q Ir is hardly to be imagined that all theſ- Counſellours ſhould fir {till cil! they had heard all Feremiahs Prophecies for 22 Years read, bur all ſignifies many, or the ſence and ſabſtance of all rhe Prophecies. r They were all of them afraid Jeremiah had now been above twenty Years a Prophet to ti:is People, and doubtleſs in great eſteem for 18 Years of it, while Joſiah was alive, and one whoſe Prophecies rhey could not but obſerve had been ofc accom- Pliſhed, therefore th-y could not bur be afraid that they ſhould ſee theſe words allo fulfilled, and rook themſelves bound in Duty to acquaint the King with them. Some, if not all of theſe, probably had been great Men in Joſh's time, which was but four or five Years before, and from him ſucked in ſome good and Religious Principles, which begat ſome awe of God in them.
17 And they asked Baruch, ſaying, Tell us now, How didſt thou write all theſe words ar his mouth s ?
5s This now ſeemed but a reaſonable Queſtion, conſidering they were the ſubſtance of what he had been propheſying for ſo many Years, The rhing ſeemed ftrange to the Princes, Prophets being not uſed to ftudy and pen their Diſcourſes, bur to ſpeak them exs=
Fempore. 13 Then Baruch anſwered them, He pronounced all
theſe words unto me with his mouth, and I wrotethem
with ik in the book 7.
# This could not but add to the Princes fear and amazement. They muſt needs conceive thar rhe thing was done from God, for without a ſpecial influence of God, it had beea a thing impoſſible, that Jeremiah ſhould have called to mind all rhat he had ſpoken ar ſeveral times in ſo many years ; and proceeding from the God of
'Teuth, they muſt needs fear, that thy would have their certain
* and ju(t accompliſhment in their ſeaſon,
J E R E M 1 4 Ht.
1
19 Then faid the princes unto Baruch,Go,hide thee, _ and Jeremiah, and let no man know where ye C Hu. | # This ſpeaketh theſePrinces to have beeriMen of a' tmuch- gentler Temper, and better Diſpoſirion, than thoſe who ſucceeded them in Zedekiabs time; they were not willing that any harm ſhould come to the Propher, nor to Baruch, and knew the fierce Temper of Fe-
holakim, and therefore adviſed Baruch, that both he and the Prophet -
ſhould hide themſelves.
20 And they went in to the King, into the court, bur they laid up theroll in the chamber of Eliſhama che ſcribe, and told all the words in the cars of the king w.
w They were obliged by their Office as Councellors to the King, to accquaint him with what they heard; which mighrc be prejudicial to him, and his Nation ; and indeed this was the very end,” wh God had commanded the enrolling of thefe Prophecies, that bor the King, and Princes, and people might take notice of them, bur they did not carry the Book with them, but laid it up inthe Secre- caries Chamber.
21 50 the king ſent Jehudi to fet the roll, And he took it out of Elifſhama the {ſcribes chamber, * And Je- hubi read it in the ears of the King, and in the ears of {I the princes which ſtood belide the king x. |
monly 1mplolyed by the king and Council , him the King ſends td _ the Roll ( before called a book) then he employeth him to read it.
' 22 Now the king ſate in the winter-houſe in the ninth month, and there was & fire on the hearth burning
| before him 7.
Y The ninth Month with them, anſwered Part 6f ottr November and Decembe, , which was a time of the Year called for Fires, | 23 And itcame to paſs :hat when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he = cut it with the pen-knife, and caſt jr into the fire, that was on the hearth, until all the roll was conſumed in the fire that as on the hearths ;
z Thatis, the King not having patience to hear aboye three or four Columns, or Periods, or Titles, took che Pen-knife, thar (ir 'S like J) Jehudihad, and cut it in pieces, and burned it in the fire that wasbefore him, not conſidering it was the Revelation of the Will of God, but exalting himſelf above all that was called God: This thewed borh the wickedneſs, and paſſionate Temper of this Prince, and his high coatempt of God and his Prophets.
24 Yetthey werenot afraid,nor * rent their garments, ,
theſe words 4.
#s So hardned were this peoples Hearts, that though they knew that Jeremiah was a Prophet of the Lord, upon the experience now of more than 29 Years, andthe whole ſcope of his Prophecies had beento denounce the Juſt Judgments of God that now were coming upoa this People, and they could not bur underſtand, thar God
matter of which he could nor otherwiſe have kept in mind ſo many years, yet they bad no ſerious fear of God upon theirhearrs; working upon the hearing the dreadful matter oftheſe Prophecies, nor ſhewed any ſign of remorſe, or ſence of their ſins, or God's Judgments'coming upon them as indications of his Wrath.
25 Nevertheleſs Elnathan, and Delaiah, and Gema- riah, had made interceflion to the kiog, that he would not burn the ro]l, but he would not hear chem 5.
b Theſe three Princes ſeemed ro have had a grearer dread of God upen their kearts than the reſt, for ſo far as they durft, they inte:s poſed, and beſought the king nor to burn the Roll ; but he would not hearken to their advice»
the ſon of Abdeel, to take Baruch che ſcribe, and Jere- miah the Prophet c: But the LORD hid them 2.
c The king was not ſa:isfied with burning the Roll. bur gives order to apprehend- both Jeremiah and Baru:h, and commandeth the three Perſons named in this Verſe to do it: 4But God by his Provi- dence kept them borh our of their hands ; how the Lord hid them we are not told, the Princes ( as we read before) adviſed Baruchz that they ſhould both hide themſelves. This Phraſe ( probably } imports no more: than that God dire&ed them to find ſuch a Place of receſs as the Kings Meſſengers could by no means find our, nor underftand where they were, rill the kings Paſſion was a litcle over.
27 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah after that the king had burnt the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, ſay- the Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the firſt ro}l which Jehoi, akim the king of Judah hath burn. .
29 And thou ſhalt ſay to Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Thus ſaith the LORD, Thou haſt burne this roll e, ſay- ing, why haftthou-written therein, ſaying, the king of Babylon ſhall certainly come, and deſtroy this land,and ſhali cauſe to ceaſe from thence man and beaſt f ?