Exposition of Ezekiel 14-19, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 18 · Verses 19-20
VERS. 19, 20.
Yet ſay yee, why? doth not the ſonne beare the iniquity of the ſather? when the ſonne hath done that is lawfull & right, and hath kept all my ſtatutes, & hath done them, he ſhall ſurely live.
The ſoule that ſinneth, it ſhall dye: the ſonne ſhall not beare the iniquity of the father, neither ſhall the father bear the iniquity of the ſonne; the righteouſneſs of the righteous ſhall be upon him, and the wickedneſſe of the wicked ſhall be upon him, &c.
HEre begins the Jews replication, and Gods further vindication of himſelfe from what they accus'd him of, which extends to the end of the 24. verſ.
The replication is in theſe words; why? doth not the ſonne beare the iniquity of the father? Why doſt thou deny it? bring arguments againſt it? attempt to perſwade us otherwiſe? have we not experience of it in our ſelves? do not we beare the iniquity of our fathers? The Heb. word for why is foreign which is us'd when we deſire to know the reaſon or cauſe of a thing, as Gen. 26.27. Whereupon, or WHY come yee to mee, ſeeing you hate me, ſaid Iſaac to Abimilech and his men, let me know the cauſe of your comming: ſo here they would have a reaſon, know the cauſe why the Lord ſpake ſo, and juſtified his proceedings with men and government in the world, that he wrong'd none, but rendred to all according to their ways and works. It's otherwiſe, we find and feel the contrary; the iniquity of our fore-fathers is upon us their children, and therefore we wonder how either thy ſelfe or Ezekiel, who pretends to be thy Prophet, can aſſert ſuch things; either that is not true which is ſaid, or our condition is worſe then others; if thou dealeſt juſtly with others, yet unjuſtly with us, we ſuffer for the …nnes of our Parents.
Beare the iniquity.
Iniquity here is put for the puniſhment due unto it, and ſo it's frequently uſed in Scripture, Gen. 19.15. Leſt thou be conſumed in the iniquity of the City; that is, in the puniſhment which iniquity hath brought upon it. So Pſal. 40.12: 31.11. Exod. 28.43. Numb. 14.34: 18.23. Iſa. 53.11. Ezek. 44.10. Bearing of iniquity in theſe places is put for bearing of puniſhment by a metonimie of the efficient.
To this reply and charge God anſwers,
1. In generall, in the reſt of this 19. verſ. and in the 20. If a ſonne doe that is lawfull and right, if hee keepe my ſtatutes he ſhall live, he ſhall not ſuffer (as you reproachfully and blaſphemouſly object againſt me) for the ſins of his father, no, the ſoule that ſinnes ſhall dye. If the father ſin he ſhall dye, if the ſon ſin he ſhall dye, if neither of them ſin, neither ſhall dye. He is righteous, his righteouſneſſe ſhal be upon him; hee is wicked, his wickedneſſe ſhal be upon him.
2. More particularly in the 21, 22, 23, and 24, verſes.
There is nothing more to be opened in the 19. verſ. Of doing that is lawfull and right, of keeping ſtatutes, and living hath been ſpoken.
Verſ. 20. The ſoule that ſins ſhall dye.
Of theſe words you heard largely out of the 4. verſ. By ſoule is meant perſon; by dying ſuffring of puniſhment, putting to death: ſo the words to dye doe ſignifie, Deut. 17.12: 18.20: 24.7: 2 Sam. 12.5. 1 Sam. 14.39. The ſenſe of the words then is this; that perſon who commits ſinnes worthy of death ſhal dye for them, and not another.
The ſonne ſhall not beare the iniquity of the Father.
If he perſiſt not in his fathers ſteps he ſhall not ſuffer for his fathers ſins, that were againſt the law. Deut. 24.16. The fathers ſhall not be put to death for the children, neither ſhall the children be put to death for the fathers, every man ſhall be put to death for his own ſin. Amaziah remembred this law, & kept it, 2 Chr. 25.4. When he ſlew the fathers, he ſlew not the children for the fathers ſin. It was otherwiſe, when Joſhuah put Achan's ſons to death for Achan's ſins, Joſh. 7.24. And when David delivered Saul's ſon's to be put to death by the Gibeonites for the ſin of their father, 1 Sam. 21.9. The law then tyes not God, hee hath a prerogative above his own laws given out to us, they doe and muſt tye us, and without ſpecial warrant, hint, & inſtinct, we may not do contrary unto them; both Joſhuah and David had ſpeciall direction for what they did, or elſe it was evident to them that they approved and juſtified their fathers facts, and ſo became guilty of the ſame, and ſuffered according to law.
The righteouſneſſe of the righteous ſhall be upon him.
Look what the righteous hath done, accordingly ſhall he have; as iniquity before did note puniſhment, ſo righteouſneſſe here notes reward, he ſhall have the fruit of his righteous acts. Iſa. 48.18. Thy righteouſneſſe had been as the waves of the Sea: That is, the fruit or reward of thy righteouſneſſe had been great, and comming in daily: ſo the word righteouſneſſe is to be taken, Gen. 30.33. Jam. 3.18. Gal. 5.5.
Some from theſe words, and thoſe in the 19. verſ. Hath kept all my ſtatutes, and done them, he ſhall ſurely live; do conclude that a man may keep the law, and ſo by his own righteouſneſſe attain unto, if not merit life eternall.
But where is that man that ever yet did keep the law exactly, ſince Adam's fall there is none: If Adam in innocency could not do it, how ſhall we think men ſubject to ſin and many infirmities can do it. Eccleſ. 7.20. There is not a juſt man upon earth that doth good, and ſins not. Solomon had obſerved men, and the beſt of men, the moſt juſt ſin'd and brake the law: Jam. 3.2. In many things we offend all. 1 Joh. 3.8. Paul durſt not ſtick to his legall righteouſneſſe, Phil. 3.9. hee knew it was impoſſible for himſelfe or any other to keep the law. Rom. 8.3. What the law could not doe in that it was weak through the fleſh, God, &c. Gal. 3.21. If there had been a law which could have given life, verily righteouſneſſe ſhould have beene by the law. The law was weak and unprofitable, it made nothing perfect. Hebr. 7.18, 19. The law neither juſtifies nor ſanctifies, it neither quickens nor comforts. If men think by legall righteouſneſſe to attain life eternall, they wil fall ſhort of it as the Jews did, Rom. 9.31, 32:10.3, 4. They think to earn eternall life, but that is not earned, it's given, Rom. 6.23. Epheſ. 2.8, 9. The juſt live by faith, and look for eternall life, not by Moſes, but by Chriſt, Tit. 3.5, 6, 7.
Obſer. 1.
Erroneous and corrupt opinions being entertained, are not eaſily got out of the heads and hearts of men; theſe Jewes had drunk in an hard opinion of God, that hee dealt unjuſtly with them, puniſhing them for their fathers ſinnes; the Lord by many arguments and inſtances clears up the juſtice and equity of his proceedings with the ſons of men, that hee puniſht none without juſt cauſe, and that it is for their own ſin when he doth it; hee ſpends 18. verſes to convince them of the falſhood and evill of their tenet, to remove it out of them; but they, notwithſtanding all this, hold their opinion faſt, and diſpute it with God: Yet ſay yee, why? doth not the ſonne beare the iniquity of the father? We are of this mind and judgement, and ſo ſhall continue for ought thou haſt ſaid. Errors quickly root deep, take ſtrong hold, and cannot eaſily be pul'd up.
The Phariſees held corrupt opinions about workings, Matth. 15.2. diſpencing with childrens obedience to parents, Mar. 7.11. about ſwearing, Matth. 23.16.18. faſting and tithing, Luk. 18.12. They held many corrupt opinions touching the law, as in Matth. 5. appears, and could Chriſt prevaile with them to get thoſe opinions out of them? hee brought the cleareſt light that ever was, yet they loved their owne darkneſſe more then his light; yea they gate him out of the world, before he could get theſe errours out of them.
The Sadduces denyed the Reſurrection, Matth. 22.23. And notwithſtanding Chriſt took pains to convince them, and ſpake to the aſtoniſhment of others, verſ. 33. yet their opinion abode with them, and they were of that minde after Chriſt was gone to glory, even in Paul's dayes, Acts 23.8. Hymenaeus, Alexander, Philetus, had rather be delivered up to Satan, then deliver up their corrupt and damnable opinion, of ſaying the reſurrection is paſt already, 2 Tim. 2.18. with 1 Tim. 1.20. The Apoſtles had taken up an opinion that Chriſt would be great in the world, and advance them, from which opinion Chriſt had oft been beating them off, yet it abode with them till his aſcenſion, Acts 1.6. There were thoſe in the Church of Pergamos who held corrupt doctrines, and the Angel of it could not get them out, Rev. 2.14, 15. Take heed therefore what opinions you receive. If in John's time there was need to try the ſpirits, becauſe many falſe Prophets were gone out into the world, 1 John 4.1. much more had men now need to try the ſpirits, becauſe the world is full of falſe Prophets and falſe ſpirits; and men are grown ſo artificiall to deceive, that if it were poſſible the very Elect ſhould be deceived, and that finally. Let the Apoſtles counſell take place, 1 Theſ. 5.21. Prove all things: Take nothing upon truſt for the learning, holineſs, worth of, or reſpect you have to any man; but prove all by the word, ſee it have a ſound bottoming there, and then it's good; hold it faſt, then it will do you good, let it not goe.
2. That what puniſhments ſoever befall men, they have no juſt cauſe to complain of God, though it be puniſhment unto death; for he hath ſaid, the ſoule that ſinnes ſhall dye, not another for it, not it for anothers ſins; if it were ſo, there were juſt cauſe of complaint; if the ſon ſhould dye for the father, or the father for the child, this were injuſtice, therefore the Lord ſaith here, The ſonne ſhall not beare the iniquity of the father, neither ſhall the father beare the iniquity of the ſon, &c. God is moſt juſt, and cannot doe an act of injuſtice to any man; and if it be juſt what he doth, why ſhould man mutter, think, or ſpeak hardly of God, Lam. 3.39. Wherefore ſaith Jerem. doth a living man complain, a man for the puniſhment of his ſins? who wrongs him? doth God? he hath wrong'd God, and God doth but right himſelfe: If a man ſtrike a Lion, and the Lyon bite him, hath he cauſe to complain of the Lyon or his own folly in ſtriking the Lyon. Prov. 19.3. The fooliſhneſſe of man perverteth his way, and his heart fretteth againſt the Lord: But what cauſe hath he to fret againſt God, correcting and puniſhing him for his folly? men ſhould accept of the puniſhment of their iniquity, as it's Levit. 26.41. rather then complain, when it's their own fault that they ſuffer; yea men have cauſe to be thankful to God that he doth puniſh them leſſe then their iniquities deſerve.
3. Then God hath authority over ſouls to ſet them what lawes he pleaſe, and preſcribe what puniſhments he thinks good; the ſoule that ſinnes ſhall dye: be perſons great or ſmall, honourable or baſe, wiſe or fooliſh, the Lord is above them, hath command over them, hath ſet them their bounds; which if they tranſgreſſe, they ſhall ſuffer according as his wiſdome ſhall appoint. Have States that power to give lawes to the people, and ſet what puniſhment they judge fit for the breach of them, as confiſcation of eſtate, impriſonment, mutilation, wracking, preſſing, decollation? and ſhal not God much more? verſ. 4. he ſaith, All ſoules are mine, the ſoule that ſins ſhall dye. I have given them all laws, and ordained puniſhments for the breach of thoſe laws.
4. No mans ſin ſhall goe unpuniſh'd, men ſhall not ſinne, and goe away without ſuffering for it: the ſoule that ſins ſhall dye, either a metaphoricall death, it ſhall meet with grievous afflictions or a violent death, be cut off by ſome ſtroak of God, or an eternall death, which is worſt of all. Prov. 11.21. Though hand joyne in hand, the wicked ſhall not be unpuniſhed. What ever they think or attempt, God will meet with them whoever they be. Job 9.4. Who hath hardned himſelfe againſt him, and hath proſpered? Did ever any man ſin and enjoy peace, offend God, and have his bleſſing? No, God hath made men know it's a ſadde and dreadful thing to ſin againſt him. Adam ſin'd, and God viſited him for it; his poſterities ſinne, and they ſmart for it. In vain do men flatter themſelves that they may ſin, & not ſuffer, they may do wickedly & eſcape: It cannot be, God who is truth hath ſaid it, the ſoule that ſins ſhall dye. God may defer the ſtroak, but without repen…ance it muſt come. Rom. 2.9. Tribulation and anguiſh ſhall be upon every ſoule of man that doth evill, of the Jew firſt, and alſo of the Gentile. The wickedneſſe of the wicked ſhall be upon him.
5. Righteous men ſhall not looſe the fruit of their righteous doings. The righteouſneſſe of the righteous ſhall be upon him. Pſal. 97.11. Light is ſown for the righteous. And Pſalm. 58.11. Verily there is a reward for the righteous. Prov. 11.18. The wicked worketh a deceitfull work, but to him that ſoweth righteouſneſſe ſhall be a ſure reward. Iſa. 48.18. O that thou hadſt hearkned to my commandements, then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteouſneſſe as the waves of the ſea.