glory ; as Job xvi. 15, " I 
 defiled my horn in the dust;" whatever made me 
 glnrioiis, honourable, and respected amongst men, 
 that have I laid aside, and counted no more of than 
 the dunghill or dust I sit upori : sometimes kings 
 and kingdoms: as Dan. viii. 21, "The rough goat 
 is the king of Grecia : and the great horn that is be- 
 tween his eyes is the first king," viz. Alexander the 
 (rreat; and, P.sal. cxxxii. 17, "There will I make 
 the horn of David to bud;" the "horn of David" 
 was the kingdom of David : somi times strength and 
 lower; Jer. xlviii. 25, "The horn of Moab is cut 
 oil', and his army is broken ;" that " horn of Moab" 
 was the strength of Moab; Lam. ii. 3, " He hath 
 cut otr in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel," that 
 is, all the strength and power of Israel : sometimes 
 it notes all outward felicity, liberty, and plenty ; 
 Psal. cxlviii. 14, " He exalteth the horn of liis 
 people," that is, he makes them happy, he gives 
 them freedom, and plenty of all things, and therein 
 ex;dts their horn : here, all these senses may be 
 taken in, tiod would make the horn of the house of 
 Israel, that is, the king ami kingdom, to rise up 
 again to dignity, strength, and happiness. This was 
 in part made good in the three children, and Daniel, 
 or when Jehoiachin was brought out of prison, and 
 his throne set above the thrones of all the kings 
 who were with him in Babylon, Jer. Iii. 31 — 34; 
 then, doubtless, had the Jews some liberty and 
 privileges granted them, which caused matter of re- 
 joicing : more fully in Zcrubbabel, when he brought 
 them out of Babylon : but chiefly in Christ, and the 
 gospel times, this "horn" is budding still, and 
 shall "bud" to the end of the world; the kingdom 
 of Christ shall flourish and grow stronger, as the 
 horns of a beast do yearly. 
 
 " I will give thee the opening of the month in the 
 midst of them." Ezekiel b.ad been sdent and dumb 
 twice before, chap. iii. 24, and xxiv. 27 ; and here 
 again it is implied ; God would give him the " open- 
 ing of the mouth," or an open mouth. By opening 
 the mouth, we may understand, 
 
 1. Freedom of speech. Thou .speakest things 
 darkly now, with a trembling voice, but when these 
 prophecies are fulfilled, and the horn of the house 
 of Israel begins to bud, then shalt thou have more 
 freedom of speech, and be troubled no more at the 
 false prophets, wdiich sought to disparage thee. 
 
 2. Matter of speaking. When Jeconiah, or Je- 
 hoiachin, should have his prison garments changed, 
 and be set above other pinnces, some freedom grant- 
 ed the Jews, here would be matter for praise and 
 rejoicing. 
 
 3. Opportunity of speaking. When an occasion 
 is given unto man to speak, the rabbins call that, 
 the opening of the mouth : thou shalt Grot, in Epii. 
 come openly into the assemblies, hav- '• ^- '9- 
 ing matter, freedom, and opportunity to praise me. 
 
 " They shall know that 1 am the Lord." " They " 
 refers not only to the house of Israel, but to the 
 Babylonians also; when tiny should see the things 
 prophesied of done, then they should acknowledge 
 the Lord. The hom of Israel budded in the midst 
 of the Babylonians, and the prophet's mouth was 
 opened in the midst of them, therefore they should, 
 as well as the Jews, "know that I am the Lord." 
 
 Obs. 1. That after the destruction of enemies, God 
 shows mercy to the Jews. Egyptians were no 
 friends to the house of Israel. When Egypt there- 
 fore should be spoiled, and brought under the Baby- 
 lonians, then would he make the horn of Israel to 
 bud ; in that day, or after that time, wdien his justice 
 had fallen upon Egyptians, then his mercy should 
 be extended to Israel. Jer. 1. 4, 5, when the Medes 
 and Persians should have laid Babylon waste, and 
 made her land desolate, what then ? " In those days, 
 and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of 
 Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah 
 together, going and weeping ;" that is, for gladness, 
 for the mercy vouchsafed them ; " they shall go, and 
 seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way 
 to Zion with their faces thitherward." When the 
 Babylonians were brought into bondage, then God 
 gave the Jews their liberty; Isa. x. 2(3, 27, when the 
 Assyrians should be destfoyed, then should the Jews 
 be eased of their burdens. 
 
 Obs. 2. How low, weak, afflicted soever the church 
 be, God is able to raise it up, to bring it to glory, 
 strength, and to a flourishing condition. The house 
 of Israel was low, and much afflicted, the horn of it 
 weak, and hardly visible ; yet God caused the horn 
 ♦hereof to bud. When we look upon some beasts, 
 they have no horns, but in a short time their heads 
 do bud, and bring forth horns, which are their 
 strength ; so God in a little time would cause the 
 glory, strength, happiness of his church and people 
 to appear, though at that time they lay in the dust. 
 The church of God looks ofttimes like a dry and dead 
 tree ; but his divine influences make it bud, blossom, 
 and flourish : I.sa. xxxv. 1, " The desert shall rejoice 
 and blossom as the rose," it shall blossom abun- 
 dantly. When Zion was turned into a wilderness, 
 he made it "like Eden, and her desert like the gar- 
 den of God," Isa. li. 3; wdien the church was in the 
 most desolate and hopeless condition, he made it 
 glorious, beautiful, and strong. When the tabernacle 
 of David was quite fallen, nothing but ruins and 
 breaches discernible, what said the Lord ? " In that 
 day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is 
 fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will 
 raise up his ruins, and I will build it." This was 
 done literally, after their return out of Babylon, 
 when the second temple was built, and the two 
 tribes of Judah and Benjamin grew up into one body ; 
 but spiritual, in Christ's time, not in the resurrecticn 
 of his body from the grave, but in bringing in the gen-
 
 Ver. 1 — 5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF I'/ZEKIEL. 
 
 641 
 
 tiles after his ascension, to make up all the breaches 
 and ruins which were made in the Jewish state ; 
 so it is applied, Acts xv. Iti. God that gives being to 
 things that are not, can give more glorious and ex- 
 cellent beings to things that are. 
 
 Obs. 3. When God shows kindness to his church, 
 he gives his prophets and servants matter, freedom, 
 and opportunity of speaking, and professing the true 
 faith publicly. When the Lord caused the horn of 
 the house of Israel to bud, when he showed favour to 
 his people, then he gave Ezekiel the opening of the 
 mouth. In the times of enemies' prevailing, pro- 
 phets are silent, or prophesy faintly ; if they have 
 matter to utter, they want freedom, they whisper, mut- 
 ter, and speak as it were with closed mouth, and oft 
 have not opportunity to do so much ; Amos v. 13, they 
 are necessitated to be silent : but when times grow 
 better, and God shims upon his people, then the pro- 
 phets are full of matter, free to speak, and want not 
 seasons to declare the goodness of God, then they 
 are not afraid or ashamed openly to profess the truth, 
 and to praise the Lord. The opening of the mouth 
 is the gift of God : tlie illness of the people and times 
 may shut the mouths of prophets, but none can open 
 them but God. Since God began to show mercy to 
 liis ])eople in this land, hath he not vouchsafed the 
 opening of the mouth to his prophets? their mouths 
 Were shut in the prelates' days, but now there is a 
 great opening ; blessed be the Lord for it. 
 
 Oh.t. 4. The end of God's showing kindness to his 
 cliiu'ch, and opening the mouths of his prophets, is, 
 that he may have honour and glory thereby from all 
 sorts. " And they shall know that I am the Lord : " 
 tliey Babylonians, they Jews, shall acknowledge that 
 1 have done these things, and that I am the Lord. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 5. The word of the Lord came again vnto 
 me, saying. Son of man, prophesy and sa)), Thns 
 snith the Lord God ; Hoicl ye, Woe ivorth the 
 day ! For the day it near, even the day of the 
 Lord is near, a cloudy day ; it shall be the time 
 of the heathen. And the sword shall come upon 
 Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when 
 the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take 
 away her nndtitude, and her foundations shall be 
 htoken down. Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, 
 and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the 
 men of the land that is in league, shall fall with 
 them by the sword. 
 
 This chapter is a continuance of the former pro- 
 phecy, and hath two general parts in it. 
 
 The 1. is concerning the destruction of Egypt, and 
 those that were confederate with her, to ver. 1!). 
 
 II. Is concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt, and 
 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, from ver. 20 to 
 the end. 
 
 In these verses we have, 
 
 1. The authority of the prophecy ; it is divine, 
 from the Lord, ver. 1, 2. 
 
 2. The thing imposed uponEgypt; howling, ver. 2. 
 
 3. The reasons thereof, ver. 3-— 5. 
 
 Ver. 1. " The word of the Lord came again unto 
 me." This preface is to many chapters before ; it 
 adds weight to the prophecy, making those concern- 
 ed to mind it more seriously : when the Lord speak- 
 eth, " who can but prophesy ?" Amos iii. 8 ; and who 
 can but mind what is prophesied ? 
 2 T 
 
 Ver. 2. " Son of man, prophesy." The immortal 
 God speaks to a mortal man, honours him with di- 
 vine revelations ; and, that he might not be exalted 
 therewith, he minds him of his meanness and mor- 
 tality, saying, " Son of man, prophesy." Prophesy- 
 ing was not at the will of man, but when the Spirit 
 moved them to it, 2 Pet. i. 21. 
 
 " Thus saith the Lord God." What the prophets 
 gave forth as prophets, was not from their own 
 hearts and heads, some human thing, but it was alto- 
 gether divine, from Jehovah, Adonai, whose being 
 is of himself, and hath dominion over all ; what they 
 and the apostles wrote, was the word of God, and so 
 ought to be esteemed and received, I Thess. ii. 13. 
 
 " Howl ye." He speaks to the Egyptians and 
 others, upon whom sad judgments were coming; he 
 calls to them to lay to heart, and lament for, the evils 
 wdiich were at hand. The Hebrew SS' hath agree- 
 ment with SSn which signifies, to reduce a thing to 
 nothing, because when men do motu'n and lament 
 greatly, it wastes and consumes them, so as it well- 
 nigh brings them to nothing. 
 
 " Woe worth the day ! " The words may be read, 
 Ah the day ! " Alas for the day ! " as Joel i. 15 ; or, 
 Oh the woe of the day ! an unhappy day, wherein thy 
 cities shall be made heaps, man and beast destroyed, 
 all laid waste and desolate. 
 
 Ver. 3. " The day is near, even the day of the 
 Lord is near." " Day " here is put, not for a day in 
 strictness of sense, but for the time wherein those 
 judgments should befall Egypt and other parts ; and 
 it is called " the day of the Lord," because of his 
 special manifestation of himself. When God doth, 
 either in mercy or judgment, declare himself em- 
 phatically, that is said to be " the day of the Lord :" 
 other days are his days, but such in a special man- 
 ner. The duplication of the " day " here, is to make 
 the deeper impression both upon the Jews, who 
 rested too much upon Egypt, and also upon the 
 Ei,'yptians, who were secure and feared not: he tells 
 them of the nearness of it, that they may be awaken- 
 ed; and that they might the more fully be awaken- 
 ed, he tells them what kind of day it will be. 
 
 "A cloudy day." The Hebrew is, a day of a 
 cloud ; there will no sun shine that day, a black, thick, 
 dark cloud will arise that day, and make a terrible 
 tempest. God's judgments are likened unto clouds 
 and rain, for the sadness and terribleness of them : 
 Ps;d. xi. (>, " He shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, 
 and an horrible tempest." 
 
 " It shall be the time of the heathen." " Heathen" 
 may be taken either for the Babylonians, who should 
 come and conquer Egypt, and then do what they 
 pleased therein, and so it should be their day ; or for 
 the Egyptians, and the nations adhering to them, 
 and so "it should be their day to be spoiled, and suf- 
 fer grievous things : it was a time of undoing these, 
 and a time of making the other; God had appointed 
 that time for them both. 
 
 Ver. 4. " The sword shall come upon Egypt." The 
 Chaldean army shall come and make war upon the 
 Egyptians, anil they shall be under all the miseries 
 ami mischiefs which attend war, and they are 
 many. 
 
 " And great pain shall be in Ethiopia." The 
 word for " pain" in Hebrew is, nSnSn whicli Monta- 
 nus renders, shaking : the Septuagint, trouble, or 
 perturbation : the Vulgate, fear : others, great grief, 
 which the word imports ; for it is from Sn to bring 
 forth, and notes such grief and pain as women have 
 when they are in travail. When the king of Babylon 
 came into Egypt, Ethiopia was in travail. 
 
 " When the slain shall fall in Egypt." It were 
 better rendered, when the wounded shall fall. Men
 
 64'i 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXX. 
 
 slain are fallen, men wounded are ready to fall, or 
 falling. Tlic Hebrew wordSSn signifies one wounded. 
 
 " And her foundations shall be broken down." By 
 " foundations," cities, towers, forts, castles, any strong 
 holds may be understood. Some make the founda- 
 tions of Kgypt to be their riches, forces, and con- 
 federates ; but the first sense of the word is more 
 genuine, because he speaks of breaking down, which 
 is proper to the one, and not the other. 
 
 Ver. 5. "Ethiopia." In Hebrew, Chus, so called 
 from Chus, the son of Ham, Gen. x. ti, who first in- 
 habited that part of Africa, and from liim the peo- 
 ple were called Cussites ; from the Grecians it re- 
 ceived the name of Ethiopia, which is from aldu, to 
 burn, and dtp, the countenance, because the heat of 
 the sun there is such, as it scorcheth the faces of the 
 people. This country is judged to be as large as 
 Germany, France, and Italy, but not very populous, 
 because of the extreme heat. They circumcise their 
 males and females, baptizing the males forty days, 
 and the females eighty days, after their circum- 
 cision ; and they rebaptize themselves in lakes and 
 H'eyiin in his ponds every year on the day called Epi- 
 
 Microcosm. phany, because they conceive that the 
 Lord Christ was baptized by John in Jordan that 
 very day. But whether this was the Ethiopia Ne- 
 buchadnezzar should spoil, some question, because 
 it is said, chap. xxix. 10, that Egypt should be made 
 desolate from the tower of Syene unto the border of 
 Ethiopia, that is, to the Asian Ethiopia. Syene was 
 at the front of the African Ethiopia, and whether 
 Nebuchadnezzar entered tliat Ethiopia, is doubtful : 
 Quistorpius is peremptory in it, and saith, he never 
 passed beyond Syene into it. 
 
 "Libya." In Hebrew, Phut, from Phut the son 
 of Ham, Gen. X. fi ; and the inhabitants thereof were 
 at first called PhutliEei, or Phuttians, and afterward 
 Libyans, the country being named Libya, from Lybs, 
 a king of Mauritania, or from Lybs, the soutli wind, 
 which gently breatheth there, or from Libya, a 
 queen thereof. It is now called Sorra, which signi- 
 fies, a desert, because it is a country full of sandy 
 Heyiin, iu Mi- deserts : and Varro will have it called 
 C10C05. Libya, quasi XfiVsira rov i<iiv, because it 
 
 wants rain. Heretofore all Africa was called Phut, 
 afterwards only the western parts of Africa, as Mau- 
 ritania and Tingitana, where the kingdom of Fez, or 
 Libya, now is. 
 
 " Lydia." The Hebrew is, Lud, from Lud the 
 son of Shcm, Gen. x. 22, as some will have it ; or 
 from Ludim, the son of Mizraim, as others affirm. 
 This Lydia was a region of Asia the Less, formerly 
 called Maeonia ; in it were those famous cities, Phi- 
 ladelphia, Sardis, Pergamus, Thyatira, and Laodicea. 
 „ , , A Lapide would not have it to be this 
 
 Heylia, ubi ante, t t i ^\. t j- 
 
 Lydia, because those Lydians were too 
 far off to be helpful to the Egyptians ; he therefore 
 makes it to be Lydda, Acts ix. 32, where Peter 
 healed jEneas. This city was in the tribe of 
 Ephraim, near imtoJoppa; it was therefore taken 
 by Nebuchadnezzar before, when he took Jerusalem, 
 and made the whole land tributary unto him. The 
 distance of Lydia was not such as to hinder the 
 Egyptians from confederating with them ; they were 
 on the one side of the Mediterranean sea, and the 
 Lydians on the other. 
 
 " And all the mingled people." Montanus saith, 
 all the vulgar. The Hebrew is, all the mixed com- 
 pany, that is, those that came from other parts, to 
 serve the Egyptians for pay. When wars are among 
 nations, strangers will flock out of all parts unto them, 
 to be their auxiliaries. Some make them the Arabians. 
 
 " Chub." This word is no where else in holy 
 writ. Symmaclms thought it to be Arabia, but in- 
 
 terpreters by it understand the Cubisans, and people 
 in the inward Libya, near unto the river Nigris, 
 where Ptolemy, in his Geography, places the city 
 Cuphe. 
 
 " The men of the land that is in league." The 
 Hebrew is, the sons of the land of league. Piscalor 
 translates the words thus, those who live in a land 
 confederate, that is, these were confederate with the 
 Egyptians : some put these words ujion the nations 
 which had engaged themselves to help the Egyp- 
 tians ; others more probably put them upon Judea, 
 which was the land in league with God, for God 
 j)romised it to Abraham and liis posterity, whereupon 
 the Jews were called the children of the covenant, 
 Acts iii. 25 : and the Septuagint here hath it, tUv 
 VU1V riJQ ctaBijKijg fia, the Sons of my testament, or 
 covenant. The Jews were in league with the Egyp- 
 tians, and after the destruction of Jerusalem, Geda- 
 liah being treacherously slain by Ishmacl and others, 
 Johanan carrieth the Jews, the sons of the land in 
 league, into Egypt, where they suffered by Nebu- 
 chadnezzar what the Egyptians did, Jer. xliii. xliv ; 
 some fell by the sword, some were carried captive. 
 
 064'. 1. After days of mirth come days of sorrow. 
 Egypt had seen many days of prosperity and rejoic- 
 ing, and now, " Howl ye. Woe worth the day !" her 
 summer was over, and winter coming upon her, 
 black, cloudy, stormy, terrible days were at hand. 
 As there is a change in things, so in times : Eccles. 
 iii. 4, " There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh ; 
 a time to mourn, and a time to dance ;" these suc- 
 ceed each other, and neither keeps possession long ; 
 mirth and jollity is thrust out of doors, after a few 
 days, by its contrary. Babylon had her days of 
 delight ; she was given to pleasure, Isa. xlvii. 8 ; 
 but suddenly there was a change ; Jer. li. 8, " Baby- 
 lon is suddenly fallen and destroyed : howl for her." 
 
 Obs. 2. The approaching of those days, wherein 
 God will visit and punish sinners, is just cause of 
 mourning. " Howl ; for the day of the Lord is near, 
 a cloudy day." The judgments of God were at hand, 
 ready to take hold of the Egyptians, therefore they 
 had sufficient cause to howl. Isa. xiii. 6, " Howl 
 ye ; for the day of the Lord is at hand ; it shall 
 come as a destruction from the Almighty." It is 
 spoken of tlie Babylonians, who thought themselves 
 safe, strong, having subdued most nations ; but they 
 must howl, for that the day of the Lord drew near : 
 it should be a day for destruction, and not an ordi- 
 nary destruction, but as a destruction fi-om the Al- 
 mighty ; it should be such a destruction, as should pro- 
 claim to the world that the hand of God was emi- 
 nently in it. Joel ii. 1, " Let all the inhabitants of 
 the land tremble : for the day of the Lord cometh, 
 for it is nigh at hand :" the time of Nebuchadnezzar's 
 coming to execute the judgments of God upon Jeru- 
 salem and Judea drew nigh, and thereupon the pro- 
 phet calls upon all the inhabitants of the land to 
 tremble, to repent and mourn. There is great and 
 just cause so to do at such times, because thereby 
 judgments may be averted, delayed, mitigated, or 
 sanctified unto us. 
 
 Obi-. 3. God hath his times to visit heathens. " It 
 shall be the time of the heathen." If heathens do 
 God any service, he hatli a time to reward them, as 
 he did Nebuchadnezzar, by giving him the spoil of 
 Egypt; if heathens do provoke him by their ])ride, 
 idolatry, profaneness, oppression of his people, or 
 any other way, he hath his time and day to pun- 
 ish them. Jer. xlvi. 8 — 10, " Egypt riseth up like 
 a flood, and his w' aters are moved like the rivers ; and 
 he saith, I will go up, and will cover the earth ; I 
 will destroy the city " (that was Carchemish, by the 
 river Euphrates) " and the inhabitants thereof. Come
 
 Ver. G— 9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 643 
 
 up, ye horses ; and rage, ye chariots ; and let the 
 mighty men come forth ; the Ethiopians and the 
 Libyans, that handle the shield ; and the Lydians, 
 that handle and bend the bow. For this is the day 
 of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that 
 he may avenge him of his adversaries." The Egyp- 
 tians, Ethiopians, Libyans, and Lydians, were all 
 heathens, and God had his day to visit them : when 
 they went to Euphrates to fight the Babylonians, he 
 made the Babylonish sword drunk with their blood. 
 Not long after, God had a day for the Babylonians : 
 Jer. 1. 27, " Slay all her bullocks ; let them go down 
 to the slaughter : woe unto them ! for their day is 
 come, the time of their visitation ;" the princes, 
 nobles, great ones, who were the bullocks of Baby- 
 lon, had their day of slaughter. 
 
 Obs. -t. Where public judgments come, they are 
 troublesome to neighbour nations. " The sword 
 shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in 
 Ethiopia." The evil of the sword was not confined 
 w^ithin the Egyptian borders, it reached to the Ethi- 
 opians and others, they were filled with fear, they 
 were in pain, as a woman in travail. When evil 
 borders upon us, some evil or mischief is to be feared 
 from thence ; if our neighbour's house be on fire, 
 we may fear some sparks of that fire may fall on 
 ours : the wars of England have made the nations 
 about us to be in pain. 
 
 Obs. 5. Wars lay all waste, the sword makes no 
 diti'erence between things or persons. " The sword 
 shall come upon Egypt, and her foundations shall 
 be broken down ; and the men of the land that is in 
 league shall fall with them by the sword." As the 
 sword spared no city, towers, castles, so no persons, 
 even those Jews that fled to Egypt for safety should 
 not escape ; what Jews, what mingled people it 
 found in Egypt, they all suffered alike, the sword 
 pitied, spared none. 
 
 Ver. 6 — 9. Thus saith the Lord ; They also 
 thill uphold Egiipt shall fall ; and the pride of 
 her power shall come down : from the lower of 
 Syene shall they fall in it hy the sword, saith the 
 Lord God. And they shall be desolate in the 
 viidst of the countries that are desolate, and her 
 cities shall he in the midst of the cities that are 
 wasted. And they shall know that I am the 
 Lord, when I hare set afire in Egypt, and when 
 all her helpers shall be destroyed. In that day 
 shall messengers go forth from me in ships to 
 make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great 
 pain shall come upon them,as in the day of Egypt: 
 for, lo, it Cometh. 
 
 In these words is further set forth the destruction 
 of Egypt, with those that were her strength and con- 
 federates, as also the events following thereupon. 
 
 Ver. 6. " They also that uphold Egypt shall 
 fall." The Hebrew word is, '3i:d which Monfanus 
 renders, upholding; the Septuagint, the foundation 
 of Egypt. These upholders, or foundations, were 
 not the titular gods, but the princes, nobles, rulers, 
 and confederates, who, by their power, policy, per- 
 sons, and estates, did assist the king of Egypt. 
 
 " The pride of her power shall come down." Egypt 
 had strong towns, castles, men, and presumed upon, 
 was proud of them ; but these should be destroyed, and 
 taken away, so should her pride come down. The 
 Vulgate is, the pride of her empire shall be destroy- 
 ed ; whatever Egypt confided or gloried in, that 
 should be brought low. Egypt was lifted up with 
 her power, and sat like one on the top of a mountain, 
 and (iod by his judgments would bring her down. 
 2 T 2 
 
 " From the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by 
 the sword." Of the " tower of Syene," or Sevene, 
 was spoken, chap. xxix. 10. The meaning is. That 
 the sword should pass through all Egypt, from one 
 border to another. 
 
 Ver. 7. " And they shall be desolate in the midst 
 of the countries that are desolate." This verse is 
 the same with the 12th verse of chap. xxix. Egypt 
 and her cities should be like other lands and cities, 
 which were extremely wasted. 
 
 Ver. 8. " When 1 have set a fire in Egypt." Wlien 
 God brought the Chaldean army into Egypt, there 
 was a fire in it dreadful and consumptive ; the wars 
 were terrible, and devoured all things like fire, and 
 it is probable many strong cities and holds were 
 burnt with fire. 
 
 " When all her helpers shall be destroyed." Egypt 
 being rich, powerful, and renowned, had many con- 
 federates, which here are called " helpers." They 
 should all be vain " helpers," for they should not 
 secure or save themselves. 
 
 Ver. 9. " In that day shall messengers go forth 
 from me in ships." In that day when Egypt was 
 conquered, messengers, not Chaldeans, but Egyptians, 
 or some that escaped the sword, fled into Ethiopia 
 to inform them what the Chaldeans had done, and 
 in what case they left Egypt. They are said to go 
 forth from God, because they went by his counsel and 
 providence, or because they fled from his angry coun- 
 tenance, which appeared in the destruction of Egypt ; 
 for the original is, from my face ; God sent them to 
 carry tidings of his dreadful judgments to the Ethi- 
 opians. They went in ships, D'XS in some vessels 
 that were for speed : the Septuagint is, aTrtvCovTig, 
 hastening. 
 
 " To make the careless Ethiopians afraid." Ne- 
 buchadnezzar passed through the oriental Ethiopia 
 to come to Egypt, and these " Ethiopians " seem to 
 be the African Ethiopians ; and when Egypt was 
 spoiled from one boi'der to another, even to Syene, 
 he was near it, his passage lay fair, open, and easy 
 into it : and it is not said that Nebuchadnezzar 
 should not go beyond Syene, but that Egypt should 
 be made desolate fi'om the tower of Syene to Cush, 
 that was the other Ethiopia. The messengers hasted 
 to this southern Ethiopia, (the inhabitants whereof 
 were a secure, careless people,) and assured them 
 the sword had devoured Egypt, and was come to 
 their gates ; this struck fear into them. The Hebrew 
 word, to make afraid, is. Tin which notes outward 
 trembling, from fear of some sudden evil ; such 
 tidings put all Ethiopia into trembling. 
 
 " And great pain shall come upon them, as m the 
 day of Egypt." When sad and grievous judgments 
 are upon a place, that is called the " day " of that 
 place ; as, the day of Jerusalem : Psal. cxxxvii. 7, 
 " In the day of Jerusalem, the Edomites said, Rase 
 it, rase it, even to the foundations thereof" When 
 Nebuchadnezzar besieged, took, spoiled, and burnt 
 Jerusalem, that was the " day " of it : so here, " in 
 the day of Egypt," that was, when the plagues were 
 upon it, especially when their firstborn were slain, 
 then were they in great pain. When the land was 
 in travail, and when they were all drowTied in the 
 Red sea, then great pain was upon all the nations 
 round about : so here, Ethiopia should be in travail, 
 filled with fears and shaking fits, as Egypt and the 
 nations then were. 
 
 Obs. 1. When God will visit a nation, it is not 
 their great ones in it, or confederates with it, which 
 can secure it. They that uphold Egypt shall fall ; 
 the princes, nobles, counsellors, associates, and who- 
 soever were in league with her, should all feel the 
 hand of God, and be crushed with her. When men
 
 G44 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXX, 
 
 tlo storm a city, it ij not licr outworks, her walls, her 
 gates, lier towers, that can preserve her ; and when 
 God will destroy a nation, it is not outward nor in- 
 ward helps can uphold : no policy, no power, no 
 nunitier can stand it out against God. 
 
 Ubs. 2. States are not to confide in power, but 
 pride and confidence therein hastens their ruin. 
 Egypt had power, was proud thereof, and confided 
 therein, and the Lord said, " The pride of her power 
 shall come down." Isa. xvi. 6, "We have heard of the 
 pride of Moab ; he is very proud, even of his 
 haughtiness and his pride : hut his lies shall not be so." 
 He thought himself strong, secure, but his pride and 
 confidence did deceive him ; for, ver. 7, " Therefore 
 shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl;" 
 the Moabiles amongst themselves should howl, one 
 for and with another : " for the foundations of 
 Kir-hareseth shall ye mourn ; surely they are 
 stricken." Kir-hareseth was a chief city "for strength, 
 in which they placed much confidence, and to which 
 they fled in their straits ; but her foundations were 
 stricken, and their hopes disappointed, and the pride 
 of their power brought down. It is the pride of 
 states and princes which levels them with others : 
 Isa. X. 12, "I will punish the fruit of the stout heart 
 of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high 
 looks." Sennacherib prided himself in his great 
 army, and presumed he should take Jerusalem, and 
 eat up all the prey thereof; but his high looks were 
 abased, and his confidences his ruin, 2 Kings xix. 
 35—37. 
 
 Oha. 3. God sends dreadful and consumptive judg- 
 ments upon nations, and makes himself known 
 thereby. " They shall know that I am the Lord, 
 when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her 
 helpers shall be destroyed." 'it is God kindles fires 
 in nations and kingdoms, to consume towns and 
 cities ; men, and their habitations, they are all his, 
 and he may do to them what he pleases, having 
 transgressed his laws. By fire and sword did the 
 Lord plead with the Egyptians, laying all waste, and 
 by so doing, made himself known to be a powerful, 
 righlcous, and dreadful God. 
 
 Oha. 4. In the sorest judgments of God upon men, 
 usually some escape. God threatened Egypt, chap. 
 xxix. 8, that he would " cut off man and beast, and 
 make it utterly waste " fi-om one end to the other, ver. 
 lOj yet here in the Dth verse he saith, " Messengers 
 shall go forth ; " some should escape to carry tidings 
 of his severe judgments. 
 
 Oi.v. 5. Those things which seem accidental and 
 casual unto us, are ordered by the wise counsel, 
 power, and providence of God. " In that day shall 
 messengers go forth from me in ships." When all 
 Egypt was in a confusion, some running one way 
 and some another to secure themselves, and some 
 hastening unto ships to tell others what the Chal- 
 deans had done, in the midst of these hurries and 
 disorders, God saw, acted, sent out messengers. 
 They went not, however the appearance was to mtn, 
 without God's ordering hand; themselves thought 
 of no such thing, nor those they went unto ; they 
 dreamed not that they were sent 'forth of God, that 
 they came from him ; it was looked upon as a mere 
 contingency, but God's hand w-as in if. Things may 
 be contingent to us, they are not so to God. 
 
 Obs. (j. Such is the efficacy of God's judgments 
 made known, that they do iifii'ict those who are at a 
 distance from them, and fill the most secure with 
 fears and pains. The Ethiopians were absent from 
 the judgments executed uj.on the Egyptians, they 
 were secure, careless people ; but wlien the mes- 
 sengers told them their cities were burnt, their men 
 slain, their foundations and helpers destroyed, they 
 
 were afraid, and great pains came upon them, they 
 were in travail for their lives, liberties, and estates. 
 There is a mighty power in the judgments of God to 
 terrify sinners even at a distance. When Tyrus was 
 destroyed, such was the efficacy of that judgment upon 
 those afar otT, that it is said, all the princes of the 
 sea clothed themselves with trembling, Ezck. xxvi. 
 l(i: so that we may say of God's judgments, as 
 David, Ps^l. xc. II, "Who knoweth the power of 
 thine anger ? " who knows what efficacy it is of, and 
 how far it extends .•' 
 
 Obs. 7. Former judgments are not to be forgotten. 
 " As in the day of Egypt." God had visited Egypt 
 many hundreds of years before, and now he minds 
 them of that visitation. So, Isa. ix. 4, God mentions 
 the days of the Midianites, minds them of the great 
 destruction of the Midianites by Gideon, Judg. vii. 
 and viii. God minds the days of men's simiing. 
 Hos. ix. 9, "They have deeply corrupted themselves, 
 as in the days of Gibeah;" and therefore he would 
 visit their sins : and when he hath visited for sins, 
 he would have us remember those visitations; Jer. 
 vii. 12, "Go to Shiloh, and see what I did to it for 
 the wickedness of my people Israel." As we should 
 remember ancient and former mercies, to strengthen 
 our faith, so ancient and former judgments, to quick- 
 en our fears. 
 
 Ver. 10 — 12. Thus saith the Lord God; I will 
 also inah'e the multitude of Egypt to cease by the 
 haiid of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. He 
 and his people ivith him, the terrible of the nations, 
 shall be brought to destroy the land: and tJieij 
 shall draiv their sivords against Egypt, and Jill the 
 land with the slain. And I will make the rivers 
 dry, and sell the hmd into the hand of the wicked : 
 and I will make the land waste, and all that is 
 therein, by the hand of strangers : I the Lord have 
 sjtoken it. 
 
 These words hold out unto us the efficient and in- 
 strumental causes of the forementioned judgmentsj 
 which are in part repieated. 
 
 Ihe efficient cause is God himself, ver. 10, 12. 
 
 The instrumental are, Nebuchadrezzar and his 
 peojde, ver. 10, II. 
 
 Ihe judgments repeated are, the destruction of 
 Egypt and the Egyptians, putting the land into the 
 hands of others, with an addition of drying up the 
 rivers. 
 
 Ver. 10. " I will also make the multitude of Egyiit 
 to cease." The Hebrew word for "multitude" is, 
 V\zr\ which signifies both multitude and noise, or 
 where there isa multitude there wdl be a noise. Egypt 
 was populous, and God would diminish the people, 
 they should be slain, and carried away captive, so 
 should both the multitude and noise cease. Increase 
 of people is a blessing, the lessening of them a 
 judgment. 
 
 "By the hand of Nebuchadrezzar." "Hand" 
 here notes power, as in 2 Chron. xxi. 10; and Job i. 
 12, " All that he hath is in thy power," the Hebrew 
 is, in thy hand. Nebuchadrezzar, by his mighty, 
 powerfid arm, should come and lay all Egypt waste, 
 and make it like a wilderness. Armies are the hands 
 of princes, by which they do great and dreadful things. 
 
 Ver. II. "The terrible of the nations shall be 
 brought to destroy the land." The word for " terri- 
 ble " is from \'-iy to deal violently, to terrify, wliich 
 Piscator renders, the most cruel ; the Septuaguit,Xoi(<r;, 
 plagues; and Junius, the most violent : Vatablus c;dls 
 them, the tyrants of nations ; those who w ere most 
 tyrannical and terrible God brought and set on woik
 
 Vcr. 10—12. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 645 
 
 to destroy the lan>l. The Cbalileans were a "bitter 
 nation, terrible and dreadful," Hab. i. 6, 7 ; these 
 words we had chap, xxviii. 7 ; so terrible tliey were 
 that thiy sliould fill the land with dead bodies. 
 AVhen an army of friends pass through a country no 
 hurt is done ; but when an army of tyrants, of strong 
 and terrible enemies, come to spoil, what mischief 
 will they not do! 
 
 Yer. 12. " And I will make the rivers dry," He- 
 brew, drought. Though the Chaldean army was 
 great, yet not so great as to drink up all the waters 
 of Nilus, which is one of the chiefest rivers in the 
 world. Nilus had many rivulets cut out of it, whereby 
 the land was watered ;" all those might they stop up 
 with earth and other materials, for their better pas- 
 sage, and so the rivers were made dry. Or by rivers 
 we may understand that benefit which came by tlicra ; 
 the Clialdeans should take away all the wealth of Egypt 
 which came by the rivers, and so the rivers were as 
 dry things to the Egyptians. So Maldonate and some 
 others interpret the words ; but rather thus, God would 
 send great spoil and desolation into Egypt, whereby 
 the rivers might become useless unto them : or, should 
 we take the words literally, as some expositors are 
 of tlie mind, viz. that for the great wickedness of the 
 Egyptians God dried up Nilus, and punished them 
 with sore famine, as in the days of Joseph it was, 
 when there were seven years of famine, this sense 
 may be safe : or we may take " rivers" for the people 
 and their power. 
 
 " Ai.d sell the land into the hand of the wicked." 
 The Lord gives, he doth not sell. The word for sell- 
 ing is, nsD which signifies, to give, to deliver, as 
 well as to sell ; and the Septuagint saith, dTroCwrro/joi, 
 I will give the land. Those who sell do deliver 
 what they sell into the hands of others ; and this is 
 attributed to God metaphorically, for that he dispos- 
 ed of the land of Egypt to others, that is, the Chal- 
 deans, who are called w'icked: the Vulgate hath it, 
 into the hands of the worst. 
 
 " I will make the land waste, and all that is there- 
 in." Egypt was a land abounding with men, horses, 
 chariots, wealth, cities, and all desirable things ; but 
 God would make it desolate, and all the fulness of 
 it ; so the words are in Hebrew, for " all that is 
 therein ;" it had a fulness of all things, and by the 
 liand of the Chaldeans it was emptied, who in the 
 next words are called " strangers," because they were 
 such to the Egyptians. 
 
 " I the Lord have spoken it." These words are 
 a rr.titication of what is threatened. Ezekiel hath 
 not spoken a vision of his own, or from his own spi- 
 rit, but what is said is the word of the eternal God ; 
 " I the Lord have spoken it," I have^determined it 
 shall be so, and nothing shall let it. 
 
 Oht.: I. God hath ways to empty lands of their 
 muhitude and fulness. Egypt had her multitude 
 of men, of beasts, of cities, of riches, she had her 
 fulness of all things ; and God had an army, a mul- 
 titude of soldiers, to plunder and spoil her, to empty 
 her of all her multitudes and fulness. Jerusalem 
 had its multitudes and fulness, but Nebuchadnezzar 
 emptied her, and made her like an empty vessel, Jer. 
 li. 34. Babylon had her multitudes and fulness of 
 treasure, Jer. li. 13, and God had fanners to fan her, 
 ver. 2, and empty her land ; those fanners were the 
 Mtdes and Persians, who scattered the Babylonians, 
 and made a ]irey of their treasures. 
 
 06.V. 2. When God will execute severe judgments, 
 he makes use of suitable instruments. He intended 
 utter destruction to Egypt, and " the terrible of the 
 nations" were brought to destroy it. Nebuchad- 
 nezzar had men out of many nations, and the trrrible 
 ones of those nations, by the secret hand of God, 
 
 were brought to lay Egypt waste. They roared like 
 lions, Isa. V. 29 ; they were cruel and without mercy, 
 Jer. vi. 23; they hanged princes by their hands. 
 Lam. v. 12; and here, they tilled the land with the 
 slain. 
 
 Obs. 3. God's designs shall go on whatever lies in 
 the way to hinder. He was resolved upon the de- 
 struction of Egypt, the rivers of it lay in the "way, so 
 that an army could not get over Nilus, that great 
 river; if gotten over, it could not march and do the 
 work appointed, for the multitude of little rivers 
 which were in the land : shall these hinder the de- 
 sign of God ? no ; he will dry up the rivers to make 
 way unto his designs ; the Babylonians shall pass 
 over, and pierce through the wdiole land. "When the 
 Israelites were at the Red sea, that lay as an im- 
 pediment unto God's design, which was to carry 
 them to Canaan ; but did it hinder tlie same ? No ; 
 " Speak to the cliildren of Israel, that they g:o for- 
 ward." What ! go forward and be drowned in the 
 sea ? No ; because they had not faith to go upon 
 the waters, therefore he divides the waters, and 
 makes a dry path fur them through the midst of the 
 deeps, Exod. xiv. There were mountains in the way 
 hindering the building of the temple, but one great 
 mountain above all the rest : Zcch. iv. 7, " Who art 
 thou, O great mountain ? " Whether it were the 
 Persian monarchy, or Satan and all the enemies of 
 the Jews, God made it a plain before Zerubbabel ; 
 and notwithstanding all enemies and opposition, he 
 carried on the work of God. Tilings may be too 
 hard for men, impossible for them, but nothing is 
 too hard for or impossible to the Lord. He enabled 
 Nebuchadnezzar to take Tyrus, to destroy Egypt ; 
 all the rivers thereof shall not hinder it, God wiU 
 dry them up rather than his design sliall fail : Psal. 
 Ixxiv. 15, " Thou driedst up might)- rivers." God 
 hatli divided seas, plained mountains, and dried up 
 rivers in our days, to make way for his designs ; and 
 in due time he will dry up the great river Euphrates 
 to make way for the kings of the east. Rev. xvi. 12. 
 
 06s. 4. All lands are the Lord's, and he may dis- 
 pose of them to whom he will, even to the wicked. 
 He sold, he gave the land of Egypt into tlie hands of 
 the Babylonians who were wiclied, yea, the worst of 
 men, Ezek. vii. 24. Kingdoms are not such excel- 
 lent things as we imagine ; were they so, they would 
 not be given to God's enemies. That kingdom is of 
 great worth which God gives to his children, Lulte 
 xii. 32. 
 
 Ver. 13—19. Tlius sciith the Lord God ; I u-ill 
 also destroy the idols, and I tctll cinise their 
 images to cease out of Noph ; and there shall he 
 no more a prince of the land of Egypt : and I will 
 put a fear in the land of Egypt. And I will make 
 Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and 
 will execute judgments in No. And I will pt.ur 
 my fury upon Sin, the strength of Egypt ; and I 
 will cut off' the multitude of No. And I will set 
 fire in Egypt : Sin shall hare great pain, and No 
 shall be rent asunder, aud Noph shall have dis- 
 tresses daily. The young men (f Aven and of 
 Pi-beseth shall fall by the sivord : and these cities 
 shall go into captirity. At Tehaphnehes also the 
 day shall be darkened, when I shall break there 
 the yokes of Egypt : and the pomp tfher strength 
 shall cease in her : as for her, a cloud shall cover 
 her, and her daughters sludl go into captivity. 
 Thus will I execute judgnanits in Egypt: and 
 they shall k/iow that I am the Eird.
 
 G46 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. XXX. 
 
 Having formerly threatened destruction to Egypt 
 and her cities in general, the prophet descends now 
 to particulars, in ver. 13 — 18 ; and then, in ver. 19, 
 shows what is the end of God in his exercising judg- 
 ments, viz. that they may know him to be the Lord. 
 
 " 1 will destroy the idols." Egypt was the most 
 idolatrous land of any, and God would now destroy 
 the idols out of it. The word for idols is, D"^'^J 
 which Piscator renders, dung, filth, so the word sig- 
 nifies ; and their idols were dunghill, filthy gods, 
 fitter to be trodden under foot by man and beast, 
 than to be worshipped. 
 
 " I will cause their images to cease." D'S'Sn 
 images, from S'Sn nothing, for an image or idol is 
 a tlnng of no account, 1 Cor. viii. 4; it cannot pro- 
 fit : therefore, Isa. ii. 20, they shall cast away their 
 idols as useless things, and God would make them 
 to cease. 
 
 " Out of Noph." This " Noph" was a great city 
 in Egypt, very populous, and famous for the pyra- 
 mids and monuments of kings, who leaving Thebes, 
 made that the royal city : Isa. xix. 13, " The princes 
 of Noph." Thither many of the Jews fied, Jcr. 
 xliv. 1. It was seated on the west side of Nihis 
 ovcr-against Cairo. Though it was once the me- 
 tropolis of Egypt, now nothing remains but the mere 
 ruins. The Vulgate renders it, Memphis, and so it 
 was commonly called by heathen writers ; and Hos. 
 ix. 6, " Memphis shall bury them." In this city 
 was that idol Apis, in the form of an ox, worshipped ; 
 like unto it was the calf the Jews made when Moses 
 was in the mount, and those calves Jeroboam set up 
 at Dan and Bethel. 
 
 " And there shall be no more a prince of the land 
 of Egypt." God would so visit Egypt that he would 
 either cut off all the royal blood, not leaving any of 
 the Egyptian race to reign, or, which is more con- 
 sonant to truth, he would keep Egypt a long time 
 without any prince. He had threatened in the 
 former chapter, ver. II, 12, that Egypt should be 
 desolate forty years, and that is the time here 
 meant, " there shall be no more a prince of the land 
 of Egypt." Lavater extends these words no more 
 beyond the forty years, saying, that for a long time 
 they had no kings, for after that time the Macedo- 
 nians, Romans, and Saracens ruled over them. 
 
 " And I will put a fear in the land of Egypt." 
 The Egyptians were like the Ethiopians, a secure, 
 careless people, they trusted in their rivers, their 
 cities, their horse, their foot, their confederates and 
 wealth ; therefore God would awaken them, and put 
 a fear into all sorts ; they should fear the issue of 
 things, an enemy being at hand, and ready to lay 
 all waste. 
 
 Ver. 14. " And 1 will make Pathros desolate." 
 Of " Pathros" was spoken chap. xxix. 14. There 
 it is joined with "the land of Pathros;" here it is 
 reckoned amongst cities ; and Junius saith it is 
 likely to be that city which afterwards men com- 
 monly called, the little city of Hercules, because it 
 was strong, and situate in the front of Egypt for de- 
 fence of it. When Nebuchadnezzar came into Egypt, 
 he made desolate both Pathros the country, and 
 Pathros the city. 
 
 " And will set fire in Zoan." " Zoan" was a city 
 in Egypt very ancient, built seven years after He- 
 bron, Numb. xiii. 22; a royal city where the princes 
 resided, Isa. xix. 11, to it came princes from Judea 
 for help, Isa. XXX. 4. The Septuagint calls it Tanis; 
 and because it was not far from Nilus, one of the 
 mouths of Nilus was called Ostium Tanicum, or 
 Taniticum. Among authors there is mention of 
 Tanis in Goshen, and Tanis on the other side Nilus, 
 where Memphis was ; and because the Jews dwelt 
 
 in Goshen, I conceive Tanis in Goshen is sometimes 
 meant in Scripture, and not always the other Tanis, 
 or Zoan ; as Psal. Ixxviii. 12, 43, God did marvel- 
 lous things and wonders "in the field of Zoan," or 
 Tanis, that might be that where the Jews inhabited. 
 By " fire " here may be understood fire materially, 
 which consumed Zoan to a.shes ; or fire metaphori- 
 cally, God's vengeance upon it by the sword. 
 
 "And will execute judgments in No." "No" 
 was another great city in Egypt, of which the pro- 
 phet Nahum speaks thus, chap. iii. 8, " Art thou 
 better than populous No, that was situate among 
 the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose 
 rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the 
 sea." The word for " populous " is, jlcN which 
 signifies, nourishing. No was the mother and nurse 
 of all Egypt, by reason of her great wealth and 
 traffic, situate amongst the rivers cut out of Nilus. 
 The Septuagint terms it, ^ioctttoXic ; the Chaldee 
 paraphrast, rabbles, and most expositors make it to 
 be the city which in after-times was called Alexan- 
 dria. Junius thinks it that city and tract which 
 Ptolemy calls Ncuth. This city God did punish, for 
 it was idolatrous, Jer. xlvi. 25. 
 
 Ver. 15. " I will pour my fury upon Sin, the 
 strength of Egypt." Exod. xvi. 1, mention is made 
 of " the wilderness of Sin," which some expositors 
 affirm had its name from this city here called Sin, 
 which afterward obtained the name Pelusium, and 
 was by that mouth of Nilus termed Ostium Pelusionun, 
 over-against Arabia Petra'a, and is now called Da- 
 miata Ca.-italdo Zeig/ero ; and Suidas names it, clavis 
 Egypti, the key of Egyjit, and our prophet, " the 
 strength of Egypt :" it was of grand import to hinder 
 the coming in or going out of ships ; so strong it 
 was, that God must pour his fury upon it, else it 
 would not be ruined. 
 
 " And I will cut off the multitude of No." This 
 city " No" had great trading, and idol gods in it, 
 both which drew multitudes of people ; but the Lord 
 would cut them off, some by the sword, some by 
 captivity, and some by other judgments. 
 
 Ver. 16. "I will set fire in Egypt." In ver. 14 
 he said, " 1 will set fire in Zoan," and here, " in 
 Egj'pt." The Babylonians were firebrands, whom 
 God brought to consume all Egypt and her glory. 
 
 " Sin shall have great pain." The Helirew is, she 
 shall be in such pain as women in travail are ; God 
 would pour his fury upon her, and that would pain 
 her to purpose. 
 
 " No shall be rent asunder." Garments we use 
 to rend in pieces, and weak materials. Cities are 
 weak things when God comes to deal with them, he 
 can rend theni asunder ; the strongest walls, towers, 
 houses, he can in a moment pull in pieces, as easily 
 as the strongest man can paper or clothes. 
 
 " And Noph shall have distresses daily." " Noph " 
 shall hear of and meet with those things as should 
 put her into continual straits ; provisions should fail 
 her, the spirit of her soldiers and inhabitants should 
 fail her, her hope of help from confederates should 
 fail her ; so daily she should have distress, and 
 especially when besieged by the enemy. 
 
 Ver. 17. "The young men of Aven." " Aven," 
 the Septuagint has it, Helio|)oIis, which is, the city 
 of the sun ; and Isa. xix. IS, it is called, D">nn i*y tlie 
 city of the sun, so it is rendered in the margin; and 
 it was so called, because it was the image and tem- 
 ple of the sun. It was sometimes in holy w\\X called 
 On ; Gen. xli. 45, Pharaoh gave Joseph " to wife 
 Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On ;" 
 of Heliopolis, saitli the Septuagint. It was after by 
 the Grecians called Thebe, by the Arabians Beth- 
 semes. The men of this city were accounted the
 
 Vf.r. 13—19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 M7 
 
 wisest of all the Egyptians; neither their wisdom 
 nor their strength could preserve them from falling 
 by the sword. 
 
 " And of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword." This 
 city is affirmed to be Bubastis or Bubastus, a city in 
 Egypt, where Diana, whom the Egyptians called 
 Bubastis, had a temple ; and there was once a year 
 great solemnity had in honour of Diana. By some 
 it is called Pubastum. 
 
 " These cities shall go into capti-vity." The inhabit- 
 ants of them shall be taken and carried away by 
 Nebuchadnezzar and his forces, viz. the citizens of 
 Aven and Pi-beseth. 
 
 Ver. 18. " At Tehaphnehcs also the day shall be 
 darkened." Some make this city to be the same 
 with Zoan or Tanis. In Jeremiah it is called 
 " Tahpanhes," chap. xliv. 1 ; in it dwelt many of 
 the fugitive Jews : it is thought to be so called from 
 Tahpcnes the queen wife of Pharaoh, 1 Kings xi. 
 19. In Isa. XXX. 4, it is named " Hanes " or Chanes; 
 in Jer. xliii. 7, Tahpanhes, so it is in the Hebrew ; 
 and it was a royal city, ver. 9, Pharaoh's house was 
 there. It is by some expositors said to be Daphnse 
 or Daphnis, which was in o.stio Nili Pelusiano ; of 
 this judgment was Junius in his Notes on Jer. xxx. 
 4 ; but in this place he makes Tehaphnehes to be 
 in the remotest part of Egypt southward, above 
 Syene, where Nilus makes an island, called Tacomp- 
 so, or Cacompso, by Herodotus. Now there should 
 the day be darkened, that is, turned into night, by 
 reason of mourning and sadness ; all their mirth 
 should be taken away, fears, sorrows, distresses 
 should come as thick clouds upon them, and darken 
 all. 
 
 " When I shall break there the yokes of Egypt." 
 The Egyptians held them there in great subjection, 
 ruled over them tyrannically, they made them serve 
 like beasts, with yokes on their necks and burdens 
 on their backs. God would set them at liberty, and 
 put yokes upon the Egyptians' own necks. Junius 
 thinks there were some works or chains in those 
 parts to keep out the Ethiopians from making in- 
 cursions into Egypt. Lavater reads the words, rectes 
 Aigypti, the bars of Egypt. The people thereupon 
 were put to great taxes and hard services, which were 
 yokes. Some read, the sceptres of Egypt, the word 
 niBO is rendered by some, sceptres : where there are 
 sceptres, power, there will be heavy and burdensome 
 things, such laws, decrees, orders, taxes, services im- 
 posed upon the people, as that they may well be 
 called yokes, bonds, bars, lets to their liberty and 
 comfort : these yokes would God break and remove 
 from their necks and backs. 
 
 " And the pomp of her strength shall cease in 
 Inr." The Hebrew is, the pride of her strength. 
 Egypt had strong cities, strong garrisons, which 
 made her proud, confident. The Septuagint is, the 
 injury or violence of her power and strength ; 
 she abused her strength in oppressing others, and 
 God would put an end unto it, he would destroy it, 
 and she should no more glory in her strong holds, 
 or in her multitudes of men. 
 
 " As for her, a cloud shall cover her." Here is a 
 nominative case absolute in the Hebrew, N'M which is 
 rendered, "As for her," that is, Tehaphnehes, "a cloud 
 shall cover her ;" Nebuchadnezzar's army, which 
 broiight a cloud of fears, a cloud of sorrows, a cloud 
 of perplexities, a cloud of repioach. Such a cloud 
 was upon Worcester. 
 
 " And her daughters shall go into captivity." By 
 " daughters " we may understand the women of 
 Tehaphnehes, who properly were the daughters 
 thereof; or, the little towns thereabouts, each were 
 under the protection and power of Tehaphnehes. 
 
 and so were her daughters metaphorically. The 
 inhabitants of them sliould be carried away into 
 Babylon. 
 
 Ver. 19. " Thus will I execute judgments in 
 Egypt." " Egypt " was full of sin, and God filled it 
 with his judgments from one end to the other; he 
 said he would cut off man and beast, break down her 
 foundations, dry up the rivers, lay all waste, fiU the 
 land with the slain, send multitudes into captivity ; 
 and " thus will I execute judgments in Egypt." 
 
 Obs. 1 . Idols and idolatrous worship are so far fi-om 
 benefiting a state, as that they provoke God to ruin 
 them, and the state with them. Egypt had many 
 idols, many images, in most cities they were set up 
 and worshipped ; this caused God to destroy them, 
 and Egypt with them. " I will destroy the idols, 
 and wiU cause their images to cease out of Noph ; 
 and I will set fire in Egypt." Idolatry is a sin 
 which robs God of his glory, and so provokes him 
 to fury, to take vengeance on idols and idolatrous 
 kingdoms. Jer. xlvi. 25, " I will punish the multi- 
 tude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their 
 gods, and their kings." The kings set up their 
 idol gods, they commanded and countenanced the wor- 
 shipping of them, therefore they should be punish- 
 ed together. Idolatry is very destructive ; it was the 
 destruction of the ten tribes, 2 Kings xvii. 7 ; and 
 you may see how Judah suffered for this sin : 
 2 C'hron xxviii. 2, Ahaz " made molten images for 
 Baalim," and burnt incense to idols, but what was 
 the issue thereof? ver. 5, 6, the king of Syria 
 " smote him, and carried away a great multitude of 
 them captives. Pekah also the son of Remaliah 
 slew in Judah one hundred and twenty thousand in 
 one day, which were all valiant men, because they 
 had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers ;" they 
 fell to idolatry. Besides the loss of those men, 
 two hundred thousand women, sons, and daughters, 
 were carried away captive, ver. 8. Oh what spoil 
 was Judah brought unto for its abominable idolatry ! 
 
 Obs. 2. God may and can deprive lands of their 
 princes at his pleasure. " There shall be no more 
 a prince of the land of Egypt." Princes have their 
 patents and power from God; Prov. viii. 1(5, "By 
 me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of 
 the earth." It is God sets them up, and he may and 
 doth pull them down as he sees cause : he set up 
 Saul, and he rejected him, 1 Sam. xv. 23; he planted 
 Zedekiah, and pulled him up, Ezck. xvii. 8, 9. " He 
 cuts off the spirit of princes ; he is terrible to the 
 kings of the earth," Psal. Ixxvi. 12. He cuts them 
 off as suddenly, as easily as the vine-dresser doth 
 branches otf the vine j he is terrible nnto them, 
 2 C'hron. xxxii. 21, he "sent an angel and cut off all 
 the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and cap- 
 tains in the camp of the king of Assyria :" the angel 
 made terrible work among them in one night. God 
 is King of kings, and in the day of his wrath he 
 strikes through them, and deprives their land of 
 them. He can say to any land, as he did to Egyjit, 
 There shall be no more a prince there. 
 
 Obs. 3. There is nothing can secure a wicked 
 prince and nation from the judgments of God. 
 Egypt and her king had many cities, strong cities, 
 populous cities, wealthy cities, men of wisdom and 
 migbt in them, yet these could not keep off the 
 sword and fire : ' I will make Pathros desolate, and 
 will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in 
 No, and pour my fury upon Sin; Nojih shall have 
 distress, the men of Aven and Pi-beseth shall fall by 
 the sword, and a cloud shall cover Tehaphnehes." 
 Men might run from one city to another, but God's 
 judgments would outrun them ; if they escaped one 
 judgment, another would overtake them.
 
 648 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXX. 
 
 Obs. 4. Ciod luith his times to take off the heavy 
 burdens, ti'ibutis, and taxes which are laid upon 
 people by oppressing princes and rulers. " When I 
 shall break there the yokes of Egypt." The rulers 
 of Egypt decreed unrighteous things, oppressed tlie 
 men of Tehaphnehes, sucked their blood by hard rates 
 and taxes, burdened them with difficult and danger- 
 ous services, and made them groan under their yokes : 
 as they did, so do the princes and rulers of most na- 
 tions in the world; but as they have their times to 
 make and increase such yokes upon the people, so 
 God hath his time to take them off. Lev. xxvi. 13, 
 " I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made 
 you to go uj)right." The Jews were under the 
 Egyptian yoke a long time ; but at last he brake the 
 bands of the yoke, those law.s, decrees, that kejjt 
 them in Egypt, held them to hard labour, causing 
 them to stoop ; and made them free, so that they 
 could go upright. Bondage makes men to bow, but 
 liberty, to go upright. Heavy burdens upon people 
 make them sigh, press them down to the earth, and 
 when they are eased they rejoice and look up. It is 
 God breaks the yokes oil', whoever puts them on. 
 Isa. X. 27, " It shall come to pass in that day, that 
 his burden shall be taken away from olT thy shoulder, 
 and his yoke from otf thy neck, and the yoke shall 
 be destroyed because of the anointing." The king 
 of Assyria's burdens and yokes lay heavy and hard 
 upon the Jewish state ; but for Hezekiah's sake, or 
 rather Christ's, who is called " the anointing," he 
 would break the yokes, and take off the burdens. 
 
 Obs. 5. God makes some nations exemplary with 
 his judgments. " Thus will I execute judgments in 
 Egypt ;" thus, as becomes me, a provoked God ; thus, 
 as an idolatrous, profane, guilt)' nation deserves ; thus, 
 as themselves and all nations round about shall know 
 that I am the Lord ; they shall see that in my judg- 
 ments which shall convince them that no hai.d but 
 mine could do such things, take sich strong holds, 
 ruin so many cities, and lay waste such a land as 
 Egypt was. Some lands are theatres of God's severe 
 judgments. We have been made monuments of God's 
 choice mercies, wonderful deliverances. Let us fi ar 
 the Lord and his goodness, lest he turn our mercies 
 into judgments. 
 
 Ver. 20 — 26. And it came to pnss hi (he eleventh 
 j/ear, in the first month, in the seventli day of tlie 
 month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, 
 saying, Son of man, I Jiave broJicn the arm of 
 Pharaoh king- of Jigi/pt ; and, lo, it shall not be 
 hound tip to he healed, to put a roller to hind it, 
 to make it strong to hold the sword. Therefore 
 thns saith the Lord God ; Behold, I am airainst 
 Pharaoh king of Egijpt, and will break his arms, 
 the strong, and that which was broken ; and I 
 vill cavse the stcord to full out of his hand. And 
 I trill scatter the Egt/ptians among the nations, 
 and will disperse them through the countries. 
 And I will strengthen the arms of the king of 
 Pabylon, and put my sword in his hand: hut I 
 will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan 
 before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded 
 man. But I will strengthen the arms of the king 
 of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall 
 down ; and they shall knoiv that I am the Lord, 
 ■when I shall put my sword into the hand of the 
 king of Bahylon, and he shall stretch it out upon 
 the land of Egypt. And I will scatter the Egyp- 
 tians among the nations, and disperse them among 
 
 the countries ; and they shall know that I am the 
 Lord. 
 
 These seven verses are the second general part of 
 the chapter, and treat of two great kings, Pharaoh 
 king of Egypt, and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 
 Concerning Pharaoh, two things are threatened 
 against him ; 
 
 I. Diminution of his power, ver. 21, 22, 24. 
 
 II. Dispersion of his people, ver. 23, 26. 
 Concerning Nebuchadnezzar, he is the instrument 
 
 God will use, and promiseth to strengthen in doing 
 his work, ver. 24, 25. And both these are illustrated 
 fi'om the chronology of this prophecy. 
 
 Ver. 20. " In the eleventh year, in the first month, 
 in the seventh day of the month." That was, in the 
 tleventh year of Jehoiachin's captivity, the first 
 month, and the seventh day, Ezekiel had this pro- 
 phecy given in; it was three months and two days 
 before the taking of Jerusalem, Jer. lii. 5, 0, for it 
 was taken the eleventh year, the fourth month, and 
 the ninth day. This prophecy, though it be set after 
 that in chap. xxix. 17, yet was sixteen years before 
 it. The jienmen of the Scriptures do not exactly ob- 
 serve the order where every thing should come in ; 
 among the Psalms you have the 3rd Psalm, which 
 was n.ade at that time when David fled from Absa- 
 lom, set before the 34th, 51st, Stjth, 57th, 5yth, 60th, 
 and otlu rs, which were made before that, as appears 
 by their titles. 
 
 Ver. 21. " I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king 
 of Egypt." By "arm" the forces and power Pha- 
 raoh had are intended. Vatablus saith the prefer 
 tense is here put for the future tense, " I have 
 broken," that is, I will break ; but Pharaoh had his 
 arm broken before, when the Babylonian forces beat 
 him and his anny by the river Euphrates in Car- 
 chemish, which was in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, 
 Jer. xlvi. 2; and at that time he took from him all 
 that he had b;tween Nilus and Euphrates, 2 Kings 
 xxiv. 7 ; which was the breaking of his arm, and 
 such a breaking as it could not be cured. But not- 
 withstanding this breaking, Pharaoh got up forces 
 again ; and whin Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusa- 
 lem, he came forth out of Egypt; whereupon Ne- 
 buchadnezzar raised his siege, went to meet Pharaoh, 
 and caused him to retreat, Jer. xxxvii. 5, 7, as having 
 a broken arm, and not being able to encounter with 
 him. 
 
 " And, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed," 
 &c. That wound and loss which Pharaoh received by 
 overthrow of his army, he never could cure and re- 
 cover ; neither his own people nor his confederates 
 could SI t him into his former condition ; he is here 
 resembled to a broken arm, which cannot be bound 
 up, or if bound u}i, not be healed, so as to be useful 
 any more : Pharaoh could never recover his strength 
 and greatness again. 
 
 Ve 
 
 ' Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of 
 
 Egypt." Here is the cause of Pharaoh's breakings, 
 his not binding up and healing, the Lord was against 
 him ; not only the Babylonians and Cyreneans were 
 his enemies, but the Lord himself. When he breaks 
 in pieces, who shall bind up ? when he wounds, who 
 shall heal ? when he is an enemy, who can stand 
 before him ? The Lord makes himself Author of aU 
 the judgments which fell upon Pharaoh. 
 
 " And will break his arms, the strong, and that 
 which was broken." Pharaoh's arms were, Egypt, 
 and those territories he had from Egypt to Euphrates. 
 His arm was broken already by the Babyhmians, as 
 you have it before. One arm yet remained, and that 
 is called a strong one, viz. Egyj t with all her strength : 
 this arm God brake by the Cyreneans (against whom
 
 Ver. 20— 2G. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 649 
 
 riiaraoli led out an army which they overthrew) 
 and the civil wars amongst them : after that victory 
 tliey wire so consumed and weakened, that they had 
 not hearts nor means to defend themselves against 
 Nebuchadnezzar when he invaded them. 
 
 " I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand." 
 A\'heii an arm is broken, the hand is disabled from 
 hidding any thing ; so Pharaoh having his arms 
 broken, Syria and Tigypt, the sword shall fall out of 
 his hand, he should not be able any more to make 
 war ; he should neither have forces in the one king- 
 dom or the other to do him service : or thus, if he 
 did get up some forces, and engage with the Baby- 
 lonians, God would so order things that the Egyp- 
 tians should be overcome, throw down their arms, 
 cry for quarter, or flee for safety. 
 
 Ver. 2.3. " And I will scatter the Egyptians among 
 the nations." The Hebrew word for to " scatter " 
 is, yiD which signifies to be broken and dispersed : 
 he spake before of the breaking Pharaoh's forces, 
 and now saith they should be scattered, some running 
 one way, some another, some carried into one part 
 of Babylon, some into another. 
 
 " And will disperse them." m^ which is the He- 
 brew word, signifies to disperse by breaking in 
 pieces, and also by fanning. The Septuagint hath 
 it. \iKfti](j<j, I will fan them; and so Lavater, Piscator, 
 and the Vulgate render the word. God would fan 
 them as chafl' out of the land of Egypt, and drive 
 till m from country to country, as the wind drives 
 chaff from place to place. 
 
 Ver. 2-1. " And I will strengthen the arms of the 
 king of Babylon." 'npin Montanus renders it, I 
 will comfort ; Vatablus, 1 will make strong ; Junius 
 and Piscator, I will confirm ; the Septuagint, I will 
 harden. The word nn saith Kirker, signifies pro- 
 perly, such a taking hold of a man, as thereby to 
 confirm his spirits, and to strengthen him ; God 
 would take hold of Nebuchadnezzar and his forces, 
 so as to add spirit, courage, and strength unto them; 
 lie would be on their side, and make them victorious. 
 He was against Pharaoh, brake his arms, weakened 
 him ; but he would be with Nebuchadnezzar, uphold 
 him, and make his arms strong. 
 
 " And put my sword in his hand." I will furnish 
 him with all military instruments, and sufficiency of 
 power to execute my judgments upon Egypt, and 
 upon Pharaoh, king thereof. God would make the 
 sword fall out of his hand, but he would put one into 
 Nebuchadnezzar's hand. 
 
 "But I will break Pharaoh's arms." Let them be 
 strong and brawny, I will break them, as wood, 
 bones, earthen vessels are wont to be broken : he is 
 jii'oud, confident, and thinks himself able to with- 
 stand the king of Babylon, but by him will I break 
 all his forces, and so break them, that 
 
 " He shall gi'oan before him with the gz-oanings of 
 a deadly wounded man." The Hebrew runs thus, 
 he shall cry with cries being deadly wounded before 
 him. Piscator, looking to the former words, " I will 
 break Pharaoh's arms," renders them thus, that he 
 may groan Lief >re him, as a m;in groans being dead- 
 ly wounded. When a man is SSn thrust through or 
 deadly wounded, he fetcheth deep sighs and groans ; 
 and Pharaoh should be so afflicted with the king of 
 Babylon's prevailing against him, that he should 
 greatly mourn and groan. pN: notes such crying, 
 sighing, groaning, as men make when they are 
 wounded unto death. 
 
 Ver. 25. " But I "will strengthen the arms of the 
 king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh sliall fall 
 doun," &c. In this verse and the last there is little 
 but what was said before; the prophet repeats the 
 same thmgs, that so he might awakin the Egyptians 
 
 to consider what dreadful desolations were coming 
 upon them, and beat oil' the Jews from seeking help 
 at their hands whose destruction was so certainly 
 determined by the Lord. 
 
 "And he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt." 
 This stretching out may either refer to the stroke, 
 as when men will strike strong and deadly strokes, 
 they stretch out their amis that the stroke may be 
 with more force upon the party to be smitten ; or it 
 may note the extent of the sword, it should be 
 stretched out upon the whole land of Egypt, wars 
 should consume the whole nation. 
 
 Obs. I. Men in affliction strictly observe how the 
 time passes away, they mind the years, months, and 
 days. Ezekiel was a captive in Babylon, and he 
 kept account of the time ; In the eleventh year, the 
 first month, and seventh day of it, that was, of 
 their captivity; he slipped not a day, but observed 
 it, and what fell out ; then the word of the Lord 
 came unto him. Afflictions make good chronologers. 
 
 Obs. 2. The Lordmakes good his word. He had said 
 by the mouth of David, Psal. xxxvii. 17, "The arms of 
 the wicked shall be broken ;" and here he saith, " I 
 have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt ;" he 
 was a wicked king, and God broke his arms. Kings 
 who have great forces, great wealth, numerous cities, 
 and strong navies, if they be wicked, they and all 
 they have are no more to God than one single man, 
 whose arms God can easily break ; for he hath " a 
 mighty arm," Psal. Ixxxix. 13, and when he makes 
 it bare, then it breaks kings and kingdoms, arms and 
 armies in pieces. It was his arm that brake the 
 Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires, 
 which were all wicked. He brake the arm of Moab, 
 Jer. xlviii. 25. He will break the arm of antichrist, 
 and of all the princes of the earth which help him. 
 
 Obs. 3. God sometimes so wounds princes and 
 states, as that their wounds are incurable. " I have 
 broken the arm of Pharaoh, and, lo, it shall not be 
 bound up to be healed ;" all the state chirurgeons 
 and physicians could not set the bone again, and heal 
 the wound ; much art and industry was used, many 
 plasters applied, but all to no purpose, for God had said, 
 It shall not be healed. Jer. xlvi. II, " In vain shalt 
 thou use many medicinrs, for thou shalt not be 
 cured ;" it is spoken of this Pharaoh, and the wound 
 he had received. If God deny once to cure the 
 wounds, he makes those wounds prove deadly ; not all 
 the balm in Gilead will cure them ; not all the wisdom, 
 riches, strength of Egypt, could make Pharaoh 
 whole again. If the Lord himself do not bind up 
 when he breaks, heal where he wounds, nothing but 
 death and dissolution follows. 
 
 Obs. 4. It is a dreadful thing to have the Lord 
 declare himself to be an enemy to a king, to a state, 
 to any. " Behold, I am against Pharaoh ;" therefore 
 what was broken could not be healed, and what was 
 whole should be broken, he should be more and 
 more disabled : his princes became fools, his wise 
 counsellors brutish, a perverse and seducing spirit 
 was in the midst of them ; and Egypt was as women, 
 fearful and weak like women, Isa. xix. II — 16. God 
 being against Pharaoh, all his counsels, enter; rises, 
 were blasted, all his forces broken, alibis cities made 
 desolate, and all his people consumed or carried into 
 captivity : better he had had all the princes of the 
 world against him than God, for whomsoever he is 
 against must be ruined. 
 
 Obs. 5. The flourishing and perishing of kings, 
 kingdoms, and armies, is from the Lord. " I will 
 strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and 
 put ray sword in his hand : but I will break Pharaoh's 
 arms, and they shall fall down." One of these great 
 kings should prosper, his kingdom flourish, his forcLS
 
 650 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXI. 
 
 stand and conquer ; the other should perish, his 
 kingdom be laid waste, and all his forces broken and 
 scattered. What king-, state, or army soever God is 
 ■with, he will strengthen, uphold ; what king, state, 
 or army soever he is against, he will break, ruin, and 
 bring to nothing, whatever their strength, wealth, or 
 counsels are. 
 
 Obs. 6. Tyrannical, wicked kings oft come to very 
 sad ends. " He shall groan before him with the 
 groanings of a deadly wounded man." Herodotus 
 saith he was strangled by the Egyptians, which had 
 revolted from him to Amasis. Tlie holy Scripture 
 tells you what ends Adoni-bezek, Athaliah, Jezebel, 
 Ahab, and Sennacherib came unto. Pilate, who put 
 Christ to death, was deposed, banished, and at last 
 slew himself at Lyons in Prance. Of thirty-two em- 
 perors who persecuted the christians, scarce any of 
 them died a natural death ; some were poisoned, 
 some killed by the soldiers, some sentenced by tlie 
 senate, and some slew themselves : Galerius had 
 such a loathsome disease, as that he could not endure 
 the stink of it, but slew himself to avoid it. Fid. 
 Fox's Acts and Mon. vol. 1. p. 40, 41. 
 
 Obs. 7. God is the author of wars, he sets one ty- 
 rant against another, and gives commission how 
 far thev shall proceed. " I will put my sword into 
 the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch 
 it out upon the land of Egypt." Nebuchadnezzar 
 was a great tyrant, and God set him upon Pharaoh 
 another great tyrant, and ordered him how far he 
 should go, even over all Egypt. Tyrants cannot stir 
 till God move them : the sword is his ; if he will not 
 put it into their hands, they cannot take it up ; and 
 when he hath put it into their hands they cannot go 
 one foot further than he hath appointed them. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 Ver. 1, 2. And it came to pass in the eleventh 
 t/ear, in the third month, in the first day of the 
 month, that the tvord of the Lord came %into me, 
 saying. Son of man, spenJc unto Pharaoh king 
 of Egypt, and to his multitude ; IVhom art thou 
 like in thy greatness ? 
 
 This chapter, as the two former, is a prophecy 
 against the king of Egypt ; and in it you have these 
 parts : 
 
 I. The chronology of the prophecy, ver. 1. 
 
 II. The occasion of it, viz. his pride, and confi- 
 dence in his greatness, ver. 2. 
 
 III. A contirmation of his ruin, set out by an ex- 
 ample a majori ad minus, ver. 3 — 18; wherein is 
 notably described the glory of Assyria, her sin, and 
 fall thereupon. 
 
 IV. The application of all to Pharaoh, ver. IS. 
 Ver. I. "In the eleventh year, in the third month, 
 
 in the first day of the month." The prophet had not 
 prophecies given in every month, it was a month 
 and twenty-four days from the last prophecy to this, 
 which was one month and eight or nine days before 
 the destruction of Jerusalem, and in the eleventh 
 year of tlieir captivity, the third month, and first 
 day of the month. The Hebrew for " first day of 
 the month," is, one of the month, an hebraism com- 
 mon in tlie Scripture ; as in Gen. i. 5, "The evening 
 and the morning were " one day, so is the Hebrew, 
 that is, "tlie first day:" Luke xxiv. 1, jxia rjajijiuTH, 
 upon one of the week, that is, " the first day of the 
 week." 
 
 Ver. 2. " Speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and 
 
 to his multitude." Pharaoh was a great king, and 
 had a great multitude of men, horses, and cliariots, 
 and conceited himself greater than he was ; but how 
 great soever he were in reality or conceit, God orders 
 a prophet to speak to him, and to demand a question 
 of him. The prophet was in Babylon, Pharaoh in 
 Egypt, and how he could speak to him appears not. 
 It is impossible that he should undertake so long a 
 journey as it is from Babylon to Egj'pt. It is more 
 consonant to truth, that he penned this prophecy, 
 and sent it unto him by one means or other. 
 
 "Whom art thou like in thy greatness?" This 
 was tlie question Ezekiel must propound to him ; 
 and it was an upbraiding question, taxing him for 
 his pride, arrogancy, and vain confidences. He had, 
 like most kings, many flatterers, who flattered him 
 into a conceit that he was greater than other kings, 
 yea, so great in power, that he might encounter God 
 himself. The Lord therefore thought meet to take 
 down his spirit by this question, "Whom art thou 
 like in thy greatness?" what! like unto me? thou 
 art so far from that, as that thou art not comparable 
 to some mortal men. What sayest thou to the king 
 of Assyria ? art thou greater, art thou stronger than 
 he ? no ; he went far beyond thee in power, dignity, 
 and greatness, yet for his pride, arrogancy, and con- 
 fidences in what he had, he was utterly destroyed ; 
 and thinkest thou, who art inferior, to stand and 
 avoid the judgments of God when they come ? thou 
 deceivest thyself. 
 
 Obs. 1. Kings are prone to be lifted up with and 
 confide in their greatness. Pharaoh swelled with 
 his honour and multitude, putting too much confi- 
 dence therein ; chap. xxix. 3, he is called the " great 
 dragon," and he lay secure "in the midst of his 
 rivers," saying, " My river is mine own, and I have 
 made it for myself;" he was proud and confident, 
 thinking none greater than himself. Nebuchad- 
 nezzar was lifted up with his greatness, Dan. iv. 30; 
 so was Sennacherib, Isa. xxxvii. II — 13. And not 
 only wicked kings, but good ones have been over- 
 taken with this evil. David numbers the pcojile, 
 and was too proud of and confident in his multi- 
 tudes, 1 Chron. xxi. Princes have many things to 
 puff up their spirits, but God knows how to bring 
 them down. 
 
 Obs. 2. God will have them told of their sins, and 
 taxed for them. Go, speak unto Pharaoh, and say, 
 " Whom art thou like in thy greatness ? " Thou 
 proud tyrant, thou slialt fall : though thou be great, 
 strtmg, " there is a greater than thyself, and one 
 sti-onger than thou art, who hath sent a prophet to 
 tell thee of thy pride and arrogancy, and to foretell 
 thee of thy destruction. Kings are no more to God 
 than the meanest peasants ; if they sin they shall 
 hear of it, and smart for it. 
 
 Ver. 3 — 9. Behold, the Ass^/rian ?/'«.? a cedar 
 in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadow- 
 ing shroud, and of an high stature ; and his top 
 was aniong the thick boughs. The waters made 
 him great, the deep set hi7n up on high ivith her 
 rivers rtmning round about his j)lants, and sent 
 out her little rivers unto all the trees of the field. 
 Therefore his height ivas exalted above nil the 
 trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, 
 and his branches became long because of the mul- 
 titude of waters, when he shot forth. All the 
 fowls of heaven nuide their nests in his boughs, 
 and under /jm- branches did all the beasts of the 
 field bring forth their young, and under his shadow 
 direlt all great nations. Thus ivas he fair in his
 
 Ver. 3—9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 C51 
 
 greatness, in the length of his branches : for his 
 root icas by great waters. The cedars in the 
 gulden of God could not hide him : the fir trees 
 trere not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees 
 ivere not like his branches ; nor any tree in the 
 garden of God was like vnfo him in his beauty. 
 I have made him fair by the multitude of his 
 branches : so that all the trees of Eden, that ivere 
 m the garden of God, envied him. 
 
 In these seven verses is set forth the power of the 
 king of Assyria, who is compared here unto a cedar, 
 which is described, 
 
 I. From its place 5 it was in Lebanon, ver. 3. 
 
 II. From its beauty ; it had fair branches, ver. 3, 
 and was fair in greatness and length, ver. 7. 
 
 III. From the benefit of it; it was a shadowing 
 shroud, fowls, beasts, men were advantaged by it, 
 ver. 3, 6. 
 
 IV. From the height of it; it was very high, ver. 
 3, higher than all the trees of the field, ver. 5. 
 
 V. From the thickness ; it had thick boughs, ver. 3. 
 
 VI. From the cause of all these, viz. the rivers 
 and waters he was planted by, ver. 4, 5, 7. 
 
 VII. From his transcendency above all other trees 
 in the field or garden, ver. 5, 8, 9. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Behold, the Assyrian." Some would 
 have Pharaoh and the Egyptians to be under- 
 stood by " the Assj'rian," and produce Isa. Hi. 4 for 
 it, where it is said, " My people went down afore- 
 time into Egypt to sojourn there ; and the Assyrian 
 oppressed them without cause ;" that was, Pharaoh 
 and the Egyptians, saith A Lapide ; but interpreters 
 generally understand Sennacherib, or Nebuchadnez- 
 zar, and their people. By " the Assyrian," there- 
 fore, here is meant the king of Assyria, whom divers 
 expositors make to be Esar-haddon, the third son of 
 Sennacherib, of whom see Isa. xxxvii. .38. He was 
 king of Assur, Ezra iv. 2, called also " the great and 
 noble Asnapper," ver. 10. He was king of Assyria 
 and Babylonia, saith Usher in his Chronology, p. 
 107. Lavater makes him only king of Assyria, for 
 he saith, Ben-Merodach, the governor of Babylon, 
 observing that his two brethren who slew their 
 father, viz. Adrammelech and Sharezer, were lying 
 in wait to dispossess Esar-haddon of the kingdom, 
 he made war upon him, overcame him, and so re- 
 joined the Assyrian kingdom to the Babylonian. 
 Whether him, Sennacherib, or Nebuchadnezzar, it 
 was a king of Assyria, who was great and powerful. 
 
 " A cedar in Lebanon." That is, as a cedar in 
 Lebanon. Lebanon was a great and large mountain 
 in Canaan, full of cedars ; and this king of Assyria 
 is likened unto the chiefest of them. 
 
 " With fair branches." These "branches" were 
 not his sons and nobles, but the several provinces 
 which belonged unto the kingdom of Assyria, over 
 which his princes and nobles did reign. Himself 
 was the cedar, these the branches or arms. 
 
 " And with a shadowing shroud." The word 
 for "shroud" is, u'-in which Muntanus renders, a 
 pruned forest. Buxtorf saith it is, shoots, sprouts, 
 so thick and entangled together, as that they make 
 it shadowy. The Septuagint renders it, thick in the 
 covering; this tree did afford cover and shade to 
 others. 
 
 " Of an high stature ; his top was among the 
 thick boughs." The king intended Ezek. xvii. G, 
 was like a vine of low stiiture ; but this king was 
 like a cedar of high stature, glorious, great, and re- 
 nowned, so high that his top was in the midst of the 
 clouds, like the tree, Dan. iv. 20, "whose height 
 reached unto heaven." 
 
 Ver. 4. "The waters made him great." Some 
 trees prosper best in dry places, some by the water- 
 side ; the moisture they draw thence makes them to 
 spread and flourish, Psal. i. 3. The tree being here 
 metaphorical, so are the waters. Waters signify 
 sometimes afflictions, Psal. xxxii. 6 ; sometimes 
 wholesome and good doctrine, Isa. Iv. I ; sometimes 
 people. Rev. xvii. 15; here riches, power, victories, 
 and such things by which empires prosper. The 
 Assyrian's wealth, provinces, victories, were as water 
 to his roots, and made him great. 
 
 " The deep set him up on high with her rivers 
 running round about his plants." His va.st treasure, 
 like a deep not to be drawn dry, raised him to such 
 a height, as waters do a cedar ; he did abound with 
 plenty of all things. As plants which have rivers 
 running round about them, do grow and spread, so 
 did the king of Assyria, and his. His riches and 
 greatness were like an ocean, and the provinces, as 
 so many rivers, brought in wealth continually, which 
 supplied them and others. 
 
 " And sent out her little rivers unto all the trees 
 of the field." Some commodities, some parts of the 
 Assyrian treasure, were derived to other nations, 
 princes, and people ; or, his own subjects had some 
 share with him in his wealth and greatness; all at 
 home, and many abroad, which were the trees of 
 the field, gained by the Assyrian waters. 
 
 Ver. 5. " Therefore his height was exalted above 
 all the trees of the field." There were divers trees 
 in the field which were high, many kings and 
 princes who were great, but the Assyrian was the 
 highest, the greatest cedar and monarchy then in the 
 world ; his waters exceeded theirs, and they de- 
 rived moisture from him. 
 
 " His boughs were multiplied, and his branches 
 became long." The boughs and branches of this 
 metaphorical tree, were the provinces and countries 
 which belonged to the Assyrian monarchy, which 
 were many, and extended far, even to Media east- 
 ward, to Mesopotomia westward, to Armenia Minor 
 northward, and to Susiana southward. " Because of 
 the multitude of waters, when he shot forth." 
 Where there is much water and moisture at the root 
 of a tree, there the branches and boughs do shoot 
 forth faster and further than where it is wanting. 
 The Assyrian having "multitude of waters," viz. 
 treasure, enlarged his empire and borders thereby. 
 
 Ver. 6. " All the fowls of heaven made their nests 
 in his boughs." By " fowls of heaven" some under- 
 stand the nobles and great ones ; they built them 
 habitations in his provinces and dominions, which 
 they peaceably enjoyed, as fowls do their nests in 
 the boughs of high trees. 
 
 " And under his branches did all the beasts of the 
 field bring forth their young." By " beasts of the 
 field," A Lapide intends the vulgar and more barbar- 
 ous sort of people. The sense is, that all kinds of 
 people, noble and ignoble, rich or poor, weak or 
 strong, were in safety and multiplied under his pro- 
 tection, as birds and beasts do in and under a great 
 tree. 
 
 In this verse and the former are three words 
 which signify boughs and branches. The first, 
 nsyiD sargnapliali, signifies a heap or thicket of 
 boughs. The second is, Bye sagviph, which notes a 
 top bough. The third is, n->N3 from nsa to adorn, 
 because boughs are the glory and beaiitifying of the 
 tree. 
 
 " Under his shadow dwelt all great nations." 
 Either they were under his authority or his pro- 
 tection ; many great nations were commanded by 
 the Assyrian, and others put themselves under his 
 protection.
 
 C52 
 
 AX EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Ch.u'. XXXI. 
 
 Ver. 7- " Thus was he fair in liis grcalness." Tlu' 
 Hebrew is, c^"i he was a goodly thing in his great- 
 ness. Tlie Septuagint, iytvtTui KaWog iv ri[j v^n, lie 
 was beauty in liis height an<i greatness; not only 
 beautiful, but beauty; greatness and height make 
 things goodly and fair. 
 
 " In the length of his branches." Here is another 
 word for " branches," m'hi which is from hSt to 
 draw, because they draw juice from the roots, or 
 because they move upwards, and so the word dalali 
 also signifies. The branches of this tree were the 
 provinces, as before, which extended far, and added 
 to the greatness and glory of the tree. 
 
 " For his root was by great waters." Tliese W'ords 
 correspond with those in the fourth verse, "the 
 waters made him great." When a tree is fixed in 
 the earth, where there is no want of moisture, it 
 grows, it spreads, it becomes great and lovely ; so 
 this king, being planted among great waters, in the 
 midst of much wealth and power, grew, spread, and 
 became fair in his greatness. 
 
 Ver. 8. " The cedars in the garden of God could 
 not hide him." The highest "cedars " that were in 
 any garden, or in Paradise itself, did not exceed this 
 cedar, and so obscure the glory of it; but this king- 
 dom, for the wealth, strength, and greatness of it, 
 went beyond all others, and was fur admiration. 
 
 " The fir trees were not like his boughs." Fir 
 trees are tall and stately, yet none of the fir trees 
 Were comparable to the boughs of this tree. The 
 kingdoms of other princes were not like to the pro- 
 vinces of Assyria. 
 
 " And the chesnut trees were not like his branch- 
 es." The chesnut tree is lower than the fir tree, but 
 more branchy and .spreading ; y et none of the chesnut 
 trees did equalize any branch of the Assyrian tree. 
 
 " Nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto 
 liiai in his beauty." The Hebrew is, every tree in 
 the garden of God was not like to him in his beauty ; 
 that is, no tree therein, no tree in Paradise, no tree 
 in the whole earth, did equalize this metaphoricd 
 Assyrian tree in the bulk, arms, branches, or beauty 
 of it. 
 
 Ver. 9. " I have made him fair by the multitude 
 of his branches." A tree is much beautified, that 
 liatli abundance of boughs shouting out from it; the 
 more bunghs, the more beauty. This tree wanted 
 not for boughs ; it had many provinces, and every 
 one added to its beauty. 
 
 "So that all the trees of Eden, that were in the 
 garden of God, envied him." When other trees, that 
 is, princes, who were seated in pleasant, rich, and 
 fruitful places, saw how much the king of Assyria 
 exceeded them in power, wealth, glory, and great- 
 ness, they envied him. 
 
 06s. 1. It is the Lord who makes kinjjdoms and 
 kings great, and difi'erences them from otliers. The 
 Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon, exceeding all 
 others in beauty, branches, height, and thickness ; 
 and h.ow came he to be so .' ver. 9, " I have made 
 him fair." Whatever virtue, glory, excellency, in- 
 ward or outward, any tr< es, any i rinces, have, it is 
 all from the Lord. All Solomon's greatness and 
 wisdom was from him, I Kings iv. 29 — 31. 
 
 Ohs. 2. That as trees have need of moisture and 
 waters to make them grow and flourish, so .states and 
 princes have need of money to uphold their great- 
 nes.s ; they must have revenues come flowing in like 
 rivers, else they will soon wither. The waters made 
 him great, the deep set him up on high, the rivers 
 run round about his plants, he had "multitude of 
 waters, his root was by great waters ; the Assyrian 
 had great means, which maintained his glory and 
 greatness : so Solomon had great means, otherwise 
 
 he could not have lived at that height he did ; see 
 1 Kings iv. 22, 23, 2(;— 28 ; x. 14, 21—23. 
 
 Obs. 3. Princes, monarchs, states, ought to protect 
 those who are their subjects, and to communicate 
 good unto them. This cedar in Lebanon was a 
 shadowing shroud, " all the fowls of heaven made 
 their nests in his boughs, under his branches did 
 all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, 
 and under his shadow dwelt all great nations." 
 All sorts had protection from the king of Assyria; 
 and not only so, but those w'aters which watered him 
 were sent out unto all the trees of the field ; he 
 hoarded not up his wealth, but it passed up and 
 down for the good of all. Isa. xlix. 23, it is said of 
 the church, " kings shall be thy nursing fathers," 
 thy nourishers ; that is, they shall communicate good 
 things unto thee, as a nurse doth milk unto the child ; 
 not cmly doth she protect the child from harm, but 
 see it wants nothing that is good for it. 
 
 Obs. 4. Excellency, greatness, transcendency, beget 
 envy. This Assyrian cedar excelled all the cedars 
 in the garden of God, none of the fir trees, chesnut 
 trees, or any other, did equalize him, he outstripped 
 all the trees in bulk, in height, in branches, in 
 beauty ; and what then ? " all the trees of Eden, that 
 were in the garden of God, envied him." Envy is 
 against superiors, and contempt is of inferiors. When 
 Daniel was made chief of the presidents and princes, 
 then they envied him, and sought occasion to ruin 
 him, Dan. vi. It is a grief spiringing up from another 
 man's prosperity ; power, honour, strength, riches, 
 greahiess, are the causes and occasions of it ; there 
 is always a malignancy goes along with it, taking 
 pleasure in hurting, though it gain notliing thereby. 
 Envy is most prejudicial to the piarty it dwells in, for 
 it is "the rottenness of the bones," Prov. xiv. 30; it 
 eats out the marrow and moisture of them, and 
 makes them putrify. Hence say the Buxtort. Fioriie- 
 Hebrews, an envious eye brings a man ^lum iieb. 
 to tlie gravij. 
 
 Ver. 10 — 17. Therefore fhiis sailh the Lord 
 God ; Because thou hast lifted vp thyse/f in 
 height, and he hath shot np his top among the thick 
 boughs, and his heart is lifted vp in his height ; 
 Ihove therefore delivered him into the hand of the 
 mightt/ one of the heathen, ; he shall sureli/ deal 
 with him: I have driven him out for his wicked- 
 ness. And strangers, the terrible of the nations, 
 have cut him off, and have left him : upon the 
 mountains and in all the valleiis his branches are 
 fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the rivers 
 of the land ; and all the people of the earth are 
 gone do/vn from his sliadoic, and have left him. 
 Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven re- 
 main, and all the beasts nf the field shall be upon 
 his branches: to the end that none if all the trees 
 In/ the waters exalt themselves for their height, 
 neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, 
 neither their trees stand up in their height, all 
 that drink water : for theii are all delivered unto 
 death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst 
 of tlie children (f men, with them that go doirn to 
 the pit. Thus saith the Lord God ; In the dai/ 
 tvhen he went down to tlie grave I caused a mourn- 
 ing : I covered the deeji for him, and I restrained 
 the floods thereof, and the great waters were stall- 
 ed : and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and 
 all the trees of the field fainted for him. I made 
 the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, irhcn
 
 Ver. iO— 17. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 653 
 
 / cast him down to hell with them that descend into 
 the pit : and all the trees of Eden, the choice and 
 best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be 
 comforted in the nether parts of the earth. They 
 also went down into hell with him unto them that 
 be slain u'ith the sword ; and they that were his 
 arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of 
 the heathen. 
 
 Having set forth the greatness and glory of the 
 king of Assyria, in the former verses, under the al- 
 legory of a tree, here he comes to show the cutting 
 down and destruction of this tree, with the causes, 
 events, and end thereof. 
 
 Ver. 10. " Because thou hast lifted up thyself in 
 height." These words are an apostrophe to the 
 king of Egypt, as Junius and Piscator observe. Here 
 is a sudden interruption and turning of the speech 
 unto Pharaoh, who was proud and haughty like the 
 Assyrian; God by this gives him a hint to look to 
 himself, and so turns again to the Assyrian. 
 
 " And he hath shot up his top among the thick 
 boughs." " He," that is, the king of Assyria, he 
 was grown very high, and so high, that his heart 
 was lifted up in his height ; saith Piscator, by reason 
 of his height ; his height heightenc-i his spirit, he 
 thought himself to have something divine in him, 
 and fit to be worshipped. 
 
 Ver. 11. "I have therefore delivered him into the 
 hand of the mighty one of the heathen." The He- 
 brew is future, I will deliver him, and so Munster 
 reads it. For the better understanding of these 
 words, we must know that the kingdom of Assyria 
 and Chaldea were distinct. The metropolis of Chal- 
 dea was Babylon ; the metropolis of the Assyrian 
 was Nineveh ; the ten tribes were carried away by 
 the Assyrians, the other two tribes by the Chaldeans. 
 Dissensions arising between these two, God delivered 
 the king of Assyria into the hands of the king of 
 Chaldea, who was Nebuchadnezzar, as expositors 
 say, and is here called " the mighty one of the hea- 
 then;" he subdued all Assyria, and made that and 
 Chaldea one empire, and afterwards the people were 
 called sometimes Assyrians, sometimes Babylonians, 
 sometimes Chaldeans. Polanus and others interpret 
 these words of Esar-haddon, who, after Sennacherib, 
 was king of Assyria, Isa. xxxvii. 38 ; whom God 
 delivered into the hand of Berodach-baladan, or Me- 
 rodach-baladan, being then king of Babylon, Isa. 
 xxxix. I ; 2 Kings xx. 12, who is here called " the 
 mighty one of the heathen." The Hebrew is, into 
 the hand of the god of the nations, so Montanus ren- 
 ders the words : now whether Berodach-baladan were 
 such a god, or " mighty one of the heathen," is 
 doubted, because he was hMi vrtpfectus Babi/lo7ti<p. 
 
 " He shall surely deal with him." In Hebrew it 
 is, he shall by doing do with him, that is, he shall 
 witl'.out difficulty or delay deal with him, he shall 
 deal with him according to his own mind, do what 
 he list unto him, he shall take away his life and 
 kingdom from him. This and the former word is 
 future, put for prater tenses, which is usual among 
 the Hebrews. 
 
 " I huvt driven him out for his wickedness." The 
 word for, to drive out, is v,—\i whicli notes not only 
 a simple ejection, a bare driving out, but a dis- 
 graceful one, such a casting or driving out as is with 
 disgrace ; as when a wife is divorced, she is judged 
 unworthy of bed, board, or cohabitation : Gen. iii. 
 24, God drove out the man, that was, with disgrace ; 
 and so here, " I have driven him out with disj;race 
 for his wickedness." 
 
 Ver. 12. "And strangers, the terrible of the 
 
 nations, have cut him off, and have left him." Here 
 he shows the ruin and downfall of the cedar which 
 was so high, and extended its boughs so far. 
 " Strangers, the terrible of the nations," that is, the 
 Chaldeans, who were cruel and merciless, Jer. xi. 
 2.'5 ; tlK'y cut him oif, the king of Assyria, and left 
 him, not adbrding the honour due to a dead king. 
 
 " Upon the mountains and in all the valleys his 
 branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by 
 all the rivers of the land." When great trees are cut 
 or blown down, then the branches or arms are broken 
 and pulled otf. When the king of Assyria was slain, 
 his princes, nobles, provinces, and people all sutfer- 
 ed with him"; some were slain upon the mountains, 
 some upon the valleys, and by the rivers, all the land 
 over there were dead and slain persons. 
 
 " And all the people of the earth are gone down 
 from his shadow, and have left him." Those which 
 formerly were his confederates, and depended much 
 upon him for counsel and help, seeing him ruined 
 by the Chaldeans, they fell oft' and would not assist 
 him : or divers of his own, seeing how things went 
 with him, deserted him. 
 
 Ver. 13. " Upon his ruin .shall all the fowls of the 
 heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall 
 be upon his branches." When a tree is pulled up 
 or cut down, the fruit, leaves, and branches gone, 
 there remains the body, or trunk, deformed and 
 spoiled of its beauty and glory, that is the ruin. So 
 here, the king of Assyria being taken and slain, his 
 crown, glory, and greatness laid in the dust, his dead 
 body was the ruin ; and now the fowls of heaven, 
 the nobles and great ones of Chaldea, and all the 
 beasts of the field, the meaner sort, made a prey of 
 him and his ; him they scorned and vilified, and 
 what was his they seized upon. Lavater saith, his 
 body lay unburied, that crows, ravens, vultures, and 
 such like fiesh-fowls fed upon it. 
 
 Ver. 14. " To the end that none of all the trees by 
 the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither 
 shoot up their top," &c. This too sets out the end 
 of God's heavy judgments upon the king of Assyria ; 
 that other trees, seeing God's dealings with that high 
 cedar for its pride and loftiness, they might take heed 
 of exalting themselves. Men grown great, are apt 
 to grow proud ; trees by the waters, that is, men 
 abounding with wealth, honour, greatness, and such 
 things as may puff up ; trees by waters grow high, 
 and men in the midst of great means are in great 
 danger to do so. 
 
 "Neither their trees stand up in their height, all 
 that drink water." The margin hath it, or stand 
 upon themselves for their height : and so the sense 
 is plain, that none of the trees should exalt them- 
 selves, or stand upon themselves, their own strength, 
 wealth, and greatness, they should not rest in them- 
 selves, please themselves. If we take the words as 
 they are in the verse, the sense is much the same, 
 " neither their trees stand up in their height, all 
 that drink water;" that is, let none that have means 
 despise others that are inferior, or let them not 
 "stand up in their height;" it will be but for a 
 season, and they must be cut down. 
 
 " For they are all delivered unto death, to the 
 nether parts of the earth, in the midst of the chil- 
 dren of men, with them that go down to the pit." 
 All the Assyrians were delivered up to the Chaldeans 
 to be slain by them ; or all the princes, nobles, and 
 great ones, they shall die, go down into the earth 
 among the meanest, where no difference will be 
 made ; therefore rich ones, great ones, should not 
 exalt themselves above others, or stand upon their 
 height. 
 
 06*. 1. Pride and wickedness cause God to brinjr
 
 G54 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXI. 
 
 dreadful judgments upon kings and their kingdoms. 
 Because the king of Assyria's heart was lifted up in 
 his height, therefore God deUvered him into the 
 hand of a mighty enemy, and drove him out for his 
 wickedness. When princes are in the seat of honour, 
 have great means coming in, then they look big, be- 
 gin to deify themselves, to do what they list, not 
 minding him who exalted them, but confiding in their 
 own strength, power, and greatness, wliich makes 
 way for their speedy ruin. Solomon tells us that a 
 man shall not be established by wickedness, Prov. 
 xii. 13. Kings, by their wicked policies and practices, 
 cannot establish themselves, their wickedness over- 
 throws them, their pride provokes God against them, 
 Dan. iv. 25. It is good for kings and others to be 
 humble in the midst of their enjoyments, and the 
 greater abundance that they do possess, to carry it 
 still the more humbly ; for he that is of an humble 
 mind is worthy of honour, and hath God dwelling 
 with him. 
 
 Obs. 2. God hath instruments for the doing of his 
 work, whatever it be, and such instruments as will 
 do it to purpose. He had an Assyrian cedar to cut 
 down, wliich was very great, whose top was in the 
 clouds, whose boughs extended very far, in whose 
 branches the fowls did make their nests, and under 
 whose shadow dwelt all great nations j and now who 
 shall dare to meddle with this cedar ? Yes, the 
 Lord had one that durst attempt and .do it, he had a 
 mighty one of the heathens, a god of the nations, into 
 whose hand he delivered the great cedar, and he in 
 doing did unto him all the mind of God, he cut him 
 down and laid him low. Let trees be deeply rooted, 
 gi-own exceeding great and high, yet God hath 
 hewers to hew dowTi such trees, Dan. iv. 14. 
 
 Obs. 3. When great trees are cut down, many other 
 trees sulfur with them ; when kings fall, they break 
 and undo many. When the king of Assyria was cut 
 oflf, his nobles and great ones, yea, all sorts, suffered 
 by him. " Upon tlie mountains and in all the val- 
 leys his branches are fallen, his boughs are broken, 
 and all the people of the earth are gone down from 
 his .shadow ;" all his provinces, princes, people, met 
 with hard things. When Zedekiah was taken and 
 carried away captive, did not the princes, nobles, 
 and people suffer grievous things ? see 2 Kings xxv. ; 
 Jer. Hi. In our days we have seen many suffer by 
 the fall of the king. 
 
 Obs. 4. Neither princes, nobles, nor other people, 
 can tell who shall enjoy their wealth. The king of 
 Assyria had great revenues, the Assyrians were well 
 watered, a rich people ; but who got all their wealth ? 
 the Chaldeans, strangers, the terrible of the nations : 
 " Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven re- 
 main, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon 
 his branches." Little did the Assyrians dream that 
 the Chaldeans should have their jewels, gold, silver, 
 
 filate, linen, habitations, and lands. Many hoard and 
 leap up for their enemies. Many men are rich, well 
 fraught, like ships at sea, but whose hands their 
 wealth may fall info they know not. David calls it 
 a vanity, and it is a deep, excessive vanity, that men 
 disquiet themselves in heaping up riches, and cannot 
 tell who shall gather them, Psal. xxxix. 6 ; whether 
 their children or strangers, friends or foes. Solomon 
 was vexed to think he must leave all he liad got or 
 done he knew not to whom, whether a wise man or 
 a fool, Ecclea. ii. 18, 19. 
 
 Obs. 5. God doth therefore destroy kings and 
 kingdoms, that rich ones, great ones, and all sorts, 
 may take heed of their sins, pride, wickedness, and 
 self-confidence. God cuts off the great cedar, the 
 king of Assyria, " to the.end that none of all the trees 
 by the waters exalt themselves for their height," nor 
 
 stand upon themselves for their height ; let them 
 not slight other trees which are not by the waters, 
 that are not so bulky, branchy, and leafy, as them- 
 selves, nor conceit that their wealth and greatness 
 will always last. 
 
 Ver. 15. " In the day when he went down to the 
 grave I caused a mourning." The word for " grave" 
 is, Sn» which, among other things, signifies the state 
 of the dead; as. Gen. xxxvii. 35, saith Jacob," I 
 will go down into the grave unto my son." By 
 " grave " he meant, not hell, nor the grave in a 
 proper sense, for he was persuaded some wild beasts 
 had devoured him, but the state of the dead : and 
 so here, when this high cedar was cut down, when 
 the king of Assyria was .slain, and " went down to 
 the grave," that is, the state of the dead, "I caused a 
 mourning ;" then there was a sad change, trading 
 ceased, barrenness came upon all the land, the towns 
 and cities were not frequented. 
 
 " I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the 
 floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed." 
 If we take the words literally, the sense is, The sea 
 and rivers seemed to mourn the destruction and fall 
 of this cedar ; and so, if you takt the deep floods 
 and waters for his riches, abundance, and great 
 revenues, they seemed now to put on sackcloth j 
 their lord and master being dead, now there was no 
 more flowing of those waters. The deep, the rivers 
 and waters, had contributed to the greatness of the 
 cedar, and they were affected with his fall. 
 
 " I caused Lebanon to mourn for him." In the 
 third verse the Assyrian was called " a cedar in 
 Lebanon," and when this cedar full, he made the 
 rest of the trees in Lebanon to put on black ; the 
 word is, mpn which signifies, to make dark, obscure, 
 black : all the trees in the Assyrian empire, or in 
 that part of Lebanon which belonged thereunto, I 
 caused to be affected with the fall of this cedar. 
 
 " And all the trees of the field fainted for him." 
 All other kings, saith Maldonate : not only kings, 
 but all sorts, were involved in this common calamity; 
 they were so sensible of their sufl'erings thereby, 
 that they fainted. The word for fainting is, t^Sy 
 which signifies, to cover for grief, and metaphorical- 
 ly, to faint; when grief is great, then it causeth 
 fainting. 
 
 Ver. 16. "I made the nations to shake at the 
 sound of his fall." When high and great trees fall 
 they make a great noise ; and so did this king when 
 he fell, his own subject's and other nations were 
 much troubled at his fall. 
 
 " When I cast him down to hell with them that 
 descend into the pit." In ver. 15, it is said, "he went 
 down to the grave," or hell ; and here, that God " cast 
 him down to hell ; " it is the same word : God 
 brought him from his height to the state of the dead, 
 he made him like those that were in the pit. 
 
 " And all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of 
 Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in 
 the nether parts of the earth." Those kings and 
 others which were gone before into the pit he speaks 
 of as living and watered trees ; when they should see 
 this great cedar cut down and brought into the same 
 condition with themselves, they should be comforted 
 in that state they were in ; that is the common con- 
 dition of great and .small. The Hebrew for " choice 
 and best of Lebanon," is, the election and goodness 
 of Lebanon. 
 
 Ver. 17. "They also went down into hell with 
 him unto them that be slain with the sword." Those 
 trees before mentioned, their condition was like 
 theirs who were slain with the sword ; and so was 
 this Assyrian, he was cut off from all his glory and 
 greatness, and laid amongst the slain.
 
 Vkr. 18. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 655 
 
 " And they that were his ann, that dwilt under 
 his shadow in the midst of the heathen." His 
 princes, nobk's, counsellors, soldiers, and confeder- 
 ates, these suffered with him, and had some comfort 
 that they had him with them in the grave, or in hell. 
 The Septuagint for those words, " were his arm," 
 read, nai t6 mnpfia avTx, and his seed, his posterity 
 and friends, were cut off with him. 
 
 Obs. 1. The greatest princes and powers in the 
 world have their day to leave their greatness, and go 
 down to the dust. " In the dr.y when he went down 
 to the grave." The king of Assyria had his day to 
 come down from all his height and glory, and to lie 
 among the slain. Some die natural, some violent, 
 deaths ; be they great or small, die they must ; " It 
 is appointed unto men once to die," Heb. ix. 27. And 
 as some have their day to grow high and great in the 
 world, so their day to descend into the grave, and be 
 no more in the eye of God than a stinking carcass. 
 
 Ob.f. 2. When great monarchs and princes are cut 
 off, the Lord fills all with mourning, fainting, and 
 shaking. 'WTien the Assyrian went down to the 
 grave, the Lord caused a mourning, made changes 
 and alterations at sea and land ; he made Lebanon to 
 put on black, the trees of the field to faint, and na- 
 tions to quake at the sound of his fall. So was it 
 when the king of Tyrus was destroyed, Ezek. xxvi. 
 15, 16; xxvii. 35. "\Vhen the gods of the earth are 
 slain, and die like men, the earth and all other crea- 
 tures have a kind of sense thereof, and are affected 
 at changes. 
 
 Obs. 3. Wlien great oppressors and tyrants fall, 
 it affords some kind of comfort to the dead. " All 
 the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, 
 all that drink water, shall be comforted in the 
 nether parts of the earth," &e. You have this live- 
 lily set forth, Isa. xiv. 9, 10, " Hell from beneath is 
 moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming ; it stirreth 
 up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the 
 earth ; it hath raised up from their thrones all the 
 kings of the nations. AU they shall speak and say 
 unto thee. Art thou also become weak as we ? art 
 thou become like unto us ? " Whether this was Sen- 
 nacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, or Belshazzar, it matters 
 not ; whoever he was, he was a great tyrannical 
 prince, and when he fell, the dead rejoiced at it, and 
 comforted themselves that he was become like unto 
 them. 
 
 Ver. 18. To trhom art thou thns lilie in glory and 
 in greatness amoiig the trees of Eden ? yet shalt 
 thou be brought doun uith the trees of Eden unto 
 the nether parts of -the earth : thoti shalt lie in the 
 viidst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain 
 by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his mul- 
 titude, saith the Lord God. 
 
 This verse is the application of the former ex- 
 ample unto Pharaoh. The protasis was from the 
 3rd verse hither, and in this 18th is the apodosis. 
 The same question is put here to Pharaoh which 
 was in the 2nd verse, " To whom art thou like in 
 
 flory and in greatness among the trees of Eden ? " 
 ,ook about, Pharaoh, thou seest that thou art not 
 like to the Assyrian in Lebanon. Well, who among 
 the trees of Eden art thou like for glory and great- 
 ness ? it may be thou equallest some of them : be it 
 so, yet thou must be brought down with them to the 
 nether parts of the earth, to the grave, or to hell ; 
 thou that art like them in sinning, must be like them 
 in suffering. 
 
 " Thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised." 
 In ehap. xxviii. 10, it was said of the prince of Tyrus, 
 " Thou shalt die the death of the uncirciuncised ;" 
 
 that was, without any hope of eternal life ; and here 
 it is said of Pharaoh, " Thou shalt lie in the midst of 
 those that are uncircumcised;" that is, he should lie 
 in a hopeless and perishing condition of soul and 
 body for ever, as those did wTio were not in covenant 
 with God. 
 
 " This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the 
 Lord God." This is his condition, and the condition 
 of his princes, nobles, and people j whatsoever 
 thoughts he or they may have of themselves, this 
 must be their end. 
 
 Obs. God teaches men, by the examples of others, 
 what they must look for. Here, by the Assyrian 
 cedar, the Egyptian Pharaoh is taught what to ex- 
 pect ; he being like the Assyrian in his sins, had no 
 cause hutto conclude that Assyrian judgments would 
 befall him. What ! W'as he, for his pride and wick- 
 edness, driven out, destroyed, brought down to the 
 grave, hell, and an everlasting suifering? so must I, 
 my ways being the same with his ; like sins call for 
 like judgments. As the Assyrian was set out for the 
 instruction of Pharaoh, so God sets up Pharaoh for 
 the instruction of all princes and people to the end 
 of the world : " This is Pharaoh and all his mul- 
 titude." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXn. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 10. And it came to pass in the twelfth 
 year, in the twelfth month, in the first day of the 
 month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, 
 saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation for 
 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou 
 art like a young lion of the miiions, and thou art 
 as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth 
 with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy 
 feet, and fjuledst their rivers. Thus saith the 
 Lord God ; I will therefore spread out my net 
 over thee with a company of many people ; and 
 they shall hiing thee up in my net. Then tvill I 
 leave thee upon the kaid, I will cast thee forth 
 upon the open field, and will cause all the fouls 
 of the heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill 
 the beasts of the whole earth with thee. And I 
 will lay thy fesh upon the mountains, and fill the 
 valleys with thy height. I will also water tcith 
 thy blood the land wherein thou swiinmest, even to 
 the mountains ; and the I'ivers shall be full of 
 thee. And ivhen I shall put thee out, I ivill cover 
 the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark ; I 
 will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon 
 shall not give her light. All the bright lights of 
 heaven tvill I make dark over thee, and set dark- 
 ness upon thy land, saith the Lord God. I will 
 also ve.r the hearts of many people, when I shall 
 bring thy destruction among the nations, into the 
 countries which thou hast not knoicn. Yea, I tvill 
 make many people amazed at thee, and their 
 kings shall be horribly afraid for thee, when I 
 shall brandish my sword before them ; and they 
 shall tremble at evenj moment, every man for his 
 own life, in the day of thy fall. 
 
 This chapter is of the nature of the three former, 
 and contains in it two prophecies, both of them 
 against Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
 
 65G 
 
 AN EXPOSITIUN UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXII. 
 
 I. Is, from the Ijpginning to the l"tli verse. 
 
 II. From the 1 7th to the end of the cluipttr. 
 In the first of these ve have, 
 
 1. The time of the prophecy, ver. 1. 
 
 2. The tyranny and cruelty of Pharaoh, vcr. 2, set 
 oi:t by way of himenlation. 
 
 3. God's judgments against him, declared in an 
 allegorical way, ver. 3 — 6. 
 
 4. The events thereupon ; which are, 
 (1.) Darkness, vcr. 7, 8. 
 
 (2.) Vexation, ver. 9. 
 
 (3.) Astonishment, fear, and trembling. 
 
 Yer. 1. " And it came to pass in the twelfth year, 
 in the twelfth month, in the first day of the month." 
 This was not in the time of Zedekiah, who reigned 
 but eleven years : it was in the twelfth year of 
 Jehoiachin's captivity, the twelfth month, and first 
 day, not long after the taking of Jerusalem, and 
 burning it with fire. The Lord gave out this pro- 
 phecy then, that the Jews might be taken off from 
 trusting in the Egyptians, having cause sufficient to 
 believe that Ezekiel's prophecies against them should 
 be made good, as well as Jeremiali's against them- 
 selves, for it was the same Spirit which breathed in 
 them both ; and that they might reap some comfort 
 after their sufferings, in considering God would deal so 
 roundly with the Egyptians, who had deceived them. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Take up a lamentation for Pharaoh 
 king of Egypt." Take up a lamentable prophecy, 
 declare what sad things are coming upon Pha- 
 raoh. Whether the prophet were to lament for 
 the destruction of Pharaoh and the Egyptians is 
 questionable, for he and they had oppressed others, 
 deceived the Jews, and these judgments of God 
 coming upon them for their wickedness, were just 
 and righteous, and so matter of rejoicing ; yet, be- 
 cause he was to utter dreadful and lamentable things, 
 rejoicing became him not, but he was to be afTected 
 suitably to the matter delivered. 
 
 "Thou art like a young lion of the nations." 
 Wherein tyrannical kings and princes are like unto 
 young lions, hath been showed in chap. xix. The 
 meaning of these words is, that look what a lion is 
 among the beasts of the fields and woods, viz. tem- 
 ble and cruel, the same was Pharaoh among the na- 
 tions. Young lions are fierce, and devour their 
 prey with greediness ; so are young tyrants. 
 
 " And thou art as a whale in the seas." In chap, 
 xxix. 3, Pharaoh is called n'^nn the dragon, or 
 crocodile; here, CJPD as the whale. It is tannim 
 ill both places, and signifies a dragon, whale, or 
 sea-monster ; and such as a whale is in the seas, 
 viz. troublesome, dreadful, and devouring, such was 
 I'haraoh on the deep ; a lion at land, a whale at 
 sta. His dominion was large, and wherever it was, 
 he minded tlie jirey. 
 
 "And thou earnest forthwith thy rivers." The 
 Septuagint has it, ffctpan^fg tv toIq TroTo^tolg cth, which 
 the Vulgate following, renders renlelohas cornu hi 
 Jitniiimbas tia's, thou didst horn it in thy rivers : the 
 whale spouts waters so out at her nostrils, that fall- 
 ing, it makes a kind of horn ; and Pharaoh, dig- 
 ging or cutting rivers out of Nilus, they w-ere wind- 
 ing like a horn. Those who are for this sense 
 derive r.sn in the text from nj3 which is, to strike 
 with the horn ; others derive the word tagach 
 fi-om n^ which is, to come forth, or, cause lo come 
 forth ; thou didst invite other nations to revolt from 
 Nebuchadnezzar, or thou didst come forth with thy 
 people, and trouble other nations with invasions and 
 wars. 
 
 "And troubledst the w-aters with thy feet, and 
 fouledst their rivers." He troubled all at home, 
 and all abroad : as the whale, or crocodile, troubles 
 
 the seas and the rivers, and lets not the fish be quiet 
 any where ; they mud the rivers, make the waters 
 boil; so did this Egyptian Pharaoh, he was like 
 Nilus, which had troublesome waters. He troubled 
 the waters when he constrained the people to leave 
 their own land, and to go up to Carchemish by Eu- 
 phrates, Jer. xlvi. 2 ; and as they went they must 
 needs foul the rivers, make their comforts as dead 
 and useless. 
 
 Oba. 1. That times of public calamities are specially 
 to be noted. Ezekiel sets down the year, month, 
 and day when the Lord told him what dreadful 
 things should befsill Pharaoh and flie Egyptians : 
 " In the twelfth year, the twelfth month, 'the_ first 
 day of the month, he must take up a lamentation." 
 God's judgments sometimes are lasting, and the 
 duration of them cannot be known, unless the be- 
 ginning of them be taken notice of. 
 
 Obs. 2. Lamentations for the sins and destructions 
 of others is from the Lord. " Son of man, take up a 
 lamentation fur Pharaoh king of Egypt ;" the pro- 
 phet took it not up of himself, but at the command 
 of the Lord: chap. xix. 1, God bid him take up a 
 lamentation for the princes of Israel ; chap, xxvii. 
 2, he is enjoined to take up a lamentation for Tyrus ; 
 chap, xxviii. 12, he must take up one for the king of 
 Tyrus. Lamentations for princes and states are at 
 God's appointment; prophets are to bewail the sins 
 and ruins of princes and their kingdoms when God 
 calls thi m thereunto. 
 
 Obs. 3. The evil qualities and manners of men do 
 make them like unto beasts of the field and fish of 
 the sea. " Thou art like a young lion of the na- 
 tions ;" Pharaoh's roaring and ravening, his terri- 
 bleness and ciiielty, made him like a lion. " And 
 thou art as a whale in the seas ;" Pharaoh's tumbling 
 up and down, disquieting the people, and making a 
 prey of them as fishes, transformed him into a whale, or 
 sea-monster. Subtle persons are termed foxes, Luke 
 xiii. 32 ; lascivious persons are like pampered horses, 
 Jer. V. 8 ; oppressing jirinces and judges to lions and 
 evening wolves, Zeph. iii. 3 : the wicked qualities of 
 men do make them brutish. Solomon tells you, in 
 favour of this truth, that the wickedness of those in 
 the place of judgment made them beasts, Eccles. 
 iii. 16, IS. 
 
 Obs. 4. God hath prophets to tell the worst ot 
 princes of their wickedness. Pharaoh was a great 
 king, terrible as a lion, dreadful as a whale, yet God 
 had an Ezekiel to send to him, and to tell him of his 
 tyranny and cruelty : Go, say unto Pharaoh, " Thou 
 art as a young lion of the nations, and as a whale in 
 the seas :" God sent him to deal sharply with him, 
 notwithstanding his greatness. Prophets must not 
 spare princes, when sent of God to reprove thrm. 
 
 Oba. 5. Wicked Itings are great troublers of their 
 own and others' waters. They trouble their own 
 people, their own kingdoms, and otliers also : " Thou 
 earnest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters 
 with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers." Pharaoh 
 was neither quiet in Egypt, nor would let others be 
 quiet : he sent out his ambassadors to other nations, 
 which were as his feet, they troubled the waters, 
 the people, in drawing them into league with Pha- 
 raoh, in causing them to raise forces to assist him, and 
 so fouled their rivers, unsettled their peace, troubled 
 their spirits and countries. Whales are not more 
 troublesome to the seas, crocodiles to the rivers of 
 Egypt, lions and wild beasts to the land, than tyrants 
 are to their own kingdoms, and those that are near 
 unto them. Ahab was a trouhlcr of Israel, 1 Kings 
 xviii. IS ; and of Judah also, in that he drew Jehosha- 
 phat and his ])eople to join with him to go up to 
 Pwamoth-gilead, where it had like to have cost him
 
 Ver. i— 10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 657 
 
 his life, 2 Chron. xviii. Solomon tells us, " He that 
 is cruel will trouble his own flesh," Prov. xi. 17: 
 tyrants are cruel, and they do trouble their own 
 flesh, their own subjects and people ; yea, and the 
 flesh of strangers, they make their own rivers and 
 others' to be muddy. 
 
 Ver. 3. " I will therefore spread out my net over 
 thee." These words you had, chap. xvii. 20 ; xii. 
 13. A " net" is to catch birds or fish : here God re- 
 presents the person of a fisherman, and would spread 
 out his net to take this whale. The word for " net" 
 is, ptt'"\ from VT to possess, retain, because a net 
 keeps what it catcheth ; and rete some derive from 
 relineiido, from its holding and retaining. This "net" 
 with whicli God would catch the whale, must be 
 a great net ; and so it was, for it was the Chaldean 
 army, which was great, strong, and suflicient to spread 
 over all the rivers of Egypt. 
 
 " With a company of many people." When lions 
 or whales are to be taken, multitudes of people get 
 together ; and so here, multitudes of Chaldeans came 
 to take this lion and whale. 
 
 " They shall bring thee up in my net." Thou 
 liest in thy rivers and deep waters, thinking thyself 
 safe, without the reach of any, but my net shall be so 
 thrown as to encompass and catch thee, and these 
 Chaldeans shall draw thee up out of thy Nilus, yea, 
 out of thine Egypt. 
 
 Ver. 4. " Then will I leave thee upon the land," 
 &c. When this great whale shall be drawn out of 
 his waters and country, God will deal by him as 
 fishermen do by the whale ; drawn to the shore, they 
 leave him upon the dry ground in open view, ex- 
 posed to the fowls of heaven and beasts of the earth ; 
 they cut him in pieces, whereof some are carried 
 away, others are thrown here and there : so God 
 dealt with Pharaoh, he brought him to open shame 
 and ruin ; he made him and his wealth a prey to all 
 sorts of people. Like unto this verse is that you 
 had, chap. xxix. 5. 
 
 Ver. 5. " I will lay thy flesh upon the mountains." 
 Thou, or thy soldiers, being overcome, some of you 
 will flee to the mountains for relief; but even there 
 shall they be destitute of help, they shall be slain 
 on the mountains. 
 
 " And fill the valleys with thy height." I will 
 make such a slaughter of thy men, as that they shall 
 fill up the valleys, the bodies shall lie so thick one 
 upon another as to make a height. Munster in- 
 terprets it of the swelling of the bodies ; dead bodies 
 do swell much, and increase height. The Vulgate 
 reads the words thus, I will fill thy hills with the 
 corruption which flows from the dead bodies. 
 
 Ver. 6. " I will also water with thy blood the land 
 ■wherein thou swimmest." When Nilus overflowed, 
 then Egypt was full of water, so that this whale 
 might swmi up and down in the same. God would 
 cause such a destruction to be among the Egyptians, 
 that there should be a river of blood, which should 
 water the land. Hereby is set out the great abun- 
 dance of blood that should be shed in Egypt, the 
 land was made drunk with it. 
 
 " Even to the mountains ; and the rivers shall be 
 full of thee." Not only the lower places should be 
 filled with the blood of the slain, but it should reach 
 to the mountains, and run into the rivers. .Sanctius 
 thinks this not to be verified in Egypt, where were 
 no mountains, but in some other place where the 
 Egyptians were drawn out to fight. 
 
 Obs. 1. That because kings keep not within their 
 bounds, but are troublesome to their own people and 
 others, therefore the Lord destroys them and their 
 kingdoms. " Thou earnest forth with thy rivers, and 
 troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their 
 •2 u 
 
 rivers ; I will therefore spread out my net over thee." 
 The ruin of princes and .states are no casual things, 
 they are effected by the counsel, providence, and 
 power of God, punishing them most justly for their 
 sins. 
 
 Obs. 2. God hath his nets to catch whales and great 
 fish in. " I will spread out my net over thee." It is 
 not every net will catch whales and great fish, they 
 will break ordinary nets ; but God hath nets to take 
 them, he wants not means to bring the mightiest 
 unto punishment. Pharaoh was a lion, a dragon, a 
 crocodile, a whale, and God had a net in the north, 
 the Babylonish army, which he sent for, and caught 
 this Egyptian whale with. God had a net to catch 
 that old whale and sea-monster, who devoured so 
 many of the Israelites' children; he made a net of 
 the waters, and not only caught Pharaoh, but 
 drowned that whale in the Red sea. 
 
 Obs. 3. God designs the place of tyrants' suffering, 
 and divides the spoil of them to whom he pleases. 
 " I will leave thee upon the land, I will cast thee 
 forth upon the open field, and will cause all the fowls 
 of the heaven to remain upon thee, and I will fill the 
 beasts of the whole earth with thee." God drew this 
 whale out of his waters, unto the place where he 
 and all the fish which adhered unto him were slain, 
 and made a spoil to all sorts of people. 
 
 06s. 4. When God is in a way of judgment with 
 wicked princes, sometimes he shows exceeding great 
 severity towards them and theirs. " I will lay thy 
 flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with 
 thy height;" thou and thine shall be slain in all 
 places, no safety in the mountains or valleys. " I will 
 also water with thy blood the land wherein thou 
 swimmest ;" their blood should be so shed as to make 
 the land drunk with it. 
 
 Ver. 7. " And when 1 shall put thee out, I will 
 cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark." 
 Here the prophet comes to show the events of this 
 dreadful and severe judgment of God: "When I 
 shall put thee out," because to show in thine ex- 
 tinction : n33 notes such a putting out, as is of fire 
 or a candle. When God should extinguish Pha- 
 raoh's life, then should there be no quiet, peace, joy, 
 safety, but altogether sighing, weeping, complaining, 
 howling, and sad lamentations ; so great should be 
 the grief and misery of the Egyptians, that all things 
 should seem dark unto them. In extreme sorrows 
 the sight has failed, and persons think the day to be 
 night, are destitute of counsel, and know not which 
 way to turn them. It is usual in Scripture to set out 
 times of mourning and misery by such expressions 
 as you have here and in the following verse, as Joel 
 iii. 15; Isa. xiii. 10; Mark xiii. 24, 25; Luke xxi. 
 25 ; Amos viii. 9. 
 
 " I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon 
 shall not give her light." God hath the power over 
 the clouds, and he can call them forth at his pleasure 
 to do him what service he please : he would keep the 
 comfortable beams of the sun and moon from them ; 
 they had darkness on every side, the very heavens, 
 sun, moon, and stars, hid their faces ft-om them. 
 
 Ver. 8. " All the bright lights of heaven will I 
 make dark over thee." The Hebrew is. All the 
 lights of light; they should have no benefit by these 
 bright and shining lights of heaven. Mourners use 
 to cover their heads and faces, and so the lights of 
 heaven are as darkness unto them ; or, they shall 
 seem affected with the sore judgments which are 
 upon thee. The Vulgate is. Omnia luminaria cceli 
 vwerere faciam super te, I wiU make all the lights of 
 heaven to mourn over thee. 
 
 " And set darkness upon thy land." Darkness is 
 frequently in the word used for affliction and grief, a
 
 658 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chaf. XXXII. 
 
 sad condition; and God would set Egypt, yea, settle 
 it, under darkness, it should be kept in a mourning 
 and miserable condition. 
 
 Ver. 9. " I will also vex the hearts of many peo- 
 ple." The word for to "vex" is, Dy3 which signi- 
 fies not only, to move to anger, but also, to grieve. 
 When the people should hear how Pliaraoh, a great 
 king, was conquered, and his kingdom laid utter- 
 ly waste, this would grieve and vex them : and 
 especially when they consider how great Nebuchad- 
 nezzar became hereby, having all Egypt and the ad- 
 jacent parts under him. 
 
 " When I shall bring thy destruction among the 
 nations." The word for " thy destruction " is, -j-i3r 
 thy breaking; for which the Septuagint hath, thy 
 captivity. The nations thought Egypt impossible to 
 be totally broken and ruined, being fortified so with 
 cities, rivers, and the sea. The news of its "de- 
 struction" would vex tliem to the heart. 
 
 Ver. 10. " Yea, I will make many people amazed 
 at thee." When God's dealings with Pharaoh, his 
 severe judgments upon him and his, came abroad 
 among the people, they were amazed, not knowing 
 what to think, speak, or do. When strange and 
 dreadful things come suddenly to us, they surprise 
 our judgments, and we are at a stand. 
 
 " And their kings shall be horribly afraid for 
 thee." The people should be amazed, and the kings 
 afraid. Chap. xxx. 4, " The sword shall come upon 
 Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia;" so in 
 Libya, Lydia, and C'liub, they and their king should 
 be horribly afraid. The word, to fear, is, -lyr which 
 notes gi'eat fear, even such fear as makes the hair 
 to stand up ; and the word is double here, they shall 
 fear with a fear, be exceedingly afraid, for Nebu- 
 chadnezzar's prevailing over Pharaoh. When the 
 great whale is taken, the lesser fishes have cause to 
 fear. 
 
 "When I shall brandish my sword before them." 
 The Hebrew is, '3in 'SBiya when I shall cause my 
 sword to fiy before them ; that is, in military lan- 
 guage, " when I shall brandish my sword before 
 them." When Nebuchadnezzar came with his forces 
 to Egypt, at the appointment of God, and subdued 
 it, then he brandished his sword before them. 
 
 " And they shall tremble at every moment." These 
 words we had in chap. xxvi. lO, where they were 
 opened. They shall be in a.continued fear, trembling 
 from day to day lest Nebuchadnezzar .should fall 
 upon them, and Ijring them to Pharaoh's condition. 
 
 " Every man for his own life, in the day of thy 
 fall." Wlien the sword is abroad, men's lives are 
 at stake, and when it hath shed so much blood as to 
 water a land, to fill up valleys, and make it reach to 
 mountains, who would not fear lest his life and blood 
 go next ? When a great king and kingdom fall by 
 the sword, it is matter sufficient to make neighbour- 
 ing kings and kingdoms to fear themselves. 
 
 Obs. 1. Great ones are lights in the world, and 
 God extinguisheth those lights at his pleasure. 
 " When I shall put thee out." Princes and great 
 ones are examples which most follow, beacons upon 
 a hill, s\ms in their orbs, wliich many admire and 
 follow, though they light them downward towards 
 the pit of darkness : these are such great lights, that 
 men dare not snuflT, reprove them, but God extin- 
 guisheth them ; he lighted them up, and he puts 
 them out. 
 
 Obs. 2. When God puts out great lights, breaks 
 the candlesticks they stood in, that is, destroys great 
 kings and their kingdoms, then sad events do follow, 
 then the living and senseless creatures are rroubled, 
 heaven and earth affected, those near, and those far 
 off, disquieted. Dreadful judgments have dismal 
 
 consequences. When God destroyed Pharaoh and 
 his army, laid waste Egypt, then darkness was upon 
 the heavens, sun, moon, and stars, then darkness 
 was upon the land, then the hearts of many were 
 vexed, then kings were horribly afraid, and quaked 
 every moment fur fear of their kingdoms and lives. 
 When lions and whales are caught and killed, it 
 makes the other beasts and fish to fear; when the 
 high cedars fall, all the other trees tremble. 
 
 Ver. 11 — 16. Fo7- thus saifh the Lord God; 
 The sword of the king of Habi/lon shall come 
 vpon thee. Bif the swords of the mighti/ will I 
 cause thii multitude to full, the terrible of the na- 
 tions, all of them : and the\i shall spoil the pomp 
 of Egtipt, and all the multitude thereof shall be 
 destroi/ed. I will destroy/ also all the beasts thereof 
 from beside the great waters; neither shall the 
 foot of man trotible them any more, nor the hoofs 
 nf beasts trouble them. Then will I make their 
 waters deep, and cause their rirers to run like oil, 
 saith the Lord God. When I shall make the land 
 of Egi/pt desolate, and the countri/ .ihall be desti- 
 tute of that whereof it irasfull, whcti L .shall smite 
 all them that dwell therein, then shall they know 
 that I am the Loyd. This is the lamentation 
 wherewith they shall lament her: the daughters 
 of the nations .shall lament her : they shall lament 
 for her, even for Egypt, and for all her multitude, 
 saith the Lord God. 
 
 These verses belong to the first prophecy in this 
 chapter, and they set out, 
 
 I. The instruments God used in executing the 
 judgments threatened against Pharaoh and the Egyp- 
 tians, ver. 11, 12. 
 
 II. The facts of these instruments, the king of 
 Babylon and his army, ver. 12, 13. 
 
 III. The events fullowing, ver. 14, 15. 
 
 IV. The conclusion of the prophecy, ver. 16. 
 Ver. 11. "The sword of the king of Babylon shall 
 
 come upon thee." 1 will stir up and bring the king 
 of Babylon with a great army, who shall come fur- 
 nished with all military preparations against thee, 
 and cut thee off. 
 
 Ver. 12. " By the swords of the mighty will I 
 cause thy multitude to fall." The word fur " mighty" 
 is D<113J and gibbor signifies properly, a strong and 
 brave soldier, saith Drusius. The Septuagint has 
 it here, yiyavruyv, by the sword of the giants ; Egypt 
 had multitudes, but they should fall by the power of 
 these mighty and giant-like men. 
 
 " The terrible of the nations, all of them." This 
 expression, " the terrible of the nations," we had 
 thrice before, chap, xxviii. 7; xxx. 11; xxxi. 12. 
 Those men who were most barbarous and bloody, 
 tyrannical and pestilent, should be employed in his 
 work. The Septuagint calls them Aoi^m, such as 
 were the plagues of the country, such as went up 
 and down robbing, stealing, and murdering. 
 
 " And they shall spoil the pomp of Egypt." There 
 is pomp in titles, pomp in buildings, pomp in feasting 
 and fiu'niture of houses, pomp in apparel, pomp in 
 funerals, pomp in worships, pomp in multitudes of 
 men, horses, and chariots ; whatever the Egyptian 
 pomp were, it should be spoiled. Vatablus inter- 
 prets their pomp to be their dignity, or beautiful 
 things ; Munster makes it, their state and greatness ; 
 Junius makes it, the excellency of Egypt, that is, 
 kingly majesty, with all the glory and greatness at- 
 tending the same. 
 
 Ver. 13. " I will destroy also all the beasts there-
 
 Ver. 11—23. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 659 
 
 of from beside the great waters." Egypt abounded 
 with cattle, especially horses, which were serviceable 
 for war and other uses ; those fed near to the rivers 
 cut out of Nilus to water the land, ^\^lat beasts 
 soever they were, God, by the Chaldeans, would de- 
 stroy them, and they should not be any longer nigh 
 the many waters ; so is the Hebrew. 
 
 " Neither shall the foot of man trouble them any 
 more, nor the lioofs of beasts ti-ouble them." The 
 destruction should be so great, that man and beast 
 should be cut off, as was said, chap. xxix. 8. These 
 oft troubled the waters with their feet and hoofs, the 
 one with digging, the other by trampling in them. 
 
 Vcr. 14. " Then will 1 make their waters deep, 
 and cause their rivers to run like oil." Man and 
 beast being taken away, nothing shall trouble tlie 
 waters, but they shall be quiet, clear, and smooth as 
 oil. The Hebrew word for, to make deep, is, ypr 
 shakah, to be drowned, to sink, I will cause their 
 waters to go to the bottom ; which Piscator interprets 
 of the mud, wherewith they had been troubled, that 
 should sink, and the waters become pure. The Sep- 
 tuagint, I will make quiet their waters. When they 
 are clean and quiet, they run without noise, then 
 they are like oil ; the waters of Egypt, and of other 
 nations whom the Egyptians troubled. 
 
 Ver. 15. " When 1 shall make the land of Egypt 
 desolate, and the country shall be destitute." He 
 shows when the waters shall be pure and quiet, even 
 when the land is made desolate ; Hebrew is, a deso- 
 lation ; and all carried away with which the coun- 
 tries abounded ; Hebrew is, shall be destitute of its 
 fulness. 
 
 " When I shall smite all them that dwell therein." 
 All were not smitten by the sword, and destroyed, 
 but some were carried away captives, and that was a 
 smiting. 
 
 Ver. 16. " This is the lamentation wherewith they 
 shall lament her." This prophecy which I have de- 
 livered, is the lamentation wherewith Egypt shall 
 be lamented ; not only 1, Ezekiel, must lament for 
 her, but all nations shall do it. 
 
 " The daughters of the nations shall lament her : 
 they shall lament for her." The cities and people 
 of the nations, hearing of the dreadful judgments of 
 God upon Egypt, that that populous, strong, and 
 flourishing kingdom is brought to utter ruin and de- 
 solation, they shall be affected therewith, and lament 
 her condition. 
 
 06s. 1. God makes use of the king and people of 
 one nation to execute his judgments upon the king 
 and people of another nation. " The sword of the 
 king of Babylon shall come upon thee, and by the 
 swords of the mighty will 1 cause thy multitude to 
 fall." Kings and their people are at the disposal of 
 God, to call out and employ v/here and in what 
 service he pleases ; he serves himself, fulfils his 
 wills and counsels, by kings and great ones, over- 
 throwing one kingdom by another, laying all their 
 pomp and glory in the dust. 
 
 Obs. 2. The sins of kings and people cause God to 
 execute his sore judgments, not only upon them- 
 selves, but also upon the brute creatures and things 
 inanimate. God would not only destroy Pharaoh 
 and his multitude, but the beasts, the cities, and all 
 the fulness of the land ; in the destruction of these, 
 God punished the owners. 
 
 06s. 3. By the destruction of tyrants and their 
 kingdoms, God quiets nations ; they by their power, 
 counsels, or agents, trouble their own kingdoms, 
 and others. " Then will 1 make their waters deep, 
 and cause their rivers to run like oil : when 1 shall 
 make the land of Egypt desolate." When Pharaoh 
 and his host were cut off, they should trouble the 
 2 u 2 
 
 waters no more at home nor abroad, all should be 
 quiet, peaceable. 
 
 06s. 4. God, in his wise providence, so orders his 
 judgments, that they shall affect others, and be had 
 in remembrance. " This is the lamentation where- 
 with they shall lament her : the daughters of the 
 nations shall lament her." Destruction of great kings 
 and kingdoms have many things considerable in 
 them; there is much of God's power, justice, and 
 severity in the same, which God will have to be ob- 
 served and remembered in the world. C'liap. xix. 
 14, when God destroyed the princes of Israel, and 
 laid the land of Judah waste, what then ? " This is a 
 lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation." 
 
 Ver. 17 —23. It came to pass also in the twelfth 
 tjear, in the Jifteenth cha/ of the month, that the 
 word of the Lord came unto me, sai/ing. Son of 
 man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast 
 them down, even her, and the daughters of the 
 famous nations, unto the nether parts of the 
 earth, with them that go down into the pit. TJ-liom 
 dost thou pass in beauty ? go down, and be thou 
 laid with the uncircumcised. TJiey shall fall in 
 the midst of them that are slain by the sword: 
 she is delivered to the sword : draw her and all 
 her multitudes. The strong among the mighty 
 shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with 
 them that help him : they are gone down, they lie 
 uncircumcised, slain by the sword. Asshur is 
 there and all her company : his graves are about 
 him : all of them slain, fallen by the sword : 
 whose graves are set in the sides of the pit, and 
 her company is round about her grave : all of 
 them slain, fallen by the sword, which caused 
 terror in the land of the living. 
 
 At this l/th verse begins the second prophecy, 
 and general part of the chapter, in which these 
 things are considerable : 
 
 I. The time of this prophecy, ver. 17- 
 
 II. The funeral of Egypt, with the solemnity 
 thereof, which is commanded, declared, and con- 
 firmed, ver. 18 — 21, and so on to ver. 31. 
 
 III. The conchision of the prophecy, ver. 31, 32. 
 Ver. 17. " In the twelfth year, in the fifteenth day 
 
 of the month." It was in the twelfth year of their 
 captivity, and the fifteenth day of the twelfth month, 
 as it is, ver. 1, fourteen days after the former pro- 
 phecy, and upon the third sabbath, as Junius ob- 
 serves ; then came this propheev unto Ezekiel. 
 
 Ver. 18. "Wail for the multitude of Egypt." The 
 word nnj to lament, signifies internal urief The 
 prophet is bid not to feign a grief, or a funeral com- 
 plaint, but to be real, to mourn or to prophesy what 
 mourning should be at the funeral of Egypt. 
 
 " Cast them down, even her, and the daughters of 
 the famous nations." The prophet was to do this 
 prophetically, as Jeremiah was to root out, pull 
 down, to desti-oy and cast down, Jer. i. 10. He pro- 
 phesied such things, and thereupon was said to do 
 them ; and so Ezekiel was to prophesy the casting 
 down of Egypt, her king and people, " and the 
 daughters of famous nations," those that did eon- 
 federate with her, cities or people ; and because of 
 this, he is said to " cast them down." It is God's 
 work to cast dowTi, to throw into the grave and pit, 
 but his prophets declaring what shall be, are said 
 to do the same. 
 
 " Unto the nether parts of the earth." The He- 
 brew is, into the land of hell, or into the lowest part 
 of the earth.
 
 GGO 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CuAP. XXXII. 
 
 Ver. 19. "Whom dost thnii pass in beautv ? " 
 Egypt, thou thinkest thyself more beautiful than 
 other nations, that thou hast some excellency bevond 
 them ; suppose thou hadst, that must not exempt 
 thee from the common condition of nations : but 
 thou hast not any beauty, excellency beyond them, 
 nay, thou art short of them, therefore lay aside such 
 thoughts ; they who were more beautiful and plea- 
 sant than thyself, they are gone down into the pit ; 
 therefore 
 
 " Go down, and he thou laid with the uncircum- 
 cised." Thou must not look for any privilege above 
 other nations ; thou mayest conceit thy counterfeit 
 circumcision will advantage thee, but thou art de- 
 ceived ; away down to the grave, and lie with the 
 uncircumcised, thy portion must be with the pro- 
 fanest. The word for " be thou laid," signifies, to 
 sleep, also, and may be thus rendered. Sleep with 
 the uncircumcised. 
 
 Yer. 20. " They shall fall in the midst of them 
 that are slain by the sword." They that were con- 
 federate with thee, and thou with tliem, shall fall bv 
 the Chaldean sword, which hath commission to cut 
 you all off, and to send you to the state of those that 
 formerly were slain by the sword ; you think your- 
 self invulnerable, but you shall find the points of the 
 Chaldeans' swords are sharp, and will enter. 
 
 " She is delivered to the sword." Egypt, or the 
 multitude of Egypt, is delivered to the sword, ap- 
 pointed to be slain. The Hebrew may be rendered 
 thus, The sword is delivered, or given, viz. into the 
 hand of the Babylonian, to destroy the Egyptian 
 withal. 
 
 " Draw her and all her multitudes." " Draw 
 her," Egypt and her people, into the grave : the Ba- 
 bylonians slay her and hers, the sword is in their 
 hand, and then drag them into the pit. But these, 
 and the former words, may be taken otherwise, as, to 
 note out the stately funeral of Egypt. " She is de- 
 livered to the sword," or, the sword is laid under her 
 head, or by her side, to show that she was warlike. 
 " Draw her, and all her multitudes ;" let her body, 
 ,,. I , - being put into a chariot, be drawn in 
 
 pomp and state, like unto the bodies of 
 great ones. 
 
 Ohx. 1. God made known his mind to his prophets 
 by degrees ; something they had in one year given 
 out, somewhat in another year ; sometimes in one 
 month, sometimes in another, God spake unto them. 
 Here in the twelfth year, the fifteenth day of the 
 month, the word of the Lord came unto Ezekiel : 
 God had appeared to him the first day, and again the 
 fifteenth day. 
 
 Obs. 2. There are seasons to mourn in, as well as 
 to rejoice in. " Son of man, wail for the multitude 
 of Egypt." The providence of God doth not act 
 constantly in one way, but it makes changes and 
 alterations, which afford occasion to mourn and to 
 laugh. When God carried the Jews into Babylon, 
 there they hung up their harps and wept, "Psal. 
 cxxxvii. ; and when he brought them back again, it 
 was with singing, Isa. xlviii. 20. 
 
 Obs. 3. That at the appointment of God we may 
 lament for the sins and judgment.s of God upon the 
 church's enemies, secret or open. The Egyptians 
 were never real friends to the Jews, but were their 
 secret, if not their open enemies ; and now, when 
 God's hand was heavy upon them for their sins, the 
 prophet is commanded to wail for them. When the 
 church's enemies sufTer, we are to rejoice ; but if 
 God calls to mourning for their sutl'erings, we must 
 do it. 
 
 Obs. 4. The greatest in the greatest kingdoms 
 have no cause to glory and lift up themselves above 
 
 others, seeing they must come to the common condi- 
 tion of all, even to the pit and grave. The king of 
 Egypt, with his princes, nobles, and confederates of 
 famous nations, must come down to the nether parts 
 of the earth. Egypt was a potent, flourishing king- 
 dom, Pharaoh mighty, but " whom dost thou pass 
 in beauty?" thy beauty, glory, strength, wealth, 
 greatness, are nothing, thou must go down and lie 
 with the imcircumeised. In a moment, at the beck 
 of the Lord, kingdoms are made desolate, kings east 
 into the grave, and all their pomp buried in the 
 dark : let none despise others, and exalt themselves. 
 
 Ver. 21. "The strong among the mighty shall 
 speak to him out of the midst of hell." Here, and 
 so on, the prophet, by a figure called prosopopoeia, 
 represents unto us what entertainment Pharaoh 
 should have among the dead. The tyrants, and great 
 men of the world, that were in the grave, or hell, 
 before, shall speak unto him, and congratulate his 
 coming unto them in a taunting way : What Pharaoh ! 
 hast thou, who wert so great and glorious, left the 
 earth ? art thou come to us weak and wounded, 
 stripped of all, and art become like us ? Thou art wel- 
 come to hell, and the condition we tyrants are in; 
 be not troubled, here are many great ones before 
 thee, both of the uncircumcised nations, and also of 
 the circumcised. 
 
 " With them that help him." They should speak 
 to him and those who were his helpers. Pharaoh 
 had many helpers to carry on his designs on earth, 
 many confederates, and they should be welcomed to 
 hell also. 
 
 " They are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, 
 slain by the sword." The Egyptians they are gone 
 down to the grave, they lie or slee[) with the uncircum- 
 cised, or are in no better condition than uncircumcised 
 ones are in, being slain with the sword. These 
 words may be understood of other nations. 
 
 Ver. 22. " Asshur is there and all her company." 
 Here the prophet begins the enumeration of particu- 
 lar nations, whose kings and people were gone to 
 hell beforehand, and would give entertainment to 
 Pharaoh. The first he mentioned is Asshur ; the 
 Assyrian monarch was the most ancient, of great 
 power and extent, and the king thereof was in hell, 
 and all the Assyrian company, all his attendants and 
 followers. 
 
 " His graves are about him." The king of As- 
 syria is gone down to the grave, and so are his 
 princes, nobles, and people which were slain by the 
 sword ; they are in their graves near unto him, round 
 about him, and these will speak to Pharaoh at his 
 coming into the grave or hell. 
 
 Ver. 23. " Whose graves are set in the sides of 
 the pit." The Vulgate reads the words thus, whose 
 graves are in the bottom of the lake ; importing that 
 they fell from the height of honour into the depth of 
 misery. 
 
 " Which caused terror in the land of the living." 
 When the Assyrians were destroyed by the Chaldean 
 or Babylonish sword, it was dreadful to those that 
 were living : or thus : these Assyrians while they 
 were in the land of the living, they caused terror, 
 they were tyrannical, cruel, and filled all with fear. 
 Some restrain " the land of the living" only to Ju- 
 dea, because there the Jews only worshipped the 
 living God, and those who were right amongst them 
 were to enjoy the living God eternally ; but we may 
 take "the land of the living" here in opposition to 
 the state of the dead, and so other lands are included, 
 yea, all where are any living. 
 
 Ver. 24, 25. There is Elam and all her mul- 
 titude round aboiit her grave, all of them slain.
 
 Ver. 24—29. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 661 
 
 fallen by the sword, ivhich are gone down uncir- 
 cumcised into the nether parts of the earth, which 
 caused their terror in the land of the living ; yet 
 have they borne their shame with them that go 
 down to the pit. They have set her a bed in the 
 midst of the slain with all her multitude : her 
 graves are round about him : all of them uncir- 
 cumcised, slain by the sword: though their terror 
 was caused in the land of the living, yet have they 
 borne their shame with them that go down to the 
 pit: he is put in the midst of them that be slain. 
 
 The Elamites were the Persians and Medes, and 
 what he said of Asshur, that he now saith of Elam. 
 The king of the Medes and Persians, witli his muhi- 
 tude, who living were terrible unto many, were now 
 in hell ready to give entertainment to Pharaoh who 
 was coming thither. Of Elam you may read Jer. 
 xlix. 34, t( the end of the chapter. 
 
 Ver. 24. " Yet have they borne their shame with 
 them that go down to the pit." They were tyran- 
 nical, and so a terror to others ; but they were cut 
 off by the Scythians, saith Polanus, and carried the 
 shame of their tyranny and wickedness with them, 
 or they died ignominiously. 
 
 Ver. 25. " They have set her a bed in the midst of 
 the slain with all her multitude." When great ones 
 remove, preparations are made for them whither they 
 remove ; so here, even in the grave and hell a bed 
 was provided for Elam. In the bed is darkness and 
 rest; such was the grave, vault, or sepulchre of 
 Elam. In this verse there is an enallagy of genders 
 and numbers. 
 
 Ver. 26 — 28. There is Meshech, Tubal, and all 
 her tnultitude : her graves are round about him: 
 all of them uncircttmcised, slain by the sword, 
 though they caused their terror in the land of the 
 living. And they shall not lie with the mighty 
 that are fallen of the uncircumcised, ivhich are 
 gone down to hell with their weapons of war : and 
 they have laid their swords under their heads, but 
 their iniquities shall be upon their bones, though 
 they were the terror of the mighty in the land of 
 the living. Yea, thou shall be broken in the midst 
 of the uncircumcised, and shall lie with them that 
 are slain with the sword. 
 
 Here the prophet brings in a third kind of ex- 
 amples, which are Meshech and Tubal. 
 
 Ver. 26. " There is Meshech, Tubal, and all her 
 multitude." By " Meshech," some expositors un- 
 derstand the Scythians, others the Cappadocians ; 
 and by Tubal, the Iberians and Albanians, which 
 were near together, and both of them in the eastern 
 parts. All these may be understood : for the Scythi- 
 ans passing through Cappadocia, Iberia, and Albania, 
 had many of those countries joining with them, 
 when they brake into Asia, between Pontus and the 
 Caspian sea, and so plagued the Elamites. The 
 kings of these places were not yet slain, and gone 
 down to the pit, though the words import it done, 
 because of the certainty of it ; but it was near at 
 hand, and to be effected before the death of Pharaoh, 
 whom they were to speak unto at his coming down to 
 the grave. 
 
 " Her graves are round about him," &c. The 
 graves of "the men of each country were round about 
 the king of that country ; they were people uncir- 
 cumcised, out of covenant with God, slain by the 
 sword, notwithstanding they were temble to others. 
 
 Ver. 27. " And they shall not He with the mighty 
 that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone 
 down to hell with their weapons of war." Among 
 the heathens and uncircumcised there were some 
 mighty men which did notable exploits, were famous 
 in their generations, and died honourably in the 
 battle or of their wounds ; these had pompous and 
 great funerals, and were buried with their armour ; 
 they died honourably, and their honour went with 
 them to the grave, but these should not be reckoned 
 or laid amongst them. 
 
 " And they have laid their swords under their 
 heads." When soldiers of note died, the custom 
 was to honour them with laying their swords under 
 their heads, or by their heads ; and not only so, but 
 they used to bury them with their arms. Lavater 
 tells us that Giraldus, in a book he hath written of 
 sepulchres and several rites of burying, saith, he 
 saw arms and boots found in old monuments or 
 sepulchres. 
 
 " But their iniquities shall be upon their bones." 
 By "iniquities" is meant the punishment of iniqui- 
 ties. Their bones shall be scattered upon the earth 
 for their tyranny and cruelty which they have exer- 
 cised, and be exposed to the beasts and fowls for a 
 prey ; so "their iniquities shall be upon their 
 bones." Or thus ; they had their swords and arms 
 go down with them to the grave, instruments of 
 cruelty and blood, signifying that they carried their 
 bloody and tyrannical dispositions with them. " And 
 their iniquities shall be upon their bones." They 
 shall sufier now they are dead and gone a full re- 
 compence of reward for all their sins. Or thus ; 
 they lived wickedly, and died cowardly, and an ill 
 name shall they leave behind them, cursed shall be 
 their memory. 
 
 Ver. 28. " Yea, thou shalt be broken in the midst 
 of the uncircumcised, and shalt lie with them that 
 are slain with the sword." Some interpret this 
 verse of Meshech and Tubal, that they should be 
 broken in pieces, but rather it is the application of 
 the former examples instanced in, viz. Meshech and 
 Tubal, unto Pharaoh. Thou shalt be broken, and 
 become a companion of the uncircumcised, sutferiug 
 such things as they do ; thou shalt be equal to 
 them in punishment, who hast not been behind them 
 in sin. 
 
 Ver. 29. There is Edom, her kings, and all 
 her princes, which with their might are laid by 
 them that were slain by the sword: they shall lie 
 with the uncircumcised, and with them that go 
 down to the pit. 
 
 Esau the son of Isaac was called Edom, who gave 
 that name to the country called Iduniea, which had 
 many kings and princes : they were circumcised, 
 being the posterity of Abraham, but notwithstanding 
 their circumcision, being wicked, they obtained no- 
 thing thereby: neither that, nor their might and 
 power, stood them in any stead, but they went down 
 to the pit, and had the portion of uncircumcised ones. 
 Here the prophet answers an objection which tlie 
 Egyptians might make, which was this : We are 
 circumcised, and in that are like the Jews, a holy 
 people, differing from the nations ; and therefore we 
 look for some privilege thereby, and cannot be per- 
 suaded that our condition shall be like unto the un- 
 circumcised nations. Yes, saith the prophet, your 
 condition will not differ at all from tlieirs ; for the 
 kings and all the princes of Idumea, who came of 
 the Jewish race, and had circumcision upon better 
 grounds than you had it, they arc dead, gone to the 
 grave, and laid among the uncircumcised.
 
 662 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAP. XXXII. 
 
 Ver. 30. There he the princes of the north, all 
 of them, and, all the Zidonians, which are gone 
 down with the slain; with their terror they are 
 ashamed of their inight ; and they lie uncircum- 
 cised tvith them that he slain hi/ the sword, and 
 hear their shame with them that go down to the pit. 
 
 The word for " princes " in Hebrew is, D'3'CJ 
 men anointed with oil ; so kings and princes were. 
 Tliese princes of the north were not the Babylonians, 
 ■whom God used to execute his pleasure upon Pha- 
 raoh and the Egyptians; but the Tyrians, those of 
 Damascus and Syria, together with the Zidonians. 
 The princes of those places were north to Egypt, 
 and being men of might, they were a terror unto 
 others ; but their might could not preserve them from 
 death ; they were therefore ashamed of their might, 
 and are laid with the uncircumcised in the pit. 
 
 Obs. 1. That tyrants in hell are glad when other 
 tyrants like themselves come thither. " The strong 
 among the mighty shall speak to him out of the 
 midst of hell." When some great man comes to 
 court, there is rising, complimenting, and welcoming 
 of him thither ; so when great tyrants come to the 
 court of hell, there are those who rejoice at it, and 
 congratidate their coming. 
 
 Obs. 2. No human power can defend a man against 
 death, or keep him out of the pit. Princes have the 
 greatest power, yet that prevailed not; the strong 
 and mighty who were terrors to others, were no ter- 
 rors to death, who came and plucked them out of 
 their armies, thrones, castles, greatness, and sent 
 them down to the dead. " Asshur is there and all 
 her company ; there is Elam and all her multitude ; 
 there is Meshech, Tubal, and all her multitude; 
 there is Edom, her kings, and all her princes ; 
 there be the princes of the noj;th all of them, and 
 all the Zidonians ;" none of them all could exempt 
 themselves from that condition : it is not policy, 
 power, or greatness, can do it ; for the most wise, 
 most powerful, and most great God hath said, 
 Eccles. viii. 8, "There is no man hath power over 
 the spirit to retain the spirit ; neither hath he power 
 in the day of death ; and there is no discharge in that 
 war, neither shall wickedness deliver those that are 
 given to it." Kings are strong, but death is stronger 
 than they. Kings may make war with men and 
 conquer, or conclude peace ; but it is not so with 
 death ; if they send out all their forces, death fears 
 them not, but will slay them every one ; if they send 
 men to treat and make a peace, it will not be granted, 
 there is no discharge in that war ; death will have 
 the bones and carcasses of princes to gnaw upon, as 
 well as the meanest ; those that have been terrors, 
 made a great noise in the world, death hath tamed 
 and quieted them. 
 
 Obs. 3. The great and most go the wrong way, and 
 have the portion of God's enemies. Kings and princes 
 of countries with their companies and multitudes go 
 to hell, and lie with the uncircumcised. Asshur, 
 Elam, Meshech, Tubal, Edom, with their kings and 
 people, all the princes of the north, with the Zidoni- 
 ans, and those that belonged to them, went thither, 
 and had the reward of the uncircumcised, of such as 
 God owned not for his people, but dealt with as ene- 
 mies. Some there be that die the death of the 
 righteous. Numb, xxiii. 10, that die in faith, Hcb. 
 xi. 13, and in the Lord, Rev. xiv. 13 ; and these are 
 blessed, their death is precious in the eyes of the 
 Lord, Psal. cxvi. 15; but as for others, they die in 
 their sins, and are accursed. 
 
 Obs. 4. Mighty men who have ruffled it in the 
 world, been dreadful unto others, and go down to the 
 
 grave in pomp, or not, shall afterward bear their 
 shame and sin. The mighty ones of Asshur, of 
 Elam, of Meshech, Tubal, Edom, those of the north, 
 and Zidon, who were a terror in the land of tlie liv- 
 ing, some of them were buried in pomp, they went 
 down to hell with their weapons of war, and they 
 had their swords laid under their heads ; others had 
 no funerals, or no pomp at them ; but they all did bear 
 their shame, and their iniquities were upon their 
 bones : they lived wickedly, oppressed grievously, 
 played the devils on the earth ; they bare their shame, 
 and God punished them for their iniquities. Tyrants 
 are feared and honoured as gods while they live, 
 but being dead, their names do stink, and their tor- 
 ments are terrible, proportioned to the power they 
 have abused, and mischief done by them. 
 
 Obs. 5. External privileges profit not princes nor 
 people ; unless they be godly, they nnist perish like 
 those that want those privileges. The Edomites 
 were circumcised, which was a great privilege in 
 Paul's account, Phil. iii. 5, a sign of the covenant be- 
 tween God and his people. Gen. xvii. 11 ; but because 
 they and their princes were wicked, circumcision 
 profited them not, they were laid with the uncircum- 
 cised, they had no more favour from the hand of the 
 Lord than his worst enemies, than those that were 
 out of covenant, and open enemies unto him. Let 
 men take heed how they rest upon their privileges 
 and professions : it is not baptism, being in a church, 
 enjoying of ordinances, having of gifts, high no- 
 tions, and admirable expressions, will advantage men 
 or women at last ; unless they be really godly a 
 thousand such privileges will do them no good : Gal. 
 vi. 15, "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision avail- 
 eth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new 
 creature." 
 
 Ver. 31, 32. Pharaoh shall see them, and shall 
 he comforted over ullhismiiltitiide, even Pharaoh 
 and all his army slain by the sword, saith the 
 Lord God. For I hare cavsed my terror in the 
 land of the living : attd ye shall be laid in the 
 midst of the ■uncircumcised with them that are 
 slain ivith the sword, even Pharaoh and all his 
 multitude, saith the Lord God. 
 
 In these two verses is the conclusion of this pro- 
 phecy, lamentation, or funeral of Pharaoh and the 
 Egyptians ; which is the comfort he shall have 
 amongst those mighty men and princes before men- 
 tioned ; and this is in ver. 31 : and then the end of 
 God's judgments upon kings and people, ver. 32. 
 
 Ver. 31. " Phai-aoh shall see them, and shall be 
 comforted." When Pharaoh .shall come to hell or 
 the grave, and see what kings, princes, and multi- 
 tudes of people are there suflering such things 
 as himself must, this shall comfort him that he hath 
 such companions, and so many. To lose his life, 
 kingdom, and people, were sad things, bitter afflic- 
 tions ; but when he saw others had done so before 
 him, and they as great as himself, this was as a 
 cordial unto him. 
 
 " Pharaoh and all his army slain by the sword." 
 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came shortly after 
 this prophecy against him and the Egyptians, and 
 made a great slaughter amongst them, cutting off 
 man and beast from the land, as was said, chap, 
 xxix. 1 1. 
 
 "Ver. 32. " For I have caused my terror in the 
 land of the living." Junius reads the words, when 
 I shall put my terror ; Montanus, because I have 
 put my breaking in the land of the living, a prcter 
 tense for a future. The sense is this ; When I shall 
 cut off Pharaoh and his army by tlie Babylonish
 
 Ver. 1— G. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 Gli3 
 
 sword, this judgment of mine upon them will cause 
 terror in the nations that are Hving, they will be 
 afraid of my judgments. Pharaoh made them afraid 
 by his wars, and 1 shall make them afraid by my 
 judgments. 
 
 Obs. I. The comfort that wicked ones have after 
 death in hell is poor comfort, it is imaginary com- 
 fort rather than real. What comfort is it to see 
 many in prison, in torment, suffering proportionable 
 punishment for their iniquities ? " Pharaoh shall 
 see them, and shall be comforted ;" he shall sec the 
 kings of several countries there, the great tyrants of 
 the world, and shall be punished like unto them; 
 his comfort was in conceit, but his punishment in 
 reality. Polanus calls it crudek solatium, cruel com- 
 fort. For a king to be in fire and brimstone with 
 other kings, people to be weeping and gnashing of 
 their teeth with others, is cold and cruel comfort. 
 Many flatter themselves, that if they do go to hell, 
 they shall have companions there, which will be 
 some ease ; but it rather will aggravate their 
 misery to hear their dreadful howling and yell- 
 ings, their cursing one another that ever they knew 
 each other. 
 
 Obs. 2. God cuts off kings and nations by his just 
 judgments, that he might strike fear into the living, 
 cause them to cease from sin, and learn righteous- 
 ness. When Pharaoh and all his army were slain by 
 the sword, then the Lord sent his terror in the land 
 of the living, then the nations far and nigh trembled 
 at the severe judgments of the Lord. Such judg- 
 ments are awakening things, and call aloud to the 
 inhabitants of the earth to repent and reform their 
 ways. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXin. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 6. Again the word of the Lord came 
 unto me, saying. Son of man, speak to the chil- 
 dren of thy people, and say unto them, IVlien I 
 bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the 
 land take a man of their coasts, and set him for 
 their watchman : if when he seeth the sword come 
 upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn 
 the people; then whosoever heareth the sound of 
 the trumpet, and taketh not learning ; if the sword 
 come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon 
 his oivn head. He heard the sound of the trum- 
 pet, and took not warning; his blood shall be 
 upon him. But he that taketJi warning shall de- 
 liver his soul. But if the watchman see the sivord 
 come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be 
 not warned; if the swoid come, and take any 
 person from among them, he is taken away in 
 his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the 
 watchman's hand. 
 
 Our prophet having finished his prophecy against 
 the nations in eight chapters, xxv. — xxxii. which 
 was the second general part of his whole prophecy ; 
 comes here again to prophesy unto the Jews, and 
 begins the third general part of his prophecy, which 
 extends to the end of chap, xxxix. 
 
 In this chapter are these things laid down : 
 L A renovation of the prophet's call to his office, 
 with the description thereof, ver. 1 — 9. 
 
 II. A confirmation of the prophet against the 
 calumnies of the Jews, ver. 10 — 20. 
 
 III. A denunciation of judgment against those 
 
 that were not smitten at the taking of Jerusalem, 
 ver. 21—29. 
 
 IV. A reproof of those that were captives in Ba- 
 bylon for their hypocrisy and covetousness, ver. 30, 
 to the end. 
 
 Ver. 1,2. " Again the word of the Lord came unto 
 me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of 
 thy people." Ezekiel being taken ofl' by the Lord 
 from pi-ophesying to the Jews, chap. xxiv. 27, he 
 was employed two years and upwards in prophesy- 
 ing to other nations, as appears by comparing chap, 
 xxiv. 1, with chap, xxxii. 1 ; and having done witli 
 them, here he is commissioned again to prophesy to 
 the Jews : " Son of man, speak unto thy people ;" 
 cease now to speak any more to the nations which 
 are strangers to thee, and speak to thine own people, 
 to the Jews, which are of the same root, stock, and 
 kindred with thyself. The Hebrew is, to the sons 
 of thy people. It is observable God saith not, to the 
 children of my people, or, to the Jews, but, to thy 
 people ; God did disown them, they were so 
 stubborn and disobedient that he would not ac- 
 knowledge them for his. Oft in this prophecy they 
 are called Ezekiel's people, chap. iii. 11; xiii. 17; 
 and four times in this chapter, in ver. 2, 12, 17, 30 ; 
 in all these verses it is " the children of thy people." 
 When the Jews sinned that grievous sin in making 
 the calf, God disowned them, and said to Moses, 
 " Go, get thee down, for thy people have corrupted 
 themselves," Exod. xxxii. 7- Sin makes breaches 
 between the nearest relations, and causes God to 
 disown his own people, and his own institutions ; Isa. 
 i. 14, " Your new moons and your appointed feasts 
 my soul hateth." 
 
 " When I bring the sword upon a land." By 
 " sword " is meant war, and the evils which do attend 
 it, as chap. vi. 3; xiv. 17; xxix. 8; xxx. 4 ; xxxii. 11. 
 The Hebrew is thus, A land when I shall bring upon 
 it the sword : here is a nominative case, viz. ^— 1» 
 put absolute; and Sanctius saith, when a pronoun 
 follows, that nominative must be put in the place 
 and case of the pronoun, as our translation hath 
 done, saying, I will bring a sword (not upon it, but) 
 upon the land. " Land" is not put for Judea, but 
 indefinitely for any land. 
 
 " If the people of the land take a man of their 
 coasts, and set him for their watchman." When a 
 land is in danger of being invaded, the people's care 
 is to choose out one or other to set him in some 
 eminent place for a watchman. Montanus and the 
 Vulgate render the word on'vpo they take one of 
 the lowest and meanest rank ; but r\^^ notes the 
 border and extreme part of a land, or any other 
 thing. It is better as our translation hatli it, " a man 
 of their coasts" or borders, where the enemy was 
 like to make his first approach. 
 
 " A watchman." Tzopheh is from ,1SY which 
 is, ascurately to observe, to open tlie eyes, and fix- 
 edly to behold an object, and take special notice 
 thereof ; so is a watchman to do. 2 Sam. xiii. 34, 
 " The young man that kept the watch, lifted up his 
 eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much 
 people :" he did not barely look, but lifted up his 
 eyes and looked, he made an accurate observation. 
 So 2 Sam. xviii. 24, " The watchman went up to the 
 roof over the gate inito the wall, and lifted up his 
 eyes, and looked, and behold a man running alone ;" 
 he put forth himself to the utmost to make a dis- 
 covery, his eyes were intent upon it. 
 
 Ver. 3. " If when he seeth the sword come upon 
 the land," &c. This verse sets out the office of 
 the watchman; which is, 
 
 1. To look diligently about him, whether there be 
 any danger approaching, any enemy near at hand,
 
 664 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIII. 
 
 coming to invade or make attempts against the 
 land. 
 
 '2. If so, he is to hlow the trumpet presently, and 
 to give warning thereof, stirring up all to procure 
 public safety. 
 
 " He blow the trumpet." The Hebrew word to 
 "blow" is, ypn (aA-a/i, which signifies, to fasten; 
 but when it is joined with the word manus, it notes to 
 strike the hand or strike hands, when with the word 
 -iBC a trumpet, it .signifies, to blow ; as 2 Sam. ii. 
 2S, " Joab blew a trumpet;" so 1 Sam. xiii. 3, " Saul 
 blew the trumpet;" and Joel ii. l,"Blow ye the 
 trumpet in Zion." Trumpets of old were made of 
 the horns of beasts, of brass, and silver. 
 
 " And warn the people." The blowing of the 
 trumpet was a warning to the people to look to them- 
 selves ; but this warning was not only by the voice 
 of the trumpet, but also by the voice of the watch- 
 man ; for having blown the trumpet upon the dis- 
 covery and approach of an enemy, the watchman was 
 to shift for his life and liberty, by returning to his 
 people, and so to call upon them to provide for 
 public safety. The word in Hebrew for warning 
 is, -im which signifies, to shine, illuminate ; and 
 metaphorically, to warn, because when a man is 
 warned, he is instructed, and hath light given in 
 unto him. 
 
 Ver. 4. " Then whosoever heareth the sound of the 
 trumpet, and takoth not warning ; if the sword come, 
 and take him away." Many are so taken up with 
 the world, that though they hear of danger at hand, 
 yet they will not hear, but venture so long that they 
 are caught, the sword comes and takes them away. 
 The Hebrew is, he that hearing heareth. 
 
 " His blood shall be upon his own head." He 
 hath no cause to blame the watchman, he blew the 
 trumpet and warned him, the fault is in himself, that 
 he took not the warning, that he made not haste to 
 secure his own life ; he is guilty of his own death, 
 and hath voluntarily brought it upon himself, the 
 whole fault is his own ; that is the meaning of this 
 phrase, " his blood shall be upon him," or, upon his 
 own head, which is frequent in Scripture. Josh. ii. 
 19, " It shall be, that whosoever gocth out of the 
 doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be 
 upon his head, and we will be guiltless ;" that is, he 
 shall be guilty of his own death, not we. 1 Kings 
 ii. 37, " On the day thou gocst out, and passest over 
 the brook Kidron, thou shalt surely die ; thy blood 
 shall be upon thine own head;" thou shalt be the 
 cause of thine own death, not I, said Solomon to 
 Shiniei. 
 
 Ver. 5. " He heard the sound of the trumpet, and 
 took not warning ; his blood shall be upon him." 
 Here the reason is given why he is guilty of his own 
 death ; because he was within the sound of the 
 trumpet, he heard it, that proclaimed the danger was 
 at hand, but he was secure, minding his profit or 
 pleasure, and took not warning. 
 
 " But he that taketh warning shall deliver his 
 soul." He that gives heed to the blowing of the 
 trumpet, and presently hastens into the city, or flees 
 for his life, he shall deliver his soul from the hands 
 nt the enemies coming, he shall be safe. The word 
 for, to " deliver," is from tDSn which signifies, to 
 provide for oneself by flight, saith Avenarius; he 
 doth so "deliver his soul," that is, himself, for 
 "soul" here is put by a synecdoche for a man's 
 self. 
 
 Ver. 6. " But if the watchman see the sword come, 
 and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not 
 warned." All watchmen are not faithftd ; some are 
 sleepy and careless, they see not the sword coming ; 
 some are perfidious, they see it coming, but blow 
 
 not the trumpet, they warn not the people ; and 
 what then ? 
 
 " If the sword come, and take away any person 
 from among them." That is, if any man being not 
 warned by the watchman shall be surprised, and cut 
 ofl', as frequently in such cases it is, his blood will 
 lie upon the watchman. The Hebrew for " any 
 person" is, a soul, if the sword come aiid take a soul 
 from them. 
 
 " He is taken away in his iniquity." He is found 
 in his sin, and is cut ofi' for his sin. Most interpret>- 
 ers render the words, for his iniquity ; he was 
 wicked, and for his wickedness justly cut off. 
 
 " But his blood will I require at the watchman's 
 hand." Here is the punishment laid down of an 
 unfaithful watchman ; through his sleepiness, neg- 
 ligence, or treachery, a soul is taken away, a man 
 is slain by the adversary, who, if the watchman had 
 given warning, might have lived ; and therefore, be- 
 cause he did not, he is guilty of the man's blood, 
 and nuist answer for it, at his hands will God re- 
 quire it. 
 
 Ver. 7 — 9. So thoit, O son of man, I have set 
 thee a watchman nnto the house of Israel ; there- 
 fore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and 
 warn them from me. Wlien I say unto the 
 wicked, O wicked mati, Thou shalt surely die ; if 
 thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his 
 icay, that wicked 7nan shall die in his ini(juity ; 
 bjit his blood tvill I require at thine hand. Never- 
 theless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to 
 turn from it ; if he do not turn from his way, he 
 shall die in his iniquity ; but thou hast delivered 
 thy soul. 
 
 In these words the Lord apphes the former simile 
 of a political watchman unto the prophet ; "So thou, 
 O son of man," &c.; and these three verses are the 
 same with the 17th, 18th, and 19th verses of the 
 3rd chapter of this prophecy. 
 
 Ver. 7- " I have set thee a watchman." I have 
 given thee to be a watchman unto the house of Is- 
 rael, that thou sliouldst look about, search the Scrip- 
 tures, find out what is evil, sinful, and what is the 
 punishment due thereunto, what wrath God hath 
 revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness, 
 and till the people thereof. 
 
 " Therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth." 
 Thou must not speak of thine own head, or out of 
 thine own heart, but thou must take all up from me; 
 either what I have given out by Moses and other 
 prophets already, or what I shall give out imme- 
 diately to thyself. Thus Habakkuk did, chap. ii. 1, 
 " I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon 
 the tower, and will watch to see what he will say 
 unto me :" he would have the word from God's mouth. 
 
 " And warn them from nie." Thou must not warn 
 them in thine own name, but in my name, whose 
 prophet thou art, whose words thou hast received, 
 and who hath empowered thee to tell men of their 
 sins and dangers. 
 
 Ver. 8. "When I say unto the wicked, wicked 
 man, thou shalt surely die." Where God says so is 
 hard to find in all the book of God. You have not, 
 " O wicked man, thou shalt surely die ;" but in ge- 
 nerals there is that which is equivalent; as, "The 
 soul that sins shall die — The wicked shall be turned 
 into hell — Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire 
 and brimstone, and an horrible tempest — and. The 
 wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all un- 
 righteousness of men." These and such other places 
 are tantamount.
 
 Vi;r. 7—9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 6G5 
 
 " If thou (lost not speak to warn the wickud from 
 his way." When the watchman sees a wicked man 
 in a wicked way, as in a way of drunkenness, whore- 
 dom, idohitry, oppression, or any profaneness, he is 
 ti) warn him, and teh him of the danger of his ways; 
 if lie, through fear or favour, incogitancy or careless- 
 ness, neglect to do it, the danger is great. 
 
 " That wicked man shall die in his iniquity." 
 The wicked man might object and say, Why should 
 I die ? I was never warned by the watchman ; he 
 saw me daily living in such courses, and had he told 
 me the danger of them, I should have considered my 
 ways and tiirned from them. This objection is 
 answered : Thou art a wicked man, thou hast lived 
 in iniquity, and now thou shalt die in and for thine 
 iniquity ; the light of nature, the dictates of thy con- 
 science, the example of others, might have taught 
 thee to have done otherwise : though the prophet 
 have neglected his duty, thou shalt sutfer for thy 
 sins, and he for his. 
 
 " His blood will I require at thine hand." I set 
 thee to be a watchman over him, to observe his 
 ways, to tell him of his sins, to invite and provoke 
 him to repentance by promises of mercy and threat- 
 ening of my judgments, that so he might have been 
 saved ; but because thou wast unfaithful, and didst 
 not thy duty, he is lost, and his blood will I require 
 at thy hands, and recompense it upon thy head. 
 
 Ver. 9. " Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of 
 his way to turn from it." If thou be faithful in thy 
 place, and tell the wicked of his sins, calling upon 
 him to turn from them unto me the living God ; if this 
 hath been thy care and practice, thou hast done well. 
 
 " He shall die in his iniquity ; but thou hast de- 
 livered thy soul." Whatever befalls him, death 
 temporal, or death eternal, thou hast freed thyself, 
 and shalt not be responsive for him at all ; his blood 
 shall be upon his own head, and not upon thine. 
 
 Obs. 1. Wars come not upon any people casually, 
 but by the providence of God. " When I bring the 
 sword upon a land." It is God calls out the sword, 
 and causeth it to come ; he is the Lord of hosts, 
 and commissions armies to make invasions where he 
 please. 
 
 Obs. 2. In case of common danger, the people 
 have liberty and power to set up a political officer, 
 for their good and safety. When the sword is coming 
 upon the land, " if the people of the land take a man 
 of their coasts, and set him up for their watchman." 
 God expects they should do it, and approves of it 
 when done ; they do not their duty, unless they do 
 it; they must not stay till those in authority do it, 
 the land may be invaded, many lose their lives upon 
 that account; but it is their privilege, and in their 
 power, presently to appoint a man who may discover 
 danger, and give them notice of it. Every man is a 
 part of the whole, and when that is endangered, 
 every one is to put forth himself to the utmost for 
 security thereof. The safety of the people is the 
 supreme law. 
 
 Obs. 3. That in the ecclesiastic state it is God's 
 prerogative to set up offices and officers. " Son of 
 man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of 
 Israel." He might not set himself a watchman, nor 
 the people set him to be one. 1 Cor. xii. 2S, " God 
 hath set some in the church, first apostles, second- 
 arily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, 
 then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities 
 of tongues." In the political state, men may make 
 what offices and officers they please ; but in the ec- 
 clesiastic state it is not so. Man must not meddle ; 
 God only is the Author of all offices in the church 
 extraordinary or ordinary, and no man ought to come 
 into anv of them without commission and direction 
 
 from God; true ministers are to be called by the 
 church according to God's will, and not by the will 
 of a state. The making of ministers is church work, 
 and not state work. 
 
 06s. 4. Those that are called to office by men or 
 God, in state or church, they are watchmen. They 
 must have eyes in their heads, lift up their eyes and 
 look about them most diligently and conscientiously, 
 lest any mischief come to tlie one or the other. 
 They are to be men of understanding, especially the 
 spiritual watchman, his lips must preserve know- 
 ledge, Mai. ii. 7. He is set to watch ; sleepiness 
 and drowsiness do not become him : there is great 
 danger therein: Matt. xiii. 25, "While men slept, 
 the enemy came and sowed tares ;" whilst the 
 watchman slept, the devil and his instruments took 
 the opportunity and advantage to sow tares, errors, 
 heresies, and damnable doctrines. Isa. Ivi. 10, you 
 may see what watchmen the Lord had in Isaiah's 
 time : " His watchmen are blind ; they are all igno- 
 rant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark ; 
 sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber." The 
 state and church watchmen were such ; therefore 
 idolatry, murder, oppression, and profaneness abound- 
 ed amongst them ; they sought themselves and their 
 ease, not the state or church's good. Watchmen 
 should not be for themselves, but for the public 
 good, enduring any hardship rather than the public 
 should be endangered ; they must not shrink at wind 
 or weather, but bear the cold of the night and the heat 
 of the day, watching always. Isa. xxi. 11," Watch- 
 man, what of the night ? watchman, what of the 
 night ?" The watchman was at his work in the 
 night, as well as in the day. 
 
 Obs. 5. God hath a special care of his church and 
 people, being exposed to many dangers. " I have 
 set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel." 
 Where watchmen are, dangers are supposed. There 
 are church robbers abroad, that would rob it of the 
 Scriptures, of ordinances, officers, of Christ, and of 
 heaven itself. There are those w ho would " bring in 
 damnable heresies," as of old, 2 Pet. ii. 1 ; yea, the 
 church is apt of itself to breed vipers. Acts xx. 30. 
 Thorns, briers, weeds, nettles, do grow up in God's 
 gardens. What errors, heresies, blasphemies, are 
 not revived in our days ! Are they not grown up to 
 that height and strength, as to threaten and en- 
 danger the foundation ? If ever the church is as a 
 lily among thorns, as a lamb among wolves and lions 
 that seek to tear in pieces and devour, it is now. 
 Truth goeth with a scratched face every where, and is 
 so scratched and disfigured that many know her not ; 
 she hath many enemies, few friends, and cannot 
 dwell quiet in Zion itself; erroneous opinions are 
 ready to assault her in her own house. There is 
 need therefore of watchmen to discover and prevent 
 dangers ; and God hath manifested his care of his 
 church and truth, that he hath given watchmen for 
 the preservation of them, and left it upon record that 
 himself is the watchman of his vineyard ; Isa. xxvii. 
 3, " Lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." 
 The fire of contention, the Hoods of iniquity, and 
 winds of strange doctrine, cannot harm God's vine- 
 yard, he is the keeper thereof. 
 
 Obs. 6. What gi fts or graces soever prophets and men 
 in ecclesiastical places have, they must depend upon 
 God for more, and receive from him before they give 
 out to others. No prophet, no apostle, ever had 
 such a sufficiency of light, knowledge, or grace, as to 
 stand in need of no more. God had set Ezekiel to 
 be a watchman to the house of Israel, he had heard 
 much from God, the Spirit entered into him, he had 
 eaten the roll, and yet he must attend the Lord ; 
 " Therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth :"
 
 CGG 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIII. 
 
 even therefore because he was God's prophet, he 
 was to hear the word at his mouth ; not to trust to 
 what he had, not to give out of Ills own, but con- 
 stantly to look unto the Lord, to hearken what he 
 would say, and then what he said to make that known 
 unto others. God's prophets, God's ministers, must 
 speak his words, deliver his message. There is a 
 majesty, an efficacy in his words, which are not in 
 the words of men, Heb. iv. 12. The words of false 
 prophets were chaff, without virtue ; but the words 
 of true prophets were wheat, full of virtue, for they 
 were the words of God, Jer. xxiii. 28. 
 
 Obs. 7. That as it is the duty of watchmen to fore- 
 see danger, so to forewarn the people of it. The 
 state watchman ought to do both, and so the church 
 watchman. The one, when he sees the sword to 
 come, is to blow the trumpet and warn the people, 
 that tliey secure their hves ; the other, when he 
 sees men's lives are wicked, tending to the destruc- 
 tion of their souls, when he sees error, heresies, 
 coming to infect and endanger the souls of men, he 
 is to blow the trumpet of the Lord, and to warn them 
 that they take heed of the one, and desist from the 
 other. Isa. Iviii. I, " Cry aloud, spare not, lift up 
 thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their 
 transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins." 
 Isaiah was a watchman to the house of Jacob, and 
 he foresaw they were in danger of being ruined and 
 carried into captivity ; and what must he do in this 
 case ? be silent ? no ; " Cry aloud," make tlum to 
 hear, " spare not " thy hmgs, thy strength, " lift up 
 thy voice like a trumpet," louder and louder, make 
 all the house of Jacob to hear it ; " and show my 
 people their transgressions," present unto them the 
 nature and danger of them, let them not rest or 
 sleep, but tell them of their sins in public, in private, 
 solicit, importune them to cease from their evil ways, 
 and to secure their souls. It is not enough for a 
 spiritual watchman to warn his people once or twice 
 in a year, of the dangerous evils their sins will bring 
 upon them, but he must do it frequently, constantly ; 
 this warning must be daily : let the persons be of 
 what rank soever, if they live in ways of wickedness, 
 which may hazard their souls, the watchman must 
 tell them of their sins and danger, admonish them 
 seriously, reprove them sharply, and threaten them 
 with death eternal if they persevere in their ways. 
 
 Obs. 8. That prophets, ministers, and watchmen 
 in Zion, are to act in tlie name and authority of God. 
 " Thou shalt wai-n them from me." They must let 
 them know that God hath sent them, that they speak 
 from him, not from themselves, not their own words; 
 and this is likeliest to make way for the message 
 they bring, of what kind soever. Here the prophet 
 was to warn them, to tell them of their sins, and the 
 danger of them : and who would not receive an ad- 
 monition from God, when it comes in his name, 
 backed with his authority ; when God in it seeks our 
 good, the freedom of us from death and damnation, 
 the bringing of us unto glory and salvation ; and 
 especially when the soul of the watchman lieth at 
 stake for the sinner, if he do not admonish the sin- 
 ner ? Can any sinner be so obstinate as not to con- 
 sider, relent, and return, when God shall send one 
 in his name unto him, and the prophet shall say. 
 Sir, I come from God uuto you, and my life is at 
 stake for you ; if I tell you not of your sins, I am a 
 lost man : give me leave therefore to deal plainly 
 with you : you are covetous, unclean, proud, froward, 
 ignorant, unbelieving, having a form of godliness 
 without the power ; and unless you take another 
 course, and serve the living God otherwise than you 
 do, you will perish soul and body eternally ; but if 
 you will hearken, I will show you the good and 
 
 right way, the way everlasting, which will make 
 you blessed for ever. When a watchman comes and 
 deals thus with a sinner, hath he cause to be angry ? 
 No ; he hath cause to fall down, and say. Of a truth 
 God is in you and with you ; 1 thank you for your 
 counsel and seasonable admonitions, and through the 
 grace of God I will improve them, and turn to that 
 God who is so gracious, and would have sinners 
 come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved. 
 
 Obs. 9. The Lord knows who are wicked. " When 
 I say to the wicked man." The world calls them 
 wicked who are righteous, and those righteous who 
 are wicked ; but it is not so with the Lord, he knows 
 who is a hypocrite, who is covetous, who is a liar, a 
 formalist, an enemy to grace and holiness : " Known 
 unto God are all his works," Acts xv. 18; and he 
 knoweth who are his, 2 Tim. ii. 19, and who are not 
 his. There is not one goat in the world, but the 
 Lord knows him ; not a wolf, or lion, but he takes 
 notice of them : he knew the house of Israel better 
 than Ezekiel who dwelt amongst them ; whom he 
 said was wicked, was so indeed. It matters not 
 much what the world saith of men : it called Paul a 
 babbler. Acts xvii. 18, a heretic. Acts xxiv. 14, a 
 pestilent fellow, ver. 5 ; but what said God of him ? 
 Acts ix. 15, " He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear 
 my name before the gentiles, and kings, and the 
 children of Israel." Job's friends and the devil said 
 Job was a hypocrite ; but God said he was a perfect 
 man, fearing God, and eschewing evil. Job i. 1. 
 Tliat men are what God, who cannot lie, who cannot 
 be deceived, pronounces them to be ; if he in his 
 word do call a man for a hypocrite, an unbeliever, 
 covetous, proud, &c. he is so. 
 
 Obs. 10. The power of life and death is in the hand 
 of the Lord. " When I say unto the wicked, O 
 wicked man, thou shalt surely die." God hath au- 
 thority over the lives of men, and can pronounce a 
 sentence of death upon them at his pleasure. He 
 commissioned Saul to smite Amalek, to " slay man 
 and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel 
 and ass," I Sam. xv. 3. When Ahab let Benhadad 
 go, a man that God had appointed to destruction, 
 therefore saith he, " Thy life shall go for his life, 
 and thy people for his peoi)le," 1 Kings xx. 42. The 
 power of life and death God challengeth to himself; 
 Deui. xxxii. 39, " I kill, and I make alive ; 1 wound, 
 and I heal ; neither is there any that can deliver out 
 of mine hand." By this argument he proves himself 
 to be God, and it is none but God that kills, or gives 
 life. Psal. Ixviii. 20, " Unto God the Lord belong the 
 issues from death." The Hebrew is, niNyin nicS 
 the goings out to death. It is God that turns the 
 key, and lets out the breath ; it is he puts a pe- 
 riod to the life of the creature. Would any live ? 
 let them fear the Lord, and depart from evil ; for 
 " the fear of the Lord prolongeth days," Prov. x. 27. 
 Moses uses this argument to persuade them to love, 
 obey, and cleave to the Lord, " He is thy life, and 
 length of thy days," Deut. xxx. 20. Men have their 
 lives from God, and he draws the thread of them out 
 to what length he please ; and therefore men should 
 love, fear, obey, and cleave to that God; if they do 
 not, he will cut the thread of their lives asunder : 
 Prov. X. 27, " The years of the wicked shall be 
 shortened ;" by one sickness, judgment, or other, 
 their days and years shall be shortened of what they 
 might have been. 
 
 Obs. 11. Those watchmen that are unfaithful in 
 their places, and do not tell the people of their sins 
 and danger, their account will be dreadful. " If thou 
 do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, his 
 blood will I require at thy hand." If a political 
 watchman be unfaithful, so that a man perish by the
 
 Yer. 
 
 -11. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 667 
 
 sword without warning, his blood lieth upon the 
 watchman's head; and if the ecclesiastical wateliman 
 be unfaithful, and do not warn the wicked, upon 
 what pretence soever, the blood of that wicked man, 
 dying in his sins, will be required of the watchman, 
 it lies upon his head, and he must answer fur it: 
 the case of this latter watchman will be more dan- 
 gerous than of the former ; because the one is to an- 
 swer for the life of a man, the other for the soul of 
 a man, which is of great price. Let lazy, sleepy, 
 perfidious watchmen look to it ; they suffer men to 
 perish through their default, and their blood, lives, 
 souls, stand engaged for the same. 
 
 Obs. 12. The failing of the watchman will not ex- 
 cuse or privilege the wicked man. "If thou dost 
 not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that 
 wicked man shall die in his iniquity." Though he 
 be not told that he is in a wrong way, though he 
 pretend ignorance, that will not serve tum, he " shall 
 die in his iniquity," warned or unwarned. The 
 watchman hath not done his duty ; what then ? must 
 this exempt the wicked man from punishment ? No ; 
 he hath not done his duty, he should have minded 
 and studied the law of God, walked according to 
 that, and have made it a lamp unto his feet, and a 
 light unto his paths, Psal. cxix. 105. But his neg- 
 lect of his duty, and ignorance, rather will aggravate 
 than extenuate his fault : the law was near unto him, 
 and he might have known what was forbidden, and 
 so have avoided the same. 
 
 Obs. 13. Those that regard not the warning of the 
 watchmen, they bring certain destruction upon them- 
 selves. " Whosoever heareth the sound of the trum- 
 Eet, and taketh not wai"ning, his blood shall be upon 
 is own head ;" if the enemy cut off that man, he 
 himself is guilty of his own death, not the political 
 ■watchman. And so in the church state ; if the wick- 
 ed man be warned of his way, and turn not from it, 
 he shall die in his iniquity, his blood lies at his own 
 door, upon his own head, the watchman is free. 
 
 Obx. 14. There is great necessity that the watch- 
 men deal faithfully, and tell the people of their dan- 
 ger and sin. Their souls, their blood lie at stake 
 upon it; if they be not faithful, their lives, their 
 souls go for it. Those watchmen that are silent, 
 are cruel, bloody, and soul-murdering men, they mur- 
 der the souls of the people, and their own souls also : 
 those that speak, that cry aloud, that tell the people 
 thoroughly of their sins, not fearing their frowns, 
 nor respecting their favours, that so, if it be pos.sible, 
 they may save their souls, these are the most faithful 
 watchmen. Many wonder that the spiritual watch- 
 men are so zealous, particular, that they open the 
 nature of sin so much, threaten such terrible judg- 
 ments of God against sinners, and preach damnation 
 unto them, that they are so frequent iu such ways ; 
 but cease to wonder, their souls are in jeopardy if 
 they do it not. If a man's whole estate were in 
 hazard if he did not tell such a man that he were a 
 liar, a drunkard, would he forfeit his estate through 
 silence? No; he would tell him of his sins again 
 and again. The watchman's soul lieth at pawn, and 
 he forfeits that if he should not tell sinners of their 
 sins, and warn them to turn from them. Hence was 
 it that Paul said, " Necessity is laid upon me, and 
 woe unto me, if I preach not the gospel !" I Cor. ix. 
 16 : he preached and warned sinners night and day, 
 Acts XX. 31. 
 
 Obn. Lastly, That the watchman warning the peo- 
 ple, and the people taking warning, they du both se- 
 cure themselves. If the watchman political or spirit- 
 ual blow the trumpet, warn the people, he shall deliver 
 his own soul ; if the people take warning, they deliver 
 their souls. Safety lies in warning, and in hearkening 
 
 to warning. Let not the watchmen of God be sleepy 
 or silent, l3ut warn the people constantly, that so they 
 may save themselves and others. 
 
 Ver. 10, 11. Therefore, O thou son of man, 
 speak nnto the house of Israel ; TJnis ye speak, 
 saying. If our transgressions and our sins be 
 vpon lis, and tee pine auay in them, how shovld 
 we then live? Say unto them, As I live, saith the 
 Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the 
 wicked ; but that the wicked turn from his way 
 and lire : tur7i ye, turn ye from your evil ways ; 
 for wliy will ye die, O house of Israel? 
 
 Here begins the second general part of the chap- 
 ter, which is a confirmation of the prophet against 
 those calumnies the Jews made against the truth and 
 justice of God. 
 
 The first is in the lOth verse. 
 
 The second in the I7th and 20th verses. 
 
 The calumny they raised against the truth of God 
 was this : in the 5th verse it is said, he that takes 
 warning when the watchmen gives it, shall deliver 
 his soul ; this, said the Jews, had not truth in it; for, 
 chap. xxiv. 23, the prophet had told them they 
 should pine away for their iniquities, therefore there 
 was no hope for them, though they took warning at 
 the watchman's mouth ; we are appointed to destruc- 
 tion, and it is in vain to mind what the watchman 
 saith. This is answered in the lllh verse. But to 
 open the words : 
 
 Ver. 10. " Therefore, O thou son of man, speak 
 unto the house of Israel." God had set Ezekiel to 
 be a watchman unto the house of Israel, to observe 
 their sins and tell them thereof ; and here he com- 
 mands him to do his duty, " Speak unto the house of 
 Israel," thus. The house of Israel was not now the 
 ten tribes, but the two tribes left of the ten. 
 
 " If our transgressions and our sins be upon us." 
 Jerusalem being now taken, or upon the taking, the 
 Jews were more sensible of their sins, and so felt the 
 weight of them in that sad judgment which was upon 
 them, or coming upon them. By " transgressions 
 and .sins," not only the guilt, but the punishment of 
 them is meant: they had felt much in the time of 
 Jerusalem's siege, and more now in the taking of it. 
 God visited their iniquities upon their heads. 
 
 " And we pine away in them." When God's hand 
 is upon persons for their sins, they consume and 
 moulder away ; the pain and anguish they are under 
 melts their fat, eats up their strength, and brings 
 them to skin and bone. a''p~i from ppD mahak, 
 which is, to grow lean, to become feeble, to be dis- 
 solved into corruption. 
 
 " How should we then live ? " The Jews seeing 
 Jerusalem now in the enemies' hand, and themselves 
 going into captivity, speak despairingly ; saying. We 
 arc hke never to see good day, but must pine away 
 under the judgments that are upon us ; how should 
 we then live ? It is in vain to warn us, and tell us o. 
 repenting and turning to the Lord, we must die in 
 the condition we are in. 
 
 Ver. 11. " Say unto them. As I live, saith the 
 Lord God." This oath of God hath been spoken 
 of, chap. xvi. 48, and v. 11. It is the oath which 
 God most uses. Life is the most precious of all 
 things, and that God swears by : As sure as 1 live, 
 or am the living God, it is true which I say ; or, let 
 me not be the living God, if I speak false: you think 
 I am a hard Master, that you shall pine away in 
 your sins, and find no mercy, though you should re- 
 pent and return ; you are greatly deceived : " As I 
 live, saith the Lord," &c. He swears not by a 
 truth that was questioned. Numb. xiv. 11 ; nor bv
 
 mn 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIII. 
 
 his omnipotency, for that was doubted of, Psal. Ixxviii. 
 19 ; but by his life, which was never in question. 
 
 " I liave no pU'asure in the death of the wicked ; 
 but that," &c. The Septuagint reads the words, 
 ov (3ii\ofini, I will not; the Vulgate is, No/o mortem 
 impii, I am unwilling the wicked should die ; Junius, 
 If I delight in the death of the wicked; Vatablus, Pis- 
 cator, I delight not in the death of the wicked, or, I am 
 not delighted therewith. Montanus hath it. If I shall 
 will in the death of the wicked, for so runs the He- 
 brew. The word \[Dn signifies, to desire, love, de- 
 light in a thing, as Gen. xxxiv. 19, Shechem delight- 
 ed in Dinah ; he desired her, loved her, and took 
 delight in her. Cliophelz notes the highest delight and 
 content that can be taken ; Psal. xvi. 3, " In whom 
 is" 'ysn-Sa "all my delight," that is, my greatest 
 delight. Now here it is said, Ood hath not pleasure 
 in the death of the wicked. This is not an absolute 
 negative, denying God wholly to have delight in 
 death, or in the death of sinfid, %\ieked man, or of 
 any sinful man ; for God took delight in the destruc- 
 tion of Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea, which 
 Moses shows, saying, Exod. xv. 1, " He hath tri- 
 umphed gloriously ; the horse and his rider hath he 
 thrown into the sea." God sent Saul to smite Ania- 
 lek, utterly to destroy him and all his : when Agag 
 was spared, with the best of the sheep and oxen, was 
 he not wroth with him ? 1 Sam. xv. 3, II, 23. When 
 Jehu cut otf Ahab's house, what said the Lord ? 
 " Because thou hast done well in executing that 
 which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the 
 house of Ahab according to all that was in mine 
 heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit 
 on the throne of Israel," 2 Kings x. 30. The de- 
 struction of Ahab's house was pleasing to God, he 
 commended, he rewarded it. And that God takes no 
 pleasure in the destruction of a sinful, wicked man, 
 is contrary to these texts, Deut. xxviii. 63 ; Prov. i. 
 26, 27; Isa. i. 24; Jer. xiv. 12. The words are not 
 to be taken as an absolute negative, but compara- 
 tively, thus, I have pleasure in the turning of the 
 wicked from his ways, rather than in his death ; or, 
 it is more pleasing to me that a wicked man should 
 turn and live, than that he should continue and die. 
 Such an expression is that in I Cor. i. 17, " Christ 
 sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel ;" 
 not absolutely not to baptize, but rather to preach 
 than to baptize ; he had more pleasure in my preach- 
 ing than in my baptizing : and so here, Let me not 
 live, if I have so much pleasure in the death of a 
 sinner, as in his turning from his sin. 
 
 By "death" here some understand eternal death, 
 and it cannot be otherwise, saith Quistorpius ; for 
 he speaks of that death, which may be avoided by 
 repentance and turning to God, but temporal death 
 cannot be avoided, either by the penitent or impeni- 
 tent. But to him that well considers this place, it 
 will appear that here it is spoken of a temporal and 
 violent death, for, ver. 3, he speaks of the sword 
 coming upon a land. They were at this time either 
 straitly besieged, or newly taken by Nebuchadnez- 
 zar's forces, and complained that their sins were 
 upon them, provoking God to destroy them ; that 
 they pined away, and there was no hope for them of 
 life, though they should repent them of their ini- 
 quities : this God answers unto, and tells them, if they 
 turn from their evil ways, there is hope they shall 
 live, for repentance prevents and removes judgments 
 that are destructive. The Ninevites by their repent- 
 ance prevented the destructiim of themselves and 
 their city ; at David's repentance the plague was 
 stayed; Ahab's humbling himself prevented God's 
 bringing the evil in his days. So that it is true of 
 natural death, that cannot be avoided by peniteney 
 
 or impenitency, but a violent death may ; a death by 
 sword, by famine, by plague, by wild beasts, may. 
 2 Chron. vii. 14, " If my jieople, which are called by 
 my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and 
 seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways j 
 then will I bear from heaven, and will forgive their 
 sin, and will heal their land." Had he spoken of 
 eternal death, it had been no answer to tlie Jews' 
 objection. Lavater tells us, that by death is meant 
 evil, and by life, good. Men by their sins bring 
 sad calamities and judgments upon themselves, they 
 cause God to punish them with variety of evils, which 
 he hath no pleasure in, nor they cause to complain 
 of. Lam. iii. 33, 39 ; he had rather they should turn 
 from their sins and live comfortably. 
 
