þ Having told the falſe Prophets their doom, he now turns his Speech to the People, and gives them Counſel ; for he rather pro« pounds than commands, by a Metaphor taken from Travellers, t being in doubt of their way, do ſtand ſtill, pauſe, and conſider ,whe- ther the DireQtion they have received from ſome ignorant Perſon or falſe Guide, be righs or not. ; Heb. Paths of Antiquity, ſuck as their godly Forefathers of old were wont to walk in, the ancient paths, chap. 18.15- OrcheOracles of God, what Dire&ions his Words gives, Iſaiah 8. 20, Or the Providence of God. Obſerve what hath been GOD'S Ways and Methods in Times paſt, with referecice to Sin and Pu« niſhment, Deut, 4. 3, 4. Judges 5. 6, 8. Chap. 22. 15, 16. and what have been wont to be the beſt Courfes, ca!led here the good Way, or the belt way ro continue Mercies,and prevent Judgements, Deut. 32+ 7, Oc. Sce I Theſſ' 5.21, k When you have found what was beſt, and moſt proſperous, keep it, ftick to'it. 1 You will find God
Poor and Rich, the Prophet notes the generality of their Corruption | | [4 f
though they knew others had experimented it to be ſo, yet they would not be perſwaded to walk in it, but deliberately refuſe theſe
17 AlſoI ſet » watchmen over you, ſaying, Hearken
not p heaken.
z Viz. Prophets and Meſſengers, that ſoughttheir Good, and en« deavoured to prevent their Miſeries, by foretelling what was come ing upon them, Ezeb, 3. 17. and 33.7. A Metaphoy from Watchmeny thar are uſually ſer vp*-n high places to eſpy ont Dangers afar off,
pet, //a. 58. 1. intimating his loud crying upon the account of im- Danger be approaching ; or the Trumper of the Enemy, Chap. 4.
16,
18 { Therefore hear, ye 4 Nations, and know, OQ r Congregation, what is / among them,
9 He cal!s upon the Nations round about to be as ſo many SpeQz- tors of his Severity againſt Fadah, though they were his owy People, rt» Partly to vindicate the Juſtice of his Proagedings, that they may
6 F not
y * I'S. a
—p
* Ia. 1.11. and 66. 3. > Amos 5- KTP
&C-
* Chap.
$0:41,42, 43+
> 1: oo Vl he way bring ' Beſides,
| Nations, as 4. wg
" Proceedings.
'the xa jerry? LG ' vecity of their Judgements ; ' _ "Aur it is the greatneſs of their Puniſhment, as the effe& of the
greatneſs of their Sins.
' upon this people,
- intimated, that their Sins were not
. that I ſo frequently . Prev. 1: 24 25, . ning to be Ruled by me.
Mich.6.6, , An Interrogation of Expoſtulation, and Contempr, wherein
.
* #.e. they have ſent Fire into the City. Or, God doth here compare
from: the * north & countrey, and a great nation ſhall
IC. 22. and - Judah, this - 49: See Iſa 5" ®5, 26, [ray as men for war, againſt thee, O daughter of
- fed for alt ſorts of Weapons. So P/al. 35. 2, 3- 0 Yee chap. 50. 42.
" EXeCurTe as here proph : . violefir, {o it cauſeth great Conſternation by its noiſe, compared to
os O%, EY Tae
- L b:n too ſevere. 2. Partly to ſhame them, if thereby he | rn ra ie them to ite; and therefore he mak*-s them W:rnefſes as well of their Sin as of their Puniſhment, Verſe 19. 2, It is a ſecret upbraiding them, as if the Nations were
to underſtand than they. » Either of Jvael, and then ords fhuſt be which are among them; or rather, of all o them gathered all rogether, Pſal. 7- 7. God is Ithe World thould be Witneſs of the Equity of his Or, that which is among them, the Relative pur for either the height of their Wickedneſs, or the le- underſtand it either way,or both ways,
more read: the next
willing, that a
O t earth : Behold, I will bring « evil even the fruit of their ». thoughts, becauſe they have not hearkened unto my y words, nor to my Law, but & rejected it.
' The tnbabjtans of the Earth, or elſe God having ſpoken to the Rational, he now ſpeaks to the very {enſeleſs Creatures to obſerve his Proceedings, Ezekiel 36. 4. u The Chaldean Army, with all the direful Effets of it» x 9. 4. They may thank themſelves for what is come upon them, being the fruit of all theſe Contrivances
and wicked Imaginations that their Hearts were full of, Prov. 1. 29, 30, 31. See [aiah 59.7. and Chap. 4. 14. by which Phraſe 1s allo 5avave ſome ſlight 1461 we oy me- :rared and d:geſted Wickedneſs ; and therefore Go will bring — the juſt Puniſhment for their Doings. y Thoſe Meſſages and earneſtly ſent unto them by my Prcphers,
As it were bidding open Defiance to me, 1cor-
' '19 * Hear,
&
20 * To what « purpoſe cometh there to me incenſe fom 5 Sheba, and the ſweet c cane from a far Coun- erey ? your burnt-offerings are not e acceptable, nor your ſacrifices {weet unto me-
God by thz Propher meets with their Hypocriic, who pleaſed them- ſelves with their outward Oblations and Sacrifices, and thought God wow'd be pleaſed with them too ; bur he tells them plainly, they are to no purpoſe ; as he ſpeaks particularly in the Clolc of the Perſe, Chop. 7.21, 22+ Ezcke 20. 39. 6 That this was the Produtt of Sheba, a Countrey in Arabia Felix, to which Countrey F rankincenſe was p-culiar.. See on Iſaiah 60.6. c Or Cane, i.e. good, or the beſt Cane; the Article I hath the force of a Superlarive for Caine that is good ; the Hebrews have no Degrees of Compariſon : the ſame that is mentioned as an Ingredi:nt in the holy Oyl, Exed. 30. 23. See Iſaiah 43- 24+ 4 Not that it was brought from the remoteſt parts of the World, as from India, as ſome ; for it was known to the Jews in Myſes's time, Exod. 30. 23- but becauſe it grew not in their own Land, bur was fetched or brought to them from Shebs, Iſa. 60. 6. where it did grow, as Diodorus teſtifizs, ib. 3» p. 125. and Strabo, lib. 16» 1 Kings 10. 2. compared with Joel 3.8. who is cal- Jed the Queen of the South, and to come from the uttermoſt parts of the Earth, Maith. 12.42. becauſe the South-Sea did bound the Country, To what purpoſe art thou at this Trouble and Charge to fetch theſe Ingredients for thy Incenſe? e Not likely ro arone me ; they will Aor be for Acceptance ; I cannot rake Dclight in them, Ho. g. 4, as the next Expreſſion, 9. d. away with theſe childiſh Trifles,where- by you! _ ro pacific me. By theſe Spices he underſtands the whole legal Worthip. _ |
2r Therefore thus ſaith the LORD, Behold, I will
hy ſtumbling f blocks before this people, and the fathers and the g ſons together ſhall fall upon them : the neigh-
bour and his þ friend ſhall periſh,