thee, to ſave chee, andro deliver thee, faith the LORD z.
x Theſe wordsare expounded by thoſe that follow. »y Look as Men may throw ſtones or ſtrike at a brazen wall, but do it no hurrt, ' ſo ſaith God,' though thou ſhalt bave enemies that will be offering atthee, yet if thou continueſt ſteady in the doing of thy duty, they ſhall do thee no harm. = For thou ſhalt have my power engaged for-thee, to deliver and fave thee from their malice.
2: And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked a, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible 6,
4 The wicked Jews. b And the power of the terribie Chaldan ans, into whoſe hands thou ſhalt come, but be preſerved from any. harm, by the workings of my provadence for thee.
| CHAP XUYL The Prophet is commanded to abſtain from Marriage, from Mourning, or Fe= flival Aſſemblies hereby repreſe.ting to them thar aproachmg Miſery, 1——9. Their ſins which cauſe it, 10 -— 13. Their ''range de- liverance from Babylon, 14, 15: After that their iniquity is recom- penſed, :6, 18. The Prophei's comfort in the calling of the Gentiles 19—2 *x*He word of the LORD came alſo unto me, ſay- 1 ing, 2 Thou ſhalt not take the a wife, neither ſhalt thou have fons nor daughters in this place 4. a It is uncertain whether what we have in this Chapter, be a ' new Revelation, or a continuance of his former Prophecy. God commandeth the Prophet in it under certain Types, to foretel their utter Ruine and Deſtruction, Firſt, he commandeth him to marry
no wife, nor have ſons or Daughters, He expoundeth his Com- mand, werſe 3, 4. |
3 For thus ſaith the LORD concerning the ſons,and
concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and con- cerning their fathers that begat them in this land. . 4 They ſhall die of * grievous deaths, they ſhall not be * lamented, neither ſhall they be buried ; but they ſhall be as dung upon the face of the earth, and they ſhali bs conſumed by the ſword, and by famine, and their * carcaſes ſhall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beaſts of the earth b.
b Godin theſe verſes opens the Reaſon why he would not have the Prophet marry nor multiply Relation. In evil and calamitous times, thoſe who multiply Relations do but multiply ſorrows and AfiiQtions to themſelves ; the Apoſtle in evil times tells the Cor- - riuthians that married perſons ſhould have trouble in the Fleſh. 1 Cor.
4: 28. and Cirift pronounceth a woe to thoſe that ſhould be with
Child, and to thoſe that gave ſuck at the time when Hreruſalem ſhould
be beſieged. God rellsthe Propher, he was reſolved that the peo-
ple of this La!d, both Young and Old, ſhould die miſerble deaths, and die fo taſt, that there ſhould be none to bury them. They ſhould dic by the ſword and the Famine, and be de-
"people, ſaith the LORD, even loving kindneſs and
20 AndI will make thee unto this people a fenced
O_—_—_—
voured by the Fowls and the Beaſts;and. therefore 1t was better for him to abide free from Relations, for whoſe Miſeries he would be as much concerned as for his own affliftion. _
5 For thus ſaith the LORD, enter not into the houſe of || mourning c, neither go to lament, nor bemoan E them :' for T have taken away my peace from this l|Or, mours
ning feaft, mercies g,
c MD. 8 There is fo greata difference in the Tranſlation of this Word, that Amos 6: 7. the very ſame word ſignifieth a Banquet, and is ſo tranſlated, yet is there no contradi&ion, for Banquets are now (and probably anciently were ) in the Houſes of mourning, as well as in the Houſes of thoſe that rejoiced. It appeareth plain- 1y by the words that follow, that the Apoſtle was here forbidden to go to Funeral Feaſts, or to lament and bemoan any, 4 For ( ſaith God ) I have, that is, I will take away peace from this peo- ple» Poſſibly the meaning of God might be this. Do nor go to comfort ſuch'as mourn for any Relations dead, ( for their Feaitings -upon thoſe occaſions were upon a conſolacory account ; thence wer. 7. you read of a Crp of conſolation;) for ſaith God, they have no need of it; thoſe that die'are moſt happy, for I will take away the peace of this people, and d-prive them of all my Mercy and loving. kindneſs which I bave hitherto ſhewed them, _
6 Both the great and the ſmall shall die in this land: they ſhall not be buried, neither ſhall ze» lament for
them e,, nor * cut themſelves, nor * make themſelves * Ley, 1g, bald for them f.
28,
e There ſhall io many of all Ranks and Sizes die in this Land, Deut:14-4. that Men ſhall have no time to bury them, or there ſhall not be e. * Iſa.22.12 nough left living to bury the dead; nor ſhall M:n, for their own miſecies have - leiſure to lament for the Miſeries of other Men. -# Curring themſelves in their fleſh, and cutring of their Hair, were Pagan cuſtoms, which God forbad his own people, but yer it ſhould ſeem they praftiſed theſe barbarous cuſtoms, bur ſaith-God, I will put an end to that praftice, Men ſhall die ſo faſt and in ſuck Mul- titudes, as they ſhall haveno leiſure to cut themſelves, for ſuch as are dead,they thall not haveſuch ſolemn mournings as they have had:
7 Neither shall mer || tear themſelves for them in mour- ning to comfort them for the dead g, neither shall mer
give them the cup ofconſolation to drinkfor their father hem, as or for their mother h. Ezck. 24,
g If weallow our tranſlation here. of the word DB with the 17. word ſupplied themſelves, it will be bard to give a tolerable ſenſe of theſe words, for then tearing is the ſame with the cutting chemſelves mentioned in the former verſe, which though it mighr be as a paſo ſionat expreſſion of the perſons ſorrow that didit, yet how itſhould
=
[[Or, break bread for
| comfort the friends of the deceaſed, will be very hard to conceive.