Exposition of Ezekiel 6-13, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 11 · Verse 19 · Textual commentary 4 – Textual commentary 5
Inducements to One-heartedneſſe, are theſe:
1. That great Apoſtle Paul ſaith to the Epheſ. Chap. 4.3, 4, 5, 6. Endeavour to keep the unity of the ſpirit: And why? There is one body, one ſpirit, one hope, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptiſme, one God and Father of all: Here be ſeven ones, and every one a ſtrong argument to move to unity and one-heartedneſſe: One body orderly united; they were one body, Propter externam viſibilem, & ordinalem conjunctionem, quam in Eccleſia ſua habebant tanquam membra in corpore. Eſtius: One ſpirit, which inliven…, inlightens, ſtrengthens, ſanctifies, comforts; and this ſpirit is not contrary to it ſelfe, but one and the ſame, a ſpirit of love and peace; one hope among you of immortality, glory, and eternall excellencies: one Lord Chriſt who rules over you, whoſe ſervants you are; one Faith, one Chriſt, that you beleeve in, one rule that you walke by: one Baptiſme, you are all baptized in the Name of the Father, Sonne, and holy Ghoſt, one God and Father, there is but one God whom yee ſerve, and he is the Father, you are his Children in his Family; will you fall out? if you were of diverſe Families, had diverſe Fathers, diverſe Gods, that might be excuſable.
2. Chriſt hath taken our nature upon him, and as to unite Man and God together, ſo to unite Man and Man together in himſelfe: Hence Gal. 3.28. Yee are all one in Chriſt Jeſus: and Rom. 8.17. Joynt-heires with Chriſt: and Epheſ. 2.6. Sayd to ſit together in heavenly places in Chriſt Jeſus: This ſhould move us to live and love, as thoſe have ſuch high priviledges by Chriſt; and its obſerved, Chriſt being united to us, beares with more in us, then we can with one another; when we are in that condition as we can endure one another no longer, I meane dead, and muſt be buried out of the ſight of the living, Chriſt then is united to our corrupt bodyes; when Lazarus lay ſtincking in the grave, Chriſt lov'd him.
3. If you love them be of your owne opinion onelyonly, and love you, what doe you more then others, then Phariſees, then Publicans, Matth. 5.46. If you love them which love you, what reward have yee? doe not even Publicans, the worſt of men, the ſame? and if you ſalute your Brethren onelyonly, what doe you more then others? Publicans doe it, all ſorts will doe that, and know, if you be one with men, and love them becauſe they are of your opinion, it is the opinion, and not the men you love; if of another opinion, then you cannot cloſe with them and love them, but Chriſt would have you doe more then others, more then Publicans, he would have you Love your enemies, bleſſe them that curſe you, doe good to them that hate you, and pray for them that deſpitefully uſe you and perſecute you: Why can you not love men have the ſame graces with you, as well as the ſame opionions with you?
4. Its the fulfilling of a Propheſie, Iſa. 11, 6, 7, 8, 9. By Wolfe, Leopard, Lyon, Bear…, and Aſpe, are meant, Frenzie, Cholerick, Strong, Rigid, and Hurtfull men; by Lamb, Kid, Calfe, Cow, and Oxe, the weake, meek, laborious, and uſefull; and theſe ſhould dwell together, eate together, and lye downe together; their natures ſhould be ſo altered by the Goſpell and ſpirit of Chriſt, that the fierceſt ſhould be as meek as a Lambe, and live in peace with the reſt of the Beleevers, they ſhould come to the ſtate of innocency, in which no creature ſhould have preyed upon another, but all have lived harmoniouſly and ſweetly together; ſo ſhould it be under Chriſt, Verſ. 9. They ſhall not hurt nor deſtroy in all my holy Mountaine, there ſhall be no hurting nor deſtroying in the whole Church. The Jewes becauſe they ſee not this fulfill'd among us Chriſtians, take offence, and ſay, that therefore Chriſt is not yet come; that our Chriſt was not the true Chriſt; for yet the Lyon teares, the Wolfe devoures, &c. A ſad thing to cauſe Jewes to deny Chriſt, and to blaſpheme, becauſe we are like Lyons, Bears, Wolves to one another. Let us remember the Propheſie in Z…ph. 3.9.
5. Conſider what oneneſſe of ſpirit is amongſt the enemies of God.
1. Devills; Seven Devills dwelt together peaceably in Mary Magdalen, Mark 16.9. a Legion in another, Luke 8.30. The man was unquiet, but the Devils were very quiet in him; though hundreds yet there was no diſſention: The Devils Kingdome is an undivided Kingdome, Matth. 12.26. and all the Devills in the World drive on the ſame deſigne unanimouſly, they all ſeek to hinder the converſion, comfort, and ſalvation of ſinners, they all labour to draw men to perdition.
