and Babylon, ordain'd for the being fet to rule and govern PeoScourge of Ferufalem. Q. What is the eighth? A. The Parable of the Lion and the Lion's Whelps, that were given to raven and devour, and at laft were taken in Trails, Chap. xix. Q. What doth that fignify? A. By the Lion is fignified Foboachaz, and by the Whelps his two Sons Jehoiakim and Jehoiakin, which devoured the Blood of the Prophets, and at laft were all three taken in the Snares of the Kings of Egypt and Babylon. Q. What is the ninth 4. The Parable of the Foreft, confumed with Fire. Q. What doth that fignify? A. Ferufalem, compared to a Foreft, fhould be confumed with Fire, chap. xxii. Q. What is the tenth? A. The Parable of the two Sifters, Abolah and Abolibah, which were proud, lafcivious, and incontinent. Q. What doth that fignify? A. The Kingdom of Judah and Ifrael, which became Idolaters both; and therefore are compared to unchafte Women that forfake their Husbands to follow Strangers, Chap. xxiii. Q. What is the eleventh? A. The Parable of the bad Shepherds that fed and cloathed themfelves of their Flocks; yet ne-. glected the Care of them, fuffering them to be scattered and de voured. Q. What doth that fignify? A. Careless Magistrates, that ple, fo they may live at Eafe, care not what becomes of their Charge, but use them with all Tyranny and Cruelty, chap. 34Q. What is pronounced against fuch Magistrates? A. The Lord will rife up against them, and require the Blood of the People at their Hands. Q. What is the twelfth? A. That of the Field of dead Bones whereunto Ezekiel was brought by the Spirit of God, chap. xxxvii. QWhat doth that fignify? ་ A. That as God in the Sight of Ezekiel did gather the dead Bones together, cloathed them with Sinews and Flesh, and breathed Life into them, raifing them in the perfect Shapes of Men, as they had lived before; fo fure it was, and much more certain, that he was able to bring back his Children from Captivity. Q. Of what else is that a Sign to us? A. Of the Resurrection of our Bodies after Death. Q. What is the thirteenth? A. The Parable of the Seething Pot, wherein were divers Joints, which were taken out by. Piece-meal, and the Pot left empty to melt upon the Coals. Q. What doth that fignify? A. The hot Vengeance of God against Ferufalem; the destroying of the People by little and little, and trying of the Remnant like Metal in the Fire. Q. What is the fourteenth 2 A. The Parable of the Death of Ezekiel's Wife. Q. What doth that fignify? A. That as God took from him her that was the Pleasure of his Eyes; fo would he polute his Sanctuary, that was the Pride and Pleasure of the Ifraelites, chap. xxiv. Q. Against what ftrange Nations doth Ezekiel prophesy? A. Against the Ammonites, Moabites, Idumeans, Philistines, Tyre, Zidon, Egyptians, Allyrians, Gog and Magog, and in them, against all the Enemies of God's Church. Q. What did Ezekiel prophesy against thefe People? A. Deftruction, because they rejoiced at the Milery of his People, and were as pricking Thorns to the Houfe of Ifrael. Q. How should they be destroyed? A. In the fame Manner that they had destroy'd the Jews, and with more Cruelty, by the Baby lonians. Q. Of what Comfort did Ezekiel prophesy, befides the Return of the Jews? A. Of the Coming of Chrift, the true Shepherd, that fhould give his Life for his Sheep, chap. xxxiv. 22. Ŕ. That and all other Blef fings of God, why are they beftowed upon us? A. Not for our Deferts, but through the Mercy of God, chap. XXXVI. 22. CHA P. XXXVII. to XL. Q. What doth Ezekiel prophefy in these last Chapters? A. Of the re-edifying of the City and Temple of God, of the Service and orderly Government that fhould be amongst them, as had been before. Q. What is meant by the Waters Ezekiel faw ifjue out of the Temple? A. The Graces that should be beftow'd upon the Church under the Kingdom of Christ, chap. xlvii. 1. Q. What is meant by the rifing of the Waters? A. That God's Graces fhould increase, not decrease, ch. lxii .5. Q. What by the Multitude of Trees that stood on the one Side and on the other of the Waters? A. The Multitude of thofe that fhould be refreshed by the Doc trine of Christ. Q. What by the Meeting of thofe feveral Waters in one Sea? A. That all the World should be refreshed by the Gofpel, and be as it were one Temple to the Lord. Q. What is meant by the Wholesomeness of the Waters? A. The Purity, and Wholefomeness of the Doctrine of the true Church. Q. What by the Fishers? Q. What by the Multitude of Fishes? A. The Number of Hearers. Q What by the Marshes and miry Places? A. The Wicked and the Reprobate. Q. What by the Fruitfulnefs of Trees that grew on each Side? A. The Profperity of the Faithful. Q. Q. How is this Prophet faid God himself to his Commiffion, faying, Son of Man I fend thee, to be a Type of Chrift? The Ezekiel is as much as to fay, the Strength or Power of the Lord, or one Strengthened by the Lord; who tells him, chap. iii. 7, 9. that he should have a Forehead harder than Flint, &c. He was born in the Land of Serara, as Epiphanius, and others, affirm. His Father's Name was Buzi, of the Race of the High Priests, and was both Prophet and Prieft, and began to prophefy when in Mefapotamia, A. M. 3409; as we may learn from the Words of his Introduction, Chap. i. 1, 2, 3. He was taken Captive with Fechoniab, King of Judah, in 3405, continued to 3430, before Chrift 