The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 1 — Section 213

vision Ezekiel beheld the death of Pclatiab; and it seems to us that be died, in fact when this prophecy was made known unto him. "This incident, whose awful character is attested to us by the impression upon Ezekiel, symbolizes prophetically the certainty in actual fact of the judgment of death on the others also (cf. Jer. xxviii. 17)" (Schroder). And so the issue of their presumptuous security and wicked counsel was to be their violent and ignominious death, We have in this an illustration of the issue of persistent wickedness. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." "The wages of sin is death." "Sin, when it is full grown, bringeth forth death." III. 'fHE BORROW OF A GODLY MAN IN VIEW OF Goo's JUDGMENTS UPON THE WICKED. "Then fell I down upon my face, and cried with a loud voice, and said, Ah, Lord God ! wilt thou make a. full end of the remnant of Israel?" To Ezekiel the death of Pelatiah .was an awful pledge of the death of all the others against whom he had prophesied; and it so deeply affect.ed his spirit as to cause him to cry out thus to God (we have noticed these words on eh. ix. 8). "Sudden or great judgments do put the saints and servants of God upon humble, earnest, and argumentative prayer. Humble, 'Then fell I down upon my face;' earnest,' and cried with a loud voice;' argumentative, 'Ah, Lord God! wilt thou make a full end of the remnant of Israel?'" (Greenhill). CONCLUSION. Learn : 1. The peril of presumption in any course which is opposed to •the will of God. 2. The great worth to a people of wise and upright leaders.-W. J. Ver. 5.-God's knowledge of our thoughts. "I kr.ow the things that come into your •mind, every one of them." Hengstenberg translates, "And that which riseth up in your mind I know." The fact thus stated is- , I. MosT REASONABLE. 1. From the nature of God. Grant that God is infinite, and the statement of our text must be true. Nothing can be so great as to overmatch his comprehension; nothing so smaU.as to escape his notice. Our Lord declared the Divine interest in the smallest and lowliest tbJngs (Matt. vi. 26-30; x. 29, 30). It is unpbilosophical to think that even the smallest thing is in any way unknown to him. It is limiting bis knowledge. 2. 1/rom the 11ature of the human mind. (1) It is the most wonderful creation of God. Man can reflect, reason, anticipate, imagine. " God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him." We have reason, conscience, affection, adoration. The greatness of the human mind appears very clearly when we consider its achievements. Mention some of them. Its capacity and impulse for progress also indicate its greatness. "It never rests, it bas never attained, it is never perfect. Its law is progress. A point which yesterday was invisible is its goal to-day, and will be its starting-post to-morrow." (2) It is the sphere of the most wonderful operations. We see much of God in his operations in matter; e.g. power, wisdom, constancy. We see more of him in his operations in minci; e.g. more marvellous power, profounder wisdom, richer goodness. In the government of mind the righteous- ness, t-ruth, and love of God are manifest.ed. We see most of God in his dealings with sinful, disordered minds. The sin of man occasioned the most glorious display of the Divine mind and will. We see the wisdom and love of God in his method of reconciling, saving, lost men as they were never manifested before. I do not wonder, then, that God knows everything that arises in our mind, for our mind is bis most wonderful creation, and his most wonderful creation disorganized, ruined; and he is engaged in saving it. How deep must be his interest in it I II. MosT WONDERFUL. Not because of anything in God as a difficulty or hindrance to this vast and minute knowledge; but: 1. Because of the intellectual quality of" the things that come into our mind." How insignificant, trifling, vain, many of them are! How few really great thoughts over rise in our mind! We know bow trying it is to be compelled to listen to the trivial talk of an ill-furnished mind; to hear all the paltry details of matters in which we have no interest or concern. Yet God knows all our petty, trifling, vain thoughts. Not one of them escapes him. How wonderful! 2. Because of the moral quality of" the things that come into our mind." Not only arc many of our thoughts insignificant and triflino-, many are also mean, corrupt, and sinful. It is painful to become acquainted with the u~o-enerous or base thoughts and feelings of another's mind I and heart. We shrink with l~athing from the contemplation of the malicious or cruel designs of any one. In our own selves there is much that we would not that any one should gaze upon, or any mind know, so deeply are we a.shamed of it,  208 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET EZEKIEL, [oH. x1: 1-25,