2. Wicked men, Mahumetans are of one heart in their Mahumetaniſme: Papiſts, what a multitude of Orders & differences among them, & yet all are onehearted in popery & ſuperſtition, Revel. 13.3, All the World wondred after the Beaſt, and worſhipped the Dragon and the Beaſt: Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles, and people of Iſrael, were gathered together againſt Chriſt, Acts 4.27. And when they built Babel the people were one, Gen. 11.6. Read Pſal. 83. from the 3. to the 9. ſhall wicked men and Devils be one hearted, one ſpirited, in ſinfull practices, in falſe wayes, and ſhall not thoſe be godly?
6. Where oneneſſe is not, there will be diviſions and offences, as amongſt the Corinthians, they were the moſt divided Church we read of, and their offences did moſt abound: and how ſad it is to offend any belong to Chriſt, heare Chriſt himſelfe telling you, Matth. 18.6. Who ſo ſhall offend one of theſe little ones, which beleeves in me, it were better for him that a Milſtone were hanged about his necke, and that he were drowned in the depth of the Sea: So hainous a thing is it in the eye of God, that a man were better dye any death then offend the godly, the meaneſt of the godly, what then if he offend the greateſt and moſt of the godly; it were better a great Milſtone were hanged about his neck, and he, &c. foreign, ſuch a ſtone as Aſſes and Horſes drew, a great Milſtone.
7. The Lord Chriſt may owne them at laſt day, for ſheep, whom you looke upon and carry your ſelves towards like goats, and thoſe he may judge ſound ſheep, you have judg'd infected: and what ſhame will that be to theſe, have ſo fowly miſtaken; the Phariſees thought themſelves skilfull in the law, and judg'd the people curſed that followed Chriſt cloſeſt, Job. 7.49. but thoſe People were dear to Chriſt. When the blind man ſaw, and ſaw more then the Phariſees, they caſt him out, but Chriſt received him, Joh. 9. So, many that now are caſt out, as factious, ſeditious, erroneous, ſchiſmaticall, ere long Chriſt will owne; and then how will they bluſh have reproached them, perſecuted them, judg'd them unworthy of any liberty or being amongſt them: God takes the fooliſh to confound the wiſe, the weake to confound the mighty, the baſe, deſpiſed, and things which are not, to bring to nought things which are: 1 Cor. 1.27.28.
8. Where unity is amongſt the Saints, there the preſence of the Lord Chriſt is, Matth. 18.20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midſt of them, Where there is moſt unitie there God delights moſt to be: Jeruſalem was as a City compact together, Pſal. 122.3. had Gods preſence in a ſpeciall manner, and it repreſented the Church under the Goſpell, which when its fitly framed together then its an habitation for God, Epheſ. 2, 21.22. The Curtaines of the Tabernacle where God was preſent muſt be coupled together, Exod. 26.3. The hearts of men muſt bee knit together, if they would have God and Chriſt among them. The Jewes affi me, that where two ſit together (that is agreed having one heart) and ſpeake of the law, divinitas habitat inter ipſos.
I ſhall end this poynt, with that of Paul. Phil. 2.1.2. If there be therefore any conſolation in Chriſt, if any comfort of love, if any fellowſhip of the ſpirit, if any bowells and mercies, fullfill yee my joy, that yee be like minded, having the ſame love, being of one accord, of one minde.
