[ Or did ſyeak, 7. e. to your Fathers, and thus he doth ſpeak to you Gow. 22 God required former Judges, and he requireth preſent Judges, without Hatred, Prejudice, Paitiality, or Eribery, to give true Sentence. 7 Be kind and berefice»t to ſuch as need. Wrong none, if you could ; do good to all you can. o With tendereft and moſt abundant Fity, with a Heart that fcels their Miſeries. p As this is every Man's Duty, let it be every ones Pratice. q 7.e. to every one that needs you. :
10 And * oppreſs 7 not the widow £, nor the father- leſs, the {tranger, nor the poor, and * let none of you imagine evil againſt his brother 1n your heart z,
y Do not firſt miſreport their Perſons, their ARions, and their Caſes, and on that Pretence do them wrong, and oppreſs them : 'tis doublc Oppreffion, to oppreſs by falſe Information, and then con- demn z the firſt is an Oppreffion ot Righteouſneſs, the next is Op- preffi »n of the Righteous. s A Cataiogue of helpleſs ones who are under the peculiar Tutelage of God, Exod. 22. 21, 22. Deut. Io. 18. and 14.25. and 24. 17, 19. I/a. 1.17, 23, &c. & Neither think 1] of, or wiſh il] to, nor plot evil againſt one another.
11 But they refuſed to hearken z, and+ pulled away the ſhoulder x, and + ſtopped their ears y, that they thould not hear 2.
u They wilfully were 1gnorant,would not conſider nor underſtand. x Next they ſhift from doing their Dury, withdraw their Shoulder rom the Yoke of the Law, Neh. 9. 29. Hiſ. 4-16. y And to make it higheſt Contempt, they a& che deat Man, ſtop their Ears, and ſo rurn their Backs on God. 7 All this out of an obſtinate Reſolution to be unacquainted with God's Will, aud their own Duty.
12 Yea, they mude @ their hearts a4 an adamant þ ſtone, leſt they ſhowd hear c the law &, and the words e
ZECEHARIUN
aedeoo Chap. VI
which the LORD of hoſts 7 hath ſent in his ſpirit -
+} by the former prophets þ : therefore : came 4 great +1.
wrath # trom the LORD of hoſts /. ther? a Though the Heart of it ſelf is far from taking Impreſſions, ang of os
recelving kindly the Law of God, yet theſe deſperate Sinners think
tis too pliable, they ſtudy how to harden it, and this was the Fault
of many of them. 6 The hardeſt of Stones. c Which was peremy-
rorily required of them, and they as peremptorily reſolyed againſt f
4 Of God by Moſes, of whom they boaſted, whilſt they deſpiſed his
Law. e Counſelsaad Commands. f Which the Lord of Hoſts their
God ſpake, nay though they knew he ſpake they would not hea;
g By his Holy Spirit in clear Evidences, piercing-Convidions, —_—
erful Opcration, and dreadful Threatnings 3 yet they Oppoſed and r«.
fiſted, and finned againſt his Spirit. þ All of them acted by the
ſame Spirit,and preffing them to the ſame Duties, and toretelling the
ſame Miſeries, and promiſing the ſame Bleſſings, but all would not
prevail. 7 For this great Obſtinacy. k which conſumed the whole
Land, and burat againſt them 70 Years together in Babylon. } In all
which the Hand of the Lord was moſt evidently ſeen, dealing to them
according to their ways. Such were your Fathers, ſuch their Ways
ſuch their Sufferings, all which is well known ro you who ſtart ſuch
Queries, and mean while run away from the great Commands of the
Law.
13 Therefore m: it is come to pals, that as he 7 cri.
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ed, and they would not hear ; fo * they cried o, and [*p;, would not hear, faith the LORD of hoſts. 1a. n. This is the very Cauſe, and *tis juſt too- n My Spirit by the 11.1.1, Prophets called, warned, intreated, and urged them to repent, obey, |tt-1141, q and live 3 but they would not. 0 By faſting and howling in their & 14.12 deep,but choſen Diſtreſs, in the Miſeries they fell under after Gedali- Mich,3., 4 ah's death, yet I would not hear ſaith the Lord of Hoſts; is it not | fi moſt juſt I ſhould diſregard their Tears for Gedaliah, when after his It death they pretended ro enquire that they might obey my Word gi Fer. 42. 2,3, with 5,5? yet then they gave my Prophet the Lye, h and contempruouſly reſolved to do contrary to my Word by him. Or, hard Fer. 43. 4- Thus you know my Reſentments of your Fafts held on ir dificult. | with your Sins, faith the Lord. Gen 18, _ 14 Bur I ſcattered them p with a whirlwind q amoyg ws 11l the nations + whom they knew not s : thus the k. 137, EY land 7 was deſolate after them z, that no man paſſed a through, nor returned x for they y laid the + pleaſant ita the land delolate. of i, ly x þ When they had ſo provoked me, I caſt them our of their Habira- Day tions, purſued them with the Tempeſt of Wrath that ſcattered them eT
as I threatned, 9 Irrefiſtibly, ſuddenly, and tearing all into Pieces, as Whirlwinds do. r All the Heathen char hatred them, and their ways» £ Where they could haye no Pity, nor any Relief, nor com- mon Commerce but as barbarous Uſage as fierce and unintelligible Enemies can give them. # Once flowing with Milk and Honey once full of Cities, Men and Cattel, now waſte as a Wilderneſs. u Either
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