z LORD, and a fat before me.
7 Of Jecomiat's Captivity and Zedckiah's Reign, two Years and five
Months before Nebuckadnezzar did beftege Jeruſalem. Auguſt. t Which
an%ers to our 27:5. u Men Heb, Some of note among the Elders, and
o Atthe Time, the Seaſon. Ir ſpeaks not of that preciſe Portion gf Hours which m3ke vp the natural Day ; burof the Time wherein Gog began to ſhew them great Mercy. plt includes Mercy withour Merit in them, and it refers to God's declaring bv his Kindneſ; tg them, that he had choſen them. Ir ſuppoſeth the free eternal EleQian, bur ir expreſly refers to a Temporaland ſeaſonable ſele&ting them fra, others; choſen, as 1/a. 14. 1. again Dent. 7.6, 7. or poflibly thy, When I went to make them a choice People by refining them from their Drofs and Idolatries contratted in Ezypr, fo the word 1/2. 48 1c, and feleting them. q Not perſonally confidered, bur nationali; r Either afluring them by Oath, tharc he wou!d now make good iii; Promiſe, and bring them out of Bondage ; 'tis the Geſture of one thar ſolemnly ſweareth, and Scriptures frequently mention it, as wer, 1;, and Deut. 32. 40. Or elſe ſtretch'd out, and made baremy Arm, i.e. magnified my Power for your Deliverance. s This explaineth and tellsus who 1/-ae! was. £ By the Miracles which he wrought : for 'tis not to be underſtood of making known or diſcovering hisEllence and incomprehenſible Being. #« *Tis not unlikely that many of them either were ignorant, or forgot God; now by his Wonders wrought for their Deliverance he brings them to remember him, and look to him : Moſes his Queſtion in Exod. 3. 13. ſeems to intimate this Igno. rance of this People. x As this expreily directs us to the Place, fit points out the Time too, when 7J/7ae! was choſen, ſeletted. » Shewed my Power 1n performing my Oath and Promiſe in what was now tobe done, and aſſuring them of doing what was farther p:omiſed by him, and expeCted by them; and to aſſure them the more, 'ris doublet, z So Exed. 3.13.16, 17. Yours from your Progenitors, yours by Pro. miſe, by Covenant, and now am come to be your God by a&tual and PunCtual performing my Word to you, bringing you out of the Land of Egypt by a lifted up Hand and Arm.
6 In the day 7hat 1 lifted up mine hand unto them to bring them forth of the land of Egypt, into a land that] had «c efpied for them, flowing with f milk and honey, * which z the g glory of all lands : "m
e After the manger of Man God fpeaks, as if he had been the Spy q, to go from Piaceto Place to ſearch our the beſt, and to appoint ir tors; them : It washis wiſe and good Providence which aſligacd this Land to them. f Literally, Milk and Honey in abundance were in the Land of Canaan, and continued till this fruitful Land was turned in to Barrenneſs, for the Sinsof its Inhabitants. Proverbially ir ſpeaks
Rulers of 7ſ-ae! : Either ſome of the Caprtives in Bab;lon, as moſt likely
they were, who chap. 8. 1, came to him, or ſome of thoſe who were ſeat from Zedekiah to complement,or carry Tribute to Nebuchadnezzar , as moſt like they were, chap 14. 1. x Not of the Prieſts, or Levites, bur of the Laity, civil Magiſtrates and Officers, who might beſentto vicw the State of Babylon, and to obſerve what poſture things were in, the better to reſolve on that Zedekiah and his Counſels were form- in7, whether *ewill be adviſable to ſhake of the Yoke of the King of Bavylen by a Rebellion, or patiently bear it: And I conjeQture this
might bethe main Enquiry they made now, which was two Years and
five Months before the Siege began; during which two Yearsand
five Months, I fuppoſe the Deſign was reſolved on, framed, Proviſion
made of all forts, and at laſt a Rebellion raiſed. y Yet reſolved before.
hand what they would do, as wi'l appear. z Prophets neither did
pretend to, nor could they reſolve fuch Enquiries, but the Lord whom
the Prophetsdid conſult. Whether it ſpeak the Quality of the Per-
ſons that did notſtand as mean Perſons, or their reſolution to wait for
anſwer, or be a Phraſe proper with the Jews to expreſs the common
Deporrment of the Country, I leave you ro gueſs.
2 6 Then came the word of the LORD unto me, fay-
11 ;
White theſe Men were with Ezetiel, God gives him Inftruftion what to ſay to them.
3 Son of c man, 4 ſpeak unto the e elders of Iſrael, and
ſay unto them, Thus f faith the Lord GOD, * Andg ye
- come to enquireof me? 2s 1 + live, faith the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by 2 you.
* } + Þ
y * ER (
s 4% _—_ ., J/E&ER
EE.
c See chap. 2. 3. d Speak plainly, boldly, and to their Faces. e Fear nor cheir Frowns, if they are Depuries from Zedekiah, yet let rotthar Charater make thee meal-mourh'd. f This Expreſſion car- ries enough to encourage him. - z Are ye in good earneſt ? Nay but you a& a deep Hypocriſy, bing already reſolved on your own Courſe, and yet now pretend you would know my Counſel: it is a ſharp Re-
proof of their Wickedneſs, and God utterly refuſeth to be enquired |
of by ſuch. + See chap. 14. 16. i Prophane Hypocrites, that abuſe my Prophet, and tempt his God ; they are, as all Politico's who have Tets of Religion than worldly Wiſdom, willing to hear whether the Propker will fatter and fawn, and encourage them; if ſo, then he is 2 Wie, able, honeſt Man; elſe a Sor, tobe flighted.
4 Wile chon * & judge them, fon of man? ! wilt thou, * judge rem? m cauſe them to know the » abominations of their fathers :
E Either wilt thou judgecharitably, and ſuppoſing they are upright ac: teachable, wiltthou plead with me for them, as cap. 14. 3. or as
—_
the choiceſt, beſt, the moſt uſefuland pleaſant, and the Plenty and A- bundance of all theſe Bleſſings for Life, and ſo to be here taken; and though the whole Country, in the utmoſt Extent of it, as propoſed fo Iſracl, (whoſe Sins kept them out of much of it) was naturally 2 fruitful Land, yer this great Plenty was more fiom the ſpecial Favour and Blcfling of God. g Makes every Country deſirable.
7 Then +4 ſaid I unto them, iCaſt ye away every man the & abominations of his eyes, and defile / not your
_ with the idols »z of Egypt : I a: the LORD » your od.