 " But that the wicked turn from his way and 
 live." The word for " wicked" is, yn which the 
 Septuagint renders, dailii'ig, the irreligious, lewd, 
 ungodly man : here, " wicked," wicked in opinions, 
 wicked in practice, troublesome to God and man, 
 running the wrong way. The word for "way" sig- 
 nifies a path which leads from place to place, and 
 men walk in it : metaphorically it is applied to the 
 customs, manners, actions, religions, and lives of 
 men, Jer. xvi. 2; Prov. i. 19; xxi. 2. Of this be- 
 fore, chap. xvi. 61. The sense lieth thus. As I live, 
 I delight not in the death of the wicked, but if the 
 wicked turn from his way and live, or .shall live, 
 that is, according to what I have prescribed in my 
 word. I .shall delight in this : or thus. If he turn from 
 his sinful way, that he may live, and live comfort- 
 ably, I shall delight in it. 
 
 " Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways." Here is 
 an earnest exhortation of them unto repentance, 
 setting out the mercy and goodness of God, who 
 was ready and willing to pardon them, upon their 
 turning from their evil ways. The doubling of the 
 word notes the earnest and real intention of God in 
 it. The sum and substance of the words is to show, 
 that if sinners repent of their former wickedness he 
 will forgive them, and take pleasure in them. 
 " Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways." If ye 
 pine away under my judgments, the fault is yours; 
 you turn not from your idolatries, oppressions, per- 
 juries, and profanations of my sabbaths and ordi- 
 nances, these are ways of death ; but if ye would 
 hearken to my ways, and turn unto them, they are 
 ways of life. Of turning hath been spoken, chap, 
 xiv. 6. The Septuagint is. Turn you by turning, 
 turn thoroughly from your evil ways. 
 
 " For why will ye die, O house of Israel?" Ye 
 are the nation I took and brought out of Egypt by a 
 strong hand, Deut. iv. 34 ; ye are the people that 
 entered into covenant with me, and avouched me to 
 be your God, Deut. xxvi. 17, and I you to be my 
 peculiar people, ver. 18; ye are they upon whom I 
 have bestowed great privileges, holy ordinances, to 
 whom I have showed mercy and truth, Psal. Ixxvi. 
 1, 2 ; xcviii. 3; ye are the people I have taken most 
 delight in of all people under heaven, whom I have 
 most honoured, done most for, and made the greatest 
 promises unto, Jer. xxxi. 33, 34; xxxiii. 8, 14. 
 Why therefore have you left me and my ways, and 
 fallen into ways of death ? why do you wound and 
 stab yourselves ? If you have no regard to me, yet 
 pity yourselves; cease from those ways which will 
 be your death. Why will ye die, O house of Israel ? 
 Is it not better to live in my ways, than to die in 
 your own ? 
 
 Obs, 1. The guilt and punishment of sin are heavy 
 and consuming things. " Our transgressions and 
 our sins are upon us, and we pine away in them." 
 Guilt alone is a great burden. "A stone" (saith 
 Solomon, Prov. xxvii. 3) "is heavy, and the sand
 
 Vf.r 10, II 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 6G9 
 
 weighty ; but a fool's wrath is heavier tluin them 
 both;" and guilt is heavier than them all. "A 
 wounded spirit who can bear?" Prov. xviii. 14. 
 "What is guilt then with punishment, but a consum- 
 ing, a devouring thing ? When David had sinned, 
 and God's hand was upon him, what saith he ? Psal. 
 xxxviii. 3, 4, 8, " There is no soundness in my flesh 
 because of thine anger ; neither is there any rest in 
 my bones because of my sin. Mine iniquities are 
 gone over mine head; as an heavy burden, they are 
 too heavy for me. 1 am feeble and sore broken : I 
 have roared by reason of the disquietness of my 
 heart." God's hand and his own guilt did eat up 
 his spirit, and bring him to the gates of death : this 
 made him to say, Psal. xTcxix. 11, "When thou with 
 rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest 
 his beauty to consume away like a moth." The 
 word for " beauty " notes that which is desirable in 
 man ; whatever is desirable, that melts away when 
 God doth visit man for sin. A little touch of a man's 
 hand crusheth the wings and hazards the life of the 
 moth ; a little touch of God's hand, where guilt is, 
 crusheth the beauty and strength of man. 
 
 Obs. i. Sinners under sad judgments are apt to 
 despond, yea, to despair. " If our transgressions and 
 our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how 
 should we then live ? " They had greatly sinned 
 against God, stood it out against his prophets 
 threatening judgments ; and now the judgments were 
 come upon them, their hearts sunk within them, and 
 they conclude there is no mercy for them : Our sins 
 are great, God's judgments heavy upon us, he is re- 
 solved now upon our destruction, and what course 
 soever we shall take, all is in vain. What these said 
 in Judca, the like said they in Babylon : Ezek. 
 xxxvii. 11, "Our bones are dried, and our hope is 
 lost : we are cut ofl' for our parts." We are like the 
 bones in a grave, that have all the marrow dried out 
 of them; or like a branch of a tree cut off, and all 
 the sap dried out of it ; there is no hope we should 
 ever live, go to Jerusalem, and grow there again 
 into a church or state. Not only the wicked, but 
 even a godly man may be in a desponding, yea, a 
 despairing condition, as David himself; Psal. xxxi. 
 22, " I said in my haste, I am cut off from before 
 thine eyes ;" thou wilt never look upon or favour me 
 more. So Asaph, Psal. Ixxvii. 7 — 9, " Will the Lord 
 east oflT for ever ? will he be favourable no more ? is 
 his mercy clean gone for ever ? doth his promise fail 
 for evermore ? hath he forgotten to be gracious ? " 
 &c. What sad expostulations were these of a good 
 man ! 
 
 Obs. 3. The cavils, objections, and unbelief of sin- 
 ners, put God unto his oath. " As I live, saith the 
 Lord," it is not so as you fancy. I have told you 
 that if you turn from your evil ways, you shall live ; 
 that I have no pleasure in the death of a sinner, 
 Ezek. xviii. 21—23, 27, 28, 31, 32; but ye believe 
 not my word, ye cavil against it, and say, ye 
 shall pine away in your sins, that what course soever 
 ye take, ye shall not live. Men are backward to be- 
 lieve the word of God, and deal wor.se with God than 
 with man ; they will give credit to an honest man 
 upon his word, but not to God ; yea, how many do 
 believe the devil's suggestions and delusions, who is 
 the father of lies, and will not believe the word of 
 God ! and what a harsh thing is it, that men will not 
 attribute so much to God as to the devil ! Eve took 
 the devil's bare word in Paradise, she put not him to 
 his oath : when he said, " Ye .shall not die : your 
 eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, know- 
 ing good and evil;" she believed him presently. But 
 men will not take God's bare word, they put him to 
 his oath, " As I live, saith the Lord." It is a great 
 
 thing for God to speak, but more for him to swear : 
 he that made the world with a word, is not believed 
 upon his word, he must take his oath upon it ; so 
 that it stands God in more to be believed in the 
 world, than it did to make the world ; his single 
 word sufficed for the one, his oath was required for 
 the other. And here appears the great goodness of 
 God, that for the good of man will please to take an 
 oath. O happy we, for whose >,akz God swears ! O 
 most unhappy we, if we believe not God swearing ! 
 Having therefore God's word and oath, let us believe 
 firmly, and stagger no more. 
 
 Ob.t. 4. Sinners, in what condition soever they be, 
 have no cause to despond or despair of mercy, so that 
 they turn from their evil ways. Let them be great 
 sinners, old sinners, sinners under judgments, ready 
 to be destroyed and cut olf by the hands of enemies, 
 as these were, yet if they turn from their sins, there 
 is hope of mercy for them. For, 
 
 (1.) God takes pleasure rather in their conversion 
 and salvation, than in their death and destruction : 
 " I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked ; but 
 that the wicked turn from his way and live." If a 
 state say to a company of its subjects, who are 
 traitors, and upon traitorous designs, I have no 
 pleasure in your ways which lead unto death, but 
 my pleasure is that you turn from them and hve ; is 
 not here a large door of hope opened unto them, 
 whatever their treasons be ? 
 
 (2.) Lest men, being deeply guilty, .should suspect 
 the reality of God herein, (for guilt is full of 
 jealousies,) the Lord swears to it, and that by his 
 life, which is the most unquestionable thing of all, 
 for none doubts whether he be the living God; " As 
 I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure," &c. So 
 that here is God's word and oath, two sufficient 
 bonds, to secure it. 
 
 (3.) Here is God's command and earnest desire of 
 their turning; "Turn ye, turn ye from your evil 
 ways." When a man's servant is abroad on some 
 dangerous design, and his master commands him 
 again and again to leave it olf, and come home to 
 him ; or if the servant be in a deep water, and the 
 master sees he will be drowned if he come not back 
 again, he calls to him, and commands him to return ; 
 is not this an argument that he seeks his good, and 
 would have him safe. 
 
 (4.) God sets the strongest arguments before them 
 that can be thought of, life and death. If ye go 
 on, there is no hope of mercy, you must die ; if 
 you will turn, here is life, ye shall live : here is 
 great mercy. They are not left unto uncertainties, 
 whether they shall have life or no ; but life is pro- 
 pounded and oftered unto them, and where that is 
 promised there is a wide door of mercy opened. 
 God is troubled at it, that sinners forsake mercy and 
 embrace it not : Why will ye die ? Why will ye not 
 turn from your evil ways unto me the living God ? 
 Am 1 so ill a God? Have 1 dealt so unkindly with 
 you, as that you will not come unto me ? testify 
 against me, tell me wherein. Like that in ISlicah 
 vi. .3, " O my people, what have 1 done unto thee ? 
 and wherein have I wearied thee ? testify against 
 me :" if there be any such thing lie in the way, I am 
 ready to remove it. 
 
 06.V. 5. The nature of true repentance lieth in 
 turning. " Turn ye, turn ye." God at first made 
 man upright, with his face towards himself; but he 
 sought out inventions, and turned away from God 
 to the creature, which was a madness, to leave a 
 universal, everlasting, and satisfying good, for a 
 particular fading, and an unsatisfying good ; this 
 madness is in the hearts of all men, Eccles. ix. 3, 
 till they come to repenting and turning again unto
 
 C/O 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIII. 
 
 God, and setting him in his right posture to behold 
 the Lord. This turning must be from his evil ways ; 
 Turn ye from your evil ways, and from all of them, 
 Ezek. xiv. 6; xviii. 21, 31, else it is no turning; if 
 the heart be towards any one sin, lust, creature, or 
 evil way, it is not turned ; his back is towards 
 God ami not his face ; he prefers a creature, a lust, 
 before God. 
 
 Obs. 6. Sinners are the authors of their own de- 
 struction. " Why will ye die?" They went on in 
 their idolatry, profaneness, oppressions, pollutions of 
 sabbaths, &c. and so brought judgment upon them- 
 selves. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16, 17, " They mocked the 
 messengers of God, despised his word, and misused 
 his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose 
 against his people, till there was no remedy. There- 
 fore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, 
 who slew their young men with the sword in the 
 house of the sanctuary, and had no compassion upon 
 young man or maiden," &c. So in Christ's days, he 
 would have kept Jerusalem from destruction, but Je- 
 rusalem herself would not, she brought it upon her- 
 self. Matt, xxiii. 37. The Corinthians' abuse of the 
 sujiper brought judgment upon them, 1 Cor. xi. 30; 
 and the fal.se teachers brought swift destruction upon 
 themselves, 2 Pet. ii. L 
 
 Ver. \'2 — 16. Tlierefore-, thou son nf man, s(ii/ 
 unto the chihhen of thy penple, The righteousness 
 of the righteous shall not deliver hiin in the clni/ 
 of his transgression : as for the uickedness of the 
 wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the da>/ that he 
 turneth from his ivickedness ; neither shall the 
 righteous be able to live for his righteousness in 
 the day that he sinneth. When I shall say to the 
 righteous, that he shall surely live j if he trust to 
 his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his 
 righteousnesses shall not be remembered ; but for 
 his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die 
 for it. Again, when I say unto the wicked, TIwu 
 shall surely die ; if he turn from his sin, and do 
 that which is lauful and right ; if the wicked re- 
 store the pledge, give again that he had robbed, 
 walk 171 the statutes of life, without committing 
 iniquity ; he shall surely live, he shall not die. 
 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be 
 mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is 
 lauful and right ; he shall surely live. 
 
 These words do explain and confirm what God had 
 said in the Ilth verse, and that by way of contraries. 
 
 1. He sets a righteous man before them, and bids 
 the prophet tell them, that if a righteous man turn 
 from his righteousness, and become wicked, his right- 
 eousness will not benefit him, but his wickedness 
 will bring judgment upon him. 
 
 2. He sets a wicked man before them, and bids the 
 prophet tell them, that if he turn from his wicked- 
 ness, that shall not prejudice him, he shall not fall 
 thereby, but he shall live. 
 
 Here is nothing in these verses of God's decrees 
 of life or death, of salvation or condemnation, and 
 men's being under them. It is said, whilst they are 
 righteous they are under the decree of life and sal- 
 vation, and when they cease from their righteousness 
 they are under the decree of death and condemna- 
 tion ; and so if a man be righteous one day, and 
 wicked another, and that interchangeably all days of 
 his life, he doth daily pass from under one decree to 
 another, forward and backward. I find no founda- 
 tion in the words fir such a conceit ; they hold out 
 God's dealings with men here in this world, accord- 
 
 ing to the conditions he finds them in ; if they be 
 just and righteous, he will bless them ; if they be 
 unjust and wicked, he will punish them ; the one 
 shall live comfortably, the other shall be cut off by 
 some judgment : here is nothing pointing at the de- 
 crees of God. 
 
 Ver. 12. " The righteousness of the righteous." 
 What " righteous" man is here meant the 15th verse 
 informs us, viz. a man legally righteous, such a man 
 as restores the pledge, gives again what he hath 
 robbed, and walks in the statutes of life without 
 committing iniquity : if a wicked man did these 
 things, he was righteous. It is therefore a right- 
 eousness of the covenant of works, not the righteous- 
 ness of faith, here spoken of; a moral, not a gospel 
 righteousness, which the 13th verse is clear for, call- 
 ing it his " own righteousness." 
 
 " Shall not deliver him in the day of his trans- 
 gression." The word for " transgressiim" is, yra 
 which signifies sin, presumptuous and wilful sin, re- 
 bellion, apostasy. Sometimes it is taken for any sin, 
 or failing, as Lam. i. 22, " Do unto them as thou 
 hast done unto me for all my transoressions." Jere- 
 miah had no great sins against light, he did not re- 
 bel against God ; his transgressions were such as are 
 the ordinary failings of men. So it is used, Job xiii. 
 23. And the Scptuagint hath it, in the day he shall 
 err. Let him have done never so much good, and 
 continued long in so doing, that shall not deliver 
 him in the day of his erring, transgressing, failing. 
 Had Adam stood many days, months, years, and then 
 ate of the forbidden fruit, all his righteousness would 
 not have di livered him ; and so here under the cove- 
 nant of works, there is no deliverance upon any fail- 
 ing. But rather it notes here some grievous sin and 
 way of wickedness, which exposes unto and hastens 
 God's judgments. 
 
 " As for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall 
 not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his 
 wickedness." Let the wickedness of the wicked be 
 great, of what kind soever, against God and man, 
 idolatry, profaneness, oppression, &c. if shall not 
 bring destruction upon him. make him to fall and 
 perish ; when he repents of it, turns from it, and 
 walks in those ways that are contrary thereunto, 
 then his former sins shall not be imputed to him, nor 
 the judgments deservul executed upon him. As the 
 righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him 
 when he sins, so the wickedness of the wicked shall 
 not damnify him when he turns. Here is a nomi- 
 native case put absolute, " the wickedness of the 
 wicked.'' 
 
 " Neither shall the righteous be able to live for 
 his righteousness in the day that he sinneth." His 
 righteousness shall not uphold him, do him any 
 good, when he falls into sin ; his sin will be the 
 death of him, and his righteousness, he cannot live 
 in it, or for it. 
 
 Ver. 13. " WHicn I shall say to the righteous, that 
 he shall surely live ; if he trust to his own righteous- 
 ness." Here tlie case of the righteous man is further 
 amplified ar.d expounded. Let me make him a pro- 
 mise of life, ;,iul say, that in living he shall live, (so 
 the Hebrew is.) yet, if he trust to his righteousness 
 and commit sin, he shall not live. When men have 
 a legal righteousness, they are apt to trust in it, to 
 think it makes them acce]itable to God, that it will 
 answer justice for their sins, divert wrath, procure 
 favour, and so presume to take liberty, and please 
 the flesh in many things ; but their righteousness 
 will not stand them in stead. 
 
 " And commit iniquity." Of this, see chap. iii. 
 20, and xviii. 24, where much hath been said of thi-s 
 expression. The wiU, affections, and heart are in
 
 Ver. 12—16. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 671 
 
 committing iniquitj-, it is making a trade of sin ; 
 surh men are workers of iniquity. Pharisees had a 
 legal righteousness, but they devoured widows' houses, 
 made proselytes, and them twofold more the children 
 of the devil than themselves, Matt, xxiii. 14, 15 ; 
 these committed iniquity. 
 
 "All his righteousness shall not be remembered." 
 That is, none of his rigliteous deeds shall be so had 
 in remembrance, as to have any acceptance or re- 
 ward, they shall be laid by and forgotten; instead 
 thereof, he shall have judgment for his wickedness, 
 that shall be remembered and rewarded. 
 
 " But for his iniquity that he hath committed, he 
 shall die for it." The reward of his iniquity is 
 death. Either he shall pine aw ay under some stroke 
 of God, winch is a lesser kind of death, or he shall 
 be cut off by some judgment, which is a death in- 
 deed, a death with a witness. 
 
 Ver. 14. " Again, when I say unto the wicked, 
 Thou shalt surely die ; if he turn from his sin," &c. 
 In this verse and the two following, the case of the 
 wicked man is further explained. As the promise 
 to the righteous was with condition, so the threaten- 
 ing of the wicked is with exception, He shall surely 
 die, unless he repent and turn, and testify the reality 
 of the same, by doing that which is lawful and right; 
 or, as it is in the Hebrew, by doing judgment and 
 justice, by giving unto God and man what is pre- 
 scribed. Of these words, see chap, xviii. 5. 
 
 Ver. 15. "If the wicked restore the pledge." A 
 " pledge " is something pawned for a thing borrow- 
 ed, the possession whereof for the present is in the 
 liand uf the lender, but the right is belonging to the 
 borrower. C/iabol is from Ssn to bind, because 
 pledges are strong bonds and obligations. Poor 
 people were often necessitated to pawn their gar- 
 ments, beds, cattle, and utensils, which wicked men 
 would keep and make their advantage of, which they 
 ought not to have done, Deut. xxiv. 10 — 13; there- 
 fore it is said here, " If the wicked restore the pledge," 
 if he be merciful to those who are poor and afflicted. 
 
 " Give again that he had robbed." Robbers seldom 
 make restitution of what they get by violence. The 
 word '^Ti signifies, to spoil a man of what is his 
 by open violence, as highway robbers do, and also 
 any violent wresting and forcing men's right out of 
 their hands. Now if the wicked did make restitution 
 of what he had so gotten, and 
 
 " Walk in the statutes of life, without committing 
 iniquity." The " statutes of life " are the statutes of 
 God, which being exactly kept, afford life to the 
 keepers of them : chap. xx. 13, " They walked not 
 in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, 
 which if a man do, he shall even live in them," or 
 live by them, as it is Lev. xviii. 5. If a man walk 
 in these from day to day, and keep them perfectly, 
 committing no iniquity, what then ? 
 
 " He shall surely live, he shall not die." This 
 and the like promises are legal, and made to legal 
 righteousness, and clearly evince that the prophet 
 speaks of a legal righteous man. The gospel saith 
 not, that a just man shall live by doing, but that 
 " the just shall live by faith," and that the law is not 
 of faith. If men could keep the law, do what it re- 
 quires, they should live by it; but (except Christ) 
 none ever did, and so none was ever justified by the 
 law. Gal. iii. 10 — 12. If a man could be found that 
 walked in the statutes of life without sinning, he 
 should surely live, and live as comfortably as Adam 
 did in Paradise, and should not die. 
 
 Ver. 16. "None of his sins that he hath commit- 
 ted shall be mentioned unto him." The Hebrew is, 
 all his sins which he hath committed shall not be 
 mentioned unto him ; that is, none of his sins shall 
 
 be imputed or charged upon him. See chap, 
 xviii. 22. 
 
 " He hath done that which is lawful and right ; he 
 shall surely live." The life here spoken of cannot 
 be eternal life, because, 1. A man's turning from his 
 former wicked ways, and making restitution to men 
 for wrongs done, is no satisfaction to the justice of 
 God for the breach of his laws. And, 2. No man can 
 so keep the law or statutes of life, as thereby to ob- 
 tain life eternal. Here is no mention of Christ, or 
 faith in him, without which eternal life cannot be 
 had. I conceive it is meant of a temporal life : he that 
 ceases from his wicked ways, that lives honestly, 
 doing lawful and right things, he shall not have cause 
 to complain, as the Jews did, that they pined away 
 under their iniquities ; but he should live in living, 
 as the Hebrew is, and that is, he should live a very 
 comfortable life. 
 
 Obi: I. There is a righteousness which will not 
 profit a man when he hath most need. When a man 
 sins, then he hath most need of righteousness to cover 
 his sin, to prevent judgment; but then his own 
 righteousness, a legal righteousness, a duty righte- 
 ousness, will stand him in no stead ; " The righteous- 
 ness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day 
 of his transgression ; he shall not be able to live in 
 the day that he sinneth." Let us, therefore, look 
 after an evangelical righteousness, for Christ hath 
 told us, " that except our righteousness exceed the 
 righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, we shall 
 in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven," Matt, 
 v. 20. They had a legal, a duty, an own righteous- 
 ness, but they had not the righteousness of Christ, 
 " the righteousness which is of God by faith ;" and 
 that is the only righteousness which will stand in 
 stead against all sin, and let us into heaven. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is perseverance will crown men's under- 
 takings, and make them acceptable. It is not enough 
 to begin well, unless we go on; if men be righteous, 
 and give over their righteousness, falling to iniquity, 
 as those that are legally righteous may, they lose 
 their former righteousness, and fall under judgment : 
 " If a rigliteous man commit iniquity, all his righte- 
 ousness shall not be remembered, but for his ini- 
 quity which he hath committed, he shall die." 
 
 Ob.s. 3. Men are apt forest upon a legal righteous- 
 ness. " If he trust in his own righteousness." 
 When men restore the pledge, make restitution for 
 what they have gotten wrongfully, walk in the sta- 
 tutes of life, do that which is lawful and right, they 
 are very prone to trust in this their own righteous- 
 ness ; so did the Pharisees, Luke xviii. 11, 12; so did 
 Paul while he was a Pharisee, Rom. vii. 9 ; but being 
 become a true christian, and having obtained the 
 righteousness of faith, " he had no confidence in the 
 flesh," Phfl. iii. 3, but his whole confidence was in 
 Christ Jesus. 
 
 Obs. 4. Let the wickedness of men be what it will, 
 if they turn from the same, it shall not prejudice 
 them, but they shall live a comfortable life. " As for 
 the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall there- 
 by in the day that he turneth from his wickedness." 
 If he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful 
 and right, his sins shall not be mentioned unto him, 
 " he shall surely live," he shall live in living : others, 
 by reason of their iniquities, are dead in living, they 
 have no comfort in their lives, but pine away. It is 
 men's sins which make times evil, and lives uncom- 
 fortable : Psal. xxxiv. 12 — 14, "What man is he 
 that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may 
 see good ? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips 
 from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do 
 good :" this is the way to live long and comfortably. 
 Righteousness exalts nations, families, and persons.
 
 672 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIII. 
 
 Obs. 5. God's statutes punctually kept afford life : 
 " He who walks in the statutes oflife without com- 
 mitting iniquity, shall surely live." Deut. iv. I, "Hear- 
 ken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judg- 
 ments which I teach you, for to do them, that ye 
 may live, and go in and possess the land." He 
 sptaksof a temporal life here ; but in Matt. xix. 17, of 
 an eternal life, " If thou wilt enter into life, keep the 
 commandments." The young man spake of eternal 
 life, and Christ bids him " keep the commandments " 
 if he would have that; showing, that if a man could 
 personally and perfectly keep the commands of God, 
 he should have eternal life. 
 
 Ver. 17 — 20. Yet the children of thy people 
 say. The way of the Lord is not equal : but as 
 for them, their way is not equal. When the 
 righteous turneth from his righteousness, and 
 committeth iniquity, he shall even die therebt/. 
 But if the wicked turn from his wichedness, and 
 do that which is lawful and right, he shall live 
 thereby. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not 
 equal. O ye house of Israel, I tvill Judge you 
 every one after his ways. 
 
 The prophet having vindicated the truth of God 
 which the Jews calumniated, he comes now to vin- 
 dicate the justice which they likewise impeached, 
 saying, his proceedings were not equal ; and that he 
 doth in these verses. 
 
 Ver. 17. " The way of the Lord is not equal." The 
 Septuagint is, the way of the Lord is not right. 
 Others thus, thy people deny that to be equal and 
 just which the Lord doth; they say. He govorneth 
 the world unrighteously, and doth not administer 
 justice indifferently to all men, but hath persons in 
 respect, and punisheth one for another: this was 
 that they charged God with. 
 
 " But as for them, their way is not equal." Here 
 is answer to that unjust charge they charged God 
 with, and it is by way of recrimination : that they 
 charged upon the Lord" is recharged upon themselves ; 
 you say. The Lord's ways are not equal ; but he 
 saith, Your ways are not equal, just, right, or well 
 ordered : " Your prophets have conspired against me, 
 and devoured souls ; your priests have violated my 
 law, and profaned my holy things ; your princes 
 have been ravenous wolves to shed blood, and to 
 destroy souls for dishonest gain ; the people of the 
 land have used oppression, exercised robbery, have 
 vexed the poor and needy, yea, oppressed the 
 stranger wrongfully, chap. xxii. 25 — 27, 29 ; and 
 now whose ways are not equal, yours or mine ? Of 
 these words see what hath been said, chap, xviii. 25. 
 
 Ver. 18. " When the righteous turneth from his 
 righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall 
 even die thereby." You charge me tliat I respect 
 persons, and punish one for another, the son for the 
 father ; but it is not so : and in this verse and the 
 next, the Lord doth clearly free himself from that 
 imputation, hereby .showing what his dealings are 
 with a righteous man, whatever he be, father or son, 
 prince or subject : if he " turn from his righteous- 
 ness," and fall to wicked and vile practices, he shall 
 surely die ; God will judge him for his wickedness, 
 and bring some judgment upon him ; and there is no 
 injustice in that: if men turn traitors to a state, it is 
 justice in that state to cut them off. 
 
 Ver. ly. " But if the wicked turn from his wicked- 
 ness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall 
 live thereby." Here also the Lord vindicates him- 
 self, by showing what his proceedings are with a 
 man that turns from his wickedness, and doth amend 
 
 his life, by doing what is lawful and right : that man, 
 whatever he be, shall be spared, he shall live and 
 enjoy blessings from God ; it shall go well with the 
 man that turns to God, and ill with him that turns 
 from God, and doth evil. Now if so, what injustice 
 is there in God ? what is the evil of his ways ? Let 
 them both speak and declare wherein God wrongs 
 either of them, if they can. 
 
 Ver. 20. " Yet ye say. The way of the Lord is not 
 equal." Having made it evident, by clear demon- 
 stration, that his ways are equal, and that by two 
 instances, viz. one of the righteous, and the other of 
 the wicked ; he here upbraids them for their stub- 
 bornness and impudency, persisting in their perverse 
 opinion, and saying, " Y et the way of the Lord is 
 not equal;" they might as well have said, the sun 
 was dark, and the night was day. 
 
 " O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one 
 after his ways." Seeing ye are so wicked, perverse 
 in your judgments, as to condemn my ways, and 
 sentence them to be unequal, I will call every one of 
 you to account for this evil way of yours, and the 
 rest of your evil ways, and will judge you accord- 
 ingly. This is the conclusion the Lord draws up 
 upon the jiremises. 
 
 Obs. 1. Wicked men are apt to complain of, and 
 carp at, the ways of God. Ihey said, " The way of 
 the Lord is not equal." Job xxi. 15, "What is the 
 Almighty, that we should serve him ? and what 
 profit should we have, if we pray unto him ?" we get 
 nothing by his service, by calling on his name ; he is 
 a hard Master, he regards not our labour or prayers. 
 These were of the same spirit w-ith them in Malachi's 
 days, who blushed not to say, " It is vain to serve 
 (iod ; and what profit is it that we have kept his 
 ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully 
 before the Lord of hosts?" Mai. iii. 14. We were 
 told that no service was like unto the Lord's, that 
 those that did mourn for their sins, and walk in his 
 ways, should be blessed, and live comfortably, but 
 we find no such thing; we have tried him, and find 
 that lie regards, exalts, and blesses those that never 
 minded him or his ways, ver. 15 ; therefore, " It is 
 vain to serve him." In the fifth chapter of Jeremiah 
 is a notable instance to this purpose, ver. 1 1 — 13, 
 " The house of Israel and the house of Judah have 
 dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord. 
 They have belied the Lord, and said. It is not he, 
 neither shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see 
 sword nor famine ; and the prophets shall become 
 wind, and the word is not in them." They said 
 God had no reason to threaten them with sword or 
 famine, they deserved no such judgment at his hands, 
 and therefore the prophets that prophesied such 
 things were not sent of God, his word was not in 
 them, they brought windy doctrines of their own, 
 and should, together with their doctrines, become 
 wind ; evil shall not come upon us, but upon them. 
 When Christ was on earth, how did the scribes and 
 Pharisees carp at him, his ways, and doctrine ! see 
 Matt. xii. 24; John v. 10, 18; viii. 48; x. 32, 33. 
 In our days do not men carp at the Scriptures, ordi- 
 nances, providences, and dispensations of God ? 
 Such is the pride and arrogancy of man, that he 
 dares blame and condemn the ways and things of God. 
 
 Obs. 2. Men have no cause to complain of, or 
 cavil against, the ways of God. For, 
 
 (1.) His ways are equal, just, righteous, however 
 they appear to men ; he is God, and cannot do un- 
 just things ; he " is light, and in him is no darkness 
 at all," 1 John i. 5 ; " Just and true are his ways," 
 Rev. XV. 3 ; he " is righteous in all his ways, and 
 holy in all his works," Psal. cxlv. 17; "The just 
 Lord is in the midst of the city, he will not do
 
 Ver. 17—22. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 673 
 
 iniquity," Zeph. iii. 5. " Shall not the Judge of all 
 the earth do right?" Gt-n. xviii. 25: yc-s, though 
 men do wickedly, God will not. Hab. i. 13, " Thou 
 art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not 
 look on iniquity ;" he cannot look on it to approve 
 it, mucli less to act it. 
 
 (2.) Our ways are unequal ; and shall the guilty 
 complain of the innocent? Had the Sodomites any 
 cause to complain of God, who were so w'ieked ? had 
 the old world, which was so corrupt, cause to cry 
 out of Heaven, which was piu-e ? No man hath 
 just ground to quarrel against God's dispensations, 
 when himself walks unevenly before God, and his 
 paths are crooked. If just men sin and step aside, 
 Ecclcs. vii. 20, what do wicked men ? they are alto- 
 gether out of the way, Psal. xiv. 3. They do no 
 good, their lives are a constant sinning, or a con- 
 tinued sin ; and should God punish him daily for so 
 doing, he had no just cause to fault the Lord: Lam. 
 iii. 39, " Wherefore doth a living man complain, a 
 man for the punishment of his sins?" 
 
 (3.) Upon comparing of his dealings with the 
 rigliteous falling to commit iniquity, and the wicked 
 turning fi-om iniquity, it ajipears to all unpreju- 
 diced men, who are not blinded with iniquity ; the 
 one is punished for his apostasy, the other is par- 
 doned upon his repentance ; judgment is the portion 
 of the one, and mercy the portion of the other. If 
 God should puni.sh the repenting wicked man, and 
 spare the apostatized righteous man, then there 
 were cause of comilaint; but it is contrary, there- 
 fore his ways are equal, and there is no cause to com- 
 plain of them. 
 
 (4.) God hath power over the sons of men, they are 
 his family, and he may exercise discipline in his 
 family, " the house of Israel." The Jews were 
 God's house, he Master of that family, and when 
 any sinned in it, he had power to correct them, or 
 turn them out of doors ; and who should fault him ? 
 it is not children's duty to complain of their parents, 
 nor for servants to complain of their lord and 
 master. 
 
 (5.) Complaints in this kind will do us no good, they 
 will harm us rather, for God is Judge, yea, the high- 
 est Judge, and will not only judge us for our other 
 evil ways, but for this very way of charging him to 
 be unjust, and cavilling at his dispensations ; he will 
 judge every one after his ways, neither great nor 
 small can avoid his judgment. Let us all, therefore, 
 take heed how we fault the ways of God, how 
 sti'ange or grievous soever they appear or be unto us. 
 
 Obs. 3. When men have once taken up j)rejudice 
 against God and his ways, it is not easy to be re- 
 moved. The Jews had drunk in this conceit, chap, 
 xviii. that the ways of God were not equal ; and 
 much of that chapter is spent in proving the contrary, 
 to extirpate that misconceit : but it took not effect, 
 they let pass God's arguments, whereby he cleared 
 himself, and carried along with them their prejudice 
 against him and his ways, as appears in this chapter, 
 ver. 1 7, 20. " Yet ye say. The way of the Lord is not 
 equal." When weeds are gotten into the ground, 
 and I'ooted there, it is not easy to cleanse that ground 
 from them ; when errors, delusions, corrupt opinions, 
 and prejudice against the truth, are gotten into the 
 head or heart, it is not an easy thing to get them out. 
 Many wonder that ministers shoidd not convince 
 unlearned and weak men of their errors, and take 
 them off from their opinions and prejudices, but they 
 should consider some men will not be convinced, 
 either by God or man. These here were not con- 
 vinced by God, nor the Pharisees by Christ, John 
 viii. 6, 7, and chap. x. ; nor the Athenians by Paul, 
 Acts xvii. 
 
 2 X 
 
 Ver. 21, 22. And it came to pass in the twelfth 
 year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the 
 fifth day of the month, that one that had escaped 
 out of Jerusalem came unto me, saying. The city 
 is smitten. Now the hand of the Lord was upon 
 me in the evening, afore he that was escaped came; 
 and had opened my mouth, until he came to me in 
 the morning ; and my mouth was opened, and I 
 teas no more dumb. 
 
 Here the third general part of the chapter takes 
 place, and is a denunciation of judgment against 
 those that escaped at the destruction of Jerusalem, 
 ver. 21 — 30; and this is set out or amplified, 
 
 I. From the time and occasion of it, ver. 21. 
 
 II. From the efficient cause, ver. 22. 
 
 III. From the moving causes, ver. 2-t — 26. 
 
 IV. From the final cause, which is in ver. 29. 
 Ver. 21. "In the twelfth year of our captivity, in 
 
 the tenth month, in the fifth day of the month." 
 How long this was after the taking and smiting of 
 Jerusalem will appear, by comparing Jer. Hi. 5 — 7, 
 with this verse. " In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, 
 in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, 
 the city w as broken up." The captivity of the Jews 
 began with Zedekiah's reign, for that time he was 
 made king Jehoiacliin was carried away captive into 
 Babylon, 2 Kings xxiv. ; now this was in the twelfth 
 year of the captivity, the tenth month, in the fifth 
 day of it, so that it was a year and six months, want- 
 ing four days, before these tidings of Jerusalem's 
 being smitten came to Ezekiel. 
 
 " ()ne that had escaped out of Jerusaletn came 
 imto me, saying." Many perished in Jerusalem by 
 the famine and plague in the time of the siege, many 
 were slain at the taking of it, yet some escaped, and 
 it is probable they hid themselves in holes and 
 woods, among the mountains, or fled to Egypt ; one 
 of which, after so long a time as a year, five months, 
 and sixteen days, came to Ezekiel, and told him 
 the city was smitten. It is without question he and 
 others had heard something of Jerusalem's condition 
 before, but no certainty. 
 
 " The city is smitten." The word for "smitten " 
 is from nsj which notes so to smite, as not to 
 miss, it was certainly smitten. The Sepluagint is, 
 the city is taken ; the Vulgate, the city is laid waste, 
 " broken up," as in Jer. Hi. 7. This was sad news 
 he brought, that Jerusalem, that famous city, that 
 city of God, was destroyed. 
 
 Ver. 22. "Now the hand of the Lord was upon 
 me." This expression we had in chap. i. 3, and iii. 
 14, " The hand of the Lord was strong upon me." 
 And here, by the "hand of the Lord," is meant, the 
 prophetic influence, prophetical breathings, of God's 
 Spirit were upon the prophet, whereby he was en- 
 abled to speak freely and boldly concerning the state 
 of the Jews in Judea that had escaped ; God inform- 
 ed the prophet how things were at Jerusalem before 
 the messenger came. 
 
 " In the evening, afore he that was escaped 
 came." The "evening" was the beginning of the 
 day among the Jews, and so of much esteem; and 
 God then, by his Spirit, visited the prophet. 
 
 " And had opened my mouth, until he came to me 
 in the morning." In chap. xxiv. God had told the 
 ])rophet that one should escape and bring him 
 tidings of things at Jerusalem, and that in that day 
 his mouth should be opened ; and here it is made 
 good. The opening of the mouth implies, 1. Mat- 
 ter of speaking. 2. Freedom of speaking. 3. Op- 
 portunity of speaking. All these concurred here. 
 He had matter given in to speak unto those that
 
 67-1 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIII. 
 
 were escaped, and flattered themselves they should 
 live and recovur their losses; he had freedom, J e- 
 rusahm being smitten, boldly to maintain what he 
 had formerly prophesied against Jerusalem ; and 
 occasion ministered unto him, from the man's coming. 
 
 The word ny for "until" were better rendered, 
 when. Tliere was a sweet harmony and correspond- 
 ency between what the prophet received from the 
 Spirit of God, and that which this messenger faith- 
 fully related unto him. 
 
 " My mouth was opened, and I was no more 
 dumb." After this he was so filled with the pro- 
 phetical spirit, that he was silent no more, but pro- 
 phesied freely and frequently unto them. 
 
 Obs. 1. God's people are sometimes under long 
 afflictions. " In the twelfth year of our captivity." 
 They had endured many miseries in a foreign land, 
 amongst a barbarous people, twelve years. Numb. 
 XX. 15, " We dwelt in Egypt a long time ; and the 
 Egyptians vexed us and our fathers." Egypt was 
 a house of bondage and vexation unto them, and 
 when they were brought out God threatened them, 
 that if they would not observe all the words of his 
 law to do them, and fear his glorious name, he 
 would make their plagues great, and of long con- 
 tinuance, Deut. xxviii. 59. And this captivity of 
 theirs was so long, that they thought God had 
 forgotten them ; Lam. v. 20, " Wherefore dost thou 
 forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time?" 
 seventy years' time they lay in Babylon, which was 
 no better than an iron furnace. Ezekiel, Daniel, and 
 other godly ones, were in this condition. 
 
 Obs. 2. That when utter desolation comes upon 
 places, and God's judgments are severe, yet some 
 have their lives for a prey. " One that had escaped 
 came." Chap. ix. 5, 6, the slaughtermen are com- 
 manded to show no pity, but to slay utterly old and 
 young, both maids, little children, and women, only 
 the marked ones they must not touch. It is probable 
 this man that escaped was one of the marked ones, 
 for he had a special care to come and inform Ezekiel 
 wliat had befallen them and the city, that so he 
 might bear witness both to the truth of Jeremiah's 
 and Ezekiel's prophecies : had he been a wicked 
 man, he would hardly have come to the prophet into 
 Babylon ; but whoever he was, he escaped famine, 
 plague, and sword, which cut ofl" thousands of others. 
 
 Obs. 3. Ancient, renowned, and pri\41eged cities, 
 have their periods and dissolutions. Jerusalem was 
 very ancient : there is mention of it in Joshua's days, 
 Josh. XV. 8. She was famous throughout the earth, 
 called the gates of the people, for the resort unto her, 
 Ezek. xxvi. 2; she had choice privileges, she was 
 the holy city, Isa. xlviii. 2; the city of the Lord of 
 hosts, Psal. xlviii. 8 ; the city of solemnities, Isa. 
 xxxiii. 20; the valley of vision, Isa. xxii. 1 ; the per- 
 fection of beauty. Lam. ii. 15 ; the city judged by all 
 to be impregnable, chap. iv. 12. But whatever Je- 
 rusalem was, here is the conclusion, " Jerusalem is 
 smitten, broken in pieces, and laid utterly waste ;" 
 kings, princes, nobles, counsellors, judges, prophets, 
 priests, people, all were smitten. In Rev. viii. 12, 
 it is said, the sun, moon, and stars were smitten, a 
 third part of them ; but here, the sun, moon, and 
 stars, and orbs they were in, were wholly smitten. 
 Oh what darkness was then upon the face of the Jew- 
 ish earth ! All created and artificial glory is svibjeet 
 to smiting; let not your hearts be taken with sun, 
 moon, or stars, with cities, and the glory of them, &c. 
 
 Obs. 4. The faithfulness of God in performing 
 what he foretells and promises. Chap. sxiv. 26, 27, 
 it was hinted to the ])ro\diet, that one should escape 
 the fury of the Babylonians, and bring the news of 
 Jerusalem's destruction, and that that day his mouth 
 
 should be opened, and he should speak ; and is it 
 not here fulfilled punctually ? That day the party 
 escaped, came with that sad news of Jerusalem's being 
 smitten, was the mouth of the prophet opened : and 
 mark how forward God is to make good what he 
 promises, he opened not his mouth at the end of the 
 day, but the evening before the man came, which 
 was the beginning of tlieir day ; he came in the 
 morning, by what time the prophet might be uj), but 
 God had been w'ith the propliet before : see Exod. 
 xii. 41. Let us learn to be faithful, and perform to a 
 day what we promise, rather be beforehand with 
 men, than behind with them. 
 
 Obs. 5. God is pleased sometimes to confirm the 
 truths delivered by his servants, by witness and signs. 
 Here was a witness came from Jerusalem to assure 
 the prophet and others, that what had been pro- 
 phesied against Jerusalem was true and made good ; 
 here was sign upon sign, he was as dumb before, 
 and now his mouth was opened, which was a con- 
 firmation to him and others likewise : Isa. xliv. 26, 
 " He confirmeth the word of his servant, and per- 
 formeth the counsels of his messengers." Many 
 would not believe Ezekiel, nor Jeremiah, touching 
 the destruction of Jerusalem, but God confirmed 
 tlieir words. 
 
 Obs. 6. Liberty to speak the things of God is fi:om 
 the Spirit of God. No man can prophesy or declare 
 the things of the Lord, unless the Spirit of God 
 breathe upon him, and open his moutli : " The hand 
 of the Lord was upon me, and opened my mouth, 
 and I was no more dumb." He had great freedom 
 and boldness of speech when the Spirit of God came 
 upon him, that filled him with sanctuary water, and 
 made the waters flow strongly : before the Spirit 
 waters them prophets are dry, before that speaks 
 they are dumb ; but when the hand of the Lord is 
 upon them, then they cannot but speak and distil 
 heavenly dews, or pour out great rains. 2 Cor. vi. 
 1], " O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, 
 our heart is enlarged." The Spirit had filled his 
 heart with divine things, and his mouth was open 
 freely and boldly to communicate the same unto 
 them. 
 
 Ver. 23 — 26. T/ien the word of the Lord came 
 vnto me, saying. Son of man, they that inhabit 
 those tvastes of the land, of Israel speak, saying, 
 Abraham tvas one, and he inherited the land: but 
 ire are many ; the landis given its for inheritance. 
 Wherefore say tmto them, Tlius sailh the Lord 
 God ; Ye eat with the blood, and lift vp your 
 eyes toward your idols, and shed blood : and shall 
 ye possess the land? Ye stand tqion your sword, 
 ye work abomination, and ye defile eveiy one his 
 neighbours wife : and shall ye possess the land? 
 
 These words contain the causes that occasioned 
 and moved God to denounce judgment against the 
 Jews, who escaped the Babylonish sword when Je- 
 rusalem was smitten. The cause occasioning God 
 to threaten them with destruction, was their vain 
 confidence that they should possess the land still, 
 ver. 24 ; the causes moving God to destroy them, 
 were their sins, which are mentioned, ver. 25, 23. 
 
 Ver. 23. " Then the word of the Lord came unto 
 me, saying." When the hand of the Lord was upon 
 him, when the Spirit of prophecy was upon him, 
 then the word of the Lord came unto him. The 
 Spirit brings the word of God unto men ; prophets 
 spake as they were inspired by the Spirit of God, 
 not of their own heads ; Ezekiel woiJd rather be 
 silent and dumb, than speak from himself.
 
 Ver. 23—26. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 675 
 
 Ver. 24. " They that inhabit those wastes of the 
 land of Israel." Nebuchadnezzar, having been a 
 year and half (as appears by 2 Kings xxv. 1 — 3 ; 
 Jer. lii. 4 — (S) before Jerusalem with a great army 
 of the worst of men, Ezek. vii. 24, the land of Israel, 
 or Judah, (for Israel here is put for Judah,) could 
 not but be greatly spoiled and laid waste ; when 
 once the temple and city were burnt and ruined, then 
 was the land as a wilderness. Zephaniah calls that 
 day " a day of wasteness and desolation," chap. i. 
 15 ; and Jeremiah saith, " The land was then a de- 
 solate wilderness," chap. xii. 10. Some were left 
 by Nebuzaradan to inhabit the waste and desolate 
 places of the land, Jer. xx.xix. 10; he left some poor 
 people, gave them \ineyards and fields to labour in, 
 and live upon ; and Gedaliah being made governor, 
 many flocked unto him, who had hid themselves in 
 woods, holes, among the mountains, and fled to 
 neighbouring countries for security : see Jer. xl. ; 
 2 Kings xxv. 22, 23. 
 
 " Speak, saying, Abraham was one, and he in- 
 herited the land." The land of Canaan was pro- 
 mised to Abraham and his seed, Gen. xii. 7 ; xv. 18 ; 
 xxvi. 4. Abraham did not inherit it personally, he 
 had not so much as one foot of ground in it. Acts vii. 
 4, 5 ; he dwelt in it, Gen. xiii. 12, but had no inherit- 
 ance in it, therefore they here were mistaken to say, 
 " He was one, and he inherited the land." Abraham 
 was one, yea one that believed, one that feared, 
 loved, and obeyed God, yet for his oneness had he 
 not the land ; God gave him the land, having an 
 eye to his faith and obedience, Gen. xv. 6, 7; xxii. 
 !()— 18. 
 
 " But we are many, the land is given us for in- 
 heritance." This was the argument with which 
 they flattered themselves, who were now remaining 
 in Judea, that they should still possess the land, and 
 recover themselves again: The land, said they, was 
 given us for inheritance, who are many, as well as 
 Abraham, who was one ; if he enjoyed it, being but 
 one, shall not we much more, being many, and being 
 his seed ? What reason hath God to cast us out of 
 that inheritance he gave our father, and us his chil- 
 dren ? he will not do it, we shall dwell here, grow 
 up quickly, being many, and recover our former liber- 
 ty and glory. But these men deceived tliemselves by 
 this foolish reasoning ; for God did not give Canaan 
 to Abraham because he was one, and so the begin- 
 ning of the number of Israel, but because of the 
 covenant which he made with him. Gen. xv. 18; 
 xvii. 7, ^; which covenant Abraham kept, living by 
 faith in God, and bringing forth fruits suitable there- 
 unto, which themselves did not ; for had they been 
 the children of Abraham, they would have done the 
 works of Abraham, as Christ said, John viii. 3'J ; 
 but you may see what their works were in the two 
 verses following this we are speaking of. Besides, 
 they had forgotten what God had threatened against 
 those he gave the land unto, if they did forsake and 
 disobey him: Deut. xxviii. 03; xxx. 18, God told 
 them they should not prolong their days, but perish, 
 or be plucked off the land. Little reason had they 
 also to argue that they should be spared and possess 
 the land because they were many, fnr that, as Junius 
 well observes, a greater number than they who had 
 possessed the land were cut off, or removed out of 
 the land. 
 
 Ver. 25. "Wherefore say unto them. Thus saith 
 the Lord God." Their vain confidence provoked the 
 Lord, and therefore here he cnmmissions the propliet 
 to tell them what he judged of them and their say- 
 ings. His thoughts were far differing from theirs ; 
 and Ezekiel must declare the Lord's, not his own 
 thoughts unto them. And, L He charges them with 
 2x2 
 
 their sinful practices. 2. Denies them the possession 
 of the land. 
 
 " Ye eat with the blood." It was commanded, 
 before the law was given, that they should not eat 
 blood. Gen. ix. 4 ; Lev. xix. 2i) ; that is, neither 
 blood let out from the flesh, nor blood with the flesh. 
 One reason is given. Lev. xvii. 14, " Ye shall eat 
 the blood of no manner of flesh : for the life of all 
 flesh is tlie blo<jd thereof." Tlie Hebrew is, rs: 
 the soul of all flesh is the blood thereof: lupltesh is 
 put sometimes for the whole man, as Gen. xlvi. 'Ifi, 
 " All the souls of the house of Jacob," that is, all the 
 persons : sometimes for the more noble part of man, 
 viz. the reasonable soul. Matt. x. 28, " Fear not them 
 which kill the body, but are not able to kill the 
 soul :" sometimes for the afTections, as Deut. vi. 5, 
 " Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart, and 
 with all thy soul : sometimes for the life, as Isa. liii. 
 12, " He hath poured out his soul unto death," that 
 was, his life, John x. 15 ; and so it is rendered and 
 to be taken in the place cited. " The life of all flesh 
 is the blood thereof;" blood properly is not the life 
 or soul of flesh, but the life or soul is said to be 
 in the blood. Another reason why they might 
 not eat blood, is in the 11th verse of that chap- 
 ter, " I have given it to you upon the altar, to make 
 an atonement for your souls ; for it is the blood 
 that maketh an atonement for the soul." The blood 
 being to be ofl'ered upon the altar, represented the 
 blood of Christ, which was to be shed for the remis- 
 sion of sins, Matt. xxvi. 28, and therefore not to be 
 eaten. A third reason was, that they might not be 
 cruel and bloody-minded, but might in a special 
 manner take heed of shedding man's blood, which 
 is the ground of the prohibition. Gen. ix. 4, 5. But 
 they minded neither the prohibition itself, nor the 
 reasons of it ; they did eat with the blood, that is, 
 they did eat the flesh with the blood in it, or they 
 did eat the blood drawn out from the flesh. 
 
 Some make question in these days, whether they 
 may eat blood; and the ground of it is from Acts xv. 
 29, where it is ordered, that christians should abstain 
 from blood and things strangled. But those that 
 scruple eating of blood, do not scruple the eating of 
 .things strangled, as fowls and rabbits ; and there 
 is as much reason for that as the other. As for the 
 thing itself, I shall only say what Christ saith. Matt. 
 XV. II, " Not that which goeth into the mouth de- 
 fileth a man, but that which cometh out of the 
 mouth, this defileth a man ;" and Paul, Titus i. 15, 
 " Unto the pure all things are pure ;" and 1 Tim. 
 iv. 4, " Every creature of God is good, and nothing 
 to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving." 
 
 " And lift up your eyes towards your idols." 
 Idolatry was forbidden in the law with great severity; 
 see Deut. xvii. '2 — 5 ; Exod. xxii. "20 ; xx. 4, 6 ; yet 
 these Jews minded idols and afl'ected them. Of lift- 
 ing up the eyes to idols, see chap, xviii. 5 ; it notes 
 adoration of them, and expectation of help from 
 them. 
 
 " And shed blood." Shedding of blood was a 
 grievous sin ; and here it may be understood either 
 of their oppressing innocent ones, taking away their 
 lives illegally, or else of their children which they 
 ofl'ered to Molech, which was forbidden unto them, 
 Lev. xviii. 21 ; of which bloody sacrifices was spoken, 
 Ezek. xvi. 20, 21. 
 
 " And shall ye possess the land ? " This is a 
 stinging interrogation, intimating, that whoever pos- 
 sessed it, they should not. What ! do you look to 
 pos.sess the land, that do such things, that are so 
 impious and profane ? Did I not cast heathens for 
 their wickedness out of the land you are in ? and do 
 you think to continue in it, that have exceeded them
 
 G76 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIII. 
 
 in wickedness ? Ezek. v. 6. No, no, the land is not 
 for you ; Abraham did not such things, you are not 
 his seed, therefore you sliall not inlierit the laud. 
 
 Ver. 26. " Ye stand upon your sword." Not, you 
 are in arms to defend yourselves against Babyloni- 
 ans, but you trust in your strength, are ready for 
 spoil, violence, and .shedding of innocent blood. 
 When any ofiended them in word or deed, they 
 meditated revenge, and laboured by the sword to 
 right themselves, there was no place for justice, 
 " but the land was full of bloody crimes," Ezek. 
 vii. 23. 
 
 " Ye work abomination." Of abominations, and 
 what sins are so called, was spoken, chap. v. 9 ; xviii. 
 12, 13, in the third oliservation. Ye do that which 
 is detestable and loathsome to the very senses. 
 
 " And ye defile every one his neighbour's wife." 
 Adultery was a grievous sin, and punishable with 
 death, Lev. xx. 10; Deut. xxii. 22; yet this sin was 
 frequent amongst them, Jer. v. 7, 8; vii. 9; ix. 2. 
 That honourable state of marriage was abused, and 
 the bed defiled, and it was a common and universal 
 practice among them, " every one defiled his neigh- 
 bour's wife." 
 
 " And sliall ye possess the land ? " Do ye trust in 
 your swords, violate all justice, shed innocent Wood, 
 do abominable things, defile your neighbours' wives, 
 and yet presume you shall possess the land ? O im- 
 pudent creatures, brazen-faced sinners, what vain 
 persuasions have you taken up ! it is madness for 
 you to dream of possessing the land ; rather than 
 such as ye shall inherit it, it shall lie desolate with- 
 out inhabitant. The word here for to "possess " is, 
 tt'T wliich IS a word tliat signifies contrary things, 
 as to possess and dispossess. Josh, xxiii, 5, " The 
 Lord shall drive them from out of your sight, and 
 ye .shall possess their land :" here jara/ih signifies, 
 to drive out, and to possess. When the Lord saith, 
 " Shall ye possess the land ?" his meaning is, they 
 shall be dispossessed of it, and driven out of it. 
 
 Ob.s: 1. Men in great misery, under grievous af- 
 flictions, are apt to flatter and deceive themselves 
 with one vain confidence or other. These Jews were 
 conquered by the Babylonians, had their city, temple, 
 strong holds, and pleasant places, all laid waste ; 
 they were a company of poor people that inhabited 
 the wastes of the land, yet they flattered themselves 
 with this conceit, that they should inherit and pos- 
 sess the land ; and why ? there was a nundjer, a mul- 
 titude of them : " Abraham was one, and he inherited 
 the land ; we are many, and it is given to us. " 
 Their afflicted condition might Itave wrought other 
 apprehensions in them, and made them see and say, 
 All the chief ones of the land are cut oft", or carried 
 away captives, the land is fallen into Nebuchadnez- 
 zar's hands, we are his servants and slaves, left to 
 till the land and dress the vineyards, that so a revenue 
 may be raised for him ; but as for ourselves, we are 
 like to be miserable all our days, yea, and our pos- 
 terity after us : but their thouglits were otherwise, 
 they looked to inherit the land, and be great ones in 
 it, because of their number. Men in straits, and out 
 of straits, make lies their refuge, which prove their 
 ruin ; see Isa. xxviii. 15, 17, 18; Jer. vii. 4; xiv. 15; 
 xxvii. 1-1 — 17. 
 
 Obs. 2. Expectation of promises to be performed 
 unto us, not performing the conditions required, is 
 foolish and vain. " The land is given us for inherit- 
 ance ;" the Lord hath jiromised us that we shall in- 
 herit the land. Thiy minded the promise, but for- 
 got the condition, which was, That they should keep 
 his judgments. Lev. xxv. 18; walk in his statutes, 
 chap. xxvi. 3 — 6; then they should be blessed in the 
 land, and dwell safely in it : yea, they were to ob- 
 
 serve all the statutes and judgments of the Lord, 
 Deut. xi. 31, 32; and if they did not, the Lord 
 threatened to cast them out of his sight, Jer. xvii. 
 15; and out of the land, Jer. xvi. 13; these things 
 they forgot, catching hold of the promise, saying, 
 " The land is given us for inheritance." It is mad- 
 ness and folly to look that God should perform what 
 he hath promised, when we perform not the condi- 
 tion of the promise. When God promises a thing 
 conditionally, the condition must be performed, else 
 the Lord is not obliged. 2 Chron. vii. 14, " If my 
 people, which are called by my name, shall humble 
 themselves, and pray, and scekmy face, and turn from 
 their wii ked ways; then will I hear from heaven, 
 and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 
 Had they performed the conditions liere required, 
 their land had been healed, and not laid waste. 
 
 Obs. 3. The way multitudes go is no argument for 
 the rightness and warrantableness of that way. 
 These Jews were absolutely mistaken, yet they were 
 many ; the most judgi d the same thing, and went the 
 same way. The greatest part of people every where 
 mistake, cry. Peace, peace, when war and death are 
 at the doors. The old world could not justify its 
 way, because all walked in it except Noah and two 
 or three more. It is not safe to be of the multitude's 
 mind, and to tread in their steps, " for broad is the 
 way that leads to destruction, and many thi re be 
 that go in thereat." The prophet counselled the 
 Jews, Ezek. xx. 18, not to walk in the statutes of 
 their fathers, nor to observe their judgments, but to 
 walk in the Lord's statutes and judgments, and to do 
 them : better be alone in God's way, than be with 
 multitudes in a false way. 
 
 Obs. 4. The true children of Abraham may be 
 known by their works. These Jews stuck upon this 
 much, that they were Abraham's seed: "Abraham 
 was one, and we are many ;" we come from his loins, 
 and the land was given to his seed for an inheritance ; 
 and who should inherit it, but we who are his seed, 
 and so the right heirs unto it ? If it be true which 
 you assert, you shall inherit the land ; if you be the 
 seed and heirs of Abraham, it shall be so. But come, 
 let us try that by your works, saith God ; " Ye eat 
 with the blood, and lift up your eyes towards your 
 idols, and shed blood ; ye stand upon your sword, 
 work abomination, and defile every one his neigh- 
 bour's wife." And are these the works of Abraham ? 
 he did no such things. Were you the children of 
 Abraham, ye would do the works of Abraham, keep 
 the covenant as he did ; ye would fear, honour, love, 
 and obey me, deal justly, live chastely, and do good 
 in your generation: these things you do not, there- 
 fore you are not his children, his heirs, have no right 
 to the land. 
 
 Ver. 27 — '29. Sai/ fhou thus unfn them. Thus 
 saith the Lord God ; As I live, sm-elii they that 
 are in the wastes shall fall hi/ the sii-ord, and him 
 that i.i in the open field iri/l I give to the beasts to 
 be devoured, and they thai he in the forts and in 
 the cave.i shall die of the pestilence. For I will 
 hn/ the land most desolate, and the pomp of her 
 strength shall cease ; and the mottntains of Israel 
 shall be desolate, that none shall pass throitgh. 
 Then shall they know that I am the Lord, tvhen I 
 have laid the land most desolate because of all 
 their abominations which they have committed. 
 
 In the 27th and 28th verses, the judgments threat- 
 ened are particularly mentioned. 
 
 I. The sword for those in the wastes. 
 
 II. The devouring beasts for those in the fields.
 
 Ver. 30, 31. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 67r 
 
 III. The plague for those in the forts and caves. 
 
 IV. Desolation for the land and mountains. 
 v. Cessation of strength, and the pomp of it. 
 All these confirmed with an oath. 
 
 Ver. 27. " As I live." The vain confidence of 
 these Jews so provoked God, that he swears they 
 shall not inhabit the land, and that by his life ; As sure 
 as I am the living God, ye that are so guilty of such 
 great sins, and so unlike unto Abraham, shall be 
 rooted out and destroyed. 
 
 " Surely they that are in the wastes shall fall by 
 the sword." After the destruction of Jerusalem, 
 many got into other cities and towns, which had 
 been plundered, fired, and spoiled, thinking that 
 there would be safety for them ; but God would cause 
 some to search those places, and sheathe their 
 swords in the bowels of the Jews hid in them. The 
 Hebrew for "by the sword" is, anns in the sword, 
 but a here is " by." 
 
 " Him that is in the open field will I give to the 
 beasts to be devoured." Some, in this time of com- 
 mon calamity, kept in the open fields, or in the face 
 of the fields, as the Hebrew is, fearing to venture 
 into any town or city, and so promised to themselves 
 security there ; but the fields were no shelter unfo 
 them, God had lions, bears, wolves, and such wild 
 beasts, which found them out, tore them in pieces, 
 and devoured them. 
 
 " They that be in the forts and in the caves shall 
 die of the jiestilence." Some were got into strong 
 forts, others were hid in caves of the earth, where 
 none could find them, or come at them ; these 
 seemed to be out of all danger, but the pestilence and 
 famine could reach them there. In that land were 
 forts, rocks, holes to hide men in; see Isa. ii. 19; 
 ISam. xiii. 6; Josh. x. 16; 1 Sam. xxiv.3; Judg. vi. 2. 
 
 Ver. 28. " For I will lay the land most desolate." 
 Canaan was a land which abounded with all good 
 things, it flowed with milk and honey, and was " the 
 glory of all lands," Ezek. xx. 6 ; yet this land would 
 God lay most desolate. HLtt'Ci ncnv desolation, 
 desolation, it should be a wilderness, extremely 
 desolate. 
 
 " The pomp of her strength shall cease." In 
 chap. vii. 24, we had these words, " I will also make 
 the pomp of the strong to cease ;" and, chap. xxx. 18, 
 " The pomp of her strength shall cease :" the land 
 shall be so battered, wasted, consumed, that she shall 
 no more trust in any strength of hers. Junius refers 
 it to the ark, or sanctuary, called " the excellency of 
 their strength," chap. xxiv. 21 . 
 
 "The mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that 
 none shall pass through." The land of Israel was 
 full of mountains, which were not barren, but some 
 for pasture, some for vines, some for cedars and 
 other trees, and some for cattle : when they were so, 
 many paths were made to the mountains, and they 
 were frequently visited ; but they should be desolate, 
 without cattle, trees, vines, or any to pass by or 
 through them ; none should come over the moun- 
 tains to worship at Jerusalem. 
 
 Ver. 2'J. " Then shall they know that I am the 
 Lord, when I have laid the land most desolate, be- 
 cause of all their abominations which they have 
 committed." Here the final cause of God's destroy- 
 ing them and their land is pointed out, and that is, 
 the glory of God in their acknowledging his just 
 proceedings. Before, they said, " His ways were 
 not equal," but now they should acknowledge the 
 equity of his ways, and that they had deserved such 
 things. 
 
 Obs: 1. When God is resolved upon punishing a 
 people, there is no place or refuge to secure them 
 from his strokes and judgments. Here were men 
 
 got into waste places, into open fields, into forts and 
 caves, yet none of these secui ed them ; the Lord had 
 sworn to destroy them, and the sword finds out those 
 in the waste and ruinous places ; the wild beasts 
 finding others in the open fields, devour them ; and 
 those who were got into the forts, and hid in caves, 
 the pestilence and famine consumed. They thought 
 to flee and hide themselves from the vengeance of 
 God, but it could not be ; had they gone down to 
 the bottom of the sea, yea, down to hell, God would 
 have met with them there, Amos ix. 2 — 4. No 
 town, no fort, no field, no cave can protect that per- 
 son whom God pursues ; if men and beasts cannot 
 come at him, God hath the arrows of famine and 
 pestilence to shoot into his sides and liver. Let us 
 take heed how we oft'end God, and provoke him to 
 set upon our destruction ; there is no place, person, 
 or privilege, can protect us from his stroke. Let us 
 get into Christ, hide ourselves in him, in the clefts 
 of that Rock ; then we shall be safe, whatsoever 
 storms are abroad. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is men's sins which lay lands waste, 
 and bring remarkable judgments upon them. Ca- 
 naan was laid desolate, the pomp of her strength 
 ceased, the mountains had none to pass by or over 
 them ; yea, " the land was laid most desolate ;" and 
 why? "because of all their abominations." Their 
 sins exceeded the sins of the heathens, and they had 
 answerable judgments ; their manifold abominations 
 brought manifold judgments. They had the best 
 land in the world, and should have been the best 
 people ; but they degenerated and provoked God so 
 by their abominations, that he made their plagues 
 wonderful great, and of long continuance, Deut. 
 xxviii. 51). Seventy years did they sutler, and the 
 land also, which suffering they bi-ought upon them- 
 selves and the land, as the Lord tells them, Zech. 
 vii. 14, " They laid the pleasant land desolate ;" 
 they by their abominations did it: they caused the 
 temple to be burnt, the testimonies of divine presence 
 to be removed, the cities, fields, and mountains, to 
 be desolate. 
 
 Obs. 3. By severe judgments God convinces men 
 of the equity of his way, and causes them to give 
 glory to his name. " Then shall they know that I 
 am the Lord, when I have laid the land most deso- 
 late because of all," &e. Severe judgments awaken 
 conscience, sharpen the understanding, and cause 
 men to search, judge, and condemn themselves, and 
 withal to justify the Lord ; they have influence into 
 heathens : Jer. xxii. 8, 9, " Many nations shall pass 
 by this city, and they shall say every man to his 
 neighbour. Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto 
 this great city ? Then they shall answer. Because 
 they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their 
 God, and worshipped other gods, and served them." 
 Thus they justified God, and gave him glory, when 
 they saw his terrible judgments upon Jerusalem and 
 the land of Canaan. 
 
 Ver. 30, 31. Also, thou son of man, the children 
 of thy people still are talking against thee by the 
 walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak 
 one to another, every one to his brother, saying. 
 Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that 
 Cometh forth from the Lord. And they come unto 
 thee as the people comcth, and they sit before thee 
 as my people, and they hear thy words, but they ivill 
 not do them : for with their mouth they shew much 
 love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. 
 
 In these verses, and the rest to the end of the 
 chapter, is contained a reproof or complaint of the
 
 078 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAP. XXXIII. 
 
 captives in Babylon, for their detraction, hypocrisy, 
 anil covetousness. 
 
 I. Their detraction, in ver. 30. 
 
 II. Their hypocrisy in the end of ver. 30, and 
 most of ver. 31. 
 
 III. Their covetousness, in the end of ver. 31. 
 Ver. 30. " The children of thy people." It is 
 
 not, the children of my people ; God would not own 
 them, they were so wicked; hut, "the children of 
 thy people." Of these words before, ver. 2. 
 
 " Still are talking against thee by the walls, and 
 in the doors of the houses." To speak against God 
 or man is to detract from them, and disparage them. 
 2 C'hron. xxxii. 1(5, Sennacherib, by his servants, 
 spake against the Lord, and against Hezekiah, and 
 that they said was deti'acting from the power of God, 
 and truth of what Hezekiah had said. Acts xxviii. 
 22, " As concerning this sect, we know that it is 
 every where spoken against ;" that is, it is disparaged 
 and condemned for a wicked sect. Numb. xii. 1, 
 " Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of 
 the Ethiopian woman ; and said. Hath the Lord in- 
 deed spoken only by Moses ? hath he not also spoken 
 by us ?" their speaking against Moses was detracting 
 from him. So here, their speaking against Ezekiel 
 was to defame and disparage him ; and this they did 
 openly and privately, by the walls where any met, 
 and in their doors where friends met. Some take 
 the words thus, The children of thy people are speak- 
 ing of thee by the walls, and in their doors ; they 
 give thee good words, and consult of coming to thee : 
 but I conceive the former sense best. 
 
 " And speak one to ano1;her, every one to his bro- 
 ther, saying. Come, I pray you, and hear what is the 
 word that cometh forth from the Lord." Though 
 they vilitied the prophet, yet now, one being come 
 to him that had escaped at the destruction of Jeru- 
 salem, they excite and stir up one the other to go to 
 the prophet, and hear what he had to say. The 
 smiting of Jerusalem was a great affliction unto 
 them, and they hoped to hear somewhat from him 
 to rel'resh and comfort them, especially seeing that 
 he had spent three years in speaking against the 
 nations, and said nothing unto them. 
 
 Ver. 31. " And they come unto thee as the people 
 Cometh." They ilocked to the prophet in troops, as 
 people use to do to public places for religion or plea- 
 sure ; they hasten thither, crowd in, take up all 
 places, and sit in expectation to hear somewhat that 
 may please, or to catch somewhat they may carp at, 
 and make advantage of, which some expositors affirm 
 to be the end of their coming here. The Hebrew 
 for " as the people cometh," is, according to the 
 coming or entrance of the people; some come for to 
 hear notions and novelties, some to scoff, some to 
 censure ; few come upon right grounds, or for right 
 ends. 
 
 " They sit before thee as my people." They 
 carry it before thee as my people, they hearken to 
 what thou sayest, and make as if they would not 
 lose one truth, but lay up all, and do as my people 
 ought to do, viz. practise what they hear; they seem 
 before thee to be saints, the people of God, as those 
 that would learn righteousness. 
 
 " They hear thy words, but they will not do 
 them." They took pains to hear the prophet, they 
 came to his house, as chap. viii. 1 ; xiv. 1. It was 
 not likely that they had public places of meeting ; 
 the Babylonians did not favour them so much as to 
 indulge them with such liberty. Wherever it was 
 they heard the prophet, they did not do what he 
 said, they obeyed not him, nor the Lord who sent 
 him. 
 
 " For with their mouth they show much love." 
 
 From the teeth outwards they professed much kind- 
 ness to the prophet, they gave him smooth and good 
 words. The Hebrew for " much love" is, B*3jy aga- 
 vim, from 3i>? agav, which signifies, to be much in love 
 with one, to be taken with the sight, hearing, or 
 company of one ; and they make as if they were 
 deeply in love, much affected with the sight and 
 hearing of thee, wdun it was not so : here was their 
 hypocrisy. The Septuagint hath these words thus, 
 oTi il/tvfoQ iv TiS ';6)inTL ainiv, because there was a lie 
 in their mouth ; they dissembled with the prophet. 
 Arias Montanus renders the word agan'm, subsaiina- 
 tioyu'S, which is, mockings, with bending the brows, 
 and snufling the nose. The Vulgate is to that pur- 
 pose, they turn thy words into a song, they jeer at 
 what thou sayest ; so that translation Vatablus fol- 
 lows, they laugh at thy doctrine. 
 
 The word for " show " is, D'CJ) osim, from ncy asah, 
 which usually signifies, to do, to effect, to perfect ; 
 but here hath a differing signification, viz. to show, 
 declare, or profess ; and so Polanus tells that the 
 word in Matt. xii. 33 is to be taken, " Either make 
 the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the 
 tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt : for the tree is 
 known by his fruit." Look upon the works which 
 I have done, and by them profess, declare, what I 
 am : if I have done evil works, declare me and my 
 works to be evil; if I have done good, declare me 
 and my works to be good ; for such as the tree is, 
 such is the fruit. 
 
 " But their lieart goeth after their covetousness." 
 They looked upon the prophet, and listened to his 
 words, but their liearts looked another way. The 
 word for "covetousness" is, bi/zha, from j?Y3 to 
 wound, break, damnify ; and metaphorically, to be 
 covetous, given to get and gain, intimating that co- 
 vetous men do wound, break, damnify themselves 
 and others. The Septuagint has these words thus, 
 OTTiau) Twv ^iinfffiaTiuv avrutv Kapdia avTujv TTopevfrai, their 
 heart goeth after their pollutions ; "covetousness" 
 is a defiling thing. The Greek word for " covetous- 
 ness" is, TrXtovi^ta, a desire of having more : not 
 simply of having more, but more than God allows us. 
 When we go beyond the bounds he hath set us, 
 which bounds are in I Tim. vi. 8; Heb. xiii. 5, if 
 we be not content with food, raiment, and such things 
 as we have, but let out our desires to more, we are 
 covetous. They being in captivity, having little in 
 respect of what they once had in their own land, 
 they were not contented with what they had, but let 
 out their minds and hearts to more, and so were 
 covetous. 
 
 Obs. 1. It is the portion of God's servants to be 
 ill spoken of, and that from time to time, by those 
 they live amongst, and do good unto. " The chil- 
 dren of thy people still are talking against thee by 
 the walls, and in the doors of the houses." They 
 had spoken ill of Ezekiel before, they did it still, 
 openly and secretly. Pavid met with such a por- 
 tion from many ; Psal. xii. 7, " AH that hate me 
 whisper together against me ;" Psal. Ixix. 12, "They 
 that sit in the gate speak against me ;" Psal. cis. 2, 
 " The mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceit- 
 ful are opened against me ; they have spoken against 
 me with a lying tongue ;" Psal. cxix. 23, " Princes 
 also did sit and speak against me :" great and small, 
 publicly and privately, did defame David. Jeremiah 
 escaped not tlie lash of the tongue; chap, xviii. 18, 
 " Come, let us smite him with the tongue." Paul, 
 that precious servant of Christ, how was he spoken 
 against ! he saith, he was made as the filth of the 
 world, and the olT-seouring of all things, 1 Cor. iv. 
 13. Look what filth is washed out of, or rust 
 scoured off, from pots, and thrown out of doors, such
 
 Ver. 30, 31. 
 
 THE COOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 C79 
 
 was Paul and his name made. It is the basest office 
 to set our tongues on work to detract from the worth 
 of any ; if there be evil in men, our charity should 
 cover it, if virtue, our wisdom should commend it. 
 It is a devilish sin to speak evil of others ; he first 
 brought this sin into the world by speaking evil of 
 God, Gen. iii. 4, 5 ; and too many are like unto him, 
 in sjieaking ill of the servants of God, but we must 
 steel ourselves to pass through bad report ; see 2 Cor. 
 vi. 8; Rom. iii. 8. 
 
 Oi.9. 2. Whatever wicked men speak against the 
 prophets and servants of God, he knows and takes 
 notice of the same. " Son of man, they speak against 
 thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses." 
 Let them speak openly or secretly, God hears them. 
 When they said, " Come, let us devise devices 
 against Jeremiah ; come, let us smite him with the 
 tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words," 
 chap, xviii. 18, God heard them, and revealed to 
 Jeremiah what they said. There is not a word 
 spoken by any, but the Lord is privy to it ; and not 
 only words, but thoughts also; Isa. lix. 7, "Their 
 thoughts are thoughts of iniquity." Let us look 
 narrowly to our hearts and tongues, for God knows 
 the thoughts of the one, and the words of the other. 
 
 Obs. 3. How religiously and cimningly soever hy- 
 pocrites do carry it, their hypocrisy is known to 
 God, and shall be discovered. Hypocrisy is a doing 
 or speaking that to God or men, wherein the he;irt 
 and spirit of a man is not. Those men pretended 
 religiously, they call upon one another to hear what 
 word the Lord gave out to the prophet, and they 
 come, being excited one by another, and sit before 
 the prophet as God's people ; they attended to what 
 he said, as if they meant punctually to observe the 
 same, but they did not do what he said, their hearts 
 were not in the business. What worshipping was 
 this of (iod, to give him an ear, and the world their 
 heart ! So, to speak against the prophet behind his 
 back, and to speak fair, show much love to his face, 
 was not this hypocrisy ? did they not carry it reli- 
 giously towards God, and cunningly towards the 
 prophet ? however they carried it, the Lord saw 
 their hypocrisy, and discovered the same. The 
 scribes and Pharisees wore long robes, made long 
 prayers, and under pretence of them devoured 
 widows' houses ; but the Lord Christ knew their hy- 
 pocrisy, and made it known, though religiously and 
 craftily carried, Matt, xxiii. 
 
 Obs. 4. Many hearers pretend much love and 
 kindness to the prophets, and yet behind their backs 
 afford them not a good word. When these Jews 
 came to the prophet's house, they showed much 
 love with their mouths ; but when they were by the 
 walls, and at their own doors, they showed as much 
 ill will with their mouths, they spake against him, 
 they slandered him, they disgraced him ; out of the 
 same mouth came bitter and sweet. The Jews and 
 Herodians pretended much love to Christ, and said, 
 " Master, we know that thou art true, and teaehest 
 the way of God in truth, neither carcst thou for any 
 man ; for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell 
 us therefore, What thinkest thou ? is it lawful to give 
 tribute to Ca?sar, or not ?" Matt. xxii. IC — 18. Here 
 they showed much kindness with their mouths, 
 when there was gall and bitterness in their hearts.1 
 
 Obs. 5. ^\^len men draw near to God in any duty 
 of his worship, he principally looks which way the 
 heart stands, whether that be real, and towards him. 
 " Their heart," saith God, " goeth after their covet- 
 ousness :" it went not after the word, after God 
 himself Isa. xxix. 13, " This people draw near me 
 with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, 
 but have removed their heart far from me." When 
 
 their bodies were in the temple, their hearts were in 
 tlieir shops; when their lips were speaking to God, 
 their hearts were conversing with the creatures : 
 God's eye was upon their hearts. The heart is the 
 principal part in man, and it is the principal thing 
 God aims at : Prov. xxiii. 2G, " My son, give me 
 thine heart ;" not thy hat, thy hand, ihy tongue, thy 
 foot, but " thine heart." Whatever he hath without 
 the heart is nothing, but having the heart, he hath 
 all ; whatever is wanting ; let the eye be wanting, 
 a man is blind; let the leg be wanting, a man is 
 lame, let the whole body be wanting, a man is sick ; 
 yet if God have the heart, he hath all. Delilah had 
 Samson's bodily presence, yet that sufficed her not, 
 because she thought she had not his heart : Judg. 
 xvi. 15, " How canst thou say, I love thee, when 
 thine heart is not with me ? " God hath no love 
 from us, nothing of us, when our hearts are not 
 with him. 
 
 Obs. 6. Men have carnal hearts in spiritual duties. 
 These men were hearing Ezckiel prophesy, and 
 whilst they were hearing, their hearts went after 
 their covefousness ; the word was in their ears, and 
 the world in their hearts : Ezekiel tells them of the 
 things of God, and they mind the things of the earth. 
 To be earthly-mindcd'at any time is blamable, Phil, 
 iii. 19 ; but to be so in spiritual things is grievous, it 
 is a despising, a debasing of them : when the things 
 of God, of Christ, heaven, salvation, life, grace, and 
 glory, are presented unto us, which should take up 
 our thoughts abundantly, afiect our hearts power- 
 fully, for us then to mind the dust, sticks, straws, 
 and" pebbles on the earth, to have our hearts upon 
 them, that is a great wickedness, horrible ingrati- 
 tude. Rem. viii.6, " To be carnally-minded is death ;" 
 it argues a dead sotd, it tends unto death, and ends 
 in eternal death. 
 
 Obs. 7. Covetousness is a sin which adheres to 
 professors. These that came to hear the prophet, 
 and sat before him as the people of God, their hearts 
 went after their covetousness, they had hearts exer- 
 cised with covetous practices, as it is in 2 Pet. ii. 14. 
 The Pharisees made profession of religion, they 
 were hearers of Christ, but the text saith, they were 
 covetous, Luke x-v-i. 14. Judas, an apostle and fol- 
 lower of Christ, had a covetous heart, and sold his 
 Master for thirty pieces of silver. Matt. xxvi. 15. 
 Demas forsook Paul, having loved the present world, 
 2 Tim. iv. 10; while he was with Paul, his heart 
 was in the world. John, seeing this evil incident to 
 christians, dissuades them from the love of the 
 world by a strong argument ; 1 John ii. 15, " Love 
 not the world, neither the things that are in the 
 world. If any man love the world, the love of the 
 Father is not m him :" he doth not know God to be 
 his Father, and love him as a Father, that loves the 
 world : he may think, say, and swear that he loves 
 the Father, but the Spirit of truth saith, " The love 
 of the Father is not in him." Let christians, there- 
 fore, take heed of this sin, for besides that it argues 
 the love of God is not in us, it chokes the seed of 
 God's word, which should beget grace in us. Matt. 
 xiii. 22; it makes us idolaters, Eph. v. 5: yea, 
 covetousness unfits us for church communion, 1 Cor. 
 V. 11 ; it shuts us out of heaven, 1 Cor. vi. 10 ; it 
 exposes us to wrath. Col. iii. 5, 6, to God's hatred, 
 Psal. X. 3, to a curse, 2 Pet. ii. 14. 
 
 Ver. 32, 33. And, In, thou art unto them as a 
 rerxi Inveh/ song- of one that hath a pleasant voire, 
 and can phn/ icell on an instrnment : for then/ 
 hear thji trords, hnt thei/ do them not. And vhen 
 this Cometh to pass, (lo, it ivill come,) then
 
 G80 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIII. 
 
 shall they know that a prophet hath been among 
 them. 
 
 Vcr. 32. " Thou art unto them as a very lovely 
 song." The Hebrew is, a"3jy I'ca as a song of 
 lovers; so the word is rendered, Jer. iv. 30, "Thy 
 lovers will despise thee," it is the same word. 
 Lovers have delightful songs, to please their ears, 
 and pass away time ; so the prophet's preaching was 
 delightful unto them to hear ; but as, in music and 
 singing, there is nothing comes of it when done, so, 
 they heard the prophet, but nothing came of their 
 hearing. The Septuagint hath it, ujq tfiuiri] i^a\Tr)ftH, 
 as the voice of a psaltery, wliich was an instrument 
 to sing unto. Some render the words, thou wilt be 
 to them a song of scoffers, that is, however they 
 seem to be greatly pleased and ail'ected with thy 
 prophesying, yet in their hearts they laugh at thee, 
 and deride thee. 
 
 "Of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play 
 well on an instrument." M'hen one both plays well 
 and sings sweetly, that music of all others is most 
 taking, afl'ects the car, and stirs the spirits ; so 
 Ezekiel's voice was pleasing to them, and he handled 
 his matter well, they were, or seemed to be, stirred 
 and affected w'ith what he delivered. The Hebrew 
 for "can play well on an instrument" is, saci p: 
 which Montanus renders, of one that knows well 
 how to play. A'agcm signifies, to play upon a musical 
 instrument, and also to sing to it. 
 
 " For they hear thy words, but they do them not." 
 Some heard not at all ; those that heard rested in 
 what they heard, or abused it, jeering and scoffing 
 at the prophet as a pleasant songster ; they were not 
 doers of what was taught them, they received not 
 the truth with love, they mingled it not with faith, 
 they yielded not obedience to it, which things do 
 make a doer of the word: see 2 Thess. ii. 10 ; Heb. 
 iv. 2 ; Rom. v. 17. 
 
 Vcr. 33. " When this cometh to pass, (lo, it will 
 come.") AVhen the judgments threatened shall be 
 made good, viz. that those in the wastes shall fall 
 by the sword, and those in the open fields shall be 
 devoured by the beasts, they in the forts and caves 
 shall die of the famine and pestilence, when the land 
 and mountains shall be laid most desolate, which 
 things will certainly come to pass, wdiatever thoughts 
 they have, or false prophets say to the contrary ; 
 for I have determined these things against them, 
 commissioned thee to declare them, and I, being 
 omnipotent, will in due time accomplish them. 
 
 " Then shall they know that a prophet hath been 
 among them." The execution of what is threatened 
 shall convince them, and make them say, We were 
 deceived about Ezekiel ,- he spake not out of ill will 
 to us, or of his own head ; but he was sent to de- 
 nounce the judgments of God against us for our 
 sins, which he faithfully did, and we now feel the 
 weight of them, and find he was a prophet, not a 
 songster, that his matter had dread in it, and was not 
 to be sported with. 
 
 Obs. 1. That men may be much affected with 
 hearing the prophets and preachers of God, and yet 
 be vile hypocrites, very wicked. These men that 
 flocked to hear Ezekiel, and unto whom he was " as 
 a very lovely song, as a song of one that hath a 
 pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument," 
 they w-ere backbiters and covetous. There was none 
 in Babylon pleased them like Ezekiel ; they said. 
 Come, come, let us go and hear Ezekiel ; they were 
 as much taken with him as any are with music, with 
 pleasant voices, tunes, and songs, which oftentimes 
 ravish the hearers ; yet they were unsound at heart, 
 the word did them no good, they amended not their 
 
 lives, they parted not with their lusts. In Christ's 
 time, the people flocked to hear him, were affected 
 with him ; Mark xii. 37, " The common people 
 heard him gladly ;" and, chap. xiv. 43, " Judas and a 
 great multitude with him, came to take Christ, and 
 laid hands on him," ver. 46; and, chap. xv. 8, 13, 
 14, the multitude cried, " Crucify, crucify him." 
 Many of them that heard him gladly before, were 
 much affected with his heavenly doctrine, now cried 
 out, "Crucify him," and so sliowed what vile hypo- 
 crites they were. In our days some preachers are as a 
 pleasant song to some persons, they are affected 
 with their voice, notions, gestures, expressions, mat- 
 ter, arguments, stories ; they sigh, they weep some- 
 times, and are ravished at other times, they never 
 heard such a man, such a sermon, such things ; and 
 yet are not changed in their hearts, reformed in their 
 tongues or lives, but are notorious hypocrites. 
 
 Ob.s. 2. When people hear the preacher, and do 
 not practise what is taught, the word is no more to 
 them than a song, or a fit of music, nor the preacher 
 more than a musician or fiddler unto them. "Thou 
 art unto them as a lovely song of one that can play 
 well oil an instrument, for they hear thy words, but 
 they do them not." These words are a proof and 
 reason of the former. Should we tell people. You 
 esteem the word pireached no more than an idle, 
 amorous, w'itty, scurrilous song, nor the preacher 
 any more than he that sings such a song, they would 
 think themselves much wronged; but it is so in 
 God's account, when they hear the preacher, and do 
 not practise what they hear. A fit of music affects 
 for the present, but quickly passes away, and both 
 the music and the man are forgotten ; so is it here, 
 people are affected somewhat at a sermon, but ser- 
 mon and jjrcaelier are quickly forgotten. 
 
 Obs. 3. Hearing of the word is good, but not to be 
 rested in. They are not blamed for hearing, that is 
 a duty which belongs to all, James v. 19 ; but they 
 rested in their hearing ; they made not the " word a 
 lamp unto their feet, and a light unto their paths," 
 as David did, Psal. cxix. 105 ; they did not meditate 
 on it, digest it, turn it into good nourishment, that so 
 they might express the virtue of it in their lives ; 
 they heard the word, and that was all. Of such that 
 is verified, Matt. xiii. 13, " Hearing they hear not;" 
 the word hath no infiuence into them, impression 
 upon them, expiression fi'om them ; they are no bet- 
 ter than those that never heard ; they are like men 
 that observe wind and tide, but never make a voyage. 
 2 Tim. iii. 7, there were women ever learning, but 
 never attained to the knowledge of the truth ; and 
 many are ever hearing, and never come to practice. 
 Luke xiii. 26, " Thou hast taught in our streets ;" 
 they had heard Christ, rested in their hearing, and 
 that was their undoing. 
 
 Obs. 4. God expects men should be not only hear- 
 ers, but doers also, of his word. " They hear thy 
 words, but they do them not." Hearing alone pleases 
 not God; he gave not his word to be heard only, but 
 to be heard and practised ; they are good hearers 
 who turn words into actions : James i. 22, " Be ye 
 doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving 
 your own selves." He tells them they deal falla- 
 ciously, they b.iffle and delude themselves, not 
 others, if they hear the word and do it not; though 
 there be power in the word to save your souls, yet 
 if ye be not doers of it, ye deceive yourselves, and 
 will lose your souls. Matt. vii. 26, 27, " Every one 
 that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them 
 not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built 
 his house upon the sand : and the rain descended, and 
 the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon 
 that house ; and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
 
 Ver. 32, 33. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 681 
 
 Hu that hears Clirist's heavenly doctrine and doth 
 not practise it, is not built upon the rock, but upon 
 the sand ; and when the trial comes, will be deceived 
 of his expectation, his house will down, his soul will 
 be lost. It is not hearing, it is not crying, " Lord, 
 Lord," that will open a door for a man to enter into 
 heaven by : ver. 21, " Not every one that saith unto 
 me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of 
 heaven ;" not any one which goes no further ; " but 
 he that doth the will of my Father, which is in 
 heaven." My Father, saith Christ, hath made 
 known hi.s will ; he would have men do his will, and 
 then he will open unto them, and let them into 
 heaven. It is not men's hearing or saying, but their 
 doing what they hear, which pleads most strongly 
 for their entrance into heaven. Many men commend 
 the preacher, the word, with their tongues, but dis- 
 grace both with their lives: the best coramenders of 
 the preachers and theirdoctrine are men's lives, when 
 they are doers of the word. Matt. xxv. 21, it is 
 " Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter 
 thou into thy master's joy :" not, well heard, or, well 
 said, but, " well done." Let us see to it, that 
 we be not hearers only, but doers of the word : Rev. 
 xxii. 14, "Blessed are they that do his command- 
 ments, that they may have right to the tree of life, 
 and may enter in through the gates into the city." 
 
 Obs. 5. The judgments threatened by the prophets 
 of God shall certainly take place. " When this 
 Cometh to pass (lo, it will come)." He means the 
 sword, wild beasts, pestilence, utter desolation, which 
 Avere threatened. It seemed somewhat unlikely, 
 that, after a war, a few poor people left in wastes, 
 holes, caves, forts, woods, and fields, should be cut 
 off; but the Lord had said it, and he did effect it. 
 How improbable or impossible soever things appear 
 to us, what God threatens by his prophets to do 
 (without repentance intervene) he will accomplish. 
 
 06.V. 6. AVhatevcr the thoughts of wicked ones are 
 for the present of the prophets, the time will come 
 when they shall have other kind of thoughts of them. 
 " When this eometh to pass, then shall they know," 
 &c. When the sword, wild beasts, pestilence, utter 
 desolation, are upon them and the land, when they 
 are in straits, in the jaws of death, then they will 
 have other apprehensions of Ezckiel tlian now they 
 have. Ezekiel at present is as a " lovely song, like a 
 man that hath a pleasant voice," some affect him, 
 some scotr at him, others censure him ; but when 
 death is before them, then their thoughts will alter, 
 then they will say, Ezekicl told us of these things that 
 are come upon us, and how to avoid them, he called 
 upon us to consider our ways, to turn from all our 
 iniquities, and to provide for our souls ; we then 
 slighted him, only gave him the hearing of what he 
 said, but now we see he was a prophet of God, de- 
 livered weighty things, and we were fools that we 
 hearkened not unto him, doing what he said. When 
 young men, who despise all the preachers say against 
 whoredom and wanton courses, come to be in years, 
 find their ilesh and bodies to be consumed, then will 
 they have other thoughts of them and what they 
 preached, then will they say, " How have we hated 
 instruction, and our hearts despised reproof! we 
 obeyed not the voice of our teachers, nor inclined our 
 ears to them that instructed us," Prov. v. 11 — 13: 
 tliere were prophets amongst us, who sought our good, 
 who tendered mercy and many precious truths unto 
 us, but we were so blinded with our lusts, so con- 
 ceited of our own ways, that we rejected them, and 
 whatever they tendered us. 
 
 Obs. 7. The prophets will be witnesses at last 
 against disobedient hearers. " They shall know that 
 a prophet hath been amongst them." They heard 
 
 Ezekiel, but did not what he said; his person, his 
 doctrine, did at last bear witness against them. 
 Wherever the Lord sets a faithful preacher, who 
 takes pains among the people, declaring the mind of 
 God unto them, and they do not practise what they 
 are taught, that preacher will rise up in judgment 
 against them ; his doctrine, his prayers, tears, drops 
 of sweat, his life, his sufferings, reproaches, death, 
 will all be witnesses against them. If the rust of 
 men's silver and gold will be witnesses against them, 
 and eat their flesh like fire, James v. 3, because 
 they let their silver and gold lie by them, and did 
 not improve the same for public good, and in cha- 
 ritable uses ; how much more will the truths of God, 
 which the preachers have commended unto them, 
 (being neglected, and not improved to the good of 
 the hearers and others,) bear witness against them, 
 and eat their flesh, yea, their souls, like fire ! Thou- 
 sands who have flocked after ministers to hear them, 
 will find those ministers witnesses against them, be- 
 cause they heard them only, and never did what 
 they heard. What a midtitude of witnesses will 
 London and England have against them at the latter 
 day ! all the godly, faithful ministers whose doctrine 
 hath been heard, but never obeyed. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 6. And the word of the Lord came 
 unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against 
 tlie shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto 
 them. Thus saith the Lord God unto the shep- 
 herds ; Woe he to the shepherds of Israel that do 
 
 feed themselves ! should not the shepherds feed 
 the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you, 
 with the wool, ye kill them that are fed : hut ye 
 
 feed not the fock. The diseased have yc not 
 strengthened, neither have ye healed that which 
 was sick, neither have ye hound up that which 
 was broken, neither have ye hrought again that 
 which was driven away, neither have ye sought 
 that which was lost ; but with force and with 
 cruelty have ye ruled them. A7id they tvere scat- 
 tered, because there is no shepherd : and they be- 
 came meat to all the beasts of the field, when theif 
 were scattered. My sheep wandered through all 
 the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, 
 my flock was scattered upon all the face of the 
 earth, and none did search err seek after them. 
 
 Ezekiel having reproved and threatened the judg- 
 ments of God against the people for their sins, he 
 comes in this chapter to deal with the governors and 
 rulers of them, through whose default they became 
 so wicked, and suffered the Babylonish yoke. In 
 this chapter are these things considerable : 
 
 I. A reproof of the sliepherds, and judgment 
 threatened against them, in the first ten verses. 
 
 II. God's care of, and comfortable provision for, 
 his flock, ver. II — 22. 
 
 III. A sweet prophecy of Christ and his kingdom, 
 under the figure of David, ver. 23, to the end. 
 
 Ver. 1. "The word of the Lord came unto me, 
 saying." These words we have often had. By them 
 the prophet declares himself to be a true prophet ; 
 false ones spake of their own heads, they had no 
 word from God, they deluded the people with lying 
 words ; but Ezekiel had a word from God, and that 
 word he commended to the people.
 
 6S2 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIV. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Prophesy against the shepherds of Is- 
 rael." The shepherds of Israel were the chief 
 rulers, both political and ecclesiastical, princes, ma- 
 gistrates, prophets, priests, and Levites. Isa. xliv. 
 28, Cyrus is called a shepherd; and, Zech. xi. 17, 
 those in the church are called shepherds. Jer. xxv. 
 34, " Howl, ye shepherds, and cry ; wallow your- 
 selves in ashes, ye principal of the flock ;" that is, 
 as the flock is considered politically and ecclesias- 
 tically, ye are the shepherds, the principal thereof; 
 " howl, ye," &c. Tliey are called shepherds, be- 
 cause they are to govern, protect, provide for, and 
 to feed them. 
 
 " Woe be to the shepherds of Israel." Herein 
 general judgment is threatened against these shep- 
 herds, " Woe be to them !" This word is a com- 
 prehensive word, and includes variety of evils in it ; 
 not some one, but divers sad judgments should come 
 upon them. The word for "shepherds" is from 
 ry-i to feed, and metaphorically, to govern, teach, 
 and so to feed men. 
 
 " That do feed themselves ! should not the shep- 
 herds feed the flock?" Here was their sin, they 
 fed themselves, not the flock. Those who are shep- 
 herds in state or church, are set up for the good of 
 the people, to benefit and advantage them, not to 
 seek themselves, to draw from the people what they 
 can to make themselves great ; they should be con- 
 tent with their allowance, and lay out themselves 
 fidly and wholly for the good of them that are com- 
 mitted to their trust. This interrogation, " Should 
 not the shepherds feed the flock ? " sets out the hei- 
 nousness of their sin, and the indignation of God 
 against it : What ! you shepherds, and not feed the 
 flock ? you pervert the course of nature, and violate 
 the order which God hath set, and that is intoler- 
 able, he will visit severely for it. 
 
 The word for "flock" is, |NS which signifies, a 
 multitude of sheep or goafs. The Septuagint ren- 
 ders it, sheep, and in a metaphorical sense it is put 
 for the people : Zech. ix. 16; Micah vii. 14, people 
 are resembled unto sheep. 
 
 First. .Sheep are foolish, silly creatures, not like 
 foxes, lions, leopards, which are subtle and crafty ; 
 .so are people for the generality of them. Jer. v. 21, 
 " Hear now this, O foolish people, and without un- 
 derstanding ; which have eyes, and see not ; which 
 have ears, and hear not :" they had no ears to heark- 
 en unto the word of God, no eyes to see the hand of 
 God, no understanding to discern the mind and deal- 
 ings of God. So Deut. xxxii. 28, " They are a nation 
 void of counsel, neither is there any understanding 
 in them ;" they act like foolish, silly people, that 
 know nothing of God. 
 
 Secondly, Sheep are apt to go astray ; 1 Sam. xvii. 
 20, David " left the sheep with a keeper," he knew 
 th;y would wander had they not a keeper ; so people 
 are apt to stray from that which is just and equal, 
 to turn aside from the ways of God : Isa. liii. (j, 
 "All we like sheep ai-e gone astray;" and Jer. ii. 
 13. " My people have forsaken me the fountain of 
 living waters ;" that is, they have forsaken me 
 their Sheplierd, who provided all good things for 
 them. 
 
 Thirdly, When one sheep goes out of the way, 
 many follow, run after that one; so it is with the 
 multitude. 2 Sam. xx. 1, 2, " One Sheba, the son 
 of Bichri, a Benjaniite, blew a trumpet, saying, We 
 have no part in David, neither have we inheritance 
 in the son of Jesse ; every man to his tents, Israel. 
 So every man of Israel went up from after David, 
 and followed Sheba the son of Bichri." Here was 
 a ram led all Israel into rebellion. So Theudas 
 stepped out of the way, and presently four hundred 
 
 others joined themselves unto him ; and Judas of 
 Galilee drew much people after him, Acts v. 36, 37. 
 Fourthly, Sheep are exposed to much danger, they 
 are a prey to dogs, lion.s, wolves, foxes, bears, and 
 such wild beasts ; .so are the people exposed to spoil, 
 and to be preyed upon by the great ones : Zeph. iii. 
 3, Jerusalem's " princes within her are roaring lions, 
 her judges are evening wolves ;" they preyed upon 
 tlie poor people. Jer. 1. 17. " Israel is a scattered 
 sheep ; the lions have driven him away : first the 
 king of Assyria hath devoured him, and last this 
 Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his 
 bones." 
 
 F'iflhly, They are subject to many diseases, and 
 apt to infect one another. It is observed, that of all 
 creatures, a man, a horse, and a sheep are subject 
 unto most diseases ; and quickly doth one sheep com- 
 municate this infection unto another. So people 
 are subject to many distempers, seditions, insurrec- 
 tions, rebellions, errors, heresies, superstition, idola- 
 try, and what not : Ezek. ii. 3, the children of Israel 
 are a rebellious nation ; Jer. vi. 28, " They are all 
 grievous revolters, walking with slanders : they are 
 brass and iron ; they are all corrupters ;" one in- 
 fected another. Jer. v. 23, " This people hath a re- 
 volting and a rebellious heart ;" the disease was 
 come to their hearts. Isa. i. 4, " Ah sinful nation, 
 a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, 
 children that are corrupters ;" they corrupted one 
 another with evil opinions and practices. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with 
 the wool." The Septuagint, Vulgate, and French 
 have it, Ye eat the milk. The Hebrew word is, sSn 
 which signifies fat, because it is made of milk kirie 
 fatness; what they feed upon hath a fatty milkiness 
 in it which turns to fat. The word for milk is, s^n 
 and that for " fat," s^^n which also notes the prin- 
 cipal of every thing. By these expressions of eating 
 the fat, and clothing themselves with the wool, the 
 prophet taxeth the covetousness of the princes, 
 priests, and false prophets, who pretended the 
 public good, but were intent upon their own profit 
 and pleasure : they were not content with what 
 stipends were allowed them, but devised ways and 
 means to draw the wealth of the people into their 
 own cotTers, which is here called " the fat and the 
 wool." The word for " wool " is, -icy which notes 
 all sorts of wool, even cotton wool which grow.s 
 upon trees. Had they any wool upon their backs 
 (as our proverb is) these governors would fleece 
 them of it. 
 
 " Ye kill them that are fed : but ye feed not tlie 
 flock." The Hebrew for the first word is, ye sacrifice 
 the thick : nsnnn is from S"i3 to create, and N'-i3 ban, 
 is, fat, flesh, because a sheep becomes fat and flesh 
 by a kind of creation, there is the power of God 
 put forth in it; and when men grow wealthy it is 
 by the power of God; Deut. viii. 17, 18, it is not 
 men's ]iower, and the might of their hands, that 
 gives them their wealth, but it is the Lord gives 
 power to get wealth. The false prophets kill their 
 souls with lies, with corrupt doctrines ; and the ma- 
 gistrates found out ways to cut olT them that were 
 rich for their estates : thus they sought themselves, 
 but fed not the flock. The princes and rulers did 
 not maintain justice, preserve the innocent, relieve 
 the oppressed, nor the priests and prophets teach 
 them sound and wholesome docti-ine. 
 
 Ver. 4. " The diseased have ye not strengthened." 
 Here are five particulars in this verse, concerning 
 the sheep, which the shepherds should have minded, 
 but neglecting them all, are severely taxed for them. 
 I. They were diseased. Sheep are liable to va- 
 rious diseases, faintings, weaknesses. Montanus
 
 Ver. 1—6. 
 
 THE BOOK OF BZEKIEL. 
 
 683 
 
 renders the word mSrjn those that languish and are 
 feeble ; those who languished in their estates or 
 spirits, were not strengthened; those who wanted 
 bread for their bodies and for their souls, were not 
 looked after. The Septuagint is, the weak ye have 
 not strengthened. 
 
 " Neither have ye healed that which was sick." 
 2. A sheep may be' diseased, yet not be sick. That 
 is sick, cui toluiii corpus dolet, when the whole body 
 is pained, saith Lavattr ; the whole body is so dis- 
 tempered that the members of it cannot perform 
 their offices. There were many among the Jews 
 who were sick in their estates and spirits, and could 
 not perform the duties of their general or particular 
 callings, who had none to heal them. 
 
 " Neither have ye bound up that which was 
 broken." 3. Brokenness. Some sheep had their 
 Hesh torn by dogs or bushes, their legs and other 
 billies about them, broken or put out of joint; divers 
 amongst them had broken estates, l)roken spirits, 
 and none bound them up. The word fan signi- 
 fies binding, as men are bound in prison; binding, 
 as men bind packs to horses ; binding, as men are 
 bound by laws to obey or suffer ; binding of orna- 
 ments to the head, and binding up of wounds to cui-e 
 and heal them, as here. 
 
 " Neither have ye brought again that which was 
 driven away." 4. Some were driven away. Storms, 
 dogs, wolves, and other wild beasts, ofttimes cause 
 the sheep to run this way and that way, to fall into 
 ditches and pits, which, if looked after, might be 
 preserved and reduced. The wars and other evils 
 forced many Jews to flee into other countries, and 
 none in place did think of them, that they might be 
 brought back. 
 
 " Neither have ye sought that which was lost." 
 5. Sheep being wandering creatures are oftentimes 
 lost, Luke XV. 4. Among tlie Jews there were some 
 who had straggled from the rest, and were lost, 
 lost through corrupt oiiinions and practices ; they 
 left the ways of God, and wandered in by-paths 
 which led to utter destruction ; such a losing the 
 word ^^^s signifies. They were not sought after, 
 they did not make diligent inquiry and search after 
 them. 
 
 " But with force and with cruelty have ye ruled 
 them." They dealt not as fathers of their country, 
 but as tj-rants, which are the very plagues of the 
 earth ; they dealt not as shepherds with their sheep, 
 but as cruel task-masters over servants. The word 
 for ruling is m-i radah, which notes such riding as a 
 master doth exercise over a servant, rigorous ruling ; 
 therefore the Jews were forbid to rule over a poor 
 brother. Lev. xxv. 43, " Thou shalt not rule over 
 him with rigour." Here they ruled with rigour, 
 they put forth their power to the breaking and ruin 
 of the people, they were rough and cruel in their 
 government. The Septuagint is, ye weary, wear out, 
 yea, murder the strong with vexation and labour. 
 
 Ver. 5. " And tliey were scattered, because there 
 is no shepherd." The shepherds being either negli- 
 gent or tyrannical, the sheep were scattered; through 
 default of their political shepherds, they were scat- 
 tered into waste places, into the open fields, into 
 forts and caves, chap, xxxiii. 27, and into other 
 countries. Had Zedekiah and the nobles been faith- 
 ful to God, to Nebuchadnezzar, and the people, rul- 
 ing as he and they should have done, the people had 
 not been so scattered. And through default of their 
 ecclesiastical shepherds, they fell into errors, sujier- 
 stitions, and idolatrous practices ; justice, laws, and 
 religion being laid aside, there was nothing remained 
 but confusion, disorder, and dispersion. The Hebrew 
 is, they were scattered without a shepherd; which 
 
 may be taken thus, being scattered they had no 
 shepherd ; or thus, tliey were scattered because, or 
 for that, they had no shepherd, that is, no faithful 
 shejiherd ; this is the better sense ; and so the Sep- 
 tuagint speaks, for that they had no shepherds, that 
 is, no such shepherds as cared for their good civilly 
 or spiritually. 
 
 " And they became meat to all the beasts of the 
 field, when they were scattered." NVhen the sheep 
 are .scattered into caves, w'oods, upon mountains and 
 hills, they become a prey to dogs, swine, wild beasts ; 
 so the Jews being scattered into several parts of the 
 world, were exposed to the injuries of strangers, and 
 a prey unto them. 
 
 Ver. 6. " My sheep wandered through all the 
 mountains, and upon every high hill." They went 
 from mountain to mountain, and from hill to hill, 
 and set up altars : Jer. li. 20, " Upon every high hill 
 and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing 
 the harlot ;" so Jer. iii. 6. Or they were forced to 
 flee to the mountains and hills, in the time of war and 
 danger which their rulers brought upon them. 
 
 " Yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of 
 the earth, and none did search or seek after them." 
 The Hebrew is, upon all the faces of the earth. 
 Every country hath a several face in a metaphorical 
 sense, as one man hath from another : Egypt had 
 one face, Babylon another, the countries about Judea 
 their distinct faces or superficies ; now they were 
 scattered abroad upon them all, and none did search 
 or seek them. Here are two words Mgnifying the 
 same thing, Cp3 and wn the first signifies to seek or 
 search with the greatest care, the second, with the 
 most correct judgment. 
 
 Obs. 1. Those that are set over the people in 
 church or state are shepherds, and ought to be like 
 unto them towards their flocks. They should govern 
 them gently, protect them constantly, provide for 
 them carefully, and feed them faithfully, and seek 
 their good diligently. God who is the great Shep- 
 herd doth so: Isa. xl. 11, " He .shall feed his flock 
 like a shepherd : he shall gather the lambs with his 
 arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently 
 lead those that are with young." Isa. xxvii. 3, 
 " Lest any hurt it," (that is, his vineyard, his peo- 
 ple.) " I, the Lord, will keep it night and day." Psal. 
 xxiii. 1,2, " The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not 
 want :" he provided green pastures and still waters 
 for him, and for all his. Jer. v. 7, he " fed them to 
 the full." He gave them David for a shepherd, " to 
 feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance ;" 
 and " he fed them according to the integrity of his 
 heart," Psal. Ixxviii. 71, 72; he sought their good, 
 Micah vi. 8 ; he turned cm-ses into blessings for them, 
 Deut. xxiii. 5 : here was a good Shepherd. Magis- 
 trates and ministers should be like unto God in all 
 these. 
 
 Obs. 2. Few of those that are over God's flock in 
 church or state, do prove such as they ought to be. 
 The political rulers were wicked, and the ecclesias- 
 tical rulers were such also. They are called shep- 
 herds, but they did not the office or work of shep- 
 herds, they were generally naught ; the shepherds of 
 Israel did not feed the flock. Ezek. xxii. 25 — 28, 
 you may see what the prophets, jiriests, and princes 
 were, not a true shepherd amongst them. 
 
 Obs. 3. See liere the true characters of wicked 
 shepherds in church or state : and they are three. 
 
 (1.) They feed themselves. They were covetous, 
 self-seekers, they did eat the fat, clothe themselves 
 with the wool, and killed them that were fed, full of 
 fat and flesh, they made a prey of the rich and 
 wealthy. The political shepherds were selfish and 
 covetous. Micah iii. 1 — 3, " Hear, heads of Jacob,
 
 6S4 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIV. 
 
 and ye princes of the house of Israel ; Is it not for 
 you to know judgment? who hate the good, and 
 love the evil, who jduok oil' their skin from oH' them, 
 and their ilesh from otf their bones ; who also eat 
 the tlcsh of my people, and flay their skin from otf 
 them ; and they break their bones, and chop them 
 in pieces, as for the pot." Look how butchers deal 
 with oxen and sheep, killing, flaying, chopping in 
 pieces, breaking their bones, selling some, and eat- 
 ing other parts, and whatever they do is for their 
 own interest; so deal these state butchers with the 
 people. The ecclesiastical shepherds were selfish 
 and covetous. Isa. Ivi. 11, speaking of the watch- 
 men, he saith, "They are greedy dogs which can 
 never have enough, and they are shepherds that 
 cannot understand ; they all look to their own way, 
 every one for his gain, from his quarter : " one's gain 
 comes from one (juarter, a second's from another 
 quarter, a third's from a third, and their eyes were 
 upon their gain and nothing else. Micah iii. II, 
 "The heads of Jerusalem judge for reward, the 
 priests teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine 
 for money ; " thus all sought themselves, and thereby 
 declared what they were. 
 
 (2.) They fed not the flock. A good shepherd's 
 care and delight is to feed his flock, and manifest it 
 by strengthening the weak, by healing the sick, by 
 binding up the broken, by bringing back what is 
 gone astray, and by seeking up what is lost. These 
 shepherds did none of these things : the state shep- 
 herds neglected the flock, the church shepherds did 
 so, the weak were not strengthened. Sec. 
 
 (3.) Harsh and cruel usage of the flock : " With 
 force and cruelty have ye ruled them." These 
 shepherds did not distinguish between the weak and 
 strong, the sound and sick, and so rule them wisely, 
 gently, compassionately; but they were rough, rigid, 
 bitter, and cruel unto them. The political shepherds 
 shut up the doors of the temple, and would not let 
 them come in to sacrifice or worship there, 2 Chron. 
 xxviii. 24. They compelled the people to serve 
 idols, 2 Kings sxi. II. They revolted from under 
 Nebuchadnezzar, and so brought wars and heavy 
 taxes upon the people, Ezek. xvii. 15. "The princes 
 in the midst of Jerusalem were like wolves ravening 
 the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get 
 dishonest gain," Ezek. xxii. 27. The ecclesiastical 
 shepherds also ruled after their own wills ; the pro- 
 phets were roaring lions ravening the prey, they de- 
 voured souls, they took the treasure and precious 
 things, they made many widows in the midst of 
 Jerusalem; the priests violated the law of God, 
 and so wronged the people, ver. 25, 26. The pro- 
 phets and priests conspired together to tyrannize 
 over the people, who were so accustomed to it, that 
 they were content to have it so; Jer. v. 31, "The 
 prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule 
 by their means ; and my people love to have it so." 
 The word for bearing rule imports rigorous dealing; 
 they took too much upon them, which you may see, 
 Jer. xxvi. 8, the priests and the prophets took Jere- 
 miah, " saying. Thou shalt surely die." They were 
 bitter enemies to Jeremiah, and those who believed 
 his prophecies. Jer. 1. ti, " My people hath been 
 lost sheep ; their shepherds have caused them to go 
 astray," ixc. 
 
 Obx. 4. Such is the condition of God's flock here, 
 that it hath need of shepherds to look after it. 
 There be in it some diseased or infirm, some sick, 
 some broken, some driven away, some straggling 
 and in danger of losing. God's sheep are subject 
 to many evils, distempers, and dangers ; to vain 
 customs, Jer. x. 3 ; to bruising and breaking, Jer. vi. 
 14; to hunting like wild beasts, Ezek. xiii. 18; to 
 
 beating and grinding to pieces, Isa. iii. 15; to de- 
 vouring, Psal. xiv. 4 ; to errors, heresies, corrupt 
 opinions and practices. Matt. xxiv. 5; 2 Pet. ii. 2; 
 to backsliding, Jer. viii. 5; to mistakes and all sorts 
 of evils, Isa. v. 20. It is mercy, yea great mercy, 
 that God hath appointed shepherds for his flock, 
 civil and spiritual, to provide for the weaknesses, 
 maladies, and dangers of the soul, as well as of the 
 body. Where these are wicked, it goes ill with the 
 flock ; if they be selfish, negligent, rigid in ruling, the 
 flock will suffer much. O pray unto God earnestly, 
 that he would give us good .shepherds. There is a 
 choice promise or two in Jer. xxiii. 4, " I will set up 
 shepherds over them which shall feed them ; and 
 they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither 
 shall they be lacking." And Jer. iii. 15, "I will 
 give you pastors according to mine heart, which 
 shall feed you according to knowledge and under- 
 standing." These promises speak of good shepherds 
 for state and church. Let us improve them, and 
 press God for the fulfilling of them. 
 
 Obs. 5. That wicked magistrates and ministers, in 
 God's account, are as no magistrates, no ministers. 
 " They were scattered, because there is no shep- 
 herd." There were many shepherds in the state, 
 and many in the church, yet all these were as none, 
 because they were wicked, sought themselves, fed 
 not the flock, but ruled with cruelty. When shep- 
 herds degenerate so far, as to be contrary to what 
 they should be, then they are as none before God. 
 Such, in Zeoh. xi. 17, are called "idol shepherds:" 
 idols are nothing, 1 Cor. viii. 4, and so were they 
 as nothing in the sight of God; and when it is so, 
 then the sheep are scattered. 
 
 Ob.s. 6. That as God eyes the great ones in state 
 or church, so he deals impartially with them being 
 wicked. He observed what magistrates and minis- 
 ters did in their places, and seeing them selfish, neg- 
 ligent, cruel, he threatens them all : " Woe to the 
 shepherds of Israel .'" He saw they were all guilty 
 of grievous sins, amended not after his long forbear- 
 ing them, and therefore without respect denounces 
 judgment against them. God is greater than the 
 greatest, and fears not the faces of princes or pro- 
 phets; let them have what pretencM they will to 
 colour their ways, the Lord discerns them ; let them 
 be never so terrible unto men, the Lord will be- a 
 terror unto them ; let them continue in their wicked- 
 ness never so long, at last God will be avenged on 
 them. 
 
 Ver. 7 — 10. TTierefore, ye shepherds, hear the 
 word of the Lord ; As I live, saith the Lord God, 
 stirely because itiy Jlock became a prey, and my 
 
 f„ock became meat to every beast of the field, be- 
 cause there was no shepherd, neitlier did my shep- 
 herds search for my Jftock, but the shephei-ds fed 
 themselves, and fed not my Jlock ; therefore, O ye 
 shepherds, hear the word of the Lord ; Thus 
 saith the Lord God ; Selwld, I am against the 
 shepherds ; and I will require my fock at their 
 hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the 
 
 fock ; neither shall the shejiherdsfeed themselves 
 any more ; for J will deliver my fock from their 
 month, that they may not be meat for them. 
 
 These verses set out the judgments threatened 
 against the shepherds of Israel, for their premen- 
 tioned sins. In the words take, 
 
 I. God's particular application of himself to the 
 shepherds, ver. 7, 9. 
 
 II. The certainty of their punishment, ver. 8, "As 
 1 live," &c.
 
 Yer. 7—10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 685 
 
 III. A repetition of their former sins, ver. 8. 
 
 IV. A specification of tlieir judgments or punish- 
 ments, ver. 10. 
 
 Vcr. 7- " Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word 
 of tlie Lord." These words are again in ver. 9, and 
 sliow tlie great indignation whicli was in the breast 
 of God against these shepherds : O ye princes, priests, 
 and prophets, seeing ye have done such things, and 
 neglected what you should have done, hear the word 
 of "the Lord, he is vehemently displeased with you, 
 and can hold no longer. 
 
 Ver. 8. " As I live, sailh the Lord God, surely." 
 The Hebrew is, I living, if not ; the sense when of 
 is this. Let me not be the living God, but be laid 
 aside as some idol or false god, if I do not punish 
 these shepherds which have dealt so with my Hock. 
 
 " Because my flock became a prey." The word 
 for "prey" is T3 which signifies spoil- 
 ing, and such spoiling as is with tread- 
 ing down, and despising the thing spoiled ; they 
 vilified tile flock of God, and spoiled them of what 
 they had. 
 
 " And my flock became meat to every beast of the 
 field." Wicked men are here called beasts, and 
 beasts of the field, for that they range up and down 
 to gi't a prey ; and when they have gotten it, tear 
 and rend it in pieces, as a lion or bear doth a lamb 
 or sheep. 
 
 " There was no shepherd." Not simply no shep- 
 herd, but no shepherd that did his duty, as the next 
 words show, " neither did my sliepherds search for 
 the flock ;" he saith, my shepherds, because they 
 were in God's stead to look after his flock ; but they 
 fed themselves, not the flock ; they made laws, im- 
 posed burdens, and found out ways to enrich them- 
 selves, and impoverish the people. 
 
 Ver. 10. "Behold, I am against the shepherds." 
 In this verse the punishments of these shepherds are 
 enumerated, and this is the first, viz. God's enmity 
 against them. They being great princes, priests, 
 and iirophets, kept all in such awe that none durst 
 appear in word or action against them ; if any did, 
 they were soon crushed : wherefore saith the Lord, 
 " Behold, I am against the shepherds ;" I, that am 
 the Governor of nations, the Lord of heaven and 
 earth, and so the dread Sovereign of princes, priests, 
 and prophets; even I, that am Jehovah, that gave 
 being to all creatures, and can take away all again, 
 am against them. The Hebrew is, Behold, I to the 
 shepherds, that is, I come to set myself against 
 them; the Vulgate is. Behold, I am above them ; 
 others have the words thus, Behold, I am against 
 these she]}herds. 
 
 " I will require my flock at their hand." Not 
 only will 1 have account of them, what is become of 
 my flock, but I will have rccompcnce for every one 
 that is wounded, weak, lost, or slain ; I will require 
 at your hand limb for limb, blood for blood, and life 
 for life. This is the second punishment mentioned. 
 
 " And cause them to cease from feeding the flock." 
 Here is a third punishment, and it is no less than 
 displacing of them. Some were cut off by the hand 
 of justice, Jer. Hi. 10, 11, 24—27; Lam. v. 12. 
 Others were carried away captive, and lieUi in chains 
 and bonds, as Zedekiah, Jcconiah, and many besides. 
 
 " Neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any 
 more." Here is a fourth punishment ; they should 
 be deprived of those opportunities they had to en- 
 rich themselves : they made a prey of tlie flock, eat- 
 ing the fat, clothing themselves with the wool, and 
 killing those that were fed, they made advantage of 
 the flock, only seeking themselves, not the good of 
 it ; bo' they should not do so any longer. 
 
 "lor I will deliver my fleck from their mouth." 
 
 They have been feeding upon and devouring my 
 Hock a long time ; but now I will do by them as a 
 shepherd doth by a lamb in a lion's or bear's mouth, 
 Amos iii. 12. 1 Sam. xvii. 34, 35, David delivered 
 the lamb : so God would pull his flock out of these 
 lions' and bears' mouths, which is a gracious promise 
 of the deliverance of his people. 
 
 "That they may not be meat for them." Being 
 once delivered, they siiall no more Le spoiled and 
 devoured by such tyrants as they were, but shall en- 
 joy liberty and safety. 
 
 Oi.v. 1. When there are no faithful shepherds, the 
 flock is a prey to all sorts of beasts. " My flock be- 
 came meat to every beast of the field, because there 
 was no shepherd." The princes, nobles, priests, 
 prophets, and all tlieir under oflicers, made a prey of 
 the flock. The flock was amongst wild beasts of all 
 sorts, and they did eat the milk, shear the fleece, and 
 devour the flesh of the flock. No state officers, no 
 church officers were faitliful unto the flock, but all 
 in place and power made a prey of it : it is the 
 nature of dogs, foxes, wolves, bears, lions, and such 
 beasts, to suck the blood, crush the bones, and de- 
 vour the flesh of the lambs and sheep. Kings, in 
 Dan. vii. 17, nre called beasts; and Rev. xiii. 1, 11, 
 there is mention made of a beast which rose up out 
 of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns ; and 
 of a beast that rose up out of the earth, which had 
 two horns, like a lamb, but spake like a dragon : 
 these two beasts denote the ecclesiastical and politi- 
 cal powers, and how they dealt with the people you 
 may read in that chapUr. When God's flock is 
 without faithful shepherds, they are a spoil to sea 
 beasts and land beasts, to all beasts whatsoever. 
 
 Obs. 2. That the sins of magistrates and ministers 
 in seeking themselves, neglecting and wronging the 
 flock, do greatly provoke God, bring certain and 
 severe judgments upon themselves. "Behold, I 
 am against the shepherds ;" I, that am higher, 
 stronger, greater than them all, even I, and all my 
 attributes, are against them ; I will call them to ac- 
 count, and have satisfaction for all the wrong and 
 violence they have done ; I will deprive them of 
 their sweet morsels, and throw them with shame out 
 of their places. These are severe judgments, which 
 God swears, by no less than his own life, that he will 
 bring upon them : God commits great trust unto 
 them, and when they are unfaithful God visits 
 severely for it. Jer. xxv. 34—36, " Howl, ye shep- 
 herds, cry ; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye 
 principal of the flock, for the days of your slaughter 
 and of vour dispersions are accomplished; and ye 
 shall fall like a pleasant vessel." They should have 
 no way to flee or escape ; cry and howl tlu y might, 
 their pastures should be spoiled, and themselves 
 destroyed. Thcishepherds had been preserved like 
 a pleasant vessel in the hand of God, he esteemed 
 them ; but now, being so vile, they should fall, be 
 broken, and not esteemed at all. See Jer. xxiii. 1, 
 2 ; Zeeh. xi. 17. This hath been made good in our 
 days, against the political and ecclesiastical shep- 
 herds. Have not our princes, nobles, prelates, and 
 their officers, for their feeding themselves, not feed- 
 ing the flock, for their ruling thtm by force and 
 cruelty, have they not had God against them, been 
 deprived of their fat, and sweet morsels ? have they 
 not been turned out of their places, and suflercd 
 justly for their demerits? The oppressions in state 
 and church were such, that the flock hud perished, 
 had not God appeared for it against those lions and 
 wolves : their sins were provoking, and drew the 
 fury of God upon them. 
 
 Obs. 3. Those sheep that are under oppressing and 
 devouring shepherds, God will relieve and set at
 
 C86 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIV. 
 
 liberty. " I will deliver my flock from their mouth, 
 that they may not be meat for them." Many years 
 had his iiock been molested by wicked princes, 
 priests, and prophets ; they had eaten up many of his 
 flock, and tlie rest were in danger of devouring ; but 
 the Lord had a care of them, and pulled them out of 
 their jaws. The poor sheep could not withstand their 
 violence ; they were like young lions among the 
 flocks, which go through, ti-ead down, and tear them 
 in pieces, and none can deliver, Micah v. 8 : but 
 though the sheep had no man able to deliver them 
 from these lion-like shepherds, yet God was able to 
 do it, and did it ; he was a lion to these lions, and 
 tore them in pieces, rescuing his flock. It is not long 
 since we were under such shepherds, who made us 
 meat to tin ir teeth, eating up our estates, liberties, 
 and lives ; they oppressed and devoured us, and who 
 durst appear for us ? if any did, they felt the jaws 
 and claws of these lions : but God at last arose for 
 us, and hath driven away those shepherds, and de- 
 livered us from being meat to their mouths. 
 
 \'er. 11 — 16. For thus saith the Lord God; 
 Behold, I, even I, will both search mi/ sheep, and 
 seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his 
 Jlock in the day that he is among his sheep thai 
 are scattered ; so will I seek out my sheep, and 
 will deliver them out of all places where they have 
 been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And 
 I will bring them oxitfrom the j)eople, and gather 
 them from the countries, and will bring them to 
 their own land, and feed them upon the mountains 
 of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited 
 places of the country. I will feed them in a good 
 pasture, and iipo?i the high mountains of Israel 
 shall their fold be : there shall they lie in a good 
 fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the 
 mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I 
 will cause them to lie doivn, saith the Lord God. 
 I ivill seek that which was lost, and bring again 
 that tchich was driven away, and will bind vp 
 that which was broken, and tcill strengthen that 
 which wets sick : but I will destroy the fat and the 
 strong ; I will feed them with judgment. 
 
 These verses set before ns God's care and com- 
 fortable provision for his I'ock, which is the se- 
 cond general part of this chapter; and tliey have 
 in them, 
 
 I. Gracious promises. 
 
 1. A promise of seeking out the sheep, ver. 11, 
 12, 16. 
 
 2. A promise of reducing them, ver. 13, 16. 
 
 3. A promise of feeding them being reduced, ver. 
 13—15. 
 
 4. A promise of healing the broken and the sick, 
 ver. 16. 
 
 II. A declaration how God will deal with the fat 
 and strong ones, ver. 16. 
 
 Ver. 11. "Behold, I, even I, will both search my 
 sheep, and seek them out." You think much to 
 look after my sheep, but, behold, I, even I. that am 
 the great Shepherd, the great God, infinitely dis- 
 tanced from yi)», will both search and seek them 
 out. Tlie word for "search" is, ipa which the 
 Septuagint renders, I will require ; it notes search- 
 ing out what they liad done with them, and requir- 
 ing them at their hand. 
 
 Ver. 12. " As a sliepherd seeketh out his flock in 
 the day that he is among his sheep tliat are scatter- 
 ed ; so will I seek," etc. When some gnat storms 
 by wind, rain, thunder, lightning, or wild beasts. 
 
 have been in the field among the flock, and they are 
 scattered here and there, then the shepherd hastens 
 to them, sees whether any be wanting, and if so, 
 seeks up and down till he finds them, and so brings 
 them together again ; which is a great mercy to the 
 scattered sheep, and as great a comfort to the shep- 
 herd : so would God seek out his sheep that were 
 scattered into several places, and would deliver 
 them : they had met with storms and wild beasts, 
 which had divided and scattered them, and God, 
 like a choice shepherd, would seek them out, and 
 have a special care of them. 
 
 " [n the cloudy and dark day." The Hebrew is, 
 Ssiyi py DV3 in the day of a cloud and of darkness, 
 tliiek darkness, so the word signifies. It was a day 
 of a cloud, or a cloudy day, wlien the Chaldean army 
 besieged Jerusalem ; then many were scattered and 
 driven into neighbour nations: and it was a day of 
 thick darkness, when tlie city was broken up, the 
 temple burnt, Zedekiah's eyes put out, the princes 
 and nobles put to death, many carried captive into 
 Babylou, and the rest dispersed into woods, caves, 
 mountains, and other places. 
 
 Ver. 13. "And I will bring them out from the 
 people, and gather them from the countries." God 
 finding his sheep scattered into several nations, 
 where they met with hardships, he graciously pro- 
 mises to bring them out of those nations ; they 
 should not always be amongst their enemies, who 
 were no better than wild beasts unto them. This 
 hath an aspect to God's gathering his elect out of 
 the several quarters of the world. 
 
 " And will bring them to their own land, and feed 
 them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers." 
 Being gathered out of foreign lands, God would 
 bring tliem into their own land, viz. into Canaan, a 
 type of the church ; they should both possess their 
 land, and be put into a church condition again, and 
 he would feed them with his word and ordinances, 
 and put them into a better state than ever. This re- 
 fers to the times of Christ and the gospel ; then 
 especially did God gather his sheep out of Babylon 
 and bring them to Zion, then did he feed them upon 
 the mountains of Israel by the rivers. So that in 
 this verse are three grand mercies : 1. Eduction out 
 of a miserable condition. 2. Introduction into a 
 good condition. 3. Preservation in that good con- 
 dition. 
 
 Ver. 14. " I will feed them in a good pasture, and 
 upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold 
 be." In this verse are two mercies more promised; 
 1. Good and fat pastures; 2. Rest; both which are 
 very needful for the flock. After their reduction 
 into Canaan, they shall not simply have pasture, but 
 good pasture, fat pasture, viz. the good word of God, 
 tile gospel, which is milk, wine, bread, marrow, and 
 fatness ; tiiis feeds hungry souls, and makes lean 
 sheep fat : and as their pastures should be fat, so 
 their folds should be good. Sheep have their folds 
 to rest in, and so are safe from heat, cold, and other 
 dangers. The church is the fold for God's sheep, 
 there they have rest and safety ; the several ehurchi s 
 are the several folds, where the sheep find rest and 
 refreshing. 
 
 The Jews from this verse, as Sanctius reports, 
 conclude that the Messiah is not come, because that 
 when Christ was on earth there was no gathering 
 of the Jews, nor feeding of them with such good 
 pastures as were promised to be in the time of the 
 Messiah : Our Messiah, they say, was rather for the 
 dissipating of the Jews, than the congregating of 
 them ; he drove them into lean pastures, and gave 
 them no fat pastures, for after his coming they were 
 scattered into all parts of the world.
 
 Ver. 11—16. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 6S7 
 
 The gathering here spoken of, was not meant 
 only of the Jews, but of the gentiles also ; our Mes- 
 siah made way for them, and gathered in them, and 
 he would have gathered the Jews to him ; Matt. 
 xxiii. 37, " O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often 
 would I have gathered thy children together, even 
 as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, 
 and ye would not ! " The Jews would not be gathered 
 unto Messiah, he would have gathered them, but 
 they would not. They looked for a Messiah in 
 pomp and glory, that should have restored the king- 
 dom to the Jews, and made them great in the world 
 above other nations ; great places, riches, and ho- 
 nours were the fat pastures they minded. Chri^t 
 did not feed his sheep with such pastures ; but with 
 spiritual dainties, heavenly manna, divine truths, 
 promises, and ordinances he did. Their refusal of 
 the Messiah, putting him to death, and wishing his 
 blood to be upon their heads, was the cause of those 
 heavy judgments tliat came upon them, and their 
 dispersion thereupon, 1 Thess. ii. 15, 16. 
 
 Ver. 15. " I will feed my flock, and I will cause 
 them to lie down." Other shepherds have neither 
 fed them, nor let them have rest, they have wearied 
 them and preyed upon them ; but God would both 
 feed them, arid see that they should have rest, he 
 would cause them to lie down as sheep in their folds 
 lie douTi, and have rest ; so God would order it, that 
 his sheep should have rest and refreshing in thejr 
 folds, in the congregations they are of. 
 
 Ver. iG. " I will seek that which was lost, and 
 bring again that which was driven away," &c. In 
 the 4th verse, the neglect of the shepherds of Israel 
 was set out ; and here God promises to supply their 
 neglect, and do what they did not. 
 
 1. He " will seek that which was lost." They did 
 not so, those that were lost they left them to perish ; 
 God is more mindful of his, he seeks them up, and 
 will not lose them : Hos. ii. 23, " I will say to them 
 which were not my people, Thou art my people." 
 Saul was a blasphemer, a persecutor, an injurious 
 person, in a lost condition, and the Lord sought him 
 out, Acts ix. 
 
 2. He will " bring again that which was driven 
 away." The Isi-aelitish shepherds did it not, but 
 the God of, Israel would do it. David was driven 
 away by Saul and Absalom, but the Lord brought 
 him back again, 1 Sam. xix. ; 2 Sam. xv. and xix. 
 
 3. He " will bind up that which was broken." 
 They minded not those that were in such a condition, 
 and needed binding up ; the Lord did, who is the 
 good Shepherd: Isa. Ixi. 1, " He hath sent me to 
 bind up tlie broken-hearted." ^Vhen Peter had 
 broken himself by denying the Lord Christ so fear- 
 fully as he did, the Lord bound up his wounds, and 
 relieved him. 
 
 4. He " will strengthen that which was sick" and 
 weak. They omitted it, but the Lord regarded such 
 and strengthened them. E/.ek. ix. there were some 
 sick at heart, lamenting for the abominations done 
 in the midst of Jerusalem, but the Lord sent one to 
 conlirm them, and set a mark upon their foreheads. 
 
 Ob.s. 1. God's flock being committed to the vigi- 
 laney and care of magistrates and ministers, he will 
 iii'piire how they have discharged their trust, and 
 re(|uire his flock at their hands. " Behold, I will both 
 require my sheep, and seek them out." I committed 
 them to your charge, I expected you should have 
 had a special care of them, kept them so that none 
 should have been wanting or prejudiced any way, 
 like good shepherds ; but you have not minded the 
 safety and welfare of my flock : some are wanting; 
 where are they ? some arc in a languishing and 
 perishing condition ; how is it that they are so ? 
 
 give me an account of these things, I will bear it no 
 longer at yout hands. 
 
 Obs. 2. That God's flock doth sometimes meet 
 with storms, and such foul weather as scatters them 
 here and there. " They have been scattered in the 
 cloudy and dark day." They had not all serene and 
 good days, but many cloudy days and days of dark- 
 ness. In Manasseh's time they had black"and bloody 
 days, which made a great scattering of the sheep, 
 2 Chrnn. xxxiii. So in Jehoahaz's, Jehoiakim's, Je- 
 hoiachin's, and Zcdekiah's reigns, there were clouds, 
 tempests, whirlwinds, from the south, north, and 
 other paits, from Egypt, Babylon, from Moab, Syria, 
 and Amnion, 2 Kings xxiii. xxiv. xxv. which made 
 at last a total dissipation of the flock. Had not we 
 dark and cloudy days, which scattered the flock of 
 God into several countries, in the time of the late 
 princes and prelates ? had not Ireland a black day 
 when the massacre was there ? And as it is with 
 the flock in general, .so with particular sheep and 
 lambs, they have cloudy and dark days wherein they 
 find themselves scattered. 
 
 Obs. 3. However others neglect the flock, yet God 
 is a vigilant, faithful, and tender-hearted shepherd 
 over them. God will seek out the sheep, deliver 
 them from enemies, and bring them to Zion ; he will 
 give them fat pastures, cause them to enjoy rest in 
 good fields : if any be broken, he will bind them up ; 
 if any be weak or sick, he will heal and strengthen 
 them ; if any go astray, he will reduce them. David 
 found the Lord to be such a Shepherd imto him : Psal. 
 xxiii. 1 — 3, " The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not 
 want." If 1 be hungry, he hath green pastures for 
 me ; if I be thirsty, he hath still waters ; if my soul 
 droop, he restores it ; if I know not the way, he leads 
 me in the paths of righteousness. happy man, and 
 happy people, w ho have the Lord for their Shepherd ! 
 and happy are those magistrates and ministers, who 
 are vigilant, faithful, and tender-hearted shepherds 
 over the flock, doing to the same as God himself doth. 
 
 " But I will desti-oy the fat and the strong." 
 Here God declares how he will deal with those that 
 were injurious to others : some amongst them were 
 fat and strong, they were rich and potent. Men in 
 place, and abounding in wealth, are in Scripture lan- 
 guage said to be fat, Psal. xxii. 22; Jer. xlvi. 21 j 
 and when they are fat they grow wanton. Deut. 
 xxxii. 15, " Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked;" then 
 they kicked at God and his ordinances, and at their 
 fellows which are lean; Amos iv. I, the kine of Ba- 
 shan oppressed the poor, and crushed the needy. 
 In Gen. xli. the lean kine did eat up the fat ; but 
 here the fat did eat up the lean, and because they did 
 so, the Lord would destroy them. The Hebrew for 
 "destroy" is, nut' which signifies so to destroy a 
 thing as that there shall be no remainders thereof; 
 God would make a total abolition of them. Tlie 
 Septuagint, mistaking the word new for iiitt' renders 
 it, and so the Vulgate, 1 will keep the fat and the 
 strong ; that is, keep them in, and restrain them. 
 
 " I will feed them with judgment." Montanus 
 saith, I will feed tliem in judgment, tflSfca which 
 the Septuagint renders, with judgment. Tlie words 
 may import either God's judgments and plagues 
 which he would bring upon the fat and strong, as 
 Jer. xxiii. 15, " Behold, I will feed them with worm- 
 wood, and make them drink the water of gall ;" or, 
 God's wisdom and judiciousness in feeding of his 
 flock. Foolish shepherds distinguish not between 
 the weak and strong, the sick and sound, they drive, 
 they feed, they govern all alike ; but a wise shep- 
 herd considers the nature of his flock, what condition 
 every sheep is in, what it is capable of, whether 
 milk or strong meat, oil or wine, and so applies him-
 
 688 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. XXXIV. 
 
 self accordingly to each. Thus would God do with 
 them, Isa. xl. 11 ; and so (1 Thess. ii. 7,^, H) did 
 Paul with them. 
 
 Ver. 17 — 22. A7id as for you, O mi/ flock, thus 
 saith the Lord God; Behold, I judge between 
 cattle and cattle, between the rains and the he 
 goats. Seetneth it a small thing unto you to have 
 eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down 
 with your feet the residue of your pastures ? and 
 to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul 
 the residue with ymir feet? And as for my flock, 
 they eat that whichye have trodden with your feet ; 
 and they drink that which ye have fouled with 
 your fret. Therefore thus saith the Lord God 
 unto them ; Heboid, I, even I, will judge between 
 the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. Hecause 
 ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and 
 pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye 
 have scattered them abroad ; therefore will I 
 save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey ; 
 and I will judge between cattle and cattle. 
 
 These verses exemplify what was said in the latter 
 end of the IGth verse ; 
 
 I. Declaring how God would deal with the rich 
 who oppressed the poor, ver. 17, 20, 22. 
 
 II. Setting out the causes moving God thereunto, 
 ver. 18, 19, 21. 
 
 Ver. 17- " As for you, my flock, thus saith the 
 Lord God." Here is an apostrophe ; God turns his 
 speech unto his flock, and shows himself very sen- 
 siljle of their condition, breaking out into a pathetical 
 exclamation : O my ilock, thou art oppressed, and 
 sufl'erest hard things, which I see, am sensible of, 
 and will speedily remedy. 
 
 " Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle." I 
 know the cattle are not all of one nature ; some are 
 strong, and some are weak ; some are clean, and 
 some unclean ; and behold I take notice thereof, and 
 put a dillercnce between one and the other. Tlie 
 word for "cattle" is, nr which signifies the small 
 cattle, as lambs and kids; |sx the greater sort of 
 that kind, as sheep and goats ; and nps signifies 
 larger animals, as oxen, asses, and tlie like. 
 
 " Between the rams and the he goats." The word 
 for "rams" is from S'N because of their strengtli, 
 they are very strong creatures. The word for " he 
 goats " is, Dmny wdiich notes the greater goats, 
 those which lead the flock, and metaphorically tlie 
 rulers and leaders of the people ; as Isa. xiv. I), 
 yn.-* mry-Ss all the great goats of the earth, is 
 tile Hebrew ; " all the chief ones of the earth," 
 saith our translation. By "rams" some understand 
 the good, gentle, and meek ones; by "he goats," 
 the vile, wicked, and uiKpiiet ones. Diodate inter- 
 prets "rams" to be the violent, and "goats" the 
 filthy ones. I conceive by " rams and he goats " 
 are meant, the leailcrs of the flock, the rulers'of the 
 people, which dill'ered in dispositions and in actions, 
 as i'olanus saith : God would distinguish between 
 the good and bad of these, and so of the people, 
 which are set out by the name of " cattle," and deal 
 with them according to their ways and works ; where 
 by " cattle " are meant the meaner and poorer sort 
 of people, by "rams and he goats," the rich and 
 great ones. 
 
 Ver. 18. " Secmeth it a small thing unto you to have 
 eaten up the good pasture." Here again by way of 
 apostrophe God speaks to the rams and he goats, 
 which had good pastures, plenty of all things, great 
 blessings, milk, honey, and fat of the land. They 
 
 had the chief places, lands, and fruits of the earth, 
 they had gotten all considerable in church or state 
 into tiicir own hands, they lived deliciously and op- 
 pressed others, which they thought to be nothing; 
 but saith God, Seemeth it a small matter unto you ? 
 you deceive yourselves, it is a grievous crime, and 
 that you shall know. 
 
 " But ye must tread down with your feet the re- 
 sidue of your pastures ?" Wanton sheep, when they 
 are full, run up and down, treading upon the pastures, 
 so that they become uneatable, or less pleasant and 
 nourishing being eaten ; so did the rich and great in 
 state and church, they corrupted justice and the word 
 of God with their inventions and traditions, so that 
 the people were not fed, or fed with that which was 
 unsavoury and unprofitable. Or thus ; they troubled 
 the i^oor, and sufl'ered them not quietly to enjoy that 
 little they had ; they were cruel to the godly and 
 poorer sort, though they had abundance, serving 
 their pride and lusts therewith ; or, having the prin- 
 cipal of all things, they slighted and vilified the rest. 
 
 " And to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye 
 must foul tile residue with your feet ? " The word 
 for "deep" is, ypu'D which properly is whatever 
 settles and goes down to the bottom ; so that, by a 
 figure called hypallage, sedimentum aquarum is put 
 for aquas sedivwnti, waters of settling, that is, pure 
 and clear waters ; and so divers expositors render 
 the words. Some cattle when they have drunk, 
 stamp and stir the mud in the waters, and so foul 
 them that others cannot drink thereof; so did these 
 rams and goats so mud and foul the waters of the 
 sanctuary, and of the civil state, that the city of God 
 was not made glad with them ; there w;is no true 
 justice nor pure religion. 
 
 Ver. 19. "And as for my flock, they eat that 
 which ye have trodden with your feet; and they 
 drink that which ye have fouled with your feet." 
 By "feet" are expressed men's lusts, whereby they 
 do defile things. Mark ix. 45, " If thy foot oflend 
 thee, cut it off." " Foot" is not to be taken literally, 
 but for any lust that bears up a man's spirit for the 
 jjresent, and carries it up and down, as the feet do 
 the body. They, out of will, hi mour, lust, mingled 
 their traditions with the Avord of God, and corrupted 
 justice, so that the flock had nothing pure in church 
 or stale ; they laid heavy burdens and taxes upon 
 the people, and the commodities the Lord gave, 
 which trouljled their spirits, and soured their com- 
 forts unto them. Such interpretations they gave of 
 the law, as made it void and violated it, Ezek. xxii. 2(1. 
 
 Ver. 20. " Therefore," &c. " Behold, I, even I, 
 will judge between the fat cattle and between the 
 lean cattle." Seeing ye deal thus with my flock, 
 saith God, I, even I, tliat am the great She]dierd, 
 will distinguish and put a difl'erenee between cattle 
 and cattle. There be fat ones and lean ones, the 
 one doth wrong and abuse the other ; the fat and 
 strong carry it proudly and arrogantly against the 
 lean and w'eak, which ought not to be. The Sep- 
 tuagint hath it, between the strong sheep and the 
 weak sheep. The Chaldee is, between the rich 
 man and the poor man. The word for "fat" is, 
 biriah from bara, to create, because there is a cre- 
 ating power put forth in making cattle fat and men rich. 
 
 Ver. 21. "Because ye have thrust with side and 
 with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your 
 lu)rns," &c. Here he describes the nature and 
 manners of the fat cattle; they being strong were 
 unkind, yea, cruel towards the rest, and thrust them 
 out of the fold, out of the flock, and pastures also. 
 The noble men, the rich, and those in power and 
 place, dealt sometimes cunningly, sometimes openly 
 and violently with the poorer sort, thrusting them
 
 Ver. 17—24. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 G89 
 
 out of their possessions, yea out of the land : Ezek. 
 xi. 15, there were those in Jerusalem who said, 
 " Get you far from the Loud ; unto us is this land 
 given in possession." Isa. Ixvi. 5, their brethren 
 hated them, and cast them out. The word to 
 " push" is, nj: which signifies to push with the 
 horn, as oxen and rams do, Exod. xxi. 29. Now 
 besides this word is added DD':->p2 wliich intends 
 the sense : You have pushed with your horns, you 
 have gored and hurt them greatly, you left not push- 
 ing at them till you had slain them, or driven them 
 quite away. 
 
 Ver. 22. "Therefore will I save my flock." See- 
 ing men are so unkind and cruel to my flock, using 
 all their art and power to do it mischief, therefore 
 will 1 take care of it, and deliver it ; their sides, 
 shoulders, and horns shall harm it no more ; " 1 will 
 judge between cattle and cattle," 1 will bring judg- 
 ment upon those that have entreated my flock so ill, 
 and it shall no longer be a prey unto them. 
 
 Ob.s. 1. All in God's flock are not good, they are 
 not all of one sort ; there are some fat, some lean, 
 Kome strong, some diseased ; there are he goats and 
 rams, as well as others. There were in Moses' days 
 them that said, " All the congregation are holy, 
 every one of them," Numb. xvi. 3; but they that 
 said so, were unholy themselves, he goats and strong 
 rams. As it was with Jeremiah's figs, there were 
 good and bad, Jer. xxiv. so was it with the flock of 
 God, there were good and bad in it ; there were 
 lions, wolves, goats, and swine mingled with the 
 sheep. Jer. vii. 9, 10, thieves, murderers, adulterers, 
 perjured persons, and idolaters came to the temple 
 with those that were innocent. In the waters are 
 fish and frogs, in the field wheat and tares, and in 
 the flock of God goats and sheep. 
 
 06s. 2. Wicked men may have choice outward 
 blessings, and that in abundance. They had good 
 pastures, and in such abundance as that they trod 
 them down with their feet; the fat and sweet of the 
 land was theirs, the best of all things, places, and 
 preferments were in their hands; honour, power, 
 wealth, they abounded with. Nabal, that stony- 
 hearted man, was very great, he had three thousand 
 sheep, one thousand goats, 1 Sam. xxv. 2. And Job 
 tells you that wicked men " are mighty in power," 
 Job xxi. 7. liave houses full of good things, Job xxii. 
 IS. And David saith, they are fat, yea, " enclosed in 
 their own fat," Psal. xvii. 10 ; they have the choicest 
 of all things round about them. Ahab and Ahaz 
 were both very wicked, yet one was king of Israel 
 and the other king of Judah. Though all things 
 come alike to all, yet usually wicked men have the 
 fattest pastures, for their portion is in this life, Psal. 
 xvii. 14. 
 
 Oi,v. 3. Wicked men being fat and fidl, in place 
 and power, do abuse the blessings of God, are dis- 
 quieting and harmful unto others. They are injurious 
 to God, and those they dwell amongst. When their 
 own turns were served, they trod down the residue 
 of the pastures, they fouled the waters, they were 
 unthankful for the best mercies, and made the rest 
 unfit for others ; and this was not all, they thrust with 
 their sides and shoulders, and pushed with their horns; 
 their strength, wealth, honour, power, were all abused 
 to the dishonour of God, and prejudice of others. 
 Thus was it oflate amongst us, the fat ones in state 
 and church did abuse the blessings God had given 
 them, corrupting justice and religion, disquieting the 
 inhabitants of the land with their inventions, super- 
 stitions, oppressions, innovations, &c. And because 
 many would not bow to their wills, they thrust sore- 
 ly at them with their sides and shoulders, and pushed 
 them so with their horns, that thcv drove them out 
 2 Y 
 
 of the land. It is hard in prosperity to carry it right- 
 ly towards God or man. 
 
 Oba. 4. Though men think unthankfulness towards 
 God, and uncharitableness towards men, a small mat- 
 ter, yet it is not so in God's account. " Seemeth it a 
 small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pas- 
 ture, bnt ye must tread down ?" &c. Must my Hock 
 eat and drink that which is trodden down and foul- 
 ed ? and do you think it a small matter ? I tell you, 
 mv thoughts are far otherwise ; it is a provoking sin, 
 calls for a weight of wrath, which when you feel, 
 you will confess your sin was not little. Many deal 
 untowardly with men and God, and when they have 
 so done, make slight of it: Isa. vii. 13, " Is it a small 
 thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary God 
 also?" They refused to hear the prophets, and to 
 hear God, they wearied both with their delays, shifts, 
 and thought it a small matter ; but God judged it not 
 so, as ver. 16, 17 show. God blessed Jerusalem 
 with choice and various mercies, and she sacrificed 
 her children unto idols ; here she was unthankful to 
 God, unmerciful unto her own llesh, and thought it 
 a matter of nothing: Ezek. xvi. 20, " Is this of thy 
 whoredoms a small matter?" Saith God, Thou 
 thinkest so, but I think they are crying sins, and 
 will visit thee accordingly, ver. 38. 
 
 Obs. 5. God will dis'tinguish between the op- 
 pressors and the oppressed, between the bad and 
 the good ; he will punish the one, and deliver the 
 other. " Behold, I, even I, will judge between the 
 fat cattle and the lean;" and because the fat and 
 strong ones thrust with their sides and shoulders, 
 and pushed with their horns, therefore God would 
 feed them with judgment, (they should have according 
 to their deserts,) and destroy them ; but for the weak, 
 diseased, oppressed, he would save them. Rich 
 men, and those that are great in the world, being 
 wicked, do unjust things, thrust hard at the people 
 of God, keep them under, cut them short, deprive 
 them of their rights and liberties, yea, oft push them 
 so with their horns, that they drive them out of all 
 their enjovments, Jer. xl. 12; xliii. 5. Isa. xvi. 4, 
 " Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab." The 
 goats and rams had driven some of the flock, not 
 only out of the fold, but out of the field ; this God 
 beholds, and will recompense upon the oppressors' 
 heads. Psal. xii. 5, " For the oppression of the poor, 
 for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith 
 the Lord ; I will set him in safety from him that 
 puffeth at him ;" that is, from him that would in- 
 snare him. Lot sighed and groaned in Sodom ; and 
 when the Sodomites did puff" at him, and seek to in- 
 snare him, the Lord arose and set him in safety, 
 2Pet. ii.7— 9. See Psal. xxxvii. 37— 40. Did not 
 the Lord of late make a distinction among us be- 
 tween cattle and cattle ? hath he not judged the fat 
 and strong ones, punished the rams and he goats, 
 and provided for his flock? Some there be still, that 
 thrust with the side and shoulder, that push with 
 their horns, with whom ere long God will reckon, 
 and, without repentance, he will destroy them. 
 
 Ver. 23, 24. And I will set vp one shepherd orer 
 them, and he shall feed them, even my servant 
 David ; he shall feed them, and he shall be their 
 shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, 
 and mi/ servant David a prince among them ; I 
 the Lord have spohen it. 
 
 Here begins a sweet prophecy of Christ and his 
 kingdom, with many benefits which the flock of 
 God shall have therein. 
 
 I. A happy condition under him and his govern- 
 ment, ver. 23.
 
 090 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIV. 
 
 II. God to be theii-s, ver. 24. 
 
 III. A covenant of peace, ver. 25. 
 
 IV. Protection, ver. 25, 28. 
 
 V. Security, ver. 25, 27, 28. 
 
 VI. Watering andfruitfulness, ver. 26, 27. 
 
 VII. Freedom from enemies, ver. 27, and evils, 
 ver. 29. 
 
 VIII. The presence of God, ver. 30. 
 
 " And I will set up one shepherd over them." 
 Some make this shepherd to be Zerubbabel, who 
 came of the race of David, and brought the Jews out 
 of Babylon into their old pastures again, viz. into the 
 lauil of Canaan, where they had their temple, wor- 
 shiji, and ordinances, as in former days ; but if we 
 consult chap, xxxvii. 24, 25, where he .speaks of the 
 same person, you shall find things there incompetent 
 to Zerubbabel, and must refer unto Christ ; and the 
 things mentioned here, were not fulfilled in Zemb- 
 babcl's days. By " shepherd" is meant the Lord 
 Christ, who is frequently so called in Scripture ; as 
 1 Pet. ii. 25; John x. I(i ; Zech. xiii. 7 ; Isa. xl. 11 : 
 and not simply a sliepherd, but, 
 
 1. The true Shepherd; John x. 2, "He that 
 cntereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep," 
 that is, the true Shepherd, and dischargcth that trust 
 committed unto him most faithfully. 
 
 2. " Tlie good Shepherd," John x. II, 14. Never 
 any like him for goodness ; he laid down his life for 
 his sheep ; he knew them exactly, and was so con- 
 versant with them that they knew his voice ; he 
 took not away from, but gave fleeces unto his sheep, 
 and supplied all their wants. 
 
 3. The great Shepherd, yea, " that great Shepherd 
 of the sheep," Heb. xiii. 20. He made the sheep, 
 he owns the sheep ; he hath more and greater flocks 
 than any other shepherd in the world; he stands and 
 feeds them " in the strength of the Lord, in the 
 majesty of the name of the Lord his God," Micah v. 4. 
 
 4. " The chief Shepherd," I Pet. v. 4. He sets all 
 others over his flock, and they are under him, I Cor. 
 xii. 28; Eph.iv. II. They are sheep, he is Head of the 
 church, Eph. i. 22, and their Shepherd; Psal. xxiii. 
 1, " The Lord is my shepherd," saith David, who was 
 a prophet and a king, both an ecclesiastical and a 
 political shepherd. 
 
 5. " One Shepherd," as here. One, either in op- 
 position to the multitude they had before, which 
 wronged the flock, Jer. xii. 10, "Many pastors have 
 destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my por- 
 tion under foot ;" of which sort Christ speaks, John x. 
 8, " All that ever came before me are thieves and 
 robbers." Or one, that is, the first or only Shepherd, 
 unto whom none is comparable, the only wise Shep- 
 herd that gave out living and elTectual truth : Eccl. 
 xii. II, "The words of the wise are as goads, and as 
 nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which 
 are given from one Shepherd;" that is, from Christ, 
 the only Sliepherd; all the masters of assemblies 
 had their words from Christ, which ever did any 
 souls good. 
 
 This Shepherd did not intrude himself into the 
 oflice, but was called and sent of God. " I will set 
 up ;" the Chaldee paraphrase is, I will raise up one 
 governor over them, and he shall govern them. 
 This expression of setting up, is in the New Testa- 
 ment set out by giving, John iii. 16, by sending, Gal. 
 iv. 4, by sealing, John vi. 27. 
 
 "And he shall feed them." This word "feed" 
 notes the whole office of a shepherd, which is briefly 
 set out, ver. 4; viz. strengthening the diseased or 
 weak, healing the sick, binding up the broken, bring- 
 ing back that which was driven away, seeking up that 
 which was lost, and ruling gently. Others make 
 these tilings the complete olRce of a shepherd, viz. 
 
 providing good and wholesome pastures for them, 
 bringing back those that go astray, keeping them 
 from wolves and wild beasts, and healing those 
 which are ill affected : all these were found in 
 Christ, Isa. Ixi. 1—3; Luke iv. 18, 19; Isa. xh 11 ; 
 Jer. iii. 15; Isa. xxvii. 3; Psal. xxiii. I, 2; Micah 
 V. 4; John X. 4. 
 
 Remark the difference between this Shepherd and 
 all others. 
 
 1. He is a universal Shepherd, all flocks are his. 
 God saith, Psal. 1. 10, "The cattle upon a thousand 
 hills are mine ;" and Christ saith. The lloeks in a 
 thousand countries are mine. The churches in 
 Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, Acts ix. 31 ; the 
 churches of Syria, and Cilicia, Acts xv. 41 ; the 
 churches in Asia, Rev. i. 1 1 ; the churches of Mace- 
 donia, 2 Cor. viii. I ; the churches of Galatia, 1 Cor. 
 xvi. 1 ; the churches of the gentiles, Rom. xvi. 4 ; 
 are all called the churches of Christ, Rom. xvi. 16. 
 They had their particular pastors, teachers, elders, 
 but Christ was the universal Pastor : Paul was the 
 apostle of the gentiles, Peter of the Jews, but Christ 
 was the Apostle and Shepherd of both ; therefore 
 saith, John x. 16, that he hath other sheep which he 
 must bring to his fold, meaning the gentiles. 
 
 2. Christ is a Sheplierd that feeds them with such 
 meat and drink as other shepherds cannot : they may 
 feed them with knowledge and understanding, Jer. 
 iii. 15, but besides this, Christ feeds them with his 
 flesh and blood, John vi. 51, 53 — 55 ; Matt. xxvi. 26, 
 28 ; he feeds them with his Spirit, John xvi. 7 ; Acts 
 viii. 15, 17. 
 
 3. He enables all other shepherds to discharge 
 the trust committed to them. Those that are over 
 his flocks, he gave them their gifts, their j^ races, their 
 power, they have nothing but what they received 
 of him ; therefore Isaiah, chap. 1. 4, saith, " The Lord 
 God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I 
 should know how to speak a word in season to him 
 that is weary." Isaiah, who was one of the Jewish 
 shepherds, had all his wisdom, skill, and power from 
 the Lord Christ. And when he sent out his twelve 
 apostles. Matt. x. 8, he told them, they had freely 
 received, and must freely give. No shepherds give 
 aught to Christ, he communicates all to them : John 
 XV. 5, " Without me ye can do nothing ;" but Christ 
 could do all without them. 
 
 4. Christ is an abiding, an everlasting, unchange- 
 able Shepherd. Other shepherds are flitting hither 
 and thither, and at last die and leave the flock ; 
 Christ doth not so, he died for the flock, but was 
 brought again from the dead, Heb. xiii. 20, and lives 
 for ever, making intercession for his flock, Heb. vii. 
 25; he stands on mount Zion, Rev. xiv. I, behold- 
 ing and feeding them daily ; he walks in the midst 
 of the golden candlesticks. Rev. ii. 1. 
 
 5. Christ knows which are sheep, and which are 
 goats, John x. 3, 14, 26, 27 ; others do not. 
 
 " Even my servant David." Christ is here called 
 David, and so in many other places, as Jer. xxx. 9; 
 Hos. iii. 5 ; Isa. xxxvii. 35; 2 Kings xix. 34 ; Ezek. 
 xxxvii. 24, 25. In all those places is Christ called 
 David, because he came of " the seed of David ac- 
 cording to the flesh," as it is Rom. i. 3, and because 
 David was a type of Christ : he might have said, 
 My servant Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, as Isa. xlix. 3, 
 "Thou art my servant, O Israel;" Christ is called 
 Israel, because he was from the Israelitish nation ; 
 but David is named, because he was the first godly 
 king of all Israel and Judah, and so typed out Christ 
 more eminently than his predecessors. 
 
 " My servant," so Christ is called, Isa. xiii. 1 ; Hi. 
 13 ; Ezek. xxxvii. 24, 25, and in other places. A 
 servant is one who is under another, and who keeps
 
 Ver. 23—25. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 C91 
 
 and doth things commended to him by his master. 
 Christ, as man, was under his Fatlier, and kept his 
 commandments, John xv. IQ. He served him in 
 taking man's nature upon him, and doing his will in 
 redeeming and saving man, Heh. x. 9 ; Matt. xx. 
 2.S; John xiii. 16; Phil. ii. 7- 
 
 " He shall feed them, and he shall be their shep- 
 lierd." He insists upon and rejjeats the same thing 
 again, to show the great care, diligence, and intention 
 of Christ in and upon his work of feeding the Hock ; 
 he shall make it his business to do it : others have 
 made it their work to fleece them, to scatter or de- 
 vour them, but he shall so mind them, as to make 
 up what was wanting in others, and to do some sin- 
 gular thing for them ; he shall go in and out before 
 them, and lay down his life for them. 
 
 Ver. 24. " And I the Lord will be their God." 
 Tlie Hebrew is. And I Jehovah will be to them for 
 a God, or a God to them. And I the Lord will be 
 their God ; I will set ray son, or servant, David over 
 them to feed them, and I the Lord will be their 
 God ; they shall find me a merciful and gracious 
 God ; they shall find me, in Christ my Son, their 
 Shepherd, reconciling them unto myself, not imput- 
 ing their trespasses unto them : I will be their God 
 to pardon them, to take special care of them, to de- 
 liver them, to comfort and counsel them in all their 
 straits and miseries, and to communicate choice mer- 
 cies unto them. Of these words before, chap. xi. 20. 
 
 " And my servant David a prince among them." 
 The words are to be read thus. My servant David 
 shall be a prince amongst them : if we take the for- 
 mer words with them, it is clear they ought to be 
 read, I will be their God, and my servant David shall 
 be a prince among them. 
 
 Whether this prophecy be fulfilled is questionable; 
 there is somewhat in the gospel may make us con- 
 ceive it is, for Matt. ii. 2, it is said, " Where is he 
 that is born King of the Jews?" and Matt. xxi. 5, 
 " Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King 
 Cometh unto thee ;" Acts v. 31, " God hath exalted 
 him to be a Prince and a Saviour ;" and Rev. i. 5, 
 he is styled " Prince of the kings of the earth :" 
 these scriptures evince that Christ is a King, a 
 Prince, but not that he reigned as a Prince among 
 them ; for he professes that he came not to reign 
 but to serve, Matt. xx. 28; Phil. ii. 7i and there- 
 fore washed his disciples' feet, John xiii. 12 ; and 
 when they would make him a king, he would not, 
 John vi. 15. Christ hath appeared fully in his 
 iiriestly and prophetical office, and hath had the 
 nonour of them ; but he hath not appeared in his 
 kingly office, nor had the honour of it ; therefore it 
 is conceived this prophecy is not yet fulfilled, but 
 that the time is to come wherein he sliall reign as a 
 Prince and King in the midst of his people. Luke 
 xxii. 29, 30, " I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my 
 Father hath appointed unto me ; that ye may eat 
 and drink at my table in my kingdom." The time 
 is coming that Christ shall reign, and keep a table 
 like a Prince, where his friends shall freely eat and 
 drink. Christ speaks not this of his spiritual king- 
 dom, which is now in the churches and hearts of his 
 people; nor of his kingdom of glory, for there is no 
 eating or drinking ; but of his personal, human king- 
 dom, as some term it; for, Rev. iii. 21, Clirist hath 
 another throne to sit in than liis Father's, in which 
 at the present he doth sit : Christ bath not posses- 
 sion of that throne yet ; when he hath, his promise 
 is, that those that overcome shall sit with him there- 
 in. I shall have occasion in the 37th chapter of our 
 prophet, to speak to this so controverted a point. 
 
 " I the Lord have spoken it." These words are 
 as a seal to and ratification of what went before. If 
 2 V 2 
 
 you make question of what is said, if you conceit 
 these promises are too great and good for you, or 
 hard to be accomplished, know, 1 the Lord, who 
 am Jehovah, and give being to all my promises, I 
 have spoken it. 
 
 Obs. 1. The appointing of offices in the church 
 belongs to God, not to man. " I will set up one 
 shepherd over them ;" God appointed the office and 
 the orticer. 1 Cor. xii. 28, " God hath set some in 
 the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, third- 
 ly teachers." In the Romish church are many 
 officers which God never appointed ; there are popes, 
 cardinals, j)atriarchs, archbishops, &c. which places 
 were never appointed by God, and therefore have 
 no blessing go along with them, but serve for secular 
 ends, even pomp and tyrannizing over the consciences 
 of men. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is a great mercy and happiness to that 
 people, who have Christ for their Shepherd. The 
 Lord doth promise it here as a choice blessing unto 
 them, to give them Christ for their Shepherd. The 
 mercies or blessings are divers. 
 
 (I.) They shall be sure to be fed. "He shall 
 feed them ;" his heart will be upon them, and take 
 special care that they have wholesome and good 
 food. Ver. 14, " I will feed them in a good pasture," 
 yea, " in a fat pasture shall they feed ;" ttiey shall 
 not want, but have the green pastures and still 
 waters, Psal. xxiii. 1, 2 ; yea, he will feed them with 
 his own flesh, and give them his own blood to drink. 
 
 (2.) He will govern them with gentleness, and 
 with skill. Their former shepherds did thrust with 
 the side and shoulder, and push with the horn ; 
 Christ would not do so ; he is likened to David, who 
 was meek and gentle : 1 Chron. xxviii. 2, " Then 
 David the king stood upon his feet, and said. Hear 
 me, my brethren, and my people ;" here he expres- 
 sed his disposition and afl'ection to his people : so 
 Christ, he was a gentle, mild, and meek Shepherd, 
 Isa. xl. 11. David was wise and skilful, Psal. Ixxviii. 
 72 ; and Christ orders them by judgment ; he judges 
 between sheep and sheep, and deals with them ac- 
 cording to their ages, conditions, and capacities. 
 
 (3.) He will lead them in the right way. John 
 X. 4, he goes before them, and they follow him. 
 Christ never is out of the way ; and where he is the 
 Leader, how can the sheep go astray ? Psal. xxiii. 
 3, " He leadcth me in paths of righteousness." 
 Whoever follows Christ shall be found in a path of 
 righteousness. If we follow others, we may be led 
 into by-ways ; therefore saith Paul, 1 Cor. xi. 1, 
 " Be ye followers of me," &c. 
 
 (4.) He will keep them so that none shall be lost, 
 or miscarry. He is vigilant and potent, he sees the 
 wolves and lions when they are coming, and suffers 
 them not to destroy his sheep or lambs. John x. 
 27, 28, " My sheep hear my voice, and I know- them, 
 and they follow me : and I give unto them eternal 
 life ; and they shall never perish, neither shall any 
 man pluck them out of my hand." All the persecut- 
 ing emperors could not pluck one sheep out of 
 Christ's hand : out of the hands of other shepherds 
 it is easy to pull them, but impossible to pull them 
 out of Christ's hand: he knows it is his Father's 
 will, that of all he hath given him he should lose 
 nothing, John vi. 39, and Christ will lose nothing. 
 
 Ver. 25. And I will make tuith them a covenant 
 of peace, and trill cause the evil beasts to cease 
 out of the land : and they shall dwell safelij in 
 the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. 
 
 The Lord proceeds here in mentioning more be- 
 nefits which bis flock should have in the kingdom
 
 C92 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIV. 
 
 and under the government of Christ their Shepherd ; 
 and they are three : peace, protection, security. 
 
 " I will make with them a covenant of peace." 
 The Hebrew is, I will cut with them a covenant of 
 peace; the reason of which phrase is this : when tlie 
 Jews made covenants, they used to take a calf and 
 cut it in the midst, laying the two halves at a dis- 
 tance, and so passed hetween them ; this was their 
 manner of covenanting, and hence came the expres- 
 sion of cutting a covenant; see Jer. xxxiv. 18. To 
 Howihehea- ""^ ^iod alludes whcn he saith, I will 
 tiiens ma.ie their cut, or strike, a Covenant with them : 
 Phr"t'w^\x.' he did it by making Christ a sacrifice, 
 Jer'"!,'"!.'" IB ^y shedding his blood, dividing his 
 soul and body, w-ho{Isa. xlii. G) is said 
 to be the "covenant of the people," that is, the Me- 
 diator of the covenant between God and his people. 
 
 'I'lie word for " covenant " is, r'"i3 of which, and 
 whence it comes, hath largely been spoken, Ezek. 
 xvi. 8. It is not a covenant of works, but a covenant 
 of peace, which some interpret of external peace, 
 jdenty, and prosperity which they should have ; but 
 the peace here meant reacheth further than to out- 
 wards, it is a peace which concerns the soul, a peace 
 Erocured by the blood of Christ : Col. i. 20, " And, 
 aving made peace through the blood of his cross, 
 by him to reconcile all things to himself." Hence 
 as Christ is called the " covenant," so he is called 
 " our peace ;" Eph. ii. 14, " He is oui jjcace, who 
 hath made both one :" he is the ground and founda- 
 tion of peace, between Jew and gentile, between 
 God and man. And the gospel upon this account is 
 called "the gospel of peace," Eph. vi. 15, for Christ 
 preached peace unto them, chap. ii. 17. This peace 
 is not like the peace of the world, John xiv. 2/ ; but 
 it is peace that quiets the conscience, passctli under- 
 standing, kee)>s the heart, and rules in tlie soul, 
 Rom. V. 1; Phil. iv. 7; Col. iii. 15. Where this 
 peace is neither death nor devil are feared, because 
 sin is remitted, 1 Cor. xv. 55 — 57 ; Rom. viii. 33, 34. 
 
 " And will cause the evil beasts to cease out of 
 tlie land." In the seventy years' captivity, when 
 Judia was w-ithout inhabitant, wild beasts might 
 multiply therein ; these God doth promise to cause 
 to cease, they should be no more. But these evil 
 beasts were rather false teachers, and tyrants, wick- 
 ed political and ecclesiastical shepherds : God would 
 order it so, that these, who were worse than bears, 
 lions, wolves, and foxes, should be no more ; and 
 instead of such, he would give them good magis- 
 trates and ministers ; Jer. xxiii. 4, " Twill set up 
 shepherds over them which shall feed them ; and 
 they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed." There 
 is another construction to be made of the words, 
 namely tliis ; that God would cause the wild and 
 beastly dispositions of men to cease, and they should 
 become meek and gentle, according to that in Isa. 
 xi. R, where it is said, that in the days of Christ, 
 "the wolf .shall dwell with the lamb, and the leo- 
 pard shall lie down with the kid." Wolves and 
 leopards are creatures most fierce and cruel, espe- 
 cially atrainst landis r.nd kids, yet God would so alter 
 the nature of these, that they should live and lie 
 down together; he would niake the most fierce, 
 rugged, cruel men, to become mild and sweet, and 
 to converse with them that were for disposition 
 lambs and kid.s. Junius' sense of the words is this. 
 That the Lord would take away or restrain every 
 hurtful thing; he would not suffer his people to be 
 infested, or if they were, they should not be damni- 
 fied by those infestations. 
 
 " And they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, 
 and .sleep in the woods." These are proverbial 
 speeches, setting out the great security tlie fiock of 
 
 God .should have under Christ. Where there are 
 no wild beasts in the wilderness or the woods, there 
 the sheep feed and rest without all fear, they are 
 most secure ; and God's people under the gospel 
 and Christ, have the greatest security. The word 
 for "safely" is, rtJsS that is, confidently, they 
 shall be free from the fear of all enemies both cor- 
 poral and spiritual ; Satan shall be cast into the bot- 
 tomless pit. Rev. XX. 2, 3, and all other enemies 
 brought to such a condition, as that they should not 
 cause fear, Jer. xxiii. 4. The Jews, because they 
 see not such security for themselves any where, do 
 therefore deny that Messiah is come ; for when he 
 comes he shall make a covenant of peace, and they 
 shall be in safety, even in wildernesses and w'oods, 
 because there shall be no enemies, no evil beasts to 
 take away or hinder their peace. Though when the 
 Lord Christ, the true Messiah, came, there was a 
 universal peace through the world, it being at that 
 time when the taxing was in Angus- vid. Sanct. in 
 tus' days, Luke ii. ; and though the .isa. ii. 4. 
 wars after were not so much as before ; yet I con- 
 ceive there is a time when this prophecy shall be 
 more fully completed, for every prophecy of Christ 
 was not fidfilled when he came in the flesh, but many 
 W'Cre to be fulfilled in after-times, among which this 
 was one. The Jews were mistaken concerning Mes- 
 siah's coming, but not much concerning this prophecy. 
 
 Ob)-. I. The infinite goodness, kindness, and con- 
 descension of God, who will enter into covenant 
 with sinners, with any of the children of men. Doth 
 not the Scripture say, " Verily, every man at his 
 best estate is altogether vanity," Psal. xxxix. 5; 
 and w'hy should tlie Lord, who is an infinite excel- 
 lency, infinitely distanced from all creatures and 
 vanity, enter into covenant willi man ? what did he 
 see in these Jews, or in the gentiles, to awaken, 
 rouse, and draw out his heart unto sucii a work ? If 
 stubbornness, ignorance, unbelief, idtdatry, opjires- 
 sion, and such like, miglit induce liim thereunto, 
 these abounded both in Jew and gentile : there was 
 nothing but God's own goodness, grace, and mercy, 
 to cause him so to condescend, as to make a covenant 
 with man, and such a covenant as a " covenant of 
 peace." This should, 
 
 (1.) Raise up our spirits and hearts to admiration, 
 that an infinite, holy, glorious, and great God should 
 mind, converse, and make covenant with dust and 
 ashes. Psal. cxliv. 3, "Lord," (saith David,) "what 
 is man, that thou takest knowledge of him ! or the 
 son of man, that thou makest account of him!" 
 David w'ondered that God should take notice of, 
 especially make account of, so mean a thing as man 
 is, as himself was, though a king and prophet, 
 
 (2.) Endear us greatly unto him. When high 
 ones stoop unto tliose that arc low and mean, it 
 gains much upon their hearts, and endears them 
 abundantly unto them. When David condescended 
 to Abigail to take her to wife, it alTected her greatly, 
 and endeared her unto him not a little, as you may 
 see 1 Sam. xxv. 41. 
 
 (3.) Make us faithful unto God. Is he pleased to 
 make a covenant with man, and shall not man be 
 faithful unto him ? A wife should not be unfaithhil 
 unto her husband, and break covenant with him, 
 though he be but a little above her ; how much less 
 should man break covenant with God, who is so 
 much above him ! God complains in Hosea vi. 7, 
 saying, " They like Adam have transgressed the co- 
 venant :" I condescended to Adam, and made a cove- 
 nant with him ; yea, I condescended to them, and 
 made a covenant with them ; but they both proved 
 unfaithful, father and posterity, they transgressed 
 the covenant.
 
 Vr.R. 20, 27. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 693 
 
 (4.) Cause us to be free and cheerful in our obedi- 
 ence unto God. When so great a God shall so gra- 
 ciously condescend unto us, as to enter into covenant 
 with us, and that a " covenant of peace," should it 
 not make us run in his ways, and serve him with 
 gladness of heart ? 
 
 Obs. 2. That men, through sin, are at distance 
 from and enmity with God. " I will make a cove- 
 nant of peace with them." What needed " a cove- 
 nant of peace," if there had not been war between 
 God and man ? Man being aposfeitized from God 
 through Adam's fall, lived in enmity to God ; Rom. 
 viii. 7, " The carnal mind is enmity against God ; 
 for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed 
 can be." Men by nature have carnal minds, oppose 
 God, his laws, and ways ; and therefore, Rom. i. 30, 
 they are said to be " haters of God;" and in Psal. 
 v. 5, God is said to hate them, " Thou hatcst all 
 workers of iniquity." There was such hostility be- 
 tween God and man, as that there was no approach 
 for man to God without a mediator, and such a me- 
 diator as could make satisfaction to divine justice, 
 being offended. Col. i. 21, " You, that were some- 
 time alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked 
 works, yet now hath he reconciled." The Colos- 
 .sians, as well as others, were once at a gi-cat distance 
 from God, and enemies to God ; and wherein lay 
 tlieir enmity ? " in their minds ;" and how did that 
 appear ? " by wicked works :" they plotted, con- 
 trived, and did such things as declared them to be 
 enemies to God ; and being so, they durst not appear 
 before God. But, 
 
 Obs. 3. God by Christ hath been pleased to take 
 away this enmity, and to reconcile sinners unto him- 
 self. 2 Cor. V. 18, " All things arc of God, who hath 
 reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ." It is 
 Christ hath paid the price of our redemption, he 
 hath satisfied his justice fully, and delivered us from 
 wratli to come, I Thess. i. 10. It is by Clirist the 
 Mediator that reconciliation is made ; neither angels 
 nor men could do that work ; it was a work for one 
 that ha<l more worth in him than all angels or men. 
 Col. i. 19, 20, " It pleased God that in liim all ful- 
 ness should dwell, that so by him he might reconcile 
 all things to himself ; by him, whether they be 
 things in earth, or things in heaven." " By him" 
 is twice in the verse, that we may see by whom the 
 enmity was taken away, and from whom the recon- 
 ciling virtue came, even from the Lord Christ, whose 
 blood made the atonement, Eph. ii. 13 — 16. How 
 should this teach us to honour and prize the Lord 
 Christ, by whom so diflicult, so great, and glorious 
 a work was wrought ! 
 
 Ob.i. 4. Those that are received to God by the me- 
 diation of Christ, shall be preserved from all hurtful 
 things, receive all good things needful, and enjoy 
 much security. When men are in the " covenant of 
 peace," then God " will cause the evil beasts to 
 cease out of the land," then no creatures, no enemies, 
 no devils shall do them harm, Job v. 23 ; Prov. xvi. 
 7 ; Rom. xvi. 20. Then there will be a commuuica- 
 tion of all good things needful ; " they shall dwell 
 in the wilderness," there they shall have blessings, 
 so as they shall not be put to remove tlieir dwellings 
 for want^ Psal. xxxiv. 9, 10; xxiii. 1; Ixxxiv. U. 
 Then shall they " dwell safely in the wilderness, and 
 sleep in the woods ;" nothing without or within 
 shall create any fear, or cause any solicitousness in 
 them; they .shall have perfect peace, and be as in 
 the suburbs of lieaven, Jer. xxiii. 4. 
 
 Ver. 26, 27. And I irill vmlce them and the 
 places round ahout iriy hill a blessing ; and I trill 
 cause the shuicer to come doicn in his season ; 
 
 there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree 
 of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth 
 shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in 
 their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, 
 when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and 
 delivered them out of the hand of those that sci vcd 
 themselves of them. 
 
 In these verses, as in the former, the Lord pro- 
 mises sweet mercies unto his people. 
 
 I. A blessing in general, ver. 2(i. 
 
 II. Particular blessings ; and they are these : 
 
 1. Seasonable showers from heaven, ver. 25. 
 
 2. Fruitfulness of the earth, and that both of the 
 trees and land, ver. 27. 
 
 3. Safety, ibid. 
 
 4. Acknowledgment of God, ibid. 
 
 5. Freedom, ibid. 
 
 III. The time when all these shall be, ibid. 
 
 Ver. 26. " I will make them and the places round 
 about my hill a blessing." The Jews being in Ba- 
 bylon were for a proverb, a reproach, a taunt, and a 
 curse, Jer. xxiv. 9; xxv. 18; xxix. 18; but God would 
 roll away their reproach, and make them a blessing. 
 The Chaldee is, they shall be blessed. It is usual 
 in Scripture to put the abstract for the concrete ; as 
 Gen. xii. 2, " Thou shalt be a blessing ;" the Vul- 
 gate there is. Thou shalt be blessed. Take the word 
 " blessing" here for the concrete, and the sense is, 
 They shall be blessed with abundance and variety 
 of blessings, they shall be happy and prosperous in 
 all things; but take the word as it is in the abstract, 
 " a blessing," the sense is, they shall be a blessing 
 unto others, they shall be a blessing unto the nations ; 
 as they were a curse in the nations, so they should 
 be a blessing unto them : Zech. viii. 13, '• It shall 
 come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the 
 heathen, house of Judah, and house of Israel ; so 
 will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing," that is, 
 a blessing unto the nations round about them. 
 
 The word " hill" must be interpreted before we 
 can well understand this place. By " hill" is meant 
 mount Zion, where the temple was, and Jerusalem ; 
 there God recorded his name, set up his worship, 
 and therefore saith, " my hill." Now these were 
 types of Christ and the church in his time. As the 
 Jews therefore came out of Babylon and other places 
 to mount Zion, to Jerusalem, and the temple when 
 rebuilt; so to Christ and the evangelical church, 
 gentiles flocked out of several nations ; and so the 
 church and members of it were a blessing unto them, 
 as mount Zion and the inhabitants of it, together 
 with them who dwelt round about it in Judca or 
 Canaan, were a blessing unto the nations. The 
 "blessing" here, I conceive, principally refers to 
 spiritual blessings : he spake before of a " covenant 
 of peace " wrought by Christ, and now of blessings 
 they should have by him ; the church under Christ 
 sliould be blessed with all spiritual blessings, accord- 
 ing to that, Eph. i. 3. 
 
 " And I will cause the shower to come down in 
 his season." The word for "shower" is, crj 
 which notes a great and vehement rain, as Kirker 
 saith, even such as shakes the earth. Most make it 
 signify a strong rain; but Ramban, a gentle rain : 
 be it great or gentle, God would give them rain in 
 season. In Deut. xi. 14, you read of the former rain 
 and the latter rain. The former rain was in Octo- 
 ber, or September, which was upon the sowing of 
 their corn ; and tliis rain came moderately, Joel ii. 
 23, that so the corn might swell with moisture, root, 
 r.nd grow. The latter rain was in the first month, 
 as Joel ii. 23, that which we call March, though
 
 C94 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIV. 
 
 some others put it in May ; and it was to make the 
 ear full : their harvest was sooner than ours, their 
 country being hotter. Under these showers heavenly 
 things are figured unto us ; as in Deut. xxxii. 2, 
 " My doctrine sliall drop as the rain, my speech shall 
 distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender 
 herb, and as the showers upon the grass." Here 
 heavenly doctrine is likened unto rain, dew, showers; 
 and in our prophet is set out by showers, heavenly 
 doctrine, and inlluenccs of the Spirit, which do make 
 God's people fruitful in all good works, as the rain 
 doth the earth and trees in all kind of herbs, corn, 
 and fruit. In Christ's time there were many such 
 showers, he rained heavenly ones oft upon the 
 people. In 2 Pet. ii. 1/, and Jude 12, false teach- 
 ers are said to be " wells without water, and clouds 
 without rain ;" but Christ's apostles were wells full 
 of water, and clouds full of rain, and by those did 
 Christ water divers persons and places. 
 
 " There shall be showers of blessing." The Sep- 
 tuagint is, the rain of blessing, or blessed rain. 
 Piscator renders the words, there shall be plentiful 
 rains. They may be called " showers of blessing," 
 because they are from the blessed God, have a bless- 
 ing in them, and benefit them they fall upon. Some 
 rains are so great, that they do much harm and little 
 good ; these should not be such, they should be 
 seasonable and moderate ; they should have heavenly 
 doctrines and blessings seasonable, and as they were 
 capable of them. 
 
 Ver. '27. " And the tree of the field shall yield her 
 fruit." After the heavens have sent forth their 
 showers, the trees and earth do send forth their fruit. 
 Not only the tree of the garden, but the tree of the 
 field, being watered, brings forth. The Hebrew for 
 " tree " is, yy which signifies any wood, and synec- 
 doehically a tree, because it is wood. 
 
 " And the earth shall yield her increase." When 
 there have been seasonable rains, the earth hath 
 brought forth abundantly, in some places thirty, in 
 some sixty, in some a hundred-fold. The word for 
 "increase" is jehul, from S3» to bring, because the 
 earth doth bring profit to the owners thereof. By 
 "tree " and " earth" we may understand the higher 
 and meaner sort of people, who under the gospel 
 and showers of it should become fruitful. 
 
 " And they shall be safe in their land." In ver. 
 25, it is said, "They shall dwell safely in the wilder- 
 ness," and liere, " They shall be safe in their land;" 
 they should have safety every where, and the words 
 are repeated to show the certainty thereof. 
 
 " \\ hen I have broken the bands of tlieir yoke." 
 This " yoke " was the Babylonish captivity, which 
 is called a " yoke," Jer. xxx. 8 ; and it lay heavily 
 upon them, Isa. xlvii. 6. The bands of this " yoke" 
 were the Babylonish powers, Nebuchadnezzar, his 
 princes, and officers ; but God did break the Baby- 
 lonish empire in pieces by Cyrus and Darius, and 
 so took the yoke oil' their necks, setting them at 
 liberty. Yokes are burdensome, restrictive, and re- 
 proachful : this breaking yokes and bands, and 
 bringing the Jews out of Babylon, typed out the 
 spiritual liberty of the church in Christ's time, when 
 antichristian bands and yokes should be broken, and 
 people brought out of spiritual Babylon. 
 
 " And delivered them out of the hands of those 
 that served themselves of tliem." The Hebrew is, 
 and shall deliver them out of the hands of them who 
 made them to serve. The Babylonians made the 
 Jews to serve and work for them, being captives 
 among them, they exacted service of them ; their 
 dealings with the Jews were like 'the Egyptians, 
 who were cruel task-masters over them. 
 
 Obs. 1. Temporal and spiritual blessings are from 
 
 God ; he makes people blessed, and gives them what 
 blessings he pleases. " I will make them and the 
 places round about my hill a blessing." Gen. ix. 1, 
 " God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto 
 them. Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth :" 
 here, God is the Author of temporal blessings. Gen. 
 xii. 2, of Abraham God said, " I will bless thee, and 
 make thy name great ; and thou shall be a blessing: 
 and I will bless them tliat bless thee, and curse him 
 that curseth thee : and in thee shall all families of 
 the earth be blessed :" here God shows himself 
 Author of temporal and spiritual blessings. It is pe- 
 culiar unto God to bless. Balak was out when he 
 said of Balaam, "I wot that he whom thou blessest 
 is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed," 
 Numb. xxii. 6 : no, it is not in the power of any crea- 
 ture to bless or curse ; men and devils may utter words 
 of blessing or cursing, but they cannot make blessed 
 or cursed : it is God who turns blessings into curses, 
 Mai. ii. 2; and curses into blessings, Neh. xiii. 2. 
 
 Obs. 2. Others fare the better for the church's sake. 
 " I will make the places round about my hill a bless- 
 ing." On the hill of 'Zion was the temple, the place 
 where God recorded his name, there were the solemn 
 assemblies, the divine ordinances, God's presence ; 
 and all that were near in Judea, yea, the nations 
 round about, had some blessing and benefit thereby. 
 They heard of the God of Israel, that he dilTered 
 from all idol gods ; they heard of his laws, that they 
 were more righteous than the laws of the nations ; 
 they saw his sabbaths, how strictly they were kept; 
 they heard of the prophets that were in Jerusalem 
 and Israel : did not Naaman, a Syrian, get a bless- 
 ing from Elisha ? 2 Kings v. The wisdom of Solo- 
 mon had influence into all the places round about 
 Zion, yea, into all the countries far oft"; the queen 
 of Sheba heard thereof, and it was a blessing unto 
 her. From any nation they might come to Zion, 
 become proselytes, and enjoy what mercies the Jews 
 themselves enjoyed. Micah iv. 1, 2, " In the last 
 days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the 
 house of the Lord shall be established in the top of 
 the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills ; 
 and people shall flow unto it. And many nations 
 shall come, and say. Come, and let us go up to the 
 mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God 
 of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we 
 will walk in his paths : for the law shall go forth of 
 Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." 
 These things are spoken of Christ's times, when the 
 church should be very eminent and conspicuous, 
 like the highest of hills, when the law of faith and 
 the gospel should go out of Zion and Jerusalem, and 
 be a blessing unto all nations. 
 
 Obs. 3. God's blessings are seasonable ; both tem- 
 poral and spiritual are in due time. " I will cause 
 the shower, to come down in his season," when it 
 shall be a blessing, do much good ; there shall be 
 showers of blessing; Lev. xxvi. 4, " I will give you 
 rain in due season, and the land shall yield her in- 
 crease, and the trees of the field shall yield their 
 fruit." Those rains are seasonable which cause 
 fruitfulness; those arc unseasonable rains which 
 hinder or destroy the fruit of the trees and increase of 
 the earth. Tlie Lord observes times and seasons to 
 do sinners good, both for body and soul : Isa. xxx. 
 18, " He waits, that he may be gracious;" he waits 
 for fit seasons wherein his mercies may come with 
 advantage and acceptance unto men. Isa. Iv. 10, 11, 
 " As the rain cometh down, and the snow fi-om hea- 
 ven, and returneth not thither, but watcreth the 
 earth, and niaketh it bring forth and bud," which is 
 an argument it came in season, " so shall my word 
 be that goeth out of my mouth : it shall not return
 
 Ver. 2G— 2?. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 695 
 
 unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I 
 1 lease, it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent 
 it." God gives his word seasonably, as he doth the 
 rain : Tit. i. 3, " God hath in due times manifested 
 his word through preaching ;" the original is, cai- 
 polc Ihotc, in his own times, and those are the due 
 times, the most seasonable times. Gal. iv. 4, "When 
 the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his 
 Son, made of a woman ;" Christ's birth was at the 
 fulness of time, when it was most seasonable : so his 
 death, Rom. v. (!, " In due time," or according to 
 the season, " Christ died for the ungodly." Psal. 
 Ixxii. 6, " He shall come down like rain upon the 
 mown grass : as showers that water the earth :" as 
 Solomon was to the people, by his wisdom and jus- 
 tice, like seasonable rains to the grass and earth, 
 much more is God and Christ so to the church ; 
 what seasonable dews, droppings, and influences of 
 the Spirit hath it from them, which make it to grow 
 green and flourish ! Let us wait for his showers and 
 influences ; none can give them but himself, and 
 when he gives them, it is in season. 
 
 06s. 4. The end of God's blessings is, that we may 
 acknowledge and honour him for them. " I will 
 cause the shower to come in season ; I will make 
 the trees fruitful, and the earth increase ; I will 
 make them safe in their land, and they shall know- 
 that I am the Lord." God's blessings have some- 
 thing of God in them ; they are glasses, and show 
 us his power, wisdom, goodness, and loving-kind- 
 ness, each of which oblige us to acknowledge him 
 the author of 'them, and to honour him for them. 
 
 Obs. 5. God's people are sometimes in subjection 
 and bondage to their enemies, who make them to 
 serve, and serve themselves of them. The Jews 
 were under the Babylonish yoke, they served and 
 suffered hard things under the Babylonians ; Jer. 1. 
 33, they were oppressed, held under, and put to do 
 servile things. God had told them by the mouth of 
 Jeremiah, chap. xvii. 4, that they should serve their 
 enemies ; and their enemies made them to serve, and 
 advantaged themselves by their service : Lam. v. 
 4 — 6, " We have drunk our water for money ; our 
 wood is sold unto us ;" they could neither have 
 water nor fire unless they bought or earned the 
 same with hard labour : " our necks are under 
 persecution, we labour and have no rest ;" this iron 
 yoke of captivity is upon us, we labour and serve 
 these Babylonians, and yet we have no rest ; we 
 have not bread to satisfy our hunger : they made 
 the young men grinders in the mill, ver. 13. This 
 was the condition of God's people in Babylon under 
 Nebuchadrezzar and Belshazzar, their grand ene- 
 mies ; and such hath been the condition of God's 
 people since Christ's time ; they have been often in 
 subjection and bondage to antichrist, to princes and 
 prelates, who have tyrannized over their souls and 
 bodies. 
 
 Obs. 6. God hath his time to set his people at 
 lilicrty, to break the bands and yokes which they are 
 held in. " When I have broken," or shall break, 
 " the bands of their yoke, and delivered them 
 out of the hand of those that made them to serve." 
 The Jews found their bands and yokes so strong, 
 and fast tied about their necks, that they were with- 
 out hope of ever having them loosed or removed : 
 Ezek. xxxvii. II, " Our hope is lost ;" this captivity 
 we shall never shake otT, nor our posterity. And the 
 Babylonians, they held them fast, and refused to let 
 them go, Jer. 1. 33; but when the seventy years 
 were expired, (when God's time was come,) he brake 
 the yokes and bands, he knocked them off, and set 
 them at liberty; for, ver. 34, "Their Redeemer is 
 strong ; the Lord of hosts is his name." Let 
 
 enemies' strength be great, let their yokes be of 
 iron, which they put upon his people's necks, and 
 let them be tied on with the bands of human laws, 
 yet God is stronger than they, he will break empires 
 and emperors in pieces, abrogate their laws, loose 
 the bands, pull oft' the yokes, and set his people at 
 liberty, he will thoroughly plead their cause, give 
 them and their land rest, and disquiet the inhabit- 
 ants of Babylon. We were under Romish antichris- 
 tian yokes a long time, the bands of which were 
 loosened somewhat under Edward the Sixth and 
 queen Elizabeth, but they were tying fast again by 
 their successors, and became so heavy that nnilti- 
 tudes of our brethren were glad to flee for the bur- 
 densomeness of those yokes ; others cried unto God 
 to break them in pieces, and his time being come, 
 he hath done it : our antichri.stian bands, and Ba- 
 bylonish yokes, are loosened and knocked off our 
 necks ; let us take heed lest (through the abuse of 
 our liberty) the Lord cast us into a worse and greater 
 bondage than ever. 
 
 06.$. 7- Eminent works of God do cause eminent 
 knowledge of God. " And they shall know me, 
 when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and 
 delivered them out of the hand of those that served 
 themselves of them." This was an eminent work of 
 God to bring them out of Babylon, and this bred 
 eminent knowledge of God in them ; then they had 
 large experience of God's power, faithfulness, and 
 goodness unto them, that they said, "The Lord 
 livcth, which brought up and which led the seed of 
 the house of Israel out of the north country, and 
 from all countries whither I had driven them," Jer. 
 xxiii. 8. When their captivity was turned, then they 
 had such apprehensions of God as filled their mouths 
 with laughter, and their tongues with singing ; Psal. 
 cxxvi. 1 — 3, then they said, " The Lord hath done 
 great things for us ; whereof we are glad." 
 
 Ver. 28. And they shall no more be a prey to 
 
 the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land 
 
 devour them ; but they shall dwell safely, and 
 none shall make them afraid. 
 
 The Jews had oft been a prey to the heathen ; the 
 Egyptians, Amorites, Moabites, Midianites, Philis- 
 tines, Babylonians, and others, had oft spoiled and 
 served themselves of them, which the Lord laying 
 to heart, doth here graciously promise, that they 
 shall no more be a prey unto the nations. The He- 
 brew word for " prey " is, baz, from 113 to spoil, 
 to pluck from ; and the English word is from prtpda, 
 which some make to be corpora rerum caplarum, the 
 bodies of things taken : or thus, " prey " is that 
 which men get and devour for whom it was not pre- 
 pared or intended; as Heb. x. 34, " They took joy- 
 fully the spoihng of their goods ;" their goods were 
 not prepared or intended for those that got them. 
 The word for " spoiling " is, apTrayi), which signifies 
 a " prey," because it is violently gotten and taken. 
 
 "Neither shall the beast of the land devour them." 
 The land of Canaan was the " glory of all lands," 
 chap. XX. 6, yet was it not without wild beasts, which 
 did tear and devour, 2 Kings ii. 24 ; xvii. 25 ; but now 
 God would chain up the bears and lions, so that 
 they should do no harm. There is another sense 
 to be made of the words, which is, that God would 
 so order the spirits of wicked magistrates, false pro- 
 
 Ehets, and y\\c, turbulent spirits, that they should not 
 arm his flock : such men formerly had eaten up 
 many of God's people, Ezek. xxii. 25, 27, '29. 
 
 " But they shall dwell safely, and none shall make 
 them afraid." To " dwell safely" is a great mercy, 
 to " dwell " so " safely, that none shall midie afraid,"
 
 cor, 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIV. 
 
 is extraordinary mercy. Men are subject unto fears, 
 even the best of men, and that several ways : wlien 
 fire breaks out in a town, when famine or plague are 
 in a city, when storms and tempests are abroad, when 
 wars begin, persecution, imprisonment, banishment, 
 and death are threatened, then fears seize upon per- 
 sons, and prevail too far with many ; but here the 
 Lord promises that his people shall be free from all 
 fears, none shall make them afraid. The word for 
 making afraid, is from n-in whicli notes, not a slight 
 fear, but such as is with trembling, outwardly mani- 
 fested, and it ariseth either from inward solicitous- 
 ness of mind, or from apprehension of evil impending 
 and at hand. 
 
 Obs. God's people are in the safest condition of 
 any ; they have i)romises of protection and security 
 from all their enemies, from those without and those 
 within. " They shall no more be a prey to the hea- 
 then," that is, those without, the nations abroad in 
 the world; "neither shall the beast of the land de- 
 vour them," that is, none wdthin, none of them 
 among whom they dwell, not the magistrates, not 
 the prophets, nor the base and vile ones of the earth, 
 none shall harm them, none shall make them afraid, 
 "but they shall dwell safely." Not to be harmed 
 by the beasts of the land, is mercy ; but not so much 
 as to be made afraid by them, is greater mercy. 
 None under heaven are in so good a condition for 
 protection and safety, as God's own people. Job xi. 
 18, 19, "Thou shall take thy rest in safety. Also 
 thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid." 
 Job himself, and all he had, should be in safety, free 
 from fear and danger. Jer. xxxi. 10, " Hear the 
 word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the 
 isles afar off, and say. He that hath scattered Israel 
 will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth 
 his flock;" here the Lord makes proclamation to the 
 nations, and lays it upon them to make it known to 
 others, that he would have a special care of Israel, 
 that is, his people, " and keep them, as a shepherd 
 doth his flock ;" he would not suffer the wolves, 
 lions, bears, and dogs, to hurt them, or make them 
 afraid. Isa. xxvii. 3, lest any hurt the Lord's vine- 
 yard, he will keep it night and day ; he wall not 
 slumber nor sleep, but always watch over it; his 
 care for his is the same in the night when wild beasts 
 are abroad, as in the day when they lie hid in their 
 dens. Psal. xxxi. 20, " Thou shalt hide them in the 
 secret of thy presence from the pride of man ; thou 
 shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife 
 of tongues :" God's people are hidden ones, and so 
 secured from the harm of enemies' hands and tongues. 
 
 Ver. 29. And I ivill raise tq) for them a plant 
 of renown, and they shall be no more consumed 
 with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame 
 of the heathen aiij more. 
 
 This verse speaks out the goodness of God unto 
 his flock abundantly, in positive and negative mer- 
 cies ; he would raise up for it a plant, and that of re- 
 nown, and he would free it from hunger and shame. 
 
 " And I will raise up for them." The words may 
 be read thus. For I will raise up for them, and so be 
 a reason of what went before, viz. They shall no 
 more be a prey to the nations, nor be devoured by 
 the beast of the land, but dwell safely without fear ; 
 for I will raise up a plant of renown for them. It 
 is true, the Hei)rew particle 1 sometimes signifies 
 "for," as Psal. Ix. II, " Give us help from trouble; 
 for vain is the help of man ;" Niri is the word; ve 
 is there "for;" so Isa. Ixiv. 5, " Behold, thou art 
 wroth ; for we have sinned," ve is rendered " for." 
 B^it the prophet here is reckoning up variety of pro- 
 
 mises, mercies, and benefits, which the Lord makes 
 to, and would bestow upon, his people, and therefore 
 ve or va is here copulative, continuing the series of 
 mercies and promises, " And I will raise up : " you 
 are like plants plucked up b)' the roots, scattered 
 here and there like dry branches; but " I will raise 
 uji a plant for you," even a 
 
 "Plant of renown." The Hebrew is, cr^ jrtao a 
 plant for name : the Septuagint is, a plant of peace: 
 the Chiildee is, a plantation that they may remain : 
 the Vulgate is, a noble sprig, or plant : Vatablus 
 hath it, a plant of a famous name, that should bring 
 glory and renown unto them : Irenseus saith,aplaut 
 for fame : Piscator turns the words thus, a noble 
 plant : Campadius and Lavater are to this purpose, 
 a plant for name or renown : as both the French and 
 our translation is. This " plant of renown " is, by 
 some expositors, interpreted to be the christian 
 church, gathered out of all nations, and planted in 
 Christ, which, Isa. Ixi. 3, is called " The planting of 
 the Lord:" and, Isa. Ix. 21, "The branch of his 
 planting :" others do expound it of Christ ; so do 
 Jcrom, Theodor. t, and divers later expositors: we 
 may take in both, Christ, and the church which 
 springs up out of him. But chiefly Christ is pre- 
 sented to us by this " plant of renown," which is the 
 same with that in Jer. xxiii. 5, where it is said, " I will 
 raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall 
 reign and prosper:" he shows whom he means by 
 that " righteous Branch," viz. Christ, who was to be 
 King, and to execute judgment and justice in the 
 
 1 arth. So here, "the plant of renown" is the 
 " righteous Branch ;" God would raise the one and 
 the other : hence, Isa. liii. 2, he is said " to grow up 
 before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a 
 dry ground." God planted him in Zion, and he came 
 from Joseph and Mary, who were like dry ground ; 
 and he is oft called "the Branch," and "Branch of 
 righteousness," and " Branch of the Lord," Zech.iii. 
 8 ; Jer. xxxiii. 15 : and, Isa. iv. 2, " In that day shall 
 the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious," or, 
 beauty and glory, as the Hebrew is. It is evident 
 Christ is the "plant" or "branch," and not simply 
 so, but a "jlant of renowm." That which makes 
 men renowned, is something extraordinary ; what is 
 common extends not far, neither procreates renown- 
 edness ; but when things are beyond, or above, the 
 common course of things, then they spread and beget 
 fame : now Christ had extraordinaries not a few. 
 
 \. His conception and birth were extraordinary, 
 Isa. vii. 14; Matt. i. 18, 20 ; Luke i. 31, ,32, 35. 
 
 2. His gifts and graces were extraordinary, Isa. 
 xi. 2, 3; Luke ii. 46, 47; John i. 14; iii. 34; Col. i. 
 19; ii. 3. 
 
 3. He did extraordinary things, and many of that 
 kind. He took away the sin of the worlil, John i. 29. 
 He brake down the partition wall between Jew and 
 gentile, and reconciled both to God, Eph. ii. 1-1 — 10. 
 He laid the foundation, and built the christian 
 church, Zech. vi. 12. He brought in everlasting 
 righteousness, Dan. ix. 24; life" and immortality, 
 
 2 Tim. i. 10. He did many miracles, John iii. 2 ; 
 vii. 31 ; ix. 16, 32; xi, 4/ ; xii. 37. He fulfilled all 
 righteousness, Matt. iii. 15. He authorized and 
 enabled men to cast out devils, to cure all diseases, 
 chap. X. 1. He revealed the Father, chap. xi. 27. 
 He forgave sins, Luke v. 20, 21. He foretold things 
 to come. Matt. xxiv. He sent the Comforter, John 
 xvi. 7. He did such works as never any man did, 
 John XV. 24. 
 
 4. He suffered more than other men. His suffer- 
 ings were extraordinary, Isa. liii. 3 — 7, &c. ; Luke 
 xxii. 44; so Matt, xxvii.; Luke xxiii. He trod the 
 winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty
 
 YtR. 29. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 C97 
 
 God, Rev. xix. 15. Paul's sufferings made him 
 famous, Phil. i. 13, much more Christ's. 
 
 5. He had extraordinary titles; as Immanuel, Isa. 
 vii. 14. The stone of Isi-acl, Gen. xlix. 24. The 
 Lord our Righteousness, Jer. xxiii. G. The power 
 and wisdom of God, 1 Cor. i. 24. The heir of all 
 things, Heb. i. 2. King of kings, and Lord of lords. 
 Rev. xix. 16. The light of the world, John viii. 
 12. The glory of Israel, Luke ii. 32. The Prince 
 of life. Acts iii. 15. Judge of quick and dead. Acts 
 X. 42. The image of the invisible God, Col. i. 15. 
 The Head over dl things, Eph. i. 22. The Lamb 
 of God, John i. 29. The Mediator between God 
 and man, 1 Tim. i. 5. The Sun of righteousness, 
 Mai. iv. 2. His name is Wonderful, Counsellor, the 
 mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of 
 Peace, Isa. ix. 6. 
 
 6. He had extraordinary honour. When he was 
 brought into the world, God commanded all the 
 angels to worship him, Heb. i. 6. He stirred up the 
 spirits of the wise men of the east, directing them 
 by a star to come and worship him. Matt. ii. 11. 
 When he w'as baptized, heaven was opened, the 
 Spirit descended like a dove, and a voice from hea- 
 ven said, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 
 well pleased," Matt. iii. 16, 17. Wlien he was trans- 
 figured, Moses and Elias appeared unto him ; and the 
 same voice of the Father was heard again with some 
 addition, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 
 well pleased, hear him : " and he committed all judg- 
 ment to the Son, that "so all men should honour the 
 Son, even as they honour the Father," John v. 23. 
 
 Take this " plant of renown " for the christian 
 church, and it is renowned for that it is planted in 
 Christ, Col. ii. 7; Eph. iv. 15; bears the name of 
 Christ, James ii. 7; is his spouse. Rev. xxi. 9 ; John 
 iii. 29 ; under his government, Eph. v. 24 ; freed 
 from the bondage of the ceremonial law, Gal. iv. 1 — ■ 
 5 ; hath clearer manifestations of God's love in Christ, 
 Eph. ii. 7; extends further than ever the Jewish 
 church did to the gentiles, to all nations, Isa. liv. 1 
 —3; Ix. 3; Isii. 2; Rev. xxi. 24, 25; and had 
 such miraculous effusion of the Spirit upon many 
 of the members of it, Acts ii. 3, 4; 1 Cor. xii. 8 — 
 10; and is the habitation of God, Eph. ii. 22; visible, 
 and irremovable as moimt Zion, Micah iv. 1, 2; Matt, 
 xvi. IS ; the ground and pillar of truth, 1 Tim. iii. 15. 
 
 " And they shall be no more consumed with 
 hunger in the land." In Jacob's days there was a 
 great famine, and his family had been consumed, if 
 Egypt had not afforded relief. In David's days 
 many suffered by the three years' famine then, 2 Sam. 
 xxi. I. There was a sore famine in Ahab's days, 
 1 Kings xviii. 2 ; and questionless many perished 
 with hunger in the siege of Jerusalem, Lam. iv. 9; 
 and many who were scattered abroad, not having to 
 satisfy their hunger, became a prey to hunger itself. 
 The promise here is, "They shall no more be con- 
 sumed with hunger;" they shall have plenty of all 
 good things, there shall be no corporal nor spiritual 
 hunger : their teachers had been removed into 
 corners, Isa. xxx. 20 ; their prophets had been cut 
 off, and were glad to be hid in caves, 1 Kings xviii. 
 4 ; but God would set up shepherds over them, which 
 should feed them, and they .should not be lacking, 
 Jer. xxiii. 4; "their eyes should see them," Isa. 
 xxx. 20. The word for "consumed" is, asuppe, 
 from r]CH which signifies, to gather together, to take 
 away, and to consume. In time of famine men get 
 together, consult how to relieve themselves, and when 
 all means fail, the famine consumes them, and takes 
 them away. The Scptuagint is. They shall not be few 
 in number, they shall have abundance and multiply. 
 
 "Neither bear the shame of the heathen anv 
 
 more." The Hebrew word for " shame '' is, ncSa 
 which signifies, reproach. The Babylonian-;, and 
 others where the Jews were scattered, did rejiroach 
 them, and said, " Sing us one of the songs of Zion," 
 Psal. cxxxvii. 3 ; you are the holy people, have holy 
 ordinances, and holy songs, " sing us one of those 
 songs." You thought yourselves safe in your holy 
 city, that your God would protect you from all the 
 nations ; but where is your God ? what is become of 
 your city, temple, and confidences ? are you not in 
 our hands ? are you not in bondage and captivity ? 
 ye are servants unto us, and shall never be at liberty 
 more. Thus did they " bear the shame of the 
 heathen," they were "a reproach, a proverb, a 
 taimt, and a curse, in all places," Jer. xxiv. 9; but 
 God would set them at liberty, roll away their re- 
 proach, and make them honourable: they should 
 be a praise : Zeph. iii. 19, " At that time I will undo 
 all that afllict thee : and I will save her that halteth, 
 and gather her that was driven out ; and I will get 
 them praise and fame in every land where they have 
 been put to shame :" and, ver. 20, " I will make you 
 a name and a praise among all people of the earth, 
 when I turn back your captivity." 
 
 Obs, 1. The Lord Christ himself, his renown, and 
 that the church hath by him, is from the Lord. 
 " I will raise up a plant of renown." Christ is 
 called " the Word," John i. 1 ; and God made that 
 Word (lesh, ver. 14. He is called a " Rod, a Branch," 
 Isa. xi. 1 ; and God caused that " Rod" to come out 
 of the stem of Jesse, and that " Branch " to grow out 
 of his roots. God planted Christ at first in the 
 virgin's womb, and from thence he grew up (through 
 God's wise disposing of things) to be " a plant of 
 reno^^Tl •■" and, Luke i. 32, the angel said to Mary, 
 " He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of 
 the Highest : and the Lord shall give him the throne 
 of his father David." This God performed, and so 
 made him a man, a " plant of renown :" he gave 
 Christ to the church, he planted him in Zion, Isa. 
 xxviii. 16; and so all the glory the church had by 
 him (which was, and is, exceeding much) came 
 orirjinally from the Lord : Christ is therefore called 
 " The gift of God," John iv. 10. 
 
 Obs. 2. Christ is fruitful, and yields good fruit. 
 He is " a plant of renown :" were this plant barren, 
 or did it brar evil fruit, it could not be " a plant of 
 renown," it would be a plant of contempt. This 
 plant is that " tree of life, which bare twelve mannt r 
 of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month," Rev. 
 xxii. 2. No barrenness at all was on this tree, it 
 had plenty and variety of fruit summer and winter, 
 and the goodness of this fruit the church will tell 
 you of. Cant. ii. 3, " I sat under his shadow with 
 great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." 
 If the shadow of this tree was very delightsome, cer- 
 tninly the fruit of this tree was exceeding sweet. 
 The man sick of the palsy found the sweet of this 
 fruit, when Christ said imto him, " Son, be of good 
 cheei', thy sins are forgiven thee," Matt. ix. 2. 
 Thousands can tell you how sweet the fruit of this 
 tree hath been to their tastes, to their souls : Acts x. 
 38, " He went about doing good, and healing all 
 that were oi)pre,=sed of the devil ;" those that la- 
 boured and travailed, he said unto them, " Come 
 unto me, and I will give you rest," Matt. xi. 28 ; you 
 shall rest under my shadow, and be refreshed by 
 eating of my fruit. There must needs be excellency 
 and sweetness in the fruit of this plant, because all 
 desire to have it ; Hag. ii. 7, he is " the desire of all 
 nations." Let him be the desire of our souls, and let 
 them feed more upon the fruit this " plant of renown" 
 bears ; so shall we live, and live more abundantly. 
 
 Obs. 3. That the church under Christ shall be
 
 698 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIV. 
 
 freed from those evils it hath formerly been subject 
 unto, and shall enjoy the contrary good. " I will 
 raise up a plant of renown, and they shall no more 
 be consumed with hunger." They had been ; but 
 now they should have plenty, especially of spiritual 
 food, they should know God from the least to the 
 greatest, out of their bellies should flow rivers of 
 water: "neither should they bear the shame of the 
 heathen any more ;" they should not be under their 
 reproach, but should be honourable. God hath pro- 
 mised to take away reproachful terms, Isa. Ixii. 4, 
 and to give glorious titles to Zion ; " Thou shalt no 
 more be called Forsaken, Desolate ; but thou shalt 
 be called Ilcphzi-bah, Beulah :" yea, he hath said, 
 she shall have abundance of glory, Isa. Ixvi. 11. 
 Whether the church hath had such glory is ques- 
 tionable : Christ was reproached himself when on 
 earth, called a Samaritan, a seducer, a devil, and 
 what not ? So the christians in the primitive times 
 were said to be factious, infant-killers, &:c. : and to 
 this day the church of Christ hath lain under the 
 reproach of heathens and antichrist. But the time 
 is coming, that reproaches shall be wiped away, 
 and the church have abundance of glory. Rev. xxi. 
 3,4, 10, 11. 
 
 Ver. 30. Tims s/iall they know that I the Lord 
 their God ara ti-ith them, and that thei), even the 
 house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord 
 God. 
 
 Here is a further blessing, viz. conviction of the 
 heathens, that God is the God of that flock that hath 
 suffered so much, and is with them. When God 
 should gather his flock out of the countries where it 
 was scattered, set up one shepherd, even his servant 
 David, to be a prince over it, make a covenant of 
 peace with the same, set it at liberty from all ene- 
 mies, cause it to be in safety on all sides, take away 
 its reproach, put honour upon it, and satisfy it with 
 blessings temporal and spiritual ; when these things 
 were done, then should they, that is, the nations, 
 "know that the Lord their God was with them," 
 and thus should they know. By those gracious acts 
 of God, and great mercies bestowed upon the house 
 of Israel, they should be con\anced ; as when God 
 begun the work in the type, bringing them out of 
 Babylon, the heathens said, " The Lord hath done 
 great things for them," Psal. cxxvi. 2. The Baby- 
 lonians and others said, " God had cast otT his peo- 
 ple," exposed them to reproaches and cursing, that 
 he regarded them not, but had left them to be a 
 prey to all the world ; but when they saw God ap- 
 ])ear so eminently for them, then they understood 
 that God had not left or cast off his people so, but 
 that he was still their God, and they his people. , 
 
 "The house of Israel." The first mention of the 
 "house of Israel," is in Exod. xvi. 31, and the last 
 is in Hcb. viii. 10. It is most mentioned in cur 
 prophet Ezekiel, w-ell nigh as often as in all the 
 holy Scriptures besides, if not more often. Gen. 
 xxxii. 2H, tells you how Jacob's name was turned 
 into " Israel," whence his sons and posterity were 
 called the " house of Israel ;" and in process of time, 
 not only those descended from his loins were so call- 
 ed, but all that believed in the seed promised to 
 Jacob were Israelites, and " the house of Israel." 
 It is not here to be confined to the Jews, but to ex- 
 tend to all believers. 
 
 Obs. I. God hath a people in the world whom he 
 doth own, and all'ord his presence in a special man- 
 ner. " I the Lord their God am with them, and the 
 house of Israel are my people." God owned the 
 Jews of old above all the people of the earth ; Dcut. 
 
 vii. G, " The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be 
 a special people unto himself, above all people that 
 are upon the face of the earth." There were multi- 
 tudes of nations, all which, or any of which, he 
 might have taken, and left the Jews, but he chose 
 only that nation, Deut. x. 15; and therefore saith, 
 Amos iii. 2, " You only have I known of all the 
 families of the earth ;" that is. You only have I 
 known to be your God, to be with you, to be mine j 
 others I have known, but not to be in covenant with 
 them, not to afford them my special presence and 
 favours : Lev. xxvi. 11, 12, God did dwell with and 
 walk amongst them. And as then God had the 
 Jews, so now he hath the christians for his people, 
 whom he ow-ns, and is present with, in a peculiar 
 manner, 2 Cor. vi. 1(5, 18; Rev. ii. 1; Acts xviii. 
 9, 10, where you may see how God was with Paul, 
 encouraging him to preach, and upon what ground, 
 " for I have much people in this city ;" it was in 
 Corinth. Rev. xxi. 3, "Behold, the tabernacle of 
 God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and 
 they shall be his people, and God himself shall be 
 with them, and be their God." God dwells in the 
 christian church, and is with it to bestow variety of 
 cboice blessings upon it, and to protect it. 
 
 Obs. 2. Sometimes God's dealings with his people 
 are so distinguishing, that heathens are convinced 
 that they have God on their side, and enjoy special 
 favours from him. "Thus shall they know that I 
 the Lord their God am with them, and that they, 
 even the house of Israel, arc my people." " Thus," 
 that is, by my dealings with them, which are dif- 
 ferent from my dealings with others. Dan. iii. 
 when God preserved the three children in the fiery 
 furnace, and delivered them from that hell, then was 
 Nebuchadnezzar mightily convinced, and said, 
 " Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and 
 Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered 
 his servants that trusted in him, and have changed 
 the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they 
 might not serve nor worship any God except their 
 own God. Therefore I make a decree. That every 
 people, nation, and language, which speak any thing 
 amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and 
 Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses 
 shall be made a dunghill : because there is no other 
 God that can deliver after this sort," ver. 28, 29. So 
 in Christ's time, and the apostles' times, the miracles 
 done by them in several places convinced unbelievers 
 that God was with them. The great things done in 
 our days have made enemies to say, God hath done 
 great things for them. 
 
 Ver. 31. And ye my jlock, the flock of my 
 pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the 
 Lord God. 
 
 This verse is the key to open what was said 
 before. The Lord had spoken oft of his flock, and 
 lest any should take the same literally, here he un- 
 folds his mind, and'tells us plainly, his flock are men, 
 not brute creatures. The Hebrew word for " flock " 
 is twice, "And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture." 
 Some read the words in the future, thus. Ye my 
 flock of my pasture shall be men ; hitherto ye have 
 been brutish, ye have savoured the things of the 
 earth, and followed 'after carnal things, but hence- 
 forward ye .shall be men cleaving to God and heaven- 
 ly things. We may take them as they arc, and find 
 that sense in them which Sanctius hath : I have told 
 you of great things, that my servant David shall be 
 your shepherd, and a prince among you, that ye 
 shall dwell safely in wildernesses, sleep in woods, 
 and that none shall make you afraid ; yea, I have
 
 Ver. 31. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 699 
 
 told you, that I will free you from bondage, shame, 
 famine, and that I will make you renowned, blessing 
 you with variety and plenty of temporal and spiritual 
 good things : but you see not how these things can 
 be accomplished ; you are men full of infirmities, 
 shallow of understanding, apt to doubt and make 
 objections, but I am God, and your God, I have pro- 
 mised and will perform, saith Adonai, Jehovah ; my 
 word is truth, and my power shall give being to 
 whatsoever I have said. There is yet another sense 
 of these words, " Ye, the flock of my pasture, are 
 men;" that is, men called out of the world, men re- 
 newed by the transforming of your minds, men walk- 
 ing in the Spirit, not after the flesh, men given up 
 to me and my ways, men dealing justly and honestly, 
 men fearing God and pursuing holiness, men of 
 choice spirits and practices. This sense I should 
 approve of, but that the word for " men " is .'Idam, 
 which rather imports "men" with their frailties, 
 than " men" with their excellences. 
 
 " The flock of my pasture." God calls them the 
 " flock of his pasture," because he provided for them 
 food for their bodies and souls, as a shepherd doth 
 provide pasture for his sheep ; he gave them manna 
 from heaven in former days, and now he gives them 
 his ordinances, his word, the flesh and blood of his 
 Son. God's flock is different from other flocks, and 
 hath different pastures ; they are of the world, and 
 feed upon the acorns and husks of the same ; but 
 God's flock is picked out of the world, separate from 
 it, and feeds on heavenly dainties. 
 
 " I am your God." This is a great and gracious 
 word. What can the Lord say more than this to 
 any, "I am your God?" what can any desire more 
 than to have God theirs ? Psal. Ixxiii. 25, " Whom 
 have I in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon 
 earth that I desire besides thee," saith Asaph : let 
 others desire what they will in heaven or earth, I 
 desire nothing but God himself. Asaph knew that, 
 in having him for his God, he should have all things. 
 When the Lord saith so, he doth engage himself, 
 all his attributes, and whatsoever he hath, unto the 
 people or person he so saith. 
 
 Obs. 1. God hath a peculiar people on earth, 
 which he owns and feeds. " Ye my flock, the flock 
 of my pasture." God hath elect, called, justified, 
 and adopted ones, which make up his flock ; see 1 
 Pet. ii. 9, 10; Titus ii. 14. Zech. xiii. 9, " I will 
 say. It is my people." God hath a people refined 
 and tried in the furnace of affliction, which he is not 
 ashamed of, but owns openly, and this people he 
 provides for : Isa. 1x7. 13, " Behold, my servants 
 shall eat, but ye shall be hungry : behold, my ser- 
 vants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty : behold, 
 my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed." 
 God's peojde shall have meat and drink, and that with 
 gladness, Acts ii. 46; they have hidden manna. Rev. 
 ii. 17 ; they are fed by the Lamb, and drink of hving 
 fountains of waters, Rev. vii. 17. They are a pecu- 
 liar jicople, and have peculiar meat and drink. 
 
 Obs. 2. That of whomsoever God's flock doth con- 
 sist, yet they are weak and frail creatures. " The 
 flock of my pasture are men." Noah, Lot, Abra- 
 ham, Jacob, Job, David, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul, 
 John, who were worthies in Israel, yet had their 
 weaknesses, and showed themselves to be men. 
 " Can God prepare a table in the wilderness ?" 
 said the house of Israel : and Mary, whom all gene- 
 rations called Idessed, we may call an Adamite, the 
 daughter of Adam, for she showed her weakness 
 when she said, " How can this be, seeing I know 
 not a man ? " Luke i. 34. 
 
 Obs. 3. The happiness and comfort of God's flock 
 lieth in having God to be their God, and his mani- 
 
 festation of it. Ye are men, feeble, helpless things, 
 but I am your God, saith the Lord. Whatsoever is 
 defective in yourselves is redundant in me ; as there 
 is nothing but impotency and misery in you, so there 
 is nothing but power, grace, and happiness in me : 
 I have loved you freely, and taken you to be my 
 flock, I have given myself unto you, and all I have 
 with myself, and this I make known unto you. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 5. Moreover the word of the Lord 
 came unto me, saying, Son of inan, set thy face 
 against mount Si'ir, and prophesy against it, and 
 say unto it. Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, 
 O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will 
 stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will 
 make thee most desolate. 1 ivill lay thy cities 
 waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thuu shall 
 know that I am the Lord. Because tituu hast 
 had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood 
 of the children of Israel by the force of the sword 
 in the time of their calamity, in the time that their 
 iniquity had an end. 
 
 The Lord having, in the former chapter, laid down 
 many precious promises for the restoration, freedom, 
 and comfort of his afflicted flock, here he comes to 
 deal with the enemies of his church ; and in the 
 chapter are, 
 
 I. Threatenings of punishments, ver. 2 — 4, 6 — 9. 
 
 II. The sins moving God thereunto, ver. 5, 10 — 13. 
 
 III. The end of those threatenings and punish- 
 ments, ver. 4, 1 1, 15. 
 
 Ver. 1,2. " Moreover the word of the Lord came 
 unto me, saying. Son of man, set thy face against 
 mount Seir." The prophet received the w'ord from, 
 and was empowered by, God to prophesy against 
 " mount Seir." Of setting the face towards, or 
 against, was spoken before, chap. xx. 46 ; xxi. 2 ; 
 XXV. 2 ; where there is a prophecy against Moab and 
 Seir. He must turn himself another way, and speak 
 boldly against mount Seir ; that is, against Idumca, 
 wherein mount Seir was, between the lake Asphal fifes 
 and Egypt, where Esau and his posterity dwelt. Gen. 
 xxxii. 3, who were called Edomites, or Idumcans. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Behold, O mount Seir, I am against 
 thee." Here is a sad message for "mount Seir," or 
 rather the inhabitants of Idumea, who, by a meto- 
 nymy, are understood thereby. They had God 
 against them, and this declared. Behold, I am against 
 thee, Idumea, I am against all thine inhabitants ; 
 thou hast not Israel against thee, but the God of Is- 
 rael : I that formed Israel, that formed thee ; I that 
 made all the world, and can annihilate it at my plea- 
 sure ; even I am against thee, to infatuate thy coun- 
 sels, to weaken thy forces, to frustrate thine enter- 
 prises, and to bring thee low. 
 
 " I will stretch out mine hand against thee." 
 Stretching out the hand is sometimes in mercy, as 
 ProT. i. 24; and sometimes in judgment, as here, 
 and chap. xxv. 13, " I will stretch out mine hand 
 upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast." This 
 posture of the hand imports vehement displeasure 
 in the party that doth it, and readiness to strike. 
 God was very wroth with these Idumeans, and would 
 set his power on work to smite them with destruc- 
 tive judgments. 
 
 " I will make thee most desolate." The Hebrew
 
 700 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXV. 
 
 is, ncu'ci nccw which Montanus renders, desolation, 
 and solitariness. The Septuagint is, I will make 
 thee a wilderness, and thou shalt be a wilderness. 
 When the Hebrew is doubled, that is instead of a 
 superlative ; here it is desolation and desolation, 
 which implies most desolateness. 
 
 Ver. 4. " I will lay thy cities waste." Idumca 
 had many cities, as Teman, Dedan, Bozra, Marcsa, 
 Rhinocorura, Raphia, Gaza, Anthedon, Ascalon, and 
 Azotus, all which God threatens to lay waste, chap. 
 XXV. 14. God said he w"ould lay his vengeance upon 
 Edom, and this was made good in the destruction of 
 her cities and people. 
 
 " And thou shalt he desolate." God would, by 
 his judgments, cut oil' man and beast, chap. xxv. 13, 
 and so made it desolate to purpose. When there are 
 neither men nor cattle in a land, how desolate is it .' 
 
 " And thou shalt know that I am the Lord." 
 When thy cities are laid waste, when man and 
 beast are cut oft', then shalt thou know that I am 
 against thee, and that I am the Lord Jehovah, who 
 hath done such things. 
 
 Ver. 5. " Because thou hast had a perpetual 
 hatred." The Hebrew is, for that there is to thee 
 a hatred or enmity of old. This is the first sin 
 mentioned, which provoked God to proceed so se- 
 verely against them, viz. their ancient hatred to the 
 Israelites. Gen. xxvii. 41, Esau hated Jacob, and 
 purposed in his heart to slay him, because he had 
 got the blessing. This hatred descended to the 
 posterity of Esau, against the posterity of Jacob, 
 and began in the womb of Rebekah, when the 
 children struggled together. Gen. xxv. 22. The 
 Edomites were ever enemies to the Israelites in their 
 hearts ; and vented it as they had occasion. When 
 the Babylonians took Jerusalem, they cried, " Rase 
 it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof," Psal. 
 cxxxvii. 7. 
 
 " And hast shed the blood of the children of Is- 
 rael by the force of the sword." In the Hebrew it 
 is thus, and hast poured out the children of Israel 
 by the hand of the sword. The Septuagint, thoti 
 hast sat down before the house of Israel by deceit, or 
 thou hast laid wait for the house of Israel by the 
 hand of the enemies' sword. The Tigurine transla- 
 tion is, thou hast terrified them by the sword. The 
 Vulgate is, thou hast shut up the sons of Israel into 
 the hand of the sword ; thou stoppedst their flight, 
 and so causcdst them to fall by the enemies' sword. 
 Junius, by thy hatred thou eftcctedst it, that the Is- 
 raelites were diminished by the sword. Munster 
 differs somewhat from all these ; saith he, thou hast 
 forced the Israelites upon the sword, thou earnest 
 out against them, and drovedst them back when they 
 thought to escape by thy borders. The word nagar 
 signifies, to flow, to pour out, and in Hiphel, to make 
 to flow ; the sense is, Thou hast slain the children 
 of Israel, and hast made their blood to flow, or 
 poured out their blood. That in Obadiah gives light 
 to this ; ver. 14, " Thou shouldest not have stood in 
 the cross way, to cut ofl' those of his that did escape ,• 
 neither shouldest thou have delivered up those of 
 his tliat did remain in the day of distress." AVhcn 
 the Babylonians entered Jerusalem, some Jews got 
 away, but the Edomites watched for them at a cross 
 ■way, and there cut them ofl", and others they deliver- 
 ed up to be cut off. By the hand of the sw ord, that 
 is, the power of it. 
 
 " In the time of their calamity." Here is the 
 aggravation of their sin, that they were cruel when 
 they should have betn compassionate : Job vi. 14, 
 " To him that is afllictcd pity should be showed." 
 The Edomites, being brethren, shovdd have ])itied 
 the Israelites when they suflTercd such hard things 
 
 from the Babylonians ; but they were without pity : 
 Amos i. 11, " Edcm did pursue his brother with the 
 sword, and did cast ofl' all pity :" he was so far from 
 pitying, that he was cruel, even cruelty itself, he 
 cast ofi' all pity, put on nothing but cruelty ; they 
 fled to them for succour, and they destroyed them. 
 
 " In the time that their iniquity had an end." 
 Here is another aggravation. " lni(juity " may be 
 taken for sin or punislmicnt : if it be taken for sin, 
 the .sense runs thus. That the Edomites shed their 
 blood, when their sins were come to the height, and 
 they put into a condition of sinning so no more ; now 
 they should have showed them kindness, not have 
 exasperated them. If we take " iniquity " for pun- 
 ishment, the sense is. In the time (hat they had their 
 utmost punishment for their sin, when God dealt 
 most severely with them, when city and temple were 
 burnt, laid level with the ground, when church and 
 state were wholly mined, even thou didst then shed 
 their blood, and dealcdst cruelly with them. 
 
 Obs. 1. The prophets were ordered by God to pro- 
 phesy for. or against, whom he pleased. " Son of 
 man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy 
 against it." In the chapter before he had prophesied 
 against the shepherds of Israel, and for God's flock, 
 which he did by divine appiointment ; and here he is 
 appointed to prophesy against the Edomites, who 
 were as wolves to his flock. The ]>rophets spake as 
 they were moved by the Spirit, and unto whom they 
 were directed by God. 
 
 Obs. 2. Those that are enemies to God's people, 
 have God an enemy unto them. The Idumeans 
 were enemies to the Jews, and God declares himself 
 to be an enemy imto them : Behold, O mount Seir, 
 1 am against thie, and thou shalt feel the force of 
 mine enmity, as thou hast made my people feel the 
 force of thy sword ; thou hast stretched thy hand 
 against them, and I will stretch oi:t my hand against 
 thee ; thou hast cut them oft", and 1 will cut thee ofl"; 
 1 will lay thy cities waste, and make thee desolate. 
 The effects of God's enmity are dreadful. Woe to 
 that land, those cities and people, whom he is against ! 
 see Ezek. xxv. xxvi. ; and Isa. Ixvi. 14, it is said, 
 " The hand of the Lord shall be known toward his 
 servants, and his indignation toward his enemies." 
 God will put a difl"erence between his people and his 
 enemies ; for the one, he will put forth his power for 
 their good, and for the other, he will let out his in- 
 dignation for their destruction. 
 
 Ob>>. 3. God takes notice how' the hearts of men 
 stand towards his people, whether they love them, 
 or hate them. Esau and his posterity hated Jaeolj 
 and his posterity, and this the Lord noted. Not only 
 doth he observe what they do to his people, but also 
 what spirits they have towards his people. Esth. 
 ix. 1, " The Jews had rule over them that haled 
 them." The Lord regarded the spirits of the Baby- 
 lonians, how malicious they were tow ard the Jews. 
 
 Obs. 4. The nature of hatred is lasting and de- 
 structive. "Tliou hast had a perpetual hatred, and 
 hast shed the blood of the children of Israel." This 
 hatred had lasted above twelve hundred years, it 
 was a hatred of ages, it ran through generation 
 after generation, and lasted from Esau's days to the 
 Babylonish captivity ; and notwithstanding it was so 
 old, yet it had so much spirit and life in it, as to 
 shed the blood of Israelites. Hatred is implacable, 
 and seeks the ntter extirpation of what it hates. 
 Cain hated Abel, and slew him ; the Jews hated 
 Christ, and they were restless till they had cut him 
 off from the land of the living. David tells you, 
 Psal. xxv. lil, what is the true nature of hatred ; snilh 
 he, "They hate me with cruel hatred:" not that 
 any hatred is gentle, ("for the mercies of the wicked
 
 Ver. G— !). 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 701 
 
 are cruel," Prov. xii. 10,) but all hatred is cruel and 
 bloody ; it would tear the party hated in pieces, and 
 shred him as herbs for the pot. 
 
 Obs. 5. God is much incensed against them who 
 deal harshly with his people, being in a suffering 
 condition. These Edomites were bitter and bloody 
 to the Israelites when they were in great affliction, 
 deprived of all their outward comforts, and fled for 
 their lives : they, being in circumstances of intimate 
 relation, should upon those accounts have had pity 
 on them ; or if not on those respects, yet for that 
 they were men, and what befalls one condition of 
 men may befall another ; but they showed them no 
 mercy, " they shed their blood in the day of their 
 calamity," and therefore God was wroth, laid waste 
 their cities, and shed their blood: Obad. 10, "For 
 thy violence against tby brother Jacob shame shall 
 cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever." Thus 
 God made good what he gave out by the mouth of 
 Solomon, Prov. xvii. 5, " He that is glad at calami- 
 tics shall not be unpunished." 
 
 Ver. 6 — 9. Therefore, as J live, saith the Lord 
 God, I icill prepare thee unto blood, and blood 
 shall pursue thee: sith thou hast not hated blood, 
 even blood shall pursue thee. Thus will I make 
 mount Seir most desolate, and cut off" from it him 
 that jtasseth out and him that returneth. And I 
 will Jill his mountains trith his slain men : in thy 
 hills, and in thi/ valleys, and in all thy rirers, 
 shall they fall that are slain with the sword. I 
 will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities 
 shall not return : and ye shall know that I am 
 the Lord. 
 
 In these verses God's proceeding against the 
 Edomites is more particularly laid dowTi. 
 
 I. Here is the destruction of themselves, ver. G, 8. 
 
 II. The desolation and misery of their country, 
 ver. 7, 9. 
 
 III. The confirmation of both these by an oath, 
 ver. G. 
 
 Ver. 6. " Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God." 
 Of this di\'ine oath hath oft been spoken : it is used 
 sometimes to confirm promises, as Isa. xlix. 18, 19, 
 but most frequently to confirm threatenings, which 
 are hardly believed. Seeing thou hast been un- 
 brotherlike, unnatural to the Jews, in shedding of 
 their blood, " therefore, as I live," as sure as I am the 
 living God, " 1 will prepare thee unto blood : " thou 
 thiukest thyself secure, and that no mischief shall 
 come upon thee, but let not me be the living God, 
 if you escape so. 
 
 " I will prepare thee unto blood." The Hebrew 
 is, because I will make thee unto blood ; that is, I 
 will fit thee, prepare thee, unto blood, I will order 
 things so, that thy blood shall be shed. 
 
 " And blood shall pursue thee." God's oath we 
 may refer to these words, and read the verse thus. 
 As I live, saith the Lord God, because 1 will prepare 
 thee unto blood, even blood shall pursue thee. By 
 " blood " here we may understand, cither the " blood" 
 of the Jews which they had shed, and cried for 
 vengeance like the blood of Abel ; or by " blood " 
 may be meant bloody men : those who are thine ene- 
 mies, they shall pursue thee, and shed thy " blood" 
 witliout pity. 
 
 " Sith thou bast not hated blood." Several ways 
 men render these words, but our translation is most 
 approvable, because, or "sith, thou hast not hated 
 blood :" or, if thou hatest not blood. The Edomites 
 did not hate shedding of blood, but were glad of that 
 opportunity they had to cut off the Jews, that so 
 
 they might ingratiate themselves with the Baby- 
 lonians. 
 
 Ver. 7- " Thus will I make mount Seir most deso- 
 late." " Mount Seir" is put for the land of Idumea, 
 which was a pleasant and fruitful land; but this 
 would God make desolation, even desolation ; that 
 is, most desolate, it should be void of inhabitants. 
 
 " And cut off from it him that passeth out and him 
 that returneth." God would do by Idumea as men do 
 by a wood, cut down the great trees and the lesser, 
 even every tree and every bush. So not only the 
 great ones in Idumea, but the meaner sort, such as 
 travelled from place to place to get a living, those 
 that carried out commodities, and those that brought 
 thera in, they should all be cut off, there should be 
 none left to tread in her paths. 
 
 Ver. 8. " And I will fill his mountains with his 
 slain men." Idumea had many mountains, which 
 formerly were filled with sheep and oxen, but now 
 they should be filled with the carcasses of slain men, 
 which shows the greatness of the slaughter that 
 should be made of the Idumeans. Such a general 
 destruction of them there should be, as that iu all 
 places the dead should lie in the hills, in the valleys, 
 and in the rivers ; they fled to those places to secure 
 themselves from the Chaldean army, and there they 
 slew them, and made them meat for the fowls of 
 heaven and fish in the waters. 
 
 Ver. 9. " I will make thee perpetual desolations." 
 There is another scripture speaking thus much, that 
 Edom should not only be desolate, but desolate for 
 ever; as Jer. xlix. 17, 18, it should be made like 
 Sodom and Gomorrah, none should abide or dwell 
 there. Sodom and Gomorrah were never built 
 again, but the cities of Edom were, as appears by 
 Mai. i. 4. Jer. xxvii. 7, " All nations shall serve 
 Nebuchadnezzar, and his son, and his son's son, until 
 the very time of his land come : and then many na- 
 tions and great kings shall serve themselves of him." 
 Edom was afterwards possessed again, and the 
 Edomites so strong and malicious, that they besieged 
 the Israelites, 1 Mace. v. 3. By "perpetual," there- 
 fore, we must not understand eternal, that which had 
 no end, but that which was for a long time ; so the 
 word oS^y doth usually signify ; and it is rendered, 
 by some, age, I will make thee the desolations of an 
 age, thirty, a hundred, or a thousand years ; for a 
 long season thou shalt be desolate, without cities and 
 inhabitants. 
 
 " And thy cities shall not return." Not till after 
 a long time, and then they shall not return unto 
 that glory, strength, and greatness which formerly 
 they were in. After cities and countries are once 
 wasted, they attain not to their former condition oft 
 in many generations. 
 
 Obs. 1. Bloody men frequently have bloody ends. 
 Idumea was cruel and bloody against the Israelites, 
 there God prepared her for blood, and said, "Blood 
 shall pursue thee ; sith thou hast not hated blood ;" 
 blood calls for blood. The Babylonians were bloody 
 and cruel to the Jews, and hear what the Lord saith, 
 Jer. li. 36, " I will plead thy cause, and take venge- 
 ance for thee ;" and ver. 40, " I will bring them down 
 like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats." 
 God would deal with them as butchers do with such 
 creatures, they take away their lives, and shed their 
 blood. Hosea i. 4, " I will avenge the blood of Jez- 
 reel upon the house of Jehu ;" he caused the seventy 
 sons of Ah.ab to be beheaded by the rulers of Jezreel, 
 2 Kings X. 1,7, and this blood did God avenge upon 
 his house. 2 Sam. xxi. 1, Saul's house was bloody, 
 he slew the Gibconites, and seven sons of his were 
 put to death for it, ver. G, 9 ; so God pursued blood 
 with blood. In like manner was Joab dealt withal ;
 
 702 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXV. 
 
 he shed innocent blood, and his blood was shed <at 
 the horns of the altar, 1 Kings ii. 29, 31. 
 
 Obs. 2. When God doth visit wicked ones for 
 shedding of blood, he doth it fully and thoroughly. 
 God would make mount Seir without inhabitant, 
 those that went out, and those that came in, should 
 be cut ofl". Such a slaughter would he make amongst 
 them, as that the mountains, hills, valleys, and rivers, 
 should be filled with the slain bodies. Isaiah, speak- 
 ing of God's visiting the Edomites, chap, xxxiv. C, 
 7, saith " The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, 
 it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of 
 lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams : 
 for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great 
 slaughter in the land of Idumea. And the unicorns 
 Ehall come down with them, and the bullocks with 
 the bulls ; and their land shall be soaked with blood, 
 and thcirdust made fat with fatness :" great and small, 
 rich and poor, noble and ignoble, should be cut off. 
 
 Obs. 3. That according to the time of men's sin- 
 ning, God doth lengthen out his judgments. Edom 
 had perpetual hatred, and God saith, " I will make 
 thee perpetual desolations." Edom's anger did tear 
 perpetually, Amos i. II, and God's judgments upon 
 Edom had a jierpetuity, Obad. 10, she was cut off 
 for ever. Those that continue long in a course of 
 sinning, God causes sometimes to lie long under se- 
 vere judgments : the Jews were seventy years in 
 captivity, they had lived long in idolatry. 
 
 Ver. 10. Because thou hast said. These two 
 nations and these two countries shall be mine, and 
 we will possess it ; tvhereas the Lord was there. 
 
 The Idumeans had a fruitful land of their own, 
 that satisfied tliem not, covetousness and desire of 
 rule possessed them ; they thought and said, the 
 whole land of Judea should become theirs ; the 
 Babylonians would root the Jews wholly out, leave 
 the land, and so it would fall to their lot and 
 possession. 
 
 " These two nations and these two countries." 
 When God brought the Jews out of Egypt into Ca- 
 naan, they were one nation, and it one land, and so 
 continued till the rent made by Jeroboam, 1 Kings 
 xii. Then ten tribes falling off" from Rehoboam, con- 
 stituted a new kingdom, and so the people and land 
 were divided into two nations and two countries. 
 The one sort were called Ephraim, the house of Is- 
 rael, Samaritans, and their counhy, Samaria. The 
 other sort were called Jews, the house of David, and 
 their country, Judea. 
 
 " Shall be mine, and we will possess it." Judea 
 and Samaria, saith Edom, " shall be mine," and we 
 Edomites will possess it, and make it one land again, 
 as it was at first : none have so much right to it as 
 we, who are from the same stock, Isaac, and from 
 the elder brother Esau, whereas they were from Ja- 
 cob ; and seeing the Babylonians are come to cut 
 them off, we will join with them to secure ourselves, 
 and recover our right. When the temple and city 
 were destroyed, the Jews carried into captivity, and 
 the land made desolate, the neighbouring nations 
 gaped for and got what they could of their country ; 
 Jer. xlix. 1, " Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith 
 the Lonl ; Hath Israel no sons ? hath he no heir ? 
 why thin doth their king inherit Gad, and his people 
 dwell in his cities?" Ammonites, Edomites, and 
 others said, " Come, let us cut them off from being 
 a nation, and let us take to ourselves the houses of 
 God in possession," Psal. Ixxxiii. 4, 12. 
 
 " Whereas the Lord was there." The words may 
 be read thus, though the Lord be there : and so 
 they set out the arrogancy and blasphemy of the 
 
 Edomites, who said, they would possess the land 
 though the Lord was there ; he would not hinder 
 them from coming in, sitting down, and continuing 
 in it. Or the word " there" may relate to the Edom- 
 ites, the Lord was there amongst them, when they 
 said, " These two nations and these two countries 
 shall be mine, and we will possess it." He heard 
 these words, and was displeased at them, coming 
 ii-om pride and bitterness of spirit. Or, thirdly, the 
 words may be taken as we read them, and afford 
 this sense ; The Edomites have presumed much, pro- 
 mised great matters to themselves, to have the whole 
 land of Canaan in possession ; whereas the Lord was 
 there, and had that land under his patronage, reserv- 
 ing it for temple worship again, as it had had it 
 formerly. That land was the habitation of God, 
 who would not sufier the bloody Edomites, whatever 
 thoughts they had, or attempts they should make, to 
 inhabit that land, and defile his holy mountain with 
 their idolatrous sacrifices ; though he did greatly 
 afflict the land, yet he did not wholly desert it. 
 
 Obs. 1. Wicked men, the enemies of Zion, do 
 think and design to raise themselves by the ruins 
 and spoils thereof. Edom said, " These two nations 
 and these two countries shall be mine :" whatever 
 is left of the Jews I will have ; if there be nothing 
 but the very land, I will take that for a possession, 
 so shall I enrich myself, enlarge my borders, and 
 become great. Such thoughts and hopes were once 
 in Tyrus, she looked to be made by the sufferings 
 of Jerusalem : Ezek. xxvi. 2, " Tyrus said against 
 Jerusalem, She is broken that was the gates of the 
 people : she is turned unto me: I shall be replenish- 
 ed, now she is laid waste." Tyrus expected that Je- 
 rusalem being ruined, all the trading should come to 
 her, that the great concourse of people Jerusalem 
 had, should enter her gates, and tread her streets. 
 Obadiah tells us, that the Edomites laid hands on 
 the Jewish substance " in the day of their calamity," 
 ver. 13. They coveted their wealth, thirsted after 
 their land, and sought to advance themselves by 
 their ruins. 
 
 Obs. 2. The desires, hopes, and expectation of the 
 wdcked come to nought. The Edomites coveted 
 Canaan, hoped and waited for it, but the Lord was 
 there, and disappointed them ; they were shortly 
 after the destruction of Jerusalem destroyed by the 
 Babylonians ; Jer. xxvii. 3, 6, God had given them 
 into Nebuchadnezzar's hand. David tells you, Psal. 
 cxii. 10, that " the desire of the wicked shall perish ;" 
 and Solomon saith, Prov. x. 28, that " the expecta- 
 tion of the wicked shall perish :" they desire, and 
 expect the fulfilling of their desires, but themselves, 
 their desires, and expectations, come to nought. In 
 Prov. xi. 23, Solomon hath a strange expression ; it 
 is this, " The expectation of the wicked is wrath." 
 Do men look for wrath ? No, but the event of their 
 expectation is such, they meet with the wrath of 
 God. These Edomites looked for the land of the 
 Jews, and lost their own. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord keeps and disposes of lands as 
 he jiUascs. He was in Canaan, " the Lord was 
 there ;" he was Patron of it, he kejit it out of the 
 Edomites' hands, he reserved it for his people again. 
 Hence Obadiah, ver. 17, saith, " The house of Jacob 
 shall possess their possessions ;" tlicy shall come 
 again and inhabit their country which God reserved 
 for them. Jer. xlix. 1, 2, when the ten tribes were 
 carried away, the Ammonites, who dwelt near the 
 tribe of Gad, intruded into it, and the cities of it; 
 but see what God saith in ver. 2, " Behold, the days 
 come, saith the Lord, that I will cause an alarm of 
 war to be heard in Kabbah of the Ammonites ; and 
 it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters," that
 
 Ver. 11—13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 703 
 
 is, lesser towns, " shall be burned with fire : then 
 shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs." 
 Israel shall return out of captivity, and possess his 
 own land, and the Ammonites' also, which for a sea- 
 son got part of his. 
 
 Ob.s. 4. Whatever the fate of a land is, whatever 
 calamities it lies under, yet the Lord is not far from 
 it, he is in it. Judea was laid waste, the temple and 
 cities in it ruined, man and beast cut off, enemies on 
 all sides seeking to get it in whole or in part ; and 
 notwithstanding it was in such a case, in such dan- 
 ger, " the Lord was there." God is said to dwell in 
 darkness; Psal. xWii. 11, "He made darkness his 
 secret place :" here was a land of darkness, and God 
 hid himself in it, he was there, though the Edomites 
 saw him not. When Babylonians lay waste Zion, 
 drive out the inhabitants "thereof, yet they cannot 
 drive out God; he is in Zion, and will abide in Zion. 
 The bear out of the wood not long since was wasting, 
 and the wild beast of the field devouring, they drove 
 many out of our Zion, but they could not drive God 
 out ; he was here when the face of all things was 
 lamentable. 
 
 Ver. 11. TTierefore, as I live, saith the Lord 
 God, I uill even do according to thine anger, 
 and according to thine envy u'hich thou hast Jtsed 
 out of t\y hatred against them ; and I will make 
 myself known among them, uhen 1 have judged thee. 
 
 In this and the two next verses, you have a fur- 
 ther discovery of mount Seir's sins, and how God 
 would deal with the inhabitants thereof, and all 
 confirmed by oath. 
 
 " I will even do according to thine anger." Thou 
 hast been angry with my people, yea, angry unto 
 death, and I will do accordingly : not that God 
 would be angry, but he would punish them severely 
 for their anger. Anger is not a boiling of the blood 
 and spirits about the heart, as some have made it, 
 for that is rather an effect, than the nature of it ; it 
 is an inordinate desire of returning evil to him whom 
 we conceive hath wronged us. 
 
 " And according to thine envy." The Edomites 
 envied the Jews, who prospered into a kingdom, 
 and grew renowned, chap. xvi. 13, 14. The nature 
 of envy is to grieve at the good of another man, and 
 to thiiik it an evil to ourselves, that we are exceeded 
 by others in any thing ; an em'ious man is afflicted 
 that any is equal to him, or above him. 
 
 "Which thou hast used out of thy hatred against 
 them." Hatred is an enmity of the appetite to things 
 or persons, apprehended contrary to its good and 
 contentment. The Edomites looked at the Jews as 
 enemies, as contrary to their good and content, and 
 so hated them. There is a twofold hatred, or rather 
 two degrees of hatred : the first is, aversion, which 
 only flees from what is hated ; we hate toads, ser- 
 pents, and such venomous creatures, and flee from 
 them : the second is, persecution, which pursues the 
 tiling hated to destruction : the one respects the 
 evil simply, the other the thing or person in which 
 the evil is apprehended to be. With this last kind 
 or degree of hatred were the Edomites infected, and 
 so envying them sought their ruin. 
 
 " And 1 will make myself known among them, 
 when I have judged thee." I will execute judgment 
 upon thee, deliver thee and thy wealth into the 
 hands of thine enemies, and my servants shall behold 
 my glory in punishing thee, and my mercy in deliver- 
 ing them ; my people shall know what a God I am, 
 when I have visited you for your hatred, envy, and 
 wrath against them ; they shall find me a God 
 exercising mercy, as you have found me a God 
 
 executing judgments ; as I have made myself known 
 to you in my power and justice, so I will make my- 
 self known to them in mercy and loving-kindness. 
 
 Obs. 1. One sinful afl'ection sets others on work. 
 The Edomites' hatred set their anger and envy on 
 work. They used these out of their hatred of the 
 Jews ; they hated them, and that hatred stirred up 
 their anger to do them harm, and their envy to per- 
 secute them unto death. The apostle saith of love, 
 1 Cor. xiii. 4, 5, it envies not, it is not easily pro- 
 voked, it thinks no evil ; but hatred envies, is easily 
 provoked, and thinks nothing but evil ; it is a root 
 of bitterness, and brings forth bitter fruit, it makes 
 use of other ailections to accomplish its ends. 
 Jealousy kindles anger, and casts forth hatred ; fear 
 sets grief and despair on work. The aficctions are 
 seated so near one another in the heart, that if one 
 move sinfully, the rest are ready to stir and accom- 
 pany the same. Let us look well to our affections, 
 for they are dangerous things ; Solomon knew it, 
 and therefore, Prov. iv. 23, counsels us to " keep our 
 hearts with all diligence." 
 
 Obs. 2. God will deal with men not only accord- 
 ing to their evil actions, but according to their evil 
 atfections also. " I will even do according to thine 
 anger, and according to thine envy." Men are con- 
 vinced they must be responsive for evil actions, but 
 not so for evil affections. The Lord puts it out of 
 doubt here, and swears to it, " As I live, saith the 
 Lord God, I will even do according to thine anger," 
 &c. Matt. V. 22, he that " is angry with his brother 
 w ithout a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." 
 Rev. xxi. 8, " The fearful shall have their part in 
 the lake which bumeth with fire and brimstone." 
 Edom's rejoicing is mentioned, Obad. 12, among the 
 sins that caused God to cut her off". John iii. 19, 
 " This is the condemnation, that light is come into 
 the world, and men loved darkness." God will deal 
 with men for their sinful fear, sinful joy, and sinful 
 love ; for sinful aflfections as well as sinful actions. 
 Hence are we counselled to put away all bitterness, 
 wrath, and anger, Eph. iv. 31 ; to mortify inordinate 
 affection, Col. iii. 5. 
 
 Obs. 3. After the insulting enemies of Zion are 
 punished, God will show kindness unto Zion, she 
 shall have expressions of his love. " I will make 
 myself known amongst them," that is, those of Zion, 
 " after I have judged thee," that is, the Edomites. 
 They insulted over the Jews, and added affliction to 
 affliction, which the Lord visited them for, and then 
 comforted his afflicted people. The Babylonians 
 were bitter enemies to the Jews, they insulted over 
 them, and said, " Sing us one of the songs of Zion," 
 Psal. exxxvii. 3 ; for which you may see how God 
 would deal with them ; Isa. xiii. the Medes should 
 destroy them, and that without pity : and what then ? 
 chap. xiv. 1 — 3, "The Lord will have mercy on 
 Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in 
 their own land ; they shall rule over tTieir op- 
 pressors, and have rest from their sorrows." After 
 Sennacherib's army was destroyed by the angel of 
 the Lord, which insulted over the Jews, and spake 
 blasphemous things against God and Hezekiah, did 
 not God express love to Hezekiah, and in him to all 
 the Jews, in granting him fifteen years more unto his 
 days ? Isa. xxxvii. and xxxWii. When God had 
 judged the Egyptians, he brought forth the Jews, 
 seated them in Canaan, and showed them not a little 
 kindness there. Acts vii. 7. 
 
 Ver. 12, 13. And thou shall know that lam the 
 Lord, and that J hare heard all thy blasphemies 
 which thou hast spoken against the mountains of 
 Israel, saying. They are laid desolate, they are
 
 704 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXV. 
 
 given us to consume. TTius with your mouth ye 
 have boasted against me, and have multiplied your 
 words against me : I have heard them. 
 
 Their blasphemies ngainst God and Israel are here 
 set down, and the notice God took of them. 
 
 Vcr. 12. "Thou shalt laiow that I am the Lord, 
 and that I have heard all thy blasphemies." The 
 Hebrew is thus. Thou shall know that I the Lord 
 have heard all tliy blasphemies. The Edomites 
 spake freely against the Jews, thinking God had cast 
 them off, and cared not for them ; but when he 
 should judge and punish them, then they should be 
 convinced that he had heard their blasphemies. The 
 word for bhisphemy is, neatzali, f[-om yxj to despise, 
 conteniptiiciusly to provoke. Kirker saith, it is to 
 provoke with reproachful and cursed speeches : 
 Junius liath it, all thy provocations : the Septuagint, 
 Frencli, and others, have it "blasphemies." 
 
 " AVhich thou hast spoken against the mountains 
 of Israel." By " mountains of Israel," the land and 
 people of Israel are intended ; that land was full of 
 mountains, and among others there was the moun- 
 tain of the Lord, Psal. xxiv. 3; and they spake 
 again.st that mountain with the rest. 
 
 " Saying, They are laid desolate." Are these words 
 so evil as that they should be judged blasphemy ? it 
 is not to be doubted but they said more, though it 
 be not here expressed. Oljad. VI, Edom spake 
 proudly in the day of Jerusalem's distress ; she in- 
 sulted and gloried in the sutTerings and desolations 
 of the people and land ; Where is your temple and 
 city, said they, that stood on mount Zion ? where 
 are the cattle that fed upon the mountains, and were 
 for sacrifices .'' They are laid desolate ; now where 
 will you have sacrifices ? and whither will ye go to 
 sacrifice ? Thus they spake blasphemously. 
 
 " They are given us to consume." The Jews are 
 HOW destroyed and gone into captivity, they shall 
 never return to take possession of these mountains 
 again, they are now given to us to be a prey ; but 
 who gave them they declare not. God did not give 
 them unto the Edomites, and no other could, fur the 
 land was the Lord's : they took the mountains of 
 Israel, their covetous hearts would have them, ver. 
 10 ; and what would they do with them ? " Consume 
 them," sailh our translation ; but the Hebrew is, 
 ."iSsnS to eat ; that is, to bring them under our power, 
 and to make use of for our good. 
 
 Ver. 13. " Thus with your moulh ye have boasted 
 against me." Ye have magnified against me, saith 
 the Ilebri'W ; you have spoken great words, your 
 mouth hath been wide open against me, and hath 
 lift you up above me, or against me: Obad. 12, is 
 thus, Thou hast magnified thy moulh, which is ren- 
 dered, " Thou hast spoken proudly." Jer. xlviii. 
 26, " Moab magnified against the Lord," that is, 
 magnified his mouth against him by speaking arro- 
 gant words : Ezek. xxv. 8, Moab said, " Behold, the 
 house of Judah is like unto all the heathen." When 
 men speak proudly, insolently against God or his 
 people, they do magnify with their mouths, or mag- 
 nify their mouths. 
 
 " And have multi])lied your words against me." 
 They spake much more than is expressed. They 
 muhijply words ; tlie Ilibrew word for multiply 
 here is iry ulhar. which signifies to abound in W(uds, 
 as in prayer. These Edomites did multiply words, 
 words against the Lord, and their words were stout 
 against him. 
 
 " I have heard fhem." Though you thought me 
 shut up in the heavens, that I could not hear at so 
 great a distance, or that I minded not the alTairs of 
 
 the world, especially what words one nation speaks 
 against another, yet saith God, " I have heard them." 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord takes notice of all the bitter, re- 
 proachful, and provoking speeches which wicked 
 ones do utter against the church and people of God. 
 " I have heard all thy blaphcmies which thou hast 
 spoken against the mountains of Israel." Whether 
 Edom secretly muttered out or openly vented her 
 blasphemies, the Lord heard them. Ammon said, 
 " Aha, against God's sanctuary, when it was pro- 
 faned ; and against the land of Israel, when it was 
 desolate ; and against the house of Judah, when 
 they w^cnt into captivity," Ezek. xxv. 3 ; and Moab 
 said, " The house of Jiidah is like unto all the hea- 
 then." When they said so, was the Lord deaf? 
 Zeph. ii. 8, " I have heard the reproach of Moab, 
 and tlie reviKngs of the children of Ammon, where- 
 by they have reproached my people, and magnified 
 themselves against their border." The Lord heard 
 and remembered what they said, and made it known 
 to all ages; so did he hear what Tyrus, the sea-city, 
 said insultingly against Jerusalem, Ezek. xxvi. 2; 
 he took notice of the letter that Rehum the chancel- 
 lor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their 
 companions, wrote against Jerusalem, Ezra iv. 8. 
 There is nothing said or thought against the people 
 of God, but he is privy to it : Lam. iii. (51, saith 
 Jeremiah, " Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, 
 and all their imaginations against me." God heard 
 not only what their wicked tongues spake, but also 
 what their vile hearts imagined, yea, all that they 
 imagined ; he hears imaginations. 
 
 dbs. 2. God will convince and make blasphemers 
 know that he heard their blasphemies. " And thou 
 shall know that 1 the Lord have heard all thy blas- 
 phtmies." Men blaspheme heaven and earth, they 
 speak proudly against God, Christ, Scriptures, ordi- 
 nances, and tlattcr themselves that they shall never 
 more hear of their blasphemies, they think God 
 minds them not; but God hath times to make such 
 black-mouthed wretches to know that he heard them, 
 even all of them. When God visited Edom with the 
 sword, then they should know it ; when death comes, 
 or judgment after death, then shall they know what 
 they have said. If men must give account of every 
 idle word they speak. Matt. xii. 30, much more of 
 reviling and blasphemous words. 
 
 Obs. 3. The revibngs and blasphemies uttered 
 against the people of God, God accounts as spoken 
 against himself. The Edomites spake against the 
 Jews, and the mountains of Israel ; but thus saith 
 the Lord, " With your mouth ye have boasted 
 against me, and have multiplied your words against 
 me ;" it is myself you reproach and sjieak against, 
 when you deal so by my people. What Moab said 
 against the house of' Judali, Ezek. xxv. 8, God saith 
 was against himself; Jer. xlviii. 2(), 42, "Moab 
 hath magnified himself against the Lord." When 
 the wicked spake against God's servants, truth, and 
 sanctuary, David saith they reproached God : Psal. 
 Ixxiv. 22, "Arise, O God, plead thine own cause : 
 remember how the foolish man reproachcth thee 
 daily :" it was God they reproached. As wicked 
 men act against God when they act against his 
 peoiile, (2 Chron. xiv. 11 ; Numb. xvi. 3 ; with 
 Numb, xxvii. 3,) so they speak against God, when 
 they speak against his people ; all the bitter, reviling, 
 and provoking speeches they utter against ilum, 
 God hears, reckons as vented against himself, and 
 will recompense into the bosoms of his enemies. 
 
 Ver. 14, 15. Tlius saith the Lord God ; When 
 the rvhide earth rejoiceth, I vill make thee desolate. 
 As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the
 
 Vkr. 14, 15. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 705 
 
 house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I 
 do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mou)it 
 Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it : and they 
 shall know that I am the Lord. 
 
 In this conclusion of the chapter, the Lord further 
 declares his mind concerning Idumea, and tells her 
 she shall sufVer when all others shall rejoice : and 
 why ? Because she rejoiced at the sutl'erings of 
 the house of Israel. 
 
 Ver. 14. " When the whole earth rejoiceth." If 
 we refer the w-ord " earth " to the land of Judea, the 
 sense may be this, When I shall make that whole 
 land rejoice ; or, if we understand by " earth," the 
 other parts of the world, the meaning is. When I 
 shall bring my people out of captivity, and cause the 
 whole earth to rejoice thereat, then will I make thee 
 desolate. But scriptures do hint it to us, that Edom 
 was made desolate before the return of the Jews 
 from Babylon : Jeremiah, chap. xxv. and xxvii. tells 
 us that Kdom was given to Nebuchadnezzar, and 
 was to drink the cup of God's wrath like other na- 
 tions ; and sundry expositors agree in this, that 
 shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem, Edom 
 was laid desolate. Some other interpretation there- 
 fore of the w-ords is to be looked out : we may refer 
 " earth" to Idumea, and then the sense will be this. 
 As the whole land of Idumea hath rejoiced at the 
 desolation of the Israelites, so will 1 make it wholly 
 desolate. The Hebrew favours this interpretation, 
 for it is thus, As the whole earth, or land, hath re- 
 joiced in desolation, I will do unto thee. Piscator 
 goelh this way, and saitli. As all this land, namely, 
 Idumea, hath rejoiced in desolation, so will I do unto 
 thee, O Idumea. 
 
 Ver. 15. " As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance 
 of the house of Israel, because it was desolate." The 
 Edomites, when they saw the temple burnt, Jerusa- 
 lem made even with the ground, and all the land 
 turned into a wilderness, they rejoiced at it : Obad. 
 12, they of Edom " rejoiced over the children of Ju- 
 dah in the day of their destruction :" w-hen they saw 
 men and beasts cut oS, the goodly cities ruined and 
 the pleasant land laid waste, they laughed at it, and 
 said, " Aha, so would we have it." 
 
 " The inheritance of the house of Israel." This 
 " inheritance " was the land of Canaan, which God 
 gave to Abraham, Gen. xv. 7, and to his seed, Exod. 
 xxxii. V^ ; to Jacob and Israel did God give Canaan, 
 the lot of their inheritance, Psal. cv. II. And this 
 land was the Lord's inheritance, Exod. xv. 17; he 
 dwelt in it, and owned it for his land ; and when 
 the wicked invaded it, the psalmist said, " O God, 
 the heathen are come into thine inheritance," Psal. 
 Ixxix. 1 ; and ver. 10 of this chapter, it is said, 
 " The Lord was there." It was both the Lord's 
 and his people's inheritance, and when it was made 
 desolate, the Edomites were glad thereof. 
 
 " So will 1 do unto thee." Thou hast rejoiced at 
 the calamities of others, and others shall rejoice at 
 thy calamities; thou didst insult and speak proudly 
 when the inheritance of the house of Israel was laid 
 ■waste, and thou shalt meet with such dealings w'hen 
 thine inheritance shall be laid waste ; thy cities shall 
 be destroyed, man and beast shall be cut off, and 
 the nations shall be glad of it. 
 
 " Thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all 
 Idumea, even all of it." When sad judgments are 
 ujion lands, some parts are spared, as strong holds, 
 great cities, port towns, and the like ; but so severely 
 should the enemy deal with " mount Seir " and 
 " Idumea," that nothing should be left, all, even all 
 should be utterly ruined and made desolate. 
 2 z 
 
 Obs. 1. The generality of people are apt to go the 
 wrong way, to rejoice at the evil of God's people. 
 All Idumea rejoiced. The whole earth, the people 
 of it, from one end to another, w ere glad of the sad 
 things that befeU the Jews ; not some great ones, 
 not one comer of the land, but all the Edomites 
 throughout the land. Thus did the Ammonites 
 also, they generally concurred in the same sin ; 
 Ezek. xxv. 3, they cried, " Aha, against the sanc- 
 tuary, the land of Israel, and house of Judah, when 
 they were profaned and laid waste." This was the 
 jiraetice of the Tyrians, they all with one consent 
 rejoiced at the sufferings of Jerusalem, Ezek. xxvi. 
 2. When the two witnesses were slain, the inha- 
 bitants of the earth rejoiced over them, made merry, 
 and sent gifts one to another, Rev. xi. 10. The 
 greatest part of men are disaffected towards the 
 people of God, and when evil befalls them, they are 
 glad thereof. 
 
 Obs. 2. Men thirsting after what is others', do 
 lose what is their own. The Edomites said, " These 
 two nations, and these two countries, shall be mine, 
 and we will possess it," ver. 10; and not long after, 
 they lost their own country, it was made desolate. 
 Achan was not content with what he had, his heart 
 was upon the Babylonish garment, the two hundred 
 shekels of silver, and the wedge of gold of fifty 
 shekels' weight, and by so doing he lost both estate 
 and hfe. Josh. vii. Pharaoh-necho was ambitious, 
 he sought to enlarge himself, Jer. xlvi. 2 ; but his 
 army was beaten, and afterwards he lost his coun- 
 try, Ezek. XXX. Many princes coveting and at- 
 tempting to enlarge their borders by getting from 
 others, have lost themselves and what they had. 
 The dog catching at the shadow, lost what he had 
 in his mouth; many waste and lose their estates at 
 law, while they seek to get that which is other 
 men's. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord in due time repays the same, or 
 like things, to wicked ones. Edom rejoiced when 
 the inheritance of the house of Israel was laid waste, 
 and God would lay Edom waste, make her desolate, 
 and others should rejoice at her ; " So will I do unto 
 thee, thou shalt be desolate," and meet w ith those 
 that shall laugh at thy calamity. In Obadiah's 
 prophecy, where the carriage of Edom towards the 
 house of Jacob is fully set out, the Lord saith plain- 
 Iv, " As thou hast done, it shall be done unto tliee." 
 Nebuchadnezzar spoiled many nations, and had his 
 pleasure on them, and in due time he was spoiled 
 by the nations : Jer. xxvii. 7, " And all nations shall 
 serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the 
 very time of his land come ; and then many nations 
 and great kings shall serve themselves of him;" 
 then they should do to him as he had done to them, 
 chap. 1. 15. Adoni-bezek had his thimibs and toes 
 cut off, as he had served others, Judg. i. 7- INIany 
 in our days have met with that measure they mea- 
 sured unto others. Prov. xxvi. 27, "Whoso diggeth 
 a pit shall fall therein ; and he that rolleth a stone, 
 it will return upon him :" he that intends or doth 
 mischief to others, that mischief will fall ujion him- 
 self: Psal. ix. 15, "The heathen are sunk down in 
 the pit that they made, in the net which they hid is 
 their own foot taken." "Rere \s lex ta- vnie giiiMnriims 
 liotiis, the just judgment of God upon '" if- lis. 
 evil-doers : all the enemies of Zion God will meet 
 with in due time, and return the same or like things 
 into their bosoms. 
 
 Obs. 4. It is nations' and people's own sins that 
 bring desolation upon them. Edom's rejoicing at Jeru- 
 salem's calamities, her anger, envy, .^nd hatred, her 
 boast ing and blasphemies, caused God to lay her waste, 
 and utterly waste ; " mount Seir, thou shalt be de-
 
 70 3 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Cjup. XXXYI. 
 
 solate, and all Idumea, even all of it." Had not these 
 sins preceded, that dreadfid judgment had not follow- 
 ed. It was wickedness brought in the flood upon the 
 whole world, and it is wickedness brings desolating 
 judgments upon any part of it. " Who gave Jacob for 
 a spoil, and Israel to the robbers ? did not the Lord, 
 he against whom we have sinned ? for they would 
 not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient 
 unto his law. Therefore he hath poured upon him the 
 fury of his anger, and the strength of battle." It was 
 Jacob's and Israel's sin that exposed them to 
 spoilers and spoiling, Isa. xlii. 24, 25. God was not 
 forward to this work, but would have had them pre- 
 vented it: Isa. xlviii. 18, 19, "O that thou hadst 
 hearkened to my commandments ! then had thy 
 peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the 
 waves of the sea : thy seed also had been as the sand, 
 and the ofl'spring of thy bowels like the gravel there- 
 of; his name should not have been cut otf nor de- 
 stroyed from before me." 
 
 Obi: 5. God's great design in punishing the ene- 
 mies of his people, and of showing kindness unto 
 them, is to make known himself experimentally unto 
 them. When the wicked feel the weight of his 
 power, strength of his wrath, severity of his justice, 
 they will acknowledge God, and God to be another 
 kind of God than they imagined ; when he shall 
 render to them the same or like things to what they 
 have done, they will be convinced of the equity of 
 his ways. So when God's people taste of his loving- 
 kindnesses, partake of choice deliverances, and find 
 the sweetness of his dispensations towards tlum, 
 then they say, " Among the gods there is none like 
 unto thee, O Lord ; neither are there any works like 
 unto thy works," Psal. Ixxxvi. S. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVL 
 
 Ver. 1 — 7. Also, thou son of man, prophesy 
 unto the mountains of Israel, and sai/, Ye moun- 
 tains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord : Thus 
 saith the Lord God ; Because the enemy had said 
 against you. Aha, even the ancient high places are 
 ours in posscssio7i : therefore prophesy and say, 
 Tims saith the Lord God ; Because they hare 
 made you desolate, and swallowed you up on 
 every side, that ye might he a possession unto the 
 residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in 
 the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the peo- 
 ple : therefore, ye tnountains of Israel, hear the 
 word of the Lord God ; Thus saith the Lord God 
 to the mountains, and to the hills, to the I'irers, 
 and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to 
 the cilies that are forsaken, uhich became a prey 
 and derision to the residue of the heathen that are 
 round about ; therefore thus saith the Lord God ; 
 Surely in the /ire <f my jealousy have I spoken 
 against the residue of the heathen, and against all 
 Idumea, which have appointed my land into their 
 possession with the joy of all their heart, with de- 
 spiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey. Pro- 
 phesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, 
 and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to 
 the rivers, and to the valleys. Thus saith the Lord 
 God; Behold, I hare s]>oken in my jealousy and in 
 my fury, because ye have borne the shame <if the 
 heathen: tlierefore thus saith the Lord God; I 
 
 have lifted up mitie hand. Surely the heathen thai 
 are about you, they shall bear their shame. 
 
 The Jews being deprived of their comforts, carried 
 into captivity, they sufTered hard things, and lay 
 under great rejjroach among the nations ; whereupon 
 the Lord here in this chapter doth, 
 
 I. Denounce judgment against the heathen, setting 
 out the causes moving him thereunto, ver. 1 — /• 
 
 II. Promise mercy to the land of Israel, which is 
 specified in several particulars, ver. 8 — 15. 
 
 III. Show the causes why the Jews were driven 
 out of their country, ver. 16—20. 
 
 IV. Set out the ground of their restoration, ver. 
 21—24. 
 
 V. Multiply promises of spiritual and temporal 
 things upon them and their land, ver. 25, to the end. 
 
 Ver. I. "Thou sou of man, prophesy unto the 
 motmtains of Israel." In the former chapter he 
 prophesied against mount Seir, in this he is to pro- 
 phesy to the " mountains of Israel ; " against that 
 he prophesied judgment, unto these he prophesieth 
 mercies. These " mountains of Israel, " by a synec- 
 doche, are put for tlie whole land of Judea, and' by a 
 metonomy, for the people contained therein, or who 
 had lived therein. 
 
 " Hear the word of the Lord." The land mourn- 
 ed because the profane nations had laid it waste, 
 and taken possession of it ; tlie Lord therefore calls 
 to the land, and people that had inhabited it, to let 
 them know that the one should not long lie in so de- 
 solate a condition, nor the other always be kept out 
 by enemies from their inheritance. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Thus saith the Lord God." These words 
 are in ver. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, also. The Jews being 
 cast into so low a condition, might think God had 
 forgotten them, and would leave them to perish in 
 the hands of their enemies ; to take ofT such thoughts, 
 he commands the prophet to say in six verses to- 
 gether, "Thus saith the Lord God:" it is not the 
 voice of Ezekiel, but of Jehovah, who is affected 
 with the insolency of your enemies, and the griev- 
 ous things you sutler. 
 
 "Because the enemy hath said against you. Aha." 
 The Hebrew word for " enemy," is from 3'N to 
 bear ill will, to hate. This emmy principally was 
 the Edomite, who had a perpetual hatred against the 
 Jews, Ezek. xxxv. 5; and the Ammonite, who cried, 
 " Aha," Ezek. xxv. 3, and entered upon the Jews' 
 inheritance, Jer. xlix. 1 ; with the Moabite, who re- 
 proached the people of God, Zejih. ii. 8, 10. These 
 and others were disalTectcd to the Jews, and hated 
 them, insulted in the day of their calamity, saving, 
 " Aha." The Hebrew is, nxn which is an insulting, 
 provoking, scornful word. 
 
 " The ancient higli places are ours in possession." 
 □Sly nic3 the ancient moinitains, whicli have kept 
 their station and height in all ages. Septiiagint is, 
 the everlasting solitudes; Vulgate, the everlasting 
 height. The land of Israel had many high moun- 
 tains, which being solitary and desolate, the enemy 
 said, " They are ours in possession," we shall inherit 
 them for ever. The Edoniites Ijeing from Esau, 
 Jacob's elder brother, tlie Ammonites and Moabites 
 from Lot, Abraham's brother, they challenged the 
 ancient high places of Israel for their jiossessions, 
 called ejcelsa seeculi, because God and his worship 
 had been there many years, and the land was pro- 
 mised the Jews for ever. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Because they have made you desolate, 
 and swallowed you up on every side." The enemies 
 of the Jfws were bitter and bloody, they stripped 
 them of what they had, and devoured them; thev did 
 eat them up. t]Ntf signifies, to draw in the air, to
 
 Ver. 1 — 7- 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 707 
 
 suck it up, and metaphorically, to swallow, to de- 
 vour : they did not, like cannibals, eat the flesh of 
 the Jews, but they dealt cruelly with them, not in one 
 place only, but on all sides ; those that were their 
 neighbours cut them off and desh'oyed them round 
 about. 
 
 " That ye might be a possession unto the residue 
 of the heathen." So little did they care for the 
 church of God, his people, and their inheritance, 
 they rule over these few Jews that were left. This 
 made Jeremiah to complain. Lam. v. 2, " Our in- 
 heritance is turned to strangers, our houses to 
 aliens." 
 
 " Ye are taken up in the lips of talkers." In the 
 Hebrew it is thus, and ye have ascended upon the 
 lip of the tongue, or, ye are made to ascend, ye are 
 the common talk of men, as we use to say, table talk. 
 They were made a reproach, a proverb, a taunt, and 
 a cnrse amongst the people, according to what is 
 written, Jer. xxiv. 9. Junius and Piscator both have 
 it, You are traduced and slandered through the 
 tongues of the nations, they talk at large of you. The 
 "lip of the tongue" is a hebraism, noting a talka- 
 tive person, as Job xi. 2, A man of lips, is the He- 
 brew, that is, a man of talk ; and Psal. cxl. 11," Let 
 not an evil speaker," in Hebrew, a man of tongue ; 
 such a one utters much evil, and falls under the de- 
 nomination of an evil speaker. 
 
 " And are an infamy of the people." The word 
 nat " infamy," is from 33T which signifies, to speak, 
 and to relate the evils of others. The enemies of 
 the Jews related what evils they knew or heard of 
 concerning them, and made them infamous. The 
 Septuagint is, a reproach or scorn to the nations. 
 
 Ver 4. " Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains, 
 and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to 
 the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are for- 
 saken." He mentioned the "mountains of Israel" 
 before, and " the ancient high places;" here he adds 
 " hills, rivers, valleys, wastes, cities," to show that he 
 would vindicate the whole land from the possession 
 of the nations, who did so greatly vilify his church 
 and people. 
 
 " Which became a prey and derision to the residue 
 of the heathen." The heathen did not only spoil 
 and make a prey of Judea, but also deride the Jews, 
 they scoffed at those that were left, and those that 
 were carried away. The word for " derision" is, 
 jyS which notes deriding with scorn and contempt ; 
 and therefore by the Septuagint is rendered, raran-a- 
 Ti(fia, a trampling under feet, they derided them as 
 worthy to be trodden under feet. 
 
 Ver. 5. "Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I 
 spoken against the residue of the heathtn," &c. The 
 Hebrew for "surely" is, sS-DS which implies an oath ; 
 Unless I have spoken in the fire of my jealousy, let 
 me not be God, let me never be believed. To speak 
 in the fire of jealousy, is a hebraism ; saith Pintus, 
 it notes hot displeasure : Psal. Ixxix. 5, " Shall thy 
 jealousy bum like fire ?" Here the Lord's jealousy 
 was on fire ; he was not only angry with the heathen, 
 but in a fiery jealousy, fur jealousy is more than 
 anger, Deut. xxix. 20. Men in their jealousy are 
 extremely moved, and carried out with heat and 
 fury to be revenged on those they apprehend have 
 done them wrong ; and so God, after the manner of 
 men, is said to speak in the fire of his jealousy against 
 the heathens, who had wrongcdhim, his people, and 
 the land. 
 
 " Which have appointed my land into their pos- 
 session." Judea, saith God, was my land, I dwelt 
 there, and set up my worship there,! gave it my peojile 
 for a possession; and though at present they be 
 driven out for their sins, yet I keep it for them, and 
 2 z 2 
 
 none ought to meddle with, or challenge that land. 
 How is it then that the Edomites and heathens have 
 consulted and determined to take my land into their 
 possession ? they are resolved to rob me and my 
 people of our right, to swallow up our inheritance. 
 
 " With the joy of all their heart." Joy is a dila- 
 tation of the heart from apprehension of good : these 
 heathens apprehended it good that the Jews were 
 cut off and carried away, that hereupon the land 
 should be theirs ; this filled them with joy, and 
 made them attempt with all their hearts the posses- 
 sion of the land. 
 
 " With despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey." 
 The words in the Hebrew are thus, in contempt of 
 mind, for expulsion of it for a prey, so Montanus ; 
 BNttf signifies depopulation, as well as contempt: 
 they were very earnest and violent in depopulating 
 the land, that the seat of its expelled ones might be 
 for a prey ; Piscator saith, that its fields or suburbs 
 might be for spoil. The people being slain or car- 
 ried awav captive, the Edomites and others did with 
 malicious minds expose the land to the spoil of any. 
 
 Ver. 6. " Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy 
 and in my furj'." Here is an addition of fury to 
 jealousy. Fury is heat of anger, or severe anger; 
 fury is anger with vehemence ; when it is given to 
 Goil, it notes the severe, holy, and just indignation 
 of God. 
 
 " Because ye have borne the shame of the heathen." 
 The heathen have reproached you, poured scorn and 
 contempt upon you, made you the filth of the world ; 
 Zeph. ii. 8, 10, they so reproached them, that it 
 afTected God himself; and Jeremiah, Lam. v. 1, was 
 so i)ierced with the reproachings of the heathen, 
 that he complains, and cries out, " Remember, O 
 Lord, what is come upon us ; consider, and behold 
 our reproach." They jeered and scoffed at them for 
 their temple, worship, city, mountains, songs, yea, 
 for their God. Of bearing the shame of the heathen, 
 see chap, xxxiv. 29. 
 
 Ver. 7. " Therefore, thus saith the Lord God ; I 
 have lifted up mine hand." Lifting up the hand 
 was a geshire used by men in taking of oaths, as 
 Gen. xiv. 22, Abraham lifted up his hand unto the 
 Lord, that was, in swearing ; and this metaphorically 
 is applied unto God, who when he swears is said to 
 lift up his hand, so that swearing and lifting up the 
 hand are equivalent. Numb. xiv. 30, " Doubtless 
 ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I 
 sware to make you dwell therein." The Hebrew 
 for " I sware" is, I lifted up my hand. So then, 
 God's lifting up his hand here is, his swearing, that 
 he would make the nations bear their shame for re- 
 proaching his people. 
 
 " Surely the heathen that are about you, they 
 shall bear their shame." As sure as I am God, the 
 heathen which have made you a reproach, a proverb, 
 a taunt, and a curse, they shall be a reproach, a pro- 
 verb, a taunt, and a curse ; they have made you in- 
 famous, and they shall be infamous ; they have 
 covered, loaded you with shame, and they shall be 
 covered and loaded with shame. 
 
 06s. 1. God hath a special care of his church 
 when it is in an afflicted condition. The Jews were 
 dispossessed of their land, carried into captivity, 
 made infamous, and their land usurped by others ; 
 hereupon the Lord sends Ezekiel unto them, to pro- 
 phesy comfort unto them in the destruction of their 
 enemies : " Son of man, prophesy unto the moun- 
 tains of Israel, and say. Hear the word of the Lord." 
 He hath a terrible word for your enemies, a com- 
 fortable word for you ; threatenings for them, pro- 
 mises for you. Though men hated his people, yet 
 God himself pitied them ; though men swallowed
 
 708 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chaf. xxxvr. 
 
 up their habitation, yet God woiihl restore it to them 
 again. Jer. xxx. G — 10, " Wherefore do I see every 
 man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in tra- 
 vail, and all faces are turned into paleness ? Alas '. 
 for that day is great, so that none is like it : it is 
 even the time of Jacob's trouble ; but he shall be 
 saved out of it. For it shall come to pass in that 
 day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will break liis 
 yoke from oil' thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, 
 and strangers shall no more serve themselves of 
 liim : but they shall serve the Lord their God, and 
 David their kin^, whom I will raise up unto them. 
 Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith 
 the Lord ; neitlier be dismayed, O Israel : for, lo, I 
 will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land 
 of tlieir captivity ; and Jacob shall return, and sliall 
 be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him 
 afraid." The church was in great affliction, like a 
 woman in travail ; and here the Lord showed his 
 goodness towards it, and s])ecial care over it; he 
 would break Babylonish yokes and bonds, set it at 
 liberty, restore it to the former, yea, a better con- 
 dition, viz. such privileges and security it never had. 
 
 Ohs. 2. When God's people are under affliction, 
 their enemies are glad thereof, and take advantage 
 to disgrace them, and make a prey of what was 
 theirs. The Israelites suffered hard things by the 
 Babylonians ; upon this the enenues cried, " Aha," 
 they were ghid at the heart, they talked their plea- 
 sures of them, and made them the infamy of the 
 people ; they swallowed them up on every side, and 
 said. The mountains of Israel are ours, and we will 
 jiossess the ancient high places. When Zion goes 
 down, Babylon rejoices, the heathens disgrace and 
 devour it, adding affliction to the afflicted ; see Zepti. 
 ii. 8 ; Chad. 10-— 14. All the enemies which heard of 
 Zion's trouble were glad. Lam. i. 21 ; they reproached 
 Zionandherchildren, chap.ii. 15, lli, and said, "They 
 shall no more sojourn there," chap. iv. 15; Judea 
 shall never be repossessed by them, it shall be ours. 
 
 Obs. 3. That rejoicing at the sufferings of God's 
 people, disgracing and wronging of them, doth 
 greatly offend the Lord. " Because the enemy cried, 
 Aha," defamed the Jews, arrogated the land for their 
 possession, therefore the Lord spake against them 
 in the fire of his jealousy, and in his fury ; he was 
 exceedingly wroth, and would deal severely with 
 them ; it went to his heart, and inflamed his spirit, 
 that his people who w'ere so dear unto him, should 
 be derided, despitefuUy used, what was theirs made 
 a prey of, and that by heathens. Jer. 1. 1 1, 12, " Be- 
 cause ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye de- 
 stroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat 
 as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls ; your 
 mother shall be sore confounded;" that is, the'eity 
 Babylon, or the land of Chaldea, or both ; because 
 the Babylonians had dealt so by the people of God 
 and their land, God would not only confound them, 
 but sorely confound them. 
 
 Ob.i. 4. Those that make the people of God infa- 
 mous, shall themselves be made infamous. The 
 nations made the Jews the infamy of the people, they 
 loaded them with reproaches and shame : and God 
 swears, " Surely the heathen shall bear their shame." 
 Do you mock and hiss at my people P ye shall be 
 mocked and hissed at. In Lam. ii. 15, 16, you have 
 thecarriage of all towards Jerusalem ; they clapped 
 their hands, tliey liissed, they wagged their heads, 
 they opened their moutlis, and gnashed their teeth, 
 and said, " Is this tlie city men c;dl Tlie jierfection 
 of beauty ? we have swallowed her up ; tliis is the 
 day we have looked for." In other places you may 
 observe how God ndurncd their revilings upon their 
 heads: Jer. xlix. I/, " Edom shall be a desolation; 
 
 every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and 
 shall hiss at all the plagues thereof." Nineveh was 
 proud and insulted, and God made her infamous ; all 
 that passed by hissed and wagged the hand at her, 
 Zejdi. ii. 15. Babylon liad the same measure; Jer. 
 Ii. 37. she was made " an hissing, without an in- 
 habitant ;" so chap. 1. 13; and Isaiah tells us the 
 insulting proverb which was used against the king 
 and city of Babylon when they were destroyed, Isa. 
 xiv. 4, " How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden 
 city ceased 1 " 
 
 Ver. 8—15. Su/ i/e, O moitntains of Israel, 
 ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield 
 your fruit to iny people of Israel ; for they are 
 at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, 
 and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled 
 and sown : and I will multiply men upon you, all 
 the house of Israel, even all of it : and the cities 
 shall be inhabited, and the wastes shall be budded: 
 and I will multiply upon you man and beast ; and 
 they shall increase and bring fruit : and I will 
 settle you after your old estates, and will do better 
 unto you than at your beginnings : atid ye shall 
 know that I am the Lord. Yea, I will catise men 
 to walk upon you, even my people Israel ; and 
 they shall possess thee, and thou shall be their in- 
 heritance, and thou shall no more henceforth be- 
 reave them of men. Thus saith the Lord God ; 
 Because they say unto you. Thou land devourest 
 up men, and hast bereaved thy nations ; therefore 
 thou shall devour men no more, neither bereave 
 thy nations any more, saith the Lord God. Nei- 
 ther tvill I cause men to hear in thee the shame 
 of the heathen any more, neither shall thou bear 
 the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt 
 thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the 
 Lord God. 
 
 These eight verses are the .second general part of 
 the chapter, containing rich promises of favour and 
 mercy unto tlie afflicted Jews; and they are, 
 
 I. Fruitfulness of their country, ver. 8. 
 
 II. Return into it, ibid. 
 
 III. God's turning unto them, ver. 9. 
 
 IV. Multiplication of men and beasts, ver. 10, 1 1. 
 
 V. Rebuilding of their cilirs, waste places, and 
 reinhabiting of them, ver. 10, 12. 
 
 VI. Settling them in abetter condition than ever, 
 ver. 11. 
 
 VII. Freedom, 
 
 1. From destruction, ver. 12 — 14. 
 
 2. From the reproachings of enemies, ver. 15. 
 Ver. 8. " But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall 
 
 shoot forth your branches." In the time of Jerusa- 
 lem's siege, the land of Israel was much wasted, the 
 fruitful and useful trees cut down ; and during the 
 captivity, it was overrun with briers and thorns, Isa. 
 V. ti ; xxxii. 13; yea, all the land was so, chap. vii. 
 24. But here God's promise is, that the mountains 
 of Israel should be fruitful, they should shoot forth 
 their branches ; vines and other trees full of branches 
 should be plaided there, and thrive. 
 
 " And yield your fruit to my people of Israel." 
 Strangers shall not eat your fruit, as heretofore, but 
 my people shall have the benefit thereof. Israelites 
 shall eat your fruit, not Edomites or Babylonians. 
 
 " For they are at hand to come." Here is the 
 reason given why the mountains and land of Canaan 
 should bring forth and yield increase; it was be- 
 cause the time drew near of the Jews returning out
 
 Ver. 8—15. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 ro9 
 
 of captivity. In the creation God did bid the earth 
 bring forth, prepared a Paradise for man, and then 
 brought man into it ; so here he takes care that the 
 mountains and countries should bring forth, for that 
 his people were to come into it. Tlie Chaldee hath 
 it, the day of redemption shall come ; and the Sep- 
 tuagint, on iXniiujut Tov i\0i'iv. Seventy years was but 
 a little time unto God, some part of which was ex- 
 pired, and the time hastened for their deliverance. 
 
 Ver. U. " Fur, behold, I am for you, and 1 w ill turn 
 unto you." God had formerly been against them, 
 as appears, Ezek. v. 8 ; xxi. 3 ; xv. 7 ; and they had 
 found it so, being driven out of their own land into 
 Babylon, where God tells them to their comfort. 
 Behold, I am for yon, and for the mountains of Is- 
 rael which have been laid waste ; I will turn unto 
 you, and look upon you in mercy. 
 
 " Ye shall be tilled and sown." Where bushes, 
 nettles, and briers grew before, there should be 
 ploughing, sowing, and corn in abundance. 
 
 Ver. 10. " And i will multiply men upon you," <S;c. 
 This verse and the next further sets out the eflect 
 of God's turning to the mountains ; they should 
 abound with men and beasts, the whole land should 
 be possessed, the waste places builded, and the cities 
 inhabited, and both men and beast should be fruitful. 
 
 " All the house of Israel, even all of it." When 
 this was fulfilled doth not appear : few of the ten 
 tribes returned, and not all of the other two. 
 
 Ver. 11. "I will settle you after your old estates." 
 The Hebrew is, I will make you to dwell according 
 to your antiquities, as you dwelt in Joshua's time, or 
 as you were settled before your captivity ; then you 
 had peace, plenty, and many accommodations, which 
 you shall have again, and more ; for it follows, 
 
 " And will do better unto you than at your begin- 
 nings." (iod had done great things for them for- 
 merly ; they abounded so in riches, stately build- 
 ings, wise, holy, and strong men, in famous victories, 
 and in plenty of all good things, that they exceeded 
 all people ; yet God promises here to do better unto 
 them than at the beginning. When this was made 
 good is greatly questioned. Some answer it thus, 
 That when they first came into Canaan, they were 
 low, poor, and not in a capacity to build a temple ; 
 but wlien they returned out of Babylon, they went 
 about and built a temple : but this temple exceeded 
 not the former temple in greatness, richness, cere- 
 mony, sanctity, multitude of priests or prophets, 
 Ezra iii. 12. Others say. That after their return 
 from their captivity their bounds were more en- 
 larged than ever before ; which they clear from Isa. 
 xlix. 19, 20; Zech. ii. 8, 9; and 'therein God did 
 better unto them than at the beginning. Others re- 
 fer this promise to Christ's time, wherein they had 
 choicer mercies than ever, viz. the presence, doc- 
 trine, and miracles of Christ, which made the glory 
 of the latter temple greater than the former ; ac- 
 cording to what Haggai had said, chap. ii. 9. But 
 how it we could not assign a time of God's doing 
 better unto them than at the beginning ? that is 
 human weakness ; God is faithful, and what he 
 snith he doth accomplish ; it was so. 
 
 Ver. 12. "And thou shalt no more henceforth be- 
 reave them of men." He speaks of the land of Ca- 
 naan, which the Jews should possess, inherit, and 
 not be dejirivcd of, that is, not for a long time. The 
 words " no more," must not signify for ever, because 
 the Jews were after a long time deprived of their 
 land by the Romans. 
 
 Ver. 13. " They say unto you, Thou land devourest 
 up men, and hast bereaved thy nations." This was 
 a charge laid upon Canaan, that she devoured men, 
 that she was destructive to her own children : she 
 
 was not so called because of her fruitfulness, which 
 caused men to surfeit and so die ; but either in re- 
 gard of the civil wars which were amongst the hea- 
 thens when they possessed it, which made the spies 
 (Numb. xiii. 32) say, "It is a land that eateth up 
 the inhabitants thereof;" or because that when the 
 Jews possessed it, the nations round about hating 
 them made incursions upon them often, and so de- 
 stroyed multitudes of the inhabitants ; and when 
 they besieged any place of note, as Samaria and 
 Jerusalem, the plague and famine consumed many. 
 The famine was so sore, that women ate their own 
 children, 2 Kings vi. 28, 29; Lam. iv. 10; fathers 
 ate their sons, and sons their fathers, Ezek. v. 10. 
 And as it vomited out the heathens before, (Lev. 
 xviii. 25, 28,) so it served the ten tribes and other 
 tw'o afterwards. 
 
 Ver. 14. " Therefore thou shalt devour men no 
 more, neither bereave thy nations any more." Here 
 God promiseth to take away that imputation, and to 
 put them into such a condition as that they should 
 for a long season be free from sword, famine, plague, 
 and such sh-aits as caused consumption of men. The 
 words " bereave thy nations any more," are, in He- 
 brew, nor cause thy nations to fall any more ; they 
 fell by several judgments, but now God being turned 
 unto them, would maintain them in peace, honour, 
 and safety. 
 
 Ver. 15. "Neither will I cause men to hear in 
 thee the shame of the heathen any more." They 
 had ofttimes been reproached by the heathen, and 
 borne their shame, ver. 6 ; but now God in his wise 
 providence would order things so, that heathens 
 should not revile them, but speak honourably of 
 them, as Psal. cxxvi. 2, the heathen said, " The Lord 
 hath done great things for them." 
 
 " Neither sliall thou bear the reproach of the hea- 
 then any more." They reproached one another ; 
 the people mocked at the prophets, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 
 16 ; Jer. xx. 7, and children behaved themselves 
 proudly and basely against the ancient and the 
 honourable, Isa. iii. 5 ; but God would take away 
 this evil from them, and cause them to speak well 
 one of another. 
 
 " Neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any 
 more." The Hebrew is, thy nations ; thou shalt not 
 expose thy people to ruin and destructiou, by famine, 
 plague, or war. The sense of the whole verse is, 
 that God would turn those evils and curses they en- 
 dured formerly into blessings. 
 
 Obs: 1. When God pours out contempt and shame 
 upon the enemies of his people, he will pour out 
 blessings and mercies upon them. The heathens 
 shall bear their shame, but ye, mountains of Israel, 
 shall shoot forth your branches ; and ye shall have 
 the foiTner and latter rains, and bring forth in abun- 
 dance. Canaan was God's land, and he had a special 
 eye to that, and would honour it, when he stained 
 the glory of other nations. 
 
 Obs: 2. The fruitfulness of mountains and lands 
 depends upon God ; he makes them so at his pleasure, 
 by his command and blessing. " O mountains of 
 Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield 
 your fruit." Men's wickedness moves God to make 
 lands barren and desolate, Jer. xii. 4; but it is his 
 good pleasure and free gi'ace that moves him to 
 make a land fruitful; Acts xiv. 17, rain and fruitful 
 seasons are the gift of God. 
 
 Ubs. 3. God is provident for his people when he 
 removes them from place to place, he w ill not have 
 them to come into empty places. The mountains 
 must shoot forth their branches, and the laud 
 yield her fruit; for the Jews were at hand to come. 
 When Jacob went down to Egypt, with his family,
 
 !0 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. XXXVI. 
 
 G(i<l provided the best of the hind for them, (len. 
 xlvii. Wlien the Jews eame first to C'Mn.ian, it Unw- 
 ed with milk and honey, it abounded with all good 
 things needful for them. 
 
 06.V. 4. When God is reconeiled to a people, then 
 he multiplies blessings upon them, then he makes 
 their hind bring forth, and themselves and their eat- 
 tle to iiierease. " I am for you, and will turn unto 
 you, and ye shall be tilled and sown ; I will multiply 
 upon you man and beast, and they shall iiiereasi' and 
 bring forth fruit." God's favour hath all blessings 
 in tlie womb of it, and upon what land or people 
 soever that falls, it will make them fruitful ; when 
 God is for a [leoiile, then he comes unto them as the 
 rain, as the former and latter rain, Hos. vi. 3 ; he 
 hath various and seasonable blessings for them. 
 Zciih. iii. 20, " At that time will I bring you again, 
 even in the time that I gather you: for I will make 
 you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, 
 when I turn back your captivity before your eyes." 
 When God turned back their captivity he was for 
 them, and turned unto them, they had his favour, 
 and then he would bestow such blessings upon them 
 as would make them renowned among all people ; 
 see Jer. xxxi. 10 — 14. 
 
 Obs. 5. God's dealings with his people are best at 
 last; they may have much kindness and mercy in 
 the morning, but they shall have more in the even- 
 ing. " I will settle you after your old estates, and 
 will do better unto you than at your beginnings." 
 The Jews had the best wine at last ; they had milk 
 and honey before, but the feast of fat things full of 
 marrow, and of wines on the lees well refined, were 
 at the latter end of their day given in ; they had 
 Christ and the gospel at last. Abraham bad much 
 of the world at first, and his Isaac afterward. Job 
 xlii. 12, " God blessed the latter end of Job more 
 than his beginning." Simeon in his latter days saw 
 Christ, and had him in his arms, Luke ii. 
 
 Obs. (). Wicked men do turn the judgments of 
 God upon his land and people into a reproach unto 
 them. Because God for the sins of his people laid 
 the land waste, and cut them ofT by sore judgments, 
 or removed them into captivity, tlierefore the hea- 
 tliens reproached Canaan, and said, " Thou land de- 
 vourest men, and hast bereaved thy nations." They 
 called Plmmanuel's land a cursed and bloody land, 
 tliat did eat up her own children ; this was a great 
 reproach to heaven and earth. God's judgments 
 should have caused fear, and taught them to have 
 learned righteousness ; for if God sjiared not the 
 green tree, what will become of the dry trees ? 
 
 Ubs. 7- Such is the goodness of God, that he takes 
 occasion from the wickedness of his people's ene- 
 mies, to do his people good. Because the heathens 
 said, " Thou laud devourest up men, and hast be- 
 reaved thy nations," because they reproached the 
 Jews and their land thus, therefore saith tiod, '• Thou 
 shaltdevour men no more, neither bereave thy nations 
 any more;" I will bless thee with peace, plenty, and 
 safety ; there shall be no wars, no famines, no ]ilagues, 
 nor other judgments to devourthe people of the land. 
 
 Obs. 8. God in his time takes away the evils that 
 are ujion his people, and turns them into blessings. 
 " Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame 
 of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the 
 reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou 
 cause thy nations to fall any more:" these evils will 
 I take away from thee, and not only so, but I will 
 bring in the contrary blessings ; instead of shame 
 and reproach, thou shalt have honour, praise, and 
 renown ; instead of destroying thy peojile and nalions, 
 thou shalt miilliply thy jieople, and have nations to 
 serve thee, Isa. Ix. 12—14. 
 
 Ver. IG — 20. 3Iorenvcr the word of tlw Lord 
 came tnifo me, sai/ing. Son of man, when the house 
 of Israel dieelt in t/ieir own land, ther/ defiled it 
 hij their own way and bi/ their doiyigs : their way 
 was before me as the tinc/eanness of a reynoved 
 wotnan. Wherefore I poured my fury upon 
 them for the blood that they had shed vpon the 
 land, and foj their idols wherewith they hud pol- 
 luted it : and I scattered them amo7ig the heathen, 
 and they were dispersed through the countries : 
 according to their way and according to their 
 doings I judged them. And when they entered 
 unto the heathen, whither they went, they piofuned 
 ^iiy holy nanie, when they said to tliem. These are 
 the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out 
 if Ills land. 
 
 Men being apt to make perverse constructions of 
 the judgments of God, and to censure his ways to be 
 unequal; here he gives account of his proceedings 
 towards his people, and shows the true grounds and 
 causes why he drove them out of their country; 
 which are set down, 
 
 I. In general, ver. 17, amplified by a similitude. 
 
 II. In particular, ver. \H, blood and idolatry, 
 which are repeated in general terms, ver. 19. 
 
 III. After these he shows what their carriage was 
 in their enemies' land, ver. 20. 
 
 Ver. Ki. " Moreover the word of the Lord came 
 unto me, saying." The jirophet having declared 
 God's jealousy and fury against the enemies of his 
 people, comforted them being in captivity with many 
 choice promises: here he is coniniissioned by the 
 Lord to speak out the causes which moved God to 
 cast them into that condition. 
 
 Ver. 17. " When the house of Isracd dwelt in their 
 own land." By " house of Israel," understand not 
 the two or ten tribes, but the whole twelve tribes 
 who ])Ossessed Canaan, which is called " their own 
 land," because promised and given unto them by 
 (iod for their inheritance, Psal. cv. 10, II. 
 
 " They defiled it by their own way and by their 
 doings." The Hebrew is, in their own ways, and 
 in their own doings; they followed tluir own de- 
 vices, inventions, desires, customs, manners; they 
 did what was right in their own eyes, and so defiled 
 the land. 
 
 " Their way was before me as the uncleanness of 
 a removed woman." Their way was very loathsome 
 before the Lord, he greatly abhorred their manners 
 and practices. 
 
 Ver. 18. " W^hc refore I jiourcd my fury upon 
 them." They had committed heinous sins, and con- 
 tinued long in them without repenlanee ; this is evi- 
 dent from the Loi'd's " fury." He is not in Airy for 
 small sins, nor presently furious for great sins ; hut 
 when men go on from day to day in them, his anger 
 grows hotter and hotter, and at last risi Ih up into 
 fury : and this being increased, the Lord would not 
 let it out in petty judgments, as it were drop by 
 dro|i, but pour it out in greater judgments, like as 
 the sea pours out water when a breach is in the 
 banks, it pours out water with violence, and drowns 
 up all the adjacent country. 
 
 " For the blood that they had shed u])on the land." 
 They shed the blood of the prophets, 2 C'hron. xxiv. 
 21 ; Matt, xxiii.37 ; of innocent ones, 2 Kings xxi. 
 Hi. They had unjust and unnatural wars, 2 Chron. 
 xxviii. !) ; and so shed blood in abundance, Ezek. vii. 
 2.'i. They jioured out blood ii|ion the land, anil God 
 poured out fury upon them ; it is the same word in 
 the Hebrew for shedding and pouring out.
 
 Vtii. 16—20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF E'ZEKIEL. 
 
 T\\ 
 
 " And for tluir i.lcils wlu'ri'U illi llii'V liail \u>IIiilf.l 
 it." Tlu'v liiul iiiiiny idols, llii? hiiul Wiis full nf 
 them, Lsii. ii. 8; wliioli they worsliiiniiii^' diMilod llu' 
 land. The wnnl for " idols " is, c'^i'^J which Junius 
 rcndiTS, diini;liill ),'i)ds ; and I'iscatoi', dimnlulls, for 
 that no iliiiighill doth so ilolile n land as idols and 
 idolatry; hcMioe idols are called " aboniinalions," 
 Jer. xxxii. 34; "shames," lios. ix. 10; "devils," 
 Dent, xxxii. 17. 
 
 Ver. 19. " And I scattered iIu'Mi anion^' llu' 
 lieatlien." They had leanu'<l tlu' maimers of the 
 lie.ilhen, fjot their idids, and served iheni ; and for il 
 (iod " scattered Ihcm aniont; tlie healheu ;" Ihi'y had 
 heathenisli spirits, chosen healhenish gods, and so 
 deserved to he driven into heathenish eoantries. 
 
 " And (hey were dispersed thronj^h the countries.'' 
 Tile llelirew word for disperse is, ,T\i which sij;- 
 nilies to disperse by I'aiminL;: (iod had fainied Ihem 
 out of their own laud, and disiierscd them as chalV 
 before the wind into divers lands ; they went from 
 country to country, yea, throufjli whole countries 
 into C'halden. 
 
 "According to their way and according to their 
 doings 1 judged them." Klen niiglit wonder God 
 should deal so with his people, as to ])our out 
 his fury upon them, drive them onl of their own 
 land, and disperse them amongst he.-ilhens, who were 
 his and tluir enemies ; this nught carry a face of 
 cruelty : but the Lord clears liimsi It', and shows tlie 
 erpiily of his proceedings. " I jn<lged them," that is, 
 I dealt with or punished them according to Iheiv 
 ways and doings ; had they not desiTVed such hard 
 things at my hands, 1 sliouldnol have executed them. 
 Tliey drove nie out of my sanctuary, and far from it, 
 Kzek. viii. (1; they cast me oil", .ler. ii. I.'!; and is it 
 not e(iual that 1 should drive them out of my land, 
 and cast (hem into foreign lands ? Let all the 
 world judge. 
 
 Ver. 20. " And when they entered unto the heathen 
 whither tliey went, they profaned my lioly name." 
 ^Vhen tlie Jews came amongst the heallien, they 
 profaned his ludy name : which is done two ways ; 
 either ybn««/(/t7-, when men's own words or actions 
 arc i)rofanc, prostituting the name of (iod to dishon- 
 our ; or occaiioiialilvi; when occasion is given to 
 others by (heir W(n'ds and actions, to profane the 
 holy name of God; as David by his sinful action 
 willi Bathsheba, gave occasion to the enemies of (iod 
 to blas))henie, 2 Sam. xii. 14. And this was the case 
 here: for (he Babylonians said, 
 
 " These are the people of the Lord, and are gone 
 forth out of his land." Tlu' Jews being under sad 
 judgments ofCiod, should have learned righteousness ; 
 but they being neidu r alVected with the honour of 
 God, care of their salvation, nor with fear ofcdl'end- 
 ing the heathens, persevered in thi ir wicked ways 
 and ididatrous practices, Ezek. xx. .'J'2; wliereu|ion 
 the heathens said, "These are (he ])eople of the 
 Lord." They boast of their (iod to be a hcdy, onnii- 
 potent, and faithful (iod, but you may know what 
 their fiod is by their unholy practices : had he been 
 omnipotent, as they say, he would have kept them 
 out of our hands; but he could not, whi(di shows our 
 gods are stnmger than he; in- if he coidd, he would 
 not: he was not faithful unto his people, as our gods 
 are unto us, " Ihcy are gone forth out of his land," 
 whereas we abide in ours; had their (iod been such 
 as ours are, he wouhl have jirotected them, and pre- 
 vented their casting out of his land. 
 
 Ohs. \. The wicked ways of men, especially those 
 of blood and ididatry, are loathsome unto (iod. 
 " Tin ir way was lnfore me as the nneleanness of a 
 removed woman ;" that is, extreme loathsome. All 
 sin is defiling, and so loathsome, abominable unto | 
 
 God, who is holy, ye;\, holiness itself; but nuniU r 
 nuil idolatry are most hateful, and most lo.'ithsomc 
 unto hiui ; I'sal. v. (i. (he bloody man is abhorred of 
 (iod: and he lets him not live out half his davs, 
 I'sal. Iv.'i.!; and, Jer. xliv. 4, the Lord calls ido'la- 
 try, an aboniinahle thing which he hales; he hates 
 and loathes it iuliniti'ly. 
 
 (Ibx. 2. Mm by (heir own sinful doings, do bring 
 evils, mischief, and destruciion upon (hemselves. 
 " W hen the house of lsr;iel dwelt in their own land, 
 they defiled it by their own way and by their do- 
 ings; wherefore 1 poured my fury upon (hem." 
 Had (hey not sinned, nor walked in evil ways, they 
 hail not met with fury ; but because their ways were 
 wicked, bloody, and idolatrous, (herefore they had 
 fury, ;ind hiry poured out abundantly, (heir own evil 
 doings bronghi destruction upon them. I'rov. xi. ,'), 
 "The wicked shall fall by his own wickedness." 
 Jer. ii. l!l, "Thine own wickedness shall correct 
 thee." Jerusalem's own sin was her ruin. And 
 D;ivid tells ns how God will deal with wicki'd men, 
 I'sal. xciv. 'Si, " He shall bring upon them (heir own 
 iuiipii(y, and shall cut tlu'iii oil in their own wicked- 
 ness." It is ill work wicked ones are about, (hey 
 make fetters fen- their own feet, and build houses for 
 (x) fall upon their own heads; so mischievous is (he 
 na(ure id' sin, that it damnifies and destroys the 
 parents of i(. 
 
 Oliw .'J. \\'ha( judgments soever God brings upon 
 sinners, he is just and righteous in so doing. God 
 poured fury upon them, lie drove (hem out of their 
 own country, he scattered (hem up and down among 
 heathens, whose language they umlerstood not, w iio 
 Were bitter and harsh towards them ; and all (his 
 was not more, no, not so much as their sins lU'served : 
 " According (o their way and (heir doings, 1 judged 
 (hem," sailli the Lord; I did them no wrong, they 
 hail not any cause to comjilain of me, (he fault was 
 their own. AVhalever God's proceedings are with 
 any nation, family, or person, he is righleons; for, 
 I'sal. exlv. I/, "The Lord is righteous in all his 
 ways, and holy ill all his works;" (here is no spot 
 cleaves to his hand, or any aelion (hereof. 
 
 Oi.v. 4. It is a grievous, jirovoking thing, when 
 God's people, who profess (lis truth and worship, 
 give occasion to the enemies (hereof to blasiiheiiui 
 and sjx'ak reproaehfiilly. The Jews being among 
 the Biibyloniaus spake and did such (hings as gave 
 occasion to blaspheme; "When they entered unto 
 the heathen, flu y profaned my holy nauie." This 
 was a great grief and provocation of (iod, that his 
 peo]ile being afllicled for (heir sins, yet should carry 
 it so sinfully as to give them ail\an(:ige of dishonour- 
 ing (iod, his (rudis, w'orship, and servants. Isa. lii. 
 .'), (iod complains that his name was blas|diemed 
 continually every d;iy. The Babylonians watched 
 the Jews, and caught all advantages to ]irofane tliu 
 name of the Lord; this was their daily language, 
 " These are the people of the Lord, and are gouu 
 forth out of his land;" he could not, or would not, 
 keeji them out of our hands; be is a weak, unfaith- 
 ful, nulioly (iod, and his iieoplc are like unto him. 
 When David gave occasion to the enemies of the 
 Lord to lilaspheme, it brought forth sail efl'eets, or 
 rather had sad eonsei)nenees, the diatli of the child, 
 and swind at his door fiu' ever, 2 Sam. xii. Those 
 therefore who jirofess the true religion, should bo 
 exceeding earef^iil, wherever they be come, that they 
 walk ausv\'erable to the religion they profess, that 
 they avoid all sin, and do good, that so the name of 
 (iod may be glorified, and not profaned or blas- 
 lihemed. 
 
 Oi.v. 5. Heathens and heathenish sjiirits are glad 
 of occasions and advantages against the true God,
 
 712 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVI. 
 
 his ways, and people. The Babylonians said, " These 
 are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out 
 of his land." They were glad they had matter to 
 insult and blaspheme : What is your God better than 
 ours ? ye do the things we do ; and what is his land 
 betti r than this land ? have not we corn, wine, and 
 oil, milk and honey, as well and as much as you had 
 in that land ? Why is Canaan so cried up, and Je- 
 rusalem so magnified? our Assyria and our city 
 Babylon are as good, as excellent as they, yea, far 
 beyond them. 
 
 Ver. 21 — 24. But I had pity for mine holy 
 name, ti-hich the house of Israel had profaned 
 among the heatheii, whither they went. There- 
 fore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the 
 Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house 
 of Israel, but for mine holy Jiame's sake, which 
 ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye 
 went. And I will sanctify my great name, which 
 ivas profaned among the heathen, which ye have 
 profaned in the midst of them ; and the heathen 
 shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord 
 God, when I shall he sanctified in you before their 
 eyes. For I will take you from among the hea- 
 then, and gather you out of all countries, and 
 will bring you into yoxir own land. 
 
 These verses contain the ground of the Jews' re- 
 storation, which is the fourth general part of the 
 cha])ter : they being in captivity, and sinning there 
 greatly, they caused the name of God to be profaned 
 by the heathens ; and so, deserving nothing but con- 
 fusion, he pitied them, and for his name's sake de- 
 livered thera ; which name of God is set out by two 
 adjuncts, or epithets : 
 
 I. Holy. 
 
 II. Great. 
 
 Ver. 21. "But I had pity for mine holy name." 
 The Hebrew is, And 1 spared upon the name of my 
 holiness ; that is, I spared them upon the account of 
 my holy name ; I would not suffer that to be pro- 
 faned so by the heathen, and therefore did deliver 
 them. The Septuagiut isj 1 spared them for my 
 holy name's sake ; I had a tender respect unto my 
 name, which being holy, I would not suffer to lie 
 under heathenish obloquies. 
 
 " Which the house of Israel had profaned among 
 the heathen, whither they went." God is styled in 
 Scripture, "The Holy One of Jacob," Isa. xxix. 23; 
 "The Holy One of Israel," Psal. Ixxviii. 41 ; " The 
 Holy One," Isa. xl. 25. And the Jews, above all 
 nations and people in the world, should have had a 
 special care of the name of their God, that the holi- 
 ness thereof mii^ht have been maintained ; but they 
 forgat God in Babylon, did wickedly, and so gave 
 occasion to the heathens to blaspheme his holy 
 name. 
 
 Ver. 22. " I do not this for your sakes, house of 
 Israel." They deserved not such a mercy at the 
 hands of God, as reduction out of Babylon into Ca- 
 naan ; they were defded with blood and idolatry, 
 which moved God to cast them out of their land, 
 and scatter them among the heathen, but they did 
 nothing to incline God to show them the least fa- 
 vour; had they had according to their deserts, they 
 should never have been set at liberty, but have pe- 
 rished utterly in their cajjtivity. They might think, 
 because they were circumcised, came of David, 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and were the only peo- 
 ple God had in the world, that therefore God would 
 do much for their sakes ; but to take them off from 
 
 such conceits, the Lord makes open profession, that 
 what he was about to do was not for their sakes. 
 
 " But for mine holy name's sake." God's name 
 is sometimes put for himself; as Psal. xxxiii. 21, 
 " We have trusted in his holy name," that is, in 
 God himself. Sometimes it is put for his power; 
 Prov. xviii. 10, " The name of the Lord is a strong 
 tower," that is, his omnipotence is such a tower. 
 Sometimes it is put for the attributes and divine per- 
 fections of God ; Psal. viii. 1, " O Lord, how excel- 
 lent is thy name in all the earth .'" that is, how ex- 
 cellent are thine attributes ! Sometimes it is put 
 for the fame and glory of God ; as 2 Sam. vii. 23, 
 " To make him a name," that was, to make him- 
 self famous and glorious. The two last may be un- 
 derstood here by " name :" the heathens said, God 
 was not wise, not faithful, not omnipotent, that 
 would let his people go into captivity, and become 
 servants unto us ; yea, it is evident by his people's 
 doings what a God he is ; they are an unholy peff 
 pie, and he is an unholy God ; and so his fame and 
 glory were eclipsed : therefore saith God, For mine 
 holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among 
 the heathen, I will vindicate my name, and make 
 heathens know, and you know, that I am a wise, a 
 faithful, an almighty, and holy God. 
 
 Ver. 23. " And I will sanctify my great name." 
 I will vindicate my name from all aspersions laid 
 upon it, and make it known to heathens, and to you, 
 O house of Israel, by punishing them for their idol- 
 atry and other wickednesses, and by bringing you 
 out of captivity, that I am a God of power, wisdom, 
 faithfulness, and holiness. God sanctifies his name 
 when he clears it from disgrace and reproach cast 
 thereupon, and makes it appear as it is in itself, 
 glorious and holy. God's name hath many epithets 
 given unto it in the word ; it is said to be glorious, 
 Psal. Ixxii. 19, excellent, Psal. cxlviii. 13, dreadful, 
 Mai. i. 14, holy, ver. 21 of this chapter; and here, 
 great. God hath done great and wonderful things 
 in the world, whereupon he hath a great name, not 
 only in Israel, Psal. Ixxvi. 1, but all the world over, 
 Psal. viii. 9. Many men have had great names, 
 yet nothing comparable to the name of the Lord. 
 
 " Which was profaned among the heathen, which 
 ye have profaned in the midst of them." The Jews 
 being under the Babylonish yoke for their sins, did 
 not humble themselves before God, repent and turn 
 from their wicked ways, that so God's name might 
 have been sanctified among the heathen ; but they 
 persisted in their wicked ways, and were worse than 
 the heathens among whom they were scattered, and 
 so occasioned the heathens to speak evil of their 
 God, their religion, and worship ; and not only so, 
 but themselves profaned God's name, they rejected 
 the God of Israel and his ways, saying, " We will 
 be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, 
 to serve wood and stone," Ezck. xx. 32. They made 
 the God of Israel like the heathen gods, and his 
 ways like theirs ; which was a great profanation of 
 him and his name. 
 
 " And the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, 
 saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in 
 you before their eyes." When the Lord shall mani- 
 fest his mercy towards them, and put forth his power 
 to bring them out of Babylon, then was he sanctified 
 in the midst of them, then he did vindicate his name 
 from .all aspersions, and made the Jews and Baby- 
 lonians know, that he was a holy, faithful, wise, 
 merciful, and an almighty God; he would make his 
 name honourable before them all, which had been 
 profaned. 
 
 Ver. 24. " For 1 will take you from among the 
 heathen." The heathen make full account you are
 
 Ver. 21—24. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 •13 
 
 theirs, that you shall never get out of their borders, 
 or return into your ovm land ; they think that their 
 idol gods are stronger than I, who am the God of 
 Israel ; but they shall find it otherwise, for I will 
 by a strong hand take you from among the heathen, 
 
 " And gather you out of all countries." They 
 were dispersed into divers countries, into the hun- 
 dred and twenty-seven provinces that were under 
 Ahasuerus his government, Esth. iii. 8 ; and it seemed 
 improbable that they should ever be gathered out of 
 so many countries ; but the Lord tells them for their 
 comfort, that he would gather them " out of all 
 countries ;" no distance of place, or difficulty in any 
 place, should impede his congregating of them. 
 
 " And will bring you into your own land." After 
 the seventy years of their captivity were expired, the 
 Lord set them at liberty, and brought them back to 
 the land of Canaan, their own land, because they in- 
 herited it from their fathers, unto whom the Lord 
 had given it. This was a glorious and great work, 
 viz. the bringing the Jews out of Babylon, and all 
 the countries where they were scattered, into Canaan ; 
 and did prefigure the salvation of the church by 
 Christ, and gathering of those that were his out of 
 all nations unto it, according to what is in John x. 
 16, and xi. 52. 
 
 Ob.i. 1. The name of the Lord is holy. His 
 essence, his will, his attributes, his works, his word, 
 are his name. All these set out God, make him 
 known, and so are his name, even the name of his 
 holiness, or " his holy name." There is no name 
 under heaven like unto the Lord's ; it is a holy 
 name, and so glorious ; a great name, and so dread- 
 ful. We should sanctify the name of God; which is 
 done by believing : Numb. xx. 12, when Moses 
 and Aaron did not believe God, they did not sanctify 
 his name ; but when men believe God's word, then 
 they sanctify his name. It is done also by fearing 
 to displease him, Isa. viii. 13; xxix. 23. It is done 
 also by acknowledging his name to be holy, Matt, 
 vi. 9, when men praise him. 
 
 06.S-. 2. The profaning of God's holy name, as it is 
 a trouble unto him, so it sticks and abides upon him. 
 Other provocations pass away, but this settles upon 
 his spirit. See here what hold it took ; ver. 20, 
 "They profaned mine holy name;" and ver. 21, 
 " The house of Israel profaned -mine holy name 
 among the heathen ;" ver. 22, " Mine holy name 
 which ye have profaned among the heathen." Thrice 
 the Lord mentions their profaning of his name ; yea, 
 in the next verse, as if he could not shake this act 
 of theirs out of his mind, he mentions it twice more, 
 " My name which was profaned, which ye have pro- 
 faned." God's name being holy is dear unto him, 
 and the profaning of it makes deep impressions in 
 his heart. 
 
 Obx. 3. Temporal mercies are not merited at God's 
 hands by men. " I do not this for your sakes, O 
 house of Israel." What was it God did not for their 
 sakes ? viz. deliver them from their Babylonish 
 bondage, and bring them into their own country ; 
 these were temporal mercies ; and though there were 
 godly men amongst them, as Ezekiel, Daniel, Mor- 
 decai, Ezra, Nehemiah, and others, yet with all their 
 prayers, fastings, suffering, and holiness, they did 
 not merit these outward mercies : liberty, safety, 
 plenty, possessions, are not the merit or purchase of 
 the creature, but the gift of God ; 1 Tim. vi. 17, he 
 " giveth us all things richly to enjoy." Have men 
 more or less of these outw'ard things, they are upon 
 free gift, not any desert ; and if we deserve not tem- 
 poral things, much less do or can we deserve spirit- 
 ual and eternal things, which are of a transcendent 
 nature : if we do not deserve an outward deliverance. 
 
 an earthly Canaan, how shall we deserve a spiritual 
 deliverance, a heavenly Canaan ? all things of that 
 nature are free gifts, Luke xii. 32 ; Rom. vi. 23. 
 
 Obs. 4. The good which God doth unto his church, 
 be it temporal or spiritual, is for his own sake. 
 What I do, (saith God,) I do it for mine holy name's 
 sake ; there is nothing to move me but mine 
 own name ; that is holy, great, and glorious, and I 
 will for my name's sake do much for my church and 
 people. That they were preserved in Babylon, was 
 for his holy name's sake ; that they were brought 
 out of Babylon, was for his holy name's sake ; that 
 they were replanted in Canaan, was for his holy 
 name's sake ; that they had a temple, sacrifices, 
 priests, prophets, ordinances again, was for his 
 name's sake ; when they were near to destruction 
 often in former days, God wrought for his name's 
 sake, Ezek. xx. ; so Isa. xlviii. 8, 9. It is not for the 
 enemies' sake that God doth preserve or deliver his 
 people ; nor for their sakes, their prayers, tears, 
 faith, obedience, holiness, that he doth great things 
 for them, bestow great mercies upon them ; but it is 
 for his own name's sake. For man's sake God 
 cursed the earth. Gen. viii. 21 ; but it is for his 
 name's sake that he blesseth it. The choicest mer- 
 cies God's people have, are for his name's sake : 
 they have pardon of sin for his name's sake, Psal. 
 XXV. 1 1 ; 1 John ii. 12 ; purging of sin for his name's 
 sake, Psal. Ixxix. 9 ; leading in the paths of right- 
 eousness for his name's sake, Psal. xxiii. 3 ; quicken- 
 ing of their dead and dull hearts for his name's sake, 
 Psal. cxliii. 11. Though his people much offend 
 him, yet he forsakes them not for his great name's 
 sake, 1 Sam. xii. 22. The Lord doth all freely and 
 for the honour of his name ; let us then say with the 
 prophet, whatever we have, " Not unto us, O Lord, 
 not unto us, but to thy name be the glory :" not unto 
 us, who are thy creatures, not unto us who are tools 
 in thy hand, but to thy name, which is the ground, 
 root, and spring of all our mercies, be the glory, all 
 the glory, and that everlastingly. 
 
 Obs. 5. God will not suffer his holy and great 
 name always to lie under aspersions and reproaches 
 of men. " I will sanctify my holy and great name, 
 which was profaned among the heathen, even in the 
 midst of them." He will vindicate his honour and 
 glory. Great men, when their names are blemished, 
 do stand upon it, and will vindicate them with much 
 cost and labour ; so God, w hen w'icked ones have 
 profaned his name, and darkened the glory thereof, 
 will stand upon it, and do that which shall clear his 
 name before all his enemies. Goliath for many 
 days defied the God of Israel, and the armies of 
 Israel ; but not long after the Lord vindicated his 
 holy and great name, by stirring up and strengthen- 
 ing of David to take off his head, 1 Sam. xvii. 45, 51. 
 Wnen the king of Assyria and Rabshakeh blas- 
 phemed the name of God, as they did, Isa. xxxvi. 
 xxxvii. did not the Lord quickly send an angel and 
 destroy their great army of one hundred fourscore 
 and five thousand, and so by this stroke of his made 
 his holy and great name glorious and dreadful ? 
 He will scatter the smoke and venomous vapours, 
 that ascend from the tongues and lives of profane 
 persons to hinder the beams of his glorious name 
 from shining, as the wind scatters clouds from be- 
 fore the sun ; and as by destruction of his enemies, 
 so by delivering of his servants. 
 
 Obs. 6. When God doth great things for his people, 
 and they honour his name for them, then very hea- 
 thens will be convinced, acknowledge God, and give 
 glory to his name. " The heathen shall know that 
 1 am the Lord, when I shall be sanctified in you," 
 that is, in your deliverance, "before their eyes;"'
 
 ■14 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVI. 
 
 then you will mngnify my name, and they will mag- 
 nify my name, which hath been profaned; then they 
 will see and say that I am another kind of God than 
 their idol gods are, that I am omnipotent, faithful, 
 holy, wise. Psal. cxxvi. 1, 2, when the Lord turned 
 the captivity of his people, as they said, " The Lord 
 hath d(me great things for us ;" so the heathens 
 said, " The Lord hath done great things for them :" 
 so much of God appeared in taking them out of 
 Babylon, that Jewish and Babylonish tongues were 
 constrained to speak out the power, truth, and good- 
 ness of God. 
 
 Obs. 7. Things difficult, and in the eye of man 
 impossible, are facile to and feasible by the power 
 of God. The Jews were among the heathens, who 
 by their laws, pow'er, and vigilancy kept them in 
 great bondage ; they were scattered into one hun- 
 dred twenty and seven provinces, Esth. viii. 5, with 
 chap. i. 1, and so it seemed impossible that these 
 should be drawn out and carried to Canaan, which 
 was so far off, especially for them who were seat- 
 ed near India ; but wliat saith the Lord to this ? '• I 
 will take you from among the Iieathen." He would 
 but put forth his hand and lay hold of them, saying, 
 Come, go with me, and it should be done ; he would 
 gather them out of all countries, as a hen gathers 
 her chickens that are dispersed up and down among 
 the bushes, trees, or weeds in an orchard ; and as he 
 carried them upon eagles' wings from Egypt to Ca- 
 naan, so would he bring them upon the same wings 
 from Babylon to Canaan. This work God is upon 
 in these days of Christ, he is bringing out of all na- 
 tions some unto Christ, and gathering them into 
 spiritual Canaan. 
 
 Ver. 25. TTien will I sprinkle clean water vpnn 
 you, and ye shall be clean : from all your filthi- 
 ness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 
 
 We are now come to the last general part of this 
 chapter ; which consists in the multiplication of pro- 
 mises, both spiritual and temporal, with the ground 
 of them. 
 
 I. The spiritual are, 
 
 1. Remission of sins, ver. 25, 29, 33. 
 
 2. Regeneration, ver. 26. 
 
 3. Sanetification, ver. 27. 
 
 4. Renovation of the covenant between God and 
 them, ver. 28. 
 
 5. Repentance, ver. 31. 
 II. The temporal are, 
 
 1. Repossession of their land, ver. 28. 
 
 2. Plentiful maintenance, ver. 29, 30. 
 
 3. Re-edifying of their cities and waste places, 
 ver. 33, 35. 
 
 4. Increase of men, ver. 37, 38. 
 
 The ground of all these sweet and great promises 
 is God's free "race, not man's desert, ver. 32. 
 
 " Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you." 
 When they were called and come ont of^ Babylon, 
 then would the Lord sprinkle clean water upon them. 
 The Jews by "water" mean the abundance of out- 
 ward things. Some others interpret it of the water 
 in baptism ; but neither doth abundance of outwards, 
 nor the water of baptism, cleanse from the pollution 
 of idols : for after their return from Babylon, Jason 
 sent money for the sacrifice of Hercules ;' he, Mene- 
 laus, and others, fell to the customs of the gentiles, 
 desired to be like them in all things, they set not by 
 the honour of their fathers, but liked the glory of 
 the gentiles best of all, 2 Mace. iv. And are not 
 many baptized ones amongst the papists and others 
 idolaters .' Some other sense of the word therefore 
 must we seek out. By " water," the blood of Christ 
 
 is intended, say the best expositors. Some make 
 grace the thing : but that is too general, unless we 
 limit it to the blood of Christ, which of grace is 
 given to wash sinners with. These words, " 1 will 
 sprinkle clean water upon you," have some allusion 
 \mto the waters mingled with the ashes of the red 
 cow-, which being sprinkled by a branch of hyssop 
 upon the unclean party, he was cleansed; and this 
 water was called the " water of separation," or 
 "purification for sin," Numb. xix. 9. The Septua- 
 gint calls it, the water of sprinkling ; and so the 18th 
 and 19th verses express it. This red cow figured out 
 Christ in his aftlietions and sufferings ; and the water 
 mingled with the ashes of it, the blood of Christ, 
 which from hence is called " The blood of sprinkling," 
 Heb. xii. 24. 
 
 The water they used in sprinkling was clean 
 water, running or spring water, free from aU filth ; 
 so the blood of Christ is pure, he was without sin, 
 any blemish, or spot ; his blood was precious and 
 pure, 1 Pet. i. 19 ; and here it is called " clean 
 water." 
 
 This sprinkling of clean water upon them, is the 
 application of the blood of Christ, by the Spirit of 
 God : as the priest was to take of the blood of the 
 red heifer with his finger, and to sprinkle it ; so 
 God by the hand and linger of his Spirit doth take 
 and sprinkle the blood of Christ, that is, apply the 
 fruit and benefit of it unto the hearts of men, 1 Cor. 
 vi. 11. 
 
 " And ye shall be clean." There are three things 
 among others which water serveth for, viz. to cool, 
 to nourish, to cleanse. \. It quencheth thirst caused 
 by heat, and so cools ; the like doth the blood of 
 Christ, being drunk by faith, John vii. 37. 2. It 
 nourisheth and causeth growth ; and Christ's blood 
 doth the same, John vi. 55. 3. It cleanseth, which 
 is the use of it here mentioned: water washeth away 
 the filth of garments, vessels, and persons ; so the 
 blood of Christ is a cleansing thing. Heb. ix. 13, 
 14, " If the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes 
 of an heifer ^sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to 
 the purifying of the tlesh : how much more shall 
 the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit 
 offered himself without spot to God, purge your 
 conscience from dead works to serve the living God ?" 
 The argument is a minori ad majus ; if the blood of 
 typical sacrifices could do that to the flesh for which 
 they were appointed, much more the blood of Christ, 
 the true sacrifice, will do that to the soul and con- 
 science for which it was appointed, viz. purge away 
 the guilt of sin ; otherwise the honour and efficacy 
 of the type should be greater than the honour and 
 efficacy of the substance ; which the apostle denies, 
 when he tells us types were shadows of good things 
 to come, Heb. x. 1. This cleansing is the remission 
 of their sins through the blood of Christ, or the jus- 
 tifying of their persons, so as they are before God 
 without spot, or fault. Col. i. 14; Rom. v. 9; Rev. 
 xiv. 5. When sins are forgiven, the persons are 
 clean in the sight of God. 
 
 " From all your filthiness, and ft-om all your idols, 
 will I cleanse you." They had state defilements 
 and temple defilements, family and personal filthi- 
 nesses, Zeph. iii. 3, 4 ; Micah iii. 9 — II ; Ezek. xxii. ; 
 Jer. vi. 13 ; vii. 9. Whatever their filthinesses were, 
 God would cleanse them ; and because idolatry is a 
 sin which exceedingly defiles, and provokes the 
 Lord to jealousy, Exod. xx. 5, to fury, ver. 18 of this 
 chapter, and they might apprehend there was no 
 mercy for them ; therefore the Lord mentions the 
 filthiness of idols, and tells them he will cleanse 
 them from that filthiness. It is not material water that 
 washes from the filth of idolatry, but spiritual water.
 
 Yer. 2G. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 715 
 
 Obs. 1. When it pleases God to gather his people 
 out of Babylon, and to bring them to Zion, then he 
 will nuiltiply mercies upon thera, and do for them 
 great things. 1 will gather you from among the 
 heathen, out of all countries, and brintf you into 
 your own land ; and then will I sprinkle you with 
 clean water, then will I give you a new heart, then 
 will I put my Spirit into you, then will I call for 
 the corn, and multiply the fruit of the tree and in- 
 crease sif the field. After great afiiictions, God be- 
 stows great kindnesses ; after sharp sufferings, he 
 gives solid comforts. Isa. liv. 7, " For a small moment 
 have I forsaken thee ; but with great mercies will 
 I gather thee :" c^nj D'i:ni3 When God gathers 
 his people out of Babylon, a state of confusion, that 
 is mercy i and when he brings them into Zion, to 
 behold tlie order, beauty, and glory thereof, that is 
 great mercy ; and God will not leave them there, but 
 go on with them, and heap great mercies still upon 
 them : see Isa. xlix. 18 — 23; Jer. xxxii. 37 — 41. 
 
 Obs. 2. Justification is a gracious act of God upon 
 a sinner. " 1 will sprinkle clean water upon you." 
 It is God's prerogative to forgive and blot out sins, 
 Mark ii. 7 ; Isa. xliii. 25 ; and this he doth freely, it is an 
 act of grace and mercy, Rom. iii. 24, " Being justified 
 freely by his grace." Now in this act nothing is done 
 in a sinner, there is no grace infused, no change made 
 in the heart by it, there are no x<'P"'/»<"'a therein, it 
 is upon a sinner: justifying grace is subjectively in 
 God, objectively on man; for it is a judicial act of 
 God, which puts nothing into the creature, Rom. iii. 
 22, it is " upon all of them that believe." 
 
 Obs. 3. The blood of Christ applied by the Spirit 
 of God, is efficacious to free sinners from the guilt 
 of their sins, and of all their sins, of what kind soever 
 they be. " 1 will sprinkle clean water upon you, 
 and ye shall be clean." Their sins were great, very 
 great ; they were guilly of blood, oppressing the 
 widow and fatherless, of idolatry, of deNpising and 
 profaning holy things, Ezek. xxii. 8, 26. They were 
 under the guilt of all crying and notorious sins, 
 chap. xvi. 47, worse than Sodom or Samaria ; than 
 the nations, chap. v. 7 ; yet the Lord would cleanse 
 them by the blood of Christ : there was virlue in 
 that to cleanse them from their old spots, from their 
 deep guilt, yea, from all their guilt, they should be 
 clean from all their filthinesses. As water washeth all 
 the filth out of a cloth, so doth the blood of Christ 
 all sin out of the soul : 1 John i. 7, " The blood of 
 Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin," the guilt of 
 our thoughts, words, acts, neglects ; there is no sin 
 defiles the conscience so, but the blood of Christ 
 will purge it away, Heb. ix. 14 ; i. 3. Christ's 
 blood is of great virtue, it purges away all sin, and 
 procures peace, Col. i. 20 ; so that " being justified 
 by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath," as it is 
 Rom. V. 9. 
 
 Obs. 4. All sin defiles and makes guilty before 
 God, yet some sins defile more than others, and 
 make more deeply guilty. God would cleanse them 
 from all their filthiness, from every sin that had 
 polluted them and made them guilty ;' and from their 
 idols, which had made them more deeply guilty. 
 Idolatry hath more guilt adhering to it than many 
 other sins,; that is a sin breaks covenant with God, 
 deposes God, and sets up an idol in his stead. 
 
 Ver. 26. A new heart (tiso will I give yun, and 
 a new spirit will I put within you : and I will 
 take away the stony heart out of your Jlesh, and 
 I will give you an heart ofjle.sh. 
 
 This is another great promise, even a promise of 
 regeneration ; and in it there is considerable, 
 
 I. The party promising, " I, 1, 1, I." 
 
 II. The things promised ; 
 
 1. " A new heart." 
 
 2. " A new spirit." 
 
 3. Removal of the stony heart. 
 
 4. " An heart of Uesh." 
 
 III. The parties to w^honi tlie Lord will do these 
 things, " You, you, you." 
 
 lY. The manner of God's doing these things, 
 which is by giving, putting, and taking away. 
 
 " A new heart also will I give you." By " heart" 
 in Scripture is signified the judgment and under- 
 standing, Eph. iv. IS, the will and aifections, Prov. 
 xxiii. 26, and the conscience, 1 John iii. 20 ; all 
 which are here comprehended in the word " heart." 
 " New " notes sometimes that which is for substance 
 new, totally new; as " new ropes," Judg. xvi. II, 
 12 ; "a new wife," Dent. xxiv. 3 ; " new gods," Deut. 
 xxxii. 17. And sometimes that which is only for 
 quality new, as the new moon ; Isa. Ixvi. 23, " From 
 one new moon to another ;" the moon is not new for 
 substance, but renewed with light, new in regard of 
 quality: so "new tongues," Mark xvi. 17; they 
 had not their old tongues plucked or cut out of their 
 mouths, and other new ones put in ; but those tongues 
 they had before had new languages put into them, 
 new gifts and graces. Here then by " a new heart," 
 is not intended one new for the substance or luiture 
 of it, but the same heart altered for the qualities of 
 it, renewed, and endued with other qualities than it 
 had before ; such qualities are wrougnt in the heart, 
 that a man thereupon is said to be regenerate or 
 " born again," John iii. 3, 5 — 7, and to be " a new 
 creature," Gal. vi. 15. 
 
 This " new heart" lieth not in those common gifts 
 which many have, yet without alteration in their 
 hearts. Judas had a covetous, an earthly, an old 
 heart, notwithstanding those great gifts he had ; he 
 could cast out devils, and heal all manner of sick- 
 nesses. Matt. X. 1, 4. And those. Matt. vii. 22, 23, 
 who had the gift of prophecy, of casting out devils, 
 and working wonders, had no new hearts ; for 
 Christ sends them going for workers of iniquity. 
 But it lieth in grace infused, w'hich is a principle of 
 light and life, supernatural and permanent. Man 
 since the fall of Adam is in a state of darkness and 
 death, Eph. v. 8 ; ii.' 5, and when grace is infused, 
 that brings light and life into the heart ; John viii. 
 12, it is called " the light of life :" and when a blind 
 heart sees, a dead heart lives, there is a great and 
 glorious alteration, so thatitis become " anew heart;" 
 it hath a new principle which is supernatural and 
 permanent, called " the divine nature," 2 Pet. i. 4 ; 
 " divine," to show the supernaturalness of it, and 
 " nature," to show the permanency of it. 
 
 " And a new spirit will I put within you." These 
 very words we had Ezek. xi. 19, where they were 
 largely opened. " New spirit" there was interpret- 
 ed to be those excellent qualities and graces God 
 put into the soul, and showed upon what account 
 they were called " spirit " and " new." Here I con- 
 ceive " a new spirit " is added exegetically, being 
 the same with " a new heart." 
 
 This "new heart," or "new spirit," causeth the 
 party in whom it is to look at God as a Father; and 
 so, to honour him, Mai. i. 6; to love him, 1 John v. 
 1 ; to fear him, 1 Pet. i. 17; to yield obedience to 
 him, Rom. vi. 17; 1 Pet. i. 14, 15; patiently to bear 
 his chastisements, Heb. xii. 6 — 9; to eschew sin 
 and work righteousness, I John v. 18; iii. 9, 10; to 
 acknowledge how he hath offended him, Luke xv. 
 18; to pray f.rvently unto him, Rom. viii. 15; to 
 be like unto him in mercifulness and doing of good, 
 Luke vi. 36; to delight in his wavs, and to liavc
 
 71(5 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVI. 
 
 communion with him, and his Son Christ, 1 John i. 
 3; to worship him in spirit and truth, John iv. 23; 
 to be thanltful always unto him for all thinsijs, Ejih. 
 V. 20; to live nobly and spiritually, minding the 
 things of heaven, Rom. viii. 5; I Pet. i. 14; John 
 iii. G; 2 Cor. v. 16; and to love those that are re- 
 generate, I John V. 1 : and these doing so, God their 
 Father hath a special care of them, and love unto 
 them, Matt. vi. 26, 32; Luke xi. 13: xii. 32. 
 
 " Will I give you, will I put within you." The 
 "new heart" and "new spirit" comes from God; 
 he that is the author of " every good and perfect 
 gift," is the author of the same. Now in the work- 
 ing of this " new heart" and " new sjiirit," observe, 
 
 I. Several attributes of God set on work : as, 
 
 1. His infinite mercy. That he should mind 
 sinners, who have old, polluted, hard, dead hearts 
 within them, so at enmity with God, that they would 
 pull him out of heaven had they power to do it ; for 
 God to mind such hearts and spirits, and make them 
 " new," so as to affect him and his ways, argues un- 
 speakable mercy, loving-kindness superabundant. It 
 was a time of love when God saw Jerusalem in her 
 blood, and said unto her, " Live," Ezek. xvi. 6, 8 ; 
 it was infinite love, infinite mercy for him to pity 
 Jerusalem in such a case, and to say so unto her : 
 the same it is when God makes of an old heart a 
 new heart, of an old spirit a new spirit. 
 
 2. God's infinite power is employed in this work. 
 The making of a dead heart to live, a blind heart to 
 see, an old heart and spirit to become new, requires 
 an omnipotent arm. By the preaching of the word 
 men have great convictions, strong resolutions, and 
 are persuaded almost to be christians ; but those 
 convictions and resolutions die away, and they never 
 come altogether to be christians, altogether to be 
 new-hearted and new-spirited, till the Lord put 
 forth his almighty power, and create new hearts and 
 spirits in them : it is a work of creation, Psal. li. 10 ; 
 2 Cor. iv. 6 ; Eph. ii. 10 ; and such hearts and spirits 
 are called new creatures, Gal. vi. 15; 2 Cor. v. 17. 
 
 3. Infinite wisdom. The heart of man " is de- 
 ceitful above all things, and desperately wicked ; 
 who can know it?" Jer. xvii. 9. It is beyond the 
 knowledge of man ; it hath so many windings, turn- 
 ings, pretences, shifts, arguments, w'iles, depths, 
 methods, as that none but God knows it ; he being 
 infinitely wise, can answer all the objections, argu- 
 ments, and subtle distinctions of the heart, so that it 
 shall be silent. Man's heart whilst it is old, hath 
 the cunning of the old serpent in it, and pleads hard 
 to keep its old principles, its old ungodly lusts, its 
 old ignorance, its old darkness, its old formal ways 
 of worship, its old fleshly confidences, its old de- 
 lights and pleasures, its old company, its old cus- 
 toms, its old aims and ends, which were self; it 
 musters up many arguments to defend tliese ; and 
 who can ccmvince the heart of the evil of these, and 
 take it off from them, but God by his infinite wis- 
 dom ? To make a heart, or spirit, which hath so 
 many oldnesses in it, new, argues more skill and 
 wisdom than dwells in any creature. 
 
 4. His infinite holiness and purity. When God 
 takes an old heart, which is as dark as hell, as 
 stinking as any sepulchre. Matt, xxiii. 27 ; an old 
 spirit, which is as unclean and loathsome as the 
 devils are ; when he takes these, and makes them new, 
 lie scatters darkness, abolisheth death, separating 
 filthiness : and instead thereof brings in " marvellous 
 light," 1 Pet. ii. '.), a glorious life, Eph. iv. IS, and 
 " true holiness," vcr. 24 : which import that God is 
 light without darkness, life without pos.sibility of 
 dying, holiness without any spot or imperfection. 
 W'hen the wind eleauscth the air infected, pestih n- 
 
 tial, and stinking, it argues the wind is pure ; when 
 a vessel or house is noisome, and one cleanses and 
 sweetens them, as not enduring them in that con- 
 dition, it argues their cleanliness, and if they could 
 make them new, it would argue it much more : so 
 here, God makes them new, he puts them into the 
 fire that they may be refined, and partake of his 
 holiness, Heb. xii. 10. It is God's holy arm which 
 makes an unholy heart to become holy, and glorious 
 in holiness. 
 
 II. The dignity and excellency of this "new 
 heart" and "new spirit," is worthy the notice. 
 
 i. It is that doth discriminate and difference a man 
 from all others. They that have old hearts, old spirits, 
 and new hearts, new spirits, diflfer as much as light 
 from darkness, life from death, and holiness from fil- 
 thiness. A man with a new heart, a new spirit, is a 
 livmg man, whereas others are dead, Eph. ii. 1 ; he 
 is a seeing man, whereas others are blind, I John 
 V. 20; 1 Cor. ii. 14; he is pure, whereas others are 
 filthy, 1 Pet. ii. 9; Tit. i. lo. Hereby a man is dif- 
 ferenced from all profane, civil, and moral men ; 
 from all gifted men ; from all hypocrites, what 
 .specious forms of religion and holiness soever they 
 have : whoever hath a new spirit is distinguished 
 from all other spirits, yea, from the devils, who are 
 but unclean spirits. 
 
 2. It doth ennoble a man. A new heart and new 
 spirit doth not only distinguish from others, but 
 makes more excellent than others ; Prov. xii. 26, 
 " The righteous is more excellent than his neigh- 
 bour." Righteousness is one of the qualities in the 
 new heart, in the new spirit, Eph. iv. 23, 24 ; and 
 that nobilitates a man : such a one is " born, not of 
 blood," that is, not of the ])rinces and nobles of the 
 world, who stand upon their blood and greatness ; 
 " nor of the will of the flesh," that is, not in the or- 
 dinary way; "nor of the will of man," viz. not by 
 education and school principles, "but of God," John 
 i. 13 : he is descended from the highest, the King of 
 kings ; he is of the most royal blood, even the blood 
 of God, Acts XX. 28. Others are vile, but he is pre- 
 cious, Jer. XV. 19; 2 Pet. i. I ; he is partaker of the 
 divine nature, and lives the life of God, 2 Pet. i. 4; 
 Eph. iv. 18. 
 
 3. It fills them where it is with new joys. New 
 things aflect much ; when the apostles had new 
 tongues given them, they were greatly aft'ected there- 
 with ; and when men have new hearts, new spirits, 
 they abound in joy : the greater the mercy, the 
 more full the joy. If when a sinner is converted, 
 there be joy in heaven, what joy is in the sinner's 
 heart then ! When Christ came to Zaccheus, and 
 gave him a new heart, a new spirit, he was filled 
 with joy, Luke xix. and new joys. Before his joy 
 was to get money by any means, and treasure it up ; 
 now his joy was to disperse, make satisfaction, and to 
 give away, vcr. 8. His new heart begat in him new 
 joys, and enabled him to joy in that he could not do 
 nor think of before without sadness. So Paul, when 
 he had a new heart and spirit, he had new joys, ful- 
 ness of them in those things he could not rejoice in 
 before ; 2 Cor. vii. 4, " I am filh d with comfort, 
 I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulations ;" and, 
 chap. xii. 10, he took " pleasure in infirmities, in 
 reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in dis- 
 tresses." Here is the excellency of a new heart 
 and a new spirit, it fills with new joys in God, in 
 Christ, in the promises, in the saints, and enables us 
 to rejoice and "glory in tribulations," Rom. v. 3. 
 
 4. It entitles us to divers new and excellent things : 
 as, 
 
 (1.) To the new covenant. When a man hatha 
 new heart and a new spirit he hath an interest in
 
 Ver. 20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 717 
 
 the new covenant, Jer. xxxi. 31,33. The law of sin, 
 and principles of Satan and the world, were written 
 in tlie old heart, and old spirit, and so the party was 
 under the covenant with death and hell, I,sa. xxviii. 
 15 ; but in the new heart is written, the law of God, 
 the law of faith, Horn. iii. 27; Heb. viii. 10, and so 
 they are nnder the new covenant, which is called 
 "grace," Kom. vi. 14. 
 
 (2.) To new names. Where there is newness of 
 heart and spirit, there they are sealed in their fore- 
 heads with new names ; their title is, " new crea- 
 tures," 2 Cor. V. 17; "the seed of Abraham," Isa. 
 xli. 8; "servants of righteousness," Rom. vi. 18; 
 " children of light," John xii. 3(); " conquerors," 
 Rom. viii. 37; God's " workmanshiii," Eph. ii. 10; 
 " kings and priests," Rev. i. (i; " temples of God," 
 I Cor. iii. IG; the "glory" of God, Isa. iv. 5 ; "new- 
 born babes," 1 Pet. ii. 2; "his saints," Psal. cxlix. 
 9 ; " vessels of gold and silver," 2 Tim. ii. 20 ; 
 " w ise virgins," Matt. xxv. ; " heirs of salvation," 
 Heb. i. 14. 
 
 (3.) To a new Lord and Master. Wlien their 
 hearts were old, Satan was their sovereign, they 
 walked "according to the prince of the air," Eph. 
 ii. 2 ; see 2 Tim. ii. 26 ; his lusts they did execute, 
 John viii. 44. But having new hearts, they have a 
 new Lord, a new Master, and that is the Lord 
 Christ; Phil. i. 1, Paul, a servant of Christ. He 
 had a new heart, and now he had a new Master, 
 which was Christ; lie would serve Satan no longer, 
 but Christ, who died for sinners, that they might 
 live unto him, 2 Cor. v. 15. When the hearts and 
 spirits of men are new, they are dead to their old 
 masters, and have new, Rom. vii. 4. Christ is the 
 Husband and Head of every one renewed by his 
 gr.Hce, he is Lord and Master of all such, 1 Cor. vii. 
 22 ; Matt, xxiii. 8. 
 
 (4.) To a new guard. Such have a guard of 
 angels about them : before, as they were without 
 God, so without the protection of his angels, ex- 
 posed to all dangers ; but having new hearts and 
 new spirits, being new creatures, they have a multi- 
 tude of the heavenly host, not only to praise God for 
 their new birth, as tliey did at Christ's birth, Luke 
 ii. 13, but to attend and protect them: Heb. i. 14, 
 Are not the angels "ministering spirits, sent forth to 
 minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation ? " 
 and none shall be such, but those that have new 
 hearts and new spirits, for " flesh and blood cannot 
 inherit the kingdom of God," 1 Cor. xv. 50. 
 
 (5.) To new alliance this change is wrought in 
 them. Blasphemers, idolaters, adulterers, drunkards, 
 murderers, liars, unbelievers, hypocrites, and all 
 profane ones, they are very devils themselves, John 
 viii. 44: but when they have new hearts and new 
 spirits, then they have new kindred. As a man that 
 marries a woman, all her kindred become his ; so 
 here, all that have new hearts and spirits are his 
 kindred who hath a new heart, he is allied unto 
 them all ; Matt, xxiii. 8, " All ye are brethren." 
 All the saint.s throughout the earth, how great, how 
 learned, how rich, how gifted or gracious soever 
 they be, are all brethren ; yea, the angels are 
 brethren unto those that have new hearts, Rev. xix. 
 10; xxii. 9: and that which is beyond all, Christ 
 himself is their Brother and Father, Matt. xii. 49, 
 50; Heb. ii. 12, 13. 
 
 (G.) To the new mansions in the city made with- 
 out hands. John xiv. 2, saith Christ, " In my 
 Father's house are many mansions, and I go to pre- 
 pare a place for you;" you have right and title to 
 them, ye have new hearts, " ye believe in God," ver. 
 1 ; and I go to prepare and fit places for you in 
 those mansions. 
 
 5. The excellency of a new heart is this, that it 
 sets a high price upon the things of God, and a low 
 price upon the things of the world, how goodly so- 
 ever they a])pcar ; whereas before the things of the 
 world were magnified, and the things of God 
 slighted. When Paul had another heart and 
 another spirit than before, then he had " no con- 
 fidence in the flesh," then he did not value his great 
 privileges, he counted them and all things but " loss 
 for Christ ;" they did damnify him rather than ad- 
 vantage him, and therefore looked upon them as dung, 
 things of no worth, in respect of Christ, his righte- 
 ousness, and knowledge of him, Phil. iii. 7 — 9 ; all 
 which had an excellency, and were so prized by 
 Paul, that he was willing to lay down his life for 
 them. Acts xxi. 13. When Simon Magus offered the 
 apostles money for to have power to give the Holy 
 Spirit, by laying on of hands, Peter, inliis own name, 
 and in the name of the rest, said, " Thy money 
 perish with thee ;" we value not bags of gold and 
 silver, but the things of God, Acts viii. 19, 20. 
 When the conjurors had the devils cast out of them, 
 and new hearts given them, they brought forth their 
 books which they had highly valued, and burned 
 them before all men, and so many they burned as 
 came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. Acts xix. 19 ; 
 and instead of these, they prized the books of Moses, 
 the prophets, and apostles. A new heart sees ex- 
 cellency in spiritual things, and saith, it cannot over- 
 value them, but for other things it puts them under 
 its feet. 
 
 6. It is excellent in that it doth really make God 
 its end, and aims at his glory in its operations ; be- 
 fore self was all, now God is all. Acts xx. 23, 24, 
 Paul was told by the Spirit of God, that bonds and 
 afflictions did abide him every where, that his life 
 was in danger ; now had not Paul been a man of a 
 new heart and spirit, he would have shifted for 
 himself, and let the preaching of the gospel have 
 fallen ; but being such an one, what saith he ? 
 "None of these things move me, neither count 1 my 
 life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my 
 course with joy, and the ministry which I have re- 
 ceived of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the 
 grace of God." That was Paul's end, to make known 
 the grace of God in the gospel towards poor sinners, 
 that so they partaking of that grace might give glory 
 to God, and God be glorified by him. God and his 
 glory were so in his eye, that he gave out a rule for 
 all christians to eye and mind God and his glory in all 
 things, I Cor. x. 3l. 
 
 7. It is the principle of eternal life and happiness. 
 When God puts life, light, and grace into the heart, 
 and so makes it new, he hath begun our admission 
 into heaven and happiness ; this new heart and 
 spirit are the water which springs up into everlast- 
 ing life, John iv. 14; they are the eagles' wings 
 which will carry you not otily up to heaven, but into 
 heaven. 
 
 111. Concerning this new heart and new spirit 
 there are divers mistakes ; many think they have the 
 same, when they have it not. There are several 
 things which cause men to judge so. 
 
 1. Outward reformation. When men cease from 
 their former lewd courses, when they give over their 
 drunkenness, whoredom, swearing, lying, oppres- 
 sion, and other scandalous practices, they think 
 themselves, and are reputed of others, to be new 
 men, and so to have new hearts ; but know, a man 
 may have escaped the pollutions of the world, have 
 changed his manners, yet retain his old heart ; a 
 s^^^ne may be washed, and yet reserve her swinish 
 nature. Herod reformed in many things, yet had 
 an unreformed heart, Mark vi. 20 ; Luke iii. 20 ;
 
 ■18 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVI. 
 
 ix. 9. The scribes and Pharisees were whited sepul- 
 chres, they had beautiful outsides, they appeared 
 righteous unto men; but what were their hearts .' 
 were they not full of hypocrisy and iniquity ? Matt, 
 xxiii. 27, 28. Shame among men, fear of punish- 
 ment, death, hell, terrors of conscience, afflictions, 
 strength of reason, and hope of profits and reward, 
 may make a man reform his life and manners, his 
 heart being still naught ; a man formerly wicked 
 may become a new man, and yet not have a new 
 heart. 
 
 2. Moral virtues cause many to be deceived about 
 this new heart : because they are temperate, just, 
 prudent, faithful to their friends, true in their 
 speeches, patient under afflictions, seek the public 
 good, not their own interest, are chaste, and cour- 
 teous unto all, they thereupon conclude that they 
 have the new heart and new spirit here spoken of; 
 but all these are no more than were found in hea- 
 thens. Scipio, Aristides, Cato, iEmilius, Lepidus, 
 Lucretia, and others, excelled in moral virtues. The 
 Roman faith was in great esteem in all the world, 
 because the Romans kept their word, and made 
 good whatever they promised. Many heathens ex- 
 celled in moralities, and did virtuous actions for vir- 
 tue's sake, yet they had no new hearts or .spirits ; 
 they knew not what regeneration was, they were 
 strangers to the life of God and faith ; they attained 
 to what they had by their own industry, and what 
 they did was not done according to the mind of God 
 in his word, and so referring to his glory ; they 
 sought their own glory in all. 
 
 3. A form of godliness. When men have left 
 their old ways of sin, and taken up a way, or form of 
 godliness, which is new to them, they imagine 
 themselves to be new, and to have new hearts ; they 
 read, pray, hear, meditate, and worship God with 
 their hearts, which they never did before, and hence 
 they ground a newness in their hearts. The Jews 
 have a form of godliness at this day, yet are they 
 cast off of God and numbered amongst unbelievers, 
 Rom. xi. 20; such was their godliness, as perse- 
 cuted true godliness, Acts xiii. 50; 1 Thess. ii. 15. 
 The heathens had forms of godliness : Plato taught 
 men not to sleep without repentance for their sins ; 
 Hermes instructed them to pray earnestly unto God, 
 and continually for repentance, to call upon him in 
 the day, and not to fjrget him in the night; they 
 worshipped by nature those which were no gods. 
 Gal. iv. 8 ; forms of worship they had, though they 
 worshipped blindly : Socrates saw further than the 
 most of them, who said, God must be worshipped 
 only that way which he hath appointed; yet neither 
 Socrates, nor the rest of the heathens, had new 
 hearts. Christians have forms of godliness, yet all 
 among them have not new' hearts ; among papists 
 and protestants are many religious, but few pious, 
 they nave the form of godliness, but not the j)Owcr. 
 Painted fire is not true fire, and all that woi'ship God 
 do not worship him in newness of spirit; the most 
 do worship him with old hearts. 
 
 4. Some are deceived upon this ground, that they 
 have the law in their hearts, approve of truth, make 
 conscience of their ways, have peace within, and so 
 determine their hearts are new. But hen? is a great 
 mistake, the law is in men's hearts by nature ; Rom. 
 ii. 14, 1,'j, "The gentiles, which ha<l not tlie law, did 
 by nature the things of the law, and so showed the 
 work of the law written in their hearts ;" when they 
 did ill their consciences did accuse them, and when 
 they did well they did excuse them, and so they had 
 peace ; here was nothing supernatural : where there 
 is a new- heart, a new spirit, there is something 
 supernatural ; men have not these by descent from 
 
 their parents, but they are given, they are put in by 
 God, " I will give you a new heart, and I will put 
 within you a new spirit." The law' that all men 
 have in their hearts is by virtue of creation, not of 
 the new covenant; that is another law, Jer. xxxi. 
 33, which is from grace, not from nature : where 
 this law is written, the heart is new, and so doth not 
 only approve of truth in general, but knows and ap- 
 proves of truth as it is in Christ, Eph. iv. 21, and as 
 it is according to godliness. Truth in a new heart 
 provokes unto godliness, and maketh conscientious 
 towards God and men, Acts xxiv. 1(3, looking at 
 Christ for peace; Rom. v. 1, "Being justified by 
 faith, we have peace with God," the conscience being 
 purged from dead works by the blood of Christ. 
 Men have sound peace in their new hearts ; it is 
 false peace which men of old hearts have, they bribe 
 their consciences with doing something, and that is 
 their peace. 
 
 5. New relations make some to fancy they have 
 new hearts and new spirits ; they are under church 
 privileges, they are citizens of Zion, inhabitants of 
 Jerusalem, in relation to Christ and his ordinances ; 
 this may be, and yet without newness of heart or 
 spirit. Relations made not alterations in men's 
 hearts. Simon Magus was baptized, stood in rela- 
 tion to Christ and the gospel, yet his heart was the 
 same it was before. Acts viii. The Jews gloried they 
 were the seed of Abraham, John viii. 33; yet they 
 were of their father the devil, ver. -M, and had 
 bloody hearts, ver. 40, seeking to kill Christ. Rom. 
 ii. 28, 29, outward privileges may be, as circumcision 
 of the flesh, where there is no circumcision of the 
 heart; and Paul tells us, Gal. vi. 15, that "circum- 
 cision nor uncircumcision avail any thing, but a new 
 creature;" they may be where the new creature is 
 not ; himself had many privileges, Phil. iii. when he 
 was far from newness of heart. 
 
 6. Gifts. They breed mistakes in divers persons : 
 those that have choice and great gifts persuade 
 themselves they have new hearts and spirits, that 
 they are gracious and good ; but there is a vast dif- 
 ference between gifts and grace. 
 
 (1.) Gifts make not a man a christian. Heathens 
 had great gifts, as Tully, Seneca, Plato, Aristotle, 
 Plutarch. It is grace makes a christian. The gen- 
 tiles were not christians, and so not acceptable to 
 God, till they were sanctified by the Holy Spirit, 
 Rom. XV. 1(). They may make a man a useful man, 
 not a good man ; Acts xi. 24, it is faith and the 
 graces of the Spirit make a good man. 
 
 (2.) All gifts do seldom or never meet in one man, 
 but graces do, they are the fruits of the Spirit, and 
 grow all in anew heart; John i. 16, "Of his fulness 
 have we all received, and grace for grace." Graces 
 go together, not gifts. 
 
 (3.) A man may have gifts and not be saved. 
 Judas had gifts, yet was a son of perdition. The 
 beast which came up out of the eartli had miracu- 
 lous gifts, and the false prophets also, and notwith- 
 standing their gifts, they were both cast into the 
 lake of fire burning with brimstone, Rev. xiii. II, 
 13, 14 ; xix. 20. But he that hath a new heart and 
 new spirit hath grace, and so shall be saved, John 
 iii. 6 ; 2 Cor. iii. 1/ ; he that is born of the Spirit is 
 a new creature, he hath grace, and shall be saved, 
 Acts XV. 1 1. 
 
 7. Activeness. Some men growing active for God 
 and the ])ublic, zealous against corrupt practices in 
 church or state, gather from hence that they have 
 new hearts and spirits ; they were not so before, and 
 how can it be that such new operations and active- 
 ness should be in them, and from them, and fhey 
 not be men of new hearts ? When men are called
 
 Ver. 2(!. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 719 
 
 to public employments, they may have other hearts 
 than they had before, yet not such a new heart as is 
 here spoken ofT. Saul had " another heart," I Sam. 
 X. y, when anointed to be king, yet not a new heart. 
 Credit, profit, and conscience niisniformed may make 
 men zealous and active, when they have no other 
 than their old hearts. Paul before his conversion 
 was very active, and exceedingly zealous of the tra- 
 ditions of his fathers. Gal. i. 13, 14. How active 
 are Jesuits ! how zealous are papists, and many 
 others ! and that from crroneousness of their con- 
 sciences, not newness of their spirits. 
 
 Ohs. 1. Men's hearts and spirits, by nature, are 
 old, they are degenerated from that innocency, sim- 
 plicity, and purity Adam was created in, they are 
 corrupted ever since he ate of the forbidden fruit. 
 Psal. xiv. 1, " Men are corrupt, they have done 
 abominable works, there is none that doeth good :" 
 Psal. liii. 3, " Every one of them is gone back : they 
 are altogether become filthy ; there is none that doeth 
 good, no, not one :" such as their hearts are, such 
 are their actions ; old hearts have answerable oper- 
 ations ; Psal. Iviii. 3, " They go astray as soon as 
 they be born ;" they brought corrupt hearts and 
 natures with them into the world, and their first act- 
 ings were against God, truth, justice, and holiness. 
 Men by nature have hearts full of old things: 2 
 Cor. V. 17, old things are not passed away, but abide. 
 Old principles, old lusts, old desires, old thoughts, 
 old reasonings, old enmities, old confidences, old 
 hardness, old deceitfulness, old frowardncss, and old 
 naughtiness, are all found in men's hearts till they 
 are made new : see Gen. vi. 5; Matt. xv. 19. 
 
 Obs. 2. A new heart, a new spirit, i.s not from the 
 power or will of man, but from the grace of God. 
 " A new heart will I give you, a new spirit will I 
 put into you." God bade them, Ezek. xviii. 31, 
 make themselves new hearts and new spirits, but 
 they were not able to do it ; he promises therefore to 
 do it for them. It is God's way in his holy word 
 to command and call for that at the hands of men, 
 wliich he intends to give and work; as Phil. ii. 12, 
 " Work out your own salvation ;" and in the next 
 verse it is said, " It is God which worketh in you 
 both to will and to do ;" Isa. i. 16, " Wash you, 
 make you clean !" Ezek. xxxvi. 25, " I will sprinkle 
 clean water upon yon, and ye shall be clean ;" Dent. 
 X. 10, " Circumcise the foreskin of your heart ;" they 
 could not do it, therefore, Deut. xxx. G, " The Lord 
 thy God will circumcise thine heart." These Serip- 
 ti;res evince, that it is the Lord himself who per- 
 forms what he commands ; it is not man's will or 
 power which produceth the new heart, it is the gra- 
 cious and mighty hand of God which effects it ; and 
 when he will work, who shall let it? Shall man's 
 will.' Yes, if God did only propound arguments, 
 command, exhort, invite, encourage, threaten, it 
 might ; but God doth promise to do the thing, " to 
 give a new heart, put in a new spirit ;" and 
 should the liberty of man's will hinder it, how should 
 God be faithful ? But, rather than he will be found 
 unfaithful, he will overpower the corrupt wills of 
 men, and make them flexible to his will. The effi- 
 cacy of grace depends not upon man's will, em- 
 bracing or refusing what is tendered, but on the good 
 pleasure and power of God, Phil. ii. 13. When it 
 pleases God to put forth his power, the work shall 
 be done, the " new heart and new spirit" shall be 
 wrought in the man, notwithstanding all the oldnesscs 
 therein. 
 
 " And I will take away the stony heart out of your 
 flesh." In chap. xi. 19, the words are, " 1 will lake 
 the stony heart out of their llesh," and here they are, 
 " I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh." 
 
 Much was spoken of them there ; something I shall 
 speak now. 
 
 " The stony heart." The Hebrew is, the heart of 
 stone, that is, the heart which in a spiritual sense is 
 like a stone. 
 
 1. A stone is senseless, it feels or perceives no- 
 thing; and so is a "stony heart:" Eph. iv. 19, 
 " Who being past feeling ;" they were so accustomed 
 to sin, that they felt not any evil in sin. Zeeh. xiv. 
 4, we read of a mountain that cleaved in sunder at 
 the presence of Christ ; but the hearts of the Jews 
 were so stony, that they were not at all alTected at 
 the presence or voice of Christ. 
 
 2. A stone is hard and impenetrable, a knife, a 
 sword, a nail, will not enter into it ; so a " stony 
 heart" is so hard, that the word of God hath no en- 
 trance into it. Psal. cxix. 130, " The entrance of 
 thy words giveth light ;" when it enters into the 
 heart it doth so : but though the word be of a sharp 
 and piercing nature, yet it enters not into a " stony 
 heart," it is impenetrable. Zeeh. vii. 11, "They re- 
 fused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and 
 stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, 
 they made their hearts as an adamant stone." No 
 truths, no arguments, no invitations, no prayers, no 
 tears, no mercies, no threats, no judgments, do con- 
 quer or prevail with it: neither wind, rain, thunder, 
 lightning, sunshine, heat, cold, do change the nature 
 of a rock. 
 
 3. A stone is unpolished, and inept for building 
 and other uses, till it be hewn, sawn, and brought 
 into some other form ; so a " stony heart" is a heart 
 unpolished, unfit to lie in any part of God's building, 
 or for any service of his, till it be polished, hewn, 
 sawn, hammered, and brought into some other frame. 
 As a stone cannot change itself, no more can a " stony 
 heart." The devil knew that the stones. Matt. iv. 
 3, could not turn themselves into bread, therefore 
 saith to Christ, " Command that they be made 
 bread." He knew they might be made bread meet 
 to eat : and so " stony hearts," though they cannot 
 make themselves fleshy, yet they may be made 
 fleshy, they may be brought to another form, and so 
 be fit for spiritual emj)loymcnts and uses. 
 
 4. A stone doth resist and repel what falls upon 
 it ; stones do oft break the instruments which strike 
 them, and force them back, there is a resisting in 
 them; so in " stony hearts" there is much resist- 
 ance. Luke iv. 28, 29, " All they in the synagogue, 
 when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 
 and rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led 
 him unio the brow of the hill that they might cast 
 him dow n headlong." Their flinty, rocky hearts re- 
 sisted and rejected all the precious h-uths' Christ had 
 delivered, and made them fall foul upon him, and 
 seek to spill his blood. 2 Tim. iii. 8, " As Jannes 
 and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist 
 the truth : men of corrupt minds, reprobate concern- 
 ing the faith ;" they were men of stony hearts resist- 
 ing the faith: Acts vii. 51, " Ye still-necked, and 
 uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always re- 
 sist," &c. 
 
 5. A stone is heavy, Prov. xxvii. 3, and its motion 
 is downwards ; it is earth hardened, and its whole 
 tendency is to the earth ; so a " stony heart" is 
 heavy, earthy, and tends downwards altogether : 
 Ezek. XX. 16, " Their heart went after their idols:" 
 chap, xxxiii. 31, " Their heart goeth after their co- 
 vetousness:" and Hosea iv. 8, "They set their heart 
 on their iniquity." Men are born with the stone in 
 their hearts, and naturally they mind earthly things, 
 Phil. iii. 19; their motion is downward: John iii. 
 31, " He that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh 
 of the earth ;" his thoughts, his words, his motions,
 
 720 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVI. 
 
 are all that way. The things of heaven are bur- 
 densome to a " stony heart," that cannot move 
 upwards. 
 
 6. Stones keep their places, and are immovable. 
 Eccles. X. 9, " Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt 
 therewith ;" great stones, mountains, rocks, abide 
 fixed, and it is dangerous to meddle with them. So 
 "stony hearts" keep their stoniness, they are im- 
 movable ; what opinions, principles, conclusions so- 
 ever they have taken in, though false and corrui)t, 
 they are tenacious of, and obstinate in : Judg. ii. ly, 
 " They ceased not from their own doings, nor from 
 their stubborn way." God sold them into tlie hands 
 of enemies, where they suffered grievous things ; 
 God raised them up deliverers, who set them at 
 liberty ; yet " they ceased not from their own way," 
 they were immovable from their own opinions, cor- 
 rupt principles, and dangerous tenets. Men are so 
 self-conceited, self-willed, that they are like rocks, 
 not to be stirred. 
 
 7. Stones are dry, and have no moisture in them 
 at all. Take a rock, there is no water in it ; take any 
 stone, it is dry ; all stones are dry and barren ; so 
 stony hearts, they have no moisture of grace in 
 them, they are all dry and barren, the waters of life 
 are not found in them. The woman of Samaria had 
 a " stony heart," and how dry, how barren was it ! 
 not a good word came out of it towards Christ, John 
 iv. Wliilst the gentiles were without God and Christ 
 in the world, they had " stony hearts," and so were 
 barren and fruitless, Isa. liv. I. Wheresoever is a 
 " stony heart," there is no melting, no mourning, no 
 tears. 
 
 8. Stones are cold. I Sam. xxv. 37, it is said, 
 Nabal's "heart died within him, and he became as 
 a stone," that is, cold and senseless. So " stony 
 hearts " are cold, there is no spiritual heat in them ; 
 though the word be as fire, yet it heats them not. 
 Men of " stony hearts " are frigid in the things of 
 God, they contend not for the truth, they reprove not 
 wickedness in others, they stand not for the interest 
 of Christ, they are not zealous for God and his glory, 
 they put not their hands to his work, they mind not 
 the conversion of sinners, they are inditferent how 
 things of that nature go. A "stony heart" is a 
 dead heart, and as it hath no life nor motion in it, so 
 no warmth in it ; like the Shunammite's son, 2 Kings 
 iv. 34; till Elisha came and stretched forth himself 
 upon it, there was neither life nor warmth in it; and 
 till God's Spirit come and stretch forth its virtue and 
 power upon a " stony heart," it liath neither life nor 
 warmth in it. Thus you see wherein a "stony 
 heart" resembles a stone, or rock. 
 
 Quest. What is the evil of a hard heart ? 
 
 Jnsw. 1. It is ever unthankful; mercies, kind- 
 nesses, do not affect it, and how then can it be 
 thankful ? some verbal thankfulness may be in a 
 hard-hearted man, but in his heart, in his life there 
 is nothing. Pour wine, oil, the spirits and quintes- 
 sence of any thing upon a stone, it is lost, the stone 
 is not at all the better for it, not affected with it ; so 
 a " stony heart," let the choicest mercies of heaven 
 or earth be presented to it, they are lost, that heart 
 is unthankful ; and whereas we should be thankful 
 in every thing, I Thess. v. 18, such a one is thank- 
 ful in nothing, and makes the times perilous, 2 Tim. 
 iii. 2. 
 
 Aitsui. 2. It grows worse and worse, harder and 
 harder, every day, nothing stops it from proceeding 
 on in its wicked ways. The Jews were a stony- 
 hearted people, and what saith the Lord to them .' 
 Isa. i. 5, " Why should ye be stricken any more ? ye 
 will revolt more and more :" threatening judgments 
 did not stop or turn them from their wickedness. Pha- 
 
 raoh saw the wonderful judgments of God, ten 
 plagues were upon him and his land, and yet his 
 heart grew harder and harder. They that came to 
 take Christ, went backward and fell to the ground 
 when Christ said, " I am he ;" they saw also a 
 miracle wrought by Christ, in restoring to Malchus 
 his ear, which Peter had cut off, yet, being stony- 
 hearted, they proceeded to take Christ, to bind him 
 and carry him to the high priest, John xviii. 6, 
 10—13. 
 
 An^w. 3. It causeth a man to walk contrary to his 
 profession. Those that are christians, profess Christ 
 and the gospel, they have in baptism given up them- 
 selves to him, and obliged themselves to walk ac- 
 cording to gospel rules : now whence is it that they 
 profess one thing, and practise another, that they 
 profess Christianity, and walk as heathens, or worse 
 than heathens ? whoredom, drunkenness, covetous- 
 ness, lying, pride, swearing, theft, murder, witchery, 
 contention, slander, oppression, l-zc. are they not as 
 frequent among christians as ever they were among 
 heathens ? Paul, writing to the Kphesians, exhorted 
 them "not to walk as other gentiles, in the vanity of 
 their minds, having the understanding darkened, be- 
 ing alienated from the life of God, through the igno- 
 rance that is in tliem, because of the blindness of 
 tlieir heart, who being past feeling have given them- 
 selves over unto lasciviousness, to work all unclean- 
 ness with greediness." It was the hardness of the 
 heathen gentiles' hearts, which made them walk so ; 
 and when christian gentiles walk so, it is from the 
 hardness of their hearts. We are of the gentiles, 
 and notwithstanding our Christianity, we walk con- 
 trary to Christ and the gospel, which is from the 
 stoniness of our hearts, keeping out the power ; and 
 this is a grievous evil : we profess Christ and the 
 gospel verbally, and deny both really, and so cause 
 our holy profession, and the Lord Jesus Christ, to be 
 blasphemed, Rom. ii. 24; James ii. 7. 
 
 Answ. 4. It is a spiritual judgment, which is worse 
 than all other diseases, than all other judgments. A 
 blind eye, a deaf ear, a dumb tongue, a palsy hand, 
 a gouty leg, a leprous head, the stone in the kidneys 
 or bladder, are nothing to the stone m the heart ; no 
 plague is like that plague. Those four sore judg- 
 ments mentioned chap. xiv. 21, are not so ill as the 
 stone in the heart; men are sensible of those, and 
 tremble at them, but the stoniness of their hearts 
 they neither feel nor fear, by reason of it. Can there 
 be a more dreadful judgment upon a man than to be 
 given up of God to hardness of heai't ? Psal. Ixxxi. 
 II, 12, " My people would not hearken to my voice ; 
 and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up 
 unto their own hearts' lust : and they walked in their 
 own counsels :" they were stubborn, and God punish- 
 ed their stubbornness with stoniness. 
 
 Anmc. 5. It pleaseth itself in the ways of wicked- 
 ness : Prov. X. 23, " It is as sport to a fool to do 
 mischief;" and chap. xiv. 9, "Fools make a mock 
 at sin:" fools, that is, wicked men, whose hearts are 
 hardened, who know not the nature of sin, who feel 
 not the weight of sin, they slight sin, they sport 
 themselves with sin, they rejoice to do evil, Prov. 
 ii. 14 ; " They count it pleasure to riot in the day 
 time," 2 Pet. ii. 13. There is no sin but men of 
 stony hearts take delight in, some in one, some in 
 another, and if they can or cannot commit wicked- 
 ness themselves, they take pleasure in them that 
 can, Rom. i. 32. 
 
 Annw. (). It is the seat of Satan, he dwells in it. A 
 "stony heart" is the devil's castle: Eph. ii. 2, he 
 is in, and works in the children of disobedience ; in 
 their hearts he hath strong holds, keeps possession, 
 and rules them at his pleasure, they are his subjects.
 
 Ver. 23. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 721 
 
 God dwells in a broken heart, Isa. Ivii. 15 ; but the 
 devil in a " stony heart." 
 
 jjtisw. 7. That man that hath a "stony heart" 
 increaseth his own woe daily : Rom. ii. 5, Tliou 
 " after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest 
 up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath ;" 
 that is, thou causest God to treasure up more severe 
 punishment for thee daily; thou sinnest more and 
 more daily, and God heats the furnace hotter and 
 hotter daily. 
 
 " 1 will take away." The word is in Hiphil, and 
 signifies tluis mueh, I will cause to depart, or, I will 
 make to remove, cause to be gone. Montanus renders 
 it, I will remove it. God dolli this, 
 
 1. By enlightening the blind heai-t to see. Acts 
 xxvi. 18 ; 1 Pet. ii. 9; Eph. iv. 18 ; v. 8. 
 
 2. By enlivening the dead and senseless heart to 
 feel its stoniness. When breath and life entered 
 into the dry bones, they were sensible, Ezek. xxxvii. ; 
 and when God breathes upon a stony heart it lives, 
 and is sensible. What an adamantine heart wa.s in 
 Paul, who took pleasure in vexing, imprisoning, and 
 murdering of the .saints ; but when Christ breathed 
 upon him, and put life into him, he then became 
 sensible of liis hard-heart'-dness, Acts ix. 
 
 3. By the warmth of his Spirit, and moisture of 
 his grace, love, and mercy, he melts the " stony 
 heart." Some fire will melt brass and iron, and some 
 waters dissolve any stone ; such is the fire of God's 
 Spirit, there is not any iron or brazen heart but that 
 can melt it; such is the water of life, there is not any 
 " stony heart" but tliat will dissolve it. There is an 
 omnipotent power in the Spirit and grace of God to 
 turn millstones into wax, and rocks into streams ; it 
 was verified in Paul, who feeling the mighty power 
 of God's Spirit and grace in his heart, had the niill- 
 stoniness and rockiness thereof removed, for pre- 
 sently he cried out, " Lord, what wilt thou have me 
 to do ? " and fell to weeping and praying. 
 
 " Out of your flesh." By " flesh " here is not 
 meant corrupt nature, as Gal. v. 13; but by it is 
 Tiieant man, " I will take away the stony heart out 
 of your flesh," that is, out of you. 
 
 06.S. 1. The htarts of men, as they are in them- 
 selves, are stony, even stones, senseless of sin, un- 
 yieldable to truth, inept for spiritual employments, 
 repelling and rejecting the counsel of God, moving 
 downwards, and minding er.rthly tilings, immovable 
 from their tenets, cold, and barren. Such are all 
 men's hearts naturally, and the hardness of them is 
 much increased by actual and customary sins. When 
 men consent to evil thoughts and lusts in their hearts, 
 \ent them by actings, and reiterate the same day 
 after day, they make their hearts more and more 
 liard, as the hand is by working, and the foot by 
 walking. Jer. v. 3, " They have made their faces 
 harder than a rock ; they have refused to return." 
 If their faces were hardened like rocks, wliat were 
 Iheir hearts? Zechariah tells you, "They made 
 their hearts as an adamant stone," Zeeh. vii. 12, 
 which exceeds other stones in hardness ; and not 
 some few of them had done so, but even all of them : 
 Ezek. iii. 7, " All the house of Israel are impudent 
 and hard-hearted ;" all of them had faces of rock 
 and hearts of adamant. 
 
 Oiv. 2. It is the prerogative of God, who hath do- 
 minion over the heart, to alter the heart. " 1 will 
 take away the stony heart out of your flesh." They 
 could not change their own hearts, they were not 
 able to get the stone out of tliem, nor the prophets, 
 who were their spiritual physicians. Kidney-stones, 
 and bladder-stones, men may remove ; heart-stones 
 none can remove but God : men cannot remove 
 mountains or rocks, but the Lord can; he hath an arm 
 3 A 
 
 of strength, his word is a word of power, when he 
 commands, it is done. Though a " stony heart" can 
 stand it out against men, yet it cannot stand it out 
 against God ; he fetched water out of a rock, and 
 God can make the liardest rocky heart in the world 
 to melt, repent, and send forth Hoods of water. Mary 
 Magdalene liad an impudent face and a hard heart, 
 but when God dealt with her, he took away the hard- 
 ness of her heart and impudency of her face, she 
 sat and wept at the feet of Christ, Luke vii. 38 : the 
 Lord can turn wildernesses into standing waters, and 
 dry ground into water-springs, Psal. cvii. .35. 
 
 Obs. 3. It is a great mercy to have the stoniness 
 of the heart removed. The removal of any evil 
 from the body of man is mercy, as blindness from 
 the eye, deafness from the ear, lameness from the 
 leg, weakness from tile stomach ; mueli more, then, 
 the removal of spiritual evil, and that from the heart. 
 Stoniness of heart is the greatest evil which can be- 
 fall it, and for God to take that away, to cure it, is a 
 rich, a wonderfully great mercy, it is a mercy of the 
 new covenant ; it is more than God's delivering Daniel 
 from the lions' den, Jonah from the whale's belly, or 
 tile three children from the fiery furnace. They should 
 have been saved had they died in those conditions, 
 but the man that dies with a hard heart perisheth 
 for ever. 
 
 " And I will give you an heart of flesh." The 
 "heart of flesh" is opposed to the " stony heart," 
 and it implies several things which are considerable : 
 as, 
 
 1. Softness, tenderness. A " stony heart " is hard, 
 but a " heart of flesh " is tender and soft. The 
 Scripture speaks of " a soft tongue," Prov. xxv. 15, 
 and of a " soft heart," Job xxiii. 16 ; that is, a heart 
 free from stoniness and obduration. Some flesh is 
 brawny and liard, some very tender, as the flesh of 
 those mentioned Deut. xxviii. 56. The " heart of 
 flesh " is a heart like the tenderest flesh, even the 
 flesh of a child new-born. 
 
 2. Sensibleness. Some flesh is so hardened, as 
 that it feels nothing, and some is so tender, it is 
 sensible of the least touch. The drunkard's flesh 
 felt not the stripes when he was beaten, Prov. xxiii. 
 35 ; but Josiah's heart was sensible of the anger of 
 God, when he heard the law only read, 2 Cliron. 
 xxxiv. Christ's heart was tender and sensible of 
 our infirmities, he was touched wiih the feeling of 
 them, Heb. iv. 15 ; the least infirmity he was affected 
 with, for he had a "heart of flesli," a heart without 
 any stoniness at all in it ; and where a " heart of 
 flesh" is, it is sensible of the least sin, the least dis- 
 honour to God ; vain thoughts, risings of corruption, 
 extravagancy of afleetions, all sins are burdensome 
 to it. The man of sucli a heart halh his senses exer- 
 cised to discern between good and evil, Heb. v. 14. 
 
 3. Meltingness. A " stony heart" never melts, 
 but a " heart of flesh" is of a melting nature. Jo- 
 siah's heart was not only aflected with the law read, 
 but m(dted also into tears : 2 Kings xxii. It), his heart 
 was tender, and he humbled himself before the Lord. 
 So David, Psal. xxii. 14, " My heart is like wax ; it 
 is melted in the midst of my bowels ;" how did it 
 melt after Nathan had told him of bis sin I Psal. Ii. ; 
 so after his numbering of the people, 2 Sam. xxiv. 
 17. Peter's heart was of this nature, for after Christ 
 looked upon him " he went out and wept bitterly," 
 Luke xxii. 62. Such were their hearts, Ezek. ix. 4, 
 who siglied and cried for all " the abominations 
 w-hich were done in the midst of Jerusalem." A 
 lieart of flesh melts and mourns that God is dis- 
 honoured by others, but most of all tluit he hath 
 been dishonoured by him in wliom it is : that man 
 that hatli a "heart of flesh" sheds most tears for
 
 722 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXV I 
 
 the wrongs himself hath done unto God, Luke xv. 
 18, 19. 
 
 4. Teachableness. A "stony heart" is indocible, 
 inflexible, it repels and keeps out truths, but a 
 "heart of flesh" admits and receives truths, it is 
 yielding and teachable. When Lycha's hard heart 
 was turned into flesh, Acts xvi. 14, she attended 
 unto the things which were spoken by the apostle, 
 she received them, and believed them ; she was a 
 good scholar, and constrained her teachers to come 
 and abide at her house, that she might learn more 
 of them, ver. 1.5. Paul no sooner had his heart of 
 stone made flesh, but he manifested a teachableness 
 in himself: Acts ix. G, " Lord, what wilt thou have 
 me to do?" I am a blind Pharisee, and have been 
 all my days out of the way ; I desire now to learn, 
 and to be taught of thee, whom I ignorantly blas- 
 phemed. David shut not his eyes against the light, 
 as many hard-luartcd persons do ; he prayed that the 
 Lord would Oj)en his eyes, that he might behold 
 wondrous things out of the law ; he was oft begging 
 of God to teach him, " O teach me the way of thy 
 statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end," Psal. 
 cxix. 18, 33. He was willing to see, to hear, and to 
 do : Psal. ex. 3, " Thy people shall be willing in the 
 day of thy power." AVhen the " stony heart" is re- 
 moved, and " a heart of flesh" put in the room of it, 
 that is a day of power; and then the people so hearted 
 are willing to hear the Lord speak, to understand 
 his counsels, and to resolve their wills into God's, so 
 that his will is theirs. 
 
 5. A disposition to obedience. A " stony heart" 
 is refractory, contradictory, disobedient, but a fleshy 
 heart is yielding and obediential ; it is a heart which 
 follows God, as Elisha followed Klijah, virtue went 
 out of the mantle and constrained him to do so ; and 
 the virtue gone out from God into " a heart of 
 flesh" prevails with it, and causeth it to follow God, 
 to yield obedience unto him. Caleb had another 
 spirit than the rest of the Jews had, and he followed 
 the Lord fully. Numb. xiv. 24; his spirit was not 
 obstinate, but obediential : and wherever this " heart 
 of flesh" is, it is so far from being contentious 
 against the truth, or withholding the truth in un- 
 righteousness, as that it obeys the truth heartily, 
 Kom. vi. 17. 
 
 1. Remark tlie excellency of a tender heart. 
 
 1. It is the mansion of God's Holy Spirit. When 
 the heart is tender and fleshy, God puts his Holy 
 Spirit into it, as in the next verse appears. The 
 Spirit itself is a tender thing, and takes no content 
 in a hard heart; Isa. Ivii. 15, it is in the heart of 
 humble and contrite ones that the Spirit dwells. 
 The Corinthians were babes in Christ, very tender, 
 and they were temples of the Spirit, 1 Cor. iii. 1, l(i. 
 How excellent is a tender heart, that the " Spirit of 
 grace," Heb. x. 29, " the spirit of glory," 1 Pet. iv. 
 14, should take it up for its habitation ! it was there 
 belbre as an agent, not as an inhabitant. 
 
 2. It cannot endure the dishonour of God ; it is 
 much affected, yea afflicted, thereat. When Rab- 
 shakeh blasphemed and reviled the God of Israel, 
 how was Hezekiah afflicted at it ! " He rent his 
 clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went 
 into the house of the Lord ;" sends for Isaiah, begs 
 liis prayers, spreads the blasphemer's letter he had 
 received before the Lord, and cried unto him for help 
 to vindicate his own name, 2 Kings xix. 1 — i, 14 
 — 19. Hezekiah had a tender heart, and herein was 
 the excellency of it, he was deeply affected with the 
 dislionour of (iod. David's heart was touched 
 llioroughly when men violated the law of God, and 
 dishonoured his name : Psal. cxix. 13(), " Rivers of 
 waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not 
 
 thy law." None of his own afflictions, his persecu- 
 tion by Saul, his expidsion by Absalom, did draw so 
 many tears from him as the dishonour of God's 
 name, that made his tender heart like a fountain 
 which sends forth rivers. The heathens, who had 
 hard hearts, said of their heathenish king, " It is 
 not meet for us to see the king's dishonour," Ezra 
 iv. 14. Andean christians see the dishonour of the 
 God of heaven ? those that have " hearts of flesh " 
 cannot endure to see it ; if they cannot help the same, 
 they will mourn, and mourn abundantly for it. 
 
 3. It is a strong defence against all sin ; it quickly 
 feels the nature of sin, and so flees from it. Touch 
 tender flesh with a needle or pin, it endures not the 
 same, it cries out against, and removes them. Some 
 bodies are so delicate that they feel every wind, 
 every little distemper, and so fortify themselves 
 against them ; and some hearts are so tender, that 
 corruption or the devil cannot stir but they discern, 
 feel, and find them, and so set themselves against 
 them. When Joseph's mistress tempted him to folly, 
 his heart startled at it, and caused his tongue to say, 
 " How can I do this, and sin against God ? " Gen. 
 xxxix. 9. A tender heart sticks at the appearance 
 of evil, and will not venture there. Abraham would 
 not take any tiling of the spoil recovered, but re- 
 turned all into the hands of the king of Sodom, lest 
 he should say, " I have made Abraham rich," Gen. 
 xiv. 23. This was an excellent frame of spirit, and 
 jiroeeeded from the tenderness of his heart; such 
 tenderness antidotes a man against the poison of sin. 
 Job's heart was flesh, not stone, and not his friends, 
 wife, or devil, could draw him to commit sin : his 
 iieart was sensible of his sons' sinning, and on their 
 behalf he oflered sacrifice continually. Job i. 5 ; and 
 that tenderness preserved him from sinning. David's 
 heart smote him when he cut ofl' but the lap of Saul's 
 garment, 1 Sam. xxiv. 5. 
 
 4. It is active for God. When Paul's heart was 
 turned into flesh, presently saith he, " Lord, what 
 wilt thou have me to do ? " I am now ready to do 
 aught for thee, Acts ix. 6 ; " and straightway he 
 preached Christ in the synagogues," ver. 20. Josiah 
 was of a tender heart, and he acted notably for God, 
 he destroyed the groves, altars, high-jilaces, images 
 out of Judah and Jerusalem, and other places; he 
 repaired the temple, he caused the law to be read, 
 the people to enter into covenant with God, he kept 
 a most solemn passover, such as had not been from 
 Samuel's days before, 2-Chron. xxxiv. 35. A hard 
 heart is active against God, and a soft heart is active 
 for God. Manasseh, through the hardness of his 
 heart, did more wieliedly than any, 2 Chron. xxxiii. 
 And David, through the tenderness of his heart, ful- 
 filled all the will of God, Acts xiii. 22; he durst not 
 neglect any duty the Lord called for, nor do it re- 
 missly when he went about it. 
 
 II. Inquire what are the mistakes about a tender 
 heart ? 
 
 1. There is a legal tenderness which arises from 
 apprehension of God's sovereignty and justice, and 
 his wrath due unto men for sin, and their sinful 
 practices, whereupon they humble themselves, mourn, 
 sigh, weep, pray, and so manifest some tenderness 
 of heart. Such, 1 conceive, was the tenderness of 
 Manasseh's heart, when he was among thorns, bound 
 in fetters, and in affliction, then he besought the 
 Lord, humuled himself greatly, and prayed, 2 Chron. 
 xxxiii. 11 — 13. Such tenderness had Judas, who 
 repented of what he had done, saying, he had sin- 
 ned in betraying 'innocent blood, Matt, xxvii. 3, 4 ; 
 terrors of conscience put him upon it. This legal 
 tenderness is not that here meant. For, 
 
 (1.) Apprehensions of God's power, justice, wrath.
 
 Vr.R. 26. 
 
 THK BOOK OF KZEKIEL. 
 
 723 
 
 fear of death ;in<l hell, do never melt the heart. The 
 Liw. judi;meiits of God, consideratinns of death and 
 lu'U, may break the stony heart into many pieces, 
 yet every pieee remain a stone, retain its hardness : 
 when you lireak a millstone or rock into pieces with 
 a hammer or pick-axe, though broken, yet there is 
 no true softness in them. 
 
 (2.) Legal tenderness never loves God, it loves it- 
 self, and seeks itself; Imt evangelical, or spiritual, 
 tenderness carries out the heart to God and Christ. 
 I'cter, having hardened his heart hy denial of the 
 Lord J( sus once, twice, and thrice, and then being 
 softened ayain by a look of Christ upon him, Luke 
 xxii. 61, ()2, he loved him dearly ; and that it might 
 be known, Christ asked him the question, " Simon, 
 lovest thou me more than these ?" he saith not, 
 Peter, dost thou love me ? but, " dost thou love me 
 more than these ? " I know these love me much, 
 how stands thy heart to me ? his answer was. Yea, 
 
 1 love thee, and more than these do love thee, and 
 thou knowest it. A tender heart is strongly in love 
 with Christ. Paul, after his heart was regenerate 
 and softened, he was so in love with Christ, that he 
 wisheth Anathema Maran-atha to that man which 
 loves not the Lord Jesus, 1 Cor. xvi. 22. 
 
 2. There is a natural fleshiness or tenderness, 
 ■which is much in women, and sometimes also in 
 men ; as when Joseph made himself know n unto 
 his brethren, he wept, it w as from a natural tender- 
 ness in him, Gen. xlv. 1, 2. Some are by nature 
 very tender and putiful : such tenderness is not what 
 our projihct aims at. For, 
 
 (1.) This natural tc=ndcrness is bom with men, 
 they bring if with them into the world ; the other 
 is a gift, " I will give you an heart of flesh ;" the 
 one is of nature, the other of grace. Parents jiro- 
 creatc the one, God creates the otlu r ; the one is 
 from constitution, the other from regeneration. 
 
 (2.) Where there is a natural tenderness, it is 
 flexible both ways, to good and evil. Rehoboam, 
 who was a wicked king, having a tender heart, 
 
 2 Chron. xiii. 7, he was for evil and for good, he 
 hearkened to the young men's ill counsil at one 
 time, and to Shemaiah's good counsel another time, 
 1 Kings xii. N, 24 ; he was easily drawn this w ay 
 and that way, like some in the apostle's time, who 
 " W( re carried about with every w ind of doctrine," 
 Eph. iv. 14; they were children, they had a natural 
 tenderness in them, and bowed to sound and corrupt 
 doctrine. Hut a man that hath the tenderness of 
 heart here intended, is untractable towards evil, and 
 only flexible unto good: 1 John iii. 1), " He cannot 
 sin, because he is born of God ;" his heart is obsti- 
 n;ite against .sin, he keeps himself from the touching 
 of the wicked one, chap. v. 18; but is pliable to the 
 w ill of the holy one, " prepared unto every good 
 work," 2 Tim. ii. 21. 
 
 .3. Natural tenderness is faint in the cause of God, 
 it hath no courage, no magnanimity for God, but 
 siiiritual tenderness hath. Paul was tender-hearted 
 after his conversion, and see what a spirit he had 
 for God : Acts xvii. 22, 23, " Ye men of Athens, I 
 perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious," 
 &"c. : he contested with the whole university of 
 Athens. The Book of Martyrs tells us of Alice 
 Driver, (a tender-hearted woman,) who said, she 
 would set her foot against the foot of any of them 
 all ; she meant the bishops and their creatures : she 
 had courage for (iod and his cause. 
 
 4. Natural tenderness is dulled by fasting, prayer, 
 and humiliation, but sjiiritiial tenderness is sharpen- 
 ed and qiiiekened by the same. Esther, after her 
 fasting, praying, and humbling her soul, was more 
 sensible of the state of the Jews, and the great dan- 
 3 .V 2 
 
 gcr they were in, and ventured her life for them, 
 Esth. iv. v. 
 
 5. Afflictions, crosses, are very heavy to that heart 
 that is naturally tender, it is restless, unquiet under 
 them ; but a heart spiritually tender welcomes afflic- 
 tions, receives them with joy, Heb. x. 34; and finds 
 sin heavier than afflictions. There are some soft 
 natures which can weep, shed tears in abundance, 
 for loss of relations, estates, favours of great ones, 
 yet never wept for sin ; these have a natural ten^ler- 
 ncss, not a spiritual. 
 
 Besides what may be gathered from what is said, 
 I shall, 
 
 IIL Give some characters of a tender heart. 
 
 1. It is sensible of the church's and saints' afflic- 
 tions, it mourns for and with them ; a tender heart 
 bleeds when it goes ill with Ziem and the people of 
 God. When the men of Ai smote but thirty-six 
 Israelites, how was Joshua aflected with it ! " He 
 rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face 
 before the ark of the Lord until the eventide," Josh, 
 vii. 6. You may read, Psal. Ixxix. Ixxx. how great- 
 ly David, or Asaph, were aflected with the desola- 
 tion of Jerusalem, and miseries w'hich befell the 
 church. These were men of tender hearts, and 
 sensible of evils at a distance. Such was Paul, 2 Cor. 
 xiv. 20, and Jeremiah, whose eyes ran down with 
 tears, because the Lord's flock was carried away 
 captive, Jer. xiii. 17. 
 
 2. Where a heart hath a gracious and spiritual 
 tenderness, it is affected with the perishing condition 
 of others, it grieves to see men impenitent, unbe- 
 lieving, going on in the broad way, to be in a state 
 of unregeneraey, and pities them. Rom. ix. 2, 3, 
 Paul had great heaviness, and continual sorrow in 
 his heart, and why ? for his brethren, and kinsmen 
 according to the flesh ; tluy n jected Christ and his 
 gospel through unbelief and hardness of heart, they 
 were in the broad way to destruction. Christ, see- 
 ing Jerusalem insensible of her own good, he wept 
 over her, Luke xix. 41. And in former times Jere- 
 miah had mauifesteel the tenderness of his heart to- 
 ward the Jews, when he t-aid unto them thus, " Hear 
 ye, anel give ear, be not proud : for the Lord hath 
 spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God, before 
 he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble 
 upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for 
 light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make 
 it gross darkness. But if ye will lot hear it, my 
 soul shall weep in secret places fi.r your pride," Jer. 
 xiii. 15 — 17. 
 
 3. A tender heart dare not go out from God in 
 any ca.se, but commits itself and way to him, it con- 
 sults with God, and leans upon him for counsel and 
 directiem. Josiah, when the law was found, and he 
 understood from it what wrath was due to the breach 
 of it, presently sends men to inquire of the Lord for 
 himself and others what to do ; he took counsel of 
 God, and ne)t of man, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 21. So Je- 
 hoshapbat, he sought not to Baalim, but to the Lord 
 God of his fathers; and David made God's testimo- 
 nies his counsellors, Psal. cxix. 24. Hard hearts 
 dare presume and venture to go out from God, and 
 into ways he hath not warranted; so did Gehazi, 
 Judas, and Dcmas, they followed the imaginations 
 of the ir own hearts, and di clarcd that their hearts 
 were brass. Those that have hearts of flesh say 
 with them in Isa. ii. 3, " Come, let us go up to the 
 mountain of the Lord, to the lionse of the God of 
 Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we 
 will walk in his paths," not in our own. 
 
