and * Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah,all the *
upon a roll of a book f.
f We ſhall find this Barach,being one of Jeremia#'s Diſciples more than once thus employed as Jeremiah's Secretary of Amanuenſis:. None ſhall need ask how Jeremiah could remember all the Prophecies he had propheſied for 22 Years before paſt, that conſidereth who it was rhat con.manded him to do this God undoubredly revived the Prophets memory, or he could not have called all to mind.
5 And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, ſaying, I am ſhuc_ up, I cannot go into the houſe of the LORD.
6 Therefore go thou and readin the roll whichthou haſt written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD'S houſe upon the faſting day g : and alſo thou (balt read them in the
cars of all Judan, that come out of their Cities.
£ We do not read that Jeremiah was a Priſoner in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, and therefore it is very uncertainly gueſſed in what ſenſe he here ſaith he was ſhut up. Some think 7ehoiakim had impri- ſoned_him, or at leaſt reſtrained him to his Houſe, tho' we do not read of ir. Others think he reſtrained himſelf, but in what ſence he was ſhut up, 1s not certain ; that he was ſo, is certain ; heknew that. God -had not commanded his Prophecies to be written for any other end, bur that the People might” have them recalled to their Memories: he being not in capacity himſelf at preſent to ſpeak any
thing to the People in ſo-publick a place, ſendeth Barxch to do it in
' his ſtead, chuſing for it a day of publick Faſt, not the day of the ' Yearly Faſt mentioned Levir. 23. 27. but on a Faſt day ( of which
we ſhall read more, wer. 9.) proclaimed by Jehvatim, probably to avert the Vengeance hanging over them from the Chaldzans, or ras ther from the drought.It was undoubtedly,becauſe of the Concourſe of the People which the Prophet knew would that day be in the Temple, that he choſe that day, when ſome would be preſent from all parts of Judah. :
.-7 It may be + they will preſent their ſupplication
Chap. AX at
Chap.z2s.
words of the LORD, which he had ſpoken unto him, op 45.
before the LORD, and will return every one from his. * Heb. evil way, for great is the anger, and the fury, that the 7/47
LORD hath pronounced againſt this People þ.
hþ We had an expreſſion like this, Yer: 3. it teacheth us that the only means to turn away God's fierce anger ready to fall upon Peo« ple, is Prayer and Reformation.
8 And Baruch the ſon of Neriah, did according to all
that Jeremiah the Prophet commanded him, read- ; ing-
plication
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| Clap. XXXVI.
* Chap. 26. iO.
l|Or, door.
| Baruch the ſon of Neriah, took the coll in his hand, |
*.
ing in the book the words of the LORD LORD's houſe. |
9 And itcame to paſs in the fifth year of Jehoiachim,
the ſon of Joſiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a faſt before the LORD to allthe people in Jeruſalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jeruſalem 5. _ 7 This Faſt was appointed upoa a Particularemergency,whether it was'for a Famine which was then in the Land, or to avert the ru- ine which they juſtly feared'from the King of Babylon, who had late- ly brought them under his Servitude,. is not certain; the yearly Faſt, Levit. 23.27, was to:be kept in the' ſeventh Month, nor did God e- ver ordainany Faſt to bekept in the ninth Month.
10 Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jere- miah in the houſe of the LORD, in the Chamber of Gemariah, the ſon of Shaphan the ſcribe, in the high- er court,at the * || entry of the new gate,ofthe LOR Ds Houſe in the ears of all the people &. I
k This Verſe only atteſteth Baruchs Obedience to the Command of the.Propher Jeremy,not only as to the thing,his reading it in the Temple, bur as to the circumſtance in as publick a manner as he could in the Chamber of Gemariah, &c. moſt likely out of ſom- Window, or in ſome Balcony, the People being below, and hearing it,
11 When Micaiah the ſon of Gemariah, the ſon of Shaphan had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD.
12 Then he went down into the king's Houſe, into the ſcribes chamber, and lo all the princes ſate there, even Eliſhama the ſcribe, and Delaiah the ſon of She- maiah, and Elnathan the ſon of Achbor, and Gemari- ah the ſon of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the ſon of Hana- niah, and all the princes 7.
1 Ir is uncertain whether this Micaiah went to make this Relation to the Princes who fate in the Secretaries Chamber, as a piece of
ews only, or out of a malicious deſign to accuſe the Propher,and Baruch for what was done as a ſeditious praftice,
I3 Then Micaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people m.
#2 That 1s the ſubſtance of all the words, for none can imagine That an hearer could remember every word which ſhews the vanity of thoſe who overſtrain fuch univerſal Particles to ſignifie every particular word or perfon. ;
14 Therefore all the princes » ſent Jehudi the ſon of Nethaniah, the ſon of Shelemiah che fon of Cuſhiun- 30 Baruch, ſaying, Take in thy hand the roll, wherein thou haſt read inthe ears of the people, and come. So
. im Hs
and came unto them.
z» That is, all the Princes that at that time fate there mn Council, Tent a Meſſenger with a Command ro Baruch to appear before them and to bring the Roll which he had read in the Ears of che People.
I5 Andthey ſaid unto him, Sit down now, and read
it in ou; ears, $0 Baruch read it tn their ears p.
p The couri1g2 of Baruch is admirable, he was now before the Counci), 1n the Kings Houſe, the ſubſtance of the Prohecies, were threzrning both to the King and Court, and to all the People.The King as appears by all Hiſtory, was of no good Temper, we read
Chap: 26. Ver: 23, of his ſending for Urijah the Prophet out of Egypt,
when he fled rhither for fear of the King, and ſlaying him, and we {hall find that at ris time, the Princes adviſed both Jeremy and Ba- rzch ro hide themſeives, yer Baruch 1s not afraid, but reads the Pro- phecy in their Ears.
16 Now it came to paſs, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and another q,and
ſaid to Baruch, we will ſurely tell che king of all cheſe
words ry.