Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Ezekiel · Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII.
Ver. 1. MOreover the Word] See on chap. 18.1.
Ver. 2. Wilt thou judge] Or plead for, or excuſe? See ch. 20.4.
The bloody City] The Saints ſlaughter-houſe.
Ver. 3. In the midſt of it] Publicè & impunè.
Againſt her ſelf] As a ſinner againſt her own ſoul.
Ver. 4. Thou haſt cauſed thy dayes] Thou haſt accelerated thy puniſhment, as the old world did.
Ver. 5. Shall mock thee which art infamous] This was forethreatened, Deut. 28.37. Our natures are moſt impatient of reproach: for there is none ſo mean, but thinks himſelf worth of ſome regard. Gens haec (ſaith Giraldus Cambrenſis of the wild Iriſh) ſicut & natio quaevis barbara, &c. no Nation is ſo barbarous but that although they know not what belongeth to honour, yet do they exceedingly affect to be honoured, and well not abide to be reproached.
Ver. 6. Behold the Princes of Iſrael] Here beginneth the black bill or bed-roll. And as in a fiſh corruption beginneth at the head, ſo in a Nation at the Rulers.
Ver. 7. In thee have they ſee light by father and mother] Whom, very Heathens honoured as their foreign, houſhold-gods.
In the midſt of thee, &c.] So Hierom complaineth of his country, In mea patriae Deus Venter eſt, & in diem vivitur, that they were all belly-gods, and had no goodneſſe in them. So Bede complaineth of the ancient Brittons, immediately before their deſtruction by the Saxons. Bradford cryeth out of the iniquity of the times in King Edward's dayes: You all know, (ſaith he in a certain letter of his) there was never more knowledg of God, and leſſe godly living, and true ſerving of God. It was counted a fooliſh thing to ſerve God truly: and earneſt prayer was not paſt upon.Act. & Mon. Preaching was but paſtime: Communion was counted too common: faſting was far out of uſe: almes was almoſt nothing. Malice, covetouſnſſe, and uncleaneſſe was common everywhere, with ſwearing, drunkenneſſe and idleneſſe, &c.
Ver. 8. Thou haſt deſpiſed mine holy things] Theſe are all foretokens of a periſhing people. Emphaſin habet quod dicit ſancta mea, Sabbata mea. Shall that which hath the impreſſe of God upon it be ſlighted, as his Sabbaths, Sacraments, Ordinances? The holy God ſhould in all theſe his holy things be ſanctified in righteouſneſſe, Iſa. 5.16.
Ver. 9. In thee are men that carry tales] Heb. men of ſlanders, Exod. 23.1. Levit. 18.16. Whiſperers, backbiters, tale-bearers (Pedlars, the Heb. word ſignifieth ſuch as drop a tale here and another there) are viri latrones, thieves (as the Septuagint here tranſlate) yea they are murtherers. The devil was firſt a ſlanderer, and then a murtherer. His agents firſt take away the credit of the Church, and then wound her, Cant. 5.6. The Primitive Chriſtians were firſt belyed, and then cruelly handled: So were the French Proteſtants, before the Maſſacre of Paris. Humphary Duke of Gloceſter was by the people of England (notwithſtanding the open ſhewing of his body, and his pretended crimes) thought to be doubly murthered: viv. by detraction, and deadly practice, ſaith the Chronicler.
Ver. 10. In thee have they diſcovered their fathers nakedneſſe] i. e. Carnally known their fathers wives or concubines, Reuben-like. See 1 Cor. 5.1. with the Note.
Humbled her] i. e. Ravſhed her: which was a double crime. See Levit. 18.19, & 20.18. & 15.25.
Ver. 11. And one hath committed] So the Poet,
Hic thalamum invaſit natae, vetitoſque Hymenaeos,Virg. Aen. lib. 6.
Auſi omnes immane nefas, auſo que potiti, &c.
Ver. 12. Thou hast taken uſury and increaſe] Ʋſura quaſi propter uſum rei, ſaith One, and faenus quaſi funus. Such mony to neceſſity, is like cold water to a hot ague, that for a time refreſheth, but prolongeth the diſeaſe. It is like the Timber-worm, which is wonderful ſoft to touch, but hath teeth ſo hard that it eateth the timber: See on chap. 18.13.
And haſt greedily gained of thy neighbour] Sept. Thou haſt conſummated the conſummation of thy wickedneſſe in oppreſſion.
And haſt forgotten me] All the forementioned evils are reſolved into this as the root and original of them: See the like, Rom. 3.18.Dei oblivio convehit omnem vitiorum catervam. Hieron.
Ver. 13. I have ſmitten my hand] In token of utmoſt indignation, as Num. 24.10.
At thy diſhoneſt gain which thou hast made] The Jew-doctours obſerve that whereas twenty four ſeveral abominations are here reckoned up, the deſtruction of the City is attributed chiefly to Covetouſneſſe. Lycurgus foretold his Lacedemonians, Plut.that filthy lucre would be the overthrow of their City; and it proved ſo. The like is reported of Conſtantinople, of Babylon, the ſeat of the great Chaliph, Turk. Hiſt.taken and ſacked by Haalon brother to Mango the great Chan of Tartary, who affamiſhed to death the rich but wretched Chaliph in the midſt of his hoards: like as the Roman Souldiers firſt ſlew Ruffinus (who affected to be co-Emperour with Arcadius) and then cutting of his right-hand carried it up and down the City, crying out to the people, Date ſtipem viro avaritiae inexplebilis, Parael Med. hiſt. profan.Give an alms to a man of unſatisfiable covetiſe.
