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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1712)
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>E Z E K I E L.</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XXVIII.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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In this chapter we have,
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I. A prediction of the fall and ruin of the king of Tyre, who, in the
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destruction of that city, is particularly set up as a mark for God's
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arrows,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:1-10">ver. 1-10</A>.
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II. A lamentation for the king of Tyre, when he has thus fallen, though
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he falls by his own iniquity,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:11-19">ver. 11-19</A>.
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III. A prophecy of the destruction of Zidon, which as in the
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neighbourhood of Tyre and had a dependence upon it,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:20-23">ver. 20-23</A>.
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IV. A promise of the restoration of the Israel of God, though in the
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day of their calamity they were insulted over by their neighbours,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:24-26">ver. 24-26</A>.</P>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Fall of the Prince of Tyre.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 588.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 The word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> came again unto me, saying,
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2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord
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G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT>; Because thine heart <I>is</I> lifted up, and thou hast said, I
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<I>am</I> a God, I sit <I>in</I> the seat of God, in the midst of the seas;
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yet thou <I>art</I> a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as
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the heart of God:
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3 Behold, thou <I>art</I> wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that
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they can hide from thee:
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4 With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten
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thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:
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5 By thy great wisdom <I>and</I> by thy traffick hast thou increased
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thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:
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6 Therefore thus saith the Lord G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT>; Because thou hast set
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thine heart as the heart of God;
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7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the
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terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against
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the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
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8 They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the
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deaths of <I>them that are</I> slain in the midst of the seas.
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9 Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I <I>am</I> God?
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but thou <I>shalt be</I> a man, and no God, in the hand of him that
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slayeth thee.
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10 Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand
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of strangers: for I have spoken <I>it,</I> saith the Lord G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT>.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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We had done with Tyrus in the foregoing chapter, but now the prince of
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Tyrus is to be singled out from the rest. Here is something to be said
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to him by himself, a <I>message to him from God,</I> which the prophet
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must send him, whether he will hear or whether he will forbear.</P>
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<P>
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I. He must tell him of his pride. His people are proud
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+27:3"><I>ch.</I> xxvii. 3</A>)
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and so is he; and they shall both be made to know that <I>God resists
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the proud.</I> Let us see,
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1. What were the expressions of his pride: <I>His heart was lifted
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up,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>.
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He had a great conceit of himself, was puffed up with an opinion of his
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own sufficiency, and looked with disdain upon all about him. Out of the
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abundance of the pride of his heart he said, <I>I am a god;</I> he did
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not only say it in his heart, but had the impudence to speak it out.
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God has said of princes, <I>They are gods</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+82:6">Ps. lxxxii. 6</A>);
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but it does not become them to say so of themselves; it is a high
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affront to him who is <I>God alone,</I> and will not give his glory to
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another. He thought that the city of Tyre had as necessary a dependence
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upon him as the world has upon the God that made it, and that he was
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himself independent as God and unaccountable to any. He thought himself
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to have as much wisdom and strength as God himself, and as
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incontestable an authority, and that his prerogatives were as absolute
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and his word as much a law as the word of God. He challenged divine
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honours, and expected to be praised and admired as a god, and doubted
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not to be deified, among other heroes, after his death as a great
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benefactor to the world. Thus the king of Babylon said, <I>I will be
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like the Most High</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+14:14">Isa. xiv. 14</A>),
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not like the <I>Most Holy. "I am the strong God,</I> and therefore will
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not be contradicted, because I cannot be controlled. <I>I sit in the
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seat of God;</I> I sit <I>as high</I> as God, my throne equal with his.
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<I>Divisum imperium cum Jove Cæsar habet--Cæsar divides
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dominion with Jove.</I> I sit as safely as God, as safely <I>in the
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heart of the seas,</I> and as far out of the reach of danger, as he in
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the <I>height of heaven.</I>" He thinks his guards of men of war about
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his throne as pompous and potent as the hosts of angels that are about
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the throne of God. He is put in mind of his meanness and mortality,
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and, since he needs to be told, he shall be told, that self-evident
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truth, <I>Thou art a man, and not God,</I> a depending creature; thou
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art <I>flesh, and not spirit,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+31:3">Isa. xxxi. 3</A>.
