LORD remember them, and came it [not] into his mind, arvery 22 offensive to him? So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, [and] because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, 23 as at this day. Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this 24 day. Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that [are] in the 25 land of Egypt: Thus saith the LORD of hosts the God of Isra. el, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. 26 Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth; you say you will perform your vows, and think they are, though unlawful in themselves, an obligation upon you to do so; therefore I will fulfil mine; as I have vowed your utter destruction, so it shall come to pass; ye shall lose all your re27 ligion, and be given up to utter apostacy and ruin. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good and all the men of Judah that [are] in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the 28 sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose word shall stand, mine, or theirs.

29 And this [shall be] a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words 30 shall surely stand against you for evil: Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt, or, Aries, from whom they hoped for protection, into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon his enemy, and that sought his life.*

Accordingly soon after this he was conquered and slain in his own palace by Anusis his rival. Heredetus, b. ii. ch. 169.

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REFLECTIONS.

ET us seriously consider and reflect upon the view here given us of sin, v. 4. Every transgression of the law of God is odious and abominable in its own nature, and highly displeasing to God; he hates it, and will punish it. From a tender concern for the happiness of men he dissuades them from it; saying, Oh, do it not. We should learn from hence how we ought to think and speak of sin; what fools they are, and how unlike God, who make a jest of it. This should be a motive to us to hate it with a perfect hatred; and also with great seriousness and earnestness to warn others against it.

2. God's judgments upon others are intended for our warning, v. 2-6. He expostulates with this rebellious people; Have you not seen what your brethren and country have suffered? It was an aggravation of their guilt that they were not impressed and reformed thereby. The judgments of God upon other nations and persons, are intended to awaken us; to engage us to a holy fear and caution; lest partaking of their sins, we should also partake of their plagues.

3. See what a false judgment men often make of their prosperity. These people argued, that because all was well with them while they practised idolatry, therefore their idolatry was the cause of their prosperity. Thus sinners argue; because they enjoy health, ease, and plenty, God is not displeased with their sins. This shows great ignorance of God, of his word, and of a future state; and is a great abuse of his goodness; which was designed to lead them to repentance. But their arguings are false in fact, as well as those of the Jews: for the uneasiness of their spirits, which they cannot always prevent, and the forebodings of future wrath, which they cannot always stifle, show that sin is not the way to happiness, and that God is angry with them.

4. See the sad progress and dreadful consequences of disobedience. These impudent sinners before they left Judea showed some respect to the prophet and to God's word, and promised to hearken to it; but they grew worse and worse, and now tell the prophet, plainly and flatly, that they would not hear: God might say what he would, and they would do what they would. This is the language of every wilful sinner; the genuine language of a carnal rebellious heart. But God has sworn by his great name that he will destroy such rebels. They say they shall have peace, and escape damnation; God says they shall not; and a little time will show whose word shall stand, God's or theirs. May God deliver us all from hardness of heart, and a contempt of his word and command

This chapter refers to the thirty sixth, and should have been placed after it. Baruch having written and read Jeremiah's prophecy, the king, being displeased, sent a warrant to apprehend both of

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HE word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim 2 the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying,. Thus saith the LORD, 3 the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch; Thou didst say, Wo is me now; for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; personal troubles to the sorrows I endure on account of the public; I 4 fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest. Thus shalt thou say unto him, The LORD saith thus; Behold, [that] which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land; I will ruin this whole coun5 try, which hath formerly been so beautiful and fruitful. And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek [them] not; do not indulge the secret ambition of thy heart: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD, upon all ranks and ages: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest; thou shalt escape with thy life, and let that content thee; thou hast reason to rejoice in that, as a conqueror when he divideth the spoil.

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CHAP. XLVI.*

The word of the LORD which came to 2 Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles; Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son 3 of Josiah king of Judah. Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle; go, take up your arms, and march against the 4 Chaldeans; speaking ironically. Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with [your] helmets; furbish the spears, [and] put on the brigandines, or, coats of mail. 5 Wherefore have I seen them dismayed [and] turned away back? and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: [for] fear [was] round about, saith 6 the LORD. Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; or, the swift shall not fly away, but be taken; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates. Then, in order to raise an expectation of some mighty enterprise, the prophet asks, Who [is] this [that] cometh up as a flood, 8 whose waters are moved as the rivers? Egypt riseth up like a