 4. It is affected presently at the frowns and chid- 
 ings of God, at the appearance and shaking of the 
 rod. A child of a tender nature will melt when the
 
 724 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVI. 
 
 parent begins to manifest displeasure, as to chicle, or 
 take the rod into his hand ; but it is not so witli 
 a stubborn nature, that will hear bitter words, and 
 endure many strokes, before it will meU : Jer. v. 3, 
 " Thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved ; 
 thou hast consumed them, but they have refiisid 
 to receive correction : they have made their faces 
 harder than a rock ; they have refused to return :" 
 these had no tender hearts in them. When Absa- 
 lom had driven David out of Jerusalem, he went u]) 
 mount Olivet weeping : he was presently ail'eeted 
 with the hand of God, 2 Sam. xv. 30. Sloscs was 
 presently affected with the wrath that went out from 
 God against the people. Numb. xvi. 46. 
 
 5. A tender heart feels much stoniness in itself, 
 and complains of if : Oh what a sfony, rocky, ada- 
 mantine heart have I ! saith a tender-hearted num. 
 Its tenderness discovers and feels hardness ; Eph. 
 iv. 19, they were hardened in sin, were past feeling. 
 Where hearts are all stone, there is no sensibleness 
 of the stoniness : those have the tenderest hearts, 
 that feel most brass and iron in them. David cried 
 oft to God for quickening; Psal. cxix. 154, \5i], 1.59, 
 " Quicken me according to thy word ;" " quicken me 
 according to thy judgments ;" " quicken me accord- 
 ing to thy loving-kindness." And why did he cry so 
 for quickening ? because he felt much deadness and 
 hardness in his heart. A dead heart is a hard heart : 
 a man when dead is cold, stiff, and hard ; so a man's 
 heart, if dead within him, is cold, stiff, and stony. 
 
 IV. How may the heart be kept fender ? 
 
 1. By taking heed of every sin, for it is only sin 
 that hardens the heart. As the foot, by treading, 
 hardens the earth, so when sin walks up and down 
 in the heart, it hardens and obdurates the same. 
 Dan. V. 20, Nebuchadnezzar's mind was hardened 
 in pride: and the apostle tells you, Heb. iii. 13, 
 that men's hearts come to be hardened through 
 the decciffulness of sin. Men think little sins can 
 do them little harm; but they harden their hearts, 
 and is that no harm ? is that little harm ? it is the 
 greatest harm that can be done you. 
 
 2. By searching and examining of your hearts 
 frequently, that is a special means to keep them 
 tender. It is like digging of the garden, and plough- 
 ing of the earth, which keeps it from hardening ; 
 the more digging and ploughing, the more tender 
 and crumbly is the earth, that is the chiefesf way to 
 preserve it so ; and they who are ever searcliing 
 their hearts, examining them daily, have them in a 
 tender frame. David communed oft with his own 
 heart, and his spirit made diligent search, Psal. 
 Ixxvii. () ; that kei't his heart in a tender frame. 
 
 3. By studying the word much, and minding it. 
 There is great virtue in the word, it is like fire, and 
 will not only thaw the iciness of their hearts, but 
 keep them unfrozen : the hardest metals, while they 
 are in the fire, are soft ; and whilst men's hearts are in 
 the divine fire of the Scriiitures, they will be soft. The 
 word is like water and oil, which moisten and supple 
 the heart, so tliat the tenderness of if is preserved. 
 
 4. By meditating seriously on God's love, the 
 heights, depths, lengths, and breadths of his love. 
 When a soul is laki n up v ith thoughts of the free- 
 ness, greatness, strength, sweetness, everlastingness, 
 and fruits of God's love, it will be in a melting frame, 
 that fire works kindly upon the heart; love appre- 
 hended makes the heart tender. 
 
 5. Look much to Christ crucified, Zech. xii. 10. 
 When we con.sider what Christ hath snfTercd for our 
 sakes, it will make and keep otu- hearts tender. 
 Hence 
 
 Obs. I. A tender heart is a choice mircy. As a 
 "stony heart" is a grievous plague, so a "in art of 
 
 flesh" is a great blessing; it is sensible of sin, even 
 secret sins, it trembles at flioughts of God, his attri- 
 butes, and word, it understands divine things, it is 
 teachable and f)bedienfial, it is compassionate and 
 full of bowels towards all : such a heart is rare to 
 find, but wherever it is, it is a mercy of mercies, a su- 
 perlative merey. 
 
 Obs. 2. It is a gift, even the gift of God. " I will 
 give you an heart of flesh." None but he who can 
 fetch water out of a rock, and turn stones into flesh, 
 Matt. iii. 9, can give fliis fender heart ; we can make 
 our hearts sfony by sinning, but we cannot soften 
 them again. It is God's prerogative to make and 
 give a "heart of flesh;" he can make the hardest 
 heart exceeding tender. Beg such a heart of him, 
 and press him with his promise ; " for faithful is he 
 who hath promised, who also will do it." 
 
 Ver. 27. And I ivill put mij spirit within you, 
 and cause you to u-alk itt my statutes, and ye 
 shall keep my judgments, and do them. 
 
 In the 25th verse remission of sins was promised, 
 in the 2Gth, regeneration, and in this, infusion of the 
 Spirit is promised. In the words are, 
 
 I. The merey promised, viz. the " sjiirit." 
 
 II. The parties recipient, "you." 
 
 III. The eflecfs of this reception, "walking in," 
 &c. 
 
 "I will put my spirit within you." By "spirit" 
 here, I understand not the new heart or new spirit 
 mentioned in the verse before, viz. the gifts and graces 
 of the Spirit, but the Spirit itself; so (Ecolampadius, 
 Lavafer, Junius, and Polonius : and however it be a 
 great dispute among school-men, whetber the Spirit 
 itself be given unto men, and dwell in them ; some 
 conclude, that the person of the Spirit is not given, 
 b\if dwells in us only, by his gifts imparted : yet the 
 Scripture is clear, that the Spirit itself is given, and 
 dwells in the sons of men. Kom. v. 5, "The love of 
 God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, 
 which is given unto us." Here is a distinction made 
 between the grace of the Spirit, and the Spirit itself: 
 the grace of love is shed abroad in the hearts of the 
 saints by the Spirit, and that Spirit which worketh 
 that grace in them, is given unto them. The person 
 of the Spirit is distinguished from the gifts and 
 graces he works in men; 1 Cor. vi. 19, " Know ye 
 not that your body is [lie temple of the Holy Spirit 
 in you:" a temple is not for gifts or graces, but for 
 a person, a deity, and some special presence of that 
 deity. The world hath God in it, yet it is not called 
 The temple of God, because he is in a general and 
 common manner in the same ; but the Spirit is in the 
 bodies of the saints, and that in a special manner : 
 1 Cor. ii. 12, " We have received, not the spirit of 
 the world, but the spirit which is of God ; that we 
 might know the things that are freely given to us 
 of God." By "spirit" here cannot be meant gifts 
 or graces, but the person of the Spirit, " who search- 
 eth the deep things of God," as it is ver. 10, and 
 makes them known by degrees unto those he dwells 
 in, discovering what G'od liath done for them. Rom. 
 viii. 11, " If file Spirit of him that raised up Jesus 
 from the dead dwell in you : " it is the Spirit of God 
 himself who dwells in believers, and not only the 
 gifts and graces of the Spirit; these are in them as 
 (pialifies in a subject, but he is in them as an in- 
 habitant in a house. 
 
 The Spirit, by reason of its infiniteness, is every 
 where, in trees, worms, flowers, waters, all creatures j 
 is it any otherwise in the saints than in them ? 
 True, the Spirit, as to his essence, is in all things ; yet, 
 
 1. It is not in them by way of union. A fish is in
 
 Ver. 27. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 725 
 
 tlic wafer, but not unitod to the water : the Sjiirit is 
 in the xaints by way of union, therelore is said to 
 " dwell in them " by his own jjifts and graces : we 
 are united to the Spirit, and the Spirit to us. 
 
 2. It is not in them liy way of gracious operation. 
 All he (loth in other creatures, is upholding their 
 beings, enabling them to put forth their natural power, 
 vigour, virtue, and ordering their motions to what 
 ends he pleaseth ; he worketh nothing in them above 
 their natures : but in those he dwells he worketh 
 gi'acious effects ; in those the Lord gives the Spirit 
 unto, he worketh such operafiins as are not else- 
 where, even such as are above nature ; he is in them, 
 by a special title, by an act of grace. A gardener 
 worketh curious knots in the gnrden, which he doth 
 not elsewhere : God made other works, and set other 
 plants, in Paradise than in the world. 
 
 3. As the Deity of Christ is every where, in every 
 creature, yet otherwise in Christ's human nature 
 than in any creature, Cid. ii. 9 : so the Spirit, though 
 it be every where, yet is otherwise in belitvers than 
 in other creatures, it is in them as it is in Christ 
 himself, but not in the same measure. 
 
 What doth tlie Spirit, being within us ? 
 
 1. It unites the Lord Christ and the soul together, 
 it makes a happy union betwe( n them two. The 
 Corinthians were espoused to Christ, 2 Cor. xi. 2, 
 not only by the ministry of Paul, but by the Spirit : 
 1 Cor. xii. 13, " By one Spirit are we all baptized 
 into one body ;" that is, the church, the body of 
 Christ. The Spirit is the great Agent in this work. 
 
 2. The Spirit gives out divine oracles and truths 
 unfo the soul. As in the temple God gave out his 
 mind, made known his will, so doth the Sj^irit in the 
 heart of man ; Matt. x. 20, the Spirit of the Father 
 speaks in believers. 1 John ii. 20, " Ye have an 
 unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things :" 
 that unction is the Sj-irit, which makes known all 
 needful things unto those it dwells in. It is needful 
 to be instructed, and armed against antichrist and 
 his seducements ; it is needful to be directed in the 
 way to heaven: they had the Spirit, which did teach 
 them how to avoid the one, and how to jiroceed in 
 the other; and so were taught of God: " and who 
 teacheth like him?" Job xxxvi. 22. He teacheth 
 inwardly, infallibly, powerfully. 
 
 3. It conquers and drives out the enemies that had 
 possession of and quartered in us. There is no man 
 the Lord puts his Spirit into, but the Spirit finds the 
 devil there; he hath possession of men's hearts, and 
 labours to keep the same. There are also a multi- 
 tude of base and ungodly lusts which fight for the 
 devil's interest; the>e the Spirit sets upon, subdues, 
 and casts out. When Christ came into the temple, 
 he whipped out all the money-changers ; when 
 Joshua came into Canaan, he drove out the Canaan- 
 ites and other nations: and when the Spirit comes 
 into a man, it beats down strong holds, drives out 
 Satan and his troops ; 1 John iv. 4, " Greater is he 
 that is in you, than he that is in the world." The 
 devil had been in them before, but was now driven 
 out of them into the world by the Spirit which was 
 in them, and their lusts were mortified by the same 
 S|iirit, Rom. viii. 13. 
 
 4. The Spirit put into man, takes the rule and go- 
 vernment of that man into his own hand ; he must 
 no longer he under the dominion of sin or Satan, but 
 under the conduct of the Spirit; he. and all in him, 
 must bow to that great Person. When a great man 
 conieth into the country to dwell, he looks for all 
 ab >ut him to bow unto him, and to be at his com- 
 mand; hence men that have stout and stubborn spi- 
 rits which cannot bow use to say, We care not for a 
 gre it neighbour. The Spirit is greater than all men, 
 
 and when he is put into men, it is to rule ; he is 
 there not to be checked, controlled, opposed, but to 
 bear sway, to have the keys of every room delivered 
 up unto him : he must be, and will be, sovereign in 
 the soul, before him every mountain and hill nuist 
 be brought low, yea, every creature must swear fealty 
 unto him. Rom. viii. 14, " Tliey are led by the Spirit 
 of God :" the Spirit is the commander and leader of 
 those it dwells in, they follow- him and not others ; 
 whereas those that are wilhout the Spirit are " led 
 away with divers lusts," 2 Tim. iii. 6; or drawn away 
 with their own lust, James i. 14; and so follow Sa- 
 tan, 1 Tim. V. 15. It is not so with those that have 
 the Spirit; that is called a guide, John xvi. 13; and 
 such a giude, as guides into all truth, and orders 
 them so, as that they shall not miscarry ; for it is a 
 Spirit of wisdom, Eph. i. 17; of counsel, Isa. xi. 2; 
 of power, 2 Tim. i. 7 : so lliat he must rule, and 
 where he rules, he doth it wisely. 
 
 5. He frames them to his own mind, and trans- 
 forms them into his own likeness. As a graft put 
 into a stock turns the sap of the stock, and assimi- 
 lates it and the stock to itself, so doth the Spirit in 
 the parties where it is : 2 Cor. iii. 18, "We are 
 changed into the same image from glory to glory, 
 even as by the Spirit of the Lord," or, by the Lord 
 the Spirit, so the Gri ek will bear it ; we are selfish, 
 sinful, natural, mortal, and the Spirit makes us spi- 
 ritnal. The husband frames the mind of his wife 
 suitable unto his own ; when a man comes into an 
 old house, he pulls down and sets up, he takes away 
 and adds what he pleases, and fits the house to his 
 own mind; so doth the Spirit, being in our earthly 
 tabernacles, it abrogates the laws of the flesh, it 
 throws out the principles of Satan and the world, it 
 sets up new laws, and works new principles, Rom. 
 iii. 27 ; viii. 2. 
 
 6. The Spirit being j;nt into man, and man be- 
 coming his temple, he doth beautify and adorn that 
 temple, and make it glorious. Solomon overlaid the 
 temple with pure gold, 1 Kings vi. 21 ; the inside 
 was very glorious : and the Spirit trims up its tem- 
 ple with pure graces, with " love, joy, peace, long- 
 sufl'ering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, tem- 
 perance," &c. Gal. v. 22, 23 ; Ephes. v. 9. The 
 Sjiirit garnished the heavens with those greater and 
 lesser lights. Job xxvi. 13, which fill this lower world 
 with their glory. It is the Spirit which reneweth 
 the face of the earth, Psal. civ. 30, and makes it 
 beautiful ; and it is the Spirit reneweth and garnish- 
 eth the soul, making it glorious and beautiful with 
 all graces : Psal. xlv. 13, " The king's daughter is all 
 glorious within ;" and the Spirit's temple is no less 
 glorious. If Solomon's temple were called " the 
 holy and beautiful house," Isa. Ixiv. II, much more 
 may the temple of the Spirit be so called. 
 
 7. It being in man, enables him to do many things, 
 it strengthens him with might to do that which 
 otherwise he could not do, Eph. iii. 16. As, 
 
 (1.) To discern between the things of men and 
 the things of God, between the things of Christ and 
 those of antichrist, between true and counterfeit 
 graces. 1 Cor. ii. 15, " He that is spiritual judgeth 
 all things ;" he hath the Spirit enabling him to 
 make a ditference, and to see the reality, beauty, 
 and excellency of some things above others. The 
 higli priests, scribes, and Pharisees, saw no beauty 
 in Christ that they should desire him, but the apos- 
 tles, who had the Spirit in them, did: John i. 14, 
 " We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only be- 
 gotten of the Father :" and Paul saw so much in 
 Christ, and the knowledge of him, tluit he counted 
 all things but loss for the excellcncv of the know- 
 ledge of Christ, Phil. iii. 8.
 
 726 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVI. 
 
 (2.) It enables them to pray spiritually. Rom. 
 viii. 2(), '• Tlie Spirit helpeth our intirmitiLS ; for we 
 know not what we should pray for as we ought." 
 The Spirit fells us what to pray for, and helps us to 
 bring forth those petitions it hath formed in us : Zech. 
 xii. 10, it is called " the spirit of supplication," be- 
 cause it teaches us what to supplicate God for, and 
 assists us in supplicating. Both Paul and Jude ex- 
 horts those they write unto, to pray in the Spirit, 
 Eph. vi. 18; Jude 20; that is, in the strength and 
 help of the Spirit, not in their ow n strength. 
 
 (3.) It enables to stand in time of trouble, perse- 
 cution, and sufferings. The Spirit prompts answers 
 unto those that are questioned for truth's sake, and 
 helps them against all their opposers : see Mark 
 xih. 11; Matt. X. 19, 20; Luke xii. 11, 12. When 
 they were led before magistrates and powers, they 
 must take no thought beforehand what to speak, 
 nor premeditate; the Spirit should help them, encou- 
 rage and uphold them, not an angel, but the Spirit. 
 Acts vi. 10, Stephen was so mightily assisted by the 
 Spirit, that his opposers, viz. the Libertines, Cyreni- 
 ans, Alexandrians, and others, were not able to 
 withstand him. 
 
 (4.) It enables to bring forth good fruit. If there 
 be no sap in a vine, it will bear no fruit : if there be 
 only our own sap, it will yield sour fruit ; but if the 
 sap of the Sjiirit be there, then it will afford good 
 fruit, special fruit. Acts x. 38, " Christ, being anoint- 
 ed with the Holy Spirit, and with pow er, went about 
 doing good :" so the apostles ; Acts i. 8, " Ye shall 
 receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come ujion 
 you : and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Je- 
 rusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto 
 the uttermost part of the earth." The Sjjirit em- 
 powered them to walk up and down in the world, to 
 preach the gospel, convert souls, plant churches, 
 and to do them good: so did Paul, Rom. xv. 19. 
 Where the Spirit is, it enables and provokes unto 
 good, John vii. 38, 39. 
 
 (5.) The Spirit enables men to keep the word of 
 God, and yield obedience unto it. 2 Tim. i. 14, 
 " Tliat good thing wdiich was committed unto thee 
 keep by the Holy Spirit which dwellcth in us." 
 Timothy, saith Paul, tliou hast that which is of great 
 concernment committed to thy keeping, viz. the 
 gospel, the form of sound words, and thou hast a 
 great Helper to enable thee thereunto, even the 
 Spirit of God which dwells in thee ; see tlierefore 
 that thou keep it by the enabling power of the 
 Spirit, which helps not only to remember truth, but 
 also to obey truth : for Peter assures us, that the 
 believing Jews did obey the truth through the 
 Spirit ; that is, through the assistance of the Spirit. 
 Tliis is that which follows in the next words to be 
 opened. 
 
 " And cause you to walk in my statutes." The 
 Hebrew word for " cause " is, T'tt'y I will make, 
 effect, or bring to pass by the operation of that 
 Spirit I put into you, that you shall walk in my 
 statutes. Vatablus renders it, efficiam, which im- 
 ports, inlhience of power. David, Psal. cxliii. 10, 
 prays unto the Lord to teach him to do his will; 
 and, Psal. cxix. 3,5, he saith, " Make me to go in the 
 path of thy eonmiandmeiits :" both these the Spirit, 
 being put into num. performs; it teaches him to do 
 the will of Gild, and causes him to go in the path of 
 his commandments. 
 
 To walk in (iod's .statutes implies several things. 
 
 I. The making of godliness and religion our chief 
 work in this life. Other things are to be done as in- 
 ferior things, this is to be the principal, no work 
 should be .so minded as this: saith Joshua, chap, 
 xxiv. 15, " As for me and my house, we will serve 
 
 the Lord," that shall be our great and chiif business 
 in this world. He remendjered what God had com- 
 mended to him and all men : Deut. vi. ti — 9, '• These 
 words, which I command thee this day, shall be in 
 thine heart : and thou shalt teach them diligently 
 unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou 
 sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the 
 way, and when thou liest down, and when thou 
 risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon 
 thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between 
 thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the 
 
 Eosts of thy house, and on thy gates." God would 
 ave us to be godly inwardly and outwardly, at 
 home and abroad, night and day, and to make our 
 families religious : and they are repeated again, 
 Deut. xi. 18—20, that so they mi>;ht take the 
 deeper impression upon the hearts of men. David 
 looked at this work above all others : Psal. cxix. 97, 
 " O how I love thy law ! it is my meditation all the 
 day." To be godly and religious was his princi- 
 pal care : that is the one thing necessary ; and Solo- 
 mon hath drawn it up into this conclusion, " Fear 
 God, and keep his commandments ; for this is the 
 whole duty of man," Eccles. xii. 13. 
 
 2. Taking delight in the ways of God. His statutes, 
 commands, and ways are grievous to men, naturally 
 they walk not in them. When men walk in any 
 way, they are delighted with and in that w^ay ; so 
 here, walking in God's statutes notes delight: P.sal. 
 cxix. 14, " I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimo- 
 nies, as much as in all riches." Some rejoice in fine 
 houses, some in fertile lands, some in great flocks, 
 some in silver and gold ; but David rejoiced in the 
 way of God's testimonies, and as much as any of 
 them, or all of them, in their riches ; he found more 
 sweet in them, than they in their wealth : ver. 143, 
 " Thy commandments are my delights ;" they were 
 his chief, his satisfying, his sole and soul delights. 
 It was meat and drink to Paul to be doing the will 
 and work of the Lord, Acts xx. 24; as it was unto 
 Christ, John iv. 34. 
 
 3. It imports motion and progress. They should 
 not stand still in contemplation, nor .sit still in medi- 
 tation, but they should proceed and go on in the 
 ways of God, they should get nearer their journey's 
 end, be daily more knowing, more holy, more gracious, 
 and godly. The Thessalonians' faith did grow ex- 
 ceedingly, and their charity abounded, 2 Thess. i. 3 ; 
 they walked from faith to faith, and from love to 
 love. When Paul was converted, and brought into 
 the way of Christ, he increased in spiritual strength, 
 Acts ix. 22 ; he reached forward, and pressed towards 
 the mark, Phil. iii. 13, 14; he put on mightily for to 
 get the knowdedge of Christ, and the power of his 
 resurrection, and the fellowship of his stdi'erings ; 
 he did not only walk, but ran oft, in the way of 
 truth and godliness, 1 Cor. ix. 2(). 
 
 4. Walking in God's statutes imports persever- 
 ance in them ; they shall not apostatize and turn 
 back from them, but continue in them. Of a w icked 
 man destitute of God's Spirit, it is said, " He hath 
 left off to be wise, and to do good," Psal. xxxvi. 3 ; 
 but of a righteous man it is said, he " shall hold on 
 in his way," Job xvii. 9. He knows he is in a safe 
 and good way, a way that will recompense him fully 
 at the end, whatever hardships or storms he meets 
 wdthal, and therefore will neither sit still nor go 
 back ; he may be beside the way sometimes, but 
 never turning back again. 
 
 " Ye shall keep my judgments and do them." 
 Statutes and " judgments" are comprehensive words, 
 and sometimes are used promiscuously, as hath 
 formerly been showed in chap, xviii. 9 : but here 
 they may be tluis diilcrenced; statutes to signify the
 
 THE BOOK OF E/,EKIEL, 
 
 duties of the first table, the things of God's worship 
 and manner of the same, whether under the law or gos- 
 pel ; and "judgments," the duties of the second table, 
 matters of equity and justice between man and man. 
 
 The word for " keep" is, -Mir, which imports, keep- 
 ing with care and diligence ; they should not keep 
 them in their houses or memories only, but they 
 should keep them practically, they should " do them.'' 
 
 04*. 1. God's Spirit ditfers from all other spirits. 
 Angels are spirits, souls of men are spirits, but tliese 
 are below God's Spirit. " I will put uiy Si'irit." 
 God's Spirit is a Spirit of holiness, Rom. i. 4 ; tlic 
 power of the Highest, Luke i. 35 ; a Spirit of truth 
 guiding into all truth, John xvi. 13; a spirit of yrace, 
 Zech. xii. 10; tlie oil of gladness, Heb. i. 9; the 
 Comforter, John xiv. 16; a spirit of ghiry, I Pet. iv. 
 14; a Spirit, that is the Lord, Isa. xi. 2; n^r^^^ nn 
 The Spirit of Jehovah, shall rest upon him. What- 
 ever excellences may be in souls or angels, they are 
 infinitelv short of that that is in the Spirit of God : 
 Psal. cx'hii. 10, " Thy Spirit is good;" that is, Thy 
 Spirit, O Lord, is transcendently good. My own 
 spirit is naught, and all other spirits are nothing 
 compared with thy Spirit ; that, and that only, is good, 
 good originally, good transcendently, good iufinitely. 
 
 Obs. 2. The putting in of the Spirit into the sons 
 of men, is a free act of God. He doth it not upon 
 the accoimt of the covenant of works, but by virtue 
 of the covenant of grace. This verse is a branch of 
 the covenant of grace, and agrees with that in Jer. 
 xxxi. 33, " 1 will put my law in their inward parts, 
 and write it in their hearts;" that God doth, when 
 he puts in his Spirit; 2 Cor. iii. 3, for the Spiritbeing 
 within, writes divine truths in the heart. Adam had 
 the law written in his heart by the Spirit, but not as 
 it is written by the Spirit in the hearts of believers, 
 who are under the new covenant : the Spirit wrote 
 the law in Adam's heart as concreator with the 
 Father and the Son, not by virtue of any covenant ; 
 but believers receive the Spirit, and have the law 
 written in them, by virtue of covenant. God hath 
 covenanted to put his Spirit in them, and they have 
 the Spirit from Christ and the Father. Christ pur- 
 chased of the Father the mission of the Spirit, there- 
 fore saith, he will send the Comforter unto them, 
 John xvi. 7: and that he will pray the Father, and 
 he .shall send the Comforter unto them, John xiv. Hi ; 
 so that believers now have the Spirit from God, as a 
 Father in Christ, from Christ, as Head of the 
 church, and both these by virtue of the new cove- 
 nant. Adam had not the Spirit so : and for those 
 that had the Spirit under the law, (for some had it, 
 as you may see, Psal. li. 11 ; Keh. ix 20; Numb. 
 xxvii. 18 ; Hag. ii. .'),) they had it not by virtue of the 
 covenant of works, " Do this, and live;" for none 
 were able to keep the law, but by virtue of the cove- 
 nant of grace. There was gospel in the law, yea, 
 the whole ceremonial law was so. The apostle tells 
 lis that the Galatians received not the Spirit by the 
 works of the \n\v, but by the hearing of faith, Gal. 
 iii. 2: and look how' the gentiles received the bless- 
 ing of .Miraham, viz. the Spirit, which was through 
 faith, and through Christ, ver. 14; so did the Jews 
 likewise. 
 
 Neither Jews nor gentiles do bring any prepara- 
 tions or qualifications towards the reception of the 
 Spirit : God gives his Spirit freely where there are 
 no such things. When men are in a state of sin and 
 wickedness, the Spirit is put in; first it is tlure, 
 and then it works grace; before they have new 
 hearts, new spirits, the .stone be taken out of the 
 heart, and there be a " heart of fiesh," the Spirit is put 
 in and acts ; he finds not qualifications or dispositions, 
 but brinjjs them, 
 
 ins not qualincntions or dispositions, 
 works them. The bees, when they 
 
 come to the hive, find no wax, no honey there, but 
 they bring the wax and honey ; so the Spirit, when 
 it comes to men's hearts, it finds no wax, no honey, 
 no graces nor gracious dispositions there, but brings 
 them : when the Spirit comes to regenerate and 
 sanctify, it finds notliing in men but darkness, unbe- 
 lief, unholiness, and enmity, by which it is no more 
 defiled than an angel by coming into the world, 
 which lies in wickedness, or the sun shining upon 
 a dunghill ; but when it comes to be an inhabitant, 
 a Comforter, a Spirit of glory to rest upon a man, 
 then it finds the heart prepared, and made meet for 
 its entertainment and abode. 
 
 Obs. 3. The gift of the Spirit is a great and excel- 
 lent gift. " I will put," or give, " my spirit within 
 you." The greatness and excellency of it appears 
 in these fi)llowing particulars : 
 
 (I.) It is the person of the Spirit which is a fun- 
 damental mercy, and more considerable than all his 
 gifts and graces, which flow from liim : the tree is 
 lietter than all the fruit, the sun is of more worth 
 than all his beams. 
 
 (2.) It is the procreator of all grace in the soul. 
 Gal. v. 22, " The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, 
 peace, faith." Take but those four graces, and see 
 how they are exalted : faith is styled precious, 2 Pet. 
 i. I ; peace is said to pass all understanding, Phil, 
 iv. 7 ; joy to be glorious and unspeakable, 1 Pet. 
 i. 8 ; and love is magnified by Paul above all gifts 
 and other graces, 1 Cor. xiii. What a gift, then, is 
 the Spirit, which is the parent, not only of these, 
 but of all graces and all gifts ! Eph. v. 9, " The fruit 
 of the Spirit is in all goodness." 
 
 (3.) It is the conservator of all grace and good 
 things in us. As God conserves the world, which is 
 his creature, so the Spirit conserves grace, which is 
 its creature : the Spirit, as it gives being to all graces, 
 so it preserves them in their beings and operations. 
 It is the Spirit which mortifies lusts, Rom. viii. 13 ; 
 and it is the Spirit maintains graces. John iii. 6, 
 " That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that 
 which is born of the Spirit is spirit." As flesh brings 
 forth flesh, so it maintains the same, and as the Spirit 
 brings f)rth spirit, so it maintains the same; each main- 
 tains their own ofl'springs. The Spirit is the nurse of 
 all those graces it hath brought forth in tlie lieart of 
 any: 2 Cor. iv. 13, it is called " the Spirit of faith," 
 not only because it creates faith in the heart, but 
 keeps it there. So it is called " the spirit of grace," 
 Zech. xii. 10, not only because it works grace in 
 men, but also because it keeps grace in them ; hence 
 those who are after the Spirit, are said to mind the 
 things of the Spirit ; their graces are maintained by 
 the provision of the Spirit. 
 
 (4.) The Spirit is he who actuates and consnmmati s 
 our graces. The Spirit doth not content itself to 
 beget and preserve graces in men's hearts, but im- 
 proves and perfects them : we and our graces would 
 act very poorly, did not the Spirit assist us. John 
 XV. 5, " Without me, saith Christ, ye can do nothing;" 
 that is, without my Spirit concur with your graces, 
 and actuate them, " ye can do nothing." The mill 
 may have all things fit for motion, the sails may be 
 spread, but if the wind blow not the mill goes not ; 
 so a man may, througli grace, be prepared and fitted 
 to every good work, but if the Spirit blow not he 
 moves not. John vi. 63, "It is the Spirit that ijuiek- 
 ens ;" it quickens us and our graces also. 2 Cor. iii. 
 6, " The Spirit giveth life ; " life to men's persons, 
 and life to their graces : it is the Spirit makes lively, 
 and sets grace to work. It is the sun and influences 
 of heaven which draw up the sap, and make the tree 
 grow ; and it is the Spirit and its influences which 
 draw out our graces into act, they lie still unless
 
 72S 
 
 AN EXrOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVI. 
 
 fresh blasts of the Spirit come upon us and them. 
 And as the Spirit acts our graces, so it perfects them, 
 it adds supplies unto tliem, Phil. i. 19; and changes 
 us into further glory day by day, '2 Cor. iii. 18. And 
 what is said of Chiist, Heb. xii. '2, that he is " the 
 author and finisher of our faith," the same Christ 
 doth by his Spirit, and so the Spirit is the author and 
 finislier of ah our graces. 
 
 (5.) Tlie Spirit is a great and excellent gift, in 
 that it doth facilitate, sweeten, and make delightful 
 unto us all the ways of God. They are hard and 
 harsh to flesh and blood, as to deny a man's si.lf, to 
 pass by wrongs, to forgive enemies, to bear the cross 
 cheerhdly, &:c. ; these are things corrupt nature can- 
 not digest; but where the Spirit is given, thty be- 
 come easy : the Spirit is the oil of gladness, and 
 makes the soul cheerfidly fall in with whatever is of 
 God. When a child hatli the father to go before, 
 and lead it by the liand, tliough the way be stony, 
 dirty, uphill, it goes willingly ; so the sold that 
 liath the Spirit to lead it, let the way be what it will, 
 followeth willingly. Psal. cxix. 32, " I will run the 
 way of thy comnumdments wdien thou shalt enlarge 
 my heart." The Spirit dotli enlarge the heart ; 
 2 Cor. iii. 17, where that is there is liberty. Let 
 the Lord command things hard, David will run to 
 do them; they are suitable to the Spirit, and tlie 
 win-k of the Spirit in the heart. 
 
 (().) The Spirit is an excellent gift, in that it makes 
 them excellent who have it. Can. v. 10, 11, saith 
 the queen to Belshazzar, " There is a man in thy 
 kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods," he 
 is an excellent man, none like him in all thy pro- 
 vinces, he hath the spirit of the gods in him, which 
 others have not. Where the Spirit of God is put 
 into a man, that man is an excellent man ; he hath 
 an excellent person in him, more excellent than his 
 soul, than all souls, than all angeLs; he hatli excel- 
 lent graces, and is honourable above others. 1 Sam. 
 ix. 6, '• There is in this city a man of God, and he is 
 an honourable man," said Saul's servant; so every 
 one that hath the Spirit, be he in the city or out of 
 it, is a man of God, and an honourable man. 
 
 Oba. 4. There is a union between the saints and 
 the Spirit of God. " I will put my spirit within you." 
 It is not said, I will put my Spirit upon you, but 
 "within you;" so that by virtue of those graces it 
 works in you, there shall be a union between you 
 and my Spirit. This union is not such as is between 
 the three John speaks of, 1 John v. 7, for they are 
 one essentially ; nor such as is between the Deity and 
 Christ's human nature. Col. ii. 9, for that is personal; 
 but it is a mystical union, a union of persons, not a 
 personal union. It is, 
 
 (1.) Real. There is a true oneness between the 
 Spirit and those it is put into : 1 Cor. vi. 17, " He 
 that is joined unto the Lord is one Spirit;" he saith 
 not, is one body, or, one soul, or, hath one spirit 
 with the Lord, but "is one Spirit;" there is as real 
 a union as is between soul and body, he is so one 
 with the Spirit as he is denominated spirit : John 
 iii. (), " That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 
 
 (2.) It is a wonderful union. The Spirit of God, 
 who is one with the Father and the Son, to be one 
 also with man, and not with one man, but all he is 
 put info, even thousands of men, is wonderful. John 
 tells us, it was a great wonder to see a woman cloth- 
 ed with the sun, Rev. xii. 1 ; but it is a greater won- 
 der to see a man or woman united to the Sjurit of 
 God, which is in our souls and bodies, the faculties 
 and meuibrrs of them, as the sap is in the root, vine, 
 and branches ; and here is the w'onder, the same 
 sap to be in every one of these, and iu all other vines. 
 
 (3.) It is a most glorious union. When the Lord 
 
 came into the temple, it was filled with glory, 
 
 1 Kings viii. 1 1 ; and when the Spirit is put into a 
 man, and the union made between them, the man is 
 filled with glory. When the sun shines into a liouse, 
 it fills it with glory ; when the fire is in the iron, 
 how glorious is it ! the union between the fire and 
 the iron makes the iron a thick, dark, solid body, as 
 glorious as the fire itself. 
 
 (4.) It is a strong and intimate union, which can- 
 not be dissolved : " I will put my spirit within you," 
 that is, into their inward parts. 1 lie Spirit is deep- 
 ly seated, and strongly united unto those it is in. 
 
 2 Cor. vi. 10, " I will dwell in them." The Greek 
 is, I will indwell in them ; there is such an indwell- 
 ing of God's Spirit in the hearts of his, that he will 
 neither leave, nor be thrust out of his habitation. 
 John xiv. 11), " I will pray the Father, and he sliall 
 give you another Comforter, that he may abide with 
 you for ever." I am leaving you, saith Christ, but 
 when I am o;one, I will intercede with the Father 
 for you, and he shall send the Spirit, the great Com- 
 forter ; and he shall never leave you, he shall abide 
 with you for ever, none shall be able to dispossess 
 or drive him out of you. 
 
 Object. But both these seem contrary to Scripture : 
 I Sam. xvi. 14, "The spirit of the Lord departed 
 from Saul ;" and David did drive away the Spirit, 
 when he committed his great sins of murder and 
 adultery. 
 
 Anaw. 1. Wicked men have the Spirit from God 
 as a Lord, by virtue of the covenant of works, and 
 so sinning the Spirit departs from them. Thus 
 was it with Said, he rebelled against God, vexed his 
 Spirit, and so that left him : but David, who was a 
 godly man, had the Spirit from God as a Father in 
 Christ, by virtue of the covenant of grace ; and so 
 though the Spirit were grieved by his sins, it did not 
 depart from him ; for, Psal. li. 11, he prays unto the 
 Lord, saying, " Take not thy holy spirit from me." 
 Had it been gone, the tenor of his prayer had been 
 for restitution, not against ablation of it. 
 
 An.ni-. 2. The Spirit which departed from Saul 
 was the Spirit of prophecy, and those kingly endow- 
 ments which he nad received, 1 Sam. x. 6; they 
 ceased. The Spirit is oft put for the gifts of the 
 Spirit, and they do ofttiines fail in men. 
 
 An.sic. 3. All men have the spirit of bondage to 
 fear, but all have not the Spirit of adoption lo cry, 
 Abba, Father ; whosoever have the same, it abides 
 with them. 
 
 Oljs. 5. That before the Spirit of God be put into 
 men, they are without life or motion towards God, 
 or spiritual things ; they live not to God, they walk 
 not in his statutes ; they live to themselves, to the 
 flesh, to the creatures, and wander from God and his 
 ways. Naturally men are destitute of the Spirit, 
 sensual, as Jude tells yon, ver. It), " Sensual, not 
 htiving the Spirit." Those that have not the Spirit, 
 at the best are but sensual or merely intellectual 
 men ; and those who had the best souls, most rea- 
 son, understanding, knew not God, Acts xvii. 23; 
 1 Cor. i. 21. David tells us, Psal. xiv. 2, 3, that 
 God looked down from heaven upon the children of 
 men, that is, Jews and gentiles, to see if there were 
 any that did understand, and seek God, that is, whe- 
 ther any did so know God as to set them at work to 
 seek him, as being the highest good, beyond all 
 creature excellency. But what was the issue of 
 God's so looking upon men? " They are all gone 
 aside," that is, from him and his ways ; " they are 
 altogether become fdlhy," their practices are such 
 as make them stink ; "there is none that doth good, 
 no not one ;" of so many millions of men as are 
 upon the earth, there is not one doth good. There
 
 Vi;r. 27. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 779 
 
 were men of excellent parts then in the world, men 
 of soul, but not one of them did know God, or seek 
 after God ; Paul therefore hath laid it down for a 
 universal maxim, That the animal, natural, or intel- 
 lectual man, receives not the things of the Spirit of 
 God, for the)' are foolishness unto him ; whilst he is 
 without the Spirit of God, tliey are no better than 
 foolishness unto him, and so are rejected by him. 
 
 Obs. G. The principle of spiritual life and motion 
 is the Spirit of God. " I will put my spirit within 
 you, and cause you to walk." Immediately upon 
 the putting in of the Spirit into the heart of any, 
 there is life and motion ; men live and move spirit- 
 ually. Some make grace the jjrinciple of life and 
 motion, but all grace flows from the Spirit, Gal. v. 
 22, 23; Ejih. V. 9; and why should grace have that 
 honour which is due to the Spirit? It was the en- 
 trance of the Spirit which quickened the dead bodies 
 of the witnesses, and caused them to move, Rev. xi. 
 II ; and it is the entrance of the Spirit which quick- 
 ens dead souls, and causes them to move. We must 
 beware of an error here, which hath seized upon di- 
 vers of late, viz. that because the Spirit is in us, and 
 the principle of life and motion, that therefore the 
 Spirit doth all : Matt. x. 20, " It is not ye that 
 speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh 
 in you ;" so it is not you that do, but the Spirit in 
 you ; and if the Spirit speak and do all, we must 
 sit still and leave ourselves to the Spirit's motions 
 and actings. This is a dangerous error : know 
 therefore, that though the Spirit be in men, and the 
 principle of life and motion, yet it doth not act or 
 work without us : in the putting in of the Spirit we 
 are passive, John iii. 6 ; we concur no more to our 
 birth than a child doth to its generation ; but when 
 the Spirit is in us and hath quickened us, then there 
 is the co-operation of man with the Spirit : Rom. 
 viii. 16, the Spirit beareth witness to our spirit; ver. 
 26, it helpeth our infirmities : the Spirit acts us, 
 and we co-act with it. If the Spirit did all, then the 
 Spirit should repent, believe, and not man ; but what 
 ccuse hath the Spirit to repent or believe ? it never 
 sinned, it stands not in need of help or mercy. That 
 place. Matt. x. 20, is not absolutely to be taken, that 
 they did not speak, for so it should be false ; Luke 
 xii. 12, " The Holy Spirit .shall teach you in the 
 same hour what ye out;ht to say :" they spake, and 
 the Spirit taught them to speak. The place is to be 
 taken comparatively, not you, but the Spirit ; that is, 
 it is rather the Spirit than you, the Spirit is the 
 principle which sets you on. For men to sit still, 
 and leave all to the Spirit, is a grieving of the Spi- 
 rit, and contradicts wtiat the Spirit hath given out : 
 Matt. vii. 7, " Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, 
 and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened 
 unto yon." The Spirit would have us use means, 
 and doth most vigorously assist us when we are 
 most diligent in the use of them, Prov. ii. 3 — 5; 
 2 Chron. xv. 2. 
 
 Quest. If the Spirit be put into us, dwell in us, and 
 be the principle of life and motion, what need the 
 soul look unto Christ for any fresh or further .supply ? 
 
 ^Innir. 1. It is granted there i.s a sufficiency and 
 fulness in the Spirit, yet because it is the will of God 
 that we should look unto Christ, we are bound to do 
 it: Heb. xii. 2, "Looking unto Jesus the author 
 and finisher of our faith ;" 2 Tim. ii. 1, " Be strong- 
 in the grace that is in Christ Jesus ;" and Paul hmi- 
 self, 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9, looked up to Christ for more 
 help, notwithstanding he had a fulness of the Sinrit 
 within him, Acts xiii. 9. 
 
 Answ. 2. The Spirit is not the head of the body, 
 though it be in the bodv : that honour is Christ's : 
 Col. 1. 18, " He is the Hi' ad of the body, the church ;" 
 
 and from it the whole body receiveth influence, Eph. 
 iv. 15, IG; Col. ii. 19. It is requisite, therefore, that 
 every member in the body should look up to the head. 
 
 Obs. 7. God first makes men good, and then they 
 do good; first he puts his Spirit into them, and then 
 they walk in his ways. It is said of God liimself, 
 he is good, and doth good, Psal. cxix. 68 ; he is first 
 good, and then good comes from him. So God 
 makes men good by the infusion of his Spirit, and 
 then they bring forth spiritual fruit: Eph. ii. 10, 
 " We are his workman.ship, created in Christ Jesus 
 unto good works." Since man's fall, amongst all 
 the sons of men God finds none good: Rom. iii. 10, 
 " There is none righteous, no not one ;" if any be 
 so, he is TTonifia Tov Bfoi, the workmanship of God ; 
 God hath made him so by his Spirit, he hath made 
 him a new creature, and so fitted him for good works. 
 The tree must first be good, before the fruit be good: 
 amongst men good actions are first done, and then 
 men are reputed good; but with God it is otherwise, 
 he makes men first good, and then they do good ac- 
 tions : they do not make themselves good by their 
 free will, by frequent acts of good, but God puts in 
 his Spirit, towards which they contribute nothing, 
 and tliereby they are made good, and act answerably ; 
 then their actions have life in them, worth in them, 
 and are suitable to God, who is a Spirit, and must 
 be worshipped in spirit and truth. Let men look 
 heedfully to themselves, and not stand upon their 
 actions ; men may do many actions outwardly glori- 
 ous, and magnified by men, themselves being corrupt 
 and naught. If men have not the Spirit of God in 
 tliem, their actions are no better than corrujit fruit 
 of a corrupt tree, they do not please God : '• and if 
 any have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his ;" 
 he is neither good, nor doth good. 
 
 Obs. 8. In what heart soever the Spirit dwells, 
 there will be outward and visible manifestations of 
 it. Grace within will appear without. " I will put 
 my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my 
 statutes, to keep my judgments, and to do them." 
 The Spirit is like the sun in the firmament, which 
 cannot be liid long, though it may be clouded for a 
 season. The cough, and grace, are of such natures 
 as will not be concealed ; and the Spirit is of that 
 nature, as it will discover itself in the man it is with- 
 in, causing him to change his courses, and to walk in 
 other ways than ever he walked in. When the Spi- 
 rit is put into a swearer, a liar, an unclean person, 
 an extortioner, a bloody persecutor, it makes the 
 swearer fear an oath, the liar speak truth from his 
 heart, the unclean man to possess his vessel in sanc- 
 tification and honour, the extortioner to make .satis- 
 faction, and give half of his goods to the poor, and 
 the bloody persecutor to love and j.reach the gospel 
 he persecuted, so demonstrating itsi If to be in them. 
 The Spirit in Scripture is compared to fire. Matt. iii. 
 11 ; to a mighty wind, Acts ii. 2; to a fountain or 
 spring, John vii. 38, 39 ; to an ointment, 1 John ii. 
 27 ; to the oil of gladness, Psal. xlv. 7- All which 
 things will be seen, heard, and set out the Spirit's 
 manifestation of itself. The Spirit is an active 
 thing, and makes its inbeing known by men's out- 
 ward actions, as the inbeing of the soul is by speak- 
 ing and walking ; the sap keeps not always in the 
 root, but ascends, dispcrseth itself into every branch, 
 and by leaves, blossoms, and fruit, declares the life 
 and nature of the tree. Many whose lives do testify 
 what they are, cheat their own souls with this delu- 
 sion, they have himest hearts, and are inwardly 
 good, though they be not so gracious and holy out- 
 wardly as others ; yea, though corruptions do break 
 out sometimes, inwardly they are good. But let 
 such know it is impossible there should be grace,
 
 730 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CnAi'. XXXVI. 
 
 Christ, or the Spirit within them, and these not ap- 
 pear in their tongues and lives ; for out of the abun- 
 dance of the lieart the tongue speaks, and the hand 
 acts : the corruption that breaks out testifies there is 
 a corrupt, graceless, Christless, and spiritless heart 
 within. 
 
 Obs. 9. When men have received the Spirit of 
 God. they are assisted and enabled by it to proceed 
 and persevere in the ways of God. " I will put my 
 spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my sta- 
 tutes, and ye shall keep my judgments." As the 
 stoniness of their hearts, and power of their wills, 
 could not hinder God from putting in hisS]iirit; so the 
 .stouincss being removed, the liberty or power of the 
 will cannot hinder the Spirit from carrying on the 
 men in whom it is in the ways of God, it complies 
 and co-operates with the Spirit therein. Man's 
 will, after the Spirit's infusion and work upon it, nei- 
 ther doth, nor can, hinder his proceeding and per- 
 severing in the ways of God; for if so, man's will 
 should frustrate the promise of God, and make him 
 in one part of it unfaithful ; for he that said, " I 
 will put my Spirit within you," said also, " I will 
 cause you to walk in my statutes, to keep my judg- 
 ments and do them :" he saith not. If man will it shall 
 be so, but, I will have it so. The Spirit of God is 
 stronger than Satan, 1 John iv. 4; stronger than 
 men's wills and corruptions ; and will put forth his 
 strength to maintain the truth and faithfulness of 
 liim who put him within men for that end, that he 
 should assist them against whatever .should hinder 
 their progress and perseverance in his ways. The 
 Spirit wi-ites the law of God in the hearts of men, 
 2 Cor. iii. 3 ; teaches them to understand the same, 
 1 John ii. 27 ; and enables them to obey all truth ; 
 1 Pet. i. 22, they obeyed the truth through the 
 Spirit i that caused them to walk in the way 
 of truth, notwithstanding Satan's temptations, the 
 strength of their own corruptions, and liberty of their 
 wills. Those that have the Spirit are led by it, and 
 cannot b<_- under the dominion of sin or Satan, Horn, 
 vi. 14. They are under grace, under the conduct of 
 the Spirit, which will never let them apostatize and 
 perish, I Jolm iii. il. There is a seed in them which 
 will never suller them so to degenerate, as to become 
 the seed of the serjient. 
 
 Obs. 10. Those that have the Spirit in them, do 
 make godliness and the ways of God their business 
 and delight here in this world. They walk in his 
 statutes, that is their work, trade, recreation ; no 
 business lies more upon them than to be godly. 
 The world they are dead unto it. Gal. vi. 14, and use 
 it as if they used it not, 1 Cor. vii. 29 — 31 ; and sin 
 they are dead unto, they have nothing to do with the 
 unfruitful works of darkness, Eph. v. II : but they 
 are alive imto God, Koni. vi. 11; they spend their 
 time and strength for him, they live to his praise and 
 glory. So Paul, Phil. i. 21, saith, " To me to live is 
 Christ ;" my life is employed and laid out in the ser- 
 vice and interest of Christ. Those that have the 
 Spirit in them, live in the Spirit, and walk in the 
 Spirit, according to Gal. v. 25; they show forth the 
 virtues of liim that hath put in tlie Spirit within 
 them, and the virtues of the Spirit being within 
 them.. David had the Spirit of God within him, 
 and he made godliness his principal business, and 
 the statutes of God his delight: Psal. cxix. 164, 
 " Seven times a day do I praise thee ;" ver. 62, " At 
 midnight will 1 rise to give thanks unto thee ;" ver. 
 97, God's law was his "meditation all the day;" 
 Psal. Ixxi. 15, " My mouth shall show forth thy 
 righteousness and salvation all the dav ;" Psal. xxv. 5, 
 "On thee do 1 wait all tlie day;" Psal. Ixxxiv. 10, 
 " A day in thy courts is better than a thousand. 1 
 
 had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, 
 than dwell in the tents of wickedness ;" Psal. xxvii. 
 4, " One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I 
 will seek after ; that I may dwell in the house of the 
 Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty 
 of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." \Vhere 
 is a king, where is a christian, that mindeth godli- 
 ness as David did, or delights in the ways of God 
 as he did .' May it not be taken up for a lamenta- 
 tion, that most christians declare, that neither Christ 
 nor the Spirit is in them, because they neither seek 
 the things of the one, nor savour the things of the 
 other ? Phil. ii. 21 ; Rom. viii. 5. 
 
 Ob.s. II. A man endowed with the Spirit, must 
 walk in God's statutes, and in his only. " I will 
 put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in 
 my statutes :" they must not worship God any other 
 way than lie hath appointed in his word. Inward and 
 outward worship must be appointed by God ; for who 
 knows what will please God but himself? he is a 
 glorious and holy Spirit, inlinitcly and only wise, 
 and that only must we stick unto as pleasing unto 
 him which himself appoints. Men's inventions and 
 appointments in worship detile men's souls, and pro- 
 voke Divine ^Majesty ; a godly man therefore is very 
 tender in point of worship, and v.ill practise nothing 
 therein but what he hath found a clear foundation 
 for out of the word of God. He knows that when 
 Nadab and Abihu brought strange lire before God, it 
 brought a sti-ange judgment upon them from God, 
 Lev. x. I, 2; he knows that all worship after the 
 commandments and ti'aditions of men is in vain. Matt. 
 XV. 9 ; he knows no coin is current in the court of 
 heaven, but that which hath the image and siiper- 
 scription of God himself ujion it ; he knows what 
 God hath said, Ezek. xx. 18, 19, " Walk ye not in 
 the statutes ol your fathers, neither observe their 
 judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols: I 
 am the Lord your God ; walk in my statutes, and 
 keep my judgments, and do them." He knows that 
 " to fear God, and keep his commandments, is the 
 whole duty of man," Eccles. xii. 13. 
 
 Obs. 12. That man that hath the Spirit of God, is 
 for righteousness as well as holiness. He is a second 
 table man, as well as a first table man ; he is con- 
 scientious towards man, as well as towards God ; he 
 keeps the judgments set between man and man, as 
 well as walks in the statutes which are between God 
 and man : as, " Thou shall love thy neighbour as 
 thyself," Rom. xiii. 9 ; not to defraud thy brother 
 in any matter, 1 Thess. iv. 6 ; to do to others as we 
 would be done unto ourselves, Luke vi. 31 ; to con- 
 descend to those of low estate, to recompense to no 
 man evil for evil, but to overcome evil with good, 
 Rom. xii. 16, 17, 21 ; blessing them that curse you, 
 and praying for tViem that despitefully use you. Matt. 
 V. -14 ; to forbear and forgive one another. Col. iii. 
 13 ; to bear one another's burdens. Gal. vi. 2; every 
 man to possess his vessel in sanctifieation and honour, 
 1 Thess. iv. 4; to speak evil of no man, to be no 
 brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all 
 men. Tit. iii. 2 ; to put away all bitterness, wrath, 
 anger, clamour, and evil speaking, with all malice, 
 and to be kind and tender-hearted one to another, Eph. 
 V. 31, 32 ; not to lie, but speak the truth every man 
 with his neighbour, ver. 25; to distribute to the ne- 
 cessities of saints, Rom. xii. 13 ; to lend, looking for 
 nothing again, Luke vi. 35, &c. These are judg- 
 ments God hath set in his infinite wisdom between 
 man and man ; and whosoever hath the Spirit of 
 God dwelling in him, keeps these and many other 
 mentioned in sacred writ. David had respect to all 
 the commandments of the Lord, Psal. cxix. 6; those 
 which concerned men, as well as those which con-
 
 Vkr. 28. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 731 
 
 cerncd God, for they arc all of equal authority, being 
 from tile same God, and branches of his infinite wis- 
 dom ; the one tending to man's good, and God's glory, 
 as well as the other, which David knew, and there- 
 fore kept. So Paul, his care was not only to mind 
 the duties of holiness towards God, but those of 
 righteousness towards men; Acts xxiv. 16, " Here- 
 in," saith he, " do I exercise myself, to have always 
 a conscience void of oBence toward God, and toward 
 men." Had he not kept the judgments set of God 
 between man and man, his conscience had not been 
 innocent ; but because he did keep them, therefore he 
 could say, Acts xxv. 10, " To the Jews have 1 done 
 no wrong ;" and to the Corinthian gentiles, " We 
 have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, 
 we have defrauded no man," 2 Cor. vii. 2. He had 
 the Sjiirit within him, which carried him forth strong- 
 ly to do just, righteous, and equal things, and to move 
 others thereunto : Phil. iv. 8, " Finally, brethren, 
 whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are 
 honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things 
 are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever 
 things are of good report ; if there be any virtue, 
 and if there be any praise, think on these things." 
 He wrote these words unto the Philippians as his 
 last words, that so they might take the deeper im- 
 pression in them, knowing that if second table duties 
 were not done, first table duties would be in vain. 
 See how the Lord with indignation takes up the 
 Jews for failing in their duties towards men, though 
 they did their duty tov.ards him : Jer. vii. (i, 9, 10, 
 Will ye oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the 
 widow ? will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, 
 and swear falsely, and come and stand before me in 
 this house ? What ! do you come hither for to pray, 
 to hear the law, to otier sacrifice, and think I am 
 pleased with these duties? No, no; I will destroy 
 the temple where ye worship, and I will cast ye out 
 of my sight as I have done all your brethren, even 
 the whole seed of Ephraim, ver. 14, 15. It is in vain 
 to be religious, if we be not righteous ; such religion 
 is a dreadful provocation of God, as you may read, 
 Isa. i. 10 — 17. Many are religious in these days, 
 but where is a righteous man ? " He that doth righte- 
 ousness," just and equal things, "is righteous," 1 John 
 iii. 7- Let us learn, as to walk in God's statutes, 
 that is to be religious, so to keep his judgments 
 and do them, that is to be righteous ; for of tlie three 
 great things which God requires of man, this is the 
 first : Mieah vi. 8, " What doth the Lord require of 
 thee, O man, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to 
 walk humbly with thy God ? " 
 
 Ver. 28. And ye shall dwell in the land that I 
 gave to your fathers ; and ye shall be my jieople, 
 and I will be your God. 
 
 This verse comprehends in it both temporal and 
 spiritual mercy, as repossession of their land, and 
 God's renovation of covenant with them. 
 
 " And ye shall dwell in the land which I gave to 
 your fatlurs." God had long before this time given 
 Canaan unto Abraham and his posterity, who through 
 their sins were driven out of the .same, and made 
 captives in Babylon, but he would bring them back 
 again and set them in it, which resembled God's 
 gathering of his people out of all nations, and bring- 
 ing thini into the church of Christ, the city of God, 
 the spiritual Canaan. 
 
 " And ye shall be my people, .and I will be your 
 God." Like words to these we had, Ezek. xi. 20 ; 
 xiv. 11 ; xxxiv. 31 ; and therefore shall not stand 
 upon them. The sense of them is this : You being 
 in Babylon, think yourselves cast off of God, and 
 
 that ye shall never again have the honour to be his 
 people, and to have him for your God ; but your 
 tlioughts are not as mine, for ye shall come again 
 to Canaan, and there I will own you for my people, 
 and ye shall own me for your God : ye shall be my 
 people to worship me, and I will be your God to 
 bless you ; ye shall be my people to depend upon 
 me, and I will be your God to protect you ; ye shall 
 be my people to obey my commands and do my will, 
 and I will be your God to exalt and honour you ; ye 
 shall be my people to love, fear, honour me, and to 
 stand for me and my glory, and I will be your God 
 to counsel, comfort, delight in, and to deliver you, 
 and to plead your cause against all your enemies. 
 
 Ubs. 1. There is nothing difhcult or impossible 
 to God, though it be so in the eye of man. The 
 Jews thought it a hard, if not a thing impossible, 
 for them to get from under the Babylonish yoke into 
 their own country ; but God thought not so ; saith 
 he, " Ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your 
 fathers ;" I will break oil' every yoke which hinders, 
 and remove every mountain which lets. And this he 
 did with ease, for he did but stir the heart of Cyrus 
 king of Persia to make a proclamation to this pur- 
 pose, That whoever among the Jews had a heart to 
 go up to Jerusalem, might do it, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 
 22, 23, and it was done. The getting Peter out of 
 prison seemed a thing impossible ; he was in two 
 chains, between two soldiers, keepers at the door, a 
 first and second ward after these to pass by, and then 
 an iron gate to open : all these things were as no- 
 thing to God ; he sent an angel, who brought Peter 
 out of prison, notwithstanding all these difficulties, 
 and, as to men, impossibilities, Acts xii. God saith, 
 Jer. xxxii. 27, " I am the Lord, the God of all flesh : 
 is there any thing too hard for me ? " Many things 
 are two hard for you, but is there any thing in 
 heaven or earth too hard for me ? What ! cannot I 
 bring the Jews again to Canaan ? ver. 37, " I will 
 gather them out of all countries, whither I have 
 driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in 
 great wrath ; and I will bring them again unto this 
 place," viz. to Jerusalem. 
 
 Obs. 2. Lands are at the disposal of God. " Ye 
 shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers." 
 Canaan God first gave to the Canaanites : for their 
 iniquities God took it away, and gave it to the Jews ; 
 they provoking God by their idolatries and oppres- 
 sions, he took it from them and gave it to the Chal- 
 deans ; who having possessed it for some years, he 
 took it from them, and restored it again to the Jews. 
 Not only the land of Canaan was disposed of by the 
 Lord, but all lands and nations are his, and given to 
 whom he pleases ; Jer. x. 7, he is " King of nations ;" 
 he rules in the kingdoms of men, and gives them to 
 whom he will, Dan. iv. 32. All kings are God's 
 copyholders, and he can turn them out of their 
 tenures at pleasure : Jer. xxvii. 5, 6, " I have made 
 the earth and given it unto whom it seemed meet unto 
 me : and now have I given all these lands into the 
 hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon." He 
 turned out the king of Moab, the king of Edom, the 
 king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, the king 
 of Zidon, and gave all their lands into the hands of 
 Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 Obi: 3. No condition of God's people is so griev- 
 ous, but it .shall have a comfortable issue. That the 
 Jews were in captivity, deprived of all those sweet 
 enjoyments they had in the land of Canaan, was 
 grievous ; that they were amongst idolaters, blas- 
 phemers, in a polluted land, and made to serve the 
 enemies of God, this was exceeding grievous unto 
 them ; yet this condition was not to last always, it 
 slioidd have a comfortable end, they should return
 
 732 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVI. 
 
 and dwell in the land of their fathers, and enjoy their 
 ancient, honourable, and comfortable privileges. In 
 the apostles' days the church was under great perse- 
 cution and many sufiered, Acts viii. and ix. ; but 
 the persecution and suilering of the saints had an end, 
 yea, a comfortable end; for, chap. ix. 31, it is said, 
 "Th>n bad the churches rest throughout all Judca 
 and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; ar.d 
 walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort 
 of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied." Here was a 
 blessed conclusion of a sad persecution ; this bluster- 
 ing winter had a sweet spring following of it. 
 
 Ob.'i. 4. It is an act of grace in God to take any 
 ppoi)le to be his, and a renewed act of grace to fall 
 in again with those that have revolted from him and 
 he hath cast off. What was in this people of the 
 Jews at first to move him to mind them, to take tin m 
 for his people ? they had that enough in thtin, and 
 as all other nations have, to make him abhor them, 
 but nothing to incline his heart tow-ards theui. Ezek. 
 xvi. 5, (i, 8, When thy person was loathed, and thou 
 vast polluted in thy blood, I said unto thee. Live ; 
 I entered into covenant with thee, and thou becamest 
 mine. Here was an act of grace ; it was God's plea- 
 sure made them his people, I Sam. xii. 22, and 
 nothing else ; and when they had forsaken God, Jer. 
 ii. 13, and he had cast them out of his sight, Jer. vii. 
 15, which was done when they were cast into Baby- 
 lon, to fall in again with these, to own them for his 
 people, and to become their God again, this was a 
 renewed act of grace, height of mercy, stringth of 
 love. God might have said. Ye are weary of me, 
 and I am weary of you ; I know your thoughts and 
 what comes into your mind, tliat you would be as the 
 heathen, as the families of the coinitry, to serve wood 
 and stone, Ezek. xx. 32; but God would not suffer 
 it, he would bring them out of Babylon, be their 
 God, and take them to be his people ; which sets out 
 the freeness and fulness of divine grace : he would 
 not let his people become heathenish, and worship 
 heathen gods. 
 
 Obs. 5. All nations have not an equal interest in 
 God, his favour and grace is not alike dispensed 
 unto all. God said not to the Babylonians, " Ye 
 shall be my people, and I will be your God." This 
 was spoken to the Jews, and to no other naticjn; 
 therefore saith God of that nation, Amos iii. 2, " You 
 only have I known of all the families of the earth," 
 you have I taken into nearer relation than any 
 other ; you have I known by way of covenant, you 
 have I known so as to record my name among you, 
 and to dwell among you ; but so I have not dealt 
 w iih oth.er nations : they were " without God in the 
 world," Eph. ii. 12; they were "far off" (ver. 13) 
 from God, from the means of grace and salvation. 
 The gentiles had not such interest in God as the 
 Jews had ; they had common favour as they were 
 his creatures under the covenant of works, these had 
 special favour an they were his people under the 
 covenant of grace. Isa. xliii. 3, " I am the Lord thy 
 God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour ; I gave 
 Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee :" 
 God exposed them to destruction for the safety of 
 the Jews. 
 
 Obs. {). That people is honoured and happy, whom 
 the Lord owns to be his, and vouchsafeth to" be their 
 God. " Ye shall be my people, and I will be your 
 God." Wliat greater honour could the Jews have 
 in the world, than be taken by the infinite, holy, 
 great, and gbjrious God, to be his people? It is a 
 great honour when poor beggarly people are taken 
 into gi-eat men's and princes' services ; much more 
 is it so when a sinful nation is taken in by God to 
 be his people. And not only is if an honour, liut a 
 
 happiness ; Psal. cxliv. 15, " Happy is that people 
 whose God is the Lord." Is not that people happy 
 which have peace, and plenty of all good things '} 
 Yes, it is a human, a conceited happiness, but it is 
 not a real, a true happiness ; that litth in having 
 God our God, our Lord : propriety in a Deity makes 
 a nation or person happy ; Psal. xxxiii. 12, " Blessed 
 is the nation whose God is the Lord ; and the people 
 whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." 
 David, who was a prophet, and a man after God's 
 own heart, fixeth not happiness upon riches, honours, 
 peace, parts, multitudes of soldiers, subjects, or coun- 
 sellors ; but in mutual relation between God and a 
 people, the one owning the other. When God owns 
 a people to be his inheritance, and a people own 
 God to be their God and portion, this is true happi- 
 ness ; such a people may plead with God for great 
 things in prayer, and expect them, as Jehoshaphat 
 did, 2 Chron. xx. 12; and as Asa did, 2 Chron. xiv. 
 II ; and Moses, Exod. xxxii. 11 — 14. 
 
 Ver. 29, 30. I ivill alio save you from all your 
 un cleanii esses : and I will calf for the corn, and 
 irill increase it, and lay no famine upon ynu. And 
 I uill multiply the fruit of the tree, and the in- 
 crease of the field, that ye shall receive no more 
 reproach of famine among the heathen. 
 
 These two verses hold out two more great pro- 
 mises imto this people ; which are, 
 
 I. Ablation of evils, as " uncleannesses, famine, 
 reproach." 
 
 II. Collation of good things, "corn, fruit, and 
 increase of the field." 
 
 Ver. 29. " I will also save you from all your un- 
 cleannesses." This is a special promise, and of 
 great concernment. Some refer it to justification, 
 and make it to be God's free taking away the guilt 
 and punishments deserved by their uncleannesses. 
 Some refer it to sanetification, and make it to be 
 God's cleansing them from the filth and delivering 
 them from the pow'er of sin. They are mistaken 
 who interpret the w-ords of Babylonish unclean- 
 nesses, as if God would deliver them out of Babylon, 
 and save them from the pollutions thereof; if that 
 had been the sense, the words should have run thus, 
 I will save you from all their uncleannesses, not, 
 " from all your uncleannesses." To let that exposi- 
 tion pass, we may take in here both their justifica- 
 tion and sanetification, and so make the sense full : 
 I will save you from all your uncleannesses by my 
 j'ardoning grace, that shall acquit you from the 
 guilt and punishment of all your sins ; and I will 
 save you from all your uncleannesses by my sancti- 
 fying grace, that shall purge out all your defilements 
 and spots. The word for "uncleannesses" is, riiNtD 
 which notes not only ceremonial uncleanness, but 
 moral also, as Lev. xviii. 27. 
 
 " I will call for the corn, and will increase it." 
 The Hebrew is, I will call to the corn, I will com- 
 mand the corn to grow and bring forth ; I will give 
 but a word of power, and as that hath caused all things 
 to be and bring forth, so shall it do with the corn, and 
 not only cause it to grow, but to increase, so that there 
 shall be plenty, ancl plenty continued ; for it follows, 
 
 " And lay no famine upon you." The Jews had 
 oft been under grievous fiiniines, as ajipears, 2 Sam. 
 xxi. 1; 2 Kings vi. ; I Kings xviii.: Joeli. ; Amos 
 iv. G; 2 Kings xxv. 3. The Lord called for and laid 
 famines ujxm them ; but here he promises not to 
 lay any famine upon them ; they should be freed 
 from that judgnunt, and live in the abundance of 
 good things. 
 
 Ver. 30. "And 1 will midtiply the fruit of the
 
 Ver. 29—31 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 733 
 
 tree." Not only should the corn thrive and bring 
 forth, but the trees ;iUo they should be fruitful, yea, 
 very fruitful; Gud would multiply the fruit of all the 
 trees which used to bear fruit. Some trees are for 
 ornament of the earth, some for timber, some for 
 fire, but most for fruit, and those that were for 
 fruit should bear fruit in abundance. 
 
 " The increase of the field." These words are 
 spoken of those things which do grow of themselves 
 without setting, sowing, or planting, they are pro- 
 perly the increase of the field. 
 
 " That ye shall receive no more reproach of famine 
 among the heathen." The heathens took occasion 
 from the famines the Jews met with, to reproach 
 them, and say, What ! do you want bread? is your 
 God the chiefest and best of gods, and will he sie 
 you want ? is he hard-hearted, and will not aflbrd 
 you necessaries to live ? Surely our gods are bett( r 
 and more merciful than the God of the Jews; they 
 sutler us not to want any thing, we have no such 
 famines as you Jews have ; you are hunger-starved 
 wretches, and beholden to us for bread. These were 
 grievous reproaches, which the Lord promised here 
 to take away by giving unto them plenty of all 
 things for their maintenance. They had upbraided 
 the Jews, ver. 13, that their land was a land which 
 devoured men ; God therefore now told them, their 
 land should bring forth com, fruit, and other good 
 things, and so maintain the inhabitants of it. 
 
 Obs. I. When God enters into or renews covenant 
 with a peojile, he will do much for them. " J will 
 be your God ; I will also save you from all your un- 
 clcannesses ; and I will call for the corn, and increase 
 it, and lay no famine upon you, and I will multiply 
 the fruit of the tree," &c. Here God renewed cove- 
 nant with them, and promised them spiritual and 
 temporal mercies, which in due time he gave them 
 in. So 'when he first entered into covenant with 
 them, Ezek. xvi. 8 — 14, what great things did God 
 do for them ! "Then w'ashed I thee with water, yea, 
 I throughly washed away thy iJood from thee, and 
 anointed thee with oil: I clothi d thee also with 
 broidcred work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, 
 and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I cover( d 
 thee with silk," Sec. AVhen God is once engaged to 
 a people, he doth much for them, and great things, 
 he lays out himself and his attributes for their 
 good. 
 
 Oba. 2. God is a perfect Saviour. " I will save 
 you from all your uncleannesses." They had many 
 and variety of uncli anncsses, ceremonial and moral 
 impurities, inward and outward jiollutions ; they 
 had much guilt and much filth, but God saved them 
 from them all ; he doth perfectly justify, and will 
 perfectly sanctify in due time: there is not one in- 
 herent corruption within, cleave it never so fast unto 
 the spirit of man, but God will work it out. He will 
 " take away all iniquity," Hos. xiv. 2, the guilt of 
 sin, the power and pollution of sin, yea, the very 
 being of sin : ver. 25 of this chapter, " I will sprinkle 
 clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean ; from 
 all your filthiness, and from all your idols, w ill I 
 cleanse you." God will do his work of this nature 
 thoroughly and perfectly : David acknowledged it, 
 Psal. ciii. 2. 3, " Bless the Lord, O my soul, and for- 
 get not all his benefits : who forgiveth all thine ini- 
 quities; whohealetli all thy diseases." 
 
 Obs. 3. It is no difliculty unto the Lord to make 
 plenty of things, he can easily do it. " I will call 
 for the corn, and will increase it." It is but calling 
 for it, and it comes ; if he call for fruitfulncss of the 
 field or tree, or both, they come: as servants come 
 at the call of their masters, so any creatures, corn, 
 wine, oil, come at the call of God ; if God do but say. 
 
 Let the earth bring forth, it will bring forth : there 
 is power in his word, it is the word of the greatest 
 King : no earthly king hath fertility or sterility at 
 his command as God hath. Hag. i. 1 1, he called for a 
 drought upon the land, and it came: 2 Kings viii. 1, 
 he called for a famine, and it came and sojourned 
 seven years with them. If God call for a judgment 
 or a mercy, it comes presently. Let us fear to offend 
 him, lest he call for a famine, the pestilence, or a 
 sword ; let us improve mercies for his honour, that 
 he may call for the corn and fruit, and continue the 
 same unto us. 
 
 Obs. 4. "Whatsoever plenty is in a land, it is from 
 the power, blessing, and bounty of the Lord. " I 
 will call for the corn, and increase it." Though the 
 land have kept her sabbaths, hath not been ploughed 
 or sown in many years, yet I will cause it to iiring 
 forth, and that richly ; I will mulli|:Iy the fruit of llie 
 tree ; the vine, fig tree, and the olive shall be laden 
 with fruit, and that ye take no pains for the tender 
 grass and herbs, the increase of the field. These, 
 even all these, are from the call, benediction, and 
 bounty of God, which we should take notice of, and 
 be thankful for. All the corn we have for bread, all 
 the fruit we have for delight, all the herbs we have 
 for physic, and all the grass and fodder we have for 
 cattle, are all from tlie Lord; and if we do not use all 
 for his glory, but abuse the same, as Ephraim did, 
 God will deal by us as he did by Ephraim, Hos. 
 ii. 8, 9, even take all from us ; " I will take away my 
 corn in the time thereof," kc. 
 
 Obs. 5. God takes notice how wicked ones re- 
 proach his children being under his judgments, and 
 will cause their reproachings to cease. " Ye shall 
 receive no more reproach of fimine among the 
 heathen." It was a vile thing for the Babylonians 
 to cast it in the Jews' teeth, that their land was a 
 land of famine, and so to reproach them for that 
 judgment which God for their sins did oft lay upon 
 them; tliis was inhuman, barbarous, to add aliliction 
 to the afflicted: God observed it, and to comfort them 
 against so sore an affliction, he gives in a promise of 
 a plentiful maintenance, I will call for tlie corn, and 
 multiply all things, so that there shall be no occa- 
 sion for an enemy, for any Babylonian, to say so any 
 more ; " ye shall receive no more reproach of 
 famine among the heathen." 
 
 Ver. 31. Then shall ye remember yotir own 
 evil ivays. and your doings that were not good, 
 and shall lothe yotir.ielves in your own sight for 
 your iniquities and for your abominations. 
 
 This verse is the last of the special promises made 
 here unto this people, and it is a promise of repent- 
 ance. Something like part of tliis verse we had 
 chap. vi. 9, almost the same words we had chap. 
 XX. 4.3. 
 
 " Then shall ye reinember." When I have broken 
 the Baljylonish yoke oil' their necks, brought you 
 into your own land, and done great things for you, 
 then ye shall remember ; that is, not simply to call 
 to mind w hat ye have done, but to roll up and down 
 in your thoughts seriously, to muse upon and pon- 
 der, for so much the word tdi signifies, and so to 
 ponder as to do something thereupon. 
 
 " Your own evil ways, and your doings that were 
 not good." In chap. xx. 43 it is, " your ways, and 
 all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled;" and 
 here it is " your own evil ways, and your doings that 
 were not good." What their ways and doings were, 
 you may see, Ezek. xxii. throughout the whole 
 chapter. They did speak and do evil as they could, 
 Jer. iii. 5 ; they were worse than the nations and
 
 73i 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Cii.Ar. XXXVI. 
 
 coinilvies round alioul them, E-zek. v. 6, than Sodom 
 and Samai'ia, cliap. xvi. 47. 
 
 " And shall loalhe yourselves in your own sight." 
 Montanus renders the Hebrew thus, ye shall re- 
 probate yourselves in your own sight, ye shall judge 
 yourselves worthy to be cut off, and to be made a 
 curse. The Vulgate is, your iniquities shall dis- 
 please you : there is more in the word than displeas- 
 ing i ye shall be for a disdain, a loathing to your- 
 selves. Saith CEcolampadius, ye shall be prieked 
 at the heart, ye shall see yourselves so defiled and 
 deformed through sin, that ye shall loathe and abhor 
 yourselves. 
 
 " For your iniquities and for your abominations." 
 "Iniquities" are perverse, crooked, and unright- 
 eous actions ; " abominations," things disafleeting 
 and loathsome to the senses. 
 
 Obs. 1. God's loving-kindnesses and mercies do 
 work more with sinners than his judgments do. All 
 the time they were in Babylon, their hearts were 
 never so affected for their sins, as after God lirought 
 them out, settled them in Canaan, and showed nuich 
 love unto them ; then they should remember their 
 evil ways, before they minded them not; then they 
 should loathe themselves. Mercies in Zion are 
 more efficacious with sinners than judgments in 
 Babylon ; God's favour sooner melts hard hearts 
 than the fire of his indignation ; his kindness is very 
 penetrative, it gets into the hearts of sinners sooner 
 than his threats and frowns ; it is like a small soak- 
 ing rain which goes to the roots of things, whenas 
 a da.shing rain runs away, and does little good. It 
 was David's kindness brake the heart of Saul, 
 1 Sam. xxiv ; and it is God's kindness which breaks 
 the heart of sinners. The milk and honey of the 
 gospel affect the hearts of sinners more than the 
 gall and wormwood of the law ; Christ on mount 
 Zion brings more to repentance than Moses on mount 
 Sinai. 
 
 Obs. 2. WTien God brings his people out of Baby- 
 lon into Canaan, out of the world and antichristinn 
 ways, into near relation to himself, and into gospel 
 order, then he will frame their spirits so, that they 
 shall review their former ways, be ashamed of, and 
 loathe themselves for them. Ver. 28, " Ye shall 
 dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers ; and 
 ye shall be my people, and I will be your God ; and 
 then shall ye remember your doings that W'ore not 
 good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight 
 for your iniquities and abominations." When peo- 
 ple are delivered from the power of darkness, and 
 translated into the kingdom of Christ, then they 
 come to see what works of d:;rkness they committed, 
 and so to abhor and loathe themselves for the same. 
 When men come out of popish darkness, or the pro- 
 fane courses they have lived in, and are brought 
 near to God, how do they judge, condemn, and loathe 
 themselves for the same ! When Paul was translated 
 from his pharisaism into Christ's unity, then God 
 moulded his spirit so, that he saw and confessed 
 what a blasphemer, persecutor, and injurious person 
 he had been, and loathed himself, saying, he was 
 the chief of sinners, 1 Tim. i. 15. And when the Jews 
 .shall be brought out of that Babylonish condition 
 they now are in, and become a people near to God, 
 being iii the church of Christ, then they will remem- 
 ber their evil doings, their bitterness against chris- 
 tians, and bloodiness against Christ, "and loathe 
 themselves for the same, Zcch. xii. 10; Rev. i. 7. 
 
 Obs. 3. Where repentance comes, it makes a 
 change in men's judgments, affections, and lives. 
 They should loathe themselves in tlieir own sight 
 for their iniquities and for their abominations. What 
 they approved of before, delighted in, and practised. 
 
 that they should look upon as abominable, loathe, 
 and turn from. Repentance begins in men's minds 
 and judgments, altering them; and when they are 
 altered, the allections and conversation will alter : 
 when the prodigal repented there was a change in- 
 ward and outward. 
 
 Ver. 32. IVot for jjour sokes do I this, saith 
 the Lord God, be it known wito you : be ashamed 
 and co7ifoiinded fur y our oivn nays, O house of 
 Israel. 
 
 In this verse is comprehended the ground of all 
 the gracious and great promises specified in the 
 words before and following : and, 
 
 I. It is expressed negatively, It is " not for your 
 sakes." 
 
 II. Implied affirmatively. It is for the Lord's sake. 
 " Not for your sakes do I this." God saw nothing 
 
 in them to move him to bring them out of Babylon, 
 or to do aught for them in Babylon ; but he beheld 
 that in them, which might have moved him to de- 
 stroy them ; he saw how they profaned his holy 
 name among the Babylonians, ver. 21 ; he saw how 
 they intended to turn heathens, and worship wood 
 and stone, chap. xx. 32. Being God's people they 
 thought God was bound to do much for their sakes, 
 and tliat he should not deal justly with them, if he 
 did not mind them, and do for them : see how they 
 expostulated with God, Lsa. Iviii. 3, " Wherefore 
 have we fasted, and thou seest not ? wherefore have 
 we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge ? " 
 They did in effect tell God he dealt not well with them, 
 they deserved better things at his hands than they 
 had; therefore said the Lord here, "Not for your 
 sakes do I this," 
 
 " Be it known unto you." Take notice that m hat 
 conceits soever ye have of your own worth or de. 
 serts, because ye are my people, and of the seed of 
 Abraham my friend, yet I do not bring you out of 
 Babylon for your worth or merit's sake, I do nothing 
 upon that account, and proclaim it openly unto you 
 and all the world. 
 
 " Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways." 
 Your ways are so far from meriting at my hands, 
 that they merit not at the hands of men, they are of 
 that nature as you ought to be ashamed and con- 
 founded for them. Of the words " ashamed and 
 confounded" was spoken, chap. xvi. 52, 54, (51. 
 
 Obs. I. Men are apt to think they deserve some- 
 thing at God's hands. The house of Israel thought 
 she had suffered a long and sore captivity ; and 
 having fasted and mourned every fifth and seventh 
 month throughout the seventy years, Zech. vii. 5, 
 she conceived God now should deal unkindly, yea 
 unjustly, if he should not do some great thing for 
 her ; now it was just for him to remember all her 
 tears, sighs, prayers, fastings, and sufferings, to set 
 her at lifjerty, and give her repossession of her land, 
 rewarding her with old and new privileges. Matt, 
 vii. 22, " Many will say to me in that day. Lord, 
 Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name ? and in 
 thy name have cast out devils ? and in thy name 
 done many wonderful works?" They thought they 
 had merited heaven by their doings, and looked for 
 some wonderful reward for their wonderful works. 
 The labourers which came into the vineyard at the 
 third and sixth hours, thought they deserved more 
 of the lord of the vineyard than they that went in 
 at the ninth and eleventh hours. Matt. xx. Prone is 
 corrupt nature to conceit it merits somewhat at the 
 hands of God. But, 
 
 Obs. 2. Men's ways are such as they ought to be 
 ashamed of themselves, and fear destruction from
 
 Ver. 33—35. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 735 
 
 God for them. " Be ashamed and confounded for 
 your own ways, house of Israel ;" they are such 
 as you should blush at, and loathe to behold, and 
 make you fear lest my judgments should seize upon 
 you for them. Neh. ix. 30, 31, what saith he of 
 them ? Lord, " thou gavest them into the hand of 
 the people of the lands ;" that is, thou didst cast 
 them into captivity for their own ways j and what 
 then? " Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake 
 thou didst not utterly consume them." They had 
 cause to fear consuming ; had not mercy, and great 
 mercy, stepped in, they had been utterly consumed. 
 So Jeremiah, Lam. iii. 22, " It is of the Lord's mer- 
 cies that we are not consumed." If it be mercy that 
 our persons are not destroyed, what do our works or 
 ways deserve from him ? 
 
 Obs. 3. The promises God makes unto, and the 
 mercies he bestows upon, his people are free, and 
 for his own sake. "Not for your sakes do I this, 
 saith the Lord God, be it known unto you :" I have 
 promised to sprinkle you with clean water, to put a 
 new heart into you, to give you my Spirit, to save 
 you from all your iniquities, to bring you again to 
 Zion, to give you many mercies there, and to do you 
 much good ; but these I do not for your sakes, you 
 deserve them not, but for mine own sake, for mine 
 own honour and name ; as ver. 22, " I do not this, 
 O house of Israel, for your sakes, but for mine holy 
 name's sake." For man's sake come judgments: 
 the earth was cursed for Adam's sake, Gen. iii. 17; 
 for Achan's sake the Israelites fell and fled, Josh. 
 vii. ; for Jonah's sake the sea was tempestuous, 
 Jonah i. 4, 12. But when mercies come at land or 
 sea, it is for the Lord's own sake : he " made all 
 things for himself," Prov. xvi. 4, for his own name's 
 sake ; and what good soever he doth to any nations 
 or persons is not for your sakes, but for his own 
 holy name's sake. When the Jews were near de- 
 struction, he wrought for his name's sake, Ezek. xx. 
 9 ; so when we were near to destruction ofttimes in 
 these nations, the Lord wrought for his own name's 
 sake, not for our sakes. Let us give God the glory 
 of what he hath done for our nation, and for our- 
 selves, and say, " Help us, God of our salvation, 
 for the glory of thy name, and deliver us, and purge 
 away our sins for thy name's sake." 
 
 Ver. 33—35. Thm saith the Lord God; In 
 the day that I shall have cleansed you from all 
 your miquitirs I uill also cause you to dwell in 
 the cities, and the uastes shall be huilded. And 
 the desolate land shall he tilled, whereas it lay 
 desolate in the si^ht of all that passed by. And 
 they shall say. This land that was desolate is be- 
 come like the garden of Eden ; and the waste and 
 desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and 
 are inhabited. 
 
 In these verses the Lord proceeds in temporal 
 promises, and tells them what he will do for them 
 after he hath cleansed them from their sins. 
 
 I. Their cities and waste places shall be re-edified. 
 
 II. Their cities shall be inhabited. 
 
 III. Tillage of the land. 
 
 IV. Such a choice blessing upon the land, that it 
 .should be thought like Eden. 
 
 Ver. 33. " In the day that I shall have cleansed 
 you from all your iniquities." He spake of cleansing 
 them from all their fihhiness in ver. 25, and of 
 saving them from all their uncleannesses, in ver. 29. 
 " Iniquities " here imports the same that " filthi- 
 ness" and "uncleannesses" do there. The sense 
 is this, In the day that I shall forgive your sins, free 
 
 you from the guilt and punishment of them, by 
 bringing you out of captivity into your own country, 
 then will I do such things for you. 
 
 " I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and 
 the wastes shall be builded." The cities and places 
 which by war and length of time were wasted and 
 decayed, should be built again, repaired and inhabited. 
 
 Ver. 34. " And the desolate land shall be tilled." 
 Canaan had lain desolate many years, and kept 
 many sabbaths, there being none to" till it; but now 
 God promises it should be ploughed, sown, and 
 yield increase, as it is ver. 29. 
 
 " Whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that 
 passed by it." There being no husbandman to 
 plough the land, to dress the vines, nor others to re- 
 pair the waste places, all lay desolate, and the de- 
 solateness thereof was seen by strangers. Doubtless 
 many travellers turned aside to see the desolations 
 of Jerusalem, the temple, and Canaan, which had 
 been so famous in the world, and when they came they 
 saw all overgrown with thorns, briers, and nettles. 
 
 Ver. 35. " This land that was desolate is become 
 like the garden of Eden." God would so bless the 
 land of Canaan, and their labours in it, that it should 
 be like the garden of Eden for order, plenty, and 
 pleasure. They who wondered before at the deso- 
 lateness of it, should wonder at the great alteration 
 made there ; they should see order where was con- 
 fusion, plenty where was barrenness, and pleasure 
 where was nothing but abhorrence. 
 
 " And the waste and desolate and ruined cities are 
 become fenced, and are inhabited." Many cities had 
 been in the land of Canaan, which Nebuchadnezzar's 
 army and forces had laid waste, made desolate, and 
 utterly ruined ; but after their return from Babylon, 
 they were not only built, but fortified and fenced 
 with walls. 
 
 Obs. 1. When God pardons the sins of his people, 
 then he vouehsafeth them other mercies. " In the 
 day that I shall have cleansed you from all your 
 iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, 
 and the wastes shall be builded, and the desolate land 
 shall be tilled :" God would bless them with liberty, 
 commodious habitations, and plenty of all things. 
 2 Chron. vii. 14, " I will forgive their sin, and heal 
 their land." Pardon of sin is a fundamental mercy, 
 and hath many other mercies following of it. Jer. 
 xxxiii. 8, 9, " I will cleanse them from all their 
 iniquity, whereby they have simied against me ; and 
 I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have 
 sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against 
 me. And it shall be to me a name of joy, a j)raise 
 and an honom' before all the nations of the earth, 
 which shall hear all the good that I do unto them : 
 and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness 
 and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it." 
 When God forgives his people their iniquities, he 
 will take delight in doing them good, count it his 
 honour, get himself a name throughout the earth by 
 blessing and prospering them, and Jerusalem, or the 
 church, which is meant by it ; so that the enemies 
 shall be afraid of that God and that people. 
 
 Obs. 2. The best of lands may be laid desolate. 
 Canaan was a land which flowed with milk and 
 honey, " the glory of all lands," Ezek. xx. 6 ; and 
 here it is called •' the desolate land ;" it was de- 
 prived of men and beasts, of cities, towns, and houses, 
 it was become a wilderness. For the sins of the 
 people it was brought into that condition : Zech. vii. 
 11, 12, they were stubborn, hard-hearted, rebellious; 
 and therefore God " scattered them with a whirlwind 
 among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus 
 the land was desolate after them, that no man passed 
 through nor returned : for they laid the pleasant
 
 73G 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAP. XXXVI. 
 
 land desolate," ver. 14. It was their sins which 
 made that land of desire a land of desolation. 
 
 Oba. 3. Desolate lands shall not always lie in that 
 condition. " The desolate land shall be tilled." If 
 Canaan lie desolate seventy years, at the end thereof 
 she shall be tilled ; as she had her time of lying 
 fallow, so should she have her time of ploughing 
 and sowing. " Behold, the days come, saith the 
 Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the 
 house of Jiidah with the seed of man, and with the 
 seed of beast. And it shall come to pass, that like 
 as 1 have watched over them, to pluck up, and to 
 break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, 
 and to afflict ; so will I watch over them to build, 
 and to plant, saith the Lord," Jer. xxxi. 27, 28. As 
 God hath his days and times to lay waste and to 
 pluck up, so to build and plant. He compares men 
 and beasts here to seed, not only because they do 
 multiply themselves, but also because men by the 
 help of beasts should till the land and sow it, where- 
 upon it should firing forth abundantly. And as God 
 deals with des(date lands, so he doth with desolate 
 hearts, he hath his times to till and sow them ; as 
 ver. 15 — 17, Rachel wept and refused to be com- 
 forted; but what said God to her? "Refrain thy 
 voice from weeping, and thine eye fi'om tears ; for 
 thy work shall be rewarded," &c. God sowed in 
 her heart seeds of hope and comfort. 
 
 Ohs. 4. What a great and wonderful change God 
 can make in a little time. God can make a desolate 
 land like a garden, and the best of ail gardens, viz. 
 " the garden of Eden," which was of God's own 
 planting. Gen. ii. 8. The strangers that saw Canaan 
 in its desolateness, even they should see the change, 
 and wonder at it, saying, " This land that was de- 
 solate is become like the garden of Eden ; " now 
 there is beauty, plenty, and pleasure in it. (iod can 
 bring order out of confusion, abundance out of barren- 
 ness, and delight out of desolation. When the 
 famine was so sore in Samaria, that women did eat 
 their own children, what a change did God make in 
 a day ! " To-morrow about this time shall a measure 
 of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures 
 of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria;" 
 and it proved so, notwithstanding that the noble- 
 man said, viz. " If the Lord would make windows 
 in heaven, might tliis thing be P" yea, it was, and 
 his eyes saw it, 2 Kings vii. The Syrians fled, left 
 their provisions, which were brought into Samaria, 
 and made such plenty there. When the Israelites 
 wanted flesh to eat in the wilderness, did not God 
 send quails two cubits high upon the face of the 
 earth p Numb. xi. 31. lie can make a desert to 
 blossom, and that abundantly, Isa. xxxv. 1, 2. 
 
 Ver. 36. Then the heathen that are left round 
 ahinit you shall know th-d. I the Lord build the 
 ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: 
 I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. 
 
 God having through his grace pardoned his people, 
 brought them to Zion, and bestowed many blessings 
 upon them ; here the end of all is set down, and 
 that is, the glorifying of God, not only by the Jews, 
 but also liy the very heathens. 
 
 " Then the heathen that are left round about you." 
 After Nebuchadnezzar had laid Jerusalem and Judea 
 waste, he fell upon the Ammonites, Moabites, Ednm- 
 ites, Philistines, Tyrians, and Egyptians, and spoiled 
 them; therefore our prophet saith, "the heathen 
 that are left ;" some escaped and remained until the 
 Jews' restoration. 
 
 " Shall know that I the Lord build the ruined 
 places." They should be so convinced by the re- 
 
 turn of the Jews, and the mercies they enjoyed, that 
 they should acknowledge it to be the hand of God, 
 that he was faithful in malting good his promise to 
 his people, able to save, and bountiftd in bestowing 
 such mercies upon them. The word to " build " is, 
 n;3 which signifies to build a house, distinguished 
 into its several rooms and parts : the cities, towns, 
 and houses every where had been ruined, and God 
 raised them up again. 
 
 " And plant that that was desolate." The word 
 yt33 to "plant," signifies the putting of trees, vines, 
 shrubs, or any plants, into the earth, and to cover 
 them so with earth, that they remain fixed therein. 
 The orchards, gardens, vineyards, olive-yards, places 
 of pleasure and profit, were laid desolate ; the trees, 
 plants, herbs, and flowers, were all cut down, or 
 pulled up by the roots ; those places God did replant, 
 and made as useful and delightful as ever. 
 
 " I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it." 
 I have purposed it in myself, I have spoken it by 
 Ezekiel, and 1 will do it. The Hebrew is, I have 
 done it, a prefer tense for a future, which is frequent ; 
 as Isa. xlvi. II, "I have purposed;" the Hebrew 
 is, tatzarti, I have formed, I have created, the prefer 
 tense for the future, as the former and following 
 words do show, " I have spoken it, I will also bring 
 it to pass," I will form or create it, " I will also do it." 
 
 Obs. 1. That though judgment begin at God's 
 house, yet it ends not there. The Babylonians first 
 fell upon the Jews and desti'oyed them, and after 
 proceeded to the heathens, they cut off many nations 
 of them. The sword first did eat the flesh of Jews, 
 and then the flesh of Ammonites, Moabites, Edom- 
 itcs, ttc. When the green trees are lopped, then 
 the axe cuts down the dry trees. Wicked men and 
 natiims are glad when it goes ill with the church and 
 people of God, but usually when God hath corrected 
 his own, he breaks the horns, the back, and bones of 
 their and his enemies. The cup of God's fury began 
 at Jerusalem, but it stayed not there ; it passed 
 thence to Egypt, to the mingled people, to Uz, 
 Philistia, Ashkelon, Azzah, Ekron, and Ashdod, Sec. ; 
 to all the kings of the north, and to all the kingdoms 
 of the world upon the face of the earth, Jer. xxv. 
 15 — 2(5. It were an unrighteous thing if God should 
 judge his friends and spare his enemies ; and this 
 he acknowledgeth, ver. 29, " Lo, I begin to bring evil 
 on the city which is called by my name, and should 
 ye " (the heathens) " be utterly unpunished p Ye 
 shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword 
 up-,-, all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord 
 of hosts." 
 
 Obs. 2. Some works of God are so convincing, that 
 they cause even heathens to see and acknowledge 
 the hand of God in them, and so to glorify him. The 
 bringing the Jews out of Babylon, the replanting 
 them in Canaan, the rebuilding of thrir waste places, 
 I'.enpling of them rebuilt, and making their country 
 like the garden of Eden, convinced the heathens, so 
 that they said and acknowledged, it was the Lord 
 had done these things, which was a glorifying of his 
 name; Psal. cxxvi. 1, 2, the Babylonians and others 
 said, "The Lord hath done great things for them," 
 wlvn he turned their captivity. There is so much 
 of God's wisdom, power, mercy, bovmt)-, in some of 
 his works, that they constrain all that behold them 
 to ar-knowledge him in them ; see Neh. vi. 16 ; Psal. 
 xcviii. i. 2 ; Isa. lii. 9, 10. 
 
 Obs. 3. That architecture and husbandry are the 
 work of the Lord. " I build the ruined places, and 
 plant that that was desolate." There is no house, 
 no city built, but the Lord hath the chief hand there- 
 in ; Psal. cxxvii. 1, " Except the Lord build the 
 house, they labour in vain that build it :" all is
 
 Ver. 37, 38. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 737 
 
 nothing without the counsel, assistance, and bless- 
 ing of God ; he teacheth the carpenters and masons 
 their art, he enables them to work, and blesses tliem 
 working. So for husbandmen, it is God that dotli 
 instruct them to discretion, and teach them, Isa. 
 xxviii. 2() ; they have all their ploughing, sowing, 
 and planting skill from him : " This comcth forth 
 from the Lord of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, 
 and excellent in working," ver. 29. If a land be 
 well built with houses, cities, castles, it is the Lord 
 that builded them ; if it be well tilled and planted 
 with orchards, gardens, vineyards, and nurseries of 
 young trees, it is the Lord that hath tilled and plant- 
 ed tliem ; men's art and industry are nothing with- 
 out him. 
 
 Obs. 4. God's purposes and promises shall take 
 effect, and certainly be fulfilled ; God is faithful in 
 w hat he saith, and will perform the same. " 1 the 
 Lord have spoken it, and will do it." He will not 
 go back from his word, change his purposes and 
 counsels, or falsify his promises. Isa. xxxi. 2, he 
 " will not call back his words." Chap. xiv. 27, 
 " The Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall 
 disannul it?" Chap. xlvi. 10, "My counsel shall 
 stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Jer. xxii. 
 42, " I will bring upon them all the good that I have 
 promised them." There is none wiser than God, to 
 advise him so as to alter his purposes or counsels ; 
 tViere is none stronger than God, to hinder him from 
 making good what he hath purposed and promised. 
 Isa. xliii. 13, " I will work, and who shall let it ?" 
 All the Babylonians could not hinder God's setting 
 his people at liberty ; all the wild beasts, briers, and 
 thorns in Canaan, could not hinder him from bring- 
 ing them in, and making the land like Eden, plenti- 
 ful and pleasant; all the policy and power of To- 
 biah, Sanballat, and others, could not hinder tlie 
 building of the temple and walls of the city : God 
 had promised Jerusalem should be rebuilt and fenced, 
 that the Jews should have their temple to worship 
 in again, and they had them. 
 
 Ver. 37. Thus saith the Lord God ; I tv ill yet 
 for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to 
 do it for them ; I icill increase them with men 
 like a JlocJc. 
 
 The word tt'-iTN is from f-n which signifies, In 
 make diligent and careful inquiry. The Vulgati 
 is, Moreover, in this shall the house of Israel find 
 me ; when they pray and seek me, I will be found 
 of them, thej^ shall prevail with me to do this for 
 them. Yatablus in his notes hath the words thus, 
 I will be required by the house of Israel, they shall 
 come and mind me, and entreat me to do this for 
 them. Junius is otherwise, I will be exposed to the 
 house of Israel, that I will do this for them. Pisca- 
 tor is more plain, I will show myself to the house of 
 Israi-1 to Ijc found of them, that 1 may do this for them. 
 
 Wliat it is that God will be inquired of for, is next 
 to be spoken of. Maldonate makes it, whatsoever 
 tliey shall ask. Some refer it to all the promises 
 mentioned before. But both these are too large, and 
 the words would not have been " for this," but, for 
 these things, or these promises, will I be inquired of. 
 Lavater makes " for this" to be, that they may be 
 multiplied and increased again ; or, For this, viz. 
 which I have spoken and said, I will do : I have 
 said I will return, rebuild, replant them, and make 
 their desolate land like the garden of Eden, so that 
 the heathens shall wonder at my dealings with them : 
 now for this will I be inquired of by the house of 
 Israel. 
 
 " 1 will increase them with men like a flock." 
 3 B 
 
 The Hebrew may be read thus, 1 will increase them 
 like a flock of men. The Septuagint is, I will in- 
 crease the men themselves, as sheep, I will so multi- 
 ply them that they shall be like a flock. The Jews 
 greatly desired issue always, and it is probable more 
 strongly after their reduction from Babylon than 
 ever, that so they might plant, build, and fill the 
 land again. 
 
 Ver. 38. As the holy flock, as the Jiock of Je- 
 rusalem in her solemn feasts ; so shall the traste 
 cities be filled with flocks of men : and they shall 
 know that I am the Lord. 
 
 In the Hebrew it is, As the flocks of holiness, or 
 holy things. The Jews, besides other feasts, had 
 three great solemn feasts every year at Jerusalem : 
 I. Thepassover ; 2. Pentecost; 3. The feast of taber- 
 nacles; unto which the people came up from all 
 parts of the land ; and for their use at those times 
 great flocks of sheep and herds of cattle were brought 
 to Jerusalem. In Josiah's time there were thirty 
 thousand lambs and kids, besides oxen and small 
 cattle, which were for holy services, and therefore 
 here are called, "the holy flock," and " flock of Je- 
 rusalem." John v. 2, you read of a sheep market, 
 and by it a pool : great flocks of sheep were brought 
 i;nto that market, and they were washed in that 
 pool before they were used in holy services. Jeru- 
 salem at these feasts was filled witli flocks of sheep 
 and men, and God here promisrth, that the waste 
 and desolate places of Judea should be filled with 
 men, and made to abound with inhabitants again, 
 how improbable soever it seemed to the Jews or 
 heathens. 
 
 " And they shall know that I am the Lord." They 
 shall acknowledge that my thoughts are not theirs, 
 nor my ways theirs ; and that I am faithful, and able 
 to do great things. 
 
 Obs. 1. God expects that his people should seek 
 to him for performance of those promises he gra- 
 ciously makes them. " I will for this be inquired of 
 by the house of Israel, to do it for them." It is 
 tender mercy and loving-kindness in God to make 
 promises imto sinners ; and it is duty in man to mind 
 them being made, and to sue them out by prayer. 
 David did so : " Remember," saith he, " the word 
 unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me 
 to hope," Psal. cxix. 49. And again, " Quicken me, 
 according to thy word," ver. 154. He minded God 
 of his word and promises, and pressed him by hearty 
 prayer to make the same good. So Jacob ; Lord, 
 didst not thou bid me return unto my country, and 
 saidst thou wouldst deal well with me ; " deliver me, 
 I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the 
 hand of Esau, for I fear him," Gen. xxxii. 9, II. 
 Had not Jacob improved the promise, he might have 
 gone without deliverance. Promises, as they are 
 foundations for faith, so they are incentives unto 
 prayer, and provoke those to whom they are made 
 to sue them out. " O Lord God," said Solomon, 
 " let thy promise unto David my father be establish- 
 ed," 2 Chron. i. 9. Thou didst promise him that I 
 should sit upon the throne. Lord, make it good. 
 Jeremiah holds out this truth most clearly, that God 
 expects to be sought unto for the performance of 
 what he prnmiseth : chap. xxix. 10, 11, "After 
 seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will 
 visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in 
 causing you to return to this place. For 1 know 
 the thoughts that 1 think toward you, saith the Lord, 
 thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an 
 expected end." Here is the promise ; wdiat now 
 follows in ver. 12 — 14? "Then shall ye call upon
 
 •33 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVII. 
 
 me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will 
 hearken unto you," Sec. Sec it ])ut in practice, Dan. 
 ix. 2, 3, &c. God tells them, Isa. xliii. 25, that he 
 blots out transgressions for his own sake, and will not 
 rememher their sins ; but then it is added, " Put me 
 in remembrance," ver. 2(j. 
 
 Obs. 2. That the increase of children is the bless- 
 ing of God, and he can increase them in a short 
 space to become like a flock. They multiplied and 
 filled the land after their return, and were as the 
 stars of heaven, the sand of the sea-shore, and dii.st 
 of the earth. The key of the womb is in God's 
 hand, and "he maketh the barren woman to keep 
 house, and to be a joyful mother of children," Psal. 
 cxiii. 9 ; and he makes the fruitful woman to be more 
 fruitful. He multiplied his people as the bud of the 
 field, Ezek. xvi. 7- 
 
 Obs. 3. How desperate soever the conditions of 
 men and things are, the Lord can rcslore them to 
 their pristine estate, yea, to a better. They were in 
 a low and lost condition in Babylon, all their cities 
 laid waste in their own land, and never like to be 
 built or inhabited ; but God delivered tliem, and re- 
 stored them to their primitive state, and made all 
 their waste cities populous. Jerusalem formerly 
 was filled with men, now the waste cities should be 
 also filled, abounding with men, now their land 
 should be planted and inhabited : things in that land 
 were often at the point of ruin, and incurable in the 
 eye of men, but God relieved them, raised and re- 
 stored them. "When Sennacherib was there with 
 his great army, and all seemed lost, did not God de- 
 stroy his army, and relieve them publicly and pri- 
 vately ? Though there were now no cities left, God 
 could and did raise them up many cities ; though 
 there were no people to inhabit those cities raised, 
 God could raise them up men, and did mnkc them 
 exceeding populous, even as populous as Jerusalem 
 was at her solemn feasts, more populous than ever. 
 
 Obs. 4. The end of God's deliverances, works, and 
 mercies, is, that God may be acknowledged and glo- 
 rified. When I have brought them out of Babylon, 
 planted them in Zion, built their cities, filled "them 
 with inhabitants, and blessings of all sorts, then 
 shall they know that I am the Lord ; that I am not 
 like the heathenish goils and lords, but that I am 
 faithful, omnipotent, gracious, and merciful, worthy 
 to be honoured and adored by the house of Israel. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 Ver. 1, 2. TTie hand of the Lord was upon me, 
 and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and 
 set me doirn in the midst of the valletj whieh was 
 full of hones, and caused me to pass bi/ them 
 round about : and, behold, there tuere verxj ranny 
 in the open valleij ; and, lo, they ivere very dry. 
 
 In the form, r chapter he spake of the Jews' re- 
 turn out of Babylon, and likewise of the kingdom of 
 Christ: in this chapter, also, he proceeds to comfort 
 the Jews, assuring them of their return, who well- 
 nigh despaired thereof, and of the union of the two 
 houses, Judah and Israel. 
 
 The pans of this chapter are, 
 
 I. A vision of dry bones presented to the prophet, 
 ver. 1—10. 
 
 II. The interpretation and application of this 
 vision, ver. 11 — 14. 
 
 III. A type of two sticks, and the uniting of 
 them, ver. lo — 19. 
 
 IV. The explication of the type, ver. 20, to the end. 
 Ver. 1. " The hand of the Lord was upon me." 
 
 By " hand of the Lord," the Chaldee understands, 
 the Spirit of prophecy, which did enlighten and af- 
 fect the mind of tlie prophet; so also do divers others. 
 But some take it for the power of God upon him ; or 
 a divine instinct, which, like a hand, pulled or 
 moved him to some other thing, as chap. viii. 3. It 
 was the Spirit of God came upon him, as chap. iii. 14 ; 
 and why it is called the hand of God, see chap. i. 3. 
 
 " And carried me out in the spirit of the Lord." 
 The Hebrew may be read thus, and is by Montanus, 
 and the Lord carried me out in the spirit ; that is, I 
 was rapt out of myself, and my spirit was can-ied by 
 the Lord to have a sight or view of bones. If we 
 take the words as they are, the sense is this ; The 
 Spirit of God being upon me, carried me out in the 
 Spirit of prophecy, which is the Spirit of the Lord. 
 His body was not carried from place to place j he 
 had a prophetical vision. 
 
 "And set me down in the midst of the valley." 
 The prophet seemed to himself to see a hand, and 
 to be led out by that hand into a certain valley ; all 
 which was visional, not real. He names no particular 
 valley. A Lapide saith, it was in Campo Sennaar. 
 Mesopotamia and Chaldea were plains ; but w hether 
 it were in either of them, is not specified. In val- 
 leys prophets were wont to have visions. Our pro- 
 phet's first vision was by the river Chebar, and rivers 
 are always in valleys ; and in this valley, it is con- 
 ceived by some, as Lavater observes, was tliis vision : 
 but it is safer to judge, that this valley was also 
 visional. 
 
 " Which was full of bones." This valley or plain 
 was no burying-place, for then the bones would not 
 have lain upon the face of the earth, and been ex- 
 posed to view. Some make these bones to be the 
 bones of all mankind being dead, and to respect the 
 general resurrection ; but they are out, nothing of 
 that is here intended. Some make them to be the 
 bones of the Babylonians ; but the prophet's scope 
 here is not to comfort them ; it is the Jews' con- 
 dition he points at, and therefore by " bones" are 
 meant the Jews, as is clear, ver. 11. These bones 
 were visional also, not real, for then they should not 
 have lain uuburied, suffering reproach. Some Jews 
 have an opinion, that these bones were the bones of 
 those Jews that died in Babylon ; and one rabbi 
 Jose, a Galilean, saith, that Ezekicl raised those 
 dead Jews, many of which returned into the land of 
 Israel, and had children there : that when this fell 
 into controversy among the Jews, one rabbi Juda 
 the son of Bathira stood up and said, I am of that 
 race which E/.ekiel raised; and showed the jihylac- 
 teries his parent put upon him, and had received 
 from those that were raised. 
 
 Ver. 2. " And caused me to pass by them round 
 about." The Lord would have the prophet to take 
 exact notice of them, and therefore made him to pass 
 on every side, that so he might observe the number 
 and quality of them, and where they lay ; which he 
 did, for it follows, 
 
 " And, behold, there were very many in the open 
 valley." Tlie nundier of these bones was great, 
 passed number, and they lay in open view, in an 
 open valley, where he had a full sight of them. 
 
 " And, lo, they were very dry." These bones 
 were not clothed with flesh, juicy, and full of mar- 
 row, which had been more easily raised to life if so : 
 but they were dry, all the moisture was out of them ; 
 they had lain long, nigh seventy years, in that con- 
 dition, and were almost become earth.
 
 Ves. 1—3. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 739 
 
 Obs. I. It was the Spirit of God moved the pro- 
 phets to give out those truths which are now extant 
 in the Scriptures, that directed and enabled them to 
 do what they did. " The hand of the Lord was upon 
 me, and carried me out in the Spirit" to see and give 
 out what you have here. The prophets might not 
 speak or act at their own pleasure, but, as the Spirit 
 of God moved them, 2 Pet. i. 21, so they spake, so 
 they acted. It was the Spirit in the prophets that 
 testified against the Jews, Neh. is. 30; the words of 
 the Lord of hosts were in the hand and mouth of the 
 Spirit, before they were in the heads and mouths of 
 the prophets. The apostles had the Spirit falling 
 upon and filling them, before they gave out divine- 
 truths, Acts ii. 4; which verified what Christ had 
 said of the Siiirit, John xvi. 14, " He shall receive 
 of mine, and show it unto you." All the truths Paul 
 hath given forth for the instruction, edification, and 
 consolation of the church of Christ, he received from 
 the Spirit of Christ. Hence he saith, I Cor. xi. 23, 
 " I received of the Lord that which I delivered unto 
 you :" and chap. xiv. 37, " The things I write unto 
 you are the commandments of the Lord;" he had 
 them all from his Spirit, chap. ii. 12, 13. 
 
 OA.v. 2. The true messengers and servants of God 
 come not only with the word of God, but in the Spi- 
 rit and power of God. Ezekiel had the hand of God 
 with him. So Paul, 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5. his " preaching 
 was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in 
 demonstration of the Spirit and of power." False 
 teachers may come with the letter, but only those 
 are the true prophets, the true messengers of Christ, 
 that come in the Spirit, and with the Spirit, are 
 carried out by the Spirit. 
 
 Obs. 3. God honours his servants sometimes so as 
 to make them of his council, and copartners with 
 him in his works. God makes known his mind here 
 to Ezekiel, and uses him in the work he was about. 
 Samuel was thus honoured, God made him of his 
 privy-council, and told him what he would do to the 
 house of Eli, 1 Sam. iii. So he dealt by Abraham, 
 not only in the business of Sodom, Gen. x\^ii. 17, 
 but in that of his posterity, telling him, his seed 
 should be a stranger in a land not theirs four hun- 
 dred and thirty years, and that afterwards they 
 should come out with great substance, Gen. xv. 13, 
 14. The prophets and apostles were cabinet men, 
 and knew the secrets of the Lord, and were co-work- 
 ers with God. The apostle Paul is expressly for it, 
 2 Cor. vi. 1, they are amepyoi 6(05, men that work to- 
 gether with God in the same work. This is great 
 honour, and such honour as have not all the saints. 
 
 Obs. 4. Our God calls and moves his servants, by 
 his Spirit, to do difficult things ; he orders them so 
 as to do them safely. It was somewhat averse to 
 nature to go among dead bones, and dangerous to 
 the prophet, being many and scattered up and down 
 the valley ; for had he accidentally touched but one 
 of them, he had been unclean, according to the law. 
 Numb. xix. ; but God caused him to pass by them, 
 so as he was preserved from pollution : he saw the 
 bones, he touched none of them. It was a sad and 
 dangerous work God called Abraham unto, viz. the 
 sacrificing of his son ; but he ordered it so, that 
 Abiaham came off, not only without imputation of 
 sin, but with great honour for his obedience. 
 
 Ver. 3. A/td he said unto me, Son of man, can 
 these bones live ? Arid I answered, O Lord God, 
 thou knowest. 
 
 This verse is a dialogue between God and the pro- 
 phet, as Polanus calls it. 
 
 I. God propounds a question. 
 3 B 2 
 
 II. The prophet answers It. 
 
 The question is this, 
 
 " Son of man, can these bones live?" Ezekiel, 
 thou hast had a full view of them, thou seest how 
 dry they are, in what condition they lie ; tell me thy 
 thoughts, what thy judgment is of them, I am desir- 
 ous to know thy mind. Hast thou any art, skill, or 
 power to quicken them ? or, kuowest thou any crea- 
 ture that hath .' To this question the prophet an- 
 swers in the next words. 
 
 " And I answered, Lord God, thou knowest." 
 The prophet's answer is suitable unto the Lord's ques- 
 tion, which was concerning the present life of these 
 bones, not future life at the general resurrection, 
 which he doubted not of, therefore he confesscth his 
 ignorance : I do not know, O Lord, what thy plea- 
 sure is ; thou art able to put life into these dry bones 
 in a moment, though neither myself nor any other 
 creature can do it ; our power is finite, thine is 
 infinite, and thou canst do whatever thou pleasest, 
 but thy pleasure is held from me and others ; there- 
 fore, " O Lord God, thou knowest." 
 
 Obs. 1. Divine interrogations argue not ignorance 
 in God, but are instructory to the interrogated. God 
 knew what these bones could do, before he pro- 
 pounded the question to Ezekiel : it was therefore 
 propounded for his instruction, to acquaint him with 
 the power of God, and his own weakness, that so, 
 knowing the one, and being sensible of the other, 
 he might be the fitter instrument in the hand of God 
 to work by. Christ's question to Peter, John xxi. 
 15, was of this nature, " Simon, lovest thou me more 
 than these .•"' It was not so much to prove him, as 
 to instruct and mind him of his former failing, and 
 to fit him for action, viz. the feeding his lambs and 
 sheep. 
 
 Ob.f. 2. God can easily non-plus or silence wise 
 and holy men with a short question. Here he puts 
 Ezekiel to it, " Can these bones live ? " The prophet 
 could not tell, ^\^len God propounded some ques- 
 tions to Job, was he able to answer him ? Job 
 xxxviii. 3, 4, &c. He professes he was not able to 
 do it, but must be silent, chap. xl. 4. Did not Christ 
 by a question put the chief priests, scribes, and 
 elders to silence ? He asked them, whether the bap- 
 tism of John was from heaven or of men ? This little 
 question so perplexed them all, that they professed 
 they could not tell, Mark xi. 30, 33. 
 
 Obs. 3. It is wisdom and dutj' in the servants of 
 God to resolve all they cannot reach, or know not 
 how to be effected, into the knowledge and good 
 pleasure of the Lord. " O Lord God, thou knowest." 
 He resolves the question into God's hosom ; he had 
 knowledge, power, and will to do whatever seem- 
 ed good to himself There are many things in the 
 word mentioned, which man can say nothing unto, 
 but, "Lord, thou knowest:" as, where the sepulchre 
 of Moses was, Deut. xxxiv. 6 ; the spreadings of the 
 clouds, how they are, Job xxxvi. 29 ; the wind, 
 whence it comes, or whither it goes, John iii. 8 ; 
 whether the seed sown in the evening or the morn- 
 ing shall prosper best, or be both alike, Eccles. xi. 6 ; 
 what is the true interpretation of the number of the 
 beast, " six hundred threescore and six," Rev. xiii. 
 18; or of the two witnesses, and the time of their 
 prophesying in sackcloth " a thousand two hundred 
 and threescore days," when it began, and when it 
 ended, or shall, Rev. xi. 3. Of these and other things 
 be it said, " Lord, thou knowest." 
 
 Ver. 4 — 10. Again he said unto me. Prophesy 
 upon these hones, and say unto them, O ye dry 
 bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus snith the 
 LMrd God iinfo these bo/ies ; Behold, I trill cnv.s-e
 
 740 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. XXXVII. 
 
 breath tn enter into yoii, and ye shall lire : and 
 I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up 
 Jiesh vpon you, and cover you with skin, and put 
 breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall 
 know that I am the Lord. So I propJiesied as I 
 tvas commanded : and as I prophesied, there ivas 
 a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came 
 together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, 
 lo, the sineivs and the flesh came up upon them, 
 and the skin covered them above : but there was no 
 breath in them. Then he said unto me, Prophesy 
 unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to 
 the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from 
 the four winds, O breath, and breathe vpon these 
 slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he 
 commanded me, and the breath came into them, 
 atid they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an 
 exceeding great army. 
 
 The quickening of the dry bones is the great thing 
 considerable in these verses ; and it is set out, 
 From the causes : 
 I. The efficient. 
 
 1. The instrumental, prophesying, ver. 4, 7, 9. 10. 
 
 2. The principal, ver. 5. 
 
 II. The formal ; which is expressed, 
 1. By coalition of bone to bone, ver. 7. 
 !i. By clothing of the bones with flesh, sinews, and 
 skin, ver. 8. 
 
 3. By the entrance of breath, ver. 10. 
 
 Ver. 4. " Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto 
 them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord." 
 This seems an absurd thing, that the prophet 
 should jirophesy unto creatures insensible, unintel- 
 ligible, voidoflile; it was as if God should bid a 
 man preach unto a heap of stones, or dry chij)S, 
 which arc incaiiable of hearing. But though these 
 bones were incapable of hearing Ezekiel's voice, 
 yet they were not incapable of hearing God's voice, 
 for all creatures, even the most senseless, hear the 
 Lord when he speaks ; the stormy winds fulfil his 
 word, Psal. cxlviii. 8 ; the heavens and the earth, 
 Isa. i. 2; whales and ravens, Jonah ii. 10; 1 Kings 
 xvii. 4. The Lord intended to bestow life upon 
 these bones, and, that they might have life, they 
 must hear his word, which had enlivening virtue in 
 it. There is an obediential virtue in every creature 
 to yield to the will and command of the Creator, and 
 when it doth so, then it is said to liear the voice of 
 the Lord : then properly men hear God when they 
 do wliat he requires. 
 
 Ver. 5. "Behold, I will cause breath to enter into 
 you, and ye shall live." These words prevent an 
 objection which the prophet might have made, say- 
 ing. It is in vain for me to propliesy to these dry 
 bones ; whatever I shall say over them, or unto them, 
 will come to nothing, and prove ridiculous if any take 
 notice thereof. No, saith the Lord, it shall not be 
 so ; for, " liehold, I will cause breath to enter into 
 them, and they shall live." The Septuagint saith. 
 Behold, I bring upon you the Spirit of life. Others 
 render the words thus. Behold, 1 do make the Spirit 
 to enter into you ; or, I am about to bring the Spirit 
 into you, and ye shall live : that is, I a"m ready to 
 breathe life into you ; or, I will breathe the breath 
 of life into you. It is life that is here promised; 
 which he mentions, first, to encourage the prophet, 
 though it were performed last ; for the bones must 
 first be united, then be clothed with sinews, flesh, 
 Hnd skin, before the breath of life enters. 
 
 Ver. (). " And I will lay sinews upon you." The 
 H lirew for " sinews" is, D'TJ which is from mj 
 
 to act upon, &c. The nerves in the body do concur 
 luito the duties of sense and motion. Some nerves 
 are soft, some are hard ; the soft are specially for 
 sense, and they come from the brain ; the hard are 
 chiefly for motion, and they come from the marrow 
 in the backbone. Here God would cause these visional 
 bones to have visional sinews, which might fit tliem 
 for sense and motion. 
 
 " And bring up flesh upon you." The word for 
 " flesh " is, -1C3 which synecdochieally signifies 
 sometimes men, and sometimes other living crea- 
 tures ; but here it notes that part of man's body 
 which is simple, soft, and ruddiest : such flesh would 
 God bring up upon these bones. The Hebrew for 
 "bring up" is, I will make to ascend: God would 
 cause flesh to grow up and ascend out of those dry 
 bones. 
 
 " And cover you with skin." When the bones had 
 sinews, and flesh, God would not leave them so ; it 
 is unsightly to behold naked, raw flesh ; he would 
 give them a garment, viz. cover them with skin. 
 Incrustabo ros cute, saith Montanus, I will crust you 
 over with skin. Supereslendum in tobis cutem, saith 
 the Vulgate, I will stretch over you a skin. The 
 word for " skin " is, "My irom my to be naked. 
 Though the flesh were covered with skin, yet was 
 not the skin covered with any artificial covering. 
 
 " And put breath in you, and ye shall live." "These 
 words are the same with those in the fifth verse. 
 Now, when the bones had their sinews, flesh, and 
 skin, and were fitted for the breath of life, they 
 should have it. The Septuagint is thus, Suaoj irvivna 
 liov i<p' v)iag, I will give my Spirit upon you, that 
 shall beget life in you, and cause you to live. 
 
 " And ye shall know that 1 am the Lord." These 
 dry bones, being so metamorphosed and raised to a 
 living condition, should acknowledge the mighty 
 hand of the Lord, and be convinced that he was able 
 to do whatsoever he pleased. 
 
 Ver. 7. " So I prophesied as I was commanded." 
 The prophet stood not disputing the case with God : 
 but lie, tmderstanding the mind of God, pi-esently set 
 himself lo fidfil it. 
 
 " And as I prophesied there was a noise." What 
 Ezekiel prophesied to these bones is not so much to 
 be questioned ; he had direction from God what to 
 say unto them, even those words ye have in tlie 4th, 
 5th, and 6th verses. And as he was prophesying, 
 before he had uttered all given him in commission, 
 " there was a noise," not of thunder, or of angels, or 
 of an earthquake, but of the bones themselves, which 
 being many, dry, and stirring, could not but make a 
 great noise. This noise was an evident demonstra- 
 tion of divine presence and power, put forth in this 
 miraculous work. 
 
 " And behold a shaking." These bones, that were 
 dead and dry, now began to stir and shake, they 
 moved from their places. Maldonate thinks, that 
 the earth was moved, that so the bones which wire 
 in the graves, and imder the earth, might come forth ; 
 but these were bones which lay in an open valley, 
 not under the earth. Their shaking or concussion 
 was with force. It was divine power made them to 
 shake and move. Some refer this shaking to the in- 
 vasion of the Babylonians by the Medes and Persians, 
 at what time the Jews obtained their liberty. 
 
 "And the bones came together, bone to his bone." 
 As timber in a house, so are bones in the body, the 
 strength and support of all. The Hebrew word for 
 a bone is, cyy, elzeni, from nxy to corroborate and 
 make solid. Bones are the strength and solidity of 
 the body. These bones came together, not pro- 
 miscuously, the bones of one man or woman to the 
 bones of another man or woman, but bone to his
 
 Ver. 4—10. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 ■41 
 
 bone, that is, every bone of the same man to its 
 right place, and every bone of the same v.oman 
 to its right place ; the rib-bones, thigh-bones, and 
 ancle-bones came every one to its proper place, and 
 so united together. 
 
 Ver. 8. " And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and 
 the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered 
 them above." Here was a strange sight, to see dry 
 bones come creeping together, every one to coalesce 
 and join in his due place, making up a perfect skele- 
 ton ; and out of that sinews, flesh, and skin, to ascend : 
 this was such a sight that neither Ezekiel, nor any 
 man, had ever seen before. 
 
 " But there was no breath in them." Here were 
 perfect human bodies, as if they had been newly 
 dead, or newly formed out of the earth, as Adam's 
 body was ; but there was yet no life in them, they 
 were no other than dead carcasses. The coalitinn 
 of the bones, the ascension of sinews, flesh, and skin 
 upon them, argued not life in them, but divine 
 powir acting and ordering them so. 
 
 Ver. 9. " Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son 
 of man, and say to the wind." The word nn 
 ruach, signifies several things. Sometimes, the Spirit 
 of God, as 2 Sam. xxiii. 3 ; sometimes, an angel, as 
 Job iv. 15 ; sometimes, the soul of a beast, Eccles. 
 iii. 21 ; sometimes, the wind, as Job i. 19; some- 
 times, the breath of man, as Job xii. 10; and some- 
 times, the soul of man, Eccles. xii. 7; Zcch. xii. 1. 
 In what sense it is here to be taken, is the question. 
 To let other senses pass, I conceive here it notes the 
 soul or spirit of man, which is called " wind," or 
 "breath;" here it expresses and declares itself by 
 breathing, which is a " wind." When all other 
 signs of life fail, as speech, sight, hearing, motion, 
 &c. yet breath ofttimes remains, and so manifests 
 the soul to be there, which is the breath of life. 
 Gen. vi. 17. These bones being brought into the 
 forms of bodies, lay destitute of souls, and so of life ; 
 the prophet, therefore, is commanded to prophesy 
 unto their souls. If any will understand here by 
 " wind," the Spirit of God, which is in Scripture 
 compared to "wind," John iii. 8, and gives life to 
 the dead, Psal. civ. 30, I shall not contend. 
 
 " Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe 
 upon these slain, that they may live." The " four 
 winds" note out here the four chief parts, or quar- 
 ters, of the world, cast, west, north, and south ; and 
 the prophet is commanded to call for the souls of 
 these bodies to come from all quarters, wherever 
 they were, to breathe upon them ; that is, to enter 
 into tliem, and to cause them to live. That he called 
 " wind" before, he calls "breath " now. By "slain," 
 are meant, the visional carcasses which lay dead. 
 
 Ver. 10. " So I prophesied as he commanded me, 
 and the breath came into them." The prophet 
 doing his duty, the effect followed ; he said, " Come, 
 breath," and the spirit, soul, or breath came into 
 those bodies which lay in his view; they were ani- 
 mated, and thereupon 
 
 " They lived, and stood up upon their feet." Imme- 
 diately upon reception of their souls, they had life 
 and motion. As every bone came to his bone, and 
 made up a body, so every soul came to its own body, 
 and made it to live, and to testify its life by standing 
 up upon its feet. 
 
 " An exceeding great army." The bones were 
 many, and they being quickened, and raised, made 
 an army, yea, a great, an exceeding great army. 
 The word for " army " is, S>n which signifies, vir- 
 tue, courage ; and so the words may be rendered, 
 They stood upon their feet, being of very great 
 courage. 
 
 Obs. I. God sometimes puts his servants upon 
 
 strange employments, even such as seem ridiculous, 
 unseasonable, impossible. He set Ezekiel on work 
 to prophesy over bones, and to say unto them, " O ye 
 dry bones, "hear the word of the Lord." This was 
 as if one should water a dry, rotten stick, and say, 
 Grow. God said to Moses, " Lift up thy rod, and 
 stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it," 
 Exod. xiv. 16. Here was a strange conmiand, and 
 strange work for Moses to do : could his rod or hand 
 divide the sea ? Was it not strange work God put 
 Joshua, the men of war, and the priests unto, when 
 he appointed them to go seven days round about 
 Jericho, six days together once a day, and the 
 seventh day seven times, with trumpets and rams- 
 horns. Josh. vi. ? So when God commanded Ezekiel 
 to take a tile, portray Jerusalem upon it, and lay 
 siege against it, with battering-rams, then to set an 
 iron pan between him and the city for a wall ; after 
 these things, to lie upon his left side three hundred 
 and ninety days, and after that on his right side 
 forty days ; were not these strange kinds of employ- 
 ment which God put the prophet unto ? Ezek. iv. 
 So Jeremiah must put bonds and yokes upon his own 
 neck, and then send them to kings by their own am- 
 bassadors, which came to Zedekiah at Jerusalem, 
 Jer. xxvii. In all these things there was depth of 
 wisdom, however they seemed unto men. 
 
 Obs. 2. Whatsoever means are used, it is God doth 
 all. Here was prophecy used, but that did not the 
 work without God : " Behold, I will cause breath 
 to enter into you, and ye shall live." God could 
 have done this without prophecy, but that was the 
 means he would use and work in or by. We must 
 not neglect means, and leave all to God, that is 
 tempting the Most High ; neither must we trust to 
 means when used, that is to idolize a creature : but 
 we must use means, and look unto God to be all in 
 them (for without him nothing is done) ; and if we 
 make him all in the means, we shall make him all 
 after them, 
 
 Obs. 3. How low, deplorable, or desperate soever 
 the creature be, God can alter it, and that easily. 
 These dry bones were almost dust, and come to 
 nothing, their condition was very deplorable and 
 desperate, the prophet himself could not tell what 
 to think of them ; and did not God alter their con- 
 dition quickly and with ease ? He bids the prophet 
 prophesy and say, " Hear the word of the Lord, ye 
 dry bones ;" and that being done, presently the bones 
 shake, come together, are clothed with sinews, flesh, 
 and skin, receive breath, live, and stand up. Here 
 was a wonderful .sudden change wrought with great 
 facility. God can make the dry tree to flourish, Ezek. 
 xvii. 24, Aaron's rod to bud and blossom, Sarah's dead 
 womb to conceive, rivers in high places, and springs 
 of water in dry lands, Isa. xii. IS. If God speak but 
 the woi-d, these things are done; Rom. iv. 17, he 
 quickens the dead, and calls those things which be not, 
 as though they were : let God only give a call, and 
 things without life have life, and things without being 
 have a being, Jer. xxxi. 15 — 17. Are we in bondage? 
 he can easily set us at liberty, as he did Peter; are 
 we sick unto death ? he can easily cure us, as he did 
 Hezekiah ; are we poor and despicable ? he can 
 easily enrich us, and make us honourable, as he did 
 Job when stripped of all ; are we dead in sins and 
 trespasses, that we cannot stir at all towards God ? 
 or, are we dead-hearted, that we stir poorly towards 
 him ? he can quicken us in a moment, as he did 
 these dry bones, so that we shall live, move, and act 
 vigorously. 
 
 Obs. 4. There is a mighty eflficacy in God's word, 
 when he is pleased to concur with it, and to be pre- 
 sent with it in his own ordinance. Ezekiel prophe-
 
 742 
 
 AX EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVII. 
 
 sies, and as he prophesied there was a noise, a shak- 
 ing of the bones, a coalition of them, a compassing 
 them aljout with sinews, flesh, and skin, an entrance 
 of breath, so that they lived, stood up, and were full 
 of vigour. When (jod accompanies his word, it is 
 a creating word, an enlivening word, yea, and a kill- 
 ing word ; Ezek. xi. 14, " It came to pass, when I 
 prophesied, that Pelatiah died." It is said of Elisha, 
 that he should slay those that escaped the sword of 
 Hazael aird Jehu, 1 Kings xix. 17; but how should 
 that be ? for he was no sword-man : it was to be 
 done by his prophesying, which was sharper than 
 their swords. 
 
 Obs. 5. In the resurrection men shall have their 
 own bodies and souls again. This vision of the dry 
 bones is, by the fathers and others, held to be a live- 
 ly representation of the resurrection. And see here, 
 the bones came together, bone unto his bone, the 
 same bones which were united before were united 
 again in this resurrection ; and the sinews, the flesh, 
 the skin, which belonged to them formerly, the same 
 came and covered them again ; so the same souls, 
 the same breath, came and entered them, and they liv- 
 ed : the father had not the soul or body of the son, or the 
 daughter the soul or body of the mother, but every one 
 had their own bodies and souls. Job was of this faith, 
 saying, " Though after my skin worms destroy this 
 body, yet in my flesh shall I see God : whom I 
 shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold," 
 Job xix. 2G, 27. 
 
 Obs. G. The souls of men do not sleep with their 
 bodies in the dust, nor vanish into nothing. The 
 prophet calls for the soul of every body here to 
 come from the " four winds," that is, from those 
 parts where they were. Had they been in the bones 
 or dust of the earth, or vanished into nothing, the 
 Lord would not have directed the prophet to have 
 called for them from all parts of the world. 
 
 Ver. II — 14. The7i he said unto me. Son of 
 man, these bones are the whole house of Israel : 
 behold, they sajj, Our bones are dried, and our 
 hope is lost : ive are cut off for our parts. There- 
 fore prophesy and sai/ unto them. Thus saith the 
 Lord God; Behold, O my people, J will open 
 your graves, and cause you to come up out of 
 your graves, and bring you into the land of 
 Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, 
 ivhen I have opened your graves, O my people, 
 and brought you up out of your graves, and 
 shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and 
 I shall place you in your own land: then shall 
 ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and per- 
 formed it, saith the Lord. 
 
 The vision being related to the prophet, here ap- 
 plication of it is made, by God himself, to the house 
 of Israel. 
 
 And here we may consider, 
 
 I. The complaint of the house of Israel, ver. II. 
 
 II. God's gracious promises unto the house of 
 Israel, ver. 12, 14. 
 
 III. The event or sequel thereof, ver. 13, 14. 
 Ver. U. "These bones are the whole house of 
 
 Israel." The bones themselves were not the " house 
 of Israel," but they signihed and represented the 
 condition of the "'house of Israel," which being 
 captive in Babylon, were like unto the dry bones in 
 the open valley. To insist a little upon the re- 
 semblance between them : 
 
 1. The bones were many, very many, the valley 
 was full of bones ; when they were (juickened, they 
 made a great army. So were the Jews in the valley 
 
 of Babylon, they were very many. Those that came 
 out with Zerubbabcl and Nehemiah were forty-nine 
 thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven, or, fifty 
 thousand wanting one hundred and three, Ezra ii. 
 64, 65 ; besides those that came with Ezra afterward, 
 chap. viii. ; and many there were which never re- 
 turned. In those seventy years they were in Baby- 
 lon, they multiplied into a great number. 
 
 2. The bones were without skin, flesh, and sinews, 
 the worms, fowls, or wild beasts, had eaten up them. 
 So the Jews were stripped of wealth and substance, 
 the Babylonians had eaten up that. Lam. i. 10, 
 " The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all 
 her pleasant things;" whatsoever Jerusalem had 
 desirable, the Babylonians laid their hands upon ; 
 and, ver. 11," All her people sigh, tliey seek bread ; 
 they have given their pleasant things for meat to 
 relieve the soul." The Chaldeans dealt hardly w'ith 
 them, in the time of their captivity. Jer. I. 17, 33, 
 they broke their bones, they held them fast, ami 
 wearied them with burdens and taxes, they flayed oil" 
 their skins, ate their flesh, and sucked their blood. 
 
 3. The bones were disjointed and separated from 
 their places, one here, another there. So the Jews 
 were rent from their habitations and country, and 
 were scattered all over Babylon : Ezek. xxxiv. 6, 
 " My flock was scattered upon all the face of the 
 earth ;" that is, chiefly, the Babylonish earth ; they 
 were forced out of Zion, and dispersed into all parts 
 of Babylon. This made Jeremiah to say, chap. 1. 
 17, " Israel is a scattered sheep." The princes, the 
 nobles, the priests, the prophets, and the people, 
 were all scattered one from another ; the bones of 
 that commonwealth were jiulled all asimder, and 
 thrown into several places. 
 
 4. The bones were dry, yea, very dry ; they had 
 no moisture or maiTow in them. Such was the 
 " house of Israel," being in the furnace of Babylon, 
 their long captivity, with the evils attending it, had 
 dried up their moisture and marrow. They wanted 
 the milk and honey they had in Canaan for their 
 bodies, and the manna they had for their souls ; they 
 were without a temple, and the orcUnances of it, so 
 that not only their bodies, but their souls also, were 
 as dry bones, for they said they were without hope. 
 
 5. The bones being uncovered, lay exposed to the 
 reproach and injury of any foot that passed by them; 
 and the Jews, the time of their being in Babylon, 
 were exposed to scorns and injuries from all sorts : 
 see Ezek. xxxvi. 14,15,30; Lam. v. 1; Psal. cxxxvii. 
 3. The whole house of Israel was a derision and 
 scorn to the Babylonians. 
 
 " Behold, they say. Our bones are dried." This 
 speech, " Our bones are dried," is proverbial, and 
 notes a most miserable and forlorn condition, such as 
 those " dry bones " lay in : so far oil' were they from 
 life, that the prophet could not see a possibility 
 thereof. The Jews in Babylon were in such a con- 
 dition, they saw no possibility of their returning. 
 Captivity and servitude under enemies is a civil death; 
 such men are like those that are dead, and their 
 bones dried. 
 
 " And our hope is lost." " Hope " is the element 
 by which the afflicted live, the anchor of the soul in 
 a storm, the bladder which keeps up a man from 
 sinking when in deep waters, and upholds a man in 
 life when death knocks at the door ; but these Jews 
 had lost their " hope," and were at the brink of des- 
 pair. They said. We hoped a long time to return to 
 our own land, but we were deceived, here we are 
 held fast, Jer. 1. 33. Let who will hope to see Ca- 
 naan again, our hope that way is dead, and in Baby- 
 lon we must die. 
 
 " We are cut off for our parts." This is a proverbial
 
 Ver. 11—14. 
 
 THE BOOK OP EZKKIKL. 
 
 743 
 
 and metaphorical expression, taken either from the 
 branch of a tree cut otf from the body, or from the 
 whole tree cut otf from the earth ; wliich no sooner 
 is done, but they wither, become fruitless, and with- 
 out hope of recovering their pristine condition. So 
 these Jews, who were once God's vine and olive tree, 
 said now, we are cut off' from Canaan, the land of the 
 living, where we had such nourishment as made us 
 grow and be fruitful ; but here, in our captivity, we 
 have no city, no temple, no sacrifice, and so we are 
 as branches cut off, and trees cut down, never like to 
 be replanted more : see chap. xvii. 9. Like here- 
 unto is that of Job, chap. xix. 10, " He hath de- 
 stroyed me on every side, and I am gone ; and mine 
 hope hath he removed like a tree ;" that is, as there 
 is no hope of a tree cut olV from the earth, so have I 
 (saith Job) no hope of recovering my former con- 
 dition. 
 
 Ver. 12. "Behold, O my people, I will open your 
 graves." In this verse God promiseth unto them re- 
 moval of impediments, and reduction of them into 
 their own land. The first is in these words, " I will 
 open your graves." Canaan was so dear unto the 
 Jews, that they counted it death to live out of it ; they 
 esteemed it only the land of the living, and had 
 rather have died than left their country : being 
 therefore captives in a strange land, they were as 
 dead men, and that land as a grave unto them. When 
 a man is in his grave, he is cut off from the land of the 
 living, laid in darkness, bound with grave-clothes, and 
 pressed down with earth. So these Jews were cut 
 off' from their own land, had long been in Babylonish 
 darkness, were bound up by Babylonish laws and 
 power, and so oi)pressed and kept down by the ty- 
 ranny of the Babylonians, that they were without 
 hope of liberty. Hereujion the Lord saith, " I will 
 open your graves ;" I will remove all that hinders on 
 the part of the Babylonians ; their policy, power, law, 
 oppression shall detain you no lo^igcr in captivity ; 
 yea, I will remove all that hinders on your part. 
 Your despair and unbelief are like grave-stones, which 
 keep you in a captive and dead condition; but they 
 shall be taken away, and a door opened for your 
 coming forth. It is not irrational to conceive some 
 or many of them might be in prisons, and Baby- 
 lonish families, whom God would set at liberty. 
 
 " And cause you to come up out of your gi-aves," 
 &c. When the graves are opened, the dead cannot 
 rise or come forth, no more than the dry bones could 
 move or stir of themselves. The Jews' deliverance 
 out of captivity is likened to the raising the dead 
 out of their graves. God causeth the dead to rise, 
 Isa. xxvi. 19, and he would cause them to come out 
 of Babylon ; and not only bring them out thence, but 
 also bring them into their own land ; though they 
 were cut off from their own olive tree, God would 
 ingraft them in again. 
 
 Ver. 13. " And ye shall know that I am the Lord, 
 when I have opened your graves," cSrc. When God 
 should do this wonderful and great work, viz. bring 
 them out of their captivity, raise them from their 
 dead condition in Babylon, and restore them to life 
 in their own country, then they should know and 
 acknowledge God in a speci;il manner. 
 
 Ver. 14. " And shall put my spirit in you." By 
 mi " spirit," here, is not meant breath, or life, 
 as ver. 9, 10; for they were first to be brought up 
 out of their graves, and to have natural life, before 
 tlie Spirit should be put into them. But by ".sjiirit" 
 here, we understand the Holy Spirit of God; even 
 that Spirit spoken of, chap, xxxvi.27, where are the 
 same words. Lavater saith, I will put into you 
 another Spirit, fficolampadius saith, It is the Si)irit of 
 adoption, which moderates and acts the suns of God. 
 
 " And ye shall live." They lived before a natural 
 life, a sad and melancholy life ; but now they should 
 live a spiritual life, a comfortable and heavenly life ; 
 they should forget their sorrows, and rejoice in tlicir 
 God. You have been in a dying condition these 
 seventy years of your captivity, but henceforward ye 
 shall live. 
 
 " I shall ])lace you in your own land." The He- 
 brew is, I will make you to rest upon your own land. 
 God would dismiss them from Babylon, carry them 
 upon eagles' wings, and set them down in their own 
 land, where they should be at rest. They had been 
 disquieted and vexed in Babylon many years, and 
 suffered grievous things ; but God put an end there- 
 unto, and gave them rest in Canaan ; which types 
 out God's dealing with his people under the gospel, 
 viz. the bringing them from under the antichristian 
 state into Zion. 
 
 " Tlien shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken 
 it, and performed it." Ye think it impossible that 
 you should have the Babylonish yoke knocked off', 
 be set at liberty, and planted in your own country; 
 but if I can give life to dry bones, and cause them to 
 stand up and become a great army, which is a more 
 difficult thing, and thou Ezekiel hast seen it ; then 
 let the Jews be assured I can deliver them, and re- 
 turn them into their own land, and will do it ; and 
 when it is done, they shall know that I am a God of 
 truth and power. 
 
 Something we shall observe in general from these 
 words, and something more specially. 
 
 Obs. 1. That sense which God gives of visions, 
 types, and parables, is sound and certain, yea, infal- 
 lible. Ezekiel had a vision of dry bones, and who 
 could tell the meaning of this vision ? Many have 
 mistaken about it ; but God himself told the pro- 
 phet, and so all others, what was the sense of that 
 vision ; Behold, the bones are the whole house of 
 Israel. God, who is the Author of visions, types, 
 and parables, knoweth best what is the meaning of 
 them. He knew what the golden candlestick, and 
 the two olive trees on the right and left sides there- 
 of, meant, and interpreted them unto Zechariah, 
 cha[i. iv. Daniel's vision of four blasts, chap. vii. 
 did the Lord open and make known unto him. 
 John's vision of the woman silting "upon a scarlet 
 coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having 
 seven heads and ten horns," the Lord interpreted 
 and made known unto him. Rev. xvii. Christ utter- 
 (d many parables which were dark, and when he 
 gave the sense of them it was certain and infallible. 
 
 Obs. 2. Tropes and types are not in sacred Scrip- 
 ture to betaken literally. "These bones are the 
 house of Israel;" they were not the house of Israel 
 in a literal sense, but they signified the house of 
 Israel. It is frequent, in the word, to give tlie name 
 (if the thing signified to the thing signifying ; as 
 1 Cor. X. 4, " i'hat Rock was Christ;" here the 
 rock is called Christ, whereas the rock did only sig- 
 nify Christ. So Gen. xli. 2(), "The seven good kine 
 are .seven years, and the seven good cars are seven 
 years ;" none of these were years, but all of them 
 signify so many years. So Uan. iv. 22, the tree, 
 which Nebuchadnezzar saw, whose top reached to 
 heaven, and branches to the ends of the earth, is 
 said to be Nebuchadnezzar himself, " It is thou, O 
 king;" that is, it signified him, it w"as not him him- 
 self. The papists trouble the world with their ab- 
 surd sense of those words. Matt. xxvi. 26, 28, " This 
 is my body, and this is my blood ;" they will have 
 them to be taken literally, and make us lose our 
 senses, that we may believe tlie bread and wine are 
 the very flesh and blood of Christ; but we neither 
 see nor taste any such thing ; only we oelieve, that
 
 744 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVII. 
 
 tlicy represent the same unto us, and are to convey 
 the fruit and benefit of Christ's death unto us. 
 
 Obs. 3. God's people are sometimes brought into 
 great straits, they know not what to do, they are 
 heartless and hopeless. " Our bones are dried, our 
 hope is lost : we are cut oflf for our parts." They 
 saw nothing but destruction before them, they saw 
 no possibility of escaping, they thought their con- 
 dition desperate. Such was Joseph's condition, when 
 his brethren cast him into a pit, Gen. xxxvii. 24. 
 Such was the Israelites' condition at the Red sea, 
 when the Egyptians were behind them, the sea be- 
 fore them, and no door of hope left unto them, 
 Exod. xiv. ; their hope was gone, and nothing but 
 death presented itself unto them, ver. 11. When the 
 anchor of hope is broken, men are in a sea of (rou- 
 bles, tossed up and down, ready to sink every moment. 
 Job himself was some time in tliis case, chap. vii. 6, 
 " My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and 
 are spent without hope ;" he had neither hope of 
 restoration to his former condition, nor of continuance 
 of his life ; he looked only to make the grave his 
 house, and darkness his bed, chap. xvii. 13 — 15; his 
 hope was gone, and he thought he must go to cor- 
 ruption and the worms. 
 
 Oba. 4. When men are in great afflictions, they 
 manifest great weakness. These Jews being in such 
 an afflicted condition, they forgot what promises 
 God had made to them of returning after seventy 
 years, Jer. xxv. 12, 13; xxix. 10: they minded not 
 God's power, or faithfulness, but said, " We are cut 
 off' for our parts ;" God hath cut us off from our land, 
 and cast us into this furnace of Babylon, where we 
 shall be consumed. When Saul hunted David like a 
 partridge upon the mountains, and his life was in 
 jeopardy, did he not say in his heart, " I shall one 
 day perish by the hand of Saul?" 1 Sam. xxvii. 1. 
 Here he manifested his weakness greatly. God had 
 told him he should be king, and sent Samuel to 
 anoint him, chap. xvi. ; but he forgot this, and gave 
 way to the reasonings of flesh. Jeremiah being in 
 a sutl'ering condition, scorned and defamed by the 
 people, he resolves to cast aside his commission, and 
 speak no more in the name of the Lord; he curses 
 the day of his nativity, and the man who brought 
 tidings of his birth ; wishes he had slain him from 
 the womb, or that the womb had been his grave, 
 &c. ; thus did he declare his infirmities, chap. xx. 8, 
 
 9, 15 — 17, not considering what God had promised 
 him, chaji. i. 5, 8, 9, 17— "l9. The like did Job. 
 
 Obn. 5. There are states of men in this life which 
 do rescndile the dead; and they are two especially, 
 both which are here held forth. 
 
 (1.) The state of great and long afflictions. These 
 Jews, in their captivity, arc likened unto dry bones, 
 men in their graves. This made Jeremiah say. 
 Lam. iii. (i, " He hath set me in dark places, as they 
 that be dead of old." The state of death is a state 
 of darkness, and so is the state of affliction. Isa. lix. 
 
 10, " We grope for the wall like the blind, and we 
 grope as if we had no eyes : we stumble at noon day 
 as in the night ; we are in desolate places as dead 
 men." They were in deep affliction, and destitute 
 of all counsel ; they saw no way or means how to 
 get out of the same. David being under great ca- 
 lamities, goes further, and shows you, that such a 
 state is not only a state of darkness, but of consump- 
 tion, of being forgotten, and broken : Psal. xxxi. 9, 
 12, " I am in trouble ; mine eye is consumed with 
 grief, yea, my soul and my belly. I am forgotten as 
 a dead man out of mind : I am like a broken vessel." 
 So Psal. xliv. 19, " Thou hast sore broken us in the 
 place of dragons, and covered us with the .shadow of 
 death." He calls great afflictions, the place of 
 
 dragons, because they sting, bite, and endanger a 
 man's life ; and, the shadow of death ; death is very 
 near, and overshadows the man who is in them, his 
 grave is designing, and he is ready to be put there- 
 into. This consideration made Heman say, his soul 
 being full of troubles, " My life draweth nigh unto 
 the grave. I am counted with them that go down 
 into the pit : I am as a man that hath no strength : 
 free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the 
 grave, whom thou rememberest no more : and they 
 are cut olT from thy hand. Thou hast laid me in the 
 lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps," Psal. Ixxxviii. 
 3 — 6. He shows you clearly, that great afflictions, 
 especially soul-afflictions, are a state of death. 
 
 (2.) The state of sin, which these Jews were in; 
 for it is said, " I will put my spirit into yoa, and ye 
 shall live." At that time they were dead, being in 
 an unregenerate estate. Men being in their sins, 
 are no better than in a state of death. They are in 
 darkness, ignorant of Christ, the gospel, and myste- 
 ries thereof, Eph. v. 8. They are in bondage to 
 their lusts, and to Satan, 2 Pet. ii. 19; Rom. vi. 16; 
 2 Tim. ii. 2(1 ; John viii. 44. They are senseless, 
 eyes they have, and see not ; ears, and hear not ; 
 hearts, and understand not. Matt. xiii. 14, 15. They 
 have hearts of stone, and are past feeling, Eph. iv. 
 18, 19. They are corrupt and unsavoury, Eph. iv. 
 22 : Rom. iii. 13. This is the condition of sinners, 
 which the gospel accounts and calls, a state of death. 
 Matt. viii. 22; John v. 25; Eph. ii. 5; Col. ii. 13. 
 
 Obs. 6. God is afflicted with the afflictions and suf- 
 ferings of his people. my people, you are in your 
 graves here in Babylon, you are afflicted, reproach- 
 ed, oppressed ; but I am sensible thereof, and do 
 sympathize with you in that condition; not a word 
 is spoken against you, not an unjust act done unto 
 you, but I hear, 1 feel the same. The words are 
 twice mentioned, " O my pieople, my people," in 
 the 12th and 13th verses, to show the Lord was 
 much affected with their calamities and languishing 
 condition. When the Jews were in Egypt, that 
 house of bondage, and in the wilderness, they were 
 like men in their graves, oft covered with the shadow 
 of death ; and did not God pity them ? Psal. cvi. 44, 
 " He regarded their affliction ;" he looked upon 
 tlicm and pitied them ; yea, he made their enemies 
 to pity them, ver. 4G. In the book of Judges, chap. 
 x. 16, you have a notable expression to this purpose : 
 it is said there, " His soul grieved for the misery of 
 Israel ;" his soul was shortened. When things are 
 laid to heart, they dry and shrink up a man's spirits. 
 God laid their misery so to heart, that his soul was, 
 as it were, shrunk up and shortened. 
 
 Obs. 7. There is no state of affliction, sin, or death, 
 but God can and will raise his people out of the 
 same. " my people, I will open your graves, and 
 cause yon to come up out of your graves." Though 
 they had lain seventy years in their graves, God 
 would open them. When earth lies long undigged, 
 when graves continue long unopened, it is the harder 
 to r( move the earth, and open the graves : what dif- 
 ficulty soever there was in the way, God would step 
 over it, and do the thing. Job lay buried in the 
 grave of affliction a long season, but at length God 
 ojiened his grave, and led him out; Job xlii. 10, 
 " The Lord turned the captivity of Job." David 
 was in the grave of affliction, but God raised him 
 out of it ; Psal. xl. 2, " He brought me up out of an 
 horrible pit, out of the miry clay ;" that is, out of 
 the deepest and extremest misery. Mary Magda- 
 lene lay in the grave of sin, was in a state of spirit- 
 ual death, and Christ quickened her, he forgave her 
 sins, Luke vii. 48. The Ephesians did, among other 
 gentiles, lie in their graves of sin, they were shut
 
 Ver. 15—19. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 7-15 
 
 lip under unbelief, that was a weighty grave-stone 
 that kept them under ; but God rolled away that 
 stone, opened their graves, and brought them fortli ; 
 Eph. ii. 1, " You that were dead in sins and tres- 
 passes, hath he quickened." Those who are in a 
 literal sense dead, and in their graves, God can open 
 their graves, and bring them forth also. Lazarus 
 had lain four days in his grave, he was corrupted 
 therein and stunk; yet, when Christ said, " Lazarus, 
 come forth," the grave did open, the dead man heard, 
 lived, and came forth, John xi. 43, 44. The keys of 
 life and death are in the hand of Christ ; be it a grave 
 of affliction, a grave of sin, or a grave of the body, 
 Christ can turn the key, open the grave, and bring 
 out thereof: at last he will open the graves, and 
 bring forth all the dead bodies. 
 
 06s. 8. Nothing in men moves God to put his 
 Spirit into them. These Jews were in a despairing 
 condition, they said, " Our bones are dried, our hope 
 is lost, we are cut off for our parts." They despair- 
 ed, dishonoured God highly thereby, and deserved 
 to be cut oft" and perish for ever ; but see how God 
 dealt with them, he promises to put his Spirit in 
 them, ver. 14. The giving of his Spirit is an extra- 
 ordinary mercy, and he gives it freely. Their good- 
 ness did not incline God to give, nor their sin hinder 
 him from giving. God's choicest gifts are freest, as 
 Christ, the Spirit, and gospel ; they are the acts of 
 his good pleasure. 
 
 Obs. 9. Spiritual life and comfort are from the 
 Spirit's indwelling in men. " I shall put my spirit 
 in you, and ye shall live." Then they shall live, as 
 they had never lived ; they should live spiritually, 
 comfortably. Natural life, in its kind, hath an ex- 
 cellencv ; but it is far beneath a spiritual life, which 
 is called "the hfe of God," Eph. iv. 18 So the 
 comforts of a natural life may have some sweet and 
 preciousness in them ; but they are comfortless com- 
 forts to those of the Spirit and spiritual life. Men 
 destitute of the Spirit are dead men, and have but 
 dead comforts ; those who have the Spirit are living 
 men, and have living comforts. The Spirit is a 
 Spirit of life and comfort, and wherever it comes, it 
 makes men lively and comfortable. 
 
 Obs. 10. When the people of God are gathered 
 into Canaan, they shall have rest there. God would 
 bring these Jews out of Babylon into their own 
 land, which was Canaan, and there they should 
 rest: there is no rest in Babylon. God is gathering 
 his people out of Babylon daily. He saith unto 
 them, as it is in Micah ii. 10, " Arise ye, and de- 
 part ; for this is not your rest." He is drawing and 
 driving them out of Babylonish and antiehristian 
 conditions, and bringing them into Zion, where there 
 is true re.st, though not perfect rest; that will be in 
 the heavenly Canaan, whither in due time we shall 
 come. 
 
 Ver. 15 — 19. The word of the Lord came 
 again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of 
 man, take thee one stick, and write vpon it, For 
 Judah, and for the children of Israel his com- 
 panions : then take another stick, and write upon 
 it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all 
 the house of Israel his companions : and join 
 them one to another into one stick ; and they shall 
 become one in thine hand. And when the children 
 of thy people shall speak unto thee, sai/ing, Wilt 
 thou not shew us what thou meajiest by these? 
 say unto them. Thus saith the Lord God ; Be- 
 hold, I tcill take the stick of Joseph, which is in 
 the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel 
 
 his fellows, and will put them tvith him, even icith 
 the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, cmd 
 they shall be one in mine hand. 
 
 The vision of the dry bones, and interpretation of 
 them, being ended, here the typical work of two 
 sticks, and the uniting of them, succeeds. In the 
 three first verses you have the author of the type, 
 and the type itself: in the two last, direction wliat 
 to say, upon inquiry made after the meaning of the 
 type. 
 
 Ver. 16. "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee 
 one stick." The prophet before had a vision, here 
 he hath a command. He must take a stick : the 
 Chaldee saith, a table ; the Septuagint, a rod : the 
 Hebrew is, wood. Wood, or stick, is, by a nietono- 
 my of the matter, put for a table, or tally, whereon 
 something might be written. So it was here ; he 
 must write upon it, 
 
 " For Judah, and for the children of Israel his 
 companions." These were the words to be written 
 upon the stick. In Numb. xvii. 2, the Lord com- 
 manded Moses to take twelve rods, according to 
 the number of the tribes and princes, and to write 
 every man's name upon his rod. To this doth the 
 Lord allude here, commanding the prophet to take 
 a stick, or rod, and write upon it, "For Judah;" that 
 is. Let Judah, tlie royal and noble tribe, be signified 
 thereby. " And the children of Israel ;" by these 
 the tribe of Benjamin is meant, which clave to the 
 house of David, and fell not from Rehobonm to 
 Jeroboam, 1 Kings xii. 23; 2 Chron. xi. 12, as the 
 other tribes did. This tribe did wholly adhere to 
 Judah, and some also out of other tribes did, some 
 out of Levi, and some out of the rest, 2 Chron. xi. 1.3, 
 14,16,17; XV. 9; and these are called "the children 
 of Israel his companions ;" that is, Judah's compa- 
 nions, because they forsook him not, as others did. 
 All these were represented by this first stick. 
 
 " Then take another stick, and write upon it. For 
 Joseph, the stick of Ephraim." Having finished the 
 first stick, he is bidden to "take another." The 
 Hebrew is, take one stick; that is, one more, "and 
 write upon it. For Joseph." As the other stick was 
 for Judah, so this for Joseph ; viz. to represent the 
 tribe of Joseph, which was the principal of the ten 
 tribes ; and his stick was called "the stick of Ephraim." 
 Ephraim was the son of Joseph, and the ten tribes 
 are usually called in Scripture by the name of 
 Ephraim, as Hos. iv. 17; v. 3, 9, II, 12, 13, 14; but 
 here the tribe of Ephraim is meant. The Chaldee 
 saith. The stick of Ephraim is the tribe of Ephraim. 
 Jeroboam, who made the great rent in the house of 
 David, was of the tribe of Ephraim, and to him did 
 the other tribes adhere. 
 
 "And for all the house of Israel his companions." 
 This stick was for the whole ten tribes, which are 
 called "the house of Joseph," Amos v. 6, "The seed 
 of Ephraim," Jer. vii. 15, "Samaria," Hos. viii. 5, 
 and here, " the house of Israel." All these did side 
 with Jeroboam when he revolted, and so were com- 
 panions with him, with Ephraim and Joseph. Long 
 before this time, the ten tribes were carried into cap- 
 tivity by Shalmaneser king of Assyria ; but here the 
 Lord thought upon them, and ordered the prophet to 
 take a stick for them. 
 
 Ver. 17. "And join them one to another into one 
 stick." The Hebrew is, and make them come one 
 to one to thee into one stick. Those two sticks he 
 must join together, and make one stick of them. 
 Some ^do make a miracle here, saying. That as 
 Moses' rod was turned into a serpent, and Aaron's 
 blossomed, Exod. iv. 3 ; Numb. xvii. 8, bv a mira- 
 culous work of God; so did Ezekiel's sticks unite
 
 746 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAi'. XXXVII. 
 
 together in his liand. It is true, God, by his divine 
 power, could unite them into one ; but here he bids 
 the prophet to join them one to another into one 
 stick, wliich he might do by some artificial means, 
 or else hold them together in his hand, which might 
 suffice for the purpose intended. 
 
 " And they shall become one in thine hand." 
 They shall be one in thy hands, so Montanus ren- 
 ders the Hebrew ; not, they shall become, but, they 
 shall be, one thing or stick in thine hand ; they 
 should no more ajipear to be two sticks, but one ; 
 and the characters written upon them, visible for 
 every man to read. The old translation hath it, 
 they' shall be as one hi thy hand. While he held 
 them, they were as one, but, had he let them go, 
 they had fallen asunder, and been two sticks as before. 
 
 Vcr. 18. "And when the children of thy people 
 shall speak nnto thee, saying." In ver. 12, and 13, 
 God had said, " my people," he owned them for 
 his; here he terms them the prophet's people, "the 
 children of thy people." They were Ezckiel's people, 
 because he was set of God a watchman over them, 
 chap. iii. I/. 
 
 " Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by 
 these?" The Hebrew is, Wilt thou not show us 
 what these things are to thee ? So the Septuagint, 
 What is thine intention in taking these sticks, and 
 holding them in thine hand ? what is the interpreta- 
 tion thereof? It is a riddle unto us; let us know 
 the sense and meaning thereof. 
 
 Ver. ly. "Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, 
 which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the Irilies of 
 Israel his fellows." " The stick of Joseph," that is, 
 the tribe of Ephraim, which was in Jeroboam's 
 hand, who was of that tribe ; and not only that, but 
 nine more were under him and his successors a long 
 time, two hundred and sixty years, or thereabout. 
 These ten tribes made up the kingdom of Israel, 
 which was divided from the kingdom of Judah, and 
 therefore are called Ephraim's fellows, not Judah's. 
 All these represented by the stick God would take; 
 and what would he do with them ? 
 
 " And will put them with him, even with the stick 
 of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall 
 be one in mine hand." God would make these two 
 sticks one, not one tribe, but one kingdom. They 
 had been two kingdoms, at great enmity, and were 
 at this time scattered abroad among the nations ; 
 but the Lord promises to gather them together, and 
 to unite them so, that there shall not be a kingdom 
 of Israel and a kingdom of Judah, but the stick of 
 Ephraim shall be united to the stick of Judah : they 
 should be but one stick, one kingdom, and one king, 
 and that in the hand of the Lord; the Septuagint 
 saith, in tlie hand of Judah. 
 
 Obs. I. True types have God for the Author of 
 them. God bade the prophet here take one stick 
 and another stick, and write upon them ; and there- 
 by to type out the houses ofJudah and Israel. Had 
 he taken these of his own head, they had been 
 nothing, bastardly types, not true types. W'hen 
 " Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns 
 of iron," saying, "Thus saith the Lord, With these 
 shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have con- 
 sumed them," 1 Kings xxii. 1 1 : this was a bold pre- 
 sumption of him to make horns typical, without 
 command from Geid. The event showed him to be 
 a false prophet, and his type to be a lying type. It 
 is peculiar unto God to make divine types. 
 
 Obs. 2. God can, and doth, make use of mean things 
 to honourable purposes. Sticks are mean and con- 
 temptible things, trodden under foot ; yet, God orders 
 sticks here to be taken, written upon, to represent 
 the two principal houses in the world, the house of 
 
 Judah and the house of Israel, and their uniting 
 together : here was high honour put upon these 
 sticks. God made use of a tile to portray Jerusalem 
 upon, Ezek. iv. ; and of hair to type out his judg- 
 ments, Ezck. V. ; which was a great honour unto 
 such despicable things. What honour did God put 
 upon the brazen serpent, to represent Christ thereby ! 
 Numb. xxi. 9; John iii. 14. As God puts honour 
 upon mean things, so upon mean persons ; I Cor. i. 
 28, "The base things of the world, and things which 
 are despised, hath God chosen; yea, and things 
 which are not, to bring to nought things that are." 
 He exalted Gideon, and did great things by him, 
 Judg. vi. God took Amo;; " an hcrdman, a gatherer 
 of sycamore fruit," invested him w ith the honour of 
 a prophet, Amos vii. 14, 15, and by him confounded 
 Amaziah the priest of Bethel, and Jeroboam's chap- 
 lain. 
 
 Obs. 3. God hath a care of his people, be they in 
 never so poor, broken, scattered, or despicable a con- 
 dition. The house of Judah had been now in Baby- 
 lon upon seventy years, the house of Israel two 
 hundred and four years, if not more; they were de- 
 spised of men, and seemed forgotten of God : but 
 the Lord had them in remembrance, and bids the 
 prophet write upon one stick. For Judah and his com- 
 panions ; and on another stick. For Joseph, Ephraim, 
 or the house of Israel, and his companions ; not one 
 of them were out of God's thoughts. Their fore- 
 fathers hael been four hundred years in Egypt, were 
 tyrannized over by cruel task-masters, looked upon 
 as contemptible ; but the Lord had an eye to them, 
 cared and wrought for them. They have now lain 
 sixteen hundred years in darkness, in a desolate and 
 despised condition ; yet doubtless they are not for- 
 gotten, Goel's thoughts are upon them to do them 
 good again. 
 
 Obs. 4. Typical and obscure things will excite 
 men to iiiejuire after the sense of them. This is inti- 
 mated in ver. IS, " When the children of thy people 
 shall speak unto thee, saying. Wilt thou not show us 
 what thou meanest by these ? " God knew they would 
 inquire. Common things are neglected ; but things 
 strange and mysterious are dived into, sought after. 
 When Ezekiel was to dig through the wall, cover his 
 face, and remove his stuff, thin the people were 
 stirred and said, "What docst thou?" chap. xii. 9. 
 Those typical actions bred inquisitiveness in their 
 spirits. When the Lord Christ spake parables, they 
 sought to him to know the sense and meaning of 
 them. 
 
 Obs. 5. God is pleased to direct his prophets and 
 servants what to say unto the jjeople, when they 
 come to question with them about things. If this 
 peoiile come to Ezekiel to know what he meant by 
 the two sticks, his writing upon them, and holding 
 them in his hand, the Lord tells him what he shall 
 say unto them ; " Say, Thus saith the Lord God ; 
 Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in 
 the hand of Ephraim," &c. When God sent Moses 
 unto the people, he was timorous lest he should not 
 know what to say to the people, how to answer their 
 questions ; but see how God directs and instructs 
 him. Exod. iii. 13, 14, "Moses said unto God, Be- 
 hold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and 
 shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath 
 sent me unto you ; anel they shall say unto me, 
 What is his name? what shall I say unto them?" 
 I know not how to answer that question. See wdiat 
 now follows; "And God said unto Moses, I AM 
 THAT I AM : and he said, Thus shalt thou say, I AM 
 hath sent me unto you." Thus God taught him what 
 answer to give the people. So, Ezek. xiv. when the 
 ciders came to inquire somewhat of Ezekiel, Ged
 
 Ver. 20—22. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 m 
 
 told him what answer to give them. It was given 
 in of God, by his Spirit, to the apostles, what answer 
 to give governors and rulers, when they were brought 
 before them, Matt. x. 19. 
 
 Ver. 20 — 22. And the sticks rcherenn thou 
 writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. 
 And say unto them. Thus saith the Lord God ; 
 Behold, I will take the children of Israel from 
 among the heathen, whither they he gone, and will 
 gather them on every side, and bring thetn into 
 their own land: and I will make them one na- 
 tion in the land upon the mountains of Israel; 
 and one king shall he king to them all : and they 
 shall be no move two nations, neither shall they be 
 divided into two kingdoms any more at all. 
 
 The explieation of the typical sticks is laid down 
 in these and the subsequent verses. 
 
 Ver. 20. " And the sticks whereon thou writest 
 shall be in thine hand before their eyes." The pro- 
 jihet was not to do this privately, but to write upon 
 the sticks, and to hold them in his hand, so that all 
 might .see them, and hereby be provoked to inquire 
 what the mystery of them was, and so become par- 
 takers of the consolation intended thi rebv. 
 
 Ver. 21. " Behold, I will take the children of 
 Israel from among the heathen, whilhcr they be 
 gone." In this verse is promised the reduction of 
 the twelve tribes, comprehended under these words, 
 " the children of Israel," out of all countries wdiere 
 they were scattered into their own land. Not only 
 Judah and Benjamin should be gathered up, and 
 brought into Canaan again, but the rest of the tribes 
 also. This is a great and gracious promise. 
 
 " And will gather them on every side." The ten 
 tribes being carried away by Shalmaneser, were 
 placed " in Halah and Habor by the river Gozan, 
 and in the cities of the Medes," 2 Kings xvii. 6; 
 they were seated in the utmost parts of his do- 
 minions, north and east; and the other Jews whom 
 Nebuchadnezzar led away captive, were scattered up 
 and down his manifold provinces, as appears, Esth. 
 iii. 8. Now God would look on every side, and 
 gather them up out of all quarters. 
 
 Ver. 22. " And I will make them one nation in 
 the land upon the mountains of Israel." Being 
 brought into their land, here God adds three great 
 promises more. The first is, uniting of them into 
 one nation, who had some hundreds of years been 
 divided, and at bitter enmity one against another. 
 
 " And one king shall be king to them all." After 
 the division made by Jeroboam, you read of several 
 kings they had, kings of Judah, and kings of Israel. 
 There were two kingdoms, and divers kings of them 
 both ; but the kingdoms being united into one, the 
 Lord promiseth them not a succession of kings over 
 them, but one king to rule over them both ; they 
 should be one kingdom, and have one king. Tlus is 
 the second great promise. 
 
 " And they shall be no more two nations, neither 
 shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more 
 at all." This is tlie third promise, and it is a great 
 one also, viz. they shall continue a kingdom, one 
 kingdom, and never be torn or rent in pieces any 
 more ; there shall be no Rehoboams or Jeroboams 
 to cause divisions in it. 
 
 It will add some light to the words under consider- 
 ation, if we make inquiry. Whether the type of the 
 two sticks be fulfilled, by the incorporating of the 
 two nations into one, and making of them one king- 
 dom ? 
 
 It is affirmed by some, that this hieroglyphical 
 
 prophecy was fulfilled at the return of the two tribes 
 out of Babylon. ' For then Cyrus king of Persia made 
 a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, to this 
 purpose ; " Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the 
 kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven 
 given me ; and he hath charged me to build him an 
 house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is 
 there among you of all his people ? The Lord his 
 God be with him, and let him go up," 2 Chron. 
 xxxvi. 22, 2.3. The proclamation excepts no persons, 
 no tribes, but gives full liberty unto all. The ten 
 tribes having been two hundred and four years, or 
 thereabouts, in eaptivitj', it is likely were weary of 
 their condition, and so willing to return into their 
 own country, and so they took the opportunity before 
 tliem. For it is evident, that some of the ten tribes 
 did return to Jerusalem. Of the Levites there were 
 seventy-four, Ezra ii. 40 ; Neh. vii. 43; and of the 
 priests, who were of that trilie, as appears, 1 Chron. 
 xxiv. 1, 2, 7 ; Esod. vi. 16, 18, 20; and Neh. vii. 39, 
 there were nine hundred and seventy-three. Paul 
 was of the tribe of Benjamin, Phil. iii. 5 ; " Anna, the 
 daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser," Luke ii. 
 36. And Paul speaks of the twelve tribes as present 
 in his days at Jerusalem, Acts xxvi. 7. Others 
 think not all this which is said sufficient to prove 
 the union of the two sticks, and so of the two houses 
 of Judah and Ephraim ; for of all that returned, 
 there were but forty-two thousand three hundi-ed and 
 sixty, beside servants and maids, whose number 
 amounted to seven thousand three hundred and thirty- 
 seven, as it is, Ezra ii. 64, 65 ; whereof both Hebrews 
 and other authors observe, there were ten thousand 
 out of the other ten tribes, which is an inconsider- 
 able number for so many tribes, whenas there were 
 thirty-two thousand out of two or three tribes. Be- 
 sides, it is not clear that those ten thousand were 
 out of the other tribes ; for neither Ezra nor Ne- 
 hemiah do specify so much in the catalogues they 
 make of those returned. Doubtless, had such a 
 number returned out of any, or each of the tribes, as 
 had been considerable, they would have taken notice 
 thereof, and mentioned the ti-ibe, or tribes, and 
 spoken of the uniting of them; for it is said lure, 
 " the sticks shall be in thine hand before their eyes :" 
 the union would have been visible and observable 
 by them all, had it then been. Some few of the 
 tribes, it is possible, did return, and of them Paul 
 speaks. Acts xxvi. 7. The bulk anel body of tliem 
 stayed behind, being increased in two hundred 
 years to an innumeralile company ; anel the Jews 
 say, they are shut up in the Caspian mountains, 
 from whence they shall come forth in due time. 
 Manasseh Ben Israel, with Montezinus, say, the ten 
 tribes were the first inhabitants of America, and that 
 they lie hid behind the mountains of Cordillere. 
 
 It is the opinion, if not the faith, of many, that 
 the two sticks representing the two hcuses of Judah 
 and Israel, are yet to be united and made one ; and 
 the great reason for it is, because they have not had 
 one king, one shepherd, viz. David, by whom is 
 meant the Messiah, to reign over them. This is 
 that Hosea points at, chap. i. 11, where he saith, 
 " The children of Judah and the children of Israel 
 shall be gathered together, and appoint themselves 
 one head, and they shall come np out of the land." 
 The " head" spoken of by Hosea, is not Zerubbabel, 
 but the same that our prophet speaks of, viz. David, 
 by whom is meant the Messiah ; of which mind is 
 Manasseh Ben Israel, who saith, The in his Fpist.io 
 ten tribes never returned to the second "'« iiop^ oi u- 
 temple, that they there keep the law of *"'' "' 
 
 Moses and the sacred rites, and at last shall return 
 into their land, with the two tribes Judah and Ben-
 
 74H 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVII. 
 
 jamin, and shall be governed by one prince, who 
 is the Messiah, the Son of David. • If it be said, 
 this was made good when Christ was born, and lived 
 at Jerusalem, this will not suffice ; for, " He came 
 unto his own, and they received him not," John i. 
 II. The people of Israel were against Christ, Acts 
 iv. 27 ; they would not have him to reign over them, 
 Luke xix. 14 ; they owned no king but Cccsar, and 
 cried, " Crucify him," John xix. And for their cru- 
 cifying of him, they were scattered, and the wrath 
 of God came upon them to the utmost, I Thess. ii. 
 16. Had the two houses been united, they would 
 themselves have appointed and chosen Christ to 
 have been their Hcctd, continued still undivided and 
 unscattered, submitting to his government, and ob- 
 serving his laAvs, as it is ver. 24 of this chapter ; for, 
 when Christ takes his government upon him, he 
 must rule for ever, Luke i. 33. 
 
 There is a place in Zechariah very observable ; it 
 is in chap. x. C — 9, " I will strengthen the house 
 of Judah." They of this house were come already 
 to Judea, and Zechariah with them ; they were upon 
 building the second temple : now see what follows ; 
 " and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will 
 bring them again to place them; for I have mercy 
 upon them : and they shall be as though I had not 
 cast them off: for I am the Lord their God, and will 
 hear them. And they of Ephraim shall be like a 
 mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through 
 wine : yea, their children shall see it, and be glad ; 
 their heart shall rejoice in the Lord. I will hiss for 
 them, and gather them ; for I have redeemed them : 
 and they .shall increase as they have increased. And 
 I will sow them among the people : and they shall 
 remember me in far coimtries ; and they .shall live 
 with their children, and turn again." 
 
 Here you may clearly see two things : 
 
 1. That the house of Joseph and Ephraim did not 
 return with the house of Judah. 
 
 2. That God hath promised to gather and bring 
 them out of those places wdiere they are scattered ; 
 which must be accomplished in its time. 
 
 It is no heresy to say, Christ meant the ten tribes 
 when he said, John x. Ki, " Other sheep I have, 
 which are not of this fold : them also I must bring, 
 and thej- shall hear my voice ; and there sh;ill be 
 one fold, ami one shepherd." Chri.^t here alludes 
 to this Srth of Ezekiel, ver. 22 and 24. 
 
 Obs. 1. The conversion of the Jews we may war- 
 rantably expect and pray for. God hath promised 
 to gather the children of Israel, and to bring them 
 to David their king, that is, Christ : I will gather 
 them out of every side ; I will take the children of 
 Israel from among the heathen wldtherthey be gone ; 
 and one king shall rule over them. Seeing God 
 hath promised to do it, we may believe and pray for 
 the same. This conversion of the Jews will be not 
 of some few particulars, but national, though not of 
 every one belonging to the nation. Hos. iii. 5, 
 " The children of Israel shall return, and seek the 
 Lord their God, and David their king ; and shall 
 fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days :" 
 there will be a very general, glorious, and visible 
 return of them ; they will prove eminent christians, 
 fearing the Lord and his goodness. Paul hints unto 
 you, that there is a time when the vail .shall be taken 
 off the heart of the Jews, and they turn unto the 
 Lord, 2 Cor. iii. 15, 16. And John in his Revelation 
 tells you of a hundred and forty-four thousand which 
 were sealed out of all the tribes of the children of 
 Israel, chap. vii. 4. These were of the Jewish race, 
 who were godly and converted ; for, ver. 9, it is said, 
 " A great multitude, which no man could number, of 
 all nations, people, kindreds, and tongues, stood be- 
 
 fore the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with 
 white robes, and palms in their hands." These 
 were of the gentiles, as the other of the Jews. If 
 any one doubt this point, let him read and ponder 
 thoroughly what is in Rom. xi. from the beginning 
 of the 1 1 th verse to the 32nd. 
 
 Obs. 2. When the Jews are converted they shall 
 repossess the land of Canaan. God "will gather 
 them on every side, and bring them into their own 
 land." Hos. i. 10, " It shall come to pass, that in 
 the jilace where it was said unto them, Ye are not 
 my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are 
 the sons of the living God." This is spoken of the 
 land of Canaan ; there he did disown them, and there 
 he would own them again. Testimony to this truth 
 gives Jeremiah, chap. 1. 4, 5, " In those days, and in 
 that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall 
 come, they and the children of Judah together, 
 going and weeping : tliey shall go and seek the 
 Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion 
 with their faces thitherward, saying. Come, and let 
 us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual cove- 
 nant." That in Isa. ii. 2, 3, speaks to the same pur- 
 pose ; and most clearly that, Isa. xi. II, "And it 
 shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall 
 set his hand again the second time to recover the 
 remnant of his people, which shall be left, from As- 
 .syria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from 
 Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from 
 Hamath, and from the islands of the sea." And in 
 ver. 12, " And he shall set up an ensign for the na- 
 tions, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and 
 gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four 
 corners of the earth." Here is mention of a second 
 gathering of them from Assyria, which hath not yet 
 been fulfilled ; but shall, when the Lamb will stand 
 upon mount Zion, with his one hundred and forty- 
 fuur thousand sealed out of all the tribes, Rev. xiv. 
 
 1 ; vii. 4. Consider Isa. Ixv. 17 — 22. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord knows how to, and can, recon- 
 cile divided nations. " I will make them one na- 
 tion in the land upon the mountains of Israel." The 
 Jews were divided into two nations, or kingdoms; 
 there was the kingdom ofTsrael and the kingdom of 
 Judah ; and they were at great enmity, such enmity 
 that they would have no commerce one with an- 
 other, John iv. 9. The ten tribes went under the 
 name of Samaritans, the other were called Jews. 
 They were of divers religions, ver. 22. They had 
 their calves at Dan and Bethel ; the true worship 
 was at Jerusalem. The enmity grew so great be- 
 tween them, that they were at open wars, and 
 sought the destruction of one another. Those of 
 Israel and Samaria .slew in Judaii one hundred and 
 twenty thousand valiant men in one day, and carried 
 away captive of their brethren two hundred thou- 
 sand women, sons and daughters, and those they 
 slew was in a rage which reached np to heaven, 
 
 2 Chron. xxviii. 6, 8, 9. Now, notwithstanding all 
 the rage, fury, enmity, bitterness which was in 
 them, one against another, God knows how to recon- ■ 
 cile them, and make them one nation, one people ; 
 so that " Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah 
 shall not vex Ephraim," Isa. xi. 13, but they shall 
 agree, and cordially love one another. The Jews 
 and gentiles were at a greater distance than the Jews 
 amongst themselves, yet God knew how to reconcile 
 them, and did it, Eph. ii. 12 — 16. 
 
 Ver. 23. Neither shall thei/ defile themselves 
 anil more with their idols, nor with their detest- 
 able things, nor with any of their transgressions : 
 hut I will save them out of all their dwelling-
 
 Ver. 23. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 749 
 
 places, u-hereia they have sinned, and will cleanse 
 them: so shall they be my people, and I will be 
 their God. 
 
 In this verse there licth before us, 
 
 I. The renouncing of their idolatrous ways and 
 other evils. 
 
 II. Deliverance of them from the places they were 
 captive in. 
 
 III. Spiritual clean.sing, or sanctification of them. 
 
 IV. Renewal of the covenant between them and 
 God. 
 
 " Neither shall they defde themselves any more 
 with their idols." The Jews were much addicted to 
 idolatry ; no sooner were they out of Egypt, but 
 they parted with their earrings to make a calf, Exod. 
 xxxii. 24. When they were in the wilderness they 
 joined themselves to Baal-peor, Numb. xxv. 3. In 
 time of the Judges, when in the land of Canaan, 
 they served other gods, Judg. x. 13. And after the 
 rent of Jeroboam, the ten tribes did worship the 
 calves at Dan and Bethel, 1 Kings xii. 29, 30. Judah 
 also trod in the same steps, committing adultery 
 with stones and with stocks, Jer. iii. 8, 9. But when 
 they should be united into one nation and kingdom 
 again, Israel should cease from her calves, and 
 Judah from her idols ; they should no more go a 
 whoring after them, whereby they defiled themselves 
 and the land. 
 
 " Nor with their detestable things, nor with any 
 of their transgressions." Sanctius thinks these three 
 words, " idols, detestable things, transgressions," to 
 signify one and the same thing, to set forth the sin- 
 fulness of idols and false religions ; they are detest- 
 able, and cause the greatest breaches between God 
 and men. The word for " transgression " is, pe.sha, 
 which notes apostasy, rebellion, a proud and ma- 
 licious violating of a command. We may by " trans- 
 gressions" here, understand not only their idolatries, 
 but their other capital and crying sins. AVhcn God 
 pleases to call and convert the Jews, and form them 
 into one nation, then they shall loathe themselves 
 and their former doings. 
 
 " But I will save them out of all their dwelling- 
 places, wherein they have sinned." They were 
 scattered up and down into divers countries, and into 
 several parts in those countries, where they settled 
 themselves, and sinned by conforming to the heathen 
 amongst whom they dwelt, Ezek. xx. 32; Jer. xliv. 
 8. But in what countries soever they were, the Lord 
 would have an eye to them and deliver them. 
 
 "And will cleanse them." The word in Hebrew 
 for cleansing is, inta which is contrary to NCta sig- 
 nifying to defile, pollute ; and, because a thing de- 
 filed hath lost its beauty, some make taker to import 
 shining or beautiful cleansing; for, when the filth of 
 things is taken away, there is a splendour and 
 beauty. God saith here, he will cleanse them ; that 
 is, from their idolatry, and other sins, by the blood 
 of Christ, and by his Holy Spirit. 
 
 " So shall they be my people, and I will be their 
 God." Now they lie in a desolate condition, and 
 are looked at as cast oil' of God ; yea, themselves 
 conclude, they are out oil" from me, ver. 11. But 
 when they are gathered out of the countries where 
 they are dispersed, and cleansed from their ini- 
 quities, then will I manifest to all the world, that 
 they are my people, and that I am their God. They 
 themselves shall see and know it ; they shall ac- 
 knowledge me to be their God, and I will acknow- 
 ledge them to be my people. The covenant between 
 us shall be renewed and manifested. 
 
 Obs. 1. From the two verses before this, and the 
 next, That when God begins to show mercy to his 
 
 people afflicted, he multiplies mercies upon tliem. 
 He would take them from among the heathen, bring 
 them into their own land, make them one nation, set 
 one king over them, continue them in the same con- 
 dition, take their hearts oflT from idols, cleanse them 
 from their defilements, take them into covenant with 
 himself, give them David to be their king, and keep 
 them in doing of his will. Here is a series of many 
 and great mercies. The like you had, chap, xxxvi. 
 24 — 30 ; so Jer. xxxii. 37 — 41. When God is in a way 
 of judgments, he adds judgment to judgment, plague 
 unto plague, as you may read, Lev. xxvi. 18, 21, 28. 
 And when he is in a way of mercy, he adds mercy to 
 mercy, as appears in the same chapter, ver. 4 — 13. 
 
 Obs. 2. False religious ways of worship are so far 
 from advantaging men, that they do defile them. 
 The Jews thought to better themselves by conform- 
 ing to the religion and worship of the heathens; but 
 thereby they defiled themselves. And what is the 
 favour or wealth of heathens, when the conscience is 
 defiled before God ? Many, among pajiists, when 
 they have sinned, run to their golden, silver, brass, 
 stony, and wooden gods, thinking by oti'ering unto 
 them to be purged from their sins, whereas thereby 
 they do more deeply defile themselves. 
 
 Obs. 3. When people afflicted receive choice mer- 
 cies from God, then they will take heed of and re- 
 nounce former defilements. " Neither shall they 
 defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with 
 their detestable things, nor with any of their trans- 
 gressions." When I shall show them kindness, and 
 load them with mercies, they will consider what 
 offended me, and cease from it ; then they will know 
 me and my ways, and walk in the same, abhorring 
 idols. Ho3. xiv. 8, " Ephraira shall say. What have 
 I to do any more with idols?" When mercy comes, 
 it melts the heart, makes a divorce between it and its 
 idols, its beloved sins; then it will have to do no 
 more with heart or house idols, nor with any trans- 
 gressions. 
 
 Obs. 4. God knows the dwellings of men, wherever 
 they dwell, and the sins they eonmiit in their dwell- 
 ings. These Jews were some in Egypt, some in 
 Babylon, some in !Media and Persia, 2 Kings xvii. 6 ; 
 yet he took notice of all their dwelling-places, 
 wherein they had sinned. There is not a cottage in 
 the wilderness, nor a closet in the city, nor a dungeon 
 in the earth, but the Lord knows the same, and what 
 sins are acted there night and day. Rev. ii. 13, " I 
 know thy works and where thou dwellest :" so saith 
 God of Pergamos, and may say it of every man, 
 family, church, and nation, I know thy sins, and 
 where thou dwellest. Neither we nor our sins are 
 hid from God, dwell we in Canaan or in Babylon. 
 Let us look well to ourselves and to our ways ; for, 
 wherever we dwell, whatever we are or do, God's 
 eye is constantly upon us. 
 
 Obs. 5. Deliverance out of afflicted and sinful con- 
 ditions is from the Lord himself. " I will save them 
 out of all their dwelling-places, wherein they have 
 sinned." They were captives in Babylon, and other 
 places ; there they sinned, and sinned greatly ; and 
 who but God could deliver them eitlier from their sins, 
 or their captivity ? Amos ix. 14, " I will bring again 
 the captivity of my people." God could break their 
 bonds, change the laws of the Medes and Persians, 
 alter times and seasons, remove all impediments, and 
 set his people atliberty. Psal. cvii. 19, " He saveth 
 them out of their distresses." When men are dis- 
 tressed at sea, or land, if ever they get out of those 
 distresses, it is by the hand of the Lord, he saveth 
 them. He is the Saviour of Israel in the time of 
 trouble, Jer. xiv. 8. He saveth from uncleanness, 
 Ezek. xxxvi. 29. Salvation from affliction, or from
 
 750 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVII. 
 
 sin, belongs to God, and to him alone, and he chal- 
 lengc'th it to hinisulf: Isa. xliii. 11, "I, even I, am 
 the Lord; and beside me there is no Saviour." 
 
 Obs. 6. It is the Lord who makes defiled persons 
 clean. They were defiled with idols, detestable 
 things, and transgressions ; and what saith the Lord ? 
 I will cleanse you. When a house was defiled with 
 leprosy, the priest was to cleanse it with blood and 
 water. Lev. xiv. 52. And when men are defiled, the 
 Lord cleanseth them with blood and water ; with the 
 blood of his Son, 1 John i. 7, an'l with the water of 
 his Spirit, John vii. 38, 39 : these are the hyssop 
 with which God cleanseth sinners. Pharisees may 
 cleanse the outside, but it is God that cleanseth inside 
 and outside. Jer. xxxiii. 8, " I will cleanse them 
 from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned 
 against me ; and 1 will pardon all their iniquities, 
 whereby they have sinned." When God justifies 
 and sanctifies a sinner, then is a sinner eleaused 
 indeed, inwardly and outwardly, 1 Cor. vi. 11. 
 
 06s. 7. God takes pleasure in a cleansed people, 
 and owns them for his. " So shall they be my i)eo- 
 ple, and I will be their God ;" that is, when they 
 should be cleansed. God hath no delight in polluted 
 ones ; he is a holy God, and delights in holy ones. 
 David assures you hereof, when he propounds the 
 question, Psal.xxiv. 3, " \Vho shall ascend into the 
 hill of the Lord ? or wlio shall stand in his holy 
 place ? " and gives answer, ver. 4, " He that hath 
 clean hands, and a pure heart ; who hath not lifted 
 tip his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." Such 
 a man, and such a people, God delights to have in his 
 presence ; but the wicked, whatever they be, he puts 
 away like dross, Psal. cxix. 119. The refiner takes 
 pleasure in the pure metal cleansed from the dross ; 
 the one he prizeth, the other he rejects. 
 
 Ver. 24, 25. And David my servant shall be 
 7cing- over them; and they all shall have one shep- 
 herd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and 
 observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall 
 dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob 
 my servant, jvherein your fathers have dwelt; and 
 they shall dwell therein, even they, and their chil- 
 dren, and their children's children for ever : and 
 my servant David shall be their prince fur ever. 
 
 Great promises are made unto the house of Judah 
 and house of Israel, being united. 
 
 I. Of a king, called " David," ver. 24. 
 
 II. Of holiness, " they shall also w.dk," i!co. ibid. 
 
 III. Of inheriting the land for ever, ver. 25. 
 
 IV. Of having the same king rule over them for 
 ever. 
 
 Ver. 24. " And David my servant shall be king 
 over them." By " David" Zerubbabel cannot be 
 meant, for he was not a king ; and had he been so, 
 yet he was not their prince for ever, as it is said of 
 this " David." " David" is here put for Christ, 
 which the Holy Scripture doth frequently, as Ezek. 
 xxxiv. 23 ; Hos. iii. 5 ; Isa. xxxvii. 35 ; 2 Kings xix. 
 34; Jer. xxx. 9. And that you may clearly see it is 
 so, compare Isa. Iv. 3, where mention is made of 
 " the sure mercies of David," with Acts xiii. 34, and 
 there it is interpreted of Christ : so that, in Amos 
 ix. 11, " The tabernacle of David," refers to Christ, 
 Acts XV. U). So then, this " David" is the Lord 
 Christ, who is so called, both because he descended 
 from his loins, Rom. i. 3 ; whereupon he is oft called 
 " The Son of David," Malt. i. 1 ; xv. 22: Mark xii. 
 35 ; and because David was a type of him in his 
 slaying Goliath, and in his kingly and prophetical 
 office. It is not said here, Abraham my servant, or 
 
 Jacob my servant, shall be their king, although 
 Christ dcscendid from their loins, as well and really 
 as from David's ; but it is said, " David my servant 
 shall be their king ;" and the reason is, because 
 David was kiii<r over Israel and Judah, which they 
 were not, and the first godly king they had. 
 
 " My servant." David did serve the Lord, and 
 fulfilled all his will, Acts xiii. 22 ; and so Christ was 
 his servant, Isa. Iii. 13, " Behold, my servant shall 
 deal prudently," and he did so ; for he fulfilled all 
 righteousness. Matt. iii. 15 ; and did the will of him 
 that sent him, John iv. 34 ; being in the form of a 
 servant, Phil. ii. "J. 
 
 " And shall be king over them." The Jews had 
 many kings : some were very good, as David, Solo- 
 mon, Jehosliuphat, Hezekiah, Josiah, &:c. ; butnone 
 of them like unto this king, the Lord Christ. The 
 sceptre of his kingdom is a sceptre of righteousness, 
 Heb. i. 8. Other kings had crooked sceptres, and 
 much oppression was in their government ; but 
 Christ's sceptre is a righteous sceptre, and none 
 shall be oppressed thereby : " Righteousness shall 
 be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle 
 of his reins," Isa. xi. 5 ; " he will break in pieces 
 the oppressor," Psal. Ixxii. 4. The Lord tells you 
 in Jeremiah, what a king this king should be : chap, 
 xxiii. 5, " I will raise unto David a righteous branch, 
 and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall exe- 
 cute justice and judgment in the earth :" so, Psal. 
 xlv. 4, " In thy majesty ride prosperously, because 
 of truth and meekness and righteousness." Most 
 kings of the earth, because they were false, rigid, 
 unrighteous, did not prosper ; but Christ, because of 
 truth, .should be trusted ; because of meekness, 
 should be loved ; because of righteousness, should 
 be honoured, and so should prosper. 
 
 " And they shall have one shepherd." Of these 
 words hath been spoken, chap, xxxiv. 23. King 
 and shepherd are here equivalent. They should not 
 have niamy shepherds, as formerly, who destroyed 
 them, Jer. xii. 10, but " one shepherd ;" that is, one 
 better than them all : one transcendent, and incom- 
 j.arable, a Shepherd after God's own heart, who 
 should " feed them with knowledge and understand- 
 ing," Jer. iii. 15 ; who should " gather the lambs 
 with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and 
 gently lead those which are with young," Isa. xl. 11. 
 
 " They shall also walk in my judgments, and ob- 
 serve my statutes, and do them. In chap, xxxvi. 27, 
 you had these words: only here "judgments" are 
 mentioned before "statutes," and there "statutes" 
 are set before "judgments." The meaning is. They 
 shall no more live after the courses of men, or 
 imaginations of their own hearts, but they should 
 consult with the word of God, and frame their lives 
 according to it ; they shall trust no longer in 
 their legal performances, but look at David their 
 king, and call him " The Lord our righteousness." 
 
 Some look upon this promise of David to be king 
 over the Jews, as acromplished in the reign of Christ 
 the Messiah when here on earth ; for he gave out 
 his commands then, and required obedience unto 
 them. Watl. xxviii. 18 — 20, " All power is given 
 unto me in iieaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, 
 and teach all nations ; teaching them to observe all 
 things whatsoever I have commanded you." Christ 
 manifests himself here to be King of the Jews, and 
 of all natio;:s. 
 
 Others arc of a dilTcreut judgment, and do believe 
 that this great promise made here to the two houses 
 of Judah and Israel, remains yet to be performed : 
 
 1. Because the two houses are not yet united into 
 one, as hath formerly been shown, which may further 
 appear from that in Hosea, chap. iii. 4, 5, " The chil-
 
 \er. 24, 25. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 751 
 
 dren of Israel shall abide mnr.}' tl^ys without a king, 
 and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and 
 without an image, and witliout an ephod, and with- 
 out teraphim. Afterward shall the children of Israel 
 nturn, and seek the Lord their God, and David their 
 king ; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in 
 the latter days.'' This prophecy refers to the latter 
 days, which" are the days after Christ, not before 
 Christ ; and if the two houses were united before 
 Christ's coming in the flesh, and so he King over 
 them, as the promise is here, how did the " sceptre 
 depart from Judah, and a lawgiver from between his 
 feet ? " In Gen. xlix. 10, the promise is, it should not 
 be so till Shiloh, that is, the Messiah, should come, 
 and then it should; but if the Messiah were King in 
 Israel, King over both houses imited into one, the 
 sceptre did not depart, but was advanced. This knot 
 must be untied, before we can be of their mind who 
 say, this prophecy and promise was at Christ's first 
 coming fulfilled. 
 
 2. Because the Jews do not own Christ ; neither one 
 house nor the other do it ; neither Judah nor Israel 
 acknowledged Clirist to be the Messiah. The Jews 
 said, he had a devil, John viii. 52 ; they sought to 
 kill him, chap. vii. 1 ; they counsel together to put 
 him to death, chap. xi. 53; when Pilate said, " Be- 
 hold your king ! " they cried, " Away with him, cru- 
 cify him," chap. xix. 14, 15 ; they persecuted all 
 them who did adhere unto him, 1 Thess. ii. 15, 16. 
 
 3. The Jews have been, and are still, under many 
 kings and shepherds. Some are under heathenish, 
 some under christian kings ; but when this scripture 
 is fulfilled, they shall be under none but Christ : 
 " one king shall be king to them all," ver. 22 ; 
 " David my servant shall be king over them, and 
 they shall have one sliepherd." 
 
 4. They shall then walk in the ways of Christ, 
 not in the ways of Moses. The Jews every where, 
 to this day, stick unto Moses, and reject the gospel, 
 as in the apostles' days, Acts xiii. 45 ; xviii. 5, 6 ; 
 but when this promise is fulfilled, then " they shall 
 walk in my judgments, observe my statutes, and do 
 them, saith the Lord;" that is, those laws and rules 
 which God should give out by Christ for their govern- 
 ment : and so the name and worship of God and 
 Christ should be one, Zecli. xiv. 9 ; that is, between 
 Jews and gentiles. 
 
 For the scripture, and argument used out of it, 
 Matt, xxviii. 18—20. 
 
 1. Take another scripture showing Christ came 
 not to be a king, and reign, at his first coming ; it is. 
 Matt. XX. 28, " The Son of man came not to be 
 ministered unto, but to minister ; " he came not to 
 sit in a throne, to take upon him the state of a prince, 
 to exercise dominion and authority, to be attended 
 with a life-guard and ministers of state ; he came 
 not to assume any thing king-like: but he came in 
 the " form of a servant," Phil. ii. 7, to minister unto, 
 and serve otliers ; yea, to do the meanest office be- 
 longing to a servant, as, the washing of his disciples' 
 feet, John xiii. 12. 
 
 2. The place in Matthew speaks of that power 
 wliich w-as given unto Christ after his death and 
 resurrection, and so was the fruit and purchase of 
 the same. He speaks not of that power which he 
 had as God, nor of that which he had as man ; but 
 of that he had as Redeemer of men, and obtained 
 
 by his suflerings and resurrection, saith 
 Maldonate. Itis clear, then, Christ was 
 not King over the Jews before his death, because 
 he had not his power then ; and how he was their 
 King afterward, when he quickly left the world and 
 went up into heaven, I desire to learn. 
 
 3. The power and laws here mentioned, are spirit- 
 
 ual, and refer to the spiritual kingdom of Christ, 
 viz. his church ; as, " Teach all nations, and baptize 
 them in the name," Sec. These are spiritual laws 
 and ordinances, proceeding from that power Christ 
 had given him, to gather out of all nations those he 
 had redeemed by his death. Here he appoints 
 means for the gathering, preserving, and ruling his 
 church. But this is not the power our prophet speaks 
 of; that is a political power, such as David had, and 
 therefore it is said. He shall sit in the throne of 
 David his father, Luke i. 32; Acts ii. 30. David's 
 throne was an external, visible, political throne : 
 Christ's throne in heaven, his throne in the hearts 
 of believers, his throne in the church, is not the 
 throne of David. You may judge what kind of 
 throne David's was, by Jer. xiii. 13; xvii. 25 ; xxii. 
 4, 30; 1 Kings ii. 12, 24. When David, Solomon, 
 and others, sat in that throne, they put men to death, 
 and made wars, which Christ did not when he w as 
 here on earth. 
 
 Ver. 25. "And they shall dwell in the land that I 
 have given unto Jacob my scrv.ant, wherein your 
 fathers have dwelt." This is spoken of the ten 
 tribes, together with Judah and Benjamin, who 
 should return from their captivity, and repossess the 
 land of Canaan. That Judah and Benjamin did, is 
 clear from the Scriptures, and granted on all sides ; 
 but that the ten tribes returned is generally denitd, 
 and expected to this day to be made good. The 
 promise here is, That the whole body of the Jews, 
 even the house of Judah, and the house of Israel, 
 shall come thither and dwell there : Jer. iii. 18, "In 
 those days the house of Judah shall walk with the 
 house of Israel, and they shall come together out of 
 the land of the north to the land that I have given 
 for an inheritance unto your fathers:" see Jer. 1. 
 45; Ezek. ix. 9; Jer. xxx. 3. Let not man think, 
 because Christ hatli said, Matt, xxiii. 38, " Your 
 house is left unto you desolate," tliat therefore there 
 is no hope of their returning to their land ; for this 
 is not spoken of the ten tribes ; they were not there 
 at Jerusalem : and, Rev. xiv. 1, "The Lamb stood on 
 mount Zion, with an hundred forty and four thou- 
 sand," which were gathered out of all the tribes of 
 Israel ; and the time is coming when the Jews shall 
 see Christ, and say, "Blessed is he that cometh in 
 the name of the Lord," Matt, xxiii. 39. 
 
