Exposition of Ezekiel 1-5, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 1 · Verse 15
VERS. 15.
Now, as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.
VVEe have done through divine vertue two parts of the Viſion and now are coming to the third; That of the wheeles, which hath its darkneſſe and difficulties; and here the glory of God in his providence is conſiderable from earthly things and ſecond cauſes.
In the Viſion of the wheels, two things I ſhall preſent unto you:
Firſt, the ſignification.
Secondly, the deſcription of theſe wheels.
What theſe wheels may ſignifie, there is great variety of opinions; with all which I will not trouble you. Wheels by a Synecdoche, ſome think, is put for a Chariot, in which God is preſented to the Prophet, guarded with Angels on every ſide, who ſtand with great reverence and readineſſe to do his will; and by this Chariot they underſtand the Majeſty, Glory, Providence and Kingdome of God, in which he rules all things at his pleaſure, as a Waggoner or Pilot;Quaſi auriga. and by the wheels the Immenſity, Eternity, celerity, perſpicacity, and efficacy of God in his operations. Some thinke by Chariot, is meant the Church, and by the wheels the Apoſtles. Theſe are thoughts of men, we will therefore labour to give you the thoughts and intention of Gods Spirit, ſo neer as we can. By the Wheels wee are to underſtand this viſible world, with all things in it, the kingdomes of the earth, and the Church of God, and condition of all humane things, which are all in motion and uncertain; and that this is the ſenſe of the Wheels may be gathered from the Prophet, in the 10th Chapter and 13th verſe, where it's ſaid,Ipſis nomen vocatum eſt hic orbis, or, ipſae vocatae ſunt orbis, Iun. as for the wheeles, it was cryed unto them in my hearing, O wheel, O world. Their name is the or this world: the word in the Hebrew is Haggalgal, and not the ſame with the uſuall word for wheel, and it's both Subſtantively and diſtinctively uſed, and notes out this world in which we live, in which Ezekiel was; it's not Galgal, foreignbut haggalgal, which is demonſtrative and diſtinguiſhing: Pſal. 77.18. there is the ſame word, and it's not rendred in the wheel,Illuxerunt coruſcationes orbiterae, foreign, that is foreign; For the Greeks do abſolutely take foreign for the world, Heinſ. in Iacob. 3.6. but in the heaven, or in the round; that is, the ayre; and the Vulgar tranſlates it, The lightnings have ſhined in the world: and ſo the Septuagint. Seeing it's evident, that by the wheels is meant the world and things therein; it's needfull to examine the fitneſſe of this compariſon, and ſo to ſee the wiſdome of Gods Spirit in it.
Orbe rotundato ſydera quaeque micant.1. The wheel or wheels are round, ſuch is the form of the world, it's called orbis globus, from the roundneſſe.
2. A wheel is movable, and mutable, that part is on high is preſently at the bottome, and that which is at the bottome is quickly again at the top: and this informs us in the mobility and mutability of all humane and mundane things, and is principally intended by this viſion of the wheels: Kingdoms, Churches, Families, volvuntur, revolvuntur, are daily wheel'd about, mov'd, changed, and never long permanent in any condition. The four great Monarchies, the Babylonian, Perſian, Grecian, Roman, how were they kickt like Foot-balls, and toſſed like Tennisballs from one to another, and at laſt devoured by each other? After that great rent made in the houſe of David by Jeroboam, what changes, what wars and famines were in the kingdomes of Judah and Iſrael, you find in the Books of the Kings and Chronicles? You may ſee the relation of theſe wheels in one Chapter: 1 King. 16. you ſhall finde, that in twelve or thirteen yeers of Aſa's reign, King of Judah, there was the death of Baaſha, Elah, Zimri, Tibni, Omri, that were wretched Kings, and made fearfull ſtirs and murthers in Iſrael: and beſide, wicked Ahab in that time began his reign, and troubled all Iſrael. The Church, what a low ebb was it at in Elijah's dayes, when he complains, Gods Covenant is forſaken, his Altars thrown down, his Prophets ſlain, himſelf left alone, and his life alſo ſought for? 1 King. 19.14. The Church now, when Ezekiel had this viſion, was in captivity, without a Temple, Altar, Sacrifice; and the Church is never long in any ſettled condition. Rev. 8.1. There was ſilence in heaven about the ſpace of half an hour; under the ten fiery Perſecutions, the Church had no reſt, but in Conſtantines times it had a little, but preſently the Arrian hereſie brake out, and did more miſchieve the Church then all the perſecutions before. The Church is wheeled about from condition to condition, ſometimes it's in Egypt, ſometime in the Wilderneſſe, ſometimes in Canaan, and ſometimes in Babylon; it's Noahs Arke that rides upon rough waters, and is not like to take harbour before Chriſt comes. So for families and perſons, they are in a movable condition:Aetas parentum pejor avis mox datura progeniem vitioſiorem, Horat. foreign. Eccleſ. 