Exposition of Ezekiel 14-19, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 18 · Verses 21-23
VERS. 21, 22, 23.
But if the wicked will turne from all his ſinnes that hee hath committed, and keepe all my ſtatutes, and doe that which is lawfull and right, he ſhall ſurely live, he ſhall not dye.
All his tranſgreſſions that he hath committed, they ſhall not bee mentioned unto him, in his righteouſneſſe that hee hath done, he ſhall live.
Have I any pleaſure at all that the wicked ſhould dye ſaith the Lord God? and not that he ſhould turne from his wayes and live?
IN theſe verſes and the next, you have a more full and particular anſwer of the Lords to the unjuſt replication of the Jewes, and charge laid upon him in the 19. verſ. why? doth not the ſonne beare the iniquity of the father? No ſaith God, hee that doth right he ſhall live, and he that ſins he ſhall dye. There's the generall anſwer, and here comes the particular.
1. Concerning a wicked man, in the 21, 22, 23, verſes.
2. Concerning a righteous man in the 24. verſ.
Concerning the wicked man, here are two things required, and two things promiſed; the things required are,
1. Turning from all his ſins.
2. Keeping all Gods ſtatutes.
The things promiſed are,
1. Life.
2. Non-mentioning of his ſins.
If the wicked will turn from his evill ways, repent him of what he hath done, and walk in the ways of God for the future, he is ſo far from ſuffering or dying for his fathes ſin, that he ſhall not ſuffer or dye for his own; he ſhall live, and his ſin not once be mentioned unto him: I am ſo far from puniſhing him for anothers ſin, that upon repentance I puniſh not a man for his own.
If the wicked will turn from.
The Vulg. is, ſi egerit paenitentiam, if he ſhall repent: the Heb. is, foreign from foreign and notes turning from ill, and turning to God, which is repentance: ſo it's uſed, Ezek. 14.6. Repent, the word is foreign turn yee, or repent; in repentance there is turning: The French is, ſi le meſchant ſe repent; if the wicked repent.
This turning from evill is ſet out by ſundry expreſſions: Iſaiah calls it waſhing, making clean, putting away the evill of mens doings, ceaſing to doe evill, Chap. 1.16. Solomon ſtiles it confeſſing and forſaking of ſinne, Pro. 28.13. David tearms it departing from evill, Pſal. 34.14. Peter, eſchewing of evill, 1 Pet. 3.11. Daniels phraſe is, breaking off from ſinne, Ch. 4.27. and Chriſts is, ſinne no more, Joh. 5.14.
Theſe words, if the wicked will turn from all his ſins, ſeeme to import power and freedome in man to repent and turne himſelfe: This difficulty was ſpoken unto Ezek. 14.6. upon thoſe words, repent and turn your ſelves. Men may uſe means, but thoſe means will not produce repentance and turning without God: the Jewes uſed meanes, Jer. 7.10. yet could not turn themſelves, Chap. 13.23. Naturall inſtruments have power to work of themſelves, there is vertue in them to bring forth ſuch and ſuch effects; but morall inſtruments of which ſort the word is, do not work ſo. The word is,In praecepto cognoſce quid debeas habere; in correptione cognoſce tuo te vitio non habere in oratione cognoſce unde pojſis habere. Auguſt. mighty through God, 2 Cor. 10.4, 5. Nothing is done towards the converſion of a ſinner; therefore repentance is the gift and work of God, Acts 11.18: 5.31. 2 Tim. 2.25. Yet when we are call'd upon to repent, to turn, there is ſomewhat to be conſidered, in Gods commands know what you ought to have, in his reproofs conſider it's through your own fault you have it not, in prayer ſee where and whence you have it.
Verſ. 22. They ſhall not be mentioned unto him.
