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that as our tribulations abound, our confolations in Chrift will much more abound.

2. We here fee the happy effects of divine difcoveries and favours, v. 6. Thus God mercifully deals with difeafed fouls; reveals to them thofe important doctrines which are truth, and imparts that peace, which Chrift has procured for them by his fufferings and grace; he heals their fpiritual maladies, and restores their comfort and cheerfulness. Let us ftudy the truth as it is in Jefus ; receive it with meeknefs and love; labour to be in a ftate of peace with God; and preferve our minds in a ftate of ferenity. This will be the best antidote against the evils of life, and the surest foundation of true pleasure and lively hope."

3. Let us blefs God for these promises; rejoice that they have hitherto been fulfilled; and depend upon the further accomplishment of them. We have feen the gospel fpread to this day, amidft perfecutions, enemies, and corruptions; we have feen a fucceffion of chriftian minifters, amidst all their difcouragements; and are, as chriftians, the feed of David, that is, of Chrift the fon of David. Still is God maintaining his caufe; ftirring up the fpirit of fome to devote themselves to the fervice of the fanctuary, and raifing up in our families a feed to ferve him. This, if we are chriftians indeed, we cannot but behold with plea fure and thankfulness: and as furely as day and night, fummer and winter, continue to fucceed each other, fo furely fhall this be the cafe with the church to the end of the world. Let us rejoice in our relation to that church, whose name is The Lord our righteousness; confulting its interests to the utmost of our power, and endeavouring to be name, a praife, and an honour to the Lord, who hath purchafed us to himself with his own blood.

CHA P. XXXIV.

While Jerufalem was befieged, the Egyptians came to help Zedekiah, and the Chaldeans drew off to fight the Egyp tians; during this time the events related in this chapter happened.

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HE word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jeru2 falem, and against all the cities thereof, faying, Thus faith the LORD, the God of Ifrael; Go and fpeak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus faith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he fhall burn it with fire: -3 And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt furely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he fhall speak with thee mouth to mouth, in a stern 4 angry manner, and thou fhalt go to Babylon. Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus faith the LORD of thee, Thou shalt not 5 die by the fword: [But] thou fhalt die in peace and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, fo fhall they burn [odours] for thee; and they will lament thee, [faying,] Ah lord!' for I have pronounced the word, faith the LORD; thou Shalt die a natural death, and receive the ufual marks of re6 fpect which are paid to kings at their decease. Then Jeremiah the prophet fpake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerufalem, (for which he was imprisoned, 7 chap. xxxii.) When the king of Babylon's army fought against Jerufalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.

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[This is] the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which [were] at Jerufalem, to proclaim liberty unto them, when he thought judgments were coming he began a reformation accord9 ing to the law in Exodus xxi. 2; That every man fhould let his man fervant, and every man his maid fervant, [being] an Hebrew or an Hebrewefs, go free; that none fhould ferve himself of them, [to wit,] of a Jew his brother, tho' fold either to pay their debts, or by 10 the judges for their crimes. Now when all the princes, M m 4

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and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one fhould let his man fervant, and every one his maid fervant, go free, that none fhould ferve themselves of them any more, then they 11 obeyed, and let [them] go. But afterward they turned, and caufed the fervants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for fervants and for handmaids; when the fiege was raifed for a while, they laid hold of them, and brought them into bondage again, which was worse than if they had never let them go free.

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Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah 13 from the LORD, faying, Thus faith the LORD, the God of Ifrael, I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of 14 Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, faying, At the end of feven years, or, within the term of feven years, let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been fold unto thee; and when he hath ferved thee fix years, thou fhalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear. This law, and that concerning the fab15 batical year, have been neglected for feveral ages. And ye were now turned, and had done right in my fight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the houfe 16 which is called by my name: But ye turned and polluted my name, and caufed every man his fervant, and every man his handmaid, whom he hath fet at liberty. at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into fubjection, to be unto you for fervants and for hand17 maids. Therefore thus faith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, faith the LORD, to the fword, to the peftilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. A remarkable contraft! Ye have not given liberty to your brethren and neighbours, therefore I will give the fword, the peftilence, and the famine, full com

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miffion and liberty to attack you without controul; and ye 18 fhall be flaves among strangers and enemies. And I will give the men that have tranfgreffed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in 19 twain, and paffed betweeen the parts thereof, The princes of Judah and the princes of Jerufalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the 20 land, which paffed between the parts of the calf; I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies fhall be for meat unto the fowls of the 21 heaven, and to the beafts of the earth. And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes, will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of 22 Babylon's army, which are gone up from you. Be. hold, I will command, faith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and 1 will make the cities of Judah a defolation without an inhabitant.

1.

REFLECTION S.

BSERVE a remarkable inftance of the goodness and severity of God, in the cafe of Zedekiah. He was not one of the worst of their kings; but by his difobedience to God, and treachery to the king of Babylon, to whom he fwore allegiance, he was dethroned, carried captive, and had his eyes put out. Yet he lived in honour at Babylon, died in peace, and was buried with royal pomp. Thus judgment and mercy were mingled together: God punished his disobedience and falsehood; yet fhowed him fome favour on account of his freedom from fome of the vices of his predeceffors. God will not fuffer

Here is an allufion to their manner of making covenants they killed a calf, and before it was laid on the altar, the covenanting parties walked between the parts of it, and fo made a kind of imprecation, that God would fo cut them afunder if they broke the covenant: this was a common cuftom among the heathen, and as old as Abraham's time See Gen. xv, 17.

fuffer difobedience and treachery to go unpunished; nor any degree of virtue and obedience to go unrewarded.

2. It may be useful to bind ourselves by folemn engagements to our duty. Thus the Jews did, when they were informed what the law of God was concerning the release of their fervants. The covenant was folemnly made and ratified in the house and prefence of God; and attended with imprecations of his wrath if they brake it. It may be ferviceable to us to bind ourselves by folemn vows to what is our duty; and often to remind ourselves of them, and of the authority, omniscience, and power of God; and thus to keep up a due apprehenfion of his wrath in case of difobedience; and all is little enough to fix our unsteady minds, and keep them firm to his commands. But we learn alfo,

3. That if we break our vows to God, he will feverely punish it. What could be more vile and infamous than the conduct of this people to their fervants! It was not only an injury to them, but a high affront to God, and contempt of his law. They, as it is here faid, polluted his name, and brought a reproach upon his religion; and therefore he gave them over to all kind of calamities. This is too often the cafe with the vows men make in the time of fickness and trouble; they promife, and perhaps begin to reform; but when the trouble is over, their good refolu tions are gone; they repent of their repentance, and become as bad, yea worse than before. But be not deceived, God is not mocked; diffembled repentance, and partial reformation, are highly provoking to him; and therefore only adding deceit and treachery to other fins. In this cafe God will repent of the good he intended us, and make our punishment more remarkable and dreadful. When thou haft vowed a vow, defer not to pay it.

CHA P. XXXV.

Jeremiah is here ordered to go to the Rechabites, who on the approach of the Chaldeans took refuge in Jerufalem, and to try their obedience to the command of their father by offering

them

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