11 © Therefore thus faith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them which they ſhall not be able + to + prev. eſcape /: and * though they ſhall cry unto me I will go forth not hearken unto them *#. | | * Pſal.
Sſ A Judgment frem which they ſhall by no means be delivered, - - ; by any Counſels of their own, or afliftance of their Friends and Al- Ch < FA lies. * And though Prayer to me hath been their uſual courſe in L "1's 8, ſuch caſes, and I have delivered them, yet I will no more hear them Te ge chough they cry unto me, Prov. 1. 28, 29. Zech, 7. 11, 13+ God will ME 349 not hear them crying to him in their Adverſity, who refuſe to heas him ſpeaking to them in their proſperity.
12 Then ſhall the cities of Judah, and inhabitants of Jeruſalem go, and * cry unto the gods to whom *peut they offer incenſe, but they (ball not faye them at all 32 37:38 in the time of their f trouble «. Hen HH&bu0vin
u Shall here ſignifieth Will, and might as well have been ſo tran- ſlated, denoting the hardneſs of the Hearts of this people, whom afflition would not reduce to God: or rather the Indicative Med is here put for the Imperarive, and the ſenſe, Let the Cities of Judah, &c. and the phraſe taken Tronically. So it agreeth with God's anſwer to the people crying to him, Jug. 10. 14: and what this Prophet had before 1gid, chap. 2. 28, But faith the Froghet,
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| Ch. 7. 1
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PIG. 1.1 | Heb.
what is 1 my belove in my hot [| Or,vh thy evil ;
2:1! 00 therh ne good. then they Fral inderfiand their vanity that they have beſtowed a divine: d chings able todo them no good,
LID | their Superſtition and Idolatry, mage upon Lyes and Vanities,an r at all ro proht them,
13 For according oO t
A be
he number of thy * cities were
| *Ch2:25- thy gods, O Judah, and according to the number of 7 tize ſtreets of Jeruſalem, have ye ſet up altars to that | + thameful thing «, ever altars ro burn incenſe unt9 f He Baal | (64:36> ED
Nor that they had juſt ſo many Idols as were Cities in Tudah, or Altars as were Streets in Hierrſalem, the meaning is,they had very many, and that the People who lived in every Cit and Street were gu!Jry. What he calls heir ſhame, or the ſhametut ching, is afterwards expounded Baal, called a ſbam'ful thing, becauſe 1t was what chey kad reaſon to be aſhamed of, and whar would certainly bring them to ſhame and confulion. x Baa! ſignifieth lord, and was 3 common Name given to more Idols than one, the Phanicians uſed the Name Baal, the Chaldeans, Beff. God Hf. 2. 16. forbad his People to call him by this Name, becauſe ſo abuſed to Idola- try. Many think that the Sun was whar the Phanicians WOr- thipped under .this Name ; ſome ſay Saturn was he, Mznaſſes who preceded Joſiah, rearsd up Altars for Baalim, and made Groves and worſhipped all the Hoſt of Heaven and ſerved them, 2 Chron. 33: 3. Learned M-n ſay, that the Aſzns called the ſame Idol Baal, whom thoſe of Eurepe called Jupitcr, Ir is not improbable which learned Men judge», That the Heathens acknowledging one ſupream B-eing, worſhipped him in ſeveral Creatures; ſome miſtakeing zhe S:iz, Moon, and Stars to bs he, others other things; theſe they cal- Jed Baolim, lords, as they *called the principal God Baal. The Heatt:ens 1dolatry feems to be their Worſhipping God 77 Creatures and paying a Divine Homage to Creatures, the Sun, Meon, and, S-ars, and other far interiour to them, nor believing that thoſe Creatures were the Divine Beeing, bur that the Divine Beerhg was in themy and from rhem would hear their Supplicants and do them good; which though th: Heathens might a little be excuſed in, having no Scripture ſh-wing them the nature of the true God, and how he would be worfhipped ; yet in the Jews was inexcuſablegrhey having the Oracles of God committed to them, which both ſhewed them the true nature of God, and let them know that no Creature could be any ſimilitude or repreſenation of him, and that his Will was, thar they ſhould pay their Homage to him without ary ſimili- tudes, or repreſentariens, exciting them to thar Homage, fit for nothing but ro beget in the Minds of People falſe Conceptions, and apprehenſions of the Divine Beeing, which is meerly ſpiritual ; notwithſtanding which dire&ion from the Divine Law, the Jews afrer the manner of the H-athcns, would pay their Homage to God, before the Sun, An, and Stars, and before Images made with hands, and make Altars to ſuch Creatures and Images, which was the Ido!atry God complains of, and of which he declares a greater abhorrence than almoſt of any other ſin. It is !ikely that Baal here mentioned was the Sun, becauſe it was near Manaſſes times, who thus highly offended God, and it 1s probable that thougi Joſiah had be- gun a famous Reformation, yer a great deal of this !eaven was lefr in the common People, belides that rhe fins of Manaſſes, 2 Kings 23. 26. are reckoned up as the ſpecial proximate cavſe of this Wrath of God againſt Judah, | 14 Therefore * pray thou not for this people, nei- ' *Ck.7. 16. ther lift up a cry, or prayer 1or them. for I will not hear them in-the time that they cry unto me, for their f trouble », ;
y Once befere, and we ſhal find once after this, Chap. 14. 11. God forbidderh the Prophet ro pray for this People, hence ariſeth a Queſt:oa how the Propner 1s exculed from Sin, 1n praying for them
| after this Prohibition, eſpecially when Ged had ailred him that he | would not hear. Sel. God ( ſay ſome ) ſometimes forbiddeth Pray-
| tHeb.evil.
7 Þ 8 EMI AH
ers for P:r!ons and People to ſtir rhem vp. to more fervent Prayer: 2. We find the like done by Mſes, Exod. 32. 0. and Samuel, 1 Sam. I$+ 35- and 16. 1. Orhers ſay, 3, That ve muſt nor underſtand theſe words as an abſolute Prohibition io Fer:my, but for the terri- fying of the People. 4- God ſpeaks cnly fa cemporal evil,and wil. leth feremiah nat to be too poſitive in his Prayers tor them, that rhey might be delivercd from rhat, but he mighr pray for tie pardon cf their ſins, aad their deliverance from the eternal Vengeance of God. 5+ He mizbc not pray for the obſtinate part of this People, bur for the Ele& of God among(t them. :
5 And this the Lord world rather Jo againſt them, bertauſe they were not only evil, but gloried in their wickedne$, or at leaſt were as full of mirth and jollity, as if they had done no iniquity.