n God was moved at this deſperate obſtinacy and hardneſs of this Peoples Hearrs,he appeals to the World whether ever any Heathens behave themſelves ſo toward their Idols which were no Gods, as this People had behaved themſelves towards him, He calls Iſrael a Vir- gine, it is 4 term given to Z:don, Iſs. 23. 12+ and to Babylon, Iſa: 47+ 1 The horrible thing which they had done, was their forſaking God, : their God,a thing nor uſual amonſt theHeathens, as God tells them, ol Chap. 2.11.
Vrmy
vulgar Latin tranſlates rhem, Shall rhe $:29w of L-banon fail Fom the Rock of the F'ild ? The S-pruagint. Shall the augs fail fom the Rocks ? Or, The Snow from Leban!mn. The Syriack Y.rſon followeth them, Th- Arsvick Verſion tranſlaterh it, S:ould the Snow fail om the Mountain of Breaſts,and from Lebanm. The Chaliee Paraphraft thus gloſleth, Bz- hold, as it cannot be, that the \now-water ſh1uld fail from Lebanon, Pag- n.ne {ſeems ro make 1.chanon the Nominative Caſe, and renders the Senſ. thus, Shall Lrbann l:ave the Snow from the Rock of th: Field. Our Tranſta:ors ſupply theſe words # Mz», and ſo make that the Nomi- native Caſe,& make Lebanon the Genitive Caſe. Lebanon was amoun- rainou: place in which were Rocks it had alſo fruitful Valleys;Snow fell upon thoſe Rocks,and upon a a Thaw ran down into the lower Places, an:! was gratefu] toriem as it moiſtned them, and made them more fruitful. p The latter part of the Verſe ſeems as hard. Pagnine traiiſlates them, Shall other cold flowing Waters be forſaken? The vulgar Latin,or Can che ether cold flowingwaters be plucked up? The
_ LXX and th» Syriack, or Shall the water fail, wilently ſnatched up, or taken away wi h the wind > The Arabvick, or Should the foreign coo! wa- ters dcfift * The Chaldee Paraphraſt gloſſerh, So the ra'n waters that come 40wn. and the waters of the fountain that ſpring ſhall not fail. Tn this great vari:ty, git is very hard certainly toafſert the Particue lar Senſe of thz{e Phraſes, the kn »wledge of which depends upon ſome Afettions, or Cuftoms of tho'e Places which we are not ſo well | a<quainted with. The next Verſe is the beÞ Guide we have,where the | Sinlaid ro the Charge of this People, is their forjaking God ; which | Sin is here aggravared by this Topick, That Reaſon teacheth Men nor to forſake a _ Gaod for a lefſer, though that greater Good - were but a poor CreatureComfort,not to be compared with God. This is the general Senſe, Scope, and Sum of this Verſe. So as we ſhall not need be very ſolicitous to be able to aſſert the particular Gram- matical Senſe-
. Me: «0 Becauſe my people hath forgotten * meg, they
83,zz. hayeburnt-incenle to vanicyr, and they have cauſed — 21. themto ſtumb'e in their ways from the * ancient paths, pong Sg to walk iz paths, in a way not caſt up z,
; as the Clauſe and the EffeQ ; for if Men remembred God as they 6a Mg2t to do. they would not forſake him. r By Yanicy he means
a Ti ;. who are called: Vanity, not oaly becauſe they are in them- ſelves nothing of what they are pretended to be, and becauſe the worſhipping.of them-is an higher degree of Sin which is often called Yanity in-Scripture, but becauſe the Service of them is of no. Uſe-nor Profir, or Advantage ; and any . Exp-#ations from them are idle; and vain, for which: there is n2 ground at all. 5s Whe- k the Falſe Prophets or che Idols age here ſaid ro cauſe them co
R "4 ” b "= 5
ſaid wasthis, Jeremy, thou hidſt as good ſay or do n:thing astalk.
MI # -H. Chap. XVIII
ſtumble by receding from 'the ancient paths,, is uncertain. The rds may either uc tranſl-rted paths of Eternity, or paths cf £n't quiry : the m« ſt and beſt tranſlate as we do, fLued verum primum, the ways of Truth are the moſt ancient ways, The ways wherein Noah, Abraham. 1jaac, and Jaceb, and all the ancient Patriarchs did walk, t To walkin Paths,or in a way net caſt up, not fitting for Gods Feo- ple to walk in, Prov 15.19. The way of the righteous is ſaid to: be 2 way made p'ain, Heb. raiſed up as a Cauſiy}, Wicked Men, in oppoſition to theſe ways, are ſaid to walk #7 a way not coſts
»
16 To make their land * deſolate, anda perpetual 6 229. hiffing « : every one that paſſeth thereby ſhall be aſto- ,;.& 50.143 niſh:d, and wag his head «.
# Not that this was fnis epcrantis, that End which they aimed at, none wiſheth i]l, or doth any thing deſignedly to bring Evil upon himſelf;,but it was fin oper.s,the End t 1eſe Courſes would certainly i\ſTue in, they would bring the land of Judah to Deſolations, and to be a Reproach, u So as Strangers that were wont to admire at the Proſperity of this Pcople aboie any orher People, ſhould ſtand aſto- niſhed, and wag their Heads at them in Scorn and Deriſion.
17 * I will ſca:ter them as with an eaſt-wind before »cy,q,,,, the enemy x : 1 wiil ſhew them the back and nor the 24, face in the day of their calamity y.
x The Eaſt-wind is ( or was at leaſt in thoſe parts ) the fierceſt wind : as the Eaſt-wind {catiers the Chaff, ſo ſaith God I will ſcar- ter them. And when they ſhill be in grear Calamity and Miſery,
I will not hearken to them, I will not turn my face to them, or ſhew them my Facz, but I will not turn my Back upon them, I will not regard them Crying, nor hear their Prayers.
18 C Then ſaid they, *Come, let us deviſe devices » cy, ;; againſt Jeremiah & z * for the law ſball not periſh from 1g. © the pricſt,nor counſel from the wiſe,nor the word from *Malb 2.7. the Prophet @ : Come, and let us ſmite him || with the John7.28,
tongue b,and Jet us not give heed to any cf his words c. iOr for z This faithful d-aling of the Propher with them, did only en- zþ, Tongue.
rege them ( as 1s uſual ) againſt the Prophet; they plot againſt the |
Prophet, how to be revenged on him, becauſe he would croſs their
Humours, and would not propheſie as they would have had him.
a We havethe Church on our ſide ; the Regular Prieſts and the Pro=
phets they know Gods mind as wel] as he ; for there is a Promife
that the Law ſhall not periſh from the Prieſt, nor the Word from the
Prophet : The Prieſts and Prophets tcl! us other things than
this J:remiah doth, 6b Ler us ſmite him with rhe Tongue, expole him,
by railing on him, telling Lies about concerning him, repreſenting
him to be what we know the People hate, abuſing him to his face,
informing againſt him : or 1s the Tongue, let us filence him, com.
; mand him to ſpeak no more ; or for his Tongue, for Propheſying at