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Note, Men must be made to know that they are <I>but men,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+9:20">Ps. ix. 20</A>.
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The greatest wits, the greatest potentates, the greatest saints, are
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<I>men, and not gods.</I> Jesus Christ was both God and man. The king
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of Tyre, though he has such a mighty influence upon all about him, and
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with the help of his riches bears a mighty sway, though he has tribute
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and presents brought to his court with as much devotion as if they were
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sacrifices to his altar, though he is flattered by his courtiers and
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made a god of by his poets, yet, after all, he is <I>but a man;</I> he
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knows it; he fears it. But <I>he sets his heart as the heart of
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God;</I> "Thou hast conceited thyself to be a god, hast compared
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thyself with God, thinking thyself as wise and strong, and as fit to
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govern the world, as he." It was the ruin of our first parents, and
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ours in them, that they would be <I>as gods,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+3:5">Gen. iii. 5</A>.
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And still that corrupt nature which inclines men to set up themselves
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as their own masters, to do what they will, and their own carvers, to
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have what they will, their own end, to live to themselves, and their
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own felicity, to enjoy themselves, <I>sets their hearts as the heart of
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God,</I> invades his prerogatives, and catches at the flowers of his
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crown--a presumption that cannot go unpunished.</P>
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<P>
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2. We are here told what it was that he was proud of.
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(1.) His wisdom. It is probable that this prince of Tyre was a man of
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very good natural parts, a philosopher, and well read in all the parts
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of learning that were then in vogue, at least a politician, and one
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that had great dexterity in managing the affairs of state. And then he
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thought himself <I>wiser than Daniel,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>.
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We found, before, that Daniel, though now but a young man, was
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celebrated for his prevalency in prayer,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+14:14"><I>ch.</I> xiv. 14</A>.
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Here we find he was famous for his prudence in the management of the
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affairs of this world, a great scholar and statesman, and withal a
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great saint, and yet not a prince, but a poor captive. It was strange
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that under such external disadvantages his lustre should shine forth,
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so that he had become <I>wise to a proverb.</I> When the king of Tyre
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dreams himself to be a god he says, I am <I>wiser than Daniel. There is
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no secret that they can hide from thee.</I> Probably he challenged all
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about him to <I>prove him with questions,</I> as Solomon was proved,
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and he had unriddled all their enigmas, had solved all their problems,
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and none of them all could puzzle him. He had perhaps been successful
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in discovering plots, and diving into the counsels of the neighbouring
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princes, and therefore thought himself omniscient, and that no thought
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could be withholden from him; therefore he said, <I>I am a god.</I>
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Note, <I>Knowledge puffeth up;</I> it is hard to know much and not to
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know it too well and to be elevated with it. He that was <I>wiser than
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Daniel</I> was prouder than Lucifer. Those therefore that are knowing
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must study to be humble and to evidence that they are so.
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(2.) His wealth. That way his wisdom led him; it is not said that by
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his wisdom he searched into the arcana either of nature or government,
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modelled the state better than it was, or made better laws, or advanced
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the interests of the commonwealth of learning; but his <I>wisdom and
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understanding</I> were of use to him in <I>traffic.</I> As some of the
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kings of Judah <I>loved husbandry</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+26:10">2 Chron. xxvi. 10</A>),
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so the king of Tyre loved merchandise, and by it he <I>got riches,
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increased his riches, and filled his treasures with gold and
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silver,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:4,5"><I>v.</I> 4, 5</A>.
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See what the wisdom of this world is; those are cried up as the wisest
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men that know how to get money and by right or wrong to raise estates;
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and yet really <I>this their way is their folly,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+49:13">Ps. xlix. 13</A>.
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It was the folly of the king of Tyre,
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[1.] That he attributed the increase of his wealth to himself and not
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to the providence of God, forgetting him who <I>gave him power to get
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wealth,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+8:17,18">Deut. viii. 17, 18</A>.
