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of Jehoiakim the fon of Jofiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Jofiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerufalem captive in the fifth month, when the city and temple were destroyed; fo that he prophefied about forty two 4 years, and lived to fee most of his prophecies fulfilled. Then the word of the LORD came unto me in a vifion, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, I had thee in my view, and before thou cameft forth out of the womb I fanctified thee, fet thee apart for this office, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations, to

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fent fome forces, joined by the Syrians and Ammonites, to commit depredations on his country. This they did for feveral years, always carrying off fpoils and captives. Jehoiakim, in attempting to repel one of their invafions, was flain without the gates of the city, and his body, after having been treated with much ignominy, was caft into the fields without the honours of a burial. His fon Jeconiah, tho' very young, fucceeded him; and in rebellion and vice followed his example. After a reign of only three months, Nebuchadnezzar, who had come to Judea in perfon, carried him, and almost all the people of any note in the country, captive to Babylon. The golden veffels, that had remained in the temple, were likewife carried off at this time. Zedekiah, uncle to Jeconiah, was permitted to fucceed him, on fwearing allegiance and becoming tributary to the king of Babylon: but, relying on the affiftance of Egypt, he revolted foon after, and drew on himself and on his country the full vengeance of the Babylonian monarch, as related in the fifty fecond chapter. The fubfequent tranfactions of the murder of Gedaliah (who was left governor in the country) and the retreat of the remaining jews into Egypt, (whither they were accompanied by Jeremiah, who is faid to have been there put to death) may be feen from chapter forty to forty four inclufively. Soon after the taking of Jerufalem, and the carrying of Judah into captivity, Nebuchad nezzar brought on the Tyrians, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Philistines, and other neighbouring nations, that deftruction which the prophets of God foretold and threatened; he likewise ravaged Egypt, and either killed or enflaved all the jews who had fled thither for refuge. Thus matters ftood, till, at the precife period foretold by Ifaiah and the other prophets, the Babylonian monarchy was overturned, and the jews restored to their liberty and their country by Cyrus. This fhort view of the hiftory of Jere. miah's times, may in fome measure help us to understand his prophecies, of which the general subjects are-the idolatry and other fins of the jews the judgments that were impending on that account, together with their future restoration and deliver.

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6 other nations as well as to the jews.* Then faid I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I [am] a child; I cannot speak with due gravity and authority before great perfonages. But the LORD faid unto me, Say not I [am] a child: for thou fhalt go to all that I fhall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou fhalt speak. 8 Be not afraid of their faces when they look big and angry: for I [am] with thee to deliver thee, faith the LORD. A neceffary encouragement, as I was to reprove the princes and priests for their faults, as well as the people: and, to 9 confirm me against my fears, he gave me a fign; Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD faid unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth; I have given thee the gift of utter10 ance, and inftructed thee in my will. See, I have this day fet thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to deftroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant; I have commiffioned thee to foretel the deftruction of fome kingdoms, and the prefervation and restoration of others."

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Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, faying, Jeremiah, what feeft thou? And I faid, I fee VOL. V.

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ance, interfperfed with feveral intimations of the Meffiah. From this account, however, we muft except the forty fifth chapter, which relates to his difciple Baruch, and the fix following, which refpect the fate of other nations.

The ftyle of Jeremiah is beautiful and tender to a high degree; efpecially when he has occafion to excite the fofter paffions of grief and pity, which is not seldom the cafe in the first parts of the prophecy. It is likewife on many occafions very elegant and fublime, especially towards the end, (ch. xlv-li.) where this prophet approaches even to the majesty of Ifaiah.-The hiftorical narratives which are occafionally introduced, are written in a plain profaic ftyle, which is the fitteft for narratives.'

The chapters are not now arranged according to the order of time in which they were delivered: but of this notice will be taken in the courfe of the expofition.

This was defigned for his encouragement, and is exactly agreeable to the account St. Paul gives of himfelf Gal. i. 15, 16.

The prophets are faid to do what they declared God would do; and as it was customary with God to impress the minds of the prophets and people by certain figns or emblems, fo he does here.