1.4. One generation paſſeth away, and another cometh; that goes, and a third haſtens after them to the grave: 1 Cor. 4.9. Wee are made a ſpectacle to the world, a Theatre, that is, we come into the world, and act here a little while upon the Stage of it, and preſently we are gone; Kings, Princes and all conditions of men do ſo; Noah and his Generations are gone, David and his. If wee come neerer our ſelves, the Merovignian family was driven out by Pippin, ſon of Martel, and that family by Hugh Capet; ſo that there have been three races of the royall line in France; the Plantagenets race here is wholly gone, or lies in obſcurity; great is the incertainty, motion and mutation of the things in this world, the wheels are up and down, and not conſiſtent; Job is very rich and poor in one day; Haman in great favour and under great diſpleaſure in a wheel of time. There is a ſtory very ſuitable to this viſion of the wheels, and brought in by Expoſiters to give light unto it, which I may not omit; and it's of Seſoſtris a King of Egypt, who had a golden Chariot, bedecked with many precious ſtones, and when hee rode in it, no meaner perſons muſt draw it then foure Kings that hee had conquered; one of the four caſt his eye altogether upon the wheel, and being demanded the reaſon of it by Seſoſtris, ſaid, I ſee in this wheel the mutability of all conditions, that part of the wheel is neereſt heaven, is by and by upon the earth, and contrary, that is upon the earth is preſently again neereſt heaven. This wrought ſo upon Seſoſtris, that hee thought his condition might change, and therefore freed thoſe Kings from that ſervitude, and would not have his Chariot drawn any more by them. Beliſarius, Generall of Juſtinian forces, overcame the Perſians in the Eaſt, the Vandals in Africa, the Goths in Italy, and did extraordinary ſervice, at laſt had his eyes put out, his whole eſtate taken away, and forced to begge of paſſengers without the gates of Rome, Baron.Da obolum Beliſario, quem extulit virtus, caecavit invidia, O give one farthing to Beliſarius, whom his own vertue advanced, and others envie hath blinded. Adonibezek, who ſate upon the top of this wheel, was ſoon brought under; hee had ſeventy Kings with their thumbs and toes cut off, and put like dogs under his table to eat ſcraps,1 Cor. 7.31. and himſelf was made acquainted with that condition. In the preſent affaires of Ireland, wee may ſee the myſterie of Ezekiels wheels; all things are running, moving, and working to a change.foreign. Jam. 3.6. he calls it the wheel of nature, or rather of this Generation, ſhewing, that the preſent Generation is haſtening out of the world.
3. Wheeles make in their motion a great noiſe and ratling, Joel 2.5. Like the noiſe of Chariots on the tops of mountains; ſo the things in the world move not ſilently, but make a great ſtir and mighty noiſe. Rev. 6.1. when the firſt ſeal was opened, and Chriſt rode abroad upon his white horſe of the Goſpel, conquering the Nations, there was as the noiſe of thunder, and ſtirs and tumults were raiſed in Kingdomes, and mighty oppoſitions were made in the world: Chap. 19. when Chriſt ſhall judge the great Whore, and avenge the blood of the Saints, it will not be without noiſe: verſ. 6. I heard, as it were, the voyce of a great multitude, and as the voyce of many waters, and as the voyce of mighty thunderings, ſaying, Allelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth; there is the voyce of the people like waters, a low and leſſe noiſe; and there is the voyce of Parliament and Armies a greater, a thundring voyce; the things now in motion in this kingdome and others, make a great thundring in the world, as in former dayes, between the Houſes of York and Lancaſter were fought ſeventeen pitched fields, in which eight Kings and Princes periſhed, forty Dukes, Marqueſſes and Earls, 200000. of the people, beſides Barons and Gentlemen; which things were not done without a great noiſe.
