g lt is a molt dangerous thing for Eccleſiaſtical Miniſters to de- liver that to People as the W1ll of God,which is not lo: God here threatneth that theſe Prophets in teftimony of the eruth of the Word of God delivered by Feremith, thould dye by theſe very Judgments, which they falſly propheſted to this people as from God, an immunicy from /id. C'. 6. 25. and 20.6. 1 Kings 22.25:
CES] 16 And
Chap. XY.
* Hoſ:2. 13.and 9. 9.
* Exod.
33, 10;
F Tſa.58.7.
and* whenthey offer burat-offerings and an oblation, zech. >. -;
I 3, * Chap. 6- 20. and 7. 22+ 22s
* Chap. 9.16,
+ Heb.
Peace of
ruth.
Chap.
23. 21. & 27. IF. & 29. 8,9.
| "y
li Chap. XIV.
#| 16 And the people to whom they propheſie, ſhall
be cait outin the ſtreets of Jeruſalem, becauſe of the famine, and the ſword, and they ſhall have none !0 bury them, their wives, nor their ſons, nor their daughtersz for I will pour their wickedneſs upon them 2.
o The Security promiſed by theſe falſe Prophets, ſhall be no Excule to the People for giving credit to them : The Prophets ſhall periſh for prophelying faiſly in my Name, and the People tit hearken to, and believe what they fay, and practiſe accor- dingly, ſhall perifh for their light and vain Credulity. As the fintul Commands of Superiours in things Civil, will not free thoſe trom Guilt that execute their Commands ; ſo the Lyes and faile Teachings of Miniſters, will not excule thoſe that 1un into Error wpon the Credit of their Words: Both the one and the other owe their firſt Homage and Allegiance to God, by whoſeWord they ouZzht to examine the Precepts of the one, and the Propheſying ot the other.
17 © Therefore thou ſhalt ſay this word unto
*(#.9 1.them *. Let mine eyes run down with tears night and 13.17-and day, and let them not ceaſe, for the virgin Lam-1.16-4nghrer of my people is broken with a great breach 2n@ 2-28. -;th a very grievous blow.
18 If go forth into the field, then behold the lain with the ſword, and if I enter 1nto the city, then hchold them that are ſick with famine, p yea
| Or, 92k? both the prophet and the prieft || go abour into a merc®n- land that they know not g.
5h p The Prophet is by God direRed to ſpeak ſtill of the Cala- | -n- > mities of this People as a thing paſt though yet to come 3 ac- 1 Men ic. Cording to the ulal Stile of Prophetical Writings 3 and to tell knoatledge them, that whatſoever their falſe Prophets told them, yet he ſo 6Y 8 certainly knew the contrary,that he could even wiſh himſelf melt-
ed into Tears for them, and had even already before his eyes the dolelul Spectacle of their Miſeries, ſome in the Field ſlain by 0 the Enemies Sword, others within the Walls almoſt ſtarved to death. q The Word in the H:brew YIMD which we Tranſlate
jj go about, f19niftes ſo primarily, and in a Second Sence to Mer- | chandize, becauſe Merchants go about Countries to trade. This hath made that variety of Senſe which the Margents of our Bible have; but our Tranſlation is true enough, and the Senſe ſeems to be.that Prieſts and Prophets ( though accounted ſacred perſons ) ſhould be made Caprives alſo,and wander in a Land wherein they were Forreigners. This is thought to relate to the firſt Captivity j in the time of Fehozakim, when the People of the beſt Faſhion welecarried into Captivity.
FEREMIAH
Chap. XV.
nant with uss id net Feremy then krew that Cod could not break his Cevenart > Anf. He &1d kr.ow 1t ; but he aJio knew that it is our Duty to pray to God to fulfil it ; or pcthbly Ee would extend it a Jittle farther,and for Goo's Coverant lake made with the faithful in Iſrae?, he would have obtained mercy tor the whole Body of the Nation.
22 Arecthere 4zy among the vanities of the Gen-
tiles that can cauſe rain z ? or can the heavens give ſhowers ? a* Arr not thou he, O LORD our God ? *Pfal. r3;
b therefore we will wait upon thee, for thou haſt 7-
made all theſe rhings c. Ita. 30.23. T The preſent Judgment under which they groaned, was g <-10.13.
Drought, which he had diſcribed in the fix firſt Verles ; the Pro-
phet imploring God for the Removal of it, argues, from the In:-
poſſibility of Help in this caſe frem any cther way, none of the
Idols of the Heathens, which he calls vain things, nothing in
themſelves, and of no uſe or profit to thole that ran after them,
could give Rain. 4a The Heavens indeed give it ; but in the or-
der of fecond Cauſes, if God ſtoppeth thoſe Bottles they cannot
run. b Lord, art not thou ableto do it ( ſaith the Prophet >)
yay, art not thou he who alone is able todo it? ( for ſo much
the Phraſe doth import. ) The Scripture conſtantly giveth God
the Honour of giving Rain, Gen. 2. 5. Deut. 28. 12, 1 Kings 8.
36. 2 Chron. 6.27. Job 5. 10. and 38. 26, 28. Pſal. 147. 8. Ch.
5. 24+ and 51. 16. Foel 2. 23. Zech. 10.1. Marth. 5. 45. Affg
14. 17. c Therefore ſaith the Prophet, we thy People will wait
pon thee by Prayer, and the payment of thoſe Homages thou
requireſt ; for thou haſt made all theſe things, that is ( ſay ſcme )
thou haſt cauſed all theſe Judgments, or affliftive Diſpenſations ;
or rataer, thou haſt made the Rain, laſt mentioned,
CHAP. XV,
The Jews Rejefion, and Fudgments, eſpecially of four kinds ; the Sins which frocured them, 1, =— 9. The prophet com- flaineth, that the Peogle curſe and fperſecute him for theſe Prophecies ; they are threatned, and he inflirufted and com- forted, lo, ——- 21,
I _ faid the LORD unto me, * Tho * Mo- * Ek. ſes * and Samuel ſtood before me, yer my mind {+ could not be towards this people 4 ; Caſt them out of 22,
1,1 my light and let them go forth 6. + 7 Sow a Weare (though in another Chapter ) yet in the ſame Pro- 7. 9. phecy, or Dilcourſe berwixt God and this Prophet. Feremiah ha- ving been once denied, ſollicited God again, as we had it in the four laſt Verſes of the former Chapter, God here replieth to that Prayer ; and the ſum of what he laith is, that he was inexorable 18 their caſe. Though Moſes who would obtain ſo much of God upon their finning, 1n the caſe of the Golden Calf, Exod.32.11,14 |
19 Haſt thou utterly rejected Judah ? haththy
| ſoul loathed Zionr ? why haſt thou ſmitten us, and *Ch. 8.15. there rs no healing for us /? * we looked for peace
and rhcre i5 no good, and for the time of healing,
| and behold trouble 7.