AN EXPOSITION Of the five first CHAPTERS OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL WITH USEFUL OBSERVATIONS THEREUPON Delivered in severall LECTURES in London By WILLIAM GREENHILL Matth. 13.11 To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nyssen Ama Scripturas sanctas amabit te sapientia Jerom. LONDON Printed by Matthew Simmons for Benjamin Allen and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the Crown in Popes-head-Alley 1645. Errata PAge 3. Line 22. read Galal 4.21 one 9. 24. desperatest 10. 28. Haroeh 29. 8. was there 31. 1. Bagdet 36. in marg for use put 8. 44. in marg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 49. 17. the thing 57. â—7 dele 1. 59. 12. dele in 62. 32. there 's 71. 4. Lo. 18. a cloud 73. 13 hasty 76. 9. Sanctius 76. 9. remain'd 77. 18. to this day 83. 13. creature 20. Cherub 21. dele of 85. 25. unto every good 88. 25. Dunaan 91. 13. watch 97. 30. there 101. 3 look 101. 18. Deut. 17. 103. 2. Heb. 16. 104. 31. move 107. 17. Isa 6.2 that is 112. in marg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 113. 7. hand 114. 18. your 133. 38. the 8. 9. 16. Chapter of 139. in marg Rueus 140. 2. deceitfull 141. 31. Bosworth field 148. 23. Sanchez 25. learnedst man for 149. in marg Sylla tam. 150. 9. that those 10. dele that 29. Psal 32.155 2. Psal 10.12.164.17 the. in marg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 169. 14. exposed 171. 7. conrent 174. 17. awakened 180. 18. way a firmament 189. 8. dele 2. 191. in marg Oleaster 191. 22. judiciary 198. in marg Thom. 199.7 time 202. 2. Hashshem 10. Hammephorash 17. Shemhaetzem 203. in marg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 214. 11. Job 42.225 in marg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 228. 16. know things to 229. 8. offices if set 232. 26. rebellion 234. 35 36. your 238 10. woare 240. 3. a bare 242. 24. Joh. 35. 2 Chro. 36.243 in marg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 244 in marg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 258. 34. adde they were plain 286. 33. of my 287. 3. henceforth 290. 32. the. 293. 30. Obser 5. 295. 20. revelation 298. in marg pudore 300. 35. Diotrephes 308.22 spoile 309. 10. Mâ—mâ—kâ—mo 329. 10. God 331. 13. Gods 336. 37. did heare what 340. 12. require 342. 9. in 343. 4. cause 343. 38. same thing 353. 16. 1 Joh. 3.3 361. 10. from 366. 7. visions 393. 9. Lovain 396. 29. is dayes 402. 23. crection 405. 20. homer in marg Waserum 419. 10. Hanun 19. thing 422. 17. stubble 422. 26. dele but. 445. 2. severiores 450. 12. Priesthood 451. in marg Mead. 452. 7. mentioned in TO THE EXCELLENT PRINCESSE And most hopefull Lady THE PRINCESSE ELIZABETH HER HIGHNESSE May it please your Highnesse SOLOMON the wisest of Princes counsels us to remember our Creator in the dayes of our youth it 's a great Vertue to be mindfull of God timely Timothy from a childe knew the holy Scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Chro. 34.3 Josiah that good Prince while he was yet young or tender as the Hebrew bears it began to seek after the Lord hee did that which was right in his sight he walked in the wayes of David hee turned not aside â— King 22.2 to the right hand or left The Lord takes speciall notice when young ones are mindfull of him the childrens crying Hosanna is recorded in the Gospel Mat. 21.15 children walking in the truth is observed by John Epist 2.4 1 King 14.13 and the Lord minded the good was found in the child of Jeroboam doubtlesse Gods eye is upon your Highnesse for that good is found in you in these your tender yeers and is well pleased that your sweetness of nature and choiceness of wit are joyn'd with desire to know him with love to his Worship affection to the godly and delight in such sentences as these are viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deus meus omnia La mia Grandezza dal Eccelso All which with these pretious speeches of yours I had rather be a begger here then not go to heaven and how shall I be sure to go to heaven are acceptable to the Highest and mâ—ke strong impressions upon us inferiors Your desire to know the originall tongues that you may understand the Scripture the better your resolution to write them out with your own Princely hand and to come to the perfect knowledge of them breed in us hopes that you will exceed all of your Sex and be without equall in Europe as Drusius said of his son who at five years learned Hebrew and at twelve writ it ex tempore both in prose and verse Incouraging instances your own Sex will afford Eustochium profited so much in the Latine Hebrew and Greek that in her time shee was called the wonder of the world Istrina Queen of the Scythians so excelled in Greek that she taught her sonnes the Greek tongue Zenobia Queen of the Palmirenians was skild in the Latine Egyptian Greek tongues she read the Roman Story in Greek abridged the Alexandrian and all the Orientall histories Politian hath an Epistle to Cassandra a Venetian maid whom he calls the glory of Italy her delight was not in wooll but books not in the spindle or needle but in the pen not in paint but in ink she writ Epistles and Orations to admiration she exceld in Logick and Philosophy and had such perfections as caused the learned to admire if not adore