 " And they shall dwell therein, even they, and 
 their children, and their children's children for 
 ever." Not only will God bring them into their 
 land, but continue them and theirs therein for ever. 
 The house of Judah, after her return from Babylon, 
 continued in the land of promise some six hundred 
 years : for, from the time of Cyrus's proclamation to 
 Christ was five hundred and sixty ; and about forty 
 years after the death of Christ, was Jerusalem de- 
 stroyed, and the Jews wholly scattered. These six 
 hundred years the house of Judah and her children 
 enjoyed, Init tliey fall short of what is promised here 
 unto both houses, viz. inheriting of the land forever. 
 
 " And my servant David shall be their prince for 
 ever." David was dead long before. Messiah, the 
 Lord Christ, is pointed out by " David," who should 
 be their prince, and rule them as David did. David 
 was meek and gentle in his government, 1 Chron. 
 xxviii. 2 ; faithful and wise, Psal. Ixxviii. 72 ; right- 
 eous and just, 2 Sam. viii. 15. Such a king sliall 
 Christ be, Psal. xiv. 4; Isa. xi. 4, 5; Jer. xxiii. 5. 
 And whereas David's kingdom was for a time, some 
 forty years, the kingdom of Christ shall have no end, 
 he shall be their Prince for ever. Ail the kings the 
 Jews ever had reigned not five hundred years, it was 
 about four hundred and ninety-three ; but this Prince 
 should exceed them all, Luke i. 33.
 
 75J 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 CiiAP. XXXVII. 
 
 Ob.s. 1. There is a time wherein Christ must reign 
 over the Jews, they nmst be gathered into one body, 
 and Christ must be their King. " David my servant 
 shall be king over them ;" not only in a special way, 
 which hitherto he hath not been, but also in a 
 visible, political way, for he must sit in the throne of 
 David. Hence it is that Christ said, Luke xxii. 29, 
 unto his apostles, " I appoint unto you a kingdom, 
 as my Father hath appointed unto me :" he doth not 
 say he had a kingdom, but that a kingdom was ap- 
 pointed them, and such a kingdom as should be visi- 
 ble : for, ver. 30, it follows, " that ye may eat and 
 drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones 
 judging the twelve tribes of Israel." There are no 
 tables, no eating, no drinking, no tribes, no judging 
 of them in heaven. In Matt. xix. 28, Christ speaks 
 of tw(dvc thrones, whereon the apostles shall sit and 
 rule the twelve trihes of Israel, together with him- 
 self, being in the throne of his glory. And when 
 shall this be ? In the regeneratiim, when the Jews 
 shall be regenerate, when the time of restitution of 
 all things shall be. For the words should be ren- 
 dered thus. They which have f dlowed me, and there 
 stop : " In the regeneration, when the Son of man 
 shall sit in the throne of his glory, " &c. then sliall 
 the twelve tribes be there, I be their King, and you 
 judges or rulers under me. Grotius reads the words 
 so, and conceives them to be spoken of the kingdom 
 of Christ, whose kingdom shall not be of Jews only, 
 but of gentiles also; they shall be under this King: 
 Psal. Ixxii. 11, "All kings shall fall down before 
 him ; all nations shall serve him ;" so that " the 
 Lord shall be king over all the earth," Zech. xiv. 9. 
 06.S'. 2. There shall be no changes and alterations 
 in the kingdom of Christ by succession of princes; 
 there they all shall have one Shepherd, one Prince. 
 Ve see great changes in kingdoms, where they have 
 king after king, be it by election or succession. 
 When Rehoboam succeeded Solomon, what tumults 
 and stirs were then in the house of David [ so after- 
 wards in the house of Joseph, when Baasha and 
 Jehu were chosen kuigs. There shall be no such 
 thing here ; one Shepherd .shall they have, who 
 shall rule them with righteousness, and feed them 
 with knowledge, Isa. xl. 11; he shall deal like a 
 good shepherd by them, Ezek. xxxiv. 23. 
 
 Ohs. 3. The subjects of Christ's kingdom shall be 
 holy : " They shall walk in my judgments, and ob- 
 serve my statutes, and do them." They who do the 
 will of God, they who keep his laws, they are inno- 
 cent, undefiled, Psal. cxix. 1 : they are holy ones. 
 The one hundred and forty-four thousand which 
 stood with the Lamb on mount Zion were virgins, 
 without guile, wilh<iul fault before the throne of 
 God, Rev. xiv. 1, 4, 5. Isa. Ix. 21, "Thy people 
 shall be all righteous:" see Zech. xiv. 20, 21, "There 
 shall be no Canaaniles then in the house of the 
 Lord of hosts." Then shall be the "new heavens 
 and new earth, wherein shall dwell righteousness," 
 2 Pet. iii. 14: that is, righteous persons, such as 
 shall do righteous things ; for then' shall be no ex- 
 acting, no violence, no destruction, but salvation and 
 praise, Isa. Ix. I/, IS; there shall "the righteous 
 flourish," Psal. Ixxii. 7- 
 
 O/i.f. 4. We ought to think and speak honourably 
 of the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and sairils of 
 (!od. God thought and spoke honourably of David, 
 of Jacob; he calls them his "servants;" that is an 
 honourable title which he gives them. 
 
 ()/>\. f). The Jews and their jiosterity shall inherit 
 their laud again, become a kingdom, and continue so 
 under Clirist for ever. "They, and their children, 
 and their children's <dulilrcii, shall dwell in the 
 land, and my servant David shall be their prince for 
 
 ever." All other kingdoms have been shaken, broken, 
 but this shall abide. Daniel speaks of it in his 
 2nd chapter, ver. 44, " The God of heaven shall set 
 up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed ; 
 and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, 
 but it shall break in pieces and consume all these 
 kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." Rev. xi. 15, 
 " The kingdoms of this world are become the king- 
 doms of our Lord, and of his Christ ; and he shall 
 reign for ever and ever." 
 
 Ver. 26, 27. Moreover I vill make a covenant 
 of peace ivith them , it shall he an everlasting 
 covenant ivith them: and I will place them, and 
 mnltipli/ them, and will set nii/ sanctuart/ in the 
 midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also 
 shall be with them • yea, I will be their God, and 
 they shall be my jieople. 
 
 Here are more promises given forth to the houses 
 of Judah and Joseph, being gathered out of the 
 nations, and united into one house. As, 
 
 I. Of a " covenant of peace." 
 
 II. Of placing or disposing them. 
 
 III. Of multiplying of them. 
 
 IV. Of God's dwelling amongst them. 
 
 Ver. 26. " Moreover I will make a covenant of 
 peace with them." The Hebrew is, I will strike or 
 cut a covenant with them. riD signifies, to cut, and 
 to cut off by death : 1 Sam. xxxi. U, (he Philistines 
 cut oil' Saul's head ; and, 1 Sam. xxviii. 9, Saul cut 
 off those who had familiar spirits, and the wizards 
 out of the land : also to cut off from place and pow- 
 er, as I Sam. ii. 33: but when it is joined with n'-i3 
 it always signifies, to strike or make a covenant ; 
 because it was a custom when they made covenants 
 to kill some beast or other, cut it in the midst, and pass 
 between the parts thereof; manifesting, by so doing, 
 that if they break covenant, they deserved to be cut 
 in pieces, Gen. xv. 9, 10, 17 ; Jer. xxxiv. 18. This 
 practice was among the heathens, who cut a swine 
 in pieces, passed between them, and so 
 made covenants. The covenant here h I "«"£ 'm' fS™ 
 which God would make with the two li"", .^'■''e- 
 
 , . ,, .T.iieid, 111). 8. 
 
 nouses, was a ' covenant of peace. 
 The word for " peace " is, niSc by which the He- 
 brews underst;ind not only outward quietness, but all 
 kind of outward hap|>ini-ss. Whatsoever they count in 
 the number of good things, and desirable, that they 
 comprehend under the name of peace ; and when they 
 wish all happiness to a man, they wish him peace. 
 Maldonate tells us, that the " covenant of peace " 
 here, is the gospel, wherein we see Christ hath paci- 
 fied all things by the blood of his cross. Col. i. 20. 
 And Lavatcr saith it is called a " covenant of peace," 
 because by the merit of Christ peace between God 
 and us was effected ; not only outward but inward 
 peace. The Jews had some peace at their return 
 out of Babylon, but, in the time of the Maccabees, 
 they had long, bitter, and bloody wars. When 
 Christ came, there was peace for a time, but, not 
 long after his death, they and their nation were de- 
 stroyed by the Romans. The " covenant of peace " 
 here is promised to the two houses, who were not 
 then, but still arc to be united : and when they sh.-dl 
 be united, God will make good his promise, he will 
 strike a " covenant of peace " with them, which sli:ill 
 not be for a few years ; but, as it follows, 
 
 " It shall be an everlasting covenant with them." 
 God will not make a truce with them for days, 
 months, and years, but a covenant for ever. The 
 Jews ojiposed Christ when he came first, and had 
 little outward or inward peace ; but, when he shall
 
 Yer. 26—28. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 753 
 
 reign over both houses, they shall have everlasting 
 pence. 
 
 " And I will place them." In the original it is, 
 I will give tlnin. Piscator confesses he doth not 
 understand the sense of these words. Ghappe saith 
 this is it, I will place thcni in the holy land. Vatahhis 
 is of the same mind, interpreting them thus, 1 will 
 place them in my land. The Chaklee is, I will bless 
 them. And Mariana, to that purpose, saith, I will 
 give them a blessing. The Vulgate is, fii/idtibo eos ; 
 which Pinus expounds thus, I will place them in a 
 firm land, where they shall have a solid foundation. 
 CEeolampadius more fully, I will give them to 
 Christ, whom I have promised to be a blessing to 
 the nations ; which sense I conceive the best, for he 
 spake in the verse before of dwelling in the land 
 where their fathers dwelt : in that land God would 
 give them to Christ. 
 
 " And multiply them." This multiplication is not 
 only in a natural sense to be taken, but in a spiritual 
 also. Their increase will be great, and they shall 
 be believers. Suitable to which is that in Isa. liv. 
 13, " All thy children shall be taught of the Lord ; 
 and great shall be the peace of thy children." 
 
 " And will set my sanctuary in the midst of them 
 for evermore." The word for " my sanctuary " is, 
 'tt'tpD which Montanus renders, my sanetitication ; 
 the Chaldee, and others, call it, my sanctuary ; 
 the Septuagint hath it, my holy things ; Mariana 
 saith, my church. After the return of Judah and 
 Benjamin from captivity, they had the temple re- 
 built, which in process of time was utterly destroy- 
 ed ; but here the Lord speaks of setting his sanctu- 
 ary in the midst of the two houses ; being united, 
 God will have his church and worship eminently 
 amongst them. Qieolampadius saith. They shall 
 not be without a divine temple, viz. Christ Jesus, 
 he shall be the temple amongst them. Rev. xxi. 22 ; 
 and as he shall be their prince for ever, so shall he 
 be their temple and sanctuary for ever. 
 
 Ver. 27- " My taliernacle also shall be with them." 
 My dwelling shall be with them, pro signifies, 
 liahitacu/am, a dwelling-iilaee. God assures them 
 here, that though the temple should be destroyed, 
 yet, when Judah and Israel should be united, they 
 should have a temple and tabernacle not subject to 
 destruction. These words receive light from John 
 xxi. 1 — 3, that when he " saw the new heaven and 
 the new earth, and new Jeru.salem coming down 
 from God," then he " heard a voice saying. Behold, 
 the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell 
 with them." M'hat John had in vision lies yet under 
 expectation for fulfilling. 
 
 " Yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my 
 people." The Hebrew is, I will be to them for a 
 God, and they shall be to me for a people. Now, 1 
 am as no God unto them, and they are as no ])eo|)le 
 unto me ; I have no true worship from them, they have 
 no special favour from me : but 1 will be to them for 
 a God eminently ; and they shall be to me for a peo- 
 ple eminently ; they shall own me for their (iod in a 
 singular manner, and so will I own themformy peo))le. 
 
 From these two verses I shall only give you this 
 observation. That there are great and precious pro- 
 mises, which concern the Jews, yet unperformed. 
 The everlasting covenant of peace, Christ's being 
 their king and temple, with many other, the Jews 
 expect the fulfilling of; and so may we, for God is 
 faithful and will make good his word ; and the per- 
 formance of them may be nearer at hand than is 
 aiiprehended by most : for one saith 
 fo.HK.i.ns'''' undcrstandingly, "God hath, in our 
 of ihe Jews' Con- days, arrested the Turk's greatness ; 
 version. abated the formidableness of the Ger- 
 
 3 c 
 
 man-Austrian beast ; revealed in a good measure 
 the hypocrisy and lies of the false prophet, who 
 hath his seat at Rome, and hath brought to light the 
 subtleties of Satan, who had shifted himself into 
 several dresses of jirctcnded reformation. He is 
 risen up like a mighty giant against his enemies: 
 amongst us, and elsewhere, he hath pleaded his peo- 
 ple's cause so signally, that all those but whose 
 judgment it is to be wilfully Wind, will say, ' The 
 Lord is on our side," ' &:e. 
 
 Ver. 28. And the heathen shall know that I the 
 Lord do sanctify Israel, u-hen my sanctuary shall 
 be in the midst oj" them for evermore. 
 
 The end of God's dealing so with the Jews, is 
 here laid down, viz. conviction of the heathen. 
 
 "I the Lord do sanctify Israel." God is said to 
 sanctify, 1. When he separates things from a com- 
 mon to a holy use, as time, Joel i. 14, and the ves- 
 sels of the temple itself. 2. When he makes per- 
 sons really holy, as Lev. xxi. 23, " I the Lord do 
 sanctify them ;" that is, I do make them holy. 
 Both these ways of sanctifying may be the sense of 
 this place. God would separate them from the 
 heathens, take them to be his people, give them the 
 means, and make them eflectual to their sanctifi- 
 eation. 
 
 " When my sanctuary shall be in the midst of 
 them for evermore." The Hebrew is, when my 
 sanctification. The Septuagint, when my holy 
 things shall be in the midst of them. When Christ 
 shall be their King, set up his ways and worship 
 amongst them, then they shall be sanctified. So 
 Qicolampadius, When Christ is with his, and gives 
 them his word, there all are sanctified which belong 
 unto him. 
 
 Obs. When the two houses arc united, and have 
 Christ amongst them with his word and worship, 
 they shall be holy ; and so holy, that heathens shall 
 be convinced that God is their Sanctifier, that he 
 doth sanctify Israel : see Zech. xiv. 20, 21 ; Joel iii. 
 17; Rev. xxi. 27. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVin. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 7. And the word of the Lord came unto 
 me, saying, >Sion of man, set thy face against Gug, 
 the land of Magog, the chief prince of JMeshech 
 and Tubal, and pruphesy against him, and say. 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; liehold, I am against 
 thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and 
 Tubal: and 1 will turn thee back, and put hooks 
 into thy jaws, and I trill bring thee forth, and all 
 thinearmy, horsesand horsemen, all of them clothed 
 with all sorts of armour, eren a great company 
 icith bucklers and shields, all of them handling 
 swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; 
 all of them with shield and helmet : Gomer, and 
 all his bands; the house if Togarntah of the 
 north i/uarters, and all his bands: and many peo- 
 ple with thee, lie thou prejiared, and prepare 
 for thi/sclf thou, and all thy company that ate as- 
 sembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. 
 
 Tins chapter and the next do treat of "Gog" and 
 " Magog," who were nations against the people of 
 God. This chapter is a prophecy against "Gogj" 
 wherein is set forth,
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVIII. 
 
 I. AVliat, and by whom, the people of God were 
 to suflVr, to the 18th verse. 
 
 II. God's dealings with "Gog," and the event 
 thereof, to the end of the chapter. 
 
 Lest the Jews should presently have looked for 
 the fuirdling of those great promises in the former 
 ehapter, eoneerning the uniting the two houses, and 
 Messiah to be their King, and the great privileges 
 they should have thereby, he tells them here of 
 great calamities which they must look for, of sad 
 times, and heavy judgments which should befall 
 their enemies. This in general : now to things more 
 particular. 
 
 Ver. 2. " Son of man, set thy face against Gog." 
 There are great variety of opinions concerning Gog 
 and Magog. The Jews affirm them to be the Scy- 
 thians, which live near Caucasus, and the Casjiian 
 mountains: some imderstand by them the Roman 
 emperoi-s and empire : some, the pope : some, the 
 Turks and Saracens : some, the Goths : some, here- 
 tics: some, all the persecutors of the church : others, 
 antichrist : some interpreters understand the afflic- 
 tion of the Jewish nation, by the .successors of Alex- 
 ander, which possessed Asia Minor and Syria. Ju- 
 nius hath laboured to give light here, and tells u.s, 
 that Gog is the name of a nation, derived from 
 Gyges, or Gog, the servant of Candaules, king of 
 Lydia, whom he killed and married his queen, nam- 
 ing the land Gyga;a, or Gog's land, which, saith he, 
 is Asia the Less, and Syria, where was a city called 
 Gog's city : these nations should infest the Jews, 
 which were held by Antiochus, Seleucus, Demetrius, 
 and Nicanor. Bibliander and Bullinger interpret 
 this prophecy literally of Alexander and his suc- 
 cessors, especially of Antiochus Epiphanes king of 
 Syria, who, as you find in the Maccabees, did greatly 
 afflict the Jews ; and specially of antichrist and his 
 members. A Lapide denies this prophecy to con- 
 cern Alexander, the kings of Syria and Egypt, be- 
 cause the Jews never conquered them, though they 
 had some notable victories over them ; and had they 
 had such a destruction as is spoken of in the end of 
 this chai)ter, Josephus, who was an exact observer 
 of Jewish affairs, w'ould have mentioned it. Neither 
 did Josephus Gerionides speak any thing thereof, 
 who wrote the history of Gog. Sanctius leans to 
 that opinion which conceives Gog to be Antiochus, 
 in whom antichrist was prefigured, and the great 
 troubles of the church by him ; so do many expo- 
 sitors : yet, Maldonate and Vatablus think this pro- 
 ])hecy not fulfilled ; of which mind are divers who 
 write upon the 20th of the Revelation, where John, 
 in the 8th and 9th verses, alludes to this prophecy. 
 By " Gog " here, understand, the name of a man, not 
 of a province ; for he is said to be a " prince," ver. 
 3; to come "out of the north," ver. 14; and he with 
 his multitude shall be buried in " the valley of Ha- 
 nion-gog, chap, xxxix. 1 1 : these things cannot be 
 spoken of a province, but of a person. The pro- 
 phet must set his face against him ; that is, he must 
 prophesy constantly and firmly against him. 
 
 " The land of Magog." Gog is the name of a 
 king, which rules over Magog; that is, the Scythi- 
 ans, saith Vatablus. " Magog" was one of the sons 
 of Japheth, Gen. x. 2 ; of w hom came the Scythians, 
 or Sarmatians, saith Ainsworth on the place. Jo- 
 sephus saith, Magog dwelt amongst 
 
 " "* those who were called Magogins, and 
 
 by the Greeks, Scytha?, who dwelt in Coelo-Syria. 
 
 Vid. Martin. Marcus Paulus Venetus saith, in Tar- 
 
 l*x. in verbo tary are the regions Gog and Magog, 
 ''°'' which they call Gug and Muug\ig. 
 
 " The chief prince of Meshech." In Hebrew it is, 
 prince of the head ; that is, principal head, or chief 
 
 prince. This Gog was not only prince of Magog, but 
 of Meshech, that is, Cappadocia ; and of Tubal, that 
 is, Iberia, not Spain or Italy, but a country near the 
 Scythians. 
 
 " Prophesy against him." Thou hast been pro- 
 phesying of deliverance and great mercies to my 
 people, now prophesy against Gog, and all his assist- 
 ants, open or secret. Had Magog, Meshech, and 
 Tubal, been princes with Gog, the Lord would 
 have said, Prophesy against them. 
 
 Ver. 3. " Say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I 
 am against thee, O Gog." This is a dreadful mes- 
 sage which the prophet must deliver against this 
 gnat prince. He must declare unto him that there 
 is a greater Prince than himself, even one that is 
 king of nations, that hath all power in his hand, and 
 bringeth princes to nothing, Isa. xl. 23; and that he 
 is against him. Thou thinkest to have thy will 
 upon God's people, to do terrible things unto them ; 
 but their God, who is a God of power and wisdom, 
 is against thee. The Hebrew is. Behold, I to thee ; 
 that is, I come to thee to destroy thee for thine ini- 
 quities and enmity against my people. 
 
 Ver. 4. " And I will turn thee back." Lavater 
 and fficolampadius read these words, I will crush 
 thee: the Vulgate, I will lead thee about: some 
 rabbles, I will deceive thee : others, I will bring or 
 turn thee back. Thou thinkest to have thy pleasure 
 on mine, but I will have my pleasure on thee, and turn 
 thee W'hich way seems good to me. I will bring 
 thee out. 
 
 " And put hooks into thy jaws." What the Lord 
 saith here of Gog, he said, chap. xxix. 4, of Pha- 
 raoh : " I will put hooks in thy jaws." The Septua- 
 gint is, I will put a bridle in thy jaws : thou art like 
 a pampered jade, and tliinkest to tread down all, but 
 I will hold thee in. Montanus reads the former 
 words thus, I will bring thee out, and if thou boldest 
 off', I will put my hook in thy jaws, and draw thee out 
 as a fish is drawn out of the waters; which sense is best. 
 
 " And I will bring thee forth, and all thine army." 
 I will cause thee to go forth ; thou shalt not stay 
 in thine own territories, how little or large soever 
 they be, but shalt muster up thy forces, and lead out 
 all thine armies. 
 
 " Horses and horsemen." The word for " horses" 
 is, C1D which notes, any horse of common use. Sus 
 signifies both a crane and a horse. The rabbies say 
 he is so called, because a horse is a cheerful crea- 
 ture, and by his mettle and neighing cheers up his 
 rider, c'cia is, horsemen, from ciS which, in 
 Iliphil, signifies, to prick ; so that paru\h is, a hoi'se- 
 man, because he pricks forward his horse with his 
 spurs. 
 
 " All of them clothed with all sorts of armour." 
 They were armed completely from head to foot. The 
 Hebrew is, clothed with all, or with perfection ; no- 
 thing was wanting requisite to military uudertaking. 
 
 " Even a great company, witli bucklers and 
 shields, all of them handling swords." Gog's army 
 was a great army, and well accommodated. A 
 buckler is a piece of armour to cover and di-fend 
 the body; and so isa sliield : in Helirew, ]jd from 
 t;j to cover. Djl is a Ijuckler, or sliield, sharp or 
 piked, which the Latins call scutum; the other, 
 ch/peus. Shields were for footmen, and bucklers for 
 horsemen, saith Servius. These soldiers 
 of Gog were skilful in military affairs, 
 thev all were expert at their swords. 
 
 Ver. 5. "Persia, Ethiopia, ajid Libya with them." 
 Here is .shown what countries and people should join 
 with Gog, viz. those of the east, Persians ; those of 
 the south, the Ethiopians ; and those of the west, 
 the Moors, whom Qicolampadius understood by those
 
 Ver. 1—7. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 755 
 
 of " Libya." Of Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya, was 
 spoken, chap, xxvii. 10; xxx. 5. 
 
 " All of them with shield and helmet." Whoever 
 joined with Gog were well armed. The Hebrew is, all 
 of them shield and helmet. y3i3 is, a helmet. Some 
 were made of leather, some of brass, 1 Sam. xvii. 5. 
 
 Ver. G. " Gomer, and all his bands." Under this 
 Josi.|>hu5 Ami. word " Gomer, " are comprehended 
 I. I. c 7. Galatia, Phrygia, and Bithynia, princi- 
 pal parts of Asia Minor, which were inhabited by 
 Gomer, the son of Japheth, from whom they were 
 called Gomarians, or Gomeriter. 
 
 " The house of Togarmah of the north quarters, 
 and all his bands." By " the house of Togarmah," 
 Junius understands Paphlagonia and Cappadocia; 
 others, Armenia the Less. Doubtless by Gomer and 
 Togarmah, all those parts which lay north from 
 Syria, where Antiochus reigned, and so north from 
 Judea, are meant thereby. From these and the 
 forementioned places, had Gog auxiliary forces : for 
 fear, hire, or out of enmity to God's people, they 
 helped him. 
 
 " And many people with thee." There were people 
 with him from all quarters, from the east, west, 
 south, and north ; which being come together, must 
 make a numerous army. 
 
 Ver. 7. " Be thou prepared," &c. Jerom thinks 
 there is an irony in these words ; that God exhorts 
 Gog to gather up his forces to strengthen himself, 
 and hasten his design, with what expedition he 
 could ; but all his preparations and undertakings 
 should be in vain, he should not escape the vengeance 
 of God, which hung over his head. But here, under 
 a command, is declared what he would certainly do : 
 he would not be wanting to get a great army from 
 all parts, to assault and destroy the people of God ; 
 and not knowing what the hazard of war might be, 
 he would prepare for himself, consider, and fit things 
 for himself. 
 
 " Thou, and all thy company that are assembled 
 unto thee." Where there is a great army, there had 
 need to be great preparations for their pay, quarters, 
 and protection : they know not what obstructions 
 and enemies they may meet withal. 
 
 " And be thou a guard unto them." Princes have 
 great power, and it lies much in them to keep their 
 armies safe. The eye of the general is a special 
 thing to keep an army in order. The Vulgate reads 
 the words thus, ICsto eis in prcrceptum. Bo thou show 
 thyself an emperor amongst tliem, command and 
 rule them : or thus. Thou wilt do thy endeavour to 
 preserve them. Junius thinks these words refer to 
 the Jews : that Gog with all his forces compassing 
 about the mountains of Israel, and concluding he 
 had the Jews in his power, as a bird in a cage, 
 to destroy at his pleasure, he should be a guard unto 
 them. God can make those a defence to his people, 
 who seek their destruction. But the other sense is 
 more genuine. 
 
 Obs. 1. That after prophecies of grace and mercy, 
 come tidings of affliction and judgments. In the 
 former chapter the Jews heard altogether of mercies 
 from God ; here they hear of afflictions from enemies. 
 There, they heard of David their king, and shep- 
 herd, who should do great things for them ; here, of 
 Gog, a Ivrant, their enemy, who should seek to 
 destroy tlieui. God, in his infinite wisdom, orders it 
 so, that his church and people should hear of, and 
 meet with, not only good, but evil ; not only com- 
 forts, but crosses. Should we only hear of comfortable 
 things, we should presume ; and should we only hear 
 of sad things, we should despond. God presents some 
 of both sorts unto us, that so our faith and fear may 
 be exercised, and we kept in a more even frame. 
 3 c 2 
 
 Obs. 2. The great princes of the earth, being no 
 friends to the church of God, have God for their 
 enemy. Gog was j.rince of Meshech and Tubal, an 
 enemy to the Jews ; and, " Behold, 1 am against 
 thee, O Gog;" how great soever thou art, 1, the 
 great God, am atjainst thee ; thou w ilt oppose my 
 peoiile, and 1 will oppose thee. Most of the princes 
 of the earth have been against Christ and his king- 
 dom, Psal. ii. 2; and God hath been against them, 
 and vexed them in his sore displeasure. God was 
 against the prince of Tyre, and against Pharaoh king 
 of Egypt, Ezek. xxviii. xxix. Kings generally are 
 proud, profane, tyrannical, false to the trust commit- 
 ted to them, obstructing the way and work of Christ 
 in the world what they can ; therefore God is against 
 them : " He is terrible to the kings of the earth," 
 Psal. Ixxvi. 12 ; and their ends have been dreadful. 
 Some have had their bones burnt to lime, Amos ii. 
 1 ; some have been eaten with worms. Acts xii. 23; 
 some have been hanged up. Lam. ii. 12; Josh. x. 
 26 ; some have died of strange diseases, 2 Chron. 
 xxi. 18. 
 
 Obs. 3. The Lord at his pleasure can bring ene- 
 mies and armies upon his own people. God would 
 bring Gog forth, and all his army, horse and horse- 
 men, a great company ; all of them armed with 
 bucklers, shields, and swords. God is the Author of 
 wars, he calls forth what princes and nations he will, 
 to assault and vex the church. The ten tribes, who 
 brought enemies upon them ? was it not the Lord ? 
 
 1 Chron. v. '2fi, " The God of Israel stirred up the 
 spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Til- 
 gath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them 
 away," cJcc. : see 2 Kings xv. 19 ; xvii. 6. It was God 
 stirred up the spirit of the Philistines against Jeho- 
 ram king of Judah, so that they came and spoiled 
 him of all his substance, of his wives and sons, 
 
 2 Chron. xxi. 16, 17. Let God's neople take heed 
 how they provoke God, for he is the Lord of hosts, 
 and hath all nations at his command, and can call, 
 yea, bring them forth to trouble Israel itself, and 
 that sorely. 
 
 Obs. 4. The Lord can ra.sily bring men to do his 
 work and service, whatever the difliculty or danger 
 be. Here was hard work for (iog, to gather the na- 
 tions, east, west, south, and northward together, to 
 come out of his country and to invade Judea ; a 
 business which required much consultation, admitted 
 many objections and demurs : but God would bring 
 him to it, and m.ikc him do it, as easily as a man 
 pulls up a fish out of the water : " 1 will put my hook 
 in his jaws." Let (!od put an instinct into a prince 
 or state, once stir their spirits, to make war upon 
 others, the work will go on with facility and expedi- 
 tion. God hath hooks to draw on ]irinces to war, 
 and hooks to draw them oil", to draw them back from 
 them, 2 Kings xix. 28. 
 
 Obs. 5. From all quarters of the world there are 
 enemies ready to combine and act with Gog and 
 antichrist against the church, truth, and Christ 
 himself. Those of the ea.st comi-rehended under 
 Persia, those of the south intended under Ethiopia, 
 those of the west included in Libya, and those of the 
 north contained under Gomer and the house of To- 
 garmah, were all at the beck of Gog, to go against 
 Jerusalem, the servants and worship of God therein. 
 The whole world, saith QLcolampadius, contradicts, 
 and observes antichrist. When Christ doth any 
 eminent thing in his church, the nations are quickly 
 misled, and join with some grand enemy to vent 
 their malice : see Rev. xx. 7 — 9. 
 
 Obs. 6. The enemies of the church do make great 
 jrrparations against the same. " Be thou prepared." 
 "" s shows and assures that Gog would neglect no- 
 
 rill
 
 /JO 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVIII. 
 
 thing which might conduce unto the carrying on his 
 designs against the Jews. Isa. viii. 9, 10, those ex- 
 pressions, " Associate yourselves," " Gird your- 
 selves," " Take counsel together," " Speak the word," 
 do hint to us the activity of the church's enemies. 
 Psal. Ixxxiii. 2 — 5, see it there to the life : " Thine 
 enemies make a tunnilt ; they have lift up the head ; 
 they have taken crafty counsel against thy people. 
 They said. Come, let us cut them otf from being a 
 nation," die. How did Zerah the Ethiopian, and 
 the commanders of his army, bestir themselves, when 
 they brought an army of a thousand thousand against 
 Judah, and with them three hundred chariots, 2 
 Chron. xiv. 9. 
 
 Ohs. 7- Princes, notwithstandiug all their prepara- 
 tions, cannot secure themselves, nor those under their 
 command. " Prepare for thyself, be a guard to 
 them." Gog's number, power, policy, preparations, 
 did not advantage himself or his ; they went forth to 
 their own ruin and destruction. 
 
 Ver. 8. After many days thou shaft be visited : 
 in the latter years thou shall come into the land 
 that is brought back from the swurd, and is ga- 
 thered out of many people, against the mountains 
 of Israel, which hare been always waste: but it 
 is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall 
 dwell safely all of them. 
 
 This verse prophesies of Gog's invading the moun- 
 tains of Israel, the destruction of Gog, and the time 
 of both. 
 
 " After many days thou shalt be visited." The 
 Scripture speaks of a double visitation. 
 
 1. One in mercy and favour; as Exod. iv. 31, 
 when Moses and Aaron were sent to deliver the 
 Jews out of Egyjit ; and when Sarah conceived and 
 bare Isaac, Gen. xxi. 1. These were God's merciful 
 visitations of them. 
 
 2. One in judgment; as Numb. xvi. 29, " If these 
 men," viz. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, " be visited 
 after the visitation of all men ;" that is, they shall 
 not die a common death, have a common judgment, 
 but some extraordinary punishment : so Psal. Ixxxix. 
 32, " I will visit their transgression with the rod, 
 and their iniquity with stripes," I will punish tlnm. 
 This is the sense here, " After many days thou sliait 
 be visited," that is, punished. The time when it 
 should be is not punctually, but indefinitely, set 
 down, " after many days." If we take Antiochus to 
 be Gog in the type, it was in the Maccabees' days ; 
 if we look at the antitype, the time is yet to come. 
 
 " In the latter years thou shalt come into the 
 land." From the time of this prophecy unto the 
 death of Antiochus Epiphanes, chronology tells us 
 there were four hundred and twenty or four hundred 
 and thirty years; whereupon expositors do account 
 the years that he came to Judea, and took Jerusa- 
 lem, and defded the temple with idols, to be the lat- 
 ter years. Junius saith, In the following years. 
 Piscator hath it. In the after days or times. In the 
 after or latter years, in tlie lime of Christ, saith 
 Vatabhis. The Hebrew is, D'JXTi D'-irK3 which 
 Montanus and the Vulgate render,'/?! nniissimo an- 
 norum, in the last of years ; which, according to 
 John, is after the one thousand years. Rev. xx. 
 6 — 8. And so Mariana, he makes the visitation of 
 Gog to be, in the etid of the world, after the thou- 
 sand years. Then shall Gog come into the land, 
 compass the camp of the saints about, and the "be- 
 loved city," ver. 9. 
 
 "That is brought back from the sword, and is ga- 
 thered out of many peojile." The Jews were driven 
 by the sword into captivity, by it scattered into 
 
 many provinces, and held under slavery, and so they 
 are at this day ; but the time is coming that the tw o 
 houses, as well as the two tribes, shall be brought 
 back from the sword, and gathered out of many 
 people. " Land" is put for the inhabitants of the land. 
 
 " Against the mountains of Israel." The Hebrew 
 word 'T')! signifies, to, upon, against. Some, there- 
 fore, render these words, to, or upon, the mountains 
 of Israel ; and in that sense they refer to the Jews, 
 who were brought back and gathered out of all peo- 
 ple to the mountains of Israel, that is, the land of 
 Judea. We read them, " against the mountains of 
 Israel," and so they refer to Gog, who should come 
 against Judea. 
 
 " Which have been always waste." The Hebrew 
 word for "always" is, in.n which signifies, a long 
 time ; and so the French translation hath it, desert- 
 ed, or wasted, for a long time. Seventy years were 
 they desolate, all the time the Jews were in cap- 
 tivity ; and shortly after Christ his days were th.-ey 
 left desolate, and are so to this day. Some make 
 " the mountains of Israel" to signify, the church ; 
 the "sword" and wastings, to be the persecutions 
 wdiich it hath always endured. 
 " " But it is brought forth out of the nations." By 
 " it," the prophet means the " land ;" and by 
 " land," the people, who being driven into Egypt, 
 Babylon, Persia, and other places, were to be 
 brought forth to the land of Israel. The words im- 
 port the thing done, because of the certainty of it. 
 
 " And they shall dwell safely ; all of them." 
 When the Jews returned out of Babylon, repossess- 
 ing their own land, they dwelt safely, confidently, 
 without fear or disquietment therein, for four hun- 
 dred and thirty years, saith Sanctius ; after which 
 time Antiochus did sorely vex them, and interrupt 
 their peace, which they thought would be everlast- 
 ing. So did Demetrius, Nicanor, and others, as in 
 the Maccabees is evident. The time remains for the 
 comjilete fulfilling of these words. 
 
 Obs. 1. God bears somi times with the worst of 
 men a long time. " After many days." God bears 
 with Gog and antichrist, the grand enemies of his 
 church, worse than whom caimot be found or ex- 
 pected. His patience is large, he is a God long- 
 suffering. He bare with Antiochus, that vile person, 
 Dan. xi. 21, many days. Vessels of wrath are en- 
 dured by him with much long-suffering, Rom. ix. 22. 
 
 Obs. 2. Though wicked men be spared long, yet 
 at last they shall suffer. " After many days thou shalt 
 be visited." God may stay a thousand, yea ten 
 thousand days, and then visit. As there is a tiuie 
 for wicked men to fill up the measure of their ini- 
 quities, so there is a time for God to fill up the vials 
 of his wrath ; and when they are once full, then 
 they shall be poured out. God sometimes is lung 
 before he hears the prayers of his people, but at 
 length he remembers them, Luke xviii. 7, S ; and 
 sometimes he is long before he puuisheth the wicked, 
 but at last he visits them, he hath his time for it, 
 Jer. xlix. 8. 
 
 Ver. 0. Thou shalt ascend and come like a 
 storm, tliou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, 
 thou, and all thy bands, and many people with 
 thee. 
 
 The manner of Gog's proceeding is here set down; 
 
 and that, 
 
 I. I'nder the similitude of n "storm." 
 
 II. Under the simiHiude of a " cloud." 
 
 " Thou shalt a.scend and come like a storm." A 
 storm comes suddenly, violently, with noise, and 
 doth much hurt, breaking and bearing down all be-
 
 Vkr. 10—13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 757 
 
 fore it : such should the coming of Cog he. Ttnn. 
 xi. 40, 41, it is snid, "The king of thc'nnrth shiill 
 come against the king of the south like a whirlwind. 
 He shall enter ;ilso into the glorious land, and many 
 countries shall be overlhnwn." This is spoken of 
 Antiochus, whom divers expositors make to be Gog. 
 'i 111- word HNif for " a storm," is from nsif which 
 signifies, to make a noise, to spoil, and to amaze; 
 and so do storms. 
 
 " Thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, 
 thou, and all," &e. Clouds are vapours drawn upby 
 the heat of the sun into the middle region of the air, 
 where by the cold they are condensated, and so 
 spreading, n;ake the heavens black, and intercept 
 the light. Gog with his forces should be as a cloud 
 spreading over the face of the land, interruiiting the 
 peace and comforts of the godly, and by his hostile 
 acts cause fear, sorrow, and mourning. By these 
 two metaphors are set out the tumult, violence, spoil, 
 and multitude of Gog's army ; or, by tlie storm, their 
 threats and cruelty ; and by the cloud, false opinions, 
 flatteries, and allurements which they should use to 
 pervert the faith of the saints. 
 
 06.S'. 1. The church and people of God are sub- 
 ject to calandties. He shall "come like a storm." 
 AVinds, clouds, storms, do trouble and terrify men, 
 and so do great armies of heathens, of vile and 
 desperate persons, of Goggites and antichrislians ; 
 when they come with fury and violence, they plun- 
 der, spoil, and fill all with darkness, they cover the 
 land : Jer. iv. 13, " Behold, he shall come up as 
 clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwin<l : 
 his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us ! 
 for we are spoiled:" it is spoken of Nebuchadnezzar 
 and his forces, who were to come up against Jeru- 
 salem. The church is oft afflicted and tossed with 
 tempest; but here is some comfort ; storms, tempests, 
 and clouds last not long, they cease after a little time, 
 and the sun shines again. 
 
 Obx. 2. The goodness of God in foretelling the 
 church what shall come upon it, viz. a storm, and 
 clouds, and perplexity. Gog and all his bands, and 
 many people with him, shall come as a storm, and 
 be as a cloud covering the land. It hath been usual 
 w-ith God to foretell his people what should befall 
 them, as Gen. xv. 13 ; Jer. xxxii. '28, 29 ; Dan. x. 
 14; Matt. xxiv. And in the book of the Revelation, 
 Christ doth tell them what sad things are to come 
 upon liis people, how potent, violent, subtle, and 
 destructive their enemies will be : which he doth 
 not to discourage them, but to awaken them unto 
 prayer, holiness of life, and living by faith. 
 
 Ver. 10—13. Thus saith the Lord God ; It 
 shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall 
 things come into thi/ mind, and ihoti shalt think 
 an evil thnvirlit : and tlinu shalt sai/, I nil I go tip 
 to the land of vnnallcd rillaacs ; I will iro to 
 them that are at rest, that dwell safeli/, all of 
 them dwelling without walls, and having neither 
 bars nor gates, to take a spnil, and to take a 
 prey ; to turti thine hand vpou the desolate places 
 that are now inhabited, and upon the people that 
 are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten 
 cattle and goods, that divell in the mid.st nf the 
 land. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of 
 Tarshish, icilh all the yonng lions thereif, shall 
 sai/ unto thee. Art thou come to take a spoil? 
 hast thou gathered thif compani/ to take a pre;/? 
 to carry aiva>i silver and gold, to take away cattle 
 and goods, to take a great spoil? 
 
 In these words we have, 
 
 I. The decree and pnrj ose of Gog, ver. 10, II, 
 which was, to invade. 
 
 II. The inviting causes, ver. 11. 
 
 III. The end of his invading, ver. 12. 
 
 IV. His assistance and confederates in the work, 
 ver. 13. 
 
 Ver. 10. " At the same time shall things come 
 into thy mind." In Hebrew it is, words shall as- 
 cend, or come upon thy heart, which is an hebraism, 
 and imports a man's thinking and consulting with 
 himself When men are meditating, various thoughts 
 do rise in their minds, as Luke xxiv. 3s, "Why do 
 thouglils ariNC in your hearts?" a'">3T signifies, 
 words and things ; thoughts are the words and things 
 of the mind. 
 
 "And tliou shalt think an evil thought." The 
 Hebrew for to "think" is, srn, cliasliub, which notes 
 such a thinking as takes in the intention of the 
 mind, and exercises a man's head and heart. Gog 
 should bend himself to excogitate something, and it 
 should be an evil thought, or purpose. 
 
 Ver. 11. "I will go up to the land of unwalled 
 villages." This was the wicked thought Gog had 
 in his mind, he jnirposed in his heart to go and in- 
 vade the land of the Jews; and that which invited 
 and encouraged him so to do was, 
 
 1. Their unfortifiedness, they had no walls about 
 their villages. Thought Gog, I shall easily conquer 
 and subdue the Jewish nation, and add it to my terri- 
 tories, for they have no jjlaces of strength : some 
 villages they have built, but none of them are walled. 
 The Jews were but lately returned out of Babylon, 
 newly replanted in their land, and could not fortify 
 towns or cities as formerly they were, before Nebu- 
 chadnezzar demolished them : being therefore with- 
 out w alls, they lay open to enemies, and obvious to 
 all incursions. 
 
 " I will go to them that are at rest, th.at dw ell 
 safely." 
 
 2. Their security. The Jews, being wearied w ith 
 their seventy years' captivity, and come again to 
 their land, had rest and safety, according to what 
 God had jiromised them, Jer. xxx. 10; xlvi. 27; 
 Ezek. xxxiv. 25, 2S ; and so manifested their de- 
 pendence upon God, trusting in him to jirotect them, 
 though destitute of walls and military defences. 
 Well might they be at rest, and dwell confidently, 
 as the word siginfies, to whom tiod bad said, " None 
 should make them afraid." It is to be feared many 
 of them abused his promise, degenerating into a sin- 
 ful security. 
 
 " All of them dwelling without walls, having 
 neither bars nor gates." Where there is fear of ene- 
 mies and invasions, peojile do fortify themselves ; 
 they wall about their towns and cities, they make 
 strong gates and bars unto them, and set guards to 
 look unto them. The Jews, being f arless, did none 
 of these tilings: they observed not the counsels and 
 actings of their bordering enemies, which they 
 should have done ; and for want thereof, they ex- 
 posed themselves to imminent dangers. 
 
 Ver. 12. "To take a .spoil, and to lake a prey." 
 The Hebrew is, to spoil a spoil, and to jirey a prey. 
 This was the end Gog jiropoiuided, viz. to impover- 
 ish the Jews, and enrich himself, to deprive them of 
 their land, and add it to his own. Of the words, 
 " spoil," and " jirey," hath formerly been sp<jken. 
 
 " To turn thine hand upon the desolate places that 
 are now inhabited, and upon the (leople that are 
 gathi red," tVc. Nebuchadnezzar had made the land 
 of Judea desolate for many years, and the Jews being 
 returned from their captivity, inhabited the desolate 
 places of the land, rebuilt tliem, began to get some-
 
 758 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXYIII. 
 
 thing about them to live comfortably on ; but Gog 
 now intended to come and lay his hand upon them 
 that were spoiled before, and to make another spoil- 
 ing of them, and to bring them again into bondage : 
 this was the aim of Gog. 
 
 " Which have gotten cattle and goods." The 
 Jews dealt much in cattle, and by tlie increase of 
 them, they got not only necessaries to support them, 
 but also weaith, and became rich, which made them 
 envied. 
 
 " That dwell in the midst of the land." For 
 " midst of the land," in Hebrew, it is, the navel of 
 the land : 113B signifies, a navel, also a high place, 
 and the Jews would have the land of Juilah called 
 The navel of the earth, because it is the highest 
 of lands ; but others, because it is in the midst 
 of the earth, as the navel is in the midst of man's 
 body. It is said of Jerusalem, that she was set in 
 the midst of nations and countries, Ezek. v. 5 ; hence 
 the salvations God wrought in Judea and Jerusalem 
 are said to be in the midst of the earth, Isa. vi. 12. 
 Whether Jerusalem or Judea be in the middle of the 
 world is doubted. By navel or " midst of the land" 
 here is meant, the higher or more inward pai-ts of 
 the land, where was most security. 
 
 Ver. 13. " Sheba, and Uedan, and the merchants of 
 Tarshish." These were auxiliaries unto Gog, and 
 helped forward that damnable design he had to de- 
 stroy the church of God. By " Sheba" and " De- 
 dan," Polanus understands the Ethiopians and Ara- 
 bians ; Junius, the men of the south and east; and 
 by the merchants of Tarshish, the Ty rians, Zidonians, 
 and maritime coasts, which lay westward. These all 
 confederated with Gog, who lay northward from 
 Judea. In the 'i/th chapter Sheba, Dedan, and 
 Tarshish, were spoken of. 
 
 " With all the young lions thereof." The Sep- 
 tuagint saith, all the villages thi-reof; the Chaldee, 
 all the kings or princes thereof: but TS3 is, the 
 whelp of a lion, or a " young lion." Junius, Pisca- 
 tor, and Polanus, make these young lions, the mer- 
 chants, who were as greedy of gain as lions are of their 
 prey : others make them sea-pirates and robbers. 
 But it is not improbable that by " young lions " 
 should be meant the young men of those parts, who 
 are like lions for strength and courage, as greedy of 
 prey as lions are. 
 
 " Shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a 
 spoil ? hast thou gathered thy company to take a 
 prey?" Seeing, O Gog, thou gatherest up forces to 
 war against the Jews, to spoil them, and to make a 
 j)rey of their wealth and land, lo, we are for thee, 
 we will join with thee. Some would have it, that 
 they envied them, and were against them ; but 
 1 Mace. iii. you shall find that the nations joined with 
 Lysias, who was general of Antiochus his army, 
 '-er. 24, and how he took away silver, gold, women, 
 chiklren, cattle, and goods, chap. i. 22, 2.'J — 35 ; he 
 robbed the sanctuary, and fired tlie city. This Anti- 
 ochus do expositors make to be Ezekiel's Gog. 
 
 Obs. I. God foreknows and determines things to 
 come, even those things which seem most free and 
 contingent, as the thoughts of men's hearts. He 
 saith of Gog, long before his existence in the world, 
 " It shall come to pass, that at the same time shall 
 things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an 
 evil thought." Some would have God to permit only 
 tilings to come, not to determine them, and conceive 
 that God's decree of permission supposes a necessity 
 of their futurition and coming to j)ass ; but if God 
 did only permit a thing to come to jjass, how could 
 it come to pass without some action, and God's con- 
 currence to that action ? for there is no action or 
 cause producing any cfTcct, with which God doth 
 
 not concur. Lam. iii. 37 ; Prov. xxi. 1 ; xvi. I. De- 
 fects are permitted by God, not etl'ects ; he concurs 
 to the production of them : be they thoughts, words, 
 or actions, God's wisdom, power, and providence, 
 hath inUuence into them. 
 
 Obs. 2. God doth not only foreknow, but pre-dis- 
 covers, the purposes, counsels, and plots of his 
 church's enemies, to evidence his care thereof. He 
 made known the design of Gog many years before it 
 came to pass : " Thou shalt think an evil thought j 
 and say, I will go up to the land of unwalled vil- 
 lages." The enemies of Zion are full of evil 
 thoughts and designs to root out and destroy the in- 
 habitants thereof, but God sometimes discovers them 
 beforehand, and oft prevents them. Neh. iv. 11, 
 " Our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither 
 see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay 
 them, and cause the work to cease :" these thoughts 
 and designs of theirs were discovered and prevented 
 by the Lord. Herod thought and purposed to kill 
 the Lord Christ when he was in the cradle, but the 
 all-knowing God revealed it to Joseph, and disap- 
 pointed it. God is very vigilant over his church, 
 lest any hurt it; he keeps it night and day, Isa. 
 xxvii. 3. 
 
 Obs. 3. The enemies of the church do watch, and 
 take advantages against the church; they wait for 
 and seek occasions to ruin the same. " I will go up," 
 saith Gog, " to the land of unwalled villages ; I will 
 go to them that are at rest, that dwell without walls, 
 bars, or gates." Because he saw them unarmed and 
 secure, a naked people destitute of human helps, 
 therefore he resolved to invade, plunder, and destroy 
 them. When Saul was pursuing of David, the Phi- 
 listines invaded the land, 1 Sam. xxiii. 27 ; and when 
 EHsha was dead, the Moabites did so, 2 Kings xiii. 
 20 : so Haman, because Mordecai would not bow to 
 him, sought advantages to destroy all the Jews, 
 Esth. iii. (J. The wicked are so strong, spiteful, and 
 vigilant to seek and take advantages against God's 
 people, that it were impossible for them to be in 
 safety, had they not a gracious God to take care of 
 them ; they are weak, and look not to arms of flesh, 
 but unto " Jehovah, the Rock of ages," who is their 
 shield and safety : they dwell w ithout w^alls, but 
 God is " a wall of fire round about them," Zech. 
 ii. 5. 
 
 Obs. 4. Wicked ones will undertake great matters, 
 and venture their lives to satisfy their lusts. Gog 
 and the rest undertake a war, march many a mile, 
 and put their lives in their hands, and wherefore ? 
 '■ To take a spoil, to get the prey, to carry away 
 silver, gold, cattle, and goods :" all was to satisfy a 
 base, covetous humour. The lust after ruling, and 
 desire of riches, hath stimulated many to attempt 
 great matters, to hazard their lives and souls to all 
 eternity. Wherefore did the children of Amnion, 
 Moab, and mount Seir, undertake a difficult and 
 dangerous war ? Jehoshaphat tells you, it was for 
 douiiuion and wealth, 2 Chron. xx. 11. 
 
 Obs. 5. The wicked confederate and combine to- 
 gether to mischief the church of God. Sheba, 
 Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, with all the 
 young lions thereof, fall in with Gog and his design. 
 The seed of the serpent are unanimous to destroy the 
 seed of the woman. Psal. Ixxxiii. Edomites, Ish- 
 maelitis, Moabites, Ilagarenes, Gebnlitcs, Ammon- 
 ites, Amalekites, Philistines, Tyrians, and Ashurites, 
 joined all together against God's jieople, and said, 
 " (^'ome, let us cut them oflT from being a nation." 
 Ezra iv. 7—10, Bishlam, Mithrcdath, Tabeel, Ke- 
 hum the chancellor, Shimshai the scribe, and the 
 rest of their societies, the Dinaites, the Apharsath- 
 chiles, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Arche-
 
 VtR. 14—17. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 759 
 
 vites, the Babylonians, the Susanehitcs, the Deha- 
 vites, the Elamitcs, and the rest of the nations, did 
 all eonspire together to hinder the building of Jeru- 
 salem, and the walls thereof. Wieked men are 
 thorns, and they cleave together, to scratch and vex 
 the righteous. 
 
 Ver. 14 — 16. Therefore, son of m<in, prophesy 
 and say unto Gog, Thus sai/h the Lord God; In 
 that dai/ when mif people of Israel dieelleth safely., 
 shall thou not know it ? And thou shall come 
 from thy place out of the north parts, thou, 
 and many people with thee, all of them riding 
 upon horses, a great company, and a mighty 
 army : laid thou shall come up against my people 
 of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land ; it shall 
 be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against 
 my land, that the heathen may know me, when I 
 shall be sanctijied in thee, O Gog, before their 
 eyes. 
 
 In these words we have the place whence Gog 
 should come, the manner of his coming, the persons 
 he should come against, the author, and event of his 
 coming. 
 
 Ver. 14. " In that day when my people of Israel 
 dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it ? " When 
 my people are come to their land, dwell safely in 
 towTis, without walls, gates, or bars, " shalt thou not 
 know it?" Yes, thou wilt take notice thereof, and 
 be encouraged thereby to come against them. The 
 Septuagint saith. Thou wilt be stirred up ; this sense 
 of the words some make : others thus, Thou hast a 
 wicked thought in thy heart, and dost purpose to 
 invade my people, being unarmed, and dwelling 
 safely, and shalt thou not know .' that is. Thou shalt 
 know what it is to invade my people, thou shalt feel 
 my judgments, my fury will appear and fall upon 
 thee, to thy destruction, ver. 16, Is. Piscator ren- 
 ders the word thus, Shalt thou not have experience ? 
 
 Ver. 15. " Thou shalt come from thy place out of 
 the north parts, thou, and many people with thee," 
 &c. Some conceive that Gog, with his great army, 
 came out of Scythia, others, out of Babylon, which 
 lay northwards from Jerusalem. That he came from 
 those parts, is not clear ; but most ccrtiin, that he 
 came trom the northern parts, or sides of the north ; 
 and having drawn many to his assistpnce, they all 
 came riding upon horses : they were all horsemen 
 for speed. The charges of such an army, being all 
 horsemen, must be exceeding great. This army 
 came into the land of Israel, and covered it like a 
 cloud, as we heard, ver. 9. 
 
 Ver. 16. " It shall be in the latter days." In the 
 8th verse it was said, " In the latter years," and here 
 it is said, " In the latter days," or, as Montanus 
 reads them, in the last days. " In the latter days" 
 did Antiochus vex the Jews, and in the last days 
 shall antichrist vex them and the church. 
 
 " When I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog." 
 God is said to be "sanctified," when he manifests 
 himself to be a holy and just God, by indicting 
 punishment upon evil-doers, whereby others are 
 made to fear and say. Oh what a holy, what a just, 
 what a dreadful God is he who executes such judg- 
 ments ! Ezek. xxviii. 22, we had the same words. 
 
 Obs. I. When Go<rs people are in Canaan, then 
 have they safety. In Babvlon ttuy liad none, in 
 Egypt they had none, in tlie wilderness they had 
 little ; but' when in Canaan, then they had their 
 greatest safety. " In that day when my people Is- 
 rael dwelleth safely." They had a day, a time of 
 safety, whicli was when they were settled in Canaan. 
 
 In Canaan was the church ; and where that is in 
 safely, there (iod is city, walls, gates, and bars him- 
 self. He is the Keeper of Israel, I'sal. cxxi. 4, 5. 
 
 04*. 2. Those that design and attempt mischief 
 against the people of God, they shall experimentaUy 
 know that God is their Protector, and the Revenger 
 of their wrongs. Gog thought evil against Israel, 
 and came up against it : and what saith God, " Shalt 
 thou not know it ? " This I will make thee to know, 
 that I am Israel's Keeper, and that thou hast done 
 wickedly to invade them. God made Sennacherib 
 know what it was to design and attemjit evil against 
 Jerusalem, when he smote one hundred and eighty- 
 live thousand of his soldiers in one night, Isa. xxxvii. 
 36. When the Ammonites, Moabites, and Seirites 
 thought and attempted mischief against the Jews, 
 viz. to cast them out and possess their land, did not 
 God avenge his people of them, and manifest himself 
 to be their Protector ? 2 Chron. xx. 23, 24. 
 
 06s. 3. The secret plots and deep designs of men 
 do at length break out into action. Gog had long 
 thought of invading Israel, and at length he comes 
 from his place out of the north parts, and puts his 
 design into execution. Hidden things of dishonesty 
 sleep not always ; they may be dissembled long, but 
 at last they issue into action. The Spanish plot 
 lay in the dark long, but at last it visited our English 
 coasts, w'here they were made to see that their Ar- 
 mada was not invincible. The massacres of France 
 and Inland were secret, though plots, at first, but in 
 process of time they came to blood. 
 
 Obs. 4. The great enemies of the church have 
 many helpers and adherents, and those fitted to fur- 
 ther their wicked designs. Gog had many people 
 with him, and all of them riding upon horses, a great 
 company, and a mighty army : so numerous they 
 were, that like a cloud they covered the land. So 
 antichrist now hath many assistants to promote his 
 wicked and bloody designs against the saints : Rev. 
 xix. ly, "I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, 
 and their armies, gathered together to make war 
 against him that sat on the horse, and against his 
 army ;" that is, against Christ and his church. 
 
 Obs. 5. Though all peoi)lc and lands in the world 
 be tlie Lord's, yet some people and lands are his in 
 a more peculiar manner. " Thou .shalt come up 
 against my people, and against my land." Where 
 God is owned, his ordinances and worship set up, 
 maintained in purity and power, his interest and 
 glory advanced, tliere is a people God calls his peo- 
 ple, "and a land God calls his land : there God dwells, 
 peculiarizing both people and land to himself 
 
 Obs. 6. God takes oceasicm, from the attempts of 
 the wicked, to execute his just judgments upon them, 
 and so to get glory to his name even from heathens. 
 Gog took occasion, from the Jews' weakness, (they 
 were in unwalUd villages,) to invade and destroy 
 them; and God takes occasion from his unjust in- 
 vading the Jews to inflict dreadful judgments upon 
 him and his, that the heathen might know him, 
 when he should be sanclilied in Gog. They seeing 
 such just judgments ujion Gog, .should fear the God 
 of Israel, and learn righteousness : God is known by 
 executing of judgment, Psal. ix. 16; thereby he is 
 known to be the Most High over all the earth. 
 
 Ver. 17. Titus saith the Lord God; Art thou he 
 of whom I have spa/ten in old time by my servants 
 the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those 
 days many years that I would bring thee against 
 them ? 
 
 The things concerning Gog were neither novelties 
 
 nor uncertainties, but such as God foreknew would
 
 7C0 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVIII, 
 
 \>c, and the prophets had prophesied of, and that 
 long befcive ; and not once or twice, but often, even 
 many years. It is of grand importance to inquire 
 ■what prophets have spoken of Gog and liis proceed- 
 ings. Some would have Moses to speak of him, 
 Numb. xxiv. /, where it is said, " His king shall be 
 higher than A gag," that is, Jacob's king shall be 
 higher than Oog. The Septuagint reads it, Gog, 
 and so doth Symmacluis ; his king shall be exalted 
 above Gog; though Gog be great, yet shall he be 
 greater. But in the original it is, Agag, not Gog. 
 Jerom hath it, Gog, and interprets it of antichrist. 
 Some make David to be the prophet prophesying of 
 Gog : Psal. ix. 5, " Thou hast destroyed the wicked 
 one ;" that is, thou slialt destroy Gog, that, or the 
 ■wicked one, called by some antichrist, whom Gog 
 was a type of. To this accords that in Isa. xi. 4, 
 " With the breath of his lips shall he slay the w ick- 
 ed ;" Gog in the type, and antichrist in Ihe antitype, 
 2 Thess. ii. 8. Besides this place in Isaiah, some fix 
 upon Isa. xvii. 12 — 14, and make that a projiheey of 
 Gog. Some took Psal. Ixviii. 14, " When the Al- 
 mighty scattered kings," i. e. Gog and Magog : Ri- 
 vet, in [Lat.] hi locum. Jer. i. 14, " Out of the north 
 an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of 
 the land:" it is granted Gog was to come out of the 
 north quarters, Ezek. xxxviii. 15, and so was Nebu- 
 chadnezzar, Jer. X. 22; he speaks rather of Nebu- 
 chadnezzar than of Gog. Moreover, his prophesy 
 was but a little before Ezekiel's days, and much of 
 it in his days, whereas here it is said, " Of whom I 
 have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets 
 of Israel." Others therefore refer it to the prophecy 
 of Enoch, mentioned Jude 14, who spake of the 
 Lord's coming with ten thousand of his saints ; but 
 nothing of Gog is there specified. That in Joil iii. 
 is more satisfying as to the business in hand, viz. 
 ver. 2, 9, 11, 14, " I will gather all nations, and will 
 bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, 
 and will plead with them there for my people and 
 for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered 
 among the nations, and spoiled my land," &c. This 
 we may conceive was prophesied of Gog, 
 
 1. Because the Jews were to come out of captivity 
 into their own land, before this was done. It is 
 probable that therefore Gog and the nations con- 
 spired together to invade and destroy them, because 
 they were settled safely in their land, ver. 1. 
 
 2. Because Gog was to fill upon the mountains of 
 Israel, to perish in the land of Judea. Ezek. xxxix. 
 4, " Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, 
 thou, and all tliy bands, and the people that is with 
 thee." To wbi'ch agrees that of Joel iii. 12, 13, 
 " Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the 
 valley of Jehoshaphat ; for there will I sit to judge 
 the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle ; for 
 the harvest is ripe," ^c. 
 
 3. Because of the like efiects. Ezekiel saith, when 
 Gog and his army .shall be destroyed, there shall be 
 a great shaking in the land of Israel, ver. 19. So 
 Joel iii. \5, Ki, at the destruction of the nations and 
 their princes, " The sun and the moon shall be dark- 
 ened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 
 The Lord also .shall roar out of Ziorf, and utter his 
 voice from Jerusalem ; and the heavens and the 
 earth shall shake : but the Lord will be the hope of 
 his people, and the strength of the children of Israel." 
 
 If it be said, Joel is but one prophet, and the text 
 speaks of prophets, and so of them, as if it were a 
 common thing amongst them to prophesy of or 
 against Gog; to this may be answered, That most of 
 the prophets might speak of Gog, though they 
 wrote not of him ; for all which the prophets pro- 
 phesied did neither themselves nor others always 
 
 pen'; and here it is said, "by whom I have spoken," 
 not, by whom I have written. Moses spake what 
 was not written, Heb. xi. 2-t — 27; so Enoch, Jude, 
 ver. 14, 15; as Christ himself did, John xxi. 20. 
 " By my servants," in Hebrew is. In or by the hand 
 of my servants ; and for, " In those days many 
 years," it is, In the days of those years they did pro- 
 phesy of Gog, that God would bring him upon the 
 Jews. 
 
 Oiis. 1. The Lord doth infallibly know things to 
 come. He revealed to the prophets of old this Gog 
 here spoken of hundreds of years before he w as ; 
 neither was God deceived, for in the time appointed 
 he came. He whose understanding is infinite, Psal. 
 cxlvii. 5, must needs know all things, past, present, 
 and to come ; should any thing be unknown to God, 
 his understanding could not be infinite. Man's 
 knowledge is borrowed from creatures, to which he 
 gives neither being nor operation ; but God's know- 
 ledge is from himself; he knows all that is possible 
 in his power, and all that is future in his will. 
 Creatures can neither be, nor operate, without him. 
 He hath such clear vision of all things, that his 
 knowledge must needs be certain. Should he be 
 deceived in any particular, there should be darkness 
 in him ; but, " He is light, and in him there is no 
 darkness at all," 1 John i. 5. 
 
 Obs. 2. The prophets delivered many things 
 which were not recorded. The prophets of Israel 
 spake of Gog, and yet we cannot find any direct sa- 
 tisfying place in holy w rit eoneeming him. In Matt. 
 xxvii. 9, you have words cited for Jeremiah's which 
 you cannot find in all his i)ropheeies : the words are 
 these, "Then was fulfilkd that which was spoken 
 by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the 
 thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was 
 valued, whom they of the children of Israel did 
 value:" Matthew saith not, That which was writ- 
 ten, but, "That which was spoken." Jeremiah had 
 delivered these words, and many other, doidjtless, 
 which are no where to be found. And if any ask, 
 How came Matthew by them ? He had them by 
 tradition, say some : others, by revelation, which is 
 safest to say. Solomon, he spake of trees, from the 
 cedar tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop 
 that springeth out of the wall ; he spake also of 
 beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of 
 fishes, 1 Kings iv. 33; but what he said of these is 
 not to be found or knovin. Had not Paul helped us 
 to that blessed truth of Christ, " It is more blessed 
 to give than to receive," Acts xx. 35, we had never 
 met with it. 
 
 Obs. 3. Those whom God sends to make known 
 his mind to men, he owns, honours, and protects. 
 " My servants the prophets of Israel." Those who 
 had spoken against Gog, and made knoirn his mind, 
 teaching him, God owns for his servants, honours 
 them with this title, "prophets of Israel;" and 
 being his, he hath a special care of them ; Psal. ev. 
 15, "Do my prophets no harm." If the servants 
 and ambassadors of earthly jirinces be honourable, 
 and have protection from them, nuich more are the 
 servants and ambassadors of the King of glory ho- 
 nourable and under divine protection. If David 
 would not put up the wrong done to his servants he 
 sent to Hanun, 2 Sam. x. neither will God let the 
 wrongs done to his servants, the " prophets of Israel," 
 go unpunished, 2 Chron. xxxvi. Ki. 
 
 Obs. 4. It is not an accidental or casual thing that 
 enemies do come against the church. The Lord 
 brought Gog against this people, and the prophets 
 had prophesied many years that God would do so ; 
 they made it known to the world what God had de- 
 creed to do. Gog could not have stirred or moved
 
 Ver. 18—22. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 761 
 
 one foot towards the Liiid of Israel, unlt'Ss Gorl had 
 aj>7.ointed and commanded it to he so. Lam. iii. 37, 
 " Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when 
 tlie Lord contniiindeth it not ?" 
 
 Ver. 18 — 22. And it shall come to pass at the 
 same lime when Gog shall come against the land 
 of Israel, saith the Lord God, that mi/ fur i/ shall 
 come vp in my face. Fur in mi/ Jealousi/ and in 
 the fire of my wrath have J spoken. Surely in that 
 day there shall be a great shaking in the land of 
 Israel ; so that the fishes if the sea, and the fowls 
 of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all 
 creeping things that creep upon the earth, and 
 all the men that are upon the face of the earth, 
 shall shake at my presence, and the mountains 
 shall be thrown down, and the steep jilares shall 
 fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And 
 I will call for a sword against him throughout all 
 my mountains, saith the Lord God: every 7nan's 
 sword shall be against his brother. And I will 
 plead against him with pestilence and with blood ; 
 and I will rain vpon him, and wpon his bands, 
 and upon the many people that are with him, an 
 over/lowing rain, and great hailstones, Jire, and 
 brimstone. 
 
 The lime and manner of God's proceedings with 
 Gog is set forth in these five verses. 
 
 Ver. IH. " At the same time when Gog shall come 
 against the land of Israel." " Time " is not to be 
 taken strictly for a day, or an hour ; as if God should 
 that very day Gog set out, or invaded the land, fall 
 upon him by his judgments, and destroy him ; but 
 largely, for the time of that enterprise, whilst he 
 should be upon that design, when he had filled up 
 the measure of his iniquities. 
 
 " My fur)- shall come up in my face." Some read 
 the words thus, My anger shall come up in my face ; 
 that is, I will be furious, and manifest hot displea- 
 sure ; for fury is the heat and height of anger : we 
 read the words, " My fury shall come up in my face." 
 t)N signifies, anger, the face, the nose also, because 
 anger appears chiefly in them : God speaking here 
 after the manner of men, saith, " My fury shall come 
 up in my face." Luther, by " fury," or anger, 
 understands Gog himself, who was the vessel of di- 
 vine anger, by whom God poured out wrath upon 
 the Jews. Maldonate also makes the fury here 
 mentioned to be against the church ; but ratluT it is 
 against Gog ; for at the same time that Gog should 
 come against Israel, at that time should God's fury 
 come up in his face, he would be exceedingly dis- 
 pleased with Gog for attempting the destruction of 
 his people ; and ver. 21, God will call for a sword 
 against him. 
 
 Ver. ly. " For in my jealousy and in the fire of 
 my wrath have I spoken." The Lord being jealous 
 over his people for their good, and seeing what ma- 
 licious designs Gog and his confederates had against 
 them, was jirovokcd much thereby, and said in his 
 jealousy and fury, that is, promised, or ratlur threat- 
 ened the destruction of Gog : and not only so, but 
 confirmed it with an oath in the next words. 
 
 " Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking 
 in the land of Israel." These words, n'-- dn carry the 
 form of an oatii with them, as thus, If not, that is, if 
 there be not a great shaking, let me not be (iod, let 
 me not be faithful ; so sure as I am God and faithful, 
 so sure and certain it is that " there shall be a great 
 shaking in the laud of Israel ;" cy-v signifies, a com- 
 motion, an earthquake, and in that day when Autio- 
 
 chiis invaded Canaan, there was a great commotion, 
 a great shaking. And so there will be when anti- 
 christ, who is Gog mystical, shall invade the church, 
 which Maldonate saith will be in the end of the 
 world. 
 
 Ver. 20. " So that the fishes of the sea, and the 
 fowls of the heaven, the beasts of the field, and all 
 creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all 
 the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall 
 shake at my presence." Here is shown the great- 
 ness of his shaking, it should be such as should allcct 
 and astonish all creatures, even the sensible and 
 senseless. As Gog should come like a storm, so God's 
 judgments should come upon him and his like a 
 storm. When storms are, the winds blow terribly, 
 so that the air, and fowls in it, are troubled, the sea 
 works and rages, so that the fishes in it are discjuiet- 
 cd ; yea, some storms do so afflict the earth, that 
 beasts, creeping things, and men themselves, are 
 made to quake. When God comes in a way ofjudg- 
 ment, it is grievous. All these expressions are to 
 signify the greatness of calamity. God would appear 
 in some dreadful judgment against Gog, and thereby 
 shake all. 
 
 " The moimtains .shall be thrown down, and the 
 steep places shall fall." Sometimes in Scripture 
 by "mountains" are meant men in eminent places, 
 asDan. ii. 35; Isa. xl. 4; sometimes the church and 
 kingdoms, as Isa. ii. 23; but here some take it liter- 
 ally, and aflirm there should be such an earthquake 
 as should shake down " n.ouutains." Lavater by 
 "mountains" understands t(AVers built upon moun- 
 tains, which then should be demolished. The worl 
 for " steep places " is, mmcn which. Cant. ii. 
 14, is translated, " stairs ;" the Septuagint hath it, 
 valleys ; the Vulgate is, the fences ; the tran.^lauou 
 Vatablus follows saith, bulwarks ; Piscator and the 
 French say, towers ; fficolampadius and Lavater 
 rend( r it, the steps, stairs, or ascents, whereby they 
 went up. Junius varies from them all, and renders the 
 word, steep places, by which he intends rocks hanging 
 as it were in the air. The sense is, that all jilaces 
 of refuge and safety, seemed they never so strong, 
 should fiiil. 
 
 " And every wall shall fall to the ground." So 
 terrible shall be the shaking, that the walls of cities 
 shall be overthrown; all the towers, forts, and de- 
 fences whatsoever, shall be levelled with the ground 
 and made useless. Some understand thisof'iog's 
 prevailing again.st the church, laying all waste, so 
 that the peojile of God shall be in that distress, till 
 (jod come and execute judgment upon Gog and all 
 his company. 
 
 Ver. 21. " And I will call for a sword against him 
 throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God." 
 "Sword" here is put for swordinen. God would 
 call forth men, and stir up their spirits to oppose 
 fiog and his company, who, filling all with fear, 
 thought to swallow up all; but throughout Judra, 
 that mountainous countrv, he should meet with 
 those who would give check to his proceedings. 
 Judas Maceabieus, Jonathan, Eleazer, and others, 
 withstood Antiochus and his forces, as you may see 
 in the book of the Maccabees, and therein was this 
 projihecy made good, say interpreters. 
 
 " KveiT man's sword shall be against his brother." 
 Those of Gog's army should, through the just judg- 
 ment of God upon them, change tlieir thoughts, 
 counsels, intentions ; and, instc ad of killing their 
 enemies, they should sheathe their swords in one 
 another's bowels, (iod woidd order it io, that one 
 should destroy another, as the Philistines did ; 
 I Sam. xiv. 16, " Behold, the multitude melted 
 away, and they went on beating down one another ;"
 
 762 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXVIII. 
 
 and ver. 20, " Every man's sword was against his 
 fellow." They heing full of discontent and per- 
 plexity, thought it more honourable to die than to 
 fall into the hands of enemies. 
 
 Ver. 22. " And I will plead against him with 
 pestilence and with blood." He shows here what 
 judgments (iod would bring npon Gog and liis armies, 
 judgments from beneath, and judgments from above. 
 The first sort here are "pestilence and blood," by 
 the sword and slaughter. The Hebrew is, I will be 
 judged with him by pestilence and blood ; they shall 
 declare that I am a strong and just God. 
 
 " And I will rain npon him, and npon his bands," 
 &c. " an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, tire, 
 and brimstone." The second sort of judgments are, 
 rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone. These words, 
 " overflowing showers" and " great hailstones," we 
 had, chap. xiii. 11, 13. In the tenth chapter of 
 Joshua, we read how God did cast down great stones 
 from heaven upon the Amorites, and slew more with 
 hailstones than the Israelites slew with the sword, 
 ver. 10. To this place it is conceived our prophet 
 alludes, foretelling that the Lord would deal with 
 the Goggites as he did with the Amorites, slay them 
 with extraordinary great hailstones from heaven ; 
 and not only so, but with fire and brimstone, which 
 is the punishment of the damned in hell, and was 
 the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah. 
 
 Some, by these expressions, understand manifold 
 and grievous calamities, which befell Gog and his ; 
 and will not have them to be understood literally, 
 that so the verification of them may fall upon An- 
 tiochus and his forces, who suffered very sad things ; 
 for he was smitten by God with an incurable and 
 invisible plague and torment in his bowels, he fell 
 from his chariot, and was bruised with his fall ; 
 worms came out of his body in abundance, his rot- 
 tenness and stink was such as none could bear the 
 same ; and while he was alive his flesh fell oil' for 
 pain, 2 Mace. ix. Let it be granted that these words 
 are not to be taken literally, but metaphorically for 
 heavy judgments befalling Gog and his companions, 
 it will not follow thereupon that Antiochus was the 
 man, though he suffered such grievous things ; for it 
 is said of Gog, that he should fall upon the moun- 
 tains of Israel, he and all his bands, that he and his 
 slain should have graves in Ezekiel, Ezek. xxxix. 4, 
 
 11. But as f(H- Antiochus, he died in his bed, and 
 that either in Babylon, as 1 Mace. vi. or at Eebatane 
 in India, as it is 2 Mace. ix. Neither was there any 
 such vast destruction of Antiochus' forces, which 
 came into Judea under Lysias, as these words hold 
 out, and is more clearly expressed in chap, xxxix. 
 
 12, " Seven months shall the house of Israel be 
 burying of them." There must be a wonderful 
 great slaughter, which required so much time for 
 their burial. I conceive, therefore, that these words 
 may be taken in the literal sense, and are yet to be 
 fulfilled; and that which induceth so to judge, is 
 wliat you have, Rev. xx. 8, 9, wdiere it is said, 
 " Satan shall gather Gog and Magog together to 
 battle, the nimiber of whom is as the sand of the sea. 
 Atid they went up on the breadth o{ the c;irth, and 
 compassed the camp of the saints about, and the 
 beloved city : and fire came down from heaven and 
 devoured them." John saw this in vision, and .spake 
 of it as to come, and puts it after the saints' rising 
 and reigning a thousand years with Christ : that 
 time being expired, some grand enemies shall arise 
 against the Jews and people of God, whimi he will 
 destroy, not only in an ordinary way, but miracu- 
 lously also by fire from heaven. 
 
 Ob.i. 1. When wicked men are plotting and at- 
 tempting the ruin of the ehureli, God's wrath is 
 
 kindled against them. When Gog comes up against 
 the land of Israel, God's fury comes up in his face. 
 Gog manifests himself to be an enemy to Zion, and 
 God manifests himself to be an enemy to Gog. 
 Wicked men plot, act, proceed far ofttimes, and 
 affliet the servants of God greatly ; but, when they 
 tliink to carry all, God appears, and that in fury. In 
 Nah. i. 2. it is said, " He reserveth wrath for his 
 enemies;" and when they declare their enmity 
 against him and his, he discovers his wrath against 
 them. Zerah had been long plotting against tlie 
 Jews, at last he comes against them with a thousand 
 thousand, and three hundred chariots, and thought 
 to devour Asa, his army, and land in a day ; and 
 whilst he had such apjirehensions, the Lord smote 
 him before Asa and Judah, 2 Chron. xiv. 8, 12. 
 
 Ubs. 2. W'hen mischief is intended against God's 
 peojde, his love and indignation are manifested then ; 
 his love to his people, his indignation towards their 
 enemies. " In my jealousy and in the fire of my 
 wrath have I spoken." When Gog's armies were 
 to harm the Jews, then was he jealous. In jealousy 
 there is ardent love, and vehement indignation ; the 
 one is towards his people, the other towards them 
 that wrong his people. Zech. viii. 2, " I was jealous 
 for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for 
 her with great fury." He had strong love to Zion, 
 and great fury against the enemies of Zion ; as a 
 man hath ardent love to his wife, and indignation 
 against any that should offer her violence. God is 
 jealous over his church, and therefore will never 
 sufl^er it to be made a prey of by the wicked. God's 
 love and indignation at such a time are so ardent, 
 that he swears he will be avenged on them that 
 would w-rong his people, " Surely in that day there 
 shall be a great shaking in the laud of Israel ; " Gog 
 and all his forces shall fall. 
 
 Obs. 3. The judgments of God are dreadful, they 
 affect all creatures, the fishes of the sea, the fowls of 
 heaven, the beasts of the field, all that creeps upon 
 the earth ; all men upon the face of the earth shall 
 shake ; mountains, rocks, walls, shall fall. This 
 judgment npon Gog shall be such, as to astonish and 
 trouble all sensible and insensible creatures ; so much 
 of God shall be seen in it. W'hen the Lord de- 
 stroyed Tyrus, it was a di-eadful judgment ; the isles 
 did shake at the sound of her fall, the princes of the 
 sea did tremble and were astonished, Ezek. xxvi. 
 But at the destruction of Gog, heaven, earth, sea, all 
 men, other creatures, shall shake. There will be 
 more of God seen in that judgment than in most 
 before ; his presence, power, and severity will appear 
 eminently in that judgment; it will speak aloud, and 
 fill the world with astonishment. 
 
 Obs. 4. God can easily raise forces against his and 
 the church's enemies, he can do it without any 
 trouble. " I will call for a sword against him 
 throughout all my mountains." The mountains of 
 Israel were the Lord's, and all the inhabitants of 
 them, and if he did but call, they came to his stand- 
 ard presently. The princes of the earth find it a 
 hard business to get a great army together, and 
 wait long for it after great consultation how to 
 efl'ect the same ; but the Lord only calls, and it is 
 done ; he is the Lord of hosts, he hath command 
 of spirits, and can with case in a little time gather a 
 vast army. The centurion when he said to his 
 servant. Come, he came ; and when God shall say 
 to men. Come, they will come, they must come, out 
 of all parts, from all mountains. 
 
 06.?. ,'). As God can easily gather armies for the 
 good of his (duirch, so he can as easily ruin armies 
 which are against his chnrcli : he can mingle a per- 
 verse spirit amongst them, so divide them that they
 
 Vf.r. 23. 
 
 THE BOOK OV E/EKIEL. 
 
 "G3 
 
 shall execute one nnotlier. " Every ninii's sworrl 
 shall be against his brother." One Goggite should 
 destroy another; they thought to have destroyed 
 God's people, and they fell one upon the other. 2 
 Chron. xx. :i2, 23, the children of Amnion, Moab, 
 and mount Seir, came against Judah, and thought to 
 destroy them, and take their possessions, but God 
 soon ruined their enemies, he set them one against 
 another : " For the children of Ammon and Moab 
 stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, ut- 
 terly to slay and destroy them ; and when they had 
 made an end of the inliabitants of Seir, every one 
 helped to destroy another ; " the Ammonites de- 
 stroyed the Moabites, and the Moabites the Ammon- 
 ites. This " great multitude," for so they are called, 
 ver. 2, did the Lord cause to fall by their own swords. 
 How easily did God scatter the sirmyof the Syrians, 
 which besieged Samaria ! He made them to hear a 
 noise of chariots and horses, whereupon they fled 
 for their lives, and left bag and baggage, 2 Kings 
 vii. 6, 7. Did not God at the prayers of a christian 
 legion, in the army of Marcus Aurelius, emperor, 
 scatter and destroy that vast army of the Mareo- 
 manni and Quadi, which consisted of nine hundred 
 and seventy-seven thousand ? He sent rain at the 
 same time to relieve the emperor's army, which was 
 in danger of perishing by thirst; and also thunder, 
 lightning, and fiery hail, which ruined the enemies. 
 God can with great facility overthrow the greatest 
 armies. 
 
 Obs. 6. God hath variety of means and ways 
 whereby to destroy armies and punish enemies. He 
 hath the " pestilence, blood, an overflowing rain, 
 great hailstones, fire and brimstone," to do the same 
 by. He had an angel to destroy Sennacherib's army, 
 Lsa. xxxvii. 36; stars to fight against Sisera, Judg. 
 V. 20. The shining of the sun upon the water undid 
 the Moabites, 2 Kings iii. 22 — 24; the sound in the 
 tops of the mulberry trees did the Philistines no 
 good, 2 Sam. v. 24. God hath natural, casual, and 
 divine means, to plague his enemies with, though 
 they be in great armies. 
 
 064'. 7. Those who join with great ones in wicked 
 enterprises, must look to sutler grievous things with 
 them. " I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, 
 and upon the many people that are with him." 
 They thought themselves safe under Gog, that they 
 should get honour and wealth in that entirprise ; 
 but the undertaking was unwarranlalilc, Gog could 
 not justify his act, nor protect them ; they were co- 
 actors in wickedness, and so should be co-sufTerers. 
 It is dangerous to adhere to greatness in wicked de- 
 signs. "Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall 
 not be unpunished," Prov. xi. 21. Let multitudes 
 take Gog and great men by the hand; let them fol- 
 low their counsels, tread in their ste]is, do their 
 wills ; this cannot secure them, they shall be punish- 
 ed. God is no respecter of persons; in every nation 
 he that doth wickedly, and they that join with him, 
 shall be punished. 
 
 Xvr. 23. 77i!(.v tri// I vingnifif niiixelf, and 
 sanctify tnyself ; and I u-ill be known in the eyes 
 of numy nations, and they shall know that I am 
 the Lord. 
 
 This verse shows the end of God's destroying (iog, 
 and in such a manner, viz. that God may be honour- 
 ed and known. 
 
 "Thus will I magnify myself." The Sepluagint 
 and some others rciid the words jiassively, 1 will be 
 magnified ; but the Hebrew is, 1 will magnify my- 
 self, or, 1 will make myself great ; and that is done, 
 wluti God doth such things as declare his power. 
 
 his faithfulness, and his juslire. When the Lord 
 should execute his dreadful threatened judgments 
 upon Gog, then his great jiower would appear, that 
 he had the conuuand of all creatures, that vast 
 armies are nothing to him; so, his faithfulness to 
 his people, who owned him for their God, and his 
 justice in destroying those who would have destroy- 
 ed his people. 
 
 "And sanctify myself" God is not unholy or 
 polluted at any time ; but he is said to sanctify him- 
 self, when he declares himself to be not impoleiif, 
 not unfaithful, not unjust, but a powerful, faithful, 
 righteous, and holy God. 
 
 Obs. The end of God's judgments upon the wick- 
 ed is, that he may be known and acknowledged 
 among the nations, and so have a great and holy 
 name. God is known by executing of judgments, 
 Psal. ix. IG : known not to be like unto men, as they 
 conceived, Psal. 1. 21 ; or, a God that sees not, as 
 they said, Ezek. viii. 12 ; or, a God countenancing 
 and preferring evil-doers, as they affirmed, Mai. iii. 
 15: but, to be a dreadful God, as when he visited 
 Ananias and Sapphira for their sins, great fear came 
 upon all that heard thereof. Acts v. 11 ; to be a holy 
 (iod, as I Sam. vi. 20, when he smote the Beth- 
 .shemites, fifty thousand of them, with suddi n death, 
 it was said, " Who is able to stand before this holy 
 Lord God ? " By his judgments he hath made his 
 name dreadful among the heathen. What a great 
 and holy name did the Lord make to himself, by 
 the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in the Red 
 
 sen ' 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 7. Therefore, thou son of man, pro- 
 phesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord 
 God ; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the 
 chief prime of 3Ieshech and Tubal: and I will 
 turn thee hack, and leave but the si.rth part of 
 thee, and will cause thee to royne up from the north 
 parts, and u-ill bring thee vpon the mountains of 
 Israel : and I will smite thy bow out of thy left 
 hand, and will cause thine arrows to Jail out of 
 tbi/ rigitt hand. Thou shalt fall upon the moun- 
 tains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the 
 people that is with thee : I will gire thee unto the 
 ravenous birds of every so)t, and to the beasts (if 
 the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upim the 
 openjield: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord 
 God'. And I will send a fire on Magog, and 
 among them that dwell carelessly in the isles : and 
 they shall know that I am the Lord. So will I 
 make my holy name known in the midst nf viy 
 people Israel ; and I will not let them pollute my 
 holif name any more : and the heathen shall know 
 that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. 
 
 EzEKiF.L having begun a prophecy concerning 
 (Jog and Magog in the former chapter, he proceeds 
 in this also therein ; and tells you, 
 
 L Of the severe dealings of God with Gog, ver. 
 1—24. 
 
 II. Of his gracious favour and goodness to his 
 pcojde, ver. 25, to the end. 
 
 In these verses we have, 
 
 1. The great enemy of Gog, and author of his 
 overthrow, ver. I. 
 
 2. The manner of it, ver. 2, .3, 6.
 
 7CA 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIX. 
 
 3. The place where it should be, ver. 4, 5. 
 
 4. The greatness of it, ver. 4. 
 
 5. The certainty th'reof, ver. 5. 
 
 6. The end of (lod in so doing, ver. 7- 
 
 Ver. I. "Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the 
 chief prince of Meshech and Tubal." These very 
 words we had in the former chapter, ver. li, 3. He 
 was a great prince, had great command, many con- 
 federates to take his part ; yet, being wicked and an 
 enemy to God's people, God declares himself to be 
 an enemy to him. 
 
 Ver. 2. " I will turn thee back, and leave but the 
 sixth part of thee." These words, " and leave but 
 the sixth part of thee," are variously interpreted. 
 Some say, I will kill five parts of thme army, and 
 leave but a sixth. Some, I will seduce thee. Others, 
 I will judge thee with six judgments, viz. the plague, 
 blood, rain, hailstones, fire, and brimstone, as it is 
 in the former chapter, ver. 22. The Hebrew Mon- 
 tanus renders, I will sixth thee. For the meaning 
 whereof, consider w hat has been said, chap, xxxviii. 
 4, " I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy 
 jaws ;" the sense w hereof was this, I will not turn 
 thee back, but bring thee out ; and because of ob- 
 jections, difficulties, and delays, I will draw thee 
 forth, I will put hooks in thy jaws, and deal by thee 
 as men do by fish in the seas, or things fallen into 
 wells, draw thee out by hooks. The reason it is 
 conceived of this expression is, for that tlicy used 
 irons with six hooks upon them, to catch hold of 
 things fallen into waters, and to draw them out 
 thereby. Hence it is, that the Lord sailh, I will 
 sixth thee, as the word signifies, or, draw thee out 
 with hooks, as the sense is. 
 
 " And will cause thee to come up from the north 
 parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Is- 
 rael." Of Gog's coming from the north parts we 
 heard, chap, xxxviii. 15. God would cause him to 
 come out of those parts unto the mountains of Is- 
 rael ; which we may take literally, though some do 
 take them metaphorically for the places where the 
 church of God should be. 
 
 Ver. 3. " And I will smite thy how out of thy left 
 hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy 
 right hand." Bows and arrows were much used in 
 fonner days, both amongst the Jews and heatliens 
 also, as Isa. Ixvi. 19; Jer. xlvi. 9; 1 Chron. v. 18; 
 and when they handled them, they held the bows 
 in their left hands and arrows in their right ones. 
 Now when these Goggites should attempt to shoot, 
 and do execution by shooting, God would disapjioint 
 them ; causing a fear and faintness to fall upon 
 them, so that not only their bows and arrows, but all 
 their military instruments, should be useless ; for by 
 these mentioned, are meant all the rest. To snnte 
 or break the bow, imports the weakening of forces, 
 or making of w-arlike instruments inefficacious, as 
 Psal. xxxvii. 15; xlvi. 9; Hos. i. 5; Jer. xlix. 35: 
 in these places, breaking of the bow notes, blasting 
 of their power, and making frustrate all military in- 
 struments. 
 
 Ver. 4. " Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of 
 Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and tjie people (hat 
 is with thee." Not in places conspicuous to the 
 whole church, as some would have it, but in the land 
 and on the nu)uutains of Israel ; which Antio( bus 
 Epi])hanes did not, as I showed formerly. And tliis 
 verse gives w arrant to depart from our translation of 
 those words in the 2ud verse, " And leave but the 
 sixth part of thee ;" for Gog, and all his bands and 
 confederates, were to fall upon the mountains of Is- 
 rai 1 ; no sixth part of them were left. 
 
 " I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every 
 sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured." 
 
 When great armies are overthrown, sometimes their 
 carcasses lie uidjuriid, and so are exposed to the 
 fowls of heaven, and beasts of the field, which prey 
 upon them ; so should it be with Gog and his for a 
 season : after they had lain a season, tliey had burial, 
 as appears, ver. II. The word for " ravenous bird " 
 is, t:'jr which signifies, a bird of prey, and ditTers 
 from -iiiY which is, a small bird. 
 
 Ver. 5. " Thou shalt fall upon the open field." 
 The Hebrew saith, Thou shalt fall upon the faces of 
 the field, that is, the superficies, and so lie in open 
 view. We had the same words in chap. xvi. 5, and 
 xxxii. 4. 
 
 Ver. 6. " And I will send a fire on Magog." Some 
 by " Magog" understand the land of Gog; when 
 others, a distinct person and prince from Gog. Let 
 " Magog" denote a place or person, God would send 
 a fire, not metaphorical fire only, but matei'ial fire, 
 and so it is said, Rev. xx. 9. 
 
 " And among them that dwell carelessly in the 
 isles." Pliny saith, there are many islands in the 
 Scythian sea, and it is likely such people as dwell 
 therein are careless, secure, fearing no dangers ; yet 
 God would visit them with fire. But there are 
 islands nearer than those upon the Ega;an and Me- 
 diterranean seas, which dwell confidently, as th.e 
 word is. 
 
 Ver. 7. " So will I make my holy name known in 
 the midst of my people Israel." 'VVhen great men 
 go forth to war, and obtain some eminent victory, 
 thereby they become famous ; so God, by smiting 
 Magog and all his forces, would make his holy name 
 known, that his people should confess him to be a 
 holy God, and his name a name of holiness ; for so 
 it is in the original. 
 
 " And I will not let them pollute my holy name 
 any more." When men say those things which are 
 derogatory to the name of God, as that he sees not, 
 he hath forsaken the earth, that he is unfaithful, un- 
 just. Sec. ; or do such things as cause others to blas- 
 pheme and speak dishonourably of himself, his 
 word, worship, and providences ; then are they said 
 to pollute his holy name. After the destruction of 
 Gog and Magog, God would order things so, that 
 his name should not sufl'er. 
 
 Obs. 1. Those who are enemies unto the church, 
 God is an enemy unto them. Gog's thought and 
 design was to invade the land of Israel ; and what 
 saith the Lord ? " Behold, I am against thee, O Gog :" 
 hadst thou been a friend to my church, I would have 
 been a friend to thee ; but seeing thou art malicious 
 and intendest mischief against the saints, lo, I, even 
 1, the Lord of ho.sts, that can shake heaven and 
 earth, and destroy the most puissant and politic 
 army in a moment, am against thee. When thou 
 touchest my people, thou touchest the ap]de of mine 
 eye, and 1 neither can nor will bear it. Exod. xxiii. 
 22, " I will be an enc my unto thine enemies, and an 
 adversary unto thiue adversaries:" whoever set 
 themselves against Israel, have the God of Israel 
 against them. 
 
 Obs. 2. Wicked men may be in great honour and 
 have great power. Gog here, one whom the Lord 
 declared himself against, was a prince, a chief prince 
 of Meshech and Tubal. Ahasuerus, a heathen 
 idolater, had honour and power enough, when 
 he had one hundred and twenty-seven provinces 
 under his command, Esth. i. 1. 
 
 Obs. 3. There are seeming contradictions in holy 
 scriptures. In one, God saith, " Behold, I am 
 again.st thee, O Gog ;" in another, " I will cause thee 
 to come up from the north parts," or .sides, " and will 
 bring thee u])on the mountains of Israel." God was 
 with Gog, and against Gog; with him by his provi-
 
 Ver. 1—8. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 705 
 
 dence, to bring liim forth to manifest his spleen and 
 gall against tlie land of Israel, and against him by 
 his power and justice, to destroy him for his cruelty 
 and bloodiness. Gen. xiv. 14, it is said, Abraham 
 pursued the enemies "unto Dan;" and, Josh. xi.K. 
 47, there was no Dan in Abraham's days, for it was 
 so called from Dan the son of Jacob, who was long 
 after him ; Moses, who wrote the book of Genesis, 
 speaks of it as it was called in his days, not as it was 
 called in Abraham's days. John i. 21, when John 
 was asked tlie question, whether he were Elias ? he 
 said, "I am not:" but. Matt. xi. 14, Christ saith of 
 John, " This is Elias, whieh was for to come : " John 
 denies himself to be Elias personally, which was the 
 sense of the questionists, and Christ affirms that he 
 was Elias mystically, that Elias Malachi spake of, 
 chap. iv. 5. There are many scriptures seeming to 
 destroy one another ; but if rightly understood, tncy 
 do sweetly comply and shake hands together. 
 
 Obs. 4. God's hand is in the undertakings of ene- 
 mies against the church. " I will cause thee to come, 
 bring thee upon the mountains of Israel ;" and if 
 thou lingerest, 1 have a sixth-hooked hook to draw 
 thee. Wars are not fortuitous, but by a special hand 
 of God ; he brings forth enemies as to correct his 
 church by them, so to destroy them in the presence 
 and view of his church, being corrected. Were not 
 God's hand there, they would ruin the church ; and 
 because his hand is in such things, therefore are 
 they ruined. After Pharaoh had atflicted the Jews 
 the time appointed, God drew him on into the Red 
 sea, and there, in the face and view of them, sunk 
 him like lead into the bottom of the deeps. 
 
 Obs. 5. It is in the Lord to disal)le and disappoint 
 warriors when they are ready for battle. Wlien Gog 
 and his soldiers should have the bow in tlie left 
 hand, and the arrow in the right hand, then I will 
 smite the bow out of the one, and the arrow out of 
 the other hand, saith the Lord. All military strength 
 he can easily blunt, and make all weapons <if war 
 inefficacious. He can take otf the wheels of cliariots, 
 Exod. xiv. 25. He breaks the bow, he blunf.s the 
 sword, and makes all wc-ipons formed against Israel 
 unprospcrous at his pleasure, Isa.liv. 17. God stopped 
 Rehoboam when he was going with a great army to 
 fight Jeroboam, and bring the ten revolted tribes to 
 himself, 1 Kings xii. God hath oft put such fear 
 into the hearts of soldiers, that, when it hath come 
 to a pitched battle, they have presently thrown down 
 their weapons and called for quarter. 
 
 Obs. 6. That in the same place where God shows 
 rich mercy to the godly, even there h' executes 
 severe judgments upon the enemies. "Thou shalt 
 fall upon the mountains of Israel." Upon those 
 mountains in that land tlie Lord had showed marvel- 
 lous kindness to his people, I'sal. Ixxvi. 1 — I, and 
 there should Gog fall. In the Red sea God pre- 
 served the Isra -lites, and destroyed the Egyptians ; 
 where the one met with signal mercy, there the other 
 had severe judgment. So Joel iii. 2, " I will gather 
 all naticms, and will bring them down into the valley 
 of Jchoshaphat, and will plead with them there for 
 my people ;" God would punish them even there 
 where he had done much f>r his. 2 Chron. xx. 'if!, 
 the valley where Jchoshaphat bless'd God for a 
 victory, it is conceived to be liere meant, and called 
 " the valley of Jchoshaphat." The powers of dark- 
 ness have oft and still do invade the mountains of 
 Israel, the places and persons among whom God 
 doth record his name, and there God overthrows 
 them. 
 
 Obs. 7. That armies and others are exposed to 
 public shame and miserable ends, is of God. "Thou 
 shalt fall upon the open field, and I will give thee to 
 
 the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beast of 
 the field to be devoured." Want of burial is amongst 
 God's judgments, Jer. viii. 2; xiv. Hi. To lie in 
 open \-iew dead, and to be mangled, torn by fowls, 
 beasts, swine, and dogs, is a dishonourable and la- 
 mentable thing; but how dishonourable or lamenta- 
 ble soever it be, it is the Lord's doing. He makes 
 wicked armies and persons sometimes as dung upon 
 the face of the earth ; they lie unburied. 
 
 Obs. 8. What the Lord speaks, that shall certain- 
 ly take place. " Thou shalt fall upon the open field ; 
 for I have spoken it, sailh the Lord God." With 
 God is not yea and nay ; what he saith is truth, 
 and must infallibly be effected. As nothing can be 
 done unless the Lord speak, so nothing can fail of 
 being done when the Lord hath spoken. Josh. xxi. 
 45, " There failed not ought of any g(Jod thing which 
 the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel ; all 
 came to pass." God promised them to root out the 
 nations, to plant them in Canaan, and to do much 
 for them ; and all God had spoken was made good. 
 So, when God threatens evil, whatsoever he speaks 
 in that kind must be fulfilled, becau.sc he is faithful, 
 and able to make good his word, whoever opposes. 
 
 Obs. 9. When God begins to visit the enemies of 
 his church, he makes progress therein. Not only 
 shall Gog fall, and all his bands and people, but God 
 will send a fire on Magog also, and upon the isles 
 that dwell carelessly : they thought themselves in- 
 vincible, being fortified by the sea ; but when God 
 arises to punish the inhabitants of the earth, who are 
 enemies to his people, he goes from country to 
 country at land, and from isle to isle at sea. When 
 God draws the sword, and gives it commission, it 
 proceeds from place to place, and is restless till all 
 at sea and land be cut off, who are numbered out for 
 destruction. Jer. xlvii. 6, 7, " O thou sword of the 
 Lord, how long will it be ere thou be quiet? put 
 up thyself into ihy scabbard, rest, and be still. How 
 can it be quiet, seeing the Lord hath given it a 
 charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea shore? 
 there hath he appointed it." God appoints the 
 sword to visit at land and at sea ; when he begins 
 with the enemies of his people, he will make an end 
 with them. 
 
 Obs. 10. When God shows mercy to his church, 
 and destroys the enemies of it, then he provides for 
 his own honour, sanctities his name, and makes him- 
 self to be known, distinct from all other gods. When 
 the Jew^s' church shall be at peace, Gog and Magog 
 be destroyed, then (iod will be glorious, all speak 
 honourable of him, and acknowleilge him to be the 
 Holy On" of Israel. When God led the Israelites 
 through the Red sea, and took off the wheels of the 
 Egyptian chariots, the Egyptians said, " Let us flee 
 from the face of Israel, "for the Lord fighteth for 
 them against the Egyptians." Here they acknow- 
 ledged God's power, and that he was a God distin- 
 guished from all their idol gods ; a God fulfilling his 
 promises and threats, a God able to save and de- 
 stroy, even the Holy One of Lsracl. 
 
 Ver. 8. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith 
 the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have 
 
 spoken. 
 
 Here the certainty of Gog's overtlirow, and the 
 rest, with the time thereof, is pointed out. " It is 
 come, it is done," i. e. this proiihecy is so certain, 
 as if it were come and done already. It is usual 
 among the Hebrews to put prefer tenses for future, 
 and to speak of things as past which are certainly to 
 come. 
 
 " This is the day whereof I have spoken." God
 
 rcG 
 
 AX EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIX. 
 
 h;ul spoken of Gog and Magog by his prophets for- 
 merly, as was showed froru the 1 7th verse of the 
 38th chapter, that they should come against Israel, 
 and utterly be destroyed in that attempt; which the 
 Lord speaking of here as done, saith, " This is the 
 day," not designing the prefixed day when it should 
 be : it shall be, but when, that is hid. 
 
 Obs. 1. There is a certain time determined for the 
 destruction of the church's enemies, which God looks 
 upon as present, and done. " Behold, it is come, it 
 is done ;" that is, the day of Gog and Magog's ruin. 
 God foresees things to come as if they were present, 
 not by a presence of existcncy from eternity, but 
 in his decree, on that his foreknowledge and the 
 certainty of things is founded ; we should therefore 
 firmly believe the same, and not give way to dubious 
 opinions thereabout. 
 
 Obs. '2. The particular time is hidden from men, 
 and known only unto God. Man cannot say, " This is 
 the day," but the Lord can ; he knew the very mo- 
 ment when Gog and his should be destroyed, and 
 the church set at liberty. The thing and time in- 
 definitely were revealed to the prophet, but not the 
 particular, punctual time ; the Lord kept that in his 
 own breast, his infinite wisdom saw it not meet to 
 particularize the time. The prophets had spoken 
 of a day that would be for Gog's invading the land 
 of Israel, and of his falling upon the mountains 
 thereof, but the exact time they knew not. John, 
 unto whom the Lord Christ revealed much, tells 
 you, that after one thousand years' reign of the saints 
 with Christ, it shall be, Rev. xx. 7 — 9. 
 
 Ver. 9, 10. And they that dwell in the cities of 
 Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and 
 burn the weapons, both the shields and the buc/clers, 
 the bows and the arroivs, and the handstaves, and 
 the spears, and they shall burn them with fire 
 seven years : so that they shall take no wood out 
 of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests ; 
 for tliry shall burn the weapons with fire : and 
 they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob 
 those that robbed them, saith the Lord God. 
 
 The great victory over Gog and Magog begins in 
 these verses, which is set out by the burning of the 
 weapons, and spoiling them of their goods. Who 
 obtained the victory is not mentioned ; it is only 
 said, the Jews shall go out of their cities and gather 
 up the weapons, and burn them, ilcc. It is conceived 
 the Lord will deal with Gog and his forces in some 
 extraordinary way. Ver. 3, it is said, " I will smite 
 thy bow out of thy hand ;" and Rev. xx. 9, " Fire 
 came down from God out of heaven, and devoured 
 them:" but notwithstanding God's extraordinary 
 dealing with them, the Jews were used of the Lord 
 in this victory; for, chap, xxxviii. 21, " I will call 
 for a sword against him throughout all my moun- 
 tains, saith the Lord (iod ;" so that all Israel shall 
 be in the field against him, and be the conquerors. 
 
 Ver. y. " Tlicy that dwell in the cities of Israel 
 shall go forth, and shall set on lire and burn the 
 weapons." After this great and famous victory, the 
 citizens which dwell in the cities of Israel will go 
 forth, to see the slain, and to get spoil ; and among 
 other things, they should take of their weapons, and 
 make themselves fire thereof. The word for " wea- 
 pons" is, pff:, which notes any kinii of weapon to 
 oppose the enemy. It is not from pt'i to burn, but 
 from pr: to arm. 
 
 " Both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and 
 tlie arrows, and the handstaves. and the spears." 
 These latter were combustible; but how they should 
 
 burn the shields and bucklers is not apparent, they 
 being of solid metals; it is like something combusti- 
 ble was annexed unto them. 
 
 " And they shall burn them with fire seven years." 
 It must needs be a numerous, or rather numberless 
 army, whose weapons should sufiice the Jews seven 
 years for firing. John saith, their number shall be 
 as the sand of the sea. Rev. xx. 8, which exceeds 
 all arithmetic. Some make it a hyperbolical expres- 
 sion, to show the greatness of their overthrow, and 
 multitude of their warlike instruments. Others 
 mind us of a certain time put here for an uncertain, 
 viz. " seven years " put for along time. The Jewish 
 writers do take the words literally, concluding they 
 shall have such a victory over their enemies, as that 
 for seven years they shall need no other materials to 
 burn than their weapons; and think their Messiah 
 not come, because they have not yet obtained such a 
 victory. Sanctius thinks not that they were seven 
 years in burning the weapons, but that they had 
 such store which might have served them for seven 
 years' fuel ; great store, and therefore it is said, they 
 should " burn them with fire seven years." How 
 this was verified in Antiochus, is liard to show. It 
 is nearer to truth, to judge that this scripture re- 
 mains still to be fulfilled. 
 
 Ver. 10. " So that they shall take no wood out of 
 the field, neither cut down any out of the forests." 
 These words taken absolutely, do strengthen the 
 literal acceptation of the former. We may take them 
 comiiaratively, thus, That in respect of what they 
 did use to take out of the field, and cut out of the 
 forest, they should now cut and take little : and 
 why ? 
 
 " For they shall burn the weapons with fire." 
 They should so supply them for fuel, that little other 
 wood should serve. This burning of enemies' 
 weapons conduceth much to peace. Where warlike 
 weapons are broken and burned, not reserved, there 
 wars cease and peace follows. 
 
 " They shall spoil those that spoiled them, and 
 rob those that robbed them." It is incident to all 
 people and nations to spoil and rob the people of 
 God ; and so these Goggites and their confederates, 
 they " compassed the camp of the saints, and the 
 beloved city," saith John, Rev. xx. 9. In all ages, 
 the church hath been made a prey of by one or 
 other ; but the time shall be when it shall spoil her 
 spoilers, and rob her robbers. 
 
 Obs. I. God will give victories to his church and 
 people which seem incredible. Here is pointed out 
 such a victory as is full of wonders and matters in- 
 credible. Their number is as the sand of the sea, 
 and all of them horsemen, and clothed with all sorts 
 of arms, chap, xxxviii. 4, yet conquered. Their 
 weapons serve for seven years' firing, and their bo- 
 dies are seven months in burying, as it follows in 
 ver. 12. Will not this be a wonderful victory ? Do 
 not these things seem incredible ? God of old gave 
 great and strange victories to his people, as the 
 drowning of Pharaoh in the Red sea, the slaying of 
 Sennacherib's vast army in a night by an angel. 
 Great victories since Christ his time have been. 
 The christians have had signal victories against the 
 Turk ; and Sanctius tells you of a wonderful victory 
 which the Spaniards had against the Saracens, 
 when at one battle they slew two hundred thousand 
 of them, and lost but twenty-five men ; but whenever 
 this overthrow of Gog shall be, it will exceed all 
 former victories. 
 
 (-)hs. 2. The Lord makes that advantageous to his 
 people, which their enemies intended to damnify and 
 ruin them by. The bows, arrows, handstaves, and 
 spears, shall serve the saints for fuel, with wliich
 
 Vf.r. 11—16. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 767 
 
 the Goggites thought to destroy them. The sword 
 of Goliath, with which he thought to have slain 
 David and many Israelites, was afterwards given 
 into the hand of David, and serviceable unto liim, 
 1 Sam. xxi. 9. The wise and wonderful providence 
 of God so overrules and orders things, that it makes 
 instruments of death the comforts of life. The 
 chariots of Sisera that came for destruction, were to 
 the Jews for use and recreation. 
 
 Obs. 3. After the overthrow of Gog and Mago^, 
 antichrist and his adherents, the church of God snail 
 have great peace. All their weapons of war shall 
 be burnt ; tney shall make head no more against 
 the saints. After the devouring of Gog and Magog 
 by fire from heaven. Rev. xx. 9, the gates of the 
 new Jerusalem were never shut, chap. xxi. 25. They 
 feared no enemies, they had great peace. 
 
 Obs. 4. The people of God shall have a day of 
 recompence for the wrongs and injuries they have 
 sustained. They shall spoil those that spoiled them, 
 and rob those that robbed them. The Goggites of 
 the world do fleece the servants of God, eat their 
 flesh, suck their blood, and gnaw their bones ; but 
 the day is coming, when the wicked shall be a spoil 
 and prey unto them ; which sets out the righteous- 
 ness of God in his ways and judgments. What can 
 be more equal than that he who spoils should be 
 spoiled ? See Isa. xxxiii. 1, " Woe to thee that 
 spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled ; and dealest 
 treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with 
 thee ! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shall be 
 spoiled ; and when thou shalt make an end to deal 
 treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with 
 thee." 
 
 Ver. 11 — 16. And it shall come to pass in that 
 day, that I ivill give unto Gog a place there of 
 g7-aves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on 
 the east of the sea : and it shall stop the noses of 
 the passengers : and there shall they bury Gog 
 and all his multitude : and they shall call it The 
 valley of Hanion-gog. And seren montlts shall 
 the house of Israel be burying of them, that they 
 may cleanse the land. Yea, all the peojde of the 
 land shall bury them ; and if shall be to them a 
 renown the day that I shall be glorified, saitli 
 the Lord God. And they shall sever out men of 
 continual employment, passing through the land 
 to bury with the passetigers those that remain 
 upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it : after 
 the end of seve/i months shall they search. And 
 the passengers that pass through the land, when 
 any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a 
 sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the 
 valley of Hamon-gog. And also the name of 
 the citij shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they 
 cleanse the land. 
 
 Having spoken of the great overthrow which Gog 
 and his should have, and the great spoil the Is- 
 raelites should get thereby ; now the burial of the 
 dead carcasses and their bones comes under consider- 
 ation ; where we have, the place of the burial, the 
 time how long they shall be burying, the persons by 
 whom the name of the place. 
 
 Ver. II." And it shall come to pass at that day, 
 that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in 
 Israel." When Gog and his forces shall be slain, 
 lie exposed to the fowls of heaven and beasts of the 
 field for a season, then will the Lord give unto them 
 a burying-place ; they shall not always lie putrify- 
 ing above-ground, but they shall be laid in graves ; 
 
 so that they shall neither be a jjrey to fowls and 
 beasts, nor olTensive to man, always. This was fa- 
 vour, that God should give his enemies sepulchres 
 in Israel. The Vulgate and Septuagint have it, A 
 place of name or renown, putting cr for ci? It was 
 honour enough for them to have graves there in 
 Israel. This honour had not Antiochus. 
 
 " The valley of the passengers on the east of the 
 sea." What valley this was, is not agreed upon by 
 interpreters. Some affirm it to be a valley near 
 unto the lake of Gennesareth, or sea of Tiberias ; 
 others inform us it is about Jordan; some say it is 
 on this side Jordan, some say on that side. It is 
 most probable to be a valley near the Salt or Dead 
 sea, where the five cities, Admah, Zeboim, Segor, 
 Sodom, and Gomorrah, were consumed by fire and 
 brimstone ; now called Lacus Asphaltites. There, 
 as Junius notes, men passed from Syria, Mesopo- 
 tamia, Babylon, and other countries, into Arabia 
 Felix, and Egypt ; whereupon it was called " the 
 valley of passengers," and lay eastward from Jeru- 
 salem, as the next words show : " on the east of the 
 sea," that is, on the eastern sea. The sea of Tiberias 
 lay northward, but Mare Mortuum lay eastward. 
 
 " And it shall stop the noses of the passengers." 
 Such a stink shall be in that valley as shall cause 
 the passengers to stop their noses or mouths, or 
 both. The Spirit of God mav have some respect 
 unto the lake Asphaltites, which sent forth poisonous 
 and suffocating vapours ; so should the dead bodies 
 of Gog and his send out such a loathsome infecting 
 savour, as travellers should stop their noses as not 
 being able to endure the same. 
 
 " There shall they bury Gog and all his multi- 
 tude." Though Gog had a burial in the land of 
 Israel, yet it was not in the sepulchres of the kings 
 or prophets ; it was in " the valley of passengers," 
 near the place of God's remarkable judgment upon 
 the sinful cities. 
 
 " And they shall call it The valley of Hamon-gog." 
 In Jeremiah, you read of a "valley of slaugliter," 
 Jer. xix. 6; vii. 32; and it was so called from the 
 persons slain there by Nebuchadnezzar's forces, when 
 Jerusalem was besieged and taken. And here is a 
 valley called " the valley of llamon-gog," that is. of 
 the multilude of Gog; so great <i multitude were 
 slain and buried there, as gave denomination to the 
 valley. This valley, Joel in his days was pleased to 
 call " The valley of decision," or threshing, as the 
 word imports, Joel iii. 14. 
 
 Ver. 12. "And seven months shall the house of 
 Israel be burying of them." Not some few, but the 
 house of Israel, who were a great number, should be 
 employed seven months in burying of them ; which 
 sets out the greatness of the victory ; such a number 
 slain as should set many thousands on work so lonif 
 to bury them ; seven years in burning their weapons, 
 and seven months in burying their dead. If a cer- 
 tain nundier be put here for an uncertain, as some 
 will have it, yet they were a long time about this 
 work. 
 
 " That they may cleanse the land." When a mul- 
 titude are slain, their ])ulrificd bodies are apt to cor- 
 rupt the air and earth, and so to endanger the living. 
 The Israelites therefore, to prevent such a mischief, 
 shall take great pains to bury them, and that with- 
 out any intention of honouring the dead thereby. 
 When men bury the dead, usually it is for an honour 
 to them, but not so here ; the end was, to cleanse 
 the land, which was defiled with the carcasses of 
 these Goggites. 
 
 Ver. 13. "Yea, all the people of the land shall 
 burv them." Before he had said, "the house (>f 
 Israel ;" now he adds, "all the men of the land:"
 
 res 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIX. 
 
 some should give counsel, some should dig the graves 
 or jiits, and some should bring and put the dead 
 bodies into them. Some understand by " the house 
 of Israel," and "people of the land," christian peo- 
 ple ; who shall extinguish the name of antielirist, 
 and bury it, with all his otTensive errors, in the 
 grave of oblivion ; and that they make the sense of 
 burying Gog and his. 
 
 " And it shall be to them a renown." The He- 
 brew is, for a name. They shall be renowned for 
 this victory, and for their humanity in burying of 
 the dead ; their enemies shall speak honourably and 
 well of them. 
 
 " The day that I shall be glorified." The Tigurine 
 translation hath it thus, That day, wherein 1 shall 
 be glorified, shall be famous unto them ; they shall 
 have cause to remember that day for ever. What 
 day I shall destroy Gog and Magog with all their 
 forces, and so get glory to myself, that day shall be 
 a day of name, of renown, and of memorial unto 
 them ; that day shall be put into their chronicles. 
 The Hebrew stands thus, In the day of me to be 
 glorified; and so may point at their glorifying God 
 f(ir that great destruction of their enemies. 
 
 Ver. 14. " And they shall sever out men of con- 
 tinual employment." Gog, and his, being beaten, 
 divers were scattered up and down the land, and by 
 reason of their wounds, fell and lay unburied in 
 many places ; whereupon they chose out men of 
 continuance, (so the Hebrew is,) who tnight go up 
 and down from one part of the land to the other, to 
 find out the dead. 
 
 " To bury with the passengers those that remain 
 upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it." As those 
 searchers went up and down, they met with pas- 
 sengers, whom they caused to assist them in the 
 burial of the dead they found. It is probable they 
 made the passengers to take the bodies or bones of 
 the dead, and to bnry them ; because it was matter 
 of defilement unto the Jews to touch dead bodies; 
 Numb. xix. 11, they that did so, were unclean seven 
 days. These being to cleanse the land, would not 
 d. file themselves. 
 
 " After the end of seven months, shall they search." 
 Seven months were the people of the land in burying 
 their enemies, they were busied about those that 
 fell by heaps. When these months were at an end, 
 tliey sent out their searchers to examine woods, 
 hills, caves, valleys, highways, and ditches, where 
 any dead corpse might lie ; so careful were they to 
 prevent infection. 
 
 Ver. 15. " When any seeth a man's bone, then 
 shall he set up a sign by it." Some bodies lying 
 long, the fowls of the heaven, or beasts of the field, 
 devoured their fiesh, ate their bones, and left some 
 fragments of them, which if the passengers and 
 searchers found, they were to set up a sign or mark 
 by them, to give notice thereof. " Man's bone," is 
 a singular number put for a plural, men's bones. 
 The word "a sign" is, jvi which signifies a st.itue, 
 a title, or sign, setting near to a grave, or a way- 
 luark : as Jer. xxxi. 21, "Set thee up way-marks," 
 the word is, c':'3t and they were to direct people ; so 
 here, they set up signs to direct the buriers what to 
 do conrerning lliose bones. 
 
 " Till the buriers have buried it in the valley 
 of Hamon-gog." Those appointed to bury, were to 
 take the bones of men so discovered, and to carry 
 them to the valby of Hamon-gog, and bury them 
 there. There were the multitude of the slain buried, 
 w liicli gave that denomination to the place ; and 
 with them must the scattered and collected bones be 
 buriid. 
 
 Ver. IG. " Also the name of the city shall be Ila- 
 
 monah." What city shall be so called is not set 
 down, and therefore interpreters do vary thereabouts. 
 Some believe there was a city near that valley which 
 had another name, and upon this occasion of slaying 
 Gog and his multitude, lost that, and had this im- 
 posed, " Hamonah," her multitude, because a mul- 
 titude of enemies were slain there. Upon occasions 
 names have been given to places, as appears, Gen. 
 xvi. 14; xxvi. 20—22; Hos. iv. 15; 2 Sam. v. 9; 
 vi. 8. Others judge this city to be Jerusalem, read- 
 ing the words thus. And her multitude shall be a 
 name (or for a name) to the city; so Junius: or, 
 The name of the city shall be from her multitude ; 
 that is, the city Jerusalem : or. The church shall be 
 famous for her inhabitants, which slew such a mul- 
 titude of Goggites ; so Piscator. This sense hath 
 more of truth in it than the other ; for we find not 
 any city called Hamonah, since this prophecy : yet 
 those of that opinion say, it was fulfilled in the time 
 of Antiochus. 
 
 " Thus shall they cleanse the land." The words 
 are read by some, After they have cleansed the land; 
 by others. When they have cleansed the land, which 
 is the same for sense. God's giving them so great a 
 victory over such a multitude of enemies, and their 
 not abusing, but cleansing the land after it, should 
 be to them for a name, for their great glory and 
 renown. 
 
 Obi: 1. God disappoints the expectation of the 
 wicked while living, yet sometimes affords favour 
 when they are dead. Gog, and all his, expected to 
 have had the land of Israel in possession, with 
 all the desirable things thereof; but God disappoint- 
 ed his expectation ; slays him and his ; and after 
 death, gives him and the rest a place of burial in 
 that land, which was favour. Though they had not 
 what they hoped for, yet they had more than they 
 deserved : for such grand enemies to have a burying- 
 place in that land, which was Emmanuel's laud, out 
 of which they would have driven his people, was no 
 small favour; especially, if we add to it, that the 
 place was named after his name, " The valley of 
 Hamon-gog," and this recorded in the book of God, 
 and to remain for ever. 
 
 Obs. 2. After great \'ictories, wherein many are 
 slain, people should for public good be careful to 
 bury the dead ; though it require time, be trouble- 
 some, and chargeable. Here they were seven months 
 in burying the dead carcasses ; they ajipointed men 
 to go throughout the land to search for corpses and 
 bones, which was a chargeable business ; and wher- 
 ever tliey found any, to bring them unto "the valley 
 of Hamon-gog," which was very troublesome. These 
 things they were to do for public good, that the land 
 might not be infected with those bodies, and so in- 
 fect the living. 
 
 Obs. 3. By great victories over enemies, God 
 honours his own name, and makes his people to 
 have a name. " It shall be to them a renown the 
 day that I shall be glorified." That day my power, 
 my faithfulness, my justice, my mercy, will be seen, 
 acknowledged, and so I shall be praised, made glo- 
 rious ; and in that day my people will be spoken of 
 for their valour, faith, and humanity in burying the 
 dead, and so will be renowned. When God destroyed 
 Sennacherib's army, God did not only make himself a 
 name, but he also made Hezekiah a name ; 2 Chron. 
 xxxii.23, " He was magnified in the sight of all nations 
 from thenceforth ;" and that which was his magnifica- 
 tion was the magnification of all his people. The 
 honour of the head is the honour of the whole body. 
 How renowned w ill new Jerusalem be, when God and 
 Magog, antichrist and all that adhere to them, shall 
 be taken away ! When the Lord shall destroy them
 
 Vkr. 17—20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 769 
 
 by fire from heaven, and multitudes be cut off by the 
 sword, then shall those nniltitudes be for a name to 
 the city. 
 
 Obs. 4. After conquering, there ought to be cleans- 
 ing. When Gog and his sh;>.ll be subdued, then they 
 must cleanse the land ; not a dead corpse, not a bone, 
 must be left in it; such things did defile. We have 
 had many victories ; but wliat cleansing hath there 
 been in this laTid ? Dead bodies, limbs, and bones 
 of men have been buried ; but what dead works are 
 cleansed out of this land ? Do not all sorts of sins 
 abound, yea, superabound ? Had we cleansed the 
 land for each victory Cod hath given us, but of one 
 common sin, by this time we had been spotless, we 
 should not have liad any visible iniquities amongst 
 us : Ijut now we are lil^e Golgotha, a place of sculls 
 and dead men ; like Sodom and Gomorrah, or the 
 valley of Hamon-gog ; we stink so throug-h our blas- 
 phemies, errors, and wicked practices, that passen- 
 gers stop their noses and shake their heads. 
 
 Ver. 17 — 20. And, thou son of man, thus saith 
 the Lord God ; Speak unto every J'eathered fowl, 
 and to everi) beast of the field. Assemble your- 
 selves, and come ; gather yourselves on every side 
 to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for i/ou, even a 
 great sacrifice tipon the mottntains of Israel, that 
 ye may eat Jlesh, and drink blood. Ye shall eat 
 the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the 
 pi itices of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of 
 goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. 
 And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood 
 till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have 
 sacrificed for you. Thus ye shall be filled at my 
 table tvith horses and chariots, with mighty men, 
 and with all men of war, saith the Lord God. 
 
 These verses speak of a great feast, and the invi- 
 tation of guests unto the same : strange guests ! the 
 fowls of the heaven and the beasts of the field : and 
 they have as strange dishes provided for them, even 
 the flesh of mighty men and princes. 
 
 Ver. 17. "Speak unto every feathered fowl, and 
 to every beast of the field." The Hebrew for "every 
 feathered fowl" is, rjij-'^s i''sx? lo the fowl of every 
 wing; that is, to wliat fowl soever hath wing, let 
 that fowl be invited to come and cat of the feast pre- 
 pared ; and likewise, " every beast of the field," which 
 is a beast of prey. 
 
 " Assemble yourselves, and come, gather your- 
 selves on every side." The fowls and beasts being 
 void of reason, could not understand what the pro- 
 phet said ; but God, who had command over them 
 as well as other creatures, would cause them to 
 come, as if they had had reason and understanding. 
 This shows the certainty and greatness of the vic- 
 tory ; the fowls and beasts are called to come, and 
 their coming shall not be in vain ; tlicy must come 
 " on every side," and therefore great provision shall 
 be made for them. 
 
 " To my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even 
 a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel." The 
 Hebrew word for " sacrifice" is, nat zebach, which 
 signifies, a sacrifice of a slain beast. When a beast 
 was killed and to be offered up to God, tliat was a 
 sacrifice properly. Sometimes it notes the killing 
 of men and beasts, as here, which metaphorically is 
 called a sacrifice. Gog with his men and horses 
 were slain, and these God calls his sacrifice, a great 
 sacrifice which he ])repared for the fowls and beasts, 
 a great feast or supper ; and the place where this 
 should be is, " upon the mountains of Israel." 
 
 3 D 
 
 " That ye may eat flesh, and drink blood." In 
 the former verse he spake of Gog's funeral, and 
 those that were slain with him. even the dead bodies 
 and the bones ; how is it now that he speaks of eat- 
 ing their flesh, and drinking their blood, after the 
 seven months were expired, and the searchers had 
 gone through the land? It is not probable, that 
 some were left unburied, and so the fowls and beasts 
 invited to eat their flesh aiul drink their blood; but 
 ha\-ing touched a httle up(m this in the 4tli verse, he 
 re-assumes the argument again in this and the three 
 next verses, and speaks more fully to it. 
 
 Ver. 18. " Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty." 
 The Septuagint saith, of giants : by these mighty 
 men, or giants, the chief ones in the army are pointed 
 out, men of powi r and command. 
 
 " And drink the blood of the princes of the earth." 
 In this vast army of Gog, there were the princes of 
 divers eountiies his confederates, chap, xxxviii. 5, G. 
 Their blood should the fowls of heaven and beasts of 
 the earth drink, being shed and spilled upon the 
 groimd. They should feed upon not the vile and 
 base ones, but the chiefest, and so drink their blood. 
 
 " Of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all 
 of them fatlings of Baslian." By these metaphorical 
 expressions are set out the dead carcasses of men, 
 who were of several dispositions and qualities : some 
 were like rams and lambs, others like goats and 
 bullocks : some were sweeter and more tender flesh 
 than others. Rams and goats, or great goats, as the 
 Hebrew word signifies, were leadc rs ; lambs and bul- 
 locks were those under the leaders. All of them 
 were well fleshed and fat like the kine of Bashan. 
 Bashan was a high hill, Psal. Ixviii. 15, beyond 
 Jordan, which yielded strong oaks, and fat cattle, 
 Ezek. xxvii. G: Amos iv. 1. 
 
 Ver. I'J. " And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and 
 drink," &c. The fowls of heaven and beasts of the 
 field are resembled unto men at a feast, wheie hav- 
 ing meat and drink which likes them, they eat and 
 drink plentifully. The fat, flesh, and blood of men 
 is sweet, and so pleasing to fowls and beasts, which 
 should cram and fill themselves therewith. 
 
 Ver. 20. " Thus ye shall be filled at my table." 
 The word for " table " is, p^t" from nSe to send, 
 because it is sent out, or extended at length ; so 
 that it may contain many dishes, and guests may 
 sit down thereat to feed upon those dishes. The 
 mountains of Israel were the table here, the car- 
 casses of men were the dishes, the fowls of heaven 
 and beasts of the field the guests. Such plenty and 
 variety of dishes they should have, as liad not been 
 seen at any table before ; every guest should be filled. 
 
 " W^ith horses and chariots, with mighty men, and 
 with all men of war." In the Hebrew it is, with 
 horse, with chariot, with mighty man, and all man 
 of war, all singulars, put for plurals ; hi re it is declared 
 who are meant by rams, linnbs, goats, and bullocks 
 in the ISth verse, horsemen, chariot-men, men of 
 miglit, yea, all men of war. 
 
 " Saith the Lord." Lest it should be thought an 
 incredilde thing, the Lord ratifies it, saying. Thus 
 saith the Lord God. Jehovah, who is able to make 
 such preparations for the fowls of heaven and beasts 
 of the earth, hath said it, and will do it. 
 
 Obs. 1. That all creatures are at the command of 
 God, and ordered to do this or that, according to his 
 wise providence. " Speak to every feathered fowl, 
 and to every beast of tlie field." Were not these 
 creatures at the beck of the Lord, and subject to liis 
 overruling providence, it had been in vain for Ezekiel 
 to have spoken so unto them. In I Kings xvii. 4, 
 God commanded the ravens to feed Elijah, and they 
 did come and bring him meat, morning and evening
 
 770 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIX. 
 
 duly, ver. 6. Psal. 1. II, it is said, God knows "all 
 the fowls of the mountains ;" and he calls them to 
 what service he pleases. He called for quails lo 
 satisfy the lustings of the Israelites, Numb. xi. 31. 
 God asked Job the question, whether the eagle 
 mounted up at his command ? Job xxxix. 27 ; imply- 
 ing, that though man hath no command over (lie 
 fowls of heaven, yet himself hath. And so over fishes 
 and beasts; Jonah i. 17; ii. 10, the whale came and 
 went at God's command, and did the service he ap- 
 pointed. Lev. xxvi. 22, " I will send wild beasts 
 amongst you, which .shall roljyou of your children :" 
 and this he did; 2 Kings ii. 24, the Lord caused two 
 she-bears to come out of the wood and destroy forty- 
 two of their children. God is the Lord of hosts, and 
 can command an army of creatures at his pleasure, to 
 benefit his servants, or to plague fheir enemies. 
 
 Obs. 2. God doth execute some great and signal 
 judgment, when he summons tlie creatures to eat the 
 flesh and drink the blood of the slain. Ofttimcs the 
 bodies of Jews and gentiles have been given for meat 
 unto the fowls and beasts, as Jer. vii. 33; xxxiv. 
 20 ; Ezck. xxix. 5 ; but they have not been sum- 
 moned and called by open proclamation, as here it 
 is. The prophet must " speak to every feathered 
 fowl, and to every beast of the field, and say. Assem- 
 ble yourselves, and come, gather yourselves on every 
 side." Such a proclamation you have but twice 
 more in all tlic Scripture : once in Jer. xii. 9, " Come 
 ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to de- 
 vour;" he speaks of that great destruction of the 
 Jews by Nebuchadnezzar. The other place is Rev. 
 xix. 17, 18, " I saw an angel standing in the sun ; and 
 he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls 
 that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather 
 yourselves together unto the supper of the great 
 God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the 
 flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, 
 and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on fhem, 
 and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both 
 small and great." This place runs parallel with 
 Ezekiel, and sets out (he greatness and signalness 
 of God's judgments upon the enemies of the church. 
 And it is conceived by some to be the very same 
 judgment Ezekiel speaks of, viz. that of Gog and 
 Magog. 
 
 Obs. 3. It is matter of delight and pleasure unto 
 God, to destroy the enemies of his church and peo- 
 ple. " Come to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for 
 you." The Jews took great pleasure in sacrificing 
 of creatures unto God, 1 Chron. xxix. 21, 22; and 
 God was well pleased with sacrifices. Gen. viii. 20, 
 21. Here he calls the destroying of Gog and Ma- 
 gog his sacrifice, his feast, or table ; he took as 
 much delight in their slaughter as in any sacrifice, 
 or in any least. Wicked men are briers and thorns, 
 and God hatli as much pleasure in the cutting down 
 the one, as the husbandman hath in cutting down 
 the other. God delights in acts of judgment, as 
 well as in acts of mercy. Isa. xlviii. 14," " He will do 
 his jilcasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the 
 Chaldeans:" the destruction of Babylonians and 
 Chaldeans God calls, "his pleasure;" the Hebrew 
 is, iXDn his will. It is God's will to-ilestroy all the 
 enemies of Zion ; and the doing of it pleases him. 
 
 Ob-i. 4. God is im])arlial in his judicial dispensa- 
 tions, he punisheth the great delinquents as well as 
 the lesser. Mighty men, princes, those that ride in 
 chariots, rams, great goats, are slaughtered and 
 given to the fowls and beasts, as well as the inferior 
 sort, the men of war, lambs, and bullocks : they were 
 all in the same confederacy, in the same war against 
 the land of Israel ; and God winked not at the great- 
 est, nor spared the meanest, but made then! all a 
 
 sacrifice. God is a righteous God, and executes his 
 judgments without respect of jiersons. Let not 
 great men flatter themselves, they will not be ex- 
 empted when God comes forth to judgment, though 
 they be princes. 
 
 Obs. 5. Great men, and vulgar ones also, may be 
 a prey to the creatures, and lie without burial for a 
 season. Princes, mighty men, and others, after their 
 death, lay upon the mountains of Israel, and had 
 their flesh eaten and blood drunk by fowls and beasts, 
 which was another judgment added to the former ; 
 and the greater to the heathen, because they thought 
 their souls did wander up and down upon the earth, 
 unless their bodies had been buried, as Tertullian 
 saith. The Athenians had the burial of the dead in 
 such honour, that if a captain neglected to bury the 
 dead which fell in war, they punished him with 
 death for it. It is a great ignommy to lie unburied. 
 Hence the beast, when the witnesses were killed, 
 would not sufl'er their bodies to be buried, but let 
 them lie in the streets, that so they might be the 
 more ignominious. 
 
 Obs. 6. God provides for the brute and dumb crea- 
 tures, and that abundantly. " Every feathered fowl, 
 and every beast of the field," shall be filled at my table. 
 God doth not only feed the creatures, but sometimes 
 feasts them. This world is God's family wherein 
 are millions of living creatures, and not one of them 
 is neglected of God. Psal. cxlv. 15, 16, " The eyes 
 of all wait tipon thee, and thou givest them their 
 meat indue season;" they have theirbreakfast, din- 
 ner, and supper : and lest we should conceit one 
 hath too much, another too little, it follows, "Thou 
 openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every 
 living thing:" he satisfies the fishes of the sea, the 
 beasts of the earth, and fowls of heaven. How should 
 this teach men to depend upon God, not giving way 
 to distrust, or discontent ! Matt. vi. 26, " Behold the 
 fowls of the air," saith Christ, "for they sow not, 
 neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet 
 your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not 
 much better than they?" He saith not, the fowls of 
 the house, they are cared for; but, " tlie fowls of the 
 air," that have none to look after them, unless it be 
 fowlers to take away their lives; neither do they 
 know where to get the next meal when they have 
 gotten one, nor what hole or bush to lodge in at 
 night, yet their heavenly Father provides for and 
 feeds tliem. Does he take care of such creatures, 
 and will he not take care of you ? Yes, certainly he 
 will ; and wdiy ? ye are better than they ; ye are 
 rational, they irrational ; ye are his sons, they his 
 servants. 
 
 Ver. 21, 22. And I vill set wy glnri/ among 
 tlie heathen, and all the heathen shall see my 
 judgment that I have executed, and my hand that 
 I liave laid upon them. So the house of Israel 
 shall knoiv that I am the Lord their God from 
 that day and forward. 
 
 The Lord having declared what destructive judg- 
 ments he would bring upon Gog and Magog, he 
 comes here to make known the end of his so deal- 
 ing with them, viz. the manifestation of his glory 
 amongst heathens and his own people. 
 
 Ver. 21. " I will set my glory among the hea- 
 then." I will give my glory, saith the Hebrew, that 
 is, 1 will cause it to be evident amongst them. By 
 "glory" understand the glory of his justice and 
 power. 
 
 " All the heathen shall sec my judgment that I 
 have executed." These words give light to the 
 former. The heathen seeing the dreadful judgments
 
 Ver. 23, 24. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 771 
 
 of God upon Gog and his, should acknowledge the 
 
 justice and power of God. 
 
 " And my hand that 1 have laid upon them." They 
 shall not only have a bare sight, but experimental 
 knowledge ; they shall find themselves concerned 
 therein, and feel the hand of God heavy upon them ; 
 for the strength, wealth, liberty, and glorj- of the 
 heathen will be much impaired, if not totally ruined, 
 by the overthrow of Gog. 
 
 Ver. 22. " So the house of Israel shall know that 
 I am," &c. They did know the Lord to be their 
 God before ; but this signal stroke of God upon their 
 enemies, being a signal mercy unto them, should so 
 engage them unto God, that from that time forward 
 they should afresh and eminently acknowledge God 
 to he their God, and none to be like unto him ; that 
 he will not desert them in their straits, but be their 
 deliverer. 
 
 Obs. 1. The great end of God's judgments upon 
 sinful men is, his glory. " I will set my glory among 
 the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judg- 
 ment," iS:c. God doth therefore execute judgment, 
 that he may be glorified. When sinful people w-ill 
 not give glory to God for his mercies, he will fetch 
 glory out of them by his judgments. They are the 
 work of his hand, and whatever that be, it is " ho- 
 nourable and glorious," Psal. cxi. 3 ; not only his 
 works of creation, but those of judicial providence. 
 Upon what nation soever, army, or navy, the Lord 
 sliall lay his hand, he will work out his glory there- 
 by ; that is the end of all his works and j\idgments. 
 
 Obs. 2. Dreadful judgments upon the wicked, are 
 engaging mercies unto the godly. " So the house 
 of Israel shall know that 1 am the Lord their God 
 from that day and forward." The hand of God upon 
 Gog and his should so affect their hearts, that they 
 should experimentally know, and say. The Lord is 
 our God, he hath laid low our enemies ; he hath 
 freed us from their insultings, threats, oppressions : 
 he is our Deliverer, our Saviour, our Redeemer. Isa. 
 XXV. 9, " It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our 
 God ; we have waited for him, and he will save us : 
 this is the Lord ; we have waited for him, we will 
 be glad and rejoice in his salvation." When God 
 executed severe judgments upon the enemies of his 
 people, then were their hearts thus afi'ected, and en- 
 gaged unto the Lord ; then they i-ejoiced in God 
 their Saviour, and said, " He will save," he hath 
 saved us, and he will save us. Wlien the godly see 
 that great judgments upon their enemies are great 
 mercies unto them, their faith is advanced thereby, 
 and they are persuaded God will never leave them ; 
 their hearts are warmed, and they cannot but own 
 and praise him. 
 
 Ver. 23, 24. And the hpaihen shall hrifiw that 
 the house of Israel u-ent into captivity for their 
 inif/uity : because they trespassed against vie, 
 therefore hid I my face from them, and gave 
 them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they 
 all by the sivord. According to their vncleanness 
 arid according to their transgressions have J dune 
 unto them, and hid my face from them. 
 
 The heathen had base and blasphemous thoughts 
 of God, they imagined he was not able to keej) his 
 people out of the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and his 
 gods : to vindicate himself, therefore, the Lord tells 
 them the true cause why they were carried into cap- 
 tivity, namely, for their iniquity. It was not impo- 
 tency in God, but iniquity in them which caused it. 
 
 Ver. 23. " The house of Israel went into captivity 
 for their initjuity." The Hebrew is, the house of 
 Israel were led into captivity in their iniquities. 
 3 D 2 ■ 
 
 God took them in their iniquities, and carried them 
 away into captivity in them, or for them. The Scp- 
 tuagint says, for their sins, their crooked and per- 
 verse doings. 
 
 " Because they trespassed against me." The 
 word Syn inaal, signifies, stubbornly and contemptu- 
 ously to sin ; to oppose him one ought to be subject 
 unto: such transgressors were the Jews; they op- 
 posed God. 
 
 " Therefore hid I my face from them." To hide 
 the face from them imports, \. The denying of them 
 his favour, his counsel, his help ; and, 2. Declaring 
 his anger and severity by sharp judgments. Psal. 
 Ixxx. 3, " Cause thy face to shine, and we shall be 
 saved." God's face was clouded, and hid from his 
 church, so that it had neither favour, counsel, nor 
 help from him, but sad afflictions and judgments ; 
 for he was angry with the prayers of his people, he 
 fed them with the bread of tears, and gave them 
 tears to drink in great measure : therein he sorely 
 afHicted them. 
 
 " And gave them into the hand of their enemies." 
 This followed upon God's hiding his face : they felt 
 acts of his displeasure ; he gave or delivered them 
 up into the hands of their enemies ; he caused Ne- 
 buchadnezzar to come, besiege Jerusalem, and to 
 take it: and then God gives into the hand of others, 
 when his providence acts and orders things so, that 
 men come under their power. 
 
 " So fell they all by the sword." Some were car- 
 ried into captivity, some Hcd, some were left in the 
 land after Nebuchadnezzar and his forces returned 
 to Babylon ; how then is it said, " they all fell by 
 the sword ? " The sense is, they were all brought 
 under by the power of the sword, not all killed that 
 were made subject ; and some of all sorts killed. 
 
 Ver. 24. " According to their uncleanness and ac- 
 cording to their transgressions have I done unto 
 them." Here God anticipates what Jews and gm- 
 tiles might object, viz. that he dealt very harshly, 
 yea, cruelly with them, in breaking them to pieces, 
 in unchurching and uustating of them ; but he tells 
 them, what he did was " according to their unclean- 
 ness and their transgressions," he did nothing but 
 what they had deserscd. 
 
 Obs. I. God doth withhold mercies from his people, 
 and lay sad judgments upon them, for their sins. 
 " The house of Israel w-ent into captivity for their 
 iniquities." Because they trespassed against God, 
 therefore did he hide his face from them, give them 
 into the hand of their enemies ; they fell by the 
 sword, and were brought into subjection. If God's 
 own people sin, they shall smart for it ; he will not 
 countenance them, hear their prayers, give them 
 counsel, nor put fortii his hand to help them. Isa. 
 lix. 1, 2, " Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, 
 that it cannot save ; neither his ear heavy, that it 
 cannot hear : but your inicjuities have separated 
 between you and your (iod, and your sins have hid 
 liis face from you, that he will not hear." Sin is of 
 that nature, that it turns away God's face from his 
 own people, that it stops his ear against their prayers, 
 and shrinks up his arm, so that there is no help 
 for them ; and not only doth it keep good things 
 from them, Jer. v. 'lb, but draw evils upon them, 
 Neh. xiii. 18. It was Israel's sins brought judgment 
 ujjon them and their city. 
 
 Obs. 2. God will convince his enemies of the true 
 cause of his executing dreadful judgments uj.on hiu 
 peojde. " The heathen shall know that the house 
 of Israel went into captivity for tluir iniquity." 
 They thought there were other grounds for it ; that 
 God could not preserve them against such a potent 
 adversary as Nebuchadnezzar was ; that his power
 
 77-2 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XXXIX. 
 
 and wisdom was not such, as was in their gods : but 
 the Lord made them know these were not the 
 grounds wliy the house of Israel sulTcred such griev- 
 ous things, but tliat it was their iniquities, transgres- 
 sions, and uncleannesses which brought judgments 
 ujion them. When heathens saw what was done to 
 Jerusalem, and being unsatisfied, asked the question, 
 " Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great 
 cily ? " What ! is he imfaithful to his people ? 
 Could he preserve it no longer? Are our gods 
 stronger than the God of Israel? No, no; these 
 things are not the cause. Tell them, saith he, 
 what is the true cause: it is, "Because they have 
 forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and 
 worshipped oilier gods, and served them," Jer. 
 xxii. 1, y. 
 
 Obs. 3. None have just ground of complaint, what- 
 soever judgments are upon them, howsoever God deal 
 by them. " According to their uneleanness and ac- 
 cording to their transgressions have I done unto 
 them :" their sins have been great, and I have exe- 
 cuted great judgments upon them ; they filled up 
 the ephah with wickedness, and I filled up the vial 
 with wrath ; tluy drove me out of my sanctuary, 
 and I drove them out of my land ; they turned their 
 hearts from me, and I hid my face from them. God's 
 judgments are righteous; he wrongs no man, no 
 nation ; men have cause to complain of their sins, 
 not his judgments : see Lam. iii. 39; Psal. cxlv. 17. 
 
 Ver. 25 — 29. Therefore thus saith the Lord 
 God ; JVow will J bring again the coptivitj/ of 
 Jaeoh, and have mercy vpon the n-hole house of 
 Jsrael, ai^d will be jealous for my holy name; 
 after that they have borne their shame, and all 
 their trespasses ivhereby they have trespassed 
 against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, 
 and none made them afraid. When I have 
 brought them again froin the people, and gather- 
 ed them out of their enemies' lands, and am 
 sanctified in them in the sight of numy nations ; 
 then shall tliey know that I am the Lord their 
 God, which cavsid them to be led into captivity 
 among the heathen : but L have gathered them 
 unto their own land, and have left none of them 
 any more there. Neither will I hide my face any 
 more from them : for I have poured out my Spi- 
 rit vpon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God. 
 
 The gracious goodness of God towards his people 
 appears in these verses; where we have, 
 
 I. The reduction and gathering of them into their 
 own land, vtr. 25, 27, 28. 
 
 II. The causes moving God to do so ; which are, 
 1 is mercy, and his jealousy, ver. 25. 
 
 III. The lime when tluy shall be reduced, ver. 26. 
 
 IV. The events following the same ; which are, 
 
 1. Acknowledgment of God to be their God, ver. 2S. 
 
 2. The liglit of God's countenance, ver. 29. 
 
 3. Pouring out of the Spirit. 
 
 Ver. 25. " Now will I bring again the captivity of 
 Jacob." If we refer these words to the captive Jews 
 in Babylon, the time was drawing nigli of their de- 
 liverance, and therefore the Lord saith, " Now will 
 I 1 ring again the cn|)livily of Jacob," that is, the 
 posterity of Jacob be ing in captivity ; but, if we re- 
 fer these words to what went before in the chapter, 
 the sense is, Gog and Magog being destroyed, and 
 their funeral over, " now will I bring again the cap- 
 tivity of Jacob," the dispersed Jews, or bi lievers, 
 who were the seed of Jacob. A spiritual reducti<m 
 is here understood bv some. 
 
 " And have mercy upon the whole house of Is- 
 rael." Then God will have mercy, not on two 
 tribes, but all the tribes, on " the whole house of 
 Israel :" hitherto it hath not been, but it shall be. 
 God will forgive the sins of the Jews in general, and 
 bring them out of their forlorn condition to glorious 
 enjoyments and liberty. This word Tiim is from 
 cm which signifies, to embrace one witli a most 
 inward aflection of bowels, mercy, or compassitm. 
 God wotdd be as merciful to them as a mother to the 
 fruit of her womb. 
 
 " And will be jealous for my holy name." In the 
 Hebrew it is, I will be jealous, or zealous, f<ir the 
 name of my holiness, I will not suffer my name to 
 be polluted, as it is ver. 7. The mercies I have pro- 
 mised shall be performed, whatever obstacle is in 
 the way, my holy name is engaged for it, and the 
 jealousy I have for my name will provoke me to do 
 the same. Jealousy is such an ardent afl'eetion as 
 will break through all that would retard or frustrate 
 an undertaking. It is given to God after the manner 
 of men, and nothing shall let him from accomplish- 
 ing what he hath promised. 
 
 Ver. 26. " After that they have borne their shame." 
 The Jews being a people distinguished from other 
 nations by their laws and worship, should have so 
 lived, as never to have given God occasion to have 
 cast them off; but they sinning above the nations, 
 were scattered of God into several parts of the world, 
 and there they were reproached by the heathens for 
 their God, their worship, and their laws, and so did 
 bear shame. Or thus, shame may be put for the 
 punishment of their shame, viz. their sin, that was 
 their shame ; and sad judgments did they bear for 
 the same, which was also their shame. 
 
 " And all their trespasses whereby they have 
 trespassed against me." "Trespasses " here notes 
 punishment ; they trespassed against God in Canaan, 
 and he punished them for those trespasses in Baby- 
 lon, and other places. After they had borne their 
 shame and punishment the appointed time, God 
 would visit them in mercy, bring them back to Zion, 
 and do great things for them. 
 
 " When they dwelt safely in their land, and none 
 made them afraid." They had much peace, were 
 secure, feared no enemies nor judgments, and there- 
 ujion sinned freely, and multiplied transgressions 
 without number. The word for making afraid is, 
 cliurad, which signifies to be moved in body or mind. 
 Fear doth distemjier both : but the Jews had none 
 to disaffeet cither, by frighting of them. 
 
 Ver. 27. "When i am sanctified in them in the 
 sight of many nations." In chap, xxxviii. 23, God 
 saith, he will sanctify himself, that is, declare him- 
 self to be a holy God ; and here the word is passive, 
 " When I am sanctified," that is, v.hen I am openly 
 acknowledged to be just in punishing of them, and 
 merciful in delivering of them. Piscator carries the 
 words actively thus, I will demonstrate my holiness 
 and majesty, both by afflicting and by freeing of 
 them. 
 
 Ver. 2^. " Then shall they know that I am the 
 Ijord thiir God, which caused them to be led into 
 captivity among," &c. After their suffering griev- 
 ous and long afflictions, and receiving choice mer- 
 cies, they shall know and confess that it was the 
 hand of God which led them into captivity, and not 
 the hand of man ; before, their eyes were upon 
 nu'n, Nebuchadnezzar and his forces, they looked 
 not at God; but when they should be thoroughly 
 ]>urged in the furnace of affliction, and be brought 
 out thence to partake of special mercies, then they 
 should see, know, and acknowledge that God did all, 
 that it was his hand did it ; that Nebuchadnezzar
 
 Yer. 25—29. 
 
 THK BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 773 
 
 could not have clone aught against them, noi- Cyrus 
 aught for them, without his commission. So, when 
 the .lews shall be gathered out of all parts they are 
 now in, they shall know it to be the hand of God. 
 The Hebrew for " which caused ihem to be led into 
 ca|,tivity among the heathen," is, in my transferring 
 them, or causing them to be transferred to the 
 heathen. 
 
 " And have left none of them any more there." 
 At the first gathering of the Jews out of Babylon, 
 many were left there ; Ezra i. 5, not all the fathers 
 of Judah and Benjamin, but the chief of the fathers, 
 and such whose spirits God had stirred, came thence; 
 not the rest. But here is mention of such a gather- 
 ing, as that none shall be left. None of those pre- 
 destinated, saith Maldonate. Not any one willing 
 to return into the country, saith Mariana. But these 
 senses do not come up fully to the words, which are, 
 I will not leave of them any more ; formerly, many 
 have been left, but there shall be such a gathering 
 as none shall be left : whole tribes were then left in 
 captivity. 
 
 Ver. 29. "Neither will I hide my face any more 
 from them." God hid his face seventy years fi-om 
 them in Babylon ; and, since their crucifying of 
 Christ, he hath hid it from them sixteen hundred 
 years. But he hatli a time to let them see his face 
 again, and never more to hide it from them ; they 
 shall have his favour, his counsel, his help, and pro- 
 tection. They shall not be under severe judgments, 
 but enjoy sweet mercies. 
 
 " For I have poured out my spirit upon the house 
 of Israel." Junius hath the words. When I shall 
 pour out my spirit upon them. In the Hebrew it is 
 a prefer tense for a future, which is usual therein, 
 to show the certainty of the thing. The Septuagint 
 saith. Because I have poured out my wrath upon 
 them. Their sense is. Seeing I have uttered and 
 accomplished all my displeasure against them, they 
 shall henceforth have my face and favour. The word 
 for "my spirit" is, »nn the same with that in chap. 
 xxxvi. 27, wliich the Septuagint renders there, my 
 spirit ; and it is so to be taken here. God makes 
 the house of Israel a great jiromise, he will pour out 
 hi.s Spirit upon the same. It .shall have all spiritual 
 blessings in abundance, and the continuation of them. 
 
 Obs. I. The alfiietions of God's people may be 
 long and sharp, yet they shall not be always, they 
 shall have an end. There is a time when they shall 
 cease ; " Now will I bring again tlie captivity of 
 Jacob." God brings his peojjle into captivity, and 
 out again in due time. Some vessels must be longer 
 in the fire than others, their (h'oss and rust is so in- 
 corporated into them, that they must not only be 
 made hot but melted ; and, when they are melted, then 
 they are taken out of the furnace and new moulded. 
 The Jews were long in the wilderness, but at length 
 they were brought into the land of the Amorites, ' 
 Josh. xxiv. 7, 8- The gentiles must tread down the 
 holy city forty-two months, or twelve hundred and 
 sixty days, and then it shall be freed. Rev. xi. 2, 3. 
 God may be wroth with the sheep of his pasture, 
 his wrath may be hot, may be long, but it shall not 
 be for ever, Psal. ciii. 9. Let us be patient under 
 long afflictions, and W'ait for deliverance ; it is draw- 
 ing nigh daily, and the set time will come ere long. 
 Hell. x. 37. 
 
 06.V. 2. Tliere is a day of mercy to come for the 
 Jews, even all of them. " I will have mercy upon 
 the whole house of Israel ; " not one tribe, two, or 
 ten, but " upon the whole house of Israel ; " I will 
 pardon their sins, gather them o>it of the nations, 
 and make them a glorious people. This promise 
 was but in part fulliUed, when Judah, Benjamin, and 
 
 some of Levi, returned out of Babylon ; the com- 
 plete fuiniling of it remains yet. 'i'iie Jews do ex- 
 pect the making of it good to this day, saying, they 
 are in a most shamefid and distressing captivity'; 
 and look for sucli a gathering as none shall be left. 
 Doubtless there is a time when (iod will smile upon 
 the Jews, .vhow them mercy, and bring them unto 
 Christ, and make him salvation unto them, Hos. i. W, 
 11 ; Rom. xi. 15—27; Zech. x. (!, 7. 
 
 Obs. 3. The great things God doth for his people, 
 are not done for their worth, or merits, but for his 
 holy name's sake. The bringing Jacob out of cap- 
 tivity, and having mercy upon the whole house of 
 Israel, is upon that account ; I will be zealous, or 
 jealous for my holy name. God doth all for his name's 
 sake. Ezek. xxxvi. 32, " Not foryour sakes do I this, 
 saith the Lord God, be it known unto you:" lest 
 they should think there was something in them de- 
 served at God's hands, and moved him to do for them, 
 he openly declares against it ; " Be it known unto 
 you," and to all the world, that it is not for your 
 sakes, for any excellency or good 1 see in you ; but 
 it is for mine own sake, for the honour of mine own 
 holy name, which is so dear and precious unto me, 
 that 1 am jealous of any thing that tends towards the 
 disparagement of it, and zealous to do whatever I 
 have promised, and may promote the glory thereof. 
 Isa. ix. 7, " The zeal of the Lord of hosts will per- 
 form this ;" nusp the zeal, or jealousy, of the Lord 
 will do it : he had made many gri-at promises before, of 
 Christ and his government for ever: andifiuiy thing 
 should rise up to hinder the same, the Lord of hosts 
 would be zealous to see it performed, otherwise his 
 holy name would sutler. God's name is the great 
 motive to him to do for his. This Jeremiah knew 
 full well, and therefore presseth God to do for them 
 upon that account : chap. xiv. 7> " O Lord, though 
 our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy 
 name's sake:" there was a great famine, and they 
 deserved not a drop of rain, or bit of bread ; but 
 God's name was a strong argument to provoke him 
 to do for them. 
 
 Obs: 4. Sin brings men to shame and punishment, 
 which they must undergo one where or other. 
 "After they have borne their shame and trespasses." 
 They sinned in Canaan, and were ashamed and 
 punished in Babylon, and other places. It is only 
 sin which makes men blush and smart. 
 
 Obs. 5. In times of peace and safety, usually men 
 forget God, and sin against him. When the Jiws 
 dwelt safely, and none made them afraid, then they 
 trespassed against God. At such times, men are 
 scornful and proud, I'sal. exxiii. -1 ; they trust in 
 mountains, Amos vi. 1 ; tlu y live sensually, ver. 
 A — () ; they increase the afflictions of the afflicted, 
 Zech. i. 15. When men are in peace, and without 
 danger, they have opportunities for hearing of God's 
 word by his servants; but, Jer. xxii. 21, saith God, 
 " I spake unto thee in thy prosperity ; but thou 
 saidst, I will not hear." Jerusalem and her children 
 had deaf cars, and obstinate hearts, in their pros- 
 perity. Solomon, who " had peace on all sides 
 round about him," 1 Kings iv. 'M, forgat the Lord, 
 married strange wives, and did strange things for 
 them : he built high jdaccs for their idol gods, and 
 went himself after other gods, I Kings xi. I, 5, 7, 10. 
 Great is the danger of prosperity, yet all desire it. 
 That caution which God gave his people, when they 
 were to come into Canaan, where they should have 
 peace and plenty, is needful for all in a prespercns 
 condition, Dent. vi. 12, "Beware, lest thou forget llie 
 Lord :" men are very apt then to forget him. 
 
 06*. G. The Lord by open delivering of his people 
 from an afflicted condition, doth sanctify his own,
 
 774 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XL. 
 
 name, and hath it sanctified by others. His gathering 
 them out of enemies' hands, declared his power, his 
 faithfulness, his mercy ; and thereby he sanctified 
 his own name ; and these attributes being acknow- 
 ledged by those that are delivered, and by the nations 
 from whom they are delivered, his name is sanctified. 
 God's people are oft under great and long afflictions, 
 and whenever he sets them at liberty, he sanctifies 
 his name, and his name is sanctified ; he declares 
 himself, and is declared by others, to be a gracious 
 God. When the Jews were brought out of liabylon, 
 they said, " The Lord hath done great things for us ;" 
 and the Babylonians said, " The Lord hath done 
 great things for them," Psal. cxxvi. 2, 3. Thus did 
 God sanctify, and men sanctify ; the one, by declar- 
 ing his omnipotency, faitlifulness, and goodness ; 
 the other, by acknowledging the same. 
 
 Obs. 7. There is a time when the Jews shall not 
 only have mercy, but abundant and lasting mercy. 
 God will gather them, pour out his Spirit upon them, 
 and never hide his face from them any more. This 
 time will be a hapjiy and glorious time. For the 
 house of Israel to be enriched with the gifts and 
 graces of God's Spirit, which are excellent, and to 
 have the light of God's countenance shining upon 
 them, and that always, whatcan be more desirable ? 
 This condition, as Paul saith, will be " life from the 
 dead," Rom. xi. 15. Now they are like dead trees, 
 ■without any sap in them ; but then they will be like 
 trees well-rooted, full of sap, and in their greatest 
 glory ; full of branches, leaves, blossoms, fruit, and 
 the sun shining upon them. 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 
 That there be I'jwi'oijra, things hard to be under- 
 stood, in the sacred Scriptures, these nine last chap- 
 ters, as well as the beginning of Ezckiel, do abun- 
 dantly testify : and such difficult things arc in these 
 last, that they have made many men of the greatest 
 parts to tremble at the thought of interpreting them. 
 The rabbins say, that the first of Ezekiel, and these 
 last chapters, are inexplicable secrets, and understood 
 by none ; and therefore forbid their disciples to read 
 them, adding, When Elias shall come, he will ex- 
 lu Prntniio ad plain all things. Jerom, that great 
 
 Eusiochium. light in his time, professes his trejiida- 
 tion hereat, that he did knock at a closed door. 
 Proam in 2 1 Gregory the great, when he went about 
 super Eztk.' ' this work. Said, We pursue a midnight 
 p,a.at. ad c, 40. JQumpy. Maldonatc affirms, that this 
 last prophecy of Ezekiel is so difficult and dark 
 that it appears scarcely possible to be understood, 
 fficolampadius tells us, that in chap. xlii. there is 
 the grand difficulty, which ancient expositors un- 
 derstood not ; and he brings in rabbi Solomon, who 
 wrote upon the whole Talmud, saying, that he thinks 
 there is not any thing extant which aids the imder- 
 standing of it ; and professes, that neither by his own 
 study, aid of ministers, or by his o;«'n reading, he 
 attained any help in understanding the meaning of 
 this building, but only what he had from Heaven : 
 and of himself he saith, chap, xlv.. In this passage, 
 above all others, I feel the weakness of my own un- 
 derstanding, yet silently I adore its mysteries. It is 
 good to tremble at the word of God, both what we 
 understand, and what we understand not, for all is of 
 equal authorify ; and to him that trembles thereat, 
 the Lord looketh, and will let in light. The vision 
 is dark, but God dwells in darkness; the temple and 
 
 CEcol. ill c. 42. 
 
 city are dark, but Jehovah-Shammah, " the Lord is 
 there," whom we most humbly desire to let out some 
 beams of light, whereby we may come to understand 
 something of the incredible sweetness of these dark 
 and deep things. 
 
 It is not to be expected that I should proceed 
 here, as in the former chapters, by speaking to every 
 verse. Some I shall pass over, and say 
 with Jerom, I kno%v my own ignorance. 
 
 Some would have this temple, represented to 
 Ezekiel, to be that built by Zerubbabel and the Jews, 
 after the captivity ; but there is much to be said to 
 prove it not to be so. 
 
 1. That temple was built in Jerusalem, in the 
 place where Solomon's temple stood ; but this temple 
 Ezekiel saw, was to be without the city, as interpre- 
 ters observe from the 45th and 48th chapters. 
 
 2. That temple was for the two tribes of Judah 
 and Benjamin. This of Ezekiel is for the whole 
 body of the Jews, all the tribes are mentioned, chap, 
 xlvii. xlviii.; and strangers had inheritance here 
 amongst the Israelites, chap, xlvii. 22; which was 
 not so in Moses', Solomon's, or Zerubbabel's time. 
 
 3. In Zerubbabel's temple there was no such river, 
 nor trees yielding new fruit every month, as is spoken 
 of Ezekiel's, chap, xlvii. 12. 
 
 4. God promised, chap, xliii. 7, to dwell among 
 the Israelites of this temple for ever, which cannot 
 be verified of Zerubbabel's temple and city ; for the 
 Lord forsook both, and delivered them up to the Ro- 
 mans, who destroyed them. 
 
 5. The temple our prophet speaks of, was not to 
 be defiled, nor the holy name of God, by the house 
 of Israel, which should then be, chap, xliii. 7, 8. 
 But Zerubbabel's temple was defiled, as you may read 
 in the Maccabees ; and the Jews who returned from 
 Babylon defiled the name of God by their iniquities, 
 as appears, Neh. xiii. 
 
 6. The twenfy-five thousand reeds, being the length 
 of the holy portion offered to the Lord, and the 
 breadth ten thousand reeds, Ezek. xlv. 1, cannot be 
 understood of any city or temple which the Jews 
 should build after their captivity ; for the twenty- 
 five thousand reeds make forty-five miles in length, 
 say some ; fifty and upwards, say others ; and the 
 ten thousand, sixteen or eighteen miles in breadth : 
 never was any such city built. 
 
 There are many other things differing from what 
 was in Moses', Joshua's, and Solomon's days. The 
 measures diflfer much from those of the tabernacle 
 and temple. The land was not divided in Joshua's 
 time, as here it is to the tribes. The priests and 
 Levites had no portion of land, as here they have. 
 There was no such portion or oblation for the prince. 
 Their sacrifices and oblations are not after the same 
 manner. The altar, chap. xli. 22, differs from the 
 altar of incense, Exod. xxx. 2. The cleansing of the 
 sanctuary, and putting the blood of the young bul- 
 lock upon the posts and corners of the settle of the 
 altar, chap. xlv. 18, 19, is a new ordinance, not to be 
 found in ^Ioses' law. In Ezekiel's division of the 
 land were no cities of refuge appointed, there would 
 be no need of them, Ezek. xliv. 25. 
 
 This vision, therefore, points out the introduction 
 of a better hope, viz. the church of Christ under the 
 gospel. A Lapide tells us, that many rabbins and 
 Jews refer this temple and city to the Messiah, ex- 
 pecting that he should build them ; and, because this 
 third temple and new city are not yet built, they 
 think the Messiah is not vet come. 
 This argument was objected by_ the Sunl'J^irerit 
 Jews to Galatinus, who answers it in quia tenuim 
 his 5th book, chap. 10, and concludes (lunfesraSifica 
 thus. The Jerusalem and temple con- '"'"•
 
 Ver. 1—4. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 775 
 
 Iq Apocul. IC. 
 Sect, iJ. 
 
 cerning which Kzekicl speaks, are to 
 be understood mystically. Of that mind 
 is Viega, 
 
 It is conceived, therefore, that in this \ision is re- 
 presented the restitution of the Jewish church, their 
 temple, city, and worship, after the captivity, not 
 simply, but as they were types of the church under 
 the gospel ; for, as we must not exclude these, so we 
 must know, this is not the principal thing intended. 
 That which the vision doth chiefly hold out unto us 
 is, the building of the christian temple, with the 
 worship thereof, under Jewish expressions, which 
 began to be accomplished in the apostles' days, Acts 
 XV. 16. And that the spiritual temple, consisting of 
 believing Jews and gentiles, is chielly intended, we 
 may see from that correspondency between Ezekiel 
 and John in his Gospel and Revelation. There are 
 many parallel places in them ; as, 
 
 Ezek. xxxvii. 22, compared with John x. 1 6. 
 
 xxxvii. 27, 
 
 > 
 
 xxxvni. ' 
 xxxix. 1, 
 xl. 2, 
 xl. 35, 
 xliii. 2, 
 xlvii. 1, 2, 
 xlviii. 1 — 7, 
 xlviii. 31 — 34, 
 
 5 
 
 12, 
 
 Rev. xxi. 3. 
 
 — XX. 
 
 15. 
 
 xxi. 10. 
 
 xi. 1 ; XXI. 
 i. 15; xiv. 
 xxii. 1, 2. 
 vii. 4—8. 
 xxi. 12, 13, 16. 
 
 There is one thing more also intended, viz. the 
 restoring of the christian church after its apostasy 
 and suflering in spiritual Babylon under antichrist. 
 Many are the breaches, rents, and ruins of the chris- 
 tian church to this day ; and v.e may see the taber- 
 nacle of Christ is fallen. But it is expected that he 
 " whose appearance was like the appearance of brass, 
 with a measuring line in his hand," Ezek. xl. 3, 
 should come and raise it up, and build the ruins 
 thereof, bringing in the fulness of Jew and gentile, 
 tliat so the state of the church may answer those 
 pi-ophecies made of it, Isa. Ix. 17, IS; Ezek. xlv. 8. 
 There shall be no violence, no oppression by princes, 
 or others. Hitherto there hath been little else but 
 oppression in all lands ; and the new heaven, and 
 new earth, wherein dwells righteousness, have not 
 yet been created, but are to be expected as things 
 intended in this vision. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 4. In the Jive and twentieth year of our 
 captiviti/, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth 
 day if the month, in the fourteenth year after 
 that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the 
 hand of the Lord was upon me, and brought me 
 Jitithcr. In the visions of God brought he me into 
 the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high 
 mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on 
 the south. And he brought me thither, and, be- 
 hold, there was a man, whose appearance was lilce 
 the appearance of brass, with a line ofjiaj; in his 
 hand, and a measuring reed ; and he stood in the 
 gate. And the man said unto me. Son of man, 
 behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine. ears, 
 and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew 
 thee ; for to the intent that I might shew them 
 unto thee art thou brought hither : declare all 
 that thou seest to the house of Israel. 
 
 We are come now to the last part of Ezckiel's 
 prophecy, whicli is a typical prophecy concerning 
 Christ and his church, set forth under the vision of 
 the new temple, city, and kingdom, comprehended 
 in these nine last chapters. In which we have. 
 
 I. Tl'.e building of the new temple, with the seve- 
 ral appurtenances thereof, in chapters xl. xli. xlii. 
 
 II. The ministry, worsliip, and ordinances of this 
 new temple, in chapters xhii. xliv. 
 
 III. The restitution or reformation of the whole 
 land, the commonwealth, kingdcmi, and city, with 
 several ordinances for the prince and people, in 
 chapters xlv. xlvi. xlvii. xlviii. 
 
 hi describing of these, the prophet useth, saith 
 Huffenreflerus, words and phrases suitable to the 
 state of the Jews; he describes, as it were, the tem- 
 ple, worship, and land of the Jews ; whereas he aims 
 at no such thing, but intends the spiritual kingdom 
 of Christ and the gospel. 
 
 The scope of this vision w'as to comfort the afflict- 
 ed Jews, who, being in captivity, lamented the de- 
 solation of the temple, city, and commonwealth of 
 Israel. To the propliet, therefore, the Lord shows 
 in a vision the restoration of them again ; and not 
 only so, but greater things are held out and pro- 
 mised under them, as the greatness and glory of the 
 church under Christ in time of the gospel, of which 
 John speaks. Rev. xxi. 22. It is not an earthly 
 city, temple, Jerusalem, we are to look at here ; but a 
 spiritual city, temple, Jerusalem, viz. the church of 
 Christ, whose name is Jehovah-Shammah. 
 
 In this chapter you have, 
 
 1. A preface, or introduction to the vision. 
 
 2. A narrative of the wall, several courts, gates, the 
 porch, of this new temple, and the measures of them. 
 
 In the preface are five things : the time, the man- 
 ner, the place, the Author, and end of the vision. 
 
 Ver. 1. " In the five and twentieth year of our cap- 
 tivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day 
 of the month." Here the time is pointed out when 
 this vision was presented to Ezekiel, which was in 
 the twenty -fifth year of his captivity ; so long it was 
 since he, with Jehoiakim, was carried into Babylon, 
 and kept there. His first vision was in the fifth year 
 of his captivity, Ezek. i. 2; and this his last vision 
 was twenty years after, in the beginning of the year, 
 the tenth day of the month ; w Inch some makejto be 
 in the autumn, others in the si>ring. 
 
 " The fourteenth year after the cit)' was smitten." 
 After Jehoiakim had been eleven years in captivity, the 
 city was smitten and utterly laid waste, wliich was in 
 the eleventh year of Zedekiah, 2 Kings xxv. 2 ; Jer. 
 xxxix. 2 ; lii. 5. From this period, or cpocha, is the 
 vision reckoned ; fourteen years after the desolation 
 of the city, Ezekiel had it. Some would prove this 
 year to be the year of jubilee, because it was the 
 fiftieth from the eighteenth of Josiah's reign, when 
 the book of the law was found ; but that year ap- 
 pears not to be a jubilcan year. Mcstlinus makes 
 the year of jubilee to be in the tenth of Zedekiah's 
 reign ; and if so, this year of the prophet's vision 
 was but sixteen years after the year ot jubilee, and 
 thirty-four years before the next jubilee. 
 
 " In the selfsame day." Tlie Hebrew is, Bsya 
 Dvn in the bone, or essence, of tlie day, in the body 
 of the day, or in the strength of the day, when the 
 heat and light were greatest. The same words are 
 in Gen. vii. 13, where the words are rendered, " the 
 selfsame day," being a Hebrew form of speech. 
 
 " The hand of the Lord was upon me," Src. The 
 Chaldeo saith, A prophetical Spirit from the face of 
 the Lord resided upon me ; others, The strength, or 
 divine virtue of the Lord was upon me. These 
 words we had in chap. i. 3, where they were opened. 
 Here the manner of the vision is set forth ; it was by 
 the Spirit of God upon the prophet, enlightening and 
 informing his mind. 
 
 "And brought me thither." I was brought in 
 mind, not in body, by the Spirit, thither, that is, to
 
 rrc 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XL. 
 
 the city that had been smitten, but now seemed to be 
 rebuilt : and so it follows, 
 
 Yer. 2. " In the visions of God brought he me in- 
 to the land of Israel." In those great, glorious, and 
 wonderfid visions of God, wrought in the prophet by 
 the Spirit of God, he apprehended that he was in 
 the land of Israel, beholding not only with the eyes 
 of his mind the things presented unto him, but also 
 with the eyes of his body. 
 
 " And set me upon a very high mountain." The 
 plaee where the prophet had this vision was in the 
 land of Israel, and upon mount Zion, or mount Mo- 
 riah, where the temple was built. Moriah is from 
 r.ST to see ; this mount is the mount of vision, and 
 on it had Ezekiel this glorious vision. Kimchi saith, 
 This mountain is the mountain of the temple, and 
 this city is Jerusalem on the south, LiaJiifoot on 
 the Temple, chap. iv. ver. 13. The rabbins conceive 
 the land of Israel to be the highest of all lands, and 
 mount Zion, or Moriah, the highest of all the moun- 
 tains in that land. It was a type of the church of 
 Christ, Heb. xii. 22 ; and therefore it is represented 
 here to be a very high mountain : and so it was un- 
 to John also. Rev. xxi. 10, which words allude to 
 these of Ezekiel. The Hebrew for " set me," is, 
 caused me to rest ; when the prophet was brought 
 to this mountain, he had rest : there is no true rest 
 but in the church, in the mount of vision. 
 
 " By which was as the frame of a city on the 
 south." The mount itself was south from Babylon, 
 and the city was on the south side of the mount, 
 wdiicli was smitten there. Now the prophet sees in 
 vision, as it were, the model or frame of a city ; he 
 had seen before the ruin of the city, and now he sees 
 the raiding of it. 
 
 Ver. 3. "And he brought me thither." That is, 
 the Spirit of God carried him in vision to that moun- 
 tain, where he saw an idea of a city. 
 
 " And, beholil, there was a man, whose appear- 
 ance was like the appearance of brass." Here the 
 author of the vision is specified and described from 
 his appearance, the instruments he had, and the 
 place where he stood. This " man " is made by 
 some an angel, by others, Christ. It was the Son of 
 God appeared in the first vision unto Ezekiel, and so 
 he doth in this last: he was a Master-builder, and 
 appointed of God to build the house : Zech. vi. 12, 
 13, "Thus speaketh the Lord of ho.sts, saying. Be- 
 hold the man whose name is The Branch," that is, 
 Christ, " he shall grow up out of his jdace, and he 
 shall l)uild the temple of the Lord : even he shall 
 build the temple of the Lord ; and he shall bear the 
 glory." And that this man was Christ his ajipear- 
 ance declares, for it " was like the appearance of 
 brass ;" and so Christ, Rev. i. 15, is said to appear, 
 "his feet were like unto fine brass ;" and here his 
 countenance, or whole body, appeared like unto 
 brass, that is, free from spot, beautiful, bright, and 
 shining. Christ was without blemish, or spot, I Pet. 
 i. 19; he was holy, harndi'ss, undetlled, Heb. vii.2(); 
 he was "fairer than the cliildren of uum," Psal. xlv. 2. 
 
 "With aline of llax in his hand, and a nu'asuring 
 reed." These are the instruments which this man 
 had, " a line and a mcasm-ing reed._" Such instru- 
 ments arc proper to architects and master-builders ; 
 and being in the hand of Chri.st, do demonstrate him 
 to be the chief Builder of the church. The "line of 
 flax " was to measure the great spaces of the ground, 
 viz. the floors, court, and compass of the buildings and 
 walls. The "reed" was to measure the buildings, the 
 thickness, length, and breadth of them. Of such a line 
 and reed is spoken in Zeidi. ii. 1,2; Rev. xi. 1 ; xxi. 
 15. A reed is smooth, round, and light, atid therefore 
 fit for measuring : they were plentiful in those parts. 
 
 " And he stood in the gate." The Hebrew is, he 
 standing in the gate ; his posture was standing, his 
 place was "in the gate." He stocd there to direct 
 the prophet, to show him the measures of the tem- 
 jile, and other things ; to manifest he hath command 
 of the temple, and may keep out, and let in, whom 
 he pleased. 
 
 Ver. 4. " And the man said unto me, Son of man, 
 behold with thine eyes," iS:c. In this verse the end 
 of the vision is held forth, which is, that Ezekiel, 
 thoroughly understanding the things comprehended 
 in it, might communicate them to others. Here 
 the Lord Christ is called " man," for that in time he 
 was to be incarnate ; and the Son of man speaks to 
 Ezekiel, and commands him two things : 
 
 1. To give the most diligent and best attention as 
 possibly might be, and therefore calls for not only 
 the eyes and ears, but the heart also ; " Behold with 
 thine eyes, and hear with thine ears, and set thine 
 heart upon all that I shall show thee :" his heart 
 must go with his senses, and seriously ponder wdiat 
 was presented. Some things were to be seen, some 
 things were to be heard, and all to be considered : 
 and why ? he was brought thither for that end. 
 
 2. To make known what he should see, hear, and 
 observe ; " Declare them to the house of Israel." 
 He must not keep things to himself, but publish 
 them to others, to the church and people of Israel. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord keeps an exact account of the 
 time of his church and people's sullerings. He is 
 the best and most punctual chronologer of all in 
 heaven and earth. Men and angels may mistake, 
 misreckon, but the Lord doth not, cannot. " In the 
 twenty-fifth year of our captivity, in the beginning 
 of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the 
 fourteenth year after the city was smitten, in the 
 selfsame day ;" here the years, the months, and 
 days of the Jews' captivity was observed of the 
 Lord. When we are in misery, and sufl'ering con- 
 ditions, we think God forgets us, Psal. Ixxix. 5 ; 
 Ixxxix. 4(i ; but he takes notice of every hour, day, 
 month, and year. 
 
 Obs. 2. When the church is low, in the worst, 
 most desperate, and deplorable condition, even then 
 the Lord hath a care of his church. Now the tem- 
 ple, city, and land of Canaan were utterly laid waste, 
 the people many of them destroyed, the rest in Ba- 
 bylon without hope of ever seeing their own coun- 
 try, chap, xxxvii. II. In this condition the Lord 
 appears to Ezekiel, and gives him a most singular 
 and excellent vision concerning the restoration of 
 the church, the extent, dignity, and glory of it, 
 whereby he showed both the prophet and the peo- 
 jde, whose hearts were filled with sorrow. When 
 the church is in the wilderness, under persecution, 
 in Egypt, or Babylon, the Lord is solicitous for it : 
 Zech. i. 14, "I am jealous for Jerusalem and for 
 Zion, with a great jealousy." 
 
 Obs. 3. The church is mount Zion, or mount Zion 
 is the church, wherein God makes known his mind 
 for the comfort of his peojile. Ezekiel was carried 
 in Spirit into the land of Israel, and set there upon a 
 very high mountain, viz. mount Zion, which typed 
 out the church of God: and there he had this glo- 
 rious vision, there sweet con.solation was given forth 
 for the afflicted. The church is sometimes called a 
 garden, and fountain sealed, as Cant. iv. 12; some- 
 times a vineyard. Matt. xx. I ; sometimes a house, 
 1 Tim. iii. 15; sometimes a city, Psal. xlvi. 4; Isa. 
 Ix. 14 ; sometimes a mountain, Psal. ii. 6. And it is 
 so called for the height, the gloiT, and the strength 
 of it. Moimtains are high, conspicuous, and strong, 
 and so is the church ; on mountains is good air, so 
 likewise is in the church ; hills are nearer heaven
 
 Veil 1 — 5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 than other places ; tlicy are bulow, the church is 
 above the world. 
 
 Obs. 4. The church is well seated and well ordered. 
 " Upon which was as the frame of a city." It is 
 seated upon u mountain, (he mountain of Uod's de- 
 cree, power, and truth ; it is well ordered, for it is 
 as the frame of a city, where every thing is in its 
 right place, and all fitly joined together: Psal. cxxii. 
 3, " Jerusalem is bnilded as a city that is compact 
 together;" and the church is a body fitly joined 
 together, and compacted, Eph.iv. 16. Hence strength 
 and beauty are to the church, it being so seated and 
 so united. The one made Christ say, " The gates of 
 hell shall not prevail against it," Matt. xvi. ; and the 
 other made Solomon to say, " It was beautiful as 
 Tirzah, and comely as Jerusalem," Cant. vi. 4. 
 
 Obs. 5. The Man Christ, who is sinless and glo- 
 rious, is the chief Builder and exact Measurer of 
 the church, and things belonging to it. "Behold, a 
 man, whose appearance was like the appearance of 
 brass, with a line of flax in his hand, and a measur- 
 ing reed." Christ, without spot, full of glory and 
 wisdom, is the Master-builder : Matt. xvi. 18 ; xxi. 
 33 ; Heb. iii. 3, prophets, apostles, ministers, are his 
 servants, under-officers, instructed, directed, and re- 
 warded by him : he is the Master-builder, the line 
 and reed are in his hand, he measures all the trees 
 and stones used in this building, the outward and in- 
 ward courts, with all their appurtenances. He was 
 the son of Joseph, a carpenter, and some mystery 
 mi^ht lie in that. 
 
 Obs. 6. The way into Zion, and unto the Father, is 
 by Christ : he stands in the gate of the temple, ready 
 to receive any that should come and be found fit for 
 entrance : he had his line and reed in his hand to 
 measure them. None unmeasured might enter. 
 Hence it is that Christ sailh, John xiv. 6, " I am the 
 way, and no man cometh to the Father, but by me :" 
 and, John x. 9, " I am the door : by me if any man 
 enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and 
 out, and find pasture." Christ is the Lord of the 
 fold and field ; by him they enter in, by him they 
 are led out to the good pastures, and led in again : 
 he will not sufi'cr any thing that dcfileth to enter 
 into the fold, the temple, tlie new Jerusalem, Rev. 
 xxi. 27. 
 
 Oks. 7- The Lord Clirist, when divine things are 
 presented unto us, would have us attent, intent, and 
 apply the whole heart unto them. Such things as 
 are of weight, slightness and trifiing about them are 
 intolerable : therefore it is said here, " Son of man, 
 beliold with thine c yes, and hear with thine ears," let 
 thy senses be wholly taken up with these things, 
 "and set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee;" 
 thine lieart also must be fixed ujion every tiling 
 shown thee, thou must let nothing pass witliout due 
 observation. As Ezekiel was to do thus about tlie 
 things of his vision, so should all ministers and 
 christians about t!ic things of the gospel, which are 
 revelations of the mind of God by Christ. It is oft 
 said therein, " \Vho hath ears to hear, let him hear," 
 Matt. xiii. !), 43 ; Mark vii. 18; Luke xiv. 35, and 
 in other places, intimating, that if men have eithi r 
 inward or outward ears, they should hearken to the 
 things of (iod. They are divine, and may infinitely 
 advantage or infinitely prejudice us, if thiybenut 
 well heeded : if we be not attent unto them, intent 
 u]i(>n them, and heartily closing with them, better we 
 had never had them : " it will be easier for Sodom 
 and Gomorrha at the day of judgment, than for such." 
 Let us mind, therefore, and mind to purpose, all 
 things shown us of Christ ; let us set our senses and 
 whole hearts upon them. 
 
 Oba. 8. ^Vhat the Lord Christ reveals unto his 
 
 servants the prophets and ministers, they must not 
 reserve to themselves, but communicate to others 
 for their instruction, edification, and comfort. " De- 
 clare all that thou seest to the house of Israel." He 
 must not see, hear, observe for himself, but for " the 
 house of Israel," for the church and people of God. 
 Matt. X. 27, saith Christ to his disciples, " What I 
 tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light : and what 
 ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the house- 
 tops :" whatever I have imparted unto you that 
 do ye impart unto others, take the best advantages 
 ye can to make the same known. The servants of 
 God and Christ must not only utter what thev re- 
 ceive, but utter all they receive : Acts xx. 27, Paul 
 kept back nothing that was profitable for them, but 
 " declared to them all the counsel of God." 
 
 Ver. 5. And behold a wall on the outside of the 
 honne round about, and in the man's hand a 
 measuring reed of sij,' cubits long by the cubit and 
 an hand breadth : so he measured the breadth of 
 the building, one reed ; and the height, one reed. 
 
 Great houses and cities have walls, 1 Kings iii. 1 ; 
 vi. 5; so tliis house had a wall round about it. By 
 this wall we may understand the wall of God's pro- 
 tection, which is round about the church. This wall 
 was in height and thickness alike, six cubits high 
 and six cubits thick ; it was strong, securing the 
 house Ezekiel saw. (iod, who is stronger than all, 
 is the defence of the church, Psal. cxxv. 2. Baby- 
 lon's wall, which was one hundred cubits high, and 
 thirty feet broad, sufliced not to preserve her from 
 ruins ; that wall was battered and levelled with the 
 ground ; but Jehovah, the Lord of hosts, is the wall 
 about this building, and such a wall as all the powers 
 of the world and hell cannot shake or batter : Zech. 
 ix. 8, " I will encamp about mine house ;" and, 
 chap. ii. 5, " 1 will be unto Jerusalem a wall of fire 
 round about, saith the Lord." The church of God, 
 having such a wall, is secure and invincible. 
 
 The church is called a house, not a taliernaele, be- 
 cause of God's inhabitation of it, and his fixed abid- 
 ing there: Psal. exxxii. 13, 14, "The Lord hath 
 chosen Zion ; he hath desired it for his habitation. 
 This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I 
 have desired it." Zion notes the church in all ages; 
 there is God's house, there is the desire of his soul, 
 there he rests, he hath no rest in all the world but 
 in Zion. 
 
 The measuring reed in the hand of the man is the 
 same with the reed in John's hand. Rev. xi. 1. Those 
 that exercise architecture use lines and reeds to mea- 
 sure things therewith, and so doth Christ here. The 
 line and reed in his hand, is the word, or everlasting 
 gospel, which. Rev. xxi. 15, is called " a golden reed," 
 riglit, strong, and ficxible ; with this he measures the 
 church, and all things belonging unto it. By the 
 word he sets out the nature, greatness, power, privi- 
 leges, and characters of the church ; by this he 
 measures out the qualifications, liberty, and power 
 of members and ofticers therein. Hence the word is 
 called a rule, or canon, Phil. iii. Ki. 
 
 The Hebrew is, a reed of me;isure of six cubits in 
 a cubit, and of an hand breadth. 'Whether these 
 words, " an hand breadth," should be joined to the 
 six cubits taken jointly, or to each cubit distinct by 
 itself, is doubtful : that in chap, xliii. 13, seems to 
 make the hand's breailth to be added to each cubit, 
 for it saith, a " cubit is a cubit and an hand breadih." 
 This we may understand of the legal or sanctuary 
 cubit, not the common one, which was less by a 
 liand's breadth tiian the other, this being five, the 
 other six liands' breadth. Hence some deny lliat
 
 7/S 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XL. 
 
 the hand's breadth must be added to each cubit, for 
 then there will be seven cubits, those six hands' 
 breadth making anotlier cubit. They will have the 
 reed six cubits long, and a hand's breadth over, the 
 sixth part of a cubit more. A cubit is that length 
 between the elbow and top of the middle finger ; 
 now this space being longer in some men, and 
 shorter in others, no certainty can be determined, 
 especially, when men differ in their heads more than 
 in their arms ; for some make a cubit to be five 
 hand's breadth, some six, some a yard, and some an 
 ell, or ells, some a foot and half. 
 
 The line and reed are in Christ's hand, the virtue 
 and benefit of them is from him. This line and reed 
 being the word, hath its efficacy from Christ ; out 
 of his hand it is unefficacious, unbeneficial ; but 
 being in his hand, his power and Spirit going ■with 
 it, it measures out and fits materials for this spirit- 
 ual building. The book written within, and sealed 
 with seven seals, could none open but Christ, Rev. 
 i. 3, 5 ; and as none could open it but he, so none 
 can make it efficacious besides him. All the efficacy 
 of the word is from Christ by his Spirit: 2 Cor. x. 
 4, " Our weapons are mighty through God." 
 
 All things in the church must be exact, and ac- 
 cording to divine order; things must not be jumbled, 
 but fitly framed and joined together, Eph. ii. 21 ; iv. 
 16. Nothing is left in this house to the wills, in- 
 ventions, and humours of men ; all things must be 
 measured, and measured by the line and reed of 
 Christ ; no men may bring their own reeds or lines 
 to measure aught : Matt. xv. 9, " In vain do they," 
 &c. ; this is dangerous. Matt. xvii. 5, " Hear him ;" 
 Acts iii. 23, " Every soul that will not," &e. Timo- 
 thy nmst not do what he pleased in the house of God, 
 but he must proceed according to rule, according to 
 what Paul, the servant of Christ, had written unto 
 him, 1 Tim. iii. 14, 15. 
 
 " The breadth of the building, one reed ; and the 
 height, one reed." Here were small beginnings at 
 first ; the building was but one reed in breadth and 
 height. This seems to point out the smallness of the 
 christian church at first, it was only in Judea and 
 Jerusalem. Of little breadth, and low in gifts and 
 graces, it knew little of the mysteries of the gospel ; 
 and so as little in height, but after it extended in 
 breadth and height. 
 
 Ver. 6. Then came he unto the gate which look- 
 eth toward the east, and went up the stahs thereof, 
 and measured the thresho/d oj' the gate, which was 
 one reed broad; and the other threshold oJ" the 
 gate, which was one reed broad. 
 
 There is frequent mention of the gates belonging 
 to this temple, and the courts of it; as the east 
 gate, ver. 6, 32, 44 ; the north-gate, ver. 20, 35, 40, 
 44 ; the south gate, ver. 24, 27, 28. And there were 
 divers east gates, north gates, and south gates, as 
 there were divers walls and courts ; so in Solomon's 
 temple, and in that built after the captivity. 
 
 Christ came from the gate of the outward wall 
 where he first stood, ver. 3, 5, and came to an in- 
 ward gate, which expositors make to be the gate of 
 the temple. He passed through the first court, which 
 some call the court of the gentiles, and came unto 
 the next gate. 
 
 Why Christ came to the east gate rather than to 
 the north gate, this being nearer the gate of the 
 wall which he entered by than the other, is question- 
 ed. It is probable it was, because the face of the 
 house looked that way, as it is, chap, xlvii. 1, "The 
 forefront of the house stood towards the east ;" and 
 that gate is counted the principal which stands be- 
 fore the face of a house. 
 
 The outward wall had but one gate, the other 
 walls of the inward courts had three gates apiece, 
 one eastward, one northward, and one southward, 
 but no gate was westward. The Jews called the 
 cast the forepart of heaven, and the west, the back- 
 part of heaven : by the first, they note spiritual 
 things ; by the second, tenipwral and earthly things. 
 Those that come into this temple must mind spirit- 
 ual things, they must not let out their hearts unto 
 the world and worldly delights, they are western 
 things, and there was no door in the west. They 
 must go upwards, not downwards ; keep within, not 
 go out. 
 
 The prophet being to measure the gates, was 
 brought first to those of the outward court, and first 
 to the east gate, then to the north gate, and lastly, 
 to the south gate ; but when he came to the gates of 
 the inner court, he begins with the south gate, then 
 the east gate, and last of all the north gate. There 
 was a diflering order in measuring these gates, ver. 
 28, 32, 35. 
 
 These gates do hint unto us the readiness in 
 Christ and God to receive comers, and the con- 
 fluence of them from all parts. This temple halh 
 many gates, and those looking to the several quar- 
 ters of the world. If men come from any of them, 
 there is a gate before them, and admittance for them : 
 Isa. Ix. 3—8, " The gentiles shall come to thy light, 
 and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up 
 thine eyes round about, and see : all they gather 
 themselves together, they come to thee : thy sons 
 shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be 
 nursed at thy side," &c. He goes on there, and 
 shows what flowing and flocking shall be to the 
 church, even as doves to a window; and ver. 11, it 
 is said of this Jerusalem, " Her gates shall be open 
 continually ; they shall not be shut day nor night:" 
 and that this is meant of new Jerusalem, John satis- 
 fies us. Rev. xxi. 25, where he brings in these words, 
 speaking of the new Jerusalem, " The gates of it 
 shall not be shut." It had twelve gates, ver. 13, 
 and not one of them should be shut. 
 
 " Went up the stairs thereof." There are stairs 
 and steps spoken of in ver. (i, 22, 26, 31, 34, 37, 49. 
 The temple being upon a mountain, the ascent must 
 needs be by stairs and steps. For the number of them, 
 in the 6th verse, the Septuagint saith they were 
 seven, but the Hebrew mentions not the number in 
 that place. In the 22nd and 26th verses you hear 
 of seven steps, and in the 31st, 34th, and 37th, of eight 
 steps : but these were in several places, and served 
 for several ascents ; for that is the use of stairs and 
 steps. 
 
 Three things I conceive are hereby held out 
 unto us: 
 
 1. That we come to the knowledge of spiritual 
 things by degrees ; they are not known at once, but 
 successively. Temple mysteries we come unto by 
 steps. Christ leads his people on from one thing 
 to another, from faith to faith, from strength to 
 strength. Those that come to the temple proceed 
 by degi'ees, first one step, then another : Ezekiel was 
 carried on in the sight of his vision gradutim ; he 
 had not the sight of all at once, but one thing after 
 another. 
 
 2. The knowledge of divine things is not attained 
 without labour and difficulty. There are steps and 
 stairs in this temple, and those that will behold 
 the glory and understand the mysteries of it, must 
 go upward, first one step, and then another : and it 
 is difficult to go up stairs and steps : it hath cost 
 many hot water who have been going up these steps 
 to find out the secrets comprehended in this vision. 
 
 3. In temple work we must make progress. It is
 
 Ver. 7—13. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 77'i 
 
 not sufficient to go up a step, a stair, or two, and 
 tlien stand still, or descend; we must go forward, go 
 up higher, to the top. It is not enough to go up two 
 or three rounds in Jacob's ladder, and look about ; 
 but if ever men will get into heaven, they must go 
 to the top of the ladder : Rev. iii. 21, " To him that 
 overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, 
 even as I also overcame, and am set down with my 
 Father in his throne." Christ overcame the difh- 
 culties, he went up all the stairs, and, persevering to 
 the end, was crowned. 
 
 " And measured the threshold of the gate, which 
 was one reed broad ; and the other threshold of the 
 gate, which was one reed broad." Here were two 
 thresholds, the lower and upper, which the Grecians 
 call iiTTodiiQwv, and irjrtoW'pior; that the foot goethover, 
 and that the head goeth under ; and they were very 
 broad, each a reed, or six cubits, broad, and were to 
 adorn and strengthen the gate. Christ is the gate 
 and door of the church, his human and divine natures 
 are the ornament and strength thereof. 
 
 Ver. 7. Very little chambers. 
 
 In this verse, and ver. 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 21, 29, 33, 
 36, 38, 44, 45, 46, of this chapter, you read of cham- 
 bers. In Middoth, it is said the chambers were one 
 above another, and so it is evident they were, chap. 
 xli. 6. fficolampadius saith, they were little lodg- 
 ings, made for the use of those who served in the 
 temple. Their number was great. In some of them, 
 those that either kept the temple, or ministered, 
 dwelt ; in others were laid up those things which 
 pertained to the service of the temple. 
 
 In the chambers " they laid the meat offerings, 
 the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of 
 the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was com- 
 manded to be given to the Levitcs, and the singers, 
 and the porters ; and the otierings of the priests," 
 Neh. xiii. 5 ; the tithes were laid up in treasuries 
 and storehouses of the courts, or in the chambers 
 thereof, Mai. iii. 10. 
 
 Ezek. xlii. 13, 14, the use of chambers northward 
 and southward is said to be for the priests ; " They 
 be holy chambers, where the priests who approach 
 unto the Lord shall eat the most holy things : there 
 shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat 
 offering, and the sin oflering, and tlie trespass otTer- 
 ing ; for the place is holy. When the priests enter 
 therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place 
 into the outer court, but there they shall lay their 
 garments wherein they minister: for they are holy; 
 and shall put on other garments, and shall approach 
 to those things which are for the people." 
 
 These chambers may represent unto us, 1. The 
 mansions which are in heaven : John xiv.2, " In my 
 Father's house Rrc many mansions," saith Christ : 
 he showed Ezckiel these chambers in this visional 
 temple, and he told his disciples of those celestial 
 mansions which he would prepare for them. 
 
 2. That entertainment, rest, and comfort, the saints 
 enjoy, and shall have in the church under Christ. 
 If a man come to his friend's house, and he have 
 never a chamber for his repose, it is poor entertain- 
 ment, cold comfort, and little ease, if he must lie on 
 the ground ; but if he have variety of chambers 
 and beds for him, his entertainment, rest, and com- 
 fort will be good ; he shall not need to fear wind or 
 weather. '\Vhen men come to the new Jerusalem, 
 and are citizens thereof, they shall have good ac- 
 commodation, sweet rest, and sound comfort ; there 
 shall be no voice of weeping or crying, Isa. Ixv. 11) ; 
 there shall be no tears, no death, no sorrow, no cry- 
 ing, no pain, Rev. xxi. 4. In the world is tribula- 
 
 tion, but in Christ is peace, in Zion is peace ; under 
 the new Jerusalem, the devils shall be bound up, 
 and there wOl be great peace, and spiritual comfort 
 in abundance. 
 
 3. These chambers, less and greater, may note out 
 the several congregations, or churches, of the gos- 
 pel times, be they little or great, all which are in 
 the church of Christ, as these chambers were in this 
 visional temple. 
 
 Ver. 8. He measured also the porch of the gate 
 within, one reed. 
 
 The thresholds, and the porch, were all of one 
 measure, viz. six cubits and a hand's breadth. The 
 word for " porch" here is-, oSn and in ver. 10, is ren- 
 dered "posts;" it signifies both. Porches were for the 
 dignity of the house and accommodation of strangers. 
 
 Ver. 9. Then measured he the porch of the gate, 
 eight cubits ; and the posts thereof, two cubits. 
 
 In the verse before it is said, the porch was one 
 reed, that is, six cubits ; and here we find the measure 
 of it eight cubits. In the former verse he spake of 
 the breadth, here of the length of it. The posts 
 were the pillars, artificially placed on the one side 
 and on the other. 
 
 " The porch of the gate was inward." It was 
 within the wall, looking towards the house itself. 
 
 Ver. 10. And the little chambers of the gate 
 eastward were three on this side, and three on that 
 side ; they three were of one measure : and the 
 posts had one measure on this side and on that side. 
 
 The eastern gate, as it had its porch and pillars 
 on each side of it, so it had its three chambers on 
 each side of it, and they were uniform, as the posts 
 or pillars were. 
 
 Ver. 11. And he measured the breadth of the 
 entry of the gate, ten cubits; and the length (f 
 the gate, thirteen cubits. 
 
 The Hebrew word for "entry" is, rrs and ren- 
 dered, a door, ver. 13 ; and so it is mostly taken in 
 Scripture. If by "entry," be meant tlie door, how 
 is it said that it is ten cubits in breadth, when the 
 door is never wider than the threshold ? which in 
 the 6th and 7lh verses is said to be but one reed 
 broad, or six cubits : either it was some other door, 
 or the posts to which the door was fastened and 
 shut to were added to the measure. If we hold to 
 the word " entry," it may be the breadth of the 
 space between the outward gate and the inward. 
 
 " The length of the gate thirteen cubits." " Length " 
 hire is the height of the gate, it was thirteen cubits 
 high. 
 
 Ver. 1:2. The space also before the little cham- 
 bers was one cubit on this side, and the space was 
 one cubit on that side, ^c. 
 
 There was Siaj a. border, or space of a cubit, on 
 each side of the chambers, and yet before them; 
 and the chambers on each side were alike, six uubits 
 apiece. 
 
 Ver. 13. He measured then the gate from the 
 roof of one little chamber to the roof of another : 
 the breadth was Jive and twenty cubits, dour 
 against door. 
 
 These chambers were not continued, nor con- 
 tiguous, there was the space of five cubits between 
 them ; and of twentv-five cubits, in that breadth, was 
 between them, as tfiey stood opposite one to another.
 
 780 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XL. 
 
 Ver. 14. He made also posts of threescore cubits, 
 even laito the post uf the court round about the 
 gate. 
 
 Posts of tliis length some think incredible, and 
 therefore divide these cubits between tlie posts on 
 eacli side the porch, which reach up unto the ])osts 
 of the outward court, making them thirty cubits 
 apiece. Some make these posts of sixty cubits to 
 be the cloister, which being supported by posts was 
 sixty cubits long. 
 
