Exposition of Ezekiel 30-48, Title page – Author to the reader
THE EXPOSITION CONTINUED UPON The Nineteen laſt Chapters of the PROPHET EZEKIEL, WITH Many uſeful OBSERVATIONS thereupon, DELIVERED In ſeveral LECTURES in London:
By WILLIAM GREENHIL.
Prov. 23.26. Buy the truth and ſell it not.
Veritas eſt animae Pabulum. Lact.
Sponſa intellectus. Mirand.
Cujus aures veritati ſunt clauſae & ab amico verum audire nequeat, hujus ſalus deſperanda eſt. Cicer. de Amiciti.
LONDON, Printed for …homas Parkhurſt, at the three Crowns in Cheapſide overagainſt the great Conduit. 1662.
TO THE Chriſtian Reader. AND Eſpecially to thoſe, who helped on and countenanced THE EXPOSITORIE-WOORK.
THis is the fift and laſt part upon Ezekiel; which was finiſhed in the latter end of the year 1654. and hath been latent full ſeven years, like Joſiah in the Temple: but now through the inſtigation of learned and godly Miniſters, ſome others, and conſiderations of mine own cometh to publick view. Ezekiel propheſied unto the Jews, who were then the only people God had in the world, and honoured with ſingular Titles, Sons of the living God (a)Hoſ. 1.10his firſt born (b)Exod. 4.22.his inheritance (c)Iſa. 19.29.his peculiar Treaſure (d)Pſ. 134 ….his pleaſant Portion (e)Jer. 12.10.a noble Vine (f)Jer. 2.21.the holy flock (g)Ezek. 36 38.a choſen generation hIſa 41.11.9. 1 Pet. 2 8the Lords glory iPſ. 78.61.the dearly beloved of his Soul kIer. 12.7.& indued with great Priviledges lRom. 9 45.yet were they not exempted from afflictive and ſevere ſufferings; they were a Reproach to the Heathen, a mocking to all Countries, and much vexed mEzek. 22.15.The Peſtilence, Sword and Famine conſumed them, ſo that the pitiful women did eat their own children nLam 4.10.and pluckt off their own breaſts oEzek. 23.3….the Prieſts and Elders gave up the ghoſt, while they ſought for meat, to releive their ſouls pLam. 1.19.thoſe brought up in Scarlet imbraced dunghils qLam. 4.5.the women were raviſhed in Sion, the maids in the Cities of Judah, and Princes were hanged up by their hands rLam. 5.11.12.they could not walk ſafely in the Streets ſLam. 4.18.their necks were under perſecution tLam. 5.5.Lyons Tiglathpileſer, and Shalmaneſer, took away the ten Tribes, and Nebuchadnezzer broke the bones of Judah and Benjamin uIer. 50.17.He burnt the Temple and Citie, he ruined Church and State, and carried the Jews into Captivity, where they ſuffered unſpeakable miſerie. The Prophet tels us, that their puniſhment was greater then the Sodomites.wLam. 4 6. That which chiefly provoked God to deal thus ſeverely with them, as Ezekiel, and others teſtifie, was their leaving his pure worſhip, Ordinances and Inſtitutions, falling to falſe wayes of worſhip and compliance with the Nations. They had the Image of Jealouſie, xEzek. 8.3.the Altar of Damaſcus, y2 King. 16.the Statutes of Omri, zMic. 6.16.High places a2 Chron. 20.33.Traditions and Statutes of their Fathers bEzek. 20.18. Ier. 9.14.cuſtomes of the Nations, they ſet their poſts with Gods poſts; worſhiped with their faces toward the Eaſt:cEzek. 8.16. they would be as the Heathens and walk after their own Imaginations eIer. 18 12.whereas they ſhould have walked in Gods Laws & StatutesfEzek. 20.19. when therefore the houſe of Iſrael degenerated into droſs, dEzek. 20.32.God gathered them into the Furnace, & poured out his fury upon them:gEzek. 22.19.20.21.22. Apoſtatizing from the pure worſhip of God, to the ſuperſtitious Rites and Ceremonies of men, provokes bitterly; It is a Reproach to God, his Worſhip, Truth and Ordinances, it is a violaon of former promiſes, it is high Ingratitude and Rebellion againſt God, it is a great ſcandal to all the godly, eſpecially the weak, it encourages, juſtifies and hardens the wicked, it ruines ſouls, gratifies Satan, it expoſeth men to viſible, and unavoidable judgements. When the Jews purpoſed to leave the Lords Tents, and fall to Babyloniſh Temples, Ezek. 20.22.23.Then did he ſwear, that he would rule over them with Furie. This ſhould caution us to keep diſtance from inward approbation of,foreign appellatione, omnia ea intelliguntur quae homines: cole… do, aut repreſentando numini ſolent comminiſci, Bez. vid. Leigh in Verbo and outward compliance with, either Jewiſh Ceremonies, or Romiſh Rites; The firſt are abrogated by the Lord: and it may be Jericho work to raiſe them up again; The other are the Mark of the Beaſt, and its not ſafe to bear that Mark, Rev. 14.9, 16.2, God is a jealous God, and would not have his to Symbolize with Idolatrous: or ſuperſtitious practices; He forbad his people to take, or deſire in their hearts the ſilver and gold was upon Idols; foreignthey might not touch with their hearts or hands, any thing belonged to them, they might not do as other Nations, Deut. 7.25.nor enquire after their gods, Levit. 