570 Years, and 14 Years after the taking of Jerufalem. One Day as he fat among the Captives on the Banks of the River Chebar, he had a Vifion, wherein the Lord appeared unto him upon a Throne, and there feemed to him to be a Book rolled up, and he did eat it; after which he went amongst his Brethren, and continued to mourn and weep for feven Days; and the Lord directed his Word to him, and made him the Watchman of his People. His Writings have never been difputed by either Jews or Chriftians, nor their Authority doubted by Hereticks themselves. He was led away Captive by Jehoiachin to Babylon, where he reproved his Fellow Captives for all their Crimes, &c. He finished his Years with a Crown of Martyrdom, as Dorotheus records, which is thus preferved in the Roman Martyrology. "This Day is the Festival of the Prophet Ezekiel, who was flain at Babylon by a Judge of the People of Ifrael, for reproving their Idolatry, and was buried in the Sepulchre of his Fathers, Shem, Arphaxad, Abraham, &c. Benjamin Tudela tells us in his Travels, that he faw a magnificent Maufolæum at fome Leagues from Bagdat, upon the Banks of the Chaboras, which was the Prophet Ezekiel's Tomb, and was frequented every Year by the Heads of the Captivity; and not only a Place of Devotion for the Jews, but for the Perfians, Medes, and for Abundance of Muffelmen, who go thither to make their Prefents and perform their Vows, and is in fingular Veneration among the People, so that their very Armies never touch it. There are fixty Towers belonging to it, and a Synagogue in each, and upon the Top of this Maufolaum was a famous Library. There is also a Lamp continually burning upon the Prophet's Tomb, and the Head of the Captivity of Bagdat is at the Expence of keeping it up. This Pilgrimage continues ftill at this Day with much Devotion. Near it is another Edifice built by Fechoniab, when Evil-Moradach reftor'd him to Liberty. The Portrait of Fechoniah, with all the Officers that attended him, in the Rear of whom was the Prophet Ezekiel, was fill to be feen in the Time of Benjamin Tudela, in one of the Vaults of this Edifice." 163 The Book of the Prophet DANIEL. CHA P. I. to IV. & WHEN was Daniel called? In the Time that Eze kiel lived, and when the Jews Q. Who was King of Babylon? Q. Befides the People, what did the King bring with him from Jerufalem? 4. The Veffels of the Temple of the Lord. Q. What did he with them? A. Placed them in the Temple of his God, chap. i. 2. Q. How did he difpofe of the Jews? A. He commanded Appenaz, the Mafter of the Eunuchs, to pick out of the Hebrews certain Sons that might be trained up to ferve him, ver. 3. viz. Daniel, Sidrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Q. What kind of Perfons fhould thofe Sons be? 4. Such as were noble, witty, and of a comely Stature. Q. What should be done unto thofe young Gentlemen? A. They fhould be inftructed in the Language and Custom of the Chaldeans, ver. 4. Q. To what Purpose? A. That fo they might forget their own Country and Religion. Q. How long were they to be trained in this Manner? A. Three Years, ver. 5. Q. What Allowance were they have? A. Meat and Drink from the King's Table. Q: Who were the Chief among them? A. Daniel, Sidrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Q. How did thofe like the King's Allowance. A. They would not be perfuaded to eat it. Q. Why? A. Because they 'would not be defiled with the Portion of the King's Meat, which was given them, to make them forget their accuftom'd Sobriety, ver. 8. Q. What thought the Chief of the Eunuchs then? A. He was afraid they would not look fo well as the reft of their Brethren, and fo the King would be incenfed against him, ver. 10. Q. What did Daniel ? A. Intreated the Governor to try them ten Days with Pulfe and Water; and if at the ten Days End they looked not fo well as their Fellow he fhould deal with them as he thought good, ver: 12. Q. Did their Governor confent? A. Yes; and they were better like than all the reft that did eat of the Portion of the King's Meat, ver. 15. Q What may we learn by that? A. He found them wifer than all his Enchanters and Aftrologers, ver. 20. QWhat did the King then? A. Dreamed a Dream which he could not remember, ch. ii. i. QOf whom did he ask CounSel? A. Of his Enchanters, ver. 2. Q. Did they tell him what his Dream was? A. No, they could not, v. 10. Q How did the King take · it? A. He commanded not only they, but all the wife Men of Babel fhould be put to Death; of which Number was Daniel, Sirach, Meth, and Abednego, ver. 12. to reveal this Mystery unto him, ver. 16, 17, 18. Q. What Succefs had they in their Prayer? A. God fhewed Daniel the Dream, and the Interpretation thereof, ver. 19. Q. What was the Dream? A. An Image; the Head whereof was Gold, the Breaft and Arms Silver, the Belly and Thighs Brafs, the Legs Iron, and the Feet part Iron and part Clay Q. How long did it seem to ftand before the Prefence of the King? A. Till a Stone cut without Hands fmote in Pieces, and fcattered it like the Chaff of Summer Flowers. Q. What became of the Stone? A. It turned to a great Mountain, and filled the whole Earth, ver. 31 to 35. Q: What was Daniel's Interpretation of the Dream? A. By Gold, Silver, and Brass, were meant the four Monarchies of the World. Q. Which was likened to Gold? A. The Kingdom of Chrift, that should come at the End of thefe; |