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[2.] That he thought himself a wise man because he was a rich man;
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whereas a fool may have an estate
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ec+2:19">Eccl. ii. 19</A>),
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yea, and a fool may get an estate, for the world has been often
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observed to favour such, <I>when bread is not to the wise,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ec+9:11">Eccl. ix. 11</A>.
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[3.] That <I>his heart was lifted up because of his riches,</I> because
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of the increase of his wealth, which made him so haughty and secure, so
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insolent and imperious, and which <I>set his heart as the heart of
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God.</I> The <I>man of sin,</I> when he had a great deal of worldly
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pomp and power, <I>showed himself as a god,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Th+2:4">2 Thess. ii. 4</A>.
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Those who are rich in this world have therefore need to charge that
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upon themselves which the word of God charges upon them, <I>that they
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be not high-minded,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ti+6:17">1 Tim. vi. 17</A>.</P>
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<P>
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II. Since <I>pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before
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a fall,</I> he must bell him of that destruction, of that fall, which
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was now hastening on as the just punishment of his presumption in
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setting up himself a rival with God. "Because thou hast pretended to
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be a god
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>),
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therefore thou shalt not be long a man,"
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.
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Observe here,</P>
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<P>
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1. The instruments of his destruction: <I>I will bring strangers upon
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thee</I>--the Chaldeans, whom we do not find mentioned among the many
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nations and countries that traded with Tyre,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+27:1-36"><I>ch.</I> xxvii.</A>
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If any of those nations had been brought against it, they would have
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had some compassion upon it, for old acquaintance-sake; but these
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strangers will have none. They are people of a <I>strange language,</I>
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which the king of Tyre himself, wise as he is, perhaps understands not.
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They are the <I>terrible of the nations;</I> it was an army made up of
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many nations, and it was at this time the most formidable both for
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strength and fury. These God has at command, and these he will bring
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upon the king of Tyre.</P>
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<P>
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2. The extremity of the destruction: <I>They shall draw their swords
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against the beauty of thy wisdom</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>),
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against all those things which thou gloriest in as thy beauty and the
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production of thy wisdom. Note, It is just with God that our enemies
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should make that their prey which we have made our pride. The king of
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Tyre's palace, his treasury, his city, his navy, his army, these he
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glories in as his brightness, these, he thinks, made him illustrious
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and glorious as a god on earth. But all these the victorious enemy
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shall defile, shall deface, shall deform. He thought them sacred,
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things that none durst touch; but the conquerors shall seize them as
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common things, and spoil the brightness of them. But, whatever becomes
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of what he has, surely his person is sacred. No
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>):
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<I>They shall bring thee down to the pit,</I> to the grave; thou shalt
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<I>die the death.</I> And,
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(1.) It shall not be an honourable death, but an ignominious one. He
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shall be so vilified in his death that he may despair of being deified
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after his death. He shall die <I>the deaths of those that are slain in
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the midst of the seas,</I> that have no honour done them at their
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death, but their dead bodies are immediately thrown overboard, without
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any ceremony or mark of distinction, to be a feast for the fish. Tyre
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is <I>likely to be destroyed in the midst of the sea</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+27:32"><I>ch.</I> xxvii. 32</A>)
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and the prince of Tyre shall fare no better than the people.
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(2.) It shall not be a happy death, but a miserable one. He shall
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<I>die the deaths of the uncircumcised</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>),
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of those that are strangers to God and not in covenant with him, and
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therefore die under his wrath and curse. It is <I>deaths,</I> a double
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death, temporal and eternal, the death both of body and soul. He shall
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die the <I>second death;</I> that is dying miserably indeed. The
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sentence of death here passed upon the king of Tyre is ratified by a
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divine authority: <I>I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.</I> And what
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he has said he will do. None can gainsay it, nor will he unsay it.</P>
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<P>
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3. The effectual disproof that this will be of all his pretensions to
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deity
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>):
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"When the conqueror sets his sword to thy breast, and thou seest no way
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of escape, <I>wilt thou then say, I am God?</I> Wilt thou then have
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such a conceit of thyself as thou now hast? No; thy being overpowered
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by death, and by the fear of it, will force thee to own that thou art
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not a god, but a weak, timorous, trembling, dying man. <I>In the hand
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of him that slays thee</I> (in the hand of God, and of the instruments
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that he employed) <I>thou shalt be a man, and not God,</I> utterly
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unable to resist, and help thyself." <I>I have said, You are gods; but
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you shall die like men,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+82:6,7">Ps. lxxxii. 6, 7</A>.
