moiſftned. q Or, Calamus, as this word is rendred, Exod. 3o. 23. which was *®Mal.2.17 uſcd in the making of that precious ointment, Exod. 30. 34. andas a perfume, or for the Incenſe, Exod. zo. 7. See Fer. 6. 20, The meaning of this clauſe ſeems to be this, Thou haſt been niggardly in my. ſervice, when thou haſt ſpared for no coſt in the ſervice of thine Idols,as is ellewhere noted. » Thou haſt offered no more Sacrifices than were ſimply neceſſary, thou haſt not multiplied thy thank of- ferings and free-will offerings, though I have given thee ſufficient occa:ion todo ſo. 5s Thou haſt made me to bear the load and burden of thy ſins, which are very grievous and oppreſſive to me, Amos 2. 13. and great exerciſes of my patience. Yea thou haſt made it neceſſary for me, to take upon me the form of a Servant, that I might bear and carry away thy ſins. This clauſe and that which fol- lows are oppoſed to, and aggravared by what he ſaid, wer. 23. Idid not make thee to ſerve or weary thee with offerings, though that work was honourable and beneficial to thee, as well as conducing ro my ſervice ; but thou haſt made me to ſerve in the vileſt manner, wo ſuch things as are not only cffenſive to me, bur alſo pernicious to thee,
25 I, even 1t am he that * blotteth out « thy tranſ- oreflions for mine own ſake x, and will not remember thy ſins y. |
: I whom thou haſt thus deſpiſed, and wearied and provoked to deſtroy thee. « Out ofmy book in which they were all written,and to be read unto thee, and charged upon thee another day. See Jer. 17. 1. Rev. 20, 12, Sins are oft compared to debts, Mar. 6. 1:, 14, &c. which are written in the creditors Book, and crofled or blot- ted out when they are paid, x Being moved thereunto not by thy merits, but by my own meer gordneſs and free mercy, 7 2 as to puniſh them and deſtroy thee for them, as thou deſer- veſt. |
26 Put mein remembrance z : *let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayeſt be juſtified.
z I remember nothing by which thou haſt deſerved my favour and the pardon of thy ſins ; if thou knoweſt any ſuch thing, bring it to my mind, I allow thee free liberty to plead with me, as it fo]- lows,and if thou haſt right on thy ſide, I will juſtifie thee. Ir is an i- renical ſpeech, whereby ke infulteth over thoſe, who were puffed up-with an opinion of their own innocency, and merit; which was thecaſe of many Jews, as $his and other Propticts have oft ob- ſerved. |
* Luke x.
14, TS. *\Per.2 9.
+ Heb. lambs, or, higs.
t Heb. made me drunk, or #tundantly
'Ezek'36. 22, &c.
*Ch.1.18;
1 #2 I Chap.
27 Thy ficſt * fachers hath ſinned ;- and thy teach- ers b have tranſgreſſed againſt me.
# Either, 1. Adam, from whom the guilt and filth of ſin is pro- pagated tro thee : Or rather, 2. Abraham, who might well be called the firſt father of the Iſraelites, becauſe they all deſcended from him, had all their right and title ro God'sOrdinances andPromiſes,and other ſpecial Priviledges from God's Covenant made with Abraham, and with his Seed, and who is ofr emphatically called their Father, as Fojh. 24. 2. 1/a. 51. 2, &c. and the Jews gloried in, and trutted to that relation, which they had to Abraham, as weread Mat. 4. þ. Joh. 8. 33. and elſ:where. And this agrees well with the forego- ing context. For having ſufficiently intimated, thae they had no merits of their own, he now addeth, that even their Father Abra- ham, to whoſe merits they truſted, had nomerits of his own,nor any occaſion of boaſting, for he alſo was a ſinful man, and hath left ſome inſtances of his failings : Or, the firſt father may be put colleQively for their Forefathers ; and ſo he tells them, thar as they were ſinners, ſo alſo were all their Progenitors, yea even the beſt ofthem, bras ham and David, and dthers, for whoſe ſakes they expe&ed to be pardoned and rewarded. And this indeed is uſual wich God to upbraid the 1/raelizes with the ſins of their Fathers. . þ Thy Prieſts and Prophers ; who were their Interceſſours with God, and who were generally preſumed to be the holieſt part of that people, and therefore iftheſe were tranſgrefſours, the People had no reaſon to fancy themſelves to be innocent. 2s X
28 Therefore I have profaned c the || princes of the ſancuary d, and have given Jacob to the curſe e, and 1 rael to reproaches f. | |
c As they have made themſelves profane, ſo I have dealt with them as ſuch, without any regard to the ſacredneſs and dignity o their funftions. I have expoſed them to contempt and deſtru&ion; a4 The higheſt and beſt of your Prieſts, whoſe perſons were moſt ſacred, and therefore ſuppoſed by themſelves and others, to be the furtheſt from danger. e Ts utter deſtrution, to which perſons or thingsaccurſed were devoted, of which this Hebrew word is cons ſtantly uſed, f To be the Obje&s of their Enemies ſcorn and res»
proaches. CHA P, XIV. | A further Promiſe of Spiritual Bleſſings : 1 6. the vanity of Idols, and folly of Idvl-makers, and Worſbippers, 7 20. an Exhortation to praiſe
«+ |}
f Or Al
Pyi
God, 21 23. 0ur Redeemer and Maker, 24. for hit wiſdom, 25. . © truth, 26. power, 27, and goodneſs, 28. *Th
Ec now hear, * O Jacob my ſervant, and Iſrael & 43;
whomlT have choſen #4. Jer.3e
» Although I have Chaſtiſed thee for thy Sins, and had juſt eauſe © ®! utterly to Deſtroy thee, yet in judgment I will remember Mercy, | and will ſtill own thee for my Servant and choſen People.
2 Thus faith the LORD * that made thee, and for- med thee from the womb b, which will help thee, Fear not, O Jacob, my ſervant, and thou Feſarun c, whom I have choſen.
b From the time of thy Birth, or coming out of the Womb.From thar time that I firſt took thee to be my People, I have been forming and faſhioning thee, by giving thee ET and Ordinances, and Teachers, by threatnings and corre&ions, and many other ways. He ſeems to allude to the praftice of Midwives,who uſe to compoſe all the parts of the new-born Infant into a right frame. c Another name of Jac:b or Iſrael, given to him, Dent. 32. 15. and 33. 5,26;
3 For I will* pour water 4 upon bim that is thirſty e, *Ch.z5 and floods uponthe dry ground : I will pour my ſpirit f Jeel8. upon thy ſeed,and my blefling g upon thine off-ſpring : 1#b. 7-1