Exposition of Ezekiel 1-5, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 1 · Verse 4
VERS. 4.
And I looked, and behold a whirlwinde came out of the North, a great Cloud, and a fire infolding it ſelfe, and a brightneſſe was about it, and out of the middeſt thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
A fire infolding it ſelfe, &c.
A Fire infolding it ſelf: or, as the Hebrew word is,foreign Ignis ſe involvens, Mont. a fire that doth put forth it ſelf, and receive it ſelf into it ſelf; like unto a wave of the Sea that riſeth high, and falleth into it ſelf again: or as in an Houſe on fire, the fire breaks forth ſtrongly, and the flame returns into it ſelf preſently. The Septuag. render it bright ſhining fire, wch comes out of a cloud, viz. lightning;Ignis fulguraens. and how ever ſome think it not to be meant of the lightning, becauſe lightning goeth ſtraight forth, and never returneth, according to that, Mat. 24.27. The lightning cometh out of the E…ſt, and ſhineth even unto the Weſt, and ſo doth not infold it ſelf; yet we have Scripture to confute this conceit: Exod. 9.24. there was fire mingled with the hail,foreign the ſame word in the originall, fire that doth infold it ſelf: And they that curiouſly obſerve the lightning, may find that it doth oftentimes return into it ſelf, and paſſe (as it were) as a ball in the aire, or as wound up into a Globe. But this reacheth not the meaning yet in the Text, A fire infolding it ſelf: Zanchius thinks it rather a fierie globe which remov'd in the cloud, and like Cabbage leaves grow up into themſelves, and infolding, make a Globe; ſo the flames of this fire turned into themſelves, and became a globe; and it's probable to be this, becauſe it's ſaid, there was a brightneſs round about it, the fiery globe within begat that circular brightneſſe, which lightning being tranſparent could not do; and the rather it's thought to be this then lightning, becauſe the colour is ſaid to be as the colour of amber, whereas if it had been lightning, that is tranſient, and the colour hardly obſervable; therefore it ſhould ſeem to be ſome fixed thing; I conceive it to be vapours in the clouds, kindling and burning into themſelves, the flame turning inward, and making a globe;Ignis ſe accendens, Shindl. and thus I find it expounded, A fire kindling it ſelf: and ſo it is moſt naturall to the cloud to have vapours in it, which fire and kindle themſelves, and burn into the form of a globe. Now what is meant by this fire infolding it ſelf, or this fiery globe, is very doubtfull; they that come neereſt to the truth, take it to be the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar, or rather the wrath of God in uſing Nebuchadnezzar to burn the City and Temple; but with ſubmiſſion to the judgement of the learned and godly, I take the fire to be meant of ſin, the ſins of Prince and people, Prieſts and Prophets did kindle and involve them in the fire their own ſins took hold of and conſumed them. Prov. 5.28. His own iniquities ſhall take the wicked himſelf, and he ſhall be holden with the cords of his own ſin: A mans ſins will turn upon him, take hold of him and bind him; and ſo here Jeruſalems ſins kindle upon her ſelf, take hold of her and burn her: ſin we find in Scripture cometh up to the nature of fire. Prov. 16.27. In the lips of the ungodly there is a burning fire; and it's likened to fire, becauſe of the deſtructive nature; whatſoever fire takes hold of, it conſumeth; and ſo doth ſin: Job 5.2. Wrath killeth the fooliſh man, and envy ſlayeth the ſilly one: and Prov. 1.32. The turning away of the ſimple ſhall ſlay them. So then Jeruſalems ſins, the ſins of Kings and Nobles, the ſins of Prophet, Prieſt and people, are here to be underſtood by this fire infolding it ſelf, which drew the wrath of God into Jeruſalem, and ſo kindled, fired, and conſumed them all.
From hence note, that the cauſe of Kingdomes, Cities, Prince and peoples ruine is in themſelves, their own ſins are the fire infolding: Hoſ. 13.9. O Jeruſalem, thou haſt deſtroyed thy ſelf, thou art the cauſe of thine own ſpoil and captivity, thou haſt ſet up the Calves, worſhipped them, and they bleat ſo againſt thee, that they have undone thee. Iſraels ſin was Iſraels deſtruction; and ſo Jeruſalems, it was not the whirlewind, nor the cloud; not Nebuchadnezzar or his army, that could have made one breach upon Jeruſalems, or led one ſoul into captivity, if there had not been ſin amongſt them, it was their own ſin which kindled divine wrath, and brought in their deſtruction, otherwiſe they had been ſafe enough; Jeruſalem might have ſtood to this, been as great and glorious as ever. The principles of our mine are in our ſelves: Iron breeds the ruſt, garments the moths which devour them. The ill humors in a mans body, fire and conſume the houſe by a burning feaver; children breed the worms which bring them to their graves; and States the ſins which bring them to their ends; where ſin is bred and countenanced, it proves conſumptio totius, families, cities, kingdomes go down where ſin goes up. Let not kingdoms therfore blame God or others, but let them and all ſay, The root of the evill is in our ſelves, we ſhould never be laid waſt, if we were true to God, faithfull and cloſe to the rule; if we did not ſin, there would be no fire to conſume us and ours.
