Exposition of Ezekiel 1-5, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 2 · Verse 4
VER. 4.
For yee are impudent children, and ſtiff-hearted.
THe words, impudent children, are in the Hebrew, duri faciebus, hard of face, their faces were ſo hard, that reproof and reproach would not make them bluſh; and therefore it's rendred impudent; without ſhame, without bluſhing: the face is the ſeat of ſhame; and when men ſin, and are told of it, or conceive others know it, their faces are oft fill'd with ſhame; and it's hard for one guiltie to keep ſhame out of his face; it's hard not to be a traitor to himſelf; but theſe were paſt ſhame, they had the forehead of an Harlot; they ſinned, and were not aſham'd. Jer. 6.15. Were they aſhamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all aſhamed, neither could they bluſh.
Stiff-hearted.
Robuſti corde, ſtrong in heart, or of heart; ſtrong with a ſinfull ſtrength, with ſtubbornneſſe againſt God: there is a naturall ſtiffneſſe in men, which they inherite from their forefathers, and bring into the world; and there is a contracted ſtiffneſſe, gotten by continuance in ſin; both theſe were in this people, and the principle of ſtubbornneſſe was not broken, but ſtrengthened; ſo that no threatnings did make them feare, no blows did make them yeeld; but being ſtubborn they rebell'd all; no promiſes, kindneſſes did melt them; this ſin had been in them even from Moſes time, Mat. 19.8. Moſes, becauſe of the hardneſſe of your hearts, ſuffered you to put away your wives: The tender love of a wife could not prevail with them.
Obſerv. 1. That progreſſe in ſin makes impudent; the originall is, and are impudent; they ſin to this day, and are impudent, or hard of face: the beginnings of ſin are modeſt, but progreſſe in ſin is ſhameleſſe; in a Harlot is firſt wanton thoughts, then wanton looks, after waiting for opportunities, and here yet may be bluſhing; but when it comes to that in Prov. 7.13. ſhe caught him, ſhee kiſſed him, then it's come to ſhameleſneſſe,Erubeſcentia eſt fuga rei indecentis. Impudence is the contrary: ſin is the moſt indecent thing, & maxime crubeſcibile; we bluſh at the nakedneſſe of our bodies, not at ſinne, which made the nakedneſſe of the body ſhamefull. Quantum diſplicet Deo immunditia peccati, in tantum placet Deo crubeſcentia poeniten…is, Bernard. and therefore it followes, with an impudent face ſhee ſaid, I have peace-offerings, I have paid my vowes, God hath had his due, and now my fleſh muſt have its due, I have deckt my bed, come, let us take our fill of love: The Hebrew for impudent is, ſhe ſtrengthened her face; it was ſtrengthned againſt modeſtie and ſhame; for progreſſe in ſin had made her ſhameleſſe of ſin: and ſo the Prophet ſpeaks of the Jewes, Jer. 3.3. Thou haſt a whores fore-head, thou refuſeſt to be aſhamed, Judah was ſo impudent, that ſhee ſcorned to bluſh, Jer. 8.12. Were they aſhamed when they committed abomination? I looked for it, but they were not aſhamed at all, neither could they bluſh; O what a condition doth ſin bring to! Monica the mother of Auſtin, at firſt ſipped a little wine, after dranke off a little more, in time whole cups, and at laſt it came to drunkenneſſe, and ſo to impudencie: when the Calves were firſt mentioned in Iſrael, the people trembled at it, but afterwards they could kiſſe Calves, and ſacrifice to Baal, Hoſ. 13.1. and out-ſtand the threats of the Prophet. Sin baniſheth ſhame from its habitation; ſo that the ſinner and ſhame are diſacquainted: Pſal. 52.1. Why boaſteſt thou thy ſelfe in miſchief, O mighty man? Doeg boaſteth of his bloodineſſe, that hee had kill'd the Prieſts at the command of Saul; Zeph. 3.5. The unjuſt knoweth no ſhame. Though men foam out their ſhame, Jude 13. and glory in their ſhame, Phil. 3.19. yet they will know no ſhame: It's an exceeding evill to be paſt ſhame, to be impudent in ſinning; if ever God ſhew merciemercy to ſuch ſinners, they muſt be aſhamed; What fruit had you in thoſe things, whereof now yee are aſhamed? Rom. 6.21. yee were impudent in committing, but now yee are aſhamed in confeſſing and remembring of them.
2. That where there is an impudent face, there is a hard ſtiffe heart; if the heart were not ſtony before God, the face would not be impudent before man; Act. 7.51. Yee ſtiff-necked, and uncircumciſed in heart, there was brawniſhneſſe within, and impudency without; and a hard heart is one of the greateſt evills; Mercies prevail not, what mercies had they in the Wilderneſſe, in Canaan; and yet they did not move them? Miracles will not do it; when they took Chriſt, hee ſaid, I am hee, and they all fell backward to the ground, after this, Peter cuts off Malchus his ear; Chriſt heals it: here were two miracles, yet they did no good upon their hard hearts; they went on, laid hands on Chriſt, who wrought the miracles, bound him as a malefactor, and thought to make him ſure for doing any more miracles. Pharaoh ſaw ten miracles; the Iſraelites woar a miracle about them; fortie yeers their clothes, and ſhoes ware not out, they were new at fortie yeers end, yet theſe wrought not upon their hard hearts.Pliny tels of a river in Lucania, that turns leaves and ſticks into ſtones. It is not faſting and prayer will do it, many are hardened in them; There be waters, that what ever is caſt in, they turn into ſtone; and ſome mens hearts grow ſtonie in what ever Ordinances they are. A hard heart is a grievous diſeaſe, worſe then the ſtone in the reins or bladder: It was Nabals diſeaſe and death, and moſt men are ſick and die of that diſeaſe.