her Queene Elizabeth was so learned that she read every Author in the originall and answered Ambassadors of most Nations in their own language she went twice to Oxford and once to Cambridge purposely to hear the learned Academicall disputations where her selfe made Latine Orations she translated Salust and writ a Century of Sentences she set apart some houres daily to read or hear others read to her she so exceld in learning and wisdome that her teachers rather learned of her then brought learning to her Your Highness seems to aim at all the excellencies in the prementioned for your writing out the Lords prayer in Greek some texts of Scripture in Hebrew your endevour after the exact knowledge of those holy tongues with other languages learned accomplishments your diligent hearing of the word carefull noting of Sermons understanding answers at the catechising and frequent questioning about holy things do promise great matters from you If the harvest be answerable to the spring your Highness will be the wonder of the learned and glory of the godly It is my unhappiness that I cannot be sufficiently adjuvant to such Princely beginnings yet because this following Treatise is an exposition of Scripture I take the boldnesse to present it to your Highness and shall continue to pray to him who is All able to give All that hee would preserve your Royal person blesse your hopeful endevours fill you with all divine perfections make you
them and if you will search never search into inferiour Courts search not books that are on this side the Kings Court that are made of late but go to the King of heavens Records have recourse to his Court look into the Law of God Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them throw them by that truth which is found in any writings and not to be drawn out of Gods Book is not from antiquity these are the true Records here is the true antiquity And so much for this word Book The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ezekiel that is the name of our Prophet Among the Jewes there were no Sir-names but every man had onely one name as Samuel David Isaiah Jeremie Ezekiel c. This name Ezekiel doth signifie the strength of God or one strengthened by God He had a great work to doe he needed great strength for that work He was to deale with wicked Princes wretched people such as were exceeding opposite desperately wicked impudent hard-hearted rebellious Therefore Chap. 3. vers 8 9. Behold saith God I have made thy face strong against their faces and thy fore-head strong against their fore-heads c. The Hebrew words here for strong are Chazakim and Chazak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have made thy faces Chazakim strong I have given thee many faces and I have given thee many strengths strong both in the singular and plurall number all the strengths that is fit for a Prophet that had such a great task to undertake and goe about He was to reprove them for their sinnes to threaten Gods judgements to vindicate Gods justice in bringing them into captivity himselfe was to endure much hardship and many conflicts for which ordinary strength would not suffice therefore he is fitly called Ezekiel the strength of God or a man strengthened of God Or thus Ezekiel doth signifie one girt of God Cingere vineire for Chazack is to gird or bind and Ezekiel is one whom God hath girt and bound up for some imployment answerable to that expression of Paul Behold saith he I goe goe bound in the Spirit to Jerusalem so you read it but it may be bound to the Spirit Acts 20 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Spirit of God goes before me and I being bound to the guidance of the Spirit doe follow the same whithersoever it leads me So here our Prophet was girt up of God from the world bound in or to the Spirit and so followed that which way soever it led him Touching this name of Ezekiel you may observe a note or two First see the wisedome of God in giving names sutable to the events that doe follow and fall out afterward Ezekiel was to deale with a stubborne people a rebellious house that did oppose heaven that did stand it out against God to the uttermost There was need therefore of a strong Prophet to subdue their rebellious spirits If an ordinary man had come he would soone have been discouraged his spirit would have sunk and fallen within him therefore here the Lord ordereth it so that a name shall be given unto him which shall be sutable to the event he shall be a man of God he shall be strong strengthened girt up of God to deale with a proud rebellious obstinate people You may find in Scripture divers names that have been imposed through the wisedome and guidance of God upon parties before their birth and the event hath answered afterward very fully as Gen. 17. Thou shalt call his name Isaac Isaac signifieth laughter and Isaac proved matter of laughter to his father and mother all their dayes he was a dutifull sonne you never read that Isaac fell into such sinnes as some other of the Patriarchs and Prophets fell into He was a child of laughter to them So 1 Chron. 