11 So I took the evidence of the purchaſe, borh | that which was ſealed according to thelaw and cuſtom, and that which was openp.
p It is molt probable, that upon ſuch Bargains and Sales a- monglt the Fews, two inflruments were made, the one ſealed up, to be kept by the Purcialer, the other open, to be ſhew'd to the Judges, and by them ratified, and that this was the Law and Cu- itom ordinarily amonſt the Fees upon Purchaſes; Soth which Feremy kept, the one for his uſe, the other to produce 1n Court ; for Ratitication. Thete is no certainty 1a the guels that ſome 0- | thers make, why there were two Copies: Nothing appeareth | buc that the Propher bought this little Purchale with tne ſame | Rites aad Circumltances that Men ordiaarily in that Country | made Purchales in tinigs of Peace, and c1v1i order,
12 And 1I gave rhe evidence of the purchaſe unto | Baruch the ſon of Neriah, the ſon of Maaſeiah a, 1n : the ſight of Hanamcel my uncles /o,, and in the pre- ſence of the * witneſſes that ſubſcribed the book of,
»* ceo 7a, thepurchale, before all the Jews thart fate 1nthe court
S. 2, Ci tne Prion yr. 9 This Baruch (as appeareth from Chap. 36. 4, 26.) wasa Scribe. atid an attendant upon Feremiah, and one who wrote things for him, and from 1s Mouth. r He made this Purchaſe , with ail the ujuel Formalities to make it publick, he ſigned and | fealed it before Witnelſes, and delivered it to Buruch to keep in the preſence of them all, and in the prefence of the Fews, who cziually were inthe place when the thing was done.
13 4 AndI charge Baruch before them, ſay-;
10g, |
14 Thus faith the LORD of hoſts, the God of Iſrael, Take theſe evidences, this evidence of the ! Purchaſe, both which is ſealed, and this evidence { which is open, and put them 1n ancarthea veſllel, that they may continue many days.
15 For thus ſaith the LORD of hoſts, the God of Ifrael, Houſes and fields ,and vineyards ſhall be poſ- ſelled again in this Land /.
{ Here is nothing of any ſeeming difficulty in theſe Verſes, but only why the Prophet commandeth Baruch to put the Evidences inan Earthen Feſſel, which himlelfalſo expounds, that they might continue many Cays. that 1s, not defaced. Had they been hid many days 1n the Earch they would have been rotten ; had they been above ground in a Box or Cheſt, they might have been loſt, or taken away by the Soldier's plundering houſes, or at leaſt burnt with fire. Ver. 15. The Prophet expounds Gad's Meaning in this fo ſ:nall a Purchaſe, eſpecially conſidering, that, very probably, Feremiah was no great Purchaler, nor very greedy of Purchales : He lets them Know that all this was for a fign ot the Truth of what God hath revealed to him concecrning the People's Return, though atter many days (fixty years from chis time) and allo of the firm aſtent he gave to that divine Revelation, That, Purchales ſhould one day be enjoyed again in Fudea, and Houſes Fields, and Vineyards in 1t, ſhould be again poſſeſſed.
16 Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchaſe unto Baruch the ſon of Neriah, 1 pray- ed unto the LORD, ſaying r,
men *, to give every one according to his ways, and xr.
according to the fruit of his doing z.) Plal.33.3 x Who doſt nothing but in infinite Wiſdom, as if thou hadft Prov.s.2:,
taken counſel upon it, and art mighty in thy Works of Proyi- Ch. 16.17.
dence by which thou governeſt the World. 4. Whole Eyes run * Chap.
toand tro the Earth, beho!ding the evil and the good ; fo that all 17- 3©-
things are naked before thee, and thou art nota meer curious
and idle tpeftator of Mens Actions, but lookeſt upon them tor
that end that thou mayeſt reward or puniſh them, according as
thou {ſeeſt their actions good or bad in thy fight.
20. Which haft ſet ſigns and wonders in the land of Egypt, even anto this day a, and in liraelb, and a- mongſt other men c, and haſt made thee a name as at this day,
4 Who didſt Wonders of Juſtice in the Land of Egypt ſuch as are remembred and made matters of aſtoniſhing Diſcourſe evea
| to this day, b and wroughteſt Wonders of Mercy in I/rael, bring-
ing them out of Egyp: through the red Sea, raining them down Manna and Quails trom Heaven, and fetching Water out otthe Rock for them, &c. c And haſt done allo many wondrous Works in other places, by which thou haft made thy telf a Glorious Name.
21 And haſt brought forth thy People Iſrael, * out,
CET | Exod.
of the land of Egypt with figns, and with wonders, ; 5; aud with a ſtrong hand, and with a ſtretched out 2 Sam. 7. arm, and with great terror 4. 23»
d The Hiſtory of this we have in the 11 or 12 firſt Chapters 2 Chron. of Exodus. God lent 10 Plagues upon Egypt one atter another, 37+ 21+
before Pharaoh would let them go, and when he purſued after them, divided the Red Sea for them that they might pals through,
| and then brought the Waters back upoa the Egyptians, purſuing
atter them through the Sea.
22 And haſt given them this land which thou didfſt: {wear anto their Fathers to give them 7, a land flow- ing with milk and honey m2,
1God owneth this Oath, Exod. 6. 8. m That is, abounding With all neceſſary things, and all pleaſant things. Canaan is often thus deſcribed, Exod 3. 8, 17. and 13. 5. and 33.3. Lev. 20, 24 - Numb. 14. 8.and 16. 13, 14. Deut. 6. 3. and 11. 9,@c.
23 And they came in and poſlefſed it x7, but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law o, they have done nothing at all that thou commandeſt them to do p: therefore thou halt cauſed all this evil
to come upon them 9.
2 In the former paſſage he acknowJedged God's Goodneſs, here he owns his Truth and Faithfulnels, in ſo conducting this People by his Providence, that they came into the promited Land, and polleſſed it. o Having acknowledged God's Power, Omaiſcience, Goodneſs, Truth and Faithfulnefs, he comes to his own Juſtice, confeſling that this People for whom God had done ſo much, had very 1}! requited him, not obeying 45s voice, which he expounds by rot walking in his Law; for the Law was God's Voice to them. þ This he aggravateth by ſaying they had done nothing of what he had commanded, not breaking ſome particular Law, but the whole Law of God, q Therefore God was righteous in (bringing this Sword, Peſtilence and Famine upon them.
2.4 Behold the || mounts 7, they are come unto the 1 Or En: City tortake it 5, and the city is given into the hand of gines sf
the Chaldeans that fight againlt it :, becauſe of the ſhvr-
ſword, and of the famine, and of the peſtilence »,