s Though God ſhew them here, that the cauſe of all theſe Cala- mities is their folly, C/'2p. 2. 17, 19. Pſal. 38. 3,5. yet he owns them-for his People, Chap. 2.11, 31, 32. t Which is indeed rhe only true wifdom. They have not ſtudied my diſpotition, or mild- neſs towards them ; they are ſo ſortiſh, thar they have nei- ther regarded my Counſels nor Threats, but utterly ſtupid ; they know not what 1s for their own good, have no underſtanding. # z. e. Their knowledge is as bad, or worle than none. Ir is very 111 employed in doing evil, only witty here, crafty and ſubtile, ( See 2 Sam. 13. 3. ) But how to do any good they know not, Chap. 9. 2. Luke16. 8. this the Apoſtle dehorrs from 1 Cor. 14.20.
23 * I beheld x the earth, and lo, ir was without form and void j: and the heavens, and they had no
light z.
x Either I J-rcminh faw all this in a vition, or T fanſied and framed ſuchan es of itin my mind. Ir ſeems to be impreſſed up- on my thoughts Gr-phical!y, asin a Map, in ſuch a rueful manner ; for in this, and the rhree following Verſes, he doth as one tranſ- ported with ſorrow, elegantly, and -yperbelirally deſcribe rhe Pheno- mnenon, face or appearance of it. y The Land was fo ſquallid, and ſo ruined, that he fanlieth it ro be Jikethe firſt Chaos, for which reaſon poſſibly he calls F:dea rhe Earth, in alluſion to Gen. 1. 2. and herein implying that 7udah's fins werefſuch, that they had even overturned the Courſe of Nature, being laid waſte and deſolate, not of Inhabitants only, bur of all rhings that might rend either to ornamentor uſe, withour Men, without Houſes, without Fruits, withour Beaſts or Birds for Food or Service, Yerſe 25, 26. » Syme ſay being obnubilared, and darkened by the abundance of ſmoke thar would aſcend from the detolating Fires of Towns and Cities, 1/a. 9.18, 19. of which you may read inthe Hiſtory of this break-
—
Prophet ſpake, or what they ſaid, now Ttell you I ſpeak my ſelf, and whatT have reſolved upon, T wiil not revoke. See Exzek. 24. 13,14. and Chap. 15. 6. for Thave purpoſedit, I kave nor ſpoken in my heator fury, but upon marure deliberation, An Anrhropopa= :by. Or what the Prophets have denounced I wiil ratifie.
29 The whole City ſhall flee /, for the noiſe of the horſemen and bowmen, they ſhall go inco thickets a, and climb up upon the rocks: every City » ſhall be for- {aken, and not a man » dwell therein.
! TheInhabirants of all Ranks and Qualities ſh:1] ſeek to eſcape the fury of this Chaldean Army, Chap. 39. 4. m Either upon the report of their coming, hereby as ir were deriding their conti- dence, or rather at the approach of their vait Armies, for they were cloſe beſieged before they fled, as appears 2 Kings 25. 4. » Such a conſternation there ſhall be upon them, that they thall run into every hole to hide themſelves ; rhus Manaſſeh was taken among the thorns, 2 Chron. 33, 1. The Heb. is abimthe clouds, pol ibly alluding to dark places on the tops of hills,ceaching as ir were to the clouds, or among the cloudy ſhades of Trees and Groves thar uſually grew there. The LXX render it Caves, and fo the Rocks for ſhelter, or the clefts, Caves and hiding places in the Rocks. See 1/a. 2. 21. 9. There ſhall be an utter deſolarion, their Cities quite forſaken, not any to inhabit them, Yer. 25, 26.
30 And when thou art ſpoiled p, what wilt thou do q: Though chou clotheſt chy ſelf with crimſon r, though thou deckeſt thee wich ornaments / of gold, chough thou renteſt + 7 chy face « with paincing, in + Heb. vain x ſhalt thou make thy ſelf fair, thy lovers will de- £1e5 ſpiſe thee y, they will ſeek thy life.
p Which will certainly come upon thee: or, When this deftru- Qion ſhall come upon thee, which is very near thee. q Viz. When thou, O Daughter of Zzon, ( as Yerſe 31.) art belteged by the Babylonians, what courle wilt thou take ? It is not ro be avoid- ed : A kind of an inſulring way of ſpeech, as it were upbraid-
ing in of the Chalzees: But he ſeems ro proceed rather in his Me- ſing them with their pride and confidence, q. d. your condition is
zaphor of the Chaos, it being an expreſſion, whereby the Scripture |
deſperate. r Or Scarlet, 2 Sam. 1. 24. See on 1[p. r. 18.
doth ſer forth rhe ſaddeſt Deiolations, 1a, 13. 9, &s. Exck, 32.7, |{ Thongh chou doſt fuperinduce rhoſe Orgaments, or Jewzl:; of Gold,
land ſhall -be deſolate; * yet will I not make a full * Chap. 5-
[es
Chap V.
| have leſs Patience to bear, having not had former Experience of
Gold, that may render thy Attire the moſt rich ard ſplendid,!
7 ER EMEA Char,
7
thoſe few. The like he promiſech with reference te tho fps Of
. . ? bl - / - = a | M ; © 2 Sam. 1.24. * Iris obſerved, that they that paint much make | ties, Gen,18.24, Oc,
their Skins withered. « Heb. Ey:s : the wantonneſs thereof being poſſibly ſer our more by Painting. ove Ja. 3. 16. or rather, Face and Eyes being ſometimes pur one tor the oftner.
See 1 Sam. 16, 12. and [a 25, *- pra with Rev. a - trick!) ie g tre INgratiate tn : | : Ef 8 WE9Y x All thy tricking up thy felt, thinking ag ws annie 5 Swearing here we may underftand all their Service nf Cod
o
ſelf with the Chaldeans, wil! be to av purpole ; for they wall work thy Ruin, as in the Cloſe of rhe Verie, and Chap. 19. 7.! 3 They will flight theemore than ever. They that have doted on thee, thy unchaſt Paramours , the1r Luſt bing fatisfied, ſhall abhor thee. See 2 Sam. 13.15. and the Pronoun being NOT IN the Origina). It may lignifie, that no Loversatall will look afrer thee ; thou ſhalt be cait off by all. oee thus of Tyre, 1/a. 23. 15, 16. Thoſe that were 11 Confederacy with thee, and thy pro- felled Friends, (Hoſea 2. 5. ) thail not only fortake thee, but joyn with thine Enemies to deſtroy thee, Lam. 1, 2. And thus 15 Ba- bylon to be dealt withal, Rev. 17+ 16, 17. The Sence 1s, Thar notwirhſtanding all thy Allurings and Enticements, either to ob- tain the help of thy Friends and Allies, the Egyprians, whom thou takeſt to be thy Lovers, and didſt forſake me to cleave to them, or to ſtop the fury of thine Enemies, the Chaldeans ; ( poſſibly alluding to Jezabel's practice, in painting her elf to ſtop the fury of Jehn, 2 Kings 9. 30. ) yer ſhall it advantage thee nothing: thou ſhalt be no more regarded than a forſaken Strum-
2 And though theyſay, The LORD 7 liveth, furs ly they ſwear + falſeiy. ;
g Though when they fwear, they uſe the form of in
ſay, the Lord liver} b: