Ezek. ii. 4. Thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord
God.
ASTONISHING is the patience which God has exercised in all ages towards his rebellious creatures. After their wickedness had attained such an height that he was constrained to pour out his indignation upon them at the Deluge, he still deferred his judg- ments an hundred and twenty years, that, if possible, he might reclaim the world by the ministrations of Noah. At a later period, when he had chosen to himself a peculiar people, and with mighty signs and wonders had brought them forth out of Egypt, and they requited all his kindness with nothing but mur- murings and disobedience ; though their provoca- tions were beyond all conception great, he bore with them for the space of forty years, and would not utterly take away his loving-kindness from them. Again, when he had sent his people into captivity for the multitude of their iniquities, and especially for despising all his reproofs, and persecuting all his prophets a, he still would not altogether abandon them, but sent his servant Ezekiel to preach to them in the land whither they were carried captive. In the words of our text we are informed what Ezekiel was commissioned to say unto them : it was empha- tically this ; " Thus saith the Lord God." We do
a 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16.
not suppose that this was the whole of Ezekiel's message ; but it was a peculiarly important and em- phatical part of it : it was that which above all other things characterized the end and object of his mis- sion. It is particularly to be noticed, that no specific message is annexed to these words; and that they occur twice also in the following chapter precisely in the same wayb. Can we suppose that so peculiar a commission should contain in it no more than what appears upon the surface ? Surely it must be ac- knowledged to be either very defective, or very com- prehensive. To say that it was defective, would be to arraign the wisdom of God himself : we shall do well therefore to search into its real and extensive import. Three things then were evidently implied in it (which indeed are implied also in the commis- sion given to ministers at this day) ; namely,
I. To declare God's will —
[God has declared it unto us And we are to de- clare it unto others with fidelity and affection When
objections are made to the word delivered, we must produce our warrant from the Holy Scriptures, and remind them whose word it is ; " Thus saith the Lord God." With this we ourselves are to be satisfied; and we must require others to regulate their views by the infallible dictates of inspiration ]
II. To assert His authority —
[We find men in a state of rebellion against God
We, as his ambassadors, are to offer them terms of recon- ciliation If our terms be thought too humiliating, we
must declare that God will never offer them any other ; and that unless they accept these, they must inevitably perish
While we encourage them by representations of God's
mercy and love, we must also intimidate them with exhibitions of his justice, his power, and his truth ]
III. To seek, notwithstanding all our discourage- ments, the salvation of their souls —
[We must expect, that, if we discharge our duty aright, we shall meet with many and great discouragements : " briers and thorns will be with us ; yea, we shall dwell among scor- pions." But " nothing is to.move us," " nor should we account
b Ezek. hi. 11, 27.