Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Ezekiel · Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII.
Ver. 1. THe Word of the Lord] See on chap. 18.1.
Ver. 2. Say unto the Prince of Tyre] Princes muſt be told their own, as well as others. It was partly by flattery that this Prince was ſo high-flown. His glory, wealth and wit alſo had ſo blown him up, that he forgat himſelf to be a man. Tabael Joſephus, out of Beroſus, calleth him: Diod…rus Siculus Ith…baal, others Ethbaal; A moſt proud and preſumptuous perſon he was, and a type of the devil, who is the King of all the children of pride, Job 41.34. Here he holdeth himſelf to be wiſer then Daniel, ver. 3. yea to be the ſum and perfection of all wiſdom, ver. 12. to excell the high-Prieſt in all his ornaments, Os humeroſque Deo ſimilis, ver. 13. yea to be above Adam, ib. above the Cherubims, ver. 14. laſtly to be God himſelf, and to ſit in his feat, ver. 2. O Lucifer out-devild! And yet as there were many Marii in one Caeſar, ſo by nature, there are many Ethbaals in the beſt of us: for as in water face anſwereth to face, ſo doth the heart of a man to a man, Prov. 27.19. Julius Caeſar ſuffered Altars and Temples to be dedicated unto him, as to a god: and what wonder, when as his flatterers told him that the freckles in his face were like the ſtars in the firmament?Sueton. Valladerius told Pope Paul the fifth (and he beleeved it) that he was a god, that he lived familiarly with the Godhead, that he heard predeſtination it ſelf whiſpering to him, that he had a place to ſit in council with the Divine Trinity, &c. Prodigious blaſphemy! Is not this that man of ſin, that Merum ſcelus ſpoken of by Paul, 2 Theſ. 2.4? (ſee more of this there) Was it not he that made Dandalus the Venetian Embaſſadour roul under his table, and as a dog eat cruſts there? and that ſuffered the Sicilian Embaſſadours to uſe theſe words unto him, Domine Deus papa miſerere noſtrum. O Lord God the Pope, have mercy upon us. And again, O Lamb of God that takeſt away the ſins of the world, grant us thy peace!
In the midſt of the ſeas] Where none can come at me. Yes Nebuchadnezzar could, and did, though after thirteen years ſiege, as Joſephus writeth: a hard tug and hot ſervice he had of it; but yet he did the deed: as did afterwards alſo Alexander the great, who never held any thing unfeiſible.
Ver. 3. Behold thou art wiſer then Daniel] That oracular man, who was foreign, as one ſaith of Homer, foreign the moſt wiſe and knowing man alive. His name was now up at Babylon: and Ezekiel his Contemporary commendeth him. So doth the Baptiſt, Chriſt: and Peter, Paul, 2 Ep. 3. though there had been a breach between them, Gal. 2.14. there was no envy. But ſuch another Braggard as this in the text was Richardus de Sancto Victore a Monk of Paris, who ſaid that himſelf was a better Divine then any Prophet or Apoſtle of them all.Paraei hiſt. ſac. medul. Moral. 17. But How much better, ſaith Gregory, is humble ignorance then proud knowledge?
Ver. 4. With thy wiſdom — thou haſt gotten thee riches] Which yet is not every wiſe mans happineſſe. Aelian obſerveth that the wiſeſt and beſt of the Grecians were very poor: as Socrates, Ariſtides, Phecion, Ephialtes, Epaminondas, Pel…pidas, Var. hiſt. lib. 2. Eumolpus.Lamachus, and others. Fortuna fere favet fatuis: neſcio quomodo, bona mentis ſoror eſt paupertas, ſaith he in Petronius: Piety goeth oft yoked with poverty.
Ver. 5. Thine heart is lifted up becauſe of thy riches] Like as the higher the flood riſeth, the higher alſo doth the boat that floateth thereon. A ſmall blaſt will blow up a bubble: ſo will a few paltry pound…s puffe up a carnal heart.
By thy great wiſdom] Here God did nothing. And ſuch for all the world, ſaith Oecolampadius, are our free-will men, with their ego feci, this I did. Such Feci's are no better then faeces ſaith Luther, that is, dregs and droſſe.
