'down, and the Enemy ready to enter, a valianr, faithful, and vigilant g hedge. Sou'dier would run up into the Breach to repel the Enemy; fo true
| Prophersdo partly by Prayer, and partly by DoQrine, and partly by
'
be no more prolonged : for in your days, O rebellious perſonal Reformation, labour ro preſerve God's People ; bur, Fox.
like, they have ſhifred our of harms way. s The Houſe of [acl is the Lord's Vineyard, throngh the Hedge whereofmany Breaches are ' made, through which wild and waſting Beaſts come in and devour the Grapes, and ſpoil the Vines; but you have not ſtopp'd thoſe Breaches, bur, Fox-like, come in and pulled off the render Grapes, and done the moſt Miſchief ; you have increaſed Sin and Danger there- by. And when the Lord's Wrach ſhall give up the City, you will nor ſtand to oppoſe the Enemy breaking in, fouſeleſs will theſe be ar laſt; :; Not with Arms but with Faſting, Prayers, Repentance, laying ho!d on the Arm of the Lord, and interceding for hits People. « Which God will by the Chaldeans fight againit che Houle of 7/-ae! ; in that Day of the Lord the Weapons of War will not prevail againſt che Chaidemns, unleſs Prayers, Tears, and Amendment, prevail with the Load to withdraw the Batte), and be at Peace with 7/rae!.
6 They have x ſeen 7 vanity and lying divination, ſay- ing, The LORD wſaich ; and the LORD hath not a ſent them : and they have & made others to hope that they
wou!ld confirm the word.
x They pretend to have ſeen, bur ſtill they ſee nothing ; as ver. 2, The Prophet ſpeaks as if indeed they had ſeen, bur the very C:nlure of the things they ſaid they ſaw, clears it, thar ll was bur Pretence. y Things that have no Ground or Foundation, 2nd which will never be, and are therefore called Vanity and lying Divinations. = Fore- eel[eth and promiteth : a Never revealed any iuch king to them, or bad themrell the Jews any ſuch thing. 5 By their Pretences and Ar- guments they have wheedled ſome inro a B-lief of cheir Word, and into a hope of that they promiſe ; and ſo the credulous Jew is undone by his Prophet, who tells him all is well, and needsno Alteration; and all will be well, and rhey need fear no Deſolation.
| 7 c Have ye not ſeen a vain viſion, and have ye not ſpoken a lying divination, d whereas ye fay, The LORD faith 7r, albeic I have not ſpoken? |
c Conſider with your own Conſciences, do they nottell you, thac all is vain Pretence which you make? can you think Jeraſalem can eſcape, or the firſt Captives be returned, and all this ſo ſoon ? Is not this vain to be imagined, and they vainer that imagineand believe it ? 4IFf it ſhould come to paſs, which it never ſhall, yer herein you are convifted Lyars ; you fay the Lord faith,. was -as he hath ſaid no ſuch thing, nay the contrary hath God ſpoken ro what you ſpeak, and the Event ſhall be as contrary to your Exve&ation, which is of God, but behold Evil cometh our of the Nocth, ati.l great Deſtruction.
8 c Therefore thus faith the Lord GOD, Becauſe ye have ſpoken vanity, and ſeen lies, therefore behold, - I 4 am againſt you, faith the Lord GOD.
c The whole Verſe ſpeaks the dreadful Anger of God againft choſe falſe Prophets ; it is unſpeakable Wrath, 'and we are lefc ro gueſs at it by the manner of Speech here uſed, which is minatory, Ezek. 21. 3, & 26. 3. concealing the greater Part intended, an Apoliop2its. 4 This is more particularly exemplified in the next Verſe.
9 And minee hand ſhall be upon the prophets that ſee vanity, and that divine lies : they {hall not be in f the aſſembly of my people, neither inallthey be g writ- ten in the writing of the houſe of Iſrael, neither {hallthey h enter into the land of Iſrael; and ye ſhall ; know that
[ am the LORD. | e My Power ſtriking them ; ſothet ic ſhall be evident they fall undec Divine Revenge; as Pelatiah, chap. 11.13. and Hananiaz, J-r. 28. 15, 16. Or if they eſcape this ſtroke, f Have no Seat among the Rulers, nor Voice among the Counfellors, nor Credit among the Judges of my Pcopls ; bur as. falſe FeHows, Teachers of Lies, be branded wirk nct be ameng $hois
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ry and paill'd, and then felt the Strozk of God's Hand, and Truth of his Prophet.
thoſe that return, dead before, or rejeGed as dangerous Seducers 2nd blaſ-kemous Abuſersof the Name of God. Ir may alſo refer to the excluding them our of the Aſſembly of glorified Oaes in Heaven. g Nor reyiitred among thoſe chat retutn, of wich R-giitry, Ezra. 2. 2, 2. bur b'orced our for their Impiety, this literally ; myſtically It may be. an obliterating, or blotting them out of the Bcok of Life, they ſhall rot be written with fuch as ſh21l eſcape ; ſpiritually rhey Qa!] not be found among the Ele& that ſhall live for ever. þ They ſhall never more come into the Land of 72:1, nor ſurvivethe Captivity. Or. with Ciſorace caſt off ſhall die in ſtrange Lands. Ta brief, the ap- proaching proſperity which they promile the Peopie none {hall ſee, Jer. 24. 21, 32. but the Proſperity afcer 70 years Captivity, which I
omite my People thall ſee, buttheſe falſe Prophers never ſhall ſee, 1 hand ſhall be ſo againſt them. They ſhall nor be written 1N the Books of Eternal Life, which is written for the juſt Ones of ch: Houſe of Iſrael, ſaith the Chaldce Paraphralt. 7 See Chap. 17>. Ver. 15.
p2ople, ſaying, / Peace,
BEZEKIEL
ered 145rier, and will þ fay utito you, The 7 wall ; n5 more, neither they that daubed it z
fn this dreadful manner by my Hand viſible in doing it. g Fulfit what my Prophets foretold, and perform my Word and theirs, and $1. ly pour out my Wrath, ſo that it ſhall be fully according to the in$t Ditplecaſure they have provoked in me. +I will deride them in the;. ruine, as Pfal. 2. 4. and Prov. 1. 26, # God curſeth Confidences ;n an Arm of Fleſh, and will deftroy them, for they are ſer up in dires. © m—_ to his Juſtice and Sovereigaty, to his Threars and Truth of them.
16 To wit, the prophets of & Ifrael which propheſe concerning Jerufalew, and which / ſee viſions of peac: tor her, and zhere es no peace, faich the Lord GOD.
k See wer. 2, 4. 1 See wer. 7.
»” one hyilt up a Wall, and lo, others * daubed ic with| pc
untemperc mortier,