 Ver. 15. From the face of the gate of the 
 entrance unto, Sfc. 
 
 From one gate to the other were fifty cubits, and 
 the porch of tlie inner gate ten cubits. We are to 
 make progress in the temple, and not to stand still. 
 
 Ver. 16. Of the windows. 
 
 There were several windows in this structure 
 which was presented to our prophet, as appears, ver. 
 16, 22, 25, 29, 33, 3lj ; and ch;ip. xli. 16, 26. These 
 windows " were narrow windows," that is, narrow 
 without and broad witliin, lliat they might receive 
 and let in tlie light more fully. Such windows 
 Wire in Solomon's temple, 1 Kings vi. 4 ; skewed 
 windows. 
 
 By these windows is signified the spiritual light 
 which should be in the church of Christ. He is calkd, 
 Mai. iv. 2, " The Sun;" Isa. ix. 2, "A great light;" 
 John viii. 12, "The light of the world:" and by 
 those windows, the apostles, prophets, evangelists, 
 pastors, and teachers, he hath, and still doth, let in 
 light into the church. The promise was, that " the 
 earth should be full of the knowledge of the Lord," 
 Isa. xi. 9 ; tliat he would " pour out his spirit upon 
 all flesh," Joel ii. 28, 29 ; so that their sons and 
 daughters should prophesy, their old men dream 
 dreams, and their young men see visions ; yea, ser- 
 vants and handmaids should have the spirit, and be 
 full of light. This is in part fulfilled, and shall be 
 more and more ; for when the " new Jerusalem 
 comes down from God out of heaven," as it is Rev. 
 xxi. 2, thin will the light be gi-eater, "and the na- 
 tions of them which are saved shall walk in the 
 light of it," ver. 24 ; then will the Lamb be the light 
 thereof. 
 
 Also, that spiritual joy which should be in the 
 church : Acts xiii. 52, " The disciples were filled 
 with joy ;" chap. ix. 31, " The churches walked in 
 the comfort of the Holy Ghost." 
 
 "To the little chambers." The least churches, and 
 least saints, sliall not be without windows ; they 
 shall have light and joy, teaching and comfort. 
 
 In the l/th and ISth verses of this chapter, and 
 3rd verse of chap. xlii. mention is made of the pave- 
 ment of the outward court. The Hebrew word for 
 "pavement" is, nsxi which signifieth, a burning 
 coal : Isa. vi. 6, (he seraphim had a live coal, na^l 
 in ills hand : the pavement was of stones that seem- 
 ed like burning coals. If the pavement of this tem- 
 ple were so glorious, what was the temple itself ! 
 Solomon's chariot was i)avcd with Iqve ; this temple 
 with love and zeal. These stones which made the 
 pavement may sliow what the meanest and lowest in 
 the christian church should be, viz. shining, living, 
 and lively stones ; humbly submitting to the cross, 
 and content to be under, as a pavement. 
 
 Of the outward and inward court. 
 
 Tliirty-five times the terms of court, " outward and 
 inward court," are repeated, in chapters xl. xli. xlii. 
 xliii. xliv. xlv. and xlvi. 
 
 The outward court was for the people, the inw ard 
 court was for priests, and was holy; Ezek. xlii. 14, 
 it is called "the holy place." There was anothir 
 court, it is observed by some, viz. " the court of tlie 
 gentiles ;" which, it may be, Ezekiel points at, when 
 he distinguishcth the sanctuary from the profane 
 place, chap. xlii. 20. But it is evident from the Scrip- 
 ture, that Solomon's temple had an " outward and 
 inward court," and so had tliis. The outward court 
 there was great, 2 Chron. iv. 4 ; and the compass of 
 this temple and city which Ezekiel saw, " was eigh- 
 teen tliousand measures," chap, xlviii. 35. 
 
 The courts of Solomon's temple were very large, 
 which comprehended most of the people of Israel, 
 who came thrice a year into them to worship. 
 2 Chron. xxiii. 5, " Ail the people shall be in the 
 courts of the house of the Lord." This court, called 
 also " the great court," 2 Chron. iv. 9, was between 
 the court of the gentiles the outward court, and the 
 court of the priests the inward court, and that great 
 court, or court of Israel, was tlie court of aid ; so tlie 
 word n-ityn signifies. Thither they came, there they 
 prayed for aid, and had it from the Lord, 2 Chron. 
 XX. 4. 
 
 There seems to be another court belonging to the 
 temple of Solomon ; for, 2 Chron. xx. 5, mention is 
 made of a " new court." Some think this the priests' 
 court ; so called, because of the altar renewed therein 
 by Asa, 2 Chron. xv. 8 ; but others make it to be the 
 court of the women, the great court of the people 
 being divided into two, one for the men, and the 
 other for the women. It was not so from the be- 
 ginning. 
 
 In " the outward court" the people stood; and it 
 represented the nations, which are out of the churcli. 
 In " the inward court," where was the candlestick, 
 the shew-bread, and altar of perfumes, were the Le- 
 vites and priests ; and this court represented the 
 church, where the word of God doth enlighten and 
 nourish us, and Christ is our altar of perfumes. The 
 holy of holies represented heaven, into it the high 
 priest only entered ; typifying our High Priest, the 
 Lord Christ, his entrance in there alone by his own 
 power, to bring us thither. So that the first signified 
 the state of nature ; the second the state of grace ; 
 the third the state of glory. 
 
 Hereby the greatness of the church in the time 
 of the gospel, and especially in the time of tlie new 
 Jerusalem, is jiointed out. These courts were of 
 great compass, and had gates looking to the several 
 parts of the world. In Peter's time, many thousands 
 were added to the church ; there were Grecians as 
 well as Jews, Acts vi. 1. The extent and largeness 
 of the church is set out fully by Isaiah in his fiOlh 
 chapter. So Rev. vii. 4 — 10 ; and xxi. 24 — 26, " The 
 nations of them that are saved shall walk in the 
 light of it : and the kings of the earth do bring their 
 glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall 
 not be shut at all," &c. This church must needs be 
 great, " for from the rising of the sun even unto the 
 going down of the same my name shall be great 
 among the gentiles ; and in every jilace incense shall 
 be oflcred unto my name, and a pure oiTering ; for 
 my name shall be great among the heathen, saith 
 the Lord of hosts," Mai. i. II. 
 
 In Solomon's time many gentiles came to the Jew- 
 ish church ; a hundred and fifty-three thousand six 
 hundred were found there at once, 2 Chron. ii. 17; 
 which shadowed out the great access which should 
 come to the christian church. 
 
 Of the palm-trees. 
 
 There were many "palm-trees" seen by Ezekiel 
 in this temple, ver. 16, 22, 26, 31, 34, 47.
 
 Ver. 19—44. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 781 
 
 Palm trees are trees of great height, and sink not 
 with the weight of liurdens ; but they arc carried 
 uinvards, and being cut down, grow up again from 
 the root. The branches are fair, and always green. 
 It was the sign of victory. When Theseus instituted 
 games in Delos, he gave the conquerors palms. 
 The proverb among the Latins, To obtain the palm, 
 was used to mean victory. It notes out a flourish- 
 ing condition. 
 
 These "palm trees" were for ornament of this 
 temple ; and the saints in go.spel times, being vic- 
 torious and flourishing, are to be the ornament of 
 the church. Rev. vii. 9, " I beheld, and, lo, a great 
 multitude, which no man could number, of all na- 
 tions, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood 
 before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with 
 white robes, and palms in their hands." Psal. xcii. 
 12, " The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree." 
 Rev. iii. 12, " Him that overcometh, will I make a 
 pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no 
 more out." 
 
 Ver. 19. An hunched cubits eastward and north- 
 wa rd. 
 
 The floor, or pavement, of the people's court was 
 a hundred cubits square. 
 
 Ver. 20. The measures of the north gate, the 
 chambers, windows, and arches thereof, were after 
 the measure of the first gate, ver. 21 ; that is, after 
 the measure of the gate that looketh toward the 
 east, ver. 22. 
 
 Ver. 23. The gate of the inner court was over 
 against, &ic. 
 
 There were gates in the priests' court, and gates 
 in the people's courts ; and they were one over 
 against the other, and a hundred cubits distant each 
 from another. 
 
 Ver. 24. After he brought me toward the south. 
 
 ^Vhcn we are in temple work, we must move ac- 
 cording to the mind of the Master-builder, and not of 
 our own heads. 
 
 " Behold a gate toward the south." The measures 
 of this gate, the posts, windows, and arches, ver. 
 25, 2(i, were as the former measures of the gates, they 
 were uniform. 
 
 Ver. 26. The south gate had seven steps to go up 
 to it, and so had the north gate, ver. 22 ; and the 
 east gate had its stairs : see before, ver. 6. 
 
 Ver. 27, 28. The prophet from tlie outward court 
 is brought to the inner court, and first to the south 
 gate ; and the measures from gate to gate, as before, 
 were a hundred cubits; and the measures of the little 
 chambers, posts, arches, and windows belonging to 
 the south gate, ver. 19, 30, 31, to the east gate, 
 ver. 32, 33, 34, and to the north gate, ver. 35, 30, 
 were the same, and witliout diiTerence. There was 
 neither defect nor excess in these measures, but 
 equality. 
 
 Ver. 37. Tlte going up to the north gate of the 
 inner court had eight steps, so had the east gate, 
 ver. 34, and the south gate, ver. 31. The gales 
 of the outward court had but seven steps. 
 
 The people that came thither were to be holy, but 
 the priests, who came into the inner court, were to 
 be more holy. They who are nearest God should be 
 most holy ; they are to be a step, at least, above others. 
 
 Ver. 38. The burnt offering was washed. 
 
 Some, by this washing of the burnt oftering, do 
 
 think baptism to be prefigured ; which denotes the 
 washing away the filthiness of sin by the blood of 
 Christ. It may note out to us the purity of that 
 which is to be presented to the Lord j nothing un- 
 clean will be acceptable to him. 
 
 Ver. 39. Of the table offerings and sacrifices. 
 
 From the beginning of the 39th verse to the 44th, 
 Ezckiel tells you of the tables seen in this temple ; 
 their number, situation, description, and use : their 
 number was eight, some make them twelve : their 
 situation was by the side of the porches and gates, 
 four on one side, and four on another side : for the 
 description of them, they were of hewn stone, a cu- 
 bit and half long, a cubit and half broad, and one 
 cubit high : the use of them was, to slay the burnt 
 offering, the sin ofTering, and the trespass ofl'ering 
 thereon, and to lay their flesh thereon. 
 
 It is not to be imagined, that, under the times of 
 Christ, the Jewish worship should be revived. 
 These expositions of tables, oflcrings, and sacrifices, 
 import some other thin^, viz. the good and plentiful 
 provision which should be in the gospel church. 
 Isaiah .speaks of the same, chap. xxv. 6, " The Lord 
 of hosts shall make unto all people a feast of fat 
 things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full 
 of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined :" and, 
 chap. Iv. 1, 2, Christ hath water, wine, milk, bread, 
 and fatness in his house. The gospel is called " a 
 great supper," Luke xiv. IG; there was variety of 
 dainties to satisfy the souls of his people. I'sal. 
 xxii. 2fi, " The meek shall eat and be satisfied." 
 Christ hath a table well furnished, Prov. ix. 2; Luke 
 xxii. 29, 30, " I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my 
 Father hath appointed unto me ; that ye may eat 
 and drink at my table in my kingdom." It is a 
 " marriage supper" Christ prepares for his people. 
 Rev. xix. 9. In the new Jerusalem is a tree of life, 
 which bears twelve manner of fruits, and yields her 
 fruit every month. 
 
 Of the singers. 
 
 In the 44th verse, and only there, the singers of 
 this temple are mentioned. There were chambers 
 of singers. 
 
 There were singers in Solomons temple, 1 Kings 
 X. 12; 2 Chron. v. 12; and the number of ihem was 
 great, 1 Chron. xxv. ; and they were to sing praises 
 daily, I Chron. xxiii. 30. 
 
 Some played on instruments, some sang with 
 voices. Some conceive the Israelites had a part in 
 the instrumental music, hut none in the vocal, that 
 was performed by the Levites only. LigWrooi on the 
 Less then twelve their number was icii.pio. 
 not at any time, but they might be as many as they 
 would above twelve. 
 
 Tliesc set out the spiritual joy and songs which 
 should be in the church of Christ: Isa. Ixv. 14, 17, 
 18, "Behold, my servants sh.ill sing for joy of heart. 
 For, behold, 1 create new heavens and a new earth. 
 Be ye glad, and rejoice for ever in that which 1 cre- 
 ate : for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and 
 her people a joy :" her walls shall be Salvation, and 
 lier gates Praise, Isa. Ix. 18. In this Jerusalem will 
 be an holy priesthood, to ofi'er \i\t sjiiritual praise, 
 1 Pet. ii. 5. The Revelation speaks of singers ; chap, 
 xiv. I. .3, there were a hundred and forty-four thou- 
 sand stood on mount Zion, singing as it were a new 
 song : and, chap. xv. 2, 3, " Those that had gotten 
 the victory over the beast, and over his image, and 
 over his "mark, and over the number of his name, 
 sung the song of Moses, and of the Lamb." Con- 
 querors are full of joy, and mucli in singing praises, 
 especially spiritual conquerors. Such are they, who.
 
 7S2 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLI. 
 
 the apostle John saith, shall reign with Christ a 
 thousand years, for they shall be priests of God and 
 of Christ, Rev. xx. 6. And wherefore priests ? but 
 to offer up spiritual sacrifices, to sing forth the 
 praises of God and Christ, who hath advanced them 
 to a reigning condition. 
 
 Ver. 45, 46. Of the priests. 
 
 This temple had its "priests," who were "the 
 keepers of the charge of the house," ver. 45 ; " and 
 keepers of the charge of the altar," ver. 4fi. In 
 time of the tabernacle there were men appointed to 
 take charge of it, and the things pertaining to it. 
 Numb. iii. 25 ; there were eight thousand six hun- 
 dred to keep the charge of the sanctuary, ver. 28 ; 
 and what mauv of them did you may see 1 Chron. 
 ix. 27—32; xx'iii. 27—32. So, in the temple of So- 
 lomon, the priests had the charge of the things 
 thereof, 2 Chron. xiii. 10, 11. When Uzziah went 
 into the temple to burn incense, the priests who had 
 the charge of things thrust him out, 2 Chron. xsvi. ; 
 these are said to be the sons of Zadok. Zadok was 
 the first hisjh priest who served in the temple of So- 
 lomon, I Kings ii. 35 ; and of such worth was he 
 among the priests, and of such esteem with God, 
 that all in this temple are called the sons of Zadok, 
 both priests and Levites, Ezek. xliv. 15. 
 
 By these "priests" may be imderstood the minis- 
 ters of the gospel, who have the charge of the holy 
 things and persons. 1 Tim. ^"i. 13, 14, " I give thee 
 charge in the sight of God, that thou keep this com- 
 mandment without spot :" all the rules he had given 
 liim concerning the house of God, the offices, ofhcers, 
 and inhabitants thereof, he calls a " commandment," 
 and lays upon him the charge of keeping of it. So 
 in Acts XX. Paul calls for tlie elders of the church of 
 Ephesns, ver. 17, and charges them to take heed to 
 all the flock, ver. 28. They are the watchmen, the 
 charge of souls is committed to them, and they must 
 be accountants for them, Heb. xiii. 17. 
 
 Or, by these " priests," all the godly (Isa. Ixi. 6, 
 " Ye shall be named the priests of the Lord") may 
 be pointed out, who are the sons of Zadok, that is, 
 of the just one. Christ, our High Priest, is Zadok, 
 the Just One, Acts vii. 52; xxii. 14; and he hath 
 not only made us sons, John i. 12, but priests also, 
 Rev. V. 10. So that true christians are priests in 
 this temple, and have some charge of the holy 
 things and persons therein. 
 
 Ver. 45, 4(). The chambers towards the south and 
 north were for the priests, they were peculiar to 
 them ; they had their garments and anointing oil, 
 which others might not tneddle with ; and so their 
 cliambers. 
 
 Ver. 4(5. This coming near of these priests unto 
 the Lord, to minister unto him, points out the priestly 
 office of Christ, who drew near to the Father, to 
 make atonement, and to intercede for us. 
 
 Ver. 47. So he measured the court, Sfc. 
 
 Tlie Lord Christ lets nothing pass without mea- 
 suring, he doth all things exactly in his liouse, and 
 his servants should imitate him. 
 
 Ver. 48. He brought me to the porch of the 
 house. 
 
 This porch joined to the doors of the temple, into 
 which none might enter but the priests; saith A 
 Lapidc, it was covered, that they might be secure 
 from rain and heat. Christ is a por'cli to his people, 
 Isa. xxxii. 2. It is Jerom's judgment, that whilsl 
 we are in this life we are in a porch state. Here 
 we Iiave a body of death, see all things imperfectly ; 
 
 but when we enter into the heavenly temple, we 
 shall be free, and know as we are known. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 7. Afterward he brought me to the 
 temple, and measured the posts, sU- cubits broad 
 on the one side, and six cubits broad on the other 
 side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle. And 
 the breadth of the door was ten cubits; and the 
 sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, 
 and five cubits on the other side; and he measured 
 the length thereof , forty cubits : and the breadth, 
 tweyitii cubits. Then went he inward, and mea- 
 sured the post of the door, two cubits; and the 
 door, six cubits ; and the breadth of the door, 
 seven cubits. So he n^easured the length thereof, 
 twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, 
 before the temple : and he said unto me. This 
 is the most holy place. After he ineasured the 
 wall of the house, six cubits ; and the breadth of 
 every side chamber, four cubits, round about the 
 house on every side. And the side chambers icere 
 three, one over another, and thirty in order ; and 
 they entered into the wall which was of the house 
 for the side chambers roimd about, that they might 
 have hold, but they had not hold in the wall of the 
 house. And there was an enlarging, and a ivind- 
 ing about still upward to the side chambers : for 
 the winding about of the house went still iipirord 
 round about the house : therefore the breadth of the 
 house was still upivard, and so increased from the 
 lou'est chamber to the highest by the midst. 
 
 The measuring of the outward and inward court 
 being finished, here our prophet is brought to it, 
 and showed the measures of the temple itself, and 
 the things pertaining thereunto. 
 
 Ver. 1. "He brought me to the temple." The 
 gates, courts, and porch, hitherto had taken up the 
 jjrophet, but now he is at the temple ; from lower 
 things he is carried to more sublime. 
 
 " The posts, six cubits broad." The posts them- 
 selves could not be so broad, but the posts, together 
 with the cloisters, which they supported, were so. 
 
 The word " temple " is chiefly used in this chap- 
 ter ; once it is mentioned in chap. xiii. 8 ; here 
 seven times, in ver. 1, 4, 15, 20, 23, 25. It is conve- 
 nient, therefore, to speak in this place of the temple. 
 
 There are three considerable parts of the temple. 
 I. The porch. 2. The body, or temple itself. 3. 
 The holy of holies. 
 
 1. For the porch, of that Ezekiel speaks in the 
 two last verses of the 40th chapter, " And he hrouglit 
 me to the porch of the house," &c. This porch was 
 twenty cubits in length and eleven in breadth ; of 
 the same length was tlie porch of Solomon's temple; 
 and Ezekiel's exceeded it in the breadth thereof one 
 cubit ; 1 Kings vi. 3, for the breadth of Solomon's 
 temple was but ten cubits. Nothing is spoken of 
 tlie height of this porch : Solomon's was one hun- 
 dred and twenty cubits, 2 Chron. iii. 4 ; and, doulrt- 
 less, this was not short of it. The Hebrew calls the 
 porch dSin. 
 
 2. The body, house, or temple itself, (it is in the 
 1st verse,) was that part which stood between the 
 porch and the holy of holies. The length of this 
 was forty cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.
 
 Ver. 1- 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 783 
 
 Solomon's was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits broad, 
 and thirty cubits high, 1 Kings vi. 2 ; but when it is 
 said, Solomon's was sixty culiits long, the length of 
 the holy of holies is reckoned in, for that was twenty 
 cubits long, and so upon that account Ezckiel's 
 temple was sixty cubits long. They call the tem- 
 ple >?s'n. 
 
 3. The holy of holies. " Then went he inward, 
 and measured the most holy place," ver. 3 ; so it is 
 called : and it was twenty cubits in length, and ten 
 cubits in breadth ; so that the temple being as long 
 again as broad, was quadrangular ; and this being 
 as broad as long, was a perfect square. This they 
 call T3T oraculum. 
 
 As the court before the temple was four-square, 
 one hundred cubits long and one hundred cubits 
 broad, chap. xl. 47; so the temple itself, taken with 
 all the appendices of it, was so. The breadth of the 
 temple courts, and thickness of the walls, kc. make 
 one hundred cubits ; and likewise the length of the 
 temple courts, &c. make one hundred cubits, as Haf- 
 fonrefferus exactly demonstrates. 
 
 Of the signification of this temple. 
 
 Some make the court belonging to it to represent 
 the world, and the temple to represent heaven. It 
 may be considered, whether the porch do not point 
 out the common professor ; the temple, true saints, 
 who are temples of the Spirit ; and the holy of holies, 
 tlie saints in glory, the condition of those made 
 perfect. 
 
 The true representation of this temple, I take it, 
 is the body of our Lord Jesus Christ; both his body 
 natural, and his body mystical, viz. the church. 
 
 1. It is a representation of his natural body : So- 
 lomon's temple, and Zerubbabel's, or the second tem- 
 ple, was so. John ii. 19, saith Christ, "Destroy this 
 temple, and in three days I will raise it up." And 
 why Ezckiel's temple should not type out Christ, I 
 see no cause. There are many things wherein it fitly 
 doth so. 
 
 (1.) This temple was holy: ver. 4, " This is the 
 most holy place ;" hence it is evident the other part 
 of the temple was holy. The hecal was holy, though 
 not so holy as the devir : and the body of Christ 
 was holy ; Luke i. 35, " That holy thing," &c. Acts 
 xiii. 35, " Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One," 
 &c. 1 Pet. ii. 22 ; i. 19 ; Heb. vii. 26, " He was holy, 
 harmless, imdefiled, separate from sinners." 
 
 (2.) It was very lightsome and beautiful within. 
 It was adorned " with cherubims and palm trees, 
 ver. 18, 19. So the Lord Christ was full of light ; 
 Col. ii. 3, " In him were hid all the treasures of 
 wisdom and knowledge." He was adorned with all 
 the graces of the Spirit ; he was full of gi'aee and 
 truth, John i. 14. Cant. v. 10 ; Psal. xlv. 2, " Thou 
 art fairer than the children of men." 
 
 (3.) By the temple, they came to know the mind 
 of God. One part of it was called devir, the word, 
 or oracle ; there God spake. So by Christ we come 
 to know the mind of God. John i. 1, he is the Word. 
 He brought the mind of God to us, and declared it 
 to the world : Heb. i. 2, God " hath in these last 
 days spoken unto us by his Son." Christ was an 
 Ambassador sent from God, to acquaint us with the 
 mind of the King of nations, and he did it faithfully : 
 John XV. 15, " All things which I have heard of my 
 Father I have made known unto you." 
 
 (4.) The temple was God's delight. It is called 
 a house, for God dwelt in it, and manifested his 
 glory there : Ez,ek. xliii. 4, 5, " The glory of the 
 Lord came into the house ;" yea, " the glory of the 
 Lord filled the house." And Psal. xxix. 9, " In the 
 temple doth every one speak of his glory ;" there 
 
 God's glory is seen. Is not Christ such a temple ? 
 did not God come into the temple of his body ? 
 I Tim. iii. IG ; Col. ii. 9. There the glory of God 
 was seen fully : John i. 14, " The Word was made 
 flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, 
 the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) 
 full of grace and truth." The glory of God never 
 appeared so evidently as in this temple, and God de- 
 lighted therein : Matt. iii. 17, " This is my beloved 
 Son, in whom I am well pleased." See Rev. iii. 
 12, " Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in 
 the temple of my God, and he shall go no more 
 out : and I will write upon him the name of my 
 God, and the name of the city of my God, which is 
 new Jerusalem." God is establishing, and will estab- 
 lish, new Jerusalem with pillars daily more and 
 more ; and therein is strength to be found ; not in 
 the world, or in Babylon, 1 Tim. iii. 15. 
 
 (5.) There were cherubims and palm trees in the 
 visional temple, ver. 18, 19, 20, 25, 2G ; and in the 
 church of Christ there are cherubims and palm trees. 
 These cherubims may note the presence of the angels 
 in the church: 1 Cor. xi. 10, there were angels in 
 the church of Corinth ; and so in the temple John 
 speaks of. Rev. xiv. 15, 17. Each cherubim had 
 two faces, one of a man, another of a young lion ; to 
 signify the wisdom, strength, and zeal of the angels, 
 which are employed for the good of the church. 
 Or, by cherubims, understand those christians who 
 were wise, stout, and zealous for the truth, and 
 cause of God, such as " loved not their lives unto 
 the death," Rev. xii. 11; "but were beheaded for 
 the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God," Rev. 
 XX. 4. These cherubims looked to the palm trees, 
 they were patient under all crosses, afflictions, in 
 hope of certain victory : Rum. viii. 35 — 37, " Who 
 shall separate us from the love of Christ ? shall tri- 
 bulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or 
 nakedness, or peril, or sword?" &cc. "Nay, in all 
 these things we are more than conquerors," &c. : 
 their eyes were upon the palm trees. And, Rev. ix. 
 7, they had palms in their hands, they were certain 
 of victory, whereof palms and palm trees are 
 emblems. 
 
 Remark, there are several things wherein the saints 
 do resemble palm trees. 
 
 [1.] They are always green, and gi'owing ; so are 
 the saints : Psal. xcii. 12, 14, " The righteous shall 
 flourish like the palm tree : they shall still bring 
 forth fruit in old age." 
 
 [2.] Palm trees cannot endure dung. So the saints, 
 they hate superstition, idolatry, and all sin, as dung ; 
 they will die rather than worship the beast or his 
 image, rather than receive his mark in their fore- 
 heads or their hands. Rev. xx. 4 ; they watch, and 
 keep their garments undefiled. 
 
 [3.] The palm tree bears up against all weight 
 laid upon it ; and the saints do the like in all their 
 troubles and afHictions. Paul met with sharp trials, 
 yet he fainted not, but found more strength, 2 Cor. 
 iv. 16. And chap. vii. 4, he saith, " I am filled with 
 comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation :" 
 and Rom. v. 3, " We glory in tribulations." 
 
 [4.] These cherubims and palm trees were the or- 
 nament of the temple : and christians, who are wise, 
 courageous, and patient under all trials, are the or- 
 naments of the cluu'ch of Christ. 
 
 [5.] This temple, with the porch and buildings 
 belonging to it, was great and large ; ver. 12 — 15, 
 one hundred cubits in breadth, one hundred cubits 
 in length ; so the church of Christ is great and 
 large. In the apostles' times there were thousands 
 of the Jews believed. Acts xxi. 20. It was prophe- 
 sied in Isaiah's days, that all nations should flow
 
 784 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLI. 
 
 unto the mountain of the Lord, that is, the church, 
 Isa. ii. 2. And in Daniel's days, chap. vii. \4, " Tliat 
 all people, languages, and nations, should serve 
 Christ." And John, in the vision, saw it made good : 
 Rev. vii. 9, " I beheld a great multitude, which no 
 man could number, of all nations, kindred, people, 
 and tongues, which stood before the throne, and the 
 Lamb." 
 
 2. It is the representationof Christ's body mystical, 
 and that in several things. 
 
 (1.) All things in this temple were measured, as 
 appears in chapters xl. xli. xlii. xliii. xlvii. ; so in 
 the church, the mystical body of Christ. Eph. ii. 21, 
 Paul tells the Ephesians that the saints are a build- 
 ing ; and such a building as is titly framed toge- 
 ther; and so framed together as to make a temple : 
 all which could not be done without measuring. 
 Psal. xlv. 10, 11, "Hearken, O daughter, and con- 
 sider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own 
 people, and thy father's house. So shall the king 
 greatly desire thy beauty : for he is thy Lord ; and 
 worship thou him :" here was measuring of the 
 church and fitting of her for her Beloved. So Rev. 
 xi. I, John must "measure the temple of God, and 
 the altar, and them that worship therein." All in 
 the church must be measured by the word. 
 
 (2.) Christ was in this temple, and did all therein, 
 and showed all to the propihet (as in reading the 
 former, this, and subsequent chapters, is clear). So 
 in the church, Christ is there, and doth all : Col. i. 
 18, "He is the head of the body, the church," and 
 the head doth all : all influence, all dominion, all 
 direction, is from him. Christ is "in the midst of 
 the golden candlesticks," and walks up and down, 
 doing and declaring what he pleases there, Rev. ii. 
 1 : xxi. 3, " Behold, the tabernacle of God is with 
 men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be 
 his people, and God himself shall be with them, and 
 be tlieir God." 
 
 (3.) In this temple were chambers, galleries, and 
 .stories, one above another, as ver. 6 and 16 of this 
 clia])ter. and ver. 3 and 6 of the 42nd chajjter. So 
 in the church, there are several ranks and degrees of 
 officers and members, 1 Cor. xii. 28: Eph. iv. II, 
 there are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, 
 teachers; elders, 1 Tim. v. IJ ; deacons, 1 Tim. iii. 
 8. So for members, some are babes, 1 Cor. iii. 1 ; 
 some are little children, some voung men, some 
 fathers, 1 John ii. 12, 13. In the church of Christ 
 some are higher than others in gifts and graces. 
 
 (4.) In this temple were posts and pillars, strong 
 and great, chap. xl. 9, 10, 14, 16, 21, 24, 26. 29, 31, 
 33,34, 37.48,49; xli. 1, .3, 21; xliii. 8; xlv. 19; 
 xlvi. 2. In Solomon's temple there were pillars, 
 Jachin and Boaz, by which was noted God's estab- 
 lishment of the t( mple, and the strength that was in 
 it, I Kings vii. 21 ; 2 Chron. iii. 17. And in the 
 church of Christ are posts and pillars. James, 
 Cephas, and John were pillars, Gal. ii. 9. And was 
 not Paul a great and strong pillar, who had " the 
 care of all the churches" upc^n him? 2 Cor. xii. 28. 
 Are there not many posts and pillars in the church 
 of Christ? 
 
 Of the most holx/ place. 
 
 In the 4th verse it is described to be twenty 
 cubits long and twenty cubits broad ; parallel to the 
 most h(dy place in Solomon's temple, 2 Chron. iii. 
 8, which was twenty cubits broad, and twenty cu- 
 bits long, and twenty cubits high, I Kings vi. 20. 
 And though there be no mention of the ^height of 
 this most holy ijlace, it is probable it was of the°same 
 height with Solomon's, as well a.s of the same 
 breadth and length. This was called the inward, or 
 
 Of it. al„ 
 chup. xU' 
 K). 4o. 
 
 inward house, or "house within," 1 Kings vi. 15; 
 Ezek.xli. 3; "the oracle," 1 Kings vi. 20; and " the 
 most holy place," 1 Kings vii. 50, "the inner house, 
 the most holy place." 
 
 This place leads us to the consideration of heaven, 
 which is the most holy place, Psal. xx. 6. Dent, 
 xxvi. 15, heaven is holy, and God's holy habitation, 
 and our happiness is there. Into this place " the 
 high priest entered once a year, and made interces- 
 sion for the people," Heb. ix. 7- And Christ is 
 passed into the heavens, and there intercedes for his 
 people, Heb. ix. 24; chap. vii. 25. From the most 
 holy place was the mind of God revealed : Psal. Ix. 
 6, " God hath spoken in his holiness," in his sanc- 
 tuary, or most holy place. Some render it, There 
 God dwelt, "between the cherubims," and opened 
 himself unto them, Psal. xcix. 1. Numb. vii. 89, 
 Moses " heard the voice of one speaking to him from 
 off the mercy-seat that was upon the ark of testi- 
 mony, from between the two cherubims." So from 
 heaven, the most holy place, God makes known his 
 mind : Neh. ix. 13, " Thou spakest with them from 
 heaven;" Dan. iv. 31, "There fell a voice from 
 heaven :" so Matt. iii. 1 7, " Lo a voice from heaven." 
 From thence came both law and go.spel, which is 
 called " the word of God," Rev. xx. 4. 
 
 In the most holy place the glory of God appeared 
 most, between the cherubims ; and in the highest and 
 most holy heavens, there the glory of the Lord is 
 most conspicuous, most eminent, among the angels 
 and glorified saints. 
 
 Again, they used to pray, and lift up their hands 
 towards the most holy jdace : Psal. xxviii. 2, David 
 prayed, and lifted up his hands towards the holy 
 oracle, that was, the most holy place ; as is clear 
 from 1 Kings viii. 6. And do not the saints in their 
 worship, especially in jjrayer, lift up their hands and 
 eyes unto heaven, that holy place ? Psal. cxli. 2, 
 " Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense ; 
 and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice." 
 
 Or, this most holy place may prefigure the new 
 Jerusalem, which was to be so holy, that nothing 
 defiled might come there : Rev. xxi. 27, " There 
 shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, 
 neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh 
 a lie ; but they which are written in the Lamb's book 
 of life." When Aaron entered into the holy place, 
 he must be washed with water, and be clad with 
 h(dy garments. Lev. xvi. ; and all those that enter 
 into the new Jerusalem must be cleansed from their 
 sin, and clothed with righteousness. Rev. xiv. 4, 
 those that stood with the Lamb were not defiled 
 ones, but such as were " clothed with white robes," 
 Rev. vii. 9. 
 
 Ver. 5 — 7- The side chambers were in three ranks, 
 one above another, and the breadth of the house in- 
 creased upward ; there were winding stairs, and the 
 higher they ascended, the wider was the hou!5e. 
 Those in the church are not all of one rank, whether 
 officers, or others ; some are of the lower rank, some 
 in the middle, and some uppermost ; there are chil- 
 dren, young men, and old men ; and tlie higher any 
 get, the more enlargement, and greater breadth, do 
 they see in the things of God and this tempile ; and 
 notwithstanding this difference among them, there 
 is a sweet harmony between them, and they serve 
 one another. 
 
 Ver. 8. The foundations of the side chambers 
 were a full reed of six greed cubits. 
 
 Of the great cubit, see before, chap. xl. 5. Here 
 was good measure : in things belonging to the tem- 
 ple, the Lord should have not conmion cubit mea- 
 sure, but the great cubit measure.
 
 Ver. 9—22. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 785 
 
 Ver. 9. The thickness of the wall wasjive cubits. 
 
 The breadth or tliickness of the wall, say some, 
 was so many cubits from the wall of the house, not 
 so thick in itself. But the Hebrew is, the thickness 
 of the wall was five cubits. It was substantial, and 
 so should temple work be. 
 
 " That which was left." Saith Montanus, the 
 empty, or void, place. There will be some void and 
 empty rooms in the church of God. 
 
 Ver. 10. Between the chambers was the wideness 
 of twenty cubits. 
 
 Not between the side chambers themselves, but 
 between them and those over against them. Some 
 had better entertainment than others ; some were to 
 be in the chambers, others in the wideness, or empty 
 place. 
 
 Ver. 11. Toward the place that was left. 
 
 See before, ver. 9. It was five cubits round about. 
 
 Ver. 12. The building that was before the sepa- 
 rate place. 
 
 Piscator makes the separate place to be, spalium 
 resection. The Hebrew is, ante faciem segmenti, be- 
 fore the face of the partition ; for it was particula re- 
 specta e sito airto. 
 
 " Toward the west." Hebrew is, the sea ; that 
 is, the Mediterranean sea, which lay westward. 
 
 Ver. 13 — 15. Containing the measures of the house, 
 the building before the separate place, the walks, 
 galleries, and porches of the court, and they were 
 a hundred cubits in length, and a hundred cubits in 
 breadth. Every thing here was measured, and no- 
 thing neglected ; so exact was the Lord in temple 
 work. 
 
 Ver. 16. The windows were covered. 
 
 Solomon made for the temple windows of narrow 
 lights, but not covered. Sanctius saith they were 
 covered, Quia in relis modum erantfabricalee cancel/uto 
 ordine, atU in pertuso ligno frequeniibus perfossae fora- 
 minibus. Tliey might be covered with lattices, shut- 
 tings, or curtains, which might be removed at 
 j)leasure. 
 
 Ver. 17. Within and without, hy measure. 
 
 Hebrew is, measures. Not only the outside, but 
 inside also is measured, the height, breadth, and 
 length. The Lord Christ will measure christians, 
 of what height, breadth, and deptli they are : their 
 actions, atl'ections, and graces, will be measured. 
 Rev. xi. 1. 
 
 Ver. 18. And it teas made with cherubims. 
 
 The cherubims import the presence of the angels 
 in the church, 1 Cor. xi. 10; their communion with 
 the saints in worship, 1 Cor. x. 20; Rev. v. 1 1 ; vii. 
 11, 12 ; their ministratiim unto, or for them, Heb. i. 
 14. They are for the Lord of the temple, and those 
 that wait upon him there j they look towards the 
 palm trees, and their wisdom and strength is laid 
 out for their good. 
 
 Ver. 19. So that the face of a man was toward 
 the palm tree on the one side, and the face of a 
 young lion, Sfc. 
 
 Of the cherubims' faces, see chap. i. 10, what is 
 said there. In ver. 18, 20, 25, 20, the palm trees 
 are mentioned again, which are ever green, growing, 
 tending upwards though pressed down with weight, 
 and signs of victory and great joy, being carried in 
 3 £ 
 
 the hand, or worn on the head; and are ornaments 
 to the place where they are, figuring what the per- 
 sons in this temple should be, Psal. xcii. 12 — 14; 
 John xii. 13; Rev. vii. 9. By sufferings and pres- 
 sures they mount upwards, overcome, are filled with 
 joy, 2 Cor. i. 5; Acts v. 41 ; and so are great orna- 
 ments to the church of God. 
 
 Of the altar. 
 
 In the 22nd verse it is said, " Tlie altar of wood 
 was three cubits high, and tlie length thereof two 
 cubits ; and the corners thereof, and the length 
 thereof, and the walls thereof, were of wood : and he 
 said unto me. This is the table that is before the 
 Lord." This altar was the altar of incense, and 
 stood before the oraele, or most holy place. Such 
 an altar was in Moses' days made for the tabernacle : 
 Exod. xxxvii. 25, " He made the incense altar." In 
 the temple of Solomon, also, there was an altar of 
 incense ; 2 Chron. xxvi. 16, Uzziah " went into the 
 temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the incense 
 altar." 
 
 1. This altar was a representation or type of 
 Christ, who is said to be our altar, Heb. xiii. 10 j 
 and in many things it did represent him. 
 
 (1.) Though it were of wood, yet it was " of shit- 
 tim wood," Exod. xxx. 1 ; which the Septuagint ren- 
 ders, of incorruptible wood. So Christ his human 
 nature was incorruptible, it saw no corruption. Acts 
 xiii. 35. 
 
 (2.) This altar of incense which Ezekiel saw was 
 larger than that under the law; it was two cubits in 
 length, that but one ; it was three cubits in height, 
 that but two ; as appears, Exod. xxxvii. 25. This 
 held out that the worship of God in Christ's time 
 should be enlarged ; it was among the Jews oidy 
 before, but then it should be among the gentiles 
 also: Mai. i. 11, " From the rising of the sun unto 
 the going down of the same my name shall be great 
 among the gentiles ; and in every place incense shall 
 be ollered to my name." 1 Tim. ii. 8, " I will that 
 men pray every where :" under Clirist, the incense 
 altar was to be every where. 
 
 (3.) Sweet incense was offered np to God, pure 
 incense, Exod. xxxvii. 29, upon this altar, chap. 
 xxx. 7, 8. Where the people prayed, the priest ofTered 
 incense, Luke i. 9, 10; and when we pray, Christ 
 offers up our prayers, with the incense and perfume 
 of his merits : Rev. viii. 3, 4, " The prayers of the 
 saints ascend up before God out of the angel's hand," 
 who was Christ, the golden altar, for so the altar of 
 incense is called, Nunil). iv. 11. Christ perfumes 
 the prayers and services of his saints with his 
 merits, and so presents them unto his Father. It is 
 said, Eph. v. 2, " Christ hath given himself for us an 
 offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-snulling 
 savour ;" so that whatever he presents to the Father, 
 or is presented in his name from the saints, is pleasing 
 and acce])table to him : all the imperfections and 
 impurities of them are done away by him. 
 
 (4.) Upon this altar was incense, morning and 
 evening; it was a perpetual incense, Exod. xxx. 7, 
 8 ; so Christ, our Altar, offers up prayers perpetually 
 for us ; Heb. vii. 25, " He ever liveth to make inter- 
 cession for his people." 
 
 (5.) This altar of incense had horns, Exod. xxx. 
 2, 3 ; at every corner thereof was a horn ; which 
 sets out the strength and power of Christ : Rev. ix. 
 13, " I heard a voice from the four horns of the 
 golden altar," which was Christ, whose power is in 
 all the quarters of the world. Christ's intercession 
 with the Father is powerful to descry the enemies 
 of his people, and to deliver them. 
 
 2. This altar is said to be the table that is before
 
 7S6 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLII. 
 
 the Lovd. There is something in this expression 
 wortliy ecjnsideration. 
 
 (1.) That poor, sinful, weak, unworthy creatures 
 may come to Christ, not only as an altar, to have their 
 j)rayers presented unto God, but as a table, to have 
 refreshing for their souls. There the hungry may 
 have meat, and the thirsty drink : he is the bread 
 and water of life, his " flesh is meat indeed, his blood 
 is drink indeed," John vi. 35, 55. He hath a king- 
 dom and a table for his, Luke xxii. 30; he " feeds 
 them, and leads them to living fountains of water," 
 Kev. vii. 17. He hath hidden manna for his servants, 
 and a tree of life to refresh them with. Rev. ii. 7, 17. 
 
 (2.) That the Lord himself is delighted, and satis- 
 fied in, and with, Christ ; as we are with a table full 
 of dainties, having the choicest meats and choicest 
 drinks: Matt. iii. 17> "This is my beloved Son, in 
 whom I am well pleased;" with his person, with his 
 graces, with his offices, with his actions, with his 
 sufl'erings, with his merits, and with the prayers of 
 the saints he presents unto me, " I am well pleased." 
 Christ is the Altar, the Table, the Sacrifice, and the 
 meat and drink upon the same. So is the Lord taken 
 with the intercession and merits of Christ, that liis 
 soul delights in him, Isa. xlii. 1. If any of the 
 children of God sin, and thirst for pardon, and peace, 
 we have an Altar, a Table before the Lord : 1 John 
 ii. 1, "If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the 
 Father, Jesus Christ the righteous : and he is the 
 propitiation for our sins :" the Father is so pleased 
 with him, that for his sake presently he grants us 
 j)ardon and peace. 
 
 Of the dooi's of the temple. 
 
 Ver. 23. " The temple and the sanchiary had 
 two doors," which are described in the 24th and 
 25th verses. These doors were to open and shut at 
 pleasure, and by them the entrance was into the 
 temple, and sanctuary, or most holy place. What 
 else do these suggest unto us, but the means whereby 
 we come to be in, and of, the church of God ? The 
 gospel, and its ordinances, faith, repentance, and 
 baptism, are the means to salvation ; by them we 
 obtain entrance into the communion of saints, the 
 favour of God, and the kingdom of heaven. Christ 
 is said to be " the way," John xiv. 6 ; and " the 
 door," John x. 7 ; because he hath given us the 
 means, which are the way and door to the church, 
 and unto life : these doors are to be open for the 
 Kheep, and to be shut against the goats. We may 
 also understand by these doors, the ministers dis- 
 pensing the gospel and the ordinances thereof; who 
 are to be holy, vigilant, and zealous, as the cheru- 
 bims ; and constantly green, growing, and flourish- 
 ing, as the palm trees, ver. 25. 
 
 Ver. 26. On (he U'indows, posts, chambers, and 
 thick planks; were palm trees, on the one side, and 
 on the other. 
 
 They had palm trees wrought or engraven on 
 them on both sides ; implying, that the materials of 
 Christ's temple must not be common, but curious 
 and carved work. If all the walls of Solomon's 
 house were carved round about with carved figures 
 of chcrubims and palm trees, and open flowers, 
 within and witliout, 1 Kings vi. 9 ; much more must 
 the house of Christ, and every thing in it, have 
 carved work upon it, viz. the engravings of God's 
 Spirit: see Psal. xlv. 13; Rev. xxi. t8, 19. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIL 
 
 Ver. 1 — 7. Then he brought me forth into the 
 utter court, the uai/ toward the north : and lie 
 brought me into the chamber that was over against 
 the separate place, and which was before the build- 
 ing toward the north. Hefore the length of an 
 hundred cubits was the north door, and the breadth 
 urns fifty cubits. Over against the twenty cubits 
 which were for the inner court, and over against 
 the pavement which wasfor the utter court, ivas 
 gallery against gallery in, three stories. And 
 before the chambers teas a icalk of ten cubits 
 breadth inward, a way of one cubit; and their 
 doors toward the north. Now the upper chambers 
 were shorter : for the galleries were higher than 
 these, than the lower, and than the middlemost of 
 the building. For they were in three stories, but 
 had not pillars as the pillars of the courts : there- 
 fore the building was straitened more than the 
 lowest and the middlemostfrom the ground. And 
 the wall that was witliout over against the cham- 
 ber's, toward the outer court on the forepart of the 
 chambers, the length thereof was fifty cubits. 
 
 In this chapter, progress is made in the description 
 of the temple ; chambers, walks, ways, galleries, 
 walls, priests, garments, holy things, anil the outward 
 courts, are here spoken of. 
 
 Ver. 1. " Then he brought me forth into the utter 
 court." Difference there is amongst expositors, what 
 court this was ; whether the utmost court of all, 
 which was the court of the people, or the next court 
 to that, which was the priests' court, or the court the 
 temple stood in, where the separate building was; 
 called the outer court, in respect of the temple, into 
 which he was brought out of the temiile. Ver. 7, ^, 
 9, 14, speak of the outer court, an'O^his outward 
 court was that where the temple stood, as Sanctius 
 and others observe. 
 
 Formerly hath been spoken of the outward court, 
 representing the amplitude of the church ; here it is 
 conceived to hold forth the visibility of the church j 
 that which is outward is visible. The church, 
 whilst it is in this world, is the outward court. It is 
 not the outward court which is the profane place ; 
 it is not the world, but the outward court, which is 
 a place separate from the world, yet visible in the 
 world. The church of Christ is prefigured in Scrip- 
 ture, and set out, by visible things. Sometimes by 
 the ark of Noah, as 1 Pet. iii. 20; sometimes by a 
 mountain, as Isa. ii. 2 ; sometimes by a vineyard, 
 and vine, Isa. v. 1 ; Psal. Ixxx. 8, 9 ; sometimes by 
 a city, Psal. cxxii. 3; Rev. xxi. 2; sometimes by a 
 ship, Luke v. 3 ; sometimes by a candlestick. Rev. 
 i. 20; sometimes by a dove-house, Isa. Ix. 8; some- 
 times by a garden, and by a spring. Cant. iv. 12; 
 sometimes by a bird, Hos. xi. 11; sometimes by a 
 flock, and a fold, Psal. Ixxviii. 52 ; John x. 16 ; some- 
 times by a temple, 2 Cor. vi. 16. All these are visible 
 things, and set out the visibility of the church 
 eminently. 
 
 Ver. 3. " For the inner court." As the church 
 visible is by the outward court represented; so the 
 church invisible, the mystical body of Christ, is by 
 the inner court. 
 
 Ver. 4. " Before the chambers was a walk of ten 
 cubits breadth inward, a way of one cubit." There 
 is a broad way, and a narrow way ; a ten cubit way,
 
 Ver. 1—14. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 787 
 
 and a one cubit way. The church in this world is 
 imder various dispensations : at one time it hath 
 prosperity and freedom ; it is in " a walk of ten 
 cubits breadth," it is not straitened at all, as in 
 Solomon's, Hezekiah's, and Josiah's days. So in 
 part of the apostles' days, the church had " rest 
 throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and were 
 edified ; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in 
 the comfort of the Holy Spirit, were multiplied," 
 Acts ix. 31. At that time the churches had liberty 
 and prosperity, they had " ten cubits breadth ;" and, 
 the time will come, when the church shall have 
 greater latitude, liberty, and prosperity, than ever 
 she yet had. 
 
 At another time the church is in straits, afflictions, 
 darkness, temptations, persecutions, &e. It is in 
 " a way of one cubit," ver. 4. Such a way is narrow 
 and strait, and that is the way the church is oft, if 
 not most, in. Was not the church in the way of a 
 cubit, wlien Elijah could see none but himself in 
 that way ? 
 
 The Lord Christ told his disciples of such a way, 
 Matt. vii. 14, " Narrow is the way which leadeth 
 unto life," it is a way of one cubit, " and few do find 
 it." There are sharp afflictions, fiery serpents, wild 
 beasts, thorns, briers, pits, .stones, rocks, thieves, and 
 robbers, in this way ; all which the church of God 
 meets with sooner or later. Rev. vii. 14, " These are 
 they who came out of great tribulation ;" these suf- 
 fered heavy and many tilings for Christ's sake ; they 
 were in the one cubit way. 
 
 Ver. 5. " The galleries were higher than these." 
 The Hebrew is, did eat up, or prevail ; that is, as 
 Montanus renders the word, they took away some 
 room from the uppermost chambers. There is dif- 
 ference between particular churches ; some are high- 
 er, some are larger than others. 
 
 Ver. 6. " Had not pillars." The strength of this 
 temple was not every where alike, some parts had 
 pillars, some had none, or not equal to others ; the 
 chambers had not pillars, as the pillars of the court. 
 So in the church of Christ, some parts of it have 
 strong pillars, eminent teachers, whereas other parts 
 are destitute wholly, or have such as are weak. The 
 church at Jerusalem had strong pillars in it, all the 
 apostles, who were full of the Spirit, and taught in- 
 fallibly. Other churches had not such pillars. Those 
 in Macedonia wanted help, and therefore Paul had a 
 vision of a Macedonian in the night, begging of him 
 to come thither, and help them. Acts xvi. 9. The 
 primitive churches had able, gracious, and wise 
 officers, such as were pillars of a truth ; in them, and 
 sometimes since, have been strong pillars in some 
 parts of the church, pillars of marble, brass, yea, 
 gold ; but in others, none, or weak ones. 
 
 " The building was straitened more than the low- 
 est and the middlemost from the ground." Some 
 buildings are broadest at the top ; this was not so, 
 but more strait upwards. It is harder with some 
 parts of the church than others. Those who are 
 highest in the church, meet with more storms, 
 troubles, temptations, than those who are lower ; 
 the upper parts of the house are more obnoxious to 
 winds and weather. Paul was high in the church, 
 and what hardships, what tempests did he meet 
 with ! See 1 Cor. iv. 11—13; '2 Cor. iv. 8, 9; chap, 
 xi. 23—27. 
 
 These chambers were some greater, some lesser, 
 ver. 5, (J; plainly intimating that in the church of 
 Clirist, from what part soever men came, there .should 
 be entertainment, and suitable accommodation for 
 them. If the kin^s of the east come in. Rev. xvi. 
 12, there shall be chambers for them. Let men come 
 from north, south, or west, there are gates to let 
 3 E 2 
 
 them in, and chambers to receive them when they 
 arc in. Isa. Ix. 8, men shall come flying from all 
 parts, as doves to a dove-house, in which are many 
 holes, or chambers, for all the doves. So in the 
 church of Christ, when men come thither, they -shall 
 find chambers, good accommodation. 
 
 Ver. 7. " The wall over against the chambers, the 
 length thereof was fifty cubits." This wall was 
 answerable to the chambers, which were fifty cubits 
 in length, ver. 8. The wall of God's protection ex- 
 tends as far as the church doth, or any part thereof. 
 
 Ver. 8. Before the temple were an hundred 
 cubits. 
 
 Fifty cubits in the inner court, and fifty in the 
 outer court, saith Junius. 
 
 Ver. 9. The entry on the east sid€. 
 
 Some read the words thus. When he that brought 
 me from the east. The prophet was led by a divine 
 hand, from one place to another, chap. xl. 3. 
 
 Ver. 10 — 12. There, chambers towards the east, 
 north, and south are mentioned. These chambers 
 were some greater, &c. 
 
 Ver. 13, 14. Then said he unto me. The north 
 chambers and the south chambers, which are be- 
 fore the separate place, they be holy chambers, 
 where the priests that approach unto the Lord 
 shall eat the most holy things: there shall thet) 
 lay the most holy things, and the meat offering, 
 and the sin offering, and the trespass offering ; 
 for the place is holy. When the priests enter 
 therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place 
 into the outer court, but there they shall lay their 
 garments wherein they minister ; for they are 
 holy ; and shall put on other garments, and shall 
 approach to those things which are for the people. 
 
 The chambers, and the priests, are the two prin- 
 cipal things in these verses. 
 
 1. For the chambers, they are described, 
 
 1. From their situation; they were north, south, 
 and before the separate place. 
 
 2. From their holiness ; they were holy cham- 
 bers. 
 
 3. From their use ; which was, 
 (I.) For eating of holy things. 
 (2.) For custody of holy things. 
 II. For the priests, here is, 
 
 1. Their duty, which is, 
 (1.) To approach unto God. 
 (2.) To lay up the holy things. 
 
 2. A direction what garments they are to minister 
 in, how to dispose of them, and what they must use 
 at other times. 
 
 The building, where these chambers were, was 
 very large, as appcareth from chap. xli. 12 ; it " was 
 seventy cubits broad, and the wall of the building 
 five cubits thick round about, and the length thereof 
 ninety cubits ;" and it " was before the separate 
 place." Some make the separate place the temple, 
 but it is better imdcrstood of the space of ground at 
 the west end of the temple ; and lay next to the 
 chambers joined to the temple, or between those 
 chambers and the priests' chambers. 
 
 In time of the gospel, great numbers in the west- 
 ern parts from Jerusalem, have come in to Christ, 
 and embraced the gospel ; which was prefigured by 
 the great building, and the separate place, which 
 were at the west end of Ezekiel's temple : and ever 
 since the gospel came into these western parts, and 
 Clirist hath had a church here, there hath been a
 
 788 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chai>. XLII. 
 
 thick wnll of protection about it, so that neither hea- 
 tlienish nor antichristian powers could destroy it. 
 
 Here are many tilings considerable about the 
 ministers of the gospel, who are represented by the 
 priests, what they did, and had. 
 
 The priests did approach unto the Lord ; it was 
 their oliice to do so, and to minister unto him, Ezek. 
 xliii. 19. Aaron and his sons ministered unto God 
 in the priest's ofhce, Exod. sxviii. I, 41, 43. And it 
 is the office of the ministers under the gospel to ap- 
 proach unto the Lord, to offer up prayers unto him 
 for the people, 1 Tim. ii. 1 . They are so near unto God, 
 that they are called his stewards. Tit. i. 7, his sen'ants. 
 Acts xvi. 17; they approach unto God as stewards 
 and servants to their lords and masters. The elders 
 were near the Lamb, and had " golden vials full of 
 odours, which are the praj'ers of the saints," Rev. v. 
 8; they presented the requests of the saints unto the 
 Lord. In all administrations of the gospel, the 
 ministers approach near unto God ; and in aU their 
 approaches, he looks to be sanctified by them. 
 
 The priests who were in God's service had good 
 accommodations ; they had chambers, and were to 
 eat of the most holy things ; this signified, the care 
 God would have of the ministers in the days of 
 Christ, and the good provision he would make for 
 them, they should not be without accommodations 
 and means. Gal. vi. 6, " Let him that is taught 
 in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in 
 all good things." Here is large provision made for 
 the gospel ministers ; whatever good things people 
 possess, they ought to communicate a part thereof to 
 their teachers ; something is due to the teachers, and 
 it is duty in the taught to pay it. The ministers arc 
 to have meat, and chambers, accommodations to eat 
 their meat in. 1 Cor. ix. 13, 14, " Do ye not know 
 that they which minister about holy things live of 
 the things of the temple ? and they which wait at 
 the altar, are partakers with the altar ? Even so hath 
 the Lord ordained, that they which preach the gos- 
 pel should live of the gospel." Here is a divine 
 ordinance for ministers' maintenance. It is also 
 here hinted to us, that the priests were to eat of the 
 best of the most holy things; that is, the tithes, and 
 offerings, which were to be of the best, Mai. i. 8, 
 14. And certainly under the gospel, the ministers of 
 it are not to be turned off with the meanest and 
 worst of things : if you have choice spirituals from 
 them, is it not equal they should have answerable 
 temporals from you ? 
 
 Holy things were to be laid in holy places ; holy 
 olTcrings, and holy garments, were not to be laid any 
 ■where, but in the holy place. Under the law, some 
 places were holy ; but under the gospel, holiness of 
 places is taken away, according to what was prophe- 
 sied, Mai. i. II, "From the rising of the sun even 
 unto the going down of the same my name shall be 
 great among the gentiles ; and in every place incense 
 .shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offer- 
 ing." And according to that Paul gave out, 1 Tim. 
 ii. 8, " I will that men pray every where, lifting up 
 holy hands:" he makes all places alike, for the 
 outward celebration of worship ; yet the truths and 
 things of the gospel are to be laid up in holy places, 
 that is, in holy hearts. James iv. 8, " Draw nigh to 
 God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse "your 
 hands, ye sinners ; and purify your hearts, ye doiible- 
 mind('d." Holy hearts are lit places for God, Christ, 
 Spirit, gospel, and all the ordinances of it. James i 
 21 ; 1 Pet. ii. 1, 2: 1 Cor. xi. 28; Heb. x. 22; these 
 places show that holy hearts are requisite for holy 
 things. So, that of Chvist, Matt. vii. (!, "Give nn't 
 that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye 
 your pearls before swine ; " their hearts are foul, and 
 
 so uncapable of holy things ; they are not fit re- 
 positories for such things. 
 
 Here is, in the 13th verse, mention made of three 
 offerings, " the meat offering, the sin offering, and 
 the trcsjiass offering." 
 
 1. "The meat-offering," it was of fine flour, oil, 
 and frankincense, or only of fine flour and oil ; and 
 then it was to be baked, fried, or sodden : no leaven 
 or honey was to be used therewith ; but every meat 
 otFering was to be seasoned with salt; see Lev. ii. 
 per totum. Or it was of ears of corn, " the first 
 fruits, ears dried by the fire, even corn beaten out 
 of full ears," ver. 14. Part of this meat oft'ering the 
 priests were to " burn upon the altar for a sweet 
 savour." and the rest they were to eat in the holy 
 place, Lev. vi. 15, 16. 
 
 2. " The sin offering," whether a bullock, or any 
 other beast, was most holy, yea, whatsoever touched 
 the flesh thereof was holy. Some of the blood of it 
 was to be brought into the tabernacle of the congre- 
 gation, to reconcile with in the most holj' place, 
 which was not to be eaten, but burnt. The priests, 
 and all the males among the priests, were to eat of 
 this sacrifice, &c. Lev. vi. 25 — 30. 
 
 3. " The trespass ofl'ering." There was one and 
 the same law for this, and " the sin ofl'ering ; " it was 
 to be killed where the burnt-offering was, and the 
 blood to be sprinkled round about upon the altar ; 
 what was to be burnt, and what to be eaten by the 
 priests, you may see, Lev. vii. 1 — 7. 
 
 These offerings were types of Christ, who is our 
 tnieraeat offering, the bread of life, the nourishment 
 of every hungry and thirsty soul. His flesh, and his 
 blood, are meat and drink indeed; at his table we 
 feed upon him crucified, and so our meat offering. 
 He is our sin offering, and trespass offering ; 2 Cor. 
 V. 21, He was made sin for us, that is, a sin ofl'er- 
 ing, " that we might be made the rigliteousness of 
 God in him." See Heb. x. 12, 14. 
 
 In the 14th verse it is said, the priests must " not 
 go out of the holy place into the outward court," 
 which comprehends this mystery in it, viz. that the 
 ministers of the gospel, those who have given up 
 themselves to Christ and the church, ought not to 
 go out from their spiritual employment unto the 
 world, and worldly affairs, but to mind that great 
 work they are called unto ; for " who is sufficient 
 for such things?" 2 Cor. ii. 16. Paul instructed 
 Timothy, and, in him, all others in this truth ; 2 Tim. 
 ii. 4, " No man that warreth entanglcth himself with 
 the affairs of this life, that he may phase him who 
 hath chosen him to be a soldier." When men are 
 called to be soldiers, they must mind their soldiery, 
 not other things ; it will not please their captains 
 and commanders, they cannot discharge their trust. 
 So ministers, having a great Captain and Commander, 
 the Lord Christ, who hath chosen them to be his 
 soldiers, they must mind their spiritual soldiery, 
 they must not trouble or distract themselves with the 
 cans or affairs of the world ; if they do, they can 
 neither be faithful to their interest, nor please their 
 Lord and Master. Rom. xii. 7, those that minister, 
 must wait on their ministering, and those that teach, 
 on their teaching; they must not wait upon or med- 
 dle with other things; see Col. iv. 17. Soldiers 
 might not entangle themselves about husbandry, 
 cattle, merchandising, or other affairs, but they were 
 to mind the public. 
 
 The priests when they approached to God had 
 other garments on than at other times ; they had 
 holy garments on them ; they might not come nigh 
 God but in holy garments ; afterwards they changed 
 their garments, when they were to deal with the 
 people. "Which informs us, that the ministers of
 
 Ver. 15—20. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 789 
 
 the gospel ought to have other frames of spirit in 
 tliem, when tliey are nearer unto God in the duties 
 of his worship, than at other times ; then they are 
 to put on holy garments, they should be clothed 
 with zeal, fear, and other holy afTections. They are 
 to discharge their ofhce with gravity, and authority, 
 that their ministry be not despised. God will be 
 sanctified in them that come near unto him ; they 
 must not come in their old garments, with old, ordi- 
 nary spirits ; but with holy garments, holy spirits, 
 sanctifying God in their hearts, making him tlicir 
 fear and dread, and carry themselves as ambassadors 
 of God, standing and pleading for him. But when 
 they are out of public admmistrations, they may 
 put on other garments ; they must be clothed 
 with humility, love, bowels of mercy, meekness, 
 long-suffei'ing, as 2 Tim. ii. 24, 25. In common 
 conversation, and converse with the people, they 
 ought not to be high and haughty, lording it over 
 God's heritage, 1 Pet. v. 3 ; but to be ensamples to 
 the flock of wisdom, charity, patience, faith, and 
 holiness. They are to become all things to all men, 
 that they may win some to Christ. 
 
 Ver. 15 — 20. Now when he had made an end 
 of measuring the inner house, he brought me 
 forth toward the gate whose prospect is totvard 
 the east, and measured it round about. He mea- 
 sured the east side with the ineasuring reed. Jive 
 hundred reeds, with the measuring reed round 
 about. He measured the north side,Jire hundred 
 reeds, tvith the measuring reed round about. He 
 measured the south side, fire hundred reeds with 
 the measuring reed. He turried about to the 
 west side, and measured Jive hundred reeds with 
 the measuring reed. He measured it by the four 
 sides : it had a wall round about, Jive hundred 
 reeds long, and Jive hundred broad, to make a 
 separation between the sanctuary and the profane 
 place. 
 
 The 15lh verse shows us how exact a building 
 the church is, it is a house measured within and 
 without; when Christ had done measuring the inner 
 house, he comes forth and measures the outward 
 parts; nothing is left unmeasured. Solomon's house, 
 or temple, was not so exactly built, and measured, 
 as the church of Christ is ; that is God's building, 
 I Cor. iii. 9, and he exceeded Solomon in wisdom, 
 and so in buOding. See what a .sti'ucture the new 
 Jerusalem is. Rev. xxi. 10, &c. ; which makes good 
 that, Psal. cii. IG, "When the Lord shall build up 
 Zion. he shall appear in his glory." 
 
 There is ditlVrence among interpreters about the 
 reeds, mentioned in ver. l(i, 17, 18, 19. Some would 
 have them to be so many cubits onlj-, from that in 
 Ezek. xl. 47, where it is said the court was "an hun- 
 dred cubits long, and an hundred cubits broad." 
 Others would not have five hundred reeds or cubits 
 to be on any one side, but that all the sides mea- 
 sured made up the sum, be it five hundred cubits, or 
 five hundred reeds. But most interpreters are of 
 the mind that each side was not only of five hundred 
 cubits, but five hundred reeds. 
 
 The words for " measuring reed" are, mm n3p3 
 which was the great reed, saith A Lapide, of six 
 cubits, wliereas the vulgar veed was only of five 
 cubits; that this reed was six cubits is clear from 
 chap. xl. 5. So that the five hundred reeds were 
 three thousand cubits, and the four sides came to 
 twelve thousand cubits; which shows how spacious 
 and vast the temple was. From these verses are 
 presented to us. 
 
 1. The extent and latitude of the church wliich 
 should be, in all quarters of the world, under Christ. 
 He measured the gate to the east, and the east side, 
 to make known the eastern people should be of the 
 christian church. He measured the north side, 
 showing thereby that the northern parts should come 
 thither. He measured the south and west sides, 
 assuring us thereby, that the people of those parts 
 should come unto Zion. Christ sent his apostles to 
 all nations. Matt, xxviii. 19. They went east, west, 
 north, and south, enlarging the borders of the gospel, 
 inviting and bringing in the gentiles daily. Mark 
 xvi. 15, " Go ye into all the world, and preach the 
 gospel to every creature." The church of Christ is 
 all the world over ; the sound of the apostles " went 
 into all the earth," that is, all parts of the earth, 
 "and their words to the end of the world," Rom. x. 18. 
 
 2. The stability and firmness of the church. The 
 temple here measured was a perfect square, five 
 hundred reeds on the east side, five hundred reeds 
 on the west side, five hundred reeds on the north 
 side, and as many on the south side. Buildings 
 which are four-square, are most stable, firm, and 
 lasting. Such is the church, it is stable, and per- 
 manent ; " the gates of hell cannot prevail against 
 it," Matt. xvi. 18. It is built upon Christ the chief 
 corner stone, Eph. ii. 20; and is established in 
 righteousness, Isa. liv. 14. 
 
 3. The lustre and beauty of the church. Great 
 buildmgs in the form of a square are beautiful and 
 glorious ; such was that Ezekiel saw, it was a quadra- 
 ture, every side proportionable, holding forth beauty 
 and glory. Cant. vi. 4, saith Christ of his church, 
 " Thou art beautiful, my love, as Tirzah, comely 
 as Jerusalem." Tirzah and Jerusalem were chief 
 cities in Canaan : for at one, kings of Israel kept 
 their courts, 1 Kings xiv. 17; and at the other, 
 kings of Judah dwelt. These cities had much 
 beauty and comeliness in them, and unto them 
 Christ likens his church. Certainly, the chui-eh is 
 the most beautiful and glorious thing in the world, 
 to them who have eyes to see it. Many saw no 
 beauty in Christ, Isa. liii. 2 ; but Clirist was beauti- 
 ful and glorious to them who had eyes to see it, 
 John i. 14. And many see no beauty, no glory in 
 the church of Christ; b\it where spiritual eyes are, 
 there they aie seen. The church is set out by a 
 golden candlestick. Rev. i. 20 ; and that hath lustre, 
 beauty, and glory. It is set out by " a woman 
 clothed with the sim," Rev. xii. 1 ; and what lustre, 
 beauty, and glory can there be wanting ? It is set 
 out by a bride, the Lamb's wife. When the bride of 
 a great prince hath on her royal apparel, and is 
 decked with all her ornaments and jewels, is she not 
 beautiful, glorious, and shining ? Such is the church, 
 " arrayed with fine linen, the righteousness of saints," 
 Rev. xix. 8; such is the new Jerusalem, "having 
 the glory of God," Rev. xxi. 10, 11. 
 
 4. The safety of the church. This temple had a 
 wall round about, five hundred reeds long and five 
 hundred reeds broad, sufficient for the defence of it 
 on every side. And the church in the gospel times 
 hath a wall about it, long and broad ; a wall that 
 reachcth from east to west, from north to south ; a 
 wall higher than the heavens, deeper than hell, and 
 broader than the earth, viz. the power and provi- 
 dence of God. Isa. xxvii. ,3, " I the Lord do keep 
 it ; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." 
 Here is a wall better than that of wood, Ezek. xli. 
 22: than that of stone, Prov. xxiv. 31 : than that of 
 iron, Ezek. iv. 3; than that of brass. Jer. i. 18. Such 
 walls have been battered, and broken, undermined, 
 or climbed over; but this wall is not subject to any 
 of them. The wall of the new Jerusalem is " great
 
 790 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLIII. 
 
 and high," Rev. xxi. 12, sufficient to secure all that 
 are within. 
 
 5. Tlie sanctity of the church. This wall, as it 
 was a wall of security, so of separation ; it was to 
 .separate between the sanctuary and the profane 
 place, that those in the profane place might not 
 come into the sanctuary, where the holy ones and 
 holy things were. The church of God is a company 
 called out of, and separate from, the world, who have 
 given up themselves unto God and Chri.st. The 
 Corinthians were called out of the world to be 
 saints, 1 Cor. i. 2; and the Macedonian churches 
 gave up themselves to the Lord, 2 Cor. viii. 5. So 
 that all the churches of God " are a chosen genera- 
 tion, an holy nation," 1 Pet. ii. 9; Cant. iv. 7- Un- 
 holy ones, who are without in the profane world, 
 should not enter into the church. God hath set a 
 wall of discipline to keep them out, that the church 
 may not be defiled by them. It is said of the new 
 Jerusalem, that " there shall in no wise enter into 
 it any thing that dcfileth;" the angels will keep 
 them out ; for at the twelve gates thereof will be 
 twelve angels, Rev. xxi. 12, who will let none in but 
 saints, so that " all her people shall be righteous," 
 Isa. Ix. 21. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 Ver. I — 6. Afterward he hrovght me to the 
 fffife, even the gate that looketh toward the east: 
 and, behold, the glorii) of the God of Israel came 
 from the way of the east : and his voice was like 
 a noise of many waters : and the earth shined 
 with his glory. And it was according to the ap- 
 pearance of the vision which I saiv, even accord- 
 ing to the vision that I saw when I came to de- 
 stroy the city ; and the visions ivere like the visioti 
 that I saw by the river Chebar ; and I fell upon 
 my face. And the glory of the Lord came into 
 the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is 
 toward the east. So the Spirit took me up, and 
 brought me into the inner court ; and, behold, the 
 glory of the Lord filled the house. And I heard 
 him speaking unto me out of the house ; and the 
 man stood by me. 
 
 This chapter and the next, in general, speaks of 
 the ministry and sacred worship of the new temple : 
 more particularly in this chapter we have, 
 
 1. A new vision, in the iirst six verses. 
 
 2. The speech of the Lord unto the prophet, from 
 ver. 7, to the end of the chapter. 
 
 Concerning the new vision, the things consider- 
 able are, 
 
 I. The time when it was. 
 
 II. The place where it was. 
 
 III. The object of this vision: where we are to 
 note, 
 
 1. The place whence it came. 
 
 2. The sign of it. 
 
 3. The eflccts of it. 
 
 4. The resemblance of it. 
 
 5. The receptacle of it. 
 
 IV. The consequents of it; which are, 
 
 1. The Spirit's raising up the prophet. 
 
 2. His leading him into the inner court. 
 .3. The filling of the temple with glorv. 
 4. The Lord's speaking to the prophet. 
 
 V. The presence of Christ with the prophet. 
 
 I. When it was that Ezekiel had this vision. 
 Not at his first coming to the temple, but after he 
 had been led from place to place, seen the several 
 gates, courts, chambers, parts, appurtenances, orna- 
 ments of the temple, and all exactly measured within 
 and without ; after those things he had this vision. 
 Wbich insinuates thus much, that, after men have 
 waited upon Christ, followed him, and learned the 
 nature and condition of the church invisible and 
 visible, then the Lord affords visions of himself and 
 his glory. When men come first to Zion, enter into 
 church fellowship, they must not think to see the 
 glory of God, till they are actjuainted with the in- 
 ward glory and outward beauty of the church, till 
 they understand the measuring of Christ therein. 
 Tliose that are in the church, in due time see glory. 
 It is good to be there, and to wait being there. 
 
 II. The place was at the east gate. He was 
 brought from the west side of the temple to the east 
 gate, where he had this vision coming out of the 
 east. Christ is the Sun of righteousness ; and the 
 sun's motion is from the east, westward : so here, 
 this glorious vision came out of the east, and entered 
 by the east gate, which led directly to the most holy 
 place. It is the Lord Christ brings us out of dark- 
 ness to light, and shows us the way into the temple 
 and most holy place. 
 
 III. The object, glory. "Behold, the glory of the 
 God of Israel." That w-as, some figure, image, or 
 manifestation, representing the glory of God. In 
 chap. i. 2G, 27, Ezekiel saw the likeness of a throne, 
 of a man of fire. And chap. viii. 4 ; x. 18, there 
 were visions, where he beheld the glory of the God 
 of Israel, and the glory departing ; that is, some re- 
 presentation of his glory, which was leaving the 
 temple and them ; signifying that God was wroth 
 with them, and departing from them. But here the 
 glory was coming to them, importing that God's 
 wrath was laid down, their sins pardoned, and he 
 graciously reconciled unto them. It was sin caused 
 the glory to depart ; man's wickedness draws the 
 glory away, but nothing in or of man caused the 
 glory to return. It is said, " the glorj' came ;" it 
 came freely, undeservedly, unexpectedly ; there was 
 cause of great mourning when it departed, and there 
 was as great cause of rejoicing when it returm d. 
 
 1. Whence came it? "from the way of the east.* 
 Christ's star was seen in the east. Matt. ii. 2 ; 
 his coming was from thence: Zech. iii. 8; vi. 12, 
 Christ is called ncx which the Septnagint renders, 
 draroXi), the Vulgate, Oriens, that is, the cast ; be- 
 cause Christ should come from heaven, and enlighten 
 the dark world, as the sun doth, when it riseth in 
 the east. Luke, in his 1st chapter, ver. 78, calls 
 Christ, avaroXfi, which we render, " the day-spring," 
 and may be rendered, the east, for the day sjirings 
 in the east first: be it east, or day-spring, it is from 
 on high. Christ came from heaven to bring light 
 into the blind world. Hence saith Christ, John viii. 
 12, " I am the light of the world," the great light, 
 the sun of it ; which, rising in the east, shines into 
 the utmost parts of the west. 
 
 2. The next thing is, the sign of the glory. And 
 that was, a voice, such a voice as " was like the noise 
 of many waters." In chap. i. 24, when the che- 
 rubims went, " the noise of their wings was like the 
 noise of great waters." As the voice of the Al- 
 mighty, waters use to roar, and make a great noise, 
 Jer. xxxi. 35, and Ii. 55. Such waters are strong, 
 and there is no resistance of them ; men cannot row 
 or sail against them. This voice minds us of the 
 voice of Christ in the gospel, the sound whereof 
 " went into all the earth," Rom. x. 18 : and. Rev. i.- 
 15, Christ's voice is said to be " as the sound of
 
 Ver. I— R. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 791 
 
 many waters ;" it was strong, and irresistible. He 
 taught them with majesty and authority, Matt. vii. 
 29. They were not able to answer him. Matt. xxii. 
 4(3 ; John viii. 9 ; not to withstand the wisdom and 
 truths he put into liis disciples, Luke xxi. 15; Acts 
 vi. 10; Rev. xi. 5. Christ's voice in the gospel is 
 an efficacious voice. 
 
 3. The effects of it were two. 
 
 (I.) " The earth shincd with his glory." Before 
 the coming of Christ, the world was full of heathen- 
 ish and hellish darkness ; and Canaan was full of 
 types, ceremonies, and shadows ; there was little 
 light or lustre there. But when Christ came, the 
 oracles of the heathen ceased, and the Jewish sha- 
 dows vanished, and the earth shincd with the glory 
 of the gospel. Matt. iv. l(i, "The people which sat 
 in darkness saw great light ; and to them whicli sat 
 in the region and shadow of death light hath sprung 
 up." When the Jews were under clouds anA dark- 
 ness, then Christ came, and brought the glorious 
 gospel to them. When Christ was born, Luke ii. 9, 
 there was glory shone round about the shepherds ; 
 signifying, that the glory of the Lord would fill the 
 earth, yea, all the world. 
 
 Or, this may refer to the destruction of mystical 
 Babylon, and coming down of the new Jerusalem 
 from heaven ; for of the one it is said. Rev. xviii. 1, 
 2, " An angel came down from heaven, having great 
 power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 
 And he cried mifjhtily with a strong voice, Babylon 
 is fallen," &c. And, chap. xxi. of new Jerusalem it 
 is said, ver. 23, " The glory of God did lighten it, 
 and the Lamb is the light thereof" When these 
 things be, the earth will be filled and shine with glory. 
 
 (2.) Ezekiel fell upon his face. The lustre of di- 
 vine glory, sense of his own frailty and weakness, 
 caused him to fall upon his face. Here 1 might en- 
 large, but of this falling on his face was spoken 
 chap. i. 28, and the observations rising thence are 
 there to be seen. 
 
 4. The fourth thing concerning this glory is, the 
 resemblance of it : ver. 3, " And it was according to 
 the appearance of the vision which I saw, even ac- 
 cording to the vision that I saw when I came to de- 
 stroy the city," iSrc. The prophet being sent of God 
 to prophesy the destruction of Jerusalem, saith here, 
 " when I came to destroy the city." The Chaldee 
 is, when I prophesied. Then had he such a vision 
 as this was, chap. i. That which he declared to be 
 done, he saith he did. The prophet was in Babylon 
 when the city was destroyed, he did not put forth a 
 finger towards destruction of it, he only prophesied 
 against it. So Jeremiah was set over nations and 
 kingdoms, to root out, to pull down, and to destroy ; 
 this he did by prophesying against them, not 
 otherwise. 
 
 The same vision, which at first appeared to the 
 prophet in a way of judgment, appears now to him 
 in a way of merit ; before, it prefigured the destruc- 
 tion, here the restoration of the temple, city, and 
 land. The vision for outward appearance was like 
 what he saw in chap. i. viii. ix. x. ; but in the end, 
 and use, totally ditiering from, yea, contrary unto 
 the same. There he saw God angry, the glory depart- 
 ing from the temple, and going out at the east gate ; 
 here he sees God smiling, and the glory returning 
 the same way it went out ; here he beholds sweet 
 reconciliation between God and the church, made up 
 by Christ. 
 
 5. The fifth thing is the receptacle of this glory ; 
 and that was, the temple, or house, which had been 
 measured : ver. 4, " And the glory of the Lord came 
 into the house." This house, or temple, as hath 
 been showed before, signified both the body and 
 
 church of Christ. For his body natural, that was 
 the receptacle of glory, Col. ii. 9; John i. 14 ; I 
 Tim. iii. Hi. 
 
 For the church, his mystical body, that is a re- 
 ceptacle of glory also. Isa. Ix. 1, " The glory of the 
 Lord is risen upon thee." And ver. 19, " The Lord 
 shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God 
 thy glory." There is an estate of the church to 
 come, wherein it shall be very glorious : in Solo- 
 mon's temple there was glory, but glory in a cloud, 
 1 Kings viii. 10, II; but in 'Ezekiel's temple there 
 was glory without a cloud, a greater glory, even 
 such a glory as made the earth to shine. This is 
 the glory which the saints look for, and shall see 
 in due time : Rev. xxi. 3, " Behold, the tabernacle 
 of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, 
 and they shall be his people, and God himself shall 
 be with them, and be their God." 
 
 What is said of the church, is to be understood also 
 of every believer, who is a receptacle of glory, a 
 temple of the Spirit of Christ and God, 1 Cor. iii. 
 16; vi. 19; 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Whoever Christ hath 
 measured out to be a temple, shall receive glory. 2 
 Cor. iv. 6, " God, wlio commanded the light to shine 
 out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts," saith 
 Paul, " to give the light of the knowledge of the 
 glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." The gos- 
 pel is a glass ; in it we see the face of Christ, and in 
 his face the glory of the Lord, and " are changed into 
 the same image, from glory to glory," 2 Cor. iii. 18. It 
 is observable here, that when the glory of God de- 
 parts from a church, or people, it is not for perpe- 
 tuity, but for a season. The glory went out of the 
 temple, and city, at the beginning of Ezekiel's pro- 
 phecy ; but he saw the same returning, before the 
 end of his prophecy. The ark, when taken by the 
 Philistines, caused Phinehas' wife to name her son 
 Ichabod, saying, " The glory is departed from Is- 
 rael," 1 Sam. iv. 21 ; but after seven months, the 
 glory returned again to Israel ; chap. vi. the ark 
 was sent home, God caused it to return again. 
 Long have the Jews now been without an ark, and 
 without glory ; but in due time the glory of the God 
 of Israel will return unto them ; for, Rom. xi. 26, 
 "There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall 
 turn away ungodliness from Jacob." And when the 
 sealing of the hundred and forty-four thousand out 
 of all the tribes shall be. Rev. vii. then shall they 
 stand on mount Zion with the Lamb, and so the 
 glory will be in the midst of them. Rev. xiv. 1. 
 
 IV. The consequents of this vision, or glory return- 
 ing, come next to be considered : and 
 
 The 1st is, the prophet's raising; ver. 5, " So the 
 spirit took me up." He was fallen upon his face, as 
 nut able to behold the brightness of that glory which 
 appeared ; and being in that posture, the Spirit took 
 him up. In chap. ii. 1, 2, the Spirit spake to Ezekiel, 
 being down upon his face, entered into him, and set 
 him upon his feet; but here he took him up, he 
 dealt with him as a man doth with his friend fallen. 
 Hence springs this consideration, that those that are 
 humbled, and humble, with sense of their own vile- 
 ness and weakness, through ajiprehcnsion of glory 
 and greatness, shall soon be raised and comforted. 
 The sight of glory is a humbling thing. Ezekiel, 
 chap. i. 28, and here again, was humbled upon that 
 account ; he saw so much lustre in that glory, so 
 much greatness in the Lord, that, convinced of his 
 own vileness and nothingness, he falls down upon 
 his face, as being wholly unworthy to behold such a 
 sight, to partake of such mercy ;" but presently the 
 Spirit, being full of love, bowels, and compassion, 
 steps to him, and takes him up ; he suffers him not 
 to lie affrighted with glory, or affected with misery,
 
 792 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLIII. 
 
 but is a speedy comforter unto him. The humble 
 find mL-rcy, and are raised ; when the proud meet 
 with judgment, and are thrown down. 
 
 The 2nd consequent is, the Spirit leading of him, 
 and that was, " into the inner court." He had led 
 him into several places, and now kads him " into 
 the inner court ;" whereby he came to understand 
 the mysteries of, and behold the glory in, the temple, 
 which none are able to do w-ithout the leading of the 
 Spirit. None, destitute of the Spirit, can enter into 
 the church, to understand the things thereof, and 
 beliold the glory therein, I Cor. ii. 14, 15 ; 2 Cor. iii. 
 18. It is the Spirit that makes men discern spirit- 
 ual things; it is the Spirit that leads us from know- 
 ledge to knowledge, from mystery to mystery, and 
 from glory to glory ; he leads into the temple, and 
 " into the inner court," he reveals the deep and 
 glorious things of God unto the saints. 
 
 The 3rd is, the filling of the house, and that with 
 glory : ver. 5, " Behold, the glory of the Lord filled 
 the house." There was abundance of glory in it, 
 the temple and most holy place were full of it. 
 This leads us to consider, not only the temple re- 
 built after the Babylonish captivity, which the Lord 
 said by Hnggai, chap. ii. 7, that he would fill it with 
 glory, and that the glory of it should be greater than 
 of the former house, ver. 9, which was fulfilled in 
 Christ's bodily presence there; but it leads us also 
 unto Christ, who was filled with the glory of the 
 Spirit, and fulness of the Deity, Col. ii. 9 ; and unto 
 the church of Christ, wdiieh is filled with the glory 
 of the gospel ; (for it is glorious, and hath shining 
 light in it, 2 Cor. iv. 4;) but chiefly unto the new 
 Jerusalem, wherein a greater glory is expected to 
 be seen, than hath ever yet been ; there will be 
 abundance of grace, and glorious eifusions of the 
 Spirit. See how glorious the new Jerusalem is, 
 Rev. xxi. 
 
 The 4th thing is, the Lord speaking unto Ezekiel: 
 ver. 6, " And I heard !iim speaking unto me." The 
 Hebrew is, I heard a saying to me from the house, 
 a saying from the glory, or from the Lord, being in 
 that glory which filled the house : the temple, saith 
 Vatablus ; the most holy place, saith Maldonate ; but 
 we understand it of both. As the glory was in the 
 temple, so the voice came from the temple. The 
 Lord spake not of the temple, as Lyra would have 
 it ; but fi'om, or out of, the temple. 
 
 The thing pointed out hereby is this ; That God 
 reveals and makes known his mind in his house, in 
 the church ; he speaks from the temple unto his 
 people : Isa. Ixvi. (i, " A voice fi-om the temple, a 
 voice of the Lord." There God discovered his dis- 
 pleasure towards his enemies, and his good will to- 
 wards his servants. " In Judah is God known," 
 Psal. Ixxvi. There his mind is known ; " The law 
 goes forth out of Zion, and the word of the Lord 
 from Jerusalem," Isa. ii. 3. Where his church is, 
 there is his presence, there he utters his voice, there 
 he opens his mind. Why did David desire " to 
 dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his hfe," 
 but " to behold the beauty of the Lord," which ap- 
 peared there eminently; "and to inquire in his tem- 
 pi;'," because the Lord there spake, and answered 
 the desires of his servants, Psal. xxvii. 4. When 
 he was troubled at the prosperity of the w-icked, 
 what did he then but enter " into the sanctuary of 
 God?" and there he was resolved, he "understood 
 their end," Psal. Ixxiii. 17. The Spirit, and Christ, 
 spake in the churches, and to the cjiurches, Rev. 
 ii. and iii. ; and in chap. xvi. I, a great voice was 
 heard out of the temple. 
 
 " And the man stood by me." The Hebrew is, 
 and a man was standing by me. Some make this 
 
 man to be an angel ; but it was he, mentioned chap, 
 xl. 3, the man " whose appearance was like the ap- 
 pearance of brass, with a line of flax in his hand, 
 and a measuring reed." This was Christ, the Master- 
 builder. Zcch. vi. 12, " Behold the man whose 
 name is The Branch, he shall grow up out of his 
 place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord." 
 This Man stood by Ezekiel to assist, encourage, and 
 interpret things unto him. 
 
 Whence cometh this oDservation, That the Lord 
 Christ, who is the chief Architect in temple work, 
 stands by his prophets and servants who are em- 
 ployed therein. When the temple was first built, 
 many were employed tlierein, but they were not left 
 to their own wisdom and skill. Solomon was prin- 
 cipal therein ; he was present, counselled, directed, 
 and assisted ; therefore it is said, he built the house 
 of the Lord, 1 Kings vi. 2. So in Ezekiel's temple, 
 a type of the gospel temple, Christ was present, he 
 counselled, directed, assisted, he stood by the prophet. 
 He stood by the apostlis ; Matt, xxviii. 20, " Lo, I am 
 with you alway, even unto the end of the world." He 
 stood by Paul; Acts xviii. 10, " I am with thee ;" so 
 chap.xxiii.il. .^nd Paul doth acknowledge it; 2Tim. 
 iv. 16, 17, " All men forsook me," they showed their 
 unfaithfulness; "not withstanding the Lord stood with 
 me, and strengthened me :" he was about temple w'ork, 
 for it follows, " that by me the preaching might be 
 fully known, and that all the gentiles might fully 
 hear." Christ was with him, to instruct, encourage, 
 and bless him and his labours. Christ walks in the 
 midst of the churches, and holds the stars thereof in 
 his right hand. Rev. ii. 1. And, chap. v. 6, it is said, 
 " In the midst of the elders stood a Lamb." 
 
 There are two things worthy notice, from the 5th 
 and (3th verses considered together. 
 
 The 1st is, the distinction of subsistences in the 
 divine nature and essence. Here are three distinct 
 ones named: (!.') The Spirit, which took up Ezekiel. 
 (2.) The glory of the Lord, whom he heard speaking 
 out of the house, which was the Father. (3.) The 
 Man standing by him, which was Christ. Here is 
 the Spirit, Father, and Son, who as they have dis- 
 tinct personalities, so distinct operations. The Spi- 
 rit's work is raising up ; the Father's, speaking ; and 
 the Son's, assisting, or standing by. 
 
 The 2nd thing is, the gradual proceedings of God, 
 in carrying on his .servants from mercy to mercy. 
 Here are five steps of mercy. 
 
 The first is, the Spirit taking up the prophet, being 
 fallen upon his face. Had any one cimie and raised 
 the ]!rophet, being down, it had been kindness, 
 especially if Daniel, Zerubbabel, or some elder of 
 Israel had done it; but one greater and better than 
 them all did it, viz. the Spirit of God. This was 
 great mercy. 
 
 The second is, the Spirit leading of him " into the 
 inner court." He did not raise him, and then leave 
 him, but led him. And w hither ? not into the out- 
 ward court, but " into the inner court." This was 
 a further mercy, a choice mercy, to be brought so 
 near the temple. 
 
 The third step was, a sight of glory, he saw the 
 glory of the Lord filling the house ; this was a grand 
 mercy, which none of the Jews besides himself saw : 
 as when Christ was transfigured, and the mountain 
 sliined with the glory of his transfiguration, Peter 
 and John saw it, which was a favour unto them to 
 see such glory, and the greater, because none of the 
 other apostles did see the same. 
 
 The fourth step is, the Lord's speaking unto him, 
 being compassed about with glory. To have heard 
 the voice of an angel had been mercy ; but to hear 
 the voice of the great arid glorious God out of the
 
 Yer. 
 
 -9. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 793 
 
 temple, tliis wns a lieight of mercy, such as Moses 
 had. Exod. xxxiii. 11. 
 
 The fifth and last step is, the presence of Christ ; 
 he stood by him. Here was another mercy, and no 
 mean one ; Christ, " in whom are hid all treasures 
 of wisdom and knowledge," Col. ii. 3. So tlien here 
 was the whole Trinity employed at once about Eze- 
 kiel; which was transcendent and superlative mercy. 
 Those who are called to be agents in temple work, 
 haveneedof the whole Trinity; help of the Spirit to 
 raise or lead them ; of a sight of glory, to darken all 
 human and mundane glory before their eyes; of 
 hearing God speak, that they may be taught of him ; 
 and of having Christ jjresent with them, that they 
 may be enabled to go through their work. John in 
 the Revelation was led from mercy to mercy, from 
 vision to vision, as appears throughout that book, 
 and especially in chap. xxi. 1, 2, &c. The time will 
 come when the Spirit will lead the saints " into the 
 inner court," where they shaU see the glory of God, 
 hear his voice, and find Christ standing by them. 
 
 Ver. 7 — 9. And he said unto me, -Son of man, 
 the place of my throne, and the place of the soles 
 of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the 
 children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, 
 shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither 
 they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the 
 carcases of their kings in their high places. 
 In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, 
 and their post hi/ my posts, and the wall between 
 me and them, they hare even defiled my holy name 
 by their abominations that they have committed : 
 wherefore I have consumed them in mime anger. 
 Now let them put away their whoredom, and the 
 carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will 
 dwell in the midst of them for ever. 
 
 The second part of this chapter, being the speech 
 of God to the prophet, begins at the words read : and 
 in them we have, 
 
 I. A promise of God's abiding with his people, 
 and the etfect thereof, viz. sanctification. 
 
 II. A declaration of the cause why God formerly 
 departed from them. 
 
 III. A duty, or charge hiid upon them, ver. 9. 
 The promise of divine presence, and continuance, 
 
 is partly in the Tth verse, viz. in these words, " The 
 place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my 
 feet, where I will dwdl in the midst of the children 
 of Israel for ever ;" and partly in the 9th verse, the 
 last words of it, viz. " I will dwell in the midst of 
 them for ever." 
 
 By the place of God's throne, and of the soles of 
 his feet, is meant the temide, and city of Jerusalem, 
 where God had formerly dwelt. Jer. xvii. 12, " A 
 glorious high throne from the beginning is the place 
 of our sanctuary ;" it was God's throne, and it was 
 the footstool of God, 1 Chron. xxviii. 2. It is gi-anted 
 by all, that Jerusalem, having the temple in it, re- 
 presented the church of God under the gospel, in 
 which the promise here is, that God will dwell for 
 ever. The christian church shall have the presence 
 of God in it, and abiding with it for ever : Matt, xxviii. 
 20, " I am with you alway, even unto the end ofthe 
 world." John fixes this presence of God in the new 
 Jerusalem, Rev. xxi. 2, 3. AVHien new Jerusalem 
 came down from heaven, then he heard a voice, 
 " saving. Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, 
 and he will dwell with them, and they shall be liis 
 people, and God himself shall be with them, and be 
 their God." So chap. xxii. 3, " The throne of God 
 
 and of the Lamb shall be in it :" there both God and 
 Christ will be and dwell. 
 
 This sets out the great esteem God had of, and 
 the great complacency he had in, Jerusalem; he 
 esteemed it as his throne, and took delight in it, as 
 in his chiefest dwelling. Isa. Ixix. 1, God saith, 
 heaven is his throne, and earth his footstool ; this is 
 the honour he puts upon heaven and earth, and the 
 same he puts upon Jerusalem, and now puts upon 
 the christian church ; it is his throne, his footstool, 
 the place he esteems above all others, the place he 
 takes more complacency in than all others. Such 
 shall be the presence of the Lord in it, that it shall 
 be called Jehovah-Shammah, that is, " The Lord is 
 there," Ezek. xlviii. 33. And such shall be his con- 
 tent and delight therein, that Jeremiah tells you, it 
 shall be called "the throne of the Lord;" Jer. iii. 
 17, "At that time they shall call Jerusalem the 
 throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be 
 gathered unto it." 
 
 The effect of God's presence, viz. sanctification, is 
 comprehended in these words, " My holy name shall 
 the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor 
 their kings, by their whoredom," &c. 
 
 Of pro'faning and defiling God's holy name was 
 spoken, chap, xxxvi. 20. To let that pass, the sense 
 here is, they shall avoid all things which do defile, 
 and sanctify God's holy name ; they should keep the 
 worship of God, keep from idolatry, and all arbitrary 
 inventions of men ; which Jerom and Maldonate refer 
 to the heavenly temple, and not to the temple built after 
 the Babylonian captivity, because that was oft de- 
 filed, by Antiochus, Ponipcy, and Titus, and deserted 
 by the Lord. Others refer it, as is here said, to that 
 temple; because the Jews, after their captivity, did 
 for ever hate idolatry, and serve the true God, though 
 not in aright manner. If these words do in part re- 
 fer to the state of the church after the captivity, yet 
 principally they refer to the state of it after Christ, 
 and tliat time too when new Jerusalem shall be ex- 
 tant ; for antichrist hath greatly defiled the holy 
 name of God with his idols, and will- worship ; but 
 then, nothing that defileth shall enter. Rev. xxi. 27; 
 then sliall be made good that in Zech. xiv. 21, " In 
 that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the 
 house ofthe Lord;" they shall be all true Israelites. 
 
 " Nor their kings, by their whon dom." By "whore- 
 dom" the propliet understands idolatry, which is 
 spiritual whoredom, of which hath often been spoken. 
 Not only the people, but even kings and princes 
 were given much to idolatry in Israel and inJudah : 
 they caused idols and altars to be set up in most 
 places, and countenanced them ; they imitated the 
 veiy heathens, and became like, yea worse than them, 
 Ezek. v. 6, 7 ; xvi. 47 ; 2 Kings xxi. 2—7, 9. It is 
 said of Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Jehoiachin, that 
 they did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to 
 all that their fathers had done, they defiled Jerusa- 
 lem what lay in them ; but of the new Jerusalem 
 it is written, " Kings do bring their glory and honour 
 into it," Rev. xxi. 24. 
 
 " Nor by the carcases of their kings in their high 
 places." The word for " carcases " is, 0'-iJ3 from 
 -\J3 which signifies to be without strength, sloth- 
 ful ; so carcasses are deprived of all strength, and 
 move not ; they lie where they are fallen. The rab- 
 bles tell us, that the kings of Judah had a house near 
 to the temple, yea, joining to it, and that they were 
 wont to bury their dead in a garden belonging to it. 
 There they say Manasseh and Amon were buried, 
 which they gather from 2 Kings xxi. 18, 26 ; and that 
 by their carcasses being so nigh the temple, it was 
 defiled. But the places citeddo not say, it was in 
 the garden of the house of the Lord ; they say, it was
 
 7'M 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLIII. 
 
 " in the garden of Uzza;" neither do they affirm 
 that this garden joined to the temple. 
 
 The Vulgate reads the words, in the ruins of the 
 kings ; and so some expositors refer it to what we 
 find done by Josiah, 2 Kings xxiii. 12 — 14, "The 
 altars which were on the top of the upper chamber 
 of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and 
 the altars which Manasseh had made in the two 
 courts of the house of the Lord, did the king beat 
 down, and brake them down from thence, and cast 
 the dust of them into the brook Kidron. And the 
 high places which were before Jerusalem, which 
 were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, 
 which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for 
 Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for 
 Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for 
 Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, 
 did the king defile. And he brake in pieces the 
 images, and cut down the groves, and filled their 
 places with the bones of men." These altars and 
 high places, which Ahaz, Manasseh, and Solomon 
 made, were utterly destroyed by Josiah, and there- 
 upon called. The ruins of kings. 
 
 Another exposition of these words is, to under- 
 stand them of the children which were sacrificed to 
 idols, and passed through the fire : both kings and 
 others did so by their children, 2 Kings xvi. 3; 
 xvii. 17; xxi. 6; Jer. xix. 5 ; xxxii. 35; Ezek. xvi. 
 20, 21. This practice of theirs greatly provoked 
 God, and therefore he saith, Jer. xvi. 18, " I will re- 
 compense their iniquity and their sin double ; be- 
 cause they have defiled my land, they have filled 
 mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable 
 and abominable tilings." They are called carcasses 
 of their kings, either from the example of kings, 
 who offered their children ; or from their authority, 
 commanding it; or from the names of their idols, 
 which were called Molech, Milcom, and Malcham, 
 
 1 Kings xi. 7; 2 Kings xxiii. 13; Zeph. i. 5; which 
 signifies, a king. Moses calls idols carcasses. Lev. 
 xxvi. 30; and such they are, because lifeless, Psal. 
 cxv. 5 — 7, and loathsome, Ezek, xxii. 3, abomina- 
 tions in the abstract. The carcasses therefore of 
 their kings, it is not amiss to expound of those idols 
 they caused to be set up and countenanced. 
 
 The Annotations on this place say. The Jews did 
 deify their dead kings, and kept their bodies for 
 adoration ; but, as Sanctius saith, there is no Scrip- 
 tural evidence that such insane adoration ever ex- 
 isted. That place they rite, Psal. cvi. 28, is im- 
 pertinent, " They ate the sacrifices of the dead," 
 tliat is, things ofiered to Baal-peor, a dead god. 
 
 Ver. 8. " In their setting of their threshold by my 
 thresholds, and their post by my posts." The latter 
 part of the former verse, "neither they, nor their 
 kings," &:c. together with this verse, declare the 
 cause of God's former departing from them. God 
 did not account the temple defiled because the kings 
 had houses near unto it, in which they did wickedly, 
 wliereas they should have been more holy for their 
 I'roximity to the temple. This sense some fasten 
 upon the words. But that which hath more weight 
 in it is, Manasseh "built altars in the house of the 
 Lord, and set a graven image of the grove there," 
 
 2 Kings xxi. 4, 7. In, or near the house of God, 
 there was the image of jealousy, Tammuz, and other 
 abominations, Ezek. viii. 5, 10, 14, 18; so 2 Kings 
 xvi. II, 12, 14; Ezek. xxiii. 3\). These were the 
 threshold by God's thresholds, and the post by God's 
 posts ; these things cau.scd God to go far off from his 
 sanctuary, Ezek. viii. (1. 
 
 The preceiits and tr.aditions of men, with their in- 
 vention.'; and additions to the worship of God, are 
 styled posts, and thresholds. The a\ithors of them 
 
 do lean and stand much upon them, and set them 
 in the way, to hinder others from enjoyment of 
 temple privileges, unless they will own and comply 
 with them ; but such posts and thresholds are rot- 
 ten and faulty. The Lord's institutions and ap- 
 pointments are sound and good ; they bear up his 
 name and worship ; they are strong, and standing 
 things, and by them we have entrance into his 
 presence. 
 
 To make any thing like the institutions and ap- 
 pointments of God is prohibited. Exod. xxx. 32, 
 33, 37, 38, none might make anointing oil like the 
 holy anointing oil, which God had appointed ; if 
 they did, they were to be cut olT. And men may 
 not make thresholds and posts like the Lord's 
 thresholds and posts ; much less set them up with 
 the Lord's, impose them upon the conscience as the 
 Lord's, giving them equal honour and authority with 
 them. This is defiling the worship and holy name 
 of God, which he will avenge ; for he will admit no 
 rival or proprietory in the things of his worship ; he 
 saith, " My thresholds, my posts ;" he will have no 
 adding to or diminishing from what is his, Deut. 
 xii. 32. 
 
 The scope of God in these words is this, that the 
 worshippers in the new temple shall do nothing of 
 their own private spirits, of their own heads ; there 
 shall be no superstition, idolatry, or human inven- 
 tion, added to the worship of God ; there shall be no 
 heresy, no false doctrines, no traditions or devices 
 of men. Such thresholds and posts shall not be set 
 up by the Lord's ; they are defiling things, and such 
 things must not enter into the new Jerusalem, Rev. 
 xxi. 27: neither shall they by their sins cause God 
 to depart from them ; but shall do all things accord- 
 ing to the line of his word, and apply themselves 
 wholly to do his good pleasure. 
 
 " And the wall between me and them." There is 
 but the wall between my sanctuary and their houses, 
 I am but a little distanced from them, and yet they 
 have done these things ; they have forgotten me, 
 and defiled my holy name ; or, their altars, idols, 
 traditions, inventions are a wall between me and 
 them, so that they neither come at me nor I at them. 
 Isa. lix. 2, " Your iniquities have separated between 
 you and your God ;" they are a partition-wall, so 
 thick and high, that there is no seeing or hearing 
 one another. 
 
 " Wherefore I have consumed them in mine 
 anger." By their will-worship, and idolatry, they 
 so displeased the Lord, that he departed from them, 
 was wroth with them ; and so wroth, that he con- 
 sumed them by sad and severe judgments : but un- 
 der the new temple, or gospel church, it should not 
 be so ; being reconciled to his people therein by the 
 Lord Jesus, he will not leave them, be wroth with 
 them, or consume them. Sin causes separation, 
 wrath, and consumption. 
 
 Ver. 9. " Now let them put away their whoredom, 
 and the carcases of their kings," &c. Junius reads 
 the words in the future tense. Now they shall re- 
 move their whoredom far off. The Lord tells Ezekiel 
 what converted Jews and others under the gospel 
 .should do, they should put all superstition, idolatry, 
 and will-wor.ship away, and serve the Lord in all 
 purity, and so he would dwell amongst them for 
 ever. Rev. xiv. 1, 4, 5; vii. 14, 15, God is holy, and 
 he will dwell amongst holy ones. 2 Cor. vi. 1 6 — 18, 
 God will not leave this temple as he left the former, 
 but be in it, and dwell in it for ever. This is his 
 promise, and it is a great and precious one. The 
 sun's presence in the day is a great mercy, but it is 
 gone in the night, and then all is dark and doleful. 
 In the church of Christ, the new Jerusalem, there
 
 Ver. 10-12. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 795 
 
 will be no night, Rev. xxi. 25. There the sun will 
 always shine, God will be present and perpetually 
 present in it, everlasting light and glory unto it, 
 Isa. Ix. 19. 
 
 Ver. 10 — 12. Thou son of man, shetv the house 
 to the house of Israel, that they mat/ be ashamed 
 of their iniquities : and let them measure the pat- 
 tern. And if they be ashamed of all that they 
 have done, shew them the form of the house, and 
 the fashio7i thereof and the goings out thereof, 
 and the cominirs in thereof, and all the forms 
 thereof, and all the ordinances thereof and all 
 the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and 
 write it in their sight, that they may keep the 
 whole form thereof, and all the ordinances there- 
 of, and do them. This is the law of the hmise ; 
 Upon the top of the mountain the whole limit 
 thereof round about shall be most holy. Behold, 
 this is the law of the house. 
 
 In these verses we have given out, 
 
 I. The prophet's duty ; which is to show the Is- 
 raelites the house, with the adjuncts and appurte- 
 nances of it. 
 
 II. The house of Israel's duties ; which are, 
 
 1. Humiliation for their sins. 
 
 2. Measuring of the pattern. 
 
 3. Keeping and observing the forms and ordi- 
 nances of the house. 
 
 III. The law of the house; which is holiness, 
 ver. 12. 
 
 Ver. 10. " Thou son of man, show the house to 
 the," &c. The Lord commands Ezekiel to " show 
 the house to the house of Israel :" he had seen the 
 house, with all the forms, ordinances, and adjuncts 
 of it ; he had seen the measuring of it, within and 
 without ; he well understood both the frame and the 
 house, and the things belonging to it, and so must 
 show it to the Jews. The prophets must first see 
 themselves, before they show to others ; they must 
 first be taught of Christ, before they teach others ; 
 they must be well acquainted with temple work, 
 know the inside and outside, the forms and laws 
 thereof, first themselves, and then make the same 
 known to others. John first saw new Jerusalem, 
 and the measurings of it, and after that revealed it 
 to others, Rev. xxi. And what they have seen, that 
 they reveal, that they show, and nothing of their 
 own. Ezekiel must show the house he had seen, 
 and only that. Ministers under the gospel should 
 know the form and ordinances of Christ's house, and 
 show them, and them only, to the people. 
 
 " That they may be ashamed of their iniquities." 
 This vision was to be shown unto the Jews in cap- 
 tivity, to let them know that there should be a re- 
 storation of the temple and church state again ; and 
 under it, the state of the church under Christ was 
 typed out ; and this was dune to bring them to 
 repentance. The word for shame is, o'^a which 
 notes, shame for things in themselves shameful, 
 filthy, and loathsome. "The words may be read. And 
 they shall be ashamed; or thus. And let them be 
 ashamed. 
 
 Obs. When God reveals mercy, and shows kindness 
 to a sinful people, they ought to be ashamed, and 
 repent of all their former iniquities. See Ezek. xvi. 
 60, 61, 63; xxxvi. 25 — 31. And here they must be 
 informed of this vision, and the mercy luld out in it 
 towards them, that they might consider their idola- 
 tries, superstitions, and other iniquities, and so be 
 ashamed, and confounded in themselves. " The 
 house of Israel," all Israel, were to be " ashamed of 
 
 their iniquities," of all they had done amiss in church 
 and state. And so should the house of England be 
 ashamed of all done amiss in church and state ; of 
 all corruptions, abominations, and oppressions, which 
 are in the same : we should be ashamed of them, 
 1. As acts of filthiness. 2. As acts of folly. 3. As 
 acts of unkindness and ingratitude. 4. As fearing a 
 just reproof. 5. As fearing God's servants, cause, 
 and name will suffer by them. When our shame is 
 of this nature, it is right ; if upon other grounds and 
 considerations, it is worthless. 
 
 " Let them measure the pattern." Junius reads 
 (he words, that they may measure universally. 
 
 thers, let them measure. The showing of them 
 the house was that they might measure it ; that is, 
 that they might endeavour to understand the mea- 
 sures of it, and so have the knowledge of it, and the 
 christian church, exactly in their minds. It was a 
 spiritual measuring which Ezekiel had ; and such a 
 measuring they were to make, to look at the true 
 marks of the church, which are essential and spirit- 
 ual, not external and accidental. 
 
 Obs. Those who have humbled themselves for 
 theirformer sins, are fit to be spiritual mathematicians. 
 The house of Israel must first be ashamed of her 
 iniquities, and then " measure the pattern." When 
 we reflect upon our sinful ways, and are broken- 
 hearted that we have displeased the Lord ; then are 
 we fittest for the knowledge and understanding of 
 spiritual things. Dan. ix. 13, it is clear, that hum- 
 bling of the soul for sin, and turning from it, makes 
 way for understanding of the truth. The old man 
 is to be put off, that all things may be new, and so 
 we may attain to the knowledge of this temple. 
 Men of corrupt minds and practices are unfit for 
 temple work, and the measurings thereof which 
 must be according to the word. 
 
 Ver. 11." And if they be ashamed of all that they 
 have done, show them the form of the house, and 
 the fashion thereof," &c. These words seem to 
 contradict what is in the former verse, w^here it is 
 said, " Show them the house, that they may be 
 ashamed of their iniquities ;" and here it is, "If they 
 be ashamed of all that they have done, show them 
 the form of the house." In the first, sight of the 
 house is required, as precedaneous to humiliation ; 
 and here, humiliation is required as precedaneous to 
 sight of the house. The answer to this seeming 
 contradiction is easy. The sight of the house first, 
 was mercy, and that made way for humiliation ; and 
 then their humiliation upon that made way for fur- 
 ther mercy. First, they had a general sight of the 
 house, which caused shame ; and being thoroughly 
 ashamed, they had a more distinct and particular 
 knowledge of the same. 
 
 " The form of the house, and the fashion thereof." 
 In a house there are several parts, as walls, windows, 
 doors, posts, lintels, galleries, stairs, chambers, (S;c. 
 And these are of several forms and fashions, which 
 he must show to the house of Israel, even " all the 
 forms ;" which is twice mentioned, and notes the 
 outward and inward forms of the church. 
 
 The outward, lies in profession, in the union 
 and harmony of the parts, in the greatness and ex- 
 tent of the whole, in the discipline and government 
 of it. 
 
 The inward forms consist in those gracious princi- 
 ples and qualifications which are in those professors, 
 which make up the house and body of Christ, in the 
 power of godliness, and the cordial closing one with 
 another in the life, spirit, purity, and power of ordi- 
 nances. There is beautj' and glory in the outward 
 forms, but most in the inward. Psal. xlv. 13, " The 
 king's daughter is all glorious within; and her cloth-
 
 7% 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLIII. 
 
 ing is of wrought gold." The church shines with- 
 out, but is very glorious within, all glorious. " The 
 kingdom of God i.< within men," Luke xvii. 21 ; and 
 that is, in righteousness, peace, and joy. Paul had 
 an eye to both forms, when he told the Colossians, 
 he rejoiced to see their order, and faith. Col. ii. 5. 
 
 " And the goings out thereof, and the comings in 
 thereof." Tliere were several gates in this temple, 
 and they were to come in at one and go out at 
 another. Those who came in at the north gate, 
 must go out at the south gate ; and they who came 
 in at the south gate, must go out at the north gate, 
 and not at the gates they came in by, Ezek. xlvi. 9. 
 In this temple there was no turning back, but going 
 forward; when the tabernacle was up, there was 
 looking and turning back to Egyi't. When Solo- 
 mon's temple stood, there was of them who went 
 backward, and not forward, Jer. vii. 24; Isa. i. 4; 
 Jer. XV. 6; but in this temple they were to go for- 
 ward, and not backward. Isaiah prophesied that 
 the people of this temple should " be all righteous," 
 Isa. Ix. 21 ; and the righteous hold on their way, 
 Job xvii. 9. 
 
 "All the ordinances and all the laws thereof." 
 The Hebrew word fur "ordinances" is, pn from 
 ppn to engrave upon wood or stone ; and that 
 for " law " is. nnin from m> to instruct, or teach ;^ 
 .so that this latter imports the instruction of the 
 mind, the former the impression of truth upon the 
 De Ltgib. lib. 1. hearts and atfectious. Suarez saith.that 
 ■^^ ^- a law, projierly so called, is illuminative, 
 
 reforming and directing the judgment; and impul- 
 sive, moving the heart and will to action. Some, by 
 these ordinances and laws, understand the rites and 
 rules they were to observe in relation to the sacri- 
 fices ; for it is probalde, being seventy years in cap- 
 tivity, they had forgotten them in part, if not wholly ; 
 but not only these are here intended, for then the 
 scope of the vision would extend no further than 
 Zerubbabel's temple, whereas it refers chiefly to the 
 temple and worship of Christ under the gospel, as 
 hath been showed. The ordinances and laws there- 
 of are here likewise included, and what the worship- 
 pers are to do ; when, and how, and which belong 
 to the temple. 
 
 Obs. 1. That to repentant men, ashamed of all 
 their evil doings, the ways of God's house are to be 
 made known by the prophets and ministers. "If 
 they be ashamed, show them the form and fashion 
 of the house," Src. If they were not humbled for 
 and ashamed of their abominations, which caused 
 the destruction of the first temple, they must not be 
 informed in the mysteries of this temide, either by 
 word or writing. Impenitency excludes from temple 
 mercies; but shame, and hearty .sorrow for sin, 
 makes way for such mercies. To them so aflected, 
 must the forms and fashions, the comings in and 
 goings out of the house, all the outward and inward 
 forms, all the ordinances and laws thereof, be made 
 known, by word, or writing, or both ; they are to be 
 admitted to the mysteries and secrets of the temple. 
 As for dogs, holy things are not to be communicated 
 unto them. 
 
 Oh.i. 2. Temple and church work must not be ac- 
 cording to men's fancies, but according to the mind 
 of God, and that pattern he gives f<u-th. God set a 
 pattern before Ezekiel, he must set it before the house 
 of Israel, and they must build and order the temple 
 answerably ; they nuist " keep the whole form there- 
 of, and all the ordinances thereof ;"^ they might not 
 add to, nor detract from, what God had prescribed. 
 Moses, in the tabernacle work, must do all after the 
 pattern given him, Exod. xxv. 40; xxxix. 42, 43. 
 Noah, in his ark work, must keep to what God ap- 
 
 pointed, Gen. vi. 14 — 16. Solomon, in his temple 
 
 work, was tied to the pattern given out by the Spirit lo 
 David, 1 Chron. xxviii. 11 — 13. In the gospel church 
 it is so, Matt, xxviii. 20, "Teaching them to observe 
 all things whieh I have commanded you." Nothing 
 is left to their liberty, God's appointments only 
 must be in his house ; neither antrfjuity, nor custom, 
 nor convenience, nor prudential considerations, nor 
 show of holiness, nor any pretext whatsoever, will 
 warrant any human invention, brought into the church 
 and worship of God. 
 
 Obs. 3. That the temple and church of Christ hath 
 distinct and peculiar laws of its own. Ezekiel must 
 show them the laws and ordinances of the house, not 
 those of nature or nations. Ciesar's and Christ's 
 laws do differ ; his are civil, and Christ's are sacred, 
 he rules in Zion, and man's laws have no place there. 
 
 Obs. 4. The church in due time shall be such a 
 temple as here it is represented by this vision. It 
 shall be one large, strong, and full of glory, as this 
 visional temple was. When God gives forth visions, 
 it is in the thoughts of his heart to make them good. 
 How shall the house of Israel, the true christians, 
 keep the laws and ordinances of his house, if it never 
 be built ? God hath not only purposed, but promised 
 to build it, Ezek. xxxvii. 26, 27, " I will set my sanc- 
 tuary in the midst of them for evermore. My taber- 
 nacle also shall be with them ; yea, I will be their 
 God, and they shall be my people." And John saw 
 it accomplished in vision, hearing God uttering 
 parallel words, Rev. xxi. 2, 3. And doubtless the 
 time is drawing near for the building of it. Now 
 men see a dilTcrence between the stones of Babylon, 
 which must neither be corner, foundation, or wall- 
 stones, Jer. li. 26, and the stones of Zion, which are 
 precious and living ; they begin to creep out of the 
 dust of contempt, and to appear like the stars of the 
 morning : now there is a spirit of prayer more than 
 formerly, and more than ordinary, for the accom- 
 plishment of this vision, and great expectation 
 raised in many to see such a spiritual temple. 
 
 OA.y. 5. The end of making known the laws and 
 ways of God's house is, that they may be observed 
 and practised. Ezekiel must show them, and write 
 in their sight, the forms, laws, and ordinances of the 
 house, that they may keep and do them. God pro- 
 pounds not divine things only to be known, but 
 chiefly to be done. It is not enough to know virtue, 
 but men must endeavour to have it, and to do virtu- 
 ously. Did a man know all the forms, comings in, 
 and goings out of God's house, all the laws and or- 
 dinances thereof, and not observe them, it would not 
 advantage him at all, but make his condemnation 
 the greater. The end of human laws and ordinances 
 is observation, else they are no better than ciphers. 
 So the end of God's laws is keeping and doing of 
 them ; it is not knowing, nor hearing, nor prai.siiig, 
 but practice which commends them. Disobedience 
 is a dishonour to God, to his house, to his laws. Let 
 us hearken to James in this case, chap. i. 22, his 
 counsel is good, " Be ye doers of the word, and not 
 hearers oidy, deceiving your own selves." 
 
 Ver. 12. " This is the law of the house ; Upon the 
 top of the mountain the whole limit thereof round 
 about shall be most holy," kc. Sanctius reads the 
 words thus, "This is the law of the house, upon the 
 top of the mountain," and there makes the distinc- 
 tion from the following words. Others make it 
 before, and refer the words "upon the top of the 
 mountain" to the latter words, not the former. 
 There is no considerable difl'erence, whether the 
 note of distinction be in the one or the other place, 
 for the house wa.s upon the top of a mountain, 
 chap. xl. 2.
 
 Ver. 13—17. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 797 
 
 The law of this house, viz. the fabric, mountain, 
 and whole compass theruof, was holiness ; it is here 
 said to " be most holy." The Hebrew is, the holiness 
 of holiness. The Hebrews do double the word when 
 they intend a superlative; as, " a servant of servants," 
 Gen. ix. 25, that is, most ser\-ile ; " a king of kings," 
 Ezra vii. 12, that is, the most eminent and greatest 
 of kings; and here, the holiness of holiness, that is, 
 the " most holy." Such was this house, and the 
 mountain whereon it stood, and the compass of it 
 round about, which was by a wall of five hundred 
 reeds long, and so many broad ; or, thereby was 
 the separation made " between the sanctuary and 
 the profane place," chap. xlii. 20. This house 
 was to be the habitation of God's throne ; a re- 
 presentation of new Jerusalem, and heaven itself; 
 therefore it is styled not only holy, but " most 
 holy." 
 
 Obs. 1. The church of God hath a good foundation. 
 It is a house upon a mountain, and that is strong ; 
 Job xxxix. 28, rocks and mountains are strong places, 
 they stand immovable. The rock, or mountain, on 
 which the church is founded and built, is the Lord 
 Christ himself, 1 Cor. iii. 1 1 ; called " a mountain," 
 Dan. ii. 35 ; "a precious corner stone, a sure foun- 
 dation," Isa. xxviii. 16 ; a " rock," 1 Cor. x. 4; " the 
 strength of Israel," 1 Sam. xv. 29 ; " the root of 
 David," Rev. xxii. 16; and upholder of all things, 
 Heb. i. 3 : he upholds the world and the church. 
 
 Obs. 2. The church of God is eminent and con- 
 spicuous. It is on the top of a mountain, and that 
 mountain was very high, chap. xl. 2, where he saw 
 this temple ; which holds forth the visibility and 
 eminency of the church under the gospel. Isa. ii. 
 2, " It shall come to pass in the last days, that the 
 mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in 
 the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above 
 the hills ; and all nations shall (low unto it." When 
 one mountain is laid upon another, the uppermost 
 must be very eminent. The church here is called 
 " a mountain," and this mountain is seated upon the 
 top of another mountain, even that mountain that 
 fills all the earth, Dan. ii. 35. It must therefore of 
 necessity be high, and be seen of the nations ; for 
 it is prophesied that " all nations shall flow unto it." 
 This suits with that. Rev. xxi. 24. 
 
 q6.v. 3. The whole church of God is to be made 
 np of holy materials. Tlie house upon the top of 
 the mountain, the whole circuit thereof round about 
 shall be most holy. There must not be one part of 
 the house jirofane, another part holy ; but the whole 
 house, and every jjart thereof, must be holy. Isa. 
 XXXV. 8, there shall be " the way of holiness ; the 
 unclean shall not pass over it ;" the purity of that 
 way will be such, as wicked ones will not dare to 
 tread in it. Joel iii. 16, 17, "The Lord shall roar 
 out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem ; and 
 the heavens and the earth shall shake :" terrible 
 doings there shall be, " but the Lord will be the 
 hope of his people, and the strength of the children 
 of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the Lord 
 your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain : then 
 shall Jerusalem be holy," that is, all Jerusalem shall 
 then be holy, " and there shall no strangers pass 
 through her any more," to pollute and defile her. 
 Then shall " every pot in Jerusalem and Judah be 
 holiness unto the Lord," as Zechariah speaks, chap, 
 xiv. 21. Then shall be shut out all dogs, sorcerers, 
 whoremongers, murderers, idolaters, and lovers with 
 makers of lies, as John saith. Rev. xxii. 15 ; and 
 whatever defileth, chap. xxi. 27. Peter calls them 
 of this temple " lively stones," 1 Pet. ii. 5. John 
 calls them sealed ones, Rev. vii. 4 ; such as had 
 the " Father's name written in their foreheads," 
 
 Rev. xiv. 1 ; " Precious stones," Rev. xxi. 19 ; Eph. 
 ii. 19—22. 
 
 Obs. 4. The law of this house, which is holiness, is 
 specially to be observed. The verse begins and ends 
 alike : " This is the law of the house. Behold, this is 
 the law of this house." Of this house, so Vatablus. 
 Of that house, so Junius. As the house is cmphati- 
 eal, so is the law of it set out with a Behold ! this is 
 the law of it, holiness of holiness ; all in this hou.>.e 
 hath a law of holiness written in it, or upon it. If 
 any thing or person could come in here without holi- 
 ness, such things and persons would be cast out as 
 unclean, as the man was who came in to the marriage 
 supper without " a wedding garment," Matt. xxii. 
 12, 13; they violate the law of holiness, and must 
 suft'er for it. But such shall not be sufl'ered to enter: 
 Rev. xxi. 27, " There shall in no wise enter into it 
 any thing that defilelh ;" no false doctrine, no human 
 inventions or will-worship, shall be there ; no pro- 
 fane person, no formalist, or hypocrite, shall get in 
 there ; " but they who are written in the Lamb's 
 book of life ;" ver. 12, there is an angel at every gate 
 to keep out the unworthy. See Isa. Iii. 11. 
 
 Ver. 13 — 17. And these are the meastires of 
 the altar after the cubits : The cubit is a cubit and 
 an hand breadth ; even the bottom shall be a 
 ciibit, and the breadth a cubit, and the border 
 thereof by the edge thereof round about shall be 
 a span: and this shall be the higher place of the 
 altar. And from the bottom vpoti the gi'ound 
 even to the lower settle shall be two cubits, and 
 the breadth one cubit ; and from the lesser settle 
 even to the greater settle shall be four cubits, and 
 the breadth one cubit. So the altar shall be four 
 cubits; and from the altar a7>d upward shall be 
 four horns. And the altar shall be twelve cubits 
 long, twelve broad, square in the four sijuares 
 thereof. And the settle shall be fourteen cubits 
 lo7ig and fourteen broad in the four s(jua7-es 
 thereof; and the border about it shall be half a 
 cubit ; and the bottom thereof shall be a cubit 
 about ; and his stairs shall look toward the east. 
 
 In chap. xli. 22, mention was made of an altar, 
 which was of the altar of incense. Here another 
 altar is presented to the prophet, which is the altar 
 of burnt ofl'ering ; which, with the appurtenances of 
 it, is described, and measured by the cubit ; not the 
 common cubit, which consisted of twenty-four fingers' 
 breadth, but the large or royal cubit, which was a 
 hand's breadth more, and is here said to be the cubit, 
 that is, " a cubit and a hand's breadth." This altar 
 was a perfect square, in length and breadth equal, 
 each was twelve cubits ; the bottom, breadth, and 
 border, with the lesser and greater settles, have their 
 several measures and distances ; it had horns and 
 stairs. 
 
 The 15th verse in Hebrew is thus. And the mount 
 of God, four cubits, and from the lion of God and 
 upwards four horns ; so it is in the margin, " Harel, 
 the mountain of (iod." Some understand the space 
 where they put the wood which burned the sacrifice. 
 Others make it the body of the altar, which being 
 between two settles, or benches, was so termed, ap- 
 pearing like a little mountain. S'Nisn the lion of 
 God, or of the strong God, it is conceived was the 
 grate upon which the holocaust was laid ; and this 
 grate was of the form of a lion, as Vilalpandus saith ; 
 but rather it was so called, because, as a lion tears 
 and devours the prey, so the fire of this altar did 
 cat up the sacrifices laid upon this grate. Whether
 
 798 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLIII. 
 
 the apostle hath not some respect unto this, or 
 Solomon's altar for burnt otTerings, when he saith, 
 " Our God is a consuming fire," Heb. xii. 29, is 
 considerable. 
 
 This altar had stairs to go up unto it, yet God 
 had forbid steps, or stairs, to be made unto his altar, 
 and gives a reason for it, Exod. xx. 26, which was 
 to be observed of men when they made altars unto 
 God; but when the Lord prescribed the form of an 
 altar for himself, he might, according to his own 
 good pleasure, have it with steps or without. It is 
 probable Solomon's altar had steps, being ten cubits 
 high, as Sanctius and the Annotators observe ; the 
 priests also were to wear linen breeches when they 
 w'ere sacrificing. 
 
 These stairs looked " toward the east ;" that so, 
 when they sacrificed and worshipped God, their backs 
 might be towards the east, and their faces westward ; 
 which the wise God ordered so, that he might keep 
 his people from conforming to, and symbolizing 
 with, the idolatrous nations, who with their faces 
 eastward worshipped the sun-rising. 
 
 This altar for burnt offerings was a type of Christ, 
 as those of Moses and Solomon were, Exod. xxvii. 1 ; 
 2 Chron. iv. I. 
 
 1. This altar was but one ; so Christ is our altar, 
 and our only altar, Heb. xiii. 10; the christian 
 church knoweth no other. 
 
 2. It had a grate, whereon the sacrifice was laid, 
 and fire put to it, whereby it was burnt ; so Christ 
 had a cross, whereto he was fastened; and there the 
 fire of God's anger did fall upon him, which was due 
 to us for our sins, Isa. liii. 5 ; Matt, xxvii. 46. 
 
 3. It had four horns at the four corners thereof, 
 which signified the strength and sufficiency of Christ, 
 for all who should come unto him from the four 
 corners of the earth. When men were in danger of 
 their lives, they fled to the altar, and took hold on 
 the horns thereof, 1 Kings ii. 28; Exod. xxi. 14; 
 and if they were not wilful and presumptuous sinners, 
 they were safe. What sinner soever shall come 
 from any part of the world unto Christ, and take 
 hold of him by the hand of faith, he shall be safe. 
 The four corners of his altar are his " wisdom, right- 
 eousness, sanctification, and redemption," 1 Cor. i. 
 30; and he is able to save them who take hold of 
 him to the uttermost, Heb. vii. 25. 
 
 4. This altar was to be seven days cleansed and 
 purified, ver. 26 of this chapter, and Exod. xxix. 
 37 ; and so it was holy, and whatsoever touched it 
 was holy. Herein is figured the perfect holiness of 
 Christ, who was " most holy," Dan.ix. 24, and sanc- 
 tified himself for the service of the church ; and 
 whoever toucheth him by faith is made holy ; and 
 whatever is ofl'ered up to God upon this altar like- 
 wise is holy. This altar sanctifieth the gift, Matt. 
 xxiii. 19; Heb. xiii. 15. 
 
 5. It was glorious and durable, heing of shittim 
 wood and brass, Exod. xxvii. 1 , 2 ; of cedar, and 
 pure gold, 1 Kings vi. 20. And herein it represented 
 the Deity of Christ, which is most glorious and eter- 
 nal, Heb. i. 3 ; ix. 14. 
 
 6. It was called the mountain of God, being on 
 mount Zion ; he did as it were dwell there, and took 
 pleasure in the sacrifices otTered on it: and is not 
 Christ Hariel, the mountain of God ; is not he the 
 altar in the mountain of the Lord's house? Heb. xiii. 
 10 ; Isa. ii. 2. Doth not God dwell in him ? Col. ii. 
 9. Was he not a sacrifice well pleasing to God ? 
 Eph. V. 2. Are not we "the righteousness of God in 
 him ?" 2 Cor. v. 21. 
 
 And not only so, but the lion of the strong God : 
 and is not Christ Haariel , the Lion of the mighty 
 God ? He is " the Lion of the tribe of Judah," Rev. 
 
 V. 5 ; the Lion of God, to whom God hath given all 
 power in heaven and earth. Matt, xxviii. 19. This 
 Lion hath rescued us out of the mouth of that " roar- 
 ing lion," who intended and endeavoured to make a 
 prey of all mankind, 1 Pet. v. 8 ; Heb. ii. 14. This 
 Lion hath " spoiled principalities and powers," Col. 
 ii. 15; purged away sin, Heb. i. 3; made reconcili- 
 ation to God, Dan. ix. 24; "abolished death, and 
 brought life and immortality to light," 2 Tim. i. 10. 
 The exact measuring of this altar dictates this, 
 that ministers should have and hold forth the full 
 know ledge of Christ, and especially of him crucified, 
 as an offering for sin ; for therein lieth the benefit 
 of sinners, to know Christ crucified. Hence Paul, 
 1 Cor. ii. 2, professeth he determined not to know 
 any thing among the Corinthians, (that is, to make 
 known any thing, to preach any thing,) " save Jesus 
 Christ, and him crucified;" that should be his work, 
 to measure out Christ to them. So Philip preached 
 Christ to the Samaritans, Acts viii. 5 ; and Peter 
 preached Christ unto the Jews, and others. Acts ii. 
 The virtue of Christ crucified is to be made known 
 fully. 
 
 Ver. 18 — 27. And he said unto me, Son of man, 
 thus saith the Lord God ; These are the ordinances 
 of the altar in the day ichen they shall make it, 
 to offer bur7it offerings thereon, and to sprinkle 
 blood thereon. And thou shalt give to the priests 
 the Levites that be of the seed of Zadok, which ap- 
 proach unto me, to minister unto me, saith the 
 Lord God, a young bullock for a sin offering. 
 And thou shalt take of the blood thereof, and put 
 it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners 
 of the settle, and upon the border round about : 
 thus shalt thou cleanse and purge it. Thou 
 shalt take the bullock also of the sin offering, and 
 he shall burn it in the appointed place of the 
 house, tvithout the sanctuary. And on the second 
 day thou shalt offer a kid of the goats uithout 
 blemish for a sin offering ; cind they shall cleanse 
 the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bullock, 
 men thou hast made an end of cleansing it, thou 
 shalt offer a young bullock without blemish, and a 
 ram out of the flock, tvithout blemish. And thou 
 shalt offer them before the Lord, and the priests 
 shall cast salt upon them, and they shall offer 
 them up for a burnt offering unto the Lord. 
 Seven days shalt thou prepare every day a goat 
 for a sin offering : they shall also prepare a young 
 bullock, and a ram out of the Jiock, irithout 
 blemish. Seven days shall they purge the altar 
 and purify it ; and they shall consecrate them- 
 selves. And when these days are expired, it shall 
 be, that upon the eighth day, and so forivard, the 
 priest shall 7nake your bttrnt offerings upon the 
 altar, and your peace offerings ; and I will ac- 
 cept you, saith the Lord God. 
 
 Having prescribed the form of the altar, the Lord 
 gives out to Ezekiel the ordinances thereof, the laws 
 and rites which concerned the sacrifices and priests, 
 showing him what priests he would have employed for 
 the service of this altar, as also what sacrifices, and 
 how the altar is to be purified ; which things extend 
 to the 27th verse, and therein the daily work and 
 w'orship of the altar is appointed. 
 
 Although the chief scope of this vision be to set 
 out the glory and greatness of the church under the 
 gospel and among the gentiles ; yet, because the
 
 Ver. 18—28. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 799 
 
 Jews at this time being in Babylon were to return 
 unto Jerusalem, therefore the Lord alludes to ordi- 
 nances, rites, and ceremonies which were well known 
 among the Jews, holding out under them the spiritual 
 worship of the gospel. 
 
 The priests to be in the service of this altar, and 
 to draw near to God, were to be of the seed of Za- 
 dok. David being on his death-bed, Abiathar the 
 higli priest sided with Adonijah the eldest son, to 
 make him king, but Zadok was for Solomon ; where- 
 upon after the death of David, Solomon obtaining 
 the kingdom, Abiathar was put out of his place, and 
 Zadok made high priest, 1 Kings ii. 35. Zadok was 
 constant and faithful, a just and upright man, as his 
 name signifies ; and such men were to serve at this 
 altar; such as are constant to Christ, faithful, just, 
 sincere, ought to be in gospel administration, and to 
 draw near to God in these ordinances which belong 
 to the gospel, which difl'er from the Judaical. 
 
 Here are three sorts of sacrifices mentioned, the 
 burnt ofl'ering, the sin offering, and the peace offer- 
 ing, ver. 18, 19, 27 ; of which, and their dill'erent 
 rites, you may read. Lev. i. per totuvi ; chap. vi. 24, 
 to the end; chap. iii. per iotum, with chap. vii. 
 1 1 — 22. These sacrifices were not sufficient to ex- 
 piate sin, but they were means of worship, leading 
 them unto Christ. So baptism and the supper are 
 not of great validity, as to purge away sin ; but they 
 are means of worship leading unto Christ, wlio only 
 is the expiatory sacrifice for sin, Heb. vii. 2/; x. 
 10—12, 14. 
 
 Concerning the bullock for the sin offering, two 
 things are proposed. 
 
 1. That the blood thereof be taken "and put 
 upon the four horns of the altar, and upon the four 
 comers of the settle, and upon the border round 
 about," ver. 20 ; and the like was to be done with the 
 " kid of the goats," ver. 22. This presignified the 
 abundant shedding of the blood of Christ, which 
 " cleanseth from all sin," 1 John i. 7; Rev. i. 5; 
 and that Christ crucified should be preached to the 
 four comers of the earth. Matt, xxviii. 19; 1 Cor. i. 23. 
 
 2. This bullock was to be burnt in the appointed 
 place of the house without the sanctuary, which 
 shadowed out the place of Christ's suffering, as it is 
 written, Heb. xiii. 11, 12, The sin offering was burnt 
 " without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he 
 might sanctify the people with his own blood, suf- 
 fered without the gate," even in the place appointed, 
 Luke xxiii. 33. 
 
 As for the burnt offering of a young bullock, and a 
 ram out of the flock, both without blemish, the priests 
 were to " cast salt upon them," ver. 23, 24. In 
 Leviticus they were commanded with all their offer- 
 ings to offer salt, chap. ii. 13. Salt makes all things 
 savoury, and prcscrveth from corruption, by the heat 
 and sharpness of it ; and therefore salt was accounted 
 an emblem of duration and eternity : 2 Chron. xiii. 
 5; Kumb. xviii. 19, we read of "a covenant of 
 salt," which notes an inviolable, incorruptible, and 
 perpetual covenant. Sanctius thinks salt was used 
 in sacrifices, because it notes prudence and wisdom ; 
 without which sacrifices are unsavoury. Without 
 question it notes the wholesome doctrine of the 
 gospel, gracious words, and seasonable reproofs. 
 Col. iv. 6; Eph. iv. 2'J, which are savoury to God 
 and man. This salting the sacrifices by the priests, 
 types out the office of gospel ministers, who are 
 styled by the Lord Christ, " The salt of the earth," 
 Matt. V. 13; and are to season others with whole- 
 some doctrine and sharp reproofs. Titus must re- 
 buke the Cretians " sharply, that they may be sound 
 in the faith," Tit. i. 13; the salt of the gospel will 
 eat out those ill humours which are in men. Christ 
 
 saith, Mark ix. 49, " Every one shall be salted with 
 fire," that is, with the fire of the Spirit, the fire of 
 afflictions, or the fire of hell ; and " every sacrifice 
 shall be salted with salt," that is, with grace, and 
 especially the grace of mortification, which will eat 
 out, and consume, those lusts which are offensive to 
 God, to themselves, and others ; and the grace of 
 zeal, which will make the affections mount up to the 
 Lord. True christians are sacrifices well seasoned ; 
 uncorrupt doctrines will make uncorrupt souls and 
 bodies, the salt makes both immortal : men soundly 
 salted with gospel truths shall never perish. 
 
 Ver. 26. " They shall consecrate themselves." 
 The Hebrew is, they shall fill their hands. Some, 
 hy hands, understand the sides of the aliar, becau.sL- 
 T signifies both a hand and a side : others take 
 hands for the hands of the priests, which sliould be 
 filled with sacrifices, that is, with sacrificing work, 
 and so prefigured the full employments the gospel 
 ministers should have. But the Hebrew word nSd 
 sometimes signifies, to consecrate, as learned He- 
 bricians observe; Exod. xxviii. 41, "Thou shalt 
 anoint them, and consecrate them ;" the Hebrew is, 
 thou shalt fill their band ; so Exod. xxix. 9 ; Numb, 
 iii. 3; 1 Kings xiii. 33; Judg. xvii. 5. In these 
 places the Hebrew is, filled the hand, which notes 
 consecration, according to the Hebrew dialect, and 
 so it imports the ministers' consecrating and dedi- 
 cating themselves unto the work of Christ, under the 
 gospel. 
 
 The 27th verse speaks of the daily sacrifices, and 
 work of the altar ; one sacrifice or other was to be 
 offered daily. Two lambs, one in the morning, an- 
 other in the evening, were to be offered daily, Exod. 
 xxix. 38, 39 ; these were for the burnt offering, ver. 
 42. Besides which, here is mention of a peace offer- 
 ing, of which they were neither to eat the fat nor 
 the blood. Lev. iii. 17; signifying, that those who 
 are at peace with God, through Clirist, ought neither 
 to be carnal, nor cruel, but to mortify their carnal 
 lusts, and to be meek as Christ was. The daily 
 sacrificing of the priests' here, showed the daily and 
 constant work of the ministers under the gospel ; 
 preaching, administering of sacraments, praying, 
 and praising of God, is to be their daily work ; which 
 being done according to rule, and in the name of 
 Christ, makes them and the people accepted. 
 
 Ver. 28. If shall he upon the eighth day. 
 
 Here is foretold, saith Mr. Shepherd, the con- 
 tinuance of the sabbath in gospel days, the eighth 
 day from the creation being the first of our redemp- 
 tion. Noah is called the eighth, 2 Pet. ii. 5; who 
 was the first in regard of his years, and dignity of 
 person, and first entered into the ark. Gen. vii. 7. 
 And so the Lord's day may be the eighth in one 
 sense, and the first in another. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 3. Tlien he brought me back the waij 
 of the gate of the outward sanctuary, which look- 
 eth toward the east ; and it teas shut. Then said 
 the Lord unto me ; This gate shall be shut, it 
 shall not be opened, atid no man shall enter in by 
 it ; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath 
 entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is 
 for the prince ; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat 
 bread before the Lord ; he shall enter by the way
 
 800 AN EXPOSI 
 
 of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the 
 way of the same. 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLIV. 
 
 This chapter treats of the priests, and divers or- 
 dinances concerning them. 
 
 I. Sundry things are presented to Ezekiel toucli- 
 ing the priests. 
 
 1. The privilege of the high priest, in the three 
 first verses. 
 
 2. A reproof of the priests for their jTofaneness 
 and neglect, from the beginning of tlie 4th verse to 
 the 8th. 
 
 3. The exclusion of some, and deposing of others 
 from the priest's office, ver. 9 — 14. 
 
 4. What priests God will accept of, ver. 15, 10. 
 II. The orilinances which concern the priests are 
 
 laid down, from the l/th verse to the end. 
 
 Ver. 1. "Then he brought me," &c. The pro- 
 phet having seen the altar for burnt, sin, and peace 
 offerings, with the ordinances thereof, is brought 
 back to the east gate, or " gate of the outward sanc- 
 tuary," that which separated the priests' court from 
 the people's, or the outmost gate of all. We must 
 follow Christ, which way soever he leads us, be it 
 backward or forward ; he hath something to reveal 
 unto us, which will be for our use. 
 
 Ver. 1, 2. " It was shut." What gate soever this 
 was, it was shut; and therefore shut, because the 
 Lord had entered in by it, and no man might, but 
 the prince only. 
 
 Some take "prince" literally for the governor of 
 the people, but the best expositors take it for the 
 high priest, who was preferred above, and so prince 
 oi, all the rest ; for in this chapter he speaks of the 
 orders of the priests. This prince, or high priest, 
 was a type of Christ. The high priest was to be 
 without blemish, anointed with holy oil, to be co- 
 vered with clean linen, and clothed gloriously ; 
 on him was a plate engraven with holiness to the 
 Lord, he had the Urim and Thunimim, he bare the 
 names of the twelve tribes of Israel upon his breast 
 and shoulders; as appears, Lev. xxii. 13; Exod. 
 xxix. 7; xxviii. 2; xlii. 3(5: xxx. 9. So Christ, 
 our High Priest, was without blemish, Heb. vii. 2(5; 
 anointed with the Spirit, Isa. Ixi. 1. He was 
 holy, glorious, yea, holiness altogether, Luke i. 35 ; 
 Mark i. 24. lie had all perfection. Col. 1. 19 ; ii. 3. 
 He bears all Israel in his breast, and on his shoul- 
 ders, Isa. xl. 11; Heb. vii. 25. 
 
 What is meant by the gate shut, is necessary to 
 inquire. It was not the womb of the virgin, which 
 was shut up after the birth of Christ, as popish in- 
 terpreters expound it. Some of the ancients make 
 it to be heavenly mysteries, which none know but 
 the Father and the Son ; some make it the Scripture, 
 or "book sealed with seven seals," Rev. v. 1, which 
 none could open but Christ. This gate shut, rather 
 notes the gate or entrance into heaven, which Adam 
 by his fall had shut, so that no man wliatsoever, be- 
 ing sinful, could open it, or enter; only Jesus Christ 
 our High Priest hath opened it, and entered. Heb. 
 iv. 14, " We have a great High Priest, who is passed 
 into the heavens." He hath broken all the bars, 
 locks, and bolts, which kept it shut, and hath opened 
 the same, so that now sinners may have access to 
 God. The high priest once in a year entered into 
 the most holy place, the door opened to none but 
 him ; this typified Christ's opening of heaven, and 
 entrance in thither, as is clearly expressed, Heb. ix. 
 7,8, 11, 12, 24. The tabernacle and temple were 
 representations of heaven, and so -Sas this vision of 
 Ezekiel; and as the gate here was shut, so was the 
 gate of heaven, till the Lord Christ, the Archbishop 
 of our souls, opened the same, and entered. "No 
 
 man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came 
 down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in 
 heaven," John iii. 13; no man ever, by his own vir- 
 tue or power, ascended up to heaven, but Christ. 
 Enoch and Elijah neither ascended nor entered by 
 their own strength, grace, or goodness. Christ's 
 merits were ihe key which opened heaven for them 
 and others. Christ is the door, and the way, and no 
 man comes to the Father, but by him, John xiv. 6. 
 It is by Christ alone that we come to the knowledge 
 and fruition of the Father ; he reveals him and his 
 mysteries, and brings us unto the enjoyment of him. 
 
 Quent. If Christ have entered in by this gate, why 
 is it still shut, \\ hy stands it not open ? for, ver. 2, 
 it is said, " This gate shall be shut, it shall not be 
 opened, and no man shall enter in by it :" and why ? 
 because " the God of Israel hath entered in by it, 
 therefore it shall be shut." 
 
 ^Intsu: 1. It is shut for the honour of the prince. 
 Great persons and princes have their gates shut, all 
 must not come at and see them : it was an honour 
 to the spouse, that she was " a garden enclosed, a 
 spring shut up, a fountain sealed," Cant. iv. 12. 
 
 2. For the use of the prince, that he might go in 
 and out at his pleasure ; that he might let in and 
 keep out whom he pleased. The wise virgins were 
 let in by the bridegroom, but the foolish were kept 
 out, for " the door was shut," Matt. xxv. 10, 11. In 
 the new Jerusalem no unclean thing could enter, 
 though the gates stood open ; and out of heaven no 
 clean thing shall be kept, though the gate be shut. 
 Christ hath the key to open it for saints : he opened 
 it for Stephen, Acts vii. 56, " Behold, I see heaven 
 opened, and the Son of man standing at the right 
 hand of God." He opened it for Peter, Acts x. 11. 
 
 3. It may be said to be shut, in regard of Christ's 
 long continuance there before his return. It is said, 
 ver. 3, " He shall enter by the way of the porch of 
 the gate, and shall go out by the way of the same." 
 Christ will come again, he is entered into heaven, 
 and there he will, and must, abide, till " the time of 
 restitution of all things," Acts iii. 21 : see Acts i. 11 ,• 
 Heb. ix. 28. 
 
 Christ, who entered by this gate, was not only 
 man, but God; he was the Lord God of Israel, Je- 
 hovah, that he might open heaven for sinners ; and 
 man, that he might enter himself. 
 
 This gate was " for the prince," that he might 
 " sit in it to eat bread before the Lord." Aaron, the 
 high priest, was to eat sacred flesh, and bread, in 
 the door of the tabernacle. Lev. viii. 31 ; Exod. xxix. 
 32. This sitting, and eating bread there, and that 
 " before the Lord," leads us to a double considera- 
 tion of Christ. 
 
 1. His sitting in heaven at the right hand of Ma- 
 jesty, Heb. i. 3. Having finished the work which 
 was given him to do, he ascended on high, and had 
 the greatest glory ; he sat at God's " own right hand 
 in heavenly places, far above all principalities, and 
 powers, and might, and dominion, and every name 
 that is named, not only in this world, but also in 
 that which is to come, Eph. i. 20, 21. 
 
 2. His communion with, and happiness in, the 
 Lord; which is held forth in his eating "bread be- 
 fore the Lord." The communion and happiness 
 the saints have with and in Christ, is set out by 
 eating and drinking ; Luke xxii. 29, 30, " I appoint 
 unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed 
 unto me ; that ye may eat and drink at my table, and 
 sit on thrones," &c. ; so Matt. xxvi. 29 ; that is, that 
 ye may have sweet communion with me, and be 
 happy in the fr\iition of me, as I am in the fruition 
 of my Father, and communion with him.
 
 VtR. 4—8. 
 
 THE BOOK Or EZEKIKL. 
 
 801 
 
 Ver. 4 — 8. Then hrotight he me the ua>/ of 
 the nrirth gute before the house : and I looked, 
 and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house 
 of the Lord : and Lfell upon tm/fiice. And the 
 Lord said unto me. Son of man, mark well, and 
 behold tvith thine eyes, and hear with thine ears 
 all that I sai/ unto thee concerning all the or- 
 dinances of the house of the Lord, and all the 
 laivs thereof; and mark well the entering in of 
 the house, ivith every going forth of the sanc- 
 tuary. And thou shall satj to the rebellious, even 
 to the house of Israel, Tims saith the Lord God; 
 O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your 
 abominations, in that ye hare brought into my 
 sanctuary sii^angei'S, uncircximcised in heart, and 
 uncircumcised ih Jiesh, to be itt my sanctuary, to 
 pollute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, 
 the fat and the blood, and they have broken my 
 covenaitt because of all your abominations. And 
 ye have not kept the charge of mine holy things : 
 but ye have set keepers of my change in my sanc- 
 tuary for yourselves. 
 
 Before the reproof of the priests, the second 
 thing considerable in the chapter, here are three 
 tilings to be minded concerning Ezekiel. 
 
 I. His sight of glory. 
 
 II. The effects of that sight. 
 
 III. The command laid upon him. 
 
 For the sight of glory. Being " brought to the 
 north gate," he saw " the glory of the Lord filled the 
 house ;" that was, some visible sign of his glorious 
 presence : touching this, was spoken in chap, 
 xliii. 5. 
 
 The effect was, he fell upon his face, as before : 
 the sight of glory humbles, and prepares to receive 
 the commands of the Lord. When the glory and 
 majesty of God is seen, and apprehended, the heart 
 is stricken with awe and reverence of God; and the 
 party so affected is humbled before God, and so made 
 fit for impression of divine commands : as here it 
 follows ; 
 
 Ver. 5. " And the Lord said unto me. Son of man, 
 mark well, and behold," &c. In chap. xl. 4, we had 
 the substance of this verse, and partly the very 
 words. Here, God requires the inward and outward 
 parts, the heart and senses. Those words, " mark 
 well," are, in the Hebrew, set thine heart ; so that 
 the heart, the ears, and eyes, are to be attentive, and 
 intentive, on what God commands. The heart must 
 not wander, the ear be heavy, nor the eye rove, 
 when God speaks, and temple work is in hand. The 
 holy God, and holy things, are exactly to be ob- 
 served and heeded by all ; but especially by those 
 who are officers in his house, as Ezekiel was : they 
 must attend to all the ordinances and laws of God's 
 house, for they must make them known to others, 
 and walk by them themselves ; they must know how 
 to behave themselves in the house of God, and teach 
 others so to do : especially, they must " mark well 
 the entering in of the house," that is, they must be 
 careful who they admit to be in it, and to partake of 
 the ordinances of it, lest both it and they be de- 
 filed ; they must mark every going forth of the 
 sanctuary, so that none go out at the same door 
 they entered, that they go forwards, not backwards, 
 that they leave not the house of God, but be looked 
 after. 
 
 Ver. 6. " And thou shalt say to the rebellious, 
 even to the house," &c. Ezekiel, being prepared, 
 must go and execute the command of God ; which 
 3 F 
 
 was, to reprove the house of Israel, and chiefly 
 the priests. The sins they are reproved for are, 
 1. Rebellion. 2. Abominations. 3. Bringing in 
 unworthy persons into the sanctuary, to pollute it. 
 4. Their sinful sacrificing. 5. Breaking of covenant. 
 6. Neglecting of their charge, and committing the 
 same to others. 
 
 Of the rebellious house of Israel, and their abo- 
 minations, formerly hath been spoken. It is said 
 here, ver. G, "Let it suffice you of all your abomi- 
 nations ;" that is, they are not few, or light, but ma- 
 ny, and grievous ; and it is time now that ye should 
 be ashamed of, and humbled for, them, and turn to 
 the Lord from them : him have you provoked bitterly 
 by them, and he hath made you suilcr long and 
 sharply for them. O sin no more, cease from idol- 
 atries, and unjust practices ! let what is past sufiiee. 
 So Peter, 1 Epist. chap. iv. 3, saith, " The lime past 
 of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will 
 of the gentiles." 
 
 The third siu was, the introduction of strangers 
 into the sanctuary, and they were men " uncircum- 
 cised in heart and in flesh." The gentiles were not 
 circumcised in flesh, they ought not to have entered 
 into the sanctuary. Lam. i. 10. Paul was accused for 
 bringing Greeks into the temple. Acts xxi. 28. The 
 heathen might come into the outward court, or 
 " profane place," as Ezekiel styles it, chap. xlii. 20; 
 but into the temple they might not come, it was a 
 polluting of it. Sanctius thinks the priests received 
 sacrifices and oblations from the hands of the hea- 
 then, which they offered to God in the temple, which 
 was contrary to the law, Lev. xxii. 25. The Jews 
 were circumcised in flesh, but many of them were 
 uncircumcised in heart ; they were without faith, 
 they followed their own lusts, and imitated the hea- 
 thens. Such priests were admitted into the sanctuary 
 as were profane. The priests, saith God, " have 
 violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things : 
 they have put no difference between the holy and 
 profane," Ezek. xxii. 26. Eli's sous were wicked, 
 even "sons of Belial," 1 Sam. ii. 12. Urijali the 
 priest made an altar like that of Damascus, and 
 sacrificed on that, according to the command of the 
 king, 2 Kings xvi. 11 — 16, but contrary to the com- 
 mand of God. Such should not have any place in 
 the house of God, because they were abomination 
 unto him ; they polluted the sanctuary and sacrifice, 
 by taking the bread, fat, and blood to themselves, 
 which was against the law, Lev. xxxix. 10, II, 14, 
 15 — 17; xxi. 8, or by offering tliem with defiled 
 hands and hearts. They also broke the covenant, 
 that is, the laws, which God had given them, con- 
 cerning the way and manner of sacrificing ; they 
 kept not, but violated the same ; their own wills 
 were set up, and God's laws laid aside. 
 
 The last sin is, their neglect of their charge : ver. 
 8, " Ye have not kept the charge of my holy things." 
 All things belonging to the tabernacle and temple 
 were holy, and the charge of such things was com- 
 mitted to the priests and Levites, I Chron. ix. 27 
 — 32, and xxiii. 28 — 32; and they ought to have 
 had special care of them themselves ; but they have 
 suffered strangers, and uncircumcised ones, to be 
 in the sanctuary, to meddle with the holy vessels, 
 and to offer sacrifice : and this they did for their own 
 ease and ends, not for God's glory ; for they did the 
 same of their own heads, contrary to the rules and " •'* 
 laws of the sanctuary, which, by so doing, they rm^ 
 
 made no better than a den of thieves, or wild beasts; ^ 
 
 which place was only for whom, and what, God him- 
 self appointed, and so for his honour and glory alone. 
 
 Observe hence. That those who have the charge ol 
 holy things, ought to be exact, observing the order
 
 802 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLIV. 
 
 and rules God hath given, and not to deviate from 
 them, doing any thing of their own heads. Tliese 
 men did not keep the charge of the holy things : they 
 should have observed the laws of God's house, which 
 they neglected ; themselves should have done all 
 things according to divine order; they set others 
 about the work. God"s work must be done by those 
 he appoints, and in the manner he prescribes. Je- 
 hoiada observed what was written in the law of 
 Moses, and appointed offices and officers in the house 
 of God accordingly ; he durst not vary from what 
 God had given out by Moses, 2 Chron. xxiii. IS, 19. 
 Timothy was charged to keep the command given 
 him by Paul concerning the house of God, and the 
 holy things thereof, " without spot, unrebukeable, 
 until the appearing of our Lord Jesus," 1 Tim. vi. 
 13, 14: he might not spot the same with his in- 
 ventions, additions, or detraction. It is great pre- 
 sumption in men to take upon them to alter what 
 the infinite wise God hath prescribed ; as if they 
 were wiser than God, and knew what were fitter for 
 his worship and service tlian liimself; men, in so 
 doing, do equalize their will-worship to his divine 
 worship, they set their posts by his, Ezek. xliii. 8 ; 
 but this provokes, and makes way for judgment. 
 When Nadab and Abihu brouglit strange fire, such 
 as God commanded not, kitchen fire, not altar fire, 
 their own fire, not God's fire ; though it were for 
 nature the same, and would have done what the 
 other did, yet because it was not the appointed fire, 
 God was wroth, and sent out fire whicli devoured 
 them, Lev. x. 12. When they carted the ark, (which 
 should have been carried upon the Levites' shoulders, 
 Numb. iv. 15,) and Uzzah, without warrant from 
 God, staid it up with his hand, did not the Lord's 
 anger kindle to such a height, that he smote him 
 dead ? 2 Sam. vi. 6, 7- David acknowledged this 
 evil, 1 Chron. xv. 23, saying, " Tlie Lord our God 
 made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not 
 after the due order.'' Men may seek God, and yet 
 if they seek him not in a due order, even that order 
 he hath prescribed, they may be far from mercy, and 
 near unto judgment. 
 
 Ver. 9 — 14. Thus saifh the Lord God; No 
 stranger., uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircum- 
 cised in flesh, sha/l enter into tin/ sanctuan/, of 
 any stranger that is among the children of Israel. 
 And the Levites that are gone away far from 
 me, when Israel went astray, which went astray 
 away from me after their idols ; they shall even 
 hear their iniquity. Yet they shall he ministers 
 in my sanctuary, having change at the gates of 
 the house, and ministering to the house : they shall 
 slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the 
 people, and they shall stand before them to minis- 
 ter unto them. Because they ministered unto 
 them before their idols, and caused the house of 
 Israel to fall into iniquity ; therefore have I lifted 
 up mine hand against them, sait'h the Lord God, 
 and they shall bear their iniquity. And they 
 shall not come near itnto me, to do the office of a 
 priest unto me, nor to come near to any of my 
 holy things, in the most holy place : but they shaH 
 bear their shame, a^ul their abominations which 
 they have committed. But I will make them 
 keepers of the charge of the house, for all the ser- 
 vice thereof, and for all that shall be done therein. 
 
 In the 9th verse strangers are oxchuled from the 
 sanctuary, and the service of it. In the rest of the 
 
 verses those who had abused the priestly office are 
 deposed from it, yet admitted into inferior services. 
 
 In Deuteronomy there was a law which prohibited 
 the Ammonites and Moabites from entei-ing into the 
 house of God, which was grounded upon special 
 reasons, Deut. xxiii. 3, 4 ; but here is a general law, 
 prohibiting all strangers whatsoever to enter into 
 the sanctuary, and bear office there ; none ungodly, 
 uncircumcised in heart or flesh, would he have to 
 enter, or minister unto him. And not only so, but 
 the Levites themselves which were corrupted, must 
 be put from their offices. Many of the priests, after 
 the ten tribes revolted, set up calves, and idolatrized; 
 complied much with them, and the sinful practices 
 of the times, and were defiled with the pollutions of 
 them, and so went far from God, and his pure ways, 
 hearkening to the commands of wicked kings, 
 2 Kings xvi. 1 1 ; therefore they must be thrust from 
 the dignity of priesthood into the covert service of 
 the sanctuary, they must "bear their iniquity," the 
 punishment of their sins, viz. loss of their places ; 
 they must no longer minister unto God, be priests of 
 God, but ministers of the people ; they must be 
 porters of the gates, slayers of the sacrifices, and 
 keepers of the utensils that belonged unto the sanc- 
 tuary. These were inferior and mean offices. Their 
 departing from God's ways, their drawing the people 
 to sin, and offending the church, made God swear 
 against them, (for so that expression, " I lifted up 
 mine hand against them," is to be understood,) 
 lay shame upon them, and cause them to serve in the 
 basest services ; wherein mercy appeared also, in 
 that he did not absolutely reject them. Those who 
 sin through infirmity, and repent, do find mercy. 
 
 Ver. 15, 16. But the priests the Levites, the 
 sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanc- 
 tuaiy when tite children of Israel went astray from 
 me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, 
 and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the 
 fat and the blood, saith the Lord God: they 
 shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come 
 near to my table, to minister unto me, and they 
 shall keep my charge. 
 
 The other priests being laid aside from all priestly 
 performances, for their apostasy from God, and for 
 their pollutions, here it is declared what priests God 
 would accept of, viz. " the sons of Zadok," who was 
 the first high priest in Solomon's temple, whose 
 posterity was faithful and constant in evil and 
 apostatizing times. When the ten tribes went a 
 wlioring from God, and many priests, the sons of 
 Ithamar, were led aside, by tlie commands of Ahaz 
 and Manasseh, these kept the charge of the sanc- 
 tuary, and would not, for fear, fiattery, or favour, 
 depart from the laws and rites of God's house : these 
 were the men who must come near to God, and 
 minister unto him in the sanctuary. 
 
 " Come near to my table." By " table " is meant 
 the altar. Ezck. xli. 22, " The altar of wood " is said 
 to be " the table before the Lord ;" and not only the 
 altar for incense was God's table, but that also which 
 was for burnt offerings, Mai. i. 7, 12 ; that was a 
 table for God's bread and meat. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord takes notice of those who .serve 
 in his house, who are false and who are faithful, in 
 corrupt and apostatizing times. The sons of Zadok, 
 they kept the charge of my sanctuary, when the 
 children of Israel went astray from me. Those w'ho 
 forsook me followed Jeroboam and the calves, but 
 the others would not leave my house, my service, 
 they kept their stations, and were constant. This 
 was their honour, that they were stedfast in the way
 
 YiiH. 17—22. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 803 
 
 and work of the Lord ; and it was a blot and re- 
 proach to them tliat fell off", for the Lord brands 
 them to be revoltcrs, Hos. v. 1, 2. 
 
 Obs. 2. God takes pleasure in and honours those 
 who are faithful and constant in his service. The 
 sons of Zadok were such, and God saith of them, 
 " They shall enter into my sanctuary, they shall 
 come near to me, they shall stand before me, they 
 shall minister to me at my table, they shall keep 
 my charge." By these expressions they are much 
 honoured, and God's pleasure in them much mani- 
 fested. Those priests, prophets, ministers, who are 
 backsliders, revoltcrs, apostates, are a dishonour to 
 God, and burden to his Sjiirit. Of such, though 
 they repented, it is said, ver. 13, " They shall not 
 come near unto me, to do the office of a priest unto 
 me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, in 
 the most holy place : but they shall bear their 
 shame, and their abominations which they have com- 
 mitted." God will neither honour them, nor have 
 any pleasure in them ; he honours and takes pleasure 
 in those who have been true to him, and faithful. 
 
 Ver. 17 — 22. And it shall come to pass, that 
 when thei/ enter /re at the gates of the inner court, 
 they shall he clothed with linen garments ; and no 
 woo! shall come upon them, whiles fhei/ minister in 
 the gates of the inner court, and within. They 
 shall have linen bonnets vpon their heads, and 
 shall have linen breeches upon their loins ; they 
 shall not gird themselves with any thing that 
 causeth sweat. And when they go forth into the 
 utter court, even into the utter court to the people, 
 they shall put off" their garments wherein they 
 ministered, and lay them in the holy chambers, 
 and they shall put on other garments ; and they 
 shall not sanctify the people ivith their garments. 
 Neither shall they shave their heads, nor suffer 
 their locks to grow long; they shall only poll 
 their heads. Neither shall any priest drink wine, 
 when they enter into the inner court. Neither 
 shall they take for their wives a tvidow, nor her 
 that is /Jut away : but they shall take maidens of 
 the seed of the house of Israel, or a tvidow that 
 had a priest before. 
 
 Here, and in tlie following verses, are certain 
 rules and instructions given forth for the priests : 
 and the tirst is. 
 
 Concerning their vestures and attire. When the 
 sons of Zadok come to minister unto the Lord, they 
 must be clothed all in linen, no woollen garments 
 must be upon them, as it was in Moses' days : Exod. 
 xxviii. 42, 43; xxxix. 27—29; Lev. xvi. 4, they 
 had linen bonnets, linen breeches, linen girdles, and 
 linen coats ; woollen was not permitted them, be- 
 cause less pure than linen. And as those linen 
 garments which Aaron and his sons had, noted out 
 the purity and innocency of Christ, so these the sons 
 of Zadok had noted out the purity and innocency of 
 the ministerB under Christ and the gospel. TThe 
 twenty-four elders were clothed in white raiment. 
 Rev. iv. 4; and those who served the Lord in his 
 temple were arrayed with white robes, chap. vii. 13, 
 15. The ministers of Christ ought to be holy, chaste, 
 unblamable, and patterns of virtue unto others, 1 Tim. 
 iv. 12; 2 Tim. ii. 22; Tit. i. 7, 8. When they savour 
 the things of the flesh, they are brutish, and have 
 on woollen garments, which should not be. They 
 are to avoid all things which may make them in- 
 famous, and to hear ill. Sweat is an unsavoury 
 thing, they must not wear any thing which causeth 
 3 F 2 
 
 that, signifying they must do nothing which may 
 justly cause an ill savour. Their loins must be girt 
 with sincerity, and tlieir conversations such as may 
 be iuoli'ensive before God and men. 
 
 Of putting olf their garments, and putting on 
 others, when tl\ey go out from their ministration, 
 was spoken, chap. xlii. 14. " And they shall not 
 sanctify the people in their garments." Common 
 things were made holy by the touching of holy 
 things, according to the law, Exod. xxix. 37; the 
 priests therefore put them off, lest going out in 
 them, the people might touch them, and so being 
 sanctified, be necessitated to leave their callings. 
 fid. Diodate. fficolampadius saith, to sanctify, in 
 this place, is to be willing to be esteemed holy ; and 
 so the priests were not to go forth in their garments, 
 that the people might esteem them holy. The 
 Chaldee is, they shall not mingle with the people, 
 being in those holy garments, and so profane them. 
 Pintus hath it to good purpose, thus, they shall 
 not go out in their priestly garments to bless 
 the people, but do it in their common garments; 
 they must be in another frame of spirit in their 
 approaches to God, than in common dealings with * 
 the people. 
 
 The second rule given them is, concerning their 
 heads, they must not shave them, nor wear long 
 locks, but poll their heads. The heathens used to 
 shave their heads, especially their idolatrous priests ; 
 and God would not have those that ministered unto 
 him to conform unto idolaters. His servants must 
 not shave their hair, then it would be too short ; 
 nor nourish it, then it would be too long ; but " poll " 
 the same, keep a medium between both. The 
 ministers of Christ must not " shave their heads," 
 lest they should symbolize with antichristian monks 
 and friars ; nor wear it long, which is the garb of 
 luxurious, barbarous, and military men : they must 
 neither neglect their hair, nor be effeminate in the 
 length, powdering, or curling of the same ; but have 
 such a care of that, and their habit, as becomes the 
 gospel, and the servants of Christ. 
 
 A third rule is, the prohibition of wine ; not sim- 
 ply, but " when they enter into the inner court." 
 This was a law laid upon Aaron and his sons : Lev. 
 X. 9, " Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, 
 nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the taber- 
 nacle of the congregation, lest ye die : it shall be a 
 statute for ever throughout your generations." Not- 
 withstanding this law, the priests and prophets were 
 faulty, and complaint is made, Isa. xxviii. 7, " The 
 priest and the prophet have erred tlirough strong 
 drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out 
 of the way through strong drink ; they err in vision, 
 they stumble in judgment." The Jewish priests 
 were absolutely forbidden wine, it is conceived, lest 
 it should cause them to speak or do indecently in 
 their ministrations. But wine is not wholly prohi- 
 bited to the ministers of the gospel ; Paul bids 
 Timothy drink wine, 1 Tim. v. 23. Here temperance 
 and sobriety are commanded and commended unto 
 the ministers of Christ; they must not be men given 
 to wine, Titus i. 7, but sober, ver. 8. 
 
 A fourth rule is, touching their marriage. They 
 arc not forbidden to marry, but are cautioned about 
 the same, and showed who they must not marry, 
 not a widow, or one divorced. And Moses mentions 
 two more, Lev. xxi. 14, a profane one, and a harlot, 
 which they might not take ; a virgin or a priest's 
 widow they might, and these must " be of the seed 
 of the house of Israel." Strange virgins, or strange 
 widows, they might not join themselves unto. The 
 scope of the words is, that they should marry them 
 who were modest, chaste, pious, sober, and well
 
 804 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLIV, 
 
 educated, that so they might be a comfort and an 
 honour to their husbands in that office. The priests 
 were types of Christ, and the ministers of the gospel 
 are in Christ's stead unto the people ; and man'iage 
 represents the mystical union and marriage between 
 Christ and his church : therefore, of all men, they 
 should see to it what wives they take, even such as 
 will be subject in all things, as the church is unto 
 Christ, Eph. v. 24 ; and so mind others of their duty. 
 
 Ver. 23 — 27. And thei/ shall teach my people 
 the dii[fereiice betireen the holy and profane, and 
 cause them to discern between the unclean and 
 the clean. And in controversy they shall stand 
 in judgments ; and they shall judge it according 
 to my judgments : and they shall keep my laws 
 and my statutes in all mine assemblies ; and they 
 shall hallow my sabbaths. And they shall come 
 at no dead person to defile themselves : but for 
 father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, 
 for brother, or for sister that hath had no hus- 
 band, they may defile themselves. And after he 
 is cleansed, they shall reckon unto him seven days. 
 And in the day that he goeth into the sanctuary, 
 unto the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, 
 he shall offer his sin offering, saith the Lord God. 
 
 More rules are prescribed here for the priests of 
 this new temple. 
 
 The first is, that they, putting difference in things 
 and persons, between the holy and profane, the clean 
 and the unclean, should teach the people the same. 
 This was the priests' duty of old. Lev. x. 10, II; 
 and because it was neglected, God complains of the 
 priests : Ezek. xxii. 26, " They have violated my law, 
 they have profaned my holy things : they have put 
 no difi'erence between the holy and profane, neither 
 have they showed " (that is, to the people) " differ- 
 ence between the unclean and the clean." But now 
 it should be otherwise, the ministers of the gospel 
 should teach the people sound and discriminating 
 doctrine, so that they should know truth fi'om error, 
 men sound in the faith from such as were corrupt 
 and heretical. Paul taught Timotliy to discern be- 
 tween men having a form of godliness, and the power 
 of it, 2 Tim. iii. 2 — 8; and Titus he taught to dis- 
 tinguish of persons, chap. i. 10 — Ifi ; and John put 
 dillereuce between the clean and the unclean. Rev. 
 x.xi. 27; and Christ taught his apostles, and in them 
 all others, that holy things must not be given unto 
 dogs. Matt. vii. 6. 
 
 The second rule is, about controversies, and what 
 they are to do therein. When controversies arise, 
 they are to hear, judge, and determine them by the 
 law of God : vcr. 24, " In controversy they shall 
 stand in judgment ; and shall judge according to 
 my judgments ;" not according to their own wills, 
 desires of others, or laws of men, but as God's laws 
 direct and command. Christians should bring their 
 differences to their ministers, and church officers, 
 that they may make and maintain peace between 
 them, judging and determining their controversies 
 according to the word of God. Paul blamed the 
 Corinthians, that brother went to law with brother, 
 and that before unbelievers, and brought not their 
 cases unto the church, I Cor. vi. 6. Ecclesiastical 
 differences ought to be decided by ecclesiastical 
 persons, and other differences too, Deut. xvii. 8 — II. 
 
 The third rule is, about the solemn assemblies and 
 sabbaths : " They shall keep my laws and my statutes 
 in all mine assemblies ; and they shall hallow my 
 sabbaths." God would not allow the priests, though 
 never .so knowing or holy, to do au^'lit of their own 
 
 heads in his worship : as they might not prescribe 
 worship itself, so they might not alter it, nor the 
 laws, rites, or manner of performing the same. Re- 
 ligion and worship are such sacred things, that 
 nothing human must be intermingled with them, all 
 things therein must be done according to the mind 
 of God exactly, " they shall keep my laws and sta- 
 tutes." This the ministers of Christ are to do them- 
 selves, and to teach others to do the same ; they are 
 to sanctify the sabbaths, and to see others do so too. 
 
 A fourth rule is, direction about their dead kindred, 
 whom they might bury, and mourn for, viz. " father 
 or mother, son or daughter, brother or sister " a vir- 
 gin. To these six they were limited, and forbidden 
 to be at the funerals of all others. For those of 
 their consanguinity they might mourn, God would 
 not have them unnatural ; yet in their mourning 
 they might not be immoderate, nor disfigure them- 
 selves by baldness, shaving their beards, or cutting 
 their flesh. Lev. xxi. 5 ; they must be patterns of 
 patience unto others, and quietly submit unto the 
 hand of God, in pulling away their near relations : 
 and because it is hard in such cases to keep within 
 bounds, and not transgress, therefore they were to 
 offer a sin offering before they came to public ad- 
 ministrations, showing that singular purity is requir- 
 ed in the ministers who are to draw near unto God. 
 
 Ver. 26. " After he is cleansed," &c. The Lord 
 indulged them so far that they might defile them- 
 selves, ver. 25, that is, touch and mourn for their 
 near kindred, but after this they must cleanse them- 
 selves according to law, Numb. xix. II — 13, and 
 chap. vi. 9 — II. They were to be holy, especially 
 when they came to minister before the Lord. 
 
 Ver. '27. " He shall offer his sin oli'ering." When 
 we have indulgence from God in any thing, especially 
 in matter of our affections, we are apt to exceed our 
 bounds, therefore here the Lord provides a remedy. 
 
 Ver. 28 — 31. And it shall be unto them for an 
 inheritance: lam their inheritance : and ye shall 
 give tlicm no possessioti in Israel; I am their 
 possession. They shall eat the meat offering, and 
 the sin offering, and the trespass ntfeiing ; and 
 every dedicated thing in Israel shall be their's. 
 And the first of all the firstfruits of all things, 
 and every oblation of all, of every sort of your 
 oblations, shall be the priesfs : ye shall also give 
 unto the jn'iest the first of your dough, that he 
 may cause the blessing to rest in thine house. 
 Tlie priests shall not eat of any thing- that is dead 
 of itself, or torn, whether it be fold or beast. 
 
 The priests and Levites were to have no inherit- 
 ances in the land of Canaan, Numb, xviii. 20 ; Deut. 
 X. 9 ; xviii. 2. God was their inheritance, and pro- 
 vided for them, he gave them the sacrifices which 
 were due to himself: Josh. xiii. 14, "Only unto the 
 tribe of Levi he gave no inheritance ; the sacrifices 
 of the Lord God of Israel made by fire are their in- 
 heritance." And so here God was the inheritance of 
 the priests of this new temple, and gave them the 
 offerings due unto him, and all the dedicate things ; 
 yea, he ordered that the first of all the firstfruits of 
 all things, and all the oblations, shoidd be the priest's, 
 and the first of their very dough; hereby presigni- 
 fying, that the ministers of the gospel ought to be 
 maintained by the people they preach unto. It is a 
 divine ordinance, that out of their estates and means 
 the ministers should be provided for : see M;\U. x. 
 10, II; Luke X. 7,8; Gal. vi. 6; 1 Cor. ix. 13, 14; 
 2 Cor. xi. 8. 
 
 Here is a special reason given why tiny should
 
 VtR. 1—6. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 805 
 
 be maintained, and that comfortably : it is in the 
 30th verse, " That he may cause the blessing to rest 
 in thine house." Junius and Piscator read it, tliat I 
 may appoint or settle a blessing in their house. 
 Where the faithful ministers of Christ are well pro- 
 vided for by the people, there God singles out bless- 
 ings for their families, and causes them to rest there : 
 Prov. iii. 9, 10, " Honour the Lord with thy sub- 
 stance and with the firstfruits of all thine increase : 
 so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy 
 presses shall burst with new wine :" so Mai. iii. 10, 
 God had blessings for them under the law, who were 
 forward to uphold his worship, and maintain his 
 servants. And so he hath for those in these gospel- 
 times who do the like : 2 Cor. ix. G, " He that soweth 
 sparingly shall reap sparingly ; and he that soweth 
 bountifully shall reap bountit"ully." 
 
 For the last verse, which forbids the priests to eat 
 fowls or beasts which died of themselves, or were 
 torn by others, the same was prohibited the people 
 also, Exod. xxii. 31 ; Lev. xvii. 15; Deut. xiv. 21 ; 
 God would have both priests and people holy, and 
 not defile themselves with such meats. And here it 
 may present unto us the eare ministers should have 
 of what they eat. Though all creatures be good, 
 and lawful to eat, yet all are not wholesome, and 
 expedient for them who are employed in sacred 
 things to feed upon. Or thus : They are to be hos- 
 pitable, and should not provide of the worst to enter- 
 tain the people of God. Such creatures as died of 
 themselves, are torn by dogs, beasts, or vermin, 
 whatever is unsightly, unwholesome, or unsavoury, 
 should not be at their tables, or distributed at their 
 doors. Or thus : This not eating such things may 
 note sanctification in the priests : they were not to 
 be covetous, or cruel, but to be unblamable, ab- 
 staining from evil, and the appearances thereof 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 6. Moreover, when ye shall divide hy 
 lot the land for inheritance, ye shall offer an 
 oblation unto the Lord, an holy portion of the 
 land: the length shall be the length of five and 
 twenti) thousand reeds, and the breadth shall be 
 ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the bor- 
 ders thereof round about. Of this there shall 
 be for the sanctuary five hundred in length, u-ith 
 Jive hundred in breadth, square round about; 
 and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs 
 thereof. And of this measure shalt thou mea- 
 sure the length of Jive and twenty thousand, and 
 the breadth of ten thousand : and in it shall be 
 the sanctuary and the most holy place. The holi/ 
 portion of the land shall be for the priests the 
 ministers of the sanctuary, which shall come near 
 to minister unto the Lord: and it shall be a 
 place for their houses, and an holy place for the 
 sanctuary. And the five and twenty thousand of 
 length, and the ten thousand of breadth, shall 
 also the Levites, the ministers of the house, have 
 for themselves, for a possession for twenty cham- 
 bers. And ye shall appoint the possession of 
 the city five thousand broad, and Jive and twenfi/ 
 thousand long, over against the oblation of the 
 holy portion : it shall be for the ivhole house of 
 Israel. 
 
 H.4.VING laid down the platform and measures of 
 the temple, he comes now to the division and mea- 
 surings of the land : wherein things are dark, diffi- 
 cult, and deep, not to be attempted by human 
 strengtli, but by the help of Christ's Spirit, wliieh 
 maketh dark things light, difficult things easy, and 
 sounds the greatest depths. 
 
 In this chapter are two principal parts : 
 
 I. The partition of the land, which is in the first 
 eight verses. 
 
 II. Ordinances jiolitical and ecclesiastical, from 
 the 9th verse to the end. 
 
 For the first. The division of the land is fourfold. 
 
 1. A portion for the sanctuary and the priests, in 
 the first four verses. 
 
 2. A portion for the Levites, ver. 5. 
 
 3. A portion for the city, or people, ver. 6. 
 
 4. A portion for the prince, ver. 7, 8. 
 
 For the second. The political ordinances, which 
 concern the prince, are from the 9lh verse to 
 the Vlih. 
 
 The ecclesiastical, which concern the people, the 
 prince, and the priests, are from the 13th verse to 
 the end. 
 
 There was a distinction of the land of Canaan in 
 Moses' and Joshua's days. Numb, xxxiv. xxxv. ; 
 Josh. xiii. xxi. But this division dilTers much fi-om 
 the same, and when the Jews returned from Babylon, 
 there was no such division made of the land. Had 
 it been, Ezra or Nehemiah would have made men- 
 tion thereof. This divi.sion, therefore, is not to be 
 understood literally, but spiritually ; and the com- 
 pleting thereof to be looked for in the church of 
 Christ, not in the Jewish state or temple. Here, 
 then, seems to be a spiritual lotting, and bringing 
 men out of Judaism and heathenism into the king- 
 dom of Christ, and fellowship of the gospel. 
 
 These words, " when ye shall divide by lot the 
 land for inheritance," are thus in the Hebrew, when 
 ye shall make the land to fall into inheritance ; that 
 is, when ye shall make the lot to fall upon the land, 
 to divide it into inheritances : he alludes herein to 
 the ancient division of the land by lot. That which 
 is by lot, is free ; when the lot fell upon Matthias it 
 was free, and declared whom God had chosen, Acts 
 i. 24, 26. 
 
 The work of grace, and bringing of men into the 
 church, is free; nothing in man, or from man, pro- 
 cures it: 2 Pet. i. 1, "To them who have obtained 
 like precious faith with us." The word for obtain, 
 is, Xuxovni, which notes, that which comes freely to 
 a man, that which, being no debt, nor desert, is lotted 
 out to a man ; as, God gives faith to whom he 
 pleases. We have nothing disposes us for trace, or 
 entitles us to any heavenly inheritance : Col. i. 12, 
 it is the Father " who makes us meet to be par- 
 takers of the inheritance of the saints in light ;" he 
 regenerates, adopts, and sanctifies, and so makes us 
 meet for spiritual enjoyments and privileges, and 
 then lots them out for us, and us for himself: so that 
 true believers are God's lot, portion, and inherit- 
 ance. 
 
 " Ye shall offer an oblation unto the Lord, an holy 
 portion of the land." The Hebrew is, ye shall 
 elevate an elevation unto the Lord ; that is, conse- 
 crate, or dedicate, a portion of the land unto the 
 Lord, that it may be holy. This portion of land was 
 large, "five and twenty thousand reeds in length ;" 
 not so many cubits, as some would have it, for the 
 measuring was by a reed of six cubits, chap. xl. 5 ; 
 and ten thousand reeds in breadth : and of these, 
 five hundred in length, and five hundred in breadth, 
 were for the sanctuary, with fifty cubits round for 
 the suburbs thereof This holy portion of land, as it
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLV. 
 
 was for the sanctuary, so for the priests, and their 
 houses, the Levites, and thtir chambers. 
 
 Here the first care is for the house-service, and 
 servants of the Lord. It is the duty of christians to 
 promote the worship of God in the tirst place, and to 
 provide for those who are officers in his house, who 
 are not to be non-resident, but to live in the houses 
 near to their charge. 
 
 Some expositors, as Junius and Polanus, inform 
 us, that a new form and state of the church is here 
 represented unto us, viz. the abrogation of the Jew- 
 ish, and bringing in of the christian ; which was done 
 by Christ and his apostles. 
 
 By the portion of land, the holiness and ampli- 
 tude of it, we may understand the church under the 
 gospel, with the holiness and largeness thereof. 
 
 1. The church is holy, and a holy offering unto 
 God ; " Ye shall offer aii oblation unto the Lord." 
 Holiness from the earth, that it separate from the 
 same ; or, holiness of earth, that is, holy earth. Such 
 is the ch\u-ch, holiness from the earth, or holy earth, 
 Eph. V. 27. It is the most glorious and pure part of 
 the world, it consists of those who are virgins re- 
 deemed from the earth, whose mouths are guileless, 
 and persons faultless, " before the throne of God," 
 Bev. xiv. 4, 5. 
 
 2. The largeness of it. Under Christ, the church 
 is greatly enlarged, and extends to all parts. The 
 Thessalonians' faith spread far, 1 Thess. i. 8 ; and 
 Paul saith, that in every place they called upon the 
 name of Jesus Christ, 1 Cor. i. 2. Peter brings 
 Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 
 within the bounds of the church, 1 Pet. i. I. Not 
 only Asia, Europe, and Africa, but even America, 
 hath some holy ones to be an offering to tlie Lord : 
 Rev. vii. 9, there were some out of all nations. 
 
 We may also here observe, that in the church of 
 Christ there is provision and protection for his 
 people. There is a portion for the priests, posses- 
 sions for the Levites, and the whole house of Israel ; 
 there are portions of land for them, with houses, 
 chambers, and a city. Those who come to Zion 
 shall not be destitute, but meet with maintenance 
 and safety: Jcr. xsxi. 12, "They shall come and 
 sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together 
 to the goodness of the Lord." He will be their 
 Shepherd, and provide for them wheat, wine, and 
 oil, that is, bread and water of life, with the com- 
 forts of the Spirit ; and make their souls as a watered 
 garden, green and growing, fat and flourishing, 
 fruitful and very fruitful : and being in that condi- 
 tion, he will defend them from wild beasts, and spoil 
 of any. They are his garden enclosed, and fenced 
 about with his power; see Ezek. xxxiv. 26 — 28. 
 
 Again observe, the true church state takes not 
 away propriety, neither consists of levelling prin- 
 ciples; it preserves men's rights, and the diflerent 
 degrees and orders that are set amongst men. Here 
 was a portion of land for the priests, a portion for 
 the Levites, and a portion for the citizens, the one 
 might not seize upon the others' : here are distinct 
 orders of men, priests, Levites, people, and prince. 
 The order of the gospel is to preserve order, not 
 to bring in confusion, or levelling ; see Acts v. 4 ; 
 xxvhi. 30; Philera. i. 8; 1 Cor. xii. 28—30; 1 Tim. 
 ii. 2; 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14. 
 
 Ver. 6. " And ye shall appoint the possession of 
 the city." Provision being made for the church, 
 and those who served in it, the next care here is for 
 the j.eople, they must have their portion and pos- 
 session. The Lord's goodness extends to them, as 
 well as those who are nearest to him in oflSce. 
 
 Ver. 7, 8. And a portion shall be for the prince 
 on the one side and on the other side of the obla- 
 tion of the holy portion, and of the possession of 
 the city, before the oblation of the holy portion, 
 and before the possession of the city, from the 
 west side ivesticard, and from the east side east- 
 ward : and the length shall be over ag-ainst one 
 of the portions, from the west border unto the 
 east border. In the land shall be his possession 
 in Israel: and my princes shall no more oppress 
 my people ; and the rest of the land shall they 
 give to the house of Israel according to their tribes. 
 
 The prince was to have a portion as well as the 
 rest, and it was to be on both sides, on the west side 
 and on the east side ; it was to compass in the other 
 portions : intimating to us thereby, that the prince 
 and his estate should be for the preservation of the 
 whole. A prince is to be the defender and bulwark 
 of the commonwealth ; himself, and his estate, should 
 rather suffer than it. 
 
 Who this prince was is doubted ; for, after their 
 return from Babylon, they had neither kings nor 
 princes. Zerubbabel was governor of Judah, not 
 king, or prince. Hag. ii. 21. Some make him to be 
 the high priest, and the 17th verse induceth to be- 
 lieve so, for it saith, " It shall be the prince's part 
 to offer burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and drink 
 offerings, in the feasts, and in the new moons, and 
 in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of the house of 
 Israel : he shall prepare the sin ofl'ering, and the 
 meat ofl'ering, and the burnt offering, and the peace 
 offerings, to make reconciliation for the house of 
 Israel." To sacrifice was priest-work, not prince- 
 work ; civil princes might not sacrifice, had they 
 had them. In the time of the Maccabees, they had 
 high priests, who were over them both in church 
 and state affairs ; and these here, it is conceived, are 
 honoured with the title of prince. But it is question- 
 able whether the high priest be the prince here 
 spoken of, because, in chap. xlvi. 2, the prince there 
 is distinguished from the priest. It is better to un- 
 derstand it of Christ, who was " the great high 
 priest," Heb. iv. 14; and "Prince of the kings of 
 the earth," Rev. i. 5. Rabbi David, in his com- 
 mentary upon this place, saith, that the Hebrews 
 interpret this prince to be the Messiah ; so doth 
 Jerom, and some late expositors : and, chap, xxxiv. 
 24, God had promised the Jews that his " servant 
 David should be a prince among them," that was, 
 Messiah. 
 
 This insinuates thus much unto us, that the church 
 is Christ's portion, and Christ the protector of it. 
 His possession lieth in the land of Israel ; the saints, 
 the true Israelites, are his portion, his possession; 
 he is " on the one side and on the other " of them, 
 even from west to east : he reigns, and is round 
 about the church, he compasses it with his favour, 
 and his power. New Jerusalem had a wall about 
 it. Rev. xxi. 17: Christ the Prince he is the wall to 
 the whole church, and all the parts of it, to apostles, 
 pastors, and people ; not Peter, popes, or priests, are 
 protectors thereof. 
 
 "My prince shall no more oppress my people." 
 These princes (whether those who are chief in the 
 church of Christ, or in Uie civil state) they shall not 
 be covetous, and oppress the people. This was too 
 common before the captivity, as appears, Mie. iii. 
 1 — II; Zeph. iii. 3; Amos iv. 1; Jer. vi. 13; Ezek. 
 i. 22 — 28 ; and after the captivity, the nobles and 
 rulers exacted upon their brethren, and oppressed 
 them, Neh. v. 7, 8. But there must be a time for 
 fulfilling this truth, that princes "shall no more op-
 
 Ver. 9—12. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 807 
 
 press tlie people." Hitherto it can hardly be made 
 out that ever there were such princes, or times, 
 wherein the people were not oppressed. But such 
 are promised as sliall be far from oppression, as shall 
 not take away, but give unto the house of Israel ac- 
 cording to her tribes. The house of Israel is the 
 whole church of Christ, and the tribes thereof are 
 the particular churches therein ; and those princes 
 are the Lord's, (for he saith, "my princes,") sliall 
 give unto him their titles, rights, and privileges ; 
 they shall acknowledge the Lord Christ to be Prince, 
 and submit unto him, Rev. xxi. 24. 
 
 Ver. 9—12. Thus saith the Lord God ; Let 
 it sv^fficeyov, O princes of Israel : remove violence 
 and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take 
 away your exactions from my people, saith the 
 Lord God. Ye shall hare just balances, and a 
 just ephah, and a just hath. The ephah and the 
 hath shall be of one measure, that the bath may 
 contain the tenth part of an homer, and the ephah 
 the tenth part of an homer : the measure thereof 
 shall be after the homer. And the shekel shall 
 be twenty gerahs : twenty shekels, ^ve and twenty 
 shekels, fifteen shekels, shall be your maneh. 
 
 These verses contain political ordinances, which 
 are for just and righteous proceedings between 
 prince and people, and people amongst themselves. 
 
 Ver. 1. " Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel." 
 Ye have been long given to covetous practices, and 
 thereby increased your revenues to the prejudice of 
 others ; but now let what is past suffice you, let there 
 be no more such doings amongst you. The politi- 
 cal estate must be reformed, and with you princes 
 the reformation must begin. The princes of Israel 
 were very covetous ; Isa. i. 23, " Thy princes are re- 
 bellious, and companions of thieves : every one 
 loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards ;" they were 
 no better than thieves, robbing the people, pervert- 
 ing all justice through their covetousness. This 
 God complained of them, and minds them of it here, 
 saying, " Let it suffice ;" or thus the words may be 
 taken. Be content with the revenues, legal tributes, 
 and customs, thirst after no more, rest satisfied with 
 what you have, and covet no more, let the portion 
 you have please you. 
 
 " Remove violence and spoil." When princes use 
 violence to fetch in their revenues, taxes, customs, 
 and to satisfy their desires, spoil follows upon it; 
 men suffer in their estates by tliose who are employ- 
 ed by them, and oft are undone. Kaboth loses his 
 vineyard, and life too, through the violence of Ahab, 
 Jezebel, and the instruments they set on work. But 
 in this new political estate it must be otherwise : Isa. 
 Ix. 18, " Violence shall no more be heard in thy 
 land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders." 
 
 " Execute judgment and justice." Princes and 
 magistrates are God's deputies, tliey ought to be like 
 unto him, and to act for him ; they sliould be men 
 of knowledge, able to judge in controversies, to dis- 
 cern where the right lies ; Deut i. 16, 17, and men 
 of courage to rule for God, executing judgment and 
 justice impartially. As David did; 2 Sam. viii. 15, 
 he " reigned over all Israel ; and executed judg- 
 ment and justice unto all his people ;" and this was 
 one of his last words, " He that ruleth over men 
 must be just, ruling in the fear of God," 2 Sam. xxiii. 
 3. And when men rule so, there will be no place for 
 injustice and opj/rcssion : such we have warrant to ex- 
 pect, for the Lcrd hath said, " I will make thy officers 
 peace, and thine exactors righteousness," Isa. !x. 17. 
 
 " Take away the exactions from my peoide." 
 
 The Vulgate reads the words, Separate your confines 
 from my people. When princes and great men have 
 fields and inheritances lying near to their inferiors' 
 grounds, as Ahab's did to Naboth's, they covet the 
 same, and find out ways to get the same, and in time 
 eat up their possessions ; therefore, to prevent this, 
 the Lord calls upon them to separate their borders 
 from their neighbours. They force men out of their 
 houses and inheritances ; as it is, Mic. ii. 2, " They 
 covet fields, and take them by violence ; and houses, 
 and take them away : so they oppress a man and 
 his house, even a man and his heritage :" these were 
 " exactions," as we read it. And of the great 
 ones' "exactions," you may see, 2 Kings xv. 20; 
 xxiii. 35. Sometimes under pretence of law, and ne- 
 cessity, they did exact of the people. But these 
 must cease, and when the new heavens and new earth 
 come, there shall righteousness be in them, no ex- 
 action or oppression, 2 Pet. iii. 13. 
 
 Ver. 10. " Ye shall have just balances." In this 
 and the other two verses ordinances are given out 
 about weights, measures, and money. 
 
 1. Concerning weights, the balances must be just. 
 In former days they did pervert or falsify the ba- 
 lances by deceit, Amos viii. 5 ; which was " abomi- 
 nation to the Lord," Prov. xx. 10. There was a 
 law in Deuteronomy against the same, cliap. xxv. 
 13 — 15; it was against diverse weights and diverse 
 measures, tying them to one, and that perfect and 
 just: so here, "just balances" are required; God 
 would have the people just and equal in their deal- 
 ings, not defrauding one another. 
 
 " A just ephah, and a just bath," &c. The mea- 
 sures of the Hebrews were of dry and liquid things, 
 both which are here mentioned. To begin with the 
 homer, which was the greatest measure they had, 
 and signifies, a heap, it held so much ; some make 
 the quantity to be what a camel or an ass could bear 
 and carry. The lionier is the same with that mea- 
 sure called cor, or eorus, as the 14th verse shows ; 
 each of them containing ten baths, or ten ephahs. 
 A Lapide makes the bath and ephah to contain three 
 bushels a piece, and so the homer to be thirty bush- 
 els. But if we make modius to be but half a bushel, 
 then the ephah and bath contain one bushel and a 
 half apiece, and the homer fifteen. But Ainsworth, 
 upon Lev. xxvii. 16, makes the homer to be ten 
 ephahs, that is, ten bushels ; so that the ephah and 
 the bath held the measure of a bushel. 
 
 The " ephah" was a measure for dry things, 
 wheat, barley, meal, flour, 1 Sam. xvii. 17; Judg. vi. 
 19 ; Numb. V. 15 ; and it was the common measure, 
 and the regulator of all other measures. 
 
 There is a seeming contradiction between what 
 you have in Exod. xvi. 36, where it is written, " an 
 omer is the tenth part of an ephah," and what you 
 have here in Ezckiel, who saith, " an ephah is the 
 tenth part of an homer." For answer ; know, the 
 words omer and homer in the Hebrew dift'er : the 
 first is, icy, omer with ain, which signifies, a hand- 
 ful : Lev. xxiii. 10, " Ye shall bring a sheaf of the 
 firstfruits ;" the Hebrew is, a handful, an omer. It 
 is conceived the wheat beaten out of that sheaf did 
 fill the omer, which contained above a pottle, about 
 five pints ; and so was " the tenth part of an ephah," 
 which contained of our English measure seven gal- 
 lons and a half, which makes our bushel. 
 
 The second word, ncn is written wilh n eheth, 
 and is that great measure containing " ten ephahs," 
 which is spoken of here. 
 
 The measure called a " bath," was of liquid things, 
 and contained as much as the ephah, seven gallons 
 and a half, " the tenth part of an homer." Wine 
 and oil were usually measured by it, as 2 Chron. ii.
 
 808 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLV. 
 
 10: Ezra vii. 22. In Isa. v. 10, we find these words, 
 " Ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath :" God 
 would so blast their vines, that ten acres planted 
 with vines should not yield ten gallons, they should 
 fill but one " bath ;" and the seed of an homer, that 
 is, ten bushels, should yield an ephah, that is, one 
 bushel. Here the "bath" is the measure of wine, 
 and the ephah the measure of corn. 
 
 " And the shekel shall be twenty gerahs." Hav- 
 ing spoken of the measures, he proceeds to the 
 money, that it might be of a just value. The " she- 
 kel" must be "twenty gerahs;" a gerah was to 
 ■weigh sixteen barley-corns, so that "twenty gerahs" 
 amounted to three hundred and twenty barley-corns, 
 and so much the shekel was to weigh. Of it was 
 spoken, chap. iv. 10. Sixty shekels made the 
 maneh, or pound ; some pieces of their money were 
 twenty shekels, some twenty-five, some fifteen, and 
 these together made their maneh. 
 
 06s-. 1. Princes and magistrates commonly are 
 covetous and cruel. The princes of Israel used vio- 
 lence and spoil, they exacted upon the people. Zeph. 
 iii. 3, Jerusalem's " princes were roaring lions ; her 
 judges evening wolves," they were greedy of the 
 prey. Nero was a lion to the people of God, 2 Tim. 
 iv. 17. Nebuchadnezzar was both a lion, a bear, and 
 a dragon : Jer. li. 34, saith Jerusalem, " He halh 
 devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me 
 an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a 
 dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delieates, 
 he hath cast me out." His belly was so big, his 
 desires so enlarged, that he ate up cities, kingdoms, 
 and nations. As it was said of Pompey, so of most 
 princes in the world may the people say, By our 
 miseries ye are become great. 
 
 Obs. 2. Christianity doth not overthrow, but 
 establish, magistracy. The Lord here speaking what 
 reformation should be under the Messiah, doth not 
 take magistrates away, but corrects their exorbi- 
 tances, saying, "Remove violence and spoil, take 
 away exactions :" he abridges them not of just 
 power, but decries their tyranny. Paul approves of 
 magistrates, Rom. xiii. ; 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2; and tells us, 
 " they are the ministers of God for good ;" they are 
 appointed for public good, to be a terror to the 
 wicked, a shield to the godly, a husband to the 
 widow, a father to the orphan, a patron to the poor, 
 and a refuge to the oppressed. Such magistrates we 
 expect, and pray for. 
 
 Obn. 3. The great thing required of them, is to do 
 justice, execute judgment and justice, do wrong to 
 none, neither sutler wrong to be done. They should 
 see there be no false weights, measures, or moneys, 
 to deceive the people withal. Magistrates are in 
 God's stead, and they should be righteous as God 
 is ; he rules so, that he makes appeal to his people, 
 saying, " What have I done to thee ? wherein have 
 I wearied thee ? testify against me," Mic. vi. 3. So 
 did Samuel ; "Behold, here I am: witness against 
 me before the Lord, and before his anointed; whose 
 ox have I taken ? or whose ass have I taken ? or 
 whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? 
 or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind 
 mine eyes therewith ? and I will restore it," 1 Sam. 
 xii. 4 : here was a righteous judge, a man of inte- 
 grity. Such a one was Nehemiah, chap. v. 14, 15. 
 When magistrates are righteous, and do righteous 
 things, respecting every man's cause, and regard no 
 man's person, they are the glory of heaven, the or- 
 nament of the earth, the joy of the JTist, the desire 
 of all, and blessed themselves, Psal. cvi. 3. 
 
 Oi.v. 4. Princes are not to rule by prerogative in 
 an arbitrary way, but they themselves are tied to the 
 laws of God, and bound up by them. The Lord, 
 
 who is the great Lawgiver, saith, " Let it suffice you, 
 princes of Israel, remove violence," &c. He gives 
 them laws here, and his word, which are binding, 
 and ought not to depart from them. If they pro- 
 ceed by their own wills and lusts, they become ty- 
 rants, and shall have their reward, Psal. Iv. 22; 
 Prov. xxviii. 17; xiv. 11; Job xviii. 15. Therefore 
 kings are commanded to be wise, judges to be in- 
 structed, to serve the Lord, kiss the Son, Psal. ii. 
 10 — 12; and to keep to the law of God, Deut. xvii. 18. 
 