22.9 His name shall be Solomon for I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his dayes and the event was answerable to his name So Josiah 1 Kings 13.2 it signifies the fire of the Lord and Josiah was the fire of God indeed to make a reformation to pull downe Jeroboams Altar and to offer upon it the Priests of the high places that had burnt Incense upon it to burn mens bones thereon to throw out idolatry and to destroy the high places So the name of our blessed Saviour which was imposed before his birth Thou shalt call his name Jesus They shall call his name Emanuel he shall save his people he shall be God with us and it was so Luke 1. Call his name John John noteth Gracious and he was gracious in the eyes of his very enemies he had favour in the eyes of Herod favour in the eyes of the people Gods wisedome is seen in ordering of names before-hand sutable to events that follow afterward 2. This should direct parents to impose incouraging names upon their children What incouragement was it to Ezekiel to think of his name the strength of God a man girt up of God for some great designe and imployment Names at first were imposed for distinctions sake and not only so but to shew the hopes and desires of parents touching their children for the time to come Obvirtutis auspicium imponunt u◠vocabula Jeron Good names were prognosticall Parents expected and children were incouraged much by them Leah nameth her son Judah which is praise that she might praise God for him and he might do things worthy of praise all his dayes and the Tribe of Judah did worthily in Israel Thus much from the name of Ezekiel The Boook of the Prophet Ezekiel This word Prophet is not in the Hebrew The Book Ezekiel or the book of Ezekiel But it is in the body of the Prophecie Chap. 2. v. 6. They shall know that there hath been a Prophet among them Prophet is from the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and it signifies one that foretells things to come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Hebrew word Nabi of Naba which signifies to fore-know 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fore-tell or discover things Some derive it from a root which signifieth to bud to bring forth for as a tree drawes sap from the earth sends forth that sap into leaves and fruit becomes profitable and serviceable unto man so doth the Prophet he drawes sap from the root which is God from him he hath many hidden deep and divine truths which hee reveals and sends forth for the delight and benefit of others Prophets were of two sorts distinguished by the Temples some were Prophetae priores and others Prophetae posteriores The former Prophets were those of the first Temple the latter Prophets were those of the latter Temple and they were Haggai Zachariah Nehemiah Ezra and Malachi these Prophets continued but forty yeers after the second Temple was built and then did Prophecie
bread among the Gentiles whither I will drive them 14. Then said I Ah Lord God behold my soul hath not been polluted for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of it self or is torn in pieces neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth 15. Then hee said unto me Lo I have given thee cowes dung for mans dung and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith 16. Moreover he said unto me Son of man behold I will break the staffe of bread in Ierusalem and they shall eat bread by weight and with care and they shall drink water by measure and with astonishment 17. That they may want bread and water and be astonished one with another and consume away for their iniquity THe time of Ierusalems siege being typed out by the Prophets side-lying he comes hereto type out the grievous famine should be in that siege and this he doth 1. From the course materialls they should make their bread of in the 9th verse wheat barley beans lentiles millet and fitches 2. From the quantity they should eat vers 10 11. they must eat and drink by measure 3. From the quality of it vers 12. it should be bread baked with dung defiled bread this was to type out the Israelites eating polluted bread among the Gentiles where they were to be captives 4. From the Prophets deprecation against eating polluted bread vers 14. Ah Lord my soul hath not been polluted c. 5. From Gods answer yeelding to the Prophets request in the 15th verse giving him cowes dung for mans and then declaring his intention in the 16. and 17. verse that he would break the staffe of bread bring them to extreme want and cause them to pine away Something I must open before I come to the instructions arising out of the words Vers 10. Twenty shekels a day There were shekels of gold 2 Chro. 3.9 shekels of silver 2 King 15.20 shekels of brasse 1 Sam. 17.5 of iron also verse 7. some of these shekels are yet to be found amongst Antiquaries on one side they have stamped the omer of Manna which God commanded Moses to lay up in the Sanctuary and in Samaritan letters writ Sekel Israel and on the other side is stamped Aarons rod Vid. Noser um de Numis Hebra Pradum in Ezek. Rivet in Exod. flourishing with these words Ierusalem Kedoshah Because the Scripture mentions the shekel of the Sanctuary as Exod. 30.13 and Numb 3.50 The Rabbies and many others make a difference between shekels and say that of the Sanctuary was holy and of twenty gerahs others were common and of ten gerahs Shekel is a weight from Shakal to weigh from whence our word scale or scoal is taken half the weight of the other and this opinion hath prevail'd much amongst Authors but I find it by later Writers opposed and especially by Vilalpandus it 's call'd the shekel of the Sanctuary not because it differed from others but for that it was kept there to be a Standard and Measure for all the rest that there might not be great and small shekels at the pleasure of men and mischief accrue that way they hold that the shekels were all of one weight though not of one substance and that First because no just reason can be given why they should differ and so doubts be multiplied of what shekel it was meant when mention is made of shekels and half shekels as Exod. 30.13 and the third part of a shekel Nehem. 