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providence, is a motive to fear and reverence him. He keeps the fea within its bounds amidst the most violent tempefts; ftops its course by the fmalleft fand, as easily as by walls of rock. When the tide has risen to fuch a height, it returns back, as if it obeyed the divine command. Who would not tremble at the prefence of fo great and awful a Being! Shall we not fear him who also gives us rain from heaven, and fruitful feafons? who favours us every year with feed-time and harvest? Let us meditate on his power, his goodness, and univerfal providence, that we may adore, reverence, and ferve him, who is mighty in power, excellent in working, and who fills the whole earth with his goodness.

5. It would be happy for men if they would but confider what will be the end of things. It is of the last importance, both for this world and another, to confider before we undertake any thing, what the end will be. It would especially prevent many of the calamities, and most of the iniquities that prevail among men; but they please themselves with their own imaginations, follow the course of this world, and feldom or never think what they shall do in the end thereof. There will be an end; death is the end of all men, as to this world; after that, the judgment will fettle their everlasting state; and their end will be happy or miserable, as their lives have been good or bad. Oh that men were wife, that they understood this, that they would confider their latter end.

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C H A P. VI.

In which the fame fubject is continued.

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YE children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerufalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and fet up a fign of fire, that is, a beacon, in Beth-haccerem: for evil appeareth out 2 of the north, and great destruction. I have likened the daughter

1 Part of Jerufalem was in the tribe of Benjamin; this was the prophet's own tribe, and therefore he was greatly concerned about them,

daughter of Zion, Jerufalem, to a comely and deli3 cate [woman.] The fhepherds with their flocks fhall come unto her; they fhall pitch [their] tents against her round about; they fhall feed every one in his place, in his pasture or quarter, till they quite devour it; the Chaldeans Shall encourage one another to attack Jerufalem, 4 faying, Prepare ye war against her; arife, and let us go up at noon, in the heat of the day. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the fhadows of the evening are ftretched out; lamenting to lose a single day in the attack; 5 yea, they shall be fo eager as to add, Arife, and let us go 6 by night, and let us deftroy her palaces. For thus hath the LORD of hosts faid, this is his commiffion to the Chaldeans, Hew ye down trees, and caft a mount against Jerufalem: this [is] the city to be vifited; fhe [is] 7 wholly oppreffion in the midst of her. As a fountain cafteth out her waters, fo fhe cafteth out her wickednefs, abundantly and conftantly: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually [is] grief and wounds, the 8 wounds of those whom he hath oppreffed. Be thou inftructed, O Jerufalem, left my foul depart from thee; left I make thee defolate, a land not inhabited; take warning before these threatenings and judgments are begun.

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Thus faith the LORD of hofts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Ifrael as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grape-gatherer into the baskets, when he efpies more bunches; fo will God make an entire riddance. 10 To whom fhall I fpeak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear [is] uncircumcifed, and they cannot hearken; it is grown heavy, and indisposed to hear the truth: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it; they hate 11 it, and charge the prophets with being flanderers. Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in; I must denounce his judgments: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the affembly of young men together, when at their clubs and merry meetings: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with [him that is] full of 12 days. And their houfes fhall be turned unto others,

[with their] fields and wives together: for I will ftretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, faith the 13 LORD. For from the leaft of them even unto the greatest of them every one [is] given to covetoufness; and from the prophet even unto the priest, all the different orders of men that should have promoted religion, every 14 one dealeth falfely. They have healed alfo the hurt [of the daughter] of my people flightly, faying, Peace, peace, when [there is] no peace; instead of fearching the wound to the bottom, they have skinned it over, so that it 15 will break out again. Were they afhamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all afhamed, neither could they blush: therefore they fhall fall among them that fall: at the time [that] I vifit them they fhall be caft down, faith the LORD.. 16 Thus faith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and fee, and afk for the old paths, where [is] the good way, in which your pious fathers the patriarchs and prophets trod, and walk therein, and ye fhall find reft for your fouls. 17 But they faid, We will not walk [therein.] Alfo I fet watchmen over you to warn you of danger, and to threaten my judgments, [faying,] Hearken to the found of the 18 trumpet. But they faid, We will not hearken. Therefore hear, ye neighbouring nations, and know, O congregation, especially ye governors and magiftrates, what [is] among them, what a height of wickedness they are 19 grown to. Hear, O earth; behold, I will bring evil upon this people, [even] the fruit of their thoughts, that is, their evil thoughts and the things they fear, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my 20 law, but rejected it. To what purpose cometh there to me incenfe from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country, on which you ground your pretenfions to my favour? your burnt offerings [are] not acceptable, nor 21 your facrifices fweet unto me. Therefore thus faith the LORD, Behold, I will lay ftumbling blocks before this people, and the father and the fons together fhall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend fhall perish; their defigns fhall mifcarry, they fball fall into the evils they thought to avoid; neither the father's wisdom, nor the fon's Strength,

