CES, o Though Jeremiah, as the Lord's Prophet, faithfully revealed the Will of God, that the Chaldeans ſhould take the City; to warn the people ( if poſſible) to prevent it by ifolemn Addreſſes unto , God, or at leaſt to prevent what miſchief might be prevented by a timely Surrender to the King of Babylon, yet he had no deſign to fly tothemz he was ſo far from delighting in their company, _ WIHED
»
1
ICE Aw be;
Ct
10
+ He my ſu Catien
* Ch
22: 3
SCSI. RIAA ew HAS
. s
q Or,cels.
+ Heb. my ſuppli- cation fall
* Chap.
$2: >,
Chap. XXXVII.
5 E R E
when the City was taken,& the Captain of the Guard offered hin
eith-1 to go along with him to Babylon, promiſing to /ook well :o him, | q,,,;.0, Propheſyeth ;
Chap. 40: 4, 5- or to go back to G-daliah, whoin the King of Baby» lon had left as Deputy Governour in Jd:a, hs chole rather io go and dwe!l under Gedaliah's Government in a poor condirton, than to md his Commons in an Idolatrous Count: y, but the Captain wou!d not believe him but carrieth him before the Princes:
15 Wherefore the princes were wroch with Jere- mianh, and ſmote him, and put him in priſon, in the houſe of Jonathan the ſcribe ; for they had made thar the priſon p.
p Theſe Princes ſeem more fierce againſt the Prophet than thoſe that- were in the time of Jehoiachim, for they proceed here upon the Captain's Information,cauſe the Prophet to be beaten,and fend him to Priton, a-Priſon within the compaſs of the Court, bad e- nough,as appeareth by Feremiah's complait of his condition there to the King, wer. 20, and by what followeth in the next Verſe-
16 4 When Jeremiah was entred into the dungeon, and into the || cabins,and Jeremiah had remained there many daysq. .. GN
g The Hebrew words which we Tranſlate Dungeon, lignifie the hoz.ſe of the lake ; they certainly ſignifie ſome Pit, or deep hole, or place in the Priſon, where were ſome Crlls or Apartments, in which they were wont to keep thoſe whom they judged great Ma- lefators, or againſt whom they had ſome ſpecial anger, how ma- ny days the prophet was forced to abide in this miſerable place it is nor ſaid, but it ſhould ſeem by Yerſe 19. that it was until the Chaldean Army was returned to the Siege. ;
17 Then Zedekiah the king fent,and took, him out. and the king asked him ſecretly in his houſe, and faid, Is their any word from the LORD r, and Jeremiah =_ There is ; for, ſaid he, thou ſhalt be delivered mro the hand of the king of Babylon.
r That is, hath God revealed any thing to thee, concerning whas will be the iſſue of the return of the Chaldean Army to th. Siege of the City ? What needed Zedetiah to have asked this, tc whom God by this Prophet had ſo often revealed his Will in thi: caſe ? wicked Men are always more curious to know,than carefu to believe, obſerve, and obey the Will of God. { But God fel- dom or never ſpeaketh good unto them ; Jerem:ah tells him there was, but it was a ſad word, viz. That God would certainly deli- ver him in-o the hand or power of the King of Babylon.
18 Moreover, Jeremiah ſaid unto king Zedekiah.
What have I offended againſt thee, or againſt thy ſer- vants, or againſt this people, that ye have put me in
priſon 7 ?
£ Thar is, what have I done worthy of Bonds ? I have faithful- ly heretofore revealed to you the Mind and Will of God, if this hath offended you, I am not to be blamed, I could not but exe- cute God's Commands.
19 Where are now your prophets, which propheſied unto you, ſaying, The king of Babylon ſhall not come againſt you, nor againſt this land « ? | |
# You now ſee what kind of Prophets they are, who fed you with hopes, that the King of Babylon's Army ſhould return no more to the Siege of the City. I told you they would return,you had:other Prophets that told you they ſhould not,judge,now who were the true Prophets. The Divil in all Ages had ſome that con= tradifed the true prophersof theLord: Three hundred falſeProphets contradifted one: Micaiah, as to 4ab's going up to Ramoth Gilead, and proſpering in that Expedition. There were many that con- tradicted 1/aiuh and Jeremiah, and other true Prophets, as to the King of Babylon's coming to beſiege H':ruſalem,and his return again to that Siege when he had riſen up from it, to meet the Egyptian Army ; and as to the length of time in which the Jews thould be in Captivity 3 yer, ( to let us ſee Mens madneſs upon their Lults) as there ſtill have riſen up in other Generations, falſe Teachers, and Flatterers, ſo they have always found more favour than thoſe that have dealt more faithfully in revealing God's Will,
20 Therefore hear now I pray thee, O my lord the king w, Þ+ let my ſupplication, I pray thee be accepted before thee ; that thou cauſe me nor to terturn to the
houſe of Jonathan the ſcribe, leaſt I die there x.
w Though Jeremiah had dealt very faithfully with the King and Princes, and they had dealt very hardly and cruelly with him, caſt- ing him for no juſt cauſe into the naſty Priſon, and Jeremiah knew well enough, that Zedekiah was very ſoon to be difarmed of his power, yet (to learn us our duty) he ſpeaks with ail due reſpe& & reverence to his Soveraign, though a very bad Man, and one who had dealt very ill with him. x This Petition of Jeremiah, ſpeaks the Priſon he was in, was in a very inconvenient place, where he was in danger of his life..
2r Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they ſhould commir Jeremiah into*checourt of the priſon y, and that they ſhould give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers ſtreet, until all the bread in the city were ſpent z. Thus Jeremiah remained 1n the court
of the priſon a. |
Go as he was a Priſoner ſtill, but in a freer Air, where he did not ſuffer thoſe inconveniencies which he indured in the Hole or Dungeon. = Ir is of no great moment to know whether rhe por- tion of Bread allowed the Prophet by the” King, were a Loaf ( as ſome think ) or a piece of a Loaf ; it was ſuch a proportion as could be allowed according to the Proportion which others had, and the ſtraits which the Ciry was 1n, and ſo much as ſerved to keep him alive. 4 Jeremia# remained here tilk. upon the ſug- geſtion of the Princes, he was removed to a worſe place, as we {hall read in the ſixth Verſe of the next Chapter ; where he ſraid not long, but was again removed to the Court of the Priſon,as we read there, verſe 13. where (as it followerh there verſe 28.) he con-
tinued unmil the City was taken,
M 1 A HQ
CH A P. XXXVIII.