16 None of his Sins that he hath committed, ſhall be mentioned g unto him : he hath done that which is lawful and right 3 he hall ſurely hve.
g See Chap. 18. wrr. IG, rot.
As the Threat againſt a righteous Man that proves a preſumptuous Apoſtate, was ſtated in the former part of the 12:5, and inthe whole 13th Verſe; fo in theſe three Verſes rhe Caſe of a repenting and re- forming Sinner 15 ſtated, and determined to his Encouragement and Comfort, and they are the ſame with chap. 18. wer. 21, 22. and with ver. 27, 28. which ſee.
17 © * Yet the children of thy people ſay, The way
"of the ORD is not equal ; but as for them, their way 1s
not equal z,
; Theſe impious, obſtinate Quarrellers will accuſe, and do condemn the juſt and holy God, that they may acquit themſelves ; See this Veric explained, cap. 18. ver. 25, 29.
13 When the righteous turneth from his righteouf- ne's, and committeth iniquity, he ſhall even die there-
by
do that which is lawful and right, he ſhall live there- by &.
In theſe two Verſes the Caſes are fo clearly ftated, that 'tis as cl:ar as the Sun, the Ways of God are very juſt, and that none bur ignorant Atheiſts would think or ſurmiſe otherwiſe.
20 Yet ye ſay, The * way of the LORD isnot equal : O ye houſe of 1ſrael, I will judge + you every one - after & his ways.
Still blinded Prejudice quarrels, / Call you to account, plead with you, and paſs Sentence. 7 This 1s added, to rouzeevery one up to repent of all Sins, and of this particularly. k A terrible Threar, aad I know not how a greiter could be denounced againſt Sinners than this; God infinitely holy. and perfe&tly jult, will judge them according to their unequal, unrighreous, fintu! ways, and according tG his inflexible Juſtice, And if God enter thus into Judgment, who can ſtand in light ?
21 Þ And it came to pals in the twelith year of * our captivity, inche tenth 0h, in the fifth Jay of themonth 7, that one that had eſcaped 7 out of Jeruſalem, came unto me, ſaying =, The cy o is * ſmitten p.
[ That is, one Year and five Months after the thing was done, and Temple burnt, and the City fack'd. - Qnz whoſe own Care, bur God's wonderful Providence had much more befriended him , perhaps ir might be oneof thoſe that yielded tothe Babylon:ans before, but was reſolved to ſee the upthor of all. » Likely giving a particu- lar Account of the whole. o Jeruſalem, p Taken, and plundered the Inhabitants, or ſlain, or Captives, and the City fſack'd, razed, and burnt.
22 Now the hand 4 of the LORD was upon me in the evening, afore he that was eſcaped came ; and had opened my mouth 7, untill he came to me in the morn. ing. and my mouth was opened, and I was no more
dumb. 4 The powerful I flzence of the Propherick Spirit inſpired me, 31d prepared me for what follov ed. » Not that the Prophet was
BEEZKSTEL o Vid. chap. 18.
18. 24. where the jland of Ifrael, ſpeak «. ſaying, Abraham was one, and he
lefling and Happineſs. If he conclude
* 9s 3 | 19 But if the wicked turn from his wickedneſs, and
dumb through Impotehee ard Inability to ſpeak, for he had Pro- pheſted again{t many Nations bur he was forbidden to ſay any thing
26, 27. and c52p. 29. 21, but now the Spirit moved me to ipeak and continued his Motion, till the Meſſenger came, and never after - for God did not command him Silence any more, ; 23 Then the word of the LORD came unto me. ſaying, | ; 24 Son cf man, they that inhabit thoſe waſtes t of the
[inhericed x the land 5 but we are many, the land is given 1:
') for inheritance &..
| s Who were left behind, having either hid themſclves, but now !come out of their Holes, or returned from Neighbour Countries ' whither they fled, or permitted by the conqueror to ſtay and pl:re | Vineyards. z Places once very fruitful and abounding with People, bur {now by the ſpoil of the Soldiers, emptied of Inhabirants, and mage 'as a Gelolate Wilderneſs, « Thus think and ſpeak, thus with vain | Reaſonings they deceive themſ:lves. x Our Father had hereditary Right to all this Land, when butone, and he multiplied to a greze Company, and fo they poſlefied the Land ; we Children of 4brahay tho dininiſh'd, are many, and the Divine Goodneſs willſurely appear then, and continue to us both Right and Pof{zſſion, and we ſhall lj ;the Land, and recover our former State and Privileges. y Twas gi. ven by Promiſe to us the Seed, as well as to our Progenitors, nay more 'tis given us in Poſſeſſion, we dwell in it, when Abraharn had , Not on? footof it in his Poſicilion. z The perperual Inheritance i; $9 Thus with vain fal}acious Arguments they cheat one another,
c
Ll
25 Wherefore « ſay unto them, Thus ſaith the Lord 7
GOD, * c toward your idols, and ſhed blood 4; and poſſeſs the land ? |
2 Remove them from this dangerous carnal Confidence, and ſhew De them what they do, by that what they are, how far from Abrahan's *
'Seed, his genuine Seed. 5 What ever might be the reaſon why, tis ;moſt certain this was forbidden, Ger. 9g. 4. Lev. 17. 14. and 19, 26, they ſinned by violating this Law. «c Honouring, praying, depend. ing on, and committing your ſelves to the PreteCtion and Guidancecf thoſe dumb Idols, Yd. c. 18. 6. let. k. d Innocent Blood ; ye are Murderers. e Polluted with ſuch, and many other hainous Sins, and what colour of hope. can you have, that you ſhall poſleſs the Land? The Queſtion includes a peremptory Denial.
26 Ye ſtand f upon your ſword, ye work abominati. on g, and ye defile every one his neighbours wife 4, and
thall ye poſſeſs the land z ?
f Youtruſt to your Sword, and ſtand with it as *twere drawn ready to kill and ſlay, you do all with Violence and Force, not regardiag what 1s right and equal, and fear no Reſtraints or Puniſhments. g 1- dolatry, or other Wickedneſs not to be named. þ Adultery is ſo com- mon among you, that *tis no bold Hyperbole to fay, every one defiles his Neighbowr's Wife. # And can ſuch Sinners flatter themſelves, that they ſhall inheric the Land promiſed to a holy and good Father, and to the like Seed 2 Will not the Land ſpew Jewiſh Sinners our, as it did ſpew out Canaanitiſh Sinners ?
27 Say thou thus unto them, Thus ſaith the Lord GOD, 4s I live, ſurely they that are in the waſtes & ſhall fall 7 by the ſword, and him that is z in the open field,, * will I give to the bealts to - be devoured : and they; that be in the forts », and in the caves, ſhall die of the | peſtilence.