Exposition of Ezekiel 1-5, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 1 · Verse 19
VERS. 19.
And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lift up from the earth, the wheels were lift up.
21. When thoſe went theſe went, when thoſe ſtood theſe ſtood; and when thoſe were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over againſt them.
Here we have:
1. The motion of the wheels farther commended unto us.
2. Their ſtation.
3. The time of both.
THe motion was forwards, upwards and downwards: and for the time of their motion and ſtation, it was when the creatures moved or ſtood: as the Cherubims moved, ſo moved the wheels, forward, upward, downward; and when they ſtood ſtill, the wheels ſtood. The kind and manner of their motions, with their reſt, depended on the living creatures; they moved equally at their motion. What's meant by the lifting up of the wheels muſt be inquired; for Angels to be lifted up is not ſtrange, they are heavenly creatures, and heaven is their habitation. But for the wheels to be lifted up, that is very ſtrange, wee muſt ſearch out the ſenſe; for into heaven they were not lifted. Expoſiters leave us in the dark, all except one that I have met with paſſe over this difficulty; and what I find in that one is this: the lifting up of the Angels and the wheels, referre to the ſupreme cauſe, and ſeems to tell us, that inferiour and ſuperiour cauſes, wheels and Angels are under the regiment of the firſt cauſe; and if wee take the words actively, as Montanus doth render them, viz. the living creatures in lifting up themſelves from the earth, the wheels lift up themſelves alſo; and that is, they looked up to heaven for direction and aſſiſtance, which may well be called a lifting up themſelves, Pſal. 25.1. Ʋnto the Lord do I lift up my ſoul; that is, to thee do I look for counſel, comfort, ſtrength.
If wee take the words paſſively, when the living creatures are lift up from the earth, the wheels were lift up, then I will give you my thoughts what the ſenſe may be, and it's this: the lifting up is not meant of lifting up to heaven, but to ſervice: when God ſhould more then in an ordinary way let out himſelf to the Angels, give them new light, new ſtrength, and ſo lift them up to great ſervice, then the wheels alſo were lifted up proportionably to do their parts; and the words in the Text invite me to conceive it to be the ſenſe; becauſe it's ſaid, The ſpirit of the living creatures was in the wheels; when God by his Spirit lifted up the Angels to great imploiments, then that Spirit lifted up the wheels, the ſecond cauſes to more then ordinary ſervice: and the word lifting up, notes ſervice, a higher degree of it then before: 2 King. 19.4. Lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left. Hezekiah ſends to Iſaiah when Rabſhakeh blaſphemed, and Jeruſalem was beſieged, and ſaith, Iſaiah! thou art a Prophet, and haſt more then an ordinary meaſure of the Spirit, lift up thy prayer, let it be extraordinary, ſuch as may lift up the ſpirits of all to joyn with thee, higher then ever, ſuch as may lift up Jeruſalem out of miſery. So Jehoiaehin, when he was ſet up upon the throne to governe and to do great ſervice, it's ſaid, his head was lifted up, Jer. 52. and ſo in Pſal. 12.10. the lifting up of Gods hand notes doing of ſome great matter.
The next thing inquirable into, is the ſtanding of the living creatures and the wheels, when the one ſtood, the other ſtood; do the Angels ſtand ſtill at any time? they are active ſpirits, and alwayes in motion. Two things this ſtanding implies:
1. A ceſſation from any ſervice in hand, at the will and pleaſure of God, if he would call off the Angels from their imployments before they were finiſhed. In this ſenſe the Angels are ſaid to ſtand, and ſo the ſecond cauſes they uſed, although they were both imployed in ſome other ſervice: or,
2. When they had perfected any work in hand, then they were ſaid to ſtand, not idle, but in expectation of a new Commiſſion; like faithfull ſervants, when their work is done, preſent themſelves before their Maſter, and demand their pleaſure; ſo the Angels, and ſecond cauſes, hearken what God will ſay more, and what is the next word and work to be done, they wait upon God for new inſtructions.
Obſerv. 1. The motions of this inferiour world, and the ſecond cauſes in it, do depend upon higher cauſes, even heavenly motions, the miniſtery of Angels: The obſervation is plain from the words, When the living creatures went, the wheels went by them. If the Angels move, the wheels move alſo: they are great things the Angels have in their hands; the wheels of Nature, of States and Kingdomes, yea, of the Church it ſelf.
