Commentary on Prov Ecc SoS Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan, Ezekiel · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Ver. 1. THou alſo ſon of man] Hitherto we have had the Preface: followeth now the Prophecy it ſelf, which is both concerning the fall of earthly Kingdoms, and alſo the ſetting up of Chriſts Kingdom amongſt men. The ſiege, famine and downfal of Jeruſalem is here ſet forth to the life, four years at leaſt before it fell out: not in ſimple words, but in deeds and pictures, as more apt to affect mens minds: like as he is more moved who ſeeth himſelf painted as a thief or skellum hanged, then he who is only called ſo. This way of teaching is ordinary with the Prophets,Oecol. and was uſed alſo by our Saviour Chriſt: as when he ſet a child in the midſt, waſht his diſciples feet, inſtituted the ſacraments, &c.
Take thee a tile] An unburnt tile, ſaith Lyra; and ſo fit to pourtray any thing upon: ſome take it for a fourſquare Table, like a tile or brick, that will admit engravement. Jeruſalem, the glory of the Eaſt, was here pictured upon a tileſheard. How mean a thing is the moſt ſtately City on earth to that City of pearle, the heavenly Jeruſalem?
And pourtray upon it the City] Not with the penſil, but with the g…aving tool: Where yet (as in Timanthes his works) more was ever to be underſtood then was delineated.
Ver. 2. And lay ſiege againſt it] This to carnal reaſon ſeemeth childiſh and ridiculous: not unlike the practiſe of boyes that make forts of ſnow: or of the Papiſts St. Francis, who made him a wife and children of ſnow; fair, but ſoon fading comforts: or of his diſciple Maſſaeus, who is much magnified, becauſe at his maſters command, he did (not Diogenes-like, tumble his tub, but) himſelf tumble up and down as a little one, in reference to that of our Saviour,Sedulius l. 3. c. 1 Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye ſhall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven, Mat. 18.3. But it muſt be conſidered, that what the Prophet did here, he did by the Word and Command of the moſt wiſe God. This made the ſacrifices of old, and doth make the Sacraments ſtill to be reverend and tremend; becauſe holy and reverend is his Name who inſtituted them. It cannot be ſaid ſo of Popiſh ceremonies, mens inventions: they have not Gods image or inſcription; and are therefore frivolous and fruitleſſe, worthily caſt out of our Churches.
Ver. 3. Moreover take thee unto thee an iron pan] Sartaginem ferream, in token of Gods hard and infl…xible hatred bent againſt ſo hard-hearted a people: whom he will therefore fry as in a pan, and ſeeth as in a pot, Jer. 1.13. ſo that they ſhall pine away in their iniquities.
Set thy face against it, and thou ſhalt lay ſiege] This the Prophet was to do in the name and perſon of God and his Souldiers, the Chaldaeans. Hard hearts make hard times, yea they make Deum, naturâ ſuâ mollem, miſericordem, & melleum, durum eſſe & ferreum, (as one ſaith) God to harden his hand, and haſten mens deſtruction.
Ver. 4. Lye thou alſo upon thy left ſide] Which for ſo long a time to do, could not but put the Prophet to great pain, and try his patience to the utmoſt, eſpecially if he lay bound all the while (as Theodoret thinketh he did) to ſet forth Jeruſalems great miſeries during the ſiege, or rather Gods infinite patience in bearing with their evil manners, with ſo perverſe a people.
Thou ſhalt bear their iniquity] i. e. Repreſent my bearing it; and forbearing to puniſh them for it.
Ver. 5. Three hundred and ninety dayes] That is, ſay ſome, the ſiege of Jeruſalem ſhall continue ſo many dayes, viz. thirteen months or thereabouts. But they do better, who taking a day for a year in both the accounts (as ver. 6.) and making the forty of Judah to run along with the laſt year of Iſraels 390. end both at Nabuzaradans carrying away to Babylon the laſt reliques of Iſrael and Judah: and begin Iſraels years at Jeroboams Apoſtaſy,Conf…r ch…o. 1.1, 2. with 3.15, 24, 25, 26, 27. & 8.1. and Judah's at Huldah's propheſy in the eighteenth of Joſiah's raign, when the law was found but not obſerved by that idolatrous people (as appeareth by the complaints made of them by Zephany and Jeremy) neither were they warned by their brethrens miſeries; the ten tribes being now carried into captivity.
Ver. 6. And when thou haſt accompliſhed them] That is, art within forty years of accompliſhing them.
Thou ſhalt bear the iniquity of the houſe of Judah forty dayes] i. e. Years: beginning at the eighteenth year of Joſiah, or (as others compute it) at his thirteenth year, and ending them in the eleventh of Zedekiah, which are the bounds of Jeremy's prophecy. A very learned man yet living obſerveth, that God doth here ſet and mark out Judah's ſingular iniquity by a ſingular mark: for that they had forty years ſo pregnant inſtructions and admonitions by ſo eminent a Prophet as Jeremy: yet were they impenitent to their own deſtruction. And the like may well be ſaid of Dr. Ʋſher, that Prophet of Ireland, who (upon the Toleration of Popery there) preaching before the State at Dublin upon a ſpecial ſolemnity, made a full and bold application of this text unto them in theſe very words. From this year, ſaid he viz. Anno 1601.) will I reckon the ſin of Ireland; and dare ſay that thoſe whom you embrace ſhall be your ruine,D. Ʋſher's fun. Serm. by Dr. Bern. 39. and you ſhall bear this iniquity. And it fell out accordingly: for, forty years after, viz. Anno 1641 began the Rebellion and deſtruction of Ireland, done by thoſe Papiſts and Popiſh Prieſts then connived at.
