Exposition of Ezekiel 1-5, Author to well-willers of truth – Introduction
To all Wel-willers of TRUTH; Eſpecially to the Authours and Fautors of the Expoſitory Lectures in this Citie.
IN moſt Arts and Sciences are difficulties, in Divinity are depths; Plato, Ariſtotle, Euclid, have their nodos, and the Scriptures have their foreign, in them are dark ſayings, Pſal. 78.2. Riddles, Ezek. 17.2 Parables, Matth. 13.35. Wonders, Pſal. 119 18. great things, Hoſ. 8.12. things hard to be uttered, Heb. 5.12. hard to be underſtood, 2 Pet. 3.16. Myſteries, Mat. 13.11. hidden & manifold Wiſdom, 1 Cor. 2.7. Epheſ. 3.10. the deep things of God, 1 Cor. 2.10. Much is in it that God hath intermixt the holy Scriptures with ſome difficulties. Hereby we are led up to conceive there be infinite depths in God, which eternity muſt take us up to ſtudy. They convince us of our incapacity of high things, Joh. 16.12. They prevent our undervaluing of divine Truth:foreign. fleſh and blood is very apt upon reading, and apprehenſion of eaſineſs to lay aſide choyce Workes; God hath therefore hid ſome truths under the rocks, laid them deepe, that ſo there might be digging and ſearching,Prov. 2.4. as for treaſures. Difficulties quicken and whet endeavours; ſloth is a great gulfe which hinders men from coming at the truth, and it made the Father fear,Ego vereor ne per nimiam negligentiam & ſtoliditatem cordis non ſolum velata ſint nobis divina volumina, ſed etiam ſignata Origen. In Verbo Dei abundat quod perfectus comedat, & quod parvulus ſugat, Falg. leſt thereby the Lords Book ſhould not only be ſhut, but alſo ſealed up. Ingenuous ſpirits, when they heare of hard things, ſtir livelily, and what they get by ſoreſt labour, is moſt precious. The rocky and knotty things in the Prophets and Apoſtles, ſuffice to exerciſe the greateſt abilities and graces which are ſeated in humane nature; they keepe mens thoughts from ſwelling into a conceit of omniſciency; they make us long to be where wee ſhall know as we are known, 1 Cor. 13.12. and in the mean time, to pray with David, Open thou our eyes,Sine Deo, impoſſibile eſt diſcere Deum, Iren. that wee may ſee the wonders of thy Law; hard things drave David to the Lord, he knew, that without God hee could not underſtand the things of God, whoſe glory it is, both to conceale and reveale a thing, Prov. 25.2. Mat. 16.17. Many have ſued to God for further diſcovery of his minde, and have attempted to help us in Scripture difficulties: but all dark things are not yet cleared, nor all depths yet ſounded; To this day a vaile is upon the heart of the Jewes in reading the old Teſtament, 2 Cor. 3.14, 15. and ſurely, the vaile is not fully removed from the hearts of us Chriſtians, we have ſeen very dimly into ſundry things, not only of Paul, Peter and John, but of Moſes and the Prophets, eſpecially of this Prophet Ezekiel, who hath therefore been paſt over, both by Writers and Readers, as dark, difficult, and leſſe uſefull. Robert Stephen mentions one,Reſponſ. ad cenſu. Theol. Pariſ. in praef. and that a Sorboniſt, who had liv'd above fifty yeeres, and knew not what the new Teſtament meant; and have not ſundry perſons among us, lived their fifty yeeres, and not known what Ezekiel meant? Hath he not been a Book claſped and ſealed unto them? If this Hieroglyphicall Prophet have been a wonder to all for his Viſions, yet he hath been known to few, by reaſon of the abſtruſeneſſe of his Viſions, which have kept off great Rabbies from imploying their talents to open them. If weakneſſe and error be found in theſe poore labours of mine, J intreat you to remember, J have beene among propheticall deepes and difficulties, which may plead for him who knowing his own inſufficiencies, came invita Minerva to this taske. If any light appeare for the better underſtanding of theſe aenigmaticall things; I muſt ſay with Daniel, There is a God in Heaven which revealeth myſteries, to him be all the glory. My prayers ſhall be to him inlightneth every man which commeth into the world,Dan. 2. that he would anoint your eyes with eye ſalve, whereby you may daily ſee more into the great and glorious truths of God and thoſe things which may ſtrongly make for your eternall peace and comfort. So prayeth
Your Friend and Servant in the Lord, W. G.
The Introduction to the Work.
ALL Scripture being the breath of Gods Spirit, 2 Pet. 1.21. 2 Tim. 3.16. none can be Judge or Expounder of it but the ſame Spirit. Men are only Indices veritatis, they cannot bring a ſenſe, but ſhew you what is the ſenſe of Scripture. Thoſe are called to be Expoſitors, muſt not fetch ſenſes ab extra, but take what is in the bowels of the Text, and hold forth unto others. A work which requires ability, wiſdome, diligence, and faithfulneſs: Ability to inquire into the originalls; wiſdome to compare Scriptures, conſider circumſtances, and to diſcerne the verity, ſpirituality and propriety of Texts and Phraſes; diligence to dig and ſearch after truth, which lieth deep, and hid; faithfulneſs to give out Truths being found, with their own luſtre, not humane tincture. Whoſoever doth thus, ſhall purchaſe favour in Heaven, if not eſteem on earth. Expoſitory work is ancient and honourable; Ancient as Nehemiahs time, Chap. 8.8. the Levites gave the ſenſe of the Law, they expounded it. In thoſe dayes the Jewes had their Peruſhim, Interpreters, which was above five hundred yeers before Chriſt: what wayes they interpreted Scripture,Helvicus. you may reade in Shindl. Pentagl. page 1491. and in Weems his Chriſtian Synagogue, 2 book, chap. 1. pag. 221. It's alſo Honourable; for the Lord Chriſt was an Expoſitor, Mark. 4.34. hee expounded all things,foreign. Luke 24.27. hee interpreted; and verſ. 32. hee opened the Scriptures. Paul alſo was an Expoſitor, Act. 28.23. he expounded. This work being ſo ancient and honourable, let it finde the more acceptance with you.
Some would have Expoſitors only give the literall ſenſe without obſervation or application of any thing: if all people could propheſie, were skilfull in Scriptures, as Ezra, mighty, as Apollo, I could like it. But becauſe many truths lie ſo deep, and ſo cloſely couch'd, as all cannot eaſily diſcern or extract them, it is neceſſary to give the ſenſe, and draw forth points obſervable, yet with a brievous perſpicuity and perſpicuous brevity. The literall ſenſe may be ſtrong meat for ſome, when obſervations may be milk for others. That courſe ſhall I take, and ſo I come to the Title.