Ver. 6. Becauſe thou haſt ſet thine heart as the heart of God] Thou thinkeſt thy wiſdome to be Divine, and thy ſelf the only one. The Tyrians were famous for their great wiſdom, Zach. 9.2. and they are ſaid to be the inventers of many arts: yet ſhould they not have overweened themſelves in this ſort: which becauſe they did, let them hear their doom.
Ver. 7. Behold therefore I will bring ſtrangers upon thee] Who ſhall not at all regard thy great wiſdom, but graſp after thy wealth, and ſuck thy blood for it. Neither will they favour thee the more becauſe thou art a King, but ſlay thee the rather, and ſay Hunc ipſum quaerimus, This is the right bird, as that ſouldier ſaid, who ſlew the moſt valiant King of Sweden, at the battle of Lutzen.
Ver. 8. They ſhall bring thee down to the pit] There ſhall lye the greatneſſe of the god of Tyre.
And thou ſhalt dye the deaths] Death will make no difference betwixt a Prince and a peſant, a Lord and a lozel. The mortal ſithe is maſter of the royal ſcepter.
Ver. 9. Wilt thou ſay before him that ſlayeth thee, I am a god?] That will prove a poor plea, and thou wilt ſoon be confuted: as afterwards great Alexander confuted his flatterers, when being wounded in fight he ſhewed them his blood.
Ver. 10. Thou ſhalt dye the death of the uncircumciſed] Not only a temporal but an eternal death: as they muſt needs do that are out of the Covenant of grace, whereof circumciſion was the ſeal. This is the ſad Catastrophe, of ſuch as dream of a deity. Of which number were Caligula, Herod, Heliogabalus, Diocleſian, and other monſters, uncircumciſed Viceg…ds, as we may in the worſt ſenſe, beſt term them.
Ver. 11. More…ver the word] See on chap. 18.1.
Ver. 12. Take up a lamentation for the King of Tyre] Who ſhall have little leiſure to lament for himſelf; his deſtruction ſhall be ſo ſudden. See on chap. 27.2.
Thou ſealeſt up the ſum] i. e. Thou art a pattern of perfection, in thine own conceit at leaſt: for a ſeal hath in it the perfect form of him that is thereby repreſented; and then is a letter perfected when the laſt act of ſetting to a ſeal is done to it.Literae conſignatae & clauſae & abſoluta ſunt. Oecol. foreign. Plato. Hom. Tu es omnibus numeris abſolutum exemplar; ſo Vatablus and the Tigurines.
Ver. 13. Thou hast been in Eden] As a bird of Paradiſe, or as a tree growing there, —foreign. Thou art equal to Adam in the ſtate of innocency: and thy Tyre is no whit inferiour to the garden of God.
Flores in pratis fragrant, & purpura campis:
Gemma coloratis fulg…t specioſa lapillis.
Every precious stone was thy covering] Not thy diadem only was deckt with them (as the Popes triple crown is at this day with gemmes of greateſt value) but thy royal robe (not inferiour, haply, to that of Demetrius King of Macedony, which none of his ſucceſſours would wear propter invidioſam impendii magnificentiam, it was ſo extream ſtately and coſtly) yea thy pantofles poſſibly, as Diocleſians the Emperour holding forth his feet to be kiſſed, as doth alſo the Pope at this day, who hath the croſs in precious ſtones ſet upon his pantofle, to the great reproach of Chriſtianity.
The Sardius, Topaz, and the diamond] Nine of thoſe rich ſtones that were ſet in the high-Prieſts Rationale, or breaſt-plate See on ver. 2.
The workmanſhip of thy tabrets] At thy birth, and at thine inauguration there was great mirth made, concrepantibus tympanis, tibiis & tubis. What a deal of joy and jollity was there lately expreſſed in many places for the birth of the Prince of Spain?
Trem.Ver. 14. Thou art the annointed Cherub] Or, thou art a Cherub ever ſince I annointed thee for Protectour: as the Cherubims cover the Ark with their wings, ſo doſt thou thy people; and therefore takeſt upon thee as if an earthly Angel.
Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God] Thou haſt been in heaven: or at leaſt on mount Sinai with Moſes, where God appeared with millions of his Angels having a fiery pavement under his feet, Exod. 24.10.
In the midſt of the ſtones of fire] i. e. Of Seraphims, ſay ſome, thoſe flaming creatures, of lightenings and thunderbolts, ſay others, which thou …utleſt about at thy pleaſure.
Saevum praeluſtri fulmes ab arce venit.
Ver. 15. Thou waſt perfect in thy wayes.] As the evil Angels alſo were: but now it is otherwiſe. Heaven ſpued out them in the very firſt act of their ſin, and ſoon after they were created. Look thou therefore to ſpeed accordingly, ſith iniquity is found in thee. Potentes potenter torquebuntur.
Ver. 16. By the multitude of thy merchandiſe] Multa ſunt fraudes ubi mercatura ſervet. Oecol.Many Merchants think they may do any thing for their own advantage: cheating and over-reaching paſſe for virtues with them.
And thou haſt ſinned] By ſuffering it ſo to be; for there is a paſſive injuſtice as well as an active.
I will caſt thee] I will bring thee down with a vengeance,foreign. and make thee an example of that rule, Great ſins have great puniſhments.
Ver. 17. Thine heart, &c.] Faſtus ineſt palchris.
By reaſon of thy brightneſſe] Thine own ſplendor hath dazeled thee. Magna cognatio est ut rei ſic & nominis, di…is & vitiis.
That they may behold thee] And beware by thee.
Ver. 18. Thou haſt defiled thy ſanctuaries] i. e. Thy kingly palaces, where thou art looked upon and honoured as a God (but a wretched one) and which for ſtatelineſſe may vye with my Sanctuary. Adde hereto, that as none might come into the Temple but Prieſts only: ſo none might come into the palace but confiding perſons: The Turkes at this day ſuffer no ſtranger to come into the preſence of their Emperour, but firſt they claſp him by the arms, under colour of doing him honour,Turk. Hiſt. 715. but indeed to bereave him of the uſe of his hands, leſt he ſhould offer him any violence.
Therefore will I bring forth a fire in the midſt of thee] Thou ſhalt periſh by thine own ſins, as a houſe is burnt by fire kindled within it ſelf.
And I will bring thee to aſhes] Which ſhall remain as a laſting monument of the divine diſpleaſure; as did the aſhes and cinders of Sodom: and Herodotus ſaith the ſame of the aſhes of Troy.
Ver. 19. Thou ſhalt be a terrour] As Kings exceed all others in glory, ſo their fall is oft with ſo great ignominy, that they become a wonder and a terrour to all people.
Ver. 20. Again the Word of the Lord] See chap. 18.1.
Ver. 21. Set thy face againſt Zidon] An ancient and eminent City of Phenicia, little inferior to Tyrus: in Joſua it is called Zidon the great. Joſh 11.A very ſuperſtitious place, and a great enemy to Gods people.
Ver. 22. Behold I am againſt thee] Heb. I againſt thee, by an angry Apoſiopeſis,
I will be glorified] Viz. In thy juſt deſtruction.
And ſhall be ſanctified in her] See on Levit. 10.3.
Ver. 23. For I will ſend into her] Theſe are Gods evil Angels.
And the wounded ſhall be judged in the midſt of her] This was done likely by Nebuchaduezzar: but certainly by Artaxerxes Ochus the Perſian, as the Prophet Zachary had foretold, chap. 9. and as Diodorus Siculus hath left upon record.
Ver. 24. And there ſhall be no more a pricking bryar] For God will take away the Canaanite out of the land, Zach. 14. omnem ſpinum dolorificum: he will by his Judgements provide for his own glory, and for his peoples comfort.
Ver. 25. Then ſhall they dwel in their Land] Provided that they cleave cloſe to me: otherwiſe I will out them again. It hath been elſewhere noted, that the Promiſes are with a condition; which is as an oar in a boat, or ſtern of a ſhip, and turns the promiſe another way.
Ver. 26. And they ſhall dwell ſafely therein] Or, in confidence: And this is reiterated here to ſhew what a mercy of God it is, to live ſecure, and free from the fear of enemies.