A brightneſſe was about it.
There being a Globe of fire within, it ſent forth beams which produced an anſwerable brightneſſe; which brightneſſe (the cloud being thick and dark of it ſelf) was a window to let in the Prophets eye to ſee what was in the cloud.
By this brightneſſe is ſhadowed out unto us, the terrible Majeſty and glory of divine preſence, putting it ſelf forth in the puniſhment of ſinners: As fire begets a ſplendor round about where it is; ſo do the judgements of God ſet out to the world his glory, juſtice, holineſſe. Pſal. 9.16. The glory of his judgement in puniſhing ill doers, is a ſolid, conſtant, ſpreading glory, as that brightneſſe was not flaſhie in the cloud, occaſioned by the lightning, but fixt certain, and on every ſide.
The note hence is, that execution of juſtice upon delinquents makes God and Magiſtrates glorious; there was a bright ſplendor in the cloud, Exod. 15.6. upon the deſtruction of Pharaoh and his army in the red Sea, it's ſaid, Thy right hand, O God, is become glorious in power, thy right hand, O God, hath daſhed in pieces the enemy, and in the greatneſſe of thine excellency thou haſt overthrown them that roſe up againſt thee. This act of juſtice was a glorious and powerfull work; ſo when God deſtroyed the Bethſhemites, 1 Sam. 6.20. Who is able to ſtand before this holy God, ſay they? The holineſſe of Gods juſtice and power ſhine ſo clearly in the world, that they dazle mens eyes and hearts, and makes them tremble before God: when Phinehas executed juſtice, how honourable was he in the hearts of the godly? what a great and glorious reward did he get by it? Never was Solomon more honourable then when he executed juſtice between the two Harlots, and called for the ſword to decide the controverſie; our Magiſtrates are clothed with ſcarlet, and they may think that makes them honourable, but their robes never bring true honour to them if juſtice be not done: one act of juſtice executed upon delinquents makes them more honourable then all the ſcarlet robes in the world. How glorious and dreadfull was the Parliament,Strafford. when that great man fell in Iſrael! And if juſtice were executed upon delinquents, and they had their due, we ſhould be glorious in power, dreadfull to nations, terrible to our enemies, they would ſay, Who is able to ſtand before the God of this Parliament? before the God of this kingdome?
Out of the middeſt thereof as of the colour of amber.
That is, out of the middeſt of the fire, not out of the middeſt of the wind,foreign or out of the middeſt of the cloud. The Hebrew word for Amber, is a word that is found no where elſe in all the Scripture but in this Prophet, and but twice more, viz. at the 27th. verſe of this Chapter, and at the ſecond verſe of the 8th. Chapter. Rabbi Iarchi confeſſeth hee knoweth not what the meaning of this word is; another Rabbi ſaith it was the name of an Angel, who inſtructed Ezekiel. The Septuagint, Jerome, and divers others tranſlate it Electrum, amber; and becauſe here is mention of the colour of Amber, we muſt inquire what Amber this was. There be divers kindes of Amber; one ſort of Amber is called Succinum, Succinum quarundas arborum ſ… cus.which is the juice of certain trees, the gum of Pine trees, which being hardened by the aire, is yellow and bright; that is white and duskiſh is baſtard Amber.
A ſecond ſort of Amber is a liquid ſubſtance which flowes from the Sea rock, and about the Sea ſhoares, and being hardened by the aire, winds and water floats up and down upon the Sea, eſpecially about Florida, and other Indian ſhoars, and it is of a honyiſh and waxie colour.