 Ver. 13 — 17. Thi3 is the oblation that ye shall 
 offer ; the sixth part of an ephah of an homer 
 of wheat, and ye shall give the sixth part of an 
 ephah of an homer of barley : concerning the 
 ordinance of oil, the bath of oil, ye shall offh- 
 the tenth part of a bath out of the cor, which is 
 an homer of ten baths; for ten baths are an 
 homer: and one lamb out of the flock, out of 
 two hundred, out of the fat pastures of Israel ; 
 for a meat offering, and for a burnt offering, 
 and for peace offerings, to make reconciliation 
 for them, saith the Lord God. All the people of 
 the land shall give this oblation for the prince in 
 Israel. And it shall be the prince's pari to 
 give burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and 
 drink offerings, in the feasts, and in the new 
 moons, and in the sabbaths, in all solemnities of 
 the house of Israel: he shall prepare the sin 
 offering, and the meat offering, and the burnt 
 offering, and the peace offerings, to make rcctm- 
 cilialion for the house of Israel. 
 
 The political ordinances being declared, now he 
 comes to the ecclesiastical, which concern sacrifices 
 and oblations. Of the homer, ephah, and bath, have 
 been spoken in the former verses. The cor is the same 
 measure for quantity with the homer. 
 
 1. Here is laid down the things to be offered, 
 wheat, barley, oil, a lamb, and other offerings. 
 
 2. The proportion of the dry and liquid things : 
 the sixth part of an ephah of wheat, and barley, and 
 the tenth part of a bath of oil ; and so of the 
 lambs, one out of two hundred, and so of other cattle ; 
 and these must not be poor, lean ones, but such as 
 came from " the fat pastures of Israel," and might 
 be fit for offering up to God. The sixtieth part of 
 dry things, the hundredth of liquids, and two hun- 
 dredth of cattle, were to be given. 
 
 3. The persons who were to give them, and that is, 
 "all the people," ver. IG. The Hebrew is, all the 
 people in the land shall be in that oblation to the prince 
 in Israel. And then the person who is to offer them, 
 ver. 17, and that is the prince, or high priest. 
 
 By the wheat, barley, oil, and lambs, the oblations, 
 olTerings to be given to the prince in Israel, are in- 
 tended the spiritual sacrifices, which the saints under 
 the gospel do give to Christ, 1 Pet. ii. 5; Rev. v. 8 
 • — 10 ; vii. 10; xiv. 3 ; Heb. xiii. 10 ; viii. 3; Rom. 
 xii. 1 ; XV. 16. The persons, prayers, and praises 
 of the saints are to be given up to Christ, and by 
 him to the Father. 
 
 It is a dispute amongst expositors who is meant 
 by " prince :" some would have it the secular or civil 
 prince ; some, the high priest, because of his ofilring 
 sacrifices. The Jews are here at a stand, not knowing 
 which to determine : but Qicolampadius under- 
 stands it of the Messiah ; he was both a Prince and 
 High Priest ; not a common prince, for he would not 
 be made king by men. Job vi. 15; not a levitical 
 high-priest, after the order of Aaron, but an extraor- 
 dinary one, after the order of Melchizedec, Heb. vii.
 
 Ver. 18—24. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 809 
 
 11—13; and of another tribe than Aaron was, viz. 
 the tribe of Jud;ih, ver. 14; which imported that 
 Christ should put downLevitical worship, and set up 
 another way of worship in tlie place thereof, which 
 was prefigured in this vision of Ezekiel. 
 
 All the oblations here, and sacrifices, were types 
 of Christ. The w heat, the barley, the oil, the lamb, 
 the sin offering, the meat offering, the burnt offering, 
 and the peace offering, all represented Christ, and 
 were fulfilled in him. He was the expiatory sacri- 
 fice, and purged away our sins, Heb. i. 3 ; he was the 
 propitiatory sacrifice, and made the atonement for us, 
 Kom. iii. 25; v. 11; he was the pacificatory sacri- 
 fice, he made peace between us and God, Kom. v. 
 10; Col. i. 20; he is the eucharistical sacrifice, or 
 thank offering, he gave thanks to God for his favour, 
 mercy, and goodness to us, Matt. xi. 25; John xi. 
 41 : he had the virtue of all the sacrifices in him, 
 and far more. Heb. ix. 23, the words " better sacri- 
 fices," are spoken of Christ ; he was the one and 
 only sacrifice, and once offered, Heb. x. 12 ; vii. 27; 
 and yet was sacrifices, because they all signified 
 him, and he had the strength, worth, and benefit of 
 them all in himself; yea, he was better sacrifices 
 than they all ; for they were imperfect, for a season, 
 and of little efficacy, but Christ was a perfect sacri- 
 fice for ever, and most efficacious, Heb. ix. 11 — 14 ; 
 X. 12. He hath made reconciliation for the house 
 of Israel, and maintains it ; for he appears in the 
 presence of God for us, Heb. ix. 24 ; and lives for 
 ever to make intercession for us, Heb. vii. 25. He 
 doth that always, which the priests did in the feasts, 
 new moons, sabbaths, and solemnities ; the virtue of 
 this sacrifice is ever useful. 
 
 Ver. 18—20. TTius saith the Lord God; In 
 the first month, in the Jirst dai/ of the month, thou 
 shalt take a young bullock tcithout blemish, and 
 cleanse the sanctuary : and the priest shall take 
 of the blood of the sin offering, and ptct it t)pon the 
 posts of the house, and upon the four corners of 
 the settle of the altar, and upoyi the posts of the 
 gate of the inner court. And so thou shalt do the 
 seventh day of the month for every one that erreth, 
 and for him that is simple : so shall ye reconcile 
 the house. 
 
 Here we have an ordinance for cleansing the 
 sanctuary, much like that ordinance in chap, xliii. 
 for cleansing the altar of burnt offerings. There 
 was no such ordinance among the Mosaicals, as 
 Jerom, Sanctius, and others, observe. This was a 
 new ordinance which the Levitical law knew not, 
 and speaks out the newness of all under the gospel, 
 the cleansing of the church by the blood of Christ, 
 who, in due season, being without sin, was made sin 
 for us, 2 Cor. v. 21 ; and by his blood washed away 
 the sins of his people, Rev. i. 5; Heb. xiii. 11 ; and 
 by it made way for entering into the holiest, Heb. x. 
 19. And whereas "the posts of the house, and posts 
 of the gate, and four corners of the settle of the altar," 
 were all sprinkled with blood ; it tells us that all, 
 great or small, whencesoever they come, from cast, 
 west, north, or south, cannot be cleansed, or saved, 
 but by blood, even the blood of Christ, Heb. ix. 22, 
 23. It is nothing in man, or from man himself, not 
 his righteousness, free-will, or sufTerings, which doth 
 cleanse him from his sin ; that only is from the vir- 
 tue of Christ's blood, I John i. 7- 
 
 The 2'Jth verse leads to speak of sins of ignorance. 
 Under the law there was a sacrifice for the man who 
 sinned ignorantly : Lev. v. 17, IH, he was to "bring 
 a ram to the priest," and by the sacrificing of that, 
 
 his sin " was forgiven him," and peace made. Here 
 the ordinance differs from that. Instead of" a ram" 
 must be " a young bullock" sacrificed; signifying, 
 that the blood of Christ is for the erroneous, simple, 
 ignorant, as well as others. AVhen men sin w ilfully, 
 it is dangerous, Heb. x. 26, 27; but for those who 
 are simple, and through ignorance do err, there is a 
 remedy provided : 1 Johnii. 1,2, " My little children, 
 I write unto you that ye sin not." (That is impossible, 
 they might have replied, " for in many things we 
 sin all," James iii. 2.) " And if any man sin," (thatis, 
 through weakness, ignorance, simpleness, strength 
 of corruption, or temptation,) "we have an advocate 
 with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous ; and he 
 is the propitiation for our sins." This remedy Christ 
 holds out in the gospel to such sinners, and would 
 have his ministers do the like : Gal. vi. 1, " If a man 
 be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, re- 
 store such an one ; " bring him to Christ, cause him 
 to look upon him crucified, and expiating his sin 
 with his own blood, and then he will weep for his 
 error, his simplicity ; and so he is restored. 
 
 Ver. 21 — 24. In the first month, in the four- 
 teenth day of the month, ye shall have the pass- 
 over, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread 
 shall be eaten. And upon that day shall the 
 prince prepare for himself and for all the people 
 of the land a bullock for a sin ojfhing. And 
 seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt 
 offering to the Lord, seven bullocks and seven 
 rams tvithout blemish daily the seven days ; and a 
 kid of the goats daily for a sin offering. And he 
 shall prepare a meat offering of an ephah for a 
 bullock, and on cphah Jur a ram, and an hin of 
 oil for an ejihah. 
 
 In these verses are ordinances for keeping the 
 passover, &c. Of the Mosaical, you may see, Exod. 
 xii. and Lev. xxiii. ; from which this diflers in 
 many things, as Polanus notes, and presents unto us 
 Christ our passover, who was sacrificed for us, 1 Cor. 
 v. 7- The passover was " in the first month, the four- 
 teenth day," when the moon was at the full, and the 
 sun ascending ; all things began to revive ; which 
 showed that Christ was not to be sacrificed pre- 
 sently after his birth, but w hen the fulness of cere- 
 monial light was come ; and that by his death Jew- 
 ish shadows being abolished, true light, life, and 
 reviving, came into the world. The feast of unleaven- 
 ed bread showed how we are to keep the feast of the 
 christian passover, viz. not with old leaven, that is, 
 our old corrupt hearts, neither with the leaven of 
 malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened 
 bread of sincerity and truth. Men should not come 
 to his ordinance with old, malicious, or wicked 
 hearts, but with hearts sincere and true ; all corrup- 
 tion of nature, doctrine, and manners, should be 
 purged out. And christians should live their whole 
 life (noted by the "seven days" here) free from hy- 
 pocrisy, lying, malice, and unrighteousness ; they 
 should study and endeavour to be holy, as God is 
 holy. 
 
 It is said, ver. 22, that the prince must " prepare 
 for himself and for all the people a bullock for a sin 
 olTering." This prince, therefore, seems not to be 
 Christ, but the high priest, who was sinfid, and 
 offered first for himself, and then for the people, 
 Heb. vii. 27. Christ had no sin, and so could not 
 offer sacrifice for himself. 
 
 For answer hereunto, know, that Christ considered 
 in himself was an immaculate Lamb, without blemish, 
 1 Pet. i. 19; "an High Priest, holy, harmless, unde-
 
 810 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLVI. 
 
 filed," Heb. vii. 26. But consider him as our Surety, 
 as Head of the body, so he had sin ; his own self did 
 bear our sins in his own body, 1 Pet. ii. '24 ; he was 
 made sin for us, 2 Cor. v. 21 ; he was offered to bear 
 the sins of many, Heb. ix. 23; the Lord laid upon 
 him (he iniquities of us all, Isa. liii. 6 ; and he was 
 numbered with transgressors, ver. 12. Our sins were 
 imputed to him, so that he stood as a sinner and 
 malefactor in our stead; and oficred up himself a 
 sacrifice for himself, that is, for his body the church. 
 Thus nothing hinders but by " prince" here W'e may 
 understand Christ. 
 
 The burnt offering and sin offering, which were 
 to be " daily," set out the virtue of Christ's death 
 and intercession, which is not for a day, or a few 
 years, but for ever ; or they may acquaint us with 
 the saints, their total and constant dedication of 
 themselves unto God and his service. 
 
 " An hin of oil." Of the ephah, bath, homer, and 
 cor, was spoken in the former part of the chapter. 
 "An hin" was for liquid things, and contained as 
 much as twelve logs, and each log contained six 
 eggs ; so that " an hin" held as much wine, or oil, 
 as seventy-two eggs ; and, according to some, is 
 three quarts of our English measure. 
 
 Ver. 25. In the seventh month, in the fifteenth 
 day of. the month, shall he do the like in the feast 
 of the seven days, according to the sin offering, 
 according to the burnt offering, and according to 
 the meat offering, and according to the oil. 
 
 Passing over the feast of Pentecost, without any 
 mention thereof, he comes to the feast of tabernacles, 
 which was to begin the fifteenth day of the seventh 
 month. Lev. xxiii. 34. And as it was in the feast of 
 the passover, so it must be here ; but it was not so 
 in the time of Moses, Lev. xxiii. 39, 40. 
 
 This feast of tabernacles, or booths, cannot be un- 
 derstood literally, for there is a prophecy in Zech. 
 xiv. 16, " That those left of the nations which came 
 against Jerusalem should come to worship the King, 
 the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of taber- 
 nacles ;" which in the literal sense was peculiar to 
 the Jews. It figures out, therefore, the gathering 
 of tlie elect into particular churches in this world, 
 into which they should come, and in which they 
 should have fellowship with the saints, and partake 
 of the grace of God. 
 
 By these feasts, and sacrifices also, we are minded 
 of the sjjiritual joy the saints have in their com- 
 munion together under the gospel, and spiritual 
 sacrifices they offer up to God by Christ. The 
 primitive christians continued "daily with one ac- 
 cord in the temple, and breaking bread from house 
 to house, did cat their meat with gladness and 
 singleness of heart, praising God," Acts ii. 46, 47. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 
 Ver. 1—8. Thus saith the Lord God ; The 
 gate of the inner court that looketh toivard the 
 east shall be shut the six working days ; but on 
 the sabbath it shall be opened, and in the day of 
 the new inooyi it shall be opened. And the prince 
 shall enter by the xvay (f the porch of that gate 
 n-ithnut, and shall stand by the poitt of the ffate, 
 and the priests shall prepare his burnt offering 
 and his peace ifferings, and he shall u^orskip at 
 the threshold of the gate : then he shall go forth ; 
 
 but the gate shall not be shut until the ei-ening. 
 Likewise the people of the land shall worship at 
 the door of this gate before the Lord in the sab- 
 baths and in the ?tew moons. And the burnt offer- 
 ing that the prince shall offer unto the Lord in 
 the sabbath day shall be six lambs withotit blemish, 
 and a ram without blemish. And the meat offer- 
 ing shall be an ephah for a ram, and the meat 
 offering for the lambs as he shall be able to give, 
 and an hin of oil to an ephah. And in the day of 
 (he new moon it shall be a young bullock without 
 blemish, and six lambs, and a rum: they shall 
 be without blemish. And he shall prepare a meat 
 offering, an ephah for a bullock, and an ephah 
 for a ram, and for the lambs according as his 
 hand shall attain unto, and an hin of oil to an 
 ephah. And when the prince shall enter, he shall 
 go iti by the way of the porch of thai gate, and he 
 shall go forth by the way thereof. 
 
 This 46th chapter contains, 
 
 I. Ordinances about several gates, the prince and 
 people's going in and out by them, with their obla- 
 tions and worship, from the beginning to ver. 15. 
 
 II. Certain laws are laid down concerning the 
 prince's gifts unto his sons and servants, in the 16th, 
 irth, and 18th verses. 
 
 III. A description of the courts and places where 
 the priests and Levites were to boil and prepare the 
 sacrifices, from tlie beginning of ver. 19, to the end 
 of the chapter. 
 
 The 1st verse speaks of the east gate in the inner 
 court, that was, the gate next to the temple. By 
 this gate the glory of the Lord came into the tem- 
 ple, chap, xliii. 1, 2, 4; and it was to be kept shut 
 all the six working days, and only to be opened on 
 sabbaths and new moons. In chap. xliv. we have 
 the reason why it was to be kept shut : ver. 2, thus 
 saith the Lord, " This gate shall be shut, it shall not 
 be opened, and no man shall enter in by it ; because 
 the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, 
 therefore it .shall be shut;" that is, for the prince, 
 &c. : and here it is, " The prince shall enter by the 
 way," &e. 
 
 The things here required are not to be found in 
 the Mosaical law ; they represented things under 
 the gospel ; that Jewish worship should go down 
 when Christ appeared in the flesh. 
 
 The shutting of the gate the six working days 
 tells us, that on those days we are to follow our 
 callings, and earn our daily bread. Christianity 
 doth not open a door to idleness ; " We conmiand 
 and exhort," saith Paul, " that with quietness men 
 work, and eat their own bread," 2 Thess. iii. 12. 
 Under Moses God allowed them six days to work, 
 Exod. XX. 9 ; and the same allowance they have 
 under the gospel, Luke xiii. 14. Some pervert God's 
 order, and make all days alike, either all working 
 days, or all sabbaths, resting days ; but God hath 
 distinguished them. As there are working days 
 wherein we must not rest, so there are sabbaths 
 wherein we must not work. 
 
 The opening of the gate on sabbath days and new 
 moons, signifies unto us, that the gate of heaven is 
 open unto us, w^hen we have solemn and public meet- 
 ings on the Lord's day, and other special occasions, 
 to worship God. When all the disciples were as- 
 sembled together to serve and seek God, then came 
 a sound from heaven, and the Spirit fell upon them 
 like fiery tongues. Acts ii. : so when Peter preached 
 unto the great multitude, the gate of heaven was 
 opened, and power came down from above to con-
 
 Ver. 1—8. 
 
 THK BOOK OF KZEKIEL. 
 
 811 
 
 vert three thousand, ver. 41 : so when there was a 
 solemn meeting in the centurion's house, the word 
 being preached by Peter, the gate of heaven was 
 opened, and the Holy Ghost fell on all that heard 
 the word, Acts x. 44. Such times are limes of grace 
 and mercy, God opens heaven, and gives out blessings. 
 
 These six days may denote the term of man's life 
 here, which is a time of labour and sorrow. Job v. 
 7; xiv. 1. He tumbles, or is tumbled, up and down 
 from condition to condition, and hath no rest ; but 
 at the end of his life heaven gate is opened, and he 
 hath a sabbath, an eternal rest, where is no labour, 
 sin, nor sorrowing, Heb. iv. 9, 10. Then the gate 
 of the inner court is opened unto him, and then he 
 shall see as he is seen, and know as he is known, 
 1 John iii. 2. 1 Cor. xiii. 12, here we sec and know 
 little, and that little darkly, as in a glass ; but then 
 shall we see clearly, and know perfectly, the mys- 
 teries of this and other visions and things. 
 
 The 2nd verse tells us of the prince, his enter- 
 ing by the way of the porch, and standing by the 
 post of the gate ; where he was to worship, but 
 come into the court he might not. 
 
 If we understand this of the secular prince, four 
 things are here considerable : 
 
 1. That the prince nmst not enter into the inner 
 court ; he must not meddle with the priestly office, 
 or things of God. Princes may not change any 
 thing in the worship of God, abrogate or institute 
 aught by their wills or power. Uzziah was smitten 
 with the leprosy for meddling, 2 Chron. xxvi. ; and 
 Ahaz for his adding, 2 King.s xvi. his altering, de- 
 tracting, and abrogating, 2 Chron. xxviii. was 
 branded for his wickedness. They kept not at the 
 post and threshold of the gate, but entered into the 
 inner court. 
 
 2. They are to countenance and maintain the wor- 
 ship of God. The prince must stand at the post of 
 the gate, and see the priests do their otRce. He 
 found the burnt, peace, and meat offerings, and the 
 priests prepared them, that is, fitted them for sacri- 
 fices. The princes and powers of the christian world 
 .should countenance, preserve, propagate, and main- 
 tain the true worship of God in their territories. 
 When Joash was made king, he had the testimony 
 given unto him, 2 Chron. xxiii. 11; that was, the 
 book of the law : and why was this given him ? It 
 was to inform princes, that they should rule accord- 
 ing thereunto ; that they should countenance, pre- 
 serve, propagate, and maintain the same, and the 
 worship it held forth. 
 
 3. That princes must wor.ship the Lord publicly 
 on sabbath days, and when special occasions are, as 
 well as other people. 
 
 " He shall worship at the threshold of the gate." 
 Let princes be never so great, rich, learned, wise, 
 yet they must fall down at God's footstool, serve 
 him with fear, and kiss the Son ; they must observe 
 the times of God's worship, bow to him, and not 
 leave all to their inferiors. 
 
 4. They must not impede the worship of God. 
 The prince shall go forth, but the gate shall not be 
 shut where he hath worshipped, he must not hinder 
 others. It was a vile practice in those who shut up 
 the doors of the Lord's house, and would not let the 
 people or priests come there to worship, 2 Chron. 
 xxviii. 24. Princes should see to it that the door be 
 open for public worship, not only at the appointed 
 times, but upon special occasions. 
 
 If we take the prince here to be Christ, as CEco- 
 lampadius and Polanus do, then his coming to, and 
 standing by, the post of the gate, his sacrificing and 
 worshipping, do prefigure his coming in the flesh, 
 and his standing at the gate of heaven for us, offer- 
 
 ing up prayers and supplications for us, with strong 
 cries and tears, Heb. v. 7; Luke xxii. 44. And 
 whereas it is said, " The priests shall prepare his 
 burnt offering and his peace offerings ; this presigni- 
 fied the priests' delivering up Christ to be crucified 
 for us : Luke xxiv. 20, " The chief priests and 
 rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and 
 crucified him" who was "the Prince of life," Acts iii. 
 15; yet he " laid down his life freely," John x. 17, 
 IS. "And for his " worshipping at the threshold of 
 the gate," it may point out that time when Christ, 
 being on the cross, said, " It is finished : and he 
 bowed his head, and gave up the ghost," John xix. 
 30. Now was he at the threshold of the gate ; for 
 he said to the thief immediately before, " This day 
 shalt thou be with me in paradise," Luke xxiii. 43; 
 then his soul went forth of its earthly tabernacle ; 
 and shortly after re-assuming that, he left the world, 
 and went to his Father, John xvi. 2S. 
 
 The gates standing open until evening, that so the 
 people might come and worship at the door of the 
 gate before the Lord ; this some interpret^ of the 
 door of mercy and reconciliation which Christ hath 
 set open for sinners during this life ; and if they 
 come not thither before death and worship God, then 
 it is shut for ever against them. On sabbath days 
 men should draw near to God, seek reconciliation 
 with him, for on such days the gate is widest open 
 for grace and mercy. On the six days it is shut, 
 that is, comparatively shut. Christians do celebrate 
 sabbaths and new moons, when they have inward 
 spiritual rest in their souls, through faith in Christ, 
 and do receive light from him to see what is evil, 
 and so to avoid it, and what is good, and so to prac- 
 tise it. 
 
 In ver. 4 — 7, the offerings, oblations, and sacrifices 
 of the prince for the sabbath days and new moons 
 are mentioned. The olah, or burnt offering for the 
 sabbath, was to be six complete lambs without blem- 
 ish, and one ram, which differs much from the ap- 
 pointment in Moses' days. Numb, xxviii. 9 ; then 
 there were but two lambs, here six are appointed. 
 And so the meat offering is larger here than there ; 
 but for the offering in the day of the new moon, it 
 was short of that in Moses' time ; for then two bul- 
 locks, seven lambs, and one ram, were appointed ; 
 and here, one bullock, six lambs, and one ram, are 
 nominated for the oft'ering : which shows the Le- 
 vitical worship was to be changed. 
 
 And faking the prince for one of the princes of the 
 earth, it tells us, he ought to provide for the worship 
 of God. But if we take this prince to be Christ, 
 then it imports that Christ hath ordained more spi- 
 ritual, pure, and efficacious worship on sabbaths 
 under the gospel than was under the law, and more 
 extensive than was before : also, that Jewish shadows 
 are fled away by the coming in of the glorious light 
 of the gospel, "that old things are passed away, and 
 all things become new." 
 
 These sacrifices do point out Christ : he was the 
 sum of all : he was the lambs, the rams, the bullock, 
 the meal, the flour, and the oil. This prince sacri- 
 ficing of himself, did more by that one and once 
 sacrifice, than all the sacrifices from the first to the 
 last, Heb. x. 14. 
 
 Ver. 5. " As he shall be able to give." The He- 
 brew is, the gift of his hand ; and so it is in the mar- 
 gin : in ver. 7 it is thus, " as his hand shall attain 
 imto;" and in ver. 11, " as he is able," that is, as 
 God hath blessed him. God in that dispensed with 
 men's disabilities in Moses' law; Lev. v. II, and 
 xiv. 21, if they were poor, and not able to bring 
 lambs, or two turtle doves, they must bring one lamb, 
 or the tenth part of an ephah of flour ; something
 
 812 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chai-. XLVI. 
 
 he would have, and to such a proportion. But here 
 it is left to man's liberty, to give according to his 
 ability, no proportion is prescribed ; so men give 
 freely, whatever it be, it shall be accepted. God 
 looks not for much where little is. The grace and 
 favour of God under the gospel, exceed what was 
 under the law. 
 
 Yer. (J. " And in the day of the new moon." New- 
 moon days were holy, and had special sacrifices, as 
 in this verse. Numb, xxviii. 11 : on those days they 
 might not buy or sell, or do worldly work, Amos 
 viii. 5 ; but they were to look unto Christ, of whom 
 those days were shadows, Col. ii. 16, 17, and to me- 
 ditate of that light, grace, and comfort which come 
 by him. The gate of the inner court was to stand 
 open on these days, as well as on sabbaths, ver. 1. 
 And Isaiah prophesied, chap. Ixvi. 23, that all ilcsh 
 should come to worship before the Lord, from one 
 new moon to another, and from one sabbath to an- 
 other; intimating thereby, that God, in times of the 
 gospel, would accept of true and spiritual worship, 
 performed in the name of Christ, in all places, and 
 at all times, as he did the Jewish worship at Jeru- 
 salem, and on the solemn feast days. 
 
 Or these new-moon days and sacrifices, may point 
 out the renewing of the church, and the joy there- 
 upon. The church after Christ's time, was oft in the 
 wane, in a suffering and declining condition ; but 
 when it hath rest, edification, comfort, and multipli- 
 cation, ,\cts ix. 31, then it is new moon with it; and 
 in a short time it becomes " fair as the moon," 
 Cant. vi. 10; and shall be filled with light and joy, 
 as saith Isaiah, chap. Ix. 20. 
 
 The 8th verse is an ordinance about the prince's 
 going in by the porch of the gate, and going out by 
 the same way. There were divers gates to enter 
 into the inner court, by the north gate, the south 
 gate, as well as the east gate ; and this gate was 
 both for the prince and the priests to go in and out at. 
 
 Hence two things are observable : 
 
 1. That princes are to walk according to divine 
 appointment, especially in matters of worship ; they 
 must look unto God, who hath prescribed tlie way 
 they should walk in ; it had been sinful for them to 
 have gone to the north gate, or south gate, and wor- 
 shipped : their princes must not do aught of their 
 own wills in the things of God. It might seem a 
 bondage to be tied up to the cast gate only, and 
 never to have ingress and egress at the other ; but, 
 however, princes themselves must be subject to the 
 ordinances of Heaven. 
 
 2. That princes and priests, magistrates and minis- 
 ters, should mutually mind and care for the things 
 of God, countenance and encourage one another 
 therein, and each put to their helping hand to pre- 
 serve the purity and power of religion. When the 
 powers go one way, and the true ministers of God 
 another way, religion doth not shine : when Josiah 
 and the priests weut together hand in hand one way, 
 then there was great reformation in Israel, tlie wor- 
 ship of God was pure, and religion did flourish. 
 
 Supposing this prince to be the Lord Christ, whose 
 ingress and egress was at the same gate, then it 
 notes his coming from heaven, and returning thither 
 again, according to that of John vi. f)2; iii. 31 ; xvi. 
 28; Acts i. 11. 
 
 Ver. 9 — 15. But when the people of the land 
 shall come before the Lord in the solemn feasts, 
 he that enlereth in bi/ the way of tl^e north gate to 
 worship shall go out by the way of the south gate; 
 and he that entereth by the way of the south gate 
 shall go forth hy the way of the north gate: he 
 
 shall not return by the way of the gate whereby 
 he came in. but shall go forth over against it. 
 And the prince in the midst of them, when they go 
 in, shall go in ; and when they go forth, shall go 
 forth. And in the feasts and in the solemnities 
 the meat offering shall be an ephah to a bullock, 
 and an ephah to a ram, and to the lambs as he is 
 able to give, and an hin of oil to an ephah. Now 
 when the prince shall prepare a voluntary burnt 
 
 firing or peace offerings voluntarily unto the 
 rd, one shall then open him the gate that look- 
 eth toward the east, and he shall prepare his 
 burtit offering and his peace offerings, as he did 
 on the sabbath day : then he shall go forth ; and 
 after his going forth one shall shut the gate. 
 Thou shatt daily prepare a burnt offering unto 
 the Lord of a lamb of the first year without blem- 
 ish : thou shalt prepare it every inorning (or, 
 as tlie Hebrew, morning by moiniug). And thou 
 shalt prepare a meat offering for it every morn- 
 ing, the sixth part of an ephah, and the third 
 part of an hin of oil, to temper with the Jinejlour; 
 a meat offering continually by a perpetual ordi- 
 nance unto the Lord. Thus shall they prepare 
 the lamb, and the meat offering, and the oil, every 
 morning for a continual burnt offering. 
 
 The 9th verse contains an ordinance concerning 
 the people's coming to and departing from the 
 public worship : they must not come to the east 
 gate, but to the side gates, the north and south, they 
 might; and this order they were to observe, viz. to 
 go out at that gate which was over against the gate 
 they came in at; he that entered by the north gate 
 must go out by the south gate, and he that entered 
 by the south gate must go out by the north gate. 
 Hence, 
 
 Obs. I. The Lord expects not only prince and 
 priests to worship him in a public way, but the 
 people also. " When the people of the land shall 
 come before the Lord in the solemn feasts." God 
 looks not for great ones, learned ones, rich ones, but 
 all sorts, and all of all sorts, to come before him, to 
 acknowledge him to be their God, Creator, and 
 Lawgiver ; he is honoured by the worship of the 
 meaner, if sincere, as well as by the worship of the 
 prince or priest ; he is no respecter of persons. 
 
 Obs. 2. That the way of God's servants is a straight 
 and right-forth way. There is no crookedness in it: 
 Isa. xxvi. 7, "The way of the just is uprightness;" 
 there is no turning aside to the temptations of Satan, 
 to the beggarly elements of the world, to the en- 
 ticing delights of the flesh, or any vanity whatsoever. 
 That soul that is in God's way, must not look back 
 to Sodom, as Lot's wife did, and suffer for it, but it 
 must go forward. Matthew being called from the 
 receipt of custom into the way of Christ, Matt. ix. 9, 
 might not return, but follow Christ ; for whosoever 
 puts his hand to the plough, and looks back, is not 
 fit for the kingdom of God, Luke ix. 62. Such a one 
 must not look back to his old courses, customs, com- 
 pany, principles, or errors ; but leaving them, must 
 go straight on in the way of God, from darkness to 
 light, from imperfection to perfection. Those that 
 come to be the Lord's servants, must continue in his 
 service, and perfect holiness in his fear, 2 Cor. vii. 1 ; 
 Heb. xii. 1—3; Phil. iii. 13, 14. 
 
 Obs. 3. The shortness of man's life is here repre- 
 sented unto us ; he enters into the world, goes on a 
 little way, and then goes out of it again. So that 
 man's life is as a passage from one gate to another.
 
 Ver. 9—18. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 813 
 
 They came in at a north gate, went on a little while, 
 and a little way, and then went out at a south gate, 
 &c. It is no long passage from the doors of the 
 womb to the gates of death, Psal. ciii. 15, 16; Job 
 xiv. 1, 2. 
 
 The 10th verse is an ordinance for the prince, 
 showing when he is to come to the public worship, 
 and when he is to depart from it. When the people 
 go in at the gate appointed for them, then must he 
 go in at the gate appointed for him ; and so when 
 they go out, he must go out. Those words, " in the 
 midst of them," are not to be taken as if the prince 
 went in the midst of the people to the sanctuary ; 
 but they denote, that he went at that time, and when 
 come thither, he was there with them, or among 
 them ; or at the east gate, which is between the 
 north and south. 
 
 1. Here we may see princes are bound to be pre- 
 sent at the public worship of God ; and not only to 
 be present, but to be present at the beginning, and to 
 stay till the end thereof. They may not come and 
 go at their own pleasure, but at God's appointment. 
 The presence of great persons at the worship of 
 God is of much concernment, and hath great in- 
 fluence into the people ; it encourages them to come 
 to hear, to stay, when greater than themselves do so : 
 people are led much by example of superiors ; there- 
 fore kings and judges are commanded to serve the 
 Lord with fear, and to kiss the Son, Psal. ii. 
 
 2. Here we are informed, taking " the prince " for 
 Christ, that he is in the assemblies of his people ; 
 when the saints meet together to worship the Lord, 
 he is in the midst of them. He made a precious 
 promise when he was here on earth, and makes it 
 good daily, though he be in heaven ; it is that Matt, 
 xviii. 20, " Where two or three are gathered together 
 in my name, I am there in the midst of them;" to 
 observe, to reward, and punish. The church is called 
 Christ, 1 Cor. xii. 12 ; and Christ is said to sing 
 praise unto God in the midst of the church, Heb. 
 ii. 12. He being King of saints, loves to be with 
 and among them : he w'as in the midst of the one 
 hundred and forty-four thousand, Rev. xiv. I. 
 
 The 1 1th verse treateth of the meat offering, which 
 was to be at feasts and solemnities, directing the 
 particulars and quantities. In Moses' time the tenth 
 part of an ephah of flour, and the fourth part of an 
 nin of oil, was required. Numb, xxviii. 5 ; Exod. 
 xxix. -40 ; but here it is otherwise ; a whole ephah 
 of meal or flour is appointed to a bullock, a whole 
 ephah to a ram, and a whole hinof oil to each, only 
 the lamb's Hour or oil to be offered was left to liberty 
 or ability. 
 
 This may teach us, that seeing our light and mer- 
 cies are greater under the gospel than theirs were 
 under the law, therefore our obedience and service 
 to the Lord should exceed theirs ; if they gave him 
 but the tenth part of an ephah, we ought to give 
 him a whole ephah ; if they gave him the fourth 
 part of an hin, we must give him a whole hin. The 
 more God communicates to us, the greater returns 
 should be to him. 
 
 The 12th verse minds us of the prince's freewill 
 offerings. Besides what was enjoined, he might 
 voluntarily prepare a burnt offering or a peace of- 
 fering at his pleasure ; and at his coming one was to 
 open the east gate unto him, and at his going forth 
 one was to shut the gate. God looks for more from 
 princes and great ones, than what is ordinary, than 
 what is commanded ; he looks for voluntary sacri- 
 fices, freewill offerings at their hands. It is said of 
 Josiah, that he gave three thousand bullocks, three 
 thousand lambs and kids for passover offerings, and 
 all of the king's substance j and that the princes 
 
 gave willingly, 2 Chron. xxxv. 7, 8. So free and 
 bountiful they were, that the Lord took notice of it, 
 and hath recorded it in his word, that " there was 
 no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days 
 of Samuel the prophet ; neither did all the kings of 
 Israel keep such a passover as Josiah," ver. 18. 
 
 We may interpret this verse of Christ, and so it 
 presents to us not only that Christ hath freely and 
 voluntarily offered up himself a sacrifice to God for 
 us, Heb. 'ix. 14; x. 9, 10; but that he is the sub- 
 stance and quintessence of all sacrifices ; and that 
 the Father hath opened the gate of heaven unto 
 him ; and that by virtue of his merits and interces- 
 sion, the door of reconciliation stands open unto us 
 continually ; but should he leave heaven, that door 
 should be shut. No patriarch, no prophet, no apos- 
 tle, no martyr, no saint, no angel, ever had this 
 honour, to have the door of mercy and grace open- 
 ed and shut at their pleasure : this is an honour pe- 
 culiar to Christ. 
 
 The 13th, 14th, and 15th verses, declare what the 
 daily sacrifices should be every morning, viz. a lamb 
 of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, 
 and a meat offering with it, the sixth part of an 
 ephah, and the third part of an hin of oil. 'The 
 daily sacrifice here differs from that in Numb, xxviii. 
 3 — 6. Moses requires two lambs, the tenth part of 
 an ephah of flour, and the fourth part of an hin of 
 oil ; Ezekiel speaks but of one lamb, the sixth part 
 of an ephah of flour, and the third part of an hin of 
 oil ; and here is no mention of the evening : which 
 alterations import that Mosaical rites and sacrifices 
 should'expire ; and that notwithstanding, God would 
 have a daily sacrifice in the days of Christ; that he 
 would be worshipped, not only on the christian sab- 
 bath, but other days also, as was fore-prophesied, 
 Psal. Ixxii. 15, " Prayer shall be made unto him con- 
 tinually, and daily shall he be praised." 
 
 Ver. 16—18. Thvs saith the Lord God ; If 
 the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, the 
 inheritance thereof shall be his sons'; it shall be 
 their possession bi/ inheritance. But if he give a 
 gift of his inheritance to one of his servants, then 
 it shall be his to the year of liberty ; after it 
 shall return to the prince : but his inheritance 
 shall be his sons' for them. Moreover the prince 
 shall not take of the people's inheritance by op- 
 pression, to thrust them out of their possessions ; 
 but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his 
 own possession : that my people be not scatteied 
 every man from his possession. 
 
 These verses contain laws to direct the prince's 
 bounty, and to keep him from oppression. 1. Here 
 is a law about giving to his sons, ver. 16. What he 
 gives them, must be their inheritance and possession 
 for ever. 2. Here is a law about gi^ng to his ser- 
 vants, ver. 17. If the prince give a gift to any of 
 his servants or subjects of his inheritance, it must 
 not be theirs for ever, but only to the year of liberty, 
 that was, the year of jubilee ; for among the Jews, 
 every fiftieth year was a year of jubilee : Lev. xxv. 
 10, " Ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim 
 liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabit- 
 ants thereof; it shall be a jubile unto you ; and ye 
 shall return every man unto his possession, and ye 
 shall return every man unto his family." Whatso- 
 ever of men's possessions were sold or mortgaged, 
 returned to the owners in the year of jubilee ; see 
 ver. 17. and Lev. xxv. 28; and whatever the prince 
 here should give away to any but his own sons, 
 should return to him again at the year of jubilee.
 
 814 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLVI. 
 
 The law to prevent oppression in tlie prince is In 
 vor. 18. When princes give gifts of inheritance to 
 thi'ir sons and servants, and are expensive in their 
 bnildings, feastings, and revellings, usually they 
 fetch it out of the people, by squeezing and oppress- 
 ing them ; but the law is, " the prince shall not take 
 of the people's inheritance," lest he should alienate 
 the inheritance which came by parents, from their 
 posterity, unto strangers, and so cause them to desert 
 their country, and to scatter abroad. God would 
 have princes to live upon and give of their own, and 
 by no means to oppress the people. These laws 
 were not amongst the Mosaical ones. And if " the 
 prince" here be taken for the princes of this world, 
 where, when, and by whom hath this prophecy been 
 fulfilled? where dwells the prince, and what is his 
 name, who hath not oppressed the people ? We 
 may find the accomplishment of it in Christ, rather 
 than in any of them. But for them we may observe 
 here, 
 
 1. That princes should be liberal and bountiful; 
 and not only to their children, but to their servants 
 and subjects; they may deserve well at their hands, 
 and if they be not rewarded and encouraged, men 
 will have no hearts to public, honourable, and diffi- 
 cult employments. When David shall have Saul's 
 daughter, he will venture upon the Philistines, 
 1 Sam. xviii. 
 
 2. That princes being bountiful, must give of what 
 is their own : it is injustice and dishonourable to 
 them, to give away what is another's. 
 
 3. They ought to be well content with their own 
 estates, and not to covet and take away from others 
 their goods, houses, or possessions ; they should not 
 spoil their subjects of their right, thrust them out of 
 their possessions, take away their privileges, to make 
 themselves great, rich, dreadful. When princes do 
 so, they become tyrants and oppressors, and their 
 ends will be breaking ; Psal. Ixxii. 4, " He shall 
 break in pieces the oppressor." 
 
 To speak somewhat of this prince, as pointing out 
 Christ. He hath sons and servants ; to the one he 
 gives graces, to the other common gifts. To his 
 sons he gives a kingdom, Luke xxii. 29 ; to the 
 wicked who are his servants, he gives a portion in 
 this life, Psal. xvii. 14. And at their death, the time 
 of liberty, and at the time of restitution of all things, 
 the gifts return to the prince again ; but the graces 
 and the kingdom are the saints' for ever, they are 
 their inheritance. This Prince gives of his own ; 
 for all that the Father hath are his, John xvii. 10 ; 
 and he is Heir of all things, Heb. i. 2 ; and he 
 gives bountifully, he pours out his Spirit upon 
 his sons, and fills them with joy glorious and un- 
 speakable. 
 
 Ver. 19 — 24. After he hrotight me thi-ovg-h the 
 pntn/, which was at the side of the gate, into the 
 hoUj ihamhers of the piiests, irliich looked towai-d 
 the north : and, behold, there was a place on the 
 two sides westward. Then said he wito me, This 
 is the place where the priests shall boil /he trespass 
 offering and the sin offering, where thei/ shall 
 bake the meat offering ; that they bear them not 
 out into the utter court, to sanctifi/ the people. 
 Then he hrovght me forth into the utter court, and 
 caused me to pass by the four corners of the court ; 
 and, behold, in every corner of the court there 
 was a court, /re the four carriers of the court 
 there were courts joined of forty cubits long and 
 thirty broad: these four corners were of one 
 measure. And there was a row of building 
 
 round about in them, round about them four, 
 and it icas made u'ith boiling places under the 
 rows round about. Then said he unto me. These 
 are the places of them that boil, where the minis- 
 ters of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the 
 people. 
 
 The courts and places where the jiriests and Le- 
 vites boiled, baked, and made ready the sacrifices, 
 are here described unto us. On the north side of the 
 priests' court, into which the prince and people were 
 not to enter, were the holy chambers : and westward 
 from them was a place as far from the east gate as 
 might be, where all things were fitted for boiling 
 and baking the sacrifices ; in that place were the 
 kitchens for such service. Hither was the prophet 
 brought to see these, and from hence he was carried 
 into the utter court. Some make this utter court the 
 gentiles' or people's court ; others, the middle court, 
 called the utter court, because it was so to the inner 
 court. 
 
 " In every corner of the court there was a court." 
 According to the Hebrew thus, A court in a corner 
 of a court, a court in a corner of a court ; and these 
 little courts were for the Levites, where was a build- 
 ing with boiling places, and there the appointed offi- 
 cers boiled the sacrifices of the people. 
 
 " That they bear them not out to sanctify the 
 people." In chap. xliv. 19, " They shall not 
 sanctify the people with their garments," was laid 
 down. What may serve here, unless by sanctifying 
 we understand defiling, as sanctum doth ? for the He- 
 brew word rnp signifies sometimes to pollute, as 
 Deut. xxii. 9, " Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard 
 with divers seeds; lest the fruit of thy seed which 
 thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be 
 defiled." 
 
 The holy chambers here spoken of, and the four 
 courts in the four corners of the court, do seem to 
 hold out the particular churches which are in all 
 parts of the world ; and that these being committed 
 to the ministers of the gospel, they ought to preach 
 Christ unto them, and especially Christ crucified, 
 who is the trespass offering, the sin offering, and 
 meat offering. They must be careful to whom they 
 give holy things ; they might not bear out the offer- 
 ings into the utter court, where all sorts of people 
 were ; they would have thought themselves holy by 
 touching holy things, though they had defiled them. 
 As many now by having the supper of the Lord 
 think themselves holy, whenas they have defiled 
 the ordinance and themselves the more by their un- 
 worthy receiving. The ministers of the gospel there- 
 fore should be very circumspect and careful to whom 
 they give holy things : the profane, ignorant hypo- 
 crites should not share in them'; those who are true 
 repentants, and true believers, are meet to partake of 
 them. Holy things must be kept within the limits of 
 the church of God, and not extended further than 
 God hath appointed. 
 
 Again, it is the ministers who must boil and bake ; 
 they are s]iirilnal cooks, and must prepare whole- 
 some food for the people. The people might bring 
 sacrifices, but not prepare those themselves were in 
 part to feed upon, that was the work of the priests 
 and Levites. And now under the gospel, it is the 
 work of pasliirs and teachers to prepare boiled and 
 baked meat, boiled in the furnace of meditation, and 
 baked in the oven of the heart by spiritual heat. 
 Such meat will nourish and strengthen, make fat 
 and flourishing.
 
 Ver. 1—5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 815 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 5. Afterward he brought me again 
 unto the door of the hoxise ; and, behold, vnters 
 issued out from under the threshold of the house 
 eastward : for the forefront of the house stood 
 toward the east, and the ivaters came down from 
 under from the right side of the house, at the south 
 side of the altar. Then brought he me out of the 
 way of the gate northward, and led me about the 
 uat/ without unto the utter gate by the way that 
 looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out 
 waters on the right side. And when the man that 
 had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he 
 measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me 
 through the waters ; the waters were to the ancles ; 
 (or, waters of the ancles.) Again he measured a 
 thousand, and brought me through the waters ; the 
 waterswere to the knees. Again he measured a thoic- 
 sand, and brought me through ; the timters ivere 
 to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand ; 
 and it was a river that I could not pass over : for 
 the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river 
 that could not be passed over. 
 
 In this chapter are two principal parts: 
 
 I. A vision of waters, and the description of them, 
 ver. 1—12. 
 
 II. The bordering and dividing the land, ver. 13, 
 to the end. 
 
 Concerning the waters, they aTe described, 
 
 1. From their original or place whence they spring 
 and flow, ver. 1, 2. 
 
 2. From tlieir increase, ver. 3 — 5. 
 
 The man witli the measuring line in his hand, 
 having led our prophet up and down to view the 
 temple, the parts and appurtenances of it, brings liim 
 again to the door of the house, that is, to the door 
 of the temple or sanctuary. 
 
 " And, behold, waters issued out from under," &c. 
 Vilalpandus makes these waters to be those subter- 
 raneal waters which were carried in pipes under 
 ground, and issued forth into the priests' court, to 
 wash the sacrifices, and purge away the blood, ex- 
 crements, and filth, occasioned by the slaying so 
 many sacrifices ; for certainly had there not been 
 aqueducts about Solomon's temple, to have cleansed 
 the places where the sacrifices were slain and pre- 
 pared, it would have been an unsavoury and un- 
 healthful place. These waters issued forth, some 
 from the threshold, some from the south side of 
 the altar, and so ran away. From these waters, 
 the Lord takes occasion to speak of spiritual waters. 
 
 " The wafers came down from under from the 
 right side of," &c. The temple was upon a high 
 mountain, Ezek. xl. 2, therefore the waters are said 
 to come down : and they came from the right side 
 of the house, that was, the south side ; for the front 
 of the house standing towards the east, when a man 
 stood and looked eastward, his right hand or side was 
 towards the south. The altar for burnt offering was 
 before the porch of the temple, and at the south 
 side thereof did these waters run. 
 
 Our prophet having seen the spring and rise of 
 the waters, is led out of the inner court, by the 
 way of the north gate, and brought to the utter- 
 most east gate, where he first entered ; and it was to 
 behold how the waters ran nut there on the right 
 side also. The words in Hebrew are, D'3Bo D'C ; 
 n3B signifies to flow, but gently, he saw tlie 
 
 waters run there 'gently and pleasingly ; they ran 
 not fiercely as a torrent, but gently, as oil poured 
 out of a vial. 
 
 These waters, though they ran gently, yet increased 
 mightily ; for upon Christ's measuring out a thousand 
 cubits, they became waters of the ancles ; upon his 
 measuring out the two thousand cubits, they rose 
 to be waters of the knees ; upon his measuring out 
 the third thousand of cubits, they ascended to be 
 waters of the loins ; and upon measuring the fourth 
 thousand, they became waters for swimming, they 
 could not be waded through, they were so deep, even 
 a great river impassable. 
 
 What these waters do signify is worthy inquiry. 
 Some make these waters to signify the prosperity of 
 the church, that great happiness which the Jews had 
 after their return from Babylon. This was an out- 
 ward mercy, and but for a little season, for they suf- 
 fered great' and grievous things by Antiochus and 
 others, in the Maccabees' times. But here some 
 spiritual mercy is intended by the waters; others 
 therefore understand by them, the waters of baptism, 
 wliich Christ instituted, and so came from the altar, 
 viz. the side of Christ; but these waters are too 
 .shallow to be Ezekiel's waters. A third sort make 
 them to be the Spirit, and gifts of the Spirit. It is 
 true, the Spirit is said to be poured out, Joel ii. 28 ; 
 but it is not to be understood of the person of the 
 Spirit, which is infinite, indivisible, and immovable, 
 but of the gifts and graces of the Spirit. A fourth 
 sort interpret these waters of the gospel, the glad 
 tidings touching man's salvation by Christ, w^hich is 
 compared to water frequently in Scripture : Isa. xi. 
 9, " The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the 
 Lord, as the waters cover the sea ;" the knowledge 
 of the Lord Jesus shall abound, as the waters of the 
 sea: see Joel iii. 18; Zech. xiv. 8. We may take 
 the gospel, with the gifts and graces of the Spirit, to 
 be these waters ; for the gospel is the ministration 
 of the Spirit, as the apostle saith, 2 Cor. iii. 8. And 
 the Spirit, with the graces and gifts, are oft compared 
 to water, as well as the gospel : see Ezek. xxxvi. 
 25; Isa. xliv. 3; xh. 18; Acts ii. 17; John iv. 14; 
 vii. 37 — 39. Now it remains to show wherein they 
 are like unto water. 
 
 1. Water cleanscth, it purgeth away the filth of the 
 body, and other things. So doth the gospel, with 
 the gifts and graces of the Spirit, cleanse the souls 
 of men, and purge their hearts from sin and filthiness. 
 John XV. 3, " Now ye are clean through the word 
 which 1 have spoken unto you." Christ spoke unto 
 them the gospel, and that was the word, together 
 with the Spirit, which made them clean from their 
 unbelief, disohedience, and other sins. 1 Pet. i. 22, 
 " Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the 
 truth through the Spirit." The Spirit accompanying 
 the gospel, purified their souls, and made them obe- 
 dient to the truth. See Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 27. 
 
 2. Water moistens and softens the earth, which 
 before was dry and hard, so that there was no en- 
 trance for the plough ; but being well watered with 
 the rain of heaven, it is soft, and fit for the plough. 
 So the gospel, the doctrine of Christ, moistens and 
 mollifies hard and hea^■y hearts. Those that put 
 Christ to death, were hardhearted sinners ; but 
 when they heard Peter preach the gospel, and some 
 of that water fell upon their hearts, they were soft- 
 ened, and became sen.sible of w'hat they had done ; 
 " They were pricked in their hearts, and said, Men 
 and brethren, what shall we do ? " Acts ii. 37- So 
 Paul was a stout and stubborn fellow, but the water 
 of the gospel did so supple him, that it made him 
 yield and say, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to 
 do ?" Acts ix. 6.
 
 816 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLVII. 
 
 3. Water cools heat; the heat of the earth and 
 air in summer, and the heat of the body in hot 
 weather. Many bathe tliemselves in the water to 
 cool tliem. Dives begged a httle water to cool his 
 tongue, Luke xvi. 2J. The waters of the gospel have 
 a cooling virtue in them ; they cool the heat of per- 
 secution. Matt. V. 11, 12; they cool the heat of our 
 passions, James iii. 2; Matt. v. 22; they cool tlie 
 heat of temptations^ Rom. xvi. 20; 1 Cor. x. 13; 
 James i. 2, 12; they cool the heat of our lusts, 1 Pet. 
 ii. 11; Rom. viii. 13; 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10; they cool 
 the scorchings of a guilty conscience, and fire of 
 hell. Matt. xii. 31 ; xi. 28 ; 1 John i. /. 
 
 4. Water makes the earth fruitful. When they 
 wanted rain, there was barrenness and famine, Jer. 
 xiv?; but when they had the former and latter rain, 
 all things tlourished and abounded. Ezek. xxxiv. 
 26, 27, " I will cause the shower to come down in 
 his season ; there shall be showers of blessing ; and 
 the tree of the field shall yield her fruit," &c. 
 Literally these words are true, and spiritually also, 
 and set out the fruitfulness of those who were to 
 live under the sweet showers of gospel doctrine. 
 They should be like a watered garden, Jer. xxxi. 12. 
 The doctrine of the Lord is as the rain and dew, 
 which falling upon the tender herbs and grass, cause 
 them to grow, Dcut. xxxii. 2. When Zaccheus was 
 watered with this water, he became very fruitful, 
 and gave half of his goods to the poor, Luke xix. 8. 
 Others sold all, and laid the money down at the 
 apostles' feet, Acts iv. 35 ; they were abundant in 
 love, and in good works. 
 
 5. Water quencheth thirst, satisfies and revives 
 the thirsty soul. It was their drink in the infancy 
 of the world, and is still in some hot countries. 
 Samson, when like to perish for thirst, having some 
 water out of the jaw bone of an ass, he revived, and 
 was satisfied, Judg. xv. 18, 19. The waters of the 
 gospel have this property also ; when the soul is 
 athirst, there is no water quencheth that thirst, but 
 the water of life, which the gospel showeth and con- 
 veyeth unto us. The gospel hath this water of life 
 in it, Christ and the Spirit, which it makes men 
 partakers of. The great and precious promises are 
 satisfying things ; the righteousness and Spirit of 
 Christ are satisfying and reviving things. Peter 
 found it so, when he said to Christ, "Lord, to whom 
 should we go ? thou hast the words of eternal life :" 
 let others go to what brooks, pits, or cisterns they 
 will, to quench their thirst, we will never go from 
 thee, who hast the words of eternal life ; who art 
 the fountain of living waters, and canst satisfy us 
 for ever, John vi. G8. This water quencheth un- 
 lawful desires, and satisfieth spiritual desires. 
 
 6. Some waters have a curing and healing virtue. 
 The pool of Bethesda healed all manner of diseases, 
 John v. 4. There are waters in our land which have 
 healing virtue in them. Such are the waters here 
 mentioned, for they healed other waters, ver. 8. 
 Gospel waters will heal sick souls and bodies. The 
 centurion said to Christ, " Lord, speak thou but the 
 word only, and my servant shall be healed," and it 
 was so. Matt. viii. 8, 13. Christ cast out devils with 
 his word, and healed all that were sick, ver. 16. The 
 gospel is not only a pattern of wholesome words, 
 but of healing words ; also there is no spiritual dis- 
 ease in the soul, but the gospel hath healing virtue 
 to cure it ; therefore it is called the " gospel of salva- 
 tion," Eph. i. 13, and " the power of God unto salva- 
 tion," Rom. i. 16. 
 
 7. Some waters are very cordial, and do greatly 
 comfort the spirits of man. None more than the 
 waters of the gospel, by which the Spirit, the true, 
 solid, and eternal Comforter, flows into the heart. 
 
 The gospel, and good things of it, are set out by 
 water, milk, and wine, Isa. Iv. 1, all which are com- 
 forting things. The gospel is glad tidings, and 
 affords strong and everlasting consolation to the 
 soul, 2 Thess. ii. 16; 2 Cor. i. 5. Jeremiah saith, 
 the word of God was the joy and rejoicing of his 
 soul, chap. XV. 16. David professes, he had perished 
 iu his affliction, had he not di'unk of these cordial 
 waters, Psal. exix. 92. 
 
 To come to those observations which we may pick 
 out of these verses. 
 
 Obs. 1. That as it is Christ who makes known the 
 things of the temple ; so he doth the same not all at 
 once, but he makes knowTi some at one time, some 
 at another. Formerly Christ had revealed much to 
 the prophet, and here he brings him again to the 
 door of the house, and shows him waters he had not 
 seen before. We are not capable of much at once ; 
 like children, we must have line upon line, precept 
 upon precept, here a little, and there a little. Eze- 
 kiel is instructed a little in one place, and a little in 
 another place, as he was capable. So Christ, the 
 wise and chief Builder of the temple, deals with him, 
 and revealed one thing after another unto him ; and 
 so he dealt with his disciples, John xvi. 12. 
 
 Obs. 2. The waters of the gospel, the gifts and 
 graces of the Spirit, do flow from Zion, from Jeru- 
 salem, where Ezekiel had his vision, chap. xl. 2. 
 The bitter waters of the law flowed from mount 
 Sinai, but the sweet waters of the gospel flowed 
 from mount Zion. Isaiah long before prophesied 
 whence these waters should come ; Isa. ii. 3, " Out 
 of Zion shall go forth the law," tliat is, the law of 
 faith, not of works, " and the word of the Lord from 
 Jerusalem." So in Zech. xiv. 8, " And it shall be 
 in that day, that living waters shall go out from Je- 
 rusalem ; half of them toward the former sea," that 
 is, eastward, " and half of them toward the hinder 
 sea," that is, westward : " in summer and in win- 
 ter shall it be ;" there shall be no time wherein 
 these Jerusalem waters shall cease flowing. It is 
 not Rome, or any other city in the world, which 
 hath the honour to send out these waters, but Jeru- 
 salem only, where was the true church of God. 
 
 Obi'. 3. These sjiiritual waters, although they 
 flowed from Zion and Jerusalem, yet Christ himself 
 was the fountain and original of them ; they came 
 from the door and threshold of the house. Christ 
 tells us, he is " the door," John x. 7- All spiritual 
 water is in him, all heavenly doctrine, all gifts and 
 graces. When the Spirit moved holy men to speak, 
 as it is 2 Pet. i. 21, it received of Christ, and showed 
 unto them, John xvi. 14 ; and all the waters which 
 flowed from the apostles they received from Christ. 
 The Spirit was given them to fill their vessels, and 
 fitted them to carry these living waters from Jeru- 
 salem to all parts. Acts ii. 8; and Christ sent them 
 forth to preach the gospel. " All the treasures of 
 wisdom and knowledge" are in him, Col. ii. 3; and 
 he that believes in him, receives living waters fi'om 
 him : all gifts, graces, and divine truths, are from 
 him. The waiters of the sanctuary flow from the 
 Lord of the sanctuary. 
 
 Oi.v. 4. God would not have his worshippers to 
 conform to and comply with the world's worshippers. 
 They worshipped with their faces towards the east, 
 that was the nations' practice. The heathen idol- 
 aters had their backs to the west ; but here the front 
 of the house stood eastward, that when they came 
 to worship the true God, their backs might be to- 
 wards the east, and their faces towards the most 
 holy place, which was westward. When some Jews, 
 degenerated into heathenish customs, did worship 
 with their faces towards the east, Ezek. viii. 16, and
 
 Ver. 1—5. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 817 
 
 their bncks towards the temple, God counted it an 
 abomination, it did greatly provoke him, causing 
 him to deal in fury with them, and to show them no 
 pity, Ezek. viii. 17, 18. God must be worshipped 
 according to his own order, and not after the rites 
 and customs of otliers. 
 
 Obs. 5. The gospel spread first into the eastern 
 and southern part.s of the world ; it is said, the 
 waters issued out eastward, and came down from the 
 south side ; they were dry and hot countries, and 
 God took special care of them, that they should be 
 first watered. In Galilee did Christ first preach the 
 gospel. Matt. iv. 23, and so all Judea over ; and after 
 from Jerusalem these gospel waters flowed into all 
 nations: Matt, xxviii. li), "Go, and teach all 
 nations;" Mark xvi. 15, " Go ye into all the world, 
 and preach the gospel to every creature." The 
 apostles were spiritual clouds, and they were to 
 water, not only Jerusalem and Samaria, but the 
 uttermost parts of the earth, Acts i. 8. 
 
 Obs. 6. Those who are preachers of the gospel, 
 must look for hardship, for travail and trouble, for 
 much heat, much cold, for many storms and tem- 
 pests. They that carry these waters, must travel 
 into all quarters, east, soutli, north, where are fierce 
 winds, parching heats, terrible storms. Preachers 
 must expect temptations, persecutions, reproaches, 
 accusations, imprisonments, &c. ; and notwithstand- 
 ing these, they must go on and carry sanctuary 
 waters to all places. "Endure hardness," saith 
 Paul to Timothy, " as a good soldier of Jesus 
 Christ." Gospel preachers must not be dismayed at 
 northern or eastern blasts, nor faint at southern heats. 
 
 Obs, 7. Sanctuary waters are not common, but 
 choice mercies, they are right-side mercies, south- 
 side blessings. The gospel is a right-hand mercy. 
 Some mercies are left-hand and left-side mercies, 
 they are those of an inferior nature. Others are 
 right-hand mercies, and such are those of the highest 
 nature, amongst which is the gospel. Rev. v. 1, " I 
 saw in the right hand of him who sat upon the 
 throne a book written within and on the back side. 
 Scaled with seven seals ;" and ver. 7. Christ, who 
 was the Lamb, took this book out of the right hand 
 of God, and so handed it over to us, acquainting us 
 with the mysteries and mercies in it. 
 
 Obs. 8. The glorious and blessed truths of the 
 gospel do come from Christ Jesus, as Mediator, and 
 making reconciliation for us with God the Father. 
 These waters are said to flow from the altar, which 
 was a type of Christ. The sacrifices offered upon 
 the altar were for reconciliation ; and Christ being 
 both altar and sacrifice, hath reconciled man to God ; 
 and as he doth this, so the waters flow from him, so 
 gospel truths are given out by him. The gospel is 
 the purchase of the death of Christ, sealed with liis 
 blood, and holds out strong arguments of our being 
 reconciled to God ; and therefore it is called " the 
 gospel of peace," Eph. vi. 15. 
 
 These are the observations from the two first 
 verses. Now for those that flow from the other 
 three verses. 
 
 Obs. 1. The Lord Christ, as he is the Architect of 
 the church, so the Measurer of all things belonging 
 unto it. He is the man in this vision with the line 
 in his hand ; nothing is to be done in his spiritual 
 temple, but according to his will and direction. 
 Moses measured out all in the tabernacle, David and 
 Solomon all in the temple, but Christ is the only 
 measurer in this house. Gospel measurings are 
 committed to the Son ; Heb. i. 2, " God hath in 
 these last days spoken unto us by his Son ;" and he 
 is over his own house, Heb. iii. G, to order and dis- 
 pose all things as hinis(df pleaseth. 
 3 o 
 
 Obs. 2. The motion of sanctuary waters is not ac- 
 cidental, or human, but according to divine appoint- 
 ment. Christ goeth forth ca.st\vard, measures a 
 thousand cubits, and then the waters flow that way ; 
 and then he measures a thousand cubits more, and 
 so they flow another way. That way Christ went 
 with his line measuring, the waters still flowed ; 
 which imports, that the preaching of the gospel in 
 one place, and not in another, is not casual, or as 
 man will, but the appointment of Christ. He for- 
 bade his disciples to go into the way of the gentiles, 
 and into the cities of the Samaritans, but rather go 
 to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, Matt. x. 5, 
 fi. Christ here measured out the cubits, where these 
 gospel waters should flow. Paul and those jA\'ith 
 him, being forbidden to carry these waters into'Asia, 
 and not sufl'ered to go with them into Bithynia, 
 whither thiir wills were bent, at length by a vision 
 they are directed into Mace donia, assuredly gather- 
 ing, that the Lord had called them to preach the 
 gospel there, Acts xvi. 6 — 10. Christ had measured 
 out a thousand cubits there, for these sjiiritual waters 
 to flow. It is at the appointment of Christ what 
 countries, what cities, what towns, and what families 
 shall have these waters. 
 
 Obs. 3. That as it is at Christ's appointment to 
 what places these waters shall flow, so likewise how 
 far therein they shall flow. So many cubits as 
 Christ measures out, so far they shall flow, and not 
 farther. If he measure out a thousand cubits, they 
 shall extend so far ; if he measure out but five hun- 
 dred culiits, or one hundred only, the waters shall 
 run to the borders thereof, and not one cubit beyond, 
 nor one short. So far as Christ's line is siretchcd 
 over any place, so far the waters of the sanctuary 
 will and must flow. 
 
 Obs. 4. The doctrine of the gospel is never rightly 
 understood, unless we be taught it by Christ. He 
 led Ezekiel into the waters of the sanctuary ; so is 
 the Hebrew D'C3 and we read it, through them : 
 he instructed him in the nature and qualities of 
 them. Whosoever imderstands the gospel savingly, 
 is led into that knowledge by the Spirit of Christ. 
 The apostles themselves had not understood the 
 gospel, had not Christ sent them his Spirit : John 
 xvi. 13, " When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he 
 will guide you into all truth ;" that is, he will make 
 you know all truth savingly. The truths of Christ 
 are spiritual, and without the Spirit they are not 
 discerned, 1 Cor. ii. 14, 15. Many wade into these 
 spiritual waters without Christ and his Sjiirit, and 
 they arc of those who arc said to be " ever learning, 
 and never able to come to the knowledge of the 
 truth," 2 Tim. iii. 7. 
 
 Obs. 5. The doctrine of the gospel, conversion of 
 sinners, and graces of the Spirit, piroceed gradually. 
 
 (I.) For the doctrine of the gospel, that went out 
 gradually, like water out of a fountain, which may 
 be covered with one's hand, or a dish, but running a 
 little way increases; the waters here, after a little 
 time and motion, were up to the ancles, after to the 
 knees, and then to the loins. The gospel was not 
 given out all at once, but one truth thereof after an- 
 other. Christ himself first preached one part of the 
 gospel, and then another ; he was four years and 
 upwards in letting that sacred water run out of his 
 lips, it came from him by degrees. And so the apos- 
 tles, who were conduits of this fountain, let out that 
 water little by little ; they went up and down preach- 
 ing here and there, writing an epistle to one place, 
 and an epistle to another place, till they filled the 
 world with these waters. If you read the book of 
 The Acts of the Apostles, you may see how the gos- 
 pel spread from place to place, and what great pro-
 
 813 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLVII. 
 
 gress it had in the world. Paul saith, Rom. x. IS, 
 " Their sound went into all the eartli, and their 
 words unto the ends of the world ;" and to the Co- 
 lossians, ehap. i. G, he declares, the gospel was come 
 unto them, and to all the world : from small begin- 
 nings here was great inerease. 
 
 (2.) The conversion of sinners is a gradual work : 
 now one is converted, then another, afterward a 
 third, not all at once. Though the waters of the 
 sanctuary be living waters, yet they do not beget life 
 in all who taste of them. Many scribes and Phari- 
 sees, and others, heard Christ preach the glad tid- 
 ings of the gospel, and speak as never men spake, 
 yet were not converted : some few were wrought 
 upon in Christ's time, in Judea and Jerusalem ; some 
 by the apostles in several places where they came, 
 as at Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philij.'pi, and 
 other places ; but the most part remained unconvert- 
 ed, even in Jerusalem itself; which made Christ 
 weep over it, Luke xix. 41, and say, " O Jerusalem, 
 Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy 
 children together, even as a hen gathereth her chick- 
 ens under her wings, and ye would not!" Matt. 
 xxiii. 37. Conversion work went out slowly in 
 Christ's days ; it was quicker in Peter's time than 
 ever since, three thousand souls converted at a ser- 
 mon : now three thousand sermons hardly convert 
 one soul. Paul got at one time a Lydia, at another 
 a jailor, at a third time a fugitive servant ; and so 
 by degrees the waters of the sanct\iary did good. 
 
 (3. ) The graces of the Spirit have a gradualness 
 in them. Their knowdedge, their faith, their hope, 
 their love, are little at first ; but in time they inerease, 
 they grow from knowledge to knowledge, from faith 
 to faith, from hope to hope, and from love to love : 
 none are filled with sanctuary waters at first, they 
 come into us little by little, drop by drop. ApoUos 
 was more perfectly instructed in the way of God by 
 Aqaila and Priscilla, Acts xviii. 26. There are 
 several ages in Christianity, babes, children, young 
 men, fathers. Babes are' only sprinkled with these 
 waters ; in children, they are come to their ancles ; 
 in young men, to their knees ; and in fathers, they 
 are up to their loins, and drawing near to their chins, 
 they are almost come to perfection : but they and 
 the others must still " grow in grace, and in the 
 knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," 
 till they all come to " a perfect man, unto the measure 
 of the stature of the fulness of Christ," Eph. iv. 13. 
 
 06*. G. The gospel hath such depths and myste- 
 ries in it, as no human understanding can sound or 
 comprehend. The waters of the sanctuary did rise 
 so high, become so deep, that they could not be passed 
 over; swim in them Ezekiel might, but he could 
 neither find the bottom of them, nor get over them. 
 The gospel is among " the deep things of God," I 
 Cor. ii. 10, it is the richest box of the knowledge 
 and wisdom of God ; and there is a depth in those 
 riches, Rom. xi. 33 : it is " the unsearchable riches 
 of Christ," Eph. iii. 8 ; it is " wisdom from above," 
 Jam. iii. 17; it is a doctrine of " heavenly things," 
 John iii. 12 ; Heb. viii. 5 ; it is not know n without 
 " the spirit of wisdom and revelation," Eph. i. 17; 
 neither Christ nor his doctrine are known without 
 revelation, Matt. xvi. 17; Gal. i. 16. The flesh 
 taught the Pharisees to call Christ Samaritan, and 
 to say, he had a devil, John viii. 48 ; but it is the 
 Spirit which teaches men to own and acknowledge 
 Christ for a Lord, 1 Cor. xii. 3. Are not these mvs- 
 teries and depths in the gospel ; that diree should'be 
 one ? 1 John v. 7; that two should be one, and yet 
 continue two still ? that the Maker should be one 
 with the thing made ? that he who blesseth all should 
 himself be a curse ? that the Prince of life should 
 
 die ? that the debt should be paid and yet pardon- 
 ed, the fault be punished and yet remitted ? that the 
 Head and members of the same body should be in 
 heaven, and on earth, and in the several quarters of 
 the world, at the same time .^ that God, who is infi- 
 nite, should dwell in man ? These, and such like 
 deeps, are in the gospel. Is not the Revelation alone 
 a great river, which none of our spiritual mariners 
 can sound or sail over? That one place, Rev. xiii. 
 18, hath put the skilfullest of them to it: " Let him 
 that hath understanding count the number of the 
 beast; for it is the number of a man ; and his num- 
 ber is Six hundred threescore and six." In Daniel 
 there are depths ; and Peter saith, that in the epis- 
 tles of Paid there are fvui'6}iTa, " things hard to be 
 understood," 2 Pet. iii. 16. 
 
 Obs. 7- The doctrine of the gospel is pure, and 
 sufficient of itself, it needs no tradition or invention 
 of men. The waters of the sanctuary are holy waters, 
 and a river great and deep, which none can jiass 
 over. No waters are like these for purity and per- 
 fection ; they are not like the muddy waters of 
 Egypt, or puddle waters of Rome ; Ihey are pure, 
 without all mixture, and sufficient for all that belong 
 to the sanctuary : so that men need not run to pits 
 or cisterns of their own, or others. The doctrines 
 of men are muddy waters, compared to these, and 
 not sufficient to quench the thirst of any thirsting 
 sold ; but these gospel waters are most pure, suffi- 
 cient, and satisfying. 
 
 Obs. 8. From this vision of the waters. That sanc- 
 tuary waters afl^ord comfort unto the saints in their 
 aflhclions, yea, in their deepest distresses. Ezekiel 
 had this vision in the time of his captivity, and it 
 was to comfort him, and the captives in Babylon 
 with him ; and so to presignify to us, that the waters 
 of the gospel would yield choice comfort to the 
 saints in their sad, yea, saddest conditions. They are 
 living waters, and do refresh dying souls : the pro- 
 mises are bottles of this water; and when those that 
 are in the greatest afflictions drink the cordial 
 water contained in them, they forget their misery, 
 and are like giants refreshed w-ith wine. The com- 
 fort of the Scriptures is choice comfort, Rom. xv. 
 4. That in Psal. xhi. 4, is verified in these gospel 
 waters ; " There is a river, the sh-eams whereof shall 
 make glad the city of God." Let the city of God be 
 in never so great straits or distresses, the river of 
 the sanctuary, gospel waters, will make it glad. 
 
 Ver. 6 — 12. And he said unto me. Son of man, 
 hast thoji seen this ? Then he hrovght me, and 
 caused me to return to the brink of the river. 
 Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of 
 the river were very many trees on the one side and 
 on the other. Then said he unto me. These waters 
 issue out toward the east country, and go dotvn 
 into the desert, and go into the sea : which being 
 brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be 
 healed. And it shall come to pass, that every 
 thing that liveth, which moveth. whithersoever the 
 rivers shall come, shall live : and there shall be a 
 very great multitude of fish, because these tcaters 
 shall come thither : for they shall be healed ; and 
 eveiy thing shall live whither the river conieth. 
 And it shall come to pass, that the fishes shall 
 stand upon it from En-gedi even unto En-egluim ; 
 they shall be a place to spi'ead forth nets ; their 
 fish shall be according to their kinds, as thejish 
 of the great sta, exceeding many. But the miry 
 places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not
 
 Ver. 6—12. 
 
 THE BOOK OB' EZEKIEL. 
 
 8i9 
 
 be healed; flietf shall he given to salt. Atul by 
 the viler vpuii the bank thereof, on this side and 
 on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose 
 leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof 
 be consumed ; it shall bring forth new fruit ac- 
 cording to his months, because their waters thei/ 
 issued out of the sanctuari/ : and the fruit tltere- 
 of shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for 
 in edicine. 
 
 We have heard whence these visional waters did 
 spring, and of their great increase into a river ; and 
 here we have a description of this river, 
 
 I. From the trees which were about it, with their 
 leaves and fruit, ver. 7< 1-. 
 
 II. From the place into which it flows, ver. 8. 
 
 III. From the effects, in ver. 8—10. 
 
 IV. From the fishers and nets, ver. 10. 
 v. From the adjunct places, ver. 11. 
 
 In ver. 6, the Lord puts a question unto Ezekiel, 
 and it is this, " Son of man, hast thou seen this ? " 
 hast thou seen these watei-s whence they spring? 
 hast thou seen which way they flow ? hast thou seen 
 their great increase and unpassableness ? If thou 
 hast not, see now fully, and observe them more ex- 
 actly ; that is the intent of the question. There is a 
 corporal sight, and there is an intellectual sight ; 
 see with the eye of thy body, and with the eye of 
 thy mind. 
 
 Note hence. That the waters of the sanctuary have 
 that in them which is observable to be considered 
 and seriously weighed. 
 
 " Hast thou seen this ? " how suddenly these 
 waters break forth ? how they have followed the 
 measuring line, which way soever it went? how in 
 a little time they have risen up to a river, and such 
 a river as is impermeable ? Hast thou seen the 
 mysteries contained in these waters ? As the waters 
 abound, so the mysteries thereof abound. The gos- 
 jiel is full of mysteries and depths ; the beginnings, 
 increase, and success of it are wonderful things, and 
 ougbt to be minded ; the spreading, converting, and 
 edifying power of the gospel, christians should take 
 special notice of, rejoice at, and bless God for. It is 
 a choice mercy to have the waters of the gospel in a 
 land, or in a town ; and what a mercy is it when 
 these waters prove waters of life, to convert and 
 edify those that are there ! If Middleton's and 
 Thames' waters are observable, much more mystical 
 waters. 
 
 After this question comes action ; the Loi-d brought 
 him, and caused him to return to the brink of the 
 river, or tip of it. Hitherto he had seen the wafers ; 
 now the Lord would have him to see what was upon 
 the banks or sides of the river, for as there were 
 things considerable in the waters, so on the banks. 
 
 064'. 1. Christ reveals and makes known the myste- 
 ries of the sanctuary by degrees, and one after 
 another. Ezekiel sees the w'aters, and being taught 
 something concerning them, he is brought to the 
 brink of the river, and hath new mysteries presented 
 to him ; he is held from seeing the waters of the 
 sanctuary, to behold the trees thereof. 
 
 Obs. 2. The scholars of Christ ought to be content 
 H ith what it pleases the Lord Christ to make known 
 unlo them, and to rest satisfied therewith. Ezekiel 
 troubles not himself or Christ about the depth of the 
 river, the multitude of waters, and several measur- 
 ings ; but being set down on the brink of the river, 
 he is content to see and hear what the Lord should 
 show him, and speak unto him. There is an itch in 
 man to know things kept secret and hidden : many, 
 through curiosity, prving into such things, have 
 "3 2 
 
 prejudiced themselves and others; Gen. iii. 6, Eve 
 did so. Let us acijuiesce in what Christ reveals, and 
 not thirst after hidden secrets, lest we meet with 
 .Satanical delusions, and be given up to believe lies. 
 
 In ver. 7, the river is described from the multitude 
 of trees on each side of it. '1 here was very much 
 wood, or very many trees, as I'iscator, or very great 
 trees, as Junius and Tremellius have it. As tlie 
 waters were mystical, so are these trees, and they 
 have a mystical and spiritual signification. They 
 signify the saints under the gospel, those that are 
 true christians ; and such are not unfitly compared 
 to trees, for they resemble them in many respects. 
 
 (1.) Trees have life in them; so true christians 
 have life in them. "When the Romans were become 
 christians, then they were " alive unto God through 
 Jesus Christ," Rom. vi. 11; before they were dry 
 and dead trees, as the Ephesians w'ere, Eph. ii. I. 
 ^Vhen men are once true christians, they have life 
 from Christ, John x. 10; xx. 31; 1 John v. 12; 
 Gal. ii. 20. 
 
 (2.) Trees are rooted in the firm earth, in rocks 
 and mountains ; and true christians are rooted in 
 Christ, who is a firm and solid Rock. The Colos- 
 sians were rooted in Christ ; not in Plato, Aristotle, 
 or human philosophy, but in Christ and his doctrine ; 
 they w ere established in the faith of Christ, so that 
 none could pull them from him, John x. 2S. 
 
 (3.) Trees draw sap, moisture, and virtue from 
 the earth, and the waters they are near unto, Jer. 
 xvii. 8. Psal. civ. 16, "The trees of the Lord are 
 full of sap," they draw strongly. And so it is with 
 true christians, metaphorical frees, they draw sap 
 from Christ, virtue from his promises, and moisture 
 from his ordinances. Faith and love are like the 
 little fibres which are upon roots ; those strings, 
 veins, or sinews draw mightily, and communicate to 
 the whole ; so do faith and love abiradantly bring 
 in spiritual sap info the soul: John i. 16, "Of his 
 fulness have we all received :" see John xv. 5. 
 
 (4.) Trees do grow upwards ; Gen. ii. K, every 
 tree grew : and the saints are of a growing nature ; 
 Psal. xcii. 12, " The righteous shall flourish like the 
 palm free : he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon." 
 Palm trees and cedars especially grow very high, 
 Amos ii. 'J, their tops reached to heaven. And did 
 not the Thessalonians grow exceedingly in faith 
 and charity ? 2 Thess. i. 3. Bid not Paul grow 
 greatly, when his conversation was in heaven daily ? 
 Phil. iii. 20. The saints grow up into Christ in all 
 things, Eph. iv. 15. 
 
 (5.) Of frees, some are strong, some are weak, 
 some are high, some are low. 8o is it with saints, 
 some are strong and high, as the centurion, Ma.tt. 
 viii. 10, the woman of Canaan, chap. xv. 28, James, 
 Cephas, and John, Gal. ii. i); some are low and 
 weak, as the Corinthians, 1 Cor. iii. 1, and the He- 
 brews, Heb. v. 12, 13. John hath ranked these 
 spiritual frees info three sorts, 1 John ii. 12 — 14, 
 little children, young men, and fathers. 
 
 (6.) They are fruitful, and bear several kinds of 
 fruit. Hence the free of the field is said to be man's 
 life, Deut. xx. 19; that is, it brings forth fruit of 
 several kinds, whereby the life of man is preserved ; 
 and true christians are not barren trees, or frees 
 which bring forth sour or corrupt fruit ; but they are 
 fruitful, and their fruit is good fruit. The Philip- 
 pians were " filled with fruits of righteousness," 
 Phil. i. 11. Dorcas was "full of good works and 
 alms-deeds which she did," Acts ix. 36. The churches 
 of Macedonia abounded in liberality, 2 Cor. viii. 2 ; 
 and the church of Corinth in every thing, ver. 7 ; 
 some had tongues, some interpreted, some wrought 
 miracles, and some prophesied. Those widows which
 
 820 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLVII. 
 
 were to be taken into the church had fruit, much 
 and variety of it ; they brought up cliildren, they 
 lodged strangers, they washed the saints' feet, they 
 relieved the afflicted, and they diligently followed 
 every good work, 1 Tim. v. t), 10. 
 
 (7.) Some trees are very fragrant, well scented; 
 tin y perfume the air where they grow. Hos. xiv. 
 6, " llis smell shall be as Lebanon." In Lebanon, 
 which was a great mountain and fruitful Ibrcst, were 
 fair trees, cedars, and almug trees, which filled the 
 air with a sweet scent ; and like unto Lebanon Israel 
 should be. And Christ saith of his spouse, Cant, 
 iv. 11, " The smell of thy garments is like the smell 
 of Lebanon." The church's garments are the graces 
 and gifts with which the Spirit hath adorned her, 
 as knowledge, faith, love, humility, zeal, wisdom, 
 &c. ; these yield a good savour. From the church 
 of Philip]ji was " an odour of a sw"eet smell," Phil, 
 iv. 18. The church of Rome in Paul's days had a 
 good scent, her "faith was spoken of throughout the 
 whole W'orld," Rom. i. 8. Gaius was a tree very 
 fragrant, 3 John 2. 5, 6; and Demetrius alone had 
 the smell of Lebanon, of fir trees, cedars, and al- 
 mugs ; for he had good respect of all men, and of 
 the truth itself, ver. 12. 
 
 (8.) Trees are exposed to all winds, weathers, 
 storms, to heat and cold ; so are saints. Jer. xvii. 8, 
 the man that trusts in God, shall be as a tr. e planted 
 by the waters ; and what though heat and drought 
 come.' he shall be prejudiced by neither ; his branch 
 is "green before the sun," Job viii. IG. There will 
 be scorching heat and terrible blasts. Christians 
 do meet with Satan's fiery darts, and the dragon's 
 floods ; reproaches, afflictions, temptations, troubles 
 of all sorts they are exposed unto ; see Psal. xxxiv. 
 19: 2 Tim. iii. 12. 
 
 Ver. 8. " These waters issue out towards the east 
 country, and go down into the desert." Tliese are 
 the places into which the waters of the sanctuary 
 did run. Some render the Hebrew words nS'S;n 
 n:ioipn into Galilee of the east ; Montanus, to 
 the eastern border. Galilee was eastward from Je. 
 rusalem, and in it was Lacus Asphaltites, the lake of 
 Sodom, or Dead sea, so called because no fish could 
 live in it, nor birds fly over it, but died, so deadly 
 were the waters and vapours thereof. Hither the 
 sanctuary waters came, and they went down also 
 into the desert, that is, say some expositors, into the 
 Mediterranean sea, which was in the west ; suitable 
 to which interpretation seems that in Zech. xiv. 8, 
 where living waters are said to go out from Jeru- 
 .salem, " half of them toward the former sea," that 
 is, the Salt or Dead sea, ■' and half of them toward 
 the hinder sea," that is, the Mediterranean sea. 
 Others conceive these waters of Ezekii I did run only 
 eastw^ard, first into the Dead sea, and then out of 
 that into the deserts or plains of Moab ; for here is 
 not mention of several seas, but there is of rivers, 
 ver. 9. 
 
 The elTects of these waters are, 
 
 1. Healing. When they came into the Dead sea, 
 they healed the waters thereof; the sanctuary waters 
 made those deadly waters wholesome and profitable, 
 as the bitter waters of Marah were healed by a tree 
 thrown in, Exod. xv. 2.'), and the waters of "Jericho 
 by a cru.se of salt, 2 Kings ii. 20, 21. 
 
 2. Production of fishes, and them in abundance. 
 These waters were fruitful waters, ver. 9, tliey beat 
 life in dead creatures, and caused fish to abound '"as 
 the fish of the great sea, exceeding many," as it is 
 in the end of ver. 10. By fish understand those that 
 are wrought upon and brought in by the gospel : 
 and they are so called, 
 
 (I.) 15ecause as fish are generated of spawn, or 
 
 seed, and water ; so believers are born of water and 
 the Spirit, John iii. 5. 
 
 (2.) Fish it is conceived were not under the curse, 
 that fell upon the earth and things upon it, not on 
 the waters and fish therein ; so believers are not 
 under the curse of the law. Unbelievers are under 
 condemnation and wrath, John iii. 18, 3(5, but be- 
 lievers are free from both. 
 
 (3.) They keep fresh in salt and brackish waters ; 
 and true converts do so. When there are brackish, 
 corrupt doctrines abroad, hot and fierce persecutions 
 by reason of them, the sound believer is not tainted 
 with them ; Arianism, Pelagianism, familism, rant- 
 ism, and quakerism do not corrupt them ; and the 
 greater troubles they meet with, the more lively 
 they are. 
 
 (4.) Some fish swim constantly against the stream. 
 Such are true christians, they swim against the 
 stream, they are not led by the multitude. There 
 are several streams, one of profancness, another of 
 flattery, a third of superstition, a fourth of lukewarm- 
 ness and formality, a fifth of carnal policy, a sixth 
 of self-seeking : against all these, and many others, 
 doth the sincere christian swim and row daily. 
 
 (5.) Fish live in and by the waters, they cannot 
 live on dry land, they presently die without water. 
 And true christians, they live in and by the waters 
 of the sanctuary, they live in and by the Spirit, they 
 drink in the waters of the gospel. I'hese spiritual 
 fish cannot live without them ; Rev. xxii. 1, there is 
 " a pure river of water of life,"' wherein these live 
 and swim. 
 
 (6.) Fish of the same kind do sort together. It is 
 so with true converts, they leave their old company, 
 and sort with those that are regenerate and godly. 
 David saith, Psal. cxix. 63, " I am a companion of 
 all them that fear thee." Christ's disciples assem- 
 bled together, Acts i. 15. Peter and John " went to 
 their own company," Acts iv. 23. 
 
 Ver. 10. "The fishers shall stand upon it from En- 
 gedi, even unto En-eglaim." En-gedi was a town 
 near unto the Dead sea, upon the coast of it, having 
 strong holds, 1 Sam. xxiii. 29; called Hazazon-tamar 
 in Jidioshaphat's days, 2 Chron. xx. 2, which A 
 Lapide interprets urbs pahiiarutu, a city of palm trees, 
 because they flourished there : it had several vine- 
 yards belonging to it. Cant. i. 14. From this place 
 to En-eglaim, should the fishers spread their nets. 
 
 En-eglaim was seated at the mouth of the Dead 
 sea, where Jordan emptied itself into it, as Junius 
 and Piscator observe ; and it was in the eastern part, 
 as En-gedi was in the western. 
 
 Before we proceed further, take some observations 
 from ver. 7 — 10. 
 
 Obs. 1. The waters of the sanctuary, the doctrine 
 of the gospel, doth powerfully and speedily beget 
 and bring men to God. Suoh was the virtue of the 
 waters Ezekicl saw, that presently they brought 
 forth trees on each side their banks ; there were 
 trees of righteousness presently, viz. true christians. 
 When Christ preached, and the apostles, their doc- 
 trine was received, and divers believed, John iv. 41 ; 
 vii. 31 ; viii. 30; xii. 42; Acts xvii. 11, 12; xviii. 8. 
 The waters of the gospel turn thoi'ns and thistles 
 into vine and fig trees, and make an orchard for God 
 w lierc none was. This was foretold by Isaiah, chap, 
 xli. 18, 19, " I will open rivers in high places, and 
 fountains in the midst of the valleys : I will make 
 the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land 
 springs of water. I will [ilant in the wilderness the 
 cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil 
 tree ; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the 
 jiine, and the box tree together." The meaning is, 
 God would cause the gospel to be preached in dry
 
 Vkr. G— 12. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 821 
 
 and barren places, and there should some of all sorts 
 come in, believe, and grow up like trees of God. Isa. 
 xliv, 3, 4, " 1 will pour water upon him that is thirsty, 
 and Hoods upon the dry ground : 1 will pour my 
 spirit upon tliy seed, and my blessing upon thine 
 olt'spriug : and they shall spring up as among the 
 grass, as willows by the water courses." This water 
 brings forth trees, and makes them good being brought 
 forth. 
 
 Obs. 2. The waters of the gospel have, and will 
 have their course ; they issue out, who can keep 
 them in ? and being out, they go toward the east 
 country, and go dow-n into the desert, and so into the 
 sea ; who can stop them ? When the gospel began 
 first to be preached, it spread ; Mark i. 2/, 28, " What 
 new doctrine is this ? for with authority commandeth 
 he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 
 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout 
 all the region round about Galilee." The gospel 
 did run like water, from country to country, and 
 from sea to sea, 2 Thess. iii. 1. 
 
 Obn. 3. That people without the gospel, are like 
 unto the Dead sea, that lake of Sodom, into which, 
 by our apostasy from (Jod, we have cast ourselves. 
 The Dead sea in a spiritual sense is the lake of our 
 sins, where all things are loathsome, dead, and dead- 
 ly ; whence nothing but corrupt and pestilent vapours 
 do How. IMen are children of wrath by nature, dead 
 in sins and trespasses, Eph. ii. I, 3, 5. All men are 
 gone astray, and " all together become filthy," Psal. 
 xiv. 3. "Their throat is an open sepulchre," &c. 
 See Rom. iii. 10 — 18. They send forth mire and 
 dirt as the sea doth, Isa. Ivii. 20 ; and nothing that 
 is good lives in them : they stifle all good motions, 
 being dead in sin, abominable, and reprobate to 
 every good work. 
 
 Obn. 4. The waters of the sanctuary have curing 
 and quickening virtue in them. Where they came, 
 tlie waters were healed, and every thing lived. 
 When they flowed into the Dead sea, that was healed 
 by them, ver. 8, and every thing lived wdiither the 
 river came, ver. t). People in Scripture are compared 
 to waters, Rev. xvii. 1, 15; but they are unsavoury, 
 corrupt waters, like the Dead sea, sending out noi- 
 some vapours : but when the doctrine of tlie gosjjcl 
 comes in jiower, with the merits of Christ, and 
 graces of the Spirit, it purges the head from in- 
 fectious errors, the conscience from dead works, the 
 heart from vile lusts, and the life from base practices, 
 and begets life in the dead soul. The Corinthians 
 Were a polluted people, given to uncleanness, and 
 all manner of wickedness, 1 Cor. vi. : having reck- 
 oned up a catalogue of sinners in ver. 9, 10, he saith 
 in ver. 11, "Such were some of you; but ye are 
 washed, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord 
 Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." How came 
 they to be so ? it was by Paul's preaching the gos- 
 pel. Acts xviii. 1, 7 — II ; he brought sanctuary 
 waters unto them, which cured and quickened these 
 Corinthians. In the pool of Bethcsda God put forth 
 his power, and healed by those waters all manner of 
 bodily diseases, John v. ; and in these sanctuary or 
 gosjiel waters, he puts forth his power, and heals all 
 spiritual diseases, and quickens those that are spirit- 
 ually dead, ver. 25. These waters are " living 
 waters," Zcch. xiv. 8, and they beget life, and in- 
 crease life, John iv. 14; x. 10. 
 
 OAv. 5. The waters of the sanctuary are fruitful 
 waters, tliey breed trees on each side, and abundance 
 of tish. The doctrine of the gospel breeds chris- 
 tians and believers in abundance : Acts i. 15, the 
 number of disciples was about a hundred and twenty ; 
 chap. ii. 41, three thousand souls were added unto 
 them ; chap. iv. 4, the number of believers was about 
 
 five thousand; chap. v. 14, multitudes both of men 
 and women were added to the Lord ; chap. xxi. 20, 
 " Thou seest how many thousands of Jews there are 
 which believe," itoctoi finpiriffi;, how many ten thou- 
 sands ; and Rev. vii. 9, " 1 beheld, and, lo, a great 
 multitude, which no man could number;" the trees 
 and fishes multiplied so much in a little time, that 
 they exceeded man's arithmetic. 
 
 Ubs. 6. The preachers of the gospel are fishers. 
 Ver. 10, " The fishers shall stand upon it," that is, 
 the river and fish there. Ye know Christ chose fisher- 
 men to be his apostles, and told tliem, that he would 
 make them "fishers of men," Mark i. 1/. Men are 
 the fish, and the gospel is the net ; the j)romises are 
 the bait, and jireachers are the fishers. Peter threw 
 the net on the right side, when he caught three 
 thousand fishes at once, Acts ii. 41 : which was pre- 
 figured in the great draught of fishes he took, Luke v. 
 5, (j. The preaching of the gospel is compared to a 
 net, Matt. xiii. 47: it is good casting this net into the 
 waters where there are store fish, and wise is that 
 man who can catch them ; Prov. xi. 30, " He that 
 winneth souls is wise." Some fishers toil all night 
 and catch nothing ; but where there is wisdom to 
 handle the net, and bait the hooks well, some fi.sh 
 will be caught. 
 
 Oiv. 7. These spiritual fishers have large waters 
 to fish in, and are to be frequent in fishing, " from 
 En-gedi even to En-eglaim." " They shall be a 
 place to spread forth nets" from east to west. They 
 are to fish the whole sea; " Go, and teach all na- 
 tions." The whole world is a sea of fish, and the nets 
 must be spread, not lie still. The fishers may dry 
 and mend their nets, but then they must throw them 
 into the deep, and be fishing for their Lord and 
 Master. Paul charges Timothy to preach the word, 
 to be instant in season and out of season, to take all 
 ojiportunities to catch fish with the net of the gos- 
 pel, 2 Tim. iv. 2. 
 
 OA.y. 8. These gospel fishers do catch some fish of 
 all sorts, some great, some small, some old, some 
 young. When they spread forth their nets, their 
 fish shall be according to their kind ; some of every 
 kind shall be caught in their nets : Matt. xiii. 47, 
 saith Christ, " The kingdom of heaven is like unto 
 a net cast into the sea, and gathereth of every kind." 
 The gospel preached gains upon all sorts of people ; 
 the priests, Acts vi. 7, and Sergius Paulus, Acts xiii. 
 12, were great fishes caught in this net; but Lydia 
 and the damsel, Acts xvi. with Onesimus and many 
 others, were little fishes. Nicodemus, John iii. the 
 eunuch, Acts viii. and the elect lady, 2 John, were 
 great fishes ; and though " not many wise men after 
 the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are 
 called," and caught with this net, yet some are ; 
 some Jew'S, some gentiles, some bond-men, &c. 
 
 Ver. 11. "But the miry places thereof, and the 
 marishes thereof," &:c. Near unto rivers and seas 
 are miry places, and marshes, and they bring at a 
 distance from the channel wherein these waters of 
 the sanctuary run, were not healed, made wholesome 
 and useful for fish, but they are left to barrenness ; 
 which is the sense of these words, "They shall be 
 given to salt ;" for salt causeth barrenness, and is a 
 sign thereof, Deut. xxix. 23; Judg. ix. 45. Psal. 
 cvii. 34, " He turneth a fruitful land into barren- 
 ness ;" the Hebrew is, saltness. Those that are 
 slothful, impenitent, that go on in filthy practices, 
 trust to their own righteousness, refusing and neg- 
 Ircting these waters, shall never be healed, but be 
 barren, fruitless, and accursed. 
 
 Ver. 12. "Upon the bank shall grow all trees for 
 meat." It is a known thing to historians and travel- 
 lers, that on the banks of the Dead sea, or Lacus
 
 822 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLVII. 
 
 Asphaltites, the place where Sodom and the other 
 cities were destroyed, do grow trees wliieh in 
 show yield goodly fruit, yet not edible ; for be- 
 ing touched, it pi'oves aslies and smoke, deceiving 
 the expectation of him that gathers the same ; but 
 these waters coming hither, beget better trees, 
 and better fruit, even " trees for meat." Neither 
 tree nor fruit slioidd disappoint them, for the leaves 
 of these trees should not fade, tliey should always be 
 green and flourishing; neither should the fruit be 
 consumed, they should always have fruit upon them : 
 fur as the sap and greenness of those trees continued, 
 so the fruit would continue; norotteuness would cause 
 it to fall, no winds or storms should blow it down. 
 
 " It sliall bring forth new fruit according to his 
 months." Every month should these trees bring 
 forth new fruit. The word -133' is rendered by 
 some, they shall yield their first-begotten ; not only 
 shall they yield fruit monthly, but excellent and 
 choice fruit, ripe fruit, fit for meat. And because 
 this seems strange and impossible, that trees every 
 month should have ripe fruit, he shows in the next 
 words whence it is. 
 
 "Because their waters they issued out of the 
 sanctuary." These waters were no ordinary waters, 
 but such as had a fnictifying virtue in them, beyond 
 all other waters, and made the trees about it to bear 
 twelve times a year ; representing that cry^tal river 
 that proceeded out of the throne of God and of the 
 Lamb, on either side of whith grew "the tree of 
 life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded 
 fruit every month," Rev. xxii. 2. 
 
 " And the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the 
 leaf thereof for medicine." He shows the excel- 
 lency of these trees ; they .shall have nothing use- 
 less, their fruit is for meat, and their leaves for 
 medicine. The good works and holy lives of be- 
 lievers are for meat and medicine unto others. 
 
 Ohs. 1. Wicked men are miry and muddy crea- 
 tures. Those that are imgodly, are no better than 
 miry places and marslus, which are unsavoury, 
 loathsome, and dangerous, breeding frogs, toads, and 
 other vermin. Such are all wicked men; "their 
 throat is an open sepulchre," Rom. iii. 13, their 
 words are corrupt, dec( itful, and poisonous; them- 
 selves are loathsome, Prov. xiii. 5 : they trust in 
 their own righteousness, which is as filthy rags, Isa. 
 Ixiv. 6 ; they have corrupt minds, as Jannes and 
 Jambres had, 2 Tim. iii. 8; they are full of noisome 
 lusts, subtilly, and all malice, as Elymas was. Acts 
 xiii. 10; they have eyes full of adultery, 2 Pet. ii. 
 14 ; they are swine, and love to wallow in the mire, 
 ver. 22 ; they breed nothing but vern.in, base 
 thoughts, vile affections, and produce only what is 
 evil. Paul describes them fully imto us, Rom. i. 29 
 — .31, and in 2 Tim. iii. 2 — 5. 
 
 Obs. 2. Those places and persons to which the 
 waters of the sanctuary do not come, or coming do 
 not heal, are designed to barrinness, and so to 
 destruction. Ver. II, "But the miry places thereof 
 and the marishes thereof shall not be healed." 
 Either the waters came not to them ; or if they did, 
 they refused, they neglected them, and so were given 
 to salt, made like Sodom, barren and accursed. Some 
 places have not the waters of the sanctuary, the 
 doctrine of the gospel, and they are barren, and 
 piri.sh for want of the same, as Tyre and Zidon. 
 Some places have them, and because thev are im- 
 penitent, unbelieving, and will not receive the truth 
 with the love of it, because they will nfit drink these 
 waters, therefore they are given to salt, they are 
 barren, and must pi rish. So it was with Cai.ernaum 
 and Jerusal.m, Matt. xi. 23, and xxiii. 3", .38; and 
 so is it with many places in this nation, I fear. 
 
 John iii. 19, " This is the condemnation, that light is 
 come into the world, and men love darkness rather 
 than light, because iheir deeds are evil." They stick 
 in the mud and filth of their own sins, and will not 
 receive the soul saving truths of the gospel. 
 
 Obi-. 3. That the saints, true christian believer.s, 
 are not barren but fruitful trees. Every one of them 
 is a fruitful tree, and yields good fruit. All the trees 
 are for meat, their fruit is for meat. For whom ? 
 For Christ; Cant. iv. IC, "Let my beloved come 
 into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits :" chap, 
 vi. 2, " He is gone to feed in the gardens ;" that is, 
 to feid upon the fruit of his churches. And for 
 others, even all men, Gal. vi. 10: their fruit is good, 
 Matt. V. 16, and vii. 17; they are accejitable to God 
 and man, through their fruitfulness, Phil. iv. 18, and 
 an honour to the place where they grow. 
 
 06,v. 4. True christians are always fruitful, and 
 nothing can hinder their fruitfulness. They are 
 trees that bring forth fruit according to their months 
 and seasons ; neither heat nor cold doth blast their 
 leaves ; no W'ind or weather doth consume their 
 fruit ; but they go on, and are fat and flourishing, 
 and still bring forth fruit in old age, Psal. xcii. 14. 
 They are daily adding to their faith virtue ; to their 
 virtue knowledge ; to their knowledge temperance ; 
 to their temperance patience ; to their patience god- 
 liness ; to their godliness brotherly kindness, and to 
 that charity : these things are in true saints, and 
 abound in them, 2 Pet. i. 5 — 8. The Corinthians 
 abounded in the work of the Lord, 1 Cor. xv. 58. 
 Christians must always profess godliness, and always 
 practise it; their leaf must always be green, and their 
 fruit always ripe ; there should not be a day, or an 
 hour, wherein they should not be doing good, or 
 ready to do good, and bear new fruit, Jer. xvii. 8. 
 
 Obs:. 5. The true cause of fruitfulness, and such 
 fruitfulness in christians, is the doctrine and grace 
 of the gospel. Every tree brought forth fruit ac- 
 cording to his month, because the waters issued out 
 of the sanctuary : other waters had not such virtue, 
 such efficacy in them. Those who sit under the 
 heavenly dews and droppings of the gospel, they 
 feel the influences of the Spirit, they are most 
 fruitful. 
 
 Obs. 6. The holy profession and gracious language 
 of true saints are medicinable, they heal the sores 
 and bruises of .sinners. Their examples, their sa- 
 voury speeches, do good like a medicine : Prov. xii. 
 18, " The tongue of the wise is health ;" and Prov. 
 XV. 4, " A wholesome tongue is a tree of life," it 
 yields good fruit. And women who are graciou.s, 
 win their husbands to the faith, 1 Pet. iii. 1, 2, by 
 their examples and good conversations, and so they 
 are healed, and brought to Christ ; their leaves are 
 for medicine. 
 
 Ver. 13—23. TTtus saith fhe Lord God; 
 TTiis shall he the bolder., jrherehi/ ye shall inherit 
 the land according to the f/relve tribes of Israel : 
 Joseph shall hare tico portions. And ye shall in- 
 herit it, one as well as another : concerning the 
 which I lifted up mine hand to give it unto your 
 fathers : and fhi.t land shall fall nnto youj'or in- 
 heritance. And this .ihall be the border of the 
 land toward the north side, fiom the great sea, 
 the way of Ilethlon, as men go to Zedad ; 
 Ilanutth, Derotltah, Sibraim, which is between 
 the border of J)(imascus and the border of Ha- 
 ni ath ; llazar-hatticon, which is by the coast of 
 Hauran. And the border from the sea shall 
 be I/azar-enan, the border of Damascus, and
 
 Ver. 13—23. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZF.KIEL. 
 
 823 
 
 the north northivartl, und the border of Humath. 
 And tills is the north side. And the east side t/e 
 shdll measure from Hauran, and from JJamdscvs, 
 and from Gilead, and from the land of Israel by 
 Jordan, from the border unto the east sea. Ayid 
 this is the east side. And the south side southward 
 
 from Tamur even to the watij-s of strife 171 Kadesli, 
 the rirer to the great sea. And this is the south side 
 siiiithward. The west side also shall be the great sea 
 
 from (he border, till a man come over against Ila- 
 inath. This is the west side. So shall ye divide this 
 landunto you acvording to the tribes of Israel. And 
 it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot 
 
 for an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers 
 that sojourn among you, which shall beget chil- 
 dren among you : ctnd they shall be unto you as 
 horn in the country among the children of Israel ; 
 they shall have inheritance with you among the 
 tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pass, that 
 in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall 
 ye give him his inheritance, suith the Lord God. 
 
 These verses are the second part of the chapter, 
 and contain, 
 
 I. The bordering of the land, ver. 13 — 20. 
 
 II. The dividing of it, ver. 21, to the end. 
 Something was said of the land, chap. xlv. and 
 
 here that subject is proceeded in. Vti'. 13 speaks 
 in the general, and saith, the order whereby they 
 were to inherit the land, must be " according to the 
 twelve tribes of Israel," east, west, north, and south. 
 It is true, that Levi had no border, no possession, 
 Ezek. xliv. 28 ; yet twelve lots are spoken of, because 
 the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, come 
 in for portions. Josh. xiv. 4, " The children of Jo- 
 seph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim; there- 
 fore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land." 
 See Jush. xvii. 17, 18; 1 Chron. v. 12. They had 
 " two portions," the Hebrew is, lines, because the 
 portions were measured out by lines. 
 
 Ver. 14. " And ye shall inherit it, one as well as 
 another." The Hebrew for " one as well as another," 
 is, a man as bis brother, which is usual among 
 the Hebrews ; for when they spc ak of two or more 
 in the masculine gender, they say, a man and liis 
 brother ; and when they speak of two or more in the 
 feminine gender, they say, a woman and her sister. 
 Tlie sense here is, that they should all with equal 
 right possess the land, and each tribe have an equal 
 portion, which differs much from the division made 
 of old ; for. Numb, xxxiii. 54, " Ye shall divide the 
 land by lot for an inheritance among your families: 
 and to the more ye shall give the more inherilance, 
 and to tlie fewer ye shall give the less inluritancc :" 
 and if we grant with some, that it was so here, that 
 a greater portion of land was given to the greater 
 tribe, yet it is conceived from these words of Ezekiel, 
 tliat every one in each tribe had an equal portion, 
 which was not so of old. 
 
 " Concerning the which I lifted up mine hand to 
 give it," &c. Of the Lord's lifting up his hand, 
 mention was made, Ezek. xx. 56 ; xv. 28, 42 ; xxxvi. 
 7; and xliv. 12; and it notes God's swearing, that 
 he would give the land of Canaan unto their fathers : 
 as Exod. vi. 6, " 1 will bring you in unto the land, 
 concerning which I did swear to give it to Abraham, 
 to Isaac, and Jacob ;" the Hebrew is, I did lift up 
 my hand. 
 
 Ver. 15. " This shall be the border of the land 
 toward the north side, from," &c. He describes 
 did the borders of the whole laud, and so makes way 
 
 to the division of it more particularly. He begins 
 with the north border, which was from that part of 
 the great sea, viz. the Mediterranean sea, which lay 
 northward, and so proceeded to mount Hor, and 
 from thence to Hamath, and so to Zedad, Ziphron, 
 and terminated in Hazar-enan, Numb, xxxiv. 7 — 9, 
 which was in the north-east. In this description of 
 the northern border, more towns are mentioned than 
 in Numbers, as Hethlon, lierothah, Sibraim, Hazar- 
 hatticon, Hauran, and Damascus, but the extension 
 is the same, from the great sea to Hazar-enan, 
 ver. 15—17. 
 
 The east border is laid down ver. 18, and that is, 
 that space which lies between Hauran, Damascus, 
 Gilead, and the land of Israel by Jordan, from the 
 border to the east sea, that is, the lake of Sodom, or 
 Dead sea, as some interpret it. But, Numb, xxxiv. 11, 
 it is extended to " the sea of Chinnereth eastward," 
 which is the sea of Tiberias, or lake of Gennesaret, 
 John vi. 1 ; Luke v. 1. 
 
 The south border is set forth unto us in ver. 19; 
 and it is from Tamar, which Maldonate makes Jeri- 
 cho, others a town near the Dead sea ; and from 
 hence to Jleribah, or the waters of strife in Kadesh, 
 in the wilderness of Zin, Numb. xx. 13, and xxvii. 
 14, and so to the river wliich led to the great sea. 
 Tliat river is called Sihor, Josh. xiii. 3; Jer. ii. 18; 
 and the river of Egypt, Numb, xxxiv. 5; and dis- 
 tinguished the tribes of Simeon and Judah from 
 Egypt, as Sinetius saith, and ran into the Mediter- 
 ranean sea, which is the great sea ; so called, in 
 respect of the sea of Galilee, or Tiberias, and of the 
 Dead sea, which were little ones to that. To this 
 great sea came the south border. 
 
 The west border is in ver. 20, from the border of 
 the great s^a, that is, from the place where the river 
 of Egypt exonerates itself into the Mediterranean 
 sea, which by geographers is called Rhinoeura, and 
 so to Hamath in the north-west towards mount 
 Hor. This tract by the sea was the west border, 
 Numb, xxxiv. 6. 
 
 The prophet being shown the borders of the land 
 in the foregoing verses, is brought here to see the 
 division of it in the three last verses. And the di- 
 vision was to be according to the tribes, vei. 21 ; and 
 this division was to be by lot, the lot was to fall 
 upon it; ver. 22, "Ye shall divide it by lot;" the 
 Hebrew is, ye shall nuike it fall, that is, under 
 lot. They might not pick and choose what part of 
 the land tliey had a mind unto, but take their por- 
 tion where the lot fell ; and here it is ordered, that 
 strangers and their children shall not be excluded 
 from inheriting. Not all strangers were to have 
 this privilege, but those that should come and dwell 
 amongst them, and beget children. It was not so 
 in the division of the land by Moses and Joshua, 
 strangers might not inherit amongst them ; which 
 clearly intimates there was to be a change of the 
 Mosaical state. 
 
 Strangers might come into any of the tribes, 
 which Sanctius understands of proselytes, whose 
 number was great, as he saith ; and into what tribe 
 soever they came, there they were to have inherit- 
 ance ; so that now the difference between strangers 
 and natives, Jiws and gentiles, was to cease, and 
 they both had the snme privilege. 
 
 Having given you the literal sense of the words, 
 now let us see what may be the spiritual sense of 
 them ; for in the letter they were not fulfilled after 
 the return from Babylon, but mystically under the 
 gospel they were. 
 
 I. Then here is held out unto us, the great extent 
 and largeness of the church under Christ and the 
 gtspel. The land mentioned, signifies the church's
 
 824 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLVIII. 
 
 state ; and the bordering of it out, north, east, south, 
 west, the extent of it into all parts. The christian 
 church is larger than the Jewish ; that was shut up 
 in one nation, now it reaches to all nations. Matt. 
 xxviii. lit, neither Asia, Africa, Europe, nor America 
 are excluded: see Matt. xxiv. 14; Lukexxiv. 47; 
 Rev. XV. 4. The church under the gospel is uni- 
 versal and invi.^ible. 
 
 2. Those that are subjects or members of this 
 church, are not hypocrites, but Israelites. Those 
 that were not Israelites, and ti'ue Israelites, were 
 not to be in this church. Hypocrites, scandalous, 
 ignorant, and unrcgenerate persons, are often in, if 
 not the major part of particular visible churches ; 
 but of the universal church of Christ they are not ; 
 that consists of true Israelites, such as Nathanael 
 was, John i. 47; of Jews inwardly, such as are cir- 
 cumcised in heart and spirit, Rom. ii. 29; of such 
 as are enrolled in heaven, Heb. xii. 23 ; of sealed 
 ones. Rev. vii.; and these stood with the Lamb on 
 mount Zi(m, Rev. xiv. i. These made up the church 
 and body of Christ. 
 
 3. The privileges of this church do equally be- 
 long to all the members of it ; ver. 14, " Ye shall in- 
 herit it, one as well as another." None hath jire- 
 eminence above others in the things of Christ and 
 God. As the Jews could not say. This laud is more 
 mine than yours, I have the privileges, you have 
 not ; so a saint, a chri>tian, a true nn raber of the 
 universal church, cannot say. The church, or privi- 
 leges of it, are more mine than others who are in 
 the same ; " for all are one in Christ Jesus," Gal. iii. 
 28 ; and there is but " one body, one Spirit, one 
 hope, ofie Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and 
 Father of all," Epii. iv. 4 — 6 : it is one and the same 
 grace of God, one and the same righti-ousness of 
 Christ, one and the same eternal life, which they are 
 interested in. 
 
 4. The state of chi'istians in the church, and all 
 the spiritual blessings they have therein, are of free 
 grace, and mere mercy. " This land shall fall to 
 you for iidicritance," ver. 14; and. "ye shall divide 
 it by lot for an inheritance," ver. 22. It was ft-eelv 
 given them, and what good soever was there, in all 
 the milk and honey thereof In like manner, the 
 bringing of men into Zion, to be members of Christ's 
 body, and all the spiritual milk and honey they enjoy 
 in that state, is of mere grace and good pleasure. 
 Saith Christ himself, No man eometli unto me, ex- 
 cept the Father draw him, John vi. 44. God hath 
 given unto Christ some men, John xvii. 2; and 
 those God hath given to Christ, he brings them to 
 Christ, from whom they have milk, wine, and honey. 
 
 5. The church of God under the gospel, consisted 
 of gentiles as well as of Jews. This appears from 
 this, that strangers miglit sojourn amongst them. 
 The gentiles were strangers, being neither of the 
 seed of Abraham, nor of the commonwealth of Israel, 
 Eph. ii. 12; but they were under Christ to be in 
 Canaan, that is, in the church. John x. 16, of tTiese 
 Christ spake when he said, " Other sheep I have, 
 which are not of this fold ; them also I must bring," 
 that is, info the fcdd. It was prophesied in Isa. xlix. 
 22, that the gentihs should come in; "Thus saith 
 the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to 
 the gentiles, and set up my standard to the pi ople ; 
 and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy 
 daughters shall be carried ujion their shoulders," 
 &c. : the genfih'S and their children should believe, 
 and come into the church of Christ. And Isa. Ivi. 
 (j, 7, " Also the sons of the stranger, that join them- 
 selves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the 
 name of the Lord, to be his servants," iS:c. " even 
 them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make 
 
 them joyful in my house of prayer :" see Isa. Ixv. 1. 
 
 Zech. ii. II, " Many nations shall be joined to the 
 Lord in that day, and shall be my people." These 
 prophecies, and many other to the same purpose, 
 are made good, and the gentiles are in and of the 
 church of God. The gentiles had repentance granted 
 to them unto life, Acts xi. 18. 
 
 fi. The tenders of mercy, and invitations to Zion, 
 were first to the Jews, and after to the gentiles. The 
 land of Canaan was first for Israilites, and then for 
 sojourners. Christ first tendered himself and all 
 gosjiel means, unto the Jews, John i. II; Matt, 
 xxiii. 37; he sent his disciples first to them, Matt. x. 
 5 — 7, afterwards to the gentili s. Matt, xxviii. 19. 
 Hence said Paul and Barnabas, Acts xiii. 4(), " It 
 was necessary that the word of God should first be 
 spoken unto you ; but seeing ye put it from you, lo, 
 we turn to the gentiles." The Jews were the seed 
 of Abraham, the friend of God, Isa. xli. 8 ; they were 
 his firstborn, Exod. iv. 22 ; they were tlie children 
 of the prophets and of the covenant, and to them 
 God first sent his Son to bless them. Acts iii. 25, 26. 
 
 7. That one and the same inheritance belongs to 
 the believing Jew and gentile ; the same land was 
 biith the Jews' and the strangers' to inherit, which 
 prefigured their being in one and the same church, 
 their having the same privileges, the same interest 
 in Christ ; there is one and the same inheritance to 
 both. Col. i. 12, " Giving thanks unto the Father, 
 who hath made us meet fo be partakers of the in- 
 heritance of the saints in light." All the saints have 
 but one inheritance, and that is reserved in heaven, 
 1 Pet. i. 4. This inheritance was typified by the 
 land of Canaan. So then the partition-wall is broken 
 down between Jews and gentiles, all former diifer- 
 ei.ces are taken away, and they are no more two but 
 one ; they are both one, one new man, one body, 
 Eph. ii. 14 — 16; Jew and gentile are so united as if 
 there had been no distinction between them ; Col. 
 iii. II, " There is neither Greek nor Jew, circum- 
 cision nor uncircumeision, barbarian, Scythian, bond 
 nor free; but Christ is all, and in all." Tlie Lord 
 Christ by his death and suflerings hath reconciled 
 those who were at the greatest enmity. 
 
 CHAPTER XLVm. 
 
 Ver. 1 — 7. vVow these are the names of the 
 tiibes. From the north end to the coast of the 
 way of Hethhm, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazar- 
 enan, the horder of Damasctts nofthivard, to the 
 coast of Hamath ; for these are his sides east and 
 west ; a portion for Dan. And bij the border of 
 Dan, fiom the east side unto the west side, a por- 
 tion for Asher. And by the border of Asher,from 
 the east side even ttnto the west side, a poitionfor 
 Naphtali. And by the border of NaphtaJi,from 
 the east side unto the west side, a portion for Ma- 
 7iasseh. And by the bolder of Manasseh, from 
 the east side unto the west side, a portion for 
 Ephraim. And by the bolder of Ephraim,from 
 the east side even unto the west side, a portion for 
 Reuben. And hy the border of Reiibe7i.fr oyn the 
 east side even unto the west side, a po rtionfo r Jicdah. 
 
 Being come, through the assistance of God, to 
 open the last chapter of Ezekiel's prophecy, we have 
 in it three pr^rts : 
 
 I. An assignation or distribution of particidar por- 
 tions to each tribe, ver. 1 — 7, 23 — 29.
 
 Ver. 1—7. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 825 
 
 II. A description of the otTering or holy portion of 
 land, (as it is called, chap. xlv. 1,) with the bounds 
 and parts allotted, 
 
 1. To the sanctuary, vcr. 8, 9. 
 
 2. To the priests, ver. 10 — 12. 
 
 3. To the Levites, ver. 13, 14. 
 
 4. To the city and suburbs, ver. 15 — 19. 
 
 5. To the prince, vcr. 21, 22. 
 
 III. A description of the city. 
 
 1. From the dimension of it on each side, ver. 30. 
 
 2. From the gates of it, ver. 31 — 34. 
 
 3. From the compass of it, ver. 35. 
 
 4. From the name of it, ibid. 
 
 Concerning the distributions of the land to particu- 
 lar tribes, they diflVr much from those which were 
 made in Josliua's days. Then the tribe of Benjamin's 
 lot was between Judah and Joseph, as it is Josh, 
 xviii. II ; but in this chapter Benjamin's lot is be- 
 tween Judah and Simeon, ver. 22 — 24. Then the 
 tribe of Simeon had its lot within Judah, Josh. xix. 
 19; here, it is out of Judah and next to Benjamin, 
 ver. 24. And so of other tribes ; their lot is other- 
 wise in this visional distribution of Ezekiel than it 
 was formerly, and many things he had concerning 
 the temple, sacrifices, the lot of the prince, piriests, 
 and Levites, which Solomon never had, and never 
 were had under the second temple, and therefore 
 pointed out the change of Mosaical and Levitical 
 ways, and led to a new state of the church. 
 
 Ver. 1. " These are the names of the tribes. From 
 the north end," &c. Of the twelve tribes, seven 
 were in the north and five in the south, as they are 
 set down in this chapter ; and the portion of the 
 sanctuary, priests, Levites, cities, and prince, lay be- 
 tween the tribes thus divided. 
 
 Dan is the first tribe mentioned in Ezekiel's divi- 
 sion. It was not so in Joshua's ; then, Dan was the 
 last tribe which had his portion, as is evident, Josh. 
 xix. 40, 49 ; and because it was too little for them, 
 the men of Dan took Leshem, or Laish, named it 
 Dan, and so enlarged their borders. This tribe first 
 fell from God and embraced idols ; for after they 
 had gotten Laish, they set up a graven image, Judg. 
 xviii. 29 — 31 ; and therefore this tribe is left out of 
 the catalogue when the other tribes are mentioned, 
 1 Chron. vii. and Rev. vii. In the prophetical bless- 
 ings of Jacob, Dan and Issachar were in the midst. 
 Gen. xlix. 14, 16. Here Dan is in the front; which 
 gives us to consider, 
 
 1. The truth of what our Lord Christ hath given 
 out. Matt. xix. 30, " The last shall be first :" Dan was 
 the last, and here he is the first ; he hath the honour 
 and pjre-eminence above the rest. David was the 
 youngest and last of Jesse's sons, and he was m:.\ie 
 the first, being anointed to be king by Samuel, 1 
 Sam. xvi. 11 — 14. Those workers in the vineyard, 
 the Lord ordered that his steward should pay the 
 last first, and the first last. Matt. xx. 8, 16; Mark x. 
 31. Luke xiii. 30, "There are last which shall be 
 first;" the gentiles were last in the Jews' account, 
 but God made them first : " and there are first w-hich 
 shall be last ;" the Jews were first in their own eyes, 
 but they were made last, and of no estrem, in the 
 eyes of God. Luke xviii. 14, the jmblican, who was 
 last in the account of the Pharisee, was first in the 
 account of God. 
 
 2. Those that have deserted God and his wr'.ys, 
 gone far and long from him, may find mercy, repent, 
 and be received to favour. These Danites met with 
 mercy from God, repented thtm of their idolatry, 
 and returned to him again, else they had never been 
 honoured so far as to be set in the first place. When 
 great sinners come unto God, who were looked upon 
 as the last and worst of men, God doth not only pardon 
 
 them, but ofttimes honours them and makes them 
 the first ; as Paul, Acts ix. 15, " He is a chosen ves- 
 sel unto me, to bear my name before the gentiles, 
 and kings, and the children of Israel." He had been 
 a great persecutor, blasphemous, injurious, but when 
 he embraced the faith of Christ, he was made the 
 chief of the apostles. 
 
 3. God, of iiis good pleasure and free grace, calls 
 and recalls whom he will. These Danites had no- 
 thing in them to move God to own them for his peo- 
 ple at first, nothing to move him to recall them, being 
 degenerate and fallen into idolatrous passages, unless 
 we make wickedness an argument thereunto ; and if 
 so, there is sufficient of that in the devils to move 
 the Lord to show mercy ; but wickedness provokes 
 to destroy, not to show mercy. The best thing in 
 man induccth not God to show mercy ; that is from 
 his will, Rom. ix. 15. It was God's free grace which 
 took Abraham at first out of an idolatrous country 
 and family. Josh. xxiv. 23: it was free grace that 
 he took Isaac, not Ishmael ; Jacob, not Esau : and so 
 that he took Dan at first, and recalled him at last : 
 and so the prodigal. 
 
 Dan and the rest of the tribes had their several 
 portions (being all in captivity, both Judah and Ben- 
 jamin at this time) allotted unto them, which may 
 represent unto us what the condition of the Jews 
 shall be under Christ; however now they be scat- 
 tered, yet doubtless there is a time when they shall 
 come to Zion, and have their several portions in the 
 church of Christ. John's vision. Rev. vii. adds 
 great weight to this tenet, he " saw twelve thousand 
 sealed out of every tribe," which he distinguishes 
 from those of other nations who are not said to be 
 sealed, hereby strongly intimating they were Jews, 
 whose conversion Paul had spoken of, Rom. xi. 26, 
 " So all Israel shall be saved ;" that is, all the twelve 
 tribes shall come in and stand with the Lamb on 
 mount Zion, Rev. xiv. 1. 
 
 These tribes had their portions from east to west, 
 all of them, which was the length of this land of Ca- 
 naan, and their breadth from north to south ; which 
 informs us of the large extent of the church of Christ : 
 it reaches to the ends of the earth ; for the Father 
 gave him " the heathen for his inheritance, and the 
 uttermost parts of the earth for his possession," Psal. 
 ii. 8 ; his " dominion was to be from sea to sea, and 
 from the river to the ends of the earth," Psal. Ixxii. 
 8. He was to be " governor among the nations," 
 Psal. xxii. 28; and not only of some few or many of 
 them, but of all them that shall " inherit all nations," 
 Psal. Ixxxii. 8; and "be king over all the earth," 
 Zeeh. xiv. 9. He was from eternity "appointed 
 heir of all things," Heb. i. 2 ; and he must have pos- 
 session of all, which John in his vision saw accom- 
 plished ; Rev. xi. 15, "The kingdoms of this world 
 are become the kingdc-ms of our Lord, and of his 
 Christ ; " so that Christ's church and kingdom is 
 large, and extends to all quarters. 
 
 The portion here given to the seven tribes, Dan, 
 Ashrr,NaphtMli,Manasseh,Ephraim, Reuben, Judah, 
 and to the other five tribes, Benjamin, Simeon, Issa- 
 char, Zebulun, Gad, in the 23d,24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 
 28th, and 29th verses of this ehai-ter, besides the 
 largeness and unlimitedness of the church, do here 
 inform us, 
 
 1. That there is sufficiency of means and mercies 
 for all that have part in the church and kingdom of 
 Christ, Rev. vii. 15—17- 
 
 2. That what portion soever any one hath, is by 
 divine appointment. The Lord allots every one his 
 portion, of what kind soever, Rom. xii. 3; Luke xix. 
 19; xxii. 29. 
 
 3. That there ought to be communion between
 
 823 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLVIII. 
 
 those who are of Christ's kingdom. The tribes lay 
 near together, and their portions, and were to have 
 communion one with another, Epli. ii. 19. 
 
 4. That as there are several portions here for the 
 tribes, so there are several mansions for them in the 
 heavens, John xiv. 2; and not only for believing 
 Jews, but gentiles also. Rev. vii. 9. 
 
 Ver. 8 — 14. A)id hy the border nf Judah, from 
 the east .tide unto the west side, shall be the ojf'er- 
 ing which i/e shall offer of fire and twenty thou- 
 sand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the 
 other parts, from the east side unto the icest side : 
 and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it. The 
 oblation that ye shall offer unto the Lord shall be 
 office and twenty thousand in length, and of ten 
 thousand in breadth. And for them, even for 
 the priests, shall be this holy oblation ; toward the 
 north five and twenty thotisand in length, and to- 
 ward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward 
 the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the 
 south five and twenty thousand in length: and 
 the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in the midst 
 thereof. It shall be for the priests that ai e sanc- 
 tified of the sons of Zadok ; ivhich have kept my 
 charge, which went not astray when the children 
 vf Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray. 
 And this oblation of the land that is offered shall 
 he unto them a thing most holy by the border of 
 the Lecites. And over against the border of the 
 priests the Levites shall have fire and twenty thou- 
 sand in length, and ten thoicsand in breadth : all 
 the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and 
 the breadth ten thousand. And they shall not sell 
 of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the firstfruits 
 of the land : for it is holy unto the Lord. 
 
 The offering of five and twenty thousand reeds of 
 land in length and breadth for the sanctuary, the 
 priests, the Levites, the city, and the prince, we had 
 in the 45th chapter, and therefore shall say little 
 unto these things. 
 
 Ver. 8. " The sanctuary shall be in the midst of 
 it." The sanctuary is the habitation of God, and it 
 is in the midst, that all may equally have access 
 unto it. 
 
 Ver. 9. The oblation to the Lord w~'.s five and 
 twenty thousand reeds in length, and ten thousand 
 in breadth, which was a great eonipriss, and sets out 
 the largeness of the church in the times of the 
 gospel. 
 
 The priests had a large portion ; ver. 10, five and 
 twenty tlionsand reeds of land in length, both north- 
 ward and southward, and ten thousand in breadth, 
 both eastward and westward. This large provision 
 was made for the priests who were holy, from Zadok, 
 which had kept God's charge, and been faithful and 
 constant in apostatizing times. Ver. 11, the Levites 
 also had the same length and breadth of land assign- 
 ed them, ver. 13. Now neither priests nor Levites 
 might sell, exchange, 'or alienate the firstfruits of 
 the land, because it was holy, ver. 12, 14; so that 
 holy things, which are the Lord's, and not men's, are 
 not to be bought and sold, and diverted to other uses. 
 Those who. sell holy things, sell what is the Lord's, 
 not their own, and there is no justice in that. 
 
 By these portions of the priests and Levites, is 
 prefigured the increase and maintenance of the 
 preachers of the gospid ; for as nuiintenancc was 
 due to the priests by the Levitiral law, so now it is 
 due by the liglit of nature ; 1 Cor. ix. 9, " The 
 
 mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn" must not 
 be muzzled ; and by the light of the gospel, ver. 14, 
 "the Lord liath ordained that they who preach the 
 gospel should live of the gospel." 
 
 Ver. U. "The priests that are sanctified." The 
 priests were first to be separated. Numb. viii. 14; 
 Dent. X. 8 ; Hcb. v. 1 ; and their separation was from 
 common persons, things, and ends. They were to 
 be for a holy God, holy services, and for holy ends. 
 
 2. They were to be sanctified and consecrated unto 
 God, Exod. XXX. 30; Lev. xxi. lU. 
 
 3. They were to approach and come near unto 
 God, Lev. xxi. 1/; Nuuib. iv. 19; Ezek. xliii. 19. 
 
 4. They were to offer the sacrifice which the 
 people were to bring unto them, otherwise they were 
 not accepted. Lev. v. 8, 10. 
 
 Ver. 15 — 20. And the Jive thousand, that are 
 left in the breadth over against the five a7^d twenty 
 thousand, shall be a profane place for the city, for 
 dwelling, and for suburbs : and the city shall be in 
 the midst thereof. And these shall be the measures 
 thereof; the north side four thousand and five 
 hundred, and the south side four thousand and five 
 hundred, and on the east side four thousand and 
 five hundred, and the west side four thousand and 
 five hundred. And the subui-bs of the city shall 
 be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and 
 toward the south two hundred and Ji fly, and to- 
 ward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward 
 the west two hundred and fifty. And the residue 
 in length over against the oblation of the holy 
 portion shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten 
 thotisand westward : and it shall be over against 
 the oblation of the holy portion ; and the increase 
 thereof shall be fo)' food unto them that serve the 
 city. And they that serve the city shall serve it 
 out (f all the tribes of Israel. All the oblation 
 shall be five and twenty thousand by five and 
 twenti/ thousand : ye shall offer the holy oblation 
 foursquare, tvith the possession of the city. 
 
 The place where the city was to be is called a pro- 
 fane place ; not simply and absolutely so, but re- 
 spectively, as compared witli the possessions of the 
 priests and Levites ; for in Scripture sense that is 
 counted common, uneircumeised, or profane, which is 
 compared with that which is more holy : see Lev. xix. 
 23. This place, then, though it were profane in re- 
 spect of the portion of the priests and Levites, yet 
 was it holy in part, for it was part of the holy por- 
 tion, chap. xlv. 1 ; and a type of the heavenly Jeru- 
 salem. Tlie city was to be in the midst of it, and 
 was foursquare, having four thousand and five hun- 
 dred cubits, say some, reeds, say others, and so was 
 of vast extent. The suburbs also on each part of 
 it were alike, of two hundred and fifty measures 
 apiece. 
 
 It is said, ver. 18, that the increase of the ten 
 thousand measures eastward and westward shall be 
 for food to them that serve the city. God is careful 
 of, and bountiful to, those who shall serve him; if 
 any shall come to this city, the church of God, and 
 serve him and his people, there they are provided 
 for beforehand; God hath allotted out ten thousand 
 reeds of land, east and west, which he will bless so 
 as it shall increase, and that increase shall be for 
 them. In the apostles' times, when the church was 
 grown numerous, there was not any among them 
 whi( h lacked : (iod provided for them by stirring up 
 the hearts of owners to sell lands and houses, Arts 
 iv. 34, 35. And not only here are we to look at the
 
 Ver. 21—35. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 827 
 
 temporary provision God makes for the faithful, but 
 that eternal reward also which they shall have in 
 heaven, the city which halh foundations, Heb. xi. 
 10; where they shall have an "exceeding and eter- 
 nal weight of glory," 2 Cor. iv. 17. 
 
 The lilth verse dictates three things unto us : 
 
 1. That the citizens of this city are hoiy men, not 
 common, profane men ; they are Israelites, not Gi- 
 beonites ; common men do not inhabit the holy city. 
 Rev. xxi. 27, " There shall in no w ise enter into it 
 any thing that shall defile ;" those that keep the 
 commands of God shall enter into this city. Rev. 
 xxii. 14, 15, dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, mur- 
 derers, idolaters, liars, shall be shut out. 
 
 2. That they are men chosen, not out of one or 
 two tribes, but out of every tribe ; they that serve 
 this city must be out of all the tribes. God did not 
 fake some only out of Judali and Ephraim, the great 
 and more honourable tribes, but some out of the 
 other and lesser tribes. God is a free agent, and 
 may take where, when, and whom he pleases j Rev. 
 vii., " some were sealed out of every tribe." 
 
 3. Those that are of this city are to be service- 
 able ; they are to improve their talents, whatever 
 they be, for the good of the city : " they that serve 
 the eity shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel." 
 The apostles were servants to this city, and they 
 went up and down into all the tribes of Israel to 
 serve this eity. Ministers and christians should now 
 expend themselves for the church of God, and labour 
 to bring some into it out of all parts. God gives 
 gifts and graces to ministers and others for this end, 
 that they should be serviceable to the eity of God : 
 1 Pet. iv. 10, "As every one liath received the gift 
 of God, even so minister the same one to another, as 
 good stewards of the manifold grace of God." 
 
 Ver. 20. The whole of the holy oblation made a 
 foursquare, every square being five and twenty thou- 
 sand reeds. The eity which John saw lay fourscii.are. 
 Rev. xxi. 16; such a figure hath beauty and stability 
 in it, and represented the beautifulness and stable- 
 ness of the church, Cant. vi. 16 ; Matt. xvi. IS. 
 
 Ver. 21, 22. A7id the resklue shall be for the 
 piince, on the one iUle and on the other of the 
 holy oblation, and of the possession of the citi/, 
 over against the fire and twenty thousand of the 
 oblation toward the east border, and westwaid 
 over against the fire and tuenty thousand toward 
 the west bolder, over against the portions for the 
 prince : and it shall be the holy oblation ; and 
 the sanctuary of the house shall be in the midst 
 thereof. 3/oreovcr from the possessio7i of the 
 Leviles, and from the possession of the city, being 
 in the midst of that which is the prince's, between 
 the border of ,/ndah and the border of Benjamin, 
 shall be for the prince. 
 
 The prince here spoken of is the same with him, 
 chap. xlv. 7, 8; interja-eted to be neither any civil 
 prince, nor the high priest, but the Lord Christ, who 
 is King of Zion. Whatever of the holy obhition was 
 not for the sanctuary, priests, Levites, and the eity, 
 was the prince's ; and what was beyond the holy ob- 
 lation was his. His territories extend far ; and 
 such is the dignity of his person, as that the Father 
 hath given him the ends of the earth to pi.ssess, 
 Psal. ii. 8. Not only Canaan, which typed out the 
 church, was his dominion, but even the nations and 
 whole earth, Psal. Ixxxii. 8: Zech. xiv. 9. 
 
 The sanctuary, the city, the priests, and the Le- 
 vites, were in the midst. The prince's portion was 
 on both sides of them ; he was their sccuxity and de- 
 
 fence. Christ is the defence of his church and peo- 
 ple ; he is on both sides of them, round about them. 
 He is a wall of fire round about Jerusalem, 'Zech. ii. 
 5 : he is the w atclmian thereof, and keeps it night 
 and day, Isa. xxvii. 3: that is his glory, and himself 
 is the defence of his glory, Isa. iv. 5. 
 
 Ver. 28. By the border of Gad, at the south 
 side southward, the border shall be, djc 
 
 When Jacob did prophetically bless the tribes, 
 Dan and Gad went together. Gen. xlix. 17, 19; but 
 here they are placed opposite ; Dan in the utmost 
 part of the north, ver. 1 ; Gad in the utmost part of 
 the south : for Tamar (which signifies, a palm tree, 
 and after was called Palmyra) was the furthest town 
 southward in Judea, near the lake Asphaltites, or 
 the Dead sea. This portion of Gad reaeheth unto 
 Meribah-Kadesh, which was in the wilderness of 
 Zin, Deut. xxxii. 51. There was another Meribah 
 in Rephidim, Exod. xvii. 7, where the Israelites did 
 chide with Moses for want of water, after they came 
 out of tlie wilderness of Zin, ver. 1, 2. The Lord 
 may dispose of tribes and families, and seat them in 
 north, or south, or wherever he please, in hot or 
 cold countries, in fruitful or barren lands. 
 
 Ver. 29. lliis is the land which ye shall divide 
 by lot tinto the ti'ibcs of Israel for inlwritunce. 
 
 The Hebrew is thus. This is the land which ye 
 shall make or cause to fall from, or for, the inherit- 
 ance to the tribes of Israel. That is, by lot you shall 
 make the inheritance fall unto every tribe ; none 
 were to choose what inheritance they would have, 
 but to take that where the lot fell. This, as (Eeo- 
 lampadius saith, is the conclusion of the whole chap- 
 ter; and that which follows is the situation and mea- 
 sures, the gates and ministers, of the city, their 
 maintenance and use. 
 
 " These are their portions, saith the Lord God." 
 The Hebrew, is, Adonai Jehovah, the Lord Lord, 
 the Lord who is Sovereign of all, the Lord who 
 gives being to aH things, and to his word. 
 
 Ver. 30 — 35. And these are the goings out of 
 the city on the noith side, four thousand and Jive 
 hundred measttres. And the gates of the city 
 shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel : 
 three gates northward ; 07ie gate of lieuben, 07te 
 gate ofJudah, one gate of Levi. And at the 
 cast side four thousand a7id Jive hundred: and 
 three gates ; a7id one gate of Joseph, 07ie gate of 
 Benjamin, one gate of Dan. And at the south 
 side foul' thousand a7id Jive hundred measures : 
 and three gates ; one gate of Si7neon, one gate of 
 Issachai', one gate of Zebuhin. At the irest side 
 four tho7isand cmd Jive hundred, uith their three 
 gates ; one gate oj' Gad, one gate of Asher, one 
 gate of Naphtali. It wets rou7td abotit eighteen 
 thousand measures : and the name of the city from 
 that day shall be, The Lord is there. 
 
 Ver. 30. "These are the goings out of the city." 
 Some understand by the goings out the gates ; but 
 Jerom makes them to be the compass of the city, 
 from its four sides ; for not the gates, but the sides, 
 had four thousand and five hundred measures; at 
 these goings out was the utmost term and extent of 
 the city. 
 
 Ver. 31. "The gates of the eity shall be after the 
 names of the tribes of Israel," &c. In the distribu- 
 tion of the portions of lanil Levi was left out, (he 
 must i:ot be troubled with the things of this world,)
 
 828 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Chap. XLVIII. 
 
 but in the assignment of the gates, there is one of 
 Levi, or for Levi ; he had riglit to the city, and all 
 the privileges of it, as much as the other tribes. 
 
 In the 45th chapter, and several verses of this 
 48th, mention is made of the city ; but in the six- 
 teenth verse, and these last six verses, is the fullest 
 description of the city : and it is described, 
 
 1. From the measures which were on each side; 
 for as the goings out of the city northward were four 
 thousand and five hundred measures, so were the 
 goings out of the south, east, and west: and that we 
 may not question it, the Itith verse asserts it ; " These 
 shall be the measures thereof; the north side four 
 thousand and five hundred, and the south side four 
 thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four 
 thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thou- 
 sand and five hundred ;" they were all alike in thtir 
 measures. What these measures were, is of moment 
 to inquire. We have only two mentioned in this 
 vision, reeds and cubits ; by these, the temple, city, 
 and things pertaining unto them, were measured. 
 Chap. xl. 5, the measuring reed in the man's hand 
 was six cubits long, and a hand breadth ; and if we 
 take measures here for reeds, viz. four thousand and 
 five hundred reeds, in all they come to eighteen 
 thousand reeds, which make one hundred anil eight 
 thousand cubits, and eighteen thousand hands' 
 breadth : and after this account every side of the 
 city is eight miles and one hundred paces ; fur 
 eighteen thousand reeds make thirty two miles and 
 four hundred paces, as A Lapide obserVLS : so that 
 this city was very large. Others Kssen the city 
 greatly, and make the measures to be only cubits, 
 and so each side of the city comes to be a mile and 
 almost a half long, which was no great length nor 
 breadth, being both equal. HatTenretrcrus makes 
 the measures to be cubits, and insists upon it much ; 
 but others are of a ditlerent judgment from him. 
 And seeing the city in the Revelation was measured 
 by the reed, it seems also more than probable that 
 this also was measured by the same measure : Rev. 
 xxi. 1.5, 16, " He measured the city with a reed, 
 twelve thousand furlongs." As Ezekiel's city exceed- 
 ed the former city much, so John's city exceeded 
 Ezekiel's far more ; for, being square as the other 
 was, it had three thousand furlongs on each side, 
 which make three hundred seventy and five miles, 
 reckoning eight furlongs to a mile. So that this 
 city, being three hundred seventy and five miles in 
 length, and as many in breadth, was the best city 
 that ever was. 
 
 2. It is described from the gates of it. This city 
 had twelve gates, three on every side ; and these 
 gates were according to the names of the tribes of 
 Israel: Reuben, Judah, Levi, had the north gates; 
 Joseph, Benjamin, Dan, had the east gates ; Simeon, 
 Issachar, Zebulun, had the south gates ; Gad, Asher, 
 Naphtali, had the west gates : the several names of 
 the tribes were written upon the gates. Herein 
 Ezekiel's and John's city, the new Jerusalem, do 
 fully agree ; for John's had twelve gates, three on 
 each quarter, and the names of the twelve tribes 
 written upon them. Rev. xxi. 12. 
 
 3. It is described from the compass of it: vcr. 35, 
 " It was roimd aljout eighteen thousand measures." 
 Take measures for cubits, and then it was not above 
 six miles in compass, but if we take them for reeds, 
 as divers do, then the eomjiass of tliis city is thirty- 
 two miles and almost a half; but far short of tlie 
 compass of the new Jerusalem, that great city, which 
 ■was fifteen hundred miles about, for 'so niaiiy miles 
 do twelve thousand furlongs amount unto. Both 
 the city which John saw measured, and that Ezekiel 
 saw measured, were foursquare, comely, firm, and 
 
 durable ; the court was foursquare, Ezek. xl. 4/ ; the 
 holy oblation was so, chap, xlviii. 20 ; and so was 
 the city. 
 
 4. It is described from the name : ver. 35, " The 
 name of the city from that day shall be Jehovah- 
 shammah. The Lonl is there." From the day of 
 its building and inhabitation it shall be called so. 
 Many cities have had glorious and significant names ; 
 as Nicopolis, Tit. iii. 12, which signifies. The victo- 
 rious city : Nazareth, Luke iv. Hi, notes, sanctified 
 or separated : Bcthsaida, Matt. xi. 21, the house of 
 fruits or meats : Bethlehem, Luke ii. 4, the house of 
 bread : Jerusalem, the vision of peace : but they 
 fall short of this name, " Jehovah-shammah." 
 
 Some make the meaning of these words, " the 
 name of the city shall be. The Lord is there," to be 
 tliis, that God would be in the city ; not that the 
 city was, or shall be ever, called so: as it is said of 
 Christ, his name shall be called, " Wonderful, Coun- 
 sellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the 
 Prince of Peace ;" he was so, but not called by those 
 names ; and so this city, it shall have God in it there 
 present, yet not be so named. But I see nothing hin- 
 ders but it may both be so calh d and have God in it, 
 and because God is there, therefore to be so called. 
 
 The name " Jehovah" is a glorious and fearful 
 name. Dent, xxviii. 5S. Junius hath the words thus, 
 That name most gloriously and highly to be rever- 
 enced. Bernard calls it a majestical name. Some 
 observe that the Jews, after their return from Baby- 
 lon, had such high and reverential thoughts of the 
 name " Jehovah," that they thought it not fit to be 
 pronounced,' but u^^ed tlie name " Adonai " in the 
 stead thereof, h'Stit should be profaned. This glorious, 
 majestical, and most holy name, is given to this city. 
 
 What is meant by " the city," is of concernment 
 to know. Some by it understand Jerusalem liter- 
 ally, as it was rebuilt by the Jews after their re- 
 turn, together with the civil state, in which the 
 prince governed by civil laws, just weights and 
 measures ; but such a city as is here described was 
 never built by the Jews after their captivity. To 
 let that opinion pass, some do make this city Ezekiel 
 saw to be a model and platform of that city the 
 Jews (wdio should be called, converted, and brought 
 to their own land again) should build and iidiabit ; 
 but because the Jews' return to their own land is 
 denied by some, questioned by many, and doubted by 
 most, whether ever such a city as that which here 
 is held out, viz. of thirty-two miles' compass, shall be 
 built by them, it is safest to interpret this city 
 typically ; and in this sense interpreters are not all of 
 a mind; for some make it to be a representative of 
 heaven, and the amplitude or graces thereof; others 
 make it to be a representation of the church under 
 the gospel, in the former times thereof especially, 
 yet short of that city, the heavenly Jerusalem, which 
 John saw. Rev. xxi.; for though this city and that 
 agree in some things, yet they differ in many. I 
 shall show you some dhlcrence between them. 
 
 1. The gates of Ezekiel's city had no angels to 
 keep it in ; lait at the twelve gates of John's city 
 there were twelve angels to keep them. Rev. xxi. 12. 
 
 2. In Ezekiel's city there was a temple ; but in 
 John's there is none. Rev. xxi. 22. 
 
 3. The materials of Ezekiel's city were inferior 
 to tho.se of John's, which were gold, j)carl, and 
 precious stones, Rev. xxi. 18 — 22. 
 
 4. The waters of this city came from under the 
 threshold of the temple, and from the south side o. 
 the altar; but John's city had a pure river of water 
 of life, clear as crystal, which proceeded from the 
 throne of God and of Ihe Land), Rev. xxii. 1. 
 
 5. Ezekiel's city had all trees for meat and medi-
 
 Ver. 30—35. 
 
 THE BOOK OF KZEKIEL. 
 
 829 
 
 cine on both sides of the banks of the river; John's 
 had one by the tree of life, which bears twelve man- 
 ner of fruits, Rev. xxii. 2. 
 
 6. The light and glory of Bzekiel's city fell short 
 of that whicli John's had, Rev. xxi. 23; for it had 
 no need of the sun nor of the moon to shine in it, 
 for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is 
 the light thereof. 
 
 7. Ezckit I's city was not half so great as John's, 
 the one being only eighteen thousand measures in 
 compass, and the other twelve thousand furlongs in 
 length, breadth, and height. Rev. xxi. Ki. 
 
 8. John's city had a wall of twelve foundations, 
 and in them the names of the twelve apostles ; 
 Ezekiel's city had a wall, chap. xl. 5, but no names 
 in it of prophets or apostles. 
 
 Now, notwithstanding this city John saw, the new 
 Jerusalem, exceeded that our jirophet saw very much, 
 yet they both represent the church of Christ here on 
 earth, and it will not be denied but that they may in 
 part represent it in heaven. 
 
 By this city of Ezekiel I conceive is pointed out 
 unto us the glorious state of the christian church in 
 the latter days ; it hath been a long time said to war 
 under antichrist and his instruments ; the breaches 
 and ruins of it at this day are great, and the face of 
 such a city hardly visible ; but when the times of 
 antichrist's destruction, and the Jews' conversion, do 
 come, then shall this city be built, then .vhall Zion 
 be in her glory ; the christian church shall be then 
 in a greater glory than formerly. If the coming in 
 of the gentiles at first began the foundation of this 
 city, what will the fulness of the gentiles be when 
 that is come, Rom. xi. 25, but a glorious addition to 
 this city ? And then w'hen the fulness of the Jews 
 shall be added to the christian church, to this city, 
 what will that be but life from the dead ? ver. 
 15; the perfecting of this city, wherein shall be a 
 temple suitable ? which John minds us of. Rev. xi. 
 1, where the temple, altar, and worshippers are 
 measured ; and it is observable where there is men- 
 tion of measuring, and so building a temple, respect 
 is had unto the Jews : and the one thousand two 
 hundred and sixty days, put for years, are drawing to 
 an end, and God is about some great things to be 
 done in the world, and will ere long break forth. 
 
 That by this city is represented the church, some 
 rabbins themselves do acknowledge ; for though 
 they deny our Christ to be the Messiah, because he 
 never built them such a temple and city as Ezekiel 
 describes, yet they acknowledge this city and ft mple 
 to be understood, not corporally or literally, but 
 mystically and spiritually. And the Talmudists 
 affirm, that by Jerusalem we are to understand the 
 gathering of the gentiles to Christ, or the whole 
 body of christians. 
 
 There are several things observable concerning 
 this city or church of Christ. 
 
 1. That it is well and strongly founded. Usually 
 citirs are built upon hills and mountains, which are 
 the strongest parts of the earth ; and so was this city. 
 Chap. xl. 2, Ezekiel saw the frame of this city upon 
 a veiy high mountain, and on such a mountain is 
 the christian church built; on the mountain of God's 
 decree and power, on the mountain of righteousness 
 and truth ; it is built upon Christ the Rock of ages, 
 such a Rock as the gates of hell cannot shake or 
 shatter. John tells us of this city, the new Jerusa- 
 lem, that it had twelve foundations, three on every 
 square, which were sure, firm, and would never fail. 
 The Lord Christ, the holy Scriptures, and the doc- 
 trine of the holy prophets and apostles, must fall to 
 the ground before tlie church shall be ruined, 2 Tim. 
 ii. li). 
 
 2. It is comely and beautiful. Cities which are 
 built foursquare especially are so, and such was this 
 city ; it had four thousand and five hundred measures 
 on each quarter ; there was nothing nnsiglitly on 
 any of the four quarters, they were all parallel, and 
 had gates alike in them, which presented it very de- 
 lightful to the eye. The church of Christ is comely 
 and beautiful ; it is built not of unhewn stones or 
 timber, but such as are well hewn and orderly laid 
 together. Hence the church of Corinth is called 
 " God's building," 1 Cor. iii. 9 ; and the church in 
 general the " city of the living God," Heb. xii. 22. 
 The church is such a building, such a city, as is full 
 of comeliness and beauty ; it is a " congregation of 
 saints," Psal. cxlix. 1 ; it is the garden of Christ, 
 Cant. iv. 12 ; his kingdom. Matt. xiii. 41 ; his spouse, 
 whom himself saith is fair, yea, the " fairest among 
 women," Cant. i. 8; " pleasant," ver. 16 ; and "beau- 
 tiful," chap. vii. 1. The church is Christ's body, 
 Eph. i. 23; the Spirit's temple, 1 Cor. iii. 16; arid 
 therefore hath curious work in it, very glorious and 
 beautiful. What David said of Zion, Psal. 1. 2, that 
 it was " the perfection of beauty," is most true of 
 the church under Christ and in Christ, it is " the 
 perfection of beauty :" Heb. x. 14, " By one offering 
 he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." 
 
 3. The greatness and ami)litude of this city. It 
 had four thousand and five hundred measures east- 
 ward, west, north, and southward; it was eighteen 
 thousand measures in compass ; which sets out the 
 greatness and vast extent of the church of Christ. 
 Zech. X. 10, God saith he will bring the Jews from 
 Egypt and Assyria, and so multiply them that place 
 shall not be found for them. Isa. xlix. 20, " The 
 children shall say in thine ears," that is, in the ears 
 of the church, " The place is too strait for me : give 
 place to nie that I may dwell." The christian 
 church is spoken of; which should multiply so, that 
 their habitation must be enlarged, as it is, Isa. liv. 
 1 — 3. Now the tents and curtains of Zion's habita- 
 tion are stretched to the ends of the earth, Psal. ii. 
 8; Mai. i. 11, " From the rising of the sun unto the 
 going down thereof." 
 
 4. The city hath access unto it fi-om all parts. 
 Great cities have many gates, east gates, west gates, 
 north gates, and south gates ; so had this city twelve 
 gates, in every quarter tliree, which signifies unto 
 us the great access which should be unto the church 
 of Christ from all parts. Not only Jews should come 
 out of the twelve tribes to enter and dwell in this 
 city, and be under the government of it, but multi- 
 tudes of gentiles out of all nations and quarters of tha 
 world should do so. Rev. vii. John saw not only 
 twelve thousand Jews enter in at each gate, but a 
 great multitude also which no man could number, of 
 all nations, kindreds, peoples, tongues. The Jews 
 were numerable, forty-four thousand, but the gen- 
 tiles were above so many millions ; the number of 
 them which entered by the gates was innumerable. 
 
 5. The hapjiiness of this city, which is from the 
 Lord's inhabiting there, and giving it its denomina- 
 tion. The name of it shall be, Jehovah-shammah, 
 " The Lord is there." Alexandria was not so happy 
 in Alexander, nor Constantinople so happy in Con- 
 stantine. nor Jerusalem in Solomon, as this city shall 
 be in Jehovah. We read in saered Scripture of a 
 golden city, Isa. xiv. 4 ; of a royal city, 1 Sam. xxvii. 
 5; of a renowned city, Ezek. xxvi. 17: but their 
 glory and happiness was a shadow to the glory and 
 happiness of this city; they were cities without God, 
 Jehovah was not there; but here will the Lord him- 
 self be. 
 
 These words, Jehovah-shammah, import, 
 
 I. The presence of God in the church, and that ib
 
 830 
 
 AN EXPOSITION UPON 
 
 Ci!AP. XLYIII. 
 
 a happiness to have his presence. When God left 
 the temple and city of Jerusalem, that was their 
 great misery, Hos. ix. 12. His presence in heaven 
 makes it heaven; and his presence in the chiireh 
 makes it happy : " Thus saith the Lord, I am returned 
 unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem : 
 and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth ; and 
 the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy moun- 
 tain." God's presence makes it a city of truth, and a 
 holy mountain : and that city is happy which hath 
 truth and holiness in it, Zech. viii. 3. 
 
 2. His continuance in it. He will not be as a 
 guest in an inn, but as an heir in his inheritance ; he 
 will dwell there ; he will not leave this city, nor de- 
 part from it, as he did from Jerusalem of old, and as 
 he did from the Jews after their captivity : Jer. 
 xxxii. 40, " 1 will not turn away from them, to do 
 them good :" Ezek. xxxvii. 2(), " I w ill set my sanc- 
 tuary m the midst of them for evermore :" Rev. vii. 
 15, '"' He that sitteth upon the throne shall dwell 
 with them." It is the happiness of a saint to have 
 the Comforter, and his great happiness to have the 
 same abide with him, and that for ever, John xiv. 
 Ifi; soil is the happiness of the christian to have 
 Christ's presence, and exceeding happiness to have 
 it for ever. 
 
 3. His upholding and preserving of it. The church 
 is " God's building," 1 Cor. iii. 9. lie said in Isaiah's 
 days, " I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and 
 lay thy foundations with sappliires. I will make thy 
 windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and 
 all thy border of pleasant stones," Isa. liv. 11, 12; 
 and when the Lord shall do this, he will be Jehovah- 
 sliamniah, he will uphold and preserve that build- 
 ing : Matt. xvi. 18, " Upon this rock will I build my 
 church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail." He 
 is the Keeper of Israel, Psal. cxxi. 4; I will keep 
 this city from being besieged, stormed, or plundered. 
 
 4. His making himself and his mind known in an 
 especial manner, as he did to Moses : Exod. vi. 3, 
 " I apjieared to Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, 
 by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Je- 
 hovah was I not known unto them ; " but unto 
 Moses he was known by that name, and imparted 
 his mind unto him above others. So shall it be in 
 this city : Isa. xi. 9, " The earth shall be full of the 
 knowledge of Jehovah : " chap. Iii. 0, " My people 
 shall know my name ; " chap. Ix. 16, "Thou shalt 
 know " (that is, the church) " that the Lord," I Jeho- 
 vah, " am thy Saviour."' They in Judah, Israel, 
 Salem, and Zion, had other knowledge of God and his 
 name than the nations had, and they of this city 
 siudl have pieculiar knowledge of God : what others 
 had in the ear, they shall have in the eye ; what 
 others had in the head, they shall have in the heart. 
 Christ will make great and glorious discoveries of 
 himself and of his mind unto the citizens of this city : 
 Kev. xi. 19, "The temple of God was opened in 
 heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of 
 his testament." Christ is the temple of God, and his 
 temple was opened in heaven, that is, the church, 
 frequently called lieaven in this book of the Revela- 
 tion. The ark in the Old Testament temple, which 
 had the table of the law and the pot of manna in it, 
 typed out Christ, the gospel, and mysteries thereof: 
 which held out that Christ, the spiritual Ark, shall 
 not be hid. Jehovah-shammah, God is present in 
 Christ, and Chrint will so open himself to this city, 
 that himself. Father, and mysteries of the gospel, 
 will be more (ilain and manifest th;^n ever. 
 
 5. His ruling and governing of this city. And it 
 is a happy city which hath Jehovah, Christ the King 
 of righteousness, to govern it. Zeeh. xiv. 9, Jehovah 
 " shall be king over all the eartl; : in that day there 
 
 sliall be one Lord ;" not many lords, but one Lord, 
 even the Lord Jesus Christ. Ezek. xxxvii. 22, "One 
 king shall be king to them all," to all the convcrttd 
 Jews and gentihs, which make this city of God. 
 Zeeh. vi. 13, it is said of Christ there, "That he 
 shall build the temple of the Lord ; and he shall bear 
 the glor)', and shall sit and ride upon his throne ;" 
 Christ shall bear the glory, not only for building the 
 temple and the city, but also for ruling, because he 
 will rule righteously and faithfully to the satisfaction 
 of all : Isa. xi. 5, " Righteousness shall be the girdle 
 of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins." 
 This girdle he never puts off, but is girt therewith 
 always, showing his readiness to be faithful and 
 righteous in his government. 
 
 t). The pouring out of his Spirit. Jehovah is there 
 to pour that out more fully. What men had formerly 
 was only the firstfruits of the Spirit, Rom. viii. 23, 
 a few had it poured out upon them ; but then w ill be 
 a more plentiful etfusion, all the citizens of this city 
 shall be filled with the Spirit ; Zech. xii. 8, " He 
 that is feeble among them at that day shall be as 
 David ; and the house of L'avid shall be as God, and 
 the angel of the Lord before them ;" then shall the 
 w eakest, by the Spirit of Christ, abound in gifts and 
 graces, and be as David, who excelled all in his days ; 
 and his house shall be as God, that is, full of the 
 Spirit ; or as the angels, that is, having such grace, 
 qualities, and estimation. 
 
 7. The making the city and citizens honourable 
 and glorious. Then shall it be the renowned, royal, 
 and golden city, gilded with the beams of Christ's 
 glorious presence. From the head cometh glory to 
 tlie body: a wife shineth with her husband's rays, 
 Christ with the glory of the Father, and this city 
 with the glory and beauty of Christ. His presence 
 made the glory of the latter temjile and city greater 
 than the glory of the former; and his presence in 
 this temple and city will make the glory of it greater 
 than that of the latter tcm] le and city, for then he 
 was there in a state of humiliafiim, but he shall not 
 be so in this, he w ill be in his reigning state, and his 
 citizens will be honourable: Zech. ix. IG, "They 
 shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up ;" not as 
 commt n stones, but as the stones of a crown ; and 
 not as stones of a crown falling to the earth, but as 
 stones of a crown liftc d up to be put on the head of 
 a king. How griat is the honour of these citizens! 
 They are brought in. Rev. v. 10, speaking of it them- 
 selves ; Thou " hast made us unto our God kings and 
 priests : and we shall reign on the earth." And this 
 is not all the honour, for besides this, they shall have 
 every one three honourable names ; for Christ, Rev. 
 iii. 12, will write upon them the name of his God, 
 and the name of the city of God, and his own new 
 name. 
 
 8. The keeping them in unity and love. The 
 citizens shall then be of one mind ; Zech. xiv. 9, 
 " In that day there shall be one Lord, and his name 
 one ;" the invocation and worship of his name shall 
 be one. Then shall that be fulfilled, Zeph. iii. 9, 
 " Then will I turn to the people a pure language, 
 that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, 
 to serve him with one consent;" the Hebrew is, 
 with one shoulder; a metaphor taken from oxen 
 in the yoke, which draw together, as with one 
 "hor.lder ; so these citizens shall jointly and unani- 
 mously knit together and worship the Lord Christ. 
 There shall be no schisms, names of distinction, as 
 now there are ; for if, when Christ left the world, 
 the saints were all of one heart, Acts ii. 32, much 
 more so shall it be in this city, when Christ shall be 
 in the midst thereof, and guide them by his Spirit 
 into all truth.
 
 Ver. 30—35. 
 
 THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL. 
 
 831 
 
 9. These words, Jehovah-shammah, import the 
 great dclifjht the Lord will take in this city, and the 
 citizens thereof, in the church, and niemhcrs ther..'of ; 
 Isa. Ixii. 4, Slie .shall be called Ilrphzibah, that is, 
 My delight is in her. Then it will apprar the 
 church is his pleasant portion, Jcr. xii. 10; and the 
 dearly beloved of his soul, ver. 7; his glory, Isa. 
 xlvi. 13; the throne of his glory, Jcr. xiv. 21 ; yea, 
 the crown of his glory, Isa. Ixii. 3. He will delight 
 in them, to do them good, to communicate himself 
 unto them : Rev. vii. 15 — 17, " He that sitteth on the 
 
 throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger 
 no more, neither thirst any more ; neither shall the 
 sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb 
 which is in the midst of the'throne shall feed them, 
 and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters : 
 and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." 
 Nothing shall disturb or harm them, they shalfhave 
 no want, but enjoy all spiritual good, and abound in 
 joy- 
 To God only be glory, through Jesus Christ. 
 
 THE END.
 
 JOHN GUILDS AND SON, PRINTERS.
 
 A TABLE 
 
 OF THE SCRIPTURES OPENED OR ILLUSTRATED IN THE FOREGOING WORK. 
 
 Gfnesis. 
 
 Page 
 
 Genesis. 
 
 Pase 
 
 Exodus 
 
 Paje 
 
 Deuteronomy. 
 
 Pa?e 
 
 j. 
 
 •2 
 
 53 
 
 xsxix. 
 
 6 
 
 370 
 
 xxxiii. 
 
 4,5 . 
 
 359 
 
 i. 31 
 
 256 
 
 ii. 
 
 3 
 
 496 
 
 xli. 
 
 42 . 
 
 358 
 
 
 11 
 
 07 
 
 iii. 17 . 
 
 ,82 
 
 
 7 
 
 96 
 
 xlv. 
 
 20 . 
 
 . 220 
 
 
 18,23 
 
 64 
 
 iv. 5 
 
 353 
 
 
 17 
 
 436 
 
 xlix. 
 
 7 
 
 15 
 
 xl. 
 
 34 
 
 234 
 
 8 
 
 490 
 
 iii. 
 
 7 
 
 10 
 
 
 9 
 
 304 
 
 
 
 
 34 . 
 
 494 
 
 
 19 
 
 391 
 
 
 22 . 
 
 3;33 
 
 Levitjcus. 
 
 
 vi. 5 
 
 2a3 
 
 
 O.) 
 
 614 
 
 
 24 . 
 
 697 
 
 i. 
 
 4 
 
 510 
 
 6—9 . 
 
 720 
 
 iv. 
 
 7" '. 
 
 211 
 
 
 
 
 V. 
 
 1, 17 . 
 
 321 
 
 vii. 6 
 
 283,491 
 
 V. 
 
 29 
 
 325 
 
 Exodus. 
 
 
 X. 
 
 1,2 . 
 
 553 
 
 7,8 . 
 
 343 
 
 ix. 
 
 4 
 
 676 
 
 i. 
 
 9 
 
 343 
 
 
 1.2,6 
 
 581 
 
 ix. 8 
 
 205 
 
 
 12 
 
 497 
 
 ii. 
 
 10 . 
 
 356 
 
 xiii. 
 
 3 
 
 503 
 
 X. 21 
 
 55 
 
 
 25 
 
 336 
 
 iii. 
 
 2.6—8 
 
 485, 494 
 
 
 6,44 . 
 
 503 
 
 xi. 10 . 
 
 629 
 
 X. 
 
 2 
 
 607 
 
 iv. 
 
 2;J-25 
 
 . 485 
 
 
 45 . 
 
 579 
 
 xvii. 15 
 
 364 
 
 
 3 
 
 608 
 
 vi. 
 
 8 
 
 . 485 
 
 xviii. 
 
 19 . 
 
 443 
 
 17 . 
 
 554 
 
 
 6 
 
 605 
 
 ix. 
 
 14 . 
 
 . 579 
 
 
 27 . 
 
 732 
 
 xxii. 5 
 
 358 
 
 
 7 
 
 009 
 
 
 31 
 
 106 
 
 xix. 
 
 13 . 
 
 556 
 
 30 . 
 
 346 
 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 xii. 
 
 2 
 
 9 
 
 
 18 . 
 
 593 
 
 xxvi. 5 
 
 364, 575 
 
 
 13 
 
 605 
 
 
 12 . 
 
 490 
 
 XX. 
 
 3 
 
 305 
 
 xxix. 5 
 
 346 
 
 
 22 
 
 608 
 
 
 22 . 
 
 . 217 
 
 
 17,19 
 
 321 
 
 12, 13 
 
 197 
 
 xi. 
 
 4 
 
 365 
 
 
 23 . 
 
 29 
 
 
 18,19 
 
 443 
 
 XXX. 20 
 
 439, 060 
 
 xii. 
 
 2 
 
 305 
 
 xiii. 
 
 18 . 
 
 48 
 
 
 26 . 
 
 490 
 
 xxxi. 21 
 
 250 
 
 xiii. 
 
 10 
 
 197 
 
 
 21,22 
 
 214 
 
 xxi. 
 
 23 . 
 
 497 
 
 xxxii. 2 
 
 521 
 
 
 13 
 
 390 
 
 xiv. 
 
 11 . 
 
 495 
 
 xxii. 
 
 8—7 . 
 
 552 
 
 4 
 
 38 
 
 xiv. 
 
 4 
 
 75 
 
 xvi. 
 
 1 
 
 495 
 
 xxiii. 
 
 3 
 
 498 
 
 11 
 
 346 
 
 XV. 
 
 1 
 
 20,605 
 
 
 29 . 
 
 496, 497 
 
 
 7,8 . 
 
 501 
 
 13 . 
 
 36! 
 
 
 9, 10, 18 
 
 349 
 
 xviii. 
 
 21 . 
 
 32 
 
 XXV. 
 
 17 . 
 
 444 
 
 13—15 
 
 488 
 
 
 16 
 
 a36 
 
 xix. 
 
 4 
 
 .'Me 
 
 xxvi. 
 
 11, 12 
 
 284 
 
 26,27 
 
 494 
 
 xvi. 
 
 12 
 
 452 
 
 
 4,5 - 
 
 490 
 
 
 13 . 
 
 048 
 
 32 . 
 
 81 
 
 xvii. 
 
 23 
 
 68 
 
 
 6 
 
 343 
 
 
 28 . 
 
 206 
 
 34 . 
 
 132 
 
 xix. 
 
 15 
 
 456 
 
 XX. 
 
 2,3 . 
 
 75 
 
 
 
 
 40 . 
 
 349 
 
 
 24,25 . . 
 
 396 
 
 
 8 
 
 410 
 
 Numbers. 
 
 
 42 . 
 
 209 
 
 
 26 . . 
 
 38 
 
 xxii. 
 
 1 
 
 .32 
 
 vii. 
 
 2 . . 
 
 245 
 
 xxxiii. 24 
 
 801 
 
 XX. 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 
 22 
 
 541 
 
 xi. 
 
 10, 17 
 
 53 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 346 
 
 
 28 . 
 
 531 
 
 xii. 
 
 1 . . 
 
 633 
 
 Joshua. 
 
 
 xxii. 
 
 3 
 
 356 
 
 xxiii. 
 
 20 . 
 
 350 
 
 
 8 . . 
 
 67 
 
 ii. 6 
 
 355 
 
 
 18 
 
 • 285 
 
 xxiv. 
 
 10 
 
 60 
 
 xiii. 
 
 3 . . 
 
 495 
 
 vii. 9 
 
 493 
 
 xxiv. 
 
 7 . . 
 
 30 
 
 XXV. 
 
 4 
 
 355 
 
 
 24 . . 
 
 204 
 
 ix. 14 . 
 
 213 
 
 
 65 . . 
 
 356 
 
 x.wi. 
 
 3 
 
 272 
 
 xiv. 
 
 19,20 
 
 352 
 
 X. 12, 13 
 
 52 
 
 xxvii. 
 
 15 
 
 358 
 
 xxviii. 
 
 2 
 
 197 
 
 
 21 . 
 
 64 
 
 XX. 3 
 
 435 
 
 
 42,43. 
 
 496 
 
 
 2,4 . 
 
 362 
 
 
 34 . 
 
 407, 499 
 
 xxii. 5 
 
 516 
 
 
 46 
 
 336 
 
 xxix. 
 
 45,46 
 
 283 
 
 XV. 
 
 30 . 
 
 505 
 
 xxiii. 5 
 
 070 
 
 XXX. 
 
 24 
 
 18 
 
 XXX. 
 
 28 . 
 
 30 
 
 xvi. 
 
 40 . 
 
 579 
 
 
 
 
 27 
 
 528 
 
 
 30 . 
 
 352 
 
 xviii. 
 
 19 . 
 
 349 
 
 .lUDGES. 
 
 
 xxxi. 
 
 5 
 
 85 
 
 xxxii. 
 
 1,2 . 
 
 370 
 
 xix. 
 
 9 
 
 714 
 
 iii. 10 . 
 
 40 
 
 xxxii. 
 
 9 
 
 737 
 
 
 3 
 
 200 
 
 xxi. 
 
 6 
 
 512 
 
 V. 18 . 
 
 15 
 
 
 12 
 
 30 
 
 
 7 
 
 663 
 
 xxii. 
 
 6 
 
 694 
 
 30 . 
 
 355 
 
 
 20 
 
 414 
 
 
 10 .8 
 
 3, 492, 558 
 
 
 22 . 
 
 29 
 
 vi. 22,23 
 
 39 
 
 
 28 . 
 
 75 
 
 
 24 
 
 30 
 
 xxiii. 
 
 21 . 
 
 374 
 
 viii. 10 
 
 552 
 
 xxxiii. 
 
 5 
 
 345 
 
 
 25 . 
 
 401 
 
 
 23 . 
 
 24« 
 
 35 
 
 428 
 
 xxxiv. 
 
 1,2 . 
 
 490 
 
 
 27,20 
 
 15 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 31,32 
 
 380 
 
 ix. 13 
 
 3.33 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 4 
 
 357 
 
 
 32 . 
 
 3 u 
 
 304 
 
 
 
 
 X. 14 . 
 
 614
 
 834 
 
 A TABLE OF THE SCRIPTURES 
 
 .lUDGES. 
 
 Pane 
 
 2 Kings. 
 
 Page 
 
 Job. 
 
 
 Pane 
 
 Psalms. 
 
 Paue 
 
 X. 16 . 
 
 744 
 
 ii. 3 
 
 229 
 
 xi. 
 
 
 
 707 
 
 xxviii. 1 
 
 600 
 
 xiii. 17, 18. 
 
 37 
 
 vi. 5, 6 . 
 
 607 
 
 
 5,6 
 
 228 
 
 4 
 
 228 
 
 xiv. 4 
 
 439 
 
 14—17 
 
 30 
 
 xii. 
 
 2 
 
 615 
 
 xxix. 9 
 
 66, 214 
 
 xix. 22 
 
 81 
 
 23 
 
 146 
 
 
 h 4 
 
 19,532,533 
 
 xxxii. 6 
 
 236 
 
 30 . 
 
 454 
 
 25 . 
 
 135 
 
 
 19 
 
 532 
 
 8 
 
 49 
 
 
 
 33 . 
 
 525 
 
 
 21 
 
 . 533 
 
 15 
 
 49 
 
 Ruth. 
 
 
 vii. 4 
 
 465 
 
 xiii. 
 
 16 
 
 484 
 
 xxxiii. 12 
 
 284 
 
 iii. 3 
 
 352 
 
 ix. 30 
 
 568 
 
 XV. 
 
 16 
 
 204 
 
 xxxiv. 7 
 
 29 
 
 9 
 
 346 
 
 X. 4 
 
 544 
 
 
 21 
 
 250 
 
 8 
 
 519 
 
 iv. 11 
 
 364 
 
 30 . 
 
 639, 668 
 
 
 20,24 
 
 172 
 
 12 . 
 
 450 
 
 
 
 xvii. 33 
 
 509 
 
 
 32 
 
 540 
 
 xxxvi. 6 
 
 49 
 
 1 Samuel. 
 
 
 xix. 4 
 
 51 
 
 xvi. 
 
 15 
 
 . 640 
 
 10 
 
 18 
 
 ii. 9 
 
 631 
 
 15 
 
 364 
 
 xvii. 
 
 9 
 
 726 
 
 xxxvii. 13 
 
 532 
 
 18 . 
 
 211 
 
 xxiii. 5 
 
 155 
 
 
 14 
 
 71 
 
 24 . 
 
 461 
 
 29 
 
 397 
 
 11 
 
 155 
 
 x\iii. 
 
 20 
 
 532 
 
 xxxix. 9 
 
 414 
 
 vi. 3 
 
 303 
 
 34 
 
 473 
 
 xix. 
 
 10 
 
 743 
 
 11 
 
 669 
 
 20 . 
 
 26 
 
 xxiv. 8 
 
 12 
 
 XX. 
 
 12—14 
 
 81 
 
 .xl. 2 
 
 744 
 
 X. 6 
 
 54 
 
 
 
 xxi. 
 
 13 
 
 . 581 
 
 8 
 
 100 
 
 11 
 
 3 
 
 I Chronicles. 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 . 672 
 
 xii 9 . . 
 
 379 
 
 xii. 23 
 
 302 
 
 iii. 10 
 
 13 
 
 xxii. 
 
 13 
 
 m 
 
 xliii. 1 
 
 438 
 
 xiv. 44 
 
 405 
 
 17 
 
 13, 5.34 
 
 
 16 
 
 34, 5-40 
 
 xliv. 18,19. . 
 
 449 
 
 XV. 3 
 
 0.22 
 
 xx\iii. 2 
 
 691 
 
 xxiv. 
 
 14 
 
 394 
 
 19 . . 
 
 744 
 
 11,23. 
 
 '77 
 
 xxix. 11 
 
 364 
 
 
 15 
 
 85 
 
 xiv. 7 . . 
 
 353 
 
 23 
 
 528 
 
 ':4 
 
 427 
 
 xxvii. 
 
 9 
 
 . 483 
 
 14 . . 
 
 355 
 
 xvi. 7 
 
 613 
 
 
 
 xxix. 
 
 6 
 
 361 
 
 xlvi. 4 . . 
 
 818 
 
 xvii. 5 
 
 630 
 
 2 Chronicles. 
 
 
 XXX. 
 
 18 
 
 358 
 
 xlvii. 9 
 
 605 
 
 xviii. 2 
 
 549 
 
 ii. 1 
 
 612 
 
 
 19 
 
 622 
 
 xlviii. 11 
 
 375 
 
 23 
 
 204 
 
 13, 14. 
 
 606 
 
 xxxi. 
 
 12 
 
 367, 442 
 
 xlix. 2 
 
 70 
 
 xxiv. 4 
 
 346 
 
 iii. 4 
 
 782 
 
 
 21 
 
 448 
 
 12 . . 
 
 422 
 
 13 
 
 88 
 
 iv. 5 
 
 352 
 
 
 26 
 
 203, 441 
 
 1. 2 . . 
 
 489 
 
 XXV. 2 
 
 689 
 
 vi. 37 . . 
 
 467 
 
 
 29 
 
 589 
 
 15 . . 
 
 326 
 
 xxviii. 15 
 
 630 
 
 xiii. 5 
 
 349 
 
 xxxiii. 
 
 4 
 
 54 
 
 Ii. 11 . . 
 
 461 
 
 
 
 3, 12 . . 
 
 630 
 
 
 20 
 
 . 362 
 
 14 . . 
 
 • 321 
 
 2 Samufx. 
 
 
 xiv. 9 
 
 633 
 
 xxxvi. 
 
 6 
 
 465 
 
 Iii. 7 . . 
 
 176 
 
 i. 20 
 
 375 
 
 XV. 7 
 
 638 
 
 
 22 
 
 725 
 
 liii. 1 . . 
 
 335 
 
 V. 8 
 
 514 
 
 xviii. 10,11. . 
 
 555 
 
 xxxvii. 
 
 18 . 
 
 . 55, 5(i 
 
 Iv. 21 . . 
 
 295 
 
 xii. 7 
 
 373 
 
 XX. 26 . 
 
 765 
 
 
 22 
 
 618 
 
 23 . . 
 
 540 
 
 30 . 
 
 5.32 
 
 xxiv. 19, 20 . 
 
 203 
 
 xxxviii 
 
 7 
 
 103 
 
 Iviii. 10,11. . 
 
 42 
 
 xiii. 34 
 
 663 
 
 20 . 
 
 423 
 
 xxxix. 
 
 29 
 
 32 
 
 Ixii. 9 . . 
 
 613 
 
 xiv. 20 
 
 27 
 
 xxvi. 20 
 
 552 
 
 
 30 
 
 . 416 
 
 10 . . 
 
 585 
 
 XV. 31 
 
 549 
 
 xxvii. 5 
 
 620 
 
 xii. 
 
 1 
 
 630 
 
 12 . . 
 
 489 
 
 xvi. 7, 8 . 
 
 589 
 
 xxviii. 22 
 
 14, 378 
 
 xiii. 
 
 5,6 . 
 
 . 22, 69 
 
 Ixiii. 2 
 
 66, 498 
 
 xvii. 7 
 
 53 
 
 XXX. 8 
 
 427 
 
 
 
 
 Ixvi. 7 
 
 588 
 
 xviii. 24 
 
 663 
 
 xxxi. 5 
 
 361 
 
 Psalms. 
 
 
 12 . . 
 
 229 
 
 XX. 19 
 
 374 
 
 xxxii. 14 
 
 591 
 
 iii. 
 
 8 
 
 284 
 
 18 . . 
 
 316 
 
 xxii. 1 1 
 
 22 
 
 30 
 
 620 
 
 iv. 
 
 6 
 
 441 
 
 Ixviii. 5 
 
 474 
 
 19 
 
 63? 
 
 xxxiii. 9 
 
 306 
 
 v. 
 
 3 
 
 34 
 
 Ixix. 5 
 
 575 
 
 28 . 
 
 387 
 
 xxxiv. 25 
 
 521 
 
 
 5 
 
 335 
 
 9 . . 
 
 280 
 
 
 
 xxxvi. 9 
 
 12 
 
 
 6 
 
 543 
 
 22 . . 
 
 117 
 
 1 Kings. 
 
 
 12, 13 . 
 
 531 
 
 
 9 
 
 295 
 
 Ixxi. 20 
 
 495 
 
 i. 18 
 
 216 
 
 16 
 
 308 
 
 viii. 
 
 5 
 
 33, 365 
 
 Ixxii. 9 
 
 68 
 
 iii. 4 
 
 439 
 
 
 
 ix. 
 
 7 
 
 216 
 
 10 . 
 
 609 
 
 v. 11 
 
 361 
 
 Ezra. 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 380 
 
 Ixxiii. 22 
 
 538 
 
 vii. 26 . 
 
 352 
 
 ii. 59 
 
 106 
 
 
 16 25, 
 
 254, 323, 625 
 
 Ixxiv. 22 
 
 704 
 
 viii. 10, 11 . 
 
 214 
 
 iv. 14 
 
 349 
 
 
 17 
 
 567 
 
 Ixxv. 8 . . 
 
 588 
 
 11 
 
 728 
 
 ix. 1 1 
 
 574 
 
 
 20 
 
 70, 616 
 
 l.\xvi. 1 . ' 
 
 231, 363 
 
 47 
 
 467 
 
 15 
 
 302 
 
 X. 
 
 3 
 
 . 543 
 
 1,2,4 
 
 489 
 
 X. 15 
 
 607 
 
 X. 9 
 
 220 
 
 
 12 
 
 51, 485 
 
 2 . . 
 
 363 
 
 xi. 31 
 
 47 
 
 19 . 
 
 427 
 
 xi. 
 
 4 
 
 231 
 
 4 
 
 473 
 
 xii. 14 
 
 83 
 
 
 
 xii. 
 
 4 
 
 . 377 
 
 12 . 
 
 647 
 
 xiv. 8 
 
 323 
 
 Nehemiah. 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 689 
 
 Ixxvii. 7, 8 . 
 
 535 
 
 9 
 
 566 
 
 iii. 30 
 
 575 
 
 xiv. 
 
 2,3 
 
 728 
 
 13 . 
 
 28;^ 
 
 xvi. 31 
 
 204 
 
 vi. 6 
 
 75 
 
 
 5 
 
 . 250 
 
 18 . 
 
 43 
 
 xvii. 24 . 
 
 3 
 
 ix. 1 
 
 174 
 
 XV. 
 
 5 
 
 446 
 
 Ixxviii. 8 
 
 265 
 
 xviii. 15—19 
 
 90 
 
 17 
 
 352 
 
 xvii. 
 
 4 
 
 451, 638 
 
 38 
 
 188, 352 
 
 21 
 
 515 
 
 26 
 
 566 
 
 xix. 
 
 1 
 
 55 
 
 49 
 
 29 
 
 xix. 4 
 
 20 
 
 xiii. 1 1 
 
 246 
 
 xxi. 
 
 9 
 
 318 
 
 72 . 
 
 691 
 
 11 
 
 23 
 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 247 
 
 Ixxix. 9 
 
 493 
 
 11, 12. 
 
 198 
 
 Esther. 
 
 
 xxii. 
 
 3 
 
 197 
 
 Ixxxi. 11,12. 
 
 576 
 
 17 
 
 254 
 
 ii. 12 
 
 353 
 
 
 6 
 
 . . 71 
 
 Ixxxii. 5 
 
 559 
 
 XX. 31 
 
 465 
 
 
 
 
 28 
 
 589 
 
 6,7 . 
 
 613 
 
 xxii. 12 
 
 308 
 
 Job. 
 
 
 
 29 
 
 464 
 
 Ixxxiii. 5 
 
 200 
 
 22 
 
 320 
 
 i. 22 
 
 414 
 
 xxiii. 
 
 1—3 
 
 . . 687 
 
 Ixxxvi. 8 
 
 520 
 
 24 
 
 16 
 
 ii. 3" '. 
 
 328 
 
 xxiv. 
 
 1 
 
 488 
 
 Ixxxvii. 1 
 
 8 
 
 34,35. 
 
 543 
 
 V. 12 , . 
 
 247 
 
 
 7,9, 1 
 
 B . 197 
 
 Ixxxix. 7 
 
 304 
 
 15 
 
 615 
 
 viii. 14 ' . 
 
 474 
 
 XXV. 
 
 1 
 
 . . 51 
 
 31,32 
 
 301 
 
 
 
 ix. 4 
 
 . 457 
 
 
 7 
 
 . . 458 
 
 33 
 
 . 535 
 
 
 
 X. 1 
 
 158 
 
 xxvii. 
 
 13 
 
 . . 305 
 
 xc. title . 
 
 . 327
 
 OPENED OR ILLUSTRATED IN THE FOREGOING WORK. 
 
 835 
 
 Psalms. 
 
 xc. U 
 
 xci. 4 
 II 
 11, 12 
 
 xciv. 23 
 
 xcvi. 6 
 
 ciii. 7 
 5 
 
 13,14 
 14 
 20 
 
 civ. 3 
 15 
 30 
 
 cv. 15 
 
 18 
 22 
 43 
 
 cvi. 7 
 8 
 10 
 
 13,21 
 19 
 23 
 26 
 28 
 36 
 87 
 41 
 
 cvii. 10 
 32 
 
 cix. 8 
 
 ex. 3 
 
 cxii. 10 
 
 cxv. 16 
 
 cxriii. 6 
 12 
 
 cxix. 1 
 4 
 7 
 11 
 14 
 59 
 60 
 68 
 69 
 91 
 115 
 119 
 120 
 128 
 136 
 143 
 176 
 
 cxx. 5 
 
 cxxiii. 1 
 4 
 
 cxxrv-. 1 
 
 cxxvi. 1,2 
 o 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 14 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 cxxxiil. 1 
 2 
 
 cxxxvii.3 
 7 
 
 cxxxviii.I 
 
 cxxxix. 2 
 
 cxI. 11 
 4 
 10 
 15 
 17 
 6 
 17 
 
 Page 
 644 
 309 
 30, 392 
 30 
 711 
 582 
 485 
 32 
 256 
 IOC 
 31, 211,236 
 •23 
 353,363 
 54 
 3 
 607 
 374 
 353 
 205 
 493 
 345 
 373 
 205, 206 
 492, 560 
 485 
 441 
 315, 490 
 372 
 75 
 607 
 304 
 
 no 
 
 722 
 
 309,702 
 
 264 
 
 90 
 305 
 
 77 
 283 
 496 
 lOO 
 726 
 453, 454 
 198 
 729 
 
 84 
 437 
 279 
 32:3 
 
 57 
 496 
 219 
 726 
 323 
 
 II 
 441 
 359 
 460 
 736 
 709 
 736 
 612 
 286 
 640 
 357 
 267 
 268 
 540 
 458 
 
 28 
 
 250 
 
 445, 707 
 
 187 
 727 
 732 
 437 
 533 
 302 
 
 Psalms. 
 
 Pase 
 
 Proverbs. 
 
 cxlvii. 
 
 18 . 
 
 240 
 
 XXV. 
 
 21,22 
 
 cxlviii 
 
 8 
 
 53 
 
 xxvii. 
 
 7 
 
 
 14 . 
 
 . 640 
 
 xxviii. 
 
 15 
 7 
 
 Proverbs. 
 
 
 
 15,16 
 
 i. 
 
 28 
 
 576 
 
 
 17 
 
 
 31 
 
 165 
 
 
 20 
 
 ii. 
 
 17 
 
 366 
 
 
 27 
 
 
 20 . 
 
 508 
 
 xxix. 
 
 8 
 
 iii. 
 
 5.6 . 
 
 33 
 
 
 12 
 
 
 24 . 
 
 18 
 
 
 23 
 
 
 33 . 
 
 394 
 
 
 25 
 
 
 35 . 
 
 614 
 
 XXX. 
 
 4 
 
 iv. 
 
 17 
 
 445 
 
 xxxi. 
 
 15 
 
 
 25 . 
 
 38 
 
 
 18 
 
 V. 
 
 19 . 
 22 
 
 . 580 
 165 
 
 
 21,22 
 
 
 28 ] 
 
 25 
 
 ECCLESIASTES. 
 
 vi. 
 
 6 
 
 391 
 
 iii. 
 
 1 
 
 
 11 
 
 392 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 33 . 
 
 442 
 
 iv. 
 
 1 
 
 vii. 
 
 10 . 
 
 359 
 
 V. 
 
 1 
 
 
 13 . 
 
 78 
 
 
 6 
 
 X. 
 
 6 
 
 . 229 
 
 vii. 
 
 I 
 
 
 15 
 
 . 368 
 
 
 15 
 
 
 19 . 
 
 . 622 
 
 
 17 
 
 
 20 
 
 84, 138 
 
 viii. 
 
 4 
 
 
 23 
 
 . 204 
 
 
 11 
 
 
 24 
 
 . 251 
 
 ix. 
 
 1 
 
 
 29 
 
 483,506 
 
 
 2 
 
 xi. 
 
 3 
 
 623 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 4 
 
 177, 549 
 
 
 7 
 
 
 7 
 
 474 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 10 
 
 88, 253, 626 
 
 X. 
 
 16, 17 
 
 
 12 
 
 . 467 
 
 
 20 
 
 
 21 
 
 452 
 
 xii. 
 
 1 
 
 
 23 . 
 
 702 
 
 
 7 
 
 xii. 
 
 2 
 
 . 247 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 21 
 
 . 451 
 
 
 11 
 
 
 22 
 
 450 
 
 
 
 xiii. 
 
 To 
 
 270, 387 
 
 Canticles. 
 
 
 18 
 
 119 
 
 i. 
 
 2 
 
 xiv. 
 
 3 
 
 168 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 4 
 
 32 
 
 ii. 
 
 5 
 
 
 8 
 
 450 
 
 
 12 
 
 
 9 
 
 204, 720 
 
 
 15 
 
 
 15 
 
 303 
 
 iv. 
 
 1 
 
 
 34 
 
 . 7,77 
 
 
 4 
 
 XV. 
 
 3 49, 1 
 
 09, 263, 316 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 6 
 
 549 
 
 
 11 
 
 
 25 
 
 387 
 
 
 16 
 
 xvi. 
 
 10 
 
 . 528 
 
 V. 
 
 14 
 
 
 15 
 
 . 451 
 
 vii. 
 
 10 
 
 
 27 
 
 25 
 
 viii. 
 
 8 
 
 
 32 
 
 . 581 
 
 
 
 
 33 
 
 529 
 
 Isaiah 
 
 
 xvii. 
 
 4 
 
 . 461 
 
 i. 
 
 '2 
 
 
 5 
 
 589 
 
 
 2,3 
 
 
 20 
 
 . 375 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 27 
 
 454 
 
 
 10 
 
 xviii. 
 
 9 
 
 392 
 
 
 18 
 
 
 11 
 
 308, 403 
 
 
 21— 2; 
 
 xix. 
 
 3 
 17 
 
 457 
 . 395 
 
 
 23 2 
 
 XX. 
 
 21 
 
 557 
 
 
 24 
 
 xxi. 
 
 1 
 
 53 
 
 
 25 
 
 
 13 
 
 394 
 
 iii. 
 
 4 
 
 
 30 
 
 6 
 
 
 7 
 
 xxii. 
 
 1 
 
 451 
 
 
 12 
 
 
 20 
 
 44 
 
 
 18 
 
 xxiii. 
 
 1,2 
 
 . 363 
 
 
 21 
 
 
 4 
 
 . . 615 
 
 
 22 
 
 
 4,5 
 
 . . 176 
 
 iv. 
 
 3 
 
 
 21 
 
 390, 392 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 26 
 
 491, 679 
 
 V. 
 
 3 
 
 
 35 
 
 . . 390 
 
 
 5 
 
 xxiv. 
 
 17, 18 
 
 589 
 
 
 .5,6 
 
 XXV. 
 
 11 
 
 3 11 2 
 
 . . 236 
 
 
 7 
 
 36, 
 
 247, 444, 
 
 Page 
 411 
 389 
 521 
 390 
 554 
 616 
 557 
 
 393, 394 
 377 
 556 
 270 
 91 
 23 
 374 
 413 
 
 355, 358 
 
 236 
 443 
 560 
 
 498. 568 
 28,31 
 
 366, 450 
 450 
 540 
 58 
 293 
 453 
 589 
 391 
 516 
 391 
 388 
 531 
 348 
 435 
 454 
 690 
 
 8 
 
 353 
 
 332 
 
 59 
 
 300 
 
 357 
 
 606 
 
 357 
 
 417 
 
 54 
 
 60 
 
 34 
 
 411 
 
 75 
 368 
 
 14 
 3.36 
 323 
 546 
 554, 
 559 
 208 
 514 
 438 
 485 
 300 
 357 
 356 
 360 
 304 
 346 
 331 
 332 
 559 
 440 
 
 259, 
 
 205, 
 
 Isaiah 
 
 
 Page 
 
 V. 
 
 11—13 
 
 389 
 
 
 16 . . 
 
 624 
 
 
 19 . ' 
 
 209, 296 
 
 
 20 . 
 
 3:34 
 
 
 24 . 
 
 371 
 
 
 26 
 
 597 
 
 vi. 
 
 2 
 
 26 
 
 
 3 ! . 
 
 40,66 
 
 
 5,6 . 
 
 22 
 
 
 8 
 
 236 
 
 
 9, 10 . 
 
 214 
 
 vii. 
 
 8 
 
 609 
 
 
 20 . 
 
 138 
 
 viii. 
 
 8 . ' 
 
 >23, 346 
 
 
 10 . 
 
 423 
 
 
 12, 13 . 
 
 90,91 
 
 
 13, 14. 
 
 259 
 
 
 18 . 
 
 16,80 
 
 
 21,22. . 
 
 549 
 
 X. 
 
 1-3 . 
 
 543 
 
 
 12 
 
 644 
 
 
 17 
 
 85 
 
 
 27 
 
 648 
 
 xi. 
 
 
 
 727 
 
 
 6 '. 
 
 692 
 
 
 6—9 . . 
 
 271 
 
 xiii. 
 
 6 
 
 642 
 
 
 19 . 
 
 487 
 
 xiv. 
 
 3,4 . 
 
 486 
 
 
 4 
 
 708 
 
 
 27 
 
 248 
 
 xvi. 
 
 6 
 
 644 
 
 xvii. 
 
 4 
 
 548 
 
 
 13 . 
 
 44 
 
 xix. 
 
 1 
 
 23 
 
 
 11 
 
 631 
 
 
 18 
 
 646 
 
 xxi. 
 
 11,12. 
 
 110 
 
 xxii. 
 
 2 
 
 89 
 
 
 14 
 
 415 
 
 
 15—18 
 
 583 
 
 xxiii. 
 
 15 . 
 
 549 
 
 XXV. 
 
 4 
 
 307 
 
 
 6 
 
 361 
 
 
 10 . 
 
 591 
 
 xxvi. 
 
 9 
 
 57, 323 
 
 
 10 . 
 
 205,548 
 
 
 10, 11. 
 
 288 
 
 
 19 . 
 
 743 
 
 xxvii. 
 
 3 
 
 477 
 
 
 4 
 
 613 
 
 
 11 
 
 114 
 
 xxviii. 
 
 14, 15. 
 
 247 
 
 
 17 
 
 555 
 
 
 26, 29 . 
 
 737 
 
 xxix. 
 
 1 
 
 164 
 
 
 15 
 
 201 
 
 
 21 
 
 559 
 
 XXX. 
 
 2 
 
 631 
 
 
 To '. 
 
 3 
 
 
 22 . 
 
 206 
 
 
 26 . 
 
 486. 497 
 
 
 32 
 
 150, 151 
 
 
 33 
 
 85 
 
 xxxi. 
 
 1 
 
 632 
 
 
 
 
 . 544 
 
 
 3 
 
 71,631 
 
 
 5 
 
 . 346 
 
 xxxiii. 
 
 7 
 
 . 174 
 
 
 22 
 
 . 437 
 
 XXXV. 
 
 1 
 
 . 640 
 
 xl. 
 
 5 
 
 69 
 
 
 5,6 . 
 
 22 
 
 
 15 . 
 
 407 
 
 
 17 . 
 
 613 
 
 
 23 
 
 . 629 
 
 
 26 . 
 
 441 
 
 xii. 
 
 18, 19. 
 
 . 821
 
 836 
 
 A TABLE OF THE SCRIPTURES 
 
 Isaiah 
 
 
 Pa^e 
 
 Jereid 
 
 iiH. 
 
 Page 
 
 Jere.miaii. 
 
 Pa^e 
 
 EZEKIEL. 
 
 Pa-e 
 
 xli. 
 
 22,23. 
 
 529 
 
 ii. 
 
 18 . . 
 
 376 
 
 xxvi. 
 
 11 . . 
 
 349 
 
 xxviii. 
 
 3 
 
 325 
 
 xlii. 
 
 14 . 
 
 208 
 
 
 22 . . 
 
 634 
 
 xxvii. 
 
 5 . . 
 
 639 
 
 XXX. 
 
 3 
 
 23 
 
 
 15 . 
 
 4:38 
 
 
 30 . . 
 
 345 
 
 
 7 . . 
 
 3.37 
 
 xxxiii. 
 
 4 
 
 45;3 
 
 xliii. 
 
 3 
 
 309, 732 
 
 
 31 . . 
 
 367 
 
 xxix. 
 
 21 . . 
 
 306 
 
 
 10 
 
 453 
 
 
 13 171, 544, 604, 
 
 
 36 . . 
 
 637 
 
 xxxi. 
 
 12 . . 
 
 806 
 
 
 31 
 
 38 
 
 
 
 737 
 
 iii. 
 
 5 . ; 
 
 399, 542 
 
 
 15, 16,27 . 
 
 736 
 
 xxxiv. 
 
 23, 24 . 
 
 . 263 
 
 
 24 . 
 
 574 
 
 
 12 . . 
 
 318 
 
 
 19 
 
 62,411 
 
 
 29 
 
 363 
 
 
 25 . 
 
 493 
 
 
 23 . . 
 
 308 
 
 
 28 . . 
 
 347 
 
 xxxvi. 
 
 25 . 
 
 334 
 
 xliv. 
 
 9 
 
 367 
 
 iv. 
 
 10 . . 
 
 321 
 
 
 33 . . 
 
 281 
 
 
 26 
 
 273 
 
 xlvi. 
 
 6 
 
 367 
 
 
 14 . 
 
 575 
 
 
 34 . . 
 
 275 
 
 
 27 
 
 276 
 
 
 10 
 
 737 
 
 
 22 
 
 319 
 
 xxxii. 
 
 27 . . 
 
 731 
 
 xxxvii. 
 
 7 
 
 254 
 
 
 11 
 
 736 
 
 V. 
 
 1 . i 
 
 216, 360 
 
 
 31 . . 
 
 573 
 
 
 11 
 
 263 
 
 
 13 
 
 363 
 
 
 3 
 
 373 
 
 xxxiii. 
 
 8 . . 
 
 354 
 
 xliii. 
 
 9 
 
 148 
 
 xlvii. 
 
 7,8 . 
 
 603 
 
 
 5 
 
 246 
 
 
 8, 9 . . 
 
 735 
 
 
 
 
 
 13 . 
 
 294 
 
 
 7 . . 
 
 382 
 
 
 13 . . 
 
 513 
 
 Daniel. 
 
 
 xlviii. 
 
 4 
 
 278 
 
 
 ll_13 
 
 672 
 
 
 16 . . 
 
 551 
 
 ii. 
 
 21 
 
 533, 634 
 
 
 8,9 . 
 
 493 
 
 
 12 . • 
 
 296, 355 
 
 xxxiv. 
 
 18 . . 
 
 349 
 
 
 37 
 
 417 
 
 
 10 . 
 
 485 
 
 
 27, 28 . 
 
 176 
 
 xxxvii 
 
 10 . 
 
 51 
 
 iv. 
 
 11 
 
 433 
 
 
 18 . 
 
 456 
 
 
 31 
 
 303, 356 
 
 xliv. 
 
 28 . . 
 
 544 
 
 v. 
 
 10, 11 
 
 . 728 
 
 xlix. 
 
 2 
 
 90 
 
 vi. 
 
 6 . . 
 
 205 
 
 xlvi. 
 
 8—10. . 
 
 642 
 
 
 23 
 
 439 
 
 
 18 . 
 
 197 
 
 
 7, 8 . 
 
 24;3 
 
 
 11 . < 
 
 534, 649 
 
 vii. 
 
 6 
 
 22 
 
 
 22 
 
 483 
 
 
 14 
 
 306 
 
 
 16 . . 
 
 416 
 
 viii. 
 
 5 
 
 534 
 
 
 23 '. 
 
 520, 652 
 
 vii. 
 
 4 
 
 308 
 
 
 25 . 
 
 647 
 
 
 21 
 
 607, 640 
 
 I. 
 
 4 
 
 249 
 
 
 9, 10 . 
 
 293, 731 
 
 xhiii. 
 
 10 . 
 
 639 
 
 X. 
 
 11 
 
 70 
 
 li. 
 
 3 
 
 640 
 
 
 10 . 
 
 568 
 
 
 25 . 
 
 640 
 
 
 13 
 
 28 
 
 
 7,8 . 
 
 591 
 
 
 12 . 
 
 403 
 
 
 26 
 
 537 
 
 
 20 
 
 29 
 
 
 22 
 
 284 
 
 
 16 . 
 
 207 
 
 
 30 
 
 257 
 
 
 
 
 lii. 
 
 l" '. 
 
 36 
 
 
 23 . 
 
 500 
 
 1. 
 
 4, 5 . 
 
