c Since You perſiſt to implead me of Iniquiry in my Judsme after all I have ſaid to clear my ſelf; there king Nh bien I may be cleared, but this, to proceed with you according to your doings. 41 will debate, determine with you. e Who do keep up this Opinion of me ; the Proud contemners of God, and Juſtifiers of themſelves. f None ſhall be overlook'd or excuſed, every one ſhall be judged. g Your Ways ſhall be the ſtandard and Meaſure if they are good, you ſhall receive good ; if evil, you ſhall ſuffer evil - and then there can be no colour of Complaint. +h *T'will be ſafeft fo; | you that are proud Quarrellers, be therefore adviſed, repent, and ven. ture not your Life and Welfare on ſelf-juſtification : ſome others there were of better Temper, they are exhorted by Repentance to pre. vent Wrath, and prepare for the Mercy which the Lord ever ſhewth to the Penitent, as wer, 21.22. # Or, return your ſelves, perſwade 0. thers alſo. ( Tour ſelves is not in Hebr.) & Neither your ungodiy PraCtices, nor your unjuſt Opinions of me and my ways, ſaith the Lord. 1 The cauſe of your Temporal and Eternal Miſery : or thu, Ceaſe from Sin, then you'l judge aright, and not be ſtumbled ar the ſuppoſed Inequality of my Judgments : Who leave Sin, can ſee what Mercy ſpared, pardoned, ſave them ; but who live in Sin, will haye ſoft thoughts for Sin, and hard Thoughts of God.
31 Y » Caſt away from you all » your trangreflion whereby ye have tranſgreſſed, and. o make you a new *'| heart, and a new fpirit 3 for why p will ye die, O houſ3 of Iſrael ? | ;
7 Not only ceaſe from Sin, but with Indignation throw it away a*Þ a loathſome, pernicious thing, or as a Burden that will ſink you. s As God requires, ſo 'tis the Property of true Repentance, that it does frame the Heart againſt its own Sins. o Open your Eyes, and let the clear convincing Light of my words, Arguments, and Pro. þ * ceedings ſhine upon you : do not obſtinately harden your Hearts, th | you ſhould retain your old Prejudices againſt my Juſtice and Mercy; 7 but receive.new Opinions and Tenents concerning the things I have been clearing to you, that new Judgment may produce a renewed and reformed Courſe of Life. Your old Heart 1s made upof ſtrange No- tions of your Innocence, and the Inequality of the Ways of your God, and this influenceth your Spirit to Pride, quarreling with God, who might have convinced you by ſeverer Methods which ſhould have put you as far out of doubt about the Cauſe of your Puniſhmenr, as out of hope of Deliveragce from it : Or elſe thus, I have propoſed enough to change a conſidering Heart, to renew the Spirit of any thinking Man,co-operate with me. See your Sin, Guilt, Puniſhment, all yours, and from your ſelves ; repent of Sin, confeſs your Guilt, deprecate your Puniſhment. p There is no other way for you to b:!
reſolired into 2 vehement Aſeveration.
delivered ; your old Ways and Heart will end in Death : this is anAr gument taken from their Danger by old Sins. . 32 q ForT haveno * pleaſure in the Death of him thit
dieth, faith the Lord GOD: wherefore » turn || your ſebws,|,
and - live ye. .
q Another Argument to perſwade to Converſion, tak?n from the grt-1? cious Nature of God, who taketh Pleaſure in the return of a Sinner : for;(; that 1s the meaning of the Words. Sinners diſpleaſe God when they undo themſelves; they pleaſe him when they rerurn. » Do what you can, leave what Sins you have loved. 5s Tis a Promiſe.
CHAP. XIX.
A lament ation for the wicked adminſtration and miſerable end of the Prints of Iſrael, under the parable of lions whelps, 1 9. and for Feruſaie, under the parable of a wine waſted by the eaſt-wind, and a fire out her branches, 10—14.
I &
F Oreover, take b thou up a c lamentation for th! | þ princes of e Ifrae], | |
a Aud Heb. b Son of Man, Ezekiel, declare what Iamentable St2'* 6 the Princes of 7ſae! are fallen into. Propound it by Parable. 1% uſually expreſt in Verſe, as Jeremiah did in his Lamentations, and a appears, 2 Chron, 35. 25. but the Prophet is here dire&ecd "- 's
o
Aj aD. NI Y.
as vv. 2. « Tho they were Kings, yet, becauſe ſub- or Egypt, they are by a diminurivelefſening Term, and theſe were Jehoahzz, Jehoiachim, Fehojachin, and dckiah. e Tho they had but the ewo Tribes under them, yet be- cauſe ſome of 1ſracl, that eſcap'd the captivating Power of Salma- naar, were joined with the two Tribes, they are called by the name
f Iſrg'l, Fn | | E ; " fay, f What « g thy 5 mother? a # lioneſs * ſhe & lay down among lions, ſhe / nouriſhed her »2 whelps
among young ” 110ns. -
f What Reſemblance ſhall I uſe to ſet out the Nature, Deportment, ard State of the Mother of thele. Princes? An unhappy Mother of unhappy Children : Or, alas! chy Mother, &:. £ One of theſe was en the Throne at once, and therefore the Prophet ſpeaks to one at a time in the ſingular Number. +4 The Land of 7Juden and Jeruſalem, the chief Ciry of it, the Royal Family of David. i Though choſen of God to execute Juſtice, defend the Poor, to be his Vice-gerents, and to delight in Mercy ; yetonceadvanced, they ſoon degenerated into the fierce and ravening Nature of the Lioneſs, and as violently ſeized the Prey. & Aflociated, coucl'd, and rew familiar with, by Leagues, Commerce, and Intermixture of Marriages with neigbour Kings, call'd here Lions; thou didft learn their Manners, and grew- et fierce and bloody, as they, 1 The Heb, includes both her bring- ing forth many, and her advancing them to Greatneſs, The Royal Family of that. Nation had many Kings, and ſome very great : but the time the Prophet points now at 1n particular, was after Joi, whoſe CharaCter, given, Fer. 22. 16. 1s, that he judged the Peor and Needy ; but his Succeſſors were of another temper, as Jer. 22. 13, 14, 15,17, 24.e. her Sons, Succeſſors to the Crown, which could be call'd nothing e}ſe, to keep the Decorum of the Parable. 7 Either fo- ceign Princes and Kings, or elſe ſome of the fiercer, unjuſter, aſpiring and tyrannizing Princes athome; for ſome ſuch there were in theſe, as well as in Rehoboam's time, who would have the Son's Finger thicker than the Father's Lqyns.
3 And o ſhe p brought up 9 one of her r whelps : it s became a young lion, and itz learned to « catch the prey, it, x devoured y men.