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Note, Those who pretend to be rivals with God shall be forced one way
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or other to let fall their claims. Death at furthest, when we come into
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his hand, will make us know that we are men.</P>
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<A NAME="Eze28_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Eze28_12"> </A>
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|
<A NAME="Eze28_13"> </A>
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|
<A NAME="Eze28_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="Eze28_15"> </A>
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|
<A NAME="Eze28_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="Eze28_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="Eze28_18"> </A>
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<A NAME="Eze28_19"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Fall of the Prince of Tyre.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 588.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>11 Moreover the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> came unto me, saying,
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12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus,
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and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT>; Thou sealest up the
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|
sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
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13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious
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stone <I>was</I> thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond,
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the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald,
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and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and
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of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast
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created.
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14 Thou <I>art</I> the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set
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thee <I>so:</I> thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast
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walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
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15 Thou <I>wast</I> perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast
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created, till iniquity was found in thee.
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16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the
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midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I
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will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will
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destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of
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fire.
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17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast
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corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast
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thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may
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behold thee.
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18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine
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iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I
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bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee,
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|
and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all
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them that behold thee.
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19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished
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at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never <I>shalt</I> thou <I>be</I> any
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more.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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As after the prediction of the ruin of Tyre
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+26:1-21"><I>ch.</I> xxvi.</A>)
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followed a pathetic lamentation for it
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+27:1-36"><I>ch.</I> xxvii.</A>),
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so after the ruin of the king of Tyre is foretold it is bewailed.</P>
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<P>
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I. This is commonly understood of the prince who then reigned over
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Tyre, spoken to,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>.
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His name was <I>Ethbaal,</I> or <I>Ithobalus,</I> as Diodorus Siculus
|
|
calls him that was king of Tyre when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it. He
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|
was, it seems, upon all external accounts an accomplished man, very
|
|
great and famous; but his iniquity was his ruin. Many expositors have
|
|
suggested that besides the literal sense of this lamentation there is
|
|
an allegory in it, and that it is an allusion to the fall of the angels
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|
that sinned, who undid themselves by their pride. And (as is usual in
|
|
texts that have a mystical meaning) some passages here refer primarily
|
|
to the king of Tyre, as that of his merchandises, others to the angels,
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|
as that of being <I>in the holy mountain of God.</I> But, if there be
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|
any thing mystical in it (as perhaps there may), I shall rather refer
|
|
it to the fall of Adam, which seems to be glanced at,
|
|
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|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>.
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<I>Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God, and that in the day thou
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wast created.</I></P>
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<P>
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|
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II. Some think that by <I>the king of Tyre</I> is meant the whole royal
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family, this including also the foregoing kings, and looking as far
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|
back as Hiram, king of Tyre. The then governor is called <I>prince</I>
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|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>);
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but he that is here lamented is called <I>king.</I> The court of Tyre
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with its kings had for many ages been famous; but sin ruins it. Now we
|
|
may observe two things here:--</P>
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|
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<P>
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|
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|
1. What was the renown of the king of Tyre. He is here spoken of as
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|
having lived in great splendour,
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|
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|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:12-15"><I>v.</I> 12-15</A>.
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|
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He as a man, but it is here owned that he was a very considerable man
|
|
and one that made a mighty figure in his day.
