eing now Carried out of Canaan into a ſtrange Land. 5 Although the Promiſes in this Chapter, made to rhe Jews, were more eminent- Iy and fully made good under the Kingdom of Chriſt ; yet it may be doubred whether any of theſe Pomites were me” ar ſole- Jy fulfilled to them under the Kingdom of Chriit, bur literally, be- tore that time, though more fully and Jargely then, In Rama therefore a Voice was heard, that is in Canaan, and particularly in Ramah, where Nebuzaradan, chap. 40. 1. diſpoſed of the Priſoners he had taken, ſerting ſome at liberty ( as Jerimiah in parricular) order. ing others to Death, and carrying the reſt away to Babylon, which cauſed a bitter weeping and Jamentation. m2 Rachel is here brought in, having been buried near that place, as if ſhe were riſen up from the Grave, and lamented the Jewiſh Nation which came out of her Loins (for ſo Benjamin did, which was one of the rwo Tribes that made the Kingdom of Ju1sh) all the people of which Tribeare properly enough called her Children» Rachel here ſignifieth a'l the Benjamitiſh Women who deſcended from Rachel. » And like a paſſio= nate Woman the refuſeth all Arguments of Comfort, becauſe her Children cither were nor abſolurely,being {lain by the Peſtilence, the Famine, and the Sword of the King ot Babylon, or were no longer her Children, being tranſplanted and removed into Baby/on. So as I rake this Text literally and primarily to referr to the lamentation for the Miſcries. the People ſuffered, upon the king of Babylor's ta. king rhe Ciry : To which Mourning Matthew alludeth, there be- ing a lamentation like this, when Herod cauſed the Infants of two vears old to be ſlain in Berhishem, and in the Coalts abour Bethlehem,
of which Ramah Was Ones *
16 Thus faith the LORD, Refrain thy voice from weeping,
TER E MZ a5
T-
| Chap. (ball be rewarded, faith the LORD o, "ard itey fall come again from the land of the enemy. . |
0 The Prophet in this and the following Verſes,is brought in ag one apointed of God to quiet ar:d comfort the Rachel betore: men. tioned,calling to her to quict her ſelf, ai:d nor 1o0 mourn ſo exceſ-
ſively, for God would recompenſe her fer her AfMiQions, which are here underſtood by the Term Work; ( as tome think ) bur the Heb,
Word ya is hardly found in Scripture raken for Afli&ion : Others therefore apply it to Rachel, for whoſe Piery-ſake God would ſhew Mercy to her Children, as a Reward of Grace, though nor of Debr. The beſt Interpreters think that the Terms cf Work and Reward are here uſcd only to. expreſs the ſucceſſion of a comfortable State to their miſerable State in Captivity, (as the Wages uſe to follow the Work) which ſhould make them amends for their long time of Afflition ; and ſo it is expounded by the laſt Words of the Verſe. 17 Andthere is hope in thine end,ſaith the Lord that 1by children ſhall, come again to their own border p.
? And again here, where. by en, is meant the end cf the ſeventy years, and the words are but a repetion of the promiſe of the return of the Jews our of the Captivity of Bob1lon,ot which the Prophet had often before aſſured them, and here only repeats it as an Argu- ment why they ſhould not be immoderately atth;&ed ; for their A- MiQion was not endleſs, nor their Captivity for ever ; they theuld return again unto their own Land. s . 18 1 have ſurely heard Ephraimgrbemoaning himſelf thus, r Thou baſt chaſtiſed me, and 1 was chaſtiſed as a bullock unaccuſtomed 70 the yoke s : * turn thou me;
and I ſhall be turned?,for thou art the Lord my God «.
9 The Prophet in this Verſe ſheweth the change that ſhould be wrought inthe hearts of the]ſraelirespreceeding this turn out of their Captivity. God had made an ancient Promiſe to this People 1n their Enemies hands, * Levis. 26. 40, 41. If they ſhat confeſs their Ini« quity, and the Iniquity of their Fathers, with their treſpaſs which they treſpaſſed againft me, And that they alſo have walked contrary unto me 41. And that alſo I have walked con:rary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their Enemies ; if then their uncircumciſed hearts be hum« bled, and they then accept of the puniſhment of their Iniquity. 42 Then will 1 remember my Covenant with Focob, and alſo my Covenant with Iſaac, and alſo my Covenant with Abraham, will 1 remember, and Iwill remember theland.. The Lord to ſhew his Faithfulneſs ro bis Word, and alſo ro mind them of what muſt firit be done before the aforementio ned Promiſes could be fulfilled, & made good tothem;& ro quicken them to their Duty,ſpeaks of a thing yer to come as of a thing paſt, foretelling that before their Deliverance ſhould come he ſhould hear Ephraim, that, is, the Ten Tribes,or rather, thoſe of all the Twelve Tribes that feared the Lord, r bemoaning, or bewailing their miſ- erable State or Themſelves, both for That and their Sins which had brought them into ſuch a State, and acknowledging not only what God had done unto them, that it was he who had chaſtiſcd them. and thar juſtly. For 5 they were as wanton Bullocksnot uſed tothe Yoke, which ordinarily are very unruly when they are firſt pur in- toit, but by uſe are more quiet under it. # And praying to God, that he would both change their Hearts, and alſo their State ; for, without him it could never be done,& by him it would bedone caſiz ly. « Andto this purpoſe laying a claim to God as their God, and owning him as their God, promiſing him that though other Lords had ruled over them, yet hereafter he alone ſhould be owned, ac« knowledged, worſhipped, and obeyed by them»
19 Surely after thatT was turned I repented «, and afcer that I was inſtructed, I ſmote upen »» thigh x : I. was aſhamed, yea, even confounded, becauſe I did
bear the reproach of my youth y. Ge x