!in the five next Verſes,and deprecated, Yeyſe 7, 8, 9. which make | indeed but a Preface to the Revelation ofthe Mind and Will of GOD
| in this Prophecy.
2 Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languiſh, they are black unto the ground, and the cry of Jeruſa- lem is gone up 6.
b By Judah is meant the Men and Women in the who'e Conn- 'try of Judah. The Gates is put for their Citres, or che M-n of | their Cities languithed, for want of moiſture for theme iv: 5 or their | Beaſts, They are all in the-Habits of Mourners, or Fog mo
OOkce
| Chap. XIV.
4 : ; f
- _—
205% rs.
on be, >” ad : Fes of this F a "_ : \ nf = b,
looked ſwarthy and ſtarvedly; for want of due and wholſom Nous rithment, and the cry of Hirruſalem is gone up, either their cry un- to Gol] by their Prayers in his Temple, or their cry by the Reaſon of their Miſery and Grief.is goneup to Heaven.
3 And their nobies have ſent their lirtle ones to the waters, they came to the pits and found no water, they they returned with their veſſels empty : they were a-
amed and confounded, and covered their heads c. e This ſcarcity of water afflicted not mean perſons only, who ave not fo good means toſupply their neceflities as others; but their greateit perſons ; ſo as they ſent their little ones ( it were berter tranſlated $-yvants, for they are meant to the places made to receive and retain water, but finding no water in the Pits,they Came back again with their Veſſels empry,like Men aſham<d 8& con- founded, & troubled up n the ſecing their ExpeQtations fruſtrated, _ 4 Becauſe the ground is chaprt 4, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were aſhamed, they cove-
red their heads e.
d The Hebrew word ſignifierh more largely than Chapt, broken, ſpoiled, turn'd into duſt, as is uſual in gicat droughts e The word allo which we tranſlate Plowmen; doth not ftriatly ſfigathe Pl!owmen,bu- Husbandmen,thers having been no rain upon the Earth, it brought forti little or no Graſs for thoſe that imployed themiclves In breeding or feeJing Cattel, and it was ſo hard, and ſo much wanted moifture, that they could nor plow nor ſow, but were like Men aſhamed and confounded, who knew not what to do.
5 Yea, the hind alſo calved in the field and forſook
3t, becauſe there is no grals f.
F Hinds uſe not to get their Food in Fields, butupon the Moun- tains and in Wildernefſes ; but rhe drought was ſuch, that theſe wild creatures came into the lower grounds, nearer the H3bitations of Men," than they were wont,and there broughrtforth their Young. The Hinds are loving Creatures, and as all Creatures by a natural inſtin&, love their Young, ſo the Hinds eſpecially, but their mor ſture being dri:d up, they could not ſuckle them, but were forced to leave them, running about here and there to ſeek Graſs to ear,
6 And the wild ailes did ftand in the high places, they ſnuffed up the wind like dragons g : their eyes did
flil becauſe there was no gras þ.
£ The wild Aſſes wanting water, got upon high places, where was the freeſt and cooleſt Air, and ſucked in the Wind, and this it is ſaid they did like Dragons, of whom Ar:#otle and Pliny report, that by reaſon of the great heat of their Bodies, they ordinarily ſtand vpon bigh places ſucking in the cool Air, and they tell us thoſe Creatures will live upon it for ſome time. The Prophet de- ſcribing this great drought, tells us, the wild Aſſes did the like. + But for want of Graſs th:ir Eyes were either almoſt ſunk in their Heads, they being almoſt ſtarved, or elſe the phraſe ſignifies the fruſtration oftheir expeRation, which this Phraſe alſo ſometimes ſignifies in Scripture, Pal; 69: 3. _ , : ]
7 © O LORD ! though our iniquities teſtifie againſt us 3, do thou jt & for thy names ſake /z for our back-
flidings are many, we have ſinned againſt thee x.
5 The Prophet having deſcribed their miſery, both in the cauſe cf it, the Drought for want of Rain, andthe effe&s of it, he appli- eh himſelf to thar God, who he knew was hz who alone could give the former and the latter Rain ; confefling that their ſins and backflidings were very many, and teſtified againſt them, that they Had deſerved God's ſevere Scourge, and God was Righteous in what of this nature he had done againſt them. Bur yet faith he & do #hou & ; that is, do thou what we deſire, and what we ſtand in need of,
ive us Rain» 1 Though not for our ſake, we deſerve no ſuch Lindnefs from thee, yet for thy Names ſake: Thy word, or promiſe, or rather here for thine Honour and Glory ſake. So 1s: 43 25. and 48. 11, where God promiſeth them to ſhew them kindneſs for his Names ſake, ſo as Feremiah's Prayer is but a pleading of God's Pro- miſes, that he would fulfil his word. m7 For here ſignifies though, and might have been better ſo interpreted.
8 O the hope of Iſrael », the Saviour thereof in time of trouble o, why ſhouldſt thou be as a ſtranger in
the Land, and as a wayfaring man, hat turneth aſide |
co tarry for a night p ?
» That is the Obje& of 1/-ae/'s hope, he in whom alone thy Peo- |
Ple Iſrael have been wont to hope, or hein whom alone J/-ael hath juſt Reaſonto hope. o Thou who haſt formerly been their Saviour in the times of their trouble, or who alone canſt ſave them in ſuch times of trouble, as thou haſt now brought them into. See Pſal: 9. 9. and 46. 1. p Why ſhouldſt thou be as one that regardeſt thy ancient People no more than a Stranger, or a Traveller, who ta- keth no farther care for the place, or the Houſe where he lodgeth, than for the ſhort time that heis ro ſtay or abide in 1t.
g9 Why ſhou!dit thou be as a man aſtonied q? as a mighty man hat cannot ſaver ? ygr thou, O LORD,
fHeb: thy ,rt in the midſt of us /, and we are called by thy name ame cal-
liaupon us.
ft, leave us not. .”, ; |