Exposition of Ezekiel 6-13, Title page – Dedication
AN EXPOSITION CONTINUED UPON the ſixt, ſeventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth CHAPTERS of the Prophet EZEKIEL, WITH USEFUL OBSERVATIONS THEREUPON.
Delivered in ſeverall LECTURES in London, By WILLIAM GREENHILL.
PROV. 4.7, 8.
Wiſdome is the principall thing, therefore get Wiſdome: and with all thy getting, get underſtanding.
Exalt her, and ſhee ſhall promote thee: ſhee ſhall bring thee to honour when thou doest imbrace her.
LONDON; Printed by M.S. for Hanna Allen, at the Crowne in Popeſ-head-Alley. 1649.
TO ALL LOVERS OF DIVINE TRUTHS; Eſpecially the Undertakers for the Expoſitorie Lectures in the Citie of LONDON.
THe infinite and onelyonly wiſe GOD, hath annexed to the Miniſtery, Converſion, Acts 26 18. Regeneration, 1 Cor. 4.15. the addition of ſinners to the Church, and to himſelf, Act. 2.41.47. Chap. 11.24. faith, Rom. 10.14. 1 Cor. 3.5. the perfecting of the Saints and edification of the body of Chriſt, Eph. 4.12. Collation of the Spirit, Gal. 3.2. Act. 10.44. yea ſalvation, Act. 11.14. 1 Cor. 1.21. 1 Tim 4.16. Now notwithſtanding the Miniſtery be the great Medium and Appointment of God to effect and accompliſh ſuch needfull and glorious things: yet ſome there be that thruſt hard at it, and endeavour to throw it downe. But were it remov'd, and the pernicious deſires of men fulfild herein, a ſadder judgement could not befall the Nation. Salomon the firſt-borne of Wiſdome ſaith; Where there is no Viſion, the people periſh, Prov. 29.18. Where the Word of God is not expounded, preached, and applyed to the ſeverall conditions of the people, there they periſh. Feriabitur populus, ſaith Montanus, they will be idle, keep holy-day, ceaſe from doing the work of the Lord, and doe the works of the fleſh and darkneſſe. Piſcator reads it, nudatur populus, the people is made naked; They are like men without cloathing, without armour, expoſed to wind and weather, to ſpirituall ſtormes and temptations, having nothing to defend themſelves. The Vulgar is, diſſipabitur populus, lay aſide preaching and expounding the Scriptures, the people will be ſcattred, run into errors, wander up and downe as ſheep without a Shepheard. Pagnine hath it, rebellis erit, the people will be rebellious, they will not be kept in order, obedience, and ſubjection to authoritie; for where means of knowledge are wanting, there muſt be ignorance, and ignorance is the mother of rebellion.
When Queen Elizabeth, whoſe memory is precious, was inſtigated by ſome ill-affected to the Miniſterie, to abridge the number of Preachers, E.G. Archbiſhop of Canterburie was much troubled at it, and wrote her a learn'd and ſerious Letter about it, out of which having the Manuſcript by mee, I have thought fit to tranſcribe and commend unto you what followes.
I cannot marvell enough, how this ſtrange opinion ſhould once enter into your minde, that it ſhould be good for the Church to have few Preachers? Alas Madame, is the Scripture more plain in any one thing, then that the Goſpel of Christ ſhould be plentifully produced? and that plenty of Labourers ſhould be ſent into the Lords harvest, which being great and large, ſtandeth in need of not a few but many workmen. There were appointed to the building of Solomons materiall Temple an hundred and fifteene thouſand artificers and labourers, beſides three hundred and thirty Overſeers, and ſhall we think that a few Preachers may ſuffice to build and edifie the ſpirituall Temple of Christ, which is the Church. Christ when he ſendeth forth his Apoſtles, ſaith unto them; Ite praedicate Euangelium omni creaturae. But all Gods creatures cannot be inſtructed in the Goſpel, unleſſe all poſsible means be uſed to have a multitude of Preachers and Teachers to preach unto them. Habitet ſermo Chriſti in vobis opulenter, ſaith Paul, Col. 3. And to Timothy, Praedica ſermonem, inſta tempeſtive, intempeſtive, argue, increpa, exhortare, which thing cannot be done without often and much preaching. To this agreeth the practiſe of Christs Apoſtles; Qui conſtituebant per ſingulas Eccleſias presbyteros, Act. 14. Paul likewiſe to Titus writeth; Hujus rei gratia reliqui te in Creta, ut quae deſunt pergas corrigere & conſtituas oppidatim presbyteros: and afterward deſcribeth how the Presbyterie ſhould be qualified, not ſuch as we are compelled to admit, by meere neceſsitie, unleſſe we ſhould leave a great number of Churches utterly deſolate, but ſuch indeed as were able to exhort Per ſanam doctrinam & contradicentes convincere. And in this place I beſeech your Majeſty, to note one thing