Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Ezekiel · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
Ver. 1. HE cryed alſo] God, to whom vengeance belongeth, calleth aloud and with a courage, as we ſay) to the Executioners of his wrath, to come and fall on.
Praefecti urbis.Cauſe them that have charge over the City] i. e. The Angels here called the viſitations or viſiters of Jeruſalem, the prefects of the City.
Every man with his deſtroying weapon] Called ver. 2. a maule, or battle-ax, telum diſſipatorium,
Ver. 2. And behold ſix men came] Ad hunc Dei clamorem vel clangorem the Angels came, the Chaldees came, at the call of this Lord of Hoaſts, who hath all creatures at his beck and check.
By the way of the higher gate] Called alſo the New gate, Jer. 26.10. built by Jotham, 2 Chron. 27.3.
Toward the North] Where ſtood the idol of jealouſy, and whereby Nebuchadnezzar entred: Per quod quis peccat, per idem punitur & ipſe.
One man among them] This was a created Angel ſay ſome, chap. 10.2. Chriſt, the Angel of the Covenant, ſay others, with more likelyhood of truth.
Clothed with linnen] As High-Prieſt of his people, and withal, an offering for them, and that without ſpot, Heb. 7.
And a writers inkhorn by his ſide] An enſign of his Prophetical office, ſay ſome: as his linnen cloathing was of his Prieſtly; and of his Kingly, that he was Among or in the midſt of the ſix ſlaughter-men, as their Captain and Commander.
They went in and ſtood beſide the brazen altar] Where they might receive further inſtructions from God. So in the Revelation, thoſe Angels that were to pour out the vials of divine vengeance, are ſaid to come out of the Temple.
Ver. 3. And the glory of the God of Iſrael] i. e. The Son of God appearing upon the glorious Charret, 1.3. & 3.23. and being the brightneſſe of his Fathers glory, the expreſſe image of his perſon, Heb. 1.3.
Was gone up from the Cherub] i. e. From thoſe four Cherubines, upon which the glory of the Lord did then appear to the Prophet, chap. 8.4. He was gone from his Ark, to ſhew that the refractary Jews were now diſcovenanted: and from his Mercy-ſeat, to ſhew that he would ſhew them no more mercy. Many removes God maketh in this and the two following Chapters, to ſhew his lothneſſe utterly to remove. And ſtill, as he goeth out, ſome judgement cometh in. Here he removeth from the Cherubims in the Oracle to the threſhold: and upon that remove ſee what followeth, ver. 5, 6, 7. So for the reſt, ſee chap. 10.1, 2. chap. 10.19. & 11.8, 9, 10. chap. 11.23. and when God was quite gone from the City, then followed the fatal calamity in the ruine thereof. But that he went away by degrees, and not ſoon and at once, was an argument of his very great love and long-ſuffering. He left them ſtep by ſtep as it were, and plaid Loth to depart: but that there was no remedy. Tyed he is not to any place, as theſe fond Jews thought he was to their viſible Temple, which now he is about therefore to abandon, and to make their very Sanctuary a ſlaughter-houſe.
Ver. 4. And the Lord] That great Induperator.
Goe through the midſt] Diſcriminate, make a difference, take out the precious from the vile. God will ſever his Saints from others in common calamities, and deliver them, if not from the common deſtruction, yet from the common diſtraction.
And ſet a mark upon the foreheads] Vulg. Et ſigna Thau. Whatever this mark was, it was ſignum ſalutare. The letter Tau ſome think it was, as part of the word Tichieh, i. e. Thou ſhalt live; according to that, The juſt ſhall live by his faith: or as part of the word Torah, i. e. The Law to ſhew that theſe had the Law of God written in their hearts, and this made them mourn to ſee it ſo little ſet by. Howſoever, it is not the ſign of the croſſe as Papiſts would have it: but rather the blood of the croſſe, wherewith when believers are ſprinkled from an evil conſcience (as the houſes of the Iſraelites in Goſhen were with the blood of the Paſchal-lamb) they are ſure of ſafety here, and ſalvation hereafter. The Election of God is ſure, and hath this ſeal, The Lord knoweth who are his, 2 Tim. 2.19. and it ſhall appear by them, Pſal. 91. Tau is the baſis of the Hebrew Alphabet, ſaith One, and marking by Chriſt is the baſis of all true comfort, and ſound profeſſion. Tau endeth and cloſeth up the Alphabet, ſaith another: ſo he who perſevereth to the end, ſhall be ſaved. The mark here mentioned was not corporal but ſpiritual, even the Merit and Spirit of Chriſt, the Value and Virtue of his death and ſufferings.
Of the men that ſigh and cry] That ſigh deeply, and cry out bitterly for their own and other mens ſinnes and miſeries; and this out of Piety and Pitty. Theſe are not many, yet ſome ſuch are found in all ages, Rev. 11.3. Inter vepres roſa naſcitur, & inter feras nonnullae miteſcunt. Ammian.Le us mourn in time of ſinning: ſo ſhall we be marked in times of puniſhing.
