{The innocent Propher conſidered not the King of Fulazh's Alli- ance wich the King of Ezyp: (obliging him upon demand to deliver up any of his Subje&ts, who being charged with capital Crimes ; ſhould flee into his Country for Sanctuary) and fled thirher, but the King t ſent after him one of his great Men C mentioned alſo Chap. 36. 12.) with ſome others to his aſliſtance.
23 And they fet forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the King, whoſlew him with the ſivord,and calt his dead body into the graves
of the + common people -.
u Thete Perfons lent by Jeho;akim, brought back the Prophet by force. He.was tried and :aſt, judged worthy todie, and putto death, and ignomioufly buried, not in the Sepulchers of the Pro- phets, or any Men of Repute and Faſhion. but amongſt the vulgar People. Which, asalſo his diligence to ſend for Xr:jah (fled into a foreign Country to fave his life) ſhewed che great Malice of this Prince againſt the Lord's true Prophets ; though it had bur very il! effects. The ſumm 1s ( if we take theſe words as the Speech of Jeremiah's Enemies ) what do you tell us of what Hezeki2h did, you haye a later Inſtance of it in our preſent King's time, the caſes of Hrijab and of Jerem;ah are fully parallelled. So as the caſe is a judged caſe,
24. Nevertheleſs w, the hand of Ahikam the ſon of Shaphan, was with Jeremiah, that they ſhould not
FEREMIAH |
»
| CHAP. XXVI..
The F rophet (ende1h Tikes to five neighbour Kinzs, thereky res jnewing thetr $ avjection :o Nebuchadaezzar, 5, === 7. tHe ex- horteth them 10 yield, and nt to believe falle Prophets, 8, <=— 11 Toe lik? be doth 10 Zedekith, 12, —-- 18. The Romnant 0 ts V-:jj-ls ſhrttbe carried ro Brbylon, and cominue there 15.1 rhe dp- pointed 1ime, 19, —— 22,
: FN the beginning of che reizn of Jetoiakim Us
C.
{on of Joliah King of Judah, came this wor unto Jeremiah from the LORD, ſaying 2,
2 Here is a difficuity aritech trom this Verie, which there have been various tempts co relolve, a1d whether any hath been fully latisfaftory I doubt. lt is ſaid, this word of the Lord came to Jeremiah 1n the beginning of the Reign of Jeboiahim, and Yer. 3, che Prophet is bid to ſend che Bonds and Tokes, by the had of the Meſſengers which came to Hieruſalem unco Ze/etidh King of Jdzh, who began not to reign till about 11 Years after the be- gianing of the Reign of J:hozachim. To folve this difficulty, I. Some think Jebotak;m was a common Name to all the Sor.s ot Jofiah, and that Z:4ehz4h is here called Jevcizhin bur I lee ng touncarion tor thar conjecture trom Holy Writ. 2, Ochers think it1s an error in thole that copied out the Prophecies, but it is dan- gerousto admit thar.: 3. Others think, that the Prophecy came 13 the beginning of the Reign of Jeb9:zkim, but wis to be concealed until the Reign of Z-dch/ah. 4. 1 had rather agree with tholz who think that this Command came tothe Prophet tirſt in theuime of Jehoiakim, but was to be repeated by the- Prophet often, aud accordingly was ſo until, and in the time of Zed-hiah 3 not that he always went about with Bonds and Yokes about his Neck, buc chat by times, he put them on, and went about with them, as a Type of thac Bondage, which the Jews were ſuddenly to ege dure.
2 Thus ſaith the LORD to we, Make the bonds and yokes, and pur them upoa thy necks;
b God commandeth the Prophe: to procure. eicher by his own labour, or with Money, tome Yokes wich Bonds to make them
give him into the hand of the people, to put him to
death x.
w Though Teremiah's Enemies pleaded this Inſtance of 1ri- Jab, which had this advantage of the other, becauſe it was macter of fact done lately, and a caſe judged in this very King's Reign ; yet the hand, that is, the power and intereſt of one Ahiham, ( who as appears from 2 Kings 224 12. was one of Jofiah's Coun- ſeilors, and the Father of Gedaliah, Chap. 39. 14. who upon the taking of the City was made Governour, Chap. 40. 5.) was with Jeremiah. x So as through the good Providence of God, Jere- mah was not delivered into the hands of the People, ſome of whom were mutable, and malicious enough, ready to do any thing the Prieſts purthemrupon. And the after advancement of the Son of this Abikam to be Governour of Judah, may juſtly be 1aterpreted a Reward 1n this Life, which God gave him tot his kindneſs to his Prophet.
Vol. Ii.
more faſt ; and to put ſome one of them upon his own Nec. that therein he might be a Type both to his own People, and aifo tie People afterward mentioned, that they ſhould be 1a Bondage to the King of Bubylon, and there Yoke ſhould be {5 faſtened with Bonds, that they ſhould not be able to flip them, or ger them trom off tneir Necks. /
3 And ſend them to the King of Edom, and to the King of Moab, and to the King of the Ammouirtes, and to the King of Tyrus, and to the King of Zidon, by the hand of the meſſengers, which caine to Jeru- ſalem unto Zedckiah King of Judah c.
c Ie was and 15 che cuitomn of neighbour Princes, to ſend Am- baſadlors into each octe;s Countries ro relide h-re,-and maintain correlpondence on the behalf of their Maſters. Thele N:tions were Neighbours tothe Fewps, and their Princes had their Ambailadors Reſident at Hzeruſalem, F-remih is direCted to carry each of th:(e Ambaſſadors a Yoke with a Bond, as a p:elent from God to ti.cir Maſters; the meaning he is alſo ordered to tell them ia the tol- lowing words. | ; |
4+ Andcommand them || to ſay unto their maſters, / 9; ,on-
Thus faith the LORD of hoſts the God of liraet d, c:: +472
>
Thus ſhall ye ſay uuto your maſters. 17 tr md- 4 The Lord of Hoſts, who ha: htherefore a power vver all the #75 {4577g,
Creatures; who though he b2 ina ſpecial lenſe the God of [ſ-.:-!, yet hits Dominion 1s extended to your Maſters Countries, as we!l as unto Iſrael.
5 I haye made the earch, the man and the beaſt that are upon the ground by my great power, and by
my out-ſtrerched arm, and * have given it unto whoin * Din. 4.
it ſeemed meet unto ine e.