"hap. 29. 7 And becaule by this his DoQrine he had made God a Lyar,
contradifting his Will revealed by Jeremy, and by it taught Per- ple to h01d out againſt Nebuchadnez3.ar, and not quietly to yield to him. .
17 So Hananiah the prophet died the ſame year, in the ſeventh month 7.
4 That is, within the compals of a year after that Jeremiah had ſpoken theſe words, within ewo Months after thac Jfremy had thus propheſied, as appeareth from Yer. 1. So dangerous a thing it is for Miniſters to teach People contrary to the revealed Will of Gold.
CHAP. XXIX.
Jeremiah's Letter ro the Captives in Babylon, to be quiet there,
1, —— 7. Not to beljeve falſe Prophets; nor expect 10 return |
till aſter 50 Tears, 8, —— 14. The Deſtrufion of thoſe who remained in Judah for their Diſobedrence, I5, —— 19. The fearful end of two Lying Prophets, 20, —— 23+ Shemaiah's Letter againſt Jeremiah, 24, —— 29. who readeth his Doom,
I OW theſe are the words of the letter, that
Jeremiah the propher ſent from Jeruſalem unto the reſidue of the elders, which were car- ried away captives, and to the prieſts, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchad- nczzar had carried away captive from Jeruſalem to Babylon 4.
C7 | | / Ty | ; 4 ; FEREMI AH. Chap. XXIX, ſand captives, and a!l the craftſmen and ſmiths were carried
away, as we read there, amongſt whom were ſome Prieſts and Prophets.
2 After that Jeconiah the King, and the Queen,
aud || the Funuchs, the Princes of Judah and Jeruſa-* 2 Kings b
lem, and the Carpenters, and the Smiths were de- Or Che c, 8 arted tr >ruſalem b. Fn Wi
Par ram Jeruſalem 6b er ang EO
b Atter this Captivity. . 3 By the handot Elaſah the ſon of Shaphan, and 1: Gemariah the ſon of Hilkiah, whom Zedckiah King Judah ſent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar King
of Babylon, ſaying ec.
c Zedekiah the Ring oi Judab having ſome occaſion to ſend two Meſlengers, named Elaſa and Gemariah to Babylon, whether to carry his Tribute Money, or upon what other Errand is not ex- preſſed, Jeremiah knowing that as there were ſome falſe Pro- phets at Jeruſalem, who fed People with hopes of a ſpeedy re- curn, fo there were ſome with them in Babylon, who did the like, (two of which he afterwards in this Chapter refle&teth upon) wrt- teth the following Letter, and ſends it by theſe rwo Meſſenzers,to quier the Peoples Minds, and to help to compole their Spirits, diſturb'd by theſe falſe Prophers, ani raiſed up to vain and idle hopes for which there was no ground at all.
4 Thus ſaith the LORD of hoſts the God of Iſrael, unto all that are carried away captives, whom /oÞ [ have cauſed to be carried away from Jeruſalem to Mos Babylon 4.
4 So as this Letter was not wrote from himſelf adviſing them charitably, but he had commiſſion from God, by whom he mind- fi eth chem, as the principal efficient cauſe, they were ordered to be 4+ carried away by, though their own fins were the meritorious EL gr
| bitation, (as it is like to be for ſeventy Years, ſay the Prophets, py
j
caute, and Nebuchadnezzar With his Captain and Soldiers were the - iy inſtrumental cauſe. | 5 * Build ye houſes, and dwell 7 them, and plant* Ver. 28. NY | gardens, -and eat the fruit of them. ph. 9. | 6 Iake ye wives, and beget ſons and daughters, : al {and take waves for your ſons, and give your daugh- FS ters to husbands, that they may bear ſons and daugh- $i ;ters, that ye may be encreaſed there, and not dimi- ' 3h niſhed e.
{ e Thatis, be not uneaſte 11 your minds, not reſolving waat to wal
do through the Prophecies of the falte Prophets, that tel] you the PR ; Captivity ſhall be but two Years, or at leaſt very ſhort; but do all "7 things which you would do, if Babzlgn were to be your fixed ha- Fes
#8]
which they pleaſe.) Marry,and give,and take in Marriage,do what- = {oever 1t becometh prudent Men to do, who would accomodate BY 4 themſelves ina place where they are like to abide, and preſerve I their Families, that they might not be utterly extinguiſhed. The words mult not be underſtood as a Precept, obliging all in the Captivity to do every of theſe things, which it may be they were no: all able to do, but asa counſel and advice not to forbear any thing of this nature which they would do, if they did fully believe they were to abide ina place ſeventy Years,
7 And ſeek the peace of the city, whither I have
> XA AQ WH un
cauſed you to be carried away captives f, and pray
unto the LORD for it 2, for in the peace thereof ſhall ye have peace h.
f That is, ſeek to God for it, or rather live peaceably in it,and
by all lawful means ſeek the we'fare of it; do not raiſe any Tumults
| or Seditions, nor take part with thoſe that do. g And while your b: Captivity laſts do you pray for it, (from whence thoſe who think Wo that Chriſt bath added new Moral Precepts, and reckon this Pre- BY.
cept of praying for Enemies, as one may underſtand, that praying for Enemies was but a breach of that Love to our Neighbour, which God required under the O!d Teſtament ) for it was Jawtul for them to pray againſt Babylon at other times, P/al. 137. 8. er. 5I. 35. but when God hath pur a Yoke upon our Necks, we muſt patiently wait until he takes it off. The Lawyers ſay, that Prote- Fion requireth Allegiance to Governours ; This Text Jets us know alſo thac it requireth our Prayers for them, though they be Con- querours and Tyrants. h For God haviag by his Providence; caſt us under their power, our Peace dependeth upon theirs.
$ }| For thus ſaith the LORD of hoſts, the God of Iſrael, Let not your prophets, and your divi- ners that be in the midſt of you, * deceive you, nei- * Chap. ther hearken to your dreams which ye caule to be 14. 14 dreamed 7z. & 23.21. # The Lord knows that you have a Company of falſe Prophets er a that tell you other things, and promiſe you a ſudden rerurn out of your Captivity, pretending to know 1t by revelation from God, or by divination, 29%. or to have it diſcovered to them in Dreams. It isthe Will of God that you ſhou}d not hearken to them, for they do but deceive you, and ye are acceffary to your own ruine. They ſee you are pleaſed to hear {uch Stories, and that cauſeth them to dream, as Chap. 5. 31. The prophets prophefie falſly, and the prieſts bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it foo Thus Iſa. 30. 10, They ſail ts the ſeers, ſee not, and to the prophets,
propheſie not to us right things, (perth unto us ſmooth things, pro-