Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Ezekiel · Chapter 47
CHAP. XLVII.
VVAters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward, by the right side of the Altar. And this being shewed him, when he was led out V. 1.by one gate, he was led out by another, and there he saw the like also. Touching these waters, it is said according to the letter, that from the V. 2. Hieron.Temple of old, did issue waters in abundance to wash away the Bloud of the Sacrifices, and all the dust and ashes, and filth of the Temple in a wonderfull manner continually, which otherwise, by reason of the abundance of beasts brought thither from time to time, could not have been kept sweet. But by these waters the Lord shewed the waters of baptisme, and the doctrine of the Gospell issuing out of the Temple, at Jerusalem where Christ taught in great abundance to the watring of all Nations: touching which waters also it is spoken, Zech. 14. 8. running towards the East and the West, to shew the eastern and western Churches, where by this Doctrine the Countries and Nations are watred. And of the Gospell, by the name of waters it is spoken, Esai. 55. 1. Then the Prophet was carryed further off 1000 cubits to passe over these waters, and they came up to his ankles, after this 1000 cubits V. 3, 4.more, and they came up to his wast; then 1000 more and they came up to his loynes; lastly, 1000 more, and then they made a river, which was unpassable, unlesse by swimming; whereby was shewed, how by degrees evangelicall graces abounded time after time, more and more, till that Christian people came to be as a great and deep rivers of waters. And in particular, these waters came first up to the ankles, a few being converted; that is, 120. of all the great multitudes which had formerly followed Jesus, but Act. 1.being drawn rather by his loaves wherewith they were fed, as he speaketh, John 6. then by Faith. 2. Up to the knees, there being more added, even Act. 2.300 in one day at the comming down of the H. G. 3. Up to the loyns, when Christians still increasing their number was 5000. Lastly, these waters grew so great, that they were a great and deep river, which was, when after Peters preaching to Cornelius, and Pauls being appointed to preach the Gentiles Act. 10.divers countries came in, and the faithfull could then be no more numbred, then deep waters by any man passed over a foot. Ambrose expounds Ambrosethis of the knowledge of the Scriptures, for knowledge is compared to waters covering the earth, as waters doe the sea, and then, saith he, doe these Esai. 11. 9.waters come up to the ankle, when a man attaineth to the knowledge of the History of the Scriptures; to the knees, when of moralls, for further instruction and comfort; and to the loynes, when to the mysticall things hereby set forth; but after all this, they remain in many things, as a sea, wherein an Elephant may swim, the learnedst not being able to goe, or sound them to the bottom. Some others otherwise, up to the ankles he goeth, tha… …th in the way of Gods Commandments; up to the knees, that striveth to attain to more perfection, according to the counsells, Mat. 5: up to the loines, that attaineth to this perfection; but yet the waters rising higher, and not to be passed over, shew greater perfection and happinesse in the Kingdome of Heaven, which is unpermeable here, because the eye hath not seen, now the ear heard, &c. Others by the waters coming up to the knee, will have bowing 1 Cor. 2. 9.the knee at the name of Jesus, meant; to the loynes, continency and chastity of life: but these savour of Popery, that of Ambrose cannot be misliked, nor the first expositions given.
By this River were may trees on the one side, and on the other; hereby V. 7.the flourishing estate of men and women imbracing the true Faith, is set forth, who are now like unto trees planted by the rivers side, growing, and bringing Psal. 1.forth fruit in due season, the Word of God, and the knowledge thereof communicated unto them, being as waters moistning the roots of trees, and making them thus to doe.