2. Nothing in the world is caſuall; many things ſeem ſo to us, but in veritate rei are not ſo; all things here below move at the motions of others; and that which is ordered by the motion of Angels or God himſelf, cannot be caſuall. The wheels are moved by Angels, Angels by God himſelf. God directs all; nothing happens, falls out amongſt us, wherein the hand of God or Angels is not; things are not accidentall: if a thing could drop from the heavens, or be done on earth without God and his Angels, that were caſuall and accidentall indeed. And becauſe men ſee not the immediate or remote cauſes of things, who they be move the wheels on earth, therefore they attribute effects, events and accidentall things to fortune, chance, luck, to good, to bad dayes and hours, which proclaims mens ignorance and forgetfulneſſe of God,Qui paratis menſam fortunae, Hier. Qui ponitis menſam fortunae, Vulg. Iſai. 65.11. Thoſe that forget God, prepared a table for that troop; for Fortune, ſome read it; but thoſe who know God, acknowledge his eye and hand, ſeeing and ordering all.
Auſtin miſſes his way, and ſo eſcapes the danger of death was intended: another being in a deſpairing humour, ſeeks a knife, a halter to undo himſelf, and findes a great treaſure: a third hath his ring drops off his finger into the Sea, and after finds it in the bowels of a fiſh. God ſo directs all theſe accidentall things, that there is nothing done but by a ſecret inſtinct and hint from himſelf,Abſconditum quid? and in all ſuch paſſages we ſhould mind ſomething of God.
3. That nothing can let the motion of the wheels when Angels and Providence would have them ſtir. When the living creatures moved, the wheels went preſently; it's not in the power of ſecond cauſes, of men or devils, to hinder the work of God in the hand of Angels. The King of Perſia may withſtand Gabriel 21. dayes together, Dan. 10.13. but the wheels moved all the time, Gabriel prevailed, and Gods work proſpered in his hand: wicked men make head againſt God, Providence, Angels, and think to ſtop the wheels when they move not on their ſide, but all is in vain; if a man ſhould catch hold of a Chariot, running to ſtop or turn the courſe of it, were it not folly or madneſſe in him? and becauſe he would be the Chariots remora, that may prove his ruin: ſo here, men and devils do ruine themſelves in oppoſing the wheels, which notwithſtanding all oppoſitions, proceed and keep their courſe. And let me tel you a riddle, Gods works go on through the hearts, heads and hands of his greateſt enemies, Providence fetches them in, and makes them ſubſervient to the worke; they oil the wheels, although they know it not, and forward the work, though againſt their wils. God in this kind makes uſe of kine and cart, men and devils, yea, any creature to carry his Ark to its place.
4. That God doth ſometimes raiſe the ſpirit of the creature to more then an ordinary heighth, and inables it to unwonted ſervice, The living creatures and wheels were lifted up. So Moſes, when called up to the mount, his ſpirit was raiſed much, elſe the ſervice had been too hot and hard for him. Joſhuah was advanced when it was told him, that there ſhould not any man ſtand before him all the dayes of his life, Joſh. 1.5. Jeremy tells the Jews, that the Chaldeans whom they thought would depart, and not meddle with their City, hee tels them, that though they had ſmitten the whole army of the Chaldeans, and that there remained but wounded men, yet they ſhould riſe up every man in his Tent, and burn the City with fire, Jer. 37.10. When men are wounded, thruſt thorow, as the Hebrew is, they can have but little ſtrength;foreign how ſhould they be able to do it? God would lift them up to that ſervice, as David when he grappled with the Bear and Lion, incountred with Goliah, had his ſpirit lifted up to a great heighth. Hence that in Zachary 12.8. H… that is feeble among you at that day, ſhall be as David, that is, ſuch a warrier as David, who, though a young ſtripling, ſlew a Bear, a Lion, and Goliah; and the houſe of David ſhall be as God, and as the Angel of the Lord. The godly, though weak, yet ſhall be lifted up to divine and Angelicall ſtrength; this was made good in the time of the Maccabees, when