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|
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|
(1.) He far exceeded other men. Hiram and other kings of Tyre had done
|
|
so in their time; and the reigning king perhaps had not come short of
|
|
any of them: <I>Thou sealest up the sum full of wisdom and perfect in
|
|
beauty.</I> But the powers of human nature and the prosperity of human
|
|
life seemed in him to be at the highest pitch. He was looked upon to
|
|
be as wise as the reason of men could make him, and as happy as the
|
|
wealth of this world and the enjoyment of it could make him; in him you
|
|
might see the utmost that both could do; and therefore <I>seal up the
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|
sum,</I> for nothing can be added; he is a complete man, perfect <I>in
|
|
suo genere--in his kind.</I>
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|
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(2.) He seemed to be as wise and happy as Adam in innocency
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|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>):
|
|
|
|
"<I>Thou hast been in Eden,</I> even <I>in the garden of God;</I> thou
|
|
hast lived as it were in paradise all thy days, hast had a full
|
|
enjoyment of every thing that is <I>good for food</I> or <I>pleasant to
|
|
the eyes,</I> and an uncontroverted dominion over all about thee, as
|
|
Adam had." One instance of the magnificence of the king of Tyre is,
|
|
that he outdid all others princes in jewels, which those have the
|
|
greatest plenty of that trade most abroad, as he did: <I>Every precious
|
|
stone</I> was <I>his covering.</I> There is a great variety of precious
|
|
stones; but he had of every sort and in such plenty that besides what
|
|
were treasured up in his cabinet, and were the ornaments of his crown,
|
|
he had his clothes trimmed with them; they were his <I>covering.</I>
|
|
Nay
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|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>),
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|
|
|
he <I>walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire,</I> that
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|
is, these precious stones, which glittered and sparkled like fire. His
|
|
rooms were in a manner set round with jewels, so that he walked in the
|
|
midst of them, and then fancied himself as glorious as if, like God, he
|
|
had been surrounded by so many angels, who are compared to a <I>flame
|
|
of fire.</I> And, if he be such an admirer of precious stones as to
|
|
think them as bright as angels, no wonder that he is such an admirer of
|
|
himself as to think himself as great as God. Nine several sorts of
|
|
previous stones are here named, which were all in the high priest's
|
|
ephod. Perhaps they are particularly named because he, in his pride,
|
|
used to speak particularly of them, and tell those about him, with a
|
|
great deal of foolish pleasure, "This is such a precious stone, of such
|
|
a value, and so and so are its virtues." Thus is he upbraided with his
|
|
vanity. <I>Gold</I> is mentioned last, as far inferior in value to
|
|
those precious stones; and he used to speak of it accordingly. Another
|
|
thing that made him think his palace a paradise was the curious music
|
|
he had, the <I>tabrets and pipes,</I> hand-instruments and
|
|
wind-instruments. The <I>workmanship</I> of these was extraordinary,
|
|
and they were prepared for him on purpose; prepared <I>in thee,</I> the
|
|
pronoun is feminine--<I>in thee,</I> O Tyre! or it denotes that the
|
|
king was effeminate in doting on such things. They were prepared <I>in
|
|
the day he was created,</I> that is, either born, or created king; they
|
|
were made on purpose to celebrate the joys either of his birth-day or
|
|
of his coronation-day. These he prided himself much in, and would have
|
|
all that came to see his palace take notice of them.
|
|
|
|
(3.) He looked like an incarnate angel
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|
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>Thou art the anointed cherub that covers</I> or <I>protects;</I>
|
|
that is, he looked upon himself as a guardian angel to his people, so
|
|
bright, so strong, so faithful, appointed to this office and qualified
|
|
for it. Anointed kings should be to their subjects as anointed
|
|
cherubim, that cover them with the wings of their power; and, when they
|
|
are such, God will own them. Their advancement was from him: <I>I have
|
|
set thee so.</I> Some think, because mention was made of Eden, that it
|
|
refers to the cherub set on the east of Eden to cover it,
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|
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|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ge+3:24">Gen. iii. 24</A>.
|
|
|
|
He thought himself as able to guard his city from all invaders as that
|
|
angel was for his charge. Or it may refer to the cherubim in the most
|
|
holy place, whose wings covered the ark; he thought himself as bright
|
|
as one of them.
