» Heb. He hath made it deſolate, but it cannot be meant of God, for it is God that ſpeaketh, -and God is he mentioned in the next words ; It muſt therefore either be underſtood of Nebuchadnezzar,the inſtrumental cauſe ; or ( one number being put for another ) of the People or the Rulers as the meritorious cauſe, and in that ruefy} ſtate into which their ſins had broughr it, it cried unto God. » And one great cauſe of this ſore Judgement upon the Land, was the Peoples not laying to heart, not ſeriouſly conſidering what God had done, or was doing againſt it.
12 The ſpoilers are 'come upon all high places through the wilderneſs b : for the ſword of the LORD ſhall devour from the #ne end of the land, even unto the other end of the land: no fleſh ſhall have peace c.
6 The Prophet ( as very uſually ) ſpeaketh of a thing as already done, which was very ſhortly to be done, he ſaith they were come up becauſe they ſhould come up, and no places ſhould be ſo high but they ſhould climb them ; none ſo ſtrong, but they ſhould ſub. due them. c The ſword of the Enemy is called the ſword of the Lord, becauſe he ordereth and ſucceeds it, though the Enemy man- ageth it, and he ſaith it ſhal be againit al), of all ranks and orders,
no fleſh ſhould have peace ; by no fleſh, he meaneth no ranks, no orders of Men.
I3 * They have ſown wheat, but they ſhall reap » Micah thorns d: they have put themſelves to pain, but ſhall 6. 15. not profit e : and || they ſhall be aſhamed of your reve- Hag. 1.6- nues, becauſe of the fierce anger of the LORD F. (} Or 96:
d If theſe words be underſtood literally, they only ſignifie, that God would blaſt the Labours of the Husbandman, and curſe them in the Field. The Earths bringing forth Thorns and Thiſtles was part of the Curſe for the firſt tranſgreſſion of Man : Gen. 3. 18, God's blaſt= ing the Labours of Husbandmen is often threatned as a puniſh- ment of Sin. id. Lev. 26. 16. Deut. 28. 38. if it be taken meta- phorically, is is expounded by the next words. e Thatthey ſhould labour 1n vain, all the Works of their hands, all their Counſels and Deliberations ſhould be of no profite, or avail unto them, f The ? fierce anger of God againſt them ſhal be ſo ſhewed, that the returns of their Labours or Eſtates, the profits of their Trades, &c. fhal be ſo ſmall that they thal be aſhamed of them.
14 T Thus faith the LORD againſt all. mine
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evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance Wes
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* Deut-35. will * pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the 3. Chap. houſe of Judah from amongſt them 5 ?
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g God will nor be angry for ever with his own People, nor ſuffer the rod of the wicked for: ever to reſt upon the back of the righte- ous, for faith he, for thoſe that are my evil Neighbours, the Nations bordering upon Jiuilen, which God calls his Inheritance, upor, which 2ccount he callcth them his Neighbours, who zexched his Inhert- tance, not ſo much by contiguiry of Habitartion, as by rapacious Fingers, to do them hurt, inſulting over them when the Hand of God was upon them, and contributing to their affliction and miſe- ry, by helping their Enemies againſt them, as did the Edomites, Phi- liftines, Moabites, &c. + 1 will alfo pluck them out of their Lard, T will bring the ſword upon them alfo, and they fhal be led into Captivity, and though they may have made ſome Inroads upon my Peop!e,and have carried away ſome of them into Captivity,yet 1 will fetch them out oftheir Captivity.
15 And it ſhal come to paſs, after that T have pluck- ed them out, I will return and have compallion on them, and will bring them again every man to his heritage, and every man to his land 2.
; This ſeemeth not to be a Prophecy only of the Jews return into their Land after the fulfilling of the Years of their Captivity, bur al- ſo of the bringing back of theſe Nations after that they ſhould be plucked upy and teems to relate to tie calling of the Gentiles, but this Prophecy muſt be limited by what followeth in the next Verſe, and not underſtood of all the Inhabitants of thoſe Nations,
16 And it ſhal come to pals, if they will diligently learn the waysof my people to ſwear by my name, the LORD liveth &, ( as they taught my people to ſwear by Baal ) / then ſhal they be built in the midſt of my
people m. |
k Tho theſe people be Heathens, yet if they will leave their Ido. Jatries, and ſuperititious ways of Worſhip, and learn to worſhip and ſerve me as my People do, and ought to worſhip me. 1 And ſwear by my Name the Lord liveth, that is, pay that Homage which they pay to the Divine Beeing to me, the living and true God ; owning me alone as the fountain of life,and ſearcher of the hearts ( for there is a great Homage payed to the true God in ſwearing by his Name only, which ſheweth the great implety and profaneneſs of other Oaths. ) 22 Then, ſaith God, I will blets and proſper them alſo, and they ſhal not only have a portion in the Earth but amongſt my People, which was eminently ſufilled in the Converſion of the Gentiles, Rom. 11.17. they were originally wild Olives, and grafted in amongſt the Jews, and with them made partakers of the root, and fatneſs of the Olive- zree.
17 But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up, and deſtroy that nation, faith the LORD ».
x But for thoſe, whether they be Fews or Gentiles, that ſhal conti- nue in their Idolatrous, and Superſticious courſes ; that ſhal refuſe the Mzſſias, ani] continue in unbelicf, and go on in courſes of Rebel- lion and diſobedience ( ſaid God) I will utterly deſtroy that Peo- ple. Thus 1/a. 60: 12. The nation and kingdom, that will not ſerve thee, ſhall periſh, yea rhoſe nations ſhall be utterly waited.
CH A P. XIIL I the Type of a Linnen-Girdle God prefigureth their DeſtrufFion, 1 II. Under the Parable of Bottles filed with Wine, is foretold their Drunken neſs with Miſery, 12 14. He exhorteth to prevent theſe Judge ments by Repentance from their ſms, which are the cauſe thereof, BY 27+ Hus ſaith the LORD unto me, Go, and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water 4»