 640 
 
 HOSEA 
 
 
 
 
 10 . 
 
 131 
 
 
 26 
 
 321 
 
 
 10 
 
 416 
 
 i. 
 
 9 
 
 364 
 
 
 15 
 
 414 
 
 
 31 
 
 371 
 
 
 25 
 
 639 
 
 ii. 
 
 2 
 
 314, 359 
 
 liii. 
 
 5 
 
 212 
 
 viii. 
 
 7 
 
 319 
 
 
 27 
 
 532, 643 
 
 
 3 
 
 375 
 
 liv. 
 
 11, 12. 
 
 61 
 
 ix. 
 
 1 
 
 218, 225 
 
 
 33 
 
 695 
 
 
 10 
 
 199, 489 
 
 
 J3 
 
 413 
 
 
 3 
 
 319 
 
 
 33, 34 . 
 
 439 
 
 iii. 
 
 4 
 
 534 
 
 Iv. 
 
 7 
 
 354 
 
 
 3 
 
 461 
 
 
 38 . ' 
 
 206, 367 
 
 iv. 
 
 1 
 
 . 519 
 
 
 10, 11. 
 
 521 
 
 X. 
 
 7 
 
 440 
 
 li. 
 
 13 
 
 337 
 
 
 11 
 
 376 
 
 
 13 
 
 627 
 
 xi. 
 
 11 
 
 211 
 
 
 25 . 
 
 63,619 
 
 
 12 
 
 77, 143, 367, 
 
 hi. 
 
 6, 7 . 
 
 518 
 
 xii. 
 
 5 
 
 544 
 
 
 25, 26 . 
 
 403 
 
 
 
 529 
 
 
 12 . 
 
 390 
 
 
 7—0 . 
 
 544 
 
 
 27, 28 . 
 
 497 
 
 
 17 
 
 515 
 
 Ivii. 
 
 3 
 
 336 
 
 xiii. 
 
 18 . 
 
 358 
 
 
 34 
 
 808 
 
 
 18 
 
 620 
 
 
 4 
 
 205 
 
 
 22 
 
 578 
 
 
 32 . 
 
 216 
 
 V. 
 
 4 
 
 519 
 
 
 3 
 
 206, 367 
 
 
 25 
 
 543, 637 
 
 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 . 534 
 
 
 7 
 
 378 
 
 
 27 
 
 375 
 
 Lame 
 
 ■JTATIONS. 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 a30, 334 
 
 Iviii. 
 
 1 
 
 335, 666 
 
 xiv. 
 
 7—9 . 
 
 226 
 
 i. 
 
 1 
 
 362 
 
 vi. 
 
 5 
 
 254 
 
 
 7 
 
 394 
 
 
 11 
 
 327 
 
 
 8 
 
 540 
 
 \ii. 
 
 o 
 
 453 
 
 lix. 
 
 1.2 . 
 
 5U0 
 
 
 12 . 
 
 316 
 
 
 18 . 
 
 81 
 
 viii. 
 
 T 
 
 32, 407 
 
 
 2 
 
 318 
 
 
 14 . 
 
 74 
 
 ii. 
 
 3 
 
 640 
 
 
 3,5 
 
 . 344 
 
 
 8 
 
 293 
 
 XV. 
 
 1 
 
 228 
 
 
 15, 16. 
 
 340 
 
 
 11 
 
 . 515 
 
 
 4 
 
 560 
 
 
 9 
 
 376 
 
 
 22 
 
 385 
 
 
 13 
 
 316, 518 
 
 
 12 . 
 
 105 
 
 
 19 . 
 
 114. .3.33 
 
 iii. 
 
 6 
 
 600 
 
 ix. 
 
 10 
 
 202, 319 
 
 Ix. 
 
 7 
 
 518 
 
 xvi. 
 
 2-4 . 
 
 . -■45 
 
 
 16 
 
 278 
 
 
 12 
 
 103 
 
 
 8 
 
 23 
 
 
 5 
 
 >75 
 
 
 22 
 
 389 
 
 
 15 
 
 205 
 
 
 12—14 
 
 710 
 
 
 6,7 . 
 
 584 
 
 
 37 
 
 464 
 
 X. 
 
 1 
 
 . . 331 
 
 Ixi. 
 
 10 
 
 357 
 
 
 7,8 . 
 
 580 
 
 
 39 
 
 163, 457 
 
 
 2 
 
 509 
 
 )xii. 
 
 3 
 
 284 
 
 xvii. 
 
 1 
 
 314 
 
 iv. 
 
 7 
 
 60 
 
 
 11 
 
 . . 31 
 
 
 12 
 
 342 
 
 
 9, 10 . 
 
 250 
 
 
 12 
 
 24, 428 
 
 xi. 
 
 8 
 
 . . 382 
 
 Ixiii. 
 
 3 
 
 560 
 
 
 11 
 
 557 
 
 
 13 . 
 
 299 
 
 
 10 
 
 . . 3-23 
 
 
 17 
 
 321 
 
 
 15 . 
 
 293 
 
 
 16 
 
 318 
 
 
 12 
 
 78, 365 
 
 Ixiv. 
 
 3 
 
 55 
 
 
 17 . 
 
 173 
 
 
 17 
 
 631 
 
 xii. 
 
 1 
 
 . . 301 
 
 
 9 
 
 458 
 
 
 19 . 
 
 596 
 
 
 19 . 
 
 . 209 
 
 
 11 
 
 . . 205 
 
 Ixv. 
 
 1 
 
 342 
 
 .\ix. 
 
 3,4 . 
 
 316 
 
 V. 
 
 6 
 
 427 
 
 
 14 
 
 . . 81 
 
 
 11 
 
 51 
 
 XX. 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 
 9 
 
 608 
 
 xiii. 
 
 9 
 
 23, 165 
 
 Ixvi. 
 
 3 
 
 316,504 
 
 
 9 
 
 42 
 
 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 . . 81 
 
 
 5 
 
 257, 550 
 
 
 10 . 
 
 . 84, 85 
 
 EZEKIEL. 
 
 
 xiv. 
 
 2 
 
 . . 733 
 
 
 16 . 
 
 312 
 
 
 16 . 
 
 396 
 
 ix. 
 
 2 
 
 30 
 
 
 5,6 
 
 . . 333 
 
 
 23 
 
 812 
 
 xxii. 
 
 11 
 
 13 
 
 X. 
 
 13 . 
 
 43 
 
 
 6 
 
 . . 820 
 
 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 . 319 
 
 xiii. 
 
 10,11. 
 
 24 
 
 
 8 
 
 . . 160 
 
 Jerem 
 
 lAII. 
 
 
 
 24 
 
 13 
 
 xiv. 
 
 17 
 
 . 209 
 
 
 9 
 
 . . 449 
 
 i. 
 
 2 
 
 14 
 
 
 28 
 
 . 71, 84 
 
 xvi. 
 
 3,6 . 
 
 285 
 
 
 
 
 
 10 . 
 
 589, 6,39 
 
 
 30 
 
 . 13, 334 
 
 XX. 
 
 16 . 
 
 . 206 
 
 Joel. 
 
 
 
 
 12 . 
 
 290 
 
 xxiii. 
 
 3 
 
 096 
 
 
 28 
 
 205 
 
 i. 
 
 14 
 
 . . 497 
 
 
 17 . 
 
 90 
 
 
 11 
 
 305 
 
 xxii. 
 
 25 . 
 
 299 
 
 ii. 
 
 1 
 
 . . 642 
 
 ii. 
 
 o 
 
 348 
 
 
 13 299, 
 
 550, 356 
 
 
 26 . 
 
 205 
 
 
 12 
 
 . . 317 
 
 
 6 
 
 495 
 
 
 16, 17. 
 
 308 
 
 
 27 
 
 444 
 
 
 14 
 
 . . 343 
 
 
 7 
 
 506 
 
 
 22 
 
 335 
 
 
 28 . 
 
 307 
 
 
 23 
 
 . . 693 
 
 
 8 
 
 351 
 
 
 26 , ! 
 
 298 
 
 
 29, 30 . 
 
 302 
 
 iii. 
 
 6 
 
 . . 607 
 
 
 10, 11. 
 
 142 
 
 
 .30, 31 . 
 
 109 
 
 
 30 
 
 . 217 
 
 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 375 
 
 
 32 
 
 322 
 
 xxiv. 
 
 13, 14 . 
 
 207 
 
 Amos 
 
 
 
 
 13 . 
 
 . 2,319 
 
 xxiv. 
 
 9 
 
 319 
 
 
 16 
 
 . 315 
 
 i. 
 
 2 
 
 . . 473
 
 OPENED OR ILLUSTRATED IN THE FOREGOING WORK. 
 
 837 
 
 Amos. 
 
 Pam 
 
 Zeciiariah. 
 
 ra,-c 
 
 Matthew. 
 
 Pa-e 
 
 John. 
 
 
 Pa^e 
 
 ii. 6 
 
 . 393 
 
 vii. 
 
 12 
 
 278, 575 
 
 xxiii. 
 
 13 
 
 484 
 
 V. 
 
 28 . 
 
 69 
 
 7 
 
 86 
 
 
 14 
 
 677 
 
 
 29-31 
 
 . 206 
 
 vi. 
 
 37 
 
 277 
 
 9 
 
 . 3.36 
 
 viii. 
 
 16 
 
 448 
 
 
 37, 38 . 
 
 . 57(i 
 
 
 63 
 
 727 
 
 13 . 
 
 208 
 
 X. 
 
 6-9 . 
 
 . 74S 
 
 xxiv. 
 
 11 
 
 312 
 
 
 68 
 
 816 
 
 14 . 
 
 187 
 
 xi. 
 
 1 
 
 417 
 
 
 31 
 
 30 
 
 vii. 
 
 24 , 
 
 198 
 
 iii. 2 22 
 
 9, 576, 699 
 
 
 2 
 
 419 
 
 XXV. 
 
 19 
 
 4;J9 
 
 viii. 
 
 9 
 
 401 
 
 6 
 
 ■200 
 
 xii. 
 
 8 
 
 51 
 
 
 25,26. 
 
 392 
 
 
 31 
 
 460 
 
 8 
 
 1J5 
 
 
 10 . 
 
 726, 727 
 
 
 27 . 
 
 447 
 
 
 34 
 
 117,401 
 
 iv. 1,2 . 
 
 293 
 
 xiii. 
 
 4 
 
 360 
 
 xxvi. 
 
 3,4 . 
 
 550 
 
 
 40 
 
 461 
 
 4 
 
 205 
 
 xiv. 
 
 6 
 
 238 
 
 xxvii. 
 
 37 
 
 535 
 
 
 41 
 
 369 
 
 V. 8 
 
 23 
 
 
 8 
 
 B20, 821 
 
 xxviii. 
 
 20 . 
 
 99 
 
 
 42 . 
 
 336 
 
 12 8 
 
 1, 326, 444 
 
 
 9 
 
 266 
 
 
 
 
 
 47 
 
 100 
 
 13 . 
 
 . 641 
 
 
 16 . 
 
 810 
 
 Mark 
 
 
 
 
 51 
 
 435 
 
 21, 22, •; 
 
 !4 . 506 
 
 
 21 
 
 418 
 
 iv. 
 
 37-40 
 
 212 
 
 ix. 
 
 39 . 
 
 82 
 
 Ti. 1 
 
 m-2 
 
 
 
 
 vi. 
 
 11 
 
 403 
 
 X. 
 
 3 
 
 513 
 
 4,6 . 
 
 388 
 
 Malachi. 
 
 
 
 20 
 
 36 
 
 
 5.27 . 
 
 74 
 
 8 
 
 . 362 
 
 i. 
 
 7 
 
 148 
 
 vii. 
 
 9 
 
 614 
 
 
 12 . 
 
 300 
 
 ix. 2—4 . 
 
 . 511 
 
 
 8 
 
 518 
 
 ix. 
 
 45 
 
 688 
 
 
 27 
 
 69 
 
 4 
 
 G24 
 
 
 14 . 
 
 518 
 
 X. 
 
 21 
 
 258 
 
 
 36 
 
 497 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 5 
 
 442 
 
 xiii. 
 
 11 
 
 726 
 
 xi. 
 
 26 . 
 
 435 
 
 Obadiak. 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 28 
 
 xiv. 
 
 3 
 
 332 
 
 xiii. 
 
 35 . 
 
 268 
 
 7 
 
 . 349 
 
 
 14 
 
 442 
 
 
 53 . 
 
 189 
 
 xiv. 
 
 2 
 
 506 
 
 11 
 
 592 
 
 
 16 
 
 551 
 
 
 64 . 
 
 189 
 
 
 16 '. 
 
 728 
 
 12 . 
 
 704 
 
 iii. 
 
 1, 3, 4 
 
 518 
 
 
 
 
 
 31 
 
 230 
 
 15 . 
 
 229, 257 
 
 
 2.3 
 
 63 
 
 Luke. 
 
 
 
 XV. 
 
 2 
 
 737 
 
 18 . 
 
 593 
 
 
 14 . 
 
 672 
 
 i. 
 
 6 
 
 282 
 
 
 5 . 42, 
 
 74, 727 
 
 
 
 
 17 
 
 222 
 
 
 25 
 
 346 
 
 
 12 . 
 
 394 
 
 MiCAH. 
 
 
 
 17, 18. 
 
 513 
 
 
 36 
 
 37 
 
 xvi. 
 
 2 206, 256, 334 
 
 i. 12 . 
 
 . 260 
 
 
 
 
 ii. 
 
 35 
 
 632 
 
 
 13 . 
 
 817 
 
 ii. 1 
 
 . 541 
 
 Matthew. 
 
 
 iii. 
 
 19 . 
 
 250 
 
 
 13, 14. 
 
 19 
 
 7 
 
 506 
 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 
 27 
 
 13 
 
 xvii. 
 
 1 
 
 441 
 
 iii. 5 
 
 . 312 
 
 ii. 
 
 8,13 . 
 
 509 
 
 iv. 
 
 18 . 
 
 81 
 
 xviii. 
 
 6 
 
 22,58 
 
 7 
 
 579 
 
 iv. 
 
 3 
 
 719 
 
 
 28,29. 
 
 719 
 
 XX. 
 
 5 
 
 28 
 
 9 
 
 558 
 
 V. 
 
 16 . 
 
 38 
 
 V. 
 
 5 
 
 96 
 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 549 
 
 
 20 . 
 
 671 
 
 vi. 
 
 34 
 
 446 
 
 Acts. 
 
 
 
 vi. 3 
 
 369, 465 
 
 
 22 
 
 321 
 
 
 35 
 
 447 
 
 
 3 
 
 102 
 
 7 
 
 . 371 
 
 
 23, 24 . 
 
 268 
 
 
 38 . 
 
 394, 395 
 
 iii. 
 
 23 . 
 
 499 
 
 9 
 
 57, 208 
 
 
 32 
 
 575 
 
 
 44 
 
 o,cio 
 
 iv. 
 
 20 
 
 21 
 
 vii. 4 
 
 88 
 
 
 42 . 
 
 446 
 
 vii. 
 
 37 . 
 
 323 
 
 
 24 
 
 268 
 
 13 . 
 
 . 301 
 
 
 46 . 
 
 271 
 
 ix. 
 
 62 . 
 
 38 
 
 
 27,28. 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 vi. 
 
 11 . 
 
 . 370 
 
 X. 
 
 26 
 
 1 
 
 
 32 . 
 
 266, 267 
 
 Nahdji. 
 
 
 
 25 . 
 
 176 
 
 
 33—35 
 
 71 
 
 V. 
 
 36—38 
 
 309 
 
 i. 2 
 
 57 
 
 vii. 
 
 3 
 
 455 
 
 xi. 
 
 20 . 
 
 20 
 
 vii. 
 
 51 
 
 73 
 
 5,6 . 
 
 302 
 
 
 12 
 
 444 
 
 xii. 
 
 12 . 
 
 729 
 
 
 54 
 
 82 
 
 9 
 
 166 
 
 
 15 
 
 295, 299 
 
 
 32 . 
 
 639 
 
 ix. 
 
 32 
 
 642 
 
 ii. 3 
 
 . 602 
 
 
 22 . 
 
 715, 734 
 
 xiii. 
 
 7 
 
 222, 392 
 
 X. 
 
 34,35. 
 
 . 261 
 
 
 
 viii. 
 
 3 
 
 237 
 
 xiv. 
 
 1 
 
 370 
 
 xii. 
 
 6 
 
 . 124 
 
 Habakkuk. 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 56 
 
 
 11 
 
 533 
 
 
 15 
 
 30 
 
 i. 8 
 
 22 
 
 
 12 . 
 
 76 
 
 
 13 
 
 302 
 
 xiii. 
 
 10 
 
 . 336 
 
 9 
 
 23 
 
 
 19 . 
 
 236 
 
 XV. 
 
 17 
 
 317 
 
 
 11 
 
 18 
 
 ii. 7 
 
 22 
 
 
 22 . 
 
 340 
 
 
 24 
 
 274 
 
 
 18,40. 
 
 256 
 
 15 . 
 
 . 389 
 
 X. 
 
 20 . 
 
 729 
 
 xvi. 
 
 8 
 
 447 
 
 xiv. 
 
 22 . 
 
 309 
 
 iii. 16 . 
 
 72 
 
 
 34 . 
 
 633 
 
 
 9 
 
 393 
 
 XV. 
 
 16 
 
 . 641 
 
 
 
 
 28 . 
 
 435 
 
 
 13 . 
 
 393 
 
 xvii. 
 
 28 . 
 
 4;38 
 
 Zefhanjau. 
 
 
 
 40, 41 . 
 
 112 
 
 
 22 
 
 30 
 
 XX. 
 
 9 
 
 . 254 
 
 i. 8 
 
 191, 359 
 
 xi. 
 
 7 
 
 631 
 
 xvii. 
 
 32 '. 
 
 38 
 
 
 22 . 
 
 2 
 
 9 
 
 . 205 
 
 xii. 
 
 18 . 
 
 2-35 
 
 xviii. 
 
 11, 12. 
 
 256 
 
 
 28 . 
 
 76 
 
 12 . 
 
 . 248 
 
 
 28 . 
 
 20 
 
 
 14 . 
 
 825 
 
 
 35 . 
 
 395 
 
 ii. 8 
 
 5.36 
 
 
 33 . 
 
 678 
 
 .xix. 
 
 8 
 
 74 
 
 xxiv. 
 
 16 
 
 731 
 
 8,9 . 
 
 591 
 
 
 45 . 
 
 321 
 
 
 41 
 
 72;} 
 
 xxvi. 
 
 13 . 
 
 63 
 
 iii. 3 
 
 554 
 
 xiii. 
 
 11 
 
 58 
 
 xxi. 
 
 34 
 
 22 
 
 
 18 . 
 
 273,317 
 
 4 
 
 119,205 
 
 
 13 
 
 680 
 
 xxii. 
 
 32 
 
 461 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 25 
 
 no 
 
 
 43 
 
 30 
 
 Romans. 
 
 
 Haggai. 
 
 
 XV. 
 
 6 
 
 551 
 
 
 53 
 
 438 
 
 i. 
 
 18,32. 
 
 . 266 
 
 ii. 9 
 
 . 235 
 
 
 9 
 
 730 
 
 
 61 
 
 411 
 
 ii. 
 
 4 
 
 575 
 
 22 . 
 
 . 261 
 
 
 11 
 
 387 
 
 xxiii. 
 
 43 . 
 
 551 
 
 iv. 
 
 12 . 
 
 449 
 
 
 
 
 20 . 
 
 324 
 
 xxiv. 
 
 45 
 
 273 
 
 v. 
 
 12 
 
 211 
 
 Zechariab. 
 
 
 XV iii. 
 
 6 
 
 272 
 
 
 
 
 vi. 
 
 14 
 
 7.30 
 
 i. 6 29 
 
 7, 521, 544 
 
 
 10 . 
 
 55 
 
 John. 
 
 
 
 
 23 
 
 113 
 
 ii. 4 
 
 33 
 
 
 20 . 
 
 272, 813 
 
 i. 
 
 14 
 
 61,197 
 
 vii. 
 
 6 
 
 275 
 
 5 
 
 90, 103 
 
 xix. 
 
 17 
 
 496 
 
 
 18 
 
 67 
 
 viii. 
 
 6 
 
 679 
 
 iv. 6 
 
 . 19, 40 
 
 
 28 
 
 752 
 
 ii. 
 
 14—17 
 
 63 
 
 
 7 
 
 105, 269 
 
 7 
 
 645 
 
 
 30 
 
 825 
 
 iii. 
 
 6 
 
 727 
 
 
 14 . 
 
 41, 725 
 
 12 
 
 618 
 
 XX. 
 
 3 
 
 390 
 
 
 12 
 
 26 
 
 
 26 
 
 106, 726 
 
 vi. 1 1 
 
 13 
 
 
 6 
 
 392 
 
 
 19 
 
 266 
 
 
 31 
 
 305 
 
 1.1 
 
 a3o 
 
 
 12 . 
 
 464 
 
 
 20 . 
 
 201 
 
 ix. 
 
 4,5 . 
 
 233 
 
 vii. 11 
 
 719 
 
 xxi. 
 
 13 
 
 556 
 
 iv. 
 
 20 . 
 
 78 
 
 
 6 
 
 76 
 
 11, 12. 
 
 . 735 
 
 xxii. 
 
 5 
 
 204 
 
 v. 
 
 25 . 
 
 276 
 
 
 21 
 
 . 437
 
 838 
 
 A TABLE OF SCRIPTURES. 
 
 KOTiANS. 
 
 Page 
 
 EPHESIANS. 
 
 Page 
 
 2 Timothy. 
 
 Pase 
 
 2 Peter. 
 
 P.ist 
 
 X. 20 
 
 342 
 
 i. 10 . . 5 
 
 i. 6 
 
 . . 97 
 
 ii. 1 
 
 . . 309 
 
 xi. 7 
 
 278 
 
 ii. 2 
 
 . . 28 
 
 7 
 
 . . 90, 123 
 
 6 
 
 . . 404 
 
 •xii. 2 
 
 93 
 
 3 
 
 . . 273 
 
 14 
 
 . . 726 
 
 13 
 
 . . 389 
 
 xiii. 4 
 
 41 
 
 8 
 
 . . 326 
 
 ii. 1 
 
 194 
 
 14 
 
 . . 377 
 
 8 
 
 . 593 
 
 10 
 
 . . 729 
 
 24,25 
 
 . . 257 
 
 22 
 
 . . 324 
 
 13 . 
 
 390 
 
 12 
 12, 13 
 
 28, 732 
 . . 4«6 
 
 iii. 5 
 
 . . 553 
 
 iii. 3, 4 
 
 . . 248 
 
 1 Corinthians. 
 
 
 iv. 3—6 
 
 271 
 
 Titus. 
 
 
 1 John. 
 
 
 i. 10 . 
 
 267 
 
 19 
 
 . 277, 278 
 
 i. 25 
 
 . . 465 
 
 i. 1,3 
 
 . . 18 
 
 26 . 
 
 203 
 
 32 
 
 280 
 
 15 
 
 . . 553 
 
 3,8 
 
 117 
 
 ii. 4, 5 . 
 
 114 
 
 V. 9 
 
 . 273 
 
 
 
 ii. 4 
 
 413,519 
 
 10 . 
 
 . 246 
 
 15, 16 
 
 392 
 
 Hebrews. 
 
 
 7 
 
 809 
 
 12, 15 
 
 74 
 
 20 
 
 . 716 
 
 i. 3 
 
 61 
 
 20 
 
 725 
 
 14 
 
 73 
 
 23 
 
 274 
 
 6 
 
 . 34,61 
 
 iii. 7 
 
 731 
 
 15 . 
 
 . 725 
 
 25 
 
 580 
 
 7 
 
 . 26,41 
 
 9 
 
 459, 461 
 
 iii. 13 
 
 309 
 
 28 
 
 . . 580 
 
 iii. 12 
 
 319 
 
 17 
 
 394 
 
 16 
 
 717 
 
 vi. 11 
 
 . 391 
 
 iv. 2 
 
 350 
 
 iv. 1 
 
 6.50 
 
 21 
 
 210 
 
 15 
 
 . 87, 355 
 
 15 
 
 256 
 
 4 
 
 725 
 
 iv. 1 
 
 76 
 
 17 
 
 6:32 
 
 vi. 4 
 
 73 
 
 V. 7 
 
 68,728 
 
 9 
 
 43 
 
 18 
 
 726 
 
 ix. 14 
 
 173 
 
 16 
 
 . 326 
 
 13 . 
 
 16 
 
 
 24 
 
 809 
 
 
 
 vi. 12 
 
 389 
 
 Philippians. 
 
 X. 22 
 
 274 
 
 2 John. 
 
 
 15 . 
 
 . 441 
 
 i. 19 . . 120 
 
 24 
 
 453 
 
 9 
 
 . 462 
 
 17 . 
 
 728 
 
 21 
 
 730 
 
 25-27 
 
 499, 505 
 
 
 
 18 . 
 
 . 442 
 
 ii. 2 
 
 267 
 
 29 
 
 354 
 
 Jl'DE. 
 
 
 19 . 
 
 40 
 
 16 
 
 37 
 
 38 
 
 369 
 
 7 
 
 . 396 
 
 vii. 20, 24 . 
 
 . 392 
 
 21 
 
 111 
 
 xi. 27 
 
 91 
 
 12 
 
 . 332 
 
 31 
 
 44 
 
 iii. 13 
 
 449 
 
 38 
 
 88 
 
 14 
 
 . 489 
 
 viii. 2 
 
 . 614 
 
 14 
 
 39 
 
 xii. 2 
 
 729 
 
 
 
 X. 11 . 
 
 . 623 
 
 15.19 
 
 269 
 
 14 
 
 270 
 
 Revelation. 
 
 
 33 . 
 
 575 
 
 19 
 
 363, 388 
 
 xiii. 4 
 
 380 
 
 i. 5 
 
 . 354 
 
 xi. 5 
 
 356 
 
 21 
 
 360 
 
 5 
 
 448 
 
 15 
 
 26 
 
 10 . 
 
 56,356 
 
 iv. 13 
 
 42 
 
 20 
 
 690 
 
 ii. 5 
 
 303 
 
 23 . 
 
 19 
 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 76 
 
 xii. 5 
 
 42 
 
 COLOSSIANS. 
 
 •Tames. 
 
 
 14, 15 
 
 11 
 
 28 . 
 
 . 551 
 
 1. 12 . . 805 
 
 i. 14 
 
 . 320 
 
 17 
 
 . 699 
 
 xiii. 12 
 
 67 
 
 16 
 
 208 
 
 17 
 
 45 
 
 18 
 
 62 
 
 xiv. 24 
 
 36 
 
 21 
 
 275, 693 
 
 19,20 
 
 108 
 
 iii. 7 
 
 17 
 
 XV. 10 . 
 
 42 
 
 23 
 
 460 
 
 21 
 
 100 
 
 12 . 
 
 . 217 
 
 27 . 
 
 55 
 
 iii. 14 
 
 271 
 
 ii. 1 
 
 61 
 
 iv. 2 
 
 66 
 
 xvi. 9 
 
 9!) 
 
 16 
 
 97 
 
 iii. 6 
 
 43 
 
 3 
 
 65 
 
 
 
 19 
 
 580 
 
 17 
 
 270 
 
 6,8 
 
 32 
 
 2 COBINTHIANS. 
 
 
 
 iv. 1 
 
 270, 377 
 
 vi. 1 
 
 44 
 
 ii. 16 
 
 82 
 
 1 Thessalonians." 
 
 6 
 
 77, .386 
 
 2 
 
 . 357 
 
 iii. 5 
 
 120 
 
 iv. 11 . . .39 
 
 8 
 
 316 
 
 vii. 1, 2 
 
 28 
 
 6 
 
 54, 727 
 
 14 
 
 . 435 
 
 12 
 
 377, 437 
 
 2,3 
 
 . 212 
 
 17 
 
 123 
 
 v. 7 
 
 363 
 
 V. 4 
 
 444 
 
 viii, 1 
 
 43 
 
 IS 
 
 725 
 
 14 
 
 . 391 
 
 9 
 
 271 
 
 ix. 4 
 
 . 212 
 
 iv. 4 
 
 28 
 
 21 
 
 303, 457 
 
 15 
 
 38 
 
 x. 1 
 
 62 
 
 6 
 
 . 413 
 
 
 20 
 
 309 
 
 xi. 19 
 
 . 830 
 
 13 . 
 
 . 727 
 
 2 Thessalonians. 
 
 
 
 xii. 1 
 
 . 34,71 
 
 16 . 
 
 . 274 
 
 i 10 . . 34 
 
 1 Peter. 
 
 
 2 
 
 412 
 
 V. 16 . 
 
 . 275 
 
 ii. 9, 10 . . 295 
 
 i. 5 
 
 460 
 
 xiii. 3 
 
 80, 272 
 
 17 
 
 274,719 
 
 10-12 . 503 
 
 12 
 
 28,234 
 
 8 
 
 551 
 
 vi. 16 
 
 728 
 
 11 . . 316 
 
 18 
 
 78, 455 
 
 xiv. 4 
 
 . 158 
 
 17 
 
 213, 553 
 
 iii. 10 . . 392 
 
 ii. 5 
 
 61 
 
 9, 10 
 
 . 217 
 
 viii. 9 
 
 393 
 
 11 39,390,391 
 
 17 
 
 . 270 
 
 XV. 6 
 
 26 
 
 xi. 29 
 
 280 
 
 
 iii. 3 
 
 . 359 
 
 xvi. 5, 6 
 
 . 373 
 
 xii. 2, 3 . 
 
 287 
 
 1 Timothy. 
 
 7 S 
 
 68, 377, 580 
 
 xvii. 16 
 
 . 379 
 
 7 
 
 387, 625 
 
 i. 13 . . 59 
 
 8 
 
 267 
 
 XV iii. 1, 2 
 
 64 
 
 14, 15 
 
 111 
 
 ii. 8 
 
 . 204 
 
 12 
 
 318 
 
 6 
 
 191 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 . 359 
 
 iv. 3 
 
 367, 374 
 
 7 
 
 . 603 
 
 Gai.atians. 
 
 
 10 
 
 359 
 
 V. 5 
 
 270, 359 
 
 13 
 
 . 608 
 
 i. 6 
 
 510 
 
 12 
 
 377 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 xix. 6 
 
 44 
 
 ii. 9 
 
 427 
 
 iv. 10 
 
 438 
 
 
 
 11—13 
 
 62 
 
 14 
 
 93 
 
 v. 6 
 
 . 391 
 
 2 Peter. 
 
 
 14 
 
 212 
 
 iii. 2 
 
 73 
 
 vi. 10 
 
 . 393 
 
 i. 1 
 
 805 
 
 20 
 
 309 
 
 12 
 
 495 
 
 16 
 
 55 
 
 10 
 
 460 
 
 xx. 10 
 
 299 
 
 V. 4 
 
 575 
 
 17 
 
 . 713 
 
 17 
 
 64 
 
 xxi. 9 
 
 . 412 
 
 19,20 
 
 201 
 
 
 20,21 
 
 104 
 
 12 
 
 30 
 
 21 
 
 389, 390 
 
 
 21 
 
 . 297 
 
 xxii. 1, 2 
 
 34 
 
 VI. 9 
 
 40 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 A TABLE 
 
 CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL THINGS IN THE PRECEDENT EXPOSITIONS. 
 
 ABIA THAR, why displaced, 799. 
 
 Abominations, what sins are so called, 146, 452. People 
 may be guiltv of, and not know it, 334. Of the eyes, 
 what, 489, 490. 
 
 Abstract, oft rendered by the concrete, 516. 
 
 Abundance, happiness lies not in it, 610. Dangerous, 623. 
 
 Accepting, what it imports, 516. 
 
 Accidentals to us are not so to God, 644. 
 
 Accou7it, Angels and others must give an account, 39. The 
 faithful may boldly give up their account, 230. We 
 must give an account of our talents, 439. God keeps 
 exact account of his people's sufferings, 776. 
 
 ActioTis, done according to God's will, have glory and effi- 
 cacy in them. 36. Cannot be otherwise than they are, 
 53. Grace will break out into action, 282. Actions 
 more observable than words, 288. Of men are over- 
 ruled by the Lord, 529, 630. 
 
 Adam had not the law written in his heart by the Spirit, as 
 believers have, 727. 
 
 Administrations, what men to be in gospel ones, 799. 
 
 Admonitions, they are useful, 1 19, 120. God admonishes 
 before he destroys, 129. 
 
 Adonai, xvhat it notes. 61*2. 
 
 Adulter;/, how punished by .Tews .and heathens, 3S0. God 
 punishes it severely, ib. The evil of it, 441, 442. 
 Punishment appointed for it, 442, 443. The punishment 
 thereof, 565. 
 
 Advantage, God makes that so which threatens ruin, 766. 
 
 Affections, conjugal, pleasing to God, 580. One sinful, 
 sets others on work, 703. Evil affections must be 
 answered for, ib. Other affections required when we 
 come to God, than when we converse with men, 803. 
 
 Afflictions, of themselves, subdue not corruption, 14, 78, 
 124. In greatest afflictions, oft come in the strongest 
 comforts, 20. God can afflict from any quarter, 24. 
 Time of affliction is seasonable for instructions, 101. 
 Makes men mind God, 159. Before affliction men 
 slight, under it regard the word of God, 161, 192, 193. 
 By afflictions the Lord sanctifies, 259. Are the acts of 
 God, 260. No arguments of.divine hatred, 261. Have 
 their period, 264. Of tliemsclves do not sanctify, 285. 
 A whetstone to prayer, .3'26. Resembled to fire in five 
 things, ,339. It is a time of God's manifesting love, 347. 
 Minding our misery, useful against sin, 376. Afflictions 
 discover, 404, 405. In them men look to the arm of 
 flesh, 423. They are east winds, 478. God hath times 
 to show mercy in them, 485. He reveals himself by one 
 way, means, or other to the afflicted, 486. Wbat brings 
 sad afflictions, 541. May be long, yet are not endless, 635. 
 In them persons do strange things. 5&G. They are cups, 
 ib. Bitterness argne not hatred, 581. In affliction 
 nen observe how time passes, 649. God's people long 
 afflicted, 674. Men under great affliction have vain 
 
 confidences, 676. Adding affliction to the afflicted, 708. 
 In great afflictions great weakness is manifested, 744. 
 The Lord is sensible of his people's afflictions, ib. 
 Though sharp and long, yet they shall have an end, 773. 
 
 Agate, whence named, 608. 
 
 Agents in temple work, whom they have need of, 793. 
 
 Aha, what it notes, 586. 
 
 Aholah, what, 561. 
 
 Aholibah, what, ib. 
 
 Alienate. What alienates God, 565. 
 
 All, put for the greatest part, 428. 
 
 Altar of incense, what it holds out, 785. It is called a 
 table, and what in it, ib, 786. Of burnt offerings, 797. 
 Why called Harel and Haariel, ib. A type of Christ, 
 798. 
 
 Altars, high places, 506, 507. 
 
 Ammonites, their original, 535, 586. Enemies to the Jews, 
 ib. They reproached them, 536. Insulted over their 
 miseries, 587. How called, ib. Their despite, 588. 
 
 Amoriles, whence, and what, 336. 
 
 Angels, very knowing, 27, 28. Observe us and our ways, 
 27. ITsed in the government of the world, 28, 45. The 
 services good angels are employed in, 29, &c. Why 
 likened to men, lions, oxen, eagles, 31,32. They are 
 fit for great services, 32, bQ. They serve their inferiors, 
 3.3. They depend upon Christ, ib. Of their uings, 34, 
 35. They are loving and harmonious in their operations, 
 35, 56, 104. They cover their feet, 35, 56. Their 
 ways are straight, 36. They are constant in their reso- 
 lutions, ib. Of their hands, ib. They do their work 
 rationally, wisely, 37. Angelical virtue is bid from us, 
 ib. They persevere in their work, 38. They mind the 
 work in hand, ib. Apprehension of death upon sight of 
 angels, whence, 39. Glorious, terrible in their services, 
 ib. L^nweariable in their work, ib. Seek God's glory, 
 
 40. Not at their own disposal, ib. They are ducible, 
 
 41. Have new influence from Christ, 42. How said 
 to stand, 51. They attend Christ's throne, are willing 
 to do his will, 56. Reverence him, ib. Noise of their 
 wings, ib. Not heard by all, 58. They sympathize 
 with us, 102. They are musical, 103. Whether every 
 one have a tutelar angel, 31. Have a care of commu- 
 nities, 209. Are at Gods command, I'A. 211, 244. In 
 what sense called men, 210. The bodies they assume 
 not substantial, ib. Angels against us when God against 
 us, ib. They have their commission from Christ, 212. 
 Ready to do the will of God, 231. Have power over the 
 wheels, 232. God uses their ministry, ib. Desirous to 
 know the things of God, 2.34. Applaud the judgments of 
 God, 235. Have no hands, 236. Likened to fire, ib. 
 Watch to serve Christ, ib. Honour Christ exceedingly, 
 ib. Furnished with ability for employments, 237. Do 
 not things rashly, ib.
 
 840 
 
 A TABLE CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL THINGS 
 
 Anger. M^rath makes men bungle in their own anil in 
 God's business also, 107, 108. How in God. 150. In 
 God, thedigrees of it, 206. Di'scribed. aft. God huh 
 times of licing furious, ib. When that time is, -jO?. 
 God's fury dreadftd, ib. It hastens judgments, ti09. 
 A general destruction in the day of God's wrath, 22'2. 
 God not always angry, 263 Hath an admiring indigna- 
 tion at his people's sins, 293. What, 383, 703. How 
 given to God, ib. 
 
 Aiwintimj with oil, what, 352, 353. 
 
 Antiochus, his miserable end, 762. 
 
 Antiquily. The true antiquity, 2. It is no rule for wor- 
 ship, 78. Christ our antiquity, ib. 
 
 Apostasy, a great evil, 118. Four evils of it, ib. A griev- 
 ous sin, 369. Arguments against it, 462. 
 
 Apostates, their punishment, and evil of apostasy, 510. 
 God accounts not them bis, 517. A dishonour to God, 
 803. 
 
 Apparel, costly, not unlawful, 358. Ends of apparel, ib. 
 When persons sin about it, 359. 
 
 Appointment. Divine appointing makes things and actions, 
 mean in themselves, weighty and useful, 128. 
 
 Aram and Aramites, 404. Who descended from him, 608. 
 
 Architecture (jod's work, 736, 737- 
 
 Arm, uncovering of it, 131. Stretching out of God's arm, 
 what it notes, 510. 
 
 Armies, nothing, without God's assistance, 630. They, 
 and their commanders, may labour, serve, and sutTcr 
 much, and yet be disappointed, 638. They are (^nd's 
 instruments, 639. God can easily ruin thi-m. 762, 763. 
 Brings them to shame and miser.ible ends, 765. 
 
 Arms. Men buried with their arms, and why, 661. 
 
 Arvad. a city, and where, 604, 605. 
 
 Assemblies, the sense of the word, 304. Two kinds of 
 assemblies amongst the Jews, ib. Much good in the 
 assemblies of saints, 306. 
 
 Astrology. Judicial astrology unlawful, 294. 
 
 AlheUm, the cause of man's going from God, 201. Set 
 out more fully. 227. 
 
 Aven, what city, 646. 
 
 B 
 
 J3aalmeon, 500. 
 
 Babiilvn. now called Bagdat, 10. A description of it, 487, 
 
 488. 
 Babylonians, how called, 587. 
 Badger, 355. 
 Balance, just one, 807. 
 Balm, M9. 
 Bamah. ubat, 507. 
 Bands. W hat bands they put upon Ezekiel, 123. What 
 
 God put on him, I.3I. 
 Banishment, or captivity, is a civil death, 157. 
 Barren, who are so, and for destruction, 822. 
 Barrenness reproachful, 346, 347. 
 Bashan. 603. 
 Bath, what, 807, 808. 
 Beast. Noisome beasts, 324. 
 Beauty. Wherein the beauty of the Israelitish state was, 
 
 361, 362. The Jews liad beautifying mercies, ,363. 
 
 When it becomes abominable, 374. Of wisdom, what, 
 
 616. Subject to spoil, ib. Perfection of beauty, in 
 
 what, 617. Marred liy what, 6-2:3. 
 Bed. The bed of love, what, 563. When defiled, 564. 
 
 Two sorts of beds, 568. 
 Beggar. All beggars not to be given unto, 395. 
 Beginnings. From low beginnings God raises to great- 
 
 liess, 344. At tirst small, 778. 
 Believers have the law written in their hearts by the Spirit, 
 
 otherwise th.an Adam had, 727. Like to trees. 819. To 
 
 fish. 820. Believers God's lot and portion, 805. 
 Believing. We are backward to believe, 351. 
 Best. God must have the best sacrifices and services, 
 
 518. 
 Belh-jeshimoth, a city, and where, 590. 
 Bihhesh am\ liaresh signifying to seek, distinguished, 683. 
 Birth, moves not God, 341. 
 Blundina came to suffer as lo a marriage supper, 52. 
 
 Blasphemers" blasphemies heard, 704. God accounts their 
 blasphemies against himself, are against his, ib. Ill to 
 occasion blaspheming, 711. 
 
 Bhisphemtf, wherein it consists, 505. 
 
 Blessings, outward, given promiscuously to goO'! ind bad, 
 397. Tliey puff men up, 403. Temporal ami spiritual, 
 are from God, 694. They are seasonable, ib. 695. End 
 of them is to acknowledge and honour God for them, 
 695. 
 
 Blood. What requiring of blood is. 112. Bloody crimes, 
 what, 183. Land full of blood, 2-26. What it notes, i5. 
 What blood sets out, 339. Properties of it in reference 
 to man's corrupt nature, 340, 352. God lets men lie in 
 thi'ir blood .as long as he please, 340. Blond-shedding 
 tjrie\'ous, 380. 451. Being upon one's own hand, what, 
 664. Why blood was forbidden, 675. Wlietlier now it 
 may ho eaten, ib. Bloody ni' u have bloody ends, 701. 
 God visits thoroughly for it, 702. Blood of Christ frees 
 from guilt, 715. Blood put upon the horns of the altar, 
 what it signifies, 799. 
 
 Jloiling-pot, 571. Sinners boiled in it to purpose, 572. 
 
 Bones, who meant by them, 738. God can enliven dry 
 hon''S, 741. Jews like bones, 742. 
 
 Boiv, what smiting or breaking it means, 764. 
 
 Bracelets, 356. 
 
 Brahmins, what they do with their children, 339. 
 
 Branch, three Hebrew words for it, 651. A fourth, 652. 
 
 Bread. Staff of bread, what, 134. Of breaking this staff, 
 ib. How used in Scripture, 387, -388. 
 
 Breadth of the house increasing upward, what it may note, 
 784. 
 
 Breaking. God breaks kings, nations, 649. Bands of his 
 people, 695. 
 
 Breast. Why the breasts are so placed, 344. Fashioning 
 of breasts argue fitness for marriage, ib. 
 
 Brethren, a word of divers acceptations in Scripture, 
 255. 
 
 Buckler, what, 754. 
 
 Burden, what meant by it, 290. Burden of sin brings 
 burden of judgment, ib. 
 
 Burials of princes and prophets with cosily things, 156. 
 
 Business. Our own business to be done, 39. (iod makes 
 stands and stops in businesses, 5'2. 
 
 Byssus, what, 355. 
 
 Calamity, sudden, and what it should work. 581. Laugh- 
 ing at calamity grievous. 588, 589. Why we should 
 not, 589. Calamities common to good and bad, 109. 
 
 Calamus, what, 609. 
 
 Call. A divine call hath divine assistance, 99. Those 
 who are called to public service, have need of the Spirit, 
 102. Those Christ sends, he gives his Spirit, 123. 
 
 Cameh, their strength and nature, 587. 
 
 Canaan, what it signifies, and sometimes notes, 418. Upon 
 what account said to flow with milk and honey, 487. 
 Of what length and breadth, ib. Commendations of it, 
 (7). Wherein it excelled Babylon, 487, 4.S8. What sorts 
 of people in it, 555. Differenced from other lands, 601. 
 Godly shall be brought into it, 627. Was God's land, 
 habitation, 702. Whose inheritance it was, 705. True 
 rest there, none in Babylon, 745. Safety there, 759. 
 Division of it spiritual, 805. 
 
 Canaanites, whence and what, 3.36. 
 
 Captivity. Israel's captivity, 262. .leeoniah's captives 
 and Zedekiah's, whether of them returned, ib. What 
 meant by bringing back the captivity of Sodom and 
 Samaria, 402. What the Jews lost in the captivity, 518. 
 Ciod brings into captivity, and out of it, 773. 
 
 Carcassof kings what. 793. 794. 
 
 Carim, what it signifies, 528. 
 
 Cassia, what, 609. 
 
 Casual, nothing is so, 51. Motions here below not casual, 
 239. 
 
 Cedar sets forth a thriving condition, 417. God crops, 
 lops off, cedars, 419. It excels other trees, 431. Christ 
 the goodly Cedar, 432.
 
 IN THE PRECEDENT EXPOSITIONS. 
 
 841 
 
 Censur/nj of others to be great sinners, not safe, 400. 401. 
 Shameful to judge others, beinp^ guilty ourselves, 401. 
 
 Cliabaih, H hut binding it notes, 683. 
 
 Chain notes four things, 183. What sins bring chains, 
 184. When 6rst usid, 356. 
 
 Chaldea, of it, and the Chaldeans, 10. 
 
 Chaldeans likened to fishermen, and why, 290. Worst of 
 heathen, 184. 
 
 Chambers, »liat they note, 779, 787. One above another, 
 what that implies, 784. 
 
 Changes, God can make wonderful ones in a little time, 
 73«. 
 
 Charad, opened, 643, 772. 
 
 Cliaritij, want of it a great evil, 393, 395. ^^■e should be 
 charitable, and vvh\', 445. 
 
 Charran, where, 610. 
 
 Chasmal, what, 26, 62. Bnckwards is the Messiah, 62. 
 
 Chazak, what it signifies, 649. 
 
 Cherethims, who and where,. 594. 
 
 Cherub and cherubims whence, and what, 27. 
 
 Cherubims, what, 230, 286. Why difi'erenced by the pro- 
 phet, 2;}!. Coals of fire between the cherubims, what, 
 232. Attend upon Clirist, 234. Why God said to 
 dwell between the cherubims, ib. The sound of their 
 wings, what it imports, 235. By the fire they took, 
 what meant, 236. Their hands and wings, what they 
 import, 237. Their motions uniform, 239. Tlie scle- 
 ral resemblances of their faces, 241. A doubt cleared, 
 ib. Cherubims subservient to God, 244/ In the tem- 
 ple, n hat they note, 783, 785. 
 
 Children, they imitate their fathers, 77. How it can stand 
 with God's justice to destroy little ones. 221. We are 
 their children whose ways we follow, 3.36. Ill children 
 of good parents, 337. lloiv said to be the Lord's, 371. 
 Of sacrificing them, ib. Usually tread in the steps of 
 parents, 364. Their children we are whom we imitate, 
 ih. 385. Of their sulfering for their fathers' sins, 436. 
 Good ones may come from ill parents, 454. If good, 
 not to be branded with the vices of their parents, 455. 
 They are prone to follow parents in what is evil, 501. 
 They are not tied to the ways of their forefathers, 501, 
 508. Sacrificing of children, whence, 508. They part 
 with dear things to uphold their fathers' ways, ib. Of 
 Abraham, known by their works, 676. Increase of them 
 God's blessing, 738. 
 
 Chitlim, and the isles thereof, 603. 
 
 Chock, the Hebrew word, what it signifies, 374. 
 
 Christ, an object of admiration and adoration, 34. His 
 service is honourable, ib. The virtue from him is active, 
 42. All things are under Christ, 55. He seeth all 
 things, ib. 56. His voice is efficacious, 57, 58. He 
 hath kingly majesty, 60. Is the chiefest of kings, 61. 
 He is glorious, 61, 63. Hath judiciary power, 62, 63. 
 Ruleth the world, 62. Hears the cause, complaints, of 
 his people, ib. Dreadful in judgment, 63. His divine 
 nature too glorious for our eyes, 64. His judiciary 
 actions are glorious, ib. He mingles mercy with 
 wrath, 66. He is Jehovah, 68. Compassionate, 71. 
 His command is powerful, ib. He is encouraging to 
 duty, ib. His word comfortable to the dejected, 72. 
 What Christ commands he gives. 73, 74. It is Christ's 
 privilege to set up and send officers, 75, 76. He puts 
 forth virtue to ctTect what he speaks, 94. He opens 
 mysteries, 95. He authorizes not ministers to condemn 
 or absolve at their pleasure, 1 13. Christ tells his people 
 beforehand what they must expect, 124. Christ the 
 Angel of the covenant, 211. The three offices of Christ, 
 ib. Christ variously represented, 212. Commander-in- 
 chief, ib. Mediates for his people, tb. Hath care of 
 them, i6. Christ the marker of saints, 217. Hath 
 power to save and to destroy, ib. Christ a faithful 
 executioner of God's will, 230. Secures those his 
 Father affects, ib. Christ descended from the highest, 
 432. The beginnings of Christ wore low, ib. He is the 
 goodly Cedar in the church, ib. What fruit this Cedar 
 yields, ib. All shall come under this Cedar, ib. There 
 is safety under Christ, 4.33. His loins, ib. He hath 
 rods in his hand, 524. He is the true King of Judah. 
 634. What a Shepherd he is, 090. How diircrenced 
 
 from all others, ib. Called David, ib. Whether he hath 
 yet reigned as a prince. 091. Happy they who have 
 iiini for their Shepherd, ib. It is he takes away enmity, 
 693. The plant of renown. 696. Yields good fruit, 
 697. Called David, 750. What King. ib. 751. Whe- 
 ther he hath yet been King over the Ji'i\s, 750, 751. 
 There is a time for Christ to reign over the Jews, 752. 
 In his kingdom no succession of princes, ib. He is chief 
 Builder of the church, 777. He is the way. the door, 16. 
 He is the altar, table, sacrifice, 786. Stands by his 
 servants in temple work, 792. An altar, Hariel and 
 Haariel, 798. He measures all, 817. 
 
 Christianity not against magistracy, 808. 
 
 Christians, called Goiim, by Jews, 75. All are not Chris- 
 tians who seem so, 76. Christians liki ned to trees in 
 eight respects, 819, 820. True ones are fruitful, 822. 
 Always fruitful, ib. W hat makes them so, ib. 
 
 Chronology of some things and times, specially to be noted, 
 570, 6'28. Best kept in adversity, 638. 
 
 Church, it is subject to dangers, enemies, 110. Why set 
 .Tuiong the ^vicked, 141. Sliall never fail, 157. Churches 
 have their periods, 163. God manifests his presence in 
 the church by some notable sign, 214. It never totally 
 failed, 216. Churches and states degenerating, go on 
 to a height of wickedness, 228. No visible church but 
 may fall, 243. Those who have the name of a church 
 rigid against the true church, 256. There- may be no 
 true church where churchship is pretended, 258. The 
 notes some make of it, ib. The truth of churchship 
 whence fetched, 16. Tares will be in the church, 285. 
 The best and most famous church may degenerate, 369. 
 A whorish, idolatrous church may bring forth children 
 to God, 37*2. A virgin church may become a strumpet, 
 378. Churches their children whom they imitate, 384, 
 385. It is enlarged under Christ, 411. Who have an 
 evil eye at it, 419. Whom God accounts his church, 
 517. Those who are his, shall be brought into it, 16. 
 There mercy is shown, 518. Churches may degenerate, 
 546. Who not fit matter for a church, 547. Degene- 
 rating will suffer, ib. She is amongst thorns, 626. 
 How low soever, God can raise it, and make it flourish, 
 640. God hath a special care of it, being exposed to 
 many dangers, 665. Otliers fare the better for the 
 church's sake, 694. Freed from former evils, 097, 698. 
 \\ hen most aflSicted, most cared for, 707, 708. Subject 
 to calamities. 757. What shall comfort her, ib. God 
 will revenge her wrongs, 759. Cared for in lowest 
 estate, 776. What it is called, ib. It is well seated, 
 and ordered, 777. It is a house, not a tabernacle, ib. 
 The greatness of il, 780. 783, 784. Visible, and likened 
 to visible things, 786. Under various dispensations. 787. 
 It is an exact building, 789. The extent and latitude 
 of it, ib. Stability, lustre, safety, and holiness of it, ib. 
 790. God made known tliere. 792. Church work must 
 be according to the pattern God gives. 796. Hath dis- 
 tinct laws of its own, ib. What it shall be, ib. Made 
 up of holy ones, 797. It is holy, most pure part of the 
 world, 806. It is large, ib. In it is pro\ision and pro- 
 tection, ib. 826. It is Christ's portion, 806. It is large 
 under the gospel, 823, 824. Who members of it, 824. 
 Privileges of it equal to all, ib. All blessings of it of 
 free grace, ib. Gentiles of it. ib. 
 
 Church stale preserves propriety, and men's rights, 806. 
 
 Circumstances of things to be observed, 254. Circum- 
 stances much aggravate sin, 506, 561. 563, 567. 
 
 City. God an enemy to sinful cities, 125. Nothing se- 
 cures them from ruin, 128. It is honour to be the 
 chiefest, and what will make them so, 141. What ruins 
 them, 156. C'ity full of perverseness, what, 2*25. City 
 a caldron, and liow, 246. None can destroy it unless 
 God give command, 23;3. Cities called mothers, .'574, 
 .375. Their children whose manners they follow, 384. 
 W hat great cities are, such are the lesser, 386. They 
 are guilty of great sins, 397. .'!98. The sins of a city 
 may be such as it must not be pleaded for, 5.39. God 
 eyes cities what they are, 548. They groiv worse for 
 judgments, 563. Like one another, 56.3, 564. Have 
 their scum in them, 573. One glad at the ruin of an- 
 other, 597. Renowned, made contemptible, 598.
 
 642 
 
 A TABLE CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL THINGS 
 
 Wealthy ones given to sensuality, ib. Tliey liave their 
 periods, 601, Gil. Grow proud, and whereupon, 603. 
 Nothing secures them, i6. 611. May have God against 
 them, 625. Have their periods, 674. Citizens of Eze- 
 kiel's city, what, and what to do, 827. Description of 
 it, 827, 828. Difference between it and .John's, 828, 829. 
 \\ liat meant by it, 829. It is well founded, great, re- 
 ceives many, ib. 
 
 Cleaiising, 548. Of the not cleansed, ib. Of clean and 
 unclean, 552. 
 
 Clol/i. Precious cloths, 609. Rich, 610. 
 
 Clothing, when abused, 359. Why we should not be proud 
 of it, 360. 
 
 Cloud, the nature of it, 23. Armies compared to a cloud 
 in three respects, ib. Clouds, rain, wind, at God's dis- 
 posal, ib. God often appeared in a cloud, 234. 
 
 Comeliness, whatever it be, is from God, 365, 366. 
 
 Comfort propounded after threateniiigs, 431, 432. 
 
 Comjorts. God can make comforts terrors, 233. God 
 speaks comfortably when men speak bitterly, 260. 
 When they are comfortless, 263. Comforts leave when 
 God leaves, 287. God can mix sorrows with comforts, 
 292. Our comforts in God's hands, at his disposal, 580, 
 581. Suddi/nly taken away, ib. 
 
 Commands of God to be readily obeyed, 223, 289. Super- 
 natural things commanded are not in vain, 249. Com- 
 mands argue not power and free-will in man, 317, 468. 
 God may command w bat man hath not power to do, 468. 
 
 Commodities, not all in any one place, 604. 
 
 Communion with God expressed by eating, 800. 
 
 Company, such as that is, such men are, 475. Oft those 
 who converse with wicked ones prove worse than their 
 companions, ib. 
 
 Complaint. No cause to complain of God's dealings, 772. 
 
 Concubine, 563. 
 
 Condescension of God to sinners, 351. What it should 
 produce in us, ib. 
 
 Condition. God observes men in what condition they are, 
 340. In desperate conditions the Lord shows mercy, 
 342. From low conditions he raises to greatness, 353, 
 420. Seldom content with our conditions, 421, 422. 
 We should be mindful of our primitive condition, 410. 
 None so desperate but God can bring out of, 738. See 
 Slate. 
 
 Confederates with great ones must suffer, 763. 
 
 Confederation, whetlier lawful with idolaters, 376. 
 
 Confidence. We are apt to confide in flesh, 429, 463. 
 VVhat we must not confide in, 504. Why God beats 
 men out of their confidences, ib. We are apt to confide 
 in one thing or other, 543. We are prone to confide in 
 what we have, 629. Vain confidences discovered, 543. 
 What begets them, 603, 629. In the flesh shamed, 631. 
 Prove hurtful, 632. We are apt to trust in arms of 
 flesh, 636. 
 
 Conforming to God, what should engage to it, 491. 
 
 Coniali, what it signifies, 13. 
 
 Con.science, cannot be compelled, 272, 273. No conscience 
 of sin in the wicked, 567. 
 
 Consideration of our misery, and God's mercy, a special 
 help against sin, 373. What it is, 453. It differs from 
 contemplation, judgment, and meditation, ib. Wherein 
 the strength of it lieth, 454. The excellency of it, ib. 
 It is a special means to keep men from sinning, 455. 
 
 Con.ipiracy, what, 549. 
 
 Content. Seldom content with any condition, 421, 422. 
 
 Contradictions, seeming, in Scripture, 764, 765, 795, 807. 
 
 Controversies. In controversies with any, no reproach- 
 ings to be used, 465, 466. How, and by whom, to be 
 determined. 804. 
 
 Conversation of the wicked vexation to the godly, 218. 
 Men of heavenly conversations are fittest to know Christ, 
 196. 
 
 Conversion of sinners a gradual work, 818. 
 
 Converts ashamed of former ways, 41 1. 
 
 Conviction. Wicked shall know they have had means, 151. 
 
 Coral, 608. 
 
 Corruption so strong, as it violates the sfrongcst obliga- 
 tions, 406. 
 
 Covenant, what, and how differs from testament, 349. 
 
 That at mount Sinai was a covenant of mercy, ib. What 
 mercies by virtue of the covenant, 350, 351. Of break- 
 ing the covenant, and what sins do it, 405, 406. Set 
 out by several expressions, 406. Covenants tie strong, 
 ib. Breaking of covenant is a despising of God, 407. 
 He will punish breach of covenant, ib. Of the everlast- 
 ing covenant, 408, 409. God mindful of his covenant, 409. 
 For the covenant's sake we have mercies, ib. Of re- 
 newing and bettering the covenant, ib. 410. Knowledge 
 of God in the covenant of grace keeps from murmuring, 
 414. Forced covenant, whether it binds, 425. Break- 
 ing covenant ruins kingdoms, 420. It is worst in 
 princes, ib. Bond of the covenant, 513. Those in 
 covenant looked after, and dealt with, yet not all alike, 
 ib. Of making or cutting a covenant, 092, 752. Con- 
 descension in Ciod to enter into covenant with man, 692. 
 What it should work, ib. 693. Those in covenant 
 nothing shall hurt, 693. God doth much for them, 733. 
 
 Covetousness, is greedv of gain, though a curse be in it, 
 171. Folly of it, 177. The evil of it, 393, 448. It is 
 cunning and cruel, 455. It provokes God sorely, 542. 
 It makes cruel, ib. 543. It is insatiable, 554. Hoot of 
 evil, 556. Covetous practices theft, ib. Great men 
 prone unto it, 615. What it doth, 678. It is profess- 
 ors' sin, 679. Evil of it, ib. Men coveting what is 
 others' lose their own, 705. 
 
 Councils, truth is not tied to thfm, 189. 
 
 Counsel. Ill counsel from great ones doth great mischief, 
 247. Dreadful judgments upon evil counsellors, 253. 
 Showed in four things, ib. 
 
 Countries, the Lord the disposer of them, 264. 
 
 Court of aid, 780. \\ hat the courts represented, ib. 
 
 Creation, how used, 618. 
 
 Creatures help little, 176. Glory, pomp, ceaseth, 185. All 
 at God's command, 240. His Spirit in all, 242. Not 
 to eye second causes, ib. 
 
 Crocodile, its nature, 629. 
 
 Crown, what it signifies, 357. Whence, 532. Crowns 
 are at God's disposal, 533, 534. 
 
 Crying, in man, and in God, how meant, 208. Reasons 
 of God's crying, ib. 
 
 Crystal, whence so called, bS. How terrible, ib. 
 
 Cubit, the legal and sanctuary one difl^er, and wherein, 
 777, 778. 
 
 Cup, sister's cup, what, 566. 
 
 Curse, it is a consuming thing, 408. 
 
 Custom. God's people prone to take up heathenish cus- 
 toms, 252. Provoke God greatly, ib. 
 
 Cutting off, what it means, 319, 552. 
 
 D 
 
 Dama.<scus, a chief city of Syria, 609. 
 
 Dan, how called. 609. 
 
 Daniel, of what years when carried into Babylon, 325. Of 
 his wisdom, 614. 
 
 David, Christ so called, upon what account, 750. 
 
 Daughter, in what sense used sometimes, 597. 
 
 Daughters of Philistines, 374, 375. Daughters, how taken, 
 647. 
 
 Day. The 390 days where to bicgin, 130. Of the forty 
 days, ib. Days of trouble, 167. Day, how taken some- 
 times, 484, 640. Of making holidays, 497. Names of 
 our days, whence, 507. Days of reckoning. 543, 548. 
 God hath his day, 548, 549. Day of the Lord, how taken, 
 641. Sad days succeed merry ones, 642. Approach of 
 such days matter of mourning, ib. The day of a place, 
 64.3. Of recompence to godly, 767. Lord's day the 
 eighth and first, 799. 
 
 Dead, to be hurifd after great victories, 768. Ignominious 
 to be unburied, 770. 
 
 Death. Some comfort to die in a man's own country, 251. 
 Of moral or spiritual death, .340, 341. The four capital 
 deaths of the Jews, 380. Who hasten death, 453. Ap- 
 proacliings of it make men know themselves, 616. No 
 defence against it, 662. 
 
 Deceive. How the Lord is said to deceive a prophet, 328. 
 
 Decree. Men's wills and weaknesses cannot hinder God's
 
 IN THE PRECEDENT EXPOSITIONS. 
 
 843 
 
 decree, 109. No devices can frustrate God's purpose, 
 248. 
 
 Dcdan, a city, and where, 393, 608. 
 
 Degenerate, tliose who do it, God owns not, 101. Their 
 former righteousness not remembered, 117, 118. Those 
 who do so, go on to a lieight of sinning, 228. Some de- 
 generate more than others, 347. They w ho degenerate 
 shall smart for it, ib. 
 
 Degenerntors lose their esteem, 331. God minds them of 
 his dealings, and their former condition, 343. 
 
 Delay. Delays make God angry, 198. 
 
 Delegation of power in church oihcers unlawful, 76. 
 
 Deliverance, nothing can hinder it, when God's time is 
 come, 493. Is from the Lord, 749. 
 
 Desert, what it notes, 300. 
 
 Desertion. God doth not leave his people long, 109. 
 Desertion a forerunner of judgments, 214. God unwill- 
 ing to leave a people, 215, 243, 286. When God leaves, 
 comforts leave, 243, 287. Men are to take notice of 
 God's departure, 243. God may leave a people, 286. 
 
 Deserve, ftlen think they deserve, 734. 
 
 Designs, public and great ones, meet with difficulties, 87. 
 Those who are upon great designs should begin with 
 God, 213. Sinful ones disappointed, 309, 538. God's 
 designs go on whatever obstacle be in the way, 643, 735. 
 
 Desire. What desire of meat and drink is lawful, and what 
 not, 387. Desire of the eyes, 578, 38-2. 
 
 Despising, what it notes, 498, 588. Despisings are as 
 thorns, 404. What brings despising, 405. 
 
 Destruction, men bring it upon themselves, 313. Where 
 intended, all things are ordered accordingly, 327. 
 
 Device. Devising mischief, what it means, 245. Men 
 never wanting to devise miscliicf, 247. No devices can 
 null God's counsel, 248. 
 
 Diadem, 532. 
 
 Dihlath, 162. 
 
 Diet, the best allowed of God to his people, 362. Cau- 
 tions about eating and drinking, ib. When done to the 
 glory of God, 363. 
 
 Difference to be made in things and persons, 804. 
 
 Differencing, between holy and profane, 351. Clea.l and 
 unclean, 332. Between persons, 553. 
 
 Difficult. Things difficult easy to God, 263. 
 
 Disappointments, 463. 633, 038. And why, 464. 
 
 Discontent, puts upon unwarrantable practices, 422. Hin- 
 ders prospering in the condition we are set in, ib. 
 
 Disgrace is heavy, 401. 
 
 Dispense. God dispenseth with some commands of his, 
 and when, 136. 
 
 Displeasure of God very grievous, 305. 
 
 Dispositions, none in man to mercy, 341. 
 
 Distempers, they oft fasten upon and abide with the ser- 
 vants of God, 107. Unfit for service, ib. 
 
 Divination, 294. Several sorts of divining, 528. Sin- 
 ful, ib. 
 
 Divine things, our hearts and minds should be upon them, 
 777. Attained by degrees, by labour, by progress. 778. 
 Those who have the charge of them must be e.^act, 801, 
 802, 814. Revealed by degrees, 819. 
 
 Division is Abaddon, Apollyon, 215. The evils of division, 
 268, 269. Prejudices the growth of grace, 268. A dis- 
 paragement to Christ, ib. Glories at others' sufferings, 
 269. 
 
 Doing. They who do not what they Imow, shall not 
 know what to do, 189. What it implies, 28'2. It evi- 
 dences the man, ib. Doing and not doing the com- 
 mands of God, what they are, 49'2. Doing, the way to 
 knowing. 319. What said to be done though not done, 
 373. Doing of the word is expected by the Lord, 680, 
 681, 796. 
 
 Dominiim. no getting from under the dominion of God, 310. 
 
 Doors of the temple, what they note, 786. 
 
 Doubting of a word notes intention, 343. Of words in He- 
 brew note a superlative, 797. 
 
 Doubts. Througli doubts we oft stick at things lawful, 
 136. 
 
 Dove, a fearful and mourning creature, 173. 
 
 Dross, the nature of it, and wherein men are likened to 
 it, 545, 346. 
 
 Dwellings, God knows them, and wliat sins are acted in 
 them, 749. 
 
 E 
 
 Eagle. Properties of the eagle, 416, 417. An emblem of 
 greatness, 419. 
 
 Ears.^ Ears to hear, and hear not, how meant, 288. 
 \\ icked men hear not judgments, ib. 
 
 Earth. The Lord hath forsaken the earth, the phrase in 
 this prophet only, and liut twice, 227. 
 
 East. Mlmi of the east, who, 587. East notes spiritual 
 things, west, temporal, 778. East gate, 790. Christ 
 from thence, ii. Eastern worship not allowid, 816, 817. 
 
 Eating and drinking with trembling, what it sets forth, 291. 
 Eating and drinking, with rules thereabout, 362. 363. 
 Eating bread before the Lord, what it imports, 800. 
 
 Ebony, what, 608. 
 
 Eden, what and where, 617. 
 
 Edom and Edomites, 592, 701. Enemies to the Jews, ib. 
 Revengeful, ib. 
 
 Egg, a standing measure among the Jews, 134. 
 
 Egypt, how called in Scripture, 486, 487. Very idolatrous. 
 490. How God brought his people out of it, 494. How 
 long they were in Egypt, ib. Whence so called, 628. 
 A reed, 631. 
 
 Elders of Israel, 313. Their policy in coming to the pro- 
 phet, 481. 
 
 Election. God may choose whom he pleaseth, 437. How 
 taken in Scripture, 484. Of God's electing or choosing 
 Israel, ib. 486. 
 
 Emerald, 608. 
 
 Enemy. It is dreadful to liave God against one, 305. 
 W horn God is against, his hand is upon, ib. The fruits 
 of it very grievous, 305, 306. Enemies of the church, 
 their end, 627. God is an enemy to his people's ene- 
 mies, 700. Harsh dealings incenses him, 701. They 
 add affliction to the afflicted, 708. Enemies are from 
 all quarters, 735. Make great preparation, ib. 756. 
 They watch and seek occasion to ruin the church, 758 
 Have helpers to do it, 739. Their coming against the 
 church not casual, 760. 
 
 England, what it was once, 345. 
 
 Enmity, bred once, dies not, 595. 
 
 Enosh, what it signifies, 579. 
 
 Em'y, whence it ariscth, 652. The nature of it, 703. 
 
 Ep/iah, what, 807. 
 
 Equity of God's ways, 462 — 464. 
 
 Error, loves darkness, 201. When God visits for error 
 he opens a door for truth, 210. Errors once received 
 not easily got out, 456, 466. 
 
 Estates aliused, bring the wrath of God upon them, 185. 
 How to prevent it, ib. 
 
 Ethiopia, there are two of them, the African and oriental, 
 63.3, 643. Whence so named, 642. Ethiopians bap- 
 tized rebaptize themselves yearly, ib. 
 
 Events declare the truth of threatenings, and folly of men, 
 4.30. Not known what they will be, 464. 
 
 E.ractions, 807. 
 
 Example, not to be followed, 93. Princes not to be pat- 
 terns in point of religion, 203. Ringleaders to sin, ring- 
 leaders in punishment, 223. Ill example more prevalent 
 than good, 472. The use of examples, 623. They are 
 to teach, 653. 
 
 Excellences. Good men not able to bear divine excellences, 
 231. Excellences lift up, 603. Abused, matter of 
 mourning, 618. Argue not grace, ib. Marred by sin, 
 623. 
 
 Excommunication, three sorts among the Jews, 332. 
 
 Expectation. God prevents and exceeds the same, 420. 
 W ickoil disappointed of theirs, 429, 702. See Design 
 and Disappointment . 
 
 Eyes, referring to God, 3. Eye not sparing, what, 148, 
 220, 229. Eyes instruments of evil, 138. Of great evil, 
 160. The eye is for two things, 219. Eye of the Lord 
 upon his people, 263. Eyes to see and see not, how 
 meant, 288. Wicked men see not God's judgments, ib. 
 Their not seeing is in themselves, ib. Lifting up the
 
 844 
 
 A TABLE CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL THINGS 
 
 pye, what it notes, 441. Eyes are the inlets of sin, and 
 
 luive occasioneil the breach of every command, 490, 491. 
 
 Hiding eyes from the sabbath, what, 552. Desire of 
 
 them, what, 578, 
 Ezekiel. Antiquity of his prophecy, 2. What his name 
 
 signifies, ib. Nature of his propliec}'. 5. Seasonable- 
 
 ness of it, ib. Scope and occasion of it, 3. How long 
 
 he prophesied, 14. His end, ib. 
 Ezra, what that name signifies, 262. 
 
 Face. Why men fall upon their faces at visions, 68. 
 What setting the face against means, 127. Face of 
 God, what it signifies, 182. They are niisirable from 
 whom it is turned, ib. Covering of the face, when used, 
 289. To set the face against any one, in Scrijiture 
 sense, what, .'JIO. Wliat to set tlie face against a man, 
 
 318, 319. For what sins (iod sets his face against men, 
 
 319. When his face is against a people, he will follow 
 them with judgments till thi'y he consumed, 334. Out- 
 sides of things called faces, 338. What setting the face 
 against imports, 586, 628. Hiding of God's face, what, 
 771. 
 
 Faii\<^, 607. 
 
 Failh, the mouth and stomach of the soul, 97. The eye 
 of the soul, 197. .Several degrees of it, and whether 
 the weakest may fail, 460. 
 
 FriUing on tlie face, what, 224. 
 
 Fame against mercy, 366. Oft dangerous, 369. 
 
 Famili/. God begins with his own famih*, but proceeds to 
 others, 588. God may dispose of families where he 
 pleases, 827. 
 
 Famine. It is a sore judgment, 146. E.\amples of it, 135. 
 God can send it at his pleasure, and blast all our com- 
 forts, 137. Nature of it, 150. Arrows of famine, what, 
 153. 
 
 Fare. Dainty fare allowable, 362. 
 
 Fathers. Ways of forefathers not alwa}'s to be v\alked in, 
 508. 
 
 Fault!/ ones forward to fault others. 4G6. 
 
 Favour, God's, not alike dispensed to all, 732. 
 
 Fear, \^'hat sinners fear the Lord brings upon them, 222. 
 Fear makes men tremble, 291. 
 
 Fear/uhie^s, why it should not be in magistrates or minis- 
 ters, 89. Helps against it, 91. 
 
 Feast of tabernacles, 810. 
 
 Feathers, what meant thereby, 417. Their divers colours, 
 what, ib. 
 
 Feebleness, threefold, 174. 
 
 Feel. Stamping with feet, 587, 5.S8. 
 
 Fittelittj, the foundation of justice, 426. 
 
 Fire, Christ likened to it, 194. The properties of it, 330. 
 Of passing through the fire, .371. 
 
 Firmament, why so called, 54, 2^30. 
 
 Fish, princes and people likened unto them, and wherein, 
 6.30. Their properties, 820. 
 
 Flattering, originally, is smoothing, 293. Undoes men, ib. 
 Causes security, ib. 
 
 Flattery, in whom worst, 555. 
 
 Flesh, what it is put for, 279. 
 
 Fluek, such as have need of shepherds, 684. Where no 
 fiuthful ones are, it is a prey to all, 685. It meets with 
 scattering storms somctuncs, 687. God a good Shep- 
 herd over it, ib. In the flock are fat and lean, goats 
 and rams, 689. God will distinguish between the good 
 and the bad, ib. His flock is peculiar, owned, fed, 699. 
 Consists of weak ones, ib. Its comfort lleth in niani- 
 festation, ib. The holy flock, 737. 
 
 F?0Kr, 361. 
 
 Forest. Jerusalem likened to it, and wherein, 521. 
 
 Forgctfulness, opens the door to sin, 373. It prnvokes 
 God, 38.3. What it is, 408. The cause of sin. 542. 
 Of judgment, 566. What makes forgctfulness of God 
 and ourselves, 622. 
 
 Furi/iveness. God forgives fully, .354. Those who are 
 forgiven are separated, taught, beautified, ib. 
 
 Forms of the house, what they note, 795. 
 
 Fornieation. What it is to fornicate, 366. Of spiritual 
 
 fornication, ib. 
 Forts, what sorts of old thiy used, 427. 
 Foundations, what, 642. 
 
 Freewill. Two questions about freewill, resolved, 277. 
 Fruitless ones are for destruction, 331. The evil of fruit- 
 
 lessness, 332. Fruitfulness, motives to it, 333. 
 Funerals, rites used then, 579, 580. Of what dead the 
 
 priest might be at, 804. 
 Furi/, what, 382, 575, 595, 707, 761. How attributed to 
 
 God, 382. 
 
 Gammadims, what they were, 606. 
 
 Gaps. See Heiige. 
 
 Garden, what, 617. 
 
 Gale. Magistrates were wont to sit at the gate to hear 
 causes, 245. Gates of the temple, what they hint, 778. 
 Of east gate, 790. Gate shut, what, 800. Wherefore 
 shut, ib. \\'hen shut and when to be open, 810. Hea- 
 ven gate, when open, ib. 811. Gate standing open till 
 even, what it imports, 811. 
 
 Gathering, what it means, 262. 
 
 Grhal and Gebalites, 605. 
 
 Gentiles, their coming in. as it was of favour, so certain, 
 412. Wrought upon by the gospel, ib. 
 
 Gcrah. how much it weighed, 133. 
 
 Gerash, what driving out it notes, 653, 
 
 Gifts. God may give what gifts he plcaseth unto men, 
 438. Gifts of two sorts. 542. 
 
 Gih/al, observable things of it, 205. 
 
 Girdles and girding, 355, 356. 
 
 Glory. Glorious things awaken, encourage, 21. God's 
 glory should be much minded, 40. Glorious things are 
 dreadful, 55. Christ as man is glorious, 63. Whether 
 God's glory be visible, 66. How considerable, ib. Glory 
 here is but appearance of glory, 67. Choice ones have 
 a si^lit of the glory of God, ib. Sight of glory is a hum- 
 bling thing, 69, 121, 791. Manifestation of divine glory 
 argues divine goodness, ib. Two things required to the 
 sight of glorj', ih. Glory of God, what is understood by 
 it. 214, 286. His glory went to the threshold, and why, 
 214. The signs of Goil's presence are the glory of God, 
 ib. Divine glory usually hidden in cloudy darkness, 234. 
 The glory of the Lord, who, ib. The way Christ goes 
 glorious, 235. Glory of God standing upon the moun- 
 tain, how meant, and to what end, 286. Sight of God's 
 glory, a great privilege, 197. Glory, 600. Who the 
 Lord's glory, 601. Glory of a slate, 606. Outward 
 glories are not grace, 618, 619. There is glory in the 
 church, 789. We must he acquainted with that glory, 
 bclore we see the glory of God, 700. Glory of God, 
 what, ib. Receptacle of it, 791. When glory departs 
 it is but for a season, ib. Filled with glory, 792. 
 
 Glorify. How God is glorified, 624. 
 
 Glutton, who is so in the rabbles' sense, 363. Wlien men 
 gluttonizc, .388. The evil thereof, ib. 
 
 Gnaruvi, used in a contrary sense, 86. 
 
 Go. What to go after God, 323. 
 
 God, tied to no place, II. Is careful of his church, when 
 lowest, 12. He works invisibly, 37. Whether his 
 essence may be seen, G6, 67. His presence and depar- 
 ture the greatest happiness and misery of a people, 103. 
 God bears with the weaknesses of his people, 108. His 
 proceedings are dilTcrcnt with his people and others, 119, 
 132. Knows things to come, 127. He yields to the 
 weaknesses of his people, and mitigates what is grievous, 
 136. God's being against a people is dreadful, and 
 wherein, 144. How known, 145. Then he doth un- 
 heard of things, 146. God no polyganiist, 75. Shows 
 niorcy sometimes when severe judgments are deserved, 
 159. If God be wroth, all preparations are in vain, 172. 
 God a God of glory, 197. Sees whalevir are the 
 thoughts, 201. There is power in his commands, 210. 
 His presence with his church, 214. Signs of his pre- 
 sence, ib. God hath a care of his people when judg- 
 ments destroy others, 217, 218. How this appears, 217. 
 Slow to execute judgment, 232. Looks after the ways
 
 IN THE PRECEDENT EXPOSITIONS. 
 
 845 
 
 of mon, ib. Why styled the Gnd of Israel, 244. Cod 
 knows men and their ways, 246. Overpowers a 1, 248. 
 Knoweth the heart, 250. Is mindful of his tlireats 261, 
 262. Assists us by his grace. 283. " 1 will be their God 
 it imports much, 2&3. 284. God is above all, God 
 against one, 286. Sec Epem;,. God may set up. throw 
 down, whom he will, 4;38. He will judge and pl'?='d the 
 cause of his people and their controversies, 4d», 4Jy. 
 He may employ whom he will, and in what way's he will, 
 439 'He is no respecter of persons, 464. Those who 
 would have a gracious answer from God must come 
 with hearts free from idols, 316. ^\ hen men leave God. 
 they fall to idols, 319. Such as men are coming o 
 God. such they shall find him, ib. Deals impartially 
 with men, ib. Those who set their hearts upon idols, 
 God sets his face against them, lb. He is free in his 
 aciin<'s 341. He looks after sinners who mind not him, 
 342 ° Hath not need of any, ib. 343. He is real in 
 showin- mercv, 343. Wails and watches to do good, 
 347 llath done much for us, 333 He gives variety 
 of blesMugs, 360, 361. Looks for answerable returns, 
 368 Those who dishonour God sh.-ill be dishonoured, 
 384 He discovers hidden things, 404. How said to 
 remember, 408. Mindful of his covenant, -iOa "« is 
 to be pacilied, 415. Just in his dispensations, 438, 43 J. 
 Free in his choice, 437. In his gifts, ib. 438. God 
 minds how long his people suffer, 482. The time of 
 men's doing things, ib. " Your God." what it imports, 
 485 He condescends to man's weakness, 486. L pon 
 what account he shows mercy, 495, 520. He is the 
 Lawgiver, 496. God hath his "Buts," 502. Takes 
 special nolice of his people, and distinguisheth them 
 from others, 513. Experimentally made known by mer- 
 cies and judgments, 514. No halving between God and 
 idols 515. He knows things certainly, 529. He makes 
 wicked acts serve his ends, ib. He will deal with sin- 
 ners, 543, 548. NVhen sanctified, when profaned, 5o2. 
 Notes men's carriages on his day, 567, 568. Knows 
 what men do, and reveals it, 570. His people his glory, 
 601 He knows and eyes the heart, 613. Two things 
 he challenicth to himself, i'6. Observes princes whether 
 they conni've at or punish sin, 622. He drives out, and 
 brings in, 636. He reveals what he is doing to his ser- 
 vantl, 638. He uses what instruments he pleases, 639. 
 He rewards any who work for him, ib. He destroys his 
 people's enemies, and then shows them mercy, 640. He 
 breaks the arms of the great ones, 649. He wounds 
 them incurably, ib. Dreadful to have him an enemy, ib. 
 lie hath instruments fit for his work, 6^. Prophets to 
 tell the worst of princes their wickedness, 656. God 
 makes use of one king to punish another, 659. He is 
 faithful in performing his word, 674. Confirms truths 
 by witness and signs, ib. God's condescension. See 
 Covenant. He takes notice of .all that is thought and 
 spoken against his people, 704. Rejoicing at the ca- 
 lamities of his people provokes much, 708. When re- 
 conciled to a people he multiplies blessings, 710. He deals 
 best with his people at last, ib. Turns evils into bless- 
 ings, ib. What God doth, for his own sake, 713. When 
 he^doth great things for them, 715. It is his mercy to 
 retake a revolted people, 732. Happy whom God owns, 
 ib. Accepts according to men's abiliiies, 811, 812. God 
 a free agent, nothing moves hira, 745. When he begins 
 to show mercy, he multiplies it, 749. He makes clean, 
 750. Takes pleasure in cleansed ones, ib. At his plea- 
 sure can bring armies upon his people, 755. Bears long 
 with the worst of men, 756. Determines things most 
 free and contingent, 758. Discovers plots of enemies, 
 ti. Knows infallibly things to come, 760. W hen God 
 manifests his love and wrath, 762. Can easily raise 
 forces against his enemies, ib. And easily ruin armies, 
 ib. 76!3. Hath various ways to do it, 763. Convinces 
 the wicked when in afflictions, 771, 772. Whom God 
 will honour, 803. 
 Godliness, to whom a delight, 728. 
 
 Gocih, mingled with wicked, 11. They fare the better for 
 the godly, 12. God doth gre.at things for the godly, 17. 
 There is opposition in the godly to the work of the Spi- 
 rit, 20. They must stir up themselves to further recep- 
 
 tion of -race, 97. May do the will of God unwillingly, 
 105 Whence that is, 106. Their condition is very 
 changeable, 107. They have need of new influence, 
 l->0 The godly before Christ had the same Spirit and 
 comforts that we now have, 122. They will not defile 
 themselves with little sins, 136. But a few godly, 217. 
 God owns them in the worst times, ib. The lives and 
 comforts of the godly dear to God, 222. Conscious of 
 their unworthiness, 225. God solicitous for them, 229. 
 Revives them, ib. Secures them, 230. Is with them 
 in every place and condition, 263. The godly omply 
 not, but sigh for the wickedness of the times, 218. 
 Their sighing what, and how great, 218, 219. V\ hy 
 they ^iMi 219. God takes notice of their wrongs, 257. 
 All the"- do is debt, 342. They shall be brought into 
 Canaan', not others, 514, 627. Put upon hard things 
 584 Their wrongs shall be revenged, 595. Insulted 
 over in their misery, 597. They are the glory of God, 
 601. Despised by the wicked, 627. No condition so 
 grievous to them but shall end comfortably, 731, 732. 
 Gog, whom, 754. Whence he came, 759. Prophesied of 
 before, ib. 760. Not Antiochus, 762. Dreadlul judg- 
 ment upon him, ib. Great, 764. Where buried, 767. 
 Goiim, 75. Put upon the Jews, ib. 
 Gold plentiful among Jews, 358. 
 
 Good. Men must be good before they can do good, 729. 
 Gospel, when any receive it, they have a new relation put 
 upon them, 412. Chrisfs voice in it strong .rresist- 
 ible, efficacious, 806. Earth shines with the glory of it. 
 ib It preserves order, is not levelling, ib. Like waters, 
 and wherein, 815. 816. Info what parts it went first, 
 817 It goeth where Christ will, ib. Gradually, t6. 
 Hat'h depths in it, 818. It is pure and sufficient of it- 
 self, ib. Brings men unto God, 820. Runs like waters 
 821. Without it what men are, ib. It cures and 
 quickens, ib. Fruitful, ib. 
 Government, when abused, God may set by the governors 
 
 and their posterity, and change the government, 480. 
 Grace ; where it is.'is ability to act, 97. Means of grace 
 denied to those who would embrace the same, 99. Grace 
 insuperable, 100. A gracious heart deprecates that 
 which is against it, 136. Grace is free in respect of per- 
 sons, place, and time, 159. Grace wrought up by de- 
 grees 272. Grace in the heart will appear in the life. 
 Is-") ' Where God gives grace, he looks for progress, i6. 
 ItTs free grace that chooses a people 285. God does 
 not equally dispense his grace, ib. Grace is free, 341, 
 340 Nothing can hinder the work of free grace, 342. 
 Alfis free about man from the beginning to the end. ib. 
 It makes men to remember their ways and turn from 
 them 411. Grace and great sins may stand together 
 461 ' All we have is from free grace, 520. V\ by God 
 deal's eraciously with sinners, ;6. Grace will appear 
 where it is 729. Work of it free, 805. Likened to 
 water, and wherein. 815, 816. Gradualness in graces, 
 818. All in the church of free grace, 824. it recalls 
 sinners, 825. . , ,„, ™., 
 
 Graves Sour grapes, the meaning thereof, 434. Ihe 
 enl of that proverb, " The fathers have eaten sour 
 errapes," &c. ib. 
 Greatness, oft unexpected, 420. All earthly greatness un- 
 
 stable, ib, „ . .,^ ». „ „„ 
 
 Great ones fall into the hands of enenaies, 428. Have no 
 cause to glory, 660. Greatest go the wrong ways 662. 
 'Jhall bear their shame, though after death, i6. l»ose 
 that join with them in evil must suffer, 763. May lie 
 
 unburied, 770. 
 Gro!m<i, sitting on it, what It implies, 599. 
 Guilt. Where guilt is, there is fear, 2o0. And security, 
 
 257. A heavy and consuming thing, 668, 669. 
 
 H 
 
 Habitations are assigned to men by the Lord, 488, 506. 
 Haqqabjal, of that word, 240. 
 
 Hailstones, fire, brimstone, 762. ^, , ^ ., . . , ,. 
 Hair. Wherein citizens are resembled to the hair of the 
 head, 137. Shaving off the hair, what it notes, 138.
 
 846 
 
 A TABLE CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL THINGS 
 
 Hand. Hand of the Lord, wbat it is, 18. It notes ac- 
 tion, 36. Stretching out the liand to and upon a people 
 differ, 16'2. God smites sinning hands, 191. Hand of 
 God, what it notes, 303. Stretching out the hand, 
 what, 3'Ji, 699. \\ hat giving tlie liand imports, 4*27. 
 4*28. \\'liat it is to withdraw the hand from iniquity, 
 448. Lifting up of it. what it notes, 485, 707. Smiting 
 of liand, 526. God hath a hand to apprehend sinners, 
 530. Clapping of the hands, 587. God's hand in men's 
 acting against the church, 765. Filling the hand, what 
 it imports, 799. 
 
 Happiness, wherein it consists, 284. 
 
 Hariel and Hanricl, what, 797, 798. 
 
 Harms. Rejoicing at the harms of others, 597. Thcv make 
 war, 632. 
 
 Hatred, 594. Degrees of it, 595. The nature of it, 700. 
 Twofold, 703. It sets other alTections on work, ib. 
 
 Head. Recompensing their ways upon their own head, 
 what, 229. 
 
 Hearers, how tlicy carry it oft towards them they hear, 
 679. What the preachers are to them, 680. Not to 
 rest in hearing, ib. 
 
 Hearing the same things again, no damage, 242. Those 
 who will not hear God, are rejected of God, 515. 
 
 Heart. A hard heart a great evil, 79. It is the treasury 
 for the word, 100. Such as the heart is, such will tlie 
 senses be, 160. Ill thoughts go out thence, 249. Its 
 several acceptations, 265. Oneness of heart what op- 
 posite unto, ib. 2G6. Men's hearts of themselves are 
 divided, 267. Stoniness of heart, what, 277. And 
 what it notes, ib. 278. A stony heart may receive the 
 word, and how, 278. The heart naturally is stony, ih. 
 This stoniness spreads, ib. 279. Stoniness a great evil, 
 
 279. It is the Lord takes away the stony heart, ib. 
 Not totally, ib. The stoniness in the godly and the 
 wicked dili'orenced, ib. Fleshly heart, wliat it implies, 
 
 280. A double tenderness, ib. A description of it, ib. 
 Discoveries of tenderness, ib. 281 . Tenderness of heart, 
 a choice mercy, 281. It is the gift of God, ih. Heart, 
 for what it is sometimes put. 285. The heart of the 
 godly and wicked contrary, ih. 286. God observes how 
 the heart stands affected, 286. A corrupt heart swells, 
 being opposed, 293. Is prone to elude truths, 297. 
 Heart idolatry. See Idolatry. Heart must be free 
 when we come to God, 316. If running after other 
 things, it slights the things of God, 500. No halving, 
 515. What knowledge affects it, 519. What lifts it, 
 603. What meant by heart, 612. It will fail when 
 judgments come, 543, 544. God takes notice in what 
 frame, 613. What lifting up of it is, 612. What doth 
 it, 621. Most looked at in worship, 679. Carnal in 
 spirituals, ib. "Heart" and "new," what they note, 
 715. Old by nature, 719. It is like a stone, wherein, 
 719,720. The evil of it, 720. How cured, 721. It is 
 God's prerogative to alter hearts, ib. It is great mercy 
 to have stony hearts removed, ib. Excellency of a ten- 
 der heart, ib. Mistakes about a tender heart, 722. 7'J.'S. 
 Legal natural tenderness, 723. Characters of a temiir 
 heart, ib. 724. How to keep it tender, 724. It is- a 
 great mercy, it is the gift of God, ib. 
 
 Heathen.':, truer to their liod and principles than the Jews, 
 142, 143. How they honoured their gods, 204. Wise 
 men amongst them, 606. Not safe to rely upon them, 
 632. (jod shows them mercy, 635. Sometimes more 
 favour than his own people, ib. What convinces them, 
 713, 714. 
 
 Heaven opened, how to be understood, 16, 17. Heavenly 
 things too high for us, 26. They are pure and glorious, 
 55. Yea, dreadfully glorious, ib. 
 
 Hebraisms. 163. 
 
 Hedge. What the hedge of church and state is, 301. 
 What it was hedged the Jews, 557, 558. Gaps in it. 
 what, 558. Making up the hedge, what, ib. When 
 broken, judgments are coming in, ^59. God expects 
 some to make up the hedge, ib. So doing prevents 
 judgment, saves a people, 560. 
 
 Hell, poor comfort there, 663. 
 
 Helmet, made of several things, 605. 
 
 Help. God can make helps helpless, 291. 
 
 High places, when they might sacrifice there, when not, 
 155. Those highest meet with most storms, 787. 
 
 Hin. how much it contained, 134, 810. 
 
 Hire, 377, 378. 
 
 Hiltites. whence and what. 336. 
 
 Holiness, the law of God's house, 797. 
 
 Holg. They who are holy are heavenly, 34. Holiness 
 imboldens, 91. Holy men record their own infirmities, 
 105. Holy men must be lil't up and above themselves 
 to participate of divine things, 196. Holy things abused 
 God disowns, 412. What should engage us to be holy, 
 490, 491. Holiness of places privilege not unholy peo- 
 ple, 522, 523. Holy things what, and when profaned, 
 551. To be kept holy, 552. \\ hen profaned, 568. It 
 is wronging of God, ib. Resting in them, causes re- 
 moval of them, 583. Holy things to be laid in holy 
 places, 788. Those who have charge of them must be 
 exact, 801, 802. Not to be bought and sold, 826. 
 
 Holg Ghost is God, 104. 
 
 Honey, what it notes, 361. 
 
 Honour. They that honour God, God will honour them, 
 218. To honour God how, ib. Honour quickly laid in 
 the dust, 254. In it men forget God, 383. Mea are 
 raised to it bevond expectation, 420. 
 
 Hook. God's hook, 629, 630. 
 
 Hope. God oft destroys sinners' hopes, 171. Wicked and 
 frustrate, 429. 'I'heir hope is not long-lived, 474. Hope 
 of mercy, when denied, 549. Hopeless condition, who 
 is the cause of it, 578. Things hoped for disappointed, 
 hurt, 6.32. Hope, what, 742. 
 
 Horn, how taken, 640. Horns of the altar, what they 
 signify, 798. 
 
 Horses, plenty of them in Egypt, 425. Difference of them, 
 608. 
 
 House. Meeting in houses ancient and warrantable, 193. 
 Honoured by God, ib. House of Israel, 698, 807. 
 
 Humble, fittest to hear divine things, 69. Quickly com- 
 forted, 73. Man hath in him principles of humiliation, 
 ib. The humble not long without the Spirit, 122. Such 
 are respected and exalted by God, 533. 
 
 HumiUty. The humblest is the greatest, 270. 
 
 Hunger, makes any thing pleasant, 135. 
 
 Husbandry, God's work, 736, 737. 
 
 Hypocrisy, escapes not God's eye, 315, 316. A close and 
 unsuspected sin, 482. 
 
 Hypocrites may expect wrath rather than mercy, 316. 
 They cannot deceive God, 483. They get nothing of 
 God at his ordinances, ib. They may deceive prophets, 
 ib. 484. Are not to be pleaded for, 484. God will not 
 have to do with them, 508, 509. He discovers their de- 
 signs, how close soever carried, 509. They will be dis- 
 covered, 679. 
 
 I & J 
 
 Jaaznnrah, what that name signifies, 199. 
 
 Japoninns, what they do with female children, 388. 
 
 Jarash, signifies contraries, 184. 
 
 Javan, who came of him, 607. 
 
 Idleness. When one is said to be idle, 390. The evil of 
 idleness, 391,392. 
 
 Idolaters, it is dangerous for the children of good men to 
 live amongst them, 490. Cruel, 540. 
 
 Idolatry once gotten in, hardly gotten out, 315. Heart 
 idolatry God observes, ib. It brings destruction, ib. A 
 grievous sin, 316. Leaving God leads to idolatry, 319. 
 Idolaters put on a face of holiness, ib. Idolatry wherein 
 likened to whoredom, 366. 367. Idolaters are ex'pen- 
 sive in maintaining their worship, 370. Idolatrous places 
 hateful to God, 381. Idolatry may last long, but shall 
 be punished, 562. 
 
 Idolothites, eating thereof notes communion with idols, 441. 
 
 Idols are stinking, defiling things, 156. Idolatry got in is 
 not easily got out, ih. It provokes God greatly, and 
 lays all waste, ib. It is called whoredom, and wherein 
 that lieth, 158. Idolatry, a God-provoking sin, 196. A 
 grievous sin, and w herein it lies, 200. A wrong to God, 
 196. Causes God to depart, 197. Idolaters act close-
 
 IN THE PRECEDENT EXPOSITIONS. 
 
 847 
 
 ly, 200. Not so closely but some espial, ib. Idolatry 
 infatuates wise men, 16. The cunning of idolaters, ib. 
 Are expensive, ib. Forget all modesty, 202. Spreads 
 to both sexes, ib. Makes shameless, t6. Idols were 
 wept for, how much more for God wronged, ib. Idols 
 besot, ib. Idolatry loatlisome, 204. God sets a special 
 mark upon idolaters, 206. \\ ho are such, ib. Idolatrous 
 worship stinking, ib. Brings destruction, ib. No sym- 
 bolizing with idolaters, 213. Idolaters shall not go un- 
 punished, 286. \\ hat to set up idols in tlie heart, 314, 
 .315. \\ hat putting them before their faces notes, 315. 
 Loathsome, stinking, 441. Why called idols of the house 
 of Israel, !6. They ruin states,' 647. Defile, 711. Idol- 
 atry loathsome to God, ib. It defiles more than other 
 sins, 715. They are carcasses, 794. A wall between 
 God and man, 16. 
 
 Jealouxy, what it is, 382. How given to God, ib. To 
 speak in the fire of it, what, 707. What is in jealousy, 
 762. It breaks through all, 772. 
 
 Jehoiachin, observable things about him, 12, 13. 
 
 Jehovah ; of that name, 67, 68. What it notes, 485, 612. 
 
 Jehovi, when used, 224. 
 
 Jeremiah, why he purchased Hanameel's land. 170. 
 
 Jerusalem, the head city, 140. How said to be in the midst 
 of nations, ib. Eulogies of it, ib. Whether her sins 
 being greater than Sodom's and Samaria's, she had 
 greater punishments, 399, 400. Mherein like a lioness, 
 470. Her praise and reproach, 540. Bloody, cruel, ib. 
 Renowned, for what, ib. Infamous, ib. Prophets in 
 her against her, 550. Likened to a pot, 571. When 
 emptied, 572. Sinned openly, 573. The gates of the 
 people, 596. Highly esteemed by the Lord, 793. In 
 new Jerusalem shall be no invention of men, &c. 794. 
 No night there, ib. 795. New Jerusalem exceeds Eze- 
 kiel's city, 829. 
 
 Jewels, 336, 357. 
 
 Jewish state honourable, renowned, and whence so, 364, 
 365. 
 
 Jews, unconstant in religion, 143. Under the law, saved 
 as wc under the gospel, 212. Their great increase, 343, 
 344. Poor, 344. Idolaters in Egypt, 490. What once 
 they were, 545. Their conversion we may expect and 
 prav for, 748. Shall repossess their land, ib. 752. Given 
 to idolatry, 749. Shall be fully gathered, 773. There 
 is a day of mercy for all the Jews, ib. For lasting mercy, 
 774. Offers of mercy to them first, 824. Shall come 
 to Zion, 825. 
 
 Ignorance; it will not excuse, 114. Remedy for the sin of 
 ignorance, 809. 
 
 Ignorant, cannot do God's will, 449. 
 
 Images of the sun, 155. Image of jealousy, what it was, 
 why so called, how seated, 195. Images pull down 
 God's worship, 196. Religiously used is idolatry, 370. 
 
 Impenitenaj excludes from temple mercies, 796. 
 
 Imperious, who are so, 377. Imperiousness argues weak- 
 ness, ib. 
 
 Impossible, things that seem so, accomplished by the Lord, 
 598, 603, 604, 635. Impossibles to man, not so to God, 
 731. 
 
 Impudence, 78, 79. Wliere the face is impudent, the heart 
 is hard, 79. Impudence in sinning, 564. 
 
 Incense, made of sweet and costly things, 200. A token of 
 worship, ib. 
 
 Indians, what they do with their children, if not useful, 
 339. 
 
 Infamous, they that make so shall be made so, 708. 
 
 Infant in the womb, how it lies and is nourished, 337. Of 
 cutting the navel, (6. Of the washing it, ifc. 338. Salt- 
 ing, 338. 
 
 Infirmities. Great and best saints have infirmities, 105. 
 They oft do God's will unwillingly, ib. 106. They inter- 
 rupt not God's love, IU6. Who heals and helps them, 
 ib. God pities infirmities, 256. So should men, 258. 
 
 Ingratitude; it provokes God much, 141, 142. Makes God 
 appeal to man, 201. Provokes, and causeth God to up- 
 braid, 368. It causeth God to take away his mercies, 
 381. Ingratitude to instruments of our good is evil, 
 4-28. 
 Inheritance, one to Jew and gentile, 824. 
 
 Iniquity, what to commit it, 461. Iniquity, transgression, 
 and sin, what. 530. What the prince of Tyrus his ini- 
 quity was, 619. 
 
 Injustice, abomination to God, 205. A crying sin. ib. 
 
 Institutions of God like posts and thresholds, 794. Men 
 must not make any like them, ib. 
 
 Insulting, evil, 587, 588. 589. 597. 
 
 Inteittion. Good intentions will not justify men's actions, 
 372. 
 
 Interrogations, what they denote, 507. Argue not ignor- 
 ance in God, 739. 
 
 Josiah, his posterity four times in twenty-three years car- 
 ried captive, 14. 
 
 Ireland. England's right to it, 488. 
 
 Iron, what put for, 607. 
 
 Ironies in Scripture, 314. Used by God himself and others, 
 614, 615. 
 
 Israel, whence, what, 75. All not true Israelites who are 
 called so, 76. House of Israel, who meant by it, 130. 
 Israel put for Judah, 249. Israelites, why so called, 197. 
 The God of Israel a glorious God, ib. Why styled the 
 God of Israel, ib. 244. Why the house of 'Israel, 226. 
 The land of Israel, why not the land of Judah, 262. A 
 choice land. ib. Their several captivities, ib. By whom 
 gathered, ib. The land of Israel hath many eulogies in 
 Scripture, 305. 
 
 Ithobald, king of the Tyrians, 637. 
 
 Jubilee, what they did that year, 170. 
 
 Judging. God judges otherwise of men than they do of 
 themselves, 336. Judging, in Scripture, taken for plead- 
 ing, 482. 
 
 Judgments of God upon kingdoms, cities, are dreadful, 57. 
 They speak, ib. Works of judgment glorious, called 
 glory, 64. God is praiseworthy in them, 103. They 
 succeed one another, 134, 135. They are not casual, 
 136. End of them, 137. They are sharp, 139. Irre- 
 sistible, ib. Judicious and in measure, ib. No escaping 
 of thi'ni, ib. In great judgments some are spared, ib. 
 Not all good that are spared, 140. Judgments and sta- 
 tutes, 141. V\ hat makes God walk in the way of judg. 
 ment, 143. God is the great actor in all judgments, 16. 
 Executeth them openly, 145. Severity in them, 146, 
 147. They are pleasing to God, 151. Judgments are 
 instructions, 153. Judgments of God, sudden, 164. 
 They are his messengers, 105. Just, 16. 191. They 
 linger not, 166. Walk where God pleases, ib. By de- 
 grees he comes to severity of them, 188. General when 
 sin is so, 191. Judgments, God makes them known be- 
 fore he executes them, 208. And why, 209. None 
 come but at the Lord's appointment, ib. A time when 
 God hastens judgments, ib. No escaping God's judg- 
 ments, 211. When judgments are abroad Christ inter- 
 cedes, 212. The Lord proceeds to judgment judicially, 
 216. Judgment begins at God's own house, and why, 
 221, 223. God in executing them manifests mercy, 221. 
 A time when judgment delays not, 222. Judgments as 
 extensive as sinners' sins, 223. God intent upon judg- 
 ments, ib. They puzzle prophets, 226. God's punish- 
 ments exceed not men's sins, 228. Judgments are in 
 the hand of Christ, 233. At his disposal, 235. He pro- 
 ceeds considerately, 236, Declares the cause of his 
 proceeding to judgment, 264. No waving of judgments, 
 ib. God can use any instruments to accomplish them, 
 231. The ground, scope, and end of judgments, ib. 
 Sudden, notes severity, 233. Immediately from the 
 Lord terrible, ib. Judgments falling, whilst ordinances 
 are administering, 234. The godly fear when wicked 
 fall, ib. Put the saints upon prayer, 255. The begin- 
 ning of judgments an inlet to misery, ib. Judgments 
 sanctified, 264. How evidenced, ib. 265. God just in 
 his judgments, 286. Not discerned by wicked men, 
 288. The cause in themselves, ib. Judgments produce 
 those eflfects mercies do not, 291. God shows mercy 
 amidst judgments, ib. 294. Wicked men's thoughts 
 about judgments vain, 296. When they will be exem- 
 plary, 319. By judgments on the wicked, God intends 
 good to his people, 323. He hath variety of judgments, 
 326. Author of them, whatever they be, ib. 327. In 
 the sorest judgments is some mercy shown, 3'28. Comforts
 
 as 
 
 A TABLE CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL THINGS 
 
 Iiis pco]ilp against the scandal of his judgments, ib. Is 
 just in them, ib. Equity of them shall be known, 3'29. 
 Likened to fire in several things, 330. God brings one 
 after another when he intends ruin, 381. By great judg- 
 ments God causeth people to cease from sin, 38"2. When 
 executed, God is at rest, ib. God hath cause for his 
 judgments, 398. Ouglit to be observed, ib. 403. Not 
 easily believed, 4"28. What brings spiritual ones, 503. 
 Who punished with them, 315. God's judgments are 
 impartial, 5*21. Fierce ones upon God's people, 522. 
 Not to he staid b)- man, ib. Severe at last, 323. End 
 of them, (i. When heavier judgments come, 324. Some 
 judgments are sweeping, ib. They are trials, 325. Try- 
 ing judgments and destroying ones, ib. Easily, sudden- 
 ly brought, 338. What hastens them, 540. 'They dis- 
 cover men's hearts, 54.3, 544. They make tlie Lord 
 known, 345. When they come in, 3GU. Just, /6. They 
 are cups, 366. They teacli, and what, 569, 370. They 
 make places boiling pots, 571, 572. They fall upon all 
 sorts, 572. Work not out wickedness, 573. Irrevoca- 
 ble, 578. Some mercy under severest judgments, 383. 
 God brings them, 593. Tiiey are to make others trem- 
 ble, 600, 601. Dreadful. 601. Cause lamentation, and 
 laughing, 611. For examples, 023. End of them, 625. 
 No standing against them, 6.34. Sometimes universal, 
 ib. Public judgments troublesome to neighbour nations, 
 644. They make God known, ib. In the sorest some 
 escape, ib. 674. Former not to be forgotten, 644. Suit- 
 able instruments execute them, 645. Nothing can se- 
 cure from them, 647, 677. They convince of the equity 
 of God's ways, 677. Threatened, take place, 681. They 
 are oft lengthened out answerable to the time of men's 
 sinning, 70"2. Whatever they be, God is righteous, 711. 
 F.nd of them, 693, 771. They begin, but end not at 
 Cod's house, 736. God executes some signal judgment, 
 770. Impartial, ib. Judgments upon the wicked are 
 engaging mercies to the godly, 771. 
 
 Just. What a just man is, 440. Of the legal and evan- 
 gelical just man, 448. He may have a wicked son, 452. 
 
 Justice, execution of it makes glorious, 25, 26. God's jus- 
 tice seen in making those instruments of our punish- 
 ment with whom we have sinned, 379. In what kind 
 men sin, in that kind God oft punisheth, ib. When jus- 
 tice is executed, judgment ceaseth, 38'2. God will deal 
 justly with sinners, 383. As they have done, 407. God 
 punishes in the place of sinning, 423, 4"24. It upholds 
 kingdoms, 426. God is just in his government of the 
 world, 437. Justice executed is pleasing to God, 527, 
 374, 639. It upholds, neglect of it ruins, princes and 
 kingdoms, 622. 
 
 Juslijieution, what, 715. 
 
 Juslijj/. \\ hat notes declaring to he just, 399. Man is 
 not justified by his own righteousness, 438. 
 
 Ivory, 603. Horns of ivory, what, 608. 
 
 K 
 
 Kiih, how much it contained, 135. 
 
 Kadash notes sanctifying and polluting, 814. 
 
 Kedar, and Kedarites, 609. 
 
 Keep, what it imports, 449. 
 
 Ac// of heaven in God's hand, 17. 
 
 JCindness forgotten, provokes, 383. L'ndeservcd kindness 
 works much, 411. Prevailing, 519. 
 
 Kingdom.^. Wherein the happiness and misery of kingdoms 
 lieth, 103. They have an end, 163. Their ruin is in 
 themselves, 169. Jewish state a kingdom, 362. It is 
 the Lord forms people into kingdoms, and gives them 
 kingly power, 364. lie doth with kingdoms what he 
 pleaseth, ib. Honour of the Jewish kingdom, ib. Great- 
 est kingdoms are brought down by God, 419. Disposing 
 of subdued kingdoms difficult, and requires caution, 420. 
 The glory and strength of it once broken is not easily 
 recovered, ib. It is easy with Go3 to destroy strong 
 kingdoms, 42.3. God knows how low to embase king- 
 doms, 426. What upholds them, ib. Howsoever God 
 can raise them, 433. Broken ones reflonrish in times 
 of quiet and peace, 477. That is of mercy, ib. Potent 
 
 kingdoms destroyed for their wickedness, 479. The ruin 
 of kingdoms is from themselves, 480. Their times of 
 flourishing and desolation in the Lord's hand, 634. Base, 
 630. God can raise desolate ones, ib. No succession 
 in Christ's kingdom, 752. Subjects of it holy, ib. 
 
 Kings like eagles, and wherein, 416, 417. None so high, 
 but the Lord can abase them, 419. They may lose their 
 kingdoms, yet not all mercy, 420. Their condition un- 
 stable, ib. Them and their greatness God takes special 
 notice of, 421. Not all alike, ib. Evil ones come after 
 the good, 472. Deposed by the Lord, 532. He puts 
 an end to them and their kingdoms at his pleasure, 53.3. 
 Kingdoms kept desolate. 534. Like cherubims, 019. 
 Have honour and power, that they may protect the peo- 
 ple, 020. God an enemy to wicked kings, 029. They 
 resemble Satan, ib. Their flourishing and perishing is 
 from the Lord, 649, 050. Tyrannical kings oft have 
 bad ends, 050. Kings are apt to be lifted up with their 
 greatness, ib. Must be told of their sins, ib. It is the 
 Lord makes them great, 052. Have need of money to 
 uphold them, ib. What brings dreadful judgments upon 
 them, 053, 054. Why destroyed, 054. 057. They are 
 lights, and when put out sad events follow, 638. 
 
 Kiriufhaim, a city, and where, 590. 
 
 Knowledge, should issue out into action, 37. A tongue 
 with a hand under it was the Egyptian hieroglyphic, ib. 
 Those who will not know God in a way of mercy, shall 
 know him in a way of judgment, 192. Of spiritual know- 
 ledge, and how it difl'ers from other knonlidge, 413. It 
 is a covenant mercy, ib. God would have us knowing 
 in particular, 450. W hat breeds experimental know- 
 ledge of God, 314, 519, 520. Knowledge not all at once, 
 816,819. 
 
 Kudcsh, what it notes, 316. 
 
 Labour. None labour for God in vain, 639. 
 
 Lamentation, when taken up, 399. Lamentations for sins 
 and ruins of others are from the Lord, 050. 
 
 Land, sins of the inhabitants bring desolation upon it, 334. 
 Habitations, lands, disposed and ordered by tlie Lord, 
 488. \\ hat makes a land glorious, 489. Noted by the 
 Lord what they are, 548. Not cleansed by means, pro- 
 voke God, ib. Denied mercy, 549. What saves a land, 
 360. Land of the living, 600. There is a dift'erence of 
 land, 601. Land in league, 642. God hath ways to 
 empty lands, 645. They are his to dispose of, ib. 702, 
 731. lie can deprive them of their princes, 647. Made 
 exemplary with judgments, 648. Wliat waste land, 677. 
 Whatever condition it is in, God is there, 703. Your 
 own sins bring desolation, 703, 700, 711,733. Their 
 fruitfulness depends upon the Lord, 709. Desolate, 
 shall not always lie so, 736. God hath a peculiarity in 
 some lands, 759. 
 
 Last made first, 825. 
 
 Law. The godly under it had the same spirit, grace, and 
 comforts, we have under Christ, 122. Law to perish 
 from the priest, what, 187. Law, the honour of the 
 Jews, 344. What laws God pleases ho may impose, 
 437, 457. The law is weak, it cannot justify or sanctify, 
 456. Whether keeping of it would have availed to eter- 
 nal life, 493, 496. Lawgiver, who, 490. How violated, 
 331. What, 796. Of God's house, why to be made 
 known, ib. Chiefly to be observed, 797. 
 
 Lead, 607. 
 
 League. Whether a nation may enter into a league with 
 those of a false religion, 376. 
 
 Lebanon, whence so named, 417. \^ here, and what it sig- 
 nifies, 602. 
 
 Left. " I was left," what it means, 224. 
 
 Lewdness, what, 383, 404, 341, 574. 
 
 Liberty of speaking is from God, 674. 
 
 lAbya, whence so called, 642. 
 
 Lies, termed bars, 237. 
 
 Life. Power of life and death in Christ's h.and, 1 13. There 
 be several lives, and each from God, 341. At God's dis- 
 ]iosal, to lengthen and shorten, 439. Necessary to mo-
 
 IN THE PRECEDENT EXPOSITIONS. 
 
 849 
 
 tion, 449. How to live happily, 451, 458. Life in the 
 
 hand of God, and death also, 666. What is the princi. 
 
 pie of spiritual life and motion, 729. It is short, 812, 
 
 813. 
 Lifting up, what it notes. 51. Those that lift up them- 
 
 sehes shall be abased, 636. 
 Lighl, given and taken away at pleasure, 189. 
 Likeness in finning, hath a likeness in suflering, 512. 
 Line. 776. What, 777. Men's lines must not be in tem- 
 ple nieasurings. 778. 
 Linen. Of fine linen, 355, 604. 
 Lion of God, who, 798. 
 Lioness, her properties, 470. Of lions, ib. 471. How they 
 
 took lions, 471. 
 Living creatures, 27. 
 Loathe, what in it, 734. When men loathe themselves for 
 
 their sins, ib. 
 Locks forbidden to priests, 803. 
 Log. how much, 134. How many made a bin, ib. 
 Looks of men daunt, 85. 
 Lord God, what they denote, 224. 
 Love. Where love is, God dwells, 214. It unites, 270. 
 
 Once commanded to take the shield of faith, twice to put 
 
 on love, 271. The time of love, what time it was, 345. 
 
 God's love the foundation and fountain of all our good, 
 
 348. 
 Lust, it is unsatiable, 375. Men's lusts are costly things, 
 
 604. 
 Lydia, whence so called, 642. 
 
 M 
 
 Magistrates, should be forward to do justice, 41. It makes 
 them glorious, 64. They must not be fearful, and why, 
 89. Usually such as the priests and prophets are. 554. 
 Covetous and cruel, ib. How to deal with the people, 
 620. Should not connive at, but punish sin, 622. Not 
 suffer briers and thorns to overrun the field, 626. Good 
 magistrates, what they are, 808. 
 
 Magnify. When God magnifies himself, 763. 
 
 Maidens: a reproach not to be married, 346. When mar- 
 riageable, 348. 
 
 Malice, nothing privileges from it, 124. Entertains not 
 the word, 151. Malicious practices, what they provoke 
 to, 593. 
 
 Man, not capable of immediate access to God, 60. Men 
 in place meet with scratches, 87, 88. Men of the world 
 are politic for their own ends, 107. His ruin is from him- 
 self, 119. Who the man was clothed with linen, 232. 
 Men unspirited against evil, 172. Men chief in place, 
 usually corrupt, 246. Men of rigid spirits, 256. Cor- 
 rupt men are glad to be rid of the conscientious, 256, 
 257. Man's estate by nature is miserable, and wherein, 
 338, 339. Set out by blood, 340. Best originally in a 
 state of death, 341. No sort of men exempted from 
 grievous calamities, 4'25. Apt to question and quarrel 
 at God's dealings, 437. Man is only a sojourner here. 
 514. Men's evil acts overruled by God, 529. Of trading 
 for men, 607, 608. Men know not what themselves are, 
 614. They are conceited, ib. Though spared lonsr 
 shall suiTcr, 756. 
 
 Mareshah. where, 6-30. 
 
 Mariners, 605. 
 
 Mark. " Set a mark." of that phrase, 215. Christ's mark- 
 ing of his people, what it intimates, 215, 216. Who it is 
 that is the marker of saints, 217. God distinguishes be- 
 tween the precious and the vile, ib. 221. The mark of 
 Christ and of the beast different, 217. The deliverance 
 of the marked ones a type, &c. 221. 
 
 Market, 608. 
 
 Marriage, honourable, 346. There are three things in it, 
 350. Lawful for men in spiritual functions, 580. Whom 
 the priests were and were not to marry, 803, 804. 
 
 Mast, what, 603. 
 
 Maleriah of the church must be holy, 797. 
 
 Mathematicians, ivho fit for spiritual ones, 795. 
 
 Mattaniah. what it signifies, 418. 
 3 I 
 
 Matters, those of importance, to whom to be committed, 
 606. 
 
 Means. God carries on his work by weak means, 289. God 
 uses ill means for good ends, 3'22. Why we should use 
 means, 469. Means not neglected by heathens, 529. if 
 they cleanse us not, it is dangerous, 548. May be had. 
 •nnd not improved, 575, 576. Such a case dangerous, 
 576. Prove hurtful, 632. Whatever means used, God 
 doth all, 741. 
 
 Meetings, private ones lawful, 193. God hath honoured 
 them, ib. 
 
 Megillath, I. 
 
 Merchants. 605, 607. Merchandising of the hand, 608. 
 Whether men may be merchants, 610. 
 
 Mercy, God adds one to another, 18. Mercy of God is 
 free in regard of persons, places, times, 159. Mercy is 
 oft showed when there is cause of sharp judgments, ih. 
 Abuse of mercies defiles ihem, 177. Choicest inercies 
 apt to be abused. 180. Abuse causeth loss of them, 181. 
 Mercy acts before justice, 221. Mercies sanctified pro- 
 duce answerable effects, 264. God, when in a way of 
 mercy, multiplies mercies, 281. Mercies oblige to obe- 
 dience, ib. Mercy is extended to men in desperate con- 
 ditions, 342. It is bestowed in a transient way occa- 
 sionally, 343. Choice mercies should cause answerable 
 returns, 368. We are apt to trust in and be proud of 
 mercies, 368. Great evil to abuse mercies, 370. Cause 
 God then to take them away, 381. Hope of mercy taken 
 away to bring men to shame, 403. Of sparing mercy, 
 409. Mercies come through the covenant, ib. Pre- 
 venting mercy, 420. Mercies multiplied, men are apt 
 to abuse them, 478. Some mercy God shows when he 
 is in fury, 479, 480. Old mercies are to be remember- 
 ed, 488. Choicest mercies are for God's own people, 
 ib. 489. Mercies oblige to holiness, 490. They make 
 men worse, 492. Upon what account showed to ill-de- 
 servers, 495. Mercies do not exempt us from miseries, 
 ib. Mercy hath its "moreovers," 497. Of sparing 
 mercy, 500. All enjoyed is mercy, 520. It is mingled 
 with judgment, 535. Times of t.iking away mercies, 585. 
 Judgment mingled with mercy, 636. Temporal mer. 
 cies not merited, 713. Choice mercies make men re- 
 nounce former defilements, 749. Mercies gradually car- 
 ried on, 792, 793. Work more than judgments, 734. 
 
 Meshech, who came from him, 607. 
 
 Messiah, upon what account Jews say he is not come, 686, 
 766, 774, 829. 
 
 Milk, what meant by it and honey, 487. Milk drinkers, 
 587. 
 
 Mind. Setting the mind upon a thing, what it imports, 584. 
 
 Ministers, subject to reproach, 16. Must deliver what they 
 have from God, 19. JIust see their call be clear, ib. 
 Come with the Spirit of God, 20. Ministers put upon 
 hard things, 79. Their preaching provokes, it is plun. 
 dering men of their lusts, will, &c. ib. They must not 
 look at the event, but their call, ib. They witness for, 
 or against, their hearers, 83. Not be fearful, 89. They 
 must first digest truth, and then deliver truth, 96. They 
 should feed upon the word, ib. What they have is given. 
 99, 100. They may not remove at pleasure from place 
 to place, 107. They are watchmen, and must be men 
 of knowledge, 110. Must endure hardship, ib. They 
 must depend upon Christ for more light. 111. They 
 must learn before they teach, ib. Warn others, ib. 11."}. 
 Do their ofBce in the name of Christ, 1 12. Their power 
 is declaratory, 113. They may not impose upon con- 
 science, ib. Their scope should be to save life, 114. 
 Not to show wit, ib. Not to please men, not to get a 
 living, ib. Their oflfice is honourable, ib. What minis- 
 ters are cruel and bloody, 115. Doing their duty, shall 
 save themselves, if not others, ib. Unfaithful ministers 
 perfidious to God and man, 119. They need new sup- 
 ply, 1'20. They must expect bands and chains, 124. 
 Oft are severely dealt with, ib. It is not new for them 
 to be roughly handled, 124, 125. What they should be, 
 what not, 221. Must deprecate judgments coming. 225. 
 The Lord acquaints them with his proceedings, 227. 
 Why he doth this, ib. Ministers must do their office, 
 249. God enables them to the work, ih. Must tell
 
 850 
 
 A TABLE CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL THINGS 
 
 men of their sins, 249, 250. Must speak to those tliey 
 are intended for, 287. Must declare what they have 
 heard, ib. Must he faithful, ib. Not looli at tlie suc- 
 cess, 288, 289. Must open things mysterious, 292. 
 Must stand in the gap, 300. Termed builders, husband- 
 men, 302. They must deliver tlie mind of God, be it 
 pleasing or provoking. 424. Preachers, it is their lot to 
 be ill spoken of, G78, 679. God notes what said asrainst 
 them, 679. Men may be much affected with them and 
 yet be hypocrites, 680. But as songs to many hearers, 
 ib. Other thoughts will be of them in time, 681. True 
 ones come in spiritual power, 739. Of God's counsel, 
 and co-workers, ib. Maintenance due to them, 826. 
 Should have accommodation and good provision, 788. 
 Not go out to worldly employments, ib. What frame 
 of spirit when we approach to God, 789. They have 
 Christ standing by them when at temple work, 792. 
 Must first see themselves before they shovv to others, 
 795. Should make known Christ crucitied, 798. They 
 must attend and set their hearts upon things, 801. What 
 ones shall be honoured. 803. What they ought to be, 
 ib. Other frame of spirit when come to God, ib. They 
 ought to be maintained, 804, 805. Should be careful 
 what they eat, 805. Must look for hardships, 817. They 
 are fishers, 82L Catch fish of all sorts, ib. 
 
 Ministrations, service, employment, in all these we must 
 have instructions from Christ, 33. God raiseth the 
 spirit of the creature sometimes to great services, 31, 52. 
 
 Mischief, what it notes, 187. One follows upon another, 
 187, 188. 
 
 3/oa6ite, their descent and enmity to the Jews, 590. Woab's 
 side, what, ib. 
 
 Mocking. 340, 397. 
 
 Molech, of what made, hoiv, and what use, 371. Offering 
 of children to this idol, whence it came, t5. Evil there- 
 of, 372. Described, 308. 
 
 Money, for what use at tirst, 445. 
 
 Month, one of the months, the tirst of it, 650. 
 
 Mopheth, what, and how dilfering from oth, 583. 
 
 More. " No more" opened, 146. 
 
 Mortar, untempered, 334, 355. Who daub with it, 533. 
 
 Moses, whence he had his name, 356. 
 
 Mother, in what sense sometimes used, 5G1 . 
 
 Motives. Many things move men to show favour, &c. 
 Nothing in the creature to move God, 341, 342. 
 
 Mountain, Mount Zion put for the church, 431. Holy 
 mountain, what, 516. There (>od shows mercy, 518. 
 The mountain of God, 619. Mountain, how taken, 761. 
 Mount Moriah, 776. Mount Zion, what, and why, ib. 
 Christ the Mountain of God, 798. 
 
 Mountains of Israel, 154. Speaking to them, ib. 
 
 Mourn. Why they used to mourn seven days, 107. God's 
 people should mourn for sin and judgments that come 
 by them. 162. There are times for great ones to mourn, 
 190. Why the godly mourn, 219. For what England 
 should mourn, ib. 220. We may mourn when judg- 
 ments are upon enemies of the church, 660. 
 
 Mourning for the dead. 579. Some rites thereabouts, ib. 
 It is not unlawful, 581. Not dare to mourn, 38.3. 
 
 Mouth, opening of it, what it imports, 640, 674. Freedom 
 of speaking is from God, ib. \\ hat to magnify with the 
 mouth, 704. 
 
 Multitude, no warrant for our way, 676. They go the 
 wrong way, 705. .'"in against Ctirist, 733. 
 
 Murder, the evil of it, 431. 
 
 Murmuring, what keeps from it, 414. 
 
 N 
 
 Nagaph, what it signifies, 579. 
 
 Naham, opened, 594. 
 
 Nakedness, how taken, 346. What is the covering of it, 
 347. 348. 
 
 Name. Names given suitable to evcnts^2. Alteration of 
 names, 13. Name of the wicked odious, 14. The way 
 to gel, and the worth of a good .name, 430, 431. How 
 taken, as referring to God, 493, 515. When said to he 
 polluted, 493. Sinners spared for God's name's sake, ib. 
 
 How sparing sinners is sanctifying of God's name, ib. 
 494. God shows mercy after mercy to such as deserve ill 
 for the honour of his name, 495, 50"2. God's name dear 
 to him, 515. Name of wicked taken away, 338. What 
 makes an ill name, 340. Profaning God's name two 
 ways, 711. (Grievous to occasion the blaspheming God's 
 name, ib. V\ hat his name signifies, 712. What to 
 sanctify it, ib. It is holy, 713. Profaning it sticks, and 
 Gud will vindicate his name, ib. For his name's sake 
 lie doth much, ib. Names occasionally given to places, 
 708. God doth great things for his name's sake, 773. 
 When sanctified, 773, 774. 
 
 Nataph, what it signifies, 521. 
 
 Nations. What makes nations glorious, 489. Their car- 
 riages are observed by tlio Lord, 388. Laid waste, and 
 why, 389. Like one another in sin, 591. They have 
 their times for suffering, 337. Easily and suddenly de- 
 stroyed, 538. When fJod is wroth with nations, nothing 
 secures them, 391. They are his, and he disposes of 
 them, li. 39'2, 639. Enmity between nations, 593. They 
 are at the Lord's call, 597. Proud nations brought to 
 and kept in a servile condition, and why, 637. 
 
 iVa^i/raZ abilities reach not spiritu-al things, 73. 
 
 Nature, the work of it is God's work, 345. Natural excel- 
 lences are from him, ib. Nature abuses mercies, 492. 
 Ordinances and means, 498. Worse for judgments, 563. 
 
 Navel, the office of it, 337. Not cutting of it, what it 
 means, ib. 
 
 Navii/alinn, who first authors thereof, 60'2. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar, what it signifies, 39'7, 398. 
 
 Neccssili/, it makes men seek what was neglected before, 
 186. 
 
 Needy, who is so, 393. 
 
 Nehemiah, what that name signifies, 262. 
 
 Neighbour, who, 441. 
 
 Nephesh, how taken, 675. 
 
 Nets. God hath nets to catch perfidious men in, 430. 
 Nets, 657. God hath nets to catch whales and great 
 fish, ib. 
 
 New, how taken in Scripture, 273. 
 
 New heart. Ho'.v making a new heart is to be understood, 
 467, 468. 
 
 Neio moons, what Ihev point out, 811. 
 
 Nihs. 629. How ma'de dry, 645. 
 
 No. wh.it kind of city, 646. 
 
 Noah, what it signifies, .325. 
 
 Noph. a city famous, 646. 
 
 JVose jewels, 356,357. 
 
 Number. Of the number seventy, 199. 
 
 Oaks of Bashan, 603. 
 
 Oars, 603. 
 
 Oalh. find's oath, 147, 667. Lifting up the hand, anciently 
 the sign of an oath, ib. Hebrew words for oath, how 
 they differ, 405. Oaths are securing things, 426. Ar- 
 guments of human weakness, ib. God regards his oath, 
 though men do not, 4'28. Oaths are divine things, and 
 not to lie slighted, 429. Ill breaking and making oaths 
 for our own ends, 330. 
 
 Obedience unto Christ must be absolute, 96. What makes 
 obediential, 121. Absolute obedience meets with mer- 
 cies unexpected, ib. An obediential spirit suitable to 
 Christ's commands, 198. All creatures at God's com- 
 mand, 21 1. 240. Christ himself, 211, 2a3. The end of 
 mercy is obedience, 282. Obedience how qualified, ib. 
 An evidence of the work of grace, ib. It is from Gr:d, 
 28.3. It is man's duty, 2S9. Obedience in difficult 
 cases, and speedily, argues grace, 381. Obedience 
 should be more now than of old, 81.3. 
 
 Oblations, how they differ from sacrifices, 516. Oblations 
 to the prince, what meant by them, 808, 809. 
 
 Obstinacy in sin, 575. 
 
 Occasion. God takes occasion from the sin of some to bring 
 in judgment upon all, 140. God makes occasions to 
 meet, with wicked ones, 630. Some glad of occasion 
 against God and his ways, 711, 71"2.
 
 IN THE PRECEDENT EXPOSITJONS. 
 
 P51 
 
 Offering. BurnI ofTerinj, what it notes, 781. Other of. 
 faring and sacrifice, wliat they import, ib. Meat offer- 
 in?, sin offerinfr, trespass offering;, 788,809,810. 
 
 Officers. Who fit for public offices in stale and church, 
 3'2, 33. Christ's oflBcers endued with his Spirit, 73. To 
 set up and send officers belongs to Christ, 73, 76. Un- 
 able ones not sent by Ciirist, 76. 
 
 Oil abounded in Judea, 332. What oil signifieth, 333, 
 361. 
 
 Old mercies ought to be minded, 488. Old sins brought 
 to remembrance, 330, 564. Old hatred, 594. What 
 brings former sins to remembrance, 637. 
 
 One, how the word may be taken, 265. One heart, how 
 meant, i6. 266. Its description, 266. Oneness of heart 
 diversely considered, ib. When this oneness was amongst 
 the Jews, ib. One-heartedness, whether attainable in 
 this life, 267. Men's hearts of themselves not one, ib. 
 Oneness a great blessing, ib. The good of it particular- 
 ized ; the evil of its contrary specified, ib. 268. One- 
 ness invites others, 268. Improves grace, ib. Furthers 
 prayers, ib. An honour to Christ, ib. Sympathizes 
 with each other, ii. An evidence of grace, 269. Makes 
 willing to do for another, ib. Helps to this oneness, or 
 unity, 269, 270. Preservatives of it, 270, 271. Induce- 
 ments to it, 271, 272. One-heartedness the gift of God, 
 272. 
 
 Opinions, ill ones entertained, are hardly got out, 436, 466. 
 
 Oppression, a spreading sin, 203. What the Hebrew for 
 it signifies, ib. State oppression and church corruption 
 go together, ib. Causes God to deal in fury, 207. Op- 
 pression in Scripture sense is murder, -.^50. Lavs a land 
 desolate, 292. W herein it lies, 443, 444. The evil of 
 it, 444. Oppression, 536. 
 
 Ordinances do good, w hen the Spirit is on them, 20. Effi- 
 cacy of them is from Christ, 97. They are God's name, 
 149. They are the ornaments and glory of a people, 
 179. Men may have them, without God in them, 198. 
 " Keep mine ordinances," of that phrase, and what it 
 imports, 282. Ordinances despised provoke God great- 
 ly, 499. How they come to be slighted, 500. Men 
 leaving God's ordinances are restless, 506. All ordi- 
 nances are to be set up, 518. Ordinances of the tem- 
 ple, what, 796. Why ni-i(ic known, ib. They must be 
 well heeded, 801. See Divine things. How we should 
 come unto them, 809. 
 
 Ornaments, 344. They are from God, 345. 
 
 Overturning, 534. 
 
 Own : men's own sins ruin thi ui, 71 1. 
 
 Pacifying. God must be pacified, 415. It is great mercy 
 to have him pacified, ib. 
 
 Pain, what it notes, 641. 
 
 Pains must be great to find out grcii! evils, 200. 
 
 Painting of faces not warrantable, 568. 
 
 Pa/m (r«s described, 781. What for, fi. More of them, 
 783, 785. 
 
 Pan. What the iron pan signifies, 127. 
 
 Parables, they may be used in preaching, 330 The use 
 of them, 416. Warrantable, 571. 
 
 Paramour^ 563. 
 
 Pardon. God pardons all sins, 354. It is not reversed, 
 461. After it come other mercies, 735. 
 
 Parents' sins ruin children, 222. All are not godly who 
 come of godly parents, 337. Children oft tread in their 
 steps, 384. For their sins children may suffer, though 
 under another covenant, 4.36. The good may have wicked 
 children, 45-2. 472. Parents' goodness will not privilege 
 wicked children, 432. Parents' sins prepare judgments 
 for their posterity long after, 50'2. Idolize children, 583. 
 
 Parts prevail with men, 341. 
 
 Passing by one, how spoken of God, 339. 
 
 Pathros, what and where, 6.35. A country or city, 646. 
 
 Patience. God bears long with the sins of his people, 131. 
 Yet forgets not their sins, 132. The Lord will not al- 
 ways bear with sinners, 208. His patience exceeding 
 great, 228, 288. 
 
 3 I 2 
 
 Pattern. Men must keep to God's pattern, 796. 
 
 Pavement, what it points out, 780. 
 
 Peace, what it notes, 306. W icked men are peacelcss, 
 186. It may be sought too late, ib. Great peace, when, 
 767. In times of it men forget God, and sin, 773. 
 Those at peace with God must neither be carnal nor 
 cruel, 799. 
 
 Pelatiah, of the name, 243. Ills death, and questions re- 
 solved concerning him, 252, 253 
 
 People, enemies to their own good, 124. Their sins de- 
 prive them of spiritual mercies, 123. Like to hair in 
 three respects, 137. God's people may become worse 
 than heathens, 142. "They shall be my people," what 
 the words imply, 283. God man-iesa people to himself. 
 284. Great happiness to have God ours, ib. It is of 
 free grace any are his, 285. Those who are God's, have 
 encouragement to ask, ib. People easily misled, 30;!. 
 God's people apt to go astray, 323. Would not return 
 if left to themselves, ib. Should keep close to him, ib. 
 God hath not need of any people, 342, 343. God's peo- 
 ple are protected, 348. God minds and provides for liis 
 peepie from top to toe, 361. His people may so sin, that 
 their enemies may he ashamed of them, 373. Sin be- 
 yond belief, 386. Have mer",ies through the covenant, 
 410. No evil can befall them, 4.38. God will hear their 
 pleadings, right thi'ir wrongs, ib. 439. Such as they be 
 usually are the ruhrs, 472. They elected and set up 
 their kings, 473. The taking of them to be the Lord's 
 is mere mercv, 486. The Lord's people have the best 
 mercy, 488, 489. They have their " Buts," 492, 502. 
 Notwithstanding their sins they have mercies in the face 
 of their enemies, 494. They are distinguished from 
 others, 513. Looked after, i'6. God's dealings with 
 them different, ib. They are such as their rulers, 556. 
 Begins with his own first, then with others. 3P8. Their 
 enemies destroyed, then they have mercy, 640. "Thy 
 people," 663. When people have power to set up an 
 officer, 663. Like sheep, in five things, 682. God's 
 people are under their enemies, 695. They are safest of 
 all, 696. God hath a people he owns, is with, 6S8. 
 Dealings with them are distinguishing and convincing, 
 i6. God eyes how hearts of men are to his people, 70U. 
 By their own sins they bring desolation, 705, 706. God 
 deals differently with his own people and others, 709. 
 Provident for hU, 709, 710. Have the best at last, 710. 
 Happiness of a people, wherein, 732. God's people are 
 sometimes heartless and hopeless, 744. Arc cared for 
 in the most broken and meanest condition, 745. Shall 
 have a day of recompence, 767. If they sin shall smart 
 for it, 771'. They must worship God publicly, 812. 
 
 Perjidiousness. Perfidious men shall not prosper, 423. It 
 moves God to bring severe judgments, ib. It is worst in 
 princes, 426. Examples of perfidiousness. ib. 427. God 
 is resolved to punish it, 428. He hath snares for them, 
 429, 430. 
 
 Perjury, very evil, 428. 
 
 Perseverance. Angels go on, 38. Perseveiance, 440. Nut 
 sufficient to begin well, we must go on, 462. Perse- 
 verance crowns, 671. Who will persevere, 730. 
 
 Persiatis, soldiers, 605. 
 
 Person, he being accepted, all done is acceptable, 518. 
 Difference to be put between persons, 3.50. Made re- 
 markable, 562. Those we have sinned w ith, instruments 
 to punish us, 566. 
 
 Pestilence, the etymology and nature of it, 149, 324, 3'23. 
 
 Pharaoh, what kind of name, 427. What it signifies, 628. 
 Like the dragon, or crocodile, 6"29. His pride and con- 
 fidence, ib. 
 
 Philistines, whence they were, and what, 594. How dealt 
 with, i'^. Their hatred, 595. 
 
 Pillars of the temple not all alike, 787. 
 
 Pilots. 603. Who to be, 606. 
 
 Pit. what, Ont), 616. 
 
 Pithom and Pethah, what they express, 253. 
 
 Pit:/, what the word notes, 149. Arguments of pity, 222. 
 God deals gently with his people, 2-_>7, 228. 
 
 Place. God hath three places, 102. No holiness in Iheni 
 now, 103, 147. No place can hinder the working of the 
 Spirit, 120. How places become holy, 147. God oft
 
 852 
 
 A TABLE CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL THINGS 
 
 tniites sinr.crs in the place where they sinneH, 223. Place 
 where idolatry haili been, hateful, 381. ('od punishes 
 in the place where nun sin, 423, 424. Eminent places 
 discover men's corruptions, 472. Holiness of places 
 privilege not, 322. No hiding-place from t:od's strokes, 
 527. Place of sinning, place of punishment, 538. God 
 notes where men sin, 361. How made remarkable, 362. 
 Several mercies, 604. Mercy and judgment in the same 
 place, 765. The most holy place, what it notes, 784. 
 Plague, or pestilence, 624. 
 
 Pledge. Not unlawful to take a pledge. 445. What, 671. 
 
 plenty of all things is not in itself evil, 387. It is the pa. 
 
 rent of sin, 397. Easily made by God, 7-S3. It is from 
 
 him. i6. 
 
 Plots, secret, in time break out, 739. God is angry with 
 
 those who plot against the church, 762. 
 Policy. Roderick's policy to secure himself, weakened 
 
 him, 426. 
 Politicians, how they stand affected to religion, 509. 
 Polluting of God's name. See Name. What the word for 
 pollute signifies, 493. How God is said to pollute, 303. 
 Whom God will deal with as polluted ones, 504. 
 Pomp. 184. Not to be confided in, 185. Pomp in what, 
 
 658. 
 Poor, whereof, tttoixos and -Trti/ijs. 393. Of hard-hearted, 
 ness to the poor, what an evil it is. 393, 394. Whether 
 we are to give to all poor. 395. What rule or cautions 
 to be observed about giving to the poor, ib. 396. Poor, 
 how dealt withal, 337. 
 Pope, and his hierarchy, not of Christ, 76. 
 Porches, for what, 779. We are in a porch state, 782. 
 Posterity, it should mind the merciis predecessors had, 
 488. Good men's posterity living amongst idolaters de- 
 generate, 490. Not tied to the ways of the fathers and 
 forefathers, 501,308. 
 Posts, what, and setting them by the Lord's, 794. God's 
 
 posts, what, why so named, ib. 
 Po<, the properties of it, 571. What makes places pots, 
 
 lb. oT2. 
 Practice. Sinful practices, what they do, 374, 393, 6-23. 
 Prayer, forced, is faithless, 207. Prayer for others, 2-23. 
 Sins may lie such as God will not hear prayer, 227 ; 
 and whyi 228. We should desire the prayers of others, 
 326. 
 precious, jakar, what it notes, 549, 550. 
 Prejudice, hard to remove it, 466. 673. 
 Preparations. Endeavours not seconded by God come to 
 
 nought, 172. None in man of himself, 341. 
 Presence. It is a great evil when God takes away the 
 
 signs of his presence, 188. 
 Pride precedes destruction, 169. The cause of man's going 
 from God. 201. What, 386. The kinds and evil of it, 
 ib. 387. What makes men proud, 603. Spare not cost 
 when for lusts, 604. It precedes ruin, 613. Provokes 
 God to severity, 616. Corrupts men's excellences, 623- 
 Priesthood. Occasion of settling the priesthood upon 
 
 Levi, 13. 
 Priests, what to be and do, 531. Tliey violated the law, 
 ib. Their not preserving holy things from polluting, is 
 matter of provocation and complaint, 333 Their otlice, 
 number, signification, 782. To approach unto the Lord, 
 788. W'ell provided for, ib. Come in holy garments, 
 ib. High priests, what to be, havi\ and do, 800. Typed 
 Christ,"'i6. Their sins, 801. Corrupt, deposed, 802. 
 Tlieir vestures, 803, Their heads and hair, ib. When 
 not drink wine, ib. Their marriage, ib. Rules for them 
 in other things, 804. 
 Princes, are chief rulers, 243. Are to ease burdens, 290. 
 Else God hath burdens for them, ib. Cannot escape 
 judgments, ib. 291. Heathen ones may come to much 
 greatness. 419. They are eagles, and have an ill eye at 
 the church, ib. When deprived of great mercies, yet 
 not of all mercies, 420. Tributary princes respective at 
 first to those they depend upon, ib. Some greater than 
 others, 422. How they may prosp_gr, ib. They may 
 fall into and die in the hands of foreign enemies, 4"28 
 Wicked ones are matter of lamentation, 471, 472. They 
 are unnatural, 472. They pervert the end of their in- 
 stitution, ib. Their ill doings will abroad, ib. When 
 
 they prove lions, God sets some to hunt them, ib. God 
 serves them as they have served others, 473. V\ icked 
 ones continue not long, 473. God takes them away for 
 the good of his people, 476. Their sins lie not always 
 hid, 530. Oft they are far from piety and justice, 531. 
 Great enemies to God, and his ways, ib. They have 
 times of sinning, and shall have times of suffering, ib. 532. 
 Deposed for their iniquity, 332. They are tyrannical, 
 342. Wherein like wolves, 553, 354. Like priests and 
 prophets. 554. By them cities and states are ruined, 
 611. They are proud. 613- Apt to deify themselves, 
 ib. Thev are but dust, ib. Have honourable titles, 
 619.6-20.' Should protect the people, 6-20. They de- 
 pend on God, ib. Their places £tnd pomp minded by 
 God, ib. How long prosperous, ib. Their sins shall be 
 made known, ib. W hat blasts them, ib. 6-22, Made ex- 
 amples, 623. Their own sin undoeth them, ib. Their 
 counsel and strength nothing without God. 630. They 
 m.ay lead their subjects abroad to fight. 638. Prince not 
 to meddle with things of God, 811. To maintain his 
 worship, ib. He must worship God, ib. Not impede his 
 worship, ib. Must walk as God wills, 812. To be boun- 
 tiful, and to whom. 814. Not to covet or oppress, ib. 
 Nothing can secure wicked princes, 647. They ought 
 to protect their subjects, 652. Have their day to leave 
 their greatness, 655. Their deaths affect much, ib. 
 Wicked ones great troublers, 656. Great princes being 
 enemies to the church, how God their enemy, 733. The 
 High Priest, or Christ, 782, 806, 807. His entrance 
 by the gate, 800. He and his estate should be for the 
 preservation of the whole, 806. In portion, ib. What 
 they should be, 807. Covetous and cruel, 808. Should 
 do justice, I'i. Tied to laws of God, i4. More expected 
 from them than ordinary, 813. 
 Principles. There are opposite principles in the best of 
 
 men to the ways of Christ, 105. 
 Privileges No privilege exempts a sinning people from 
 judgment, 163, 171. Privileges no plea, 233. Men rre 
 apt to glory and confide in them, 330. Apt to overprize 
 and rest in them, 585. If taken away, shall be restored, 
 601. They profit not without godliness, 662. 
 Profaning of God and holy things, 551, 532, 553. 
 Professors, what ones are not fit matter for a church, 647. 
 
 (jreatest part will be found naught, ib. 
 Progress in God's wavs, 449. 
 
 Promises of God shall be performed, 264, 296. Only to 
 some, 285. Minded and made good by degrees, 344. 
 Promise of the Branch oft mentioned, 432. How God's 
 breach of promise is to he taken, 499. He makes good 
 his promises, how difficult or impossible soever they ap- 
 pear to us, 505, 506. He seems to act against the pro- 
 mise, 333. Nothing hinders the making them good, 635, 
 636. Made good if the condition be performed, 676. 
 God's promises and mercies free, 735. Shall take effect, 
 737. To be sued out by prayer, ib. 
 Propheci/, wherein likened to rain, 521. Prophecies of 
 
 God shall take effect, 737. 
 PropAe/, whence, 3. Of the first and second temple, ift. A 
 prophet in Babylon, 11. Subject to scorn, reproach, 16. 
 They were carried on in their prophetical work by the 
 might of the Spirit, 104. They could not prophesy at 
 their pleasure, 108. They must speak the words of the 
 Lord, HI. How a prophet should be received, 112. 
 Counted mad-men, 123. 
 Prophets, they are prayed, sued to, in straits, 188, 192. If 
 not heard when men are at ease, they sh.dl miss of help 
 from them in trouble, ib. Prophets privy to what God 
 does, 233. Acted by the Spirit, 246. Prophecy, why 
 twice mentioned, 249. For new acts of prophecy new 
 influx of Spirit, ib. Prophets were to deal particularly 
 with sinners, ib. 230. Of Ezekiel's prophesying, some 
 doubts cleared, 252, 233. God looks what entertain- 
 ment they have, 263, 266. God puts them oft upon 
 troublesome service, 291. Prophets were to make known 
 dark things, 292. False prophets have cunning ways to 
 prevail, 295. Their visions false and flattering, ib. Make 
 men secure, ib. Events distinguish prophets, 296. Pro- 
 phesying of their own hearts, what it is, 297. False 
 prophets, why called prophets, 298. Judgment de-
 
 IN THE PRECEDENT EXPOSITIONS. 
 
 858 
 
 nounced against them, ib. False propliets described, ib. 
 False prophets in the church no new thing, ib. Who 
 are true propliets, «ho false, t6. U hat conies from false 
 prophets is worthless, ib. 299. The folly of false pro- 
 phets, 299. Woe is their portion, ib. Likened to foxes, 
 i6. 300. A sad judgment wlien prophets become foxes, 
 300. It is a grief to heaven, 16. Prophets are to stand 
 in the gap, 301. Failing in their duty makes people 
 fall, 802. True prophets h.id two things, 303. The 
 impudencv of false prophets, ib. They seduce people, 
 ib. The 'Lord is against them, 305. Several things 
 that make the Lord against them, ib. Prophets true in 
 men's esteem, may be false in God's, 306. False pro- 
 phots likened to niasons and carpenters, 281. A doubt 
 cleared out of Jer. iv. 10, 307. False prophets feed 
 people with vain hopes, 308. To please men, an argu- 
 ment of false teachers, ib. Their prophecies seem to 
 have much strength, ib. False prophets strengthen each 
 other, ib. Prophets, what is their own is weak, t't. 309. 
 Their work is to make known truth, 309. God will try 
 their works, ib. By variety of ways, ib. False prophets 
 cannot avoid judgments, ib. What they deliver shall 
 come to nought, ib. And themselves discovered, 16. 
 Women of old prophesied, 310. Satan troubled the 
 church as with false prophets, so with false prophetesses, 
 311,312. Those are false that flatter, 312. False pro- 
 phecies are snares, ib. False prophets cannot perform what 
 they promise, ib. They profane God's name, ib. Make 
 merchandise of truth, ib. They curse whom God blesses, 
 ib. God's proceeding against them, ib. Women and 
 men teachers are subtle to seduce, ib. God's people 
 may be taken with their errors, ib. 313. Their doctrines 
 prejudice both the godly and wicked, 313. God hath 
 his times to deliver his people from them, ib. \\ hen 
 the true prophets discover the false, advantages are 
 sought against them, 314. Many profess love to them, 
 but are false-hearted, 16. Ordinary to come to the pro- 
 phets, 318. God will deal severely with false prophets, 
 321. False prophets should not be consulted with, 322. 
 They must deliver what is commanded them, however 
 it be taken. 335. And why, 16. Consulting with them 
 ancient and warrantable, 483. They are to give out the 
 Lord's mind in his name and words, not their own, ib. 
 Being inquired of, they must not humour men, but speak 
 and do the Lord's pleasure, 484. Must be undaunted 
 in their work, 521, G28. No new thing for them to pro- 
 phesy in sackcloth, 526, 527. Their prophecies sliglited, 
 scorned, 530. They are not to fear, but reprove the 
 greatest being guilty, 531. False prophets in Jerusalem, 
 550. Propliets' sins specially noted, ib. Daubing with 
 untempered mortar, 555. False ones, their subtilty and 
 impudence, 16. God honours his prophets, 585. He 
 shuts and opens their mouths at his pleasure, ib. 586. 
 When free to speak, 641. False conspire against the 
 true, 549. .Must not spare princes, 656. Things are 
 revealed to them by degrees, 660. What they threaten 
 comes to pass. 681. Men shall have other tlioughts of 
 them, ib. They will be witnesses at last against hear- 
 ers, ib. Prophets moved by the Spirit, 739. True ones 
 come in Spirit and power, ib. Do difScult things, ib. 
 Put upon strange employments, 741. Directed to 
 answer questions, 747. Not all recorded they delivered, 
 760. God owns, honours, protects them, 16. They must 
 reveal what is revealed to them, 777. 
 
 Proseb/fe^ was of two sorts, 318. 
 
 Prosperity, men are apt to forget God in it, 373. 383. 
 Makes proud, 403. Dangerous, 773. See Riches, 
 Weallh. 
 
 Protection. God protects his in a special manner, 348. 
 
 Proud. They who are so, mind not God's dealings with 
 others, though like themselves, 403. God will bring 
 them down, whatever they be, 433. 
 
 Proverb, tlie word opened, 292, 293. 
 
 Providence, acts in all motions, 47, 48. It puzzles the 
 ablest : unsearchable, dreadful. 49. It is in the least 
 motions, 50. Works of it glorious, beautiful, ib. 95. It 
 overrules secondary agents, 133. Acts in all things, 
 237. Dubiously, 238. Much glory and beauty in the 
 works of providence, 240. Providence overrules, to as 
 
 the wicked miss of their aim^, 429. It orders all things, 
 437. God provides for all, 438. Providence runs through 
 and o\'errules sinful actions, 529, 630. 
 
 Punishment, conformable to sin, 135, 136. God punislieth 
 in the things men sin, 175. God punisheth because men 
 do wickedly, 251. God just in his punishing, 286. What 
 chief punishments the Jews had, 380. Difl'erence of 
 punishments, ib. God may lay what punishment he 
 pleases upon the soul that sins, 440. What punishment 
 soever befalls man, there is no cause to complain of God, 
 457. Punishments are God's pleadings, 512. Though 
 he forbear long, yet he hath times of punishing. 537, 548. 
 Punisheth where men sin, 538. God's method in punish- 
 ing, 593. 594. 
 
 Purging. Evil ones shall be purged out, 513, 514, 544. 575. 
 
 Purpose. Intentions to please God, oft prove proiocations, 
 205. 
 
 Pyrrhus, why desirous of Italy, Sicily, and Africa, 422. 
 
 Qualificutions. Where none are, God shows mercy, 341, 
 
 342. See Preparations. Qualifications not found but 
 
 where wrought by the Spirit, 727. 
 Qualities, evil, make men like brute creatures, 656. 
 Question. God can silence man with a short question, 
 
 739. 
 Quiet. The quiet spirits are fittest to receive and act spi- 
 
 ritual things, 109. 
 
 Raumah, what, 609, 610. 
 
 Rabbath, 527. How called, and uhat made, 587. 
 
 Rabbi Akibba tenacious of traditions, 466. 
 
 Rachil, a Hebrew word, what it sigailies, 541. 
 
 Rndah, what ruling it notes, 683. 
 
 Rain, withholden, 548. 
 
 Rainbow, the natural cause of it, 64. The natural and 
 theological signification of it, 65. 
 
 Ram. a warlike instrument, and why so called, 127. Qua- 
 lities of rams, 424. 
 
 Rebellion, wh,at, 75, 492. What in Gods account, 92, 93. 
 Uebellinus house, what, 288. It makes God more se- 
 vere, 510. Rebels, how dealt with, 514. 
 
 Rebukes, 595. 
 
 Reckoning. God hath times of reckoning. 543. 
 
 Recompence to the godly for their wrongs, 767. 
 
 Reed, the nature of it, 631. The measuring reed, 776. 
 W hat, 777. Men must not bring their reeds to mea- 
 sure by, ib. 
 
 Reqeneration. See New heart. 
 
 Relation. Those who are in near relation to God may be 
 hateful unto him, 385. They may become worse than 
 others, than any. 386. Those in relation to God are apt 
 to think God doth much for their sakes, 412. 
 
 Relatives, used in Scripture without antecedents, 8. 
 
 Religion to be fetched from Christ and the apostles, 203. 
 Not to be forced, 272, 273. All who profess it are not 
 sound, 314. Making of things for religious uses unlaw- 
 ful, 370. In false religion men are cruel, 372, 373. False 
 religion makes men unnatural, 508. It is made to serve 
 men's interest, 509. Religion and righteousness should 
 go together, 731. Nothing to be done in it on men's 
 heads, 730. 
 
 Remembering of God, what is in it, 157. To be put in 
 mind of the same things an advantage, 242. What re- 
 membering is, 408. How God is said to remember, ib. 
 Wliat the word zacar imports, 410. Remembering sin, 
 what, 458. Whose sins shall not be remembered, 459. 
 
 Renown. NVhence the Jewish state was so renowned, 365. 
 Renown a great mercy, 366. Oft proves a snare, 369. 
 The renown that Christ and the church hath is from the 
 Lord. 697. 
 
 Repentance. True penitents are aflfected with, and loathe 
 themselves for, their sins, 160. Scripture expressions 
 concerning repentance, ib. Notes of true repentance, 
 161. Ths Hebrew and Greek words for it opened, 316.
 
 6o4 
 
 A TABLE CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL THINGS 
 
 \Vli_v we are commandeLi to repent, it being the gift of 
 God, 317. Commands argue not power and free-will in 
 man to repent, ib. What it is, 16. It is a continued 
 net. 16. Sinners should stir up themselves to repent, ib. 
 True repentance, three effects of it, 318. State repent- 
 ance seldom true, 385. Set out by several e.tpressions, 
 458. It is a turning from sin, and all sin, unto God. ib. 
 Is profitable for man, 468. \\ hen true, it is turning 
 from all sin, 469. Wh.it leads to it, 519 When God 
 specially expects it, it. 5"20. That from sense of love, 
 is deep, general, &c. 5'20. It may he too late, 576. How 
 in God, 577. When specially it sliould be, 795. To 
 repentants God's ways of his house are to be showed. 
 796. The nature of it lieth in turning, 669, 670. It 
 makes a change in judgment, affection, and life, 734. 
 
 Repetition of the same words and things, of what u?e, 15^3. 
 Repetitions .-ire not in vain, 164. They awaken. 166 
 
 Heproach is burdensome, 401. What times are times of 
 reproaching, 405. What brings it, ib. Jews reproach- 
 ed, 536. God takes notice of his people's reproachings, 
 16. Punishes for it, 537. What exposes to reproach, 
 540. Reproaches bring judgments, 591. God ootes 
 the reproachings of his children, 733- 
 
 Reproachrd, such honoured, 16. Reproaches are bitter, 
 piercing things, 152. 
 
 Reproofs, people are impatient of them, and why, 125. 
 
 Requital in the same or hke kind, 705. 708. 
 
 ResuiTcction. in tt men shall liave their own bodies, 742. 
 
 Retaliation. Vexcrs vexed, 541. Their blood opeuly shed, 
 who shed blood openly, 573. Wrongers punished by 
 the wronged, 503, 594. Mockers mocked, 611, 612. 
 
 Revealed things should content us, 819. 
 
 Revenge. See Vengeance. 
 
 Revolters God hath no pleasure in, nor will honour, 803. 
 Have found mercy, 825. It is of free grace when re- 
 called, ib. 
 
 Rewards, unequal, make not God unequal, 464. 
 
 Rich, who their prey, 557. 
 
 Richard the Third, his end, 476. 
 
 Riches, 615. Make proud, 16. 
 
 Riddle, what it is, 415. 
 
 Righteous. See Just. He shall not lose the fruit of his 
 righteousness, 457. What righteous man is meant, 459. 
 Whether he may fall away, ib. Righteous, how taken, 
 523. Outside righteousness secures not, ib. 
 
 Righteous7iess. A double righteousness, 116. Two sorts 
 of righteous men, ib. Righteousness of faith never fails, 
 and why, 1 16. There be deceivable righteousnesses, 1 18. 
 We must not confide in our ow n righteousness, ib. Three 
 rules to help against it, ib. Advantageth in evil times, 
 327. There is such a righteousness men may turn from, 
 461,462. Righteousness, leg.d, i6. There is righteous, 
 ness that will not profit, 671. What men are apt to rest 
 in, 16. 
 
 Rings, their use, 357. 
 
 i?ircrs, artificial, in Egypt, 629. 
 
 Robbing, 182. 
 
 Rnbes,o99 
 
 Rod. 167, 168. 
 
 Rods, hoiv taken, 512, 513. Rods of trial come before rods 
 of destruction, d'25. 
 
 Roll. 93, 94. The eating of it, what, 96. Prophets must 
 feed upon Clirist's rolls, ib. 
 
 Rowers, who meant by them, 61 1. 
 
 Ruah, what it signifies, 741. 
 
 Ruin. Kingdoms, states, the cau=e of their ruin is in them- 
 selves, 25. .Man's is in himself, 119. Ruin of things in 
 themselves, 169. The nearer destruction, the more all 
 things are out of order, 197. 
 
 Rulers for the most part wicked, 246. It is matter of 
 mourning, 247. Being evil make others evil, ib. Se- 
 cure, ib. 
 
 S 
 
 Sabbath, whether it were before the law was given, 496, 
 497. In what sense a sign, 497. Not a mutable'cere.^ 
 mony, 16. It is of special concernment, ib. Prof.ming 
 
 it, 541. Hiding eyes from it, 552. Wliat was done on 
 that day, 498, 501. Of hallowing it, 501. Sabbaths to 
 be sanctified, 804. Mercy on such days to be had, 811. 
 
 Sackcloth, 174. 
 
 Sacrificef:. Services not to be confided in, 504. Those may 
 be hateful to God which we judge grateful, 506. They 
 differ from oblations. 516. Best, must the Lord liave, 
 518. What properly, 709. What they imply, 781. 
 Several sorts, 799. Dailv sacrillce, what it implied, ib. 
 Types of Christ, 809. 
 
 Saints arc Christ's treasure, 217. God their sanctuary, 
 261. Shows them kindness in all places, ib. Seeming 
 saints will be discovered, 306. Saints like palm trees, 
 783. Like trees in general, 819. 
 
 Salt. Of salting infants, and why it was used, 338. What 
 it doth, is, and notes, 799. Salting the sacrifices, what 
 it typr's out, ib. 
 
 Salvation. Few saved, 80, 216. 
 
 Samaria, whence so named, £84. Eider sister, ib. Her 
 sins griat, yet less than .lerusalem's, 398. 399. 
 
 Sameness. How a thing like may be called the same, 242. 
 
 Sanctiji/ing, what it notes, 497. It is God's woik. 498. 
 It is chiefly on his own day, ib. 501. Of sanctifying and 
 profaning God, 552. What God's sanctii'ving himself is, 
 517,6-27. 
 
 Sanctum Sanctorum, 203. Sanctuary, 221, 259. The 
 holiness of a place averts not God's wrath, 223. Sanc- 
 tuary a place of refuge, 259. God's presence there, ib. 
 Acceptance there, ib. Help from thence, 260. Why 
 called a little sanctuary, ib. Sanctum Sanctorum, what 
 it signifies. 784. 
 
 Sapphire, what it signifies and represents, 59, 60. Whence 
 derived, and what it notes, 231. 
 
 Scandal. \\'hat the word imports, 467. 
 
 Scojfing, provokes God greatly, 248, 249. Examples of 
 scoffers, 249, 254. Their judgments momentaneous, 
 253. 
 
 Scripture, shuns multiplying of words, 249. See Word. 
 Much of it was given out upon sinful occasions, 314. 
 There are some things hard and obscure therein, 415, 
 416. Wisdom of God seen in giving out Scripture, 416. 
 God would have us know his mind in the hardest things, 
 425. Some parts thereof omitted in the place which 
 seemed most proper for them, yet are occasionally given 
 forth afterwards. 489. That is the sense of it which the 
 Spirit intended, 551. Occasioned by men's sins, 571. 
 In it order of things not exactly observed, 648. Sliall 
 be fulfilled, 765. 
 
 Scum, 572. When it boils in, it is dangerous, 573, 574. 
 
 Season. Things done in season are acceptable to God, 
 236. 
 
 Seba and Sheba, 609. 
 
 Stcret of God is amongst his people, 304. 
 
 Secure. Great ones greatly secure, 247. Security an 
 epidemical disease, brings judgment impartially, 290. 
 
 Seduction, what, 306. Seducing of the people provokes 
 God, 309. 
 
 Seeking, u hat it notes, 557. 
 
 SeQullah, what it notes, 284. 
 
 Se'ir, what, 590. 
 
 Self, a great let to divine things, 196. Self-seeking mat- 
 ter of mourning, 247. Selfishness undoes, 269. 
 
 Senir, variously called, 602. 
 
 Separation, what justifiable, 257. 
 
 Sephar, 1. 
 
 SeptuagiiU, how it renders Aram, Mizraim, and Cush, 404. 
 
 Serophims, what. 26. 
 
 Serious, God is so in bestowing of mere}', 343. 
 
 Serving God, what it implies. 516. 
 
 Shame, what, 175. Notes two things, ib. Of bearing 
 sliame, 399. Sin brings it, 401. It is burdensome, ib. 
 \V hat causes it, 411. To bear shame, 772. When to 
 be asliamed, 795. Of what and how, it. 
 
 Shaphat, what it signifies, and how taken, 539. 
 
 Shebna, his misery and end, 533. 
 
 Sheep, four properties of it, 323. 
 
 Shekel of the sanctuary, why so called, 133. Shekel, 
 808. 
 
 Sheol, what it sisrnifies, 654.
 
 IN THE PRECEDENT EXPOSITIONS. 
 
 800 
 
 Shepherds, what, and their duty, 68'2. Those over the 
 people are and ought to be so, 683. Few such as they 
 ought to be, ib. Characters of ill ones, 16. 684. Wicked 
 ones as none, 684. God eyes and deals impartially with 
 wicked ones, 16. Their sins greatly provoke and bring 
 judgments upon themselves, 685. Those under oppress- 
 ing shepherds shall be freed, ib. 686. God will require 
 his flock at the shepherds' hand, 687. God the best 
 Shepherd, ib. See Christ. 
 
 Shesh, what, 355. 
 
 Shield. 605. \\hence, 606. 
 
 Shiftings answered, 576, 577. Shifting of judgments, 577. 
 
 Ships, with oars, 603. Sails, 604. What, 605. Meta- 
 phorical sliips, 611. 
 
 Shod, what it imports, 355. 
 
 Side. The prophet lying on his right side and left side, 
 129, 130. 
 
 Sighing, 523. A prophetical sign, i6. 
 
 Sight the certainest sense, 18. 
 
 Signification. To impose liigher significations on things 
 than they have by nature, belongs to God, 24, 93. 
 
 Signs. God deals with his people in signs and types, 127. 
 \\'hy, ib. He gives to the sign the name of the thing 
 signified, 141. God manifests his pleasure by signs, 234. 
 AVhcn visits with judgments gives signs, 235. '' Set thee 
 for a sign," what it signifies, 289. Godly for signs, 584, 
 585. What signs do, 584. 
 
 SUver, 607. 
 
 Sin, a city, what now called, 646. 
 
 Sin, a fire enfolding, 25. Disables us from seeing glory, 
 68, 69. Causeth Gods people to lose their glory, 76, 77. 
 Sin is rebellion, 77. Progress in it causeth impudence, 
 78, 79. Sinners come to a height of sinning, 80, 81. 
 It is an imbittering thing, 81. The fruit of it is death, 
 113. Difference between hamartanein and poiein ha- 
 martian, 117. It makes uncapacious of happiness, 121. 
 Cuts off spiritual mercy, 125. May so provoke, that 
 neither God nor man will show mercy, 128, 129. God 
 forgets not the sins of men, 132. Seldom any return 
 from sinful ways, 149. It defiles, ib. The evil in it, 161. 
 It weakens, 171. It is the life of the wicked, 16. Sin- 
 ners smitten in what they offend with, 191. There are 
 degrees of sins, 198. Sin discovered by degrees, 199. 
 Crush sin in the conception, 203. Sin to be measured 
 not by man but God's account, 204. Sin no ght mat- 
 ter, ib. Delightsome, ib. Sinning under mercies mani- 
 fested, aggravates, ib. 205. Sins cause God to deal in 
 fury, 208. How to prevent it, li. Sin makes God and 
 the creature our enemy, 210. Drives away God, and 
 lets in wrath, ib. Sins of others to be mourned for, 219. 
 Sins may provoke to utter destruction, 222. What 
 those sins are, ib. Open sins involve ourselves and 
 others, 16. Sin and judgment, 228. Sins of God's peo- 
 ple fetch the greatest severity, 229. God deals equally 
 with sinners, 16. He punishes them in places, and by 
 persons, they think not of, 251. God from sin takes oc- 
 casion to show mercy, 290. Sinners of little account 
 ivith God, 291. Whether do sins hasten judgment, 290. 
 Sins make way for judgment, 301. God makes sin a 
 punishment, 321. It is burdensome, 321, 322. It pol- 
 lutes, 324. It may be so grievous as God will show no 
 mercy, 327. Whe'rein likened to blood, 339, 340. God 
 forgives all sins, 354. It brings reproachful names upon 
 people, 379. What is a good help to prevent sin, 373. 
 Progress in sinful ways grievous to God, 374. It makes 
 God set friends and lovers against us, 379. Oft it is 
 punished in the same kind, ib. Some God eyes and 
 brands above others, 383. Old sins remembered, 397. 
 Sins not equal, 400. Of comparing sins and sinners, ib. 
 Great sinners forgetting their own sins, are apt to cen- 
 sure those who are less sinful, 401. It brink's shame, 16. 
 Sins may be such as cut off hope of mercy, 403. Sin is 
 an evil provoking God, 414. God notes the circum- 
 stances and aggravations of them, 429. \\'hcthcr it be 
 against the nature of God, 437. Sin is deadly, 440. Sin 
 not visible, 453. It shall not go unpunished, 457. What 
 it is to commit sin, 461. No sins reverse pardoii, ib. 
 What it is to cast away sin, 467. It is a ruining thing, 
 468, 469. It disappoints of mercies promised and near 
 
 at hand, 500. W ilful sinning provokes greatly. 505. 
 It is greatly aggravated by circumstances, 506, 561, 563. 
 What makes it bitter, 519. It lies not hid always, 530. 
 Former sins brought to remembrance, and how, 16. 
 Public sins bring public judgments, ib. Sin hastens 
 judgment, 540. Brings sad afflictions, 541. It disinte- 
 rests in God, 544. It makes gaps, 559. Open and im- 
 pudent sinning causes God to renounce, 564. It is scum, 
 572. Open sinning provokes to vengeance, 573. It 
 defiles places and persons, 574. It makes cities base, 
 589, 590. Sins of princes shall be searched out, 620. 
 Spreads, defiles, 623. Own sins undo, ib. It ruins 
 princes, 632. It distances and sets at enmity, 693. 
 Defiles, 716. Withholds mercies, draws judgments, 771. 
 Brings shame and punishment, 773. What it causes, 
 794. Nothing of man's cleanses from sin, 809. Sins of 
 ignorance, 16. 
 
 Sinners, why they should stir up themselves to turn unto 
 God, 317. Great ones find mercy, 323, 400. There is 
 an unwillingness in them to hear of their sins, 335. 
 Judge otherwise of themselves than God doth, 336. 
 They have their moreovers, 372. Come to violate all 
 bonds and bounds, ib. They may have outward bless- 
 ings in .abundance, 397. In time grow impudent, 398. 
 Sinners and sufferers afford comfort to other sinners and 
 sufferers, 403. Cover their wickedness, 404. God de- 
 lights in the death of sinners as it is an act of justice, 
 otherwise not, 458. Upon what account sinners spared, 
 493. How it is honouring God's name, ib. 494. God's 
 people may be such sinners, as no hope of mercy may be 
 left for them, 578. Sinners under judgment apt to de- 
 spond, 669. Their unbelief puts God to his oaih, ib. 
 If they turn have no cause to despond, ib. They are 
 authors of thtir own destruction, 670. They lay lands 
 waste, 677. 
 
 Shirt, 346. What spreading of the skirt over one means, 16. 
 
 Snare, what it signifies, 290. 
 
 Sodom. It was in a most fertile place, 387. The sad 
 judgment upon it, 396. Her judgment oft mentioned, 
 398. 
 
 Soldiers suffer hard things to please men, and for little, 
 638. 
 
 Son, not to suffer for the father's sin, 456. 
 
 Son of man, opened, and what it note.*, 70. How oft given 
 to Ezekiel, and why, ib. 
 
 Sorrow, expressions of it, by smiting, stamjiing, saying 
 Alas! 162. It is the fruit of sin, 173. Godly sorrow, 
 how known, ib. 174. Whence it arises, 414. 
 
 Soul, put for appetite, 176. Put for the will, lust, 374. 
 Put for person, 435. Soul that sins shall die, the diffi- 
 culties about those words and answers thereunto, 16. 436. 
 Whether God may spare a soul that sins, 436. Soul 
 sleeps not, 742. 
 
 Speed. It is required in God's service, 33. 
 
 Spicing, what, 573, 574. 
 
 Spirit, why called the hand of the Lord, 18, 19. It is au- 
 thor of all good done and received, 20. How said to 
 move or go, 40. The Spirit is the great agent in all, 41, 
 120. It works any where, and cannot be shut out of 
 any place, 120. How the spirit of the living creature is 
 s.iid to be in the wheels, 52. It moves all, 53. Consent 
 between angels and wheels is from the Spirit, ib. The 
 Spirit is living and lively, 54. What is meant by Spi- 
 rit, 72. Entrance, what, 16. 122. Chief Comforter, 122. 
 Whether it goes always with the word, 73. It affects 
 and visits the humble, 122. It is a comforting and en- 
 couraging Spirit, ib. 123. Spirit speaks in a man, 123. 
 The Spirit enables to discern, 74. Why the Spirit took 
 up the prophet, 101. Heals our infirmities, 1(J6. It 
 works invincibly, ib. New supplies needful, 193, 194. 
 It is called the hand of the Lord, and why, 195. The 
 agent by which Christ works, 16. Makes known the 
 sins of men, 196. Helps in studying, &c. 16. Directs 
 inferior motions, 239, 242. Is God, 246. The " Spirit 
 of the Lord fell upon me," what it notes, 249. Spirit 
 variously taken, 273. New spirits, how meant, ib. New 
 qualities included in this new spirit, ib. 274. New 
 qualities, why called a new spirit, 274. The promise of 
 a new spirit when fulfilled, ib. Whether wrought at
 
 85(J 
 
 A TABLE CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL THINGS 
 
 once, ib. This new spirit is a great mercy, ib. How 
 it acts where it is, 275. Acts in a new manner, and how 
 that is, ib. 276. New spirit the work of God, 276, 277. 
 Whether man's spirit can close with objects propounded 
 to it, 277. Whether it is in man's power to worli tliis 
 spirit in liimself, ib. Spirit shows things at a distance, 
 287. Men acted by the Spirit are fit to speak to the 
 people, ib. New spirit what, and what he doth, 715. 
 What attributes at work about it, 716. Dignity of it, 
 (6. And mistakes about it, 717, 718. Not from man's 
 power or will, but from grace, 719. Whether it be in us, 
 and how, 724, 725. What it doth in us, 725, 726. It 
 differs from other spirits, 727. It is freely put into us, 
 ib. A great gift, and wherein, 727, 728. Before had, 
 men are without life and motion, 728. It is the princi- 
 ple of spiritual life, 729. Not leave all to the Spirit, and 
 sit still, ib. It manifests itself, ib. Enables to perse- 
 vere, 730. .Makes ways of God delightful, ib. He that 
 hath it for both tables' duties, ib. 731. It leads into the 
 inner court, opens mysteries, shows glory, 792. 
 
 Stairs of the temple, what they hint to us, 778. 779. 
 
 Standing, of that posture, 70. What it imports, 212. 
 Standing in the gap, what it meaneth, 300. 301. Stand- 
 ing in battle, what, 301. 
 
 Slates. Their repentance is seldom sound, 385. They 
 think it no great matter to be like others in wickedness, 
 !6. 386. They may rise to a great height, 419. They 
 set up princes to their own ruin, 475. The glory of 
 states, in what, 606. What ruins states, 644, 647. What 
 upholds them in greatness, 652. What states resemble 
 the dead, 744. No state but God can raise out of it, 
 738, 744, 745. 
 
 Statutes of God the saints' way, 283. Statutes not good, 
 what not, and what, 503. Statutes of God kept afford 
 life, 672. Walking in them, what it notes, 726. Statutes 
 and judgments differenced, 726, 727. Only to be walk- 
 ed in, 730. 
 
 Sticks used by God to honourable purposes, 746. 
 
 Stones: of the sardius, 617. The topaz, i6. Diamond, 
 ib. Bervl, onvx, jasper, 618. Sapphire, emerald, car- 
 buncle, li. Of fire, 619. 
 
 Sturm, how it comes, 761. 
 
 Straits, in them men will seek to those they hated, 188. 
 In them men look for help from an arm of flesh, 481. 
 God's people not left in them, 496. Sinful evasion of 
 them brings into greater, 512. Means to be used in 
 I hem, 529. May be such as men dare not show sorrow, 
 583. 
 
 Stranger, how taken, 541. Sad to be amongst strangers, 
 634. Strangers might not come into the sanctuary, 802. 
 
 Strength, human, not to be confided in, 174. 
 
 Stubbornness. Men will not hear God. 99. 
 
 Slumblingblock, what meant by it, 117, 315. How God 
 lavs it, ib. Takes them out of the way of his people, 
 116. 
 
 Sudden judgments severe, 253. 
 
 Sufferings. God keeps account exactly of his people's 
 sufferings, 482. After sufferings comes mercy, 635. 
 
 Superstition. Men love to have of their own in worship, 
 156. That which is so steals away the heart, 160. 
 Provokes God, 196. Crosses set in high ways to pro- 
 mote superstition, ib. Men engaged therein grow worse, 
 200. Superstition stirs up God to fury, 207. Is pleasing, 
 285. Men will be at great cost to maintain it, 370. 
 Places, names, and ways, superstitious, once taken up, 
 not easily laid down, 507. 
 
 Suppositions, conditional, are of things impossible as well 
 as possible, 460. 
 
 Swearing. What God swears by, and the manner of his 
 swearing, 348, 349. He swears to help our unbelief, 351. 
 Why he swears, 386. Regards what he swears, 4'28. 
 
 Sword, what it doth, 150. What it notes, 53B, 632. 
 Furbishing of it, 536. Makes no difference, 653. 
 
 Si/ene. where, 633. 
 
 Si/mboliting, not to be with heathens or idolaters, 798, 
 mi 816, 817. 
 
 Si/mpathize. The godly sympathize with the misgries of 
 others, 225. How to be so affected, ib. 
 
 Si/rians, several sorts, 608. 
 
 Tabernacle, man's, God's, 561. 
 
 Table with dishes and guests, 769. \\'hat the tables in 
 the temple implied, 781. First and second tableman, 
 7.30, 731. 
 
 Tachash, what, 355. 
 
 Tale-bearers, 541. 
 
 Talents. God gives what talents he pleases, 437, 438. 
 We should be faithful in the use of them. 439. 
 
 Tammuz, 201, 202. 
 
 Tanis, two of that name, 646. 
 
 Tannin, what it signifies, 629. 
 
 Tarshish, what, 607. 
 
 Tehaphnehes, what city, and whence so named 647. 
 
 Tel-abib, what it signifies, 106. 
 
 Teman, and Temanites, 592, 593. 
 
 Temple, was a part of worship, I0.3. Consecrate, to what 
 end, 147. What defiled it, 148 Was God's and the 
 Jews' ornament, 178. The beauty of it, ib. True ma- 
 jesty and excellency of it, 179. The mystery of the 
 gates and doors about it, 195. The building of temples 
 east and west, whence it sprung, 204. Christ the Lord 
 of the temple, 234. There his glory app'^ars, ib. 235. 
 When Christ leaves the temple, nothing but judgment 
 remains, 235. The stateliness and honourable title given 
 it in Scripture, 365. Profaning of it, 582. Excellency, 
 ib. Desirable, ib. 584. Three parts of it, 782, 783. 
 The signification of the temple, 783, 784 All things 
 measured that are of it, 785. Materials of Christ's tem- 
 ple must be curious and carved work, 786. Filled with 
 glory, 792. God's mind is made known from thence, ib. 
 In the new temple shall be no posts of men, 794. God 
 will not leave it, but dwell there, ib. No going back in 
 it, 796. 
 
 Tcraphim, what, 528. 
 
 Terrible, what makes so, 55. 
 
 Terumah, 516. 
 
 Theft, what is so, 556. 
 
 Things, how taken in the Hebrew, 287. Things difficult, 
 impossible to men, not so to God, 714. Mean things 
 used by God to honourable purposes, 746. Typical, 
 cause inquiries, ib. Great things done not for man's 
 but God's sake, 773. 
 
 Thorns, wicked men are such, and wherein, 625, 626. 
 
 Thoughts of men are different from God's, 294. There are 
 such in the heart which are not of God, 509. 
 
 Threatenings not belie\'ed, 537. 
 
 Threats, a time of fulfilling them, 296. Length of time 
 does not null them, 294. 
 
 Thresholds, what, 794. 
 
 Throne, what it signifies, 59. Christ sate, not stood in it, 
 60. Christ's throne must be of sapphire, 61. What it 
 is, 231. The various acceptations, ib. The Lord hath 
 kingly power, and a double throne, ib. His throne the 
 chief ol^ thrones, ib. His throne glorious, himself much 
 more, ib. 
 
 Tidings, evil ones, what they do, 523, 524. After tidings 
 of mercy, come tidings of afl^ictions, 755. 
 
 Time, no good plea for sinners, 132. God looks not upon 
 it as we do, 164. In corrupt times great persons pro- 
 fane, 20.3. Even in reforming times, ib. In the worst 
 times God hath some faithful, 216. God hath times to 
 punish, 302. \^'hom God finds then in sin they cannot 
 stand, ib. Time of love, when, 345, 346. God observes 
 times to be gracious, 347. There are special limes of 
 God's manifesting his love to his people, and what times 
 those be, j6. Times of trouble times of discovery, 405. 
 Time of men's doing some things is specially noted, 482, 
 570. There are times of showing mercy to the afiflicted, 
 485. When God's time is come, nothing can hinder de- 
 liverance, 495. Holy times are such, not by man's, but 
 God's appointment, 497. They are upon weighty and 
 special occasions, ib. Times of war, not times of mirth, 
 .524 ; but of fears, 525. Times of pimishing nations, 
 537. Reckoning with sinners, 543, 548. Time to visit 
 heathens, 642. To take off heavy burdens, 648. Of 
 public calamiti.es to b« noted, 656. Times to mourn as
 
 IN THE PRECEDENT EXPOSITIONS. 
 
 e67. 
 
 w('ll as rejoice, 660. There are times to deal with ene- 
 mies of the church, but hid from us, 766. God observes 
 who are faithful, who false, in apostatizing times, 802. 
 When princes shall no more oppress, 806, 807; but 
 own Christ, and submit to him, 807. A time for the 
 Jews' coming in, 825. 
 
 Tin. 607. 
 
 Togarmah. who from him, 608. 
 
 Tongues, thorny, in what respect, 84. How the prophet's 
 clave to the roof of his mouth, 123. Power of it in God's 
 hand, ib. 
 
 Tophet, what, 371. 
 
 Trade, what is the spiritual man's, 730- 
 
 Traditiojis of fathers no warrant for worship, 20.*5. 
 
 Transgression, what. 670. 
 
 Transgressions^ casting tliem away, what it means, 467. 
 
 Treasure, 615. 
 
 Tree dropping water in a dry island, 50. 
 
 Trees. All sorts known to God, 331. Forest trees better 
 than orchard trees oft, ib. Great ones likened to trees, 
 431. Of the green tree and dry, ib. Low trees exalted, 
 433. What meant by green and dry trees, 321. Fir 
 tree, 602. Cedars, ib. 607. When great trees fall many 
 suffer with them. 654. By their destruction God quiets 
 nations. 659. For what use, 733. Saints likened unto 
 them, 819. 820. 
 
 Trembling, 599, 601, 624. 
 
 Tre.'ipassing, what it notes, 824. 
 
 Tribe. That of Judah was a high cedar, 430. Whether 
 the ten tribes did return and unite to the rest, 747, 748. 
 
 Trouble. Christ specially cares for his people in times of 
 trouble, 212. 
 
 Trumpets, of what use, 172. What made of, 664. 
 
 Trust. What we are apt to trust in, 368, 369. Apt to 
 trust in an arm of flesh, 636, 637. See Confidence. 
 
 Truth. All truth should be received, 100, lOI. Sweet 
 (o taste, bitter in operation, 103. It is not confined to 
 any sort of men, 189. Time noted when truths are given 
 out, 192. Truth loves the light, 201. Truth disaffective, 
 finds cold entertainment, 424. What to do truth, 450. 
 
 Tubal, wlio descended from him, 607. 
 
 Turning to God, considerations to put men upon it, 318. 
 How to know whether the soul be truly turned to God, 
 ib. Of turning, 467. 
 
 Types, tropes, not to be taken literally, 743. God author 
 of true types, 746. Typical things excite inquiries, ib. 
 
 Tyranny, it is hateful to heathens, 475. 
 
 Tyrants are lions, and wherein, 470, 471. Ends of tyrants, 
 472, 473. God hath times, means, ways, to catch them, 
 475. They continue not long, ib. They suffer severe- 
 ly, and where God appoints, 657. 
 
 Tyrus, ancient, strong, &c. 596. Insullive, ib. Tyrians 
 jovial, 598. A renowned city, 600. Her situation, 602. 
 By whom built, li. Her men skilful in sea affairs, 605. 
 Who was prince of it, 61'2. His pride, 613. 
 
 U 
 
 Unbelief, the causff of man's going from God, 201. Makes 
 prophets dumb, 596, 586. 
 
 Uncleanncis, what, 732. Saved from all, 733. 
 
 Unfaithfulness with God, makes him expose to contempt, 
 405. In the things of God provokes, 553. 
 
 Unfruitfulness deprives men of mercies and means, 480. 
 
 Ungrateful, those who have had much kindness from God, 
 prove so, 491, 49'2. 
 
 Unity, spoken of at large, 265—273. 
 
 Unmerciful. The evil of unmercifulness, 393 395. 
 
 Unthankfulness causeth upbraidings, 180. Unthankfulness 
 and uncharitableness not small in God's account, 689. 
 
 Unwonted things awaken, 38'2. Godly put upon them, 584. 
 
 Usury. Of the word neshech, 446. What it is, ib. Not 
 lawful, ib Whether we may lend to the rich upon usury, 
 ib. Profiting usury biting, no such distinction in Scrip- 
 ture, ib. No increase to be taken, ib. 447. Jews lend- 
 ing to strangers upon nse answered, 447. What rules 
 it is against, ib. Condemned by councils, 448. It it 
 abomination, 45'2. 
 
 Vails, and the use of them, ,356. 
 
 Valley of passengers, where, 767. Of Hamon-gog, ib. 
 
 Valour. Wherein true vulour lies, 174. 
 
 Vengeance, what, 593. It is ill to seek revenge, ib. 
 
 Victory. God gives great and incredible victories to his 
 church and people, 766. Procures names, 768. After 
 thi>m ought to be cleansing, 7C9. 
 
 Villages. Towns called daughters, 374, 375. 
 
 Vine. Wherein the Jews were likened to a vine, 329, 476. 
 
 Violence, 183. A spreading sin. 205. A crying sin, ib. 
 A leprosy, ib. A wasting sin, 292. Phrases about eat- 
 ing and drinking violence opened, 445. What shall be- 
 fall the violent man, ib. 
 
 Vision. What things are in a vision, 17. Visions have 
 excellency in them, 18. Effects of them, 68. Why 
 men fall upon their faces at visions, ib. Why the pro- 
 phet had a second apparition of God's glory, 121. A 
 vision in Babylon not so clear as a vision in Zion, 231. 
 God hath his time to make known visions, 240, 241. 
 The vision of the prophet real, 287. 'Visions soon expire, 
 ib. " Every vision faileth," that proverb opened, 293 
 Events discover visions, 296. God the best interpreter 
 of visions, 743. Why Ezekiel had the temple vision, 776. 
 
 Visits. Now nothing secures against God's visits, 643, 
 644, 647. Some are in mercy, some in judgment, 756. 
 \\ hen God begins to visit his enemies he goes on, 765. 
 
 Voice of Christ, how taken, 69. Christ's voice like what, 
 790, 791. 
 
 \V 
 
 Wail. Those who wait on God lose not by it, 193. God 
 waits to do good, 347. 
 
 Walking in God's statutes, what it imports, 282, 449. Set 
 out in Scripture by several expressions, 449. What it 
 implies. 7'26. The trade of a spiritual man, 730. 
 
 Wall of the temple, God's protection, 777. Substantial, 
 785. Christ the wall, 806. 
 
 Warning. We should take warning by others' sufferings, 
 563. 
 
 Wars, they are the Lord's, 523, 633, 634. His sword, 528. 
 They are matter of mourning, 3'25. Distinguisheth not 
 of persons, ib. Who makes them successful, 327. They 
 eat up, 605. They drive from all, 634. Lay all waste, 
 643. God the author of them, 650, 665. God disap- 
 points warriors, 765. 
 
 Wa.<(hiiig usual at deaths and births, 337, 338. Of wash- 
 ing, and washing away blood, 352. Those are the Lord's 
 whom he washes, 353. 
 
 Watchmen. Christ appoints watchmen in the church, 110. 
 They must be knowing, not sleepy, ib. .Must endure 
 hardship, ib. They are for the flock. 111. Who are 
 such, 6(55. What to do, ib. Suppose dangers, ib. They 
 must depend upon God for more, whatever they have, 
 ib. 666. They must forewarn the people, 666. Act in 
 God's name, ib. If unfaithful, their account will be 
 dreadful, ib. 667. Those that regard them not bring 
 certain ruin upon themselves, 667. It is necessary that 
 they deal faithfully, ib. Their warning secures, ih. 
 
 Water, the nature of it, 815, 816. 
 
 Waters, note poor, 418. The mercies of God, 477. What 
 they signify, 631. It notes the blood of Christ in three 
 things, 714. Of sanctuary, what, 815, 816. Spiritual 
 waters from Christ, 816. Choice mercies, 817. From 
 Christ as IVIediator, ib. Comfort in affliction, 818. Ob- 
 servable things in them, 819. 
 
 Waves. 596. 
 
 Ways, what, 164. Ways and works of all known unto 
 God, 191. Sinners shall have as their ways are, 883. 
 God observes all men's ways, 385. What ways note, 
 410. To whom former ways are matter of shame. 411. 
 God leads men in unwonted ways, 4.39. Equity of God's 
 ways, 462. Men are apt to charge God's ways, and how. 
 465. They are straight, whatever men's thoughts be of 
 them, ib. What requisite to walk in God's ways, 449. 
 Wicked ways, what, 520. Ways of God are without
 
 858 
 
 A TABLE CONTAINING THE PRINCIPAL THINGS 
 
 exception, 67-2, 673. Of godly straight, 812. Of men, 
 such as should cause shame and fear, ISA, 735. 
 
 Weak, to tie looked upon by the strong, 258. 
 
 Weakness. God stoops to human weakness, 486. 
 
 Wealth, the fuel of sin, 176. It wounds in the day of 
 wrath, ib. Whatever men ha%-e, it is of the Lord's 
 giving. 357. How tnen grow wealthy, 615. Puffs up, 
 ib. Oft gotten for others, 654. 
 
 Wean/. Godly may be weary in, but are not weary of, 
 God's work, 39, 40. What wearies God and man, 574. 
 
 Wheat of .Minnith, 608, 609. 
 
 Wheels. What is meant by lifting up the wheels, 51. 
 None can hinder the motion of the wheels, ib. God 
 puts stands to them at his pleasure, 52. They cannot 
 move otherwise than they do, 53. Motion of the wheels 
 never unseasonable, ib. Wheels move whither the Spi- 
 rit will have them, 54. Wheel, why the world likened 
 to it, 4-3. Secret motion in the wheel, 47. High, 
 dreadful, 48. 49. Jlotions of the wheels are judicious, 
 49, 50. V\ hat meant by them, 232, 286. Going in 
 between the wheels, what it notes, 232. Standing be- 
 side the wheels, what, 235. Wheels, what they note, 
 238. Described, explained, ib. Wheels alike in all 
 places, ib. A coherence in their motions, ib. 239. Con- 
 stant in their motions, 239. Move not of themselves, 
 242. Nor disorderly, or unseasonably, ib. 
 
 Whirlwind, Nebuchadnezzar compared to it in three 
 things, 22. 
 
 Whore, what is her work, .376. 
 
 Whoiedom. Of natural and spiritual whoredom, 366, 367. 
 Evil thereof, .367. It enfeebles the heart, 376. Spi- 
 ritual whoredom, what it is, 507. 
 
 Wicked, the worse for the word, 81. Without excuse, 
 having means, 82. Shall see what mercy they have re- 
 fused, ih. They are like thorns, and wherein, 84. Like 
 scorpions, 86. We must take heed of them, 87, 89. 
 Their acquaintance not to be sought, 88. What fruits 
 they bring, ib. Their loss not considerable, ib. 89. 
 Christ knows who are such, 1 13. There is hope of 
 those who are very wicked, ih. 114. They deal cruelly 
 with the prophets, 124. Lesser sins punished in the 
 wicked more severely than greater in the godly, 132. 
 Wicked men are worthless, 84, 138. God's people more 
 wicked than heathens, 142. Wicked men wise to pro- 
 mote superstition, 196. Consent in wickedness, 200. 
 In straits will cry to God, 207. Devise mischief, 2.37. 
 Consider not the evil day, ib. 257, 288. Oppose God, 
 248. Scoff at the word, ib. Saints may rejoice at the 
 ruin of the wicked, and in what respects, 253. Wicked 
 men very secure, 29.3. Entertain not threatenings, ib. 
 Mock at truths, 297. Fail of their hopes, 429. Let 
 them hide where they will, God will find them, and bring 
 them out to punishment, 511. Shall not always be 
 among the godly, 513, 514. What likened unto, 540, 
 541. Make no conscience of sin, 567. Active to draw 
 others, 569. Their end miserable, 616, 617. They are 
 thorns and briers, 625, 626. And inferences from thence, 
 626, 627. The Lord knows who are so, 666. They 
 are not exciis.d if the watchmen warn them not, 667. 
 Whatever, turned from, prejudiceth not, 672. Carpers at 
 God's ways, ib They may have the good pastures, 689. 
 They abuse them and wrong others, ib. Their expect- 
 ations fail, 702. Reproach God's people under judg- 
 ments, 710. By their own badness God doth his people 
 good, ib. Though spared long, yet shall suffer, 756. 
 They venture their lives to satisfy their lust, 758. Com- 
 bine to hurt the church, ib. 759. They are miry crea- 
 tures, 822. 
 
 Wickedness, the end of it woe, 374. It is a close and covert 
 thing, 404. It shall not always be hid, {6. Counsellors 
 to, and co-partners in, wickedness shall be punished, 4-30. 
 When they come to places of eminency they vent those 
 corruptions which lay hid, 472. Eminent wickedness 
 brings eminent judgments, 476. Wickedness incon- 
 stant, 564. It blasts princes' designs, 620. 
 
 Wife. 580. 
 
 Wilderness, two evils in it, 478. Those who live among 
 the ungodly live in a wilderness, 480. What it is, 495, 
 511. How God pleaded with the Jews there, 512. 
 
 Will. Man's will his ruin, 99. Cannot hinder the Spirit's 
 operation, 7.30. No motives of God's will, 825 
 
 Wills. To be delivered up to the wills and lusts of men 
 is sad, 375. 
 
 Wind. East wind, 423. The nature of it, 478. 
 
 Windoivs, what they signifv, 780. 
 
 Wine, 609. How forbidden, 803. 
 
 Wing. See Skirt. Long-winged. 417. 
 
 Wisdom, man's cross to Christ, 105. Wisdom of God seen 
 in bestowing his mercies, 604. It makes famous, 614. 
 Beauty, 616. True, wherein, 621. 
 
 Wise, to be intrusted with matters of importance, 606. 
 Wise slates, whom they are to employ, ib. 
 
 Wolves, their nature or qualities, 553, 554. 
 
 Woman. Adulterous and whorish woman, 378. Nation 
 understood by women. 381. Of the menstruous cloth, 
 443. Men should not come near them at such tiines, 
 ib. Woman, endearing considerations, 578. 
 
 Wool. 609. 
 
 Word, the power of it from the Spirit, 73. It is the cha- 
 riot of the Spirit, ih. Tew hear savingly, 80, It is that 
 ?rophels must feed on, 96. Word of God not in vain, 
 61. It is ill to slight it in prosperity, 188. Prized in 
 time of affliction, 192. Hath divers effects, 254. The 
 word the rule to walk by, 283. The word of the Lord 
 shall stand, 296, 297. They who will not hear it for 
 their consolation, shall hear it for their condemnation, 
 379. Of dropping the word, 521. Not in vain, ib. If 
 it prevail not, judgments will, 5'27. God's word shall 
 take place, whatever men think, 544. God's word shall 
 be performed, 737. When powerful, 741. 742. Seem- 
 ing contradictions in it, 764, 765. Shall be effected, 765. 
 Called a reed, and what it serves for, 777. Hath its 
 efficacy from Christ, 778. 
 
 Words. Sinful words of a spreading nature, 293. God 
 takes notice of ungodly speeches, ib. Words of the 
 wicked contrary (o God's, 294. 
 
 Work. We must do God's work without noise, notice of 
 ourselves, 37. Enemies further God's works, 51. God's 
 works and word suit, 127. God's work done by secret 
 means, 237. Those who do it should hide their hands, 
 ih. Man not able to judge of God's works, 238. Works 
 prove grace, 283. God will try all men's works, 309. 
 So much of God in some of his works, as that they con- 
 vince heathens, 736. 
 
 World. There are wheelings and turnings in all parts of 
 the world, 45. Uncertain, 46. Deceitful, i6. Theme- 
 lions of it are cross, 47. Things in it move to their ap- 
 pointed period, 48, 50. Motion and change of things in 
 the world are unknown, 49. The more separate from 
 the world, the more fit for God, 120, 121. Worldly 
 things little to be valued, 170, 171. All things therein 
 have dependency, 2-38. Whether all things alike in all 
 parts of the world, ib. In what sense alike, ib. God 
 governs it justly, 4.37. Men of it judge untowardly of 
 God and his people, 591. Wise for their own advan- 
 tages, 60-3. World's usage, 615. World mistakes and 
 miscalls the godly, 666. 
 
 Worship. Sins in worship are rebellion against Christ, 
 77. Defilement of worship brings severe and certain 
 judgments, 149. Nothing in it pleases God but his own, 
 157. That which is of man's in worship steals away the 
 heart, 160. God must appoint it, 179. Unspiritual 
 pleases not, 185. Worshipping of God is gainful, 193. 
 The mind must be intent to discern aright of worship, 
 197. Superstitious worship affects the eye, 198. Those 
 who have a nil to it may safely examine worship, ib. 
 Where pure worship is, there is God's presence, ib. 
 C'n; Tuptions in worship cause the Lord to depart, ib. 
 280. Mischief of it, ib. Men may have forms, and God 
 gone, ib. False worship a work of darkness, 201. Men 
 leaving true worship, fall upon any, 202. False worship 
 and filthinoss usually go together, ib. Jews worshipped 
 towards t!.e west, and why, 203. Sun worship, ib. 
 \\ hence it sprung, ib. Eastern worship, why pleaded 
 for, 204. Corruption in worship no; to be countenanced,. 
 213. God discountenances it, I'J. 286. False worship-' 
 pers hate the true, 256. Glad to be rid of them, ib. 257/ 
 False worship pleases, 285. What must not lead there,
 
 IN THE PRECEDENT EXPOSITIONS. 
 
 859 
 
 501. What must, A. Men are not content with the 
 worship God hath prescribed, 507. False worship costly, 
 508. Public worship, 517. False ways of worship, 
 whoredom, 561. Right worship, God's tabernacle, i5. 
 His worship must be pure, 564. Carriage in it observed, 
 567, 568. False worship advantages not, but de61es, 
 749. In matters of it God should have good measure, 
 784. Nothing warrants human things in worship, 796. 
 Not worship eastward. 798. Priests might not act of 
 their own head in it, 804. Worship of God to be pro- 
 moted in the first place, 806. Prince to be present at, 
 and to continue to the end, 813. To do more than or- 
 dinary, ib. 
 
 Worst, God useth to holy ends, 185. 
 
 Wrath. Apprehensions of divine wrath dispirits men, 172, 
 173. God's wrath is gradual, 188. 
 
 Y 
 
 Year, when the Jews begun theirs, 481. 
 
 Yokes, what they are, 647, 694 Upon God's people, 695. 
 
 God hath times to break them off, ib. 
 Youth. What is practised in youth will be affected inage, 56'2 
 
 Zacar, what kind of remembrance it notes, 733. 
 
 Zadok, what kind of man, 799. High priest, how he came 
 to it, ib. The first in Solomon's temple, 80-2. He and 
 his successors constant in ill times, ib. 
 
 Zeal. Good to be forward for God, 15. Angels zealous 
 in executing judgments, 41. Christ zealous in punish, 
 ing, 63. Zi>al, what, 151. What it notes in God, ib. 
 God will justify his zealous servants, 151, 152. The 
 more zealous in some actions, the worse, 372. 
 
 Zedekiah. his burdens, 290. What it signifies, 418. 
 title, 531. 
 
 Zidon. a great city, and by whom built, 604, 624. 
 
 Zion, in it God is specially to be worshipped, 517. 
 enemies would rise by her ruin, 702. When 
 shall have kindness, 703. All is noted that is thought 
 or said against Zion, 704. It is against God, ib. When 
 she goes down Babylon rejoices, 708. Gospel and grace 
 from thence, 816. 
 
 Zimmah, Hebrew, what it signifies, 541. 
 
 Zoan, an ancient and royal city, 6-S6. 
 
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