|
|
|
|
(4.) He appeared in as much splendour as the high priest when he was
|
|
clothed with his garments for glory and beauty: "<I>Thou wast upon the
|
|
holy mountain of God,</I> as president of the temple built on that holy
|
|
mountain; thou didst look as great, and with as much majesty and
|
|
authority, as ever the high priest did when he walked in the temple,
|
|
which was <I>garnished with precious stones</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+3:6">2 Chron. iii. 6</A>),
|
|
|
|
and had his habit on, which had precious stones both in the breast and
|
|
on the shoulders; in that he seemed to <I>walk in the midst of the
|
|
stones of fire.</I>" Thus glorious is the king of Tyre; at least he
|
|
thinks himself so.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
2. Let us now see what was the ruin of the king of Tyre, what it was
|
|
that stained his glory and laid all this honour in the dust
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>):
|
|
|
|
"<I>Thou wast perfect in thy ways;</I> thou didst prosper in all thy
|
|
affairs and every thing went well with thee; thou hadst not only a
|
|
clear, but a bright reputation, <I>from the day thou wast created,</I>
|
|
the day of thy accession to the throne, <I>till iniquity was found in
|
|
thee;</I> and that spoiled all." This may perhaps allude to the
|
|
deplorable case of the angels that fell, and of our first parents, both
|
|
of whom <I>were perfect in their ways till iniquity was found in
|
|
them.</I> And when iniquity was once <I>found in him</I> it increased;
|
|
he grew worse and worse, as appears
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>):
|
|
|
|
"<I>Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries;</I> thou hast lost the benefit
|
|
of all that which thou thoughtest sacred, and in which, as in a
|
|
sanctuary, thou thoughtest to take refuge; these thou hast
|
|
<I>defiled,</I> and so exposed thyself <I>by the multitude of thy
|
|
iniquities.</I>" Now observe,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
(1.) What the iniquity was that was the ruin of the king of Tyre.
|
|
|
|
[1.] The <I>iniquity of his traffic</I> (so it is called,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>),
|
|
|
|
both his and his people's, for their sin is charged upon him, because
|
|
he connived at it and set them a bad example
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of
|
|
thee with violence,</I> and thus <I>thou hast sinned.</I> The king had
|
|
so much to do with his merchandise, and was so wholly intent upon the
|
|
gains of that, that he took no care to do justice, to give redress to
|
|
those that suffered wrong and to protect them from violence; nay, in
|
|
the multiplicity of business, wrong was done to many by oversight; and
|
|
in his dealings he made use of his power to invade the rights of those
|
|
he dealt with. Note, Those that have much to do in the world are in
|
|
great danger of doing much amiss; and it is hard to deal with many
|
|
without violence to some. Trades are called mysteries; but too many
|
|
make them mysteries of iniquity.
|
|
|
|
[2.] His pride and vain-glory
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>):
|
|
|
|
"<I>Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty;</I> thou wast in
|
|
love with thyself, and thy own shadow. And thus <I>thou hast corrupted
|
|
thy wisdom by reason of the brightness,</I> the pomp and splendour,
|
|
wherein thou livedst." He gazed so much upon this that it dazzled his
|
|
eyes and prevented him from seeing his way. He appeared so puffed up
|
|
with his greatness that it bereaved him both of his wisdom and of the
|
|
reputation of it. He really became a <I>fool in glorying.</I> Those
|
|
make a bad bargain for themselves that part with their wisdom for the
|
|
gratifying of their gaiety, and, to please a vain humour, lose a real
|
|
excellency.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
(2.) What the ruin was that this iniquity brought him to.
|
|
|
|
[1.] He was thrown out of his dignity and dislodged from his palace,
|
|
which he took to be his paradise and temple
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God.</I> His
|
|
kingly power was high as a <I>mountain,</I> setting him above others;
|
|
it was a <I>mountain of God,</I> for the powers that be are ordained of
|
|
God, and have something in them that is sacred; but, having abused his
|
|
power, he is reckoned profane, and is therefore deposed and expelled.
|
|
He disgraces the crown he wears, and so has forfeited it, and shall be
|
|
destroyed <I>from the midst of the stones of fire,</I> the precious
|
|
stones with which his palace was garnished, as the temple was; and they
|
|
shall be no protection to him.
