hofts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain, that is, deceive you they fpeak a vifion of their own heart, 17 [and] not out of the mouth of the LORD. They fay till unto them that defpife me, The LORD hath faid Ye fhall have peace: and they fay unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No 18 evil fhall come upon you. For who hath ftood in the counsel of the LORD, and who hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard [it;] they never took pains to diftinguish my fuggeftions from their own foolish reafonings, elfe, instead of peace, they would have 19 foretold judgments. Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind it shall 20 fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD fhall not return, fhall not turn back, or reft, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye fhall confider it perfectly; in your captivity and distress ye fhall understand and confider the meaning of thefe pro21 phecies. I have not fent these prophets, yet they ran : 22 I have not spoken to them, yet they prophefied. But if they had stood in my counfel, and had caufed my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their 23 doings, they would have had fome fuccefs. [Am] I a God at hand, faith the LORD, and not a God afar off? in heaven, and not in earth? cannot I difcern what is doing 24 at the greatest distance? Can any hide himself in fecret places that I fhall not fee him? faith the LORD: can they think to deceive and impofe upon me? Do not I fill 25 heaven and earth? faith the LORD. I have heard what the prophets faid, tho' they thought I did not, that prophefy lies in my name, faying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed; I have a divine admonition to deliver. 26 How long fhall [this] be in the heart of the prophets that prophefy lies? yea, [they are] prophets of the 27 deceit of their own heart; Which think, or contrive, to cause my people to forget my name by their dream which they tell every man to his neighbour, as the fathrs fathers have forgotten my name for Baal; their defign is to lead them to idolatry, and to forget me and my laws. 28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; tell it as a dream that deferves no regard; and he that hath my word, let him fpeak my word faithfully: What [is] the chaff to the wheat? faith the LORD; there is as much difference between true and falfe prophets, and their way of preaching, as between chaff and wheat. 9 [Is] not my word like as a fire? faith the LORD; and like a hammer [that] breaketh the rock in pieces ? that breaks thro' all oppofition, and fubdues the most obdurate hearts; and the words of the true prophets had often this effect, which was a proof that they were not counterfeit. 30 Therefore, behold, I [am] against the prophets, faith the LORD, that fteal my words every one from his neighbour, that is, fome of their good sayings, and apply them to their own purposes; imitating their manner of ad31 drefs. Behold, I [am] against the prophets, faith the LORD, that ufe, or fmooth, their tongues, and fay, He faith; pretending a divine authority for what they deliver. 32 Behold, I [am] against them that prophefy falfe dreams, faith the LORD, and do tell them, and caufe my people to err by their lies and by their lightness; their unsteady and inconfiftent conduct; yet I fent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they fhall not profit this people at all, faith the LORD. 33 And when this people, or the prophet, or a prieft, fhall afk thee, faying, What [is] the burden of the LORD? when they meet thee, and ask in a taunting and fcornful way, what the burden of the Lord now is; (as prophecies are often called, because they contained very weighty and important matters;) thou fhalt then fay unto them, What burden? I will even forfake you, faith the LORD; or rather, Ye are the burden, and I will cast you off, faith the 34 Lord. And [as for] the prophet, and the priest, and the people, that shall fay, The burden of the LORD, I will 35 even punish that man and his house. Thus fhall ye fay every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, instead of that profane jefting language, you should fay, What hath the LORD anfwered? and, What hath the 1i3 LORD 36 LORD fpoken? And the burden of the LORD fhall ye mention no more: for every man's word fhall be his burden; he that makes a jeft of it fhall feel it; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God, who is able to accomplish his 37 threatenings, Thus fhalt thou fay to the prophet, What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath 38 the LORD fpoken? But fince ye fay, or, if ye will fay, The burden of the LORD; therefore thus faith the LORD; Because ye fay this word, The burden of the LORD, and I have fent únto you, faying, Ye fhall not 39 fay, The burden of the LORD: Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forfake you, and the city that I gave you and your fathers, [and caft 40 you] out of my prefence: And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual fhame, which fhall not be forgotten. I. LE