18.2.and mode of worſhip, Deut. 12.30. In Treatiſe of Ido…tr. chap. 11. §. 1.They might not be like the Nations in Apparrel and Hair, ſaith Maymonie, much more not in the ſervice, and Worſhip of God; we ſhould not be as other Nations, but keep Gods Ordinances, and walk therein.Levit. 18. Symbolizing with Idolatrous worſhip, perſons or things,Iſ…. 52.11. God allows not. In Babylon they might not touch any unclean thing, and ſhall we in Sion, where all is to be pure according to the mind of the Holy one of Sion? This made that great Apoſtle Paul ſay,2 Cor. 6 17. touch not the unclean thing (whatſoever is from man in the worſhip of God hath aliquid faecis & terrae, like the man whence it comes and is an unclean thing) & if non-touching do cauſe Suffering, caſting out, or off, God wil receive, be a Father & recompenſe ſufferings. God would not have his touch or countenance any corruption in worſhip. When the Damaſcene Altar was in the Temple,…ings 16.14. Ezek. 9.2. and Gods Altar removed out of its place, our Saviour and thoſe with him did not appear at that Altar, leſt they ſhould ſeem to countenance it, but at the Braſon Altar, though deſerted and deſpiſed. As Chriſt will own nothing but what is appointed of the Lord; ſo thoſe are with him will not own the ſuſuperſtitious appointments of men, but cleave to the Inſtitutions of God, though out of place, and deſpiſed; The Papiſts ſay of the Proteſtants, that in matters of Religion, in praying, reading their books, hearing their Sermons, Rehmiſt. on epiſt of Iohn v. 10,preſence at their ſervice, partaking of their Sacraments, and all other communicating with them in ſpiritual things, is a great, damnable ſin. If they hold it ſo ſinfull, to communicate with us in the Inſtitutions of Chriſt, ſhall we Symbolize with them in the Superſtitions of Antichriſt. Fidel bus fas … eſt u…o…ym…o oſtendere, ſibi cumſu…e ſtitio…s eſſe con ſenſum, in Pſ. 16.Judicious Calvin ſaith it is unlawful for Beleevers, to manifeſt by any Rite, that they Symbolize with ſuperſtitious ones. Mr. Paget tels us, that Temples wherein Idols, and Idolatrous Service are ſtill retained, and dayly practiced; cannot lawfully be frequented, nor walked in,In his arrow againſt ſeparat. pag. 319. becauſe of of the wo, incurred by reaſon of ſcandal, Mat. 18.7. Marcus Biſhop of Arethuſa, having pul'd down an Idolatrous Temple, at the command of Conſtantine, and being put upon it by Julian, The…dor. l. 3. c…p. 6. juxta ….either to build it up again, or pay for building of it; he denied both, a ſmall ſumme was demanded, his anſwer was, it is as great wickedneſs to give a half-penny towards ſuch a work, as to give the whole; he ſuffered great tortures, rather then he would contribute foreign one half-penny to promote Idolatry, Arrow againſt ſeperat pag. 253.and the forenamed Paget holds it to be the dutie of a Chriſtian man rather to die then give any thing, for the furtherance of Idolatry, though it were but a half-penny.De cerona militis. Tertullian defends and commends the Chriſtian Souldiers that would not wear a Crown of Laurel, like the Heathens: and Rhenanus in his argument before that Booke of Tertul. ſaith curandum fuit Chriſtianis ne profanis, Ethnicorum ritibus ſubſcribere viderentur; Mor. ſame quam Idol…thritist eſci Auguſt. de …ono conjug…l. c. 16.It concerned the Chriſtians to take heed of complying with their Rites. Another of the Fathers ſaith it were better to be ſtarved to death than to eat things offered to Idols: Thoſe take part in the ceremonies of Idolaters offer to Devils, and joyn themſelves to the ſervice of Idols, 1 Cor. 10.