|
|
|
|
[2.] He was exposed to contempt and disgrace, and trampled upon by his
|
|
neighbours: "<I>I will cast thee to the ground</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>),
|
|
|
|
will cast thee among the <I>pavement-stones,</I> from the midst of the
|
|
<I>precious stones,</I> and will <I>lay thee</I> a rueful spectacle
|
|
<I>before kings, that they may behold thee</I> and take warning by thee
|
|
not to be proud and oppressive."
|
|
|
|
[3.] He was quite consumed, his city and he in it: <I>I will bring
|
|
forth a fire from the midst of thee.</I> The conquerors, when they have
|
|
plundered the city, will kindle a fire in the heart of it, which shall
|
|
lay it, and the palace particularly, in ashes. Or it may be taken more
|
|
generally for the fire of God's judgments, which shall devour both
|
|
prince and people, and bring all the glory of both <I>to ashes upon the
|
|
earth;</I> and this fire shall be <I>brought forth from the midst of
|
|
thee.</I> All God's judgments upon sinners take rise from themselves;
|
|
they are devoured by a fire of their own kindling.
|
|
|
|
[4.] He was hereby made a terrible example of divine vengeance. Thus he
|
|
is reduced <I>in the sight of all those that behold him</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>Those that know him shall be astonished at him,</I> and shall wonder
|
|
how one that stood so high could be brought so low. The king of Tyre's
|
|
palace, like the temple at Jerusalem, when it is destroyed shall be
|
|
<I>an astonishment and a hissing,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+7:20,21">2 Chron. vii. 20, 21</A>.
|
|
|
|
So fell the king of Tyre.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Eze28_20"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Eze28_21"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Eze28_22"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Eze28_23"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Eze28_24"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Eze28_25"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Eze28_26"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Fall of Zidon.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 588.</TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>20 Again the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> came unto me, saying,
|
|
21 Son of man, set thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against
|
|
it,
|
|
22 And say, Thus saith the Lord G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT>; Behold, I <I>am</I> against
|
|
thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and
|
|
they shall know that I <I>am</I> the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, when I shall have executed
|
|
judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her.
|
|
23 For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her
|
|
streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by
|
|
the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I <I>am</I>
|
|
the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
|
|
24 And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house
|
|
of Israel, nor <I>any</I> grieving thorn of all <I>that are</I> round about
|
|
them, that despised them; and they shall know that I <I>am</I> the
|
|
Lord G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT>.
|
|
25 Thus saith the Lord G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT>; When I shall have gathered the
|
|
house of Israel from the people among whom they are scattered,
|
|
and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the heathen, then
|
|
shall they dwell in their land that I have given to my servant
|
|
Jacob.
|
|
26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses,
|
|
and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when
|
|
I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round
|
|
about them; and they shall know that I <I>am</I> the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> their God.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
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God's glory is his great end, both in all the good and in all the evil
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which <I>proceed out of the mouth of the Most High;</I> so we find in
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these verses.
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1. God will be glorified in the destruction of Zidon, a city that lay
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near to Tyre, was more ancient, but not so considerable, had a
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dependence upon it and stood and fell with it. God says here, <I>I am
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against thee, O Zidon! and I will be glorified in the midst of
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thee,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>.
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And again, "Those that would not know be gentler methods shall be made
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to <I>know that I am the Lord,</I> and I alone, and that I am a just
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and jealous God, <I>when I shall have executed judgments in her,</I>
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destroying judgments, when I shall have done execution according to
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justice and according to the sentence passed, and so shall be
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<I>sanctified in her.</I>" The Zidonians, it should seem, were more
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addicted to idolatry than the Tyrians were, who, being men of business
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and large conversation, were less under the power of bigotry and
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superstition. The Zidonians were noted for the worship of Ashtaroth;
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Solomon introduced it,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+11:5">1 Kings xi. 5</A>.
