2. Passively, by punishing of offenders, Ezek. 28.22. When I have executed my judgement on her, 1then shall I be sanctified in her. Jerome on this place saith, The punishment of offenders, is the sanctification of God; So you see it was in the Text, God was sanctified on them, not by their doing good, but by their suffering evil; not Actively, but Passively: And in both these senses the words are to be read, I say the words are to ⟨p. 5⟩be read in this disjunctive sense, I will be sanctified of all them that draw near to me, that is, either actively, in glorifying me in the work; or passively, in glorifying my self upon the workman; 2if you do not sanctify God in an Ordinance, he will be sanctified upon you. 4. We have the effect of these words upon Aaron, it is said, it struck him dumb; a dutiful dumbness; he was silent to Jehovah, he held his peace; he was dumb, & opened not his mouth, because it was God's doing. 3God's will being manifest, it chained up his tongue, he held his peace; thereby confessing, saith Calvin, *that they were slain by the just judgement of God. His silence cleared God in his dealings. And what a power is there then in faith, and grace; to silence the soul in such a sad condition as this? The loss of his sons, his eldest sons, when young, and without posterity, in the first day of their ⟨p. 6⟩ministration, in the sight of all the Congregation, and by so fearful a judgement, fire from the Lord, and in the act of their sin, which some think was joined with drunkenness too, whereupon the prohibition against wine follows, v. 9: so that the Congregation might suspect they went but from fire to fire, from a destruction by fire, to a preservation in fire, from a temporal to an eternal burning? Yet in all this Moses having declared the author God, the cause their sin, Aaron was dumb and held his peace: It was not such a dumbness as Zechariah had; that was penal, & unbelief struck him dumb; this was a spiritual dumbness, and faith struck him dumb, it did not so much suspend his tongue from speaking, as silence his heart from complaining, and made him quietly submit to God's dealing.
2. Passively, by punishing of offenders, Ezek. 28.22. When I have executed my judgement on her, 1then shall I be sanctified in her. Jerome on this place saith, The punishment of offenders, is the sanctification of God; So you see it was in the Text, God was sanctified on them, not by their doing good, but by their suffering evill; not Actively, but Passively: And in both these senses the words are to be read, I say the words are to ⟨p. 5⟩be read in this disjunctive sense, I will be sanctified of all them that draw neer to me, that is, either actively, in glorifying me in the work; or passively, in glorifying my self upon the workman; 2if you do not sanctifie God in an Ordinance, he will be sanctified upon you. 4. We have the effect of these words upon Aaron, it is said, it struck him dumb; a dutifull dumbness; he was silent to Jehovah, he held his peace; he was dumb, & opened not his mouth, because it was God's doing. 3God's will being manifest, it chained up his tongue, he held his peace; thereby confessing, saith Calvin, *that they were slain by the just judgement of God. His silence cleared God in his dealings. And what a power is there then in faith, and grace; to silence the soul in such a sad condition as this? The loss of his sons, his eldest sons, when young, and without posterity, in the first day of their ⟨p. 6⟩ministration, in the sight of all the Congregation, and by so fearfull a judgement, fire from the Lord, and in the act of their sin, which some think was joyned with drunkenness too, whereupon the prohibition against wine follows, v. 9: so that the Congregation might suspect they went but from fire to fire, from a destruction by fire, to a preservation in fire, from a temporall to an eternall burning? Yet in all this Moses having declared the author God, the cause their sin, Aaron was dumb and held his peace: It was not such a dumbness as Zachary had; that was poenal, & unbelief struck him dumb; this was a spirituall dumbness, and faith struck him dumb, it did not so much suspend his tongue from speaking, as silence his heart from complaining, and made him quietly submit to God's dealing.
- 1Sanctificatio Dei, est poena peccantium. Jerome.Sanctificatio Dei, est poena peccantium. Jerom.
- 2Si voluntas Dei non fiat a te, fiet de te. Aug.
- 3Silet audita voluntate Dei. Calv.
- *Justo Dei judicio extinctos esse.Iusto Dei judicio extinctos esse.