The third kinde of Amber is metallicall, made of metalls, and thoſe more precious then gold, as Jerome, inferiour to it, as Zanchius ſaith. This Amber is compounded of gold and ſhining ſilver, is very precious, and of great uſe. But beſides this, there is yet another metallicall Amber, called Aurick…lcum, the choiſeſt and pureſt Braſſe, and this is thought to be t… Chaſmal or Amber here mentioned, according to that, Rev. 1.15. His feet were like to fine braſſe, as if it had burned in a fiery furnace. Braſſe doth moſt needy reſemble fire. The colour of Amber here is a fiery colour, and ſurely this is neer the truth; but yet it cometh not up fully to the nature of the word here: for I do not finde amongſt thoſe that ſearch into the nature of words, that this word Chaſmal is interpreted Amber, as the learned obſerve,Prunam ardentiſsimam, or, ſumme ignitam. it ſignifies a coal that is fired moſt intenſively; a coal that hath the utmoſt heat it's capable of, ſo hot, that preſently it burneth any thing it toucheth: ſuch coals are more red and lively then others, and it comes neereſt to the nature of the word to render it,foreign quaſi foreign feſt…nant…r excidens conſumens. Color inſignis, Calv. as the colour of a burning coal. Hence Junius and Tremelius render the word, Color vividiſſimus, the moſt lively colour; for nothing hath a more lively colour then hot coals, or fine Braſſe burning in the fire: either of which, you may take, but I rather cleave to that of burning coals, which being in the midſt of the fire, might ſo ſparkle and ſhine, as to dazle the eyes: and whether Chaſmal in this place, were not more fitly rendred, as the colour of burning braſs, or of a burning coal, then as the colour of Amber, I leave to conſideration.
Now what is meant by this Amber or coal, there is great diſpute; ſome underſtand by it Chriſt, becauſe he is more precious then Amber, more lively then any burning coal whatſoever. But we muſt lay this ſenſe aſide, becauſe there is a Viſion of Chriſt in the latter end of the Chapter. The ſoundeſt Expoſitors by Chaſmal, leade us to ſome inferiour to Chriſt, viz. the Angels, who are called Seraphims, Animalia ignea, as Kimchi hath it; of Saraph, to burne, and Seraphims are fiery burning creatures, Iſa. 6.2. About it ſtood the Seraphims, that is, the fiery burning Angels; anſwerable to the Chaſmal or burning coales here. So in Iudges 13.20. an Angel went up to heaven in a flame of fire, that element was moſt ſutable to Seraphicall and Angelicall nature. 2 King. 6.17. There were horſes and chariots of fire round about Eliſha, and Angels were in thoſe chariots. They are likened to fire, becauſe of their ardent and burning zeale to doe the will of God, Pſal. 103.20.
For the word [Colour] the colour of amber, in the Hebrew it is, the eye of amber, the organ is put for the object: ſo you have it uſed, Numb. 11.7. The colour of it was as the colour of Bdelium; the Hebrew is, the eye of it was as the eye of Bdelium.
Now having given you the meaning of Chaſmal, viz. that he ſaw Angels of fiery colour, like to hot burning coales, ſo intenſe and zealous that they were ready to doe and execute whatſoever God would have done;
Note hence;
1. That heavenly things are ſo tranſcendent, and we ſo weake, that we can comprehend or receive very little of them. They muſt be preſented in things beneath their excellency, to make us capable of a little of them.Per corporales oſtenſiones incorporearum percipimus notitiam. Prad. God muſt manifeſt his minde here by winds, clouds, by brightneſſe of a cloud, by a fire infolding, by burning coales, that ſo we may take up a little of the minde of God. Joh. 3.12. ſaith Chriſt to Nicodemus, If I have ſpoken to thee of earthly things, and thou doeſt not underſtand them, how wilt thou underſtand if I ſpeake unto thee of heavenly things? Nicodemus a Doctor in Iſrael, did not apprehend the doctrine of regeneration, when expreſſed in his owne Dialect: had Chriſt ſpoken of the great things of the kingdome of heaven in their own nature, how could he or any of us have underſtood? Here wee ſee darkly and as in a glaſſe. God is pleaſed to goe in the way of man with us, to condeſcend to our capacities, and to preſent heavenly things in Hieroglyphicks, winds, clouds, fire and coales, that ſo we may have a little apprehenſion of the nature of thoſe things.
2. That heavenly Spirits are moſt pure and lively. So much the word Chaſmal leads us unto; it noteth coales that have no darkneſſe, no ſmoake in them, that are altogether fiery, and ſo lively as that they cannot be more lively. Such is God, he is light, and no darkneſſe, he is more lively then all the world beſide. He is Actus puriſſimus, all his actions exceed our apprehenſions. Such are Angels, they are pure and lively creatures, Heb. 1.7. Angels are Spirits for their puritie, and flames of fire for their activitie and zeale. Rev. 15.6.Sunt luminaria clariſsima, ſpecula pura, quantum poſſibile eſt ſumma luci ſimillima. Dionyſius. the ſeven Angels are clothed in pure and white linnen, and their breaſt girded with golden girdles: pure linnen they have and golden girdles, no ſpot in the linnen, no droſſe in the gold; to ſet out their puritie: and girt they are, to ſhew their readineſſe and zeale to doe the will of God: they are as burning lively coales, that if God doe but ſpeake the word, they run, they flie. But of this more hereafter.