neceſſary to be noted, which is this. If the Holy Ghost preſcribe expreſly that Preachers ſhould be placed oppidatim, how can it well be thought that two or three Preachers may ſuffice for a Shire. Publike and continuall preaching of Gods Word is the ordinary means and inſtrument of the ſalvation of mankinde. St Paul calls it The miniſterie of reconciliation of man unto God. By the preaching of Gods Word, the glory of God is inlarged, faith nouriſhed, and charity increaſed, by it ignorance is inſtructed, the negligent exhorted and incited, the ſtubborne rebuked, the weake comforted, and to all thoſe that ſin of malicious wickedneſs, the wrath of God is threatned. By preaching alſo, due obedience to Chriſtian Princes and Magiſtrates is planted in the hearts of Subjects: For obedience proceedeth of conſcience, conſcience is grounded upon the Word of God, and the Word of God worketh this effect by preaching, ſo as generally where preaching is neglected, obedience faileth. No Prince ever had more lively experience herof then your Majeſtie hath had in your time, and may have daily. If your Majeſtie come to the Citie of London never ſo often, what great gratulation, what joy, what concourſe of people is there to be ſeene, yea what acclamations and prayers to God for your long life, and other manifeſt ſignifications of inward and unfeined love joyn'd with moſt humble and heartie obedience, are there to be heard? Whereof cometh this Madame, but of the continuall preaching of Gods Word in the Citie, whereby that people hath been plenteouſly inſtructed in their dutie towards God, and towards your Majeſtie. On the contrary, what bred the Rebellion in the North? Was it not Papiſtrie, and the ignorance of Gods holy Word through want of preaching? And in the time of that Rebellion, were not all men of all eſtates that made profeſsion of the Goſpel, most ready to offer their lives for your defence? in ſo much that one poore Pariſh in Yorkeſhire, which by continuall preaching had been better inſtructed then the rest, Halifax, I meane was ready to bring three or foure thouſand able men into the field, to ſerve you against the ſaid rebells. How can your Majeſtie have a more lively tryall and experience of the contrary effects of much preaching, and little or no preaching, the one working most unnaturall diſobedience and rebellion, the other most faithfull obedience.
By this part of the Letter, you ſee, how firme the Archbiſhop was for preaching, and that he hath fully confirm'd that ſenſe of the words; Where there is no viſion or preaching the people will rebell, and if he would not yeeld to the abridging of preachers, why ſhould any deſire the aboliſhing of them? and ſo make way for the people to be idle, naked, ſcattred, rebellious, yea for their periſhing. It was one of the ſaddeſt times that ever Iſrael had, when Iſrael was without a teaching Prieſt, 2 Chron. 15.3. then they had no peace within nor without, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the Countries, even all the ten Tribes. This being without a Teaching Prieſt was ſuch an affliction, as that the Lord promiſed his people afterwards, that what affliction ſoever befell them, this ſhould not, Iſa. 30.20. Though the Lord give you the bread of adverſitie, and water of affliction, yet ſhall not thy Teachers be removed into a corner any more: but thine eyes ſhall ſee thy Teachers. This is a gratious promiſe for the continuance of the Miniſterie. They had the law, and ſhould have Teachers to inſtruct them therein. Wee have the Goſpel, and Teachers to inſtruct us therein. The Church and Miniſterie may be hid, Rev. 12.6. but not extinct. Chriſt is a King, the government is upon his ſhoulder, he has a Kingdome, and it knowes no end, Iſa. 9.6, 7. Luk. 1.32, 33. his Throne is for ever, Heb. 1.8. He therefore hath promiſed to be with his Church, and the Miniſterie thereof unto the end of the world, Mat. 28.20.foreign. Not to the end of that age, but of the world; for ſo the word foreign ſignifies, Math. 13.39, 40. the harveſt is the end of the world; and ſo ſhall it be in the end of the world. Chriſts Kingdome and Officers of it were not only for the Apoſtolicall and primitive times, but for all times and ages, Eph. 3.21. 4 Chap. 11, 12. Rev. 7.14, 15:11.19. otherwiſe what hope were there for Jewes or Gentiles. If one ſhould leave the Jewiſh Synagogue, and th'other Heatheniſme, whether ſhould they come, if Chriſt have no true Church, no viſible Kingdome. Herein himſelf hath ſatisfied us, Joh. 10.16. Other ſheepe I have which are not of this fold, them alſo I muſt bring, and they ſhall heare my voice, and there ſhall be one fold and one Shepheard. The fold was the Church, the ſheepe to be brought in, the Gentiles, who were not brought in in Chriſts dayes, nor all in the Apoſtles dayes, or Primitive times; ſome are yet to be brought in, and therefore there is yet a fold, and Miniſters to cauſe them to heare the voyce of Chriſt, that they may come into this fold. For whom he predeſtinates he calls, Rom. 8.30. and his calling is not immediate, but by the Miniſterie of the Word. And though the Miniſterie now be not infallible, as the Apoſtles were, but fallible; yet their fallibilitie doth not make voyde their calling, nor cauſe the Churches to be reputed falſe, as not having the Word of God taught in them infalliblie. For thoſe holy men who were Prophets and Apoſtles, you may finde ſometimes fayling. Nathan faild when he bid David goe and build the houſe of the Lord, 2 Sam. 7.3. David was out, when he ſaid, he was cut off from before the Lords eyes, Pſal. 31.22. and when he ſaid, All men were lyars, Pſal. 116.11. Jeremie ſpake like a man, when he ſaid, I will not make mention of him, nor ſpeake no more in his name; and eſpecially when he curſed the day of his nativitie, and the man brought tydings thereof, Chap. 20.9.14, 15, 16. Jonas ſpake from himſelfe, not from God, when he ſaid, Take my life from me; for its better for me to die then to live; and I doe well to be angry unto death, Jon. 4.3.9. And Paul profeſſes he had no Commandement of the Lord concerning Virgins, but gave his judgement as one that had obteind mercy of the LORD to be faithfull, 1 Cor. 7.25. Now though theſe men had ſuch failings, ſpake from their own ſpirits, yet were neither the Churches falſified hereby, nor their callings fruſtrated. That which was needfull to be the Rule and Standard, was given out by an infallible Spirit. The Spirit of truth tooke of Chriſts, ſhew'd it to them, and led them into all truth. And while the Miniſters now doe bring that truth unto you they are infallible. If in their conſtructions, interpretations, and expoſitions of the ſame, they varie or be out, you ought to try the ſpirits, 1 Joh. 4.1. and to hold faſt what is good, 1 Theſſ. 5.21. not deſpiſing prophecyings, leaſt you quench the Spirit. Its ill when any deſtroy commands of God to maintaine their opinions. Some would have the Word onelyonly read, and that there ſhould be no preaching, or …xpounding of it. It was not the Eunuches reading, but Philips preaching that wrought faith in him, Act. 8. The ſpices of the Scripture ſend forth the ſtrongeſt and ſweeteſt ſmells, when they are bruiſed and broken. The fire of the Sanctuary yeelds moſt heat and light when ſtirr'd up and blowne. Its neither fleſhly, devilliſh, nor teaſon to the Father, to make conſtructions upon the Prophets and Apoſtles, and expound their meaning. If ſo, then Ezra and others who read the Law and gave the ſenſe of it, Nehem. 8.8. ſinned, were fleſhly, devilliſh, and traytors to the Father. Then Paul gave ill counſell to Timothie, to divide the word of truth aright, 2 Tim. 2.15. How children ſhould have their milke, young men their bread, old men their wine, and that onelyonly by reading, I ſee not. If that could be ſurely Chriſt needed not have appointed a wiſe and faithfull ſervant over his houſhold, to give them meat in due ſeaſon, Mat. 24.45. If wee may not expound the Word becauſe we are fallible, then why ſhould any tranſlate the Word out of the Originall Tongue into others, ſeeing they are fallible, and may, yea have miſtaken therein, as well as others in expounding and preaching: and becauſe it is ſo, ſome little regard the Scriptures, Vid H…n… … A… pro Ec…l ….expecting Euangelium ſpiritus ſancti & tertium Teſtamentum. The Jewes looke for Meſsias, the Papiſts looke for Henoch and Elias, but without warrant, and ſo doe theſe men for another Goſpel, Gal. 1.8, 9. and extraor…inary men, who may raiſe up Churches, and declare what is truth. I beſeech you, be content with, and thankfull for thoſe precious, glorious truths the Lord hath given you in the Law and Goſpel, ſtudying to know them more fully, and endeavour to yeeld unto the Author of them the obedience of faith; acknowledging it an unſpeakeable gift, that you have them, with Preachers and Expoſitors amongſt you, to further you in the knowledge and practiſe of them. If this enſuing Worke ſhall contribute ought that way, I ſhall be abundantly ſatisfied therein. In hopes whereof I commend both it and you to the bleſſing of the Lord, ſubſcribing my ſelfe
Septemb. 28. 1649. Yours in this Work of the Lord to love and ſerve, W.G.