men, and how eafily he can turn them. The people were at first for having Jeremiah put to death; then, when they heard his defence, they were for having him fpared. Upon a precedent being quoted for putting him to death (even the cafe of Urijah) it seems that they altered their sentiments again, but Ahikam faved him. How little dependance is to be had upon popular cries, whether for or against a man! God raised up a friend for Jeremiah. This fhould engage us to be firm and refolute in the caufe of God and religion, fince he knows how to deliver the godly out of their tribulations. The wicked watcheth the righteous, and feeketh to flay him; but the Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. Pfalm xxxvii. 32, 33.

Under the type of bonds and yokes, Jeremiah prophefieth the fubduing of the neighbouring kings by Nebuchadnezzar, I N the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the fon of Jofiah king of Judah came this word unto 2 Jeremiah from the LORD, faying, Thus faith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them 3 upon thy neck,' And fend them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the meffengers which come to Jerufalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah, that is, ambaffadors, who came to congratulate Zedekiah on his acceffion; or rather, to concert measures to throw off the yoke of 4 the king of Babylon; And command them to fay unto K k 2 their

Some careless transcriber has put, by mistake, Jehoiakim for Zedekiah, as appears from feveral verfes in this chapter, and the beginning of the next. Miftakes of names and dates must often happen in tranfcribing antient books; but they no way affect their general credibility, and but feldom their fenfe.

The prophets used to prophefy by figns and actions, as well as by words. The yoke confifted of two boards, with holes cut in the middle to fit the neck, and were tied together with bands; fo that it was fomewhat like our pillories, only thefe lay on their fhoulders; and they put them on malefactors, as we do fetters.

their mafters, Thus faith the LORD of hofts, the God 5 of Ifrael; Thus fhall ye fay unto your mafters;` I have made the earth, the man and the beast that [are] upon. the ground, by my great power and by my out-ftretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto 6 me. And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my fervant; and the beasts of the field, their cattle, in which much of their fubftance confifted, have I given him also to serve him. 7 And all nations fhall fèrve him, and his fon, and his fon's fon, that is, Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, until the very time of his land come, the time of his vifiting and reckoning with them: and then many nations and great kings fhall ferve themselves of him, that is, 8 fhall exact service of him. And it fhall come to pass, [that] the nation and kingdom which will not ferve the fame Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punifh, faith the LORD, with the fword, and with the famine, and with the peftilence, until I have confumed them by his hand.' 9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your forcerers, which speak unto you, 10 faying, Ye fhall not serve the king of Babylon: For they prophefy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land, and that I fhould drive you out, and ye fhould perish; if therefore you fuffer yourselves to be II deceived by them, ye shall be removed. But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and ferve him, those will I let remain ftill in their own land, faith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein; they shall become his tributaries, and probably live better than they did before.

12

I fpake alfo to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, faying, Bring your necks under the

This is a remarkable prophecy, as the empire of Babylon was now in its greatest power and glory: but it never made any figure after the Perfians conquered it.

This threatening was executed by fome parts of his army haraffing their country, during the thirteen years that he befieged Tyre.

yoke of the king of Babylon, and ferve him and his 13 people, and live." Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the fword, by the famine, and by the peftilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation 14 that will not ferve the king of Babylon? Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, faying, Ye fhall not ferve the king of Baby15 lon: for they prophefy a lie unto you. For I have not fent them, faith the LORD, yet they prophefy a lie in my name; that I may drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophefy unto

16

you.

Alfo I fpake to the priests and to all this people; tho' they were my inveterate enemies, who had endeavoured to take away my life, yet I faithfully warned them, and thus endeavoured to preferve theirs, faying, Thus faith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophefy unto you, faying, Behold, the veffels of the LORD's house, which have been taken away in the two former reigns, fhall now fhortly be brought again from 17 Babylon: for they prophefy a lie unto you. Hearken

not unto them; ferve the king of Babylon, and live : 18 wherefore should this city be laid wafte? But if they [be] prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make interceffion to the LORD of hofts, that the veffels which are left in the house of the LORD, and [in] the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerufalem, go not to Babylon.

