God will have them know.that he doth not chule a Nation for the aces ſake, but the place for the Nations fake,the Ike caution the, Apoſtle gives them, I Cor: 10. 2, &c. The Emphaſis that may be | [
pl in this threefold Repeticion, ſeems rather to relate to the confi-
!
| with their Sacrifices, either they thought themlelves ſafe from all
{
danger, and freed from God's Judgments, Mal. 3. 15. Or rather,
priviledged to return to all thoſe wickedneſles again, hereby no-
' []
ting their impudence. See Iſa. 1. 12, &@c. LXX read it, we have abſt tined from all theſe Abominations,as if thele were the lying words in which they truſted.
11 Is * this houſe, which is called by my name, be-* 1.6.7;
dent, and often reiterated brags and boaſts of the Temple, that ! COME * a den of e robbers in your eyes ? behold, eVEn * Mar. 11, | Sa
were in their Mouths, than the worth and excellency of ic, in re- 241d of God's owning it- ! The Prophet, ftanding 1n the Gate &* which the People entred, doth as it were point at the ſeveral Buildings appertaining to the Temple, viz the Courts, Houſe, Oracle. &C.
5 For if ye throughly amend your ways,and your »” doings : it you throughly execute Judgment be- rween a man and his z neighbour ;
m He tells them, it is not their vain Confidence 1n their privi- ledges, and boaſting of the Temple, bur only their ſerious and through Repentance in turning to God both 1n point of Pjety aud Equity, than can fecure them. » z.e. Impartially among one ano- cher, between Man and Man, without favour or hatred.
6 If ye opprelſs not the ſtranger, the fatherleſs and the 0 widow, and ſhed not 1anocent p blood in this 4 place, neither walk atcer other r- Gods to your hurt.
o Here they are cautioned againſt three ſins, that this people were generally addicted to, Opprellion, Blood and Idolatry ; and te inſtance:h in the worſt of Oppreſfions, viz. ot ſuch as God hath more eſpecially raken into his immediate proceCtion, becauſe theſe are moſt voi! of help, and moſt obnoxtous to injuries. The ftran- e-r, Exod. 22.21, the fatherleſs and widow; and Ver, 22, 23, 24. lee them all three together, Deut. 10. 18. and 27. 19. See oa 1{z. 10. 1, 2. and where God ſpeaks of right adminiſtring of Juſtice, he uſually makes mention of theſe three to prove the in- regrity and impartiality of Juſtice ; and though this may more pro- perly reſpect the Princes and great Ones, yet I conceive herethe Prophet doth no: ſo reſtrain ir. p Either by Murder, or unrigh- reous Sentence, being one of thoſe fins 19 ſpecial mentioned, for which God exp efſth his high diſpleaſure, and will ſend the Chal- dams upon them, 2 Kings 24: 4 q Either in this City in ſpecial, or the whole Land in general ; ſee Fer. 3. and there he would ſhew what a fo0!'ſh thing it is that they ſhould boalt of their {ecuriry in this place, and yer ſhed blond, which pollutes every place, Nuzib, 35.31,0c. r Abliain from your idolatrous courſes, and depart not trom my pure and uncorruptea Worſhip, unto your 1per{titions and hypocritical Service, and he adds to your hurt or your own huit; to ſhew that they will be the only Sufferers by it, not God, vere 19. Gad is neither benefited nor damaged by 43y thing that we can do, Fob 35.6, 7, $*
7 / Then will I cauſe you to dwell in this place rc, inthe land that I gaveto your fathers,for « ever and 4 {+
{ i. e. Upon this condition, that you will return unto me, ther either I willeſtabliſh, and fix you in the land ; or, as ancient!y
read Sachanti 1n Kal, L will dwell, viz. amongſt you in this place, | 7
other wite not- 2 viz. Fudea bot' in Feruſalem, and the wnole Country, as the next words manifeſt. u 7. e. From age to age, as your Fathers did before you from the days of Zoſhuz, unti. DGOW.,
8 x Bchold, ye truſt 1a lying y words that cannot profit.
x Take notice of it, and think of it ſeriouſly. y Either flatter. ing your ſelves with your own conceits, whereby, 1n your Diſ- courtes, you ſtrengthen one another,or depending upon the delu- fions of your falſe Prophets, Chap. 5. 31. and 23. 26, 27. or Ia- ther, boulſtering your ſelves upon your Priviledges, or bare Ce- remonies which you ſo much boaſt of as ver. 4. all which he te.ls them, will profit them nothing.
9 Wil yez ſteal, murder and commit adultery, and ſwear falfly and burn incenſe unto Baal, and walk
[ have f ſeen zr, ſaith the LORD.
e Heb. Breaker through. The word is taken in a large notion for all ſorts of Plunderers whether in Houſe, Ezek. 7. 22. or Field, High-way Men, Dan. tt. 14. Do you look tipon this Houſe as a
Luk. I 9, G6.
>
{ Santuary and Refuge for Robbers and Murderers, do you efteem p
it fo, and is ic ſo in your Eyes, ſo the Phraſe is uſed Num. 13.33
Wc. hereby making mean Abettor of all your Lewdneſs, Mat.2r, 13. a Metaphor, taken from wild Beaſts, and miſchievous Perſons. that do both ſecure themſelves, and hide their Prey in Holes, and Caves of the Earth, Pſal. to. 8, 9. fq.d. As crafty as you are, you cannot hide theſe thiugs from me, nor all thoſe workings of your thoughts about them, Pſal. 10. 11, 13, 14+ Exch. 18. 12. He checks their focliſh vain confidences, whereby they deceive themſelves, Iſa. 29. 15. God will not be blinded by all their vain OblJations.
| 12 Butgo ye now unto my * place which was in g* Joſh. 78. Shiloh, where I ſet my name art the h firſt, and ſee1- what I did 7 to it, for the k wickedneſs of niy peopleJu's: 8.
[rae].
g A place that did belong to the Tribe of Ephraim, P/11. 78.60. Comp. 61. The ſituation whereof ſee Fudg. 21. 19. and cailed God's Houſe, as the Temple is, 1 $4m. rt. 3, 7. he ſends them hither for an Example, which had the ſame Priviledges, and Holineſs with the Temple, not to go tchither locally, but to caſt their thoughts back, and conſider of it, that they might know, that God's Pre- ſence is not tyed to places, Affs 7. 48.þ Where I did at firſt give you
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