Exposition of Ezekiel 20-29, Title page – Dedication
AN EXPOSITION CONTINUED Upon the XX, XXI, XXII, XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII, and XXIX, Chapters of the PROPHET EZEKIEL, VVith many Uſeful Obſervations thereupon.
Delivered at ſeveral Lectures in London, By WILLIAM GREENHILL.
PSALM 119.96.
I have ſeen an end of all Perfection, but thy Commandement is exceeding broad.
HEBREWS 13.14.
Here have wee no continuing City, but wee ſeek one to come.
Miſer eſt omnis animus vinctus amicitia rerum mortalium. Auguſtin. Confeſſ. l. 4. c. 6.
LONDON, Printed for Livewell Chapman at the Crown in Popes-head-Alley; And are to be ſold by Henry Mortlock at the Phoenix in Pauls Church-yard, near the little North door. 1658.
TO Thoſe in the famous City of London, who are the Undertakers, Promoters, and Maintainers of the Expoſitory Lectures therein, and to all others who love Truth.
WEE read in holy writ of many Cities, which for their ſtructures, ſituations, fortifications, trading, accommodations, and Epithites, were famous; as populous No Nahum. 3. 8. Nineveh the great Jonah 1.2. Tarſus in Cilicia Act. 21.39. Golden Babylon Iſa. 14.4. Renowned Tyrus Ezek. 26.17. Righteous and faithful Jeruſalem Iſa. 1.26. which exceeded them all: for as Canaan was the glory of all lands, flowing with milk and hony; ſo Jeruſalem had its milk and honey, and was the glory of all Cities: There was the Lords Preſence, his worſhip, his Oracles, his Ordinances, and his Prophets, which made it the glory of the World, and perfection of beauty. Had other Cities ſtrong Towers? Jeruſalem had them, and the Temple alſo. Had they gods of gold, ſilver, ſtones and ſticks in them? Jeruſalem had Jehovah the true and living God in her. Had they wiſe Counſellors in them? Jeruſalem had the Sanedrim. Had they humane Laws which were good? Jeruſalem had Divine Laws, ſuch as no City or People ever had Deut. 4.8. Had they temporal Excellencies and Priviledges? Jeruſalem had ſpiritual. Had they the glory of the World, Art, and Nature? Jeruſalem had the glory of Heaven. There God ſhined, Pſal. 50.2. But what now is become of theſe Cities, and Jeruſalem it ſelf? are they not all laid waſte, made heapes, dead and buried in the wombe of the earth? Cities have their periods as well as men: Babylon had a time to bee borne Gen. 11.4. and a time to dye Iſa. 14.4. Nineveh had her day to get up Gen. 10.11. and her day to fall Nahum 3.7. Tyrus had her day of riſing, and her day of ruining, and ſhee is deſcended into the pit with others Ezek. 26.18, 20. Jeruſalem had her day for building, and her day for burning Jerem. 52.12, 13. This is matter of lamentation, that ſuch Cities, eſpecially Jeruſalem, ſhould have ſuch an end. The Cauſe of ſuch diſmal ends, upon ſearch wee ſhall finde to bee SIN, which is of ſo malignant a Nature, that it deſtroies Nations, and pulls down the ſtrongeſt Cities. Cruelty, falſehood, and robbery, with many other, were the ſins laid Nineveh waſte Nahum 3. Pride, fulneſſe of bread, abundance of idleneſſe, with neglect of the poor, were the ſins made the Lord take Sodome away Ezek. 16.49, 50. Pride, Violence, unmercifulneſſe, vain-confidence, and Treachery, were the ſins rent Babylon in peices Iſa. 47. Jer. 50. what ſins deſtroied Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philiſtia, with their Cities; and what ſunk Tyrus into the ſea Ezekiel tells you chap. 25. & 26. A large Catalogue of thoſe ſins which kindled the fire in Jeruſalem, and turned her into aſhes, you have in the 22. of Ezekiel, and other chapters; moſt of which I fear are to be found in this City. Are there not in her thoſe ſet light by Father and Mother? are there not thoſe do vex the Fatherleſſe and Widdow? are there not thoſe deſpiſe the holy things of God, and prophane his Sabbaths? are there not thoſe take uſury, and increaſe, are greedy of gain, and live by diſhoneſt gain? Ezek. 22.18. Are there not thoſe that deviſe miſchief, and give wicked counſel? Are there not thoſe carry tales to ſhed bloud? Are there not thoſe exerciſe robbery, vex the poor, the needy, and oppreſſe the ſtranger? Are not her profeſſors as droſs, even the droſs of ſilver? may not the Lord ſay of this City as hee did of Jeruſalem. Thou haſt been to mee a provocation of mine anger, Jer. 32.31and of my fury, from the day that they built thee, even unto this day, that I ſhould remove thee from before my face. Thou art the City, I have been purging, but art not purged,Eze. 24.13 Thou ſhalt not bee purged from thy filthineſſe, till I have cauſed my fury to reſt upon thee. Surely LONDON deſerves not better at the hands of the Lord than other Cities did, eſpecially Jeruſalem, and having her ſins, may fear her end. Be inſtructed therefore O LONDON, leſt the Lords ſoul depart from thee, and thou bee made Deſolate; For the Lord hath a Day to reckon with ſinfull Lands and Cities Iſa. 17.4. In that day the glory of Jacob ſhall bee made thin, and the fatneſſe of his fleſh ſhall wax lean. The Princes, Counſellors, Souldiers, Prophets, Prieſts, with their Cities, the rarities and riches of them, were the glory and fatneſſe of Jacob; Theſe God had a day to take away, and ſo made Jacob thin and lean. God had a day for Tyre, Iſa. 