59+ the word from the prophet «4: Come, and let us ſmite Nay La , him (| with the tongue 6, and let us not give heed to
vices againſt Jeremiah z : *for the law ſhall not pe- John 7.48, Fiſh from the prieſt, nor counſel from the wiſe, nor
Snow of Lebanon fail from th? Roch of the Field ? The Septzagint, Shall t"e*{uzs fail from the Rocks ? Or, The Snow from Lebanon. The Syrjach Ve-fion followeth them. The Arabick Verſion tranſla- eeth it, Shouli the Snow fail from the Mountain of Breaſts, and from Lebanon. The Chaldee Paraphraſt thus gloſſeth, Behold, as it cannot be, that the Snow-water ſhould fail from Lebanon. Pagnine ſeems to make Lebanon the Nominative Cale, and ren- ders the Sence thus, Shall Lebnon lezve the Snow from the Roch of the Field, Our Tranſlators ſupply theſe Words 4 Man, an ſo make that the Nominative Caſe, and make Lebanon the Genitive Cale, L-þanon was a mountainous place in which were Rocks, it had alto fruitful Vallies : Snow fel] upon thoſe Rocks, and up- on a Thaw ran down into the lower Places, and was grateful to them as it moiſtned them, and made them more fruitful. p The Jatter part of the Verſe ſeems as hard. Pagnine tranſlates them. Shall other col4 flowing Waters be forftken* The vulgar Latin, or, Can the other cold flowing Waters be plucked up * The LXX and the Syriack, or, Shall the water fail, violently ſnatched up, or taken away with the wind ? The Arabick, or, Should the for- reign cool waters deſiſt ? The Chaldee Paraphraft gloſfeth, $0 zhe rain waters that come down, and the waters of the fountain that ſpring ſhall nit fail. In this great variety, it is very hard cer- rainly to aſſert the particular Senſe of theſe Phraſes, the know- ledge of which depends upon fome Affefions, or Cuſtoms of thole Places which we are not {o well acquainted with. The next Verſe is the beſt Guide we have, where the Sin latd to the Charge of this People, is their for/aking God ; which Sin is here aggravated by this Topick, That Reaſon teacheth Men not to for- lake a greater Good for a leſſer; though that greater Good were | buc a poor Creature Comfort, not to be compared with God. This is the general Sence, Scope, and Sum of this Verſe ; ſo as we ſhall not need be very ſolicitous to be able to affert the parti- cular Grammatical Senſe,
15 Becauſe my People have forgotten* me 9, they
have burnt incenſe to vanity r, and they have cauſed
fFERE
it is not ſo obvious. The valgar Latin tranſlates them, $%ll the |
them to {tumble in their ways from the * ancient
q Forgotten and forſaken are much the ſame thing, differing only asthe Cauſe and che Effeet ; for it Men remembred God as they ought to do, they would not forſake him. r By Vanity he means Idols, which are called Vanity, not only becauſe they are in them- ſelves nothing of what they are pretended to be, and becauſe the worſhipping of them is an high degree of Sin which 15 often called Vanity in Scripture, but becauſe the Service of them is of no Lie nor Profit, or Advantage ; and any ExpeFations from them are idle and vain, for which there isno groundatall. { Whe- cher the falſe Prophets or the Idols are here ſaid to cauſe them to ſtumble by receding from the ancient paths, is uncertain. The Words may either be tranſlated, paths of Eternity, or, paths of Antiquity : The moſt and bett tranſlate it as we do, Quod verum primum, the ways of Truth are the moſt ancient ways. The ways wherein Noah, Abraham, Iſaac, and Facob, and all the an- cient Patriarchs did wajk. t To walk in Paths, or in a way nor caſt up, not fitting for God's People to walk 1n, Prov. 15. 19. The way of the righteous is ſaid to be a way made plain,: Heb. raiſed
a5 a Cauſey, Wicked Mer, in oppolition to theſe ways, are {aid to walk ina way not c48 up.
16 To make their land * deſolate, anda perpetual
aſtoniſhed and wag his head w.
u Not that this was finis operantis, their End which they aimed at ; (none wiſheth il], or doth any thing deſignedly to bring Evil vpon himſelt ) but it was finis operis, the End of theſe Courſes would certainly iſſue in ; they would bring the Land of Fudzh to Deſolations, and to be a Reproach. w So as Strangers that were wont to admire at the Proſperity of this People above any other People, ſhould ſtand aſtoniſhed, and wag their Heads at them in Scorn and Derifion. : ; ;
17 *] will ſcatter them as with an eaſt-wind be- fore the enemy x : I will ſhew them the back and not
the face in the day of their calamity y.
x The Eaſt-wind is ( or was at leaſt in thoſe parts ) the fier- ceſt wind : As the Eaſt-wind ſcatters the Chaff, ſo faith God 1 will ſcatter them. y And when they ſhall be in great.Calamity and Mitery, 1 will not hearken to them» IF will not turn my face
M I 4 H. os Give heed to me, O LORD, and hcarken to the voice of them that contend with me 4.
4 The feveral following Verſes, to the end of this Chawer, contain the Prophet's Prayer by way of appeal to God againſt thele wicked Men ; Lord (faith he) though they are reſolved to take no heed to my Words, yet do thou give heed to them, and do thou take notice of thoſe Men that contend with me. Take notice of what they ſay, not co confirm, but to crots their De- fires, and to be revenged on them for them.
_ 20 Shallevil he recompenſed for good e? For they have digged a pit for my ſoul f- Remember that | ſtood betore thee to - na good for themg, and to turn away thy wrath from them h.
e To requite Good for Evil is divine ; God maketh his Sur to ſhine, and his Rain co fall upon the juſt and unjuſt. To requite evil for evil, or good for g904, is but humane, what the Nature of realonable Men prompt them to ; but to requite evil for good is diabolical, and the Character of thoſe that are the Children of the evil one, f Lord, ſaith the Prophet, theſe Men have done thus, they have laid ſnares for my Life. g Though thou knowef?, tha: as a Prophet I ſtood betore thee, both preaching and praying for their good. h Their Wrath is kindled to a great height againſt me, and thou knoweſt my Buſineſs was both in my Preachings to them, and Prayers for them, to turn away thy Wrath trom them. Lord remember this, both for Good to me, and for Ven- geance upon them.
21 Therefore deliver up their children to the fa-
children, and be widows, and let their men be pur a. to death, Jer their. young men be ſlain by the ſword in battle |.