Part I. OF AN i R 0 N Y. 33 Ezek. iii. 24. '!'hen the Spirit entered into me, and ftt me upon my Feet, and Jpake unto tile, and Jaid unto me, Go.Jhut tbyftlf within thine Houfe. ]uilius and 'l'remdliu£ alled~e, that thtle and the followmg Words are to be underClood by an Irony; as tf he had fatd, is it a Prophet's Office to hide himfelf, when I bid him go forth. There are others which fay, that it was fpokc by Way of Sarcaf'"; and Indignation, paraphrafing thus: If thou art refolved to difobey my Command, go mto thtne own Houfe, and expenence what tt is ro contend with me: SuchSarcafm.ia.re found, Judg. x. I4. !fa. L I I. B~t the Trutli is that becaufe God had fuffictently mClruCled the Prophet by hts Sptnt, and gave h{m co'ura<>e to publifh his Will, and becaufe we do not read that this Prophet ufed any Tergiverfation or Jbuflling to avoid the Work appointed him (as we read of .fv!ofts; Exod. iii. I r. and iv. IO, '3· of Jeremy Chap. 1. 6. and xx. 9· of Jonas, Chap. 1. 3.) the beft Way is to interpret thele Words properly as they found, viz. That it is a fe– rious Command of God, that he Jbould Jbut himfelf up in his Houfe, and difpatch his prophetital AClions, mentioned Chap. iv. (fee ~lfo Chap. viii. 1.) to which belongs,_ what is added of the Binding of Mm (as it were wah Cords) by ./bzgels at the Command of God, as Verfe 25. for God ufes thefe miniftering Spirits in his Government of Men, and that that which is fpoken Chap.lv. belongs to thefe, is evident by the 8th Verfe of that Chapter, &c. Matth. iv. 3· '!'he <J'empter Jays to Jefiu, Jj thou be the Son of God, command that theft Stones may be made Bread. In which Words 'Theophylafl fays, there is an Irony, as if he had faid, neither art thou the Son of God, neither canft thou do this. But more truly it is to_ be interpreted a diabolical Fraud, for Trial of a Thing by him not cerr01inly known, as D. Chemnitizes, in his Evangelical Harmony fays, Chap I9· viz. "The " Devil had a double Purpofe. " ( r.) To know whether Jefus was really the Son of God by this Reafon, that if by " his bare Word or Command he could turn Stone into Bread, then of certain he is " the Son of God; therefore he fays not Pray, but Command, but if in the Extremity of his Hunger and Neceffity, he cannot do this, than he cannot be the Son of God, and therefore Satan would take Occafion ro defpife and mock him; rhus, in vain do you truft to that heavenly Voice (Matth. iii. I/.) aRd bdieve, or hope that others Jball believe thee to be the Son of God. " (2.) By that Temptation the Devil endeavors to inrice Chrift into fame Sin, or « DiClruil: of the Divine Oracle, or into a vain Oftentation, or empty Glory, if by the •• Devil's Suggeil:ion he Jbould work a Miracle, &c." ]ohnxviii. 38. Pilatefaiduntohim, Whatis<J'ruth? In which Words fome fay there is an Irony. But in exaCt Speaking (of this Trope) there appears to be no Repug– nancy betwixt the Words and the Mind of the Speaker, but rather a fupine or carelefs Contempt and Difdain of Truth in the Heart of Pi/ate, who argues by Way of Dimi– nution ( <A«T1wT1Xn) or Slight of the Matter, as if he had faid, If there be a Difpute be– twixt the Jews and thee, about the Truth of Religion, I do not judge it of that ·weighr, as to lofe my Time to hear your Altercations (or frivolous Contentions,) &c. John xiv. 4· .And he (Pilate) faith unto the Jews, Behold your Kiltg, which is taken as ironically fpoken, by many-as if he had mocked the Jews, then accufing fo abjeCt, low, and contemptible a Man, who would afpire at the Government, and threaten the Mo· narchy of the C"fa•s. But it is more proper to fay, that Pi/ate had Refpetl eo the pub– lic Acclamation of the People four Days before (when rhey faluted ]efus as their King,) Luke xix. 38. John xii. u, I3· In this Senfe they are the \Vords of rhe excellent D. Gerhard ¥Jam olim, expeflatis Regem vobis promiffum, &c. For feme <J'ime pf'jl ;•ou ha·ve expefled your promifed King, but fo foon as he appears do you wijh him dead? Con– full your own honor, and let it not be faid that you furioujly perfecuted him, to whom you have given ro;oal Honor. Crefar does not fear this King; do you rather pity him, andgive over your <J'houghts ofCrucifying him. If he be really your King, why, with fo great Fury do you do/ign him for fuch heavy Punifhments, wbomyou ought rather to defend? But if he bath falfely boa .fled himfelf to -be a King, difmifs him with Stripes, which (for his 'Temerity) will be enough to the Sufferer. So therefore by a fecret Inftinet of God 1 Pi/ale confe.lfes • Rarmc; E<11angel, in hifi.or. pair. c. u. Jefus
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