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22 ftrength, fhall deliver them. Thus faith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation fhall be raised from the fides of the earth. 23 They fhall lay hold on bow and fpear; they [are] cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the fea; and they ride upon horfes, fet in array as men for 24 war against thee, O daughter of Zion. We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguifh hath taken hold of us, [and] pain, as of a woman in travail; 25 the people are terribly alarmed at the report, and say, Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way: for the 26 fword of the enemy [and] fear [is] on every fide. O daughter of my people, gird [thee] with fackcloth, and wallow thyfelf in afhes: make thee mourning, [as for] an only fon, moft bitter lamentation: for the 27 fpoiler fhall fuddenly come upon us. I have fet thee, O Jeremiah, [for,] or rather in, a tower [and] a fortrefs among my people, that thou mayeft know and try their way, to obferve their conduct, to fee my justice, 28 and warn them. They [are] all grievous revolters, walking with flanders: [they are] brafs and iron, the meanest metals; they [are] all corrupters, impudent and obftinate, 29. are corrupt themfelves, and corrupting one another.

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bellows are burned, the lead is confumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not 30 plucked away. Reprobate filver fhall [men] call them, that is, filver mixed with drofs, that will not pass current, because the LORD hath rejected them; they shall be rejected of God and man, and left to be confumed in the furnace.

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REFLECTION S.

E may infer from hence how refolute we should be in our spiritual warfare. The Chaldeans were eager to go up to the attack; neither the heat of the

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Here is an allufion to the method of refining filver; lead was mixed with it for that purpofe; the bellows were burned by being long near the fire; fo long God had ufed methods to reform them; but their wickedness was not removed, nor were they the better for the means of reformation.

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day, nor the coldness of the night difcouraged them. the courage and patience of military men roufe us to fight the good fight of faith. It is a glorious warfare in which we are engaged against spiritual enemies. The commiffion and command are from God; we have the promise of his ftrength, if we go on vigorously and faint not. Let Christ's aged foldiers not be disheartened, but be fo much the more diligent, as the day goeth away, and the fhadows of the evening are lengthened, for a glorious reward will be given: let us therefore be faithful unto death, and God will give us a crown of life.

2. We fee what is neceffary to be done, if we defire the continuance of God's favour, v. 8. We must attend to religious inftructions, by whom and in what way foever delivered; confider their importance, and obey them; else God's foul will depart from us; we fhall lofe his favour, and every thing honourable and comfortable; and then we fhall become defolate indeed. Let us therefore hear inftruction, and be wife, before it is too late.

3. We have here a leffon of important inftruction for minifters. They must faithfully deliver even those warnings and threatenings of fcripture, which are moft terrifying and difagreeable to men; and which is not very pleasant to themselves to deliver, any farther than as they are needful and useful. They must beware, left, as in v. 14, they encourage men in their fins, and fuffer them to perish thro' felf-deceit. Let their hearers alfo beware left they account the word of the Lord a reproach, and are angry with a reproof that reaches their cafes and confciences. Rather let them be thankful for it, and esteem the faithful reprover in love.

4. How defirable is it for all, especially young perfons, to feek after and walk in the good way, the old path; like travellers that would not willingly mistake their road, but want and afk direction. Let them enquire in what way thofe have walked, whofe names are recorded with honour in fcripture; ask of their parents, their ministers, their bible, and practical books, what is the good way, and never turn afide from it. There, and there only, will be found

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