10.32 Secondly because the shekels that are now extant in the world are of the same weight Thirdly the Scriptures make the shekels that were in common use the same for weight with those of the Sanctuary observe two places and it 's evident Ezek. 45.9 10 11 12. he blames Princes there for violence and fraud and exhorts them to use just weights and measures See Lev. 27.25 Numb 3.47 and then mentions the shekel which shall be twenty gerahs this was the shekel in common use now see Exod. 30.13 where he speaks of the shekel in the Sanctuary and saith there a shekel is 20. gerahs and so the same with that in publike use A gerah weighed sixteen Barly corns Vide Ainsw upon Exod. 30.13 and twenty gerahs came to 320. Barly corns which made the weight of the shekel of the Sanctuary and other some render the word gerah by obolos for farthings some by stivers and was the value of two shillings or two four pence for the weight which is the thing wee are here chiefly to look at a shekel was the same with the stater among the Grecians and Romans Lib. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Eusebius calls shekels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a stater was four drams call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was half an ounce and so accordingly the twenty shekels weight was ten ounces so that the loaf or weight of bread here allowed to the Prophet day by day was of ten ounces only others that follow the opinion of the common shekel which was the fourth part of an ounce make the weight of his meat or bread only five ounces for so much do twenty shekels amount unto and this is so little that hardly life can be maintained by it I incline to the former opinion and leave it to your judgement Vers 11. The sixth part of an Hin From the bread he descends to the drink which was no better then fair water and not overmuch of that a Hin was a measure of liquid things Maimon in his Tract of Sacrifice Ch. 2. § 7. as of oil wine and water and it contain'd twelve of those measures are call'd logs of which you read in Lev. 14.10 one log of oil which Ainsworth saith is half a pint the Rabbies as much as six eggs but Pradus observes that the eggs in Palestina were greater then elsewhere and that six of them would fill the Rom. Sextarius and hee clears a common error about those eggs they are not to be taken for the eggs of fowles which are sometimes greater sometimes lesser but an Egge was a certain standing measure among the Jewes in the form of an Egg and the least measure they had six of these mad a Log and seventy two a Hin so that the sixt part of an Hin was two Logs that is so much as twelve egs would contain for their measure of an egge was after the proportion of ordinary eggs and came to no more then one pinte or six ounces as some conceive but a pinte of water weigh'd comes to sixteen ounces which was very little for four and twâ—â—ty hours Vires non tribuit sed mortem tantum prohibuit bread and water was so little that their hunger and thirst were rather increased then diminished thereby Vers 12. Thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man in their sight Poor people in many places use mean things for firing some burn straw some brakes some turfe some
let that be the prayer of such which you find Psal 79.8 O remember not against us former iniquities Let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us for wee are brought low and take heed of sinning for the future against God for be sure your sin will find you out Numb 32.23 and be thorns not in your flesh but in your consciences old sins will be old Serpents sting unto death Isa 10.3 What will you do in the day of visitation Ezek. 22.14 Can thine heart indure or can thine hanâ—s be strong in the dayes that I shall deal with thee 3. Such is the nature of States and Churches that falling into sinfull wayes they seldome return but proceed adding sin to sin filling up the measure of their iniquities Ieroboam makes a rent layes a foundation in Idolatrous practices and the House of Israel continue in that way three hundred and ninetie yeers not one king of Israel right Solomon he goes out by the inticing of his wives to false worship he corrupts Iudah leavens it w th Idolatry and not all the good Kings in Iudah could get out that leaven again perfectly if there were a stop of Idolatrous passages made in one Kings raign there was liberty granted in anothers Idolatry and other sins so abounded in Ahaz Manasses and Zedekiah's dayes that the Lord was weary of them and