this rate. c And for his Words letus not value them at a ruſh, noc
at all regard them. |
I9 Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me 4.
d Theſeveral following Verſes, to the end of this Chapter,con« tain the Prophets Prayer by way of appeil toVod againſt theſe wice ked Men ; Lord (faith he) though they are reſolved to take no heed to my Words, yet do thou give heed to them, and do thou take notice of thoſe Men that contend with me. Take notice of what they ſay, nor to confirm, but to croſs their Deſires, and to be re« venged on them for them. ;
20 Shall eviibe recompenſed for good e? For they have digged a pit for my foul f : Remember that I ſtood before thee to ſpeak good for them g, andto turn away thy wrathfrom them þ. e To requirs: Good for Evilis divine; God maketh his Sun > to ſhine, and his Rain to fall upon the juft and unjuſt» To requite evil for evil,or good for geod, is but humane,what the Nature of reaſon- able Men prompt them to ; but to requite evil for good is dtabolical, F and the CharaQter of thoſe that are the Children of the evil one. f Lord, ſaith the Prophet,theſe Men have done thus, they have laid ſnares for my life. g Thou knoweſt, that as a Prophet I ſtood bee fore thee, both preaching and praying for their good, hþ Their Wrath is kindled to a great height againſt me, and thou knoweſt my Buſineſs was both in my Preachings to them, and Prayers for them, to turn away thy wrath from them. Lord remember this, both for Good to me, and for Vengeance uponthem,
. hn
21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine z, and + pour out their blood by the force of the ſword, and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows, and let their men be put to deach, Jet their +Heb; young men be ſlain by the ſword in battel &. four them : Adreadful[mprecation : we meet with more of the ſame nature, + Chap. 11. 20 and 15, 15,17, 18, We find alſo ſeveral ſuch Impre- cations in the Pſalms, Pſal. 35. 4.and 49. 14. and 69. 22, 23, 24,25, 27, 28. and 109. 6,7, 8, 9, 10, &c. Hence a Queſtion is raiſed, Whether itbe 1awful for Gods Servants to pray for Evilagainſt their Enemies. That which makes the Doubr is, Chriſts Command to , us, to pray for them that perſecute as, Maith. 5+ 43, 44. his own Ex-
' ample, and Stephen's, As 7 . 60. See the notes upon the aforemen= | tioned Texts. Ir is doubtleſs our Duty, to pray for the Converſion, | *Chop. 6. * q F.rgotten and forſaken are much the ſame ting, differing on- '
Forgivenneſs, and eternal Salvatim of our worſt Enemies: ſo Chrift prayed, and Stephen, but neither of them prayed for their outward proſperity in their Perſecution and Rage ; and without doubr we may Pray againſt Gods Enemies,that God would tie their hands, wea* ken their power,confound their devices. kFor ſuch others Particulars as are mentioned in this Verſe, and the beginning of the following Verſe, and ſuch as Div-amentions, Pſal 69. we muſt know the
were both Prophets,and did but pray to God to da that thing whic
God had revealed to them he would do,
22 Let
< ni ates wen 4
f Heb. Swtegatte
| Chap XIX.
bn rt CSS TL.
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| +1. for neither blot out their ſin from thy ſight », but let them ' deaths
22 Let acry be heard from their houſes, when thou | ſhalt bring a troop ſuddenly upon them, for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid ſnares for myfeet /.)
I That is, let the Enemy break into their houſes, which are inan ordinary Courſe of Providence, Mens Caſtles and SanQuaries, and cauſe ſuch Shrieks as uſe to be heard in ſuch caſes, for their mali-þ cious ſeeking my life by all ſecret prattices.
23 Yet LORD, thou knowelſt all their counſel againſt me to | ſlay me m : forgive not their iniquity,
he overthrown before. thee ; deal :hus with them in
the time of thine anger o,
mw Lord, thou knoweſt I do not charge them falſly, though their Counſels have been ſecret againſt my life. » Obj. Will ſome ſay, doth Jeremy here pray for theeternal Damnation of his Adverſaries? Is this lawful? Sol. I do not think this is to be granted lawful, be» ing ſo highly againſt Charity : nor that Jeremy in this 1s to be ex- cuſed as a Prophet,for even Prophets had no ſuch Reve'ations; but T take theſe Phraſes to be expounded by the next Words, Let ther be overthrown before thee ; and that all which the Prophet pray- eth for is God's ſhewing ſome temporal Diſpleaſure and Vengeauce againſt them. For forgiving, and wot forgiving ſin, doth not always in Holy Writ ſignifie the diſcharging or not diſcharging the perſons from the Obligation to eternal Death, undzr which Sin Jayeth them; but ſometimes, the qiſcharging or not diſcharging of them from the puniſhments in this Life, to which Sin doth expoſe the Sinner, and all Jeremy's meaning 1s, That however it ſhould pleaſe God to deal with theſe wicked Men as to their erernal State, yet he would ſo far not forgive, not blot out their Sins, as that he would ſer ſome mark ot his Vengeance on them in this Lite, for their Treachery and Ingratitude to him, Wherher we in it conſider Jeremy as an ordinary Suppliant in this Cauſe, praying in Faith, oras a Propher, foreknowing what God would do, it ought to lay a law upon all to take heed of being miſchievous, and treach- erous to others. Ir is ſeldom bur God, before they die, repays ſuch Men into their own Boſom, eſpecially if ir be againſt ary who are God's Miniſters or People 3 and that for their ſpe:king to, or do« ing before them the Will of God: It is aSin ſeldom eſcapes with- out a temporal Vengeance : and if ſuch Men be faved ar Jalt. it wil be as through Fire. God will mind them that he hath ſaid, Touchnor mine Anonted, and do my Prophets no harm, 1 Chron. 16. 22. Pſal. t05. is,
CH 4 PF. Ai
Under the Type of breaking a Potters Veſſel is foreſhewn the Deſvlation of the Jews fir their Sins committed in the Valley of Hinnom and
elſewhere, 1 IS»
- J ER BMIT4
5 They have-built alfo the high places of 4 burn their ſons with fire for barne-offieings C—- which Þ commanded not, nor ipake 5: neither came zt into my mind /. y
k This, and the following Verſe, contai ap Q; os this People, with the Puniſhment which ores, Ga The Sin in the general was Idolatry, but ſt TE of it, mentioned alſ; "Fs a moſt barbarous Species
n 5 rags ed alſo, Chep. 7. 31. and 32. 35. where it is faid, ts Molech , che plſce = = hiners paſs through the bire