23.15and interrupted her great merchandiſing for ſeventy years, by laying her in the deep. If it bee demanded how came Tyrus ſo ſtrong and ſtately, ſo fat and full, to ſo deplorable an end. The spirit of God tells you, when it ſaith,Eze. 26.27. thy Rowers have brought thee into great waters; that is, the Princes and Rulers, by their Pride, Policy, and Prophaneneſs, cauſed ſuch ſtorms as ſunk the Ship. Tyrus had as much to ſecure her as any City in the world, ſhee was built upon a rock, her borders were in the midſt of the Seas, ſhee had walls, and an Army to watch them; ſhee had Towers and Gammadims to keep them; ſhee wanted not for ſhips, Pilots, Marriners, for Souldiers, ſheilds, and Helmets, ſhe had Counſellors, Merchants, and plentie of all things, ſo that ſhee ſeemed invincible; but all theſe did not preſerve her ſtation, or make her impregnable; for though ſhee indured a fredge of thirteen years by Nebuchadrezzar and his forces,Eze. 27.2… yet at laſt ſhee fell into the midſt of the Sea, in the day of her ruine. Jeruſalem was ſo well fortified by nature and art,Pſal. 125.2. Pſal. 48.12, 13. Lam. 4.12 being compaſſed about with mountaines, having walls, bulwarks, and Towers, that it, was thought incredible, and impoſſible, for an enemy to have entered her gates: but ſin being found in her, and God againſt her, nothing ſecured her. She was oft warned by the Prophets, Iſa. 37. Amos 4.and judiciary providences of God, to repent and reforme. Shee was as a pot over the fire, when beſiedged by Senacherib, when famine and Plague devoured her inhabitants, but her ſcum went not out, and that was her ruine. Let none think the poor to bee the ſcum of the City,Prov. 22.2 the Lord made the poor as well as the rich, and deſpiſes not the work of his own hands. Its the ſin of Rich and Poor, its their wickedneſſe which is the ſcum. Great Cities have much ſin in them, and ſo much ſcum; ſcummie Opinions, ſcummie Counſells, ſcummy faſhions, and ſcummie practices.Iſa. 1.5 Thus was it with Jeruſalem and her ſcum boiled in, ſhee was the worſe for corrections and judgements, her ſcum being aegritudo & venenum ollae, cauſed the cracking & burſting of the pot. Theſe things the book of God holds forth for our inſtruction, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Let our great City and Citizens look to it, there is ſcum in the City, and not a little: is it gone out, or boiled in? was not the Sword lately at your gates? was there not yeſterday great ſicklineſs, within your walls? is not trading diminiſhed? have there not been ſtrange murthers amongſt you? Have not many ſad fires been kindled, broke out and conſumed your habitations? was there not a Plot (which hath coſt ſome their lives) to fire your City? God hath been warning you by theſe judiciary diſpenſations, and are you bettered by them? hath all you have ſeen, feared, or felt, cauſed your ſcum to depart from you, if ſo, its well; well will it be with you, well with your City, and well with your undertakings, and well with your poſterity; but if it be boiled in, and you are the worſe for all the boiling judgements and providences you have been in, and under, know that ſo…e dreadful calamitie, if not deſtruction it ſelfe hastens and will certainly take hold of you and your City, without ſpeedy repentance: Hitherto you have had ſparing mercy, and gentle corrections, if theſe lead not to repentance, ſeverity abides for you,Jer. 19.11.31, 32 and God will ſay from the firſt to the laſt, I have been provoked by this City, I will break this people, and this City. How ſad would it be, ſhould the Lord lay your City waſte! Its not the ſtrong ſtructures, great treaſures, militarie or Naval forces, wiſe Counſels, which can protect you, if ſcumme be found amongſt you; if you are careful that the filth of the ſtreets bee carried out, will you not much more ſee that the filth of your hearts and houſes be purged out? will not London bee made clean, when ſhall it once be? let this be the time; leaſt the Plague, which hath been much feared, enter your borders, and cauſe ſad cryes in your ſtreets and families. Now waſh you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings, and learn to do well, ſeek judgement, relieve the oppreſſed, judge the fatherleſs, and plead for the Widdow; now let holineſs of life, execution of juſtice, ſpeaking truth, doing righteouſneſs, ſhewing mercy, and promoting the good of one another in love, take place, and they will not onelyonly ſecure you and the City, but make you and it glorious, and perfect in beauty, ſo that the Lord will take pleaſure therein, and ſay of it and you, This is the City of righteouſneſs, the faithful City, and her Citizens are like her ſelf righteous and faithful. Now her Braſs is become Gold, her Iron Silver, her Officers peace, and her Exactors righteouſneſs; therefore now her walls ſhall be ſalvation, and her gates praiſe; now ſhall ſhe be my habitation, and her people my glory, and I will be to them a defence for evermore. That this may be the portion of this City, and your ſelves, and that a bleſſing may go with this work, is the hearty prayer of him who is,
Your ſervant in this Expoſitory work of the Lord. WILLIAM GREENHILL. The 30th. of the 5th. month. 1658.