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of the flock, ye great men: for the days of your flaughter and of your difperfions are accomplished; and ye fhall fall like a pleasant veffel that is broken, and no 35 longer valued or regarded. And the fhepherds fhall have

no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape. 36 A voice of the cry of the fhepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, [fhall be heard:] for the 37 LORD hath spoiled their pasture. And the peaceable habitations, or, the habitations of Salem, or Jerufalem, its palaces and houses, are cut down because of the fierce 38 anger of the LORD. He hath forfaken his covert, as the lion, who is come abroad to range for prey: for their land is defolate because of the fierceness of the oppreffor, and because of his fierce anger.

1.

Go

REFLECTION S.

OD keeps an exact account what religious advantages we have been favoured with, and how long we have enjoyed them, v. 3, 4. He reminds the jews of this, to fhame their ignorance and difobedience. An awful thought: which it becomes us to enter into, that we may confider what improvement we have made of our advantages, and what account we shall give of them, when for all these things God fhall bring us into judgment.

2. See what ufe God makes of the princes of the earth; to execute his purposes, v. 9. Nebuchadnezzar was purfuing his ambitious, covetous ends; but God was fulfilling his own defigns by him. Those who are most troublesome to God's people, are but his rod: the tyrants and conquerors of the earth are but fulfilling his pleasure and at length their time fhall come to fall, their ambition and cruelty fhall be punished. It is not what men do, but the temper and principle from which they do it, that renders them acceptable to God: let us therefore judge nothing before the time.

3. See what it is that provokes God to punish, viz. difobedience, v. 6. Let finners take warning, and return to God and their duty; then they will efcape final hurt. Let God's people be careful to behave in an holy, regular

manner;

manner; then, tho' he may chaften them for the trial and improvement of their graces, it will be all for their good.

4. If God afflicts his own people, what have not his. enemies to fear? v. 29. If Judah, that had fome good people among them, fuffered fo much, furely the idolatrous nations about them would fuffer more. If good men are afflicted, what must the wicked expect? For the time is come that judgment must begin at the houfe of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gofpel of God? And if the righteous fcarcely be faved, where fhall the ungodly and the finner appear?

5. Let us obferve and lament the miferies and defolations of war. The nations are here described as all drunken and infatuated; which, by the way, fhows us what a beaftly, deteftable vice drunkennefs is. God makes ufe of this emblem to fhow how they fhould ftagger in their counfels; be all in perplexity and confufion, and totally incapable of defending themselves; the strongest and greateft men should be thrown into hurry and confternation; the peaceable habitations deftroyed; and the quiet in the land fuffer, as well as others. This is a cafe much to be lamented; and the continuance of the divine displeasure on the nations deprecated. But whatever the times are, let the wicked remember, that in the hand of the Lord there is, a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture, and the dregs thereof all the wicked of the earth fhall wring them out, and drink them.

1

CHA P. XXVI.

This chapter gives an account of the danger which Jeremiah was brought into for delivering his message from the Lord faithfully.

I

IN

N the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the fon of Jofiah king of Judah came this word from the 2 LORD, faying, Thus faith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD's house, probably at one of the folemn feafts, and fpeak unto all the cities of Judah, which

come

i come to worship in the LORD's house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word, as you may be tempted to do, the message being fo 3 likely to provoke them: If fo be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpofe to do unto them be4 cause of the evil of their doings. And thou fhalt fay unto them, Thus faith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me to walk in my law, which I have fet 5 before you: To hearken to the words of my fervants the prophets, whom I fent unto you, both rifing up early, 6 and fending [them,] but ye have not hearkened; Then will I make this houfe like Shiloh, and will make this city a curfe to all the nations of the earth; when a curse is denounced upon a city, it fhall be, God make it like 7 Jerufalem.' So the priests and the false prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD, that is, in one of the courts, which were all called the house, or temple.

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Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded [him] to fpeak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou fhalt furely die, becaufe thou haft difturbed the government, 9 and difcouraged the people from defending their country. Why haft thou prophefied in the name of the LORD, faying, This houfe fhall be like Shiloh, and this city fhall be defolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the houfe of the LORD, and laid an information against him before the 10 princes, in the courts of justice. When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's houfe unto the house of the LORD, and fat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD's [house,] II at which gate the court fat, as ufual. Then fpake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, faying, This man [is] worthy to die; for he hath prophefied againft this city, as ye have heard with

12

your ears.

Then fpake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all

the

the people, faying, The LORD fent me to prophefy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard; I have faid nothing but what God com13 manded me. Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you; repeating his message very 14 courageously, and adding, As for me, behold, I [am] in your hand do with me as feemeth good and meet unto you; if God Jee fit to permit you to put me to death, 15 I am fatisfied I cannot die in a better caufe. But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye fhall furely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath fent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.

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Then faid the princes and all the people unto the priefts and to the prophets; This man [is] not worthy to die for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God; the princes and people hearing his apology 17 were for fparing him. Then rofe up certain of the elders of the land, and fpake to all the affembly of the people, 18 faying, Micah the Morafthite prophefied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and fpake to all the peo. ple of Judah, faying, Thus faith the LORD of hosts; Zion fhall be ploughed [like] a field, and Jerufalem fhall become heaps, and the mountain of the house, the hill on which the temple ftands, as the high places of 19 a foreft, overgrown with thorns and briers. Did Heze. kiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and befought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our fouls by destroying Jeremiah. 20 And there was alfo a man that prophefied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the fon of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophefied against this city and against 21 this land according to all the words of Jeremiah :" And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king fought VOL. V.

K k

to

to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he 22 was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt. And

Jehoiakim the king fent men into Egypt, [namely,] Elnathan the fon of Achbor, and [certain] men with 23 him into Egypt And they fetched forth Urijah ́out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who flew him with the fword," and caft his dead body into the graves of the common people; being probably defcended from fome good family, he would not fuffer him to be buried with his ancestors, but interred him with common 24 people, or malefaclors. Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the fon of Shaphan, a person of great influence, and a minifter in Jofiah's court, (2 Kings xxii. 12.) was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death; he interpofed, and rescued him.

I.

REFLECTION S.

OW fit is it for the Lord's minifters to be faith

H ful and courageous in delivering their meffages!

Jeremiah was commanded not to diminish a word; not to put his meffage into less offenfive expreffions, than those in which he received it; and God defended him, while Urijah's cowardice coft him his life. Thus muft christian ministers act; faithfully and boldly reprove the vices which are found among those whom they addrefs, and declare the whole counsel of God; never diminishing a word, either thro' fear, favour, or flattery. If they keep close to their inftructions, the God whom they serve will bear them out, however men may be offended at them. And their being offended is indeed not much to be regarded, fince none will be fo, but those who know in their own confciences that they are guilty of the vices reproved.

2. See the influence which God has over the fpirits of

men,

P This ftory is no where elfe recorded. Many prophets were injured and destroyed, that we read nothing of in the scripture history. This story was alleged by Jeremiah's enemies, as a precedent for putting fuch a perfon to death; tho' fome think it was recorded by himself or the hiftorian, to fhow the goodness of God in preferving

him.

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