19

For thus faith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the fea, and concerning the bafes, and concerning the refidue of the veffels that 20 remain in this city, Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the fon of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerufalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and 21 Jerufalem; Yea, thus faith the LORD of hosts, the God of Ifrael, concerning the veffels that remain [in]

Kk 3

the

u Zedekiah was made king by the king of Babylon, and had fworn fidelity to him, and is reproved, and afterwards punished for his perjury.

the house of the LORD, and [in] the house of the king 22 of Judah and of Jerufalem; They fhall be carried to Babylon, and there fhall they be until the day that I vifit them, faith the LORD, that is, till I vifit the veffels; as if he had faid, I will come and furvey the catalogue of them, and call it over to fee that none are wanting; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place; tho they are fo large, weighty and valuable, they shall all be fent by Cyrus, and at his own expenfe; all which was remarkably fulfilled.

"F'

REFLECTIONS.

ROM hence we learn to reverence the fupreme power and univerfal dominion of God, v. 5. Being the creator, he is the fupreme proprietor and difpofer of all countries and perfons; he gives the earth to the children of men, and to each his fhare; changes times and feafons; fets up kings, and removeth them. Tho' Nebu chadnezzar was a wicked and tyrannical prince, yet God for wife reafons gave him these countries. Large eftates, dominions, and poffeffions, are not the best things; for God fometimes gives them to the worst of men. Let the thought of his univerfal government compofe our minds in the most troublesome times; and engage us to be content with that lot which his providence hath affigned us.

2. We may infer the reasonableness of fubmitting to the yoke of Chrift. God hath exalted him to be a prince, given him the earth for his poffeffion, and requires us to be fubject to him. God's appointment is a fufficient reafon for our fubjection; efpecially when we confider the character of Chrift; that his yoke is eafy, that if we serve him, we shall live, and that if we do not fubmit, God will punish us. Falfe notions of liberty are mischievous; the restraints of religion are reasonable and useful. Kifs the fon, therefore, left he be angry, and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Bleffed are all they that trust in him.

3. God's prophets fhould be praying men, and use all their intereft in heaven for the fafety and good of the church, v. 18. Which intimates, that true prophets fhould

be

be men of eminent devotion, and that God would pay a great regard to their interceffion. May all God's ministers be devout and holy men! enter tenderly into the concerns of the church, and be fervent in their interceffions before God for its profperity! and may they be fuccessful in fuch friendly endeavours to ferve it!

A

CHAP. XXVIII.

Hananiah, by a prophetic action, contradi&s Jeremiah's prophecy; who gives a terrible answer, which was foon fulfilled. I ND it came to pafs the fame year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, [and] in the fifth month," [that] Hananiah the fon of Azur the prophet, which [was] of Gibeon, fpake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, faying, 2 Thus fpeaketh the LORD of hofts, the God of Ifrael, faying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon, that is, his tyrannical power, of which Jeremiah's yoke was 3 an emblem. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the veffels of the LORD's houfe, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this 4 place, and carried them to Babylon: And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, faith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.*

K k 4

5 Then

"As Zedekiah reigned but eleven years, the fourth could hardly be faid to be the beginning of his reign; and therefore fome critics would render the words, when it has been sa, that is, when Jeremiah had been prophesying with this yoke from the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah to the fourth year, (in which year he went to Babylon, fee chap. li. 59.) having put it on when he delivered his prophetic meffages.

This was pleafing enough to the people, because they confidered Jeconiah as their lawful king, and Zedekiah, his uncle, as only the lieutenant or viceroy of Nebuchadnezzar: but this prophecy appears at the firft view very fufpicious, as nothing is laid about their repentance and reformation.