Obſer. 3 This one heartedneſſe is the gift of God, not the worke of man, I will give them one heart, they cannot make their hearts one, but I can, its a worke not to be accompliſhed by force of man, but by the free grace of God: Jer. 32.38.39. They ſhall be my people and I will be their God, and I will give them one heart, and one way: When God, is God in covenant with a People, then will he freely give and work this oneheartedneſſe, he doth not force it, but freely worke it. Men attempt by compulſory acts, to make men differing in principles and practiſes, to be one hearted, and to goe one way, but ſuch attempts ſeldome take any good effect; mens judgements and conſciences will not be forced. Bodinus in his fourth Booke of his Common-wealth, ſaith judiciouſly; If a Prince perſwaded of the truth of his Religion, would draw his Subjects thereunto, being divided into Sects and Factions, he muſt not therein uſe force (for the minds of men, the more they are forced, the more froward and ſtubborne they are, and the greater puniſhments that ſhall be inflicted upon them, the leſſe good is to be done; the nature of man being commonly ſuch, as may of it ſelfe be led to like of any thing, but never be inforced ſo to doe) but without fainting to profeſſe his Religion, devoutly ſerving the Almighty God, whereby he ſhall turne the wills and minds of his Subjects unto the imitation and admiration of himſelfe. Theodoſius the Elder, who found all the Provinces of his Empire at the beginning of his Reigne, full of Arrians, whoſe ſtrength and power was ſo growne and increaſed under three or foure Arrian Emperours their favourers, as that their Doctrine was not onelyonly by eight Councells confirmed, held at Tyre, Sardis, Syrme, Milan, Seleucia, Nice, Tarſis, Ariminum, (where ſix hundred B…ſhops were of their opinion, and but three of name, which held the contrary) but that they jpuniſhed alſo others their adverſaries, of opinion contrary to themſelves, with confiſcations, proſcriptions, and other moſt grievous puniſhments, yet would not this good Emperour, either force, or puniſh the Arrians, though he deadly hated them, but granted unto both the Arrians, and other the Catholicks, their Churches, and ſuffered them in every Towne to have two B…ſhops, of either Religion one, and though at the importunate ſuit of the Catholick Biſhops, he commanded certaine Edicts to be publiſhed againſt the Arrians, yet he was contented to have the ſame held in ſuſpenſe, and not to be put in execution, as his Letters to Ambroſe declare, Trade Arrianis Baſilicam, mei namque ſunt omnia juris. Theodorick King of the Goths, though favouring the Arrians, would not yet inforce the conſciences of his Subjects, nor have them tormented for their Religion, leſt under the pretence of impiety, he ſhould have ſeemed to have taken the ſpoyle of their goods; to bend their minds, which could by no threats or commands be conſtained to bend; for thus he writes unto the Senate of Rome, Religionem imperare non poſſumus quia nemo cogitur ut credat invitus: He ſaith alſo, No man is to be forced, the private exerciſe of his Religion is to be yeilded, if it cannot be publickly profeſſed without Sedition, otherwiſe men will become Atheiſts, and ſo having loſt the feare of God, and trod under foot Lawes and Magiſtrates, wil practice all impieties and villanies. Mr. Forbes being ſent for to the King of Sweden, when he was victorious, and asked by him what Government he ſhould ſet over Lutherans, Calviniſts, Papiſts, whom he had Conquered; his anſwer was, You have Conquered their bodies with eaſe, but you will find it a hard worke to conquer mens judgements and conſciences. What ill effects the forcing of mens ſpirits brought forth, you may read in that learned and judicious Treatiſe of Sir Simon D' Ewes, intituled, The Primitive practice for preſerving Truth.
You know who ſayd it, in things of the mind, we look for no compulſion, bu… that of light, and reaſon.
He is not a loving Father, but rather a ſtep-Father, who will compell his Children to eate of that meat is againſt their ſtomacks, when there are variety of diſhes to feed upon, which are ſuitable to them. Wiſe Phyſitians perſwade, doe not force their Patients to take Phyſick: Its good to cure errours be in mens minds,The conſcience is not obſtinate, which uſeth meanes to know truth. If God hide it from, it liveth under the power of conſcience, and is not turbulēt. and to ſave their ſoules, but in Gods way, James 5.19. by converſion, not by compulſion, by the power of the Word, not the edge of the Sword, this makes Hypocrites, that Saints.
Theſe things I ſpeak, not to make way for licentiouſneſſe, that what ever opinions me… hold, think, ſay, or practice, they may be free: but meerly, that conſciences truely tender, may not be forced. Its one thing to reſtraine mens practices which are Idolatrous, blaſphemous, againſt pure worſhip, the power of god ineſſe, and peace of the State; another to force men to that their judgement and conſciences are againſt. I pleaded not ever for a Toleration of all, neither doe, but onelyonly that thoſe whoſe lives are holy, peaceable, and differ in judgement from others in ſome things, may not be forced to conforme or depart.
Ezek. 11.19. I will put a new Spirit within you.
The word Spirit notes ſometimes, the Soul, Acts 7.59. ſaith Stephen, Lord Jeſus receive my Spirit, 2 Cor. 7.1. Let us cleanſe our ſelves from all filthineſſe of fleſh and ſpirit. Sometimes for the heart and affections, 1 K. 21.5. Why is thy Spirit ſo ſad, ſaid Jezabel to Ahab; that is, why is thy heart ſo heavy, Acts. 17.16. Paul, his Spirit was ſtird within him, when he ſaw their Idolatrie, his affections mov'd him to ſpeake and diſpute with them. Sometimes, for the faculties of the ſoule, Viz. Vnderſtanding, will, and conſcience, 1 Theſ. 5.23. I pray God your whole Spirit and Soule, and body be preſerved blameleſſe. By whole ſpirit, the underſtanding, will and conſcience, may be meant: Pro. 18.14. A wounded Spirit, who can beare, that is, a wounded conſcience; Sometimes, for the gifts and graces of the ſpirit, Gal. 3.2. Received yee the Spirit by the workes of the Law, or by the hearing of faith.