A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Volume 3 · Appendix · Chapter 10
Ezra CHAP. X.
THIS Chapter relateth the Remedy unto that Miſerable Malady for which Ezra moſt moaningly mourned before the Lord in Prayer all the foregoing Chapter, and that by a through effectual Reformation of mint Marriages; wherein 1. Antecedents, 2. Concomitants, are conſiderable.
Remarks firſt upon the Antecedents; Of which the Firſt is; The Excellent Example of Holy Ezra, had a moſt Efficacious Influence both upon Princes, Prieſts and People, ver. 1. where 'tis ſaid, that Ezra, beſide his begging Pardon and deprecating Divine diſpleaſure, he Wept alſo, &c. which is not mentioned among the other effects of his deep Humiliation, Chap. 9.3. nor of his caſting himſelf down before the Houſe of God; but 'tis certain he did now Weep, poſſibly his Sorrow at firſt might be above Tears, which afterward guſhed forth in abundance: Curae leves loquuntur, ingentes ſtupent; The Greatneſs of his Grief might ſo ſtupifie him at the firſt, that his Eyes were too narrow for his Heart, tho' his Mouth was not altogether ſo: But now Expletur lacrymis egeriturque dolor, his ſad Heart found a vent at his Eyes, wherewith it was ecaſed: And his Weeping was publick before the Houſe of God, where all might behold him that their Eyes might affect their Hearts, to contribute their Tears of Compunction alſo for the filling up of God…s Bottle, Pſal. 56.8. as they had done their Sins of Provocation for the filling up of God's Bagg, Job 14.17. at Ezra's Example.
N. B. 1. Ezra being a Prieſt, might have gone into the Holy Place and there have Pray'd, &c. but he doth it in the Outer Court, (before that of the Prieſts) as a publick Pattern to the People.
2. Ezra here Prayeth, &c. becauſe God had promis'd to hear Prayers made to him in his Temple, 1 Kings 9.3. and 2 Chron. 7.12, &c. the Houſe of God was the place of God's manifeſting his Preſence.
3. Ezra here Bewails not his own, but the Peoples Sins, whoſe Perſons and Sins he taketh upon himſelf a publick Perſon, that therein (ſaith A Lapide) he might become a Type of Chriſt.
4. A Great Aſſembly (attracted thither by a right Noble Loadſtone, their great and gracious Lord Ezra) wept with a great weeping alſo, and made the Place another Bochim, obſerving that Rule of the Apoſtle [Weep with them that Weep,] Rom. 12.15. They wept with weeping Ezra, &c.
5. Sanctius obſerves well here, How unſpeakable is the Good that is got by the Godly Example of ſuch an High Prince and Holy Prieſt as Ezra was, and ſo much Evil is learn'd by Evil Examples.
6. Here were Anaſhim Venaſhim, &c. Heb. Men, Women and Children weeping, &c. All theſe the Law of God commanded to meet together at their Solemn Meetings, Deut. 31.12. and 29.11. Neh. 8.3. All Sexes and Sizes could not waſh their hands in Innocency, as Pſal. 26 6. therefore they all waſhed them in Tears, being polluted with Sin.
Remark the Second; Shechaniah's Oration to Ezra, ver. 2, 3, 4, 5.
Mark 1. Wolphius well obſerves, tho' Shechaniah ſays [we have Treſpaſſed] ver. 2. yet was he not one of the Treſpaſſers, for his Name is not in the following Catalogue, ver. 26. but he ſaith [We] in the Name of the People and their ſeveral Families, and his own among the reſt.
Mark 2. Tho' his Father Jehiel and five of his Father's Brethren, Sons of his Grandfather Elam were all Treſpaſſers, ver. 18.26, &c. yet this Pious Man durſt thus couragiouſly and freely diſcharge his Duty, evidencing thereby that he zealouſly Honoured God more, than his neareſt and deareſt Relations, &c.
Mark 3. He Counſels that they ſhould fall immediately upon Action and make amends for their Errour; and then in caſe of their Repentance and Reformation (ſaith Piſcator) we need not deſpair of God's Mercy: He obſerv'd that old and good Rule [Ora, Labora] 'twas not enough for them to Pray, but they muſt join Practice with their Prayers, as the Philoſopher ſaid to the Carter who had overturn'd his Cart, and only call'd for Minerva to help him, [Stulte, admotâ manu Invocanda eſt Minerva] Thou Fool, lay on Hands to lift up thy Cart, as well as Pray, &c.
