The Resurrection Revealed, Book 3 · Chapter 2 · Section 33 – Section 33
SECT. XXXIII.
§. 1 THe ſecond place in Ezekiel is Chapter 34. v. 11, &c. to the end of the Chapter. Verſe 11. Thus ſaith the Lord, I will ſearth my ſheep, and ſeek them out, v. 12 illuſtrated by a compariſon from a ſhepherd ſeeking his ſcattered ſheep. v. 13. God wil bring ISRAEL (for that is the name uſed all along this Chapter) from the Countries where they are ſcattered, to their own land, to feed them on the mountaines of ISRAEL. v. 14 It is amplified, that upon the Mountains of Iſrael ſhall be their FOULD. v. 15. It is further illuſtrated in proſecution of the ſame Allegory; I wil ſeek that which was loſt, and bring again that which was driven away, and bind up that which was broken, and ſtrengthen that which was ſick; And I wil deſtroy the fat, and the ſtrong, and feed them with judgement; i.e. as it is in verſe 17. The wicked Rams, and Heegoats: And why? becauſe verſe 18. they eat up the good paſture, and tread down the reſt, and drink of the deep waters, and puddle the reſt. And verſe 19. ſaith the Lord, My flock eat that which ye have trodden with your feet: and drinke that which you have fouled with your feet. Therefore thus ſaith the Lord, verſe 20, 21, 22. I wil judge, between the fat and the lean, becauſe ye have thruſt with ſide and ſhoulder, and puſhed all the diſeaſed with your horns, till you have ſcattered them abroad, therefore will I ſave my flock, and they ſhall be NO MORE A PREY. In the 23. and 24. is ſet down the manner and means of that ſaving them, viz. And I will ſet up ONE ſhepherd over them, and HE ſhall feed them, even my ſervant DAVID, he ſhall feed them. And I the Lord will be their God, and my ſervant David a PRINCE*Heb.foreign among them, or as the Chalde renders it**Chalde foreign. a KING. In verſe 25, 26, 27, 28, 29. is held forth the manifeſtation, or confirmation, and the meaſure of this deliverance. And I will make with them a COVENANT of peace, and I will cauſe the EVILL BEASTS TO CEASE out of the land. And they ſhall dwell SAFELY in the WILDERNESSE, and ſleep in the Woods. And I wil make them, and the places round about my Hill, a bleſsing, &c. And the trees of the field ſhall yeeld her fruit, &c. And they ſhall be SAFE in the land, and they ſhal know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoak &c. And they ſhall be No MORE a PREY to the heathen, &c. But they ſhall dwell ſafely, and NONE ſhal make them AFRAID. And I wil raiſe up for them a PLANT of renown, and they ſhal be no more conſumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the ſhame of the Heathen ANY MORE.
§. 2 Now that yee ſee ſo plainly before your eyes the height, depth, length, and breadth of theſe Propheſies, that they are to Iſrael without limitation, over whom Chriſt the Sonne of David muſt bee Prince or King, and their happineſſe here propheſied muſt bee on earth in their own land, with bleſsings ſutable thereunto, yet not without God in Covenant with them, and they muſt be delivered from all ſorts of evill for ever; What need I multiply words to the intelligent Reader to prompt him that theſe were never yet fulfilled. Let him but read diſtinctly the places afore quoted, and keep thoſe things together which the Prophet hath laid together, and withall remember what the ſtate of the Jews and Iſraelites hath been ever ſince both their captivities down to this day, as we have before often and largely ſet forth, and then his own reaſon will convince him, that neither theſe things have yet been fulfilled, nor can they finde room to be fulfilled at the ultimate day of judgement, and that therefore the truth of God ſtill lyes ingaged to perform them afore that day.
SECT. XXXIII.
THe third place in Ezekiel is Chapter 36. the whole Chapter, eſpecially verſe 9. &c. to 37.*So long ſince at leaſt as afore Jeroms time, this Chapter alſo hath been alleadged for the glorious ſtate of the Church in the time of the thouſand yeers, not onelyonly by the Jewes, but by the learned Chriſtians; ſo Jerome confeſſeth in theſe words, Haec illi (Judaei) expectant in mille annorum Regno, quando civitatem Hieruſalem aſſerunt extruendam, & Templum quod in fine hujus voluminis leſcribitur, & rerum omnium faelicitatem, &c. Quod & multi noſtrorum, & praeti…ue TERTULLIANI iber, qui inſcribitur de ſpe fidelium; & LACTANTII Inſtitutionum volumen ſeptimum pollicetur, & VICTORINI PICTAVIONENSIS Epiſcopi, Crebrae expoſitiones. Et nuper SEVERUS noſter in Dialogo, cui Tallo nomen impoſuit. Et ut GRAECOS nominem, & primum, extremumque conjungam, IRENAEUS & APOLLINARIUS. Sic Hieron. in hoc caput Ezech.
§. 1 A word likewiſe to this place will be ſufficient. Obſerve firſt, That this Propheſie is in part concerning Iſrael. Not concerning Judah only, containing the two Tribes, but concerning the ten Tribes alſo, called Iſrael; the Prophet repeating it in this chapter, from v. 1. to 24. at leaſt ten times.
Secondly, Obſerve the univerſality of the mercy, in all things, v. 9. to 16.
§. 3 Next obſerve the great dimenſions of their deliverance, in that promiſe in the 24 verſe, I will take you from among the Heathen, and gather you out of ALL COUNTRIES, and will bring you into your OWN LAND. This their reverſion from all captivities, and diſperſing.
§. 4 Then note the ſpiritualizing of them in this their happy condition on earth v. 25, 26, 27. Then will I ſprinkle cleane water upon you, and yee ſhall be cleane from ALL YOUR FILTHINESSE. A new HEART alſo will I give you, and put my Spirit within you, and cauſe you to walke in my Statutes; where you have their converſion from their ſinnes. The reſt of the chapter contains amplifications of thoſe two.
§. 5 Now looke upon this place of Scripture, and withall upon the condition of the Jewes, Judah and Iſrael ever ſince this propheſie unto this day; and then tell me if you can, when theſe things were ever fulfilled.