Ver. 5. Goe ye ofter him] Goe not till he hath marked the Mourners: ſo chary and choiſe is God of his jewels. Mercy is his firſt-born, ſaith One, and viſites the Saints, ere Judgements break out, Iſa. 26.20, 21.
Ver. 6. Slay utterly old and young] A dreadful commiſſion: ſee it fully executed, 2 Chron. 36.17. all ſorts, ſexes and ſizes of people were corrupted;Immedicabile vulnus Enſe recidendum. and ſith there was no hope of curing, there muſt be cutting.
But come not near any upon whom is the mark] Theſe were the precious ſons of Zion, the excellent ones of the earth (as whatſoever is ſealed is excellent in its kind, Iſa. 28.25. hordeum ſignatum) theſe are the darlings, the favourites; handle them gently therefore for my ſake, touch not mine anointed, come not near any ſuch to fright them, but keep your diſtance.
And begin at my Sanctuary] From whence went forth prophaneſſe into the whole land, Jer. 23.15. Theſe Sanctuary-men were an ill generation, at them therefore begins the Judgement. God will be ſanctified in all that draw near unto him. Nadab and Abihu found the flames of jealouſy hotteſt about the Altar. Ʋzza and the Bethſhemites felt that juſtice as well as mercy is moſt active about the Ark. Murtherers muſt be drawn from the Altar to the ſlaughter, Exod. 21.14. Holy places were wont to be refuges: not ſo here, but the contrary.
Then they began at the Ancient men] At thoſe ſeventy Seniours, chap. 8.11. whoſe foul offences had flown far upon the two wings of evil example and ſcandal.
Ver. 7. Defile the houſe] Once hallowed by my ſelf, but now abhorred and rejected as a ſtews or ſty of filthineſs.
Fill the courts] That where they have ſinned, there they may ſuffer, as did Ahab, 1 King. 22.38. 2 King. 9.26.
Ver. 8. And I was left] And, as I was apt to think alone, Rom. 11.3.
I fell upon my face and cryed] This is the guiſe of the gracious in evil times; as may be ſeen in Moſes, Jeremy, Paul, Athanaſius, Ambroſe, &c.
Ah Lord God] Adonai Jehovi, (not Jehova, as elſewhere uſually) ſo the Saints have ſometimes prayed,Polan. tanquam ſingultientes in patheticis precibus, or rather ſighed out their moſt earneſt ſuits to God, as Gen. 15.28. Deut. 3.24. and 9.26.
Lavat.Wilt thou deſtroy all the reſidue of Iſrael] Brevis quidem est haec querimonia Prophetae: at multa complectitur: This is a brief but a complexive complaint, and hath much in it.
Nimis valde.Ver. 9. The iniquity of—Iſrael—is exceeding great] Still there is a cauſe (to be ſure:) and Gods judgements are ſometimes ſecret, ever juſt. And as ſwift rivers, when they once fall into lakes or ſeas, are at reſt: ſo are our reſtleſſe minds, when once they fall into the depth of the Divine Juſtice duely conſidered.
Declinatione & detorſione judicii, foreign.And the City full of perverſeneſſe] Or wreſting of judgement. Mutteh, id eſt miſhpat din Mitteh, ſaith the Hebrew Scholiaſt; that is judgement turned from the biaſſe, as it were: when the ballance of Juſtice is tilted o' t'one ſide, as Pauls word importeth, 1 Tim. 5.21.
For they ſay, The Lord hath forſaken the earth] See on chap. 8.12. Hic eſt fons omnium ſcelerum, ſaith à Lapide: hinc ruunt homines in ſcelerum abyſſum, ſaith Theodoret. When men are once turned Atheiſts, what will they not dare to do? what ſhould hinder them from laying the reines in the neck, and running riot in wickedneſſe?
Ver. 10. And as for me alſo] Quapropter etiam ego, wherefore alſo I: and there's a ſtop, by an elegant Apoſiopoſis.
Mine eye ſhall not ſpare] Chap. 5.11. & 7.4. & 8.18. See a juſt Commentary upon theſe words, Jer. 9.3, 4, 5. — 17.
Ver. 11. And behold the man—reported the matter] The Vulgar hath it Respondit verbum: as if he had been asked before, whether he had done as was bidden.
I have done as thou haſt commanded me] So did David, Pſal. 119.112. Act. 13.22. and the ſon of David, Joh. 17.4. & 14.51. and Paul; witneſſe his famous vox foreign, 2 Tim. 4.6, 7, 8. Let every of us ſo carry the matter toward God, that at death we may ſay with that ſervant, Luk. 14.22. Lord, it is done as thou haſt commanded.