Mark 4. He Counſels the Congregation to Covenant with God, that all the ſtrange Wives ſhould be in due time put away, ver. 3. tho' they could not at that juncture accompliſh it; yet he adviſeth they would bind themſelves by a Solemn Vow with all convenient ſpeed to perform it, ſaith Wolphius, knowing that this would be a means to fix the ſickleneſs of their falſe Hearts. N. B. As God covenants Mercy on his part, ſo we Duty on our part: If the Oath of God be upon us, we cannot dare to ſlip Collar ſo eaſily; but Conſcience is commanded to cleave cloſe to God with full purpoſe of Heart in every part and point of Obedience, Deut. 10.20. and 30.20.
Mark 5. Tho' this Pious Perſon had ſpoke with all Humble Submiſſion of Acting according to the Counſel of my Lord, as he call'd Ezra, ver. 3. having an Eye to his due Dignity and Authority, yet in ver. 4. hehold how boldly he beſpeaks him, even as Jehovah did unto Joſhua, [Riſe up and Act, why lieſt thou on the Ground?] Joſh. 7.10. for there Ezra lay then (ſaith Vatablus) ſtill weeping, but Shechaniah rouzeth him up, ſaying, (ſaith Wolphius) thy Weeping without Acting will avail nothing, &c.
Mark 6. Nor doth Shechaniah ſawcily thruſt himſelf into Ezra's Office, (ſaith Wolphius) but ſubmiſſively ſaith to him [Gnalekah Hadebbar] Unto thee this matter belongeth, becauſe thou haſt both Dexterity to manage the Matter, and Authority both from the God of Heaven and from the King of Perſia, to carry on a Right Reformation.
Mark 7. He bravely encourages Ezra to put his hand to the Work; and he promiſes in the Name of the People as well as in his own, that they all would aſſiſt him and ſtrengthen his hands in God, as Jonathan did David's in the Wood, 1 Sam. 23.16. This was piouſly and prudently done, ſaith Wolphius.
Remark the Third; The Effect of Shechaniah's Oration, ver. 5. Then aroſe Ezra according to the Counſel of Shechaniah. Oh how forcible are right and well-placed words unto an upright and well-prepared Heart! Job 6.25. Ezra preſently Acts in making not only Princes and Prieſts to Swear in the Name of the Lord, (ſaith Grotius) but alſo all the People too, leſt the Mobile (ſaith Wolphius) ſhould ſlip Collar as ſoon as gone, which they could not ſo well do, when once Cajol'd into the Cords and Chains of a Solemn Covenant with God. N. B. foreign (Greek for an Oath) is quaſi foreign, an Hedge to Hedge in our unruly Spirits; and never did the Sacrifice under the Law (when it was an untamed Heifer) ſtand in more need to be faſt bound with Cords to the Horns of the Atar, Pſal. 118.27. than thoſe looſe and ſlippery hearts of ours do need to be confined within the compaſs of due Obedience with that Sacred Cord of oft renewing our Covenant with our God: Every Sacrament is a new Obligation to pay the old Debt of Obedience, &c.
Remark the Fourth; Ezra after this Solemn Swearing procures a private Convention or Conſiſtory in the Chamber of Johanan, (convenient for their Convening there) ver. 6. tho' he was ſtill Faſting and faint, yet no Food could go down with him, until he had gone through-ſtitch with his Work, and ſome effectual Order taken for Redreſſing that great and grievous Sin. Hereupon this Holy Conclave or Council-Chamber (when the Sanhedrim was preſent, and Ezra ſat Preſident) do Conſider, Conſult and give Counſel what courſe muſt be taken; then they Decreed in this private Council, that a General Aſſembly, a Publick Convention ſhould immediately be called together by Proclamation to meet at Jeruſalem, ver. 7. and the Penalty againſt Aweleſs and Lawleſs Perſons that refuſe to come (within three Days) they were to forfeit their whole Eſtates, and to be caſt out of the Church, ver. 8. This ſhort ſpace with ſuch ſeverity was purpoſely ſet down by this Secret Senate (ſaith Wolphius) that the Guilty might make no ſhifts for their Abſence, but be brought ſpeedily to Anſwer in that General Aſſembly, and that Reformation might by no means be any longer retarded.
