Homage in ſome ſpecia? Caſes and Straits, they © : TY ren. Some think they only made them go br — = phe _ the Scrj 3 6 F: abominable I1doletry ; but ems Scriptures ſj ns ns that they actually burnt. them : the Plalmift Pſal. 106; 37 Gp They ſhed innocent blocd, even the blood of their ſons and eabod. = , they ſacrificed to the dels of Eanaan, and the land was pollured with roy which it could not have been by their Childrens merely paſſi through the fire; and it 1s laid to their Charge, Exek y6 jk In Theu haſt taken thy Sons and thy Daughters, whom thou baft born unto - and thoſe haſt thou ſacrificed to them to be devoured, 21. That thou bf flain my Children, and delivered them to cauſe them to paſs through the þþ fer them. We read of the Idolatry of Zeroboam, who worſhipped he crue God, but by Calves ſet up at Dan and Bethel. 4hab —_— 1 this, bringing in the zerminative Worſhip of the creatures __ ſhipping the Sun, Moon, and Stars, under the Name of Bao! - bue che firit in Judah, of whom we read, that he made his Son t9 paſs throu h the Fire, was Ahaz, the Father of Hezekiah, 2 Kings lo, 3. He was £0 lowed by kis Grandchild Manaſeh, 2 Kings 21, 6. Joſiah the good Son of a bad Father, defiled the place where this abominable Idolatry was committed, 2 Kings 23+ 10+ The place where they commitred this horrible Abominartion, was the Valley of the Son of Hinnom.ver near the City, and the particular place was called Topher. There = an high place built for the Ido], and many think, that the Name To- phet arifeth from the uſe of a Drum or Tabret, with whick while the poor Children were burning, they made great noiſes to drown the iound of the Childrens Ne/linzs, tho others think, the Word Tophet originaly ſignifies Hell, or the place of the Damned, of which is place, bork for the torments and roatiog in it, was a lively Repre- {:ntation. Now ef this barbarous and horrible Idolatry, God faith: | He commanded them not, neither came it into his mind, It was far ir2m it, that God had moſt ſeverly forbid it, Lev. 20. 2, 3, 4, 5. Mas king it a capital Crime for any to do it, and for any to conceal others that they knew did it: ſo that here is a Meioſfs, leſs ſpoken than was true in the caſe ; but p*fſibly God's expreſling a thing of this nature, being an Errour in his Worſhip, under theſe ſofe terms 1 commanded them nsty neither did it come into my mind, givech no ſmall ground to conſiderate Men to ju«ge, that we muſt have 2 Command from God, though not for every individual Act of our Worſhip, nor for every Circumſtance of humane Action which we do in his Wore ſhip, yet for every ſpecifical religious Act, and for any thing wheres by we pay any Homage to God ; it beiag indeed the mcſt reaſons able thing imaginable, that God ſhould have the ſame Priviledge which every Prince er grear Man amengſt Men claimeth as his Righr, to preſcribe the Acts, Modes, and Metheds, for his own
Homage.
6 Therefore behold, the days come, faith the LORD, that this place ſhall no more be called Topher, nor the :valley of the ſon of Hinnom, but the yalley of ſlaughter m. |
m Forthis, God by his Prophet threateneth, that this Place an- ciently, in Joſhua's time called the Yalley of che Som of Hinnom, and more lately Topber, from the noiſe of Drums and Tabrers
there, whiltt Children were burning, ſhould have 2 new Name, 6 i and
Chep: X1xfl
————
( - owns og ec nt eu Age, ni a I nc re orien oo et
" ” NaPe
* Chaps 7. 33 and 16. 4 ard 54. 20.
*Chap. 2 8. I 6. 4 and 49.13 nnd 50, 'TZe«
healed. * Chap. 7- 32,
* 2Kings 23. I 2»
29. F Chap. 7 428.
b. \ ; |
XIX. ,
bodies which upon t thrown into this Valley. ſhall bury in Tophet till there be
I be 7 for the Y ge ſhall fray them away. '
7 And 1 will make void the counſel of Judah and Jeruſalem in this place », and I will cauſe them to fall by the ſword before their enemies, and by the hands 4 wah that ſeek cheir lives : and * their carcaſes will
'Tgive to be meat for the fowls of the heavens, and for the beaſts of the earth.
n In this place, amongſt others, I will make void all the Coun- ſels that the Men of Judah, and the Inhabitants of Hieruſal:m, bave taken to eſcape m givers FUR gmaney F will fruſtrate all their liccle Arts "a4, Deſigns to avoid the Dirc of my Judgments. I will cauſe them to fall by the fword before their Enemies, ſo as there
ſhall b - F for then. S And Twill make his City * deſolate, and an hiſ- ſings every ons that paſleth thereby ſhall be aſtoni-
: ſhed and hiſs, becauſe of all the plagues thereof o.
o This is no mere than we met with before, Chap. 18. 16. and ſhall again meet with 3 Mens Honour and Repuration is ordinari- ly very dear to them, it was eſpecially to the Jews, who valued themſelves much upon the Repucation their City and their Temple
had, and the Security they promiſed themſelves from their right in |
the Holy City and Lend. God tells them, he will make them as much a Scornand Reproach as ever they were for an Honour or Praiſe ; .as great a Wonderment for the Wrath and Vengeance he would execute upon them, as they had been in their flouriſhing ſtate for the Mercies which he beſtowed upon them. |
. 9 And I will cauſe them to catthe fleſb of their ſons,
and the fleſh of their daughters, and they ſhall eat eve- ry one the fleſh of his friend in the ſiege and ſtraitneſs, wherewith their enemies, and they thar ſeek theirlives,
ſhall ſtraiten them p.
Þ Theſe were the miſcrable effeAsor conſequents of the Famine, with which God had often before threatned them ; the juſt fulhl- liag of God's Word threatned, Lev, 26, 29. Deut. 28. 43. and the accompliſhment of which our Prophet hath recorded, Lam. 4. 10.
10 Then ſhalt thou break the bottle in the ſight of
the men that go with thee 9.
- q The earthen Botcle, which Yerſe 1. he was commanded to car- ry with him into the Valley of the Son of Himmom ( where he now was ) in the ſight of the ancients of the Prieſts, and of the People, the Men who there were appointed to go with the Propher. This ſ hobionl, or ſacramental teaching by Signs, was much in uſe by
rophets. 1T And ſhalt ſay unto them, Thus ſaith the LORD
of hoſts 7,” Even ſo will I break this people and this City, as one breaketh a potters veſtel, that cannot Þ be
+ Heb. 4, Made whole again f, and they ſhall F bury them in To-
phet, till zhere be no place to bury re.