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that is, they shall be so, that perfecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double deftruction; thou wilt utterly deftroy them, that they may no longer infult thy prophet and defy thy threatenings.

Thus faith the LORD unto me; Go and ftand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and 20 in all the gates of Jerufalem, in all publick places; And fay unto them, Hear ye the word of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants 21 of Jerufalem, that enter in by these gates: Thus faith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the fabbath day, nor bring [it] in by the 22 gates of Jerufalem; Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the fabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the fabbath day, as I commanded 23 your fathers; as a fign of my covenant with them. But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive 24 instruction. And it fhall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, faith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the fabbath day, but hallow the fabbath day, to do no work 25 therein; Then fhall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes fitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horfes, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerufalem: and this city fhall remain for ever; the court, 26 the city, and the country fhall flourish. And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerufalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the fouth, bringing burnt offerings, and facrifices, and meat offerings, and incenfe, and bringing facrifices of praise, unto the house of the LORD; they shall bring 27 their facrifices from all parts of the land. But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the fabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerufalem

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Jerufalem on the fabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it fhall devour the palaces of Jerufalem, and it fhall not be quenched; a threatening which was literally fulfilled, and which this very prophet lived to fee and lament.

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REFLECTION S.

E here fee how cautious we fhould be of putting too much trust in man. To depend upon human wisdom, fkill, and power, to the neglect of God, (that is, while we difregard his providence, and teftrain prayer before him) is an affront to him; it is impious and profane. Men are all of them weak and frail, many of them are falfe and deceitful; therefore it is foolish to truft in them, and the way to have our expectations disappointed. In like manner, it is alfo foolish to truft in our own hearts, and lean to our own understandings, without feeking and acknowledging God. Take heed therefore, brethren, left there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.

2. We fee how fafely and comfortably we may truft in God. If we faithfully do our duty, and truft in him to "guide, fupport, and deliver us, he will do it. He knows the heart; knows what we intend; and what thofe with whom we have any concern intend; and can influence us and them as he pleases. If we truft in him, we fhall flourish in honour and comfort, and abound in the fruits of righteousness. He will not be our terror, but our comfort, in the day of evil, when men fail us, and oúr expectations from the creatures are difappointed.

3. We are taught the. vanity of thofe riches which are unjustly gotten. All are vanity; but thefe are especially fo. A man may get rich by oppreffion, fraud, and artifice. This is fometimes the cafe; and it encourages men of no principle to practife injuftice. But fuch riches often leave a man in the midst of his days, when he wants them most, and pleases himself with the thought of their continuance and increase. They will certainly leave him in the end of his days, when he can carry nothing with him but the

guilt, fhame, and remorfe of having gotten them unjustly. Then he will see himself to have been a fool; however proud he may have been of his fagacity and fuccefs, and of the flattery of others. O let integrity and uprightness preserve us: and let us be rich in good works. By acting thus we shall show ourselves wife, and lay up in store for ourselves a good foundation against the time to come.

4. Obferve how neceffary it is to fanctify the fabbath, if we defire the favour of God, and the profperity of our country. This is required of kings and rulers, as well as others. No burdens are to be borne, no common work to be done, no labouring, travelling, carrying out, or fetching in, (even provifions) except in cafe of abfolute neceffity. We fee what ftrefs God lays upon this duty; he charges the neglect of it as a crime which would bring ruin upon the state. The religious obfervation of the fabbath will fupport other branches of religion, v. 21, therefore let us take heed to ourselves. Great caution is needful in a degenerate day, and amidst fo many bad examples. Those who, merely to fave time on working days, contrive to take journeys, to vifit their friends, or follow their business on the fabbath, and, by so doing, deprive themfelves of religious advantages, do at least (however their thoughts may be employed) fet a bad example to others, and encourage them to profane the fabbath. Thofe who do this should attend to the prophet Jeremiah's admonition: and how they can imagine fuch a conduct to be confiftent with the divine authority and law, the defign of the fabbath, the folemnity of a chriftian profeffion and engagement, or even with feeking the true intereft of their country, is aftonishing. How they will vindicate it before him, who will give to every man according to his ways and the fruit of his doings, they will do well to confider.

CHAP.

CHAP. XVIII.

God here, under the type of a potter, fhows his abfolute power in difpofing of nations, and threatens judgments to Judah.

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I THE word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, faying, Arife, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my 3 words. Then I went down to the potter's houfe, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels, or, was at 4 work upon the ftones. And the veffel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: fo he made it again another veffel, as feemed good to the potter to 5 make [it.] Then the word of the LORD came to me, 6 faying, O houfe of Ifrael, cannot I do with you as this potter? faith the LORD. Behold, as the clay [is] in the potter's hand, fo [are] ye in mine hand, O house of Ifrael; I have abfolute power over thee to do as I pleafe, yet I am not inclined to deal with thee in ftri&t righteousness 7 according to thy true character; for [At what] instant I fhall fpeak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, either by my prophets, or in the course of providence, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy 8 [it] If that nation against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them; I will change my way of dealing with them. And [at what] inftant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build 10 and to plant [it;] If it do evil in my fight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I faid I would benefit them; according to their different behaviour, they shall become the objects of my favour or difpleafure.

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Now therefore go to, fpeak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerufalem, saying, Thus faith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devife a device against you; I intend to punish you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make 12 your ways and your doings good. And they faid, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own

devices,

devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart; they were stubborn and would not be reform13 ed. Therefore thus faith the LORD; Afk ye now among the heathen, who hath heard fuch things; none among them were fo ftupid, as to fay they would not reform when judgments were coming upon them, especially when they actually felt them; the Ninevites, for instance, repented at the preaching of Jonah, but the virgin of lfrael hath done a very horrible thing; Ifrael, that ought to be a 14 pure, chafte virgin to the Lord, is worse than they. Will [a man] leave the fnow of Lebanon [which cometh] from the rock of the field? [or] fhall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forfaken? • Will the fnow leave Lebanon before any rock of the field? Will men dig for ftrange waters perverfely, in preference to fuch as flow? Will a thirsty traveller in hot weather leave cool water, that trickles down from Lebanon, or fine fpring 15 water, for a standing, muddy lake? Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incenfe to vanity, to idols, and they have caufed them to stumble in their ways [from] the antient paths, to walk in paths, [in] a way not caft up; their false prophets and idolatrous priests have led them from the good old way, to 16 walk in a miry dangerous road; To make their land defolate, [and] a perpetual hiffing; every one that paffeth thereby fhall be aftonished, and wag his head; the confequence will be that fome will pity, and others will 17 triumph in their calamities. I will fcatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will fhow them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.

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Then faid they, Come, and let us devife devices against Jeremiah; for the law fhall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wife, nor the word from the prophet; we shall do well enough fince we have fo many priests, wife men, and prophets on our fide. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words; let us lay things to his charge that may blaft his character, and even take away his 19 life. Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken not to the voice

a Dr. BLAYNEY,

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