Remark the Fifth; The Parliament Meets, and a vaſt Multitude attends, ver. 9. not daring either to out ſtay their three Days time, becauſe their Eſtates were at Stake, or to be at too far a diſtance out of the reach of a Call, and therefore they ſtood in the open Street near the Temple; the ſight whereof made them Tremble together with the ſenſe of their Sins inwardly (ſaith Maſius) and the ſmart of the great Rain and Cold outwardly, while they ſtood out of Doors. N. B. Then why is there not the like care taken, and the like ſpeed uſed to make peace with God, who commands us? [Agree with thine Adverſary quickly while thou art in thy way of Health and Strength] Matth. 5.25. ſeeing, for ought we know, 'tis now, if ever, now or never, 2 Cor. 6.2. to Day hear his Voice or not at all, &c. Hebr. 3.7. Is it nothing to loſe an Immortal Soul? They here do haſten, leſt they ſhould loſe only their Temporal Eſtates; and ſhall we ſtand trifling from Day to Day, crying, to morrow will he ſoon enough; and while we fondly future our Repentance until it be all too late, and the ſeaſon of Grace gone, ſo we fool away our own Salvation, not learning to be wiſer than the fooliſh Virgins, Matth. 25.10, 11.
The Second Part is the Concomitants of this Divorce, &c.
Remark the Firſt; Ezra's Oration to the Multitude, [Ye have tranſgreſſed in taking ſtrange Wives, &c. ver. 10. Adding this Sin to all your other Sins, which heaps them up to Heaven, as Chap. 9.6. and ſo calls for fierce Fire (as well as this furious Water of Rain) from Heaven upon you, Pſal. 11.6. Therefore confeſs, ver. 11. and forſake too, then ſhall ye find mercy, Prov. 28.13. Ye have pleaſed your ſelves, now do ye pleaſe God.
Remark the Second; The Multitude underſtanding the Equity of Ezra's Exhortation, promiſeth Obedience with a loud voice, ver. 12. only they begged time for it, becauſe 1. The Tranſgreſſors were too many to be diſpatched in one Day; and 2. Much leſs on ſuch a Rainy Day, ver. 13. and they were afraid to ſtand any longer out of Doors that Day, becauſe (ſaith Wolphius) this was an Extraordinary Rain, more like Spouts than Showers falling on them, and therefore Indications of God's Indignation. Their Fear was much augmented by their Guilt, and therefore they deſire the Settling of the Sanhedrim, who might take time to determine all dubious Caſes, ver. 14. and ſo diſmiſs them for that Rainy Day.
Remark the Third; Ezra, as the King's Lord Commiſſioner, grants the Peoples Petition; the Sanhedrim is Settled [Ledarioſh] Hebr. to Examine and Execute all Matters, &c. ver. 15.16. where Dr. Lightfoot noteth, That the word [Darioſh] may hint that the Meeting about this Matter might be in the ſeventh Year of Aataxerxes Darius, the ſame Year that Ezra came to Jeruſalem: And this Work proved ſo weighty, that it was not the Work of one or two Days, as ver. 13. but of full three Months, ver. 17. tho' the Sanhedrim ſequeſter'd themſelves from all other Affairs, and ſet wholly to this, (ſaith Maſius.) The Work laſted the longer, becauſe there were ſo few Innocent Perſons to employ in managing this matter among the People, only Jonathan and Jahaziah among the Prieſts (that were not guilty) Meſhullam, Chap. 8.16. and Shabbethai the Levite Aſſiſtants to the two Prieſts, theſe four pious and prudent Men had their hands full from our December to our March.
Remark the Fourth; Who they were that upon Conviction Covenanted, by giving their Hands to aſſure the aſſent of their Hearts, as 2 Kin. 10.15. that they would put away their Wives which ſtill retain'd Pagan Opinions: The 1ſt. were Eccleſiaſticks, named ver. 18, to 25. this was a contagious Sin (ſaith A Lapide) that had corrupted ſo many Prieſts and Levites, yea even the Sons of good Jehoſhua, who had help'd Zerubbabel to Build the Temple, Chap. 3.2. N. B. To ſhew, That Grace is by Gift and not by Entail, &c. And the 2d. were Laicks, numbred from ver. 25, to the end: Ver. 44. concludes the Account, ſaying, That ſome only of the Pagan Wives had Children that were all put away, ver. 3. yet this implies, the moſt of them were Barren, which came to paſs (ſaith Vatablus) by a ſpecial Providence of God, who blaſted ſuch Matches, and who would not have Ezra, &c. over match'd with too long and tedious Trials as muſt have been, ſeeing All the Children were judg'd with the Wives.