Ver. 14. Can theine heart endure, or can thine hands be ſtrong] Interrogatio continens latentem Ironiam: q. d. Miſella ſuperbula, eriſ…e ferendo mala futùra? Thou poor proud thing of nought, canſt thou make thy party good with Me? Canſt thou either in mind or body bear my wrath? will not thine heart ſoon fall into thy heels, and thine hands be enfeebled when I ſhall grapple with thee, and take thee to do?
And will do it] Thou thinkeſt, likely, that all theſe are but terrible words, deviſed on purpoſe to affright ſilly people, but I will do it.
Ver. 15. I will ſcatter thee] Deut. 4.27. & 28.25, 64.
And will conſume thy filthineſſe] By thy captivity and miſery, I will refine,Heb. Faciam ut integretur. and reform thee: Zach. 13.9.
Ver. 16. And thou ſhalt take thine inheritance in thy ſelf] q. d. I will abandon thee. Or, Thou ſhalt be profaned and polluted.
And thou ſhalt know that I am the Lord] Thou ſhalt know me by my puniſhments, whom thou wouldeſt not know by my benefits.
Ver. 17. And the Word of the L…rd] See chap. 18.1.
Ver. 18. The houſe of Iſrael is to me become droſſe] Recrementum argenti, offalſtuffe. Silver they were once, but now nothing leſſe. Haec ad nos quo que tranferenda ſunt. This is even our caſe, we are quite degenerate, and altogether unlike our zealous progenitours.
Heu! pietas ubi priſca? profana O tempora! Mundi
Faex, veſper, propè nox! O Mora! Chriſte veni.
All they are braſſe] See on Iſa. 1.22.
Ver. 19. I will gather you into the midſt of Jeruſalem] Velut catinum fuforium, as into a red-hot fornace, or fiery crucible, chap. 24, 10.
Ver. 20. As they gather ſilver and braſſe] The righteous periſh with the wicked: but either it is temporally only: or elſe, the ſeemingly righteous, who are no better then reprobate ſilver.
And I will leave you there] A terrible threat. God will bring his enemies into the briars and there leave there: See chap. 29.5. His own he will not leave, or, at leaſt, not forſake. He will be with them in the fire and water, &c. Lord leave us not, ſaith the Church, Jer. 17.17.
Ver. 21. And ye ſhall be melted in the midſt thereof] As in a fiery furnace. Such was anciently Egypt, Deut. 4. afterwards Babylon: and in the year 1453. Conſtantinople; where cruelly periſhed by the hand of the Turks, a very great multitude of Chriſtians.
Lavat.Ver. 22. As ſilver is melted] The ſame again, for better faſtening. Tam diligenter de his malis concionatus est, ut conciones ejus vix ſine taedio legantur aut recitentur.
Ver. 23. And the Word] See chap. 18.1.
Ver. 24. Thou art the land that is not cleanſed] From thy filthineſſe, and the fire of my Judgements.
Nor rained upon] Non compluta: no mercy ſhewed thee: no good done upon thee by all.
Ver. 25. Ther is a conſpiracy of her Prophets] They are all agreed to deceive the people, and to perſecute the true Prophets. Here we have a lively deſcription of the preſent Popiſh Clergy.
Planè palamque contrà faciunt, quam ipſis imperavi lege. Jun.Ver. 26. Her Prieſts have violated my Law] By infringing, and inforcing it to ſpeak what it never meant: to go two miles when it would go but one, &c.
They have put no difference] They have not taken out the precious from the vile, but made it open-tide, and admitted all pell mell, as they ſay.
And have hid their eyes from my Sablaths] i. e. Either framed excuſe that they might themſelves break it: or elſe connived at others that have.
Ver. 27. Her Princes in the midſt thereof] There was in this State (as Phyſicians ſay there is in ſome diſeaſes) corruptio totius ſubſtantiae, Lupis ferociores & voraciores erant.a general defection: and here they are particularly told of it; for (as Iſocrates ſaith in his Oration to Philip King of Macedony) that which is ſpoken to all, is ſpoken to none. See Mic. 3.11. Zeph. 3.3.
Ver. 28. And her Prophets have daubed them] Similes iis qui parietem incruſtant luto friabili & ſolubili: See chap. 13.4, &c.
Ver. 29. The people of the land have uſed oppreſſion] Or, deceit. Eadem hodie fiunt: charitas refrixit; omnia injuriis, calumniis, rapinis plena ſunt.
Ver. 30. And I ſought for a man among them] i. e. A competent company of holy men, as once at Sodom, Gen. 18. at Jeruſalem, Jer. 5.1.
That ſhould make up the hedge] Which ſin had thrown down.
And ſtand in the gap] By his Piety, and Prayers, The Primum Mobile, ſay Aſtronomers, turneth about with ſuch ſwiftneſſe, that but for the counter-motion of the Planets and other Spheres, all would be fired: ſo would this wicked world but for the Saints, who keep a conſtant counter-motion to the corrupt practices thereof.
Ver. 31. I have conſumed them with the fire] Sith thou wouldeſt not be cleanſed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation, ver. 24.