Then he said unto me, these waters issue out toward the east country, and goe through V. 8.the desert into the sea, and being come into the sea, they heal the waters thereof. Where by the waters of the sea, understand the salt, and brackish manners of the Gentiles, before the coming of these waters from the Sanctuary; that is, the knowledge and grace of Christ brought by the Apostles unto them. And they are said to run through the Desart which was eastward, in alluding to the river of Jordan, which runneth through the dead sea of Sodom, which continueth still, as it was, pitchy black, and thick, having no living thing in it; yet the waters of this River coming out again towards the sea in another River, are sweet. But the meaning is, that the Apostles ran, as it were, through Judea, a dead people, and barren, as the desart, in respect of any fruit bringing forth of their preaching amongst the Gentiles, preaching with such successe, that they were in great numbers converted and healed, as was before said. For to compare peoples to great waters, or the sea, is not unusuall in holy Scripture, as Revel. 17. 1. &c.
He sheweth, that not onelyonly the waters of the sea shall be healed by the coming V. 9.in of this River, but also the fishes, which are of a great number, shall be healed and live; people, amongst whom the Gospell cometh, being sometime propounded unto us under the notion of trees; sometime of waters, and sometime of fishes; according to which our Lord said to his Apostles, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And every thing where this river cometh, shall live; that is, the Spirit brought, as living water, in the preaching of the Gospell, shall be vivificative to every man and woman, and in the water of Baptisme to infants, that have the life of nature before, but want reason, whereby to live by the Spirit coming in the preaching of the Word. And therefore having said, that the fishes should be healed, setting forth men and women capable Note. of reason, which is the mouth, as it were, that openeth and swalloweth the hook of the angler, and so the fish is taken for God, the Authour of healing, and all good, he addeth, Every thing where this river comes, shall live; intimating others in the Church, or within the pale of preaching the Gospell, as infants, the children of Beleevers before spoken of, little fishes new spawned; who, though they cannot swallow the hook, yet together with greater, are taken in a net, well and close wrought also; otherwise, after speaking of the fishes being healed, and living by these waters, he would not certainly have added this clause further touching every living thing. He that resteth not in this, let him give another reason of this addition, if he can: and if he cannot, no more impugne the baptizing of Infants. For the Spirit set forth by a River, see Joh. 7. 37, 38. And from this whole passage note, that people without Note. the true Faith, and Spirit of Christ, are as salt water of the sea, distastfull to God, and unpleasing. 2. As sick fishes, yea dead, or dying, because it is said, they now live. 3. Because things living move, and lie not still, as before, when they were dead, hereby may a man know, whether by the Spirit he may be inlived, or not; if he lyeth still in the mire of sinne, as the swine, and Esai. 1. 16.cometh not out, washing himself, and making him clean, by putting away evill, and doing good, he is dead still, although where this river runneth, and can have no true comfort, in respect of a better life, but shall dye eternally notwithstanding.
And the fishers shall stand upon, or above it; that is, the river before spoken of V. 10.upon the banks, and there spread and dry their nets after the taking of fishes, whereof he saith, there shall be great abundance, and that from Engedi to Engallim, the last of which, saith Jerom, was a town at the river Jordans entring into the dead sea, and the first at the going out from thence, Engedi signifying the fountain of a Goate, Engallim, the fountain of Calves.
Now by fishers here the Apostles fishing to take men, are meant, not being called hunters, because without violence, or tearing, or killing, they take these fishes alive, gently driving them into their net, and they did this from Engedi to Engallim, when of fishes they made them being taken, as kids or calves, which were clean beasts and so fit for sacrifices to be offered unto God.
But the miry places and marishes thereof, shall not be healed, they shall be given to salt. V. 11.Having spoken of all things in the waters, where this river cometh, saying they shall live, and then of the ground on the sides of this river, that trees shall grow there and bear fruit, now he excepteth of all the grounds about the marishes and miry places, where this river commeth not, they shall not be healed, but remain, as they were before, full of filth & muddy water, whereby is meant, that such places as will not receive the Gospell, or to which the Gospell sounded not, when the sound thereof went generally into all lands, shall ever remain in the sordes of their sins, like moory rejectany ground, never to be made better. And this we see verified at this day in the Indians of Note. America or the new found world, never discovered, till the time of Henry 7. but since peopled in part with such as have endevoured their conversion to the faith, but with little successe. Here the reason may be seen, they are by God adjudged not to be healed, and the like we may conceive shall be to the Turks and Tartars, and all that are bewitched with the Mahumetan superstition, this river not running in their coasts, but kept out, they cannot be healed.