The first verse of this chapter is an introduction to the prophecies in it and the following ones. In the beginning of this Jeremiah foretells the overthrow of Pharaoh's army at Euphrates, whts he went against Nebuchadnezzar, in the first year of his reign.

flood, and [his] waters are moved like the rivers; a beautiful allusion to the overflowing of the Nile, which made Egypt fruitful; and he saith, I will go up, [and] will cover the earth; I will destroy the city and the inhabitants thereof; he threatens to bear 9 down all before him, and to destroy every opposing city. Come

up, ye horses; and rage ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians that handle [and] bend the bow; the inhabitants of Africa, the neighbours and allies of the 10 Egyptians. For this [is] the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood for the Lord GoD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates; repre11 senting their destruction as a sacrifice of justice to the Lord. Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines? [for] thou shalt not be cured; the Egyptians shall never recover themselves after this 12 defeat. The nations have heard of thy shame, and thy cry hath filled the land for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, [and] they are fallen both together; they are destroyed by one another in the haste of their flight. Accordingly we read in 2 Kings xxiv. 7. the king of Egypt came no more out of his land, for the king of Babylon had taken, from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates, all that pertained to the king of Egypt.

REFLECTION.

HE practical instructions to be drawn from this prophecy against Egypt, will be more properly introduced under the latter part of the chapter. We shall therefore at present observe what may be learned from chapter xlv. namely, 'that we should restrain a spirit of ambition at all times, especially in times of public trouble.' Baruch was afraid he should lose his favour at court; he thought himself in the way of preferment, by being introduced to the king with Jeremiah's prophecies; but when he found that he was sought for to be punished, he began to grow fretful and uneasy. This God took notice of, and ordered Jeremiah to admonish him for it. God is witness to the secret thoughts of vanity that are in our hearts, and all the discontent and fretfulness which we express or feel when our schemes are disappointed, or likely to be so. God commanded Baruch, and he commands us, not to seek great things for ourselves; to be humble and content in our stations; and to maintain a temper suited to the dispensations of Providence. It is our unreasonable fondness for great things that makes us impatient' under evil things, and less solicitous about good ones. Baruch's conduct is reproved from this consideration, that the nation would soon be ruined, and that therefore it was ridiculous to be painting his cabin when the ship was sinking. This intimates that the

uncertainty and short duration of earthly things, is a substantial reason why we should not set our hearts upon them. . God will destroy this world; will break down its pillars, and pluck up its very foundations: let us therefore not seek great things in it, but the good things of piety and zeal. Let it be enough for us if our souls are given us for a prey, and we do not partake of the destruction that shall come upon the wicked; if we hear Christ say, Well done, good and faithful servants: these are great things indeed, and God allows us with a sacred refined ambition to seek them. May he grant that the frequent view and diligent pursuit of them, may swallow up every thing that would at any time interfere with them.

CHAP. XLVI. 13, to the end. CHAP. XLVII.

The prophecy in the preceding part of the chapter refers to the Egyptians being driven out of the country they possessed between Egypt and Babylon, which was fulfilled immediately this refers to their being attacked and conquered in their own country by Nebuchadnezzar, after the Jews went thither, and many years after the former conquest. The same event is foretold by Ezekiel, ch. xxix.xxxii. The forty seventh chapter is a prophecy of the destruction of the Philistines,

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HE word that the LORD spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come [and] 14 smite the land of Egypt. Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Noph, and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand fast, and prepare thee; for the sword shall devour round about 15 thee. Why are thy valiant [men] swept away as with a violent 16 rain 2* they stood not, because the LORD did drive them. He made many to fall, yea, one fell upon another and they, their allies, and mercenary troops, said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing 17 sword. They did cry there, that is, the people who were set to guard the isthmus or neck of land which joins Asia to Africa, and which separated between Egypt and the conquered countries, Pharaoh king of Egypt [is but] a noise; he hath passed the time appointed: Pharaoh had promised what great things he would do, and with what a powerful force he would join them, but here they com18 plain it was all a bluster. [As] I live, saith the King, whose name [is] the LORD of hosts, Surely as Tabor [is] among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, [so] shall he come ; that is, the king of Babylon shall come, and be as much superior to them, as Tabor and Carmel are higher than the neighbouring hills.

The word rendered valiant mex, is in the Septuagint translated Api, the sacred bull of Egypt; which, from a very ingenious criticism of Dr. Kennicott, appears to be the true rese dering; and is probably alluded to in v. 20, 21.