[Being exceedingly earnest in his petitions, he offers the most powerful pleas that could possibly be urged : he entreats God to have mercy on them for his own sake, and to shew regard to the honour of his name, the glory of his administra- tion, and the sanctity of his engagements.
The first of these pleas, the honour of God' name, is fre- quently urged in the Holy Scriptures1, and is particularly acceptable to God ; who " is jealous for his holy nameg," and delights to sanctify it" in the sight of an ungodly world h.
The second of these pleas involves in it somewhat of greater difficulty. The words, " Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory," are generally interpreted as importing no more than this ;" ' Do not give up the city and temple into the hands of the enemy.' The words will undoubtedly bear this sense : for both the city and the temple are represented as God's throne1; and he threatens to give them up into the hands of his enemies to be polluted and defiled by themk. But, if we attend to the manner in which this petition is introduced, we shall see that it is, like that which precedes, and that which follows it, a plea ; in which view its sense will be, ' Thou art our King, who art engaged to provide for and protect thy people ; and if thou give up the city and the temple into the hands of our enemies, as thou hast threatened, thy government will be dishonoured ; and they will say, that thou art not able to afford them the succour which thou hast promised them.' In this view the passage exactly accords with the plea urged by Moses1, and with that also which Jeremiah himself has urged more fully, and in the very same connexion, in the preceding part of this chapter™.
The last of these pleas reminds God of his covenant, which he cannot, and will not, break. This must doubtless refer to the covenant of grace, which God made with Abraham and with all his believing people to the end of time". The national covenant that was made with Moses was broken, and annulled ; because all the conditions of it had been violated : but " the better covenant" which was made with God in Christ, is " ordered in all things and sure0;" and by it " the promise is made sure to all the seedp." That covenant is " confirmed by the oath of Jehovah, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before usq."
f Josh. vii. 9. Ps. lxxix. 9, 10. s Ezek. xxxix. 25.
h Ezek. xxxvi. 21—23.
1 Jer. iii. 17. and xvii. 12. See this latter in particular. k Ezek. vii. 21, 22. » Numb. xiv. 13—16. m ver. 7—9. n Gal. iii. 16. ° 2 Sara, xxiii. 5. p Rom. iv. 16.
4 Heb. vi. 17, 18.