lies in a calling of God to witnels the finceriry of the heart of thoſe that ſwear,for a ſecurity tothoſe to whom the Oath is givea which alſo includeth a fecrer challenging God, to take Vengeance upon the perſons that give that ſecurity, if they ſhould not do ac- cordingly as they promiſe ; which ſpeaketh the Atheiſm of the heart of the falſe Swearer, tor did a Man beljeve that there is 1 God, andthat the Divine Bzing is infinite in power, and a true and faithful Wicneſs, it were impoſlible that he ſhould challenge him to be revenged on him for notdoing what he ne- ver ſeriouſly intentls to do, which was the cafe of thele wicked Men. The thing they promiſed is a perfect Obedience ro God's Will, whether grateful or ingrateful to them, and they turther declare a Conviction, that if they did it, it ſhould be wel! wich them according to that, Deut. 5. 29. which ſheweth the might power of Luſts in unregenerate Hearts, and the mighty operatt- ons of the evil Spirit in the Children of Diſovedience, Eph. 2. 2- | that altho they be convinced that if they did obey the voice of $1: God, it would be well with them ; yer they will not do it in things which they have a power to do,
7 Tf And it cameto paſs after ten days, chat the
word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah -. h The word mentioned, Chap. 40. 1. To which all that we have met with from the beginning ot Cþ2p. 40. 1s but an Hiltori-
| nappenedto Jo»anmnthe Son of Kareab, and thereſt after the flaughter of 1/1:{,and their going to dwell in the Habitation of
cal Preface.
A e——
8 Then uy
Chap. XLII,
* Plal. 106, 46.
$ Then called he Johanan the ſon of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the leaſt even tothe great-
eſt. o And ſid unto them, Thus ſaith the LORD,
the God of Iſrael, unto whom ye ſent me to preſent
your {upplication before him 7 —
i The Prophet after ten days, a]l which time ſome (but up- on what ground I know not) think he ſpent 1n prayer, recelv- eth an anſwer from God, which he preleatly communicates to the Princes and People, with a Preface that containeth 10 17 ma- ny arguments to have induced this compliance with it. 1. Becaule it came trom the Lord. 2. From that God who as he was 1n Co- venant with Tſrael, ſo inall the courſe of his Providence had lo carried himſelf to them, as they had no juſt reaſon to ſulpect el- ther his kindneſs, or his power. 3. From their imploying of him to ſeek God upon their behalf. ;
to If ye will ſtill abide in this land &, then will | build you and not pull you down, and I will plant yon, and not pluck yor up! : for I repent me of the
evil that I havedoneunto you m.
& Thar is, if you will not go upinto the Land of Egypt, as you are thinking, but abide where you are, or in any part of Judah, utder ſubjection of the King to Baby/on,into whoſe power 1 have given you. L Then will fee to your ſecurity, and proſperity, and wake you an happy People, The Happineſs and Proſperity of People is in ſcripture often ſer out under the notion of building, and planting, as on the contrary their miſery or deſtruction is expreſſed under the metaphorical notions of pulling down and plucking up. m For I am ſatisfied with the Puniſhment your Nation hath undergone, and as to the remainder, it they do not deſtroy themſelves by new diſobedience, I will change the courle of my Providence.
11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon,of whom ye are afraid : be not afraid of him, ſaith the LORD 2: for I am with you to ſave you, and to deliver
you from his hand o. | 2 I know whom ye are afraid of ; you fear that the Ring ©
Babylon would come and utterly root you out, becauſe one of your Nation hath murdered his Vice-Roy-Gedatliah, ſuffer not your paſſion of fear to riſe too high inthis caſe, and to make you fly into Egypt. o For you ſhall have my preſence with you, to pre- ſerve and deliver you trom his power ; it ſhall not be in his pow- er todo you any harm,
12 And I will * ſhew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you p, and cauſe you to return
to your own land 4. p We are beholden to God for all the pity, and compaſſion
FEREMIAH
Chap. XLI.
which ye feared ſhall overtake you there, in the land
of Egypt, and the famine whereof ye were afraid
# In the general the Prophet threatneth them, that in Epytr they ſhould meet wich the very lame evils, the fear of which made them flee out of their own Country,the Sword and Famine. The Sword of Nebucadnezzar, who, after this, fully conquered Egypt 3 and a Famine through want of Bread ; tor altho' Egype was a fruitful Country, yet we know there was a Famine there, againſt which Foſeph provide!l, beſides that ſcarcity of Victua!s commonly tolloweth great Armies. Thoſe who ſhun dangers or think to ſhun them by a&ts of Dilobedience to God, ordinarily are ſuffered by God to take ſuch courſes as they fall into the ſame or worle dangers than what they have laboured to avoid,
17 +So ſhall it be with allthe men thar ſer their
evil, that I will bring upon them w.
w Thole words that ſer their face to go, may reaſonably be in- terpreted as a Imitation of the univerſal Particle all; tor as eventually we can hardly conceive that every individual perſon that went into Eeypr did thus periſh, ſo it can hardly ke chought that the juſt God ſhould order an equal puniſhmene to choſe who were the Ring-leaders in this deſign, and thoſe who were forced or over-ruled by them, or perhaps knew not how
to live when the reſt were gone; but, ſaith God, for thoſe who drive on this deſign, and go with their whole heart reſolvedly againſt the contrary Revelation of my Will, they ſhall none of them eſcape one or other of my ſore Judgments, Sword, Peſti. lence or Famine. They ſhall not be the Lot of one or two, but of all ſuch Perſons.
18 For thus ſaith the LORD of hoſts, the God of Iſrael, As mine anger and my fury hath been poured
forth upon the inhabitants of Jeruſalem ; fo ſhall
ſhall ſee this place no more -.