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Jezebel was daughter to the king of Zidon, who brought the worship of
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Baal into Israel
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+16:31">1 Kings xvi. 31</A>);
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so that God had been much dishonoured by the Zidonians. Now, says he,
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<I>I will be glorified, I will be sanctified.</I> The Zidonians were
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borderers upon the land of Israel, where God was known, and where they
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might have got the knowledge of him and have learned to glorify him;
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but, instead of that, they seduced Israel to the worship of their
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idols. Note, When God is sanctified he is glorified, for his holiness
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is his glory; and those whom he is not sanctified and glorified by he
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will be sanctified and glorified upon, by executing judgments upon
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them, which declare him a just avenger of his own and his people's
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injured honour. The judgments that shall be executed upon Zidon are war
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and pestilence, two wasting depopulating judgments,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:23"><I>v.</I> 23</A>.
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They are God's messengers, which he sends on his errands, and they
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shall accomplish that for which he sends them. <I>Pestilence</I> and
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<I>blood</I> shall be sent <I>into her streets;</I> there the dead
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bodies of those shall lie who perished, some by the plague, occasioned
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perhaps through ill diet when the city was besieged, and some by the
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sword of the enemy, most likely the Chaldean armies, when the city was
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taken, and all were put to the sword. Thus the wounded shall be judged;
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when they are dying of their wounds they shall judge themselves, and
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others shall say, They justly fall. Or, as some read it, <I>They shall
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be punished by the sword,</I> that sword which has commission to
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destroy <I>on every side.</I> It is God that judges, and he will
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overcome. Nor is it Tyre and Zidon only on which God would execute
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judgments, but on all those that despised his people Israel, and
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triumphed in their calamities; for this was now God's controversy with
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the nations that were <I>round about them,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:26"><I>v.</I> 26</A>.
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Note, When God's people are under his correcting hand for their faults
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he takes care, as he did concerning malefactors that were scourged,
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<I>that they shall not seem vile</I> to those that are about them, and
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therefore takes it ill of those who despise them and so <I>help forward
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the affliction</I> when he is but <I>a little displeased,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Zec+1:15">Zech. i. 15</A>.
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God regards them even in their low estate; and therefore let not men
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despise them.
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2. God will be glorified in the restoration of his people to their
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former safety and prosperity. God had been dishonoured by the sins of
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his people, and their sufferings too had given occasion to the enemy to
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blaspheme
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+52:5">Isa. lii. 5</A>);
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but God will now both cure them of their sins and ease them of their
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troubles, and so <I>will be sanctified in them in the sight of the
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heathen,</I> will recover the honour of his holiness, to the
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satisfaction of all the world,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:25"><I>v.</I> 25</A>.
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For,
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(1.) They shall return to the possession of their own land again: <I>I
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will gather the house of Israel</I> out of their dispersions, in answer
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to that prayer
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+106:27">Ps. cvi. 27</A>),
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<I>Save us, O Lord our God! and gather us from among the heathen;</I>
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and in pursuance of that promise
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+30:4">Deut. xxx. 4</A>),
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Thence will <I>the Lord thy God gather thee.</I> Being gathered, they
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shall be brought in a body, to <I>dwell in the land that I have given
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to my servant Jacob.</I> God had an eye to the ancient grant, in
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bringing them back, for that remained in force, and the discontinuance
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of the possession was not a defeasance of the right. He that gave it
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will again give it.
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(2.) They shall enjoy great tranquillity there. When those that have
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been vexatious to them are taken off they shall live in quietness;
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there shall be no more <I>a pricking brier nor a grieving thorn,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>.
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They shall have a happy settlement, for they shall <I>build houses,</I>
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and <I>plant vineyards;</I> and they shall enjoy a happy security and
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serenity there; they shall <I>dwell safely,</I> shall <I>dwell with
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confidence,</I> and there shall be none to disquiet them or make them
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afraid,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+28:26"><I>v.</I> 26</A>.
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This never had full accomplishment in the body of that people, for
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after their return out of captivity they were ever and anon molested by
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some bad neighbour or other. Nor has the gospel-church been ever quite
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free from pricking briers and grieving thorns; yet sometimes <I>the
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church has rest,</I> and believers always dwell safely under the divine
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protection and may be <I>quiet from the fear of evil.</I> But the full
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accomplishment of this promise is reserved for the heavenly Canaan,
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when all the saints shall be gathered together, and every thing that
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offends shall be removed, and all griefs and fears for ever
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banished.</P>
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