12 a rod of an almond tree. Then faid the LORD unto me, Thou haft well feen, or judged right: for I will haften my word to perform it; as an almond is one of the first trees that blossoms in the spring, and haftens as it were to feize the first opportunity to bloffom, fo I will haften the 13 accomplishment of thy predictions. And the word of the LORD came unto me the fecond time, faying, What feeft thou? And I faid, I fee a feething pot, a boiling pot, or furnace; and the face thereof [is] toward the north; the mouth of the furnace, into which the fire was put, opened to the north; or rather, (as in the margin of our bibles) from the face of the north, from whence the evil 14 was to come. Then the LORD faid unto me, Out of the north, that is, from the Babylonians and Chaldeans, an evil fhall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land; they fhall throw the city and country into all the 15 agitation and confufion of a boiling furnace. For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, faith the LORD; the king of Babylon and his allies, a numerous army; and they fhall come, and they fhall fet every one his throne at the entering of the gates at Jerufalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah; they fball encamp 16 against and take possession of their cities and palaces. And I will utter my judgments, pass fentence and execute judg ment against them touching all their wickedness, who have forfaken me, and have burned incenfe unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands; my judgments fhall declare their wickedness, and my indigna17 tion confirm the truth of thy prophecies. Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arife, go about it vigorously and refolutely, and fpeak unto them all that I command thee: be not difmayed at their faces, left I confound thee before them; left I make thee afbamed of thy cowardice, and 18 bring upon thee that which thou feareft. For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole land, I have made thee like a city fortified with pillars of iron and walls of brafs, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, who shall batter thee with their power, against the priests

priests thereof, who will thunder their church cenfures against thee, and against the people of the land, who 19 will boot out their arrows, even bitter words. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I [am] with thee, faith the LORD, to deliver thee; they shall not be able on the whole to hurt thee.

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REFLECTION S.

HOM SOEVER God commiffions for any

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what ufe to make of every man; fees what fervices they are fit for; and if he calls them out to difficult work, they may expect, and, if they follow his providence, may depend upon, peculiar affiftance. Tho' a modest diffidence is very becoming in all, especially in young perfons, yet there is a falfe modefty which ought to be avoided. This prevents many from praying in their families, or with their friends, and from speaking of divine things: But when God calls us out to difficult fervices, we must not make excuses, but cheerfully undertake them, in a dependance on that help of his Spirit which he has promised; fo that as our day is, "our strength shall be.

2. We fee that courage and zeal becomes the Lord's prophets and minifters. They are to speak all that he commands; and not fun to declare the whole counsel of God. They are to reprove and admonish faithfully and tenderly; and this requires great refolution. If they fhun their duty for fear of the reproach and contempt of men, God will make them contemptible. If they are faithful, he will bear them up, and make them honourable in the eyes of all that are wife and good.

3. The fear of man bringeth a fnare. This was the prophet Jeremiah's infirmity, and it prevails upon many to neglect their duty, and to comply with finful, dangerous customs. The fear of being reproached or laughed at, leads many young perfons in particular, into guilt, fhame, and ruin. The best preservative against this fnare is the fear of God; a reverence of his authority, a sense of his prefence, and a Cc 2 dread

dread of being confounded and condemned by him. It is therefore excellent advice of our Lord, which we fhould always remember and act upon, Fear not them who can kill the body; but fear him, who can kill the body and caft the foul into hell; I fay unto you, Fear him.

CHA P. II. I-20.

We had the prophet's commission in the former chapter; here he enters on his work; and in this part of the chapter represents to the jews their ingratitude to God, their unparalleled wickedness, and the dishonour and ruin they were bringing on themfelves by it.

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OROEVER the word of the LORD came to me, faying, Go and cry in the ears of Jerufalem, faying, Thus faith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine efpoufals, when thou wenteft after me in the wilderness, in a land [that was] not fown; I remember thy obedience and fubjection, when thou waft first formed into a people, and entered into a covenant with God at mount Sinai, when thou followedft the cloud, and attendedft the fervice of the taber3 nacle. Ifrael [was] holiness unto the LORD, [and] the firft fruits of his increase; like the first fruits, they are peculiarly valuable in his fight: all that devour him fhall offend; evil shall come upon them, faith the LORD; I 4 will feverely punish all that shall attack them. Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the fa5 milies of the house of Ifrael: Thus faith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, what injuftice, unfaithfulness, or unkindness, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? that they have practifed idolatry, and are 6 become like the heathen? Neither faid they, Where [is] the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, they forgat the kindness I fhowed to their fathers, that led

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Or rather, according to Dr. BLAYNEY, I have called to mind in thy behalf the kindness fhown thee in thy youth, &c.

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