REFLECTION S. ET us regard Jefus Chrift in the view in which he is here foretold as a Branch of David, in whom the prophecies are fulfilled; and as our Righteoufnefs, as one who is perfectly righteous himself, and who wrought out righteousnefs for his people. The dignity of his perfon, the excellency of his character, and his divine appointment, all join to render him a complete Saviour, May we then look to him, and be faved. He will take care of his church, and provide for his flock, when those who fhould feed it, neglect it; and those who should defend it, devour it. 2. Let us reverence the omnifcience of God. These prophets would not have been fo wicked; nor the people fo eafily impofed upon, had they not forgotten this, and faid, The Lord doth not fee. But there is no concealing any thing from him; no impofing upon him: darkness and distance are no obftruction to his view. Let us reflect ferioufly on this; be afraid of fecret fins; and approve ourselves to him. 3. Let us admire the power of the word of God. It is as as fire, and as a hammer; diffolving the stubborn fpirit; breaking the most rocky heart. It has a wonderful efficacy for these purposes; and it is a proof of its divine authority when fuch effects attend it. Let us pray that it may have this effect upon our fouls; and instead of being a favour of death may be a favour of life to them. 4. Here is an awful leffon to minifters to preach God's word faithfully, and to deal plainly with immortal fouls. What a number of expreffions have we here of God's displeasure against falfe prophets and deceivers ! May minifters take warning, and not fmooth their tongues, but how men their tranfgreffions. May they never ftrengthen the hands of the wicked, by promifing them peace; by lowering the terms of falvation, or weakening the threatenings of God's word. May they never lead people to substitute any thing for real holiness. To fay nothing but what is pleafing and plaufible; to be more fearful of offending man than God, are proofs that they never ftood in his counsel, nor understood his words. This is doing men the greatest mischief imaginable. May they therefore watch for fouls, as thofe that must give an account. 5. See the evil and danger of making a jeft of fcripture truths, or fcripture language. This was the fin of the jews; we fee how highly God refented it; and how awfully he forbids it, on pain of his higheft difpleasure. It is common for men to turn facred things into ridicule, and to make a jeft of the language of minifters, tho' it be the language of fcripture, and the language of the Spirit of God. Sometimes those who profefs godlinefs will ufe fcripture phrases and expreffions in a light, trifling manner, and make it their jeft, when perhaps they have no evil intention. But let them beware of this, left their own tongues fall upon them, v. 36. They who allow themselves in this indecent, irreverent, profane language, will hereafter perfectly understand what it is to trifle with facred things, and what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God. God and his word jeft with no man, and therefore they are not to be jefted with. CHAP. I i4 CHAP. XXIV. In the former chapter the ruin of Jerufalem and the jewish state was foretold; here, for the encouragement of the prophet and the pious people in the land, it is declared, that tho' all fhould fuffer, God would make a distinction between the precious and the vile. I T HE LORD fhowed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs [were] fet before the temple of the LORD, these were offered, according to the law, as part of their firft fruits, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the fon of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and fmiths, from Jerufalem, and had brought them to Babylon; because they wanted these most, or to prevent the jews fortifying their city and making wea2 pons. One basket [had] very good figs, [even] like the figs [that are] firft ripe: and the other basket [had] very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were fo bad. Then faid the LORD unto me, What feeft thou, Jeremiah? And I faid, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are fo evil. 4 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, faying, 5 Thus faith the LORD, the God of Ifrael; Like these good figs, fo will I acknowledge, or diftinguish, them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have fent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for [their] good, or, in a favourable manner; that is, I will show them favour, and make their captivity work for 6 their good.". For I will fet mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull [them] down; and I will plant them, and not pluck [them] up, I will give them favour in the land of their captivity, and bring them or their Probably most of these were pious men: God might influence the hearts of the conquerors to take fuch, while those who stayed behind thought themfelves better beloved of God than their brethren who were carried captive; but God would fhow them the contrary. |