; The gathered, who aſſembled upon Cyrus's Proclamation firſt, and then again upon Darius's Proclamation ; of which Ezra chap. t. and chap. $. they met together ſomewhere n the Land of their Caprivity, and kad a long Journey to Feruſalem. u They ſhall overcome all Difh- culties, and eſcape Dangers, and diſpatch the long Journey, andcome ſafely to their own Land. Aboliſh Superſtition and Idolatry from the Temple, 7eruſalcm, and from the Prieſts. » See ch. 5.11. zOf the Land and City ; and who reads Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Prophets 7ccoariab and Haggai, willſce this Reformation carried on with ſucceſs,
io a And 61 will cgive them 4onee heart, and I will ut a f * new ſpirit within you; and I will take the * {tony heart out of their 4 fleſh, and will give them an heart of 3 fleſh :
This may be underſtood caſually, and ſo gives an Account how the Reformation, mentioned wer. 18. ſhould be effeed. 5 The Lord himſelf, and he aſlumeth it to himſelf thrice in this wer. c Of free Gr:c: *tis that this renewed Heart 1s in any one ; length, ſoreneſs, and multip!icity of Troubles will not, cannot work it, unlef(s God frame and renew it. d They were ſcattered abroad through the Bavylonijh Kingdoms, were under various Circumſtances which might dividethem, and keep them from each other, and from centring in a return, but I will ſtir up their hearr, and with one heart they ſhall gather together, when the return ſhall be Proclaimed ; Cyrus ſhall firſt give them leave, and I will next givethema heart to return ; and on their way ſhall there be great Unity ; and when come to Jeruſalem, they ſhall own me and my Laws,&*c. thev ſha)l with one conſent build Feruſalem, the Tem- ple, anu reſtore true Religion; as Jer. 32. 39 and Exz-k. 36. 26. e That 15 Judgment and Underſtanding, Mind and Will, 4f:&ions and Con- ſcience; all fixed only on God, and their Obedience to him, as ver. 20 T bis one Heart 1scalled a new Spirit. f An excellent, regenerate,ho- Iy and tincere Soul : they were of baſe, corrupt and hypocritical Spirit, divided between God and Idols; but when God brings them back, they 1ha)' be of another Frame, quite changed, and made new. g That hard, inflexib'e, undutiful, incorrigible Diſpoſition which was in their Fathers, who retuſed to be amended; T'll take that away. þh Fleſh in Scripture ſometimes ſpeaks an unrenewed, carnal, ſinful State, as Rom. 7. 18. ſometimes the Body, as Pſal. 38. 3. ſometimes the whole Man; ſo Luke 3. 6. Rom. 3. 20. and thus in this place ſpeaks the Per. ſons and whole Man. 7 Notlike the old, hard and ſtony, but coun. ſellable, .rra&table, that will hear, conſider, obey, do commandeq Good, and forbear forbidden Evils, ſubmit to my Law, and reform on Admonitionas. A!l which in part, and fo far as concern'd thoſe times, was fulfilled in the Jews that did return from Babylon, and ful. ler is made good tous in theſe Goſpel Days.
20 & That they may / walk in my »-ſtatutes, and keep mine 7 ordinances, and do them : and they ſhall be o my people, and I will be their p God.
k This is the End Grace aimeth at, converting us to God, that we may walk wich God. 7 See ver. 12, m The Rule of Religious Wor- ſhip. = Standard in Civil Afffairs and Matters of Right and Wrong with Men. o They ſhall give themſelves up ro me for to be my Peo- ple, to love me, truſt me, and to worſhip and obey me; and I will take them to be mine, I will approve, encourage, bleſs, guide and proteCt them, that it ſhall be ſeen they are my peculiar People. This contains all Duty and Priviledges as including both, and is again in- cuicated in the other part of the Promiſe. p To pardon Sin, give Grace, ſupply Wants, guide their Ways, accept their Duties, defend theic Perſons, and lead them to Glory. See Exck. 36. 25, 26, 27. 28. and Fer. 31. 33. where Jercmiah contemporary to Ezckicl propoſeth the ſame promiſe to this People.
2T 9 But asfor 7 them whole 5s heart t walketh after the heart of their deteſtable things, and their « abominations,
faith the Lord GOD.
qFor all thoſe promiſes, and in beſt times, ſome there wi!l be who will refuſe to own God and obey him, whoſe Stare ſhall as much dif. fer as ther PraCtices did from the People of God. r Who e're they be. 5 Soul and AffeRtions, whoſe Choice and Love, * Either ſecret- Iy adhereth to, or provideth for the ſervice of Idols, called here de. teſtable things, as wer. 18. chap. 5. 11. and to expreſs the obſtinacy of this Idolatry 'tis called a Hrart walking after a Heart. Tdolatry isa be. witching Sin, and ſteals away the Heart, and the promoters of Idola. fry propoſe the plauſibleſt Arguments, as if Idols had Heartsand Af. feftions toward their Worſhippers to do them good : the Expreſſion in the Hcb. is ſomewhat unuſual and harſh to our Ear, bur this I take fo be the meaning. « Their Idols, and Idol-worſhip and Dependen- ces. x Pay them in their own Coin, they forſake me, I will forſake them ; they prophane my Name and Temple, I will give them up as common to be prophaned by the Chaldeans. y Their way tends to this, and ſhall end in this, and nothing more juſt. z. 3. e. On each Man,and in ſuch manner as ſhall deſtroy the Contumacious. Or on thoſe that are as Heads of the People and Ringleaders in obſtinacy of ſinning, fuch 25 in the 25, wer. 1. and who ſhall be Examples.of my ſpeedy and ureliſtable Vengeance. as Pelatiah was.
22 E a Then did the cherubims lift up their Wings, an6 the wheels beſides them ; and the glory of the God
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of Trae] was over them abore; E
# The whole 22d ce. is in the ſame Words almoſt you have in ch. 10, 19, which ſee.
23 And the 5 glory of the LORD went up from the c midſt of the City, and ſtood 4 upon the e mountain, which 1s on the eaſt-ſide of the city.
b See chap. 3.23. and 8.4. 2nd g. 3. and 10. 18, 19. cTheGlory of the Lord removes now our of the Ciry, over whick'ic had food ſome ſpace of time waiting for their Repenrance, bur no Fruits of this, and God now departed from them. d Above ir e Ir was Mounr Oliver, as the Deſcription of it in this Place and elſewhere doth clcar- ly ſhew.
24 f Afterwards the g Spirit took me up, and brought me in + viſion by the ſpirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity : ſo the viſion that I had ſzen z went up from me.