Heb. foreign non memorabuntur, they ſhall not be remembred, in ejus damnum, ſaith Vatab. adverſus eum, ſaith Junius, contra eum, Calvin. His ſins ſhall not prejudice him, he ſhall not ſuffer or be puniſhed for them: To remember ſin according to the Scripture ſenſe is to puniſh. Pſal. 137.7. Remember O Lord the children of Edom in the day of Jeruſalem, who ſaid race it, race it; that is, puniſh them; in the like ſenſe you have it, Hoſ. 8.13. Now will hee remember their iniquity, & viſit their ſins: ſo Ch. 9.9. and not to remember, is to paſſe by, forget, & not to puniſh. Iſa. 64.9. Pſ. 25.7. Remember not the ſins of my youth; let them not move thee to puniſh or be avenged on me for them; as men when they remember injuries, ſeek to be avenged on thoſe have done them.
In his righteouſneſſe that he hath done he ſhall live.
His righteouſneſſe ſhall preſerve him from metaphoricall and violent death. The Papiſts from theſe words pretend that a man is juſtified before God; propter juſticiam ſuam, for his own righteouſneſſe; but we know the Scripture runs otherwiſe, Gal. 2.16. A man is not juſtified by the works of the law. And all our righteouſneſſe is as a menſtruous cloath, Iſa. 64.6. ſee Rom. 3.24.28. 1 Cor. 4.9. Rom. 5.19. 2 Cor. 5.21. Which places ſhew that wee are juſtified not by our own workes, our owne righteouſneſſe, but by the righteouſneſſe of another. Beſides, it's not ſaid here, for his righteouſneſſe, but in his righteouſneſſe. Good works do not precede juſtification, and ſo merit it; but follow the perſon juſtified, and declare his juſtification, they are the path-way to life and glory.
Again, could a man forſake all ſins, keepe all Gods ſtatutes, yet could he not hereby be juſtified before God, becauſe there muſt ſatisfaction be made to the law, and to God for thoſe ſins now left, and that is not in mans power, Mic. 6.7. Pſal. 49.7.
Verſ. 23. Have I any pleaſure at all that the wicked ſhould dye.
Heb. is, foreign the radicall word ſignifies to have pleaſure in, to affect, delight, to deſire and will; therefore ſome render it, doe I deſire or will the death of a ſinner?
Nunquid volendo volam. Montan. foreign. Sept. Nunquid voluntatis meae eſt. Vulg. An ullo pacto delector Jun. Piſcat. Pol.Others, have I pleaſure, or any pleaſure? you charge mee to puniſh the children for the fathers ſins, & think I take pleaſure in the death of ſinners, but I neither do the one nor the other, I puniſh not you for your fathers ſins, but for your own: and when I do puniſh you for your own, I had rather you ſhould repent and live, then be cut off for them.
This ſeems contradictory to what is written, Prov. 1.26. I will laugh at your calamity, I will mocke when your feare commeth. And Ezek. 5.13. Thus ſhall mine anger be accompliſhed, and I will cauſe my fury to reſt upon them, and I will be comforted. If God have no pleaſure in the death of ſinners, how can theſe Texts be verified? To cleare this difficulty, know that it's not abſolutely to be taken, that God hath no pleaſure in the death of the wicked, unleſs you mean it of the wicked who doe repent; but reſpectively, thus, if they could turn from their wicked wayes, and keep his ſtatutes, hee ſhould have more pleaſure in this, then in their death; but when they doe not repent, he hath pleaſure in their puniſhment, and death, as its an act of juſtice, and work of God, for God hath pleaſure in all his works, the deſtruction, and ruine of Babylon is cald his pleaſure. Iſa. 48.14. He will doe his pleaſure on Babylon, and his Arme ſhall be on the Chaldeans.
Some referre this to the antecedent will of God, and ſay ſo, He hath no pleaſure in the death of a ſinner. He wills it not, delights not in it,Si hoc intelliga; de paena culpae vult eam, divina ita exigente juſtitia, ſed non directe nec per ſe ſed iniquitate noſtra ſuppoſita. Pintus in Locum. Voluntas dei conſequens ſemper impletur antecedent autem non ſemper Id. Deus antecedenter vult omnes homines ſalvari, ſed conſequenter vuldt quoſſam damnari ſecundum exigentiam ſuae juſtitiae. Neque tamen id quod antecedemer volumus, ſimpliciter volumus ſed ſécundum quid. Thomas Parte. ja. q. 19. Art. 6. but in regard of his conſequent will he doth.
Obſer. 1.
Repentance is a turning, and a turning from ſin; Verſ. 30. Repent and turne. Act. 3.19. Chap. 26.20. repenting, and turning to God, are put together. Sin turnes men from God, Jer. 32.33. They have turned unto me the back, and not the face. Repentance is a turning of them againe unto God, it turnes them from their ſinfull and wicked wayes, 2 Chron. 7.14. Jer. 26.3. from all ſin, and ſinfull wayes, not ſome few, if the wicked will turne from all his ſins; ſo Verſ. 30. Turne from all your tranſgreſſions; it turnes men from their ſecret ſins, Pſal. 19.12. Iſa. 55.7. If a man turnes not from all, he turnes from none in truth, becauſe that is the ſame reaſon why a man ſhould turne from all, as well as one; viz. the will and Command of God. This turning muſt be with the whole heart, and therefore its from all ſin. Deut. 30.10. Joel 2.12.
2. Its not enough to turne from all ſin, but we muſt turne to all good. If the wicked will turne from all his ſins that he hath committed, and keepe all my Statutes, and doe, &c. Negative righteouſneſſe is no righteouſneſſe, negative holineſſe is inſufficient holineſſe, 2 Kings 17.13. We muſt turne from the Commands of ſin, Satan, and the World, unto the Commands of God. We muſt turne from Worldlineſſe, unto Heavenly mindedneſſe, from pride unto humility; from cenſuring, to loving. It ſuffices not that the Tree bears no ill fruit, but it muſt bring forth good fruit, elſe it's a barren Tree, and muſt downe. The Queſtion will be hereafter, What good have you done? 1 Tim. 5.10, If ſhe have dilligently followed every good worke. David fulfilled all the wills of God, Pſal. 119.6. he had reſpect unto all his Commandements, and Chriſtians muſt obſerve all things Chriſt hath commanded, Mat. 28.20.
3. The way to live comfortably, and proſperouſly is to be godly, He turnes from all his ſins, and keeps all my Statutes, and doth that is lawfull and right, he ſhall ſurely live. He ſhall live in living, others are dead in living, they have no comfort in their lives. Pro. 4.4. Keepe my Commandements, and live, Iſa. 55.3. Amos 5.4.6. Pſal. 34.12.14. It is mans ſin which maketh times evil. 2 Tim. 3.1, 2.
4. Note, that to penitent, obedient ſinners, mercy is promiſed, All his tranſgreſſions that he hath committed ſhall not be mentioned unto him. Thoſe that turne from their wicked wayes unto the Lord ſhall find mercy with him, their ſins ſhall be forgiven; let the ſins be what they will for nature, never ſo many for number, they ſhall all be blotted out, and not be mentioned. Mat. 12.31. Iſa. 55.7. Jer. 31.12. It was made good in the Prodigall. Remiſſion of ſins is promiſed to repentance. Acts 3.19. when a ſinner hath once repented, God will mention his ſins no more, and why ſhould we remember or mention them?
5. If the ſins of the penitent ſhall not be mentioned, then there is no purgatory to puniſh them for the ſame hereafter. How is it true that God remembreth not, mentioneth not the ſins of his Friends, of penitent, if he puniſh them ſo ſharply in Purgatory.
6. God hath no delight in the death of ſinners, if they ſuffer and periſh, it is of, and from themſelves. Have I any pleaſure at all that the wicked ſhould die? Verſ. 31. Why will ye dye O Houſe of Iſrael? I like it not that men will ruine themſelves, I had rather they would conſider their wayes, turne their Feet into my teſtimonies, and live. Hoſ. 13.9. O Iſrael thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelfe, but in me is thy helpe. Deſtruction is of man, Salvation is of the Lord.