g I will reſtrain the Rage of the Chaldeans, and move them to ſome compaſſion towards fome of the Jews; ſo that ſome, yet bur few ſhall remain; the Sword ſhall not {lay them, for I commiſſion ir, and 'rwill notexceed its Commiſſion : I ſend the Famine, bur fome I wil | feed ; and the Peſtilence is my Arrow, and hits but where I direQ ic. | h Including the Women alſo. 7 Either by relating thoſe Sins which were committed among them in Jeruſalem, for which God wasjuſt!y angry, and for which he puniſhed them, though they were his own People: Or, elfe that though they ſhould be ſilent , yet the very thing ſhould ſpeak ir ſelf, and their Miſeries ſhould proclaim che Wickednefles they had ated againſt God in their own Land : Or, by | their wicked Prattices, which in Captivity, and under the eye of the | Heathen they commit, they will manifeſtly ſhew to the Heathen cha |! God was juſt in all his Severity. & Either the Jews, or rather here | the Chaldean Heathens.
17 < ! Moreover , the word of the LORD came to | me, ſaying, |
! Hewasa Sign to them in digging and bearing his ſtuff, now he muſt bea Sign to them in another manner.
18 Son of man, cat thy bread with 2 quaking, and
_ thy -» water with trembling and with careful- neſs :
» With Commotion or Shakings, as one whoſe Apprehenſion of
Danger brings as*twere an Earthquake upon him; and this 'Trem- bling is the ſamething, bur in other words. = Hereis no mention of ; thedelicious and genefous Wines, but Water ; ſo low ſhould they be reduced, and yet enjoy this very little, becauſe of the great inward
19 And o fay unto the p people of the q land, Thus faith the Lord GOD, of the » inhabitants of Jeruſalem, and 5 of. the land of lſrael, They ſhall * eat cheir bread with careſulneſs, and drink their water with aſtoniſh- ment, that « her land x may be deſolate from -f- all chatiÞ
1s y therein, becaufe of the-z violence of all them that/*Þ * dwell therein. 1 o Explainthe Meaning of this unuſual and uncomfortable Mann: of eating and drinking. p The common ſort of People Giſtingiiiſht from Rulers. q Of the Land of Chaldea in which the Jews were Cap. * ® tives, tell thy fellow-Captives who grudge and repent their coming
= 04" 4 arnaggreey -
» Can. ce about him to help liim, and all his c bands, and 1 * * To * will ddraww out the ſword after them.
hither, where they have much Sorrow, yer ſome Safety, Plenty and '*2 Þt. 3.C Reſt. r» Whoare yer not captivated ; their Sorrows are coming, and }4. *? a their State will be worſe than yours. s Nor will it be better with | 3 thoſe that dwell in the Countries round about Jeruſalem ; they will fiy x tor Refuge into Jeruſalem, and there periſh. 7: their very Comforts * ſhall be uncomfortable to them. « Jeruſalem's Land, ſo called be- 6 canſe 'rwas the head Ciry thereof. x Becauſe that 'tis already,, 0: _ ſhortly ſhall be waſted. y Emptied, though 'twas full of Inhabitnrs, k Wealth and Plenty. & Injuſtice, Oppreſſion and Tyranny of the | Jews toward one another, Jer.6, 7. and 20.8. Frzkidl 7. 23. and Þ this grown an Epidemical Sin, chap. 22. 9, 12, from higheſt tw | © loweſt. m 20 And the a cities that are b inhabited ſhall be laid | fa c waſte, and the land ſhell he deſolate, and ye 4 ſhall : know that I 2» the LORD, Fre a The lefſer Cities up and down the Land. & Which now are, F © I and will be inhabited when Jeruſalem is deſtroyed. o Waſted with " the Sword, as the Word ſeems to imply, &d Then ſhall you, who | fe are now in Cheldea , know how the Goodneſs of God brought you hi- cher ; that you had no real Cauſe to complain, that your Conditien was worſe than your Brethren in Judea. You ſhall know the Tcutt and Severity of God againſt Sinners. ”" 21 TT And the word of the LORD came unto me | ſaying, | 22 Sofi of man, e whats that f proverb that g ye have :
h inthe land of Iſrael, * ſaying, The z days are & prolon-'(Wr: ged, and every / viſion m2 faileth. or
e Affcer the manner of Man God ſpeaks with Man, what is ; or, i , ET isa comely Tranſition to a new Subje& of Diſcourſe. F Thar ſhot Þ Saying taken up as undoubted Truth, and in a very common manne* uſed by all. s He ſeems to include the Prophet as being one of tl Body of the. People, though he uſed it nor; nay, ſhewed the Falle- hood and Imptety of it, + I ; fo the Prophet and thoſe with him, are reckoned as if they were in the Land of 7/-ael, for that is their Bu Country : Or, rather, concerning, as the Heb. by here uſed. : Offe- BF vere Puniſhments of Wrath and Vengeance, & Are to come a grit ft while hence, ler them fear who are like to fee] them; reeſe V:0- | fo phecies cannor be imagined to look ro our times : Thus Atheiſts, a7* | Contecmners of the Prophers, hardned one another into Sin 4"
S@cl7s
s XI | ap- XI.
mm—— ik
| = tered the People.
] Threatning Viſion which Jer:21/ah at Jeruſalem, and Exc- x. do dieam of, and would fright us with. »2 Comes iſhed or dead in the Neſt. |
ſaith the Lord GOD), and they ſhall but p ſay un-
ns 5.
Security. kict here in Chalden, C ro nothing, It 15 per1
23 Tell » them therefore, Thus fait 1 will make this proverb to o ceaſe, ſe ir as a provetb in Iſrael. : days are Þþ at hand,
F b
A *
no moore Uu to them , T1 he q of every vitloh- : :0 uſe the Proverb, or are ſtumbled at it, tel! the one other to inſtruCt rhem. o Thus they abuſe my Pa- Truth, and deride my Juſtice : but when my Patience is at its Period, it calls in my Juſtice ro vindicat it; and when Cuamiries felt, prove my Truth in the Preſenceof theſe Sorrows, there can be no more place for ſuch a Proverb, the Groundleſneſs of it be- Ing diſcovered to all. p Allure them. q F*r. 22. They draw near 1n- Jeed when within ſome three Years and 7eruſz/emſhall ſee the Enemy beſieging it, and feel his Sword cutting down ber choſen Men. r All chat which the Viſion contained ſhall, c're few Yearsare over, clearly appear accomplithed, according to what my Prophets forecold.
24 For * there ſhall bz /no more any viſion, nor flat tering divination 7 within the houſe of Ifrael.
/ Theſe proverbializing Scoffers compared the true Prophets wich the falſe, theſe Predi&t Proſperity and Recurn of the Caprives from Ba- bylom within few Years, and before Jernſalem be deſtroyed ; fo they flat- The true Prophets foretel long Captivity, bloody S;aughters, ſtrair Siege, a burnt City and Temple. Now theſ: Scof- fers bear up themſelves on theſe Flatterzes, and argue againſt the Di-