3. That God ſends his Prophets and Miniſters about hard ſervices, ſuch as are full of diſcouragements; when they are look'd upon with a carnall eye: Ezekiel had preſently to object, Lord, wilt thou ſend mee to a people that is impudent? I ſhall never make them bluſh; to a people hard-hearted? I ſhall never make impreſſion on their ſpirits, by any truths I ſhall preach unto them, my labour will be in vain; are they a rebellious nation? do they rebell againſt thee? and will they not much more rebell againſt me? this is a hard task; if thou regard'ſt not me, yet regard thy truths, What, ſhall they be caſt away about ſuch a people as this? O ſpare me, and ſpare thy truths: No, ſaith God, I ſend thee unto them, and thou ſhalt ſpeak unto them; they are hard tasks that God puts his ſervants upon; Iſaiah was called to a hard ſervice Chap. 6.9, 10. to preach ruine and deſtruction to a people, and ſo unwelcome he was, that he ſaith, Chap. 8.18. I am for a ſigne and wonder in Iſrael: Jeremiah is ſet over nations and kingdomes to root out,Quid eſt praed care, niſi furorem populi in ſe derivare? Luth. to pull down and to deſtroy, Chap. 1.10. the Kings of Judah, the Princes, Prieſts, and People he was to deal withall; and Verſ. 19. it's ſaid, They ſhall fight againſt thee. Preaching provokes all ſorts of men; and ſo hard did Jeremiah find his work, although God promiſed to be with him, he was ſo derided, ſaw ſo little good come of his labours, that he reſolved to lay down his Calling, and to ſpeak no more in the name of the Lord, Jer. 20.9. Knox, when called to preach, he burſt forth into an abundance of tears, and ſo withdrew himſelf to his chamber, and was full of grief, and troubled, till he was compell'd to preach. Preaching is a warring, 2 Tim. 2.4. and Preachers are ſouldiers; hence Paul calls Timothy, a good ſouldier of Chriſt; and when we come to ſpoil and plunder people of their goods, their luſts, wills, humours, opinions, and to take away their ſtrong holds, their carnall reaſoning againſt Chriſt in the Goſpel, and wayes of God; they are in a rage, take up arms againſt us. Paul fought with Beaſts at Epheſus, 1 Cor. 15.32. and they gored him, and ſought his death: The Galatians that would have at firſt pull'd out their eyes for Paul, thruſt out their tongues againſt Paul; hee was their enemy, becauſe hee told them the truth; thoſe cryed Hoſannah a little before, were ready to cry Crucifie, crucifie; hardly a Prophet or an Apoſtle, but ſuffered by the hands of their hearers.
4. Miniſters ſhould not ſo much look at the perſons they are ſent to, or the event of their miniſterie, as at their Call: I ſend thee, ſaith God, look thou to that, trouble not thy ſelf at the perſons that are ſo wicked, nor at the ſucceſſe of thy miniſterie, but conſider I have call'd and ſent thee; Gods will and command muſt content us, ſupport us: what if wee be ſcoffed at, reviled, made the off-ſcouring and filth of the world, yet here is the comfort of a true Prophet, of a true Miniſter, Chriſt ſent him, and hee that ſet him awork will pay him his wages, whether they heare or heare not to whom hee is ſent; the Nurſe hath her wages, whether the childe live or die; and wee are a ſweet ſavour of Chriſt unto God in them that are ſaved, and in them that periſh: 2 Cor. 2.15. The ſouldier hath his reſpect and reward, whether hee kill men or take them alive; and wee are acceptable unto God as well in the deaths as the lives of men. This conſideration comforted Iſaiah, Chap. 49.4, 5. I have laboured in vain, I have ſpent my ſtrength for nought; yet ſurely my judgement is with the Lord, and my work with my God; and though Iſrael be not gathered, yet ſhall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God ſhall be my ſtrength: Hee would look at God, and not at the difficulty of the work, or diſcouragements from men, and want of ſucceſſe; ſometimes God gives large incouragement, promiſes hope, ſucceſſe, providing for our infirmities, at other times bare a commiſſion and command muſt ſuffice, to do that would make ones heart ake; it's his prerogative to ſend whom he will, and upon what ſervice he will. Let us lay aſide all diſcouraging thoughts, look to our Call, reſt in Gods will, and know it's honour to be in his ſervice, though nothing come of it, wee are acceptable to him, if not to men, and ſhall finde a reward in heaven, if none on earth.
5. That thoſe are ſent of God muſt deliver, not their own, but Gods meſſage; and thou ſhalt ſay unto them, Thus ſaith the Lord God: a Prophet is os Dei; and it's great honour to him, that the great God will ſpeak by his tongue; Thou ſhalt be as my mouth, Jer. 15.19. So Jeremy had Gods words put in his mouth, Chap. 1.9. and thoſe hee muſt ſpeak, not his own words, what God commanded that he muſt ſpeak, and not what himſelf fancied. When a man comes furniſhed with the word of God, then hee comes as a man of God, with authority and power; this made the Apoſtle ſay, our weapons are not carnall, not the words of mans wiſdome, but the Oracles of God, which are mighty through God, Acts 20. he delivered the whole counſell of God, and not his own.