Here because he had spoken briefly of trees growing by the sides of this river, V. 12.he reflecteth again upon the same, setting them forth more fully by their fruit and leaves, saying, They shall be all trees for meat, whose leaves fade not, neither shall their fruit be consumed, it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters issued out from the sanctuary, and the fruit shall be for meat and the leaf for medicine. These trees, saith Ambrose, are pastours and teachers on both Ambros.sides of the great river, the holy Scriptures distinguished into two, the Old and New Testament, from both which, as waters running from the Sanctuary, because of the inspiration of the Spirit of God they both bear fruit of godly living and good works, and leaves of good instuctions and exhortations, by the one feeding mens souls, when they are hereby drawn to an imitation of them, and by the other, as by an wholesome medicine healing their infirmities, when their instructions entring into their hearts, they be converted from sin to righteousnesse thereby. And this fruit and leaves are brought forth according to their moneths, when from time to time, as the moon reneweth, they renew their teaching, not only according to the time here mentioned once a monethmonth, but in season and out of season, as is commanded and straightly charged, 2 Tim. 4. 1. see the like Revel. 21. And these waters and trees are never consumed, but remain alwaies to produce these blessed effects, they being not as a torrent or brook, that in a dry summer is wasted, but as a great river alwaies running as the spring, from whence they come, is a fountain ever overflowing, Zech. 14. 8.for which Zachary saith they run summer and winter.
The prophet having hitherto from chap. 45. 8. interposed many most memorable V. 13.things and needfull to be known, now returneth again to the dividing of the land begun chap. 45. 1, 2, 3, 4, &c. saying, This shall be the border, whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the 12. tribes of Israel, and Joseph shall have two portions, that is, this following, vers. 15, 16, &c. to vers. 22. where the north border and the south, the east and the west are described according to the borders of the land of Canaan twice before described, Numb. 34. and Josh. 15. so that I shall not need to repeat it here again, but the reader may have recourse to that, which I have written there. But that precisely the land o… Canaan is not here meant, but the inheritance of the Church under the Gospell, appears, because vers. 22. Ye shall divide it by lot amongst you, and the strangers V. 22.that sojourn amongst you, &c. For under the Old Testament, although strangers lived amongst the children of the Israel, yet they had none inheritance with them, nor at the time of their return out of the Babylonish captivity. For strangers endeavouring to come in amongst other Levites, who could not shew their genealogies, were by Ezra rejected, and it is said of those Ezra. 2. 62.that were before strangers from the Common-wealth of Israel, that now under the Gospell they were not so any more, but fellow citizens with the saints, Eph. 2. 19.and now there is neither Jew nor Gentile, but all are one in Christ. In speaking therefore of the inheritance of the Evangelicall Church and their borders therefore Gal. 3. 28.by the land of Canaan he is altogether allegoricall, not meaning that this land should any more be so divided according to the letter to the 12. tribes, but that they should such of them as beleeved, have allouid instar, something like done unto them, viz. an inheritance given them together with the faithfull of the nations, there being nothing diminished of all that was anciently promised as is mentioned vers. 14. yea and that Joseph, as by reason of the two tribes comming of him he had a double portion, so he should now again have vers. 13. not much unlike unto which is the sealing of 12000. of every tribe, Revel. 7. and then of an innumerable multitude of all nations. But in all this the heavenly inheritance is more respected, then the earthly which the faithfull of the Israelites shall afterwards enter into, and the Gentiles amongst them, as their leaders and teachers, by whom they were first brought unto the saith, because, as the Apostle saith, all beleevers are Children of the free woman and not of the bond woman, who with her son shall be cast out, as not Gal. 4.permitted to inherit with the son of the free woman.