: lace where they 1d 1t 1s called 7! þ which alſo mention is made Iſs 30. 3 3. Chap. No Leon, he opening of this Text, as alſo of thoſe other Texts that mention C is Idolatry, we muſt open what is meant by Baal, Moloch, Topher " the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, There is no doubt Enya pn” Molech, or Metsch, fignifie the fame thing 3 Beal fignifictha Lord, Klech 2 King. They ordinarily called their Idols by theſe Ms. | Ie! Malchom, Zeph. 1.5, upon which account God would not be call d Baal, Hoſ. be I6, though he was called Jehovah, Elohim and 4don hoy a which tignified Lord, as Baal did. Botk Bag! and Molech ſe ai, all mon Names toall Idols. There was more than one Idol in the (aha of Baal, 2 Kings 10. 26. The Ammonites called their rinci eTouſa Milcom and Molech, as appears from 1 Kings xx Fo Be's pf Idol To this Idol they facriticed their Children: ls was a _ IE TY Idolatry, as appears by the veryearly Law of God againſt 5g y yr cg 31455» Some fay it was derived from Saturs, whom the m Ey remporary With Debora and Barak, who, to appeaſe the / = © CON imminent Danger, ſacrificed his Son. Others fay it So SIN ar time of Servg the Father of Nabor, of whom we read Gez. x g20 in the
that it had its Original from the Devil, ſpeaking out of the Mes and ſome dead perſons, commanding this Homage, poſſibly in ri ly of on of God, who, Gen« 22. 2. to try Abraham's Obedience par ny ed him to offer up 1/aac upon the Mount Mrrish. We muſt kn woot were other Sacrifices they offered to Baal : they burnt 1 ow _ | Baal, 2 Krugs 23. F. They offered Sacrifices and Burnt-offerings of B _ : Kings 18. 26. 2 Kings 10. 24. only in ſome extraordinar $ eafts, to ſhew their great Obedience to the Devil, rhey offered "I be ren. What Creature they worſhipped under this Name is - 1d- tain, but very probably it was the Sun, from 2 Kings oy at Cere ſuperiour Being, which they owned as their ſupreme Lond on Kin , which they, ſomeof them, miſtook the Sun, Mom, and Stars x bee they being gloriousBeings removed out ofMens Knowledo« - e; they had nor ſufficient means to undeſtand their Ra pou conlidering their Motions, and vaſt Influence they had n "ug X other Creatures, miſtake them for animate and fupr-me Be pen a 1 which as they paid other Homages,(ſuch as ſwearing b Beings, 4 I. 5. burning Incenſe, offering Beaſts, praying to ns. ) _—_ pA, cation of the Heathens and in a prerence of high Se dn _
: | \Hus ſaich the LORD, Go and get a potters earth- en bottel a, and rake of the ancients of the people,
and of the ancients of the prieſts 6.
a Criticks diſpute the Figure and Faſhion of this Bottel. ( Vid.the ; Engliſh Annottatiors,and Mr. Pools Latin Synopſis ) but that 1s not much | ]
material, for God s Deſign was only to ſhew the fragility of tvis people, how eaſily he could break them, and how certainly he would break them in pieces. 6 For the more publick notice of this typical Adtion, Fercmy is commanded to take for Witneſles, ſome of rhe graveſt of the people, and of the Prieſts; Whether they were Mems- bers of the Sanhearim, ( which was made up of thoſe two {ſorts ) or nor, the Scripture ſaith not. :
2 And go forth unto the valley of the ſon of Hin-
nom c, which 3s by the entry of the | caſt-gate, and
+ Heb proclaim there the words chat I ſhall tell thee .
$ 79. , Ad We ſhall hereafter hear why God commanded Jeremiah to go
Wegatts thither rather thanto another place, ro break this earthen pot. This Valley was a place very near ento Hieruſalem, of which one Hinnom was Owner in Joſhus's time, Joſ. 15.8. and 18: 16, The Valleyisin Scripture ſometimes called Ge-hinnom, fiom Whence came the Greek Word Geh:1na, uſed by our Saviour for Hl, Marth, 5.22. 2s Tyv eyisryay Ts Tvegs, becauſe of the helliſh Torments they cher? pur their Children to when they ſacrificed them, and of the kel'iſh
Cries they made. d In the H-brew ir 15 the Sun-gate, ſuppoſed ſo to
be called, becauſe the Sun riſeth in rhe Eaſt. This Valley is ſaid to have lien very near to this Gate 4 thither Jeremy 15 commanded ro go, and there to proclaim the following Words.
And ſay, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jeruſalem, Thus ſaith the LORD of hoſts, the God of Ifraci, Behold I will bring evil upon this place, the which whoſoever
heareth, his ears ſhall tingle e e That is, a very great Evil; it is an Hebrew way of expreſſion , which we alſo find, 1 Sam..3, 11. 2 Kings 21. 12. As a very great glaring Light affects our eyes, and blindeth them, fo a very great Sound affecteth the Ear, and maketh it cingle, and for ſometiine deaf: This God commandeth the Prophet to proclaim, as particus larly directed to all, both high and low, as well the Kings of 7udah, as the inbabitants of Jeruſalem, 4 Becauſe they have * forſaken me f, and have e- *17. 65, ftranged this place g, and have burnt incenſe in it unto 71, other gods 4, whom neither they nor their fathers have Chap. 2. known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this
_—_ 2 place with the blood of innocents 5. and 1743 f Fhe Laws, Statutes, and Ordinances which God had given ' them, te dire& them both in their religious Behaviour towards him, and in their civil Converſations. g Either this City, or this Temple, ( whick ſtood very nigh to this Valley ) or this particu- lar Valley, which they had turned to an uſe quite contrary fo the end for which God gave it them: h for in itttey had paied a Reli- gious Homage to Idols, ſtrange Idols which their Fathersknew not, s and had filled that place wich the blood of ſuch as had not deſery« ed Death, either innocent Men, or Children, that they had there ſacrificed to Idols; of which he afterward ſpeaketh more particularly.
; not burn them 3 and indeed, ſo moſt of