the people of God were weak, Antiochus fierce and vile, then God raiſed up the ſpirit of Judas, Jonathan, and Simeon, to do extraordinary things; this was alſo made good in the time of the Apoſtles: what great things did they do; and Paul ſaith, I can do all things through Chriſt that ſtrengtheneth me; what bitter things did they and others ſuffer? and it was not common ſtrength, but ſpeciall influence, Phil. 1. To you it is given, not onelyonly to believe, but alſo to ſuffer: Blandina's ſpirit was heighthned above the malice and torments of men, for having animated her children to ſuffer, and ſent them as conquerors to Chriſt their King, ſhee comes forth to ſuffer before the tormentors cheerfully,foreign Euſeb. lib. 5. as called to ſupper with Chriſt her husband, as one comes to a marriage ſupper, and after ſtripes, tearing with wilde beaſts, burnings, putting into a net, and toſſings by a Bull, being without ſenſe of torment by reaſon of her faith and conference ſhee had with Chriſt, at laſt they killed her with the ſword; and the enemies confeſſed, they never ſaw ſuch a woman, ſuffering ſuch things ſo couragiouſly and conſtantly. As ſometimes God ſuſpends the ordinary operation of the creature, the Lions mouths are ſhut, they touch not Daniel; the fire burnes not the three children: ſo, ſometimes hee lifts up and extends the operation and ſtrength of the creature to an extraordinary heighth; the winds, what vertue doth God put into them? how doth he raiſe them? what terrible work do they make at Sea and Land, tear Navies in pieces, ſink them in the deeps, and toſſe Ships out of the water upon the drie land? Ravens fed Elijah morning and evening, he goes in the ſtrength of a cake and a cruze of water forty dayes, 1 King. 19. God hath lifted up many in theſe dayes to do more then ordinary ſervice. Ezra. 1.5. God had raiſed their ſpirits to go up to build the houſe of the Lord, ſo Hag. 1.14.
5. That God at his pleaſure puts ſtands to the motions of the ſecond cauſes; the Angels ſtood, and the wheels ſtood, and this was by the over-ruling hand of God, that can ſtop the courſe of nature, any wheels or agents whatſoever. Joſh. 1….12, 13. God ſtaid the courſe of the Sunne and Moon, and made them ſtand ſtill the ſpace of a whole day; and hereupon ſome gather, that the ebbings and flowings of all Seas ceaſed. In Hezekiahs dayes the Sun went backward ten degrees; God ſtopt the courſe of the waters, and made them as ſteady as walls and mountains when the Iſraelites were to go through the red Sea; Doth not he ſhut up the wombs of thoſe are likely enough to be pregnant, and prevent generation? did not hee take off the wheels of Pharaohs Chariot? God can put a ſtand to the greateſt wheels, 1 King. 12.21. when an army of 180000. choſen men was brought into the field, to fight and fetch back the kingdome that was wheeled over to Jeroboam; ſee what a ſtand God put to that army, Verſ. 24. Yee ſhall not fight againſt your brethren, return every man to his habitation; they did ſo, and preſently that mighty army was diſarmed. The buying in of Impropriations, a work of great and good concernment, God put a ſtand to it. The undertaking for Ireland hath the wheel ſtopt, if not taken off; The motion of the wheels to the Iſle of Providence are ſtaied by the eye of providence; Are there not ſtands in our conſultations, and doth not God oft take wiſdome from the wiſe; and underſtanding from the prudent? are there not ſtands in our Millitary affaires? the mighty men do not alwayes finde their armes. Hath not God oft put a ſtand to the enterpriſe of our adverſaries? It's the Lord that hath hedged up their way with thornes, and walled a wall that they have not found their paths; and God hath hedged up our wayes, that we have not found our paths to a full and thorough reformation. This great wheel hath great ſtops; the children are come to the birth, but there is no ſtrength to bring forth: neither doth Gods work ceaſe, when hee makes ſtops: A man who is printing a Book, defers the Edition, becauſe he will make an Addition; if it be delayed it's inlarged, and that's no loſſe; ſtops of providence in the wheels of the world are Gods Parentheſes, and while they are writing, the work goes on.