0 * Thatevery man ſhould let his man-ſervant,
cauſed every man his ſervant and every man his handmaid, whom he had ſet at liberty at their plea- ſure to return, and brought them into ſubje&tion, to
be unto you for ſervants and for handmaids 5. 7 You again licked up your Vomit, aud profaned my Name,
andevery man his maid-ſervant being an Hebrew, or ſwearing by ir to do that which you have nor done, and ſ forced an Hebrewels go free, that none ſhould ſerve himſelf your Servants, though diſmiſſed, ro return again unto their for-
of them, 79 wit, of a Jew his brother g. 2 This was the tenour of God's Law mentioned in the above- named Texts and it ſeemerh Zedebiab raking norice of the com-
mon violation of this Law, and the Jews ordinary oppreſling thoſe.
of their own Nation this way ; judging that this might be one of thoſe fins for which the Wrath of God was at this time kindled a- gainſt them, he cauſed the People to make a Covenant thar they
wou!'d give thatliberty to their Servants of etther Sex, which the}
Lav of God required, of which he made Proclamation.
10 Now when all the princes, andall the people which had entred into the covenant heard that every one ſhould let his man-ſervant, and every one his maid-ſervant fo free, that none ſhould ſerve them- ſelves of them any more, then they obeyed and let zvem £0 h.
þ The Princes and the People, having firſt with the King agreed r9 the thing upon the iſſuing our of his Proclamation, they at firſt yiclded obedience to it,
11 But afterwards they turned, and cauſed the ſrvants, and the handmaids, whom they had let go tree, to return, and brought them 1nto ſubjection for {ervants and for hand-maids 7z.
3 Like a company of wretched Hypocrites, they reformed this abute, only to ſerve a turn, which when it was ſerved, they return- ed again to their old oppreſſion; and 1n this thing not the People alone, ,but the Government was to be blamed ; for cheir Judges in their Courts of Juſtice, ought to have executed the Law of the Lord and to have reſtrained the covetous and oppreſiive humour of the People. The learned Author of the Engliſh Annotations 7hinketh,chat thar which alrered their minds, was a litcle alteration of their Stare, during the Siege; for Chap. 37. <. weread thar the Rabylonians and Chaldeans hearing of an Army coming out of Feypt ro relieve the City, left the Siege for a cime, and that rhe Prophet, Ver. 21. of this Chapter, relares ro that, when he pro- pheſied, Thar rhe King of Babylor's Army ſhould retarn : Bur rheſe wretched Men, ſeeing the Babylonian Army raiſed from the Siege concluded they were now our of God's hands, and repent-
; mer Bondage and ſubje&ion to you. | 17 Therefore thus ſaith the LORD, Yehave not
| hearkened unto me in proclaiming liberty every one to his brother, and every Man to his neighbour t - behold I proclaim a liberty for you, ſaith the LORD,
to the ſword, and.to the peſtilence, and to the fa-
all the kingdoms of the earth .
ſelves of God; he faith, they had nor done it, becauſe they did not perſiſt ro doit; Inſucha caſe Mens Righteouſneſs ſhall by God never beremembred, bur they ſhall dic in the ſins they have committed. x Seeing you have refuſed to manumiſe your Ser- vants at my command, I will amanuiſe you, and ſer you free from my prore&ion and care. You ſhall periſh by the Sword, Famine and Peftlence, and thoſe of you who eſcape them, ſhall ſee how pleaſant a thing ir is co be Slaves, and in Servitude, for you ſhall be diſperſed in many Nations ; and be Servants to the Rulers of them. |
18 AndI will give the men thathave tranſgreſſed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant, which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and paſſed between
the parts thereof.
w. This was a Ceremony which they uſed in making of Cove- nants, not without ſomething of a Warrant from a Divine Preſi- dent, Gen. 15. 9.10, Iris faid Yer, 19. Thar ſame Day the Lord made a Covenant with Abraham (that Covenant was a promiſe that Abraham's Seed ſhould poſſeſs the Land of Canaan) Ver. 8. Abranam (aid unto God, Whereby ſhall I know that T ſhall inherit it, Ver, 9. God bids him take an hrifer of three years old, and 4 ſhe goat of three years old, and a ram of three years o!d, &c, Fer. 10. Iris ſaid, thar be toob them, and divided them in the midſt, and laid each piece one againſt another, Indeed we read nothing there of the Parties covenancing, palling berwixc the parts of the Beaſts ſo divided, but this was afterwards uſed in making Cove-
Servants return into their former Servirude. 12 A Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, ſaying, | 13 Thus ſaich the LORD the God of [ſrael, I made a covenant & with your fathers in the day that
ed of their Repenrance 1n this particular,and would make all their |
-
nants bewixt Men,” which this had in ira fecrer imprecarion or wiſhing that they might be cur in pieces like thoſe Beaſts if they did nor keep the Covenants which they made. Tt ſhould ſeem that theſe Jews in the making of cheir ſolemn Promiſe or Covenant with God about releating their Servants uſed this Rite ; they cauſed a Calf, or Heifer to be cut in pieces, and the parts to be laid in the Temple right oyer-agarift one anorher,then they recited this Co-
Vcnant,
mine, andI will make you | to be * removed, into 4 yp, for - a Temoving, t They had turned and given a liberty, Fer. 20. how doth God * Deut.22, ſay here they had not? So God accounteth none to have done 64. and thoſe good as, which they doin a fit or meetly ro ſerve them. 29, 21,
SLES
hap. A. XY.
0 | #ERE venant, and inthe way of a ſolemn Promiſe, or confirmation of their Reſolution ro make their Promiſe good, th ey paſſed berw1Xxt the parts of the Calf, or Heifer ſocut; filencly agreeing chart God ſhould cur them in pieces like thar Beaſt if they did nor make their words good. Hence 1s the Hebrew Phraſe of cutting 4 Covenant, for making it. This was a Ceremony ordinarily uſed alſo amongſt the Heathens. as We are informed by Cicero, Livy, and 0- thers- ;
19 The princes of Judah, andthe princes of Je- ruſalem, the Eunuchs and the Prieſts, and all the
people of the land, which paſſed betwixt the parts of the calf. | : | 20 1 will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them thar ſeek their life, and their * dead bodies ſhall be for meat unto
F Chap. 7-the fowls of the heaven, and to the beaſts of rhe