during the Reign of Zedebiah; and Jebrjachin, outliving the Reign of Zedehiah Twenty five Years, 1 muſt needs be fixty five Years and an half after the word of the Lord firſt came to Jeye- mah gefore the Death of Jojzclinz fo as the Prophet if he lj- ved ro that time muſt be near and hundred years old,which is ror probable. Here now enderh the Hiſtory of the Kingdom of Jz- aah, I ſhall only note the ſevere Judgment of God upon this People, whoſe Kingdom was made up of the two Tribes of Ty- 4ah and Benjamin, and halt the Tribe of Afanaſſeh In the rum- bering of the Perſcrs belonging to theſe two Tribes, Nam. 1, (counting half of the rumber of the Tribe of avaſt) we find One hundred twenty fix thouſand one b:ndred, Numbers 24
we find of them One hu nired jorty tight thoy/and for hundred and fijty. Here Verſe 30. we find no more of them carried into Captivity, than ſour thouſand and fix hundred. Fiom whence we may judge what a multitude of them were ſlain bv the Sword, or killed by the Famine and by the Peſtilence, though we makea great allowance for ſuchas were left in the Land to drefs Vine- yards and to till the Ground. Ir 1s a dreadful thivg to fall into the hands of the living God, ro mock bis miſſingers, deiviſe his words, and muſe his Prophets, till 'there be no remedy, as ts People did, 2 Chron. 35.16.
0 VET OO — 0 OO Tr II nn IT TIE TPO er TOOL I
Chap. Lu
[* Jer. 13- 2 *She weepeth ſore in * the night, and her tears
I *
4p *3-none to comfort her, all her friends have dealt
THE
The ARGUMENT.
His Book in Greek, Latine, and Engliſh has its name from the Subject matter of it; which is Lamen- tation, So alſo among ft the Hebrew IVriters, but in the Hebrew it has its Name from the firſt word of
f the Boook, as alſa the five Books of Moſes have. | That it was Wrore by Jeremiah one can reaſonably queſtion, becauſe in the Hebrew it is ſtiled, The Book of
Jeremiah.
There is little controverſie about the Time, or Occaſion of the Writing of it. That the occaſion was the miſeries of the People, byreaſon of the Famine, Sivord, and Captivity is evident to thoſe that read any part of it ; but whether they were thoſe miſeries whichbegan with the Death of Joſiah, and held on till the City was taken, which was two and twenty or three and twenty years after ; Or thoſe only which began with the Siege and followed on many years, hath been doubted by ſome. That Jeremiah lamented for Joſiah, and all the finging Men, and ſinging Women ſpake of Joſiahin their Lamentations, zs pain from 2 Chron 35. 25. But that theſe were the forms they uſed, or that they were compoſed upon that ſad account appeareth not,, and the miſeries which the Prophet mentioneth befell not the Peolpe in the time of Joſiah, but during the Siege, more than twenty years after Joſiah*s Death. Nor is there any thing, which looks like a Lamentation for Joſiah through the whole Book, unleſs Chap. 4. 20. which (as we ſhall ſhew ) may alſo be fairly interpreted of Zedekiah : Some think that Jeremiah began to write them upon the Death of Joſiah, and continued his ſtile to the time of the Captivity, ſerting down all the miſeries of thi People ſuffer -
ed all along that time,
T he ſcope of the writing as to thoſe to whom it immeaiatly concerned, it is plain and obvious, viz. to affe& the Peo- ple with thoſe Judgments which came upon them for their ſins : As to us (upon whom the ends of the World ar? come) to mind us to take heed of their Sins, leſt we be ſharers in their Plagues.
The Book is made up of Complaints of thei lamentable condition ;, Petitions unto God for Mercy, and Pro-
pheties both of ther bettereſtate,and the ruine of their Enemies. | | |
In the four firſt Chapters are ſeveral Alphabets of Letters beginning the ſeveral Verſes, each FYerſe beginning with a new Letter, only. Chapter 3. every three Verſes begin with a new Letter ; the Myſtery of which we do not
underſtand, nor poſſibly was there any myſtery intended in
of onr Memories.
zt, only the Chapters were ſo compoſed for the a duantage
T he whole Book lets us ſee from what an height of dignity, to what a depth of miſery ſin may bring Nations, how much ſoever intereſted in God ; and likeiviſe direfts us to our duty in ſuch ſtates of Ajflittion and Miſery if
we would obtain Mercy.
CHAP. I.
Jeremiah lanenteth the former Excellency aud preſent Miſery of Je- rufalem for her fin, I, —— 12. She complaineth of her Grief, 12, —— 17. Confeſſeth God's Judgments ts be Righteous ; And prayeth unto him, 18, —— 22,
I OW doth the city ſit ſolitary, that was fall
H of people a? how is ſhe become as a wi- dow b? ſhe that was great among the nations, and princeſs among the provinces, how is ſhe become tri-
butary ? c. :
4 The interrogative Particle how ? Onee expreſſed and twice more underſtood 1n this Verſe, doth not ſomuch inquire the cauſe or reaſon of rhe effe&, as <xpreſs admiration, or 'lamenrtation. The Prophet admires the miſerable fiare of the City, which was full of People, beyond rhe proportion of other Cities, and now was ſolitary, fo thin of People that ſcarce any could be ſeen in her Streets. b She'that had a King, or rather a God that was an Hus- band to her, now was forſaken of God}; her King raken from her, and ſhe likea poor Widow, c She that was like a Princeſs amongſt the Nations, that ſomerimes (as in Dauid's time) had the Moab- oo Ammonites, &c, Tributaries to her, was now a Tributary
er (elf,
are On her cheeks 4: among all her lovers ſhe hath
treacherouſly with her, they are become her ene- mies e.
d Allherhoursare hours of ſadneſs, ſhe doth not only. mourn in the day-time, bur in the night alſo, when ſhe ſhould reſt, her Checks are like rhe Graſs in the Morning hanging fall of drops, as if her Head were a Fountain of Water, and her cyes Rivers of Tears. # In her Proſperity ſhe had a great many Fricuds that ſonghr and courted her favour, with whom ſhe made Leagues, and confederated (ſuch were the Egyptians, 4/jrians, &c.) bur they were now fo far from helping the Jews, that they helped their Enermes, and dealt treachereufly with them becoming themſelves Enemies inſtead of Aitiſtants ro them.