Reader, it is dangerous to Symbolize with the Superſtitions Rites and inventions of men. Do not Judaize, do not Gentilize, do not Romanize but ſee you Chriſtianize. Nothing in Worſhip pleaſeth God but what is his own; what man brings is ſpurious, pollutes his Ordinances, and fruſtrates his commands, Math. 15.6. That comes from God, is ſet up by him, carries to him, is pure, and approved of by him. Falſe Worſhip, and mixtures with the pure Ordinances of God, are as ſmoak to his eyes, Vineger to his teeth,Ezek. 8.6. an abomination to his ſpirit, and when they come into his Sanctuary, he goeth out of it and far from it. God had choſen Sion to dwell in, Pſal. 132.13.14. Ezek. 9.3.11.23.There was the glory, but when the people grew prophane, the Princes, and Prieſts corrupted his worſhip, then the Glorious Lord, and Glory of the Lord, left them. Gods Worſhip is his Name; and that is ſo dear unto him, that he will not endure any humane mixtures therewith, but ſhew vehement Indignation againſt them,Hoſ. 4.15. Ier 23.16. Per miniſteriſterium verbale, ſaith. Boderianus foreign id eſt foreign Leigh in critica. ſacr. ſervice of the word id. in Rom. 12.1. if foreign be the milke of the word foreign it the ſervice of the Word. and had rather mens ſouls and bodies ſhould periſh, then his Name be polluted; go ye ſerve every man his Idols, but pollute ye my holy Name no more, &c. Ezek. 20.39.
Keep off therefore from falſe Worſhip, and mixtures of men; you are not to come there, you are not to hear thoſe teach ſuch things, but to decline them as Serpents in the way, and as poyſon in your meats, you are to feed on nothing, but the ſincere milk of the Word, and to Worſhip God only with * Word-ſervice Rom. 12.1. Such as is appointed and ordered by the Word, not contrarie to, or beſides it. The jealouſie of the Lord about matters of his worſhip appeared eminently in Ezekiels Temple (which repreſented the Church under the Goſpel) where nothing was to be of the Prieſts deviſing; but the Rule was, they ſhall keep my Laws and my Statutes in all my Aſſemblies, and they ſhall hallow my Sabbaths, Ezek. 44.24. The Aſſembiles are the Lords, in them muſt be, not mens, but his Lawes, and Statutes, otherwiſe his Aſſemblies are robbed, and wronged, his Sabbaths polluted, and profaned. Some ſay Imperium ſequitur Eccleſia; the falſe Church may, but the True Church, ſequitur Chriſtum, It follows Chriſt; His ſheep hear his voice, and not Strangers. They ſay Chriſt we know, and Paul we know, but who are you? They will not comply with falſe wayes, and mixtures, but ſtand for pure worſhip, and pure Ordinances,Vt cael…m t…rrae m ſcer… contingu, merito tat…m plu…s eſſe nobis debet ſinc…rus Dei cultas & ſac…o ſancta e…us veritas, in quo nobis repo…ta eſt … …u▪ quam ce… tam …undi. C…lv. Epiſt. Com. in Tot. Col. 2 …. ſaying Let heaven and earth be confounded, yet the ſincere worſhip of God, and his holy Truth in which eternal life is laid up for us, deſervedly ought to be, and ſhall be more dear unto us then an hundred worlds. Happie be the ſouls are ſo reſolved, they will buy the Truth what ever it coſt them, and it will be no Symonie; they ſhall find in Gods pure wayes where nothing of man is, Gods gracious preſence, large diſcoveries of himſelf, transformation into his Image, intimate communion with him, ſenſation of his goodneſs ſtrong conſolations, and increaſments with the increaſes of God, which will make all loſſes and ſufferings, and fit men for the New heavens, new earth, wherein ſhall dwell righteouſneſs, which the Lord haſten, and for which let us beleevingly, and patiently wait, giving diligence that we may be found of him in peace, without ſpot, and blameleſs.
Reader, if thou haſt found any benefit by the four former parts uppon Ezekiel, or ſhalt gain any by this, give God all the Glory, who hath led me through the difficulties and depths of this Prophet, and vouchſafe him an intereſt in thy prayers, who hath ſpent his ſtrength for thee, and be at ſome pains to read what he hath taken much, and long paines to write. The faithful God, who makes good his promiſes, put his ſpirit into thee, and cauſe thee to walk in his Statutes, to keep his Judgements, and do them. So prayeth.
He that affactoinately deſireth the ſpiritual, and eternall good of ſouls. W. G. The 1th. of the 3d. Month. 1662.