7, Chop. +- 2. 0x ky tie 5 104 2008 (75, ; fy ; : p : 71:6 1” Tx) : wy 2 Synecavcne ; Swearing being a part of God's V/orſhin © T4, o:
7 mm wh > 6 4 ; Y $210 rnerefore they ſwear fallly ; either. they Carcar ro this which 5:
».
falſe 3 or, if to rhat which is rue, they are fo pe: {dine ro me, that they do it deceitfuliy, nct in $:ncerity, and in Rey ren
«14 Aati% #7
ro that Holy Name by which they, ſwear. Poſſibly rhoy may of ten ſpeak of God, and nor ſwear by Falſe Gods, 1% » bur © is ail but Hypocrifie and Deceit, 7ja. 48. i. Char, 12. t. and 45 5, 20. 2 Tim. 3.5. Ir 5 neither in Trurch nor Righreonmiif,, rw a
of the principal Quaiifications of a lawful Oath : Thos proline ting the Name of God , making themlelves gui: y, pocriite only, bur Sacrilege.
O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the ; tr':th ?
EET
FAME FY+ ; /
Laws VS a {iV -
ved; thou haſt / conſumed them, but * they have refuſed co receive correction > They have made thei: faces harder than a m rock, they have refuſed to
pet, Ezch. 16, 36, 37-and 23. fr. . 21 ForThave heard a voice as of a Woman in z tra-
vail, and the anguiſh as of her chat bringech forth her firſt a child ; the voice of the daughter of 4 Zion, that bewaileth her ſelf, har ſpreadeth her hands c, ſaying, Wo is med now, for my ſoul is wearied becauſe of e
murderers.
z When the Scripture would expreſs any exquilite Sorrow, ex- ceeding all other Pains, it doth it by a Woman in travail, 1a. 13. 8,9. Chap. 6. 24. and 30. 6, 7. 4 Which of all ſeems ro be the moſt painful, both from natural Cauſes, and becauſe they
the like. 6 Viz. Fernſalem, Iſa. 1.8. c In her great Dittreſs, ſhe either reacheth them out ro God for ſome help, 1/a. 1. 15. or rather, according tc the Uſe of Perſons in great anguiſh, clapping or wringing their hands together, as both the former Expretli- on of bewailing her ſelf, fetching of deep Sighs and Lamenrati- ons, and the following Wo 5 me, intimates. See Cyap. 2. 37. d Or the time of my Woe is at hand ; it draws near, e 'There is no more Spirit left within me, I am ready to link under my Diſtreſs, conſidering not only that my Deſtruction is ſo near, bur that thoſe of whom I have been ſo fond, and whote Idovis I have ſo zealouſly ſerved, ſhould become my Murderers, Perſe 30. and that I ſhould fall into the hands of ſuch, as will have no Com-
paſſion, 2 Chron. 36. 17-
CHAP. V.
None godly in Judah, 1. They ſwear fallly, though God be a God of Truth ; they are incorrigible and ſenſeleſs, and know nut the Law , or elſe wilfully violate it, 2, —-6. Their Tavlatry , Adultery, 7,— which ſhould be ſadly werified, 19,- 18. They forſake, for= get, and fear not God, whoſe Power is ſo great, 19 - : They are rich through Deceic and Violence ; their Falſe Pro-
phets, 25, — 3T-
- -
11D) Unye 4 to and fro through the ſtreets of Je-
R ruſalem, -and ſee now and know, and ſeek in the b broad places thereof, if ye can find a c man, if there be any chat executeth 4 judgment, that ſeeketh
the e truth, and I will pardon f it.
a Whether this begins a new Sermon, or be part of the for- mer, is neither certain nor material 3 but here the Prophetr's cal- led upon to go up and down, and ſearch here and there, in every part of the City, and to make a diligent Enquiry in every Street, and Place of Concourſe ; a Phraſe frequently uted for ſearching and enquiring after a thing, Dan. 12.4. Amos 8. 12. and it is ſpoken in the Plural Number ; not reſtrained to Jere- »y in particular ; 9. d Let who will ſearch, they will find ir even ſo. It implies the great Scarcity of good Men, that muſt be thus ſearched for : Neither doth God ſpeak this to Jeremiah only in particular, but he gives leave to all the Farth ro look into the ſtate of Jeruſalem, by which he vindicates himſelf in the face of the whole World from all ſeverity towards his People, whatever he brings upon them, and ſo ſtops the Mouths of the Jews, b Even there, where uſually is the greateſt Reſort for Merchants and Merchandizes; where Men meet from,all Quarters. c It ſeems -worſe than Sodom and Gomorrah: For God conde- ſcends to pardon Feruſalem, if there be but one righteous Man found in it ; there he came no lower than ten. But it will be objeFfed. If it be underſtood thus individually, What muſt we think of Jeremiah himſelf, and Baruch, and Ebeamelech, and other few , who were then, no doubt, in Jeruſalm ? Anſwer , Either he ſpeaks of the corrupt Body of the People, Courtiers, Prieſts, Falſe Prophets, not one, or ſcarce one among them to be found, orif any, ſo few as not to be diſcerned : - A Man might walk the Streets of Jeruſal:cm long enough before he could meet with any one truly Religions; which Univerſality of Cor- ruption 1s thus exprefled in divers Places, Pal. 12. 1.2. and 14+ 2, 3. Ezek. 22. 3o. Mic. 7. 1, 2. Or it may be underſtood Hy- perbolically fora few. &d 7.e. Among the Magiſtracy thar rightly adminiſter Juſtice. e 7. e. Among the Commonalty that deal faithfully and uprightly. Ir ignites, That among them all, there are none given to it; fo far from endeavouring and ſeeking it fin- terely with their whole Hearr, that they are not inclined to it, butare given to Oppreſſions, Falſhoods, and Deceits ; They do not
3 return.