II

ftruments to execute his purpofes, and he can make the most unlikely fuccessful.

And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerufalem for fear of 12 Pharaoh's army, Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerufalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to Anathoth, where his eftate lay, to feparate himself thence in the midst of the people; perceiving that he could do no good in the city, he thought it best to retire with the people who were 13 going to look to their affairs in the country. And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward [was] there, whofe name [was] Irijah, the fon of Shelemiah, the fon of Hananiah the false prophet, whofe death Jeremiah had foretold, and he took Jeremiah the prophet, faying, Thou falleft away to the Chaldeans; thou art going to them in perfon, to encourage them, because thou haft foretold their taking the city, and haft exhorted the 14 king and people to fubmit. Then faid Jeremiah, [It is] false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: fo Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought 15 him to the princes, to the chief officers of state. Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and fmote him, that is, fcourged him, and put him in prison in the houfe of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

16

When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there 17 many days, till the fiege began again; Then Zedekiah the king fent, and took him out: and the king, asked him fecretly in his house, for fear of the princes, and faid, Is there [any] word from the LORD? And fere. miah faid, There is: for, faid he, thou shalt be deliver18 ed into the hand of the king of Babylon. Moreover Jeremiah faid unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy fervants, or against this 19 people, that ye have put me in prifon? Where [are] now your prophets which prophefied unto you, faying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? you fee the fiege is renewed and the city 20 in danger. Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my Nn3

lord

lord the king: let my fupplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the fcribe, left I die there." 21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prifon, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' ftreet, until all the bread in the city were fpent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prifon, where he had more liberty and free air.

SEE

4

REFLECTION S.

EE how abfurd it is for perfons to defire the prayers of minifters, when they will not regard their exhortations. So Zedekiah did; and this is too common a cafe in times of diftrefs: men are then glad of the prayers of their friends and minifters, whom they before flighted, they are defirous to receive confolation from thofe, from whom they never would receive advice. But there is little reafon to hope for any fuccefs from fuch prayers; and minifters have no confolation to adminifter to the disobedient; for they must ftill fay, as God fays, There is no peace to the wicked.

2. The delay and suspension of divine judgments, too often harden finners in their evil ways. While the Chaldeans befieged Jerufalem, there were fome figns of remorfe among the people; when they retired, the Ifraelites grew bad again. This is often the cafe with finners; becaufe fentence against an evil work is not speedily executed, when judgments are at a distance, they go on to do wickedly. When God afflicts them, they entertain fome ferious thoughts and good refolutions; but when the affliction is gone, their goodness is gone too; and they return to folly again. Thus

they

It was a remarkable inftance of the prophet's courage and faithfulness, that he delivered this meffage when he had a petition to prefent for himself, which would have been more likely to have fucceeded had he delivered a more favourable one; espe cially to upbraid Zedekiah with his falfe prophets. When he fpoke in God's name, he was bold as a lion; but when he petitioned for himself, nothing can be more modeft, decent, and refpe&ful than his request.

they deceive themselves. But the determination of God is peremptory, that except men repent, they fhall perijb.

3. See the power of God over all creatures, v. 10. He is the fupreme commander of all armies, and can do what he pleases with them. He is never at a lofs for inftruments; they may be weak and unlikely, but they fhall execute his purposes. Whether we hope for nothing from them, or fear nothing from them, if God directs them they fhall profper. Without him, vain is the help of man: with him, fufficient is the power of the weakeft. How much more reasonable then is it to fear him, than any human power?-The principal reflection is,

4. How wretched is the state of a finner, who is always contending with his own confcience. There is fomething ftrangely unaccountable in the conduct of Zedekiah. He had seen the death of his brother, and the captivity of his nephew and fifter, exactly answering the divine prediction by Jeremiah. He began his reign with these awful objects in view; he saw God's judgments on others, and felt them himself; yet he continued unhumbled. Sometimes he was under strong convictions; then infatuated by his evil counfellors. Sometimes he defired Jeremiah's prayers; then he confented to put him in prifon; then fent for him to know what the Lord faid; and yet rejected his commands. This is the cafe with many now: they show fome reverence to God's ministers, and attend upon ordinances, yet continue unaffected and unfanctified: often uneafy in their own minds; sometimes full of alarms and fears; then fettle in a falfe peace. The wicked are like the troubled fea, that cannot reft. If we defire to be eafy and happy, let us reverence the word of God, hearken to the voice of his ministers; and keep a confcience void of offence toward God, and toward

man.

CHA P. XXXVIII.

In which is related Jeremiah's confinement in the dungeon; Ebedmelech's fuccefs in getting it mitigated, and his counsel to the

king.

I

TH

HEN Shephatiah the fon of Mattan, and Gedaliah the fon of Pafhur, and Jucal the fon of Shelemiah, and Pafhur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had fpóken, or, had used to speak unto the people, and which he still repeated privately in the 2 court of the prifon, unto all the people, faying, Thus faith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city fhall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the peftilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans fhall live; for 3 he fhall have his life for a prey, and fhall live. Thus faith the LORD, This city fhall furely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which fhall take 4 it. Therefore the princes faid unto the king, We befeech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in fpeaking fuch words unto them: for this man feeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt, by making the peo5 ple defpair of fuccefs. Then Zedekiah the king faid, Behold, he [is] in your hand: for the king [is] not [he that] can do [any] thing against you; his hands are fo weakened that he dares not oppose you, especially at this 6 critical time. Then took they Jeremiah, and caft him into the dungeon of Malchiah the fon of Hammelech, or, of the king, that [was] in the court of the prifon : and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon [there was] no water, but mire: fo Jeremiah funk in the mire.

7

Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, one of his officers, who was a profelyte, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then fitting in the gate of 8 Benjamin, where he heard caufes; Ebed-melech went forth out of the king's houfe, and fpake to the king 9 with great courage, faying, My lord the king, as the hand of God is fo awfully against us, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have caft into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for [there

[there is] no more bread in the city, and we are all in 10 danger of dying by famine as well as he. Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, faying, Take from hence thirty men with thee to affift, if any should oppofe thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of II the dungeon, before he die. So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old caft clouts, or clothes, and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah, that the cords might not hurt him; which they probably had done before, being let 12 down roughly. And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian faid unto Jeremiah, Put now [these] old caft clouts, and rotten rags under thine arm-holes, under the cords. 13 And Jeremiah did fo. So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon; and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

14

Then Zedekiah the king fent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that [is] in the house of the LORD; into a private room in the third gate between the king's house and the temple: and the king faid unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide no15 thing from me. Then Jeremiah faid unto Zedekiah, If I declare [it] unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counfel, wilt thou not hearken unto me? or, Wilt thou not put me to death, tho' I give thee fuch counsel as thou wilt not like to hear. 16 So Zedekiah the king fware fecretly unto Jeremiah, faying, [As] the LORD liveth, that made us this foul, and on whofe prefervation thy life and mine depend, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life; not promifing to take his advice, but only that he would not put him 17 to death. Then faid Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus faith the LORD, the God of hofts, the God of Ifrael; If thou wilt affuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, and treat with them, then thy foul fhall live, and this city fhall not be burned with fire; and 18 thou fhalt live, and thine houfe: But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then fhall