not quiet till he had rejected them And this is not only so in States and Churches but also in particular cases if men fall into any way of wickednesse so corrupt is nature so prone unto sin that it persists unto its own perdition rather then returns to its own salvation it must be a mercifull and powerfull hand of God that reduceth a straying sinner much more a straying State 4. That length of time is no good plea for errors false worship sinfull customes and practices they could plead hundreds of yeeres for their high places Calves Samaritan Rites Altars Priests c. yet antiquity would not exempt them from guilt and punishment he must bear the iniquity of the House of Israel they had sinned in the direction use and retention of these and God had visited and would yet visit more for them what if wee have had Prelacy and Popery Ceremonies and Superstitious Rites among us hundreds of yeers they are plants not of Gods planting and through age so rotten that they need plucking up and it will be his honour whose shoulder and strength is imployed that way 5. The Lord shewes more favour to his sinning great sins then he doth to others that are not his the House of Israel hath the left side is Loammi none of Gods people and therefore utterly rejected sent into captivity and return not the House of Iudah hath the right side God would shew them favour in their captivity and return them after seventy yeers correction in Babylon Gods carriage towards his is different from that towards others Psal 89.30 31 32 33. If his children forsake my Law and walk not in my judgements if they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandements then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes neverthelesse my loving kindnesse will I not utterly take from him here God took not away loving kindnesse utterly from Iudah sending her into captivity but it was utterly taken from Israel if the one be whipt with rods the other is whipt with scorpions Saul he sins in offering sacrifice 1 Sam. 13. in sparing Agag 1 Sam. 15. David he sins in the defilement of Bathsheba in the murthering of Vriah 2 Sam. 11. in numbring of the people 2 Sam. 24. Solomon he sins in hearkening to his wives in falling to Idolatry yet God dealt not with David or Solomon whose sins were greater then Sauls as he did with Saul thy kingdome shall not continue saith Samuel and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king and it repented God that he had set up Saul to be King 1 Sam. 15.11 and he dealt severely with him he would not answer him in his straits but cut him off by the Philistims and his own sword so that he and his were broken in pieces and rooted out by the wrath of God but David and Solomon were chastised with the rods of men 2 Sam. 7.14 and see what followeth in the next verse My mercy shall not depart from him meaning Solomon when he committed iniquity I took it from Saul whom I put away from before me God proceeds otherwise with wicked men then he doth with his children there is much love in all their afflictions and meer wrath in all the wickeds sufferings Peters sin in denying Christ was greater then Ananias and Saphira's in denying a portion of their goods and almost parallel with Iudas's yet he hath a gracious aspect from Christ fetching penitent tears from his heart when the others are smitten with strokes of death 6. The instruments God uses in the execution of his judgments shall be resolute ready and active Set thy face toward the siege and thine arm shall be uncovered and thou shalt prophesie The Chaldeans were resolute upon the siege came fitted every way to it and were active in the work Hab. 1.8 9 10. They shall flee as the Eagle hasteth to eat They shall gather the captivity as the sand They shall deride every strong hold for they shall heap up dust and take it When God will have any notable work done he raiseth up instruments for it 7. Gods power and providence over-rules secondary agents so that they shall execute his pleasure and not disappoint it God laid bands upon the Prophet and he could turn no way till he had accomplished the dayes of the siege and when the King of Babylon and his forces were come to the work God held them to it and executed his judgements by them Pilate would have quit his hands of Christs death but he was to be an instrument together with Iudas and others and they did what the hand and counsell of God determined to be done Act. 4.28 Moses would have declined the work of bringing out the Israelites from Egypt and bringing in of judgements upon the Egyptians but God ordered and over-rul'd his spirit VER 9 10 11 c. Take thou also unto thee the wheat and barley and beans and lentiles and millet and fitches and put them in one vessell and make thee bread thereof according to the number of the dayes that thou shalt lie upon thy side three hundred and ninety dayes shalt thou eat thereof 10. And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight twenty shekels a day from time to time shalt thou eat it 11. Thou shalt also drink water by measure the sixt part of an Hin from time to time shalt thou drink 12. And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man in their sight 13. And the Lord said Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled