4 Nor that God was ignorant of their obſtinancy and the hard« ening of their hearts, which was the future event.; but tolet us know that tieir deſtruftion would be of themſelves, he would give them. both a time and ſpace, and alſo means for Repentance, and the prevention of the Judgmenrsof God coming on them : He gi
ed for the greater terror ina variety of expreſſions. He tells them that the Judgment ſhould be like 2 Contagion, going from one Nation to another, or like a fire catching hold of another Houſe be- fore the firſt is burned down, like a Whirlwind that blows from all ſides, cometh ſuddenly, and deyoureth dreadfully.
33 And the ſlain of the LORD ſhall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth : they ſhall not be * lamented nor buried, they ſhall be dung upon the ground 9. | | 9 That thoſe wao ſhould beſlain by Commiſſion from the Lord
finthis time of his Judgments, ſhould be in al} places. and ſo nu» "merous, that there ſhould be none lefr ro lament for, or to bury the * Ch 'Dead, but the dead Bodies ſhould lieand rot upon the ſurface of the aP- :Farth, and be #s Meck to it» See the like Phraſes, Chap- 16. 4. 16, 4+. . ,
give them time, for itwas after this elevenYears before theCaprivity of Jehoiakim, and two and twenty before that of Zedekiah: and for Means, God afforded them the Miniſtry of this Prophet.. e Rev pentance appiyed to. Man, fignifieth a change of Heart and Coun- ſols,as well as of his courſe of Aftions : In the unchangeable God it only ſig1ifiech the turning of the courſe . of his Providence, vot bringing thar evil upon them for the evil of their doings, which ſuppoling their progreſs and obftinacy in their ſinful Courſes, he had fully reſolved to bring upen them. | 2
4 And thou ſhalt fay unto them, Thus. ſaith the LORD, If ye. will not hearken to me to walk in my
law f, which I have ſet before you g.. - _
f A courſe of ARions in Scripture, is ordinarily call'd a way ; in which ſence we often read of the way of the Lord, the way'of the wicked , the way of the Righteous, &*c. And a motion in this
* Chap, | h- 8,
I 6 46, Your {elves in the aſhes, ye principal of the flock r ; . 20.
34 © * Howl ye ſhepherds and cry, and wallow |
-Courſe is uſually called walking, ſal. 1. 1.' Ezek: 18. g.-and ap plyed both to God and Mzn, To o_ in God s Law is expounds.; 6 3 ed
bn
SEE AM 17 4 H. Chap. XXy1, jour" ' fign to ſtir up ſedition, for he had uid nothing but what God bad
; ſent him ro ſpeak ; and therefore could not prophefis whar was
falſe, nor was to be charged with any ſeditious detign.
13 Therefore now * amend your ways and your *chay,
doings a, andobey the voice of the LORD your God 6, Je 3*
and the LORD will # repent him « of the evil that he Ver: 1g,
hath pronounced againſt you.
s It is not I that have pronounced Evil againſt you, but the Lord who made both you and me: You rage againſt me. who am
| ed by hearkeniog unto them, or (as 1n other places ) by obſerving, keeping 2n4 doing them. g God is ſaid to have ſet his Laws be- fore them, both in reſpe& of their firſt promulgation ro them at Sinai, and writing them in Tables; and the daily Expoſitions and urging of them upon their praQtice by his Servants the Pro- phets, as it followeth« 5 To hearken to the words of my ſervants the pro- * Chap. 2. Phets 4, * whom LI ſent unto you, both riſing up early, and ſending them i, ( but ye have not hearkned. )
13. 25. &
<4 7. & bh Thoſe Prophets who in propheſying were my Servants, re- | bur God's Inſtrument; by whom he lets you know kis Mind and
25-3- vealing my Will unto you. Hearkintng here 1s the ſame with hear- | Will; it were more adviſable for you to reform your wicked Lives
kening unto God's Laws mentioned, Yer 4+ i Whom TI have made | and Praftices. b And that by a full obedience re what the Lord
my bulineſs to ſend unto you 3 and to whom you ought therefore hath commanded you in his Law, and by me ſpeaketh to you. c IF
to have hearkened, as unto me, but you have not done it hitherto, you do this, the Lord will change the courſe of his Providence,
2 Chron. 36. 12, 16. : el and do that which in Men is called a repenting, and not bring
* , Cm. 6 Then will I make this houſe like Shiloh k and | thoſe evil things upon you, which he, by me his Servant, hath 4-12. Will make this city a curſe to all. the Nations of the | Pronounced againſt you, ;
14 As for me, behold, I am in your hand d: do with
Pſale 78. earth þ. : \ Go. Chap. þ $};loh was the City where the Tabernacle was pitched, and the
7- 12, '4. Ark, the Symbol of Gods preſence, was, Juag, 18. 31. & 21. 19. x Sam; x, 3» 9, 24. and 3. 21. Out of it the Ark was carried,
1 Sam. 4. 3. when it was taken by the PhiliFines, and was carricd
me Þ as ſeemeth good and meet unto youe. f Heb,
4 That is Jam in your Power(as hands often ſignifieth inScripture.) < *t Jeremiah doth not by this acknowledge any power they had juſtly, 8994 and | thus to reſtrain, and queſtion -him. e Nor doth he dare them, to 772% in do what they had a natural power to do, by ſaying, Do with me J0#r «6,
no more thither, but reſted in Kirjathjeartm, 1 Sam. 7. 2. where it reſted 20 Years. David fetched it from hence, 2 Sam. 6, 2.So that as the P{almilt tells us, Pſal. 78: 60, Gr. God forſook the Tabernacle of Shiloh ; here he threatenerh to do the like as to the Temple, becauſe of which they bad ſuch a confidence. Jeremiah, Chap. 7. 12. had ſpoken much the ſame thing) it is a threitning that God would de.
what ſeemeth good unto you;the Phraſe imports no more than that he could not hinder their doing with him what they pleaſed. The hands in which he was, were the hands of Violence, not of Juſtice, for though they had a juſt power againſt falſe Prophets, yer they had no ſuch power againſt any Prophet ſent by God, ter the matter of his Prophecy be never ſo threatning and ungrateful to them.
prive them of his Ordinances. ! To which he addeth a threatning of deftruttion to the City, to that degree, that when Men ſhould curſe any place, they ſhould ſay, God do unto thee as he did to 78s ruſalem, We had the like Phraſe, Ghap., 24+ 9. and have it again, Chap. 29. 18, 22, Oc.
7 So the prieſts, and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah ſpeaking theſe words in the houſe of the LORD m». | |
m- All the People preſent at that time heard the Prophet, who according to the Command of God, came into the Court of the Lord's Houſe, and diſcharged his Office, ſpeaking rheſe words.