4. Wheeles are moved by ſome hand, and ſet on running, elſe they ſtir not: ſo this world is moved, acted and governed by divine vertue. Things are carryed in this world like wheels,Pſal. 113.9. up and down, backwards and forwards, as if all were left at ſix and ſeven, and hurried up and down by ſome blind chance or fortune, which we exclude, and only acknowledge all to be moved, ordered, and effected by divine providence; it's God that by his providence and the miniſtery of his Angels, that ſets all the wheels in the world in motion: a Sparrow falls not to the ground, nor a haire off our heads without his will.
5. By the motion of the wheel many works are done; the Potters of old made their veſſels by the motion of the wheele;Ier. 18.3. by it the corn was ground, and juſtice was done. Prov. 20.26. He bringeth the wheele over them; that notes the puniſhment of evill-doers: it's a metaphor from husbandmen, that in hot countreys did by the help of a wheele break the ears of corn, and ſo get it out;Iſa. 28.28. and juſtice is the wheele that breaks men, and gets out the truth, and ſeparates the chaffe from the Wheat: in ſome place a wheele hath been uſed to break the bones of ſinners. Hence Tully ſaith,5. Tuſcul. beatam vitam iu rotam non aſcendere. That an innocent life had nothing to do with the wheel. So that by the motion of the wheele much hath been done, and God by the rotations and ſtrange motions in the world, brings about great works. Dan. 9.25. the walls of Jeruſalem ſhould be built in a troublous time. In the 9. verſe and Chap. 1…. of the Revelation, mention is made of trumpets and vials, which note great ſtirs and changes in the world, and notable effects follow thereupon; We hope that the ſtirs of our time are the preparation to the moſt glorious work of Antichriſts ruining, our reforming, Chriſt reigning, and the Jewes raiſing; old things are paſſing away, and all things are becoming new; old Religion, viz. Popery, old Prelacy, old Service and Ceremonies are going downwards, and they that led into captivity, are themſelves a leading into captivity, Rev. 13.10.
Obſerv The world and things in it, are not fit for us to fix our hearts upon. The world it ſelf, and all in it, are of a wheeling nature, uncertain, movable, and running away; and the word Galgal a wheele, and the world, ſignifies alſo a mote, chaffe, ſtraw, any thing driven before the wind, and ſo it is uſed, Iſa. 17.13. Chegalgal, as a wheeling thing, before the whirle-wind; the margent renders it as a thiſtle, or thorne; the one ſhewes the vanity of the world, the other the vexation of it. Shall wee let out our hearts to that runs from us like a rolling thing, and if wee overtake it, runs into us like a thorn? they that will be rich, catch the world, pierce themſelves thorow with many ſorrowes, 1 Tim. 6.9, 10. and breake upon this wheele; Becauſe it runs ſmoothly ſometimes, men are taken with the motions of the world, but at length you ſhall find its motion rough, ſwift, ready to overthrow and break you all in pieces: they are broken in Ireland, and wee are breaking here; now let the Apoſtles counſell be acceptable: 1 Cor. 7.29, 30, 31. Brethren, the time is ſhort; let them that have wives, be as if they had none; let them that weep, be as if they wept not, and them that rejocye, as if they rejoyced not, and they that buy, as if they poſſeſſed it not; and they that uſe this world as not abuſing it; foreign praeterit, decipit.and why all this? for the faſhion, or ſhew, of this world paſſeth away, it acts otherwiſe then you expect, if you affect the world, wives, children, or any part of it, it will deceive you; you think to hold it, and it's but a ſhadow, no ſubſtance; and a ſhadow, a ſhew, going away; let us therefore not look at this wheel, but at him that moves the wheel; who is unchangeable, unmovable, of infinite being, in compariſon of whom the world is a drop, a little duſt; let us with David ſay, Whom have we in heaven but thee? and there is none in earth we deſire in compariſon of thee; let us let go our hold of the world, draw in our affections from it, hopes after it, and look only after that City, Heb. 11.10.
Having given you the ſignification of the Wheels, the next thing premiſed, is the deſcription of them; and now I come to the particular handling of the Wheeles, where we ſhall meet with difficulties and excellencies.