Ver. 7. Set thy face toward the ſeige of Jeruſalem] Steel thy countenance, be ſtern and reſolute, to ſhew that the Chaldees ſhould be ſo. Thus this Prophet proceedeth to write as it were in Hieroglyphicks, and to preach in Emblems.
And thine arm ſhall be uncovered] i. e. Thou ſhalt do thy work bodily: which when ſoldiers and ſervants ſet themſelves to do, they make bare their armes, ut ſint expeditiores, for quicker diſpatch. Even Orators alſo pleaded with their right arm (as Oecolampadius here noteth) ſtript up, and ſtrecht out.
And thou ſhalt prophecy againſt it] By theſe ſignes and dumb ſhews at leaſt: See chap 3.26.
Pertinacis poenae ſimulachrum eſt. Oecolamp.Ver. 8. And behold I will lay bands upon thee] To ſhew that he was unchangeably reſolved to ruine Judah, whom the Prophet here perſonateth. Some make the ſenſe to be this, I will give thee ſtrength to hold out in that thy long lying on one ſide, till the City be taken. Of a Noble-man of Lovain it is ſtoried, that he lay ſixteen years in one poſture, viz. with his face upwards. And Pradus ſaith he ſaw a mad man who had lain upon one ſide fifteen years.
Ver. 9. Take thee alſo unto thee wheat and barly, &c.] Promiſcuam farragintes, to ſhew what ſhall be the condition of the City in the time of the ſiege: Miſcellan bread ſhall be good fare, but hard to come by in that grievous famine.
Three hundred and ninety dayes ſhalt thou eat thereof] Not ſleep all the while, as ſome Papiſts would have it, grounding their conceit upon their Trent-Tranſlation of ver. 4. Sleep thou alſo upon thy left-ſide, &c. but lying and ſleeping are diſtinct things, as may be ſeen, Pſal. 3.5. & 4.8.
Ver. 10. Twenty ſhekles a day] Five ounces, or ten at moſt: not Priſoners pittance, quâ proinde per diem trahitur magis anima quam ſuſtentatur. See this complained of Lam. 1.11, 19. & 2.11, 12, 19, 20. & 4.4, 9, 10. & 5.6, 9, 10. They had ſinned in exceſſe, and now they are puniſhed with cleanneſſe of teeth. The famine of the Word is far worſe.
Ver. 11. From time to time ſhalt thou drink] i. e. At thy ſet times, in flata tempora comparcito, make no waſte: the leaſt drop is precious.
Panem exhibuit Papa non ad purum ignem, ſed ad oleta Queſtionariorum, Sorboniſtarum, & Canonicorum coctum Pol.Ver. 12. And thou ſhalt eat it as barly cakes] Baked on coales made of homely fuel, mans-dung burnt.
And thou ſhalt bake it with dung] For want of wood. Lam. 5.4. To the hungry ſoul every bitter thin is ſweet, Pro. 27.7.
In their ſight] This then was more then a viſion.
Ver. 13. Eat their defiled bread] Not able now to obſerve that ceremonial purity in their meats which God had commanded. This was juſt upon them for their worſhipping thoſe their dungy-dieties.
Ver. 14. Ah Lord God, behold my ſoul hath not been polluted] Neither had it been here by eating ſuch like bread, becauſe God bade him do it, and his command legitimateth any thing. But a good ſoul feareth and deprecateth all kind of pollution: Keep thy ſelf pure, 1 Tim. 5.22. Abſtain from all appearance of evil, 1 Theſ. 5.22. The Prophet in this Prayer of his is very pathetical, Ah Domine Jehovi… not Jehova but Jehovi. See the like Gen. 15.2, 8. Deut. 3.24. & 9.26.
Polan.For from my youth up] Let us be as careful of ſpiritual uncleanneſſe, ſince the devils excrement, the corruption of a dead ſoul. Conſtantinus Copronymus is reported to have delighted in ſtench and filth. The Panther preferreth mans dung before any meat: ſo do many feed greedily on ſins murthering morſels.
Ver. 15. Loe I have given thee Cows-dung] This was ſome mitigation. Something God will yield to his praying people when moſt bitterly bent againſt them.
foreign contabeſcer…, foetidum fieri.Ver. 16. Behold I will break the ſtaff of bread] Bread ſhall be very ſcarce, and that which men have, ſhall not nouriſh or ſatisfy them; they ſhall have appetitum caninum. See Iſa. 3.1. with the Note, and take that good couſel, Amos. 5 14, 15. leſt we know the worth of good by the want of it.
Ver. 17. And be aſtonied] At their ſtraits and diſappointments.
And conſume away for their iniquity] Levit. 26.31. They ſhall pine away in their iniquity: this is the laſt and worſt of judgements there threatened, after thoſe other diſmal ones.