it ſelf, aud that, both in regard of his Eſſence, as is aſcribed to Chriſt, 1.Joh. 5.20. and alſo in regard of his Fazthſulneſs, Numb, 23.19. Pſal.31. 5. t Theſe are all but dead ſtocks and ſtones, Fe- hovah is the only Living God, having Life in himſelf, and giving Lite to all things elſe, Fohn 5. 21,26. Hence theſe Idols are not only more bale than any other Creature, but even viler than the matter it ſelf of which they are made. u Theſe though account- ed Kirgs, and counteranced by Kings, yet both they and their Kings do all periſh ; time devours them all with worm or ruſt, er by injuries, and violence offered to them in the next Verſe, but none of thele or any thing elſe car affect the true God ; he is Ever- Liſting. x He can with his Look, or Frown make the Foundations of the Heaven and the Earth to ſhake ; whereas theſe ſtocks can move them no more than they can themſelves ; which 1s not one hairs breadth from their Stations. y Not able either to ſtop it, or bear it, but muſt ſtoop, and fall under ir, Pſal. 76. 7. The wicked will not be able to land in Fudgmenr, Pla]. 1. 5.
11 Thus ſhall ye ſay z untothem, The Gods that have not made 4 the heavens and the b earth, ever they ſhall periſh from the earth, and from under theſe
heavens.
7 Viz. To your great Lords the Babylonians, when they ſhall ſolicite you to Worſhip Idols» a This ſeems to have ſome alluſion toa ſaying common among thoſe Greeks, that held one Supream Deity, Let him that ſaith he is a God, make another World. b Here is noted, both how frail they are, they ſhall periſh, and how weak they are, they could not make the Heaven, or the Earth. This Verſe is writ in the Chaldean Tongue, and not in the Hebrew , that when they came among them that did worſhip their Idols, they might openly and plainly profeſs the true God in that Janguage which the Enemies underſtood better than they did the Hebrew, and that in ſuch kind of bold language as this; Let all thoſe Gods periſh from off the Earth, and under the Hea- vens, that were not able to make either, It is an Imprecation upon their Idols. ;
12 He * hath made the c earth by his d power, he hath e eſtabliſhed the World by his wiſdom, and * hath ſtretched out the f heavens by his diſ-
Cretlon.
In this and the next Perſe, the Prophet enumerates ſome parti- culars, wherein God is tranſcendently above all Creatures, which he hath made much more above Idols, which are the works of mans hands, e Afffs 14.15. i.e. This whole Globe conſiſting of Waters, as well as Earth. d It muſt needs ſpeak an Almighty Power to make ſuch a vaſt Body. Where would the Idols have found Materials, of which to have compoſed ſuch a Body and Bulk. The true God was not ata loſs ; he drew them out nothing, and com- manded them into a being by the word of his Power, Gen. 1, 1. e Either he hath made it firm, ſolid and unmoveable, 7z. e. off from its Baſis, or rather Center ( for it is out of our Sphere and Province here to meddle either with the fixation, or the motion of it ; that is left to the old and new Philoſophers to diſpute among themſelves) or elſe by eſtabliſhing we underſtand, he hath appoint- ed it its uſe, or hath prepared it to be every way ſubſervient to the Inhabitants thereof, both as to delight in proſpe&, and varieties of Recreation, by its ornamental parts in Mountains, little Hills, Woods, Meadows, Fields, Wc. and neceſſity to accomodate Man and Beaſt with all things uſeful, both for Habitation, and Provi- f10n to ſuſtain the natural Life, and to praiſe and. magnifie the founder of it, Gen. IT. 11, 12. All which cannot chuſe but greatly manifeſt the aunſearchable wiſdom of God, f Theſe are ſtretched our, 1. e. expanded and ſpread over our head, through the whole circumference of the Earth with all their glorious furniture, and varieties of motions moving regularly in their ſevera] Orbs, 7. e. not varying the leaſt degree, either in time or ſpace irom the Order and Law that God hath ſet them, even in thoſe which are more excentrick and erratick ; which fnuſt needsargue an unparalle!'d $kill, and underſtanding in God, which the word
JEREMIAH
|
diſcretion doth here properly fignifie, Exsd. 36.1, Fub 12. 13. all which are his handy work, and do delare bis glory, Plalm I9. I. | : 13 When heuttereth his g voice ?here z- a || mult1- tude of waters in the h heavens, and he cauſeth the z vapours to aſcend from the ends of the earth : he
Chap. X.
Or, noiſe,
maketh lightnings || with & rain, and bringeth forth pts for atm.
the wind out of his / treaſures.
g As in the former Verſe he relates Gods unſpeakable Power andWiſdom in his creating and fixing the ſtated order of things,ſo here he further ſets it forth in his providential ordering and diſpo- ſing their accidents, i, e. either at his command when heis pleaſed to call for the Rarn ; or rather, when he thundereth in the Heavens, Fob 37. 4, 5. Pſal. 77. 18+ Though it often rains when it thunders not, and thunders when it rains not, yet when 1t- rains and thunders the Rain uſually falls more forcibly from the Clouds, and in more ſudden plenty, as it were a more immediate conſequent of it, b Viz. The loweſt Heaven, the Region of the Air. i Exhalati- ons, whether wet or dry, cauſing Wind or Rain, by the aſcending whereof the lower Heavens gather them into Clouds,which,when full and burdened, deſcended in ſhowers for the conveniences of the Earth and Springs. k Though Fire and Water be contrary, yet it opens the Clouds to make way for the Rain, and is produ- ced in the midſt of waters,all which is wonderful. / Which parzly
notes that it is ſecret and hidden, as coming from the Caverns and '
hollow parts of the earth. No Man knows from whence they come, or whiher they go, Fohn 3.8. and it is wonderful to obſerve how ſuddenly at a calm time the Winds will riſe ; how they will whirle about, how various, unconſtant, and contrary in their motions ; and partly the plenty both for vehemency and continuance3ſignified alſo by treaſures; the plenty of Snow and Hail being thus ex- preſſed, Fob 38. 22. and parilythat it is at his diſpoſal to bring out of his Treaſure when he pleaſes. See Pſal. 135. 7.
14 Every man || js * brutiſh in hzs m knowledge | g,, ;;
every founder is - confounded by the graven Image more bru- for his molten Image # o falſhood, and rhere 75 no 73/h than
breath in them,