a Wear . "gh and in what mannerthis Revelation came from God tothe Prophet is not expreſſed, whether it were in the days of | Joſiah or Jehoj achim« :
E Hear ye, the words of this covenant b, and ſpeak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Je-
ruſalem.
b God ſpeaking in the plural number, not hear thu, but hear ye, makes ſome conjeQure that this was a charge given to ſome other Prophets, either Zephaniah ( if it were in Joſiah time, Zeph. 1. 1. ) or Urish ( if it were in the time of Jehojachim. ) The term 7his alſo manifeſts, that the Book of the Law was before 7eremiah's time, for all conclude, that the Covenant here ſpoken of, was the Covenant of th: Law of Gad, $2 wy by Moſer, to which the people more than once promiſed obedience. ;
And fay thou unto them, Thus faith the LORD of hoſts, * Curſed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant ds
4 In Deuteronomy 27. 26. it is Curſed be he that confirmeth net all the words of this Law to do them, and all the people ſhall ſay, Amen. The people ſaying 4men teſtified their aſſent, and made the Law a Cove- nant, but they bad beſides formally and explicitly covenanted with God, Exod 24. 3, 7. with religious Rites and Ceremonies uſed in ti- pulations, and afterwards conſented that God ſhould puniſh thoſe that violated that Covenant, Deut. 27. 26. :
4 Which I commanded your fathers e in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the * iron furnace, f ſaying, * Obey my voice, and do them according to all which I command you g, fo ſhall ye be my people, and I will be your God þ.
e Which Law ( that you by your reſtipulation made a forma] Covenant ) I that am the Lord, and ſo had a ſoveraign power to lay Laws upon wy Creatures, commanded yout Fathers. f And '
\
. 7
* Gal. 3* I Os
* Deut. 4: 1.5, a King,
26. 3-12.
as a Motive to God, why he ſhould do fo; which words ſee ex- |
M IT A H. Chap. XI,
obliged them to obedience before I laid my Law upon them, by bringing them out of the Land of Egypt, from the Furnace wheres in Iron 1s melted, which may either be taken literally ( probably that was a piece of their work in Egypt ) or metaphorically, ſerving at Iron Furnaces, being a very hard and ſervile labour. s For which kindneſs I required no more of them bur a gentler ſervice to mes in obeying my voice as to the things of this Law which Igave them in charge. + NordidI only Jay my Commands upon them. but I alſoincouraged chem to the obedience of it, by my gracious It promiſe, that if they would they ſhould be a people, I would bleſs MY protett and defend, and bear the name of my people, and I would
be their God to own and bleſs them-
5 That I may perform the * oath, which IT have * ny; S {worn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing 1:.&s. with milk, and honey, as # is this day 5, Then an- ®: &9. 5; {wered I, and ſaid, + ſo be it OLORD &. + Heb,
7 I required their obedience for their own gecd, I had ſwore to Armen, their Fathers that I would give their Poſterity a Land abounding with plenty of all good things, the beſt and choiceſt things, upon ſuppoſition of their Obedience. I have performed that Oath, I have brought them. into ſuch a Land, and ſhewed my ſelf faithful to them. & God having ended his Sphech, the Propher ſaith, Amen, either aſſerting the wks bd which God had ſaid, or wiſhing that the people would do according to their Covenant, or afſenting to the Curſe according as God had commanded, Deut. 27. 26.
6 Then the LORD faid unto me, Proclaim all theſe words, in the cities of Judah, and in the ſtreets of Je-
& | ruſalem, ſaying, Hear ye the words of this covenant
and do them /.
{Let it be thy work to call upon this people, not only to hear, but ro do the words which I have commanded them, and they have ingaged to do.
7 For I earneſtly proteſted unto your fathers, in the day 7hat I brought them up out of the land of Egypt,
even unto this day, * riling early, and proteſting, ſfay-+ch. , ;;
ing, Obey my voice 2. | m In proteſting I protefted, an uſual way in the Hebrew, by which
they exprets the ſeriouſneſs, and vehemency of an A&jon: by pro
reiting be meaneth the ſame with charging, and commanding with
promiſes annexed toobedience, and thieatnings denounced in caſe of
diſt b:dience. This God ſaith he had done with a great deal of Pa-
tience, and diligence even from the time that this people were
brought by him out of the Land of Egypr.
8 * Yet chey obeyed not, nor inclined their ear;
+ $24 but walked every one in the || imagination of their evil 1G” 46" heart »: therefore I will bring upon them all the words bormuſi,
of this covenant, which I commanded bers to do, but they did thezn not s.
z But had not hearkened unto his Counſels, but every one had walked afier the imaginations of his ewn heart. A phraſe by which ſin is often expreſſed in Holy Writ, Deut. 29. 19. Chap. 3, 17. and 7. 24, and 9g. 14. and 13- Ie. and 16. 12. and 18. 12, and 23. 17- The imaginations of mans heart are only evil, Gen. 6, 5. and 8. 21. Hence holineſs is ſet out by the notion of ſelf-denyingy not plezſing our ſelves, mortifying eur Members, &c. » For this God threatneth to bring upon thenr all his words of threatning, an« nexed to the Covenant of the Law.
9 And the LORD faid unto me, a conſpiracy is
found amongſt the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jeruſalem p.
? All forts ofpeople, whether of the City or Countrey, have done alike, as if they had conſpired together to break my Law, and to pros voke me to wrath, they are all alike anda alike. The thing is ma- nifeft, it 1s not done ſecretly, nor is it done raſhly bur upon a Con- ſpiracy, upon counſel and Cracion, oy
to They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refuſed to hear my words q# and they went after other gods to ſerve them : the houſe of Ifrael and the houſe of Judah have broken my cove- nant which I made with their fathers r,
q They are turned back from me, or they are turned back from their own better courſes in the time of David, te the ſins of their forefathers that worſhipped the golden Calf, or the many Idols which they worſhipped in the time of the Judges r They are all alike both the Tem Tribes, which were the Houſe of 1ael, and the
Two Tribes which made the Kingdom cf Judah, they have all bro«
ken the Covenant, which I made with their forefathers: